The draft peace accord initialed on September 22 in Kabul between the Afghan government and the famous Mujahideen group Hezb-e-Islami (HiG) prima facie devolves upon the latter bidding farewell to arms and gaining acceptance as a mainstream political party. It seems deceptively simple as a principled formula stemming from reconciliation.





Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is, arguably, one of the most colorful figures of the Afghan jihad and the leitmotif of

Thursdays

peace deal will inevitably have a lot to do with his enigmatic personality.





Hekmatyar has passed through the hands of almost all the foreign intelligence agencies at one time or the other who have been involved in the Hindu Kush since the seventies in the great game ranging from the Soviet KGB and the CIA to the Saudi and Pakistani intelligence.





That alone highlights that Hekmatyar is an immortal soul and his second coming cannot but graze on geopolitics.





Hekmatyar is a hugely ambitious political personality and a ruthless practitioner of power play. Today, hed aspire for nothing less than Afghanistans presidency. So much from now onward will depend on how his over-vaulting ambition plays out.





If his past record is any indication, he will not brook opposition to his quest for power. Has he tempered and imbibed the spirit of democratic change? Time will tell.





Prima facie, Washington has a bounty on his head as a wanted terrorist, and he is also on the UNs list of dangerous terrorists. The western press berates him as the Butcher of Kabul. Yet, White House lost no time to welcome

Thursdays

deal.





One of the most colorful figures of the Afghan jihad, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, recently signed a peace deal with Kabul which is also seen as a back-to-back US-Pakistan deal. Hekmatyar, who lives in Pakistan with his family, is known for his anti-Indian views. As India openly supports Baluchi nationalists in Pakistan, Islamabad wants to sever the ties between Delhi and Kabul and Hekmatyar can guarantee that in future. India has reason to be worried.
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ST. HELENA  The two Yolo County candidates for the states Fourth Assembly District pitched an audience Thursday night at the St. Helena Public Library, seeking Napa County votes.

Republican Charlie Schaupp spoke of his roots in Esparto, a small town in Yolo County, that go back to the 1880s. You dont want to send a person to Sacramento looking for the best job theyve ever had, he said. Ive already done that. The best job I ever had was being a U.S. Marine officer. He served for 28 years in the Marines.

Democrat Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who is mayor of Winters, spoke of the revitalization of her citys downtown, where a $750 million Pacific Gas & Electric training facility is being built and two hotels are on the way. She spoke of helping to obtain computers for high school students.

The candidate said she has lived in Winters since 1957 and first served on the planning commission, then the city council. She and her brothers farm walnuts on their 80 acres.

Schaupp said hes also a farmer, although hes not currently farming. Instead, hes running full-time for the Assembly seat, which is being vacated by Bill Dodd, who is running for California Senate District 3. Schaupp said if elected, he would bring accountability, responsibility and openness to Sacramento government and advocates smart government for smart programs and responsible, straight-forward government.

He vowed to fight the special interest groups that he said spent $2 million in the primary, while he spent less than $20,000. In that primary, Aguiar-Curry and Schaupp garnered the most votes, each receiving about 29 percent of the ballots cast and advanced to the Nov. 8 final election. They beat three Democrats: Dan Wolk, Don Saylor and Mark Kropp.

In 2014, Dodd beat Schaupp for an Assembly seat, 61.6 percent to 38.4 percent. The Fourth Assembly District includes all or portions of Yolo, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano and Colusa counties.

The League of Women Voters of Napa County sponsored Thursday nights candidates forum, which was lightly attended.

Both Aguiar-Curry and Schaupp said they support parental leave, increased state funding for education and they decried the state of Californias unfunded liabilities, including pensions.

Aguiar-Curry said increased school funding is critical because facilities are inadequate in the districts poorest rural counties, The state needs to continue to pay for education, from preschool through the University of California system, she said.

Schaupp said schools need more money, because 80 percent of their funds is spent on employees. He spoke about serving three terms on the local school board when its members put a bond measure on the ballot to build a new high school. After a tough fight, the bond measure passed with a 75 percent yes vote.

I believe in local control, Schaupp said. My job is when I get to Sacramento, to make sure the money gets to the local districts with no strings attached. It can be done but we have to have leadership. We need to have common sense in Sacramento.

Aguiar-Curry, who said that her father taught school for 37 years, said vocational education needs to be brought back. One size does not fit all, she said.

In response to another question, she said Californias unfunded liabilities, including pensions, is something that every city has but no one wants to talk about. She added, Sooner or later, a lot of people are going to retire and the state is going to go bankrupt unless something is done. Its going to take a long time, maybe 12 years, to turn that ship around, she said.

The state has to honor its current contracts with employees, Aguiar-Curry said, but with new employees the process needs to be changed, whether their retirements are funded with 401(k)s or other pensions.

In closing, Shaupp vowed to fight special interest groups, adding, I am what I am. As a retired Marine, I know how to listen. I will fight for you in the Assembly.

Aguiar-Curry said since the primary she has traveled throughout the district. She said shes endorsed by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Democrats Bill Dodd and Lois Wolk as well as the Napa Valley Register, in part because I know how to pick up the phone and get things done.
Local small businesses have been hit with a flood of lawsuits from a Napa woman who says she is being discriminated against under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Nearly two dozen businesses including flower shops, restaurants, burger joints, liquor stores and automotive shops have been served with these lawsuits, 11 of them in September, leaving the owners frustrated, angry and scrambling to do whatever they can to minimize losses.

Most of the lawsuits, which have been filed in federal court, complain of parking lots that are out of compliance -- a few of them only lacking updated signage and fresh paint -- and narrow doors and aisles.

Its just not fair, said Randy Guerrieri, owner of the Copy Corner on Jefferson Street in Napa. Of course, business owners want to make their customers happy, but they shouldnt have to go out of business to do so, he said.

The plaintiff, Pamela Koussa of Napa, says in the suits that she is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair for mobility. Multiple attempts to reach Koussa for comment failed. Her lawyers, based out of the Center for Disability Access, a law firm in San Diego, also did not respond to media inquiries.

In her lawsuits, Koussa says that the business and property owners are intentionally discriminating against her.

The ADA protects people who have disabilities from discrimination and ensures them equal opportunities. Koussa is seeking compliance from businesses as well as $4,000 in minimum damages under the Unruh Civil Rights Act, California legislation that outlaws discrimination.

In Koussas lawsuit against Copy Corner's Guerrieri and property owner Edward Barwick, she claims that she visited the store in August to make some copies, but there were no compliant accessible handicap parking spaces available for people with disabilities.

In her lawsuit, Koussa said she believes that there used to be ADA-compliant parking spaces in the lot  an allegation that is included in nearly all of her lawsuits filed against Napa businesses in 2016. In addition to the lack of an accessible parking space, the lawsuit also claims that the Copy Corner door, which swings outward, is not in compliance either.

Guerrieri didnt deny the allegations, but said that the lawsuits arent about access, theyre about money.

Its just a whole industry, he said. In 10 pops, she has $40,000 in a month.

Napa isn't the only California city that has had a rash of ADA-related lawsuits. In July, the East Bay Times reported that California is "ground zero" for this type of litigation with an estimated 42 percent of all cases in the country filed in this state.

One business owner said that he would gladly offer to make free deliveries to Koussa's home or provide her with curbside service. That solution, though, doesn't necessarily address the access issue, said Wendy Kuehnl, director of communications and marketing at Abilities United, a Bay Area nonprofit that aims to provide lifelong support to individuals with disabilities.

Although it's kind of businesses to offer help, most people want to be independent and not have to rely on others, Kuehnl said. It puts them in a vulnerable position. "I think that really separates people."

"It's all about freedom -- freedom of movement and accessibility," Kuehnl said.

If someone uses a wheelchair and has to park in a parking spot that is not ADA-compliant, the standard space is going to be too narrow for them to be able to maneuver out of their vehicle, Kuehnl said. "You essentially become stuck in your car," she said. "You dont have equal access."

"It really comes down to equal rights, just like any equal rights movement," she said.

"Society makes a person disabled or handicapped. The person is fine the way they are," she said. "The barriers that we put up makes them disabled."

Guerrieri, who was just served with a lawsuit this week, said he anticipates having to make the business ADA- compliant since it is federal law. The biggest expense, he said, other than attorneys fees and damages, will be expanding the entrance and installing an ADA-compliant door, which alone costs about $1,600.

Luckily, this used to be a drive-through in the 40s, he said of the old, oddly shape building that sits almost flush with the parking lot. Becoming compliant for some businesses is a big expense.

Guerrieri said that he wont let anyone put him out of business, but the lawsuit will have a lot of unforeseen costs. Not everybody running a business is wealthy, he said.

It gives you that feeling that youve lost control, he said.

Business owners who were interviewed Friday said that they dont mind making accommodations that enable people with physical disabilities to patronize their businesses. But making the accommodations isnt always easy.

Peter Ibrahim of Lawlers Liquors, a neighbor of Copy Corner, said that his own father, Jack, who died last year, had some disabilities and could barely walk. Making the building and parking lot ADA-compliant, though, was too much.

We wanted to have a parking spot, he said, but an ADA-compliant space would take up two out of three spaces in their small lot in front of their store.

It would mean no more parking in the front and no more deliveries, he said. How can I run a business if I cant have nobody park in front of the store?

Instead of filing a lawsuit, why dont Koussas lawyers with the Center for Disability Access come out and help him become compliant, Ibrahim said.

This is a loophole in the law and these attorneys are profiting, he said.

So, what is a business owner to do?

A lot of guys settle outside, said Aurelio Banda, owner of La Bella Terra, a decorative iron store on Soscol Avenue. The lawsuit against his business was filed Sept. 8 and alleged that not only was there no ADA-compliant space, but that the aisles in the store were too narrow.

Its intimidating at the beginning, Banda said. Before he even was served with the lawsuit, Banda received a copy of it along with a letter from an attorney out of San Rafael offering to represent him.

Most business people like me, we see an attorney letter, we want to settle, he said. We dont know the law.

The top 10 most common business violations, according to the California Commission on Disability Access, are:

-- the existing parking spaces are not compliant

-- signage in the parking lot is non-compliant

-- the parking lot does not contain the minimum number of accessible parking spaces,

--routes to and from the parking lot or public right-of-way are not accessible,

--van-accessible parking is non-compliant or non-existent,

--curb ramps or entrance ramps are non-compliant or non-existent,

--heights of surfaces such as counters and tables are non-compliant,

--access aisles or path of travel within building are not accessible,

--entry doors are not accessible or are missing accessibility signage

-- and bathrooms don't meet requirements.

And these requirements, including the wording of signs, change over time. As one business owner put it, If you were in compliance five or six years ago, youre out of compliance now.

In addition to the 20 lawsuits against Napa businesses filed by Koussa in 2016 in the United States District Court Northern District of California, there are rumors floating around in the business community of other businesses that may be next.

According to several business owners, the whole thing starts with either a phone call from someone asking about access at the business or someone coming by taking photos of the business and parking lot.

They want to scare you off first, so you call the lawyer right away, Banda said.

Banda said that before the lawsuit, he wasnt even aware of the list of required compliances.

We just got another barrier we have to deal with  just another obstacle to running a successful small business, Banda said.
After a case of sticker shock delayed the start of a Napa park overlooking the site of a long-vanished Chinatown, the city is poised to belatedly approve the project this week.

On Tuesday, the City Council will have a second chance to accept a construction bid on the China Point overlook, a pocket park east of downtown that will face the spot by the Napa River where a Chinese immigrant community took root in the mid-19th century. Council members will vote on a $624,819 proposal from G.D. Nielson Construction Inc., the lowest of three bids.

An earlier effort to choose a builder stalled in June when both bids came in at more than $200,000 over Napas estimate of $472,500. City engineers chose to rebid the park plan after trying to find ways to shave costs, such as dropping boulders, cut-stone wall facings and other decorative items in the first round of designs.

To meet the expense of the China Point park, Napa plans to shift $210,000 toward China Point from existing funds it originally reserved for an expansion of the Pearl Street parking garage, according to Mike Socorro, an assistant engineer for the Public Works department. The extra money would leave the city with $720,000 to use on the park project, including $62,681 for any unexpected costs.

The new park is intended to serve both as a gateway for a trail leading into the Oxbow Commons flood bypass park, and also as a tribute to Napas former Chinese-American community. A 14-by-14-foot moon gate in a traditional Chinese style is intended to be the focal point of project.

A spit of land at the junction of the river and Napa Creek became home to Chinese-born laborers, who raised wooden shanties at the site and gradually built a community of about 300 people. But a 1902 fire that destroyed many of the buildings sent the district into a decline, causing many residents lacking insurance to start over in San Francisco and other cities. The remaining tenants were evicted in 1929 by China Points landowner Shwarz Hardware Co., whose plans for a yacht dock at the site were never realized.

Most of China Points remains were removed in the 1960s for the northern extension of Soscol Avenue, and the city hauled out the final traces to make way for the Oxbow Commons and river bypass, which opened in 2015.

China Point would be the last of three small parks approved in 2007 by the citys since-dissolved redevelopment agency to open, after the Opera House Plaza in 2009 and the Riverfront Green, at the southwest corner of Third Street and Soscol Avenue, in 2011.

Also Tuesday, the City Council is scheduled to transfer ownership of the two downtown blocks that are keys to building a new City Hall and police station.

Public authorities that hold title to the existing City Hall on Second Street and the Community Services Building on First Street would pass the properties back to the city, and then dissolve themselves. The authorities were created to borrow money, since repaid, for converting the First Street building  a Safeway grocery until the mid-1970s  into city offices, and to expand the police station in the 1980s.

Plans developed since last year call for the current City Hall, Napa Police and Napa Fire buildings on Second to be replaced by a combined city-police hub on the west side of the block, a hotel to the east and a parking garage in between. The multistory, 100,000-square-foot city headquarters would absorb offices currently spread over seven downtown locations, eliminating the need to pay rent on satellite offices. Fire Station No. 1 also could be moved off Second Street to a new building at a location to be determined.

Replacing the Community Services Building would be a residential complex, which also may include a small supermarket at ground level.
As a business owner and an involved community member, I enthusiastically support Debbie Alter-Starr far Napa Valley College Trustee, Area 6. Her extensive background in public education and local community-building efforts, combined with her outstanding personal integrity and track record of being a communicator will make the college a better, more responsive and transparent institution.

Debbie is a doer, who keeps organizations focused on their missions, while practicing fiscal accountability and institutional best practices. She excels at listening carefully to what stakeholders are saying and generating creative problem solving approaches to leadership to meaningfully take into account stakeholder interests.

Debbie quickly does her homework before forming an opinion. She researches the topic in question by reading related important documents, soliciting multiple and varying viewpoints with others who have greater institutional memory as well as from experts in the fields. She also makes use of benchmarking, looking at what other organizations have done who are the most similar to the organization in question, in other communities and/or nearby. Her strong work ethic in this regard and her leadership in the area of communication will surely help the NVC Board of Trustees expand their own communication practices to better gain the trust of voters if and when a new bond measure might be proposed by the college.

Debbie is highly regarded bridge builder and advocate for our Latino residents who comprise over 50 percent of our young people in Napa County and who are a large percentage of the college's student population. She is a founder and co-chairwoman of the Napa Valley Latino Heritage Committee, which organizes Latino Heritage Month in the county and hosts cultural events such as Napa's huge annual Day of the Dead/ Dia de Los Muertos event the last weekend of October.

She founded and operated Somos Napa, a bilingual website, with bilingual e-newsletters, and a calendar tool, as well as Que Pasa Napa, a local Spanish radio and TV program pilot.

She also helped found Napa Valley Now and Napa Valley Hoy, a bilingual, county wide calendar, to succeed Somos Napa and was part of the Napa Valley Unified School District superintendent's committee to improve communication with stakeholders when Dr. Patrick Sweeney first came to the district.

For her leadership in service to our local Latino communities, she was awarded as Woman of the Year by the Napa County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2013 and a "Friend of the Network" award from the Napa County Hispanic Network in 2012.

Don't just take my word for It. Ask her colleagues at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, and the leadership of the Napa Valley Unified School District, where she has served on committees and advised for the past 14 years, or the president of the Napa Valley Education Foundation where she has served as a board member for the past five years, or the town of Yountville, where she lives.

Debbie has been endorsed by all seven trustees of the NVUSD School Board, and all five members of the Yountville Town Council (plus three former council members), the Napa County Taxpayers Association and the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council -- and more endorsements are coming.

I feel confident that Debbie would provide leadership, stability, and accountability for Napa Valley College, and I hope you will support her too.

Kevin D. Massie, owner

Napa Ford Lincoln
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At this time, there have been no evacuations ordered in Florida, but that could change quickly. Please stay alert and watch your local news and listen to your local officials for protective actions and emergency messages. I urge everyone to visit FLGetAPlan.com to get prepared before the weekend is over. Make sure to have three days of food and water, flashlights, batteries and a battery powered radio .


GoldSeek.com Radio: President Joseph Grosso and Arch Crawford, and your host Chris Waltzek





By: Chris Waltzek, GoldSeek.com Radio

-- Published: Sunday, 2 October 2016 | Print | Disqus Featured Guests President Joseph Grosso, Arch Crawford & Listener's Q&A. Summary Joseph Grosso - Golden Arrow Resources, Executive Chairman, CEO, & President returns with exciting news.

Hailing from scenic Buenos Aires, the "Big Apple" of South America, President Grosso outlines the key differences between PMs exploration and production.

One big discovery can require as many as 1,000 site visits - yet the tedious / time-consuming process can yield muy grande sized rewards.

In 23 years of exploration, President Grosso cites 3 major discoveries, one in gold and two in silver.

Through high quality "social license" and "economic feasibility" Golden Arrow Resources is head and shoulders above most competing PMs explorers.

Recent drilling results indicate that the flag ship property, Chinchillas is a young and growing "elephant sized" opportunity with enormous potential.

The partnership with major silver producer Silver Standard, represents a Herculean step forward for Golden Arrow within the next 6-8 months.

President Grosso expects gold to perform well, but for silver to outshine the yellow metal: in 1980, the gold : silver ratio was 15 : 1.

At approximately 70:1, investors today require seventy ounces of silver to purchase one ounce of gold, making silver an appealing alternative. Arch Crawford, head of Crawford Perspectives showcases his investing methods that he's honed over forty years.

Market and astronomical anomalies indicate the potential of extreme volatility in 2017.

Arch thinks the Fed does not have the remaining fire power to hold the US equities markets aloft forever. Gold remains one of Arch's favorite markets.

The discussion includes the rumored "Metropolitan Plan" where US policymakers could implement negative interest rates (NIRP).

According to the Metropolitan Plan article, gold could ascend to over $10,000 per ounce - several top insiders are preparing contingencies.

Arch Crawford outlines support / resistance levels for the gold market - he's watching for a break above $1,400 gold as a bullish sign. Show Host Chris Waltzek About Chris Contact Host: gsradio@frontier.com Guest Biographies Arch Crawford Stockmarket Cycles Arch Crawford cut his technical analysis teeth as first assistant to top Wall Street technician Robert Farrell at Merrill Lynch in the early 1960s. In 1977, following Archs extensive research into astrophysical phenomenon, astrology and its correlation to market performance, he edited and published the premiere issue of Crawford Perspectives market timing newsletter. Today, nearly 40 years later, Crawford Perspectives continues to bring readers one of the most highly regarded and consistently accurate market timing newsletters available. Website: click here. Joseph Grosso Golden Arrow, CEO Mr. Grosso became one of the early pioneers of the mining sector in Argentina in 1993 when mining was opened to foreign investment, and was named Argentina's 'Mining Man of The Year' in 2005. His knowledge of Argentina was instrumental in attracting a premier team which led to the acquisition of key properties in Golden Arrow's portfolio. He has successfully formed strategic alliances and negotiated with mining industry majors such as Barrick, Teck, Newmont , Viceroy (now Yamana Gold) and Vale S.A., and government officials at all levels. Mr. Grosso's specialty is financing, negotiations, corporate and marketing strategy, and he was an early and passionate adopter of best practices in environmental protection and socio-economic development through mineral exploration. He is the founder and president of Grosso Group Management Ltd. Website.

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-- Published: Sunday, 2 October 2016 | E-Mail | Print | Source: GoldSeek.com Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus








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"The plan was always to make the yet-untitled film in three languages. Since Gopichand is widely popular, the makers have decided to make the film in Telugu, Hindi and English. The pre-production work has already started and the project will go on the floors next year," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Actor Sudheer Babu, a former Badminton player who had trained under Gopichand, will play the role of his guru on the big screen.

Sattaru will commence work on the biopic after he completes working on the yet-untitled Telugu project with actor Rajasekhar.

The makers have already finalised locations across China, Japan, Ireland and Scotland.

The film will also be dubbed in Tamil.

--IANS hp/nn/vt

( 154 Words)

2016-10-02-12:30:08 (IANS)
Firing a fresh salvo at Hrithik Roshan, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, in recently said she doesn't understand why the actor always needs his father to come for his rescue. "I want to know, why can't men stand up for themselves. He (Hrithik Roshan) is a 43-year old son, why his father has to come for his rescue always? For how long will they keep hiding behind their influential big names fathers? He is an adult, he can pretty much handle his own controversies in the showbiz. Its just a simple controversy. Why daddies have to always save their sons, I don't understand this," said the 29-year-old actor at the launch of Chetan Bhagat's latest novel, 'One Indian Girl.' The 'Queen' actress said it in response to Hrithik's father and filmmaker Rakesh Roshan's earlier comment, where he said that his son chose to remain calm and dignified when someone was spreading lies about him (referring to Kangana). He even claimed that if the 'Mohenjo Dato' star chooses to open up, it would shock everyone. For the unversed, the tiff between Hrithik and the 'Queen' actress started when the latter reffered the former as 'silly ex,' during an interview. Following which Hrithik shot off a legal notice asking her to retract the statement. On the professional front, Kangan will next be seen in 'Rangoon' alongside Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor. She will also star shooting for Hansal Mehtra's 'Simran' this month. On other hand, Hrithik's 'Kaabil' will release early next year. (ANI)
On the first leg of his visit, Jaitley will reach Canada where he will hold meeting with foreign investors.

In a tweet, the Finance Ministry said, during his US visit, Jaitley will take part in the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

"FM@arunjaitley is leaving on a 7-day official visit to Canada & USA on Sunday early morning. He will return to national capital on October 10," the Ministry of Finance said in a tweet.

"On the first leg of his visit, FM will arrive in Canada on Sunday evening where he will hold meeting with foreign investors. During his US visit, FM will attend the Annual Meetings of the World Bank & IMF," the ministry added. (ANI)
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has taken a lead of 7 per cent point over his rival Donald Trump and she will certainly sweep the polls, Today Chankya, India's poll pundit has predicted. Every scientific or unscientific poll conducted from September 1 to September 26 before the first presidential debate, the winning margin of gap was less than 1pc for Hillary Clinton. However, Chankya's poll on the US elections, September 25, a day before the first debate, clearly predicted that "Hillary Clinton has the lead of 7 per cent 3 per cent (Margin of error) and will sweep the poll." The US Election polls released by other agencies after the debate now clearly shows that Hillary has the lead of more than 3pc and in the coming days of elections, these polls will touch the difference of 7 per cent point lead. By the contrast, most of the agencies on US polls will increase their polling lead - up to 7 per cent - slowly & slowly and will finally forecast that Hillary will sweep the polls, Today Chankya said. "These US polls, which are released everyday by changing the chances of winning percentage is nothing but to misguide the voters of US," it said. "Hillary Clinton has already established the lead by 7 per cent and is increasing towards wider gap. Her chances of winning will be more than 85 per cent on the final day of polling which we predict, unless anything blunder happens," the prediction said. UNI MK SHS ADG1421 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-960317.Xml
President Pranab Mukherjee will visit Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh tomorrow, a Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesperson said. During his visit to Gwalior, the President will preside over a function for distribution of keys and ownership certificates for EWS houses built under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Project at Jiwaji University, Gwalior. He will also be the Chief Guest at the 60th Founders Day Celebrations of Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior.UNI AR VS ADG 1350 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-960281.Xml
Senior Journalist and presently Adviser to department of Vocational education, Uttar Pradesh government Farzand Ahmed passed away here today at his official residence following prolonged illness. He was 68. Mr Ahmed started his journalist career from UNI, Patna office and later joined the Telegraph, Kolkata and then India Today group. He was the former State Information Commissioner in Bihar and had retired as deputy Editor from India Today group. Family members said that he was suffering from cancer for the past 2 years and was bed ridden for the last couple of months. He is survived by his son, a journalist in Patna with a renowned english daily, and a married daughter. The last rites would be performed here at the Aisbagh burial ground this afternoon. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who rushed to the residence of the journalist for paying his floral tributes, has condoled the death of Mr Ahmad. A native of Bihar, Mr Ahmad was staying in Lucknow for the past several years with his daughter.UNI MB VS ADG NS1313 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-960180.Xml
The most awaited and controversial SangolliRayanna Brigade, mooted by BJP fire brand K S Eshwarappa, waslaunched in a low key affair at Haveri, the seat of BhaktaKanakadasa yesterday. The Brigade was virtually converted into a district level convention. Addressing the perceptibly less attended convention, with noattendance from major crunch of BJP rank and file, Mr Eshwarappasaid that a separate state level convention will be organized atBangalore soon and Prime Minister will be invited to address. He said that he was much elated to see the support he receivedfrom all corners of the state for launching Sangolli Rayanna Brigadewhich has encouraged him to fight for the cause of the dalits, backwardand other oppressed classes with more enthusiasm and he wouldcontinue with his efforts incessantly for the cause of the oppressedclasses. But all through his speech he did not mention the names ofhis opponents. He also elaborated the way he got the support for his effort whichmight raise the eyebrows of his opponents and expressed confidencethat he would win a minimum of 35 to 40 seats of Karnataka Legislativeassembly constituencies in the coming 2018 election. Mr Eshwarappa called upon those who want the BJP to cometo power in the near future in Karnataka should support his brigade.Earlier he was brought in a procession in Haveri city in an opendecorated jeep. He was welcomed by his hosts of supporters in theMunicipal Ground. Supporters from Davanagere, Shimoga, Hubballi, Dharwad, Gadag,Belagavi, Tumakuru and Bellary had arrived at Haveri to extend theirsupport to Eshwarappa. It may be recalled that Mr Eshwarappa had wanted to hold a statelevel convention earlier at Haveri and had made all preparations.But there was strong opposition in BJP circle and even thestate President B S Yedyyurappa had also tried his best to halt suchefforts as it would hamper the progress of the party. Considering the strong opposition, Eshwarappa decided to reducehis convention to regional level. Even there were efforts to preventBJP workers from all the corners from attending the convention. BJP leader C M Udasi and District BJP President Shivaraj Sajjanarhad openly instructed all BJP members not to attend the convention.Member of Legislative Council Somanna Bevinmarad was the person whoventured to extend his support to the brigade. Speaking on this occasion, Somanna and former Member ofParliament K Virupakshappa indirectly criticised BJP StatePresident alleging that it was systematic conspiracy againstEshwarappa. UNI XC RS CS 1340 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-960302.Xml
Puducherry government is taking all steps to ensure that the air service from Puducherry resumes on January 1, 2017, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said here today. Explaining the details to media about the MoU signed by the territorial administration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority in New Delhi recently, the Chief Minister said that talks had been held with the Jet Airways, Spice Jet among others. AIR India may also come back,he added. He said small flights from Puducherry to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Kochi and Coimbatore will be operated.The fare was fixed at Rs.2500 per passenger. It was initially decided that the balance of the ticket fare would be borne by the Civil Aviation Ministry and Puducherry government with 80 percent of the balance would be provided by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and 20 percent would be paid by the Puducherry government. However, since the Puducherry is a Union Territory with legislature, the government asked the centre that it should bear the entire amount which was accepted by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The Chief Minister said the Puducherry government had paid Rs.3.81 crore as subsidy to the flight operators last year and added that such a situation will not arise this time since, the centre would fully provide the balance amount of the fare to the flight operators. He said that he had taken part in the GST council meeting in which it was decided that state commercial tax department would assess and collect the tax from those who pay a sale tax up to Rs.67 lakh and from those who pay an excise duty up to Rs.4 lakh. As far as service tax payers, they would be under the direct supervision of the Central government till training would be provided to the Puducherry officials. The next meeting of GST would he held on October 18,19 and 20 in which he would take part and ensure that the GST will not affect the Union territory, he added.MORE UNI PAB CS 1509 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-960357.Xml
On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, prisoners of Sabarmati central jail today released the first comic book on the life story of Bapu and another based on his wife Kasturba Gandhi published by Navjivan Trust, the Ahmedabad based historic publishing house, founded by the Father of Nation in 1929. The publishing house has to its credit publications of more than 800 titles in English, Gujarati, Hindi and other languages so far. As many as 10 prisoners, including a woman prisoner, of the jail, where Gandhiji himself had spent time during freedom struggle, were brought in the premises of the Trust situated off Ashram road near Gandhi Vidyapeeth in the city for the event. They released the books in presence of Jail Superintendent Sunil Joshi and Managing Trustee of Navjivan, Vivek Desai. The prisoners also recited some of the favourite bhajans of Bapu. The Amar Chitra Katha like Bapu's life story comics, initially available in English and Gujarati only, is a 12 inch X 9.25 inch sized book of 120 pages, Mr Apurva Ashar, Consultant, Digital and Print Publishing, of the trust said, adding that 60 pages of excerpts from the Gandhiji's books in his own words have also been included.UNI XC RAJ AKC RSA 1647 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-960481.Xml
Expressing regrets that regional environment is not conducive to host the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad, SAARC chair Nepal has urged the members to create conducive atmosphere for the meeting.The host country, Pakistan, has informed the Chair of SAARC of the postponement of the Summit that was to be held in November."As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit", Nepal said in a statement today. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states, said the statement."Nepal strongly believes that an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation" it said.To achieve peace and stability in the region, SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross border terrorism, Kathmandu felt.The statement said Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism. "Nepal has always condemned all acts of terrorism in our own region. Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian army base in Uri, Kashmir on 18 September 2016, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers" it said. UNI MK RSA 1726 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-960647.Xml
Police seized huge consignment of foreign liquor, apparently being smuggled from Haryana, at Lalpur village under Singhwara police station area in the district today.Darbhanga Assistant Police Superintendent Dilnawaz Ahmed said police seized 1,080 bottles of foreign liquor, neatly stacked in 90 cartons from a vehicle beside a road at Lalpur village in the district. He said driver and cleaner of the vehicle made good of their escape after abandoning their vehicle. He said that seized liquor bottles bore "Made in Haryana" labels.A massive manhunt is on to nab culprits.UNI XC DH RN RSA PM1719 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0311-960570.Xml
Security forces burst teargas shells to disperse 'freedom marches' called by separatists and demonstrators protesting against destruction of private property allegedly by forces at various places in the valley, where the ongoing unrest has left 85 civilians dead and over 9500 others injured since July 9. Meanwhile, curfew like restrictions have been imposed in south Kashmir district of Kulgam in view of violent clashes which erupted after over a dozen structures and paddy heaps were set on fire allegedly by security forces in Khudwani. Shouting 'pro-freedom' and anti-forces slogans, hundreds of protestors took to streets at Khudwani and adjoining areas in Kulgam against arrest of several youths and vandalised of private property allegedly by security forces. Alleging that security forces arrested 10 youths and vandalised seven structures and paddy heaps, the protestors demanded immediate action on the accused personnel. However, security forces deployed in the area swung into action and burst teargas shells to disperse demonstrators, who were pelting stones. Security forces burst teargas shells to disperse demonstrators protesting against the alleged ransacking of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat district president Mohammad Yousuf Fallahi residence at Chitragam in south Kashmri district of Shopian by security forces. The slogan shouting protestors took to streets at Chitragam and adjoining areas, demanding immediate action against the accused personnel. The protestors' later clashes with security forces, who tried to stop them from holding demonstrations. Meanwhile, hundreds of security forces were deployed on all roads leading to Sumbal in north Kashmir district of Bandipora since early this morning to foil freedom march, called by separatists in support of the demand for holding right to self determination. People coming from different parts of the district were being directed to return back to their homes by security forces. However, security forces burst teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge repeatedly to disperse the demonstrators who refused to disperse and tried to march towards Sumbal. The demonstrators, raising 'pro-freedom' and anti-forces slogans, clashed with the security forces at several places and pelted stones. Reports of clashes were coming from some other parts of the valley.UNI ABS AKC RSA BD1650 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0433-960454.Xml
Union minister and Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla today informed the central government had given its nod to harvesting of crops during daytime in border villages of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Pathankot and Fazilka. Speaking to media persons after the state executive meet in party's headquarters here, Sampla said, "In wake of the high alert issued in border-lying areas of the state and the subsequent displacement of the locals, the farmers were worried about their harvest. The Centre has granted permission for a daytime harvest and the farmers won't have to face any problems regarding reaping, transportation and selling of their produce." This was the first meeting of the party state executive amidst the situation arisen in the aftermath of the Army's surgical strikes against terrorists across the LoC. A resolution, passed in the Punjab BJP executive, said that after the attacks India now stood in league with nations like US and Israel, which has made the citizens proud. It stated, "The Indian government has been successful in isolating Pakistan on the international front and PM Narendra Modi deserves the credit for it. The PM had been garnering international support during the past two-and-a-half years and it was due to his efforts that superpowers like the US, UK, France and Germany stood with India and against Pakistan on terrorism." The resolution also praised External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's statement in the UNGA, alongwith the boycotting of SAARC summit, reviewing the Indus treaty and MFN status granted to Pakistan. The resolution was placed by former Punjab BJP chief and MLA Manoranjan Kallia, which was seconded by former state BJP chief and MLA Ashwini Sharma and former state president Rajinder Bhandari, and passed unanimously. In the meeting the developmental works carried out by the Akali-BJP coalition government during the past nine years in the state were also discussed. A resolution urging the party leaders and workers to follow the footsteps of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhaya was also passed during the meet. The cadres were exhorted to spread the organisation's ideology and dedicate themselves to develop the nation under the leadership of PM Modi. It is to be noted the BJP is observing this year of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya's 100th birth anniversary as the Year for Welfare of the Poor.UNI DB AKC RJ RAI1955 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-960890.Xml
Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki today said the birth anniversay of Mahatma Gandhi, who embodied the spirit of India and adopted the path of global welfare by propagating the message of universal brotherhood, is celebrated throughout the world as International Day of Non-Violence. Prof Solanki was speaking after offering floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on the occasion of their birth anniversary at Haryana Raj Bhavan, here. Paying glowing tributes to the Father of the Nation, the Governor said Mahatma Gandhi had dedicated his life towards achieving his vision of an ideal society. The government also envisions a radical transformation of the country by his 150th birth anniversary in 2019, and every citizen should contribute to making this dream a reality, he added. Describing Lal Bahadur Shastri as a visionary leader, he said the former Prime Minister had, through his slogan of 'Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan', motivated not only the soldiers, but also the youth to contribute to nation-building. The slogan is especially relevant today with the world's largest young population residing in India, he added. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar extended greetings to the people on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti and urged them to contribute to the development of the state. He was interacting with mediapersons after performing 'havan' and offering prayers at Sidhi Peeth Maa Kali Temple and a nearby gurdwara at Kalka in Panchkula district, on the second day ofNavratri festival. Paying glowing tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mr Khattar said the country had attained freedom due to the efforts made by great leaders like him, who worked on the principles of peace and non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi laid great emphasis on cleanliness. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to achieve cleanliness throughout the country by his 150th birth anniversary in 2019. The state government has also set a target to make the state clean by October 2, 2017, he added. The Chief Minister said the day was also being observed as 'Gram Sachivalaya Divas' in the state. Ministers, MPs and MLAs will meet people in Gram Sachivalayas. Apart from this, members of Panchayats will prepare outlines for development works, in association with the people so that villages may also be developed on the pattern of cities, he added.UNI DB RJ BL2004 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-960933.Xml
Asserting that surgical strike against terrorist launchpads were successful, he said the Armed Forces were fully prepared to meet any eventuality.

"My mother always told me that if you go into a forest hunting for a Rabbit, you have to be prepared for a tiger," Mr Parrikar told a TV channel, this evening.

He said the country's borders are safe under this government and people need not to worry.

The Defence Minister also thanked the Opposition for their support on surgical strikes, saying that bipartisanship in matters of national security was important.

On the question of moving out of URI brigade commander, the Minister said the call was by Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh to assess if there were gaps in SOPs at Uri. He said an impartial enquiry was needed to look into the possible security lapses at URI, which led to the September 18 terrorist attack. More UNI MK RJ 2058

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Life at 54 from a media lifer, ordained minister, wedding officiant, parent of two, grandparent of three, endless Tweeter and very occasional blogger.
Bihar Working Journalist Union (BWJU) today condoled the death of doyen of Indian Journalism Farzand Ahmad, who breathed his last in Lucknow after prolonged illness. President of BWJU Indrajit Singh expressed deep shock over the demise of Ahmad and described it as a great loss to Indian journalism. The departed journalist was known for his fearless writing, which inspired others to work with full dedication and honesty for strengthening the fourth pillar of the democracy, he noted. "I feel privileged to have learnt the knack of journalism from him," Mr Singh recalled and pointed out that whoever came into contact with him in journalistic fraternity, had great respect for his flair for writings. Senior journalist and Joint Secretary of Indian Journalist Union (IJU) Amar Mohan Prasad and former general secretary of BWJU Shivendra Narain Singh also condoled the death of the nationally acclaimed journalist. Mr Ahmad, who had worked for more than a decade for UNI in mid-seventies and eighties, devoted later phase of his journalistic career with India Today group. He had also held the post of Information Commissioner of Bihar and was later appointed Advisor to the dapartment of Vocational Education, Uttar Pradesh government. He was suffering from cancer and breathed his last in Lucknow hospital this morning, at the age of 68 years.UNI KKS AD RJ BL2133 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-961081.Xml
The troops of Assam Rifles, jointly with Nagaland Police, have apprehended two arms peddlers and recovered four arms from their possession. According to a statement by the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North) today, the troops of 32 Assam Rifles, along with police representatives, apprehended two arms peddlers in an operation carried out in Phuwoto Village under Niuland sub-division of Dimapur district on September 27 last. The apprehended are the residents of Niuland sub-division of Dimapur district. During the search, three pt 22 Riffles and one pt 22 Pistol were recovered. The apprehended, along with the recovered items, were later handed over to Nuiland Police Station, Dimapur for further investigation. The sale of these weapons to potential customers in an illegal manner has been averted by the apprehension of these individuals, it said. UNI AS AD RJ RAI2225 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-961156.Xml
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar claimed that the corruption which was rampant under the previous corrupt governments during last 48 years, was under control and it might take time to wipe it out from the state. He said all the main schemes were being linked with Aadhar Card, as a result more than two lakh bogus old age pensioners were found during the survey conducted by his government. Previous Congress government was government of scandals and scams and the same leaders were instrumental to instigate riots and rapes. Mr Khattar said an increase of 28 per cent in the state budget was incorporated after taking anti-corruption measures. He claimed that 25 per cent more development works were executed in comparison to the previous governments. He said the old age beneficiaries would get Rs 2000 after three years and presently they were getting Rs 1600 per month. The BJP had promised to provide Rs 2000 pension to the old aged which would be fulfilled in phased manned in the coming three years. The Chief Minister was addressing a rally at Barara organised by local MLA Santosh Chauhan Sarwan today. She presented a memorandum of demands which mostly included development works pending since for the last period of decades. Mr Khattar accepted all the demands made in the memorandum. The works when completed would cost more than Rs 170 crore. The important works included construction of Markanda bridge over Amala-Dehrdun NH known as khuni pul (death trap) where accidents take place frequently claiming lives of innocent people. Besides, these demands, Mr Khattar said his government had paid crop compensation of Rs 2300 crore during two years whereas Rs 1200 crore was distributed by the previous government during last 48 years. He claimed that employment was provided to 1.40 lakh unemployed during last two years and more jobs would be given to 2-3 lakh. He said his government would provide power supply for 18-21 hours to the consumers in the rural areas provided they shun form power theft leading to line losses. UNI XC DB PY RJ 2338 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-961026.Xml
Russia has warned the US on Saturday against carrying out attacks on Syrian forces and said it would have repercussions across the country and the Middle East region. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that if the US launches a direct aggression against Damascus and the Syrian army, it will lead to terrible, tectonic shifts not only on the territory of this country but also in the region in general, Sputnik News reported on Saturday. "A direct US aggression against the Damascus authorities and the Syrian army will lead to 'tectonic shifts' and 'power vacuum' in the entire Middle East region," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying. "My task is to explain why it is so important to remain in line with agreements," Zakharova said during a talk show. A regime change would lead to the power vacuum in Syria, which would be filled not with the so-called moderate opposition but rather with "terrorists of all sorts," she added. The US was on Friday on the verge of ending its Syria discussions with Russia over continued bombings in Aleppo city, in which at least 400 persons were killed in the last eight days. The US and Russia have been trying to negotiate a ceasefire in the war-torn nation, but Secretary of State John Kerry said "the bombing of Aleppo right now is inexcusable", NBC news reported. "I think we are on the verge of suspending the discussion because it's irrational in the context of the type of bombing taking place," Kerry said at an event in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Kerry on September 9 announced that the US and Russia had reached a ceasefire agreement that could lead to joint military coordination between the two nations against terror groups like the Islamic State (IS) if the cease-fire held for seven days. Under the agreement, Russia was to ensure the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad stuck to the ceasefire, Kerry said at the time. But the ceasefire had been repeatedly breached, and Syria's military had launched a massive new offensive to take back control of rebel areas. On Wednesday, two hospitals in rebel-held Aleppo were hit by airstrikes, killing at least two persons and had affected medical services in the area, medical officials said. Kerry in a phone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that the US needed to see "immediate steps to end the assault on Aleppo" or the US would start "making preparations to suspend the US/Russia bilateral engagement on Syria", State Department spokesperson John Kirby said. Lavrov said the US needed to fulfil its role under the deal of ensuring moderate opposition groups stick to the ceasefire, NBC reported. Warring factions have been targeting targeting Syria's depleted health care sector and have resulted in the deaths of at least 52 people, including nine health workers and eight children. The WHO called upon those responsible to stop the violence, end attacks on health care, let the sick and wounded out, while allowing much-needed humanitarian aid to reach those in need. --IANS sku/ ( 523 Words) 2016-10-02-04:06:08 (IANS)
According to a bulletin issued by the Attorney General's (AG) Office of Yucatan state on Saturday, 74-year-old Barbara McClatchie Andrews's body was found on Friday and autopsy revealed the cause of death to be "asphyxiation by strangling", EFE news reported.

"The victim's body remains in the facilities of the Forensic Medicine Service of this authority, and as yet no family members have come forward to reclaim her mortal remains," the bulletin said.

Andrews was a Canadian photojournalist whose works were featured in publications like the National Geographic, and she also held exhibitions in Mexico, Guatemala, the US, Canada and more.

"Barbara now focuses exclusively on her photographs, in which you can see 'a world parallel to that of daily reality, one demanding time and attention to be observed, a silent world that manages to say much through effective use of composition, form and colour,'" she had said in her online biography.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, and between 2009-2015 some 55 members of that profession have lost their lives, according to the latest report by the NGO Articulo 19.

--IANS ksk

( 212 Words)

2016-10-02-08:36:08 (IANS)
Taking on the Nawaz-Sharif led government, former prime minsiter Retired General Pervez Musharraf has claimed that Pakistan is facing international isolation thanks to its own wrong policies. Musharraf's statement comes in the wake of the postponing of the SAARC summit which scheduled for November in Islamabad, as Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Bhutan, joined by Sri Lanka on Friday, pulled out citing concerns over terrorism. According to Dawn, the Chairman of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) spoke by telephone to APML workers on the party's sixth foundation day and lashed out at the government. "It is astonishing that the government has taken and spent a loan of $35 billion but not a single beneficial megaproject has been completed with that money. Instead, the people have been suffering because of the government's corruption," he said. Training his guns on New Delhi, Musharraf stated that India is only good at hurling threats but if Pakistani military decides to act on them the response will assume a far more practical form. "India should realise that Pakistan is not Bhutan. India has a habit of levelling allegations against Pakistan each time there's an attack on its soil," he said. (ANI)^|Escalation not in anyone's interest, says Pakistan Army Islamabad [Pakistan], Oct.2
Pope Francis said a Mass today for the miniscule Catholic community in Shi'ite Muslim Azerbaijan, urging the "precious little flock" to keep the faith and paying tribute to those persecuted during the Soviet era.The oil and gas-rich nation of about 9 million people bordering on Russia, Iran and Turkey, has only about 700 Catholics, according to Vatican figures.Many of them are foreigners, including staff from embassies and domestic workers and some in the oil and gas industries.In fact, today's Mass, which was said mostly in English, had more of the feeling of a worship service in a multi-ethnic, well-to-do American suburb than a liturgy on the Caspian sea."You are a little flock that is so precious in God's eyes," he told the congregation in the homily of the Mass in the modern church, which opened in 2007 and was built on the site of one demolished under Soviet rule in 1931."Courage. Go ahead without fear", Francis said, praising them for being a close-knit and vibrant "community on the periphery".Francis, who arrived in Baku from neighbouring Georgia and returns to Rome today night, also paid tribute to Christians who were persecuted by the Communists."FAITH IN ADVERSITY""Here the faith, after the years of persecution, has accomplished wonders. I wish to recall the many courageous Christians who trusted in the Lord and were faithful in the face of adversity," he said.He said he was sure "that when you look to the example of those who have gone before you in faith, you will not let your hearts become lukewarm."The land for the modern church building was donated by the late president Heydar Aliyev at the request of the late Pope John Paul after the pontiff's visit to Baku in 2002.Relations between the miniscule Catholic community and the Muslims in Azerbaijan are broadly smooth.Before returning to Rome, Francis was due to meet in the afternoon with Heydar Aliyev son, Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled since his father's death in 2003, and visit a mosque.Last week Azeris voted in a referendum in favour of extending the presidential term from five to seven years, a step that critics say will hand unprecedented powers to Ilham Aliyev.Aliyev, 54, can seek re-election indefinitely after a maximum number of terms in office was scrapped via a similar referendum seven years ago.Rights advocates accuse his government of muzzling and jailing opponents but the government says citizens enjoy full freedom of speech and a lively opposition press.The West has courted the country as an alternative to Russia in supplying oil and gas. REUTERS AKC NS1600 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-960466.Xml
Pope Francis visited a mosque in overwhelmingly Muslim Azerbaijan today and told leaders of all faiths that God should never be used to justify fundamentalism."From this highly symbolic place, a heartfelt cry rises up once again: no more violence in the name of God! May his most holy name be adored, not profaned or bartered as a commodity through forms of hatred and human opposition," he said."God cannot be used for personal interests and selfish ends; he cannot be used to justify any form of fundamentalism, imperialism or colonialism," the pope said in an address to Muslims, Christians, Jews and members of other faiths at the mosque, named after Azerbaijan's late president Heydar Aliyev.Francis has made similar appeals before and also has visited mosques on his world travels.But his visit to Azerbaijan, whose population of about 9 million people are mostly Shi'ite Muslims, was the first time he had made such an appeal from inside the main prayer hall of a mosque in the presence of representatives of other religions.The pontiff's first stop after he arrived in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, today morning was a modern church where he said a Mass for the miniscule Catholic community.The oil and gas-rich nation bordering on Russia, Iran and Turkey, has only about 700 Catholics. Many are foreigners, including staff from embassies and domestic workers and some in the oil and gas industries.In fact, Sunday's Mass, which was said mostly in English, had more of the feeling of a worship service in a multi-ethnic, well-to-do American suburb than a liturgy on the Caspian sea."You are a little flock that is so precious in God's eyes," he told the congregation in the homily of the Mass in the modern church, which opened in 2007 and was built on the site of one demolished under Soviet rule in 1931."FAITH IN ADVERSITY""Courage. Go ahead without fear", said Francis, who arrived in Baku from neighbouring Georgia and returns to Rome tonight."Here the faith, after the years of persecution, has accomplished wonders. I wish to recall the many courageous Christians who trusted in the Lord and were faithful in the face of adversity," he said.Before attending the inter-religious service in the mosque, Francis addressed President Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father as president in 2003.In his own speech, Aliyev brought up Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region within Azerbaijan's borders, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians who reject Azerbaijan's rule. With support from Armenia they fought a war in the early 1990s to establish de-facto control over the territory."Our territory remains under occupation," Aliyev told the pope.In a reference to the many people displaced by the fighting, Francis expressed his "heartfelt closeness to those who have had to leave their land." REUTERS PY RAI2106 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-961100.Xml
Yemen's higher political council, which was formed by the armed Houthi movement and supporters of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, has appointed Abdulaziz bin Habtoor to form a national salvation government, Saba news agency said today.Habtoor, a former governor of Aden, hails from Shabwa province in south Yemen and was a former minister of education.REUTERS PY RAI2246 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-961187.Xml
ANKARA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- One Turkish soldier was killed and five others wounded in a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) attack in southeastern Turkish province of Hakkari on Saturday, Dogan News Agency reported.

A group of PKK militants attacked a Turkish army base in the Cukurca district of Hakkari on late Saturday, killing one soldier and injuring five. Air-supported operation was launched in the area to apprehend the attackers

Turkish General Staff said on Saturday that three militants of the outlawed PKK were "neutralized" in an operation in Cukurca district of Hakkari on Friday, adding that the total number of "neutralized" PKK militants so far in Hakkari province has reached 334.

Turkish military uses the term "neutralized" for killed, injured or caught militants.

Over 600 members of Turkish security forces and over 7,000 PKK members have been killed in confrontations inside Turkey and in northern Iraq since July of 2015, local media reported.

More than 40,000 people have lost their lives in clashes with the PKK since 1984, when the group first started anti-government attacks.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.
By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- After getting a thrashing from Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton on the debate stage Monday night, Republican candidate Donald Trump is attempting to make a comeback with a new slogan: "follow the money."

The slogan is Trump's effort to go back on the offensive, as experts say the brash billionaire needs to make the election a referendum about Clinton, and as such needs to take all media and public focus off himself.

The slogan is a jab at Clinton's alleged corruption, and specifically her widely-reported pay-for-play scheme, whereby high-rolling donors to her Clinton Foundation were allegedly given special access to her while she was secretary of state in the first term of President Barack Obama.

"Everything you need to know about Hillary Clinton can be understood with this simple phrase -- follow the money," Trump said on the campaign trail earlier this week, in a soundbite that media has been airing over and over in the past couple of days.

"Trump's new slogan is an attempt to reestablish some of the momentum he gets from being seen as an outsider to Wall Street, Washington, and other parts of the establishment," Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that the slogan represents an effort by Trump to change the conversation.

"The last week has not gone well for Trump. He performed terribly in the presidential debate and has struggled to regain the initiative," West said.

"His 'follow the money' angle is promising although it also opens himself up to the same type of scrutiny about his business dealings. The more he questions (Clinton's) fundraising, the more attention will get paid to Trump' businesses and charitable foundation," West said.

Indeed, Trump needs to reestablish his momentum after losing the Monday debate, in which he allowed Clinton to rattle his cage and get under his skin, experts said. The Republican nominee will have to fight hard in the coming weeks if he wants to clinch the White House.

Trump missed a number of opportunities in the debate, such as talking about the economy, the No. 1 issue of concern for Americans and an area in which the billionaire businessman has an advantage.

Trump repeatedly took the bait that Clinton laid out to make Trump seem less presidential as well as bringing up questions about Trump's leadership as both a businessman and a presidential candidate.

With Clinton beating him, Trump needs to reestablish the momentum that he had enjoyed as he began to appear more acceptable as a candidate.

"In the next debate, Trump needs to reassure voters that he can handle the presidency. He still is struggling to pass that basic threshold of acceptability for many Americans," West said.

But despite Trump's trouble in Monday's debate, that doesn' mean his campaign is dead. Former Republican candidate Mitt Romney beat Obama in their first debate in 2012, only to end up losing the elections.

"Versus Trump, Clinton importantly won both the policy points and the perception points. Trump will need to be far more prepared and far more even tempered in the coming debates," Mahaffee said.

The second and third presidential debates are slated to be held separately on Oct. 9 in St. Louis, Missouri and on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Related:

Trump, Clinton both hold Merkel as favorite world leader

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton both hold German Chancellor Angela Merkel as their favorite world leader.

"I think Merkel is a really great world leader," Trump said in an interview with New England's NECN on Thursday. Full story

Spotlight: Likely no change in voter sentiment as Trump perceived loser of first debate

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Experts and voters alike saw Republican nominee Donald Trump as the perceived loser of the first presidential debate held Monday night.

During the debate held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, the political "outsider" Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton traded punches over the economy, taxes, race relations and personal temperaments.

But the candidates' performances may change few voters' minds, as the 90-minute exchange of jabs provided no new concrete information while reinforcing stereotypical images of the two, experts say. Full story

News Analysis: With Clinton, Trump locked in tight race, upcoming debates could determine the winner

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- With the race between U.S. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump running neck and neck, the upcoming presidential debates could determine who will clinch the White House.
by Francisco Plata Valencia

BOGOTA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Colombia prepared on Saturday for a key plebiscite vote that will either make or break a historic peace deal designed to put an end to Latin America's longest running civil conflict.

At stake is a peace agreement nearly four years in the making between the government and the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group.

On Sunday, the country's 35 million eligible voters will vote to either accept the deal and take the path towards reconciliation, according to the "Yes" camp, or reject the terms because they don't go far enough to punish the rebels for rising up against the state, as the "No" camp claims.

The plebiscite will pose the simple question: Do you support the final agreement to end the conflict and build a stable and lasting peace? Voters need only underline the words "Yes" or "No."

Polls released earlier this week showed the "Yes" camp leading with more than 60 percent of the votes.

To ratify the deal, at least 13 percent of the electorate, or 4,536,992 voters, must turn out to vote.

In the run up to the plebiscite, both sides campaigned intensely, with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leaders leading the drive to vote "Yes."

During the campaign, Santos urged Colombians to vote, saying "when you vote 'Yes,' and 'Yes' wins the plebiscite, the FARC disappears as an armed group."

The agreement obliges the rebels to renounce armed struggle, but offers them an opportunity to transition to a political party or movement, or simply rejoin civilian life.

In turn, the government has pledged to promote rural development and agrarian reform, one of the main demands of the FARC, which was founded more than 50 years ago by poor landless peasants who took up arms to change the system.

Both sides must also work together to address crimes and issues related to drug trafficking, as well as locate and identify the many missing, and make reparations to victims of the fighting, among other things.

The FARC made reparations a central part of its pre-poll campaign, visiting communities that had come under attack from rebel fighters, and asking for forgiveness.

In a moving ceremony on Saturday, FARC commander Ivan Marquez met with survivors of one such attack 22 years ago in the district of La Chinita in Apartado, a town in west Antioquia department.

"With a heart full of remorse, (I have come) to humbly ask for your forgiveness for all of the pain we caused during this war," Marquez told those gathered, according to Colombia's Caracol news service.

Speaking on behalf of the victims, Silvia Berrocal responded: "Twenty-two years ago, our relatives died here. Today we bid our relatives a definitive farewell, and we also have new hope and reconciliation."

The street where the attack occurred had since been known as The Massacre, but has now been renamed The Hope, Caracol reported.

A day earlier, the FARC delivered a statue of Christ to a community whose church it had accidentally bombed in 2002, killing 79 people, according to the English-language news service Colombia Reports.

Also Saturday, the FARC announced it would use all its assets to make reparations to the victims.

Santos welcomed the announcement via Twitter, as did the government's head negotiator to the peace talks Humberto de la Calle.

Leading the "No" vote was ex-president and Senator Alvaro Uribe, a conservative hardliner whose government tried to eradicate the FARC militarily, with financial backing from the United States.

In a speech on Friday, Uribe said "there is no demonstration of repentance" on the part of the FARC.

He also warned that allowing the FARC to enter politics paved the way for one of the military commanders to one day become president.
RAMALLAH, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said late on Saturday night that the Palestinian hands are still extended for peace with Israel after Israel closed the doors for dialogue.

"Neither they (Israelis) eliminate us nor we eliminate them ... they have their state and we do have ours," Abbas told a conference held on Saturday in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

"Doors for dialogue with the Israelis were closed, "but we didn't close it and our hands are still extended for peace," he said.

Abbas added that the resumption of dialogue with Israel "must be based on stopping settlement, implementing and respecting the former peace accords and agreements."

"If Israel doesn't respect and implement the simple agreements, how could it respect a permanent peace agreement," said Abbas.

He noted that the Palestinians are honest by calling for dialogues and meetings based on halting settlement and implementing the former peace agreements and respecting it.

In June 3, an international ministerial meeting was held in France with the participation of 25 foreign ministers, including four Arab countries to debate the revival of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The meeting was held in accordance with an initiative presented by France several months ago aiming at holding an international conference for peace in the Middle East and to find an international mechanism to resolve the conflict in the region.
MEXICO CITY, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 people were killed early Saturday after an 18-wheeler and a passenger bus crashed into each other in Mexico's Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, media reported.

Initial police reports said the crash occurred around 3:30 a.m. (0930 GMT) along the Mexico-Veracruz Highway, outside the town of Rancho Viejo.

The bus burst into flames upon impact with the double trailer semi truck, which was carrying railway sleepers, according to the daily La Jornada.

Only one person survived by exiting through a window, the daily said.

The bus had departed from Mexico City and was heading for Villahermosa, the capital of southeast Tabasco state.

Witnesses said the driver of the trailer truck fled the scene.

Authorities from the Veracruz prosecutor's office visited the site of the accident to begin an investigation.
MANILA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The terrorist group Abu Sayyaf has released three more Indonesian hostages in southern Philippine province of Sulu, a senior government official said Sunday.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said the Indonesian fishermen were turned over by Nur Misuari, founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, to Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II before Sunday noon.

"Chairman Misuari personally called me and informed me about another breakthrough in the efforts to recover hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf Group," he said, adding that Misuari asked him to relay to President Rodrigo Duterte the new development.

He said Tan confirmed to him that he has physical custody of the three Indonesians and would be turned over to the military.

Dureza said the freed Indonesians were among those Indonesian fishermen who were abducted in July off Lahad Datu in Sabah.

He said the ongoing military operations helped in pressuring the Abu Sayyaf to release the hostages.

Last month, three other Indonesian fishermen were also freed by the Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Around 10 local and foreign hostages have remained in the hands of the local terrorist group.
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Up to two dozen Taliban militants had been killed over the past two days in the southern Helmand province as crackdown against insurgents are continuing, a statement from the provincial government here on Sunday.

The crackdown, according to the statement, has covered parts of Nawa, Marja and Chah-e-Anjir districts during which several more insurgents sustained injuries.

Without commenting on possible casualties of security personnel, the statement added that operations would last until elimination of militants in the area.

Taliban militants who have control in parts of the restive and poppy growing Helmand province are yet to make comment.
BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China will have 240 million people aged 60 or above by the year of 2020, according to a senior health official.

Liu Qian, deputy head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, was addressing the InterAcademy Partnership for Health 2016 Conference, held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Beijing.

By 2020, senior citizens will make up 17 percent of the population, the official said.

Liu noted the severe situation with regard to chronic disease, with more than 260 million chronically ill patients in the country. These illnesses are to blame for over 86 percent of deaths in China.

Liu said the per capita annual spending on health was estimated at around 472 U.S. dollars in 2015.

Liu also promised to improve the medical insurance system and basic public health services, and to encourage development of traditional Chinese medicine and research.
A Hungarian casts vote during a referendum on EU migrant quotas at a polling station in Budapest Oct. 2, 2016. Polling stations across Hungary opened at 6 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) on Sunday for a government-sponsored anti-migrant referendum, initiated to counter an EU plan to distribute asylum seekers among its member states. (Xinhua/Attila Volgyi)

BUDAPEST, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Polling stations across Hungary opened at 6:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) on Sunday for a government-sponsored anti-migrant referendum, initiated to counter a European Union plan to distribute asylum seekers among its member states.

The referendum question is: "Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?"

Following months of government advertising and publicity, pundits have predicted a solid "no" vote. However, the validity of the referendum is in question, as whether over 50 percent of all eligible voters would appear and cast valid ballots.

With a total of 8,272,625 eligible voters in the country, 4,136,313 people will have to cast their ballots, which is doubtful, particularly since the left-wing opposition has been urging people to shun the referendum.

Polls will close at 7:00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT).

Hungarian citizens who are not Hungarian residents have been submitting absentee ballots by mail, while those living abroad who do have Hungarian residences may only vote at Hungarian embassies or other missions after advance registration. Those ballots will arrive in Hungary later in the week to be counted.

The EU plans to relocate 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy, the bloc's main entry points for people fleeing war in Syria by September 2017.

Hungary has not accepted a single refugee allocated under the scheme and instead joined Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it.

In all, nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year, en route to Western Europe, primarily to Germany. While 174,000 people submitted applications for asylum in Hungary, the rejection rate was over 80 percent. On the other hand, most of the people whose applications were approved have travelled on to other EU countries.
File photo taken on May 31, 2015 shows a woman and a student walk to school reopened after the devastating earthquake which hit the country last month in Bhaktapur, Nepal. (Xinhua/Pratap Thapa)

KATHMANDU, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The premise of Jalapa Devi Higher Secondary School located in Melamchi municipality of Sindhupalchowk district, some 50 kilometers away from the capital city, looked vibrant.

The way towards the quake-damaged school from the narrow black-topped road at small village Bahunepati was all decorated with flowers and colorful triangle-shaped fancy papers tied in ropes.

Students along with teachers were carrying a wide smile on their faces with glimmer of hopes in eyes on Wednesday as the reason was indeed special. It was the day of foundation laying ceremony of reconstruction of their two school buildings that were severely damaged in the April 25 earthquake last year, all thanks to the international support in Nepal's rebuilding drive.

At a time when the Nepali government has been criticized for taking more-than-necessary time to start rebuilding of quake-damaged schools, the northern neighbor China has taken the initiation of rebuilding of two school buildings with the support from global education foundation EF Education First.

After laying the foundation stone for reconstruction at its original site, Nepalese Vice President Nanda Kishor Pun expressed thanks to the Chinese representatives for extending support in Nepal's education sector and making the students able to gain knowledge in well-facilitated school buildings.

"Chinese assistance in post-quake recovery efforts of Nepal is really praiseworthy. I am sure that the school will be exemplary to produce skilled manpower", Vice President Pun said while addressing the function.

Established more than 50 years ago, Jalapa Devi Higher Secondary School has been teaching more than 550 students from grade nursery to twelve (+2 level) in cracked classrooms at present. This school is the biggest one in the area, which has been educating marginalized and poor students.

Under the project, the team will construct two new buildings with space for 1,200 students and teachers, including classrooms, dining rooms, reading rooms, science laboratories and offices. The school project is worth Rs 100 million(940,000 U.S. dollars).

Melissa Lam, EF China General Manager and Chief Representative told Xinhua, "We are bringing technology from overseas to make sure that it is a safe school. Hopefully, the learning we get from building school and technology we bring in can be integrated as part of the improved Nepalese safety standards."

File photo taken on May 31, 2015 shows a Nepalese child play at a school reopened after the devastating earthquake which hit the country last month in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)

The international support in Nepal's post quake-education is not just all about constructing building, but inviting latest global designs in this remote part of the mountainous country.

Lam added, "The design of Jalapa Devi Higher Secondary School implements the latest anti-seismic techniques from Japan and will use the first-ever use of earthquake-resistant geo-textiles in Nepal."

The improved school design is expected to be implemented by the Nepali government for future buildings as an upgraded national standard. According to the Ministry of Education, a total of 5,003 schools in 14 districts were damaged by the earthquake.

The reconstruction of school through foreign support comes at a time when the Nepali government has recently announced reconstructing school buildings in the quake-hit districts, aiming to complete the task in three years.

However, the schools authorities are not sure whether the rebuilding process would be completed in stipulated timeframe.

Bishnu Prasad Gautam, Principal at Jalapa Devi Higher Secondary School told Xinhua, "We were really struggling hard to collect fund for reconstruction of school from government in the last one year. If we had waited for their support, it would have taken years. Thankfully, we have been able to start reconstruction through international support."

"This is the best school in this region in terms of education and quality. After the completion in eight months, I am sure our school will become the largest school in the whole district," Gautam, who has been working as the Principal since last 24 years added

Many parents and students expressed their happiness over being able to enjoy 'Rights to Education' in a safe and secured environment.

"I cannot express how happy I am to know that we are getting a new school building. We were learning in a really fearful environment after quake, and it's going to be over," Ranjita Acharya, a Grade 11 student at Jalapa Devi Higher Secondary School shared with Xinhua.

This is not the first case that the Himalayan nation is receiving support from border-sharing China in its education sector. A Chinese NGO, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, has already started rebuilding a school in the outskirts of capital city whereas has been distributing furniture and stationary items to different schools located in worst-hit districts.

Besides China, international child rights and development organizations based on different countries have been building quake-resistant houses, community buildings, toilets, schools, health posts and other public buildings.

It is unfortunate that only little has been done in recovery of education by the government in 17 months of disaster. Government officials often complained of the difficulties of rebuilding the schools within a short span of time, citing geographical difficulty and limited resources, which caused dissatisfaction among the victims.

The situation has worsened as people are struggling for shelter while the government is yet to distribute even the first installment of housing reconstruction grant, i.e. Rs 50,000 (around 500 U.S. dollars) to households in all 14-worst hit districts.

Amid such reality, the international assistance for the revival of education sector has become a boon for the locals.

File photo taken on May 31, 2015 shows Nepalese children attend a class at a school reopened after the devastating earthquake which hit the country last month in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)
BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The China-proposed Belt-Road Initiative, which is highly consistent with Mongolia's Steppe Road program, will guide the win-win cooperation between the two countries.

The Belt-Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. It brings together countries in Asia, Europe and Africa via overland and maritime networks.

The Steppe Road program is designed to boost the Mongolian economy through transborder transportation. It includes infrastructure improvement, such as a new highway to link Russia and China, an electric railway extension of the existing Mongolian railway system and the building of an oil and gas pipeline through Mongolian territory linking Russia and China.

ALIGNMENT WITH MONGOLIA'S PROGRAM

In a meeting with Chairman of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) Miyegombo Enkhbold during his visit to Mongolia, senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan on Saturday called for the implementation of the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, saying the two sides should boost mutually beneficial trade cooperation and closely align China's Belt-Road Initiative with Mongolia's Steppe Road program.

During the visit of Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj to China in November 2015, the two countries issued a statement in which both sides said they would actively promote signing a treaty on aligning China's Belt-Road initiative with Mongolia's Steppe Road plan.

In his first official visit to Mongolia in July, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the two neighbors are economically complementary to each other and new opportunities in deepening bilateral cooperation have become available.

China stands ready to align its Belt-Road Initiative with Mongolia's Steppe Road program and will start a feasibility study on a free trade pact with Mongolia, Li said.

Li also said China is ready to make new progress with Mongolia in such fields as the processing of farm and pasture products, housing and infrastructure. He suggested the two sides strengthen financial cooperation and expand the currency-swap scale.

Erdenebat said Mongolia will advance cooperation with China in such fields as agriculture, livestock farming, energy, minerals and infrastructure.

Erdenebat welcomed more investment from Chinese firms, adding that Mongolia is positive with starting the feasibility study of a free trade pact with China.

HELPING REVITALIZE MONGOLIAN ECONOMY

Mongolia, a country of 3 million people with an economy of 12 billion U.S. dollars in size, is facing the worst economic crisis since 2009.

The new government led by the ruling MPP is trying to win investor confidence, cut government spending and find solutions to its mounting foreign debt.

The Belt-Road Initiative is expected to help Mongolia overcome the crisis, as many see China -- Mongolia's largest foreign investor and trading partner -- as a major source of foreign direct investment and the largest "market" for its products and services.

"If we can become a part of the Chinese Belt-Road Initiative, receive Chinese technology and know-how, push forward large projects and utilize our geographic advantage, it is not difficult to overcome the crisis," said Banzragch Munkhtuul, director of the Mongolian newspaper Mongolyn Medee.

She said that Mongolia's geographic advantage of locating between Russia and China offers it a chance to boost transit trade, logistics and transportation between these two countries.

About two weeks ago, China's National Development and Reform Commission unveiled the guideline of a China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor focusing on seven areas, the first of its kind for multilateral cooperation within the framework of the Belt-Road Initiative.

Mongolian Ambassador to China Tsedenjav Sukhbaatar said that the plan to build the economic corridor is a milestone in history and Mongolia is planning to develop special foreign investment zones to attract investment.

Mongolian economists and public figures believe the Belt-Road Initiative will offer more export opportunities for Mongolia to boost its logistics and transportation between China and other countries through its territory.

They say Mongolia has abundant raw materials and mineral resources such as coal, copper and iron ores needed by China, which serves as the basis for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

Meanwhile, they realize that it is imperative for Mongolia to get rid of heavy dependence on the mining industry and explore new sources of economic growth.

The Belt-Road Initiative is expected to bring new opportunities for the development in areas such as the mining industry, agriculture, stock farming, light industry, tourism and construction of free trade areas.

For instance, Mongolia boasts 73 million heads of livestock farmed by about 200,000 herder households in the vast countryside. Currently, the country's agricultural products lack market access and the government wants to sell them to big consumer markets including China, according to Mongolian media.

However, the country's poor infrastructure and ineffective veterinarian and vaccination services have proven to be a big trade barrier.H Within the framework of the Belt-Road Initiative, these herders face a better prospect of transporting their meat and dairy products to China in a better and fresh condition, media reports said.

Related:

China, Mongolia agree to cement comprehensive partnership
CHICAGO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Consul General in Chicago presented awards for students who have achieved excellence in their academic study in a ceremony held Saturday in the University of Chicago.

While addressing the ceremony, Chinese Consul General in Chicago Hong Lei spoke highly of the diligence and innovation of Chinese students and urged them to go on studying hard to attain higher achievements.

A total of 33 Chinese students studying in U.S. Midwest won the 2015 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad.

The 33 awardees come from 16 universities in the U.S. Midwest, including the University of Chicago, the Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Purdue University.

"China needs talents, and embraces you all who come back," said Hong Lei. He also encouraged Chinese students to contribute to the development of China-U.S. relations.

Jiang Yuanwen,a student from the University of Chicago and one of the awardees, expressed his gratitude, saying it is a token of the support and care for overseas Chinese students from the motherland.

Launched in 2003, the "Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad" project aims to reward self-financed Chinese doctoral students studying abroad that have achieved academic excellence and encourage them to return to China or to serve the motherland in various ways.

China Scholarship Council (CSC), a non-profit agency affiliated to China's Ministry of Education, is in charge of the project.

As of 2015, a total of 4,914 outstanding overseas Chinese students studying in 32 countries had won the award, which grants 10,000 U.S. dollars for extraordinary excellent students and 6,000 U.S. dollars for excellent students.

Self-financed students now make up over 95 percent of the Chinese students studying abroad.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army backed by allied fighters succeeded Sunday to wrest control over factories in the northern province of Aleppo, as part of a wide-scale offensive against rebel-held areas, a military source told Xinhua.

The military forces captured the industrial area of Shaqif in the northern countryside of Aleppo, further securing the road of Castello.

As a target of repeated rebel attacks, the road was the opposition fighters' only supply route to rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo, before the army captured it a couple of months ago.

The advance of the army comes as part of the recently declared battle by the general command of the Syrian army against the rebel-held areas in the eastern part of Aleppo city.

The Shaqif has been under the rebel control for over four years.

Aleppo has a strategic importance for the warring parties due to its location near the Turkish borders, and being Syria's largest province, and once the economic hub of Syria.

Aleppo has witnessed the destruction of its industrial cities, which were the main lifeline to the province and Syria in general.
ABUJA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The following are highlights of leading Nigerian media outlets on Sunday.

-- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday warned Niger Delta militants that they could not continue to hold Nigeria to ransom.

Buhari also said his administration was working hard to reposition Nigeria for prosperity, urging Nigerians not to be deterred by the current economic crisis, which, according to him, will not last. (Vanguard)

-- President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said Nigeria will be self-sufficient in the production of rice, millet, sorghum, maize, soybean by 2019.

Buhari stated this while addressing the nation on the occasion of Nigeria's 56th Independence Anniversary in Abuja. (Daily Trust)

-- About five tankers believed to be laden with petroleum products were destroyed in a fire outbreak on Saturday morning at the Ekpan Tankers' Park near the Warri oil refinery in Nigeria's Delta State.

A building near the scene of the incident was also engulfed in the process. (The Punch)
LUSAKA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The following are news highlights in Zambia's major media outlets on Sunday.

-- Zambia's road safety agency has proposed custodial sentence for motorists convicted of drunk driving as one way to curb carnage on the country's roads.

The Road Transport and Safety Agency said motorists convicted of drunk driving usually get away with the offense after paying fines.

But Zindaba Soko, the agency's director said they were looking at ways of how to strengthen the law to ensure that offenders are given harsher punishment like custodial sentences to deter other would-be offenders. (Times of Zambia)

-- Zambian Vice President Inonge Wina has called for more support from organizations to help to meet the needs of the underprivileged in society.

The Zambian vice president said the government has outlined various poverty reduction programs such as social cash transfer, women empowerment, and food security pack to improve the lives of the under-privileged but added that it requires support from other organizations. (Zambia Daily Mail)

-- The Zambian government has assured retirees that it will soon pay them their terminal benefits because it was aware of the anguish they have been subjected to.

Minister of Labor and Social Security Joyce Nonde-Simukoko said the government will endeavor to clear the backlog of retirees who have been waiting for their terminal benefits for years since retiring from the public service.

Thousands of retirees from the public service have still not been paid of their terminal benefits and the minister said the government wants to work towards clearing the money it owed them. (Daily Nation)
Chinese locomotive driver Liu Ji (R) trains his Ethiopian counterparts at a railway station in suburban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Oct. 1, 2016. A Chinese-built railway linking the Ethiopian capital and the port of Djibouti is expected to help the landlocked African country improve access to the sea and speed up a burgeoning industrialization process. The railway, which is set to become fully operational on Oct. 5, will be Africa's first modern electrified railway. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

by Xinhua writers Wang Xiangjiang, Liang Shanggang and Yao Yuan

ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-built railway linking the Ethiopian capital and the port of Djibouti is expected to help the landlocked African country improve access to the sea and speed up a burgeoning industrialization process.

The railway, which is set to become fully operational on October 5, will be Africa's first modern electrified railway.

The full length of the railway is 752.7 kilometers, with a designed speed of 120 km per hour. With a total investment of 4 billion U.S. dollars, it is being constructed by the China Railway Group and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

"The railway is constructed on the basis of Chinese railway technology standards while taking into account the national conditions of Ethiopia and Djibouti," said Zeng Deli, a project manager of the China Railway Group, to Xinhua.

It was designed and constructed in a most economical way, taking only six years for its final completion, which should be viewed as some kind of miracle even in China, Zeng said.

For the Chinese contractors, the construction of a railway with a designed speed of 120 km per hour is not difficult. But it takes nothing short of a great feat to complete it with no compromise on quality and timeliness when there are inadequate construction materials and technical staff in Ethiopia.

With careful planning and patient coordination, the Chinese firms managed to make sure construction materials imported from abroad arrived on time. To ensure good quality and no delay in construction, they even took the pains to manufacture the materials themselves, despite their higher cost.

For the Chinese firms, a lack of local technical personnel with adequate railway technology knowledge is a more serious problem.

For example, it took 20,000 workers to complete a specific section of the railway, and it would be impossible to have the posts filled all by Chinese, said Fu Xun, another project manager with the China Railway Group.

To tackle the challenge, the Chinese firms made the training of local technical workers a daily routine of their operations in Ethiopia. For the past few years, more than 15,000 local workers went through various training programs, thus ensuring enough manpower for railway construction and a talent reserve for future management of railway operations.

To protect its precious wildlife resources along the railway, the Ethiopian government set a high environmental protection protocol. To meet these high ecological standards, the Chinese companies did their best not to alter the original landscape along the railway. They also spent more than 4 million U.S. dollars to build overpasses specially designed for safe animal crossover.

The modern standard-gauge Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway runs parallel to a decrepit meter-gauge version built over 100 years ago by Europeans. Over 90 percent of Ethiopia's imports and exports, in particular energy and food, are made via the sea port of Djibouti. The capacity of the current road system has long been overwhelmed.

When the new railway becomes operational, transport time from Djibouti to the Ethiopian capital will be reduced from 7 days to ten hours.

Besides faster transport, the Chinese firms have an even greater ambition. That is, the railway will serve as a catalyst for Ethiopia's national economic development.

They put forward industrial planning recommendations to the Ethiopian government, including the establishment of industrial parks in key cities, so that better transport benefits will be ensured in the middle and long run.

The Ethiopian government endorsed the suggestions and put the railway into a key project category of its five-year national development plan. Industrial parks will be established in regional hub cities along the railway.

With improved transportation, the country will gradually transform an industrial model of exporting basic materials into one that focuses on deep processing. As a result, the country's industrialization level will be elevated.

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway is only one of many major projects currently under way in the framework of China-Africa cooperation.

Following the successful Johannesburg summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in December last year, China has been deepening and expanding the scope of its industrial capacity cooperation with Africa.

More and more exemplary projects like the new Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway are set to prop up across the African continent and further help drive forward the modernization process in an unprecedented manner.
NAY PYI TAW, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 37th General Assembly of the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Inter-parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) on Sunday pledged to build a progressive ASEAN Community.

A joint communique issued at the end of the assembly called for more emphasis on the implementation of AIPA resolutions and need to work closely with the ASEAN to overcome the new challenges while moving towards ASEAN Vision 2025.

The three-day AIPA general assembly adopted nearly 30 resolutions on issues of common interest which are of utmost significance to the ASEAN community.

In his closing remarks of the general assembly, chair of the assembly U Mann Win Khaing Than who is speaker of Myanmar's parliament said the assembly had discussed topics such as ensuring cyber security in ASEAN, decent work for ASEAN women, preparedness and response to Zika virus infection, creating job opportunities and decent working condition in economic development, strengthening micro, small and medium enterprises and implementation of the Plan of Action of the ASEAN Declaration on strengthening social protecting.

The assembly also adopted the draft resolution on the amendment to the Rules of Procedure of Women Parliamentarians of AIPA.

He called upon AIPA Parliaments to continue raising awareness of AIPA's goals and activities among the people by taking the advantage of their role as the members of parliament.

Under the theme of "Vibrant AIPA for a Progressive ASEAN Community", Myanmar's parliament hosted the 37th AIPA General Assembly for the first time and the presidency of the next assembly will be taken over by the Philippines.
by Xinhua Writer Wu Zhiqiang

CAIRO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The week that ended on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 in the Middle East witnessed the passing of an Israeli founding father, an initial deal on cutting oil output, intensified fighting in Aleppo, and continued violence in Yemen and Iraq.

PASSING OF SHIMON PERES

The funeral of late Israeli President Shimon Peres, who passed away on Sept. 28 at 93, brought dignitaries from the world over to Jerusalem to pay homage to the Nobel peace laureate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was seen shaking hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the ceremony on Friday, a gesture rekindling hopes that a year-long wave of Palestinian-Israeli violence would subside and the stalled peace process would revive soon.

FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON OIL OUTPUT CUT IN ALGIERS

Ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reached an initial agreement in Algiers on Wednesday to cut output from the current 33.24 million barrels a day (bpd) to between 32.5 million and 33 million bpd, the first such deal in eight years, marking a promising step by major oil producing countries in carving a way out of the oil swamp, but much harder work lies ahead.

The OPEC members will have to negotiate over how much each country contributes to the cut in output, and the cartel has to prod non-OPEC producers like Russia to share the burden of adjusting output.

FIGHTING RAGES ON IN ALEPPO

Intense fighting raged on in Aleppo amid a new offensive declared by the Syrian Defense Ministry. Major casualties were reported as a result of airstrikes on rebel-held parts of the strategic city. Accusations have been traded between Russia and the United States. In an interview with BBC, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Washington wants to spare terrorist groups like the Nusra Front for "Plan B or stage two when it would be time to change the (Syrian) regime." The United States rejected Lavrov's allegations as "absurd" and threatened to cut diplomatic engagements with Russia on Syria.

CONTINUED FIGHTING IN YEMEN, IRAQ

In other hotspot locations in the region, violence persisted in the past week.

In Yemen, where airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition and fighting between forces loyal to internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and Houthi rebels have so far killed over 10,000, injured around 35,000, and displaced over 3 million, the week ended with reports of a Houthi attack on a ship of the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition. The coalition said the vessel was on a humanitarian mission and that all civilian crew had been rescued.

Iraq witnessed another week of bloodshed, with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq announcing on Saturday that in September, terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed at least 1,000 Iraqis and wounded 1,159 others across the country. The tally did not include casualties in Anbar, due to volatility in the western province.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Violence is expected to continue in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen in the coming week, but prospects for any respite in the bloodshed depend on external players inside and outside the region, given the proxy nature of most of the conflicts gripping this part of the world.

Despite Washington's threat to cut diplomatic engagement with Russia over Syria, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Friday that efforts would continue.

"This is on life support, but it's not flat-lined yet," Mark Toner told reporters in Washington.

In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov and his U.S. counter part, Secretary of State John Kerry, talked over the phone on Saturday on "normalizing the situation" in Aleppo.

That, and the Netanyahu-Abbas handshake, started the week of Oct. 2, 2016 on a somewhat positive note.
GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Clashes between security forces and Taliban militants in the eastern Ghazni province left 11 armed insurgents dead and injured nine others on Saturday night, a senior army officer in the province General Nizamudin Khanjar said Sunday.

"Government forces in crackdown against Taliban rebels in Muqar, Andar and Gero districts on Saturday night have killed 11 armed militants and injured nine others," Khanjar told Xinhua.

No security personnel was hurt in the firefight, the official said, assering operation has been continuing to ensure law and order in all parts of the relatively violent province.
MADRID, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A total of 90 people were confirmed as injured, with five in a serious condition, following a gas explosion in a cafeteria in the town of Velez-Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday night.

Spanish TV network RTVE reports the five people who were seriously injured were taken to hospital in Velez-Malaga and the city of Malaga. None of the lives of the injured are thought to be in danger.

Meanwhile 57 people were taken to the hospital Comarcal de la Axarquia and the remainder, most of whom were suffering from cuts and bruises, received treatment in local health centers.

The explosion, which happened at 18:45 local time, was apparently caused by a leak from a butane gas bottle in the kitchen of the cafeteria in the center of Velez-Malaga, which was celebrating its local Fiesta de San Miguel celebration at the time.

One of the cooks was able to give a warning that gas was leaking which probably meant there were less serious injuries than would otherwise have been the case, nevertheless there was a large amount of material damage.

Emergency services were quickly on the scene as were two local police who were at the cafe at the moment of the explosion, with the fire-brigade retiring further gas bottles to ensure there was no second explosion.

The local mayor, Antonio Moreno thanked emergency services for their rapid help, along with the "numerous people" who helped the injured.
NEW DELHI, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Indian coast guard on Sunday apprehended a Pakistani boat off coast in Western Indian state of Gujarat, state-run broadcaster - All India Radio (AIR) said.

The broadcaster said the Indian coast guard ship, Samudra Pavak, apprehended a Pakistani boat with its nine crew members in the morning at 10:15 (local time).

"The preliminary information indicates the crew to be Pakistani fishermen," AIR said. "However, the boat and the crew members are being escorted to Porbandar for further investigation."

The boat's capture has come amid heightened tensions between the two neighbours.

India has sound an alert and intensified its vigil in the areas bordering Pakistan, fearing reprisal to its "surgical attacks" inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The authorities have ordered evacuation of the population from frontier areas bordering Pakistan.

India military last week claimed its men traversed Line of Control (LoC), de facto border dividing Kashmir, and inflicted significant casualties on infiltrators and their supporters inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

India's Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Ranbir Singh has not given the details about casualties of infiltrators or Pakistan army in the attacks but said their troopers returned back safely.

Pakistan, however, rejected Indian claims about "surgical strikes" inside their territory. According to ISPR two Pakistani troopers were killed due to firing early Thursday from Indian troops across LoC in Bhimber, hotspring, Kel, and Lipa sectors.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated because of the ongoing civilian protests in Indian-controlled Kashmir and a deadly attack last month on an Indian army base in frontier Uri town, about 109 km northwest of capital city - Srinagar. The attack killed 19 troopers and wounded over 20 others.

New Delhi blames Islamabad for fanning Kashmir protests and accuses it of sending armed militants into Indian-controlled Kashmir, an accusation Islamabad strongly rejects.
LONDON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will formally begin the Brexit process by the end of March 2017, in an interview with the BBC.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, she did not give an exact date beyond saying "by the end of March" for triggering Article 50 in the Lisbon treaty of the EU needed by a member state to exit the bloc.

May said she hoped there would now be "preparatory work" with the remaining EU members so that "once the trigger comes we will have a smoother process of negotiation".

She added: "It is important for the UK and Europe as a whole to do this in the best possible way so there is a smooth transition (for the UK) away from the EU."

In an interview with the Sunday Times, May said that she is to put a new law in next spring before the British Parliament to repeal the act passed in 1972 that took the country into the EU.

The so-called "Great Repeal Act", to be announced in the forthcoming Queen's Speech at the official opening of Parliament, will end the supremacy of all European laws in the British courts.

Members in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, who are highly split over the Brexit issues, will be forced to vote on the bill.

May told the Sunday Times that the measure would make Britain a "sovereign and independent country" again.

May announced the measures as thousands of Conservatives gathered in Birmingham on the first day of the party's annual conference.

Brexit is to dominate the first day of conference business, with a planned major speech by May Sunday afternoon.

Conservative MPs and peers are divided on whether there should be a hard Brexit or a so-called soft Brexit that could mean Britain having to follow some of Brussels' regulations as part of a new trade deal.

Brussels has insisted that if Britain wants to arrange a single-market deal with the EU, borders must be kept open for all European nationals.

However the issue of open immigration and uncontrolled access to Britain was one of the key drivers for the June 23 referendum decision when Britain voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to quit the EU.

Related:

LONDON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will formally begin the Brexit process by the end of March 2017, in an interview with the BBC.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, she did not give an exact date beyond saying "by the end of March" for triggering Article 50 in the Lisbon treaty of the EU needed by a member state to exit the bloc. Full story

Post-Brexit Britain to carry free trade as badge of honor: official

LONDON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Britain stands on the verge of an unprecedented ability to liberate global trade for the benefit of the whole planet, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said Thursday.
WINDHOEK, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Law Reform and Development Commission of Namibia chairperson Yvonne Dausab has cast a shadow of uncertainty on the proposed New Economic Equitable Empowerment Framework.

Dausab's comment came after President Hage Geingob told a meeting in the United States last week that Namibia would still push for the proposed economic reforms meant to empower the previously disadvantaged people by roping them into existing companies.

If enacted, the law will compel all companies to give 25 percent shares to previously disadvantaged blacks as well as reserving 50 percent of managerial position for them.

Although several groups have raised concern with some clauses of the proposed law, the government is adamant that they will make sure they pass it.

Speaking for the first time after consultations, Dausab, who heads the commission whose duty is to draft and research on proposed laws, said the framework might need time.

"There is probably need for more research and benchmarking to ensure we get this economic transformation process right the first time," she said.

Dausab admitted that most people are not happy with the current framing of the law and its possible effect on the economy.

She said making ownership equity and management compulsory in the manner the framework proposes may not be the best vehicle to achieve economic emancipation and empowerment.

According to Dausab, the best way forward is to strike balance between addressing the economic empowerment and the need to keep and attract foreign investors.

"The government is genuinely worried about the state of the economy but also feels anxious about the continued income disparity. That is where we want to take the conversation forward," she said.

Dausab said the consultation process that has been going on since February was informative and the commission was still getting more views from the international and other communities.

"We have received a plethora of suggestions and recommendations on how to make the framework a better law," she further said.

German academic Matthias Herdegen who heads the Konrad Adenauer Foundation has said what the Namibian government wants to do is against international law.

Herdegen said the framework interferes with the ownership of private property and the constitutional provision of the willing-buyer willing-seller policy.

According to Herdegen, the government should drop the mandatory ownership and management clauses and adopt policies of developing the marginalized communities through jobs and human resources.

Economist Suta Kavari, who is also the chairperson of the Economic Association of Namibia described the framework as retrogressive.

Kavari charged that the empowerment policy will not have any impact on the status of the previously disadvantaged in the country.

"It will suck the life out of already starving people. If you want real economic empowerment, it should be based on merit and a space for investment and business opportunities," he said. Enditem
CAIRO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and two others wounded on Sunday during a blast in western Arish city of Egypt's restive North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip, official MENA news agency reported.

The report said the blast targeted an electricity company's vehicle which was on its way to do power maintenance.

"Three were killed on the scene, one with abdominal bleeding died upon arrival at Arish public hospital, and the two wounded had leg amputation," a security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

On Saturday, also in Arish city, five police conscripts were shot dead by unknown gunmen, according to the Egyptian Interior Ministry.

The ministry's statement said the five recruits were on their way back from vacation to their police central security department when the assailants stopped their vehicle and gunned them down.

Egypt has been battling a growing wave of terrorism since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and launched a massive crackdown on his loyalists, leaving about 1,000 of them killed and thousands more arrested.

Anti-government terror activities have killed hundreds of police and military men in the Sinai Peninsula and other provinces over the past three years, with a Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) claiming responsibility for most of the attacks.
MANILA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologized Sunday to Jewish community following his remarks that he would be happy to slaughter drug addicts in the country as what Adolf Hitler did to millions of Jews.

Duterte said at the opening of a festival in central Philippine city of Bacolod that he never intended to derogate the memory of those killed during the Holocaust.

"I would like to make it clear now, here and now, that there was never an intention on my part to derogate the memory of 6 million Jews murdered," he said.

"I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community ... It was never my intention (to offend the Jewish community)," he said.

The president's remarks about Hitler and the Jews sparked international censure.

Duterte reiterated his criticism of the United States and others for being critical of his anti-drug campaign and for alleging that some suspected extrajudicial killings were state-sanctioned.
BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's future star Wang Yafan said on Sunday that she is looking forward to the match against Petra Kvitova in the second round of the China Open and expects to learn from the two times Grand Slam winner.

Wang, competing with wild card at this year's China Open, became the only Chinese player out of seven in total to make it to the main draw from the qualifying rounds. And she went on to beat another higher ranked player, Madison Brengle from the United States, for the second round on Sunday.

Talking about her next opponent Kvitova of the Czech Republic, Wang said: "I'd like to learn more from her. Of course I may not beat her since she's the Grand Slam winner, but I will try my best."

"Petra is an experienced player, she's in form after winning at Wuhan. I will focus on my shots, my game. I don't feel pressure facing her. What I need to do is just playing my game and taking my chance," added the 22-year-old.

Wang said the tough matches in the qualifying helped her feel more confident in the main draw actions.

"Now I like to compete with the top players. I like to play not that conservatively but play aggressively."

"As for the qualifying competition, I won those tough matches. The opponents were quite good. Maybe I had good luck during qualifying. But I played very well competing against them. So in a word some luck and also my level of play," said Wang, now ranked 140th in the world.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Sunday urged the rebels in the northern city of Aleppo to leave their positions, pledging to give them a safe exit out of the city, according to the national Syrian TV.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Syria on Sunday praised Russia as a "serious and credible" player in fighting terrorism, state news agency SANA reported.

The Russian aerial military operations in Syria have proven its seriousness and credibility in fighting terrorism, the Syria's foreign ministry said, commenting on the first anniversary of the Russian military intervention in support of the Syrian government against five years of insurgency.

"The Russian military support in Syria has led to tightening noose on the terrorist groups and prevented them from expanding to other countries," the ministry said.

It said the "strategic" relation between Moscow and Damascus is not just confined to the military support, which also coordinates in reaching a political solution to the country's long-running conflict.

The ministry concluded by expressing gratitude to Russia for "standing by Syria on the military, political and economic levels and helping Syria to regain security and stability."

The Kremlin said on Friday that the Russian military support played a role in preventing Damascus falling into rebels' hands, noting that there is no time-frame for the Russian military intervention.

"Syria is subject to an aggression targeting its unity and its presence as a unified state. There are many foreign attempts to divide it," Syrian Information Minister Muhammad Ramez Turjman said.
ZHENGZHOU, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- After drawing strong complaints about inefficiency, real estate registration authorities in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, have resolved to simplify procedures.

From Aug. 25 to Sept. 21, the new property registration center in Zhengzhou only issued 42 certificates, with more than 5,000 applications waiting.

The go-slow occurred as the city adopted a unified registration system, but met with difficulties integrating different administration units, mainly the city's housing and land bureaus, and lengthy processing remained.

Applicants still had to first go to the housing bureau to confirm transactions and then to the land and resources department to register their property.

On Thursday, dozens of land and resources bureau staff went to work at the housing bureau. They even canceled their holidays to handle outstanding applications.

China aims to have unified property registration in all cities and counties by the end of this year. As of August, half of the country had adopted the new system, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources.

Under the new system, property registration should be handled by one single department to reduce costs and inconvenience for citizens.

With three months to go before the deadline, provinces have stepped up their efforts to introduce the new system. Shanghai plans to fully adopt the system on Oct. 8.

Wu Chunqi, a real estate researcher with Beijing City University, said the difficulties mostly arose due to incomplete data sharing platforms.

"Personnel training and financial support are also necessary for the implementation of the new system," said Wu. He called for local legislation to deal with practical problems in different places.

In July, the local legislature in Tianjin passed a regulation on registrations. The regulation, which took effect on Sept. 1, was the first local rule.
JAKARTA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government will seek release of another two Indonesian nationals held hostage by Abu Sayyaf bandits in southern Philippines, the foreign minister said here on Sunday.

Retno Marsudi made the remarks after three Indonesian hostages were freed on Saturday evening.

"We hope people will jointly pray, so the effort to free the hostages can be carried out immediately and successfully," Retno told a joint press conference at the defense ministry office.

Last month, four Indonesian sailors were released by their captors Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Military Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo, for his part, said he has instructed military personnel to get prepared for possible operation to release the Indonesian hostages.

The general stressed that he would dispatch Indonesian soldiers should the government of the Philippines allow them to enter the country.

"I order the armed forces (TNI) troops to be ready for all possibilities, including the involvement of the TNI troops in operation to free the hostages," he said.

The release of Indonesian hostages came as the government of the Philippines launched an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf group, according to Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizar Ryacudu.

A total of 25 Indonesian sailors were abducted by the group this year, of whom 23 have been released so far.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Sunday urged the rebels in the northern city of Aleppo to leave their positions, pledging to give them a safe exit out of the city, the national Syrian TV reported.

The General Command of the Syrian army has urged the rebels in the eastern part of Aleppo city to leave the areas they control in that part of the city "to let the civilians live a normal life," the report said.

It said the Syrian and Russian militaries pledge to give the rebels a safe way out of Aleppo and provide them with all necessary help.

The move came as the Syrian army backed by a Russian air cover has recently made notable gains against the rebels in eastern Aleppo, following a new wide-scale offensive against rebel-held areas in the city.

It is not the first military request for the rebels to surrender themselves, but it is the first that the army pledges to give the rebels a safe passage outside Aleppo and all the possible help.

Earlier this week, the Syrian army announced a major offensive against the rebel-held areas in Aleppo, with government officials and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledging to restore the entire city from the rebels.

Aleppo has a strategic importance for the warring parties due to its location near the Turkish borders, and being Syria's largest province, and once the economic hub of Syria.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Warplanes on Sunday targeted the largest rebel-held hospital in Syria's central province of Hama, amid escalating military showdown, a monitor group reported.

The warplanes struck the Hasan al-Araj hospital, the largest medical unit in the rebel-held areas in the northern countryside of Hama, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said four airstrikes targeted the hospital, with no information on human losses.

Meanwhile, the rebels fired tens of rockets on Hama Airbase, amid reports of casualties in the Syrian army ranks, the Observatory added.

The rebels have recently waged a major offensive in the northern countryside of Hama to divert the attention of the Syrian army from Aleppo, where the Syrian army is making advances against rebel-held areas.

Earlier on Sunday, the Syrian army urged the rebels in the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo to leave their positions, pledging to provide them with a secure way out.
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Afghan forces backed by aircraft have killed 52 militants including shadow deputy provincial governor in the southern Helmand province over the past two days.

According to a statement of the provincial government released here Sunday, more than two dozen militants have also been injured in the operations in the former Taliban stronghold.

"A total of 52 Taliban rebels, including Mawlawi Dad Mohammad, the shadow deputy provincial governor of Taliban for Helmand province, have been killed over the past two days," the statement said.

A shadow district governor of Taliban outfit is also among those killed in the crackdown, it added.

Taliban militants, who have been fighting the government forces in the province over the past couple of years and are now in control of some districts there, are yet to make comments.
French President Francois Hollande(R) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May during their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on July 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Alan Wilson)

LONDON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will formally begin the Brexit process by the end of March 2017, in an interview with the BBC.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, she did not give an exact date beyond saying "by the end of March" for triggering Article 50 in the Lisbon treaty of the EU needed by a member state to exit the bloc.

May said she hoped there would now be "preparatory work" with the remaining EU members so that "once the trigger comes we will have a smoother process of negotiation".

She added: "It is important for the UK and Europe as a whole to do this in the best possible way so there is a smooth transition (for the UK) away from the EU."

In an interview with the Sunday Times, May said that she is to put a new law in next spring before the British Parliament to repeal the act passed in 1972 that took the country into the EU.

The so-called "Great Repeal Act", to be announced in the forthcoming Queen's Speech at the official opening of Parliament, will end the supremacy of all European laws in the British courts.

Members in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, who are highly split over the Brexit issues, will be forced to vote on the bill.

May told the Sunday Times that the measure would make Britain a "sovereign and independent country" again.

May announced the measures as thousands of Conservatives gathered in Birmingham on the first day of the party's annual conference.

Brexit is to dominate the first day of conference business, with a planned major speech by May Sunday afternoon.

Conservative MPs and peers are divided on whether there should be a hard Brexit or a so-called soft Brexit that could mean Britain having to follow some of Brussels' regulations as part of a new trade deal.

Brussels has insisted that if Britain wants to arrange a single-market deal with the EU, borders must be kept open for all European nationals.

However the issue of open immigration and uncontrolled access to Britain was one of the key drivers for the June 23 referendum decision when Britain voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to quit the EU.
Image provided by the Colombian Presidency shows Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (C) interacting with students and children prior to the so-called "Game of the History," or the sitting volleyball match between the national teams of Colombia and Rwanda, in Bogota, Colombia, on Oct. 1, 2016. (Xinhua/Nelson Cardenas/Colombia's Presidency)

by Francisco Plata Valencia

BOGOTA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Colombia prepared on Saturday for a key plebiscite vote that will either make or break a historic peace deal designed to put an end to Latin America's longest running civil conflict.

At stake is a peace agreement nearly four years in the making between the government and the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group.

On Sunday, the country's 35 million eligible voters will vote to either accept the deal and take the path towards reconciliation, according to the "Yes" camp, or reject the terms because they don't go far enough to punish the rebels for rising up against the state, as the "No" camp claims.

The plebiscite will pose the simple question: Do you support the final agreement to end the conflict and build a stable and lasting peace? Voters need only underline the words "Yes" or "No."

Polls released earlier this week showed the "Yes" camp leading with more than 60 percent of the votes.

To ratify the deal, at least 13 percent of the electorate, or 4,536,992 voters, must turn out to vote.

In the run up to the plebiscite, both sides campaigned intensely, with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leaders leading the drive to vote "Yes."

During the campaign, Santos urged Colombians to vote, saying "when you vote 'Yes,' and 'Yes' wins the plebiscite, the FARC disappears as an armed group."

The agreement obliges the rebels to renounce armed struggle, but offers them an opportunity to transition to a political party or movement, or simply rejoin civilian life.

In turn, the government has pledged to promote rural development and agrarian reform, one of the main demands of the FARC, which was founded more than 50 years ago by poor landless peasants who took up arms to change the system.

Both sides must also work together to address crimes and issues related to drug trafficking, as well as locate and identify the many missing, and make reparations to victims of the fighting, among other things.

The FARC made reparations a central part of its pre-poll campaign, visiting communities that had come under attack from rebel fighters, and asking for forgiveness.

People wait for the signature ceremony of the final peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on Sept. 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Jhon Paz)

In a moving ceremony on Saturday, FARC commander Ivan Marquez met with survivors of one such attack 22 years ago in the district of La Chinita in Apartado, a town in west Antioquia department.

"With a heart full of remorse, (I have come) to humbly ask for your forgiveness for all of the pain we caused during this war," Marquez told those gathered, according to Colombia's Caracol news service.

Speaking on behalf of the victims, Silvia Berrocal responded: "Twenty-two years ago, our relatives died here. Today we bid our relatives a definitive farewell, and we also have new hope and reconciliation."

The street where the attack occurred had since been known as The Massacre, but has now been renamed The Hope, Caracol reported.

A day earlier, the FARC delivered a statue of Christ to a community whose church it had accidentally bombed in 2002, killing 79 people, according to the English-language news service Colombia Reports.

Also Saturday, the FARC announced it would use all its assets to make reparations to the victims.

Santos welcomed the announcement via Twitter, as did the government's head negotiator to the peace talks Humberto de la Calle.

Leading the "No" vote was ex-president and Senator Alvaro Uribe, a conservative hardliner whose government tried to eradicate the FARC militarily, with financial backing from the United States.

In a speech on Friday, Uribe said "there is no demonstration of repentance" on the part of the FARC.

He also warned that allowing the FARC to enter politics paved the way for one of the military commanders to one day become president.
ABUJA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Sunday said it will continue to explore all means to ensure the rescue of over 200 schoolgirls abducted two years ago by terror group Boko Haram.

Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture Lai Mohammed said contrary to reports in the media, the Nigerian government has not foreclosed any negotiations aimed at rescuing the abducted schoolgirls.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria that the government was working daily to ensure the release of the girls.

According to him, the government had thrice established links with the abductors to perfect the release of the girls in exchange for suspected terrorists but all efforts proved futile.

The girls were abducted in their school dormitory in Chibok Town of Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno on April 14, 2014.

Mohammed said the government was looking for credible links with the Boko Haram, to renegotiate the release of the girls.
ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Violence disrupted celebration of the annual Irecha (thanksgiving) festival on Sunday in Oromia Regional Sate of Ethiopia, local media reported on Sunday.

The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), citing a statement from the Government Communication Affairs Office, reported that the celebration could not be completed as planned due to a pre-planned act of violence by 'forces of violence'.

Loss of lives has been sustained by a stampede caused by those forces, according to the statement.

The government has expressed its deepest condolences over the loss of lives and disruption of the ceremony that came about at a time when efforts were intensified to preserve the Irecha festival and get it documented by UNESCO as a world heritage, the statement said.

The government will provide detailed information on the unpleasant incident and bring those responsible before justice, it said.
LUSAKA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A delegation from France's state power utility is expected in Zambia this week to explore investment opportunities in the country's energy sector, a statement seen on Sunday said.

The delegation from Electricite de France, which is 84.5 percent owned by the French government, will be in Zambia from October 4 to 7, according to a statement released by the Zambian Embassy in France.

The firm has expressed interest to invest in Zambia focusing on opportunities in conventional hydro project development, small hydro project development and other projects related to hydro and solar power, the statement added.

According to the statement, the French power utility has identified Zambia as one of the priority countries for investment in the southern African region.

The delegation, to be led by Mario Bernado, the firm's director of its international department for southern Africa, will meet players in the energy sector, including officials from the country's energy regulator, the Energy Regulation Board and power utility Zesco Limited.

Zambia is currently experiencing a power deficit after water levels in its reservoirs decreased due to poor rains and is currently inviting investors in alternative sources of energy. About 90 percent of Zambia's electricity comes from hydro.
The decision came after the cabinet announced last week the reduction of salaries of ministers and Shura members (advisors). (Reuters photo)

RIYADH, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia on Sunday switched to Gregorian calendar or western calendar after the use of Islamic calendar since it was founded in 1932, Al Arabiya local news reported.

The move mainly covers government departments, of which the employees will get less annual salaries than they used to receive, as the Islamic year is about 15 days shorter than the Gregorian year.

The decision came after the cabinet announced last week the reduction of salaries of ministers and Shura members (advisors).

It was part of an austerity package, including cancellation and amendment of civil servants' allowances and rewards, such as cancelling the annual bonus.

Saudi Arabia has taken a series of steps to deal with the dropping oil prices in global markets.
JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on Sunday decided to end commercial trade in African grey parrots.

Delegates attending CITES' 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) voted decisively to uplist African grey parrots to (endangered) Appendix I, thus ending their international commercial trade.

The proposal was submitted by five range states -- Gabon, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Togo, with co-sponsorship by Chad, Senegal, USA and the EU. It was agreed by 95 votes in support, 35 votes against and five abstentions.

"An Appendix I listing by CITES will immediately improve the welfare and conservation of African greys by protecting them from overexploitation from uncontrolled and illegal trade, and requiring countries to support all efforts to increase protections for the parrots. This is a great day for a species under threat simply because of their popularity as a pet bird," said Kelvin Alie, Director of International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW's) Wildlife Trade Program.

Alie said the live pet trade, and habitat destruction and fragmentation had decimated African grey parrot populations in the wild.

African grey parrots are highly prized as pets due to their highly vocal nature and their ability to learn and mimic human language.

These traits have made the parrots a target for traders, and they are considered the third most internationally-traded, wild-harvested bird species with their populations in declines in 14 of 18 range countries.

The parrots were listed on CITES Appendix II in 1981 due to the potential impact of trade on its population at the time.

Since then over-harvesting arising from poor quota system, poor management and regulation of trade, fraudulent permitting and a high death rate of the birds, has decimated populations.

Legal trade data estimates that over 1.3 million African grey parrots were exported from range states between 1975 and 2013, with an average of 40 to 60 percent dying due to deplorable transit and transport conditions.
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday welcomed India formally joining the Paris climate change agreement.

"India now joins the 61 other Parties that have deposited their instruments of ratification, which, including India, together account for close to 52 percent of total global greenhouse emissions," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson.

The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, needs 55 nations that together account for 55 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions to ratify before it can formally enter into force.

"India's leadership moves the world an important step closer toward the 55 percent threshold needed for the historic agreement's entry into force this year," said the statement.

"The Secretary-General calls on all Parties to accelerate their domestic procedures in order to join the agreement as soon as possible this year," it added.

The much-anticipated Paris Agreement is the third international document on addressing climate change, following the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
Oct. 2, 1936

For his invention of a method of making food compositions in pellet form, the United States Patent Office issued a patent this week to Clarence E. Lee of East Genesee Road, Auburn. The mixture comprises ground grain and dried milk solids mixed with oleaginous medium.

Mr. Lee made application for the grant in September, 1935. It was approved by the examiners yesterday as to ten features of originality and improvement. A Cayuga concern has acquired the commercial rights to the method, the Patent Office states.

Oct. 2, 1961

(Pictured)

WINNER AND RUNNER-UP  Judy Foster, 15, left, of Moravia, won first place in the Cayuga County 4-H Cherry Baking Contest held at the Farm-Home and 4-H Center Building Saturday. She will represent Cayuga County in the district contest in Syracuse Nov. 18. Runner-up and alternate is Mary Lee LeFever, 15, of Niles, right.

Oct. 2, 2006

As always, her numbers were impressive, when the community turned out Sunday to honor Marilyn Cole, for her 50 years of service as Meridian's village clerk. Mayors, past and present, and from neighboring Cato, crowded into the Meridian Fire Hall, along with family and friends, and other government officials, to share a catered brunch, and a few memories.

Oct. 2, 2011
British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on the first day of the Conservative Party Conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, Britain on Oct. 2, 2016. British Prime Minister Theresa May opened the Conservative Conference in Birmingham Sunday by telling MPs and opponents of Brexit that they will not stand in the way of Britain leaving the European Union (EU).

LONDON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May opened the Conservative Conference in Birmingham Sunday by telling MPs and opponents of Brexit that they will not stand in the way of Britain leaving the European Union (EU).

Urging people to "ignore the pessimists", May outlined her vision for an independent Britain free from Brussels control.

In a message directed mainly at the Scottish Nationalists, May said: "We voted in referendum as one United Kingdom and we will negotiate our exit as one united kingdom, and we will leave as one united kingdom."

"There is no opt-out from Brexit and I will never allow divisive nationalists to undermine the pressure union between the four nations of our united kingdom," said May.

She described politicians who want MPs to vote on Brexit in parliament as "insulting the intelligence of the British people", adding "they're not standing up for democracy, they're trying to subvert it."

"Even now some politicians, democratically elected politicians, say the referendum isn't valid. That we need to have a second vote. Others didn't like the result and say they will challenge the decision through the courts," said May, shaking her head as she added: "Come on, the referendum result was clear."

"Parliament put the decision to leave or remain inside the EU in the hands of the people. It is not up to the government to question, quibble or backslide on what we've been instructed to do, but to get on with the job," said the prime minister.

May said it was right that things should not drag on too long, and she was aware the British people would expect to see on the horizon the point at which Britain leaves the EU.

Announcing that the government will before the end of March, 2017, trigger article 50, the process to end Britain's membership of the EU, May said members of parliament will not get a vote on that process.

May told the conference: "It is not up to the House of Commons to invoke article 50, and it is not up to the House of Lords, it is up to the government and the government alone," adding that responsibility for the negotiations with the EU are for the government and nobody else.

Her announcement of a March 2017 deadline will mean the final parting of the ways between Britain and the EU will happen no later than March 2019 -- a year before the next scheduled general election in 2020.

May also confirmed her plan to put before the British Parliament a Great Reform Bill that will transfer all EU legislation into British domestic law. It means the authority of EU law in British courts will end.

May was cheered when she said that existing workers' legal rights introduced under EU legislation will continue to be guaranteed in Britain, adding that those rights would continue "as long as I am prime minister."

Her reassurances that Britain will leave the EU and pave the way for creating new global trading partnerships, earned May loud cheers and applause from a packed conference enter.

She told delegates: "This week we are going to show the country that we mean business."

May said post-Brexit Britain would be a country that passes its own laws, and governs itself.

On the government's future vision after Britain leaves the EU, May said: "We are going to leave the EU and we are going to become a fully independent sovereign country, no longer part of a political union with institutions that can override national governments and courts."

She said an independent Britain would decide for itself how immigration is controlled.

May said Brexit should make Britain think of its role in the wider world, beyond Europe and think of opportunities, with countries such as Canada, China, Singapore, India, Mexico, and South Korea have already told us they welcome talks on future free trade agreements, along with Australia and New Zealand.

"Let me be clear, we are not leaving the EU today to give up control of immigration again and we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice," said May, concluding: "A truly global Britain is possible and is in sight."
KHARTOUM, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Sudan said on Sunday that a group of African leaders will participate in the general assembly of the national dialogue conference on Oct. 10 in Sudan's capital Khartoum.

The leaders include the presidents of Egypt, Chad, Mauritania and Uganda, as well as the prime minister of Ethiopia and the secretary general of the Arab League, Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters.

The general secretariat of the Sudanese national dialogue has announced completion of all arrangements for the convocation of the general assembly of the national dialogue conference as scheduled.

In January 2014, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir declared an initiative calling on the opposition parties and the armed groups to join a national dialogue to end the country's crises.

The sessions of the national dialogue conference kicked off in October 2015 with the aim to resolve the country's political and social issues.

The conference was launched with the participation of a number of Sudanese political parties, civil society organizations and some Darfur armed groups.

However, major political parties and armed movements have refused to participate in the conference, including the Revolutionary Front Alliance, which brings together the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector and the major Darfur armed movements.

The Darfur armed groups and the SPLM/northern sector insist that a preparatory conference should be held, according to decisions by the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council, to bring together all the Sudanese political forces to agree on procedures to initiate an equitable dialogue with the government, a demand that the Sudanese government rejects.
Women loyal to the Houthi movement carry rifles as they take part in a parade to show support to the movement in Sanaa, YemenSeptember 7, 2016. (Reuters photo)

SANAA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's dominant rebel Shiite Houthi group and its ally party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Sunday appointed Abdulaziz bin Habtoor as the prime minister and tasked him to form a "national salvation government," state Saba news agency reported.

The appointment came in a decree issued by Houthi leader Saleh al-Sammad, the president of supreme political council, which is the country's higher governing coalition between armed Houthi group and Saleh's General People's Congress party.

Abdulaziz bin Habtoor is from southeast province of Shabwa and served as a governor of southern port city of Aden during the rule of internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

It was another blow to the UN-sponsored peace talks after Houthis and Saleh established the governing political council in July to unilaterally rule the country.

Previous UN-backed peace talks between Houthis along with its Saleh ally against Hadi's government have ended without tangible results.

There were new attempts to hold another round of negotiations sponsored by the UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Houthis, backed by Saleh's loyal forces, stormed the capital Sanaa in September 2014, fighting against what they said "Hadi's government corruption."

They seized Sanaa and much parts of the country's north, forcing internationally-backed President Hadi and his government to flee into exile.

Hadi asked a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia to intervene to restore his power and recapture Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition launched a military air campaign against Houthis and Saleh's forces on March 26, 2015.

The coalition's air strikes and ground battles have since killed over 10,000 Yemenis, mostly children and women, injuring around 35,000 others and displacing three million others, according to UN reports.

Houthis and Saleh's forces have still in control of the capital Sanaa and much parts of the war-stricken Arab country.
HERAKLION, Greece, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan arrived here Sunday, kicking off an official good-will visit to Greece.

During his stay in Greece, Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, is expected to meet Greek leaders on deepening bilateral relations, and attend a series of cultural activities.

Liu's visit coincides with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership. The two countries have seen closer cooperation in recent years.

Greece has vowed to integrate its development strategy with China's Belt and Road initiative, and play the role as a hub between the west and the east. The Piraeus port project can be seen as a flagship for China-Greece cooperation.

The two countries would jointly work for building the port into the biggest transshipment port of containers in the Mediterranean and the bridgehead of land-ocean transportation.

Liu's Greece visit occurs just three months after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras paid an official visit to China.

Liu arrived here after concluding his two-day visit to Mongolia. Greece is the second leg of his three-country Asia-Europe tour, which will also take him to Hungary.
BOGOTA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- On Sunday morning, 81,925 voting booths were made available in Colombia and around the world for up to 34,899,945 Colombians, registered to vote, can participate in the historic plebiscite and accept or reject the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC.

Polling stations opened up at 8 a.m. local time across the country, although certain parts of the country faced heavy rains brought by hurricane Matthew, forcing certain stations to have their locations changed.

The first person to vote, at the polling station located in Bogota's historic Plaza de Bolivar, was registrar Juan Carlos Galindo, followed by the mayor of Bogota, Enrique Penalosa.

President Juan Manuel Santos voted at this same station at 8:13am and, addressing the press, asked Colombians to turn out and vote.

"I have just cast my vote in this historic plebiscite, which I hope will change the history of this country for the better," he said.

(Voting) means "ending a war of 52 years, opening the path of peace, and peace will bring us a better future," added Santos.

He expressed the hope that the rain would not stop Colombians from voting and that "all should exercise their right" so that Colombians play a part in this historic change for the country.

In the country's Caribbean region, the lashing rains appeared to have driven down turnout as few voters appeared at polling stations, while the beginning of voting was delayed in parts of the department of Choco due to the weather.

The government has intensified its Yes campaign in recent days, accompanied by allies in civil society. For the vote to count, at least 13 percent of the electorate must participate.

While recent polls have shown a clear majority for the Yes side, former president Alvaro Uribe remains opposed to the deal. After voting in Bogota, he told the press that "peace is exciting but the Havana accords are disappointing."

He also accused the government of stopping the No campaign from advertising and of coercing mayors and governors to support the Yes vote.

In order to avoid any unrest, the government has banned any sale of alcohol from the evening of Oct. 1 until the morning of Oct. 3, all weapons carrying permits are suspended until Oct. 5, except for police and the army, while local authorities have the right to suspend any vehicular traffic they deem convenient.
HAVANA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Around 200 Colombians in Cuba have been called to vote on Sunday in a plebiscite on the peace deal agreed between the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC.

The plebiscite will either make or break a historic peace deal designed to put an end to Latin America's longest running civil conflict.

In Cuba, site of the peace talks for the last four years, many Colombians believe this is a unique opportunity for the country' s history.

"Colombia needs to have peace and I hope that millions support this agreement that will let us live a new period in the country," Andrea Bendeck, a 21-year-old medical student, told Xinhua.

Bendeck expressed optimism about the result of Sunday's vote and added that he hoped all the resources poured into the war would now go towards meeting Colombia's education and social needs.

Polls released earlier this week showed the "Yes" camp leading with more than 60 percent of the votes.

"I hope that we can finally achieve peace in our nation. This is a perfect opportunity to end a bloodshed of over 50 years that has caused suffering to millions," said Climaco Zamorano, an 82-year-old Colombian who has lived in Cuba for over six decades.

In Havana, the Colombian consulate opened its doors at 8 a.m. local time for the vote to begin.

"Today, the country's future is decided. We can choose to bring many years of violence to an end and we expect, after the agreement is ratified in today's plebiscite, that we will reach definitive peace," said Luis Fernando Cordoba, Colombian consul in Havana, in a speech to mark the event.

The diplomat also explained that certain top FARC leaders, which are currently in Cuba, cannot vote on the island as they were not registered to vote in Colombia's 2014 presidential election.

Cordoba also thanked Cuba for hosting the successful peace talks from 2012 to 2016.
by Liu Yongqiu, Chen Zhanjie

ATHENS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras got a special gift from his Chinese hosts during his official visit to China in July: a two-wheeled bicycle.

Explaining the symbolic value of the gift, Tsipras said that the bilateral relations are like a two-wheeled vehicle. "One wheel is economic cooperation and the other, cooperation in culture and education. We are the cyclists who will develop our two countries," said Tsipras.

The Greek prime minister's remarks are confirmed by the current level and prospect of the Sino-Greek relations.

China COSCO Shipping, ZTE and many other enterprises with Chinese background have been operating in Greece for many years, contributing to the local economy and the improvement of bilateral relations.

China COSCO Shipping acquired a majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) on Aug. 10, formally completing the transfer of a 51 percent equity holding in PPA and the custody of an additional 16 percent stake. This marked another big step for the two countries to make Greece an important support for Belt and Road Initiative and the bridgehead of Sino-Europe economic cooperation.

The Piraeus project plays a leading role in the two countries' economic cooperation, but it is not the only successful story. The business income of ZTE Hellas, for example, has recorded an annual increase of more than 20 percent since 2012 and this year the increase is expected to reach 30 percent.

Although having not fully recovered from the debt crisis, Greek economy has passed its most difficult phase and the investment environment is improving, according to analysts. Chinese companies are especially interested in the opportunities in the areas of infrastructure, energy, ship building and repairing, high technology and e-commerce. Some projects in these sectors are progressing smoothly, opening up a vast range of cooperation prospects.

The other wheel turning simultaneously with the economic cooperation is the "wheel of culture". The peoples of the two ancient civilizations are listening attentively to each other through one cultural exchange event after another.

One such event was the concert held on Sept. 28 at the Athens Concert Hall to celebrate the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership.

Greek spectators gave a standing ovation to the Chinese artists, in particular after the major surprise the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater Symphony Orchestra had planned for the finale.

The concert ended with Greeks clapping hands to the rhythm of the "Children of Piraeus," a popular song written by late Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis for the film "Never on Sunday" starring Melina Mercouri.

The song performed by Mercouri won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1960.

Greek music lovers, including Culture Minister Aristeidis Baltas, enjoyed the performance with Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zou Xiaoli, who has announced there will be more such cultural bridges connecting the two countries and people.

Traditional Chinese music instruments such as Erhu, Pipa and Bamboo Flute were used together with the Western music instruments such as violin, piano and drum by Chinese artists in the performance.

"It was tremendously interesting how traditional Chinese music instruments were connected to Western music instruments. I think that this kind of exchange in the music field promises very interesting compositions in the future," the Greek minister said.
China COSCO Hong Kong CFO Feng Jinhua(2nd L, front) and HRADF chief Stergios Pitsiorlas(2nd R, front) sign the agreement for the sale of the majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority (PPA)in Athens, Greece on April 8, 2016. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

HERAKLION, Greece, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan arrived here Sunday, kicking off an official good-will visit to Greece.

During his stay in Greece, Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, is expected to meet Greek leaders on deepening bilateral relations, and attend a series of cultural activities.

Liu's visit coincides with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership. The two countries have seen closer cooperation in recent years.

Greece has vowed to integrate its development strategy with China's Belt and Road initiative, and play the role as a hub between the west and the east. The Piraeus port project can be seen as a flagship for China-Greece cooperation.

The two countries would jointly work for building the port into the biggest transshipment port of containers in the Mediterranean and the bridgehead of land-ocean transportation.

Liu's Greece visit occurs just three months after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras paid an official visit to China.

Liu arrived here after concluding his two-day visit to Mongolia. Greece is the second leg of his three-country Asia-Europe tour, which will also take him to Hungary.
Pigeons fly in front of the Tian'anmen Rostrum after the Chinese national flag-raising ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2016. Over 100,000 people from across the country gathered at the Tian'anmen Square to watch the national flag-raising ceremony on the morning of Oct. 1, marking the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Tourists dive to visit the Underwater Art Museum (MUSA) in the resort city of Cancun, Quintana Roo state, Mexico on Sept. 30, 2016. MUSA is created in waters of the Mexican Caribbean and believed to be the biggest underwater museum of contemporary art in the world. (Xinhua/Mauricio Collado)
There is a host of agencies, suppliers and contractors, both private and public, who have found a good market for their business in the public schools. Many provide necessary product, a lot of them are just attaching themselves to a lucrative revenue stream with frivolous offerings. The lobbyists/salesmen for these products operate at the state, regional, and/or local level and are, I believe, the single foremost reason New York has moved from "sound and basic" to well over double the national average in per student costs.

Most of the abuse is impossible to spot unless you do the work and research.

One example is very obvious, though, and can be viewed by anyone driving by a public school: the lighted, Vegas-style, rolling billboards that now seem to be a "must have" for these property-tax-funded institutions.

During my tenure (6 years) on the Southern Cayuga school board the purchase of one of these was brought up. The board quickly dismissed it and moved onto the next subject.

I just drove by our school last week and saw that even this conservative, common sense community had given into the glitz peddlers. Southern Cayuga was a stalwart holdout for sanity for a long time. What a shame.

What makes this superfluous expense even worse is that this year's budget went up 3/4 of a million dollars even as enrollment declined. Our little district's annual per student cost is now over $25,000.

We have a good board and one of the best superintendents that we've had in a long time, but the assault on the taxpayers by these unscrupulous vendors is relentless, often state sanctioned, and clever. By the way, all of the information on this billboard can be easily viewed from a smart phone/computer or by simply saving your school calendars and mailers.

These billboards are unnecessary! They are not only out of place fiscally, aesthetically and ideologically, but risk being a traffic hazard.

Please  No AstroTurf!

Joe Lonsky

Genoa
Failed four time presidential candidate and hero of all product liability lawyers Ralph Nader has found a new enemy: China . The Center for Auto Safety, founded by Ralph Nader with part of the $425K court settlement paid by GM in 1970 for invasion of his privacy, has been researching recalls of Chinese auto parts. Those recalls are now posted on the safety centers Web site. The New York Times took the bait, and ran a long story under the headline Recalls of Chinese Auto Parts Are a Mounting Concern.

"There are so many automotive products coming in from China that American safety officials can't keep track of them," said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, to the New York Times. The Center for Auto Safety went to the trouble of tracking failed Chinese products down.

After an exhaustive search, Naders Center for Auto Safety found 24 recalls of Chinese products, listed in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations (NHTSA) records for the years 2007 and 2008. The 24 incidents involve a total of 1.2m product. The high numbers were caused by three companies: Eagle Eyes Traffic Industrial Co., Ltd. imported 404.546 replacement headlight assemblies which "do not contain required amber side reflectors." Foreign Tire Sales, Inc. became infamous by importing 255,000 (some say 450,000) Chinese tires which were in danger of tread separation. Harbor Freight Tools imported 295,000 fuses which took too long to blow.

In an interview with the New York Times, Ditlow said his review convinces him that too many Chinese companies are unfamiliar with  or dont care about  safety standards in the United States and thus dont meet them. According to Ditlow, automotive equipment made in China is less likely to comply with safety standards than the same product made in the United States . The companies in North America know that process, Ditlow said.

A quick analysis of the NHTSA database shows that Mr. Ditlow is wrong. It also proves that if companies in North America know the process, then they show a disturbing disregard for it.

And here is why:

The NHTSA database lists 76,525 recalls since 1966. From 2007 to date - the period analyzed by the Center for Auto Safety - a total of 13,482 recalls are listed in the NHTSA database. The database indentifies the manufacturer or importer of the recalled product. It does not identify the country of origin. Painstakingly tracing back the NHTSA recalls to the country of origin, the Center for Auto Safety found 24 products that were made in China . That amounts to 0.18 percent. Which is not reported by the New York Times. The NYT also did not found newsworthy that  China  is the only country listed on Naders website under Import Recalls. The countries of origin of the remaining 13,458 recalled products remain unmentioned.

Also overlooked and underreported was the fact that for the same period, the database lists 419 recalls by Chrysler LLC, 678 recalls by Ford Motor Co, and a whopping 1,410 recalls by General Motors Corp.

Dan Smith, associate administrator for enforcement at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says Chinese manufacturers clearly want to comply with federal safety regulations. They just need to understand what is required. The onus for creating a solid understanding sits squarely on the importer. United States federal law puts responsibility for the safety of the product on the American importer. The importer has to specify the factors that bring the product in compliance with U.S. regulations, usually FMVSS. The importer must verify that the regulations are complied with. Before the NHTSA and the courts, the importer is liable, not the manufacturer.

Sean Kane, director of the consulting firm Safety Research & Strategies, agrees with Dan Smith: In the U.S., anybody can be an importer. It is usually the small or first-time U.S. importers who are unfamiliar with  or dont care about  the safety standards of their own country. Often, they lack the funds for an orderly recall.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio introduced a bill last year that would require importers to have insurance to cover a recall. These insurances are available and common. However, the insurance is routinely denied if the applicant ticks the Yes box next to the question Will the product be sold in the United States or Canada ? The reason: Highly unreasonable product liability awards, caused by the ambulance chasing lawyers which revere Ralph Nader.

It is very easy to import auto parts to the United States and Canada . Some say, much too easy. The US and Canadian auto safety regulations operate on the principle of self-certification. The manufacturer or importer of a vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment certifies that the vehicle or equipment complies with all applicable Federal or Canada Motor Vehicle standards. No prior verification is required by a governmental agency or authorized testing entity before the vehicle or equipment can be imported, sold, or used. If reason develops to believe the certification was false or improper, then authorities may conduct tests and, if a noncompliance is found, a recall can be ordered.

The rest of the world operates mostly on the principles established by the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, a body of the United Nations. 58 countries, from Azerbaijan to New Zealand , are signatories to a common set of ECE Regulations for type approval of vehicles and components. Other countries, even if not formally participating in the agreement, recognize the ECE Regulations and either mirror the ECE regulations content in their own national requirements, or permit the use and importation of ECE-approved vehicles or parts. More than 120 ECE regulations cover most safety-relevant aspects. The big difference: Each part or vehicle must successfully be tested as part of the type approval. The tests are performed by accredited, independent labs. In most countries that signed the agreement, use of a non-certified part or vehicle is illegal. This is one of the reasons why one hears very little noise about Chinese quality from European countries.

More about the importance of the ECE rules, also known as E-Mark in my article next Monday.
Mr.Freeman H.Shen : President of BorgWarner China and the Board Directors of all BorgWarner companies in China.

Mr. Shen graduated from Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota with Master of Business Administration. He also obtained the degree of Master of Science in Engineering from University of California at Los Angeles in USA, and the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering from South China University of Technology in China.

From September 2003 to December 2004 he was the Managing Director, Asia for BorgWarner Emission /Thermal Systems. From March 2000 to September 2003 he was the General Manager and Board Director of BorgWarner Shenglong (Ningbo) Co., Ltd. Before joining BorgWarner, he worked for Enserch Energy in US, a Texas Utilities Company (TXU), one of the largest utility companies in the world.

Mr. Shen speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Shanghai dialect.

Mr. Shen is very active in local community and has been awarded by the government the Zhejiang Province Camellia Award and Honorable Citizenship of Zhejing Ningbo Yinzhou District.

The Sixth Edition of Series of Interview with MNC Auto Parts Suppliers

Driven by Technology, Diversified Customers

Gasgoo: Mr.Shen.Thank you for accepting the interview from Gasgoo.com. Firstly, please introduce BorgWarner for us briefly.

Shen: BorgWarner is an international auto tier-one supplier of powertrains with diversified customers and we mainly focus on powertrains.

Gasgoo: As per the annual 2006 report of BorgWarner, your business structure is healthier than others who originated in North America. There are few auto-part suppliers that are earning money but BorgWarner had a rather better performance last year. When did you start the strategy of diversification and being successful?

Shen: Thanks for your concern about us. The revenue of last year was 4.6 billion dollars. It reached 5.2 billion dollars including joint venture businesses, which was a great increase. We are healthy because BorgWarner is a high-tech company focusing on powertrains including engine, gearbox and 4WD system and so on. The second reason is diversification strategy, which started 5 or 6 years ago. Our customers scattered globally even in China we also have diversified customers. Its easy for us to supply for different customers with our high-tech products. We develop new products constantly so the customers of Japan. Korea and North America and China are happy to cooperate with us, which is a prerequisite for diversification strategy.

Gasgoo: You started 5 or 6 years ago? How did you sense this tendency?

Shen: At that time, our top management circle thought that the North America market might reach a bottleneck and we had to break it. We also thought emerging markets were our next target. Korea, then China, then India. We established many production bases and good relationship with our customers, which all contribute to our success.

Gasgoo: There is a characteristic that Japanese and Korean enterprises incline to cooperate with local enterprises. They are like in a fortified castle that outsiders can hardly break into. But you did well in this point in a balanced structure. How did you manage to break into?

Shen: we entered Korea in a joint venture and let local people manage it. We cooperated with Hyundai Corporation to establish a gearbox plant 20 years ago. Later Hyundai retreated from it because of its strategy adjustment so we owned this plant completely. Through joint venture we have learned the operation way and production environment in Korea. We had Korean teams, unified technology and quality standards. In fact the plants scale is rather big in the production of gearboxes. It is the only winner of Diamond award for two successive years, with which only two enterprises are awarded globally each year. Even Hyundai Corporation send their quality staff to it to learn us demonstrating our success for that there are few cases that OEM go to suppliers to learn quality control inversely.NSK-WARNER in Japan succeeded, also longer than 40 years. It operates like in Korea: unified technology and quality management and local management team, so as in China. You may see many foreigners working here but they mainly work in quality and technology management and transfer. The management team mainly consists of Chinese or who have Chinese background so we learned the market well. We are successful in this.

Oppotunity rather than Challenge in Fast-growing Market

Gasgoo: The success of Borg Warner lies in diversified customers, expanded market, management localization and high-tech. Contrasted with the advantages of diversified customers and expanded market, whats the challenges of them?

Shen: The main challenge is response speed. Localization needs time because OEM audits suppliers very strictly, especially for powertrains. Another point we have to provide edging technology to our customers in time so that their programmes can go smoothly or their products get into market quickly. All the OEMs have a quick move now. Maybe American takes three years to develop a new vehicle. Japanese may take two years and Korean and Chinese one year. As an international supplier we are required to develop new products in relative short period to keep up with our customers.

Gasgoo: As we know, BorgWarner entered China in 1993 and there are now 3 plants in China, which is different seemingly from other European and American auto-part suppliers who came to China in the same time and own more than 10 plants. They explained that because Chinese OEMs are not concentrated so they had to build plants close to them resulting in many plants. Presently, whats the real scale of your plants in China? Why do you have so limited-number plants? Is it due to cautious investment or different strategy?

Shen: Actually we have four plants including NSK WARNER established in 2006. The main reasons are: firstly we are not a labor-intensive enterprise but tech-intensive and capital-intensive one. For example we invested a plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Only one assembly line, worth several millions of dollars. Total line worth about 30 million dollars so its hard for us to establish 3 such turbo-engine plants. Tech-intensive requires enough technicians we cant afford. Moreover, its common for powertrains to be localized at last with the biggest risk. So we are going to coordinate with them to build plants in the second and third phrases of their localization. Secondly, we support local brands determinedly. Local brands are emerging in recent years in which we invested a lot. We invested 30 million dollars in the first phrase for the program in Ningbo initiated in 2004, 20 million dollars in the second phrase. It will totally reach 90 million dollars including the third phrase. Now the second is in process and the third will follow. Now we have a full-scale cooperation with Chery and some parts are being supplied and some are being designed. And we also have cooperation business with Geely, Greatwall and JAC etc.

Gasgoo: So now international OEMs are accelerating their localization which may bring BorgWarner a lot of opportunities?

Shen: Yes, we now see two opportunities: one is localization. Many international OEMs are forced to localize most key parts. This would go to powertrains sooner or later. The second is the growth of Chinese brands which is exciting me. Local brands hope we do business with them in the phrase of developing products and provide competitive products which incorporated latest technology. Chery and SAIC are good examples. Why are we interested in cooperation with local brands? Their market is immense. However, international OEMs often limit to domestic market. Local brands do not have such limitation. They are willing to export and go where they can go so potential is huge. And they have strong demands on new and key technologies. The Chinese market is promising and we hold an expectation of our sales increasing 8 to 10 times in the coming 5 years.

Gasgoo: your plants and market share are increasing at high speed. Chinese market is expected to continue this growing momentum for a long time. What are your plan in such market?

Shen: Speed. BorgWarner has launched large resources into China in response to the booming market combined our rich experience of dealing with different customers. The only challenge is to speed up our reaction and resource launch, which are not as easy as getting money from headquarter. All industries are developing fast and automobile industry is difinitely faster. Its really hard to find adequate skills for us. To solve this problem, we have been training talents and brought European and American technicians to China. We have paid close attention to those works, hoping our speed able to meet the requests of vehicle manufactures.

Holding Core Competitiveness Firmly



Gasgoo: what do you think of the future of auto industry in China regarding the trend of market structure? Would it be economic type of saloon cars like European market or luxury type with less concern on energy and environment like the American market?

Shen: I believe it would be economical type reducing emissions like European and Japanese market. China, although a large country, is confronted with the challenge brought by energy consumption as well as environment pollution which is now highly controlled to protect air condition. In fact, middle- and-low-level economy cars are preponderant in China. It is very important for economy cars to control emissions, fuel consumption and cost. BorgWarners products are mainly addressing to emissions, fuel consumption, stability and reliability.

Gasgoo: Yes. Energy conservation and environmental protection are not only the core of the BorgWarners consideration, but also the trend of world automobile industry. The past focus of Chinese on car body and interior are now shifting to engines and gearbox, which are our original products, that would be a good opportunity for BorgWarner. You mentioned the eight to ten times growth in the next 5 years. And what is your long-term objective?

Shen: Our long-term objective is to become the main supplier of powertrain in China, and our sale is to increase by eight to ten times. Its true that now Chinese consumers are taking much more account on the performance, emissions, fuel consumption and stability of a car than its appearance and interior. They are more rational than two years ago. They fully understand that a vehicle is a vehicle not because of its decarations but of its moving function, and if the emissions cant reach Euro- or Euro-, the cars would not be allowed on roads. So the government policy and self-consciousness gradually encourage the growing demands on performance, low-emissions and fuel-efficiency. All are in favour of us because our products have advantages in steability, reliability, fuel-efficiency and low-emmision and so on.

Promising Outlook for Local Suppliers

Gasgoo: Besides the aim of eight to ten times growth, do you have any other objective, e.g. in research, exportation and sourcing?

Shen: Yes. We decided to establish a research center where about 40 engineers are working presently, and 120 more people will be recruited to do research on engine, gearbox, 4WD and so on in the next five years. Another important objective is to mass source in China to supply our factories in Europe. We have a team of more than 20 people in China Sourcing Office (CSO) for exportation exclusively. We have spent several 10 million dollars in China sourcing, and its sure that it will reach a certain big number.

Gasgoo: Since BorgWarner has been sourcing in China, what do you think of the suppliers here?

Shen: There are two kinds of suppliers in China: one is a joint venture or wholly foreign owned companies; the other is Chinas local suppliers. Wed like to support local suppliers because they are more reasonably structured and easy to coordinate. Its very important that they can support us in their development under our help. As a multinational enterprise, BorgWarner knows that local enterprises have developed quicker than multinational enterprises. In the cooperation with us, local suppliers are willing to fulfill our requests at full speed; when their abilities come to a limit, they would let us help them improve quality and technology. Their quality has improved a lot and their structure is reasonable. So we are interested in cooperating with local suppliers.

Gasgoo: How many suppliers BorgWarner is cooperating with?

Shen: We have more than 10 suppliers for our different departments, and they are all for exportation.

Gasgoo: All for exportation?

Shen: Yes, for exportation.

Gasgoo: Very active strategy. Is there any challenge in China sourcing?

Shen: We always believe the biggest issue in China sourcing is on the quality stability. Normally, local suppliers can finish some samples or a small amount of production with no fault; but the quality in mass production would become unacceptable. Modern quality control systems are not adopted in many suppliers whose quality control relies on workers technique. For example, they employ the most experienced workers to ensure the quality. But to make a mistake is human, even experienced workers probably would make mistakes in mass production. To solve the issue of quality stability, we now spend much time teaching our suppliers quality system.

Gasgoo: You mentioned the prospect of Chinas national brands. For example, BorgWarner has produced front-wheel drive for Chery, and DCT for Roewe of Shanghai Auto. How are these brands requests for your products different from that of European and American market?

Shen: They are different in some aspects and the same in other aspects. We find that our products related with fuel consumption, exhaust and performance are sold very well in China market. Actually many products of BorgWarner are the best in the world. For example, every OEM Company in China buys Gasgoo turbo-chargers from BorgWarner.There are two kinds of turbo-chargers: one is Gasgoo turbo-chargers, the other is diesel turbo-chargers. Diesel turbo-chargers have been used in the diesel vehicles and some trucks in China for many years. Gasgoo turbo-chargers are much more difficult to produce and require higher technology than diesel turbo-chargers, because Gasgoo turbo-chargers have higher requirements on the wheels in engine due to the higher exhaust temperature and rotational frequency in Gasgoo vehicles. For example, we provided VWs 1.8T Audi with the speed of more than 60 times per min, which is rather difficult to reach. A speed of more than 10 times per min has been seldom seen in diesel cars. 70% of global Gasgoo turbo-chargers are produced by BorgWarner. China is fit for Gasgoo turbo-chargers, because most vehicles in China use Gasgoo. You mentioned front-wheel drive; its use is different in the north and south China. Front-wheel drive can be used in the off-road vehicles comparatively popular in north China, e.g. Xinjiang, Tibet, Northeast China, especially in snow weather. Besides Gasgoo turbo-chargers, our DCT (Dual Clutch Automated Manual Transmission) is also very promising, because China is in short of AT (Automated Transmission). China had paid much more attention on engine than AT throughout the history. There have been a great lot of experts on the manufacture and research of engine, but the AT technology is not developed well always. BorgWarner, a brand of a centurys history, produced the first AT in the world and the revolutionary product DCT. It is most effective to produce AT with current large productivity including the staff, equipment and knowledge structure.

Gasgoo: The last question: China market is booming and can output larger profit percentage with lower cost. We know BorgWarner is very active in strategy. Do you plan to make China an exportation base?

Shen: Till now weve not considered it, but I think it would happen sooner or later. We have been increasing productivity to meet the requirements of local and multinational customers in China, but exportation base is still beyond our consideration. What BorgWarner special is that its business has been operating well in Europe and America, while some suppliers are forced to transfer to China after having some problems in European and American market.

Gasgoo: Thanks for your excellent comments.

Shen: Thank you.
SIBIU, Romania Standing near buzzing weaving machines that spit out hundreds of meters of pink fabric every day for car airbag cushions, Christian-Alex Dodu points to an empty gray floor.



"There's enough space for new machines," he shouted above the din of the machinery. "By the end of this year, it will be full."



A few years ago, this was just a green field on the outskirts of the medieval city of Sibiu. Now, it houses a shiny plant for the Japanese car parts maker Takata, for whom Dodu is director for strategic production planning in Romania.



Romania is fighting to attract companies like Takata, which bring in the technology, jobs and hard currency that are badly needed in the poor, former Soviet satellite as it works to enter the European Union next year.



The European Commission, the EU's executive, will issue a recommendation on Tuesday on whether Romania is fit to follow most of its East European peers into the EU in 2007, or whether a one-year delay is needed.



Romania and its Black Sea neighbor Bulgaria missed the first wave of the EU's eastward enlargement in 2004 because of the slow pace of reforms.



Since then, Romania's transformation has gained pace, and it expects foreign direct investment to climb 44 percent to a record 7.5 billion, or $9.5 billion, this year.



The World Bank described Romania this year as one of the fastest-reforming countries in the world.



But many of the changes have failed to stick, and Romania is still struggling with dilapidated Communist-era infrastructure, red tape and endemic corruption, the subject of a strongly worded letter from EU officials this month.



Nonetheless, prospects for EU entry, along with low taxes and low-cost labor, make Romania an attractive location for parts makers who supply the international car plants that now dot the East European landscape.



The region has become a powerhouse in auto production over the past few years as industry majors shift their assembly lines to the former Soviet satellites, encouraged by low wages, institutional stability provided by EU membership and prospects for fast productivity growth.



Despite global overcapacity, carmakers throughout the region are raising production, and that is helping the order books of auto parts business for companies like Takata.



Romania's average wage rate is around $400 a month, considerably lower than the $890 in the Czech Republic and $620 in Slovakia, both of which have become regional centers for the car industry.



"It's more likely that suppliers may come to set up plants, because the supplier industry is not so developed in Romania as it is in Slovakia, Czech Republic or Poland," said Carol Thomas, an analyst at JD Power Automotive Forecasting.



From 2002, the total sales of car parts makers in Romania nearly doubled to 1.1 billion in 2004, according to a study by Central Europe Trust Co., a consultancy based in Bucharest. The car industry accounts for about 8 percent of the country's exports.



Romania ranked as the sixth-largest automaker in Central and Eastern Europe last year with 175,000 cars produced, slightly behind Slovakia and Slovenia. The region's top producer, Russia, assembled more than one million vehicles, according to JD Power.



Romanian production is dominated by Renault's Dacia plant, which produces the no-frills Logan brand, with an annual output of 170,000 cars.



But the days of Renault's supremacy may be numbered as its rivals seek to take over a smaller carmaker, Daewoo Automobile Romania, from the government in coming months.



"A new strategic investor for the plant can definitely boost the car industry in Romania, which can be seen as an engine for the economy," the economy minister, Codrut Seres, said.



About 700,000 airbag cushions leave Takata's Sibiu plant, opened a year ago, every month for assembly lines in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.



BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Ford, Opel and Toyota use airbags from Takata, which competes on the global market with Autoliv of Sweden and TRW of the United States.



"Romania is the best option," Dodu of Takata said of his company's decision to locate in the country. "There is only one border to cross to the EU."


Another Sunday without Ria

Sookdeo, 34, a mother of two, who lives at Wellington Road, Debe was abducted two Thursdays ago and has not been seen nor heard from since.

Even after long, extensive but futile searches across some of Trinidads most rural districts, police investigators, relatives and friends remain without clues, and for the family, in a state of bewilderment, as to where Sookdeo, a hairdresser, could be and who would want to take her away from her family.

Her husband Mark Sookdeo, children Elena, nine and Toraz, five, parents Frankie and Chandra Rajkumar and siblings continue to be worried sick over her disappearance. Relatives told Sunday Newsday her children continue to ask when is their mother coming home. Except for the detention of three persons last Sunday, including a police officer on suspension and a woman who were subsequently released, nothing much has happened during the week just ended. Investigators released a sketch of a man wearing a cap imprinted with the word POLICE, as a suspect in Sookdeos kidnapping but they have not received any leads on his identity.

Even a black Nissan X Trail vehicle, which was impounded by police on suspicion that it was the same one which Sookdeo was forced into by her kidnapper, was returned to its owner on Friday.

The vehicle was seized and the persons were detained when police got a tip and went to a house at Rochard Road, Penal, a week ago. The hope that a breakthrough was made has since faded.

The young mother was abducted on September 22, moments after dropping off her children at Picton Presbyterian Primary School in south Trinidad. The door on the drivers side of the red Nissan X-Trail she was driving was left open, her cell phone and handbag still on the front passenger seat.

On the morning of the kidnapping, meters away from her childrens school, relatives and friends gathered on the scene in shock.

No demand for a ransom was made.

Four months ago the couple purchased the red Nissan X-Trail vehicle and a Toyota Fielder wagon.

Mark recently returned to his job at NP after being laid off for a while. Relatives have been visiting spiritual leaders from all faiths seeking help to find Sookdeo. They have been told she is alive but is being held against her will.
Missing man mistaken for dead man

Williams has been missing for two weeks, and when a mans body was found in Freeport relatives feared it was the 28-year-old man. They were told to go to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Friday last, where they were relieved the body was not Williams, but a 36-year-old man from Laventille.

Williams family however are still worried about what happened to him. His sister, who did not want her name published, believes he can be found safe and sound.

I still have faith that we could find him, and I believe in God, she said. I know that he would not just drop off the map just so. Williams was last seen on September 16. He had left the car wash business, on Lady Young Road, Morvant, which he and his sister runs, and returned for a short time, using the car of his landlord and friend, Barrington Skippy Thomas, which was a white Toyota Axio. He then left again to collect money at another business place but never arrived there. Calls to his cell phone went unanswered. Worried relatives went to the Morvant Police Station, the following Monday to make a report, only to find out Thomas had also made a report about his disappearance.

Police officers found Thomas car, which Williams was using, in Carlsen Field after receiving a report from farmers who made the discovery and said the engine was on idle, and the radio was on.

Williams sister said he complained of not feeling safe where he lived at Crystal Drive, Morvant, and was looking for another place to stay, and told Thomas who offered to allow him to stay at his house.

.
Cordettes pan music legacy

Established around 1962, the band has held its own as an ensemble, having made it to the finals of the medium conventional band category of the National Panorama competition on 15 occasions, its last appearance being in 2012 with the Philmore/ Loquan/Destra composition, Vibes, a piece arranged by Anders Kappel Ovre.

The band has performed extensively throughout the country and is also known for its vibrant stage side and varied repertoire: it is said that Cordettes can play more than 90 minutes of continuous music, at a moments notice, on any given day.

Moreover, Cordettes panyard on Foster Road is an unofficial stomping ground for players, pan lovers and residents alike, many of whom venture to the revered space to reminisce about the bands early years in the steelband movement and brainstorm on ways in which it can retain its stature within the fraternity.

But to members of the bands management team, Cordettes is much more than a steelband. In fact, over the years it has spread its wings to include a range of social interventions, specifically targeting the youth in the eastern district.

Four years ago, the band joined forces with what was then known as the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism (now the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts) to launch a Music Schools In the Panyard project.

The hugely successful initiative provided music literacy to young people in varying age groups and has produced over 200 graduates thus far.

This year, the bands Music School has set its sights on the Junior Panorama competition and, in so doing, also has extended an invitation for students in schools throughout the region to participate in the ground-breaking project.

A lot of students have been showing interest, with some even telling their friends, Candice Hughes-Bengochea, co-ordinator and parental liaison, Music School Programme and Junior Panorama Band, said of its launch of the Junior Panorama initiative last month.

In a Sunday Newsday interview, an excited Hughes-Bengochea said she had sent letters to primary and secondary schools within the region toward the end of the last school term, providing details about the Junior Panorama project.

She said the response was overwhelming.

At the launch, last month, there was a full house to register.

We already have 32 for Junior Panorama, a mixture of students from our Music School and Stage Side and other schools.

So, word is getting around, Hughes-Bengochea said, adding that the hopefuls were given a comprehensive historical overview of Cordettes youth band at the event.

In keeping with the bands thrust to forge greater ties with the community, Hughes-Bengochea said local government representatives, alderman John Renn and Sangre Grande North- East councillor Lorraine Heath were in attendance.

It is important to partner with the community because we cannot do it alone, she said.

Hughes-Bengochea expressed gratitude to Sasu Music Store, for donating vouchers for the launch, as well as Tiger Promotions, for sponsoring the banner for the event. She said Tiger Promotions also has graciously agreed to supply the artwork for all of Cordettes future endeavours.

Practice sessions for the Junior Panorama have already begun at the bands panyard, Hughes-Bengochea, drawing from the talent that she has already witnessed, expressed optimism that Cordettes will deliver creditable performances, ahead of next years competition.

An outright win in the prestigious competition, she said, would cement Cordettes status as one of the more consistent steelbands in the country.

Once led by late cultural activist, Alwin Chow-Lin-On, Cordettes emerged from a group of freelance pannists in the early 1960s.

As the decades wore on, the group of talented pannists participated in music festivals, later becoming a staple act at the Hilton Trinidad in the 1970s and 90s.

Under the guidance of the late Paul Campbell, whom many players regard as a legend in Sangre Grande, prolific arranger Jit Samaroo and more recently, Ovre, Cordettes continues to be a formidable entity on the local steelband landscape.

Its involvement on the Music School in the Panyard initiative was a signal moment in the bands development, which has encouraged a younger generation of players to embrace not only pan but music as a way of life. Hughes-Bengochea, who joined Cordettes executive team last year, told Sunday Newsday that outside of the steelpan, students were asked to select another instrument of their choice to perform. These include the guitar, trombone, trumpet, saxophone and clarinet.

Students who participated in this years Music School graduated in August. The event, titled The Ruby Experience, was held at the Five Rivers Secondary School and players affiliated to Potential Symphony, Pan Jammers, Golden Hands and the Amarjyoth Sabha Mandir received their certificates.

To promote the talents of the youngsters, Hughes-Bengochea said Cordettes, which won an East Zone National Panorama title in the early 1990s, will host a series of charity events between now and December.

She said play-outs already have been planned for the Home for the Aged (Graham Trace); a womens shelter (Brooklyn Settlement); a Christmas Treat (Pine Settlement); and Green Acres Geriatric Home (Foster Road). A grand Christmas extravaganza is also being planned for Sangre Grande in December.

Our aim is to really develop a youth orchestra in Sangre Grande. But in order to do that the youths have to be literate in music, Hughes-Bengochea said, adding that the bands impact on the young people and family life, generally, has been phenomenal.

Whenever you have activities in music and sports, everybody comes out to see - tanty, nen nen, god-parent, the entire family, she said. Hughes-Bengochea recalled that during a recent function to honour Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott at the Monte Cristo Park, Sangre Grande, a parent of a young boy, a new member of the Music School, spoke glowingly of her sons interest in the activity.

She told me that when he is at home washing wares, he goes through his notes and is always practising. Hughes-Bengochea said many young people are striving for excellence despite the crime situation and economic constraints plaguing the country.

It is all very empowering to display our youths in a positive manner so that other youths can be inspired to engage in similar activities, she said. We are trying to empower the youth in our community through music.
I survived with help

Asgarali lost her chin as a result of the gunshot wounds to her face and had to have her jaws wired shut for several months while not being able to eat solid foods. The attack which happened three years ago, saw her having to undergo major surgeries including reconstructive surgery to her face, a loss of salary after six months and eventually having to retire. It took a mental toll on her health which led to a state of despair.

Describing that period in her life as her most mentally challenging moments which had a ripple effect on every aspect of my life, family members, friends and students, Asgarali said she had to seek help from the Community Mental Health Centre of the San Fernando General Hospital to save herself.

Yesterday, she sang praises of the staff at the institution, which observed World Mental Health Day, as she encouraged members of the audience, including secondary school students, who may think they are having mental health challenges to reach out for professional help. She recalled: I was shot in the face, chest and shoulder during an attempted robbery. That one incident left me depleted physically, emotionally, financially and mentally.

I underwent surgery to reconstruct my face.  Many thought she may not have survived the ordeal. However, after all the physical procedures, she said, by October or November 2013 she was overwhelmed with the enormity of her situation and began slipping into what was later identified as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Asgarali said she began to experience symptoms that told her something was going on with her. Her doctor referred her to the mental clinic.

She added: Very much aware of the stigma attached to those who receive mental therapy, I still latched on to my doctors suggestion without hesitation. I had been humbled by so much already by the attack and the invasive surgeries that this felt natural and viewed it another step in my healing process. She told Sunday Newsday she was able to cry, something she never knew she had in her.

I struggled to regain my composure and my social worker waited patiently and compassionately held my hand, she related. It helped me to rebuild my confidence and trust in people. It was a vital step in helping me to move forward. She admitted the sessions brought her back close to the person she used to be. Someone who was independent and who was able to function without breaking into tears for almost no apparent reason, she continued. After several rounds of therapy and counselling I was able to move past my challenges. Asgarali said there in no better time to seek support than when a sense of depression sets in.

Asgarali, who last taught at San Fernando Central Secondary (Mod Sec) San Fernando, joined the teaching service in 1991 and taught for 22 years before retiring on medical grounds. She is now a motivational speaker, writing books while still giving private lessons to make ends meet.

Her first book From Lion to Lamb which she details her story is on sale at leading book stores. She is in the process of completing her second book, Bounce back Better.

She told Sunday Newsday she no longer drives unless accompanied by someone. The current crime wave brings back bad memories.

It hurts me to see what Trinidad was like and what it has become, she lamented. These criminals have no respect or compassion for human life.
Tobago gets $2.4 Billion

During a news conference at the Chambers office in Scarborough after Finance Minister Colm Imberts budget speech, president of the chapter Demi John Cruickshank said he did not expect any drastic changes to the running of Tobago.

I think the economy of Tobago can continue so we shouldnt see any major layoffs in the Tobago space. I think that 2.354 billion dollars is something that the Assembly can run the Tobago economy with, it is just that a lot of tightening up in terms of their expenditure and expenses. Cruickshank noted the chamber remains concerned that the recurrent allocation is high, when compared to capital investments.

In this regard, he is of the view that better could have been done.

Diversification and the role tourism should play was again featured in the budget, however, Cruickshank said he has heard the same statement before.

...We would see it in the actions of the government if they are serious about tourism, if they intend to do the capital infrastructure...

we really would be holding the Minister, the Central Government and even the Tobago House of Assembly to ransom for that statement. President of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association Chris James agreed with Cruickshank explaining the Tobago tourism product is in a dire state.

It is really interesting that we are having a refurbished airport starting in 2017 and a new terminal also starting in 2017. It is also interesting that the Minister did say that monies was given to the THA to increase the tourism marketing which was Ive underlined several times because Tobago marketing is something that we desperately need.

We are currently having a low occupancy at present, single figure occupancy.
Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

California governor Jerry Brown signed into law two bills designed to close the loopholes that allowed Brock Turner, the Stanford rapist, to receive little more than a slap on the wrist.

The first, Assembly Bill 2888, requires a mandatory stint in state prison for anyone convicted of certain sex crimes such as rape, sodomy and forced oral copulation when the victim is unconscious or prevented from resisting by any intoxicating, anesthetic or controlled substance. Its a direct response to Judge Aaron Perskys ruling in Turners case, which gave the rapist six months in jail for the sexual assault of an unconscious woman. Additionally, Turner only served three of the six months.

Assembly Bill 701 expands the states definition of rape to include all forms of nonconsensual sexual assault, as opposed to the previous definition of an act of sexual intercourse under certain conditions of force, duress or lack of consent.

The laws will go into effect on January 1. Legislators hope that these bills will send a message to attackers and judges alike. Assemblyman Evan Low, who co-authored AB 2888 with Bill Dodd, stated, This sends the strongest possible message that rape is rape, and in California, if you do the crime, youre going to do the time. Judge Perskys ruling was unjustifiable and morally wrong, however, under current state law it was within his discretion. While we cant go back and change what happened, we have made sure it never happens again.
With the recent completion of the first wind turbine field off the coast of Block Island, many oil rig developers are shifting their attention to this popular new industry. Deepwater Wind LLC installed five turbines three miles southeast of Block Island this past August and they will hopefully be online in November. These turbines will produce 30-megawatts of energy, enough to power over 16,000 homes.

The capital required for these projects can be quite expensive; the Block Island project was a $300 million investment. Several other companies are involved in the production and transportation of the parts. Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. traditionally builds platforms for oil rigs, a service that is shrinking with oil production moving to land. The company has shifted its services over to the renewable industry, providing Deepwater with the means to tether their turbines to the ocean floor. Keystone Engineering Inc. was responsible for designing the platforms and Montco Offshore Inc. allocated the boats used for transportation and construction. Fred. Olsen Windcarrier used a 15-story boat to raise Deepwaters turbines into place as well.

The U.S. government is setting goals for the future and they include offshore turbines. Governor Andrew Cuomos wants New York to have 50% of the state powered by renewables by 2030. The Department of Energy has distributed 11 leases to developers with plans in the Atlantic for renewables and their goal is to install 86,000 megawatts worth of turbines by 2050. This has the potential to add 160,000 jobs; highly notable considering low oil prices can lead to fossil fuel companies shutting down rigs and job cuts. If the U.S. were able to achieve this feat there would be more renewable energy in New England and jobs for engineers and builders. This would be highly beneficial to companies manufacturing the rigs and the economy as a whole. Traditional oil rig companies will be able to diversify away from the volatile oil market that they currently rely so heavily on.

Related: How Long Will OPEC Hot Air Continue To Fuel Oil Prices

Deepwater is planning a 90-megawatt project off the coast of Long Island and expects preparations to begin this coming year. WTI crude currently rests at $44.73 and with rig count climbing in the Permian Basin supply is growing and the price is falling. Jeff Grybowski, the CEO of Deepwater, sees the advantage in low oil prices. He understands that business is bad for rig developers during this period so finding assistance should come easy.

Similar methods will be implemented in the creation of turbine platforms as common offshore oil rigs. There will be some obvious changes in the construction process as its a different product. This implies once again reinventing the logistics wheel to reduce costs and earn the available revenue. Its estimated that theres potential for 2 terawatts of wind energy off the coasts of the U.S.

Investors should watch Deepwaters operations closely, especially with their Block Island turbines coming online in November. By investing in the companies providing services to Deepwater, individuals can indirectly profit off the private company. Gulf Island Fabrications is one of these companies, as well as GE, who is working closely with Deepwater, maintaining an image of clean energy products. There should also be an indirect relationship between WTI crude futures and offshore wind turbine production activity.

By Michael McDonald of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
National Grid and SSE, two of the UKs largest utilities, have announced that they are planning to sell all or part of their gas distribution businesses. Prices discussed are well above the regulated asset value of the properties and the total dollar sale value could exceed $15 billion. These gas properties, we are told, have slower growth prospects than the electric distribution businesses. Disposing of these underperforming, although still valuable, gas distribution assets leaves the remaining electric business with a faster growth rate, one not hampered by the sluggish gas sector.

Remember though, the peculiar nature of British utility regulation. This has evolved over the years into a familiar (for U.S. analysts) version of rate of return regulation - albeit on steroids. As a result, business growth is incentivized and achieved by new, often costly, investments in the utility's rate base (its assets), rather than from growth in sales. The regulator's slogan here might be, "If you build it, they (the custom-ers) will pay for it". The "and like it" is perhaps an implied part of the bargain.

However, electric sales have been heading south for some time. This trend of declining kwh sales coupled with ever rising prices is what makes certain industries ripe for disruption. Paying more while using less is an odd value proposition from the customer's perspective.

Who would buy these gas utility properties at above the value set by regulators and why? The apparent answer? Lots of investors with a realistic idea of cost of capital. This apparently includes investors needing a steady return to meet predictable future cash needs as well as Chinese state corporations seeking global presence. In the case of UK properties, one Hong Kong-based conglomerate, CK Hutchison, an operator of utilities and other infrastructure properties has been a big buyer in the past and could continue to do so in the future. At the passive ownership level, buyers have included sovereign wealth funds and Canadian pen-sion funds. The latter pursuing global infrastructure activities on a significant scale. Stable, regulated earn-ings and cash flow streams of utilities also would fit the needs of insurance companies as well, but they have not shown the same interest to date.

These utility asset sales, if they take place as contemplated, indicate rather clearly there are investors for modest growth infrastructure projects who are willing to accept relatively low, stable returns. This begs a related question. If money is relatively cheap, why is it so difficult for Western political entities to launch infrastructure projects, Hinkley Point notwithstanding? And, should American pension funds, optimistically assuming 7-8 percent annual returns and which seem poised to disappoint a generation of retirees, consid-er the safe, predictable returns in utility and other infrastructure investments that actually help the country as a whole? Related: How Long Will OPEC Hot Air Continue To Fuel Oil Prices

But those are questions of public policy. For utility investors the issue here is more one of self-interest or perhaps even self-preservation. If outside investors willingly accept lower returns on utility properties (as evidenced by high asset sale prices), will regulators notice and lower the equity returns granted? Capital after all does at some level compete in a global market.

The proposed British asset sales are big and not just by way of dollar amount or size. They are also infor-mationally "big". Even though UK gas and electricity markets are highly regulated, holding an auction for some of these assets does provide what we call "price discovery". Parenthetically, these UK assets are rel-atively low risk and being pursued by numerous sophisticated bidders. Auctions of this sort also tell us clearly about availability of capital and its cost. Our concern here is a potential discrepancy between what regulator's view as the appropriate cost of capital and a potentially far lower cost revealed by these up-coming asset auctions. What regulators do with this information remains to be seen.

By Leonard Hyman and William Tilles

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
As speculators heads dizzyingly spin over OPECs Wednesday announcement that they will cut output from 33.24 to 32.5 million barrels a day, without noting where the cuts will be made, the increase in oil supply coming out of Libya could be the joker in this dealand the perspective from on the ground is that exports are not going to be thwarted this time around.

While the world waits to see whos going to take the oil export hit promised by OPEC at the clubs official meeting on 30 November in Vienna, Libya will be ramping up production and exports, thanks to a move by the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), General Haftar, to seize control of the countrys oil ports and hand them over to a unified National Oil Company (NOC) earlier this month.

And it wont be Libya that takes any cuts, nor will it be Nigeria, or even Iran. But more to the point, as Libya gears up to bring close to 1 million barrels per day back on to the market by the end year, the OPEC estimate of oversupply nearly doubles.

Unless someone pays off General Haftars enemies to start trouble again at the ports, this is how its going to be.

Every detailed move in Libyaeven though barely understoodresult in major oil price volatility. Thus, when Haftar handed the ports over to the NOC and the NOC announced that exports would resume immediately, oil prices took a dive.

When the first tanker was loading at the Ras Lanuf terminal just days later, the leader of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), which has been holding Libyas ports hostage for over two yearsorchestrated some minor attacks on the ports in an attempt to thwart exports and reassert himself (he has been badly humiliated since Haftar took the ports without bloodshed and in a full-on PFG retreat). Oil prices immediately went back up on this minor attackeven though no damage was done and General Haftar easily pushed the forces back and gained significant additional territory. Right after this, oil prices dropped again when the first cargoes left the newly liberated Libyan ports with a whopping 1.3 million barrels.

On Tuesday, a giant oil tanker docked at Hariga Port to load 1 million barrels form the Arabian Gulf Oil Co. (AGOCO)destination, U.S. On Thursday, another tanker docked at Zueitina to load 570,000 barrels to transport to the Zawiya refinery in western Libya.

Officials at AGOCO have also said that the company has increased production by 50,000 bpd (in a week) and is now producing 260,000 bpd. It aims to hit 350,000 bpd by the end of the year. AGOCO, a subsidiary of the National Oil Corporation, operates primarily in eastern Libya. And General Haftars move to take over the ports has been production boon for the company.

The fact remains that since General Haftar has taken over the terminals, oil exports have reached over 400,000 barrels per day.

The Man of the Hour in Libya

The last seven days in Libya have been calm on the surface, but this calm is deceptive given what is to come next as the fate of the Presidency Council (PC), the Wests desires, and General Haftars gains are decided on an international scene.

The head of the UN-backed Presidency Council, Faiez Serraj, has attended the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York where he met with international leaders, including US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

From New York, Serraj has launched what appears to be an ambitious project of national reconciliation in Libya, with the support of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. He then flew, on Monday, to Paris to meet with Hollande on a formal invitation.

But despite this international support, Serraj has extremely tough internal challenges. His deputy in the PC is an ally of General Haftar. This deputy is Ali Gatrani, a hardliner from Cyrenaica. Gatrani is now waiting for Serraj in Cairo, where they will decide the fate of the PC itself.

Gatrani insists he will resign because he is not happy with the political direction. However, Serraj has managedfor nowto convince him that they will be able to reach a compromise. Gatranis primary concern is to guarantee that the Supreme Command of the Libyan National Army (LNA) goes to General Hafter, and that the head of the Defense Ministry would also be chosen by Haftar.

Internationally, the US and the EU do not want this outcome and are maneuvering to undermine General Haftar. These external forces are demanding that Haftar be subject to the PC (which is dying), and they insist that Serraj be the Supreme Commander of the Army. (This should be interpreted as the Wests perception that Serraj can be controlled by them, whereas Haftar cannot.)

The Fate of Libyas Exports

There is a strong argument for the longevity of General Haftar here; and hence, Libyas continued exports.

General Hafter has strengthened his position exponentially since his seizure of major oil terminals on 11 September.

It is important to understand that Haftars move is not only welcomed by the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC), but also by the wider public. Only the West, and fractious militias who are losing their piece of this pie, are opposed to what is clearly a stabilizing move for Libya.

The public is all for this. After all, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) had cost Libya some US$100 billion dollars over the past two and a half years thanks to their hijacking of the ports.

While certain media would like to paint a picture here of Haftars move leading to extreme damage of oil facilities, this is not the case. Despite some minor attacks right after the takeover, there has been virtually no damage and Haftar has only gained strength, while Ibrahim Jadran (who had controlled the PFG) has been pushed further out. If there are any attacks in the near future, they will be ordered and facilitated by external groups hoping to prove that Haftars move was not stabilizing.

The Islamists are also trying hard to influence events, and this was evident by contradictory statements coming out of the PC at the time of Haftars takeover of the ports. The Islamists directly called for armed factions to oppose General Haftar and liberate the terminals. At this point, however, Libyas oil exports could not be in more legitimate handsand it will be very difficult to make a case otherwise.

General Haftar has demonstrated very clearly that he is not to be sidelined, so what happens next with appointments to the LNA will be indicative of what ultimately happens with Libyas oil. This is what everyone should be watching, when theyre not glued to the oil price volatility and OPECs smoke and mirrors.

Simple Math

Right now, OPEC estimates that oil supplies outstrip demand by an average of about 760,000 barrels per day (this year). The stated aim, coming out the OPEC meeting in Algiers Wednesdayis to reduce OPEC output by 0.74 million barrels per day, or approximately the same amount as the estimated oversupply.

Considering Libyas goal of reaching exports of 1 million bpd by years endeven if it falls short of this goalthe math doesnt really add up. Who is going to take the hit to allow Libya to ramp up?

Libya has always had a major impact on oil prices, and its last increase, according to the Wall Street Journal, helped spark the continuing price rout that saw oil fall by more than 50% and OPEC members budgets plummet.

OPECs deal isnt signed and sealed until 30 November when the real grit begins of deciding where the cuts are actually going to come from. Much of this may depend on the Libyan wildcardand how much the country can ramp up production in exactly a month, and how much it can get out of its ports.

At the end of the day, 740,000 barrels per day isnt that much, especially split among OPEC members. But its not a real number because it doesnt consider Libya. The only saving grace for this deal might be a resumption of major pipeline attacks in the Niger Delta when the rainy season ends, which is pretty much the same time that the OPEC deal details will be sorted out.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Brent Gayton, 12, visits the Center Street Library, 2727 W. Fond du Lac Ave., every day to do his homework. A few years ago, Brent lost some scary movies he checked out of the library, so he was barred from taking out any library materials.

"The first thing I would do (at the library) is try to check out some books and movies, but since I couldnt do it, I felt upset and mad," he said. "It kind of made me feel determined to look for the movies."

Although he found two of them, the others remained missing. So Brent went with his mom to the library to have his fines forgiven as part of the Milwaukee Public Librarys Fine Forgiveness Campaign. He then used his library card to check out more scary movies.

"It felt like a privilege, and it just makes you feel good to check out the things you love at the library," he said.

Through Sunday, Oct. 9, people with fines on their Milwaukee Public Library card or fees for materials owned by the library can visit any Milwaukee library location and ask a staff member to have their fines and fees forgiven. More than 4,500 people have participated, and more than $100,000 in fines have been forgiven since the campaign began on Sept. 26, according to spokesperson Eileen Force Cahill.

Zenaida Mendez and her son Juan Padilla, 15, visited the Forest Home Library to renew Padillas library card.

"We are very interested in bringing back more of our lost users into the library system," said Joan Johnson, library deputy director of public services. "We want to have as many people that can possibly be using the library to help advance themselves. One way to get people back is to reduce barriers like fines and fees on your card."

Milwaukee Public Library policy states that library users with more than $5 in fines are blocked from access to library materials. This $5 fee threshold was established by the Milwaukee County Federated Library System, which includes the Milwaukee Public Library and Milwaukee County suburban libraries.

"For some families, the $5 cost for fees can be significant," Johnson said. "This is an effort to temporarily relax our policies so we can provide an opportunity for people who want to come back to the library to do so."

Individuals with materials or fines from a Milwaukee County suburban library are not eligible for the Milwaukee Public Library fine forgiveness program. Johnson said this is because suburban libraries have their own governing boards, which make decisions on policies such as fine forgiveness.

Fines or lost materials from a suburban library can also bar people from access to Milwaukee Public Library materials, since Milwaukee city and and county libraries have a shared catalog, Johnson explained.

Marquita Wilson, 18, visited the Forest Home Library, 1432 W. Forest Home Ave., recently to ask to have her library fines forgiven and to get a new library card.

"When I was 16, I owed about $30 for books. I havent had a library card since then and figured I should get one again," she said.

Wilson plans to use her library card to read more books and use library computers.

"Im going to keep this close," she said about the new card.

Zenaida Mendez and her son Juan Padilla, 15, visited the Forest Home Library to renew Padillas library card. Mendez said she appreciates the librarys forgiveness campaign. Padilla owed $2 for a late fee.

"Sometimes the child forgets about their materials and talks to us very late, saying I need to return that," Mendez said. "Then we (parents) have to pay and not them  So I like this."

Johnson emphasized that people who are interested in participating in the fine forgiveness program must come inside one of the Milwaukee Public Library branch locations and speak with a staff member. If people want to return lost, overdue or damaged library materials as part of the campaign, they should not leave the materials in a library book drop.

"The goal is to make sure everyone we talk to in the campaign is going to leave with a fully activated library card they can use right away," she said. "Our hope is that they will come back again and again after this."
Reprinted from Empire Burlesque

For many years, the iron-clad American embargo of Cuba was decried by liberals and progressives as counterproductive and inhumane. People who broke the embargo or tried to get around it -- like Ry Cooder with the wonderful Buena Vista Social Club project -- were hailed as heroes by liberals. But now it's being treated by those same liberals (and the media) as some kind of sacred principle that should never have been breached in any way -- because Donald Trump once spent some money there, indirectly exploring business opportunities at a time when there was much talk in Washington (among liberal circles & the Clinton Administration) of normalizing relations. (Of course, Trump, huckstering hypocrite that he is, was also publicly denouncing normalization at the same time he was seeing if he could profit from it.)

Now the Clinton camp says Trump was going "against the national interest" by even remotely dealing with Cuba. So the embargo -- long condemned by liberals, and actually lifted by progressive champion Obama -- was in "the national interest" after all, it seems, and anyone who circumvented it in the slightest way is some kind of commie traitor. (Hope Ry is heading for the border; I'll bet he spent a little money while he was in Cuba way back when. Wait till Newsweek gets going on him!)

Trump's manifest corruption and criminal associations have been plain for years, decades. Whole books -- very thorough books with copious amounts of evidence -- have been written about it. But the media -- and, strangely enough, the Clinton camp -- have almost totally ignored all this. Why? Because most of his corruption is bound up too closely with the power structure at large? (He's a paid-up member of the elite, after all.) Is it the fear that if you pull too hard on some of those threads, you never know who might come out, and who the dirt might stain? Who knows? But instead of a powerful, full-blown focus on Trump's long, sordid, well-documented corruption, we get this kind of piddly sh*t -- Trump sent a guy to Cuba one time, OMG! -- which is blown up into truly ludicrous McCarthyite Red Scare goonery.

This seems to be the main plank of the Clinton campaign. "The Russians are coming! Commies! Castro! And Trump's one of them! Aiiieee!" None of this hurts Trump with those who are supporting him, or thinking about it. He is running pretty openly as a fascistic authoritarian (which they like, apparently); they know he's not a "commie" or a Russian agent.

In any case, the positions Trump has taken -- the racism, the "law and order" calls for unleashing the police on minorities, the obsession that other countries "are laughing at us" and somehow cheating us on trade deals, etc. -- are all things he has been talking about for years, long before the arrival of Putin; indeed, even before the fall of the Soviet Union. By focusing on Putin as the dark mastermind of the Trump campaign, Clinton is actually obscuring the very real danger that Trump poses all by himself with his long-held positions. The idea that this 70-year-old public figure who's been babbling fascist tropes for decades is somehow a puppet of the Russians just makes the Clinton campaign look stupid.

The Clinton campaign's simplistic, throwback red-baiting is both politically counterproductive -- and genuinely dangerous for the future. For one thing, she is undermining her own legitimacy if she wins the election; after all, we're constantly told that Putin "is putting the integrity of our election" at risk with his unstoppable, all-pervasive hacking. So if she wins, does that mean Putin wanted her to? The defeated Trumpists could easily make that claim, using her campaign's own cartoonish version of an all-powerful Putin against her.

But more than that, Clinton's crude, bellicose McCarthyite stance will make it almost impossible to deal with Russia in any kind of thoughtful, productive way. Instead, at every turn, she reinforces Putin's own narrative: that Russia needs his strong hand because it's under constant, imminent threat from a Russophobic America. Liberal reforms will have to wait as the country girds to fight for its very existence. And to support this "strong hand," he turns to the most bellicose and nationalistic forces in the country.

If, as the New York Times tells us this week, echoing the Clinton line, that Russia is now "an outlaw state," then how can there possibly be any kind of productive, effective negotiations with Moscow? There is only one way to deal with nations condemned as "outlaw states" by the Washington power structure: they must be taken down, one way or another, like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Serbia, Syria. How can we ever negotiate in good faith with an outlaw dictator who is subverting our political process and trying to take over the world?

The stark and stupid terms of Clinton's retro Red-bashing is making open conflict with Russia an ever-increasing possibility. In the long-term, this would be a disaster of unimaginable horror. In the short-term, it only strengthens Putin at home, bolstering repression and authoritarian control, while doing absolutely nothing to help untangle the many thorny issues between Russia and West.

Yet here we are. The Cuban Embargo was once a target of liberal opprobrium; now it's a "national interest" that should have never been breached or challenged. Four legs good, two legs better.
Reprinted from Truthdig

On his KCRW show "Scheer Intelligence," Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer spoke with Gary Tyler, who served over 40 years in prison after being wrongly convicted as a teenager of murdering a 13-year-old boy in 1974.

After being on death row twice during his sentence, Tyler was finally freed this spring. Before his release, he directed a passion play cast only with prisoners from Angola penitentiary in Louisiana, where he was incarcerated. The experience was made into the documentary "Cast the First Stone."

Tyler tells Scheer how the play forever changed him and the cast of prisoners, how he maintained hope over the years that he would eventually gain his freedom, and how a group of seasoned inmates helped him survive in prison.

--Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly

Robert Scheer: Hello, it's Robert Scheer with another edition of Scheer Intelligence, my weekly podcast with KCRW. The intelligence comes from our guests and today our guest is Gary Tyler, a remarkable person who got swept up in a series of events when he was 16 years old. Attempt to integrate schools in Louisiana and the viscous white resistance to it and in the process of a turmoil one such day, a young man was shot and they hunted to see who did it and despite the available evidence, they picked on Gary Tyler, a 16 year old.

Tried as an adult, denied legal competence, this was all determined by courts later, and yet, was on death row for two years in Louisiana and through a series of court decisions invalidating -- the Supreme Court -- Invalidating the death penalty, he ended up serving life without possibility of parole.

However, this last April, was finally paroled after 41 and a half years in Angola Penitentiary, one of the largest and fearsome prisons in the United States, if not the world. Welcome, Gary Tyler. Let's begin with the 16 year old who's blamed and fingered for murder and convicted and looking at electrocution.

Click Here to Read Whole Article
Escalation and provocation is not in anyone interest: Pak Army 02 October, 2016



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Woke Bingo The Pakistan Army said on Saturday that escalation and provocation was not in anyones interest as it launched a media blitzkrieg to challenge Indian claim of having conducted surgical strikes in Azad Kashmir to neutralise alleged terrorism launch pads.



Escalation and war mongering do not suit anyone. We neither escalated nor want to increase tensions; all the war rhetoric has been from the Indian side, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations Lt Gen Asim Bajwa told journalists at a forward command post on the Line of Control (LoC).



A group of 40 journalists, both local and foreign representing about 20 media organisations, were taken to two of the seven places Indians claim to have targeted with surgical strikes: Bagsar in Bhimbher sector and Mandol in Hot Spring sector. They were also the places where Pakistan had lost two of its soldiers early on Thursday morning due to Indian shelling.





Apart from receiving briefings by regional commanders and the military spokesman, the journalists also interacted with the locals, who denied having any knowledge of surgical strikes or any other suspicious activity on the night between Wednesday and Thursday.



Gen Bajwa told reporters that no signature of any surgical strike could be found which meant that there was no reality in the Indian claims.



He challenged India to be transparent and open about its claim. Pakistan Army, he recalled, was cooperating with a United Nations probe into ceasefire violations that occurred on Sept 28-29 along the 250km LoC, and had brought media there for investigating the Indian claims. Why are they not allowing their own people to scrutinise the claims? he wondered.



India had earlier restricted journalists from publishing stories on military issues without approval of relevant corps headquarters after the Indian media exposed as untrue Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Ranbir Singhs claim of finding Pakistani markings on weapons recovered from Uri military camp attackers.



Gen Bajwa posed several questions to Indian military about its surgical strikes claim and advised the Indian DGMO to be sure-footed while making statements on sensitive matters.



Some of the questions he asked were: Where are bodies of people killed in the claimed surgical strikes? Where did the Indians cause damage? How come the troops came and went back unchallenged all in a span of five hours in this difficult terrain?



India had claimed that surgical strikes by its troops had caused significant damage to terrorists and those who were trying to support them.



The military spokesman insisted that there was no physical violation of the LoC and there was only an exchange of fire on that day.



Pakistan, he said, did not allow infiltration across the LoC and export of terrorism as a matter of policy. He regretted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was misleading his people by misinterpreting the ceasefire violation as a surgical strike to cover up problems in held Kashmir.



Gen Bajwa worried that escalation on its eastern border with India could affect Pakistans commitment to the fight against terror, in which 208,000 troops were engaged and operations were in concluding phase. Losing focus on the counterterrorism operations, he cautioned, would not serve the cause of peace and security in the region.



Touching upon the controversy about the missing Indian soldier Chandu Babulal Chohan, believed to be in Pakistani custody, the spokesman said India had asked for a DGMOs-level contact on the issue.



India says Chohan had inadvertently crossed the LoC and was detained by Pakistan Army.



Pakistani militarys position has over the past few days evolved from outright denial about his arrest to searching for his whereabouts. And now Gen Bajwa says the procedures for verification and authentication are being carried out  a process normally undertaken after an inadvertent crosser is found.



The military spokesman still stopped short of categorically accepting that Chohan was being held here.



Maj Gen Chiragh Haider, general officer commanding of Jhelum-based 23rd Division that is responsible for most of the LoC, said Indian claim of surgical strikes was incomprehensible and not expected from any reasonable and responsible military officer.



He said physical violation of the heavily militarised LoC was impossible as even the slightest movement was noticed there. Therefore, it is unlikely that Indian soldiers came into Azad Kashmir and went back, he contended.



Mirza Abdul Waheed, a local bodies councillor, told Dawn in Bagsar that nothing happened on that night except for an exchange of fire by both sides.



Rafi Shahzad, another Bagsar resident, said the Indian claim was a pack of lies. Mohammad Liaquat had similar view of events of the Sept 28/29 night.



In Mandol, some 2km from an Indian post on the LoC, Nauman Kabir, who works at a local bank, said he was surprised at the manner in which Indian leaders were trying to befool their people.



Shahid Mehmood, who works in Saudi Arabia and is at home for vacations, said the normal pace at which life was continuing here itself spoke about the Indian claim. Indian threats cannot scare us, he added.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
The Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has called on the rank and file of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to discount the opposition NPP Presidential candidate Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo since has no track records to show.



He made the statement when he addressed hundreds of NDC party supporter at the campaign launch of NDCs Parliamentary candidate for Asuadei, Mr Cris Boadi in the Ahafo Ano South East Constituency of the Ashanti region on Saturday.



He said the NDC took over from the NPP because of its performance during former President Kufours reign. Adding that even with President Kufours track record that Nana Addo seeks to ride on; and is campaigning with, he is sacking all Kufours men. So what record is he riding on? he asked.



He called on the NDC members not to listen to the NPP but rather intensify their door to door campaign in the communities to ensure a resounding victory for President Mahama and the party in December.



He cautioned them to conduct themselves in peaceful atmospheres before and after the elections .And advised against complacency and work tirelessly until victory is achieved.









The Vice President Kwesi Amissah- Arthur further asked the NDC supporters to target the floating voters and explain to them that the NDC is a development oriented party.



He said as they can witness, the John Mahama government has done a lot for the region in terms of infrastructure development. He added that the president would continue to do more hence the need to give him another term together with Mr Cris Boadi, so that he can complement the effort of President Mahama in parliament.



He said continuity is key, if not, he explains others who dont believe in it would stall development. Therefore, a vote for President Mahama and the NDC is a vote for development, he quipped.



The chief for the area praised government for the numerous development projects and the goodwill of the NDC in the area of massive infrastructure development that they have witnessed.



He prayed that Ghanaians would conduct themselves in an atmosphere of peace, before and after the elections.



Other speakers included former national organizer of the NDC Yaw Boateng Gyan, Ashanti regional Minister Hon Alexander Ackon, NDC Ashanti Regional Chairman, Mr. Yaw Obimpeh, the deputy Ashanti Regional Minister and Mr. Gabriel Barimah alias Twiaa DCE, a District Chief Executive of the area.

Source: Maxwell Okamafo Addo/ email: [email protected]









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Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


A man carries a sack of vegetables as he walks past a polluted canal littered with plastic bags and other garbage in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. India is scheduled to deposit the ratification instruments of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the United Nations on Sunday, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. India accounts for about 4.5 percent of emissions. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India, which accounts for about 4.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, ratified the Paris climate change agreement Sunday at the United Nations, officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet had given its approval Wednesday to ratify the Paris agreement on Oct. 2, coinciding with the birth anniversary of India's independence leader Mohandas Gandhi, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint.

India's U.N. Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the official documents on ratification of the Paris agreement to the chief of the U.N. Treaty Section, Santiago Villalpando, in the chamber of the U.N. Economic and Social Council at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sunday, according to India's U.N. Mission.

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted that India had kept "its promise" to ratify the deal.

The U.N. welcomed India's move. "India's leadership builds on the continued strong political momentum from Paris for urgent global action on climate change," the U.N. spokesman's office said in a statement.

The Paris agreement will come into force when 55 countries contributing to at least 55 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions ratify it.

Including India, 62 countries have so far deposited their instruments of ratification, accounting for roughly 52 percent of global emissions, according to the U.N.

A boy sits on a bike next to a polluted canal littered with plastic bags and other garbage in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. India is scheduled to deposit the ratification instruments of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the United Nations on Sunday, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. India accounts for about 4.5 percent of emissions. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

The Paris agreement was adopted by 185 nations in December. It asks both rich and poor countries to take action to curb the rise in global temperatures that is melting glaciers, raising sea levels and shifting rainfall patterns. It requires governments to present national plans to reduce emissions to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

India has committed that by 2030, at least 40 percent of its electricity will be generated from non-fossil sources. This includes 175 gigawatt renewable energy capacity by 2022.

Manish Bapna, executive vice president and managing director of the World Resources Institute, said that India "has one of the boldest renewable energy targets in the world, making it destined to be a major player in solar and wind markets."

Money will be a big challenge for India, which says it will require over $2.5 trillion to meet all of its targets. It says it will achieve the targets only if other countries give it money and discounts on new technology.

A man guides a raft through a polluted canal littered with plastic bags and other garbage in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. India is scheduled to deposit the ratification instruments of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the U.N. on Oct. 2, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. India accounts for about 4.5 percent of emissions. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A fisherman walks on the shores of the Arabian Sea, littered with plastic bags and other garbage, in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. India is scheduled to deposit the ratification instruments of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the United Nations on Sunday, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. India accounts for about 4.5 percent of emissions. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Explore further India to ratify Paris Agreement on climate change

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Sheila Ayers Williams

QUEENSBURY - Sheila Ayers Williams, 79, of Queensbury, NY,passed away peacefully on September 28, 2016 at The Pines of Glens Falls, where she has resided for the past two months.

Sheila was born in New Haven, CT, and at an early age moved with her family to Cheshire, where she attended grade school and graduated from high school. Shortly after graduating and working, Sheila married Rev. John R. Williams at St. Peters Church in Cheshire and then started a family while residing in Mansfield, MA and then finally settled in the Lake George region for most of her adult life.

Sheila earned a Commercial Cooking certificate at Adirondack Community College and in 1980 won the Parnassus Medal in Culinary Arts. She worked for many years as a baker at ACC and also was an instructor in Baking Techniques.Later in her career she worked for the Lake George Region Chamber of Commerce in various tourist welcome centers.

She was a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Lake George. She enjoyed reading all types of books and magazines, writing poetry, was an avid quilter, making many colorful and creative quilts and wall hangings. Sheila loved to crochet and knit, making blankets, throws, and scarves for family and friends. She loved her children and grandchildren very much and was always interested in knowing what interests they were pursuing.

Surviving are her six children, Thomas (Mindy) Williams of Chicago, IL; David Williams of Pittsfield, MA; Andy (Teresa) Williams of Hornell, NY; Peter (Eileen) Williams of Glens Falls, NY; Liz Williams of Eugene, OR; and Jen Sanford of Queensbury, NY. Sheila is also survived by her grandchildren, Caleb, Ian, Jonathan, Lisa, Meghann, Kristen, Amber, Austin, Asher, Charles, and Lauren (Lane), her sister Jane Lint of Connecticut, brothers Bill Ayers of Connecticut, and David Ayers of Florida, and many special friends.

Sheila put up a courageous battle with renal disease and lived over ten years on dialysis, thanks to the extraordinary dedication and love of the excellent staff at the Renal Dialysis Center.

At Sheila's request, there will be no calling hours and a memorial service celebrating her life will take place at the convenience of the family.

Those wishing may contribute in her memory to the Glens Falls Hospital Renal Dialysis Center, 3 Broad Street Plaza, Glens Falls, NY 12801.

Arrangements are under the direction of Regan Denny Stafford Funeral Home, 53 Quaker Rd., Queensbury.

For those who wish, online condolences may be made to the family by visiting sbfuneralhome.com.
Tammy L. Murray, 45, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny for depositing a fake $2,850 check into her bank account last Feb. 18, then withdrawing all of the money.

Warren County Judge John Hall placed Murray on interim probation for one year. If she does well, she faces a term of up to 5 years on probation. If not, she faces a jail or prison term.
THURMAN  Its not a new stop, but there is a new, award-winning barn on this years Thurman Fall Farm Tour, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Nettle Meadow Farm, which makes goat and sheep cheeses and is regularly part of the tour, will be awarded one of eight Adirondack Architectural Heritage Preservation Awards on Monday in recognition of the renovation of its one badly rundown barn.

Nettle Meadow restored its 1903 barn built by local architect Edmund Barber. A well-known barn in Thurman, the barn boasts a gambrel roof. It was Meadowbrook Stock Farms horse barn and state-of-the-art for barn buildings in its day.

The restoration work was done by Andy LeBlanc, a barn restorer from Indian Lake, after Ed Carpenter initially shored up the building. The work on the roof was done by brothers Joel and Aaron Mosher.

Only right

In fact, LeBlanc and Joel Mosher will be the ones going to Mondays awards ceremony.

We felt it was only right to have them represent us. They are the ones who did the work. We own the farm and the barn, but the work was theirs, said Lorraine Lambiase, who, along with Sheila Flanagan, runs Nettle Meadow.

We fell in love with that barn the minute we saw it, said Lambiase, who has owned the once-abandoned farm since 2005. There had been considerable damage to it. The farm had been abandoned for 50 years. It just started crumbling. We were really terrorized we were going to lose the whole thing.

It took years to gather the funds to renovate the barn and another year to find LeBlanc.

There were others we talked to who wanted to knock it down and rebuild it, or take the top story off, but Andy had the same vision we did, Lambiase said.

As part of Saturdays tour, Nettle Meadow will offer a buffet lunch in the barn loft for $5, as well as other events. The luncheon will benefit the Joseph F. Kemp Memorial Animal Sanctuary.

Busy tour

The farm tour, coordinated by Thurman Station Association, showcases seven sites, each offering free tours, talks and demonstrations. The free tour is self-guided.

Martins Lumber will host LeBlanc at their timber frame Dutch barn under construction. He will explain the construction and invite visitors to autograph and nail up a siding board. LeBlancs sawmill and firewood processing machines will be shown, and their live edge slabs and signs will be offered, as well as paper bead jewelry and handcrafted silver jewelry, with demonstrations and sales of both.

There will also be a number of guest artisans on hand.

The tour is also holding a Flip Contest, and the entries will be displayed at LeBlancs. Participants will take an old item, have it photographed in its initial state by contest organizers, then flip it into some new useful or decorative item.

The Thurman Quilt Club will offer a quilt show at the Town Hall, and Peru Llama Farm will be open as well.

Toad Hill Maple will give tours, wagon rides and show off its pumpkin-chucking trebuchet.

Whitefields Farm invites pumpkin painting, tours of the historic stone stable/barn, all-natural veggies and poultry, and guest vendor HArts for the Homes gluten-free baked goods.

Valley Road Maple Farm will serve an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast with Oscars sausages, juice, milk or coffee from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The map and guide brochure for the Saturdays event may be downloaded at ThurmanFallFarmTour.com or picked up by following signs to any tour sites on the day of the event.

For more information, call Wini Martin at 623-9595 or MartinsLumber@hotmail.com.
As the nights grow chilly in the Adirondacks, trappers ready their equipment for catching and killing some of the parks wild animals  otters, beavers, marten, bobcats, muskrats, foxes, skunks, opossums, weasels, mink and coyotes.

All can be trapped in the Adirondacks (and elsewhere in the state) in seasons that start usually in late October and stretch into the winter or the following spring.

Fishers and marten can be trapped just in November, while mink and muskrat can be trapped from Oct. 25 through April 15 in most of the Adirondacks.

A national organization that advocates against trapping and trophy hunting  Born Free USA  has been promoting an undercover video, Victims of Vanity II, made last winter and partly filmed in the Adirondacks as part of an effort to get legislation passed that restricts trapping.

The video shows an Adirondack trapper at work, while asserting that trapped animals suffer after being caught and are sometimes killed in inhumane ways, that traps catch all sorts of animals indiscriminately and that trapping is neither important to local economies nor necessary for the clothing industry or for wildlife management.

Theyre cruel. Theyre indiscriminate. Theyre very dangerous, said Jennifer Place, program associate with Born Free USA, which is based in Washington, D.C.

Theyre unnecessary. We dont need to be wearing fur. Theres high-quality faux fur.

When it comes to wildlife management, theres a whole toolbox of ways to accomplish that, including live traps, she said.

Within the Adirondack Park, where local officials are often at odds with the leaders of environmental groups over land use issues  such as whether mountain bikes should be allowed on wilderness trails  trapping is supported both by local politicians and environmentalists.

Same thing as hunting and fishing, said David Gibson, managing partner of Adirondack Wild, an environmental group. We certainly dont oppose it.

Theres an acceptance of trapping, hunting, fishing of natural resources that dates back a long way. Ive always felt an alliance of conservation groups and environmental groups is critical, he said.

In general, we support hunting and trapping as management tools for wildlife, and weve only occasionally gotten involved in what appropriate methods might be, said John Sheehan, spokesman for the Adirondack Council, the largest environmental group in the Adirondacks.

In general, we have been supportive of traditional sporting opportunities and have not opposed hunting and trapping in the Adirondacks, he said.

Fur or against

With raccoon pelts now worth $3 to $5 each, beaver pelts $12 and bobcat pelts about $50, you have to love spending time in the woods to be a trapper, because otherwise the time you invest isnt worth the amount of money you can make, said John Rockwood, president of the New York State Trappers Association.

Its a lifestyle, a love of the outdoors. We love matching our wits with the wits and habits of the animals and enjoying what was provided to us, he said.

In terms of income, you could have a minimum wage job and make a lot more money, he said of trapping.

Nonetheless, about 13,000 state trapping licenses are issued each year, and the income from it, although small, can be helpful to rural families not making a lot of money to begin with, Rockwood said.

Rockwood objects to the use of the term recreational trapping because, he said, even though few trappers do it as a full-time job, were not harvesting animals for fun.

Fur is a global business, with many of the sales taking place in Europe, Russia and China. U.S. and European Union sanctions against Russia have hurt fur sales and depressed the value of pelts in recent years, he said.

Wearing or utilization of fur in garments, its a pretty green resource, he said, explaining that the fur-bearing animals reproduce, replacing animals lost to trappers. No fur-bearer in the state of New York is in jeopardy of survival.

Jennifer Place, the spokeswoman for Born Free USA, argues that high-quality faux fur can be substituted in garments, sparing animals the suffering they experience getting trapped and killed.

Foothold traps are designed to hold the animal as painlessly as possible, Rockwood said, and trappers kill the animals humanely, usually with a shot to the head.

Some beaver traps are designed to drown the animal, but Rockwood said they hold their breath underwater and suffocate rather than drown.

This idea how painful it is is way blown out of proportion, he said.

Across most of the state, trappers are required to check their traps at least once every 24 hours. In much of the Adirondacks, because of the remoteness of many areas, the requirement is once every 48 hours.

A delicate balance

Trappers argue they help with population control of animals that can be destructive, like beavers, and help to maintain a natural balance by limiting the number of predators, like bobcats.

Bobcats need a huge range to find enough food. If you let that population of bobcat grow too large, the prey population suffers. Its mans job to keep it all in balance, Rockwood said.

The anti- people, they dont get that part  man is an integral part of nature and the one animal that can think and be smart enough to manage populations, he said.

Several environmental organizations did oppose the lengthening of the bobcat trapping season (from two months to four), which the state ordered in 2013.

Bobcats kill animals like deer, squirrels, rabbits and rats that can cause damage to human and natural environments if they reproduce unchecked, according to arguments made at the time by the Adirondack Council, among other groups.

Also, bobcats are valuable as tourist attractions, according to Sheehan, spokesman for the Adirondack Council, and other environmentalists. Spotting one is a thrill, and even seeing signs of the cats, like tracks in the mud or snow, can be exciting, they said.

Wildlife management in New York and elsewhere tends to focus on hunting considerations because of the way the programs are funded, said Peter Bauer, director of Protect the Adirondacks.

The money flows to the states from the federal government, through the Pittman-Robertson Act, which imposes a tax on guns and ammunition. Money from the tax gets distributed to states based on their size and their number of registered hunters, among other factors.

New York wildlife management tends to maximize the deer population, for example, Bauer said. That means more deer for hunters, but also increases the number of car-deer collisions.

Bauer would like the state to look at lowering the number of deer and boosting Adirondack tourism by bringing back to the region large predators such as wolves and cougars (also known as mountain lions).

A study published earlier this year in the journal Conservation Letters supported Bauers thesis that the return of cougars to eastern states could reduce the size of the deer population enough to prevent numerous human deaths and injuries in car accidents.

Deer now cause more than a million collisions a year nationwide, resulting in more than 200 deaths.

What gets trapped

One of the biggest objections to trapping is that the trap does not distinguish among species but snaps shut on whatever trips it.

Nancy Kimball, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Bolton, recounted an episode from 2009 when a bald eagle was caught in a trap in Speculator, and she became a member of the team that worked to nurse it back to health.

The eagle, with its leg caught, had managed to pull the trap out of the ground and fly up until it became wound around a tree limb. Its foot developed an infection and it took the human caregivers four months to nurse it back to health, Kimball said.

Feeding the eagle required four people, all wearing gloves and face shields, she said.

A trap cannot control what it catches, said Jennifer Place of Born Free USA. It could be a human leg or a dog or an endangered species or a falcon.
WARRENSBURG  Long before reaching Warrensburg, along Route 9, garage sales dot the roadside. And the slow-crawling mile or so line of traffic heading into this Adirondack town in search of low-cost treasures keeps inching forward, with vehicle passengers easily able to peruse the deals.

There were gray skies and temperatures in the mid-50s on Saturday morning, with a light mist  about perfect for gathering self-proclaimed riches and spending time with friends and family at what is billed a bargain hunters dream.

Weve been coming for the weekend for 15 years, said Debbie Condry, who was at the Worlds Largest Garage Sale with her husband, daughter and grandson.

The Condrys, who travel from Great Barrington, Massachusetts, found a vintage-looking childs chair, perhaps a reproduction, but clearly resembling the Victorian-era Eastlake furniture of the late 1800s for $5.

We start on Friday and well come here again tomorrow, Condry said.

Saturday was the official opening day of the sale, even though many like the Condrys get a head start on Friday. And thousands of vendors and buyers from several states and Canada pack this town of just over 4,000 residents for three days in hopes of finding a good deal on that prized find, previously too expensive to buy.

Over a several-mile stretch, buyers can find deals on everything from socks, eyeliner and fishing lures to vintage pieces, clothing, tools, deer heads and animal hoofs, kayaks, jewelry and Amish baked goods.

Mike Baker and his wife came from Gansevoort at about 7 a.m., an hour ahead of opening, to get a parking space and find the best deals. He was clearly pleased with what they had already gathered by 10:30 a.m.

We got these old pink Pyrex bowls for $40, Baker said. They are usually about $100.

Also in Bakers already filled cart was a 1950s-era lighted church that he proudly said was only $10.

Such a massive event for such a small town has its roots in a town-wide garage sale a group of locals started about 18 years ago. And it has grown ever since. Now organized by the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce, the event now hosts about 500 vendor booths selling new and used items, antiques, memorabilia, books, furniture and food.

On Saturday, the food was a big draw with such state fair-like treats as fried onions, peppers and sausage quesadillas, bread bowl soups, wafer-thin potato fries, cotton candy, candy apples and home-made ice cream floats made by the Warrensburg High School drama club.

We do this to raise money for costumes, said music teacher and drama club director Jim Corriveau. We have over 100 kids in the program.

At about noon, Corriveau, ninth-grader Dante Gijanto and seventh-grader Lily Frank were selling orange floats on a busy corner about a block down the street from their booth. They are like a liquid creamsicle, Gijanto said.

At times on Saturday, it appeared there were more dogs of all sizes than children: There were huge great Danes, labs and loads of tiny dogs in sweaters, wrapped in blankets, strollers, wagons and baby snugglies.

Leslie Bell said her husband always thinks he got a good deal, pointing to several new tarps in a filled cart. Bell and her husband have been coming from Colchester, Vermont, for several years, and each year they bring more of a crowd with them.

This year we have 10, she said, adding that they come for the weekend and start Friday. An annual must-do is the Warrensburg Fire Department breakfast on Saturday morning.

You can usually get two eggs any style, bacon or sausage and toast or coffee and its only $4, she said. This is a huge community event we always look forward to.
While the presidential campaign has alternately left us entertained and horrified, it has also distracted us from the ongoing misdeeds in Albany.

Federal prosecutor Preet Bhararas latest indictment spree has left Gov. Andrew Cuomos economic development plans in shambles while raising the specter of what the governor knew and when he knew it.

But perhaps the most significant piece of ignored news this week was a Citizens Union report that found government leaders like the governor, speaker and Senate majority leader have access to a slush fund that totals $19 billion or more.

Thats our money and it totals nearly an eighth of the state budget.

Citizens Union is a nonprofit good-government group with campaigns that focus on voting rights, campaign finance reform and government accountability.

Since 2013, it has attempted to unravel the complicated accounting of the state governments budget with a regular report titled Spending in the Shadows. That report in years past foretold the corruption that was realized by the arrests and convictions of Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos.

But even those high-profile cases have not slowed the gravy train in Albany.

Citizens Union describes a budget structure where billions of dollars in lump sums are divided into dozens and dozens of pots of money for no explicit purpose.

Spending decisions are then made in the shadows by elected officials after the budget is adopted.

Citizens Union describes it this way: When decisions are made about how to specifically spend the money, the expenditures often come with no explanation of how the funds will be specifically used and no accountable reporting to the public on how the funds are spent.

There is a total lack of transparency.

This year, the state put aside $4.8 billion  double what it put aside last year  and divided it into 84 separate pots of money. And none of us knows how or why it will be spent.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Citizens Union dug deeper into the report it released last week and found there are other nonspecific pots of money where no official is explicitly cited as having control, but which there are clearly opportunities for elected officials to exercise authority over funds.

Citizens Union estimated that these additional funds represent $14.2 billion.

Thats definitely go to prison type money.

But it doesnt end there. Citizens Union pointed out that there are also sizeable chunks of money being held by public authorities and Public Safety and Emergency Response funding.

Citizens Union estimates that $27 billion is available for use without rigorous criteria or effective public accountability.

These are staggering figures that give insight into why New York has some of the highest taxes in the country.

Our state government has no specific plan for nearly a fifth of our taxpayer dollars in this years budget. It also gives us more clarity about the most recent indictments in the governors economic development programs.

Citizens Union acknowledges, and Im sure most of us would agree, there is a need for some monies to be put aside for unexpected expenses and emergencies, just not $27 billion.

And to be clear, its not like all this money is going into the pockets of politicians. It is often used to enhance political power by allowing incumbents to bring home the bacon to their local communities.

While many of those expenditures are often put to good use, those spending decisions are often based on political power and not on need, or as Citizens Union explained: to reward supporters, punish opponents, or enrich friends and family members.

So as our state Senate and Assembly candidates come looking for our vote this month, the most important question we can ask is how are they going to provide a full accountability of every tax dollar that is spent?

There is no other issue this election year.

We need to follow the money, because it is clear no one in the Legislature has bothered to do it.

Ken Tingley is editor of The Post-Star and may be reached via email at tingley@poststar.com.
The settlement in Salem of a disciplinary case against a teacher demonstrates everything that is wrong with teacher tenure in New York.

It is so difficult and so expensive for public school districts to deal with tenure protections when seeking to fire teachers that school officials will go to almost any lengths to avoid the process.

So in Salem, after school officials became aware a sixth-grade teacher was engaging in inappropriate contact and/or inappropriate interactions with his students, they first suspended him, but then, instead of trying to fire him, reached a settlement in which his classroom will be continually videotaped.

So to ensure the safety of students, school officials feel it is necessary that this teacher  McClean Merryman  be under observation, on tape, at all times.

We dont know the details of what Mr. Merryman did, because the school district has not revealed them. It was only because our reporter, Michael Goot, filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act that the district released the bare minimum required by law, revealing that Mr. Merryman had been disciplined. But we do know this: If its necessary to keep a sixth-grade teacher under video surveillance to protect his students, he has ventured far past the point at which he should have been fired.

Salem school supervisors have lost faith in Mr. Merryman. They do not trust him to be alone with the children of the community, and no teacher should be allowed in a classroom under those circumstances.

Even though it would be time-consuming and expensive to attempt to fire Mr. Merryman  and even though they would have no guarantee of success  Salem school officials should have tried. We sympathize with their reluctance, however, because we know from watching what has happened in other cases how maddening the disciplinary process for tenured teachers can be.

That process, called 3020-a, demands hearings before an arbitrator. The hearings often take months to schedule and hold and more months for a decision to be issued, all while the teacher  out of the classroom  is collecting his full salary.

The school must pay for a long-term substitute while also paying for a lawyer to handle its case. Its common for schools to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on these cases. When its all over, the district may end up with a worse result than it could have achieved in a settlement.

Over the years, other districts in New York have allowed teachers to resign rather than pursue a 3020-a case. Sometimes, shamefully, those teachers were suspected of serious abuse of students.

Tenure was created to shield teachers from political pressure  so that, for instance, a science teacher would not be pressured to change the way biology was taught because of complaints from religious conservatives. But the idea was to preserve academic independence and integrity, not to shield incompetent or abusive teachers.

The system rewards districts for doing the wrong thing. Allow a person who should not be alone with kids to quietly move on and the district can save lots of money and aggravation. Craft an unwieldy and troubling compromise in which the teacher must be kept under surveillance and, again, the district gets to avoid the trouble, expense and uncertainty of 3020-a.

So, although we believe Salem school officials should have tried to fire Mr. Merryman, we understand why they didnt. The problem is systemic. It must be made easier to fire bad teachers or they will continue to be present in our classrooms with our children.
Speaking at the Deza (Oil Palm) festival on Saturday, the president lauded the chiefs for releasing 50-acre land for oil palm plantation.

Assistance is going to be given for the establishment of plantations, like the 50-acre plant you intend to develop but other small holders will also be assisted to not only establish the plantation but also to look after the plantation," he said.

"A major part of the investment we are going to make is to provide process plant for the production of palm oil," he added.
Multiple media report on Saturday claimed heavy armed military and police forces have been deployed to Nanton following a clash between some chiefs of the Abudu and Andani royal families over the right to officiate an installation of a regent for the traditional Area.

He told Joy FM that the police only deployed police to the community following the tension, adding that the event came off successful without clashes.

He said: "There was no clash. What happened was that on Friday there was an enskinment of a Reagent at Nanton.

"The Chief of Nanton died some weeks ago and there was the need for a new Reagent to be enskinned. But some people in the town, not all the town folks, some people, a small section were not happy with the presence of certain chiefs so tension was brewing in the town and we had to swiftly act by sending police officers and there was also a military attachment and the programme ended successfully.

"The enskinment came on and there was no clash."

The police PRO added Nanton is very calm and that there is no special police reinforcement in the community.
His ash Toyota Land cruiser rammed into a Daewoo matiz taxi with registration number, BA 2507-14 on the Kintampo-Techiman road in the Brong Ahafo region.

Police in the region have confirmed the accident.

He was heading to the Ashanti Region after attending a campaign launch in the Tamale Central Constituency on Saturday when the driver of the Daewoo matiz taxi crossed his lane.

The left headlight area of the Mr Nketia's car was badly damaged. He was taken to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi on minor injuries
Dr Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party running mate, has on multiple campaign platforms accused officials of the governing NDC of thievery.

But in an angry response, Mr Jacob blasted him, saying he is a product of thievery since his father, Mumuni Bawumia, once served as the chairman of the council of state under the NDC during Rawlings' administration.

"His father is Mumuni Bawumia and he was the first Chairman of the Council of State under the 1992 constitution. His father is a leading member of our party and he had a post as the chairman but today he describes members of the NDC as thieves," he said the campaign launch of the party's Cape Coast North parliamentary candidate ,Kwabena Owusu Acheampong (Kobby Acheapong ).

He added: "If he describes us as thieves, then his father stole NDC funds, Ghana money to take care of him for him to reach his current status as a doctor. In fact, Bawumia is a product of thievery. It means it was money from theft which was used to take care of him."
He said the country risks losing the respect of the international community should the country degenerate into violence after the 2016 election.

President Mahama, who is seeking a second term, said the world holds Ghana high in democracy and rule of law.

President Mahama was addressing the chiefs and people of Dzodzde in the Volta Region to mark the Deza festival.

He pledged to ensure that there is peace before, during and after the election.

"As president and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Ghana, I ma going to ensure that peace prevails before, during and after the election.

"But all citizens also have a role to play in order that Ghana continues to be identified as the model of democracy in Africa.
In the report, Abantu used a scorecard to rate the performance of political parties on gender equality that have had representation in parliament. They are the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the Peoples National Convention (PNC).

It collected data from three key sources: a desk study of existing literature on political parties and women in Ghana; telephone interviews with key stakeholders on political participation and womens rights; and face-to-face in-depth interviews with selected individuals in the womens rights and political participation space.

Documents which were found particularly useful under the desk review were:

Manifestos of political parties with representation in Parliament (CPP, NDC, NPP and PNC)

List of women parliamentary aspirants for the period under study

List of elected women parliamentarians for the period under study

The study was conducted in the period 2004 to 2012 because it heralds The Womens Manifesto for Ghana.

The African Womens Progress Scoreboard (AWPS) served as the reference tool for the assessment as it measures progress in womens empowerment and advancement

The AWPS uses a simple scoring system that is sensitive to progress made. It uses a three-point score of 1  2  3. Thus the grading system used is: 1 = Low, 2 = Moderate and 3 = High.

Six key assessment areas were used to score the political parties. They include commitments made in party manifestos, womens representation within the party National Executive Councils (NEC), primaries/nominations, actual representation in parliament, Appointments of women into public office, public policies on women.

In 2004, the report said that all political parties scored low in commitments made in manifestos, primaries/nominations and actual representation in parliament.

The NPP scored moderate in womens representation within the Party National Executive Councils (NEC), while the rest scored low.

The NPP again scored moderate in the appointments of women to public office and public policies on women. There were no data available for the rest because they were not in government during the period of the survey.

In 2008, the report noted that all political parties scored low in commitments made in manifestos, primaries/nominations and actual representation in parliament.

The NPP scored moderate in womens representation within the Party National Executive Councils (NEC), while the rest scored low.

The NDC scored low in the appointments of women to public office and public policies on women. There were no data available for the rest because they were not in government during the period of the survey.

And in 2012, the report said that all political parties scored low in commitments made in manifestos, primaries/nominations and actual representation in parliament.

The NPP scored moderate in womens representation within the Party National Executive Councils (NEC), while the rest scored low.

The NDC scored moderate in the appointments of women to public office and public policies on women. There were no data available for the rest because they were not in government during the period of the survey.

The report said while the proportion of women in national parliaments is gradually rising the whole world over, at the current rate of progress in Ghana, "it will take almost 50 years to achieve gender equality in elected office without institutional intervention."

The report added: In Ghana today, it is still less likely for a woman than a man to become a party leader, Member of Parliament, minister or vice president. This means that the equal participation of women and men in political life in Ghana is still very much work in progress, both in terms of the number of women in political office and in terms of their role, influence and impact in the political arena.

The survey targeted the political parties because of the unique role they play in Ghanas democratic space.

Thus political parties are not mere gatekeepers of democracy; they also serve as gatekeepers of womens participation in the political arena, facilitating and sometimes hindering womens access to power.

That is why the internal functioning of political parties is critical in making them operate more democratically as an important first step towards creating a more level playing field for male and woman party members, the reported added.

It concluded by calling on political parties in Ghana to do more to support womens political empowerment.
In a chat with Punch, the veteran musician expressed his disappointment in the citizens of Nigeria instead of the leadership of Nigeria.

Charly Boy noted that there was nothing to celebrate apart from the gift of life which is God's doing and has nothing to do with Nigeria or Nigerians.

What are we celebrating? The only thing a Nigerian can be thankful for at this time is the gift of life. All that is happening to us is our fault.

Every time we put the blame on the leaders, what about the followers? "These leaders are not from Ghana or Togo; they are from among us. If we dont look like them, we should have resisted the policies that put us in this kind of hopelessness and frustration.

But it is because we look like them, somehow we have the same mindset and we are waiting for our own turn to embezzle when the opportunity comes, that is why this situation is never going to change.

Mark my words; it is going to get worse before it gets better. If the masses have become sheep, why are you blaming the leaders for being wolves?"

Charly Boy blasted the Nigerian citizenry for its docile and corrupt attitude towards leadership as the present leaders were chosen from the masses.

He went on to say, The president keeps saying he is fighting corruption; maybe it is true that he is fighting corruption but he is the only one shouting the propaganda. I dont see his ministers and cabinet members say the same thing.

Do they believe in that? They are fighting corruption; are they saying that they have not been able to prosecute and imprison one corrupt person so far? After one year?

Do we want to be deceived all our lives? It is not about Buhari or Goodluck, what about us? We are very bad people and until we change, things would not get better. The change is not going to come from above or from Buhari, it would come when we change the way we think and hold our leaders accountable for all the wrongs they have done.

Until we are ready for that, then nothing would change because these people know that poverty has messed up the way we think. There is nothing to celebrate except for us being alive and for that, say thank God. But for how long would we do this?

Charly Boy has always been very vocal about his opinions when it comes to politics and his bluntness always passes the message across as effectively a bee sting.
The items were donated to the family on Sunday, October 2, as the chairman of the organisation, Alhaji Zaharadeen Baba-Tako, disclosed that he and other members of the organisation had come to pay homage.

Baba-Tako said that the Prime Minister would not be easily forgotten considering the roles he played in the struggle for the nations independence and political development.

He said that the least the people of Bauchi state could do in appreciation was to identify with the family of the deceased.

Quoting some parts of the first stanza of the Nigerian national anthem, the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain, Baba-Tako said the deceased must be honoured for his sacrifices.

ALSO READ: CAN partners with group to donate to less privileged
Mr Luke Anyaechie and his wife welcomed their babies on Thursday, September 29 via caesarian section.

Speaking with Sunday Punch, shortly after the delivery, Mr Anyaechie who hails from Umuozu, Imo State, was overjoyed despite the loss of his job.

According to the new dad, the kids, as well as their mother, are all doing well.

I believe that the Almighty, who is aware of the birth of the innocent babies, would provide them with their daily bread from his bounties, despite losing my bank job due to the current economic predicament.

Anyachie was one of the recently laid off staff members of Ecobank Kano and noted that he is concerned about what the future might hold for himself and his family.

But as a pious Christian, I finally pitched my hope in God, who will neither disappoint nor frustrate me, he said.

ALSO READ: 16Yr old girl gives birth to triplets in Delta

The Medical Director of Green Land Clinics and Maternity where the children were born, Dr Frank Akabudu, noted that it was the first set of triplets born in the hospital since it opened its doors seven years ago.

He said, They were delivered with two minutes intervals via caesarian section, which lasted for about one hour.
ALSO READ: Colombian model faces death penalty in China for drug trafficking

The suspect was arrested during an attempt to send a luggage full of Cannabis to China through and unsuspecting passenger.

Esonwunne was apprehended at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu State.

The suspect who has been deported twice, in 2008 and May 2016 respectively, from China, concealed the drugs inside packs of noodles.

Confessing his crimes to newsmen, Esonwunne who is the father of four children said:

Hardship and Nigerias bad economy forced me into drug trafficking. The exchange rate is very high and I hardly get money to take care of my family.

My sponsor promised to pay me the sum of $5,000 to take the drug to China. But I was arrested before I could board my flight.

I am a trader but due to the economic downturn, I turned to cannabis smuggling to cope, he said.

ALSO READ: 8 Nigerian arrested for drug trafficking after raid in MFM in Cambodia

NDLEA commander at the Enugu airport, Adeofe Adeyemi, called on members of the public, imploring them to avoid collecting consignments from people.
ALSO READ: NDLEA nab 3 businessmen who swallowed 233 wraps of cocaine

The Spokesperson for the agency, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, said that the suspect identified as Adibe Balobahad ingested 74 wraps of cocaine while on his way to China.

Confirming the incident to newsmen, the NDLEA commander at the Enugu airport, Adeofe Adeyemi, revealed that the investigation is being carried into the case and the suspect would be charged to court at the conclusion of the investigation.

Adeyemi said:

People need to be aware of this trick because rendering such assistance may just send them to prison or worse, death. This is because drug trafficking is punishable by death in China."

ALSO READ: 2 men arrested with cocaine worth N59m hidden in Whiskey bottles
ALSO READ: Police nab notorious human trafficker

The Comptroller of the command, Ekaete Isang, revealed that the suspect travelled from Edo state with the girls to the border town of Saki in Oyo State, where he was apprehended.

He was going to Burkina Faso with the aim of involving but before he could cross the Nigerian border with them, our patrol team caught up with him and he was arrested. We have reunited the girls with their parents, while the man was handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons,"she said.

However, Isang complained about lack of cooperation from the grass-roots leaders in border communities of the state, who have reportedly aid people in and out of the country illegally.

ALSO READ: 2 ladies trafficked into prostitution in Togo narrates ordeal
The Special Assistant to the state governor, Tukur Ahmed, speaking on his behalf in a condolence message, described the death of the high ranking officer as 'tragic'.

The death of the late DCP, Operations, is a great loss, not only to the police family but the people of the state and the country in general.

Late police officer was a vibrant, committed and dedicated man, who has contributed immensely in ensuring the security and peaceful development of the state.

The deceased also sacrificed all his time in ensuring adequate protection of lives and property of people of the state, Al-makura said.

The governor also asked God to grant the Sabo-Longlong family as well as the entire police force, the fortitude to bear the loss.

In a statement signed by the Nasarawa Police Commands Public Relations Officer, DSP Idirisu John-Kennedy, on Sunday, October 2, it was revealed that Sabo-Longlong, 56, died at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital on October 1, at about 7p.m. following a brief illness.

Until his death, Sabo-Longlong was DCP in charge of Department of Operations, Nasarawa State police commands headquarter, Lafia.

ALSO READ: Governor threatens to sack striking workers

According to John-Kenndy, the deceased who was an indigene of Sokoto State, joined the police force on September 1, 1982, and had served in various places since then.

He also said that the late officer has been buried in accordance with Islamic rites in Lafia, Nasarawa state.
Following the report, member of the American Society of Industrial Security, Prof. Femi Adegbulu, has warned that there might be collateral damage.

Adegbulu said There are two sets of drones, one for surveillance and the other for attacks. A reconnaissance drone is used for intelligence gathering, while the other kind of drone is used for attacks. There is no 100 per cent accuracy in warfare.

You lose lives, money, time, and resources. The possibility of collateral damage cannot be ruled out, especially since Boko Haram terrorists are known to use humans as shields when attacked.

According to Punch, the US is constructing a drone base in Niger, to enable it attack Islamists in Nigeria and other North-African countries where they are based.

The Intercept also reports that the project will cost the US $100m to complete and commission for launch.

According to the report, The only country in the region willing to allow a US base for MQ-9 Reapers  a newer, larger, and potentially more lethal model than the venerable Predator drone  Niger has positioned itself to be the key regional hub for US military operations, with Agadez serving as the premier outpost for launching intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions against a plethora of terror groups.

Adding that The top MILCON [military construction] project for USAFRICOM is located in Agadez, Niger to construct a C-17 and MQ-9 capable airfield.

Remotely Piloted Aircraft presence in Africa supports operations against seven (Department of State)-designated foreign terrorist organisations.

Moving operations to Agadez aligns persistent ISR to current and emerging threats over Niger and Chad, supports French regionalisation and extends range to cover Libya and Nigeria.

A former Director, Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor has also expressed worry at the reported plan by the US.

Ejiofor said I am worried that the US military will be making such efforts to launch attacks against Boko Haram from outside Nigeria. If the US did not get the nod from the Federal Government to establish its drone base in the country, how could the US military launch attacks against Boko Haram from Niger Republic?
This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the meeting of the union in Kano signed by its President, Alhaji Bature Abdulaziz, and made available to newsmen on Sunday.

The traders also expressed confidence that President Buhari would fulfill the promises he made to Nigerians to move the country forward.

We now have full confidence more than ever before, in the Buhari Governments sincerity to salvage the nation in the nearest future.

We understand the difficulties Nigerians are going through in this time of recession.

But we are confident that in the near future, the storm will be over to make each and every citizen happy.

Why we are optimistic that Nigeria will soon get out of its difficulties is because efforts made on security and power by the President have since become a source of pride for the nation.

We congratulate the President and the Nigeria security agents, especially our gallant soldiers, for restoring hope of a secure nation for us.

We also salute the courage of some governors who in spite of the economic recession, are able to pay salaries every month, the statement said.

The union, therefore, urged President Buhari not to relent in his determination to sanitise the country.

We are a strong union representing all the traders and market unions in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalled that when Umahi addressed the people on Saturday at the Abakaliki Township Stadium, announced 5 per cent pay rise in workers salaries.

Nkah also said that a dedicated account would be opened where money would be paid into every month for the liquidation of over five billion naira arrears of pensions and gratuity.

He told NAN in Abakaliki on Sunday that the governors action was commendable.

Gov. Umahi has proved to be a listening governor as the labour movement has been agitating for the pay rise since the current salary template was released and implemented.

The state NULGE president expressed optimism that  as a listening governor, Umahi would continue to adjust workers salaries upwards periodically.

Nkah also appealed to the governor to direct the relevant authorities to comply with the governors directive by paying local government workers by the 15th of every month.

NAN recalls that Umahi directed that civil servants should be paid by the 15th of every month.

In line with the directive, workers in the state receive their monthly salary by the 15th of every month except local government workers.

Nkah complained that local government workers receive their salary at the end of the month or even in some cases in the first or second week of the next month.

Primary and junior secondary school teachers who are paid from local government funds are paid on the 15th of every month since the governor gave the directive, Nkah noted.

He, however, commended the governor for his infrastructural development.

His infrastructural development is visible in Abakaliki, the state capital, across the 13 local government areas.

His street lightening programme has reduced crime and increased business hours across major towns in the state.
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This is coming on the heels of the kidnap and subsequent releaseof the wife of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Margaret Emefiele was kidnapped along the Benin-Agbor road on Thursday, September 29, 2016 and was set free on Saturday, October 1, 2016.

According to Punch, the security outfits gave the government official tips on how to avoid being kidnapped.

According to a police source, I am aware that the two security agencies have instructed these big men and women on how to conduct themselves, especially now that criminals are targeting prominent individuals and politicians in the country. Some of them will be asking for more police security but its beyond that. They need to watch how they move and who they discuss with.

The government officials were cautioned not to reveal their travel plans to non-family members and employees.

They were also warned not to go on long journeys by road, especially at night.

Some security experts described the incident as embarrassing, and wondered what the security operatives attached to the CBN Governors wife were doing.
Obasanjo said though the country is not where it ought to be now, he expressed optimism that things will surely get better.

Obasanjo said Our development is impaired; it is not what it ought to be, but we must get it right.

Unemployment is a major problem in the country today and if we dont take care, it will consume all of us. In fact, the rising unemployment is a time bomb, he added.

He said the high unemployment rate in the country is the cause of youth unrest, adding that the issue should be addressed.

Obasanjo also highlighted some areas he said will promote development, they include: security, education, food and nutrition, water and sanitation, shelter and transportation.
At last, we had gotten rid of those meddlesome Brits. Who raped and plundered our resources and treated us like second class citizens on our own lands.

The future of our nation was now 'firmly' in our hands and that future looked bright.

The economy of several African nations anchored on one or maybe two mineral resources. But Nigeria had and still has over 50 recurring minerals in commercial quantities.

We were among the top exporters of cocoa, coal, groundnut, rubber, cotton, tin and oil palm. We were drawing up plans to mine gold and several other natural resources we had been blessed with.

Then came the oil boom, and Nigerias economy blew through the roof. Foreign investors fell over themselves to come to Nigeria.

There were enough jobs and other African citizens migrated in droves to Nigeria. Nigeria, truly, was the giant of Africa.

Today, 56 years later, the giant is now an Agbaya (Yoruba word meaning - big for nothing). The once revered African nation is now a laughing stock amongst its peers.

Tribalism, corruption and an overdependence on oil, brought this great nation to its knees.

We have neglected the variety that made us a force to reckon with it.

Gone are the groundnut pyramids, the cotton and the huge quantities of food we produce. We have gone from an exporting nation to an import dependent one.

Buhari said ...Rice alone, for example, costs Nigeria two billion USD to import. He said this in his 2016 Independence speech.

I agree with Buhari, the past leaders are to blame for the mess we find ourselves in.

For over 40 years Nigeria has been run like a fiefdom. Our resources shared amongst cronies like loot and our industries left to rot.

Our leaders are like conquering emperors. They have no attachment to the people they rule. And so have no qualms exploiting them and their lands.

Emperors hand over cities to their allies. Our leaders hand over thriving ministries to their unqualified cronies.

Nigeria can and I believe will be great again. Things might look bleak right now but great nations are often born through adversity.

We have run to the ground the prosperous nation we inherited from the Brits. But the foundations that made us great are still with us.

ALSO READ: For Nigeria, things will look up again

As our President said in his Independence speech last year...

No temporary problems or passing challenges should stop us from honoring this day. Let us remind ourselves of the gifts God has given us.

"Our Creator has bequeathed to us Numbers  Nigeria is the ninth most populated country on the planet. We have in addition: Arable land, Water, Forests, Oil and gas, Coastline, Solid minerals.
Obende, a member of the senate in the 7th Assembly, stated this while fielding questions from newsmen in Benin on Sunday.

He said in Godwin Obaseki, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole will hand over to a worthy successor, and expressed optimism that the Obaseki government would further enthrone good governance in the state.

According to him, Obaseki is not coming to learn on the job, he is a practical person and that he knows what the board room politics is all about and that is what Edo needs now.

He added that the APC agenda is about development. Oshiomhole has done a lot for the state; he is living behind a legacy that will be worth emulating.

On the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies during the poll, the former senator said

they both performed well

INEC did well; there were lots of improvement in the operations of the electoral umpire which we have come to know lately.

Voting materials arrived early to polling units and voting actually commenced on scheduled across the state.

The only snag I noticed is that some persons were disenfranchised as a result of population in their polling units. My advice is that the commission should always deploy more hands where the population is large.

As for the security agencies, they were up in their game of ensuring peaceful elections and that was achieved perfectly, as we did not loose any life, and also did not notice any violence during the election.

All of of these goes to show that the electoral body and security agencies can perform if only they have the peoples cooperation.

On the outgoing governor, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, Obende said he is one person the people of Edo will miss.

We are going to miss his tenacity, ruggedness, straight forwardness in carrying people along and his zeal to confront challenges. All these, we are going to miss.

It is just that you cannot have a third term as a governor, we would have love to have him back. We are going to tap from his wealth of experience.

It would be recalled that Godwin Obaseki of the APC pulled 319, 483 votes to beat Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored a total of 253,173 votes in the Sept. 28 gubernatorial election in Edo.

The PDP had, however, rejected the result of the election which it claimed was pre-determined and fabricated.
At the crossroads of identity, where a caterpillar once inched along, a colorful show of stamina has taken place. And that archetypal butterfly is alive in the life and art of Nichole Garrison.

The Sedona-based theatre aficionado is bringing her multi-faceted philosophy out of the incubation stage in a transformative new way with Take Flight Repertory Theatre.

This brand new endeavor opens with the world premiere of Diana Smalls Good Day with actors from northern Arizona and Los Angeles at Relics Restaurant and Roadhouse in Sedona. Performances are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. Buy tickets and learn more through 928-203-7928 or TakeFlightTheatre.com.

Butterfly wings

When her mother passed away, Garrison placed a butterfly on the hospice room door  what she pinned as her lifes most powerful moment.

I knew putting that butterfly on that door that it was time for the next part of my life, she said.

Afterward, she and her family left their Florida home, and the theatre education company Garrison worked for, to grieve among the red rocks. That visit morphed into a brand new start when they purchased Oak Creeks Butterfly Inn and named it in honor of her mother.

Four years later, Take Flight stands as the next phase of Garrisons journey  one that amasses loss, light and love into a catalyst to move forward.

I always learned if you set the standard high you can achieve anything. My mother modeled that, Garrison explained, noting her theatre colleagues agreement. I grew up believing I could make anything happen  Im still a dreamer that way.

Dream big

At the ground level, Garrison envisions Take Flight as a single space where creatives from all walks of life come together to share their multimedia artforms.

I believe if you have a forum, a playground for people to be safe and make magic together, its just unbelievable what can happen, she added. Theres really nothing like that in Sedona yet.

The self-fulfilling prophecy of if you build it, they will come is what inspires the educator, actress and playwright, and what will cull the talent to sustain the high bar Take Flight sets. The future of Take Flight, Garrison visualizes, will have the cornerstone of education spark a conservatory-type studio where actors of all ages build a comprehensive, sophisticated skill set.

The right artists are going to find their way to me, or Im going to find my way to them. I believe that, she added.

Acknowledging the level of faith to put into an entity with a blurred and multi-faceted future, Garrison noted her past has offered a supportive network to call on including Good Day star Lindsey Gentile, who left her L.A. home for two months to support this endeavor.

I have a lot of people like that, thank God, in my life who Ive given a lot to and give back to me in so many ways, Garrison said. I really just have so much trust and faith.

She added, My vision isnt going to come to fruition today. It cant, but I know exactly what point B is. Im at point A now, and I just have to take slow steps to get there.

Perfect fit

The first step, Garrison said, was to send Take Flight into orbit with its first production. She landed on Smalls Good Day, a reference from a former student, for its command of entrenched emotion offset by heart and humor in a crisp, balanced work.

Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy grad Abby Harvey, stars as Toby. Theatrikos star Jim Dugan is Isaac the exterminator while Kevin MacDormott tackles his first role as Chris. And with a minimalist set and raised seating, even Relics owners were impressed to see what the players had done with the dinner theatre space.

This play is about how we get through the day  some days we fly and some days we crash, but we muster up the courage to get through it, Garrison explained.

Next will see a collaboration with Kate Hawkes of Red Earth Theatre and Mary Guaraldi of Canyon Moon Theatre Company  a November night of strong female directors and companies that show the community theatres cooperative potential.

Garrison noted, too, that the events leading to opening night support  even without funding or a permanent theatre space yet  Take Flights bright future built on trust and care from the greater theatre community.

Because this play has so much heart, she added, its such a reminder to methat you can push through whatevers stopping you.
Four candidates who contested in the just concluded election, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of falsifying results.

The candidates are Mr Frank Ukonga of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Mr Andrew Igwemoh of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD),Dr Omorogieva Gbajumo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Mr Thompson Osadolor of Kowa Party.

INEC announced the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag-bearer, Godwin Obaseki the winner of the election.

Ukonga, who is also the Chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), said The results that INEC made public do not tally with what most, if not all, our agents came back home with. We are calling for the cancellation of the entire election because INEC gave APC the PDP votes.

The aggrieved candidates also said they will continue the call for the cancellation of the polls, so the peoples will be obeyed.
The oil and gas-rich nation of about 9 million people bordering on Russia, Iran and Turkey, has only about 700 Catholics, according to Vatican figures.

In fact, Sunday's Mass, which was said mostly in English, had more of the feeling of a worship service in a multi-ethnic, well-to-do American suburb than a liturgy on the Caspian sea.

"You are a little flock that is so precious in God's eyes," he told the congregation in the homily of the Mass in the modern church, which opened in 2007 and was built on the site of one demolished under Soviet rule in 1931.

"Courage. Go ahead without fear", Francis said, praising them for being a close-knit and vibrant "community on the periphery".

Francis, who arrived in Baku from neighbouring Georgia and returns to Rome on Sunday night, also paid tribute to Christians who were persecuted by the Communists.

"FAITH IN ADVERSITY"

"Here the faith, after the years of persecution, has accomplished wonders. I wish to recall the many courageous Christians who trusted in the Lord and were faithful in the face of adversity," he said.

He said he was sure "that when you look to the example of those who have gone before you in faith, you will not let your hearts become lukewarm."

The land for the modern church building was donated by the late president Heydar Aliyev at the request of the late Pope John Paul after the pontiff's visit to Baku in 2002.

Relations between the miniscule Catholic community and the Muslims in Azerbaijan are broadly smooth.

Before returning to Rome, Francis was due to meet in the afternoon with Heydar Aliyev son, Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled since his father's death in 2003, and visit a mosque.

Last week Azeris voted in a referendum in favour of extending the presidential term from five to seven years, a step that critics say will hand unprecedented powers to Ilham Aliyev.

Aliyev, 54, can seek re-election indefinitely after a maximum number of terms in office was scrapped via a similar referendum seven years ago.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
CHAMBER CORNER Take time to VOTE It is important for citizens of this land to fulfill their civic duty to cast their vote. The process of voting is not difficult. Early voting began at the Auditors office September 29th. The office is located at 414 E. Third St. Suite 201 Muscatine, Iowa 52761. Absentee voting is an option and there is the tried and true process of showing up on Election Day to cast your ballot. Before one votes they must be registered. In Muscatine County there are roughly 3000 people who have not registered to vote. If you havent registered or know someone who needs to, the process is simple. Voter Registration can be completed online. Mail-in registration is also an option or you may stop by the Muscatine County Auditors office. It is also possible to register on Election Day at the polling locations. To learn more about these processes you can go to Muscatine County Auditors website or the Iowas Secretary of States web site to learn more and to register. League of Women Voters will host the Candidates for Iowa House and Senate at a forum on Oct. 4, 7 pm at City Hall. They will co-sponsor a forum at the Coralville Library for the US Congress on October 10th. 3RD AnnuAl TAg SAle on PlAnTS & TReeS geT Them while They lAST! OctOber 1-9 ...............................10% Off OctOber 10-16..........................15% Off OctOber 17-23........................20% Off OctOber 24-31 .......................25% Off 1301 WASHINGTON ST.  563-263-4442 Since 1987 www.kellorandkellorlandscape.com Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00 Saturday 8:00-3:00 Sunday 8:00-2:00 The quietly different dealer. 501 W. Bypass HWy 61 MUsCaTINE, Ia 563-263-5432 800-358-4406 3205 HWy 61 NorTH MUsCaTINE, Ia 563-263-5324 800-817-3954 kriegers.com Interested in becoming a Chamber Member? Call (563) 263-8895 or log onto www.muscatine.com
Chumps.

We smelled this rat four years ago.

Lawmakers in the Illinois Quad-Cities have been advised over the years not to pursue legislation that would require Jumer's Casino & Hotel to set aside a portion of its gambling proceeds for Rock Island County. Jumer's has for years been handing over 5 percent of its adjusted receipts to the city of Rock Island, as required. The county, which provides law-enforcement protection, among other things, gets bupkis.

About four years ago, Jumer's and county officials were giddy with goodwill as they announced the Jumer's Community Assistance Fund. It was to be a voluntary set-aside account for county needs in lieu of legislation requiring it.

I raised an eyebrow right into my hairline when I heard from a state representative why he didn't ask for a legal arrangement: Because former state Sen. Denny Jacobs advised him not to pursue it. His explanation came nearly a year after the Assistance Fund was established, which was about two years after Denny Jacobs became a registered lobbyist for Jumer's.

Jacobs' son, Mike, who took over his dad's seat in the Illinois Senate, gushed over the handshake agreement with Jumer's, saying in 2013, "We met with them like gentlemen and neighbors.

Gentlemen, kill your engines. The Jumer's Community Assistance Fund is no more.

The first county contribution, and the only one we're aware of, was made in early 2013, nearly a year after the fund was announced. It gave about $100,000 to the Rock Island County Sheriff's Department for new squad cars.

Jumer's spokesman Bill Renk did not respond to emails or phone calls Thursday and Friday, seeking a list of the fund's contributions and an answer for why it now is defunct.

Sheriff Gerry Bustos said Friday that he and other county officials met with Jumer's folks several months ago to ask what was available in the fund.

"We didn't make a formal request," Bustos said of the meeting. "We went out and visited and asked what was available, but they said revenue is down.

"Their explanation was  they're saying  the gambling machines in bars are hurting their business, so they could no longer do the program."

Huh. Funny.

In August, Renk made a very different assessment.

We really had the best month in three years, he said of Jumer's July profits.

In fact, July was the best revenue month for the Q-C casino market in 25 years, Renk said.

Even so, there's no money for the sheriff's department that patrols Jumer's and responds to its calls for service. In fact, there's no money for Rock Island County, period.

"The year after they gave us money for the squad cars, we went back," County Auditor April Palmer said Friday. "It was only a one-time deal. There has been nothing else  at least nothing substantial enough for us to record."

But what about Jumer's record-breaking summer profits?

"They boost up their own and shoot us down," Palmer said.

As the city of Rock Island squanders money on non-existent big-box developments, the county is asking taxpayers for a half-cent sales tax to buoy the financially struggling sheriff's department.

Gone is the promise of fat casino profits trickling in from our gentlemen neighbors.

Recently retired at the time, former county board president Jim Bohnsack was among those patting each other on the back the day Jumer's announced its singular grant from its Community Assistance Fund.

Its a great day!" Bohnsack declared. "Delaware North (Jumer's owner) and Jumers really do what they say theyre going to do.

Yeah. What a jackpot.
Steve Reimers lives between two waterways that trade off making his life a waterlogged mess.

The Wapsipinicon River, less than a mile to the north of his rural Donahue, Iowa, home, flooded the valley over the weekend at a near record level. Immediately to the south, Mud Creek slithers through his mostly wooded 30 acres.

A good rain will force either one out of its banks.

Just part of living down here in the low land, Reimers said Friday while wading through knee-high water with the help of a walking stick.

Floods are an annual occurrence for the dozens of scattered farms and river camps that surround the Wapsi upstream from the U.S. 61 bridge. The DeWitt gauge recorded a crest of 13.86 feet over the weekend. Compared to other historic crests there, this weekends flood ranks as the fourth highest, according to National Weather Service data.

By now, Reimers knows exactly how to handle the inconvenience. His house where hes lived since 1973 is up on stilts and dry. But the old vehicles parked in his yard, including a 40-year-old horse trailer, were submerged.

You cant drive in and out, and you cant go as many places, Reimers said about how his life has been disrupted. Otherwise, its no big deal.

The rocky streets around his home and his long driveway barely were visible through the murky water. He parked up the road on 90th Avenue where the flood ended and, with hip waders on, made the trek home at a snails pace.

Its a ritual the retired Case press operator repeated multiple times last week and would repeat through the weekend as the flood gradually rose and fell.

You got to know where youre going, because if you step right on the edge, your foot can slip out from under you, and youll go down, he said, careful not to stray from a grassy strip between wheel tracks. You got to watch where youre walking and use your stick.

He has a boat but chooses to walk, because Im lazy, he said with a laugh. Actually, he doesnt trust the terrain.

The sloping nature of 90th Avenue makes the depth vary widely when it floods. In some areas, the water is waist high, but in other areas, it is just inches deep.

Reimers wore a jacket  not due to crisp late September air but to prevent mosquitoes from biting. He said mosquitoes were so thick last week that one could not talk without choking.

River Camp Road was submerged, along with sections of 288th Street, which runs along the north side of Reimers property.

Parts of 82nd and 90th avenues and Buena Vista Road near Dixon also were under water. Downriver, the flood closed the Scott Park Road bridge for several days, shutting off a major north-south thoroughfare serving DeWitt.

If youre going to live by the river, theyll tell you 90 percent of the time its great living by the river, Donahue Mayor Ken Schoenthaler said. The other 10 percent is treading water. Thats not so nice.

Schoenthaler also serves as assistant fire chief of this small Scott County town of 300 and for the surrounding area. He keeps a radio with him to listen for emergency calls.

Responding to an emergency in a flood can be dangerous if the current is strong, he said. A few years ago, he responded to a woman suffering a ruptured appendix while stranded in her flooded home.

The only way to get to her was by boat. A helicopter managed to land on the only dry part of her property and then flew her to safety.

The pilot said he wished we got that on YouTube, Schoenthaler said. It was a pretty awesome rescue.

The mayor said some people living in the flood area have evacuated, while others have chosen to ride it out. For most of these people, this is not their first rodeo, he said.

Driving a Toyota Tacoma pickup, Jerry Ewoldt plowed through a fairly deep pool of standing water on 288th Street to fetch a sump pump for his flooded basement. He had returned to his home near the Wapsi on Friday after spending the week in Port Byron, Illinois, where hes renovating a home.

The extent of the flood caught him by surprise, and hes lived in the area for 31 years.

This is the worst Ive seen it in my yard, he said.

Flooded farm fields have delayed harvesting in the area. Julie Thornburg has 28 acres of corn near 288th Street and said some of her fields have standing water.

We cant get in to pick the crops, she said.

Thornburgs parents, who also live on 288th Street, could not get in or out of their home on Friday.

Theres nothing you can really do, she said. The waters going to do what its going to do.

Several of the residents of this area take the flooding in stride. Reimers, who used to live in Davenport, enjoys the peace and quiet of living out in the country.

After years of practice, he says he knows how to prepare for a flood.

Look in the refrigerator. Look in the bathroom. See if you got enough toilet paper. Youre good to go. In the country you got to be prepared all the time.
DES MOINES  County auditors should be able to spot convicted felons who are barred from voting in the 2016 general election thanks to a database created by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate since his office changed the approach to voter fraud when he took over in January 2015.

Pates staff spent months working with officials in the state Department of Corrections, the Iowa judicial branch and Gov. Terry Branstads office to compile a list of Iowa felons who have had their voting rights restored to help election officials identify Iowans who are disqualified from casting ballots now that early voting is under way in Iowas 99 counties.

The result is election officials statewide now have access to databases that contain 56,997 records of convicted felons not eligible to vote and about 250,000 Iowans who have had their voting rights restored, according to records dating back to 1984 in the office of the secretary of state, who also serves as Iowas election commissioner.

Its about as comprehensive as were going to see, Pate said in an interview last week. Its the first time that were aware of that we have a complete list of felons with their rights restored. Its not just a list of felons. That was always the question mark.

Pate said there were gaps in the felon voting data because former Gov. Tom Vilsack issued a blanket restoration of rights for convicted felons during his administration. In January 2011, however, Branstad issued executive order 70, which rescinded Tom Vilsacks July 4, 2005, executive order. Under Branstads nullification action, Iowa felons again were required to petition the governor to have voting rights restored, a process he agreed to streamline earlier this year.

Now, with the updated database that is updated regularly and accessible to county election officials, auditors can use the lists to determine eligibility and submit changes to Pates office verifying voters residency, age, citizenship and other qualifications to participate in the election process, he said.

Each county auditor will have the list, and if theres any doubt, they call our office, and we will physically go to the archives and pull the paper up. Thats kind of the last resort we have to verify, he said. We gave this information to them to make sure they can cross check it, so there should be nobody registering whos not supposed to be.

Pate said his office took the new approach for a spin in the primary, and it worked pretty well. But with same-day registration in Iowa and a higher-turnout presidential-year general election, he said, there still may be some situations where an Iowan will have to cast a provisional ballot so questions of eligibility can be resolved. That should happen less frequently with the updated information.

Were trying to avoid that, Pate said. Were not trying to inconvenience, but were going to make sure the integrity is protected because you cant take a vote back out of the box once its in there.

The 2016 situation is in contrast to voter registration rules proposed in 2012 by former Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz that critics said would threaten to disenfranchise eligible voters and touched off a long-running legal battle that ended when Pate voluntarily dismissed an appeal pending before the Iowa Supreme Court.

Those proposed rules had set out a process for identifying and removing noncitizens and ineligible applicants from Iowa's voter registration list first by screening registered voters against state and national lists of noncitizens and then running names through a federal verification database. Also, during his four-year term, Schultz, now the Madison County attorney, contracted with the Iowa Department of Public Safety to assign an officer full time to investigating voter fraud allegations that cost nearly $250,000 over two years and resulted in fewer than 10 convictions.

Pate said his approach now is to promote civic participation and to use his authority to the fullest extent of state and federal law to ensure accurate voter lists, but he added he is working to protect the integrity of Iowas voting system without pursuing a course with significant legal hurdles.

Ill really dont want to spend my time being a cop, Pate said. My approach was we got the list cleaned up so I know who the good players are and who the bad players are. We now want to do a better job of informing them, so they know. When those two things are done, Im going to have to say that anybody who tries to vote after that are bad guys, and I think they ought to be turned over for prosecution.

But until Ive done those two steps, Im not as enthusiastic about just going out and charging people. I want to make sure Ive done all of the things that I can do first. And were getting closer to that. Were going to do our best to educate you, give you an opportunity to be on the right side of it, and when that is accomplished, then its follow the rules.
River Action Inc. has organized Upper Mississippi River conferences for nine years now, but the one coming up Oct. 14-15 at the iWireless Center, Moline, is going to be different.

That's because just as last year's event was getting under way, a national watershed group issued a "report card" for the Mississippi River that gave it a D+. That was a blow to organizers and attendees who have been working for years to boost the river's health.

So Kathy Wine, executive director of River Action, the Davenport-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring the Mississippi, decided this year's conference would be dedicated to "Raising the Grade."

All participants will be asked to work together on the second day of the conference to develop action plans on actually improving the river.

Helping conference attendees with this work  difficult, and a departure from the norm  will be Heath Kelsey of the University of Maryland, who helped develop the D+ report card for America's Watershed Initiatives.

His overriding message is that everyone with a stake in the river, from barge companies to fishermen to farmers who want levees for flood protection, need to work together to improve the river.

That might seem obvious, but that isn't how it's been.

"The status quo has been that each one (of the various interests) would pursue strategies for that one sector, but not necessarily taking into account the effect of the other," Kelsey said in a telephone interview.

"We can't keep doing that because we're not making headway. With multiple goals, we're asking a lot of this river. The idea is to all get together on a shared vision. We're certain there are strategies we can do that don't have to work at cross purposes."

His hope is that the solutions will rely on "natural infrastructure," or using the river's natural systems, to improve the river in terms of water quality, flood reduction and other interests.

The report card released last year graded the river in seven categories: transportation (the aging locks and dams); flood control (levee conditions); ecosystems (water quality, streamside habitat, wetlands); water supply (water depletion, treatment); recreation (outdoor participation); economy (river-dependent employment); and Gulf hypoxia.

A category of big concern was the condition of the locks and dams that initiative members called a threat to the nation's economy. The aging infrastructure weakens the country's ability to reliably and efficiently move and export food and goods. A recent study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, cited by Wine, indicated that 52 percent of the nation's corn and 41 percent of its soybeans is shipped on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers.

Among environmentalists, the locks and dams likely would be lower on the list of concerns, with water quality and the "Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico at the top.

Developing strategies for multiple goals won't be easy, but it is the only way to make progress, Kelsey said.

The watershed group's next report card will be issued in 2020.
Shadows on the stairwell. Monsters dashing through a fog-laden forest. These strange beings lurking behind every door will delight as well as send seismic waves of terror reverberating throughout the very core of anyone daring enough to pull back the curtain.

And nowhere better are our deepest fears alive and well than in the horror section of a great cinematic catalog.

The genre doesnt solely reflect what goes bump in the night. Scholars pin horror as a nuanced medium compiling dramatic elements with mystery, social examinations and, of course, heavy doses of gore.

This semester, Northern Arizona Universitys International Film Series is devoting its entire schedule to a handful of the worlds most riveting screamers with The Horror! The Horror!

There are six more evenings of screenings, including one horrific double feature with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu on Oct. 26. Films are free, and show Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Liberal Arts room 120. See a full schedule and learn about free parking under NAUs new regulations at Nau.edu/cal/events/international-film-series.

You scream

NAU Lecturer of French and the series co-director, Michael Rulon, snagged his first videotape when he was barely in grade school. It was one of the classic bedtime stories, George Romeros Night of the Living Dead, starring Flagstaff resident Judith ODea.

Inspired by zombies, Rulon developed a 30-year appreciation for films that trail well into horrors convoluted cousins like 1980s slasher flicks and Universal Pictures monster movies with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.

On one level, horror is so emotional and visceral, but you can also approach horror from a very intellectual standpoint, he said of the attraction. Horror tells us so much about our society  its values, its fears, its flaws, its structures. Horror simultaneously reinforces and tears down these fundamental underpinnings of society.

And therein lies the distinction between B-roll gags and something like Japanese director Hideo Nakatas 1998 Ringu, which  in addition to its American remakes  follows a cursed videotape (showing Nov. 2). Rulon noted horrors suspension of belief that takes the audience on a non-linear ride.

For me, I'd say that a good horror film needs to affect the audience psychologically, he explained. Terror, like what one experiences when watching a slasher film, is a short-lived surprise, or a gut reaction to excessive violence. Horror is a more durable sense of dread.

Durable dread

That very essence is what sends certain watchers into a panic, unable to watch the plot twist and thicken. But thats exactly what Rulon and co-director Rebecca Gordon hoped to build an International Film Series uponthe idea of horror, rather than a stylized genre showcase.

The films on the roster span decades and continents, highlighting the diversity of the genre. Ringu and Hong Kongs Pang Brothers The Eye (showing Oct. 5) divert from East Asia. Oct. 19 will see the Persian language A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which is a terrifying look at an Iranian ghost town.

Some aspects of horror are certainly universal, but so many of the fine details are very specific to the culture and the time, Rulon explained. In fact, several of the films we're screening are ones that have been remade in the U.S., and the differences between the original films and their American remakes are astounding.

Reeling roots

But to appreciate horrors nuance is to understand its roots. The doubled-down showing of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu will satisfy this curiosity.

Made in 1920, Dr. Caligari still stands as a stiff classic  a silent film considered the keystone of German Expressionist cinema. Written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, directed by Robert Wiene, it tells of a mad hypnotist who commits murder through a sleepwalker.

Tricks of silhouette and shadow augment the characters  characteristics that rubbed off on following films like the unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stokers Dracula in F.W. Murnaus 1922 cult classic, Nosferatu.

As Rulon noted, horror has been pushing the envelope for 100 years, with directors and writers searching for new ways to frighten audiences whove been desensitized to the conventions of the genre at the expense of the psychological horror. To see these films together will emphasize the true fear: ourselves.

He added, These German Expressionist films have a very stark style and deal with some very fundamental, and fairly universal, fears  sexuality, loss of control, contamination, foreignness  in a way that allows the audience to appreciate the simple fear rather than amazing quantities of fake blood or intricate murder plots.
Which side are you on?

Thats the question voters should be asking members of Congress as they return home to campaign, but in many districts House members are avoiding all questions about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). I havent read it yet, is a favorite answer when voters ask members of the House of Representatives where they stand. These members have had the document for nearly a year, and its 5,544 pages will never be read by most of them, but they have an obligation to take a position now and inform voters now not after an election when they are voting on it in a lame duck session of Congress.

Iowa CCI Action, the Communications Workers and Our Revolution will be holding a series of town hall meetings across Iowa from Oct. 5-8. We will be discussing the TPP and mobilizing opposition but most importantly demanding that all candidates for the House and Senate tell us which side they are on. TPP will be the major issue facing Congress for at least the rest of 2016it is unacceptable for House members or candidates to say they dont know where they stand or that they havent read it.

Opposition to TPP in Iowa is similar across our nationDemocrats, Republicans and Independents want a new model for globalization. Trade is popular, but a global economy increasingly dominated by ever larger multinational corporations is not working for working Americans. Wall Street and the finance sector, not main street and working class Americans are benefiting from every deal, which have little to do with trade and much more to do with creating rules that protect the profits of investors.

Around our nation and around the world a populist revolution is growing and the rigged global economy is a major cause. Consider Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)  a clause that allows multinational corporations to sue governments in international tribunals. Since adoption of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, nearly all US trade agreements have included ISDS. ISDS has nothing to do with reducing tariffs or promoting trade. Instead, ISDS is about encouraging foreign investment by guaranteeing that governments will do nothing to reduce future profits of foreign investors. If regulations or legislation are adopted that impact profits, the multinational corporation can sue in a secret global tribunal, instead of a national court. The loss of sovereignty, as well as the bias towards foreign investment profits, are key reasons to demand a new trade regime and reject TPP.

Multinational corporations are suing the U.S. and dozens of other nations for billions including the recent suit by TransCanada against the U.S., demanding $15 billion in reparations for denying the Keystone pipeline. TransCanada is not attempting to recoup investment losses but instead full compensation for the loss of future profits on that potential investment.

Contrast this with violations of environmental, food safety, health or labor sections of the agreements. In these cases, no secret global tribunals or reparations. Instead, reports that are discussed between governments and take years to process. Even in the best of cases nothing results but new promises. Citizens get reports, discussions, and at best new promises, multinational corporations get reparations.

A new trade regime would create balance between investors rights and the rights of citizens. A new trade regime would place our jobs and communities, and our rights as consumers above the rights of multinational companies. For example, instead of celebrating new protections for pharmaceutical corporations to set prices and block regulation, we would celebrate trade deals that promote the rights of all of us.
The following editorial appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal:

The two most unpopular presidential candidates in modern history had their first debate Monday, and the best we can say is that they lived up to those expectations. Hillary Clinton offered a relentless assault on Donald Trump's business record and qualifications to be President, but she offered little reason to believe she would lift the country out of its economic and psychological funk. Mr. Trump made the case for change, but in a blunderbuss fashion that will have voters wondering if he knows enough for the job.

There's little doubt that Mrs. Clinton won on debating points. She can master a briefing book, and from the first answer she dumped most of it on Mr. Trump. The central argument of her campaign is to elect her because the New Yorker is "unfit" to be President, and her strategy was to taunt him with attacks on his business record that always seem to drive him to distraction.

And sure enough, Mr. Trump often took the bait, wasting time on details about his company's history while barely going on offense against the Clinton Foundation. He also couldn't resist a long, defensive explanation of his opposition to the Iraq war and why he hasn't released his tax returns.

These columns warned Mr. Trump  and GOP voters  during the primaries that by not releasing his returns he was giving Democrats an opening to assert what he might be "hiding." Mrs. Clinton took full advantage, offering a list of imagined horribles and even suggesting he might have paid "zero" taxes.

On policy Mrs. Clinton rolled out her list of seemingly endless programs that amount to the agenda of the last eight years, only more so. She has a government solution to every social and economic anxiety, and if you like the current economy she is your candidate.

That unhappy status quo remains Mr. Trump's opening, yet he missed more chances than he hit. Offered a lay-up opportunity at the start on the economy, he sounded a Donny-one-note on trade  as if cutting imports is the magic cure for 1 percent growth. He eventually got around to touting his tax cut, albeit with few specifics, but he barely mentioned the burden of regulation.

The Republican did better on race and crime, showing a sympathy on the question while calling for "law and order." He also had a better grasp of the legal history of New York's "stop and frisk" policing than moderator Lester Holt, who took the liberal line that it was declared "unconstitutional." That ruling was by a lower court judge whose bias was rebuked by an appellate court, and then New York's new mayor dropped the city's appeal.

Speaking of Mr. Holt, he clearly took to heart the liberal media assault on his colleague Matt Lauer three weeks ago, as his questions and fact-checking tilted in Mrs. Clinton's direction. Mr. Holt challenged Mr. Trump on his dubious claim that he opposed the Iraq war before the invasion, but he didn't challenge Mrs. Clinton on her false claim that George W. Bush decided the U.S. should pull out of Iraq in 2011. If you think we're wrong, watch who praises Mr. Holt this week.

For all of Mr. Trump's substantive weaknesses, the challenger did score points by portraying Mrs. Clinton as an architect of America's current malaise. His taunt that she has been around "for 30 years" strikes home. The central question in the election is coming down to whether an American majority that wants a change in direction is willing to take the risk on Mr. Trump to deliver it. It's still a question after Monday night.
Lee Jackson was hired this year to pull Niabi Zoo from the brink. Rock Island County officials and the Zoological Society's donor class should back off and give him his shot.

But, if history is any guide, they won't.

Five animal handlers left the zoo in recent weeks. Some fled to other jobs. Others resigned while lobbing accusations at management. These things happen when new leadership is installed. This is Niabi, though. And Niabi has, for decades, been just another object to fight over among the county's well-healed and well-connected.

Just last year, for instance, the county's Zoological Society -- effectively the zoo's non-profit fundraising arm -- called on the Rock Island County Board to relinquish its oversight of Niabi. Niabi is, in fact, the largest job for the county Forest Preserve Commission, yet another unnecessary legislative body, comprised of all 25 county board members, that assures each of them another taxpayer-funded check each month.

Rock Island County Board members responded with predictable tone-deafness and created yet another advisory committee. The Zoological Society responded with a closed wallet. Meanwhile, fences are falling apart.

This, folks, is classic Rock Island County dysfunction.

All these boards, one former employee claimed, have made Niabi unworkable. Animal breeding programs take a back seat to the power struggle, he said.

Sour grapes don't require a lack of accuracy.

Lee Jackson might have impeccable credentials. But, in this gig, political chops and the skill to schmooze the donor set are just as important. These are traits former Niabi Director Tom Stalf had in spades. They are skills his small army of predecessors haven't touted.

And this is the problem. It's not about the animals for Niabi management. It's not about the customers. It's about navigating the politics of one of the region's most flawed legislative bodies and a group of donors who wield influence with their checkbooks.

It's no secret that we believe government has no place in the zoo business, especially in a county better known for its dysfunction than anything else. The zoo needs millions in upgrades and maintenance. But a wholesale privatization might be a bit radical for those with fond memories at Niabi.

What's clear is that Niabi will fail under the weight of the nitpicking, infighting and general Rock Island Countyness of the entire situation. It's already lost its accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It's already withering from underfunding.

In the coming weeks, Jackson will lay out his plan for the faltering zoo's future. It's likely to require substantial investment from both taxpayers and the Zoological Society. Both have little choice but to pony up, should there be any interest in actually giving Jackson a shot to turn things around. The cash can't come with strings and pet projects. It can't come with wish lists.

Pay up and back away. Let Jackson do the job, free of the political hackery that's doomed his predecessors.

Or, members of the Rock Island County Board and the wealthy donors who populated the Zoological Society can carry on with their absurd power struggle. They can continue to use Niabi as a pawn in the larger game of local politics.

And, as every chess player knows, pawns wind up getting sacrificed.
A good Friday to all. You're waking up to the remnants of a storm that blew through the region overnight. Are we out of the woods? Not yet.
NATION

2 officers on leave after girls car death

A coastal Mississippi police chief says he has put two officers on paid administrative leave after the death of a 3-year-old girl who was left alone in a parked car.

Long Beach, Miss., Police Chief Wayne McDowell tells WLOX-TV that the officers are the child's mother and a male officer.

He says he has talked with the man, but the mother was too distraught to talk with him Saturday.

Hancock County Coroner Jim Faulk says he hopes to have autopsy results early this week from the state crime lab in Jackson.

Trumps new hotel vandalized

Donald Trump's new luxury hotel in downtown Washington has been vandalized.

District of Columbia police say someone spray-painted the phrases "black lives matter" and "no justice no peace" on the front of the building on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, the phrases were covered up with pieces of plywood.

Police spokeswoman Aquita Brown said Sunday that police have not identified any suspects. The incident occurred just after 4 p.m. Saturday, and police are investigating.

The Trump International Hotel opened on Sept. 12. The Trump Organization won a 60-year lease from the federal government to transform the historic Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue into a hotel. Rooms at the hotel start at just under $400 a night, down from nearly $900 a night when the hotel opened.

WORLD

Military calls on Syria rebels to surrender

Syrian rebels and pro-government forces clashed Sunday on several fronts around Aleppo as the country's military command called on militants to lay down their weapons and evacuate the contested city.

A day after pro-government forces captured the strategic al-Shuqeef hill north of the city, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported fierce fighting in areas near the hill and in the Bustan al-Basha neighborhood.

The two sides also clashed in Aleppo's southern Sheikh Saeed neighborhood.

The government's attempt to penetrate Aleppo's opposition-held eastern side has been accompanied by a relentless campaign of airstrikes by Russian and Syrian warplanes.

Duterte apologizes to Jewish people

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Jews worldwide Sunday after his remarks drawing comparisons between his bloody anti-drug war and Hitler and the Holocaust sparked shock and outrage.

The tough-talking Duterte said his apology was intended only for the Jewish community. He lashed out again at Western critics and human rights advocates who have raised concerns over his brutal crackdown, which is estimated to have left more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users dead in just three months.

Duterte said in a speech in the central city of Bacolod that he never had any intention "to derogate the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Germans." Historians say 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis under Hitler before and during World War II.

Sniper kills Dutch journalist

A sniper fatally shot a Dutch journalist Sunday in the Libyan city of Sirte, the Islamic State's last bastion in the chaos-wracked North African country, according to news reports.

Jeroen Oerlemans was killed while he was out with a team that clears mines in the part of the city that has been freed from IS control, according to Dutch national broadcaster Nos and Belgian publication Knack. Both cited fellow journalist Joanie de Rijke, of Knack, who was reporting with Oerlemans in Libya.

The Dutch ambassador to Libya, Eric Strating, tweeted "Rest in Peace. Your photographs of #Sirte #Libya and other places will live on forever." The Dutch Foreign Ministry didn't immediately have information on the death or on Oerleman's activities in Libya.

Oerlemans was abducted in 2012 in northern Syria with British photojournalist John Cantlie, and was held captive for a week before being freed. His Facebook account says he was based in Amsterdam and studied photojournalism at the London College of Communication.
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125 YEARS AGO

Brakeman Pettigrew, who was working with a crew on the train, had his hand badly mashed while he was coupling cars on Thursday. Dr. Cornish dressed the wounded member and it is expected that Mr. Pettigrew will soon be able to resume his duties.

Four attempts at robbery in one night opened the fall season in Flagstaff. Naturally enough they were at first charged to a tramp, but upon investigation the charges may well be placed upon other parties.

All the criminals contained in the County Jail are now engaged in clearing off and grading the block selected for the new Courthouse site. Marshall Spencer is Superintendent of the force.

There is a movement afoot to close all the stores at 8 Oclock. Early closing will give merchants and employees a good many more hours of much needed rest.

1.25 inches of rain fell during the past 10 days. Elden Mountain is covered with snow for the first time this season.

100 YEARS AGO

J. H. Hancock an employee of the California & Arizona Construction Co. was dangerously struck on the head by the big elevator on the concrete mixing machine. It was in front of the James Pool Hall while being moved to the Santa Fe freight house for shipment to its next work location. There was a stream of blood running from his head as he was being taken to Dr. Mannings office where it was found that he had been partially scalped. He may recover.

Zane Grey, well-known author who writes about the Southwest so vividly, was here on Sunday with his party, including Mr. & Mrs. R. P. Grey, Miss Swartz and Miss Ferguson, all of New York City. They are on their way east from their summer on the Coast and at the Grand Canyon. Each year Mr. Grey writes a new and interesting book based in northern Arizona.

The ill-fated lamp post at the corner of San Francisco and Railroad Avenue was put on the beam for the steenth time on Friday by a mule who failed to follow his wagon around the corner and in making a shorter cross cut got his rope tangled with the lamp post.

75 YEARS AGO

Dr. Colton is urging Flagstaff women to support the Red Cross and Mrs. Louise Holly, who is teaching preparation on home and industrial defense. There has been a 50 percent increase in women members participation over the past year. In Great Britain, many lives have been saved by civilian women during the German Blitz of London.

18 Coconino County men have been called by the Draft Board to be examined for service on Friday.

Dont let your car head freeze. Have your anti-freeze checked today at Harrimans Service Station.

Wanted to train at once for Aircraft Assembly: Those who are aged 18 to 40 and are U. S. citizens, reply by mail to Woodard Air Craft Corp., 801 Front St., San Diego.

Have your car washed by Webber Bros. PH 10.

There is little news to report on the airport four miles south of town at Fort Tuthill being promoted by J. D. Walkup. A tentative survey is being conducted by the County.

There are two Big Buck Contests:

-- Drews Sporting Goods. First prize: $15 in value, 2nd Prize $10 in Value, 3rd Prize $5 in value. Must weigh in and get you number.

--Peters Cartridge Company. Heaviest buck in Kaibab Forest $25. $35 heaviest White Tail in Arizona, $50 heaviest Black Tail outside of Kaibab Forest.

The U. S. Marines have arrived and are recruiting in the Post Office Lobby. These itinerant parties are designed for the convenience of the young men who are interested in Marine Corps enlistment and find it difficult to get to Phoenix.

Safeway. Buy your Defense Stamps here. Butter 39 cts, Lard 55 cts. Bell Peppers 5 cts. each, Chili Peppers 2 pounds 13 cts., Okra 2 pounds 19 cts., Coffee 12 cts., Leg of Lamb 26 cts., Boiling Beef, Rib or Brisket 12 cts.

H. 70 Thurs. L. 32 Tues. Rain Sat & Sun. 0.07

50 YEARS AGO

The Arizona Snow Bowl Corp. has proposed that the City of Flagstaff lease their uphill lift for $60,000 for 6 months or that the City buy the facility or that a local company buy the facility. They say that if $60,000 is not forthcoming they will not open this winter. They cite the need for major repairs to the big wheel of the lift and the condition of the road.

Water is on the City Council agenda again. This time it is a question of supply water to Camp Townsend and the rate to be required of the Ponderosa Paper Co.

Crews have completed the second well in the Inner Basin as a part of the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation water investment program.

Flagstaff nurses are to get a $94-a-month raise, bringing their wage to $500 per month.

The Peabody Coal Co. has reached an agreement with the Navajo and Hopi for the mining of 4 to 7 million tons of coal annually.

Walt Disneys Bambi is playing at the Mt. Elden DriveIn.

Saturday, in a localized storm that was only one mile wide, 1.7 inches of hail was recorded as falling here, resulting in the flooding of the railroad underpass and the melt bringing curb to curb flooding on Aspen. H. 71 Sun. L. 30 Sat. Rain & Snow Showers 0.06 Wed.

25 YEARS AGO

The City Council has failed to give the Arizona Department of Transportation a definite answer on a solution to the congestion on Highway 180. However it agreed to work on maintenance, to continue negotiations and to improve the traffic flow at Humphreys and Fort Valley Road by adding a lane to smooth the turn at Columbus.

Clean and Green at Lake Mary on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is a shuttle boat to carry volunteers to various parts of the shore. This effort is sponsored by the U. S. Forest Service and the Northland Beverage Co., which is supplying beverages and trash bags. Bring gloves, old boots or shoes.

There is more than money to gain. Become a Newspaper carrier. The SUN is seeking carriers. Earn your own money. Enjoy the freedom to finance your own expenses.

The Court has issued an order to temporarily halt the elk hunt. Rangers are going into the forests to advise hunters already camped out there and ready to go.

H. 82 Wed. L. 35 Sat. No rain
A short-lived garage-themed eatery abandoned and falling into disrepair for two years on East Mall Drive near Cabelas is slated to reopen with a new name and new owners, but with a similar decor.

Sickies Garage, serving up to 50 tap beers and 50 styles of burgers, could be open as early as mid-December where an ill-fated Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant operated for a little more than 15 months.

The Rapid City Quaker Steak & Lube opened amid much fanfare in the spring of 2013, but a dispute between the Sharon, Penn.,-based chain and the Syracuse, N.Y., based franchise owners of three QS&L restaurants in Rapid City, Fargo and Sioux Falls culminated in the sudden closing of the Fargo and Rapid City locations in September 2014. Employees had little or no warning of the shutdown. The Sioux Falls location never opened.

Its like they turned off the lights, locked the doors, threw the keys inside and left, said new co-owner Chad Jagow, general manager of the Iron Horse Saloon in Sturgis.

Jagow said the first Sickies Garage opened in Fargo and then Bismarck. A third restaurant in Grand Forks just opened. A Sioux Falls location will open in November, with Rapid City following about a month later.

Jagow said about six or seven more locations are planned, with franchising of 40 to 50 restaurants to follow. The ownership group for Sickies formerly operated two Hooters restaurants in North Dakota.

The franchise fees for Hooters came up and it was an astronomical amount, so we just decided to go out on our own and open our own chain, he said.

The name is inspired from a friend who owns Sick Boy Motorcycles, Jagow said. The decor will range from tool boxes, motorcycles and automobiles to old softball trophies.

The unoccupied QS&L building suffered from burglary and occupancy by vagrants, Jagow said.

Much of the automobilia remaining after the QS&L franchisee's sudden pullout, including a full-size NASCAR stock car and a hydraulic auto hoist, will be sold, donated or used elsewhere.

Its just got a mans garage look to it, Jagow said. For the most part its going to be gutted and done in our style.

Beauticians team up

Two experienced beauticians have relocated under one roof.

Gena Ploosters new Reflections of You Beauty Studio and Yelena Bezpaletz relocated Ooh La La Beauty and Lashes Studio are both at 1836 W. Kansas City St., which is close to three major central Rapid City thoroughfares  Jackson Boulevard, Mountain View Road and West Main Street.

Were kind of tucked in there in between everything, Plooster said.

Plooster is originally from Wyoming but has been living in Rapid City for the past 25 years. She worked at another salon for 17 years and believed the time was right to go out on her own.

Plooster said she was ready for a slightly slower pace and to be her own boss. She opened her new full-service salon at the end of August.

I think Im going to be working for another 10-15 years, and I just wanted to have my own place, she said.

Bezpaletz Ooh La La Beauty and Lashes Studio was located in the Gambrill Building in the 800 block of Main Street. An esthetician specializing in eyelash extensions, she decided to team up with Plooster in the new location.

Our new location is very peaceful and quiet. Were loving it, Plooster said.

Call Reflections of You Beauty Studio at 605-390-3825 or email her at genaplooster@gmail.com for more information.

Call Bezpaletz Ooh-La-La Beauty and Lashes Studio at 605-786-3393 or email her at bzpltz@yahoo.com.

Savvy Storage to expand

Steve and Kelly Lhotak opened Savvy Storage at 560 Liberty Blvd. in Box Elder last June.

As of last week, the 100-unit storage unit facility was 77 percent full, so theyre making plans to add another 150 units next spring, Kelly said.

The units have good visibility being close to a main feeder route to Ellsworth Air Force Base. The all-steel facility is also completely fenced with a coded-entry gate and security cameras.

We feel like its a very safe facility, said Kelly.

Anyone with storage needs is welcome at Savvy Storage, although, with their proximity to the base they do primarily cater to members of the military, offering a 10 percent discount to both military and law enforcement.

There are nine sizes of storage units available and their motto is Squirrel it away at Savvy Storage.

Call 605-920-0876 or see their Facebook page for more information.
Just two years removed from an attempt to end his own life, Roland Rollie Maynard is celebrating a rebirth  a true rebound from the darkness of severe depression.

Maynard, 61, lost eight years of his life to the illness in spite of treatment with 11 progressively more potent medications and treatments, even including electroshock therapy, which gave him no lasting improvement of his symptoms.

But he found new hope when a Veterans Administration doctor suggested a relatively new procedure that finally turned the tide, and saved his life.

Maynard was referred to Rapid City psychiatrist Dr. Steven Manlove about a year ago, and he finally found the treatment he was searching for  a non-invasive, out-patient procedure called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS.

The treatment, first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2008, involves the use of electromagnetic pulses to stimulate nerve activity in the part of the brain where emotions are processed.

TMS is something that literally saved my life. It gave me my life back. I had no life for 8-9 years. I had no hope for a future at all, Maynard said.

Maynard was raised in Deadwood and graduated from Lead High School in 1973 and went on to earn a civil engineering degree from South Dakota State University.

He served four years in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and earned a Masters Degree in geo-technical engineering. He worked as an engineering consultant for many years, but the death of his father in 1992 triggered his first bout of depression.

For many years I dealt with it with medication, and it really wasnt much of a problem, he said.

But in 2008, his depression suddenly deepened.

Within a months time, it was just like my mind just shut down on me, he said.

He suffered from anxiety attacks, and became unable to tolerate large crowds of people or loud music. He was no longer able to work.

Doctors at VA hospitals in Omaha prescribed antidepressant medications which only seemed to help for a short time.

Every 6 to 8 months, I was in the mental health ward. I would basically bottom out, he said.

His wife of 32 years eventually divorced him, and he moved back to western South Dakota to be closer to his family.

Doctors at the Fort Meade VA Hospital in Sturgis continued to search for an effective treatment, but there was nothing left to try.

The last medication he was prescribed was meant for severe bipolar disorder. Side-effects left him lethargic, with trembling hands and feet, blurred vision, dizziness and headaches. He sat in his apartment day after day doing little more than eating. His weight ballooned and he also suffered from diabetes.

People at Fort Meade had no idea what else to do with me. I was pretty much a lost cause, he said.

He reached his lowest point in 2014. He looked in the mirror one morning and saw lifeless eyes.

Its like falling into a hole, and the more you try to grab at the sides of the hole to pull yourself out, the further you slip down," he said. "Youre looking up and that hole is gradually getting smaller and smaller to where you look up and can hardly see any daylight at all. When that hole was finally closing up on me, thats when I tried to commit suicide.

He survived, and then received the referral that led to a regimen of TMS treatments.

In the treatment, a helmet is placed on the patients head, positioned to place the electromagnetic coil closest to the part of brain where nerve activity needs to be stimulated.

Maynard said his treatments lasted several months, starting with five per week and then gradually decreasing in frequency.

His only side effects at the start of treatment were a headache from the staccato tapping of the coil inside the helmet. Patients wear earplugs during treatment.

After about a month, Maynard gradually started feeling better.

He said he lost 85 pounds after starting an exercise and nutrition program. Frequent meals from fast-food restaurants or processed foods were replaced with fresh fruits and vegetables. "I can't stress enough the need to exercise," Maynard said.

Manlove said TMS has shown positive results in helping the 30 percent of depression sufferers who are unable to find relief from antidepressant medicines or other therapies.

Of the 15 patients Manlove has treated with TMS in his first year of offering the therapy, all have seen some improvement, with 10 shown strong improvement in their symptoms, he said.

Ive treated depression for about 30 years. You have this group of people weve never been able to treat, and now we can do something. Its very exciting, Manlove said.

Manlove said TMS may also show promise in treating other neuro-cognitive diseases, including Alzheimers and Parkinsons Disease. TMS has not been approved for treatment of those illnesses, but research is ongoing, he said.

The therapy is not recommended for those with heart pacemakers or with metal plates or rods in their bodies. Side effects can include seizures, though only rarely.

Anybody who can have an MRI scan can have TMS because its the same electromagnetic pulse used to produce that imaging, he said.

Manlove said most patients dont seem to regress once their treatment ends. Those who do see a return of symptoms respond well to follow-up treatments.

Leasing of the Israeli-made Brainsway Deep TMS machine costs between $100,000 and $120,000 per year. Manlove said most insurance companies are now covering the FDA-approved therapy.

We always had the stance, that if somebody wants it, were going to do it. Cost isnt going to be the issue. I dont want to have something that really helps people and then hide it away from them, he said.

Maynard completed his final TMS treatment on Sept. 23, then moved last week to the Seattle, Wash., area to be closer to his oldest son and four grandchildren.

His health has improved so much that he plans to open an engineering firm there again.

He wanted to tell the story of his experience in spite of the stigma attached to mental illness and to tell other sufferers not to give up.

Dont give up on life. There is a life after depression, he said.

During an interview, Maynard chuckled over how far he has come and the turnaround that gave him a rejuvenated outlook on life.

I laugh again. I didnt laugh for 8 years. I laugh all the time now. I wake up looking forward to the day and looking forward to the people I can meet, he said. I was given a gift.
Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department officers Scott Lensegrav and Clint Walker recently were honored with the Sturgis Municipal Medal of Honor for saving the life of a Sturgis woman in an August house fire.

On Sunday, Aug. 7, the fire department responded to a fire at a home at Fourth and Sherman streets in downtown Sturgis. Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the residence.

During the search of an upstairs bedroom, Lensegrav and Walker located and removed an occupant from the home. The occupant was provided emergency medical treatment by ambulance personnel and then taken to the hospital.

The Sturgis City Council awards the Municipal Medal of Honor to municipal employees, volunteers, citizens, residents, elected leaders and other persons who distinguish themselves by the performance of an act of gallantry and intrepidity at imminent personal hazard of life, with knowledge of the risk assumed, performed an act of a rare or exceptional character that reflects an uncommon degree concern for the well-being of others, or performed an extreme act of humanitarianism and philanthropy.

Giving blood; giving back

The Helpline Center and Black Hills Urgent Care have named Joe Izzillo as their October 2016 Volunteer of the Month.

Izzillo was nominated by United Blood Services, where he has volunteered as a blood drive organizer since 2007. Izzillo coordinates six blood drives each year at Blessed Sacrament Church in Rapid City for the Knights of Columbus organization.

Izzillo schedules 20 to 30 donors every two months. He sets up the room, greets guests, signs in donors and fills open appointments on the day of blood drives.

Helpline Center and Black Hills Urgent Care presented Izzillo with a framed certificate, gifts from Black Hills Urgent Care and a letter of appreciation from Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender.

The Helpline Center will also recognize Izzillo at the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards Banquet on May 2, 2017 at the Best Western Ramkota. For more information on volunteer opportunities, call the Helpline Center at 211.

Building homes in Vietnam

Black Hills volunteers are in Vietnam until Oct. 8 to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity. Thrivent Financial members and staff from the Black Hills are joining hundreds of volunteers from around the world to help 30 Vietnamese families build their homes.

They are volunteering in Phu Tho, a province in north Vietnam, about 45 miles from the national capital of Hanoi.

Thrivent Builds Worldwide program is Habitat for Humanity's largest source of funds outside government funding, according to a media release. Since 2005 the company and its members have committed at least $226 million, as well as 4.7 volunteer hours to the nonprofit organization that aims to provide affordable and decent housing worldwide.

More good deeds by Thrivent

More than 170 elementary students in the Rapid City school district have receive donated backpacks loaded up with school supplies thanks to Thrivent Financial. The local Thrivent Financial team loaded up the backpacks this August.

A representative of Thrivent Financial said the list of recipients, mostly low-income students, was provided by a partner organization. Community partners include First Interstate Bank, Lord of Life Lutheran Church, South Canyon Lutheran Church, Trinity Lutheran Church, National American University, and the Retired Schools Employee Group.

Donated items include pencils, pens, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, glue sticks, pencil boxes, erasers, highlighters and pocket folders.
PIERRE | For hundreds of South Dakotas largest livestock producers, their way of life was put to the test this past week.

They faced scrutiny during a three-day hearing about their cattle, pork, dairy and poultry operations and concerns over whether South Dakotas water supply is properly protected from the tons of manure produced.

If they have enough pigs or steers or cows or chickens or turkeys at a site, they need manure management systems that meet state government requirements. On the other hand, if theyre small enough, the government will continue to leave them to do business as usual.

For the first time in a decade, the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources is updating its regulations regarding concentrated animal feeding operations.

More than 400 producers operate under the current permit. They would need to apply again during the next one to four years. The management plans are intended to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus that wind up in streams, lakes, rivers and shallow aquifers.

South Dakota uses whats known as a general permit for the concentrated animal feeding operations.

That means regulations are set in that permit and producers apply to operate under the conditions of the general permit. The permit doesnt regulate odor or dust.

One side of the debate featured lawyers and witnesses for the cattlemen, pork producers, dairy producers and poultry farms.

The other side sought more regulation and was led by some individual producers and Dakota Rural Action, an environmental advocacy group.

In the middle sat the engineers who run the states feedlot permitting program.

Steve Pirner, the state secretary of environment and natural resources, adopted the revised permit at the end of the hearing Thursday. The new version will take effect in about two months.

The concentrated operations have to prepare and follow whats called a nutrient management plan.

They have to collect and store manure, then apply those tons to crop fields when the time is right.

Some of the producers said that even though their operations don't require it, they voluntarily follow the states rules because they make sense.

Several testified they wouldnt apply manure on wet ground because they would tear up fields, pack the soil so it wouldnt be as productive, get equipment stuck and track mud onto the local roads.

The manure helps save money because they dont purchase commercial fertilizer or they buy less of it.

Other producers who want more regulation told stories of manure washing from neighboring feedlots and turning the water in their creeks and ponds to a brown color.

One story was about two brothers who disagree.

Rancher Glenn Mayer of Pukwana doesnt like whats happening on his land that is downhill from the feedlot next door operated by his brother Lynn.

Mayer said hes disappointed in the responses from state, federal and tribal regulators about the complaints he has filed.

Kennette Rogers of rural Ree Heights said water runs from a neighbors feedlot onto the property owned by her and her husband.

She said she didnt know she could file a complaint with the state office. The neighbor doesnt have a state permit but Rogers said thousands of cattle move through.

Todd Wilkinson, president for the South Dakota Cattlemens Association and one of the lawyers for the producer groups, told her DENR could have made the feedlot get a permit.

His cross-examination of her brought to light that Rogers became aware in 2015 she could have pursued a complaint.

But you didnt choose to go that route, Wilkinson said.

No, Rogers replied.

Wilkinson asked Rogers how in her situation state regulators could respond to something they didnt know about. She again said she didnt know she could complain.

So the general permit process is a good thing, he said.

If there is enough restrictions, she replied.

John Lentz of Fulton is a resource conservationist for the federal Natural Resources and Conservation Service. We feel very good this current permit is going to do what its supposed to do, Lentz said.

A witness for the South Dakota Pork Producers was Dave Uttecht, a farmer from the Huron area. He said the permit requirements are beneficial.

Its not always easy to keep all the records, but its the right thing to do, so we dont have bad actors in the state making a mess of things, Uttecht said.

He agreed the general permit process is easier for operators and removes uncertainty and expense. Its hard to know what the rules are, he said.

A witness for dairy producers, Lynn Boadwine, a managing partner of three different dairies in Minnehaha County and near Milbank, said field-tiling restrictions would really make it difficult. One of the suggestions from a consultant for Dakota Rural Action was to cap the drainage end of field tile when manure was recently applied and conditions turned wet.

Boadwine said many of the farmers he knows have installed tile in recent years.

Jason Feldhaus grows crops and runs a feedlot of more than 900 head of cattle near Howard. He is under the 1,000-head threshold for cattle that would require state approval but still uses a nutrient management plan that features a combination of manure and commercial fertilizer.

Feldhaus said he spreads manure over his tiled fields, where the tiles are four feet deep in the soil. In my opinion, soil is one of the best filters there is, as it goes through the soil profile, he said.

He described the cattle manure as very valuable. He doesnt apply manure to wet fields and said he gets better crop yields using manure rather than commercial fertilizer.

Its not a waste product. It allows us to not have to spend a lot of money on commercial fertilizer, Feldhaus said. He added, It costs us money if it runs off.

Brad Woerner of Yankton works for an engineering firm that has designed many manure facilities and helped write nutrient management plans for many livestock producers in South Dakota and neighboring states.

Woerner said the firm's engineers gather all the information available, from crop rotations to well and aquifer locations, and consider the lay of the land in recommending how manure facilities could fit into a producers operation.

He said he has told producers at times they need to change their layout and he has told contractors their work wasnt up to expectations and needed to be corrected.

I would say my job isnt to be liked. Its to be correct, Woerner testified.

He added, We can put the same barn up on 10 different sites but were going to have 10 sites. Everything is going to be unique for that site.
Efforts to get millennials to the polls this Election Day are in full swing on the Northern Arizona University campus.

But whether the solid majority of campus votes delivered to Bernie Sanders in his unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination will go to Hillary Clinton is up in the air.

Starting tomorrow, Associated Students of NAU and the advocacy organization Arizona Public Interest Research Group will launch a voter registration week on the Mountain Campus. They hope a combination of in-person outreach and new digital tools will boost participation among a generation that has had historically low voter turnout.

ASNAU is doing a large voter registration push because we really want to engage the students and empower them to know that their voice matters, said ASNAU Student Body President Vanessa Pomeroy.

According to a May Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, millennials  those born between 1981 and 1998  are now virtually tied with baby boomers as the largest generational voting bloc in the U.S. electorate.

But Pew also reported that millennials vote at lower rates than older generations. For instance, only about 50 percent of eligible millennial voters cast ballots in 2008, compared to 69 percent of baby boomers.

If we want to have a representative, vibrant democracy, the millennial vote needs to significantly increase, said Diane Brown, Arizona PIRG Education Fund executive director.

NAU political science professor Fred Solop said millennials follow the historical pattern of voting that has been true for generations. He said young people vote consistently less than middle-aged people, who vote consistently less than older people.

Millennials will get more politically engaged as they get older, Solop said. The pattern has held true for generations.

That is not necessarily comforting for politically engaged young people.

The student voice is one of the most under-heard voices in the country in terms of participation, said John Bower, ASNAUs vice president of government affairs.

It is not just a national problem. There are approximately 990,000 eligible millennial voters in Arizona, but in 2012, only 38 percent of millennials voted. In the 2012 presidential election, only 1,378 people registered to vote at NAU's on-campus polling locations, though voter turnout among that small group was 65.4 percent.

I think that speaks to a lot of the issues that students face when election season comes around because candidates dont speak to them, Bower said. They dont speak to their issues. It creates this vicious cycle where the students do not feel like theyre engaged or empowered by anybody so they are generally apathetic.

REGISTRATION DAY

As of this past week, there were approximately 1,300 people registered to vote this November at the University Union  the only polling place for a campus that houses more than 9,000 students. ASNAU and PIRG both had voter registration booths at the NAU University Union this past Tuesday, which was National Voter Registration Day, but most of the students they saw walked right by or said they were already registered.

One student who did stop was Alec Chavez, 20.

Its sort of like a civil duty I feel that all citizens have, Chavez said.

The NAU junior is registered to vote at his parents address in California. On Tuesday, ASNAU members lent him a tablet computer and showed him how to get his absentee ballot sent to his mailing address at NAU using the latest item in the student governments voter turnout toolbox: TurboVote.

TurboVote is a website designed to make voter registration easy. By answering simple questions, anyone can automatically register to vote in the correct district and state, and sign up to receive an absentee ballot  an essential for out-of-state students who want to vote in more than just the presidential and U.S. congressional races.

It is difficult for out-of-state students to register in Arizona, said Coconino County Recorder Patty Hansen. This is because they must have proof of U.S. citizenship to register. We currently have 150 federal-only registrants and the majority of these are out-of-state students.

Solop said NAU students are an important demographic in Flagstaff, but added that many students he knows are registered to vote at their parents addresses instead of locally.

When you look at the demographics of Flagstaff, 22,000 people are students, so the students have a lot of power, he said. But when I talk to my students, theyre all registered to vote and theyre all likely to vote, but theyre registered to vote at their parents house.

Solop said because students are registered at other locations, it makes sense that turnout at polling places on campus is generally much lower. However, he said he is trying to show his students the importance of registering at their new addresses.

Solop hosted the Flagstaff City Council and mayoral candidates in his class, as well as representatives from the local ballot measures to show his students the direct effects they can have on their community.

I would guess about 75 percent of my students hold a job, so the minimumwage proposal would directly affect them, he said.

THIRD PARTY APPEAL

Solop said millennials are more oriented toward the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, but said millennials are also more likely than previous generations to consider a third party, like the Libertarian or Green parties. He also said young voters were an important constituency for Barack Obama, and said a candidate like Bernie Sanders, who appealed to many young people, can help get young voters engaged in the process.

I would guess a lot of young people engaged in the process because of Bernie, but now that Bernie has dropped out, many have continued to stay engaged, Solop said. Many are now supporting Hillary Clinton, and some are supporting a third party candidate.

A recent AP-GfK poll found Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Partys presidential nominee, pulling 14 percent of voters under 30, Green Party nominee Jill Stein with 3 percent and "other" with 6 percent. Clinton had the backing of 48 percent of young voters, compared with the 60 percent Obama notched in 2012. Trump had 27 percent in the poll.

In Flagstaff, Sanders outpolled Clinton in the March presidential primary nearly 8 to 1, and Sanders carried the city of Flagstaff by a solid majority.

Chavez was a Sanders supporter during the primaries but he does not know who he is going to vote for in the presidential election.

Jacob Ollanik, who was the student and campus coordinator for the NAU for Bernie group, said he and many of his fellow Sanders supporters are now planning to vote for Clinton, but he does worry that some of the Bernie or bust students will stay home on Election Day. Thats why his new group, Youth Voters Alliance, is working with PIRG and ASNAU to make sure

If they are not fans of any of the presidential candidates, there are still all of the down-ballot elections up for grabs this year, Ollanik said. Whether you decide to vote for one presidential candidate or another or neither of them, its still super important to get out and vote for the local politicians.

NOT JUST TOP OF THE TICKET

Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan, who just revamped her offices election website to make it more appealing to the younger, technologically savvy generations, stressed the importance of showing up to vote for more than just the presidential elections.

Come out and vote for the president; thats wonderful, she said. But then, please come out and vote for your governor and your state representatives and your local officials because those are the ones that actually really affect your life.
WASHINGTON | It seemed like a no brainer: Tie down-ballot Republican Candidate X to Donald Trump and watch Candidate X go down in his or her race for the Senate, the House or dog catcher.

This should be true in competitive races, because of the GOP presidential nominee's record-setting unpopularity. But it's not working out that way. There's new evidence that attempts to tie other Republicans to Trump isn't playing well and it might even be hurting Democrats.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been running ads this month linking Republican candidates to Trump in Texas, Iowa, Minnesota, Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania. The ads follow a similar script, noting Trump's disparagement of women and the disabled, his attack on a Gold Star family, his reckless national-security talk or some other misdeed  then pointing out that the local Republican "supports" or at least "refuses to disavow" Trump.

But does the cookie-cutter cut it?

The House Majority PAC, a super PAC trying to boost Democrats' prospects in the House, polled in 25 competitive districts and noticed that tying the local Republican to Trump was only among the top-testing negative attack lines in three or four.

So Alixandria Lapp, the super PAC's executive director, had a liberal group called the Analyst Institute run a controlled experiment, sending direct mail to 108,000 independents and Republicans in a half-dozen districts in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and Virginia.

The findings were intriguing. Those voters who received three pieces of mail tying the local Republican candidate to Trump (mainly on national security) increased their support for the Democratic congressional candidate by 2.7 percent over voters in a control group who received no mailings. But those who received mailings attacking the Republican on issues without mentioning Trump increased their support for the Democrat by 5.2 percentage points.

And the attempt to tie the local Republican to Trump actually backfired in a way, by hurting Hillary Clinton. Support for Clinton among those receiving the anti-Trump mailings declined 3.5 percent relative to the control group.

Trump should still help Democrats down the ballot. He's expected to provoke minority voters to turn out in high numbers, and he's depressing support among surviving Republican moderates. But with the Senate, many congressional races and control of state legislatures in the balance, wasting money on a fruitless effort to turn all Republicans into Trump could be a consequential mistake.

Why isn't the Trump taint more effective?

For one, Republicans don't much care. The Analyst Institute experiment found that the mailings linking the local Republican to Trump didn't diminish enthusiasm for the Republican candidate at all. Independents may be moved slightly by the Trump taint, but they're not as alarmed by Trump's antics as Democrats supposed they would be.

Ultimately, it may be that voters of all stripes perceive that Trump is one of a kind, that he's such an outlier in American politics that they recognize the difference between him and their senators or representatives.
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?

Before any legislative fix is considered, we must understand the root cause of the problem. Fortunately, a comprehensive look at our criminal justice system is underway. The findings should promote solutions that keep violent criminals in jail while finding other options for lesser offenders. How can the state support county jail diversion programs and enhanced mental health care services to help people before they become offenders? Are sentencing guidelines realistic? Does the Board of Pardons and Parole need reforming? Answers to questions such as these, should identify solutions that avoid adding costly jail capacity.

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 Legislature, the Wildlife Commission, and Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) share responsibility for managing wildlife as a public trust for all Montanans. Through an effective system of checks and balances the Legislature makes laws and policy, the commission provides for public and political input and FWP provides scientific management expertise. Legislators should resist micromanaging and let the commission and FWP do their jobs. We need to work together to resolve contentious issues like land acquisition, predators and bison if we want to continue to provide the quality hunting, fishing and recreation that make Montana the envy of others.

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 think the Legislature should support some type of self-help programs for workers in the coal, oil and gas industries to help them transition to this new economic reality. The renewable energy industry, with incentives and help from the state, could provide training and possibly relocation assistance. That would not only help individual workers, but would have spin-off benefits to the greater state economy by growing the skill base needed for this new industry. It could be a model for developing other mid-life training opportunities that would help all Montanans be more flexible in a rapidly changing world and economy.

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?

Funding diverse educational opportunities for all Montana residents should be one of the Legislatures highest priorities. Education is vital for a healthy economy. It helps workers adjust to the changing job market and helps diversify our economy by providing the skilled workforce to attract prospective employers to Montana. No motivated citizen should be denied the education or training they need because its too expensive. Together we can afford to offer higher education; its simply a matter of priorities. We can either work together to lift everyones boat or suffer the proven consequences of a declining standard of living for all.

What do you regard as the most urgent problem facing Montana, and how do you propose dealing with it?

Montana is in the crosshairs of climate change. It is an economic, environmental and social problem of monumental consequence. Farming, ranching, the energy industry, tourism, water availability, fire risk, recreation, fish, wildlife and peoples health are affected. The longer we wait the fewer options we have. It will require leadership, foresight, and guts to create realistic and practical solutions. Simply relying on smaller government and lower taxes is not the answer. It will take adaptation and significant funding coupled with innovation from educators, businesses and government working together to identify and carry out actions to deal with a changing Montana.

Political Party: Democrat

Age: 63

Family: married for 26 years.

Occupation: retired from 35 years of public service in the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service

Education: bachelor of science, forest resources-outdoor recreation; University of Washington, Seattle; master of liberal arts, environmental planning-landscape architecture, University of California-Berkeley

Employment: seven seasons as a park ranger for the National Park Service in three national parks in the West (Crater Lake, Olympic and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks). Thirty-year career with the U.S. Forest Service on three national forests in northeastern California, the eastern Sierra Nevada and northern Idaho (Lassen, Inyo, Clearwater National Forests). My positions varied from recreation program specialist, to district ranger, to Lewis and Clark Bicentennial coordinator, to a regional recreation program leader. I retired with a total of 35 years of federal service from the Regional Office in Missoula in 2014. Since my retirement, I have been active in nonprofit work.

Political experience: I have held terms on two Town Council Commissions for the Town of Mammoth Lakes, California: 1) Design Review Commission and 2) Parks and Recreation Commission; I was appointed a member of the Western Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission by the Missoula and Ravalli County Commissioners, and I am a member of the Western Montana BLM Citizens Advisory Committee appointed in 2016 by the current Secretary of Interior. This is my first time running for a state-level office.

Ways voters can contact you: Margaret For HD 88, P.O. Box 110, Stevensville, MT 59870; 552-2072; Margaretforhd88@gmail.com
The rock outcrop along Flathead Creek just outside of the tiny town of Wilsall had always been a special place for Sarah Anzicks family.

They owned 76 acres there. Its where they kept their horses and made their memories.

We used to go there every weekend, Anzick remembered. It was definitely one of the most picturesque locations in the Wilsall. Its where I caught my first fish.

Its also where her long and arduous journey that would eventually help unlock the secrets of the origin of Native Americans began.

The Corvallis womans story will be featured in special two-hour PBS presentation of Novas Great Human Odyssey that will premier Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m.

It began in the year that Anzick turned two, her father allowed a couple of local contractors to get some dirt from their familys property.

It was a decision that would change his daughters life forever.

In the midst of their excavation, one of the two men noticed a virtual treasure trove of artifacts falling onto the ground. Later that night, the two men returned with their wives to remove the 12,700-year-old stone and bone artifacts covered in red ochre.

The men had stumbled across the oldest known burial site in North America of the Clovis Culture. The child who was buried there was between 1 and 2 years old.

No one knew it then, but his DNA would eventually confirm the Asian roots of all of today Native Americans and rule out a controversial theory that some ancestral populations might have crossed the Americas from Ice Age Europe.

But before that could happen, Sarah Anzick would have to grow up and become a molecular biologist with a keen interest in learning more about the child whose final resting place was so close to her own heart.

The artifacts found on her familys property were returned to her parents, while the skeletal fragments of the child were delivered to researchers at the Smithsonian Institute.

For many years, my parents kept the artifacts in a glass case under their bed, she said. We would pull them out sometimes and look at themThey were part of my life growing up.

The artifacts are now available for viewing at the Montana Historical Society.

As an adult, Anzick began working with the Human Genome Project, where she realized that the opportunity to uncover the origins of Native Americans might lie with the DNA from the ancient child.

But she had no idea just how challenging that journey of discovery would be.

By this time, a Smithsonian forensic anthropologist had done a thorough analysis of the skeletal remains and agreed to give them to Anzick.

It wasnt an entire skeleton, she said. There were some cranial pieces, some ribs and a clavicle. That was all.

Those skeletal fragments were incredibly important. The Anzick site was the only known Clovis burial site.

The prehistoric Clovis culture first appears in North America about 13,500 years ago. It was named for the artifacts found near Clovis, New Mexico.

Anzick remembers the day that she received the remains. The Smithsonian researcher had been able to reconstruct the tiny cranium.

It took your breath away when you realized what it was that you were looking at, she said. It was beautiful to me and very precious.

At the time, she was working Human Genome Project and initially thought it would be possible to do the work as part of her federal job. Understanding the sensitivity involved, Anzick reached out to two Montana Indian Tribes.

One was supportive and the other was adamantly opposed.

After the meeting with the second Tribe, she withdrew her request to do the work through her federal workplace and began looking for a private research facility.

In 2000, she attempted to gather DNA from elk bones that were found with other artifacts at the Anzick site. That attempt failed.

The technology wasnt there, she said. I put my idea aside and let it rest. I didnt know at that point what was going to happen.

Eventually technology improved and her path led to a Danish DNA expert named Eske Willerslev. She went to Denmark with a very small piece of the cranium, where an international team eventually sequenced the Clovis childs DNA.

In 2014, she helped author a paper in Nature that confirmed the Asian roots of all of todays Native Americans.

Remarkably, close to 80 percent of all Native North Americans carry the Anzick genome and the number rises to 90 percent in Central and South America, said the NOVA programs press release. So a once tiny group of hunter-gatherers represented by this ancient Montana child became the ancestors of nearly all Native Americans, including those such as the Maya and the Inca, who created the great ancient civilizations of North and South America.

The PBS special, Great Human Odyssey, chronicles how the humble-gatherers living a precarious existence in Africa would eventually reach every corner of the earth, including the place where Sarah Anzick would catch her first fish.

Its been a long journey for me, Anzick said. I have always felt like I needed to do this.

But along the way, she never lost her sensitivity to the beliefs of the Native Americans she had met along the way. Anzick met with the Montana Burial Board after the genome was sequenced. The board is an organization that decides what should happen to uncovered ancient remains.

The boards general consensus was the child should be put back in the ground, she said.

In 2014, surrounded by members of seven different Tribes, Anzick returned the remains for burial on her familys property.

It was a really beautiful reburial ceremony, she said. This whole process had aged me 20 years. I was always sensitive for the potential for conflict. When it came time, I knew we were doing the right thing.

There was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, Anzick said. For me it was about closure. It was very beautiful.

The reburial ceremony was taped for the documentary.

I think they did a very good job with the program, she said. I was very pleased with it.

Anzik currently works the National Institute of Healths Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton.
First, I would like to thank Perry Backus and the Ravalli Republic for the article regarding the Town Hall temporary closure. Despite the unplanned resignation of the Town Clerk, we were able to act quickly and be proactive to insure a continuity of services to the community within two hours of finding out about the situation and we will have staff working in the office Monday morning at 9 a.m. and open to the public our normal hours Tuesday at 8am.

I sympathize with Mr. Rider and all municipal elected officials. It can be hard work with little recognition and certainly an overwhelming amount of complexity for what in the end is a token compensation financially. To act as a community leader can be a tiresome and thankless position. But there is an obligation to the residents of the community to work towards providing the best services we can for their investment into the community. We can debate the nature of government and its role in our community but the elected officials are tasked with managing public funds in a fiscally sound manner to maintain roads, sidewalk, parks, cemeteries, and the complex and immensely expensive water and sewer systems.

Sometimes we dont get to choose. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality over the last decade has increased water and sewer quality requirements to both protect the residents of the community and our local environment. The Town of Darby doesnt have a choice but to come into alignment, however expensive and unplanned, with both our drinking water and our outflow waste water quality. The testing and educational certification requirements have increased despite the population and infrastructure in Darby remaining consistent. Luckily, we have some time. This is where good planning comes into action. The sacrifices today will pay dividends in the future. If we do not plan today, we will not have the financial resources for matching grants, capital to reduce debt burdens to the community, or even be able to catch up on the basic maintenance of the system which has been postponed years beyond my tenure. A failure to plan will inevitably result in significant increases in both the water and sewer fees to a point it may be prohibitively expensive to the community- driving residents out of town because its cheaper to dig a well and install a septic system just outside of town limits than pay the high water and sewer bills.

I have been mayor for nearly 10 months in office at Darby. I have invested 20-30 hours per week working in Town Hall understanding our financial condition and managing the employees of the community to provide the greatest benefit to the community. It has taken time to investigate and understand the complex municipal accounting system and how the different funds and systems operate together to get a clear picture of the financial health of the community. Ive been told that I am the first mayor in memory to spend any significant amount of time at Town Hall or take direct management of the departments. I have consulted with Local Government Services of the State of Montana, our Independent Financial Auditor, the Town Attorney, the Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority, independent accounting firms, and Mayors and Treasurers in other communities to better understand the issues of small communities and where we stand in Darby.

At the end of this fiscal year I summarized a year end income and expense report for the Council. This report indicated the Town of Darby is expending nearly 100 percent of all revenue. Looking back several years, the results are similar. Looking at the year end cash statement, it revealed that after affording operating expenses the town did not have enough money to complete any one major repair or capital improvement project without depleting the cash reserves. The net result- the Town doesnt have enough money to maintain the current infrastructure or expand infrastructure to increase revenue and has no means to replenish the reserve funds once they are expended . Thats not even considering a major capital improvements project like an $8 million waste water treatment plant. With this budgetary policy the Town of Darby is in a vicious circle with no alternative but to borrow money and increase fees to residents to maintain infrastructure and perform necessary capital improvements.

While reviewing the water and sewer operating expenses for the town I asked the department heads to provide a labor audit to analyze the number of man hours needed specifically for operations. This revealed some inconsistencies to the wage allocation in the water and sewer funds that when adjusted to match the audit results made the funds healthy with a surplus over operating expenses that could be used for repairs, capital improvements, and long term expansion of the systems. The state mandates all revenue for the water and sewer systems must be used solely for the expenses of the water and sewer systems. Water and Sewer revenue cannot be used for other purposes in the community to protect the communities investment in these important systems. A review of a five year history of the financial data revealed similar financial inconsistencies with another seven years of data to be examined.

In light of the audit results, the council has little choice but to revise the operating budgets of the water and sewer funds in accordance with the requirements of the State of Montana. Unfortunately, this creates a deficit in the general fund requiring some hard decisions by the Council to create a balanced budget and a healthy economy. While this is a very difficult process, once complete, the Town can move forward in a financially healthy manner responsibly planning for the communitys future.

Again, I sympathize with Mr. Rider. His tenure on council comes at a time when it is no longer financially viable to continue in the same manner as the past 15 years. As policy makers, it is their responsibility, no matter how unpopular, to create a fiscally responsible plan for the benefit of the community. In light of the financial information and an impending mandatory capital improvements project, the Town of Darby can not proceed to do the same thing expecting a different result.

I applaud the remaining council members and all elected officials that have the courage to act responsibly in light of difficult decisions. This is hard work and thats part of the job. Great things are happening in Darby.
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio - An Ohio law that took effect Wednesday could cut the length of the foreclosure process for vacant homes from years to mere months.

That seems like a good thing for a state grappling with thousands of abandoned houses, which drag down the values of surrounding properties and act as magnets for crime. Yet Ohio's new fast-track foreclosure program isn't garnering universal support. While the mortgage industry touts the law as a model for other states to mimic, some housing advocates in Northeast Ohio are skeptical - and worried about legislative add-ons they fear will do more harm than help.

Nobody's arguing against the guiding principle: Pushing vacant properties through the court system more quickly will reduce the window for deterioration and increase the odds that empty homes will be renovated and reoccupied, saving money for taxpayers and lenders alike.

"We end up in this cycle where we're draining local resources to take care of these things. And there's no resolution," said Rep. Jonathan Dever, a Cincinnati-area Republican and attorney who sponsored the legislation. "We needed something to deal with these things."

Still, aspects of the law are chafing some researchers and public officials, who worry about the potential for eroded homeowner protections and lost local-government control. And even proponents of the legislation aren't sure how effective the fast-track program will be.

"We don't feel this is a terrific piece of legislation," said Sally Martin, housing manager for South Euclid, a heavily residential inner-ring suburb east of Cleveland. "Not at all."

The law doesn't apply to every foreclosure. Or to every vacant house.

To be fast-tracked, a home must carry a mortgage. The homeowner must be in monetary default - behind on payments - and have moved out. A lender then has the option, but not the obligation, to ask a judge for a streamlined foreclosure process and a swifter sale of the property.

The average mortgage foreclosure in Ohio takes 689 days, according to ATTOM Data Solutions, a California company that tracks the real estate market. That's almost two years. The fast-track program could reduce that wait time to less than four months for vacant homes through reducing paperwork, cutting down on hearings and putting firm timelines on parts of the process.

Hangover from the housing crisis

There are close to 80,500 empty or abandoned houses and condos in Ohio, based on a recent report from ATTOM, the new parent company of RealtyTrac. The state is among the nation's 10 most vacant, with no one living in 2.4 percent of homes.

Not all of those homes are in foreclosure, of course. During the third quarter of this year, ATTOM found, nearly 17,000 residential properties were going through mortgage foreclosure - a process initiated by a lender, distinct from tax-foreclosure proceedings kicked off by counties based on unpaid property-tax bills. Nearly 1,000 of those mortgage foreclosures were considered "zombie" properties - homes sitting empty and in limbo.

"A foreclosure process, once you file, it can take two years, three years. I've seen four years that a property is sitting there," said Robert Klein, the founder and chairman of Safeguard Properties of Valley View, a major player in the business of securing and maintaining vacant homes for banks. "If a property is occupied, keep them there. I don't care how long it takes. ... Let them live there. But when a property becomes vacant, for the property to sit there for a long period of time, in my opinion, is absolutely a sin."

Klein is a proponent of fast-track foreclosure laws, which have been passed in a handful of states including Nevada, New Jersey and Illinois and are being considered in several others. He believes lenders will be more driven to pursue and complete foreclosures on vacant homes if they know that there's a truncated timeline and a chance to take back a home before it has been vandalized and devalued beyond repair.

"You take any lienholder who gets a property in foreclosure that's in halfway decent condition, they're not going to let it sit there and become a zombie property," Klein said. "It's not in their financial best interest."

Once a foreclosure lawsuit has been filed, the fast-track program gives cities the ability to intervene and ask a judge to speed things up if a lender is letting a case languish.

But the law doesn't require lenders to initiate foreclosure on vacant homes or to seek fast-track status for such cases. And it won't necessarily do much to address almost 3,600 bank-owned homes that currently are sitting vacant across the state.

"It's kind of like chipping away at an iceberg or eating an elephant," Dever said. "One bite at a time. It's not a silver bullet or a one-size-fits-all for everybody."

As Daren Blomquist, senior vice president for ATTOM, points out, Ohio has the third-largest pool of empty bank-owned properties in the country, after Florida and Michigan. And the state has one of the nation's largest inventories of empty homes owned by investors, including out-of-town buyers who swooped in sensing opportunities in the wreckage of the housing bust.

"Nobody's arguing that you should just let vacant properties sit forever," said Geoff Walsh, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center in Boston. "But I think a more appropriate approach is to look at who caused the problem. Nothing in this Ohio legislation really addresses that. ... Have there be an enforceable law with meaningful sanctions at the state level that penalizes lenders that delay foreclosures and allow properties to deteriorate when they are abandoned. Generally, the lending industry has opposed that type of legislation."

Ohio's law doesn't include any such penalties for lenders, who have a financial stake in the homes as collateral for loans but don't actually control the properties. In some ways, the fast-track program seems more like a carrot than a stick. It provides incentives - speed, cost-savings and a potential financial upside - for banks, in hopes that they'll jump on the bandwagon.

The only punishment outlined in the law is for homeowners, who can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined if they willfully damage a house once the foreclosure process has started. That's the lending industry's response to cases where frustrated and angry residents have trashed - and even demolished - houses after receiving notice of a lawsuit.

Even Dever, who sponsored the legislation, expects that part of the law to be challenged.

"To me, that was one of the areas I wasn't so sure about, either," he said. "How can you be held responsible for doing that to your own house? It's a weird thing."

A foundation that could be modified

Parts of the law, wrapped into Substitute House Bill 390, are likely to be tweaked later this year or early next, Dever said. Those adjustments could come in the form of modifications to House Bill 463, the original fast-track proposal that's still live in the General Assembly.

Some county treasurers and housing organizations in the state are talking about possible amendments. They're particularly perturbed by changes to sheriff's sales, the public auctions where foreclosed properties are sold. The law creates the framework for a statewide website that eventually will replace the in-person sales held at county courthouses and other public buildings.

The website hasn't been designed yet and likely won't exist for another year, at least. There is a five-year phase-in period, so counties aren't immediately required to participate. And the law requires much more documentation about online bidders than local governments collect today. Right now, almost anyone with cash can walk in and buy a house, no questions asked.

Critics believe online listings and sales will encourage more far-flung speculators to snap up properties in Ohio, where out-of-state investors already own at least 3 percent of all single-family homes, according to estimates from ATTOM. County treasurers also are worried about a provision that delinquent property taxes don't have to be paid at the time of a sale.

But public officials including Martin, in South Euclid, are even more concerned about the change in minimum-bid requirements for auctioned properties.

In the past, foreclosures went up for auction at two-thirds of their appraised value, based on county valuations. If a house did not sell the first time, it went up for auction again at the same price. The home eventually might land in the hands of a local land bank, entities that focus on both demolition and redevelopment.

Under the new law, the second sale no longer has a minimum bid requirement. If a house doesn't sell the first time around, it could be offered up again at a much lower price.

"Housing advocates in Cuyahoga County are working on an amendment that would address one specific thing, and that's to restore the minimum two-thirds bid," said Frank Ford, senior policy advisor at the Western Reserve Land Conservancy in Cleveland and a leader of a local coalition of public- and private-sector representatives focused on vacant real estate. "Either do that, or when there's a property that does not sell at the first sheriff's sale for want of bidders, then that property should be offered to the local county land bank as a donation."

Dustin Holfinger of the Ohio Bankers League, which backed the fast-track legislation, said eliminating the bid threshold ultimately will help communities by getting empty homes into the hands of lenders who can resell or donate them or investors who could remake them.

He predicts that most homes won't even make it to a second auction. And he dismissed the idea that investors will be snapping up houses for as little as a $1 - a fear of community groups.

"This bill is probably seven years too late," said Holfinger, vice president of state government relations for the banking organization. "But at least it's occurring at this point. And we believe that it's important to avoid any digression back into the onslaught of vacant and abandoned properties that communities have faced."

Statewide standards versus local control

Dever attributed much of the consternation about the new law to confusion, driven in part by changes between early versions of the legislation and the ultimate language.

For example, the initial bill included a list of criteria for proving that a property is vacant, including trash on the lawn, broken windows, busted doors and disconnected utilities. The final iteration also requires corroboration from a local government representative, such as a code-enforcement official. If a lender doesn't have that proof at the outset, a judge has seven days to order the local community to conduct an inspection.

In South Euclid, that requirement will be an extra burden for already busy staff. But Martin, the housing director, is glad to have an additional layer of control. She worried early on that residents would be turned out of their homes based on visual evidence from lenders and the companies that banks hire to inspect properties.

"We wanted that language where a city can be the deciding factor," she said. "As much as that does provide work for a municipality, it's important work."

Since the housing bust and the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, South Euclid has slashed vacancy from more than 800 properties to just shy of 200 today, helped by a 2010 city ordinance that put a registration requirement and sale restrictions on empty buildings. Sellers must bring homes up to code or buyers must agree to take on the violations and commit to fixing them before a property can change hands.

It's clear that Martin is worried about anything that threatens her community's ability to shape what happens to abandoned homes. Faster foreclosures, a smoother sheriff's sale process and better documentation from bidders are all good, she said. But, to her, the new law still feels like it's more about aiding banks and less about fighting blight.

"We've had to take the cleanup of the foreclosure crisis into our own hands because nobody is coming to do that," she said. "The banks aren't bailing us out."
Dirgha Raj Prasai

'Dashain'-the famous Hindu festival is starting from 22 Ashoj 2073- 1st Oct 2016. 22 Ashoj 2073 is the starting day of Durga Puja which is called Ghatasthapana. From Ghatasthapana, Goddess Durga devotion celebrates 9 days and in the tenth day is called Vijayadashami '. Before Prithvi Narayan Shah (1768), the festival of Dashain and Tihar had been revered as a common culture of all castes. After Prithvi Narayan Shah, created a modern Nepal a new tradition was set by bringing Phulpati and Jamara to Kathmandu from the Gorakhkali Temple by a Magar priest. People from both the religion of Hindu and Buddha take Tika from senior family members in order of precedence after worshipping the main gate on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami.

Having diverse cohesive communities, Nepal has built up as a nation in a long historical process. Nepal was worthy to be bowed down by Hindus all over the world. This is the highest honor Nepal could receive from the international community. Nepal's prestige and honor would elevate further if this country is declared as "Hindu and Buddhist" country, instead of a secular state. In Nepal, there are many festivals which have been traditionally people oriented. Among all the festivals- Dashain (Vijaya Dashami) is a traditional cultural festivity. We are proud to be Nepali. We want to be free of foreign intervention pertaining to our national unity, our traditional culture, and we will be free. Everyone has the right to follow their own religion.

A cultural analyst Avigya Karki wrtites-The tenth day is the 'Dashami'. On this day we take Tika and Jamara from our elders and receive their blessing. We visit our elders in their home and get Tika from them while our younger ones come to our home to receive blessing from us. The importance of Dasain also lies in the fact that on this day family members from far off and distant relatives come for a visit as well as to receive Tika from the head of the family. This function continues for four days. After four days of rushing around and meeting your relatives Dashain ends on the full moon day, the fifteenth day. In the last day people stay at home and rest. The full moon day is also called 'Kojagrata' meaning 'who is awake'. The Hindu goddess of wealth Laxmi is worshipped. On this day the goddess Laxmi is given an invitation to visit each and everyone. After Dashain the nation settles back to normal. After receiving the blessing of goddess Durga, people are ready to work and acquire virtue, power and wealth. Dashain thus is not only the longest festival but also the most anticipated one among all the festivals of Nepal.

It is a matter of grief since 2006; some foreign agents are playing with the identity of Nepal under the guise of wolves and the foreigner's direction. Patriotic people are pondering how to save the nation and chase the monsters. The identity of a nation fades away when its cultural belief is in a sequence. To avoid this Hindus, Buddhists and patriotic Nepali people scattered across the world must launch an initiation. We patriotic people of the nation pray to goddess Nava Durga Bhawani to be prosperous to the Nepalese People all around the world. Durga is the symbol of truth which annihilates Mahishashura, representative of devil.Including, the all political Parties have to work far to come on the track to save the national traditions and culture.

In Nepal, India and in all over the world, all the Hindus celebrate enthusiastically the Dashain with glory. Nepal and India are only the two pious Hindu countries in the world. 'Hinduism.' probably only we, two are Hindu countries in the world. I want to focus obviously is on conservation of our common identity that is Hinduism and a sustainable cordiality between our two countries. Hinduism and its cultural traditions have a long history spanning over a period of thousands and thousands of years and developed over several eras. It is understood that human civilization started to advance since the Vedic age. Among all religions of the world, Vedic-Hindu religion is considered as an ancient religion that is recognized as the foundation of civilization and as the most liberal democratic way of life. Hinduism is the mother of all religions. Hindu religion is the most personally expansive and psychologically empowering religion on earth.

A country's existence and prestige can gradually be eroded by finishing off its faith and belief tradition and culture traditional faith and cultural beliefs. If anyone wants the assurance of integrity and lasting peace in this country, one must not be confused about the country's century's old customs and religion.

Hindus and Buddhists celebrate Dashain as national festival. Buddhist families in Stupas also celebrate Dashain cheerfully. According to them Lord Buddha has said Sanatan Dharma is chief religion. They also believe that there should be no penetration of religion and politics in traditional festivals. Buddhist Chandramukhi Lama says-'Dhashain is national heritage. Buddhists accept Red (few white) Tika on forehead. Whatever colour it is, it is symbol of victory of truth over untruth. Gyanibajra Lama (79 years), Chief of Buaudhha has residence aside of Stupa. He welcomes his guests in Dashain with Tika and Jamara. He says as that of Hindu tradition, they (Buddhists) also celebrate Dhashin with Tika and Jamara. Similarly, Nepalese Muslim community also respect Dashain. Muslim community in Nepalgunj celebrate Dashain taking Red Tika and Yellow Jamara as Prasad of Dev. This is an example of respect of one religion to another.

Dalai Lama, in an interview to Panchjanya Hindi Weekly (Nov 22, 1992), told that he believes Hinduism and Buddhism as brothers. These two religions follow many similarities like Samadhi, Yoga, Tantra etc which were adopted by Buddhists from Hindus. Similarly Bhutanese former King Jigme Singhe Wangchuk spoke on Dashain "I actively participate in Dhashain. Our goddess (Ista-devata) is Mahalaxmi and we worship Shiva and Vishnu." This of King Jigme was published as interview on 'The Times of India' in January 7, 1993. Since the tradition of people to equally participate on worship to Shiva and Buddha, Nepal never encountered conflicts among followers of these two religions.

The goddess Gorakkali at Gorkha and Manokamana, Tansen Bhagawoti-Palpa, Bageshori at Nepaljung, Saileshori at Doti, Tripurasundari at Dolpa, Pathivara at Taplejung, Singhbahini at Terathum, Dantakali at Dharan, Maisthan at Biratnagar, Shakhadadevi at Rajbiraj, Rajdevi at Dhanusha, Maisthan at Birgung, Gadimai at Bara, Churiyamai and Bhutan Devi at Makawanpur, Kalingchok at Dolakha, Bidyabasini at Pokhara, Chandeshori and Palanchok Bhagawoti at Kavre, In Kathmandu valley- Guheshori, Dakhinkali, Bhadrakali, Naksal Bhagawoti, Kalikasthan, Maitidevi, Shobha Bhagawoti, Sankata, Indraani at Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, Nawadurga at Bhaktapur, Bagalamukhi,Taleju-Bhagawoti, Bagrabarahi, Bagrajogini-Shakhun, Naradevi, Raktakali have been worshiping with great devotion. Augratara at Dadeldhura, Malikadebi is famous at Kalikot at Karnali. Similarly, we have thousands temples of Goddess in Nepal which have been devoting by the various castes and tribes in local areas.

In Darjeeling, Sikkim, Duarsh, Asaam and Deharadun and Bhutan Dashain and Tihar is taken as an occasion of Gorkhas unity. Hindus in India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Hongkong, America, Britain, Germany and Australia including other nation (where Nepali and Hindus are living) around the globe celebrate Dashain in their own ways. Dashain is common festival of poor and rich. Tika, a mixture of cord, red vermilion and rice is placed on the temple of the body by seniors with Jamara (nine days old barley seed) as flowers. Some Christians also celebrate Dadhain as a cultural value without Tika. Prof.Gopinarayan Pradhan of Darjeeling said- 'the attempt to reduce the extensive Nepali identity to class based identity is sad.' Swami Prapnanacharya said-'Estadev Mahadev, Parwati and Drawasam and Yumasan. Worshipping Nawadurga in Nawaratra is an ancient tradition. To pollute the ancient culture of receiving Tika on the day of Dashami or Vijayadashami at the right time is not wise.

A cultural scholar Gopal Sengupta writes in Weekly Blitz (Bangaladesh) 'People on Earth were already disturbed with loads of dissatisfactions; and it became worse when Mahishasura came with his evil power. Gods in heaven were assaulted and finally demons seized the deities and took their place. The green demon in the disguise of gigantic buffalo with fierce iron weapons attacked the King of the Lords Indra. The Lord was defeated in almost no time and Mahishasura won the throne of heaven, driving out the gods from heaven. They went to the trinity deities Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar (Lord Shiva) and prayed for themselves and the people on Earth. This invasion of heaven by Mahishasura and his army enraged the Supreme Gods. Flashes flew, thunderbolts tore the skies apart and fires illuminated the three world heaven, the earth, and the nether world with glaring beams of light. The supreme powers merged together and formed a shape of a young Goddess, who was empowered with eternal power, three eyes and ten hands with a celestial weapon in each, mounted on a lion with awesome power. Her exquisitely beautiful look with glowing face and wide-open eyes added a special glory to her personality. She was the one and only one in the whole universe who could abolish the evil power by killing Mahishasura. She was named Durga the Goddess of war, invincible lord of power and symbol of goodness. Durga means" unattainable" in Sanskrit. She is also known Mahishasura Mardini (killer), because she was the only power to demolish Mahishasura. She is Maha Devi, the Great Goddess, who is treated as the Mother of all mortal beings as well as the divine powers.

Actually, Dashain is very favorable in the villages of Nepal. It brings more happiness in villages. In villages, there are so many healthy foods, fresh vegetable in the villages. Most villagers engage to buy new clothes for them and their children. In this occasion they offer the gifts for their fathers and mothers and elders whom they visit to receive the Tika of Vijaya Dashami. And the elders bless them for their prosperous life.

Since time infinitive, Dashain is celebrated as a widespread festival and as a symbol of power. According to Hindu mythology, an ogre 'Rakshes' (monsters) by the name of Mahisasur had caused pain and suffering amongst humans. Then goddess Durga Bhawani killed the monster to relieve the humans. Dashain is the festival symbolizing victory of truth over evil. The worshipping of the Nawadurga Bhawani during the Nawaratra (nine night of worship) from Ghatastapana is an ancient tradition. It is mentioned in the Devi-Puran-'Ram had proposed of launching war against Rawan in Lanka on the occasion of Bijayadashami in Ashwin Shukla Nawaratri'. Similarly, it is mentioned in the Padma-Puran- 'Rama had killed Rawan on the day of Chaitra Shukla Chaturdashi.' It is our glorious national festival. . I extend to everyone the Greetings on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami2073 Bs. or 2016.

Email; dirgharajprasai@gmail.com
Sharmila G., 14, eloped at age 12 to marry an 18-year-old man. At the time this picture was taken in April 2016, she was seven months pregnant. Sharmila told HRW researchers that she regrets marrying early and leaving school. She said she had no knowledge of pregnancy and reproductive health or family planning, and wishes she had not gotten pregnant. PHOTO BY SMITA SHARMA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

In Nepal, many children enter into so-called love marriages to escape desperate situations at home. But while these are marriages of choice, activists warn the damage to girls prospects is as bad as if they had been forced to marry.

Kumari Pariyar was just 10 when her parents pulled her out of school so she could contribute to the family income as a domestic worker. She told researchers at Human Rights Watch (HRW) that her father used to drink heavily and beat her. Three years later, aged just 13, she ran away to get married.

If I had studied I would have known better  I would have known about marriage and everything, she told the researchers. Instead, she became one of hundreds of Nepali girls trying to escape desperate circumstances at home by marrying at a young age.

Sanjita Pariyar (who shares a common surname with Kumari) was friends with a boy a year older than her at school. Her teachers disapproved of their friendship because Sanjita is in a higher caste than the boy, so they punished her for spending time with him. They used to beat me with sticks and pull me out of morning assembly and beat me in front of my friends, she told HRW.

When the abuse started, Sanjita wasnt romantically involved with the boy. But when the beatings got to be too much, she decided her only option was to run away with the boy and marry him.

My future changed because of these teachers, she said. I dont wish this on anyone else.

Both Kumari and Sanjita are suffering the consequences of marrying young. They both missed out on an education and both say they wish they had been able to enjoy more of their childhood before leaving home. That their parents didnt arrange their marriages gives the appearance their unions were born out of choice  what in Nepali society is often referred to as a love marriage. But both children married as a way to escape difficult circumstances. Love was never part of the decision.

Nepal has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, despite the fact that the practice has been officially banned in the country since 1963. Currently, 37 percent of girls are married before the age of 18. Its not uncommon in certain communities for girls to be married before the age of 10. And sometimes, children are even married as babies, according to HRW. In those cases, the baby girl stays with her family until she grows up and gets her first period, at which point there is another ceremony and she moves in with her husband.

Aid agencies and NGOs have for a long time been targeting communities where early marriage is common, encouraging families to keep their girls in school and delay matches until their bodies are more mature. So-called love marriages are considered by some communities to be a sign of sexual freedom among teens, despite the fact they are motivated by the same sense of desperation that drives many arranged marriages. A new report by HRW says more needs to be done to tackle child marriage of all types in Nepal, including marriages arranged by the children themselves.

Girls who marry through love marriages face all the same harmful consequences as girls married off by their parents, says Heather Barr, senior researcher on womens rights in Asia for HRW. But many people  including some police and other government officials  dont seem to see love marriages as a problem, or at least not one the government can solve.

According to the report, some girls enter love marriages believing they will have more to eat with their husbands family or, as in Sanjitas case, they are so miserable at home they hope life will improve if they start their own family. Peer pressure around sex can also play a powerful role, as can misleading beliefs about menstruation and virginity.

Despite having made their own choices, all the girls who married early for love who were interviewed for the report said they regretted the decision afterwards. Not only did they lose out on an education, like so many of the girls who are married off by their parents, but they, too, endured health risks related to early pregnancy and an increased risk of domestic violence. Rights advocates are hoping that the new evidence will help pressure the government to do more to end the practice.

We spoke to a female police officer [in Nepal] who said she had only seen one prosecution [for child marriage] in 18 years of service, says Barr. The existing laws need to be stronger.

Nepal has taken the first steps to abolishing the practice, setting up a national strategy on child marriage and pledging this year to end child marriage by 2030. But according to Barr there is still no outline for how the country will reach its goal, and prosecutions, especially in the case of love marriages, are almost nonexistent.

But there are some effective interventions happening at a local level. Anand Tamang, director of the Center for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities (CREHPA), says grassroots organizations have had some real success changing peoples attitudes to child marriage. He points to a radio program,Saathi Sanga Manka Kura (Chatting With My Best Friend), which is presented by nonprofit Equal Access Nepal every week across 29 radio stations. [It] has been instrumental in raising awareness of the issue among young people, he says.

Another initiative uses the experiences of men and women who married as children to warn others against making the same choice. Run by Care International, the Tipping Point program teaches men and women who married young to act as ambassadors by talking to the community about the damage their decision caused.

Above all, says Tamang, children and adolescents should play a key role in eradicating child marriage. Not only do they know best what challenges they face, but they can also contribute new ideas and practical solutions that can be incorporated into government programming and policy, he says.

This article originally appeared on Women & Girls Hub. For weekly updates, you can sign up to the Women & Girls Hub email list.
BEIJING: A South Korean newspaper reports Chinese authorities are investigating a North Korean bank suspected of financing its governments imports of goods that might be used by its nuclear weapons programme.

Beijing has been applying more pressure on its neighbor to stop nuclear weapons development in violation of international sanctions. Chinese authorities disclosed this month they were investigating a company that researchers said sold the North materials with possible military uses.

Joongang Daily said authorities are investigating Kwangson Banking Corp. Citing unidentified sources, the newspaper said the bank was ordered closed under UN sanctions imposed in response to North Koreas nuclear tests but continued to operate in secret.

The Chinese foreign ministry and bank regulator did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
KATHMANDU, Sept 17: The Vishwakarma puja is being celebrated especially in major cities and industrial areas of the country today. Vishwakarma is regarded as the main craftsman and architect of Gods.

As per Hindu mythologies, Vishwakarma is the designer of all the flying chariots of the gods and goddesses. The ancient Hindu scripture reads that he engineered the weapons for the good. It is celebrated on Aswin 01 each year as per Nepali Calendar.

The puja is generally conducted within the factory premises, workshops and the public places as well. All the machineries are worshiped along with the worship of Biswakarma.

People worship their vehicles. Red and white clothes are offered to machinery and vehicles decorated with festoons.

Meanwhile, a news report from Pokhara city reads: These days, the festival is observed with high spirit in Pokhara and the vicinity. The Vishwakarma Youth Society Central Committee, Pokhara, has organized an open volleyball competition in Kaski district on the occasion of the Vishwakarma puja today.

Lekhnath Metal Industry Pokhara's entrepreneur Rabin Ghimire shared that people worshiped the machinery for their durability and efficiency. RSS
U. S. Sen. John McCain is in one of the toughest political races of his career.

Arizonas senior senator, seeking his sixth term, finds himself in a convergence of political trouble. Hes facing a well-known Democratic Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, a controversial Republican presidential candidate has shown disdain for McCain, and Tea Party Republicans here in the state are undermining him politically.

The race was once considered to be a toss-up, but recent polls offer conflicting narratives on how close the race truly is.

A recent NBC/Marist poll has the 2008 presidential candidate beating Kirkpatrick by 19 points. An older poll released last month from Public Policy Polling had McCain and Kirkpatrick in a statistical dead heat.

The race has attracted a lot of attention from outside groups, which have poured more than $5.9 million into the race, according to The Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan group that advocates for transparency and public access to government data. About $2.7 million was been spent in the Republican primary on ads attacking McCains rival, former state Senator Kelli Ward.

Additionally, both McCain and Kirkpatrick have individually raised millions of dollars and have begun spending money on television ads.

KIRKPATRICKS TIES TO ARIZONA

Standing in the lobby of the La Estrella Bakery in Tucson before a tour of the business recently, Kirkpatrick told the owner about the tiny store her father owned in the town of Whiteriver. Her family has deep ties to northern Arizona -- her dads family were merchants in the White Mountains while her mothers family had a ranch in Snowflake.

Before being elected to Congress in 2008, Kirkpatrick represented Flagstaff and the Navajo Nation as a state representative. Before that she worked as an attorney. In 1980, she was Coconino Countys deputy county attorney.

The 66-year-old Congresswoman helped briefly make  and eat  tortillas. She spoke to locals who lined up to buy empanadas and other pastries as well as fresh tortillas. Many customers didnt seem to know who Kirkpatrick was nor that she was running against McCain .

Kirkpatrick has been criticized for her support for the Affordable Care Act, but the Flagstaff Democrat isnt backing away from the issue.

She believes that some of the problems, including difficulty finding companies willing to provide health insurance in rural areas, have become political. For example, AETNAs decision to leave the ACA marketplace briefly left Pinal County residents without an option to buy subsidized health insurance.

She contends AETNA officials left the marketplace because they wanted to hold federal officials hostage.

AETNAs situation is vindictive. They are getting revenge on the Department of Justice who wouldnt approve their merger with Humana, she said. They are hurting real families who depend on their medical care.

But she concedes that the Affordable Care Act still needs work.

Even from the very beginning, Ive said, Wed need a revision, Kirkpatrick said.

The top priorities for Kirkpatrick are building a world-class educational system and comprehensive immigration reform.

For Southern Arizona, the lack of immigration reform is hurting the economy. And the proposal of a larger border wall is bad from local businesses, she says.

Arizona last year did $31 billion dollars worth of business with Mexico, she said, standing in the back of the bakery, motioning to the customers. People tell me that Trumps idea of deporting 12 million people, that is personal to them.

Kirkpatrick blames elected Republicans, specifically, House Speaker Paul Ryan, for gridlock on immigration reform.

MANY FRONTS

McCain is well-known but is fighting battles on many fronts

On a recent trip to his midtown Tucson election headquarters, the 80-year-old McCain rattles off percentages, figures and statistics as he discusses hot-button topics.

For example, McCain notes a Gallup poll found 29 percent of Americans report that the Affordable Care Act has hurt them financially. And a majority of them oppose what he calls Obamacare.

My opponent said it was one of her more important votes, McCain says.

The shortage of health insurance providers in the ACA marketplace in Pinal County is one of the many examples McCain cites as the broken promises of the federal healthcare initiative.

I know that when we are down to one that this is a complete contradiction to the promises that were made, McCain says.

Beyond polls in the news, McCain says he is has heard numerous horror stories from supporters.

Jobs are also a top concern for McCain, although he believes the Obama administration has largely avoided Congress by passing mandates through executive action or by setting new regulations with federal agencies.

The Navajo coal generation plant, for example, is threatened by new standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency for greenhouse gases and plans to throttle back production.

It is going to have a devastating effect on Northern Arizona, McCain notes.

He offers himself as a check on presidential power, noting President Barack Obama said two years ago he would use his office to enact legislation.

He said, Ive got a pen, and Ive got a phone, McCain said.

If Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton were elected, McCain predicts she will push for more regulations that will hinder businesses.

If you talk to any small businessperson in Pima County they will tell you that government regulations are choking them. That and taxes, McCain said.

McCain also said Congress needs to address illegal immigration, noting his role as one of the Gang of Eight whose plan cleared the Senate, but not the House.

Most importantly, the plan would have provided a legal pathway for undocumented immigrants.

There are 11 million people living here illegally, he said. That is an unsustainable situation.

McCain still supports the plan but says it will require a lot of work for each person before they can become a citizen.
Guwahati, October 1 : Informing that the government will make all the police stations in the state smart police stations in a phased manner, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said that newer challenges are facing the society in modern times and police force will have to adopt technology to tackle increasing crimes.

'A smart police force is the order of the day and technology would be able to help the police to efficiently tackle law and order situations,'A Sonowal said at the Assam Police Day celebrations held at 4th APBN, Kahilipara in Guwahati.

While honoring the 10 police personnel for their outstanding performances with Chief Minister's medal, Sonowal said that Assam Police should aim for becoming the best police force in the country.

He urged them to set an example before the younger generation to dedicate themselves to the cause of the society.

To make a corruption and crime free society Assam Police would need to be proactive and must work towards retaining the faith of the people on the police force as protector and guardian of law of the land,aA the Assam CM said.

Sonowal said that police uniform must instill fear in the hearts of the antisocial elements and inspire trust and goodwill among the common people of the state.

'No individual is above the law and police must ensure that unity and order in the society is maintained at all costs,aA Sonowal said.

Receiving the Guard of Honour, Sonowal said that the government is mindful of the various problems facing the police force and all genuine problems would be resolved in a phased manner so that the police personnel can perform their duties efficiently and without any worries.

'The government is planning various reform activities for the police force and a memorial honoring the sacrifices of the police personnel will be constructed soon,' Sonowal said.

While releasing two E-books about arms and weapons for Assam police the Assam CM said that the these E-books would be immensely helpful for the police personnel for obtaining knowledge about usage, maintenance of the various arms through digital medium.

Chief Secretary V.K. Piparsenia, Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay, Press Advisor to Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami along with top police officials of the state also present on the occasion.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati: The city based journalists were maintaining comparatively good health and only few had complications, said Dr Amit Saha of Swagat hospital after conducting the weekly evening clinic at Guwahati Press Club on 1 October last. Over 35 scribes along with their close relatives participated in the 'Evening with a Doctor' program which started at 5 pm and continued till 7.30 pm.

Dr Saha was assisted by health workers namely Dhanada Thakuria, Sewali Boro, Chandan Borgohain and Mrinal Thakuria from the same hospital in conducting the health camp, where the participants received free healthcare consultation and also got their weight, blood pressure and sugar checked.

It may be mentioned that the evening OPD on every Saturday at press club premises was started on 20 August 2016 with the presence of Dr Kashyap Kr Das (Department of Medicine, Dispur Hospitals) along with

few health workers.

Assam's well known Dispur Hospitals Pvt Ltd under the leadership of Dr Jayanta Bardoloi took the initiative to raise a doctor's chamber at the press club premises.

Later the evening free healthcare programs were graced by Dr Swapnaav Barthakur (Medicine) and Dr Ruma Dutta (O& G) from Down Town Hospitals, Dr Nitin Gupta (Urology), Dr Juri Talukdar (General Practitioner) and Dr Debanga Borah (Cardiology) from Wintrobe Hospital, Dr Rajib Das (Cardiology) and Dr Bikash Rai Das from GNRC Group of hospitals and Dr Nazmul Haque (Medicine) from Narayana Super-Specialty Hospitals.

The next Saturday evening OPD has been canceled due to Durga Puja. Meanwhile, many hospitals including Sun Valley Diabetic Centre, Nemcare Hospital, Apollo Chennai Hospital, Gauhati Medical College

have shown their interest in attending the weekly program.
Rapid Surge of Dengue Create Havoc Across the Country September 13 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, September 13, 2022: Rapid increase of dengue cases has created havoc across the country. Hospitals across the country seem to have fulfilled by the patients of the dengue fever since one month.

Nepal Records 934 New Cases Of COVID-19 In The Past 24 Hours August 08 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, August 8, 2022: Nepal records 934 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections from across the country in the past 24 hours on Monday. With the addition, coronavirus infection tally of the country has advanced to 990,625.

Nepal records 912 new cases of coronavirus infections, 324 recoveries and one death in the past 24 hours August 05 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, August 5, 2022: Nepal records 912 new cases of coronavirus infections from across the country in the past 24 hours on Friday. With the addition, nationwide infection tally stand to 989,350.

Nepal Records 895 new CIVID-19 cases, 264 recoveries and one death in the past 24 hours August 01 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, August 1, 2022: Total of 895 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection have been recorded in the past 24 hours on Monday. With the addition, nationwide infection tally has advanced to 987228.

Syringe Shortage Affects Covid-19 Vaccination Drive July 19 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, July 18, 2022: The scheduled plan to administer the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to children between five and 11 years has been disturbed in several districts including in Kathmandu Valley due to the lack of syringes.

Nepal records 457 new cases, 48 recoveries and one death in the past 24 hours July 18 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, July 18, 2022: Nepal recorded 457 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the past 24 hours on Monday. With the addition, nationwide infection ally of the country has advanced to 981,794.

Nepal records 129 new cases of coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours July 11 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, July 11, 2022: Nepal records 129 new cases of coronavirus infections from across the country in the past 24 hours on Monday. With the addition, Nepals coronavirus infection tally has advanced to 980446.

WHO considers declaring monkeypox a global health emergency June 23 2022 LONDON, JUNE 23: As the World Health Organization convenes its emergency committee Thursday to consider if the spiraling outbreak of monkeypox warrants being declared a global emergency, some experts say WHO's decision to act only after the dise

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Rare monkeypox outbreaks detected in Europe and North America May 19 2022 HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN North America and Europe have detected dozens of suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox since early May, sparking concern the disease endemic in parts of Africa is spreading.

Nepal Records 8 New Cases and 18 Recoveries In The Past 24 Hours May 02 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, May 2, 2022: Nepal records 8 new cases of coronavirus infections from across the country in the past 24 hours on Monday. With the addition, nationwide infection tally has advanced to 978836.

WHO makes commitment to support Nepal in strengthening the countrys health emergency preparedness and priorities of the health sector in Nepal April 24 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, April 24, 2022: Minister for Health and Population, Birodh Khatiwada has said that the World Health Organization (WHO) has pledged to support Nepal in strengthening the countrys health emergency preparedness and priorities of

WGO DG Dr Ghebreyesus is Arriving Kathmandu on Thursday April 20 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, 20 April, 2022: Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is arriving here in Kathmandu at the invitation of Minister for Health and Population Birodh Khatiwada on Thursday (April 21

Nepal records just 32 new coronavirus infection cases in the past 24 hours April 04 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, April 4, 2022:Nepal records just 32 new coronavirus infection cases from across the country in the past 24 hours on Monday. With the addition, nationwide infection tally has advanced to 978507.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 6, 2016. Photo: 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.

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.

Adding to concerns are current guidelines from the Centres 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.

Scott also announced that he will authorise 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 doesnt 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.
Nepali Congress unveils election manifesto October 29 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 29, 2022: The ruling head Nepali Congress has unveiled its election manifesto targeting for the upcoming November 20 elections to the House of Representatives and the Province Assembly.

Primer Deuba did not participate in the Bhaitika rituals this year as he is mourning the death of his younger brother, Prem Bahadur October 27 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 27, 2022: Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba did not partake in the Bhaitika rituals this year as is mourning the death of his younger brother, Prem Bahadur.

Bhai Tika is being observed today, auspicious time for the Bhai Tika is at 11:37 am October 27 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 27, 2022: Bhai Tika is being observed today, the fifth day of Tihar also known as Yamapanchak across the country in Nepal and world by the Hindu community.

Prime Minister Deuba extends congratulations to Rishi Sunak for his election as the leader of the Conservative Party and the next Prime Minister of the UK October 25 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 25, 2022: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has extended his congratulations to Rishi Sunak for his election as the leader of the Conservative Party and the next Prime Minister of the UK.

Earthquake Measuring 5.9 On The Richter Scale Rattles Kathmandu And Surrounding Districts October 19 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 19, 2022: An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rattled Kathmandu and surrounding districts on Wednesday. The earthquake occurred at 3:07 pm on Wednesday afternoon.

EC Set Deadline To Clear Fines And Expenses October 18 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 18, 2022: The Election Commission (EC) has set the October 22 deadline to submit expenses details with fines to those who contested in local elections.

Ruling Alliance Claims To Win Next Elections October 18 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 18, 2022: The Spokesperson of the ruling head Nepali Congress (NC) Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat has claimed that next government would be formed under the leadership of the Nepali Congress after the federal and provincial

Filing of Nominations Bring Jolts In Parties and Candidates October 11 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 11, 2022: With the filing of nominations by candidates for the first-past-the-post (FPTP) seats of the federal and provincial assembly on Sunday, the country has now formally headed towards the elections scheduled for c

EC To publish Candidates List Today October 11 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 11, 2022: The Election Commission (EC) is going to publish the name list of candidates for the first-past-the-post (FPTP) seats of the federal and provincial assembly on Tuesday. According to the EC, the candidacy file

UK Seeks Nepals Supprt To Vote Against Russia October 11 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 11, 2022: United Kingdoms Minister of state for the Middle East, South Asia and the United Nations at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Lord Ahmad, has urged the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to vot

Nepal, Italy Sign In MoU October 11 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 11, 2022: Nepal and Italy have signed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Bilateral Consultation Mechanism between the Foreign Ministries of two countries.

Joshis Health Deteriorates Further October 11 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 11, 2022: Health condition of the centenarian Satya Mohan Joshi has been deteriorating further. The 103 years old Joshi has been shifted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital in

Fulpati is being marked today October 02 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 2, 2022: Fulpati, the seventh day of 10 days long Bada Dashain is being marked today.

Myanmar court jails Suu Kyi, Australian economist for 3 years - source September 29 2022 A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Thursday jailed deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her former economic adviser, Australian Sean Turnell, for three years for violating a secrets law, a source familiar with the proceedings said.
KATHMANDU, Oct 2: Minister for Commerce, Romi Gauchan Thakali, on Saturday left for Rome, the capital of Italy, to take part in the 'Fourth Ministerial Meeting of Agricultural Commodity Markets and Prices' at the invitation of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director General, Jose Graziano da Silva.

In the meeting to be held on October 3, Minister Gauchan will present Nepal's views on food security problems faced by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the effects on economy and trade from the fluctuation in the agro products' prices.

The Minister is also expected to hold discussions with other ministers and high officials participating in the meeting with an aim to promote the trade of agricultural products among the member states. RSS


NEW DELHI: New Delhi will not participate in a meeting of South Asian nations to be held in Islamabad in November, its foreign ministry said in a statement late Tuesday.



The statement didnt name Pakistan but tensions between the neighbors and arch-rivals have been high since a militant attack on an army base in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir killed 18 Indian soldiers.



The ministry said it has written to Nepal, the current chair of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, that increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of Member States by one country have created an environment that is not conducive for a successful summit.



Indian investigators say maps, weapons and other evidence indicated that the attackers were from Jaish-e-Mohammed, an outlawed militant group based in Pakistan. Pakistan denies the charges.



Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to attend the 8-nation summit in the Pakistani capital. Other member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.



In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said while Islamabad had not received any official communication, the Indian announcement was unfortunate. Pakistan, he said, remained committed to peace and regional cooperation.



As far as the excuse used by India, the world knows that it is India that has been perpetrating and financing terrorism in Pakistan, Zakaria said.



The SAARC was founded in 1985 to promote economic cooperation in the region, but Indo-Pakistan tensions have blocked its progress.



Since the attack on the base in Indian Kashmirs Uri town top Indian officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have said they will work to isolate Pakistan internationally, accusing that country of trying to destabilize Asia by exporting terrorism.



Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed by both. Most people in the Indian-controlled portion favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.



India accuses Pakistan of arming and training insurgents and pushing them into the Indian portion of Kashmir to attack government forces and other targets. Pakistan says it provides only political and diplomatic support to insurgents who have been fighting for Kashmirs independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989.
KATHMANDU, Sept 30: Ministry of Information and Communications has reached task execution agreements (TEAs) with the subordinate bodies and departments for result-bearing expeditions.

The Ministry sealed agreements with National News Agency (RSS), Gorkhapatra Sansthan, Information Department, Nepal Telecommunications Authority, Radio Broadcast Service Development Committee, Radio Nepal, Minimum Allowance Determination Committee, Currency Department and National Film Development Board.

The Ministry will also hold separate agreements with Nepal Television, Nepal Telecom and Postal Department. The National Information Commission and Press Council Nepal, which are also the subordinate bodies, will not come under the agreement scheme as they are legally autonomous.

At the program, Information and Communications Minister, Surendra Kumar Karki, instructed the government employees to remain sincere in their commitments rather than being influenced by the guesswork of speculating the term of the incumbent government.

"The bureaucracy is entangled in the law it has created," he said.

The Minister accused the bureaucracy of completing the works that benefit it and delaying other works.

Prof Engineer Bhupendraman Pradhan, who oversees National Planning Commission's information and communications, said the task execution agreement between the ministry and subordinate bodies would bring fruitful outcomes.

Chief Secretary, Dr Somlal Subedi, said the task execution agreement which started from Local Development Ministry was positive and added it would be gradually implemented in all the ministries.

The agreement is important for making the government works effective and result-bearing, Subedi stressed and expressed belief it would make considerable contribution to implementing the constitution.

Information Secretary, Dinesh Thapaliya, said the task execution agreement was introduced as an indicator for progress of the government bodies. He said the Ministry would reach such an agreement with its subordinate bodies which in turn would hold the agreement with the departments and divisions under its aegis.

On the occasion, the chiefs of the subordinate authorities under the Ministry of Information and Communications signed the agreement papers and pledged to complete the designated task in time. RSS
CPN UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli

Dhading, Nepal: CPN UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has accused to the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal of inviting India to play an unnecessary role in Nepal.

Addressing the meeting of the Legislature-Parliament on Tuesday, Oli, who is also the former Prime Minister, claimed that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal invited India to exercise its role in implementing Constitution during his state visit.

During his address, he also raised a serious question mark over the claim that the visit became success. Following the visit of the Prime Minister to India, it was claimed that the visit became success in every front.

He also asked the Prime Minister Dahal to clarify on what basis the Nepal-India relation has improved. Did you have talked about the reason of blockade? Oli asked the question to Dahal.
Kathmandu, Nepal: The Parliament has endorsed three bills related to the annual budget with majority on Friday.

A meeting of the parliament endorsed the Finance Bill, the Bill to Raise Domestic Debt and the Loan and Guarantee Bill with majority votes.

Minister for Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara had tabled these bills in Parliament for endorsement on Thursday.

The erstwhile CPN UML chairman KP Sharma OLi led government had presented the three vitals Bills in the parliament for the endorsement.

But the Bills were rejected from the majority votes on July 22 as allies of the incumbent government- Nepali Congress and the CPN Maoist Center had stood against of the Bills.
The University College at Northern Arizona University, whose primary aim was to increase freshman retention, was dissolved over the summer, and employees were divided into different departments, NAU officials said.

In an August letter to faculty and staff, NAU President Rita Cheng said, University College was an effort to improve and better coordinate the first-year student experience. We recognize the value of a coordinated academic, student support, and advising program, and we worked over the summer to streamline efforts and strengthen our focus.

In the letter, Cheng recognized the universitys goals, and said despite the dissolution of the college, the goals remain the same.

As you know, we have aggressive goals to improve student retention and success, and we are confident this reorganization will help us meet our goals, Cheng wrote. We are also finding administrative efficiencies that can be reinvested into academic priorities. I ask that each of you help in this effort to provide each NAU student with a high quality experience. This is our mission, and I know we all share this passion.

The 2016 freshman retention rate is 74 percent, up from 69 percent in 2009. The regents have set a goal for NAU of 80 percent by 2025, when the 6-year graduation rate is set at 57.5 percent. The current 6-year graduation rate is 52 percent.

NAU spokeswoman Kim Ott said no jobs have been lost in the process, but some vacancies have not been filled. Ott said the university is expecting some money to be saved due to the restructure. Ott confirmed no programs were cut in the process, all were moved to other areas throughout the university.

Because one of NAU's paramount goals is the success of our students, we look at ways to be as efficient and effective as possible, Ott said in an email. We felt that the programs of University College, and thus NAU students, could be better served by strategically realigning the programs to increase their effectiveness. The reorganization also allowed us to reduce administrative costs and to reduce duplication.

Ott said the former Dean of the University College, Cyndi Banks, was leaving the university, which created an opportunity to reorganize.

Ott said the university hired a national consultant to create a university-wide plan to examine current practices, including the former University College.

For employees of the former University College, the new school year has been mostly business as usual, minus a change in the chain of command.

Michael Caulkins, a professor who teaches a freshman year seminar class, formerly taught in the University College, but now teaches under the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

The transition worked differently for different people, Caulkins said. As far as we know, when the University College went away, the university still had to run all of the University Colleges programs.

Caulkins said University College faculty have been dispersed throughout the university, and he said he does not expect all the changes and adjustments to be finalized for a while. However, he said his duties have not changed.

Most of it is the same, he said. My classes are the same, my students are the same and the course is the same.

Programs oriented toward instructional innovation, like Caulkins class, now are under the supervision of the Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Cheng said in her letter. Programs focused on academic success, such as freshman advising, now fall under the responsibility of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.

The bachelors degree of University Studies and the Civic Engagement minor are now offered under the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Cheng said.

NAU requested to create the University College in November 2011, and the college began its work in 2012, according to Arizona Board of Regents documents.

At the time, NAU officials said the rationale for forming the college was to promote academic success in the first year of college.

NAU has put in place a number of programs designed to promote student success, retention to the second year and graduation, former Provost Liz Grobsmith wrote to the board at the time. While these programs have been successful, first year courses are not strongly coordinated. The University College will provide strong direction, coordination with academic and other support programs, and robust protocols for assessment, to enable NAU to make further gains in student success.

However, Ott said the creation of the college resulted in redundant efforts.

University College was developed to coordinate and enhance programs, in several instances, what occurred was a duplication of efforts and this does not provide for effective student support, nor is it an efficient use of talent and resources, Ott said in an email.
KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel has opined for seeking the solution of current political problems through talks.

At a greetings exchange and tea reception programme organised by the Nepal Press Union, Kathmandu chapter, here today, leader Paudel said that there was no any logic with the Madhesi community for rejecting the Constitution, adding that the Constitution accepted federalism, and democracy, meeting the spirit of all communities.

He urged the Madhes based party leaders for talks saying if some weaknesses were there in the constitution regarding their concerns;

He urged the Madhes-based party leaders for talks saying if some weaknesses were there in the Constitution. He, however, said most of their demands were already addressed.

He urged all parties to join hands for the implementation of Constitution.
MELAMCHI: Three members of a single family were killed when a landslide triggered by incessant rainfall buried a house at Ramche-8 of Sindhupalchok district in the wee hours of Saturday.

According to Inspector Raju Pandey of the Area Police Office, Barabise, the landslide buried the house of Chandrakanta Timilsina at around 2 am today.

Police said that Chandrakantas eldest son Ram Kumar Timilsina, youngest son Uddav Timilsina and youngest daughter-in-law Samjhana Timilsina were killed in the incident.RSS
Musk abandons deal to buy Twitter; company says it will sue July 09 2022 Elon Musk announced Friday that he will abandon his tumultuous $44 billion offer to buy Twitter after the company failed to provide enough information about the number of fake accounts. Twitter immediately fired back, saying it would sue the Tes

Twitter bans ads that contradict science on climate change April 23 2022 BERLIN, APRIL 23: Twitter says it will no longer allow advertisers on its site who deny the scientific consensus on climate change, echoing a policy already in place at Google.

Social media platforms blocked in Sri Lanka amid curfew, opposition protest April 03 2022 COLOMBO, April 3: Sri Lankan soldiers with assault rifles and police manned checkpoints in Colombo on Sunday as the government blocked social media platforms after imposing a curfew to contain public unrest triggered by the country's economic cr

NASA's new space telescope sees 1st starlight, takes selfie February 12 2022 CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 12: NASA's new space telescope has captured its first starlight and even taken a selfie of its giant, gold mirror.

Solar storm knocks out 40 newly launched SpaceX satellites February 10 2022 Los Angeles: A geomagnetic storm triggered by a large burst of radiation from the sun has disabled least 40 of the 49 satellites newly launched by SpaceX as part of its Starlink internet communications network, the company said.

In heated meeting, India seeks tougher action from US tech giants on fake news February 02 2022 New Delhi: Indian officials have held heated discussions with Google, Twitter and Facebook for not proactively removing what they described as fake news on their platforms, sources told Reuters, the government's latest altercation with Big Tech.

NASA sends squid from Hawaii into space for research June 22 2021 HONOLULU, JUNE 22 Dozens of baby squid from Hawaii are in space for study. The baby Hawaiian bobtail squid were raised at the University of Hawaii's Kewalo Marine Laboratory and were blasted into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resu

China launches first three-man crew to new space station June 17 2021 JIUQUAN, June 17: China launched the first three crew members on a mission to its new space station Thursday in its first crewed mission in five years.

Tech giants and tax havens targeted by historic G7 deal June 06 2021 UNITED KINGDOM, June 6: The United States, Britain and other large, rich nations reached a landmark deal on Saturday to squeeze more money out of multinational companies such as Amazon and Google and reduce their incentive to shift profits to lo

Nigeria says it suspends Twitter days after presidents post removed June 05 2021 NIGERIA, June 5: Nigeria said on Friday it had indefinitely suspended Twitters activities, two days after the social media giant removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.

Japanese Technical Cooperation Programs: Training Nepali Government Specialists for the Future of Nepal May 19 2021 Kathmandu: The Embassy of Japan in Nepal issued a Note Verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal to extend the Technical Cooperation Programs for FY 2021 which the Government of Japan supports and applies.

18-tonne Chinese rocket segment disintegrates over Indian Ocean: Space agency May 09 2021 BEIJING: A large segment of a Chinese rocket re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean on Sunday, the Chinese space agency said, following fevered speculation over where the 18-tonne object would come down.

Astronaut Michael Collins, Apollo 11 pilot, dead of cancer April 29 2021 Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, who orbited the moon alone while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their historic first steps on the lunar surface, died Wednesday. He was 90.

Facebook switches news back on in Australia, signs content deals February 26 2021 SYDNEY, Feb 26: Facebook Inc ended a one-week blackout of Australian news on its popular social media site on Friday and announced preliminary commercial agreements with three small local publishers.
A composite image of possible water plumes on the south pole of Jupiteras moon Europa. Europa is among several moons in the solar system where evidence of an underground ocean has been discovered in recent years, on January 26, 2014. The Hubble data were taken on January 26, 2014. The image of Europa, superimposed on the Hubble data, is assembled from data from the Galileo and Voyager missions. Photo: NASA via AP

LOS ANGELES: The Hubble Space Telescope has spied what appear to be water plumes on one of Jupiters icy moons shooting up as high as 125 miles.

The geysers are apparently from an underground ocean that is thought to exist on Europa, considered one of the top places to search for signs of life in our solar system.

The plumes at the south pole were detected by the workhorse telescope as the moon passed in front of Jupiter. Scientists believe the eruptions on Europa are sporadic since they were only able to spot them on three out of the 10 times that they looked over more than a year.

Even so, the possible presence of plumes, which shoot up and rain back down on the surface, would allow us to search for signs of life in the ocean of Europa without needing to drill through miles of ice, astronomer William Sparks of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore said Monday.

The latest finding builds on earlier work by Hubble, which in 2012 found hints of water vapour venting from Europas south pole. The telescope didnt see anything in follow-up studies until this latest campaign, which was carried out by a different group of researchers.

If confirmed, Europa would be the second moon in the solar system where water plumes have been detected.

The Cassini spacecraft previously spied jets shooting out from the surface of the Saturn moon Enceladus (ehn-SEHL-uh-duhs), which harbours an ocean beneath its icy shell. Unlike Europa, the geysers erupting from Enceladus are continuous.

The Juno spacecraft, currently in orbit around Jupiter, isnt designed to study Europa and wont be able to confirm the plumes, NASA said.

The space agency is in the early stages of drafting a mission to Europa in the 2020s that would involve putting a spacecraft in a long, looping orbit around Jupiter to make close flybys of the ice-encrusted world.

The European Space Agency is planning to fly its own spacecraft to the gas giant around the same time to study its three largest moons  Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Jupiter has 67 moons.
Royal Navy investigating claims women harassed on submarines October 29 2022 LONDON (AP)  The head of Britains Royal Navy said he is deeply disturbed by allegations that female submariners were bullied and sexually harassed and has ordered an investigation.

Centenarian culture expert Satya Mohan Joshi Passes away at the age of 103 October 16 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, October 16, 2022: Noted litterateur and culture expert Satya Mohan Joshi, who is regarded with the title of 'Bangmaya Shatabdi Purush, passed away at the age of 103 on Sunday. He breathed his last at Gwarko of Lalitpur based K

Nima Rinji sets the world record of youngest person for scaling Mt Manaslu September 30 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, September 30, 2022: Nima Rinji, 16, has set the world record for successfully scaling Mt Manaslu on Friday morning.

Noted American Ski Mountaineer Nelson Went Missing At Mt Manaslu September 27 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, September 27, 2022: A noted American ski mountaineer, Hilaree Nelson, went missing at Mt Manaslu. She went missing apparently after falling into a crevasse while attempting to ski down a peak on Monday morning.

Nepali Sherpa sets climbing record on Pakistan August 23 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, August 23, 2022: A Nepali Shrepa caliber has set the climbing records by scaling the Pakistan based world's 14th highest peak that measures 8,035 metres or 26,247 ft for a second time.

Europe's drought exposes ancient stones, World War Two ships as waters fall August 20 2022 Weeks of baking drought across Europe have seen water levels in rivers and lakes fall to levels few can remember, exposing long-submerged treasures - and some unwanted hazards.

The 'Janai Purnima' is being observed today August 12 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal, August 12, 2022: The 'Janai Purnima' which is also known as 'Rishi Tarpani,' a major festival of the Hindu community in Nepal and across the world, is being observed with much more fanfare today.

Thailand decriminalizes marijuana, but not the strong stuff June 09 2022 BANGKOK, June 9: Thailand made it legal to cultivate and possess marijuana as of Thursday, like a dream come true for an aging generation of pot smokers who recall the kick the legendary Thai Stick variety delivered.

UK to hold days-long bash to celebrate queens 70-year reign May 29 2022 London: Britain is getting ready for a party featuring mounted troops, solemn prayers  and a pack of dancing mechanical corgis.

Spanish LGBTQ groups wary of monkeypox stigma as Pride nears May 27 2022 MADRID: With one of Europes largest gay pride celebrations right around the corner, Spains LGBTQ community is worried that the outbreaks of monkeypox on the continent could lead to an increase in homophobic sentiment based on misunderstandings

World's oldest person dies in Japan at 119 April 25 2022 Tokyo: A Japanese woman certified the world's oldest person has died at the age of 119, local officials said Monday.

Hitchhiking in Earth's orbit, asteroid may be with us for 4,000 years February 02 2022 Washington: An asteroid that was discovered riding along in Earth's orbit is about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) wide and might remain as a hitchhiker with our planet for at least 4,000 more years while posing no danger, scientists said on T

UNESCO lists Viking-era wooden sailboats on heritage list January 23 2022 Roskilde, Denmark: For thousands of years, wooden sailboats allowed the peoples of Northern Europe to spread trade, influence and sometimes war across seas and continents.

Tsunami threat recedes from huge Pacific volcanic eruption January 16 2022 WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Jan 16: The tsunami threat around the Pacific from a huge undersea volcanic eruption began to recede Sunday, while the extent of damage to Tonga remained unclear.
Intro

Greetings! I am a political scientist , specializing in International Relations , my research and teaching focus on ethnic conflict and civil-military relations . I watch way too much TV, and I like movies as well so I tend to write about both and find IR stuff in pop culture. I rant alot about American politics and sometimes about Canadian politics. I like to take ideas I once learned a long time ago and apply them to whatever strikes my fancy.


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Its been said that democracy is a messy business  laws and sausages get made just about the same way, while presidential campaigns increasingly resemble circus parades that last for 18 months.

And thats often why U.S. citizens find it hard to do what is called their civic duty -- to vote. At the end of the day, can they honestly say their single vote made much difference, especially when it was cast while holding their nose?

Wed go along with that, until the next story arrives about newly naturalized citizens who uniformly say their biggest thrill will come when they enter a polling place for the first time and get to cast a ballot as a U.S. citizen. For all the robocalls and trash-talking debaters, we face none of the electoral intimidation and corruption that plague voters in Russia, Central America and most of Southeast Asia.

That doesnt mean our elections, at least at the presidential level, are paragons of probity and transparency. Many recent nominees seem almost mirror opposites of the stereotypical man (and woman) of the people by the time they run for president, a function, no doubt of how much it costs to run and the high stakes involved. They make it hard for the average voter to identify with anyone up on the debate stage, and the press doesnt help by magnifying lapses in judgment into character flaws and inflating the cult of personality over policy into front-page news.

But with just two weeks to go to register to vote and six weeks to Election Day, we need to remind voters that its time to suck it up. They can still contact the candidates directly and write letters to the editor, but if they dont register on time and then cast a ballot Nov. 8, theyve lost their most direct form of leverage.

As we report today on the front page, elections officials are looking to register college students at NAU, some for the first time. The Mountain Campus is promoting a new app, TurboVote, that helps with in-state as well as out-of-state registration. Wed urge election offices at all levels to offer more online services  someday, they might even include voting.

There is concern in some quarters that online and DMV registration in a mobile society is too open to error and even fraud  its still important to record votes by place of permanent residency, and limit it to U.S. citizens. But maybe it is time to let voters cast ballots on Election Day in the general area where they work and live  a computer can generate the proper ballot based on address, then distribute the votes to the proper precinct, just like mail-in ballots are handled. And absent evidence of even minor fraud like falsifying addresses, we dont see the need for double ID checks every time a duly registered voter goes to the polls  no wonder the lines were so long in Phoenix last spring.

As for the ballot itself, any state like Arizona whose constitution encourages citizen initiatives as a check against an unresponsive legislature or one beholden to special interests is going to have a long one. Attempts by opponents to tie up initiatives in court over technicalities such as whether circulators were registered voters amounts almost to voter suppression. Opponents and proponents alike should focus their efforts on voter education that acknowledges that most ballot measures are not perfect and will involve tradeoffs  perhaps even coming back for do-over at the ballot box or the Legislature. The current level of hyperbole coming from both sides on some measures is an insult to voters intelligence.

Finally, we were reminded this week that editorial board endorsements, while sometimes newsworthy, dont necessarily change many minds  Hillary Clinton is still behind in Arizona, Texas and Ohio, despite endorsements from major newspapers in those states that traditionally back Republicans. But as noted above, democracy is hard work, and if editorial boards expect readers to do their homework, make tough calls and vote, we will step up to the plate with our recommendations, too  and far down the ballot from president to the races that matter locally.

So make sure to register to vote on time  the Coconino County Elections Office will be open on Columbus Day, Oct. 10, which is the deadline. But our endorsements will be trickling out well after the start of absentee voting. Put that ballot in the safe place, then keep on paying attention right up to Nov. 8. Voting might be messy, but few things in civic life that matter are anything else.
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Frightened and dismayed by this dumpster fire of an election year, the creative team at Berkeley Rep decided to fast-track the adaptation of Sinclair Lewis's scarily prescient 1935 novel It Can't Happen Here, a story about America falling under the sway of fascism at the hands of a single, populist, wildly dishonest candidate for President. First adapted for the stage in a rush by Lewis himself in 1936, the play sounded too thin and melodramatic to Artistic Director Tony Taccone, which is why, he concluded, no one had ever remounted it. But going back to the novel he found much more to like, and too many eerie parallels to our own time  and, ahem, Donald Trump  to ignore. "There are parts of the book that screamed out that this is not about a moment in time," Taccone says in a program interview. "This is about a pattern in American history... you have to ask yourself 'What is it about the system, the culture, the pathology that is endemic to this kind of political development?'"

Fast forward to the opening last night of It Can't Happen Here in a brand new adaptation by Taccone and Bennett Cohen, and directed by Lisa Peterson. The script, while certainly heavy-handed and predictable in moments, nonetheless proves to be some strong medicine for liberals in this deeply divided political era. Because, of course, it can happen here.

Sinclair Lewis, the author of Elmer Gantry and nearly three dozen other novels, was a social novelist obsessed with America's contradictions, and failings. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1930  he was the first American author to win the prize in literature  he said, "In America most of us  not readers alone, but even writers  are still afraid of any literature which is not a glorification of everything American, a glorification of our faults as well as our virtues... [America is] the most contradictory, the most depressing, the most stirring, of any land in the world today."

It Can't Happen Here centers on the small town of Fort Beulah, Vermont and its bookish, liberal hometown newspaper editor, Doremus Jessup (Tom Nelis). Horrified by the rise of a plain-speaking but wholly unqualified presidential candidate cleverly named Buzz Windrip (David Kelly), Jessup finds himself at odds with some of his neighbors, but decides to take a stand and encourage people to vote for Windrip's opponent  and not to vote third party, because that would be useless. When Windrip is quickly and handily elected, and Jessup sees that Windrip's campaign volunteers have now become paid foot soldiers and informants in a totalitarian regime, he writes a scathing editorial that lands him immediately in jail.

Multiple acts of horror and violence follow, as well as the rise of labor camps and all-out concentration camps nationwide, and refugees fleeing to Canada. Third-party and Communist idealists land in the camps right alongside their mainstream left- and right-wing friends, and Lewis's message rings clear: Let this country's democratic ideals erode just an inch, at the hands of someone popular and conniving enough to seize total power, and America could fall into fascism the same way multiple corners of Europe did in the 1930's.

(Also, as the adaptation points out with some very obvious winks, the meteorological, cultural, and economic conditions of the mid-1930's were frighteningly similar to what we face right now: droughts in multiple southern and western states that led to The Dust Bowl, a recent economic depression that left millions unemployed, race riots in multiple major cities, and rampant xenophobia about foreign interests bent on terror.)

Peterson's direction of the large ensemble is sharp though uninspired, with a spare set by Rachel Hauck that is redefined via many rapid scene changes with furniture and props  especially effective are American flags gone black, white, and gray. The cast regularly breaks the fourth wall to engage the audience and narrate, and this aspect works fairly well  though at Friday's performance, despite some audience participation, it felt like most of the play's jokes fell flat.

Nelis is a staid and compelling center in role of Jessup, and Bay Area performer Sharon Lockwood is eminently watchable in multiple roles, including that of Jessup's wife. Scott Coopwood is a sinister delight as the dimwitted villain Shad Ledue. Kelly, while amusing in the role of Windrip, is confusingly double-cast as one of the liberal underground, and appears in multiple early ensemble roles as well.

While It Can't Happen Here likely won't have much of a shelf-life  and hopefully will have none if and when Trump is defeated  it's a thought-provoking and effective reminder that democracies are fragile things. Lewis takes his parable to exaggerated and improbable ends, but that's likely wise  labor camps may not be in our foreseeable future, but it's doubtful anyone could deny that things have only gotten worse, and more dangerous, for our politics in the 81 years since this book was written. And yet so much is the same.

It Can't Happen Here plays through November 6 at Berkeley Rep. Tickets here.
Growth, growth, growth. This incessant drumbeat has drowned out all others in Flagstaff. Growth is the easiest metric we use to measure success, but it is not the best. CEOs, regents, mayors, governors can all claim success simply because the business, the college, the city or state is bigger when they finish their term than when they began.

But growth in and of itself is not inherently for the better. If growth comes at the cost of clean air and water, at the cost of sacred sites or open space, has it improved our lot? Quality is what we should be assessing, but it is a much harder metric to measure. Still, amid the din of that deafening growth drumbeat, I can still hear the faint sounds of other drummers: small is beautiful, quality over quantity.

In this election, I will be voting for those I feel resonate to the sounds of these other drummers. My hope lies with Coral Evans, Jamie Whelan, Adam Shimoni, and Jim McCarthy.

TAD THEIMER

Flagstaff
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In less than three months after its much-hyped premiere, the reboot of "Ghostbusters" is hitting the DVD market.

Does that tell you something about its quality?

Sure, a lot of money was spent on the thing, but what it really needed was a great script, not just an all-star cast.

Instead of starting from scratch, the producers could have made Melissa McCarthy and company relatives of the originals. That would have given the franchise purpose and fueled more jokes than this does. Now, it finds its humor largely from Kate McKinnons improvisations and Chris Hemsworths willingness to look dumb. Theyre pulled into the ghostbusting business after a book written by two other paranormal experts gets online attention.

Kristen Wiig plays a university professor whose tenure is threatened when the news becomes public. She confronts her co-author (McCarthy) and quickly finds herself out of a job and looking. In less time than it takes to say, Who you gonna call?, she and McCarthy make nice, start the business and pull in McKinnon, an equipment expert, and Leslie Jones, a subway attendant who spotted suspicious activity below New York City.

The hunky Hemsworth merely applies for a job and gets it, simply because he looks so good.

Once the team is set, director Paul Feig puts them on the trail of a terrorist (Neil Casey) whos eager to bring the spirit world into some kind of vortex that could unleash the underworld. Using McKinnons inventions, the four figure out how to trap ghosts (at an Ozzy Osbourne concert, no less) and prove the phenomenon actually exists.

This draws plenty of attention and gets the mayor (Andy Garcia), his assistant (Cecily Strong) and a ghost expert (guess which star it is) to weigh in.

By the time the Ghostbusters (not Ghost Jumpers, a rival group) get to the terrorist, all sorts of green things have jumped out at the audience (particularly in 3D).

Most of the original actors get puny cameos and theres no real attempt to connect the original film with this one. Considering McCarthy and the Saturday Night Live grads could improvise something better, thats a real let-down. The best lines go to everyone who isnt a Ghostbuster.

Because hes like a big puppy, Hemsworth snares mores than his share of laughs and merits an extended dance sequence over the credits. (Hes not bad at dancing, either.)

Easily, more thought should have gone into the premise.

McCarthy gets a Rick Moranis moment but it only manages to remind us of the previous film, not the direction where this is headed.
WASHINGTON  Rookie Trea Turner hit his 13th homer, Tanner Roark tuned up for the playoffs with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Saturday while clinching home-field advantage for the NL Division Series.

NL East champion Washington's third trip to the postseason in five years will begin Friday in the nation's capital against the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with Max Scherzer slated to face Clayton Kershaw. Game 2 is the following day, before the best-of-five NLDS shifts to L.A.

GIANTS 3, DODGERS 0: Rookie Ty Blach outpitched ace Clayton Kershaw, and the San Francisco Giants held onto their lead for the last NL playoff spot going into the final day of the regular season, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0 Saturday. The Giants stayed one game ahead of St. Louis for the second NL wild-card slot. The Cardinals beat visiting Pittsburgh 4-3 earlier in the day.

REDS 7, CUBS 4: Left-hander Jon Lester failed to become a 20-game winner on Saturday, struggling for the first time since mid-July as the Cincinnati Reds pulled away to a 7-4 victory over what's likely to be the Chicago Cubs' lineup for the first game of the playoffs. Lester (19-5) gave up five runs in only five innings, including Eugenio Suarez's two-run homer and a pair of RBIs by Joey Votto. The left-hander hadn't allowed five runs in a start since July 9.

CARDINALS 4, PIRATES 3: Jedd Gyorko hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, Matt Holliday provided another big boost and the St. Louis Cardinals pushed the playoff race to the final day of the regular season, holding off the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 Saturday. The Cardinals began the day one game behind San Francisco for the second NL wild-card spot.

METS 5, PHILLIES 3: The New York Mets clinched a playoff spot Saturday, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 to secure the top National League wild card. The defending NL champions will host San Francisco or St. Louis on Wednesday night at Citi Field, with the winner advancing to face the Chicago Cubs.

American League

YANKEES 7, ORIOLES 3: On the verge of assuring at least a tiebreaker for a playoff berth, the Baltimore Orioles stumbled. Tyler Austin tied the score with a seventh-inning home run, Austin Romine and Brett Gardner drove in two runs each in the eighth and the New York Yankees rallied from a three-run deficit to beat the Orioles 7-3 Saturday. Baltimore (88-73) and Toronto (87-73) lead for the AL's two wild cards, with Detroit (86-73) a half-game behind the Blue Jays and Seattle (86-74) a half-game back of the Tigers.

INDIANS 6, ROYALS 3: Francisco Lindor hit a two-out two-run double during an eighth-inning rally, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 on Saturday. All three Indians runs in the eighth were unearned after second baseman Whit Merrifield's error on pinch-hitter Abraham Almonte's grounder, which allowed Rajai Davis to score with one out.

TWINS 6, WHITE SOX 0: Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco each hit a two-run home run to send James Shields to a major league high-tying 19th loss, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox. The Twins' lost their 103rd game on Friday night, the most since the franchise moved to Minnesota. In this one, they got 6 1/3 innings of three-hit ball from Hector Santiago (13-10) in their third win in 14 games.
To the editor:

I don't get it. I just don't get it. Why this aversion and mistrust for Hillary Clinton? And why would anybody want Donald Trump to be our president?

Admittedly, Trump is a genius at turning a buck. His fiscal policies, I'm sure, would be variations on the old "trickle down" approach. But if you're waiting for the "trickle down" folks, don't bring an umbrella or hold out your cupped hands! Chances are, you won't even get a little damp! Rich people get richer -- and they keep it! Corporations get bigger, and then operate from overseas.

Hillary Clinton has a track record of hard work, obvious to anyone who's been paying attention. When her husband, President Bill Clinton, asked her to create a universal, affordable health care plan, she created one. As a senator, and later as Secretary of State, she won the admiration of even her adversaries for her hard work and success. Whenever she's been given a job, she knuckles down and does it! Is there any reason to doubt that she'd do the same as president?

We made history with Barack Obama. Now, let's make more history with Hillary Clinton as our first female president.

ARTHUR E. SCOTT

Flagstaff
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa | On his way back from Des Moines to Spirit Lake and his soybean fields, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey stopped at Dordt College to help introduce the school's Pro-Tech program, a two-year hands-on Christian education program that combines classes with vocational training.

The program will enroll its first students, as many as 40, next fall, and hopes, pending approval from accrediting agencies, to offer associate of science degrees in manufacturing technology and farm operations/management.

Seventeen prospective students from around the Midwest were on hand on Friday to learn about the campus and this innovative program, one that promises three days of classes and two days of internship work each week in addition to at least one full-time summer internship.

After introductions and a panel discussion, students toured Dyktra Dairy and the Kooima Company, two of the many employers seeking to work with Dordt in the Pro-Tech curriculum.

There aren't too many student visit days on our college campuses that feature a trip to a rural dairy operation. That's part of what makes the Pro-Tech push unique.

"I know of a plant in northwest Iowa that cannot expand as they cannot find enough good people to expand operations or replace retirees," Northey said, adding later that there are more businesses in a similar spot.

Dordt College President Erik Hoekstra said the Pro-Tech program will not replace or phase out the college's existing 2-year associate of arts degree in agriculture, a program that traditionally has been a pathway toward four-year degrees. Currently, 160 students are enrolled in Dordt's 2- and 4-year ag programs.

Hoekstra said there is room for growth in these areas at Dordt, an institution that began serving would-be teachers and pastors in 1955. The college established a record for enrollment this fall at 1,523 students, half of whom travel more than 500 miles to reach Sioux Center.

He also noted that a new Pro-Tech course of study will not aim to take away students from Northwest Iowa Community College in nearby Sheldon, Iowa, an institution that has also served the booming manufacturing sector of Sioux County and the surrounding region.

Rather, Dordt's aim is to offer a Christian education that takes a career-focused path, a rarity among two-year programs. Hoekstra said he attended graduation at a Christian high school in the region not long ago and learned of the plans of the 71 graduates; 38 were destined for four-year colleges, while 33 headed directly to work, or to a 2-year college.

"When I saw that 33 students graduating from a Christian high school were not going to a Christian college, I said there's a problem," Hoekstra said. "There's a gap in Christian higher education."

"We are called to work for Christ's kingdom in all areas of life," noted Dr. Joel Sikkema, director of professional-technical education. "Skilled fields are an area that few, if any, Christian colleges serve, and these fields are becoming increasingly complex."

"In the U.S., we've relegated religion to Sunday," Hoekstra said, adding that Scripture has shown him that Christ talked about His work in people continuing at all hours.

"We want young people to start companies and run them to the glory of God," Hoekstra said, noting how Sioux Center, with its place in a sweet spot for agricultural production and manufacturing, is uniquely positioned to serve this demographic.

Students have the potential, through paid internships, to earn $15,330 while enrolled in a program whose tuition and fees over two years will come to $29,523.

Alli Young, a Dordt senior from Griswold, Iowa, said she chose Dordt four years ago because she sought a Christian education in a school that boasted of an ag department. Her older brother, meantime, had a similar Christian influence, but wasn't interested in being in school for four years.

"The new Pro-Tech program would really have appealed to him," she said.
Most of the units of "Warrior Lofts" will feature balconies on the second and third floors. The Pierce Street property, which previously housed Crary Huff Attorneys at Law, is behind the Davidson Building.
SIOUX CITY | A courtroom that had been closed for emergency repairs for more than five months in the Woodbury County Courthouse will reopen Monday.

Woodbury County Building Services Department Director Kenny Schmitz reported the repairs have been completed, after some final work Thursday or Friday on window replacement.

Schmitz said that is a pleasing step, because it was a hardship to not have Courtroom 203 available on the second floor. Court officials used other rooms in the courthouse, at 620 Douglas St., but that crimped the ability to schedule and proceed with trials.

"They've been shifting around as best they can," Schmitz said.

In room 203, a marble window framing section fell off and windows bowed out, so the supervisors in April declared that an emergency situation existed and ordered repairs. A 6-foot marble section detached from the window assembly.

The Baker Group, a Des Moines-based firm, worked as project manager for the county. The firms that did work included Bogenrief Studios, of Sutherland, Iowa, and R.P. Seiler, of Sioux City.

"The final look is excellent. The public is going to be very pleased with how it looks," Schmitz said.

One important piece is that window frames have been restored to the original color of the nearly century-old building. In recent years, crews had used differing colors than the original paint, which moved the Courthouse Advisory Committee for Historical Preservation members to insist that the initial color be returned during repairs.

It now is back to a vivid blue with a light grey sash. Three painters worked on Thursday near the end of the job, with fresh fumes creeping out from a crack in the double-door entrance.

"From the exterior, the new colors are stunning," Schmitz said.

The estimated cost of repairs in Courtroom 203 had been set at $175,000. A full accounting will be given to the county supervisors.

More fixes are needed in the near future for rooms 201, 207 and 209. The supervisors have set aside $450,000 in the 2016-17 fiscal year capital improvements budget for courtroom repairs.

The courthouse opened in 1918. Designed by famed architect William Steele, the courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1996. It's considered the largest publicly owned prairie school-design building in the world.
LE MARS, Iowa | A motorcyclist was transported by helicopter to Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City after sustaining a head injury in a crash Sunday afternoon.

The accident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday along Highway 75 north of Le Mars.

The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office reports two motorcycles were traveling south on Highway 75 just south of 120th Street Sunday afternoon when one of the motorcycles slowed down for an unknown reason. The second motorcycle, unaware that the other was slowing, ran into the back of the first motorcycle, the release said.

The driver of the rear motorcycle was ejected and sustained head injuries, the release said. This person was transported to Mercy Medical Center, where their condition is unknown.

The driver of the first motorcycle sustained minor injuries and was not transported, the release said.

Also assisting at the scene were Le Mars Ambulance, Le Mars Fire and Rescue, and the Iowa State Patrol.

Investigation into the crash is ongoing. The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office plans to release names at a later time.
Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar.

Riverssance: Step into the renaissance with full armored jousting, birds of prey, knights, princesses, kings & queens, peasants, wenches, pirates, scallywags, wizards, fairies, food, singing and dancing. The festival will be open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Riverside Park. Visit river-cade.com for additional information.

Scottish Rite Organ Dedication: The Scottish Rite of Sioux City will hold a concert to dedicate the new Yamaha Electone organ today at 3 p.m. at Sioux City Public Rite, 801 Douglas St. Refreshments and a tour of the Scottish Rite building will be available afterwards.

Omelet Fundraiser for Mike Boggs: An omelet breakfast to raise money for Mike Boogs will be held today from 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 2223 Indian Hills Drive. Mike Boggs is suffering from dementia and is unable to work. Other events at the breakfast are a book sale, pie sale, raffle and silent auction. Contact Pamela Wilmes at 712-898-1948 for additional information.
BOSTON -- Donald Trump's near meltdown in Monday's debate surely gave queasy stomachs to Republicans who have bowed before his candidacy despite their better judgments. Trump threatens to give conservative appeasers a very bad name.

Let it be said that at least some in the party will be able to stand proudly after this god-awful election is over. We're witnessing real courage among those members of the party of Lincoln willing to say openly how genuinely dangerous a Trump presidency would be.

For those whose livelihoods depend on building big audiences among pro-Trump rank-and-file conservatives (think radio talk show hosts and commentators of various kinds), joining the Never Trump camp carries real risks. For liberals, opposing Trump is about the easiest thing in the world, so we should honor the daring of our temporary comrades.

Unfortunately, the Never Trumpers are a minority on the right. More typical are House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the most prominent among the GOP contortion artists who are hedging their bets.

They send signals they know how ridiculous and bigoted Trump is, calling out this or that statement when it's convenient to do so. But they endorse him anyway to save their down-ticket candidates while hoping that, should he lose, they can curry favor with the now large Trump wing of the party after November.

They have made another bet as well: If Trump were to win, they believe he has so little interest in policy that he would sign whatever bills a conservative Congress put before him. Trump, they hope, would be quite content just occupying a nice piece of real estate on Pennsylvania Avenue to go with the one, as he mentioned on Monday, that he's presiding over just down the street.

Trump has encouraged this view. He may be unpresidential but he is conversant in making deals and finding the other side's weak spot. He knows the only thing many conservative politicians and interest groups truly care about are big tax cuts for the rich. So he let supply-side conservatives write him a tax plan. Buying the White House by giving away future federal revenues is classic Trump: using other people's money to secure his own ends. Besides, he's now told us he thinks it's "smart" for wealthy people like him not to pay taxes.

It's a cozy arrangement, and entirely rational as far as it goes. But for it to work, Trump has to keep himself under some control, becoming sufficiently conventional not to cause too much heartburn to the establishmentarians. If he did it right, he might even win. But at the least, his job is to run well enough to give the Republicans a chance to hold the Senate as well as the House.

Trump showed on Monday that he may not keep his part of the deal, either because he doesn't want to or because he's incapable of it. And the risk for the party is high. A Trump who exudes sexism, traffics in racism, exhibits a resolute indifference to facts and demonstrates an inability to do his homework will turn off better educated suburban voters without whom Republicans cannot build their majorities. If more normal Republican politicians continue to collude with Trump, these voters could turn against the whole ticket.

There's precedent, and Massachusetts (because it's now seen as so reliably Democratic in presidential elections) is a prime example of how bad things can get for Republicans. The state was at the forefront of a long-term trend: the steady movement of moderate suburbanites, particularly in the Northeast, away from the Republican Party. For many of them, Barry Goldwater's right-wing candidacy in 1964 sealed the deal.

Take the leafy town of Lexington, similar in its voting patterns to surrounding areas. In 1956, Lexington gave 76 percent of its votes to Dwight Eisenhower. In 1960, it resisted home state favorite John F. Kennedy; Richard Nixon won it with 57 percent. But in 1964, Goldwater received just 31 percent of Lexington's votes. He was simply too extreme for sober, old-fashioned Republicans. Politically, Massachusetts has never been the same since.

Trump is not yet in Goldwater territory, and might never get there. But unless The Donald of the first debate gives way to a completely different version, he threatens to create another GOP suburban catastrophe pretty much everywhere outside the Deep South. If Trump doesn't adjust, many of the party's enablers will soon have to realize that their best survival strategy is to run as far away from him as possible.
Woodbury County Supervisors Mark Monson, Matthew Ung and Jeremy Taylor should have listened more closely to Shiuvaun Reuter when she addressed them at the board's Aug. 16 meeting.

Shiuvaun spoke in favor of a resolution offered by Supervisor Jackie Smith that would appoint a countywide task force for the purpose of studying an increase in the minimum wage. Polk, Linn, Johnson and Wapello counties have already done the same, resulting in minimum wage increases for their residents to over $10 plus per hour phased in over three years.

Shiuvaun talked about how she made a decent living years ago working for MCI, especially with commissions, as well as with Gateway. Then, she found herself trying to live on an $8-per-hour job.

I had to drop everything except rent and food for the kids, she told the board. We were not eating. She talked about how she would have to borrow $30 from her mother for food for her and her children.

A recent United Way study indicated that there are a whole lot of Shiuvauns in our county, around 15 percent of the population, wondering how they are going to feed their children, keep the lights on, keep the car running (if they have one) and a roof overhead. Another 24 percent are one paycheck away from disaster. And low wages were cited as one of the reasons these families are struggling, which should be obvious. And there is no question a hike in the minimum wage would help many of these hard-working people. In fact, a recent study by the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute estimates that 10,000 workers in Woodbury County would see an increase in their hourly wage if the county set a minimum equal to Nebraskas $9 per hour by 2018, their annual incomes rising by $1,500. An increase to $10.25 per hour by 2019 would double that to $3,000.

So then, why wouldnt Supervisors Taylor, Ung and Monson not support Supervisor Smiths proposal to appoint a minimum wage task force?

Taylor and Ung basically took the position that it just wasnt the countys job to increase the minimum wage and that instead the focus should be on economic development - the all-too-familiar rising tide lifts all boats mantra. Sounds good, feels good, but it doesnt do anything for the Shiuvaun Reuters of Woodbury County who desperately need a wage increase. And, by the way, why isnt it the countys job? Four Iowa counties thought it was, and they represent about 25 percent of Iowas population.

Taylor tried to deflect the issue by saying the city of Sioux City could take it up. Obvious political cover. That would be like Polk County saying that the city of Des Moines should do it. Do we really want a patchwork of minimum wages for Sergeant Bluff, Moville, Danbury, Anthon, etc?

The most disappointing vote against the creation of the task force was Supervisor Mark Monson. Monson concedes the minimum wage is inadequate, but he doesn't support the proposal, claiming it is not a county issue, dismissing it as political and questioning Supervisor Smiths motive. No, Mark, its not. Its about you and your low-income constituents who need a pay increase.

I find it ironic that the leadership of the board, which prides itself as open and transparent, would give such little time for the public to give input on an issue of such paramount importance. At the Aug. 16 board meeting, supporters of this issue were limited to just three minutes and when Rich Scott, a local labor leader, approached the board to express himself on the issue, he was refused because the time for discussion was over. Heaven forbid the board would actually consider a public hearing so more of their constituents could voice their opinion.

However, there is a clear path to an increase in the minimum wage for Woodbury County - the Nov. 8 election.

Democrats Smith, Bruce Garbe and Pottebaum have all pledged their support for an increase, which would provide a majority of the votes necessary for the board to move this issue forward in January. If this slate of candidates gets elected, Woodbury County residents will have a chance to raise the wage.

Why not Woodbury?

Next week: Linda Holub

A Sioux City resident and local attorney, Al Sturgeon is a former Democratic state representative and senator. He is the father of six children.
Arguably, Donald Trump's most-discussed presidential campaign proposal is the border wall he said he will build and Mexico will pay for.

We, largely, dismiss the idea for reasons of finance (money for the wall won't come from Mexico, believe us) and practicality.

Still, we give credit to Trump, as we have in this space before, for focusing attention on border security and, in the broader picture, problems related to illegal immigration. Security on America's southern border and enforcement of strong immigration laws must be part of any comprehensive strategy for fighting illegal immigration.

Although we don't foresee construction of the wall Trump describes, we support a variety of get-tougher measures - some advocated by Trump - at the southern border and within America's borders.

Here are five:

- BEEF UP BORDER SECURITY

We support more fence, increased use of surveillance technology, a dramatic increase in Border Patrol agents, and, if necessary, mobilization of National Guard troops.

In other words, whatever it takes.

- NO "CATCH AND RELEASE"

The single biggest factor driving our illegal immigration right now is our catch-and-release program, Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said in written testimony prepared for a hearing in May before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest.

Through the program, Judd testified to a House Judiciary Committee immigration subcommittee in February, agents focus on criminals, national security risks and illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. after Jan. 1, 2014. Illegal immigrants without criminal convictions have learned they can, by claiming they came to the U.S. before 2014, be released immediately rather than be arrested, Judd said.

Immigration laws today appear to be mere suggestions, Judd testified before the House subcommittee.

- NO "SANCTUARY CITIES"

"Sanctuary" jurisdictions (more than 200 cities, counties and states) limit, through laws or policies, the extent to which law enforcement and other employees will go to assist the federal government on immigration enforcement.

"Unfortunately, a lot of cities in this country have decided they don't want to cooperate with ICE," Julie Myers Wood, former assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told CNN in July 2015 following the murder of Kate Steinle, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant, in "sanctuary city" San Francisco. "They think that cooperating with ICE causes them problems with respect to the immigrant community and public safety, but in fact it does exactly the opposite, as we've seen here."

The alleged shooter of 32-year-old Steinle, a repeat felon with seven convictions on his record, was deported to Mexico five times, but returned each time. In April 2015, three months before the Steinle murder, the county sheriff's department released him from custody in San Francisco without notifying ICE.

- CRACK DOWN ON EMPLOYERS

Employers now face very little risk in hiring illegal workers and have little incentive to abide by the law, Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote in a June 2015 report.

Workplace audits and raids, followed by arrests and meaningful fines for violators, as well as improvements to and expansion of E-Verify, are actions we support to disincentivize the hiring of undocumented workers.

- SUPPORT FOR SARAH'S LAW

This laudable piece of legislation is named for Sarah Root, a 21-year-old Iowa woman who died in February from injuries sustained when another driver - whose blood-alcohol content was, according to court records, more than three times the legal limit - slammed into the back of her vehicle at an intersection in Omaha. The driver, who was in the United States illegally, was charged with motor vehicle homicide, but he posted bond, was released from custody ... and disappeared.

According to the office of U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who co-sponsored the bill, Sarah's Law would amend the mandatory detention provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the federal government to take custody of anyone who entered the country illegally, violated the terms of their immigration status, or had their visa revoked, and who is charged with a crime resulting in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. The legislation also requires ICE to make reasonable efforts to identify and provide relevant information to the crime victims or their families.

As we have said before, Trump on occasion diminishes this essential debate and makes himself the issue by engaging in inflammatory rhetoric, but we largely applaud him for focusing attention on and generating discussion about illegal immigration.

Like nearly eight in 10 Americans (according to a September 2015 YouGov poll, 77 percent of Americans believe illegal immigration is a "somewhat serious" or "very serious" problem), we believe illegal immigration remains a significant national challenge.
When it comes to our U.S. Senate race, there is only one viable contender and that is John McCain. There is no one else who has the courage and leadership to stand for what is right in Arizona. Time and time again, John McCain has proven to us that he will take a stand and fight for the issues that are personally affecting us in Arizona. It is not everyday that you see someone with the work ethic, integrity, and loyalty of John McCain.

Here in Northern Arizona, preserving our natural resources is vital, a top priority that John McCain understands. We have seen him create a plan that address the issues of fire and water. Senator McCain has lead the way in equipping our firefighters, protecting our forests and conserving our water supply, but that is just the beginning. Senator McCain has spent years battling the bureaucracy and problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure our nations veterans receive the quality and timely care they deserve. We need to see John McCain continue to improve and amplify attention to preserving our natural resources as our senator.

Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick has represented our community for a number of years and unfortunately has served as a rubber stamp for the Washington DC liberal establishment. She is more focused on keeping her democrat leadership happy than serving the people of Arizona.

John McCain is the right choice for Arizona. I urge your support for McCain on November 8th.

STUART W. MCDANIEL

Flagstaff
DES MOINES  County auditors should be able to better spot convicted felons who are barred from voting in the 2016 general election thanks to a database created by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate since his office changed the approach to voter fraud when he took over in January 2015.

Pates staff spent months working with officials in the State Department of Corrections, the Iowa Judicial Branch and Gov. Terry Branstads office to compile a list of Iowa felons who have had their voting rights restored to better help elections officials ascertain Iowans who are eligible for or disqualified from casting ballots now that early voting is under way in Iowas 99 counties.

The result is election officials statewide now have access to databases that contain 56,997 records of convicted felons not eligible to vote and about 250,000 Iowans who have had their voting rights restored, according to records dating back to 1984 in the office of the Secretary of State who also serves as Iowas election commissioner.

Its about as comprehensive as were going to see, Pate said in an interview last week. Its the first time that were aware of that we have a complete list of felons with their rights restored. Its not just a list of felons. That was always the question mark.

Pate said there were gaps in the felon voting data because former Gov. Tom Vilsack issued a blanket restoration of rights for convicted felons during his administration but in January 2011 Branstad issued executive order 70 -- which rescinded Tom Vilsacks July 4, 2005, executive order. Under Branstads nullification action, Iowa felons again were required to petition the governor to have voting rights restored  a process he agreed to streamlined earlier this year.

Now, with the updated databank that is updated regularly and accessible to county election officials, auditors can use the lists to determine eligibility and submit changes to Pates office verifying voters residency, age, citizenship and other qualifications to participate in the election process, he said.

Each county auditor will have the list and, if theres any doubt, they call our office and we will physically go to the archives and pull the paper up. Thats kind of the last resort we have to verify, he said. We gave this information to them to make sure they can cross check it. So there should be nobody registering whos not supposed to be.

Pate said his office took the new approach for a spin in the primary and it worked pretty well but with same-day registration in Iowa and a higher-turnout presidential-year general election, he added, there still may be some situations where an Iowan will cast a provisional ballot so questions of eligibility can be resolved, but those should be fewer with the updated information.

Were trying to avoid that, Pate said. Were not trying to inconvenience, but were going to make sure the integrity is protected because you cant take a vote back out of the box once its in there.

The 2016 situation is in contrast to voter registration rules proposed in 2012 by former Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz that critics alleged would threaten to disenfranchise eligible voters and touched off a long-running legal battle that ended when Pate voluntarily dismissed an appeal pending before the Iowa Supreme Court.

Those proposed rules had set out a process for identifying and removing non-citizens and ineligible applicants from Iowa's voter registration list first by screening registered voters against state and national lists of non-citizens and then running names through a federal verification database. Also, during his four-year term, Schultz  now the Madison County attorney -- contracted with the Iowa Department of Public Safety to assign an officer full-time to investigating voter fraud allegations that cost nearly $250,000 over two years and resulted in fewer than 10 convictions.

Pate said his approach now is to promote civic participation and to use his authority to the fullest extent of state and federal law to ensure accurate voter lists, but added he is working to accomplish of protecting the integrity of Iowas voting system without pursuing a course with significant legal hurdles.

I really dont want to spend my time being a cop, Pate said.

My approach was we got the list cleaned up so I know who the good players are and who the bad players are. We now want to do a better job of informing them so they know. When those two things are done, Im going to have to say that anybody who tries to vote after that are bad guys and I think they ought to be turned over for prosecution, he said.

But until Ive done those two steps Im not as enthusiastic about just going out and charging people. I want to make sure Ive done all of the things that I can do first. And were getting closer to that. Were going to do our best to educate you, give you an opportunity to be on the right side of it and when that is accomplished, then its follow the rules, he added.

Pate said his read on things is that Iowa generally is a very honest state with high voter participation in contrast to some other parts of the country. But he added as much as I promote participation, integrity is equally important so I will make sure youre doing it the right way because I dont want someone elses vote to be treated less because were allowing to vote who shouldnt be voting, thats not acceptable.
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.




An all-day rain left the track sloppy for the card at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (October 1), but some of the fastest times of the meet were recorded during the evening. None the least the one Highview Conall N registered while winning the $10,000 featured Open Pace at the Genesee County oval.

The red-hot Jim Morrill Jr. fired the New Zealand bred off the gate and to the lead as the rest of the field watched in single-file fashion. After fractions of :27.3 and :56.2, Highview Conall N and the second-place Heaven Rocks (Kevin Cummings) had a two-horse breakaway in place as they opened up six-lengths on the rest of the field while motoring up the backside.

As those two continued to compete alone, Knocking Around (Dave McNeight III) pulled from fourth and started to close the distance with the leader. Around the far turn, Highview Conall N was widening the gap between himself and Heaven Rocks as Knocking Around was closing it from third. When they straightened out down the lane, it was Highview Conall N pacing strong to the wire for a 1:53.2 win with Knocking Around closing well for second over Heaven Rocks.

The win was the eighth win of the year for Highview Conall N ($4.10) and it raised his annual income to $74,770. The seven-year-old son of Christian Cullen was a recent acquisition for owner/trainer Nick Gampietro Jr., who purchased him privately on September 26.

For the second night in a row, John Cummings Jr. scored a driving grand slam. He returned to the Purple Haze winners circle with Cheyenne Louie ($6.70, 1:54.4), Normandy Invasion ($2.70, 1:54.4), Youwillwishyouhad ($63.00, 1:55.1) and Bags Of Money ($6.00, 1:57.4).

Jim Morrill Jr. was a close second with a triple and Drew Monti came through with two. Trainer JD Perrin also conditioned two winners on the night.

(Batavia Downs)
Er is iets heel griezeligs aan de gang in Nederland. Dat wij geleidelijk aan in een totalitaire 'democratie' wegzinken wordt steeds ...
The guest column about the presidential debate in The Daily Sun (9/29/16) by Donald Trump supporter Jay Ambrose perfectly illustrates Hillary Clinton's comment to the Republican nominee (and by implication to his most avid supporters) that he "lives in an alternative reality." Where Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times, and most other commentators, saw a "7th grade bully" Ambrose saw politeness and praised him for not (yet) attacking Bill Clinton's morality. Alternative realities make good science fiction, but they can be really dangerous for a proposed president and the rest of us.
Six previously unknown volcanoes have been discovered just miles from Italys deadly Vesuvius.

The newly found submerged volcanoes lie just three kilometres from the Gulf of Naples.

6 previously undiscovered volcanoes have been found off of the coast of Naples, all of which are situated close to the deadly Mt Vesuvius.

Mt Vesuvius is responsible for one of the most deadly eruptions in human history. During its huge eruption in 79 AD the volcano submerged the city of Pompeii, killing all 11,000 inhabitants of the ancient Roman-ruled area.

Researchers discovered the new volcanoes during a campaign in 2014 to garner more information on Vesuvius, which is overdue an eruption, but information has only just been released.

Lead scientist explains: We detected new points of carbon dioxide emissions in the Gulf of Naples, which is quite common in geothermal and volcanic areas such as Naples. And here we have discovered six volcanic structures (cones and domes) with a diameter of 800 meters, unknown until now.

The results of this research have allowed us to determine that at least three of the detected volcanic structures were formed before 19,000 years, while one of them erupted in ancient times.

The discovery of the new volcanoes will create fear for Italians and its European neighbours with Mt Vesuvius overdue an eruption. This animation by Zero One recreates the same drama and terror as when a series of eruptions wiped out Pompeii over 48 hours on August 24, 79 AD:

The 4,200-foot high volcano last erupted in 1944 and usually has an eruption cycle of every 20 years, meaning that it has been building up for almost four times that amount.

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Wisdom of the Crowd: 55 % of respondents said that the Trust Bak set up by Fairprice will not be profitable as there are already too many d...
Consider two numbers: $30 million and $288 million.

If voters approve Proposition 205, legalizing marijuana is estimated to generate $30 million for public schools.

Sounds impressive, until you compare it to $288 million, which is how much schools will get from Prop. 123 in its first year. And that ballot issue was called just a start toward properly funding the schools.

If $288 million is just a start, then $30 million is a rounding error. Prop. 205s supporters shout about how theyre helping the kids, but the tax revenue they would generate isnt enough to buy one book for each Arizona student.

Now balance that against the costs. In Colorado, drug-related suspensions and expulsions increased 32 percent over five years. Denver Public Schools reported a 7 percent increase in drug incidents in the first year after recreational marijuana was approved. In that year, there were nearly 1,000 drug violations in the states middle schools, the largest number in a decade.

Expect the same results in Arizona. Its not worth a minuscule increase in school funding. Vote no on Prop. 205.

JOY STAVELEY

Flagstaff
The officer who fatally shot a stick-wielding assailant at the Flying K gas station in Kelso a month ago will not be charged, Cowlitz County Prosecutor Ryan Jurvakainen announced Friday.

Kelso Officer John Johnston, a 22-year veteran patrolman, shot Omer Ali, a 27-year-old transient immigrant from Sudan, the morning of Aug. 17 after Ali assaulted a clerk and customer at the store with a wooden pole, then charged and hit Johnston on the head and hand, according to police accounts. Ali was pronounced dead at the scene, and a coroner later ruled that Ali had died from a gunshot wound to his chest.

Jurvakainen said in an interview Friday that his decision was clear cut.

Washington law allows an officer to use lethal force when the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect, if not apprehended, poses a threat of serious physical harm to the officer or a threat of serious physical harm to others.

Jurvakainen said Ali committed second-degree assault against the two women and second-and third-degree assault against the officer and did not respond to Johnstons verbal command to drop his weapon.

Given the actions of Ali, its quite clear that he was committing crimes, Jurvakainen said. I would speculate that nothing about (an officers) training would indicate less lethal force in that situation.

Jurvakainen said Johnston properly asked Ali to drop his weapon. He added that while Johnston was armed with a stun gun, theyre not always effective.

If he pulled the Taser and that was ineffective, then he runs the risk of the guy getting his gun, Jurvakainen said. It puts him in the risk of additional serious bodily injury. It puts the customer and the clerk that were just assaulted at grave risk as well as the two employees that were in the back room as well as Officer (Kirk) Wiper, who was in the process of responding.

Additionally, Jurvakainen said Johnston had very little time to act. Less than 10 seconds elapse between the moment Ali walked into the store and when he was shot, and the event unfolded in a cramped area.

Five bullets from Johnstons .45-caliber Glock handgun were recovered from the scene, two from Alis body.

The inside of the Flying K still shows signs of the Aug. 17 struggle. The glass cold case that was shattered by a bullet that came to rest inside a drink bottle is still covered by cardboard.

A small hole in the east wall of the Flying K marks the place where another bullet shot through an Orbit gum packet, skipped off the metal rack and hit the wall. Another round dent in the bottom right corner of the metal frame of a Coca Cola cold case shows where another bullet hit.

Security camera footage from the store, which had no audio, released Aug. 19 showed the encounter with Ali. Jurvakainen said while the video evidence was compelling, he based his decision off of several pieces of evidence including interviews with Johnston, Kelso Sgt. Kirk Wiper (who arrived inside the store just after Ali was shot), Alis autopsy, the clerk and customer who were assaulted and a forensic investigation of the scene by the Washington State Patrol.

Alis history leading up to the event is bizarre. According to Jurvakainen, Ali first traveled from Sudan to Syria, then to New York and on to Spokane, where he studied English.

He appeared to be wandering alone through Washington, committing a string of crimes along the way. Hed been contacted several times by law enforcement beginning Aug. 13 after spending months in jail in Whatcom County.

Around 1:30 a.m. the day of the shooting, Ali shoplifted from the Flying K and then walked around the outside of the store holding a board, according to an audio tape of a 911 dispatch call. Around 8 a.m., Ali again attempted to shoplift at the store. As he walks out of the store, he can be heard in a 911 dispatch call telling a store clerk, If I were you, Id be careful, OK?

Jurvakainen and the clerk interpreted that statement as a threat.

Around 8:15 a.m., Ali returned to the store wielding a 4-foot-long pole.

Toxicology reports showed no drugs or alcohol in Alis system when he died.

I think its pretty apparent that he was on a mission to do something, Jurvakainen said of Ali.

Kelso police declined comment Friday.
Soon after DGCA lifts ban from newly manufactured units of Galaxy Note 7, Samsung has relaunched the smartphone in South Korea and announced that it has also started manufacturing new handsets for the region.

Previously, the company was forced to halt the sales of the devices because some of them exploded and caught fire due to faulty battery. The had also globally recalled the handsets for a replacement with safe battery or a full refund.

For customers who already have Galaxy Note 7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks, Samsung had said in a statement. The company went on to say that it would work closely with its partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.

Earlier, DGCA had summoned Samsung and banned the entire Galaxy Note series to be carried in flights. However later, the Indian Aviation Regulator lifted up the ban on the carrying of Note 7 models in commercial flights, while keeping the decisions about the older models of the same lineup in the pipeline.

As per the announcement, the prohibition is only lifted from the new Galaxy Note 7 models, while, the handsets which were shipped before 15th September wont be allowed to take entry into any commercial flights.

The incident of exploding a Samsung phone in an Indigo flight going to Chennai has raised several questions regarding the safety issues of the passengers and airlines. Concerning all these security regulations, The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), earlier in September, banned the transmit of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones in commercial flights. The organisation also warned the passengers for not charging or turning on their Samsung Note 7 models during baggage checking and flight landing.

Though the shipment of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hasnt yet commenced in India, yet the rules already have implemented concerning the safety issues. The Note 7 phones shipped after 15th August are reported to have a green icon on its battery and only these phones will be allowed to carry while taking flight.
The US space agency NASAs iconic Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has uncovered hidden side of a galaxy named NGC 24 located 25 million light years away. The 40,000 light-years wide galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel back in 1785.

Advanced Camera for Surveys, known as ACS for short, aboard HST was used to snap the shot. It shows NGC 24 in detail, highlighting the blue bursts (young stars), dark lanes (cosmic dust), and red bubbles (hydrogen gas) of material peppered throughout the galaxys spiral arms. Numerous distant galaxies can also been seen hovering around NGC 24s perimeter.

However, there may be more to this picture than first meets the eye. Astronomers suspect that spiral galaxies like NGC 24 and the Milky Way are surrounded by, and contained within, extended haloes of dark matter. Dark matter is a mysterious substance that cannot be seen; instead, it reveals itself via its gravitational interactions with surrounding material. Its existence was originally proposed to explain why the outer parts of galaxies, including our own, rotate unexpectedly fast, but it is thought to also play an essential role in a galaxys formation and evolution. Most of NGC 24s mass  a whopping 80 percent  is thought to be held within such a dark halo.

Hubble Space Telescope is a joint venture of NASA and ESA. The telescope was launched in 1990 and since then it is the largest telescope in space. HST has helped scientists in exploring the deepest corners of the universe and has beamed back millions of stunning shots in its entire career. However, HST will be replaced by the James Webb Telescope in 2018 as it has thrice larger lens when compared to HST.
Ever since the surgical broke out, Indian hackers are planning for a cyber war against Pakistan. As per the sources, they are gearing up themselves for the cyber war and waiting fro the governments approval to target Pakistans cyber infrastructure.

Speaking on the matter, S. Amar Prasad Reddy, additional director-general, National Cyber Safety and Security Standards said that they are trying to enter their critical establishments after the Pathankot attack. They had also got access to gov.pk websites of Pakistan officials, however, to hack them the director-general is waiting for the governments approval. He claimed that his team had penetrated the entire gov.pk websites.

If necessary, we can damage their digital assetsWe have penetrated into their defence infrastructure, Reddy said. If we get the go-ahead from the government, we can do it. We are ready.

During the penetration, Reddy and his team had managed to enter into Pakistans principal database, which shows that the countrys critical websites are vulnerable.

We have honeypot technology and it is very difficult to attack. We are already protecting so many critical infrastructures in our country. We are insisting that the states come out with a cyber security policy to protect their critical infrastructures. We need at least 10 lakh cyber security experts to protect our critical infrastructures, he said.

It is not the first time when cyber war is ignited between both of the countries. Vulnerable government websites from both sides have been frequently exploited by the hackers from the opposite side. This time, the cyber was clearly depends on approval from the Indian government, it is however, still unclear that whether the Indian officials approves the application from National Cyber Safety and Security Standards or not.

Source: Deccan Chronicle
tech2 News Staff

If Snapdeal is to be believed, its Unbox Diwali sale has gotten off to a great start. The highlight of the sale, according to Snapdeal, is the fact it was selling 180 products a second on launch day.

In a press release, Snapdeal laid out some very interesting stats for the Unbox day sale. The sale, which is running from 2 to 6 October, apparently saw 2 million customers logging on within the first hour of the sale. The company also claimed that there were 700,000 shoppers concurrently online in the first 5 minutes.

Phones still seem to be the item of choice, with Snapdeal claiming that 1 lakh phones were sold within 8 hours at a rate of 200 phones a minute. Pen drives werent far behind, with 24,000 drives sold in the same period.

Snapdeal claims that the top selling products in its sale were the Samsung J2 Pro and LeEco Le Max 2. Also included in that list was, surprisingly, a Voltas 5 Star split AC.

Saurabh Bansal, Vice President, Categories at Snapdeal said, We are very excited to see the tremendous response in the initial hours of the Diwali Unbox Sale. Users have loved the additional, instant discount on Citibank cards. Many more exciting offers are lined up over the next days of the sale.
craigslist: thailand jobs, apartments, for sale, services, community, and events

craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, services, local community, and events
Channel i celebrates 18th anniversary

Staff Reporter :

Channel i, one of the pioneers of satellite channels in Bangladesh, celebrated its 18th anniversary on Saturday.

The TV channel organised an elaborate programme across the country to mark the day in a befitting manner.

Family members of the Channel cut a founding anniversary cake at zero hour on October 1 at its office in Dhaka in presence of eminent citizens of the country.

Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Home Minister Asaduzaman Khan Kamal, former minister Abdur Razzak, former adviser to the

caretaker government Barrister Mainul Hosein, AL leader Mahbubul Alam Hanif, BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Shamsuzzaman Dudu, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon and Maj Gen (Retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim (Bir Protik), among others, were present at the ceremony as invited guests.

Faridur Reza Sagar, Managing Director and Shykh Seraj, Director of Channel i, also present at the function.
`Bombs are raining`, Aleppo worst hit as Russia-backed offensive intensifies

Volunteers carry an injured person following Syrian government forces airstrikes in Aleppo.

AFP, Aleppo :

The largest hospital in rebel-held east Aleppo was bombed on Saturday for the second time in days as Syrian government forces pressed a Russian-backed offensive to retake the entire city.

Aleppo, once Syria's vibrant commercial powerhouse, is now at the heart of a major military campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's fighters and his steadfast ally Moscow.

The offensive, announced on September 22, has seen dozens of civilians killed and residential buildings flattened in the east, where an estimated 250,000 people live under government siege. As the situation for civilians grows increasingly dire, the largest hospital in east Aleppo was hit by two barrel bombs on Saturday, the medical organisation that supports it said.

"Two barrel bombs hit the M10 hospital and there were reports of a cluster bomb as well," said Adham Sahloul of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).

Sahloul said a small group of patients and doctors "were inside the hospital for basic triage, bandaging, and cleaning services for emergency cases" when the bombardment began and remain trapped there.

SAMS radiologist and hospital administrator Mohammad Abu Rajab made an urgent call for help on Saturday morning from inside M10.

"The hospital is being destroyed! SOS, everyone!" he said in an audio message distributed to journalists.

M10 had already been hit on Wednesday along with the second-largest hospital in the area, known as M2, in what UN chief Ban Ki-moon denounced as "war crimes."

That bombardment heavily damaged the two facilities and left only six fully-functional hospitals in the city's east, according to SAMS.

At the bombed hospital, an AFP journalist saw blood-stained hospital beds and dented equipment lying in disarray beneath blown-out windows, while medical staff in green scrubs picked through the rubble outside to assess the damage.

"A new barrel bomb fell this afternoon in front of the hospital, forcing medical staff... to evacuate all patients to another one and leave the hospital," a doctor at M10 told AFP.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault denounced the strikes, saying that "the systematic targeting of structures and health workers is particularly unjustifiable". "This new attack only confirms the absolute urgency of a cessation of hostilities in Aleppo and access for civilian populations to the humanitarian assistance they desperately need."
Turkey extends mandate for troops in Iraq, Syria

Turkish troops drive their anti-mine Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) past shepherds on a road near the Syrian village of Tuwairan, located around 2km of al-Rai, the small border town with Turkey

AFP, Ankara :

Turkey's parliament on Saturday overwhelmingly approved a one-year extension of an existing mandate to use Turkish troops abroad in Syria and Iraq.

The mandate was first approved by parliament in October 2014 and was renewed for another year in September 2015.

It allows military action in Turkey's two southern neighbours against Islamic State jihadists and other groups deemed by Ankara to be terror organisations.

Using the existing mandate, Turkey on August 24 launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria dubbed Euphrates Shield to back pro-Ankara rebels fighting IS jihadists and a Kurdish militia.

Ankara is also believed to have an unspecified number of troops in the Bashiqa camp outside IS-controlled Mosul in northern Iraq involved in training Iraqi fighters who plan to recapture the city.

The bill passed easily on the first day of the new session of parliament with support from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), secular opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

Only the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) voted against. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the new mandate will run until October 30, 2017.

In his speech marking the opening of parliament, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the initial goal of the Syria operation was to create a "safe area free of terror organisations" some 5,000 square kilometres in size.

Erdogan hailed the results of the operation so far in the Syrian town of Jarabulus, saying its population had expanded from 2,000 to 40,000 since being captured from IS jihadists.
KISHOREGANJ: Students are attending an assembly at Govt Boysa High School in Kishoreganj to ensure attendance in accordance with the direction of Education Ministry on Saturday.
CCC Engineer held by ACC

Chittagong Bureau :

Anti Corruption Commission, Chittagong chapter rounded up one Sub-Divisional engineer of Chittagong city corporation for his processing illegal properties beyond his known income .

A team of ACC arrested Engineer Saiful Rahman from CCC office yesterday morning. ACC Divisional Director Abdul Aziz Bhuyia told the media that Engr. Saiful could not submit the justifications of his illegal income of Tk.30.93 lakh which earned in a illegal ways. Sources said the detained CCC official owned a building in city and purchased lands by his illegal incomes. After arrest, Engr saiful sent to court for necessary action, sources added.


Turkey's ambitious airline seeks to weather 2016 turbulence

AFP, Istanbul :

Even by the fraught standards of global aviation, 2016 has been tough for Turkish Airlines.

In June, its main hub Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul was hit by suicide bomb attacks blamed on jihadists, and then on July 15 putschists seeking to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to take control of Ataturk.

Both incidents caused the temporary closure of Turkey's biggest airport, but the airline managed to resume flights the subsequent day, in a crucial message of business as usual and a symbol of Turkish Airlines' importance for the country's image and economy.

Yet while Turkish Airlines proudly boasts of its resilience in the face of the repeated attacks and the coup bid, Turkey's traumatic 2016 has taken its toll on the group and its ambitions.

After years where it was one of the few global airlines to reliably make profits, it recorded a $647 million loss in the first half to June, even before the effects of the coup are taken into account.

Meanwhile, brakes have been slammed on its exponential growth, which has seen the ambitious carrier move from being a low-scale outfit taking just 10.3 million passengers in 2002 to 61.2 million in 2015.

Growth this year has been far slower and the company expects to take a total of 63.4 million passengers in 2016, with most of that increase coming in domestic flights.

"In the last decade Turkish Airlines was one of the most profitable airlines in the world," company chairman Ilker Ayci told journalists including AFP in Istanbul on Thursday.
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When all my life plans failed...

Life Desk :

There is a famous saying - When something happens according to your wishes, it is good, but if not, then even better, because then it happens according to the God's wish.

To many, this may come across just as a philosophical line. I had the same mindset till about a few years ago. Then something very strange happened that made me realize the real essence of this beautiful line.

When we want something and we get it, we are really happy about it but if we don't get it, we are disheartened beyond measure. A lot of questions start boggling our mind? We question why we don't ever get anything, why we are the most hated child of God, why others always get what they want or why my hardwork never pays off.

For many years in my life, even I have stayed puzzled and tried to find answers to these "whys". However, I would like to share with you a small journey of my life, which helped me in answering all these queries.

Throughout my school life, I struggled day and night to stay among the toppers in my class. I would study so hard even for those 10 marks unit tests because I never wanted to miss out on my ranking. I sacrificed on my fun time with my friends, family and all the enjoyment that any kid of my age would normally indulge in. And this was not because my parents wanted me to excel but because I wanted to excel.

Then came the time when I had to appear for my 10th Boards. Since I had always performed well, it was expected I would easily get 90 per cent and get into the best science school of my town. Much to my shock, forget about the aggregate, there was not even a single paper where I scored above 90. My total came out to be just 86 per cent, where it was too tough to get into the best science school.

I was shattered beyond measures. I did not know what went wrong. I did my best but I could not figure out what went wrong. For me, science meant I wanted the best school and on my own merit. So I dropped the stream and opted for commerce. My marks were good enough to get me into the best commerce school, since that time the cut offs for commerce used to be lower than science.

So once I started studying commerce, I gained a lot of interest in it. I started enjoying accounts and business studies and soon started doing really well in my class. My hopes again started to rise. I dreamt of scoring 90 per cent again and getting through the best commerce college in Delhi University and later prepare for MBA. But with time you realize there is a huge gap between hopes and their realization.

When my 12th Board results came out, I just scored 83 per cent. I could not meet any cut off of any of the colleges in Delhi University.

This time I was broken, really broken. I wondered how could this happen to me? What is it that the Gods wants from me? How could he fail all my efforts and hard work? This was the time when I stopped believing in God.

I started again with no future plans and barely any hope, in the commerce college of my town. After attending college, I used to be free in the second half. Some of my close friends joined Company Secretaryship classes and suggested that I should also join them after college hours. I liked the idea that after three years, it will help me get an additional degree that might just help me in pursuing MBA from a good college. So I joined these classes.

In the first year, classes for company secretaryship and chartered accountancy were taken together. It was in these classes, my tuition teacher realized that I was quite good in practical and could do quite well in chartered accountancy. She asked me to fill the form for chartered accountancy and sit for the exam. I had heard all my life how difficult it was to crack CA exams and with the erratic fate I had in my studies, I had no hopes at all.

Though I was performing really well in my preparation tests, I wasn't expecting anything this time.

I knew like always, I would have hard luck. So without any hopes, I just wrote the exams.

But this time, miracle happened! Not only did I clear the foundation exam of CA, I topped in my state and was placed at 16th rank in India. I was also there in the newspapers and was overwhelmed with appreciation pouring in from all sides.

It was then when I realized, may be this is what God wanted me to have. If I had scored well in 10th, I would have studied science and may have been an engineer today. If I had scored well in 12th, I would have been in the Delhi University and may have pursued MBA today. But the kind of success, appreciation and recognition that I got now, I would have never got to experience this.

During my failures, when I was busy blaming God, he was busy planning my future that was best for me. I had plans that were good, but God's plan was the best. So dear friends, when you taste failure in life, or miss meeting expectations, don't be disheartened, because God has stored the best for you. Just wait for the right time. -TNN
Population growth equations

Joseph Chamie :

While the world's population of 7.4 billion is growing at 1.1 percent per year - about half the peak level of the late 1960s - enormous differences in demographic growth among countries are increasingly evident and of mounting concern to countries and the international community.

Few of the decliners are prepared to accept large-scale immigration, particularly from doubler countries, to address labor force shortages and population aging concerns.

At one extreme are the doublers: 29 countries whose populations are expected to at least double by the middle of the 21st century. At the other extreme in striking contrast are the decliners: 38 countries whose populations are expected to be smaller by the middle of the 21st century.

The doublers are all located in sub-Saharan Africa except for Iraq and the State of Palestine. The largest countries among the doublers are Nigeria (187 million), followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (80 million) and Tanzania (55 million).

Today the doublers together account for 10 percent of the world's population. By 2050, however, due to the doublers' rapid rates of demographic growth that proportion is expected to increase to 18 percent of the world's projected population of nearly 10 billion people.

Among the doublers the country with the most rapid increase is Niger, whose population of 21 million is expected to double by the year 2034 and to experience a 250 percent increase by mid-century, more than tripling its population to 72 million. Other countries with substantial increases of 150 percent or more are Zambia, Angola, Uganda and Mali.

The largest doubler population, Nigeria, is expected to increase by 112 percent, reaching just under 400 million by 2050 and thereby displacing the United States as the world's third largest country after India and China. Another sizeable population increase is the Democratic Republic of the Congo whose population of 80 million is projected to increase by 145 percent, or an additional 116 million people, bringing its total midcentury population to nearly 200 million.

While not a single country's population at the close of the 20th century was smaller than in 1950, this demographic trend is not expected to continue over the next several decades. The decliners, a group of 38 countries both developed and developing, are expected to experience population decline by the middle of the 21st century. Together the decliner's proportion of the world's population is projected to fall from close to 30 percent today to nearly 20 percent by the year 2050.

The top ten countries with the projected population declines of no less than 15 percent are all located in Eastern Europe (Figure 2). The country with the most rapid decline among the decliners is Bulgaria (27 percent), followed by Romania (22 percent), Ukraine (21 percent) and Moldova (20 percent).

The largest decliner population, China, is expected to decrease by more than 2 percent by 2050, with the Chinese population peaking in less than a decade. Other large populations projected to experience demographic declines by midcentury are Japan (15 percent), Russia (10 percent), Germany (8 percent) and Italy (5 percent). Moreover, some of the decliners have already experienced population decline for a number of years in the recent past, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.

The population projections for the decliners assume some immigration in the future. For some decliner countries, such as Italy, Japan, Germany, Hungary, Spain and Russia, immigration lessens the expected declines in their future populations. For example, while Italy's population with assumed immigration is projected to decline by 5 percent by mid-century, without immigration Italy's projected population would fall to 13 percent.

Noteworthy differences exist in both mortality and migration levels between doublers and decliners. Doubler countries have markedly higher mortality rates than decliners. In addition, doublers are generally migrant-sending countries, while many of the decliners are migrant-receiving countries.

The sizeable differences in rates of future population growth, however, are primarily due to the level of fertility. The median fertility rate among the 29 doubler countries is 5.3 births per woman, ranging from a low of 4.4 in Kenya to a high of 7.6 in Niger. In contrast, fertility levels among the 38 decliner countries all fall below the replacement level of about two children, with the median fertility rate being 1.5 births per woman. Countries that are approximately a half child below the replacement level include China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia and Spain.

The comparatively high and low population growth rates pose formidable, but differing challenges for doubler and decliner countries. Doublers face serious development challenges in meeting the basic needs of their rapidly growing and very young populations. The median ages of the doubler countries are all below 20 years, with the youngest being Niger (15 years), Uganda (16), Chad (16), Angola (16), Mali (16) and Somali (16).

Many doubler countries, such as Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger and Uganda, are now facing food shortages. Providing sufficient foods for their rapidly growing populations is expected to be considerably more difficult in the years ahead.

Other key areas that pose serious challenges are housing, education, health care, employment, personal security and governance, especially as nearly half of the doubler countries are among high alert failing or fragile states. Given the onerous living conditions for most of the populations in doubler countries, growing numbers of young adults are turning to both legal and illegal migration to wealthier developed countries, many of which are also decliner countries.

Among their attempts to address their high rates of population growth, doubler governments have established programs for reproductive health services to assist families to have the number of children they desire, which is generally fewer than current levels. With widespread education, especially for girls, and improved employment opportunities, the doubler governments are aiming to reduce their high fertility levels and accelerate their demographic transitions to low death and birth rates.

While decliners have by and large met the basic needs of their populations, they are confronting increasingly the pervasive consequences of population decline and aging. Contractions in the size of their labor forces coupled with increases in the proportion elderly are exerting stresses and strains on the economies and budgets of decliner countries.

Many of the decliners have already passed through the historic reversal, or the demographic point where the number of elderly aged 65 and older exceeds the number of children below age 15 years. The median ages for half of the decliners are above 40 years, with the oldest being Japan, Germany and Italy at 46 years.

With the proportion of elderly increasing and more of them living longer, often many years beyond retirement, governments of the decliner countries are particularly concerned about escalating costs for social security, pensions, health and care giving. Options to address those fiscal issues include raising official retirement ages, increasing taxes, redirecting government revenues and reducing benefits.

Few of the decliners are prepared to accept large-scale immigration, particularly from doubler countries, to address labor force shortages and population aging concerns. As is being increasingly reported, some decliners are erecting barriers, fences and walls to deter unauthorized immigration, while others remain resolutely averse to a sizeable foreign population taking hold within their borders.

Many decliner countries, including China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and Spain, are attempting to alter their projected demographic futures by raising their low fertility levels in hopes of mitigating population decline and perhaps even achieving near population stabilization. Moving to replacement level fertility by encouraging women to have additional children, however, has proved to be difficult and generally not successful.

It is often said that opposites attract. Perhaps in romance, friendships and the movies, people are attracted to those who are viewed different from them. That appears not to be the case for doubler and decliner countries, at least for the present. However, as has been repeatedly demonstrated throughout world demographic history, rapidly growing populations are not easily confined to within borders, eventually traversing deserts, mountains, rivers and seas and spreading out across continents.



(Joseph Chamie is an independent consulting demographer and a former director of the United Nations Population Division).


Piling US dollar in central bank not good for economy





AS the uncertainty gripped the entire business exercises, Bangladesh Bank is continuously purchasing US dollars from the local banks for maintaining a stable exchange rate. A national daily on Friday reported that the central bank bought US dollars worth $1.54 billion in the first quarter of this FY taking the total to $19.11 billion in four years. It was thought that after 2014 general elections, the business climate which remained stagnated after the collapse of capital market in 2010 and many financial scams, the gloomy cloud over the economy may disappear and take a positive turn. The investment in private sector has remained slow for half a decade that narrowed the demand of dollars in market needed to pay imports bills. Whatever success the government claims, the truth is that it has failed to restore the business friendly climate and regain confidence among businesses. Such damping environment has ultimately instigated capital flights. Despite taking several mega projects and pretending success in generating electricity the national economy, more so the day to day life of the common people, is burdened with rampant corruption, and a fear free environment, which is vital for carrying economic activities, is yet missing.

The government often claims its success of swelling foreign exchange reserve but the reserve swelled for the lack of investment. The non-performing foreign exchange reserve will not bring any positive result due to the existing slow growth in import amid dull business. Data revealed that the central bank continued to purchase US dollars in Q1 of the current FY16-17 after it had bought US dollars worth $4.13 billion in FY15-16 to keep the exchange rate of taka stable against the US dollar as banks were overflowing with the US banknotes. It may be noted that imports registered 18.42 percent negative growth in July, compared with the 15.96 percent growth in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. Against this backdrop, most banks are now holding excess US dollars than their own needs or handling power.

The exchange rate of US dollar against taka would have depreciated significantly if the central bank had avoided purchasing the US banknotes. The import of industrial raw materials and capital machinery decreased significantly in the recent months causing the banks to face huge amount of excess US dollars.

Providing artificial respiration to the economy will not hold good for the ill-economy unless making it enliven by ensuring business-friendly climate. Non-partisan bankers suggest that Bangladesh Bank should allow the 'usual business' of US dollar as demanded by the market players. They also opined what Bangladesh Bank should do more importantly is to discipline the already untamed banking sector overburdened with loan scams and mismanagement.
Russia warns US of

CBS News, Beirut :

Russia warned the United States Saturday against carrying out any attacks on Syrian government forces, saying it would have repercussions across the Middle East as government forces captured a hill on the edge of the northern city of Aleppo under the cover of airstrikes.

Meanwhile, airstrikes on Aleppo struck a hospital in the eastern rebel-held neighborhood of Sakhour on Saturday, putting it out of service, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees. They said at least one person was killed in the airstrike.

Russian news agencies quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that a U.S. intervention against Assad regime forces in the five-year-old Syrian civil war "will lead to terrible, tectonic consequences not only on the territory of this country but also in the region on the whole."

U.S.-Russian tensions over Syria have escalated since the breakdown of a cease-fire last month, with each side blaming the other for its failure. Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched a major onslaught on rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

Opposition groups claim Russian airstrikes have killed more than 9,000 people inside Syria. Syrian troops pushed ahead in their offensive in Aleppo on Saturday capturing the strategic Um al-Shuqeef hill near the Palestinian refugee camp of Handarat that government forces captured from rebels earlier this week, according to state TV.

The hill is on the northern edge of the Aleppo, Syria's largest city and former commercial center. The powerful ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham militant group said rebels regained control Saturday of several positions they lost in Aleppo in the Bustan al-Basha neighborhood.

State media said 13 people were wounded when rebels shelled the central government-held neighborhood of Midan. In the rebel-held portion of Aleppo, opposition activist Ahmad Alkhatib described the hospital, known as M10, as one of the largest in Aleppo. He posted photographs on his Twitter account showing the damage including beds covered with dust, a hole in its roof and debris covering the street outside.

A doctor at the hospital told the Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, that thousands of people were treated in the compound in the past adding that two people were killed in Saturday's airstrikes and several were wounded. "A real catastrophe will hit medical institutions in Aleppo if the direct shelling continues to target hospitals and clinics," said the doctor whose name was not given.

He said the whole hospital is out of service.

The U.N's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O'Brien, said the city's healthcare system is in critical need of relief, Reuters reports.

"The health system is on the verge of total collapse with patients being turned away and no medicines available to treat even the most common ailments," O'Brien said.

"With clean water and food in very short supply, the number of people requiring urgent medical evacuations is likely to rise dramatically in the coming days."

Opposition activists have blamed the President Bashar Assad's forces and Russia for airstrikes that hit Civil Defense units and clinics in the city where eastern rebel-held neighborhoods are besieged by government forces and pro-government militiamen.

On Friday, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders demanded that the Syrian government and its allies "halt the indiscriminate bombing that has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians, many of them children," over the past week in Aleppo.

"Bombs are raining from Syria-led coalition planes and the whole of east Aleppo has become a giant kill box," said Xisco Villalonga, director of operations for the group. "The Syrian government must stop the indiscriminate bombing, and Russia as an indispensable political and military ally of Syria has the responsibility to exert the pressure to stop this."

Officials have called the situation in Aleppo a "slaughterhouse" of children.

It said from Sept. 21 to 26, hospitals still functioning in Aleppo reported receiving more than 822 wounded, including at least 221 children, and more than 278 dead bodies-including 96 children-according to the Directorate of Health in east Aleppo.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom criticized attacks on civilian targets writing on her Twitter account: "Unacceptable to bomb civilians, children and hospitals in #Aleppo. No humanity. Assad & Russia moving further away from peace."

In the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, warplanes of the U.S.-led coalition destroyed several bridges on the Euphrates river, according to Syrian state news agency SANA and Deir el-Zour 24, an activist media collective. The province is a stronghold of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS.)

SANA said that among the bridges destroyed was the Tarif Bridge that links Deir el-Zour with the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the extremists' de-facto capital.




RMG suppliers to bear the brunt

Exporters for early negotiation

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Clothing suppliers, who benefit from duty-free access to the UK might suffer as a result of Brexit unless special terms of access are negotiated, according to a report from Textiles Intelligence.



It said suppliers in major clothing exporting countries, including Bangladesh, could be excluded from preferential access to the UK market when Britain leaves the European Union (EU).



UK has decided to come out from European Union after the historical poll that chose 'Brexit' by 52 per cent to 48 per cent. The exit process would take more or less two years as per the law mentioned in Article 50 of EU.



"We are worried about the possible Brexit fall out on our industry as Britain has been considered to be a key market for local apparels," Ferdous Pervez Bivon, Vice-Present of BGMEA told The New Nation on Sunday.



He said, the local suppliers have already consolidated their position in the market taking advantage of duty-free access. Their exports to the market have seen a significant growth in last five years.



"Impact of Brexit on our exports could be easily evaluated if the current value of bilateral trade between Bangladesh and the UK is analysed," he added.



Bovon said, the issue is very critical and the government should properly pay heed to this to keep unhurt our garments export to the country.



'"The government should take immediate action so that the trade benefit remain, as usual even after Britain's divorce from the EU," he said.



In 2015, the UK was the EU's second largest clothing import market in value terms after Germany, with a 17.7 per cent share of EU clothing imports into all member states.



Bangladesh exported more than $3.5 billion to UK in 2015, and of the total export to UK, RMG goods accounted for over 50 per cent share ($1.62 billion)



Because the UK is a member of the EU, exporters in many developing countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Peru,enjoy duty-free access to the UK textile and clothing market under arrangements of the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP).



But if and when the UK leaves the EU, imports into the UK from countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia will, by default, be subject to a common external tariff as declared to the World Trade Organization (WTO).



"Britain's exit from the EU could have major consequences for the suppliers from developing countries by lowering their exports to the country," Abdus Salam Murshedy, President of the Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) told The New Nation yesterday.



He said, "Bangladesh would be the top losing country given the current size of its apparel exports and industry."



Murshedy further said clothing export accounts for over 80 per cent of Bangladesh's total foreign trade and any shock from the UK market as a result of Brexit could leave a knock-on effect on its export basket.



"Considering the fact, the government must go for an early negotiation with the British authorities so that a special trade agreement is put in place to keep the preferential access intact to the UK market," he said.



Bangladesh's apparel export reached $28.09 billion in the last fiscal year (2015-16), registering 10.21 per cent growth over the previous fiscal.



RMG products accounted for 82 per cent share of its total export that hit $34.25 billion during the period.




Petrobangla`s option to export gas criticized

Anisul Islam Noor :

State-owned oil, gas and mineral corporation Petrobangla has surrendered the country's interest to international oil companies (IOCs) by giving proposal to Daewoo International Corporation for exporting gas to third country from deep sea gas exploration, experts alleged.



Following strong lobbing of IOCs, the Petrobangla has restated the option recently in Product Sharing Contract (PSC) after cancellation of gas export provision four year ago.



Meanwhile, the government has finalized to award deep sea gas block no 12 in the Bay of Bengal to Korean Daewoo for exploring gas though negotiation bypassing competitive tender under the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Act, 2010.



The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports has termed the government decision suicidal and said doing so under the special act would be an offence.



"There is a huge crisis of gas in the country, yet the government is allowing the provision of gas export by the companies who would extract it. It contradicts with the government's stand," Prof Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the committee, said yesterday.



Energy expert of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Professor Shamsul Alam said, in future Petrobangla officials have to take responsibility for their irresponsibility of the country's interest in the international deal.



"If any IOC got the opportunity of exporting gas to third country, every one in the next will demand similar facility, which may create energy crisis at home," Professor Alam said.



According to the amended model PSC of 2012, the prices of gas produced by IOCs from deep sea gas fields will increase by 2 per cent annually. In addition, the IOCs have been exempted from paying the transportation tariff of 4 per cent for using Petrobangla's transmission lines.



The exploration companies will also enjoy exemption from paying the corporate tax. The amendment also includes the provision of increasing the price and share of gas for IOCs, a higher cost recovery limit, and corporate tax payment by Petrobangla.



According to the amendment, an IOC will sell around 50 per cent of the produced gas to Petrobangla at $6.50 per 1,000 cubic feet.



Following that, the IOC can offer Petrobangla to buy the rest of the gas according to its own terms and conditions. But if Petrobangla refuses to buy the rest of the gas, the IOC will be allowed to sell the gas to a third party inside Bangladesh.



Now, if the IOC is unable to strike a deal with local companies as well, it can export its share of gas to foreign buyers as liquefied natural gas (LNG).



"We've completed negotiation and sent our proposal to the Energy Division to place it to the Cabinet Economic Affair Committee," said Petrobangla chairman Ishtiak Ahmed.



He informed that the state-owned hydrocarbon corporation has completed the negotiation with the Korean company with reduced timeframe for exploration.



"Only Daewoo responded just one block DS-12, No proposal was found for any other blocks from any company," he said.



Currently, three foreign companies - Chevron, Santos and Kris Energy - are working at onshore and shallow sea blocks in the country following international biddings in 1993 and 1997.



However, Prof. Mohammad Tamim of the department of petroleum and mineral resources at BUET has favour of the government decision.



"In case there is a huge production of gas - like 20-30 trillion cubic feet - Bangladesh will not need this much gas at once. What will the government do with the excess gas then? Companies in the private sector will not be able to use the gas either," he said.



"If the government is unwilling to keep the provision, it can cancel it, but then Petrobangla will have to buy all the gas explored by the IOCs. No third parties - local or foreign - should be allowed to buy the gas then."



In January 2014, US-based oil company ConocoPhillips and Norway-based Statoil jointly submitted bidding documents to explore oil and natural gas in three deep sea gas blocks - DS 12, DS 16 and DS 21 - under the amended model PSC of 2012.



ConocoPhillips and Statoil negotiated with the government for exploring the blocks, but later ConocoPhillips withdrew their proposal, demanding export benefits and increased gas price. To date, negotiation with Statoil remains unsettled as well.




'I lost the argument' for use of force in Syria

CNN, Washington :

Secretary of State John Kerry's frustration with the failure of American diplomacy was on display as he defended US efforts to help end the five-year civil war in Syria during a meeting last week with a group of Syrian civilians, according to an audio recording obtained by CNN.

But Kerry also expressed sympathy for the Syrians' demands that the United States intervene more forcefully amid Syrian and Russian airstrikes against civilians, telling the group that he "lost the argument" for using military force against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Kerry's comments came at a meeting that took place at the Dutch Mission to the United Nations on the sidelines the UN General Assembly, where Kerry was going from session to session in a frenzied effort to resuscitate a ceasefire that seemed poised to collapse.

"I think you're looking at three people, four people in the administration. I lost the argument. I've argued for the use of force. I'm the guy who stood up and announced that we're going to attack Assad for the use of weapons," Kerry is heard telling the Syrian attendees, referring to internal deliberations within the administration of President Barack Obama that followed Assad's use of chemical weapons in 2013.

Kerry also faulted Congress for failing to support such a retaliatory strike, saying, "The bottom line is that Congress refused even to vote to allow that." "We have a Congress that will not authorize our use of force," he added, explaining that a new military intervention would be difficult to bring about.

The discussion in the recording occurred only days after the United States and Russia announced a ceasefire agreement in Geneva, an accord that has since collapsed with reports of regime bombing attacks and the positioning of some 10,000 Syrian regime-aligned troops preparing to advance on Aleppo.

The recorded conversation contains a series of revelations about Kerry's view of the ongoing civil war in Syria. Several of the meeting's participants have confirmed the recording's authenticity.

The Syrian civilians repeatedly questioned Kerry about violations of the ceasefire and America's unwillingness to enforce the agreement more strongly, and lobbied for a bigger US role.

Kerry cited legal restrictions and local air defenses as reasons why a US military intervention was not feasible.

"The problem is the Russians don't care about international law and we do. And we don't have a basis, our lawyers tell us, unless we have a Security Council resolution," he said.

"They were invited in, we were not," he added, referring to Moscow's military operations in Syria.

"We don't behave like Russians. It's just a different standard," Kerry said.

"The only reason they are letting us fly is because we are going after ISIL," Kerry said, using another term for ISIS. "If we were going after Assad, we would have to take out all the air defenses and we don't have a legal justification for doing that." Kerry added, "So far, American legal theory does not buy into the so-called right to protect."

"Nobody (is) more frustrated than me," Kerry told the gathering.

Acknowledging that Russia's military actions have "changed the equation" and made removing Assad more difficult, Kerry suggested that Syrian refugees could one day help eject Assad if given the right to vote.

Asked about the recording, State Department spokesman John Kirby told CNN, "While we will decline to comment on a private conversation, Secretary Kerry was grateful for the chance to meet with this group of Syrians, to hear their concerns firsthand and to express our continued focus on ending this civil war."

Kerry found himself on the defensive as the attendees implored the United States to help stop the violence against Syrian civilians through direct action. "You can be mad at us, but what we are trying to do is help Syrians to fight for their own country, and we have been spending a lot of money, a lot of effort," he said.

"I am frustrated, too," Kerry said. He later added, "A lot of Americans don't believe that we should be fighting and sending young Americans over to die in another country."


Fethullah Gulen's brother held

Al Jazeera News :

Turkish police have arrested a brother of Fethullah Gulen, US-based religious leader accused by the government of plotting the failed July coup attempt.

Kutbettin Gulen was detained by police acting on a tip-off at the home of a relative in the Gaziemir district of the western Izmir province, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

He is the first of Gulen's siblings to be detained after the coup bid.

He is accused of "membership of an armed terror group", Anadolu said, without giving further details. Anadolu said books belonging to Fethullah Gulen himself were confiscated in the police raid.

Kutbettin Gulen was dismissed from a printing house operating under Kaynak Holding after the state appointed trustees to the company in 2015 for its links to Gulen's organisation, according to Turkish media.

Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, is accused by Turkey of orchestrating the July 15 coup plot.

Gulen denies the claims, saying he merely runs a peaceful organisation called Hizmet (Service).

According to previous Turkish media reports, Gulen has three living brothers, Mesih, Salih and Kutbettin, as well as two who are dead, Seyfullah and Hasbi.

He also has two sisters, Nurhayat and Fazilet. Their current whereabouts are not known. In July, the authorities arrested Gulen's nephew Muhammet Sait Gulen in the eastern city of Erzurum.

Another nephew, Ahmet Ramiz Gulen, was arrested in August in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.

But this is believed to be the first time a brother has been detained.

Turkey's government, which had a close alliance with Gulen in the early years of its rule, say his supporters infiltrated all sectors of society including the military with the aim of launching the coup that took place on July 15. The coup attempt was defeated when supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took to the streets.

Erdogan returned to Istanbul unharmed.

But the state of emergency after the coup has raised tensions between Turkey and the EU, which has expressed concerns over the scale of the crackdown that has seen 32,000 people arrested .

Since the failed coup attempt, more than 77,000 people, including soldiers, judges and prosecutors, have been investigated, some of them temporarily detained.

Thousands of soldiers, teachers, journalists, civil servants and academics have also been suspended or dismissed from their jobs as a result of their alleged links to Gulen's network.

Turkish government also shut down thousands of schools, companies, television channels and newspapers for their alleged links to "terrorism" since the failed coup attempt.
Ban on Hilsa catching from Oct 12

Staff Reporter :

The government on Sunday imposed a ban on catching, selling, transportation and hoarding of Hilsa from October 12 to November 2 in 27 districts.

Fisheries and Livestock Ministry took the decision at the Bangladesh Secretariat with its Minister M Sayedul Haq in the chair yesterday.

The Ministry also urged fishermen not to catch Hilsa during this period.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister M Sayedul Haq said the decision was taken to boost Hilsa production through protection of mother fish during its peak breeding season.

Legal actions will be taken against those who will violate the ban, he added.

The 27 districts are Chandpur, Laxmipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur,

Jhalakati, Bagerhat, Shariatpur, Brahmanbaria, Dhaka, Madaripur, Faridpur, Rajbari, Jamalpur, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Khulna, Kushtia and Rajshahi.
US must show courage of decisiveness for partition of Syria

As Russia backed Syrian government forces are making a major onslaught to capture the rebel held eastern part of Aleppo to bring a decisive turning in the war, Russia warned the United States on Saturday against carrying out any attacks on Syrian government forces threatening repercussions across the Middle East. The warning came at a time when the government forces captured a hill on the edge of the city under Russian air cover and trying to hold it from rebels' attack.



The warning came when US led coalition war planes are bombing areas held by Islamic State Group across the Euphrates River in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, away from Aleppo city.



The Economist, the international weekly highlighted in its current issue :



As America has pulled back others have stepped in geo-political vacuum. Islamic State has taken over most of Shi-ites land in Syria and Iraq. A new generation of jihadists has emerged as inspired to fight Syria or attack the West.



The conclusion the Economist made is Putin will keep gambling for advantage for as long as he thinks the West is unwilling.



Meanwhile, Russian air strikes on Aleppo destroyed the remaining hospital in the rebel-held neighbourhood on Saturday denying any opportunity to treat the wounded from rain like bombing on rebel held areas from Russian air planes. Russian news agencies quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Saturday as saying that any US intervention against the Syrian army "will lead to terrible, tectonic consequences not only on the territory of this country but also in the region on the whole."



The spokesperson said regime change in Syria would create a vacuum that would be "quickly filled" by "terrorists of all stripes." It appears that Russia and its allies like Iran and other ultra-nationalist Shi-ite forces in the region, which wanted to preserve the oppressive Bashar al-Assad regime in power, are attempting to quickly end the Syria war, as they fear that the next US President may change the Syria policy that may challenge their monopoly in the ground. Most senior foreign policy experts in the US are opposed to President Barrack Obama's policy of militarily non-intervention in the ground.



The Russian warning came as a leaked recorded talks of US Secretary of State John Kerry with a Syrian Group in the sideline of UN session as CNN reported on Saturday made the disclosure that he had failed to win support of the administration to militarily intervene in Syria to stop Bashar al-Assad's forces and Russian war planes from killing the civilians in the ground.



It appears that Bashar al-Assad, his Russian and Iranian allies want the Syria without Syrian for their strategic victory in the region denying the hopes and aspirations of its people for a system of government that people will elect to replace Assad's family dictatorship of past 40 years. To remain in power Assad has sold his country to the Russian and it appears that Iran is collaborating to create the region free from Sunni population.



It sounds ironic as Russia warned the USA of dire consequences to suggest America's super power position is in danger to itself if it is not willing to use power when vital human rights and strategic issues are at risk.



US-Russian tensions over Syria have escalated since the breakdown of a cease-fire last month, with each side blaming the other for its failure. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched the major onslaught on rebel-held parts of Aleppo as the powerful ultra-conservative Ahrar al-Sham militant group regained control on Saturday of several positions they lost in Aleppo's eastern neighbourhood.



A doctor at the hospital that Russian bombing destroyed on Saturday said thousands of people were treated in the compound in the past. "A real catastrophe will hit medical institutions in Aleppo if the direct shelling continues to target hospitals and clinics," said the doctor whose name was not given.



When as a super power and champion of human rights, the USA shows weakness to use its power against worst violator of human rights it means the death of the US's greatness. Not just stopping of bombing, the time has come for decisive action on the part of President Obama if he is concerned about his legacy of a weak President as against Putin. As a powerful President he should go decisively using military power against Assad if it even means dividing Syria for a solution.


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.
Students in the Puente Project at Lee College receive academic support, community mentors, opportunities to visit universities and cultural sites around the state and an in-depth exploration of Latino history and heritage. The program is currently seeking professionals to serve as mentors to the newest Puente enrollees. From left are Yesica Flores, Stephanie Moreno, Lizbeth Bejar, Mitchell Medrano, Andrea Gallegos, Prescilla Sanchez, Xochitl Cortez, Corie Cole, Cierra Marron, Yoselin Velasquez, Deborah Ridley, Jose Pulido and Jasmine Cardenas.
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.
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.
Legislation proposed by Forest could prevent further violations, says advocate for Millennials

North Carolina State University recently tossed out a rule that evangelical campus group Grace Christian Life said blocked its free-speech rights, a move that may set a precedent for statewide reform of controversial speech policies on University of North Carolina system campuses.GCL on Tuesday abandoned a lawsuit against N.C. State following the school's decision to dissolve a policy that required student groups to apply for a permit before they were allowed to distribute literature or solicit other students on campus. Anna Beavon Gravely, state director of Generation Opportunity, a free-market group representing Millennials, told Carolina Journal a legislative proposal from Lt. Gov. Dan Forest protecting free expression on campuses could prevent similar instances of free-speech violations at other North Carolina public universities.The conflict at N.C. State began during April when university administrators prevented members of GCL from passing out flyers because the group had failed to secure a permit.Group members, who had been issued 20 different permits prior to the incident, sought legal representation from Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal advocacy organization that defends the free-exercise rights of religious individuals and groups.ADF stated in a July 19 press release, following N.C. State's decision to dissolve the rule in question.said ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer.The university's settlement came after N.C. State Chancellor Randy Woodson announced in April that the policy was not discriminatory, and that free speech never had been targeted by his administration.Woodson wrote in an April 28 statement.In a letter released after N.C. State's decision to settle the ADF lawsuit out of court, Woodson stated that the university chose to settle to save legal costs. Under the settlement terms, N.C. State owes ADF $72,500 in legal fees.While Woodson continues to call the policy fair, Generation Opportunity's Gravely and others say that administrative permission never should be required of students who want to exercise speech rights on a public campus.The university's decision to dissolve its policy is a step in the right direction, she said, citing UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UNC-Greensboro as other campuses that should follow N.C. State's example.Gravely said.she added.Gravely said passage of the Campus Free Expression Act - a legislative proposal from Lt. Gov. Dan Forest that may be introduced at the North Carolina General Assembly next year - would be a big help. The bill would remove from UNC campuses limits on where students can speak freely, and would place disciplinary actions on individuals who disrupt public meetings or block free expression.Gravely said.N.C. State student Madeline Finnegan, who serves as president of UNC's Association of Student Governments and is the ex-officio member of the Board of Governors, said that student censorship across UNC's campuses is less of an issue than what is often portrayed in the media, and that - prior to GCL's lawsuit - she hadn't heard of any complaints about freedom of speech under the university's policy.Finnegan said, adding that she viewed N.C. State's now-obsolete permit rule as a way for student groups to reserve tables in certain areas across campus.she continued.As far the legislature's proposal to address free speech on campuses, Finnegan says that - while she thinks protection of First Amendment rights is important - she has reservations.Finnegan said.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?

You voted:
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
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."
MURPHYSBORO  For 40 years, Dale and Jan Ritzel had wanted to use solar energy, but either the cost or the technology was not where they wanted it to be.

This past November, they took the plunge, thinking the technology and cost and time were right to install the 34 solar panels atop the roof of their Murphysboro home.

It was a good decision, Dale Ritzel shared with the 10 people who visited his home on Saturday as part of the 2016 Illinois Solar Tour. His home was one of a handful of homes that were part of the tour, which allowed people to visit homes to hear homeowners share how the system is working for them.

Ritzel said questions were all over the place: Whether he was totally off the grid (no, he uses Egyptian Electric for his power source); whether he can use his phone or iPad to remotely turn off his solar inverter system, which converts the DC energy created by the sun into the AC energy more commonly used here in the United States (no); among many others.

Ali Alazza, a student from Basra, Iraq, questioned Ritzel's son, Brent Ritzel, about the system's capabilities, explaining that he wondered how it would work in his hometown; he said the electricity service there is not the best, sometimes working for a few hours, then going off for more.

"I'm interested in the solar technology (to) solve the problems in my country," Ali Alazza said.

Another visitor wanted to know what the Ritzels' neighbors thought of their system.

The Ritzels are not totally off the grid, but have sometimes had to only pay a $36 basic monthly electricity fee charged by Egyptian Electric. Part of the paperwork he shared with guests on Saturday was one comparing his electricity payments, month-by-month, over the past three years. Some months, he said he was able to realize at least a $170 in savings over what he'd spent the year or two before for that month. He lives in a single-level, 2,500-square-foot house.

The Ritzels paid about $30,000 to have the system installed by StraightUp Solar, where their son works, but expect to receive about 20 percent of that back over the next five years, because of a Solar Renewable Energy Certificate, or SRECs, Dale said.

Material he handed out Saturday indicated that many of the homes participating in the 2016 Solar Tour also benefited from rebates offered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; though the program was extended to 2020, the program is currently unfunded  because of the budget crisis  and "is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future."

He said he's 100 percent pleased with the system.

It turned out to be what we wanted to do, and we just looking forward to it continuing to do the same.
Maclin joined the hospital board in 1980, replacing his father John Maclin who served on the board from 1947 until his death in 1980. Both men served as secretary of the board during their tenure.

Marshall Browning Hospital welcomes Andrew Croessman to the hospital board of directors. Croessman is the Finance and Budget Director and City Clerk for the city of Du Quoin. He is the son of longtime educator Barbara Croessman and John Croessman, longtime editor of the Du Quoin Evening Call newspaper. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Master of Science Degree in Economics from SIU. In addition, he has met all of the curriculum requirements for his doctorate in Economics and will soon assemble his dissertation committee.
Doggie Stylez LLC, established in 2009, hosted a grand re-opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday in recognition of the facility's expansion.

The dog grooming facility added on an additional 5,000 square feet to its existing facility, expanded its exiting play yard to 13,000 square feet, and covered the entire play yard with a special synthetic turf made especially for dogs, according to owner Erica Pancoast.

Pancoast said Doggie Stylez has also expanded services to include not only grooming, boarding, and daycare but also training.

"We are the largest kennel-free facility in Southern Illinois to offer the services we offer in one place," she said.

Doggie Stylez is located at 1012 W Main St. in Marion and is open from 7:30 a. m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays for pick ups and drop offs. For more information, call 618-889-4712 or visit www.doggiestylezinc.com.

 The Southern
Elastec will host the fourth annual oil spill workshop, It All Flows Downstream, from Oct. 3 to 5 at the companys headquarters in Carmi, and along the Wabash River in New Harmony, Indiana.

The theme emphasizes how oil spills and other surface water pollution like trash, debris, sediments, invasive aquatic weeds and the flushing of pharmaceuticals flow into waterways and oceans.

Presentations will be given by world-renowned experts in the oil spill industry as well as subject matter experts in waterway maintenance and storm water control, marine trash and debris, aquatic weed and sediment control, and environmental protection agency regulations, including Jim OBrien, Al Allen, Joel Hogue, Duane Bennish and Brian Levy.

"Finding ways to keep our streams, rivers and oceans free from pollution is Elastecs overarching mission. Elastec is the largest manufacturer of oil spill recovery equipment in North America and distributes environmental products in 155 countries," according to a press release from Elastec.

 The Southern
MARION  Records, CDs, DVDs, cassettes and any type of media that is worth having will soon be coming to Carbondale.

Joes Records, with stores in Marion and throughout Indiana and Kentucky, will be expanding into University Mall in Carbondale. The company will be going through a rebranding effort to rename the business Hard Copies, according to Josh Stockinger, part owner of the company.

Joe Smith is the majority owner of the company. He lives in the Evansville, Indiana, area.

Currently at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion, Joes Records does more than the name suggests.

We do more than sell records. We have just about any hard copy form of media here, Stockinger said. If it is cool enough for somebody to collect and buy, then it is something that we want to carry.

He said there is a market for everything that the stores carries. There are buyers daily making phone calls or stopping by to check on inventory for particular media.

If we couldnt sell it, we wouldnt have it, Stockinger said.

He said one of the goals of Joes Records is to show people the difference between having a file on a phone, computer or iPod, and something to physically hold in their hands. He said there is something different about appreciating the artwork on an album record cover and enjoying the product from that perspective.

The move to Carbondale has been the most recent expansion for the record store business. Joes recently opened its fourth store in Owensboro, Kentucky, in June. The Carbondale store will be its fifth store.

Stockinger said the company is shooting for a mid-November opening, but dates are fluid as of Thursday.

All of the companys stores are in malls across the Midwest with the exception of Corydon, Indiana, which is in a strip mall complex. Stockinger said the company has been incredibly successful in the Marion mall.

The media landscape as far as mall stores go is pretty barren right now, he said. FYE has closed a ton of stores, Hastings is closing stores and Boarders doesnt exist anymore, Best Buy, Walmart and Target carry music, but they dont invest the way we do.

Another difference in Joes is the fact the small company has a distribution center to ensure that it keeps its inventory of thousands of music titles up to date.

Stockinger said the business is constantly traveling to meet with people with thousands of CDs, cassettes or records. The overflow of media is kept in a distribution center, so when a popular item is sold out, the company can easily replenish it.

The company also buys for individuals who bring music into the store. He said some are in small amounts, and others will bring hundreds of items in to sell.

Looking for more than just movies, games and music? The stores also have hundreds of T-shirts hanging from the ceiling and on the walls. Most of the shirts are band related, but Stockinger said some are movie and pop culture-related shirts as well.
Dr. Jacques Papazian, a board certified otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat) specialist, is joining Marshall Browning Hospital Specialty Clinic, located at the hospital at 900 N. Washington St. in Du Quoin.

The mission of Marshall Browning Hospital is to improve the health of our community. We are excited to bring this needed service to Perry County, said CEO Dan Eaves in a news release from the hospital.

Papazian cares for both children and adults with conditions related to the ears, nose and throat including chronic ear infections, hearing loss, allergic and non-allergic diseases of the nose and sinuses, snoring, sleep apnea and tumors of the head and neck, according to the hospital.

Dr. Papazian earned his degree from Montreal University in Quebec, Canada, and practices full time at Crossroads Community Hospital. He also serves SSM Good Samaritan Hospital and Heartland Regional Medical Center. He specializes in otolaryngology/head and neck Surgery with special attention to functional endoscopic sinus surgery and allergy.

Papazian will be seeing patients every fourth Thursday of the month beginning Oct. 27, and he is accepting new patients. For more information, call 618-242-0672.

 The Southern
CARBONDALE  Saturday was a long time in the planning, starting with some city officials and representatives wondering how to bridge gaps with some in the African American community.

A staff member of one of those city officials put organizers in touch with her pastor, and more conversations started.

Along the way, others in the faith community joined the discussions, which eventually wound up with an idea to create an occasion to start anew to build community.

So was born the Community Family Fest, held for two hours Saturday afternoon at Attucks Park in Carbondale, which organizers are hoping is not the last.

At least 250 people attended the event, enjoying food and frozen treats, inflatable toys donated by Murdale True Value or meeting people they might not have gotten to know otherwise. In addition to neighborhood and other community residents, the event was attended by city police officers and Police Chief Jeff Grubbs and firefighters and officials, such as Mayor Mike Henry and City Manager Gary Williams.

"This was a big first step for us," Williams said. "This was the culmination of about six months of ongoing dialogue with now 11 pastors who represent different congregations in Carbondale  We want this to be the first step in a long-term relationship that we have with one another."

"It's a strength, and it's certainly something we want to take advantage of," Williams said.

In addition to the pastor and congregation from Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, other collaborators of the event were from Bethel AME Church, Empowering Word, Faith Temple, Greater Gillespie Temple, Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, New Birth Kingdom Church International, New Life, New Zion, Praise Outreach and Rock Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

Also in attendance were people from other faith groups in the community, including Muslim, Sufi Muslim and Baha'i, along with other community-building groups.

Today has been a dream literally come true, said the Rev. Chris Swims, pastor of Hopewell. This was just so amazing and awesome, for us all to come together  people from the mosque, the churches come together regardless of denomination, affiliation  to come together to show that we can be able to be one'  

And that's what need to do, if we're going to fight against racism," Swims said. "We have to come together as one, to be able to fight against this thing.

We know that we may have to have some tough conversations that may have to be had," Swims said, "but were going to make it through with the grace of God."
Two local school districts have recently received grants geared toward improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

The Sesser-Valier School District and Galatia High School were awarded this month with $10,000 and $25,000, respectively, through the Americas Farmers Grow Rural Education program.

The program is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the St. Louis-based agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology giant.

Southern Illinois farmers nominated Sesser-Valier and Galatia for consideration earlier this year. Teachers then developed their submissions for the grant based on their schools specific needs.

We get amazing applications every single year, said Heather Wolfe, manager of the Grow Rural Education Program. The state of Illinois always has very competitive applications.

The program gives away about $2.3 million each year to rural public schools, Wolfe said.

The Sesser-Valier School District opted to put the funds toward a 3D, virtual reality system called zSpace. The hardware and software will allow students to interact with simulated objects, according to Jennifer Lemons, who teaches chemistry and physics at Sesser-Valier High School.

The technology has a range of different applications  students can build a virtual engine, or look inside a beating heart.

So its in 3D, its right in front of your face, Lemons said. Like, you can put your face inside the heart and see the valves and see the blood pumping through the heart while its beating, and you can dissect it and take things apart, and so then they can label it in the program.

Other potential uses include building 3D molecules in chemistry class, labeling plants in botany class and rolling balls down hills in physics class. But the possibilities are almost endless, Lemons said.

Its a long, long list of virtual reality experiences that they can have, and its all within one system, so you dont have to continuously buy, you know, cow hearts and all these things, she said.

The district plans to use the system throughout its entire K-12 curriculum, since it also offers simple applications fit for younger students.

Lemons said she hopes to begin using the program around the end of October.

Its my 22nd year in education and my 14th year as superintendent, and I think this is the coolest piece of technology to engage students that Ive seen in all that time, said district superintendent Jason Henry.

Galatia High School, which received the highest grant available through the program, will use the funds to construct a new science lab. The renovation project will bring new lab stations to the science classroom, giving each student access to a lab table with a sink, electrical and gas.

This grant will have positive impacts on student learning, said Christan Fry, a Galatia High School science teacher, in a press release announcing the grant. It will allow us to complete more labs and stay competitive with other schools.

Schools seeking updated lab equipment make up a large number of grant applicants, Wolfe said.

The applications are first judged by a group of math and science teachers; finalists are subsequently reviewed by the programs Farmer Advisory Council, comprised of about 30 farmers who judge the applications based on merit, need and community support.
SPRINGFIELD  Most Illinois taxpayers have never heard of Article 19b of the Illinois School Code, and few would have reason to pay much attention to this energy-savings provision.

But this innocuous-sounding statute could concern taxpayers if their local school districts approved the energy-efficiency improvements Article 19b allows, and then used them to fund other unrelated and unbudgeted no-bid projects.

Freedom of Information Act requests from Illinois News Network uncovered that some Article 19b projects not only dont prove energy efficiency but also snowballed by as much as 66 times the original approved amount through change orders. In some cases, change orders occurred years after initial public approvals.

Mike Elliott, project manager with Kluber Inc. and a past president of the American Institute for Architects Illinois, said theres a larger, growing, issue where after a contractor gets a deal, develops a relationship with the school district, and all of a sudden the scope goes well outside any of the bounds described per law.

It seems to be more like a quick procurement option rather than really doing the process as written per the article in the law, Elliott said.

The nuances of Article 19b

Called School Energy Conservation and Saving Measures, Article 19b allows districts to spend money on energy-efficiency improvements so long as they pay for themselves within 20 years.

For example, if replacing windows or weather stripping would save the district $500,000 in heating, ventilation and air conditioning expenses over a 20-year period, and the contractor and district could prove that through audits and documentation, the district could spend $500,000 on improvements under Article 19b.

However, the law also states that any such improvement must be verified through an energy audit, and the contractor guarantees the savings.

Elliott said the measure has been used successfully in various districts, but the one thing that seems mysterious is how are they reporting this energy cost savings?

The litigation

Two former Ball-Chatham school board members sued Massachusetts-based contractor Ameresco Inc. under Illinois False Claims Act in 2014 because of elusive energy savings. This case has dragged on in obscurity, not receiving much local attention. The plaintiffs and defendant Ameresco have each asked the judge in the Sangamon County case for summary judgment this summer.

What we discovered in the Chatham contract is that everybody just stipulated that the savings would be there, said Springfield-based lawyer Don Craven, who represents former Ball-Chatham school board members Sam Xanders and R. Kurt Wilke named as plaintiffs in the case.

There is no guarantee, there is no measurement verification over 20 years, and there is no bond by Ameresco to make good on those payments if required to make the school district whole, Craven said. With those stipulations, they essentially gutted every protection thats built into the statute for these school districts.

In Amerescos summary judgment request filed Sept. 1 the contractor denies allegations the contract conflicts with the 19b language. The filing said, No Illinois court has ever held that a contract that stipulates to savings violates section 19b and nothing in Section 19b addresses, much less prohibits, stipulated savings.

Additionally, that request from Ameresco said, Amerescos representation that the contracts complied with Section 19b could not, as a matter of law, have been knowingly false.

Ameresco is not talking about this case or anything related to Article 19b projects. Repeated requests for comments from its corporate office and its Springfield-based representation were ignored. No public statement has been made.

In its review of the 2014 suit, INN uncovered several other school deals Ameresco made that struck language holding it to measuring energy savings over time. In these cases, Ameresco and a local school board agreed to a project scope for an energy-savings initiative, but then eliminated the contractual language requiring the savings measurements the state required.

However, unlike with Ball-Chatham, in these other instances a school district and Ameresco substantially augmented an original project scope to include no-bid work that would not be returned to the district as part of an energy-savings plan.

In some districts, the scope of work increased by millions of dollars and included projects such as new parking lots, sidewalks and gymnasiums  none of which would have any inherent capacity to save energy under the law.

Scope changes without bids

Ameresco was awarded a 2013 project after securing a request for proposal from Taylorville Community Unit School District 3 in central Illinois.

In August of 2013, plans were approved for $181,181 in total project expense to replace single-pane windows. Guaranteed annual savings were stipulated at $16,000. Like Ball-Chathams agreement, the agreement indicated that savings shall not be audited and are deemed satisfied upon installation.

An October 2013 change of scope included an addendum to Taylorvilles original agreement without a separate bid that escalated the total project cost to $12.1 million  in excess of 66 times the expense of the original contract.

The scope changes included renovations and additions at several of Taylorvilles facilities, the construction of a multi-purpose building addition, a parking lot at an elementary school and the construction of an addition to the gymnasium at a junior high school. The updated annual guaranteed savings was then stipulated at $1.2 million.

When asked how a new parking lot and several new additions to existing facilities translate into energy savings, Taylorville Superintendent Gregg Fuerstenau said in an email: The gym and classrooms were classified as future operational and capital savings. Those areas have high-efficiency systems, too.

Fuerstenau addressed the increased cost in the scope change, writing, The window project was one of several projects included in the overall plan. The sequence of construction was affected by the availability of funding, the school calendar, and the design process.

Other known instances

In January 2008, the Auburn School District 10 Board of Education released a proposal request for an energy-efficiency contract. After reviewing bids two months later, the District unanimously awarded Ameresco the $2,071,500 contract for lighting replacement and HVAC retrofits that September.

Like the others, Auburns contract with Ameresco said maintenance and repair savings, as well as long-term operation cost savings, would not be measured or audited and conditions of the agreement would be satisfied upon installation.

More than six years later, in October 2014, a change of scope was issued for $7.3 million that increased the overall cost of improvements to more than $9 million.

Auburn School Superintendent Darren Root, who joined the district in that job in 2012 and was not involved in the original agreement, said the $9 million project was considered in 2008. However, at that time, the district only had the funds to cover the initial $2 million.

It was a proposal put out to multiple people, multiple companies, Root said, and we just followed through with what the original plan was.

Auburns 2014 contract scope change included millions of dollars for new HVAC units. Root, who was in his role when this was approved, acknowledged there werent any HVAC units before the new ones were installed.

Anyone who knows the math can figure that, Root said of the stipulated energy savings. But it would be a savings in terms of window units we had that were sucking energy, so there is a savings in that respect.

In the case of Hillsboro Community Unit School District 3 in central Illinois, what started as a $171,000 project with Ameresco in 2013 for bathroom renovations and roof sealant increased to $5.5 million after two change orders for various energy efficiency measures were included. Hillsboros agreement included provisions for new floors and sidewalks.

At East Maine Community Unit School District 63 in Des Plaines, four change orders took its initial 2007 contract with Ameresco from $7.9 million to more than $14 million by 2009. Stipulated annual guaranteed savings were increased from $909,000 to $1.5 million  again, far less than the total amount of the projects.

If successful in his suit, Craven said his plaintiffs hope to have Ameresco repay the school districts  beginning with Ball-Chatham.

After all, the purpose of the energy-savings measure is to have it be a 'net zero' to the districts, Craven said. Ameresco failed to provide the measurement and verification, and hence any chance to save those dollars for the districts.

Another result, he said, would be to insure that contracts in the future actually meet the requirements of the law, so that there will be savings, measurement and verification, and a bond to insure that the costs equal the savings.
For the next month, the Voice of The Southern will primarily be devoted to political endorsements.

The newspaper will endorse candidates in contested state and federal races, ranging from Illinois congressional races to the President of the United States.

Candidate endorsements are a longstanding newspaper public service/tradition dating back to the 1800s. Making endorsements is something the editorial board of this newspaper takes seriously.

Not everyone agrees that newspaper endorsements have value. The Chicago Sun-Times and Milwaukee Sentinel Journal ended the practice of endorsing candidates in 2012.

Conversely, USA Today broke its long-standing tradition of not endorsing candidates this year.

One of the reasons we exist is to take editorial positions on things that can improve lives in our community, said Dallas Morning News editor Mike Wilson in a recent Associated Press Story. Theyre not really meant to end arguments, theyre meant to start discussions.

That is our goal.

The newspaper doesnt pretend to have all the answers  or even have a complete grasp on all the questions. Our endorsements will hopefully be a starting point for voters as they ponder which candidate deserves their support.

For the past month, we have sat down and had in-depth discussions with virtually all the candidates involved, with some notable exceptions. It does sound unbelievable, but we werent able to get Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton to bend their schedule for a side trip to Carbondale.

Generally speaking, each of the candidates were asked similar questions. We focused on topics germane to Southern Illinois  the state deficit, school funding, energy, redistricting and term limits. Of course, each candidate is unique, so some of our conversations meandered in different directions.

And, each of the candidate interviews will be on our website for you to watch.

So, why bother?

First, the people we send to Springfield and Washington will have a major impact on all our lives and livelihoods. News stories will accompany each of the races in an attempt to give our readers as much information as possible.

That unvarnished information is more important than ever given the negative ads generated by deep money groups being run about local candidates. If information was gleaned solely from the ads, one would have to believe that all local candidates were felons, fiends or worse.

Second, most voters dont have the opportunity to spend 45 minutes to an hour with their legislative candidates. Direct contact for most voters is normally limited to brief encounters in public settings, although several candidates for state office still pound the streets, campaigning door-to-door.

For that reason, we attempted to ask questions we thought youd like answered.

Third, the endorsement interviews are valuable to us.

It gives us the opportunity to see how candidates think on their feet. The interview process gives us insight into character. How does a candidate react to tough questions? How prepared is he/she for the job? Does this person have innovative ideas, or is he/she relying on party talking points?

And, finally, it allowed the editorial board to have some meaningful, sometime enlightening, sometime entertaining discussions with the people who will be our leaders.
"With so many of this nation's leaders involved in large-scale "con games," money laundering, illegal eavesdropping, fraud and other RICO-like activity, it's not a big leap to kill whistleblowers, witnesses, and honest federal employees to silence them." - Curtis Delvecchio, former organized crime gang investigator

"He saw the great potential of our nation and believed that, together, we can make the world a better place," said Wasserman Schultz, who is having political problems of her own thanks to the notorious Wikileaks" document dump.

Click here to watch Julian Assange answer questions about Seth Rich.

Over six weeks after a 27-year-old man, who worked for the Democratic National Committee, was shot and killed as he walked home in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C., the alleged robbery remains unsolved. And the news media seem uninterested in the killing, its connection to the DNC, its link to Hillary Clinton and Wikileaks, and the suspicious nature of the violent crime.The Democratic Party's up-and-coming executive, Seth Conrad Rich, died after he was shot multiple times three blocks east of Howard University Hospital, said members of the Metropolitan Police Department on Sunday, July 11. However, he medical examiner's finding were highly suspicious since he was said to have been beaten and then shot in the back of his head. The alleged robbers - still unknown - also failed to take anything of value from Rich's lifeless body.At the time, the DNC chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, had issued a statement mourning the death of Rich, who worked as voter expansion data director.she said.However, WikiLeaks founder and U.S. government gadfly Julian Assange implied during an interview that the murdered Democratic National Committee staffer was the source of a trove of damaging emails his rogue website posted just days before the Democratic National Convention.Speaking to Dutch television program Nieuswsuur after announcing a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Seth Rich's killer, Assange said the July 11 murder of Rich in Northwest Washington was an example of the risk leakers undertake when they take on powerful people such as presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.Meanwhile, Clinton spoke about Rich:she said.Clinton added, even though police didn't identify the weapon.said police forensic expert Saul Levinson.The young Rich was talking on the phone with his girlfriend when she heard noise on his end of the line, Mary Rich told the few reporters who bothered to cover the story. Her son told his girlfriend not to worry about it.said Mrs. Rich.said LevinsonMary Rich said during a press briefing. Unfortunately, Mrs. Rich refuses to discuss possible murder motives other than a robbery gone wrong for her son.Rich lived in the neighborhood, Acting Capt. Anthony Haythe of the Metropolitan Police Department's homicide branch said at a news conference after the killing. Fifth District police officers were patrolling the area about 4:20 a.m. when they heard gunshots, police said.When police arrived on Flagler Place, they found Rich suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police reported then as they have now that there aren't any witnesses. The acting captain said he could not comment on whether the killing was related to recent robberies in the area.Rich worked for the Democratic National Committee, his father said. He graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and previously worked on Democrats' campaigns, for the U.S. Census Bureau and as a boating instructor at a summer camp, according to his LinkedIn.com page.Rich wrote on the page. Seth Conrad Rich was the Voter Expansion Data Director at the DNC and had been working on exposing the recent cases of election fraud and voter suppression during the recent primaries around the country, according to his LinkedIn.com listing.Some Internet web sites that cover politics have said Rich was a whistleblower who discovered irregularities in Democratic Party voting patterns.
NORWAY -- Pre K-G5 students at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Elementary School sat quietly on the gym floor, but their excitement was obvious as they prepared to perform encouraging chants and cheers about the importance of reading on Sept. 27.

The occasion was the school's Reading Kick-Off Assembly.

The students showed off their favorite storybook characters by wearing costumes. Also dressed in costumes were the teachers and many of the staff. The gym was filled with such characters as The Three Blind Mice, Raggedy Ann, Holly Hobby, Wilbur the Pig, the Velveteen Rabbit, Toy Story's Woody, Minnie Mouse, Ninja Turtles, Courage the Cowardly Dog, lsa, the Wicked Witch of the West, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

We want our children to enjoy reading. This assembly is our Reading Kick-Off assembly to promote literacy at school and at home. Twenty minutes a day of children and parents reading to and with each other will make a great difference in the literacy of our community," Hunter-Tyler-Kinard Elementary Principal Gloria Jenkins said.

Jenkins said HKT-E is planning year-long activities to promote literacy in school, homes and community.

"The teachers have already started promoting this idea in their classrooms. The doors and halls have been decorated to encourage reading," she said. "They and their students are having so much fun that we decided to have an assembly, and each grade level (Pre K-G5) will present a chant or cheer designed to promote literacy and encourage each other to read."

Jenkins added, "We are focusing on the enjoyment of reading by encouraging a love for reading and increasing the reader's fluency in reading through increasing reading time in class. Our school library is also involved in this project, and our parent coordinator, LaDella Sharperson, has included activities designed for parents to help their students develop literacy skills. The program is designed to increase student achievement and encourage them to become lifelong learners.

The program was emceed by Administrative Assistant RoDonna Tiller, and it featured the HKT High School Cheerleaders, who performed Trojans Rocked the House and Pump it Up  Keep it Going."

The HKT band, directed by James Gaskin and featuring HKT-E students Jamari and Anthony Gaskin, performed toe-tapping numbers.

All the classes performed raps, chants or cheers to encourage reading. At the end of the program, every child received a book of their own to take home and read with and to their parents. Tiller reminded everyone that it only takes 20 minutes a day to make a difference in literacy.
Thomas Porter didn't know what to expect two weeks ago when he arrived on the campus of Claflin University. Porters grandmother was a Claflin graduate, and he is a direct descendant of Lee Claflin, one of the universitys founders. Porter decided to include a trip to Orangeburg while traveling to Lexington to see John A. Vousden, his father-in-law.

The family talks about Claflin University, but not many of us have seen or know as much as we should about the university, Porter said. I can summarize what Ive seen in one word -- unbelievable. I realize how proud we should be of our relationship with Claflin University.

Lee Claflin was a prominent Methodist minister in Boston, and his son William was the governor of Massachusetts. The Claflins and Dr. Alonzo Webster provided the funding necessary to secure the foundation for what would become Claflin University. The university, which was named in honor of the Claflins, opened its doors in 1869 and Webster was appointed its first president.

Porter is an accounting professor in the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. He also serves as treasurer for the Claflin Family Association and the Friends of the Claflin Family Association.

The Claflin Family Association and the Friends of the CFA award scholarships, but most of the recipients are family members who attend Boston University or other universities in the area, Porter said. However, the organizations decided several years ago to make donations to Claflin. This has provided us a great opportunity to reconnect with the university.

Porter met with President Henry N. Tisdale in Tingley Memorial Hall where a portrait of Lee Claflin is on display in the lobby. During his tour of the campus, he revealed how impressed he was with Claflins neatly-manicured landscape, historic landmarks and collegial appearance.

"It's always a special moment when a descendant of the Claflin family visits the university," Tisdale said. "It gives us an opportunity to let the family know how appreciative we are of the legacy Lee and William Claflin established when they founded this university and how much Claflin has achieved since its doors first opened in 1869."

"Claflin University, the Claflin family and Boston University are intrinsically linked in so many ways," he added. Dr. Robert A. Brown, former president at Boston University, was the keynote speaker at Claflins Founders' Day Convocation in 2010 and a Claflin Hall sits on the campus. Claflins sixth president, Dr. Hubert V. Manning, attended theology school at Boston University, as did many Claflin graduates. We also have in common that from the beginning, both institutions have been open to all, regardless of race, gender, or religion.

Porter will have plenty to share with his family and friends when he returns home to Boston.

It was more than I could have ever expected, he said. Dr. Tisdale and his staff were extremely hospitable, and it was quite a learning and memorable experience. I look forward to my next visit to Claflin when I can spend more time with the students and faculty.
For more than two decades, Michael Salley Jr. has made the dream of home ownership come true for many Orangeburg County families.

Having spent a large part of his life helping others through Edisto Habitat for Humanity, the 79-year-old was honored Thursday with the Kiwanis Clubs Orangeburg Citizen of the Year award.

"This is a total surprise!" Salley said after receiving the award. "I just don't know what to say. I thought I was retired now and that I was through with this kind of stuff."

"I have always liked to help other people," Salley said. "This is one way that I can kind of help them have a good home.

I have been blessed all my life in having a good home and good family and this is just my way of helping out."

He is the 63rd recipient of the honor. The Kiwanis present the award each year to a person who has contributed to the well-being of the community over several years. Local civic clubs nominate an individual they feel has contributed to the community.

Salley has dedicated a large portion of his life to civic volunteerism. He co-founded Edisto Habitat for Humanity in 1989.

He is known as the Edisto Habitat father and has donated more construction hours over the last 25 years than any other volunteer in the local organization.

It has not always been easy to build homes.

During Habitat for Humanity's first year, it cost $30,000 to construct a house and only about half of the money was available.

The remaining portion was secured, and soon homes were being constructed on a regular basis.

Some of the homes have background stories.

For instance, a home in Bowman was built for the mother of a child with disabilities.

Her family lived on the same street in Bowman, but the woman was willing to move to Orangeburg for her Habitat home. In the end, the house was built on the street near her family so they could assist in taking care of her child.

The first house Salley helped build was for a young married couple whose children were blind.

Salley said his inspiration for starting Habitat came from a mission trip he took to Ecuador with St. Andrews United Methodist Church.

Born in Orangeburg in 1937, Salley and his family moved around during his childhood since his father was in the military. When his father was commissioned to fight in World War II, Salley's family moved in with his mother's parents.

Following the war, Salley returned to his birthplace, eventually graduating from Orangeburg High School in 1955.

Salley attended Georgia Tech for a time to study engineering, but he decided to take a different path and attended Clemson University to major in forestry.

After graduation, he served a two-year stint in the Army and then began a career with the S.C. Forestry Commission.

In 1973, Salley started his own forestry business.

Since retiring in 1996, he has made his commitment to Habitat a full-time job.

He has helped build 75 homes, and for his work he was recognized in 2007 with the United Way of the Midlands Community Impact Award.

Salley also has worked with the Boy Scouts of America and is a long-time member of the Lions Club.

A member of St. Andrews United Methodist Church, Salley has completed several church missions.

He served as grand marshal of the 2009 Orangeburg County Christmas Parade.

Salley married Sara "Penny" Moore. They have been married 55 years and have two children and three grandchildren.

Kiwanis Citizens of the Year Committee Chairwoman Janet Barrett said Salley deserves the recognition.

"He has totally devoted his life to the Habitat for Humanity program," Barrett said. "He has been in charge of all construction for the last 20-plus years."

Salley also supervises volunteer work done by retirees during the week.

Jamie Bozardt, who has served as executive director of the Edisto chapter since 2001, said Salley has been a mainstay with the organization.

"For many years, he did all of the volunteer coordinating, buying, coordinating of subcontractors and physically worked on every home," Bozardt said.

"We have been blessed in the past few years to grow our core group of middle-of-the-week workers and we have hired a licensed builder to help us relieve Mr. Salley of some of these responsibilities, she said.

Bozardt also noted Salley has served on Habitat's board of directors many times through the years.

"He has given unselfishly of his time and of himself," she said. "Everyone loves "Mr. Michael". He continues to help families that have been in their homes for years when they need small repairs and continues to work faithfully on every home."

Habitat Board President Les Carter praised Salley for his work.

"He lives and breathes Habitat," Carter said. "It is in his blood. He is a fantastic guy who is unselfish and very patient with us volunteers who don't know what we are doing. We all love him."

It is not the first time Salley has been recognized.

Two years ago, he received the Edisto Habitat for Humanity Golden Hammer Award for volunteering with the organization. The award was named after him and will be given annually to the volunteer within the organization that exemplifies the traits and characteristics of volunteerism that Salley has exemplified through the years.

"Michael is one of the kindest and gentlest men I have ever known," Bozardt said. "We at Habitat love him dearly and will forever be grateful to him for all he has done to help families in Orangeburg have their dream of homeownership and a better way of life come true."

Dr. Henry Frierson, a past Citizen of the Year, has known Salley for the past 20 years as part of Habitat.

"It could not be a better one," he said, presenting Salley with the award. "He has been very faithful and very competent with his work for Habitat. He certainly is deserving."

Orangeburg dentist and historian Dr. Gene Atkinson said Salley has distinguished himself in the Habitat program.

"He has essentially worked full time with no remuneration all these years," Atkinson said. "Michael has lined up all the materials, as well as the subcontractors who have to do the licensed work.

During the week he and the retired volunteers do much of the basic work so that the weekend volunteers can be ready to go on Saturdays."

Six years ago, Salley was also awarded the Austin Cunningham Award ("The Austin") at the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet.

Sponsored by the Orangeburg County Community of Character, "The Austin" is presented to a person who exemplifies, promotes and advocates good character and has earned a high level of respect within the community -- like the late businessman and attorney in whose memory it is named.

Dr. Carl B. Caughman was presented the inaugural Citizen of the Year award in 1953. Last year, Robert Beckett, who was the past treasurer of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Free Medical Clinic, received the award.

Other past winners include Liz Zimmerman Keitt, Paul Miller, Curt Campbell, Geb Runager, Nancy Ayers, James Jim E. Sulton Sr. and Clemmie Webber.

To be eligible for a Habitat home, families must meet certain criteria, including a good work and credit history. Families are chosen by a subcommittee based on level of need, willingness to become partners in the program and ability to repay a 25-year, no-interest mortgage.

Qualified families are also required to put in 350 hours of what is called sweat equity toward the building of their home, and they must participate in budgeting classes and attend home ownership classes on a monthly basis.

The organization will dedicate its 75th home by the end of this year.

While Edisto Habitat for Humanity is thriving, it is always in need of volunteers and donations of household items and building materials.
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The State Department admitted that it has 5,600 Clinton emails recovered by the FBI that were government documents and not personal emails as she claimed. The public deserves to know what is in those emails, well before November 8, and the State Department should not continue dragging its feet on producing them. The State Department admitted in court today it pulled staff off of Clinton email Freedom of Information Act requests. The American people need to pressure State to stop sitting on these new Clinton emails for political reasons and release them as the law requires. It is outrageous the State Department has had these new Clinton emails since late July, but has only released 5 records.

A federal appellate court has ruled against the Obama administration's claims that firing a black woman for wearing dreadlocks constitutes racial discrimination, and the government agency representing the employee poses an interesting question: Would a woman wearing a hijab face the same fate? The answer is no. Muslims have more rights in the U.S. workplace than African Americans, it seems.

In the aftermath of several rulings protecting Muslim rights to wear religious head covers on the job, a black woman is being prohibited from sporting a hairstyle that is physiologically and culturally associated with people of African descent. That constitutes racial discrimination, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that enforces the nation's workplace discrimination laws.

The agency filed the case in 2013 on behalf of an Alabama woman, Chastity Jones, who was told by an insurance claims processing company to cut her dreadlocks-long clumps of ungroomed hair, symbolizing the mane of the Lion of Judah-as part of its grooming policy. The EEOC argued that the company, Catastrophe Management Solutions, committed racial discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In announcing the lawsuit, the agency's regional attorney in Birmingham said the litigation didn't seek to attack policies requiring employees to maintain hair in a professional, neat or conservative manner but rather focus "on the racial bias that may occur when specific hair constructs and styles are singled out for different treatment because they do not conform to normative standards for other races." The EEOC's district director pointed out that "generally, there are racial distinctions in the natural texture of black and non-black hair. The EEOC will not tolerate employment discrimination against African-American employees because they choose to wear and display the natural texture of their hair, manage and style their hair in a manner amenable to it, or manage and style their hair in a manner differently from non-blacks."

The EEOC's district director pointed out that A federal judge in Alabama didn't buy the government's seemingly far-fetched argument and in 2014 dismissed the race discrimination suit, finding that the company's hairstyle policy did not violate federal anti-discrimination law. In his ruling the judge, Charles R. Butler, wrote that since Title VII of the Civil Rights Act only prohibits discrimination based on unchangeable characteristics, like sex and race, the company didn't violate the law by banning the hairstyle. The Obama administration appealed and this month the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Alabama judge's decision, rejecting Jones's right to keep the dreadlocks. The appellate court found that Catastrophe Management Solutions has a "race-neutral grooming policy" and that hairstyles are not "immutable physical characteristics," though the court acknowledged they could be "culturally associated with race."

and that hairstyles are not though the court acknowledged they could be On the EEOC's twitter account, which is embedded in the agency's official website, an official comments on the Jones case: "I wonder if a woman who wore a hijab would have been asked to not wear that when coming to work?" The EEOC post was written by a black official named Michelle Adams, who also includes a clip from a 1990s television comedy sitcom because it reminds her of Jones's "choice to fight" the dreadlock ban (the reality is that taxpayers funded the fight because a federal agency represented Jones). In the TV clip a black male employee tells white managers that his hair is not just for fashion. "It's part of my heritage," the actor says. "It's a statement of pride."

the actor says. The question comparing dreadlocks to hijabs was rhetorical because the EEOC employee knows Muslims have a legal right to wear religious head covers at work thanks to litigation initiated by her agency. Judicial Watch has reported on some of the cases, including a 2013 federal court ruling that a Muslim woman's civil rights were violated by an American clothing retailer that didn't allow her to wear a hijab at work. As it has in other instances, the EEOC accused the retailer of religious discrimination under the Civil Rights Act and a federal judge agreed. In the ruling the judge wrote that the retailer acted with malice and reckless indifference by forcing the Muslim woman to remove her hijab, even though it had a company-wide policy prohibiting all types head cover.

The religious rights argument has also been used by the EEOC on behalf of dreadlocks. Over the summer the EEOC sued a private business for religious discrimination after it ordered a male employee to cut his dreadlocks. The man, a prep cook in central Florida, is Rastafari and the "Afrocentric" religion born in the slums of Jamaica requires followers to have long, matted and knotted hair.

Judicial Watch will monitor the outcome of the case, which was filed in July. There is no formal, organized leadership in Rastafarianism which makes it difficult to accept as an official religion protected by federal law. Rastafarians believe Haile Selassie, the former emperor of Ethiopia, is God and that he'll help blacks living in exile as a result of the slave trade return to Africa. Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley, who died in Miami in 1981, was among the best known Rastafarians and more recently a famous rapper known as Snoop Dogg became Rastafari and changed his name to Snoop Lion, according to a mainstream news report. "A key belief for Rastas is the notion of death to all white and black oppressors," the story says, adding that "the most common outward expressions of Rastafari are Rastas' dreadlocks, penchant for smoking marijuana and vegetarian diets."

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's use of an email server in the basement of her home while she was secretary of state will leave a permanent stain on our system of justice and on the public's trust in government.This became abundantly clear during our "Clinton Scandal Update - Emails and the Clinton Foundation" symposium held here in Washington on September 29, 2016. The full video is available here - and is well worth watching and sharing.Chris Farrell, our director of investigations, and I were joined by three distinguished experts: WND senior staff writer Jerome Corsi, author of Partners in Crime: The Clinton's Scheme to Monetize the White House for Personal Profit; Peter Schweizer, author of the New York Times best-seller Clinton Cash ; and Joseph E. diGenova, former United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.Peter Schweizer pointed out that the Clintons' pay-for-play scandal setshe said.He also noted that this scandal dwarfs anything we have seen before in terms of efforts to hide what was occurring and in the sheer amount of money involved.Chris Farrell spoke of the permanent damage done to the reputation of the FBI by Director James Comey's negligence.he said.As you know, before joining Judicial Watch Chris worked in national intelligence. He pointed out that we know of at least 22 emails crossing Clinton's unsecure server that containeda high level of classification.Jerome Corsi described how enormous sums of money that flowed into the Clinton Foundation cannot be accounted for.he asserted. There is a discrepancy between what people gave the foundation and what it reported.And the speaking engagements don't begin to account for it, he said.Joe diGenova came down hard on FBI Director James Comey.I added that Congress has refused to take any kind of substantive action on the scandal.I also noted that civil service employees stayed quiet even though they knew what was going on with Clinton's non-state.gov email apparatus.I said.This, as you can see, is no longer just about Bill and Hillary Clinton. It's about the federal government generally, the FBI, the Department of Justice, the rule of law, national security, transparency and trust in government. Again, the full video of the blockbuster educational panel is available here U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg has ordered the Department of State to begin processing at least 1,050 pages of Hillary Clinton emails recovered by the FBI and to provide Judicial Watch all non-exempt documents before November 4.The court ordered State to process the first 350 pages of documents by October 7, another 350 pages by October 21, and another by November 4. (The State Department claims a substantial number of the Clinton emails may be duplicative or near duplicative of emails Hillary Clinton previously turned over to the State Department.)(The State Department confirmed that the FBI discovered 15,100 new Clinton emails as a result of Judicial Watch's litigation seeking all of Mrs. Clinton's work related emails ( Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00687)).)There was more good transparency news because of litigation brought by Jason Leopold of Vice News. He separately negotiated with the Obama State Department to process a few thousand more pages of these new Clinton emails by Election Day. As Jason reports over at Vice News Hillary Clinton's damn emails will continue to be a campaign issue leading right up into the presidential election.Late Wednesday, the State Department agreed to post to its website by November 3 as many as 1,850 pages of emails that Clinton failed to turn over originally. The FBI recovered the emails during the bureau's investigation into Clinton's email practices.So Jason's success brings the total of pages of email material to be processed up to nearly 3,000. Imagine if more media follow Jason Leopold's and JW's lead in pressing the case for all of Clinton's emails! To be clear, just because an email is "processed" doesn't mean it will be released, so the final total of releasable pages might be lower than 3,000.I'll be sure to brief you once we finally start getting the emails.Racial and radical insanity too often taints the rule of law under the Obama administration. It can be unnerving to see our federal government throw its massive power into issues. Witness this case of a hairstyle, as reported in our Corruption Chronicles blog. Thankfully the courts haven't been completely compromised:With Obama administration priorities so distorted, need anyone wonder why crime is up and terrorism seems to be a monthly occurrence?Share on Facebook: Here View on our website: Here
By Azertac





Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia Inara Murniece has kicked off an official visit to Azerbaijan.





She was greeted by first deputy chair of Azerbaijan`s Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov upon her landing at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport.





In a brief talk with journalists at the airport, Inara Murniece said she was pleased to be visiting Azerbaijan, which she described as a friendly country. She said she will hold meetings with local state and government officials to discuss ways of developing ties between the two countries` parliaments and expanding Latvia-Azerbaijan relations in a variety of areas.
The religious ceremonies were held in the Catholic church in Baku as part of Pope Franciss official visit to Azerbaijan on October 2.

Pope Francis cited the Bible following the religious ceremonies.

Pope Francis called on people to strengthen their faith.

"Faith is the golden thread which binds us to the Lord, the pure joy of being with him, united to him, he said. It is a gift that lasts our whole life but bears fruit only if we play our part."

While citing the words of St. Mary, Pope Francis left a message to Bakus believers.

"The fruit of faith is love, he said. The fruit of love is service and the fruit of service is peace."

He said that faith and service can not be separated; on the contrary, they are intimately linked.

In order to explain this, I would like to take am image very familiar to you, that of a beautiful carpet, he said. Your carpets are true works of art and have an ancient heritage. Every carpet, and you know this well, must be made according to a weft and a warp; only with this form can the carpet be harmoniously woven.
Following the official welcoming ceremony, Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev and his spouse, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva met with Pope Francis.

Pope Francis expressed gratitude to President Aliyev for the warm welcome. President Aliyev said he is glad to greet Pope Francis in Azerbaijan.

Your visit to Azerbaijan is a historic visit, said Ilham Aliyev and expressed gratitude to the Pope for accepting his invitation and visiting Azerbaijan.

I hope that you will return to your homeland with good impressions. Your visit is very important for the relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan and for the dialogue among civilizations, said Ilham Aliyev.

President Aliyev noted that representatives of all religions live in Azerbaijan as one family, in peace and good neighborliness.
All religious freedoms have been ensured in Azerbaijan, Pope Francis said during the meeting with Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on October 2.

Currently, moral and cultural wealth is of great importance particularly in European countries, he said.

Currently, this is an important factor for people. Thereby, we can talk about the fruitfulness of our relations, said Pope Francis.

Pope Francis expressed gratitude for the warm welcome in Azerbaijan.
The visit of Pope Francis to Azerbaijan has a great meaning, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev Oct.2.

Ilham Aliyev made the remarks during the meeting of Pope Francis with representatives of the general public at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Your Holiness, Pope Francis. Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen. Your Holiness, first of all, I sincerely greet you in Azerbaijan and welcome your delegation, said President Aliyev.

During the meeting in Vatican last year, I invited you to Azerbaijan and I am very glad that you accepted my invitation and visited our country, said Ilham Aliyev. This visit has a great meaning. This is a historic visit.

President Aliyev noted that this visit will make a great contribution to the development of relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan.



This visit is important for the entire humanity, because it also shows that the dialogue among civilizations exists, continues and is getting stronger and we try to give a new impetus to this dialogue, said Ilham Aliyev.



The relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan have been developing successfully for 24 years, said the president, adding that high level reciprocal official visits have been paid.



An exhibition dedicated to Azerbaijan was held in Vatican museums in 2012 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of our relations. Azerbaijani exhibition was the first exhibition of a Muslim country, said President Aliyev.



At the same time, our relations are supported by public organizations. Vaticans Saint Marcellino and Pietro's Catacombs were opened in February 2015 after the major overhaul and repair work with support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is the largest non-governmental organization in the South Caucasus, he added.

This great event once again shows that the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Vatican are developing successfully and the strengthening of the interreligious and intercultural dialogue is a reality, according to the president.



Representatives of all religions and nations have lived in Azerbaijan in peace, dignity and friendly atmosphere for centuries and this continues in the same way today as well, he added.



Regardless of the socio-political structure, civilizations have always come together in our land. Azerbaijan has always played a role of a bridge between the East and the West. This is both a geographical and moral bridge, said Ilham Aliyev.



The president pointed out that the historical monuments of all religions are protected and restored in Azerbaijan.



Azerbaijan is a very ancient land. We are proud that one of the oldest mosques in the world, the Juma Mosque of Shamakhi, which was built in 743, is situated in Azerbaijan, said President Aliyev.



At the same time, one of the oldest churches in our region, the Church of Caucasian Albania, is also situated in Azerbaijan, said the president. The ancient temple of fire worshippers, Orthodox and Catholic churches, synagogues are protected and restored by the state in Baku.

President Aliyev added that a very remarkable event took place in the history of relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan in 2008.



We marked the opening of a Catholic Church in Baku in 2008. The Catholic Church was built in Baku in 1912, but was destroyed by the Soviet government in 1934, said the president. Like other religious monuments, the mosques, Orthodox churches and synagogues were also destroyed.

Independent Azerbaijani state decided to re-build the Catholic Church in Baku and today, in the morning, Your Holiness held a religious ceremony in this church, said President Aliyev. This is remarkable. First of all, we eliminate the historical injustice. On the other hand, this is a great gift for Catholics living in Azerbaijan.

Currently, the relations between religions, peoples and nations in our country can serve as an example. This is said not only by us, but also by foreigners becoming familiar with Azerbaijani realities, said the president.

We have put forward many initiatives. Baku Process, which has already gained a great fame in the world, is among them. Baku Process started in 2008, he added.

President Aliyev pointed out that Azerbaijan is among few countries which is a member of both the Council of Europe and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

We invited the ministers of culture of Muslim countries to the meeting of the ministers of culture of the Council of Europes member states in 2008, he added.
Regretfully, Azerbaijani people have faced a humanitarian disaster, the countrys President Ilham Aliyev said during the meeting of Pope Francis with representatives of the general public at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

President Aliyev noted that Azerbaijans historical land Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts have been occupied by Armenian armed forces as a result of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan in early 1990s.

Our citizens, more than a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs on their native lands. Twenty percent of our lands are under occupation. A policy of ethnic cleansing was pursued against us. Khojaly genocide was committed against our people and ten countries have officially recognized this genocide, said the president.

OSCE has sent fact-finding missions to the occupied lands twice and the report of these missions are horrifying, said the president. All of our historical and religious monuments have been destroyed by Armenia. Our mosques, graves have been destroyed and our museums have been ravaged, he added.

We restored an Armenian church in Baku and more than 5,000 books in Armenian language are kept in this church. This is the difference: their actions and our attitude. Therefore, it is not accidental that Azerbaijan is known in the world as a center of multiculturalism, said the president.

President Aliyev pointed out that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved in line with the international law.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on this conflict. These resolutions call for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from our lands, he said. Regretfully, these resolutions are not fulfilled and our lands have been under occupation for more than 20 years.

Like all other conflicts, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved within the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, said the president.

As I said, our country and our people greatly suffer from this conflict, he added.

Our population was 8 million in early 1990s and one million of them are refugees and IDPs. We resolved and resolving this humanitarian disaster by ourselves, added President Aliyev.
Azerbaijan will mark the 25th anniversary of restoring independence this month, the countrys President Ilham Aliyev said during the meeting of Pope Francis with representatives of the general public at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Azerbaijan has come a long and honorable way over these years, he added.

We enjoy great respect on the international arena. Several years ago, 155 countries voted for Azerbaijan and chose it a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, said the president.

Our economy has grown three times over the last 13 years. The poverty and unemployment rate has dropped to 5 percent, said President Aliyev. Many projects are under implementation in Azerbaijan. We have created a modern state.

Today, Azerbaijan marks the 25th anniversary of its independence with optimism, because, we have proved to ourselves and to the world that we can live successfully as a free country, he added.

Azerbaijan is a native land of all peoples living in our country. Azerbaijan stands strong. It is a modern, secular, developing country open for cooperation, said the president.

Ilham Aliyev pointed out that Pope Francis visit to Azerbaijan is a historic event.

This is a great honor for us, he added.

You sent a clear message from Baku to the whole world, saying that multiculturalism, the interreligious dialogue, good will and good attitude should gain victory and prevail, President Aliyev said to Pope Francis.

I told you in our meeting today that with this visit, you drew the attention of the whole world to Azerbaijan, he said.

Today, your followers, your supporters on all continents look at Baku, become familiar with our city and our country. They see that there is a modern, secular and developing country in the world, in the Muslim world, said the president. They see that the head of the world's Catholics Francis is in Baku. Therefore, I would like to express gratitude to you on behalf of the whole Azerbaijani people. I wish you robust health and new success.
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has finalized a deal to export crude oil to Hungary, Mohsen Qamsari, director of international affairs at the NIOC, said.

The deal to export a 1-million-barrel oil cargo to the European country in next month has been concluded, Qamsari said, the oil ministrys SHANA news agency reported on October 1.

All crude oil shipments to Europe should be 1-million-barrel to be able to cross the Suez Canal, Qamsari said.

Prior to sanctions, France, Italy, Spain and the UK were among Iran's traditional customers in Europe. Nonetheless, since sanctions were terminated last January, East European states have also submitted proposals to purchase oil from Iran.

Negotiations for crude export to Hungary launched in early 2016.

In mid-July, Qamsari said Hungarian multinational oil and gas company MOL called for importing 40,000 barrels of light crude oil per day from Iran. However, he added that Tehran is not ready to provide MOL with light crude currently.

Irans August crude oil exports jumped 15 percent from July to more than 2 million barrels per day (bpd). The volume is close to Tehran's pre-sanctions shipment levels in 2011.

The strong demand in Irans crude in Asia and Europe has enabled it to raise its oil output to just over 3.8 million bpd, still below the 4 million bpd level termed by Tehran as a precondition for discussing output limits with other oil producers.
This post is prompted by a number of things that have left me pondering how as Christians we are to bring about change in our churches. When we strongly b...

7 years ago
The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (Apicorp) has successfully launched the first Formosa bond out of Saudi Arabia, targeting the Taiwanese investor base.



In order to appeal to the local investor base, the Formosa bond, also known as a Taiwan foreign-denominated international bond, is listed on the International Board of the Taipei Stock Exchange. Credit Agricole CIB acted as the lead manager on the trade.



Apicorp is a multilateral development bank established to foster the development of the Arab worlds oil and gas industries.



Hesham Farid, head of treasury & capital markets, said: We are delighted with the high level of interest from top quality investors in our first Formosa bond. The oversubscribed issue has allowed us to develop strong relationships with a new set of investors in Taipei. This is testament to Apicorp's impressive 40-year track record, unique ownership structure and strong fundamentals, and reassuring Aa3 credit rating.



"Having previously accessed the sukuk market in both Saudi Riyal and US Dollars, it was important for Apicorp to continue to diversify our investor base, sources of funding and educate investors on the strength of the Apicorp credit, Farid said.



Abrar Hussain, Head of DCM for the Mnea at Credit Agricole CIB, commented: Apicorp ticks all the boxes required by this specific investor base. It offers a strong Aa3 credit rating, a solid ownership by regional governments, diversification in terms of access to assets in several countries as well as strong fundamentals all rolled into one. This is the perfect name for the Taiwanese investor base. - TradeArabia News Service




The oases in Al Ain and other historic and archaeological landmarks will be developed as attractive tourism destinations under a directive from HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.



Sheikh Mohamed also instructed the Court of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince to coordinate and work with Abu Dhabi Authority for Tourism and Culture, and other concerned authorities, to devise plans and mechanisms for development of the oases into full-service destinations for visitors and tourists, said a Wam report.



The development will take into consideration the special characteristics of these oases, their historic value as one of the major landmarks in the history of the UAE, and psyche of the UAE people. In the past, these oases constituted the economic, social and developmental lifeline of the area. Services in these sites are to be improved through the establishment of diverse facilities, it said.



Sheikh Mohamed also instructed that there be better utilisation of the location of these historic and archaeological sites and their diverse tourism attractions, in a way that develops the tourism sector and raises the economic profile of Abu Dhabi, to remain consistent with Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, the Wam report added.
The Middle Easts opticare industry is being held back by outdated internal systems and software, and is in desperate need of an overhaul in order to meet and exceed the needs of the market, ecommerce experts said.

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MainSys, a Greek eBusiness specialist, sounded the warning in the countdown to next months Vision-X, the regions largest eyewear and eyecare exposition being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 25-27.



George Plavoukos, CEO of MainSys said: Based off our current clientele within the region we have found that their existing software is out-dated and due to for some modernising.



There is a real opportunity now for the eyecare industry to renovate and streamline the way they do business and not only increase their ROI but ultimately provide the end-user with a better experience. By doing this, local companies will be going above and beyond the needs of the market.



Over the past 10 years, we have served more than 2.500 opticians in four different countries years, and we have seen how our software has helped businesses grow in the past. We are sure that Status Orama provides a crucial service for shop owners, helping them transform the way they do business, he added.



Showcasing its product at the 17th edition of Vision-X, MainSys will be one of many international exhibitors providing innovative solutions for the GCCs eyecare industry.



Plavoukos, also joined by experts from Vision RX Labs, will host a series of talks during the Future in Focus seminars, highlighting the benefits of installing and implementing automated customer feedback systems to companies operating in the region.



Attracting more than 4,000 buyers from over 70 countries, Vision-X will showcase more than 250 brands, with dedicated areas including a Consultancy Clinic which will aid companies by helping them identify growth opportunities within the region.



David Lewis, head of Optics and Digital at GfK, the events Knowledge Partner and hosts of the clinic, said: Understanding the market landscape in which you operate in is imperative when identifying growth prospects for your business.

The Consultancy Clinic will provide companies with insight on how they can go about optimising their business in the region. Our on-site team of industry experts will work with companies to address their specific business issues, and through insight gained from GfK market research, will provide guidance on what effective strategies they can pursue.



By hosting this clinic, we intend to not only support regional manufacturers and retailers while they develop their businesses but also gain a greater and more in-depth understanding of the pressure points facing companies as they expand. This in turn will allow us to provide deeper insight service to our partners in the future, he added.



In cooperation with the International Association of Contact Lens Educator (IACLE) and the European Academy of Optometry and Optics (ECCO), this years Vision-X Opticare Conference will offer delegates a valuable opportunity to earn CPD points for their practices as well as provide insightful workshops highlighting the latest techniques for fitting lenses and diagnosing patients.



Visitors can expect to see the very latest in cutting-edge design, technology and innovation at Vision-X. Returning to the show this year are a host of recognised industry names including Baush & Lomb, Alcon, GKB Hi Tech, and Anesthesia USA, as well as leading fashion brands such as Future Optic, Ata Optic and Dzmitry Samal. Speakers from International Association of Contact Lens Educators and European Academy of Optometry and Optics will be among the experts addressing delegates from around the world in the Vision-X Opticare Conference, highlighting issues such as myopia, paediatrics, low vision and ophthalmic dispensing.



Celebrating excellence in the eyewear and optical care industry, the Vision-X Vision Plus Awards returns for the third year to provide a platform for leading brands to celebrate the best in business. The ceremony takes place on October 25 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.  TradeArabia News Service
A photo exhibition celebrating the life of India's independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, a global icon of peace and non-violence, was inaugurated yesterday (October 1) in Bahrain.



The event was opened by the chief executive officer of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, Shaikh Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa, in the presence of the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for International Affairs, Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and the Indian Ambassador to Bahrain, Alok Kumar Sinha.



The event, held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, is organised by the Indian embassy in cooperation with the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority. It is held in celebration of India's 70th Independence Day.



"It was an honour to inaugurate the exhibition held to highlight the life of Mahatma Gandhi. The event portrays the different aspects of his life to the public. Such events allow us to further develop bilateral relations," said the Shaikh Khalid.



Sinha said: "Bahrain and India have strong ties that go back many decades and it is based on string foundation. We are proud of our relationship with Bahrain and continually expert efforts to strengthen the ties. We are currently working with BTEA to further develop the tourism ties. This event is one of many to be held in order to promote the Indian culture in Bahrain."



The exhibition will run until October 6. - TradeArabia News Service
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?



- Jim Kouri, EditorAttorney and Washington, D.C. watchdog Larry Klayman today addressed the issue of Hillary Clinton and sexuality in a column. Klayman wrote:At the outset of what I am going to say in this column, let me make one thing clear. I totally respect a person's right to live his her life as he or she may choose, so long as no one is hurt as a result. And, that goes for someone's sexual preference, even though homosexuality is not endorsed in the Bible, and it is not my "cup of tea." But gay and lesbian people, I have found in my lifetime, are generally very nice and kind, and they have a right to be treated equally, not discriminated against. They should be frankly left alone to be what they want to be. That's called "freedom."In today's world, it is no longer a social stigma to be gay or lesbian, and as a result the Supreme Court has even ruled that they constitutionally are to be accorded the right to marry each other. As a result, I have much less respect for those gays and lesbians who continue to live in the closet and hide their lifestyle, particularly when this happens for partisan political purposes. Case in point, one Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has apparently lied about her sexual preference for decades to help pave the way for her presidential candidacy.In the 1990's, as you know, I represented nearly all of the women who had come forward to allege that they had been harassed, raped or had affairs with Mrs. Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton. I did not represent Gennifer Flowers, Dolly Kyle Browning (now Dolly Kyle), Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick on "sex stuff," but primarily because Hillary had put together a so-called "War Room," comprised of herself, James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, to try to destroy these women and as a warning to other women who might come forward to further disclose Slick Willy's sexual proclivities, to put it nicely. This was not because Hillary had great love for the future president, but to protect Hillary's own standing to one day run for the presidency.In the course of representing Gennifer and Dolly in particular, two women Bill (Gennifer calls him "Bill") and Billy (Dolly calls him "Billy") had been having affairs with for years at the same time, they both told me that Hillary couldn't have cared less. Indeed, according to both Gennifer and Dolly, both of whom asked Bill/Billy why he would cheat on Hillary, the future president told them that this was because Hillary is "gay."Then later, while I was the founder and head of Judicial Watch acting as counsel in a myriad of lawsuits to seek redress for the 40-plus scandals committed by the Bonnie and Clyde of American politics, a respected and famous famous left-wing investigative journalist named Seymour "Sy" Hersh sought me out to gather information for one of his new books. He wanted to obtain "inside information" about the burgeoning China-gate scandal.At Judicial Watch, we had uncovered that Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown was, at Hillary's direction, literally selling seats for $100,000 a pop on government trade missions to China and elsewhere, among other illegal deeds, to line the coffers of the Clinton-Gore 1996 re-election campaign and to finance the future Clinton Library, which was eventually to be built in Little Rock, Arkansas. Clinton and Gore, along with Hillary, also sold national security secrets to the Chinese, no small traitorous feat!As Sy Hersh sat down with me in our small conference room at Judicial Watch, having first shaken my hand, with a wry smile he opened the conversation not only by thanking me for meeting with him (as he knew me to be a staunch conservative/libertarian), but by revealing something he must have thought I did not already know:In response, I smiled and told him this was not news to me, although I have never publicized this to the media or anyone else. Indeed, in addition to Gennifer and Dolly, others had revealed the same thing - among them, Peter Paul, the entrepreneur who put on a multi-million dollar Hollywood tribute for Bill Clinton on the president's way out of the White House and who had revealed that the event was in fact an illegal fundraiser to garner cash for Hillary's later Senate run in New York. In the course of getting to know the Clintons, Paul had met some of Hillary's "girlfriends," he told me. In addition, White House whistleblowers who came forward to Judicial Watch to disclose that over a million emails had been hidden by Hillary and others - records that would likely implicate them in wrongdoing - also revealed that the first lady, according to what they had been told by Secret Service agents, "preferred women."Notwithstanding this, at the height of the Clinton impeachment proceedings, Dick Morris, the foremost political adviser to Bonnie and Clyde, had - after he was cut loose from their political campaigns when he got enmeshed in his own sex scandal - as a final "favor" to them tried to soften the perception of the president's mistreatment of women and infidelities. He revealed that they were mostly caused by Hillary's sexual preference.Indeed, that Hillary is a lesbian became so widely known, although no one would specifically talk about it, that the joke in Washington, D.C., at the time was:Answer:While I knew the names of some of these "women," I never revealed them publicly, although rumors abound. In recent years, Huma Abedin, the Palestinian wife of pervert Anthony Weiner and one of Hillary's top aides, has been one of those rumored to be "in bed" with Hillary. Indeed, this might help explain her marriage to disgraced former Rep. Weiner and why it did not end sooner for political reasons. But I do not make any accusations.The real issue is why, in this age of widespread acceptability of the gay and lesbian lifestyle, and as Hillary asks for the vote of gays, lesbians and transgender people, would she, by material omission, continue to appear to hide her sexual preference? Is she ashamed of it, and if so, is she worthy of claiming to be the champion of gays, lesbians and transgenders?I do not endorse any candidate for elective office and never have. But gays, lesbians and transgenders have to wonder why Hillary would call Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump a "racist" against people of an alternative lifestyle, and then continue to lie about her own sexuality. For gays, lesbians and transgenders, this is an affront to them personally. This continued deceitful hypocrisy by Hillary has to call into question her own commitment to gay, lesbian and transgender rights.
The 7th Arabia CSR Forum, being held in Dubai this month, will focus on the Arab Sustainable Development Agenda and its priorities.



The theme of the event, Accelerating the Arab Sustainable Development Agenda Through Innovation and Collaboration will reflect on key issues and give out a call to action in the region.



The forum will be held on October 19 and 20 at the Steigenberger Hotel in Dubai, UAE.



Taking place annually for the past six years, the forum has become known all over the region and even beyond as a platform that promotes latest thinking and current philosophies around CSR and sustainability.



Habiba Al Marashi, chairperson of Arabia CSR Network, pointed out that the forum will address four sessions. The first will focus on the current state of sustainability in the Arab world in the wake of the Millennium Development Goals, and what are the most pressing development priorities in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The second session will dwell on partnerships for the SDGs; enhancing Corporate Social Responsibility for policy coherence and resilient collaborations. Specifically, this will discourse policy coherence with the SDGs from a global perspective; evaluate if extractive industries support the SDGs from a regional perspective and study the business case for Arab collaborations.



The third session will be on interdependencies and disparities between private, public and civil society collaborators". It will look into what extent businesses in the region are equipped with knowledge and awareness of the post 2015 development agenda? Further, bridging the gap between expectations and reality: what is the role of each key stakeholder state and non-state player in the Arab sustainability scene?



The fourth session will focus on the nexus of youth, innovation and social enterprise. Primarily, what is the role of academia in developing the capacity of Arab youth to innovate and collaborate towards inclusive sustainable development? and what are the new and appropriate business models and technologies needed to do so.



The forum therefore promises to be a great opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge about all the key issues within CSR and sustainability that people in the region should be cognizant of.



It will bring together 25 thought leaders, government and business leaders, UN officials and youth spokespersons. Some of the acclaimed speakers will be Dr Mohammed bin Ibrahim At-Twaijri, assistant undersecretary general of economic affairs from the League of Arab States; Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive officer of Dewa, Dr Iyad Abumoghli from Unep Rowa; Dr Abdullah Al Dardari, deputy executive secretary at UN Escwa; Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University; Dr Shahira Wahbi, chief of sustainable development and international cooperation at the League of Arab States, among many others.



The Forum is being organised by Arabia CSR Network, the leading think tank and training centre based in the UAE, under the patronage of the League of Arab States and supported by the United Nations Environment Program. - TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Aramco was "recruiting steadily" and hadn't laid off staff, Mohammed Al Qahtani, the oil giant's senior vice president of upstream said.

"We are steady in our plans, we are the only company that weathered through this environment unchanged," he told a conference in Dubai. -- Reuters
Qatargas and Pakistan-based Global Energy Infrastructure Limited (GEIL) have signed a 20-year Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) sale and purchase agreement



The Qatari delegation was led by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum and the Chairman of the Qatargas Board of Directors, accompanied by Sheikh Khalid Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the CEO of Qatargas, and senior Qatargas officials.



The agreement with GEIL reinforces our confidence in Pakistan as a promising energy market. It also enables us to meet Pakistans energy needs from the worlds most reliable LNG producer, thus enhancing our long and historic brotherly relations, said Al-Kaabi.



This agreement also demonstrates our confidence in LNG, and natural gas in general, as a clean energy source that is instrumental in reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally, he added.



Al-Thani said: "Qatargas is pleased to commemorate the signing of a 20-year deal with GEIL for the supply of LNG into Pakistan. I am particularly pleased to strengthen our relationship with Pakistan, which continues to grow as an important LNG market.



I have great confidence in this deal, and I look forward to our respective teams working together as we safely and reliably supply LNG to Pakistan."



Under the terms of the agreement, Qatargas will supply 1.3 million tonnes per annum of LNG to Pakistan for 20 years, with provisions allowing the volume to increase to 2.3 million tonnes per annum.



The LNG will be supplied from Qatargas 2, the worlds first fully integrated LNG value chain venture, with the first cargo expected to be delivered to Pakistan in 2018 by Qatargas-chartered Q-Flex vessels.



SOURCE Qatar News Agency
The Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority (Sama), the countrys central bank, recently announced that it would provide Saudi banks with about SR20 billion ($5.3 billion) of time deposits on behalf of government agencies, a report said.



The Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority (Sama), the countrys central bank, recently announced that it would provide Saudi banks with about SR20 billion ($5.3 billion) of time deposits on behalf of government agencies, and introduce seven-day and 28-day repurchase agreements, a report said.



These moves follow prior deposit injections of approximately SR12 billion since the start of the year and are credit positive for Saudi Arabias banks, which continue to face pronounced liquidity pressures as a result of recent deposit outflows, a consequence of depressed oil prices, explained the research from Moodys Investor Service.



Since oil prices plunged in 2014, liquidity trends in the Saudi banking system have reversed. Instead of excess liquidity, reflected by customer deposit growth of 12.1 per cent versus 11.8 per cent growth in credit (defined as claims to the private sector, which include loans, advances and investments) between 2013 and 2014, Saudi banks have experienced the opposite trend in recent years: since 2014, average deposit growth has decreased to 1 per cent versus credit growth of 9.5 per cent.



Liquidity has tightened even more since February 2016, when deposit outflows led to a 3.1 per cent year-on-year contraction in total deposits as of 30 July 2016. Government deposits as of July 2016 were down 4.4 per cent from a year earlier because funds were needed to help finance its large fiscal deficit, which we estimate at around 12 per cent for 2016.



Private-sector deposits also declined and were down 2.6 per cent year on year as of July, adversely affected by government spending cuts and weakening economic growth. We expect Saudi Arabias non-oil GDP growth to be 1.6 per cent this year and 2.4 per cent in 2017, versus the 2010-16 average of 6.2 per cent, Moodys said in the report.



Samas SR20 billion injection of time deposits adds to an approximately SR12 billion provision that was extended as short-term deposits and loans to a number of banks earlier this year. These measures should help stabilize banks regulatory loan-to-deposit ratio for the next six months, which we expect to decrease 100 basis points to around 84 per cent as of September 2016 from 85 per cent in June 2016. Earlier this year, Sama had increased its maximum loan-to-deposit ratio guidance to 90 per cent from 85 per cent.



In addition, Sama announced that it would now provide seven-day and 28-day repurchase agreements in addition to one-day repo agreements. When combined with a robust stock of liquid assets to total assets of around 25 per cent, these repurchase facilities will allow banks to access short-term borrowing at a lower and more stable cost than available in the challenged wholesale markets. This will reduce their funding costs, which, as reflected in the three-month Saudi Interbank Offered Rate (SAIBOR) of 2.35 per cent on 27 September, are at their highest since January 2009.



Although the majority of banks continue to rely on funding from non-interest-bearing deposits (around 63 per cent of total funding as of June 2016), recourse to more expensive and confidence-sensitive wholesale market funding has increased in recent months to 7.9 per cent as of June 2016 from 6.1 per cent as of December 2015, commensurate with the contraction in total deposits available in the system.



Despite the likelihood of continued pressure on banks cost of funding into 2017, these Sama facilities should also support profitability.  TradeArabia News Service
Thai Airways landed its first passenger flight on the Imam Khomeini International Airport yesterday (October 1), marking the 56th foreign airliner using Tehran's newly established airport, a report said.



The airlines, which flew a Boeing 777-200 from Bangkok to Tehran, will have four flights weekly on the route, regional director of Thai Airways International Prin Yooprasert was quoted as saying in the Irna report.



We hope to operate the flights on a daily basis, he said.



Iran's Mahan Airline Company currently operates six flights each week via the same route, according to the report.
So when they butt-stroked me to the head from an AK-47 and I was bleeding down the side of my face and they threw me back in the cell I could
The public is invited to attend Unitarian Universalist Community of Casper services and other events at 1040 W. 15th St., just north of the CY Avenue Albertsons. UU Casper is a welcoming, doctrine-free church that fosters individual spiritual growth, ethical living and inclusive fellowship. UUs are people of many beliefs and backgrounds, but are aligned in the desire to make a difference for the good. Whoever you are, wherever you are on lifes journey, you are welcome here.

Services are held at 10 a.m. Sundays. This week, the program will be Compassion and Forgiveness, with Melody Haler as the service leader. On Oct. 30, guest speaker Andi Noakes will speak about her 28-day winter walk to raise money for a Laramie soup kitchen, and how that experience changed her perspective on life. Child care and a youth religious exploration program are available, and refreshments and conversation follow each service.

The UU weekly coffee talk is held at 10 a.m. Tuesdays, and the weekly meditation group meets at 4 p.m. Sundays.

For more information about these events or about Unitarian Universalism, visit uucasper.org, email news@uucasper.org, visit us on Facebook or call Laura at 259-4469.
RAPID CITY, S.D.  Barb Peterson is ideally suited to her job as a fire spotter in the Black Hills National Forest.

She likes solitude, which is good, because she spends her days at an elevation of 6,647 feet, pacing a catwalk around a rustic-looking tower and scanning forested hilltops and ridge lines for smoke, the Rapid City Journal reported (http://bit.ly/2d9LAxN ).

She enjoys company, too, which is also good, because she counted 1,600 public visits in July from curious motorists, ATVers and hikers, despite the relatively remote location of the Cement Ridge fire lookout tower. It's in the northwestern Black Hills, about 20 miles southwest of Spearfish via gravel roads and just across the Wyoming line.

Peterson has been a "lookout," as her position is known, for eight years since retiring from an accounting career, and she loves the simplicity of looking for smoke, talking to visitors and enjoying nature.

"To me, it's a coveted position," she said. "People say, 'I want this job,' and I say, 'Stand in line.' I'm not ready to give it up."

The Cement Ridge tower, which turns 75 years old this year, is one of seven fire lookout towers still being used in the Black Hills. There were about 25 active towers in the region, but many were deactivated as advances in technology  including aerial surveillance and automated lightning-strike detection  made forest managers less reliant on human lookouts.

The 25 tower sites in the Black Hills now range from the stone ruins of long-ago deactivated towers to the well-preserved, wood-and-stone or metal structures of active towers. Some of the tower sites are situated along roads, and others require a hike; some are open to the public, and others are restricted. The most well-known Black Hills lookout tower is the stone structure atop Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak), which is no longer used for smoke detection but is visited by thousands of hikers annually.

The decline of lookout towers in the Black Hills has paralleled a national trend. The Forest Fire Lookout Association reports that among nearly 9,000 lookout towers that once stood across the nation, fewer than 3,000 are still standing and fewer than 1,000 are staffed.

But the disappearance of the towers may be slowing as people nationwide, and especially in the West, take action to preserve and protect lookout towers for their continued usefulness, unique architecture, history and scenic vistas.

In some places, unused lookout towers have been re-purposed as rental cabins. That has not yet happened in the Black Hills, where forest managers seem more focused on preserving active lookout towers in part by keeping them staffed with human lookouts.

Chris Huhnerkoch, assistant fire management officer for the Bearlodge Ranger District, said the Black Hills National Forest uses surveillance flights and other modern technology to find fires. But technology is expensive and sometimes fails, and it's comforting to know there are people in towers ready to report smoke within minutes of a fire starting.

Additionally, lookouts provide weather reports and serve as human repeaters for Forest Service personnel who might be out of radio range of each other, but within range of a lofty lookout tower.

"It's pretty handy having them up here for safety, weather and communication, aside from the primary smoke detection job," Huhnerkoch said, adding that he hopes to have people in lookout towers "as long as possible, as long as I'm here."

The Cement Ridge tower stands 15 feet tall, with a stone-constructed base. Inside the base is an empty room that's open year-round and is a popular warming spot for snowmobile riders.

Atop the tower is a 14-by-14-foot wooden, window-lined room, or cab, with a wraparound catwalk. A stroll around the catwalk affords a panoramic view of the northern Black Hills and the surrounding area, with visible landmarks including Terry Peak, Custer Peak, Crow Peak, Inyan Kara Mountain, Warren Peak and Sundance Mountain. On crystal-clear days, Peterson said, she can see the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming about 150 miles to the west.

Inside the cab is a mix of old and new technology, all surrounding a device known as an Osborne Firefinder.

The Osborne Firefinder was invented during the winter of 1910-1911 by William B. Osborne, a Forest Service employee in Oregon. The device consists of a circular map mounted on a rotating steel disc atop a pedestal, with brass sighting mechanisms.

When Peterson spots smoke from the Cement Ridge tower, she lines up the smoke in the firefinder sight, and then takes readings from the sights and the map that help determine the approximate location of the smoke. If human lookouts in other towers see the same smoke, they can communicate by radio and help pinpoint the location by means of triangulation with strings and tacks on wall maps.

Lookouts have some modern technology, including radios and cell phones, but some towers are still very rustic. The Cement Ridge tower is powered by solar energy, and Peterson's work still revolves around a pair of binoculars and the Osborne Firefinder that is basically the same device, with some updates, that was used by lookouts more than 100 years ago.

"It still works today, and that's the most important thing," Peterson said. "It's tried and true technology, it's been used for decades. My philosophy is if it isn't broke, don't fix it."

Barb Peterson demonstrates how an Osborne Firefinder is used when determining where a fire is burning. The device was invented around 1910 and is still a vital tool today.

The value of fire lookout towers and human lookouts extends beyond smoke-detection, according to Michael Engelhart, North Zone archaeologist for the Black Hills National Forest. Lookout towers are architecturally and historically significant, they offer spectacular views, and the act of getting to a remote tower offers a recreational opportunity.

"It's kind of that nexus of utility and history and getting out and seeing the woods, all at the same time," Engelhart said. "I think that's why we get a lot of visitors."

Peterson's presence in the tower, and the presence of other lookouts in other towers, helps to protect and promote those multiple uses. Her presence deters vandals, and she does some upkeep on the tower during her downtime. And when people come to visit, as long as she's not busy calling in or monitoring a fire, she acts as a kind of docent, telling visitors about her duties and about the history of fire lookouts.

The proliferation of fire lookouts was related to the so-called Big Blowup of 1910, when an estimated 1,736 fires swept across the West and burned 3 million acres while destroying 7.5 billion board feet of timber, wiping out several small towns and killing at least 85 people.

After those fires, lookout towers began popping up around the country as land managers sought to spot and respond to fires before they raged out of control. At Cement Ridge, a log cabin was built in 1911. A crow's nest was added in 1921, but it and the cabin were replaced by a tower that was finished in 1941.

People hired as lookouts in the early days had to be adventurous and comfortable with isolation and danger. Some lookouts lived in towers for days on end, and at Cement Ridge there was a horse stable and a rock cellar for provisions. Printed guidebooks advised lookouts how to avoid being electrocuted by a lightning strike.

Cement Ridge was remote enough that no motorized vehicles reached it until 1927, when a ranger named Tom Sawyer drove his car to the top with his wife and young son inside. He reportedly cleared a path as he went, and when he got out of the car to clear rocks or branches out of the way, he stuck a sack of potatoes behind one of the car's wheels to prevent it from rolling downhill.

The tower that was built atop Cement Ridge in 1941 is the one that still stands, and it was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in 1993. The tower's 75th anniversary this year coincides with the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, which has done much to encourage the preservation of lookout towers and other historic structures all over the country.

Keith Argow, chairman of the board of the national Forest Fire Lookout Association, said historic preservation efforts are needed to prevent the disappearance of towers that help tell the history of forestry.

"They are a symbol of forestry in America going back 100 years," Argow said. "They're almost as important a symbol of responsible fire management as Smokey Bear."

The original Cement Ridge fire lookout was built between 1911 and 1913. At that time it was a one-room log cabin with a shingle roof. In 1921, a crow's nest with a glassed-in house was constructed. A new lookout was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and finished in 1941.

Concern about the decline of lookout towers has motivated many people across the country to donate money, volunteer time, or buy lookout towers in order to preserve them, said Gary Weber, the Idaho-based treasurer for the national Forest Fire Lookout Association.

In eastern states, where lookout towers were typically less remote and the job of a lookout was less demanding, there seems to be less nostalgia for the towers, Weber said. But in the West, there is an active community of people committed to preserving the towers, even as remote controlled cameras and other technological replacements for human lookouts continue to cause more towers to be deactivated.

"I think there is more and more recognition that this is something that's fading off the landscape, and it will continue to fade if we don't do something," Weber said.

Peterson is doing her part at Cement Ridge. She drives 17 miles to the tower five or six days a week during the fire season, which typically spans from May to September. Her days range from eight to 12 hours, depending on fire activity.

In keeping with the historic nature of her role and her work site, she drives a 1978 pickup, which is stuffed with extra clothing and food and whatever else she might need in case of an extra-long day or unpredictable weather. Atop the tower, between visits from the public, she sometimes thinks about her predecessors and about lookouts in more remote towers across the country, and she's jealous of lookouts then and now who've ventured deeper into the wilderness.

Her longing for the wilderness helps explain the lasting appeal of lookout towers. They are reminiscent of a time when nature was more natural, solitude could still be found and life was uncomplicated by digital technology.

Visiting a place like Cement Ridge is one of the few modern ways to experience that bygone era or at least something like it.

"It's hard to overtly recognize it sometimes in ourselves, but we really seek out connections to the past, and I think that's part of the reason people come up here," Engelhart said. "It's part of our identity, really, in the Western forests."

___

Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com

An AP Exchange shared by the Rapid City Journal.
Contact: Debbie Wilborn

Debbie Wilborn NC Trooper's Association

NCTA has evaluated the candidates for Senator and our results clearly pointed to who we feel is the best candidate. Richard Burr has proudly served the citizens of North Carolina as our Senator since 2005. His superior leadership has made our Nation a safer place. Richard Burr is a man of honor and integrity who has the ability to make the tough decisions without any political calculations. In the dangerous times our Nation currently faces, we need strong leaders like Burr. Our evaluation of his service revealed that Richard Burr has a proven track record of being able to provide direction, insight, and commonsense to the legislative process.Burr has a history of doing what is right for all of the citizens of our great Nation.Our association has worked side by side with Senator Burr on issues concerning lawenforcement and public safety. The Troopers Association board can verify his strongcommitment to public safety. Senator Burr regularly takes time to meet with the NCTA leadership to address issues of concern.The citizens of our great state deserve a Senator who will stand up for what is right. The membership of the North Carolina Troopers Association strongly feels that Richard Burr has done an outstanding job as Senator and we look forward to seeing our Nation grow and prosper under his leadership.The North Carolina Troopers Association is made up of more than two thousand active and retired Highway Patrol employees. It was formed in 1977 to advance the principles of proper law enforcement and support the betterment of our criminal justice system. The NCTA board of directors strongly feels that our Nation will be a stronger, safer, and better place to live with Richard Burr as our Senator.The Troopers Association encourages you to vote for Richard Burr on November 8th.Sincerely,Daniel JenkinsPresident
Although the next census is still a few years off, it looks as though the Census Bureau will again count incarcerated people as residents of the towns where they are confined, not their homes.

During a public comment period on the proposal, about 100,000 people, including former Census Bureau directors, civil rights organizations, elected officials and others urged the bureau to change the inmate counting method.

A final decision is expected before the end of the year. But it doesnt look good despite the strong support for reform.

Four states and 200 local governments have changed their laws to allow inmates to be counted in their homes, not prison where they are located temporarily.

Although the system has been more or less sanctioned by many courts, it is inherently unfair.

Inmates in Wyoming and 47 other states cannot vote.

Yet they are counted as residents of legislative districts when the lawmakers sit down to the decennial task of redistricting.

They are ghost constituents, as one opponent of the system put it.

The Southern Center for Human Rights is one of many groups that has been advocating an end to prison gerrymandering.

The districts with large prisons get to send a representative to the state capital to advocate for their interests without meeting the required number of residents, the centers website reads.

Because prisons are disproportionately built in rural areas but most incarcerated people call urban areas home, counting incarcerated people in the wrong place results in a systematic transfer of population and political influence from urban to rural areas.

That description fits Wyomings redistricting plan approved four years ago and probably earlier plans as well.

The plan drafted after the 2010 census drew some unfavorable attention from outside Wyoming for the new boundaries of Senate District 6 in part of Laramie and Goshen counties.

Peter Wagner, the director of the Prison Policy Initiative, which is pushing the prison gerrymandering project, said Wyoming Senate District 6 was the most egregious example of intentional prison gerrymandering he had seen.

And thats saying a lot.

The Prison Policy Initiative is a nonprofit think tank based in East Hampton, Massachusetts.

Wyoming Senate District 6 includes eastern Laramie County and part of north Cheyenne plus a narrow 17-mile-long strip north along the eastern border of Wyoming.

The north tip of the strip takes in the prison population of about 600 at the medium security prison south of Torrington.

It also jogs around the residence of state Sen. Curt Meier of LaGrange, thus keeping him out of the district and head-to-head against state Sen. Wayne Johnson of Cheyenne.

The move saved Meiers seat.

And it was Meier who brought the amendment to the Joint Interim Committee on Corporations, Elections and Subdivisions.

The committee adopted the entire plan, Meier amendment included, although not by unanimous acclimation nor without rumbles of discontent. It also passed a court test.

Wagner said Wyoming also is unique in how blatant it is with prison gerrymandering.

It was blatant. And it was all in the open, to the credit of the corporations committee chairmen.

The amendment would have received far more brutal criticism if the amendment had been sneaked through.

Senate District 6 captured attention during this years elections when Republican Anthony Bouchard, a gun rights advocate and a conservative, won the Republican primary over Rep. Dave Zwonitzer of Cheyenne by only five votes.

The seat is being by vacated by Johnson, who is retiring.

Zwonitzer won in Laramie County by 48 votes over Bouchard.

Bit in that odd strip of Goshen County, Bouchard won, polling 66 votes to 13 for Zwonitzer.

With no Democrats running, Bouchard was assured of being elected until Daves wife, Kym Zwonitzer, got enough signatures to be placed on the ballot as an independent.

That small segment of rural Goshen County with its several hundred ghost constituents played a key role in the GOP primary.

Unfair, unconstitutional or not, the state still is unlikely to seek any change in the prison population counting system.
This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York Islands.

Well, not quite. I learned this in the early 70s. Except for a stay with Uncle Sam at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training, Id never spent time in an Eastern state or the Midwest.

Then came graduate school at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Like most of the U.S. east of the Mississippi, the land of Muncie is private. Cornfields and soybean farms surround the city. I was advised to see what that region once looked like. Go to Anderson and see the Mounds State Park, I was told.

The reason for the park is large dirt mounds left by the Adena culture, a pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC.

What was more impressive to me than the mounds were the mature native trees that were preserved. Two hundred and fifty acres of mature hickory, beech, white oak, buckeye, elm, sugar maple and black oak remained along the White River like settlers experienced the land nearly 200 years before. Being raised in the Four Corners Country (Cortez, Colorado), public land surrounded me in all directions. That was what I missed most about life in Indiana.

Why are nearly all of the designated Wilderness Areas in the West and Alaska? The Wilderness Act of 1964 describes that a designated wilderness should be 5,000 acres untrammeled by man. That description was difficult to find in the East in 1964, and of course even more difficult to find today. East of the Mississippi the government owns only 4 percent of the land.

Living in these Rocky Mountain states we sometimes fail to realize what life without the public lands would mean. But those clustered together in the cities of the East have not.They know the national parks, BLM lands and U.S Forest lands are theirs too, and increasingly they come here through all seasons to enjoy and celebrate their lands, our lands.

In Wyoming, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service manage 48.2 percent of the land. These lands are the draw that accounted for a record 10.1 million people visiting Wyoming last year, accounting for an estimated $3.3 billion of the states economy.

If we preserve these resources, we help keep our economy stable. We know too well the historic fate of the state economy based upon a finite supply of fossil fuels and unstable international markets. We have begun to see the stability of a renewable energy future.

At one time the U.S. government owned the entire West. As the nation moved west, the federal government purchased land as with the Louisiana Purchase, took it from the Native Americans or won it in wars.

Gradually it gave away land, for new states, homesteads for farms and ranches, and Spanish land grants that became the land of states, e.g. in New Mexico. In the Midwest most of the land is arable and was privatized. With unclaimed land the government allowed free use.

The U.S. Forest Service was established in 1905 to manage the U.S governments forested lands. In 1946 under President Truman most of the remaining U.S. owned western lands were put under management of the Bureau of Land Management.

Some ranchers and farmers had assumed ownership and even fenced portions of these lands. But it was only assumed. Utah has spent millions in lawyer fees trying to claim state ownership.

Today, skirmishes with federal management agencies go on. Witness the Bundy ranch bunch in Nevada, the Recapture Canyon protest near Blanding, Utah, or the more recent Malheur National Wildlife Refuge land grab by like-minded anti-government demonstrators.

In 2015 the Wyoming Legislature passed Senate File 56, titled Study on Management of Public Lands, following Utah, which directed the Office of State Lands and Investment to commission a study and provide a report addressing the state management of some federally administered public lands in Wyoming. The action set aside $100,000 of public money to study specified lands. Fishermen, hunters, environmentalists, and outdoors people of all kinds oppose such action.

The 2016 Legislature killed Senate File 56 but not before $75,000 of the $100,000 had been spent. With the state economy as it is, it was realized the state didnt have resources to effectively manage our 3.6 million acres of state lands, let alone the millions of acres of federal lands.

Let us not be blindsided. Al Simpson sees the motive in state control of our public lands. He said, If you get this stuff into state hands, it is not going to be available because the state would have the power to dispose of it, and when they get in a crunch  like all of them are  they are going to peddle it off and put it into the coffer, not thinking of what that does to the guys like you and me who know where this trail is into the fishing hole, hunting spot, or backpacking areaforget it. (From the Wyoming Wildlife Federation web page, February 2016)
As a retired teacher, school principal, and avid sportsman, I am proud to give my support to Dan Neal for state house in district 56. Being a fellow sportsman, Dan understands the ramifications of transferring ownership or management of our national forests and parklands to the state. Under state direction, our public lands will be managed under the energy colony mentality so pervasive in Wyoming politics. Those wishing to hunt, fish, hike, bike, camp, ski, or snowmobile on their public lands will find locked gates and no trespassing signs. Dan will fight to keep public lands in public hands. Please join me in supporting Neal for House District 56.
Maybe you wear pink in October. Maybe you send a check to a breast cancer charity. Maybe you participate in one of many relays and fundraising events held around the state. And maybe  you want to do more.

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on research into breast cancer, a disease that will affect one out of eight American women. And while financial support is critical to improving treatments and reaching the ultimate goal of finding a cure, there are additional ways to support the fight against breast cancer through volunteer opportunities.

Started in 1996 in Vermont, Casting for Recovery now hosts 40 retreats in 35 states. The organization combines education, peer support and therapeutic activity in a two-and-a-half-day retreat focused on fly fishing.

Wyomings program began in 2011 and is held at Absaroka Ranch near Dubois. Mary Turney, program coordinator for Wyoming, said the program has room for 14 participants but had 62 applicants this year. She noted the group wants to offer a second retreat to accommodate more women by the summer of 2018, but the need for specialized volunteers is a challenge.

It is not an easy problem to solve, said Turney. There are three key positions that are the tougher ones to fill, medical facilitators  who need to have an oncology background  a psychosocial or oncology therapist and fly fishing instructors.

The medical facilitators answer medical questions and lead discussions about advances in treatment options, side effects and side effect therapy. The oncologist therapist leads additional discussions about the emotional impacts of having breast cancer.

Turney noted the program requires that these medical volunteers be women. However, on Sunday, the final day of the retreat, the program welcomes men and women volunteers to serve as River Helpers and accompany the participants on a guided fly fishing experience.

The American Cancer Society operates several cancer support programs in Wyoming, two of which rely heavily on volunteers for their success.

Look Good, Feel Better is a signature program of the ACS that focuses on helping cancer patients mitigate the physical effects of cancer treatment such as hair loss and skin damage. They seek volunteers in Wyoming communities who are licensed cosmetologists.

They cover makeup tips, how to draw your eyebrows if you lose them due to treatment and in general teach you how to feel better while you are going through treatment, said Jana Gurkin, health systems manager for the ACS Wyoming office in Casper. It also teaches things like if you lose your hair, options for wigs, how to make head wraps and how your skin might change. These are things that folks may not think about when they go in for treatment. They just feel better about themselves, feel pretty and feel like they are something more than cancer patients.

The program is operating in Casper, Cheyenne and Sheridan, with Gillette, Lander and Laramie scheduled to begin soon. Gurkin hopes the program will eventually operate in all major Wyoming communities.

The ACS also operates the Road to Recovery program, which pairs volunteers with cancer patients needing rides to doctor or treatment appointments. With some patients having frequent, even daily appointments, it can be difficult to get to these appointments if the patient does not have reliable transportation or if working friends and family members are unable to take time off work to drive them.

Gurkin said no special skills are needed, only a valid drivers license, proof of insurance, a clean driving record and a willingness to help.

It is not a huge commitment, and it is not challenging, said Gurkin. But it is very rewarding, and it is a huge help for the people who need these rides.

For more information about these programs, contact Turney at cfrwyoming@hotmail.com or Gurkin at 307-235-0044.
All of us procrastinate, some of us more than others. Running a business requires many things be done and we cannot possibly do everything at once. We have to prioritize our day and invest our time wisely. How do we know what to do right now?

SCORE interviewed Paul Bellows, CEO of Be Good at Doing Good, about some best practices on investing your time.

Start with the relationships you have with your customers, your employees, your vendors and strategic partners. The purpose of business is to create those relationships in order to generate profit. It is important to establish and reinforce the trust and loyalty needed with them to ensure your business is strong and financially sustainable.

Building strong relationships with your employees is important so they feel empowered and passionate about achieving your companys goals. They are the ones who provide maximum value to your customers, who in return, buy more, pay more and send you more business.

Finally, building strong relationships with your strategic partners is important because they share best business practices, create great opportunities and send you streams of business.

Having robust relationships with all of these people generates the greatest return on the time and money you invest.

We spend all our lives chasing the proverbial carrot, and the carrot continues to change. Maybe one day the carrot is a nice car, a better job or a bigger house. Then it becomes better health, deeper relationships or overall happiness. By focusing on building strong relationships now, you have a wonderful chance of catching your proverbial carrot.

There is no someday to running your business well; there is only today. Do not wait to handle the difficult call with an unsatisfied customer  make it right and do it now. Do not wait until tomorrow to empower your employees, do it now. Do not wait to schedule a meeting with your strategic partners, do it now.
As a child, Renae Yellowhorse chased birds through the sagebrush on the Navajo reservation along the edge of the Grand Canyon.

She remembers her great-grandmother talking reverently about the canyon. Yellowhorse considers the confluence of two rivers that run through the Grand Canyon as sacred space, where a storied past needs to be preserved for the future.

Larry Hanks lives in Cedar Ridge, where he cooks with a wood-burning stove, doesnt have running water, and uses a propane lamp for light. He sees a future where a proposed tourist development, Grand Canyon Escalade, could bring thousands of jobs to this remote, economically impoverished corner of the reservation.

Scottsdale-based Confluence Partners, LLC wants to build a restaurant, hotels and an RV park on the rim of the canyon, along with a tram that could carry 10,000 passengers per day.

International attention

The tension surrounding the Grand Canyon Escalade on Navajo land has ratcheted up as the Navajo tribal council introduced a bill proposing the development, which has been in the works for several years. The first committee hearing of the bill is scheduled for Oct. 10 at Twin Arrows Resort and Casino in Flagstaff.

If the council approves the project it would pay $65 million toward a $230 million project to include a Navajoland Discovery Center. It would be built on up to 420 acres of the tribes land, according to the bill. The Navajo Nation would pay for electrical power and water lines, as well as build a 26-mile paved road to connect the resort to the nearest road.

Thousands of signatures from across the United States and as far away as Australia, South America, and Germany poured into the council during a five-day comment period that ended Sept. 3, according to American Rivers, a national conservation organization.

More than 59,000 people in the U.S. were among those who signed the petition opposing the development, according to American Rivers data.

Members of the Navajo Nation, perhaps the most directly affected by the proposed project, are divided over the Escalade.

Grassroots organization Save the Confluence, founded seven years ago to oppose the project, also collected signatures during the public comment period, Yellowhorse said.

The development would forever ruin that special place that you went to commune with nature, or just to think, said Yellowhorse, who has volunteered with Save the Confluence since 2012.

She said the number of signatures received during the public comment period showed her the world is listening.

It just warmed my heart, down to the very bottom of my heart, Yellowhorse said. I was very grateful, as disappointed as I was with my lawmakers that they are even considering this legislation. The world cares.

The tribal council is still counting the number of comments received and hasnt yet released a total, according to a tribal official.

Sacred land

Karlie Jones, a member of the Iroquois Confederacy who lives in Mesa, said she signed the petitions opposing the Escalade project because it would be built on sacred land and mar the natural beauty of the canyon.

Author Kevin Fedarko hiked hundreds of miles through the Grand Canyon. He described the view from part of the eastern rim of the Grand Canyon, looking down thousands of feet to where the Colorado River meets the turquoise Little Colorado River, as the transect of a cathedral.

Fedarko, author of the The Emerald Mile and other works about the Grand Canyon, worries the project could set a precedent for similar developments.

Some argue the project would disrupt sacred land, including the place where the Hopi say their ancestors originated.

Navajo Nation resident Darrick Shorty doesnt believe the project would harm sacred sites. The tram ends a few hundred feet above the confluence of the two rivers, he said.

The confluence itself will not be touched by the construction, he said. Right now as we speak, theres rafters down there camping out, building a fire and swimming and drinking and having a good time, right around the confluence, one of our peoples sacred sites. To them its just about having fun.

Jobs in land of poverty

The developers said the project could bring thousands of jobs, including temporary construction work, to a region that has long struggled with poverty. They estimate that 850 employees will be needed to run operations, including the Navajoland Discovery Center, and an additional 1,200 to 1,300 jobs will be created by the hotels, RV park and convenience store, according to documents filed with the council.

The Navajo Nation will receive 8 percent to 18 percent of the revenue from the Escalade operations, depending on how many tourists visit the attraction each year. If any fewer than 800,000 people visit annually, the Nation would receive 8 percent of the revenue. For the Nation to receive 18 percent of the revenue, more than 2 million people would need to visit within one year  an average of almost 5,500 people per day, according to documents filed by Confluence Partners.

Confluence Partners would also claim 2 percent of the total revenue the Nation earns from the project.

The potential economic impact is a major reason to support the development, advocates said. More than 173,000 people live on the Navajo reservation, the largest in the U.S. and, at 27,000 square miles, slightly larger than West Virginia. But in 2010 the poverty rate was 39 percent, according to Navajo Nation estimates.

And about one in three households on the reservation dont have access to safe drinking water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Shorty, who lives next door to Hanks, his uncle, about 20 miles away from the planned tourist attraction, wondered if people signed petitions opposing the Escalade project care about helping local people.

Are they sitting in the comfort of their modern homes, with their high-speed Internet? Shorty said. Theyre somewhere on the other side of the country, other side of the world. The people on the reservation are in real need.

Albert Hale, a former Navajo Nation president and state lawmaker who is now spokesman for Confluence Partners, also questioned the opposition of people who dont live in the area.

They seem to be saying, We dont care how you live. We dont care that youre without any running water,  Hale said.

He said the project would bring more economic opportunity to the people of the Navajo Nation, enabling them to create a better future for their children.

But Confluence Partners will not be required to give Navajo residents preference for jobs, Hale acknowledged.
After two years of trying to sell their historic property, the owners of Rancho de la Osa decided theyd waited long enough.

It will be auctioned to the highest bidder Oct. 20.

Veronica and Richard Schultz were most recently asking $1.4 million for their beloved ranch, which sits along the U.S.-Mexico border in Sasabe. The property is just south of the Buenos Aires National Refuge, about 70 miles from Tucson.

The couple operated the ranch as a resort for the last 20 years and closed it in June 2014, with an eye on retirement and international travel.

Since then, its been a waiting game.

The property has been shown about a dozen times, Veronica Shultz said, but it was never the right fit for prospective buyers.

This property is a lifestyle, said Shultz. She said while they are looking forward to their retirement now, their years at the ranch have been a labor of love.

The couple bought the ranch for $800,000 in 1996, and say it generated about $1 million annually in revenue.

We were fortunate that 16 of the 18 years we were open, it paid for itself and all of the improvements, she said.

With a history dating to 1725, Rancho de la Osa has played host to presidents, authors and Hollywood stars. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, authors Margaret Mitchell and Zane Gray, and film stars John Wayne, Cesar Romero and Joan Crawford all stayed at the 239-acre property.

Over the last 20 years, the owners restored many of the older buildings and furnished the rooms carefully, often with Mexican antiques, Schultz said.

Visitors from all over the United States and the world stayed there.

We had a wonderful clientele, she said, adding that she hopes whoever buys the property will preserve its history and maintain it as an international destination.

There are 10 buildings, including the Hacienda, which was completed in 1889. The dining area in the main building features a dining table that seats 30 and was made from one Mount Lemmon pine tree, she said.

Linda Mayro, director of Pima Countys Office of Sustainability and Conservation, wishes Pima County could have bought the ranch and added it to the collection of purchases it has made over the years to preserve open space and historic properties.

This was one of the properties we had identified as a potential acquisition, she said. Its been on our list of potential properties for its historic values.

The propertys proximity to the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge would help maintain the continuity of that natural landscape, and visitors to the refuge could stay at the ranch, she said.

The proximity to the border is also an asset, she said.

I think people are interested in border culture and what life is like at the border, she said. Theres a lot of tourism potential.

The property will be sold to the highest bidder and there will not be a minimum bid or reserve, said Carl Carter, a spokesman for Albert Burney Auctioneers, which is overseeing the auction.

We have heard from several prospective bidders who are interested in reopening the business, he wrote in an email. Some may want it as a private estate, though its hard to gauge, because folks dont usually want to show their cards.

Registration isnt until the auction day, so it is impossible to predict attendance in advance.

The ideal buyer should be in their early 50s so that they can put in a good 15 to 20 years, Veronica Shultz said.

The horses are gone, sold to another guest ranch, but the new owners could easily bring riding back to the establishment.

Spanish Jesuits established a mission outpost on part of the land in the 1700s. In 1812, the area was part of a 3-million-acre Spanish land grant from the king of Spain to the Ortiz family of Mexico.

La Osa was included in the Gadsen Purchase in 1854, bringing it into the United States, and Col. William Spencer Sturgis bought the ranch in 1889. He added structures to the property and operated a cattle ranch empire.

James Finley, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, was next to buy the ranch, in 1899, and he increased its size.

The ranch changed hands several times after that and in 1927 was sold to investors, and its operations were suspended due to WWII.

It was reopened as a guest ranch in 1945 by twins Dick and Nellie Jenkins, and three more investors and owners operated it before Richard and Veronica Schultz made it theirs.

More than 20 calls have come in so far about the auction.

The property, which is about a one-hour drive from Tucson, has nine buildings with 19 guest rooms, two separate houses, a cantina, two dining rooms and 33 wood-burning fireplaces.

The property is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places so as not to restrict what owners can do with the buildings.

In all of their years living at and operating the ranch , Veronica Shultz said theyve never had a problem with the border or had anything stolen.

Weve never had any issues at all, she said. We love this property.
Jorden Spitz named editor of the Star

Jill Jorden Spitz has been named editor of the Arizona Daily Star.

She joined the Star in 1998 as a reporter and also has served as business editor, assistant managing editor and most recently as a senior editor.

Jorden Spitz has focused on watchdog and investigative reporting; projects she directed and edited for the Star have won 15 Lee Enterprises Presidents Awards or other national honors.

She is active in state and national journalism organizations including Associated Press Media Editors and is past president and a longtime board member of both the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and the Arizona Press Club.

A native Tucsonan, Jorden Spitz, 50, graduated from Canyon del Oro High School and the University of Arizona, where she earned bachelors degrees in journalism and economics.

She began her career as a reporter for the Reno Gazette-Journal and then moved to the Orlando Sentinel.

Jorden Spitz is active in many Tucson groups, including Women at the Top, and serves on the board of the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center and the school board of the Tucson Chinese School. She also volunteers for Nourish, a Tucson nonprofit.

Mazza to head ACC

Safety Division

The Arizona Corporation Commission has hired John Mazza as Safety Division director, where he will manage the railroad safety and pipeline safety sections.

A chief master sergeant, Mazza recently retired from a 29-year career in the Air Force, where his most recent post was command chief for the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base. He received medals for his service including the Bronze Star.

He has a master of business administration degree from Trident University International.

Ammons named COO of Job Aire Group

Tucson-based Job Aire Group has promoted Nicholas Ammons to chief operating officer.

He joined the company in 2013 as manager of business development, and has been a key contributor to Job Aires increased capability and market expansion, the company said in a news release.

He has a bachelors degree in business, and is a decorated combat veteran.

Hirings, promotions at San Miguel High

San Miguel High School announces hirings and promotions:

 Dave Mason is now president. He taught at Catalina Foothills High School before joining the Cristo Rey Network and opening a Cristo Rey high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mason is a graduate of Woodring Education College at Western Washington University, and holds a masters in history from Englands Durham University.

 Thom Melendez has joined San Miguel as vice president of advancement. He was development director at CODAC Health, Recovery and Wellness and University of Arizona Health Sciences. Melendez holds a bachelors of science in elementary education from the UA and a masters in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University.

 Armando Valenzuela III has been named principal and instructional leader. He was principal at Yuma Catholic High School and an educator and administrator in the Sunnyside Unified School District. He holds a B.A. in secondary English education from the UA and a masters in educational leadership from NAU.

 Natalie Morando has been named vice president of the corporate internship program. She has been with San Miguel since 2012, in admissions, then in the corporate internship department as a coordinator and most recently as interim director. Morando graduated from Desert View High and the UA, with a B.A in sociology.

Meyer to direct programs at SARSEF

The Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation named Brooke A. Meyer director of programs. Meyer was most recently SARSEFs director of STEM Outreach. She previously was a prevention specialist and teacher in the Sunnyside Unified School District.

Submit items about local hirings and promotions to business@tucson.com; please use Moving Up in the email subject line and include photos in jpeg format.
Pima Community Colleges accreditor heard conflicting views about the quality of the schools leadership during a visit to Tucson last week, including a critique from a high-profile former insider.

A team from the Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission spent two days talking mainly to employees and Governing Board members about whether the school deserves a clean bill of health after four years under accreditation sanctions.

The sanctions were imposed starting in 2013 because the college either didnt meet, or barely met, some of the accreditors standards for the proper operation of an educational institution.

Chancellor Lee Lambert, hired to clean up a decade of mismanagement by a former CEO, told employees Wednesday after the review team left town that he thinks the school passed muster.

We showed that PCC is well on its way to providing the best possible service to students and the community, he said in an email, and predicted the schools current sanction will be lifted next year.

The college refused to let the Arizona Daily Star attend what PCC described on its website as a general community forum with the accreditor. The forum was an invitation-only event.

A PCC student reporter did attend the session, something PCC officials later said they wouldnt have allowed had they known about it.

PCC spokeswoman Libby Howell explained the media ban on the accreditors behalf by saying forum speakers had an expectation of confidentiality, even though they spoke before a room full of people. Attendees interviewed by the Star said they didnt request confidentiality and said the college never mentioned it to them.

A dozen or so speakers at the forum praised the chancellors performance.

I showed up to demonstrate the support of the business community, Ted Maxwell of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council said after the meeting.

I believe Chancellor Lambert has been more open to seeking advice and input, on matters such as workforce development, Maxwell said.

Kelle Masyln, the Tucson community relations director for Arizona State University, praised the close working relationship between ASU and PCC.

About 50 groups and individuals met with the accreditation team over two days, including school executives, board members, students, faculty and staff representatives and two community groups.

The school cited numerous changes made to improve operations college-wide, such as new performance tracking measures, improved hiring practices and stronger links between the schools planning and budgeting.

Meanwhile, PCCs biggest critic, the Coalition for Accountability, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility, got a boost Tuesday when a community-colleges expert told reviewers at a separate session that she shares the groups concerns about PCCs current leadership.

Zelema Harris, an ex-commissioner with PCCs accrediting agency who has run three community colleges and won awards for leadership, said she joined the coalition because shes never seen a community college treat a community group as poorly as PCC treats the coalition.

Harris was an interim chancellor and an interim provost at PCC in 2013 and then retired to Tucson. She told reviewers the college has totally disrespected and ignored the groups concerns about lack of transparency, questionable hiring practices and other problems.

The coalition wants sanctions to continue. It does not favor of a show-cause order, the harshest possible penalty for PCC if the accreditor finds enough unresolved issues.

College officials didnt respond Friday to a request for comment on Harris critique.

The accreditor is scheduled to rule in February on whether PCC should become sanction-free.
As many as nine centuries before Pima County voters approved a bond for a new animal care facility in 2014, the plot of land slated for construction was the site of an ancient homecoming.

Thats according to an excavation recently finished near the current Pima Animal Care Center at the corner of North Silverbell Road and West Sweetwater Drive by county contractor Desert Archaeology.

What the company found was evidence that two Hohokam villages were established on the same site during periods separated by as many as five centuries, according to company project director Mike Lindeman.

The first village likely started during the Tortolita phase of Hohokam presence in the Tucson basin, dating from roughly 500 A.D. to 700 A.D. Then, possibly due to environmental challenges and social unrest, the village was abandoned by its estimated several dozen inhabitants.

Were hypothesizing that as the village failed, people moved and joined another village, Lindeman said. But they probably maintained access to the farmlands there.

Those ongoing links may have been why possible descendants of the original inhabitants returned to the same site sometime between 1100 and 1300 A.D. and re-established the village, according to Lindeman.

Lindeman said it is unusual to find sites with interrupted inhabitancy, but added that the elaborate oral histories maintained by early residents of the Tucson valley could have helped keep memories of the original village alive.

Both villages were likely built in rings around a central plaza, a common design, according to Lindeman. During the excavation, numerous pieces of pottery, a number of stone tools and arrowheads, and jewelry made out of shells, among other items, were found. More than 40 mortuary features were also found, according to Ian Milliken, with the countys Office of Sustainability and Conservation.

It  greatly increases our knowledge of both of these periods, Lindeman said of the excavation.

With the exception of those mortuary features, which are either human remains or objects involved in funeral rituals and are repatriated to Southern Arizona tribes per state law, the objects found are turned over to Desert Archaeology for further analysis. After that, they are turned over to the Arizona State Museum for curation. Additionally, Milliken said the county is considering putting together a permanent exhibit of some of the findings at the new PACC facility.

County departments are required to consider cultural resources during the earliest stages of project planning, and those projects must receive clearance from Millikens office before proceeding, according to county policy.

The more than four months of archaeological work cost roughly $350,000, Milliken said.

The findings will not impact the construction schedule for the new PACC facility, Milliken said. A groundbreaking ceremony for the $22 million facility is planned for early October.
Less than a third of high school seniors across Arizona take advantage of a federal application that could provide free money for college, even though the once-arduous process is getting easier.

College students have access to more than $150 billion in federal grants through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, but some of it goes untapped because students either dont know it exists or have misconceptions about it, financial aid experts say.

Even when students dont qualify for grants, completing the FAFSA can open other doors, including low-interest federal student loans. Also, scholarship organizations often require applicants to complete the application because it gives a comprehensive picture of a students financial background.

The application process can seem daunting to students and parents  even those who need the money  because filling out the lengthy application is an arduous process that requires sharing highly personal information such as Social Security numbers and parents tax documents.

It scares people, says Deena Lager, director of student financial aid and family college savings program for the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education. They dont understand why all that information is needed.

But new tools, including a data retriever that links directly to the Internal Revenue Service, have made the process much easier, she says.

An Arizona Daily Star analysis shows that word is not getting out.

Highly regarded charter networks had high rates of completion  more than 85 percent of seniors at Basis Oro Valley and 90 percent at Sonoran Science Academy completed the application by the end of the 2015-2016 school year, data show.

University High School had the highest rate among district schools, with more than 74 percent.

But on average, only about a third of high school seniors in the Tucson area completed their applications. Rates were especially low among alternative schools. Seven schools, including Compass High School and Mountain Rose Academy, had completion rates in the single digits.

A SEEMINGLY INTIMIDATING PROCESS

On a recent Tuesday, Javier Romero, Ezequiel Mendoza, Marisela Garcia and Nitzeana Yourgulez  all seniors at Sunnyside High School  flip through sheets of papers as they listen to a counselor explain how to apply for FAFSA.

All of them want to go to college, but none will be able to do so without some help.

Its really hard to get by with four siblings, says Mendoza, who wants to study aeronautical engineering either at the University of Arizona or Harvard University.

Only about one in three seniors at Sunnyside submitted the federal aid application by June of last year. Of those students, a handful finished the process. Counselor Belinda Stevens says too many kids think they wont qualify or that college is not a possibility for them.

Even when teachers and counselors convince them to apply, the pile of information required and unfamiliar vocabulary serve as roadblocks, she says.

The counselors advice to students? It doesnt cost you anything but time.

The four Sunnyside seniors are preparing to start their FAFSAs (the application process began Saturday), but they say they are already intimidated by the process. What seems most daunting is that they will need their parents tax information.

Im going to need my moms W-2, says Yourgulez, who wants to study nursing. I dont even know what that is.

It gets even trickier when family dynamics come into play  something thats hard to explain on a federal application that asks mostly multiple-choice questions. Garcia, who already has been awarded a scholarship from Abilene Christian University in Texas but has to fill out the application first, says her parents divorced last year, and thats going to make it difficult to get her fathers information.

I dont talk to him after the divorce, she says. I dont know if he even filed his taxes.

The school provides multiple workshops throughout the year to help, such as the one these students attended, Stevens says. Sometimes the schools counselors give advice. Other times, representatives from the University of Arizona or Pima Community College offer guidance.

Arizona is part of a federal initiative to boost completion rates. College Goal FAFSA, a campaign of the states post-secondary education commission, hosts community and school events where volunteers sit with students in computer labs and help them fill out the application.

A PERSISTING REPUTATION

Theres more trepidation about filling out the FAFSA than necessary, aid experts say. Improvements over the past few years have made the process easier.

One major change this year is earlier availability. Students can now apply starting Oct. 1, instead of Jan. 1. This change particularly affects students from low-income backgrounds, says Keith Frome, co-founder and CEO of College Summit, an organization working to increase college access for low-income and first-generation students.

Low-income students who were admitted to college early could not commit unless their financial aid was approved, he says. Earlier availability of FAFSA means possible earlier approval.

Another major change is that students can now use tax information from two years prior to receiving aid, meaning, to apply for aid to be used in the 2017-2018 school year, applicants would be required to provide 2015 tax information. Before the change, students often ran into situations where they or their parents hadnt yet filed the prior years tax returns.

Other improvements include whats called skip logic, says Rebekah Salcedo, the UAs financial aid director. Depending on how students answer one question, they may not be required to answer some others, cutting out unnecessary time spent on questions that are not applicable to them.

I think theres still a lot of perception that the form is complicated and I think some of that perception is a little old, she says. Whats hard is getting past that stereotype that this is going to be long and complicated.

Another turn in the tide in FAFSA was the electronic legal signatures, called FSA IDs, replacing the four-digit personal identification number in 2015. The identification numbers were used in combination with Social Security numbers and dates of birth. The new IDs are intended to provide more security and are easy to sign up for.

But one persons upgrade can be another persons challenge. Sarah Wilson, head counselor at Winslow High School, says the FSA IDs have made it more challenging for some of her students who are from rural areas.

Sixty percent of students at Winslow are Native American and live in dorms during the school year, she says. Their parents, who live on reservations, might not have regular access to email. That becomes a challenge when applicants forget their passwords, which must be recovered through email.

Despite challenges, Winslow has had great success through its outreach efforts and information nights where the school sets up computers and volunteers help families fill out the application. The school went from having just 10 to 15 people attend the FAFSA nights seven years ago to 93 attending this fall.

In the past year, 58 percent of Winslows seniors completed the FAFSA  well above the state average of about 31 percent.

Were not just going to put up a few posters around the school and call it good, Wilson says. We need to go out there and account for the fact that we have people who live a ways from our school.

COMMUNICATION, CONTAGION

The FAFSA process has gotten easier and more accessible, says April Osborn, director of the states post-secondary education commission. But its difficult to explain to families who are inexperienced in financial matters, and thats why schools and counselors must communicate to students and their families about what it is and how to use it.

Fromes organization, College Summit, focuses on training high school students to influence their peers and help them through the FAFSA process. Whether its losing weight, quitting smoking or filling out the federal student aid application, a communal effort makes the process less daunting, Frome says. When you do something difficult together, it becomes less difficult and youre more likely to follow through with it.

Students must be prepared to ask for help, he adds. Theres no shame in asking for help.

No matter how much help is out there, it means nothing if students dont take advantage of it.

Its important that students and families understand that FAFSA is there because the taxpayers and the citizens of our state and our nation want to support young people in their college and career goals, Osborn says. The students part is to bolster themselves and get those applications finished.
PHOENIX  Gov. Doug Ducey will have four Republicans, two political independents and a Democrat to choose from as he fills the two new seats on the Arizona Supreme Court.

Following interviews of nine candidates Friday, the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments voted to forward the names of seven of them to the governor. By law, Ducey has 60 days to choose from that list or the choice goes to Supreme Court Chief Justice Scott Bales.

The commission is required to provide the governor a politically diverse list, with no more than 60 percent of nominees from any one party.

The nominees are:

Pamela Frasher Gates, 45, a judge in Maricopa County Superior Court, who was a Democrat for two years before becoming a Republican in 1992;

Thomas Gilson, 53, a political independent who works at a Phoenix law firm;

Andrew Gould, 52, a Republican on the Court of Appeals;

John Lopez IV, 47, who serves as the state solicitor general within the Attorney Generals Office, in charge of lawsuits against the state, a Republican;

Robert McWhirter, 54, a Democrat in private practice;

Peter Swann, 51, an appellate court judge who said he is registered as a political independent since last year after more than 30 years as a Democrat;

Samuel Thumma, 54, a Republican appellate court judge.

The vacancies were created by the Republican-controlled Legislature earlier this year.

Proponents argued that having more justices creates the possibility for greater diversity and helps spread the workload.

The latter argument was rebuffed by the five sitting justices, four of whom are Republicans, who said the caseload does not merit a seven-member court.

Democrat lawmakers accused the GOP of trying to pack the court with more people the governor finds politically and philosophically acceptable.

Republican lawmakers denied that, but conceded during debate that they liked the idea of having a Republican governor who would get to make the appointments.

Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts, these are not lifetime jobs.

While the justices do not face traditional political elections, as they do in some states, their names are placed on the ballot two years after they are selected and then every six years, allowing voters to decide whether to retain them in office or turn them out, a process that would start the nomination process over. That has never happened to an Arizona Supreme Court justice since voters approved the current system in 1974, though they have turned out lower court judges.

Justices are required to retire at age 70.

Ducey has already filled one vacancy on the high court, naming Clint Bolick, a registered independent who, as an attorney with the Goldwater Institute, espoused many of the same leanings against government regulation and oversight as Ducey.
Early in the morning of May 25, Pima Animal Control Center officer Deline Attebery heard loud barking coming from the facilitys courtyard.

Thinking at first that someone had dropped off a dog, Attebery instead discovered that a black-and-white shar pei-lab mix was locked in a PACC trucks kennel. There was no water inside, nor any sign that the animal had urinated. Temperatures in recent days had been in the high 80s and Attebery described the air as stale, according to records reviewed by the Star.

Investigation records show that then-animal control officer Kathleen Walton had taken possession of the animal on May 22. Twice, Walton, who had been with PACC for 18 years, filled out forms saying she had thoroughly checked the truck, but did not find the animal. On May 24, a second officer, Michael Eckelbarger, also filled out paperwork saying the same thing, adding a day to the dogs confinement.

In the view of the county health department, which oversees PACC, Waltons actions and omissions constituted a firing offense, and she was dismissed on July 1 for her neglect of duty and dishonesty regarding impoundment of an animal, according to a notice Walton received. For his role, Eckelbarger was suspended without pay for two days in July.

But Waltons absence from the health department was short-lived. In part due to a similar incident six years prior involving Eckelbarger, the Pima County Merit System Commission overturned Waltons termination in late August, seeming to hinder the departments ability to fire employees in similar circumstances.

As for the dog, it was treated for dehydration and early-stage starvation, but eventually was euthanized for showing aggression to PACC employees, not as a result of being locked in the truck, according to records and the facilitys director of operations, Jose Ocano.

In three separate sessions in late August, the merit commission heard Waltons appeal of her firing and eventually reinstated her unanimously without back pay for the previous 54 days on Aug. 25. Dr. Francisco Garcia, head of the health department, told the Star that Walton is back at work, but not as a law enforcement officer at PACC.

All Im asking here today is fair treatment, Walton told the three commissioners before they rendered their decision, referring in part to Eckelbargers past offense. Im not here today to say that I didnt do anything wrong.

In June 2010, Eckelbarger failed to remove a sick dog from his trucks kennel at the end of his shift and it spent nearly the next five days there until another employee discovered the thin and dehydrated white pit bull, according to disciplinary records obtained by the Star. Temperatures were in the upper 90s that week.

You failed to check inside the kennels, as all enforcement personnel were instructed to do so, given previous similar incidents, reads a copy of his letter of reprimand, the only discipline Eckelbarger received as a result of the incident.

Merit commission Chair Georgia Brousseau described that letter as a slap on the wrist and the two-day suspension he received in July as getting off pretty easy.

Walton had been disciplined previously for several driving violations, two of which occurred in 2016, but never for animal mistreatment, according to hearing testimony and disciplinary records. Walton declined to comment on her case, and Eckelbarger did not return a call requesting comment.

Summarizing the dilemma the commission faced before the vote, Brousseau said, He did it twice, he did it over a long period time, (and) went back to it. She did it once after never having done it before. So when youre looking at equity there, that question might emerge.

After the commissions decision, Brousseau told the Star that the two different punishments meted out were not equitable.

If Mr. Eckelbarger had been fired, they both would have been fired, she added.

However, at the end of the hearing, Deputy County Attorney Lorna Rhodes argued that while Eckelbarger did falsify the vehicle inspection form, his actions were less severe because he had not originally taken possession of the animal.

The degree of difference in the discipline between the officers is proportional to the severity of their conduct, she told the commission.

Rhodes said the fact that Eckelbarger received a letter of reprimand for the first incident and a two-day suspension for the second does constitute progressive discipline, a point the commission questioned.

It was not appropriate to terminate him, Rhodes argued.

Adam Ricci, PACCs enforcement operations manager, and Garcia said there has been an effort in recent years to raise workplace standards at PACC and address issues, including those raised in Waltons and Eckelbargers cases.

In the last three years since Ive been around, we have been really tightening our operation, Garcia told the Star, adding later that they have been developing policies and procedures in writing  about what is and what is not appropriate.

Ricci, a recent hire with significant law enforcement experience, is a part of that effort, Garcia added.

Ricci said his office is reviewing policies and procedures, down to how we file reports, how we dispatch and how our officers respond to calls. Theyre also trying to better use our computer records system to increase oversight and accountability.

We are looking to create a new level of professionalism within this department, he said. He added that his office used Waltons case as an educational opportunity to review what had occurred and that any comparable incidents in the future would be dealt with on an individual basis.

However, Garcia conceded that as we try to be a more modern and more human and more evidence-based animal agency, we are always challenged by the things that happened in the past, referring in part to Eckelbargers 2010 case.

Things that might have been appropriate or acceptable in the past may not be appropriate or acceptable today, he added.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said as much in a Sept. 21 letter responding to the commissions decision to reinstate Walton. However, he also made clear how comparable incidents would be handled in the future.

If any animal care officer in the future fails to remove animals from a vehicle, they will face severe disciplinary action from the County, similar to (Walton), the letter said.
Sen. John McCain is in one of the toughest political races of his career.

Arizonas senior senator, seeking his sixth term, finds himself in a convergence of political trouble. Hes facing a well-known Democratic congresswoman in Ann Kirkpatrick, and a controversial Republican presidential candidate who has shown disdain for McCain and tea party Republicans in the state are undermining him politically.

The race was once considered to be a toss-up, but recent polls offer conflicting narratives on how close the race truly is.

A recent NBC/Marist poll has the 2008 presidential candidate beating Kirkpatrick by 19 points. An older poll released last month from Public Policy Polling had McCain and Kirkpatrick in a statistical dead heat.

The race has attracted a lot of attention from outside groups, which have poured more than $5.9 million into the race, according to The Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan group that advocates for transparency and public access to government data. About $2.7 million was spent in the Republican primary on ads attacking McCains opponent, former state Sen. Kelli Ward.

Additionally, both McCain and Kirkpatrick have individually raised millions of dollars and have begun spending money on television ads.

Kirkpatricks ties to Arizona

Standing in the lobby of La Estrella Bakery before a tour of the business recently, Kirkpatrick told the owner about the tiny store her father owned in Whiteriver. Her family has deep ties to Northern Arizona: Her dads family were merchants in the White Mountains, while her mothers family had a ranch in Snowflake.

Before being elected to Congress in 2008, Kirkpatrick represented Flagstaff and the Navajo Nation as a state representative. Before that, she worked as an attorney. In 1980, she was Coconino Countys deputy county attorney.

The 66-year-old congresswoman briefly helped make  and eat  tortillas at La Estrella. She spoke to locals who lined up to buy empanadas and other pastries as well as the fresh tortillas. Many didnt seem to know who Kirkpatrick was, nor that she was running against McCain.

Kirkpatrick has been criticized for her support for the Affordable Care Act, but the Flagstaff Democrat isnt backing away from the issue.

She believes that some of the issues with the system, including problems with finding companies willing to provide health insurance in rural areas, have become political. For example, AETNAs decision to leave the ACA marketplace briefly left Pinal County residents without an option to buy subsidized health insurance.

She contends AETNA officials left the marketplace because they wanted to hold federal officials hostage.

AETNAs situation is vindictive. They are getting revenge on the Department of Justice who wouldnt approve their merger with Humana, she said. They are hurting real families who depend on their medical care.

Insurance companies are making record profit, including health-insurance companies, she said.

But she concedes that the Affordable Care Act still needs work.

Even from the very beginning, Ive said, Wed need a revision, Kirkpatrick said.

The top priorities for Kirkpatrick are building a world-class educational system and comprehensive immigration reform.

For Southern Arizona, the lack of immigration reform is hurting the economy. And the proposal for a larger border wall is bad for local businesses, she says.

Arizona last year did $31 billion dollars worth of business with Mexico, she said, standing in the back of the bakery, motioning to the customers. People tell me that Trumps idea of deporting 12 million people, that is personal to them.

Kirkpatrick blames elected Republicans, specifically, House Speaker Paul Ryan, for gridlock on immigration reform.

Many fronts

McCain is well-known and is fighting battles on many fronts.

On a recent trip to his midtown Tucson election headquarters, the 80-year-old McCain rattles off percentages, figures and statistics as he discusses hot-button topics.

For example, McCain notes a Gallup poll found 29 percent of Americans report that the Affordable Care Act has hurt them financially.

My opponent said it was one of her more important votes, McCain says.

The issue in finding health-insurance providers in the ACA marketplace in Pinal County is one of the many examples McCain cites as the broken promises of the federal health-care initiative.

I know that when we are down to one that this is a complete contradiction to the promises that were made, McCain says. And he says he has heard numerous horror stories from supporters.

Jobs are also a top concern for McCain, although he believes the Obama administration has largely avoided Congress by passing mandates through executive action or by setting new regulations with federal agencies.

The Navajo coal generation plant, for example, is threatened by new standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

It is going to have devastating effect on Northern Arizona, McCain notes.

He offers himself as a check on presidential power, noting President Obama said two years ago he would use his office to enact legislation.

He said, Ive got a pen, and Ive got a phone, McCain said.

If Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is elected, McCain predicts she will push for more regulations that will hinder businesses.

If you talk to any small businessperson in Pima County, they will tell you that government regulations are choking them. That and taxes, McCain said.

McCain also said Congress needs to address illegal immigration, noting his role in the Gang of Eight backed plan that cleared the Senate, but not the House.

Most importantly, the plan would have provided a legal pathway for undocumented immigrants.

There are 11 million people living here illegally, he said. That is an unsustainable situation.

McCain still supports the plan, but says it will require a lot of work for each person before they can become a citizen.
Rancho de la Osa, a historic guest ranch on the U.S.-Mexico border southwest of Tucson, that has hosted presidents and movie stars. Part of the land was established as a mission back in the 1700s, and has been primarily a dude ranch or country in since the 1920s. There are 10 buildings, including the main house or Hacienda.

1 of 17 1 Rancho de la Osa Chairs sit outside of a guest room at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Ariz. in 2005 2 Rancho de la Osa The cantina located at Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe is the oldest building in Arizona. It was built in 1725 by Jesuit priests to continue the missionary work that Father Eusebio Francisco Kino had started. 3 Rancho de la Osa The beautiful grounds at the Rancho de la Osa guest ranch in Sasabe, AZ, includes a 300 year-old building (upper left) built by Father Francisco Kino and is now a cantina. The guest ranch was also a popular for actor John Wayne, who stayed at the ranch while making films at Old Tucson Studios, according to ranch owner Richard Schultz. 4 Rancho de la Osa Morning light streams into one of the guest rooms at Rancho de la Osa, a guest ranch in Sasabe. 5 Rancho de la Osa The John Wayne room has the only clawfoot tub out of all the guest rooms at Rancho de la Osa guest ranch located in Sasabe. Richard Schultz, one of owners, says John Wayne and other famous actors, musicians and dignitaries have stayed at the ranch. 6 Rancho de la Osa A chair adorned with one of Frida Kahlo's self-portraits sits in the entry way in one of buildings at Rancho de la Osa located in Sasabe. 7 Rancho de la Osa The main common room at Rancho de la Osa is filled with old photographs that Richard Schultz, co-owner, says he found as he renovated the kitchen. 8 Rancho de la Osa Veronica and Richard Schultz, owners of Rancho de la Osa, in the cantina, one of the oldest buildings in Arizona. 9 Rancho de la Osa The dining room at Rancho de la Osa located in Sasabe. The table is made from wood retrieved on Mt. Lemmon. The oldest building in Arizona is located at Rancho de la Osa. It was built in 1725 by Jesuit priests to continue the missionary work that Father Eusebio Francisco Kino had started. 10 Rancho de la Osa In the common room at Rancho de la Osa, old photographs of hang on the wall of famous people who stayed at the guest ranch located in Sasabe. 11 Rancho de la Osa Riders on horseback ca. 1930 at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Arizona. 12 Rancho de la Osa Cattle baron William Sturgis built the Hacienda building in 1889 as the centerpiece of his ranching empire. 13 Rancho de la Osa Richard Schultz, co-owner of the Rancho de la Osa Guest Ranch, points to land-clearing work underway across the international border fence in Mexico in 2013. 14 Rancho de la Osa Guest rooms in 1983 at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Ariz. 15 Rancho de la Osa Guests dining in 1983 at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Ariz. 16 Rancho de la Osa Cemetery in 1983 at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Ariz. 17 Rancho de la Osa Newlyweds Donald Woods and his bride Jane O'Leary don cowboy hats at the Rancho de la Osa guest ranch in Sasabe after their elopement ceremony at the ranch in 2010. More like this... Close 1 of 17 Rancho de la Osa Chairs sit outside of a guest room at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Ariz. in 2005 Rancho de la Osa The cantina located at Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe is the oldest building in Arizona. It was built in 1725 by Jesuit priests to continue the missionary work that Father Eusebio Francisco Kino had started. Rancho de la Osa The beautiful grounds at the Rancho de la Osa guest ranch in Sasabe, AZ, includes a 300 year-old building (upper left) built by Father Francisco Kino and is now a cantina. The guest ranch was also a popular for actor John Wayne, who stayed at the ranch while making films at Old Tucson Studios, according to ranch owner Richard Schultz. Rancho de la Osa Morning light streams into one of the guest rooms at Rancho de la Osa, a guest ranch in Sasabe. Rancho de la Osa The John Wayne room has the only clawfoot tub out of all the guest rooms at Rancho de la Osa guest ranch located in Sasabe. Richard Schultz, one of owners, says John Wayne and other famous actors, musicians and dignitaries have stayed at the ranch. Rancho de la Osa A chair adorned with one of Frida Kahlo's self-portraits sits in the entry way in one of buildings at Rancho de la Osa located in Sasabe. Rancho de la Osa The main common room at Rancho de la Osa is filled with old photographs that Richard Schultz, co-owner, says he found as he renovated the kitchen. Rancho de la Osa Veronica and Richard Schultz, owners of Rancho de la Osa, in the cantina, one of the oldest buildings in Arizona. Rancho de la Osa The dining room at Rancho de la Osa located in Sasabe. The table is made from wood retrieved on Mt. Lemmon. The oldest building in Arizona is located at Rancho de la Osa. It was built in 1725 by Jesuit priests to continue the missionary work that Father Eusebio Francisco Kino had started. Rancho de la Osa In the common room at Rancho de la Osa, old photographs of hang on the wall of famous people who stayed at the guest ranch located in Sasabe. Rancho de la Osa Riders on horseback ca. 1930 at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Arizona. Rancho de la Osa Cattle baron William Sturgis built the Hacienda building in 1889 as the centerpiece of his ranching empire. Rancho de la Osa Richard Schultz, co-owner of the Rancho de la Osa Guest Ranch, points to land-clearing work underway across the international border fence in Mexico in 2013. Rancho de la Osa Guest rooms in 1983 at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Ariz. Rancho de la Osa Guests dining in 1983 at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Ariz. Rancho de la Osa Cemetery in 1983 at Rancho de la Osa near Sasabe, Ariz. Rancho de la Osa Newlyweds Donald Woods and his bride Jane O'Leary don cowboy hats at the Rancho de la Osa guest ranch in Sasabe after their elopement ceremony at the ranch in 2010. More like this...
Help India!

By TCN News,

Chennai: A fact-finding team headed by senior journalist Sam Rajappa confirmed that the Government of Tamil Nadu had indeed restricted movement of essential goods and people in the days following the Chief Ministers March 19th declaration announcing her support for the controversial Koodankulam Atomic Power Project. The report, which was released at a press conference in Chennai today, noted that the spirit of opposition to the nuclear power plant was very high, and warned that arresting the leaders could lead to a serious law and order problem in the region.

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The report, which was based on a two-day visit to Idinthakarai on March 30 and 31, Nagercoil and other villages in Radhapuram taluk, observes that the Police had filed false cases under every conceivable section in law. Just between 10.9.2011 and 23.12.2011, the Police had filed 107 FIRs against 55795 people and others. Of this, 6800 people have been charged with sedition and/or waging war against the State, perhaps the largest ever number in British or independent India for one police station. The reports authors said the recent FIR alleging attempt to murder by S.P. Udayakumar, V. Pushparayan and other leaders was fabricated and designed to malign the peaceful movement and its leaders.

This is a parody of law. The frequency and manner in which the Police has filed cases against peaceful protestors clearly exposes that the polices intent never was to uphold the rule of law, but to crush any dissenting voices, said Mr. Rajappa. The Tamil Nadu CM belongs right up there with Mamata Banerjee for her vengeful use of the Indian Penal Code to suppress any contrary voices, he said.

Rubbishing claims about mischievous outside instigators and innocent villagers, the reports authors found that the protest was a genuine peoples movement. Throughout our two-day visit, we could not find any trace of the agitation being instigated by Mr.Udayakumar or any other leader. It is a genuine peoples movement, the team said. The report also documents a contribution of Rs. 1,25,000 by a group of fishermen from Chinna Muttom in Kanyakumar district to express solidarity with the Koodankulam agitators. . .and to keep the agitation going.

Loyola College lecturer Dr. Gladston Xavier, who was also part of the fact finding team, said The Government should learn from incidents like the Arab Spring that the more the suppression of free speech, the greater the strength and explosive force with which it will eventually emerge.

The reports authors appealed to the State Government to revoke the cases filed against protestors, and engage in a genuine and democratic dialogue with them on the substantive issues concerning nuclear safety.

Besides Mr. Rajappa and Dr. Gladston, the fact finding team consisted of Mr. Mahadevan and Mr. Rajan of PUCL-Kanyakumari District and Adv. Porkodi who practises in the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court.

Full Fact Finding Report on the Suppression of Democratic Dissent in Anti-Nuclear Protests by Government of Tamil Nadu

Team Members: Sam Rajappa, Dr. Gladston Xavier, Mahadevan, Rajan, Adv. Porkodi for Chennai Solidarity Group for Koodankulam Struggle.

Introduction

On 19 March, 2012, the Tamilnadu Chief Minister announced her decision to allow the commencement of work at the Koodankulam Nuclear plant. In anticipation of this decision, the police forces deployed for maintaining law and order during the SankaranKoil bye-election were re-deployed to the areas in and around Koodankulam.

Idinthakarai is a medium-sized fishing village, with a mixed Hindu-Roman Catholic fisher population, and a smaller proportion of other communities. Since August 2011, Idinthakarai has been the epicentre of the protest against the KKNPP. In the seven months of agitation, members of KKNPP have been subject to numerous provocations, including being pelted with stones, harassed, and having their vehicles damaged. By and large, the response of the protestors has been non-violent and democratic.

Using established satyagraha tactics such as hunger strikes, dharnas and road blockades, they have managed to keep a struggle alive in the face of propagandist campaign by the Central Government and their paid scientists.

The protest site, which was encircled by more than 7000 armed men, including those from Central forces and the Coast Guard, until March 23, was occupied (at the time of writing) by more than 10,000 people of whom 946 were elderly people, and 1500 children, including 715 below the age of five.

Kuthenkuly is another village neighbouring Idinthakarai, which was also under a state of siege by the forces. This village has 553 primary school children, 198 children below age 5, and 462 elderly people.

Idinthakarai is totally dependent on outside sources for drinking water, medical facilities and fuel. Each day, nearly 50 tanker lorry loads of water are purchased at the rate of Rs. 2.50 per pot. Since the time of the announcement by the Chief Minister, no tanker lorries were permitted to enter Idinthakarai. Since all main roads have been blocked, food supplies, milk and water had dwindled as has the reserve of fuel, oil and diesel. On 20th and 21st March, even the media (NDTV, Headlines Today and Puthiya Thalaimurai) was prevented access to the site, and this access was restored only after concerted public pressure was mounted.

Shopkeepers in nearby villages had been instructed to boycott Idinthakarai and Kuthenkuli villagers, and out of fear of reprisal, many of the shopkeepers were refusing to sell goods to Idinthakarai villagers.

It is learnt that road access to all coastal villages from Tiruchendur to Kuthenkuly had been blocked by the police, and that only coastal access was possible, and even that only to a limited extent.

Women form the bulk of the resistance at Idinthakarai. If the Government of Tamilnadus intent was to facilitate entry of technical personnel into the plant site, that has been accomplished, and there is no possibility of that being blocked given the overwhelming presence of armed people in the region.

Under these circumstances, the intimidating show of force by the police forces, and the embargo on esosential commodities seems to be a means to teach people a lesson for voicing their concern and challenging the Governments. Even as a Fact Finding Team was being constituted to look into the matter, public pressure resulted in the easing of the situation. Movement of essential supplies was restored, although movement of people, particularly from the village to the outside world remains problematic as many villagers fear that they will be jailed under false pretexts if they ventured out.

Fact finding team

A fact finding team comprising the following people visited the areas around Koodankulam nuclear plant on 30th and 31st March 2012, to study the impacts caused by curfew imposed on the areas in and around Koodankulam.

 Mr. Sam Rajappa, Senior Journalist & Director, Statesman School of Print Journalism, Kolkata

 Dr. Gladston Xavier, Senior Lecturer, Loyola College

 Mr. Mahadevan, President, PUCL-Kanyakumari District

 Ms. Porkodi, Advocate, High court  Madurai bench

 Mr. Rajan, PUCL Kanyakumari

Day 1 (30th March 2012)

The team visited Idinthakarai, a coastal village where around 4000 people from various coastal villages had gathered to protest democratically against the nuclear plant. The team interacted with the people and inquired about various issues faced by them during the curfew. The team also met the co-ordinators

of the protest, including Dr. S.P. Udhayakumar and Mr. V. Pushparayan. Later in the day, the team visited SACCER at Nagercoil, the school run by Ms. Meera Udhayakumar, the wife of Dr. S.P. Udhayakumar, which was attacked and heavily damaged by an unknown mob on 21st March 2012.

Day 2 (31st March 2012)

The team visited CASA Nagar, a tsunami rehabilitation colony located about 700 meters from the nuclear plant and interacted with residents of the colony. The team then visited the Koodankulam village and interacted with villagers who immediately gathered in large number to address the fact finding team. Later in the day, the team along with Supreme Court Adv. Prashant Bhusan, met Mr. Vijayendra Bidari, Superintendent of Police, Tirunelveli district.

Findings

In spite of a prohibitory order to prevent people from entering Radhapuram taluk in Tirunelveli district where the Koodankulam nuclear power plant is located, we found three to four thousand people had gathered at the nearby Lourdes Churchyard in Idinthakarai, where a relay hunger strike was in progress for the five months. The agitators were strictly adhering to the Gandhian principle of non-violence.

As we entered the villages in the vicinity, we found all shops closed except the lone liquor shop run by the State government. Finding no customers, liquor was offered at discounted prices. Shopkeepers complained that the police was forcing them to open their shops but they stood their ground and refused to open. Similarly, fishermen were compelled to put out their boats and resume their fishing activities. None obliged. The government, on its part, stopped supply of milk and drinking water to the villagers. For denying drinking water supply in tanker lorries, the government blamed the protesters

for putting up road blocks. But these were by thorny bushes and stones which any one could have removed. We had no difficulty in taking our car to these villages, notwithstanding the so-called road blocks. The government also suspended bus services in the area, causing untold hardships to the aged, ailing, and pregnant women needing urgent medical attention.

A cluster of loudspeakers was in full blast as we reached Idinthakarai, the centre of the anti-nuclear power plant agitation. Six or seven boys and girls, all below the age of 10, were at the mike. Again and again well rise and establish a new tradition. Nature is our mother. You have no right to destroy it.

Come soon, come soon. Come to close down the nuclear plant, they were heard shouting in unison in Tamil, like children of their age reciting nursery rhymes. Another group of children was squatting on the floor with a notebook scribbling away merrily. Asked if they were doing their school homework, they looked aghast. They stopped going to school to take part in the agitation which was a matter of life and death for them. They were composing newer slogans to replace the group at the mike. Yet another group of same age-group of budding playwrights was scripting a play to be staged in the evening.

Talking to these youngsters, we were amazed at their knowledge of the inherent dangers of a nuclear plant in their midst.

The sea shore next to the church was deserted with rows and rows of fiberglass fishing boats beached.

The fishermen in the surrounding villages have stopped taking out their boats to protest resumption of work at the nuclear power plant, following betrayal of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalitha, who had assured them earlier that her government would not allow work to be resumed till their fears were allayed. Neither former President Mr. Abdul Kalam, nor the technical committee appointed by the State government, cared to visit the protestors at Idinthakarai to clear their doubts about the safety of the plant, said a group of fishermen at the churchyard.

Even as we were talking to the fishermen in groups, another batch of children was seen in front of the mike. Amma, Amma, we called you. You have made us orphans. Abdul Kalam, Abdul Kalam, who are you to speak about nuclear safety? and ended with the slogan Narayanasamy, Narayanasamy, you shut your mouth. These children were not tutored by their elders or leaders of the agitation like Dr. S.P. Udayakumar or Mr. Pushparayan. Women in clusters were busy rolling bidis as they were listening to the various slogans coined by their young ones. The women said they earned Rs. 60 for rolling 1,000 bidis. As their men stopped fishing, the meager income from rolling bidis kept them going. As we were leaving the churchyard to visit the next village, the children on the mike were getting louder and louder. After asking whether their shrill voice has not fallen on the ears of the Prime Minister, the booming sound of the youngsters could be heard from a distance shouting Well not go, well not go, till the plant is closed, well not go to school.

On the first day of our visit, we saw a group of fishermen from Chinna Muttam in neighboring Kanyakumari district to express solidarity with the Koodankulam agitators and joined the relay fast for a day. Before leaving, they presented Rs. 125,000, as a token contribution to keep the agitation going. We could see that it was contributions like this that was keeping the agitation alive and not foreign donations as alleged by the Union government and its Minister Narayanasamy.

Between Idinthakarai and Koodankulam we saw a tsunami resettlement township of 450 houses built CASA, a Catholic NGO. The site was chosen by the Tirunelveli district collector in 2006, about 500 meters away from the nuclear plant where work was in full swing. The collector perhaps nursed the sentiments of the protestors and believed the plant would be abandoned at some stage or the other.

Otherwise, he would not have chosen the land for a housing colony so close to the nuclear plant. In the unlikely event of the plant getting commissioned, the entire colony of more than 2000 people and their brand new concrete houses will have to be evacuated.

Throughout our two-day visit, we could not find any trace of the agitation being instigated by Mr. Udhayakumar or any other leader. It is a genuine peoples movement. Since the people are not well educated, they sought the help of people like Mr. Udhayakumar to articulate their feelings to the government and to the concerned authorities. By hoisting false cases under all conceivable provisions of law, the government is under the mistaken belief that once he is arrested the protest will die down.

Should the police lay its hands on Mr. Udhayakumar, there is every possibility of the hitherto peaceful agitation getting out of hands and turning violence. Just between 10.9.2011 and 23.12.2011, the Police had filed 107 FIRs against 55795 people and others. Of this, 6800 people have been charged with sedition and/or waging war against the State, perhaps the largest ever number in British or independent India for one police station. This is a parody of law. The frequency and manner in which the Police have filed cases against peaceful protestors clearly exposes that the polices intent never was to uphold the rule of law, but to crush any dissenting voices.

On the day Ms. Jayalalithaa gave the green signal for the nuclear plant, 5,000 police personnel, including an ADGP, were deployed, and tasked with arresting Mr. Udhayakumar. The 7,000-odd people who had assembled at the Lourdes churchyard at Idinthakarai made it clear that only after arresting each one of them, men, women and children, would they allow Mr. Udhayakumar to be arrested. The police was forced to beat a slow retreat.

To avenge their inability to arrest Mr. Udhayakumar, a school run by him and managed by his wife, Meera, in Nagercoil, about 30 km. away, was ransacked, its library and furniture destroyed, and compound wall demolished. Such harassment has only strengthened his resolve to intensify the agitation by all available peaceful means.
Help India!

By IANS,

New Delhi: The Congress Sunday sought to distance itself from Law Minister Salman Khurshid after the poll panel complained to the president about his defiance on a quota for Muslims in Uttar Pradesh while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought his sacking for indulging in communal politics.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may discuss the issue Monday, said informed sources.

A day after Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi wrote to President Pratibha Patil saying the poll panel found Khurshids latest remarks utterly contemptuous about the commissions lawful direction to him, a cautious Congress said it expected the law minister to follow law of the land.

EC (Election Commission) is a constitutional bodyCongress always wants that all the Congressmen should speak as per norms of public life and law of the land, Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here.

Avoiding a direct comment, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal meanwhile urged the poll panel to be concerned over things happening in Uttar Pradesh.

Somebody gave a statement and there must be some thought behind it. EC has its own view and they are taking their action. I cannot comment more, he said.

Seeking Khurshids removal from the cabinet, the BJP blamed the Congress for playing communal politics in desperation.

PM should take action against Khurshid without losing any time and seek his resignation immediately, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters in Varanasi.

If Salman doesnt quit, then he should be sacked. PM should ask the president to sack him, she said.

Her colleague and party veteran Arun Jaitley charged the Congress with indulging in communal politics for votes.

There is a method to this politics, divide the society on religion and get votes. It seems Congress leaders have lost mental balance and are doing things in desperation, Jaitley told reporter in Lucknow.

Raising the controversy over author Salman Rushdie, Jaitley said the preventing him (Rushdie) from coming to Jaipur or even addressing the literature festival on video link was clear indication of Congress succumbing before fundamentalists.

Other parties and legal experts also criticised Khurshids actions.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist also said Khurshid should not have made the remarks.

EC has slammed Khurshid and he should not have repeated it. He is a union minister but Congress leaders can do these things, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said in Allahabad.

Former solicitor general Harish Salve said that the poll panels decision is definitive on the violation of model code of conduct.

The Election Commission has the last word in the violation of the model code, Salve told news channel Times Now.

If somebody feels that the Election Commission is wrong, there are courts of law. You can move to a court and say please set aside this directive of the Election Commission, he added.

Salve said that if one constitutional authority defied another, there would be anarchy.

The poll panel had Thursday censured Khurshid over his promise for nine percent quota for minorities including backward Muslims from the 27 percent Other Backward Class quota if Congress is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.

On Friday, Khurshid triggered a fresh controversy saying he will ensure rights to pasmanda (backward Muslims) even if he is hanged by the poll panel.
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Gaza City : All 11-year-old Yasmin Al-Bakri remembers is that her mother was baking bread. Then she woke up in a hospital bed in Gaza to discover that both legs and her right arm were in bandages and she was suffering severe burns and fractures after her house was hit by an Israeli air strike. She also learned that she had lost most of her family.







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Yasmin survived, but figures issued on Wednesday by UNICEF, the UN childrens agency, showed that 419 Palestinian children have been killed in the nearly month-long Gaza war. That compares with 350 children who died in Israels three-week ground offensive in the enclave five years ago. At least six Israeli children were reportedly injured due to rocket fire from Gaza in the past month, according to preliminary UNICEF figures. Yasmin says she was told her mother, her six-year-old sister and her three-month-old brother were killed along with her uncle and her cousin when an Israeli missile hit their house two days ago. Details on child deaths emerged as life in the battered Gaza Strip began returning to normal Wednesday as a ceasefire held for a second day and Egyptian mediators engaged in shuttle diplomacy on extending the truce.

Shops, banks and markets reopened around the devastated enclave where residents seemed more confident that the 72-hour ceasefire, which began Tuesday, would hold after a month of fighting killed 1,875 Palestinians and 67 on the Israeli side. Many small businesses reopened for the first time in days and dozens of fishermen also headed back out to sea, an AFP correspondent said. People started repairing damaged property, as the emergency services cleared rubble and searched for bodies in the worst hit areas, including in the Tuffah, Beit Hanun and Shejaiya neighborhoods. Nearly half a million Palestinians out of Gazas 1.8 million people were displaced by Israeli bombardment, and many are still sheltering in schools after their homes were flattened in the offensive. In Cairo, efforts accelerated to try to secure a lasting peace after mediators met an Israeli delegation during the night and were to relay their demands to a Palestinian team.

A delegation of Arab foreign ministers, including those of Egypt and Jordan, will visit Gaza soon in a show of support for Palestinians, Arab League chief Nabil Al-Arabi said. The ministers will also assess reconstruction needs in the battered enclave after a nearly month-long war between Israel and Hamas, Arabi said.
Concerned Cameroonians have voiced out their support for a United Nation officials call for the review of the Franc CFA currency presently used by 14 African countries, including Cameroon.

Carlos Lopes, UN Assistant Secretary General cum Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, recently pointed out that the West and Central African francs are Outdated and need to be reviewed.Cameroon is a member of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, CEMAC, and has been using the Franc CFA since independence in 1960.

Time for currency revision

It really should be an issue to the French speaking African countries. No country in the world can have a currency that hasnt been revised for over 30 years. This only exists in French speaking countries in Africa. Therefore something needs to be done, the UN official advanced.Going by the diplomat, the currency needs to be reviewed and adapted to meet International Standards.

An official in Cameroons Ministry of Finance, who spoke on condition of anonymity, corroborated Lopes, adding that the currency retards development and is grossly accountable for the countrys woes.Other Cameroonians experts hold that the country has to renegotiate its foreign reserve while some advanced that the country or the economic bloc to which it belongs should settle for its own currency.A presidential candidate has prior to the 2011 presidential election in Cameroon proposed the Um as probable new currency for the country.

Neocolonial ties

In April 2016, Hubert Kamgang, an economist and National Chairman of the pan-Africanist party  Union of African Populations, said the Franc CFA is a neo-colonial tool used by France to robe her former colonies.Last year, activists staged a demonstration on the streets of the nations capital Yaounde, demanding the rejection of the Franc CFA.

They marched with placards which gave to understanding that the use of the Franc CFA has been long overdue.It should be recalled that the Franc CFA was created for French speaking countries by France as far back as 1945.
Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg concluded the first round-the-world solar flight, powered only by the sun, with no fuel or polluting emissions.

They started their Journey in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 9 March 2015 and returned to Abu Dhabi on 26 July 2016. During their flight, they covered a distance of around 40,000 km. After their world-record solo flight of 5 days and 5 nights from Japan to Hawaii, they had to take a break of around 9 months to re-adjust some technology.

The route:

Abu Dhabi, UAE to Muscat, Oman on 9 March2015 in 13 Hours 1 Minute, 772 km Muscat, Oman to Ahmedabad, India on 10 March 2015 in 15 Hours 20 minutes, 1593 km Ahmedabad, India to Varanasi, India on 18 March2015 in 13 Hours 15 Minutes, 1170 km Varanasi, India to Mandalay, Myanmar on 18/19 March 2015 in 13 Hours 29 Minutes, 1536 km Mandalay, Myanmar to Chongqing, China on 29/30 March 2015 in 20 Hours 29 Minutes, 1636 km Chongqing, China to Nanjing, China on 20/21 April 2015 in 17 Hours 22 Minutes, 1384 km Nanjing, China to Nagoya, Japan on 1 June2015 in 1 Day 20 Hours 9 Minutes, 2942 km Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii, USA on 28 June  3 July2015 in 4 Days 21 Hours 9 Minutes, 8924 km Hawaii, USAto San Francisco, USAon 21-24 April 2016 in 2 Days 14 Hours 29 Minutes, 4086 km San Francisco, USA to Phoenix, USA on 2/3 May 2016 in 15 Hours 52 Minutes, 1199 km Phoenix, USA to Tulsa, USA on 12/13 May 2016 in 18 Hours 10 Minutes, 1570 km Tulsa, USA to Dayton, USA on 21/22 May 2016 in 16 Hours 34 Minutes, 1113 km Dayton, USA to Lehigh Valley, USA on 25/26 May 2016 in 16 Hours 49 Minutes, 1044 km Lehigh Valley, USA to New York, USA on 11 June 2016 in 4 Hours 41 Minutes, 265 km New York, USA to Seville, Spain on 20-23 June 2016 in 2 Days 23 Hours 8 Minutes, 6765 km Seville, Spain to Cairo, Egypt on 11-13 July 2016 in 2 Days 50 Minutes, 3745 km Cairo, Egypt to Abu Dhabi, UAE on 23-26 July 2016 in 2 Days 37 Minutes, 2694 km

World record achievements

8 world records were already achieved by the solar Impulse prototype, including the first solar plane to fly through the night, the first solar plane to fly between two continents and the first solar plane to fly across the USA.The recent world record achievements include the first Round-the-world solar flight, the record-breaking flight from Japan to Hawaii in 117 Hours and the first solar plane to have crossed the worlds two biggest oceans.

Technology behind the solar Impulse 2 plane

Solar Impulse 2 is a one-seater plane, fitted with 17,248 solar cellson top of the wings.It was a wingspan of 72 metersand weighs 2300 kg.4 batteries (with 38.5 kWh per battery) are connected to electric motors and aircraft propeller.The batteries store the extra energy produced by the solar cells during the day, giving back the energy to the motors during the night.It took 13 years to achieve this first round-the-world solar flight in history with the first airplane to fly day and night without a single drop of fuel.Theoretically, the plane could go on unlimited.

A message to fight climate change

The achievement of the first round-the-world solar flight is supposed to send a message for a cleaner future.The systems developed for Solar Impulse 2 could be used anywhere to fight global climate change and stop wasting natural resources.

The challenge is to commercialize the system and have it used on a broader scale.Main partners of Solar Impulse 2 are Solvay, Omega, Schindler and ABB. Official partners are Google, Altran, Covestro, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Swisscom, and Moet Hennessy. Guest partner MASDAR in Abu Dhabi and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
Two of Van Gogh's masterpieces that went missing from Amsterdam museum 14 years ago, in a movie style heist, were recovered by Naples Police in an Italian country house belonging to an alleged drug smuggler.

On Friday, Italian police showed the recovered paintings that were removed from their frames and wrapped in cotton cloth, to the reporters. According to Italian media, the paintings appeared undamaged and in "relatively good condition".

Involvement of the infamous Italian mafia

The stolen paintings were discovered in the farmhouse of Raffaele Imperiale, an alleged drug boss with links to the Naples Gamorra.The 42-year-old drug lord and a fugitive, allegedly runs an infamous cocaine trafficking circuit globally, in collaboration with other listed gangsters.

According to Naples prosecutor Giovanni Colangelo, he had probably purchased the paintings worth a total of 100 million (86 million), with drug proceeds.

How the police were lead to Imperiale

Police and prosecutors got their first lead into this case when they arrested 11 mobsters earlier this year. They were running a drug ring and had connections with Imperiale.According to The Guardian, Mario Cerrone, one among those arrested in January, decided to collaborate with the police.

As a result Police then launched a lengthy investigation dubbed "Vincent". Finally, help from the 'gangster turned state witness' led them to Imperiale's home, where they found the artworks locked up in a safe.

During the operation, police also seized a small airplane, boats, 49 properties, and 88 bank accounts worth an estimated 20 million.

How the paintings had been stolen

The disappearance of the paintings in 2002 that puzzled art investigators all over the world took place from Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam which is considered to be the largest repository of Van Gogh's work. As a matter of fact, the theft was listed in FBI's top ten art crimes of the world. The famous paintings "Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuene" which was painted in 1884-85 and "View of the Sea at Scheveningen" painted in 1882 both belonged to the early days of the Dutch artists' short career and thus were very rare.

Celebrating the recovery of these rare and expensive art pieces, Axel Ruger, director of the Van Gogh museum said, "It is a great day for us today to see the works and to know that they are safe and that they are in safe hands,"

Celebrating the recovery of these rare and expensive art pieces, Axel Ruger, director of the Van Gogh museum said, "It is a great day for us today to see the works and to know that they are safe and that they are in safe hands,"
Sometimes, there are idle hours at the rabbit patch-I make certain of it. "Idle" doesn't always mean time without purpose, sometimes it means frivolous or easy. That thought best suits what I am calling idle hours. I read books and poetry in idle hours or I write. I watch clouds and make pictures out of them, like I did when I was six. I think of my dreams, the night before and I have no shame in this.Mostly, I am at the morning table, with the morning window by it, during idle hours. Last night, I sat in moon shine and read. I rose early this morning and watched the light change while I drank coffee-where the moonshine had fallen last night. I took the time to feel glad about something that had happened yesterday. I read something nice and said a prayer. Such things are of great comfort to me and the thing is, I have come to depend on having some time at the morning table.When I came home yesterday, the fields around the rabbit patch were bare. A group of about a dozen farmers were standing by combines and pick-up trucks, in what had been a cornfield, that same morning. Two huge grain trucks were bumping full of bright yellow corn and I guess the men were wondering what they would get for it and deciding the best place to carry it. It was a familiar sight for me. I have great respect for farmers. As long as a farmer can, he still works. Grandsons ride them around in old trucks and ask for advice about the crops, when the farmer can barely stand. When it snows at the rabbit patch, it is the farmers that clear the road-likewise, fallen trees. No matter how many "lofty notions" a person may have about himself, it is a farmer that feeds him.I saw a small flock of birds flying yesterday. They were swooping and swirling and so I watched them a while. It was quite spectacular. They moved like they were one, instead of twenty. Blackbirds are too common to be considered anything but ordinary -until you see them flying. That can change your mind about them in a few short minutes, though you are liable to stay longer.I went out tonight, as is my habit. The sky was covered in clouds so thick that I could only see Venus, but I made a wish anyway. I smelled the damp leaves, for the first time this year and I heard a whippoorwill singing. The moon was rising over the bare field behind the old barn . I don't know if I was there ten minutes or ten years as an idle hour does not pass in the same fashion as the way of clocks that hang on walls. . .but instead is measured by things like standing in moon shine. . . . or blackbirds flying.
The weather was mostly cloudy and wet during our 3 days of boating in the Inland Sea, but we still had a marvelous time. BIL and SIL were fabulous hosts; we were comfortable and ate well the entire time. You can see their recent route (including our island hopping) HERE. And if you want to read in detail about their 11-year Migrations journey that began in California and has taken them to Japan, you can do so HERE.

Our train arrived in Onomichi from Tokyo mid-afternoon. It was a short walk from the station to the boat, so we stowed our luggage, got a tutorial on how to flush the pump toilets, and turn lights on and off. (Sailboats in Japan are not common, and are referred to as yacht-o and the Japanese folks in the various places we visited were very curious about the boat.)

We then took a short walk to ride a small tram up to the top of the mountain and followed the temple walk back down into town.

The views at the top are impressive. Onomichi is a shipping and shipbuilding area.

While Europe has its churches and cathedrals, Japan has an abundance of temples (Buddhist) and shrines (Shinto), some of which are quite old.

We enjoyed dinner in one of the small local restaurants (has a Michelin star and was excellent!). Much sake was consumed as we caught up.

The next morning after breakfast, we cast off for the island of Omishima, a trip of about 3 hours. (The photo at the top of the post is of our view while docked there.) Immediately above, the entrance to the town of Imabari. Those stone lanterns on either side of the road mark this as a sando, or street that leads to a Shinto shrine.

If youre into ancient Samurai armor and equipment, the Oyamazumi Shrine on the island houses a museum with the largest collection in Japan. Theres also museum of oceanography and science as well as a 3000-year-old camphor tree in the courtyard which is pretty impressive. But this entrance to the shrine was my favorite part. Its just beautiful, and seemed to be constructed of cedar wood which smelled amazing.

This island is home to the legend of Tsuruhime, the warrior princess. The Samurai museum includes her armor and displays featuring her. There are also several statues, plaques and commemorations around the town.

We spent one night docked there, and then the next morning headed off to nearby Ikuchi-jima Island. We had an unexpected wind and were able to raise the sails for a little while. The rain let up enough to enjoy some sailing time on deck.

No, that tee shirt wasnt part of my travel wardrobe. Id sweated through most of my tops and needed to give things a wash, so borrowed this tee for the duration of our time on the boat.

We climbed up to the top of the hill to see this colorful pagoda up close. Had we not been swarmed by mosquitoes, we would have spent more time up there; it was lovely and peaceful. These islands are popular with bicyclists, thanks to some great bike paths and lanes that go from island to island by a series of bridges. Its a big tourist draw.

We spent one night docked there, and then it was time to return to Onomichi to catch our train to Kyoto. While BIL and SIL secured the boat, we wandered around Onomichi a bit more.

The cute local ferry boats have a pagoda on top.

Had the Best Iced Coffee Of My Entire Life from one of the local coffee roasters.

Above, pounding rice into dough to make stuffed rice balls.

And though I didnt get photos of my own, we also stopped into Onomichi Denim, which takes vintage denim to a new level. Vintage, as in provenance, as in you know whose jeans youre wearing. They give out new pairs of a particular to various participants, from fishermen to college professors to factory workers to shopkeepers, who wear them for a year and then return them to be sold. (Yes, theyve been washed.) As we walked along the row of jeans, the Sales Associate pointed out who each of them had been worn by. I was tempted to try some on, but we were running out of time to catch our train.

Were in Kyoto now, and theres so much to see and do here, were already wishing wed scheduled more time! Ill share more photos in a few days
EMIGRANT  Rain fell on empty fishing access parking lots along the Yellowstone River on Friday morning. The river looked like chocolate milk  fishing was going to be tough. Inside Angler's West, a fly shop here not far from the river, Rick Wollum answered a phone call.

"It's open, but it's dirty," Wollum told the caller.

The murky water put a bit of a damper on what was an otherwise happy occasion for Wollum and other anglers and river users throughout the Paradise Valley, reported the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. It was the first day in the last month that people were allowed to access whatever section of the river they wanted. It was a long time coming, but few took advantage, leaving the river looking about as quiet as it was over the last month.

A little more than a month ago, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks shut down all water-based recreation on this river and its tributaries from the border with Yellowstone National Park downstream to the town of Laurel. It was a response to an outbreak of a parasite that biologists say killed tens of thousands of mountain whitefish.

The microscopic parasite causes proliferative kidney disease, and is believed to be new in the Yellowstone system. State biologists said low flows and high water temperatures likely made the parasite even more devastating for the Yellowstone's whitefish, and that the closure was necessary to prevent the spread of the parasite and to reduce stress on the fish.

But as late summer flirted with fall, river temperatures cooled and biologists stopped seeing so many fish dying. Section by section, the river was reopened. And now, people can use the entire river however they want. Life will be allowed to return to normal. Businesses that took a hit when the river closed will lick their wounds and can begin trying to recover from their losses, and FWP biologists will begin planning how they will try to measure the overall impact.

"What I'd like to see is FWP answer the question of to what extent is the population damaged," said Pat Byorth, the director of Trout Unlimited's Montana Water Project.

Throughout the fish kill, FWP officials said they assumed they were only seeing about 10 percent of all the dead fish, if that. Agency staff saw more than 4,000 dead whitefish and a handful of trout, but they didn't see the ones that floated ahead of them, or that sunk to the bottom. FWP's regional fisheries manager Travis Horton has said he expects the impact to the population to be fairly significant, but it's going to be hard for them to answer how significant it is.

They won't be able to offer a grand total of dead fish, but they can try to figure out what the population looks like. With trout, some of which were affected by the parasite, they will be able to compare population numbers from next spring to numbers gathered this past spring.

But with whitefish, that's going to be a lot tougher. Data on the species is far scarcer. They aren't exactly sure what the Yellowstone River's whitefish population looked like before the fish kill.

"Ideally we'd like to have a quality estimate that we could go and look at," Horton said. "But we don't have that."

Old and weak

Mountain whitefish are native to Montana, but the species has always taken a backseat to the almighty trout. Anglers prefer big browns and rainbows to the snout-nosed whiteys. The hierarchy is evident even in the data Montana's state wildlife agency has collected over the years.

Trout per-mile estimates are done regularly on most major rivers in the state, but the same is not true of whitefish. Estimates have been done, but not nearly as frequently as for trout. On the Yellowstone River, the most recent per-mile numbers for whitefish are 13 years old.

Biologists sampled whitefish on the Yellowstone in certain sections in 1999, 2001 and 2003, and the numbers are eye-popping. A few stretches of river in the Paradise Valley are listed as having more than 10,000 whitefish per mile.

Those numbers jive with what people have always thought; that there are a lot of whitefish in the Yellowstone. Some think those numbers mean the fish kill is going to be a minor speed bump, that nobody will notice any impact to the population. Some think the real problem is that FWP stopped looking at the scaly salmonids.

"The real tragedy is that they quit counting them," said John Bailey, the owner of Dan Bailey's Fly Shop in Livingston.

But Scott Opitz, FWP's Yellowstone River area biologist, said they stopped gathering the data because the estimates contained inherent biases that caused them to balloon.

"There was just some real question as to the value of having those estimates when you couldn't really stand behind them," Opitz said.

Per-mile estimates are arrived at through a method called mark and recapture. That means electrofishing crews float a river section two separate times. On the first run, they mark all the fish they catch so they can be recognized later. On the second run, usually a week or two later, the crews catch some of the same fish and some new ones.

The estimates hinge on the comparison of the two figures  the new captures and the recaptures. But if the recapture rate is too low, the estimates are considered unreliable because it can inflate the final figure and leave a wide range of variability. The length of the river section they sample on can throw off the recapture rates, too. If it is too short, fish can move around and escape crews on their recapture run.

Low recapture rates and the length of the river section are two reasons FWP doesn't put much faith in the old population numbers.

One estimate done in the Mill Creek area in 1999 found there were 10,837 whitefish per mile there, but David Schmetterling, a research coordinator with FWP, said there were several problems with it. Samples were taken on just a half mile of stream, rather than the standard of a couple of miles. On the first run, crews caught and marked 299 whitefish. On the second run, they caught 511, but only 20 of them were marked, which Schmetterling said was too low to be reliable. And the potential range for the estimate was between 8,027 and 19,368, leaving a lot of room for variability.

Problems like that plagued most of the Yellowstone River whitefish estimates done between 1999 and 2003, said Schmetterling.

"I think these are all over-estimates of population size," Schmetterling said.

FWP realized that at the time, and so they stopped doing the estimates. Now, though, the old data will have renewed relevance as FWP tries to understand exactly what happened on the river this past August.

"It gives you a ballpark, and definitely a place to start," Schmetterling said.

Though they don't consider the per-mile estimates to be solid, the raw data that makes them up will prove useful. The electrofishing runs reflect the number of fish they handled, and they can recreate those runs. Where a number falls in comparison will be somewhat telling, especially if it is significantly higher or lower.

"That's something we can easily do a followup with and have at least some level of comparison," Opitz said.

Other options they are considering include trying to learn the distribution of fish of different sizes, which will give them a feel for whether any particular age class is missing from the population. They might also try out a genetic sampling technique that can tell them the number of breeding fish that contributed to the population. That method is still fairly new but might prove useful.

No matter what method they choose, though, they won't instantly know everything they want.

"It's going to take several years to get a handle on it," Schmetterling said. "Next year will be the first of many."

Studying the canary

When fishery biologists talk about whitefish, they often call them the "canary in the coal mine." Struggling whitefish populations are considered a sign of larger troubles in the river system, but for so long, the fish were so abundant they were considered a nuisance by many trout-obsessives. Byorth said biologists didn't think they needed to track their numbers.

"I don't think we can rely on that anymore," he said.

Some work is being done. The species was recently studied on the Madison River, and Schmetterling said parts of western Montana are starting to pay more attention to the species.

Opitz himself regularly samples the whitefish population on a portion of the Shields River, but he said time constraints and river conditions have historically made the work tough on the Yellowstone.

"Areas where we can do that we are doing it," Opitz said. "It's just the Yellowstone and the complications between sheer volumes of whitefish and flow regime to squeeze that in."

Now, though, the focus will likely be renewed. Catastrophe can make things like that happen, especially in wildlife biology.

"Oftentimes, biological interest is in the rearview mirror, trying to figure out what happened," Horton said.

The parasite that caused this outbreak isn't going to disappear. In the Snake River system in eastern Idaho, the parasite is believed to be the culprit for five years of fish kills, all popping up around the same time of year. Each year the kill has lessened in intensity, which gives Montana's biologists some hope that the fish will build some immunity to it.

But there's no promise that will happen, and even if it does, fish will still be vulnerable to drought and high water temperatures, two other threats that aren't expected to go away.

Byorth said helping fish succeed might rely on creating river conditions that will help them weather the worst environmental conditions. That could mean leaving more water in tributary streams, or changing how people build near the river. The idea is to control human activity in a way that gives fish a fighting chance.

"If each fish has a chance to thrive," Byorth said, "then the population thrives."
Funny girl Amy Schumer lost weight recently and the reasons for her weight loss will alarm you. The "Trainwreck" star was railroaded by fat-shaming comments and took offense at Glamour magazine labeling her plus-size. Schumer got skinnier to avoid offending sensibilities. Paradoxically, the comedienne scoffed at the Hollywood weight obsession and notions of obesity but then kowtowed to it. But Amy got the last laugh assuring everyone that fat or not, she could "catch a d--k" anytime she wanted. Well, that's something to take comfort in.

Comedian not laughing at fat references

In an effort to praise plus-sized women, Glamour mag did a cover on "Women Who Inspire Us: Melissa McCarthy, Adele, Amy Schumer and Ashley Graham." Now three of these people are kind of the same but one of these doesn't belong. Each of the other women are or have been obese while Schumer assures folks she's a size 6-8 (after or before weight loss she didn't say). And the other three women have also lost weight, too. So kudos to Glamour for the (perhaps patronizing) shoutout, but it begs questions. Are these ladies inspiring because they were overweight and proud or because they lost the weight? Coming from a rag that exploits the stick-thin supermodel image, it's somewhat backhanded.

Schumer's reason for pound shedding hurts

This is the part that will really upset you--Amy said that she lost weight so as not to hurt peoples' eyes. What hurts is to hear a woman (or anyone) say that.Where is all that spunk Schumer is famous for? She back-talked a creep who yelled, "show us your t*ts" at a concert recently.

She claims that no matter whether she is plus-sizein the Glamour definition or not, she can still attract men and command sex. How very Parthian and sad--is that what it's all about after all? Does body image rely on sexual conquest for validation? Doth the lady protest too much?

Schumer upset by girls' body image or her image?

Schumer says she's concerned for young girls who see her being labeled as plus-sized when she only weighs 160 pounds. Why did she feel the need to give her weight? Is there something to prove? Sure, being called overweight when you're not would be annoying. But what exactly is overweight or obesity? Size 12-16 (depending on who you ask) is plus-sized. A BMI over 25 is overweight and over 30 is obese. But no one knows what your scale or clothing label says unless you tell them. Is this about kids or a reputation? Why the weight loss then? All this talk about loving your body the way it is rings hollow when people follow it up by changing their bodies.
Looks like Abby Lee Miller isn't the only star on "Dance Moms" with a criminal record. Sari Lopez, themother of mini elite team member Areana,was once arrested for the delivery and possession of heroin, theft, and a DWI. Court documents from Cowlitz County in Washington State have been confirmed. Looks like maybe Lifetime producers need to do a little more digging before casting new members to the team.

A theft charge is what started it all

As far as we have been informed, her run-ins with the law started all the way back in 1995 on September 7th when Lopez, who went by Sari Disethat the time, was found guilty of possessing stolen property in the first degree.

The judge had initially sentenced her to four months in jail for her crime, but she was given an alternative sentencing of 30 days of her sentence to be converted to 240 hours of community service. And on top of that, she spent 12 months in community supervision and had to pay a fine of $660.

Then a few years later on December 28, 1999, Lopez was charged with a DWI. She was again found guilty and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but her sentence was then later suspended.

Sari Lopez of "Dance Moms" dealt drugs before becoming a dance mom

On July 11, 2003, Lopez was then arrested for the delivery and possession of heroin. She and her then-boyfriend would perform the dirty deed together. Court documents state that an undercover officer had been "buying" heroin from them without their knowledge for the past few days, eventually making the arrest.

When Sari was arrested, the officers searched her car and found checks, visas, and an ID belonging to another woman all found in her purse. These items had previously been reported stolen a few days before Lopez's arrest.Sari Lopez pled guilty to two charges of the delivery and possession of heroin and one count of stolen property.

She spent 33 months in jail and spent another 33 months in community custody where she was required to adhere to drug tests to make sure she was maintaining a drug-free state.Aside from all of this, it is also said that she was once $200,000 in debt and had to claim bankruptcy.

Abby Lee Miller isn't so innocent either, though.

Abby pled guilty to one count of not reporting an international monetary transaction and one count of concealing bankruptcy assets this past June. She could find herself to be sentenced up to 30 months in prison.
Of the 4000 Yaaku people, only 7 in the world can speak the Yakunte language fluently and all of them are over 70 years of age. TheYaaku or Mukogodo are people living in the Mukogodo forest west of Mount Kenya. "Mukogodo" means people who live in rocks. "Yaaku" is a southern Nilotic term for hunting people. They were assimilatedinto the dominant pastoralist tribe of the Maasaiin the 1920's. They are known for their bee keeping and hunting and gathering. According to UNESCOs Atlas of the Worlds Languages in Danger, the Yakunte language is listed as one of thesix languages in Kenya classified as extinct.

Another seven languagesare considered endangered.

Saving the Yakunte language through class.

A recent BBC reportdocuments how the Yakunte language is taught twice each month. The project is funded bythe French Cultural Group. A Yaaku activist and teacher Manaseh Matunge warns. " If these elders die, then our language will die because they are the custodians of our cultures and languages". Manaseh believes he can still preserve the Yakunte language through class.

Unrecognized by the Kenyan government.

The Kenyan government does not officially recognize the Yaaku as one of the 42 ethnic groups. It's considered as one of the sub-groups of the Maasai tribe. Originally, theYaaku speakers migrated from southern Ethiopia.

They produced food, kept cattle and were cultivators before settling among the hunting and gathering group of the Nilotic Maasai.

A Dictionary of the Yaaku people from the elders.

UNESCO estimates 231 languages are on the brink of extinction and 37 out of these are found in the Sub-Saharan regionwith Kenya having 13 endangered languages.Beginning 2014, Manaseh and other Yaaku elders withthe help of a Dutch researcher created their own dictionary.

They developed it from a manuscript of words diarized by a German scholar.

Now a Yaaku trust has been formed topromote awareness of Yaaku culture and it's people. It is aimed at preserving it's distinct and unique Cushitic language for the future generations and hold custody thehunter-gatherer practice so that it can be usedby the last of the Yaaku survivors.
Mixed results for Chinese players at day two of China Open Updated: 2016-10-03 05:34 (Xinhua)

Day two of action at the 2016 China Open wrapped up with mixed results for Chinese singles players but a few surprises among them on Sunday.

China's Zhang Shuai powered through her meeting with Australian Samantha Stosur 6-1, 6-2. It was a result that even surprised Zhang herself, who said she did not "at all" expect such an easy match.

Chinese players Zhang Shuai defeats Australia's Stosur 6-1, 6-2. [Photo/Agencies]

"Honestly, I exploited my full potential. My opponent didn't do very well. After the US Open, she did not play very much. She just came to Wuhan and Beijing. I feel very sad for her. She made a lot of mistakes," she said.

Zhang will next meet Alison Riske from the United States, and said she is up for the challenge.

"She's really a brave competitor, intelligent and diligent player. From the ITF to the China Open we were working together shoulder by shoulder. We were having similar rankings. We respect each other. We encourage each other," Zhang said.

"I hope both of us could provide you a real quality performance," she added.

Wang Yafan was also through to the next round of action. She overpowered American Madison Brengle in another straight-sets victory, 6-2, 6-2.

Wang said she attributes her victory to her aggressive play on court.

"When I prepared for this match, I like to compete with the top players. I like to play not that conservatively. I don't want to be too conservative. I like to play aggressively," she said.

"Of course we may make some mistakes, but it depends on the moment. If it's a key moment, if you make the mistake, it is too bad. It's okay for us to make some minor mistakes," she added.

As for the possibility of meeting Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in the next round, Wang said she views going up against such a seasoned opponent as a learning opportunity.

"I'd like to learn more from her. I will focus on my shots, my game. I don't feel pressure facing her. What I need to do is to play my game, my shots," Wang said.

Other Chinese players met more of a struggle in their first-round matches. American Madison Keys overtook Duan Yingying 6-0, 4-6, 6-1.

Keys dominated in the first set with her signature offensive play at the baseline, not allowing her opponent a single game and taking the set 6-0 in just 19 minutes of play.

Duan responded with a solid second set, taking it 6-4, much to the delight of the home crowd at the Diamond court.

The No.8 seed would prove to be too much for Duan in the third set and Keys brought it home 6-1 to move into the second round of action.

Duan said her opponent's serves eventually became too much for her to handle. "This was my first time to feel the faster, heavy balls. It was really difficult for me to deal with. I was not quite familiar with her skills," Duan said.

"On the court, I found it really difficult to get her balls back. She really hits deep. It was very hard for me to stay with her. After that, I feel that she's really good on her serve," Duan added.

The night ended with Danish player Caroline Wozniaki taking out American Coco Vandeweghe 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

Wozniaki said she felt her play started off strong in the first set, but found herself on defense in the second.

"I started off pretty well, could return quite a few of her serves, put her under pressure. Then in the second set she started serving a bit better. That got me a little bit too much into the defense. Then she went for some shots and broke me. All of a sudden I had to keep trying to fight back," she said.

Reading her opponent's serve was another difficulty that she encountered.

"It's hard. I mean, she serves big. Her first and second serve is pretty big. It's not like you think, Okay, she missed a first serve, now I have a good chance to attack on the second. She's just a tough player to play because you get no rhythm," she added.

Wozniaki will next meet Italian veteran Robera Vinci, and said she is expecting another opponent who is difficult to read.

"It's another uncomfortable player. She mixes it up. She plays the flat forehand. Mix of pace. I'm ready for it. I'm just going to go out there and enjoy," she said.

Other results saw Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan defeat 7th seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-1, 6-3. Timea Babos of Hungary took out Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 6-1, 6-2.

Joanna Konta of Britain took out Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-1, 6-1. And finally, Misaki Doi of Japan bested American Nicole Gibbs 7-5, 6-2.
If you are planning a trip to Texas in the near future, consider exploring the many wineries along the Texas Hill Country Wineries trail. Not only are there over 50 spectacular wineries to tour and appreciate, but there are many options for accommodations along the way as well. The trail spans from Austin to Lampasas and to New Braunfels, TX.

Annually, the wineries experience an astounding five million visitors who are amazed by the unique winemaking techniques, the gorgeous scenery along the trails, and the Texas charm and hospitality. Wine connoisseurs, newcomers and everyone in between will love to explore the Hill Country Wineries either on a self-guided tour or an organized Trail, for which tickets may be purchased ahead of time. In fact, October is a favorite time of year to visit, since it is Texas Wine Month.

There are three other pre-planned Trails throughout the year to participate in which include: the Christmas Wine Affair, the Wine Lovers Trail and the Wine & Wildflower Trail. Each winery has their own business hours and tasting policies so it is recommended that guests plan out and research ahead of their trip which wineries to visit at what time. It's not possible to walk the trail due to the vast area covered by the wineries. Travelers should plan to visit two or three per day, in close proximity to each other, along with a designated driver.

We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.

1. Messina Hof Hill Country



Located in Fredericksburg, TX guests can enjoy wine tasting, touring the vineyard and even stay overnight on-site at the Manor Haus Bed and Breakfast. Their wine making is inspired by traditions in Messina, Sicily where the owner's family originated. This winery is usually a first stop for most visitors along the Trail. There is available event space should guests seek a venue to host their next function. This winery and vineyard sits on nearly 10 acres of scenic property. Read more 9996 US Highway 290 East Fredericksburg, Texas 78624, Phone: 830-990-4653

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2. Bell Springs Winery



Guests can take a self-guided tour around this Dripping Springs winery, where they will find two hospitable owners and their two dogs. The tasting room offers great views of the cedars and oaks on the property, while the old Texas architecture creates a rustic, charming atmosphere. Guests can also enjoy tastings on the outdoor patio, or just lounge and relax. Guests are encouraged to bring along a picnic and their friendly dogs to enjoy the grounds and a lovely lunch. They are happy to host weddings and meetings on the property as well. 3700 Bell Springs Rd., Dripping Springs, TX 78620, Phone: 512-643-7398

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3. Flat Creek Estate and Flat Creek Enoteca  Flat Creek Estate and Flat Creek Enoteca

The Estate is located 20 miles east of Marble Creek and is the where the vineyard is located. This is where the wine is made and bottled as well as where guests can take tours on Saturdays and Sundays. Group tours of eight or more can also be pre-booked. The wine tasting views overlook the scenic vineyards with plenty of seating for everyone. At the Estate, there is The Bistro restaurant for guests to enjoy a delicious dinner by reservation from Thursday to Sunday only. Enoteca is located directly in Marble Falls and is the urban wine bar location for the Flat Creek family. Guests can sit and enjoy wine tastings as well as wine and appetizer pairings. The Enoteca location features The Wood-Fired Oven which serves a menu of wood-fired foods as a relaxed dining option. 112 US HWY 281 Marble Falls, Texas 78654, Phone: 830-637-7123



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4. Bending Branch Winery  Bending Branch Winery



This organically focused winery, with sustainable practices at the forefront, is located just outside of Comfort. It boasts 56 acres of gorgeous scenery and 16 different varieties of grapes being grown in their 20 acre vineyard. Their signature grape, the Tannat, has become very popular in Texas and is a frontrunner in the winemaking industry. Guests can take a tour or enjoy a tasting of some of their award winning wines. Their hours are Thursday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is a satellite tasting room, Branch on High, which is found in downtown Comfort and offers the Bending Branch wines for tasting, by the glass or by the bottle. They also take reservations for private tastings, parties and classes as well. 142 Lindner Branch Trail, Comfort, Texas 78013, Phone: 830-995-2948

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5. Dry Comal Creek Vineyards  Dry Comal Creek Vineyards



Featuring unique Texas wines, this winery is located just outside of New Braunfels and offers both public and private tastings. Throughout the year they host different events, including grape stomps and education classes all about wine. The on-site gift shop is the perfect location to buy that one of a kind wine oriented gift for a loved one or yourself. They want you to have a good time at this winery, which is why the atmosphere is laid back and casual. Weddings and private functions are always welcome at the vineyard. 1741 Herbelin Rd., New Braunfels, Texas 78132,Phone: 830-885-4121

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6. Chisholm Trail Winery  Chisholm Trail Winery

This secluded, scenic winery is found just a short drive from Fredericksburg, away from the hustle and bustle of traffic and congestion, amongst the beautiful Hills country. Guests will love the old west charm of the saloon style tasting room where they saddle up to the bar area to get a taste of the award winning wines available. The atmosphere is both laid back and casual, as their livestock are free to roam the grounds, and the rustic buildings boast barn board accents and Texas charm. Guests can grab a bite to eat at the on-site Pizzeria or just enjoy the outdoor patio. They are happy to reserve group bookings for parties or weddings. There is a wine club for those interested in joining as well. 2367 Usener Rd., Fredericksburg, Texas 78624, Phone: 830-990-2675



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7. Becker Vineyards  Becker Vineyards

Becker Vineyards is known for their outstanding quality wines, which have been featured on the Fine Living Channel as well as served at the White House. They are located in Stonewall and hand-craft Bordeaux, Rhone and Burgundian-style wines which pair perfectly with anything from fine dining to casual cuisine. Guests can elect to book a private tour or just sample some their fine wines in the tasting room for a fee. There is also light fare offered at this winery for those looking for a little bite to eat. Guests can experience tours of the winery and the custom cellar as well. Dogs are permitted here and they do offer wedding packages in the Lavender Haus Reception Hall. 464 Becker Farms Rd, Stonewall, Texas 78671, Phone: 830-644-2681

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8. Duchman Family Winery  Duchman Family Winery

Guests will fall in love with the Tuscany inspired atmosphere at the Duchman Family Winery. Located in Driftwood, this family operated winery creates Italian inspired wines using only Texas grown grapes. The old stone architecture adds to the Tuscan feel, along with the gorgeous scenic grounds. The outdoor picnic areas are ideal for enjoying a packed lunch and bottle of wine or lounge under the covered patio. The Italian Villa-style event space is perfect for parties, events and weddings. Dogs are permitted in outdoor areas only. 13308 FM 150 West, Driftwood, Texas 78619, Phone: 512-858-1470



9. Fall Creek Vineyards at Tow  Fall Creek Vineyards at Tow

Established in 1975, this is the oldest vineyard on the Hill Country Trail. Located in Tow, on the northwest shores of Lake Buchanan, this vineyard boasts many awards and accolades throughout its decades in business. Guests can tour the waters via the Fall Creek Falls boat tour, indulge in some light fare in the shady picnic area or enjoy tasting the flavorful wines of the Fall Creek Vineyard. There is a gift shop on-site as well for mementos and wine inspired gifts. 1820 CR 222, Tow, Texas 78672, Phone: 325-379-5361

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10. Fiesta Winery Fredericksburg 290  Fiesta Winery Fredericksburg 290

The tasting room at this winery is a small getaway in itself. With tonnes of room for sitting, a patio and a picnic area, guests can enjoy a sampling of wines while taking a break or grabbing a bite to eat. They are located six miles east of Fredericksburg, in the Ricky Hill Complex. Their speciality is their sweet wines with unique, memorable flavors but they also have a great line of dry wines available. Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon guests are entertained by live music on the patio. 6260 Highway 290 East, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624, Phone: 830-997-4466



11. William Chris Vineyards  William Chris Vineyards

This vineyard and winery, located in Hye, focuses on Texan pride and the history of winemaking in the State. Guests are encouraged to make reservations for Friday to Sunday since this is the busiest times for tastings and tours. They offer tastings or wine by the glass, plus a selection of Texan made cheese to pair nicely with their wines. Guests can become educated all about Texas winemaking with offerings of classes. Guests can even enjoy barrel tastings for an added authentic flavor. 10352 US Highway 290, Hye, Texas 78635, Phone: 830-998-7654



12. Fredericksburg Winery  Fredericksburg Winery

USA Today has named this winery one of the top three producers in Texas. The Switzer family owns and operates this well rounded winery which is located right on Main Street in Fredericksburg. They produce a vast selection of wines from reds to whites to ports and Sherries and even sweet dessert wines. Guests can do a self-guided tour or book a private tour at this winery, however, there is no tasting room. There are educational courses available such as Wine 101, where one can learn all about the different types of wines and find out inside information on producing wine. They also have a wine club to join named Flight Club. 247 West Main Street, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624, Phone: 830-990-8747



13. Grape Creek Vineyards  Grape Creek Vineyards



This one stop shop type winery provides guests with not only tasting options, but cellar tours, a trattoria with a delicious wood-fired menu and a shaded patio area. With an overall Tuscany feel, guests will feel as though they took a trip to Italy. The tasting room and event center provide a romantic atmosphere done in the styling of an Italian Villa. They are located in Fredericksburg along Highway 290. Guests can book a Taste and Tour package and will ride along in a small vehicle around the vineyards and for a tour of the production area plus the cellar along with barrel tastings, followed by tastings on the beautiful patio. 10587 East U.S. Highway 290, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624, Phone: 830-644-2710

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14. Inwood Estates Winery & Bistro  Inwood Estates Winery & Bistro



One of the top 101 American wineries according to Daily Meal, this Fredericksburg estate boasts a higher end winery experience for its patrons. There are different tasting options available, including private tastings with the winemaker, Dan Gatlin. Inwood uses only the highest quality Texas grapes to create their exquisite wine selections. Guests can enjoy the outdoor patio, the bistro and The Grove where dogs are welcome. 10303 US Hwy 290 East, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624, Phone: 830-997-2304



15. Spicewood Vineyards  Spicewood Vineyards



Guests will find an array of tempting wines to taste at Spicewood Vineyards. They are set on a 32 acre vineyard in Spicewood, and have a relaxed tasting area for guests to enjoy a selection of their 12 varieties of wines. Winemaker tours are also available by reservation. If patrons are searching for an event center, Spicewood has the perfect venue to host, as well as a gift shop and picnic area for guests use. 1419 Burnet CR 409, Spicewood, Texas 78669, Phone: 830-693-5328

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16. Where to Stay  Courtesy of BestPhotoStudio - Fotolia.com



There are many bed & breakfast establishments to choose from, each offering something a little different. In Dripping Springs, visitors will find Mt. Gainor Inn, which is located only 15 minutes from five wineries; Hillside Acres Retreat, offering six elegant cabins and a one bedroom guest house all fully furnished and ultra-comfortable; and Camp Lucy Cottages, offering delicious breakfast and plush, comfortable rooms. In Wimberley, travelers can choose have a look at All Wimberley Lodging, which offers a reservation service and has access to cozy, romantic cottages, homey bed and breakfasts, and stunning vacation homes on the river. Blair House Inn is also located in Wimberley and boasts 12 rooms/suites plus an art gallery and cooking school. Guests can also indulge in spa services. If heading to Fredericksburg, visitors and stay over at The Back Forty of Fredericksburg which is the perfect place to call home base while touring the Trail. It is located within easy distance to many of the Fredericksburg wineries and vineyards. Guests stay in their own private cottage and can enjoy spa services as well as the nearby creek for beautiful views or to try their luck at fishing. Cotton Gin Village is another option, which resembles an 1870's log cabin village complete with waterfalls, limestone walls and surrounding gardens. A combination winery and bed and breakfast option, as previously mentioned is Messina Hof Hill Country, with four themed, private retreats to choose from. Gasteus Schmidt is an alternative to finding accommodations on your own in Fredericksburg. They are a reservation service with over 125 options of top notch accommodations available in their pool of lodging choices. They have special packages available for those looking to tour the Texas wine trail, as well as trip planning assistance with transportation and other ideas for romance or spa trips. Gift certificates are available through their website for anyone wishing to give the gift of travel. If you prefer a hotel, there are a couple of options available along the Trail. Fredericksburg Inn & Suites offers guests a relaxing, yet very elegant atmosphere on their five acre property. They are located along Barons Creek, giving guests a feeling of seclusion and tranquility without being too far from downtown. They feature 94 guestrooms and nine suites to choose from, plus two pools and a large outdoor hot tub. Horseshoe Bay Resort is another hotel option, located in Horseshoe Bay and providing guests with true luxurious comfort. On-site, guests will love the 72 holes of golf, the full service spa and salon, a marina, tennis courts and dining by the waterfront. There are over 380 guestrooms as well as waterfront condos and tower suites. There are endless activities to enjoy at the resort as well, whenever travelers are not exploring the wine country trail. Guests will be staying in ultra-luxury at the Horseshoe Bay Resort. Depending upon each traveler's wishes and preferences, there are accommodations to suit every taste and budget. The website, texaswinetrail.com is a wonderful resource for available lodging options, as well as descriptions of each type of accommodation. Visitors can reserve at one or a few different accommodations to explore the entire Trail. Texas wine country will not leave any visitor disappointed.



16 Best Texas Hill Country Wineries

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Get away from Chicago, IL, for a weekend of swimming in indoor & outdoor pools, relaxing at a spa, skiing, a game of golf, boutique shopping and museums. Many nearby hotels, resorts and romantic inns offer affordable room rates and seasonal packages. Whether you are looking to relax on the beach, hike, bike, or go on a fun shopping trip, there is plenty to choose from. We've included diverse day trips and weekend getaways from Chicago, Illinois for couples and families.

We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.

1. Grand Geneva Resort - 1 hour 30 minutes from Chicago  Grand Geneva Resort

Grand Geneva Resort and Spa is one of the best weekend getaways from Chicago for couples, conveniently located between Chicago and Milwaukee, offering a getaway filled with romance and adventure. The property has golf courses, fitness center and a spa. If you are planning a family trip, Moose Mountain Falls Waterpark offers 50,000 square feet of heated watersides, tubing on the lazy river, hot tubs and lounge chairs. Other activities include lake cruises, tours of the historic downtown and shopping. In the winter, The Mountain Top offers downhill skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing. Romantic weekend specials start at $80 per person.

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2. Grand Traverse Resort - 5 hours  Grand Traverse Resort

Located on 1,400 acres on the shores of Lake Michigan, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is a popular spot for families. There are four 18 hole golf courses, including The Bear designed by Jack Nicklaus, The Wolverine by Gary Player, and Spruce Run by William Newcomb. For those who wish to improve their game, the Grand Traverse Golf Academy can help golfers of any level get even better. There is a 100,000 square foot spa complex which features treatment space, workout facilities and a tennis center. Arrive early for your treatment to enjoy the sauna, two indoor swimming pools, four whirlpools and the relaxation room. Play tennis, work out and take a yoga class to improve your fitness. The resort offers several accommodation choices: condominiums, rooms in the hotel or the seventeen-story Tower with views of Lake Michigan. The condos, located either on the fairways or the beachfront, all have a furnished dining area, kitchenette, a living room with a queen-size sofa sleeper, and a bedroom with a queen-size bed. The condos are great for families. Rooms in both the Tower and in the hotel have elevated views of the lake and are centrally located near the restaurant, the spa, and the shops. Guests can select from several restaurants. If you are looking for last minute weekend getaways from Chicago, be sure to ask about seasonal deals, specials and packages. 100 Grand Traverse Resort Village Blvd, Acme, MI 49610



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3. Weekend Getaways from Chicago: The Abbey Resort - 1 hour 40 minutes  The Abbey Resort



The Abbey Resort is a full service getaway on 90 scenic acres near the Fontana harbor, offering 334 deluxe guestrooms, 13 spacious suites and 13 villas. The 35,000-square-foot Avani Spa offers massages, facials, wraps, aromatherapy and saunas on your weekend trip. Resort facilities include a fitness center, aerobic studio, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a disk golf course, and a games arcade for kids. Dining options range from casual cafes to gourmet restaurants, including 240 West, Cafe Latte, the Waterfront Restaurant Bar & Grill, Bar West and Porto. Weekend activities include watersports, bike rides, golf, walking and jogging around the lake. If you are looking for affordable resorts near Chicago, rooms start at $89 per night. 269 Fontana Blvd, Fontana-On-Geneva Lake, WI 53125

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4. Weekend Getaways near Chicago: The Newport Resort - 4 hours 30 minutes  The Newport Resort



The Newport Resort is a family friendly getaway in Door County, just minutes from the beach. The resort has 59 rooms and suites with whirlpool tubs, cozy sitting areas and kitchenettes. There is an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, and game room. Guests can read in the library, unwind in the lobby lounge, and stroll through the garden. Located within walking distance of numerous eating establishments in Egg Harbor, the Newport Resort is a great choice for family vacations and romantic retreats. Sandy beaches, world-class golf courses, and state parks offer plenty of outdoor entertainment during the summer, and cross-counting skiing, snowshoeing, and sledding in the winter. Rooms start at $79 per night. 7888 Church St, Egg Harbor, WI 54209

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5. The Knickerbocker on the Lake - 1 hour 30 minutes  The Knickerbocker on the Lake



The Knickerbocker on the Lake is a restored boutique hotel located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee. The property is within walking distance of a number of restaurants, museums, theaters, and transportation options. The 160 guest rooms and suites are decorated with period-influenced furniture and modern conveniences such as fully equipped kitchenettes and Wi-Fi. Some suites have views of the picturesque Lake Michigan shoreline. The full service Knick Salon and Spa offes invigorating treatments, while the Juneau Room is a spacious area ideal for hosting special events. Guests can work out at the 24-hour fitness center, request custom tailoring and valet dry cleaning. The Knick Restaurant offers upscale dining, with a menu that provides something to suit every gourmand. Weekend guests should not miss the bountiful Sunday brunche. If you are looking for cheap weekend getaways, rooms start at just $119 per night. 1028 E Juneau Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202

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6. Weekend Getaways from Chicago: SevenOaks - 1 hour 30 minutes  SevenOaks

If you are looking for romantic places to visit near Chicago, SevenOaks offers 9 adult-only luxuriously appointed cottage suites. The one-floor buildings have charming front porches, stone fireplaces, comfortable living rooms, and king-sized beds with luxury linens. The garden has a soothing water feature, fire pit and comfortable lounging chairs. Just a short walk from downtown Lake Geneva, guests have easy access to a number of restaurants. Play a round of golf, visit a day spa, go biking, hiking or skiing in the winter. Rates start at $179 per night. 682 S. Wells Street, Lake Geneva, WI 53147, 262-248-4006



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7. The Green Tree Inn - 4 hours 25 min  The Green Tree Inn

With its location in historic Elsah, the Green Tree Inn is surrounded by a choice of things to do. The surrounding valley is quiet and gorgeous, perfect for relaxation. There are five rooms in the inn, each with a unique relaxing atmosphere. They all have air conditioning and private baths, and most have a queen bed although one has two double beds instead. Most rooms have TVs as well. There is a communal satellite TV, Wi-Fi throughout the property, an antique room, a fireplace, board games, a deck with beautiful views, and bikes to borrow. You can also have an in-room massage. Guests have access to a fridge with water and soda as well as homemade afternoon snacks and coffee, cider, hot tea, and cocoa. A homemade breakfast is included, and you can also enjoy a homemade evening meal if you would like. Rates start at $135 per night. 15 Mill St., Elsah IL, 618-374-2821



8. The American Club, Kohler - 2 hours 30 minutes  The American Club, Kohler

The American Club, Kohler is one of the most famous resorts near Chicago, offering two accommodation options: The American Club and the more affordable Inn on Woodlake. About two and a half hours from Chicago, this beautiful resort offers great outdoor activities in the summer, and pools and spa relaxation in the winter. Look for couples, family and golf packages, including golf academy especially for women, golf specials, and more. The Kohler Waters Spa is a destination for the senses, featuring a glass enclosed rooftop deck with a whirlpool, fireplace and lounge. Try the newly renovated couples suite for a relaxing side-by-side massage and other treatments. Yoga on the Lake is a premier yoga studio offering 20 classes a week.

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9. Weekend Getaways Near Me: Washington House Inn - 2 hours  Washington House Inn

The Washington House Inn in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, 110 miles north of Chicago, offers stylish accommodations, complimentary, afternoon complimentary wine and cheese social hour and free high speed internet access. Explore Cedarburg's Main Street with more than 70 boutiques, shops selling sweets, and restaurants. The town has several museums: the General Store Museum, Kuhefuss House Museum and the new Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts. Try the Deluxe Package with rates from $250. The package includes: Overnight lodging in any room, Evening social hour in our Gathering room, featuring local wines and cheeses, $100 Spa service certificate at one of the local spas; and Deluxe continental breakfast in the Gathering Room or room service to your room. W62 N573 Washington Ave, Cedarburg, WI 53012, 262-375-3550



10. The Mansion Bed and Breakfast - 50 minutes  The Mansion Bed and Breakfast

The Mansion Bed and Breakfast is located 35 miles to the west of Chicago and gives you the chance to relax on a private estate built in 1907 on your weekend trip. You will find breathtaking stained glass windows, original lighting, and exquisite woodwork throughout the rooms and common areas. Every room has wireless internet, a cable TV with a VCR, premium pillow top mattresses, Egyptian cotton sheets, an iron with ironing board, a hair dryer, and a desk. There are extended stay options available. Some rooms also have two-person whirlpools, private baths, private terraces, and electric fireplaces for added romance. Guests have access to the extensive video library, board games, and magazines. There are snacks and tea available during the day. A spa, numerous restaurants, and bike trails are just a few minutes away, many of which are within walking distance. Rates start at $139 per night. 305 Oregon Ave., West Dundee, IL, 847-426-7777

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11. Sweethaven Resort - 1 hour 20 minutes from Chicago  Sweethaven Resort

Sweethaven Resort sits on 9 picturesque wooded acres near Lake Michigan beaches, in beautiful Union Pier Michigan. The resort offers 5 spacious family-friendly cottages, each with screened porches, hot tubs, full bathrooms, and kitchens. Tastefully decorated, the cottages are pet friendly. The property is perfect for taking long walks through the woods, or relaxing in the sun at a nearby beach. Guests can take advantage of the fully equipped kitchens in the cottage, or head into town for a diverse selection of dining establishments. Shopping opportunities abound, with outlet stores and charming boutiques offering something unique and interesting for all. Explore art galleries, visit a museum, try water sports on Lake Michigan, play golf and get a massage at a nearby day spa. Keep reading for more weekend getaways near me. 9517 Union Pier Rd, Union Pier, MI 49129



12. Hawk Valley Retreat & Cottages - 2 hours and 45 minutes  Hawk Valley Retreat & Cottages

Hawk Valley Retreat & Cottages is only eight miles from downtown Galena and has ten acres of secluded gardens and meadows to explore. There are four private cottages and three rooms within the main house. The main house rooms have private entrances, private baths, satellite TVs with DVD players, and wireless internet. All cottages have whirlpool tubs, Wi-Fi, air conditioning, TVs with DVD players, full baths, electric fireplaces, king-size beds, sitting areas, eating areas, kitchenettes, and private porches. One of them also has a separate bedroom. The ten acres of land include a gazebo, a pond, walking trails, and porch swings. The main house has central air conditioning, a living room, a dining room, large picture windows, and a wrap-around deck. Main house stays come with a complimentary breakfast, and guests have access to home baked cookies, tea, coffee, and water. Rooms start at $90 per night, cottages from $195. Things to Do in Galena 2752 W. Cording Rd., Galena IL, 888-777-6016



13. Getaways from Chicago, Illinois: Vrooman Mansion - 2 hours  Vrooman Mansion



The Vrooman Mansion is a historic bed and breakfast right in Bloomington/Normal. The historic estate offers luxury and privacy with easy access to attractions, restaurants, and shops. The majority of the decorations in the spacious guest rooms are antique period furniture, with each room featuring its own theme. The suites have down pillows, soft fluffy towels, high-quality linens, microfiber robes, and free Wi-Fi. There are five suites and rooms in the Mansion and two in the carriage house. The numerous common areas include the Safe Room, the Library, the Foyer, the Music Room, the Dining Room, and the Parlor. Throughout the day, you can enjoy bottled water, soft drinks, and snacks and a full gourmet breakfast is included in every stay. Breakfast features tea, coffee, or cocoa, juice, fruit, and a hot entree. Rates start at $110 per night. 701 East Taylor St., Bloomington IL, 309-828-8816

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14. Galena Log Cabin Getaway - 2 hours and 45 minutes  Galena Log Cabin Getaway



Galena Log Cabin Getaway covers 45 acres of secluded land as well as the Adventure Creek Alpaca and Labradoodle Farm. This working farm has 12 log cabins, each with one room and over 660 square feet plus an open loft. There is a modern bathroom featuring a six-foot double-whirlpool tub and large skylight. Cabins have a queen bed downstairs with a double bed in the loft, satellite TV, a fridge, a microwave, and a gas log fireplace. Other amenities include DVD players, central air and heat, and platform rockers. Four of the cabins are dog-friendly. While at this inn, you can visit or enjoy the alpaca farm, and even take an alpaca for a walk. They also breed Goldendoodles, which guests can spend time with. Guests can hike 1.5 miles along the Adventure Creek or head to Casper Bluff or along the Mississippi River. There is very little light pollution in the area, which means gorgeous views of the stars on clear nights. Rates start at $189 per night. 9401 W. Hart John Rd., Galena IL, 815-777-4200



15. Oakwood Resort, Syracuse, IN  Dariusz Jarzabek/stock.adobe.com



The Oakwood Resort is scenically located on the shores of Lake Wawasee, where it beckons visitors to come and enjoy a well-deserved weekend getaway. The resort covers 27 acres and is semi-surrounded by water, offering water sport enthusiasts a brilliant selection of water sports to enjoy on-site; these include kayaking, paddle-boarding and boating. The resort offers 79 guestrooms and suites, many of which offer excellent views out over the lake. If you are travelling with the family or a group of friends you can consider renting one of the spacious 3, 4 and 5 bedroom vacation homes. On-site amenities include a swimming pier, restaurant/bar, bicycle rentals, and a fitness center. Oakwood Resort, 702 E. Lake View Road, Syracuse, IN 46567, 574-457-7100

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16. Getaways from Chicago, Illinois: The Steamboat House - 2 hours and 45 minutes  The Steamboat House



The Steamboat House is a short block away from Main Street in Galena and offers easy access to shops, restaurants, wineries, and more. There are five guestrooms with private baths, fireplaces, fine linens, LCD televisions, and DVD players. Room decorations vary with some featuring four-poster beds, original hardwood floors, sleigh beds, and private porches. Guests can enjoy the billiard room, library with games, books, and movies, wraparound front porch, screened garden gazebo, or cozy parlor. There is wine every evening with hot beverages at night. In the morning, cocoa, tea, and coffee are delivered outside your door and a three-course breakfast is included. Guests can also add various packages that include in-room massages, birthday cake, wine, flowers, chocolate, and/or visits to local wineries. If you are looking for cheap weekend getaways from Chicago, rooms start at $115 per night. 605 S. Prospect St., Galena IL, 800-717-2317



17. Weekend Getaways from Chicago: Market Street Inn - 3 hours  Market Street Inn



The Market Street Inn is inside a historic Queen Anne Victorian building built in 1892. The ten guestrooms are inviting and filled with modern amenities. Rooms and common areas have antiques, Oriental rugs, pocket doors, and beveled glass windows. To get to the eight guestrooms, climb the grand oak staircase. The rooms have private baths, double-whirlpool tubs, complimentary Wi-Fi, cable TV, and air conditioning. The two guest rooms in the Carriage House include a deluxe suite and an ADA-approved one with a kitchenette. Each room in the Main Inn has a fireplace. Guests have access to the Victorian wraparound porch, perfect for looking at the gardens. There are six original fireplaces throughout the inn. There is a social hour in the evening with fruit, cheese, and beverages and in the morning, guests can enjoy a candlelight breakfast. There is also complimentary soda and bottled water. Rates start at $150 per night. 220 E. Market St., Taylorville IL, 217-824-7220

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18. Weekend Getaways Near Me: TimberCreek Bed & Breakfast - 1 hour 45 minutes  TimberCreek Bed & Breakfast



TimberCreek Bed & Breakfast is an upscale bed and breakfast in a building that was built specifically to appear like a barn. It is on a 25-acre property with a gate at the end of a picturesque winding lane surrounded by a stream and trees. The English Cottage decor spans the common areas and guest rooms with tile, brick, and hardwood floors, fireplaces, skylights, upscale furnishings, over-sized beds, artwork, and a whirlpool. Each guest room has its own bath and there is Wi-Fi throughout. A suite is handicapped accessible. Guests can request access to hair dryers, irons, and laundry facilities. The Gathering Room is relaxing with floral couches, leather recliners, a stone fireplace, games, and magazines. The Breakfast Room hosts the morning breakfast and the Kitchen has tea and coffee. Rates start at $99 per night. 1559 E. State Route 9, Paxton IL, 217-379-2589



19. The Inn at Irish Hollow and Country English Cottages - 2 hours 45 minutes  The Inn at Irish Hollow



Irish Hollow is a beautiful bed and breakfast perfect for a romantic getaway that sits on a 500-acre farm. Guests can choose to stay in one of the five private cottages or one of the guest rooms in the Main Inn. These cozy, intimate rooms have iron or claw foot bathtubs, enhanced showers, a sitting area, gas fireplaces, and modern amenities. The cottages vary, but may have king four-poster beds, oriental rugs, private porches, double whirlpool baths, iPod docks, Wi-Fi, and more. You can also have body work done at the inn. Breakfast is included with your stay and it is hand-made using natural ingredients. You can choose a continental breakfast delivered to your room, the Full Country Gourmet Breakfast in the Old General Store, or a healthy version of this full breakfast. Guests can also order additional meals, including picnics, wine and cheese. Dinner packages start at $345 per night. 2800 S. Irish Hollow Rd., Galena IL, 815-777-6000



20. Resorts near me: Farmers Guest House - 2 hours 45 minutes  Farmers Guest House



Farmers Guest House is located in historic downtown Galena, giving guests easy access to nearby attractions. Each of the nine rooms and suites is tastefully decorated, providing an intimate setting perfect for couples. All rooms have flat-screen TVs with Blu-Ray/DVD players to watch movies from the inns collection and there is Wi-Fi throughout the property. Other room amenities include private baths, luxurious bath amenities, individual outlets, irons, hairdryers, and plenty of outlets. The common areas include the Spa Studio, private gardens, and numerous patios. In the morning, guests enjoy a full breakfast with a signature entree, homemade pastries or bread, fruit, juice, and homemade granola. There is also Wine time every evening with cheese and wine, as well as fresh cookies at night. Guests have access to soda, tea, coffee, and bottled water. Rooms start at $179 per night. 344 Spring St., Galena IL, 815-777-3456

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21. Weekend Getaways Near Me: Mansion Hill Inn - 2 hours 30 minutes  Mansion Hill Inn Located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, the Mansion Hill Inn is a historic getaway with luxurious guest rooms featuring Frette linens, high-definition flat screen televisions, rain fall showers, and Aveda bath products. If you are planning a romantic getaway, ask for one of the suites with whirlpool baths, in-room gas fireplaces, and access to balconies or verandas with a view. Take advantage of the Pre-Arrival Concierge to customize your stay at the Mansion Hill Inn. 424 N Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703, 608-255-0172



22. Weekend Getaways near Chicago: Dunes Walk Inn - 1 hour from Chicago  Dunes Walk Inn Dunes Walk Inn is a charming restored 1881 mansion on the Lake Michigan coastline, featuring hardwood floors and vertical mullion windows. Explore Indiana Dunes (about 50 miles from Chicago) and stay at this family friendly inn which sleeps 19 guests. Rates start at $125 per night. DunesWalk Inn at the Furness Mansion, 1491 N Furnleigh Ln, Chesterton, IN 46304, 219-728-6393



25 Best Weekend Getaways from Chicago, Illinois

More Quick Weekend Trips from Chicago

Elkhart Lake, WI

Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin is an ideal getaway destination for all nature lovers and water sport enthusiasts, boasting crystal clear lake water and an abundance of activities suitable for all ages. You can choose from a variety of accommodation options which vary from up-market resorts and vacation rentals to getting back to nature at the Broughton March Park campground, where you can pitch a tent or park your RV.

Water sports are the most popular summer activity and if you do not have your own equipment you can hire everything you need to enjoy the lake from Osthoff Resort Water Recreation Rentals or at Victorian Village Resort. You can try your hand at canoeing, kayaking, water skiing or simply enjoying the beautiful lake-side scenery on a pontoon cruise. Ecology Outfitters Guided Silent Water Tours provide equipment and lessons for beginners. The lake is famous for great fishing - Inland Waters Fishing Guide Service or Jay's Guide Service will lead the way.

Back on dry land you can explore the shores by horseback with Camp Anokjig Trailrides, do a Backroads Bike Tour (or simply rent a cycle at the Osthoff Resort) or go hiking along an abundance of trails. Speed enthusiasts can watch motorsports or enjoy various adventure programs at Road America. In winter the emphasis changes to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

Door County, WI

Door County in Wisconsin is situated on a peninsula which juts out into Lake Michigan and boasts over 300 miles of shoreline with beaches, bays and inlets waiting to be explored. Sun worshippers have an astounding 53 public beaches to choose from and if you would like to go boating there are 12 marinas where you can launch your own craft or charter one. In addition to the shoreline there are also 3 inland lakes where you can enjoy fishing, canoeing, kayaking, kite-surfing, scuba diving and paddle boarding.

You can learn all about the history and culture of Door Country on one of the many interesting tours available, which include helicopter tours, scenic cruises, bike tours, segway tours and trolley tours. The beautiful natural scenery of has attracted many resident artists and you can visit their galleries or get your own creative juices flowing by attending a workshop. History buffs have the opportunity to visit no less than 11 historic lighthouses, and at the Door County Maritime Museum you can learn about World War II ship-building in Sturgeon Bay. Other interesting museums include Corner of the Past Museum in Sister Bay, Door County Historical Museum in Sturgeon Bay and the Alexander Noble House Museum in Fish Bay.

Door County is a famous cherry growing area and if you time your visit carefully you can enjoy cherry blossom time (April) or cherry picking time (July).

Lake Geneva, WI

Lake Geneva is a resort town situated on the shores of Lake Geneva in southern Wisconsin, offering a great base for exploring the many lake-side activities. The lake has been a summer holiday destination since just after the Civil War and there are many historic stately homes starting with Black Point Mansion, which was built back in 1888. You can admire several of the homes on a lake cruise with Lake Geneva Cruise Lines and learn all about the early days at the Geneva Lake Area Museum of History. Energetic visitors can walk the beautiful 21 mile Lake Geneva Shore Path, go zip lining on a Lake Geneva Canopy Tour.

The lake offers many options for water sports and you can hire all the equipment you need from several outlets including Elmer's Lake Geneva Boatline, Inc. Other exciting activities you can try are hot-air ballooning (Lake Geneva Balloon Company) and guided fishing expeditions with Dave Duwe's Guide Services. Golfers can play a round at several courses and after an active day you can relax at one of several Spas in the area. Foodies can have the time of their lives at the Lake Geneva Farmer's Market and Studio Winery, or take a class at the Lake Geneva School of Cooking.

Amish Country, IN

If you would like to try something really different on your next weekend getaway try a visit to Indiana's Amish Country, where you can step back in time and find out all about the Amish way of life. A good place to start your weekend would be at Amish Acres in Nappanee, where you can take a guided tour of the historic farm and homestead, enjoy the family-style Threshers Dinner (and a wine tasting) and watch a performance in the Round Barn Theater. Quilting demonstrations and horse and carriage rides are available. To find out more about Amish quilt-making you can take a self-guided drive along the Barn Quilt Trail to see around 37 barns, each of which feature a unique quilt square pattern. Between May and October you can drive the 90 mile Heritage Trail to see 19 amazing quilt gardens in full bloom.

The area is bristling with parks where you can go hiking or biking and you can also enjoy canoeing and kayaking on the St. Joseph River. There are several golf courses for you to enjoy and many boat-launch sites if you would like to do some fishing. In winter the emphasis changes to ice-skating and cross-country skiing.

Amish Country has a vibrant art scene and you can visit several galleries and attend live theater at the Elkhart Civic Theatre, the Lerner Theatre and Premier Arts Inc.

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Saugatuck, MI

Nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, Saugatuck is renowned as a hub for artists, and also has a long list of activities to appeal to all ages, from relaxing in the sun on Oval Beach to getting active on the water. There are several choices when it comes to water sports - you can go sailing at Saugatuck Yacht Club or Sweetwater Sailing Charters or try your hand at fishing on an expedition with Lakeshore Charter Boat Association or Michigan Fishing Charter Co. There are numerous scenic cruises available and other unusual activities include Saugatuck Dune Rides and Saugatuck Photographic Workshops.

Budding artists can attend a hands-on workshop at the Ox Bow School of Art or the Express Yourself Art Barn  you can get those creative juices flowing by taking a stroll around town to visit more than 10 unique art galleries which showcase local talent.

Foodies can visit Crane Orchards and Cider Mill, Fenn Valley Vineyards and Winery. There are also some historic attractions you can visit including the Felt Mansion, the Old Schoolhouse History Center and the Saugatuck/Douglas History Museum.

Milwaukee, WI

The river-side city of Milwaukee is jam-packed with interesting, educational and fun activities to fill every moment of your weekend getaway. One way to get your bearings is to go for a stroll along the two-mile RiverWalk, which features public art installations, shops, pubs and restaurants. If you need a little guidance from a local, you can go on a Milwaukee Food and City Tour (either on foot or by bus), to combine a little history with a lot of great local flavor. Other foodie favorites include the Palermo's Pizza Factory Tour and a visit to Purple Door Ice Cream. History enthusiasts can take a stroll along Brady Street to see plenty of historic architecture and visit the North Point Lighthouse Museum.

No city visit would be complete without exploring the Historic Third Ward which has been transformed from a disreputable rough area into a trendy Art and Fashion District, home to the Broadway Theatre Center, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and the Milwaukee Public Market. If you need to get some exercise you can walk, jog, cycle or go boating in the Lakeshore State Park, an urban oasis along the shores of the lake. Gardening enthusiasts should not miss the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy.

There plenty of family-friendly attractions including the Manfred Olson Planetarium, the Milwaukee County Zoo, Discovery World and the inter-active Betty Brinn Children's Museum.

Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis is famous as the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but aside from motor sports the city has many other historic and cultural activities to suit all tastes. You can learn about local history by taking a walking tour of the Lockerbie Square Historic District and visiting some historic homes such as the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site and the OldfieldsLilly House and Gardens.

Outdoor enthusiasts can head to the Canal and White River State Park in downtown, where you can walk, jog or cycle the three mile Canal Walk loop, or visit Eagle Creek Park which boasts zip-lines, a golf course, several trails, a swimming beach and various water sports. You can embrace the cultural side of the city by visiting the amazing Indianapolis Museum of Art (which has a permanent collection of over 54,000 works by many famous artists), the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the Indianapolis Art Center and the G.R.T. Glass Design Studio.

Petrol-heads will probably head straight to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hall of Fame Museum - you can even treat yourself to a thrilling Indy Racing Experience on the track. Families can have hours of fun at the Indianapolis Zoo, and at Go Ape Treetop Adventures.

Galena, IL

Time seems to have stood still in Galena, whose huge 581 acre historic district seems little changed in 200 years. The Galena-Jo Daviess Country Historical Society leads a variety of events including Historic Home Tours and Galena Cemetery Walks and there are several historic homes open to the public including the Ulysses S. Grant Home, the Elihu B. Washburne House and the Old Market House, which now operates at the Galena Welcome Center. History buffs can also visit the Galena History Museum, the Old Blacksmith Shop (a working forge) and Dowling House which dates back to 1826 and once housed visiting fur traders.

For a change from historic sites you can head to the Casper Bluff Land and Water Reserve for great views and hiking/cycling trails. You could also take a stroll through the West Street Sculpture Park to see many installations by local artist John Martinson, and visit his on-site studio. You can also see some of his work in Linmar Gardens, together with several themed gardens, fountains and natural waterfalls. If all the walking has left you thirsty you can visit Galena Brewing Company or Galena Cellars Winery, and perhaps round off your busy day with a magic show at P.T. Murphy Magic Theatre.

In winter head to Chestnut Mountain Resort, a favorite skiing and snow-boarding destination.

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Springfield, IL

Springfield is the capital of the state of Illinois and welcomes visitors to a wealth of historic, cultural and outdoor activities. The city is most famous as the home of President Abraham Lincoln and you will find historic sites linked to the Lincoln family around every corner - you can start by visiting the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office and the Lincoln Tomb. If you are interested in historic architecture you can tourt the Clayville Historic Site (a stagecoach stop dating back to 1824), the Elijah Iles House, the Edwards Place Historic Home and the impressive State Capitol Building. Several guided tours are available or you can do things at your own pace on a self-guided tour.

Springfield also has a vibrant arts scene to explore - you can visit the Springfield Art Association and the Hoogland Center for the Arts to admire visual art, and enjoy the performing arts at the Springfield Theater Centre, the Legacy Theatre, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra or the Springfield Ballet Company.

Outdoor activities include hiking in the Adams Wildlife Sanctuary or at the Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center or boating of all descriptions at the Lake Springfield Marina. There are several local wineries you can visit and children will enjoy an outing to the Henson Robinson Zoo and have plenty of fun options at Knight's Action Park.

Ann Arbor, MI

Ann Arbor is an excellent weekend getaway destination, boasting great museums, vibrant culture and a great selection of outdoor activities. The city is home to the University of Michigan, one of the country's most prestigious public universities and many of the attractions can be found on the extensive university campus - student-led campus tours are available. A few of the excellent museums you can visit include the University Of Michigan Museum Of Natural History, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology.

You can enjoy the visual arts at the University Of Michigan Art Museum or listen to a wide range of musical genres at the University Of Michigan School Of Music. The Hill Auditorium, Michigan Theatre and the Kerrytown Concert Hall are all great entertainment venues featuring everything from Broadway musicals to opera and ballet.

If you would like to watch a game at the largest stadium in the United States you have come to the right place  Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 and plays host to a variety of sports. You can go sledding and ice skating in Buhr Park in winter or hiking, cycling, fishing, boating and bird watching at the Hudson Mills Metropark.

Families should not miss a visit to Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum for hours of interactive fun promoting literacy and science.

Driving Distances from Chicago

From Chicago, IL To Driving Time Lake Geneva, WI 1 hour and 30 minutes Galena, IL 2 hours 45 minutes Kohler, WI 2 hours and 20 minutes Chesterton, Indiana 1 hour Madison, WI 2 hours and 30 minutes Cedarburg, WI 2 hours Acme, MI 5 hours Bloomingdale, IL 40 minutes Preemption, IL 2 hours and 45 minutes Rockton, IL 1 hour 35 minutes Oak Park, IL 15 min Springfield, IL 3 hours Henry, IL 2 hours Mt. Vernon, IL 4 hours Henry, IL 2 hours Taylorville, IL 3 hours Paxton, IL 1 hour 45 minutes West Dundee, IL 50 minutes

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While most eyes in Billings have been on the proposed $120 million One Big Sky Center downtown, developers on the West End have been quietly working on a new convention center project that mirrors a piece of the downtown project  and may also require public money.

Inner Circle, which owns the Radisson Hotel at 5500 Midland Road, is putting together a plan to gut its 43,000-square-foot Montana Convention Center and build a new, $15 million to $20 million state-of-the-art facility to attract regional conferences and boost tourism to the Billings area.

The owners of Florida-based Inner Circle say theyre looking for a public-private partnership, which could include deeding the center to the city, Yellowstone County, or another public agency, then signing a management contract.

Theyve hired Billings firm Sanderson Stewart to design the plan, but havent made formal requests for funding.

Weve been kind of sitting back and waiting to see what happens with this (One Big Sky) convention center, Stephen Nalley, Inner Circles managing partner, said last week in a telephone interview from Appleton, Wis. Hes there working on a similar hotel and convention center project.

One Big Sky has generated the most buzz around town since developer Skip Ahern announced his plans in August to seek up to $30 million in public dollars to build a downtown convention center, twin skyscrapers, a parking garage, hotel and commercial office and apartment space.

The plan has support from the Downtown Business Alliance, the Billings Chamber of Commerce, and Big Sky Economic Development, who say it would boost downtown businesses and increase visitors to Billings.

Tax increment financing, often abbreviated TIF, is a way to finance the public costs associated with a private development project.

TIF allows local governments to use future property tax revenues to finance current infrastructure costs needed to attract development, which supporters of TIFs say spurs private investment. The Billings City Council has ultimate authority on all TIF spending.

Hoteliers on the other side of town question how much public money the project should receive in the form of tax increment financing, particularly when theyre improving their own convention centers with private money.

I am totally in favor of all new development and all new growth for the entire city of Billings, not just downtown I really wish thered be a little more emphasis put on the West End, and the Heights, said Jeff Muri, owner of the Red Lion Hotel and Convention Center at 1223 Mullowney Road, next to the Radisson.

The hotel, which rebranded from the Billings Hotel and Convention Center in July, plans to install walls in the 26,000-square-foot convention center to create more flexible meeting space and spend $65,000 for audio/visual upgrades.

In addition to upgrades in the rooms, the Red Lion is adding a new gourmet coffee shop in the lobby, which Muri said comes from increased competition from other hotels in Billings.

The Red Lion connects to the Radisson through a walking bridge in the parking lot, and Muri said his property benefits from spillover from conventions next door.

We have a really nice facility that needs work. That thing is a really nice convention space, he said.

Officials at Inner Circle say theyve already invested their own money, $7.85 million to acquire the property at auction in December, and are planning to spend more private money on the property.

Weve already got ground. Weve already got a site. Were willing to deed the ground or the site, said Mark Hall, a member of Inner Circles board of directors.

Inner Circle converted the brand from Holiday Inn Grand to Radisson in February.

Michael Sanderson, CEO of Sanderson Stewart, said the Radisson has its own advantages: easy access to Interstate 90, proximity to growing West End shopping at Shiloh Crossing center and other spots and easy access to other parts of town using shuttle service.

We actually think that this is an ideal location for a central type place, Sanderson said.

The 43,000-square-foot Montana Convention Center is the states largest stand-alone convention center and has hosted regional and national groups. It was built in 1985 as an add-on to the hotel, and according to tourism officials, sorely needs an upgrade to compete regionally.

Both the Radisson and Red Lion lie within the border of the South Billings Urban Renewal District, which administers tax-increment financing in the area. Steve Zeier, the TIF district administrator, said he hasnt received funding applications from either hotelier.

The district is planning to spend $700,000 next year on design work for a paving project on Midland Road in front of the Radisson, according to Zeier.

The $3.5 million project, expected to begin in 2018, would include new sidewalks, turn lanes and other improvements, Zeier said. It's part of the city's capital budget plan and did not come at the request of hoteliers, he added.

Tourism officials say a lack of convention center space has cost the Billings area gatherings that could generate out-of-state visitor dollars and boost the local economy.

Alex Tyson, director of Visit Billings, said she believes the demand for convention center space in Billings could justify two upgraded facilities.

One project doesnt mean we shouldnt do the other project. Were talking about two completely different scenarios, and two exciting opportunities for the community, she said.

Tourism officials have said they prefer a more central location downtown for a major center. Downtown offers easy, walkable access to bars, restaurants and the citys brewery district, which are desired amenities for most convention planners.

We have planners that want to bring their events (to Billings). We just dont have the space, Tyson said.

Nalley, the Inner Circle manager, questions whether Billings can support two large-scale convention center developments, nearly simultaneously. So how often is he monitoring the progress of One Big Sky?

Every day, he said.


The photo report entitled Sau con lu du (After a fierce flood) by Pham Bang from Lao Cai wins a gold medal.



The photo entitled Trong duong lo tuynel Tay Khe Sim, Cam Pha, Quang Ninh by Pham Hoai Nam wins a silver medal.



The photo entitled Chieu bong ve ban xa (Cinema coming to remote areas)

by Phan Xuan Nguyen from Gia Lai wins a gold medal.



The photo report entitled Selfie in Colour My Run 2016 by Kieu Anh Dung from Ho Chi Minh City wins a silver medal.





The photo report entitled Hoang tan Cua Dai (Devastated Cua Dai Beach) by Tat Son from Hanoi win a silver medal.



Chao me, con len duong nhap ngu (Bye Mom, I join the army) by Huynh My Thuan wins a bronze medal.



The photo report entitled Tay Nguyen mua han (the Central Highlands during droughts)

by Tien Thanh from KhanhHoa wins a bronze medal.





Than dong danh trong Trong Nhan (Trong Nhan  A talented drum instrumentalist)

by Nguyen Linh Vinh Quoc from Gia Lai wins a bronze medal.



The photo report entitled Thi cong cau Ghenh (Ghenh Bridge is under construction)

by Lo Van Hop from Dong Nai wins a bronze medal.





Giup dan sau lu (helping locals after the flood) by Nguyen Van Mien from Yen Bai win a bronze medal.



The photo report entitled Truong Sa nao nuc ngay hoi bau cu (Truong Sa on election day)

by Tran Le Lam from Da Nang wins a bronze medal.



Lam nha rong cua dan toc Ba Na in Kon Tum (Building a Rong house of the Ba Na ethnic group in Kon Tum)

by Pham Huy Dang from Kon Tum wins a consolation prize.



The photo report Dap tat vu chay cay xang Sang Man (Getting a fire at Sang Man Petrol Station

under control) by Nguyen Giang Nam-Vu Hoang Anh, wins a consolation prize.



Vinh quang ngay tro ve (Glorious day of returning) by Nguyen Quoc Khanh from Hanoi wins a consolation prize.



The photo report entitled Ngu dan Ky Nam dieu dung do su co moi truong bien

(Ky Nam locals lives are seriously affected by the sea  by Hoang An from Quang Binh wins a consolation prize.



Cong nghe sieu tham canh tom nha kin by Phan Thanh Cuong from Bac Lieu wins a consolation prize.



The photo report Dien gio xom chai by Tran Cong Dat from Hanoi wins a consolation prize.







The photo report entitled Lop day boi tren song (A class of teaching swimming in the river)

by Nguyen Duc Minh from Quang Ngai wins a consolation prize. Vu dieu Tram Chim (Dances in a bird sanctuary) by Nguyen Thanh Hung from Dong Thap wins a consolation prize.



Ky luc mua dan vu by Do Tung from Can Tho wins a consolation prize.
'Blood on the Marias: The Baker Massacre'

By Paul R. Wylie

America emerged from the Civil War poised for growth but soon found what many considered an inevitable westward expansion stymied and morally troubled by the indigenous people already in residence. It was up to battle-hardened veteran officers and a much-depleted post-war U.S. Army to find a way forward.

Unfortunately, this supervision led to unconscionable violence.

Paul R. Wylies comprehensive new history "Blood on the Marias: The Baker Massacre" explores the causes and subsequent cover-up of an 1870 mass murder of Blackfeet people in northern Montana, a woeful failure to bring order to the unbridled clamor of manifest destiny.

Wylie provides a retrospective of white-Blackfeet interactions, starting in the 18th century, that hardened into stereotypical characterizations, with whites believing in the unmitigated savagery of the Blackfeet while displaying quite a bit of their own. Through careful research, Wylie shows how the two cultures misunderstood each others motives, and how the American government, in response to its citizens demands, soon left the Blackfeet no options but reservation life.

Stemming from family feuding and local politics, exploitative traders and federal bureaucratic maneuvering, Lt. Gen. Phil Sheridans eventual decision to punish and intimidate resulted in a massacre of innocents that Wylie indicates was not accidental but rather one tragic end-point of a century of European/American expansion.

To be sure, President Ulysses Grant and his Seneca Commissioner of Indian Affairs Ely Parker preferred peace overtures to violent conflict. Though to contemporary ears their directives seem far from a pursuit of enlightened diplomacy with sovereign nations, the so-called peace policy they advocated sought to prevent outright bloody military interventions.

In contrast, at Sheridans urging, General William Sherman was eager to strike them (the Blackfeet) hard and quickly, his Civil War experience having proven the value of brutal retaliation for perceived wrongs. Hand-picked for the winter conflict by Sheridan himself, Eugene M. Baker, an alcoholic veteran of the bloody battles at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, precipitately attacked a smallpox-riddled encampment of people who, it turned out, were not even targeted enemies.

While readers might find the lengthy cast of characters  including Parker, Baker, Winfield Scott Hancock, Mountain Chief, Malcolm and Horace Clarke, Heavy Runner, and Regis de Trobriand  a bit overwhelming, each was an actor in the horrifying fate that befell unsuspecting families that January on the Marias River, and many participated in the ensuing cover-up. Wylie wisely sprinkles the book with photographs of the principal players, making it easier to remember each personality.

Despite its detailed and careful treatment, "Blood on the Marias" proceeds at a highly readable pace. The writing is clear, though often marred by typographical errors, and events are vividly rendered. Unfortunately, the Blackfeet experience is not emphasized, but, if considered as a companion to James Welchs Fools Crow  which Wylie acknowledges  this volume adequately explores the victims predicament from a broader, outside perspective. The massacre, as "Blood on the Marias" presents it, was the chilling result of both racism and conscious policy. When Baker ordered his men to kill women and children, many were proud to do so, using not only firearms but knives and axes as well.

The book is hard to read only because of the events it treats, and, given the current political climate, readers may be uncomfortable with todays echoes of yesterdays brutality. Still, Paul R. Wylies "Blood on the Marias: The Baker Massacre" is an important account that illuminates history and exposes the still-bleeding wounds of our shared heritage.
Israeli Doctor Rafi Kot recently came back from Kon Tum provinces Kon Plong district where he and his staff provided free medical checkups and offered consultations, vaccinations and medications to more than 8,000 inhabitants of different ethnic groups. Viet Nam has become his second home having lived here for 26 years.

Dr Kot, founder and general director of Family Medical Practice Vietnam shares with Vuong Bach Lien his views about his work and life.

Inner Sanctum: What made you come to Viet Nam 26 years ago and stay?

I wanted to do something useful with my training and knowledge. I come from a small country with one of the highest rates of doctors per capita. It seemed a waste to stay in a place with so much knowledge. I joined an NGO. Viet Nam wasnt a choice. I was supposed to go to Namibia, but a doctor on a mission to Viet Nam failed to return, so I was sent there. I arrived in Ninh Binh to run a primary health care project. There was so much to do that a six-month stint became 12, 12 became 24, and slowly I found myself with a budget and ability to run services to a province of one million people. Wow. Imagine the task. There was no way for me to leave it until it ran the way I thought it should. That has lasted 26 years, to date.

Inner Sanctum: You have organised so far three humanitarian medical camps in Viet Nam (Kon Tum in 2006, Quang Binh 2007 and again in Kon Tum in 2016). Where did you get the idea?

While working in Ninh Binh province (part of Ha Nam Ninh those days), I was visited by then-Prime Minister, Mr. Vo Van Kiet. I explained what I was doing. Ninh Binh was a small province with a main town in its center, so I suggested putting in place a satellite referral system. There was no need for district hospitals because of the towns proximity. My plan was to beef up the provincial hospital and link to it the commune clinics. There was no need to waste money on empty district hospitals.

A few weeks later I was called to Ha Noi to see the Prime Minister. He wanted a similar project in the Hoang Lien Son region. Vast . Remote. Ethnic diversity. A different model. Big challenge. I started with the ien Bien Phu area .Thats where my acquaintance with minorities began. I was very curious to understand their needs. Thats when I understood what "grass root level" could really mean.

I travelled a lot. The more I travelled, the more I got immersed in the question of how to meet the medical needs of remote groups.

Inner Sanctum: Why do you pay so much attention to Kon Tum?

Kon Tum appealed to me because it was so wild, primary and so remote from anything I knew. The forests of Kon Tum and the views were breathtaking. However, the minorities were poor, isolated and services were not accessible. I thought that something could be done. With the Fatherland Front and the Embassy of Israel I launched my first project. I planned it, knew the area well. I knew which villages were the neediest (I came in advance and met people, observed, asked), but I wasnt sure how it would work. Would the authorities accept us? Would minorities be willing to be treated by foreigners? Would we even be able to treat them and to what extent?

It was successful beyond my expectations. People just flocked to us, some walking for a whole day to receive medical attention. The authorities were delighted, too.

I had the impression that very few, if any, of the foreign or Vietnamese staff I employ (whom I call "the urban group") knew the country, its diversity, its objective obstacles and its challenges in terms of health care delivery.

When you work in Ha Noi, a Nang or Sai Gon, its like working in a laboratory. Viet Nam is not a lab. And my medical staff has to have a better orientation about where they work and the true medical obstacles this country faces. This has to be in the back of their minds as they work in my city clinics. Ask most expats which places they know in Viet Nam. I bet that 90% will name the same 5-10 places. Names such as Kon Tum, Quang Binh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh will never come up. So, besides the medical help we provided, that was a great way to introduce these places to our staff.

Inner Sanctum: What do you see as the biggest challenge in the Vietnamese healthcare system?

Lack of vision. Lack of professional staff. Doctors bedside manners also need improvement. These problems result in lack of trust by the public. Imagine, we have as much state-of-the-art medical equipment in Viet Nam as in Singapore or Thailand. Yet according to World Bank data, US$4 billion are spent annually by people living in Viet Nam who seek healthcare in other countries. Why, I ask. Not lack of equipment, not lack of hospitals. Lack of public trust in the system.

The fixation on building hospitals instead of empowering very well equipped polyclinics by expanding their mandate of allowed procedures is probably the biggest obstacle.

The perception that the more hospitals we have, the more beds we get, the better off we are is wrong. Who will staff them? How thin do we want to spread the little resources we have? Should foreign physicians work in Viet Nam until Viet Nam qualifies sufficient graduates? This remains to be seen.

Dont forget that Viet Nam is among only six countries in the world completely prohibiting the use of refurbished medical equipment. Only new and costly is allowed. Outrageously costly. Who gains? The doctors? The patients? Of course not. No OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) country or any other 150 countries have such a law. Are we really so rich?

The ministry of health also does not encourage cost-saving day surgery, unlike most countries. The list is long.

But I guess vision is what is needed urgently to try and change course. I think the entire system should be revolutionised rather than evolutionised. In the 1990s we could evolutionise it. Now we have to run. Can we? Personally, I think that we have to embark on a completely different setup if we want to meet the demands of the population in the next few years. A setup fit for a modernised country on its way up.

Inner Sanctum: Are you familiar with Vietnamese culture? Do you miss Israel, your home country?

Ive been here almost half of my life. I would say I miss my parents very much, but in a way, my heart is currently here. I have a 96-year-old dad and 93-year-old mom. My dad uses a computer. Hes opinionated, politically active and attentive. Its interesting to see how "old world" is perceived today. I miss friends back home, but since the world is a small village today, I have the joy of hosting many of them here. VNS
By Nguyen Huong

Teacher Minh had a fever.

The first day his voice cracked, but he still was able to teach.

The second day, he had to stop and clear his throat occasionally. The third day, he was coughing badly.

Are you ill, teacher? his students asked him.

No, its nothing, teacher Minh replied.

The fourth day, he could not teach, he gave his students work to do in their books. He laid his head down on the desk; sweat covering his hair and face.

He was hospitalised that afternoon.

As Minh was the only teacher in school who could read and write Braille, the visually-impaired students were unable to study. The schools accountant Ha was asked by the headmistress to read a test to the class. But when the students handed in their tests, the teachers clearly hadnt understood. The headmistress declared:

I will double the salary for anyone who learns Braille

Ha eloquently replied:

Ill cook soup and bring it to Minh so he will teach me Braille soon. Im fed up being an accountant.

After eating Has soup, teacher Minh recovered quickly. He asked:

Do you really want to learn Braille, Ha?

Ha smiled.

One day, a donor presented visually-impaired students ten computers and a printer. Teacher Minh spent weeks learning the software for the students. Soon, the students started to use the computers. At first they fumbled about the keyboard. Teacher Minh guided each student how to handle the keyboard with great patience.

Ha passed by the class and teased teacher Minh:

Oh, my God! Is there a nest of woodpeckers in here?

Later, the students kept quiet until they heard the teachers steps on the veranda, then they all started playing with the keyboards just to see what would happen. When teacher Minh got into the class, all the computers had broken.

Why have you done this? All the computers have broken! Teacher Minh shouted angrily.

Out of the blue, one of the computers played a love song saying: Oh, my God, how can I find the right words to say that I love her.

The whole class broke out into laughter. Teacher Minh tried to contain himself from laughing. He only smiled. After all, there were students older than eighteen in the class.

A few days later, teacher Minh phoned the computer company to come and fix the computers. He decided to take a computer course so that he could fix technical problems for the class. He found that the students were still clumsy handling the keyboard. So he said:

If any of you can type a whole page with only one or two errors, I will give you a prize!

What prize, teacher? the students asked.

Anything you like! Teacher Minh smiled.

What about green bean compote?

**********

The students typed their tests on the keyboard and printed them out. Everybody could read and mark the tests using the answer sheet. Teacher Minh felt more comfortable and if he needed to, he could take more time off sick.

The students were taught up to fifth grade in teacher Minhs class before entering the sixth grade in a boarding school school, which was unable to teach them.

As he taught the visually-impaired students for five years, teacher Minh became their tutor at the boarding school to help them up with the other students. When they came back to the boarding house after school, teacher Minh helped them get a better grip of their lessons.

He taught them everything but English, which he couldnt teach. Consequently, the visually-impaired students got bad marks in English. When the first term ended, they brought home their results and asked teacher Minh to read the results to them. All the remarks were: Good result, good learning spirit, except in English.

When Ms Ha went past the class, the students asked her to explain why the remarks were so short. She was about to answer when teacher Minh showed her the English results and the remark: Poor result.

Do you want to learn English so that you can help them? Ms Ha asked him.

I did go to an English centre, but I could not learn it, Teacher Minh said.

After eight years of studying hard, many of the visually-impaired students still ended up dropping out of school and went to sell lottery tickets or did odd jobs to make a living.

Teacher Minh had done his utmost to help them carry on their education. One day they asked:

Teacher, what have we studied for?

It was not an easy question to answer. Even teacher Minh could not see the point of all their efforts. He turned to Ms Ha:

Do you think we should go on struggling down this path?

Ms Ha hesitated. Working in the office was much more comfortable than teaching, especially this class. She had a certificate for English from when she was a student. But she had dropped it a long time ago and forgotten a lot.

***

Day in and day out, she felt sorry for the students and for teacher Minh. She tossed and turned many nights, thinking about teacher Minh who had devoted all his energy and efforts to these students, and now only because of their poor performance in English, they were not considered intelligent.

One day, out of the blue, the headmistress came to class and announced that volunteer students would teach English twice a week. The students suddenly became boisterous and excited. The volunteer students even wanted to help teach the visually-impaired students other subjects. This would allow teacher Minh to relax a bit.

But when the exam season came, all the volunteers left. So, teacher Minh had to become the tutor again. There were more and more drops-out. As a result, there were now only five sixth graders, four seventh graders and two eighth graders left in the class. Teacher Minh made up his mind not to let any more drop-out. However, when he taught the eighth graders chemistry he couldnt explain how some acid turns from purple to red. He was in great despair. Right then, Ms Ha came and said:

Let me help you teach them English.

Teacher Minh was greatly moved.

Ms Ha blushed, saying:

Im only doing it for the students!.

Translated by Manh Chuong
Editor's note: Noss' visit was canceled on Oct. 5.

When a group of Virginia Tech graduate students were nominating potential guest speakers, the choice was unanimous.

The students in the Interfaces of Global Change (IGC) Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program decided on Reed Noss, a leading researcher in conservation biology and the natural sciences, for a special visit to campus next week.

During his visit, he will give a lecture on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the New Classroom Building, Room 160, entitled Forgotten Grasslands of the South: Ecological History and Future.

His talk will review the history and biogeography of grassland ecosystems, including savannas, glades, and barrens, of the southeastern United States. He also plans to discuss factors that have favored the development and maintenance of these ecosystems, their global significance, and their future prospects in light of land use and climate change.

Noss' lecture is part of the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior seminar series, which runs Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. and is sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science. All lectures in the seminar series are open to the university community.

Noss is a naturalist, ecologist, and conservation biologist who has worked in academia and in consulting. Currently, he is a Provosts Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Central Florida, where he directs the Science and Planning in Conservation Ecology (SPICE) Laboratory. He also serves as president of the Florida Institute of Conservation Science as chief scientist at Conservation Science Inc. and as an international consultant in areas related to conservation biology and ecology.

Noss has more than 300 publications, including eight books, and has been highly cited throughout his career. His most recent book, Forgotten Grasslands of the South: Natural History and Conservation, was published in 2013 by Island Press, and he is currently working on a new book, Evolutionary Ecology of Fire in Florida and the Southeastern Coastal Plain, due out in 2017.



In addition, Noss served as editor-in-chief of Conservation Biology from 1993 to 1997, as president of the Society for Conservation Biology from 1999 to 2001, and as president of the North American Section of the Society from 2006 to 2008. In 2001, he became an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has served on various boards and advisory panels, including as vice-chair of the Adaptation for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources Advisory Committee as part of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program from 2007 to 2009.

His current and recent research has focused on the vulnerability of species and ecosystems to sea-level rise, climate adaptation strategies, disturbance ecology, road ecology, and ecosystem conservation and restoration.

I admire Dr. Noss for contributing his insights from ecological research to conversations on how we can conserve communities and adjust land-management strategies to deal with rapidly changing climates and habitats, said Zach Martin, an Interfaces of Global Change doctoral fellow who studies fish and wildlife conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. Martin, along with other members of the Interfaces of Global Change Graduate Student Association, will serve as the host for Noss during his campus visit.

In addition to the university lecture, Noss will meet with the 32 students in the graduate program who have spent hours discussing the role of advocacy in conservation science.

For Noss, effective advocacy is rooted in scientists recognizing their own biases and subjectivities in relation to objective science. In a 2007 article published in Conservation Biology, he argues, [a] conservation biologist can be an objective scientist and an advocate for the diversity of life and other normative values at the same time, with no contradiction. We have a responsibility to be both. This idea, and this article, has served as a vital starting point for the students in their conversations about the role of conservation science in public policy.

One thing I have taken away from the IGC program is that we have chance to make a choice in whether or not we want to engage in policy advocacy, said Maya Wilson, a doctoral fellow in the Interfaces of Global Change Program and student of biological sciences in the College of Science.

This choice can influence our career track, what we decide to study, and how we conduct ourselves within various communities. For example, I study the ecology of the Bahama swallow, an endangered bird species in the Bahamas. As someone who cares about the species and its habitat, I hope that my work will influence policy in a way that will benefit them. Does my role in the development of this policy stop with being the scientist that provides information? Should I be an advocate for what I think is the best policy? Im looking forward to having these discussions with Dr. Noss, Wilson said.

Reed is a great resource for us because he played an important role as one of the founders of conservation biology in the 1980s and because hes a strong advocate in the field, said Jeff Walters, the Harold Bailey Professor of Biological Sciences in the College of Science and director of the IGC graduate program.

One of the goals of our program is that students understand that policy should be based on the best available science as part of the decision-making process in policymaking. How people get scientific information in order to make these decisions is something we talk a lot about in our graduate programs seminar, Walters said.

Chartered in 2015, the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech houses the Interfaces of Global Change graduate program and each year sponsors several visiting speakers for the seminar series, one of whom is nominated by the students.

For more information on the event, email Gloria Schoenholtz, Global Change Center coordinator.

Written by Cassandra Hockman.


Coalition further demands government come clean on ISIS families The Coalition has again accused the Albanese Government of not being upfront about the secret return of four ISIS brides and their children over the weekend.

Andrews couldnt run a hotel quarantine program  let alone an energy network The Victorian leader is going to take another $1 billion from the taxpayer to bring electricity generation under state control  a bizarre and disastrous decision that will only lead to higher energy prices.

Albaneses lead over Dutton as preferred PM narrows The Coalition has clawed back ground from Labor while Anthony Albaneses lead over Peter Dutton as preferred prime minister has narrowed.

American B-52 bombers deployed in Australia for training 00:46 Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell says government sources told him B-52 bombers are being deployed by the US in the Northern Territory...
In the early 1900s at the invitation of the U.S. government, a wave of tenacious Russian immigrants began settling on lands abandoned by homesteaders across the West.

Those immigrants, different strains of crested wheatgrass, were planted to preserve soils and provide food for livestock on more than 26 million acres.

Motivated to create better habitat for greater sage grouse, over the last couple of years in northeastern Montana the Bureau of Land Management has become one of the latest groups to experiment with removing crested wheatgrass and restoring native species.

Im really happy with what were seeing out there, said Abel Guevara, a BLM wildlife biologist who in worked in Glasgow but just recently transferred to Cody, Wyo.

Most of these projects are within pronghorn and mule deer winter range. A sharptail lek even popped up. There were 20 birds there.

History

Crested wheatgrass was introduced across the West by the Department of Agriculture around 1906, with the big plantings in Montana occurring in the 1930s as homesteaders abandoned their lands in the Great Depression. The plant is a native bunchgrass from Russia and Siberia, where it became well adapted to the similarly dry, cold climate of North Americas prairies.

The bunchgrass is valued because it grows quickly and protects soil from erosion, which is why it has been used in restoration work. The grass can be grazed in the spring and fall, but is unpalatable to livestock in the summer. Its also so productive and protective of its space that it often creates a monoculture, blocking natives from re-establishing.

Crested wheatgrass may be the most useful and controversial grass currently used in rangeland seedings, according to a paper published by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

The Alberta Fish and Game noted in its publication on the grass that, Crested wheatgrass is an extremely competitive grass species that has the ability to out compete many of our native grass species, and as such is threatening the biodiversity of our prairie ecosystem.

According to the Forest Service, crested wheatgrass has been planted from Alaska south to California, throughout western Canada, east in the United States to Ohio, and south to Texas.

Its persisted now for 80 years, said Pat Gunderson, field manager for the BLMs Glasgow office. Its essentially a monoculture that never really gets grazed off. It provides minimal wildlife and livestock benefits unless its grazed in the spring.

Testing

To improve habitat for sage grouse, in spring 2014 Guevara oversaw a prescribed burn on the 375-acre Tomato Can Unit as a test project.

It was then sprayed with herbicide once the crested wheatgrass was partially grown and sprayed a second time the following spring, according to Jonathan Moor, a BLM information officer. The area was seeded with a native grass mixture using a no-till method during the fall of 2015, he added. Once seeded, project units are rested from grazing for two years to allow newly seeded native plants to grow.

Similar projects have been tried and tried everywhere, Gunderson said, with limited success. Its not inexpensive, either, at a projected cost of about $100 an acre.

But if you look at it over the course of 30 years, if we can change the dynamics on the landscape, its cheaper than CRP, he said.

The Conservation Reserve Program pays ranchers and farmers to idle a portion of their land to create wildlife habitat in return for a cash payment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CRP has been widely hailed by conservation groups as key to sustaining and creating habitat for a variety of wildlife species, everything from waterfowl and pheasant to big game like deer.

Like CRP, the work on BLM lands still requires the cooperation of ranchers who have permits to graze on the federal lands. So far a few have stepped forward to help get the test project off the ground. Word of success could spread the treatments to other lands.

Moving on

Given the success of its first project the Glasgow BLM office has decided to expand the experiment to other lands. The 600-acre Mooney Coulee and 430-acre North Tomato Can Units will be seeded with a native grass mixture this fall. The areas were treated with prescribed fire and herbicide in 2015, according to Moor. A second herbicide treatment was applied this past spring. By the end of 2017 a total of 2,000 acres will have been converted from crested wheatgrass to native grasses, he said.

Guevara said the 2,000 acres is just a fraction of the regions total crested wheatgrass lands which amount to more than 40,000 acres. But he sees it as a step in the right direction.

What we want to do is restore the habitat, he said.
WATERLOO  Scott Martinson wasnt sure what to expect when his family business started the South Port industrial park in 2009.

Martinson Construction had moved from Waterloo Road in Cedar Falls to its current site on Airline Highway in 1993 because it needed room to grow.

We soon realized what a great location it was, Martinson said. Its as good of a hub as you can get between Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Waverly and so on.

That location, south of the Waterloo Regional Airport with easy access to U.S. Highway 218, has helped turn South Port into one of Waterloos hottest industrial development sites.

More than 162,000 square feet of new industrial space valued at more than $7 million has been built on the land behind Martinson Construction over the past six years, filling all but two lots in the 23 acres originally platted.

Glenn Behrends, owner of Plumb Tech, has picked up the torch to plat another phase of South Port immediately west of the original development. Seven lots along a newly built Geraldine Road are now ready for prospects.

Ive had quite a few people that have called and are looking at the sizes of the lots and what will work for them, Behrends said. There are three or four lots that adjoin the highway and will have good (sight) exposure from the highway.

The lots range from one to two acres in size, but could be combined for a larger project. The area with easy highway access is well suited for light industrial businesses, he said.

Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson called South Port a very fast-growing area that helps to foster private and public investment for economic development.

Laforge Industries was the first tenant in the park in a $1.6 million building. The farm equipment manufacturer was looking to relocate after its Cedar Falls site was damaged in the 2008 floods.

Anderson said the Laforge project led the city to partner with Martinson on the overall park, securing grants from the Department of Transportations Revitalize Iowas Sound Economy program to help build Geraldine Road, which is now a full loop south of Airline Highway.

We believe the site is attractive due to the industrial atmosphere of the area and convenient access and visibility from the Highway 218 corridor, Anderson said. It also has easy access to the entire urban area as being somewhat centrally located between the larger communities.

Other businesses locating in South Port include Koelker Excavating Inc., Kinzler Construction Services, Supply Chain Services International and a 50,000-square-foot spec building expected to be constructed in three months by developer Brent Dahlstrom and real estate agent Jim Sulentic.

The newest resident of South Port  and the first project in the west phase  is Johnstone Supply, which moved in March from its longtime downtown location into a new 30,000-square-foot warehouse on Geraldine Road.

This new facility gives us the space necessary to expand product lines and carry a larger inventory, said Johnstone Supply owner Leslie Reese.

The location also gives local heating and air-conditioning dealers more timely access to the companys large inventory of HVAC parts.

The location is great because it is right off Airline Highway and is quickly accessible by the interstate from both Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Reese said.

This allows our customers to pick up parts and equipment and get back to the job site quickly, which is important to them, Reese added. It also allows us to provide prompt delivery service to our customers throughout the Cedar Valley.

Anderson said the growth in South Port is part of new interest from developers around the airport.

Criterion is renovating the former Control-O-Fax building on the north side of Airline Highway, across from South Port, which will allow Accurate Gear to expand into the current Criterion site on Burton Avenue.

PDCM Insurance has also moved from its longtime University Avenue location to the former United Healthcare call center at Airline Highway and Airport Boulevard.

The city also is preparing to plat six new industrial lots along Wagner Road near the airport and is working to release another 15 to 20 acres of airport land there for development.

Anderson hopes the multiple sites build synergy for more construction.

We are ready for more projects, he said.
ABBY BOUSKA and ANGELA ORR are joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa as a result of funding received from the Iowa Attorney Generals Crime Victim Assistance Division, Victim Support Services. Bouska will serve as the program manager of Fayette and Buchanan counties. Originally from Oelwein, Bouska graduated from Loras College with a bachelors degree in public relations. She previously directed two Iowa child-care centers. Orr will serve as a match support specialist for Black Hawk County. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2002 with a bachelors degree in social work. She has experience working with disabled individuals, family support, elderly and youths.

MICHAEL BROSHAR, FAIA, has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter with the 2016 Medal of Honor Award during their recent Award Celebration. Broshar is the managing partner at Invision Architecture. The award is the highest an AIA Iowa member can receive. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a masters degree in architecture from Rice University in Houston.

ADAM KUNZLER has joined Far Reach in Cedar Falls as a developer. He previously was a programmer at Cambridge Investment Research in Fairfield. Kunzler is a graduate of ITT Technical Institute with an associates degree in software applications programming and has more than nine years of development experience.

KIM JOHNSON has joined Amperage Marketing and Fundraising as a digital media strategist, specializing in digital placements. She previously was a SEM campaign coordinator at Hibu in Cedar Rapids and also has had a variety of marketing roles including production artist for online ads and conversion pages, news reporter and television news producer. Johnson graduated with a bachelors degree in communication and media studies, focusing on electronic media and broadcasting, from the University of Northern Iowa.

SABRINA THODE has accepted the position of administrative assistant to the pastor of multi-site ministries at Prairie Lakes Church. Thode previously was the administrator to the churchs Cedar Falls campus pastor.

LAURA BOWDEN and LYNN BROWN have accepted positions at Prairie Lakes Church Cedar Falls campus. Bowden is the administrative assistant to the Cedar Falls campus pastor. She also serves as administrative assistant to the Cedar Falls campus facilities director. Brown is the First Impressions coordinator and will also deploy chaplains for the campus.

Four new associates have joined VGM Group Inc. SAMANTHA BIERSNER joins Strategic Imaging as a customer service representative. Biersner previously was with QB Studios and is a University of Northern Iowa graduate. NICK CLEVELAND joins Forbin as an account executive. Cleveland comes to VGM from Target Distribution and is a University of Dubuque graduate. MELANIE TOURNIER joins VGMs Apparel and Promotions division as a sales associate. JERRET FLATER comes to Fulfillment from Martin Brothers Inc. and is a student at Hawkeye Community College.
CEDAR FALLS  University of Northern Iowas student leaders started to follow through on a campaign promise after they were sworn in last spring.

It will culminate in a You Matter at UNI mental health awareness week this month.

This is something the campus needs, said Hunter Flesch, UNI student body president. I think students will really buy into it, and you dont have to come to the events, but at least know with the awareness factor that, yes, this is a place at UNI where you are important. You matter. Your mental health is important. Your health is important.

The mental health awareness week will be held from Oct. 24-28 at various locations on the UNI campus.

Mental health has been a topic of growing importance among students at UNI since last year, when at least two students died by suicide. Students and administrators alike have been raising awareness about the needs that exist but also about the services and organizations on campus.

Flesch, a junior studying to be a teacher, and running mate Avery Johnson made a mental health awareness week a part of their platform because of the interest from their fellow students.

When we were running, this was the number one thing that students talked about, Flesch said. So, students are very aware of mental health on campus right now.

Shelley OConnell, director of the UNI Student Health Clinic, worked with the students on specifics of the week, but the clinic  and its counseling and wellness centers  also will have staff available during the week should any student find themselves in need of services.

We were so excited to see something that just came out of an organically grown idea, and the commitment from the students has just been overwhelming, and we wanted to be a part of that for them, OConnell said.

OConnell said the counseling center and the clinics psychiatric services have both seen a marked increase in students utilizing the services, due in part to increased awareness among students.

The clinic is also paying for T-shirts to further raise awareness on campus and support future awareness events.

Sunny Teeling, a graduate student at UNI who is involved in the mental health-focused student group Active Minds, also has been helping plan the event. She sees it as a benefit not just to students on campus but the entire community.

Teeling, who is studying to be a clinical mental health counselor, said increased awareness will help students make change in their communities after they graduate by being catalysts to change the conversation and decrease the stigma.

Often mental health is shrouded in secrecy and covered in stigmas, so we dont get the chance to have open, honest discussions about it, Teeling said. This leaves many populations, college students included, vulnerable to a lack of knowledge, of resources, and understanding of what they are experiencing or what their friends might be experiencing.

Both Flesch and OConnell touted as an important event during the week a friend-to-friend training that will help students to identify anxiety or depression symptoms they or their friends may be having, and how to talk about them in a way thats helpful.

They also hope the students will get more involved in mental health awareness groups on campus that include Active Minds and To Write Love on Her Arms.

The more students we can get involved with these types of issues, the more likely this week will happen, the more likely mental health will improve on campus, said Flesch, who plans to make You Matter at UNI an annual event.

The events of the week include:

Monday will be a kick-off day, and students can go to the Campanile plaza to write a message of support or in memory of someone lost to suicide.

Tuesday will include the friend-to-friend training, where counselors will talk to students about signs and symptoms of mental health disorders.

Wednesday will feature speaker Kevin Hansen, a local author whose book series Secret Regrets helps people work through their anxieties.

Thursday will be a de-stress day for students, and will include a focus on the Throwing Light  rather than throwing shade  social media campaign.

Friday will wrap up the events of the week by urging students to reach out and talk to the counseling center or their friends, if they are struggling.
WATERLOO -- Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, will kick off a tour in support of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton starting in Waterloo on Monday night.

Richards will host a "make history" reception at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Jameson's Public House, 310 E. Fourth St., in Waterloo.

She will hold seven stops following her Monday stop in Waterloo on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Richards will highlight Hillary Clintons and Tim Kaines record of fighting to expand opportunities for women and girls and how they will be a leader in prioritizing and defending womens health and reproductive rights.
WASHINGTON  The remains of a courageous Navy chaplain who helped shipmates escape from the stricken battleship USS Oklahoma after it was torpedoed at Pearl Harbor have been identified almost 75 years after he perished in the attack.

The bones of Lt. j.g. Aloysius H. Schmitt, a Catholic priest from St. Lucas, Iowa, were identified by experts with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency as part of a project to put names with the remains of those who died on the ship Dec. 7, 1941.

Father Schmitts corroded chalice, with a cross etched in its base, and his waterlogged Latin prayer book were recovered from the wreckage months after the attack.

But his body and the bodies of most of the sailors and Marines recovered were too jumbled and decomposed to be identified at the time.

The Oklahomas loss of life at Pearl Harbor  a total of 429 sailors and Marines  was second only to the 1,100 lost on the USS Arizona, which remains a hallowed historic site. The Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into World War II.

Father Schmitt, one of 10 children in a rural farm family, will be buried next Saturday at Loras College in Dubuque, the college said. He graduated from Loras, then called Columbia College, in 1932.

He will be laid to rest inside Christ the King chapel, which was built after the war as a memorial to him. (Then-Chief of Naval Operations and war hero Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz attended the chapels dedication in 1947.)

Just amazing, Steve Sloan of Dubuque, a great-nephew of Father Schmitts, said Monday. December 7th itll be 75years. Its been a long time.

The interest in his story, and the interest in the whole event, is far bigger than I ever anticipated, Sloan said in a telephone interview. The calls were getting, the people who are talking about it.

Father Schmitt, 32, had just said Mass that Sunday morning when the Oklahoma was hit by at least nine Japanese torpedoes and grazed by several bombs, according to reports in the National Archives.

The battleship, which had a complement of about 1,300, quickly rolled over in 50 feet of water, trapping hundreds of men below decks.

Thirty-two were saved by rescue crews who heard them banging for help, cut into the hull and made their way through a maze of darkened, flooded compartments to reach them.

Others managed to escape by swimming underwater to find their way out. Some trapped sailors tried to stem the rushing water with rags and even the board from a game. One distraught man tried to drown himself.

A few managed to escape through portholes  saved by brave comrades such as Father Schmitt, who is said to have helped as many as 12 sailors get out of a small compartment.

He was posthumously given the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism.

The medal citation states that after helping several shipmates to safety, he got stuck in the porthole as other sailors tried to pull him through.

Realizing that other men had come into the compartment looking for a way out, Chaplain Schmitt insisted that he be pushed back into the ship so that they might escape, the citation says.

Calmly urging them on with a pronouncement of his blessing, he remained behind while they crawled out to safety, it says.

Most of the dead were found in the wreckage during the months-long salvage operation, especially after the Oklahoma was righted in 1943, according to the Arlington, Va.-based DPAA. They were eventually buried as unknowns in a cemetery in Hawaii.

Last year, the Pentagon exhumed the remains of what are believed to be 388 of them. Sixty-one rusty caskets were retrieved from 45 graves. Numerous caskets contained the remains of several individuals.

And with the help of enhanced technology and techniques, experts have been gradually making identifications. More than a dozen have been made since the project began. The remains are being studied at special labs in Hawaii and Omaha.

Father Schmitt was identified with the help of DNA retrieved from a skull bone and matched with that of a relative, the DPAA said.

Word of his identification first came from the college and news outlets in Dubuque this month. The DPAA said it planned to make the official announcement Friday.

The priests chalice and prayer book are at Loras College. When the book was found in the ship, it was still marked with a page ribbon for Dec. 8 readings.
WATERLOO  Craig White didnt want to see much time elapse between vigils for veterans of Vietnam from Black Hawk County.

For the second straight year, people gathered Friday at the Vietnam veterans memorial at Paramount Park in downtown Waterloo to honor the 45 people from Black Hawk County who lost their lives in the conflict. Before last years vigil, about 15 years had passed since the previous one.

We decided it was way past time to start this back up, Craig told a crowd of about 30 people assembled at the park.

Every hour on the hour for 45 hours, a candle will be lit to honor each of those who lost their lives in service to their country.

Veterans of the conflict reviewed the names engraved on the memorial marker. The list includes two who are still listed as missing in action.

Dan Redding of Waterloo, who served as a U.S. Army combat engineer, looked over the names, noting each one that was familiar.

I went to school with him, Redding said. I didnt know him real well.

He stopped at Craig Rogers name.

I knew him well, Redding said.

White said its a common reaction from veterans.

Its a small town, White said. Most of us were in the same class together.

Even if the name wasnt familiar, Redding said the person was his brother.

Theyre 19, 20 year-old guys who never got to live life, he said.

White said it was important to honor people who were called upon or volunteered to serve.

Im sure if it had been us on the wall, they would have done the same thing for us, he said.

Candles were lined up on the memorial ready to be lit by volunteers during the vigil. The missing man table remained in the park after the opening ceremony.

A color guard made up of Air Force JROTC cadets from Waterloo West High School and Army JROTC cadets from Waterloo East High School presented the colors.

Nearby, 22 American flags represented the average number of veterans who the Veterans Administration in 2012 estimated commit suicide on average per day.

White said he doesnt plan to let 15 years elapse before the next vigil.

Were going to keep doing this, he said.
The events of the past couple of weeks once again have shined a spotlight on the value of video recordings in law enforcement.

Police cameras recorded two tragic incidents in which men were shot to death by police officers during what started as routine encounters. One shooting was in Tulsa, Okla., where an SUV had broken down. One was in Charlotte, N.C., where a man was waiting in his pickup truck for his wife to come out of their apartment.

Videos of the incidents were released last week for public viewing, discussion and evaluation  three days after Terence Crutcher died in Tulsa, and four days after Keith Scott died in Charlotte.

The videos are not easy to watch. No one wants to see a human life end in a puddle of blood on a road or parking lot. But the recordings gave the public the opportunity to see and judge for themselves how law officers handled each case when faced with high-stress decisions in which some officers believed their own safety was in jeopardy.

The openness in the way police chiefs reacted to demands for access to the video recordings  in Tulsa, willingly, and in Charlotte, grudgingly  stands in sharp contrast with the position taken by two of Iowas top law enforcement officials.

Attorney General Tom Miller and Roxann Ryan, commissioner of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, have opted for secrecy over openness in far too many instances. Iowans should be troubled by their view dashboard camera videos and body camera videos can be forever sealed from public inspection.

Keeping the public in the dark when law officers actions are questioned only serves to undermine public trust. Peoples faith in law enforcement agencies depends in large measure on openness, not secrecy, and transparency is the best way to put distrust of police to rest.

Thats a lesson Miller and Ryan seem to forget. Its certainly a lesson Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel learned the hard way.

The Chicago Police Department stonewalled for 13 months after Laquan McDonald, 17, was shot to death two years ago. The department refused for months to release dash camera video of the incident.

Multiple officers said the teen was threatening police with a knife. But when the video finally was made public, it showed McDonald was walking away from the officers when he was shot in the back. The teen fell to the ground, but the officer fired a dozen more bullets into McDonald.

Nothing in Iowas public records law prevents body camera or dash camera video from being made public. But Miller and Ryan take the position those recordings and most other investigative materials will be kept confidential except for the immediate facts and circumstances in a crime or incident.

A couple of cases illustrate the folly of their policy.

In January 2015, Burlington police Officer Jesse Hill went to a home in response to a report of a domestic dispute between Gabriel and Autumn Steele. When the family dog began growling and moved toward Hill, he slipped on the snowy ground as he drew his gun and fired two shots.

One bullet struck Autumn Steele in the chest, killing her. No charges were filed against Hill.

Officials released 12 seconds of video recorded by police cameras, but the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has steadfastly refused to release the entire body camera video  in spite of requests from Steeles distraught family and the Burlington Hawk Eye newspaper.

In June 2015, Shane Arre of Merrill was arrested by Plymouth County sheriffs deputies and an Iowa State Patrol trooper following a high-speed chase. Arre suffered a visible injury from a rifle carried by Trooper Jeremy Probasco, according to reports, although no shots were fired.

The State Patrol has refused to make public a dash camera recording of the incident. Arre still has not come to trial, and Ryan, the public safety commissioner, said the video will not be released to preserve Arres right to a fair trial.

Arre is unlikely to ever come to trial, however, because hes facing more serious drug charges in federal court. If the video is not used in a trial on the pursuit charges, Ryan said it will become part of Probascos confidential personnel file.

So what you have in these two Iowa cases is the states use of secrecy to protect the Burlington police officer from having his actions scrutinized by the public and to protect the State Patrol from public scrutiny and embarrassment over a troopers apparent unprofessional behavior.

Miller and Ryan are trying to insulate government employees, and government agencies, from public accountability. By keeping Iowans in the dark in the Burlington and Plymouth County cases, theres one conclusion to be drawn:

Miller and Ryan believe it is more important to protect the Burlington Police Department and Iowa State Patrol from unflattering attention than it is to let the public see the videos and evaluate the actions of officers who work for the people of Iowa.

And thats the wrong attitude.
This House of Books opened in downtown Billings at 10 a.m. Saturday.

At 9 a.m., workers in the new co-op bookstore at 224 N. Broadway, were installing the front counter and setting up tables, said Gary Robson, general manager & CEO.

Its been hectic trying to get everything done in time for the soft opening, he said. But we really wanted to make sure that we were open for a week and going before the High Plains BookFest hits.

The bookshop will host five events for the annual book fest, which holds author talks at several venues in the downtown area. Some merchandise didnt arrive in time for the opening, and the tea bar is still awaiting permits before tea can be brewed on the premises.

But the bottom line is were open, weve got stock on the shelves and weve got everything functioning, Robson said. So were here, and weve got customers.

The bookstore picked a perfect day to open, with a large crowd enjoying the last Yellowstone Valley Farmers Market downtown. An hour after the store opened, the shop bustled with customers.

Some browsed the many books or tea paraphernalia, while others looked over the selection of toys, games, stuffed animals and even socks. Workers offered customers tours of the store, while others rang up sales.

Diane Fisher, of Shepherd, said shed been watching the stores progress online.

I like the idea of an independent bookstore, Fisher said. Im a huge reader.

Shes also a fan of the stores location, the design of the interior and the variety of books.

Fisher had been planning to buy some books online, but waited instead for the stores opening. She also wanted to support the co-ops efforts in another way.

I decided Im going to buy a share today because I want to support a local endeavor, Fisher said.

Shes not the only one, Robson said.

What really warms my heart is weve already had five people this morning walk in and say how can I be a part of this, how can I buy a share?  he said. Being a community-owned bookstore under a co-op model means that anybody can own shares, and we have over 20 authors that are part of this so far.

Investors can buy common shares of stock for $100 and preferred shares for $500. Both come with their own benefits.

The co-op model isnt just a place to sell books, Robson said.

Its about building a culture and a literary community in downtown Billings, and building a center for that, he said. And thats why for me the most important thing about this whole business is the partnerships.

That means working with the Public Library, Barjons Books downtown and Velvet Cravings, the cupcake shop across the street, Robson said. Thats also why it will host authors events during the book fest.

Since This House of Books is the only general bookstore downtown, Robson said, it offers best-sellers and general books people might look for. But it specializes in local and western books, including Montana authors, Montana stories and Montana settings, and will host periodic book signings.

We also have a focus on nature and science, especially in our childrens area, he said. The childrens area is a big part of the store and we try to have as much on animals and nature as we can because this is an amazing place we live.

Starting the third Thursday of October, the bookstore will also offer a weekly game night, where people can come in and try out games they find on the shelves or some games that be part of the stores collection. Its another nice way to bring people together, Robson said.

Hes hoping the tea bar will be up and running in about three weeks. That's when the big grand opening will take place.

Robson acknowledged another good tea shop in town, Boston Harbor, that offers teas linked to health benefits.

Our focus is on what tastes good, he said. We import directly from all over the world, and we choose high-quality teas that we can bring in and know the source.
James Tozer in The Economist:

Most people would happily work for fewer hours each week. But data from the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show that having more downtime is no guarantee of feeling more at ease. Countries with longer working hours  which tend to be poorer places  generally have fewer reported cases of stress-related illness. Countries with shorter working hours  mostly richer places  typically have high incidences of anxiety and depression. Long holidays arent a guarantee of contentment either. The French and Finnish governments require workers to be given six weeks paid leave a year, yet those countries have high levels of reported stress.

These data are put together by the WHO , which tallies cases in each country, weighted by severity. The most stressed nation in this sample is the Netherlands. In 2012, anxiety and depression cost 30- to 60-year-old Dutch adults about 32 years of healthy life per 1,000 people. Measured in those terms, the burden was greater than stomach, colon, liver, pancreatic, lung, breast and cervical cancers put together. Mexican workers, by contrast, clock 60% more hours at work, and are a third as wealthy  yet are diagnosed with psychological problems half as often as the Dutch.

More here.
An air passenger advocate believes the federal governments new legislation favours the airlines.

Dr. Gabor Lukacs says the new regulations now in effect lack clarity and have loopholes that allow airlines to avoid paying compensation.

The Founder and Coordinator of Air Passenger Rights said the most important loophole allows airlines to avoid paying if delays or cancellations are caused by mechanical problems.

Lukacs feels its the carriers responsibility to make sure its aircraft are mechanically fit.

He is also concerned about extending the uncompensated time for passengers stranded on the tarmac from 90-minutes to three-hours and 45 minutes.

He feels the federal government needs to go back to square one with the legislation and adopt European regulations.

The new bill allows for compensation of up to $1,000 dollars for delays or cancellations, up to $2,100 for lost luggage and up to $2,400 for being bumped from flights.
Billings City officials have hired a Minnesota firm to evaluate financial reports from a private developer seeking up to $30 million in public financing to build a hotel, conference, retail and residential center downtown.

David MacGillivray, chairman of Springsted, a St. Paul-based public sector adviser, said Tuesday he expects to complete his analysis and report to the Billings City Council on Oct. 24.

The firm, which is contracted to provide an analysis of the proposed $120 million One Big Sky Center downtown, will evaluate a number of factors to help the city council determine how much  or whether  to invest tax-increment financing money into the project.

The cost of the analysis will be $25,000 or less, MacGillivray said.

According to MacGillivray, the factors to be analyzed include the history of the development group, led by Denver developer Skip Ahern; whether his partnership, MontDevCo, has the capacity and expertise to complete the project; and whether it needs the requested $30 million in public funds to get the public portion of the complex built.

The Billings City Council has the final say on all tax increment financing projects, the mechanism that would pay for up to one-fourth the cost of One Big Sky Center.

A Springsted team of three will be working during the next few weeks to complete the analysis on time, MacGillivray said.

We have started to sift through what they gave us, so we dont (yet) have any conclusions, MacGillivray said Tuesday. We think we have most of the pieces, and we think were on schedule, but when youre doing this kind of analysis, you find out something that leads to more questions.

City Administrator Tina Volek said that neither she nor Finance Director Pat Weber have examined the data and thus city administrators, at Voleks direction, have no comment, for the time being, on the proposal.

In addition to Ahern, MontDevCo also includes two other principals: Burke McHugh, also of Malbur Properties in Colorado, and Greg Tatham, an Arizona commercial real estate broker and developer.

Ahern said hes seeking tax-increment financing or a tax revenue bond sale to help develop the public portion of the project, which includes the conference center, parking structure and public space.

Tax-increment financing, often abbreviated TIF, is a way to finance the public costs associated with a private development project. TIF allows local governments to use future property tax revenues to finance the current infrastructure costs needed to attract development, which supporters of TIFs say spurs private investment.

If its approved and the financing is secured, One Big Sky Center will be constructed near the intersection of N. 29th Street and First Avenue North. MontDevCo has acquired or has options to acquire the property necessary to complete the development.

Other potential funding sources for One Big Sky Center, which would be the tallest building in Montana, include bank construction loans, equity and an investment program administered by the Internal Revenue Service called EB-5. Each is anticipated to cover about one-fourth of the $120 million needed, according to Ahern.

Under the EB-5 program, Ahern said, non-U.S. citizens who invest $500,000 in a project that creates at least 10 jobs receive a green card and a path to citizenship within two years. The Securities and Exchange Commission has scrutinized the program after accusations it has been used fraudulently, but by and large its a great mechanism for funding real estate projects like this, Ahern said.

The naysayer effect

Greg Krueger of the Downtown Billings Alliance said hes heard doubts that the developers can garner the needed funding.

That may be scaring away investors, and thats unfortunate, said Krueger, the longtime development director for DBA, which administers the downtown TIF district for the city.

Im still excited for the project, Krueger said Wednesday. Thats my job.

Krueger said hes not concerned that a large bond sale would crowd out other potential downtown TIF investments, including redeveloping the old James F. Battin federal courthouse, expanding the Art House Cinema and Pub and transforming some downtown streets from one-way to two-way.

Krueger argues that those additional projects will actually be easier to fund once One Big Sky Center is constructed and placed on the tax rolls. Krueger cites the Empire Parking Garage and accompanying 2014 TIF assistance to the Northern Hotel as proof: while the payback on the $15 million investment was expected to take at least a decade, its now scheduled to conclude next year  three years after the projects were completed.

Thats how fast the district grew after the project was done, he said. And this one could grow even faster. The goal of the TIF is to get a bigger pie and to make it sustainable.

Theres still significant blight downtown, he said. There are still empty buildings in need of refurbishing.

Ahern said MontDevCo would prefer to build One Big Sky Center as one big project, not in stages.

When you build that much infrastructure  the hotel and the conference center at one time  it doesnt make much sense to do it in stages, Ahern said. You have to have all the income-producing pieces in place.

The bond payments to cover the TIF investment, Krueger noted, would be made by downtown property owners  not by Billings taxpayers in general.

Krueger said if the project is completed as its envisioned, itll generate nearly $1 million annually in property taxes. His estimate is based on the increased property tax value within the TIF district if the project is completed as proposed.

The idea is to stimulate growth quickly, and One Big Sky Center does that, he said. If it takes them a couple years to start paying (the loan from the bonds), itll be a little lean for us, and well have to get creative, but thats what we do in downtown Billings, because reinvestment spurs private development.

MontDevCo

Ahern said he and his partners had a smaller project in mind when they first approached Billings officials and economic developers.

They started talking to us about the need for a conference center and the need for a hotel. Those two go hand in hand, and it grew into an opportunity to do mixed-use development, he said. The hotel supports retail development, and retail brings people downtown.

Ahern himself acknowledges that most of his large-scale real-estate work was done decades ago, but hes developed one major project recently.

The Eviva Cherokee in Denver is a 274-unit luxury high-rise apartment project scheduled to open in spring 2017 in the Colorado citys up-and-coming Golden Triangle neighborhood.

Aherns Charter Realty Group in Denver partnered with Atlanta-based Integral Group to develop the project, which was financed by a Chicago-based private equity firm, Wanxiang America Real Estate Group, according to the Denver Business Journal.

Ahern founded Charter Realty.

The 18-story apartment project, which broke ground last year, includes studio apartments, one- and two-bedrooms, and several walk-up townhomes, according to the publication.

Ahern said that lessons learned while developing projects 30 or more years ago  especially complex mixed-use development, like One Big Sky Center  become part of your growth as a developer.

A number of challenges

The Montana Legislature could change the states TIF laws during the 2017 session following hearings held this year by the Revenue and Transportation Interim Committee.

But Krueger said that even if that happens, existing TIF projects will probably be grandfathered and thus not affected by any TIF reform.

Then theres the question of whether downtown Billings needs an additional 150,000 square feet of office space. NAI Business Properties, one of Billings largest commercial brokerages, noted in a January report that office leasing is the citys softest sector for commercial real estate.

In the report, the most recent available, NAI brokers wrote that vacancy rates were expected to rise in the early part of this year. Slumping oil prices remain a big factor in demand for office space in Billings, according to NAI.

With exploration faltering in the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota, oil and gas companies have pulled back their presence throughout the region.

In the last two years, two companies have left their leased space in downtown Billings. In August, SM Energy announced it was closing its office at 550 N. 31st St. this fall. Last spring, Sanjel Corp. also shuttered its Billings operations, which included a training center and downtown office space.

The bottom line

Right now, Im very confident, the project will be completed, Ahern said. Otherwise we wouldnt be spending the time, money on architects and the legal fees.

For MacGillivray, whose firm has a decades-old relationship with the city, One Big Sky Center, like almost any redevelopment project, is always more complicated, with many elements  We will look at how the proposed uses match the community.

While Krueger said he does worry that the proposed price per square foot at One Big Sky Center is high, hes more worried about the line of thinking that says that the Billings market is good enough.

Millennials wont settle for that, he said. We need to attract talent to the state, and its the cities that are going to have to do that.

One Big Sky Center, he said, is a game-changer for the region.
Business roundup: Dunn Bros. to open in November, E Glass's big pitch

In business news, an Aberdeen entrepreneur is making a nationwide pitch, car wash coverts to Tunnel of Terror, Dunn Brothers to open in November.
Plan Has Support of Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors and Ad Hoc Committee of Senior Noteholders

Today, UCI International, LLC (UCI or the Company) announced it has filed a revised Joint Plan of Reorganization (the Plan) and related Disclosure Statement. The Plan is supported by the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors and the Ad Hoc Committee of Senior Noteholders. The Company also announced an agreement with Senior Unsecured Noteholders comprised of funds and accounts under the management of Blackrock Financial Management, Inc., Credit Suisse Asset Management, LLC, and J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Inc. to backstop $30 million of incremental exit financing. Collectively, these parties hold more than 80% in principal amount of the Senior Unsecured Notes outstanding and will become the controlling equity holders of the reorganized Company under the Plan.

The Plan, consistent with a stipulation filed on September 29th between the Company, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, and the lenders and agent under the Companys prepetition ABL credit facility, provides for the payment in full of claims under the prepetition ABL credit facility.

We are pleased with the progress made to date in our bankruptcy filing, said Keith Zar, UCIs general counsel. The filing of the Plan moves UCI one step closer to a successful restructuring and positions UCI for long-term success by reducing outstanding debt and strengthening our balance sheet. UCI continues to have a strong position in the marketplace and is well positioned to take advantage of future opportunities.

The Disclosure Statement remains subject to approval of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. A hearing on approval of the Disclosure Statement has been scheduled for October 14, 2016. Following court approval of the Disclosure Statement, the Company intends to solicit votes and seek confirmation of the Plan. The Company has requested a hearing on confirmation of the Plan for December 6, 2016.

UCIs principal operating subsidiaries include Airtex Products, L.P., ASC Industries, Inc., and Champion Laboratories, Inc. For more information on the Companys chapter 11 reorganization visit http://cases.gcginc.com/uci/ or call (855) 907-3238.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161002005054/en/

UCI International LLC

Keith Zar, 812-305-7589
One year later: TORQE 62 remembered

Airmen from across Bagram gathered together to remember those lost when a C-130J Super Hercules, call-sign TORQE 62, crashed on departure from Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan one year ago. Six Airmen and five contractors were lost on Oct. 2, 2015.



Six battlefield crosses stood in front of a formation of Airmen from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. Those crosses represented the six Airmen lost.



The six Airmen who lost their lives when TORQE 62 crashed supporting Operation Freedoms Sentinel had their names read aloud in a symbolic roll-call. They were Capt. Jordan Pierson, Capt. Jonathan Golden, Staff Sgt. Ryan Hammond, Senior Airman Quinn Johnson-Harris, Senior Airman Nathan Sartain, and Airman 1st Class Kcey Ruiz.



Two of the Airmen that day were from the 455th ESFS Fly Away Security Team. Dedicated to protecting aircrew and the aircraft, Capt. Shawn Chamberlin, 455th ESFS commander, reflected on their mission.



These Airmen put their lives at risk to protect the aircrew and aircraft, said Chamberlin. They understand their charge and they accept that possible fate every time they walk out onto this ramp, they understand what needs to happen and what could potentially happen.



Every day Airmen from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing execute missions in support of the defense of the United States. One year ago was no different.



Col. Jason Bailey, 455th Expeditionary Operations Group commander reminded everyone in attendance what TORQE 62 represented and still represents today.



In the past year TORQE 62 has become much more than a loss to the C-130 community, it has become a symbol of something larger, said Bailey. The C-130 is a proud community with a strong heritage. It has been the backbone of tactical airlift for decades and remains so today. It is a community full of quiet professionals who bring airlift, a special brand of airpower to the battlefield and say things like anytime, anywhere. 



In honor of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, four encased flags were dedicated to those Airmen and the four squadrons they were a part of. The flags were flown on a C-130J mission to honor the fallen on the one year anniversary of the mishap. While deployed to Bagram those lost represented the 774th EAS, 455th ESFS, 39th Airlift Squadron, and the 66th Security Forces Squadron.



Bailey closed by honoring and acknowledging the sacrifice that each of those Airmen made.



The members of TORQE 62 remind us of something incredibly important. It takes a truly special person to raise their right hand and volunteer to serve. In the United States military we swear an oath, inherent in that oath is a pledge of something greater. Its not a rite of passage, its not an agreement, and its not just an entry requirement. It is the solemn promise that we will give our lives in the defense of this nation, said Bailey.



The airmen, all airmen of TORQE 62 serve as an example of what it means to make good on that solemn promise, said Bailey. They demonstrated the wiliness to serve their country and to make the ultimate sacrifice when called upon for something greater than themselves. They are heroes, every one.




Days after the Patna High Court struck down Bihars prohibition law, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday introduced a more stringent Prohibition and Excise Act to keep Bihar dry.

The government notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 to ensure that the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as well spiced and domestic liquor continued in the state.

Addressing a press conference, Bihar CM said-Now people are not wasting money on alcohol like before.

That money was being used in better ways and financial situation improving, he added.

It is pertinent to mention that a day before the Patna high court had scrapped the Bihar governments prohibition law, terming it was draconian and said, cant be justified in a civilised society.

But hours later, a high-level meeting called by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to summon the state Cabinet on October 2 to ratify a notification on an amended liquor law for continuation of prohibition.

The meeting also deliberated on the option to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court against the High Court order, quashing the April 5 notification on liquor ban, saying it was ultra vires to the Constitution.

The Bihar Excise & Prohibition Act, 2016 will come into force from October 2 and total liquor ban will continue in Bihar. The high court order was related to the old Act that came into force in April this year, the chief minister explained.

In a judgment, a bench of Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari and Justice Navaniti Prasad Singh quashed the April 5 notification of the state government banning consumption and sale of alcohol in the state.
Many senior leaders are keeping a safe distance from ailing Chhagan Bhujbal supporters rally.

Leaders who were close to NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal are likely to skip the silent rally to be held by OBC activists in Nashik on Monday. The rally has been called to display the show of strength of OBC community who are feeling sidelined in the aftermath of the hugely successful morcha organised by the Maratha activists across the state. Those leaders who had remained loyal to Bhujbal during the reign of the Democratic Front government in the state have distanced themselves from him after his health had deteriorated. Thus Bhujbal who 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 feels isolated as no senior leader has come forward to support him.

There were many leaders who used to remain in contact with Bhujbal when he was the home minister of Maharashtra. But now nobody wants to meet him in this hour of crisis as they are all eyeing plum posts within the party. Such type of incidents occur when leaders face hardships in lives, said a OBC activist on the condition of anonymity.

We will hold a rally in Nashik to support our ailing leader Chhagan Bhujbal. Even though many senior leaders have deserted him we will continue to support him. This rally is not organised to demand reservation to our community as we just want to back our leader. We are also praying for his speedy recovery so that he can revive his political career, said another activist.

Earlier Women and Children Welfare Minister Pankaja Mundes had visited JJ hospital for meeting Bhujbal raising speculations in political circles about whether there would be a consolidation of Other Backward Caste outfits to counter the protests held by Maratha community. Even though Munde had met Bhujbal to inquire about his health political analysts had termed it as political visit.

Bhujbal had earlier approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail on medical grounds. The NCP leader mentioned that he had multiple problems, including diabetes, blood pressure, chronic asthma and blockages in heart. However, High Court rejected his bail petition after ED objected saying investigations were still on and he was getting proper treatment in government hospitals.

Bhujbal was arrested on March 14 by the ED on charge of money laundering in the Maharashtra Sadan scam. The Anti-Corruption Bureau had filed an FIR against Bhujbal after it found irregularities in construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi which was built at a cost of Rs 100 crore. It is alleged that the contractor had given kickbacks to Bhujbal. He was admitted to J J Hospital from Arthur road jail, as he complained of high fever, diabetes and blood pressure.
Dan Neal walks in central Casper neighborhoods almost every evening until the sun sets, asking the people of House District 56 to vote him into the Wyoming Legislature.

From the looks of things, the Democrat is gaining some support. Planted yard signs in front of some houses say Get Real with Dan Neal.

Still, Neal  who served as the Star-Tribune's editor from 2000 to 2004  faces an uphill climb. He's competing against Republican Jerry Obermueller in a district with a long history of voting for the GOP.

On Nov. 8, HD56 voters have a choice when they go to the polls. That wasnt the case two years ago, when Republican Tim Stubson ran unopposed. In fact, dozens of Republicans went unchallenged in 2014, when Wyoming tied third lowest nationally for the percent of contested races for state House and Senate.

This year, leadership in Wyomings minority party recruited 61 people to run for the Legislature, more than twice the number of Democratic candidates two years ago.

The turnaround is dramatic: Wyoming legislative races in the general election are the 11th most competitive nationally, according to research by the nonpartisan Ballotpedia.

Party officials said they expect to pick up some legislative seats.

The election comes amid an economic downturn and subsequent budget cuts by the Republican-dominated Legislature. But if those factors offer the Democrats any advantages, they must also contend with a narrative that resonates among many Wyomingites: that the regulation-loving party of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is killing the states economy.

I think the reason there are so many Democratic candidates is because people are frustrated with the way the Legislature has been handling a number of issues, Neal said, ticking off a list that includes continued rejection of Medicaid expansion, no improvement of the states gender-wage gap, a lack of economic diversification that keeps Wyoming trapped in boom and bust cycles and the insistence by some Republicans that the state take control of public lands.

Matt Micheli, chairman of the Wyoming GOP, doesnt think the Democrats message is going to stick.

Wyoming voters understand that the policies of the Democratic Party and what the Democratic Partys promoting right now are harmful to the state of Wyoming, he said. "Ive seen these Democrats who have endorsed Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders, and their policies are not good for Wyoming.

Competition

While people often think their most important civic duty is to vote for president or members of Congress, Washington hasn't accomplished much in recent years. More policy is being enacted at the state level, said Tyler King, a project director with Ballotpedia, based in Madison, Wis. That makes legislative races important.

In state legislative races across the country, Democrats are at one of the lowest points theyve been, King said. "They control few legislatures. Republicans have dominated since 2010. Theres nowhere for Democrats to go but up.

That's what happened in 2014, when Wyoming was one of five states where Democrats made gains in the state legislature despite fielding a low number of candidates.

During presidential years, voter turnout is higher in Wyoming and across the country.

I have never found any specific study on this, but conventional wisdom has it that Democrats benefit more from that turnout in presidential races, he said.

Almost every House and Senate seat is contested, said Wyoming Democratic Party Vice Chairman Bruce Palmer.

We recognize many of those are going to be very difficult to win, he said. We do have a number of them we can win, so were very optimistic about that.

In addition to the partys enthusiasm about Neal  he announced his candidacy in March and has been campaigning since June  Debbie Bovee in Caspers HD36 received a boost after Republican incumbent Rep. Gerald Gay said working women take too much maternity and sick leave, which contributes to their lower wages. The campaign of Democrat Hollis Hackman in Sheridan Countys HD51 appeared to become more competitive when Rep. Rosie Berger, the No. 2 Republican in the House, was defeated in the primary by Bo Biteman, whose aggressive style could be a harder sell in the general election. Democrat Amy Simpson is working hard to win the open HD41 seat in Cheyenne. Shes facing Republican Bill Henderson.

The Republican Party never found candidates to challenge incumbent Sweetwater County Democrats. In Teton County, Democratic Rep. Andy Schwartz is unopposed. Jackson Democrat Mike Gierau is running for outgoing Republican Rep. Ruth Ann Petroffs seat for HD16, and the GOP never found a Republican for that race.

Still, 69 Republicans are running for the Legislature, from talented incumbents to political newcomers, said Micheli, the GOP chairman.

The quality of the Republican candidates we have this year I think is unparalleled, he said. I think you are seeing a group of candidates who are committed to the state of Wyoming. Theyre leaders of our state and are rising to the occasion.

Palmer disagrees. He said Republicans have controlled the Wyoming Legislature for over four decades and the state still suffers from a volatile economy.

We keep going through these booms and bust cycles, he said. We talk about diversifying the (economy) but nothing ever happens. I think (Republicans) ought to own that. If you look at the national economy, its not doing badly, its the Wyoming economy thats in the dumper. I think the Republicans need to accept some responsibility.

However, most Wyomingites are conservative, and Democrats are will have to make an impression to win, said King, of Ballotpedia.

There was a 2013 study that showed that less than 20 percent of voters can identify their state legislator, he said. Its not that surprising to me  its maybe surprising its even that high. What I believe voters are choosing on when they go to the polls for their state legislature is essentially party lines.

Fossil fuels

In late March, nearly 500 coal miners in Wyomings Power River Basin were laid off following an extended downturn in the coal market. Immediately after the layoffs, Sen. Mike Enzi made a statement, saying Obama was waging an economic assault on Wyoming. Sen. John Barrasso argued with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief over regulations in a meeting days later. Republican candidates for the U.S. House also sent out statements critical of Obama and the EPA.

The Wyoming Republican Party, meanwhile, continued to beat the drum that the party of the president is bad for the Cowboy State.

But the Wyoming Democratic Party was silent. Party leaders made no statement, nor organized a press call, to express sympathy for the laid-off workers, clarify the partys position on fossil fuels or offer solutions to Wyomings changing economy.

Democrat Lee Filer of Cheyenne has run for HD12 three times and won the seat for one term. This time on the campaign trail, Filer said the criticism of the Democratic Party has been harshest.

We get a lot of blaming of the national party, Obama and the coal industry, he said. Here in Cheyenne, weve got the railroad moving a lot of the coal. I do that for a living myself.

Filer faces Republican Lars Lone on Nov. 8. Lone was recently appointed to the seat after former Republican Rep. Harlan Edmonds stepped down.

Democratic candidates described a number of arguments they use to counter claims that they want to devastate Wyomings economy. The candidates believe in climate science. However, most of them said they support Wyomings key industries.

Democratic legislators urge voters to research their records to prove they are not in lockstep with the national party. For example, Filer said his stances have even been at odds with the Democrats in Cheyenne.

I fought my party on the fuel tax and some other things when I as in the Legislature, he said.

Rep. Mary Throne, the Democratic leader in the Wyoming House, who faces Republican Jared Olsen in Cheyennes HD11, tells voters she grew up in Campbell County and practices energy law. Nobody else in the Legislature has her environmental regulatory expertise, she said.

I think the industry knows that, she said. Ive worked with them for years  first in the AGs office and then as a private attorney.

Throne said she tells voters that the Wyoming Mining Association, Petroleum Association of Wyoming and several utilities have endorsed her this year. Throne said she tries to educate people about energy bills shes sponsored and federal regulations shes opposed.

She disagrees with the Republican rhetoric. Criticizing regulations or denying climate science isnt enough, she said. Republicans arent offering solutions or adapting to the changing market, she said.

I find it ironic that Republicans think more of the same would be good for Wyoming, she said. Its not like Democrats control anything.

Neal tries to calm voters fears that coal will disappear by pointing to a recent state report that determined at least 30 percent of the nations electricity will come from coal in the future. He argues that the world wants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Demand for coal will decrease, but theres still time for Wyoming to create solutions, he said.

Neal said he reminds voters that hydraulic fracturing made natural gas cheaper than coal, and that is the fuels main problem today.

People get it when you remind them, Look, we live in a capitalistic economy, he said. If Im buying milk and I can buy it cheaper at Ridleys than at Albertsons, Ill probably go to Ridleys.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday asserted that efforts are on to bring back the stranded Indian jawan from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said the Centre has activated the procedure which takes place at the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) level.

He had crossed over which happens in border areas. There is a well-established mechanism through DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) which has been activated, Mr. Parrikar said in Pune.

Since the situation is tense right now, it will take some days to bring the soldier back, the Minister said.

The DGMO has informed (his) Pakistan counterparts by hotline and the standard mechanism to secure the soldiers release has been activated, said the Defence Minister, responding to questions about the efforts being undertaken by the Central government to bring home Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chavan, the youthful 22-year-old soldier of the 37 Rashtriya Rifles trapped in hostile territory.

Sepoy Chavan was posted in Mendhar district of Jammu and Kashmir near the LoC with the Rashtriya Rifles when he went missing on Thursday morning, soon after the strikes were successfully conducted.

When asked about the arrival of the first batch of French fighter aircraft Rafale, Parrikar said, As per the deal the time is 36 months. But they may arrive a slightly earlier than that. We have requested them for early delivery.

Since the situation is tense right now, it will take some days to bring the soldier back, the minister said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said all attempts were being to free the soldier from Pakistani captivity.

Still reeling under the shock, another tragedy struck Babulal Chavans family as his grandmother died of a heart attack after getting news of him being captured by Pakistan.

Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre visited the family and met Babulal Chavans brother Bhushan Chavan who is also a soldier with the Maratha Light Infantry.

No one can trust them (Pakistan). We are worried they will torture him, and tell him lies that the army doesnt care about him. That could drive him to take his own life, Bhushan Chavan said.
An independent Egyptian daily says the states top womens advocacy group has filed a complaint with the chief prosecutor against a lawmaker who called for mandatory virginity tests for women seeking university admission.

Maya Morsi, head of the National Council for Women, is quoted Sunday by Al-Masry Al-Youm as saying she will demand the expulsion from parliament of Ilhami Agena and a criminal investigation into his actions. She says the lawmaker is harming the reputation of Egypt and its women.

The lawmaker said in an interview last week that virginity tests were needed to combat the proliferation of informal marriages, known as gawaz orfy, between students. Virtually expense free, such marriages have become more popular in recent years because of high unemployment among youth and a shortage of affordable housing.

In Egypt, as in other conservative, Muslim countries, a young womans virginity is widely seen as a matter of family honour, the loss of which could prevent her from getting married.

The military was alleged to have conducted virginity tests on 19 women arrested after troops violently broke up a protest in Cairos Tahrir Square in March 2011, shortly after longtime President Hosni Mubarak resigned in the face of a popular uprising.

Three months later, Amnesty International said that Egypts then-military rulers acknowledged carrying out the tests as a way to protect the army from possible rape allegations. The military pledged not to conduct the tests again, according to the London-based rights group.

Agenas comments about women have sparked controversy in the past, including claims that some female lawmakers were not dressing modestly enough.
A fierce gun battle has been reported from North Kashmir. The firing between militants and army has been reported by the locals who first heard the gunshots increasing gradually, reports IndiaToday.

Live updates:

UPDATE: Home Minister briefed about #BaramulaAttack; 2 terrorists killed, BSF jawan martyred, 3 jawans injured; situation under control pic.twitter.com/Panl5XQyOH  Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) October 3, 2016

HM spoke to NSA and DG BSF in the wake of terror attack in Baramulla and reviewed the situation. MHA is closely monitoring the situation.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) October 3, 2016

Baramulla attack: Terrorists have not breached 46RR camp, tried to enter through a public park near camp. Heavy exchange of fire on  ANI (@ANI_news) October 2, 2016

The encounter has taken place in the Rashtriya Rifles camp.

#Baramulla UPDATE: 2 BSF jawans injured in exchange of fire with terrorists  ANI (@ANI_news) October 2, 2016

1 BSF jawan martyred and another injured, according to army spokesperson.

Terrorists opened fire on an army camp in Baramulla town, Colonel Rajesh Kalia told AFP news agency on Sunday.

One BSF personnel was killed and one injured when militants tried to enter an army camp, said local Superintendent of Police Imtiyaz Hussein.

The camp is located around 54km from Srinagar, capital of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Baramulla Incident situation contained and under control @adgpi  NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) October 2, 2016

Baramulla attack: situation contained and under control, says Army, 2 BSF jawans injured (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/qNEPaRbl5M  ANI (@ANI_news) October 2, 2016

This is the first terror attack on army camp in Kashmir after the Indian army conducted surgical strikes across LoC.

Heavy firing started at around 10.30pm as two-three terrorists opened fire at the camp just days after the Uri terror attack which claimed lives of 19 soldiers.

The terrorists were reportedly throwing grenades at the camp and they tried to enter the Army camp through a public park nearby.

This is a developing story, more details awaiting.

Source: Agencies
After India and three other nations decided pull out of the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad, Nepal on Sunday said the regional environment is not conducive for the summit, as it also announced the postponement of the 19th SAARC Summit.

After 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the terror attack in Uri, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decided not to attend the SAARC Summit. Indias decision was followed by Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka skipping the SAARC Summit.

Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism. Nepal has always condemned all acts of terror in our own region, the release said.

Nepal, which is the current chair of SAARC, expressed regret over the fact that regional environment is not conducive to host the 19th SAARC Summit as of now. The summit was to be held in Islamabad in the month of November. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the summit with the participation of all member states, the countrys foreign ministry said in a press statement.

Reminding that an environment of peace and stability was essential for meaningful regional cooperation, Nepal said SAARC nations, among others, should ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross-border terrorism.

The general provisions of the SAARC Charter require that decisions at all levels shall be taken on the basis of unanimity, and this applies to the convening of meetings of heads of state or government of SAARC member states as well.

Founded in 1985, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) currently has Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as its members.
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) alongwith Club Mahindra launched a special campaign, Phenk Mat Mumbai with a vision to make Mumbai litter free and clean. The campaign envisions to bring about a permanent behavioral change among the citizens of Mumbai by encouraging them to change their habits and keep the city clean.

The campaign launch witnessed some activities such as poster drawing and plays by students of schools and colleges such as HR College, Jaihind College, JD Bharda school, and Anjuman Islam.

During the campaign, youth from the city will be given training and capacity building on maintaining cleanliness and encouraging their peers and families to follow suit. The campaign will first be implemented in 2 wards of Mumbai (wards A & F (N&S). Students from these wards will be Brand Ambassadors of the campaign. As part of the campaign, the youth will be educated and trained to create awareness in society about good sanitation practices and implementing the same through a variety of activities and awareness drives. Starting now, the campaign will go for a year with initiatives creating large scale awareness on cleanliness and sanitation in the city with an intention to bring about permanent behavior change.

Speaking at the Launch of the campaign, Mr Ajoy Mehta, Municipal Commissioner, MCGM said, We are happy that CII and Club Mahindra have taken this initiative, and it is heartening to see the enthusiasm and participation of youth in this initiative. MCGM is happy to support this initiative, and we look forward to its implementation.

Mr Arun Nanda, Chairman, CII WR Taskforce on Swachh Bharat and Chairman, Mahindra Holidays said, I believe that children are key influencers of society and they will also be our brand ambassadors in this campaign. Phenk Mat Mumbai can only happen with awareness and a change in behavior of the citizens of Mumbai. We are keen to work with the youth of this city to take this message forward among their peers and families.
I have been writing letters to the Editor for more than 40 years now and over 3000 of my writings have been published in many newspapers and magazines, including some of them which have today become extinct. We had an association for Press Letter Writers called All India (Press) Letter Writers Association of which I was an office bearer for many years. Our Association used to organise Best Letter Writer contest, talks and seminars on crucial topics and events for several years, in which many celebrities like veteran editors and journalists, police commissioners, BMC Commissioner, senior judges of High Court, MLAs leaders and other celebrities had participated and encouraged us all along.

I have experienced that through Letters to the Editor column, one can get many things done, like resolving telephone or electricity issues, railway cases, construction of foot overbridges, starting of special trains or locals, BMC to be pulled up for roads, garbage removal and many such grievances. As a seasoned letter writer I have experienced positive results from many authorities and public officials and statutory bodies over the past 40 years. Its on record that the Shiv Sena leader Balasaheb Thackeray had then instructed his party leaders and also the corporation and state officials, to regularly go through the columns of letter writers in the newspapers and initiate necessary action thereon. (I possess the news cutting in this regard). Such was the value of citizens contributions in the newspapers.

A good letter is indeed equivalent to a hundred morchas and the letters to the editor is the only forum for the common man to project his genuine grievances. Yet, there are a few who remark that a majority of writers contribute letters with the intention of seeing their names in print. Yes this practice happens but only during the initial stages. Later on this hobby develops into some kind of service to the society since views are expressed on topics of current issues affecting the public at large.

Let me stress that writing letters to the press is neither an easy job nor an economical one (even today compared to the days when we used to type and spend money on postage stamps for dispatching the letters). Letter writing calls for lot of thinking and command over the subject and language. And, when complaints and grievances through Letters to the editor are presented in the right way, they evoke prompt response and action from the authorities. I can cite many results and actions initiated like settlement of BSNL, MSEB irregularities, corporation taking cognizance of letters and installing garbage bins, construction of pucca roads, railways taking note of letters in the press and installing foot overbridge and introducing local trains, BEST taking actions against errant staff and so on. The concerned officials even visit you to gather your viewpoints and suggestions (as happed recently in the case of complained filed by me on the condition of Kopar railway station.)

Letter writers live up to the motto of Pen is mightier than the sword. They cherish the values of life and cherish the right to speak and write. It is pertinent to point out that the Supreme Court and the high courts have recognized and have taken cognizance even of letters published in the press or even written directly to the apex court, whenever there is violation of laws, with a view to help the poor and weaker sections of the society who are denied justice. So, let the breed of letter writers , groom and get encouragement from the fourth estate too.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
A Sikh man was abducted from his home and gunned down by suspected militants in Afghanistans restive Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, a media report said on Sunday.

Sardar Rawail Singh, who lived in Jalalabad, was abducted from his house Saturday morning by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area.

The incident triggered a massive protest by the minority Sikh community who staged a demonstration by placing the body of Singh in front of the provincial governors house in Jalalabad and demanded the arrest of the killers.

They accused security forces of negligence in arresting the killers and asked the government to bring to justice the killers as soon as possible.

Later, deputy governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal met the protesting Sikhs and pacified them. He said a case has been filed and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.

The insurgents abducted Singh from his home at about 7:20 AM (local time) yesterday and gunned him down at Khalis Famil area, provincial governors spokesman Attaullah Khogyani was quoted as saying by Pajhwok Afghan News.

Rawinder, one of the protesters, said Singh had a dispute with his neighbour on Friday.

Next morning, the neighbour came along with some gunmen and abducted Singh from his home before killing him, he said, adding that Singh had invited his friends for a party at his home when his neighbour objected.

Darbhajan, a friend of Singh, said the minority communitys homes are being occupied, we are threatened and our friend was mercilessly killed but no one came to our help.








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The JUNO spacecraft of NASA has been tasked to observe planet Jupiter and until July this year, it is expected to reach the planets orbit. Recent findings through the spacecraft suspect that there can be life existence on the icy surface of Europa. Europa is the moon of Jupiter and has earth-like properties which allow life forms to thrive.

Pictures captured through the spacecraft reveal a mysterious UFO to be flying over a big red spot for a couple of minutes before it flown deep into space. In the month of February this year, NASA spacecraft sighted an enormous alien object moving into the direction of the planets moon, Europa. The scientists are of the opinion that the structure was like an interstellar mothership or like an intergalactic cruiser.

Previously, scientists considered mars to be the planet where extraterrestrial life can exist, however, the accurate chemical balance required for supporting life is available at Jupiter. Up till now, the UFO sightseeing is of much concern by NASA and its scientists, however, more details about the news can be confirmed once the analyzing process of the planet starts.

UFO hunters are pretty much convinced that the object traced near the planet is definitely an alien structure. Many UFO hunters are also of the opinion that this alien craft is set to observe earth which is quite an interesting fact. This object was initially spotted by Louis Read who passed on the footage to his team. They consider that Jupiter has been a mystery for many years with respect to its moons and particularly Europa. There has been conducted a great deal of scientific talk about alien existence in the vast oceans existing beneath its icy surface.

Scientists are very much sure that they have spotted UFO objects deep into the space alongside Jupiter which can mean that residents of earth can expect new neighbors. The object was seen in a giant red spot which is almost double the size of our planet and which is also enough space to live and stay hidden from other worlds. There are beliefs that if there is an alien existence behind Jupiter, they may be present within this big red spot which not only have properties that offer support to life but are also colder as compared to other clouds within the planet. Conditions of Jupiter strongly supports alien life existence, however, reports are yet to be confirmed by NASA.
In the race for the Montana governor, both candidates don't quite have a plan for how to fix Billings' need for infrastructure, they just know what they don't want  a local-option sales tax.

For years, we've been urging area lawmakers to approve a measure that would let voters decide whether to tax themselves for projects that could help build and rebuild aging infrastructure, for example, roads.

Self determination and decisions made at a local level. What a concept!

However, lawmakers cannot even let such an idea be turned over to the voters for fear that they might do the sensible thing. In other words, the voters may succeed where the Legislature has failed.

We need to shift the burden of taxes from the workers (income tax) and property owners. Montana taxes as they currently stand reward those who work hard to grow paychecks and own property with higher taxes. Traditionally, 48 other states have used a sales tax to fill in the remaining needs.

And Billings has needs  hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance, not to mention other projects that would improve the quality of life or will be needed to meet future growth. We can't expect any other Montana city to fully understand the problem because few are on the precipice of becoming an urban area. That's why we have been hopeful and expect our area lawmakers to speak with a unified voice, regardless of party: A local-option tax is our best hope at protecting our investments and building a better future. Legislators across the state seem to understand that people travel to shop, come here for health care and to be entertained here without paying anything for the convenience or infrastructure. True, tourism and retail help employers, but nothing goes to the infrastructure to support that commerce.

Sadly, both gubernatorial candidates seem cold to the issue. Remember, the Legislature would not enact a local-option tax, it would only be allowing the voters to decide for themselves. Why is it that politicians won't even let the voters decide?

Republican candidate Greg Gianforte said that he opposes any new taxes. Instead of taxing, he'd like to see job creation and growth fuel the economy. However, with so much infrastructure falling behind, coupled with expansive growth, we don't believe the tax base in Billings can grow fast enough to catch up. His plan also fails to take into account that many news businesses start up because of incentives that usually decrease, if not eliminate, property taxes for a period of years. So we may be growing a revenue base that may not pay taxes for years.

Gianforte's own county, Gallatin, has been the beneficiary of local-option money and it's become one of the crown jewels of the state. Big Sky has gotten the local-option and has been built up by it. Yet, Gianforte won't allow folks in other parts of the state benefit from the same program that has attracted thousands to his county.

By drawing the line in the sand on the local-option, Gianforte proves that he's out-of-touch with Billings issues, and provides no concrete solutions to solve Montana's largest city's challenges. Moreover, it's disappointing that he is so frightened of the idea that he wouldn't let it go to the voters.

Meanwhile, Gov. Steve Bullock has said that he wouldn't make up his mind on any legislation until he saw it on his desk. That's understandable that Bullock would not comment on a hypothetical. However, Bullock has said repeatedly that he doesn't favor a sales tax.

It's time to shelve that partisan line about sales tax being too regressive for a Democrat to support. Other states have figured out how to implement a sales tax but exempt food and clothing items. And, part of the reason that the entire state  not just Billings  remains in this tough situation is that our infrastructure has been deferred and delayed.

During Bullock's tenure infrastructure, which is a fancy word for water, roads and buildings, has been neglected. Bullock and the Legislature couldn't get an agreement pushed through, leaving many Montana communities to struggle.

Bullock rightfully points out that during the 2015 Legislature, the infrastructure bill fell just one vote short, in his words, a political ploy by Republicans who saw the passage of the bill as a win for the Democratic governor.

It is true that many in the House who didn't vote for the bill were acting like nothing more than spoiled children, seemingly unconcerned about hurting Montana. However, the failure to get the bill passed by a single vote represents a significant political error on Bullock's part. A governor should know enough about politics to flip at least one vote either through political pressure or compromise.

Where the politicians have failed, one group is hoping to succeed. The ACT group in Billings is trying to gain support and hold leaders accountable. Billings cannot continue to grow, prosper and compete for jobs while its infrastructure and quality-of-life amenities lag.

Right now, we know that neither Gianforte nor Bullock like the idea of a local-option sales tax. In Gianforte's case, he is so opposed to it, he's unwilling to even let the voters decide. Bullock's is vague, but his previous record indicates he's probably no more willing than his GOP challenger.

But both men have failed to demonstrate their future plans will raise enough money to pay for the backlog of maintenance or the future growth.

Neither supports a local-option and neither has come up with a plan that will raise enough cash for the needs of our area. In other words, politics as usual.
September 30, 2016

WASHINGTON  Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump spent more meaningful time together during the past week than at any point since she attended The Donalds third wedding. But this wasnt a social affair  it was the first of three scheduled presidential debates.

All week, political professionals in the capital city and around the country waited to see whether voters agreed with the assessment of the pundits who pronounced Clinton the clear winner. But if one thing has been consistent in the wild 2016 presidential campaign, its that the opinions of the elites dont always conform to the view in the grassroots. What would the polls show?

Those post-debate polls began trickling in late in the week  and represented a bit of good news for Democrats. Rasmussen Reports, which previously had Trump ahead by 5 percentage points, released a survey Thursday showing a 1-point Clinton lead  a swing of 6 points. Public Policy Polling (a Democratic firm), which had not polled immediately before the debate, released a survey showing Clinton leading by 44% to 40%. RealClearPolitics David Byler has more details here.

In addition, RealClearPolitics Rebecca Berg attended a focus group of undecided voters in Pennsylvania who watched the debate  and most of them agreed that Clinton gave a better accounting of herself than Trump did.

The caveat to keep in mind is one that all political journalists have been dealing with in this election: namely, that 2016 is unlike any other election season, and the only rule is that there are no rules. RealClearPolitics is still waiting on the major news outlets to release their post-debate polls, which could show Clinton up higher or down lower.

Then there are the known unknowns, as former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld once quipped. What if more Democratic Party hacked emails are released? What if there is yet another scandal involving either Trumps charitable giving or the Clinton Foundation? How will women and Latino voters react to Trumps doubling down on his weight comments about former Miss Universe Alicia Machado? Clinton brought up the issue in the debate, noting Trump called her Miss Piggy and Miss Housekeeping and criticized the pageant winner for gaining weight after she won the crown.

Just as he did after the Democratic National Convention, when he engaged in a spat with the Muslim family who had lost a son serving in the US Army in Iraq, Trump doubled down on his comments instead of retreating.

I saved her job, because I said [firing her was] going to be ruinous and Ive done that with a number of the young ladies, where I save their job," he told The OReilly Factor on Sept. 27. And look what I get out of it. I get nothing."

On another Fox News show, Trump said of Machado, She gained a massive amount of weight. It was a real problem. We had a real problem."

Machado has gone on a media campaign of her own, telling news outlets Trump contributed to her having an eating disorder and that he made her feel ashamed.

Almost as though he sensed he hadnt done as well as hed hoped, in the waning moments of the debate, Trump hinted that he plans to bring up Bill Clintons well-documented problems with women.

Down-ticket Republican candidates, perhaps contemplating Trumps own checkered marital record, do not seem eager for their partys presidential nominee to go down this road. The television networks that recorded stunning ratings the night of Sept. 26  some 80 million Americans tuned in  might have a different perspective.

The two candidates meet Oct. 9 at Washington University in St. Louis. It will be a town hall-style debate where Trump will be under pressure to prepare more, focus more and attack Clinton more.

Congress departs until after the election

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, finished up their voting and got out of town late Sept. 28. They wont return to Washington until after the election.

They merely took care of the business that had to be taken care of: funding the government. The government would have shut down at the end of the month had legislation not been passed. It came about in the form of a continuing resolution, which extends current funding levels through Dec. 9.

That means lame-duck lawmakers (those retiring or who lost re-election) will have to deal with the issue again when they return in November.

And Congress handed one final insult to President Barack Obama before they left: They made their first override of one of his vetoes. Obama had vetoed legislation that would allow lawsuits against foreign governments that sponsor terrorism. (RealClearPolitics James Arkin has the details.) And in a sign of how Washington works, Republican congressional leaders  the day after they overrode the veto  said they would be open to amending the measure.
September 30, 2016

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump held their much-anticipated first debate Sept. 26, and the conventional wisdom has Clinton winning decisively. In related news, her polling numbers haven't budged one bit.

An estimated 82 million people tuned in to the debate at Long Island's Hofstra University, breaking the 1980 record by 2 million. Most polls and pundits gave her high marks for her mastery of policy details and her cool demeanor in the face of Trump's attacks, while the Republican businessman landed some jabs with his plain-spoken remarks on trade and the need for "law and order."

Still, the most interesting result from the showdown was how little impact it may end up having. According to a new Morning Consult poll, although half of likely voters said that Clinton won the debate (26% said Trump), eight in 10 said that the debate wasnt going to change their vote.

Head-to-head polling suggests as much.

The latest RealClearPolitics polling average has Clinton beating Trump by 2.9 percentage points (47.3% to 44.4%). That's actually worse than her standing at the end of last week, when she was ahead by 3 points.

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So just what's going on here?

In a word, trustworthiness. Clinton may demonstrate again and again that she's more prepared than her rival to debate the issues, but Trumps many supporters see that as confirmation that she's inescapably tied to a status quo they want to overturn.

RealClearPolitics polling shows both candidates remain deeply unpopular. While Trump remains ahead with an unfavorable rating of 58.5%, Clinton is catching up with 54.3% of voters not liking her.

In that regard, the debate was mostly a draw.

Trump missed opportunities to hit Clinton for her remarks that half of his supporters represent a "basket of deplorables" and her various scandals, including allegations that donors to her family's foundation got better access to her when she was secretary of state. But his campaign said that following the Sept. 26 debate, they raised approximately $18 million in 24 hours, saying that they plan to be competitive with Clinton and the Democrats leading up to election day when it comes to funding.

Clinton was strongest when she said that she didnt think preparing for the debate (and preparing to be president) was a bad thing. Her attacks on Trumps business dealings clearly ruffled him, and her ability to calmly look at Trump even as he repeatedly interrupted her certainly played to her advantage.

Both Clinton and Trump expeditiously got back on the campaign after the debate, with Trump complaining about the questions asked and Clinton seeming to revel in her win. Democratic primary rival Bernie Sanders appeared with Clinton on Sept. 27 for the first time since Sanders endorsed her over the summer.

He focused his remarks on debt-free college in an obvious attempt to appeal to young voters. Clinton's numbers have been down nationally among 18- to 34-year-old voters. A Quinnipiac University poll released in September found Clinton beating Trump by 5 percentage points nationally in that age group  down from a 24-point lead just a month ago.
September 30, 2016

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Funded by the Qatar Charity association, the Ministry of Agriculture in the Gaza Strip started on Sept. 20 a project aimed at building an aquatic city in the fishing port of Gaza City in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which allocated a plot of land for the construction of the project. The project should be ready by mid-2017.

The project is the first of its kind and will serve as a recreational center and park. It will also serve as a museum showcasing all kinds of fish. This park will enable experts and researchers to carry out new research on fisheries and the mechanisms adopted by fishermen. It will also serve as a place to develop scientific research in the field of fisheries.

The port of Gaza, which was renovated in 2015, is among the most important tourist spots in the Gaza Strip and is frequented by a lot of citizens during the holidays and on special occasions. The Gaza Seaport Authority developed it and established many service-based projects there, such as amusement parks, restaurants, cafeterias and recreational areas. It also allocated parking areas for cars and tour buses and provided new boats that visitors and tourists can take for a ride into the sea. The new aquatic city project is one of the new vital projects aimed at developing the port.

Mohamed Sorour, the director of the General Directorate of Roads and Projects in the Ministry of Transport and Communications, told Al-Monitor that the role of his ministry was limited to providing the plot of land for the project. He said, I allotted a 2.5-acre plot of land for the project, and the plot is located in the port of Gaza and has been dedicated for the establishment of the aquatic city, which was proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture given the Gaza Strips need for such projects.

Asked about the choice of the location, he said, The port of Gaza is one of the most suitable facilities for such a project due to the large number of citizens who visit it, its proximity to the shores of the sea and the presence of fishermen, boats and all the fishing gear there.

Adel Atallah, the director general of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture, told Al-Monitor, The project consists of two parts. The first consists of a hall that shows fish in large basins in a new artistic way. These basins are connected to the salty seawater. Also, the hall includes several screens showing different fish species that abound in the Gaza sea. The screens provide important and accurate information on these types of fish and highlight their importance.

Atallah added, The second part of the project consists of a large boat that serves as a maritime center specialized in training students and citizens on the work of fishermen and the tools they use inside the boat. The boat will be placed in a large glass basin of 17 by 5 meters [55 by 16 feet] into the sea, and it will serve as a training hall dedicated for mimicking the work of fishermen inside the boat placed in the sea. Also, the town squares and entrances will be prepared accordingly.

He noted, This outstanding project is the first of its kind, and it aims to give citizens and researchers a lot of information on fisheries in the Gaza Strip and create a fish park similar to other countries that have a lot of fish species and set it for public recreational use.

Asked about the mechanism adopted to get the fish types, he said, The Gaza fishermen find many different types of fish in the sea of Gaza. The bigger the fishing space allowed by Israel, the more fish types we obtain.

Atallah added, We resort to aquaculture to get fish species that are not available [in Gaza], and we either bring seeds from Israel through the ministry or ask fish dealers to retrieve, import and cultivate them in specially allotted ponds within the new city park.

Israel allows Palestinian traders to buy fish seeds (fertilized fish eggs) and eggs and get them into the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom trade crossing between Gaza and Israel. There are a lot of Palestinian traders who work in the field of aquaculture and create many fisheries that are well-equipped for aquaculture, and this generates considerable revenues for them.

An employee at Qatar Charity told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that his foundation funded the project at a cost of $364,000. He said, This cost includes the design of the maritime city, which was designed in a way to serve as an integrated maritime exhibition center and park and a model that simulates the maritime environment. The cost also includes the preparation of the project and the hiring of workers to construct external walls, tile internal squares, plant grass in some areas, provide administrative services, establish exhibition rooms, construct a large hall for meetings and exhibitions, and provide 5-by-2.5-meter [16-by-8-foot] basins for large fish. Add to this the architectural, constructional, electrical and mechanical design and the full logistical support required by the maritime city.

The source added, Further, a boat needs to be restored to be used as a training hall and serve as a model that simulates the work of marine boats and include all of the tools used. Visitors can enter this boat-like hall to check out its components and work mechanisms, knowing that it will be placed in the sea, and a wooden bridge with a fence will be constructed to enable visitors and researchers to access it safely.

Asked about the conditions that the design must take into consideration, he said, The design must take into account aesthetic and environmental aspects and provide the necessary protection for visitors by building fences and concrete walls. Also, there should be plastic signboards inside the boat. A proposal for the installation and running of navigational electronic devices must be prepared as well.

Samir Abu Mudallala, an economics professor at Al-Azhar University, told Al-Monitor, Such projects are of vital importance to the Gaza Strip, being an additional source of culture. Also, such projects add field training that enriches students and researchers in the maritime field as well as fishermen. This project constitutes a real nucleus for a scientific training and research center that interests researchers and specialists in this field, and it is unique in Gaza.

The idea of this project has two goals. The first is scientific, as it helps specialists and researchers in the maritime field, and the second is recreational and economical, as this city will serve as the ultimate destination for people seeking peace and quiet.

According to the projects plan, the aquatic city, if carried out, will have a leading role in scientific research in the field of fisheries.
September 30, 2016

Tunisias Grand Mufti Sheikh Othman Battikh called on Tunisians to halt social protests and sit-ins. His call has raised controversy and was condemned by civil society and trade unions. Diwan al-Ifta, Tunisias highest religious establishment, issued a statement Sept. 26 where the grand mufti called to abandon untimely protests and sit-ins that hinder work and production, and refrain from blocking the roads and damaging public property. The muftis call came following the recent social protests and labor strikes in Tunisia.

He added, Today, Tunisia stands at a crossroads. Either we all make responsible efforts to save [the country], or God forbid, as Allah almighty has said: They destroy their dwellings by their own hands and by those of the believers.

The grand muftis interference in the public domain is a precedent in Tunisia. Diwan al-Ifta, which is affiliated with the premiership, has never interfered in political affairs. That is why the grand muftis call has sparked controversy.

Local media perceived the grand muftis call as a prohibition of the protests and support for the government. In response, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Political Rights said in a Sept. 26 statement, Diwan al-Iftas interference goes beyond its scope of competence, as it is related to economic and social issues and the struggle for a full citizenship for all. Its objective is to justify the government policy aimed at criminalizing social movements.

The statement continued, The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Political Rights warns of the seriousness of the statement, which employs the muftis religious authority to judge social movements, economic and social rights advocacy organizations, associations and campaigns, as well as the struggle for justice.

On Sept. 27, the Tunisian General Labor Union demanded the grand mufti distance himself from these issues and refrain from involving Diwan al-Ifta in order to demonize and prohibit the movements.

Under Tunisian law, the grand mufti is the state counselor for all Sharia affairs, religious fundamentals and Islamic rituals, as well as all entrusted religious duties. Yet the law does not refer to any political duty for the grand mufti, which makes his call to halt social and labor strikes an overstep of his duties.

Amira Aleya Sghaier, a professor at the Higher Institute for the Study of Contemporary History of Tunisia, told Al-Monitor, Talk about religions role in the state resumed following the Jan. 14, 2011, revolution. Since 1956, when Tunisia became independent, and in order for it to properly establish the logic of a modern state, the role of the clergy has declined and the role of Diwan al-Ifta was marginalized. The modern elite have taken their positions, privileges and even their stature among the public under the French colonialism and monarchy. Under the watch of [former Tunisian Prime Minister] Habib Bourguiba and [former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine] Ben Ali, the grand mufti was only sent to announce the sighting of the crescent moon [marking the beginning of religious holidays].

Sghaier warned of the seriousness of the grand muftis call and noted that in case Tunisians were not aware of how serious this call is, the religious establishment may exaggerate its interference and a day may come when [Tunisians] will lose their vested rights, including the right to join trade unions and strike, as is the case in countries where the religious establishment dominates, such as the Gulf states.

Journalist Mohammed Bettayeb told Al-Monitor, The grand muftis call to halt social protests and his involvement in the public domain based on religious texts and siding with the government proves that there are contradictions in determining the form of the Tunisian state and its stance toward religion and its role.

Bettayeb added, We, in Tunisia, have not determined yet the form of the state that governs us. Constitutional Article 1 stipulates that Islam is the official state religion in Tunisia. Yet Article 2 provides that Tunisia is a civil state based on citizenship, the will of the people and the supremacy of law. This means that the religious texts or religious establishment are not a reference. At the same time, there are parties with religious backgrounds taking part in the government, such as Ennahda, and there are other active parties that fundamentally neither recognize the state nor the republican system, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir. All these contradictions make it difficult to understand the states position toward religion and the role of religion in the state.

He added, The grand muftis call  which resembled a fatwa  came to endorse the Youssef Chahed government, in which the grand mufti has privileges similar to those of a minister, in the face of the mounting and recent social and labor protests. The government wants to achieve economic gains on the expenses of the working class. Since he was designated [as prime minister-designate], Chahed revealed that his platform consists of irregular decisions and sacrifices. These sacrifices will only affect the working class and ordinary workers. That is why the official religious establishment is employed to ban all forms of social struggle. Yet why doesn't Diwan al-Ifta prohibit tax evasion, which businessmen resort to?

In contrast, the director of Diwan al-Ifta, Fathi Mahjoub, said on Sept. 28 that the grand muftis statement on abandoning protests does not serve as a fatwa banning or allowing anything.

The Tunisian News Agency quoted Mahjoub as saying, [The statement] is the muftis mere opinion on the general situation out of his sense of national responsibility.

The grand muftis statement was advice he made in good faith and not upon the directives of any party, he added, noting that this statement does not serve as a fatwa in any regard.

Regardless of the grand muftis motives behind his call, be it personal advice or a directive from the government, the statement of Diwan al-Ifta is seen as an unprecedented declaration in a state that has gone a long way in modernization.

Bourguiba had chosen to build a modern state in Tunisia since its independence, which was in the opposite direction of most of the regions countries. Bourguiba completely alienated the religious institution from the public domain, confining its role to pro forma functions while introducing radical measures such as banning polygamy, abolishing the Awqaf and the religious judiciary, and nationalizing the education system instead of the religious one.
October 2, 2016

CAIRO  On Sept. 21, the Egyptian Cabinet decided to authorize the import of ergot-infected wheat in accordance with Egyptian regulations adopted in 2010 that permit the import of wheat containing levels of .05% of ergot or lower. This negated a prior decision taken in late August, when the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it was imposing a zero-tolerance policy for ergot, banning the import of wheat containing any quantity of the fungus.

The Cabinet said it would not permit the import of wheat containing ergot levels exceeding those allowed for by Egypts 2010 guidelines. They noted that these guidelines were in line with standards determined by international agencies specializing in the field  such as the Codex Alimantarius and the Food and Agriculture Organization. They also said that fears concerning ergot  such as that imported wheat containing ergot was carcinogenic and harmful to public health  was utterly without foundation.

Nadir Nur al-Din, a professor at the College of Agriculture at Cairo University and an adviser to the former minister of supply at the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), criticized the Egyptian governments decision to import wheat containing even trace amounts of ergot.

Nur al-Din told Al-Monitor that Egypt had never imported wheat containing ergot throughout its history. The government is claiming that a law from 2010 exists that authorizes it, he said, yet if thats true, why did the minister of supply decide to issue his decision last July under pressure from former Minister of Supply Khalid Hanafy to permit the import of wheat meeting the .05% standard, only to renege at the end of August. [Originally,] he decided that imported wheat had to be completely free of ergot.

On Sept. 22, Eid Hawash, the spokesman for the minister of agriculture, was dismissed from his post after making remarks about the pressures to which the Agriculture Ministry had been subjected over the latest decision to permit the import of wheat containing quantities of ergot. This came several days after the ministers decision to issue the import ban, ostensibly out of concern for Egyptians health and the quality of produce.

Nur al-Din attributed the reason for the government's permitting the import of a quantity of ergot in wheat to pressure from businessmen and importers. They apparently stood to earn an additional $875 million in profits if wheat containing ergot were authorized for import.

The dispute concerning the quantity of ergot in wheat imports has threatened to halt imports of Russian wheat to Egypt at a time when Moscow is slated to harvest the largest wheat crop since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Egypt purchased 6 million tons of Russian wheat in the 2015-16 market year, which concluded June 30  in other words, a quarter of Russias wheat exports for that period. The GASC had purchased 540,000 tons of Russian wheat as of July, before the new limitations on importing ergot-infected wheat were issued.

Egypt imports 11 million tons of wheat annually, ranking it as the largest wheat importer in the world. Of these, 5 million tons are imported by the government through its various agencies, while the remaining 6 million tons are imported by the private sector, according to previous government statements.

On Sept. 23, Russian Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov said his country would resume exports of wheat to Egypt once the restrictions previously imposed on wheat imports were removed.

Russias decision followed threats issued Sept. 13 to ban the import of Egyptian citrus. Russian Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachev on Sept. 22 decided to use the step as a means to exert pressure on Egypt, according to Reuters. The Russian Food Safety Board issued a statement saying that it had reasons for concern, which it described as systematic violations of international requirements pertaining to vegetable sanitation standards in massive quantities of Egyptian citrus.

Nur al-Din said the Egyptian government relied upon international reports permitting the import of ergot-infected wheat, but that in his view this was inappropriate  the issue was discretionary, not mandatory. He said, The mistake made by Agriculture Minister Issam Fayyid was in attempting to implement a decision to ban the ergot-infected wheat  which he made in August  on a retroactive basis. Egypt had concluded a 2 million ton agreement for importing ergot-infected wheat, mostly from Russia, France and America. He should have waited until after these quantities of wheat had been unloaded and then implemented the decision. Thats what put the government in such an embarrassing moment, after which it backed off.

On Sept. 26, following consultations between Egypt and Russia, Egyptian Minister of Trade and Manufacturing Tariq Qabil announced his expectation that the crisis of Russias temporary ban on importing Egyptian agricultural products would be resolved. He said the Russian side expressed a great deal of understanding and responsiveness. Shortly afterward, Sergey Dankvert  the head of the Russian Food Safety Board  said his country had decided to lift the ban on Egyptian citrus imports.

The spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Manufacturing, Yasir Jabir, denied that the Russian decision was at all related to Egypts refusal or acceptance of allowing the import of Russian wheat containing quantities of ergot.

Russia imported $153 million worth of Egyptian citrus in 2015, accounting for 13% of Russias total citrus imports. Egypts total agricultural exports to Russia amounted to $281 million.

Amr Qandil, the head of the Preventive Medicine Section of the Ministry of Health, said a study of the dangers of ergot fungus showed that the fungus could not thrive in Egypt. He added that any discussion of its possible effects on public health were simply rumors aiming to undermine security and stability.

Nur al-Din attacked Qandils statements; he claimed they expressed a distortion of the facts. Nur al-Din said, If we speak about the danger of ergot fungus, we should be discussing therapeutic and pharmacological medicine, not preventive medicine, in order to treat the fungus poisonous secretions.

He said, "Ergot is dangerous to Egyptians general health and to the agricultural environment. Nur al-Din added, The fungus causes sickness, including hallucinations, paralysis and even death. In addition, it weakens a persons circulatory system and its toxins [can] cause miscarriages in pregnant women. Moreover, there is its impact on the agricultural environment, where 22 other crops were introduced to the fungus while they were being stored in barns and silos in Egypts various governorates.

The crisis of ergot-infected wheat did not pop up in the last few days alone. In March, Saad Moussa, the head of the Central Administration for Agricultural Quarantine, was dismissed from his post after criticizing the Egyptian government, saying that ergot-infected wheat should not be permitted into Egypt in accordance with the first article of the Agricultural Quarantine Statute 3007 of 2001. This prompted a controversy about the dangers to public health and Egyptian agriculture, following the minister of agricultures authorization of imports of wheat that contain minuscule quantities of ergot.

Nur al-Din said, The Egyptian government must undertake the work of screening infected wheat from healthy wheat, at its own expense. Such an effort would not, realistically, cost more than 1% to 3% of the imports overall cost.
October 2, 2016

Akiva Eldar and Daoud Kuttab this week reflected on the legacy of Shimon Peres, one of Israels most acclaimed statesmen, who died Sept. 28.

Eldar credits Peres many contributions to Israels becoming a regional military powerhouse, world leader in high tech industries and an island of stability in the heart of a stormy Middle East. Peres was an architect of the Oslo Accord with the Palestinians, which led to his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize with Yitzak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, and to the peace agreement with Jordan in 1994.

Despite these achievements, Peres did not live to translate this power into peace, Eldar writes. The negotiations Peres conducted with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in 1996, after Rabins assassination, led to a dead end. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was the one who led Israeli troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005. Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert were much closer than Peres ever was to a permanent status agreement with the Palestinian side.

Eldar laments that Peres final peace efforts were marked by bitter disappointment, as the former Nobel Prize winner served as an envoy for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, trying to explain the policies of Israels right-wing governments.

Not surprisingly, the Palestinian reaction to Peres death did not match the near universal acclaim of world leaders eulogizing the former Israeli president and statesmen.

Daoud Kuttab reports this week that the atmosphere at a Palestinian ministry was cold as ice after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas released his condolence statement on the death of Peres.

The most repeated criticism of Peres  also often made against PLO officials, which includes Abbas  is that Oslo did not deal with settlements and did not even include a halt to settlement construction, Kuttab writes. Local leaders have often argued that the PLO, desperate for recognition by Israel, accepted the Israelis demand to postpone dealing with the issue of settlements. According to a senior official in the prime ministers office, who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, the number of settlements and settlers has tripled since 1993, making the possibility of the creation of an independent Palestinian state that much more difficult.

While Palestinians were generally unhappy with Abbas condolence message, which alluded to Peres lifetime commitment to peace, a number of activists and Palestinian officials contacted by Al-Monitor expressed respect for their old adversary, Kuttab adds.

This hate-love relationship between Palestinians and the late Israeli leader reflects the complexity of a man whom the world considers a peacemaker, while Palestinians insist that while he is an Israeli patriot, he bears major responsibility for the plight that Palestinians find themselves in today.

For Israelis, Eldar writes, Peres was the attractive, serious, tolerant and cultured face of Israel. He made millions of Jews around the world stand tall. He planted a bit of hope in the hearts of peace lovers among the Palestinians and the world, which last week saw at the United Nations an Israeli leader, Netanyahu, who is an expert in mongering fear and sowing division. The man who spent years lathering endless layers of concealer on Israels ugly face is gone, never to return.

Peres legacy, Eldar concludes, requires rectification of the inexcusable act in the occupied territories in which he was complicit. The leaders arriving Sept. 30 to accompany him to his final resting place cannot simply heap praise on Peres vision and make hollow promises to follow in his footsteps. This path has to pass through difficult decisions against the occupation, which is threatening to turn his lifes work into ashes.



Al-Monitor broke US deal on Iranian banks

A Wall Street Journal article Sept. 29, which reported that the United States had agreed to lift UN sanctions on two Iranian banks to coincide with a prisoner swap in January, provoked outrage among congressional Republicans, as reported by The Hill.

The Hill also noted that Al-Monitor broke this story. In her Jan. 19 column, Laura Rozen wrote that in the course of two separate tracks of negotiations with the Iranians  on the nuclear issue and the humanitarian release of detained citizens  Iran had sought the delisting of the banks from UN Security Council sanctions.

On Jan. 17, the UN Security Council removed Bank Sepah and Bank Sepah International from the UN sanctions list. The United States raised no objections. This little-noticed action at the United Nations came as five Americans were freed from Iranian detention Jan. 16, and US Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini gathered in Vienna to announce implementation day of the landmark Iran nuclear deal. As part of the agreement to free the Americans detained in Iran, the United States would grant clemency to seven Iranians charged with export violations and drop Interpol red notices seeking the extradition of 14 other Iranians abroad charged with similar offenses, Rozen reported at the time.

A senior administration official told Rozen that the US decision not to oppose the delisting of the banks was made during the nuclear negotiations as a confidence-building measure and goodwill gesture, but was not able to be completed by the conclusion of the nuclear talks in July 2014.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein said a vote for her isn't a wasted one. It isn't a vote for Donald Trump, she said.

"The biggest way to throw away your vote is by voting for these establishment parties that have thrown us under the bus," she said. "The best way to use our vote is to invest in this social movement, this social transformation that we are creating together."

Much of this social movement, Stein mentioned, was created by the supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in his bid for the Democratic nominee for president. While Sanders is endorsing Hillary Clinton, many of his backers are moving to the Green Party.

Stein spoke to a relatively small group of supporters (or potential supporters) Saturday evening in a meeting room at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The vast majority of those indicated by raising their hand that they were former Sanders supporters.

Stein is a medical doctor and activist. She ran for president for the Green Party in 2012.

During her campaign rally, Stein thanked Alabama Bernie supporters "for blazing the trail.

"We are going to be 'Bernin' Green,' I think from here on out," she said to applause.

Lynn Richardson, of Birmingham, was one of these Bernie supporters. She said when Sanders conceded to Clinton at the Democratic convention, she didn't want to lend her support to a corporately backed candidate.

She feels the values of the Green Party, such as, "peace over profit" and social justice actually represents the majority of people.

Richardson said the Alabama Green Party formed this summer and worked to obtain the 5,000 signatures - they actually got 9,000 -- needed to get Stein on the November ballot.

She said the next step is to continue to educate voters, start local chapters and to run Green Party candidates on the local level.

Stein spoke Saturday in support of the recent Alabama inmate strike and against "legalized slavery" in American prisons. She mentioned the recent gas pipeline spill in Shelby County and its potential impact.

"They say it didn't get into the rivers, but what about the aquifers?," she asked.

Stein quoted a recent Gallup poll that showed that 57 percent of Americans want a major third party. That number is up from 46 percent in 2012.

That isn't even because Clinton and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are the most unpopular presidential nominees in modern history, she said.

Stein said voters don't have to fall prey to the "politics of fear" and vote for the lobbyist, corporate and Super PAC-funded candidates who don't have progressive policies.

"Hillary Clinton is not the solution to the threat of Donald Trump," she said.

Stein, who supports eliminating college debt, said if the 43 million people "trapped in predatory student debt" voted for a third party, then a third party candidate could win.

"We have the power to win this," she said.

Stein laid out her Green Party platform, such as, establishing a living wage, health care for everyone, creating 20 million jobs by transitioning to 100 percent clean renewable energy by 2030 and keeping public school systems from being privatized.

Birmingham activist Carlos Chaverst said he supports Stein because she is for creating "real change in America," instituting a living wage and speaking out against mass incarceration.

"Most of the issues she speaks on are very relatable to the people in Birmingham," he said, where the median household income in Birmingham is $31,000 and 74 percent of the population is black.
Alexandra Laird.PNG

Alexandra Laird

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A 21-year-old woman has spurred a stand-off this week between health experts and prosecutors over the care and punishment of pregnant addicts, who face prosecution more often in Alabama than any other state.

The case also raises questions about the limits of a chemical endangerment law initially designed to safeguard young children from home-based meth labs as a tool to protect unborn children.

In the middle sits Alexandra Laird, who is currently under the care of physicians at UAB Hospital, who have decided not to discharge her to the jail as ordered by Bessemer Judge David Hobdy. Members of the treatment team at UAB have raised concerns about Laird's safety at the jail, which they say is not designed to treat a pregnancy complicated by heroin addiction.

The case began earlier this year after Laird was arrested for chemical endangerment. She had given birth to a child in 2015 who tested positive for opioids and amphetamines. Laird was out on bond on that charge when she became pregnant and tested positive for heroin.

Hobdy revoked her bond in early September and ordered Laird confined to jail for the rest of her pregnancy.

"This court is very concerned about the welfare of the unborn child,'' Hobdy said.

The decision pushed Alabama's toughest-in-the-nation pregnancy drug laws into uncharted territory. Although women often receive stiff sentences in Alabama after a conviction for using drugs while pregnant, it is the first high-profile case where a pregnant woman faced months in jail before her case even came to trial.

It also alarmed addiction treatment specialists who argue that treatment - not jail - typically produces better outcomes for newborns and pregnant women struggling with drugs. Those concerns became even more dire when Laird was transported to UAB from the jail after a fall and doctors learned she hadn't been receiving the standard pharmaceutical treatment for pregnant opioid users. Doctors typically use Subutex or methadone to prevent withdrawal, which can damage the developing fetus.

"Opiate withdrawal in pregnancy can affect fetal blood flow causing harm during periods of fetal development," wrote Dr. Peter Lane, medical director of the Addiction Recovery Program at UAB, in a letter to Hobdy.

Lane and other addiction experts urged the judge to reinstate bond and release Laird to Aletheia House, which runs a treatment program for pregnant women.

"The whole idea is if we can change mom's life, you can help that kid's life," said Dr. Peter Lane, medical director for the Addiction Recovery Program at UAB.

Alabama is one of just a handful of states where law enforcement officers arrest and charge women who use drugs during pregnancy - and the most aggressive, according to an analysis last year by Al.com and ProPublica.

Lawmakers passed a law against chemical endangerment of a child in 2006, which made it illegal for parents to expose children to the byproducts of home-based meth labs. Soon, prosecutors also began bringing chemical endangerment cases against women who used drugs during pregnancy.

About 500 women have been charged with chemical endangerment in Alabama since 2006, according to the analysis. Medical organizations have opposed laws that criminalize drug use during pregnancy because they might keep women from seeking prenatal care or treatment for addiction, potentially exposing unborn babies to more risky behavior.

But Alabama isn't the only state to tackle the issue with tough laws. After a spike in babies born dependent on opioids, Tennessee lawmakers passed a law against fetal assault to punish drug-using mothers. Lawmakers in Tennessee decided not to renew it earlier this year after a vigorous lobbying effort by doctors and women's groups.

Laird's case was unusual for Jefferson County, where chemical endangerment charges are fairly rare. The charge is much more common in Etowah County. Even there, where law enforcement leaders have taken a tough stance against drug use during pregnancy, jail officials usually prioritize treatment over jail for pregnant women, said Emuni Sanderson, outreach coordinator for Aletheia House.

She said it was unusual for a jail to refuse a treatment bed offered by Aletheia House.

"Etowah and Calhoun charge with chemical endangerment more often, but their thing is we want to get them into treatment," Sanderson said. "The goal is not to keep them in jail."

Bessemer District Attorney Bill Veitch argued that Laird could not be trusted inside an unlocked drug treatment facility. Her first child required one month of hospital treatment for withdrawal symptoms after she was born, he said. Given her history of drug use during pregnancy, Veitch urged the judge to keep Laird in jail so she could not get access to heroin.

"Couldn't she just walk out the door?" he asked several times.

Lane and others argued that Laird needed more than just Subutex, which the jail agreed to provide, but also counseling and life skills training.

"Sending somebody back to jail is traumatic," Lane said. "Without anything else, it just makes it more likely for them to use."

Dr. Michael Chandler, chief medical officer for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said medical staff at the jail could continue to treat Laird with Subutex and provide psychiatric counseling. The Bessemer jail, which houses female inmates, has about eight pregnant women incarcerated right now. The jail has a medical staff that includes nurses, doctors, psychiatrists and social workers, he said.

"It's a sterile environment," Chandler said. "It's a jail. There's no flowers anywhere like Aletheia House."

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology has taken a strong stand in support of medication-assisted treatment for pregnant women, and against laws that criminalize drug use during pregnancy. Lane said that most studies show that Subutex, administered alongside a regimen of therapy and counseling, has a high rate of success.

"All the medical literature says Subutex by itself does nothing - it just keeps them from withdrawal," Lane said.

Laird's attorney, Jeff Huseman, said his client has not been found guilty, but is already being punished. She is a about half-way through her pregnancy and could spend five more months behind bars. Susan Staats-Combs, owner and director of the Shelby County Treatment Center in Alabaster, said Laird suffers from a disease. All of her criminal charges are related to drug use and possession.

"It's punishing her for a disease she has," Staats-Combs said.

Hobdy urged the treatment providers to collaborate with jail staff on a treatment plan for Laird, but instead her physicians have decided not to discharge her from the hospital. If she is discharged, she will have to return to jail, but that may not happen until after the baby is born.

If she returns to the jail, the medical director said employees can provide medicine and counseling, in a secure setting that Laird cannot leave.

"The mother might not be as happy," Chandler said. "But the baby doesn't know the mother's in jail."
Dallas Fanning

Dallas Fanning in his city hall office just before retiring as Huntsville's urban development director in 2010. (File)

After longtime Huntsville planner Dallas Fanning's death last week, local leaders called him the indispensable man in creating the economic powerhouse on track to become Alabama's biggest city.

"Most people will never realize how much impact he had on how this community developed," Marie Bostick, Fanning's successor as city planner, said Friday.

Mayors and city councils made the decisions that implemented Fanning's sometimes controversial recommendations. But it was Fanning who led the way to creating Cummings Research Park, the annexations that doubled Huntsville's size, and the special tax districts that built the Providence community, multiple new schools, the Toyota engine plant and Parkway Place mall.

"Visionary," "critical player" and "unsung hero" are some of accolades lavished on Fanning, who died Monday at age 69 after suffering a head injury during a fall at home.

Back from Vietnam

He joined the planning department in 1972. A young man from the farming community of Plevna near the Tennessee line, Fanning was just back from Vietnam. He would say that then-Mayor Joe Davis took a chance on him, but he quickly showed the brain that would master planning, politics and law.

"When I covered the Planning Commission for The Times and later when we wrote editorials about growth and planning issues," longtime Huntsville Times Editorial Page Editor John Ehinger said last week, "I was always impressed with his mastery of not only the laws affecting growth but the issues shaping the city's future."

For all Fanning accomplished, people kept returning to one issue last week. Fanning guided a long series of aggressive annexations, starting in the 1980s, that would double Huntsville's size, surround the city of Madison, and halt Decatur's eastward advance.

"He was a general, and he had them surrounded," one person grinned at Fanning's funeral. He was talking about Madison and Fanning's eventual rank as a brigadier general in the Alabama National Guard.

Today, leaders don't talk much openly about those annexation wars. There are too many reasons to make nice as North Alabama cooperates on common concerns. But the annexations showed Fanning's passion for his city and his understanding of how Alabama works.

'Cities Without Suburbs'

"I appreciated the way he approached the annexation things, because he believed in Huntsville and believed in making Huntsville stronger and better," outgoing Huntsville Utilities CEO Jay Stowe said last week.

"He had a book in his office. He showed it to me one time, and it was called 'Cities Without Suburbs'...," Stowe said. "I ordered it, read it and I understood why he did what he did."

First published in 1993, the book by former Albuquerque mayor David Rusk argued that America's cities must merge with their suburbs to have the resources to attack their core problems and challenges.

"Cities that are surrounded can shrivel and die," is how Bostick put it, "like Birmingham has had to struggle."

But Bostick said the annexations weren't about Madison or any other community. Fanning understood something fundamental about Alabama, she said.

Because of the state's property tax limits, Alabama cities are forced to rely on sales taxes to fund services. Annexing land along Huntsville's major commercial growth corridors - U.S. 72 west, Interstate 565 and U.S. 231 in Hampton Cove - "was a strategic economic development decision more about protecting growth and revenue."

'No' to a merger

By the time Rusk's book was published in 1993, Madison voters had rejected a merger with Huntsville in 1986, and the smaller city's population was exploding. Madison went from small agrarian community to an educated and mostly white professional population of 43,000, many of whom were deliberately avoiding Huntsville's struggles at the time with new political districts.

Madison was on a path to rival Huntsville, but it also needed commercial property to fund its growth.

"There was a kind of chess match going on (to annex commercial property), and I think Dallas had the upper hand every time," former Madison Mayor Chuck Yancura told The Huntsville Times in 2010. "Many times I thought, 'Gee, I wish that guy worked for us.'"

Did Fanning's push for annexations pay off? Huntsville's budget is still growing, and it has attracted major plants in the western annexed areas like Polaris and GE Aviation. Huntsville itself has continued to expand, passing 190,000 residents last year and finding itself the only rapidly growing large city in Alabama.

But Madison wasn't the only government Fanning dueled with over land.

Huntsville pushed into Limestone County after Decatur annexed land east of Interstate 65. When it was done, Huntsville stretched along most of the Interstate 565 corridor to I-65 and included the massive Sewell property north of I-565 that would be certified as a TVA industrial megasite.

"I called my counterpart in Decatur and told him if they stayed west of I-65, you can go all the way to Canada and we don't care," Fanning told The Times. "But if you cross east of 65, we've got no choice" but to expand into Limestone County. "Guess what -- he crossed it."

Over the mountain

Fanning didn't just look west. He guided the city's move east over Monte Sano into Hampton Cove. And he always said the city did not approach landowners, but was willing to meet with them if they approached.

Less controversial, Fanning recommended and then-Mayor Loretta Spencer pushed the creation of five Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts in Huntsville starting in 2000. When the city started using them, TIFs were a relatively new financing method. They let cities borrow money for improvements in struggling areas and pay back the loans with the rising property tax collections from those improved neighborhoods.

The projects funded by TIFs changed Huntsville: Westside Centre with the city's first SuperTarget, a new Huntsville High School, Parkway Place mall, Providence Elementary and Columbia High schools, Toyota's engine plant in north Huntsville, upgrades to eight north Huntsville schools, a new Lee High School, an Embassy Suites hotel, and upgrades to the Von Braun Center and Huntsville Museum of Art.

When he came into office, current Mayor Tommy Battle proposed and the current council approved two new TIFs to fund Redstone Gateway and Greenbrier Parkway.

The new parkway, a limited-access highway that will connect I-565 and I-65, was a major part of the city's incentive package for Polaris and will pass the TVA megasite Fanning helped bring into the city.

"He was always, always at the table when any important decisions were made," said Mike Ward, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville-Madison County. "He had a terrific vision of where the community ought to go. We would not have what we have without what he did."

Finding a balance

"He had a unique way of finding a balance," Bostick said. "He would always listen to all sides, but he could see through to the core."

Fanning had the influence not only because of his vision, but because of the loyalty and respect he inspired in two generations of elected and non-elected community leaders.

"He was like a father to me," said Bostick, who was hired straight out of college by Fanning and eventually replaced him as city planner.

"I came on board in 1988, the first black elected (to the city council) since Reconstruction," City Councilman Richard Showers said while waiting in line to enter Fanning's funeral. "I met Dallas at the time (former mayor) Joe Davis had just got through serving. Steve Hettinger was the mayor. Dallas Fanning came up to the seventh floor and said, 'Richard, I'm here for you. If I can assist you, I'm here.'

"But what was so humbling about Dallas Fanning, visionary, was he didn't want any credit," Showers said. "He wanted to give it to the mayor or the council. Huntsville enjoyed its greatest growth under the leadership of Dallas Fanning.'

"We're going to miss him," Showers said. "We're going to miss him. We're going to miss him. "
10-2 Matthew path 10 pm.jpg

Some computer models shifted their forecast paths for Hurricane Matthew westward on Sunday night. The storm was expected to track near Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba over the next few days. Potential impacts to the U.S. were still very uncertain on Sunday night. (National Hurricane Center)

Hurricane warnings blanketed the Caribbean as powerful Hurricane Matthew threatened Haiti and Jamaica on Sunday night.

The National Hurricane Center said Matthew remained a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 mph.

Matthew was expected to track to the northwest and begin to approach Haiti and Jamaica later tonight, then track toward Cuba and the Bahamas.

Forecasters continued to caution Sunday that it was still too soon to say that Matthew would miss Florida. However, the storm's projected path keeps Matthew in the Bahamas later this week.

As of the latest advisory, at 10 p.m. CDT Sunday, Hurricane Matthew was located about 325 miles southwest of Port Au Prince, Haiti. The hurricane center said the storm was moving north at 5 mph.

Hurricane warnings and watches stretched into the Bahamas on Sunday night in Matthew's projected path.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica, Haiti and the Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma and Las Tunas. The southeastern Bahamas were added to the warning late Sunday.

A hurricane watch was in effect for the Cuban province of Camaguey; the southeastern Bahamas, including the Inaguas, Mayaguana, Acklins Crooked Island and Long Cay, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the central Bahamas.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for part of the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Barahona westward to the border with Haiti.

A tropical storm watch was in effect for part of the northern coast of the Dominican Republic from Puerto Plata westward to the border with Haiti.

The hurricane center warned those in the rest of the Bahamas to watch Matthew closely, as the long-rage projected path of the storm goes right through the islands.

Hurricane Matthew's cloud pattern looked "a little more impressive" on Sunday afternoon, forecasters said.

Matthew's winds were holding steady at 145 mph Sunday night, but forecasters said fluctuations in intensity would be possible during the next few days.

Matthew was expected to stay near Category 4 intensity through at least the next 36 hours, forecasters said.

Matthew turned to the north Sunday night and was expected to continue north on Monday.

If Matthew stays on that path, the center of the storm will be near southwestern Haiti and Jamaica on Monday and into Tuesday.

Those areas should start to feel more of the effects of the storm tonight.

A big concern, in addition to Matthew's winds and storm surge, will be rainfall.

Matthew could produce 15-25 inches of rain across southern Haiti, the hurricane center said. Isolated areas could get up to 40 inches, which could be devastating for that area.

Ten to 20 inches of rain could also be possible in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba. Some spots could get up to 25 inches, forecasters said.

That much rain over that short a timeframe raises a considerable risk of deadly flash floods and mudslides, the hurricane center said.

Matthew could also send a dangerous storm surge and large waves onto the coasts of Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica.

Rough seas will start to migrate northward toward Florida this week, and the National Weather Service in Miami said marine conditions will go rapidly downhill starting Tuesday.

Matthew could bring strong rip currents, coastal flooding and beach erosion to south Florida this week.

The big question for those in Florida and along the East Coast was Matthew's long-range path.

The official forecast track suggests Matthew's worst weather will stay away from Florida and instead pummel the Bahamas through mid-week.

However, it's too soon to say Florida is in the clear, forecasters said Sunday: "It is important to remind users that average NHC track forecast errors are around 175 miles at day 4 and 230 miles at day 5. Therefore, it is too soon to rule out possible hurricane impacts from Matthew in Florida."

Forecasters should gain more confidence about Matthew's path once the storm clears Hispaniola and Cuba by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Matthew is expected to turn toward the north-northwest after passing Cuba, steered between a strong area of high pressure over the Atlantic and a weak trough of low pressure over the eastern Gulf.

Some forecast models now show an even weaker Gulf trough, and that has caused model tracks to shift some to the west.

"The new NHC track forecast has been shifted slightly to the west or left of the previous advisory track, mainly to account for the more westward initial position," forecasters wrote. "However, the forecast track remains to the east of the UKMET, GFS, and GFS-ensemble mean models, and lies near the TVCX consensus model."

Invest 98L

A tropical wave northeast of the Leeward Islands had a 30 percent chance of development over five days. (National Hurricane Center)

There was another tropical wave being watched by forecasters on Sunday.

An area of low pressure -- Invest 98L -- was located about 500 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands on Sunday night and was moving to the northwest at about 15 mph, the hurricane center said.

Rain and storms associated with it became a bit better organized Sunday, and the low has moved into an area that is a bit more favorable for development.

The hurricane center raised the chances of development to 30 percent over five days but noted that the low would move into a less hospitable area for strengthening by mid-week.
Roy Moore

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore testifies during his ethics trial before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary at the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday Sept. 28, 2016. (Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser via AP, Pool)

(Mickey Welsh)

The Alabama Court of the Judiciary may have dealt a professional blow to Roy Moore the judge by suspending him without pay for the remainder of his term, but the body's decision is also very likely a political win for Moore's potential candidacy for governor.

"They're making him out to be a martyr," a Republican strategist who has worked for a number of Alabama political candidates told AL.com. "To the average voter, especially the average Republican primary voter, he's fighting for an issue they believe in in traditional marriage and I think this helps him. I think it's going to make him stronger if he does run for governor, believe it or not."

Moore, the now suspended Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, was served the penalty by the court for what it described as his defiance in ordering probate judges not to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples even after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.

By being suspended, Moore can say that he stuck to his convictions - a quality that appeals to voters in a political climate that favors authenticity over establishment politicians. And by being once again thrust into the national spotlight, Moore's already sky-high name recognition will only grow.

"This could be the beginning of the gubernatorial 2018 race," said Natalie Davis, a political science professor at Birmingham-Southern College. "If you're looking for the elected official or political figure in the state who has the most favorable ratings, it's Roy Moore. So he starts off even with this hanging over him in a pretty good position if he seeks the governorship."

A July poll conducted on behalf of the Alabama Forestry Association showed Moore leading the field of potential gubernatorial candidates with about 28 percent support; Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange polled second with about 19 percent.

"He's positioned to have a pretty good leg up on the competition," Davis said. "I think he knows that [the commission's decision] helps him, but also he's committed to these kinds of positions. He hasn't deviated. He's not a flip-flop. That is appealing to the Alabama electorate. Alabamians do not want to be told what to do. In a way, that's how they've been governed for many years."

While Friday's decision by the court benefits Moore in the near-term, the largest obstacle to a potential gubernatorial campaign is how Moore can stay in the spotlight a year from now, when candidates can start to solicit donors for cash, according to Brent Buchanan, a Republican strategist and managing partner at Cygnal, a Montgomery-based political consulting firm.

"The worst thing that could happen for Roy Moore is that people stop talking about him," Buchanan said. "If he's going to run for higher office, he's going to have to stay relevant for the next 10 months, and that's going to be challenging being suspended but not kicked off" the bench.

Moore has run for governor before, primarying then-Gov. Bob Riley in 2006 and placing fourth in the 2010 gubernatorial primary. At the time of the 2006 race, Moore was a national figure following his removal as chief justice for refusing to take down a statue of the Ten Commandments from the state judicial building.

In the 2006 campaign, Riley said he agreed with Moore's stance but acknowledged that the law had to be followed and ran on other issues. And while voters may also have sided with Moore, the job of governor is to uphold the law.

"Back then, in terms of the Ten commandments issue, they could separate out the fact that he ought to follow the law, all of that," Davis said. "But the difference in that race was Riley was a very compelling candidate, and so we'll just have to see how a campaign, how the 2018 race would be the kind of race where the cast of characters would have a more compelling candidate."

Potential opponents of Moore may use that playbook to try to defeat him in a gubernatorial primary, where Republican voters and candidates share the same stance on gay marriage.

Furthermore, Moore may have a built-in floor with evangelical voters because of his platform on social issues, but it may also limit his ceiling, according to the Republican strategist.

"I think there are other issues that are more important for them," the strategist said of primary voters. "Look at the Alabama Republican primary for president. They overwhelmingly voted for a three-times married casino owner, so they're also looking at other issues."
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a possible missing person near Juno Beach, Florida.

According to a press release from the Coast Guard, officials received a call at approximately 9:38 p.m. Saturday of a person missing in the ocean.

A caller told crews of an eight-foot dinghy that washed up on Juno Beach with signs of "recent use."

Juno Beach is located near the city of Jupiter in Palm Beach County.

Authorities involved in the search include the Coast Guard Cutter Bluefin crew, a Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet boat crew, and a Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew.

Anyone with information on the missing person should call Sector Miami Command Center at 305-535-4472.
10-2 Matthew path 4 pm.jpg

Most computer models shift Hurricane Matthew's track east of Florida this week. However, the hurricane center cautioned it was still too soon to say that Florida would avoid the worst of the storm. (National Hurricane Center)

Will Florida escape the worst that Hurricane Matthew has to offer?

The powerful Category 4 storm set its sights on Haiti and Jamaica on Sunday afternoon and was forecast to track over Cuba and into the Bahamas, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Matthew was located about 320 miles south-southwest of Port Au Prince, Haiti, as of 4 p.m. CDT Sunday and was moving northwest at 5 mph, according to the hurricane center.

Only a sliver of Florida's east coast was included on the outskirts of the storm's long-range path as of Sunday afternoon, but forecasters cautioned that it was too soon to say with certainty what Matthew would do.

The official forecast track suggests Matthew's worst weather will stay away from Florida and instead pummel the Bahamas through mid-week.

However, it's still too early to say Florida is in the clear, forecasters said.



"It is important to remind users that average NHC track forecast errors are around 175 miles at day 4 and 230 miles at day 5," hurricane center forecasters said Sunday. "Therefore, it is too soon to rule out possible hurricane impacts from Matthew in Florida."

Matthew's path should become more clear once the storm clears Hispaniola and Cuba mid-week.

Florida will certainly know that Matthew is nearby this week.

Rough seas will start to migrate northward with the storm, and the National Weather Service in Miami said marine conditions will worsen starting Tuesday.

Matthew could bring strong rip currents, coastal flooding and beach erosion to south Florida this week.

Those could spread farther north as well.

The weather service office in Melbourne, Fla., said Sunday that "at a minimum" Matthew will bring breezy conditions to the coast with building seas, surf and dangerous rip currents to central Florida beaches later this week. "Significant" beach erosion will be possible as well.

A developing trough of low pressure was expected to develop over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and steer Matthew more to the north and near Haiti, Jamaica and eastern Cuba through Tuesday, the hurricane center said.

Hurricane forecast models have been consistently forecasting a path for Matthew that would take the storm over eastern Cuba and into the Bahamas this week.

As of Sunday afternoon Matthew was expected to turn northward starting tonight. It would pass between an area of high pressure to the east and a weak trough of low pressure over the Gulf of Mexico for the next few days.

Later in the week, the hurricane center said, computer models show the possibility of another area of high pressure building to the northeast of Matthew, which could steer the storm to the west in three to five days.

That could prove worrisome for the East Coast.

"Although the official forecast continues to show a track east of Florida, it is still too soon to rule out possible possible hurricane impacts there," forecasters said Sunday afternoon. "It is also too soon to know whether, or how, Matthew might affect the remainder of the United States East Coast."
road construction

(Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com)

Skip Ragsdale (Courtesy photo)

Bo Ragsdale (Courtesy photo)

By Skip Ragsdale and Bo Ragsdale of Sunshine Supplies, Inc., a Birmingham-based erosion and sediment control solutions company.

Alabama motorists are hit with $3 billion per year in additional costs due to deteriorating road conditions, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers' most recent infrastructure report card.

It is common sense that a reliable infrastructure system strengthens our economy, enhances public safety and improves our quality of life. Unfortunately, the Alabama Department of Transportation admits that almost 50 percent of the state's interstate and highways are in fair, poor or very poor condition. Where is the common sense in that?

Roads with potholes, cracks, inadequate capacity and lack of safety features create challenges for Alabama's residents, visitors and businesses, causing increased traffic congestion and rising yearly vehicle maintenance costs. I know I'm not alone in saying I have experienced the heart-dropping moment when your car hits a crater-sized pothole one too many times, wondering if that is the unlucky moment your car or its tires will not make it out.

This is why roadway maintenance must be a priority for our state.

The federal government is a significant source of transportation funding for Alabama. In December 2015, Congress authorized a five-year, $305 billion extension to the national Highway Trust Fund. While the modest funding increase is a step in the right direction, it falls short of the level needed to improve conditions, nor does it resolve how to pay for transportation projects in the long term. Many states, like Alabama, are left to raising gas taxes to support the millions of dollars' worth of road projects government funding won't cover.

Politicians generally agree the nation's infrastructure is in need of improvement. Deciding how to pay for it and which projects should take priority is more difficult, but both presidential candidates propose spending billions of dollars over the next five years.

While the huge increase in funds will help, officials also need to examine the use of innovative roadway technologies as they consider ways to make the most out of infrastructure dollars.

A study conducted the Western Transportation Institute, funded by nine state departments of transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation, analyzed the use of geosynthetics, polymer-based reinforcement materials, to stabilize weak soils in road construction projects. Researchers found that incorporating these materials leads to stronger roads that can significantly increase the life of the pavement, saving on maintenance costs and tax dollars.

These proven technologies, including the geotextile Mirafi RS580i that performed best in the study, are hardly used throughout the state of Alabama. This innovation and others like it can lead to less expensive road ways, ones that are built faster and see less need for repair. It is important that our infrastructure dollars are used wisely, getting the most out of every roadway dollar.

With the impending election, now is the time to focus public officials' attention on the infrastructure needs right in our backyard and the funds and technologies needed to fix them.

We must commit today to make our vision of the future a reality - an infrastructure system that is the source of our prosperity.
Lang with NDIRF

Michelle Lang has joined the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund as an outside claims adjuster.

Lang is a graduate of the University of North Dakota with a bachelor's degree in accounting. She has previous claim adjustment experience as an auto and fire claims specialist.

Pic gets designation

Keith Pic, outside claims adjuster for the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund, has obtained the designation of chartered property casualty underwriter from the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters.

Boyd joins staff

Brad Boyd has been hired as business development officer at Impact Dakota, Bismarck.

Boyd has nearly 25 years of business-to-business sales experience in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

A native of Jamestown, he holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of North Dakota.

Leaders in sales

Judy Maslowski and Shirley Thomas are Bianco Realtys Realtors of the month for having the most closed sales in August.

Hildebrand joins

Briana Hildebrand has joined Vogel Law Firms Bismarck office, practicing in the area of general civil litigation.

A native of Bismarck, Hildebrand earned an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Minnesota and graduated in the top 5 percent of her class from the University of Nebraska College of Law.

Fettig with Bianco

Brad Fettig has joined Bianco Realty in Bismarck as a Realtor.

Rogneby in academy

Monte Rogneby, with Vogel Law Firm in Bismarck, was elected to be a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

To be eligible for membership, a nominees practice must have focused substantially on appeals during at least the past 15 years. Academy membership is limited to 500 in the United States.

Peterson selected

Wade Peterson has been named executive director for a joint venture among Sanford Health Continuing Care Centers in Bismarck-Mandan, the Good Samaritan Society-Bismarck campus and a 120-bed rehabilitation/skilled care center being built in Mandan.

Peterson was the administrator for Sanford Health Sunset Drive Continuing Care Center. He has 25 years of long-term care experience and chairs the North Dakota State Health Council.
A Dalit author issues a call to rebuild India and Australia with humanity not discrimination at their core.

When a photograph of me, an Indian Dalit, posing alongside Jeanine Leane, Marie Munkara, Dylan Coleman and Brenton McKenna, descendants of Australias early inhabitants, was published, I felt a relationship had been born, although I wasnt sure if it was intentional or accidental.

It reminded me of an incident experienced by Kannada writer, Vikram Visaji in West Bengal when a young poet, an Adivasi (the indigenous inhabitants of India) from the Santhal tribe, showed him a Bengali translation of my short story Amasa and asked: Is this writer an adivasi?

Not an Adivasi but a Dalit, Vikram replied.

But the young poet wasnt convinced. This Mahadeva is an adivasi. Only an Adivasi can write a story like this. This is my life, he said.

When Vikram told me this I felt that humanity is connected beyond reason. Dont we all have the same roots?

I dont know much about life in Australia or its literature. I have only read the Kannada translation of Rabbit Proof Fence, Oodgeroo Noonuccals collection of poems, We Are Going, and a few Aboriginal legends and mythologies.

When well-known poet Kath Walker changed her colonial tainted name to Oodgeroo Noonuccal, an Aboriginal one, this was not a simple act. It is standing proud in her true colours; being born again by shedding the outer scale of the skin.

When strangers meet in India a routine question asked is: Who are you people?

What they are actually trying to find out is each others caste.

People belonging to another caste are not the same people! Every time I remember this absurdity, I feel sad.

But what is more tragic and abominable is when British sailor Captain James Cook reached Australia in 1770 and declared the land Terra Nulis, meaning nobodys land, ignoring the aboriginals who had lived there for more than 50,000 years.

READ MORE: Australias aboriginals  When the river runs dry

To Cooks European eye, Aboriginals were not even other people. This is a terrible and inhumane blindness.

One of Noonuccals poems, Protectors, has a painful line that portrays the extreme cruelty and helplessness of humans: Who move us about at will like cattle. It could be animals speaking to their owners, if they had a voice.

Continuing on the path of Noonuccals poetry, in the narration of Acacia Ridge, there is a line  Bulldozers huddle the crime aside  that perfectly describes the insensitivity of colonists who treated Aboriginals like cattle, demolishing their living spaces. I feel this also applies to globalisation today.

Insult and scorn assail, she writes in the poem, My Love, and No abos here in the poem, Why Not Street, which documents the sad state of affairs for Aboriginals who have no entry to their own land.

In Aboriginal Charter of Rights, she says: Give us Christ, not crucifixion. When that is not heard, she continues:

White fellow, true

You had more for pride:

You had Jesus Christ,

But him you crucified,

And still do.

And unable to understand the cruelty of the white man says in frustration: Poor white man of the unhappy race in the poem The Unhappy race.

In this way, while trying to find the footmarks of history and transition in Australia, through the poetic essence of a sensitive poet, I also become helpless and move on to myths and legends.

I dont know the origin of this story, maybe its the story of every empire. An emperor was on a mission to conquer the entire world and had killed hundreds of thousands of people. He was gloating about his victory when his soldiers brought before him a cannibal they said they had caught moving a slain body to a nearby bush.

I was hungry sir, took only one, the poor man said.

The emperor replied: You can have the rest and enjoy.

They are yours, sir. My hunger is not as great as yours, the poor man responded.

The empires or the oppressive rulers hunger must be like this.

Australian Aboriginal legend has a mythological creature, Bunyip, which seems to attack women and children and lives in swamps and riverbeds. Like the aboriginals who were oppressed by the Europeans, these serene places lose their peace because of the attacks.

Dawn Wail For The Dead, a poem by Noonuccal, narrates the accumulated pain:

First thing every dawn

Remember the dead, cry for them

Softly at first her wail begins,

One by one as they wake and hear

Join in the cry, and the whole camp

Wails for the dead, the poor dead

I wonder if this poem would have been able to say more with the rhythm, the smell and the touch of her aboriginal language if it wasnt written in English. Would that have been the seed of an epic?

I dont know. Stone Age, another poem that I like, has an insightful line: White man, only time is between us. If we remove the time difference and keep both at the same time as the Aboriginals  we will notice the arrogant white imperialist and the black Aboriginals at that time both searching for food and living in caves.

Also notice that the Stone Age black aboriginals have a treasure trove of wise stories.

One of those stories is about how seven sisters become Pleiades star clusters.

READ MORE: Dalit Muslims of India

In the early days of the human species, seven sisters realised the necessity of the body surrendering to the will of the mind. Surrendering the body is about controlling the consequences of physical pain, hunger and fear.

It is a slap to the face of todays so-called civilised, who raise children by protecting them from those very things. Seven sisters by obtaining permission from the elders underwent the trial by ordeal and tolerated the hunger, endured the pain and conquered the fear.

They were blessed by the great spirit to become the Pleiades star clusters, to be a shining light and a symbol for their race.

In an African tribe, before marriage a ritual is practised where the naked couple sleep head to head all night so that their minds meet before their bodies. Todays world is trampling on these extraordinary stories while chasing the bodys desire.

In another aboriginal mythology from Australia, a tortoise which was ignored and ridiculed by other animals saves the entire animal kingdom by its shell. The tortoise should become the totem for Aboriginals, Dalits, people who are being thrown out and for the communities who have been ignored.

In order to survive, ignored communities have to move slowly, withdrawing the head inside when danger beckons. They must secure a shell to protect them from death when beaten. After surviving, the greedy world has to be freed and rescued from its greed. Is it possible to create an epic of our time from a tree originating from the songs, ballads, plays and folklore, in the aboriginal language, using its rhythm, smell and touch and combining the essence of myths and Rabbit Proof Fence kind of experiential tales as the creative source?

A last word: Aboriginals who have been distressed in their own land have not told the recently arrived Europeans who have devastated them: You have been here only a couple of hundred years. You go back to your country.

It is time that the outsiders living in Australia become like the aboriginals. Their manifesto Banish bans and conquer caste has to be practised. A humane, non-discriminatory and respectful Australia needs to be built with aboriginals at the centre. It is also time to build a new India, as this one is suffering from hunger, humiliation, untouchability and discrimination.

Devanuru Mahadeva delivered the keynote speech in Mysore at the conference After Dreaming: Australian Indigenous Literature Symposium attended by Australian aboriginal writers.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.

Translated from Kannada by Sridhar Gowda
Stanley L Cohen is an attorney and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa.

The United States Congress historic vote to defy the presidents veto, thereby passing into law the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), may spark new hope for victims of state violence in general.

By an overwhelming margin in both houses of the legislature, American senators and congressional representatives have defied Barack Obama, while playing to the public mood, in creating legislation that for the first time permits civil lawsuits in US trial courts to proceed against Saudi government officials, by the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks, as well as property owners.

While tailored narrowly, the broader meaning may have future applications to various struggles, including the fight for Palestinian justice.





Before now, foreign governments, their employees and agents deemed to be liable in some capacity  even an indirect one  for the deaths of Americans or the destruction of American property avoided any lawsuits by invoking the concept of sovereign immunity.

Blanket protection

Federal courts here simply refused such cases, rejecting them on the basis of a blanket protection for governmental actions by foreign powers.

In practice, this stripped the courts of jurisdiction over damage suits by citizens, and mostly established a balance of litigation whereby foreign governments reciprocally denied their citizens the right to sue the United States in their home courts.

Saudi Arabia condemns passage of US 9/11 law

Conflicts between nations were left to the diplomats, without injured parties messing up the picture. For 15 years, 9/11 victims families  emboldened by the many striking connections, real and postulated, between the al-Qaeda hijackers and Saudi officials  have banged up against sovereign immunity, as an impassable barrier to getting what they perceived as a fair hearing for their damage claims.

The new legislation ... apparently strips the Saudis, and perhaps other foreign powers, of sovereign immunity in cases where terrorism has occurred in the United States, and can be tied to an overseas governmental actor. by

I experienced first-hand the barrier of sovereign immunity in ground-breaking litigation I filed in a US court in 2002, seeking damages for a class of Palestinian-Americans injured, kidnapped or killed, or who lost property, in Israeli terror attacks against civilians in the occupied territories and Lebanon in the preceding decades.

On behalf of these US citizens, we used elements of the Alien Torts Claims Act, anti-piracy statutes and various human rights conventions to sue Israel and the United States, as well as arms manufacturers.

Some of our plaintiffs had lost their homes, some lost internal organs and some their lives. Ultimately, all the defendants in the case were ruled protected by sovereign or qualified immunity, and the case did not proceed much further then past preliminary stages.

The new legislation  sharply opposed by Obama and the diplomatic establishment, which fears an onslaught of retaliatory suits against the United States  apparently strips the Saudis, and perhaps other foreign powers, of sovereign immunity in cases where terrorism has occurred in the United States, and can be tied to an overseas governmental actor.

Yet many aspects of this new legal position remain to be understood, raising interesting questions.

Americans seeking damages

Because the Equal Protection clause of the US constitution extends rights equally to all citizens, we can expect many other attempts by Americans seeking damages against foreign powers to invoke the new law in its fullest legislative intent, even though it was written specifically to aid the 9-11 families.

How trial judges handle those cases will require close examination, case by case, on how terrorism is defined, and how one defines United States territory.

For example, if terrorism can be taken to mean the deliberate use of violence by state or non-state actors against civilian, non-combatants with the intent of causing death or injury or to affect a government policy, then Israels periodic violent onslaughts against population centres in Gaza and the West Bank which include US citizens certainly fits the definition.

Yet this violence would still be protected in US courts by immunity, as happening outside the US.

Yet conceivably, unprotected foreign state violence against a US citizen might occur in cases where US territory were defined by a trial judge as extending to embassies and offices, customs desks at foreign airports, US airline flights, military bases overseas, and other potential gray areas where US legal authority attaches.

OPINION: 9/11 New York: Remembering a pre-political moment

One can imagine, say, a Pakistani-American shot in the eye with a rubber bullet while at the US consulate in Karachi to pick up a new passport, as government troops fire deliberately at peaceful demonstrators outside the gates  such a plaintiff in a US court would clearly want to invoke the new JASTA advantage and try her luck with the judge.

Limited jurisdiction

If enough such cases made their way through US trial courts, it is conceivable that the legislative intent of the Act  to give US citizens their day in court, to make their case for recovering damages against a foreign power that has used violence against US citizens on liberally-defined US ground  might be judicially construed to grant limited jurisdiction to cases broadly interpreted as within the spirit of the law.

For example, if US government development funds are used to build a medical centre for Palestinians in a West Bank town and staffed and operated exclusively by US citizens, including Palestinians, and in the course of an Israeli air raid destroying the centre, a US citizen is killed  would that citizens family have a viable claim against Israel under a broad application of the intent of JASTA in a US Court?

While it is diverting, from a lawyers perspective, to imagine scenarios in which the benefits of JASTA help more people than simply those 9/11 families desirous of a Saudi settlement, it is very unclear just how this new law will deploy over time.

The Obama administration has vigorously opposed this legislation for this very reason, and for the even greater danger it poses in exposing US military, diplomatic and civilian personnel to reciprocal lawsuits in foreign courts by aggrieved parties overseas.

While the JASTA law does not extend justice to all victims of state violence against civilians, it points the way towards a future judicial setting in which such violence  be it committed by the US, or Israel, or any totalitarian state  may one day be held to account.

Stanley L Cohen is a lawyer and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
When Republicans express outrage at Donald Trumps racism, they are being disingenuous or self-deluded.

Larry Beinhart is a novelist, best known for Wag the Dog.

The only way to really understand Donald Trump is to think of him as a Frankenstein creation.

That is Trump the Political Phenomenon. Not necessarily Trump the Person.

He is crude, mean, and lewd. So offensive that we can turn to members of his own party to describe his faults. Senator Lindsey Graham called him a race baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.

Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate in 2012, said, Dishonesty is Trumps hallmark.





Congressman Bob Dold wont support him because hes denigrated war heroes.

Barbara Bush, the wife of one president and the mother of another, said, I mean, unbelievable. I dont know how women can vote for someone who said what he said about Megyn Kelly, its terrible.

Gods gift to US comedians

At the start, The Donald, with the worlds most bizarre comb-over and his orange tinted complexion, his bragging, boasting and bloviating, appeared to be the greatest gift God had ever given to Americas comedians. Who would actually support such a clown?

Then he blasted through his primary opponents. Why did people support him? After the first debate against Hillary Clinton, the New York Times described him, quite accurately, as a vacuous bully, with nothing truthful to offer who has lied compulsively since he entered the race.

OPINION: The garden of Americanly delights

So how is it possible that he could actually be elected president of the United States?

We return to the good Dr Frankenstein. To create his creature he scavenged parts from other bodies. When each of those parts were still attached to the body they came from they looked ordinary and normal.

Even more so when those bodies were properly garbed in a suit and tie, wearing shoes and socks. But when sewed, bolted, and glued together to make this new creature, they were suddenly seen as bizarre and threatening.

So it is with Trump, the Political Phenomenon. Hes taken the most vital body parts of being a Republican, and stuck them on himself.

On an ordinary living Republican, dressed in standard slogans and the prevailing platitudes, the parts would have seemed familiar and ordinary. But when Trump lurched manically to centre stage, the parts suddenly appeared grotesque, gigantic and threatening.

Let us look first at his racism and xenophobia.

Liars telling lies for their own advantage makes sense. What is strange is the desire of listeners to prefer lies. by

Racism and xenophobia

When Republicans try to distance themselves from the embarrassment of Trump, they always say they are the party of Lincoln. Thats true, but only in the narrowest sense.

In 1860, when Lincoln was elected, his Republican Party was not merely anti-slavery, it was for modernity, for public investment in infrastructure, technology, and public education. It was pro-labour, given the standards of the day, and its base was in the North.

The South hated all they stood for and seceded. That resulted in the Civil War. The South lost.

For the next 100 years, white Southerners were the staunchest Democrats in America. No way they would vote for a Republican. Until Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, pushed through the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965.

OPINION: An Introduction to Trumpology

Kevin Phillips, then a Republican strategist, wrote that, the Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans.

But how to go about it? The trick was to use code words. Lee Atwater, adviser to presidents Reagan and George HW Bush, and chairman of the Republican National Committee, was absolutely explicit about it, You start out in 1954 by saying, Nigger, nigger, nigger. By 1968 you cant say nigger  that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states rights and all that stuff.

It still signalled to the racists who was on their side, yet allowed voters who didnt want to identify that way to pretend, to believe, they were truly voting issues on like law and order.

Southern Strategy

In 1968, Richard Nixon adopted the Southern Strategy. It worked. Not just for Nixon. By 1995, the Solid South had become solidly Republican. However, it was two-way street. The party of Lincoln turned itself inside out. It was not just racism. It became the party that opposes science, that denies evidence, that fights social change, the party of No.

When Republicans express outrage at Trumps racism, they are being disingenuous or self-deluded. Yes, it is supposed to be dressed in enough euphemism to ensure deniability. But it is an essential part of their brand. Without that key ingredient theyd lose almost all their elections. It is, in fact, necessary for their survival.

Romney was outraged that Trump said he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11. Wrong, he saw no such thing. He imagined it.

This is directly in the tradition of Ronald Reagan. Reagan loved the tale of a heroic airman who, he said, had won the Congressional Medal of Honor. But it had never happened in reality.

Reagan had seen it in a movie. He claimed to have been at the liberation of German concentration camps. But during the war, hed never left Hollywood. Hed only seen them in newsreels.

Reagan never paid any penalty for confusing fact and fiction. Thus, hes the one who deserves the credit for breaking the stranglehold of actual truth in political discourse.

Reagan never paid any penalty for confusing fact and fiction. Thus, he's the one who deserves the credit for breaking the stranglehold of actual truth in political discourse. by

It was not just politicians who embraced the freedom from facts.

In 1987, under Reagan, the Federal Communications Commission stopped enforcing the Fairness Doctrine. Suddenly able to present an alternate reality without fear of contradiction, Right-wing talk radio took off.

Then, in 1996, Fiction as Fact, took a leap as gigantic as the Moon landing, Fox News. It was designed and run by Roger Ailes, a Republican political operative. Disguised as a 24-hour-a-day cable news network, it churned out relentless conservative propaganda. Its slogan was Fair & Balanced. One of their stars, Bill Reilly, calls his show the No Spin Zone, when its all spin, and obviously so.

What the electorate wants

Liars telling lies for their own advantage makes sense. What is strange is the desire of listeners to prefer lies. Yet during the Republican primaries, the more lies a candidate told, as measured by PoltiFact, who tracks such things, the more popular they became. With Trump ultimately running away with the field. Because thats what the electorate wanted.

Republicans were shocked, shocked, shocked, when Donald Trump attacked John McCain, a genuine war hero, and then a Muslim-American couple who lost their son, a US soldier, fighting in Iraq.

Here too, the party had set the precedent. In 2004, George W Bush, who had evaded combat by pulling strings and who may have missed most of his military service entirely, ran against John Kerry, who had a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. Republican operatives launched a campaign of slander, insinuations, and outright lies. It was ridiculous. It was a war against reality. It was successful.

Barbara Bush was against Trump because he was rude to Megyn Kelly. Kelly is very stylish, looks good on camera and is probably quite intelligent. But she is part of the Fox News machine where false is true, fiction is fact, and Donald Trump can flourish.

Also, like other female on-camera talent at Fox, she has been required to present herself as a sex object, wearing short skirts, sitting on furniture specifically designed to have cameras acting like 12 year old boys, trying to sneak a peak up her thighs.

It has recently been revealed that this was more than a mere matter of style. Roger Ailes, and presumably other members of senior management, pressured women at Fox to have sex if they wanted success, threatened their careers if they refused, and acted on those threats.

So Barbara Bush was admiring and defending the real bastion of sexism and chauvinism.

When it became clear that Trump would win the nomination, Lindsey Graham said: My party has gone batshit crazy. True.

But Lindsay, look around, its not Trump who made it that way. Trump just picked up all your partys favourite parts and stuck them on himself. Sure, he may be the monster. But your party is the Dr Frankenstein that made him possible. That made him inevitable.

Larry Beinhart is a novelist, best known for Wag the Dog. Hes also been a journalist, political consultant, a commercial producer and director.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The North Dakota Safety Council is breaking ground on a new 23,490-square-foot, hands-on safety training facility in Bismarck.

This is a chance for us to bring training thats not currently available here, said Chuck Clairmont, the council's executive director.

Clairmont said research shows blended learning with both classroom and hands-on exercises helps with retention: Its a much more memorable way to learn.

So users of the NDSC facility will be able to work on actual scaffolding for scaffold training, there will be a 26-foot tower for falls and confined space training, and trainees can be drilled on rigging and flagging and lockout tagout in real-life environments.

Up until now companies have sent workers to other states, such as Texas, for this type of training, according to Clairmont, who said another benefit will be the ability to partner with experts in different training fields. For example, Texas-based Roco Rescue, a leader in rescue training, helped with the design of the 26-foot training tower and will send some of its employees to use the Bismarck facility.

NDSC also has plans for training people on trenchers, cranes, scissor lifts and other heavy equipment. Much of this will start outside, but the organization aims to eventually build a 5,000-square-foot indoor arena for year-round equipment training.

The heavy equipment arena idea was generated with inspiration from Bobcats Acceleration Center in south Bismarck, according to Clairmont. NDSC had held some trainings there, but having its own facility will make it easier for scheduling.

Clairmont also sees an opportunity for a return-to-work programs, evaluating workers after an injury to make sure they are in shape to resume working after recovery.

As fundraising continues, there are plans for a room with virtual simulators for vehicles and equipment. And there will be a 30-station computer lab, compared to the current 10-station, for online training when companies want to send new employees to orientation and testing before they step on the job site.

The facility will also have distance-learning capabilities that NDSC does not have in its current location, as well as a community room for community events like a kids safety day, Hanson said.

The training facility will be located near the Bismarck State College campus, across from the BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center. Clairmont said this location offers another potential benefit  an opportunity to work with students.

Lynae Hanson, assistant executive director of NDSC, said the college already has safety training courses but NDSC could help take it a step further, getting people prepared before obtaining a job.

Clairmont said NDSC started the process of developing the facility about four years ago, asking its oil company, contractor and utility company clients, What would help you?

We learned so much along the way, he said. Now, were talking about raising it to a whole other level.

Tesoro Corp., the facilitys largest donor, gifting $750,000, had already been utilizing NDSC to train the contractors coming into its Mandan refinery for maintenance. The company had wanted to pick projects to donate to in each of the states where it had refineries. NDSC was chosen for the North Dakota grant to promote public safety.

Clairmont said NDSC was also reassured of the demand for such a training facility by the popularity of hands-on sessions during its annual conference, with many conference-goers asking NDSC to host the trainings more than one time each year.

It helped us understand they would use it if it were here, Hanson said.

Clairmont said there are small groups, such as emergency responder organizations, here and there that may offer one type of hands-on training for its members, but NDSCs will be a one-stop shop. Theres a training facility at Mitchell Technical Institute in South Dakota, but it's used for students, and North Dakota National Guard facilities, but those are for soldiers.

And because it will be one of the only spaces of its kind available to the public regionally, NDSC predicts it will draw crowds from other nearby metro areas in other states, including Minneapolis.

To get the location near BSC, NDSC pitched its project to Bismarck Industries, which owned the land and was looking for development that would lend to the organizations mission for economic development.

I think our idea blew them away, Clairmont said.

More than 20 donors have contributed to what will be a $6 million project, Clairmont said. And fundraising continues with a $1.3 million second phase in mind.

NDSC breaks ground on the facility at 10 a.m. Tuesday with plans to be open in July.

Clairmont said, in 2015, North Dakota ranked second for number of workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers, though, one fatality is too many. He said it feels good when accident numbers go down and NDSC wants to play a part in it.
If Palestinians wept during Shimon Peres funeral, it was for the sorry spectacle of Mahmoud Abbas attendance.

International reaction to the death of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres has highlighted a stark gap between the West and the Middle East. While current and former western leaders are fawning over him, those in the Middle East have remained largely silent.

However, media and social media there have been very vocal. This is unsurprising, given that the people of the Middle East are the ones who have had to face the catastrophic consequences of a record that outsiders are now eulogising.

In this respect, Peres has posthumously managed the seemingly impossible, largely uniting a region riddled with divisions. Voices from rival camps  from Gulf states on the one hand, to Iran and Hezbollah on the other  are strongly condemning Peres legacy and those who are romanticising it.





Even Egypts president and Jordans king  whose countries have peace treaties with Israel, and whose predecessors attended Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabins funeral  did not issue statements of condolence or attend Peress funeral.

Regional anger

That even Israels few friends in the region have kept a low profile over his death may well indicate their awareness of the extent of domestic and regional anger over Israeli policies in general, and those of Peres in particular.

That anger is entirely justified. Until his death, no other living figure had had such a prolific role in almost every aspect of Israeli aggression, occupation and colonialism.

OPINION: Drop the farcical obits, Shimon Peres was no peacemaker

These include literally wiping Palestine off the map in 1948, attacking Egypt in 1956, acquiring and proliferating nuclear weapons, illegally colonising Palestinian, Syrian and Egyptian land, the 1996 onslaught against Lebanon that led to the massacre of civilians at a United Nations shelter in Qana, the ruthless suppression of the Palestinian independence struggle, and the blockade and invasions of Gaza. The list goes on, and Peres fingerprints are all over it.

While people throughout the Middle East have been reminding the world of the suffering Peres inflicted on the Palestinians, their own President Mahmoud Abbas attended his funeral and paid tribute to an architect of their oppression. by

Even the aspect of his legacy that is most remembered in Israel and the West  his pivotal role in the Oslo Accords, which began the illusory Israeli-Palestinian peace process  is worthy only of scorn. The agreement represented nothing more than a diplomatic fig leaf to relentlessly entrench the occupation and colonisation of Palestine.

The creation of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state is now all but impossible  that can be traced back to the accords, which were ushered in with such misguided fanfare, and an even more misguided Nobel peace prize for Peres.

In effect, he was rewarded for his role in devising a plan that would entail the unending oppression of the Palestinians, and whitewash the blood on his hands.

A Zionist and a criminal

Yet while people throughout the Middle East have been reminding the world of the suffering Peres inflicted on the Palestinians, their own President Mahmoud Abbas attended his funeral and paid tribute to an architect of their oppression.

Peress death is a heavy loss for all humanity and for peace in the region, Abbas gushed on Twitter.

This earned an apt response from Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, an adviser to Abu Dhabis royal court, who tweeted: Might be a loss to you, but not a loss to humanity, peace, and surely not a loss to the Palestinian People. He was a Zionist and a criminal.

Abbas sent a letter to the Peres family expressing sorrow and sadness over a partner in forging the peace of the brave, who exerted persistent efforts to reach a just peace from the Oslo agreement until the final moments of his life.

No peace was forged, let alone a peace of the brave. Bravery requires sacrifice. Peres sacrificed nothing for peace  he exploited its pursuit, and benefited his country and himself in the process. It was never about justice or freedom for the Palestinians.

Israeli approval

Abbas, ever-more out of touch with his own people, is either somehow still oblivious to this, or as a fellow architect of the Oslo Accords, he still feels the need to justify an agreement and a process that won him privileges at the expense of Palestinians basic rights.

OPINION: Gone is Shimon Peres, but so is his era

His admiration of Peres is yet another example of his shameless prioritising of Israeli approval over his own peoples needs and aspirations. How else can one explain his insistence on maintaining security cooperation with Israel, despite opinion polls consistently showing the overwhelming majority of Palestinians opposed to this?

Israel has merely subcontracted the occupation to someone who is supposed to strive to end it. Abbas is Israels policeman, clamping down on his own people and vowing that there will be no uprising under his watch.

The Middle East is ailing, said Peres. The most virulent cause of this malady is the absence of freedom.

How right he was, and yet how much he invested in denying freedom to the Palestinians, his job  and that of his Israeli peers  made easier by the subservience and obedience of Abbas and his Palestinian Authority.

This was a PR skill that Peres possessed: using soundbites and one-liners to impress and deceive. It certainly worked on Abbas. Palestinians may have wept during Peres funeral, not for his passing, but for the sorry spectacle of their presidents attendance, mourning and misplaced loyalty.

Sharif Nashashibi is an award-winning journalist and analyst on Arab affairs.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Zaher Sahloul, who attended medical school with the now-Syrian president, accuses his ex-classmate of war crimes.

Moments after the news of the aerial bombardment of rebel-held Aleppos largest hospital got to him, Dr Zaher Sahloul reached for his phone.

I talked with one of the nurses, Sahloul tells Al Jazeera from Atlanta, Georgia. He was screaming for help, he said please do something to stop the bombing.

Saturdays attack on the facility, known as M10, was the second in just three days and the eighth over the past month, according to activists. Before the latest bombardment, carried out by either Syrian government or Russian warplanes, only half of the hospital was operational.





Now, it is completely out of service.

The Syrian regime used two barrel bombs, incendiary bombs and cluster bombs  as if they are attacking a bunker or a large military installation, says Sahloul, a member of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which supports the facility.

The Syrian American pulmonary specialist, who back in the 1980s was a medical school classmate of now-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, returned to Aleppo in late June where he also spent time working at M10.

It was a terribly disastrous situation when I was there; there was a shortage of medication, doctors were working under very terrible conditions because hospitals had been attacked, he says.

READ MORE: My classmate is a war criminal

Right now, the situation is even worse, Sahloul adds, describing the latest bombardment as disastrous for the city of Aleppo.

This hospital usually does about 4,000 life-saving surgeries every year, its the only trauma centre in the city, he says. To be destroyed, as it happened today, is really a tragedy.

University classmates

According to SAMS, there are only six hospitals now remaining in the besieged city that has been pounded by massive aerial bombardment and artillery attacks since a US-Russia implemented ceasefire collapsed last week.

At least 750 medical personnel have died in Syria since the beginning of the conflict more than five years ago, according to Physicians for Human Rights. The group said in August it had documented 373 attacks on 265 medical facilities.





By destroying hospitals  often the only hope for survival in a war zone  Assad is ensuring his own citizens will perish, Widney Brown, the groups director of programmes, said at the time.

Inevitably, Assads name is also quickly mentioned by Sahloul.

From 1982 to 1988, the two were classmates at the University of Damascus. And even though they were not close, they would see each other regularly at class.

Nothing special was about him when he was in medical school. He wasnt brutal, and he was not known to be arrogant or ruthless, says Sahloul.

But what is happening right now is that you have a physician who  [took] the Hippocratic oath to protect patients  and now he is overseeing the killing of doctors and nurses and patients and the destruction of hospitals, he adds.

Regardless of whether these patients are his friends or enemies, this is our oath as physicians.

War crimes

Following Wednesdays deadly air strikes on M10 and the second-largest hospital operating in the area, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon warned that attacks on medical facilities were war crimes.

Speaking at the United Nations, Ban said: This is a war against Syrias health workers. Deliberate attacks on hospitals are war crimes. Denying people access to essential health care violates international humanitarian law.





Even a slaughterhouse is more humane.

Citing Physicians for Human Rights, Ban said 95 percent of medical workers in Aleppo before the war have been killed, detained, or fled the fighting.

Every hospital that is attacked, and every doctor that is being killed is a war crime, says Sahloul.

Its really ironic that you have a physician, or supposed to be a physician, who is overseeing this destruction.

But I think whats more ironic is that the international community is letting him doing that and letting the Russians doing that with impunity, he adds.

This is a new normal that is created in this conflict that the international community is tolerating and besides the words and the description of whats happening we are not seeing action to stop this genocide.
Gaziantep, Turkey  On a wall inside the Qasr al-Omaraq cafe near Gaziantep University, the Aleppo Today news channel plays on a large television screen.

Sipping tea and occasionally glancing at the news feed, cafe owner Ali Yousef recalls fleeing less than two years earlier from Manbij, a Syrian city just an hours drive east of Aleppo. Branded as a Kurdish collaborator by fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, who seized his restaurant in Manbij, the 47-year-old sought refuge across the border in Turkey.





Upon arrival in Gaziantep, Yousef followed what he knew, launching a cafe that catered to both Turkish and Syrian customers. Although his experience has been largely positive, a ribbon of tension continues to flutter between the two communities, he says.

Syrian cars have special licence plates. Some Turks will see these plates and harass them because they dont want them here, just because theyre Syrian. There is also harassment on social media, Yousef tells Al Jazeera, noting that while some Turks accuse Syrians of harming the economy, he believes their presence has been a net positive.

When I arrived in Gaziantep, [the Syrian presence] had already changed the city, he says. The price of housing skyrocketed and the economy has benefited. Syrians take taxis everywhere, so taxi drivers are benefiting. Syrians are hard workers and will work wherever we go.

Q&A: Gaziantep is as safe as Germany and the US

Renowned for its rich history and unique cuisine, Gazientep is one of Turkeys oldest cities and among its most populous, home to nearly two million people. Originally named Antep, the city adopted the prefix Gazi (meaning veteran) in the 1920s to commemorate those who fought against the French during the Turkish independence war.

In the aftermath of a devastating blast at a Gaziantep wedding party in August, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim harkened back to that battle, pledging that the city would show the same spirit in its response to the ongoing ISIL threat: Our grief is great, but be sure our unity and togetherness will defeat all these diabolic attacks, he said.

Today, Gaziantep is a city in flux, affected deeply by the events continuing to unfold across the border in Syria. The flow of Syrian refugees has swelled its population by nearly a quarter, with approximately 350,000 people seeking shelter in Gaziantep. The price of rented accommodation has skyrocketed, while competition for jobs has fuelled tensions between Turkish and Syrian residents, occasionally leading to violence.

In places such as the Turkmenler Caddesi neighbourhood, where many Syrian refugees are now living, it is an uneasy coexistence.

Before the Syrians came, I was renting a house for 200 or 300 Turkish liras [$66-$100]. Now, if I want to rent its up to 600 liras, Nadim Dogan, a 42-year-old Turkish convenience shop owner, told Al Jazeera.

Standing behind a red countertop stacked with rows of gum and candy, Dogan said that the new-found economic challenges have fostered significant resentment among Turks. Some business owners now prefer to hire Arabic speakers who are better able to cater to the large and growing Syrian community, he said, while in other cases, Syrians have been undercutting the prices of goods in Turkish stores by selling items more cheaply through their own informal shops.

In sectors including education, livelihoods and health, both the host community and refugees need more help. by Selin Unal, UNHCR spokeswoman

I charge one lira [for a pack of gum]; they charge a half-lira, he said.

In a small pharmacy across the street, Turkish worker Ahmed Geng was also critical of the Syrian influx, alleging that it has made the city less safe.

Before they came, it was not crowded like this  There have been many changes, Geng, 32, told Al Jazeera.

It has become dangerous. We cant leave our homes because of the threat of bombs in some neighbourhoods. [I believe] the government should find a safe place for the Syrians and take them to live there.

In fact, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced plans to create a safe zone for Syrians along a swath of northern Syria. Significant progress towards that goal was made last month, when rebels backed by coalition forces pushed ISIL (also known as ISIS) out of the strategic Syrian town of Jarablus.

But Ahmad Primo, an independent Syrian journalist and activist who has been living in Gaziantep for more than two years, described comments such as Gengs as unfair, citing no causative link between the influx of refugees and increased violence in the region. Refugees simply want to survive, he noted  and violence among armed groups has negatively affected both communities.

Terror attacks inside Turkey are not just harming Turks. They are harming Syrians even more. There have been at least five Syrian activists or journalists killed in Gaziantep recently. They have been targeted by ISIS, Primo told Al Jazeera, noting that Kurdish rebels seeking self-determination have also destabilised the countrys southeast.

Syrians should not be blamed for this.

READ MORE: Life in an ISIL firing zone on the Syria-Turkey border

Many Syrians believe they have been made scapegoats for ISILs actions after the group, taking advantage of Gazianteps proximity to the Syrian border, reportedly established a transportation network in the city, including guesthouses for new recruits.

ISIL has been linked to two major bombings in Gaziantep this year, including the August wedding attack and an earlier bombing at a local police station. Locals say that they have grown used to living under a near-constant state of heightened security: In the span of one week last month, a warning was issued about a terror cell plotting to target western businesses in Gaziantep; AK Party facilities were reportedly cleared out in the face of a threat; and the Sanko Park mall was evacuated after a suspected explosive device was found.

They are considered as a population which will return to their homes. But it is now the sixth year of the crisis. They cannot see their future. by Metin Corabatir, president of the Ankara-based Research Centre on Asylum and Migration

Turkey failed, from the beginning of the Syrian crisis, to separate the armed elements from refugees, Metin Corabatir, president of the Ankara-based Research Centre on Asylum and Migration, told Al Jazeera. Many wounded fighters, not necessarily ISIS members, received medical treatment and went back to Syria. There was a general fear among the population about the existence and influence of ISIS.

Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Sahin acknowledged in an interview with Al Jazeera that the city was initially unprepared for the massive refugee influx, but since then, substantial efforts have been made to tighten security and integrate Syrians into the community.

We do have programmes, including a quota system, so that 10 percent of schools can be filled by Syrians. This helps us to bring them together to know each other  The government is also protecting Turkish and Syrian workers; 10 percent of spaces in Turkish factories must be given to Syrian workers, Sahin said.

Corabatir cited other successes over the past five years, noting that in the long-term, there are social interactions which will have positive cultural impacts. Gaziantep University started to open departments with an Arabic curriculum. These and similar developments bring the Arab and Turkish cultures closer to each other.

Throughout Turkey, there are nearly three million Syrian refugees, with the country hosting the largest number of refugees anywhere in the world last year, noted Selin Unal, a spokeswoman for the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, in Turkey.

Syrians in Turkey have been given temporary protection by the government, which legalises their stay and enables them to benefit from assistance, medical care and access to education and jobs, Unal told Al Jazeera.

Given that some 90 percent of the Syrian refugee population lives outside of the camps alongside the host community, support for the host communities is imperative, as in some cases, refugees outnumber the host population, putting pressure on local resources, she said. In sectors including education, livelihoods and health, both the host community and refugees need more help.

READ MORE: If we lose this generation, we lose Syria

Back inside Qasr al-Omaraq, Yousef says that he will soon be looking to sell his cafe business and return to Manbij, which was liberated from ISIL in August. He lost three relatives during the course of the conflict, but his old restaurant is now back in his familys hands.

Life is less expensive [in Syria], he says, noting that a kilo of yogurt costs three time as much in Gaziantep as in Manbij, and electricity six times as much. I want to go back.

Yousef is not alone. Many Syrians remain intent on returning to their home towns and villages once safety is restored  and whenever Syrias civil war reaches its end, Gaziantep is sure to face another major demographic and cultural shift.

In the meantime, Corabatir says that the citys attempts at refugee accommodation have yielded mixed results. While the problems plaguing Syrians both in the city and in refugee camps  including child labour, forced marriages and human trafficking  are overwhelming, Corabatir believes that the biggest challenge lies in their temporary status.

They are considered as a population which will return to their homes. But it is now the sixth year of the crisis. They cannot see their future, he said, noting that in the absence of an official integration scheme, the Syrian refugees have tried hard and suffered a lot to survive in the city  They have contributed to the economy of the city, but they remain in the margins of society.

Follow Megan OToole on Twitter: @megan_otoole
President Santos says ceasefire to remain in place as rebels also vow commitment to peace talks after shock vote result.

Voters in Colombias referendum have narrowly rejected a peace accord between the government and the Marxist group, FARC.

The outcome of Sundays vote endangers a deal expected to end 52 years of war and allow FARC fighters to re-enter society and form a political party.

With more than 99 percent of polling stations reporting, 50.2 percent of ballots opposed the accord while 49.8 percent favoured it  a difference of less than 60,000 votes out of a total of 13 million.

Al Jazeeras Latin America Editor Lucia Newman, reporting from Bogota, called the vote result very surprising as every poll before the referendum had given the yes camp a lead.

President Juan Manuel Santos, who had promoted the yes campaign, said after results were announced that the bilateral ceasefire with FARC is still in effect and should continue to be in effect.

He said he would reach out to the countrys opposition leaders and had ordered government negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to consult FARC leaders.

I wont give up. Ill continue to search for peace until the last moment of my mandate, he said.

FARC leader Rodrigo Londono said the group maintained its desire for peace despite the outcome of the referendum.

The FARC reiterates its disposition to use only words as a weapon to build towards the future, Londono, known by his nom de guerre, Timochenko, said. To the Colombian people who dream of peace, count on us, peace will triumph.

At the headquarters of the yes campaign, people were angry and in shock as results came in. Some were in tears while others chanted we want peace.

The vote asked for a simple yes or no on whether Colombians support the accord signed last Monday by Santos, who has staked his legacy on peace, and Timochenko.

The peace accord, that took four years to negotiate, was applauded around the world.

We must end a 52-year war and open the way to peace, a peace that will take us to a better future  peace is the way to ensure our children and grandchildren have a better country, Santos said after voting.

Turnout in the referendum was low, less than the 40 percent seen in recent congressional elections and sign to some analysts that Colombians enthusiasm for implementing the accord is lacking.

The FARC, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, whose numbers were halved to about 7,000 in recent years because of a US-backed military offensive, has agreed to turn in weapons and fight for power at the ballot box instead of with bullets.

Influential former President Alvaro Uribe led the no camp, arguing that rebels should pay for crimes in jail and never be given congressional seats.

Angelika Rettberg, a political science professor at the University of Los Andes in Bogota, said the referendum outcome was consequence of a profound dislike for President Santos and of the impact years of human rights violations have had on public opinion.

She added that increasing security gains over the past 15 years have also made it hard for many to accept the concessions to the FARC that the peace agreement implies.

Voter Alejandro Jaramillo, 35, said he was angered that the rebels will not serve jail time.

I voted no. I dont want to teach my children that everything can be forgiven, he said.

The accord gives a lot of concessions to the guerrillas. They changed their strategy from arms to politics but the goal is still socialism, said Javier Milanes, 34, a restaurant owner who also voted no.

The conflict has left an estimated 220,000 people dead and eight million displaced.
Report says billionaire may have legally avoided paying income tax for nearly two decades after massive loss in 1995.

Donald Trumps business losses in 1995 were so large that they could have allowed him to legally avoid paying federal income tax for up to 18 years, The New York Times reports.

In a story published early on Sunday, the Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trumps 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut  showing a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for that year.

According to tax experts hired by the newspaper, provisions in the tax code would have allowed Trump to use his near $916m loss to cancel out an equivalent amount of taxable income over an 18-year period.

The Times said that although Trumps taxable income in subsequent years is unknown, a $916m loss in 1995 would have been large enough to wipe out more than $50m a year in taxable income over 18 years.

READ MORE: Does voting third party mean a Donald Trump victory?

Trumps former accountant Jack Mitnick, whose name appears as Trumps tax preparer of the filings, said the documents appeared to be authentic, the newspaper reported.





This is legit, Mitnick was quoted as saying.

Trumps campaign released a statement lashing out at the Times for publishing the records and accused the newspaper of working to benefit the Republican nominees presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The New York Times, like establishment media in general, is an extension of the Clinton campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests, the campaign said, calling Trump a highly skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required.

Trumps campaign did not directly address the authenticity of the excerpts from Trumps tax filings.

The Times said a lawyer for Trump argued that publication of the records would be illegal because Trump had not authorised their disclosure.

READ MORE: Heres why Donald Trump might win

In August, Clinton released her 2015 tax return along with her husband Bill, reporting $10.6m in income for 2015.

They paid $3.6m in federal income tax, according to documents posted on her campaign website.

Democrats hint that by not releasing his tax returns, Trump may be trying to hide that he pays little to no tax, makes less money than he claims, or gives a negligible amount to charity.

Trump has refused to make his filings public, saying they are under audit by the Internal Revenue Service and hell release them only once that review is complete.
Deaths of at least 52 people blamed on police action against protesters during Oromia religious festival in Bishoftu.

Dozens of people have been reportedly crushed to death in Ethiopia in a stampede after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an anti-government protest that grew out of a religious festival.

There were conflicting reports of the number killed in Sundays stampede in Bishoftu, a town 40km southeast of the capital Addis Ababa.

The Oromia regional government, however, confirmed the death of at least 52 people.

An Associated Press news agency report said several dozens have died.





As a result of the chaos, lives were lost and several of the injured were taken to hospital, the government communications office said in a statement, without giving exact figures.

Those responsible will face justice.

An estimated two million people were attending the annual Irrecha event in Bishoftu.

The event took place in one of the countrys most sensitive regions, Oromia, which has seen several months of sometimes deadly protests demanding wider freedoms.

Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, told Reuters news agency that the deaths occurred when people fled after police fired tear gas and shots in the air to disperse anti-government protesters at the religious festival.

Crowds chanted We need freedom and We need justice and prevented community elders, deemed close to the government, from delivering their speeches at a religious festival, prompting police to fire tear gas that caused the stampede.

Protesters chanted slogans against the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organisation, one of four regional political parties that make up the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has ruled the nation for quarter of a century.

Sporadic protests have erupted in Oromia region in the past two years, initially sparked by a land row and increasingly turning more broadly against the government.

Ethnic tensions

According to New York-based Human Rights Watch, at least 500 people have been killed by security forces since the demonstrations began in November.

Though protests started among the Oromo  Ethiopias biggest ethnic group  they later spread to the Amhara, the second-most largest in the country.

Both groups say the ruling coalition is dominated by the Tigray ethnic group, which makes up only about six percent of the population.

What is triggering Ethiopias unrest?

Small protests in Oromia province initially flared in 2014 over a development plan for the capital that would have expanded its boundaries, a move seen as threatening the seizure of farmland.

The government has blamed rebel groups and dissidents abroad for stirring up the protests and provoking violence.

The government has denied that violence from the security forces is systemic, though a spokesman has previously told Al Jazeera that police officers sometimes take the law into their own hands, pledging an independent investigation.

The Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front last month rejected a United Nations request to send in observers, saying it alone was responsible for the security of its citizens.
Arab force sets sights on Houthi vessels following attack on a ship reportedly carrying humanitarian supplies to Yemen.

Arab coalition forces have launched operations against Houthi militia seafarers after they attacked a ship reportedly carrying humanitarian supplies off Yemens coast.

The coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen said air and naval forces were targeting militia boats

involved the attack. Civilian passengers were rescued and no crew members were hurt, a late Saturday statement said.

The vessel, an Australian-built high-speed logistics catamaran under lease to the UAE military, was attacked by Houthi fighters near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemens southern coast on Saturday. The coalition said the incident showed that Houthi tactics involved what it called terrorist attacks against civilian international navigation in the waterway.

Yemen: Houthis claim attack on UAE military vessel

The Houthis claimed their forces destroyed a United Arab Emirates military vessel that was advancing towards the Red Sea port of Mokha.

Armed forces destroyed with a missile a military vessel belonging to the forces of the UAE, a Houthi military official was quoted as saying by the Saba Yemeni news agency, run by the rebels since they seized the capital, Sanaa, last year.

The vessel, belonging to the UAE Marine Dredging Company, was on its usual route to and from Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians to complete their treatment outside Yemen, the coalition statement said.

Hundreds of Emirati soldiers in an Arab alliance have been fighting the Houthis and training Yemeni troops in Aden to help rebuild a state loyal to exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

In 2013, more than 3.4 million barrels of oil per day passed through the 20km wide Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

A senior Emirati commander was among dozens killed in a Tochka rocket strike in 2015 on an army camp near Bab el-Mandeb, one of the bloodiest setbacks for Gulf forces in months of fighting.
Over 98 percent of voters reject EU plans after less than 50 percent turn out for the referendum.

An overwhelming majority of Hungarians who voted in Sundays referendum have rejected the European Unions plans to relocate refugees and migrants among member states.

However, turnout stood at 43.9 percent, the National Election Office said, below the 50 percent threshold for the vote to be valid.

With 99.25 percent of the votes counted, more than 3.2 million voters, or 98.3 percent of those who cast valid ballots, backed the government.

The government claimed a sweeping victory while analysts said that the result was an embarrassing but not totally catastrophic defeat for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

READ MORE: Hungarys border war on refugees

The invalid result, because of the low turnout, would make Orbans quest to persuade Brussels to drop the refugee quotas more difficult.

But in a victory speech on Sunday, Orban said the vote must be taken into account by EU decision makers.

Thirteen years after a large majority of Hungarians voted at a referendum to join the European Union, today Hungarians made their voices heard again in a European issue, Orban told a news conference.

We have achieved an outstanding result, because we have surpassed the outcome of the accession referendum.

Orban said that he would submit an amendment to Hungarys constitution to put the result of the plebiscite into law.

The referendum asked: Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?

Before the referendum, Orban argued that No votes favoured Hungarys sovereignty and independence.

READ MORE: Hungary sentences refugees for breaching border fence

If a majority of voters agree, Hungarys parliament would pass legislation to advance the referendums goal whether or not turnout was sufficient for a valid election, he said.

While the referendum has no binding legal consequences for the EU, Orban hoped its passage would increase pressure on Brussels.

We are proud that we are the first he said.





Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the EU who managed to have a referendum on the migrant issue.

Separately from the referendum, the Orban government is also taking the EUs 2015 decision to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from overburdened Greece and Italy to the European Court of Justice.

Under the original plan, 1,294 asylum seekers would be moved to Hungary.

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to send a message to Brussels, while associating migrants with terrorism, has increased xenophobia in Hungary.

Several opposition and civic groups had called on citizens to stay at home and boycott the vote.

Others urged casting invalid ballots that would not count in the final tally, but still could be interpreted as rejecting the governments zero migrants policies.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way towards Western Europe.

Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year.

Last month, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching Hungarys border area on 13 different days.

Hungary rejected more than 80 percent of the asylum claims made in the country last year, one of the highest rates in the EU, according to Eurostat, the EUs statistical office.
Hungarians on Sunday have voted on a referendum over European Union plans to relocate refugees and migrants among member states.

The right-wing government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban has fiercely opposed the EU plan, which seeks to share 160,000 asylum seekers around the 28-member bloc via mandatory quotas.

Under the scheme, Hungary would receive less than 1,300 people, but it has not accepted a single person allocated so far.





In the run-up to the vote, opinion polls showed vast support for a rejection of the EU proposal among those who said they would vote. They also suggested, however, that turnout might not necessarily top the 50 percent required for the poll to be valid.

In an opinion piece published on Saturday, Orban said Hungarians had a duty to help his government fight the failed liberal methods of the Brussels elite.

Mass migration without control means a real threat. It endangers the peaceful and safe European way of life, he wrote in the Magyar Idok newspaper.

Voting begins at 04:00 GMT and closes at 17:00 GMT. Preliminary results are expected after 18:00 GMT.

The question put to Hungarians is: Do you want the European Union to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?

Al Jazeeras Laurence Lee, reporting from the capital Budapest, said the referendum question was designed to elicit a No response.

The whole framing of the referendum question is fairly loaded, our correspondent said. Clearly, if the question had been. should Hungary participate in the EU quota scheme, it would had been a straighter question and it might had got a different answer.

Al Jazeeras Laurence Lee in Budapest  On the referendum result The government is pretty confident that it will win the referendum. The only thing that would stop them is if the turnout in the vote is less than 50 percent.  on the governments fierce opposition to the EU proposal Over the course of time, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said very plainly that Muslims could be terrorists, and that [the quota system] is an assault on Hungarys democracy pushed by unelected bureaucrats at the European Commission. He calls this is a civilisation crisis. You can argue as much as you want, really, would 1,300 refugees from places like Syria and Iraq in a country of 10 million actually be a civilisation crisis for Hungary, but its absolutely the way the see it.

Xenophobia boost

The deal in question, spearheaded by Germany and approved by most EU countries last year, is aimed at easing pressure on Greece and Italy, the main refugee entry points into the bloc for hundreds of thousands of refugees mostly fleeing war in Syria.

But some eastern and central European nations have vehemently opposed to the plan, with Hungary joining Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it.

About 400,000 migrants and refugees passed through Hungary in 2015 before the government sealed off the southern borders with razor wire and fences in the autumn.

The announcement of the referendum in July by Orbans government has been followed by an increase in xenophobic feelings, according to polls.

In the run-up to the vote, the government led a huge media offensive urging the eight-million-strong electorate to reject the EU plan, drawing a direct link between migration and attacks in EU countries.

Theyve tried very hard and spent many millions promoting the campaign, Al Jazeeras Lee said.

There are billboards all over Budapest and elsewhere which read, Take No Chances, Vote No to the quota system, and that itself has a heavy implication because Take No Chances implies that any refugee could be a terrorist, and thats certainly the view that Orban has.

A survey conducted in August by the Publicus Institute for the Vasarnapi Hirek newspaper found 35 percent of the 1,000 people asked said it was obligatory to help refugees, down from 64 percent in September 2015.

Government critics say Hungary has been heavy-handed in its answer to the refugee crisis. Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said Hungary should be expelled from the bloc for breaching European values, including erecting a razor-wire fence along its border with Serbia.

OPINION: Hungary should be kicked out of the EU

On Friday, opposition parties and rights groups demonstrated in Budapest against the referendum, criticising the government for stoking fears and xenophobia.

Earlier this week, Amnesty International also accused Hungarys government of mistreating refugees and migrants on the Serbian border.





Asylum-seekers, including unaccompanied children, are suffering violent abuse, illegal push-backs and unlawful detention at the hands of Hungarys authorities, and a system blatantly designed to deter them from crossing into the EU, Amnesty said in a report on Tuesday.

Muslims in Hungary also said they were wary of the governments referendum.

Im starting to feel that my own homeland is repudiating me, Timea Nagy, a Hungarian Muslim, told The Associated Press news agency.

Some 5,600 Muslims live in Hungary, according to the 2011 census, the latest available.

We could say that this [referendum] campaign is against the migrants but in reality it is covertly against Islam, thats how people mostly understood it, Tayseer Saleh, imam of the Darussalam Mosque, told AP.

We do not support the migrants coming to Europe, Saleh said. We support putting an end to the problems there and I guarantee that 90 percent of the people will return to their homeland.

Rule of fear

Orban has long had a testy relationship with Brussels, with critics saying his shake-up of Hungarian institutions from 2010 has undermined democracy.





However, his stance during Europes refugee crisis has caused particular anger.

Prime Minister Orban has replaced the rule of law with the rule of fear, said John Dalhuisen, Amnestys director for Europe.

His attempts to deliberately prevent refugees and migrants from reaching Hungary have been accompanied by an ever more disturbing pattern of attacks on them and the international safeguards designed to protect them.

But Orbans anti-migrant rhetoric has gone down well with many Hungarians at home, cementing his partys lead over the opposition.

We must preserve our Hungarian national character here in the middle of Europe and all the other European states should also preserve their national characters, Budapest resident Judit Hegyi told Reuters news agency in the run-up to the vote.

But others raised their voice against government propaganda, which they say vilifies refugees and incites hatred.

We came here so that we would be less ashamed of ourselves on Sunday night, teacher Zsuzsa Berkesi told Reuters.

I expect the worse: that it will be valid, with more than 50 percent of people voting, and this makes me sick.
Packing winds of 240km/h, Category 4 hurricane threatens the Caribbean nations with Guantanamo Bay evacuation under way.

Hurricane Matthew, a potentially devastating Category 4 storm, swirled across the Caribbean towards Haiti and Jamaica where residents frantically stocked up on emergency supplies and authorities urged people to evacuate threatened areas.

The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said on Sunday that Matthews winds had slipped slightly from a peak of 260km/h to a still potentially destructive 240km/h.

Forecasters said the Category 4 storm was expected to pass near or over the eastern tip of Jamaica and southwestern Haiti on Monday, and rainfall totals could reach between 25mm to 38mm with isolated maximum amounts of 63mm.

In Haiti, civil protection officials broadcast warnings of the coming storm surge and big waves, saying the country would be highly threatened from the approaching system, which is expected to start affecting Haiti and Jamaica on Sunday night. They urged families to prepare emergency food and water kits.

Emergency management authorities banned boating, particularly along the impoverished countrys southern coastline.

In Jamaica, where there is also a hurricane warning, flooding temporarily closed the road linking the capital to its airport.

Carl Ferguson, the head of the marine police, said people were starting to heed calls to relocate from small islands and areas near rural waterways.

Residents of the capital, Kingston, crowded supermarkets to buy bottled water, canned food and batteries. In the coastal town of Port Royal, officials were urging residents to seek refuge in government shelters once they open up on Sunday.

US evacuates families from Guantanamo Navy base

After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba on Tuesday, potentially making a direct hit on the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.

A mandatory evacuation of non-essential personnel, including about 700 family members of military personnel, was under way at the base and everyone remaining behind was being told to take shelter, said Julie Ann Ripley, a spokeswoman.

The forecast track would also carry Matthew into the Bahamas, with an outside chance of a brush with Florida, though that would be several days away.

Its too early to rule out what impacts, if any, would occur in the United States and Florida, Dennis Feltgen, a spokesperson at the National Hurrican Center, was quoted by The Associated Press news agency as saying.

Matthew caused at least one death when it entered the Caribbean on Wednesday. Officials in St Vincent reported a 16-year-old boy was crushed by a boulder as he tried to clear a blocked drain.
Attackers opened fire at a paramilitary camp in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to an army spokesman, killing one border guard and wounding another.

According to reports, it was the 46 Rashtriya Rifles army camp in Kashmirs Baramulla district that came under attack on Sunday evening.

Sundays incident comes just days after forces from India and Pakistan were involved in exchange of fire across the de facto border dividing the Kashmir valley.

Baramulla Incident situation contained and under control @adgpi  NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) October 2, 2016

Terrorists opened fire on an army camp in Baramulla town, Colonel Rajesh Kalia told AFP news agency on Sunday.

An exchange of fire between soldiers and attackers is still on.

An official confirmed that one soldier was killed in the attack.

One BSF personnel was killed and one injured when militants tried to enter an army camp, said local Superintendent of Police Imtiyaz Hussein.

The camp lies about 54km from Srinagar, capital of Indian-administered Kashmir.

READ MORE: Kashmir row  Pakistan slaps ban on Bollywood films

Tensions between the neighbouring countries have been on the rise following the Uri attack on the Indian side of the Kashmir border last month in which 17 soldiers were killed.

India then claimed to have carried out surgical strikes across the border which the Pakistan army dismissed as an illusion.

Meanwhile, Indias defence minister said it will take some days to secure the release of a soldier who was captured after he inadvertently crossed over into the Pakistani side of the Kashmir border.

He had crossed over, which happens in border areas. There is a well established mechanism through the Director General of Military Operations which has been activated, the minister was quoted as saying by the PTI news agency.

Since the situation is tense right now, it will take some days to bring the soldier back.

The spike in tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals follows weeks of deadly protests in Kashmir.

More than 80 civilians have been killed, mostly in clashes with forces during protests against Indian rule, in the worst violence in the region since 2010.
ISIL sniper fire blamed for death of Jeroen Oerlemans while covering government offensive against the group in Sirte.

Prominent Dutch journalist Jeroen Oerlemans has been killed covering a government offensive against ISIL in the groups Libyan stronghold of Sirte, a city 450km east of Tripoli.

Dr Akram Gliwan, spokesman for a hospital in Misrata, told the AFP news agency that Oerlemans was shot in the chest by an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group sniper. The photographers body had been transferred there from Sirte.

Oerlemans was working in Libya for a number of organisations, including the Belgian weekly Knack magazine, which confirmed his death on Sunday.

A message on Knacks website said Oerlemans was shot on a reporting assignment and that the publication wishes his family much strength.

Hundreds of people also took to social media to remember the well-respected journalist, to share his work, and to offer condolences to his family.

Your photographs of Sirte, Libya and other places will live on forever, the Dutch ambassador to Libya, Eric Strating, said on Twitter. Condolences to all who loved him.

https://twitter.com/bentaub91/status/782680308604866560

Rest in peace Jeroen Oerlemans, Yvette van Eechoud, director of European and International Affairs at the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, tweeted. Thank you for shining your light on the misery of others.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 11 other journalists and one media worker have been killed in Libya since 1992, when CPJ began keeping records. All but one of those deaths happened since the 2011 war against former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Journalists have recently begun returning in greater numbers to Libya to cover the conflict and political upheaval but it remains an extraordinarily dangerous place, Robert Mahoney, the deputy executive director of CPJ, said.

The death of Jeroen Oerlemans is a reminder that those who bring us images and video from the frontlines often pay the heaviest price.

Some of the fine work by photojournalist Jeroen Oerlemans in Surt before his death: https://t.co/7i8wJfm56U via @Scrollytellio  Declan Walsh (@declanwalsh) October 2, 2016

Oerlemans was held hostage by ISIL with British photo journalist John Cantlie in 2012, but he was later released.

Forces allied to Libyas UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) launched an assault against the ISIL bastion in May.

ISIL fighters holed up in Sirte, the birthplace of Gaddafi, have responded with suicide bombings and sniper fire, slowing the government-backed advance.

Fighting on Sunday killed at least 10 ISIL fighters and eight pro-government fighters around Sirte, the Tripoli-based GNA said.
Pro-Assad forces and their allies push forward in Aleppo offensive as international outrage grows over ferocious raids.

Syrian forces and their allies are pushing forwards in a major ground offensive to recapture Aleppos rebel-held east, as international outrage grows over the fierce bombardment on the citys besieged areas.

Dozens of Russian and Syrian government air strikes continued pounding the devastated city overnight, targeting battlefronts and residential neighbourhoods, according to activists. At least six people were killed in the raids on Sunday morning, activists told Al Jazeera.

The ferocious air campaign helped regime forces to advance in the north of the city, where they reached the outskirts of the al-Heluk district, Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitoring group, told AFP news agency.





If pro-government fighters seize Heluk, Bustan al-Basha and, Sakhur  all rebel-controlled neighbourhoods in Aleppo citys north  they will confine opposition factions to a small section in the southeast.

The air strikes are continuing but now the government and its allies  men from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon  are pushing into the rebel enclave in the east of Aleppo, said Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Turkish city of Gaziantep near the Syria-Turkey border.

They are making progress and they are taking ground from the opposition, particularly in the north of the city.

Later on Sunday, the Syrian army said in a statement carried by state media that rebel fighters should vacate the eastern quarters of the northern city of Aleppo and said it would guarantee them safe passage and necessary aid.

The army high command calls all armed fighters in the eastern neighbourhood of Aleppo to leave these neighbourhoods and let civilian residents live their normal lives, the statement carried by state news agency SANA said.

The Russian and Syrian military leaderships will guarantee safe passage for the fighters and will give them aid as necessary.

The worst weve endured

Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured in air strikes since the collapse of the latest ceasefire and the Syrian governments announcement last week of a ground offensive to retake the area.

Helped by their Russian ally, the pro-government forces have gained ground in the area, but the rebels say they have been able to repel some assaults.

Since fighting first broke out there in 2012, Aleppo has been divided by a frontline between rebel forces in the east and government troops in the west.

INSIDE STORY: How critical is the city of Aleppo in Syrias war?

An estimated 270,000 people, including 100,000 children, are trapped in Aleppos eastern districts, which civil defence workers say have been hit by 1,900 bombs in the past week.

This has been the worst we have endured since the start of the revolution. They are using new weapons, they are using phosphorous bombs, but God willing they wont be able to capture Aleppo, said Mohammed Jadhan, a resident of east Aleppo.

The UN is warning of a humanitarian catastrophe inside the besieged city, where food and medical supplies are running low and people are living in dire conditions.





Children need milk, resident Omar Madani said. We can handle hunger, but the children cant.

The military campaign by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo has sparked international condemnation after a series of air strikes on civilian infrastructure, including on the largest hospital in the citys east.

At least two barrel bombs hit the M10 hospital on Saturday, according to the Syrian American Medical Society, which supports the facility, in an attack fiercely condemned by Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, as a war crime.

Stephen OBrien, the UN aid chief also criticised the raid and called on Sunday for immediate action to end the living hell of civilians in Aleppos east.

The health care system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated. Medical facilities are being hit one by one, OBrien wrote.

He said the latest indiscriminate bombings subjected eastern Aleppos residents to a level of savagery that no human should have to endure.

The clock is ticking. Stop the carnage now, OBrien added.

Ex-classmate on Assad: A doctor killing doctors

But apart from issuing appeals, warnings, and condemnations, the international organisation has admitted that there is little else it can do, Al Jazeeras Khodr said.

The Syrian civil war started as a largely unarmed uprising against Assad in March 2011, but quickly escalated into a full-blown conflict.

Five years on, more than 400,000 Syrians are estimated to have been killed, and almost 11 million Syrians  half the countrys prewar population  have been displaced from their homes.

Diplomatic efforts

Diplomatic efforts to put an end to the war have all but collapsed.

Russia and the US brokered a ceasefire deal in early September, hoping it could open a path to peace, but the truce fell apart a week later.

Relations between the two countries have since been strained amid deepening disagreements.

Russia has said it will press on with its bombing, while the US is threatening to end talks and pursue other alternatives.

For Aleppos besieged residents, time is not on their side.

You are always looking at the skies, monitoring the planes, said Abdel Rahman al-Mareih, a resident of east Aleppo.

Y ou could be alive now, but in five minutes you could easily become a martyr.
Ruling generals seen as trying to prove their sincerity by fundamentally reforming countrys legal process.

Bangkok  Thailand is to open a specialised corruption court after Prime Minister Prayauth Chan-ocha promised to eradicate corruption in the country within 20 years.

Thailands first ever corruption court will open on Monday and initially try 70 cases.

With a dedicated court, the government hopes that the reach of corruption cases will expand into the private sector and to lower levels of government.

Also, analysts believe that the new court may make it possible for such cases to be finalised more quickly than in regular courts.

READ MORE: Thailand to hold elections in 2017  junta chief

When the case involves politicians or the private sector, it will have to go directly to this court, Weerasak Krueathep, a public-policy expert from Thailands Chulalongkorn University, told Al Jazeera.

We believe that changing the procedure will speed up the process.

But he said he views the corruption court as a symbolic move by the government to gain ground in the court of public opinion.

The government is trying to show that they are making good on their promise of cracking down on corruption.

Corruption was one of the main reasons given by Thailands generals for staging a coup two years ago.

Corruption was so rampant, they said, they had to take over and root it out.

There have been many high-level corruption cases in Thailand over recent years, with most steeped in politics and tried in the Supreme Court.

Now the ruling generals are trying to show that they are serious in their fight against corruption by fundamentally reforming the legal process.

READ MORE: Thailand referendum  New constitution wins approval

But some analysts say that resources should not only be used to bring more cases to court but also to break the culture of corruption.

Enforcing the law is not enough, Kan Yuenyong, from the Siam Intelligence Unit, told Al Jazeera.

We need to improve the condition of the people first and get them to understand that corruption is not good for the country as a whole.

A lot of people agree that the success of the new court will not be known for a few years.

But before that, there will be indications of how the people of this nation feel about government officials  and whether they trust them more, or less.
Kutbettin Gulen detained in Izmir province as part of ongoing crackdown on people alleged to be behind July events.

Turkish police have arrested a brother of Fethullah Gulen, US-based religious leader accused by the government of plotting the failed July coup attempt .

Kutbettin Gulen was arrested by police acting on a tip-off at the home of a relative in the Gaziemir district of the western Izmir province, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

He is the first of Gulens siblings to be arrested after the coup bid.





He is accused of membership of an armed terror group, Anadolu said, without giving further details.

Anadolu said books belonging to Fethullah Gulen himself were confiscated in the police raid.

Kutbettin Gulen was dismissed from a printing house operating under Kaynak Holding after the state-appointed trustees to the company in 2015 for its links to Gulens organisation, according to Turkish media.

Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, is accused by Turkey of orchestrating the July 15 coup plot.

Gulen denies the claims, saying he merely runs a peaceful organisation called Hizmet (Service).

According to previous Turkish media reports, Gulen has three living brothers, Mesih, Salih and Kutbettin, as well as two who are dead, Seyfullah and Hasbi.

INTERACTIVE: Timeline of attacks in Turkey

He also has two sisters, Nurhayat and Fazilet. Their current whereabouts are not known.

In July, the authorities arrested Gulens nephew Muhammet Sait Gulen in the eastern city of Erzurum. Another nephew, Ahmet Ramiz Gulen, was arrested in August in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.

But this is believed to be the first time a brother has been detained.





Turkeys government, which had a close alliance with Gulen in the early years of its rule, say his supporters infiltrated all sectors of society including the military with the aim of launching the coup that took place on July 15.

The coup attempt was defeated when supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took to the streets.

Erdogan returned to Istanbul unharmed.

But the state of emergency after the coup has raised tensions between Turkey and the European Union, which has expressed concerns over the scale of the crackdown that has seen 32,000 people arrested .

Since the failed coup attempt, more than 77,000 people, including soldiers, judges and prosecutors, have been investigated, some of them temporarily detained.

READ MORE: Fear grows as Turkey introduces state of emergency

Thousands of soldiers, teachers, journalists, civil servants and academics have also been suspended or dismissed from their jobs as a result of their alleged links to Gulens network.

Turkish government also shut down thousands of schools, companies, television channels and newspapers for their alleged links to terrorism since the failed coup attempt.

Erdogan said this week that the state of emergency imposed after the coup attempt should be extended at least for another three months when it expires in October.
Birmingham, UK  Thousands of protesters have rallied against the British governments cuts to public services as members of the ruling Conservative Party gathered for its annual conference.

Sundays protest, which started a short distance from the conference, drew a coalition of left-wing groups, including members of the opposition Labour Party, trade unions and student activists.

The diverse grouping of protesters flowed through Birminghams city centre, shouting slogans against Theresa May, the UK prime minister, and in support of her Labour rival, Jeremy Corbyn.

The rally was the first major protest against the governments austerity policies since the re-election of Corbyn as Labour party leader last week and May becoming prime minister in June.

Government cuts to public services and the welfare system gathered pace after the Conservative Party took power in 2010 as part of a coalition.

It later secured majority rule after the 2015 general election.

The policies have affected most aspects of public life, with tuition fees increasing almost threefold  from nearly $4,000 in 2010 to more than $11,600 today  and cuts to benefits available to the countrys poorest.

Shelly Asquith, vice president of the National Union of Students and an introductory speaker at the rally, said there was anger at the government for the severity of austerity policies.

Students are angry at the way our grants have been cut [and] our fees are set to rise, Asquith told Al Jazeera.

Its important that we resist austerity in every way possible. A sustained presence of thousands on the streets shows there are many of us who are angry and unwilling to let them tear up public services without a fight.

Turning point

Colin Griffiths, a trade unionist with the GMB union, told Al Jazeera that Corbyns re-election signalled a turning point in the lefts fight against government cuts.

Weve got ground-level support, the Labour Party now is the biggest party in Europe, so theres obviously something [Corbyn] is saying thats striking people, Griffiths said.

Last year, the UK became the first country to be investigated by the United Nations for alleged violations against people with disabilities.

READ MORE: UK to trigger Brexit by end of March

Disability rights activists accuse the government of causing deaths through the withdrawal of welfare payments to the disabled and cuts to care services.

Carl Phillips, a member of Unison, one of the largest trade unions in the UK, said the government had made it more difficult for people with disabilities to become self-sufficient.

Were fighting against the unjust cuts to disability benefits and access to work schemes, which helped empower disable people get back into or stay in work.

Without schemes like that, disabled people have to live on handouts, which most of them do not want to do.

Uncertainty over finances

While not a supporter of Corbyn or of the Labour Party, Phillips said more people were starting to understand the importance of public-sector infrastructure and were increasingly getting involved in safeguarding institutions.

The rally in Birmingham comes amid uncertainty over British finances following the countrys vote to leave the European Union in June.

The British government brought in austerity policies ostensibly to reduce its sovereign debt and fiscal deficit, but the amount the government owes has gone up from just under a 1 trillion in 2010 to more than 1.61 trillion today.

OPINION: Brexit  The night the UK became a little island

Opposition politicians, like the Scottish National Partys Nicola Sturgeon, have linked the vote to leave the EU to the economic and social cost of austerity.

In comments made to the BBC on Sunday, May said that the UK would begin negotiations to break away for the bloc in March next year.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Matthew Goodwin, a political analyst, said: Voters are pretty divided over what they want from this Brexit negotiation. Some say I want to be in the single market, that economic relationship is really important to me.

Others, typically Leavers who voted for Brexit, are saying, Actually for me, the economy is second to getting control on free movement, so Theresa May has a very rocky road ahead on how to satisfy a divided electorate.

Follow Shafik Mandhai on Twitter: @ShafikFM
Aden ex-governor named PM by Iran-allied groups governing body in move likely to complicate prospects of settlement.

Houthi fighters in Yemen say they are establishing their own government of national salvation to rival the internationally recognised administration of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in the south.

The move was decided by a supreme political council created in July by the Iran-backed group and forces allied to Yemens former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

On Sunday, Saleh al-Sammad, head of the supreme political council, appointed Abdel Aziz Saleh Habtour prime minister, the Houthis announced on their website sabanews.net.

Habtour is a former governor of the southern port city of Aden and a member of the political bureau of Salehs General Peoples Congress.

READ MORE: Houthis claim attack on UAE military vessel

The announcement of a rival government is likely to further complicate the prospects of a political settlement in Yemen.

It coincided with the presence in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, of Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, UNs Yemen envoy, and the arrival in Sanaa of Stephen OBrien, the UN humanitarian operations chief.

The UN says the conflict has killed more than 6,600 people and displaced at least three million since an Arab coalition assembled by Saudi Arabia launched operations in March 2015 in defence.

Militia boats targeted

Since then, the fighters have been pushed out of much of Yemens south, but they still control nearly all of the countrys Red Sea coast as well as expanses of territory around the capital Sanaa.

Earlier, Arab coalition forces launched operations against Houthi sea units after they attacked a ship reportedly carrying humanitarian supplies off Yemens coast.

The coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said air and naval forces were targeting militia boats

involved the attack.

Civilian passengers were rescued and no crew members were hurt, a statement late on Saturday said.

The vessel, an Australian-built high-speed logistics catamaran under lease to the UAE military, was attacked by Houthi fighters near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemens southern coast on Saturday.

The coalition said the incident showed that Houthi tactics involved what it called terrorist attacks against civilian international navigation in the waterway.

The Houthis claimed their forces destroyed a UAE military vessel that was advancing towards the Red Sea port of Mokha.

Armed forces destroyed with a missile a military vessel belonging to the forces of the UAE, a Houthi military official was quoted as saying by the Saba Yemeni news agency, run by the group since it seized Sanaa last year.

UAE connection

The vessel, belonging to the UAE Marine Dredging Company, was on its usual route to and from Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians to complete their treatment outside Yemen, the coalition statement said.

Hundreds of Emirati soldiers have been fighting the Houthis and training Yemeni troops in Aden to help rebuild a state loyal to Hadi.

In 2013, more than 3.4 million barrels of oil a day passed through the 20km wide Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

A senior Emirati commander was among dozens killed in a Tochka rocket strike in 2015 on an army camp near Bab el-Mandeb, one of the bloodiest setbacks for Gulf forces in months of fighting.
Bollywood and Pakistani artists caught in the crossfire of conflict over Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Fighting in Kashmir between Indian and Pakistani troops has become a cultural war too.

Indian films made in Bollywood are being boycotted by major cinemas in Pakistan.

That came after Pakistani actors were banned from working in India.

A group of Indian film producers say they are showing solidarity with troops fighting in Kashmir.

So fans are polarised and film budgets hit.

While in Kashmir, the United Nations is calling for calm, renewed fighting is forcing thousands of villagers from their homes.

So, what does the clash over culture mean for the long running conflict?

Presenter: Hazem Sika

Guests:

Maidul Islam  Assistant professor at Presidency University, Kolkata, specialising in cinema and identity politics

Maria Iqbal Tarana  Pakistani social and political activist

Narayanan Madhavan  Indian journalist and commentator
The nonexistence of a class structure is one of the foremost reasons why Americans lead the world. In many cases, "class" means separation of people into haves and have-nots. Because of the absence of class, we are not hampered by restrictions left over from the feudal era. That leaves us free to partake of the benefits of the world without the chains binding us to the past.

In my hometown in West Virginia, during the Great Depression, women who were immigrants from Europe refused to personally clean their houses. They paid someone else to do it even though everyone was short of money. They were imbued with the European class structure, which forbad such lower-class work. Americans, who don't use such restrictions, can achieve so much more.

Because of the equality of all, every necessary endeavor in life was to figure out ways of making life easier for all activities. House cleaning was only a problem to solve. Vacuum cleaners were invented to solve that problem. Better and sturdier mops appeared. All kinds of equipment for cleaning became a part of life. Sales of these tools made fortunes for their producers. Money was important to the "classed" but not important enough to lose their class restrictions.

In Europe, there was never any effort to assist the housecleaning chore. The lower class just had to adjust to the burden of being born to serve.

Another example of American success is the automobile. Few could afford a Rolls-Royce, but the elite could because they were born to affluence. Americans could provide cars for workers, and Henry Ford proceeded to furnish them.

In America, millions of purchasers were able to buy whatever the market produced. That was our treasure: workers who could buy things. The more people we hire, the more buyers we supply to the economy.

Construction became a major industry. Buildings were being built all over America. The invention of chainsaws and cement were only the beginning of a revolution in America. Big cities were the allure for jobs and culture.

Colleges sprang up all over the country. Education in all fields held promise due to the absence of a restrictive class system.

We have made buyers from all walks of life, by accepting people as equals and rejecting a class system.

A woman who became the first manager of the trading post on a nearby Indian reservation in the early part of the 20th century would take any job that helped her succeed and earn an adequate living. She figured out a way to learn the Indian language by trading words from the Sears Roebuck catalog with one of her customers. She made historical quilts, which are in the local museum. A typical American, nothing deterred her.

When a baby was born to the lower class, his future was already determined. One's birth placed one into either doing manual labor or having someone else committed to doing it. Daily life depended on the services of the lower class, and blood was the only determinant.

Blood was the one established factor in life among the lower classes. At birth, one's life was foretold until death.

In America, one could not determine what the future would bring. There were no class restrictions on hopes for the future. One would try anything to succeed in solving a problem. There is nothing more satisfying than winning over an obstacle. That is why we do puzzles.

In Europe, the upper class never performed what they considered menial labor. It was degrading. One learned to order its completion, but never to execute it.

The rest of the world, could not engage in change. However, Americans seized the opportunity for change without the restrictions of class or tribe.

There is still plenty of evidence of worldwide classism, which sometimes strays into American life.

A friend who told me of her life as the wife of a graduate student at a leading American university and told how they lived in a row of apartments. Next door lived an Indian graduate student with his Indian wife. The wife was a class and caste person from India who had been raised in an upper-class household and exhibited all the characteristics of being upper-class. She had no idea how to take care of the apartment and do the usual American chores with which we are familiar. My friend tried to help her, but it was difficult because the Indian lady had never done any of those chores for herself. She had been cared for by servants and had no idea what it took to keep her alive.

An American physician has been trying to teach a new member of her medical practice about the chores required to serve in that practice. The Indian doctor is refusing to do certain of these chores, which she considers not part of what she is disposed to do. Her upper-class background interferes with her ability to perform those chores she considers beneath her class. How can she doctor in a world where one does not refuse to care for all in the best way possible?

These upper-class restraints are still alive and well in various parts of the world. They hamper the performance of achieving success in making life better for all peoples. American experience succeeded in making a superior society we all enjoy, which others envy.

Life is impossible to survive these days in an insular society where the lower class performs all the chores related to existence. The upper class has lost its role.

These days, immediate performance is necessary to save lives. And how boring it is to have everything done for you.
A black relative in his late 50s told me I should be more sympathetic toward Colin Kaepernick's grievances with America; more understanding of young blacks dissing their country.

I say, Hogwash!

My 88-year-old black dad might have a reason to dis our National Anthem, but not Kaepernick. Kaepernick is a wealthy bi-racial pro-athlete whom America has been extremely good to. His grievances are rooted in ingratitude and lies promoted by Black Lives Matter.

Dad told me when he was a young Merchant Marine, after several months at sea their ship arrived at a maritime base in St. Petersburg, Florida. The crew was extremely excited about their much-anticipated shore leave. Then, Dad and his fellow black seaman were told they could not leave the ship due to the town's curfew for blacks. Dad said his outraged fellow black seaman exploded into an endless rant of cussing. Dad said he cried.

Dad said they were the first blacks to arrive at that base. The two blacks eventually had to leave the ship because it was scheduled for decommission. On that U.S. Maritime base, Dad said they had to be accompanied everywhere by bodyguards. Meals were eaten separate from white seaman. They had to call a black cab company for a ride into town. Blacks could only enter the movie theater via stairs in the back of the building, which led to a ticket booth and seating in the balcony.

Dad told me years ago how white seaman on that base trapped and attempted to hang him. White shipmates saved Dad's life.

Folks, that was real-deal painful racism. Hearing gen-xers and millennial blacks whine about racism is absurd; flat-out nonsense. So no, I do not want to hear Kaepernick's arrogant and ignorant disrespect, his lack of gratitude for Americans, black and white, who suffered and died paving the way for him.

Blacks are only 12% of the U.S. Population. How do Kaepernick and other arrogant ungrateful young blacks who keep kicking America in the teeth think blacks have risen to power in practically every area of American life, culminating with a black man holding the highest office in the land for the past 8 years? Obviously, a majority of white Americans regret past injustices and sought to make things right.

Some may argue that America is not perfect. The Bible acknowledges that we live in a sinful world. Therefore, nothing is prefect. However, America's positives far outweigh her negatives. I continue yelling from the rooftops, America is the greatest land of opportunity on the planet for all who choose to go for it! Cut the victim crap and pursue your dreams!

Pumphrey, the community I grew up in, had a banquet honoring my dad who was a pillar of the community. Dad is a great man, but he is a human being. Therefore, he is not perfect. What if at Dad's banquet a speaker from the podium had said this banquet is a sham, spouting negatives intended to bring down Dad's status? Dad's guests would be outraged. Pumphrians realize their Rev. Dr. Lloyd E. Marcus is not perfect, but his life bears testimony that his good far surpasses his not so good.

We Americans who honestly weigh America's positives against her negatives feel love and respect for our country. This explains the heartbreak we feel regarding this trend of athletes from the pros down to middle school giving America their middle finger. This is why it is so offensive hearing wealthy, spoil-brat black yutes dissing their country based on lies and racist experiences of which they know nothing about.

Though praised by America hating Leftist media, Kaepernick exposed his ignorance when he attacked Trump by saying, America has never been great for people of color."

What was America when it elected a black man to be president for two terms? What was America when it made a dark-skin over-weight black woman (Oprah) one of the richest most powerful persons in the world?

In the late 1970s, I became the first black graphic designer at a Baltimore TV station. My buddy Joe Ford became the first black Art Director at Baltimores prestigious advertising agency, W.B. Doner. We blacks were pretty peerless in our fields. Today, blacks are present in almost every field of expertise. To say that blacks have not come a long way baby in America is absurd.

From politicians who awarded me scholarships to attend art college to businessmen who hired and mentored me, most of my career stepping stones have been placed ahead of me by whites.

Folks, I could go on and on with examples of how America, which is mostly white, has been extremely good to blacks. We all know and see this reality. And yet, the America hating Left and Black Lives Matter lies rule the day and millennial hearts and minds. Very sad. Devastatingly destructive.

Philosophers, gurus, and spiritual teachers, secular and religious, all tout the wisdom and proven powerful personal benefits of an attitude of gratitude.

The universally proven principle at work is that when one expresses gratitude you attract more good stuff to you.

And yet, the Left (Democrats, mainstream media and Hollywood) demeans and belittles grateful American blacks. Blacks who spit in the face of their homeland are considered, cool, brave and enlightened by the Left. The Left says that blacks who understand the blessing of being born an American are either stupid or mentally ill suffering with Stockholm Syndrome.

I pray that enough blacks have finally seen the light; saying, No thank you to the Left's masterfully wrapped bag of excrement, filled with racial hate, more false promises and destructive deceptions.

I informed a clueless black relative that every major city controlled by Democrats for the past 40 years is a hellhole of black suffering; through-the-roof unemployment; epidemic school dropouts; over 70% fatherless households, high incarcerations and record-breaking black on black homicides.

Blacks' negative experiences in America are all easily traceable back to their irrational loyalty to Democrats; sleeping with their enemy.

Isn't it ironic that the source of real hope and change for blacks, along with all Americans, is Donald Trump? Trump will, Make America Great Again! We are all sooooooooo ready!

Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American; Chairman: The Conservative Campaign Committee; http://www.lloydmarcus.com/
Ross Dress for Less opens Saturday at Hay Creek Shops in Bismarck.

The retailer sells clothing for men, women and children, as well as furniture and home decor.

Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

Impact Gallery closing

Impact Gallerys retail location in downtown Bismarck is closing Oct. 22.

Founders Lynn Prouty and Wayne Pruse are moving their business online and will do in-home showings for commissioned and original art.

Pieces can be found by searching Wayne Pruse Art online at Pixels.com, with product choices including prints, wall art, apparel, home decor and beach items.

For more information, call 701-255-6410, email impactisland@hotmail.com or go online to Impact Gallery's Facebook page.

Tech company recognized

Bismarck-based CoSchedule, an all-in-one marketing calendar software provider, was named one of the top five startups in Tech.Cos 2016 Startup of the Year Competition.

The national competition is part of the Innovate and Celebrate Conference, an annual startup forum co-produced by the Consumer Technology Association and Tech.Co. To enter, companies were required to have less than $3 million in funding, be less than 4 years old, and provide a tangible product or service.

Fifty semifinalists were selected from more than 1,000 companies to pitch their startups to a panel of judges. Five finalists, CoSchedule among them, were later selected to pitch to a smaller panel of tech leaders from leading Silicon Valley venture capital firms.

Being a finalist in a national contest like Tech.Cos Startup of the Year really shows there is exciting business being done right here in North Dakota, said co-founder Garrett Moon.

Clinic celebrates opening

Independent Doctors Family Medical Clinic will host an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. Oct. 12 at its new north Bismarck location, 4535 Northern Sky Drive.

Dr. Joy Froelich, Dr. Denise McDonough, Dr. Bobbi Rae Thuen and family nurse practitioners Christina Gisvold and Carissa Cornell offer medical services including immunizations, preventative adult visits, DOT exams and Medicare annual wellness exams, as well as skin treatments, including Dysport and Botox injections. The clinic has a laboratory, radiology and pharmacy on-site.

Clinic hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and walk-ins are welcome.

Go to www.independentdoctors.org for more information.

Starion Financial changes name

Starion Financial is now Starion Bank.

The financial institution changed its name last week to reflect the trends of the banking industry.

President Craig Larson said using the word "financial" in bank names was a trend more than a decade ago when the business switched from First Southwest Bank to Starion Financial. Now the bank is following industry trends again as a signal to customers in new markets.

Starion Bank has 15 locations around North Dakota as well as offices in Madison, Wis.
In 2009, author Lila Rosenbloom wrote about the act of remembrance in Judaism. One of the most important ways that the State of Israel chooses to remember the Holocaust is to sound a two-minute long siren throughout the country. Sirens that are typically used to alert the country to imminent danger, are sounded so that during the appointed time, siren blasts shriek in every village, town, and city in the land and people stop in their tracks. Vehicles stop in mid-intersections, and all is silent. Yet "all the silent space is pervaded by the fullness of the same wail."

The "wailing cries of the siren are reminiscent of the piercing, awakening cries of the shofar," the instrument blown on Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Day of Remembrance, which begins tonight. The chief metaphor employed is the Book of Life, in which deeds and behavior stand in witness for or against us at this time of year. God judges us to determine our future -- who shall live and who shall die.

It is particularly apt that a ram's horn is used because it is also reminiscent of the radical notion that human sacrifice is abhorrent. An angel stops Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac and "the substitution of a ram . . . is a reminder to the Jewish people that though God's creatures will be entangled in misfortunes, in the end they will be redeemed by the horns of a ram. For the Jewish people the shofar is meant to remind them of "their eternality and future promises of redemption."

The sound of the shofar is meant to shake one into action because while Rosh Hashanah is a day of remembrance, it is also one meant for repentance. It is about "coming back home after a period of absence." It is the sense that someone has missed the mark but has the opportunity for renewal.

So what does this have to do with America and the West, in general? Quite simply, the West has lost its moral compass. Though America has, as Ronald Reagan described "been blessed with the opportunity to stand for something -- for liberty and freedom and fairness," we have surrendered to the contortions of political correctness and language manipulation. Consequently, evil grows.

While we abhor stories of biblical sacrifice, women around the world are being sacrificed at the altar of mass Muslim immigration into Europe. And instead of railing against this assault, European leaders meekly accept this barbarism and urge women to dye their hair and stay indoors. In a searing article Anne-Marie Waters speaks of Europe's rape epidemic where in "Norway, recent statistics revealed that 100 per cent of violent street-rapes committed in the capital city of Oslo were committed by 'non-western' immigrants. Its a similar story in Denmark, where the majority of rapes are committed by immigrants, usually Muslim."

Moreover, "[i]n England, its been rape after rape  tens of thousands of young British girls are brutalised, tortured, beaten and raped by organised gangs comprised almost exclusively of Muslims. And now we have Germany. When Chancellor Merkel threw open the doors of her country to hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa, she opened the door to the rape of German women." Thus, "rape in Germany has already been described as an 'epidemic' and one that the German authorities, and media, are keeping rather quiet about. The reality is that German authorities . . . allow [the refugee] men to live freely among German women  they have decided to allow German women to be raped, just like authorities all across Europe."

In Pakistan, Somalia and Afghanistan, women are treated brutally as a matter of course. And while in democratic countries, abuse of women is against the law, in "Islamic states, it is the law." Hence, a woman can be stoned to death for being a rape victim! To believe that men coming from such violent misogynistic cultures will suddenly change their behavior borders on the insane. Instead of protecting their women, European authorities choose to restrict the freedoms of the women, rather than the freedoms of known rapists. Women are advised not to wear shorts, and not to travel to and from train stations by themselves.

Clearly, the clarion call to action to protect women is not only muted; it is non-existent.

The idea that a mere 15 years after the dastardly 9-11 attacks, we would have an administration conferring with the Muslim Brotherhood, insinuating shariah law into our country, kowtowing to C.A.I.R., a known affiliate of a terror group, and aiding and abetting our arch enemy Iran, is beyond comprehension. Is 9//11 still a powerful reminder of the ongoing threat to Western Civilization or have we, in perfect dhimmi posture, surrendered our way of life, our advancements, and our freedoms? We have an administration that cannot bring in so-called Muslim refugees fast enough while ignoring the true Christian victims of Islamic terror. Hillary Clinton maintains that American leaders must "understand" and "empathize" with Islamic terrorists as she refuses to acknowledge the theological motivation of these Islamic terrorists and their monomania to create a caliphate on American soil.

Clearly, the clarion call to protect our way of life is being muzzled. Treachery marks Western leaders' actions and decisions. From Parisian Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Muslim London Mayor Sadiq Khan, law-abiding people are being used as pawns by people who surely despise Western values and who, thereby, threaten our very existence.

The clarion call asserting that sharia is irrefutably and irrevocably incompatible with the values that once described the democracies in the West is not being sounded as the media engages in deceptive reporting. For far "too many observant Muslims, democracy is a target, not an aspiration" and the daily atrocities occurring worldwide are either downplayed or totally ignored by those who could publicize them.

And the few who are sounding the clarion call are ignored, demeaned, sued, threatened, arrested or murdered.

Free speech is being suffocated via the blasphemy laws promulgated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). By laying claim to our lexicon, the enemy's anti-Constitutional speech-stifling goals thwart policies to defeat the enemy. Far too many people cower, and the enemy advances. One can only conclude that our leaders either agree with the Islamic goals and despise freedom or they are shameful cowards. Either way, our lives and our way of life hang in the balance.

Clearly the clarion wake-up call needs to be louder. How many more will die before Islam is called out and the purveyors of this political fascist ideology are stopped? When "Allahu Akbar" is the warrior cry, how can this be willfully and foolishly ignored? Without leadership that acknowledges this, we cannot fight the enemy. There are no "universal values" between Islam and America, Mr. Obama. Your actions continue to put you squarely in the camp of the Islamic supremacists as the Left, an ever trusty handmaiden of any form of fascism, delights in the deconstruction of national boundaries, the twisting of historical facts and the physical, spiritual and emotional death of people. The jihadists could have no better allies.

The clarion call must be sounded to remind us -- how can Americans permit the infiltration of sharia and then visit the 9-11 memorial? How can they look at the pictures of the brave souls of Flight 93 and ignore the battle that still rages in the world as the jihadists continue to tear us down? How can we ask forgiveness and strive harder when our ears are closed and our eyes are shut? As David Bukay explains "[u]ntil we acknowledge that Islam is the main source of all humanity's troubles with 95 percent of world terrorism and more than 70 percent of world violence purely Islamic," we cannot renew the world. Until we perceive that far too many Muslims do not want to integrate and assimilate, we cannot identify the cries of the victims of Islamic hatred and rage. Until we accept that minorities are persecuted, butchered, massacred and slaughtered in Arab-Islamic states, and then work to save them, we cannot stand before God and ask forgiveness. When Muslims suppress any criticism of Islam by all means and claim Islamophobia, we must recognize the strategy is yet another way to impose their will upon us.

No, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, France must not learn to live with terrorism. No, President Obama, America will not continue to be misled about Islamic aims. No, Mrs. Merkel, we will not cloak ourselves in Muslim garb. You need to stop the criminals, not admonish the victims. We need to heed Czech politician Klara Samkova who understands that the West will have to crush Islam in order to survive.

In ancient times, the shofar was used in war to arouse people from "their apathy, shake their equanimity and set in motion the train of thought leading to a heightened spiritual awareness." So, too, the modern tocsin needs to be an absolute and unqualified refusal to surrender to a 7th century cult. As the Day of Remembrance begins tonight, we need to atone for our moral dereliction in allowing people to be sacrificed at the altar of Islamic terrorism. Jew or otherwise, we all want the chance to be inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year.

Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com
In recent days, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, spoke at the General Assembly of the United Nations basing his remarks on three basic Palestinian beliefs that reflect the Palestinians inability to be partners towards a peaceful solution with Israel. Abbas, spoke of the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israels right to exist as the Homeland of the Jewish People, he refused to end the PAs incitement of Palestinians to commit terror against Jews, and reaffirmed the Palestinians right of return which means nothing less than the end of Israel as a Jewish State.

Yet here in the Middle East, Mahmoud Abbass greatest threat is not Israel, not Israels military presence in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), and not even the so called settlements. Abbass number one existential threat is that the Palestinian Authoritys grip on the West Bank is weakening with growing political instability across the West Bank and the Hamas terror organization breathing down his political neck.

Pinhas Inbari, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs has painted a grim picture of the growing dislike and the loss of widespread support of the PA by the local Palestinian population. In Nablus, Fatah terrorist cells are in open rebellion against PA security forces. Since August 18, Fatah cells have repeatedly engaged PA forces in lethal exchanges, and according to Inbari, the town is now in a state of total anarchy. In Hebron, tribal leaders, more or less dormant for the past 20 years, are regenerating a tribal alliance as a means of bypassing the PA, which no longer represents them. Their first major action to date was to send a delegation of tribal leaders to meet with King Abdullah of Jordan. Even in Ramallah, the seat of Abbass power, the PA is losing ground to EU-funded NGOs that seek to limit the PAs economic control over the groups and their operations.

While the Palestinian Authority verges on the brink of total chaos, President Obama used his meeting this week with Prime Minister Netanyahu to defiantly ignore the Palestinian Arab refusal to negotiate with Israel, and instead proposed the worn out and obsolete formula - the two-state solution, for reviving negotiations. As usual, Obama clearly avoids blaming the Arabs, while at the same time demands Israel to agree to a high-risk territorial compromise without simultaneously making it crystal clear that there will be no right of return for Palestinian Arab refugees.

The idea of a "right of return" is as we all know unique to the conflict of the Middle East; no other people in the world other than the Palestinian Arabs have been awarded the "right of return." Keeping in mind that hundreds of thousands of Arabs who came to Israel from all over the Middle East prior to the 1948 war and had lived here for even a year are demanding the "right of return". These Arabs were foreign workers in Palestine before 1948 with no prior residential status. Many of them carry names like "El Iraqi" ("from Iraq") or El Masri ("from Egypt") or "El Hourani" ("from the Houran, Syria"), which testify that they are originally not from Palestine but that they came from Iraq, Egypt, and Syria. Today, they dont want to return to those places. They would rather live in Israel -- a democratic state that honors human rights, religious freedom, and a robust free economy. Why go back to Syria when they shoot you in the street for whistling, while in Israel, a Palestinian Arabs complaint of being detained for 5 minutes at a security checkpoint is considered a major violation of international law.

So if we imagine a future Palestinian Arab state that forcibly integrates competing clans and tribes, what are we really talking about? Those of us who live in Israel know that Arabs who live in Hebron, Jericho and Shechem (Nabulus), never ever even intermarry, let alone see themselves as one united nation. If they would be forcibly incorporated into one Palestinian Arab state, the result would be just another Arab state in perpetual conflict with itself blaming Israel for all of their internal problems.

Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University, the author of the Eight State Solution has based this concept on a sociological and historical analysis of Arab tribes and the consequent concept of Arab tribal city-states. Dr. Kedar proposes the creation of no less than eight independent and separate Arab city-states within the West Bank, in addition to Gaza. Of course, Israel would comprise the ninth. He writes:

There is no reason to assume that a Palestinian state will not become another failing Arab state, due to the fragmented society in the West Bank and Gaza, tribalism and lack of awareness of nationhood as demonstrated by the failing performance of the Palestinian authority since its establishment in 1994Social stability is the key for political stabilitythe only successful model for an Arab state is the one which is based on a single consolidated traditional group such as each of the individual Arab Gulf Emirates.

There is much logic in what Dr. Kedar describes about Arab societies. The Arab Middle East has always been composed of many tribes, religions, sects, and ethnic groups, all at war with each other and with their government. The colonial imposition of a central, western-style nation-state based on arbitrarily drawn border demarcations has not served the interests of the many indigenous people but rather the interests of dictators and corporate interests. Thus, according to Dr. Kedar, there is essentially one tribe that governs in Ramallah, another tribe entirely which does so in Nablus, yet another which presides over Jenin, etc. A small city-state might be able to become productive and join a confederation of similar city-states. After all, size alone does not determine the success or failure of a state. For example, Monaco, Lichtenstein, and Luxembourg are small states with a high quality of life, while Algeria, Libya, and Sudan are large states with poor quality of life. According to Dr. Kedar: The towns that will receive independence (from both the Palestinian Authority and Israel) are Hebron (the Arab part), Jericho, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tul-karem and QalqilyaBethlehem will require further consideration.

Approaching fast is the day when the Palestinian Authority we have known for the past 22 years will cease to exist. The Oslo Agreement that begat the fiction of the two-state solution is about to be shattered once and for all. The only relevant question today, is what does Israel intend to do next?

The Eight State Solution can be a practical solution for the Palestinian Arab local leadership who are unable and unwilling to accept Israels right to exist. Israel has extended out her hand for peace many times yet a real peace process is far from sight. As long as the Palestinian Arabs desire to replace us, rather than to live alongside us, we should adopt the Eight State Solution as the only realistic and practical solution possible in the coming years.

The writer, a 25-year veteran of the I.D.F., served as a field mental health officer and Commander of the Central Psychiatric Military Clinic for Reserve Soldiers at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring from active duty, he provides consultancy services to NGOs implementing Psycho trauma and Psychoeducation programs to communities in the North and South of Israel and is a strategic advisor to the Chief Foreign Envoy of Judea and Samaria. Contact: medconf@netvision.net.il
Do you recognize this? The Democrat promises not to send ground troops to a foreign place and warns that the GOP candidate is unfit or does not have the temperament to be president.

I am not talking about 2016  I'm talking about 1964! This is from Kenneth T. Walsh:

The 1964 campaign was also noteworthy because Democrats pioneered the kind of negativity that has become a staple of American politics ever since. They succeeded in scaring the country into opposing Goldwater, a conservative senator from Arizona who was portrayed as extremely far right and warlike. In one famous TV ad, the Johnson campaign showed a little girl in a flower-filled meadow. In the commercial, the girl suddenly looked up and a mushroom cloud appeared on the screen. Johnson's voice was then heard saying "These are the stakes"  an obvious suggestion that Goldwater would blunder into a nuclear war. The ad was so effective that it ran only once on network television. More than that seemed overkill to Johnson and his handlers.

I'm sure that some of you have seen the anti-Trump ads in swing states. There are more coming! They don't show you a little girl and a mushroom cloud. They show you a bunch of other stuff, from Trump saying this or that. The Clinton strategy, as was the case with LBJ in 1964, is to avoid issues and to scare voters.

To be fair, Senator Goldwater was a very serious man in 1964. In other words, the LBJ campaign never found any quotes about the candidate calling women names and so on. Trump's past, and 3 am tweets about beauty contestants, have made it easy for a Clinton campaign out to demonize him.

Beyond the negative ads, there is "incrementalism" in Iraq. We are heading back to Iraq at the same time that the Obama administration is denying it. It does remind you of LBJ and 1964, as Jennifer Rubin wrote:

Recall that after President Obama took office the Pentagon requested a significant stay-behind force (24,000), which Obama cut again and again down to a paltry 5,000. He did not push for a deal with the Iraqi prime minister to keep even that number in Iraq. As predicted, Iraq soon devolved into disarray and the Islamic State found a stronghold.

Iraq is not exactly like Vietnam. In the former, we are going back, whereas we had not committed to the latter.

However, my point is that a Democrat is not telling the truth about our options in the region. Sadly, the media are so in the tank for Hillary Clinton, so desperate to preserve the Obama "he ended wars" legacy, that they are overlooking the story.

We will be talking about U.S. troops fighting in the region next year in these pages. It's a shame that debate moderators are asking about the birther issue rather than the mess over there.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Hillary Clinton is a woman who enjoys hovering above the law and hitting below the belt. In the first presidential debate, she stood smugly behind the lectern in a bright red pants suit, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Its not uncommon to see liberals display a phony smile while those with whom they disagree are speaking. Its a sign of disrespect, of course, that masquerades as a gesture of good will.

With some help from the moderator, the debate questions to Trump were lighter on policy issues than they were on personal ones. By now, he should recognize that his assignment for the remaining debates will -- or should -- be to quickly pivot back to what matters to the American people.

Such verbal quickstepping is a lot easier for the Clintons, who have been political power players for over four decades. Long seeped in the scalding water of politics, Hill and Bill have grown adept at withstanding both the heat and the scandal. Over the years, they have also massaged methods of deflecting scrutiny from themselves and onto their opponents.

Teflon seems to be a natural component of the Clintons DNA, enabling them to resist a level of rebuke that might have devastated the careers of other politicians. But their longevity is less a matter of magic than of motivation. Through practice and chicanery, they have managed to extricate themselves from difficulties by digging out  and then dishing -- the dirt of others.

For over more than a quarter of a century, this controlling couple has mastered the alchemy of burrowing into the pasts of adversaries in order to unearth anything that might be used against them. To this end, they have no doubt assigned some eager campaign aides to work the graveyard swing shift. And evidence has shown that when the Clintons get shifty, their enemies swing.

Still, theres a discernible irony in their use of such tactics. The Clintons have long been riddled by scandal -- from Bills bimbos to Hills Benghazi bloodshed. Yet while they and their minions consider it entirely appropriate to bring up the long-ago missteps of their opponents  e.g. Trumps Miss Universe flap from 20 years ago -- they emphatically insist that any scandal of theirs that came to light over a week ago is old news. So when one dares to allude to Hillarys actions (or inactions) in Libya or to her circumventing the rules with her private server, she glibly states that such incidents have been officially resolved -- and the door to further inquiry firmly shut.

How often have we heard Hillary refer to her interminable eleven hours before a Congressional committee investigating Benghazi as proof that the matter is settled and no longer relevant? Or how often has she interpreted FBI director James Comeys comments to have totally exonerated her from all guilt in her email dustup?

When that ploy doesnt work, Hillary tries to justify whatever she did by intimating that others did it, too, Most recently, she accused Colin Powell of giving her advice on how to set up a private server. In exasperation, he retorted, The sad thing is that HRC could have killed this two years ago by merely telling everyone honestly what she had done and not tie me into it. The retired Four-Star General may know how to fight a war, but he apparently has no inkling as to how to do battle with Hillary Clinton. Telling everyone honestly is not remotely a part of her winning strategy.

Powell peevishly concluded, Everything HRC touches she kind of screws up with hubris. Hillary is fond of saying that words matter. And hubris is the perfect word to associate with her. Its synonyms are arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, self-importance, egotism, pomposity and superiority. Dont be fooled by the phony hugs, cackles, and waves.

But lets face it: Donald Trump has his own brand of hubris, so youd think he could recognize and react to the glaring signs of that flaw in his opponent. Hes hamstrung to some extent, since political correctness permits a woman to attack the morals of a man, but never the other way around. Any male who dares to do so is considered a sexist and misogynistic. By contrast, any woman who lashes out at the conduct of a male, justifiably or otherwise, is an automatic champion of downtrodden womankind.

The Donald will be under a lot of pressure in the last two so-called debates. I dont buy into the claim that Hillary is a better debater, but I do accept that she is, by far, a better baiter. So Trump needs to do a little bait and switch himself, turning the discourse away from personal attacks and back to the issues that impact Americans.

The Donald is a master at frank talk -- and his partisan audiences love him for it. Still, he lacks finesse. And while Hillary is not a memorable public speaker, she has been holding forth for over four decades and has in recent years demanded as much as $250,000 in fees for a half hour speech. So in the debate arena, shes comfortable enough to turn her attention to making Trump uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, without having enunciated so much as a scintilla of policy detail in the first debate, Hillary has emerged in high dudgeon, exuding her characteristically shrill brand of optimism. She is now into the habit of gloating at her rallies, joyfully screeching, One down; two to go.

Time will tell if victory is in the cards for the former First Lady. But this much is clear: modesty -- like honesty  is not Hillary Clintons long suit.
The United Nations has launched its own space program, which will send scientific experiments into low-Earth orbit. The program is geared to developing countries, but don't worry: it will be wealthy countries like America who pay for it.

The U.N. is planning to launch its first space mission into orbit, packed with scientific experiments from countries that can't afford their own space programs. The plan is to launch the Dream Chaser in 2021 for a 14-day flight in low Earth orbit. Sirangelo says the spacecraft is "about the size of a regional jet," and the company envisions outfitting it with 20 to 25 laboratory stations for countries to do experiments in microgravity. And while it's aimed at developing countries, any U.N. member state can apply to participate. Before liftoff, the U.N's Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is also planning to provide technical support to countries that haven't had experience conducting microgravity experiments.

Did you know the U.N. had an office for Outer Space Affairs since 1958? There are so many wonderful things the United Nations have funded that we have never even heard about!

Experiments on board could include testing the growth of cereal crops in microgravity, St-Pierre says, or carrying out studies related to microbiology, or medicine, or energy.

And guess where the money comes from for all this.

Countries will have to pay a part of the mission's cost, but their payment will be based on what they can afford in order to allow even the poorest states to have the opportunity to be a part of the space venture. The rest of the funding could be provided by as-yet-unknown sponsors.

I know who the unknown sponsors are. They are the countries who fund most of the budget of the United Nations. Like the United States.

So the question becomes, how much should the United States subsidize a space program geared for third-world countries? If Somalia learned how to grow cereal crops in zero gravity, it could help Somalis double their crop yields, once they figure out how to cancel out the effects of gravity in Somalia. Developments in computing for the space program could help Afghanistan become the new "Silicon Valley" of the Middle East. New zero-g manufacturing techniques could help Venezuela manufacture toilet paper, of which there is an acute shortage right now.

Given that, don't we have an obligation to fund the space program in less developed countries so they can perform zero-gravity experiments that will help them end hunger and religious wars, protect private property, and install civil societies in their own lands?

Ed Straker is the senior writer of Newsmachete.com.
Secretary of State John Kerry told a group of Syrian civilians at the United Nations that he had been pressing President Obama to use force against President Assad's military in Syria but was overruled by others in the administration.

The audio of his remarks was leaked to the press yesterday.

Kerry blamed Congress for America's failure to uphold President Obama's "red line" in Syria when President Assad continued to use WMD. Of course, Obama never asked Congress to support his plan. Russian President Putin stepped in and saved the president an international humiliation by asking President Assad to voluntarily give up his chemical weapons stockpile.

Kerry had some choice words for the Russians.

Washington Examiner:

"The problem is the Russians don't care about international law and we do. And we don't have a basis, our lawyers tell us, unless we have a Security Council resolution," Kerry said during the meeting. He added, "They were invited in, we were not." He added that the only reason Americans can do airstrikes is because U.S. forces are targeting the Islamic State. "The only reason they are letting us fly is because we are going after ISIL," Kerry said. "If we were going after Assad, we would have to take out all the air defenses and we don't have a legal justification for doing that." Kerry also blamed the American public for not supporting greater intervention in Syria. There's no appetite for American soldiers going into the country, he said. "A lot of Americans don't believe that we should be fighting and sending young Americans over to die in another country," he said.

It would not have been easy taking out the Syrian air defenses, but it could have been done. But note that Kerry and Obama thought they needed permission from the UN before the strike. The only reason to go to war is if US interests are threatened and that decision is made - should be made - in the White House and not the UN building in New York.

Kerry is frustrated that his diplomacy has been a train wreck. With the Russians on the verge of a spectacular victory in Aleppo, the fingers pointing in the US will be right at the secretary of state and his naive, counterproductive policies.
According to a report by the inspector general of the General Services Administration, Obama administration political operatives continuously slow walked open records requests and punished the legal group Judicial Watch for their activism.

Judicial Watch has several FOIA lawsuits against the administration and in every case, the administration sought to delay complying with the requests, even going so far as to overcharge the group for fees related to the searches.

Washington Times:

The GSA botched several high-profile open records requests, delaying them for months while political appointees got involved, Inspector General Carol F. Ochoa said. The findings were released while the administration was facing charges of slow-walking open records requests for Hillary Clintons emails, as well as other requests.

In the case of Judicial Watch, the order to strip it of media status came from political operatives with long ties to Democratic causes  and even from the White House.

The inspector general said the decision came at the behest of Gregory Mecher, a former Democratic campaign fundraiser who at the time was liaison to the White House. He is married to Jen Psaki, a longtime spokeswoman with the Obama administration and its election campaigns.

Ms. Ochoa said stripping Judicial Watch of media status violated several agency policies and things got worse when the GSA denied an appeal by the group.

The same person who ruled on the initial request also ruled on the appeal, contrary to GSA procedures, the inspector general said.

Judicial Watch ended up suing over the request, the agency finally agreed to waive all fees and even ended up paying Judicial Watch $750 as part of the settlement.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, questioned the agencys decision to fight a losing case that ended up costing it money.

Its outrageous but not surprising. Welcome to our world. This is what we put up with all the time from the agencies, he said.

President Obama promised an era of transparency when it came to open records requests under the Freedom of Information Act, which is the chief way for Americans to pry loose data from the federal government.

Despite the presidents exhortations, the government is increasingly fighting requests, forcing the public to file lawsuits to look at information.

Last year, the administration spent $31.3 million to fight FOIA cases  more than twice the $15.4 million the administration spent in 2008, the final year under President George W. Bush.
What a deal! Come to the United States, and if you spend your income (even that from welfare and refugee programs) on travel to Somalia instead of paying your rent in public housing, whey the suckers taxpayers of Minneapolis will pick up the tab. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports (via Refugee Resettlement Watch):

Public housing residents in Minneapolis will no longer need to pay their normal monthly rent when travel abroad erases their income, a change particularly sought by East African immigrants.

The board of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority approved this week reverting to its previous policy of collecting only minimal rent during extended absences. The change takes effect once approved by federal housing officials, which is expected by years end.

Abdi Warsame, a City Council member, told the board that the policy in place for the past five years works a particular hardship on elderly East Africans who must save for long periods if they want to visit their homelands. He said that many receive federal Supplemental Security Income, which is halted when the recipient is outside the United States.
Obama proposed to create a new racial classification of "MENA" for Middle East and North Africans.

On Friday, the White House Office of Management and Budget advanced the proposal with a notice in the Federal Register, seeking comments on whether to add Middle Eastern and North African as a separate racial or ethnic category, which groups would be included, and what it should be called. Under the proposal, the new Middle East and North African designation  or MENA, as it's called by population scholars  is broader in concept than Arab (an ethnicity) or Muslim (a religion). It would include anyone from a region of the world stretching from Morocco to Iran, and including Syrian and Coptic Christians, Israeli Jews and other religious minorities.

This new classification is not being debated in Congress for Congress to vote on it. It is done by an agency regulation that bypasses Congress, which fits the Obama pattern of rule by agency regulation and executive orders. Congress can act only after the regulation is adopted to rescind it, but this happens infrequently. Anyone adversely affected by this would have to file suit to prove that the regulation is unreasonable.

If adopted, the next step will be to view this group as a minority that would benefit by anti-discrimination laws in the 1964 Civil Rights Act and benefit from affirmative action programs in employment, education, and other areas.

Obama is creating another bloc of voters for the Democrats to pander to. This is part of the Obama/Hillary plan to accept "refugees" from the Middle East fiasco created by the policies of Obama/Hillary. These refugees will now be a protected minority that the Democrats expect to vote Dem.

Instead of viewing and treating us all equally as Americans, Obama/Hillary divide us by race and income. Why do we need another made up racial classification?

This is part of his promise to fundamentally transform our country and to further divide us by race, color, and income.
See also: New York Times violates law to publish partial Trump tax return from 90s and speculate about his taxes



The New York Times put out a hit piece on Donald Trump saying that he took a $900 billion-plus business loss in 1995 that allowed him to pay no income taxes for years. If it was a legitimate loss that is what he is supposed to do. Trump and his businesses pay property taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, motor fuel taxes and all the other taxes and fees the government entities charge. Therefore, it is either pure ignorance or intentional lies for Hillary and others to say he pays no taxes to support schools, the police, the roads and all other government functions. Why doesn't the media fact check that lie instead of repeating it?

Amazon, which is led Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, lost $1.41 Billion in 2000 and that offset their minimal income for years. Would Hillary and the NYT say Bezos paid no taxes and did not support government activities?

Solar City and Tesla, which are owned by one of the heroes of the left Elon Musk, have never made a profit and therefore never paid income taxes and they are also heavily subsidized by the taxpayer. Where are the media stories ripping Musk for not supporting the government?

If anyone wants to look at pure abuse of the income tax system they should look at what President Obama did for GM in 2009. We not only bailed out GM to the tune of $50 Billion, Obama gave GM an exemption from income taxes on their next $45 billion of income for up to twenty years. Why doesn't Hillary bring that one up as she campaigns in states with auto facilities?

The New York Times has had some financially troublesome years. Do they voluntarily pay income taxes when they lose money or do they carry back and carry forward the losses? That is all Trump did and it is pathetic that the Times would do a hit piece on what is and what should be a legal practice.

Can the New York Times find any company or individual that had a loss that didn't use the loss to offset income taxes for years? What about Buffet when he was a major shareholder of US Air? I bet they can't find any.
A dark age descends on Americas campuses, fostered and welcomed by the disciples of Gramsci that have seized control of the commanding heights of education and culture. In place of the sacred academic tradition of open inquiry, they have substituted a reign of virtue, at least as they define it, so that dissenting ideas not only need not be heard, they must be actively suppressed.

The so-called Social Justice Warriors, intoxicated with their own sense of absolute righteousness, are enforcing the dogmas of revolutionary purity. Emily Zanotti of Heat Street descries what happened when the University of Kansas chapter of Young Americas Foundation tried to hold a discussion with the SJWs:

 A conservative student group at the University of Kansas again tried to hold a measured discussion with social justice warriors.  The discussion quickly devolved into a one-way shouting match as the social justice warriors loudly denounced members of the Young Americas Foundation.  Conservative students were jeered at to go get your cigars and to shut the fuck up! No one wants to listen to your white man speech! Social justice warrior Trinity Carpenter told the conservative students: You misgendered my friends over and over again. And thats when I shouted at you! And I have that humanity where I can shout when you come for me with hate speech in a room! Students from the Young Americas Foundation at Kansas University made good on their promise to continue to pursue dialogue with the campuss social justice warriors. Their second effort ended as predictably as their first, as YAF members were again subjected to verbal abuse, berated, called racist and accused of spreading hate on campus. Only this time, 25 returning SJW students were joined by a new group of 75 protesters intent on disrupting YAFs event.

Watch:

Hat tip: Jim Netolick
Muslim women are being beaten, killed, and sold into slavery in the Muslim Middle East. But these are small potatoes compared to the indignities fundamentalist Muslim women are suffering in America. In America, sharia-compliant women complain that Americans do not smile enough at them on airplanes.

This is why the New York Times has chosen to put a spotlight on the indignities hijab-covered women suffer every time they go to the airport.

They interviewed an expert on the subject, a lawyer for CAIR, the Council for American Islamic [State?] Relations. CAIR knows what it's talking about when it comes to Islam, given its intimate knowledge of groups like Hamas.

Roula Allouch, 36, is a Cincinnati lawyer and the chairwoman of the national board of directors of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the nation's largest civil rights and advocacy groups for the American Muslim community. [She claims] More and more people are being deplaned because they're Muslim.

Have you ever seen anyone taken off a plane for "being Muslim"?

[Allouch claims] what seems to be happening frequently is if another passenger on the plane has a complaint, the person they're complaining about is asked to deboard.

What kind of complaints might those be?

Could it be terrorist "dry runs" on airplanes in flight?

Could it be a man going to the emergency exit and shouting "Allah akbar" at the top of his lungs?

Or an encounter like this?

A flight attendant asked the passenger to turn off the cigarette, but he refused. The Middle Eastern man started screaming at the smaller woman. "He was screaming, 'Allah is great, Allah is great,'" said Nancy Haywood, passenger. "And it kind of worries you when that happens, but believe me, there were enough men to hold him down."

But for Allouch, the big problem is the way people "look" at Muslims in fundamentalist garb.

I was late for a connection and was running through O'Hare  try "running through airport while Muslim"  and people looked at me noticeably differently than the other woman making the same connection.

Why would anyone look oddly at a Muslim running through an airport? Has anything happened repeatedly at airports around the world involving Muslims running through airports?

When I'm walking down the aisle and people look up, they give a different expression than when it's another person. There are people who give me a hard, strong stare and a stern look.

And here is the real problem. People are giving unfriendly looks. Or could Allouch be misinterpreting these "unfriendly" looks as ones that really reveal concern or even fear? While not all fundamentalist Muslims at airports commit mass murder, nearly all mass murders at airports are committed by fundamentalist Muslims. Does Allouch do anything to allay these concerns? Has she ever spoken out against radical Islam and Muslim intolerance in the Middle East? A quick Google search came up with nothing of the sort, but it did turn up a statement by Allouch praising a radical Islamist who praised the 9/11 attacks on America.

But we don't want people trying to impose their backward, intolerant, and often dangerous culture on America to feel unwelcome. So my advice is, next time you see someone in a hijab or burka, fix her with a steady look and break out into a broad, friendly smile. Tell her, depending on your religious preference, that Jesus or Moses or Buddha or the global warming deity welcomes them. After all, we want them to feel as welcome in our country as we would be in theirs.

Ed Straker is the senior writer of Newsmachete.com.
It was in late April when the European Union (EU) first slapped Internet giant Google with an Android antitrust claim after deeming that the company used its Android operating system to squeeze out rivals. Now, EU antitrust regulators are planning to order Google to stop its program where it pays smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony and other manufacturers which use Android to run their smartphones, to pre-install Google Search and the Google Play Store on their devices.

According to an EU document, the regulators have also warned Google that it might receive a large fine for paying financial incentives to smartphone manufacturers. The EU document was sent to complainants last week for feedback and contains more than 150 pages. This is the same copy which Google received back in April from the European Commission, when it was officially charged for using Android to stay ahead of its rivals. One of the complainants is a group called FairSearch, the one which first prompted the Commission to investigate Google back in 2013. FairSearch compromises of companies which want to ensure that they are not put at a disadvantage due to search engine market dominance, which is something Google dominates.

The Commission also wants Google stop forcing smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its proprietary apps such as Google+, Gmail and others. However, this only applies if it restricts smartphone manufacturers from making use of competing operating systems which are based on Android. As for the fine Google will be given, it will probably be a huge sum, considering that the alleged anti-competitive practice Google is involved in, is still ongoing from 2011. According to Reuters, the fine could be based on the revenue which the company generates from AdWords clicks by European users, Play Store purchases, AdMobs in-app advertisements and also Google Search product queries. On top of that fine, Google could also be fined for abusing its power with Google Search to dominate results for shopping within its Search website rankings. It was first reported back in May of this year that Google may face a fine of up to 3 billion for favoring its own shopping services over rivals.
While Googles October 4th event is still a couple of days away, set to happen this Tuesday morning, it would appear that the leaks surrounding the Pixel, one half of the smartphone pair that is due for an announcement soon, are not yet finished. While there has been much speculation of whether or not any carriers would be selling the Pixel and Pixel XL, it would seem that a confirmation has unofficially surfaced as the Bell Canada website appears to have the landing page setup for customers to buy the Pixel, the smaller of the two phones. There is no way to actually order the phone through Bell just yet, and the page does not list the price point for the phone, but this does seem to confirm that it will be sold through more than just the Google Store.

Previous rumors have mentioned that the Pixel and Pixel XL would be sold through carriers like Sprint and Verizon here in the US, although there was nothing really to suggest that these rumors were more potentially true than not. Following what seems to be the order page for the Pixel on Bells site today, it begins to look more likely that Google will be working with carriers to sell both of these devices, although there is no official confirmation that they will be sold through carriers in the US. Having said that, it wouldnt make sense for Google to push the Pixel and Pixel XL through carrier stores in some parts of North America (like Canada) and not in others.

The image of the Pixel on the Bell website shows just what everyone has likely already been expecting for weeks now, that the design of the leaked handset images is exactly what Google will unveil in just a couple of days. The image also seems to be of the steel color of the device which allegedly leaked in real life images a couple of weeks back that comes with the white front glass panel. Other details can be made out as well, like the presence of the new Pixel launcher, as well as the front-facing camera, audio earpiece up top, and a sensor of some kind just under the earpiece. The last thing worth mentioning here is that Bells landing page for the Pixel states that customers can order theirs today, which suggests that this was meant to go live on October 4th, and that Google may be planning either pre-orders or actual purchases of the devices to be made the day of the announcement.

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Update: Bell Canadas website now also seems to have the order page listed for the Pixel XL as well, although its shown off in a Black color variant instead of the White like with the Pixel shown above. There are also a couple of images of the devices that are more high-resolution for better detail.
On the surface it would seem difficult to find fault with Measure 3.

The measure, also known as Marsy's Law, would amend the state's constitution to place crime victims' rights on the same level as the accused, rather than just statutory. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims rights advocates and others argue the measure goes too far and would create more problems than it would solve.

The Tribune Editorial Board agrees and recommends voters reject the measure in November.

California businessman Henry Nicholas has been promoting Marsy's Law nationwide. The law has been passed in California and Illinois. Its named after Marsalee "Marsy" Nicholas, who was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in California in 1983.

Henry Nicholas has provided more than $1 million in North Dakota in an effort to get the measure passed.

The measure includes provisions that crime victims be notified of hearings during the judicial process. It also calls for taking the welfare of victims and their families into consideration when setting bail for the accused.

Opponents argue the measure would add an extra layer of work to law enforcement in providing notices to every victim of every crime. It also would mean more work for defense attorneys and prosecutors, according to opponents.

There are other concerns with the measure. Critics say it could divert resources from existing programs and services for victims. They worry about language in the measure allowing victims to refuse an interview and deposition. If less evidence and information is collected in the investigation, more cases that would result in plea agreements could go to trial. This would increase workloads within the court system, opponents argue.

But, most telling, is the opposition from victims advocate groups.

Janelle Moos, executive director of the Council on Abused Women's Services North Dakota, explained some of the reasons for the opposition at a press conference. She said the state already has a set of 18 rights for victims and witnesses in statute, including the right to be notified of the status of an investigation and be informed of services available.

"Victims have multifaceted needs, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work," Moos said of the measure.

Efforts to amend the state constitution should face a rigorous test. The Tribune doesnt believe supporters have demonstrated a need for a change. What Measure 3 supporters want already exists in statute. If they want to make tweaks in the law, they need to address the issues with the Legislature.

No one wants victims of crime to be ignored or abused by the system. When problems occur there are remedies under the law.

Measure 3 isnt necessary, vote no on it.
And so it begins. The tobacco companies and their high-paid surrogates have begun their campaign to discredit the proposed tobacco tax increase in North Dakota. The recent column by Mike Rud, the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association executive, is a great example of the misinformation and wild allegations the tobacco companies will resort to protect their profits from kids and the addicts they enslave.

For example, Rud claims the money will go to more tobacco prevention and cessation. Not true. North Dakota already has a fully funded tobacco prevention and cessation program. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this measure will go to pay for new and improved veterans programs, chronic disease prevention, low-income women's health screenings, expanded vaccination access, and addiction and mental health treatment.

Rud claims the measure is poorly written. Not true. The language was modeled after similar legislation developed by the North Dakota Legislative Council for the 2015 session. It clearly spells out what is covered and how the money is to be used without hamstringing these recipients from meeting new challenges.

Rud complains that the money could be spent out-of-state. How ridiculous. The money is controlled by North Dakota commissions and agencies appointed by the governor. There is no chance this money would be spent out of North Dakota.

He also claims there will be a blank check for bureaucrats with no oversight and accountability. Again, not true. Not only will this measure face the ultimate oversight, approval by the voters, it also will be subjected to the same audit and fiscal controls to which all state spending is subjected. And, should circumstances change, the Legislature can make changes.

He also complains about it being a big increase. Well, the simple truth is that North Dakota has not increased its tobacco tax in 23 years. Any increase would be seen as a major increase. And, quite frankly, the purpose of this tax increase is to reduce the use of tobacco and prevent kids from starting. It takes a large increase to have the effect we want. Still, our tax is less than Minnesota's, even after the tobacco tax increase.

My favorite claim is that raising the tobacco tax will lead to rise in mafia-style smuggling and criminal activity in North Dakota. Wow. Now they are pulling out all the stops, never mind the fact that other states have significantly higher tobacco taxes and have not seen the kind of scary criminal activity Big Tobacco is trying to sell.

North Dakota has a serious problem with tobacco use. Tobacco-related diseases cost our health care system over $400 million per year. Hundreds of kids will start smoking this year and vaping by minors has become an epidemic. Worse yet, thousands of North Dakotans, our children, friends and relatives who use tobacco, face an early and painful death.

The choice is clear. You can protect the profits of tobacco companies and their retailers or you can save lives, save money and stop kids from starting. The tobacco companies have been profiting from misery and addiction too long. Raising the price of tobacco is a proven means to reduce tobacco use and prevent kids from starting. It is time to take strong action. It is time to vote yes on Measure 4.
The purchase agreement between Dakota Access Pipeline and Cannonball Ranch owner Dave Meyer, caught Dave Archambault by surprise. The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe had made some inquiries about buying at least a portion of it on behalf of the tribe.

The sale announced last week gets Meyer out from under owning land where the Sioux and hundreds of other tribal representatives are joined in protesting the 550,000 barrel capacity Bakken oil pipeline.

Archambault said he had discussions about purchasing land on the east side of Highway 1806, about 500 acres, ever since the anti-pipeline movement started on the reservation, but Meyer was not able or willing to split it off from some 7,000 acres west of the highway.

There was no way we could conjure up that kind of money; if we were able, we would rather buy the whole ranch, Archambault said. We are interested in buying, if we could raise the money, but we dont have that kind of money lying around.

He said he would not be open to any negotiation of land or money that would allow the pipeline to go through.

Were not negotiating that, he said.

Despite rumors that continue to circulate, the tribe was never involved in early negotiations with the pipeline for a route through the reservation, especially since the company was careful to avoid the reservation by the minimum 500 feet, according to Archambault.

We never talked to Dakota Access, and it was never about money. We just dont want the pipeline, he said.

He said he could understand why Meyer wanted to divest himself of the ranch, which for nearly two months has been in the crosshairs of direct action by pipeline activists and the focal point for ongoing litigation between the Sioux and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Pipeline construction is temporarily stopped 20 miles east and west of Lake Oahe, including on the ranch and beyond, under order of a federal circuit court judge while he considers the tribes appeal for an injunction.

Hes in the middle of something hes not happy with, Archambault said.

The chairman said his primary interest is maintaining use of the land, where the Sacred Stones overflow encampment is located, owned by the corps and leased to Meyer for grazing.

The encampment on the north side of the Cannonball River is adjacent to the ranch, and Archambault said he hoped that without the ranch, Meyer would no longer need the leased acreage.

Archambault indicated he would like to get a special use permit for the overflow camp and make improvements.

Wed like to build approaches, so theres one way in and one way out instead of a traffic jam at the highway, said Archambault, adding that the corps is not pressuring the tribe to remove the encampment as long as we keep in touch with other and as long as we can accommodate people safely.

Toward that end, he said camp organizers are working on a census to get some idea of how many people are in the camp and plan to remain through the winter.

Those are all discussions we are having, and its all about safety. It can get very cold, and these are issues we have to discuss. Were looking at our next steps; do we stay, or relocate, or move back into the original Sacred Stones camp, he said.

My thing is, even if the big camp was not there, there are still going to be protesters taking action. I question why theres pressure from U.S. Sens. Heidi Heitkamp and John Hoeven and the governors office to remove everyone. Theres no need to create a flashpoint, demanding that the corps forcefully remove everyone. Theres no need for that. Its just a peaceful camp. Even with the protests and the mass arrests two days ago, how many weapons were recovered? The whole thing is getting blown out of proportion, he said.

Morton County Sheriffs Department has arrested 95 men and women for protest activities and has not reported the use of a weapon in any case.
Daily Mail believes spoof rapper Zebadiah Abu-Obadiah wants to decapitate Nigel Farage

Knock. Knock. The anti-free speech police are surely on their way to Margate, Kent, home of Extremist Zebadiah Abu-Obadiah. The Daily Mail says hes called for the death of former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. He labels the Queen a w**** in vile video. Abu-Obadiah, real name Robert Boaler, also warns chat s***, get Rigbyd.

Alex Matthews has exposed this heinous behaviour.

Among the disturbing lyrics he warns people that if they chat s*** they will get Rigbyd  referring to the fatal stabbing of fusilier Lee Rigby by Islamic extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale in 2013.

Nigel Farage is name-checked:

Some brehs [sic] are destined for damnation like Farage, off with his head.

There are a couple of people who are more than evil, that make you frustrated and need decapitating.

They spread the hate and fear and they get no rating around here. So lets make it clear I want their heads on spears.

Sing along if you know the words:

The chorus then repeats: Kill them, Kill them.

And?

At one disturbing part of the film a voiceover is heard calling for the death of children and babies while in other sections a childs doll is pictured among flames.

Who is this nutter? He must be stopped. Well done to the Mail for bringing this underground rapper to the nations attention.

Matthews adds:

Boaler ran against Mr Farage for the South Thanet seat under the Al-Zebabist Nation of OOG party, in the General Election, but only garnered 30 votes.

Al-Zebabist Nation of OOG party? Who are they? Helpfully, they run a website. But Matthews could have kept his browser history from alerting the Internet Watch team by looking at less dark sources.

RT: The Nation of Ooog [a semi-satirical group], which takes its name from the deity it worships, also vowed to legalize the use of heroin and consumption of dog meat.

Vice: We meet the partys leader, Zebadiah Abu Obadiah, to talk about why they dont have time for spoof parties, why every female in Britain should wear a hijab and why everyone should take a massive fatal heroin overdose on their 50th birthday.

HuffPost:

The group, officially registered as a political party in the constituency with the Electoral Commission, says it wants to eradicate Broadstairs, one of the towns on the Isle of Thanet, and establish a a Zebabist state run by Boalia Law. The party, led by the Prophet Zebadiah, real name Robert Bealer, campaigns to ban all hetero-marriage and to lower tax for bearded families  with women and children allowed to wear fake beards.

Be afraid!

Paul Sorene

Posted: 2nd, October 2016 | In: Key Posts, Politicians, Reviews, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink


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NEAR CANNON BALL  For camp leader Everett Iron Eyes Sr., the sea of tents, teepees and vehicles dotting the landscape along the Cannonball River represents a concerned people expressing their free speech rights to stop a crude oil pipeline they fear will spoil their water supply and disturb sacred sites.

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier also sees it as a staging area for peaceful protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline. But hes increasingly frustrated that the land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is being used as a launching pad for protests at pipeline construction sites.

Caught in the middle is the corps, which so far has taken a hands-off approach as it tries to balance protesters First Amendment rights with its own rules that forbid camping on corps land without a permit  not to mention the rights of the rancher who has a grazing lease on the land and could be on the hook for any damage done to it.

Thats kind of the risk were dealing with here, and thats why its such a challenge, corps spokeswoman Eileen Williamson said.

The challenge grows daily as pipeline opponents begin to dig in for the harsh North Dakota winter. Many are pledging to stay until the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes federal lawsuit against the corps over permits issued for the 1,172-mile, $3.8 billion pipeline is settled. A status conference is set for Nov. 10.

Yuwitawin, a 39-year-old Lakota mother of three from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, and her husband recently upgraded from a tent to a teepee and fully intend to ride out the winter if necessary.

Theyve dug fire pits into the dirt both inside and outside the teepee, and a propane heater and generator will help ward off winters bite. A rack covered with tarps and plywood keeps the firewood dry. Food prep will shift toward fry bread and soup as cold weather arrives.

Were native people. This is just what we do is survive, Yuwitawin said. Thats what weve done for thousands of years. Nothings changed.

Permit details

The corps announced Sept. 16 it would issue a special use permit to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to use about 41 acres of corps land south of the Cannonball River for a lawful free speech demonstration.

But the agency took no action on the tribes request to use corps land north of the river thats now occupied by as many as 3,000 pipeline opponents, because that land is under an existing grazing lease.

Williamson said last week the corps was still coordinating with the tribe on stipulations for use of the south land, including insurance and the number of people allowed, and the permit hadnt actually been issued.

They do have permission to be there, she said. However, what that includes is still being coordinated.

Those who continue to use the north land do so not just at their own risk, but at the risk to the leaseholder, as well, she said.

The corps requires the leaseholder  David Meyer, who recently sold more than 7,000 acres of ranchland north of the protest camp to Dakota Access LLC  to return the land to the agency in a condition that meets its requirements.

If people are there and building something, killing the grass, digging holes, and when theyre done they leave, its either at the risk of the leaseholder or the individual risk of the people doing it, Williamson said.

The corps only enforcement tool is issuing $75 to $100 citations for unauthorized uses such as camping without a permit or discharging waste into a U.S. waterway, Williamson said. If things dont improve, law enforcement and federal courts may get involved, she said, adding the agency stresses cooperation first.

She said she didnt know if the corps would issue citations.

It goes back to balancing, allowing them the ability to express themselves under the First Amendment rights and adhering to federal law governing the corps, she said. Both are laws we must follow.

Asked if Meyer has requested corps intervention to enforce his 429-acre grazing lease, Williamson said she knew only that he doesnt intend to vacate the lease, which expires at end of 2018. Meyer did not return a phone message seeking comment.

Any permanent structures would require a Section 408 permit from the corps, which involves a more extensive review and approval process  and would only be granted on permitted land, Williamson said.

Cody Hall, a spokesman for the Red Warrior Camp involved in organizing the nonviolent direct actions at construction sites and elsewhere, said theres been talk of putting up structures for winter but no action so far. He said the lack of a corps permit hasnt prompted people to relocate from the Oceti Sakowin Camp, named for the Seven Council Fires of the Sioux Nation, which have come together for the first time in more than a century.

From what Ive heard, the majority of the people at the camp are talking about staying there, he said.

Theres a connection

Kirchmeier said protesters have told authorities theres no connection between the protest actions at pipeline construction sites and the Oceti Sakowin Camp, an overflow camp that arose from the original Sacred Stone Camp established April 1 near the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers, about 25 miles south of Bismarck as the crow flies.

But he said authorities know the protests interfering with pipeline installation are originating from the camp because theyve observed people leaving the camp, meeting up with others at a smaller camp up the road along Highway 1806 and then heading toward the construction sites  which he noted are outside the no-construction area temporarily imposed by a federal judge for 20 miles to the east and west of Lake Oahe.

Obviously theres a connection, he said.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Oceti camps PA announcer called attention to the warriors as they returned to camp from pipeline construction sites near St. Anthony, about 25 miles away. Authorities had arrested 21 protesters and impounded five vehicles, and an officer raised his weapon at a protester who charged him on horseback, which Kirchmeier said presented an imminent threat. Protesters  who prefer to be called water protectors  criticized the law enforcement response, which involved about 50 officers and military-style vehicles, as a heavy-handed show of force.

Iron Eyes, one of two people appointed by Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault II to help with the Oceti Sakowin Camp, said the state has shown a lack of respect for cultural sites by allowing Dakota Access to bulldoze a segment of pipeline route on Sept. 3 that the tribe identified as containing burials and other artifacts.

In a draft memo last week, the states chief archaeologist said a team of seven state archaeologists found that no burial or otherwise significant sites were destroyed, but the tribe on Friday strongly disputed that claim, and an investigation continues.

Iron Eyes said the base-of-operations claim is just hype.

Theyre trying to express themselves, their First Amendment rights, he said. And all of that is being suppressed by the powers that be.

Since the protests started Aug. 11, the sheriffs department has repeatedly urged the corps to make a decision about the permit-less camping on its land, Kirchmeier said.

But that decision has been no decision, he said.

Gov. Jack Dalrymples request for 60 U.S. marshals to help manage the situation was denied, but his chief of staff, Ron Rauschenberger, said Friday the states congressional delegation is working to obtain federal financial assistance. The state Emergency Commission recently voted to borrow up to $6 million from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota to cover the mounting costs related to the pipeline protests.

As for the corps, Williamson said, Were continuing to monitor the situation  trying to do whats best for all involved.
When one of North Dakotas most notorious and longest-serving prisoners died this spring, hardly anybody noticed.

It was meant to be that way. There was no obituary published, no funeral held by the family. Yet on April 1, James Leroy Iverson, who was convicted of strangling two Grand Forks women in 1968 and who served 40 years in the state penitentiary, died. Thats according to a death certificate from the North Dakota Department of Health. He was 77.

There was a small service for Iverson at the Eastgate Funeral Home in Bismarck attended by about 14 members of Bethel Orthodox Presbyterian Church, where Iverson had worshiped after his prison release.

He was our friend, Sue Huntington, owner of a Mandan bookstore, said simply on why they held a service for Iverson.

When Iverson was paroled in 2009, after his 10th request for early release, an old acquaintance took notice.

Ron Shaw met Iverson for the first time in the early 1970s while he was member of the Bismarck Jaycees. At the time, the state prison had its own chapter of the organization, known as the Wall Street Jaycees -- Iverson was a member. Shaw served as the North Dakota Jaycees prison liaison beginning in 1972.

I was their friend, and I was walking things in and out with them and got to meet a whole bunch of them, Shaw said. And, interestingly, Ive thought about it for the last few weeks -- four of those guys were murderers.

Iverson was president of the Wall Street Jaycees for a year, Shaw said. The chapter disbanded in the late 70s, when prisoners tried to use the organization to leverage better conditions. Shaw hadnt heard from Iverson in more than 35 years, but he went to visit him in the Bismarck Transition Center in 2009, after hearing he was interested in studying the Bible.

Shaw put Iverson in touch with Huntington, and Iverson fulfilled his community service hours at her store, Huntington Books. Eventually, she said, he began coming with her to church.

A brutal crime

Iverson received a life sentence for the murder of Dianne Bill, 18, and 30 years for the murder of Carol Mayers, 25. Both died of strangulation on Nov. 26, 1968.

Iverson, who stood 6-foot-6-inches tall, was a taxi driver who knew Mayers. He previously had been convicted of burglary and was a known drinker.

On May 2, 1969, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Bill and second-degree murder in the killing of Mayers.

Blood and hair samples from the victims matched hair and blood-type samples taken from a towel and jeans in Iverson's possession. He claimed he slept in his car the night of the murders. Witnesses placed him out drinking the night of Nov. 25 in a host of local bars and taverns: Duffy's, McGuire's, the Gopher, Ted's, Zimmer's, the 220 Club and the 81 Club.

Finding forgiveness

Huntington and Shaw both said Iverson was committed to Alcoholics Anonymous in and outside of prison.

He knew it was the alcoholism that led him to commit the murder, Huntington said.

She said his family was not interested in seeing him after his release.

Iverson made and sold leatherwork at the prison store while he was incarcerated.

We bought him about a $3,000 set of leather tools from Iowa, Shaw said.

But diabetes and other health problems prevented him from being able to use the tools.

I think they released him because they didnt want his medical expenses on their budget, Shaw said. So, he still stayed on our budget, being on all the welfare programs, but he wasnt capable of much at all. He was shaky. His mind wasnt straight. Nice guy, like I had known all through the penitentiary years, but he couldnt do much.

Iverson became more involved with the community at Bethel Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

The church got into ministering and then loving him into the outside again, Shaw said. Forgiving him: His family wouldnt. The world probably wouldnt. Of course, the victims families probably wouldnt, but the church then walked him through forgiveness and then Gods acceptance.

Shaw said Iverson always maintained he had no recollection of committing the murders due to a drunken blackout, and he said he wanted to get back to Grand Forks to see if going back to places he was at that night could make him remember. But that never happened. Shaw said Iverson never made it back to Grand Forks.
"We must exclude attitudes and approaches which instrumentalize their own convictions, their own identity or the name of God in order to legitimize subjugation and supremacy." " I am confident that, with the help of God, and the good will of those involved, the Caucasus will be a place where, through dialogue and negotiation, disputes and differences will be resolved and overcome".

Baku (AsiaNews) - Promoting harmony within a nation - with the affirmation of positive coexistence between different ideas or religious beliefs - and between nations, "opening up new avenues that lead to lasting agreements and peace, this was exhortation that the Pope addressed in his speech in front of Azerbaijan's political world, authorities and accredited diplomats, in the "Heydar Aliyev" Center Baku.

The "leave no stone unturned to achieve peace" pronounced today by Francis, has a particularly strong meaning, given that since 1992 there is an ongoing conflict, which at times becomes outright war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The conflict is over the Nagorno Karabakh region, with a majority Armenian population, which under Stalin was given to Azerbaijan, but is currently tied to Armenia. The same Pope's presence is therefore linked to political and diplomatic reasons, as well as religious. And the latter also to relations with Muslims, as this is a country with an overwhelming Islamic majority - over 80 percent

Francis visit to the nation started in the early afternoon with a courtesy visit to President Ilham Heydar Aliyev, which was followed by the ceremonial homage to the Memorial for the ' independence and, at 17, local time, the meeting at the "Heydar Aliyev" Center with the authorities, including the head of state.

"I have come to this country he said  full of admiration for the intricacy and richness of your culture, fruit of the contribution of so many peoples who in the course of history have inhabited these lands. They have given life to a fabric of experiences, values and distinctive features which characterize contemporary society and are reflected in the prosperity of the modern Azeri state. This coming 18 October Azerbaijan will celebrate twenty-five years of independence. This occasion affords the possibility of taking comprehensive stock of these decades, of the progress achieved and of the challenges which the country is facing.

The road travelled thus far shows clearly the significant efforts undertaken to strengthen institutions and to promote the economic and civic growth of the nation. It is a path which requires constant attention towards all, especially the weakest, and one which is possible thanks to a society which recognizes the benefits of multiculturalism and of the necessary complementarity of cultures. This in turn leads to mutual collaboration and respect among the various components of civil society and among the adherents of various religious confessions.

This common effort to harmonize differences is of particular importance in our time, as it shows that it is possible to bear witness to ones own ideas and worldview without abusing the rights of others who have different ideas and perspectives. Every ethnic or ideological identity, as with every authentic religious path, must exclude attitudes and approaches which instrumentalize their own convictions, their own identity or the name of God in order to legitimize subjugation and supremacy.

It is my sincere hope that Azerbaijan may continue along the way of cooperation between different cultures and religious confessions. May harmony and peaceful coexistence be evermore a source of vitality to the public and civil life of the country, in its multiplicity of expressions, ensuring to all men and women the possibility of offering their own contribution to the common good.

The world, unfortunately, is experiencing the tragedy of many conflicts fuelled by intolerance, which in turn is fomented by violent ideologies and by the effective denial of the rights of the weakest. In order to effectively oppose these dangerous deviations, we need to promote a culture of peace, which is fostered by an untiring willingness for dialogue and by the awareness that there is no reasonable alternative to patiently and assiduously searching for shared solutions by means of committed and sustained negotiations.

Just as within a countrys borders it is necessary to promote harmony among the various sectors, so too between states it is necessary to persevere wisely and courageously on the path which leads to authentic progress and the freedom of peoples, opening up new avenues that lead to lasting agreements and peace. In this way, peoples will be spared grave suffering and painful wounds, which are difficult to heal.

Mindful also of this country, I wish to express my heartfelt closeness to those who have had to leave their land and to the many people who suffer the effects of bloody conflicts. I hope that the international community may be able to offer unfailingly its indispensable help. At the same time, in order to initiate a new phase for stable peace in the region, I invite everyone to grasp every opportunity to reach a satisfactory solution. I am confident that, with the help of God, and the good will of those involved, the Caucasus will be a place where, through dialogue and negotiation, disputes and differences will be resolved and overcome. By such means, this area  a gateway between East and West, in the beautiful image used by Saint John Paul II when he visited your country (cf. Address at the Arrival Ceremony, 22 May 2002)  will also become a gateway open to peace, and an example to which we can look to solve old and new conflicts.

The Catholic Church, even though it has a small presence in the country, is truly present in the civic and social life of Azerbaijan; it participates in its joys and shares the challenges of confronting its difficulties. The juridical recognition, made possible by the ratification of the international agreement with the Holy See in 2011, has furthermore offered a stable regulatory framework for the life of the Catholic community in Azerbaijan.

I am moreover particularly pleased with the cordial relations enjoyed by the Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox and Jewish communities. It is my hope that the signs of friendship and cooperation may continue to increase. These good relations assume great significance for peaceful coexistence and for peace in the world, and they demonstrate that among the followers of different religious confessions cordial relations, respect and cooperation for the good of all are possible.

The attachment to authentic religious values is utterly incompatible with the attempt to violently impose on others ones own vision, using Gods holy name as armour. Rather, may faith in God be a source and inspiration of mutual understanding and respect, and of reciprocal help, in pursuit of the common good of society.

May God bless Azerbaijan with harmony, peace and prosperity".
MINOT  With ponytail bobbing, Tiffany Lee zipped from table to table at Charlie's Main Street Cafe to pass out meals and friendly conversation.

Lee, who owns the restaurant with her parents, is a self-proclaimed "foodie" on a mission to make her customers and their palates happy. She can't imagine anything better than working in an environment where there's both food and family and, in her mind, staff and customers are just like family.

"I am surrounded by things I love," she said.

She also sees Charlie's playing an important role in the community as a locally owned restaurant offering classic, home-styled food and serving as a Main Street fixture with a decades-long history. In 1953 when President Dwight Eisenhower came to see the Garrison Dam project, Charlie DeMakis, a Greek immigrant and then owner of Charlie's, prepared his meals.

A pride in local tradition might not be what people expect from a young woman who has lived in various places around the world and has only been in Minot since 2014. But Lee isn't necessarily typical and neither is Charlie's.

"We celebrate the fact that we are part of the community. We are not just a restaurant. We are a place where people can feel loved and appreciated," Lee said. "Someone actually told me, 'It's not just the good food I come here for. It's the atmosphere.'"

That sense of being part of the community is why Lee involved Charlie's in DaySun's Day of Giving a year ago. Lee planned the food and Charlie's donated and served hot dogs.

Lee's parents, Simon and Hennah Lee, came from South Korea to buy into Charlie's with other family members in 2012. It was quite a leap, prompted by family in the states who had heard about Minot's economic activity.

Lee spent her first nine years in Korea, moving to Germany when her father's job in banking took them there. They later moved to England.

Lee and her sister lived with an aunt in Alaska while attending high school. To eliminate her British accent and better assimilate, she practiced her speech by watching and mimicking announcers on CNN. She joked she ended up with an accent that was a cross of British, Korean and East Coast. She also gained her first experience working in the food industry as a teenager.

Lee studied international security conflict resolution at a San Diego university. She learned about food security and worked for an urban farming operation in helping immigrants many of them Somali and Mung who wanted to grow food crops from their native lands.

"I was always interested in the food industry. I always loved going to breakfast diners with my sister," she said. She recalled how they used to talk about owning a diner someday.

Instead, she moved to Portland, Oregon, to work as a program coordinator for a nonprofit and later for the City of Portland, helping low-income families find housing.

The time eventually came when Lee realized that her work in Portland wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. What she wanted was to join her family and go into the food business. She also discovered, in some ways, running a restaurant is similar to working for a nonprofit.

"I have to wear a lot of hats. I have to be quick on my feet," she said. "I get to really help people."

Her father brings a financial background to the restaurant but he also developed culinary skills that he employs in the kitchen. Her mother has experience in operating a restaurant in Korea and does the restaurant baking.

Lee admits cooking is not the expertise she brings to the restaurant. Rather, she says, "I appreciate food."

What Lee brings to Charlie's is youthful energy, customer service and marketing savvy. She shows up at 6 a.m. and goes steady until 2 to 3 p.m. Her record is 7.5 miles on her Fitbit in a single day's work. Even when Charlie's closes in late afternoon, Lee doesn't stop thinking about the restaurant.

"I manage pretty much everything at Charlie's," she said. The restaurant reflects her artistic bent in its decorations and the background musical tracks that play a range of popular classics, from the Beatles to Crosby, Stills and Nash. She had a hand in the decorating even before becoming part-owner, helping select the framed historical photographs that line the walls and give the place its Minot flavor.

Lee designs the T-shirts that the staff wears as uniforms and that customers can buy.

She spent her Jul. 4 holiday designing a website for Charlie's. She built up Charlie's presence on Facebook and has seen the restaurant start to draw a younger clientele and more diners from outside the Minot area. She's used that avenue heavily this summer to get the word out that Charlie's remains open and accessible despite the construction that tore up the street and sidewalk in front of the restaurant for several weeks.

When Lee and her father saw construction workers sitting on site eating pizza, they decided to hand out menus. When Lee realized the workers didn't have time to come in and order, she went to them to take their orders and deliver their meals.

"I wanted them to feel like they are part of the community, too," she said. "It's been actually a really incredible experience."

The work crews presented her with a construction vest to wear on site and white hard hat on which she had them write their names.

Earlier this summer, Charlie's was listed as No. 1 on a list of North Dakota's top five brunch restaurants at onlyinyourstate.com. To celebrate, the Lees created a sausage and hash browns creation as their signature brunch burger. It is one of five specialty burgers added to a menu that they've kept largely the same since taking over Charlie's.

At Charlie's, regular customers who establish a favorite way they like their ice cream or burgers could end up having their preference turned into a menu special, possibly even named after them. Lee also highlights selected customers by taking their photos in Charlie's T-shirts to feature on the cafe's entrance bulletin board.

Lee's dream is for Charlie's to be visited by Food Networks' "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." In the meantime, she has a vision to someday work with local farmers to source vegetables for the restaurant. She imagines more gourmet-style items on the menu. Most importantly, though, she intends to look for ways to involve Charlie's in volunteer activities to become even more a part of the community.

"I want to be known as a local business that gives back to the community," she said. "I want to give back as much as they have given to us."

Customers who like the Charlie's atmosphere shouldn't worry about too much change, though.

"I do definitely want to keep the atmosphere of family-friendly, welcoming where they think of Charlie's as home," Lee said.
By Brett Carter, RMIT Research Fellow in Space Weather and Ionospheric Physics, RMIT University

NASA/JPL

As technology becomes increasingly vital in our day-to-day lives, we are more susceptible to space weather. What begins with dark spots on the Suns surface, and magnetic field disruptions in the Suns atmosphere, can result in widespread technological disturbance. With our increasing reliance on telecommunications and other technologies, monitoring what happens in space has never been more important.

During a solar flare, pulses of electromagnetic radiation are emitted into space, showering the solar system with intense radio waves, X-rays and ultraviolet radiation. At times, these flares are accompanied by solar material, in what is called a coronal mass ejection, or CME. These disturbances contribute to the variability in the near-Earth space environment.

A lot of the technology on which we depend is susceptible to these disturbances. Satellites use radio waves to communicate, and thus are vulnerable to radio signal disruption, but so are more Earth-bound technologies  CMEs have been linked to the failure of some power grids and could impact high-speed railways.









Disturbing history

The first documented link between a CME and technology comes from 1841, when a telegraph system was affected by strong magnetic field fluctuations during a magnetic storm. On the 18th of October, 1841, a very intense magnetic disturbance was recorded, the journal Nature reported. The disturbance caused a train to be delayed by 16 minutes as it was impossible to ascertain if the line was clear at Starcross.

The superintendent of Exeter station reported the next morning that someone was playing tricks with the instruments, and would not let them work, demonstrating how innocuous such events may appear. This event was less than 20 years before the largest known space weather event, the infamous Carrington geomagnetic storm in 1859, during which northern auroras were seen as far south as El Salvador in Central America.

The 20th century also had its fair share of severe geomagnetic storms. Radio and telephone communications were widely disrupted during a May 1921 storm that saw the aurora borealis outshine Broadway in New York City. A telephone station in Sweden burned out, a New York telegraph operator claimed that he was driven away from his instrument by a flare of flame which enveloped the switchboard and ignited the building, and telegraph lines in France seemed possessed by evil spirits. The event even touched Australia, with the Argus reporting disruptions to telephone services between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

CMEs and the Second World War

Seventy-five years ago, on September 18-19, 1941, there was another great geomagnetic storm, which also led to aurora sightings in the skies across the middle latitudes of the United States. At the time, Europe was at war and the Allies were heavily dependent on the flow of supplies across the North Atlantic Ocean.

The geomagnetic storm appeared to have influenced the North Atlantic battle theatre by causing disruptions to short-wave radio transmissions, as reported by Kapitanleutnant Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat on board German U-boat U-74, which was actively hunting in the area. The storm had negative consequences for the Allied supply ships on route from North America to England, who found themselves travelling on a night that had been rendered as bright as day, according to Kentrat. Throughout the night, a Canadian convoy was attacked by U-74 and HMCS Levis was torpedoed and sunk. Eighteen people lost their lives and 40 were rescued.









NSO H alpha





A Solar Burst that could have taken us to war

A great space weather storm in May 1967 began with a colossal solar radiation burst. Ultimately it produced a CME-driven, record-setting storm in Earths magnetic field (the magnetosphere) and upper atmosphere, including the ionosphere between 80km and 500km altitude. It currently stands as the eighth most intense storm since magnetic records began and one of the largest ever in the ionosphere.

The intense solar radiation burst was accompanied by several additional flares and other space-based phenomena that negatively impacted radio surveillance and communications across North America. One of these systems was responsible for detecting incoming ballistic missiles over the polar region, providing a 15-minute warning to Canada, the United States and Britain. To the uninformed, the event easily have been misinterpreted as system radio jamming, potentially an act of war or an indication of an impending attack.

This disturbance came during a tense time in the Cold War. The United States and Soviet Union were actively challenging each other for the top position as the dominant global superpower. The Vietnam War was ramping up and tensions were building in the Middle East, leading eventually to the Six-Day War in June 1967.

Why we need more monitoring

Crisis was averted during the Cold War largely because of the space monitoring that was already in place. The US Air Force had established solar observatories after the Second World War, which allowed space weather forecasters and the US Department of Defense to understand that the jamming was from a natural source.

Nowadays, as we become even more dependent on communications technology, an extreme space weather event could have even more severe consequences. Therefore, as technology advances, so must our knowledge of the near-Earth space environment, a goal that many cooperative space weather researchers and organisations around the world are continually striving to achieve.

Brett Carter receives funding from the Victorian Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program and the Australian Research Council.

delores.knipp@colorado.edu receives funding from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) . She is affiliated with American Geophysical Union (AGU) and is Editor in Chief for AGU's Space Weather journal.

Originally published in The Conversation.
About 3-4 years ago I wrote an invitation letter for my girlfriend at the time to come to Australia from Indonesia. This was approved quickly & there were no problems.



Since then, I no longer have this girlfriend from Indonesia. I have a different one & she is from Thailand.



My question is; If I write another letter of invitation, would this raise any red flags or suspicions from immigrations that would result in it being rejected?
The 489 doesn't require you do anything other than live in a regional area and if you work, that must also be in a regional area.



However if your intention is to apply for a 887 visa, then you need to meet the criteria for that visa. In that case one of you must have lived in a regional area for 2 years and must have worked full-time (35 hours per week) for at least 52 weeks.



So either of you can be the primary applicant for the 887 regardless of who was the primary applicant for the 489.
We've submitted my partners application for permanent residency and now just waiting. My question is can he enter the country while waiting for approval and if so, on what type of visa would he enter the country on? Thanks
In order to take on the hostile terrain of the Dakar, the 2008-based buggy has been designed and built for racing's ultimate test of endurance. And Peugeot really means business on its much-anticipated return to the Dakar Rally.To recapture past glories at the desert classic, the Peugeot works team vehicle will be driven by Cyril Despres, five-time Dakar Rally Bike champion, and Carlos Sainz, the 2010 Dakar Rally Car Race champion.Unfortunately, engine and other vital components details remain top secret for now. However, we can tell you that the 2008 DKR is two-wheel drive (yes, you heard us well) and it sits on 37-inch diameter Michelin tyres.Looking back to the golden age of rallying, Peugeot achieved many amazing feats during this period. Between 1987 and 1990, Ari Vatanen and Juha Kankkunen took four straight Dakar Rally victories with the help of the mighty Peugeot 205 and 405 T16.But what Vatanen did with the 405 T16 at the 1988 Pike's Peak Hill Climb in Colorado is a true landmark moment in the French company's racing history. Watch the world famous rally legend rip through hairpins and glide past sheer cliffs at 14,000 foot elevation from cameras inside, in front, underneath and above the car by following this link
TDI

The German corporation will split the payments over 18 months to each of its 652 U.S. dealers. The said dealers will each receive an average of $1.85 million over the term, Business Insider notes.Apparently, the decision is part of the $16.5 billion settlement deal that was announced in August as having received a principle approval.Most likely, the amounts will be adjusted judging how many automobiles with a defeat device were traded by each dealer. We will probably learn more about the procedure once the settlement deal receives its final approval.The motivation of the payments made to the dealers is linked to the massive hit to the German brands image, which has caused sales to plummet for some representatives.The inability to sell any vehicles withengines did not help the situation one bit, so Volkswagen is doing the right thing for its dealers, which have been hit by the main companys decisions.Along with the financial compensation plan, Volkswagen will also buy back diesel-engined vehicles that the dealers cannot sell. The automaker has also suspended capital improvements it requested the dealers to make in the next two years.The said improvements could have been associated with the format of the showrooms, along with other investments that will be delayed. Volkswagen has already confirmed that the $1.21 billion payment to its American dealers has been submitted to American authorities. A Federal judge must still approve the amounts that are intended for the dealers, so it will take some time until this is final.The same goes for the entire Dieselgate settlement , so be patient if you have a vehicle that has been affected by it, and do not fall for any potential scams that you might be proposed before the deal goes through authorities.It is important to note that Volkswagen has yet to receive the EPAs approval for its proposed fixes for the 475,000 units fitted with 2.0-liter TDI engines that were sold in the USA with emissions test cheating software. The same problem exists for the approximately 85,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. with 3.0-liter TDI power plants.
2 October 2016 10:39 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Armenias armed forces have 12 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry October 2.

The Armenian armed forces stationed in Paravakar village and the nameless heights of the Ijevan district, Barekamavan village of the Noyemberyan district opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located on nameless heights and Bala Jafarli, Qaymaqli villages of the Gazakh district.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near the Gorgan village of the Fuzuli district, as well as from the positions located on the nameless heights of the Goranboy, Jabrayil and Fuzuli districts.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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2 October 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Jeffrey D. Sachs

The United States needs to shift its spending from war to education, from CIA-backed regime change to a new Global Fund for Education (GFE). With hundreds of millions of children around the world not in school, or in schools with under-qualified teachers, a lack of computers, large class sizes, and no electricity, many parts of the world are headed for massive instability, joblessness, and poverty. The twenty-first century will belong to countries that properly educate their young people to participate productively in the global economy.

The current imbalance in US spending on global education and military-related programs is staggering: $1 billion per year on the former, and roughly $900 billion on the latter. Military-related programs include the Pentagon (around $600 billion), the CIA and related agencies (around $60 billion), Homeland Security (around $50 billion), nuclear weapons systems outside of the Pentagon (around $30 billion), and veterans programs (around $160 billion).

What US politicians and policymakers in their right minds could believe that US national security is properly pursued through a 900-to-1 ratio of military spending to global education spending? Of course, the US is not alone. Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Israel are all squandering vast sums in an accelerating Middle East arms race, in which the US is the major financier and arms supplier. China and Russia are also sharply boosting military spending, despite their pressing domestic priorities. We are, it seems, courting a new arms race among major powers, at a time when what is really needed is a peaceful race to education and sustainable development.

Several recent international reports, including two this month by UNESCO and the International Commission on Financing Global Education, headed by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, show that annual global development assistance for primary and secondary education needs to rise from around $4 billion to around $40 billion. Only this ten-fold increase can enable poor countries to achieve universal primary and secondary education (as called for by Goal Four of the new Sustainable Development Goals). In response, the US and other rich countries should move this year to create the GFE, with the needed funds shifted from todays military spending.

If Hillary Clinton, the likely next US president, genuinely believes in peace and sustainable development, she should announce her intention to back the GFEs creation, just as President George W. Bush in 2001 was the first head of state to endorse the newly proposed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. She should call on China and others to join this multilateral effort. The alternative  to continue spending massively on defense rather than on global education  would condemn the US to the status of a declining imperial state tragically addicted to hundreds of overseas military bases, tens of billions of dollars in annual arms sales, and perpetual wars.

Without a GFE, poor countries will lack the resources to educate their kids, just as they were unable to finance the fight against AIDS, TB, and malaria until the Global Fund was established.

Heres the basic budgetary challenge: it costs at least $250 in a poor country to educate a child for a year, but low-income countries can afford, on average, only around $90 per child per year. There is a gap of $160 per child for around 240 million school-aged kids in need, or about $40 billion per year.

The consequences of underfunded education are tragic. Kids leave school early, often without being able to read or write at a basic level. These dropouts often sign up with gangs, drug traffickers, even jihadists. Girls marry and begin to have children very young. Fertility rates stay high and the children of these poor, under-educated mothers (and fathers) have few realistic prospects of escaping poverty.

The cost of failing to create decent jobs through decent schooling is political instability, mass migration to the US (from Central America and the Caribbean) and Europe (from the Middle East and Africa), and violence related to poverty, drugs, human trafficking, and ethnic conflict. Soon enough, the US drones arrive to exacerbate the underlying instability.

In short, we need to shift from the CIA to the GFE, from the expensive failures of US-led regime change (including those targeting Afghanistans Taliban, Iraqs Saddam Hussein, Libyas Muammar el-Qaddafi, and Syrias Bashar al-Assad) to investments in health, education, and decent jobs.

Some critics of aid argue that funds for education will simply be wasted. Yet the critics said exactly the same about disease control in 2000 when I proposed a scale-up of funding for public health. Sixteen years later, the results are in: disease burdens have fallen sharply, and the Global Fund proved to be a great success (the donors now think so, too, and have recently replenished its accounts).

To establish a successful counterpart for education, first the US and other countries would pool their assistance into a single new fund. The fund would then invite low-income countries to submit proposals for support. A technical and non-political review panel would assess the proposals and recommend those that should be funded. Approved proposals would then receive support, with the GFE monitoring and evaluating implementation, enabling well-performing governments to build track records and reputations for sound management.

Since 2000, the US and other countries have squandered trillions of dollars on wars and arms purchases. The time has come for a sensible, humane, and professional new approach that would scale up investment in education while scaling back expenditures on wars, coups, and weaponry. The education of the worlds youth offers the surest path  indeed, the only path  to global sustainable development.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: From the CIA to the GFE

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2 October 2016 14:25 (UTC+04:00)

Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia Inara Murniece has kicked off an official visit to Azerbaijan.

She was greeted by first deputy chair of Azerbaijan`s Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov upon her landing at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

In a brief talk with journalists at the airport, Inara Murniece said she was pleased to be visiting Azerbaijan, which she described as a friendly country. She said she will hold meetings with local state and government officials to discuss ways of developing ties between the two countries` parliaments and expanding Latvia-Azerbaijan relations in a variety of areas

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2 October 2016 15:00 (UTC+04:00)

Edward Prescott, who received Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 2004, has hailed the economic reforms in Azerbaijan. He visited the Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication as part of his participation in the 5th Baku International Humanitarian Forum.

Prescott said he is interested in cooperating with Azerbaijani economists as he met with Executive Director of the Center Vusal Gasimli.

They discussed major global economic trends, as well as processes occurring in the economies of the United States, the European Union and Japan.

Gasimli highlighted Azerbaijan`s national economic development strategy.

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2 October 2016 13:44 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A first meeting of Azerbaijan-Russia Business Council, organized by the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), has been held in Baku.

Representatives of about 50 leading companies from the fields of agriculture and food industry, construction, financial sector and other sectors of the economy attended the meeting.

Speaking about the importance of the Azerbaijan-Russia Business Council, Deputy Minister of Economy Sahil Babayev emphasized the role of the Council in expanding ties between business people. He called on Azerbaijani companies to contribute to the expansion of cooperation with Russian counterparts.

Chairman of Azerbaijani-Russian Business Council Iskandar Khalilov said that one of the tasks of the Council is to increase investment activity between the two countries and expand cooperation. He invited entrepreneurs to cooperate with Azerbaijan-Russia Business Council.

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2 October 2016 18:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The national libraries of Azerbaijan and Czech Republic have discussed prospects for cooperation.

Director General of the National Library of Czech Republic Petr Kroupa visited Azerbaijan National Library to meet with its director Karim Tahirov.

Kroupa said Azerbaijani literature samples are kept at the Czech National Library. He also revealed plans to organize an exhibition of works by Nizami Ganjavi in Prague.

Tahirov proposed to demonstrate this exhibition at Azerbaijans National Library on the eve of the 5th Baku International Book Fair and Exhibition to be held in 2017. He also suggested translating and publishing ancient manuscripts and the catalogue of works of Azerbaijani classics in Azerbaijani, Czech and English languages.

Kroupa also familiarized himself with the Open Library of Azerbaijan National Library, and expressed interest in implementing the project at the Czech National Library.

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2 October 2016 12:36 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Editor at the Spanish news agency EFE, participant of the 5th Baku International Humanitarian Forum Carmen Clara Rodriguez has visited Tartar district, Azerbaijan, to familiarize herself with the situation on the frontline and living standards of civilians and refugees and displaced persons temporarily living there.

She first visited the District Executive Authority where she was informed about the challenges facing the civilians living on the frontline, and the problems caused as a result of Armenia's shelling the residential areas. Deputy head of Tartar Executive Authority Ramiz Shabanov said that the district's territory was located 48 km from the frontline. The Armenian armed units keep under constant fire the residential areas of the district which are close to the line of contact and prevent the civilian population from doing farm works.

Shahbazov said that as a result of Armenia's ceasefire violation this April, 23 residential areas close to the line of contact, as well as 15-20 km from the contact line were subjected to heavy artillery fire. The Armenians even used the prohibited white phosphorous bombs. As a result nearly 400 houses, 4 schools, 2 medical centres, and a kindergarten were damaged, 32 houses were completely destroyed. Nine civilians were injured, 3 people died 2 of whom were IDPs. 52 houses, where internally displaced persons lived, were destroyed, 198 persons were left homeless again. Power facilities, communication lines and an agricultural area of 1500 hectares have been seriously damaged in Shikharkh, Chayli and Hasangaya villages where the majority of population were IDPs.

Clara Rodriguez then visited a military unit and the houses which were destroyed by the Armenian shelling.

In Hasangaya village, she met with IDP families and enquired about their problems.

The Spanish journalist also viewed the remains of Maragha 150 monument which was erected in Shikharkh settlement by the Armenians themselves on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the resettlement of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh.

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2 October 2016 14:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The religious ceremonies were held in the Catholic church in Baku as part of Pope Franciss official visit to Azerbaijan October 2.

Pope Francis delivered a speech and quoted from the Bible following the religious ceremonies.

Pope Francis called on people to strengthen their faith.

"Faith is the golden thread which binds us to the Lord, the pure joy of being with him, united to him, he said. It is a gift that lasts our whole life but bears fruit only if we play our part."

While citing the words of St. Mary, Pope Francis left a message to Bakus believers.

"The fruit of faith is love, he said. The fruit of love is service and the fruit of service is peace."

He said that faith and service can not be separated; on the contrary, they are intimately linked.

In order to explain this, I would like to take am image very familiar to you, that of a beautiful carpet, he said. Your carpets are true works of art and have an ancient heritage. Every carpet, and you know this well, must be made according to a weft and a warp; only with this form can the carpet be harmoniously woven.

Priests, religious people and those faithful to the Roman Catholic Church expressed gratitude to Pope Francis for his visit to Azerbaijan.

Ordinary of the Church of the Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception (Roman Catholic Church) in Azerbaijan Vladimir Fekete read out a gratifying letter.

Dear Holy Father, fourteen years ago, some of us have had the privilege to meet your predecessor, John Paul II in this city, he said.

This event was truly a miracle and up to now we are reaping the abundant spiritual fruits of that visit, he said. You, understand very well the meaning of words as discrimination, marginalization and poverty very well.

At the same time you are trying to tell to the world how change these words and these realities change into new words and realities: mercy, kindness, tolerance and all other synonyms of the word  charity, he added.

It is very significant for us that your visit takes place during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, he said.

Dear Holy Father, on behalf of the faithful, priests and religious of the Apostolic Prefecture in Azerbaijan, I express our gratitude and joy for your presence among us, for your words of encouragement, proclaimed during the homily and through your example of life, fully consecrated to the Kingdom of God, he said.

We ask you to continue to pray with us for reconciliation and peace in the Caucasus, he added.

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2 October 2016 12:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Irans Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli is scheduled to pay an official visit to the Azerbaijan Republic Oct. 3, Babak Dinparast, deputy interior minister for International Affairs, said.

During the two-day visit Fazli and senior Azerbaijani officials will discuss boosting bilateral relations and cooperation on various fields, Dinparast said, the Iranian interior ministry reported Oct. 2.

He expressed hope that the successful results of the visit would be a turning point in the two countries cooperation in various fields.

Irans President Hassan Rouhani visited Baku last August. Several documents on cooperation in industry, banking, transport, science, tourism, culture, and etc were signed between the two countries during the visit.

Tehran and Baku already signed 11 MoUs upon the visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Tehran on February 23.

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2 October 2016 16:26 (UTC+04:00)

Pope Francis visited the Alley of Martyrs in Baku October 2 as part of his official visit to Azerbaijan.

Pope Francis has visited the Alley of Martyrs to commemorate Azerbaijani heroes who gave their lives for the country`s independence and territorial integrity.

A ceremonial guard of honor was set up for the Pontiff here.

Pope Francis laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame monument.

A military orchestra of the Defence Ministry played the anthems of the Holy See and Azerbaijan.

Pope Francis was informed of the history of the Alley of Martyrs as well as construction and renovation work in the city.

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2 October 2016 16:52 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Pope Francis, who is paying a papal visit to Azerbaijan, have made speeches in front of representatives of the general public at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

The visit of Pope Francis to Azerbaijan has a great meaning, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev

Your Holiness, Pope Francis. Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen. Your Holiness, first of all, I sincerely greet you in Azerbaijan and welcome your delegation, said President Aliyev.

During the meeting in Vatican last year, I invited you to Azerbaijan and I am very glad that you accepted my invitation and visited our country, said Ilham Aliyev. This visit has a great meaning. This is a historic visit.

President Aliyev noted that this visit will make a great contribution to the development of relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan.



This visit is important for the entire humanity, because it also shows that the dialogue among civilizations exists, continues and is getting stronger and we try to give a new impetus to this dialogue, said Ilham Aliyev.



The relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan have been developing successfully for 24 years, said the president, adding that high level reciprocal official visits have been paid.



An exhibition dedicated to Azerbaijan was held in Vatican museums in 2012 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of our relations. Azerbaijani exhibition was the first exhibition of a Muslim country, said President Aliyev.



At the same time, our relations are supported by public organizations. Vaticans Saint Marcellino and Pietro's Catacombs were opened in February 2015 after the major overhaul and repair work with support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is the largest non-governmental organization in the South Caucasus, he added.

Pope Francis, has praised the country's culture, harmony and peaceful coexistence.

"I am pleased to be visiting Azerbaijan, and I thank you for your warm welcome to this city, the countrys capital, on the shore of the Caspian Sea, a city which has been radically transformed with new buildings, such as the one where we are meeting," said the Pope, addresing the event.



"Am most grateful, Mr President, for the kind sentiments of welcome which you have extended to me on behalf of the Government and Azerbaijani people, and for allowing me to reciprocate your visit, together with your distinguished spouse, to the Vatican last year," said Pope Francis.



The Pope went on to say that he came to Azerbaijan full of admiration for the intricacy and richness of Azerbaijani culture, fruit of the contribution of so many peoples who in the course of history have inhabited these lands.



"They have given life to a fabric of experiences, values and distinctive features which characterize contemporary society and are reflected in the prosperity of the modern Azerbaijani state," said the Pope.



He recalled that on October 18 Azerbaijan will celebrate the twenty-five years of its independence.



"This occasion affords the possibility of taking comprehensive stock of these decades, of the progress achieved and of the challenges which the country is facing," said the Pope. "The road travelled thus far shows clearly the significant efforts undertaken to strengthen institutions and to promote the economic and civic growth of the nation."



"It is a path which requires constant attention towards all, especially the weakest, and one which is possible thanks to a society which recognizes the benefits of multiculturalism and of the necessary complementarity of cultures," Pope Francis said.



He added that this, in turn, leads to mutual collaboration and respect among the various components of civil society and among the adherents of various religious confessions.



"This common effort to harmonize differences is of particular importance in our time, as it shows that it is possible to bear witness to ones own ideas and worldview without abusing the rights of others who have different ideas and perspectives," said the Pope. "Every ethnic or ideological identity, as with every authentic religious path, must exclude attitudes and approaches which instrumentalize their own convictions, their own identity or the name of God in order to legitimize subjugation and supremacy."



The Pope said that it is his sincere hope that Azerbaijan may continue along the way of cooperation between different cultures and religious confessions.



"May harmony and peaceful coexistence be evermore a source of vitality to the public and civil life of the country, in its multiplicity of expressions, ensuring to all men and women the possibility of offering their own contribution to the common good," he said.

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2 October 2016 12:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Oil barrel prices could climb between US$7 and US$10 by the end of the first half of 2017, according to Goldman Sachs analysts.

OPEC surprised nearly everyone and reached a deal to curtail oil production. And now, if all members of OPEC strictly comply with their new quotas, which are to be (and that's a reasonable "if") agreed upon at the November meeting of the organization, Goldman is predicting a sizable recovery for the price of a barrel of oil.

For this scenario to take place, all other circumstances on oil markets must remain unchanged.

In its report, which was out on the day the agreement was reached, the Goldman analyst team noted that it was skeptical about the chances of success for the freeze deal. The bank pointed out that OPEC members don't always feel obliged to stay within quotas, which will contribute to the ongoing uncertainty on oil markets.

Further killing the buzz of its price forecast in the best-case scenario, the Goldman analysts said that the support that oil prices will see from the freeze is very likely to be limited to the short term. In other words, a year from November, prices could be back to the US$40-US$50 range. This is probably why Goldman did not revise its average oil price forecast for the rest of this year and the next: the bank still expects the 2016 average to be US$43 and the figure for 2017 to be US$53.

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2 October 2016 11:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkey must not forget the July 15 coup attempt, said the Turkish president during the parliaments opening ceremony on Saturday, Anadolu reported.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a speech at the parliament for the opening of the second legislative session of the year, in which he said the deputies had shown a proud and strong stance against the coup.

Our parliament has become a veteran for a second time, after the Turkish War of Independence, on July 15. Turkey, with all 79 million citizens, gave a freedom and democracy lesson that should be shown as an example throughout history to the world, Erdogan said.

Turkey blames the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO, for the July 15 plot. At least 241 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured in the failed coup which the government said was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, the FETO leader who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.

"I am expressing and underlining once again: We must not forget July 15, and we must not make them forget."

Erdogan also praised the Yenikapi spirit which was demonstrated in a massive rally organized to highlight the Turkish peoples resistance against the coup.

Protecting and maintaining the Yenikapi spirit is our responsibility, he said.

The Democracy and Martyrs' Rally was held in Istanbul on Aug. 7. Other demonstrations took place all across the country.

-Military Operation against Daesh

Erdogan also brought up Turkeys ongoing Operation Euphrates Shield against Daesh in Syria.

These operations are being supported by local communities, he said.

We are in an intense effort to erase the traces of the devastation made by separatist terrorist group in the region [southern and eastern of Turkey], to resolve our citizens grievances and to rebuild our cities, Erdogan said.

Operation Euphrates Shield began last month and saw the Free Syrian Army, backed by the Turkish military, take control of the city of Jarabulus from Daesh.

Turkey has said the operation is aimed at bolstering border security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the threat posed by terror organizations, namely Daesh.

Erdogan also reiterated the need for a safe zone for refugees in northern Syria.

Our aim is to establish 5,000 square kilometers [1,900 square miles] of secure area which will be cleared of terrorist organizations, he said.

Erdogan had previously said the fulfillment of three conditions  a safe zone, a no-fly zone, and a train-and-equip program for Syrian rebels  would help solve the refugee issue.

-Visa-liberalization deal

The Turkish president also addressed the issue of visa-free access to the EU for Turkish citizens.

The visa-liberalization deal should come into force this month, he said.

Visa liberalization has been one of the key promises of the European Union as part of a deal hammered out in March to enhance EU-Turkey cooperation in addressing the refugee crisis and to accelerate Turkeys membership talks.

Turkey has so far met most of the requirements for visa liberalization, but the EUs demands for change in Ankaras anti-terrorism laws led to a deadlock in negotiations.

The foiled July 15 coup attempt in Turkey and Ankaras declaration of a three-month state of emergency led to further uncertainty about future talks on visa liberalization. Ankara insists that due to the serious terrorism threat, it will not make any changes.

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2 October 2016 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkey's parliament passed a motion on Saturday to extend a mandate that allows military action against terror organizations in neighboring Syria and Iraq for one more year.

The parliament convened on Saturday, on the first day of a new parliamentary session to discuss the current mandate which expires on October 2.

Under the new motion, the Turkish government is authorized military action in Syria and Iraq to fight any group threatening the country. The measure will be in effect until September 30, 2017.

Speaking earlier, Defense Minister Fikri Isik said the mandate would enable Turkey to take all kinds of necessary measures against terrorist threats and security risks within the framework of international law.

"The extension of the mandate will support the government's ongoing actions to end terror threats permanently and will be a dissuasive factor against terrorist groups Daesh and PKK," Isik said.

The current mandate allows military incursions into Syria and Iraq against a threat to Turkey and allows foreign forces to use Turkish territory for possible operations against the same threats including Daesh, and the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Turkey and the EU.

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2 October 2016 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has finalized a deal to export crude oil to Hungary, Mohsen Qamsari, director of international affairs at the NIOC, said.

The deal to export a 1-million-barrel oil cargo to the European country in next month has been concluded, Qamsari said, the oil ministrys SHANA news agency reported October 1.

All crude oil shipments to Europe should be 1-million-barrel to be able to cross the Suez Canal, Qamsari said.

Prior to sanctions, France, Italy, Spain and the UK were among Iran's traditional customers in Europe. Nonetheless, since sanctions were terminated last January, East European states have also submitted proposals to purchase oil from Iran.

Negotiations for crude export to Hungary launched in early 2016.

In mid-July, Qamsari said Hungarian multinational oil and gas company MOL called for importing 40,000 barrels of light crude oil per day from Iran. However, he added that Tehran is not ready to provide MOL with light crude currently.

Irans August crude oil exports jumped 15 percent from July to more than 2 million barrels per day (bpd). The volume is close to Tehran's pre-sanctions shipment levels in 2011.

The strong demand in Irans crude in Asia and Europe has enabled it to raise its oil output to just over 3.8 million bpd, still below the 4 million bpd level termed by Tehran as a precondition for discussing output limits with other oil producers.

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The Isle of Man has announced it will be moving forward with plans to pardon historical convictions for gay offenses.

The former Home Affairs Minister, Juan Waterson, has indicated hes pushing for the pardons to be included in a new sexual offenses act that will be open for public consultation before the end of the year.

The announcement from the tiny self-governing protectorate, thats located in the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland, follows a similar commitment from British Prime Minister Theresa May.

May has pledged to implement the Alan Turing law. Turing was a code breaker who a key member of the team that broke the Nazis enigma code during the second world war. Turing took his own life in 1954 after being convicted of gross indecency and undergoing chemical castration. He was pardoned for his homosexuality in 2013.

Now the British government is preparing the forgive all convictions for gay offences prior to the decriminalization of homosexuality.

Homosexuality was legalized in the United Kingdom in 1967 but the Isle of Man did not change their laws until 1992. LGBTIQ+ political activists on the Isle of Man have also called for the Chief Constable of the police force to issue an apology for the past actions of the police.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posthumously pardon a man imprisoned in 1966 for being gay who is largely credited for bringing about a change in Canadas laws on homosexuality.

But nothing has come from America on the subject of pardoning the thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of gay men who were convicted in the past for sodomy offenses.

Through the 20th century, the gradual liberalization of American sexual morals led to the elimination of sodomy laws in most states. During this time, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of sodomy laws in Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986. However, in 2003 the Supreme Court reversed the decision with Lawrence v. Texas, invalidating sodomy laws in the remaining 14 states (Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan,Mississippi, Missouri (statewide), North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia).

Unfortunately sodomy laws in the United States were largely a matter of state rather than federal jurisdiction, except for laws governing the District of Columbia and the U.S. Armed Forces which makes the process of a mass pardoning difficult if not impossible in Americas current political climate

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Prime Minister Theresa May says she will trigger Article 50 to leave the EU next March

Theresa May has ended weeks of speculation and revealed that she will launch formal Brexit talks with EU leaders before the end of March 2017.

Ahead of her speech on Brexit at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Mrs May told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "As you know, I have been saying that we wouldn't trigger it before the end of this year so that we get some preparation in place.

"But yes, I will be saying in my speech today that we will trigger (Article 50) before the end of March next year."

Mrs May added: "The remaining members of the EU have to decide what the process of negotiation is.

"I hope, and I will be saying to them, now that they know what our timing is going to be - it's not an exact date but they know it will be in the first quarter of next year - that we'll be able to have some preparatory work so that once the trigger comes we have a smoother process of negotiation.

"It's not just important for the UK but important for Europe as a whole that we're able to do this in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses, and when we leave the EU we have a smooth transition from the EU."

Mrs May said Parliament will be kept informed, adding: "This is not about keeping silent for two years, but it's about making sure that we are able to negotiate, that we don't set out all the cards in our negotiation because, as anybody will know who's been involved in these things, if you do that up front, or if you give a running commentary, you don't get the right deal."

DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he had expected Theresa May would announce a date for triggering Article 50 before the council elections due to take place across England and Wales next year.

"We need to get on with it now," he told BBC Radio Ulster.

However, Steve Aiken MLA, the Ulster Unionist Party's economy spokesperson, called for the Northern Ireland Executive to urgently pull a credible plan together.

Now that the Prime Minister has given clear notice that Article 50 will be triggered before the end of March 2017, there is a huge onus on the Northern Ireland Executive to urgently pull a credible plan together so that the unique challenges facing us are addressed as part of the UK's negotiations with the EU," he said.

The Executive now has nowhere left to hide and the clock has started counting down. Their approach so far has been lamentable, marked by mixed messaging and a complete lack of urgency. We need to exploit the opportunities presented by Brexit but if we're not careful we could be left behind."

He added: Perhaps First Minister Foster will be able to offer some clarity while she is sipping champagne at the Conservative Party Conference.

The Prime Minister was challenged on how she will seek to control immigration post-Brexit.

Asked if a work permit system would be adopted for skilled workers, Mrs May said: "We will look at the various ways in which we can bring in the controls that the British people want, and ensuring, as we have been in our immigration policy generally, that the brightest and best can come to the UK."

Mrs May will later tell the Tory party conference that her "Great Repeal Bill" will scrap the 1972 European Communities Act, which gives direct effect to all EU law, and at the same time convert Brussels regulations into domestic law.

This will give Parliament the power to unpick the laws it wants to keep, remove or amend at a later date, in a move that could be welcomed by MPs keen to have a say over the terms of Brexit.

The move is also designed to give certainty to businesses and protection for workers' rights that are part of EU law.

Brexit Secretary David Davis will also tell the conference: "To those who are trying to frighten British workers, saying 'when we leave, employment rights will be eroded', I say firmly and unequivocally, 'no they won't'."

The Bill is expected to be brought forward in the next parliamentary session (2017-18) and will not pre-empt the two-year process of leaving the EU, which begins when the Government triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr Davis will say: "It's very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply.

"To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach. EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on exit day.

"It will be for elected politicians here to make the changes to reflect the outcome of our negotiation and our exit.

"That is what people voted for: power and authority residing once again with the sovereign institutions of our own country."

The repeal Bill will end the primacy of EU law, meaning rulings by the European Court of Justice will stop applying to the UK once the legislation takes effect.

It will include powers to make changes to the laws using secondary legislation as negotiations over the UK's future relationship proceed, although more wide-ranging amendments or new laws may come forward in separate Bills.
Mrs Foster welcomed the news that formal talks will begin before the end of March 2017. Pic: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye.

First Minister Arlene Foster has welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement that formal Brexit negotiations will get under way by the end of March 2017.

Speaking after Theresa May's confirmation that she will trigger Article 50 next year, Mrs Foster said she would work to secure the best deal for Northern Ireland.

I welcome the announcement from the Prime Minister that our formal exit processes will commence before the end of March," said Mrs Foster.

"I spoke with Brexit Secretary of State David Davis MP last evening and we agreed that it was important that the Government work closely with us throughout this process.

"Todays announcement on when Article 50 will be triggered as well as the intention to repeal the European Communities Act 1972 brings further clarity to the process of exiting.

"The DUP fought a leave campaign not just in Northern Ireland but also across the whole of the United Kingdom. We played a key role in the campaign.

"I believe the decision to leave the European Union is in the best interests of the United Kingdom. However it is important to collectively work to secure the best deal for Northern Ireland as the exit process commences next year. It is important to maximise our opportunities as well as overcoming the challenges unique to Northern Ireland.

"I make no apologises for saying that I will be working to secure the best exit deal for Northern Ireland and I will work alongside other parties, despite our differences on the referendum outcome, to get that deal for our people.

"There are huge opportunities for Northern Ireland and United Kingdom collectively and we want to make the most of them.

"I look forward to travelling to Birmingham on Tuesday for further discussions.

Steve Aiken MLA, the Ulster Unionist Party's economy spokesperson, said the Executive has "nowhere left to hide" and called for a credible plan to be urgently put together.

Now that the Prime Minister has given clear notice that Article 50 will be triggered before the end of March 2017, there is a huge onus on the Northern Ireland Executive to urgently pull a credible plan together so that the unique challenges facing us are addressed as part of the UK's negotiations with the EU," he said.

The Executive now has nowhere left to hide and the clock has started counting down. Their approach so far has been lamentable, marked by mixed messaging and a complete lack of urgency. We need to exploit the opportunities presented by Brexit but if we're not careful we could be left behind."

He added: Perhaps First Minister Foster will be able to offer some clarity while she is sipping champagne at the Conservative Party Conference.
Charities and social enterprises see austerity as a bigger threat than Brexit, according to a new report

Charities and social enterprises see austerity as a bigger threat than Brexit, according to a new report.

Although the UK's withdrawal from the European Union is still a significant concern, 75% of third sector organisations cited cutbacks as their major worry in the latest Ulster Bank and CO3 Third Sector Index.

Pension issues were also highlighted - with around quarter of organisations which have the funds currently in deficit, the study said.

Ulster Bank chief economist, Northern Ireland, Richard Ramsey, said: "Th e survey raises the wider point that austerity is not over; indeed far from it.

"While the Chancellor may go down the route of increasing infrastructure spending in the Autumn Statement, there is unlikely to be much of a change in direction when it comes to the UK government's austerity policy. The Chancellor faces a choice of maintaining the rate of austerity or easing the pace and implementing it over a longer time frame.

"Overall, the third sector in Northern Ireland doesn't have its challenges to seek, with austerity, Brexit, and the onset of the pension crisis, which will only intensify as falling bond yields make pension provision much more expensive. This environment makes it all the more important for the sector as a whole to continue to adapt and to find new streams of revenue."

The leaders of some of Northern Ireland's largest charities as well as small community groups were questioned as part of the quarterly survey.

Some 80% said they believed Brexit would have a negative impact on their organisation, with just 1% believing it would have positive implications.

A further 65% were concerned about the long-term implications of the UK's decision to the leave the EU for their organisation's sustainability.

Furthermore, the vast majority (86%) criticised local politicians for not giving the matter sufficient attention.

Organisations also reported a deterioration in cash flow since the June referendum, with 31% claiming their position had weakened and 58% predicted the Northern Ireland economy would worsen in the next 12 months.

Despite the challenging environment, two-thirds (65%) of third sector leaders said that their organisation has seen an increase in demand for its services in the last quarter, and almost one quarter (22%) said that it had increased headcount.

Nora Smith, chief executive of CO3, said: "Brexit has played a central role in deepening the levels of concern and uncertainty for members on the sustainability of their services and indeed their organisations.

"Therefore, we want to ensure that the particular implications of Brexit on the third sector are listened to and central to any negotiations. To date, that has not been the case.

"Our members' work is focused on changing lives, in some cases saving lives on a daily basis. The results certainly highlight the importance of investing in our sector to ensure that vital services are not lost.

"The level of demand for their services continues to rise against a backdrop of uncertainty and funding cuts."
A 36-year-old man has been arrested by detectives investigating an axe murder in Belfast nearly three years ago

A 36-year-old man has been arrested by detectives investigating an axe murder in Belfast nearly three years ago.

Basil McAfee (50) was found dead at his home on Henderson Avenue in the north of the city in December 2013. He had been the victim of a frenzied knife and axe attack, police said at the time.

The suspect was detained in Belfast. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery said he was being questioned by detectives from serious crime branch at Musgrave station in the city.

Mr McAfee was last seen alive at an off-licence in north Belfast on the evening of December 19 2013. His mother found him dead in the living room of his property. Items including money had also been stolen.

To date, five men and two women have been arrested in connection with the killing, but no one has been charged.
Iain Marr has not been seen since September 28. Pic: Police Scotland.

Scottish police are widening their search for a missing man who has links to Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

Iain Marr left an address in Anstruther in Fife shortly before 11am on Wednesday, September 28.

Since then the 40-year-old has not been in touch with friends or family and a major search operation is now underway in an effort to trace him.

Iain has a number of links throughout mainland UK as well as Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Inspector John Docherty based in Fife said: "Our enquiries into Iain's disappearance are ongoing. As such we are widening the scope of our search operation to include Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and asking anyone who may have seen or spoken to Iain to contact Police Scotland immediately.

"Iain has been missing for considerable period of time and our concern for his welfare is growing.

"We want to know that he is safe and I appeal to Iain directly to call police, or a family member, to let us know that you're okay."

On Friday, police released CCTV images of Iain taken at a BP petrol station on Main Street in Colinsburgh at around 11am on Wednesday, September 28.

At around 12:15pm the same day the distinct silver coloured Subaru Impreza he was driving, with the registration SG60 JVE, was spotted on the westbound carriageway of the M8 at the Harthill Services in North Lanarkshire.

Iain is described as around 6ft tall, has a heavy build with short cropped brown hair, brown eyes and talks with a soft Scottish west coast accent.

Anybody who has seen Mr Marr or has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or speak to any officer.
Archbishop Eamon Martin said that from a moral point of view there was no such thing as limited abortion

Archbishop Eamon Martin has called on politicians not to forget their faith during debates on abortion.

Campaign group Terminations For Medical Reasons (TFMR) has criticised some of his remarks on the equal right to life for unborn babies, but t he senior Catholic cleric said he was trying to put church principles across with compassion and mercy.

Archbishop Martin also said he felt there were more important issues occupying people's thoughts, such as jobs, tax and water bills.

With the citizens' assembly due to begin discussions on the eighth amendment to the constitution later this month, the Catholic leader urged politicians to be aware of church teaching.

He told RTE's This Week programme: "I think that we would call on politicians not to leave their faith outside of the door when it comes to issues to do with policy and public policy. The teaching is clear on this issue .

"I think if you're a Catholic and wishes to be informed by the teaching of your church you will not find in the teaching of the church a statement that says that you can support the deliberate and intentional taking of human life at any stage.

"What I'm saying is that for a Catholic who wishes to abide by the teaching of their church then they must be informed about something as fundamental as the right to life."

Archbishop Martin described the eighth amendment as precious and wonderful.

He said: "I'm aware that some people feel that the position that all human life is precious, at every stage from the moment of conception. I'm aware that some people feel that as an encumbrance.

"But nonetheless it's a fundamental principle. And it's one that we try to make with love. It's one that we try to make with a sense of mercy and an understanding of where people are at."

Archbishop Martin said the Church has not considered funding a pro-life group and had not not been asked to fund a campaign.

The Catholic leader spoke out after marking the Catholic Church's worldwide Day For Life on Saturday and being c riticised by TFMR, which questioned whether he was speaking out of "sincere concern" for women.

Claire Cullen-Delsol, whose daughter Alex died 26 weeks into the pregnancy and was stillborn, said the Archbishop's comments were sad but expected.

She said: "It is sad but not surprising that he feels qualified to comment on this issue despite not having lived experience, medical knowledge or any role to play in the treatment of pregnant women in any capacity."

The Archbishop said that from a moral point of view there was no such thing as limited abortion.

He said: "Medical prognosis for the life of a child in the womb, or the extent of their disabilities, is no more morally relevant than it is when considering an adult who faces the diagnosis of a life-limiting condition."

The citizens' assembly, chaired by a judge and with 99 randomly selected members of the public, was established by the Government to begin assessing whether a new referendum should be called on the eighth amendment and the right to life of the unborn.
Several dozen people have died in a stampede during a religious celebration in Ethiopia

A total of 52 people have been confirmed killed in a stampede in Ethiopia after police tried to disperse an anti-government protest at a religious festival.

The Oromia regional government confirmed the death toll late on Sunday.

The government is also declaring three days of national mourning.

The stampede occurred in one of the east African country's most politically sensitive regions Oromia.

It has seen months of sometimes deadly demonstrations demanding wider freedoms.

Dozens of people were crushed after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protest.

An estimated two million people were attending the annual Irrecha thanksgiving festival in the town of Bishoftu, south-east of the capital, Addis Ababa, when people began chanting slogans against the government, according to witnesses.

The chanting crowds pressed toward a stage where religious leaders were speaking, the witnesses said, and some threw rocks and plastic bottles.

Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and people tried to flee. Some were crushed in nearby ditches, witnesses said.

Ethiopia's government initially acknowledged that deaths had occurred but did not say how many were killed and injured. Through a spokesman, it blamed "people that prepared to cause trouble".

Many people were taken to hospitals, the spokesman's office said.

Mulatu Gemechu with the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, said he thought the death figure would rise. The protesters were peaceful, Mr Gemechu said.

Before the stampede, an AP reporter saw small groups of people walking in the crowd and holding up their crossed wrists in a popular gesture of protest.

The reporter also saw police firing tear gas and, later, several injured people.

Ethiopia's government, a close security ally of the West, has been accused often of silencing dissent, at times blocking internet access.

The months of anti-government protests and the sometimes harsh government response have raised international concern.

The US recently spoke out against what it called the excessive use of force against protesters, describing the situation in Ethiopia as "extremely serious".

AP
Worker nail a board to use on a shop window as protection against Hurricane Matthew in Kingston (AP)

A powerful Hurricane Matthew moved slowly across the Caribbean Sea on Sunday on a track that authorities warned could trigger devastation in parts of Haiti.

The storm had winds of 145mph as it moved north-west and the centre was expected to pass across or very close to the south-western tip of Haiti late on Monday before reaching Cuba, according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti. Forecasters said the southern Haitian countryside around Les Cayes could see the worst of it.

"Wherever that centre passes close to would see the worst winds and that's what's projected to happen for the western tip of Haiti," said John Cangilosi, a hurricane specialist at the centre.

"There is a big concern for rains there and also a big concern for storm surge."

Matthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history and briefly reached the top classification, category five, becoming the strongest hurricane in the region since Felix in 2007.

The hurricane centre said it appeared to be on track to pass east of Florida through the Bahamas, but it was too soon to predict with certainty whether it would reach the coast of the US.

The government of Haiti opened 1,300 emergency shelters across the country, enough to hold up to 340,000 people.

Authorities broadcast warnings over the radio and across social media, trying to counter a common tendency for people to try to stay in their homes to protect them during natural disasters.

"The shelters are open but I don't believe we have anyone inside them just yet," said Joseph Edgard Celestin, a spokesman for the civil protection agency.

Teams of civil protection officials were walking the streets of Les Cayes urging residents to secure their homes, prepare emergency kits and warn their neighbours.

Forecasters said the slow-moving Matthew was expected to dump 15 to 25 inches of rain over southern Haiti, with a few places getting as much as 40 inches.

A hurricane watch was posted for the south-eastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.

A tropical storm warning was also in effect for parts of the Dominican Republic, where authorities began mandatory evacuations of areas at risk for flooding in 24 provinces.

After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba, potentially striking near the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, where authorities were evacuating non-essential personnel, including about 700 family members of service personnel.

AP
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LAGOS, Nigeria - A New Earth, a fully certified organic food store, with an extensive and complete range of foods, and personal care products, has opened its doors in Lagos, Nigeria.

A New Earth store

A New Earth is a boutique supermarket that first opened its doors on July 1, 2009, in Beirut, Lebanon. For the past seven years they have been the pioneers in all things organic.

Its mission statement: We thrive to seek out the finest organic foods available, by purchasing products for retail sale from local, regional, as well as international wholesale suppliers and vendors. We strive in personalised service and value our role as the leading educational hub.

A New Earth maintains the strictest quality standards in the industry, and is rigorously committed to sustainable agriculture.

New Earth stores want to share this organic lifestyle by bringing to their consumers the most comprehensive selection of organic products available in one place.

We dont just sell anything. The products we sell must meet our rigorous standards. From basic ingredients to farm animal welfare, seafood sustainability, body care, cleaning products and more, trust us to do the research so you can shop with peace of mind and fulfilled health.

A New Earth store provides certified organic products and specialty items such as raw food, gluten-free, vegan, low-sodium and low-fat items; as well as a selection for baby care, including foods and related products.
Mastercard, Bank of Kigali and RwandaOnline have announced a partnership to launch Irembo - an online payment solution in Rwanda powered by Mastercard Payment Gateway Services. The announcement was made at the technology company's recent Innovation Forum in Budapest, Hungary.

Aimed at fast-tracking payments in the country, this new solution will make online payments safer, simpler and smarter.

As outlined by Mastercard at the recent US Africa Business Forum, Africa is of immense strategic importance, and this is demonstrated by the companys commitment to invest in the continent. It is through partnerships with governments, central banks and financial stakeholders that Mastercard is building robust electronic payment ecosystems that support Africas potential for economic transformation.

In light of this, Mastercard and the Bank of Kigali rolled out the payment gateway solution in June 2016, a month after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Mastercard and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

Not only does this highlight the enormous progress that has been made, it also signifies the first phase of the MoU which forms part of broader efforts to digitise Rwanda as set out in its Vision 2020 goals.

As part of this solution RwandaOnline, a company with a 25 year partnership with the RDB, developed an online portal called Irembo which includes six government engines. Through the Bank of Kigali and Mastercard collaboration, this portal now allows citizens to make online payments to any of these government entities through the use of debit, credit or prepaid payment cards. Residents can pay for anything from drivers licenses, birth certificates and identity cards. The portal also allows travellers to Rwanda to apply and pay for their travel visa.

And there continues to be enormous potential for the Mastercard digital payment gateway solution in Rwanda as the Bank of Kigali can offer the technology to merchants who are then able to create their own online portal, opening up opportunities to entrepreneurs in this growing economy.

eCommerce market

With merchants contributing significantly to the growth and the development of the economy, it is crucial to provide these key players with the solutions that they need to keep up with consumer demands. Through this solution, merchants are empowered to create new revenue streams as they are able to enter into the lucrative e-commerce market.

In the recently released McKinsey & Company report, Digital Finance for All: Powering Inclusive Growth in Emerging Economies, it has been estimated that the adoption of digital finance could add $3.7 trillion dollars to the GDP of emerging markets, which ultimately would drive growth and the financial inclusion within those regions.

The report also states that 200 million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have no or insufficient access to credit, proving that these sorts of solutions are critical in driving development in this area.

The launch of the Mastercard payment gateway service is an important milestone for us. By introducing this new technology to the country, we are helping merchants and consumers leapfrog into the digital age, said Daniel Monehin, division president, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mastercard.

Mastercard extremely proud of the progress that has been made and during the last four months of working with the Irembo portal; we have gained invaluable insight that allows us to offer the solution that will best meet the needs of the local market. And the rollout of this solution solidifies our dedication to delivering cutting-edge technology which is safe and reliable.

Bank of Kigali chief executive officer, Dr Diane Karusisi also hailed the development, noting that it is the Banks mission to provide its customers with highly secure payments channels. We are excited to be adding to our offering as we launch the digital payment gateway solution which allows us to deliver highly secure digital payments.

Bank of Kigali believe this solution will be able to help drive the development of merchants and provide the people of Rwanda with tangible outcomes that deliver results that will positively impact their lives, said Dr Karusisi.

Mastercard continues to rapidly expand on its commitment outlined in the MoU, including the collaboration with the Bank of Kigali to extend simplified payment processes to its merchants and consumers.

We are thrilled to be in partnership with the largest bank of Rwanda and we endeavour to continue our efforts in promoting a cashless Rwanda, Monehin concludes.
Digital technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) are predicted to add US$14 trillion to the world's 20 largest economies by 2030. That's one fifth of the current world GDP. However, many enterprises in the Middle East and Africa are held back from fully realising digital transformation because of a lack of a clear digital strategy and robust IT policy, the inability to adapt quickly enough, and a shortage of necessary skills.

Image by 123RF

Last week, Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to helping companies in the Middle East and Africa digitally transform at a media event in Dubai. The event, which brought together experts to discuss challenges and opportunities for digitally transforming companies, included sessions on security; Internet of Things; and innovations like digital inking and intelligent apps, that are transforming productivity.

It builds on Microsofts commitment at the Ignite Summit to help business take advantage of the modern enterprise. Starting on 1 October 2016, businesses can get the Secure Productive Enterprise (SPE), with Windows 10 Enterprise, Office 365, and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS), with the flexibility to deploy either on-premise or in the cloud.

Denis Klimashev, Windows and Devices business group director for Middle East and Africa, addressed some of the challenges enterprises are currently facing: Traditional companies want to behave like start-ups, but they usually dont have the technology infrastructures or operating models to keep up with companies that have been digital from the start.

According to Klimashev and other experts at the event, the core to successful digital transformation is leadership. Digital orientation must flow from top managers to all levels of the organisation. Without vision or direction, businesses will miss the true digital opportunity, says Klimashev.

Big data is fundamental because it gives leaders the insights needed to make more informed decisions. For example, data on customer behaviour is opening a new world of opportunities to design new and better products and services, and develop new revenue streams.

The Internet of Things with sensors connected to a businesss assets or things, is delivering cutting-edge insights to businesses, for example, predicting malfunctions in a manufacturing plant or gas pipe before they happen.

Our personal computing platform powered by Windows 10, which is running on over 400 million active devices, enables a range of intelligent services from robotics to medial machines. It converges devices with the cloud, and connects machine-to-machine, and with Azure analytics for advanced insights.

With headline grabbing cyber-attacks on the rise, security concerns are also holding some companies back from fully embracing digital transformation. However, the fact that banks are leading the digital revolution, particularly in the Middle East and Africa where customers demand innovative and mobile banking services, is a sure sign of trust.

In the Middle East, 100% of medium-sized banks are ready to adopt a mobile technology this year. 65% of banks are implementing private cloud technology now or are planning to deploy it within 12 months. Trusted cloud providers spend more money than a single business could ever afford on security, for example Microsoft spends $US1 billion on security every year.

At Ignite, Microsoft announced enhanced security updates, including Windows Defender Application Guard for Microsoft Edge, which will make Microsoft Edge the most secure browser for the enterprise. The company also introduced threat intelligence sharing between Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (WDATP) and Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, enabling IT to identify and follow the complete chain of an attack from an email to across the network.

Klimashev adds that companies that dont digitally transform also risk losing talented employees. Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce by 2030 and are on the lookout for the best digital opportunities.

Microsoft continues to invest in partnerships to accelerate digital transformation within enterprises, helping them address key pillars of transformation such as profitability, customer satisfaction and increased speed-to-market. One example is its investment in the Oil & Gas Centre of Excellence in the UAE, which will focus on emerging technologies including Internet of Things (IoT); advanced analytics; modern productivity; and cloud computing, to help transform the Oil & Gas sector.
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Genres : Crime, Thriller

Starring : Scott Glenn, Joe Pesci, Brooke Adams, Jonathan Pryce, and Paul Shenar

Director : Elie Chouraqui

Plot Synopsis

An agent newly retired from the CIA agrees to become an Italian businessman's bodyguard in this adventure film. Things fall apart though, when terrorists kidnap the Italian's daughter and the agent must rescue her. NEW 2K RESTORATION.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 02/10/2016 (2219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon police officers were kept busy Saturday, responding to multiple calls dealing with intoxicated people.

A drunk youth causing a disturbance on the 1000 block of Fifth Street was located and lodged at Brandon Correctional Centre. He was released when sober.

A 29-year-old Winnipeg man was stopped by police Saturday evening after he was seen driving erratically in the east end of Brandon. He displayed signs of impairment and was arrested. He was transported to the police station where he refused to provide breath samples.

That same evening, police attended a noise complaint in the 900 block of Victoria Avenue. A Brandon youth was intoxicated and causing a disturbance. The youth was also lodged at Brandon Correctional Centre for the night.

A 36-year-old Brandon man was stopped after he was seen driving the wrong way in the 600 block of Rosser Avenue. He displayed signs of impairment and was arrested for impaired driving. He provided two breath samples that were over the legal limit. He was released to a sober friend and will appear in court later this month.

Police were called to a disturbance complaint on 13th Street North. A 30-year-old Brandon man was intoxicated and causing problems. He was lodged at Brandon Correctional Centre for the night and issued a bylaw ticket for being intoxicated in a public place.

 The Brandon Sun
'The Purge: Election Year' is yet another disappointing entry in a film series that had the potential to be really creative and fascinating, but instead ended up formulaic and predictable. For those unfamilar with the concept, the Purge is a policy put together by a new government, recognized as the New Founding Fathers of America, in which almost all crime (including murder) is legal for a 12-hour period once a year. This allows participating members of society to go nuts, and act on their ugliest impulses, attacking almost anything and anyone. As a result of this annual practice, America has become great again with a strong economy and reduced crime.

'The Purge' focused on a single Yuppie family terrorized by surrounding neighbors of an upscale neighborhood. Hiding with the family was an African-American stranger (Edwin Hodge), whose role is a stereotypical "is he friend or is he foe?" type. That film left me impatient with logistically implausible scenarios (a house which was apparently large enough to reside in two zip codes), and protagonists who were barely two-dimensional. The second film, 'The Purge: Anarchy' followed up with Hodge's role (now known as "Dwayne," an anti-Purge militant) and introduced a set of new characters with much of the action taking place in an urban neighbohood. Despite being set on a larger scale than the first movie, I found it even more unmemorable (so much so, that I ended up doing some cheap and fast online research to refresh me on what had happened).

'The Purge: Election Year' is bigger and broader in scope than the previous two movies. It addresses the overall merits of the acts in this reformed United States. As the film opens, we're told that Purging has been in effect for nearly 20 years (even though everything looks as modern as before), but that there has been growing resistance to the NFFA's policies which is the main subject of an upcoming Presidential election. Senator Roan (played by Elizabeth Mitchell, who in a couple of shots sometimes resembles Ann Coulter) heads the opposition, years after her own family was tortured and murdered during a past Purge. The Senator is closely protected by a Secret Service agent, Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) who was first seen as a Purger for out for revenge from 'Anarchy' but is now filled with a purpose to stop the practice. Meanwhile, the New Founding Fathers, primarily represented by Caleb Warrens (Raymond J. Barry) are determined in maintaining their power and take steps to kidnap the Senator, and sacrifice her on Purge night.

The movie introduces the Senator, and the circumstances surrounding her political campaign, which is briefly interrupted by the annual Purge tradition. Following an attack on her house, the Senator and Barnes escape to the streets of Washington, DC, where they encounter a group of urban residents, including deli owner Joe Dickson (played by Bubba Gump himself Mykelti Williamson), his employee Marcos (Joseph Julian Soria), their friend and community assistant Laney Rucker (Betty Gabriel), and a group of black militants led by Dwayne "Dante" Bishop (Hodge). These activists also provide underground medical care and food to Purge victims, and are likewise anti-FFA. Basically 'The Purge: Election Year' is all about a resistance fighting the powers that be.

I appreciate the writer/director's intent on making this third film something more than just a hide-and-seek among killers and victims. However, the ambition here is miguided and the results are wrongheaded. I am uncomfortable to see a sequel, which is little more than a voyeur's delight in homicidal revenge fantasies patterned after 'Friday the 13th,' becoming so doggedly and simplistically political. Racial problems involving the rich (mainly stereotyped WASPs which make up the FFA) suppressing the downtrodden (primarily poor blacks residing in "bad" neighborhoods") by way of the Purge are trivialized in questionable taste. The bad guys are embodied by Neo-Nazis (complete with tattoos, swaztikas, and shaved heads) while the good guys are comprised of armed gangsters (and even include the Crips). Insurance companies are held to be evil and corrupt (as exemplified by a ludicrous scene in which Joe finds out his insurer has immediately raised his rates to unaffordable levels, forcing him to take arms and secure his deli on Purge night.) During a speech, the Senator specifically mentions the NRA as a group on the wrong side of society, without any retort or explanation by her opposition. Even a group of European visitors don costumes mocking national symbols (Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, Abraham Lincoln) and take part in violently ridiculing Americans. This whole movie is so over the top in its politics that it comes close to bad parody. I've rarely seen villains portrayed so diabolically and heavy handedly, and I've seen every superhero movie there is!

I won't even touch on the obvious parallels to this current election because the comparisons are painfully obvious. While nobody mentions specific political parties, the election charts puts our heroine's name in blue, and the enemy's in red. But while everyone is so staunchly political, what has never been addressed in the Purge series is just how these ideals were developed so far into practice in the first place. How did the NFFA, a domatically religious group, get Americans to accept such widespread and random domestic killing for all these years? Wasn't there a sufficient psychological effect to counter its policies from years before? Are we to now assume that the NFFA were always over-the-top Republican stereotypes? How could a society (or anyone for that matter) trust an out of control Purge participant the morning after? These are questions that should have been explored, but apparently can't be presented to a general, movie-going audience.

Amidst all the arguing regarding the merits and consequences of the Purge, several memorable set pieces are introduced, including Joe vigorously defending his deli from a couple of vengeful shoplifting kids (his rooftop lookout brings back memories of Korean-Americans defending their business during the Rodney King riots in LA); a helicopter attack by the Neo Nazis who are adamant in tracking down the Senator; a chaotic shootout in a church; and a final hand-to-hand confrontation between Barnes and the lead Neo Nazi in a moment reminiscent of the climax in Richard Donner's first 'Lethal Weapon' movie. While the action is competent and moderately entertains, the mayhem sometimes feels like a water-downed 'Saw' film, where the stylish surrealism is more unsettling than the violence itself. In fact, none of the Purge moments every feel truly threatening, and some are even just plain puzzling. (In one scene, the Senator and Barnes are confronted by a swinging guillotine in the middle of an alley, and they have to meticulously time passing in between swings, when it's all-too clear that they can duck right under it.) Movie fans will easily predict the direction of the movie and the final fate of one or two characters just by the initial set-ups alone. For instance, one character's eventual demise is ham-handedly forshadowed based on his criminal past and desire to pass on his American dream, and a plot point which begins as an assassination unsurprisingly turns into a rescue mission. (It's even spelled out during an exchange of dialogue.) To reveal these morality plays and twists and turns of the story might otherwise spoil the movie. However, the eventual revelation provides no surprises.

Overall, just as 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace' (to name a very broad example) could not address the nuclear arms race with any degree of seriousness and credibility amidst all the superhero trappings (the clearance shelf production and poor screenplay also didn't help matters), neither can 'The Purge: Election Year' elevate its genre to anything above escapist trash.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'The Purge: Election Year' comes on a single BD-50 Blu-ray in a standard two-disc keepcase. A DVD copy is also included, as well as a Digital HD download with s code printed on an insert. On the other side of the page, is an advertisement for 'The Walking Dead' attraction at Universal Studios. A cardboard slip case packages the whole movie with cover art of garish and admittedly spooky looking masks staring glaringly like demented Trick-or-Treaters.
Ibrahim Halawa's trial has been postponed for the 15th time.

It is now due to take place on November 12th.

The Dubliner has now spent 38 months jail in Egypt and has yet to have his case heard in court.

His family say they are extremely concerned for his mental state and believe he has now entered a deep depression.

In recent months, Ibrahim has written letters describing his horrific living conditions: Its normal to be cursed, stripped naked, beaten with a bar, or put in solitary confinement or the tank (a pitch-black 3.5m x 5.5m cell).

Ibrahim has now spent 1142 days in prison and Amnesty International has said they are "gravely concerned" for his physical and mental wellbeing.

Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland Colm OGorman said: " We reiterate our call for his immediate and unconditional release and urge the Irish Government to continue their work on his behalf and to use every means at their disposal to secure his release."

A protest will be held against the ongoing unlawful imprisonment of Ibrahim Halawa from 5.30pm tomorrow, Monday October 3 at the Egyptian Embassy, 12 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Lawyers for an Irishman jailed in Egypt for the past three years over political protests have called on the Government to put maximum pressure on efforts to free him.

After Ibrahim Halawa's trial was adjourned today for another month, his legal team pleaded for diplomats in Dublin, Europe and Cairo to ratchet up attempts to get him home.

From Firhouse in Dublin, he was detained in a mosque near Ramses Square in Cairo as the Muslim Brotherhood held a "day of rage" over the removal of their elected president Mohamed Morsi in August 2013.

His lawyer, Darragh Mackin of Belfast-based KRW Law, said the latest delay was not a surprise as the hearing had been scheduled on an Egyptian holiday, but that they remain extremely concerned.

He said the trial process essentially restarted in June when a new panel was charged with reviewing video evidence.

Mr Mackin called on the Government and other European nations to demand Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi act on an application for a decree to secure his release.

"We are calling on the Irish Government and the wider international community. But the reality is that any of the European Union nations have their part to play, as Ibrahim is a European citizen," he said.

"We have lodged a fresh application (for a presidential decree) and the grounds behind that are the delay in the case. It applies to those who are not convicted prisoners."

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan raised Mr Halawa's case with Egypt's Ambassador to Ireland Soha Gendi following the latest adjournment, the 15th in the case.

The Minister said that both he and Taoiseach Enda Kenny have written to Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry and President el-Sisi setting out their support for the presidential decree.

"The Government is continuing to use every possible opportunity to underline our concerns about this case to the Egyptian Government, and also with the EU," he said.

"I want to reaffirm to Ibrahim, his family and his friends of my own and the Government's ongoing commitment to secure his return to Ireland as soon as possible and to ensure his welfare during his detention."

Minister Flanagan said the case was a high priority for him and he said officials were working closely with Mr Halawa's lawyers and the family.

Amnesty International Ireland director Colm O'Gorman said: "This young Irish citizen has spent more than three years living in horrific conditions, without access to proper medical care, and without any prospect of a fair trial. His horrific testimony catalogues a series of human rights abuses.

"While Amnesty International has not as yet been able to review this information, we take such allegations very seriously."

Amnesty is to protest at the Egyptian embassy in Dublin tomorrow over Mr Halawa's prolonged detention.

Mr Halawa was detained with 493 others on charges which could ultimately see him face the death penalty.

His family claim he has been tortured, suffered electric shocks, beatings, been spat on and moved without their knowledge during his time in custody with several hundred others over the protests.

Mr Mackin said the latest adjournment in the trial strengthens the case for Mr Halawa to be freed under a presidential order and deported back to Ireland.

He said the legal team understands that the application is being actively considered.

"It is with this in mind that the maximum pressure must now be brought to bear, to ensure that it is met with the appropriate response," Mr Mackin said.

"Today's development unequivocally strengthens the requirement for the Egyptian president to now directly intervene and ensure he is returned back to Ireland. Such an outcome, in light of today's development, is the only option that remains to ensure that Egypt respects its obligations under international law."

Mr Halawa's case is due back before a Cairo court on November 12.

One of the last contacts he had with his family was a letter he wrote over a week ago to mark when he should have been graduating from university.

Mr Halawa wrote: "In this college I'm obliged to live with a broad diversity of inmates. From presidential consultants and college professors to illiterate criminals which taught me to seek the real human being behind every social rank."
Syrian rebels and pro-government forces have clashed on several fronts around Aleppo as the country's military command called on militants to evacuate the city.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported fighting in areas close to al-Shuqeef hill and the Bustan al-Basha area as the government tries to penetrate the city's opposition-held eastern side.

The reports come a day after pro-government forces captured the al-Shuqeef hill.

The government's offensive has been accompanied by a relentless Russian and government campaign of air strikes across eastern Aleppo.

President Bashar Assad's forces are depending on Russian air strikes and Iran-backed militias to bolster their campaign.

A spokesman for the Nour el-Din el-Zinki rebel faction told The Associated Press that foreign fighters were actively participating in the government's ground campaign for the city.

He said rebels could identify Lebanese and Iraqi militias by their flags.

An air strike, meanwhile, targeted a rebel headquarters near the central city of Hama on Sunday, killing at least six militants, the Observatory said.

The blow is a setback for the rebel campaign to advance on the government-controlled city.

The UN's humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said on Sunday that east Aleppo's health system has been "all but obliterated" by shelling and bombardment.

"Medical facilities are being hit one by one," Mr O'Brien said in a statement that called for at least a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause to the fighting.

The UN estimates 275,000 people are trapped in the east by a government siege.

"We are in a race against time to protect and save civilians in eastern Aleppo city. They need our urgent action to bring an end to their living hell," Mr O'Brien said.

Air strikes put one of the city's largest hospitals, located in the eastern Sakhour area, out of service on Saturday, doctors and activists reported.

The Syrian military command said in a statement carried on state news today that government forces would guarantee the gunmen safe passage out of the city's opposition-held eastern areas.

Russia, which backs Mr Assad's government, announced a month ago that the government would open safe passages for civilians to leave eastern Aleppo.

The United Nations says at least 320 civilians have been killed since the government announced an offensive on eastern Aleppo on September 22.
Britain looks set to leave the European Union by summer 2019 after triggering the formal process to pull out before the end of March next year, Theresa May has said.

The Prime Minister said Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty will be triggered in the first three months of 2017, marking the start of the two-year process to enact Brexit.

The process can be extended beyond two years if Britain and all other EU countries unanimously agree, but that prospect is seen as unlikely.

She made the announcement after revealing plans for a "Great Repeal Bill" to transpose all EU law applying to the UK into domestic law, ready for the day the country leaves the union.

Ahead of her speech on Brexit at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Mrs May told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "As you know, I have been saying that we wouldn't trigger it before the end of this year so that we get some preparation in place.

"But yes, I will be saying in my speech today that we will trigger (Article 50) before the end of March next year."

Mrs May added: "The remaining members of the EU have to decide what the process of negotiation is.

"I hope, and I will be saying to them, now that they know what our timing is going to be - it's not an exact date but they know it will be in the first quarter of next year - that we'll be able to have some preparatory work so that once the trigger comes we have a smoother process of negotiation.

"It's not just important for the UK but important for Europe as a whole that we're able to do this in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses, and when we leave the EU we have a smooth transition from the EU."

Mrs May said Parliament will be kept informed, adding: "This is not about keeping silent for two years, but it's about making sure that we are able to negotiate, that we don't set out all the cards in our negotiation because, as anybody will know who's been involved in these things, if you do that up front, or if you give a running commentary, you don't get the right deal."

The Prime Minister was challenged on how she will seek to control immigration post-Brexit.

Asked if a work permit system would be adopted for skilled workers, Mrs May said: "We will look at the various ways in which we can bring in the controls that the British people want, and ensuring, as we have been in our immigration policy generally, that the brightest and best can come to the UK."

Mrs May will later tell the Tory party conference that her "Great Repeal Bill" will scrap the 1972 European Communities Act, which gives direct effect to all EU law, and at the same time convert Brussels regulations into domestic law.

This will give Parliament the power to unpick the laws it wants to keep, remove or amend at a later date, in a move that could be welcomed by MPs keen to have a say over the terms of Brexit.

The move is also designed to give certainty to businesses and protection for workers' rights that are part of EU law.

Brexit Secretary David Davis will also tell the conference: "To those who are trying to frighten British workers, saying 'when we leave, employment rights will be eroded', I say firmly and unequivocally, 'no they won't'."

The Bill is expected to be brought forward in the next parliamentary session (2017-18) and will not pre-empt the two-year process of leaving the EU, which begins when the Government triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr Davis will say: "It's very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply.

"To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach. EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on exit day.

"It will be for elected politicians here to make the changes to reflect the outcome of our negotiation and our exit.

"That is what people voted for: power and authority residing once again with the sovereign institutions of our own country."

The repeal Bill will end the primacy of EU law, meaning rulings by the European Court of Justice will stop applying to the UK once the legislation takes effect.

It will include powers to make changes to the laws using secondary legislation as negotiations over the UK's future relationship proceed, although more wide-ranging amendments or new laws may come forward in separate Bills.

Sir Craig Oliver, David Cameron's former spin doctor, expressed his frustration over Mrs May's stance during the EU referendum.

Sir Craig, who has released a book entitled Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story Of Brexit, told the BBC: "It was very difficult in the lead-up to that campaign having a Home Secretary not reveal which side she was on.

"When she did reveal which side she was on, it was 51-49 and was very equivocal."

He added: "It's perfectly legitimate for Theresa May to do that. What the book is doing is recounting what was it like being in Downing Street to be part of this tumultuous situation."
LONDON: Pakistani cricket legend Wasim Akram says it took the death of his first wife Huma to spark him into finally...
The L.A. Times reports that L.A. County Judge Edmund W. Clarke Jr. was admonished after abusive remarks to prospective jurors in a 2014 murder trial. His "misconduct demonstrates a pattern of discourteous and undignified treatment of jurors," wrote The Commission of Judicial Performance, in a 34-page report that details several examples of belittling people in his courtroom who were too poor or Spanish for his tastes.

 [two] jurors wrote how much money they had in the bank and each amount was less than $50.

"It's an impressive and convincing figure," Clarke told one of the jurors, according to the commission.

"Thank you for not sharing it," the juror replied.

"Well, every one of these lawyers spent more than that on lunch today," he said.

"Great," the juror sarcastically replied.

As soon as the juror exited the courtroom, the judge announced that she had listed her bank account balance as $25
A senior Ukrainian official predicted the heaviest of battles to come for the partially Russian occupied strategic...
The founder of the financial services firm that took over the management of a swath of Timbercorp managed investment schemes, John Knox of Huntley Group, has questioned why the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has targeted it for misleading advertising.

Huntley subsidiary Huntley Investment Management will wear a $20,000 fine from ASIC after agreeing it contravened advertising rules. Huntley had faced a fine of up to $3 million for its two breaches.

Once a high-profile managed investment scheme, Timbercorp was placed into administration in 2009. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

"It's our first ever problem with ASIC," Mr Knox said.

"ASIC had never taken objection to the words in the past and in my view it's the result of the finality of the investigation into certain agricultural collapses and the Senate report had made a point of saying they did not approve projects."
Terry Georg, Kingston Arrogance's day done When an incumbent government becomes indifferent to the electorate, convinced of its own destiny to rule and does dubious deals to retain office, it does not deserve to govern. There is more to the ACT election than rates, and the ridiculous competing priority of trams over hospitals, education and basic services. To many this election is about the arrogance of the Labor/Green coalition and their perceived notion of their right to govern.

I share the views of other letter writers, a change is not only desirable but essential. A clear, loud and unambiguous message to this out-of-touch coalition is well overdue. It is time! Ken Stokes, Wanniassa Discrimination unfair I refer to your report on public service vetting ("Bureaucracy's blind eye", September 29, p1) and discriminatory practices in the recruitment process in the Australian Public Service. There is one more issue that needs attention to be fair to the recently arrived skilled migrants, who despite having permanent residence cannot enter the APS as most agencies now require Australian citizenship.

Newly arrived skilled migrants have to wait four years until they become citizens before qualifying for an APS job. This blanket citizenship prerequisite is restricting many skilled migrants from getting public service jobs. The Public Service Commissioner should look into this as well as security vetting and remove the citizenship requirement unless there are valid reasons. Having a permanent residence should be sufficient for most jobs in the APS. Several contractors without permanent residence work in the public service alongside APS counterparts, so why should citizenship be a mandatory requirement? This is clearly double standards. Restricting entry only to citizens in the APS is another discriminatory practice faced by qualified and experienced professionals. It's time for a review by the Public Service Commissioner to remove all discriminatory practices in the APS recruitment process. Zafar Ahmad, Theodore

Improve the buses first As a regular bus user and resident of Tuggeranong, I have been following the ACT election campaign with interest. While not an opponent of light rail in principle, I find it hard to support as an option for Canberra given the current state of the bus network. In my experience, buses frequently do not run on time and routes servicing the same areas are timetabled to leave the interchanges and major timing points at the same time. For example, on weekday afternoons, the routes 65, 66 and 67, all servicing the Chisholm shops, depart Woden interchange at 4.34, 4.35 and 4.34 respectively, arriving at the Chisholm shops at 4.59, 4.57 and 4.59 respectively. This scheduling can be very frustrating, particularly if a preceding connecting service is running late. Fortunately, during peak hour, the wait for the next service is only 20 minutes (the wait on the weekends is 50). However, I find it bemusing that these routes depart simultaneously and concerning that the light rail network would be managed by the same organisation as part of Transport Canberra. With no bipartisan support for light rail, debate concerning its overall continuing benefits and the reality that the project brings no immediate, and unclear, long-term benefits to Tuggeranong, I believe it would be better to develop the existing bus network.

Improving service delivery would help to increase patronage with a focus also required on generating widespread community support for future public transport developments, light rail or not. Naomi Tarrant, Chisholm Far-fetched argument on refugees a disengenuous solution to problem David Campbell's article ("Hey Malcolm, how would you feel if you and your family were locked up in a detention centre?", Comment, September 30, p16) was thoroughly disingenuous.

Campbell's aim is that asylum-seekers on Manus and Nauru be given preference over millions of other asylum-seekers; however, rather than reveal that aim he chose to mislead readers with irrelevant "what if" questions. He did correctly identify three options for potential asylum seekers: (a) escape temporarily to a neighbouring country; (b) escape to a staging post, hoping to be resettled eventually; and (c) be smuggled by boat to a faraway rich country. Here are my what-ifs: what if faraway countries accepted asylum-seekers taking option c? A flood of asylum-seekers would then choose that option, causing an enormous waste of money which could otherwise be spent on effective asylum relief, and causing many deaths at sea. Eventually option c would necessarily close. This is precisely what happened regarding Australia; similar events occurred in Europe in 2015 and 2016. How would Campbell feel if he were an option a or b asylum-seeker, and option c was not closed? Would he think it fair if option c asylum-seekers were granted immediate citizenship of a rich country while he waited in poverty in refugee camps? No, he wouldn't  because it wouldn't be fair. Australia has a practical and moral responsibility to continue to refuse to allow asylum-seekers on Nauru and Manus to enter Australia. Instead, it should swap them for asylum-seekers in other asylum centres, and then bring the latter to Australia.

Robert James, Melba Sceptics energised Oh, the deviousness of those dangerous renewable energy sources. First we have all those wind farms in South Australia creating cyclonic winds that knock out the state's power supply. And now we've entered our annual period of so-called "daylight saving" when we defy God's law by forcing the sun to stay in the sky for an extra hour each day just so the greenies can justify the investment in solar energy. It's time to go back to lovely "clean" coal and also build some beautiful, environmentally friendly nuclear power stations now that carbon dioxide and plutonium have been shown to be harmless to human life (they have, haven't they?) Steve Ellis, Hackett It is far from clear to us what role SA's radically increased reliance on renewable energy played in its recent storm-induced statewide blackout.

However, we can deduce that, along with some other states that have set similarly ambitious renewable energy targets, there is an element of ideological purity involved. This is risky at a time when we cannot say for sure how secure predominantly renewable energy systems are, but when we do know for sure that they are substantially more expensive than traditional energy sources. It is hard to see this being good for new investment in South Australia's already struggling economy. Here in Canberra, we have a government that shows every sign of being driven in a particular ideological direction. We are being bled dry with harsh revenue measures, while the territory budget continues in deficit. There appears to be an ideologically driven focus on human rights and related issues that increasingly skews government administration in many different areas away from the sensible centre.

There are vanity projects being undertaken at the cost of core municipal functions. And now we have a renewable energy target of 100 per cent by 2020, coupled with the Greens' fanciful notion of banning natural gas from new developments within the next decade. Can we really risk making our energy supplies less secure in Canberra's very cold winters? Do we really need to make doing business in Canberra so much more expensive than it already is? When ideology replaces good government, that government must go. Michael and Christine O'Loughlin, Griffith ACCC nonsense

ACCC Chairman Rod Sims says "it makes no sense" to oppose the proposed change in our competition law, to make unlawful anything a large firm does that has the effect of lessening competition (Canberra Times, September 29). With respect, as a former deputy chairman of that organisation, I emphatically disagree. The change itself is nonsense  because competition is all about beating your competitors; and the introduction of an "effect" criteria in the legislation means that, if a firm succeeds in doing something quite legal and fair (for example, negotiating a low price for its inputs) that is so successful it has the effect of lessening its competitors' ability to compete with it, it is acting unlawfully and liable for a heavy fine! How ridiculous; it's like saying that competitors in a foot-race should never win and should go on running for ever. This highlights a fundamental defect in our present competition law: that by trying to protect the competitive process but penalising success in that process, it's discouraging competition. Our competition law should simply outlaw unacceptable conduct.

R.S. Gilbert, Braddon Going off the rails Brendan Halloran (Letters, September 29) is one of several who complain of "Richard Dennis' pro-light rail opinion piece" ("Population growth and the tram: If you don't build it, they're still coming regardless", September 23). Dennis did not say light rail was a good idea. He said it was an expensive solution to Canberra's current problems, but one that might make sense if we intend to increase these problems by heavily populating and densifying the northern approaches to Canberra. He suggested light rail, however, would not be necessary if only the major parties could wean themselves off their obsession with growing Canberra's population as rapidly as possible. That's why he pointedly remarked that Canberra does not have to double its population, and that we would not even be considering this expensive option if the two major parties were not locked into "bipartisan support for such population growth".

Jenny Goldie, Michelago NSW TO THE POINT WRONG ON RENEWABLES Three things are inevitable: death, taxes, and H.D.Ronald being wrong on renewable energy.

Doug Hynd, Stirling ROY'S TRIP Given Wyatt Roy is currently unemployed, one can only assume his foray into Iraq is either an audition for a position as a war correspondent or as a tour guide for extreme risk takers. Ian De Landelles, Murrays Beach, NSW ABSURD ALTERNATIVE

The ACT government bans greyhound racing and offers dachshund racing as an alternative (September 30). How absurd. Nick Corby, Hawker BARR'S CLAIM Today I received a letter from Andrew Barr, saying that his team is "standing on its incredible achievements, like delivering 100 per cent renewable energy by 2020". When can I expect the government to provide my new 100 per cent renewable-energy-powered car, hot water system, space heater and kitchen stove? Leon Arundell, Downer

POLICY IDIOCY More emergency departments, as a headline-grabber, is fantastically appealing; as policy, it is hare-brained idiocy ("Liberals promise $2.1m for GP clinics", September 30, p4). Albert M. White, Queanbeyan FULL MARKS Fantastic work by the Auditor-General, Dr Maxine Cooper. Some one has to keep the b's honest. Her report into the operations of the LDA clearly proves a need for constant survelliance of Barr and his cronies, inside and outside government. She is certainly fulfilling her brief.

Heather Mc Millan, Greenway APPALLING CONNECTION That three senior members of the government go around the country trumpeting a connection between the recent power failures in SA and that state's significant reliance in renewable energy is simply appalling. Not even Don Quixote, at his worst, would have blamed the windmills for the bad weather. John Rodriguez, Florey THE DONALD

Donald: trumpulant. Annie Lang, Kambah BLOWN FUSE Political debate generated by the SA blackout is less than illuminating. M. F. Horton, Adelaide, SA
State Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson is, according to her declaration of pecuniary interests, a member of the CFMEU and the ETU (Electrical Trades Union).

However, when did the minister ever work in construction, mining, forestry, energy or electrical industries?

On the streets the CFMEU appears blue-collar to the bone but it has its share of members who've never worked in that industry. Credit:Penny Stephens

In her inaugural speech to Parliament, Ms Donaldson said she's spent "20 years working for the state government and non-government sectors [and] as a contractor in areas such as child protection, family law, foster care and training".

So how many members of the state ALP caucus are members of unions, but have not worked in the industry sector covered by their union? Quite a few, apparently, according to their declarations of pecuniary interest.
The state government will deploy extra resources to prevent shark attacks along northern NSW beaches after 17-year-old Ballina surfer Cooper Allen was bitten last week.

On the weekend, NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair announced the government will install a further 85 smart drumlines along the north coast.

Cooper Allen was bitten on the right thigh by a shark on Monday, sparking much debate. Photo: Facebook

Smart drumlines are baited hooks attached to buoys that send alerts to authorities once a shark is hooked so it can be tagged.

The government has been under some pressure to respond to the latest attack, with calls for an extension of the shark nets in place between Newcastle and Wollongong.
Labor has not given up its fight for a royal commission on the nation's banking sector, as the big four prepare to face the first of what Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised will be an annual accounting of their actions.

The biggest of Australia's big four  the Commonwealth Bank  will front a parliamentary committee on Tuesday, the first of three days of hearings, which will see ANZ follow on Wednesday and Westpac and NAB to appear on Thursday.

The Turnbull government had resisted calls for an inquiry into the nation's banking sector, despite revelations regarding its treatment of insurance customers, conflicts of interest and the treatment of whistleblowers, but bowed to pressure shortly after the election, announcing the annual hearings.

However, the government has continued to resist calls for a royal commission, with the Prime Minister saying it would be a costly exercise that would take too long to resolve any problems raised.
Economic growth would falter "One of the key drivers of growth in the Australian economy has been strong population growth," explains HSBC Bank's chief economist, Paul Bloxham. Australia's quarter century of uninterrupted growth is due in no small part to a swelling population. "That makes us quite different to a lot of other countries across the world who have got the challenge of population growth that's slowing, or shrinking, like Japan." Slower economic growth is less of a problem if what is produced has to be shared among fewer people. But migrants add to demand in the economy, helping to prop up spending and incomes, says Bloxham. "The net effect is still positive."

Our workforce would age quicker The median age of all new arrivals to Australia last financial year was 26.5, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics. This includes temporary and permanent visa holders. The median age of the entire Australian population was 37 years. More than two thirds of Australia's annual migrant intake arrive on skilled working visas. While family reunion visas make up a large part of the remainder, they include children as well as grandparents. On average, new migrants lower the age profile of the Australian population and are more likely to be of working age. The federal budget would blow out

With no new migrants arriving, there would be fewer working aged people to pay the income taxes needed to support an ageing population. There may be some cost savings for government in helping new arrivals, particularly refugees. But Australia's annual humanitarian intake is only 13,750 a year  less than a tenth of total migration. Most migrants to Australia contribute to the workforce, given our skew towards skilled labour, and pay significant taxes. Roads would remain crowded, housing expensive At the margins, traffic congestion might not continue to deteriorate as quickly if immigration was halted. But there's no reason to believe it would get better. Similarly, there would be fewer potential buyers of property. But tax incentives remain that promote excessive speculation on housing, and foreigners are still able to purchase property in Australia without actually migrating here. Furthermore, builders could simply respond to less demand by building fewer new homes.

HSBC's Bloxham says the belief that ending migration would solve all the growing pains of Australian cities is a misnomer: "We have to keep building infrastructure to keep pace with the growth in the population. The better approach here is to find a way to build good infrastructure rather than slow down our growth prospects by limiting population growth." Education and tourism would suffer Export revenue from international students is worth more than $20 billion a year to the Australian economy and is today our third biggest export after coal and iron ore. Tourism also supports the jobs of nearly one million Australians. The chief executive of the Tourism & Transport Forum Australia, Margy Osmond, says halting immigration would hurt the industry. "Particularly for the Chinese market, holidays, education and long-stay family reunions are a big reason for them to come here, stay longer and spend more in our economy," says Osmond.

Shutting the doors to New Zealanders would also hurt reunion visits from that country, which remains our biggest source of inbound tourists at 1.3 million visits a year. "Overall, there is a tourism benefit from being perceived as an open, multicultural and welcoming country," she says It'd be harder to find a doctor Angela Julian-Armitage is a barrister and national president of the Migration Institute of Australia, a body representing Australia's migration lawyers and agents, who in turn represent both migrants and businesses looking to hire migrants. Loading
Five alleged bikie affiliates are due to front court on Monday after a nightclub brawl that left a bouncer with a severed ear.

Police alleged the Cairns security guard had a glass bottle smashed over his head just after midnight on Sunday as he tried to evict a group including the five men from The Attic Lounge Bar, attached to the popular Gilligan's backpacker hostel.

Police alleged five men with links to the Lone Wolf bikie gang were involved in a brawl at a Cairns nightclub. Credit:Daniel Adams

The man allegedly had a glass bottle smashed over his head, severing his ear and causing a large cut to his head.

Police alleged the five New South Wales men were affiliate members of the the Gold Coast-Tweed Heads chapter of the Lone Wolf bikie gang.
Police are looking for a woman who went missing just seven weeks after arriving in Australia.

The 24-year-old went missing from Isabella Street, Collingwood Park, in Ipswich, about 7pm Saturday.

This 24-year-old woman went missing from Collingwood Park. Police say she had only been in Australia for seven weeks and speaks very little English.

Police are concerned for her welfare because she speaks very little English.

She is described as being African in appearance, is around 180cms tall and has brown hair and a slim build.
The West Australian government has been accused of wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on property investment in Pilbara mining towns, many of which are currently empty houses.

The Labor opposition has identified $290 million of what it says is property speculation.

Property values in Karratha have plunged a staggering 60 to 80 per cent. Credit:Aaron Bunch

The government says it was necessary investment to provide housing amid rapid growth driven by the mining boom in towns such as Port Hedland and Karratha.

The valuer-general found those property assets were now worth $110 million, a more than one-third loss, based on the current market, Labor housing spokesman Fran Logan told AAP.
It has been a horror 24 hours on West Australian roads, with now two more people killed - this time in a crash in the Pilbara on Sunday morning.

Their deaths in Paraburdoo have brought WA's road toll to seven in the past 24 hours, with a further five people hospitalised.

Paraburdoo - Sunday 9.40am

Two men in their 20s died at the scene after their Ford Falcon hit a Toyota Hilux utility head-on about 35 kilometres west of Paraburdoo, on Tom Price-Paraburdoo Road.

The man and woman in the Hilux were taken to Paraburdoo Hospital with injuries.
Birmingham: Boris Johnson says Britain will be more active and energised in the world after Brexit and said the world needs Britain more than ever, lamenting the erosion of liberal democracies and the West's insecurity post-GFC and Iraq war.

The Foreign Secretary also hit out at Russia, accusing it of being complicit in bombing hospitals in Aleppo, in a wide-ranging, funny and thoughtful speech that stole the show on day one of the Tory conference in Birmingham.

His speech followed a major funding announcement by his colleague, the Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel, who promised 750 million ($1.27 billion) to the government of Afghanistan to help combat the resurgent Taliban.

Mr Johnson, who campaigned for Leave, only lightly touched on Brexit  in stark contrast to Prime Minister Theresa May's speech, in which she committed to a so-called 'hard Brexit,' which would see Britain control its migration and leave the single market.
Calais: French police have fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters defending migrants in the northern city of Calais as the government prepares to shut down the city's notorious migrant camp.

The demonstrators - including activists from migrant support groups, a far-left presidential candidate and migrants themselves - defied a ban by authorities on Saturday's protest. The protesters say they are expressing solidarity with the migrants, who face imminent expulsion from the camp.

Hundreds of people came in by bus from other cities, and were met by police, who used tear gas to disperse them and keep them from marching into the city center.

Five police officers and a journalist sustained light injuries, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Regional official Vincent Berton said the demonstrators were throwing stones at police and the protest had been forbidden because "the situation is already tense".
J. L. BELL is a Massachusetts writer who specializes in (among other things) the start of the American Revolution in and around Boston. He is particularly interested in the experiences of children in 1765-75. He has published scholarly papers and popular articles for both children and adults. He was consultant for an episode of History Detectives, and contributed to a display at Minute Man National Historic Park.
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Religiously observant Muslims and Jews convened in lower Manhattan last week to discuss an item of vital interest to both:

Head scarves.

And long skirts. And high collars. And how much arm one can expose.

And whatever tension may or may not exist between the faiths on a political level vanished at a symposium on dressing modestly yet fashionably, organized by Daniel Cole of the NYU Costume Studies department and opened by Nancy Deihl, the director of the program.

To give you an idea of how this topic cuts across religious lines, try to guess which of these statements was made by a Jewish woman, and which by a Muslim woman:

I dress modestly because God commanded me to, as a way to focus on my value as a person.

Why do women cover? Sexuality is something that belongs in the home.

Answer: Jew, Muslim. But they were both nodding along with each other.

The Jewish woman here is Michelle Honig, a fashion journalist who often writes about the intersection of fashion and modesty. She was wearing a green striped sweater with a white long-sleeve shirt underneath, a slim dark skirt, and long blonde hair  a wig that mostly, but not totally (she admitted) covers her hair. Her shoes looked straight out of Vogue.

Admittedly, she said, the idea of a religiously observant Muslim, Jewish, or even Christian woman doesnt bring to mind very fashionable women.

But just because they are covering more of themselves than your average secular lass doesnt mean they have to be dowdy. Honig goes shopping at popular stores, browsing through the racks, each piece going through some mental calculation of how to modest-ify it.

To do that, she usually adds layers, or maybe shell sew up the slit of a slinky skirt. Voila: a fashionable young woman in normal clothes that just happen to cover the knees and elbows.

Dian Pelangi, head designer of the Indonesian fashion company that bears her name, took the podium next, looking regal in a stunning floor-length green cape with a black hood. Hijab means to cover,  she explained to half the audience that wasnt already wearing one of these Muslim headcoverings.

There was a time when the hijab was considered weird, backwards and old-fashioned, Pelangi said. But now it is huge trend. Witness the fact that a Jakarta designer showed the first modest fashion line at New York Fashion Week this year. And the fact both Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY brought out a Ramadan collection. Or even the fact that Pelangi herself has 4.3 million Twitter followers who look to her for advice on modest styles.

With 23 percent of the worlds population Islamic, catering to Muslim womens fashion needs makes business sense.

For me, said Pelangi, modest fashion is the next emerging market.

And yet, for the women at this symposium, fashion meant more than just looking good.

The fashion world as it exists today is about very public sexuality, said Ann Shafer, an art historian and architect specializing in Islamic culture who teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology. So Im trying to provide another world view  the view that sexuality is not a sort of public phenomenon.

Shafer herself converted to Islam and was covered except for her face.

But dont think this made her  or any of the women on the panel  feel second class. On the contrary, they spoke of the freedom and joy of dressing this way.

In countries like America, where women have the choice to dress any way they please, If women still choose to cover their bodies, said Honig, they are not victims who need to be saved, theyre making a statement. They take pride in their modesty because its part of who they are.

Added Shafer, It is often assumed that Muslim women who wear conservative dress dont have a relationship to their bodies. On the contrary, Islam is very open about sort of how to treat your body as a sexual phenomenon  just not in public.

The other speakers concurred. They dont want to be thought of as sexless, just maybe excess-less. Rejecting a culture that reveals too much.

Modest dress should not be the other choice, just an equal choice, said Malky Weichbrod, the observant Jew behind the website, My Therapist Told Me to Write a Fashion Blog.

And if ladies kick it up a notch by making it look great, theyve got the best of both worlds. As Lyn Bakri, founder of the modest fashion line Aneeqa, said, You dont have to show much skin to look beautiful and be confident.

The women at NYU, in their robes and scarves, wigs and heels, were evidence of that.

Read Lenore Skenazys column every Sunday morning on Brook lynPa per.com
Porter is getting to umpire his second World Series

Alan Porter is working his second World Series as an umpire. He'll be behind home plate if the Phillies and Astros need a Game 7.
Phillies are World Series bound! How to watch, plus the full schedule

The Phillies are heading to the World Series for the first time since 2009. Follow along as Philadelphia takes on the Houston Astros.
News / Regional

by Stephen Jakes

The Zesa's subsidiary, Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has sued a Beitbridge resident Elias Mhlanga of Glory to Glory Lutumba stand over an electricity bill amounting to$12 930,38 being money he owes the company on supply of electricity.ZETDC filed summons at the Bulawayo High Court on September 27."The plaintiff claim is against defendant for payment of $12 930, 38 being arrear bills for electricity supplied and consumed by defendant at a property known as Glory to Glory Lutumba Stand No. 29-30 Lutumba , Beitbridge which money is long overdue," ZETDC submitted.The company also demanded 5% interest and gave the respondent 10 days to respond to the summons.The company said despite demand Mhlanga has refused, neglected or failed to pay.Mhlanga is yet to file appearance to defend the claim.
If you love to sport a beard but find it difficult to maintain, you have help. Beardo, an Ahmedabad-based start-up, offers oils, washes, balm, wax and combs for beards.
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Arav Joshi (26) completed his flying course from a New Zealand-based training academy in 2012. That did not translate into a job. He then did a type-rating course from a Pune-based facility in 2014. The total expenditure came to around Rs 50 lakh. He is still without a job.
The most-watched online sales on Sunday were about Apple and pizza, property and Harry Potter, attracting first-time buyers from Sangli and Hisar, while not letting the regulars from Delhi and Mumbai leave.
Gurgaon based online marketplace major witnessed as many as two million users getting logged into the portal during the first hour of sale, the company said.



which launched its first sale after it went for a complete re-branding exercise said that early trends showed a huge jump in mobiles, appliances, personal electronics and furniture items.
Police forcefully tried to evict the Anti-Mining Protesters in Hazaribagh then open fired killing four people. Photo: Twitter

At least four villagers were killed and more than 20 injured in police firing in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Saturday morning, an officer said.

"Prohibitory orders were imposed in area. The situation is under control. Additional forces were sent to spot," Inspector General Operation and Police spokesperson M S Bhatia told IANS.

According to Bhatia, the problem began when police took Congress legislator Nirmala Devi from Barkagaon in Hazaribagh into custody.

She has been staging a protest at the Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant gate for last few days.

"The NTPC was finding difficulties in taking heavy machines inside the work area. Police took custody of the Congress legislator. The villagers forcefully freed Nirmala Devi and abducted Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Circle Officer (CO) and thrashed them brutally. Additional reinforcement were sent. The aggressive villagers continued pelting stones on the police," said Bhatia.

At least six policemen were critically injured and two police vehicles torched after which the police opened fire at the villagers.

The ASP was rushed to Ranchi for treatment.

The villagers supported by the opposition parties were protesting against land acquisition and low compensation amount by the NTPC.

Earlier, former Congress MLA of Barkagaon Yogendra Sao fought for the cause of the villagers and later his wife Nirmala Devi, now MLA, supported them.

The NTPC Barkagaon project is facing protest since 2004.

In 2010, coal mines in the area were allocated to the NTPC but work could not begin.

The entire opposition showing solidarity with the villagers had visited the Barkagaon in July this year.

The NTPC had lodged an FIR against former Chief Minister and Vikas Morcha-Prajantantrik (JVM-P) president Babulal Marandi, former central minister and Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay and others for entering into the mining area without permission.

Earlier in August, the opposition leaders had surrendered in the Hazaribagh court but the police refused to arrest them.

The issue was taken by Chief Minister Raghubar Das. Hazaribagh MP and central minister Jayant Sinha and former central minister and BJP leader Yashwant Sinha held meeting with the Chief Minister and villagers.

The opposition parties have condemned the firing.

Last month, two persons were killed in police firing in Ramgarh district during protests for land acquisition and proper compensation. The villagers were protesting against the Inland Power at Gola.

--IANS

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A day after the Patna High Court scrapped the Bihar government's prohibition law, saying it was "draconian" in nature and application, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said would be reinforced in the state, and if need be his government would approach the Supreme Court on the matter.

"From today, has been reinforced in Bihar. Now, people are not wasting money on alcohol like before. It is inspired from Mahatma Gandhi. We will mark the centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha movement by implementing the new Act on Gandhi Jayanti," Nitish told media here.

Asserting that liquor consumption is a social stigma, Nitish said that prohibition would improve society.

He added that one should see how peaceful the environment has become in some villages after the prohibition was introduced, before which there was utter chaos.

"All the previous excise laws, including the one quashed by the high court on Friday, would be repealed with the enforcement of the new Act. The people should go and see the post-prohibition peaceful environment in villages which earlier used to present a picture of chaos, especially in the evenings," he added.

Nitish said the prohibition is saving people's thousands of crores as they are not wasting it on alcohol.

"These savings will boost the economy of the state in the long run as people would invest it in businesses," he added.

The new Act contains harsher provisions such as making all adults culpable in case a liquor-related offence is committed in a house and imposition of community penalty in case of repeated offence of manufacturing liquor or trading in it in a village.

Some of the old provisions that would find place in the new law are penalising someone for allowing use of premises for a liquor-related offence, penalising a company and everyone in charge of its affairs if the offender is a company, and fining the owner of a house from where utensils meant for making liquor are found.
Ltd (DIAL) has moved the Delhi High Court to restrain anyone from interfering in construction of a boundary wall at IGI airport here, saying the airfield has been perceived as an "important target" after Pathankot airbase attack in January this year.

In an application, DIAL has said that boundary wall would add "another line of defence" in the security of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport which falls under the category of "hyper-sensitive" airport.

Bodies of four terrorists were found after a counter- operation by the Indian forces at the Pathankot air base in January this year.

DIAL has alleged that construction work of the wall has been stopped due to violent protests by residents of village Shahbad Mohammadpur, which is near to the airport, despite the fact that construction was exclusively on the airport land.

"It is pertinent to mention that the IGI airport falls under the category of hyper-sensitive airport and has been perceived as an important target by terrorist organisations especially after the attack on the air base at Pathankot," it said.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal has asked the association, representing the village, and authorities concerned to file their reply to DIAL's application.

The bench has fixed the matter for hearing on October 17.

DIAL has said that safety and security of IGI airport was paramount as it is a highly sensitive area.

"The boundary wall on the perimeter of the IGI airport is being built exclusively on the airport land and not on land belonging to any other authority or private land," it said, adding, "The wall will also prevent any encroachment on the airport land."



It has sought the court's direction to restrain anyone from interfering or obstructing with construction of boundary wall along the operational wall of IGI airport. It has also pleaded the HC to restrain anyone from encroaching on the airport land.

It has also sought a direction to the police station concerned to take appropriate steps for ensuring completion of the outer boundary wall.
MP Jayant Sinha on Saturday said the incident is truly sad and unfortunate and proper actions will be taken accordingly.

"It is a big, unfortunate and a sad incident. I talked to the DG right now and he told me what all happened. It has been reported that four people have been killed and it is sad that firing was necessitated. Attack on the officers is a grave matter, as attacking government officials is against our law and traditions," Sinha said.

"It is important that the attackers are brought to the book and proper punishment is given," he added.

At least four people were killed and more than six injured in clashes between police and protesters under Barkagaon police station area of district in Jharkhand on Saturday

An Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations) and a Circle Officer were seriously injured after being abducted and assaulted by a mob. Their vehicles were also torched.

Denying the allegations that the state government did not tackle the situation well, Sinha said, "It is not true. We have handled the situation peacefully, and as I mentioned a few days back, we presented proposals and we tried to address the grievances and complaints of people in a sincere and genuine manner. We had almost solved their problems. When we had come to an arrangement, such protests and destructive politics are not in the benefit of the public."

ALSO READ: 4 Jharkhand villagers killed in police firing over NTPC land issue

The incident occurred in the aftermath of the arrest of Congress MLA from Barkagaon Nirmala Devi, who was leading a protest against a coal mining project for NTPC, early Saturday morning. Nirmala Devi was leading the protest, which they called 'Kafan Satyagarah', even as the administration had imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

"I appeal to them to carry out the proceedings in a peaceful manner. There is no need for dharnas or protests, as we are working for welfare of the people and looking into the demands of the people. We will try to keep everyone safe and find an appropriate solution," Sinha added.
India has not attacked any country and is neither hungry to grab anyone's land, but its men have made the supreme sacrifice of fighting for the cause and others, Prime Minister said on Sunday.

His comments came in the backdrop of Pakistan's constant clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international fora.

"India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for land. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 150,000 Indian soldiers had laid down their lives," the Prime Minister said at the inauguration ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra.

Modi said the Indian community abroad did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power in foreign lands.

They, on the other hand, mingle with other communities by following the principle of social well being.

He lamented that despite the great price, the country could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifice. He said whenever he was abroad, he made it a point to visit the memorials for the Indian soldiers.

The Prime Minister said the Indian community can contribute to the cause. He said Indians settled abroad do not indulge in politics and neither do they believe in grabbing power there. Indians, Modi noted, lived abroad with the principle of "social well being."



"They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per need," he said.

The Prime Minister said there were countries where the Indian community was more powerful than the Indian missions and could help removing the "fear of unknown" amongst the people there towards India.

While much was spoken about brain drain, if the strength of the Indian diaspora was channelised, "we can convert it into 'brain gain'," he said.

Like dams channelise the energy of water to make electricity, a source is required to utilise the energy of the 24.5-million strong Indian diaspora to "light up India", Modi said.

He also commended the role of the Ministry of External Affairs in helping people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and pulling out Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.

Modi said India has made a place for itself and the world now accepts India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid and added that other nations now sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from trouble spots.
Having served World Bank as its chief economist for about four years, Indias former chief economic advisor says he will not take up any position in the Indian government and plans to return to Cornell University and focus on his research projects.



Basu also said that his experience at the World Bank taught him that a lot of policy in todays global world has to step beyond individual nations and cautioned against attempts by big corporations attempting to play one nation against another.



We need multi-lateral effort, we need global initiatives. This is true from broad monetary policy to micro tax policy. The big corporations today straddle multiple countries and can easily play one nation against another. This global policy perch that my job provided me was very exciting, Basu said in an interview on his last day in office this Friday as senior vice-president and chief economist at World Bank.



Basu, whose name was earlier doing the rounds among probable contenders for the post of RBI (Reserve Bank of India) Governor as a successor to Raghuram Rajan, ruled out taking up any position from the Indian government. Incidentally, Rajan has also returned to academia to teach at Chicago Booth School of Business after his tenure at RBI ended on September 4.



To a question on any possible new role in the Indian government, Basu said, Not now, and for two reasons. First, the government will not offer it, and second, I wont take it. My most important task is a research project on understanding why laws are so often so good on paper but so poorly implemented.



This will involve economic theory, law, game theory and a lot of thinking. I have some exciting ideas and my plan is to focus on these over the next several months. Basu, who had served as chief economic advisor in India during the previous UPA government, will resume his academic career at Cornell Universitys new campus in New York but will continue to write from to time.



He said his earlier experience with the Indian government helped him a lot at World Bank, saying it can be very bureaucratic.



Talking about his experience at the World Bank, Basu said, Today is my last day here. I joined the Bank exactly four years ago. It has been a wonderful experience. Being Chief Economist of the World Bank allowed me to bring the best ideas from the world of economic theory to policymaking.



I had the opportunity of fascinating interactions with not only leaders and Finance Ministers, but ordinary workers, farmers, and civil society activists in remote parts of the world. This involved learning but also gave me the opportunity to carry economic theory to the real world.



Basu said there are policy practitioners who will never know the joy of single-minded pursuit of ideas and then there are research economists, who dont get to experience policy at work on the ground.



"I am instinctively a researcher, and can spend disproportionate amount of time pursuing one inquiry. It was pure good fortune on my part that I got to experience and combine both-the mythical theory and practice. There is of course adjustment involved in this. The World Bank can be very bureaucratic. Luckily, I had had nearly three years' experience in GOI before coming here.

"As a result, I quickly found myself quite at ease dealing with the bureaucracy as well as the politics, which all such large organisations have. Thereafter it was not hard to carry out the various plans I had for the Bank, from initiating new knowledge work, through improving its many products, to enhancing interaction between research and practice," he added.

In his advice for those in leadership roles, Basu said too many people spend too much time trying to get their word in, though the secret of success is not to waste time getting your say, but to focus, instead, on getting your way.

"I do feel good about what I achieved; but last week as I was clearing my office, the largest folder was one marked 'To do'. That always gives a sinking feeling but I suppose that is part of life," he said.
Some activists of Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of BJP, on Sunday attempted to show black flags to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here while protesting over the issue of fees and admission in private self-financing medical colleges.

The incident occurred when the chief minister was returning after paying floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Bhavan at Thycaud here on his 147th birth anniversary, police said.

The Morcha activists ran behind Vijayan's car and convoy holding black flags and raising slogans, but were removed from there immediately, they said.

Besides the Yuva Morcha, outfits like Youth Congress and Students Union are also on the warpath for some time against the CPI(M)-led LDF government, demanding scrapping the pact which it signed with managements of private medical colleges.

Activists of YC and KSU had also waved black flags to Vijayan recently as part of their agitation.

The chief minister's jibe at the Youth Congress protest that those who showed black flag against him were not YC activists, but somebody "hired by television channels" had triggered an uproar in and outside the Assembly last week.
has mounted an international effort to disprove the Indian Army's claim of having successfully raided "terrorist launch pads" across the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday.
The Centre and the Maharashtra government have arrived at a consensus on the development of a mega and petrochemical complex in the Konkan region.
After hours of searching, I pulled on to a dirt track here in the rolling hills of Cambridgeshire and spotted a small dot whirring across the blue sky, gently swaying in the breeze as it steadily flew about 200 feet above the ground.
is throwing its energies into reaching a settlement before next month's presidential election with US authorities demanding a fine of up to $14 billion for mis-selling mortgage-backed securities.
India will ratify the landmark Paris climate deal on Sunday to bring into force the agreement expected to give momentum to implementation of measures at level to control global warming.

Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin will hand over signed documents to the head of UN treaty division at the opening of the special event to mark the Day of Non-Violence.

The move comes after President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to a proposal approved earlier by the government to coincide with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on September 25 said: "There is one work left in the CoP21 (Conference of Parties). Ratification is yet to be done and India too is yet to do it."

Marking a moment in history, India had joined over 170 countries in signing the pact in April that brought together developing and developed nations for beginning work on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming.

The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the level to control global warming.

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told reporters in New Delhi on Saturday that "this (decision) was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a messege... India is fast becoming a super power".

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after the US and China which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.

Earlier this month, the US and China had formally joined the Paris agreement, which was adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change last December in Paris.

The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. So far, 61 countries have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval, accounting for 47.8 per cent of global emissions.

With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions will have ratified the accord.
The stock has more than doubled over the past year, with a third of the gains coming over three months. The benchmark Sensex, on the other hand, has gained only 6.3 per cent in the past year.
Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan after the recent surgical strikes by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC), the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has decided to withdraw its participation from the Pakistan International Series scheduled to be held in Islamabad later this month.

BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta confirmed the news, saying that no Indian player would participate in the BWF International series which will be held from October 18 to October 21.

"The announcement comes as an act of solidarity with the decisions of the Government of India in the wake of ongoing tensions between the two countries," Gupta said.

"On behalf of the council members of BAI and the entire badminton fraternity, we express strong concerns and support towards the sentiments of our fellow citizens of India," he added.

In the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, the Indian Army carried surgical strikes across the LoC to neutralise terrorists from crossing over into India.

Two Pakistani soldiers and over 30 terrorists were reportedly killed in the attack.

The surgical strikes were in response to the terrorist attack at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 19 Indian Army soldiers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China has reportedly taken a step aimed at cautioning India against moving too far in its tussle with Pakistan.

According to a report appearing in the state-owned Xinhua news agency, China has blocked a tributary of the Brahmaputra river as part of a major hydroelectric project, whose construction began in 2014.

The Xinhua report has reported the blockage of a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo river.

The Brahmaputra in its upper reaches is called Yarlung Zangbo, after it originates from the Angsi glacier in western Tibet, southeast of Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake.

This move by China appears to be coinciding with India's decision last week to revisit the Indus Water Treaty, 1960 with Pakistan after a cross-border terrorist raid was made on an army base camp in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian Army soldiers.

According to Xinhua, China's action on Friday falls within the parameters of the larger Lalho project that began in 2014. The project on the Xiabuqu river in Xigaze city, also called Shigatse, involves an investment of USD 740 million, the head of the project's administrative bureau was quoted, as saying.

The multipurpose enterprise, which includes construction of two power stations, was scheduled for completion in 2019. Shigatse, a railhead of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, is a few hours driving distance away from the junction of Bhutan and Sikkim. It is also the city from where China intends to extend its railway towards Nepal.

Whether the blocking of the tributary or the proposed dam will have any impact on water flows towards India and Bangladesh is as yet uncertain.

China maintains that its dams do not restrict the flow of water towards India as they are based on run-of-the river principle.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The close bilateral cooperation between India and Kazakhstan in the fields of art and culture was recently visible when well known Kazakh violinist Marat Bizengaliev performed at a concert here to mark the 10th anniversary of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI).

The concert was held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai on Friday, and included selections from western classical maestros like American composer and conductor Leonard Berstein, 19th century Austrian composer Johann Strauss II; 19th century French composer Alexandre Cesar Leopold Bizet and others.

Tickets for the concert were sold out a week in advance of the event, and the audience consisted of connoisseurs of classical music and others.

Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India, Bulat Sarsenbayev, who is also a connoisseur of classical music, said, " I was lucky enough to attend the concert of the Symphony Orchestra of India led by Kazakh musician Marat Bisengaliev . This is an example of real cooperation between Kazakhstan and India in the field of art and culture."

Earlier this week, the SOI also organized another concert that featured a young and rising star in the world of classical music -Sanzharali Kopbayev from Kazakhstan.

The SOI was founded in 2006 and Marat Bisengaliev is its music director. The Mumbai-based orchestra has performed in Moscow, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Zuricj, Geneva and St. Gallen.

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Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has made it clear that direct transfer payments is going to be the rule in future with tremendous success in targeting the beneficiaries without the problem of any leakages.

Delivering the keynote address at the conference on 'Digital Payments: Inclusion, Growth and Opportunities' organised by Observer Research Foundation in association with Better Than Cash Alliance in Delhi on Saturday.

Explaining the benefits of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) which is helping the government to target the needy better, Jaitley said, "I am sure this going to be the rule in future."

Jaitley said now with the apprehensions some people earlier had on direct payments been adequately addressed, "the system will be enough to take care of these".

He pointed out though the discourses on Unique Identity (UID) and DBT began and continued parallel, now it has got converged.

The minister said the DBT has helped the government to pay subsidies and other benefits directly to the identified needy, helping it to plug leakages and end corruption and fraudulent means in financial benefits disbursement.

He said he has no doubt that DBTs are essential for rationalisation, better targeting and effective implementation of the subsidies and other benefits.

With the success in the DBT now, the government is planning to expand the mission to other areas as well as the government has effectively implemented JAM, Jan Dhan-Aadhar-Mobile) trinity through the powerful Digital India, Jaitley said.

He noted that over 240 million people had opened accounts following the Jan Dhan programme launch within a couple of weeks, if not days.

He strongly refuted the criticism that majority of the accounts opened through the programme is dormant. When he was asked about this criticism, the Finance Minster confidently said "it is not correct". He said more than 80 percent of the accounts are working well.

"Some may be dormant now, like few in tribal areas. But with the government planning to make use of DBT more, these accounts will become active," he pointed.

Later NITI Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government is trying its best to make doing in India simpler and simpler. He said the government is conscious of the fact that if the global supply chain needs to shift to India, it has to open up its economy, and the Modi government has taken several steps towards it.

He said this has resulted in 53 percent jump in FDI in India while the world over it registered 16 percent decline.

Kant said tech is going to be the differentiator in the future between countries, and for that digital transactions and cashless society play a very important role.

He expected India to move to a cashless society by 2023. "Cash is dead. Digital payment is the future," Kant declared as he said some barriers to digital payments in rural India like regional language gateways need to be fixed.

Talking of the great future of India, Kant also expected the country's e-commerce, which is now at 20 billion, to leapjump to 250-280 million.

During the conference, Catalyst, the inclusive cashless payment partnership, between the government of India and the USAID with the aim of helping the underprivileged, was also launched.

The conference had sessions on 'Realising the Digital Payments Potential of India', 'Digital Federalism - How States are Leading the Transformation' and 'Creating the Digital Last Mile' in which senior officials of the government of India, State governments, private players and academia participated.

The objective of the conference brought together high-level decision makes, private sector players and civil society to debate and deliver solutions to accelerate digital inclusion, digital businesses and digital growth. They discussed why digital payments are a key driver for financial inclusion and a digital economy and the necessary strategic considerations to move away from cash to digital payments. The government, private practitioners and experts showcased India's capability to be global leader in this field.

The government has identified digital gateways that hold transformative potential for the country. The Digital India Initiative with JAM and Less Cash India, are today the centre-piece of India's development and inclusive growth efforts.

Over a billion mobile connections, quarter of a billion bank accounts (Jan-Dhan) and a digital identity database (Aadhar) of a billion strong are catalysing this strong policy push.

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It's been almost four months that the first Zika virus-related death in the continental U.S. occurred, but two aspects of this case continue to puzzle experts.

First, why did this patient die? It is quite rare for a Zika infection to cause severe illness in adults, much less death. Second, how did another individual, who visited the first while in the hospital, become ill from Zika? This second patient did not do anything that was known at the time to put people at risk for contracting the virus.

Details from the two cases point to an unusually high concentration of virus in the first patient's blood as being responsible for his death. The phenomenon may also explain how the second patient may have contracted the virus by touching the tears or sweat from the primary patient, the first such documented case.

"This rare case is helping us to understand the full spectrum of the disease, and the precautions we may need to take to avoid passing the virus from one person to another in specific situations," says corresponding author Sankar Swaminathan.

He collaborated with coauthors Robert Schlaberg and Kimberly Hanson from ARUP Laboratories, and Julia Lewis, D.O. from the University of Utah School of Medicine.

"This type of information could help us improve treatments for Zika as the virus continues to spread across the world and within our country."

From the letter in NEJM, a story unfolds. Last May, patient one, a 73-year-old man, traveled to southwest Mexico, a Zika-infected area. Eight days after returning, he started having abdominal pain and fever, and by the time he was admitted to the University of Utah hospital he also had inflamed, watery eyes, low blood pressure and a rapid heart rate. Despite the medical staff's best efforts to stabilize him, his condition declined rapidly.

During this time, patient two came to visit and reported wiping away Patient 1's tears and helping to reposition him in the hospital bed. It wasn't long before Patient 1 slipped into septic shock, and his kidneys, lungs and other organs started to shut down. He died shortly thereafter.

Even though it's well known that Zika can cause severe brain damage in unborn babies, symptoms are typically mild in adults. Only nine other Zika-related deaths have been reported worldwide, says Swaminathan.

Despite the odds, tests performed after Patient 1's death revealed that he had Zika. Patient 1 was initially identified as being potentially infected with Zika virus during validation of a real time PCR test for Zika virus that is currently under development at ARUP Laboratories, and was subsequently confirmed as positive by both the Utah Department of and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Further investigation using Taxonomer, a tool developed by scientists at University of Utah and ARUP Laboratories, that rapidly analyzes all genetic material from infectious agents in a patient's sample, showed there were no other infections that explained his illness. It also found that the Zika virus that infected the patient was 99.8 percent identical to that carried by a mosquito collected from southwest Mexico, the same region that Patient 1 had visited a few weeks prior.

Seven days after Patient 1's death, Patient 2 was meeting with Swaminathan to talk about what had happened when the doctor noticed that his visitor had red, watery eyes, a common Zika symptom. Tests confirmed his suspicion, but in contrast to Patient 1 this patient only had mild symptoms that resolved within the following week.

Like Patient 1's death, Patient 2's diagnosis was unexpected. The species of mosquito that carries Zika had not been found in Utah and Patient 2 had not traveled to a Zika-infected area. A reconstruction of events ruled out other known means of catching the virus.

"This case expands our appreciation for how Zika virus can potentially spread from an infected patient to a non-infected patient without sexual contact or a mosquito vector," says Couturier. "This and any future cases will force the medical community to critically re-evaluate established triage processes for determining which patients receive Zika testing and which do not."

The authors believe that the reason behind the unusual nature of the case lies in yet another anomaly. Patient 1's blood had a very high concentration of virus, at 200 million particles per milliliter.

"I couldn't believe it," said Swaminathan. "The viral load was 100,000 times higher than what had been reported in other Zika cases, and was an unusually high amount for any infection."

The observation opens up the possibility that the extraordinary amount of virus overwhelmed the patient's system, and made him extremely infectious.

Still, what led to the unusually severe infection in the first place remains unknown. Was there something about Patient 1's biology or history that made him particularly susceptible? There were small differences in the virus' genetic material compared to other samples of Zika virus, did they cause the virus to be exceptionally aggressive?

"We may never see another case like this one," said Swaminathan. "But one thing this case shows us is that we still have a lot to learn about Zika."

Researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine and ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City begin to unravel the mystery in a correspondence published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid homage to the Father of the Nation, on his 147th birth anniversary today and said that his ideals, dedication to the poor and struggle against injustice were inspiring.

President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Modi and other dignitaries visited Rajghat, the Samadhi of to offer tributes.

Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Senior BJP leader L K Advani, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also paid homage to the Father of the nation.

An all religion prayer meeting was organised at Rajghat and a series of functions are being organised across the country to mark the day.

President Pranab Mukherjee in his message said, "Gandhiji taught the value of harmonious co-existence and mutual respect and his ideals of non-violence, freedom, equality and religious tolerance have eternal value."

He asked the people to imbibe wisdom from Gandhiji's thoughts and actions to address the challenges confronting the nation.

He also urged the people to keep alive in their hearts and minds at all times the principles of tolerance and non-violence.

Invoking Gandhiji's belief that cleanliness was next to godliness, the President called for concerted efforts to realize the dream of a Swachh and Samarth Bharat.

The nation also remembers the former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary today.

Born in 1904, he joined the Indian independence movement in the 1920s and held several important portfolios in the Jawaharlal Nehru's government including Railways and as Home Minister.

Lal Bahadur Shastri led the country during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and gave the slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" which became very popular and is remembered even today.

A special programme is also being held at the Shastri Memorial at Shastri Street in Tashkent where floral tributes will be paid at his statue.
The United States this evening welcomed India's decision to join the Paris Climate Change agreement.

In a statement issued on Sunday, U.S. Ambassador Richard Verma welcomed India's decision as "a bold and decisive step in combating climate change".

"India's ratification provides indispensable political momentum to securing entry into force of the Paris Agreement this year, sending an enduring and irreversible market signal that low-carbon development is 21st century development, which will yield tremendous benefits not only for producers and consumers in India, but for those around the world," said the statement.

"We commend Prime Minister Modi for his leadership and thank all those who have worked on the Agreement over many years. We look forward to continuing our close friendship with India and furthering our work together on climate change and clean energy, so that we may provide future generations a world to be proud of and treasure," it added.

Earlier, US President Barack Obama also hailed India's submission of its instrument of ratification to the United Nations in New York for the Paris Climate Change Agreement on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy," tweeted Obama.

France also welcomed this move in a statement saying, "The President of the Republic welcomes the ratification of the Paris Agreement by India, on this symbolic day commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday."

So far 61 nations have ratified the landmark agreement on climate change accounting for a total of 47.79 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions.

India's ratification would take that figure to 51.89 per cent.

The objective of the Paris Agreement is to reduce the emissions from 50 to 40 gigatons, or to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels. Some developing countries have pledged to reduce carbon footprints in the form of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).

Adopted in Paris by the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference known as COP21, the agreement calls on countries to combat climate change and to intensify actions and investments needed for a sustainable low-carbon future, as well as to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.

The pact - which was signed in New York on April 22 by 175 countries at the largest, single-day signing ceremony in history - will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stating that the verdict of the Cauvery Tribunal Award is against Karnataka and not based on information, the Janata Dal (Secular) on Sunday asserted that the people of the state and the political parties won't allow the waters from the Cauvery river to be released.

JD (S) leader Danish Ali told ANI, "The verdict of the Cauvery Tribunal Award is against Karnataka. It's not based on information. The civil appeal of Karnataka is pending in the Supreme Court...which will be heard by a three-judge bench on October 18. The political parties and people of Karnataka won't allow the release of water from Cauvery basin."

Ali added, "Now what is the need of immediate formation of water management board within four days? First let decision come on Karnataka's appeal. That's why the Karnataka Government has decided that it won't give its nominee to the water management board."

The apex court on Friday asked Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from Saturday till October 6, while warning that "no one would know when the 'wrath of the law' would fall on it".

It ordered all the stakeholders - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pudduchery - to give names by 4 pm on Saturday of their representatives to be included in the board, which would be chaired by the Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti.

The apex court gave the last opportunity to the Siddaramiah government to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from October 1-6, despite a unanimous resolution passed by both house of Assembly.

The court noted that despite being a state, Karnataka is flouting the order and creating a situation when the majesty of law is dented, adding that the court would have proceeded to take steps for strict compliance of the order, but it had directed the Cauvery Water Management Board to first study the ground realities and submit a report.

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Manipur observed the 147th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as Cleanliness Day and Non-Violence Day.

The main function is being held at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hall, organised by the Manipur Home Department.

Today's function is being graced by Manipur Governor Dr. Najma

Heptulla and Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh as the Chief Guest and President, respectively.

On the occasion, Governor Heptullah led people in paying floral tribute to Gandhiji.

Senior Cabinet ministers and MLAs, top civil, police and government officials led by Chief Secretary O. Nabakeshwore also attended the function.

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The Investigative Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested six persons in Kerala's Kannur district for their alleged involvement in a criminal conspiracy to commit terrorist acts across southern India.

According to an NIA release, the accused were inspired by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), and were collecting explosives and other offensive material for targeting important persons and places of public importance in various parts of south India.

Acting on a tip-off, the NIA along with Kerala Police, Delhi Police and Telangana Police, launched surveillance on the movements of the accused involved in the conspiracy.

During searches conducted today in Kozikhode and Kannur, NIA arrested five people while they were conducting a meeting at Kanakamala hilltop, whereas the sixth person was detained from Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode district and arrested later on.

Incriminating material, including electronic devices, were seized from their possession while searching their premises.

The investigative agency has registered the case under sections 120B, 121, 121A and 122 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 18, 18B, 20, 38 & 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against the accused who have been identified as Manseed, Abu Basheer, Swalih Mohammed, Safwan P, Jasim NK, Ramshad and Nageelan Kandiyil.

The accused will be produced before the NIA Special Court in Ernakulam seeking their police custody for further examination.

Meanwhile, follow up searches are being conducted by the NIA in Chennai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Kannur, Kozikhode and Mallapuram in Kerala with the support of Tamil Nadu and Kerala police.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murali Manohar Joshi on Sunday reiterated that Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) is Indian territory and that the Army had taken correct step of conducting surgical strikes.

"Those saying our army carried out surgical strikes inside Pakistan are wrong, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is Indian territory. PoK is a part of our nation and it is the resolution of the Parliament that Kashmir is a part of our country. So, these infiltrators entered our territory and attacked, and finally, we took action. It was a well thought out step and has come at the right moment," Joshi said.

"We have to be careful as there are many agents of Pakistan in our country," he added.

The Indian Army on Wednesday said that it conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in response to the terrorist attack at Uri sector. Two Pakistani soldiers and over 30 terrorists were reportedly killed in the attack.

Director General of Military Operations, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh said that the motive of the operation was to hit out at the terrorists who were planning to infiltrate into the Indian territory.

Lt General Singh informed that significant casualty was caused to terrorists during the operation.

The DGMO said it is a matter of serious concern that there have been many infiltration bids by terrorists at the LoC and it was reflected in the terror attacks in Poonch and Uri on 11th and 18th of this month.

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United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP), spokesperson Nasir Aziz Khan on Sunday said Pakistan only pretends to care about Kashmiris, but their real intention is just to exploit their rights for ulterior proposes.

"The Kashmiris should understand that the issue of Kashmir was created because of Pakistan. Whenever Kashmir rises for freedom, Pakistan has sabotaged their movement, whether it be 1947, 1988 or the ongoing situation. Pakistan has no affection for the people of Kashmir. If they loved them, they would have treated the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and the one they call as Azad Kashmir nicely," Khan told ANI.

Khan said that Islamabad only wants to control the people of Kashmir, plunder their natural resources and has always succeeded in it by tactfully playing with the religious sentiments of Kashmiri youth.

He asserted that if Islamabad really wanted to provide freedom to Kashmir, then they would have reached outthrough the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), but they didn't take any measure, which shows they don't care for the people of Kashmir.

Giving the example of Bangladesh's freedom movement of the 1970s and the recent rise of the Balochistan movement against atrocities by Pakistan, he said, "What do Kashmiris expects from the country which does not provided justice to their own people, that they will provide freedom to them? It is never going to happen. They just want to retain their possession on us.

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Catching imaginary creatures in 'Pokemon GO' or bird hunting or wildlife photography are sheer ways to express the inner hunting desire for an individual, a recent study suggests.

Lead researcher Vladimir Dinets, used himself as a case study to demonstrate that at least some humans do have a hunting instinct or, more precisely, an innate interest in finding and catching prey.

"To prove such a theory, you don't need a large sample size; you need just one well-documented case," he said.

Hunting has played a major role in human history, helping humans survive and populate the world. But do we have an inherited hunting instinct, like dogs, cats and other predators?

"It is possible that we all have the hunting instinct, but it has never been proven," Dinets said.

To probe this question, Dinets looked to his own childhood. His father, Leonid Kaabak, a chemist, has had a lifelong hobby of chasing, catching and studying rare butterflies.

Yet after his parents divorced, Dinets grew up in a family where no one had an interest in wild animals or the natural world.

From the age of 3, however, Dinets has shown an interest in wildlife. By the time he was 5, he would spend every summer combing suburban forests for animals of all kinds, from insects to mammals.

This passion was so intense that he kept "hunting" during the rest of the year, when he moved to the central part of Moscow, a city of 10 million people.

He would spend a lot of time looking for birds in city parks and, weather permitting, for beetles and worms in vacant lots and lawns.

In his searches, he noted that he instinctively used certain patterns known to tribal hunters worldwide.

By age 12, he had switched from simply chasing animals to observing them, and began a seven-year study of the European mink, a rare and endangered mammal, that was later published in a scientific journal.

He eventually earned a doctorate in zoology and now specializes in studying animal behavior.

He still enjoys finding rare species and often travels to remote parts of the world to search for them. He is the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Finding Mammals in North America.

"The recent explosive popularity of the Pokemon Go game, which allows players to hunt for virtual animals across a real terrain, shows how addictive such proxies can be and how many people can enjoy hunting-like behavior despite being city dwellers completely isolated from natural environments," Dinets said.

He added, "The take-home message of the study is that we have predatory instincts and have to be aware of them. But this doesn't mean that we have to be real predators; instead, we can follow these instincts in more intelligent ways."

The study was published recently in the open-access journal Humanimalia.

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Manchester United's Wayne Rooney will continue to remain captain despite losing his place in the first team at Old Trafford, manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed.

The England international was dropped from the starting XI during the side's 4-1 win over reigning Premier League champions Leicester City while he also started from the bench in the Europa League game against Zorya Luhansk.

In spite of that, Mourinho backed Rooney to continue to motivate the rest of the players in the team, while adding that the 30-year-old does not have to worry about potentially losing his role at United.

"Wayne is the captain, no matter what. It doesn't matter whether he is on or off the pitch. He is my captain and the captain of the club and the captain of the players," Mourinho was quoted as saying by goal.com.

Labelling Rooney as a 'Manchester United man', the Portugal manager insisted the former is a great professional who works really hard and is willing to score goals for the team.

"And that is difficult, to be the captain of everyone. So he has all the respect and all the support. He is a Manchester United man, he is a great professional and wants to win and of course he was happy when we scored," he added.

United, who are currently languishing down to the seventh spot in Premier League standings, will next lock horns with Stoke City on Sunday.

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The governor of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan, Salim Kunduzi, on Sunday announced his resignation at a press conference in Jalalabad.

Kunduzi said he resigned due to central government's neglect in solving Nangarhar's problems, reports the TOLO news.

He added that the interference in his work by some elements was another cause for him to step down.

There has been no comment by the National Unity Government on his resignation yet.

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United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday congratulated India for ratifying and formally joining the Paris Agreement after it deposited its 'Instrument of Ratification' at the UN.

"The Secretary-General warmly congratulates India for ratifying and formally joining the Paris Agreement today.

India's leadership builds on the continued strong political momentum from Paris for urgent global action on climate change," said a statement by the spokesman of the Secretary-General.

The statement added that with this, India now joins the 61 other parties that have deposited their Instruments of Ratification, which including India, together account for close to 52 percent of total global greenhouse emissions.

India's leadership moves the an important step closer toward the 55 percent threshold needed for the historic agreement's entry into force this year

"The Secretary-General calls on all parties to accelerate their domestic procedures in order to join the agreement as soon as possible this year. Action on climate change is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and creating a more prosperous, equitable and livable future for all people," said the statement.

Earlier, The United States and France also welcomed India's move.

Adopted in Paris by the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference known as COP21, the agreement calls on countries to combat climate change and to intensify actions and investments needed for a sustainable low-carbon future, as well as to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.

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The World Organization has recently urged countries across the WHO South-East Asia region to continue to take decisive action to prevent detect and respond to Zika virus as Thailand confirmed two cases of Zika-related microcephaly.

"Zika virus infection is a serious threat to the and wellbeing of a pregnant woman and her unborn child. Countries across the Region must continue to strengthen measures aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to Zika virus transmission," said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia.

Thailand has confirmed two cases of Zika-related microcephaly, which, along with other neurological disorders, can occur when a neonate has been exposed to Zika virus in utero.

"Thai authorities have been active in detecting and responding to Zika virus," Dr Khetrapal Singh said, adding, "Thailand's diligence underscores the commitment of authorities to the health and wellbeing of the Thai public, and provides a positive example to be emulated."

The presence of Zika virus in the WHO South-East Asia Region has been documented in recent years, including from Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives and Bangladesh.

Since a Public Health Emergency of International Concern was declared in February, WHO has been working with countries across the Region to strengthen Zika virus and birth-defect surveillance; enhance vector surveillance and control; scale-up laboratory capacity; and amplify risk communication and community engagement. All countries now have the laboratory capacity to conduct Zika virus testing, as well as to assess and identify microcephaly cases.

In addition to official efforts, WHO has been urging householders and community groups to be on the frontlines of mosquito control.

"Controlling mosquito populations is crucial to diminishing Zika virus transmission, as well as the transmission of other vector-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Alongside government efforts, householders are encouraged to disrupt standing water that can gather in gutters, pot plants and spare or discarded tires, and to dispose of household waste in sealed plastic bags," Dr Khetrapal Singh said.

"WHO also urges pregnant women as well as the rest of the general public to take precautions to limit mosquito-human contact, including wearing long-sleeved, light colored clothing; using mosquito repellant; sleeping under a bed net; and fitting windows and doors with screens wherever possible," she added.

Based on available evidence, WHO does not recommend trade or travel restrictions with countries, areas and/or territories with Zika virus transmission. Travelers to areas with Zika virus outbreaks should seek up-to-date advice on potential risks and appropriate measures to reduce the possibility of exposure to mosquito bites and sexual transmission of Zika.

Pregnant women should be advised not to travel to areas of ongoing Zika virus transmission. Pregnant women's sexual partners living in or returning from areas with Zika virus outbreaks should ensure safer sex or abstain from sex for the duration of their partner's pregnancy.

For regions with active transmission of Zika virus, WHO recommends correct counselling and that women be offered a full range of contraceptive methods to enable informed choice regarding whether and when to become pregnant. WHO recommends safer sex or abstinence for a period of 6 months for men and women who are returning from areas of active transmission, whether they are trying to conceive or not.

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China will have 240 million people aged 60 or above by 2020.

By 2020, senior citizens will make up 17 per cent of the population, Xinhua news agency on Sunday quoted Liu Qian, deputy head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, as saying.

Liu said there were more than 260 million chronically ill patients in the country. These illnesses were to blame for over 86 per cent of deaths in China.

Liu said the per capita annual spending on health was estimated at around $472 last year.

--IANS

py/mr

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A former Sarpanch (village headman) was shot dead by guerrillas in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Sunday, police said.

Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, who was from the National Conference, was shot and seriously injured and died on way to hospital.

"Militants barged into the house of Fayaz Ahmad Bhat in Kandizal village of Pulwama today (Sunday) afternoon and shot him from close range.

"He was shifted to hospital in a critical condition where doctors declared him dead," a senior police officer said here.

The term of the elected representatives of village Panchayats in Jammu and ended in May this year.

Although the 2011 Panchayat elections were fought on a non-party basis, all mainstream political parties had fielded their candidates without any formal party mandates. But ever since the polls, the elected representatives of these grassroots level institutions have been targeted by the militants from time to time.

--IANS

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Four persons were arrested on Sunday in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district for allegedly trying to extort a huge amount of money, as Durga Puja subscription, from a Bengali film director and producer close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Police said the four accused are members of a youth club based in Lataguri who allegedly demanded exhorbitant amount from film-director Arindam Sil and his unit through intimidation.

Sil was reportedly staying in a private resort in Lataguri with his unit to shoot for his upcoming film.

"They should admit that they lashed at our doors and misbehaved with us. If they can harass a unit of hundred in that way, I can't imagine what they would do to common people," Sil said, adding that they demanded Rs 30,000 and threatened them with dire consequences if the subscription is not given quickly.

Sil and his unit filed a complaint last Tuesday in Kranti outpost under Malbazar police station.

The club members have, however, denied the allegation and said Sil is trying to malign their reputation.

"Our members asked for just Rs 3,000 as puja subscription. They never misbehaved. He (Sil) is misusing his power and closeness to the ruling party," a club member said.

Earlier, Sil came up with a statement calling for expulsion of the extortionists from the ruling Trinamool Congress and accused its Jalpaiguri district president Saurav Chakraborty of trying to save the accused club members.

--IANS

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Turkish police have arrested the brother of US-based self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of masterminding a failed military coup in July.

Kutbettin Gulen was detained by police at the house of a relative in Gaziemir district of the western Izmir province, Anadolu news agency said. He is the first of Gulen's siblings detained after the coup.

The agency said that he is suspected of being "member of a terrorist group" and is being questioned by the police.

Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, became one of his biggest political rivals. He has been living in the US since 1999 in a self-imposed exile.

The Turkish government accused him and his supporters of a number attacks on it, the latest being the failed military coup. Ankara brands Gulen's Hizmet movement as "Fethullah Terror Organization (FETO)" and has launched a massive purge of the military, officials, and the media.

According to previous Turkish media reports, Gulen has three living brothers, Mesih, Salih and Kutbettin, as well as two sisters, Nurhayat and Fazilet.

Earlier in July, the Turkish authorities arrested Gulen's nephew Muhammet Sait, as well as one of the preacher's key aides, Halis Hanci. Gulen's other nephew Ahmet Ramiz was arrested in August.

Turkey demanded that the US extradite Fethullah Gulen over his alleged involvement in the coup, but Washington said Ankara would have to provide evidence of his wrongdoing and go through a lengthy legal process to do so.

The cleric denied orchestrating the plot and accused Erdogan of staging it to strengthen his powerbase.

--IANS

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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Sunday paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri here on their birth anniversaries.

He said the nation was indebted to both the leaders for the nation building.

The Chief Minister said following their ideals in true spirit was the best tribute to them.

At a function on the Ridge, the Chief Minister, who was accompanied by cabinet colleagues Vidya Stokes and Thakur Singh Bharmouri, administered an oath of 'Swachh Bharat and Swachh Himachal' or clean India and clean Himachal to the gathering.

October 2 is the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who is also known as the "Father of the Nation".

--IANS

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IDBI Bank and Reliance Jio were among the companies awarded for their staff-related practices by a top global human resource professional association over the weekend.

During its two-day annual conference, the India Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management has recognised IDBI Bank for excellence in social media, while Reliance Jio was honoured with a special award for the impact of its staff-oriented practices.

Among the other winners, Wipro was recognised in the area of health and education, as also diversity and inclusion, the Aditya Vikram Birla Group for developing leaders of tomorrow, Mercer for talent sourcing and staffing, and Shree Cement for community impact.

The speakers at the event included Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Genpact Chairman Pramod Bhasin,Reliance Jio Chief of HR Sanjay Jog, Citi South Asia Chief of HR Anuranjita Kumar and Make My Trip CEO Deep Kalra.

The sessions included "Dare to Dream! The aJio' Story", "Th e Face of Talent in the 21st Century", "Employee Stress and Bottomlines" and "The Performance Appraisal of the HR Department".

The society calls itself the world's largest professional, not-for- profit human resource association with over 285,000 members in 165 countries.

--IANS

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Iranian and Pakistani naval forces staged a joint naval exercise near Karachi, the media reported.

The Iranian Navy's 43rd flotilla, which docked at Karachi on September 27, took part in the naval rescue and relief operation, Xinhua news agency reported.

Several exercises were carried out during the joint drill including search and rescue training, helicopter vertical reference training, telecommunication exercises using flags, lights, radiographs and the formation and combination of the surface vessels of Iran and Pakistan, according to pre-determined scenarios.

Iran and Pakistan held a joint naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz in 2014.

--IANS

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The Jammu and government Sunday banned publication of a daily English language newspaper, as it can "easily incite acts of violence and disturb peace and tranquility".

"On the basis of credible inputs, it has been observed that the daily newspaper namely ' Reader' published within the jurisdiction of district Srinagar contains such material and content which tends to incite acts of violence and disturb peace and tranquility," said an order issued by the Srinagar District Magistrate on Sunday evening.

"There are sufficient reasons to invoke the powers vested in me under Section 144 CrPc read with Section 3 of News Papers Incitement of Offences Act, 1971 and Section 10 of Press and Publication Act, 1989 and proceed further in the matter by passing a conditional order stopping the printing and publication of the newspaper namely ' Reader' through printing presses," the district magistrate said.

During the beginning of the ongoing 86-day long unrest, the state government had ordered suspension of some daily newspapers in Srinagar, but the decision was later revoked after editors of local newspapers met Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

--IANS

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An insurgent leader Panthoi aka Lakpa of Manipur, who was shot at and severely injured inside Myanmar territory on Sunday, later succumbed to bullet injuries in the Indian border town of Moreh, intelligence sources said.

No has so far claimed the attack.

The sources told IANS that some five unidentified persons accosted Panthoi, finance secretary of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party, at 1 p.m. in the Namphalong marketing complex parking lot across the international border in Myanmar and fired at him several time.

Panthoi was taken to Moreh town in India in a critical condition, where he died.

KCP is one of the oldest insurgent groups in Manipur and a member of the coordinating committee of six outlawed organisations in the state.

--IANS

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Peru international striker Paolo Guerrero hit out at former Uruguay captain Diego Lugano after the pair clashed during a 0-0 draw between Flamengo and Sao Paulo.

Guerrero accused Lugano of striking him with an elbow in the first half of the Brazilian Serie A match at the Morumbi stadium on Saturday and later refused to shake hand with the Uruguayan, reports Xinhua.

"You can see in the television replays that he elbowed me. I'm not going to say any more but I think the referees have to be a little more alert. This type of thing can't be allowed to happen. It was off the ball," Guerrero told reporters after the match.

When asked about the incident Lugano said: "He is a good player, it was something that happened when the ball was in dispute."

--IANS

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Ahead of the Panchayat polls in Odisha next year, the three major political parties are gearing up to reach out to the people in the state.

While the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) launched its 'Jan Sampark Padayatra' on Gandhi Jayanti on Sunday to inform the people about its various developmental initiatives, the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched its 'Lajja Satyagraha' against the state government.

The BJP launched the agitation in all the sub-divisions of the state in order to mobilise public opinion against the state government on deteriorating health, education, transportation and law and order.

On the other hand, the state unit of the Congress is preparing to hold the 'Jan Chetna Yatra' in the second week of October to raise the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh.

The month-long Jan Sampark Padayatra of the BJD began on Sunday with BJD President and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik giving a call to party workers to highlight how the Centre has been neglecting the state.

"The padayatra has begun well today. The padayatras are to inform the people about government's welfare programmes and also central government's neglect, particularly in river Mahanadi and Polavaram issues," Patnaik said.

The march will be undertaken by the party leaders in every block and panchayat across the state. At least 147 party observers have been appointed to oversee the padayatra, said Tourism Minister Ashok Panda.

The BJP launched its Lajja Satyagraha at all sub-divisions across the state targeting the Odisha government.

"The BJD government has completely failed to provide basic facilities to the people. The people are not even safe in the state. Dana Majhi, Nagada malnutrition deaths, and Kandhamal killings show how the government is badly managing the state affairs," said senior BJP leader Pratap Sarangi.

The principal opposition Congress will hold its meeting to finalise the date for 'Jan Chetna yatra' on October 4.

"We will hold a meeting on October 4 to decide when the 'Jan Chetna yatra' will start," said Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Prasad Harichandan.

--IANS

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President Pranab Mukherjee will visit Madhya Pradesh on Monday to preside over a function of the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Project.

Mukherjee will attend the event where ownership certificates of houses will be handed over to economically weaker sections under the project. The function will take place at Jiwaji University in Gwalior.

He will also be the chief guest at the 60th Founders Day Celebrations of Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya in Gwalior.

--IANS

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Union Home Minister will undertake a two-day visit to Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir from Monday and hold meetings with various delegations, an official statement said.

Singh would meet various delegations in Leh and Kargil on Monday and Tuesday respectively, it said.

This will be Singh's fourth visit of Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past.

The minister had led an all-party delegation to Srinagar and Jammu on September 4-5. The delegation met over 400 persons in about 50 different delegations from various sections of society in Srinagar and Jammu in a bid to stop the unrest that was sparked off in Jammu and Kashmir following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8.

Earlier, the minister had visited Srinagar on August 24-25 and on July 23-24.
Highlighting the services rendered by residents of Punjab to the country, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday urged the government to start a special recruitment drive for enabling the youths of border areas to join Indian Army and para-military forces.

Interacting with the media on the sidelines of his visit to border areas of Amritsar district on Sunday, Badal recalled the spirit of courage and sacrifice of the border belt residents and stressed the need to channelise the energy of youths of this belt.

Badal said that he would soon raise this issue with the central government.

He said the state government would also approach the Ministry of Defence to impress upon it for widening the bridges on defence drains in the region. He said that it was need of the hour to facilitate the people and avoid any sort of untoward incident.

The Union Home Ministry had on Thursday directed evacuation of nearly 1,000 villages in six border districts of Punjab located close to the international border with Pakistan.

Badal said that despite the ongoing tension at the India-Pakistan border, agriculturalists would be allowed to harvest their paddy crop.

"In view of this situation, I had taken up this issue with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who had immediately directed the Border Security Force (BSF) to allow the farmers of border region to harvest the crop. Likewise, he said government of India has also allowed the farmers having their land across the fence to reap and lift their crop," Badal said.

The Chief Minister said that the state government would soon release the pending compensation of farmers who have land across the border fence.

He said that people within 10 km area of the border were evacuated following the advisory of the government for preventing any loss of life to people.

Tension built up between India and Pakistan on last Thursday following surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army along the Line of Control (LoC) to destroy terror launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (POK).

--IANS

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Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar says "the lion of Tamil cinema" Sivaji Ganesan wasn't just her brother and that he loved her entire family, especially her mother.

Remembering the late actor on his 88th birth anniversary on Saturday, Lata said: "He wasn't just my brother, he loved my entire family, especially my mother. In the 1960s, a lot of my songs used to be recorded in Chennai. I was quite often there, recording in studios. He would be in my hotel and tell the driver to pick up my luggage and bring me to his home. I had to stay in his home. I was given no choice in the matter. He was a wonderful human being."

She doesn't recall her first meeting with him, but said she shared "an unforgettable experience".

"Once all us siblings - Asha, Meena, Usha and Hridaynath - had gone to Chennai. We wanted to travel further to see the Meenakshi Amman temple and Rameshwaram. Sivaji saab sent his manager and three other people, two cars and his personal driver Shiva with us. Everything had been arranged.

"Only after this incident, we became really thick. He invited us home to dinner. He screened one of his new Tamil films for us. Then after 10-12 days of his overwhelming hospitality in Chennai, we returned to Mumbai."

She also said that he used to visit Mumbai for his theatre plays.

"My mother noticed how physically strenuous it was for him to emote on stage. Before every play of his in Mumbai, my mother sent Sivaji saab soup which we siblings would happily take to him. In return, we got to see his plays. My mother was really fond of him.

"Once he came to Mumbai en route to the US. My mother took him to her prayer room, did his aarti, offered him prasad, and a gold chain. He left wearing the chain. When he returned from the US, he came straight to our house. This was his first trip to the US.

"After he deconstructed the back portion of his home, I had to stay in a hotel in Chennai. But a visit and a meal at his place was a must. Though he wasn't keeping well for quite some time, he came personally or sent his daughter to take me home. My favourite dishes were cooked. His entire family dotes on me."

As artistes, they both loved each other's works, she said.

"I thought he was awesome in all his Tamil films that I've seen. He would send prints of films, especially for me to see in Mumbai. The last time I saw him was in 'Thevar Magan' (released in 1992). Till the end, he was a brilliant performer. Every Diwali, unfailingly, he sent clothes for every member of the Mangeshkar family. Not once did he overlook this ritual. I was never surprised by his largesse because I was his sister. Even if I forgot to send him a rakhi, he'd never forget his Diwali ritual."

She said that the two shared a rare bond.

"He cared so much for me. Whenever I stayed in his house he left instructions before leaving to shoot about which chutney I should be served with the dosa. Then the minute he returned for the day, he would inquire about me. Asha and I had gone to Chennai together when his mother died. While his father lived in the village, his mother lived with him. She was like a Goddess to the entire household.

"All three brothers - Sivaji saab's elder brother, Sivaji and his younger brother - lived together under the same roof. The death of Sivaji's younger brother shattered him. He felt he had suffered irrevocable loss. The younger brother used to look after his entire professional interests. Later, Sivaji saab's son Ramu took over.

"The younger son Prabhu is a film actor like his father. Sivaji saab also has two daughters, both married at an early age. He was a very orthodox man just like my father. He kept scolding my sister Meena until her daughter Rachna was married. He completely believed in the joint-family system. Everyone including his two sons and their wives stayed in a sprawling home."

What language did they speak in?

"The language of love. He knew enough Hindi to communicate that love. There has never been a star like him in the south. And such humility! You can't imagine how many things he has gifted me. I remember once I had gone to his home. I chattily expressed admiration for the 'nauratna' necklace that his wife was wearing.

"He immediately told his Kamala Amma to take off the necklace and give it to me. It remains one of my favourite pieces of jewellery which I wear quite often."

After the incident, she stopped expressing admiration for anything in his house.

"When there was a celebration for my silver jubilee year in the film industry, he came to Mumbai, presented me with a Saraswati idol, a gold chain and a special garland of flowers that he had brought all the way from Chennai to Mumbai which he put around my neck in my house. I'll always regret the fact that I couldn't meet him before his death. I recorded a song for Ilaiyaraaja on May 17 in Mumbai.

"I was supposed to go to Chennai for the recording. But was unable to do so because of ill health. When Raja (Ilaiyaraaja) was here I inquired about Sivaji saab's health. Raja said, 'No no no. He isn't well. You must go and see him or else you'll miss the chance.' The same night I left for London. I told my sister Meena we must visit Sivaji saab when we return from London.

"He had rung me up in London when I had received the Bharat Ratna (in 2001). He said 'Congratulations'. He knew his end was near. Then just two days before his death, my nephew Yogesh and I were trying Sivaji saab's number. We couldn't get through.

"I think he was hospitalised on the same evening. When I heard about his death, I felt something had been lost irrevocably. There shall never be another person like him. He used to be so warm."

He used to call her youngest sister Usha, a cat.

"Whenever he came to Mumbai, he used to ask me to sing my Marathi devotional Ghanshyam sundara. I sang for the first time for Ilaiyaraaja in the film that starred Sivaji saab's younger son Prabhu in the film 'Anand'. The minute Sivaji saab's elder son called me, I rushed to sing the song."

"He did act in a few Hindi films. But he always told me Hindi films didn't gel with him. He felt uncomfortable in Hindi films, though he could carry it off. He was the lion of Tamil cinema."

--IANS

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Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, saying Gandhi was the "conscience of the nation" and Shastri an "impactful figure in Independent India".

Sonia said: "The principles he laid for Indian national movement redifined freedom struggles all over the world."

She remembered Gandhi as the principal guiding personality, who led and inspired India and indeed the entire world with his eternal philosophy of non violence, compassion, human dignity and commitment to the last human on the margins.

Expressing hope in young men and women of the 21st century, Sonia prayed that Gandhian thoughts and deeds will forever continue to guide an entire generation on the path of truth, equality, justice and universal progress.

October 2 is the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who is also known as the "Father of the Nation" and Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of the country.

Defining Shastri as an impactful figure in Independent India, Sonia said: The highest standards of propriety in public life and commitment to build a self reliant and strong India is his legacy."

"Clarion call of 'Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan' given by him resonates even today in every nook and corner of India."

Remembering Shashtri's commitment to the Congress and freedom struggle, Sonia described him as an organisational genius who served the party and nation relentlessly till his last breath.

--IANS

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The Syrian army on Sunday recaptured an industrial area in Aleppo, as part of a wide-scale offensive against rebel-held areas.

The military forces captured the area of Shaqif, further securing the road of Castello, a defence official told Xinhua news agency.

As a target of repeated rebel attacks, the road was the opposition fighters' only supply route to rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo, before the army captured it a couple of months ago.

Shaqif was under rebel control for over four years.

Aleppo has a strategic importance for the warring parties due to its location near the Turkish border, and being Syria's largest province, and once the economic hub of Syria.

--IANS

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The venerable sages of India, the Buddha, Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, Guru Nanak -- the founders of all major religions -- were all known to spurn material comfort and stress compassion for the weak and safeguarding nature, but not many of their followers emulated them. One who did unreservedly was this Christian saint, venerated even beyond his own sect, and with such an image that nearly eight centuries later, a Pope with a vision to revitalise the church signalled his intention by adopting his name.

Both St Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis shouldn't be thought important for their own religion, or students of theology, for both have much to teach us. And there some splendid accounts that we can depend upon.

Especially St Francis of Assisi (c. 1182-1226), whose feast day falls on October 4, given how he has resonance in other religious traditions. Then, the order he founded, with its stress on poverty, love and charity, is still influential around the world, and responsible for some esteemed educational institutions (like my own alma mater, Lucknow's second-oldest existing college, St Francis, established 1885).

Like Guru Nanak, he was a trader's son but also angered his father by distributing goods to the poor; like the Buddha, or the Islamic Qalandars, he abandoned a prosperous life for peripatetic mendicancy; like the old Hindu sages, he stressed on respecting nature and revering all living creatures; and his habit of song and dance to reach religious ecstasy closely resembles the Sufi tradition of qawwali and Maulana Rumi's Whirling Dervishes. He also was Mahatma Gandhi's favourite Christian saint.

There is no shortage of books on Giovanni 'Francesco' di Pietro di Bernardone's transition into Brother Francis (he was canonised in 1228, less than two years after his death), but among the best, even with much creative license, is Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis' "God's Pauper" (1962).

Kazantzakis (1883-1957), best known for his "Zorba the Greek" (1952), and "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1961) -- banned by the Catholic Church and earning him a threat of excommunication from his Greek Orthodox Church, tells us that if in this, he has "omitted many of Francis' sayings and deeds and if I have altered others, and added still others, which did not take place but which might have taken place, I have done so not out of ignorance or impudence or irreverence, but from a need to match the Saint's life with his myth..."

In this lyrical work, told from perspective of Francis' devoted companion Leo, some notable sections include the meeting with the Pope (Innocent III) in Rome, and prior to it, a meeting with Spanish monk Dominic, keen to find an order to safeguard the Church (demonstrating the paths between a Church Compassionate and a Church Combative).

Then there is the nearly-surrealistic meeting with Ayyubid Sultan, Kamil, in Egypt during the Fifth Crusade (differing versions of what happened exist but it must be noted it was only the Franciscans who were allowed to stay to tend Christian sites in the Holy Land, long after the Crusades, save a brief period, till now). And the passages about his interaction with animals are superlative too.

More straightforward biographies include Fransciscan scholar Murray Bodo's "Francis: The Journey and the Dream" (2011) and Dominican scholar Augustine Thompson's "Francis of Assisi: A New Biography" (2012). His legacy is studied in Patricia Appelbaum's "St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became America's Most Popular Saint" (2015).

And then, the Pope. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became the 266th Pope in 2013, was, apart from being the first from the Americas, the first Jesuit, the first non-European in around 1,300 years (though the 12th overall), the first to chose Francis as his pontifical name -- after the Saint of Assisi, though his own order also had a St Francis (Xavier).

Becoming the most famous Argentine since Juan and Eva Peron, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, Diego Maradonna, and Gabriela Sabatini, he had a positive impression over his humility and openness, focus on mercy, concern for poor and social justice, stress on inter-faith dialogue and a perceived liberal bent despite his conservatism in doctrine.

Interest had been growing in him since it was revealed he received some support in the 2005 papal conclave and this prompted Argentine journalist Sergio Brin to write his biography, along with Italian counterpart Francesca Ambrogetti. Though Bergoglio initially resisted, he agreed to a series of extensive interviews over two years that became "El Jesuita" (2010). The only biography available, it was quickly translated into English. "Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio: His Life in His Own Words" (2013) reveals the person behind the cleric.

Since then there have been more, but among the most comprehensive, yet readable, is British journalist-writer Austen Ivereigh's "The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope" (2014), which not only gives his history, but also of the Church, Jesuits, Argentina and South America.

A more technical (but accessible) examination of his theological challenges is American historian Gary Willis' "The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis" (2015).

(Vikas Datta is an Associate Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

--IANS

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The Abu Sayyaf terrorist group has freed three more Indonesian hostages in southern Philippine province of Sulu, a senior government official said on Sunday.

Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza said the Indonesian fishermen were turned over by Nur Misuari, founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, to Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II before Sunday noon, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Chairman Misuari personally called and informed me about another breakthrough in the efforts to recover hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf group," he said.

He said that the three freed Indonesians would be turned over to the military.

Dureza said those freed were among those Indonesian fishermen who were abducted in July off Lahad Datu in Sabah.

He said the ongoing military operations helped in pressuring the Abu Sayyaf to release the hostages.

Last month, three other Indonesian fishermen were freed by the Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Around 10 local and foreign hostages still remain in the hands of the terrorist group.

--IANS

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Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay on Sunday pledged the Central Tibetan Administration's (CTA) commitment to non-violence on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Gandhi Jayanti is an auspicious day. Gandhiji is the father of the very successful Indian freedom struggle. His views on morality and ethics still resonate with the consciousness of humankind. Therefore, we Tibetans join in this celebration," he told reporters here.

A brief ceremony was held at the CTA Secretariat to celebrate the occasion where Sangay hoisted the Indian national flag.

"Today is also the international day of non-violence as per a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly on June 15, 2007. Following the leadership of Gandhiji, we pledge non-violence as envisioned by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to resolve the Tibet issue," Sangay said.

He outlined non-violence as the key to resolve all conflicts and urged Tibetans to imbibe the messages of peace and positivity to move forward in the struggle.

Taking a jibe at the Chinese government, Sangay said China should restore the fundamental human rights and religious freedom for Tibetans inside Tibet.

China should also exert more effort to resolve the Tibet issue in a peaceful and amicable manner, the democratically elected Prime Minister said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. The Tibetan exile administration is based here.

--IANS

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Amid soaring tempers on both sides of the border between India and Pakistan, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said India was prepared for "any escalation".

"We are fully prepared for any escalation. My mother used to say if you go to the forest hunting for a rabbit, be prepared to face the tiger as well," Parrikar told CNN NEWS18 channel in an interview aired on Sunday.

The situation has been tense on the Line of Control (LoC) after the September 18 Uri attack on an Indian army base camp and the Indian retaliation on the terrorist launch pads through a cross-border "surgical strike" on the intervening night of September 28-29.

However, Parrikar refused to say anything beyond what Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) has said on the surgical strike.

"I would only say that it was successful operation. I would not comment beyond the stated official position because it's a very sensitive issue... The DGMO has already given all the details in his statement," Parrikar said.

On India's relations with China in the light of China's proximity to Pakistan, Parrikar said that a country's closeness to a particular nation does not stop it from having relations with other nations, and that India's relations with China have improved over the years.

"We are concerned about (certain) issues, but I think our relations with China are better today. The border management is better. We are employing more confidence building measures," he said.

He added that China's refusal to acknowledge remarks made by Pakistani media that China would side with Pakistan in case of a tussle with India is a diplomatic victory for India.

"China's statement (that they do not know of any senior government functionary pledging support to Pakistan) is a victory for our diplomacy vis-a-vis China," Parrikar said.

He said that thanks to its diplomatic efforts, India now has more international support against terrorism.

--IANS

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I was pleased to read Dilip Satapathy's report, "Tata Steel plans to add 6 mt in capacity through brownfield expansion" (October 1), about the company deciding to increase the installed capacity of its existing plants in Jamshedpur and Kalinga-nagar from 10 million tonnes to 11 million tonnes and from three million tonnes to eight million tonnes respectively.
In the run-up to the 2014 general elections, then Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, while addressing a gathering of Dalits and backward classes in Kerala, had described himself as a victim of untouchability. "The next 10 years are going to be yours," he had said. And, the crowd broke into loud cheers.
After a clash broke out between police and protesters in Jharkhand's district that claimed four lives and left scores of people injured, Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay on Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Raghubar Das government does not deserve to hold office following the incident.

"What is the use of taking actions against those who are protesting peacefully? This is the third incident at Badkagaon. Is this the way police should work? After this incident, Chief Minister Raghubar Das doesn't deserve to hold his office," Sahay told ANI.

Sahay said an all-party inquiry committee has been formed, which will visit there to examine the situation; the government will have to answer about it.

Early in the morning, four people lost their lives and many were injured in Badkagaon in district in clashes between police and protesters.

The incident took place after Congress MLA from Badkagaon Nirmala Devi, who was leading a protest against a coal mining project of the NTPC, was arrested early in the morning.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government in Maharashtra has found itself in a difficult spot after biggest ever protest marches by the Maratha community in recent weeks.
Two days after the Patna High Court scrapped the prohibition law in Bihar, the government brought into play a more stringent Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, on Sunday to keep the state dry.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and, possibly, Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel will head out to the annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC from October 7-9. But what is likely to be a routine meeting will have an interesting facet: This will see the first interaction between India and Pakistan at a multilateral forum after the Uri incident. Jaitley will come face to face with Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's finance minister, who is leading the country's delegation at the annual meeting. Whether the two will talk on the sidelines and discuss the position taken by their respective countries remains to be seen. It could be an opportunity or another way to exchange threats.
Two civic police personnel were injured in a blast inside the premises of Shibpur Police Station in West Bengal's Howrah district today.

The blast took place in the morning hours, and during a search operation, explosives were found. Dogs and bomb squads as well as firemen were rushed to the spot, police said.

The injured were rushed to a hospital, where they were stated to be out of danger, a police official said.

Fire brigade sources said three engines were rushed to the spot and the flames were doused.

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Guatemalan police today detained 50 migrants en route to the United States who said they were from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Police spokesman Jorge Aguilar told reporters that the migrants were stopped at a station where buses headed to the Mexican border depart from.

The detainees were transferred to migration authorities for repatriation procedures, Aguilar said.

The day before, police detained another 18 migrants who said they were African, without providing specific nationalities. Last Wednesday police arrested another 23 migrants from the DRC.

The International Organization for Migration recently has said many Haitians passing through Central America are currently trying to pass themselves off as DRC nationals, in hopes it will boost their chances for US asylum.

Migration statistics indicate that some 1,000 Africans have been intercepted in Guatemala this year, compared to just 13 in 2015.

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Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be the Chief Guest at the parade next year.

This was announced by External Affairs Spokesman Vikas Swarup here on Sunday.

"We hope to welcome a dear friend of India, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, as 2017 Chief Guest," he tweeted.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mohamed bin Zayed expressed "thanks for the kind invitation to attend India's celebrations".

"Our strong relations are deeply rooted in history. Our strategic cooperation has increased, driven by our mutual aspirations to develop it," the Crown Prince said.

The visit of Al Nahyan, who is also the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, is expected to give boost to bilateral ties in the key areas of trade and security.

It is also significant given that UAE is a close ally of Pakistan, whom India is trying to diplomatically isolate over the issue of cross-border terrorism.

During Modi's visit in August last year, the two countries had condemned efforts, including by states, to use religion to justify, support and sponsor terrorism against other countries, or to use terrorism as instrument of state policy.

They had also decided to strengthen their cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism.

Trade is another important component of the bilateral ties as UAE is India's third largest trading partner after China and the United States. Bilateral trade between UAE and India is around $60 billion.

There are also more than 2.6 million Indians live in the UAE and their annual remittance is estimated to be around $14 billion.
An ADGP rank officer of Punjab police today reviewed the security arrangements around Ranjit Sagar Dam here, amid a heightened vigil in the wake of the Uri attack last month.

Punjab Police Additional Director General of Police (Security) B K Bawa accompanied by IG (Security) S K Singh along with Pathankot SSP Rakesh Kaushal visited the dam today, police said.

Senior police officials also visited the check posts to review the security arrangements, police said.

Ranjit Sagar Dam, also known as Thein Dam is part of a hydroelectric project on Ravi river and is located near Pathankot city.

Last month, Punjab Police DGP (Law and Order) H S Dhillon visited the border districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur and Amritsar to review the security situation against the backdrop of terror attack in Uri.

On September 18, an alert was sounded in Punjab's border districts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur following the terror strike on an army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers.

Earlier this year, terrorists who had sneaked in from across the border had attacked Pathankot air base on the intervening night of January 1-2 while Dinanagar in Gurdaspur was targeted on July 27 last year.

The Pathankot attack had claimed the lives of seven security personnel while four terrorists were killed.

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An Afghan national has been apprehended at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here for entering the terminal illegally on an alleged fake e-ticket.

Officials said the incident was reported at about 7:00 PM on September 30 when a person identified as S Mohammad Faiz was intercepted by CISF officials while he was exiting the airport terminal.

Faiz, an Afghanistan citizen, told the sleuths that he entered the IGIA using a cancelled e-ticket to see off his mother who was travelling to Jeddah.

He said he had booked himself and his parents on a flight to Jeddah for September 29 but later changed plans and re-booked tickets for his mother to travel alone on Friday.

He later allegedly used the cancelled ticket to enter the airport.

"As entering the airport terminal on a cancelled e-ticket is illegal, Faiz was handed to Delhi Police who apprehended him and booked him on charges of criminal trespass and cheating," they said.

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Despite being renamed decades ago, many British-era streets and institutions across the country retain their original identity in people's consciousness even as rechristening of several public places has bred confusion between the old and the modern generations.

Anuradha Reddy, 69, still looks for Willingdon Hospital and Willingdon Airport whenever she visits Delhi from Hyderabad, only to get quizzical looks from auto-rickshaw drivers.

"Autowallahs just give me a blank stare whenever I tell them to take me towards Willingdon Hospital (now RML Hospital) or Willingdon Airport (now Safdarjung Airport) flyover, as if I am imagining something. I have been visiting Delhi often and for me and my mother, the new names never come on the lips," she told PTI.

Reddy, convener of the Hyderabad Chapter of Delhi-based Indian National Trust for Art and Culture (INTACH), says, "renaming exercises" have "robbed" various vibrant cities of their character, and created confusion among people.

"I still use Bombay and Calcutta, but my children say Mumbai and Kolkata. And, Bangalore was changed to Bengaluru, I find it silly. In next 10 years, children growing up would not know the historical connect," she said.

While old-timers and new generations may be experiencing a communication gap on 'Willingdon' and 'RML' nomenclatures, the capital city's iconic 'Connaught Place' continues to enjoy its original identity in the consciousness of people, of all age.

In Patna too, several colonial-era street names still are referred to by their old monikers, even though they were rechristened after Independence. The famous 'Bailey Road', 'Fraser Road', 'Mangles Road', 'Circular Road', 'Strand Road' and 'Hardinge Road' are still in vogue.

"If you ask anybody in Patna where is Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, I am sure, no one would be able to guide, but if you ask directions for Bailey Road, every single person would do so.

"The idea of renaming a street is foolish, politicians and government should focus on town planning and making the city better for citizens, not fiddling with historical names," says octogenarian S K Sinha, former Chief Town Planner of Bihar.

In Delhi, the 'Aurangzeb Road' was earlier rechristened to 'Dr APJ Abdul Kalam' and the 'Race Course Road' was recently renamed as 'Lok Kalyan Marg' drawing sharp reactions from various quarters. The DMRC has also renamed 'Race Course Metro Station' in line with the new identity.

INTACH Delhi convener and noted architect AGK Menon says, renaming "destroys" the character of a city.

"A city like Delhi has multiple layers of history. By renaming the streets and places, slowly those layers are being erased. Politicians resort to such quixotic ideas to earn a few populist brownie points.

"They can very well build new roads or start scholarships and schemes in the name of great personalities, but, that will involve real work. So, it is like picking the lowest fruits in the branch," he said.

Kolkata-based heritage activist Anthony Khatchaturian,



who still prefers to call the city Calcutta, says, "Although one can understand the need to honour our own native trail blazers, this needs to be balanced with maintaining our identity both locally and globally."



He conducts regular heritage walks in the former capital of India, to let people know and celebrate the history of the city.

"From iconic Park Street (now Mother Teresa Sarani) to Lower Circular Road (Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road), renaming list in Calcutta is endless. But it hasn't stopped with streets, our entire Metro network has been renamed, like Tollygunge renamed to 'Mahanayak Uttam Kumar' station. But, people still use the old names," he said.

"Renaming has led to abject confusion with tourists who wish to see the places they have heard and read about. Locals are equally confused and anyone getting in the Metro is utterly confused," Khatchaturian adds.

But renaming, besides breeding confusion among people, has another flip side to it, postal woes.

After the recent renaming of the 'Aurangzeb Road' in Delhi, many residents there still continue to use the old moniker on the household nameplates and in writing the address.

"The renaming benefits the sign board painters and gets some brownie points for politicians, but postmen have a tough time, as they are used to old addresses. And people looking for someone's house find it a tad difficult too," said a resident of the renamed street, who did not wish to be identified.

Hyderabad-based Reddy says post-colonial renaming have created so much confusion that parallel names have come up, not to speak of the "loss of the historical context" with the erasure of the old names.

"In Secunderabad, the historic James Street was renamed to Mahatma Gandhi Road. In Hyderabad, famous Abid Road was changed to M G Road, creating confusion in the twin cities. More so, a statue of Nehru was installed somewhere in the middle and some people started calling it J L Nehru Road.

"So, not only history has been robbed through this meaningless exercise, people's clarity on city navigation has also been compromised," she said.

79-year-old R V Smith, author and perhaps the most famed chronicler of modern Delhi, said streets and parks are renamed just on the "whim and fancy of some politicians."



"In Delhi, the iconic Edward Park (locally Ghode Wala Bagh) was renamed after Netaji as 'Subhash Park'. Now, old generations know it as 'Edward Park' while the modern one is basically confused about it.

"In Agra, the famous 'Strand Road' was renamed to 'Jamuna Kinara Road but people still call it by its old name. In Lucknow, King George Medical University was renamed and then restored to KGMU.

"Old names also bring with them the curiosity for history, why should we kill that in the young generation, and why should we be embarrassed about old names," he asks.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences currently celebrating its diamond jubilee has lost to termites the tree planted by Queen Elizabeth on the grand opening of the premier campus.

AIIMS was established in 1956 and the institute's buildings were formally opened by the British monarch on January 27, 1961 at an impressive ceremony attended by the then President Rajendra Prasad.

"During her visit to the campus, Queen Elizabeth II was accompanied by Prince Philip and President Rajendra Prasad. It was a glittering ceremony and on the opening day, she had planted a tree. Unfortunately, we have lost that tree to termites. But we have planted new trees there," AIIMS Director Dr M C Misra told PTI.

Rare images of the royal couple visit are part of the institute's archives, and several of these photographs were put on display during the diamond jubilee exhibition which ended yesterday.

Queen Elizabeth, now 90, visited India in 1961 as the state guest for the Republic Day function.

At AIIMS a plaque commemorating the event still stands on a pillar inside the J L Nehru Auditorium building. The tree was planted somewhere closer to this building.

"It was a Gulmohar tree. After losing it sometime in the past, to termites, we have planted four bottle brush trees at that spot and eight would be planted in the outer circle," he said.

Incidentally, the photograph showing the Queen planting the tree is a coloured one, a rarity as by 1960s, very few had then access to the colour photography technology. Other archival photographs too are a mix of monochrome and colour.

"We dug up our own archives and many students and alumni also helped us to put together the exhibition. These rare images, including those showing the under-construction phase buildings of the campus buildings, give us a unique insight into the inception of AIIMS," he said.

The exhibition was opened on the AIIMS' Institute Day on September 26 by Union Health Minister J P Nadda. Among other rare images include photographs of the visit of Jacqueline Kennedy to the campus.

Misra said the college is planning to put together these archive material into a coffee-table book.

"We are still looking for more rare material for the book. Also, a documentary chronicling the 60 years of AIIMS is also being planned, beside a special postal stamp. Hopefully, these would be released during the convocation day in November," he added.

The exhibition also extolled the contribution made by Rakumari Amrit Kaur, who was instrumental in founding of the institution. It also carried old pictures of her mansion 'Manorvile' in Shimla, which she gifted to AIIMS for use as a holiday home for doctors and nurses.

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Scientists have discovered a bunch of ancient Roman and Ottoman coins from the ruins of an old castle in Japan, a finding which could help better understand historical trade routes and relations in Asia.

Japanese ceramics and objects, as well as Chinese coins and ceramics that would have be acquired through trade with China were also found at the site.

Since 2013, archaeologists from Uruma Board of Education in Japan have been excavating the Katsuren castle - a UNESCO world heritage site located in Okinawa.

The ancient coins - ten in total - were discovered spotted by Toshio Tsukamoto, a researcher from Gangoji temple cultural properties department.

Using X-ray technology, Hiroyuki Miyagi of Okinawa International University found that the Ottoman coin had inscriptions that dated it to 1687, while the Roman coins appeared to be much older - from at least 300 to 400 AD.

It's hard to tell where exactly these coins came from, Masaki Yokou, a spokesperson from Uruma city's Board of Education, told 'CNN'.

"We don't think that there is a direct link between the Roman empire and Katsuren castle, but the discovery confirms how this region had trade relations with the rest of Asia," said Yokou.

Researchers speculate that the coins ended up in Japan after passing through different trade routes that linked the West to Asia.

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Pouring cold water on tipplers' hopes of once again savouring their drinks, the Bihar government today notified a new prohibition law which could land them in jail for up to seven years and make them poorer by Rs one lakh to Rs 10 lakh, two days after the Patna High Court quashed its order on banning alcohol consumption.

The government notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, ensuring that the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol, including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), as well spiced and domestic liquor continued in the state despite the high court holding it "ultra vires of the Constitution".

It also has a provision under which people who allow their premises to be used for a congregation where liquor is served and brawls take place will be imprisoned for a period of ten years which can be extended to life term.

At a special meeting of the state cabinet called on Gandhi Jayanti, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other members of his Cabinet took a pledge to continue with prohibition which they said was "ushering in positive social change" in the state.

All adults of a family are liable to be arrested if liquor was found at their house. Collective fine would be slapped on villages and urban clusters in case of habitual violation of the prohibition law.

Seeking to address the concern of people about being falsely implicated in cases, the new law has provision for prosecution of an excise or police officer for making vexatious search, seizure, detention or arrest under the Act.

There is provision of three years' jail and a penalty of Rs 1 lakh, or with both for such errant officers.

Principal Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) Brajesh Mehrotra usually briefs the media about Cabinet decisions, but today Nitish Kumar informed reporters about the new law and fielded questions from them.

Kumar said the new law would be a real tribute to the father of the nation at a time when the state was readying for observing the centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha against the British rule from early 2017.

Governor Ram Nath Kovind had given his assent to the new law on September 7 after it was approved by the two Houses of the state legislature on August 4. After the gubernatorial nod for its enforcement, the state Cabinet had on September decided to notify it with effect from October 2.

Defending his government's decision on prohibition, Kumar referred to the Supreme Court's order that sale and consumption of liquor is not a fundamental right of a citizen.

"Besides it is in tune with the Directive Principles of the state policy. I am following Constitutional duty," he said.

Kumar was dismissive about main opposition BJP asking the government not to take any hasty decision while bringing in a new prohibition law which might not pass legal scrutiny again.

"If opposition to liquor law by a leader for whom space is reserved in newspapers for his daily statements is meant only to see to it that it fails in the state, I have nothing to say. But if BJP or any citizen has to make some constructive suggestion against any provision of the liquor law, it is welcome," he said, apparently referring to senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, a former deputy chief minister.

Moreover, he said, the Winter Session of Bihar legislature is not not far and any legislator who has to make some suggestion for more effective implementation of prohibition law can do so.

The court has given some exemptions to Sikkim, Meghalaya



and Himachal Pradesh. It also held that areas with a population up to 20,000 may have liquor vends at a distance of 220 metres from the highways.

In West Bengal, the police and excise were keeping a vigil on both the national and state highways so that the order was strictly followed.

Not a single liquor outlet was open on Kona Expressway, Bombay Road. Some had even "Bar Closed" notices. Several bars in the districts of Howrah, Hooghly, South and North 24 Parganas, Burdwan were also shut.

However, bars alongside the EM Bypass, VIP Road, and parts of Jessore Road were having business as usual as the state government had recently dropped them from the list of state highways.

A few residents of the Kona Expressway alleged that liquor were sold through the rear door of shops which had their front doors closed.

When contacted, an excise official said that round the clock screening was being done and bar owners had followed the instructions of not opening the outlets.

"A bar owner, shocked by the order of the apex court said,"We were completely surprised by the order. We do not know what to do now. Our business has been badly affected."



In Rajasthan, out of the total 7760liquorshops in the state,2800 fell within the 500 meter radius from highways.

"Nearly 2800 shops in Rajasthan were affected due to the Supreme court order. Most of the shops were shifted elsewhere from their highway location and remaining few were closed because of non-availability of suitable location," O P Yadav, the Excise Commissioner said.

He added that with the Supreme Courtmodifying its order and reducing the distance from 500 meters to 220 meters in municipal areas having population less than 20,000, the department would now revise the number and location of shops in light of the new direction.

The Rajasthan government officer said that the impact of the decision on the revenue collection would only be assessed after first quarter of the new financial year.

Haryana government officials expect about 200 bars will be closed down in the wake of the order while the Punjab officials say they are work out the exact number.

"Out of 478 bars in Haryana, 194 bars will be affected by the Supreme Court order. Out of 194 affected bars in the state, maximum of them are in Gurugram. Out of total 292 bars in Gurugram, this order will have implications on 106 bars," a Haryana government official said.

There could be estimated revenue foregone to the tune of Rs 100 crore, the official said



Meanwhile, in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, about 90 bars including pubs will be affected because of the Supreme Court order.

An office bearer of Chandigarh Hotel and Restaurant



association said because of closure of bars in the city, a large number of people employed in these shops would be jobless.

Expressing concern over nearly 1.5 lakh fatalities occur in road accidents every year, the Supreme court had said that no newliquorvend shall come up along national and state highways while those already having licenses will have to shutshopby April 1, 2017.

(REOPENS DEL30)



In Gurugram, restaurants and hotels chains owners have joined hands and are planning to meet union minister of Tourism and culture Mahesh Sharma and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday.

The order will lead to loss of employment for many, while also adversely affecting revenue, business and tourism in the country, they said.

Kapil Chopra, President, the Oberoi Group and Former Chairperson of WTTC said "We completely respect the Supreme Court judgement but with thousands of bars and restaurant will be affected in India."



He said tourists love to visit India but they may find it unappealing if they are not allowed to have a glass of beer or wine in a hotel.

He said it is better to have a stricter drunken driving law.
The village dwellers along the 10 kilometers of Indo-Pak international border in Punjab, have been left listless after the government asked them to vacate the area, in wake of the recent surgical strikes by India on terror launch pads across LoC.

The villagers are hesitant to leave behind their homes and agricultural produce to the vagaries of war.

"How we can leave behind our standing crops, costly animals and move away? Our crops are ready. We were planning to sell our hard earned yield in the grain market to earn money so that we can feed our children and arrange good education for them," Jasbir Singh, a resident of village Khemkaran falling in the Tarn Taran border district, said.

The residents rue that successive governments have asked them to vacate the place whenever cross-border altercations escalate, but they fail to provide any concrete compensation to them.

"Hundreds of people living on the Indo-Pak border are shifted in temporary camps in such situations. Our standing crops are crushed by Army tanks, and the compensation paid by the government is meager," Harinder Singh, resident of Tarn Taran said.

MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha said that he visited many border villages at Khemkaran, Bhikiwind, Khalra, Thehkalan, Machikey, Mehndipur and Kalas, stating that the people were listless there.

He said the inhabitants of border villages like Rasoolpur, Bhania, Doekey, Bheropal, Hardo Rattan,Dhariwal Udhar, Dhaoney, Rajatal, Mahawa,Bachiwnd, Shahura, Kiralgarh, Chak Allahbaksh, Kakar Rania, Ajnala and Ramdas falling in Amritsar district have already begun evacuation on mass level and are taking shelter in gurdwaras and inns.

"They all are in utter confusion. Each member of the family returned back in order to check on their standing crops and buffalos," Valtoha said.

Many border residents ehoed the 'indifference' by the government on their pitiable condition.

"We make the ends meet on the basis of the income we earn from our six-acre land situated on Indo-Pak border. We are unable to leave behind the standing crops and house hold goods. We suffered huge losses during the India-Pak 2001- 2002 standoff. We were not compensated by any of the authorities. Thus, we can not leave behind our belongings this time," Sohan Singh, a resident of village Mehndipur said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite the ongoing tension at the Indo-Pak border, the farmers in the state's border-belt with Pakistan would be allowed to harvest their produce at "every cost", Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today.

"Despite the ongoing tension at Indo-Pak border, the agriculturists will be allowed to harvest their produce at every cost. The crops are as dear to the farmers as their children and they could not bear this loss at any cost," Badal said, while speaking on the sidelines of his visit to border areas of Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts.

He said in view of the current situation, he had taken up the issue with the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who had directed the Border Security Force to allow the farmers of the border region to harvest their crop.

Likewise, he said the Centre has also allowed the farmers, having their land across the barbed fence inside the Indian territory, to reap and lift their crop.

Punjab shares 553-km border with Pakistan and six districts in the state lie close to the International Border.

People in nearly 1,000 villages falling within the 10-km radius of the International Border were asked to be evacuated following the advisory of the Central government in view of an apprehension of retaliation from Pakistani side after Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC).

A number of villagers in some districts had refused to leave their homes on the grounds that they need to tend to their crops and cattle and also look after their properties.

The Chief Minister said the government would soon release the pending compensation of farmers having land across the border fence.

He said the government has always extended a helping hand to the farmers of the border region and every effort would be made to bail them out of the present crisis.

Badal said he has directed the Food and Civil Supply department to depute special officers to ensure procurement and lifting of grains from the border region falling within the 10-km radius of the Indo-Pak border.

"Keeping in view the escalating tension at the border the state government is duty-bound to lift each and every single grain of the farmers," he said.

Recalling the "great service" rendered by border residents of the state to the country, Badal urged the Central government to start a special recruitment drive for the youth of the border areas to enable them to join army and para military forces.

Badal said the youth of the region was "blessed with



indomitable spirit" of courage and self-sacrifice and efforts should be made to "channelise this energy for the country".

He said the "brave patriots" of the border region have always fought against all odds to safeguard the unity and integrity of the country, adding "it was the high time that the country recognises their immense contribution".

Badal said he would soon raise this issue with the Union government and seek its early resolution.

The Chief Minister said the government would also approach the Ministry of Defence to impress upon them for "widening the bridges on defence drains in the region".

Badal said the government had made elaborate arrangements to facilitate the people in relief camps.

The government was duty-bound to extend a helping hand to these people who left their homes after escalation of tension between India and Pakistan, he said.

Badal said he along with top-brass of the government was regularly monitoring the arrangements in relief camps.

Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Army for conducting a "successful operation" to destroy terror launch pads in PoK, the Chief Minister reiterated that Modi-led NDA government gave a befitting reply to Pakistan for its "sinister moves" of supporting terror groups against India.
Mahatma Gandhi's 147th birthday commemoration was marked today at South Africa's highest judicial institution which is built on what was once a prison where he was jailed for opposing discriminator government policies in the country.

"It's very important for us to remember Gandhi, and it's more important in South Africa, where it is more appropriate for us to be standing right here, because this is where our country's struggle for democracy saw fruition in the development of the Constitution that is unparalleled anywhere in the world," said Kirti Menon, a granddaughter of Gandhi at a function held at the Constitution Hill.

Constitution Hill is built on a prison where Gandhi was jailed for opposing discriminator government policies in the country.

"It is also the place where Gandhi the lawyer became Gandhi the prisoner; and in becoming the prisoner he found four very important messages for us - truth; passive resistance and how to apply that to address social injustices in our society; non-violence and peace," Menon added.

"Just by seeing the (local) Sunday newspapers today, you will see that all four of those are more or less absent from our lives, so the journey and the quest still continues," Menon added.

Menon was referring to headlines about corruption and criminal activities in South African government and public institutions, as well as nationwide student protests that included burning down libraries and confrontation with police.

Menon called for all present to apply the four principles to fight the social ills in society.

"I trust that Gandhi's message permeates into our lives in a responsible way, not just on October 2, but that on every day we take a lesson from that and apply it. The event took place beside a bust of Gandhi that was unveiled by then President Pratibha Patil a few years ago," Mennon said.

Next to the bust is a special exhibition on Gandhi and South African anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela that was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited the country in July this year.

"When Mahatma Gandhi stayed behind these prison walls, he wasn't a Mahatma yet. He was a lawyer whose conscience had spoken out to lead those in this country and he was destined to lead the people in his country (India) to freedom," said High Commissioner Ruchi Ghanashyam, who hosted the event.

"So this is an important place in the history of both our countries," Ghanashyam said.

A number of other celebrations of Gandhi's birthday also took place across South Africa.

One of them was at Tolstoy Farm, the commune that Gandhi started outside Johannesburg during his tenure of 21 years in South Africa, where the Mahatma Gandhi Remembrance Organisation hosted a Peace Prayer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Underlining the importance of 'kisan and jawan', Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today said both were equally important for the country and the people cannot "imagine" their lives without them.

"We cannot imagine our lives without farmers in the field, and jawans on the borders," he said at a road show here.

The Congress leader said people were aware of the conditions in which jawans are living on the borders to protect the country.

"They risk their lives for the country but they do not have facilities," Rahul said, adding salaries and facilities for the jawans and their families needed to be enhanced.

He said though his party is not in power in the country or the state, it will continue to fight for the rights of farmers from Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul, who was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Raj Babbar, paid floral tributes to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi in a nagar palika campus here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The market for chain restaurants including cafes and quick service restaurants (QSR) is expected to grow at 20 per cent a year to reach Rs 51,000 crore (USD 8bn) by 2021, a recent report said.

The QSR format followed by cafes dominate the market which is currently valued at Rs 20,400 in the country, the India Food Services Report by National Restaurant Association of India said.

The current decade is seeing a shift to a larger organised sector in the food services sector as a whole, and a rapid growth in the chain restaurants segment is because of an increase in consumers' propensity to eat out, the report noted.

While Delhi and Mumbai contribute to a total of 22 per cent of the food services market, the 6 mini-metros constitute 20 per cent, according to the report.

"Due to increased economic activity, rising disposable incomes, a greater need for convenience and an increase in the women workforce, the chain food service brands have done well in these cities," the report explained.

In the QSR format, the top five players account for 70 per cent of the market with Domino's dominating at 30 per cent of the outlets.

The Cafe segment is also growing with several domestic and international brands entering the market.

Currently, there are approximately a 100 chain cafes and bakery brands, with an estimated 2,800-3,000 outlets spread across the country.

Over the years, several standalone restaurants have also become a chain, spotting good opportunity in the segment.

Restaurants like The Egg Factory in Bengaluru, Theobroma in Mumbai, Cafe Delhi Heights, Yum Cha and Instant Pizza in Delhi have all gone this route, the report pointed out.

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China will have 240 million people aged 60 or above by 2020, 17 per cent of the total population, putting a heavy strain on healthcare system and steady reduction of labour force in the world's second largest economy.

China currently has an elderly population of 220 million. and by 2020, senior citizens will make up 17 per cent of the population about 240 million,Liu Qian, deputy head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission told a conference.

Liu said China also faced severe situation with regard to chronic diseases, with more than 260 million chronically ill patients in the country.

These illnesses are to blame for over 86 per cent of deaths in China.

Liu was quotedthe per capita annual spending on health was estimated at around USD 472 in 2015.

In May this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting to review the situation as population above 60 years has climbed to 220 million people constituting 16 per cent of the total population, far sooner than expected.

Chinese capital is already feeling the heat with numbers of pensioners climbing up to 23.4 per cent of about 22 million population.

In order to address the long term impact of the population the Chinese government this year has scrapped the three-decade-old one-child policy and permitted people to have a second child.

The Beijing local government expects 30 per cent of the city's population to be aged 60 or above by 2030.

By 2020, the city will pay out 200 billion yuan (USD 30.7 billion) in old-age pensions and the amount is expected to surge to 670 billion (about USD 111 billion) in 2030.

The number of those aged between 16 and 59 will decrease to 896 million in 2020 and 824 million in 2030, while those aged 60 and over will grow to 253 million in 2020 and 365 million in 2030, new data provided by the Population and Development Studies Centre at the Renmin University of China said.

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India is unlikely to overtake the manufacturing dominance of China, at least not for the next 10 years, despite its focus on 'Make in India' and availability of cheap wages.

"Cost of production is rising in China. Wages are three to four times higher than India but even then its manufacturing dominance is going to stay even if you speak about next 10 years," Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) principal economist Dickson Ho told PTI in an interview.

Elaborating, he said manufacturing dominance would mean mass production and not specialised products like aircraft.

But focus of Chinese manufacturing and services companies for having 'alternate' base in India is growing strong and fast, he said.

HKTDC is working on finding alternative manufacturing bases for Hong Kong based companies with competitive business enviornment, Ho, who is on a visit to West Bengal, said.

He will also go to Orissa, Assam and Telegana during this visit to focus on opportunities in labour intensive industries and textile, clothing and footwear which are attracting special attention.

Ho, in his previous visit, had covered western and southern parts of the country for his research on competitiveness India offers in manufacturing with extensive study on the textile sector.

According to Ho, wage alone is not the key to set up business. Internal market and ease of doing business also hold great importance.

India's has a strong position in Asia for its huge internal market, he added.

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Dance music scene in India has risen up dynamically and is expected to grow further, believe DJs Dimitri and Michael Thivaios.

In recent years dance music has managed to create a global dominance with the producers being on the forefront rather than remaining backstage and India is no exception.

"Dance music scene in India is crazy now. We started performing at smaller clubs and now its like a 10,000 people event.

"At Sunburn Goa there are uncountable number of people. So, it is amazing to see the Indian dance culture in such a big light, " say the musicians, who are current world number 1 DJs.

Known by their stage name -- Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, the brothers say they are happy to be in the country to witness the "madness."



The DJs will be next seen performing in Hyderabad and Mumbai on October 8 and 9 respectively at Sunburn Arena with some surprises for their Indian fans.

"I think as far India is concerned it will keep on growing. It is great to see this evolution and be a part of it. All the shows we have done so far here have been amazing. It is going to be pure madness. We are more than happy to be here," Dimitri said.

"We have done a couple of remixes, including one for Lost Frequencies' new single 'What Is Love'. We will be premiering it for the first time, in India," he adds.

This summer has been quite an affair for the Belgian duo, be it giving out unreleased music for free, a brand new single or performing during the 4-month-long Ibiza residency, which they recently wrapped up.

"As far as 'Bringing the Madness' (their annual arena show) is concerned, it will stay in Belgium as it is our home and the production needed cannot be easily done outside," Dimitri said.

The fourth season of 'Bringing the Madness' is scheduled to be held in Antwerp in Belgium, this December with four shows lined up over two weekends.

Talking about the highly anticipated debut album, Dimitri said it was still undergoing the creative process and they might release some as singles, the latest being 'Hey Baby', in collaboration with American DJ-producer Diplo.

The track was premiered at "Tomorrowland" earlier this year and will be out by the end of this month.

"We don't feel that the album is ready yet. We have new music ready for more than 2-3 albums, but we want it to be unique and feel that it's not 100 per cent there," they said.

Not wanting to keep the fans waiting, Dimitri said, "Till the time album comes, we are going to just keep releasing new music, new songs and at a certain point we are going to surprise them with the full album.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dance music scene in India has risen up dynamically and is expected to grow further, believe DJs Dimitri and Michael Thivaios.

In recent years dance music has managed to create a global dominance with the producers being on the forefront rather than remaining backstage and India is no exception.

"Dance music scene in India is crazy now. We started performing at smaller clubs and now its like a 10,000 people event.

"At Sunburn Goa there are uncountable number of people. So it is amazing to see the Indian dance culture in such a big light, " say the musicians, who are current world number 1 DJs.

Known by their stage name -- Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, the brothers say they are happy to be in the country to witness the "madness."



The DJs will be next seen performing in Hyderabad and Mumbai on October 8 and 9 respectively at Sunburn Arena with some surprises for their Indian fans.

"I think as far India is concerned it will keep on growing. It is great to see this evolution and be a part of it. All the shows we have done so far here have been amazing. It is going to be pure madness. We are more than happy to be here," Dimitri said.

"We have done a couple of remixes, including one for Lost Frequencies' new single 'What Is Love'. We will be premiering it for the first time, in India," he adds.

This summer has been quite an affair for the Belgian duo, be it giving out unreleased music for free, a brand new single or performing during the 4-month-long Ibiza residency, which they recently wrapped up.

"As far as 'Bringing the Madness' (their annual arena show) is concerned, it will stay in Belgium as it is our home and the production needed cannot be easily done outside," Dimitri said.

The fourth season of 'Bringing the Madness' is scheduled to be held in Antwerp in Belgium, this December with four shows lined up over two weekends.

Talking about the highly anticipated debut album, Dimitri said it was still undergoing the creative process and they might release some as singles, the latest being 'Hey Baby', in collaboration with American DJ-producer Diplo.

The track was premiered at "Tomorrowland" earlier this year and will be out by the end of this month.

"We don't feel that the album is ready yet. We have new music ready for more than 2-3 albums, but we want it to be unique and feel that it's not 100 per cent there," they said.

Not wanting to keep the fans waiting, Dimitri said, "Till the time album comes, we are going to just keep releasing new music, new songs and at a certain point we are going to surprise them with the full album.

Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike already gave an album worth of



free music to the fans in August. "Summer of Madness" contained 8 unreleased records for free.

Known for their high energy festival numbers like 'Tremor', 'Mammoth' and 'The Hum', the brothers lately have been dishing out a new sound with heavy focus on the melody and the vocals such as 'Higher Place' and 'Stay A While'.

"Mike is doing a lot of vocal stuff and you can hear a lot more vocals in the new songs. He is working on a whole new different sounds and genres, let's see what ends up in the album," Dimitri said.

"People can expect a wide variety in the upcoming releases. 'Hey Baby' is more towards the laidback melodic side, but we are also working on a couple of heavy bangers. We like to maintain that balance in the tracks we play during our set," he said.

New influences in the upcoming tracks include elements of hip-hop.

"We are working on a lot of hip-hop tracks, that's a new approach for us. Heyy Baby is a single on those lines," he said.

October is indeed nostalgic for them as it was during this time in 2015 that Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike were crowned as world number 1 DJs in the DJ Mag voting, creating history by becoming the first ever duo to fetch the title and expectations are high this year as well.

"Personally I don't know anything yet, it will be great to be the number 1 for another year but I also do think that there are others artistes that probably deserve the number 1 position. We are happy to be number two or number three, just proud that people vote for us," he said.

"For us, DJ Mag (in 2015) was a big surprise. We were honoured, it is something so crazy. We very excited even when we heard that we were number 200 years back, it has been an amazing journey so far, we enjoy the shows and making music, we enjoy the ride."



They might be seen performing on the stage together but as of now, the brothers have adopted a slightly different approach when it comes to working at the studio.

"We both work on stuff, you know like at this point Mike is constantly coming with new track ideas and melodies. He is working on a couple of originals and I'm working on a couple of remixes. When we are both done, then I will give my touch on the originals and he will give the touch on the remixes. That's how it works.
Judicial officers of the district courts in the capital will get a salary hike with the Delhi government notifying recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, which provides 2.5 times hike in basic salaries and pension with effect from January 1.

The decision will benefit around 500 in all district courts.

"Delhi government has issued a notification to implement recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission for in all district courts.

"With this, Delhi has become the first state which has cleared 2.5 fold hike for as per the Commission's recommendations," said a senior government official.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the law portfolio, has confirmed the move.

In August this year, the AAP government had implemented recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission for over one lakh employees of the city administration.

On Friday, Delhi government had also directed all recognised, unaided schools in the capital to implement recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission and give their employees revised salaries.
With people soaked in Navratri spirit, Delhi Police has made tight security arrangements in the walled city which is home to some of the oldest Ramlila celebrations.

In the wake of the Uri attack and intelligence inputs of a terror threat to the capital, Delhi Police has ramped up security at places that see high footfall.

The three Ramlilas that are held in the Lal Quila Maidan in front of the iconic Red Fort, together annually see a gathering of over 50,000 per day during Navratri season and climbs to more than a lakh on the day of Dussehra.

The officials of North District have held meetings with the Lav Kush Ramlila Committee, Shri Dharmic Leela Committee and Nav Shri Dharmik Lila Committee, to apprise them of the security arrangements.

"We have asked the Ramlila organisers to ensure that there are fixed entry, exit and emergency gates, so that entry of people can be regulated. We have asked them to ensure proper frisking of people. There are DFMDs installed at the entry points," said DCP (North) Madhur Verma.

He said this time, they have also stationed men on 'rooftops'.

Explaining this, he said, "Our people will be stationed on the terraces of high buildings in Lala Lajpat Rai Market so that people cannot use those areas to target the Ramlila to create panic," he said, adding there will also be armed policemen stationed at the Ramlilas with automatic weapons.

The three Ramlilas, on their part, also claim to have made adequate security arrangements to ensure that the festivities are not affected.

"Earlier we had a grill surrounding the Ramlila ground but now we have covered it with an iron sheet so that outsiders cannot see what is happening inside and they cannot target anybody inside," said Arjun Kumar, secretary, Lav Kush Ramlila Committee.

Kumar said they have increased the number of volunteers from 400 to 600 and hired 50 security guards and 20 bouncers and the number might be increased keeping in mind the high footfall on weekends and the day of Ravan-dahan.

He said there are 60 CCTV cameras installed at strategic locations to keep an eye over the proceedings.

There are night vision cameras installed by Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Committee so that there is a hawk-eye vigil.

"We have installed revolving cameras and night vision cameras so that there is clear footage recorded from all the strategic locations like entry and exit points, place where the crowd sits and watches the Ramlila and eating area.

"The number of security guards has been doubled keeping in mind the high alert situation in the capital," said Rahul Sharma, press secretary, Nav Shri Dharmik Lila Committee.

"We have increased the number of private security guards from last year and we are working closely with Delhi Police to ensure that the security arrangements are in place," said Pradeep Sharan, secretary, Shri Dharmic Leela Committee.

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Government today released postal stamps on Swachh Bharat Mission that were designed by kids in the age group of 10-14 years, who have been awarded for their winning entries.

As a part of Swachh Bharat Mission, Department of Posts had organised a nation-wide competition inviting entries for designing the commemorative postage stamps of denominations of Rs 25 and Rs 5 and a miniature sheet.

"Postal department has worked as per the will of the Prime Minister that whenever we have to issue commemorative stamp or any other work we should look at opinion of people. I am obliged to kids who have suggested these idea. We will facilitate these kids whenever we get opportunity on other occasion," Communications Minister Manoj Sinha today said.

He was speaking after jointly releasing the stamp, miniature sheet, First Day Cover and brochure on Swachh Bharat Mission theme with Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu.

First prize of Rs 10,000 went to 12 year old Binita Biswajeeta, second prize of Rs 6,000 to 10 year old Sanjula S and third prize of Rs 4,000 to 14 year old Arushi Agarwal.

Sinha said that Swachh Bharat campaign has successfully completed 2 years and now there are 1 lakh villages in this country where no one is going for open defecation.

"Due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi there has been change in mindset of people across country. In 1901, Bapu in Congress Summit said that there is need to give push to this mission and it is more important than freedom. The mission initiated by Bapu gave inspiration to people. I think that inspiration was losing momentum which has been rejuvenated by the Prime Minister," Sinha said.

He said that the mission has now become people's movement.

"We have heard that young women have refused to marry if there are no toilets at home. The kind of we hear around the mission are inspirational," Sinha said.

Naidu said that people across country are joining the campaign and there is need to change mindset of people to accelerate it.

"Some people think that they know everything about cleanliness. I agree but many don't think about their neighbourhood, temple, mosque, church etc. Everyone has to come together for development of nation. Money is not enough for progress but people need to change mindset," Naidu said.

He said that central government, state government, panchayat everyone has to work together as Team India.

"You have to be clean from mind, body and money. You may heard about money becoming clean yesterday. Borders are also now becoming comparatively cleaner," Naidu said.

He cited example of a Muslim lady in Guntur has gifted a toilet to her daughter-in-law, a 14 year girl in Karnataka going on hunger strike to get toilet built in all 70-80 in her village as encouraging sign of people getting involved in the Swachh Bharat campaign.

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The ED has attached assets worth Rs 1.5 crore of four Andhra Pradesh postal department employees in connection with a money laundering probe against them.

The Enforcement Directorate money laundering probe against the four employees pertains to an alleged savings fraud case in Kadapa district few years back.

In a statement issued today, the agency said it attached 10 immovable and four movable assets under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

It said while the total value of these assets is Rs 61.16 lakh their "market value" is about Rs 1.50 crore.

The agency took over the case based on a CBI FIR of 2014.

"Investigation conducted by the agency revealed that Kakarala Kullayappa in collusion with Kondrapalle Maddulety, Kesava Siva Prasad and Akkem Venkataiah, all employees of postal department, had misappropriated Rs 3.28 crore of funds in College Road Sub-Post Office, Proddatur in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh," the agency said.

It said part of the money was utilised by Kullayappa and part transferred to the other three for "conniving and concealing" the fraud.

The ED said the money was used for personal expenses, purchase of immovable properties in the name of "their family members and construction of houses among others".

It said the accused committed "fraud in the monthly income scheme accounts and time deposit accounts".

An attachment order under PMLA is aimed at depriving the accused from availing benefits of the ill-gotten wealth. Such an order can be appealed before the Adjudicating Authority of the said Act within 180 days.

Further, if the Adjudicating Authority also confirms the order, the accused can appeal against it before the Appellate Tribunal of the said Act within 45 days.

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A women's rights group has filed a legal complaint against an Egyptian lawmaker who called for mandatory virginity tests for women seeking university admission, the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported today.

It quoted Maya Morsi, head of the state-sanctioned National Council for Women, as saying the complaint demands the expulsion from parliament of Ilhami Agena and a criminal investigation into his actions.

She said the lawmaker was harming the reputation of Egyptian women, men and the country itself.

Agena said in an interview last week that virginity tests were needed to combat the proliferation of informal marriages, known as "gawaz orfy," between students. Virtually expense free, such marriages have become more popular in recent years because of high youth unemployment and a shortage of affordable housing.

The gawaz orfy is widely viewed as a religiously sanctioned way of having premarital sex, a taboo in mostly conservative and majority Muslim Egypt. Muslim clerics have spoken out against such marriages.

In Egypt, as in other conservative, Muslim countries, a young woman's virginity is widely seen as a matter of family honor, the loss of which could prevent her from getting married.

The military was alleged to have conducted virginity tests on 19 women arrested after troops violently broke up a protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square in March 2011, shortly after longtime President Hosni Mubarak resigned in the face of a popular uprising.

Three months later, Amnesty International said that Egypt's then-military rulers acknowledged carrying out the tests as a way to protect the army from possible rape allegations.

The military pledged not to conduct the tests again, according to the London-based rights group.

Agena's comments about women have sparked controversy in the past, including claims that some female lawmakers were not dressing modestly enough.

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Populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the European Union (EU) could not force Hungary to accept migrants on its soil, after low voter turnout voided his referendum aimed at rejecting a contested quota plan.

"Brussels cannot force its will on Hungary," the defiant firebrand leader told his supporters yesterday in Budapest.

Although a whopping 99.8 per cent of those who voted supported his bid to reject the proposal, turnout was just 44 per cent, falling short of a 50-per cent threshold.

Among the ballots cast only 39 per cent were actually valid, the National Election Committee said as it declared the referendum void after counting the ballots on yesterday evening.

But Orban vowed there would be "legal consequences" nonetheless, as he sought to downplay the significance of the low turnout.

"Brussels or Budapest, that was the question, and the people said Budapest," he said.

"I will propose to change the Constitution (which) shall reflect the will of the people. We will make Brussels understand that it cannot ignore the will of Hungarian voters," he added.

Opposition figures earlier warned that any legal amendment based on the referendum result would violate the Constitution.

"It looks like (Orban) wants to continue his fight with the EU on its migration policy, and the constitutional amendment is his way of doing that as it might trigger legal fights" with Brussels, analyst Bulcsu Hunyadi told AFP.
Militants on Sunday shot dead a former village headman affiliated to opposition Conference in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, police said.

"Gunmen shot dead Fayaz Ahmad Bhat at his home at Kandizal in Kakapora area of Pulwama district this afternoon," a police official said.

He said Bhat was a former Sarpanch and affiliated to opposition Conference.
Two months after its priest was murdered by teenage jihadists, parishioners of a Catholic church in northern France will gather today for a solemn re-opening ceremony to seek solace and solidarity.

The Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray church, a focal point of a small town of some 27,000 near the city of Rouen, will hold a special penitential mass to mark the occasion and pay tribute to Father Jacques Hamel.

The 85-year-old priest had his throat slit at the foot of the altar on July 26 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

"He was a good priest. I always went to see him and he never refused to be of service," said 81-year-old Mafalda Pace, who lives just next door to the 16th-century church.

Pace said yesterday she would be among those following the penitential rite of cleansing and subsequent mass presided over by Archbishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun.

"The rite consists of 'cleansing' the church through the sprinkling of holy water," said the archbishop, who also celebrated an August 2 funeral mass for the slain priest at Rouen Cathedral which was attended by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners on that occasion.

Today's rite is designed to wipe away the profaning of the church at the hands of jihadists Adel Kermiche, a local man, and Abdel-Malik Petitjean, both of whom were shot dead by police following a siege.

Local clergy will join the archbishop for today's services, which will follow a mid-afternoon procession to the church with members of the local Muslim community pledging to join.

"It will be a day of brotherhood ... I hope that all local people will be there, believers or not," Mohamed Karabila, representing the local mosque, told AFP.

A giant screen has been set up to allow people who cannot fit into the church to follow the service outside.

The killing of Father Hamel came less than two weeks after the Bastille Day attack that claimed 86 lives when a Tunisian extremist rammed a truck into crowds on a popular promenade in the southern city of Nice.

The priest's murder and the Nice massacre some seven months after the November Paris attacks were the latest in a series of jihadist attacks to rock France over the past year and a half.

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Gammon Infrastructure will bid for half a dozen projects this fiscal and hopes to win at least two as government backs hybrid annuity model (HAM) for developing road network, a senior company executive said.

The government has embarked on an ambitious target of adding 30 km of network everyday and adopted the HAM model to attract private developers, who have been shying away from taking up projects on BOT basis mainly because of the risks like delay in clearances and approvals involved in it.

"Due to the delays in clearances and subsequent cost escalations, developers were reluctant to take up projects on BOT basis. As a result, the government also started awarding contracts on EPC basis. However, the recent introduction of the HAM model has given boost to the private sector, and we are also exploring this opportunity," company's Managing Director KK Mohanty said here recently.

According to the government's plan, over 10 projects are likely to be out for bids soon and the company will compete in at least half a dozen of them.

"We will evaluate the projects that would come up later this year and only then bid for it. But we hope we will be able to bag at least 2 projects out of those which we will bid for," he said.

Mohanty, however, did not disclose the size of the projects he is looking at bid for.

Under the HAM model, of the total project cost, 40 per cent will be funded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The remaining 60 per cent will be arranged by the concessionaire.

Once the project is completed, the NHAI will collect toll and refund the private players in installments for 15-20 years. This implies that the toll collection will be done by NHAI.

Gammon currently has a portfolio of 13 active assets, including 9 active road assets (5 operational and 4 under execution), 2 ports (1 operational and 1 under execution) and 2 renewable assets (both under execution).

The company is also engaged in areas of project development such as operation and maintenance services, EPC and project advisory services. It has presence in 8 states.

When asked how the company was servicing debt, Mohanty said, currently the debt is around Rs 3,000 crore.

"We have reduced the debt by Rs 2,000 crore by selling off six projects. Out of this, four projects are already operational, and remaining will be operational soon. As our projects get operational, it will start generating revenues. So, all the debts will start getting self-serviced from different operational projects," he added.
Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and nearly 170 towns in Gujarat, were declared Open Defection Free (ODF) on the birth anniversary of the 'Father of the Nation' today.

On the occasion, Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu urged the people to follow the call of Swachh Bharat Mission given by Modi.

"As Mahatma Gandhi had said, for getting freedom we all need to be satyagrahi. Similarly our PM has said we all need to be swachhgrahi for clean India. So all Gujaratis become swachhgrahi," he said in his address to people of Porbundar through video-conferencing.

"This is an interim gift to Mahatama Gandhi ji and the final gift will be in 2019 when the entire country will be clean or swachhh," Naidu added.

He also complimented Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his ministers and officials after 170 towns of Gujarat were declared open defecation free.

"Gujarat is the torch bearer and has set an example for others in swachhta (cleanliness)," the minister said.

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Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim, has been named as the 'Cleanest City Destination' by the Union Ministry of Tourism.

The award was received from the Prime Minister by the Commissioner, Gangtok Municipal Corporation in New Delhi on September 30, an official release said here today.

The Ministry of Urban Development and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, nodal Ministries responsible for implementing the flagship programme Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban and Gramin), jointly organised a day-long national workshop 'INDOSAN' at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on Friday.

The workshop which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister saw the participation of Union Ministers of the Ministries concerned, Chief Ministers of many states and Ministers in-charge of Swachh Bharat Mission.

The Sikkim delegation was led by state Minister, Urban Development and Housing Development, N K Subba, Mayor GMC, PCE/Secretary- UD and HD, Municipal Commissioner, State Mission Directors (Urban and Gramin), Officials and Panchayats, ADCs-Development Namchi and Gyalshing.

The delegates from Sikkim participated in the workshop, particularly in the technical session on Sanitation Technologies, Solid-Liquid Waste Management, inclusive Sanitationand Role of IT and Technology in SBM.

A plenary session on Inter-Ministerial collaboration was also conducted, the release said.

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Home-grown FMCG firm Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) is sharpening its focus on rural areas to drive its household insecticide business.

"By 2020, at an overall company level, we would like to have 40 per cent coming from rural and for insecticide it should be closer to that, around 35 per cent," GCPL Business Head-India and SAARC Sunil Kataria told PTI.

At present, the rural areas contribute 28 per cent of the home insecticide sales.

The company is a dominant player in the household insecticide space and the category accounts for nearly 50 per cent of GCPL India's turnover.

The total home insecticide industry is estimated to be around Rs 4,300 crore and GCPL has more than half the market share.

GCPL, which reported net sales at Rs 8,957.15 crore for 2016-16, has brands like Good knight and Hit in the household insecticide category.

The company recently forayed into the outdoor and personal repellent category under its flagship brand 'Good Knight'.

In the home mosquito repellent category, the company is eyeing Rs 250 crore in three years along with at least half the market share, Kataria added.

The second largest player in Indonesia in the household insecticide space, the company will be launching the personal repellent products over the next 12-18 months in the Southeast Asian country.

"The personal repellent category, we will be first rolling out in India and then IN Indonesia and various countries in Africa, over the next 12-18 months," he said.

Good knight accounts for 40 per cent of the GCPL's turnover and Kataria said they will do a lot of category creation under the brand.

"It is the driver brand for us. The goal for us, is very clearly, it will continue to drive our growth and we will do a lot of category creation and expansion," he said.

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Six flights, including the first chartered flight of the tourist season from Russia, were diverted to Bangalore and Mumbai today as thick fog enveloped the Goa International Airport at Dabolim in South Goa.

"Three international and domestic flights each were diverted this morning to Mumbai and Bangalore airports as visibility continued to be very low,"Dabolim Airport Director B C H Negi, told PTI.

Flights from Sharjah, Muscat and a chartered flight from Moscow had to be diverted to Bangalore, he said.

Two flights that had arrived from Bangalore and one from Mumbai were sent back to their respective airports.

The first chartered flight operated by Concord Exotic Voyages (P) Ltd, carrying the first batch of nearly 500 tourists from Russia would have marked the onset of the tourist season in Goa.

The state tourism department had planned a grand welcome of the tourists at the airport.

Negi said the visibility continues to be low at the Dabolim airport and situation is being constantly monitored by the airport authorities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Gujarat Congress today accused the BJP-led state government of not doing enough to stop atrocities on Dalits and depriving them of their basic rights.

In a rally here organised by the party in support of Dalits, Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki raised the recent incident of flogging of Dalit youths in Una town of Gir Somnath district and alleged that such incidents are on the rise.

"Not just Gujarat, such atrocities on Dalits are on the rise wherever BJP is in power in the country at present. BJP government here is also snatching away basic rights of Dalits, such as cheap education and affordable housing. It shows BJP government's anti-Dalit mentality," alleged Solanki.

"When Congress was in power in Gujarat, Dalits used to get plots to build their own houses from government. But, this BJP government is not showing any interest in providing such plots since last 15 years" alleged Solanki, who was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela and many other party leaders.

Vaghela alleged that BJP government does not believe in the Constitution prepared under the leadership of B R Ambedkar.

"Our Constitution is the best in the whole world. But sadly, BJP government does not have any faith in it. Not just Dalits, people from all other communities are suffering due to such arrogant attitude of BJP government," he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested a 44-year-old man, suspected to be one of the conspirators of the 2002 terror attack on American Centre in Kolkata.

Following a tip-off, officials nabbed Hasan Imam on Saturday from his residence in Aurangabad in Bihar and brought him here on Sunday.

An release said Imam was a member of the banned terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihadi-e-Islam as well as 'Asif Raza Commando Force' formed by Aftab Ansari.

Ansari was involved in the kidnapping of two Rajkot-based jewellers in November 2000, wherein a ransom of Rs 1.5 crore was paid and the money was allegedly used to fund terror activities through a network of terror groups, said the .

Ansari was arrested by CBI in February 2002 upon his deportation from Dubai. He was the key accused in the terror attack on American Centre in Kolkata.

Imam allegedly worked closely with Ansari and the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad to carry out the attack on the American Centre in the wee hours of January 22, 2002. Four policemen were killed in the attack.

ATS said Imam was actively involved in the conspiracy. He arranged the motorcycle used by terrorists and also provided shelter to the other accused.

Later he changed his name to Arif and settled down in Aurangabad, said the release.
All those travelling by Volvo vehicles and AC buses of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) can now avail a discount of 10-20 per cent in their fares starting today.

State Transport Minister G S Bali said in order to avail the discount, the passengers need to get 'smart cards' available in select bus stands like Dharamshala, Shimla and Manali.

The benefit was earlier reserved for non-AC buses run by HRTC.

"Persons below the age of 60 years shall get concession of 10 per cent while those above it shall get a concession of 20 per cent on showing smart cards to conductors," Bali said.

The minister added that 16 more luxury buses have been added on the routes of Manali-Jaipur,



Shimla-Katra-Dharamshala-Delhi and Shimla-Hardwar.

He said the imported buses shall be delivered to HRTC soon.

"These buses have been equipped with GPS, CCTV and passengers information system and the government is trying to connect all the pilgrimage and historic places of the state with major towns by luxury bus services," Bali added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hungarians today began voting on the EU's troubled refugee quota plan, in a referendum aimed at boosting Prime Minister Viktor Orban's self-styled campaign to defend Europe against the "threat of mass migration".

While there is little doubt that his 'No' camp will comfortably win, the poll could still end in embarrassment for Orban if it fails to reach the required 50-percent turnout and is deemed invalid.

To avoid this, the right-wing government has led a fierce media offensive urging the eight-million-strong electorate to spurn the EU deal, which seeks to share migrants around the 28-member bloc via mandatory quotas without the consent of national parliaments.

Polling stations opened at 0930 IST and will close at 1030 IST, with results expected later in the evening.

Orban warned yesterday that mass migration was a "threat... To Europe's safe way of life" and that Hungarians had "a duty" to fight the failed "liberal methods" of the "Brussels elite".

"We can send a message to each European... Telling them that it depends on us, European citizens, to bring the EU back to reason, with common effort, or let it disintegrate," he wrote in the Magyar Idok newspaper.

The EU proposal - spearheaded by Germany and approved by most EU countries last year - is aimed at easing pressure on Italy and Greece, the bloc's main entry points for hundreds of thousands of people mainly fleeing war in Syria.

But implementation has been slow, as eastern and central European nations remain vehemently opposed to the plan.

Hungary has not accepted a single refugee allocated under the scheme and instead joined Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it.

The referendum threatens to further split the quarrelling bloc, already weakened by its worst migration crisis since 1945 and Britain's decision in June to leave the union.

"If referendums are going to be organised on every decision of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, legal security is in danger," EU President Jean-Claude Juncker warned in late July.

As anti-migrant parties surge in popularity across the continent, Orban has emerged as the populist standard-bearer of those opposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" policy.

Today's poll will ask voters: "Do you want the EU to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?"



Opposition parties and rights groups held protests ahead of the vote, accusing Orban of whipping up xenophobia despite the lack of asylum-seekers in the country.

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Madhya Pradesh Home Department today transferred the Inspector General of Police, Balaghat range, D C Sagar and Superintendent of Police Asit Yadav, a week after an RSS worker was allegedly beaten up in police custody in Balaghat district.

Sagar was transferred to the Police Headquarters here as IGP (planning), whereas Asit was transferred as Commandant, 13th Battalion of Special Armed Force at Gwalior.

Anti-Naxal Operation IGP G Janardhan is the new IGP of Balaghat range whereas Amit Sanghi, Jabalpur Zonal Police Special Branch Superintendent, would be Balghat SP, an aide of Home Minister Bhupendra Singh said.

Three days ago, Balaghat Additional Superintendent of Police Rajesh Sharma, against whom a case under section 307 of IPC (attempt to murder) was lodged following the incident, was suspended.

On September 26, two police officers from Baihar police station in Balaghat district were suspended.

Police had arrested RSS pracharak Suresh Yadav on September 25 for allegedly posting objectionable comments about the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on WhatsApp.

Yadav was taken to Baihar police station. He escaped and hid in the house of Swami Prasad Asati, but the police caught him and brought him back to the station and booked him under IPC section 295 (a) (outraging religious feeling).

He was allegedly beaten up in police custody.

RSS had lodged a strong protest over the incident, following which Home Minister Bhupendra Singh and Agriculture Minister Gaurishanker Bisen had met Yadav at a hospital in Jabalpur.

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Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said that India may start getting fighter aircraft from France earlier than the agreed-upon 36 months.

"As per terms of the deal it is 36 months (during which the delivery has to start), but it may come slightly earlier. We have requested them to (deliver it) as fast as possible," he said.

On September 23, India and France signed the Euro 7.87-billion (Rs 59,000 crore approx) deal for fighter jets, equipped with latest missiles and weapon system besides multiple India-specific modifications that will give the IAF greater "potency" over arch rival Pakistan.

The 'vanila price' (just of the aircraft alone) will cost about 91 million Euros each for a single seater and about 94 million Euros for a two seater trainer aircraft.

Parrikar also said that a 12-member committee to suggest structural changes in the military on cutting down flab and reducing revenue (maintenance) expenditure will soon submit its report.

The committee is headed by Lt Gen (Retd) DB Shekatkar.
India has never attacked any country, nor has it ever coveted anyone's territory but made supreme sacrifice fighting for others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.

"India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for any territory. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 1.5 lakh Indian soldiers had laid down their lives fighting for others," the Prime Minister said at the inaugural ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a modern complex dedicated to overseas Indians here.

His statement came days after the Indian army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control as also in the backdrop of Pakistan's constant clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international fora.

Modi lamented that despite the great price paid by Indians, India could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifice. He said whenever he went abroad, he made it a point to visit the memorials for the Indian soldiers.

The Prime Minister said the Indian diaspora did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power abroad, but on the other hand, they mingled with other communities.

Indians, the Prime Minister noted, lived abroad with the principle of "social well being. ... They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per the need," he said.

Observing that the Indian diaspora should not be looked at in terms of its numbers, but in terms of its strength, he said there were countries where the Indian community was more powerful than the Indian missions and could help removing the "fear of unknown" amongst the people there towards India.

While much has been spoken about brain drain, if the strength of the Indian diaspora was channelised, "we can convert it into 'brain gain'," Modi said.

Like dams channelise the energy of water to make electricity, a source is needed to utilise the energy of the 2.45 crore strong Indian diaspora to "light up India",he said.

He also commended the role of the Ministry of External Affairs in helping people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and evacuating Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.

Modi said India has made a place for itself and the world now accepts India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid and added that other nations now sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from trouble spots.

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Hoping India will improve its ranking on World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index, eminent economist Kaushik Basu has said the government also needs to be more active in promoting cohesiveness and diversity in the society, as economic reforms with political and social inclusiveness can help the country regain 9.5 per cent growth rate.

Basu, who demitted office as Vice President and Chief Economist at World Bank on Friday after a four-year tenure and has been the architect of the Doing Business report, said India already stands out with over 7 per cent growth rate in a difficult phase of global economy but needs to pay greater attention on inclusiveness.

Pointing out that for a nation growing so well, India has far too many people below the poverty line, Basu said Indians must be proud of the country's diversity in terms of religion, caste and race and rued that "some Indians are ashamed instead of being proud of these qualities".

Noting that India has a long history of caste and discrimination, Basu said the country's founding fathers made a big effort to change this and make India into a secular society.

"There has to be greater effort to build on this cohesiveness. India's diversity in terms of religion, caste and race is something we should be proud of. Also India stands out among emerging economies for being a nation where freedom of speech is valued.

"I point to these because some Indians are ashamed instead of being proud of these qualities. These political and social characteristics are important for sustained economic growth. I personally believe that inclusiveness is a moral precept. It is desirable as an end in itself. But even if you do not share this belief, you must work to promote inclusiveness for the sake of high long-run GDP growth," he added.

Advocating a greater push for inclusiveness, Basu said the government must invest more on health and education and design better delivery so that these benefits reach everybody.

"In the long run, better nutrition, better education, better health can make a disproportionate difference to a nation's development. But for that very reason these interventions get too often overlooked."



He refused to comment specifically on this year's Doing Business report, saying the work on it was still going on, but hoped India would continue to improve its ranking.

"... We saw India greatly improve over the last two years, from rank 142 to 130. This was partly because of reforms and partly because of improved methodology.

"I hope India continues to improve its ranking. But it has to be recognized that India's cumbersome bureaucracy is a colonial baggage and making it trim and efficient will not be an easy task. Also, remember that Doing Business measures a nation along 10 main indicators.

"In reality, many other things matter for an economy to do well that Doing Business does not measure. We must not lose sight of those while striving to do better in terms of this ranking," Basu said.

"Where this government needs to be more active is in promoting inclusiveness and diversity. Stable, long-run growth depends more on this than most people realize. People work harder if they feel a part of society; if they can trust one another. We can see examples of this from Singapore to the US," he said.

Basu, who has decided to return to academia and said he



would not take up any role in the government of India, also hoped that the GST would be a game-changer.

"We have to remember India grew at an astonishing rate of around 9.5 per cent from 2005 to 2008. The aim must be to position India so as to regain that growth as soon as the global situation improves. Economic reforms with political and social inclusiveness can help India do this," he said.

Recalling his earlier role as Chief Economic Advisor to the government of India, which he performed during the previous UPA regime, Basu said he used to argue at that time and he continues to argue even today "that while regulation is a part and parcel of any modern economy, if India can make the regulatory system more efficient, the economy can benefit greatly, attracting capital and encouraging small and medium sized enterprise."



Asked about his assessment of the performance of the present Modi government, Basu said, "In terms of economic performance, this government has done well. It has begun cutting down bureaucratic transaction costs; GST alone will give India a big boost.

"In fact, what is very heartening is to see how stable India is in terms of economic policy, since broadly what this government is doing is what the previous government did or what it was trying to do. This stability is a great plus for FDI coming into India," he said.

Asked to compare the present government with the previous UPA regime, he said, "As I said, the broad economic reforms and changes are ones that were being attempted earlier. I remember myself sitting in numerous meetings trying to get the GST passed.

"As I had said even when I was in government, the reforms, while on the books, had slowed down in terms of implementation. It is therefore good to see some of them being put into action.

"What I worked on a lot and still needs work is cutting down on the leakage that takes places in providing benefits to the poor. We must not cut down the benefits - in fact, they need to be increased - but wherever possible the benefits should take the form of direct transfer to the poor, instead of involving the government bureaucracy to deliver everything to the doorstep.

On India's position in this difficult global scenario, Basu said, "From 2015, we put India in number one place in terms of GDP growth, among all major economies of the world. This has not happened before. India is growing at roughly 7.5 percent per annum. In today's global climate, this is good performance."



"The drivers of this are India's very good monetary and fiscal policies. These have been very well conducted. GST deserves a big tribute, as does the new bankruptcy law," he said, while adding that there were global factors too.

"India ... Is making good use of new technology that is linking up the global labor market. Secondly, the low oil price has helped India greatly. My belief is that, short of major political instability in the Middle East, the low prices will persist for three or four more years. This is a window of opportunity for India," he added.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has pitched for time-bound implementation of the much-delayed GAIL pipeline project in Kerala, saying it was "essential" to ensure "pollution-free" and "sustainable development" in the state.

In a Facebook post, he said it was not proper to curtail development in the name of pollution and usage of environment-friendly fuel like CNG was a solution to this.

The state should be connected to GAIL's natural gas grid to get CNG at a cheaper rate, he said.

"It is not proper to stop development for controlling pollution. The solution to this is to use green and clean fuel in place of those creating pollution. CNG is one such fuel which has been recognised as environment-friendly the world over," the chief minister said.

Detailing the significance of linking the state to GAIL's natural gas grid, Vijayan said, "It is essential to connect Kerala with this national natural gas pipeline grid for sustainable development."



The grid will be connected with LNG Petronet at Kochi.

The 900-km gas pipeline project of GAIL, passing through Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, has been facing a delay due to land acquisition issues in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

In Kerala, of the 550-km stretch, only about 44 km inside Ernakulam city has been completed so far.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka together account for about 384 km of the project.

Two pipelines, one from Kochi to Mangaluru passing through the coastal districts of Kerala and another connecting Bengaluru and Kochi, are to be laid.

Protests from the residents of the areas through which the pipelines would pass have caused the delay.

The 50 lakh tonnes per annum capacity of the Petronet LNG terminal at Puthuvype in Kochi has not been able to fully utilise its capacity due to the delay in laying of the pipelines.

Petronet sources said things have picked up after the LDF government came to power in the state.

"The GAIL pipeline project has a significant role to ensure pollution-free and sustainable development in the state. So, the state government is promising all support for the completion of the project," Vijayan added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki today said that Mahatma Gandhi embodied the spirit of India through his message of universal brotherhood due to which his birth anniversary is celebrated as International Day of Non-Violence.

He said after offering floral tributes here to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, on the occasion of their birth anniversaries.

Paying rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, Solanki said the Father of the Nation dedicated his life towards achieving an ideal society.

The government also envisions a radical transformation of the country by his 150th birth anniversary in 2019 and every citizen should contribute to making this dream a reality, he added.

Describing Lal Bahadur Shastri as a visionary leader, the Governor said the former Prime Minister through his slogan of 'Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan', motivated not only the soldiers but also the youth to contribute to nation-building.

The slogan is especially relevant today as the world's largest young population is residing in India, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 'silent marches' taken out by Maratha Kranti Morcha around Maharashtra to highlight demands like reservation in jobs and education have created ripples in state politics, with major players adopting a "wait and watch" approach to see if the massive mobilisation will eventually assume electoral dimensions.

Observers say that all main parties -- BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP - are unnerved by the huge success of the rallies, highlighting demands like reservation in job and education, though the immediate trigger being the rape and murder of a girl from the community at Kopardi in Ahmednagar.

They, however, feel it is too early to jump to the conclusion that the movement will lead to political changes.

According to Venkatesh Patil, journalist and author of "Maratha reservation- role and reality", the campaign is an opportunity for BJP to consolidate its Maratha vote base by bringing the community under the ambit of reservation.

"It is not to say Maratha leaders of congress or NCP have not done anything. The present ruling leadership cannot wash off its hands. The BJP is wasting the opportunity if it fails to turn the situation in its advantage," Patil told PTI.

"A Brahmin Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) addressing the grievances of the Maratha community is a good message in the long run. BJP should also groom a Maratha leader with a good mass base," he said.

Patil observes that the "silent and disciplined agitation" has given a new model for the state about how a non-violent morcha can be mobilised.

Instead of dismissing it as politically-motivated, the government should see the wider social issues raised by the movement, he said.

The issue will not be resolved until there is a constitutional amendment (to the quota regime) and Marathas are included as OBCs.

"Right now, political parties cannot touch SC/ST/OBC quota and the government is unlikely to consider the demand going by the constitutional provisions," Patil said.

As per the Supreme Court ruling, reservation cannot exceed 50 per cent and at present the state has 52 per cent reservation, he said.

Shiv Sena's stand of economic reservation has incensed the Maratha Kranti Morcha, Patil said.

"There is a feeling that the Sena's stand is to ensure Marathas do not get reservations. There is no constitutional provision for economic reservation and even if it is given it will not the legal scrutiny," he said, adding this approach can cost it politically.

Shiv Sena, however, has demanded a special sitting of



the state legislature to seriously look into the issues raised by the Maratha morcha. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray had called on the chief minister and put across the demand.

Balasaheb Sarate, scholar and researcher of Maratha issues, said the predominantly agricultural community has been hit by liberalisation and globalisation with the adverse effects they bought on the farm sector in the last 25 years.

This has pushed the Marathas to a sense of social insecurity and isolation, he said.

On the economic, social, educational and emotional state of the community, another observer said even though some Marathas are landlords, 70 per cent of the members of that community own maximum 1 hectare and 20 per cent are landless.

Education of children of Marathas in rural areas had suffered and there is no opportunity to come up on merit and the fees in private institutions are too high, while certain section of the society get a fee waiver as well as opportunities to gain admission in quota as well as merit.

Sarate says the Marathas are worst affected in Marathwada region, where they comprise 45 per cent of the population.

In North Maharashtra, subcastes like Leva Patils and Leva Patidars while Kunbis in Vidarbha are included as OBCs and get reservation benefits. But, in Marathwada, the Maratha community has no benefit.

In Vidarbha, North Maharashtra and Western Maharashtra, sections of the Marathas come under OBC category, since the communities eligible for reservation are often identified on the basis of traditional occupations, like farm work.

Marathwada was in the past ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad and so the land records describe them as only Marathas.

Political and administrative machinery have proved inadequate to address these issues, forcing the Marathas to highlight these issues and find out ways to pursue them.

However, the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl from the community at Kopardi, became the trigger for the silent morchas all over the state.
Use of marijuana in early pregnancy can harm the foetus and cause developmental delays and learning disabilities in babies, scientists have warned.

The study at Georgetown University Medical Centre in the US suggests an urgent need for human epidemiological and basic research that examines the link between maternal cannabinoid use, either smoked or eaten in candy bars, and the health of newborns.

Cannabinoids are chemicals like THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana, that act on cannabinoid receptors in neurons, repressing the normal release of neurotransmitters.

"We know from limited human studies that use of marijuana in early pregnancy is associated with many of the same risks as tobacco, including miscarriage, birth defects, developmental delays and learning disabilities, but animal research suggests the potential for many more developmental issues linked with the drug," said G Ian Gallicano, associate professor at Georgetown.

Gallicano said one reason for limited research is that the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug creates challenges to conducting research.

"All of the model systems point to the notion that cannabinoids affects many aspects of human development because THC and other chemicals alter molecular pathways that shouldn't be disrupted during development of a foetus," he said.

"We also know that THC is a promising agent for treating cancer, because it negatively affects tumour growth and can cause the death of cancer cells," he added.

"Embryo development has similarities to tumour formation - it turns on growth pathways that are necessary for development," Gallicano said.

"The fact that THC seems to stop cancer growth suggests how damaging the chemical could be for a foetus," he added.

Researchers reviewed the scientific literature for studies on cannabinoids and embryonic development published between 1975 and 2015.

They found that THC lasts in the body for weeks, especially in maternal tissues that act as reservoirs for THC and other cannabinoids, according to studies of pregnant dogs.

Human cells studies have shown that THC has a half-life of eight days in fat deposits and can be detected in blood for up to 30 days, they said.

Another study showed that THC readily crosses the human placenta, which can slow clearance of the drugs while prolonging foetal exposure.

THC levels in smoked marijuana have increased nearly 25-fold since 1970, and can be substantially stronger in edible preparations of cannabis, researchers found.

THC and other cannabinoids interfere with use of folic acid (vitamin B9), which has long been known to be essential for normal development and growth of the human placenta and embryo.

Deficiencies in folic acid are linked to low human birth weight, increased risk of spontaneous abortion, and neural tube defects.

Cannabinoid signalling plays important roles in development of a mouse embryo. It is required for proper pre-implantation development, embryo transport to the uterus, and implantation.

The research was published in the journal BioMed Central (BMC) Pharmacology and Toxicology.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mizoram paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 147th birth anniversary today.

Governor Lt General Nirbhay Sharma, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, Speaker Hiphei, members of the council of ministers, parliamentary secretaries and top officials laid wreaths at the statue of the Father of the Nation here this morning.

No other official function was held in the Christian-dominated state as the day fell on Sunday.

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The Narendra Modi government has fulfilled its twin promises of providing corruption-free government and unearthing black money, BJP president Amit Shah today asserted as he hailed it for recovering over Rs 65,000 crore under the income declaration scheme.

Claiming that the government has recovered over Rs 1.40 lakh crore of black money and other undisclosed assets in India and abroad during the two-and-a-half years that it has been in power, he said the latest recovery marks the beginning of "Bharat Uday" (India rising) as this money will be spent on the development of villages, the poor, farmers and the youth.

"In the history of independent India, no government has been able to recover black money to such an extent," he said in a statement referring to Rs 65,250 crore disclosure claimed to have been made under the scheme and added, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a short span of time has been able to fulfil his promises of providing corruption-free government and recovering black money."



"This is an unprecedented victory of the Modi government over black money," Shah said.

Besides the Rs 65,250 crore money disclosed under the Income Declaration Scheme-2016, the government has recovered Rs 56,378 crore of undisclosed earnings in the Income Tax department's search and survey drive and seized Rs 1,986 crore cash too, Shah said as he cited other recoveries to say that the total money recovered has been Rs 1.40 lakh crore.

BJP believes the scheme's success will be politically handy for it at a time when it is facing some crucial state polls and the opposition has often attacked it over the issue of recovering black money, a key plank of Modi during the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

Shah also cited the "transparent and corruption-free" auction of coal blocks and the government's efforts to plug gaps in subsidy transfer to claim that now nobody can cast an "evil eye" on the country's treasury.

The government has provided cooking gas connection to over 5 crore poor women after over 1 crore persons gave up their LPG subsidy on Modi's call, he said.

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You can now eavesdrop on some of the world's largest earthquakes from deep inside the Earth, thanks to a new project that lets you see, hear and feel seismic waves created by massive temblors.

A group of scientists and sound artists at Columbia University in the US are turning seismic waves into sound and images for an educational performance about earthquakes and what seismic waves can tell us about our planet.

People can see, hear and feel seismic data from enormous earthquakes, witness the patterns of decades of earthquakes in minutes, and see the seismic effect of ocean storms, all as though they were inside the planet.

"These are such complex, intriguing sounds, they excite wonder and curiosity in anyone. Why does that one sound like an acorn hitting a tin roof, and that one sounds like a gunshot? Or why does a nuclear bomb test sound different than an earthquake? The sound provides an entryway into the physics of earthquakes," said Ben Holtzman, who leads the Seismic Sound Lab.

Turning seismic waves into sound had been done before, however, the SeismoDome project coupled the sounds to visualisations that Holtzman's team created using computer code originally written by an astrophysicist to visualise models of the formation of stars.

The team sped up both the sound and visuals by a factor of several thousand. They also filtered the sounds and visualised data to illuminate different types of waves in the Earth.

The process lets the audience follow aftershocks from an earthquake, and gives a clear sense of the randomness of earthquake patterns in time and space, and the differences in plate boundaries.

Holtzman joined forces with astrophysicist Matt Turk, sound designer Jason Candler, and artist Douglas Repetto to create "SeismoDome," but their work has farther reaching applications.

The team is expanding the use of "auditory seismology" in ways that may one day help scientists recognise early warning signs of earthquakes before they strike.

Sound could also give scientists a new way of studying earthquakes and the interior of the planet.

Human hearing is highly adept at recognising physical meaning in sound.

By listening to the seismic data in addition to visual inspection and computer analysis, scientists hope to quickly detect changes that could indicate that a section of fault is destabilising and about to become a larger rupture.

"As you're listening to seismic signals, changes in the sound would trigger where to look in the seismic data," Holtzman said.

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A man died and another was injured in a lightning strike in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh today.

The area is receiving heavy showers.

Two farmers were working in a field when the mishap took place at Pedakamavaripalem village of Nagayalunka mandal, said sub-inspector G Anil.

The deceased was identified as A Raghavaiah (70). The injured man was admitted to Avanigadda Government Hospital and his condition was stable.

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One Turkish policeman was killed and two soldiers wounded today after three rockets fired from an area in Syria controlled by Islamic State (IS) jihadists hit the border town of Kilis, the provincial governor's office said.

The three rockets caused no initial damage when they hit an empty area in the centre of the Turkish town, which has been repeatedly struck by rockets fired from Syria over the last months.

However the policeman was killed and two soldiers wounded when they went to destroy the unexploded ordnance, which blew up, the Kilis governor's office said in a statement.

The Turkish army meanwhile said it responded to the rocket attack with artillery fire according to the rules of engagement.

The strikes come 40 days into an unprecedented incursion into Syria by Turkish forces aimed at rooting IS jihadists and Kurdish militia from the border area.

The necessity of ending cross border rocket strikes like the latest attacks on Kilis was one of the reasons given by the government for the operation.

Kilis has come under repeated attack from rocket fire from Syria in the last months, with 23 people killed, over half of them Syrian refugees.

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Pakistani military officials point to an Indian army post high on a forested ridge along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, insisting any incursions are impossible, after skirmishes ignited dangerous tensions between the two countries.

The army took the rare step of flying international media to the de facto border to make its case in a battle of competing narratives, after India said its elite commandos penetrated up to three kilometres into on anti-militant raids.

The presence of Indian forces so far across the Line of Control (LoC) would be a stinging blow to Pakistan, particularly after the 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden which took place on its territory without its consent.

The media visit came yesterday as India's army chief Dalbir Singh congratulated commandos involved in what New Delhi has described as "surgical strikes" to take out terrorist launchpads after a deadly attack on an Indian army base by Pakistan-backed militants last month that killed 19 soldiers.

has flatly denied the claim, saying two of its soldiers were killed but only in cross-border fire of the kind that commonly violates a 2003 ceasefire on the LoC.

The helicopter tour took journalists to sectors just two kilometres from the dividing line, and near the locations India said it targeted in assaults on four militant camps.

On hand were senior local commanders as well as army spokesman Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa - an omnipresent media personality who has taken centre stage on Pakistani television since the tensions erupted.

In villages like Mandhole, daily life was going on largely as normal despite the tensions, with shops and businesses open and children in pressed white uniforms walking to school.

"You have seen the lay of the land," said Bajwa, speaking from a command post overlooking the lush green Bandala Valley, with Pakistani and Indian fortifications visible on the opposite hill.

"You can see the way the fortifications are built and the way has layers of defence and they have layers of defence... The LoC cannot be violated," he said.

"If they've caused that damage to us, we don't know any has been caused to us! You can go and meet the civilian population. Our side is open: to the UN mission, to the media, to the general public," he said.

It was not possible to verify the general's claims, though villagers who spoke with a second AFP reporter in the area independent of the military-guided trip were also incredulous.

Sardar Javed, a 37-year-old journalist for Kashmiri newspapers and a resident of Tatta Pani sector, which lies just west of India-controlled Poonch sector where one of the strikes was said to have been carried out, said he had seen no evidence of a raid.

"I'm not saying it's not true because that's the army line. It's because I'm from the LoC and I'm a local journalist. News spreads fast around here and people get to know whatever happens," he said.

Tensions have been simmering for months over unrest on the Indian side, where more than 80 civilians have been killed during protests linked to the killing of a young separatist in July.
With the collapse of the SAARC Summit, there is an "urgent need" to rebrand Pakistan, a daily today said and asked the government to "introspect" and develop an "effective" foreign policy to dispel the country's image of a nation plagued by terrorism and intolerance.

"This should be a moment for Pakistan to introspect and determine how it can effectively present itself to the international community," The Daily Times said in an editorial after India and four other members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation pulled out of a meeting of the regional grouping scheduled in Islamabad next month.

"When it comes to the global stage, perceptions matter tremendously, and unfortunately for Pakistan, its image as a country plagued with terrorism and intolerance has made most of its appeals to the international community fall on deaf ears," the daily commented.

The editorial comes in the backdrop of rising tension with India that began with the attack on an army base in Uri on September 18 in which 19 soldiers were killed by Pakistan- based terrorists. In retaliation to the assault, India said it carried out "surgical strikes" across LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to destroy terrorist launchpads.

The Indian military action was supplemented by diplomatic efforts to "isolate" Pakistan, with India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka pulling out of the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad on November 9-10.

"It is for this reason that the refusal of five SAARC members to not attend the conference in Islamabad has sent the wrong signal to the international community. In light of this, Pakistan needs an effective foreign policy, and for that to happen it needs a full time foreign minister who is able to counter Indian lobbying in the international community and present Pakistan's case to the world," the editorial said.

"Pakistan is in urgent need of rebranding itself, and this cannot take place unless government takes the matter of making and articulating foreign policy seriously, highlighting Pakistan's issues and honestly packaging its potential and promise."



The daily also cited Pakistan's "inroads towards a closer relationship with Russia" and good ties with the Gulf "despite Pakistan's refusal to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthis in Yemen".

The daily, however, conceded that India enjoys influence at the global level, mostly because of the size of its economy and the potential market it offers.

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A Pakistani boat with nine persons on board was on Sunday apprehended off Gujarat coast by the Indian Coast Guard.

ICGS Samudra Pavak apprehended the boat at about 10:15 a.m. off Gujarat coast, the Coast Guard said, adding preliminary information indicated those on board were Pakistani fishermen.

Security agencies have been extra cautious in view of the prevailing security scenario following the surgical strike by Indian army on terror camps across the LoC.

Further investigation is on and the apprehended Pakistanis will be quizzed at Porbandar.
Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar would address a public gathering on October 4 in Goa where he would be felicitated.

"Parrikar is expected to address more than 10,000 people at the historic Azad Maidan in Panaji on October 4, where he would be congratulated and felicitated for the achievements over the surgical strike," BJP Goa unit president Vinay Tendulkar told PTI.

Tendulkar claimed this would be the first public speech by the Defence Minister post the surgical strike.

"We are proud of his achievements and hence we want to express our sentiments to him," he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Parrikar will arrive at the Dabolim airport from where he would be taken in a procession to Azad Maidan.

To a question, Tendulkar said the surgical strike will be one of the issues that would be highlighted during the Goa Assembly elections due next year.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that sacrifices in Uri attack would not go in vain and he has kept the word. Only BJP and its government have the capability to take such stern action which is historic. We will be highlighting this achievement during the forthcoming poll campaign in Goa," Tendulkar said.

India had recently carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC with the Army saying that its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Defence sources said seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control(LoC) were destroyed by special forces of the Indian Army on the intervening night of September 28 and 29 in a nearly five-hour-long operation during which heliborne and ground forces were deployed.

"Earlier, one thing was sure that India won't cross (Line



of Control). Now that is one thing that's missing. In strategy and such kind of issues, you need to put uncertainty in their minds. That has been achieved," said Parrikar.

The minister said the operation has also left the nation satisfied. "It was a continuous insult to be treated like this...Someone comes, hits us and we can't do anything," he said.

The Minister said he had taken the initiative for the army to experiment with three to four types of fences on pilot basis but "they have massive procedures".

Following this, he has now asked the Defence Research and Development Organisation to experiment with smart solutions to secure military bases.

"The DRDO has been asked to try fences of different kinds - microwave, laser, smart fence that can pick vibration and CCTV cameras that can pick movement at one kilometre," he said.
Solutions of all the problems that the world is facing lies in Buddhism, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today said ashe inaugurated the five-day 'International Buddhist Conclave' here.

Over 285 participants from 39 counties are participating in the fifth edition of the event.

"Out of eight important religious places related to Budhhism, seven lies in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accorded a top priority to Buddhism...It is reflected from the participation of more than 285 people from 39 countries in this conclave.

It is remarkable and means a lot to us," Sharma said while addressing the conclave.

Indicating at various conflicts that the world is facing, he said, "Solution of all the problems that the world is facing lies in Budhdism".

Addessing the conclave, Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Karu Jayasuriya recognised India as a "land of Buddha" and said the country is the most important tourist destination among the Lankans.

Tourism Ministry is organising the fifth edition of the conclave with a view to showcase Buddhist heritage and pilgrimage sites in the country to attract tourists from overseas country.

ASEAN countries are a major source places for India from Buddhist tourism point of view. A large number of monks and mediapersons from these countries are participating in the conclave.

The Conclave would include presentations, panel discussions, business-to-business meetings between domestic and international tour operators and state governments.

The participants would also be visiting important Buddhist sites in and around Varanasi, Sarnath and Bodhgaya.

Indian government has sanctioned about Rs 300 crore for development of Bhuddhist circuit which includes Rs 94 for construction of a cultural centre at Bodhgaya in Bihar.

Other Buddhists sites are located at Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

India, the birthplace of Buddhism, has a very rich Buddhist Heritage with several important sites associated with the life of Buddha which are essential pilgrimage centresfor followers of the religion the world over.

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Islamic militants in the Philippines have freed three Indonesian sailors abducted at sea, officials said, in the latest release by the Abu Sayyaf group after a kidnapping spree in the restive south.

The Abu Sayyaf handed over the three men on Jolo island to a major rebel group which then released them to authorities today, government peace negotiator Jesus Dureza said.

"The turnover was smooth and now the three will get a medical check-up and a debriefing before being turned over to an Indonesian representative," Dureza told AFP.

The three were part of a group of sailors abducted by the Abu Sayyaf in June, authorities said. The terms of the release were not disclosed, but the Abu Sayyaf typically releases hostages after hefty ransom payments are paid.

Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi also confirmed the three hostages - Ferry Arifin, Edi Suryono and Muhamad Mabrur Dahri - had been freed and would be handed over to a team from the Indonesian embassy.

Today's handover was the latest hostage release overseen by Nur Misuari, an elder Muslim rebel leader with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) group.

After a decades-long insurgency, the MNLF is currently engaged in peace talks with President Rodrigo Duterte. The Abu Sayyaf is not part of the peace process.

"These recent breakthroughs were a convergence of efforts that President Duterte initiated, getting the cooperation of the MNLF," Dureza said.

In mid-September, a Norwegian hostage kidnapped in 2015 and three other Indonesian seamen were handed over by the Abu Sayyaf to Misuari who then passed them on to the government.

A few days later, another kidnapped Indonesian sailor was freed through the MNLF.

Military sources say the Abu Sayyaf are still holding a Dutch hostage, five Malaysians, two Indonesians and four Filipinos in their jungle stronghold.

The militants beheaded two Canadian hostages earlier this year, after failing to collect a ransom.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, 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 it is mainly focused on a lucrative kidnapping business rather than religious ideology.

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A pigeon, apparently from across the border, was taken into custody after a letter written in Urdu and addressed to Prime Minister was found with it by BSF personnel at Simbal post in Bamial sector here today.

The development comes after two balloons were recovered with a similar message in the area yesterday.

Police said the message written on a piece of paper read: "Modi Ji, do not consider us same people as we were during 1971 (Indo-Pak war). Now each and every child is ready to fight against India."



The grey-coloured pigeon was found by BSF near their post, Inspector of Narot Jaimal Singh Police Station (Pathankot), Ramesh Kumar said.

"The pigeon was carrying the letter when it was found," he said, adding the bird has been taken into "custody".

"We are investigating the matter," Kumar said.

Yesterday, two balloons with messages written in Urdu and addressed to Modi were found at Ghesal village in Dinanagar of Gurdaspur, which had witnessed a terror attack last year.

The message read: "Modiji, Ayubi ki talwaren abhi hamare paas hain. Islam zindabad."



On September 23, a white pigeon, apparently from across the border, with "some words written in Urdu" was found in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district.
Joining the IPO bandwagon, Prataap Snacks, which sells products under Yellow Diamond brand, has filed the initial papers with Sebi for a public offer estimated to be worth over Rs 400 crore.

The Madhya Pradesh-based snacks maker is the latest one preparing for an initial share sale. So far this year, more than 25 firms have filed their Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with the regulator.

Prataap Snacks' issue would comprise fresh equity as well as offer for sale by some of the existing shareholders.

Through the fresh equity issuance, the company plans to raise up to Rs 250 crore, as per the DRHP.

Up to 29.82 lakh shares would be on offer through OFS and that would include sale of around 1.74 lakh shares by SCI Growth Investments II, Sequoia Capital GFIV Mauritius and by some promoter group entities.

According to sources, the total IPO size is likely to be more than Rs 400 crore.

Proceeds from the public offering would be mainly used for funding capital expenditure requirements, repayment of borrowings, modernisation of existing manufacturing facilities, marketing and brand building activities.

For the year ended March this year, the firm had a net profit of Rs 20.86 crore.

During the same time, the company's net worth stood at Rs 201.09 crore, as per its restated consolidated financial statements.

In recent months, many companies have filed their draft papers for IPOs. These include Avenue Supermarts, Security And Intelligence Services, Shankara Building Products and BSE.

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Activists of student wing of Bajrang Dal today burnt an effigy of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, protesting his comment supporting the Pakistani artistes, at Rajbada area here.

Incidentally, the 50-year-old "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" actor was born in Indore.

"Salman has risen to great heights because of his Indian fans. He should withdraw his statement supporting the Pakistani artistes," Bajrang Dal divisional convener Sachin Baghel said.

If the actor did not want to take back his words, he should release his films in Pakistan and not in India, Baghel added.

"We can't tolerate that artistes from Pakistan, which harbours terrorists, come here and return home after making money without condemning the terrorists sponsored by their country," said BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya who represents Mhow Assembly constituency.

"If Pakistani artistes condemn the terrorism, we will welcome them. Otherwise they won't be allowed to enter India," he said.

Salman had said on Friday that Pakistani artistes should not be treated like terrorists, and art and terrorism should not be mixed.

The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association has passed a resolution banning the Pakistani actors in the wake of Uri terror attack and Indian Army's subsequent surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK.

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The Puducherry government today said it has chosen PWD Chief Engineer P Swaminathan as the Union Territory's nominee for the Cauvery Management Board and claimed it was the first time in the river water dispute it is getting represented in a panel to make out its case.

"With the Supreme court giving direction to the Cauvery basin states, including Puducherry, to select their respective nominees, the government has sponsored the Chief Engineer", Chief Minister V Narayanasamy told reporters here.

He said the Water Resources Ministry has been informed about this.

Narayanasamy said this was the first time in the river water dispute that Puducherry had been getting representation in a panel to make out its case and to ensure the share in the river water on which Karaikal depended for farm operations.

He said it was the government's duty to take care of the interest of farmers of Karaikal in the Cauvery river basin.

The Apex Court had on September 20 directed the Centre to constitute within four weeks the Cauvery Water Management Board, as directed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in its award.

While taking Karnataka to task on Sept 30 for repeated "defiance" by flouting its orders for release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and directing it to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from Oct 1 to 6, it had ordered all stakeholders - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pudduchery - to give names of their representatives to be included in CMB, to be chaired by the Union Water Resources Minister.

On other issues, Narayanasamy said Karaikal Mahe and Yanam regions, all enclaves of the Union territory, would emerge defecation free by March next year as the government has taken firm steps to implement Swachch Bharat Abhiyan expeditiously.

Puducherry region would become open defecation free segment by October next year, he said.

"As much as Rs 120 crore would be spent by granting subsidies to households to construct toilets in their houses and this amount includes funds from the Centre," he said.

Narayanasamy said that during his recent visit to Delhi, he had held discussions with the Civil Aviation Minister to ensure air connectivity from Puducherry to destinations like Tirupati, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Kochi.

"There are firm indications that the air service will go on stream in January next", he said.

(REOPEN MDS1)



Narayanasamy said that anti social elements had after a three month lull revived their activities, attempting to coerce businessmen, traders and others to extract money.

Such activities were seen in the past but steps taken by the government had ensured that the menace was totally absent for nearly three months now.

He said he had asked the DGP and top police officials to keep a close watch on the situation. The government would invoke provisions of Goondas Act, if necessary, to quell the nefarious activities of the anti social elements," he added.

Narayanasamy said that there were also reports that a section of inmates in the Central prison here were engineering the menace of threatening businessmen and said stern action would be taken to quell their activities.
A woman, whose journey from a ragpicker to a nurse has served as an inspiration for many here, today tied the knot in the presence of Ministers, local politicians and officials.

Banu Sheikh Safi, a resident of Ravidas Nagar, entered into a wedlock with Shabbir Khan, a tailor by profession.

Maharashtra Minister of State for Energy Madan Yerawar of BJP, District Guardian Minister Sanjay Rathod of Shiv Sena, SP of Yavatmal Akhilesh Kumar Singh and a host of other dignitaries were present at the wedding ceremony arranged by her foster brother Prakash Nandurkar.

Banu's life is an example of what grit and determination can do. She lost her father when she was only three.

She, alongwith her mother and younger sister Kshama then started ragpicking on the streets of Yavatmal city to earn a livelihood.

Both the sisters used to walk on the city's streets carrying gunny bags on their shoulders and collected the rags from gutters and roadside dustbins.

After sorting out the rags and other waste materials, they used to sell the scrap to dealers.

However, even while doing the job of ragpicking, they did not ignore their education and studied till Class XII before joining the Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery (ANM) course in the Government Medical College, Yavatmal.

After completing their course, Banu, in her early 30s, is now working as nurse in a public health centre while her sister opted out of it and preferred to remain with their ailing mother.

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As part of the Centre's outreach to Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a two-day visit to Ladakh region beginning tomorrow during which he will interact with a cross-section of people.

Singh will hold meetings with delegations of political parties, civil society groups and individuals in Leh tomorrow and in Kargil on October 4 and take their suggestions on resolution of Kashmir issue.

This will be the fourth visit of the Home Minister to Jammu and Kashmir ever since the unrest began in the state following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

Singh had led an all-party delegation to Srinagar and Jammu on September 4-5.

The leaders of various political leaders met over 400 people who came in 50 different delegations representing various sections of society in Srinagar and Jammu.

Earlier, the Home Minister had visited Srinagar on August 24-25 and July 23-24.

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Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's company has sold the luxury Four Seasons hotel in Toronto for USD 170 million, it said today.

Kingdom Holding Company said it sold the hotel for 225 million Canadian dollars to Shahid Khan, the Pakistani- American businessman who founded auto parts maker Flex-N-Gate and owns English Premier League club Fulham.

KHC said it had made a profit of 17 million Canadian dollars from the sale of the hotel, which it bought four years ago for 200 million Canadian dollars.

"This transaction marks yet another success for KHC's value realisation strategy from our high-quality hospitality investments," said Prince Alwaleed.

"We are particularly pleased to be passing ownership of this property to Mr. Shahid Khan who is known for his passion for the Four Seasons brand," he said in a statement.

"Kingdom continues to be a stakeholder in this asset through our interest in the management company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts which will continue to operate the hotel."



Prince Alwaleed owns 95 per cent of KHC, a vast global investor with shares in the Euro Disney theme park, Apple, Corporation and the US banking giant, Citigroup.

The company also owns a string of luxury hotels including the George V in Paris.

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Government is considering roping in two-three banks, including SBI and PNB, to pick up stake in IIFCL-anchored Rs 500-crore Credit Enhancement Fund announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the budget this year.

Besides, the Finance Ministry has requested insurance regulator Irdai to provide an exemption to allow LIC to hold beyond 15 per cent stake in the proposed venture, which is expected to be registered as the Alternate Investment Fund (AIF).

The exemption has been sought because Irdai guidelines allow an insurer not to have more than 15 per cent stake in any company as it leads to conflict of interest.

To address regulatory concerns, the government has asked India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL) to spearhead the setting up of the fund since the wholly-owned government infra funding company has the requisite expertise and runs its credit enhancement scheme.

Talks are also on with 3-4 large banks, including SBI and PNB, to pick stake in the venture, sources said.

At the same time, some multilateral funding agencies like ADB and the private sector funding arm of the World Bank, IFC, has been approached for partnership in the initiative, the sources said, adding that the intention is to have a broader shareholding pattern.

In his budget speech, Jaitley had proposed that LIC will set up a dedicated fund to provide credit enhancement to infrastructure projects.

The fund would help in raising credit rating of bonds floated by infrastructure companies and facilitate investment from long-term investors.

The move assumes significance as infrastructure firms find it difficult to raise adequate funds at competitive rates which are needed for projects with long gestation.

Companies issued Rs 4.13 lakh crore of bonds in 2014-15, according to a report by the Reserve Bank. The central bank is in favour of a separate regulatory framework for providing credit enhancement by non-banking finance companies to bolster bond ratings.

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Police Scotland officers and staff suffering psychological problems took nearly 200,000 sick days over the last three years, new figures show.

The force said mental health issues resulted in 141,230 lost days among front-line officers.

The Liberal Democrats said the figures showed evidence of a force "being stretched to breaking point".

The Scottish government said the welfare of officers and support staff was taken "very seriously".

Police Scotland released the figures to the Lib Dems under Freedom of Information laws, the BBC reported today.

The party's justice spokesman Liam McArthur said police officers and civilian staff were not getting the support they needed from the Scottish government.

He said: "The savings that were promised by the Scottish National Party (SNP) before the creation of Police Scotland have not materialised.

"As a result, officers and civilian staff are being asked to do more and more with less. With the chief constable warning that further cuts are coming, the pressure on staff is only likely to get worse."



He added: "We have already seen staff surveys which show morale is at rock bottom. The shortages are affecting the health of officers and civilian staff and these new figures are a huge concern.

"Policing is a high-stress profession at the best of times. The changes that the SNP forced through are stretching the mental health of officers and civilian staff to breaking point.

"This means giving police management the freedom to put resources where they are needed.

"Extra money is also required to plug the hole in the national force's budget and avert the loss of staff which would only put those remaining further under the cosh."



A Scottish government spokesman said Police Scotland would be expected to have "robust policies" in place to support staff and manage their health at work.

"They have a number of targeted activities to support wellbeing and occupational health across the organisation.

"We have committed to protecting the police revenue budget in real terms, safeguarding policing from Westminster budget cuts and delivering an additional 100 million pounds of investment by the end of this parliament, in addition to 55 million pounds of reform funding in 2016-17," the spokesman added.

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The second International Film Festival of Shimla which screened films from around 22 countries ended today, with Bangladeshi movie "Aina-the mirror", bagging the award for best short film in the International category.

The award for best feature film in national category was bagged by "Tulsiapa", an Odiya movie directed by Amiya Patnaik.

Bangladeshi movie "Aina-the mirror", directed by by MD Tauquir Islam won the first prize for best short film in the International category.

The event was organised by Himalayan Velocity in collaboration with Art Language and Culture Department of Himachal Government.

Governor Acharya Devvrat gave away the awards to the winners. He saw the premiere of the movie "Laal Hota Darakht", directed by Dev Kanya Thakur in non competitive section.

The award for best short film in national category was bagged by "Chaukhat-the frame", directed by Umesh Mohan Bayade from Mumbai.

"Hunt", directed by Biju Topo of Jharkhand won the award for the best documentary Film.

A Special Jury Award was given to short film "The Poster" (Bangladesh), directed by Ahsif Khan in International category.

Bhagyale Bache Kaharu, a Nepalese movie diected by Ganesh Pandeywhich dealt with Nepal earthquake victims was adjudged the best documentary movie in International section.

In the animation category, "Agrinoui" from Cyprus directed by Alexis Chaviaras was given the award for best film.

A special jury award was bagged by Malayalam movie Unfriend, directed by Lijin Jose and Shahina Rafee in short films category.

Many other awards were also announced during the function.

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Two persons, one from Astilla in Pakistan and another from PoK, were arrested by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

During routine patrolling on the border area, security forces arrested a 32-year-old man moving under suspicious circumstances near the International border in Agrechak belt of RS Pura sector in Jammu district last evening, official sources said.

He was identified as Abu Bakar, son of Amin Hamza and resident of Astilla in Pakistan, they said, adding after brief questioning, he was handed over to police.

Army along with policehave apprehended a 41-year-old PoK resident in Saujian Sector of Poonch last evening, an Army officer said.

He was identified as Mohd Rashid Khan, son of Mohd Yakub Khan and resident of Tedabund of Haveli Tehsil in Bagh district of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, he said.

He is being questioned and investigations are on, the official said.

Three people were held in last one week.

On September 24, a Pakistani national and an alleged activist of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit, was arrested by BSF from near International Border in Jammu.

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A Sikh man was abducted from his home and gunned down by suspected militants in Afghanistan's restive Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, a media report said on Sunday.

Sardar Rawail Singh, who lived in Jalalabad, was abducted from his house on Saturday morning by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area.

The incident triggered a massive protest by the minority Sikh community who staged a demonstration by placing the body of Singh in front of the provincial governor's house in Jalalabad and demanded the arrest of the killers.

They accused security forces of negligence in arresting the killers and asked the government to bring to justice the killers as soon as possible.

Later, deputy governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal met the protesting Sikhs and pacified them. He said a case has been filed and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.

The insurgents abducted Singh from his home at about 7:20 a.m. (local time) yesterday and gunned him down at Khalis Famil area, provincial governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani was quoted as saying by Pajhwok Afghan News.

Rawinder, one of the protesters, said Singh had a dispute with his neighbour on Friday.

Next morning, the neighbour came along with some gunmen and abducted Singh from his home before killing him, he said, adding that Singh had invited his friends for a party at his home when his neighbour objected.

Darbhajan, a friend of Singh, said the minority community's "homes are being occupied, we are threatened and our friend was mercilessly killed but no one came to our help".
German conglomerate believes that slapping anti-dumping duty on import of silicon steel, a raw material used for making specialised electrical steel, can impact the engineering giant's expansion plans in the country.

The company has in last two years invested around Rs 350 crore in India to set up an elevator making facility in Pune and aerospace unit in Bengaluru. It also plans to invest up to Rs 200 crore to expand its steel making unit in Nasik, Maharashtra.

The issue relates to steel filing petition for anti-dumping duty on import of hot rolled steel coils (HRC) from China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia and Russia. The petition also covers silicon steel.

In August, India imposed provisional anti-dumping duty on HRC steel from these six nations, that ends in February 2017. Now investigations are on to analyse whether the duty can be slapped for five years.

"The duty imposition will help no one, but it will impact our ability to produce high-end specialised steel. We are committed to the government's Make in India programme and want to bring the best technologies here," India CEO and Managing Director Ravi Kripalani told PTI.

The firm imports silicon steel for its Nasik unit where it manufacturers electrical steel, a specialised product used for making iron core of motors, transformers and generators.

India is the only producer that uses silicon steel to make a more specialised electrical steel product, grain oriented, used in transformers and magnetic amplifiers.

"Duty on silicon steel can impact our plans to continue to invest in manufacturing facilities for value addition to produce high-end specialised products here," Kripalani said.

The firm has approached Ministries of Finance, Commerce and Steel on the issue of import duty on silicon steel.

"The government has been understanding and sympathetic to our issue. We plan to expand our Nasik plant to start making high permeability grain oriented (HGO) electrical steel, which no one makes in India and is a specialised product," he said.

On the rationale behind excluding silicon steel from import duty, he said that domestic producers of this grade are not selling it in the market and are using it for captive purposes. Some use it to make non-oriented electrical steel.

Analysts say that there is an intent to eliminate domestic competition and not arrest imports of finished steel.

Slapping duty will force firms to buy silicon steel from some of the petitioners, who will take advantage via predatory pricing of this raw material, they added.

Currently, the electrical steel demand in India stands at 3 lakh tonnes (LT), of which 2.4 LT is non-oriented and 60,000 tonnes is grain oriented steel. In the grain-oriented segment 40 per cent is HGO and 60 per cent is normal grain oriented.

Analysts expect demand for grain-oriented to rise to 2.7 LT in the next 5-7 years, of which 60 per cent will be HGO and the rest will be normal grain-oriented as India is expected to invest on expanding its power capacity, among others.
In an apparent dig at the BJP, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said, "some parties" were planning not to make "development" a poll plank in the 2017 state Assembly election as they had "nothing to claim" on this front.

"I have been told that some parties, which came to power on the development plank, are planning to ensure that it is not an election issue (this time around) as they have nothing to tell the people on this front," he said at a programme organised to mark Gandhi Jayanti here.

"Suppose, the people of Lucknow ask them (about development), what would they say? They cannot take credit for the metro, expressway, riverfront or the Janeshwar Misra project in the state capital," said the SP leader.

"They must, therefore, be thinking about some other issue. There is a need for all of us to remain cautious of any such conspiracy," he said.

Stating that his government had worked for the "all-round" development of Uttar Pradesh in a "balanced" way, Akhilesh claimed that no one could compete on the issue of development with the Samajwadi Party (SP) government.

Referring to the previous Mayawati government as "patharwali sarkar", he alleged that the BSP too did nothing else than looting the state. The Mayawati government had faced criticism for constructing a large number of stone memorials with elephants, BSP's election symbol, many of which had statues of the chief minister.

Maintaining that the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi were still relevant, Akhilesh said if the country earnestly followed the path shown by him, it would have "no competitor".

"Even though the poor and the Gandhivadis have tried to follow his path, successive governments, even those which came to power invoking him, have not followed it," he said.

Making a reference to the "hype" over the Army's surgical strikes on terror launchpads in PoK, he said that even national parties maintained that it was not a new phenomenon and such strikes were conducted earlier as well.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The steel industry should become the brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Mission, Steel Minister Birender Singh said today.

"Cleanliness is a habit and comes only with conscious practice," Singh said at headquarters of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL).

He visited SAIL headquarter to review the cleanliness activities undertaken by the company on second anniversary of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, an official statement said.

Recalling his recent visit to Bokaro Steel Plant he praised the clean environs of the plant and its township and said that "steel industry should be a brand ambassador for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan", the statement said.

Secretary Steel Aruna Sharma, Joint Secretary Sunil Barthwal, Joint Secretary Urvilla Khati, Joint Secretary T Srinivas and other senior ministry officials accompanied the Minister.

"Steel industry should target zero waste and also try to further reduce their carbon footprints." Sharma said.

SAIL Board earmarked an amount of Rs 29 crores to be spent during 2014-16 on this campaign. Also, SAIL has constructed 672 toilets across country under the 'swachh vidyalaya abhiyan' in the schools falling within the periphery of its Plants & Mines, as per the allocations made by Ministry of HRD, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Switzerland's Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga will visit India next week to boost cooperation between the two countries on migration issues.

Before coming to India, she will visit Sri Lanka.

"A prime objective of the working visits is to intensify cooperation with the two countries on migration issues," the Swiss government said in a statement today.

In Sri Lanka, Sommaruga will also be seeking to obtain a clearer picture of the status of the national reconciliation process and of the human rights situation.

Terming India as a major partner country, the Swiss government said Intensification of cooperation on migration issues will be the subject of the second leg of the Federal Councillor's trip, a one-day visit to India.

"In terms of numbers, India is the most important third country for Switzerland, both with regard to the granting of permits to work in Switzerland and as concerns the issuance of visas. Among other things, Federal Councillor Sommaruga will be visiting the new Swiss visa application centre in New Delhi," the statement said.

The centre issues approximately 110,000 visas for Switzerland annually. This represents roughly one fifth of all visas issued for Switzerland each year and reflects the large number of tourists that visit Switzerland from India," it added.

On Sri Lanka, it said the government there has inaugurated a process for comprehensive democratic reforms.

"After decades of armed conflict, a new constitution has been adopted to help enable the country to come to terms with its recent past, to achieve reconciliation between all ethnic groups, and to strengthen the rule of law.

"Switzerland has been actively involved in Sri Lanka for many years now, providing humanitarian assistance and carrying out projects on human rights policy and in the fields of migration and development," it added.

Switzerland said it would like to further intensify its efforts in Sri Lanka in order to assist with the ongoing reform process.

In the wake of the armed conflict in that country, many displaced persons sought a safe haven in Switzerland and some 50,000 people from Sri Lanka live there, out of which about one half have in the intervening years been granted Swiss citizenship.

Because the security situation in Sri Lanka has improved and the infrastructure in the north of the country has been largely restored, the execution of repatriation orders to all parts of the country is considered today, in principle, to be a reasonable measure, Swiss government said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Syrian regime forces advanced today in Aleppo after Russia unleashed dozens of strikes, even as condemnation kept pouring in over the bombing of the main hospital in the city's rebel-held east.

The devastating five-year war in Syria has ravaged second city Aleppo, once the country's economic hub but now torn apart between government troops and rebel forces.

The army of President Bashar al-Assad announced a major push on September 22 to capture Aleppo's opposition-held east and has gained ground in the city with the help of its ally Moscow.

Dozens of Russian air strikes pounded battlefronts in the devastated city overnight, according to AFP's correspondent and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the raids "helped regime forces to advance in the north of the city," where they reached the outskirts of the opposition-held Al- Heluk district.

If loyalist fighters seize Al-Heluk, Bustan al-Basha and Sakhur - all rebel-controlled neighbourhoods in Aleppo city's north - they will confine opposition factions to a small section of the city's southeast.

But Assad's Russian-backed military campaign in Aleppo has sparked international outrage after a series of air strikes on civilian infrastructure, including most recently on the largest hospital in the city's east.

Two barrel bombs hit the M10 hospital yesterday, according to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which supports the facility.

United Nations aid chief Stephen O'Brien fiercely criticised the attack and called today for immediate action to end the "living hell" of civilians in Aleppo's east.

"The health care system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated. Medical facilities are being hit one by one," O'Brien wrote.

He said the latest indiscriminate bombings subjected eastern Aleppo's resident to "a level of savagery that no human should have to endure." "The clock is ticking. Stop the carnage now," O'Brien added.

At the bombed hospital, a journalist saw bloodstained hospital beds and dented equipment lying in disarray beneath blown-out windows.

"The hospital is being destroyed! SOS, everyone!" said SAMS radiologist and hospital administrator Mohammad Abu Rajab in an audio message distributed to journalists.

M10 had already been hit on Wednesday along with the second-largest hospital in the area, M2. That bombardment badly damaged the two facilities and left only six fully functional hospitals in east Aleppo, according to SAMS.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Homegrown auto major is planning to increase prices of its passenger vehicles during the ongoing festive season to offset rising input cost.

"We will hike prices of our vehicles. Currently we are working out the details," Tata Motors, President, Passenger Vehicles Business, Unit Mayank Pareek said.

When asked how soon the price increase will be effected, he said: "It could be during the festive season."



Explaining the reasons for such a step, Pareek said: "Input costs have increased and some of the industry players have already undertaken price hikes. Moreover, we have also not corrected our prices for a long time."



sells a range of passenger vehicles including the entry level small car Nano, newly launched hatchback Tiago and crossover vehicle Aria at a price range of Rs 2.15 lakh to Rs 16.3 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)



Another homegrown rival Mahindra & Mahindra has hiked prices of some of its passenger and small commercial vehicles by up to 1 per cent from this month.

In August, Hyundai Motor India had announced to hike prices by up to Rs 20,000 across its models, while Maruti Suzuki India had also hiked prices of its various models by up to Rs 20,000.
Online fashion brand Teesort.Com is looking at raising funds to support its business expansion plans and expecting a turnover of Rs 500 crore by 2020.

"We are looking at raising funds in order to expand fast. We are targeting Rs 500 crore turnover by 2020. We will achieve this by expanding in India and overseas," Teesort co-founder Alok Agarwal told PTI.

Agarwal, however, did not specify the details about the company's fund-raising plans.

At present, Teesort.Com is fully owned by Alok Agarwal and Atul Agarwal who started the company in 2010. The company reported a turnover of Rs 100 crore in the previous fiscal.

Agarwal said: "We have started operations in the US. We are also looking at starting operations in the UK, Europe and Dubai in the Middle East this year. We will also expand in South Asian countries where there is a sizable Indian population."



"We expect 30 per cent of our turnover to come from international markets by 2020," he added.

The company, which at present mainly sells men's wear, is also looking to expand its product portfolio and will begin offering products for women and kids by the end of this fiscal.

Teesort.Com offers t-shirts and casual menswear under Teesort and TSX brands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ten were killed persons died and 17 others injured on Sunday when the mini-bus in which they were travelling fell into the backwaters of a dam at Pali village, around 50 km from here.

"The 32-seater bus was on its way to Lateri in the district from Bhopal. It fell in the backwaters of Sanjay Sagar dam while crossing a bridge at around 3 PM," Vidisha SP Dharmendra Choudhary told PTI.

The deceased included four men, three women and three children. The injured were rushed to a hospital, he said.

The victims drowned in the water which was 20-25 metre-deep and the death toll could rise as the rescue operation was going on, Choudhary said.

Preliminary investigation suggested that the driver was speeding to reach the destination in time and lost control over the vehicle.

Asked if the bus fell into the water after hitting a pothole on the bridge which had no railing, the SP said the probe is on.
Thousands of Vietnamese protesters surrounded a Taiwanese steel plant today, some scaling walls and holding signs demanding its closure, as anger flares against the firm for dumping toxic waste into the ocean killing tonnes of fish.

Huge crowds on motorbike and foot gathered at the Formosa plant in central Ha Tinh province, with some holding signs saying: "Authorities, please close Formosa plant for the future of the nation" as others chanted angrily.

Dead fish and other marine life began washing ashore in central Vietnam in April, the country's worst ecological disaster in decades that devastated livelihoods in coastal towns where fishing is the main source of income.

Taiwan's Formosa, which is building a multi-billion dollar steel plant in the area, was blamed for the disaster and fined USD 500 million.

The government said it would start paying affected fishermen in October and confirmed last week that payouts would range from USD 130 to USD 1,600 per person depending on losses calculated between April and September.

Sunday's demonstrators demanded additional compensation.

"The protestors, who were directly hit by the Formosa scandal, asked for compensation and required the plant to close," witness Hoang Sy Son told AFP.

Photos and video on social media showed protesters, led by a Catholic priest, surrounding the steel plant in Ky Anh township and chanting bible passages.

"A lot of security people and vehicles were deployed here, but no clashes were seen," Son added, speaking from the rally.

AFP could not reach authorities for comment Sunday.

The rallies came days after fishermen in the area filed more than 500 lawsuits demanding additional compensation from the government over the disaster.

Demonstrators have held rare protests in several cities across the authoritarian country after the mass fish deaths, with police breaking up some rallies and jailing scores.

Protesters blamed officials for dragging their feet on investigations into the scandal.

Formosa is no stranger to controversy in Vietnam. In 2014, three people were killed when anti-China riots took place at the same Ha Tinh steel plant, where a scaffolding collapse also killed 14 last year.

The conglomerate has paid millions of dollars in fines over environmental mishaps elsewhere.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Donald Trump, who has refused to release his tax records, declared a USD 916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a major US daily claimed in a startling report that suggested the billionaire Republican presidential nominee could have legally avoided paying taxes for up to 18 years.

In an investigative report, The New York Times said Trump in 1995 showed a gross income tax loss of USD 915.7 million.

"The 1995 tax records, never before disclosed, reveal the extraordinary tax benefits that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, derived from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan," the report said.

The Trump campaign, responding to the news report, said his income tax returns was obtained illegally by the Times and attacked the daily as "an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests."



"What is happening now with the FBI and DOJ (Department of Justice) on Hillary Clinton's emails and illegal server, including her many lies and her lies to Congress are worse than what took place in the administration of Richard Nixon - and far more illegal," it said.

"Mr Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for president and he is the only one that knows how to fix it," the campaign added.

The campaign, however, did not address the tax issues raised by the report.

The Times claimed that tax experts hired by it to analyse Trump's 1995 records said tax rules especially advantageous to wealthy filers would have allowed him to use his USD 916 million loss to cancel out an equivalent amount of taxable income over an 18-year period.

"Although Mr Trump's taxable income in subsequent years is as yet unknown, a USD 916 million loss in 1995 would have been large enough to wipe out more than USD 50 million a year in taxable income over 18 years," the report said.

Trump has refused to disclose his tax records - something US presidential candidates traditionally do in the interest of transparency. He has said his taxes are under federal audit.

But many voters have demanded that the 70-year-old tycoon make his tax records public and gradually the issue has taken the central stage in the presidential contest.

At the first of the three scheduled presidential debates last Monday, when Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton raised the issue of his tax records, Trump retorted by saying "I will release my tax returns, against my lawyer's wishes, when she releases her 33,000 emails that have been deleted."



The Trump Campaign has also said that the Republican nominee has shown "incredible skills" in building his business and those were "the skills we need to rebuild this country."



"Hillary Clinton is a corrupt public official who violated federal law, is an extraordinarily successful private businessman who followed the law and created tens of thousands of jobs for Americans," it claimed.
Television prices are likely to go up as major manufacturers are mulling hike in prices by up to 20 per cent to pass on the increased cost of panels arising from a global demand supply gap.

While Panasonic has already increased prices of its sets, Videocon, LG and Sony are monitoring the situation as panel prices have gone up by up to 35 per cent with Chinese manufacturers increasing prices while other South Korean and Taiwanese suppliers have stopped manufacturing smaller screens for television sets.

"Low supply of display panels has caused us to review our pricing and we will be increasing the price of the Panasonic television sets across screen sizes by 15 to 20 per cent," said Panasonic India Head - Sales and Service Ajay Seth.

He further said: "We anticipate Indian customers will now upgrade faster to larger screen sizes since the current price hike will narrow the price difference between a 32-inch and 40-inch to Rs 4,000 as compared to Rs 6,000 previously".

Videocon COO CM Singh said that the prices of 32-inch panels have gone up the most, followed by 40-inches.

"In fact, the shortage may worsen further in October and panel prices may go up by another 18-20 per cent," said Singh.

Explaining the reasons, he said: "For smaller screen, now there are few players only (supplying panels). It was coupled with Apple increasing the demand and lot of players getting out of smaller screen."



In India consumption of smaller screen is 70 to 75 per cent with 32 inch TV sets contributing around 38 per cent of total sales, he added.

However, market leaders such as Sony and LG are closely monitoring the situation and may take a decision after Diwali, when the festive season gets over.

"On the basis our advance planning, we don't intend to have any price hike during the festive season. We will closely monitor the situation and review post Diwali," said Sony India Head of Sales Satish Padmanabhan.

An LG spokesperson said: "We at LG have always believed in providing best value to our consumers and we are closely monitoring the situation".

Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association President Manish Sharma said India is a big market for 32 inch and 40-42 inch LED TV's, with the former selling almost 3.3 million units and the latter selling almost 1.1 million units in 2015.

The decisions of hiking prices or to absorb is being evaluated carefully by each player, he said.

15.30 Regional Service (Siya Ram)



16.00 Regional Service (Good Evening India)



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18.30 Draupadi (SFC) DD Kisan



19.00 Beta Bhagya Se Bitiya Saubhagya Se 19.30 Pehal: Ek Nayi Subah



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06:55 5 Mint 15 khabrein



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08:00 "Break Fast Show English News Show" 09:00 "Business Morning (Spons.

18:00 Khabar Jaldi Jaldi



18:05 Metro Scan



18:30 Desh Prasedh



19:00 Khel Samachar



19:30 The News



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Friday 4th November, 2016



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Two alleged accused held in a theft case escaped from police station lock up, police said today.

Salil Sheikh and Sandeep Kakade were arrested by Vishnu Nagar Police under Kalyan division from Dombivli in connection with theft of a vehicle in Navi Mumbai, a police official said.

The duo managed to break open the lock up in the wee hours yesterday after power went off inside the police station due to a short circuit in a transformer in the area, the officer said.

An offence has been registered under relevant section of the IPC against the two men and hunt is on to nab them, police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two days after the Patna High Court quashed its order on prohibition, Bihar government on Gandhi Jayanti on Sunday came out with a new law banning liquor with more harsh provisions like arrest of all adults in the event of recovery of the contraband in their house.

The government notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 to ensure that the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as well spiced and domestic liquor continued in the state.

At a special Cabinet convened on Sunday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other members of his Cabinet took a pledge that the government would continue with prohibition which is "ushering positive social change" in the state.

Besides retaining many provisions of the previous one, the new liquor law has some more stringent provisions including enhancing duration of imprisonment, hiking amount of fine, arrest of all adults in case of recovery of liquor bottle from a house and collective fine on a place in case of habitual violation of prohibition.

Principal Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) Brajesh Mehrotra usually briefs media about Cabinet decisions, but today the Chief Minister himself took the mike and answered all queries.

The CM told reporters that the new liquor law, brought into force from today, would be a real tribute to the Father of the Nation when the state is readying to observe the centenary celebration of Gandhiji's Champaran Satyagraha against British rule from the state in early 2017.

The new liquor law came into force in Bihar barely two days after the Patna High Court had on Friday quashed its April 5 notification describing it as ultra vires of Constitution.
Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and all the cities and towns in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh were declared Open Defection Free (ODF) on the birth anniversary of the 'Father of the Nation' today.

On the occasion, Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu urged the people to follow the call of Swachh Bharat Mission given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"As Mahatma Gandhi had said, for getting freedom we all need to be satyagrahi. Similarly our PM has said we all need to be swachhgrahi for clean India. So all Gujaratis become swachhgrahi," he said in his address to people of Porbandar through video-conferencing.

"This is an interim gift to Mahatama Gandhi ji and the final gift will be in 2019 when the entire country will be clean or swachhh," Naidu added.

He also complimented Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his ministers and officials after 180 cities and towns of Gujarat were declared open defecation free.

"Gujarat is the torch bearer and has set an example for others in swachhta (cleanliness)," the minister said.

Besides Porbandar, all the 180 cities and towns in Gujarat were today declared ODF in the presence of Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar and Rupani at a programme in Porbandar.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also declared all 110 cities and towns in the state as ODF at a programme in Tirupati.

Addressing the event at Tirupati, Chandrababu Naidu urged the people to become 'Swachhagrahis' to make the country free from poor hygiene in the spirit of 'Satyagrahis' who won political freedom for the country under the leadership of Gandhi.

He said that Rs 186 crore has been sanctioned today for Andhra Pradesh for focusing on solid waste management in urban areas.

As many as 405 cities and towns have so far claimed to have become Open Defecation Free. Another 334 cities and towns would become ODF by March next year.

Maharashtra, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram and other North-Eastern States are on course to declare all urban areas as ODF soon, an official release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Subhash Velingkar, the RSS rebel and regional language crusader, today announced formation of a new political party - Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) - ahead of the state Assembly polls.

However, his name did not figure in the first list of office-bearers released today.

The Goa Suraksha Manch would be headed by Anand Shirodkar, a senior Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) leader.

Velingkar, who heads the BBSM, said the newly formed party has its presence across 35 (out of 40) constituencies of Goa and is determined to defeat BJP in the state polls due next year.

BBSM has been agitating against the state government while demanding mother tongue be made medium of instruction (MOI) and withdrawal of grants to English medium schools.

Notably, the first list of office-bearers, which was announced today, did not have Velingkar's name in it.

"We are in talks with parties like Shiv Sena and Goa Praja Party for alliance during Goa polls. Our proposal to MGP to join hands also stands. If MGP responds, we can discuss seat sharing with them. But with or without MGP, we are going to defeat BJP," Velingkar said.

He said the existence of BBSM will continue even after formation of GSM.

BBSM's political cell head Uday Bhembre told reporters that the party will also focus on various other issues like power and water in the state.

"Goa has to be self sustainable on water and power fronts. These issues will also be given priority along with the MOI, if the party comes to power," Bhembre said.

The BBSM has decided to be in the electoral fray to oppose the ruling BJP in Goa after the ruling party refused to withdraw grants to English medium schools.

The RSS had recently 'relieved' its Goa Vibhag Sangh Chalak Velingkar, who then formed a parallel outfit called RSS Goa Prant.

The BBSM has been agitating demanding regional languages as Medium of Instruction in the state's elementary education.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi today paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 147th birth anniversary as people from different parts of the state also paid respect to the Father of the Nation.

Tripathi paid floral tributes to the Mahatma at Gandhi Ghat on the banks of Hooghly river in Barrackpore.

He was joined by state minister Bratya Basu and Trinamool Congress chief whip Nirmal Ghosh.

In Kolkata, the governor garlanded the Gandhi statue at Maidan in the heart of the city, where he was joined by TMC MP Idris Ali.

People in different parts of the state also paid tributes to the Mahatma by holding blood donation camps, awareness rallies on cleanliness and other activities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An online White House petition seeking to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism has gained a record half a million signatures, five times the number needed to get a response from the Obama Administration.

The petition was created on September 21 by a person who identified himself by initials RG and the petition needed 1,00,000 signatures in 30 days to get a response from the White House.

The benchmark was reached in less than a week, and in less than two weeks, the petition, which now appears to be popular on the White House website, has crossed half a million signatures. As per the petition the Obama Administration is expected to respond to the petition within 60 days.

Supporters of the "We the People ask the Administration to declare Pakistan, State Sponsor of Terrorism" petition have set a goal of one million signatures. "We will not stop until we get 1000,000 signatures," wrote Anju Preet, a scientist at Georgetown University who is associated with the petition on her Facebook Page.

"Its time to act now...Let us all join hands in signing the petition with White House. Tag at least 10 of your friends and family if you feel your money should be used for welfare and not terrorism," she said.

The petition comes after Congressman Ted Poe, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, along with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, introduced H R 6069, the Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act in the House of Representatives.

Given that the window to sign the petition is open till October 21, the goal could well be achieved. In the last 24 hours, more than 100,000 people signed on the petition.

"This petition is important to the people of United State of America, India and many other countries which are continuously affected by Pakistan sponsored terrorism," says the petition, created by RG.

An initiative of the US President Barack Obama, "We the People" online petition at the White House website provides a window to American citizens to campaign before the administration on a particular issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Director Sujoy Ghosh says he will make his future Bengali films in short, digital format only and will take thespian Soumitra Chatterjee again for his next venture.

Sujoy, who was asked why he was not making films in Bengali, told PTI, "Didn't I make Ahalya? Whatever film (in Bangla) I make in future will be in that format (short and on you tube) only as that medium has lots of prospect.

"And would like to work with Soumitra Chatterjee once more in that future project," said the director.

Sujoy brought Kolkata alive in "Kahaani" and also shot extensively in the city and in Bengal for "Kahaani 2". He, however, does not believe he set the trend among present day Bollywood directors to make Kolkata a destination location.

"All I can say is that I needed Kolkata as the location of my film - the city where I was born and which fascinates me with changes over the years. Can't say why others are choosing the city as well," he said.

"But the more they come, the more it will do good (for the city)," he added.

Sujoy was present at the trailer launch of Bengali film "Kuheli" starring actor friend Kaushik Sen.

Showering praise on filmmakers like Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury (Tony) and Srijit Mukherjee for imparting Bengali sensitivity, he said "While Tony has already made good impact with 'Pink' in the country, we are awaiting Srijit's result ('Begum Jaan').

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A woman passenger on board a United Airlines flight has complained of discrimination after her pre-booked seat had been changed for two "Pakistani monks" who did not want to sit next to a woman.

Mary Campos, was leaving California on a plane bound for Houston, said her ticket was given away by the airlines because "She's a woman, and two men didn't want to sit next to a woman."



"I don't know how to tell you this," a gate agent said while handing her a new boarding pass. He then explained that due to the two passengers' "cultural beliefs", they could not sit next to or talk to a woman, CBS Local reported.

Campos was told the men were Pakistani monks who were wearing long orange shirts. She says the female flight crew were not allowed to serve the men.

"We can't discriminate against half the population," Campos said, "for a belief from another nation."



"I thought I lived in a culture where females were equal to men," she said, adding that she was "shocked", but had no choice but to take her new seat, the report said.

"What if I were handicapped or transgender? What if your entire crew were female? Any belief that prevents individuals from interacting with females should not travel on commercial aircraft," she wrote in a letter to United Airlines.

The airline responded to say they would look into the matter, the report said.

"We regret that Ms Campos was unhappy with the handling of the seat assignments on her flight. United holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and has zero tolerance for discrimination," the airlines said in a statement.

Campos said she did not want to sue the airline, but insisted that they apologise to every woman on the plane, including staff.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The world's longest and highest glass bridge in China's Hunan province has been reopened for the public.

With a capacity to hold 10,000 people a day, the glass bridge saw a trial operation in late August this year, but was closed 12 days later due to "overwhelming demand".

Local Cili county magistrate Gao Jingsheng said the glass bridge was not closed for safety reasons as rumours had suggested. It cleared security inspection and its construction was up to standard, said the official.

"We want to be responsible to the tourists, the local government and the scenic resorts. We thought we should perfect its surrounding facilities and environment, and tackle the problems we discovered in the trial period," he was quoted as saying by state-run People's Daily.

According to some reports, some deficiencies of the soft and hard facilities seen during the trial period was the main reason behind its closure.

Designed by architect Haim Dotan, the 430-meter-long structure is believed to be the world's longest and tallest glass pedestrian bridge.

It offers a panoramic view of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. During its trial operation, the bridge held no more than 800 people at a time. Each day, 8,000 visitors had the opportunity to walk on it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two years ago, British multinational RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser) appointed McCann Worldgroup India as the creative agency for in the country. Soon after, when Prasoon Joshi, chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, met with RB officials at a hotel to discuss the project, he simply scribbled on a napkin the phrase " ka dhula" (literally, cleaned by Dettol), a play on doodh ka dhula which implies purity of being. The idea was to use a brand to appropriate a product category, just as Joshi attempted to do the same with carbonated soft drinks by coining the unforgettable "Thanda matlab Coca-Cola".
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said that India may start getting Rafale fighter aircraft from France earlier than the agreed-upon 36 months.

"As per terms of the deal it is 36 months (during which the delivery has to start), but it may come slightly earlier. We have requested them to (deliver it) as fast as possible," he said.

On September 23, India and France signed the Euro 7.87-billion (Rs 59,000 crore approx) deal for Rafale fighter jets, equipped with latest missiles and weapon system besides multiple India-specific modifications that will give the Indian Air Force greater "potency" over arch rival Pakistan.

The vanila price (just of the aircraft alone) will cost about 91 million Euros each for a single seater and about 94 million Euros for a two seater trainer aircraft.

Parrikar also said that a 12-member committee to suggest structural changes in the military on cutting down flab and reducing revenue (maintenance) expenditure will soon submit its report.

The committee is headed by Lt Gen (Retd) DB Shekatkar.


Government has given State Bank of India's Arundhati Bhattacharya a one-year extension as chairman, the nation's top lender by assets said, allowing her more time to lead a clean-up of bad assets and oversee a merger of affiliates.

Bhattacharya, 60, was due to complete her current three-year term on Oct. 6. The Indian government, which owns the majority of SBI, has extended her term for one year, effective on Oct. 7, the bank said in a filing on Saturday.

Bhattacharya is the first woman to lead the two-century old bank after climbing up through its ranks since joining in 1977.

She has won strong praise from investors at a time when state-run banks are being pressed by the central bank to clean up $120 billion in soured loans that had crimped credit growth.

SBI, which accounts for more than a fifth of India's bank loans and deposits, is also in the process of taking over five of its subsidiaries and a niche bank for women to create a mega bank with assets of $447 billion.

Bhattacharya was named in the Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women, and there had been speculation that she was a candidate to replace Raghuram Rajan as Reserve Bank of India Governor, although that ultimately went to insider Urjit Patel.
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Victims of a massive earthquake in central Italy are going to be getting help from the Morris Park and greater borough community.

A local fundraising effort to benefit the National Italian American Foundations Italian American Relief Fund has been extended through the end of October by local coordinators.

The goal is to raise money locally to help Italians affected by the 6.2 magnitude quake near Amatrice, Italy on Wednesday, August 24 that claimed 292 lives, according to published reports.

Helping to organize the effort are the Morris Park Community Association and Senator Jeff Klein, who are working with the NIAF.

Many of Morris Park residents, who are Italian-American, want to remember their kin, said Klein.

This is something that pulls on the heartstrings of most of the community, he said, noting that during an earlier Italian disaster, his office and the Morris Park community held an event that raised over $5,000 for victims.

Money for the recent earthquake victims was collected during a recent Temptations concert in Loreto Park on Wednesday, August 31 that was hosted by Klein, and at a MPCA meeting on Thursday, September 1.

We are extending this through October, said Tony Signorile, MPCA president, adding As Italian-Americanswe help other countries, and it is time for everyone to come together to help the Italian relief effort.

The community association president said that it really did not matter if people in the community had relatives or friends in the affected Rieti region of Italy, where parts of some towns like Amatrice were leveled, but that aid was a matter of humanitarian assistance.

The earthquake was so powerful that it woke people up in Rome, about 100 miles away, according to reports.

Alex Benedetto, an NIAF spokeswoman, said that since the earthquake, many groups have wanted to steer money towards their relief efforts or are holding fundraising events and donating what is raised to the NIAF fund.

In turn, she said, the NIAF has posted logos of organizations that have pledged to help on a website they have established for the relief fund: www.itali aname rican relie f.org .

It is a community effort that we are leading, said Benedetto, adding We have an outpouring of support of people and groups who want to work with us.

For people who want to contribute to the relief effort through Senator Jeff Kleins office or the MPCA, checks should be made payable to the NIAF.

Checks can be dropped off at the MPCA at 1824 Bronxdale Avenue between the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, said Signorile. They can also be dropped off at Senator Kleins district office, a spokeswoman said.

For more information contact either the MPCA at (718) 823-0596 or Senator Kleins office at (718) 822-2049.

According to the NIAF website, the organization created the Italian American Relief effort in 2012 and it is a coordinated effort to provide immediate response when natural catastrophes and other disasters occur in Italy.
SHARE Lee

Contractors appoint executive director

South Texas Chapter Associated General Contractors announced Amy Lee as the new executive director, officials said.

Lee is a University of Oregon graduate, with a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Business and Spanish. She began her professional career working at and eventually as co-owner of Premier Planning & Promotions Company. She expanded the company's business to the northwest and landed the largest client, Xyience energy, in Seattle, Washington for the UFC fights.

In Texas, Lee became the event coordinator for the Marble Falls, Texas Chamber of Commerce. She had the opportunity to move to South Texas and took a position marketing and event coordinating at Fajitaville on North Beach among other endeavors, officials said. She worked for the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau in event planning and marketing. Her community experience is vast, helping with Buckin' for Boobs, Tote for Hope, GCCHA, Kids Get Fit Program, New Life Refuge Ministries and David DeLay Scholarship, officials said.

Compiled by Natalia Contreras
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Tuesday

'Lunch and Learn' seminar offered

A 'Lunch and Learn' seminar will focus on owning a franchise and why to consider it. The seminar will begin at 11:20 a.m. at the Del Mar College Center for Economic Development, 3209 S. Staples St., CED 141. Free. Information: www.seminarscc.com.

WEDNESDAY

Orientation for small businesses

A small business orientation will be from 4-6 p.m. at the Del Mar College Center for Economic Development, 3209 S. Staples St., CED 146. The seminar will provide new business owners information to start a business. Topics include: small business loans and financing requirements, business plan, licensing, contracting and permit information and resources. Free. Information: www.seminarscc.com.

COMING UP

TAMUK hosts Oct. 22 seminar

The Center for Negotiation in the College of Business Administration at Texas A&M University-Kingsville will hold a one-day seminar on Negotiating with Emotion(s) will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 22. Cost is $50 and includes lunch and materials. Registration deadline is Oct. 19. Information/registration: www.tamuk.edu/cba/Negotiation.html or email CFN@tamuk.edu.

Compiled by Natalia Contreras
How and why the Caller-Times Editorial Board makes political endorsements is an old story that seems never to grow old. No matter how many times it's retold, it retains an aura of alchemy and mystery. Plus, there's always a new wrinkle that prevents the old story from being the same-old same-old.

This election's new wrinkle, endorsement-wise, was the non-traditionally early endorsements in the presidential race by many news organizations. Traditionally we time our endorsements for near the start of voting. But many organizations decided that declaring Donald Trump unfit because of his racist, sexist, xenophobic hate campaign of lies was a moral imperative that couldn't wait.

Our board had that discussion, and it was spirited. Some of our editorials already had made clear our rejection of Trump. So, why wait? The answer: For the most fundamental reason  to take as long a look as possible before we leapt.

Candidates always are full of surprises, some of them 11th-hour disqualifications. For example, Libertarian Gary Johnson might have looked like a safe alternative to both major party nominees, or a protest vote  until early September when he had his Aleppo moment (not knowing what Aleppo, Syria, is, or where). His second Aleppo moment  not being able to name a single foreign head of state he admired  occurred just last week. While Trump disqualified himself the day he descended that escalator, the investigation of Clinton's email practices hadn't run its course by the time Trump's unfitness became irreversibly apparent.

Some news organizations, notably the Dallas Morning News and Arizona Republic, broke with a tradition of endorsing Republicans  a tradition that likely would have remained intact had the party nominated any of its other 16 candidates.

Many of the other early endorsers would have endorsed Clinton eventually no matter whom the Republicans nominated. Some of our conservative readers suspect us of being of that ilk. We're not. Being realistic, I don't expect my sharing of this truth to change many minds. So be it.

But we are not a partisan board. We endorse Republicans and Democrats  and in this election the Libertarian candidate for Texas Railroad Commission. We consistently discourage straight-ticket voting.

Now (queue anticlimactic drum roll) to reveal the previously revealed non-mystery of how we do it: We meet with the candidates who are willing to meet with us  we had no audiences with presidential candidates. We invite the candidates to tell us about themselves, we ask them questions and, contrary to stereotype, we endeavor not to be adversary about it. We study and share news reports and opinion pieces about the candidates among ourselves, discuss them and make our quasi-democratic decisions.

Taking a vote isn't always necessary. Sometimes it's just a round of nods to a loaded question such as: "We're for so-and-so, aren't we?" But other times the differing opinions can require a series of frank discussions and a count of votes.

By "quasi-democratic" I meant that on occasion some members' votes can count more than others. Who gets to be the superdelegate of the moment can depend on who's the best informed, the most impassioned, the most senior, the youngest, or the highest-ranking in the company. Pulling rank is a rarity like breaking the glass to get to the axe in case of fire.

Then yours truly writes endorsement editorials reflecting the various views that went into the collective decision.

We make endorsements to offer guidance, generate discussion and encourage participation. The endorsements are recommendations that readers can take or leave. We know that our endorsements can motivate some readers to vote in opposition. We'd rather they vote than not.

Sometimes those who disagree with our opinions accuse us of bias. They seem to be confusing the opinion function of the Caller-Times with the news function. Our news reporters strive for objectivity and are expected to achieve it. The Editorial Board lets readers know what the Editorial Board thinks about issues. It's the reason newspaper publishers started publishing newspapers  to disseminate their views. The first print journalists didn't risk dismemberment for the privilege of reporting how many inches of rain fell. They did it for the privilege of expressing their opinions.

Trump, by the way, has made boastful threats against this freedom we exercise. Now, those who could see our endorsement against him coming down the highway like an 18-wheeler know why and how we did it.
GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Sheila Jenkins (from left), Patty Estes and Tom Estes

SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Richard Harris (left) and Frank Edwards GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Barbara Smith (left) and Kimberly Perez GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Michael Garcia (left) and Viola Martinez

Not just Hollywood stars get red carpet treatment.

On Sept. 14, past and present Driscoll Children's Hospital patients who designed holiday cards that were chosen for this year's release got the full celebrity treatment, including paparazzi-like flash bulbs and applause.

The patients, including Corpus Christi residents Kendyl, 4; Jersie, 7; Corbin, 8; Elissa, 16; and Mikayla, 16; Brownsville resident Lindsey, 10; San Diego resident Krysten, 11; Pharr residents Lexy, 12; and Luz, 13; and Weslaco resident Abigail, 20; obliged family and friends by autographing their work for them.

Afther the grand unveiling of their art work at the hospital, the patients continued celebrating with a party at Chuck E Cheese.

Sales of this year's set of 10 holiday cards benefit the Marcia K. Wilcox Scholarship, which has helped 97 Driscoll patients since its inception.
GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Angela Martinez wears a button in memory of her friend Susanna Eguia during the third annual Go Purple: Safe Families Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi.

SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Alejandra Rackley, 2, (right) makes a handprint with purple paint on a board shaped like the state of Texas to pledge against domestic violence with the help of Kirsti Charbonneau during the third annual Go Purple: Safe Families Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Mayor Nelda Martinez proclaims October to be Domestic Violence Awareness month during the third annual Go Purple: Safe Families Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Lori Garcia sports a purple ribbon on her cheek while posing for a photo during the third annual Go Purple: Safe Families Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Lexi Gonzalez wears the words "Go Purple" on her cheek while pinning a button to her jacket during the third annual Go Purple: Safe Families Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi.

By Esther Hackleman, Esther.M.Hackleman@caller.com

Angela Martinez stood out in a sea of purple. Her neon pink shirt read "Love shouldn't hurt."

"I'm here for my friend who passed away from domestic violence," Martinez said at the Go Purple: Safe Families Festival on Saturday at Del Mar College.

The third annual event hosted by the Women's Shelter of South Texas kicked off the month of October, which is domestic violence awareness month.

Martinez reminisced as she pointed to a picture button on her shirt of Susanna Eguia, a beautiful young woman with red lips and blonde highlights.

Eguia was seven months pregnant when she was found beaten to death in a shed, but her death was not an isolated incident. About 30 homicides in Corpus Christi from 2010 to 2015 have been related to domestic violence.

Martinez believes the pain must stop with this generation and the next, but and it starts with education and activities like the Go Purple: Safe Families Festival.

"(Domestic violence) is really big here in Corpus Christi, and you can't stay quiet," Martinez said. "I bring my daughters so they can know how to be treated."

Martinez and her 5- and 9- year-old daughters explored the courtyard in front of the White Library where 70 booths and vendors offered activities including Zumba, bean bag toss, photo booths and story time. The event also included food trucks, face painting and information on how to spread awareness of domestic violence.

"Our goal with this is to have the community celebrate healthy families and nonviolence," said Kellie Anderson, chief community relations officer for the women's shelter. "

Go Purple is part of a statewide campaign to end family violence. Mayor Nelda Martinez represented the city's support of the movement by reading a proclamation declaring October 2016 domestic violence awareness month in Corpus Christi.

"The Women's Shelter of South Texas and its partners are committed to preventing and ultimately ending domestic violence," the mayor said.

Those who want help and information on domestic violence can call the women's shelter's 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-580-4878.

The Caller-Times began the Behind Broken Doors series last year to explore domestic violence, including how law enforcement investigates the attacks, how prosecutors pursue offenders in court, how advocates help victims heal, and what the community must do to reverse the deadly trend.

"We demand that we will not tolerate domestic violence in our community," Anderson said.

Twitter: @Caller_Esther
Jessica Lutz/Special to the El Paso Times Roberto Lujan from Presidio and members of the American Indian Movement of Central Texas march Friday through Alpine in protest of a pipeline being built in area.

SHARE Associated Press File Native Americans protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in August in southern North Dakota. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is suing federal regulators for approving permits for the pipeline that will move oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Jessica Lutz/Special to the El Paso Times Archeologist Will Keller of Alpine documents huge mulching machines clearing the right of way through the Trap Spring Site in northern Brewster County. Opponents of Energy Transfer Partners' Trans Pecos Pipeline say that in late September, construction workers obliterated the Trap Spring site, a 5,000-year-old Indian site near Alpine, which they say is archeologically important.

By Marty Schladen, USA TODAY Network Austin Bureau mschladen@gannett.com

North Dakota isn't the only place where people are up in arms over an Energy Transfer Partners pipeline project.

People say two West Texas pipelines being built by the Dallas-based company are damaging the environment, destroying cultural treasures, jeopardizing safety and giving a raw deal to the owners of land through which they pass. And, they complain, government regulators aren't protecting the public.

Energy Transfer Partners, a company run by Texas billionaire Kelcy Warren, is running 42-inch natural gas pipelines through Texas to the Mexican border, where they'll connect with pipelines owned by a company controlled by Carlos Slim, Mexico's richest man.

ETP denied claims that it isn't a good neighbor. A spokeswoman said good community relations are paramount to the company because its employees are members of those communities.

"The Energy Transfer family of companies has more than 71,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines in this country," ETP spokeswoman Vicki Granado said in an email. "We have employees that live and work in the communities through which we cross, including yours. We want the company and our employees to be valued members of every community."

However, not everybody sees it that way.

In North Dakota, the protests of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe have attracted international attention and have become a rallying cry for Native American rights. The tribe and its supporters are fighting the 1,200-mile ETP Dakota Access oil pipeline that is planned to run from North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa and then connect with an existing pipeline in Illinois.

The tribe was already upset that the pipeline would cross under the Missouri River  the tribe's water supply  just upstream from the reservation, instead of along another alignment near the state capital, Bismarck. Then on Sept. 3, when members of the Standing Rock Sioux tried to stop construction in what they regarded as a sacred site, they were set upon by private security guards with police dogs and pepper spray.

"That incident alone speaks volumes about how Energy Transfer Partners and Dakota Access treat the tribe," Steve Sitting Bear, a member of the tribe, said in an interview.

TEXAS DISPUTES

Perhaps similarly, opponents of ETP's Trans Pecos Pipeline say that in late September, construction workers obliterated the Trap Spring site, a 5,000-year-old Indian site near Alpine. Opponents say this area is archeologically important, although it hasn't received an official designation from the state or federal governments.

The Army Corps of Engineers "basically gave the pipeline company a license to roll over the countryside," said Coyne Gibson, an engineer who has worked on pipeline construction projects and now works with the Big Bend Conservation Alliance, an environmental group that opposes the Trans Pecos Pipeline. "I saw (the Trap Spring site) wiped out before my eyes."

Opponents of the project held a protest march Friday morning in Alpine.

"They scrape and they bulldoze and they make trenches," Lori Glover, an organizer, said in an interview before the march. "This is one of the most diverse desert systems in the world  the Chihuahuan Desert."

Lisa Dillinger, another spokeswoman for Energy Transfer Partners, denied the company had destroyed an archeologically significant site.

"That is flatly not true," she said in an email. "There was an undocumented archaeological site discovered by our survey teams early in the process. We submitted this site to the Texas Historic Sites Atlas and it has been determined as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Texas Historical Commission. As a result, we adjusted the route so that this site is not within the boundaries of our right of way for this project."

BULLYING ALLEGED

The conflict over the pipeline is at least partly an example of the trade-offs as policymakers try to balance people's demand for energy against the need to do something about global warming.

Many environmental scientists say that if we are to forestall catastrophic climate change, relatively clean-burning natural gas is an important bridge to a time when more renewable sources of energy are available. The two ETP pipelines running through West Texas will carry gas to Mexico, a country where demand for power is growing.

But critics of ETP's West Texas pipelines say the company has run roughshod over landowners and local communities using a process they believe is stacked against them.

Jesus "Chuy" Reyes is general manager of El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, which receives Rio Grande water from New Mexico and supplies it to El Paso County farmers and to a desert city of almost 700,000.

He said that three other companies that built pipelines under district canals in recent years followed the district's licensing procedures. But when it came to planning ETP's Comanche Trail pipeline, company officials refused, Reyes said, describing a meeting with them last year.

One official said, "I'm going to put the pipeline where we want, at the depth we want and we'll pay you what we want," Reyes said. He added, "The Legislature has made them so powerful when it comes to eminent domain."

The irrigation district and the pipeline company ended up in court when ETP invoked eminent domain. ETP won.

Late last month, as the Comanche Trail pipeline was bored under the first of the irrigation district's 16 canals it was to cross, a portion of the canal collapsed, sending district officials scrambling to get water to farmers for a critical end-season irrigation. Friday afternoon, Reyes reported that the district was now blocking Energy Transfer Partners from boring under a canal that it never sought permission to cross.

ETP spokeswoman Granado denied Reyes' version of the company's negotiations with the district.

"That is not the way we do business," she said. "While we do not discuss specifics related to our easement agreements, I can tell you that they are based on appraisals conducted by third parties."

However they're formulated, one El Paso County cotton farmer said the first offer he got from Energy Transfer Partners to cross his land was only a quarter what he thought his land was worth, based on what other parcels in the area had been selling for. When ETP doubled its offer, the farmer, Ramon Tirres, took it, even though it was still only half what he believed he should get.

"I didn't want to be spending my money on lawyers and sitting in court," he said.

"LEGAL FICTION"

One reason ETP's West Texas projects have so much latitude is that they're treated as intrastate pipelines and thus subject to state regulation  even though the main purpose of each is to carry gas to Mexico.

That means 195 miles of the Comanche Trail Pipeline and 148 miles of the Trans Pecos Pipeline are regulated by the Texas Railroad Commission, while just over 1,000 feet of each is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The federal stretches are near San Elizario and Presidio, where the pipelines will cross under the Rio Grande to the middle of the riverbed and connect with their Mexican counterparts.

James Speer, an attorney for the El Paso County irrigation district, called the pipelines' intrastate designation a "legal fiction" to avoid more stringent federal regulation along the great majority of the pipelines' length.

Railroad Commission spokeswoman Ramona Nye acknowledged that her agency has little power over where pipelines are built.

"In Texas, intrastate pipelines are not required to be permitted before being built, and the Railroad Commission has no jurisdiction over the routing or siting of pipelines," she said in an email. "The pipeline route is determined by the pipeline's owner/operator. There is no statutory or regulatory requirement that pipeline operators seek or receive from the Railroad Commission approval to construct a pipeline and related facilities."

Asked why federal authorities agreed to regulate only a tiny portion of ETP's West Texas pipelines, FERC spokesman Craig Cano didn't answer directly, but referred to the orders approving and environmental assessments of the federal portions of the projects instead.

SAFETY CONCERNS

San Elizario Mayor Maya Sanchez said federal approval of the 42-inch Trans Pecos Pipeline means her town will have yet another big pipeline crossing near it and even closer to San Elizario High School.

The ETP project comes in addition to the 30-inch Roadrunner Pipeline owned by Tulsa-based ONEOK Partners that also is under construction.

Energy Transfer Partners says that safety is its top priority. But Sanchez said she's concerned  especially in light of the explosion of another 42-inch ETP pipeline near Cuero last year.

She said that regulators and governmental officials have been less than forthcoming about the hazards the projects pose for her community, much less given residents a chance to stop them.

"At the end of the day, we had absolutely no say over the decisions that were made," Sanchez said.

To Steve Sitting Bear, of North Dakota's Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, it's a familiar story.

"What's happening down in Texas does not surprise me at all," he said.

Twitter: @martyschladen
When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas
SHARE Contributed photo Eddie and Mable Ginn (front) share a wedding photo with Mabels brother, CJ Heimlich and Rosey Smoka. Contributed photo Eddie and Mable Ginn (front) share a wedding photo with Mabels brother, CJ Heimlich and Rosey Smoka. Contributed photo Eddie and Mable Ginn pose on their wedding day, Sept. 3, 1945. Fares Sabawi/Special to the Caller-Times Eddie and Mable Ginn pose for a picture during their 70th anniversary celebration Saturday.

By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

In 1945, the No. 1 hit song in the nation was Perry Como's "Till The End of Time." No song is more fitting for Eddie and Mable Ginn, two longtime Corpus Christi residents who have been married as long as that song has been released.

The couple celebrated nearly 70 years of marriage with a family gathering at The Chicken Shack on Up River Road with the theme "A true love story never ends."

Eddie, 93, can still remember when he met Mable, 90, growing up in Yoakum.

"My street was here, and Mable's was here," Eddie said as he mapped out the streets on the table with his finger. "I could see her from my backyard."

Eddie left Yoakum in 1942 to join the Coast Guard, serving the nation during World War II. After contracting rheumatic fever, Eddie was treated at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and stayed in the area, working briefly for the Caller-Times as a typesetter and then the United States Postal Service.

Eddie returned to Yoakum to marry Mable and bring her to Corpus Christi. They wed on Labor Day, Sept. 3, 1945, the only day he could take off work.

"They never really dated. They just got married," said Kerry Ginn, their son. "He came home and proposed to her and that was it."

Both Eddie and Mable stayed busy throughout their marriage. Eddie helped start the Oil Belt Little League, and served as Precinct 51 Democratic Party chairman and an election judge. Mable worked at the Nueces County Courthouse for more than 35 years and was a parishioner of St. Theresa's Catholic Church.

"They're such an inspirational couple," said Gaby Hill, their niece. "They're true patriots and good citizens of Corpus Christi."

Their service is not only recognized by their family, however. The couple received commendation for their marriage from Corpus Christi Mayor Nelda Martinez and a proclamation from the Texas Senate.

"They've always been good examples ... about service and giving back," Hill said. "Everyone in the family has followed through with that belief system and service."

Never going to bed mad is a cliche, but Kerry said that's how they've stayed together all these years.

"One of their deals was  to always have a good night kiss," he said. "They still do it today."

Eddie, however, had a different tip to having a lasting marriage.

"(The secret is) keeping my mouth shut," he said with a smile. "I think (this marriage) will last."
Natalia Contreras/Caller-Times The Texas for Responsible Marijuana Policy coalition and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Corpus Christi hosted an advocacy training Sunday at the Oso Recreation Center for those interested in marijuana policy reform.

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By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times

Policy reform advocates know the first step to create change is to educate the community.

That's why on Sunday the Texas for Responsible Marijuana Policy coalition and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Corpus Christi hosted an advocacy training at the Oso Recreation Center.

About 30 people attended the training, which focused on tools to make effective arguments about marijuana policy, dispel common myths, how to communicate with legislators, and positively affect policy during the upcoming legislative session.

Heather Fazio, political director of the Texas for Responsible Marijuana Policy said the event was one of six the group will host around the state as part of an effort to include the marijuana policy debate into the 2016 state legislative races.

"The legislative session begins in January and we are looking forward to having policies introduced for consideration that reduce penalties for low level possession of marijuana," Fazio said.

The event also served as forum to educate supporters of marijuana policy reform and answer any of their questions.

"We don't have valid initiatives like other states do. We have to go through the Legislature," Fazio said. "We are working on empowering people to have a conversation with the legislators and sharing their personal stories and experiences so they know how it's affecting our community."

Advocates also are pushing for medical marijuana access for patients with debilitating conditions, NORML Corpus Christi president Kyle Hoelscher said.

"We have to know how to effectively organize," Hoelscher said. "A lot of people who have political opinions have never talked to their representatives.

"And today we are producing activists to positively affect policy," Hoelscher said.

For information on the Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy coalition go to www.TexasMarijuanaPolicy.org and for NORML Corpus Christi go to www.normlcc.org

Twitter: @CallerNatalia
It's clear the 2016 general election is one for the history books.

Democrat Hillary Clinton could become America's first female president. Donald Trump could show the Republican Party how to win back the White House.

Voters already are picking sides, but Americans historically have united around the notion that it's critical that U.S. citizens exercise their right to vote in our regular and free elections.

Our representative government relies on voter participation to deliver what President Abraham Lincoln declared: "government of the people, by the people, for the people ..."

With that in mind, the Caller-Times is launching a special reporting effort to explore Texas and Nueces County's historical voting behaviors. We reviewed overall state turnout records and county election turnout in the last four presidential elections.

In short, Texans as a whole are horrible at voting, those records show.

Texas, for example, ranks among one of the worst states when it comes to turnout of registered voters and those of voting age in elections. Nueces County and Corpus Christi, its largest metropolitan city, rank in the bottom fourth of all 254 Texas counties when it comes to voter turnout.

Our work today provides an overview of Texans' struggle to be active voters. It also gives some insight into how a small group of regular voters hold all the political power and decide our local elections. You can visit Caller.com to explore how your neighborhood voted in the 2012 general election.

Over the next few weeks we will continue to devote our reporting resources to digging deeper into our county residents' voting behaviors.

Our staff is working on profiling our best and worst voting neighborhoods down to the street level. We are monitoring who is registering to vote as the registration deadline approaches and reporting on how the state of Texas is spending money to encourage voter participation.

We will try to find out what it takes to become a lifelong voter and review what efforts are underway to encourage our youngest adults to become first-time voters.

As with other big reporting efforts, we will explore possible solutions around the country to boost Texas voter turnout.

If you want to become a promoter of voting, we encourage you to visit VotingBecause.com. The Caller-Times and the USA TODAY NETWORK are using our digital tools to encourage Americans to vote. Our readers can use the #votingbecause campaign to share their reasons for voting this year in print and on their favorite social media channels.

We will publish special coverage of local candidates in this year's general election around the time that the early voting period begins.

Corpus Christi and South Texas residents who participate in elections are engaged and connected to their communities. They also contribute to a good, representative government that upholds our constitutional democracy.

It's your decision on whom to support in the Nov. 8 election. What's most important is that you vote.

Thank you for reading the Caller-Times and Caller.com

Tim Archuleta is the editor of the Caller-Times. He can be reached at 361-886-3688 or tim.archuleta@caller.com.
That we endorse Hillary Clinton for president should come as no surprise. There really is no other choice. And that's unfortunate  not because, as many Americans have allowed themselves to be led to believe, the country desperately needs a viable alternative to her. It's unfortunate because of the shadow it casts upon the former secretary of state/senator/first lady's genuine worthiness to be our first female president.

She is not, as has been sold, a mere lesser of two evils. Her experience and intellect would make her a standout in any group of candidates. Like President Obama said and didn't need to be fact-checked, she's more qualified than him or her husband.

We have reservations about the next presidency that have nothing to do with Clinton's abilities, personality or transgressions. Our concern is about the enormity of the task of leading a nation so polarized that angry factions are likely to dispute the election's outcome no matter who wins.

Blaming all of that on Donald Trump  as reprehensible as has been his campaign against Mexican immigrants, women, people of color, prisoners of war and Muslims, to name just a few, and as deplorable as was his declaration that the election is rigged unless he wins  gives him too much credit. He is only the intersection for fears and hatreds that already existed and that bring out the worst in the people privileged to live in the world's greatest nation. Using hatred and fear isn't what makes Trump smart. It's what makes him an insult to voters' intelligence.

Being the only serious alternative is both Clinton's fortune and misfortune. It increases the likelihood of victory, but also of presiding over a nation with large groups of dissidents. While voting against her can be a statement of differing principle, voting for Trump would not rise to that level. It's not a vote for Republicanism. The Republican Party's principles and standards are beyond Trump's reach.

Voting for Trump is a form of nihilism that the next president, no matter whom, will need to explore, understand and seek to remedy. The new president and we as a nation would benefit from understanding why, for example, distressed taxpayers who live paycheck-to-paycheck and whose American Dream has been dashed would vote for someone who gained his American Dream through inheritance, exploitation, tax evasion, bankruptcy and the misfortunes of people like themselves  and why they would reject someone who gained her American Dream on merit, married once, hasn't divorced, and knows how to change a diaper.

We perceive in Clinton the capability to bridge the divide  to define rather than exploit our problems and pursue intelligent solutions. Her "basket of deplorables" comment made the task more difficult but it was a rare lapse by an otherwise level-headed servant leader with a history of self-correcting resilience. The former senator's Republican colleagues remember her fondly as a middle-ground-seeking master of the art of deal-making. If there is to be a return to bipartisanship, she is the one to lead it.

The woman who memorably declared that women's rights are human rights and that it takes a village to raise a child is the candidate who has the right priorities and the perceptiveness to make this divided but great country greater.
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One of the constants in Texas politics is a State Board of Education that generates controversy at virtually every turn. Now one of the board's long-running and most embarrassing fights  what schools should teach about evolution  is making an unwelcome return.

Board members are already struggling with the proposed adoption of a deeply offensive and error-riddled Mexican-American studies textbook. And for months they have been arguing over the revision of language arts curriculum standards, a dispute that includes a silly conspiracy theory about bad people trying to sneak Common Core into Texas schools.

Then, as if those controversies weren't enough, several state board members launched a fresh assault on evolution last week.

Fights over the teaching of evolution heated up in the 1990s, when creationists launched a long campaign to take control of the state board. In 2009 they succeeded in adding to the state's science curriculum standards a number of requirements designed to undermine evolution in textbooks and classroom instruction.

At the same time, board members made those standards so detailed and unwieldy that teachers have voiced frustration with how to cover them all. The board did the same thing to the social studies standards in 2010.

Late last year the board agreed to simplify, or "streamline," the standards. In July panels of educators and scholars met in Austin to begin that process for science.

The panel for biology hasn't finished its work, but creationists are already upset. That's because a panel majority decided that one good way to streamline the standards is to eliminate anti-evolution nonsense that biologists and other experts have made clear is based on junk science.

But one of the panelists, Ray Bohlin, complained to state board members at their September meeting in Austin. Bohlin is an associate of two prominent anti-evolution organizations, the Discovery Institute in Seattle and Probe Ministries in Plano. He charged that educators on his panel had engaged in a "quick and concerted" effort to eliminate any standards that challenge evolution.

Several state board members joined Bohlin in criticizing the panel. They even complained that the changes would somehow limit the ability of students to ask questions in their science classes. That's absurd.

It was disturbing to hear such attacks on the professionalism of the educators and scholars who volunteered to serve as panelists. Even more appalling is that one of the panel's critics, state board member Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands, had earlier tried to stack the deck against evolution on that same panel.

Emails obtained by the Texas Freedom Network through a public information request show that Cargill in July pressured Texas Education Agency staff into adding another prominent evolution denier to the biology panel. TEA's professional staff respectfully pointed out that the person Cargill wanted was unqualified, but he ended up with a spot on the panel anyway.

It now appears that the two evolution deniers failed to persuade their panel colleagues to keep the junk science in the standards. So one is criticizing the science teachers and other experts on the panel for  shocking!  supposedly plotting to defend the teaching of evolution in the second decade of the 21st century.

One of those experts, Ron Wetherington, a respected evolutionary anthropologist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, is understandably alarmed. In a letter to state board members after their meeting, Wetherington asked that his fellow panelists be left to do their work free from further political pressure and unfair criticism.

That hardly seems like an unreasonable request. But don't hold your breath.

That's because another constant on the State Board of Education has been an open disdain for teachers, scholars and expertise in general. During the debate on science standards in 2009, the creationist who then served as board chair infamously declared that "someone's gotta stand up to experts." That was not a proud moment for Texas.

As we saw last week, some board members are still "standing up to experts." They're also standing in the way of giving Texas students a 21st-century education.
Tom "Smitty" Smith (speaking at a news conference in Austin in 2007) is retiring after 31 years as state director of the watchdog group Public Citizen, to the chagrin of environmental and government ethics advocates and, no doubt, the relief of polluters and dirty politicians.

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Like the rest of Texas, I too was shocked and concerned to hear that Tom "Smitty" Smith is retiring as director of Pubic Citizen after 31 years.

Shocked because Smitty is a superhero with extraordinary powers, invulnerable with a strong moral code.

Concerned because I sleep better at night knowing Smitty is there.

Smitty's accomplishments are vast and unparalleled; however, I'd like to focus on Smitty's local contributions.

Smitty helped our group, Citizens for Environmental Justice (CFEJ), and our efforts in many ways through the years.

I first met Smitty about 15 years ago. He invited me to Austin to testify at a Senate hearing on refinery emissions. I'll never forget seeing Smitty for the first time when he picked me up at the airport. He was wearing his signature hat. He had a big smile that made me feel welcomed.

I went to Austin toting a huge "scroll"  a 3x46-foot-long paper covered with Caller-Times clippings of explosions, fires and other emission events. The point of putting together the scroll was to provide a visual of the numerous events that take place along refinery row and the impact on fence-line residents.

At the time Smitty drove a red hybrid car. I remembering being whisked away from the airport, holding on tightly to my scroll, to the Public Citizen headquarters.

I was led to a conference room for a press conference with media reps calling in from all over the state.

Later, I recall watching the clock nervously because the hearing was about to start, yet the press conference was still going on and we still had the drive to the capital. I looked over at Smitty. He looked at ease and in control.

Suddenly the conference was adjourned and I was being whisked away again  myself and the scroll. Somehow we made it in time for the hearing. Unbelievable.

When it was my turn to speak, Smitty and several others opened the scroll. It literally covered the entire back wall and continued along the sides. Afterward we raced off to grab lunch, then back to Public Citizen for follow-up with our local reporters, then back to the airport.

Whew!

Smitty invited me back several times through the years. I soon became known as the lady with the scroll. This platform enabled me to bring attention to our local issues at the state capital.

When we first started our environmental justice work in Corpus Christi, almost 17 years ago, we were told by local industry and government agencies that refinery emissions do not leave the fence-line and if we thought otherwise we should prove it. Smitty and Pubic Citizen assisted us in that task by including Corpus Christi in Public Citizen reports. One such report was, "Industrial Upset Pollution: Who Pays the Price?" (Aug. 2005)

The report examined several "upsets" or unpermitted emissions from start-up, shutdown and maintenance operations and the impacts on human health. The report found that the rates of hospital admission for adult and pediatric asthma in Nueces County are significantly higher in Nueces County than the Texas average.

The report also included a statistical analysis of the attendance rates at nearby schools following upset events. The report found that several schools have dramatic decreases in attendance following an upset event.

In 2008, when Texas was seeing an increase in green energy, Las Brisas applied for an air permit and proposed to build a petroleum coke power plant. Many local citizens, including the Nueces County Medical Society, rallied together to oppose the proposed dirty plant and formed the Clean Economy Coalition. Smitty spearheaded a movement to bring together a powerful coalition of forces, including the Environmental Integrity Project the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund.

In 2013 Las Brisas announced that is was going out of business.

Although I may liken Smitty to a superhero with superhuman powers, he's actually mortal; thus, the decades of activism, advocacy and travel from community to community to help fight battles have taken a toll.

So what does that mean for us? Smitty may be stepping down as director of Public Citizen but he'll still be around. I'll be able to sleep at night after all.
The party is going down on Thursday, October 6, from 5.30pm. Head to the shops for late night trading, live music, special offers and refreshments, including what's billed as "an unmissable spread of edible delights from our friends at Woodbrook catering". Frugii Dessert Laboratory will offer one-off ice cream flavours for the night, such as Negroni icypoles, while you browse homewares from Handsome Pretty and jewellery from Hive and itrip iskip.
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Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
The Ford Motor Company has released the preliminary details of a new safety campaign that covers the 2013-2017 Focus and 2016-2017 Focus RS vehicles.



According to the Michigan giant, all affected cars are equipped with a manual gearbox and must have their interior latch release software updated, as this can be unlocked an unlatched with a single press of the interior latch release when the vehicle is traveling under 7 km/h (4 mph).

Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this condition that covers the Focus models made in Michigan from February 12, 2012, to August 26, 2016, and the Focus RS hot hatches, built at Saarlouis from August 3, 2015, throughout August 26, 2016. The total number of cars that will have to be taken back to the dealers is 73,915, out of which 64,038 are in the US and federalized territories and 9,877 in Canada.

An additional batch of 2,592 Ford Transit Connects, assembled at the Valencia plant from October 3, 2013, to July 14, 2014, including 887 in the United States and 28 in Canada, is part of a second recall, due to an improper bond between the panoramic roof and the body, resulting in wind noise and water leaks. In extreme cases, the panoramic roof can separate while driving. Ford is not aware of any accidents related to this problem and states that dealers will clean and reinstall the panoramic roof on the affected vehicles free of charge.

PHOTO GALLERY
Remember the Tesla Model X that purportedly accelerated on its own back in June and crashed into building? Well, it seems that another accident is mirroring that one, only this time it involves a Model S.



Captured on a surveillance camera, the footage posted by Electrek shows the driver moving slowly to park in front of the gym, in Lighthouse Point, Florida, right before the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into the front door.

The drivers husband explained the entire incident in a post on Teslas forum, which has been removed since then: I have owned several Model S Teslas and currently own 1 P85D and 1 P90D. Recently, my wife experienced a near fatal accident when she was slowly parking at her gym. The car violently exploded into full acceleration and could have easily killed people in the gym.

Electrek has reached out to Tesla Motors and the automaker states that after reviewing the logs, the accelerator pedal was pressed during the crash. In response, the Model S owner wrote:

I am amazed and wildly disappointed by the way Tesla has handled this and their complete unwillingness to even talk to me about it. Of course, they immediately blamed it on the driver and claimed their online computer tells them that, admitting that it is possible that there could have been driver error, but we do not feel that is what has occurred and wanted to have it looked further into.

PHOTO GALLERY
So, will we ever see the film? The project is being helmed by Brazilian filmmaker Rogerio Nunes based on a script he wrote with Sergio Nesteriuk. Sao Paulo production house Karmatique Imagens teamed up with French producer Les Films dIci back in 2014 to try and raise funding for the digital 2D film, which is budgeted at an extremely modest 2 million euros. A 2018 completion date is currently projected, though as far as we know, it hasnt yet entered production.

Its the first attempt to focus on the B side of Rio de Janeiro through an animation feature, exposing the social contrasts that remain in Brazilian society, Nunes told Variety back in 2014 when he was pitching the project at Annecys MIFA market. Although Darkness makes use of fantasy, it also presents social issues such as police corruption, drug trafficking, environmental degradation, the absence of state control of Rio favelas, popular blind faith in a future savior.

Nunes pitched Heart of Darkness at Cartoon Movie last March. The producers reported at the conference that they are still around 1 million euros short of the final production budget. The film skews adult, targeting audiences in their late-teens and twenties.

Should the film move into production, French actor Vincent Cassel (Oceans Twelve, Black Swan) is attached to voice Captain Kurtz, not just in French, but also in the English and Portuguese versions of the film.

Nunes envisions the film would be animated primarily in France, which has a stronger pool of 2D animators than Brazil, while backgrounds, compositing, coloring, and other artistic tasks would be completed in Brazil.
To keep the conversation around suicide awareness and mental health going, Castanet has joined forces with The LifeLine Canada Foundation for the month of October.

Local restaurants will bring the message of positive mental health to the dinner table during Food For Thought.

Throughout the month, Castanet will feature local restaurants and chefs, who will showcase meals using ingredients proven to have a positive influence on mental health.

Today, we feature Gasthaus on the Lake in Peachland. Co-owner and chef Truong Le has created a beautiful wild coho topped with Chardonnay organic poach pears served with a wild chanterelle baby kale quinoa and grains that offer a number of positive mental health benefits.

Check back now through Oct. 30 to find out which restaurants are featuring delicious meals with unique mental-health benefits.
Photo: Dave Ogilvie

West Kelowna firefighters responded to a report of flames in Upper Glenrosa Saturday night.

The call came in after 8:30 p.m. regarding a property on the 3200 block of Corine Road.

Four fire engines were dispatched to the scene. Two were cancelled, and one at the scene blocked the road leading into the property.

The fire department has yet to release any information on the incident and, due to it not being visible from the road, it's unknown at this time whether it was a brush fire, bonfire or structure fire.

The fire was reportedly extinguished without incident.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Text of a statement released Saturday by Prince William on his family's eight-day visit to British Columbia and Yukon:

"Catherine and I are incredibly grateful to the people of Canada for the warmth and hospitality they have extended to our family over the last week. We have loved our time in British Columbia and Yukon and will never forget the beautiful places we have seen and the many people who have been kind enough to come to welcome us in person.

"We feel very lucky to have been able to introduce George and Charlotte to Canada. This country will play a big part in the lives of our children and we have created such happy memories for our family during this visit.

"Canada is a country of optimism, generosity and unrivalled natural beauty. I hope we have helped all Canadians celebrate what makes this country great. We will see you again soon."
Photo: The Canadian Press

As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toured British Columbia and the Yukon over the past week, they heard impassioned speeches on reconciliation and saw protest T-shirts emblazoned with slogans opposing oil and liquefied natural gas.

The focus on First Nations issues was already built into Prince William and Kate's itinerary, with stops in Bella Bella, the home of the Great Bear Rainforest, and Haida Gwaii, a remote and stunning archipelago sacred to some aboriginal people.

Some indigenous leaders embraced the opportunity to criticize their federal and provincial governments in front of the duke and duchess. But there's a long tradition of aboriginal people appealing directly to the Royal Family, experts say.

First Nations have at times turned to the royals as a kind of "court of appeal," said Charles Menzies, an anthropology professor at the University of British Columbia.

The primary relationship of indigenous people has always been with the Crown of England, as opposed to elected governments, he said. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 required the Crown to enter into negotiations and settle treaties, Menzies said.

"That relationship has continued in that many First Nations communities have seen the royal court, the Royal Family, as the place to go to petition for recognition of rights," he said.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs boycotted a reconciliation ceremony, citing failures of the federal government. Others, including Grand Chief Ed John of the First Nations Summit, used the spotlight to urge the royal couple to push governments for reconciliation.

Menzies pointed out that most First Nations in B.C. have not signed treaties.

"More than two hundred years since Europeans first turned up on these shores, (governments) haven't really settled this," he said.

Phillip said he believed his "highly respectful decision to politely decline" the invitation to the reconciliation ceremony initiated a very spirited discussion across B.C. and Canada.

"It certainly has created a consciousness in the minds of Canadians and British Columbians that there are serious issues in relation to the appalling levels of poverty in aboriginal communities across this country, that by and large, are not being effectively addressed by the federal or provincial governments," he said in an interview.

Penticton Indian Band Chief Jonathan Kruger said he is proud that Phillip drew attention to aboriginal poverty in Canada. Kruger used his brief opportunity to speak at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus to urge the royals to advocate for reconciliation.

"My hope was to start something. Those were real words," he said. "I stand behind those words, and I'm hoping that those words affected the Royal Family and I hope that the federal and provincial government heard those words as well."
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Rekha Iyer, of Natya Dance Theatre, and Rio Wahyudi, of Nan Jombang, perform in "The Incomplete Gesture" at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts in Skokie. (Sibut Kutty photo)

Chances are, when you picture two cultures coming together, nothing good springs to mind. Maybe Trump supporters and protesters at the same rally. Maybe Packers and Bears fans at the same game.

But two cultures met, with thrilling results, in "The Incomplete Gesture," Natya Dance Theatre's new collaboration with Indonesia's Nan Jombang Dance. Presented Saturday night only at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie as part of the Eye on India festival, this spare, 70-minute performance acknowledged difference even as it achieved an astonishing sense of sympathy and accord. Kudos to Natya's founder-choreographer, Hema Rajagopalan, and Nan Jombang's, Eri Mefri.

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Though Chicago-based Natya has long sought to bring Indian and U.S. cultures closer, usually in updated treatments of Hindu mythology, this show reconciled two Asian cultures in a scaled-back production featuring five Natya dancers and four Nan Jombang performers, who at times played drums. Doug Lofstrom's recorded music  just one tabla, sarod and vocalist  also provided accompaniment; Julie Ballard's expressive, subtle lighting created the minimal environments; and Sandhya Raman's costumes suggested the continuity of these cultures without ever allowing them to merge.

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Not that they would, at least not easily: The two styles of movement are wildly different, both beautiful, both beautifully done here.

Nan Jombang updates the martial art of the Minangkabau indigenous ethnic group, a rare matrilineal society that also happens to be Islamic. Aggressive, raw, the movement is abandoned and fierce; power is expressed and achieved through long-held, low lunges and whipping limbs. Noisemaking abounds: clapping, slapping the body, yipping and yelling, and thunderclap striking of the performers' long skirts, stretched taut as drumheads. Yet it's never chaotic. Meanwhile Natya's chosen form, bharatanatyam, is much more composed, clipped, defined, often done in unison, the body upright and poised.

The traditional Hindu stories that Natya generally uses were limited to two brief anecdotes here, both illustrating miscommunication, one humorous, the other tragic. Bharatanatyam's art of facial and gestural expression, abhinaya, dominated the first, which rued the fact that everyone wants someone they can't have. Asha Rowland was especially amusing in her disdain for that foolishness before succumbing to it herself.

In the second, a case of mistaken identity, a celestial being disguises himself as the husband of the beautiful but neglected Ahalya and seduces her. Natya cleverly communicated this tale despite having no male performers. But it only came alive when Nan Jombang's Indra Rahmi entered slowly, singing a wordless, broken lament that expressed all the anguish of believing oneself loved, than seeing the dream dissipate. Her physical abandon contrasted sharply with the calm, hypnotic walk of the Natya dancers, extending a straight leg, flexing the foot, lowering it, over and over; like a flock of birds seen in slow motion, they were a chorus circling, witnessing.

The angry husband interrupts, facing off with his wife. But then, with all nine performers assembled onstage, the mood shifted swiftly, through unison movement, into something sympathetic, even sacred, ceremonial, as everyone knelt in an inward-facing circle and repeatedly ran a palm, hovering just above the body, up the heart space and face, over the head, and back, as if wiping the mind clear.

This story, though long, was so profound in its emotion that what came after felt unnecessary  even counterproductive, as the two companies reiterated their differences, well-established in the work's beginning. The cute group pose that actually ended "The Incomplete Gesture" seemed incomplete indeed.

Laura Molzahn is a freelance critic.

ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com

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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)
I rented a house through Airbnb for two months for a summer internship. The house was in a bad neighborhood, and both my roommate's and my roommate's boyfriend's cars were broken into.

When a neighbor's car was also broken into and we saw the culprits flee the scene to a nearby housing project, my roommate and I decided to leave.

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That weekend, we canceled our reservation and found a new apartment. We've been trying to get a refund from Airbnb since then. I have sent the company photographs and police reports. An Airbnb representative finally agreed to refund me $2,004. Airbnb argued that this was because the situation was not completely the owner's fault. I understand that, but as a multimillion-dollar company, Airbnb should protect its customers from bad experiences.

My roommate and I spent a total of $5,438 to rent this house. We're asking for $2,719, the second month's rent. I have attempted to call Airbnb to negotiate further, but I am repeatedly put on hold or hung up on. I don't know where to go from here.

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 Madeline Gaffney, Austin, Texas

A: Airbnb shouldn't have rented a home in an unsafe neighborhood. Period. Of course, there's no way of guaranteeing that your rental will be crime-free, so you need to vet your rental before you push the "buy" button.

How do you do that? User reviews and online crime maps can help you figure out whether a rental is potentially unsafe. For example, the city of New York publishes a crime map (https://maps.nyc.gov/crime/). It suggests that my old neighborhood in Staten Island is a safe place to live. Good to know.

Even if you'd do your homework, you can't know everything. For example, my old neighborhood in Annapolis, Md., is in a relatively safe area. But every now and then, people who lived in the housing projects a few blocks away would break into our cars and steal electronics. Taught me to keep my electronics in the safety of my rental home.

Airbnb also offers some safety tips for would-be guests on its site. They're worth checking out before your next rental: www.airbnb.com/help/article/241/i-m-a-guest--what-are-some-safety-tips-i-can-follow.

As far as I can tell, Airbnb doesn't explicitly guarantee the safety of its rentals. I don't think it could. But there's an implicit warranty that the rentals will be habitable  safely habitable. In light of that, I think your request for the second month's refund was not unreasonable.

You could have escalated this to someone higher up at Airbnb. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of Airbnb's executives on my consumer-advocacy website: http://elliott.org/company-contacts/airbnb/.

I contacted Airbnb on your behalf. A representative said the company had made a "mistake" and refunded the entire second month's rental, the $2,719 you'd originally asked for.

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Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the author of "How to Be the World's Smartest Traveler."

You can read more travel tips on his blog, www.elliott.org, or email him at chris@elliott.org.

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Two women were killed tonight when a motor vehicle crashed along the border of Lyons and Forest View Saturday, authorities said.

The crash involved one vehicle, which fell at least 50 feet from Harlem Avenue in Lyons to Canal Bank Drive in Forest View, according to the Lyons Fire Department.

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The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the two victims as Michelle Miranda, 37, no home address available, and Sandra Frankum, 36, no home address available.

The Illinois State Police are assisting in the investigation but referred questions to the Lyons Police Department, which did not immediately respond to requests for information.

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chicagobreaking@tribune.com

Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking
An undated photo of Alisia Dieudonne, who was killed at a party near North Carolina A&T State University. (Family photo)

GREENSBORO, N.C.  A 19-year-old woman who was one of two North Carolina university students shot and killed early Sunday during a party was remembered by her family as a hardworking sophomore who was "smart and energetic.''

Alisia Dieudonne, 19, of Homewood, and Ahmad Campbell, 21, of Kittrell, N.C., died early Sunday after a man opened fire from outside an off-campus Greensboro home where a party had been going on.

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"I just want whoever is responsible to be brought to justice and punished to the fullest extent of the law," said Dieudonne's stepfather, James Hill III. "She was no troublemaker. She was just a regular college kid. This could have happened anywhere ... but the reality is this shouldn't have happened to anyone."

Police said there was no evidence the two were part of a fight that broke out Sunday morning and said they appeared to be innocent bystanders.

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Dieudonne graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in 2015 and moved to Greensboro to study computer science at North Carolina A&T State University. She was an accomplished and intelligent student who hoped to one day establish a career in technology, Hill said.

While the Greensboro police have yet to determine a suspect, Alisia Dieudonne's family searches for closure. Oct. 2, 2016. (CBS Chicago)

"She was smart and energetic. She liked being a college student  she was a sophomore and even went to summer school to earn more credits," he said. "It was very important to her. She was a hard worker. She cared a lot about how she did. She put forth a valiant effort ... like I said, she wanted to be successful."

Hill said Dieudonne was the youngest of five siblings and traveled to Homewood as often as she could to visit family.

"She was popular, smart and all she wanted to do was make good on her education and be like her siblings," he said. "She was the last one to go to college. She wanted to finish school and do well like everyone else."

Officers responded about 2:10 a.m. Sunday to a reported disturbance at an off-campus Greensboro home. Greensboro police Cpl. M.D. Matthews told the News & Record of Greensboro that police located Dieudonne and Campbell shot inside the residence.

Greensboro police Capt. Nathaniel Davis said witnesses have cooperated with police. who have yet to determine a suspect, the weapon used or the number of guests at the party.

"This incident is extremely disturbing. Violence on or near our campus is unacceptable," said university Chancellor Harold L. Martin in an emailed statement. "The safety of our students, faculty and staff is a priority."

Martin said Dieudonne and Campbell "were actively involved in campus life and vitally important members of the Aggie family," according to the statement.

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The student who held the party, 20-year-old Nicholas Jeffers, says he told everyone to leave when a fight broke out. Another fight started outside, and he heard three shots fired, he said.

"I'm stunned because it didn't have to go this far," Jeffers said.

Jeffers, who was friends with the two students who died, said neither knew about the first fight until he told them moments before someone fired the shots that killed both of them.

"This is a really sad day," Davis said. "We're just hoping people will come forward with information."

Jeffers said he invited a small group of friends over to his apartment after leaving a party across town. As the night went on "hundreds of people" showed up, and he said he later learned someone posted that he was having a party on social media.

"We are devastated,'' said school spokeswoman Joy Cook in an emailed statement.

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The Associated Press contributed.
Attorney Cannon Lambert, left, and Barbara Jones, mother of Donte Jones, center, hold a news conference in Maywood on Oct. 3, 2016, to plead for answers in the police-involved shooting of Donte Jones, which occurred in Markham early Oct. 2. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Markham  A brawl that erupted outside a nightclub ended with police fatally shooting a man who had threatened police in south suburban Markham early Sunday, police said, adding that another person had been arrested.

The slain man was identified as Donte T. Jones, 36, of the 300 block of South Fifth Avenue in Maywood, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

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Initially, four or five Markham police officers responded to calls of fights taking place in the rear parking lot outside the Stadium club, 16300 Dixie Highway, between 2:15 and 2:45 a.m., police Chief Mack Sanders said.

A man holding a weapon moved "in close proximity" to the officer, who believed his safety was at risk and shot him "to stop the threat,'' Sanders said.

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Jones was pronounced dead at 3:29 a.m. at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, according to the medical examiner's office. An autopsy is slated for Monday, the office said.

Officers from surrounding communities, including Harvey and Hazel Crest, also responded to calls of a large group of people fighting. Sanders did not know how many times the officer fired or what prompted the fight.

The officer who shot the man has been with the department about four years and is on modified duty pending the investigation, Sanders said.

A weapon was recovered and charges are pending for one person who was arrested, Sanders said.

Until a few months ago, Stadium was known as Adrianna's  an establishment with a long history of violence over the years. Sanders said ownership had changed.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 5 Officers with the Illinois State Police and Cook County sheriff's police investigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting at the Stadium Club nightclub in Markham on Oct. 2, 2016. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

The club has its own security personnel and a security platform outside at the northwest corner overlooking the parking lot, but Sanders did not know who called authorities.

Social media posts had promoted a Sunday event to be hosted by local basketball star and Milwaukee Bucks player Jabari Parker and his NBA teammates. A spokesman for the Milwaukee Bucks couldn't immediately be reached.

The promotion did not list the name of the venue but indicated it was to take place near the site of Sunday's shooting.

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A Daily Southtown investigation found at least eight people had been shot at Adrianna's or its parking lot, two fatally, after that club opened in 2009, according to police records.

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Adrianna's sits at the corner of 163rd Street and Dixie Highway, and the most recent shooting occurred in July, according to police and court records.

Police responded to reports of shots fired in the club's gated parking lot. Police also were told that a black SUV with a suspected shooter was speeding away from the club, records show. A Markham officer fired shots at the SUV, but authorities were unable to get a make, model or license plate.

Authorities only would say at the time that a male victim suffered gunshot wounds.

In addition to the shootings, police reports also chronicle a litany of other crimes, including several incidents in which departing clubgoers were ambushed by gunmen or incoming customers were stopped by security for trying to bring guns into the premises.

Despite numerous lawsuits stemming from the violence and petitions calling for the club to close, Markham officials hadn't closed or sanctioned the club, the Southtown report found. Instead, the city had given the property developer more than $900,000 in tax breaks and Mayor David Webb Jr. had spent more than $110,000 in campaign funds at the banquet hall.

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Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Jason Bradley said two investigations into Sunday's shooting have been opened. The State Police Public Integrity Task Force is investigating whether the shooting was justified. The Cook County South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force will handle a criminal investigation into the 36-year-old man's shooting and circumstances leading up to the confrontation, Bradley said.

Mike Nolan is a Daily Southtown reporter and Tony Briscoe is a Chicago Tribune reporter.
The smells of breakfast floated up from a fellowship room minutes before a Mass on Sunday celebrating 100 years of St. Sabina Catholic Church, while from upstairs near the sanctuary, the wail of a bagpiper warming up his instrument floated down.

In glass cases on the wall of a hallway were black-and-white photographs of decades of history at the South Side landmark.

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An image of the current church's interior when it was constructed by Irish families in 1933. A picture of a young African-American boy holding a "March on Washington" sign in a church aisle in 1963. A photo from a visit by Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa in 2002.

"Do you like our church?" a senior member of the congregation called enthusiastically to a visitor.

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What unfolded next was very St. Sabina, a church that has become a Chicago original in its stand for social justice and against the city's ongoing struggle with violence. The celebration service included African-style drumming, a four-man mariachi band, the bagpipes and for a few moments, the Rev. Michael Pfleger at a keyboard in a yellow-gold robe.

An interpretive dance troupe swayed as the choir belted "Lift him up!" and one of its members waved a giant white flag. It was a powerful visual, although throughout its decades, St. Sabina has done almost everything but surrender.

The congregation began meeting in a storefront on South Racine Avenue in 1916 before building a meeting hall and the current church building on 78th Place in the Gresham neighborhood. And in a period of white flight from the South Side decades later, the church was slated for closure.

Enter Pfleger, a priest who apologizes for none of his church's activism or Masses that are more like Southern Baptist services that happen to be taking place in a Catholic cathedral. At its helm since 1981, Pfleger has regularly been at odds with church leaders and was briefly suspended in 2011 after making statements that he would leave the church if transferred.

Pfleger has earned a national following for his political activism, lately becoming the inspiration for a pastor character in the Spike Lee film "Chi-Raq" and calling for Gov. Bruce Rauner to call in the National Guard to help squelch violence here.

At the end of one rousing song Sunday, TV news cameras rolled as Pfleger encouraged the full sanctuary to be as loud as they liked in a place he told them has never been "a business-as-usual church."

"Nobody at Wrigley Field tells somebody to be quiet while the Cubs game is going on!" he said, adding if someone can yell there, "Then you ought to be able to shout for the one who redeemed you!"

Pfleger's homily was a history lesson of the church. He recounted tales of the sanctuary's construction during the Great Depression as well as his own activism, which included run-ins with the authorities for spray-painting billboards that advertised alcohol near schools, reaching out to prostitutes on Racine and leading anti-violence marches.

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St. Sabina has welcomed black dignitaries from Winnie Mandela to the late Harold Washington to a local community organizer named Barack Obama. "I don't know what he ended up doing with his life," Pfleger deadpanned.

The arc of the church has gone from a predominantly Irish congregation and a priest who once donned a garment with gold thread to a mostly black congregation and T-shirts that read "Straight Outta Sabina" he said to applause. Both were on display near the altar Sunday.

The church's welcoming posture and message of peace have resonated, parishioners said.

"It's like being at home here," said Karen Miller, 62, who has attended since the 1980s. "It's a family. We come here to be refueled."

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Among those in attendance at the celebration was city Treasurer Kurt Summers, who has been attending for more than two years. He, like many, praised what Pfleger has done to make the church reflect its community and stand as a beacon there.

"He's pretty amazing," Summers said.

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Moments before, Pfleger had invited all of the schoolchildren in the pews to come forward to stand near the altar. He gave each a bronze-colored baton as a symbol that they will take the church forward and be St. Sabina's future.

Pfleger had already told everyone there what that would mean, being in a church that welcomes drug dealers, prostitutes, Ph.D.s, the homeless, gays, Jews, Muslims, Christians and everyone else, too. St. Sabina won't just condemn gang members to end the scourge of violence, he said, it will offer them education and jobs.

"If that makes people angry, then go get mad," Pfleger said. "Jesus made people mad."

jcoen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jeffcoen
Monique Morgan, the mother of Carnell Snell Jr., is comforted by neighbors near a makeshift memorial for her son. ((Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times))

LOS ANGELES  Activists on Sunday called on Los Angeles police to publicly name the officers involved in the deadly shooting of an 18-year-old black man near his home and to conduct a quick and transparent investigation.

"We don't want to see a cover-up. We don't want to see a whitewash," Earl Ofari Hutchinson of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable said after meeting with the family of Carnell Snell Jr. "We have a family that's grieving. We have a community that's grieving."

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The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon. Los Angeles police say they tried to pull over a car with paper license plates at about 1 p.m. After a short chase the driver and a passenger got out and fled. The passenger ran in back of a house, where he was shot. The driver escaped.

The coroner's office confirmed Sunday that Snell was the man killed. His family lives in another house in the front of the property where the shooting occurred. A back gate there was riddled with six bullet holes.

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Police have disclosed little about their investigation other than to say a handgun was found at the scene. It was not clear if Snell was carrying it.

In a statement, the LAPD said investigators will gather evidence related to the shooting to determine whether deadly force was necessary and the district attorney's office will review it to see if any criminal charges are warranted.

Snell was the third black man in five days to die in confrontations with police in Southern California. Last Tuesday, Alfred Olango was fatally shot by an officer in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, triggering three days of angry and sometimes violent protests. Olango was shot when he took a "shooting stance" and pointed at an officer with what turned out to be a 4-inch vape pen  an electronic cigarette device.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 35 "It's a shame that his life ended at 18 years old," said Carlena Hall, center, a great-aunt of Carnell Snell Jr., who was fatally shot by LAPD police in South L.A. At left is Tranell Snell, 17, Snell's sister, and at right is Debbie Washington, his aunt. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

On Friday, Reginald Thomas died after being shot with a Taser by police in Pasadena. He was armed with a knife and his wife described him as mentally ill. His brother told a 911 dispatcher that Thomas was high and had a history of violence.

In Snell's South Los Angeles neighborhood of small stucco houses and well-kept lawns there was a makeshift shrine of flowers and candles in front of the property where he died.

Christine Conley, a next-door neighbor of Snell's for 10 years, described the teenager she knew as "CJ" as cheerful and polite, someone who liked to dress nicely and didn't sport gang clothing or tattoos.

She knew he had been in jail but didn't know why. A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department website indicated that Snell was arrested in January and released from jail on probation in June. It did not describe the nature of the offense.

"''He's never given me any problems. He's always been respectful and kind," Conley said. "He was always happy."

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She said there is outrage in the black community "because of the way police handle our people."

"If he was any other race than black, he may have had another chance," she said.

There were small protests over the shooting Saturday night near Snell's home and at the residence of Mayor Eric Garcetti in the Hancock Park area. Protesters blocked an intersection near the Snell home and eggs were thrown at the mayor's house.

In a statement issued Sunday night, Garcetti urged everyone to wait for "the completion of a thorough and proper investigation."

Associated Press
New Jersey Transit workers lay down pallets and boards for commuters to walk on a flooded hallway adjacent to the site of a train crash at the Hoboken Terminal, Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, in Hoboken, N.J. Commuters are using alternative travel in and out of Hoboken a day after a commuter train crashed into the rail station, killing one person and injuring more than 100 people. (Julio Cortez / AP)

HOBOKEN, N.J.  Here's what is known about the investigation into a commuter train crash that killed one person and injured more than 100 others Thursday in Hoboken, New Jersey.



THE INVESTIGATION



Federal investigators say there were no problems with signals at a New Jersey station where the commuter train crashed.



The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday that the signals leading to the Hoboken Terminal appear to be working normally. It says a full study can't be completed yet because the train is still in the station.



Officials say structural issues are preventing work crews from removing the New Jersey Transit train from the terminal.





SAFETY VIOLATIONS-FRA AUDIT



A U.S. government official says the Federal Railroad Administration had investigated New Jersey Transit and found dozens of safety violations months before Thursday's commuter train crash.



The official said Saturday the FRA conducted an audit of New Jersey Transit in June and violations were found. The official says the rail agency also was fined.



A follow-up phase of the audit, focusing on ensuring the railroad's compliance with safety guidelines, was ongoing when the commuter train slammed into Hoboken Terminal Thursday.



THE ENGINEER



The National Transportation Safety Board says its investigators have spoken with the train's engineer, Thomas Gallagher.



But they declined Saturday to provide further details about the interview.



The agency had held off questioning Gallagher on Friday because he was injured when the train smashed through a steel-and-concrete bumper and hurtled into the station's waiting area.



Investigators from one of the other agencies taking part in the probe interviewed Gallagher, a NJ Transit engineer for about 18 years, three times Friday. Officials wouldn't disclose what Gallagher said but described him as cooperative.





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THE BLACK BOX



The NTSB retrieved the event recorder that was in the locomotive at the rear of the train but hasn't been able to download its data and has gone to the manufacturer for help. The event recorder contains speed and braking information.



The NTSB also hasn't been able to extract a recorder from the forward-facing video camera in the train's mangled first car. The wreckage cannot be safely entered yet because it is under a collapsed section of the station's roof.



THE VICTIM



Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, the crash's sole fatality, was a young mother, talented lawyer and dedicated wife with a penchant for travel.



Thursday, the 34-year-old de Kroon was headed to the station during the morning commute. First she dropped off her toddler and had a good, but fleeting, conversation with a day care worker.



A short time later, the train barreled down the tracks with such speed that it plowed into a barrier and went airborne into the station. De Kroon was buried by debris. She died as a crash bystander comforted her.



De Kroon, a 2011 master's degree graduate from Florida International University's College of Business, had previously lived in Florida, but was a Brazil native. She'd temporarily paused her legal career, leaving the software company SAP in Brazil after her husband got a job with an international liquor company.



A friend of Bittar de Kroon's family told the Bergen Record her husband would accompany his wife's body back to Brazil for burial.

Associated Press
Donald Trump declared a loss of $916 million on his income tax returns for 1995, and -- because of tax rules that favor wealthy real estate investors -- he could have used that loss to avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years, according to a report in The New York Times.

The Times' report said that the enormous loss Trump reported in 1995 -- $916 million -- seemed to be a holdover from the early 1990s, when his real estate and casino empire tottered and almost fell.

By 1995, Trump's businesses were actually in better shape. But he was able to use byzantine tax laws to use those prior losses to cancel out income taxes. By the Times' calculations, Trump might have been able to earn $50 million a year for 18 years and still pay no federal income taxes -- thanks to this one giant loss, and the resulting deductions.

Howard Abrams, the director of tax programs at the University of San Diego School of Law, confirmed that tax law allows losses of this size to be applied to returns three years prior to the loss and then for next 15 years. As a result, Trump would have potentially paid no taxes for an 18-year period.

Abrams said Trump could likely have claimed losses so massive by taking advantage of tax loopholes available only to those in the real estate industry.

"The real estate industry has been very effective in lobbying Congress," he said. "You can have a huge tax loss in a year when your actual loss is very little or nonexistent."

The documents obtained by the Times did not reveal his charitable giving for 1995. Other sources have indicated that Trump gave at least $260,000 to charities that year: $60,000 to the Donald J. Trump Foundation, and at least $200,000 to a Veterans Day parade in New York City. At the worst of his personal financial crisis, in 1991, he gave no money to the Trump Foundation.

After the Times report was published, the Trump campaign issued a statement that did not dispute the accuracy of the documents cited by the Times. In fact, it complained that the documents had been published without Trump's permission: "The only news here is that the more than 20-year-old alleged tax document was illegally obtained," the statement said.

The Trump campaign statement went on to defend Trump's approach to taxes.

"Mr. Trump is a highly skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required. That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions," the statement said.

It went on to say, "Mr. Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for President and he is the only one that knows how to fix it."

The information comes from three pages that appeared to be from tax returns Trump filed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that the Times posted online.

The pages had been sent anonymously by mail to reporter Susanne Craig, the paper said. Trump's accountant from that time, Jack Mitnick, had seen the documents and believed them to be authentic, the newspaper said.

Trump is the only major-party nominee in 40 years who has not released his federal income-tax returns. His reasons for doing so have been varied, including assertions that the taxes are under audit. Internal Revenue Service officials have said there is no reason a taxpayer cannot choose to make their returns public, even if they are undergoing an audit.

Trump has also suggested that the tax returns would not provide that much insight into his dealings. His son, Donald J. Trump Jr., has seemed to argue the opposite, saying that Trump's tax returns would contain so much information that they would confuse the public and give rise to incorrect armchair analysis.

Trump has proposed reducing the number of federal tax brackets from seven to three, and setting rates at 12 percent, 25 percent and 33 percent, which would be a boost to wealthy Americans. The top tax rate is currently 39.6 percent.

The Republican nominee has often bragged about paying a low effective tax rate himself, saying that he is justified because the government misspends taxpayer dollars.

"I fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible," Trump said in May on ABC's "This Week."

Trump then responded curtly when George Stephanopoulos asked about his tax rate. "It's none of your business. You'll see it when I release," he said.

Previously, the only best hard information available about Trump's federal income taxes had come from the late 1970s, because Trump had submitted his 1978 and 1979 returns to casino regulators in New Jersey, In May, The Washington Post reported that those returns showed that -- at least in 1978 and 1979 -- Trump paid no federal income taxes, in part because of heavy reported losses. Trump's 1984 return also became public in a court case and showed he reported no income for the year.

During Monday's presidential debate, Democrat Hillary Clinton asserted that Trump may have, in fact, paid no federal income taxes at all in recent years.

"That makes me smart," Trump retorted at one point.

After the debate, Trump claimed he had never said that.

"No, I didn't say that. What she said is, 'Maybe you paid no taxes.' I said, 'Well that would make me very smart,' " Trump said on Fox News on Wednesday.

The GOP nominee's failure to release his tax returns has provoked intense scrutiny, and the Clinton campaign has seized on the issue to accuse him of either concealing his wealth, hiding lackluster charitable giving or attempting to hide his effective tax rate. During the debate, Clinton also raised questions about Trump's business dealings and debts he owes to banks, both domestic and abroad.

"So if he's paid zero, that means zero for troops, zero for vets, zero for schools or health," Clinton charged during the debate. "And I think probably he's not all that enthusiastic about having the rest of our country see what the real reasons are, because it must be something really important, even terrible, that he's trying to hide."

In a statement, Robby Mook, campaign manager for Clinton's campaign, said that the "report reveals the colossal nature of Donald Trump's past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal income taxes whatsoever."

Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist who worked for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign, said that "this is a campaign controversy on a magnitude of the '47 percent' comment that we had to deal with four years ago. It's a very significant story that raises questions not only about Trump's taxes but how it leaked out in the first place."

Staff writers Jenna Johnson and Sean Sullivan contributed.
D-Day veteran John Chrenka is seen at the Hines VA Extended Care Center near Maywood on June 3, 2010. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

John Chrenka Jr. was a 22-year-old from Berwyn waiting to cross the English Channel when he wrote down some lyrics while trying to comfort himself before climbing into a boat headed toward Omaha Beach.

"The Navy will bring us in/But some of us will have to swim/Once on that beach/We'll dig and dig right in/There'll be shrapnel flying and doggies dying/Tomorrow when the world is free," he wrote while taking part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II.

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Many of his fellow soldiers died as they stormed the beach. Chrenka left cover to hurl a grenade into a machine gun nest, interrupting German fire long enough to allow his comrades to advance. He was shot in the hip but used clotting powder to slow the bleeding and pressed on, collapsing eight hours later from blood loss.

His actions earned him the Silver Star. He later fought in the Battle of the Bulge, was wounded again and earned three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.

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"If you say you weren't scared, you're a liar because I was scared stiff," Chrenka told the Tribune in 2010 about the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion.

Chrenka, 94, a longtime resident of Riverside, died of complications related to a bacterial infection Sept. 1 at Hines VA Hospital near Maywood.

Just two months earlier, he was awarded the Legion of Honor from France, that nation's highest honor, at a ceremony at the First Division Museum at Cantigny in Wheaton.

At the ceremony, Andrew Woods, the museum's research historian, sang a cappella the song that Chrenka wrote more than seven decades ago. It was set to the tune of "The White Cliffs of Dover."

Toward the end of the song, Chrenka joined in.

"As I sang I looked over at John and saw him singing, and what a moving experience that was for me," Woods recalled. "A while back I sang the national anthem at a ballgame, but nothing comes close to what I felt that day, singing that song alongside John. It was such an honor."

French Consul General Vincent Floreani, who presented the Legion of Honor award to Chrenka, said it was an unforgettable moment.

"It was a beautiful ceremony, but what I'll always remember is watching John sing his song," Floreani said. "Here was a man, a hero being honored for what he did so many years ago, for risking his life to save us from tyranny. France will never forget what he did for our country."

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Chrenka's daughter, Cheryl Colby, said her father was "a little quiet and feeling a bit weak" the day of the ceremony.

"We were worried about his blood sugar being low, and also because he wasn't the type of person who liked being fussed over," she said. "He never talked much about the war, other than to say he was one of the lucky ones. He told us so many friends never returned home."

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A graduate of Morton High School in Cicero, Chrenka enlisted in the Army in December 1942 and was assigned to Company B of the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. The following year his unit joined forces in Africa, and later Sicily for the invasion of Gela.

He was part of the first wave at Omaha Beach, and after that invasion continued with his unit through northern France, then to Belgium for the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded in both the Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, had risen to the rank of technical sergeant and was with his unit in Czechoslovakia when the war ended in 1945.

Following his military discharge, Chrenka returned home and worked for many years as a butcher for a meat-cutters union.

"What's important is that we never forget American heroes like John Chrenka, who showed extraordinary courage and did so much to preserve the freedom of so many," Floreani said.

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In addition to his daughter, Chrenka is survived by his wife of 70 years, Dorothy.

Services were held.

Joan Giangrasse Kates is a freelance reporter.
A Cook County jury on Friday convicted the wife of a Chicago police officer on charges connected to a 2013 Lyons drunken driving crash that killed two women.

Lisa Elner was drunk and high on cocaine when she plowed through a concrete wall on Harlem Avenue in Lyons, prosecutors said. The van she was driving plummeted 50 feet to the road below, killing friends Michelle Miranda, 37, of Berwyn, and Sandra Frankum, a 36-year-old Bolingbrook mother of four, prosecutors said.

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The 47-year-old Chicago woman boasted about having her husband's business card with her before climbing into Frankum's van as the three headed to another bar in Summit, prosecutors said.

"She grabbed the keys at the bar and said she was OK to drive and that she had her 'cop card,' " Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Michael Deno said.

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After the verdict, Cook County Judge Colleen Hyland revoked bond for Elner, who had been free on bail.

Elner was found with severe frostbite on her hands by Illinois State Police officers hours after the Jan. 26, 2013, crash, prosecutors said. She claimed she was walking home from the Berwyn bar because she was too drunk to drive. It wasn't until hours after she was picked up that police discovered the van and began piecing together what happened earlier in the night, prosecutors said.

Elner failed to say a word about the crash or her two dead friends the entire time she was with police and in the hospital, prosecutors said

The defense argued the state's two eyewitnesses were drunk the night of the crash and didn't finger Elner as being responsible until days later after social media posts accused her of being the driver. The witnesses also were unable to positively identify her in a police photo lineup as the one who left in the van with the deceased women.

Elner wasn't charged with aggravated driving under the influence involving death, failure to report an accident involving death, cocaine possession and other offenses until three weeks after the van was found.

According to authorities, Elner spent the night of Jan. 25, 2013, drinking and ingesting drugs, eventually reaching Junior's Bar and Grill in Berwyn as part of a celebration for Frankum's birthday. Prosecutors said they had drinks until last call and were planning to continue drinking at Mike's Luv N Music in Summit.

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Eyewitnesses testified they saw Elner and Miranda leave with Frankum in her van and that Elner was behind the wheel. The van headed south on Harlem, which runs over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

"As she got to that overpass, she lost control of the car," Deno told the jury last week.

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Elner walked away from the crash and was found by an Illinois State Police trooper hours later, back up on Harlem, prosecutors said.

The van with the two dead women inside was discovered hours after Elner was hospitalized, prosecutors said. Lyons police, who were at the scene when Elner was found, pieced together the possibility that she was connected to the crash.

Officers discovered footprints in a fresh powdering of snow that led through a wooded area, up an embankment and back up to the area where Elner was found, stumbling and incoherent, prosecutors said.

The jury took more than six hours to find Elner guilty on Friday. She returns to court for sentencing on Oct. 28.

Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Ten-year-old Henry Tucibat gets covered by a giant bubble during a Bubble Wonders performance at W.J. Murphy Elementary School in Round Lake on Friday, Sept. 30. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun)

Bubbly magic with a positive message was spread to W.J. Murphy Elementary School students in Round Lake on Friday.

Geoff Akins donated a "Bubble Wonders" performance to his former elementary school, where, he said, he created fond memories that helped shape him.

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Akins is a professional speaker and inspirational children's entertainer known as the Bubble Man.

On Friday, he entertained students with skills such as fanning big bubbles into smaller ones with his hand and making bubbles inside of bubbles by blowing air through a straw.

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At one point, two students were asked to volunteer for a stunt that drew gasps of awe from the audience.

"That was my favorite part," said 10-year-old Miguel Hernandez of the bubble rainbow Akins made when he completely covered a girl and a boy in a giant bubble made with a wand the size of a hula hoop.

Geoff Akins performs as the Bubble Man at W.J. Murphy Elementary School in Round Lake on Friday, Sept. 30. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun)

He said he enjoyed the performance and also caught on to Akins' message: "Sometimes you might achieve your goal if you never give up," Miguel said.

Assistant Principal Jennifer Arroyo also enjoyed the event, which she said was more significant because it came from a person who had once walked the halls where the kids learn.

"This was a fun assembly with a great message for all our kids," Arroyo said.

Akins told students it was his mother who put him on the path to motivational speaking when, during his childhood, she handed him a bottle of soap and a wand.

He said he tried to drink the liquid at first, and he couldn't make any bubbles. "But I kept trying, and you see, kids, that's so important  to never give up," he said.

He referenced the school and public library as places where students can find all the secrets they need to help them make their dreams come true.

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Friday marked Akins' second visit to W.J. Murphy.

Eight years ago, he was scheduled to perform at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, but his shows were canceled at the last minute.

"Since I had planned on being in China for most of August, I had no other shows booked and started to worry about how I would generate some income," he said.

That's when he remembered a quote from Teddy Roosevelt: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

So, he decided to give back and approached his former elementary school to donate an assembly.

"Hopefully, I inspired the boys and girls and the staff," Akins said following Friday's performance.

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Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
A Valparaiso man was killed Friday in an accident at the U.S. Steel Slab Storage Yard where he worked.

Jonathan Arizzola, 30, was pronounced dead at 9:45 p.m. Friday at the storage yard, according to the Lake County coroner's office.

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The cause and manner of the death are under investigation.

Sarah Cassella, a U.S. Steel spokeswoman, said Saturday there was an incident at U.S. Steel's Gary Works hot strip mill that resulted in a fatality.

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"An investigation is under way and we will work closely with the United Steelworkers and relevant government agencies throughout the process," Cassella wrote in an email. "Our deepest sympathies are with the employee's family."

Arizzola was a member of USW Local Union 1066.

Rodney D. Lewis Sr., president of Local 1014, could not be reached for comment but posted a note on Local 1014's Facebook page in which he said Arizzola was part of a four-man crew assigned to troubleshoot a crane.

It is unknown what transpired, he said.

"While all the details are being sorted out, one thing is indisputable: this is horrible news and this young man who was a Husband, a Brother, and a Father, didn't make it home last night," Lewis wrote.

Arizzola was a maintenance worker, Navy veteran and married father of two, he said.

In his post, Lewis encouraged employees to be careful and watch out for one another.

Protests in recent weeks have focused on safety, and the union has accused U.S. Steel of laying off and demoting maintenance workers, resulting in safety concerns.

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Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

The Associated Press contributed.
The greening of global financial markets has reached a new milestone thanks to enactment of a raft of policy and regulatory incentives by governments, said a UNEP report received on Saturday.

According to the second edition of The Financial System We Need, the global momentum to green capital markets, banks and sovereign wealth funds has gathered steam.

The report said that 60 countries across the globe have already enacted 217 policy and regulatory measures to promote sustainable finance.

UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim said multilateral institutions are committed to help governments and businesses implement measures that would advance greening of the financial sector.

Solheim said recommendations were being put forward to accelerate the conversion of the financial system's assets held by banks, capital markets and institutional investors into sustainable financial flows, Solheim said.

Both the developed and emerging economies have prioritized greening of the financial markets.

The UNEP report disclosed that issuance of green bonds hit 51.4 billion U.S. dollars this year, up from 41.8 billion dollars in 2015.

It added that greening of the global financial markets covered a new ground this year thanks to renewed political commitment by developed and emerging economies like China.

The UNEP report singled out China for its pragmatic choices that have injected fresh impetus in attempts to promote green finance.

China in August issued a raft of guidelines to revitalize greening of the financial markets.

At the same time, the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, and other financial regulators recently outlined green bond guidelines that have helped to drive 13.9 billion dollars in issuance in 2016.

The UNEP report noted that China has committed itself to raise 1.5 trillion dollars for financing green projects up to the year 2020 while the private sector will contribute 85 percent of that amount.
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Colombia prepared on Saturday for a key plebiscite vote that will either make or break a historic peace deal designed to put an end to Latin America's longest running civil conflict.

At stake is a peace agreement nearly four years in the making between the government and the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group.

On Sunday, the country's 35 million eligible voters will vote to either accept the deal and take the path towards reconciliation, according to the "Yes" camp, or reject the terms because they don't go far enough to punish the rebels for rising up against the state, as the "No" camp claims.

The plebiscite will pose the simple question: Do you support the final agreement to end the conflict and build a stable and lasting peace? Voters need only underline the words "Yes" or "No."

Polls released earlier this week showed the "Yes" camp leading with more than 60 percent of the votes.

To ratify the deal, at least 13 percent of the electorate, or 4,536,992 voters, must turn out to vote.

In the run up to the plebiscite, both sides campaigned intensely, with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leaders leading the drive to vote "Yes."

During the campaign, Santos urged Colombians to vote, saying "when you vote 'Yes,' and 'Yes' wins the plebiscite, the FARC disappears as an armed group."

The agreement obliges the rebels to renounce armed struggle, but offers them an opportunity to transition to a political party or movement, or simply rejoin civilian life.

In turn, the government has pledged to promote rural development and agrarian reform, one of the main demands of the FARC, which was founded more than 50 years ago by poor landless peasants who took up arms to change the system.

Both sides must also work together to address crimes and issues related to drug trafficking, as well as locate and identify the many missing, and make reparations to victims of the fighting, among other things.

The FARC made reparations a central part of its pre-poll campaign, visiting communities that had come under attack from rebel fighters, and asking for forgiveness.

In a moving ceremony on Saturday, FARC commander Ivan Marquez met with survivors of one such attack 22 years ago in the district of La Chinita in Apartado, a town in west Antioquia department.

"With a heart full of remorse, (I have come) to humbly ask for your forgiveness for all of the pain we caused during this war," Marquez told those gathered, according to Colombia's Caracol news service.

Speaking on behalf of the victims, Silvia Berrocal responded: "Twenty-two years ago, our relatives died here. Today we bid our relatives a definitive farewell, and we also have new hope and reconciliation."

The street where the attack occurred had since been known as The Massacre, but has now been renamed The Hope, Caracol reported.

A day earlier, the FARC delivered a statue of Christ to a community whose church it had accidentally bombed in 2002, killing 79 people, according to the English-language news service Colombia Reports.

Also Saturday, the FARC announced it would use all its assets to make reparations to the victims.

Santos welcomed the announcement via Twitter, as did the government's head negotiator to the peace talks Humberto de la Calle.

Leading the "No" vote was ex-president and Senator Alvaro Uribe, a conservative hardliner whose government tried to eradicate the FARC militarily, with financial backing from the United States.

In a speech on Friday, Uribe said "there is no demonstration of repentance" on the part of the FARC.

He also warned that allowing the FARC to enter politics paved the way for one of the military commanders to one day become president.
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The Turkish parliament extended the mandate to send military troops abroad for one year during its first convention of the new legislative year on Saturday, Dogan News Agency reported.

The motion also allows foreign forces to use Turkish airbases and territories to fight militants from the Islamic State (IS), the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and People's Protection Units (YPG), according to Turkish Daily Sabah.

The mandate was given to the Turkish armed forces in 2014 and was extended for one year in September 2015.

Parliamentary speaker Ismail Kahraman said making a simple, civilian, democratic, libertarian and individual-centered new constitution is a top priority for the new legislative year.

In his address to the parliament, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he supports the efforts for a new constitution, calling arguments with the opposition "pointless."

Erdogan also criticized the United States for relying on the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, to fight the IS.

"While one part of the Obama administration insists on carrying out joint work with the PKK/PYD-YPG terror organization in Syria and Iraq, the other part is trying to follow policies closer to our sensitivities," said Erdogan.

"Arguments of those who try to confront IS with YPG have been rendered useless with Euphrates Shield operation," he added.

According to the president, the Euphrates Shield operation shows it is possible to create a safe zone in northern Syria to curb the refugee influx, as the terrorism and refugee issues can be resolved when Syria becomes safer.
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Iranian and Pakistani naval forces on Saturday staged a joint naval exercise in the Pakistani territorial waters near the port of Karachi, official IRNA news agency reported.

The Iranian Navy's 43rd flotilla, which docked at Karachi port on Sept. 27, represented Iran in the naval rescue and relief operation, the report said.

The Iranian flotilla comprises Lavan logistic warship, Falakhan and Khanjar missile-equipped warships, Konarak troop-carrier warship and a domestically-manufactured helicopter.

Several exercises were carried out during the joint drill including search and rescue training, helicopter vertical reference training, telecommunication exercises using flags, lights, radiographs and the formation and combination of the surface vessels of Iran and Pakistan, according to pre-determined scenarios, Press TV reported.

Iran and Pakistan held a joint naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz in 2014.
Chinese enterprises' overseas investments will be more sustainable as China and the United Nations have launched a campaign on sustainable development for China's endeavor of going global.

The campaign, held at the UN's headquarters in New York on Saturday, aims to promote Chinese enterprises' sustainable development overseas to produce win-win results for China and the countries where it invests.

The campaign is co-hosted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Chinese State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

A 2015 report on Chinese enterprises' sustainable overseas investments was officially released at the ceremony.

Xu Haoliang, assistant secretary general of the UN, said at the launching ceremony that the report will dismiss misunderstandings of the international community toward Chinese enterprises' operations overseas.

"Chinese enterprises are facing the challenges of improving the sustainable management system, creating more harmonious labor relations and enhancing environmental awareness. The profit-driven business activities should also benefit the local people," said Xu.

Zhang Jincheng, director of SASAC's research center and chief expert of the research on China's investments overseas, said that the research will help Chinese companies mingle with local communities overseas.

"The project will offer consultancy and solutions to Chinese companies making investments overseas. The report in 2016 will focus on Chinese enterprises' sustainable performance in the Belt Road Initiative countries," said Zhang.
China exposes tricks of telecoms fraud to alert public (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-10-02 07:13

BEIJING - China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) has exposed six cases of telecoms fraud as part of efforts to popularize knowledge of such scams and remind the public to take preventive measures.



In one case, Dai Chunbo, along with 31 associates, published "recruitment information" on the Internet and recruited swindlers to work overseas. The fraudsters, under the guise of the police, procuratorates or courts, tricked victims into transferring money to their accounts, the SPC said in a statement.



The 32 suspects were fined and sentenced to between two and a half years and six years in prison for fraud, it said.



In another case, Ji Xiuyan, together with 13 associates, joined telecoms fraud scams, while living in various villas overseas, causing great economic loss to 48 victims, it said. Each of the suspects was involved in a case of over one million yuan (about 149,958.76 U.S. dollars).



The perpetrators were all sentenced to over five years in prison, and two ring leaders were each sentenced to 12 years in jail, according to the statement.



China has placed a new focus on fighting telecoms fraud. Last week, authorities issued a multi-department circular urging all telecoms service providers to ensure that 100 percent of the country's telephone accounts were registered under real identities by the end of this year, and to suspend all accounts without real-identity registration.
Chinese tourists take a selfie in front of Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in central St. Petersburg. In the first half of 2016, Chinese people made 59.03 million individual trips abroad, up 4.3 percent yearonyear, according to the China National Tourism Administration. OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP With more Chinese seeking diverse experiences overseas, some uncommon destinations are receiving attention, reports Zhu Wenqian

Chinese tourists are increasingly preferring high-quality hotels and memorable experiences when they travel abroad, reflecting their rising purchasing power and evolution of taste, travel agencies said.

For this year's Oct 1-7 National Day holiday, when Chinese tourists' outbound travels peak, prices of overseas travel packages are same as, or slightly cheaper than, last year's.

This year, in addition to traditional tourism hotspots, some exotic destinations have become attractive for Chinese. Those countries or regions include Morocco, the Middle East, East Europe and Sri Lanka, according to several travel agencies.

"Combined with the increasingly sophisticated preferences of Chinese, the National Day holiday is a perfect opportunity for travelers to head to destinations that are not possible to visit during shorter holidays or the Chinese Lunar New Year, which is usually a time for family reunions or other obligations," said Alex Yan, COO of Tuniu Corp, an online travel agency based in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, the United States, Australia and New Zealand have emerged as the top destinations for Chinese this month. Typically, travelers squeeze in a few days more to have extended vacations like 10-day trips, according to Qyer, a Beijing-based Chinese travel information website.

"Many Chinese travelers choose to take advantage of the long holiday and go to some countries that are relatively far from China. The United States and Oceania countries are preferred by independent visitors, as they are suitable for self-driving travel," said Zhang Qi, vice-president of Qyer.

The number of Chinese who visited the US during this year's National Day rose threefold on the back of the easing of tourist visa procedures.

A report by Lvmama, an online travel service provider, attributed the rise to the fact that China and the US had agreed to grant each other's citizens 10-year multiple-entry visas.

Du Ni, 27, an office worker in Beijing, said she plans to go to Hawaii during the break as she would like to go to a tropical island for vacation, and found that the flight and hotel package of Hawaii seemed cost-effective.

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to apply for a 10-year US visa, so that it would be easier and more convenient for me to go there again in the future," Du said.

Japan, South Korea and some Southeast Asian countries remain popular among Chinese travelers, thanks to their geographical proximity, cheaper packages and favorable visa policies.

In recent months, the Chinese yuan's depreciation against the Japanese yen increased the cost of Japan trips for Chinese travelers. Still, Japan remains one of the hottest destinations for Chinese.

Chinese travelers buy local products at a store in Jeju island in South Korea. Jeju is one of the most popular travel destinations for Chinese visitors. WANG GANG / PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

"Tourists travel to a place because they are interested in that place, and they are able to find a package within their budget. While currency exchange rate changes do affect the cost of a trip, their impact is marginal. And tourists intent on visiting a particular country will do so, no matter what," Yan said.

With more and more Chinese travelers seeking diverse experiences overseas, some uncommon destinations are receiving attention.

For instance, Hakone in Japan and Panay Island in the Philippines will host a large number of Chinese tourists during the National Day holiday, according to TripAdvisor, a leading travel review website.

On the other hand, terror attacks in Europe and elsewhere have dented sales of tours to destinations there. In particular, France, Germany and Turkey are expected to receive fewer Chinese travelers in October.

During the May-July period, online searches by users of Qyer for France and Turkey declined sharply year-on-year.

In July alone, sales of Qyer's tours to Turkey tumbled 59 percent year-on-year. But the impact of each new terror attack on travel sales is decreasing.

Although Chinese travelers are turning cautious on certain trips, travel agencies said they are confident that Europe will remain as a popular destination in the long term, given its rich culture and unique travel resources.

In the first half of 2016, Chinese people made 59.03 million individual trips abroad, up 4.3 percent year-on-year, according to the China National Tourism Administration.

Those aged between 25 and 34, followed by those aged between 35 and 44, accounted for about 80 percent of the outbound Chinese tourists. Most of them preferred self-guided or free-and-easy tours, and focused on a few sites rather than visiting a lot of places, a report of the China Tourism Academy said.

Contact the writer at zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn
More and more Chinese outbound travelers are renting portable Wi-Fi devices before they embark on a holiday, to keep overall vacation costs low and to keep in almost constant touch with family, colleagues and friends, a survey has found.

Industry experts said this relatively new trend is a result of the rising travel and increasing demand from tourists for affordable access to the internet while in a foreign country.

Many travel agencies have been offering free portable Wi-Fi devices to their customers at no or nominal additional charges. This, in turn, is encouraging many more people to travel abroad.

Data from Tuniu Corp, a Chinese online travel service provider, showed 91 percent of outbound travelers now connect to the internet using Wi-Fi access at various destinations.

But most of the time, such free Wi-Fi access is available only at airports, hotels, restaurants, cafes and tourist spots. While on the move, however, travelers generally rely on exorbitant roaming access to the net.

These days, thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and other devices, most travelers remain online nonstop, to share photographs, video clips; write travelogues, diaries and blogs; search directions on maps; dig up tourism information from websites; make travel arrangements like hotel and flight bookings using apps; read news; and stay connected via social media.

Using internet for such heavy data needs on roaming feature could punch a big hole in a traveler's wallet.

That is where a portable Wi-Fi device, which offers high-speed access and unlimited data, and could be shared by several people, could prove very useful. It is now popular among outbound travelers.

The service is relatively cheap or sometimes even offered as a freebie, part of the overall tour package deals of travel firms.

The device could be obtained at the airport or is home-delivered to travelers in advance. Charges have dropped in the last year or two, and now vary from 10 yuan ($1.5) per day in Japan and South Korea to about 30 yuan per day in European countries.

Portable Wi-Fi service providers generally tie up with telecom firms at tourist destinations. For instance, Tuniu launched the outbound Wi-Fi rental business in 2013. It cooperates with 200 carriers, and its network covers 123 countries and regions.

Such services have become essential because hundreds of millions of people are given to wanderlust and active life on social media. From China alone, 120 million people traveled across the world last year, spending $194 billion in all.

That marked the third year in a row that China topped the list of international outbound travelers, according to the China National Tourism Administration.

The latest Tuniu report showed female tourists particularly like using Wi-Fi access to stay connected with loved ones during their travels. More than 60 percent of Wi-Fi users among tourists are women.

Forty percent of Wi-Fi users are aged 30 to 39 and have stable incomes. Among the users of portable Wi-Fi devices, 35 percent would first consider cost details; 23 percent would weigh specific details like network speed; and 19 percent are concerned whether or not they could obtain and return the Wi-Fi device conveniently, according to the report.

Zhang Xue, 28, a primary school teacher in Beijing, bought a package tour to South Korea in July. "I rented a portable Wi-Fi device for my trip to Jeju Island. Net was fast and it was very cheap, just 8 yuan per day. I'd consider renting such a device for my next outbound trip."
Editor's note: Everyone should read the classics but at different ages, as we get different understandings of them as we age. The four masterpieces of Chinese literature are classics, but are they really fit for children? China Daily readers share their opinions.

Seneca(US)

I think some Chinese classics like Li Bai and stories such as "Dream of the Red Mansions" are not suitable for little children, they are designed to educate adults.

Perhaps "Mulan" is the most appropriate though I know that some Chinese parents expose their own children to the explosive tales told by Louis Chan the gifted Kungfu genre writer.
Editor's note: With the Chinese language growing in popularity, the UK government plans to invest a 10 million pounds to help more kids learn Mandarin. Do you think it is necessary for UK pupils to learn Mandarin? Forum readers share their opinions.

TedM (UK)

From an educational perspective the learning of any language can be valuable and rewarding, but it is not suitable for everyone. Chinese is a difficult language to learn, and the UK has a poor reputation for teaching foreign languages. Why should they when most of the world speaks English! On the other hand, China is a vast and developing market and any advantage for UK business people is a worthwhile thing.
Fireworks paint the sky over the Juzizhou, an island in the Xiangjiang River, in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Oct. 1, 2016. A musical fireworks show was held in Changsha Saturday night to celebrate the National Day. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and the Duke of Cambridge end their Canadian Royal Tour with an official farewell at Victoria Harbour Airport, Oct 1, 2016. [Photo/VCG]
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton (Right) and Republican candidate Donald Trump attend the first presidential debate in New York on Sept 26, 2016.

A major of Americans, or 61 percent, say Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won the first presidential debate on Monday, found a new Gallup poll.

Only 27 percent of Americans think that Republican candidate Donald Trump was the winner at the Monday debate held at the Hofstra University in New York state, found the Sept. 27-28 Gallup poll.

Clinton's 34-point lead is on par with her husband and former President Bill Clinton, who won the debate over Republican rival Bob Dole in 1996.

Additionally, 59 percent of independent voters think Clinton prevailed in the debate, the poll showed.

Along the partisan line, 92 percent of Democrats think Clinton won the debate, while 53 percent Republicans believe Trump was the winner.

In term of perceptions of the candidates' qualities exhibited at the first debate, 62 percent said Clinton "had a good understanding of the issues", while 26 percent said the same about Trump.

A majority, or 59 percent, say Clinton "appeared presidential" while 27 percent say so about Trump. Meanwhile, 55 percent say Clinton was "more likable," while 36 percent say the same about Trump.

Clinton's confidence in detailing one policy plan after another likely contributed to viewer perceptions that she had a good command of the issues and was more "presidential," Gallup said.

However, debate performances do not always line up with election outcomes, and a poor showing in the debate doesn't mean a candidate can't come back and win the next one, Gallup noted.

A best example was the first presidential debate held on Oct 3, 2012 between President Barack Obama, who sought reelection, and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who was widely believed to win the debate but lost the election in the end.

In 2004, George W. Bush even won the presidency in 2004 after losing all three presidential debates against Democratic rival John Kerry.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in central London, Britain, September 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she will start the formal process of leaving the European Union by the end of March next year, ending uncertainty surrounding the UK exit process by setting a date to invoke Article 50.

Under the EU accession treaty, originally signed in 1972, the UK will have two years from formally tell the EU that it is leaving the organisation.

May, speaking to the BBC ahead of her ruling Conservative Party's annual conference, said she intended bringing in an act of parliament that would enshrine existing EU laws in British law; this would allow a smooth transition and permit parliament, at a later date, to repeal those EU-based laws which it does not want, including freedom of movement.

She told the BBC: "I want to give a greater degree of clarity about the timetable we are following."

Britons voted to leave the EU in a June referendum this year, causing the resignation of David Cameron as prime minister and May's installation in his place.

"This is about delivering for the British people, and this is not just about leaving the EU, it's about that essential trust people have in their politicians. The people have spoken, and we will deliver on that," she said.

May was at pains to stress that British workers' rights, as laid down in EU law, would continue unaffected because of the all-embracing act of parliament that would be introduced at the end of the two-year mandatory exit period.

That was seen as a direct rebuttal of the opposition Labour Party's position, which was that workers' rights would be endangered.

May indicated she was keen to seek a negotiated relationship with the EU on departure, including trade, rather than the "hard exit" with no deal favoured by some so-called Brexiteers in her party, which would leave the UK with no formal relationship with the EU.

Her decision means the UK will have formally left the EU before the next general election, in May 2020.

"We'll be an independent country. Crucially, we still do want to have a good relationship with Europe and the European Union," she said.

After leaving the EU, the UK will be free to strike a direct trade deal with China, something both Beijing and London have said is a priority.

To contact the reporter: chris@mail.chinadailyuk.com
British Prime Minister Theresa May opened the Conservative Conference in Birmingham Sunday by telling MPs and opponents of Brexit that they will not stand in the way of Britain leaving the European Union (EU).

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the annual Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Britain, October 2, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Urging people to "ignore the pessimists", May outlined her vision for an independent Britain free from Brussels control.

In a message directed mainly at the Scottish Nationalists, May said: "We voted in referendum as one United Kingdom and we will negotiate our exit as one united kingdom, and we will leave as one united kingdom."

"There is no opt-out from Brexit and I will never allow divisive nationalists to undermine the pressure union between the four nations of our united kingdom," said May.

She described politicians who want MPs to vote on Brexit in parliament as "insulting the intelligence of the British people", adding "they're not standing up for democracy, they're trying to subvert it."

"Even now some politicians, democratically elected politicians, say the referendum isn't valid. That we need to have a second vote. Others didn't like the result and say they will challenge the decision through the courts," said May, shaking her head as she added: "Come on, the referendum result was clear."

"Parliament put the decision to leave or remain inside the EU in the hands of the people. It is not up to the government to question, quibble or backslide on what we've been instructed to do, but to get on with the job," said the prime minister.

May said it was right that things should not drag on too long, and she was aware the British people would expect to see on the horizon the point at which Britain leaves the EU.

Announcing that the government will before the end of March, 2017, trigger article 50, the process to end Britain's membership of the EU, May said members of parliament will not get a vote on that process.

May told the conference: "It is not up to the House of Commons to invoke article 50, and it is not up to the House of Lords, it is up to the government and the government alone," adding that responsibility for the negotiations with the EU are for the government and nobody else.

Her announcement of a March 2017 deadline will mean the final parting of the ways between Britain and the EU will happen no later than March 2019 -- a year before the next scheduled general election in 2020.

May also confirmed her plan to put before the British Parliament a Great Reform Bill that will transfer all EU legislation into British domestic law. It means the authority of EU law in British courts will end.

May was cheered when she said that existing workers' legal rights introduced under EU legislation will continue to be guaranteed in Britain, adding that those rights would continue "as long as I am prime minister."

Her reassurances that Britain will leave the EU and pave the way for creating new global trading partnerships, earned May loud cheers and applause from a packed conference enter.

She told delegates: "This week we are going to show the country that we mean business."

May said post-Brexit Britain would be a country that passes its own laws, and governs itself.

On the government's future vision after Britain leaves the EU, May said: "We are going to leave the EU and we are going to become a fully independent sovereign country, no longer part of a political union with institutions that can override national governments and courts."

She said an independent Britain would decide for itself how immigration is controlled.

May said Brexit should make Britain think of its role in the wider world, beyond Europe and think of opportunities, with countries such as Canada, China, Singapore, India, Mexico, and South Korea have already told us they welcome talks on future free trade agreements, along with Australia and New Zealand.

"Let me be clear, we are not leaving the EU today to give up control of immigration again and we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice," said May, concluding: "A truly global Britain is possible and is in sight."
(Photo : Reuters) Following the successful launch of the new Apple iPhone model, many in the tech community are expecting Google to show off its upcoming answer within the next couple of days.

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In a teaser poster shared a couple of weeks ago, Google hinted that its upcoming series of smartphones, dubbed simply as Pixel, will be unveiled on Oct. 4 at an event in San Francisco.



Following the successful launch of the new Apple iPhone model, many in the tech community are expecting Google to show off its upcoming answer within the next couple of days.



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Rumors claim that Google is not only launching its upcoming smartphone, as it is also expected to release a series of hardware. Several speculations hinted that Google is planning to release its answer to the Amazon Echo, a new Chromecast model, and even a new router. On the software side, Google is expected to officially launch the new Google Assistant, which was first revealed alongside the Allo messaging app.



Meanwhile, Google has been mum about the rumored Pixel smartphones and everything the tech community knows is basically based on leaks and rumors.



It was surmised that Pixel, which will be the successor of Nexus, is expected to sport a 5-inch display while its bigger version, the Pixel XL, is expected to be released in the phablet market with 5.5-inch display, according to The Verge.



Just like the previous Google flagship smartphones, both Pixel models are expected to boast of high-end hardware, such as the highly-praised Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset and 4GB of memory.



Furthermore, the Pixel model will have 1080p resolution, while the Pixel XL will support Quad HD display. Both will have a 12-megapixel rear camera, fingerprint scanner and a still unconfirmed battery pack.



The two Pixel devices are also expected to debut Google's upcoming mobile operating system upgrade, the Android 7.0 Nougat. Regarding their prices, the devices are expected to start at $649 for the most basic configuration.



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TagsGoogle, Google Pixel, pixel smartphone, pixel xl, pixel xl release date, pixel specs, Google News
(Photo : Rheinmetall) German Role 1 medical treatment facility.

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Germany and China will hold a joint medical military exercise in the southwest city of Chongqing, one of China's five national central cities and a looming megacity, from October 17 to 29.



The medical teams will come from the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) and the German Army (Deutsches Heer), the land army of the Bundeswehr or the German Armed Forces.



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The medical mission goes by the name, "Combined Aid-2016," said Yang Yujun, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (MND). He said the joint exercise will focus on humanitarian medical rescue in earthquake disasters.



The focus on earthquake response is appropriate since Chongqing is located in an earthquake prone zone. Sichuan province to the west of Chongqing was hit by the devastating 2008 Sichuan Earthquake on May 12 that killed 68,600 persons.



In Chongqing last August, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Dianjiang County. No deaths were reported, however.



The German and Chinese team will train under the assumption an imaginary country is hit by a mega-earthquake. Both countries then send medical forces to the quake hit area to jointly undertake medical rescue operations.



They will also conduct joint command and coordination; provide first-aid to the injured and sick and conduct hygienic epidemic prevention.



China and Germany will send medical detachments to participate in the joint exercise. The Chinese detachment will be equipped with a tent hospital module; field ambulances; field epidemic prevention vehicles; tele-medicine systems; medical evacuation helicopters and other medical equipment.



The Germans will bring equipment used in a military Role 1 medical treatment facility (MTF) and armored ambulances.



Role 1 MTFs ensure effective first aid, triage, resuscitation and stabilization for onward casualty evacuation. They also provide a facility for the delivery of primary health care.



A Role1 MTF might consist of doctors, dentists, emergency, a sterilization room, laboratory, X-ray room, pharmacy, administration room, staff room, ablutions, ambient store and dry storage.



This joint exercise will help China and Germany deepen the exchange between their militaries; enhance their pragmatic cooperation in humanitarian assistance and military medicine and improve their medical rescue capabilities.



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TagsPeople's Liberation Army Ground Force, German Army, Bundeswehr, medical military exercise, Combined Aid-2016, Chongqing
(Photo : Getty Images) Beijing has said that it would enhance its military relations with the Philippines as the two countries are "brothers."

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China's Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua has said that Beijing is looking forward to enhancing Sino-Philippine military cooperation following Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's recent announcement that Manila will end its annual joint military exercise with the US starting next year.



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Ties between Manila and Washington have been under strain after Duterte declared an end to the joint exercises and the Philippines' joint patrols with the US in the disputed South China Sea.



Zhao said Beijing is looking to enhance its military ties with the Philippines. Both nations have been bitter foes over territorial issues in the disputed South China Sea.



Military arms



"I think, first of all, because of the differences we have in the South China Sea, the two militaries need to talk to each other to enhance trust and mutual confidence to avoid incidents of misunderstanding because no country, including China and the Philippines, wants conflict or tension," he told reporters during an embassy function last week.



Duterte earlier announced that Manila would start buying military arms and equipment from China and Russia in an apparent turnaround from the US market where the Philippines has bought about 75 percent of its arms.



Zhao said that besides military deals, Beijing wants to explore cooperation with Manila in various sectors such as technology, transportation, infrastructure, agriculture, commerce, and fisheries.



Brothers



"Investments from China in the Philippines, it's going to be very good for the economic and social development of the Philippines. And China is willing to be an active participant in President Duterte's socioeconomic agenda. The Philippines and China are good neighbors and we are brothers." Zhao said.



Zhao said Chinese and Philippine diplomats have been busy laying the groundwork for Duterte's first official state visit to China.



"I think warming up relations with China has its own merits ... we will promote not only friendship and cooperation between the two countries, but we will also contribute to the development of the Philippines," he said.



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TagsSino-Philippine military cooperation, china, Philippines, military arms, South China Sea
10 Christian Authors Who've Changed The Way We Think

This month sees the long-awaited posthumous publication of Henri Nouwen's new book Love, Henri. The Roman Catholic priest was a favourite author of Protestants and evangelicals in the '80s and '90s when his books The Return of the Prodigal Son and The Wounded Healer were huge bestsellers. It's 20 years since his death so here we look at 10 of the authors who've taken up his mantle and changed the way Christians think in the last two decades.

1. Timothy Keller

The pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York has had a prodigious output in the past 10years especially. He's written on a vast range of topics  from prayer, to philosophy to justice and preaching. As a conservative evangelical, his influence extends well beyond his natural constituency  he's a well-known figure on both sides of the Atlantic.

2. NT Wright

Wright's output is even higher than Keller's. Writing popular level books such as Surprised By Hope, he has been incredibly influential on how evangelicals and other Christians think about topics such as heaven. He's also written a large series of For Everyone commentaries on the Bible. His academic books, such as the massive Paul and the Faithfulness of God, have prompted debate and discussion across the world.

3. Rachel Held Evans

Evans has written four books which have become increasingly popular. They deal with her upbringing in an evangelical context and her journey to explore her roots while discovering other expressions of faith. In this way she embodies the experience of many in her generation, especially women who've felt maginalised or constricted by their conservative surroundings.

4. Pope Francis

The Pope wasn't known as a writer or theologian when he took on the role in 2013. Unlike his predecessor Benedict XVI, he didn't come with an academic reputation, but has managed to surprise and inspire with his writings. The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium) written in 2013, was a short book which (like Nouwen before him) inspired both Catholics and Protestants alike. His encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si', has been praised by academics and activists the world over.

5. Rob Bell

Rob Bell has become a controversial figure in the evangelical world, principally for posing questions about the existence of hell in Love Wins (2011). However, there is a whole generation of evangelicals who have been nurtured by his early books, such as Velvet Elvis (2005) in which he presented the Christian faith in a fresh and engaging way. Now he has found a new audience through his interractions with Oprah Winfrey. His latest book is How To Be Here (2016).

6. TD Jakes

Bishop TD Jakes pastors one of the largest churches in America, The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas. He has also written dozens of books which regularly make the bestseller list. Jakes' style is popular and he often uses his books to apply Christian teaching to lifestyle issues. The titles of his last three books give a good flavour: Let it Go: Forgive So You Can Be Forgiven, Instinct: The Power To Unleash Your Inborn Drive and Destiny: Step Into Your Purpose.

7. Marilynne Robinson

Marilynne Robinson is a writer unlike any other on this list. For a start she is a novelist as well as a non-fiction writer. Her beautifully written 2004 novel Gilead was written as an autobiography of a small-town pastor. It received huge acclaim and won several awards for its portrayal of faith. Robinson has built on this in subsequent works, developing a nuanced picture of Christianity. In recent years she has been praised by the likes of President Obama and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

8. Rick Warren

Warren's 'day job' is as the pastor of one of America's most influential churches. Saddleback, in California, was founded by Warren in 1980. In recent years he has become one of the few pastors to achieve household name status  partly thanks to his writings. The Purpose Driven Life is one of the bestselling Christian books of all time and is cited as a good guide by Christian and secular commentators alike. In terms of pure impact, it's hard to see past Warren as one of the most influential Christians of the last generation.

9. Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer has a powerful testimony of restoration after being abused as a child. Her writing matches her preaching in that it draws on her life experiences to paint a picture of no-one being beyond the love of God. Meyer faces criticism for advocating a 'prosperity' style of theology, but her books have remained incredibly popular and barely a year goes by without a new title appearing from her pen.

10. Philip Yancey

In many ways Yancey is a natural heir to Nouwen, beloved of Christians of various denominations and backgrounds, and a serious writer on spiritual topics without being overly wordy. His 1998 book What's So Amazing About Grace? is a classic, which he has followed up with books on Jesus, prayer, the Church and more. Yancey's experience as a journalist means his books are always readable and his writing encompasses a range of styles and influences. He continues to write engagingly and profoundly.

Follow Andy Walton on Twitter @waltonandy
Christian School In Chicago Consider Arming Campus Security Officers, Prompting Debate

Christian schools in the United States used to be seen as safe spaces, where young minds learn their professions as well as God's Word with no threats facing their students whatsoever. However, this perception has changed, with some Christian universities opting to arm their campus security officers amid rising security concerns, prompting a debate about gun safety.

The Wheaton College in Chicago, Illinois is one of the Christian universities in the U.S. that are contemplating on allowing its campus guards to carry firearms. The university's spokesperson, LaTonya Taylor, said initial discussions have been started to this end.

Some students and school officials, however, are not comfortable with the idea of giving guns to campus security officers. Matthew Vega, assistant director of the Office of Christian Outreach, for instance, said that arming security officers will send a message that only violence can ensure safety in today's society.

"What sort of theological message are we sending to our students who've come to realise that our safety as a Christian community is predicated on intimidation and self-preservation?" Vega said, as quoted by The Washington Post.

He added that Wheaton College should break the trend of school campuses in the U.S. turning to guns to ensure their safety. According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, of all small, private colleges in America, 38 percent already hire civilian security officers who carry arms of different sortsfrom guns and chemical sprays to batons.

It seems like more and more school campuses are finding it appropriate to have armed civilian security officers, ever since the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting which killed 32 people. Some of the Christian schools that now have armed security officers include Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

The debate over guns in campus became even more prominent after Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. encouraged students last December to get concealed weapon permits.
Safe Haven: Why This Brighton Church Is Flourishing In Britain's Gay Capital

Archie said it got real when a 24-year-old woman was found dead on his church's doorstep.

Along with his wife and four children, Archie Coates had just moved to Brighton to try and resurrect St Peter's, known as the "cathedral of Brighton", which had 1 million worth of urgent repair work needed and almost no congregation.

That was in 2009, just months after the diocese had recommended the church be made redundant. Almost exactly seven years later St Peter's has more than 800 people attending across its six services each weekend.

But just after they arrived, before they had held their first service, Mel was found in the church's doorway. She had overdosed after years of living on the streets. They held a memorial service and a lunch for her friends and out of that the church started 'Safehaven'. The weekly sit-down meal for people living on the street led onto 'Safehaven Women', billed as "a cosy, comfortable space to relax in, with homemade meals, tea and coffee, hairdressing, manicures and pedicures, facials, craft sessions and a clothing bank". It's become a major part of the church's weekly routine.

"I think what we've realised is, people don't just want to come to church," Archie tells Christian Today. "It sounds twee but they want to come and make a difference. It's not how can we persuade people to come to church but how can we bless this city.

"We are relentlessly outward-focused," he says. "It's in our DNA  we are designed to look out and give away."

As well as an extensive homeless community, Brighton is the unofficial "gay capital" of the UK. The Church of England bishops have spent years wrangling over teaching on same-sex marriage and there has been no change yet. But for Archie the difficulty is not with the teaching but with the barriers that have resulted between the Church and gay people.

"People from the LGBT community mainly do not want to go anywhere near a church," he says. "They assume they would not be welcome and assume they would be judged.

"It's almost like living in two parallel worlds. That is what so sad. It's an issue of trust."

Holy Trinity Brompton, the St Peter's mother church, is known for not taking a stance on the issue. It has made no public statement other than to say it supports the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in whatever he says. And Archie is equally reluctant to come down firmly either way.

"I quite like a church where there is not a party line on things," he says. "We're Jesus-centred in how we approach different people and different lifestyles.

"Whatever their lifestyle I encourage people to find their identity in Jesus and be a child of his. That is what we go for and other things begin to shake out of that in different ways with different people.

"It's such a hot topic and people want to label you and push you into a corner. Whereas I prefer the idea of people coming and working it out for themselves."

The decision not to take an outspoken position either way certainly has not harmed HTB or its plants like St Peter's in any way. Archie has planted three churches out of Brighton including congregations in Hastings and Portsmouth and is looking at a fourth. Welby himself is from the HTB mould.

And as the brand grows, inevitably more and more LGBT people are finding a home in HTB-based churches. "We haven't done a strategy for reaching LGBT people," said Archie. "It has been a bit more organic than that."

He tells the story of one 50-year-old woman who joined St Peter's after 18 years in and out of prison. She did the Alpha course and became a Christian.

And Archie seems much focused on that kind of issue than anything else. "See her in church praising God with her life completely transformed  that makes it all worth it."
US Missionary To Russia Loses Appeal Against Conviction For Evangelising

The American missionary who has become one of the first victims of the country's clampdown on religion has lost an appeal against his conviction.

But Don Ossewaarde intends to fight on and take the case to a higher court.

Ossewaarde was charged under Russia's so-called Yarovaya Law, signed by President Vladimir Putin on July 7. Named after one of its creators, Irina Yarovaya, it's a sweeping expansion of anti-terror and public safety measures. Among its provisions are a draconian clampdown on evangelism and missionary activity.

Ossewaarde was fined 40,000 roubles (around $700) after being accused of proselytising in Oryol, the town where he and his wife Ruth have lived for 14 years.

At a hearing on Friday he told the judge he had read the relevant law carefully for what constituted prohibited "missionary activity". "Even though Russian is not my native tongue, even I was able to understand that my activity does not meet this definition, so I have not broken any laws. I am exercising the rights guaranteed by the constitution and the laws of the Russian Federation," he said.

However, the judge found against Ossewaarde.

In a website update he said: "Now we have to take it to the next level of appeal, which is probably going to be here in Oryol. The lawyer does not expect anything to change until we get past the local system, and can get into the upper level courts in Moscow. I assured him that I would keep pressing the appeal all the way to the highest court, and he assured me that this case will play an important role in determining the future of religious freedom in Russia, not just for foreign missionaries, but also for ordinary Russian believers."

Ossewaarde said: "Obviously, this is a disappointment. I was hoping to wrap things up here and return to my family as soon as possible, but the issue is an important one, and duty demands that I press the case as far as I can."

He asked supporters to continue to pray for him.
James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd, who opened his Underbelly restaurant in Montrose almost five years ago, is writing his next culinary chapter.

In partnership with Kevin Floyd of Hay Merchant fame, financial systems expert Steve Flippo and investor Whitney Mercilus, the Houston Texans linebacker, Shepherd is launching a five-year project called One Fifth, in which the high-vaulted nave of the 1920s church that, until May 29, housed Mark's American Cuisine, will host a succession of five different restaurant concepts for one year each.
Actress Lindsay Lohan had a rough Sunday morning.

The 30-year-old star shared out a video of her finger wrapped up in bandages explaining how she nearly lost her left ring finger that morning.

"This is the result of me trying to anchor the boat by myself. My poor finger," Lohan said in a Snapchat video, which has been shared on other social media sites.

RELATED: Lindsay Lohan's 'Grand Theft Auto V' lawsuit gets dismissed by Supreme Court

TMZ got access to the celebrity's before photo of the gruesome injury and it's sure to make you squirm at the sight of it. The photo has been shared throughout social media and a screen capture of the before photo can be seen in the gallery below.

Be warned, the photo is graphic.

TMZ reports that Lohan was on a boat in Turkey when she tried to pull the anchor up by herself and the "anchor pulled her down into the water and she struggled to get back in the boat as she tried untangling herself."

TIME IN TURKEY: Lindsay Lohan visits hospital for Syrian refugees in Turkey

During the struggle, the anchor reportedly sliced off the tip of her finger and friends were able to recover the sliced part of Lohan for a plastic surgeon to reattach it, according to TMZ.
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Graphic and disturbing video has surfaced online showing young people central Texas repeatedly shooting a dog before shoving firecrackers inside its body and watching it burn.

Police are investigating after a cell phone recording of Snapchat video was posted on Facebook - and a trail of tips led authorities to a town outside Waco.

"I have no idea how the dog died or who this kid is, but since he found it so funny and cool to post it on his snapchat, I figured he wouldn't mind if I shared it with facebook," wrote Serena Kristiana Teakell when she shared the chilling content on social media.

READ MORE: Judge scolds man on trial for burning Chihuahua on stove

"I hope you're embarrassed of yourself."

It's not clear when the dog died.

The shocking footage went viral and has been viewed more than 2 million times.

In a follow-up post, Teakell explained why she felt the need to publicize the graphic footage.

READ MORE: Houston man convicted again of selling animal torture videos

"I posted it because, as it goes with all things, when the public is outraged they can not turn a blind eye to the subject," she wrote. "At the very least, he will be shamed publicly and at the very least, everyone will be aware of his deep seeded psychological issues."

She went on to identify the teen shown in the video, calling him a "bratty sadistic child."

"He needs punishment and therapy," she said.

READ MORE: Videographer gets 50 years in animal crush videos

Afterward, the dog's owner, James Plant, came forward to identify his beloved furry friend and share his heartbroken reaction in an interview with NBC affiliate KCEN-TV.

Plant only found out about the tragedy after he saw the video circulating on social media - and recognized his pup's face from her mismatched eyes. Ellie had one blue eye and one brown eye.

"I froze up," he said, recalling the first time he saw the footage. "I was definitely horrified to say the least."

READ MORE: Man accused of shooting dog with BB gun

Ellie went missing about a week earlier after she broke free and ran off, he explained in an emotional interview.

"I'm really mad at myself now," he said, faulting himself for not finding his dog right away.

Now, he wants to see the perpetrator brought to justice.

"I want to see him be charged with the criminal act it was," he said.

READ MORE: Dog stabbed, set ablaze; Houston man charged with cruelty

Initially, Hewitt police launched an investigation Friday evening, after several members of the public recognized one of the suspects shown as a Hewitt resident, according to police press release Saturday.

During the course of their investigation, police found out the gruesome incident actually took place outside city limits, in the jurisdiction of the McLennan County Sheriff's Department near China Spring.

The sheriff's office confirmed its ongoing investigation online.

READ MORE: Woman seen dragging puppy by leash in Houston

"I can assure you our Criminal Investigation Division is working on this right now and any and all charges that apply to this incident will be filed and we will push for prosecution to the fullest extent," sheriffs wrote in a Facebook post.

"If you have any information that may assist in this investigation, please contact dispatch at 254-757-5222."

In the aftermath, friends of the dog's owner started a GoFundMe page to help fund civil litigation against the parties involved.
A fatal shooting on the city's South Side sent five people to area hospitals Sunday morning as San Antonio police try to piece together what led to the shooting, and find the suspects.

According to an SAPD news release, four males and one female, ages unknown at this time, were walking near the 2600 block of S. Flores Street near Pruitt Avenue at about 2:30 a.m. when a sedan pulled up.
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.
BROOK PARK, Ohio -- Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center CEO Linda Johanek outlined the Cleveland agency's services and suggested a $5,000 contribution from the city during Brook Park City Council's Sept. 27 caucus meeting. The money would offset costs for care and services provided to Brook Park domestic violence victims.

"The Justice System Advocacy program is one in which we work with many Brook Park residents," Johanek explained. "When we pulled the report, we looked at two years ago and found that we worked with 51 residents who were victims of domestic violence. Last year's report shows the exact same 51, so you have consistency."

Domestic violence victims receive the agency's help for free. Services include crisis intervention, a 24-hour helpline, safety planning and trauma counselors. DVCAC has the only "safe and confidentially located domestic violence shelter in Cuyahoga County," Johanek said. The agency spends a minimum of $1,000 per victim and receives some federal and local funds.

"We're required to have a 25-percent match, and we work really hard to try to raise that money," she said. "It's not always easy in this economic time. We are asking each city to help defray the cost."

A proposed city ordinance discussed during the caucus meeting indicated the $5,000 Brook Park contribution would be appropriated from the Mayor's Court Fund.

"I think your program is great, but my decision has to be whether I'm going to take the money that the residents have me watch for their city and give it to a charity," Ward 1 Councilman Tom Troyer told Johanek.

Mayor Tom Coyne quickly addressed Troyer's statement by emphasizing it's simply a distribution from mayor's court and not money from the city budget general fund.

"It's not a donation to anybody," Coyne said. "It's a fee for a service rendered to our citizens through our municipal and mayor's court system. I think this is a much better way than doing it in a general assessment to people when they come in and pay their court costs."

He further emphasized money collected at mayor's court "is primarily from non-residents."

"It's collected from strangers who speed through our town or get into a fight in a bar, or whatever they do," Coyne said.

Finance Director Greg Cingle later responded to a question from Troyer, saying "dollars remitted to the city from mayor's court go into the general fund and then any fund balances just carry over into the following year." Johanek assured Troyer, however, the $5,000 contribution would only go toward costs specifically incurred by Brook Park domestic violence victims.

Council then passed unanimously a motion to add the DVCAC ordinance to the Oct. 4 council agenda for its first reading, with all council members co-sponsoring the legislation.
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Congress is now having second thoughts about overriding President Obama's veto of the Saudi 9/11 bill that endangers U.S. foreign policy interests and U.S. soldiers serving abroad.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Congressional leaders are having second thoughts about overriding President Obama's veto of the bill allowing 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia for the terror attack.

Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell indicated Congress may override the veto override by rewriting the bill to protect U.S. soldiers abroad from retaliatory legal action.

"I would like to think there's a way we can fix (the bill) so that our service members do not have legal problems overseas while still protecting the rights of 9/11 victims," said Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, Thursday.

A fix is "worth further discussing," said Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell. "Everybody was aware of who the potential beneficiaries were by nobody had really focused on the potential downside in terms of our international relationships, and I think it was just a ball dropped."

The Bill and the override of Obama's veto had overwhelming bipartisan support in a contentious election year.

Under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, Judges can waive sovereign immunity if the court determines a country abetted terrorism.

Fifteen of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. As was Osama Bin Laden. The 9/11 Commission investigation found that, "While in the United States, some of the September 11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government."

The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com editorial on the issue notes that the operative word in that quote is "may" be connected. "Neither the CIA or FBI could provided definitive intelligence about the extent of official Saudi support of terrorism, or whether it even existed."

There's a big difference between rogue Saudi government officials and Saudi clerics supporting terror acts and the ruling Saudi family's government officially sanctioning such acts. Bin Laden wanted to overthrow the Saudi government and ruling family. ISIS has the same ultimate goal to overthrow the Saudi Royal family.

One of the many problems with the bill is it actually complicates and hinders the war on terror. It puts the judicial branch in the jurisdiction of the State Department and U.S. intelligence agencies, undermining and interfering with their work.

The Bill strains relations with Saudi Arabia and other important potential allies in the war against terrorism. Saudi Arabia has said it may be forced to liquidate up to $750 billion in U.S. Treasury holdings and other U.S. assets.

A dangerous precedent would be set allowing other nations to eliminate sovereign immunity protections now afforded to the United States and its soldiers deployed abroad.

Families of 9/11 victims who agreed not to sue the airlines, received on average about $2 million each from the $7 billion, U.S. tax payer funded, government settlement. Even if the families were successful in court, it would be unlikely they would ever be able to collect. The bill offers no means of enforcement. The people who would end up paying the price, would be U.S. soldiers ensnared in legal retribution.
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The Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, led by Steve Loomis, seen here with Donald Trump at far right, voted Friday to endorse the Republican nominee for president. The Cleveland NAACP reacted to the endorsement in a statement released Saturday night.

(Evan Vucci, AP Photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland branch of the NAACP issued a statement Saturday night in reaction to a Cleveland police union vote to endorse Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The statement says the branch respects the union's Constitutional right to free expression, but goes on to outline reasons why the civil rights group considers the endorsement vote to be troubling.

"The CPPA action shows that they fail to recognize the fact that they are under a federal consent decree for engaging in a pattern and practice of excessive use-of-force," the letter states. "The President of the CPPA based his support of Trump on his belief that Trump would be a 'friend of police.' In other words, Steve Loomis implies that findings that Cleveland officers have beaten, maimed and killed unarmed men and women would somehow be allowed to go unchallenged under a Trump administration."

Earlier this week, members of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association - the union for the department's rank-and-file officers - voted to hold an endorsement vote. The vote was 25-24, Black Shield union president Lynn Hampton told cleveland.com.

On Friday, union members voted 216-68 to endorse Trump over his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, a statement made by union head Steve Loomis says.

The vote to hold an endorsement vote troubled black police officers in the department, Hampton told cleveland.com. The vote to endorse Trump unsettled Hampton further.

"I don't think it's a good thing while we're in this paradigm shift of reform in our department," Hampton told cleveland.com Saturday morning, referring to the department's reform agreement made with the Justice Department after an investigation into excessive use-of-force incidents.

The NAACP statement is also critical of black and Hispanic members of the CPPA, wondering why they did not cast an endorsement vote.

"By most estimates, there are over 500 Black and Hispanic officers who were eligible to vote on this issue. Where was your support for Lynn Hampton... and the other 67 brave officers who voted 'No?'" the statement says.

The letter goes on to say that black and Hispanic officers who did not cast a vote were "complicit in this travesty" and that they "failed" the community they are sworn to serve.

The letter also questions why the CPPA members would vote to endorse a candidate who has said he would support large-scale deportation and "stop-and-frisk" police tactics.

The CPPA's vote comes after black officers in cities nationwide have criticized a Trump endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union.

The CPPA president, Steve Loomis, has advocated for Trump at union meetings and has appeared to support him publicly at an Akron Trump rally and privately, at a union roundtable discussion with the candidate in Brook Park.

The Cleveland police department told cleveland.com this week that it does not endorse candidates and any union endorsement "is not an endorsement reflective of the division as a whole."
LORAIN, Ohio -- Community leaders and members of the Lorain Police Department on Saturday addressed a controversial video at the center of an excessive force lawsuit against the department.

The dash cam video depicting officers arresting Pele Smith on Sept. 4, 2014 has garnered criticism for its depiction of an officer forcefully pushing Smith onto the hood of a police cruiser. The impact of Smith's head hitting the windshield caused the glass to crack, the video first obtained by WKYC-Channel 3 shows.

Smith, 32, has filed an excessive force lawsuit against the department in U.S. District Court.

"It's painful to know that our name could be associated with some of the incidents that have happened nationally," Rivera said. "It's not consistent with the transition that we have been quietly making for many years. It's not who were are."

Supervisors reviewed the incident at the time and determined that Officer Zachary Ferenec did not use excessive force while arresting Smith. But the department has now asked the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office to conduct its own review, Rivera said Saturday.

"The legal issues will be resolved in a quiet and dignified manner," Rivera said. "But I do want to assure Pele Smith's family that a full investigation will be done and that the truth will come out."

Community leaders said they believe the relationship between residents and their police department is strong. But leaders said they are cognizant of the impact of numerous high-profile national incidents involving officers' uses of force.

"We believe that here in the city of Lorain, we have a healthy relationship with law enforcement," Pastor Timothy Williams of Greater Victory Christian Ministries said. "We also understand that there are some deficiencies, and we're doing everything we can to strengthen that relationship."

City Council member Angel Arroyo dismissed comparisons to a pair of high-profile incidents in Cleveland: the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice and the police chase and shooting that ended in the deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams.

"This is a terrible situation that happened, [but] we know that the chief is on top of it and we know that he's going to do what he needs to do," Arroyo said.

The Lorain Police Department has taken steps in recent years to improve its relationship with the community. Those steps include organizing mentoring programs and other community events, requiring officers to train 90 hours per year instead of the state-mandated 20 hours, and using social media to interact with the public, Rivera said.

The incident at the center of the lawsuit happened while narcotics detectives were investigating a report of drug trafficking on East 34th Street, according to a police report.

The detectives arrived and saw Smith -- who had previously been arrested on a drug-related charge -- cross the street in front of their unmarked car. The officer stopped to speak to Smith, who put a bag containing what detectives believed to be cocaine or heroin into his mouth, police said.

Smith swallowed the bag before Ferenec arrived to assist in the arrest. Ferenec tried to push him onto the hood of a police cruiser to search him for weapons. That resulted in both men falling onto the hood and Smith's chin smashing the window, according to the report.

Officers then took Smith to Mercy Hospital for treatment. Doctors were unable to determine what was in the bag that Smith swallowed.

Smith later pleaded guilty to charges of tampering with evidence, resisting arrest and obstructing official business and was sentenced to probation, Lorain County Common Pleas Court records show.

Smith filed the lawsuit Aug. 11 in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. The case was subsequently moved to U.S. District Court.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section.
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Cleveland police are investigating after a man was shot dead Saturday in a driveway on the city's East Side.

(File photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A 27-year-old man was found dead in the driveway of a house on the city's East Side Saturday morning.

Officers were called about 11:30 a.m. to the 1000 block of East 79th Street in the city's St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.

Police found the victim in a driveway of a house, shot several times in the head and torso, Ciaccia said. The victim was pronounced dead at the shooting scene.

The victim's identity has not been released.

The house where his body was found is not his listed address, Ciaccia said.

No suspect information has been made available. The investigation continues.

Anyone with information about the shooting should contact Cleveland police detectives at 216-623-5464.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
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A Maple Heights woman died and a second woman was injured in a crash on Interstate 480 late Saturday in Cleveland, officials said.

(Ohio Department of Transportation)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Troopers arrested a driver in connection with a crash that killed a Maple Heights woman and injured a second woman Saturday on Interstate 480 in Cleveland.

Tanisha Matthews, 27, died after a pickup struck her and the second woman just before 9:30 p.m. in the westbound lanes near State Road, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office said.

Cleveland EMS took Matthews and the 23-year-old woman to MetroHealth. The second woman was in fair condition Sunday morning, a nursing supervisor said.

The driver hit Matthews and the other woman while they were changing a tire. State Highway Patrol troopers arrested the driver near the Ridge Road exit, the Highway Patrol said.

The Highway Patrol has not said if the driver has been charged in connection with the crash.

The crash closed two westbound lanes between Ohio 176 and State Road.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Sunday's crime and courts comments section.
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A standoff with a shooting suspect has closed part of I-71 near Mansfield, according to multiple reports.

(Ohio Department of Transportation)

MANSFIELD, Ohio - Interstate 71 is closed in both directions near Mansfield due to a standoff with a shooting suspect, according to multiple reports.

The highway is closed between the Ohio 13 and Ohio 39 exits, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

State Highway Patrol troopers began chasing a car after its driver was involved in a shooting in Delaware County, according to 10TV in Columbus.

The State Highway Patrol post in Mansfield declined to release any information. The Richland County Sheriff's Office was not immediately available for comment.

This story will be updated when more information is available.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Sunday's crime and courts comments section.
MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Mayor Gary Starr received city council's approval Sept. 27 to seek grant money in hopes of defraying the cost of 2017 road work projects.

Council members passed two resolutions that enable the mayor to file grant applications with the Cuyahoga County Department of Development. One request for $150,000 to resurface Elderdale Drive and Farnum Avenue would be for a community development block grant as part of the 2017 Municipal Grant Program. The other application, filed for $50,000 in funding with the new 2017 Community Development Supplemental Grant Program, would address pavement repairs on Fowles Road.

"The supplemental grant program is funded with casino revenue funds which are distributed by Cuyahoga County and administered by the Cuyahoga County Department of Development," Starr explained in a memo to cleveland.com, adding that the Municipal Grant Program is federally funded. "Both grant programs are competitive, and the city is not guaranteed that funding will be received."

He said just 20 grants, of the more than 150 applications projected to be submitted for the $50,000 supplemental grant program, will be awarded. Only 10 communities are expected to receive a $150,000 municipal grant out of more than 25 eligible county communities that will apply, the mayor indicated.

"Elderdale Drive and Farnum Avenue will be resurfaced in 2017 only if the city of Middleburg Heights receives the $150,000 grant award," Starr said. "This is significant because it will allow us to stretch our street repair program to include these additional two streets that were not originally planned to be resurfaced in 2017."

Fowles Road already is slated to be repaired and resurfaced in 2017, with a $600,000 county grant helping to offset those expenses. Starr said the new $50,000 supplemental grant, if awarded to the city, "will further assist with the costs associated with that project."

"Our city recognizes that well maintained neighborhood streets are important for maintaining strong property values and a healthy city," Starr added. "We will continue to invest millions of dollars in our neighborhoods. Securing $200,000 this year is going to be a wonderful start for us for next year's comprehensive street rebuilding and resurfacing program."
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Britain's Prime Minister will introduce legislation as early as April to kickstart an exit from the European Union, The Sunday Times reported. Theresa May told The Sunday Times she would introduce a repeal bill to scrap the 1972 European Communities Act, the legislation that allowed Britain to enter the EU. The "Great Repeal Bill" will be introduced in the next Queen's Speech, which the newspaper said was expected in April or May 2017.

Britain had previously said official talks with the EU over its exit would start early next year; Britain must trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to kick off a formal exit. Unraveling Britain's ties with the trade bloc is then expected to take about two years.

British Prime Minister Theresa May addresses the United Nations General Assembly on September 20. May will on Sunday reveal plans to kickstart Britain's exit from the European Union. Christopher Furlong | Getty Images

May is due to reveal her plan at the Conservative Party conference on Sunday, The Sunday Times reported, noting that May's announcement marked 100 days since the June 23 referendum in which Britain voted to leave the EU.

"This marks the first stage in the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country once again. It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country. It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end," May told the newspaper in her first interview since becoming prime minister in July, after incumbent David Cameron quit in the wake of the Brexit vote.

To read the full report, click here.

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It's mobile prehistory at this point, but there was once a time when the ultimate smartphone you could get was a BlackBerry . Before Apple's iPhone arrived, Google's first Android prototypes were basically BlackBerry clones.

It's easy to think of the stratospheric rise of Android and the iPhone over the past few years as inevitable, but we sometimes forget just what outsiders both of these platforms once were. Back in 2006, neither Apple nor Google had established relationships with carriers. Neither had a loyal following of business users to bolster its consumer proposition. And neither had the best text-input method ever devised for a pocketable device. BlackBerry, then known as Research In Motion, did. And it's partially because of those advantages that BlackBerry is this week shuttering its phone design and manufacturing for good.

The story of BlackBerry's mobile demise stretches so far back that we wrote a forensic dissection of it back in early 2012. It's actually to the company's credit that it managed its crash landing as well and for as long as it has done. BlackBerry persists today and has refashioned itself around its enterprise and software services, which have been propping it up for a while, and doesn't look to be in danger of following in Nokia or Palm's ill-fated footsteps.

But the reason why BlackBerry is interesting today is that it provides a prime example of an incumbent business being disrupted by sprightlier newcomers. Success, as BlackBerry had a decade ago, breeds two interrelated negatives: conservatism and complacency.

At the time of the iPhone and Android's arrival, the whole mobile industry was on the precipice of moving to bigger touchscreen displays. That was the destination that technology was evolving toward, and it was a trend that Apple jumped on with perfect timing, and later companies like HTC and Samsung exploited to the fullest. HTC was never influential enough to unilaterally dictate that screen manufacturers build bigger, and the prime reason for its repeated success at the start of this decade was that it had nothing to lose and just kept moving to the latest spec with the greatest speed. Most Android OEMs, in fact  companies like LG and Sony along with Samsung and HTC  essentially functioned as dumb conduits for the latest specs. Dual-core processors become available and LG was so fast to implement them that it got a Guinness World Record for it (and a bunch of dissatisfied users owing to itsbuggy performance).

More from The Verge:
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.
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MetLife, Inc., a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through five segments: U.S.; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements. It also provides pension risk transfers, institutional income annuities, structured settlements, and capital markets investment products; and other products and services, such as life insurance products and funding agreements for funding postretirement benefits, as well as company, bank, or trust-owned life insurance used to finance nonqualified benefit programs for executives. In addition, it provides fixed, indexed-linked, and variable annuities; and pension products; regular savings products; whole and term life, endowments, universal and variable life, and group life products; longevity reinsurance solutions; credit insurance products; and protection against long-term health care services. MetLife, Inc. was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
When Republicans won a supermajority in both houses of the Tennessee legislature in 2012  then expanded it in 2014  the conventional wisdom was that the party would be unified enough to get anything it wanted done.

During legislative sessions, the smattering of Democrats remaining in the General Assembly could fail to show up for work, and veto-proof bills would still get passed. And with a GOP governor who regularly tolerates the legislature's recklessness, nothing could stand in the way of the march by Republicans to invincible power.

Except themselves.

With 37 days remaining before the November general election, legislative leaders are having to defend themselves against allegations that the state House has become a cesspool of sleaze.

First, it was deposed Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham, who in effect maintained a casting couch at the Legislative Plaza where he engaged in illicit sexual conduct with nearly two dozen women, including one college student.

Now, charges are floating around Nashville that Joe McCord, a top-ranking member of House Speaker Beth Harwell's staff, created a hostile work environment against a female staff member. McCord, who serves as House clerk, allegedly called the staffer vulgar names multiple times.

What's worse, McCord is also accused of flashing his middle finger at the female staffer's 2-year-old granddaughter while the child was visiting at the capital.

Let me repeat. A grown man with a top position in state government  and himself a former state representative to boot  is accused of making an obscene gesture to a toddler. If that's true, who does that?

Which leads to an even more salient question. Can things possibly get any worse at the state capital?

These latest charges are contained in a letter that was emailed last week to the Nashville Tennessean newspaper, which has spent much of the year doing outstanding work uncovering legislative sleaziness.

The letter was written and shared with the newspaper by state Rep. Billy Spivey, a Republican from Lewisburg, in which he called for an investigation into McCord's conduct. Spivey was one of the few lawmakers who objected to Durham's expulsion from the House last month.

Spivey also strongly objected to a state attorney general's report on Durham's sexual misconduct being released to the public. Yet, here is Spivey spoon-feeding the news media an explosive allegation against a top member of Speaker Harwell's administration.

For her part, Harwell told The Tennessean that Spivey's letter is nothing more than sour grapes because he was an ardent defender of Durham. McCord also told the newspaper that Spivey is on a mission "to embarrass and discredit Speaker Harwell." McCord, however, deflected questions about his own alleged boorish conduct, referring the newspaper to the human resources office.

And no, none of this will put Republicans in jeopardy of losing their supermajority in the House or Senate this fall. Democrats have lost any influence with voters statewide probably until the next millennium. But that's beside the point.

The issues plaguing the Tennessee legislature have gone far beyond politics and now involve a total loss of common decency. As the Nashville newspaper pointed out earlier this year, the House leadership went to great lengths to try to keep the Durham sex scandal out of the public eye.

Finally, when the reporting could no longer be ignored, Harwell called for Attorney General Herbert Slatery to investigate Durham's behavior. The AG's report, made public in July, found that Durham had engaged in improper sexual conduct with 22 women. Among the findings was that Durham served alcohol to a 20-year-old college student and had sex with her in his legislative office.

The House belatedly did the right thing in expelling Durham in a special session, thus preventing him from collecting a lifetime pension. But now there is the shocking allegation against McCord, the House clerk since 2011.

The only recourse is for a wide-ranging, independent investigation, top to bottom, of the state House operation. The human resources office is incapable of conducting such an inquiry. I'm not sure the attorney general's office should do it.

But for the sake of transparency and to retain any shred of credibility, Harwell should ask for this independent investigation. If necessary, Gov. Bill Haslam and leaders in the Senate should intervene.

The public should have confidence that state government is not operating like a risque dude ranch. And it's long past time for the state House to clean house.
SHARE Ryon McCray

By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal

An off-duty Shelby County firefighter was killed in an early morning crash Sunday, officials said.

Ryon McCray, 26, died after he was ejected from his car around 6:30 a.m. near Walnut Grove and Houston Levee, officials from the sheriffs office and county fire department confirmed.

The car left the road, officials said, then hit a tree and rolled. McCray was taken from the scene in extremely critical condition, but did not survive.

He was a stellar employee, just a fine human being. Just a tremendous young man, Shelby County Fire Chief Alvin Benson said. We grieve today. We still celebrate his life, what he contributed to the department and this community.

McCray played defensive end and linebacker at White Station High before graduating in 2008, his former coach said Sunday.

Just a great kid, just a real outgoing personality, Major Wright said. He really kinda overachieved. He just ended up performing better than we thought he would. Just effort and desire set him apart.

McCray was a firefighter at Station 64 in Millington, Shelby County Fire spokesman Brent Perkins said.

McCray was not married and had no children, Perkins added.

Its a real sad day here, he said.
October 1, 2016: Deon Perignon reacts after seeing his likeness spray-painted by artist Robert James on a wall near his home in North Memphis. Dozens of artists from all over the country gathered to paint the flood wall adjacent to the proposed Chelsea Greenline. James was one of the few artists who live in the neighborhood. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

SHARE October 1, 2016: John 'Daze' Piccard paints a space scene on the flood wall near Chelsea during Soul Food 5 sponsored by Paint Memphis, which brought together dozens of artists from all over the country at the wall adjacent to the proposed Chelsea Greenline. Piccard, who participated in the event last year, decided to take advantage of the rough wall, using the pockmarks as stars in his scene. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) Related Photos Soul Food Five Gallery

By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal

About four hours in, Ian Wilkinson paused for a moment to examine his work, which depicted the outline of woman blending into a cloudy canyon.

Wilkinson was among the dozens of artists adorning the flood wall alongside the proposed Chelsea Greenline Saturday for Soul Food 5, an event sponsored and organized by Paint Memphis.

"I like to go on a mural tour each year and explore the country," Wilkinson said. "Memphis is just a really great city to stop in, it's really amenable to having things painted."

Wilkinson, who came from Asheville, North Carolina, said his mural was inspired by his recent travels to Monument Valley in Utah, known for its picturesque red sandstone buttes.

He was painting with a combination of acrylic and spray paints, but others stuck solely to spray paint or used brushes and rollers to apply interior wall paint in some spaces.

The images varied from block to block, some featuring vibrant, colorful graffiti, while others featured abstract patterns or detailed nature scenes.

Daniel Burnett traveled from St. Louis for the event. His work was a patchwork of triangles and bubble shapes created with spray paint and painter's tape to create sharp lines.

"I'm just sort of experimenting to try to create the kind of art I do with brush work," he said.

Nearby, Nashville artist Audie Adams was painting a vibrant "homage to the Mississippi River" in his allotted space alongside his partner. The wall featured "Tennessee" in large letters with orange catfish twisting out of water on either side of the word.

According to the Paint Memphis website, it will be the largest collaborative mural in Memphis at .3 miles long.
During a City Council committee meeting last month, Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings pulls a smoking pipe out of a peanut butter jar while demonstrating what some small-scale means in real terms regarding marijuana. Rallings opposes a City Council proposal to loosen penalties for small-scale marijuana possession. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

Memphis City Council members are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether the city will become the state's second  after Nashville  to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.

The vote comes after weeks of back-and-forth discussion in council committee meetings, during which Police Director Michael Rallings passed around bags of marijuana joints to demonstrate what a half-ounce looks like (all accounted for afterward), and two weeks after Nashville Metropolitan Council voted 35-3 to approve a similar measure.

The vote is scheduled for the council's 3:30 p.m. regular meeting in City Hall. If approved, the ordinance would allow police officers to issue a misdemeanor citation punishable by $50 or community service for possession of a half-ounce or less of marijuana. Officers could still opt to charge violators with a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail under the state's criminal law.

The big question is whether the criticism of the ordinance  most notably from Rallings and Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich  will outweigh the arguments advanced by supporters like the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators and criminal justice reform advocacy group Just City.

In committee, council members have been more sympathetic to the ordinance co-sponsored by Berlin Boyd and Martavius Jones. The ordinance needs seven "yes" votes to win approval, and five of the 13 council members have already voted for the ordinance in committee.

Highland Strip economic impact plan

In committee meetings, one of the biggest items to watch is a resolution approving an economic impact plan for the Highland Strip area near the University of Memphis.

U of M President David Rudd told council members earlier this month that establishing a tax-increment financing district in the area was "critical to our future." A TIF district would capture any property taxes generated in excess of the amount collected last year and give them to a special corporation set up to reinvest the taxes in improvement projects in the area to spur development.

The plan is slated for a preliminary vote in the Economic Development & Tourism Committee at 9:45 a.m. in City Hall.

Also in committees

Here are some of the other items to watch out for Tuesday:

At 10:15 a.m., the Memphis Light, Gas & Water Committee will revisit a plan to cover the cost of utilities for police surveillance cameras with streetlight fees. That shouldn't result in an increase in fees, but could shift the burden for those costs off of police. The council voted 6-3 to for the ordinance in August, one vote shy of the seven votes needed for approval. Council member Edmund Ford Jr. changed his vote to resurrect the ordinance last council meeting.

At 1 p.m., the committee overseeing Public Works will get a quarterly update on trash collections  including by Inland Waste. Inland was fined $141,000 in July after the company missed collection deadlines in April and May, and was put on notice that its contract could be dropped if deadlines aren't met in the future.
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By Tom Charlier of The Commercial Appeal

Issues ranging from police reform to public transportation will be discussed during an open house hosted this week by the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change.

The event, which begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Michael D. Rose Theater at the University of Memphis, will feature the release of three policy papers whose authors will participate in a panel discussion starting at 6 p.m.

Simone Tulumello of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, will discuss the need for structural change in local crime-prevention policies. Charles A. Santos, an associate professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of Memphis, will give a presentation on transportation, urban reform and social justice, while Eric Groenendyk, associate professor of political science at U of M, will talk about the ideological divisions that have stifled dialogue and legislative progress at all levels of government.
September 30, 2016: Maxine Smith STEAM Academy eighth-grader Mydison Royston, 13, takes part in an ice-breaker name game while attending the Gandhi King Youth Conference hosted by BRIDGES Friday morning. More than 300 area youth were expected to attend the weekend workshops designed to help students harness the peaceful principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for social change. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

SHARE September 30, 2016: BRIDGES instructor Daniel Morrison (middle) takes part in an ice-breaker game designed to help students understand the importance of working together and not against one another, while attending the Gandhi King Youth Conference Friday morning. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal

A group of students sat at desks arranged into two rows inside a classroom at Rhodes College Saturday, each with a ball of paper in their hands. One by one, the youth attempted to shoot their ball into a basket at the front of the room.

Only one student, who was sitting directly in front of the basket, made it in.

"Some people actually do make it all the way from the back, but not everyone does," Reginae Butler, 17, told her peers.

Butler explained the exercise was symbolic of privilege  people may have the same goals, but circumstances outside of their control (like where they are sitting) make them harder or easier to attain. The conversation was one of many taking place at the annual Gandhi King High School Youth Conference hosted by BRIDGES. A separate event for middle-schoolers took place on Friday.

"We want students to see that their input and their presence is so much more than just their voice," said Mario Hendrix, director of Bridge Builders. "They can play a significant role in improving our community."

The conference focused on several topics, including increasing youth voices in communities, youth and police relations, sexual harassment and assault, and gender and sexuality issues. Hendrix said the event was designed for teens to leave with the knowledge about social activism to transform their communities.

Butler was participating in a session about youth and police relations. Bridge Builders CHANGE interns facilitated activities and discussions about how privilege affects interactions with police and how students can foster positive relationships with law enforcement.

The students shared their experiences and beliefs about the police in their respective neighborhoods.

"We are all young people in high school," Lauren Lewis, 14, said. "I don't think we should feel threatened by somebody who is supposed to protect us."

The students agreed that they had a responsibility to open up dialogue and communication with law enforcement and brainstormed on the best ways to do that. Charles Seaton, 17, encouraged the group to try and facilitate discussions in their schools and churches, as well as use peace circles to talk about sensitive subjects in a safe setting.

"What can you do for your community? What can you do for marginalized communities?" Seaton asked. "These are the things youth can do, we just limit our minds."
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By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

The Tennessee Valley Authority's plan to ban floating homes from reservoirs and other public waterways under its control is drawing more criticism from Congress.

Members of Tennessee's congressional delegation suggested last week that TVA may have acted too hastily in prohibiting new floating homes and requiring the removal of existing homes within 30 years.

"While I can certainly see both sides of this issue, it seems unfair for TVA to move forward with this proposal without allowing the home and business owners affected by this change ample time to weigh in," said Rep. Phil Roe, a Johnson City Republican.

Roe and other Tennesseans in Congress sent a letter to TVA in May encouraging the public utility to take more time to look at the negative economic impacts of the new policy. The board went ahead with the policy change just the same.

Rep. Scott DesJarlais, a South Pittsburg Republican, urged TVA to find a compromise allowing the existing homes to remain as long as they meet certain standards designed to protect the waterways.

"TVA would be well advised to continue working with existing homeowners and the Congress to find an equitable solution to this situation," he said.

TVA's board of directors adopted the new policy last May in response to what it said were environmental concerns about homes dumping wastewater into reservoirs and streams and questions over the fairness of allowing someone to have a private home on public water.

The policy prohibits new floating homes on the 13 TVA-managed reservoirs and requires removal of the roughly 1,800 existing homes by 2046.

Outraged homeowners say the policy is unfair. Nearly all owners pay fees to moor their homes in waters already leased by marinas, they say, countering the notion they are taking up space that would otherwise be available for public use. They also fear the policy will significantly reduce the value of their homes and make them impossible to sell.

Floating homes are different from houseboats because they are anchored in place and don't have an engine that would allow them to move under their own power. If moved, they must be towed.

Congress already is taking steps to block enforcement of the new TVA policy.

Last week, the House approved an amendment prohibiting TVA from eliminating floating homes if they comply with safety and environmental codes. The amendment, by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., was part of the Water Resources Development Act that passed Wednesday on a 399-25 vote.

The Senate voted 94-3 a couple of weeks ago to approve its version of the water resources bill, which included a similar provision regarding the TVA policy. House and Senate negotiators will have to hammer out a compromise when Congress returns from recess after the November election.

Several members of Tennessee's congressional delegation encouraged TVA to find a solution that will satisfy its concerns without causing owners to lose their floating homes.

"Although I fully support TVA's role in protecting the reservoir system and agree these houseboats must meet certain standards, the current 30-year sunset policy for houseboat owners immediately reduces value," said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Ooltewah. "This will leave many of my constituents with little recourse to recover their investment."

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Brentwood, said she supported Meadows' amendment because "Tennesseans have invested a lot of money into floating homes for decades, and the proposed TVA policy would negatively affect those homeowners."

Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, said he has concerns some people may live in floating homes to avoid paying property taxes. But, "I do not believe that TVA should be able to take someone's property without some sort of compensation," he said.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Maryville, seemed to show some sensitivity to TVA's position.

While the Senate bill would guarantee existing owners can keep their floating homes if they meet health, safety and environmental standards, Alexander also included language making it clear the TVA board has the authority to decide whether new floating homes will be allowed.

"We have an independent TVA board for a reason, which is to make decisions such as this and to manage the lakes, rivers and reservoirs for all the people in the TVA region," he said.

Michael Collins is The Commercial Appeal's Washington correspondent. His weekly Tennessee in D.C. column highlights Volunteer State lawmakers, causes and connections. Contact him at 703-854-8927 or mcollins2@gannett.com.
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Johnnie Mosley

Memphis



Im sure Ron Garrison believes what he wrote in his Sept. 25 guest column, MATA CEO: We are listening to customers. As chairman of Citizens For Better Service, I say if you really want to find out whether MATA is listening to its users, just ask them.

Ask the senior citizens who are forced to go numerous blocks to catch a bus to Downtown Memphis. Ask the working people who have to leave home two to three hours early to get to work on time. Ask the restaurant managers who cannot hire or keep good employees because there is no night service in various parts of Memphis. Ask the parents who had to quit their jobs because the bus they used to catch no longer exists.

The so-called plan that called for $500,000 of bus service improvements is the same old consolidations and service cuts disguised as improvements.
Among the new crop of mesh routers, the Ubiquiti AmpliFi seemed the most promising. So, when a client was having Wi-Fi problems, yet again, I thought that perhaps this might be the time to set them up with a mesh network with a single Wi-Fi password.

The AmpliFi routers are very new, and normally, I would wait until there is more feedback, but I was willing to make an exception because Ubiquiti is a well-known networking company.

But first, I checked the User Guide looking for the one feature every techie needs when setting up a network for someone else - remote access (a.k.a Remote Administration). Typical articles on router security say to disable Remote Administration, but that's an overly simplistic view, common among the art history majors that write so many tech articles.

Remote administration exists for a reason, it beats having to travel to a client every time they are having Internet access problems. And, good routers can lock it down.

Page 22 of the AmpliFi User Guide clearly states "The Router can only be configured in the local network; there is no cloud or remote access."

No AmpliFi for me.

The AmpliFi website

My favorite router company, Peplink, offers three types of remote access and, although I am the guy behind RouterSecurity.org, I have no hesitation in using any of them.

To begin with, they offer the normal remote access which requires either a static public IP address or Dynamic DNS (DDNS). Peplink supports four DDNS providers and, theoretically, they can work with other providers too.

Remote access to any router is protected with a password, but Peplink offers much more. You can, for example, change the port number. So rather than listening on the standard ports of 80 or 443, a Peplink router can listen on port 60,123. Peplink also lets you force remote access to use HTTPS and lets you change the router userid, you are not locked into "admin". Finally, remote access can be restricted by source IP subnet, a great feature, even though I once locked myself out using it.

The second type of remote access is not for the owner of a Peplink router, but for the company itself. They call it "Remote Assistance" and it's disabled by default. If you open a tech support problem with Peplink, they may need access to your router for debugging purposes and Remote Assistance gives it to them. Does your router company offer this service?

The third way in, is with a cloud service, InControl2. It offers both its own reports and remote access to the same web interface you would see locally. One of the InControl2 reports - an audit trail of outages - came in handy recently. When a client had Internet access problems, I was able to check with InControl2 that the router was off-line because of an ISP problem. Saved myself a trip.

InControl2 is optional and disabled by default. It's free for the first year and $25/year thereafter, at least for the low end Surf SOHO model that I typically use.

Another thing that Ubiquiti is missing is documentation.

When the AmpliFi router/system initially shipped, it could only be configured with a mobile app. The User Guide says (page 22) that while there is no web interface now, "you will be able to monitor and configure your AmpliFi network using a web browser." A very recent review mentioned that the web interface now exists. Will Ubiquiti update the manual? Maybe not.

My previous experience with a Ubiquiti router showed their documentation to be quite lacking. Also, I judge a company's interest in documentation by the first couple pages of the User Guide.

A professional company puts both a date and a version number in the beginning of the manual, fully expecting it to be updated in the future as the product changes. The AmpliFi User Guide has no date and no version number. A company that doesn't do this, is probably not expecting to ever update the manual. Apple doesn't do it either.

Peplink, although their documentation is far from perfect, puts a date and a firmware version number on their manuals, and, they update the documentation in sync with the firmware.

Over the last few years, many router flaws have been in the web interface, so a newly developed one scares me a bit. I'd like to be able to lock down access to it, but ... there's that documentation issue again.

As a consumer oriented router, it is no surprise that the AmpliFi does not support Quality of Service or parental controls. The goal, as with many other routers, is to remove configuration options that scare away non-techies. What surprised me though, was support for WPA encryption. Any Wi-Fi capable device that does not support WPA2 should not be coddled, it should be retired.

I did not set out to bash Ubiquiti. Everywhere else on the Internet you can find articles extolling the virtues of their AmpliFi router system. Those very articles had convinced me that AmpliFi was the best of the current round of mesh router systems. But, in stripping out remote access, Ubiquiti has gone one step too far.
81 days ago, I stood in front of Ten Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister, and I made a promise to the country.

I said that the Government I lead will be driven not by the interests of a privileged few, but by the interests of ordinary, working-class families. People who have a job, but dont always have job security. People who own their own home, but worry about paying the mortgage. People who can just about manage, but worry about the cost of living and getting their kids into a good school. And this week, were going to show the country that we mean business.

Britain is going to leave the European Union

But first, today, were going to talk about Global Britain, our ambitious vision for Britain after Brexit. Because 100 days ago, that is what the country voted for. Were going to talk about Britain in which we are close friends, allies and trading partners with our European neighbours. But a Britain in which we pass our own laws and govern ourselves. In which we look beyond our continent and to the opportunities in the wider world. In which we win trade agreements with old friends and new partners. In which Britain is always the most passionate, most consistent, most convincing advocate for free trade. In which we play our full part in promoting peace and prosperity around the world. And in which we  with our brilliant armed forces and intelligence services  protect our national interests, our national security, and the security of our allies.

So today were going to be hearing from David Davis, Priti Patel and Boris Johnson as we start to explain our plan for Brexit. And the country will see that the Conservative Party is united in our determination to deliver that plan.

Because even now, some politicians  democratically-elected politicians  say that the referendum isnt valid, that we need to have a second vote.

Others say they dont like the result, and theyll challenge any attempt to leave the European Union through the courts.

But come on. The referendum result was clear. It was legitimate. It was the biggest vote for change this country has ever known. Brexit means Brexit  and were going to make a success of it.

Now of course, we wouldnt have had a referendum at all had it not been for the Conservative Party  and had it not been for David Cameron. And I want to take a moment to pay tribute to David.

I served in his Shadow Cabinet for nearly five years, and in his Cabinet for six more. I saw first-hand his commitment to public service, to social justice, and his deep love for our country. He led the rescue mission that brought confidence back to the British economy. He made sure that people on the lowest wages paid no income tax at all. And he won the right for two people who love one another  regardless of their sexuality  to marry. He has a legacy of which he  and our whole Party  can be proud. And to those who claim he was mistaken in calling the referendum, we know there is no finer accolade than to say David Cameron put his trust in the British people.

And trust the people we will. Because Britain is going to leave the European Union.

Now I know there is a lot of speculation about what that is going to mean, about the nature of our relationship with Europe in future, and about the terms on which British and European businesses will trade with one another. I understand that. And we will give clarity  as we did with farm payments and university funding  whenever possible and as quickly as possible.

But we will not be able to give a running commentary or a blow-by-blow account of the negotiations. Because we all know that isnt how they work. But history is littered with negotiations that failed when the interlocutors predicted the outcome in detail and in advance.

Every stray word and every hyped up media report is going to make it harder for us to get the right deal for Britain. So we have to stay patient. But when there are things to say  as there are today  we will keep the public informed and up to date.

So I want to use today to tell you more about the Governments plan for Brexit, and in particular I want to tell you about three important things. The timing, the process  and the Governments vision for Britain after Brexit.

The timing for triggering Article Fifty

First, everything we do as we leave the EU will be consistent with the law and our treaty obligations, and we must give as much certainty as possible to employers and investors. That means there can be no sudden and unilateral withdrawal: we must leave in the way agreed in law by Britain and other member states, and that means invoking Article Fifty of the Lisbon Treaty.

There was a good reason why I said  immediately after the referendum  that we should not invoke Article Fifty before the end of this year. That decision means we have the time to develop our negotiating strategy and avoid setting the clock ticking until our objectives are clear and agreed. And it has also meant that we have given some certainty to businesses and investors. Consumer confidence has remained steady. Foreign investment in Britain has continued. Employment is at a record high, and wages are on the up. There is still some uncertainty, but the sky has not fallen in, as some predicted it would: our economy remains strong.

So it was right to wait before triggering Article Fifty. But it is also right that we should not let things drag on too long. Having voted to leave, I know that the public will soon expect to see, on the horizon, the point at which Britain does formally leave the European Union. So let me be absolutely clear. There will be no unnecessary delays in invoking Article Fifty. We will invoke it when we are ready. And we will be ready soon. We will invoke Article Fifty no later than the end of March next year.

The process for triggering Article Fifty

Now I want to tell you a little more about the process for triggering Article Fifty.

The first thing to say is that it is not up to the House of Commons to invoke Article Fifty, and it is not up to the House of Lords. It is up to the Government to trigger Article Fifty and the Government alone.

When it legislated to establish the referendum, Parliament put the decision to leave or remain inside the EU in the hands of the people. And the people gave their answer with emphatic clarity. So now it is up to the Government not to question, quibble or backslide on what we have been instructed to do, but to get on with the job.

Because those people who argue that Article Fifty can only be triggered after agreement in both Houses of Parliament are not standing up for democracy, theyre trying to subvert it. Theyre not trying to get Brexit right, theyre trying to kill it by delaying it. They are insulting the intelligence of the British people. That is why, next week, I can tell you that the Attorney General himself, Jeremy Wright, will act for the Government and resist them in the courts.

Likewise, the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union are the responsibility of the Government and nobody else. I have already said that we will consult and work with the devolved administrations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, because we want Brexit to work in the interests of the whole country. And we will do the same with business and municipal leaders across the land.

But the job of negotiating our new relationship is the job of the Government. Because we voted in the referendum as one United Kingdom, we will negotiate as one United Kingdom, and we will leave the European Union as one United Kingdom. There is no opt-out from Brexit. And I will never allow divisive nationalists to undermine the precious Union between the four nations of our United Kingdom.

The final thing I want to say about the process of withdrawal is the most important. And that is that we will soon put before Parliament a Great Repeal Bill, which will remove from the statute book  once and for all  the European Communities Act.

This historic Bill  which will be included in the next Queens Speech  will mean that the 1972 Act, the legislation that gives direct effect to all EU law in Britain, will no longer apply from the date upon which we formally leave the European Union. And its effect will be clear. Our laws will be made not in Brussels but in Westminster. The judges interpreting those laws will sit not in Luxembourg but in courts in this country. The authority of EU law in Britain will end.

As we repeal the European Communities Act, we will convert the acquis  that is, the body of existing EU law  into British law. When the Great Repeal Bill is given Royal Assent, Parliament will be free  subject to international agreements and treaties with other countries and the EU on matters such as trade  to amend, repeal and improve any law it chooses. But by converting the acquis into British law, we will give businesses and workers maximum certainty as we leave the European Union. The same rules and laws will apply to them after Brexit as they did before. Any changes in the law will have to be subject to full scrutiny and proper Parliamentary debate. And let me be absolutely clear: existing workers legal rights will continue to be guaranteed in law  and they will be guaranteed as long as I am Prime Minister.

And in fact, as we announced yesterday, under this Government, were going see workers rights not eroded, and not just protected, but enhanced under this Government. Because the Conservative Party is the true workers party, the only party dedicated to making Britain a country that works, not just for the privileged few, but for every single one of us.

Our vision for Britain after Brexit

So that is what I want to say about the process. But I want to talk to you about the Governments vision of Britain after Brexit, our vision of a truly Global Britain. And I want to start with our vision for the future relationship we will have with the European Union.

Because, in this respect, I believe there is a lot of muddled thinking and several arguments about the future that need to be laid to rest. For example, there is no such thing as a choice between soft Brexit and hard Brexit. This line of argument  in which soft Brexit amounts to some form of continued EU membership and hard Brexit is a conscious decision to reject trade with Europe  is simply a false dichotomy. And it is one that is too often propagated by people who, I am afraid to say, have still not accepted the result of the referendum.

Because the truth is that too many people are letting their thinking about our future relationship with the EU be defined by the way the relationship has worked in the past. That is understandable. We have been members of the EU for more than forty years. We have just been through a renegotiation, during which we remained members of the EU and the Government sought to keep us members of the EU.

But what we are now talking about is very different. Whether people like it or not, the country voted to leave the EU. And that means we are going to leave the EU. We are going to be a fully-independent, sovereign country, a country that is no longer part of a political union with supranational institutions that can override national parliaments and courts. And that means we are going, once more, to have the freedom to make our own decisions on a whole host of different matters, from how we label our food to the way in which we choose to control immigration.

So the process we are about to begin is not about negotiating all of our sovereignty away again. It is not going to be about any of those matters over which the country has just voted to regain control. It is not, therefore, a negotiation to establish a relationship anything like the one we have had for the last forty years or more. So it is not going to a Norway model. Its not going to be a Switzerland model. It is going to be an agreement between an independent, sovereign United Kingdom and the European Union.

I know some people ask about the trade-off between controlling immigration and trading with Europe. But that is the wrong way of looking at things. We have voted to leave the European Union and become a fully-independent, sovereign country. We will do what independent, sovereign countries do. We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws.

But we will seek the best deal possible as we negotiate a new agreement with the European Union. I want that deal to reflect the kind of mature, cooperative relationship that close friends and allies enjoy. I want it to include cooperation on law enforcement and counter-terrorism work. I want it to involve free trade, in goods and services. I want it to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the Single Market  and let European businesses do the same here. But let me be clear. We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again. And we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

As ever with international talks, it will be a negotiation, it will require some give and take, and while there will always be pressure to give a running commentary on the state of the talks, it will not be in our best interests as a country to do that. But make no mistake: this is going to be a deal that works for Britain.

Global Britain is in sight

But Brexit should not just prompt us to think about our new relationship with the European Union. It should make us think about our role in the wider world. It should make us think of Global Britain, a country with the self-confidence and the freedom to look beyond the continent of Europe and to the economic and diplomatic opportunities of the wider world. Because we know that the referendum was not a vote to turn in ourselves, to cut ourselves off from the world. It was a vote for Britain to stand tall, to believe in ourselves, to forge an ambitious and optimistic new role in the world.

And there is already abundant evidence that we will be able to do just that. Important foreign businesses  like Siemens and Apple  have committed to long-term investments in this country. With the Japanese purchase of ARM for 24 billion, we have seen the biggest-ever Asian investment in Britain. Countries including Canada, China, India, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea have already told us they would welcome talks on future free trade agreements. And we have already agreed to start scoping discussions on trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand.

A truly Global Britain is possible, and it is in sight. And it should be no surprise that it is. Because we are the fifth biggest economy in the world. Since 2010 we have grown faster than any economy in the G7. And we attract a fifth of all foreign investment in the EU. We are the biggest foreign investor in the United States. We have more Nobel Laureates than any country outside America. We have the best intelligence services in the world, a military that can project its power around the globe, and friendships, partnerships and alliances in every continent. We have the greatest soft power in the world, we sit in exactly the right time zone for global trade, and our language is the language of the world.

We dont need  as I sometimes hear people say  to punch above our weight. Because our weight is substantial enough already. So lets ignore the pessimists, lets have the confidence in ourselves to go out into the world, securing trade deals, winning contracts, generating wealth and creating jobs. And lets get behind the team of ministers  David Davis, Liam Fox, Priti Patel and Boris Johnson  who are working on our plan for Brexit, who know were going to make a success of it and who will make a reality of Global Britain.

So lets have a great week here in Birmingham this conference. Lets get this plan for Brexit right. Lets show the country we mean business. And lets keep working to make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few but for everyone in this great country.
I was at the UN general assembly in NY the other day and talking to the foreign minister of another country.

I wont say which one, since I must preserve my reputation for diplomacy, but lets just say they have an economy about the size of Australia (though getting smaller, alas), plenty of snow, nuclear missiles, balalaikas, oligarchs, leader who strips to the waist  you get the picture.

After a few tense exchanges my counterpart gave a theatrical sigh and said that any difficulties we had in our relationship were all Britains fault: It was you guys who imposed democracy on us in 1990.

I was a bit startled by this, and I decided I couldnt let it go unchallenged, and I said hang on, Sergei, I said; arent you in favour of democracy? And then I asked for a show of hands in the room.

All those in favour of democracy please show, I said  and you would have thought that this was a relatively uncontroversial thing, a bit like asking Maria von Trapp whether she was in favour of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

And I am proud to say that the entire UK side of the room raised their hands as one to show that democracy was indeed one of our favourite things.

But much to my amazement our opposite numbers just kept their hands on the table and gave us what we diplomats call the hairy eyeball. And of course they felt I was winding them up; and there is a sense in which my question was semi-satirical.

But the exchange was also deeply serious, and revealing about the way the world has changed  or perhaps the way in which it has failed to change  since that moment of exhilaration in 1990 when the Berlin wall had come down, and the Soviet Union was coming to an end, and some of us  and yes, I was one  really BELIEVED that we had come to a moment of ideological resolution, and that after seven frozen and sometimes terrifying decades of communist totalitarian rule, the gulags, the oppression of eastern Europe: all the things that have been conveniently forgotten by the Dave and Deirdre Sparts who were still singing about Lenins red flag last week at the Labour party conference

We genuinely thought that after all that misery and slaughter, we were seeing the final triumph of that conglomerate of western liberal values and ideals that unite the people in this room  not just free markets, but all the things that we then believed, in that brief shining moment, were the essential concomitants of free-market capitalism: rule of law, human rights, independent judiciary, habeas corpus, equalities of race and gender and sexual orientation, the eternal and inalienable right of the media to make fun of the politicians.

We assumed then that this political freedom went with economic freedom like buying a two for one ice cream snickers bar (only free markets could produce something so ingenious) and a copy of Private Eye (free speech of a kind still unknown in much of the planet), like two sides of libertys golden coin, and yet I have to tell you that both sides of that coin have been tarnished and devalued over the last two decades, and we must be humble and realistic enough to accept that in many eyes the notion that we could endlessly expand the realm of liberal democracy was badly damaged, alas, by the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

And symmetrically our model of free-market Anglo-Saxon capitalism, as practised in London and New York, was seriously discredited by the Crash of 2008, and the global suspicion of bankers, and we have taken those twin blows like punches to the midriff; and we have been winded and sometimes lacking in confidence in these ideals; and if you look at the course of events in the last ten years I am afraid you can make the case that it is partly as a result of that lack of western self-confidence  political, military, economic  that in some material ways the world has got less safe, more dangerous, more worrying.

After a long post-war period in which the world was broadly getting more peaceful the number of deaths in conflict has risen from 49,000 in 2010 to 167,000 last year. The global number of refugees is up by 30 per cent on 2013 to 46m, and though much of this refugee crisis can be attributed to the war in Syria, it is part of a wider arc of instability that sweeps across from Iraq to Libya.

And this matters profoundly to our country, because it is the continuing savagery of the Asad regime against the people of Aleppo, and the complicity of the Russians in committing what are patently war crimes  bombing hospitals, when they know they are hospitals and nothing but hospitals  that is making it impossible for peace negotiations to begin, and that is prolonging a migration crisis that at one stage last year had overwhelmed Europes ability to cope.

And when the violent extremism of Daesh is erupting like boils across the face of the Middle East, we are inevitably seeing the contagion spread to cities in Germany, France, Belgium  and in Britain as well. And if that threat to travel continues to have a palpable chilling effect on tourism, and perhaps even on trade, then for a great trading nation like Britain that is a matter of deep concern.

Then there is perhaps an even more pernicious phenomenon  stemming, however unfairly, from the disastrous events in Iraq, which is the temptation of more and more governments to take this instability and insecurity as an excuse to move away from democracy.

Across Africa you can see for the first time in decades that governments are gradually becoming more authoritarian. The number of African countries rated free or partly free has fallen from 34 to 29 in the last ten years. There are four African presidents who are currently re-writing their national constitutions to tighten their grip on power, and I am afraid there are plenty of countries large and small where the idea of multi-party representative democracy is obstinately failing to catch on.

And that is because there is a view that has gained ground over the last few years: that Fukuyama was wrong; that there is no symmetry in our golden coin; and that you CAN have economic prosperity without political and social freedom  and indeed there is a view now in many parts of the world that the ONLY way to ensure prosperity and stability is to suppress freedom.

To crack down on pesky NGOs and irritating journalists and independent judges, and generally to deprecate the western liberal consensus about how a society should be ordered

And so if I have one message for you this afternoon, my friends, it is that this illiberal analysis is deeply and dangerously wrong, and that these social and political freedoms  freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom to practice whatever religion you want and to live your life as you please  these freedoms are not inimical to prosperity  they are in fact essential to sustained growth.

This is not the moment to cast aspersions on any other country where lack of freedom is hindering economic growth. I can prove my point simply by asking you to look at the society we live in:a 21st Century Britain that incarnates that symmetry.

Why have we got more tech wizards in London than any other city in Europe? Is it because the politicians decided to embark on a soviet style programme of training people to do tech? On the contrary, I had no idea what tech was  though later claimed credit for it.

It was because London acquired a deserved reputation as the greatest city on earth, a great jiving funkapolitan melting-pot where provided you did nothing to damage the interests of others and provided you obeyed the law you could make of your life pretty much what you wanted.

Thats why we lead in all those creative and cultural sectors, and thats why we have the best universities  because the best minds from across the world are meeting in some of the best pubs and bars and nightclubs, like subatomic particles colliding in a cyclotron, and they are producing those flashes of innovation that are essential for long term economic success.

And it will not surprise you to know that Britain is ranked among the top three most innovative societies on earth  America is 4th, and China is 25th  and indeed the entire top ten innovative societies are free market liberal democracies.

And that is why we are still the fastest growing European economy, according to the OECD, and this new and dynamic government led by Theresa May is working not just to ensure that this success is felt by everyone, in a country that works for everyone.

But I also believe we should have absolutely no shame or embarrassment in championing our ideals around the world, and in this era of dithering and dubitation this should be the message of global Britain to the world: that we stick up for free markets as vigorously as we stick up for democracy and human rights.

And when all is said and done, my friends  and I know that not everyone will agree with this, but what the hell  I believe that vote on June 23 was for economic freedom and political freedom as well.

Over the last couple of months I have sat in all kinds of EU meetings, vast and ruminative feasts of lunch or dinner in the castles of Mitteleuropa, washed down with the finest wines known to man, and on one occasion a splendid breakfast that seemed to stretch, for course after course, from 8 am to 11  and I have enjoyed them all.

I have made friends, alliances, and had wonderful conversations in my various euro-creoles. But I have to tell any lingering gloomadon-poppers that never once have I felt that this country would be in any way disadvantaged by extricating ourselves from the EU treaties  and indeed there are some ways in which we will be liberated to be more active on the world stage than ever before.

Because we are not leaving Europe. We will remain committed to all kinds of European cooperation  at an intergovernmental level, whether it is maintaining sanctions against Russia for what is happening in Ukraine, or sending our navy to help the Italians stem the migrant flow through the central Mediterranean.

But we will also be able to speak up more powerfully with our own distinctive voice, leading the world as we now are, in imposing a ban on ivory, helping to save the elephant in a way that the disunited EU is unable to do; in fact we have an absurd situation in which the EU is actually trying to veto the ivory ban in spite of having a president called Donald Tusk  rr relaunching the cause of global free trade that has been stalled since the failure of the Doha round.

And I can think of few more positive forces in the global economy than the worlds fifth richest economy taking back control not just of our democracy and our borders and our cash, but taking back control of our tariff schedules in Geneva, so that we can galvanise free trade, break the log jam and, as our new PM has rightly said, we can now become the global champions and agitators for this phenomenon.

Doing free trade deals with countries around the world  as Liam will do. Deals that will continue the process of lifting billions out of poverty, and that is why the world needs Global Britain more than ever as a campaigner for the values we believe in, a catalyst for change and reform and economic and political freedom in a world that has lost confidence in those values.

And of course there are those who say that we cant do it  that we are too small, too feeble, too geo-politically reduced to have that kind of influence.

I think of the pogonologically challenged Labour party, where they literally want to abolish the armed services and to keep our new nuclear submarines as a demented job creation programme  sending them to sea without any nukes aboard so that the whole nation is turned into a kind of glorified military capon, firing blanks.

I am not going to pretend that this country is something we are not. Every day I go into an office so vast that you could comfortably fit two squash courts and so dripping with gilt bling that it looks like something from the Kardashians, and as I sit at the desk of George Nathaniel Curzon I sometimes reflect that this was once the nerve centre of an Empire that was seven times the size of the Roman empire at its greatest extent under Trajan.

And when I go into the Map Room of Palmerston I cannot help remembering that this country, over the last two hundred years, has directed the invasion or conquest of 178 countries  that is most of the members of the UN (not a point I majored on in New York at the UNGA), and that is because those days are gone forever  and that is a profoundly good thing.

It is good for Britain and good for the world that in the last 60 years  in living memory  those responsibilities have been taken away. And yet it would be a fatal mistake now to underestimate what this country is doing or what it can do, because in spite of Iraq, it is simply not the case that every military intervention has been a disaster. Far from it

Look at the achievement in Sierra Leone, where we were instrumental not just in ending the civil war, but in wiping out Ebola. Look at Somalia, where my predecessor William Hague helped initiate a bold programme to tackle the pirates that plagued the coast of that country and, together with a coalition of other European countries, British ships took them on, with all the courage and decisiveness of our 19th Century forebears.

And the result? Before the anti-pirate campaign, their depredations had cost the world economy about $7 billion a year. When Britain stepped in, the attacks stopped altogether  and it is a happy fact that since 2012 there have been more Hollywood films about Somali pirates starring Tom Hanks than there have been pirate attacks.

Of course we dont want to wield our hard power; we think an age before we do so. But when we give our armed services clear and achievable missions we can still be remarkably effective, and with two per cent of our GDP spent on defence we will be the leading military player in western Europe for the foreseeable future.

And our hard power, conference, is dwarfed by a phenomenon that the pessimists never predicted when we unbundled the British Empire, and that is soft power  the vast and subtle and pervasive extension of British influence around the world that goes with having the language that was invented and perfected in this country, and now has more speakers than any other language on earth.

And up the creeks and inlets of every continent on earth there go the gentle, kindly gunboats of British soft power, captained by Jeremy Clarkson  a prophet more honoured abroad, alas, than in his own country  or JK Rowling ,who is worshipped by young people in some Asian countries as a kind of divinity, or just the BBC  and no matter how infuriating and shamelessly anti-Brexit they can sometimes be, I think the Beeb is the single greatest and most effective ambassador for our culture and our values.

It was Sergei Lavrov himself who told me that he had not only watched our version of War and Peace, but thought it was very well done  and that, from the Kremlin, was praise.

And if you want final proof of our irresistible soft power I remind you as I always do that this country not only invented or codified just about every sport or game known to humanity but this year it was our athletes  from a country that can boast only one per cent of the worlds population  that came second in the Olympic and Paralympic games. I hope my friends in Beijing will not mind if I point out that their teams had 1.4 billion people to draw on.

Yes, it is true as I have said that the world is not as healthy or as safe as it should be, and it is true that in 2016 we are worryingly afflicted by war and terrorism and the new perils of cyber-crime, and by the painful refusal of many parts of the world to accept what you and I might see as common sense: that free markets and free societies go together.

But in case you are remotely tempted to despair I urge you to look not at the problems but at the successes that these free institutions have helped to engender.

For all its problems, life expectancy in Africa has risen astonishingly as that continent has entered the global economic system. In 2000 the average Ethiopian lived to only 47  it is now 64 and climbing; in Zambia the increase has been from 44 years to 60. In 1990 37 per cent of the worlds population lived in poverty  that is down to 9.6 per cent today  and yes, that is partly thanks to UK spending on development aid, 300 million a year to Ethiopia alone  but above all it is our economic ideas, our beliefs, our values that continue to lift the world out of poverty.

That must continue to be our ambition. It has been an extraordinary experience to have been Foreign Secretary for the last few months, and together with my fantastic ministerial colleagues  Alan Duncan for Europe and America, Joyce Anelay for the Commonwealth and UN, Tobias Ellwood for Africa and the Middle East, Alok Sharma for Asia and the Pacific  we have made literally hundreds of trips, cats cradling the world in a truly stupefying accumulation of air miles.

And I have confirmed to myself that we have in the Foreign Office the finest diplomatic service in the world  covering far more countries than the French with only 70 per cent of the budget  and I am giving nothing away when I say we have the worlds most superb intelligence services.

And when I am making a speech in a foreign city I look around the heaving room and become aware of a phenomenon that I think people in this country are barely aware of, and that is that of the Brits now alive and born in this country fully one in ten is now living abroad.

We are talking five or six million people  a population the size of Scotland. No other rich country  according to the World Bank  has a diaspora on that scale. No other country is such a formidable exporter of human talent: business people, lawyers, teachers, prospectors, adventurers, poets, painters, whisky-sellers, French knicker sellers  to France!

No other country is turned so tangibly outwards and into the world, and what they take with them is not just a knowledge of English or the cast of the Archers,or which game has a position called silly mid-off, but an instinctive set of values.

And whether they are retired British teachers working as monitors in the Ukrainian war zone, or Met police officers training their counterparts in the parts of Syria held by the moderate opposition, I find that these Brits are respected and admired  in sometimes unexpected ways  by ordinary people around the world.

And in an age of anxiety and uncertainty it is surely obvious that the values of global Britain are needed more than ever, and though we can never be complacent, and though we can never take our position for granted, Churchill was right when he said that the empires of the future will be empires of the mind.

In expressing our values I believe that Global Britain is a soft power superpower, and that we can be immensely proud of what we are achieving.
Ladies and gentlemen, on the 23rd of June the British people voted for change.

And this is going to be the biggest change for a generation: we are going to leave the European Union.

It was we, the Conservative Party, who promised the British people a referendum.

It was David Cameron, a Conservative Prime Minister, who honoured that promise.

And now it will be this government, a Conservative government that will lead the United Kingdom out of the European Union and into a brighter and better future.

This must be a team effort. And I am proud to count myself part of Theresa Mays team.

I dont know what it is about our great women leaders, but arent we lucky that theyre there when we need them?

I remember hearing the first one, Margaret Thatcher, talking about the difficulties a woman in politics faces. To get to the top, she said, a woman has to be twice as good as a man. Fortunately, she said, This is not difficult.

Back in 1979, her government had to confront some huge challenges.

And today, just as then, we are at a turning point in our nations story.

Just as then, people have voted to chart a new course for our country  to transform Britain.

And just as then, there is no shortage of doom-mongers, telling Britain that it cant be done.

Ladies and gentlemen, Britain showed them it could be done. We proved them wrong then, and with your help, Britain will prove them wrong again.

The task ahead

Our destination is clear.

Once again, we are going to be a nation that makes for ourselves all the decisions that matter most.

Once again: all decisions about how taxpayers money is spent, taken here, in Britain.

Once again: our laws, made here, in Britain.

And yes, our borders controlled here, by Britain.

But, ladies and gentlemen, the task is bigger than this.

It isnt just about the terms on which we will leave the EU. Nor just our future relationship with the EU.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Britain to forge a new place for itself in the world.

And to make our own decisions about the sort of country we want to be.

A nation that is a beacon for free trade.

A force for social justice.

A defender of freedom.

The home of enterprise. Of tolerance. Of fairness. Of decency.

A nation where we celebrate the success of those who want to get on, but never forget those who need our help.

Above all, a steadfast respect for democracy, and the peoples right to decide their own destiny.

After all, democracy was what the referendum was all about.

The task now is to bring together the 17.4 million people who voted to leave and the 16 million who voted to remain.

Now, I was one of the 17.4 million. But of course there are those of you here today will have taken a different view.

I am delighted that many who argued for Remain are now focussed on making a success of Brexit.

But there are some, on both sides of the argument, who want to keep on fighting the battles of the campaign.

I say to them: the campaign has finished. The people have spoken. The decision is made.

So whether you were for leave or for remain, help us seize the opportunities that are now before us.

As a One Nation government, our job is to make Brexit work for everyone.

For every part of our society.

For every part of our country.

For each of the four nations that make up our great United Kingdom.

Our national interest



While building a national consensus at home, we shall approach the negotiations with our European neighbours in a spirit of goodwill.

We need to appreciate and respect what the European Union means to them

They view it through the prism of their own history  sadly a history often of invasion and occupation, dictatorship and domination.

So it is not surprising that governments elsewhere in Europe see the European Union as a guarantor of the rule of law, of democracy and freedom.

Weve always seen it differently  and to be honest, that has been one of the problems.

After all, we were the worlds greatest liberal democracy for over a century before we joined.

We joined a common market, an economic community.

We have never really been comfortable being part of what is in reality a political project.

We are now leaving that project.

And this gives an opportunity, not just to clear the air, but to create a more comfortable relationship with our European neighbours that works better for all of us.

In the negotiations to come, of course, we will act resolutely in our national interest to deliver the right deal for Britain.

That does not mean we want the EU to fail.

On the contrary, we want it to succeed.

A poorer, weaker Europe is not in our interests, any more than it is in Europes interests.

So we will not turn our backs on Europe.

We never have; and we never will.

Our history shows that when the democracies of Europe are threatened by common challenges, we stand ready to help shoulder the burden. That has always been true, and it always will be.

Whether it is helping to rebuild the Balkans; standing up against a belligerent Russia; helping to tackle the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean  of course we want to play our part.

Nor does pulling out of the European Union mean pulling up the drawbridge. Thats also not in our national interest.

We will always welcome those with the skills, the drive and the expertise to make our nation better still. If we are to win in the global marketplace, we must win the global battle for talent.

Britain has always been one of the most tolerant and welcoming places on the face of the earth. It must and it will remain so.

When it comes to the negotiations, we will protect the rights of EU citizens here, so long as Britons in Europe are treated the same way  something I am absolutely sure we will be able to agree.

And to those who peddle hate and division towards people who have made Britain their home: let the message go out from this hall, we say you have no place in our society.

But the clear message from the referendum is this: we must be able to control immigration.

Did you hear Mr Corbyn last week, telling us all theres no need for any limit on numbers? Have you ever heard a political party quite so out of touch with its own voters?

Let us be clear, we will control our own borders and we will bring the numbers down.

Ladies and gentlemen, I quite understand that some people are desperate to know exactly how we are going to proceed, who think we should provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiation ahead.

Well, Ive never met anyone doing a business deal who thinks its a smart idea to give away your bottom lines in advance.

So Im not going to apologise for taking exactly the same approach.

Im reminded of the story of Calvin Coolidge, the American President who famously said so little that he was nicknamed Silent Cal.

One night at a formal dinner, a guest tried to lure him into conversation. To no avail.

Increasingly desperate, she said: But Mr President, I made a bet that I could get you to say more than three words.

Coolidge replied simply: You lose.

Now I have little in common with Calvin Coolidge, but I hope in the next few months you will forgive me if I am a little more taciturn than my usual self.

There is another way that I think that we should be careful with our words.

On both sides of the Channel, we must resist the temptation to trade insults to generate cheap headlines.

There has been some bluster in the aftermath of the referendum, perhaps inevitably.

But these negotiations are too important for that.

Instead, we should all think carefully about where our common interests lie.

Britain is one of the strongest defenders of Europes freedom and security. So it makes perfect sense for us to have the strongest possible ties after we have left the EU.

The same goes for trade.

History shows that the easier it is for us to do business together, the better it is for both Britain and Europe.

Were looking at all the options. And well be prepared for any outcome. But it certainly wont be to anyones benefit to see an increase in barriers to trade, in either direction.

So we want to maintain the freest possible trade between us, without betraying the instruction we have received from the British people to take back control of our own affairs.

Smooth Brexit

And it is in all our interests to ensure that, as our country leaves the EU, the process is orderly and smooth.

I know some people have suggested we should just ignore the rules, and tear up today the treaties that weve entered into.

I say, thats not how Britain behaves.

And what kind of message would it send to the rest of the world?

If we want to be treated with goodwill, we must act with goodwill.

So we will follow the process to leave the EU which is set out in Article 50.

The Prime Minister has been clear that she will start the formal negotiations about our exit by the end of March.

As we prepare for those negotiations in Europe, we also need to prepare for the impact of Brexit on domestic law.

We will consult widely, with Parliament and the devolved administrations, on our plans.

But its very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply.

It was the European Communities Act which placed EU law above UK law.

So that is why we are saying today, this Government will repeal that Act.

To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach. EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on the day we leave.

It will be for elected politicians here to make the changes to reflect the outcome of our negotiation and our exit.

That is what people voted for: power and authority residing once again with the sovereign institutions of our own country.

That way, when we leave,we will have provided the maximum possible certainty for British business  and also for British workers.

To those who are trying to frighten British workers, saying When we leave, employment rights will be eroded, I say firmly and unequivocally no they wont.

Britain already goes beyond EU law in many areas  and we give this guarantee: this Conservative government will not roll back those rights in the workplace.

The Prize

Ladies and gentlemen, in todays fast-moving world, technology respects no boundaries.

The rewards for enterprise and innovation are greater than ever.

Its only nations that are outward-looking, enterprising, agile and fleet of foot that will succeed and prosper.

And I believe that when we have left the European Union, when we are once again truly in control of our own affairs, we will be even better placed to confront the challenges of the future.

We start from a position of strength. Lets not forget what we have to build on.

Were the fifth largest economy in the world.

Weve got the English language, spoken by one and a half billion people.

Were the home of international standards for everything from medicine to law.

A science superpower.

A world leader in research and the arts.

A trailblazer in biotech, in digital, in pharmaceuticals.

A byword for excellence in manufacturing.

A global centre of finance.

A permanent member of the UN Security Council.

A leading member of Nato, the Commonwealth and the G7.

A nation whose brave armed forces, and  yes, Mr Corbyn  our vital nuclear deterrent  make us a truly global player.

So Im confident about our future.

Im confident about our new place in the world.

And to anyone who says that the cards are stacked against us, I say think again.

Many times in the past, our forebears have risen to the challenges before them.

Now its our turn to show the world weve got what it takes.

We may be a small island, ladies and gentlemen, but we know that we are a great nation.

So as we chart this new course for our country, lets be confident.

Lets seize the opportunities now before us.

And lets make Britain greater still.
Pago Pago Harbor will be busy come Friday Oct. 14 when two ships will call on the same day.

According to the American Samoa Visitors Bureau, first up will be Holland America Lines Noordam, making her second visit to American Samoa this year. Expected to be carrying 2,366 passengers and 820 crew, the Noordam will arrive at 8.00 am and depart at 6.00 pm. She is on a 19-night voyage from Honolulu to Sydney.

The next ship to call will be Costa Cruises' Luminosa, which is also making her second visit this year. Carrying 2,712 passengers and 1,050 crew she will arrive at noon and will also leave at 6.00 pm. The Luminosa is on a 99-night voyage from Savona, Italy.

This is the third time in six years Pago Pago has hosted two ships in one day.

Both ships are arriving from Honolulu, which is a five-day sail away, and as is normally the case with ships arriving directly from Honolulu, nearly all passengers are expected to disembark, following all the sea days.

The Noordam will then head for Suva, Fiji and the Luminosa for Nuku'alofa, Tonga.

The third ship to visit in October will be Holland Americas Amsterdam on Oct. 18, arriving at 8.00 am from Fanning Island, Kiribati and departing for Apia, Samoa at 6.00 pm. The ship will carry 1,656 passengers and 647 crew and is on a 52-night cruise from Vancouve around the Pacific Islands before heading to San Diego.

In related news, Avis is offering special car rental rates for cruise passengers calling in American Samoa. Rates start from $80 per day, including collision damage waiver, unlimited mileage and administration fee. All rental cars can be collected at the port on arrival by visiting the Avis staff at the tour desk in the American Samoa Visitors Bureau information marquee. To get the special rates, cars should be booked in advance.
Its been a tough year for Connecticut health insurance exchange Access Health CT.

In the spring, the exchange lost half of its four insurers and then, this summer, it almost lost a third one. Now, as end of 2016 approaches, the system established to give uninsured people a place to buy health plans faces plenty of uncertainty for the new year.

We need to find a way to make the Connecticut exchange more sustainable, said Jim Wadleigh, chief executive officer of Access Health CT.

According to Fitch Ratings, the states exchange is not alone in facing uncertainty and decreased competition in the marketplace. The phenomenon that is happening in Connecticut is happening nationwide, said Mark Rouck, a senior director at Fitch who heads up the health insurance team.

He noted that a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis estimates that the number of enrollees nationwide who will have a choice of three or more insurers will drop from 85 percent this year to 62 percent in 2017.

That same analysis estimates that the number of people who will have only one insurer option will rise from 303,000 to 2.3 million, or 19 percent of enrollees.

I think a lot of states are having the same issue, Rouck said. Its somewhat more pronounced in Connecticut.

Rouck said this may be because the risk pool of enrollees was not what the carriers expected. People are sicker than what they thought and they are utilizing the health insurance more than what they thought, he said.

Wadleigh said last year he was hearing from carriers that people were not taking advantage of preventive services, like annual physicals, which are covered at no cost to enrollees.

Then earlier this year he started hearing from insurers that people were enrolling in their exchange plans, getting services and then dropping out. Thats what the carriers were telling us, he said.

Rouck said there is also a question of whether the millenial population is participating in the exchanges. Many may still be covered under their parents insurance or receive an employer-sponsored plan upon gaining employment.

These factors were compounded by the fact that Congress voted to defund the risk corridor program, a temporary fund established to aid insurers in offsetting the cost of opening up their plans to everyone, even those with pre-existing conditions, under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, Wadleigh said.

It was kind of that death spiral for a lot of co-ops, he added.

The end for Connecticuts own co-op, HealthyCT, was the result of a similar issue, an order under the Affordable Care Acts Risk Adjustment Program that the company pay $13.4 million. The program redistributes funds from insurers with healthier policyholders to those with sicker policyholders.

Shortly after the order, HealthyCT was ordered not to enroll any new members.

According to Fitch data, HealthyCT had been seeing a higher ratio of health care costs as a percentage of their premiums than other insurers nationwide.

In the first half of 2016, the company only had 5 percent left over from premiums after health care costs were paid to cover their various administrative expenses and contribute towards a profit.

United Healthcare also announced this year that it would drop out of exchanges throughout the country, including Connecticut, due to losses. That leaves just ConnectiCare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in the marketplace.

ConnectiCare this year also threatened to leave the exchange, but then changed direction.

Aetna, which announced plans to drop exchanges throughout the country recently, dropped out of Connecticuts exchange in 2014.

In announcing its latest news, Aetnas Chairman and CEO Mark T. Bertolini noted it had seen a second-quarter pretax loss of $200 million and total pretax losses of more than $430 million since January 2014 in our individual products.

With only two insurers left in Connecticut's exchange it is anyones guess whether it will help to stabilize the exchange or create higher premiums for enrollees.

Wadleigh said Connecticut has seen smaller rate increases than other states over the years because it had, through individual state mandates, required carriers to cover what are considered essential health benefits. Because of this, Connecticut rates were already higher than in many other states where those benefits were not covered.

Rouck noted that another Kaiser analysis, this one based on insurer rate requests, found that of the rate filings in 16 states and Washington D.C., a silver health insurance plan in Hartford will increase 13 percent in 2017 compared with a weighted average of 9 percent for the other 16 cities.

Ultimately we want to have price transparency in the marketplace, Wadleigh said. We need to find a way to help make sure we keep products available for Connecticut residents. Im doing research. Its possible we may need legislative help. ... Time will tell.

ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227
Language is power in the world of business.

Consider Tesla. It cant sell its luxury electric cars in Connecticut. State franchise laws prohibit direct-to-consumer sales. The decades-old law requires a middle man, or an automotive dealer, to mediate the transaction.

That hasnt stopped Tesla from staking a claim. If it cant open a store in Connecticut, as it has in neighboring New York and Massachusetts, it can open an educational gallery among the toney shops, restaurants and boutiques at 340 Greenwich Ave. in Greenwich.

You can now learn all about an exciting new frontier of green sustainable technology, about a future thats environmentally friendly, about a world in which free-range children wearing organically farmed fibers breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat heaps of arugula.

And you can have it all for as little as $70,000 a pop.

This isnt a store. No, no. A store would be illegal. Per local ordinance and state law, theres no customer parking, no test drives, no electrical charging stations and absolutely positively no sales.

But.

There may be a way.

I called Thursday. No one was available to take my call. When prompted by the automated system, I pressed 3 for the gallery. I was then asked to leave a message for the sales team at Greenwich. I did that. As of this writing, no one has called back.

Im guessing the sales team at Greenwich isnt really a sales team. Not in Greenwich, anyway. Its probably a very nice team of very motivated people gladly willing to educate me on where I can legally purchase a zero-emission Tesla  at The Westchester, a chichi shopping complex over the state line in White Plains.

But their real job is to teach me about franchise law, a lesson  count on it  about how bad it is for business.

That is, for Tesla.

Connecticuts franchise laws are a holdover from an earlier era in which the national economy was planned and managed using a system of government-sanctioned cartels.

During the Great Depression, the thinking was that protecting local companies stabilized prices and wages while preventing large firms from driving small ones out of business. By the 1980s, policymakers abandoned cartelization, however. They instead opted for deregulating the economy to boost competition and growth.

But automotive dealers weathered the shifting winds of national economic policy. Over the decades, they grew to be a major political force at the state level, working to preserve a built-in advantage.

That advantage is called franchise law.

Members of the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association are the beneficiaries of that law, as are 14,000 people that 270 car dealers employ around the state. For months, the group has lobbied legislators to make no exceptions for Tesla, arguing that everyone in the industry should operate under the same rules.

So far, it has been getting its way. Tesla meanwhile has been advancing its own front in Hartford while opening a service center in Milford and the educational gallery in Greenwich.

Do franchise laws hurt or help?

Even conservative economists, who are generally skeptical of government regulation of the economy, have mixed views.

A study by the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Public Policy Studies, a center-right think tank, found that prices would increase if states repealed franchise laws.

Two libertarian-leaning scholars from Georgetown University, however, argued in US News & World Report that prices would surely go down. Plus, they said, such laws inhibit innovation.

Tesla is one of the most innovative companies in the world. Its founder Elon Musk created Space X, an aeronautics firm aiming to colonize Mars. Tesla also doubles as an energy storage manufacturer thats on the verge of dominating the renewables market.

Given Connecticuts bad-for-business reputation, youd think greenlighting Tesla would be a no-brainer. Nearly everyone in politics wants the state to be a hub of innovation. Indeed, Tesla has offered to create about 150 jobs in the state.

It might help if the states largest business lobby weighed in. But the Connecticut Business & Industry Association has not taken a position, and may never. While CBIA does not disclose names of members, I think its unlikely that 270 car dealers are not members of CBIA, with clout inside and outside the business advocacy.

Whats the answer?

Thats for the Legislature to decide. But dont expect any action until after Election Day. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association is giving us another lesson in the power of language, and how it can appear to mean one thing while meaning something else.

The very people who enjoy the benefits of special treatment, in the form of franchise laws protecting them from ruinous competition, warn Connecticut lawmakers against giving Tesla any kind of special treatment. It should open a franchise like everyone else.

We are all getting quite the education.

John Stoehr is a lecturer in political science at Yale and the 2016 Koeppel Journalism Fellow at Wesleyan. He is a contributing writer to Washington Monthly and U.S. News & World Report.
Countries on the brink of madness are riven by whispered scandals about the powerful  some of them true, most of them not.

Four years before the French Revolution, some tangled rubbish about a diamond necklace was used to smear Queen Marie Antoinette. Pre-1917 Russia seethed with obscene rumours about the monk Grigory Rasputin and the Empress Alexandra.

This tittle-tattle helped to discredit the existing regime, and opened the way for a new order which was far, far worse.

With us, there is a strange belief that a vast sex-abuse scandal, reaching high into the establishment, is being hidden by the powerful.

The great thing about such claims is that they can neither be proved nor disproved. And so those who doubt them can be condemned as part of the cover-up. You cannot be neutral.

In a reversal of the normal rules on slander, an accuser can allege the vilest things about an alleged culprit, and yet not suffer at all. He or she can also shelter for life behind legally enforced anonymity.

A powerful new Channel 4 drama, called National Treasure, features Robbie Coltrane who plays a showbiz giant brought down by abuse claims

Meanwhile, the accused are publicly humiliated, their homes absurdly searched  for what, exactly?

This unjust lunacy reached its peak in 2014 when the then Home Secretary, a Mrs Theresa May, responded to a media frenzy by setting up an 'Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse'. It was a very silly idea.

If crimes have been committed, we have a huge and expensive police and justice system which, to tell the truth, isn't half as busy as it likes to pretend. This is because it has decided that so many things that used to be crimes aren't crimes any more, so it ignores them.

And immediately, because of the wild and fantastic nature of the claims, almost nobody could be found who wasn't in some way disqualified to lead it. Ridiculously, that fine lawyer and judge, Baroness Butler-Sloss, was ruled out as chairman because she was 'part of the establishment'. I bet the Baroness is relieved to be out of it now, but isn't it ridiculous that the joke MP, Simon Danczuk, later to gain fame for his sexually explicit text-message habit, was allowed to influence the matter?

Now on its fourth chairman, this gigantic, foggy inquisition has just lost its chief lawyer, Ben Emmerson QC, amid a tornado of leaks and counter-leaks.

Meanwhile, most of those involved in the original scandal-mongering have suffered various embarrassing setbacks and aren't quite as chipper as they were when they stomped around the land demanding a state-sponsored witch-hunt. And Mrs May, who wants to be thought of as open-minded and willing to review the decisions of the Cameron Government, now has the chance to review and reverse her own mistake. I do hope she does, and shuts the whole thing down.

This kangaroo court, which is, incredibly, allowed to hear evidence against accused individuals without allowing any defence, is an embarrassing hangover from a bout of national lunacy.

We are slowly recovering from it. The Metropolitan Police chief who joined in far too keenly with the hunting pack has quit his post early.

A powerful new Channel 4 drama, National Treasure  in which Robbie Coltrane plays a showbiz giant brought down by abuse claims  is at least toying with the possibility that some of these accusations may actually be untrue, and that some accusers may be hoping for gain more than for justice.

About time, too. For far too long media, police and, shamefully, the courts themselves have forgotten the rule which stands between us and tyranny  that an accused person is innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

It is no good saying that the crimes are terrible. Locking up an innocent person, or destroying his life with anonymous smears, is terrible, too. And if we don't stop doing it, we will soon cease to be a free country.

Sweet puds on an old BR train... sheer bliss

Tories attack Jeremy Corbyn for wanting to renationalise the railways (in my view, his best idea). Well, they can hardly accuse him of too much state interference while simultaneously demanding government control over pudding portions in restaurants.

Nice big sugary puddings in old-fashioned British Railways dining cars, thats my policy.

Is the 'unbiased' BBC really trying to start a war?

If a small army of Islamist terror fanatics makes its base in a crowded city, and will not let women and children leave, it is very hard to know what to do.

For instance, the Iraqi army was faced with this problem in 2014 when it sought to recapture the city of Fallujah from jihadis. Nouri al-Maliki, then president of Iraq and so the West's ally, used barrel bombs to fight Islamic State terrorists in Fallujah. Pro-IS propaganda made much of the civilian deaths, but I don't recall the USA, or the BBC, or the moralising choir who now emote over Aleppo and shout 'war crimes', saying much.

Nor do we hear at all from these moralists about Saudi Arabia's rather savage little war now going on in Yemen (using British munitions) in which more than 2,000 civilians are said to have died.

There's a similar problem over the severe criticisms of the Syrian government made by the USA's diplomats and their mouthpiece, the BBC. Near-identical repression of dissent in Bahrain and Egypt (currently our allies) passes with barely a mention. Their governments aren't called 'regimes'.

Why is this? For instance, on a recent edition of BBC Radio 4's over-rated Today programme, the presenter, Justin Webb, stated as a matter of fact that Russia 'has no obvious interest' in bringing the Syrian war to an end. How does he know?

He then used that interesting phrase 'some who think'. There are some (namely me) who think this is a BBC way of sliding an opinion into a place where it shouldn't be. Anyway, according to Mr Webb, 'there are some who think they [the Russians] want it to go on and on and on in order to damage Europe with the flows of migrants'.

No doubt there are, but who are they, and are they right, and why is Justin Webb smuggling this opinion (especially if it isn't his) into a major news programme? A BBC spokesperson says feebly that this is 'news analysis', but it looks to me like taking sides.

From the start I have been shocked by the BBC's partial coverage of this issue, and its willingness to be a conduit for war propaganda in Syria, as it was in Libya.

This is important because we are being softened up for a war far more risky than that in Libya or Iraq. In Syria, Western forces might actually find themselves in direct combat with Russian troops and planes. Can you begin to imagine how dangerous that could be for Europe and the world?

Please don't be rushed into supporting such a thing, even by the BBC.

I am sorry that Jeremy Paxman has gone into the memoir business. Surely he doesn't need the money and, whenever anyone attacks his or her dead parents in public, I always wonder what those parents would say if they were still alive. But I am glad of this confession from the man who so loftily looked down on so many interviewees: 'It is not necessary to be an expert  why bother interviewing someone if you already know it all? The presenter is there merely as the representative of the average, reasonably alert viewer. You only need to know enough not to ask spectacularly stupid questions.' Really?
Theresa May, pictured, could be defined by what she says and does over the next 72 hours at the Conservative Party Conference

Today, Theresa May arrives in Birmingham for her first conference as Conservative Party leader.

And if she has the courage to seize the moment, what she says and does over the next 72 hours could permanently define her, and define the destiny of the United Kingdom for the remainder of this century.

No Prime Minister since the war has stood where May stands this morning. With no domestic opposition.

No serious internal opposition. Sky-high public approval ratings. A virtually blank economic, social and diplomatic canvas upon which to paint her masterpiece.

Yes, she faces daunting challenges. But they are her challenges. She is the future now.

If Mrs May appreciates the enormity of this moment, Im told she is unlikely to reflect it publicly.

There will be no rabbits out of the hat, no magicians sleight of hand, says a Downing Street insider.

Its all going to be about getting down to work. There wont be any shiny PR.

Welcome to the era of radical pragmatism. A country that works for everyone will be the conference mantra.

Each Minister has been told to provide a policy announcement to tie in with this central theme.

And if they cant think of one, something has been helpfully provided.

Its all passed up to Downing Street. The press release, the speech, the policy ideas. Then No 10 inserts what it thinks is needed to tie it all together, says a Minister.

This is Mays model of governance. No casual chats round the fireplace. Nothing left to chance.

And that represents her greatest danger. That her innate caution will mean she misses out on a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

The hallowed centre ground of British politics lies open. As May herself recognises  she is starting to talk to aides in Blairite tones about the new centre ground. But recognising it is one thing.

Having the courage and vision to occupy it is another. Indeed, Mrs Mays mission this week should not be to occupy the centre ground.

It should be to permanently fortify it. Minefields, tank traps, guard posts, machine-gun nests, bunkers.

She should begin to construct a wall of steel that will turn any assault from the rabid ideologues of the Left or Right into suicide charges.

To do that she must first turn her attention to the Labour Party.

This week Labour officially abandoned any pretence of engaging with the British people.

Yes, Jeremy Corbyn finally got round to employing a speech writer  though I noticed he has still not rid himself of the disconcerting tendency to end sentences with the excited breathlessness of a teenager engaged in his first sexual liaison.

But the message was the same. Fiscal recklessness. International isolationism. Mega-state interventionism. Unrestricted immigration.

Labours moderates  with the notable exception of Tom Watson  failed to put up even a token fight against this attempt to turn the official Opposition into a pseudo-Marxist safe space.

So May must rise to the challenge, and crush Corbynism. She must publicly eviscerate and humiliate him and his acolytes in full view of the electorate, and in the process save the Labour Party from itself.

Then she must do the same to the marginalised malcontents within her own party.

She has thrown the Tory Right enough red meat. On Brexit. On grammar schools. On trashing the Cameron record.

Mrs May is the godmother of Tory Party modernisation. She was the first to directly confront her party with its nasty image.

Her speech laying down the law to the Police Federation was one of the most courageous ever delivered by a Home Secretary.

Its this Theresa May the country  and the Tory Party  need to see this week.

Im told Mrs May will today set out a clear schedule for Brexit negotiations and the triggering of Article 50.

Not before time. And once she has done that, she needs to tell her Eurosceptics to get back in their box.

Then she needs to tell her Brexit Ministers to stop their Euro-freelancing, which is causing confusion and stirring up Cabinet resentment.

Its like those three have licence to say what they like, but weve got to bite our tongues, said one Cabinet Minister.

Pushing the false prophets from both Left and Right to the political periphery is a vital part of Mays strategy.

George Osborne, pictured, is understood not to be attending the conference but will be 'watching closely' in relation to his 'cherished Northern Powerhouse'

But it is still only part of the strategy. Once she has displayed some muscular centralism, she must then reach out.

One of her first acts as Prime Minister was a successful appeal to Labour moderates over Trident renewal.

If she could build on this  and construct areas of compromise, rather than set political traps  that would represent a radical and welcome departure that would challenge Labour to respond in kind.

She must also embrace the moderates in her own ranks.

George Osborne is not attending conference, in order to ensure he is not a distraction  though Im told he will be closely watching what Mrs May says in relation to his cherished Northern Powerhouse, and striking the balance between hard and soft Brexit.

Michael Gove is still licking his self-inflicted wounds. May needs to show they still have a place at her table.

She does not arrive at Birmingham a Prime Minister in a hurry.

While David Cameron was rushing to cement his legacy before his planned exit halfway through the parliament, his successor can proceed at a more leisurely pace.

Look at prison reform, says one Minister. We could have tried to ram it through in three years. But then wed just have messed it up.

'Now we can sit back and say, Right, weve got another nine years here. Lets take the time to get it right. 

Time is on Theresa Mays side. But she cannot squander it. And if she seizes the moment, this could be the first week of the May Millennium.

With Jeremy Corbyns re-election as supreme leader confirmed, Labours civil war is set to shift to a new battlefield.

Labour moderates now believe Unite general secretary Len McCluskey  Corbyns main trade union ally  may be facing an internal revolt as he prepares his own re-election bid.

McCluskeys in trouble, one MP informs me.

The Unite members in the defence sector are spitting blood over his stance on Trident, and theres a general feeling hes more interested in internal Labour politics than looking after the unions industrial interests.

Although Jeremy Corbyn, pictured, has been re-elected Labour leader the party could find its civil war moves to a new battlefield over the unions

Im also told concerns are being raised within the union executive about the cost of the election.

If he stands again, the ballot will cost over a million pounds. That sounds like a lot of money to your average fitter, says a Labour source.

Im told McCluskey was due to formally announce his bid last week, but had to shelve the plan after a row erupted over his unions 400,000 share in his new flat.

If McCluskeys iron grip on the 1.5 million-strong super-union is loosened, it would leave Corbyn vulnerable.

Has Corbyn got the stomach for a dose of McPoison?

As Corbyns chief propaganda minister Seumas Milne prepares to return to The Guardian, speculation mounts over who will replace him.

One name being floated is former BBC and Channel 4 journalist Paul Mason, but I understand Mason is regarded with suspicion by some in the Corbyn inner circle, who see him as being too close to Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.

Another name in the frame is Matt Zarb-Cousin, Corbyns well respected senior press officer.

But Im told another  rather surprising  choice is being considered: former Gordon Brown press supremo Damian McBride.

McBride is currently working for Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, and is said to have impressed Corbyn with his management of the Trident issue.

Damians definitely on the shortlist, a former shadow minister tells me, but some of Corbyns people think bringing in an ex-New Labour spinner would be a step too far.

If McBride  nicknamed McPoison because of his mastery of the dark arts of spin  did accept the role it would send a shiver down the spines of Corbyns opponents.
Earlier this year, as a criminal barrister, I defended a headmaster facing charges of sexually assaulting former pupils. I was convinced this decent and caring man was innocent, and fought as hard as I could to help him clear his name.

There were reasons for my belief. His accusers did not come forward for 20 years after his alleged crimes.

They were both in jail, serving sentences for serious offences of their own, when they saw an advertisement in a prison newspaper from a law firm that specialises in claiming damages for the victims of such assaults.

I have the deepest sympathy for genuine victims of child sexual abuse, writes Daniel Janner QC. Pictured, the late Lord Greville Janner arriving at his home with daughter Marion

When they contacted the firm, they were told their case would be stronger if the alleged perpetrator had first been convicted in a criminal court.

Thankfully, the jury found my client not guilty. But he and his family had endured two years in which they had lived under a black cloud of lies, bearing the mark of Cain reserved for those accused of paedophilia.

When the verdict was announced, he and his wife and children stood in a group hug, sobbing. For more than five minutes, they could not speak. They had finally emerged from a living hell so intense that, for most people, it is unimaginable.

I tell this story because I know, together with my sisters, Marion and Laura, our children and our childrens children, what this hell feels like. For more than two years, since my dying father, the former Labour MP and peer Greville Janner, was also accused of being a paedophile, we have shared it.

We had to watch as this once brilliant, loving and energetic man disintegrated in front of us. That was painful enough. But at the same time, he was facing a poisonous web of bogus claims, which made it ten times worse.

His death last December brought a little relief: at least his suffering was over, and with it, the trial of the facts he was facing in a criminal court  on accusations which a judge had ruled he was incapable of defending, because of his dementia.

But the Governments ill-fated Independent Inquiry on Child Sexual Abuse, the 100 million albatross bequeathed by Theresa May from her time as Home Secretary, rolls on.

Officially at least, it remains determined to make findings of fact about my father.

I have the deepest sympathy for genuine victims of child sexual abuse. They need help, and also justice. But I am certain that this flawed, skewed inquiry cannot provide it.

My family's treatment has been appalling. For example, we asked to see the documents on which the inquiry intends to base its investigation of my fathers case, but it has refused us any disclosure.

Meanwhile, his accusers were given everything. This one-sided approach makes it impossible to refute the allegations.

On June 2, our lawyers sent the inquiry a 19-page confidential letter, explaining why we consider the allegations are false.

The inquiry team sent copies to the accusers and their lawyers, and yet at the same time told us in writing that any dealings they have with us must be kept strictly confidential.

I have repeatedly asked to meet the inquiry solicitor handling my fathers case to discuss these and other issues, but each time he has turned me down  without giving reasons.

My family's treatment has been appalling, writes Daniel Janner QC (pictured)

So how can I be so sure my father was not a paedophile? The answer starts with this newspaper, and its brilliant investigation of Tony, who for many years was the only person to accuse him.

The Mail on Sunday revealed that Tony falsely accused the female head of the childrens home where he was once a resident, claiming she seduced him, after she caught him sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl.

Unaccountably, the police who recently claimed my father should have been charged 25 years ago always knew these inconvenient facts, but chose not to mention them.

The most serious allegations of all, that my father repeatedly raped another boy with sadistic violence during three days at a London hotel from August 16 to August 19, 1987, cannot be true. We can show this because we have his passport.

He left England for Singapore on August 12, arrived in Australia on August 13, and stayed until August 20. Yet this claim formed one of the charges he was facing when he died, and is still being taken seriously by the inquiry.

Many of the 30 other people who have now made claims against him were once in care. I have been told by the police that their social services records show that some of them did make allegations against others years ago, but none of them accused my father until his case had been given widespread publicity, and he had dementia.

But whatever you may think of the claims against him, there is simply no way that the inquiry process relating to my father can be fair. He cannot answer back. None of his accusers will be subjected to cross-examination. And yet he is the only individual whose case makes up an entire inquiry strand.

Meanwhile, the allegations are the basis of civil damages claims, which we intend to defend fiercely. This unfairness is why, acting on strong advice from a public law QC, we have launched a judicial review of the inquirys decision to investigate him.

The inquirys flaws do not end here. An investigation of this kind means the chair has to make legal decisions and rulings covering, for example, whether evidence is admissible and how it is to be presented, and issues about media coverage and the law of contempt.

Its time for total rethink. It is possible that with a smaller, more tightly focused remit, led by a senior judge, something may be salvaged from the wreckage

That is why an Appeal Court judge, Lord Justice Leveson, was appointed to chair the phone hacking inquiry.

The sex abuse inquirys recently departed third chairwoman, the New Zealand judge Lowell Goddard, had trouble with this  at one stage in a preliminary hearing, she had to ask what the local law is. But her successor, social work professor Alexis Jay, is not a lawyer at all.

She lacks the training to be able to cope  so any legal ruling she does make will be open to challenge. Meanwhile, in baffling circumstances, the inquiry has lost the one senior lawyer it did have, leading counsel Ben Emmerson QC. This is now a legal Titanic, sailing towards the pack ice without a qualified captain.

Meanwhile, the inquirys remit is too vast to be manageable. Mr Emmerson imagined he could limit oral hearings on each of its 13 strands to two months, though some cover huge institutions over decades. There is no way of pulling this off: after all, the Bloody Sunday inquiry, an investigation into the events of a single day, took 12 years.

Its time for total rethink. It is possible that with a smaller, more tightly focused remit, led by a senior judge, something may be salvaged from the wreckage  a report that looks to the future, making recommendations that might actually prevent abuse.
Irish ambassador Daniel Mulhall used a Guinness-soaked reception to take aim at Theresa May for her clear-as-mud mantra that Brexit means Brexit.

To roars of approval from Remainers, Mulhall jokingly likened the exit vote to previous injustices inflicted on the Emerald Isle by its neighbours  the Elizabethan conquest, the Jacobean plantations, Cromwell etc  before remarking pointedly that he looked forward to the moment when the UK finally figured out what Brexit really means.

Not very diplomatic, Mr Ambassador

Irish ambassador Daniel Mulhall used a Guinness-soaked reception to take aim at Theresa May for her clear-as-mud mantra that Brexit means Brexit.

A celebratory curry for Team Corbyn after Jeremys latest leadership victory was sabotaged by a member of vanquished Owen Smiths camp, who persuaded the Indian restaurant to pipe the Blairite anthem Things Can Only Get Better through the sound system as Seumas Milne, Jezzas spin chief, prepared to toast the arch-Lefties triumph. If only Owens lot had been as imaginative during the campaign.

Defence spokesman Clive Lewiss histrionics after Labour spin doctors ordered him to alter his conference speech  he punched a wall  will amuse ex-colleagues at BBC Look East. The one-time TV reporter, whose dad was from Grenada, claimed racism there denied him a role as presenter. This paper revealed the real reason. He had no credentials for that job, snorted his ex-line manager, adding he didnt know enough about politics.

Blair babe Ruths new ties to Theresa

Ruth Turner worked closely with Blair at No 10 and became boss of his Faith Foundation

Matthew Taylors appointment by Theresa May to head a review into work rights brings a distinct whiff of Blairism to her Government: not just through sepulchral Taylor, who ran Tonys policy unit, but also through Ruth Turner, left, who worked closely with Blair at No 10 and became boss of his Faith Foundation.

Four years ago, Turner  described by colleagues as sexy and bright  had a baby with Taylor. Whatever must the former PM make of it all?

When Labours ruling NEC met at the party conference, a fresh new face was present: 20-month-old Albert George Cryer. His dad, Labour MP John Cryer, and partner Ellie  both NEC members  discovered too late that the conference creche was closed. So they took Albert with them. He was babbling away throughout but thankfully he didnt move any motions! joked John.

Heavy breaths? Its Vaz

A separate NEC gathering was halted by an uncontrollable fit of the giggles at the expense of Keith Vaz  the Labour MP still reeling from a rent boy scandal.

With Vaz still to arrive in person in Liverpool, his was one of several contributions patched down the phone line for a conference call.

One troubled-looking NEC member said: Im sorry, but what is that heavy breathing sound? Up piped Vaz: Er, I think that might be me.

At the age of 46, rising Labour star Stephen Kinnock confesses to the early signs of a midlife crisis.
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A Mayfair mansion, which is thought to have inspired Algernon Moncrieff's bachelor pad in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Ernest' has come on the market for 15million.

In the late 19th century, when Wilde was one of the locals, he spent much of his time socialising at the Flemings Tavern, which was located directly adjacent to the property.

In Wilde's day the property itself was subdivided into 'bachelors chambers', where his close friend, Robert Ross, lived and Wilde is said to have been a regular visitor.

A Mayfair mansion, which inspired Algernon Moncrieff's bachelor pad in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Ernest' has come on the market for 15million

In the late 19th century, when Wilde was one of the locals, he spent much of his time socialising at the Flemings Tavern, which was located directly adjacent to the property (pictured, the family room)

In Wilde's day the property itself was subdivided into 'bachelors chambers' (pictured, one of the bedrooms), where his close friend, Robert Ross, lived and Wilde is said to have been a regular visitor

So it's no surprise that when Wilde imagined his own fictional bachelor, he gave him a home address on Half Moon Street and set much of the play's drama in the familiar location.

Recently, the 5,017 sq.ft house has been refurbished to fit with the lavish tastes of today's wealthy Mayfair set, and is now on sale with upmarket property agents Wetherell and Knight Frank.

It would certainly live up to the 'luxurious furnishings' of Algernon Moncrieff's Half Moon Street home as described in Wilde's famous play.

The white stucco fronted property was originally constructed in the early 18th century as a family home for the Gannon family.

The historic Grade II listed house was later split into the chambers and became known as the Gannon Apartments, when it became popular with young men-about-town.

The 5,017 sq.ft house has been refurbished to fit with the lavish tastes of today's wealthy Mayfair set, and is now on sale with upmarket property agents Wetherell and Knight Frank

The lavish property even features an opulent sitting rom with crushed velvet cushions and carpet (pictured)

The entrance hall has a unique geometric marble floor, Carrara Blanco marble fireplace and elegant ceiling coving

The apartments became home to the actor and costumier Raoul 'Reggie' de Veulle and novelist Hugh Walpole in the middle of the century.

Following Word War II the house at 14 Half Moon Street was converted into offices before eventually being transformed back into a single family home in 2008.

The mansion provides luxurious accommodation over a lower ground, ground and five upper floors.

It has an entrance hall, kitchen/breakfast room, three reception rooms, four bedroom suites, cinema, gymnasium and steam room and also comes complete with a passenger lift.

It has an entrance hall, kitchen/breakfast room, three reception rooms, four bedroom suites, cinema (pictured), gymnasium and steam room and also comes complete with a passenger lift

The mansion provides luxurious accommodation over a lower ground, ground and five upper floors

The marble master bathroom has a sunken stone bath, twin basin and double shower room in Armani grey marble

It also has two private terraces and a balcony, a rare luxury for a central London pad.

The entrance hall has a unique geometric marble floor, Carrara Blanco marble fireplace and elegant ceiling coving.

On the first floor is the formal reception room overlooking Half Moon Street. Smoked European Oak parquet flooring is complemented by period marble fireplace and wet bar with mini fridge.

In this elegant living room Oscar Wilde's play comes alive and you can imagine Algernon entertaining his friend Ernest Worthing and hosting his aunt, Lady Bracknell.

The master bedroom suite occupies the entire second floor of the house and has a large bedroom with deep bay window

Also on the first floor is a spacious double reception room which has been dressed to provide a drawing room area and a 10 seater dining room with double doors opening onto an outside terrace

Following Word War II the house at 14 Half Moon Street was converted into offices before eventually being transformed back into a single family home in 2008

Also on the first floor is a spacious double reception room which has been dressed to provide a drawing room area and a 10 seater dining room with double doors opening onto an outside terrace.

In the drawing room area Oscar Wilde would have had Jack Worthing proposing to Gwendolen Fairfax, and also here poor Jack would have been rounded on by her formidable mother Lady Bracknell.

The master bedroom suite occupies the entire second floor of the house and has a large bedroom with deep bay window, walk in dressing room with fully fitted bespoke wardrobes crafted from American black walnut with polished brass detailing, and marble master bathroom with sunken stone bath, twin basin and double shower room in Armani grey marble.

It also has two private terraces (pictured) and a balcony, a rare luxury for a central London pad

The white stucco fronted property was originally constructed in the early 18th Century as a family home for the Gannon family

The guest bedroom suite is set over the third floor and is similar in size and features to the master suite

The guest bedroom suite is set over the third floor and is similar in size and features to the master suite.

On the uppermost floors are two guest bedroom suites and a family room or third reception room which leads out onto a large roof terrace.

Peter Wetherell, Chief Executive of Wetherell says: 'Half Moon Street and this part of Mayfair captured the imagination of Oscar Wilde and the location is repeatedly cast and mentioned in his various plays.

On the uppermost floors are two guest bedroom suites and a family room or third reception room which leads out onto a large roof terrace

Peter Wetherell, Chief Executive of Wetherell says: 'Half Moon Street and this part of Mayfair captured the imagination of Oscar Wilde and the location is repeatedly cast and mentioned in his various plays'

'Fourteen Half Moon Street and the other bachelor chambers along the street helped inspire Oscar Wilde to write his storylines for 'The Importance of Being Earnest'.

'Indeed the first Act of Wilde's play is centred on Half Moon Street and Algernon Moncrieff's bachelor pad.

'In the newly created luxury interiors of the house now for sale at 14 Half Moon Street you can imagine Algernon, Jack, Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell being quite at home.'
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As one of the world's most celebrated style icons, the Duchess of Cambridge has mastered the art of fusing high-end designer labels with plenty of high street buys.

But whilst she has long favoured trusty high street brands such as Zara, Hobbs and Whistles, the 34-year-old has been plumping for outfits by London's most esteemed designers on her recent tour of Canada - and experts say she is looking more glamorous than ever before, even crediting her style as having Hollywood flair.

In fact, thanks to her exquisite Jenny Packham, Preen and D&G dresses, as well as her dazzling designer jewels, FEMAIL can reveal that Kate has curated her most expensive wardrobe to date at an estimated 61,852 - and she certainly looks a million dollars.

The Duchess of Cambridge, who has long favoured high street brands, has used her recent tour of Canada to really push the style boat out. The royal has curated her most expensive wardrobe to date, with gowns by the most high-end designers

Never less than appropriately dressed, the trip has seen the mother-of-two take more style risks than ever before, albeit without compromising the conservative appearance expected of a senior royal.

She has managed to make grown-up sophistication look young and practical and has been tapping into some of London's most sought-after designer looks while giving them her own unique spin.

Here, we break down how Kate's Canada wardrobe has been her most expensive - and impressive - tour clothing collection to date.

OUTFIT ONE: 13,845

Jenny Packham dress: Around 1,500

Gianvito Rossi heels: 495

Sylvia Fletcher for Lock & Co: Around 650

G. Collins & Son Earrings: Around 11,200

Kate started the tour as she meant to go on, stepping off the plane in an effortlessly elegant striking royal blue body-contouring dress by her favourite British designer, Jenny Packham, shoes by Gianvito Rossi and some very expensive jewels

Kate often turns to Jenny's designs but this one was custom made and the fit was spot-on. Because it was curated especially for the Duchess, there's no price tag on it but Jenny's designs come in at around 1,500. Kate teamed the bold dress with a pair of 495 four-inch suede heels by Gianvito Rossi.

She also offset her look with a bespoke saucer style with a maple-leaf design, which added flair to her otherwise understated ensemble, and was designed by London based Sylvia Fletcher for Lock & Co.

Again, the hat was bespoke so it isn't clear how much it cost but similar hats retail for 650 on her website.

Her earrings are thought to be by G. Collins & Sons; the pear shaped tanzanite and diamond pendant and earrings match the her engagement ring. The exact pair aren't for general sale but a near-identical pair are available online for 11,200.

Her earrings are thought to be by G. Collins & Sons. The exact pair aren't for general sale but a near-identical pair are available online for 11,200

OUTFIT TWO: 4,805

Alexander McQueen dress: 4,000

Miu Miu handbag: 640

Russell and Bromley shoes: 165

The Duchess then pulled out all the fashion stops in an eye-catching designer dress as she joined Prince William in Vancouver on day two of the royal tour of Canada.

In a nod to the nation's flag, Kate chose a 4,000 red and white Alexander McQueen frock for her first full day of public engagements. It was one of her most flattering looks yet.

As the frock has such an eye-catching pattern it would have been all too easy to plump for nude accents but she decided to paint the town red in the form of a 640 Miu Miu bag featuring sumptuous suede material and a bow feature.

The bag's description on Net-a-Porter reads: 'Miu Miu's bow-embellished shoulder bag has been crafted in Italy from plush crimson suede. This ladylike style has a gilded silver chain strap and opens to three spacious compartments - including a secure zipped section.'

We know how much she loves a nude court shoe, but this time she mixed things up a bit, teaming her red dress with a matchy matchy clutch and a pair of scarlet 165 shoes from Russell and Bromley.

In a nod to the nation's flag, Kate chose a 4,000 red and white Alexander McQueen frock teamed with a Miu Miu bag

She accessorised the look with a simple pair of pearl earrings, which are yet to be identified.

Speaking about her outfit choice, Fashion Expert and Stylist, Naomi Isted, said: ''Wow' was the initial reaction when most saw the bold and beautiful Alexander McQueen white and red dress Kate wore. It was such a drastic shift from her usual demure style.

'She has obviously been working out and is super trim this tour, which this dress showed. Her hair, shoes and accessories have pushed her usually demure classic English style to more of a movie star chic status. It's fair to say that she looks like a movie star. The bespoke Alexander McQueen ruffle and floral detailed dress was simply stunning, but teamed with red accessories, it was definitely a bold, sexier statement look.

'This dress made a clear statement that she has the power to play with her style as one day she will be Queen.'

Fashion expert Simon Glazin agrees, adding: 'She loves the British label (and rightly so). This dress is definitely her most statement from the brand. Bold in colour and shape, the red and white does wonders for Kate, and the layered skirt, long sleeves and high neck are super chic.

'What's more, this is from next season's collection, you can't even buy it yet. When did Kate so fashion forward?'

She accessorised the look with a simple pair of pearl earrings, which are yet to be identified

OUTFIT THREE: 1,890

Holland & Holland jacket: 480

Topshop shirt: 30

Pippa Small earrings: 850

Penelope Chivers boots: 450

Zara jeans: Around 40

After two show-stopping designer dresses, for day three of the tour after touching down in Bella Bella, Kate kept things rather casual and embraced the Sloaney style she championed before marrying into the Royal family.

The jeans are a pair she's worn before by Zara and she paired them with a Holland & Holland jacket.

The jacket is no longer available but it was last on sale in 2014 for 480. Beneath it, she wore a 30 gingham Topshop shirt and accessorised with Large Kite double drop earrings from Pippa Small, which cost 850.

She completed the casually chic outfit with her trusty 450 Penelope Chivers Long Tassell boots, which she has worn again and again throughout the years.

On day three, Kate kept things rather casual and embraced the Sloaney style she championed before marrying into the Royal family with Zara jeans, a Topshop shirt and her Penelope Chivers trusty boots

Beneath it, she wore a 30 gingham Topshop shirt and accessorised with Large Kite double drop earrings from Pippa Small, which cost 850

OUTFIT FOUR: 1,625

Preen dress: 1,000

Soru Baroque Double-Sided Pearl Earrings: 130

Gianvito Rossi heels: 495

The Duchess of Cambridge looked stunning in a red Preen dress when she joined Prince William for an historic reconciliation ceremony with Canadian First Nations groups on Monday night.

After a dress-down day in the rain forest, Kate was the epitome of glamour in at a reception for political and civic leaders from across British Columbia at Government House in Victoria.

The Princess turned heads in a 1,000 Thornton Bregazzi dress with the royal family's diamond maple leaf brooch, given to the late Queen Mother by her husband, King George VI, to mark the state visit to Canada in 1939. It was another homage to the Canadian flag after doing the same on the day she arrived.

The Duchess of Cambridge looked stunning in a 1,000 red Preen dress when she joined Prince William at a glittering event

The slightly asymmetric cut of the neckline, draped bodice and the fit and flare silhouette highlighted her trim figure and the sleek up 'do and minimal jewellery only added to the chic effect of this timeless look.

She recycled a pair of 130 Soru Baroque Double-Sided Pearl Earrings and plumped for 495 four-inch suede heels by Gianvito Rossi - the same pair she wore on day one but in a different hue.

'The red Preen dress was another gorgeous choice,' mused Glazin. 'Kate looked statuesque and elegant. And whereas a year ago she would have chosen a red dress that had not much to it (capped sleeve, just below the knee), this is exactly the opposite.

'Nipped in at the waist, gathered at one shoulder and midi-length, this is a timeless classic. Preen by Thornton Bregazzi (the label's official name) is considered a hot ticket at London Fashion Week, and the collections usually embody a floaty, '70s aesthetic with a tough-girl edge.'

She recycled a pair of 130 Soru Baroque Double-Sided Pearl Earrings, which she has been wearing constantly this year

OUTFIT FIVE: 2,805

Dolce & Gabbana dress: 2,000

Monica Vinader earrings: 125

Nina Trench Clutch: 185

LK Bennett Fern pumps: 195

Hobbs coat: 300

Despite showcasing a stunning array of designer gowns on the first few days of the tour, the Duchess of Cambridge upped the style stakes even higher in a dazzling bottle green dress from Dolce & Gabbana.

Kate wore the 2,000 frock as she joined Prince William in Kelowna, British Columbia, on the fourth day of their week-long tour of Canada.

The Duchess opted for a green hue, a colour we rarely see her wear, the last time being in a Catherine Walker coat dress at the Chelsea Flower Show back in May. But, once again, Kate proved she can pull off any look.

This Dolce & Gabbana pick is a custom version of the pocket watch dress that made up part of the fairytale-inspired autumn/ winter 2016 collection.

This simpler adaption with gold buttons is, however, perfect for a princess who is partial to a classic piece. By plumping for a high-end designer gown but adapting it to suit her style, Kate proved she's experimenting with her look and isn't afraid to put her stamp on a design.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 34, has adopted a bold new style for her Canada tour, with style experts hailing it a Hollywood makeover. This 2,000 Dolce & Gabbana dress was one of her most eye-catching looks

Kate had serious movie star appeal when she stepped out in a figure-hugging green gown teamed with nude court shoes and offset with Ray Bans

Again, Kate displayed her toned arms in the dress, which also cinched in at the waist to display her toned midriff.

The Duchess paired her emerald green ensemble with the 125 green onyx Siren Wire earrings from British jeweller, Monica Vinader. Having worn the brand a number of times, Kate proves to be a supporter of British designers and dazzles whilst doing so.

Kate later pulled on a thick green Hobbs coat, which is sold out but costs around 300, over her 2,000 Dolce and Gabbana green dress from earlier in the day. She carried a Nina Trench Clutch, 185, and 195 LK Bennett Fern pumps.

'What an amazing colour on Kate! She should live in this hue (as well as red, blue, purple...),' said Glazin.

Referring to the green dress, he added: 'She has gone back to her signature capped sleeve - it's nice to see her arms! - but the buttons, the bow at the neck and the puff shoulders make it a star piece. The original features a gold embroidered pocket watch on one side, but I imagine this is a quirk too far for Kate.'

Kate later pulled on a thick green Hobbs coat, which is sold out but costs around 300, over her 2,000 Dolce and Gabbana green dress from earlier in the day. She carried a Nina Trench Clutch, 185, and the 195 LK Bennett Fern pumps

OUTFIT SIX: 1,543

CH Carolina Herrera coat: 1,190

Tod's shoes: 353

For her sixth outfit change, Kate turned to CH Carolina Herrera, one of her sister Pippa Middleton's go-to labels. The bold red coat, which costs 1,190, has a nipped in waist, with a Peter Pan collar and double breasted cut.

She completed her look with a 353 burgundy pair of shoes from Tod's during the visit to the MacBride Museum in the former gold rush town of Whitehorse, where she and William sent their first ever tweet - by telegram.

Kate, who wore her hair in a chic knotted chignon, was clearly impressed with the telegraph office, which was visited by the Queen in 1959 and one of the few surviving historic buildings in Whitehorse.

For her sixth outfit, Kate wore a bold red coat by CH Carolina Herrera, which costs 1,190, has a nipped in waist, Peter Pan collar and double breasted cut

OUTFIT SEVEN: 1,059

R.Soles cowboy boots: 295

Sentaler cardigan: 707

Shelley Macdonald earrings: 57.25

Kate found the time in her itinerary to make a quick change out of her Carolina Herrera coat before she arrived in Carcross later on, opting instead for a Canadian designer.

The 707 grey outerwear with ribbed sleeves and belted waist is by Sentaler. The brand are known for their carefully crafted pieces with hand finishes in alpaca wool and it is much loved by Sophie Gregoire Trudeau - the Canadian Prime Minister's wife.

Kate paired the coat with skinny jeans and 295 R.Soles cowboy boots and the laid back look and flat shoes were perfect for their trip up Montana mountain. She finished off her look with 57.25 earrings by jeweller Shelley Macdonald, which has since been flooded with orders.

For outfit seven, Kate wore 707 grey outerwear with ribbed sleeves and belted waist by Sentaler

Kate paired the coat with skinny jeans and 295 R.Soles cowboy boots and the laid back look and flat shoes were perfect for their trip up Montana mountain

OUTFIT EIGHT: 2,672

See by Chloe dress: 320

Acne belt: 139

Monsoon shoes: 13.50

Kiki McDonough earrings: 2,200

On Thursday, the Duchess and her adorable family attended a childrens party at British Columbia's Government House and once again she nailed it in a stunning 320 cream dress by See by Chloe.

It's the first time that Kate has turned to See by Chloe but she pulled off the dress, which has a frilled neckline, cuffs and lace bodice, with aplomb. She cinched in her waist with a trendy 139 belt, believed to be from Acne Studios. She wore the dress with the more purse-friendly Fleur Espadrille Wedge Shoes from Monsoon, which have been slashed from 45 to 13.50 in the current sale.

Whilst her dress fitted like a glove, it was her earrings that totted up the price of this outfit. Kate opted for the Lauren Yellow Gold Pave Diamond Leaf Earrings from her favourite designer, Kiki McDonough, which cost2,200.

On Thursday, the Duchess and her adorable family attended a childrens party at British Columbia's Government House and once again she nailed it in a stunning 320 cream dress by See by Chloe

Kate cinched in her waist with a trendy 139 belt, believed to be from Acne Studios, and wore the Fleur Espadrille Wedge Shoes from Monsoon, which have been slashed from 45 to 13.50 in the current sale

OUTFIT NINE: 26,897.59

Ribbed off-the-shoulder top by H&M: 12.99

J. Crew Avery heels in tweed: 278

Zara white blazer:53

Zara black skinny jeans: 29.99

Annoushka pearl drop earrings: 323.61

Asprey Woodland Charms necklace: 17,000 (plus four charms = 26,200)

After the excitement of Thursday's festivities, Kate turned up to Victoria's Cridge Centre for the Family bright and early on Friday morning with a decidedly more casual look - teaming pieces from Zara and H&M with some 278 tweed block heels from J. Crew.

She wisely threw on a cosy blazer from Zara's 2015 collection over her on-trend, off-the-shoulder H&M top, which unsurprisingly has already sold out, to keep warm. Kate made sure to up the glam factor, however, with a 17,000 Asprey necklace which, with added charms, would have totalled just over 26,000.

The pair arrived just after 10am local time and were greeted by the Premier of BC Christy Clark and lieutenant Governor of BC Judith Guichon.

Kate turned up to Victoria's Cridge Centre for the Family bright and early on Friday morning with a decidedly more casual look - pairing pieces from Zara and H&M with some 278 tweed block heels from J. Crew

OUTFIT ELEVEN: 400

Troy London parka: 350

Superga trainers: 50

The Duchess wisely opted for comfort over style for the second leg of her action-packed day, with a pair of 50 sparkling white Superga trainers and a weighty 350 padded parka from Troy London.

Making her way around scenic Victoria Harbour on the Pacific Grace alongside her doting husband, Kate nailed the smart-casual look, keeping on her signature Zara skinny jeans and pearl earrings from earlier in the day.

Appropriately dressed to ward off the wind and rain, William and Kate watched as the sails were raised for the short journey from Ogden Point and helped steer the ship back into Victoria harbour.

Kate opted for comfort over style for the second leg of her action-packed day, with a pair of 50 sparkling white Superga trainers and a weighty 350 padded parka from Troy London

OUTFIT TWELVE: 429

Somerset by Temperley Spot Pretty blouse: 79

Smythe Les Vests The Duchess blazer: $595 CAD (350)

Kate impressed onlookers by helping to row a war canoe to the couple's next destination, a remote archipelago off the west coast of Canada, on Friday. She opted for a preppier look with a 79 pussybow blouse from Somerset by Temperley and a fitted blazer by Canadian designer Smythe Les Vests, aptly named The Duchess (350).

The royal turned once again to her trusty R. Soles cowboy boots and jeans, a wise choice as the afternoon promised to be an active one; the party docked at a pebble beach on Graham Island before receiving an official welcome at the Haida Heritage Centre and Museum; but it wasn't long before they were donning life jackets for yet another boat trip.

Kate opted for a preppier look on Thursday with a 79 pussybow blouse from Somerset by Temperley and a fitted blazer by Canadian designer Smythe Les Vests, aptly named The Duchess (350)

OUTFIT THIRTEEN: 715.99

Really Wild Clothing cashmere mix cable crew: 195

Skinny mid-rise Zara jeans: 25.99

Kiki McDonough diamond hoop earrings: 495

The Duke and Duchess donned life jackets for a fishing trip in Haida Gwaii with the Skidegate Youth Centre off Graham Island, where they were shown how to cast out a fishing line on the boat and attempted to catch salmon aboard the Highland Ranger.

Kate kept warm in a 195 soft cashmere mix jumper from Really Wild Clothing over a pair of khaki mid-rise Zara trousers which she famously wore during a hike in India. While this look had a more modest price tag, she added a touch of sparkle with a pair of 495 Kiki McDonough diamond hoop earrings.

The Duchess kept warm in a 195 cashmere mix jumper from Really Wild Clothing over a pair of khaki mid-rise Zara trousers. While this look had a more modest price tag, she added a touch of sparkle with a pair of 495 Kiki McDonough earrings

OUTFIT FOURTEEN: 7,195

Custom-made Catherine Walker coat dress: Around 3,000 (estimate)

LK Floret Nappa Leather Trench Courts: 175

The Duchess wrapped up her hugely successful tour at Victoria Harbour Airport, where the Cambridges bid a fond farewell to the country they called home for eight days. Kate donned her pearl drop earrings once again with a cream-coloured tailored coat dress by one of her favourite British designers, Catherine Walker - which experts estimate to have cost anywhere up to 3,000.

Adding a touch of sparkle with the borrowed maple leaf brooch and her trusty 195 LK Bennett heels, this look totals almost 3,200.
It will be released in 2017 and will be based on their ideas and preferences

The new functional training shoe will be crowd-sourced via Ms Skye's fans

She said: 'Through physical fitness, we reveal our mental potential'

Ms Skye, from the Gold Coast, will also spearhead body-positive initiatives

Emily Skye, 30, has partnered with Reebok to launch a new training shoe

Ever wanted to train like a social media fitness phenomenon?

Well, soon you can.

Sports brand, Reebok, has partnered with the internationally-famous fitness blogger and model, Emily Skye, in a move that will see the two collaborate on a new functional training shoe, to be released in 2017.

Lucrative deal: Gold Coast-based fitness blogger and internationally-famous model Emily Skye (pictured) has partnered with Reebok in order to release a new functional training shoe

Collaboration: The shoe, which will be crowd-sourced with the help of Ms Skye's social media fans, is set to be released at a date yet to be set in 2017

With the help of Ms Skye's eleven-million-strong social media following, the Gold Coast-dwelling 30-year-old will work directly with her fans around the world, crowd-sourcing their ideas and preferences for the perfect bespoke shoe.

The Reebok and Emily Skye trainer will then be released at a date that is yet to be set in 2017.

'Through fitness, I firmly believe every human has the potential to change for the better through the mind as well as the body,' Ms Skye said.

Motivator: With the help of Ms Skye's eleven-million-strong social media following, the Gold Coast-dwelling 30-year-old plans to engage and motivate women to be body positive

Helping hand: 'I want to work with Reebok on honest ideas that will really strike a motivating cord with... anyone, anywhere in the world that struggles with self-esteem,' Ms Skye said

I want to work with Reebok on honest ideas that strike a motivating cord with anyone, anywhere in the world, that struggles with self-esteem

'I want to work with Reebok on unique and honest ideas that will really strike a motivating cord with not only my supporters  but also anyone, anywhere in the world, that seeks for self-improvement or struggles with self-esteem.

'Fitness is a pathway to help us all be the best versions we can be  through physical fitness, we can reveal our mental and emotional potential.'

Ms Skye also plans to spearhead a number of Reebok initiatives that intend to shatter the traditional perceptive of what it means to be 'body perfect'.

Perfect shoe: The Reebok and Emily Skye shoe will be released in 2017, and it will see Ms Skye work directly with her fans, crowd-sourcing ideas and preferences for the bespoke shoe

Positive: The social media phenomenon will also spearhead a number of Reebok initiatives that intend to shatter the traditional perceptive of what it means to be 'body perfect'

This idea is something that she consistently promotes on her refreshingly honest Instagram profile.

'Emily has an amazing story that typifies what our Be More Human philosophy stands for; that enriching our lives through fitness can have a positive impact on our social and mental well being,' the Director of Reebok marketing, Steve Robaire, said.

Ms Skye is in good company with Reebok's other fitness ambassadors.

She joins the likes of American mixed martial artist, Ronda Rousey, and fellow fitness and health expert, Jennifer Widerstrom.
Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik have ended their four day trip to the United States with politicians and pharmaceuticals.

The couple have had a full schedule for their short trip, which comprised of two days in Washington DC and two days in Boston.

On Friday, their last day in the country, Mary and Fred met with the Governor Massachusetts Charles D. Baker at the Boston Statehouse.

Royal visit: Princess Mary and Prince Frederik spent their last day in United States in Boston

Princess of the people: The couple waved to gathered locals as they arrived at the Boston Statehouse

Royal welcome: Mary and Fred were greeted by Governor of Massachusetts, Charles D. Baker and his wife

Mary wore a stunning pale pink coat dress for the occasion. This featured a cinched-in waist and unusual sleeve details.

She has worn the eye-catching dress at least once before, when christening a ship in Copenhagen in June.

The brunette beauty paired the outfit with a pair of Christian Louboutin snakeskin pumps and a pale green clutch.

Her hair was tied back in an elegant half-updo, and she completed the look with drop earrings and a delicate long necklace.

Pink lady: Mary wore a pale pink coat dress and Christian Louboutin snakeskin pumps

Simple and stunning: She paired the outfit with simple jewellery and a pale green clutch

Offical business: After being given a tour of the statehouse, the couple attended a luncheon in their honour

Princess Mary's husband, Fred, opted for a navy blue suit, blue shirt and red spotted tie for the day, adding a small pin on his jacket lapel.

The couple were welcomed by the governor, who gifted Frederik with a cod water pitcher and Mary with a woven Nantuckett basket.

The pair were then given a tour of the Boston Statehouse before attending a luncheon with Massachusetts politicians and the Danish business delegation.

Cutting the ribbon: Earlier in the day Mary smiled as she officially opened a new office in Boston

Country relations: The office was for Danish company LEO Pharma, which has an office at the Cambridge Innovation Centre

Earlier in the day Mary officially opened the new Boston office of Danish company LEO Pharma.

The company hosted an event for the opening of their new science and technology hub at the Cambridge Innovation Centre.
Clothes from the girls' range also sold on eBay for around AUD $99

The last Young Hearts collection sold out in half an hour around Australia

It features nautical prints, patterns and is inspired by Ms Dinnigan's son

The collection, Young Hearts, will sell while stocks last from October 19

This time last year, it attracted a frenzy of frantic shoppers, rushing to ALDI to get their hands on a piece of Collette Dinnigan's limited-edition designer range for girls.

And this year, it looks set to be to be no different.

The esteemed Australian designer will now release a new boys' range at ALDI on October 19, which is set to be almost entirely inspired by her brown-eyed, blonde-haired son, Hunter.

Get in quick: Australian designer, Collette Dinnigan (pictured), is set to release a second collaboration with ALDI on October 19 - this range will now include a boys' range

Big success: Last year's Young Heart collection (pictured) was a girls' range - this one is set to be almost entirely inspired by Ms Dinnigan's brown-eyed, blonde-haired son, Hunter

Record time: The range sold out in little more than half an hour in ALDI stores (stock image), and this one will also be launched as an ALDI Special Buy while stocks last

Featuring nautical motifs and a line drawing of a lighthouse on T-shirts and coat and jacket linings, the new collection harks back to many personal memories for Collette Dinnigan and her three-year-old son.

'When we moved to Watsons Bay and also down near Milton, one of the first things Hunter would recognise was "lighthouse, lighthouse",' Ms Dinnigan, 50, told Herald Sun.

'It was [also] one of his first words. So that's definitely made its way into the collection.'

The boys' range will also feature European elements, as the family have spent the past several months in Italy, and comfortable but smart clothes for little boys.

There will be cotton dresses, ponchos and swimwear for girls on sale, too, while prices will range from AUD $14.99 to AUD $34.99 in keeping with ALDI's purse-friendly norms.

Savvy shopping: The budget-friendly threads will also feature girls' dresses and clothes like last time (pictured) - it will go on sale for prices between AUD $14.99 and AUD $34.99

Crazy: Last time, the collection later sold for as much as AUD $99 on eBay (pictured) - with queues forming of hundreds of mothers in ALDI stores

Pretty: Ms Dinnigan is known for her feminine aesthetic when it comes to her clothes (pictured) - but, she said she channelled a 'mother's instinct' when designing the boys' range

Eagle-eyed shoppers and fans of Ms Dinnigan's first Young Hearts collection in 2015 will be aware that in order to get your hands on one of the pieces from the while-stocks-last Special Buys range, you will have to be savvy.

The sell-out collection last year - which then retailed from AUD $11.99 to AUD $29.95 in store - sold for up to AUD $99 online afterwards on eBay and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, there were frenetic queues of over 100 mothers at ALDI stores around the country, as the collection lit up Instagram, with mothers sharing adorable snaps of their kids wearing the budget-friendly, beautiful threads.

How it came about: After the success of the last collection, Ms Dinnigan reportedly said that everybody was asking her to do boys' clothes

Diary date: Young Hearts by Collette Dinnigan will be released in ALDI stores as a Special Buy range on October 19; while stocks last

The reason for the upcoming collection, according to Ms Dinnigan, is simple - people wanted the designer to do boys' clothes.

Even though the internationally-famous designer is renowned for her feminine designs and details, she confessed she simply channelled her 'mother instinct' when coming up with the printed T-shirts, hoodies, shirts and shorts.
Exact nature of their relationship now is shrouded in mystery

She's recently been better known for her love life than her love of clothes, but today French actress Juliet Gayet proved that she's a true fashionista as she made an appearance at Paris Fashion Week.

The 43-year-old turned heads in a royal blue silk shirt and peach trousers as she joined celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Salma Hayek at Balenciaga's spring/summer 2017 show.

The producer who was first linked with the president of France, Francois Hollande, in 2014 looked every inch the style afficionado.

Actress Julie Gayet looked chic in a royal blue silk blouse, peach trousers and lace up patent leather flats

The actress, who has been linked to French president Francois Hollande since 2014 looked happy and relaxed at the Balenciaga show during Paris Fashion Week

Julie wore her blonde hair loose and natural and kept warm by throwing a long black trench coat thrown over her shoulders.

The star, who is well known in France for her work in film and TV, hit the headlines after she was named in Hollande's break-up with his long-term partner Valerie Trierweiler.

But since then the pair have kept the exact nature of their relationship shrouded in mystery, neither confirming or denying whether they are still an item.

Julie also provided a rare note of colour at the fashion show alongside guests who seemed uniformly to be wearing grey, black or beige.

And then there was Kim Kardashian, who's made sure all eyes were on her once again by turning up in little more than a coat and boots.

The 35-year-old wore a very sexy off-the-shoulder trench coat for the occasion, which flaunted her gravity-defying ample assets as she posed for snaps.

Gravity-deying: Braless Kim Kardashian showed off her ample cleavage in off-the-shoulder trench coat and thigh-high boots at the Balenciaga PFW show on Sunday

Stunner: She teamed the number with a pair of thigh-high leather boots which had white squares emblazoned throughout and looked like trousers at first glance

No make up today: Kim claimed she was wearing no make up with her Instagram post

She teamed the number with a pair of thigh-high leather boots which had white squares emblazoned throughout and looked like trousers at first glance.

Later on, she shared an Instagram post of her look, writing: 'No make-up today.'

Wearing her raven locks in a poker straight style, the mother-of-two, who is married to Kanye West cinched in her waist with a sexy tie belt.

The outing comes the morning after Kim wore one of her most eye-catching ensembles yet as she headed out to dinner with the reality show family.

All in the details: Wearing her raven locks in a poker straight style, the mother-of-two, who is married to Kanye West cinched in her waist with a sexy tie belt

Hard work: Kim has been on a mission to maintain her svelte figure, letting her fans know all about it

Composed: It would have been easy for Kim to suffer a wardrobe malfunction but she kept her composure as she always does

Collected: Kim looked a picture of calm as she stepped out from her car

Salma Hayek also appeared to go make-up free at the show.

The actress kept her look minimal with a low up do and centre parting and a grey dress that accentuated her curves.

She completed the look with gold high heeled courts.

The star, who recently played a Medieval queen in the fairy tale film Tale of Tales, appeared at the event with her husband Francois-Henri Pinault.

Another eye-catching guest was Anna Dello Russo, the legendary Italian editor at large for Vogue Japan who teamed her black top, tutu-style skirt and railwayman's cap with bare legs.

Stunning: Actress Salma Hayek turned heads in a figure-hugging dress that emphasised her curves

Happy couple: Francois-Henri Pinault posed for photos with his wife actress Salma Hayek

Glamorous: Anna Dello Russo also secured a front row seat for the show at Paris Fashion week
She is one of the most in-demand models on the scene at the moment.

So it's no surprise that Canadian model Winnie Harlow has spent the week jet-setting from one appearance to another.

On Wednesday, the 22-year-old appeared at the Waverly Inn in New York City to host the launch for a new social media app.

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Stepping out: Model Winnie Harlow appeared at the launch for social media app Huggle in new York City on Wednesday

All smiles: The 22-year-old model is one of the most in-demand models of the moment

The gorgeous star attended the event in a very on-trend black silk ensemble comprised of a spaghetti strap top and wide-leg pants.

Winnie topped her look off with a long black coat as the New York fall chill had just begun to set in.

The Toronto-born beauty mingled with guests before sitting down for a lavish meal with the founders of Huggle, the app being launched at the event.

The app, which was founded by Valerie Stark and Stina Sanders and shares funding with dating site Bumble, is a social media app that connects people with others who regularly attend the same places.

'People are more then just their appearances so it's refreshing to have an app that finds connections with people based on their shared interests and lifestyles,' said Winnie.

After the New York event, Winnie was off to London, where she put on a daring display in a monochrome fishnet number at another event on Friday night.

Showing up: Winnie mingled with guests at the event before sitting down to a lavish meal

What a catch! Canadian model Winnie Harlow put on a daring display in a monochrome fishnet number on Friday night in London

The 22-year-old attended a VIP preview of the new site for Annabel's while flaunting her enviable curves at the coveted bash in the layered white and black netted dress with flower detailing.

Fashion darling Winnie slipped into the racy gown which featured sexy side slits that paraded her lithe limbs in the skin baring number.

The beauty's intricate dress boasted stylish shoulder cut-outs as she posed up a storm at the star-studded event.

Letting her daring dress do the talking, the America's Next Top Model alum opted to forgo fuss and simply carried a black clutch to complete her look.

Adding height to her towering frame, Winnie worked a black high heel sandal that helped exhibit her flawless curves.

All about the detail: The 22-year-old attended a VIP preview of the new site for Annabel's while flaunting her enviable curves at the coveted bash in the layered white and black netted dress with flower detailing

Working a glamorous beauty look, the Toronto native styled her glossy mane into a vintage wave as accentuated her plump pout with a swipe of nude lipgloss.

In recent weeks, rumors have been swirling that she has been enjoying a romance with F1 champ Lewis Hamilton.

In September the rumored couple were pictured leaving New York's Up and Down club in the same car after partying until the early hours of the morning.

According to The Sun, Winnie struck up a bond with Lewis in July but their relationship has only recently 'stepped up a notch'.

Work it! Working a glamorous beauty look, the Toronto native styled her glossy mane into a vintage wave as accentuated her plump pout with a swipe of nude lipgloss

A source close to the couple told the paper: 'Lewis and Winnie have known each other for a while and partied together in New York last year, but things have stepped up a notch recently.

'They didnt want to fuel any suspicion at the [GQ] awards so agreed to stay apart from each other and avoided getting pictured together.'

However, a spokesperson has since insisted the couple are not romantically involved, telling MailOnline: 'Lewis and Winnie are just friends.'

Adding to Winnie's glamorous display, film star Goldie Hawn stunned in a plunging black dress that flaunted her taut stomach with a racy cutout.

Made In Annabel's: Made In Chelsea's Mark-Francis appeared in his element alongside Hollywood star Goldie Hawn

Glam date: Adding to Winnie's glamorous display, film star Goldie stunned in a plunging black dress that flaunted her taut stomach with a racy cutout

The 70-year-old's saucy number highlighted her ample assets while grazing her knees with a sexy thigh high slit.

Upping the ante, the Death Becomes Her actress oozed sex appeal as she worked her trademark tresses into a bouncy blow dry while teetering around the event in her studded heels.
When their daughter was born two years ago, it seemed that Lauren Etchells and Tasha Brown embodied the perfect modern family.

Having met online via a gay dating website, they embarked on a relationship in 2008, became engaged in 2011 and married in 2012.

The 2014 birth of Kaydance, the baby Lauren conceived with the help of a sperm donor, was the icing on the cake of this apparently happy union. We were ticking all the boxes, is how 43-year-old Tasha puts it. Everything had come together.

Lauren Etchells (right) and Tasha Brown (left) met online and married in 2012. Their daughter Kaydance (centre) was born in 2014 with the help of a sperm donor

Fast forward two years, however, and this cosy domestic picture has been smashed apart in the most dramatic manner imaginable.

This week, Canadian police announced that 31-year-old Lauren, who was born in South Shields, is wanted by Interpol after fleeing the country with Kaydance as well her new lover, IT expert Marco van der Merwe, and their baby son, Marcus.

Van der Merwe, according to Tasha, was a family friend who was merely meant to donate sperm for the lesbian couples second baby, something which he, as we shall see, vehemently denies. Indeed, even in a world where tales of broken families are commonplace, it is hard to imagine a more messy state of domestic affairs than this one.

And while primary school teacher Lauren appears to have performed a sexual volte face and settled on a more conventional family life for herself, the woman she has left behind is, perhaps not surprisingly, broken-hearted.

I could accept that our relationship was over, she tells me, But for Lauren to act as if I have no connection to Kaydance is devastating. Im her mother. I was there when she was born. I helped raise her. I love her.

So how on earth did things go so wrong for these two women and the child they both claim to be mothers to?

Lauren, 31, (pictured on her wedding day) who is originally from South Shields, is wanted by Interpol after fleeing Canada with Kaydance as well her new lover, IT expert Marco van der Merwe, and their baby son, Marcus

Looking back to the beginning of Lauren and Tashas love affair, it is possible to discern early alarm bells ringing. For a start, there was the fact that having met online, it took Lauren three months to agree to a first date.

She was forced into the closet by her parents, is how Tasha Brown puts it. She had tried telling them she was gay, but they are very British people. They had high expectations for their daughter. They said she was too pretty to be gay and she just hadnt met the right man.

But if electrical engineer Brian Etchells and his wife Angela had reservations about their daughters sexuality then, in public at least, they supported Lauren when she finally embarked on a relationship with Tasha in February 2008.

The Etchells family had moved to Canada in 2000 after living in Qatar, where Brian worked for an oil company and Lauren and her younger sister Shannon attended an international school in Doha for most of their childhoods.

It was to Dubai that Lauren and Tasha moved in 2010, prepared - because of the lucrative salaries on offer there - to hide their true relationship in a country where homosexuality is strictly illegal.

Tasha says Marco (pictured right with Lauren, Kaydance and baby Marcus) was a family friend who was merely meant to donate sperm for the lesbian couples second baby

Lauren taught at an international school in Ras Al Khaimah and Tasha worked for an international property management company. We lived a secret life, says Tasha, but we managed. Our close friends knew about us. It wasnt so difficult.

They married in the summer of 2012, after returning to live in Canada, with a reception on the banks of the River Nanaimo near their home.

So far, so good. And when Lauren gave birth to their sperm donor baby Kaydance, in September 2014, with Tasha at her side, everyone, including Laurens parents, seemed over the moon.

Both womens names were added to the birth certificate, giving Tasha equal parenting rights under Canadian law. As Tasha puts it: We were like any other happy family. Life was good.

But tensions began to arise last summer before Kaydance had even celebrated her first birthday. By then, Tasha was training to be a teacher at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in the hope of eventually becoming the main breadwinner and Lauren was on maternity leave after giving birth to Kaydance.

Lauren had become friends with Marco (left) when they were at school together. In July last year, he came to stay with them on a three-month holiday

The disparity in their financial situations caused minor squabbles. It was small things, says Tasha. Shed have a go at me in front of friends for eating food that she had bought. I felt she was chiselling away at my identity. But we worked through it.

So much so, in fact, that Lauren and Tasha decided that they would try for a second child.

By now, however, the firefighter who had donated sperm for Kaydances birth was in a relationship and, at the request of his girlfriend, had cut all ties with Lauren, Tasha and his biological daughter.

This time, they turned to one of Laurens friends and, in July last year, Marco van der Merwe came to stay with them on a three-month holiday from the United Arab Emirates where he lives.

Lauren had become friends with South African-born Van der Merwe when they were at school together. They had learned to sail together and their parents had been close friends.

After Marco arrived to stay with them, it took less than a month for Lauren and Tashas relationship to fall apart

Despite this closeness, Tasha insists she had no concerns about him.

I wasnt threatened by Marco, she says. He had been to stay with us when we were working in Dubai. We hung out together. It never occurred to me that he should be a threat. Lauren and I had been together for several years by then.

If she trusted Laurens feelings, however, she admits that she knew Van der Merwe had previously declared his love for Lauren.

Lauren told me he had loved her passionately when she was 16 and he had asked her to marry him. She said that she wished she could have had the same feelings for him because he would have been the perfect husband.

Hes good-looking, educated, smart. But she didnt have those feelings for men, so it wasnt an option.

Tasha, pictured with Lauren and baby Kaydance, turned to the Canadian family courts to make sure that Lauren did not try to take her out of Canada. But in May, Lauren, Kaydance, Van der Merwe and their one-month-old baby Marco flew to Gatwick from Vancouver

Tasha insists that even knowing about Marcos feelings didnt worry her, so sure was she of her relationship with Lauren. How misplaced that certainty seems now given that - after Marco arrived in July 2015 - it took less than a month for Lauren and Tashas relationship to fall apart.

Indeed, it began from the moment Lauren went to the airport to collect Marco before heading off to her parents for the weekend with him.

Before she left the house, she collected the materials she had previously used for self-insemination, telling Tasha that she would need to perform the procedure that weekend because she was ovulating.

I was gutted because thats not what we did the first time, says Tasha. I asked her what we would do about a contract and she said wed sort it out later.

When Lauren and Marco returned home after that weekend at her parents, she says, Lauren became increasingly distant, pulling away if she tried to show affection.

But the straw that broke the camels back, she says, came one day when she picked up Kaydance in front of Lauren and Marco. Id had her for about five minutes and Lauren said: OK. Give her back now.

I was horrified. I couldnt believe what I was hearing. I was so embarrassed, degraded and humiliated. I was her mother, too. I couldnt believe she was speaking to me like that.

With hindsight, that brief exchange was an ominous sign of how little significance Lauren attributed to Tashas role as Kaydances other mother.

If she had once embraced shared parenthood as a gay woman then, when it came to the test, she regarded her own role, as the babys biological mother, as carrying far more weight.

What Tasha didnt realise at the time was that Lauren had embarked on a relationship with Marco and was pregnant with his child. The couple eventually became engaged and their son, Marcus, the baby that Tasha once thought would be hers, was born in April this year.

By then, Tasha admits, her dealings with Lauren had become akin to a chess match as she struggled to gain access to Kaydance and turned to the Canadian family courts to make sure that Lauren did not try to take her out of Canada.

She foiled one attempt last September after discovering that Lauren had booked flights to Qatar via London, and Lauren was forced to hand over her own and Kaydances British passports.

But Lauren was allowed to renew her own British passport when it expired earlier this year and she defied a court to apply for a Canadian one for her daughter instead.

On May 8, Lauren, Kaydance, Van der Merwe and their one-month-old baby Marco flew to Gatwick from Vancouver. Lauren is believed to have spent a couple of weeks staying with relatives in Grimsby before leaving for France and travelling to the Middle East.

Intriguingly, Van der Merwe, who is back living in Qatar, denies he ever agreed to be a sperm donor and insists he had no idea Lauren was breaking the law when they boarded the flight together in May.

He says he doesnt know where Lauren is and that he has had no contact with her since she broke off communication with him. Canadian detectives claim that he has been less than co-operative but according to Van der Merwe: I did co-operate with the authorities, they just didnt want to believe what I had to say.

Brian and Angela Etchells have also disappeared from their Canadian home in Victoria which has since been sold. Their whereabouts are also unknown to the police.

The last time Tasha saw them was the day she turned up at their house - May 14 - to plead with them to tell her where Lauren and Kaydance had gone.

Her fathers voice was shaking, she said. He said that they couldnt tell me where they were. I knew from the look in his eyes and his voice that Kaydance was gone.

While it is impossible to know for sure if they are assisting their daughter, Tasha believes they will be delighted Lauren has turned her back on her lesbian past and embraced a more conventional family life. I think they always wanted Lauren to be with Marco, she says. I think they were embarrassed by Lauren being a lesbian. They put on a good show for a while.

During one of the rows Tasha had with Lauren and her parents as her marriage crumbled, she recalls how Angela Etchells screamed at her: You are not Kaydances parent. You are evil.

I said to her: I was there for the conception and the birth. I have been there as her mother ever since. But what she said showed her true colours and how she really looked at me.

Indeed, despite their marriage and the fact that both womens names were on the birth certificate, Tashas claims to be Kaydances mother appear to have been given no weight by Lauren and her family.

For Tasha, who last saw her daughter in May as she strapped her into a car seat and kissed her goodbye thinking she would see her again in a few days, that fact is undeniably devastating.

But who knows what impact this domestic drama is having on Kaydance, who has been at the centre of such strife and celebrated her second birthday only last week.

Speaking at a Press conference held last week to publicise the case, Sergeant Jereme Leslie of Saanich Police Department in British Columbia, Canada said: Lauren is causing Kaydance no end of psychological damage, including being able to form any sort of trusting long-term relationship.

She is also no doubt labouring under the emotional stress of being a fugitive, knowing that at any moment she might be stopped by police and forced to return to Canada with her daughter.

Tasha Brown insists that the search for Kaydance will go on for as long as it takes.
The number of foreign doctors working in the NHS should be cut after Brexit, with homegrown medics replacing them, the Health Secretary has declared.

In one of the clearest indications yet of the Governments vision for Brexit Britain, Jeremy Hunt questioned why more than a quarter of NHS doctors were foreign when scores of bright Britons were turned away from medical school.

Pledge: Jeremy Hunt during his Mail on Sunday interview prior to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday to mark the start of the Tory Party conference in Birmingham, he also:

Slapped down Boris Johnson over his claims that the NHS will receive a Brexit bonus;

Criticised the running of the Remain campaign;

Said the Prime Minister should not signal in advance when Article 50 will be triggered;

Declared victory in his battle with junior doctors over a seven-day NHS service;

Announced a multi-million pound investment for mental health services;

Revealed what really happened inside Downing Street when Theresa May kept him in post.

Mr Hunt, who backed Remain in the referendum, argued that leaving the EU would throw into sharp relief the number of doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants we need to import every year in order to sustain our health system. He said: I think people will ask whether it is right when we are turning away bright British youngsters from medical school  who might get three A-stars [at A-level] but still cant get in  at the same time we are importing people from all over the world. I think its a debate we need to have.

Mr Hunt slammed Leave campaigner Boris Johnson over his claims that the NHS will receive a Brexit bonus

Niall Dickson, of the General Medical Council, has said patient safety is at risk because, unlike other foreign doctors, those trained in the EU were assumed to be on par with British medics.

A bullish Mr Hunt, celebrating last weeks High Court ruling backing him in his dispute with junior doctors, also took aim at Mr Johnson for saying the NHS would receive a funding boost from Brexit  sticking to the Leave camps claim that millions destined for Brussels could be given to the health service.

Mr Hunt  still talked about by backbenchers as a future leader  said while he would love more money, whether we are able to from a Brexit dividend it is too early to say. [Mr Johnson] was basing it on the commitments made by the Leave campaign in the referendum, which were hotly debated.

He also criticised the Remain campaigns scare tactics, saying: Clearly the Remainers didnt win the argument, and the way the Project Fear argument was used was maybe part of that. The campaign essentially spoke to Conservative voters and I dont think there was a message for working-class Labour voters.

Though he previously said Britain should stay in the single market, Mr Hunt now says: History has moved on. I have understood in a way I did not before that the single market is not a single concept.

Whatever we end up with has to respect the clear decision by the British people to regain control of our borders and end freedom of movement.

Asked when Article 50 should be triggered, he said: We will do that when we are ready. The worst thing you can do is lay out your cards on the table at the very start of the process. That guarantees you wont get what you need, which is why [Mrs May] is right to play her cards close to her chest.

Mr Hunt said the High Courts backing for his drive to impose a new contract on doctors had paved the way for a round-the-clock service in at least half of hospitals by March 2018.

Strikes: He also declared victory in his battle with junior doctors over a seven-day NHS service

Today he will announce an extra 12.5 million investment in the Time To Change mental health campaign. The issue is a personal passion for Mr Hunt, particularly since receiving a harrowing letter from the father of a fun-loving, bright, happy girl who killed herself aged 15.

Mr Hunt said he was determined to reduce the stigma surrounding it, adding: We still have a long way to go. One of the messages we have to get across is that many mental health conditions are completely curable.

When Mrs May appointed her first Cabinet in July, Mr Hunt walked into No 10 without the NHS badge he normally wears  only to reappear half an hour later, beaming, with the badge on his lapel.
If you have a problem, write to Zelda West-Meads at: YOU, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS, or email z.west-meads@you.co.uk

Should I end my transatlantic affair?

I am a 35-year-old American woman and while working in the UK I had a two-year affair with a married man. There was never any question of him leaving his wife, despite the fact that there was little sex in their relationship as he had two small children and a high-powered job.

I fell in love with him and, as well as being a fantastic lover, he also became a close friend. Because of this, we agreed to keep in touch and meet when either of us was travelling nearby.

I returned to the US six months ago and we have been emailing each other every day. Is there anything wrong with us staying in contact? Its not affecting the marriage and we are miles apart.

If only relationships were as easy as that. You are playing a dangerous game by being in touch with this man every day.

You are sexually attracted to each other and there is an emotional intimacy between you, so when you do eventually meet up, are you just going to sit and talk over a coffee and then bid each other goodbye?

The reality is that you would be meeting in romantic locations a long way from home  in which case, how would you resist the temptation of having sex?

You are both betraying his wife. I get many letters from people who have discovered that their partner is having an affair  often because they have found an email that their spouse forgot to delete.

But what about you? I fear you are putting your love life on hold waiting for a few brief hours or days with this man, when what you should be doing is ending this relationship so that you are free to meet and fall in love with someone new, who you can realistically share your life with.

Also, as he has little sex with his wife and you are no longer in the UK, there is a strong possibility that he will be tempted to have other affairs.

She doesnt trust my motives

I have been separated from the mother of my four-year-old daughter for two years.

We met when I was 22 and she was 20; we were together for five years. We keep in touch by text. I recently asked her if we could meet. She agreed, but then changed her mind.

I believe she thinks I am not being genuine and just want to see her for sex. She says that I am asking to meet, but not saying anything about being together for ever.

She has a lot going on at the moment and is completing university. Should I pursue this or leave her alone?

As you have not seen your ex-partner since the split, it sounds as though you havent seen your daughter either and that deeply concerns me.

Unless there is a good reason why a man should not see his child (eg, potential violence), children of separated couples fare better if they see both their parents.

Perhaps your ex does not trust you or your motives for wanting to meet because you left her and your child.

Or she has had second thoughts about meeting because she wants to be in a committed relationship to provide stability for her daughter, and you are uncertain about the future.

Try talking on the phone rather than texting, so that you can discuss these issues and then suggest meeting  perhaps in a cafe so she knows that its not just about sex  to talk some more.

You could offer support during this busy time in her life and talk about being a loving father to your daughter.

Is flirting with my friend wrong?

We are a reasonably new couple and my boyfriend is great. He treats me well and says he is lucky to be with me and that I am everything he has ever wanted.

Our sex life is good, too. However, I have been Facetiming and flirting with a close friend lately. I fantasise about him sexually and imagine how different my life would be with him.

He has said that hes interested in me, too. I feel slightly guilty about this. I have always looked down on people who seem to be in a great relationship with a lovely person, but then cheat on them.

I havent done anything physical with this other man, but I still feel disloyal to my boyfriend. I am a seriously confused woman.

Even though this is not a full-blown affair  well, not yet  I suspect that your boyfriend would be devastated if he knew the contact you have been having with this other person.

This man says he is interested in you, but that is far different from how your boyfriend says he feels about you.

For example, this mans interest might be about having a fun and sexy relationship, but not one that lasts.

How would you feel then? If you did have a future together, would your life truly be so different from the one you could have with your boyfriend  and is it a life you actually want?

Perhaps you need to find out more about how this man really feels about you. Its not fair to two-time your boyfriend, so if you love him, you need to end this flirty relationship with your friend immediately.

But the fact that you are so attracted to this other man suggests you are not as in love with your boyfriend as he is with you. If so, it would be kinder to end things with him.

If you have a problem, write to Zelda West-Meads at: YOU, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS, or email z.west-meads@you.co.uk
Well. Wonders will never cease, will they?

It was my birthday on Monday, and the plan was to go to the world film premiere of Bridget Joness Baby in London with David. I was so nervous about the whole day, I woke at 4.40am.

Nic drove me to the station and I boarded the train; she had had to purchase my ticket as I only had 5 in my account, which meant shed had to come with me to the ticket office to insert her card. I borrowed a black Gucci dress from my friend Isobel; I was worried that if I wore my one and only Victoria Beckham body-con dress again, another magazine would publish a gallery showing every single time its had an outing.

David texted me: I will pick you up from Kings Cross. Blimey. Ive become one of those women I always used to envy at airports who are met by loving partners and helped into cars with their luggage. How on earth did that happen?

He drove us to his flat, where I had an hour to get ready. The bathroom light has gone again, he said, but Ive lit a candle.

Oh dear. But he had made a cake, and didnt moan when I told him I didnt have a ticket for him, only me (the premiere was a work assignment). I will drop you off at Leicester Square, so text me when you leave and I will pick you up, he said. Ive booked a table at Moro in Exmouth Market, as I know you love it there.

As we drove across Vauxhall Bridge towards the West End, David kept saying, Yippee! I have a girlfriend! I went to see the film, then met him after.

When he saw me teetering towards his car, he got out, excited, and opened the door for me. I was a normal person at last. I was going to get a happy ending. My life was just like one of the romcom movies I love so much, that I live for, that I have clung to for years when my own life has been too hard to face or even contemplate.

After dinner, we got back to his flat and he opened champagne and cut the cake he had made.

I havent got you a present yet, he said, handing me a sparkling flute of Bolly. But tomorrow, I know you have a review to write and another film you have to see in the evening and your YOU column to file, but Im going to take you shopping so you can choose your present. I am thinking we go to J Crew? Or maybe to Westbourne Grove?

Finally, finally! I had a wonderful birthday. I received so many texts and emails from readers, from my nieces, from my sister, from Emily at the deli in Dulverton. Nic had given me a pair of jodhpurs, as mine had such huge holes at the knees Id become an embarrassment: people actually stop and point.

I have just woken up, and logged on to my computer to start writing up my review. This is where Im safest, in front of my (ancient) laptop with its worn keys, fingers poised on the keyboard, about to write something: this is what I do, this is what makes me happy. David has just made me a pot of coffee. He has baked some sort of tiny cakes for breakfast, I think they are madeleines.

I logged on to Davids internet with some difficulty, given my computer is so old and leaden and slow  instead, as old habits die hard, I blamed Davids internet; the poor chap flustered about so much trying to reboot it, I was mean and said, Have they entered you for the Para-lympics?  and an email popped into my inbox.

Oooh, whats this? Oh dear. I was reminded of the passage in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, when Bridge was incarcerated in a Thai prison. All my life, I have always thought something bad was about to happen. And now it has.
There is some lively debate as to who actually invented the mightily British combination of butter, crumpet, Marmite and oozing egg. But whoever it was deserves a medal for services to their country. Magnificent, and magnificently simple, too.

SERVES 2

50ml white wine vinegar

4 crumpets

4 Burford Brown eggs, at room temperature

unsalted butter

Marmite

coarsely ground black pepper

 Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to just under boiling point. Turn down to a simmer and add the vinegar.

 Place the crumpets in a toaster; they should be double-toasted to give them a little crispness.

 Crack each egg into a small cup (this makes it easier to poach 4 at the same time). With a slotted spoon, swirl the water around to create a whirlpool in the centre, then gently drop all the eggs into it. Turn the heat back up and, when it starts bubbling again, turn it back down to a low simmer. Poach the eggs for 3-4 minutes  they will rise to the surface when they are done. Remove them from the pan with the slotted spoon and put them on a wad of kitchen paper to soak up the excess water.
A friend, curious about my piece, teasingly asked me whether my options for topics this week extended beyond J Jayalalithaa or the army.

I confess that I was planning to write on one of them and suddenly felt a bit predictable.

He asked me why dont you write about news of a different kind. Write, he said, about old age or childhood. These too are states of war no one talks about. They do not make news except as anecdotes. But if Hobbesian world of brutality exists, it is there.

Poverty does not cause criminality. It is just that the poor are more easily labelled and treated as criminal.

Report

I was surprised and realised that he was right. Fortunately, a week ago, I had been to a conference on children interned for crime.

A sensitive NGO 'Butterflies' produced a fascinating and depressing report on them.

The Butterflies report tried to go beyond a standard social work report that always terms childhood a dismal science.

Very deftly, it tried to show the class character of justice. The report reveals that crime runs across society intersecting both poverty and affluence.

It is only the lower classes who land in jail, the rich are able to buy their way out of the justice system.

A child is a survivor of the great migrations, the movement of industrialisation and displacement

The poor are criminal because they are criminalised by poverty and by a society that is consistently unfair and brutal to them.

Poverty does not cause criminality. It is just that the poor are more easily labelled and treated as criminal.

This blows a huge hole into the social science theory which cannot make poverty the root cause of crime, when crime grows happily in the compost heap of affluence.

There is an innocence about the power that goes further. Many children are in these homes because they could not stand the torture.

They preferred to confess and be punished, rather than be tortured. Suddenly the report changes in texture.

We are facing children who desperately need rights and the entitlements of citizenship. A child is a survivor of the great migrations, the movement of industrialisation and displacement.

Worse, the crimes listed, apart from cases of violence and sex, are petty and many are sentenced before justice is available.

The courage of the Butterfly report is that it breaks stereotypes about poverty, childhood and criminality.

The logic of deviancy is no longer following the spilt between pathology and normalcy.

Secondly, time is critical in the understanding of criminality. People do not realise that not all offenders become hardened criminals.

Reading the trajectory backwards makes crime look inevitable and the criminal doomed.

Most children adjust, reform and return to the maturity of adulthood. There is nothing fatalistic or doomed about the crime.

The report argues that political economy is important but so is moral luck. A tender hand or a helping adult can go a long way in redeeming a child.

Kindness and political economy are both needed to understand children who are still criminal. To understand this complex residue, one has focus on the fact the families faced with poverty, starvation, unemployment are often too vulnerable to give that extra care that can save a child.

The child sensing the weakness of the family moves to the cocoon of the peer group. Peer groups are protective but also demanding.

They can be violent in terms of their initiation rights but provide a sense of home, of comradeship, membership and belonging.

Social scientists in India in their obsession with the stereotyped family need to spend more time understanding peer groups and gangs.

Stereotype

Unfortunately, we see childhood not in itself as a cocoon, a universe of its own requiring its own myths and science but we securitise and commoditise childhood, treating it as potential manpower, we equate it to a resource.

Once a child is treated as a commodity, we are hard towards it. Treating a child as a citizen with entitlements that began long before adulthood will be a new part of democratic theory.

Social scientists emphasise on the need for an understanding voice. But their notion of voice is limited.

They think an occasional quote provides a child participation and representation in defining and determining his universe.

The childs story, his scream of pain, his sense of loss, his anecdotes about surviving in the city are rarely a part of ethnography.

A child, no matter how small, has to be listened to seriously as a theorist of his own being. Injustice for these children is a prolonged rite of passage.

They suffer in the wilderness of a city, in remedial homes which create a sense of punitive justice and in schools where they are seen as backward.

Turning to punitive institutions hardly redeems them.

Possibility

The report offers the possibility of a new model based on a more open-ended understanding of the need to decriminalise childhood.

It suggests a triangular model of cure, therapy and reform. It is not sentimental. It realises some children gorge on criminality and yet one needs empathy to understand background.

The dangers to such an understanding comes from the fact NGOs in civil society and the state see childhood in different ways.

The state sees a recalcitrant citizen and a failed resource and wants to be punitive.

Civil society sees a failed childhood and attempts therapy. The state needs to be more open to civil society imaginations and not also ignore them as deviant.

This report also raises a bigger question of the fate of the body in relation to the body politics.

A childs violated body, subject to brutality, incest, starvation, threat, rape faces a vulnerability whose collective state we must understand.

A state, therefore, cannot be punitive subjecting the child to official brutality and punishment. This doubles the violence.

What the report demands is a different kind of storytelling which sees new initiatives that looks for a different social science and a different way to construct a society.

This is news in the days of old behaviorist social science which is blind to childhood as being.

Democracy demands that we take childhood more seriously and caringly.
With unrest at the Indo-Pak border growing, the Indian Armys best friend in the western frontier - the humble camel - is finally going to get a helping hand.

The Rajasthan government, under directions from Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, is all set to launch an innovative Ushtra Vikas Yojana (Camel Development Plan).

The plan is to boost the use of Camels in borders areas which is covered with dense deserts.

With camel farmers finding breeding of the animal unprofitable, the number of animal has decreased causing problem for the BSF

The scheme, to be undertaken by its animal husbandry department, will be inaugurated on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), on Sunday.

Alarmed at its swiftly dwindling numbers, the government will now provide a Rs 10,000 cash incentive to camel farmers on the birth of each calf.

The camel population has dropped from one million in the 1950s to just about two lakh as per a census conducted by NGO Lokhit Pashu Palak Santhan in 2014.

BSF officials at Sakherewala post in Thar desert where India and Pakistan share international border in Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan

Also, medical camps will be set up for camels suffering from Surra, a dangerous disease which infects its blood and often proves fatal.

The grand plan comes two years after the hardy animal, an icon of sandy Rajasthan, was declared the state animal.

In April 2015, the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Bill was passed making its killing a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in jail.

Other than being the only traditional and reliable means of transport in the deserts, the camel is indispensable to the Border Security Force (BSF) and in turn, national defence.

At present, more than 500 camels are employed with the BSF to help it patrol 1,040 km of Indias western extremes, along Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Camels, often called the Ship of the Desert, expertly manoeuvre both lofty sand dunes and marshes along creeks in the Rann of Kutch.

They are critical not just in wars, but during peace time as well when the BSF has to chase the criminals and arm smugglers.

With camel farmers finding the breeding of camels unprofitable, and a large number of camels are sold to slaughterhouses.

As a result of which the BSF has been facing camel shortage, for the past few years.

The Rajasthan government says that the new scheme will help in controlling the dangerous trend.

Kunji Lal Meena, Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Government of Rajasthan, told Mail Today: Camel farmers will be given Rs 10,000 on each calf birth - Rs 3,000 initially, Rs 3,000 after 9 months, and Rs 4000 after 18 months.

To avail the benefits of the newly introduced scheme, a farmer needs to register the female camel at a local veterinary hospital and must have a bank account.

The largest camel training centre in Rajasthan is the Bikaner Camel Research Institute. However, we will open local training centres for herders to teach them how to handle the animals profitably.

Research on the utility and benefits of camel products such as hair and milk is also on the anvil so that rearers are benefited, Meena added.
Arun Jaitley said 64,275 declarations were made in the four-month window

Its a red-letter day for the Narendra Modi government which had launched the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) in June this year.

The black money haul touched a massive Rs 65,250 crore after the scheme ended at midnight on September 30, and the taxmen are still counting.

The four-month-long compliance window was a one-time opportunity to all those who have the penchant to hide their wealth.

The government had initiated the scheme to allow these tax defaulters to disclose their unaccounted money and get spared from prosecution and inquiry.

Till Friday midnight, the IDS notched up Rs 65,250 crore and the figure is expected to go up as some tabulation is still taking place to include the late filings, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday.

Jaitley said 64,275 declarations were made in the four-month window both online and manually, and the average sum declared per person works out to Rs 1 crore.

Of course, there were some who declared much more than Rs 1 crore and there were others who declared less, he added, but refused to divulge any more details because of the secrecy clause incorporated in the scheme.

As much as 45 per cent of the total Rs 65,250 crore declared till now will accrue to the government as tax and penalty.

The number will go up once the late filings are also included in the total.

A senior official told Mail Today that it would take another two or three days to complete the tabulation and verification to arrive at the final figure.

Jaitley said that the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) has unearthed much more black money than the amnesty scheme introduced during 1997 in which Rs 9,760 crore was declared, when P Chidmabaram was the finance minister.

The black money haul touched a massive Rs 65,250 crore after the scheme ended at midnight on September 30

The average declaration in the 1997 scheme worked out to Rs 7 lakh. He said the IDS was not an amnesty scheme as it entailed the payment of a very high effective tax rate of 45 per cent in contrast to the 1997 scheme which had an effective tax rate that worked out to a single digit number.

While the ostensible tax rate for the 1997 scheme was 30 per cent, this was levied on assets valued at 1987 prices which made the effective tax rate to work out to a mere six per cent, a senior official explained.

The finance minister said the tax rate and penalty was kept high in the IDS, because it would not have been fair to tax those who were not tax-compliant at a lower rate than honest tax payers.

The finance minister said another important outcome of the scheme was that the people with significant resources have come forward in such a large number to declare incomes which will now come into the tax net.

Overall the tax compliance in the country will increase going ahead due to the steps be taken by the government, he added.

The tax collected from the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) 2016 will go into the Consolidated Fund of India and will be used for larger welfare of people, he added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said: I compliment all those who chose to be tax compliant in IDS-2016. This is a great contribution towards transparency and growth of the economy.
A former pilot tried to kill his wife and daughter before killing himself in his apartment located in East Delhi, on Saturday evening.

According to the police, the deceased has been identified as 61-year-old Anand Kumar.

Initial investigation has suggested that Anand opened fire at his wife and daughter after a heated argument. The Delhi Police have registered a case.

Anand Kumar committed suicide after he opened fire on his wife and daughter who escaped the shots

On Friday, at around 5.30 pm, the police received a call informing that one person tried to kill his family and later, killed himself.

When the police officers reached his residence, they found his body lying on the floor of his bedroom.

A senior officer from East Delhi Police station, said: "He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead.

"We also came to know that Anands wife and daughter ran away from their house to save themselves from Anand. He has fired four rounds, and a pistol was recovered from the spot."

When the police officers reached his residence, they found his body lying on the floor of his bedroom

Anands wife, identified as 57-year-old Raj Laxmi, and his daughter Abhilasha have not suffered any injuries as such, the police claimed.

According to the police, Anand came back from Germany just a few days ago.

He had gone to meet his second daughter who lives with her husband in Germany.

Abhilasha and Raj Laxmi told us that a verbal altercation started over his recent trip. It is believed that the family was not happy with his Germany trip, sources said.

Deceased Anand had a kidney transplant last year due to which he had to leave his job, police said.

According to initial investigation, the family told the police that Anand was upset due to his disease.

He left for Germany without informing other family members. His family members has search for him only to find that he had flown to Germany.

After returning from Germany, his family asked for an explanation of leaving the country without informing them. To which Anand had no specific answer. This triggered an argument and suddenly he fired at his daughter and wife."

"Fortunately, both of them escaped the shots. Then, he went inside his bedroom and shot himself, sources added.

When police questioned the neighbours, they said the family members were friendly and revealed any signs of tension.

Anand was a friendly persona and would regularly interact with his neighbours, sources said.

His wife had once told her neighbour that Anand was depressed ever since his kidney transplant took place last year, police said.

Anand's body has been sent for postmortem.
China on Friday started building a dam on a tributary of the Brahmaputra, the Xiabuqu river to take forward the construction of its most expensive hydro-power project, the work on which began in Tibet in June 2014.

The Xiabuqu is not a trans border river and it does not flow into India.

So the dam is unlikely to have a major impact on downstream flows into India, officials said.

This China takes forward Lalho, its costliest hydropower project, which started in Tibet in June 2014

India has been concerned by the four dams China is building on the main rivers upper reaches.

Both sides have been exchanging hydrological data and discussing the management of trans border rivers through a jointly working group mechanism.

The Lalho project on the Xiabuqu river, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo as the Brahmaputra is known in China, costs $740 million dollars and construction began in June 2014.

It is scheduled to be completed in 2019, and is aimed at irrigation, flood control and power generation.

Participants take part in a local swimming event across the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

The reservoir is designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland, Xinhua reported, adding that the farming area, which usually suffers from severe drought, is a major crop production base in Xigaze.

The report said the project will have two power stations with a combined generation capacity of 42 megawatts and are designed to generate 85 million kilowatthours of electricity each year.

Chinas first dam on the main upper reaches of the Brahmaputra at Zangmu in 2010 caused concerns in India because of possible impact on downstream flows.

The green light was given for three more dams in the 2011- 15 five-year plan, the work on which is ongoing.

Beijing has assured Delhi that the run-of-the-river dams will not affect downstream flows as they are for power generation only and will not store large volumes of water.

Ecological experts have expressed concern on the impact on both the river and the Tibetan plateaus sensitive ecosystem, with four dams already in construction and more in the pipeline.
See more news from India at www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome

Newspaper copies were burnt and the Saamana office in Navi Mumbai was reportedly

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray apologised to the women of Maharashtra for a cartoon carried in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece newspaper Saamana, which poked fun at the Maratha reservation rallies.

The cartoon published in Sunday edition of Saamana ran into trouble for allegedly making obscene comments.

Copies of the newspaper were burnt and the Saamana office in Navi Mumbai also came under attack by suspected Sambhaji Brigade workers.

The cartoon published in Sunday edition of Saamana ran into trouble for allegedly making obscene comments

Thackeray said that the Shiv Sena is being maligned for a political intention

Thackeray said that the Shiv Sena is being maligned for a political intention and a party which is the biggest worshiper of Goddess Durga, cannot insult any woman.

I took time to address the media on this issue, because I was trying to understand who is taking advantage of the situation, he said.

Maintaining the Senas stand for a special Assembly session on the Maratha reservation issue, Thackeray took a dig at Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.

He said: The CM has wants to give reservation to the Maratha community. We want to ask him when? We support the communitys decision to keep politicians away from the protests.
archaeology and has dived many of the sites himself

Advertisement

An intrepid maritime archaeologist has reached back in time to reveal some of Australia's worst maritime disasters.

Shipwreck expert Graeme Henderson has compiled dozens of photos of the rusting, barnacle-covered wrecks lying on the seafloor around Australias coastline.

The photos, combined with historical sketches and maps in a new book, provide a portal into 15 of the worst shipwrecks in Australian history - from the 17th century through to 2010, when 50 refugees lost their lives after their wooden fishing boat was smashed against the cliffs of Christmas Island.

A diver at the site of the Tryal shipwreck off northwest Australia, the oldest known wreck in Australian waters

Maritime archaeologists build an excavation grid over the stern of the HMS Pandora wreck

Henderson's book, Swallowed by the Sea, starts with the loss of the Tryal, a boat owned by the English East India Company, which sunk on May 25, 1622, and is the oldest known shipwreck in Australian waters.

A total of 143 men and boys died when the vessel, loaded with sheet lead, boat supplies and medicines, struck an uncharted reef - now known as Tryal Rocks - off the northwest coast of Australia. Forty-six crew survived.

Divers - including treasure hunter Allan Robinson - did not find parts of the missing ship until 1969, more than 300 years later.

The book also touches on Australia's two biggest maritime calamities - one at the hands of a German warship, the other caused by poor navigation and bad weather.

In April 1845, the Cataraqui set off from Liverpool for Australia loaded with 369 emigrants and 46 crew.

A member of the crew fell overboard and drowned during the passage, but it wasn't until the 73-metre boat entered the Bass Strait, near Tasmania, that disaster struck.

Author Graeme Henderson sets up a survey baseline beside an anchor from the HMS Pandora

A diver excavates part of the HMS Pandora, which sank on the Great Barrier Reef in 1791

Following several days of stormy seas, Captain Christopher Finlay misjudged the boat's position and it hit a reef on the west coast of King Island on August 4, 1845.

Passengers and crew clung desperately to the splintered vessel over the next 36 hours, but eventually all but nine of the 413 people onboard drowned, Henderson writes.

The shipwreck was Australia's greatest civil maritime disaster.

The Australian naval vessel HMAS Sydney II was sunk off Western Australia by a German warship in 1941 - all 645 crew onboard died

Before the HMAS Sydney II was scuttled the boat spent time patrolling in Europe

Nearly 100 years later, even more lives were lost with the sinking of the HMAS Sydney II.

All 645 crew onboard the naval vessel were killed on November 19, 1941 when the German boat HSK Kormoran bombarded it with shells off Western Australia.

The boat was found on the sea floor in 2008, about 21 kilometres away from the German vessel, which was also scuttled in the battle along with 318 men.

A diver guides up a piece of the Batavia's hull. The Dutch East India Company ship sunk near the Abrohos Islands in 1629

Divers bob beneath the waves while searching for the HMS Sirius, which sank off Norfolk Island in 1790

Archaeologist Toni Massey inspects a long-shank anchor from the HMS Porpoise that sank in 1803 on Wreck Reef, Queensland

The SIEV 221 was smashed against low cliffs on Christmas Island in 2010, killing 50 people onboard

Rescue workers attend to the asylum seeker boat SIEV 221 in 2010
Means the UK is set to be out of the Brussels club by April 2019

Said today that Brexit process will be formally triggered by March

Theresa May accused Brexit opponents of 'insulting the intelligence of the British people' today as she said we will leave the EU by April 2019 at the latest.

The Prime Minister also laid down the gauntlet to Brussels for the looming negotiations over the single market, making clear that control over immigration is a red line.

The uncompromising speech came as she revealed that Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the formal two-year mechanism for quitting the EU - will be triggered by March.

Theresa May said there would be no turning back on the EU referendum result as she addressed Tory activists for the first time since becoming PM

The Prime Minister, watched by senior figures including Chancellor Philip Hammond (pictured centre), made clear that regaining control over immigration would be a red line

Mrs May also unveiled plans to enshrine all EU rules into domestic law, arguing that it will help smooth the transition and unnecessary red tape can be abolished by parliament later.

But the tub-thumping speech to activists at the Conservative Party conference - her first since becoming PM - seemed a bit too much for Boris Johnson. The Foreign Secretary was caught on camera resting his eyes as the PM delivered her rallying message.

Mrs May ridiculed those who had suggested the 'sky would fall in' following the Leave vote.

Mrs May said voters gave their answer on EU membership with emphatic clarity on June 23 and strongly dismissed those arguing that the process for quitting the EU should first be passed by Parliament.

Now it is up the Government not to question, quibble or backslide on what weve been instructed to do but to get on with the job,' she said.

Because those people who argue that Article 50 can only be triggered after agreement in both Houses of Parliament are not standing up for democracy, theyre trying to subvert it.

Mrs May's speech seemed to be too much for Boris Johnson at one point, as he was caught on camera resting his eyes

However, the Foreign Secretary soon recovered his energy and enthusiastically applauded the PM before delivering his own rousing address

Mrs May signalled she would fiercely oppose a legal bid to force a parliamentary vote on triggering Article 50.

Theyre not trying to get Brexit right, theyre trying to kill it by delaying it.

Theyre insulting the intelligence of the British people and thats why next week I can tell you that the Attorney General himself, Jeremy Wright, will act for the Government and resist them in the courts,' she said.

Mrs May said she would be sending the Attorney General in person to fight a court challenge demanding parliament votes on triggering Article 50

Mrs May said it was not for the government to 'quibble or backslide' after the public delivered their verdict on EU membership

Drawing battle lines with the EU for the coming negotiations, Mrs May said: 'I know some people ask about the trade-off between controlling immigration and trading with Europe.

'But that is the wrong way of looking at things. We have voted to leave the European Union and become a fully-independent, sovereign country.

'We will do what independent, sovereign countries do. We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws.'

Amid warnings that the UK will not be able to stay a member of the single market unless it accepts the free movement principle, Mrs May insisted she wanted to get the 'best deal possible'.

'I want it to include cooperation on law enforcement and counter-terrorism work,' she said.

'I want it to involve free trade, in goods and services. I want it to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the Single Market  and let European businesses do the same here.

'But let me be clear. We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again. And we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.'

Mrs May sought to reassure workers that their rights will not be curbed by our departure from the EU - as Labour has warned.

'Let me be absolutely clear: existing workers legal rights will continue to be guaranteed in law  and they will be guaranteed as long as I am Prime Minister,' she said.

'Under this Government, were going see workers rights not eroded, and not just protected, but enhanced under this Government.

'Because the Conservative Party is the true workers party, the only party dedicated to making Britain a country that works, not just for the privileged few, but for every single one of us.'

MPs are already threatening to try to derail the process of leaving the EU, with Tory former ministers among those threatening to rebel.

Theresa May, seen arriving for her speech with husband Philip this afternoon, is addressing Tory conference for the first time since becoming PM

Mrs May took over from David Cameron in Downing Street in May, an has promised to push through the historic Brexit vote in the referendum

Former business minister Anna Soubry criticised the Article 50 timing as giving more power to the EU in the negotiations.

She conceded her constituents in Broxtowe had narrowly voted in favour of leaving the EU. But she suggested she may not vote for the repeal legislation.

'Do I now put aside everything I've ever believed in and vote for something that I don't believe in as a Member of Parliament?' she told ITV's Peston on Sunday.

'This is a really important constitutional question. I stood on a very clear platform when I stood to be the member of Parliament for Broxtowe that I was in favour of staying in the European Union. It's been my long-held belief all my life.'

Mrs May had previously said that Article 50 will be invoked by the end of next year - but staunchly refused to be more precise.

There had been speculation that she wanted to delay until after elections in Germany slated for September, on the basis the EU will have a clearer idea of its negotiating position after that.

But Brexiteer ministers including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox have been pressing for the process to begin sooner.

Asked for a rough timescale in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning, Mrs May said: 'As you know, I have been saying that we wouldn't trigger it before the end of this year so that we get some preparation in place.

The PM said the move to repeal the legislation underpinning British membership of the EU was an 'important first step'

Mrs May is also proposing to enshrine all existing rules into UK law, with unnecessary ones to be removed later

'But yes, I will be saying in my speech today that we will trigger (Article 50) before the end of March next year.'

Mrs May added: 'The remaining members of the EU have to decide what the process of negotiation is.

'I hope, and I will be saying to them, now that they know what our timing is going to be - it's not an exact date but they know it will be in the first quarter of next year - that we'll be able to have some preparatory work so that once the trigger comes we have a smoother process of negotiation.

Mrs May wore particularly eye-catching shoes for her conference TV interview this morning

Images of former PM Margaret Thatcher - with whom Mrs May has been compared - were prominently on display at the conference venue in Birmingham today

'It's not just important for the UK but important for Europe as a whole that we're able to do this in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses, and when we leave the EU we have a smooth transition from the EU.'

However, Mrs May cautioned that triggering Article 50 did not mean she would be conducting negotiations in public.

'This is not about keeping silent for two years, but it's about making sure that we are able to negotiate, that we don't set out all the cards in our negotiation because, as anybody will know who's been involved in these things, if you do that up front, or if you give a running commentary, you don't get the right deal,' she said.

The timing - which means that the UK will be out before the next round of elections to the European Parliament in 2019 - was warmly welcomed by Eurosceptics.

Former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith suggested the process could be triggered before March.

The Prime Minister was appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning

Mrs May refused to say whether her husband Philip would join her on stage after her keynote speech on Wednesday

The former Work and Pensions Secretary told Murnaghan on Sky News: 'This is a 'by the end of March', so there is every chance she will be triggering it earlier than that.

'It depends hugely on what they are doing behind the scenes, trying to make sure they have exactly the areas that they want lined up.'

But Tory former minister Anna Soubry said triggering Article 50 so soon would leave the EU holding 'all the cards' in the negotiation.

She warned that companies like Nissan will 'pack up and leave' Britain if it cannot negotiate access to the single market and dismissed the repeal Bill as 'very technical and not a big deal'.

The repeal legislation will be hailed as the beginning of the end of the supremacy of EU law in Britain.

Former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith, pictured today, has welcomed the announcement on Article 50, which means the UK could be fully out of the EU before April 2019

But the new act will not take effect until Article 50 is triggered and the formal process of leaving the bloc has begun.

The commitments are a response to demands from senior figures, including former Tory ministers Nicky Morgan and Ken Clarke, to go beyond the 'Brexit means Brexit' slogan.

Mrs May has again ruled out the prospect of an early election, insisting she wants stability for the country as she arrived for the gathering in Birmingham.

In an interview she told The Sunday Times: 'This marks the first stage in the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country once again.

'It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country.

'It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end.'

The news will be greeted with cheers by Eurosceptics, who put repealing the 1972 European Communities Act, which took the UK in, at the heart of a 'Brexit manifesto' published days before the referendum.

Vote Leave, the formal campaign to leave the EU, also put getting rid of the European Communities Act as one of their top promises on the 'Brexit road map'.

On the opening day Mrs May, Mr Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis will detail plans for the 'Great Repeal Bill' that will allow Britain to 'take back control' of its legislation.

It will give Parliament the power to unpick the laws it wants to keep, remove or amend at a later date, in a move designed to give certainty to businesses and protection for workers' rights that are enshrined in EU law.

Rights such as parental leave and automatic holiday will be maintained, in order to fend off Labour attacks.

Mr Davis will say: 'To those who are trying to frighten British workers, saying 'when we leave, employment rights will be eroded', I say firmly and unequivocally, 'no they won't'.'

The Prime Minister, pictured arriving at the Conservative conference with husband Philip last night, has taken the unusual step of scheduling two speeches at this year's gathering

On the opening day Mrs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis will detail plans for the 'Great Repeal Bill'

The Bill is expected to be brought before Parliament in 2017 or 2018, and will not pre-empt the two-year process of leaving the EU, which begins when the Government triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr Davis will tell the conference: 'We will follow the process to leave the EU which is set out in Article 50.

'The Prime Minister has been clear that she won't start the formal negotiations about our exit before the end of the year.

'As we prepare for those negotiations in Europe, we also need to prepare for the impact of Brexit on domestic law.

'It's very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply.

'To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach. EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on exit day.

'It will be for elected politicians here to make the changes to reflect the outcome of our negotiation and our exit.

'That is what people voted for: power and authority residing once again with the sovereign institutions of our own country.'

The repeal Bill will also mean the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will no longer be the ultimate arbiter in legal disputes.

Controversial judgements from the ECJ over the years have triggered anger from right-leaning MPs, with the court held as a beacon of Brussels's influence over Britain.

Also included will be powers to make changes to the laws using secondary legislation as negotiations over the UK's future relationship proceed, although more wide-ranging amendments or new laws may come forward in separate legislation.

Mrs May also made clear she does not want the conference to be dominated by the issue of leaving the EU.

But it may prove difficult with Tory MPs divided between favouring a 'hard Brexit' outside the European single market to obtain complete control over immigration, or remaining in the free trade zone, but potentially having to comply with some EU rules.

Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the hotel in Birmingham ahead of the Conservative Party conference

'I'm clear that we are not going to be completely consumed by Brexit,' the Prime Minister told the Sun on Sunday.

'What I want to deliver is real change. To build a country that works for everyone.'

It is also not guaranteed that the Great Repeal Bill would be implemented efficiently, as it would still need a majority vote from MPs and peers.

This means the pro-EU Lords could hold up its progress.

Sir Craig Oliver, David Cameron's former spin doctor, expressed his frustration over Mrs May's stance during the EU referendum.

Sir Craig, who has released a book entitled Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story Of Brexit, told the BBC: 'It was very difficult in the lead-up to that campaign having a Home Secretary not reveal which side she was on.

'When she did reveal which side she was on, it was 51-49 and was very equivocal.'

He added: 'It's perfectly legitimate for Theresa May to do that. What the book is doing is recounting what was it like being in Downing Street to be part of this tumultuous situation.'
On Saturday, the U.S. government ceded control of some of the internet's core systems - namely, the directories that help web browsers and apps know where to find the latest weather, maps and Facebook musings.

Will you even notice? Probably not, although the subject has become a hot political issue for some conservatives.

Here's a look at the systems in question and what's at stake for internet users.

WAIT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CONTROLS THE INTERNET?

No single government, business, organization or individual controls all the computers and pipelines making up the internet.

But the network relies on an addressing system called the domain name system, or DNS, which includes directories that help route data like email and web requests where it needs to go. And someone needs to run the DNS.

Control over the DNS mostly amounts to deciding what gets included in those directories.

For instance, can a Google critic register google-sucks.org, or does Google get first dibs? What about creating a domain name suffix just for porn sites?

It has nothing to do, though, with what websites publish. All it does is make sure your browser can find those sites.

SO DOES THE U.S. RUN THAT SYSTEM?

Since 1998, an organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has overseen the directories, mostly by setting rules and creating mechanisms for settling disputes.

But ICANN also has a boss at the U.S. Commerce Department.

It's a historical arrangement stemming from U.S. funding for the internet's early development.

The domain name system we're familiar with dates back to 1984, long before Pokemon Go or even Amazon.com came along.

WHY DO PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THE TRANSFER?

The U.S. has been in charge of the DNS system for more than three decades.

Plans to privatize control of these functions by transferring them to a nonprofit oversight organization have been in the works since the late 1990s.

As this Saturday's transfer date approached, some Republicans in Congress raised late objections, terming it a 'giveaway' to the rest of the world.

But they failed to block the move in a spending bill to keep the government operating.

Late Wednesday, the attorneys general from Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma and Nevada  all Republicans  filed a federal lawsuit to block the transfer because of worries it might affect government websites ending in '.gov'.

WHY THE U.S. IS BACKING AWAY

ICANN has taken its share of complaints over the years, often for being slow to adapt as the internet grew.

(One common charge: It took too long to permit domain names in languages other than English.)

And many countries believe that as long as the U.S. retains oversight  even if it leaves day-to-day management to ICANN  the internet cannot be truly international.

Some governments have sought to transfer control to a U.N agency, the International Telecommunication Union.

But critics objected to letting authoritarian regimes like Iran and China get equal votes on matters affecting speech.

Instead, the U.S. government insisted that businesses, academics and other parties also get seats at the table. ICANN already had such a multi-party approach.

The U.S. agreed in June to relinquish control to ICANN after the organization created additional mechanisms to resolve disputes.

WILL ANYTHING CHANGE FOR USERS?

Not much. The directories themselves aren't changing, and people don't interact directly with domain names as often in the era of Google searches, phone apps and Facebook links.

In fact, few people would even know about the transition were it not for the noise from Capitol Hill.

REPUBLICANS RAISE ALARM

Republican critics claim that the transition would give countries like Russian and China the ability to control online speech  something supporters of the transition plan deny given the multi-party approach.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is among those who tried to block the transition as part of a short-term spending bill to keep the government running past Friday.

Donald Trump also came out in support of Cruz, his one-time rival for the GOP presidential nomination.

Ironically, those wanting the U.S. to maintain its oversight role includes a group called Americans for Limited Government.

Their efforts failed, though, as budget negotiators left out the transition ban.

A LAST-DITCH LAWSUIT

Four state attorneys general asked a federal court in Galveston, Texas, to block the move.

Commerce and ICANN have delegated control of the '.gov' suffix to the U.S. General Services Administration.

GSA handles day-to-day management of which government websites can use the suffix.

Though the lawsuit claims that GSA decisions are submitted to ICANN for approval, that isn't the case.

ICANN does have trademark and other policies governing sites using particular suffixes, but they cover suffixes available to anyone.

The '.gov' suffix is restricted to government agencies in the U.S.

The lawsuit also claims that ICANN could delete '.gov' entirely from the directories or delegate management of '.gov' websites to someone else.
The mother of murdered runaway Becky Godden last night called for an inquiry into police after they buried a dossier of evidence about her daughters killer.

Karen Edwards, 55, is furious that officers tried to shelve the probe into her daughters death  and into other potential victims of serial killer Christopher Halliwell  despite having evidence that he had buried Becky in a field.

Last week, Karen spoke movingly to The Mail on Sunday about her five-year fight to get justice for Becky, whose body was found by detectives hunting for missing nightclubber Sian OCallaghan.

Taerful: Karen Edwards and former detective Steve Fulcher after Christopher Halliwell was sentenced

Halliwell led former Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher to the spot where he buried her, but the evidence was deemed inadmissible in court because Fulcher had failed to caution him beforehand.

Halliwell later pleaded guilty to Sians murder and was sentenced to life.

Police then abandoned their investigation into the minicab driver, who allegedly told Fulcher that police want to interview me about eight murders.

It was only three years later, after lobbying by Karen, of Swindon, that the case was reopened  and Halliwells confession was finally allowed in court.

He was then given a full life sentence  the tariff reserved for the most dangerous criminals.

Now Karen has criticised Wiltshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for failing to appeal against the initial ruling.

Victim: Becky Godden (left) was murdered by serial killer Christopher Halliwell (right), who has been sentenced to life in prison

Wiltshire Police had a lot of evidence against Halliwell but they refused to pursue it after he was convicted of Sians murder. I only found out that Beckys name had been dropped from the indictment 20 minutes before we went into court for the first hearing.

'Police told me they didnt have enough evidence to charge him with Beckys murder.

'I remember going to Marlborough police station with my husband Charlie and being asked whether we would be content if he went away for a long time for Sians murder and the charges against Becky were left on file.

I only found out that Beckys name had been dropped from the indictment 20 minutes before we went into court for the first hearing

My answer to that was, Never. 

Karen believes the police had enough evidence four years ago to charge Halliwell  even without his confession.

As well as witnesses, she points out the shovel found in Halliwells shed was linked by forensics to the field where Becky was buried.

She also claims that Wiltshire Police have failed to act on evidence that she has given them about the deaths of Sally-Ann John, who vanished in 1995; Linda Razzell, who went missing in 2002; and Claudia Lawrence, who disappeared in 2009.

She is equally angry that dossiers Fulcher created in 2011 about Halliwells vehicles and associations were never distributed to the 43 police forces across the country.

She says: They were meant to have been distributed to other police but were never given out. That is the real miscarriage of justice.
Curtis Roosevelt, the oldest grandson of former president Franklin D. Roosevelt, has died at the age of 86.

He lived in the White House with his grandfather and grandmother, Eleanor Roosevelt, as a child.

Roosevelt died of a heart attack at his home in Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard, southern France, on September 26.

He insisted in writing beforehand that relatives not throw him a funeral, instead telling them: 'If you must do something, then get together and have a good time, with wine and cheese, and make awful martinis like my grandfather did.'

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Curtis Roosevelt, the oldest grandson of former president Franklin D. Roosevelt, has died aged 86. He is seen above (center) with Jevgeni Dzjoegasjvii (left) and Winston Churchill (right), the grandsons of wartime leaders Joseph Stalin and Churchill

Roosevelt's childhood in the spotlight marked the rest of his life, as did his grandfather's exceptional legacy.

Curtis Roosevelt, born April 19, 1930 when his grandfather was governor of New York, was the son of Anna Roosevelt, the president's eldest child and only daughter.

Curtis and his younger sister Anna moved in with their grandparents as his father Curtis Bean Dall's stock market career suffered in the Depression and his parents divorced.

Dubbed 'Buzzie' and 'Sistie,' they lived relatively shielded from the difficulty of the era, shuttling between Washington and vacations at the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, N.Y.

The children lived in the White House for several years until their mother married a newspaper reporter John Boettiger.

Roosevelt lived in the White House as a child. He is seen above aged three in 1933 sitting on the lap of his mother, Anna Eleanor Dall (right) with his sister Anna and grandfather beside him

In a photograph taken in the mid 1930s, he is seen tossing snowballs at his older sister on The White House lawn

In a family photograph, Curtis is seen standing next to his grandfather at Yellowstone National Park.He was seven when the image was taken in 1937

'He never really got over those early impressions,' his sister Anna Eleanor Seagraves said Saturday from her home in Bethesda, Maryland.

Their lives took different paths, and she described their relations as 'cordial' but not close  until their elderly years, when they re-established a bond.

Curtis Roosevelt went on to work as an educator and political reformer in New York, and then became a diplomat at the U.N. from 1964 to 1983, where he notably served as liaison with nongovernmental organizations.

Eleanor Roosevelt had a playground built at the White House for her grandchildren (above in the early 1930s) to enjoy

He was following in the footsteps of his grandmother, Eleanor Roosevelt, who was a member of the first American delegation to the U.N. in 1945, and later served as chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights from 1947 to 1951.

In his memoirs, Curtis Roosevelt had both praise and criticism for his grandparents, seeing them as more engrossed in world politicking than family matters. But they always loomed large for him, Marina Roosevelt told The Associated Press from their home in Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard.

Roosevelt defended his grandfather's efforts to hide his polio-stricken legs from the American public.

'FDR was a Victorian,' Roosevelt wrote. 'You do not display your illness, and if somebody asks you how you are, you say, "Fine". Besides, he wanted a practical way to carry on with what he had to do and who he was.'

In 2005, Curtis Roosevelt joined grandsons of Soviet leader Josef Stalin and British wartime leader Winston Churchill in a debate over the legacy of their grandfathers' historic summit at Yalta 60 years earlier, which laid the groundwork for the post-war division of Europe and the Cold War.

'Nobody got what they wanted from Yalta except the Russians, who were in a position to get it,' Curtis Roosevelt said at the meeting at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.

He said that for his grandfather, the decisions made at Yalta were mostly about accepting reality after the United States' late entry into the war.

Roosevelt is seen above attending the Women's Division o the United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York in 1952

The Yalta conference took place as Stalin's army was poised for the final attack on Berlin after occupying Poland. Stalin had the largest army in Europe, with 12 million soldiers, while Eisenhower's 4 million men were still west of the Rhine.

Roosevelt's fourth marriage proved the most lasting. Widow Marina hopes to fulfill his wishes for an informal memorial gathering at the Thanksgiving holiday in late November.

'It seems like an appropriate moment. He used to love Thanksgiving,' she said, describing big dinners in their French home with an eclectic guest list. 'We could always find some lurking Americans.'
Two fathers have each transmitted their genetic material to their children in a rare IVF pregnancy.

Justin Ruehs and his husband Adam Smeets, who live in Chicago, Illinois, became parents earlier this year.

They had spent four years trying to start a family and finally welcomed triplets. But in an odd-defying IVF process, embryos from both Ruehs and Smeets were implanted successfully.

This means their surrogate delivered not a traditional set of triplets, but twin girls and a baby boy.

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Justin Ruehs (left) and his husband Adam Smeets, of Chicago, Illinois, became parents to triplets this summer - and each shared their DNA with their children

In an odd-defying IVF pregnancy, embryos with DNA from each father were implanted successfully. They welcomed identical twin girls and a boy (all three babies are pictured)

Emmett, the couple's son, has Smeets' DNA while the girls, Harper and Collins, share Ruehs', CBS Chicago reported.

The babies were born in June and turned three months old this week.

Gay couples in Ruehs and Smeets' situation typically have just one biological father.

Some couples choose to have a surrogate who will be artificially inseminated with the biological father's sperm.

Others elect to do an IVF first using eggs from a donor, then to implant the resulting embryos into the surrogate's uterus.

The babies (pictured) were born in June and turned three months old this week. It took four years and several attempts for Ruehs and Smeets to become parents

The two fathers (pictured right) were both able to take leave to take care of their three babies, who were born 35 weeks into the pregnancy and just turned three months old

Ruehs and Smeets named their son Emmett and their twin girls Harper and Collins. All three babies are pictured next to the family's dog

Smeets and Ruehs, who met online, went through five IVF transfers, one miscarriage and worked with three surrogates before their successful triplet pregnancy.

For this last pregnancy, they had two embryos transferred to the surrogate's uterus after being told that the odds of a successful implantation were 50 per cent.

'The technician told us that we had three heartbeats and embryo A had split into twins!' Ruehs told Gay Times.

'Out loud I said, What do you mean there are three? We only put in two? After the initial surprise wore off we were elated and thankful that we were pregnant.'

A South African couple, Theo and Christo Menelaou, had a similar experience this summer.

They too had three babies, including identical twins, after both providing sperm to fertilize the eggs, the New York Daily News reported.

Ruehs and Smeets have both managed to take leave from work to take care of their triplets, who were born 35 weeks into the pregnancy.

They will return to work soon.

'We represent that gay couples have families, and families are not defined as just one thing or another,' Smeets said. 'It comes in many different shapes and sizes, too.'
Qantaslink assured transport safety authorities, they will remind their pilots to enter the correct flight data after extra passengers were not recorded on the airline's system.

An investigation was launched by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau into the regional Qantas flight from Canberra to Sydney on June 20.

The first officer had failed to enter the details of extra passengers into the airline management system.

Qantaslink has assured the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau they will remind pilots to enter the correct flight data

As a result, the Boeing 717's flux temperature, which is responsible for maintaining the plane's engine life, did not match the calculations of passengers on board.

Cobham Aviation Services, who hire the crew, said they will ensure their pilots use the new takeoff and landing data collection system if new information needs to be added or updated.

In September, a Qantaslink flight from the Mining town of Newman in Western Australia was forced to make an emergency landing in Perth when fumes filled the cockpit.
Police were alerted and searches of prisoners' cells were carried out

It also included cannabis, phones, chargers, superglue and razor blades

Bundle was dropped on top of roof inside HMP Hewell in Worcestershire

An audacious jail breakout has been foiled after an escape kit including hacksaw blades and screwdrivers flown in by a drone was spotted by prison officers.

A bundle dropped on top of a roof inside HMP Hewell in Worcestershire also contained cannabis, mobile phones, chargers, superglue and razor blades.

The prisons governor alerted local police and ordered extensive searches of prisoners cells. Extra guards from nearby jails were brought in to beef up security.

An escape kit including hacksaw blades and screwdrivers was flown in by a drone at HMP Hewell in Worcestershire

West Mercia police are also conducting more patrols to put off drone smugglers.

A source said: This has caused a huge security issue. One theory is that a prison officer was to be taken hostage. The attempt to bring hacksaw blades and screwdrivers into the prison suggests an escape attempt.

There is no other reason to smuggle in these items. The screwdrivers are fearsome weapons.

In the past 21 months, at least 29 remote-controlled miniature aircraft have crashed in prison grounds in England and Wales. But prison chiefs believe that for every drone that fails, as many as nine others get through.

Glyn Travis, assistant secretary of the Prison Officers Association said: It is frightening to think that these items could have got into the prison system. This sort of incident highlights the threats and challenges facing prison officers on a daily basis.

Because of cuts and a reduction in staff numbers, it is getting harder to stop contraband being smuggled inside jails.

The bundle also contained cannabis, phones, chargers, superglue and razor blades. West Mercia police are now conducting more patrols to put off drone smugglers (file photo)

Hewell prison houses category B and C inmates. It has room for 1,261 prisoners.

Earlier this year, the first person in the UK was jailed for using a drone to fly contraband into prisons.

Daniel Kelly, 27, was jailed for 14 months at Maidstone Crown Court in Kent in July after admitting conspiracy to project an article into prison.

Kent police said he had used the remote-control drone to smuggle items, including tobacco and the psychoactive drug Spice, into two prisons in Kent and one in Hertfordshire in April this year.

Kelly, formerly of Lewisham, South-East London, was caught after a police patrol spotted a car parked near HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent on April 25.

A Prison Service spokesman confirmed hacksaw blades had been among the contraband found at HMP Hewell a fortnight ago.

He said: We have introduced new legislation which means anyone found using drones to smuggle contraband into a prison can be given a sentence of up to two years.
Stephen Wojciehowski, 59, was charged with lewdness on Monday by authorities in Beach Haven, New Jersey

America has taken a liking to some of Europe's cultural habits - but nude beaches aren't one of them.

Police in New Jersey arrested a 59-year-old man on Monday for lewd behavior after beachgoers in Long Beach Island spotted him wearing a homemade bikini that consisted of a transparent plastic wrap.

Stephen Wojciehowski, 59, walked about on the beach with his genitalia completely exposed, the New York Daily News reported.

Police in Beach Haven sought the publics help in tracking down the man by posting censored photos of him sunbathing on Facebook.

The pictures show Wojciehowski, a native of Stafford Township, New Jersey, from the chest up.

He had been seen on the beach in the unusual swimwear for two days.

He was released pending a court appearance.
Superhero Luke Cage can thank Netflix's engineers for coming to his rescue.

The streaming service was down for more than two hours Saturday, one day after the debut of a live-action series with the Marvel Comics hero.

In a Twitter message posted at about 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, Netflix acknowledged it was aware of streaming issues and was working quickly to solve them.

An unexpected Netflix outage temporarily stymied members trying to stream television shows in the United States on Saturday afternonn

Netflix users had begun complaining on Twitter that the site was down about a half-hour earlier.

Based on the languages in which the tweets anguishing over the Netflix blackout were written, it appeared the service was down across much of the globe, including South America, France, Italy, Portugal and Germany.

The company's automated email service continued to function, sending out updates for movies newly available for streaming even as the movies themselves were unobtainable.

Some users got an empty, blank page when they visited netflix.com

Netflixwas expecting huge audiences for Luke Cage, a Marvel superhero show which only began streaming on Friday

Shortly before 6 p.m. EDT, Netflix tweeted that not all superheroes wear capes, adding, 'Engineers to the rescue. We're back.'

Netflix did not immediately respond to an email request for details on the problem, including how widespread it was or its cause.

In addition to Luke Cage, Netflix added several classic movies to its library on October 1, including Titanic and Ferris Buellers Day Off.

Netflix is the world's largest video streaming on-demand service by subscription, with a presence in over 60 countries and the aim to be in all markets of the world by the end of 2016.

Netflix said in October that its global membership grew to 126 million as it gears for further expansion.
The festival is on at the Sporting Fields in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon

Hills so the men could have medical help

Two men suffered 'bad reaction' on their way to the festival on a party bus

The video is from Listen Out music festival in Centennial Park, Sydney

A music reveller has plummeted from a high pillar at Listen Out music festival after a mid-air tussle with a security guard.

The dance music festival in Sydney attracts more than 25,000 partygoers, but one fan decided to push the limits and gain a higher vantage point to watch the DJ.

Captured on a phone, the video shows a security guard allegedly pulling at the leg of a reveller after he seemed to have climbed a large red pillar.

Both men are suspended off the ground, before the security guard flails holding on to the pillar and the fan plummets, flipping 180 degrees, dangerously to the ground.

Reveller falls from a high pillar after a mid-air tussle with a security guard at Listen Out festival

The festival hosted in Centennial Park was applauded by police for a relatively safe, drug-free environment even though more than 120 attendees were arrested for alleged drug related offences, according to the SMH.

The festival was heavily patrolled with sniffer dogs, riot squads and mounted unit police.

'Most of the festival goers were able to enjoy the featured acts safely and without the dangerous effects of illicit substances or anti-social behaviour,' Superintendent Karen McCarthy said.

'The organisers put together a well-run event and we will continue to work with them in the future to help ensure music-lovers can attend in a safe, drug-free environment,' she said.

Two men have been taken to hospital in a serious condition after having a suspected drug overdose on a party bus in Sydney

However, the festival did not start off well for two men who were hospitalised after a suspected drug overdose on the way to the festival.

Police charged 116 people with possession of illegal drugs and 13 people with drug supply offences.

Five people were charged with dealing in the proceeds of crime and six people were charged with assault - three of those against police.

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The bus was on the way to the 'Listen Out' festival (other unrelated revelers at festival pictured)

Three people were taken to hospital with suspected drug-related issues; and 116 people were treated at the festival by paramedics.

The two men who became ill on the way to the festival were in their 20s.

The party bus the men were travelling on was forced to pull over near Seven Hills on the M2 highway when they had a 'bad reaction' to an unknown substance just before 3pm, Nine News reports.

The festival is being held in Centennial Parklands in Sydney's eastern suburbs

The incident occurred on a party bus which had to stop in Seven Hills to let the sick men off (other revelers on a different bus pictured)

The men were pulled from the bus by emergency crew and taken to Westmead Hospital in a serious condition.

When police arrived the bus had already left the scene.

They were on their way to the 'Listen Out Festival' in Centennial Park in the city's east when they became ill.

Sydney is the second last stop for the festival, acts will back up to play in Brisbane tomorrow (other revelers at festival pictured)

By 4.30 om police had charged laid 36 drug possession charges and three drug supply charges.

Earlier police warned would-be troublemakers there would be 'nowhere to hide' if they did the wrong thing.

'Anyone bringing illicit drugs to the festivals can expect a swift police response,' Senior Constable Dylan Tate said.

The warning comes as 200 people wreaked havoc at the Perth based festival last weekend  with 200 people attempting to jump the fence.

Police warned revelers not to use drugs at the festival and said there would be 'nowhere to hide' (other revelers at festival pictured)

A few people were caught by security and police, but many managed to make it into the festival successfully.

Sydney punters continue to celebrate the festival today, with acts like RUFUS and A$AP Ferg lasting well into the night.

The festival will make its way to Brisbane tomorrow, for its last leg of the Listen Out tour.
An investigation into the New Jersey Transit found dozens of safety violations months before Thursday's train crash in Hoboken, which killed one and injured more than 100 others.

Data from the Federal Railroad Administration also revealed the New Jersey Transit paid more than $500,000 in settlements over federal safety violations since 2011.

The figures emerged as authorities are still combing through the wreckage in an attempt to understand what caused the train to barrel through the station during rush hour.

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An investigation into the New Jersey Transit found dozens of safety violations months before Thursday's train crash in Hoboken

Data from the Federal Railroad Administration also revealed the New Jersey Transit paid more than $500,000 in settlements over federal safety violations since 2011

The NJ Transit train ran off the end of the track as it was pulling in around 8:45am Thursday, smashing through a bumper and knocking out pillars, causing part of the roof to collapse

Figures from the FRA shows the violations ranged from employee drug and alcohol use to breaches of railroad operating policies.

The payouts include about $70,000 in fines after federal inspectors found more than a dozen violations in 2014 and 2015.

Statistics for the current year are not yet available, but a US official familiar with an audit in June said the FRA issued 'dozens of violations' to NJ Transit.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.

A follow-up phase of the audit, focusing on ensuring the railroad's compliance with safety guidelines, was ongoing when a commuter train slammed into Hoboken Terminal.

A spokesman for the commuter rail didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

One official told ABC sabotage and foul play have been ruled out as causes, and the train conductor Thomas Gallagher tested negative for drugs or alcohol.

Conductor Thomas Gallagher, 48, (pictured) who was operating the train that crashed tested negative for drugs or alcohol

One official told ABC sabotage and foul play have been ruled out as causes, and the train conductor Thomas Gallagher tested negative for drugs or alcohol

Fabiola Bittar de Kroon (left and right), a 34-year-old mother who was standing at station's platform, died from the debris. More than 100 others were injured

Gallagher, a married, 48-year-old father-of-two who has been working for New Jersey Transit for 29 years, is cooperating with authorities after he was been released from the hospital.

Investigators will examine his performance and the condition of the train, track and signals, among other factors.

Authorities have already recovered one of the train's two black boxes as the National Transportation Safety Board tries to piece together what happened.

The train failed to stop around 8.45am, crashing into pillars at the station, which caused a partial roof collapse.

Damage to the station poses a difficulty for investigators, who were unable to reach nearly all of the passenger cars on Friday.

The NTSB will also be looking into whether a system designed to prevent accidents by overriding the engineer and automatically slowing or stopping trains that are going too fast could have helped if it had been installed.

More than 100,000 people use New Jersey Transit to commute from New Jersey to New York City each day

More than 100,000 people use New Jersey Transit to commute from New Jersey to New York City each day.

Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, a 34-year-old mother who was standing at station's platform, died from the debris.

She had recently moved to New Jersey from Brazil and had just dropped her toddler daughter off at daycare before rushing to the station.

Her husband had been away on a business trip at the time.
Ben Emmerson (pictured) was suspended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse last week after it became very concerned about aspects of his leadership and he then resigned

The shock suspension of the top barrister in the troubled child abuse inquiry is closely linked to the departure of his deputy, a senior source close to the investigation has revealed.

Ben Emmerson was suspended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse last week after it became very concerned about aspects of his leadership, and resigned soon after.

It then emerged that junior counsel to Britains biggest public inquiry, Elizabeth Prochaska, had quietly left her post a fortnight earlier.

Last night insiders told The Mail on Sunday that the two departures, which plunged the investigation into fresh chaos, were closely linked.

It is no coincidence that Bens suspension comes so soon after Elizabeths resignation, thats what this is about, said one source.

The source indicated that behind the scenes, there had been a breakdown in the relationship between the top lawyers. And they added that Alexis Jay, the fourth person to chair the inquiry, will soon have to reveal the truth of their departures to MPs.

Everything that has happened will come out when this matter next goes before the Home Affairs Select Committee. The head of the inquiry will have to account for why Ben was suspended and then later offered his resignation.

Mrs Jay is due to go before the Committee on October 18.

Mr Emmerson, 53, had been a key figure in the investigation set up by Theresa May in 2014 to look into allegations of VIP paedophile rings and establishment cover-ups, which will cost at least 100 million and could last a decade.

Elizabeth Prochaska, (pictured) had quietly left her post a fortnight earlier, and a source has revealed there had been a breakdown in the relationship between the top lawyers

Appointed after original chairman Baroness Butler-Sloss stood down over perceived conflicts of interest, he remained in place when replacement chairman Dame Fiona Woolf left and survived accusations that he had bullied abuse campaigners.

The acclaimed human rights barrister continued working behind the scenes when Dame Lowell Goddard became the third chairman, and he was paid a staggering 408,000 in the past financial year.

But not long after Goddards dramatic resignation, Mr Emmerson also left the inquiry in mysterious circumstances. He was suspended on Wednesday after claims first emerged that he was planning to leave, and the following day he was allowed to resign. In a letter to Alexis Jay, Mr Emmerson wrote: I shall be sad to leave the inquiry, as I have been involved in this process longer than anyone else.

It is now time for someone else to take the helm with a different leadership of the counsel team.

He added: There is no truth in suggestions that I have resigned due to a difference of opinion with you about the next steps for the inquiry.

Last night a spokesman for the inquiry declined to comment on the reasons behind his departure. The spokesman said Mr Emmerson was staying until November, and there were 20 other barristers and seven solicitors working on the inquiry.

Miss Prochaska, 35, had only been appointed as junior counsel to the inquiry this year after the departure in December of Hugh Davies, QC, who is understood to have clashed with Mr Emmerson.

Mr Emmerson, 53, (pictured) had been a key figure in the investigation set up by Theresa May in 2014 to look into allegations of VIP paedophile rings and establishment cover-ups, which will cost at least 100 million and could last a decade

She declined to comment on her reasons for leaving last night.

Some barristers who had been working on a part of the inquiry looking at Lord Janner, including Abigail Bright and Alexandra Felix, have been stood down while police and the police watchdog carry out investigations into the late Labour peer.

The inquiry will not hear any evidence until February next year.

James Berry MP, a barrister who sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: Clearly the departures of counsel to the inquiry will be disappointing for survivors and I look forward to the swift appointment of a replacement. It would be helpful for Alexis Jay to come before the committee to update us on the direction of travel.

Witness of VIP paedophile ring: Met Police fed my evidence of abuse to other 'victims'

Witness Darren: Police are investigating claims that witness accounts in the botched VIP paedophile ring inquiry became cross-contaminated because victims borrowed elements from each others accounts

Police are investigating claims that witness accounts in the botched VIP paedophile ring inquiry became cross-contaminated because victims borrowed elements from each others accounts.

The allegation comes from a crucial witness known as Darren, who has told The Mail on Sunday that striking details in his own statement were recycled in those of other witnesses. The police, he said, failed to stop this happening.

The result, he said, is that police had no means of knowing whether two similar statements corroborated each other  or were merely the product of an echo chamber, in which witnesses only appeared to be saying the same things because their stories had a common source.

The disastrous VIP inquiry, Operation Midland, was axed in March, after failing to charge anyone. In the meantime, names of numerous innocent supposed abusers had been publicised, including the late Lord Janner; the late Prime Minister Ted Heath; former Tory MP Harvey Proctor; and Field Marshall Lord Bramall. A report into the fiasco by Sir Richard Henriques is due on Thursday and is expected to be critical of the Metropolitan Police.

Last night, the Met confirmed that allegations by Darren of police incompetence and misconduct are being investigated by the forces internal affairs division, the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS). I can confirm the DPS has received a complaint alleging investigative failings by officers, a Met spokeswoman said. Darrens revelations will add to the pressure on the beleaguered 100 million Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

It was claims that VIP paedophiles had operated with impunity around Westminster  aired in the Commons by Labours Deputy Leader Tom Watson  that prompted Mrs May to set the inquiry up.

It was claims that VIP paedophiles had operated with impunity around Westminster which was aired in the Commons by Labours Deputy Leader Tom Watson (pictured)

Darren, whose own credibility has been questioned, is a married father in his early-40s. His most serious recent allegations to police involve Esther Baker, an alleged abuse victim who has waived her right to anonymity by giving TV interviews. The CPS has still to make a decision on her case which centres on claims against a former Midlands MP.

In the spring of 2013, Darren contacted child abuse survivor groups and told of quasi-Satanic abuse he said he suffered at Rendlesham Forest, near Woodbridge, Suffolk. He told of being trafficked to Dolphin Square. Over the months, he said, he shared details of these ordeals with various specialists and experts, including The Lantern Project, run by Graham Wilmer in Liverpool. In April 2014, Darren even gave an interview to a local paper and a series of interviews to reporters from the now-defunct website, Exaro News. More than a year later, in May 2015, Esther Baker appeared on TV saying she too had been part of a group of children who had been sexually abused in a forest, with police officers present. But she was talking about a different place altogether in Staffordshire.

There were marked similarities between Darrens story and hers. Both spoke of symbols being drawn on their bodies. Both also said they had been trafficked to Dolphin Square. Meanwhile, Ms Baker had contact with at least two of the institutions to whom Darren had given his story  Exaro News and The Lantern Project.
A group of Duke University students are offering an ad hoc series of lectures designed to alert males on campus of the dangers of toxic masculinity.

The Duke Mens Project is being touted on the prestigious Durham, North Carolina, campus as one that seeks to inculcate men with healthier masculinity that serves to engender gender harmony'.

The lectures are designed to create a space of brotherhood fellowship dedicated to interrogating male privilege and patriarchy.

The nine-week program is aimed at male-identified students who wish to contemplate the language of dominance, pornography, rape culture, and other topics.

The Duke Men's Project is promoting lectures on pornography and masculinity that it says will foster discussion about the roles these forces play in encouraging violence in today's society

Duke University, whose campus is located in Durham, North Carolina, is considered one of the most prestigious institutes of higher education in the United States

Our intention is to rework current narratives of masculinity for a healthier alternative; one that is inclusive, equitable and positive, the Duke Mens Project writes on its Facebook page.

The Men's Project primary programming is a six-week long, storytelling-based curriculum inspired by the UNC Men's Project, centering on examining, reflecting and discussing masculinity, feminism, intersectionality and allyship, the group says.

A group listens during a tour of the Duke University campus in Durham. The Duke Men's Project is a carbon copy of a program launched at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

The external programming component involves campus-wide programs such as workshops, events and informal meetings that seek to engage the wider Duke community in raising awareness on issues of masculinity and gender violence.

The program appears to be inspired by a similar one at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, according to Heat Street.

The UNC program invites students to contemplate how masculinity plays a harmful influence in lives.

The program seeks to create opportunities for male-identified students to learn, listen, reflect, and work together to increase mens involvement in gender equity and violence prevention efforts, according to UNCs Student Wellness website.

Critics say the program is the latest manifestation of political correctness run amok on American college campuses.

The true aim of these programs, they say, is to feminize men by making them feel guilty over so-called white male privilege.

Last month, a North Carolina university student group posted a 'privilege board' on campus which calls on white, male, able-bodied, Christian, or cisgender people to 'check their privilege.'

Students at Appalachian State University notice the board when they enter Plemmons Student Union, a major campus hub that has allowed the incendiary board to remain in place since last semester.

The board's existence, which was first reported last year by the web site Campus Reform, has conservatives outraged over what they perceive as the singling out of one religious group as well as the imposition of a political point of view on unsuspecting students.

The board first surfaced last year in a residence hall, but now it has been placed in a more prominent location with greater exposure to students.

People walk by Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University in Durham. College campuses are teeming with activists who seek to shine a spotlight on the issue of 'white male privilege'

The App State controversy is a continuation of a campaign that first originated at the University of San Francisco, where professors disseminated fliers that urged the public to 'look at all the privileges I haven't checked.'

'If you can expect time off from work to celebrate your religious holidays, you have Christian Privilege,' reads one of the fliers.

The professors defined privilege as 'unearned access to social power based on membership in a dominant social group.'

Ja'Nina Walker, a USF psychology professor and one of the initiators of the campaign, told the San Francisco Foghorn that the goal is to get students to 'recognize the structural inequalities around them'.
Police are investigating claims that witness accounts in the botched VIP paedophile ring inquiry became cross-contaminated because victims borrowed elements from each others accounts.

The allegation comes from a crucial witness known as Darren, who has told The Mail on Sunday that striking details in his own statement were recycled in those of other witnesses. The police, he said, failed to stop this happening.

The result, he said, is that police had no means of knowing whether two similar statements corroborated each other  or were merely the product of an echo chamber, in which witnesses only appeared to be saying the same things because their stories had a common source.

VIP paedophile ring inquiry: Crucial witness reveals to The Mail on Sunday that striking details in his own statement were recycled in those of other witnesses

The disastrous VIP inquiry, Operation Midland, was axed in March, after failing to charge anyone. In the meantime, names of numerous innocent supposed abusers had been publicised, including the late Lord Janner; the late Prime Minister Ted Heath; former Tory MP Harvey Proctor; and Field Marshall Lord Bramall. A report into the fiasco by Sir Richard Henriques is due on Thursday and is expected to be critical of the Metropolitan Police.

Last night, the Met confirmed that allegations by Darren of police incompetence and misconduct are being investigated by the forces internal affairs division, the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS). I can confirm the DPS has received a complaint alleging investigative failings by officers, a Met spokeswoman said. Darrens revelations will add to the pressure on the beleaguered 100 million Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

It was claims that VIP paedophiles had operated with impunity around Westminster  aired in the Commons by Labours Deputy Leader Tom Watson  that prompted Mrs May to set the inquiry up.

It was claims that VIP paedophiles had operated with impunity around Westminster  aired in the Commons by Labours Deputy Leader Tom Watson  that prompted Mrs May to set the inquiry up

Darren, whose own credibility has been questioned, is a married father in his early-40s. His most serious recent allegations to police involve Esther Baker, an alleged abuse victim who has waived her right to anonymity by giving TV interviews. The CPS has still to make a decision on her case which centres on claims against a former Midlands MP.

In the spring of 2013, Darren contacted child abuse survivor groups and told of quasi-Satanic abuse he said he suffered at Rendlesham Forest, near Woodbridge, Suffolk. He told of being trafficked to Dolphin Square. Over the months, he said, he shared details of these ordeals with various specialists and experts, including The Lantern Project, run by Graham Wilmer in Liverpool. In April 2014, Darren even gave an interview to a local paper and a series of interviews to reporters from the now-defunct website, Exaro News. More than a year later, in May 2015, Esther Baker appeared on TV saying she too had been part of a group of children who had been sexually abused in a forest, with police officers present. But she was talking about a different place altogether in Staffordshire.

Darren's, whose own credibility has been questioned, most serious recent allegations to police involve Esther Baker, an alleged abuse victim who has waived her right to anonymity by giving TV interviews

There were marked similarities between Darrens story and hers. Both spoke of symbols being drawn on their bodies. Both also said they had been trafficked to Dolphin Square. Meanwhile, Ms Baker had contact with at least two of the institutions to whom Darren had given his story  Exaro News and The Lantern Project.
A woman who is eight months pregnant claims she was told she was not allowed to use a staff bathroom at an electronics store, which left her scrambling for 20 minutes to find a bathroom.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said she was shopping for a freezer at The Good Guys store in the Canberra suburb of Belconnen on Monday when she asked if she could use the bathroom, according to The Canberra Times.

She was led upstairs to a staff bathroom by a female employee but was stopped by the store's manager, who told her customers were not allowed to use the facilities, she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I told him "I'm a customer, I'm going to buy a freezer, and I'm heavily pregnant,' she said.

A pregnant woman claims she was told she was not allowed to use a staff bathroom at an electronics store (stock image)

She claims the store manager of a Canberra The Good Guys store told her she would have to find another bathroom

'I was very angry but I just turned around and walked out - I didn't want to get into a heated situation.'

The woman, who said she had previously had excellent service at the electronics chain, was able to go to a bathroom at a nearby petrol station after about 20 minutes.

Frustrated by her experience, she contacted the through social media.

On Thursday the manager contacted her with an apology, offered the mum a $100 gift voucher and promised that she would be able to use their store bathroom if she needed to again, she said.

He also offered her a discount on the freezer.

The woman said she was never out to 'get' or seek vengeance on the manager but to address the bigger picture.

'It's not about the money, it's about having your basic rights covered. There should be regulation or law that says you need to make your toilet available,' she said.

A spokeswoman with The Good Guys declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
A tour based around the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, pictured, is being offered in the Algarve

A sick tour based around the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is being offered to visitors to Portugals Algarve.

Her parents Kate and Gerry, of Leicestershire, are said to be upset at the twisted free attraction, in which tourists are taken to the apartment in Praia Da Luz where the three-year-old was last seen before disappearing in 2007.

Other stops along the way include the restaurant her parents ate at when she vanished from her bedroom and a street where a friend of the family said she saw a man carrying a child.

Called the Luz Challenge, the tours have also disgusted other ex-pats in the area as well as visitors.

According to the Sunday People , the tours are run by a British grandfather aged in his 60s who is said to be obsessed with the child, who would be 13 now.

One British national who emigrated to the area told the paper: This is totally uncalled for. A little girl going missing should not be made into a game or a challenge.

Another source told the People: The guide is obsessed with Maddie. Hes written thousands of words about the case and pored over maps, photographs and police transcripts.

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The apartment where Madeleine vanished from, pictured, is one of the stops on the tour

A street in Praia Da Luz where a friend of the McCanns said she saw a 'mystery man carrying a child' is also on the tour

It takes in several locations across Praia Da Luz, pictured, but is said to have 'disgusted' British ex-pats who live there

Police have been combing the area, pictured, for years in a search for clues as to what happened to Madeleine

It is understood those who go on the tour, which began in March, are asked to speculate on the involvement of Madeleines parents in the mystery disappearance.

The guide describes the tour in an online blog as his version of Mission Impossible in trying to find an explanation as to what happened to her.

But he goes as far to prompt his guests speculate on how the McCanns may have disposed of Madeleines body.

Other spots on the tour include the Our Lady of the Light church in Luz, where police officers carried out a search based on information that Madeleine may have been put in someone elses coffin.

It is understood the guide does not charge for the tours and prefers to remain anonymous because he identifies as a non-character in the case.

As previously reported, Madeleine's parents have axed a senior member of their team, with funding for finding their daughter quickly drying up.

Her parents Kate and Gerry, pictured, are believed to be 'distressed' at the development

British police were granted more funding to carry out investigations earlier this year but it is understood the money will dry up by October 5

With the future of the search, which has lasted almost a decade and cost 12million, in doubt Kate and Gerry have reportedly relieved media guru Clarence Mitchell of his duties via email.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed in August that there is still outstanding work to be done in the hunt for Madeleine, but the Home Office was only able to provide five more weeks of guaranteed funding - and the investigation could end as soon as October 5.

Forensic investigations into the disappearance were concluded in August after the final scientific tests carried out three months ago 'didn't take the police forward'.

Met Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe announced in May that the investigation would come to an end after one last line of inquiry was looked into.

The McCanns were on holiday with Madeleine and their twins Amelie and Sean, pictured

At the time, then-Home Secretary Theresa May granted the team 95,000 to keep the investigation going.

Madeleine vanished at the age of three while on holiday with her parents in Portugal in 2007 and, despite a high-profile international hunt, no trace has ever been found.

Hopes were high when the UK investigation into her disappearance was launched in 2011, with Scotland Yard detectives later highlighting a sex offender who had targeted British families with young children staying in villas in the same area where Madeleine was last seen.
David Cameron backed out of a late bid to get Angela Merkel to back a plan to let Britain curb immigration, according to his former communications director

Panicking David Cameron aborted plans to make a last-ditch plea to Angela Merkel over letting Britain curb immigration just ten days before his EU referendum defeat.

He arranged a dramatic phone call to the German Chancellor to ask her to back him  but changed his mind moments before speaking to her because it would look desperate.

And Cameron was warned by his right-hand man at No 10 that exaggerating the economic risks of leaving the EU was driving voters into the arms of Brexit campaigners.

The claims are made in a bombshell book by Sir Craig Oliver, Camerons director of communications, who says Cameron lost because his claim to have fulfilled his vow to win concessions on migrant numbers was widely ridiculed.

The disclosures sparked a major controversy at the Conservative conference which opened in Birmingham yesterday, where Theresa May faced calls to speed up Brexit talks with the EU.

Oliver salutes George Osbornes loyalty to Cameron, saying he sacrificed himself for the former PM.

But the then Chancellors emergency Brexit Budget went down like a cup of cold sick with Tory MPs.

It left Cameron facing a nightmare as MPs stuck the knife in. Osborne refused to drop negative tactics  dubbed Project Fear by critics  saying they must keep punching the bruise.

Last night, pro-Brexit Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said of the aborted Merkel plan: Mr Cameron achieved thin gruel in the talks because he was too scared to ask for roast beef.

'Sadly, it appears that when it came to getting a last-minute vow from Mrs Merkel, he bottled it.

Oliver recounts how ten days before the referendum, he told Cameron they had lost the argument on immigration.

He urged him to declare he had listened to voters concerns and would win new curbs on immigration AND stay in the EU.

Sir Craig Oliver, pictured with rumoured girlfriend and Remain campaigner Lucy Thomas, has written a bombshell book around the referendum campaign

Cameron said, Spot on, and set up a phone call to Merkel to get her to make an 11th hour intervention.

But after discussing it with Osborne, the pair decided it was a fools errand.

They had spent the whole campaign arguing the economic risk of quitting the EU trumps immigration.

They werent so sure now  but it was too late to switch. The Merkel call was pointless even if she agreed: it would look desperate.

When she came on the line, Cameron said this was not the moment to ask for more on immigration after all.

A similar U-turn days before the Scottish referendum helped Cameron win, with major concessions handed to the Scots.

The Governments response to new evidence of rising immigration was like a sticking plaster on a gaping wound, says Oliver.

Cameron and Osborne denied their pro-EU campaign was Project Fear.

But Oliver reveals he warned Cameron that hyperbolic claims about economic doom outside the EU were driving voters into the arms of the Brexiteers.

The book also reopens the row over Osbornes Brexit Budget threat. Oliver said it proposed horrific solutions.

Sir Craig claims Mr Cameron, right, backed out of the last-ditch plan just second before he was due to speak to Ms Merkel, left

But aggressive Osborne insisted Remainers should keep punching the bruise.

Cameron complained in the New Year that the EUs hopeless renegotiation offer left him facing a car crash.

After the defeat, angry Cameron told a squeamish Merkel he could have won if she had backed him on immigration. But she said she had no regrets.

Oliver says Cameron effectively sealed his own fate in 2014 when he said he would not take no for an answer on a significant cut in EU migrants.

Our claim that we had been true to that statement was not accepted and was widely ridiculed.

Brexit Secretary David Davis will today pledge to introduce a Great Repeal Bill to turn all EU laws into British legislation on the day of our exit.
A passenger tow trolley carrying more than 20 wedding guests overturned in Delaware this weekend.

Twenty-two people were hurt, with at least 12 taken for treatment, Delaware State Police told NBC Philadelphia.

Photos show the passenger tow trolley lying sideways.

The incident happened Saturday around Dewey Beach, according to a DPS news release.

A passenger tow trolley carrying more than 20 wedding guests overturned in Delaware this weekend

Twenty-two people were hurt, with at least 12 taken for treatment, Delaware State Police told NBC Philadelphia

It said: 'Preliminary investigation indicates the crash occurred around 4.41pm today, October 1, 2016, as a 76-year-old Lewes man was operating a 2005 Ford Econo Van pulling the Jolly Trolley with approximately 22 passengers (wedding guests) on board the trolley.

'For an undetermined reason, the trailer started to sway and then overturn in the southbound lanes of SR1 south of Dewey Beach.

'The van immediately stopped and bystanders in the area began assisting pulling the passengers from the trolley.

'At least 12 people were transported by Sussex County EMS to area hospitals where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.'

Delaware State Police said the the van's driver was unhurt. The van didn't flip

State police said that the van's driver was unhurt.

The van didn't flip, a report from NBC Philadelphia said.

According to Delaware State Police: 'SR1 southbound was closed for approximately two hours while the crash was investigated and cleared.
The church is claimed to have contributed to violent homophobia

MP Stuart Robert has called a powerful anti-gay church leader one of the 'great influences' on his life and has allegedly used taxpayers money to visit the church.

Mr Robert called Watoto Church leader Gary Skinner a huge influence in his life - according to the SMH - and in his maiden parliamentary speech said the church was an axis for his moral compass.

Watoto is a popular Church in Uganda followed by more than 24,000 people across 11 churches and helps children orphaned by war and AIDS, according to the SMH.

Gary Skinner, a controversial but highly influential preacher, founded the English-speaking anti-gay Watoto Church in 1982

MP Stuart Robert's was the former director of the Australian Watoto branch and has visited Africa multiple times to help improve the lives of orphans

They also have an internationally popular children's choir that travels the globe, that visited Australia last week. The Church turns over more than $48 million worldwide from donations and the choir.

A spokesman for Mr Robert said he was a former director of the Australian branch of Watato on an 'unpaid and voluntary basis' and had visited Africa on more than a dozen occasions and had spent more than a decade helping improve the lives of orphaned children in Africa.

The spokesman said Mr Robert was not aware of Mr Skinner's views and did not condone them.

The Ugandan church has been claimed to have contributed to violent homophobia, according Gay activists

Those views in question are from the church's leader Gary Skinner, a controversial but highly influential preacher, who founded the English speaking church in 1982.

Gay and lesbian activists accuse Watoto and Mr Skinner have contributed to violent homophobia in Uganda, with the church claiming homosexuality is 'degrading' and an 'inhuman sin'.

The church also supports the 'reform' of gay people back into society and the ghastly 'pro-family legislation'.

The 'pro-family legislation' supported the intentionally lambasted 'kill the gay' bill, which was passed and enforced a life sentence for homosexuality in 2014.

The bill has since been annulled, but gay rights activists said Watoto and their leader supported the anti-gay bill even when it included the death penalty.

The SMH report Mr Robert has traveled to Uganda to meet with Mr Skinner on multiple occasions, charging the last two occasions to taxpayers - totaling almost $20,000.

Mr Robert - a former Watoto International Board member - also self-published a book about the church in 2006.

Nobel Peace Prize nominee and one of Uganda's leading gay rights advocates, Frank Mugisha, said Mr Skinner was, 'one of the most homophobic people in the world', but his charitable work makes him popular.

He said while Mr Skinner does not publicly support anti-gay laws, he has endorsed and hosted anti-gay preachers who have come to catalyse homphobic sentiment in Uganda.

'The church has supported anti-gay Christians like Stephen Langa, one of the key supporters of the anti-gay laws,' Dr Mugisha, a winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for his advocacy, told Fairfax Media.

Mr Robert is openly against same-sex marriage and has used parliamentary speeches to push against the agenda

'Skinner was also one of the people who invited Lou Engle to Africa.'

Fierce anti-gay preacher and Watoto Church elder Stephen Langa has said in letters on homosexuality that it is the, 'conflict between the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God'.

He also organised the notorious March in 2009 where three American preachers claimed Westerners were bribing Ugandan children into becoming gay.

Mr Robert is openly against same-sex marriage and has used parliamentary speeches to voice his position.

Gay rights activists in the US have petitioned for the nation to ban Mr Skinner and the Watoto Choir from entering the country.
The gun was left in the bedroom while the adults were home, according to police

At least two adults were at home at the time of the shooting, investigators say

Police in Georgia are investigating the shooting death of an 18-month old boy who may have been shot by his three-year-old brother in an accident.

The tragedy happened at around 3pm on Saturday in the Georgia town of McDonough.

The toddler sustained a gunshot wound to the head and died moments later as he was being rushed to a hospital, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

Investigators said that the victim was shot with a .45 caliber weapon that belonged to a family member who was at home when the shooting took place.

The scene of the tragic shooting which killed an 18-month-old boy in McDonough, Georgia. Police suspect that the gun was fired by his three-year-old adopted brother

A police source told Fox 5 that the gun was placed in a bedroom with two adults present in the home.

When the adults heard a gunshot, they discovered the 18-month-old had been wounded.

Police believe that the gun was fired by the boys three-year-old adopted brother, although they are not ruling out the possibility that the boy accidentally shot himself.

Fingerprint testing on the gun should determine what happened, investigators said.

Police intend to question the parents and grandparents regarding the circumstances that led to the shooting.

After giving the family time to grieve, investigators will seek to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.

Doctors at Eggleston Children's Hospital (above) pronounce the victim dead shortly after his arrival

This was not the only instance of tragic gun violence to happen in the region.

In neighboring South Carolina, a six-year-old boy who was shot at a Townville school earlier in the week has died after being taken off life support by his family.

Jacob Hall was shot in the leg at Townville Elementary School in Townville, South Carolina, on Wednesday.

Fourteen-year-old Jesse Osborne is accused of opening fire on the school after murdering his father Jeffrey at their nearby home.

He currently faces one count of murder and two of attempted murder at Anderson County Court.

On Saturday Jacob was taken off life support at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Donald Trump's top surrogates Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie responded to the New York Times' story that said the billionaire could have used a legal loophole to avoid paying any federal income tax for almost 20 years after he declared a loss of nearly $1 billion in 1995.

'The man is a genius, he knows how to operate the tax code for the benefit of the people he's serving,' Giuliani said on CNN's 'State of the Union.'

Christie, the New Jersey governor, explained that what the story showed was 'what an absolute mess the federal tax code is, and thats why Donald Trump is the person best positioned to fix it. Theres no one whos shown more genius in the way to maneuver around the tax code and rightfully used the laws to do that.'

'This is actually a very, very good story for Donald Trump,' Christie continued.

The Trump campaign refused to confirm or deny the reports in a statement provided to the newspaper, and instead said the returns were 'illegally obtained'.

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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani defended Donald Trump today after the New York Times reported that he could have gotten away with not paying taxes for 18 years

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also jumped to Donald Trump's defense suggesting the New York Times story highlighted a tax code that needed to be fixed by Mr. Trump

Donald Trump could have avoided paying any federal income tax for almost 20 years after he declared a loss of nearly $1billion in 1995, a new report claims

The New York Times obtained copies of Donald Trump's tax returns from 1995. Pictured are three published pages of the returns

The New York Times says it was sent hard copies of the documents in the mail, in a letter with a return address claiming it had been sent from Trump Tower in New York City.

A 2001 Supreme Court case, Bartnicki v. Vopper, set a precedent that going forward allowed news organizations to broadcast something that was illegally obtained by a third-party and not be liable.

Two of the Times reporters who wrote the story said they are not worried about being sued.

Times reporter Susanne Craig told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview: 'Last time I checked it wasnt a crime to check your mailbox.'

She was interviewed alongside fellow Times reporter David Barstow, who said the publication is confident in the authenticity of the tax records.

Giuliani told CNN's Jake Tapper that he couldn't speak to the veracity of the Times reporting, so he would respond to it, 'as if it's true.'

He then pointed out that it was 'perfectly legal' not to pay taxes in this scenario, the former New York City mayor said.

'The Times makes that point about 26 paragraphs into the opinion,' Giuliani said.

Tax experts told the the New York Times that Trump's declared loss of $916million was so large, it would have entitled the reality television star and Republican presidential candidate to legally, 'cancel out an equivalent amount of taxable income over an 18-year period.'

In the story, the New York Times estimated Trump would have been able to 'wipe out more than $50million a year in taxable income' over the time frame.

'He has a vast benefit from his destruction,' NYU assistant professor Joel Rosefeld told the Times.

Rosenfeld then told the newspaper what he would tell a client who came to him with a similar return to the one allegedly obtained for the report.

'Do you realize you can create $916million in income without paying a nickel in taxes?' he said he would advise someone in the same position.

WHAT THE NEW YORK TIMES FOUND The Times reported Saturday that Trump posted a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income in 1995. It was already well known that Trump was losing money during the early to mid-1990s, a time when his casinos fell into financial turmoil and some of his businesses filed for bankruptcy. But the records obtained by the Times show losses so large that they could have allowed Trump to avoid paying taxes for up to 18 years. The newspaper reported that Trump made only $6,108 in wages, salaries and tips in 1995. He also reported $7.4 million in interest income and a loss of $15.8 million on his real estate and partnership holdings that year, the newspaper said. The Times said it based its story on the first pages of Trump's 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The documents were anonymously mailed to one of the newspaper's reporters. Former Trump accountant Jack Mitnick, who prepared Trump's taxes that year, told The Times the documents were authentic, pointing out that they reflect a printing error from his tax preparation software that he corrected by manually inserting some numbers using a typewriter. Those numbers are slightly misaligned on the documents. Advertisement

The accusation is based on claims Trump (pictured in 1995) declared a loss of $916 billion on his 1995 income tax returns

TRUMP CAMPAIGN'S FULL STATEMENT The only news here is that the more than 20-year-old alleged tax document was illegally obtained, a further demonstration that the New York Times, like establishment media in general, is an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interest. What is happening now with the FBI and DOJ on Hillary Clinton's emails and illegal server, including her many lies and her leis to Congress are worse than what took place in the administration of Richard Nixon - and far more illegal. Mr Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required. thate being said, Mr Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with a very substantial charitable contribution. Mr Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for President and he is the only one that knows how to fix it. The incredible skills Mr Trump has shown in building his businesses are the skills we need to rebuild this country. Hillary Clinton is a corrupt public official who violated federal law, Donald Trump is an extraordinarily successful private businessman who followed the law and created tens fo thousands of jobs for Americans. Advertisement

'Mr Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required,' a statement from the campaign read.

Giuliani echoed this sentiment on 'State of the Union' today.

'This is really very unfair,' the ex-mayor scoffed. 'If he didn't take advantage of those tax deductions, or tax advantages that he had, he could be sued. Because his obligation, as a businessman, is to make money for his enterprise and to save money for his enterprise.'

'It would have been insane not to take advantage,' Giuliani continued.

'Who would sue him for his own personal income taxes?' Tapper asked.

Giuliani answered that investors and banks could have sued Trump.

Changing directions slightly, Tapper pointed out that the businessman had lost nearly $1 billion in a year's time and asked how that made him a 'genius.'

'Since he came back and he came all the way back,' Giuliani responded. 'Isn't that the history of America?'

'People like Steve Jobs was fired by Apple and came all the way back, Churchill was thrown out of office twice and came all the way back, it shows what a genius he is,' Giuliani continued. 'Because he was able to preserve his enterprise and he was able to build it.'

The Trump campaign statement went on to accuse the New York Times and 'the establishment media in general' of being: 'an extension of the Clinton campaign, the Democratic party and their global special interests'.

Hillary Clinton's campaign released a statement after the reports emerged.

'There it is. This bombshell report reveals the colossal nature of Donald Trump's past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal income taxes whatsoever,' campaign manager Robby Mook said.

'In one year, Donald Trump lost nearly a billion dollar. A billion. He stiffed small businesses, laid off workers, and walked away from hard working communities.

'And how did it work out for him? He apparently got to avoid paying taxes for nearly two decades - while tens of millions of working families paid theirs. He calls that 'smart'. Now that the gig is up, why doesn't he go ahead and release his returns to show us all how 'smart' he really is?'

Clinton's Campaign Manager Robby Mook said today on 'Meet the Press' that voters are discovering that Trump is not the change agent some believed him to be.

'We talk about the rigged system out there. Donald Trump embodies that,' Mook said.

Trump has broken with campaign tradition by not releasing his tax returns.

The Republican candidate has repeatedly said he will release the returns after a 'routine audit' is completed by the IRS.

If he does not, Trump will be the first GOP nominee since Gerald Ford in 1976 not to do so.

Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, said it is 'disqualifying or a modern-day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters'.

During Monday's first presidential debate, Hillary Clinton accused Trump of not paying taxes.

The Republican nominee replied to the comment, saying it: 'makes me smart'.

TRUMP HASN'T PAID TAXES BEFORE Trump reported paying no federal income taxes in 1978, 1979, 1984 and likely at least two other years in the early 1990s, according to documents unearthed by The Daily Beast, Politico and The Washington Post. Like the 1995 tax returns disclosed by The Times, Trump avoided paying taxes in those years by reporting losses that wiped out his gains. For instance in 1984, Trump reported that he lost money and claimed on his personal tax returns that he was primarily a consultant, whose consulting business had more than $600,000 in expenses and no income. At the time, Trump had just finished Trump Tower and was quoted extensively in news reports talking up his business success. It's unclear if the IRS questioned Trump's federal tax returns that year, but New York City tax authorities challenged his claims. The city fought with Trump for several years after he appealed his city tax bill. Trump lost that fight and had to pay the city taxes on more than $1 million in income. Advertisement

Hillary Clinton released her 2015 personal tax return, and both her and her husband have made their records public every year since 1977.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine released his returns for the past 10 years, while Republican VP hopeful Mike Pence also released his returns from the past decade.

After the story broke, social media users dug up old tweets from Trump that looked hypocritical in the light of the New York Times report.

'@BarackObama who wants to raise all our taxes, only pays 20.5% on $790k salary. Do as I say not as I do,' Trump wrote in April 2012.

After the story broke, social media users dug up old tweets from Trump that looked hypocritical in the light of the New York Times report

'HALF of Americans don't pay income tax despite crippling govt debt,' he tweeted, while sharing a Dailymail.com story.

'The @washingtonpost loses money (a deduction) and gives owner @JeffBezos power to screw public on low taxation of @Amazon! Big tax shelter,' he wrote in December 2015.
The killing could have been the result of a brutal road-rage attack

The two neighbours who comforted the bound and gagged 27-year-old mother found in a front-yard after a home invasion have opened up on the crime that has shocked police.

Annie Noel and Laura-Lee Shanahan of Valley View, Adelaide, found the 27-year-old mother bound in their front yard after a suspected home invasion on Friday night that left a grandmother, 57, dead.

They said they found the woman in hysterics, her screams heard more than 100m down the street, with her ankles and hands tied and comforted her until police arrived.

'It was disgusting, it's awful. I've never seen someone so scared before,' Ms Shanahan told 9NEWS.

'We just kept her still and told her she was safe until the police got there.'

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Neighbours said they heard chilling screams for up to 10 minutes from the Valley View home

Neighbour Dough Bennir removed the tape from the woman's mouth and said the mother was worried about leaving the house.

'She was very distressed to get out of the house,' he said.

Police suspect the woman who was killed in Adelaide's north could have been an innocent victim to a brutal road-rage attack, according to police.

The 57-year-old grandmother of three was killed on Friday night, her 27-year-old daughter in-law was gagged and tied up in front of her three young children.

The 57-year-old grandmother of three was killed on Friday night over a suspected road-rage incident, which resulted in a home invasion

The middle aged victim - originally from the Philippines - could have been followed home from work at 6pm by her attackers, the Adelaide Advertiser reports, but police are still unsure of the motive.

The grandmother was seen talking to two men in her driveway, by the daughter-in-law, after she had traveled home from work in her white 2014 two door Fiat 500 sedan with custom plates - MYRNA.

Police are looking for a white Holden tray-top 4WD ute, which was seen fleeing after the horrific attack.

The children a boy, five, and two girls aged four and two were inside the home when their doting grandmother died.

The woman bound and gagged, 27, told police it was a home invasion involving two males

The murdered grandmother owned the newly renovated house and her family had lived with her for the last two years.

Social media photos reveal they were close with the grandmother often in pictures with all three of the children.

Police are treating the death as murder.

'We are treating this as a murder, a very deliberate, calculated and vicious attack on defenseless people in their home,' Major Crime Investigation Branch, Detective Superintendent Des Bray said.

'She was definitely followed home, for what duration we don't know. The other thing we don't know is if she did know those people ... or whether they were strangers and perhaps something has happened on the way home ... perhaps a road-rage incident happened.'

Police combed the house for evidence on Saturday afternoon looking for clues to the motive behind the home invasion

Neighbours recall a chilling scream just before 10pm last night at a home in the eastern Adelaide suburb, Valley View, which prompted residents to call the police.

Investigating neighbours found a mother-of-three, 27, bound and gagged in a nearby front yard and they removed the tape and remained with her until police arrived, according to Ninenews.

Police discovered a dead woman, 57, inside the house and three young children on the premises, according to The Advertiser.

The mother, found in an adjacent front yard, was assaulted and sustained minor injuries and was sent to Modbury Hospital, while police said her children who were inside during the suspected home invasion were unharmed.

Police discovered a dead woman inside the house and three young children on the premises

The mother of the three children was found bound in an adjacent yard after the home invasion

Superintendent Guy Buckley, from Holden Hill Local Service Area, said the assaulted woman claimed it was a home invasion involving two males.

'The woman is alleging that there was a home invasion with two caucasian males that left the scene in a white tradie-type vehicle,' he said.

'The occupants of the house are a married couple and the deceased person is the mother or grandmother of the husband.'

The husband was notified of the incident from the police and it is unclear how the older woman died, but it was not from a knife.

The tragic incident has so far puzzled police with no apparent links to why the alleged offenders would come to the house.

The incident has so far puzzled police with no apparent links to why the alleged offenders picked this house in Valley View, Adelaide

Described as a 'pretty quiet street', an anonymous neighbour said she heard chilling screams coming from the lady in the front yard and another neighbour said they were scared for the children.

Another neighbour said he heard screams that lasted up to 10 minutes before emergency services arrived.

The first male was described as being caucasian, 172cm tall, built, with yellow curly hair and was wearing a white t-shirt.

The second male was also caucasian and was wearing a hoodie and dark coloured clothing.

The 57-year-old woman owned the home and had lived their with her son, daughter in law and three grandchildren for three years.

The home had recently been renovated.

Police are looking for a white Holden ute and are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Polce are urging anyone that saw the grandmother's white 2014 two door Fiat 500 sedan (Pictured) after 6pm on Friday to contact police

It remains unclear how the older woman died and police are still on the hunt for the alleged assailants
The widow of a man who died in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon filed a lawsuit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Stephanie DeSimone is the widow of Navy Cmdr. Patrick Dunn and was pregnant at the time of his death, CNN reported.

Her lawsuit says Saudi Arabia is to blame in part for Dunn's death, and that the kingdom gave al-Qaeda support and knew about the al-Qaeda terror plot against the US, according to the report.

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Legal case: Stephanie DeSimone (left) is the widow of Navy Cmdr. Patrick Dunn (right) and was pregnant at the time of his death. DeSimone is suing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Terror: Dunn was killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon

CNN quoted court documents as alleging: 'Absent the support provided by the Kingdom, al Qaeda would not have possessed the capacity to conceive, plan, and execute the September 11th attacks.'

The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensation, the report said.

The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a late Saturday evening email message seeking comment from DailyMail.com.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted to overturn President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.

It voted 97 to one against the veto - a situation called 'embarrassing' by the White House, which is furious at the legislation.

Hours later, the House of Representatives voted by a resounding 348-76 to do the same, meaning the Act becomes law.

The legislation gives victims' families the right to sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks.

Fifteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudi nationals.

There have been persistent claims of elements of Saudi Arabian involvement - although they have never been tested in court.

Historic moment: The Senate's first ever vote to overturn an Obama veto was by 97-1

Leaders: Chuck Schumer, the Democratic New York senator (left) and John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas (right), led the effort to vote to overturn the veto

The 9/11 commission report's findings on Saudi - which were redacted until earlier this year - disclosed that the first major Al Qaeda figure picked up after the attacks, terror mastermind Abu Zubaydah, had a private number for a company which managed the estate of Saudi's then-ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar.

He also had for an unlisted number for a bodyguard at the Saudi Embassy in Washington in his phonebook, which was seized during the raid in Pakistan in which he was held.

Courts would be permitted to waive a claim of foreign sovereign immunity when an act of terrorism occurs inside U.S. borders, according to the terms of the bill.

Saudi Arabia has objected vehemently to the legislation.

Horror: This was the scene shortly after the second plane hit the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001

The Saudi connection: Fifteen of the 19 who committed the worst ever terror attack on the U.S. were Saudi - a fact which has fueled claims of its government having a role in the attacks. The Saudi nationals were: Top row - left to right: Abdulaziz al-Omari; Wail al-Shehri; Waleed al-Shehri; Satal al-Suqami ; Mohand al-Shehri. Middle - left to right: Hamza al-Ghamdi; Ahmed al-Ghamdi; Hani Hanjour; Khalid al-Mihdhar; Majed Moqed. Bottom, left to right: Nawaf al-Hamzi; Salem al-Hamz; ,Ahmed al-Haznawi; Ahmed al-Nami; Saeed al Ghamdi

Leader of evil ring: Mohamed Atta was the overall leader of the 9/11 attacks

Obama had vetoed the measure, telling lawmakers the bill would make the U.S. vulnerable to retaliatory litigation in foreign courts that could put U.S. troops in legal jeopardy.

Obama said Congress failed to 'do the right thing' by giving victims of 9/11 and their families the go-ahead to sue Saudi Arabia.

President Obama spoke about the congressional decision during a CNN town hall on Wednesday night, saying it is an example of when politicians 'have to do something hard'.

'Frankly, I wish Congress here had done what's hard,' Obama said.

'If you're perceived as voting against 9/11 families right before an election, not surprisingly, that's a hard vote for people to take.

'But it would have been the right thing to do ... And it was, you know, basically a political vote.

The veto was the first time Obama has been overridden during his time in office, CNN reported.

And while he said he understands people carry 'the scars of 9/11', but said he doubts the legislation will be good for the U.S. in the future.

His take: Obama (pictured with CNN's Jake Tapper) said on Wednesday 'But it would have been the right thing to do ... And it was, you know, basically a political vote'

'What this legislation did is it said if a private citizen believes that having been victimized by terrorism - that another country didn't do enough to stop one of its citizens, for example, in engaging in terrorism - that they can file a personal lawsuit, a private lawsuit in court,' Obama said during the town hall.

'And the problem with that is that if we eliminate this notion of sovereign immunity, then our men and women in uniform around the world could potentially start seeing ourselves subject to reciprocal laws.

'The concern that I've had has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia per se or my sympathy for 9/11 families.
The new book paints a chilling portrait of mommy blogger Lacey Spears

A woman who poisoned her five-year-old son with a near-lethal dose of sodium after blogging about his health problems had an adverse effect on the well-being of several other children before she became a mother, a bombshell book reveals.

Lacey Spears, who was sentenced to 20 years to life after she was convicted of murdering her son Garnett Paul Spears, displayed classic signs of the mental illness Munchausen by proxy syndrome, experts said.

Spears has insisted on her innocence and denied having the psychiatric disorder, which causes a parent or caretaker to purposefully hurt their child to get attention.

But in his new book, My Sweet Angel, author John Glatt paints a chilling portrait of Spears, who he claims exhibited a pattern of behavior with other children before she deliberately plotted her own son's tragic passing.

Before Spears started detailing her son's health troubles on Facebook, she preyed on three different single mothers in Decateur, Alabama, and maneuvered herself as an eager caretaker, the new book claims.

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Lacey Spears (pictured left during her murder trial) was found guilty of poisoning her five-year-old son with a naer-lethal dose of sodium after blogging about his health problems

In his new book, My Sweet Angel, author John Glatt claims Spears (pictured with Garnett) had an adverse effect on the well-being of three other children before she became a mother

Each of the kids under her care became sickly and developed severe and chronic ear infections that involved pus discharge, according to Glatt, who researched Spears' story for 18 months.

He also noted the children's health improved once she was no longer in contact with them.

Her son Garnett was born healthy in 2008, but he soon fell ill, requiring emergency attention for projectile vomiting, seizure-like symptoms, bleeding ear infections and digestive issues.

Prosecutors said that there was evidence that Spears had taken her son to 20 different medical facilities over the course of his life without relaying information between each doctor.

The Florida Department of Children and Families revealed they had a file on Spears since 2011, when an anonymous call voicing concerns about her parenting was made to their abuse hotline.

Spears, who chronicled Garnett's illnesses on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and a personal blog called 'Garnett's Journey', still managed to convince a doctor to perform a procedure that would prevent the boy from vomiting.

She then convinced a doctor to insert a gastric tube, claiming Garnett had problems eating, even though friends often noted he had a healthy appetite, Glatt wrote.

Her son Garnett was born healthy in 2008, but he soon fell ill, requiring emergency attention for projectile vomiting, seizure-like symptoms, bleeding ear infections and digestive issues

According to experts, Spears displayed classic signs of the mental illness Munchausen by proxy syndrome which causes a caretaker to purposefully hurt their child to get attention

In 2012, Spears moved to a commune in Chestnut Ridge, New York, called the Fellowship Community, where more than 100 members live an organic and natural lifestyle.

Spears was welcomed with open arms in the community, where people showered her and her sickly son with attention.

About two years later, Spears force-fed Garnett heavy concentrations of sodium, snapping pictures of him for Facebook on their way to the hospital, according to the new book.

The boy appeared to recover in the hospital, but Spears went to the bathroom with Garnett two more times, force feeding him until he retched and screamed in pain, Glatt wrote.

The boy's faltering health was carefully documented on social media.

Garnett was eventually airlifted to a children's hospital, where doctors were shocked at his sodium levels.

The boy appeared to recover in the hospital, but Spears went to the bathroom with Garnett two more times, force feeding him until he retched and screamed in pain, Glatt wrote

Garnett was given water against the doctor's warnings, which caused his brain to swell

Dr. Carey Goltzman cautioned Spears against giving Garnett any water while his sodium levels were being lowered and the boy eventually stabilized.

But Goltzman was soon alerted of an emergency, and the doctor found an empty Poland Spring bottle under Garnett's bed while the boy's brain swelled so much it herniated in his skull.

Spears shared her son's death on Facebook, and tried to access money in a PayPal account a friend set up to help pay for Garnett's medical bills.

Prosecutors later argued Spears' web searches for 'dangers of high sodium' and 'hypernatremia' nine days before her son's death proves she planned the attack.

Assistant District Attorney Doreen Lloyd also said in court that the mother calmly 'watched and waited' for the poisoning to take effect, summoning help only after he began writhing and retching.

Spears has maintains her son was sick and that doctors could not find out what was wrong with him.

But tests showed the boy was perfectly healthy, according to Glatt's new book.
Carnell Snell Jr., an 18-year-old resident of South Los Angeles, was shot and killed by LAPD officers on Saturday

Tensions in South Los Angeles are on the rise late Saturday as community leaders expressed anger over a police-involved shooting that claimed the life of an 18-year-old black man.

The incident occurred at approximately 1.40pm on Saturday, when police officers noticed the man armed with a gun riding in a car that was believed to have been stolen, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The LAPD told reporters that officers noticed the car had paper plates instead of the traditional metal license plates.

When the officers tried to get the driver of the car to stop, he didn't, leading them to launch a pursuit of the vehicle, according to the LA Times.

When the pursuit reached the area of Western Avenue and 106th Street, a passenger was seen getting out of the car.

Police then gave chase to the passenger, who led them toward the back of a house on 107th Street.

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'He was just at my house, and we got a phone call that said the police shot him five times in the back,' said Snell's mother, whose name was not given

That was where police said that the shooting took place.

'The officers gave chase, a foot pursuit, and went eastbound at some point on 107th Street to the rear of a residence,' said Sgt. Barry Montgomery.

'It was at that time that the officer-involved shooting occurred. The officers summoned paramedics who responded to scene, and unfortunately the suspect succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.'

The victim has been identified as Carnell Snell, Jr., an 18-year-old resident of the neighborhood.

Police tweeted on Saturday that they had recovered a gun at the scene of the shooting

'He was just at my house, and we got a phone call that said the police shot him five times in the back,' the boy's mother, whose name was not given, told KABC.

His sister, Trenell Snell, 17, told the LA Times that she and her friends witnessed her brother running from police.

She began running toward him when she heard a sudden burst of gunfire and hit the ground.

When she got up, she saw her brother on the ground, handcuffed.

Police say they recovered a weapon from the scene.

Angry and overcome with grief, relatives of Snell confront police officers near the scene of the shooting

A relative of Snell is seen fainting in front of a strip mall near the scene of the shooting. Relatives angrily confronted police who used batons to keep crowds back

'At the end of the day, the cops came and shot my brother,' she said. 'Killed my brother.'

Relatives of the victim confronted police at the scene of the shooting.

A KABC television camera caught footage of a relative who was overcome with grief fainting in front of a small strip mall near the scene.

Black Lives Matters protesters have taken to the streets to protest their fury.

'At a certain point we have to say we don't care what your story is,' Melina Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter activist, told KTLA.

Angry crowds gathered at the scene and screamed at police officers who were guarding the perimeter of the crime scene in South Los Angeles

'This is a 18-year-old boy, this is somebody's son, this is somebody's friend, this is somebody's brother and you killed him. I don't care what your story is. I believe the community, I don't believe the lying police.'

Witnesses said that a crowd gathered soon after and began to confront officers at the scene who were investigating.

Twitter users were reporting that Black Lives Matter activists were gathering at the scene to form a protest.

News of Snell's killing quickly went viral on social media, with Black Lives Matter activists gathering at the scene to protest the latest incident of a police-involved killing

The incident came less than a day after a black man was killed after a struggle with police in Pasadena.

About 100 people marched through the streets of Pasadena to protest the death of Reginald Thomas.

Los Angeles County sheriff's officials say Thomas was armed with a knife when struggled with police officers, who used a Taser on him.

After he was handcuffed, police noticed Thomas, who was the father of eight children, wasn't breathing.

Both officers and paramedics tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jamaicans and Haitians are also stocking up on food and water before the Category 4 is due to hit

at detention center Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have been evacuated

'Florida still needs to remain alert,' according to a warning by the National Hurricane Center

But it is expected to hit parts of Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba - and could potentially hit Florida next week

will make on the Eastern seaboard

Forecasters will know more Monday about the impact the

Hurricane Matthew is the most powerful system to hit the Atlantic since Hurricane Felix in 2007

Forecasters said it's still powerful enough to wreck homes along the Caribbean Sea coastal areas

Hurricane Matthew was downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 storm on Saturday evening

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The most powerful storm to hit the Atlantic in almost a decade has sparked panic across the Caribbean - as forecasters scramble to predict where the hurricane will hit next.

Hurricane Matthew, which has just been downgraded from a Category 5, has been sweeping across the Caribbean towards Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba, where residents frantically stocked up on emergency supplies and authorities urged people to evacuate threatened areas.

Experts say there is a chance it could hit Florida and the East Coast by next week - but warn that it is too early to tell.

With winds of 150 mph (240 kph), the high-end Category 4 is the strongest hurricane to hit the area since the devastating Hurricane Felix in 2007 which caused severe damage along the East Coast.

Authorities warn it could trigger devastation in parts of Haiti where it's expected to pass across or very close to the southwestern tip late Monday before reaching Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

'Wherever that center passes close to would see the worst winds and that's what's projected to happen for the western tip of Haiti,' said John Cangilosi, a hurricane specialist at the center. 'There is a big concern for rains there and also a big concern for storm surge.'

Matthew is expected to reach Cuba by Tuesday - sparking a mass evacuation of the Naval base Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where 61 terrorism suspects are currently being held.

Hundreds of non-essential personnel, including about 700 family members of military personnel, have now been evacuated while the remaining inhabitants of the 5,500 people who live at the base have been told to take shelter.

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Florida is poised for record-breaking Hurricane Matthew which may be the strongest for a decade as forecasters race to work out volatile storm's path (left, forecasters predict the storm will pass by Florida altogether but will impact along the East Coast, while on the right, experts say it could hit the state next week while it will largely bypass the rest of the U.S.)

Hurricane Matthew, which has just been downgraded from a Category 5, has been sweeping across the Caribbean toward Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba, where residents frantically stocked up on emergency supplies and authorities urged people to evacuate threatened areas

Hurricane Matthew poses a danger to Jamaica, parts of Hispanola, Cuba, and the Bahamas. It could hit the United States sometime next week

Matthew weakened slightly early Saturday to a Category 4 storm. This NOAA satellite image taken on Saturday shows the well-defined storm continuing to slowly move westward at about 7mph across the Caribbean

The tropical cyclone had been expected to hit the eastern tip of Jamaica at the tail end of the weekend, before shifting eastward and striking the southwestern tip of Haiti on Monday.

But the storm appears to have shift routes and as of 2pm (EDT) it wascentered about 335 miles (535 kilometers) south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, traveling north-northwest at 5 mph (7 kph).

Forecasters are now saying the hurricane could miss Jamaica altogether,

'The center of the system is looking more likely that it will pass to the east of Jamaica but it won't miss it by that much, so they are still going to see impacts,' Cangilosi said. 'The impacts are maybe going to be a little lower there than they would be in Haiti and eastern Cuba.'

A hurricane watch was posted for the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. A tropical storm warning was in effect for parts of the Dominican Republic, where authorities began mandatory evacuations of areas at risk for flooding.

Meanwhile, Haitians have been preparing for the worst as forecasters warn Matthew could bring as much as 25 inches of rain, causing flooding and even dangerous landslides, reminiscent of Felix in 2007.

A hurricane warning has been issued for the impoverished country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, where authorities have begun evacuating residents.

The government of Haiti opened 1,300 emergency shelters across the country, enough to hold up to 340,000 people.

'The shelters are open but I don't believe we have anyone inside them just yet,' said Joseph Edgard Celestin, a spokesman for the civil protection agency.

Teams of civil protection officials were walking the streets of Les Cayes urging residents to secure their homes, prepare emergency kits and warn their neighbors, while the authorities have broadcast warnings on television, radio and social media.

Matthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history and briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, before weakening slightly to a high-end Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph (240 kph)

Yet, many Haitians appeared unaware of the looming hurricane.

'No, I haven't heard anything about a bad storm coming here,' farmer Jean-Bernard Mede said with a concerned expression as he took a break from walking three cows along a dirt track outside the town of Leogane. 'I'll do what I can for my animals and my family.'

Forecasters said the slow-moving Matthew was expected to dump 15 to 25 inches (40 to 60 centimeters) of rain over southern Haiti, with a few places getting as much as 40 inches (100 centimeters).

Deforestation has greatly increased the potential for devastating floods and landslides on Haiti, and combined with the ramshackle structure of many homes and building, this means that Matthew could deal a vicious blow to the country.

The storm and predicted flash flooding could even affect the country's October 9 re-run presidential elections which are being held one year after last year's presidential vote was hit with accusations of fraud that sent Haiti spinning into a political crisis.

After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba on Tuesday, potentially making a direct hit on the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.

The forecast track would also carry Matthew into the Bahamas, with an outside chance of a brush with Florida, at some point next week.

'Florida still needs to remain alert,' according to the National Hurricane Center.

'It's too early to rule out what impacts, if any, would occur in the United States and Florida,' said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman at the Hurricane Center.

In Haiti, civil protection officials broadcast warnings of a coming storm surge and big waves, saying the country would be 'highly threatened' from the approaching system, which is expected to start affecting Haiti and Jamaica Sunday night.

They urged families to prepare emergency food and water kits.

Emergency management authorities banned boating, particularly along the impoverished country's southern coastline.

The National Hurricane Center called it the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Felix in 2007

Pictured is a forecast from the Weather Channel for rainfall through Wednesday

After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba on Tuesday, potentially making a direct hit on the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay

If Matthew did veer toward the US, it could hit Florida sometime in the middle of next week

This map shows 'Chance of winds reaching or exceeding 39 mph,' the Weather Channel says

In Jamaica, there is also a hurricane warning and flooding has temporarily closed the road linking the capital to its airport.

Carl Ferguson, head of the marine police, said people were starting to heed calls to relocate from small islands and areas near rural waterways.

Residents of the capital, Kingston, went to crowded supermarkets to buy bottled water, canned food and batteries.

In the coastal town of Port Royal, officials were urging residents to seek refuge in government shelters once they open up on Sunday.

Many Jamaicans also began stocking up for the emergency.

At the Azan Super Centre, a supermarket in Kingston, shoppers were scooping up flashlights and gas lamps and other key supplies along with food. The kerosene was already sold out.

'It has been chaos from the morning,' owner Melain Azan said.

Shopper Nardia Powell said she was stocking up because she learned a hard lesson when she was unprepared for Hurricane Ivan in 2004, as were many others.

'So, I just want to be on the safe side, right?' she said.

A worker nails a board to use on a storefront window as protection against Hurricane Matthew in Kingston on Saturday

A boat is pictured being taken out of the water in Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday, where fisherman have been warned to keep out of the water ahead of the approaching storm

Shoppers are pictured at a Portmore, Jamaica, store stocking up on Saturday in preparation for the hurricane

Jamaicans are accustomed to intense storms, but Hurricane Matthew looked particularly threatening.

At its peak, it was more powerful than Hurricane Gilbert, which made landfall on the island in September 1988 and was the most destructive storm in the country's modern history.

As of 11pm EDT (0300 GMT), the storm was centered about 340 miles (550 kilometers) south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It was traveling north-northwest at 7 mph (11 kph).

Earlier, Matthew skimmed past the northern tip of South America where there were reports of at least two deaths.

But authorities in the area overall breathed a sigh of relief as damage appeared minimal despite flooding in towns along the La Guajira peninsula of Colombia.

Some officials were even grateful for the rain after a multi-year drought in the poverty-stricken area.

'Families that evacuated are returning to their homes,' said La Guajira Gov. Jorge Velez.

'The dikes and wells filled up, the earth is moist, and this benefits agriculture in an area where it hasn't rained for five years, benefiting the community.'

Jamaican authorities said they were taking all possible precautions.

'The government is on high alert,' Robert Morgan, director of communications at the prime minister's office, said.

'We hope that the hurricane does not hit us, but if it does hit us, we are trying our very best to ensure that we are in the best possible place,' he said.

Disaster coordinators, police and troops are on standby and shelters are being opened across the island, Morgan said.

A worker nails a board to use on a storefront window as protection against hurricane Matthew in Kingston on Saturday

People are pictured taking care of last minute shopping as Hurricane Matthew approaches in Kingston Saturday

As Matthew skimmed past the northern tip of South America there were reports of heavy flooding and at least one death  the second attributed to the storm.

Authorities said at least 18 houses were damaged along the La Guajira peninsula of Colombia, which has been suffering from a multi-year drought.

They said a 67-year-old man was swept away to his death by a flash flood in an area where it had not rained for four years.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVER 'SPRITES' SIGHTED OVER PUERTO RICO One of the largest sprite bursts to ever be caught on camera was witnessed in these incredible pictures. The incredible phenomenon was seen over Puerto Rico earlier Sunday. The rarely seen cold plasma phenomena occurred as Hurricane Matthew, the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean since 2007, builds over the area. Sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, or cumulonimbus, giving rise to a quite varied range of visual shapes flickering in the night sky. They are triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between an underlying thundercloud and the ground. The rarely seen cold plasma phenomena occurred as Hurricane Matthew, the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean since 2007, builds over the area Sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, or cumulonimbus, giving rise to a quite varied range of visual shapes flickering in the night sky One of the largest sprite bursts to ever be caught on camera was witnessed in these incredible pictures Advertisement

Local TV broadcast images of cars and tree trunks surging though flooded streets in coastal areas.

Colombian authorities closed access to beaches and urged residents living near the ocean to move inland in preparation for storm surges that they said would be most intense on Saturday.

There was also concern that heavy rain across much of the country could dampen turnout for Sunday's nationwide referendum on a historic peace accord between the government and leftist rebels.

Matthew also caused a second death when it entered the Caribbean on Wednesday, with officials in St. Vincent reporting a 16-year-old boy was crushed by a boulder as he tried to clear a blocked drain.

Jamaicans flocked to the supermarkets on Friday to take care of last minute shopping pending the arrival of Hurricane Matthew in Kingston

A man carries empty water containers while chatting with another man outside a supermarket, as they brace for the arrival of Hurricane Matthew in Kingston, Jamaica

Meteorologists said if Matthew moves swiftly, it has a greater chance of causing significant impact from rain, wind and flooding along much of the Atlantic coast

Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the hurricane center in Miami, said storm force winds and rain will arrive well before the center of the storm.

Jamaicans 'basically have daylight today, they have tonight and they have daylight tomorrow to take care of what needs to be done,' he said.

Despite sunny weather and only a few scattered clouds, many Kingstonians started stocking up on water and food on Friday.

Tenaj Lewis, 41, a doctor who was stocking up with groceries in Kingston on Friday, said Jamaica was much better-prepared for hurricanes than when Gilbert struck.

'The country literally shut down for months,' she said.

Jamaica was hard hit by Hurricane Gilbert, which made landfall on the island in September 1988 and was the most destructive storm in the country's modern history.

The last major hurricane in the region was Sandy, in 2012.

Since then, hurricanes have brought a few days of power outages but have not been nearly as destructive and many Jamaicans were unflustered.

Matthew could be the most powerful storm to cross the island since records began, meteorologist Eric Holthaus said on Twitter.

'Hurricane Matthew could rival or possibly exceed Gilbert if the core of the strongest winds does actually move over Jamaica,' Feltgen said.

'There is no certainty of that at this point.'

Forecasters said rainfall totals could reach 10 to 15 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches in Jamaica and southwestern Haiti.

A LOOK AT DEADLY HURRICANE FELIX THAT SLAMMED INTO NIGARGUA'S MISIKITO COAST IN 2007 On September 4, 2007, Hurricane Felix slammed into Nicaragua's Miskito Coast, as a record-setting Category 5 storm, killing 130 people and causing an estimated $720 million of damage. The storm, with 160mph winds, whipped metal rooftops through the air like razors, forcing thousands to flee and destroyed many homes. Felix struck on the same day Hurricane Henriette roared into Mexico's Baja California peninsula. People wade through the water in Tegucigalpa's flooded market, on September 6, 2007 in Honduras Partially destroyed homes sit in La Pajara, northern Nicaragua on September 6, 2007. Hurricane Felix made landfall near the area on September 4 It also came only two weeks after Hurricane Dean struck Mexico further up the Caribbean coast, killing 27 people. At the time, never before in recorded hurricane history had two Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes made landfall in the same year. Felix was formed from a tropical wave that departed from the coast of Africa on August 24, 2007, according to NOAA. The tropical wave moved westward across the tropical Atlantic for several days while unleashing a persistent area of disorganized cloudiness and showers. An aerial view shows the flooded area of the community of Potrerillos in Honduras A Miskito man pours flour for cooking in his home village, destroyed by Hurricane Felix Aerial picture taken on September, 6, 2007 shows the village of Sandy Bay, Nicaragua, after the passage of the eye of hurricane Felix It eventually became a tropical storm on September 1, 2007 while 60 miles north of Barbados, before quickly sweeping over Grenada and across the southern part of the Caribbean. The tropical storm was upgraded to a hurricane on September 2 before making landfall near Punta Gorda, Nicaragua two days later. In Nicaragua's remote northeast corner ahead of Felix's landfall, more than 12,000 people had been evacuated. In neighboring Honduras, about 5,000 residents and 3,000 tourists were evacuated from offshore islands just before Felix hit. Native Miskito children stand amid the rubble of a destroyed church in the Miskito village of Dakura After making landfall, it quickly was downgraded to a tropical storm but not without causing severe damage to homes and buildings from winds and storm surge. Both Nicaragua and Honduras also had additional damage from rain-induced flooding. Felix, for many, revived memories of Hurricane Mitch, which killed more than 10,000 people in Central America in 1998, many of them in Honduras. Over the years, there have been several other deadly hurricanes that have made landfall as Category 5 storms, leaving death and destruction in their wake. IN THE PACIFIC October 23, 2015: Hurricane Patricia's eye came ashore about 55 miles west-northwest of Manzanillo In 1959: An unnamed storm struck near Manzanillo, killing about 1,800 people. IN THE ATLANTIC September 4, 2007: Hurricane Felix slammed into Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast, reportedly killing 130 people August 21, 2007: Hurricane Dean hit near Majahual, Mexico, killing at least 13 people August 24, 1992: Hurricane Andrew came ashore in Miami, killing 65 people September 14, 1988: Hurricane Gilbert slammed into Cancun, Mexico, killing 327 people August 29, 1979: Hurricane David barreled into Leeward Island of Dominica, killing more than 2,000 people September 2, 1977: Hurricane Anita plowed into Tamaulipas, Mexico, killing at least 10 people September 9, 1971: Hurricane Edith made landfall in Nicaragua, killing 30 people August 17, 1969: Hurricane Camille hit near Biloxi, Mississippi, killing 256 people September 28, 1955: Hurricane Janet raced into Chetumal, Mexico, killing more than 600 people September 16, 1937: an unnamed Category 5 hurricane blew into the Bahamas, killing 51 people September 3, 1935: Hurricane Labor Day churned into the Florida Keys, killing 408 people September 13, 1928: Hurricane San Felipe-Okeechobee pummeled Puerto Rico, killing 2,166 people Advertisement

Kingston, in the southeastern corner of Jamaica, is expected to experience flooding.

In Cuba, which has a strong record of protecting residents when storms strike, people in the eastern coastal city of Santiago de Cuba said they were following the news closely, although the sky was still blue.

'We don't know yet exactly where it will go, so we're still waiting to see,' Marieta Gomez, owner of Hostal Marieta, said.

'We Cubans are well prepared.'

'It's too early to rule out what impacts, if any, would occur in the United States and Florida,' Feltgen said.

The only question is to what extent  if any  the hurricane depreciates in strength.

'If Matthew moves swiftly, it has a greater chance of causing significant impact from rain, wind and flooding along much of the Atlantic coast,' AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno told AccuWeather.com.

'On the other hand, if Matthew's forward speed slows, it could still have significant impact on the Atlantic coast, but in a much smaller area, when compared to a fast-moving hurricane,' Rayno said.

Forecasters will have a much clearer idea of just how powerful Matthew remains after it completes its path near Cuba.

The storm will likely lose strength once it hits the Communist island, but it could regain strength once out to sea again.

Analysts will also be able to chart its path and predict where precisely it will make landfall.

If one were a betting man, forecasters say that Floridians should brace themselves by Wednesday.

'While a track into the western Caribbean and then the Gulf of Mexico is still possible, that outcome appears unlikely at this time,' said AccuWeather meteorologist Steve Travis.
A child protection police officer has been suspended after allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl during a drug raid last year.

Queensland Police announced that the Gold Coast policeman had been stood down on Saturday in relation to 'official misconduct following an internal investigation.'

It's understood the alleged assault took place as the teenage girl was searched during a sanctioned drug raid on the southern Gold Coast last September.

According to the Courier Mail, it's believed the suspended officer is a male senior constable connected to the Child Protection Investigation Unit.

A 15-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a Gold Coast police officer during a drug raid last year (stock image)

'In keeping with our commitment to high standards of behaviour, transparency and accountability, we have undertaken to inform the public when an officer faces serious allegations of misconduct,' a Queensland Police media release said.

'This does not mean that the allegations against the officer have been substantiated.'

'There is no further information available.'
Ali and Radwan have not been questioned nor disciplined, official added

The two men thought the bag was nice and didn't know what was in it, according to an airline official

The find came after an explosion in New York City left 29 people injured

Hassan Ali and Abou Bakr Radwan were seen on surveillance footage

Two men who were caught on surveillance footage removing an unexploded pressure cooker bomb from a bag in New York City work at EgyptAir as security employees, airline officials have said.

Hassan Ali and Abou Bakr Radwan had flown to New York from Cairo when they found the bag on September 17, the officials told the New York Times.

They didn't know what was in the bag and just thought it looked 'nice', having seen many unwanted items left on the city's sidewalks in the past, the source said.

The pressure cooker bomb was one of several devices that Afghan-born American citizen Ahmad Khan Rahami is accused of planting in New York and New Jersey over one weekend.

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Hassan Ali and Abou Bakr Radwan (pictured) found an unexploded pressure cooker bomb in New York City in September and took it out of a bag, according to EgyptAir officials

Radwan and Ali work as in-flight security officers for EgyptAir, according to two officials from the company who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The FBI had sought to speak to them after they appeared on surveillance footage removing the undetonated device from a bag around 8 pm.

The two men were not considered suspects but the FBI wanted to talk to them and recover the luggage.

Some experts said at the time that the pair might have unknowingly deactivated the bomb by taking it out of the bag.

The two men (pictured) are security employees at EgyptAir, the officials said. They thought the bag was nice and didn't know what was inside, according to the officials

The FBI asked the public's assistance to locate the two man and expressed interest in talking to them. The pair are still considered witnesses in the case

Residents later found the pressure cooker on the sidewalk and called the authorities. The police bomb squad removed it without any damage.

Jane Schreibman, a 66-year-old photographer, called 911 after finding the pressure cooker device in front of her building.

She described it to DailyMail.com as a large pot with wires coming out of it, connected to another object, with a white bag attached to it.

The EgyptAir officials who spoke to the New York Times believe Radwan and Ali were not connected to Rahami.

One of them said the pair 'didn't know' what was in the bag and that Ali had said he had seen the bag and 'thought it was nice'.

'He opened the bag to check it out and found a pot,' the official added.

Radwan (pictured) and Ali returned to Cairo the day after finding the pressure cooker, according to airline officials. Staff members said they haven't been disciplined

Some experts said the two men might have unknowingly deactivated the bomb by taking it out of the bag. The pressure cooker (pictured) was later found on the sidewalk

Ali didn't want to take the pot back to Cairo by plane, so he left it and took the bag.

'You know, we see things left on the street in New York all the time,' the official told the New York Times. 'Stuff no one wants. It's normal to take them.'

Radwan and Ali went back to Cairo the following day, according to one of the officials.

Neither American investigators nor Egyptian police have been able to interrogate them, the officials said.

Egyptian officers tried to question the pair on Friday at Cairo International Airport but it was their day off, according to one of the sources.

'These guys are harmless; they would be useless in a fist fight,' an airline official told the New York Times. 'They cannot be in any way involved.'

'They don't understand that they are wanted as witnesses,' the official added. 'They are shocked and scared now.'

Ali and Radwan have not been disciplined by the airline, according to staff members.

'They're not in any jeopardy of being arrested,' chief of the New York Police Department's counter-terrorism unit Jim Watters told ABC 7. 'We have no reason to believe they're connected.'
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is spending more than $8 million of taxpayers money each year on an army of spin doctors to promote federal government policy.

An 82-strong team of external and internal communications staff, public relations, social media experts, media monitors and spin doctors are employed by Dutton's office, many of whom aid in their '24/7 media operation'.

The salaries of all employees are said to range between $60,000 and $115,000 and cost a reported total of at least $8.4 million, according to The Age.

The Department of Immigration, headed by Peter Dutton (pictured), reportedly spends more than $8.4 million each year on an 82-strong team of spin doctors, communications staff, social media experts and media monitors

In addition to their large internal team, Dutton's office also reportedly hires the services of external consultants - with eight non-permanent communications staff.

'Communication, both internally and externally, is an essential component of any large organisation,' a spokesperson for the department said.

'In an organisation of about 14,000 staff, the percentage of communication staff  less than 0.6 per cent  is smaller than average.'

The issue was brought to light after a question on notice, asked by Labor in February, was answered recently.

According to the department, the number of staff employed in communications roles hasn't changed since Malcolm Turnbull took over from Tony Abbott as prime minister.

Following on from its large communications and media team, the department has also reportedly focused on media training for top level employees.

The department has paid more than $225,000 since the end of last year to media and communications strategies outlet Talkforce Media.

The wages of staff employed by the department reportedly range between $60,000 to $115,000. In 2014, the Department of Immigration merged with Customs

The Canberra-based company has been employed by the department since last August when the Australian Border Force bungled Operation Fortitude, by releasing a 'clumsily worded' press release suggesting police in Melbourne would make random visa checks.

On its website Talkforce media claims to specialise in helping an 'organisation build, improve and protect its reputation'.
She stood in for A-list beauties such as Charlize Theron and Milla Jovovich

The 35-year-old reveals how she is coming to terms with her amputation

Camera smashed into her, breaking many bones and causing a brain bleed

A stuntwoman who lost her arm following a horrific accident on set has revealed how she has come to terms with being an amputee.

Olivia Jackson was shooting a high-speed motorcycle chase on the Resident Evil: The Final Chapter film set in 2015 when she crashed into a metal camera arm.

She suffered serious head injuries and a punctured lung and spent time in an induced coma after the crash, which happened during a shoot in South Africa.

Stuntwoman Olivia Jackson (pictured) lost her arm following a horrific accident on a film set

Mrs Jackson was shooting a high-speed motorcycle chase on the Resident Evil: The Final Chapter film set in 2015 when she crashed into a metal camera arm - leaving her in a coma. She later had to have her left arm amputated and the left side of her face reconstructed by medics

Now, the 35-year-old, who has stood in for A-listers such as Charlize Theron and Milla Jovovich, has spoken of her fight to adapt to her new life.

Speaking from her Berkshire home, she told the Sunday Mirror: 'Sometimes, when I catch sight of my stump in the mirror, I feel a wave of sadness.

'There's no point in feeling down about life  it won't make my arm grow back. I used to miss my old face but now I style my hair to fall forwards to hide the big scar.

'Surgeons did an amazing job piecing fragments of my facial bones together and I think I look all right now.'

The botched stunt which nearly killed Olivia and left her in a 17-day coma occurred in September last year during the filming of a chase scene.

Riding a motorcycle at speed, Olivia was hit in the face by a large camera on a crane which was supposed to lift over her head.

Mrs Jackson thanks her British husband David (pictured together above in hospital after the crash but before her left arm amputation) for helping her through her hardest moments

Olivia stood in for A-listers such as Charlize Theron and Milla Jovovich during her career

The left side of her face was torn off and she severed a neck artery, while also suffering a broken shoulder blade, ribs and vertebrae, as well as a brain bleed.

Olivia's sister would later tell her how in the aftermath of the accident she could only see teeth where her sibling's cheek should be.

Olivia is pictured in make-up on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy

Both Milla Jovovich - who she was standing in for that day - and Charlize Theron sent her flowers as she began the long road to recovery.

She also received a box of lingerie and make-up from Rosie Huntington-Whitely - who she doubled for in Max Max: Fury Road - which Olivia took as an attempt at helping her to feel 'nice again'.

In June this year, after months of discomfort, she had her paralysed left arm amputated in Middlesex.

The brave former model said the operation 'wasn't painful at all', revealing she was sent home after one night with a 'couple of paracetamols'.

She thanks her British husband David, also a stuntman, for helping her through her hardest moments - including a trip to the shops which left her in tears after children mocked her.

She added: 'David was there to pick me up. He tells me I am beautiful every day and that has fixed me just as much as all the top class medical care.'
It says it was not aware or responsible for the students' activities

Their college is fighting regulatory efforts to cancel its registration

prostitutes, one was caught in a brothel by police

Two others worked as

Students enrolled at a Perth training college were allegedly working as prostitutes, laundering money and running an illegal foreign worker scheme.

A Malaysian woman ran a business organising tourist visas for other Malaysians to come to Australia and pick cherry tomatoes for $6 a day.

She allegedly laundered $7 million overseas from the scheme, in which she kept a portion of their pay, according to police documents seen by WAToday.

Students enrolled at the Australian Institute of Commerce and Technology were working as prostitutes, laundering money and running an illegal foreign worker scheme

A Malaysian woman ran a business organising tourist visas for other Malaysians to come to Australia and pick cherry tomatoes for $6 a day (stock image)

Police found the workers living in rented houses in Heathridge and Wanneroo with up to six people in a room.

The woman forfeited almost $80,000 and returned to Malaysia in a deal to have the charges dropped, the documents revealed.

Two other 'students', one from Vietnam and the other from China, had their visas cancelled after they were allegedly caught working in the sex trade.

The Vietnamese girl was in 2014 allegedly caught red handed in a brothel in Innaloo and documentation showed she had never attended class.

All three were in the country under the cover of a tourist visa to attend the Australian Institute of Commerce and Technology.

Their alleged criminal activities were exposed following an investigation into the college's conduct by the Australian Skills Quality Authority.

AICT delivers high school VET certificates as well as certificates in business, English and IT to international students.

She allegedly laundered $7 million overseas from the scheme, in which she kept a portion of their pay, according to police documents

Two other 'students', one from Vietnam and the other from China, had their visas cancelled after they were caught working in the sex trade

AICT chief executive Hong Fu (pictured) insisted the college had no knowledge of the students' activities and was only responsible for providing training

It had its registration cancelled in August following 20 complaints and the regulator's discovery that it was allegedly offering courses outside its registration.

Last month it was allowed to continue teaching while an appeal to the Australian Administrative Tribunal was heard, and police documents on the trio were included as evidence.

The college in July also had to stop teaching 1,100 high school students, and refund their schools, for teaching them courses outside its registration.

AICT chief executive Hong Fu insisted the college had no knowledge of the students' activities and was only responsible for providing training.

'What a student does in their spare time is not the responsibility of the college. It is not within AICT's control,' he said.

He said AICT was not required to monitor class attendance as it operated under an exemption only requiring it to keep track of students' course progress.

The 20 complaints, from students, former staff and agents, and a Justive of the Peace, concerned student refunds, marketing practices, quality of training and 'conduct'.

The international student market is worth $1.4 billion a year in WA alone.
A lingerie company who had its Facebook ads pulled by the social media giant because they were deemed 'too sexual' say the move was 'slut shaming'.

A Summer of Love is run by former Perth woman Yasmin Staub, 27, who said after six months of planning an ad campaign it was submitted - only to be stunned when it was rejected.

Pictures currently on the company's social media pages show women wearing lacy, often revealing and sheer lingerie, often posed on beds or in bedrooms.

One of the images from A Summer of Love's Facebook page

According to the Los Angeles-based woman and her business partner Lauren Carter, 37, they were told the images they selected showed 'excessive amounts of skin', she told the Courier Mail.

They believed the images 'showed off their beach-inspired brand by celebrating femininity with lace and flowers'.

'The ad originally went up as part of the verification process, but then we were notified by Facebook that it had been pulled down because it was too sexually explicit,' Ms Staub said.

A post on the Facebook page stated: 'We are still in business on fb (sic) but it was an interesting moment'.

Yasmin Staub and her business partner were told their ads were 'too sexual' and showed 'excessive amounts of skin'

She slammed Facebook's approach as 'outdated' and said it reinforced 'all the negative stigma surrounding womens bodies', adding that it shamed proud, confident women.

The terms and conditions page for images on the social media site states: 'images may not be overly sexual, imply nudity, show excessive amounts of skin or cleavage, or focus unnecessarily on body parts  even if portrayed for artistic or educational reasons'.

Despite contacting Facebook about the issue, Ms Staub and Ms Carter hadn't received a formal response about which image or images they selected was deemed inappropriate.

On their Facebook page, they've asked for feedback on the content of their ads in the hope of beginning a conversation about censorship.
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French police used tear gas and water cannons in violent clashes with migrants and British activists who attempted to hold a banned rally beside the squalid Jungle camp in Calais.

Demonstrators - including many British activists from migrant support groups - said they were expressing solidarity with the migrants.

The confrontation, the worst since February, lasted three hours police union official Gilles Debove reported 10 officers were hurt, including one who was hospitalised after activists hurled stones at them.

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A participant waves the Union Flag in front of French anti-riot police during a march organized by human rights activists in support of migrants and refugees in the so-called Jungle camp in the French northern port city of Calais

Demonstrators - including many British activists from migrant support groups - said they were expressing solidarity with the migrants

French police used tear gas and water cannons in violent clashes with migrants and British activists who attempted to hold a banned rally beside the squalid Jungle camp in Calais

French police use water canon to disperse demonstrators who hold a march near the migrant Jungle camp in Calais

Migrants holding aloft a Union Flag face off with French riot police during a protest in Calais, Northern France

The confrontation, the worst since February, lasted three hours police union official Gilles Debove reported 10 officers were hurt, including one who was hospitalised after activists hurled stones at them

Participants gesture towards French riot police during a march organized by human rights activists in support of migrants

Tear gas fills the air as French riot police face off with demonstrators near the Jungle, which is set to be dismantled

Between 7,000 and 10,000 migrants are currently living in the Jungle, the launchpad for their attempts to enter the UK

A photographer said he was also slightly injured from the stone-throwing and seven police vehicles were damaged

A participant holds up the Union Flag as French riot police fire water cannons at protesters

Tensions mounted in the Jungle, set to be closed by winter, after a demonstration planned Saturday by a group working with migrants was banned by local authorities

On Saturday afternoon, 200 people, mainly from the No Borders group and migrants gathered in front of the riot police on the outskirts of the camp, said Etienne Desplanques, an official of the Pas-de-Calais region

A photographer said he was also slightly injured from the stone-throwing and seven police vehicles were damaged.

Tensions mounted in the Jungle, set to be closed by winter, after a demonstration planned Saturday by a group working with migrants was banned by local authorities.

On Saturday afternoon, 200 people, mainly from the No Borders group and migrants gathered in front of the riot police on the outskirts of the camp, said Etienne Desplanques, an official of the Pas-de-Calais region.

Since the gathering was banned, police sought to push the protesters back inside the camp, he said.

The masked migrants and activists, many of them British, began throwing stones and other objects at police.

The masked migrants and activists, many of them British, began throwing stones and other objects at police

Since the gathering was banned, police sought to push the protesters back inside the camp

Rights groups have criticised the hardship and dangers facing the migrants living in the camp, particularly the hundreds of unaccompanied minors

Officers in full riot gear make their way through the crowds of demonstrators in Calais

A demonstrator waves a Union Flag as a placard calls for Theresa May to open the British border

Riot police responded firing 700 tear gas grenades and also used a water cannon to disperse the protesters

Riot police responded firing 700 tear gas grenades, Debove said, and also used a water cannon to disperse the protesters.

Some 200 additional police were sent to the area, officials said, and the situation had calmed down by early evening.

Regional official Vincent Berton said the demonstrators were throwing stones at police and the protest had been forbidden because 'the situation is already tense'.

One demonstrator, who asked to be identified as Khalid, 22, said: We love England  it is our future, and all we are asking is that we are allowed to travel there as quickly as possible.

The French say they are going to destroy the Jungle soon, but we will resist. We must have somewhere to stay while waiting to get to England.

A protester waves the Union Flag in front of French riot police during a march organized by human rights activists in support of migrants and refugees in the so-called 'Jungle' camp in the French northern port city of Calais

Some 200 additional police were sent to the area, officials said, and the situation had calmed down by early evening

Regional official Vincent Berton said the demonstrators were throwing stones at police and the protest had been forbidden because 'the situation is already tense.'

Saturday's clashes were the worst since February 29 when operations began to dismantle the southern part of the 'Jungle' camo, leaving five people injured

Saturday's clashes were the worst since February 29 when operations began to dismantle the southern part of the 'Jungle' camo, leaving five people injured.

Between 7,000 and 10,000 migrants are currently living in the migrant camp, a launch-pad for people's desperate attempts to stow away on lorries heading across the Channel to England.

French President Francois Hollande on Monday said the sprawling migrant camp in Calais would be totally dismantled by the end of this year under a plan to spread asylum seekers around the country.

A participant plays on his guitar in front of French riot police during the rally near the Jungle in Calais

In this grab taken from video, protesters gesture, after clashes with police during a demonstration in Calais, France

In this grab taken from video, police stand guard as protesters gesture, during a demonstration in Calais, France

French riot police gather at the Jungle camp during clashes in the French northern port city of Calais on October 1, 2016

A migrant holds a placard with a message for Britain's prime minister as they face off with French riot police

Another dig at Theresa May as activists hold up a banner calling for the UK to open its borders to migrants

President Hollande has pledged to close the Calais camp by the end of the year and transfer thousands of migrants around France while their asylum cases are examined

The camp, with thousands of people living in crude and lawless conditions, has become a flashpoint in Europe's migrant crisis, and a symbol of Hollande's government's failures to find a solution for those who converge here in hopes of getting to Britain

President Hollande has pledged to close the Calais camp by the end of the year and transfer thousands of migrants around France while their asylum cases are examined.

The camp, with thousands of people living in crude and lawless conditions, has become a flashpoint in Europe's migrant crisis, and a symbol of Hollande's government's failures to find a solution for those who converge here in hopes of getting to Britain.

Conservative candidates seeking to unseat Hollande in elections next year have visited Calais to call for a crackdown on the migrants.

Philippe Poutoux, presidential hopeful from the small, far-left New Anti-Capitalist Party, came to Calais on Saturday 'to affirm the exact opposite.'

He called for emergency care for the migrants, and for 'simple and natural solidarity toward these people who suffer and who are victims of slaughters, of wars.'

Conservative candidates seeking to unseat Hollande in elections next year have visited Calais to call for a crackdown on the migrants

Philippe Poutoux, presidential hopeful from the small, far-left New Anti-Capitalist Party, came to Calais on Saturday 'to affirm the exact opposite.'

He called for emergency care for the migrants, and for 'simple and natural solidarity toward these people who suffer and who are victims of slaughters, of wars.'

French president Francois Hollande has told Britain to play its part in resolving the migrant crisis after announcing the Calais 'Jungle' will be completely dismantled

French president Francois Hollande has told Britain to play its part in resolving the migrant crisis after announcing the Calais 'Jungle' will be completely dismantled.

Hollande is on his first visit to Calais as president and will go to the notorious camp today where thousands of desperate migrants, mainly from Sudan and Afghanistan, want to go to Britain and try to stow away on lorries heading across the Channel.

Under pressure from the right wing, the French leader has stepped up his own pledge to combat illegal migration, promising to 'completely dismantle' the Jungle camp, home to 10,000 migrants.




Maddison Bowman and Emily Jones were last seen at 5.30pm Friday

Police are appealing for the public to help find 13- and 14-year-olds

A search is underway to find two young teenage girls who have been missing all weekend.

Police are appealing for the public to help find Maddison Bowman, 14, and Emily Jones, 13, who were last seen at a property in Wyndham Vale, west of Melbourne on Friday afternoon.

The pair were last seen at an address on Ologhan Drive about 5.30pm and they're thought to be in the Werribee or Wyndham Vale areas.

Maddison Bowman, 14, left and Emily Jones, 13, right, have been missing since late Friday afternoon

Maddison is described as having light coloured hair and blue eyes while Emily is described as olive skinned with brown hair and brown eyes.

Investigators released images of the pair in the hope that someone may know their whereabouts.

Anyone who has information is asked to contact Werribee Police Station.
The killing could have been the result of a brutal road-rage attack

This is the grandmother-of-three who was murdered inside her Adelaide house in a horrifying home invasion on Friday night.

Police believe Myrna Nilsson, 57, could have been an innocent victim to a brutal road-rage attack that also left her 27-year-old daughter-in-law gagged and tied up on the lawn of a neighbouring house.

The daughter-in-law's three young children were found safe inside the house where their grandmother was killed when their father arrived home.

The middle-aged victim - originally from the Philippines - could have been followed home from work at 6pm by her attackers, the Adelaide Advertiser reports, but police are still unsure of the motive.

Myrna Nilsson (pictured), 57, was murdered inside her Adelaide home in a horrifying home invasion on Friday night

Police believe the grandmother-of-three (pictured with grandchildren) could have been an innocent victim to a brutal road-rage attack

The newspaper reported she had been followed home before and had installed security cameras out of concern for the security of her family.

The cameras were put up outside the house but were not working at the time of the attack.

The grandmother was seen talking to two men in her driveway, by the daughter-in-law, after she had travelled home from work in her white 2014 two door Fiat 500 sedan with custom plates - MYRNA.

The attack also left her 27-year-old daughter-in-law (left) gagged and tied up in front of her three young children

Police are looking for a white Holden tray-top 4WD ute, which was seen fleeing after the horrific attack.

The children a boy, five, and two girls aged four and two were inside the home when their doting grandmother died.

Social media photos reveal the children were close to their grandmother as she was often in pictures with all three of them.

The middle-aged victim - originally from the Philippines - could have been followed home from work at 6pm by her attackers

The grandmother was seen talking to two men in her driveway after she had travelled home from work

Ms Nilsson owned the newly renovated house and her family had lived with her for the past two years

Ms Nilsson owned the newly-renovated home and had lived their with her son, daughter in law and three grandchildren for three years.

Annie Noel and Laura-Lee Shanahan of Valley View, Adelaide, found the 27-year-old mother bound in their front yard after the suspected home invasion.

They said they found the woman in hysterics, her screams heard more than 100m down the street, with her ankles and hands tied and comforted her until police arrived.

Neighbours said they heard chilling screams for up to 10 minutes from the Valley View home

The 57-year-old grandmother of three was killed on Friday night over a suspected road-rage incident, which resulted in a home invasion

'It was disgusting, it's awful. I've never seen someone so scared before,' Ms Shanahan told 9NEWS.

'We just kept her still and told her she was safe until the police got there.'

Neighbour Dough Bennir removed the tape from the woman's mouth and said the mother was worried about leaving the house.

'She was very distressed to get out of the house,' he said.

The woman bound and gagged, 27, told police it was a home invasion involving two males

Police are treating the death as murder.

'We are treating this as a murder, a very deliberate, calculated and vicious attack on defenseless people in their home,' Major Crime Investigation Branch, Detective Superintendent Des Bray said.

'She was definitely followed home, for what duration we don't know. The other thing we don't know is if she did know those people ... or whether they were strangers and perhaps something has happened on the way home ... perhaps a road-rage incident happened.'

Police combed the house for evidence on Saturday afternoon looking for clues to the motive behind the home invasion

Neighbours recall a chilling scream just before 10pm last night at a home in the eastern Adelaide suburb, Valley View, which prompted residents to call the police.

Investigating neighbours found a mother-of-three, 27, bound and gagged in a nearby front yard and they removed the tape and remained with her until police arrived, according to Ninenews.

Police discovered Ms Nilsson inside the house and three young children on the premises, according to The Advertiser.

The mother, found in an adjacent front yard, was assaulted and sustained minor injuries and was sent to Modbury Hospital, while police said her children who were inside during the suspected home invasion were unharmed.

Police discovered a dead woman inside the house and three young children on the premises

The mother of the three children was found bound in an adjacent yard after the home invasion

Superintendent Guy Buckley, from Holden Hill Local Service Area, said the assaulted woman claimed it was a home invasion involving two males.

'The woman is alleging that there was a home invasion with two caucasian males that left the scene in a white tradie-type vehicle,' he said.

'The occupants of the house are a married couple and the deceased person is the mother or grandmother of the husband.'

The husband was notified of the incident from the police and it is unclear how the older woman died, but it was not from a knife.

The tragic incident has so far puzzled police with no apparent links to why the alleged offenders would come to the house.

The incident has so far puzzled police with no apparent links to why the alleged offenders picked this house in Valley View, Adelaide

Described as a 'pretty quiet street', an anonymous neighbour said she heard chilling screams coming from the lady in the front yard and another neighbour said they were scared for the children.

Another neighbour said he heard screams that lasted up to 10 minutes before emergency services arrived.

The first male was described as being caucasian, 172cm tall, built, with yellow curly hair and was wearing a white t-shirt.

The second male was also caucasian and was wearing a hoodie and dark coloured clothing.

Police are looking for a white Holden ute and are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Polce are urging anyone that saw the grandmother's white 2014 two door Fiat 500 sedan (Pictured) after 6pm on Friday to contact police

It remains unclear how the older woman died and police are still on the hunt for the alleged assailants
A controversial new biography on late comedienne Victoria Wood threatens to tear her grieving family apart

A controversial new biography on late comedienne Victoria Wood threatens to tear her grieving family apart.

The book, written by the comic's brother Chris, features extracts from her father's diary where he slams a young Victoria for being too 'fat', watching hours of television and for her mood swings, writes the Sunday Mirror.

Victoria died from cancer, aged just 62, in April this year after keeping her illness a secret from the public and even friends and family.

The comic won the hearts of the nation with her much-loved sitcom Dinner Ladies and her many successful stand-up shows, during a long career in the spotlight.

However, the explosive new book reveals that life was not always a bed of roses for the star - who was awarded an OBE in 1997 and a CBE in 2008.

Entries published from her father Stanley's journal reveal that as a young woman he criticised her for her weight and thought she was lazy.

In one typically scathing entry he describes her as being 'an overweight, lonely and unhappy girl' - a stark contrast from the bubbly national treasure she would be go on to be.

He remarks on one day that she was getting 'fatter than ever and has more spots', he then lists what she would eat for breakfast, before claiming that she would tuck into her lunch just half an hour later.

Mr Wood also said that his daughter would watch nine hours of television in a row and he described her as being being 'very glum and morose' in another entry.

Victoria went on to have two children, Henry and Grace, but on writing about her relationship with an old boyfriend her father remarked that if she did become pregnant, due to her eating habits, they would probably look like 'balloons'.

Despite a life in front of cameras and onstage, Victoria had a desire to keep her private life away from the public eye.

The comedienne won the hearts of the nation with her much-loved sitcom Dinner Ladies and her many successful stand-up shows,

Her brother's decision to publish immensely private accounts from her personal life is sure to upset her close family members, who are keen to uphold her last wishes.

Such was the comic's desire for privacy that the exact form of cancer she suffered from has never been revealed and her funeral arrangements remained guarded by her former husband Geoffrey Durham and children, after she died at home in London.

However, Mr Woods claims that he has written the book as a tribute to his sister and called it a 'labour of love'.

Victoria kept her personal life private and her brother's revealing new book is sure to upset her close family (pictured, receiving her CBE with her children in 2008)

He also said that he will not be profiting from the biography, due to be released next month, and will instead donate proceeds to his sister's favourite charities.

He told the Mirror: 'I have always admired Victoria's great talents and her dedicated work ethic. I count myself as one of her greatest fans.
Police fired teargas and warning shots at anti-government protesters during a religious festival, triggering a stampede that killed 'at least 50 people'.

Thousands of people had gathered for an annual celebration of thanksgiving in Ethiopia's Oromiya region when some began chanting and waving a rebel flag.

When police fired teargas and guns into the air, crowds fled and created a stampede, with some people plunging into a deep ditch.

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Police fired teargas and warning shots at anti-government protesters at a religious festival, triggering a stampede that killed 'at least 50 people'

Thousands of people had gathered for an annual festival of thanksgiving in Ethiopia's Oromiya region when some began chanting and waving a rebel group's flag

Witnesses said they saw people dragging out a dozen or more victims, showing no obvious sign of life.

Half a dozen people, also motionless, were also seen being taken by pick-up truck to a hospital, one witness said.

The government said 'lives were lost' and 'several were injured' but did not give a precise death toll.

The figure of 50 deaths came from the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress.

Crowds chanted 'we need freedom' and 'we need justice', preventing community elders, deemed close to the government, from delivering their speeches.

Some protesters waved the red, green and yellow flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a rebel group branded a 'terrorist' organisation by the government.

The crush took place during the Irreecha festival of thanksgiving in the town of Bishoftu, about 25 miles south of the capital Addis Ababa.

Crowds chanted 'we need freedom' and 'we need justice', leading to a response from the police

The government said 'lives were lost' and 'several were injured' but did not give a precise death toll. Here, people assist an injured protester

An injured protester waits for help after several people died during the Irrechaa, the thanks giving festival of the Oromo people in the town of Bishoftu

Sporadic protests have erupted in Oromiya in the last two years, initially sparked by a land row but increasingly turning more broadly against the government.

Since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killed in clashes with police.

These developments highlight tensions in the country where the government has delivered stellar economic growth rates but faced criticism from opponents and rights group that it has trampled on political freedoms.

A government spokesman said: 'As a result of the chaos, lives were lost and several of the injured were taken to hospital. Those responsible will face justice.'

Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congresso, said the government tried to use the event to show Oromiya was calm, but 'people still protested'.

The government blames rebel groups and dissidents abroad for stirring up the protests and provoking violence.

It dismisses charges that it clamps down on free speech or its opponents.

The government blames rebel groups and dissidents abroad for stirring up the protests and provoking violence

Protests in Oromiya province initially flared in 2014 over a development plan for the capital that would have expanded its boundaries, a move seen as threatening farmland

Protesters had chanted slogans against Oromo People's Democratic Organisation, one of the four regional parties that make up the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has ruled the country for quarter of a century.

In a 2015 parliamentary election, opposition parties failed to win a single seat - down from just one in the previous parliament.

Opponents accused the government of rigging the vote, a charge government officials dismissed.

Protests in Oromiya province initially flared in 2014 over a development plan for the capital that would have expanded its boundaries, a move seen as threatening farmland.
The insitution has been the centre of investigations into the prolific abuse

Victims were raped, tortured and starved in an underground 'dungeon'

The 62-year-old was punched in the stomach by a guard while pregnant

She was sexually assaulted and attacked there as a 15-year-old

A woman who was raped and beaten in a dungeon as a teenager has lifted the lid on her harrowing experience inside a notorious government home for girls without families.

Jenny McNally was 15 and pregnant in 1970 when she moved to Parramatta Girls Home in Sydney's west, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and punched in the stomach by guards.

The 62-year-old has told of her anguish decades after being sent to the prison-like institution, which has been the centre of large-scale investigations into the prolific abuse of girls, reports CourierMail.com

A woman who was raped and beaten in a dungeon (pictured) inside Parramatta Girls Home has told of her ongoing anguish

Jenny McNally was repeatedly sexually assaulted and punched in the stomach by guards while she was pregnant

'We'd be put into the dungeon and if the women were on, it was OK, but if the men were on, it wasn't OK. Anything could happen in the dungeon,' Ms McNally said.

Ms McNally said she was confined in an underground sandstone isolation cell known as the dungeon, where girls were subject to starvation, beatings and rape.

'I was sexually attacked in the dungeon. It took me a long time to say rape, I couldn't say the word ... I knew it happened, but if I said the word, it made it true.'

She has suffered ongoing mental health issues from her abuse, only recently finding the strength to dredge up the past and give evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

'Just recently I've found my legs and now I'm running and I feel well enough now to talk.'

Abuse over three decades inside the institution saw girls slapped, kicked, punched, dragged by the hair and repeatedly raped.

The instituion has been the centre of large-scale investigations into the prolific abuse of girls
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban suffered a blow today in his referendum against the EU's migrant quota plan after he failed to rally enough votes to reach the required 50 per cent turnout.

Some 95 per cent of voters supported Orban's 'No' camp, but only 45 per cent of the eight-million-strong electorate cast their ballots making the vote invalid, according to figures released by the party's deputy chief Gergely Gulyas.

Gulyas nonetheless saw the result as 'a sweeping victory for all those who reject the relocation plan, for those who believe that only nation states should remain, and for those who believe in democracy.'

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban suffered a blow today in his referendum against the EU's migrant quota plan after he failed to rally enough votes to reach the required 50 per cent turnout

Despite the low turnout, Orban hailed as 'outstanding' the result of the referendum and said the vote must be taken into account by EU decision makers.

'Thirteen years after a large majority of Hungarians voted at a referendum to join the European Union, today Hungarians made their voices heard again in a European issue,' Orban told a news conference. 'We have achieved an outstanding result, because we have surpassed the outcome of the accession referendum.'

Orban said he would submit an amendment to Hungary's constitution to put the result of the plebiscite - which is invalid because voter turnout fell below the minimum 50 percent threshold - into law.

He had earlier downplayed the significance of the low turnout and said there would be 'legal consequences' regardless, without giving further details.

His right-wing government led an expensive media offensive urging voters to reject the EU's quota plan, which aims to share migrants around the 28 member states.

The firebrand leader has emerged as the standard-bearer of those opposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's 'open-door' policy, in the wake of the bloc's worst migration crisis since World War II.

Today, Prime Minister Viktor Orban was seeking to veto any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers.

As Hungarians headed to the ballot boxes, the referendum asked, 'Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?'.

Some 95 percent of voters supported Orban's 'No' camp, but only 45 percent of the eight-million-strong electorate cast their ballots making the vote invalid

Orban had argued that 'No' votes favour Hungary's sovereignty and independence.

Orban also said he would resign if the 'Yes' votes won, but the vow was seen mostly as a ploy to boost turnout by drawing his critics to the polls.

'The most important issue next week is for me to go to Brussels, hold negotiations and try with the help of this result - if the result if appropriate - achieve for it not to be mandatory to take in the kind of people in Hungary we don't want to,' Orban said after casting his vote in an elementary school in the Buda hills.

Orban had argued that 'No' votes favour Hungary's sovereignty and independence

Orban, who wants individual EU member nations to have more power in the decision-making process, said he hopes the anti-quota referendums would be held in other countries.

'We are proud that we are the first' he said.

'Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the European Union who managed to have a referendum on the migrant issue.

'I would be happy to see other countries to follow.'

Polls showed that the relentless campaign urging citizens to 'send a message to Brussels' while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way toward Western Europe. Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year

Several opposition and civic groups called on citizens to stay home and boycott the vote.

Others urged casting invalid ballots that would not count in the final tally, but still could be interpreted as rejecting the government's 'zero migrants' policies.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way toward Western Europe. Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year.

Last month, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching Hungary's border area on 13 different days.

Hungary last year rejected over 80 percent of the asylum claims made in the country, one of the highest rates in the EU, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office.

The country granted asylum to 508 refugees, rejected 2,917 applications and had nearly 37,000 claims still being processed.

Orban caused controversy last month after he claimed parts of London had been turned into 'no-go zones' because of too many migrants.

It was in a leaflet issued by the Hungarian government to millions of households to drum up support for today's referendum.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened President Barack Obama with 'repercussions across the Middle East' if US jets attack Syrian forces attempting to recapture rebel areas of Aleppo.

Russia and Syria have been accused of bombing civilian areas including repeatedly targeting hospitals and emergency service volunteers during the battle for the besieged city.

Syrian government forces have recaptured a strategic hill overlooking the northern edge of the city under the cover of Russian air power.

Syrian and Russian forces have been accused of bombing civilians rebel-held areas of Aleppo

Syrian Civil Defence White Helmets believe they have also been targeted by Syrian and Russian jets as they risk their lives to pull survivors from the rubble of bombed-out buildings

Aid workers claim this ambulance was destroyed by a barrel bomb dropped from a helicopter

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a hospital in eastern Aleppo was hit during an airstrike.

According to Russian news agencies, Putin's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said US intervention against the Syrian army 'will lead to terrible, tectonic consequences not only on the territory of this country but also in the region on the whole'.

She said regime change in Syria would create a vacuum that would be 'quickly filled [by] terrorists of all stripes'.

U.S.-Russian tensions over Syria have escalated since the breakdown of a cease-fire last month, with each side blaming the other for its failure. Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched a major onslaught on rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

Hospitals in rebel-held areas of Aleppo have been regularly bombed by Russia and Syria

Medics claim a barrel bomb was dropped on the Sahra Hospital during yesterday's attack

The area around the Sahra Hospital was extensively damaged during the barrel bomb attack

The interior of the hospital suffered extensive damage after the helicopters attacked

Syrian troops pushed ahead in their offensive in Aleppo on Saturday capturing the strategic Um al-Shuqeef hill near the Palestinian refugee camp of Handarat that government forces captured from rebels earlier this week, according to state TV.

The hill is on the northern edge of the Aleppo, Syria's largest city and former commercial centre.

The powerful ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham militant group said rebels regained control Saturday of several positions they lost in Aleppo in the Bustan al-Basha neighborhood.

State media said 13 people were wounded when rebels shelled the central government-held neighborhood of Midan.

In the rebel-held portion of Aleppo, opposition activist Ahmad Alkhatib described the hospital, known as M10, as one of the largest in Aleppo.

He posted photographs on his Twitter account showing the damage including beds covered with dust, a hole in its roof and debris covering the street outside.

It is twelve months since Vladimir Putin launched his campaign to support Bashar al-Assad

Medics have been forced to establish temporary field hospitals to treat the wounded in residential area, without alerting Syrian or Russian pilots who regularly target hospitals

US President Barack Obama, pictured, condemned Russian and Syrian forces over their attempts to crush rebels holding onto the eastern parts of the besieged city of Aleppo

A doctor at the hospital told the Aleppo Media Centre that thousands of people were treated in the compound in the past adding that two people were killed in Saturday's airstrikes and several were wounded.

One doctor said: 'A real catastrophe will hit medical institutions in Aleppo if the direct shelling continues to target hospitals and clinics.'

Opposition activists have blamed the President Bashar Assad's forces and Russia for airstrikes that hit Civil Defense units and clinics in the city where eastern rebel-held neighborhoods are besieged by government forces and pro-government militiamen.

On Friday, the international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) demanded that the Syrian government and its allies 'halt the indiscriminate bombing that has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians - many of them children,' over the past week in Aleppo.

Xisco Villalonga of MSF said: 'Bombs are raining from Syria-led coalition planes and the whole of east Aleppo has become a giant kill box.

'The Syrian government must stop the indiscriminate bombing, and Russia as an indispensable political and military ally of Syria has the responsibility to exert the pressure to stop this.'

Russian foreign ministry official Maria Zakharova warned against bombing Syrian troops

It said from September 21 to 26, hospitals still functioning in Aleppo reported receiving more than 822 wounded, including at least 221 children, and more than 278 dead bodies - including 96 children - according to the Directorate of Health in east Aleppo.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom criticized attacks on civilian targets writing on her Twitter account: 'Unacceptable to bomb civilians, children and hospitals in #Aleppo. No humanity. Assad & Russia moving further away from peace.'

In the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, warplanes of the U.S.-led coalition destroyed

The U.S envoy to the United Nations last week called Russia's actions in Syria 'barbarism', not counter-terrorism.

An official for U.S. President Barack Obama's administration condemned the bombing, citing 'total disregard' for medical professionals and those needing their help.

'Reports of yet another hospital being destroyed further demonstrates the total disregard for the lives of medical professionals and their patients who need critical care because of the Assad regime and Russia's relentless campaign against the Syrian people.'

Rebels said Moscow and the Syrian army have for months been targeting power plants, hospitals and bakeries to force into surrender the nearly 250,000 believed trapped in the city.

Hundreds of people have been killed in indiscriminate bombing of residential areas and many hundreds more wounded, with little access to treatment in hospitals that lack basic supplies.

The army, aided by hundreds of Iranian-backed militias who have arrived in Aleppo, have backed up the air campaign with a ground offensive on several frontlines.

Rebel commander Abu Haidar said: 'The regime is spearheading an attack on all fronts and is trying to open more than one major front and of course there are a lot of amassing of troops mostly based in Handara.

Russia joined the war exactly a year ago, tipping the balance of power in favour of Assad, who is also supported by Iranian ground forces and Shi'ite militia from Lebanon and Iraq.
The possibility of abduction was mentioned by police, his mother revealed

Believed he may have attempted the three-hour walk back to his RAF base

Corrie McKeague (pictured) was last seen on a night out in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Police investigating the disappearance of a missing RAF serviceman are not ruling out the possibility he may have been abducted, his mother has revealed.

Corrie McKeague, who is based at RAF Honington, was last seen on a night out in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on Saturday.

CCTV footage captured him roaming the town's streets at around 3.20am before it's thought he may have tried to walk back to base - a three-hour journey on foot.

His mother, Nicola Urquhart, told the Sunday Times that the possibility of a kidnap 'has been mentioned by the police and it's not something they would rule out'.

She said: 'It's looking more and more suspicious as time goes on that they're not actually finding him.

'It [kidnapping] is something that they're thinking of. Obviously it is something they're looking at, but it's certainly not something they're shouting about to me.'

Bury St Edmunds lies around 30 miles from RAF Marham, Norfolk, where two men of Middle Eastern appearance tried to abduct an RAF serviceman in July.

The married officer, who was out jogging at the time, managed to fight off his attackers as they tried to drag him into a people carrier.

Corrie, originally from Dunfermline in Scotland, was reported as missing to police last Monday afternoon.

He is white, 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build, with short light brown hair and was wearing a light pink shirt and white jeans or trousers at the time he was last seen.

Police have released pictures of the shoes which they believe Mr McKeague was wearing

Detectives looking for him also believe he was wearing this pink Ralf Lauren shirt at the time

Corrie's uncle said the 'happy-go-lucky' serviceman was as 'thick as thieves' with his two brothers and would normally tell his family if anything was wrong

His mum Nicola Urquhart, 48, has posted his photo on Facebook and appealed for people to share it in the hope it will help find him.

She added : 'I'm just trying to get his face out there to as many people as possible in the hope it will jog someone's memory, somebody must have seen him.

'A newspaper said I was frantic. It doesn't even come slightly close.'

Meanwhile, Corrie's uncle Tony Wringe pleaded for him to come home, a week after he was last seen.

Mr Wringe, a former serviceman himself, is also urging anyone who may have seen anything at all that could help the investigation to report it to the police, no matter how uncertain they are.

He said: 'This is entirely out of character. Corrie is so connected to his family, to his brothers, to his friends and to the guys that he serves with.'

Mr Wringe said the 'happy-go-lucky' Corrie was as 'thick as thieves' with his two brothers and would normally tell his family if anything was wrong.

CCTV footage captured him roaming the town's streets at around 3.20am before it's thought he may have tried to walk back to base - a three-hour journey on foot

Officers would like to hear from anyone who may have seen Corrie since, or anyone who may have information about where he is now

He spoke of how the family is 'questioning everything' in the wake of his disappearance and in a direct plea to Corrie, Mr Wringe said: 'If it's for any reason that you're now AWOL (absent without leave), it's a storm in a tea cup.

'We've all been there. We've all done dumb stuff in our service time but in a fortnight from now this will just be a bar story.

'So get in touch. We can chat it through, we'll work it out and we'll fix it but get in touch.'

RAF police, Suffolk police and Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue volunteers have been continuing their search over the weekend, scouring verges and retracing Corrie's steps.

Suffolk Police Chief Inspector Simon Mills said: 'He is known to go out nights with his friends and go back on foot regardless of distance.

'For him to go missing is abnormal behaviour, but for him, walking back is normal. The reason he was reported missing is that he failed to show at work.

'We want to hear from anyone who may have seen him on Friday night or early Saturday morning and we want any dog walkers and residents with outbuildings to check for anything unusual.

'We're concerned now because of the vulnerability. If he's injured himself between here and RAF Honington, it's a vast area for us to look for him.'

RAF police, Suffolk police and Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue volunteers have been continuing their search over the weekend, scouring verges and retracing Corrie's steps

Officers would like to hear from anyone who may have seen Corrie since, or anyone who may have information about where he is now, and are asking them to get in touch immediately.

A Suffolk Police spokesman said that there was 'no evidence of any third party involvement at this stage, however we have to keep an open mind.'
Britney Mazzoncini, who had hoped to join the police, could no longer bear the abuse from pupils at her school

A grieving mother has hit out at Facebook bullies who drove her daughter to overdose on anti-anxiety tablets after years of merciless taunts.

Britney Mazzoncini, 16, who had hoped to join the police, could no longer bear the abuse from pupils at her school, her mother Annette said.

She had been a pupil at Rosshall Academy in Glasgow, where her family said a small group of bullies set out to make her life misery.

Speaking publicly about the July tragedy for the first time, her mother told how the scourge of bullying had become the 'sickness of the 21st Century' and called for urgent help for victims.

She said: 'Britney had been bullied for years. She was a sensitive girl who took things to heart.

'It went on at Rosshall, but I always felt the school were unable to stop it. The bullying wrecked her confidence and no amount of love or praise could make it better.

'It continued on social media even after she left school. So-called Facebook friends also made horrendous comments on her postings. Worse still, others backed them.

'I speak to other mums who have lost children through this and the pain never goes away.'

She had left school a few weeks before she died and was hoping to join the police when she turned 17, but instead killed herself with the prescription pills.

She had been a pupil at Rosshall Academy in Glasgow, where her family said a small group of bullies set out to make her life misery

Annette said: 'We found her on the bedroom floor.

She had fallen out of bed. She had gone to bed happy that night and we had no clue she was feeling depressed, far less suicidal.

'We found later on her mobile that she had been looking at an online comment which said: What if you were to wake tomorrow and I didn't. Just a thought.''

In the lead-up to her death, Britney had posted on Facebook to say: 'Starting to get sick of wee lassies calling me a riddy and this and that.

'As I've said, if you have a problem with me then delete me and if you're being cheeky, then you will just be blocked.'

She had previously said online: 'Words do hurt people and people need to start to realise that before it's too late.'

Britney is pictured here with a friend, but her mother is disgusted at those who were quick to be mean to her

Because Britney was 16, her doctor didn't need to inform her family that the anti-anxiety drugs with which she overdosed had been prescribed to her.

This is of great concern to Annette, who added: 'Because of her age we just weren't privy to it.

'We are hugely distressed she was given them. She died just 16 days after being given the prescription.'

Now the family visit her grave every day.

Annette continued: 'We chose a cemetery some distance away as we did not want so-called friends who bullied her to hang about her grave. I still talk to her every day but I cannot truly accept she has passed. Part of me does not want to accept she's gone.'

Despite her grief, Annette is anxious to try to retain some normality in the family's Glasgow home for the sake of Britney's brother and sister.

In the lead-up to her death, Britney had posted on Facebook to say: 'Starting to get sick of wee lassies calling me a riddy and this and that

'I have to be strong for my two other children. A mother has no choice, she has to go on no matter how hard it is. I only ask that bullying is taken seriously before some other parent loses a dearly loved child.'

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said Britney had been a part-time pupil at Rosshall Academy for two years.

The spokesman said: 'Our thoughts are with her family. Rosshall Academy operates a strict zero-tolerance approach to any forms of bullying and will investigate and take the appropriate action to any claim made.

'We do not discuss the individual circumstances of any of our pupils or former pupils as there are inevitably complex and additional issues associated with each case.'

Meanwhile, an anti-bullying concert backed by Britney's family takes place at Glasgow Barrowlands on Saturday, November 5.
An out-of-control party attended by at least 80 youths who began brawling when police arrived had been organised by an adult who charged entry fees.

Police were called to the wild party about 11pm on Saturday night in Woodvale, Perth after receiving noise complaints.

When they arrived the found the large number of youths, a large number of whom police allege gathered on the street outside before brawling and abusing officers, PerthNow reported.

Duffy Terrace in Woodvale, Perth, where police were called to a property on Saturday night and allegedly found an out-of-control party

Fifteen teens were taken into custody and one 16-year-old arrested and charged with disorderly behaviour.

Police also alleged the event had been organised by a 41-year-old man who charged a fee to enter.

It's not yet known if charges will be laid against him

Under the Child Protection Act, the 15 teens taken into custody were taken to adults for care.
Chris Grayling has warned MPs against defying the 'will of the people' as a former minister threatened to vote against Brexit in parliament.

The Cabinet minister said it was 'inconceivable' that the House of Commons could block legislation taking us out of the EU.

The warning came as the government unveiled plans for a 'Great Repeal Bill' that would abolish the key law underpinning the UK's membership.

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Chris Graylin said it would be 'inconceivable' for MPs to try to bock Brexit in the Commons

The legislation is set to be included in the Queen's Speech and should be passed by May 2018 - although it will not come into force until we have concluded negotiations with the EU over new trading terms.

Theresa May said this morning that she will trigger Article 50 - the formal mechanism for Brexit - by March next year, meaning we will have cut ties by April 2019 at the latest.

However, Tory former business minister Anna Soubry, criticised the timing as giving more power to the EU in the negotiations.

She also signalled she could vote against the legislation in the Commons, saying: 'Do I now put aside everything I've ever believed in and vote for something that I don't believe in as a Member of Parliament?'

But Transport Secretary Mr Grayling - a key Brexit campaigner - hit back: 'I think it's inconceivable that Parliament could look at the view of the British public and just ignore it.

'So I think we've got a clear mandate  bear in mind that Parliament agreed overwhelmingly for the referendum to take place in the first place. The people have spoken, they have given us a mandate. I am absolutely certain that Parliament will fulfil that...

But former minister Anna Soubry said she saw no reason why she should not vote against legislation cutting ties with Brussels

'I believe that both Houses of Parliament are full of democrats and those democrats will respect the will of the people, so I think you're talking about hypotheticals.'

He added: 'It's not a question of thwarting us; it's a question of saying to the British public 'we accept your verdict and we will implement it' and that's what we're doing. And I don't believe any democratic parliament would somehow turn around and say 'we should not fulfil that'. Of course there may be some dissenting voices but the overwhelming number of Members of Parliament and peers will view this as a democratic mandate that we have to fulfil...

'Parliament will respect and respond to the will of the people. That's the way our country works.'

Ms Soubry told ITV's Peston on Sunday: 'This is a really important constitutional question. I stood on a very clear platform when I stood to be the member of Parliament for Broxtowe that I was in favour of staying in the European Union. It's been my long-held belief all my life.'

She conceded her constituents in Broxtowe had narrowly voted in favour of leaving the EU, but added:

'Do I now put aside everything I've ever believed in and vote for something that I don't believe in as a Member of Parliament?

'I genuinely, Robert, don't know the answer.'

She added: 'I think I genuinely have to think very long and hard about what I do, because I know what I believe in, everybody has always known my views.'

At that point, the existing EU laws and regulations will be transposed into British legislation.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mrs May said her pledge would 'return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country'.

'It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end,' she added.
The former beauty pageant winner who was fat-shamed by Donald Trump thanked her supporters as she attended a gala in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Alicia Machado  who has made headlines all week since Hillary Clinton first mentioned her in Mondays presidential debate  was at the Metropolitan Fashion Week closing gala at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California.

Trump has escalated his attacks on Machado this week, who he had shamed for gaining weight after winning Miss Universe in 1996.

But Venezuelan-born Machado appeared to be enjoying her time in the spotlight as she donned a form-fitting gold gown and walked the red carpet at the event.

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Alicia Machado, the former beauty pageant winner who was fat-shamed by Donald Trump, thanked her supporters as she attended a gala in Los Angeles on Saturday night

I love you all, I love you all  and thank you very much for all the people that are supporting me right now, Machado told reporters.

Machado presented an award at the event and her eight-year-old daughter Dinorah modeled a creation by costume designer Ricardo Soltero.

Clinton raised Machado's name in the first presidential debate, noting Trump mocked her as Miss Piggy when she gained weight.

Trump denounced Machado in a television interview the next morning and resumed his attacks with tweets on Friday, questioning her sexual history and whether Clinton helped her become a citizen.

Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate? Trump said on Twitter in the early hours of Friday.

Clinton raised Machado's name in the first presidential debate, noting Trump mocked her as Miss Piggy when she gained weight

Machado, who has made headlines all week since Hillary Clinton mentioned her in Mondays presidential debate, wore a gold bodycon gown at the event

Alicia Machado's daughter Dinorah Valentina Hernandez models a creation by costume designer Ricardo Soltero during the Metropolitan Fashion Week's Closing Gala

Machado (right) watches her daughter Dinorah model at the closing gala on Saturday

His tweets prompted Clinton to denounce the tirade as unhinged, even for him.

Who gets up at 3 o'clock in the morning to engage in a Twitter attack? Clinton asked at an event in Coral Springs.

She said Trump's slew of tweets against Machado show that he is temperamentally unfit to be president.

Meanwhile, Machado defended herself on Instagram calling Trumps attacks cheap lies with bad intentions.

The Republican candidate and his campaign are, once again launching attacks, insults and are attempting to revive slanders and false accusations about my life, in order to humiliate, intimidate and unbalance me, she wrote.

Venezuelan-born former Miss Universe Alicia Machado is surrounded by media as she arrives at the Metropolitan Fashion Week's Closing Gala on Saturday

I love you all, I love you all  and thank you very much for all the people that are supporting me right now, Machado told reporters

Metropolitan Fashion Week Producer and Director Eduardo Khawam (left) and Alicia Machado present an award at the Metropolitan Fashion Week's Closing Gala

Trump has escalated his attacks on Machado this week, who he had shamed for gaining weight after winning Miss Universe in 1996

Machado has posed naked for Playboys Mexican version and starred in racy reality television programs, Politico reported.

And media outlets have found no evidence that she has starred in pornographic films.

It has emerged however, that Trump himself made a cameo in an explicit Playboy film in 2000.

Trump escalated his attack on Machado, calling her 'disgusting' in the early hours of Friday

Clinton raised Machado's name in the first presidential debate, noting Trump mocked her as Miss Piggy when she gained weight

Trumps attacks on Machado have also further threatened Trumps precarious standing with female and Hispanic voters.

Clinton also reached out to Machado on Friday afternoon to thank her 'for all she has done and the courage she has shown,' according to campaign spokesman Nick Merrill.

He said Machado promised to continue supporting her and said she would stand up to the attacks.
A two-year-old boy who was declared dead for six minutes after being bitten by the worlds second most venomous snake has been revived by paramedics.

Toddler Eli was with his mother in his backyard in Queenslands Agnes Waters when he was bitten three times by a coastal taipan snake, suffering a cardiac arrest.

Eli is now clinging to life in in hospital in Brisbane, heaping medical bills on the family which has prompted a snake handler to throw support behind them with a fundraiser.

Toddler Eli was with his mother in his backyard when he was bitten three times by a coastal taipan snake, suffering a cardiac arrest.

Richie Gilbert from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 told Daily Mail Australia taipans are elusive but will strike when cornered.

It was tragic. The snake would have probably had its head in a hole looking for rats or mice. They are a shy but they can strike repeatedly and very quickly if they feel threatened.

Mr Gilbert said there were approximately two fatal bites a year from taipans in Australia.

He is helping Elis parents raise money for his medical bills with a free snake awareness demonstration.

Were hoping to raise awareness on different breeds of snakes and explain what to do in case of a snake bite. We're staging a number of activities to raise money for the family.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help Elis family and can be seen here

You can check the Sunshine Snake Catchers page here

The taipan snake is elusive but highly venemous, striking repeatedly and very quickly if they feel threatened
New residents have been slammed for complaining about an long-standing Perth nightclub playing loud music late at night.

A note posted on a bulletin board in the lobby of an apartment block on Aberdeen Street, Northbridge encouraged residents to call the council to complain.

The block is across the road from Jack Rabbit Slim's nightclub, which has operated under various names for more than 20 years.

A note posted on a bulletin board in the lobby of an apartment block in Perth encouraged residents to call the council to complain about a noisy nightclub

'If anyone would like to put in noise complaints for Jack Rabbit Slim's (nightclub) for their excessive noise during the weekdays, you can contact Perth City Council,' the note read, followed by the council's phone numbers.

A neighbour attached a sticky note asking if it was the noise and vibration they could hear at 2-3am some nights.

Another replied saying the noise went until 5am on Tuesday and 3am on Wednesday last week.

Perth DJ Tim Lanzon (pictured) slammed residents campaigning against an inner-city nightclub for playing music late at night

Ace Basik, who lived in the apartment block, said the noise wasn't there and posted a photo of some edits he had made to the notice

The note drew the ire of local DJ Tim Lanzon, known as DJ Timbee, who accused them of trying to destroy a community that existed long before they moved there, in a lengthy Facebook rant.

He got some support from Ace Basik, who lived in the apartment block, who said his flat bared the brunt of the noise because it directly faced the club but it wasn't that bad.

'I accept the fact that I live in a nightlife precinct. Rent is cheaper and houses are bigger in the burbs I wouldn't be here if I didn't actively choose to be here,' he said.

The residents were complaining about Jack Rabbit Slim's on Aberdeen Street, Northbridge

Mr Lanzon vented his frustration in a lengthy Facebook rant, pictured above

Mr Basik posted a photo of himself making some edits to the notice, including blacking out the phone numbers and writing that his neighbours 'probably shouldn't have moved into the nightlife capital of WA'.

Mr Lanzon said the unhappy residents should have considered the noise before they moved near a venue that had been active for more than 20 years.

'Northbridge has seen the closure of a number of venues as residential rate payers outnumber the voting power of venues more than 10-fold,' he wrote.

'They seek to actively target and destroy a community which was there long before these whinging yuppies took up residence in a completely inappropriate location.'

The apartment block on Aberdeen Street (pictured) where the note was posted

The apartment block (taller building on the right) is across the road from the club (left)

The entertainer said complaints he had heard from new residents in the past five years included their children needing to sleep and them wanting to sleep with their balcony door open.

'You relinquished your right to complain about noise when you sought out a lease next to a famous nightspot,' he wrote in response.

'I have to assume that you were aware that your property backed onto a bar or nightclub and it didn't just appear one day as you were watching Channel 7's Sunrise while eating your almond-milk paleo gluten-free porridge.'

Mr Lanzon (pictured) said the unhappy residents should have considered the noise before they moved near a venue that had been active for more than 20 years

He said complaints he had heard from new residents in the past five years included their children needing to sleep and them wanting to sleep with their balcony door open

Mr Lanzon said while some people would always complain, he was concerned others who didn't would be spurred into action by a loud minority.

'People who were not previously annoyed by the sound would likely see this and then think "you know what, yes, it should be quiet in Northbridge" and climb on the w***er-wagon until Jack Rabbit and every other venue in Northbridge is either closed or begins trading under a silent disco model.'

He had significant support from music fans in comments to the post, which has received more than 500 likes and been shared more than 100 times.

Mr Lanzon said while some people would always complain, he was concerned others who didn't would be spurred into action by a loud minority

Mr Lanzon even got support from Perth City councillor Reece Harley (pictured) who wrote: 'I completely agree with you'

Mr Lanzon even got support from Perth City councillor Reece Harley who wrote: 'I completely agree with you. If you're seeking peace and quiet don't move next door to a nightclub. Period.'

One commenter pointed out that when the venue was renamed and renovated recently it made changes to its sound system, and installed acoustic engineered ceiling solutions and wall treatments to dampen the noise.

Others said they lived in the area and didn't mind the noise or it wasn't that bad, and called on the council to ignore complaints.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has renewed her feud with Boris Johnson - refusing to say she has confidence in him.

The pair repeatedly clashed during the EU referendum campaign, with Remain-supporting Ms Davidson accusing Mr Johnson during a live television debate of 'selling a lie'.

She also took aim at the former London mayor's 'brazen chauvinistic style'.

Ruth Davidson has made some memorable comments about Boris Johnson in the past

The Scottish Tory leader accused Mr Johnson of 'selling a lie' during the EU referendum campaign and has jibed at his 'brazen chauvinistic style'

In an interview as the Conservative conference kicked off in Birmingham today, Mrs Davidson revealed they recently had a 'good meeting'.

But she then repeatedly refused to say she had confidence in the Foreign Secretary.

Pushed to say the sentence 'I have confidence in Boris Johnson' during her appearance on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland, Mrs Davidson merely said: 'I've always had confidence in the role of the foreign secretary.'

Asked a second time, she said: 'I sat down with Boris, we had a very good meeting and he is taking the role incredibly seriously.

'He's a man who speaks five languages, he's worked on the continent of Europe, he worked in Brussels for many years and was born in America, which is our greatest trading partner. In terms of qualifications for the job he's got them in spades and he's applying himself to the job.

Pressed a third time, Ms Davidson said: 'I have more confidence in Boris Johnson now that I've sat down with him than I had before, there you go.'

The Scottish Tory leader said Brexit Secretary David Davis had informed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in advance of Prime Minister Theresa May's announcement on triggering Article 50.

She added: 'It is important that Scotland's voice is heard. I'm pleased to see that there's an understanding within the UK Government that they want to take all of the devolved administrations along with them.

'It's important that we do this as a whole country of the UK and we do it in the right manner.'
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual abuse was set up by Theresa May in 2014

An inquiry into an alleged paedophile ring in Westminster has descended into farce as 3million is spent on lawyers before the probe even starts.

The spiraling costs of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual abuse are being footed by the taxpayer as money spent on the investigation soars to 14.7million.

Announced by Theresa May in 2014, while she was Home Secretary, the investigation has been marred by controversy with three lawyers walking out.

Ben Emmerson QC resigned from the investigation, just 24 hours after he was suspended from duty, while it was also revealed that his deputy Elizabeth Prochaska had quit.

The latest to leave was barrister Abigail Bright who parted ways with her colleagues this weekend.

Despite the departures, staffing costs of the operation are still high, with the 167-strong team costing 4,175,851, while 75,000 has been spent on stationery, reports the Sun.

The resignations and apparent lack of organisation has attracted criticism from victims, MPs and judges.

Labour MP Yvette Cooper told the Sunday Times: 'Survivors are being let down by the chaos over the inquiry, and the lack of transparency over what happening is making this worse.'

While leading QC David Pannick said the probe was doomed from its start.

Ben Emmerson QC, a top lawyer helping to lead the Government's child abuse inquiry, has officially resigned from the public inquiry just a day after he was suspended from the position

So far the investigation into an alleged paedophile ring in Westminster has cost the taxpayer over 14million

He remarked: 'This inquiry was obviously unmanageable when it was set up, and everything that has happened since has only confirmed that.'
The family of two sisters who died during a vacation in The Seychelles held an emotional celebration of their life at the luxury resort where they were found.

Guests at the $1800 night paradise island resort joined the mum and brother of Robin and Annie Korkki for the poignant candlelit ceremony.

The sister's mum Susan and brother Mike held hands as flower petals were sprinkled on the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean.

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Beauty: The family of Robin and Annie Korkki attended a memorial on the beachfront of the Maaia Luxury Indian Ocean Resort (pictured)

Annie (left) and Robin Korkki (right) were commemorated by their brother and their mother and friends who will fly back to their hometown of Minnesota where another memorial service for the will be held at a later date

A small memorial had been built into the sand as guest stood in dignified silence while prayers were said.

Music from reggae star Bob Marley was played over loudspeakers as family and guests listened to several tracks, including 'One Love'.

The grieving relatives later walked back through the luxury resort from the beach where they were seen 'high fiving' other guests and hotels staff.

'It was a very simple ceremony and there were no tears but just a celebration of the sisters life,' said a guest who witnessed the event held at dusk at the Maia Luxury Resort and Spa.

'I understand the hotel management had invited the family to attend. They threw flower petals out into the ocean. It wasn't a memorial service but a celebration of the sisters' life.

'They later gathered round a memorial that had been prepared on the sand. Some prayers were said and that was it. Music was played as the ceremony ended.

The sisters pictured in a September 19 photo while on vacation in Seychelles. They had been vacationing on the tropical island since September 15 and were due to leave on the 22nd but extended their stay at the resort until the 24th

The sisters were discovered in their villa at the Maia Luxury Resort and Spa on Thursday 22 September. They were on a lengthy trip to Africa before they went to the Seychelles

'When the mum and brother walked back to the resort they were smiling and high fiving the other guests. It was a celebration rather than a mourning.'

The Korkki sisters were found dead lying side by side on September 22nd at their secluded villa set into the hillside at the Maia resort.

An autopsy revealed that both had died from pulmonary edema  a build up of fluid in the lungs usually caused by heart failure.

Police removed prescription medications from their room and toxicology tests are being carried to determine if they had brought on the sudden deaths.

Both Robin, 43, and Annie, 37, had been drinking throughout the day at the all- inclusive resort and had to be helped to their room by staff.

They were later found dead by their personal butler who was unable to gain entry to the villa the following morning.

Daily Mail.com revealed the sisters were cremated on Friday, the day police in the Seychelles released the results of the autopsy.

Police sources said the swiftness of the cremation showed the family were happy with the autopsy and the investigation.

Robin Korkki, 37, enjoys a glass of wine on vacation before her tragic death

In this September 17 photo from their vacation showing Annie, she commented on the photo, calling the trip 'indescribable'

'If there was any doubt what killed the sisters the bodies would have been flown back to the US and an independent autopsy carried out,' said the source.

'This did not happen. It shows the family were happy with what they have been told and there is no dispute as to the cause of death.'

Toxicology tests to determine what, if any drugs, were taken are being carried out on the island of Mauritius.

The results are not likely to be known for several weeks but medical experts have said the cause of death for both women was more than likely caused by alcohol or drugs.

Police said no illegal drugs were found with the bodies.

In one snap, Annie pretends to hold a sign that says 'We want beer' featured in a life-size photograph

Since the tragic deaths the resort has tried its best not to upset its usual routine of pampering guests.

But one guests told Daily Mail.com the barman who served the Korkki sisters drinks prior to their deaths was very subdued.

'He was only doing his job, but he does look very down,' said the guest.

Describing what it is like to stay at the $1800 a night resort, the guest said: 'Everything is all inclusive so as soon as your glass is empty it is re-filled. You can drink as much as you like from the moment you wake up till its time for bed.

'They are serving Dom Perignon champagne all the time. Once my glass is empty I don't have to ask for another as a waiter immediately fills it up.

'It is the same for any drink, and they only serve the best of everything.'

The guest, who asked not to be named, said many of those staying at the resort were Russians.

Victoria Hospital Morgue where the women where taken after their deaths is shown above. It is located in the Seychelle's capital city of Victoria

'They have all the best villas on the beachfront and act as if they own the place,' said the guest.

A spokesman for the Maia Luxury Resort and Spa refused to comment.

Visits to the resort are by appointment only.

Wooden barriers across the paved entrance prevent cars from approaching the resort.

A card handed out by a security guard at the hotel explained the resort's mission.

It said:' At Maia, our every aim is to provide out guests with a sanctuary where we respect the need for privacy.

An autopsy carried out at the Victoria Hospital (pictured) revealed Robin died from acute pulmonary edema. Annie died from the same condition as well as cerebral edema, which sees fluid build up on the brain

'We therefore regret that in keeping with this philosophy, visitors will need to set up an appointment to visit the property.'

When Daily Mail.com tried to make an appointment to visit we were told to call back in a week.

Until the results of the autopsy were revealed the deaths of the adventure loving Korkki sister had appeared to be a mystery.

Police said the autopsy did not show any signs of physical harm and there had been no forced entry into the villa.

Both Robin and Anne had appeared happy and healthy in a series of photographs posted to social media during their stay in the Seychelles.

They were last seen around 7.25pm on September 22nd. The door to the villa had been locked from the inside.

The sisters' (pictured) mother Susan and brother Mike were the only people present at the cremation on Friday having traveled to the Indian Ocean island from Minnesota to seek answers over the pair's sudden death

The ashes of sisters Robin (right) and Annie Korkki (left), who were found dead at a luxury resort in The Seychelles, were handed over to their family on Saturday following a private cremation

An itinerary found at the sister's hotel room showed the pair were touring Africa and had already spent time in Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar.

The women had been due to leave on September 22nd,, the day their bodies were found, but extended their stay until the 24th.

The Korkki sisters were originally from Minnesota.

Ann Korkki worked as a senior administrative assistant for JPMorgan Chase in Denver, while Robin Korkki was based in Chicago where she worked as Head of FX and Metals at Allston Trading, according to their professional websites.

The death of the two women stunned friends and family in Minnesota

The family is in shock,' Chris told KMSP of his sisters' deaths.

'Everyone is trying to understand and come to terms with what happened.'
Malaysia Airlines did not meet its own rules for tracking the location of lost Flight MH370 while it was in the air, a new book has claimed.

The Boeing 777, which was carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Investigators have still not determined the exact course the plane took on March 8, 2014, or recovered all the wreckage.

Now, in The Crash Detectives, journalist Christine Negroni has accused the Kuala Lumpur-based carrier of failing to ensure the doomed aircraft was constantly tracked.

Malaysia Airlines did not meet its own rules for being able to track the location of aircraft in the case of lost Flight MH370, a new book has claimed

She wrote that company rules said the location of all aeroplanes should be monitored - by sending regular bursts of data to a controller on the ground - 'through all phases of the flight'.

But Negroni said a report by internal auditors, undertaken in April 2013, found the carrier's planes were not meeting this requirement and, by law, should not have been cleared to fly.

She also claimed that Malaysia's acting transport minister when the plane disappeared, Hishammuddin Hussein, knew about this audit but did not admit this to reporters.

Acting transport minister Hussein told a press conference convened two days after the flight disappeared that the government had 'nothing to hide'.

'The airline was informed by its own staff that it was unable to comply with tracking regulations,' Negroni told thedailybeast.com.

Auditors reports seen by Negroni did not say how frequently aeroplanes should be tracked.

American lawyer Blaine Alan Gibson is carrying out a one-man investigation into the fate of MH370, and found a piece of wreckage from the aircraft in March

But she discovered that Malaysia Airlines' long haul flights now send tracking information every five minutes.

American lawyer Blaine Alan Gibson is carrying out a one-man investigation into the fate of MH370, and found a piece of wreckage from the aircraft in March.

An Australian-led operation is scouring the seafloor within a remote 120,000-square-kilometre (46,000-square-mile) belt of the Indian Ocean where authorities believe the passenger jet went down.

The search is nearly finished, however, and families are bracing for it to be called off.
The bodyguard was arrested last week and faces charges of kidnapping

She told an armed aide he had to kill this dog, he doesn't deserve to live

The daughter of King Salman of Saudi Arabia has fled the French capital

The daughter of King Salman of Saudi Arabia has fled Paris after allegedly instructing one of her bodyguards to murder a painter and decorator, it was claimed today.

Princess Hassa, 42, has pleaded diplomatic immunity against prosecution after telling the armed aide: You have to kill this dog, he doesn't deserve to live.

But the bodyguard, who has not been named, was arrested in the French capital last week and, following two nights in custody, appeared before an instructing judge on Saturday.

The daughter of King Salman of Saudi Arabia (pictured) has fled Paris after allegedly instructing one of her bodyguards to murder a painter and decorator, it was claimed today

He was put under formal criminal investigation for a range of charges including violence with a firearm, kidnapping, and assisted kidnapping.

The bodyguard is likely to face a criminal trial, which could see him imprisoned if found guilt on what amount to extremely serious allegations.

He is said to have attacked the unnamed 53-year-old workman inside a palatial flat on September 26th, after the Princess told the Frenchman to kiss her feet, and then issued the threat.

But Elie Hatem, the bodyguards barrister, disputes this version of events, saying: There were more than twenty people in the apartments.

How can the facts as outlined by the complainant have been overlooked?

There was no sign of Hassa in court, and she too insists she was not guilty of any wrongdoing.

The royal involved was originally identified by Le Point magazine as a close relative of the late Saudi King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Now, however, the French magazine, which broke the story, says she is the 42-year-old  only daughter of the current king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

He has five sons, and his only daughter is Princess Hassa, who was born in 1974. Hassa has always been a regular visitor to Paris, where she is known for enjoying the lifestyle of a multi-millionaire.

The bodyguard was accused of wanted to sell the images of the inside of the flat in Avenue Foch (shown), the prestigious road close to the Arc de Triomphe, to the media

During questioning by the judge on Saturday, the bodyguard said he done the minimum necessary to restrain the workman after the Princess caught him taking pictures.

He was accused of wanted to sell the images of the inside of the flat in Avenue Foch, the prestigious road close to the Arc de Triomphe, to the media.

In turn, judicial police said it was perfectly normal for painters and decorators to take pictures on their smart phones during jobs.

The bodyguard confirmed the Princess was present during the incident, and that he was carrying an automatic pistol, as he was entitled to as a diplomatic guard.

The Princess is said to have ordered her bodyguard to beat the unidentified Frenchman up, tied his hands and feet together, and then made him kiss her feet.

After a four-hour ordeal, the workman was kicked out of the flat, and told to 'never return' to the area.

Later he asked for the equivalent of some 16,000 pounds for work done, and for the return of his tools.

Detectives entered the Avenue Foch flat last week, where they were said to have retrieved the tools of the decorator, who was officially signed off work for a week because of shock and severe bruising.
As his premature baby boy fought a battle for life he eventually lost, Neil Johnston's time with his child was cut short - due to exorbitant parking prices charged by a hospital.

The Sydney IT worker says he spent nearly $1000 on parking to see his 25-week premature son in Liverpool Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the time he received care.

When Joel died aged just six weeks old, Mr Johnston was even slugged $24 to see his body one last time.

Neil Johnston (right) was unable to visit his sick newborn son, the first child for he and wife Tenelle (left), or his wife at Liverpool Hospital because of the high price of parking

Mr and Mrs Johnston's son Joel eventually died in August 2014, just six weeks after he was born. Joel was born prematurely at the 25 week mark and weighed less than 500 grams

Joel - their first child - was born on June 30, 2014, weighing a mere 477 grams after Mr Johnston's wife Tenelle began suffering sever pre-eclampsia and an emergency cesarean section had to be performed.

He told Daily Mail Australia: 'The doctor said to me, "either he [Joel] comes out today, or it's them both gone tomorrow".'

With his son in intensive care, Mr Johnston would go to the hospital to visit his wife and son before and after work.

But quickly, the cost of an hour's parking before work and two hours after - at $12 per hour - began to add up.

It soon became a cost he couldn't afford - as he was forced to rely on his brothers for rides to avoid the parking fees when he could.

'No mum or dad should sit there and think "I can't afford to go and see my sick kid or loved one",' he said.

When the hospital eventually apologised, it came as a surprise, he said.

According to Mr Johnston, the high price of parking at Liverpool Hospital - which cost $12 per hour - began to add up and he could no longer visit his sick wife and son

Since the death of his son Mr Johnston has successfully campaigned for the hospital to lower their parking costs

With nothing able to change Mr Johnston's experience, his only concern became ensuring others don't face the same horrible ordeal.

'It's a public hospital. There are better ways to make profit,' he said.

Although hospital parking fees have since changed at Liverpool, Mr Johnston believes fees should also be brought into line elsewhere.

He said parking should never again determine how much someone can visit their loved one.

Mr Johnston relied on his brothers to drive him to the hospital to visit his loved ones

'I'm pushing for it to be fair for everyone,' he said.

Despite the problematic parking, Mr Johnston said he had nothing but praise for medical staff at the hospital.

Mr and Mrs Johnston have since been told they can't have children due to health related issues following on from her pregnancy with Joel.
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Prince George left another Canadian hanging as he ignored the high five of a schoolboy just days after snubbing the nation's Prime Minister.

The young Royal was clearly not in the mood for larking about as he walked across Victoria Airport on the last day of his family's tour of Canada.

After ignoring the attempts of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to high five him when the prince first arrived days earlier, it was posey boy Daniel Brachman that was on the end of George's ice-cool mood this time.

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George looks less than impressed at the notion of another high-five when posey boy Daniel Brachman tries to get his attention in Victoria

Daniel was seen to walk over to the young prince, who was holding the hand of his father the Duke of Cambridge, only for George to turn to his father when the Canadian outstretched his hand.

Despite his cold Royal reception, the nine-year-old, who was representing the organisation Power to Be bent down, was still thrilled to meet Prince George, his sister Princess Charlotte and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Daniel was pictured handing a bouquet of flowers to the Duchess who later held them up to her young daughter to smell.

The school boy said afterwards: 'I was really excited to meet them, I wish that I asked them something but it was still really exciting.'

Reflecting on meeting George, he added: 'I tried to high five him but he didn't want to.'

The little prince did, however, shake the hand of Governor General David Johnston after William prompted him.

Prince George and Prince Charlotte have been a big hit on the tour with their adorable antics earning them the nickname 'Kate's Cuties' with Canadians.

Even after encouragement from his father, George continues to ignore the young man's introduction at the airport

George caused quite a stir when he ignored the high-five of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just days earlier

However, it was announced that this will be the last visit the Royals enjoy as a family as the Duke and Duchess want their children to enjoy a 'normal childhood'.

Wrapping up the royal visit, HRH The Duke of Cambridge said: 'Catherine and I are incredibly grateful to the people of Canada for the warmth and hospitality they have extended to our family over the last week.

'We have loved our time in British Columbia and Yukon and will never forget the beautiful places we have seen and the many people who have been kind enough to come to welcome us in person.

George's mother is more receptive and gratefully receives a bouquet of flowers from nine-year-old schoolboy Daniel as she holds Princess Charlotte in her arms

Charlotte smells the bouquet of flowers given to her mother as the family say their goodbyes to crowds and leave Canada

Prince George and Princess Charlotte wave goodbye to Canada as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's tour ended with the couple praising the nation for the 'happy memories' created during their stay

'We feel very lucky to have been able to introduce George and Charlotte to Canada. This country will play a big part in the lives of our children and we have created such happy memories for our family during this visit.
A team of 19 people including police officers, forensic specialists and an archaeologist has returned to a site in Kos to look for clues about the disappearance of toddler Ben Needham.

South Yorkshire Police officers deployed to the island are combing an olive grove and land surrounding a farmhouse in the village of Iraklis in the hope of unearthing clues which could lead them to the missing boy.

These pictures show the scale of the search for the toddler who disappeared 25 years ago, with tonnes of dirt moved and a huge number of people digging for clues on a daily basis

The search could take weeks, and today it was revealed the team from South Yorkshire has been joined on a regular basis by an army of volunteers from the villages.

A South Yorkshire Police team member watches as excavated soil is unloaded for examination at the search site of missing toddler Ben Needham

A South Yorkshire Police team member examines excavated soil at the search site in Kos, Greece

South Yorkshire Police watch on as a bulldozer excavates soil from under olive trees

Reading a statement from the family of Ben Needham, Frank Harkness said: 'We are so incredibly thankful for the help and support of volunteer search teams working with officers.

'To know that people are giving up their own time and are as desperate as we are to find answers is something we will be eternally grateful for.

'We have been told that volunteers are coming to the site on their days off and straight from work and we honestly can't thank them enough.'

The statement continued to say that knowing they had the support of those volunteers meant 'everything'.

Ben Needham went missing in Kos in July 1991 and the search for him has not stopped since

Members of the Greek rescue services sift through excavated soil as the search intensifies

Members of the Greek rescue services work at the search site of missing toddler Ben Needham

A member of the Greek rescue services examines debris after sifting through excavated soil

At the search site, officers and volunteers are sifting through tonnes of excavated soil in the hope of finding clues about Ben's disappearance in July 1991.

Yesterday, officers presented a replica of the shoes the 21-month old had on his feet in the hope that they might help search teams looking for evidence of Ben.

Mr Harkness said the team had been working hard since early Sunday morning on the site.

He said: 'It is important to try to regather the time we lost yesterday.

'Work is ongoing. The area of earth that was removed is still being raked out.

'I am overwhelmed with the support. These people literally come here from a day job, some are paramedics, some are doctors, nurses, fire people, doing all sorts of jobs and they dedicate their free time, on the weekend to help us out.

'I could not be in this position without the help they provide us.'

South Yorkshire Police examine debris from excavated soil as the 19-strong team work in Kos

A bulldozer excavates top soil from an olive grove as other workmen look on at the search site

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, left, of South Yorkshire Police talks with a team member at the search site of missing toddler Ben Needham

Members of the Greek rescue services work at an olive grove next to the farm where the toddler was last seen

Ben's sister Leighanna Needham, 22, told of how she had spent her life hoping that her brother would one day come home.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain earlier this week, she added: None of us want to believe that they are going to find something there because thats 25 years of fighting and pain and hurt that could have been ended 25 years ago.
Mr Beynon was awarded $25,000 in damages from the District Court

The multimillionaire tobacco tycoon known as The Candyman has ignited a fresh legal battle with his former nanny after winning $25,000 in defamation damages from her last year.

Travers Beynon has served Michelle Manthey with a bankruptcy notice from the Federal Circuit Court after she claimed the Gold Coast party king's daughters watched pictures being taken of his wife covered in seafood, reports Courier Mail.

Ms Manthey was the nanny for Mr Beynon's four children between June 16, 2014 and March 31, 2015, telling A Current Affair he had a 'crazy life with people in and out of their house.'

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Gold Coast multi-millionaire Travers Beynon has ignited a fresh legal battle with his former nanny

Michelle Manthey claimed the Gold Coast party king's daughters were watching pictures being taken of his wife covered in raw seafood (pictured)

Ms Manthey (pictured) told A Current Affair he had a 'crazy life with people in and out of their house'

'I know that the younger girls were there when the sushi was laid over (Mr Benyon's wife) Taesha,' she claimed in the interview.

'I can understand if this is something Travers wants to do, but do it somewhere else, don't do it in the family home,' Ms Manthey said, according to a transcript of her remarks tended in The District Court.

There was no evidence at the trial that Mr Beynon had allowed his children to watch a photoshoot where his wife Taesha was covered in the Japanese delicacy.

His lawyers had argued he deserved $100,000 in damages, however the judge ordered he receive $25,000 because of his reputation posting pictures of 'bare-breasted' and 'barely clad' women at his home online.

Mr Beynon shot to fame in 2014 after pictures of his hard-partying lifestyle - which bears a strong resemblance to that of Los Angeles Instagram star Dan Bilzerian - went viral.

The case's next hearing is on October 27.

The judge said he only received $25,000 because of his reputation posting pictures of 'bare-breasted' and 'barely clad' women at his home online.
A Texas grandmother has been indicted for felony murder of her two-year-old grandson.

Police say she waited at the home six days before calling authorities to report her grandson had been burned by boiling water.

'I've got a two-year-old who looks like he's in shock,' you can hear Flores say in a 911 call released by Haltom City Police on Thursday. 'He's having trouble breathing.'

Haltom City police officers initially apprehended Patricia Flores, 43, in April after issuing a warrant for her arrest and setting her bond at $75,000.

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Tragic: Police in Texas indicted Patricia Flores. She is accused of leaving her two-year-old grandson, Lyfe 'Gabe' Flores, in scalding hot water. He suffered severe burns and died April 4

Patricia Flores originally told authorities that she left her grandson alone in the bathroom with water running in the bathtub. Police say Flores she waited six days until the toddler became unresponsive before calling for medical assistance

She first told police that she left her grandson, Lyfe 'Gabe' Flores, alone in the bathroom with water running in the bathtub.

When officers responded to a call for medical assistance at her home on March 30, they found the child with significant burns to his body.

Questioned by a Haltom City officer, Flores said she had been preparing to do cleaning in the home six days earlier and had run hot water in the bathtub for mopping purposes.

She told the officer that she left the bathroom for a few minutes, returning to find her grandson lying on the floor.

Due to the severity of his burns, the toddler was transported to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth before being taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas

The toddler's maternal grandfather Mike Hamilton (above left) told NBC Dallas that when he went to visit him in the hospital he was 'swollen, scratched, bruised, burned from his waist down, and his hands were burnt'

Police say Patricia Floredswaited six days before calling authorities to report her grandson had been burned

'She had checked on Lyfe earlier and thought he was asleep, ' the affidavit states. 'Lyfe had pooped and peed on the bathroom floor and as Flores began to clean this up, she noticed that Lyfe had burns to his legs and hands.'

Flores told investigators that her grandson never yelled out or screamed in pain.

'Flores felt that since she was a trained certified nursing assistant, she could care for Lyfe's injuries herself and never reported this incident, or sought medical care for Lyfe from a doctor, ' the affidavit states.

Police say Flores waited six days until the toddler became unresponsive before calling for medical assistance.

'That's probably what angers me and just breaks my heart the most,' maternal grandfather Mike Hamilton said.

'Bad enough it had to happen but to go through the pain for six days before you call medical treatment? There's no excuse for that.'

Due to the severity of his burns, the toddler was transported to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth before being taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

'He's swollen, he's scratched, he's bruised, he's burned, he's burned from his waist down, his hands were burnt,' Hamilton told the NBC Dallas in reference to a hospital visit when he went to see his grandson.

Tragically, the toddler died April 4 and police say the lack of medical treatment for the burns led to an infection that possibly contributed to his death.

'I want her brought to justice and I want everything that she deserves for the law to give her,' Hamilton told the station.
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Left-wing anti-Tory protesters demanded Theresa May call an immediate election despite latest polls today showing she could quadruple her majority in the Commons.

Ministers and MPs were met with shouts of 'Tory scum get out of Brum' as they began their four-day conference in Birmingham today.

Police estimated that up to 20,000 people joined the protests, which were arranged by radical trade unions campaigning against the Government's spending cuts.

Aggressive placards read: 'The only cuts that we need are Tories on the guillotine,' while others compared the giant security wall protecting Conservative MPs from the public to Donald Trump's plans to build a wall on the Mexican border and others branded former Prime Minister David Cameron a 'financial terrorist and fascist'.

Left-wing anti-Tory protesters demanded Theresa May call an immediate election despite latest polls today showing she could quadruple

Aggressive placards read: 'The only cuts that we need are Tories on the guillotine' as as many as 20,000 people took to the streets of Birmingham to campaign against the Tory government

One protester dressed as a badger and held a placard that read: 'Cull the Tories not the badgers' outside the Conservative party conference centre in Birmingham today

Remarkably, protesters called for Mrs May to call a general election, despite the Prime Minister ruling out a vote before 2020.

Analysis of the latest polls by Britains leading polling expert Professor John Curtice found Mrs May could increase her slim 12 seat majority to 44 if she decided to hold a snap election.

Despite these findings, the Prime Minister again ruled out holding an early vote before the scheduled general election in 2020, saying this morning that doing so would cause 'instability'.

But some Tory MPs want her to rethink her stance, warning that controversial policies such as her drive for more grammar schools will need a greater majority to get through Parliament.

Meanwhile, as the conference kicked off today, Mrs May gave more details of her plans for Brexit, announcing that she aims to lead Britain out of the EU by April 2019 at the latest.

The Prime Minister said Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the formal two-year mechanism for quitting the Brussels club - will be triggered by March.

She also unveiled plans enshrine all Brussels rules into domestic law, arguing that it will help smooth the transition and unnecessary red tape can be abolished by parliament later.

Ministers and MPs were met with shouts of 'Tory scum get out of Brum' as they began their four-day conference in Birmingham today as protesters waved anti-Tory slogans at delegates

Representatives from the Fire Brigades Union march in Birmingham to protest against the Conservative government

Placards waved by protesters brand David Cameron a 'financial terrorist and fascist' as they marched through Birmingham city centre while the Tories met at the International Convention Centre

But MPs are already threatening to try to derail the process - announced at the start of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

Mrs May is due to address the gathering for the first time as leader, following intense criticism that she has not been clear enough about her approach to Brexit.

She has previously said that Article 50 will be invoked by the end of next year - but staunchly refused to be more precise.

There had been speculation that Mrs May wanted to delay until after elections in Germany slated for September, on the basis the EU will have a clearer idea of its negotiating position after that.

But Brexiteer ministers including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox have been pressing for the process to begin sooner.

Protesters claimed the 'nasty party is back in town' as they marched through Birmingham city centre today to protest against the Tories

Anti-Tory protesters held placards demanding an early election at a rally in Victoria Square in Birmingham today

Asked for a rough timescale in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning, Mrs May said: 'As you know, I have been saying that we wouldn't trigger it before the end of this year so that we get some preparation in place.

'But yes, I will be saying in my speech today that we will trigger (Article 50) before the end of March next year.'

Mrs May added: 'The remaining members of the EU have to decide what the process of negotiation is.

'I hope, and I will be saying to them, now that they know what our timing is going to be - it's not an exact date but they know it will be in the first quarter of next year - that we'll be able to have some preparatory work so that once the trigger comes we have a smoother process of negotiation.

'It's not just important for the UK but important for Europe as a whole that we're able to do this in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses, and when we leave the EU we have a smooth transition from the EU.'

Tory delegates are protected from protesters outside the conference by a giant security ring in Birmingham city centre

The inside of the Conservative party conference - held in the International Convention Centre in Birmingham - is a very different scene to outside

Theresa May was told to hold an early election by protesteres but new polling figures show she could quadruple her majority in the House of Commons if she does

However, Mrs May cautioned that triggering Article 50 did not mean she would be conducting negotiations in public.

'This is not about keeping silent for two years, but it's about making sure that we are able to negotiate, that we don't set out all the cards in our negotiation because, as anybody will know who's been involved in these things, if you do that up front, or if you give a running commentary, you don't get the right deal,' she said.

The timing - which means that the UK will be out before the next round of elections to the European Parliament in 2019 - was warmly welcomed by Eurosceptics.

Former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith suggested the process could be triggered before March.

The former Work and Pensions Secretary told Murnaghan on Sky News: 'This is a 'by the end of March', so there is every chance she will be triggering it earlier than that.

'It depends hugely on what they are doing behind the scenes, trying to make sure they have exactly the areas that they want lined up.'

But Tory former minister Anna Soubry said triggering Article 50 so soon would leave the EU holding 'all the cards' in the negotiation.

She warned that companies like Nissan will 'pack up and leave' Britain if it cannot negotiate access to the single market and dismissed the repeal Bill as 'very technical and not a big deal'.

The repeal legislation will be hailed as the beginning of the end of the supremacy of EU law in Britain.

But the new act will not take effect until Article 50 is triggered and the formal process of leaving the bloc has begun.

The commitments are a response to demands from senior figures, including former Tory ministers Nicky Morgan and Ken Clarke, to go beyond the 'Brexit means Brexit' slogan.

The Prime Minister, pictured arriving at the Conservative conference with husband Philip last night, has taken the unusual step of scheduling two speeches at this year's gathering

The Prime Minister was appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning

Mrs May has again ruled out the prospect of an early election, insisting she wants stability for the country as she arrived for the gathering in Birmingham.

In an interview she told The Sunday Times: 'This marks the first stage in the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country once again.

'It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country.

'It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end.'

The news will be greeted with cheers by Eurosceptics, who put repealing the 1972 European Communities Act, which took the UK in, at the heart of a 'Brexit manifesto' published days before the referendum.

Vote Leave, the formal campaign to leave the EU, also put getting rid of the European Communities Act as one of their top promises on the 'Brexit road map'.

On the opening day Mrs May, Mr Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis will detail plans for the 'Great Repeal Bill' that will allow Britain to 'take back control' of its legislation.

It will give Parliament the power to unpick the laws it wants to keep, remove or amend at a later date, in a move designed to give certainty to businesses and protection for workers' rights that are enshrined in EU law.

Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the hotel in Birmingham ahead of the Conservative Party conference

Rights such as parental leave and automatic holiday will be maintained, in order to fend off Labour attacks.

Mr Davis will say: 'To those who are trying to frighten British workers, saying 'when we leave, employment rights will be eroded', I say firmly and unequivocally, 'no they won't'.'

The Bill is expected to be brought before Parliament in 2017 or 2018, and will not pre-empt the two-year process of leaving the EU, which begins when the Government triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr Davis will tell the conference: 'We will follow the process to leave the EU which is set out in Article 50.

'The Prime Minister has been clear that she won't start the formal negotiations about our exit before the end of the year.

'As we prepare for those negotiations in Europe, we also need to prepare for the impact of Brexit on domestic law.

'It's very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply.

'To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach. EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on exit day.

'It will be for elected politicians here to make the changes to reflect the outcome of our negotiation and our exit.

'That is what people voted for: power and authority residing once again with the sovereign institutions of our own country.'

The repeal Bill will also mean the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will no longer be the ultimate arbiter in legal disputes.

Controversial judgements from the ECJ over the years have triggered anger from right-leaning MPs, with the court held as a beacon of Brussels's influence over Britain.

Mrs May wore particularly eye-catching shoes for her conference TV interview this morning

Images of former PM Margaret Thatcher - with whom Mrs May has been compared - were prominently on display at the conference venue in Birmingham today

Also included will be powers to make changes to the laws using secondary legislation as negotiations over the UK's future relationship proceed, although more wide-ranging amendments or new laws may come forward in separate legislation.

Mrs May also made clear she does not want the conference to be dominated by the issue of leaving the EU.

But it may prove difficult with Tory MPs divided between favouring a 'hard Brexit' outside the European single market to obtain complete control over immigration, or remaining in the free trade zone, but potentially having to comply with some EU rules.

'I'm clear that we are not going to be completely consumed by Brexit,' the Prime Minister told the Sun on Sunday.

'What I want to deliver is real change. To build a country that works for everyone.'

It is also not guaranteed that the Great Repeal Bill would be implemented efficiently, as it would still need a majority vote from MPs and peers.

This means the pro-EU Lords could hold up its progress.

Sir Craig Oliver, David Cameron's former spin doctor, expressed his frustration over Mrs May's stance during the EU referendum.

Sir Craig, who has released a book entitled Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story Of Brexit, told the BBC: 'It was very difficult in the lead-up to that campaign having a Home Secretary not reveal which side she was on.

'When she did reveal which side she was on, it was 51-49 and was very equivocal.'

He added: 'It's perfectly legitimate for Theresa May to do that. What the book is doing is recounting what was it like being in Downing Street to be part of this tumultuous situation.'
Two months after jihadists murdered a French priest while he was celebrating mass, the Normandy church he served for decades has re-opened its doors.

A special mass was then witnessed to pay tribute to Jacques Hamel, 85, who was at the altar of the old stone church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray when his throat was slit by two teenaged ISIS fighters in the first such attack on a Christian church in Europe.

In his speech, the Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of the nearby city of Rouen, said: 'Father Jacques' assassins tore our cross, they broke a large Easter candle, but they could not snatch his heart or the life he has given us.

'They were not able to shatter his hopes.'

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Archbishop of Rouen and Primate of Normandy Mgr Dominique Lebrun leads a procession to the memory of slain French priest, Father Jacques Hamel, in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, France

Two months after jihadists murdered a French priest while he was celebrating mass, the Normandy church he served for decades is to reopen its doors

Archibishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun leads a procession before a Catholic mass celebrated for the re-opening of the Saint Etienne church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen

A special mass will tpay tribute to Jacques Hamel, 85, who was at the altar of the old stone church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray when his throat was slit by two teenaged ISIS fighters in the first such attack on a Christian church in Europe

Today's events, to be led by Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of the nearby city of Rouen, will be 'oriented towards seeking forgiveness, reconciliation and peace,' he said

Muslims have been invited to join a precession, but not before clerics will perform a ritual to symbolically purify the church by sprinkling holy water through the sanctuary

Today's events, led by Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of the nearby city of Rouen, were 'oriented towards seeking forgiveness, reconciliation and peace,' he said.

Many Muslims were reported to have joined a precession, having been invited to do so earlier in the week in a show of solidarity.

Clerics performed a ritual to symbolically purify the church by sprinkling holy water through the sanctuary before a tribute to the slain priest.

The archbishop said the place of worship needed to be 'repaired', and added: 'The parish has lost one of its pastors, the church was defiled and an offence to God was committed.'

In order to spiritually cleanse the church, water was sprinkled at the foot of the altar where Hamel was slain.

The holy water was also sprinkled on religious objects around the church that were either left broken or blood-soaked by the horrific murder.

The archbishop called for forgiveness to triumph over the offence, for joy to overcome suffering, for love to trump hate and for peace to beat war.

A week after the July 26 attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, Lebrun presided over Hamel's funeral mass at the Rouen cathedral attended by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls

A week after the July 26 attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, Lebrun presided over Hamel's funeral mass at the Rouen cathedral attended by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners on that occasion.

Speaking on the morning of the events, Mohamed Karabila said: 'It will be a day of brotherhood.

'I hope that all local people will be there, believers or not.'

A giant screen was been set up to allow people who cannot fit into the small church, whose nave dates from the 16th century, to follow the service outside.

Hamel's 19-year-old killers, Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche, had pledged allegiance to ISIS and both were shot dead by police

The murder of the frail octogenarian came less than two weeks after the Bastille Day attack that claimed 86 lives when a Tunisian extremist rammed a truck into crowds on a popular promenade in the southern city of Nice

Hamel's 19-year-old killers, Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche, had pledged allegiance to ISIS.

They performed a sermon at the alter before killing the elderly priest.

Both were shot dead by police after a tense hostage drama in which one worshipper, Guy Coponet, survived after being seriously wounded and left for dead.

Three other hostages escaped unharmed.

The Christian weekly Famille Chretienne interviewed 87-year-old Coponet, who was stabbed in the neck, back and arm.

But the worst part of the ordeal, he said in the interview published last Wednesday, was being forced to film the gruesome killing.

'The two young killers put a camera in my hands and said, 'Film, granddad.'.

'I can't get over it,' Coponet said.

The attack stunned France's religious communities, sparking fears of tensions in a country with a population of some five million Muslims, Europe's largest.

The murder of the frail octogenarian came less than two weeks after the Bastille Day attack that claimed 86 lives when a Tunisian extremist rammed a truck into crowds on a popular promenade in the southern city of Nice.

The priest's murder and the Nice rampage were the latest in a series of jihadist attacks to rock France since the January 2015 massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly.
A Virginia middle school student was handcuffed, arrested and charged with larceny for 'stealing' a 65 cent carton of milk from the cafeteria  even though he was on the schools free lunch program.

Ryan Turks mother Shamise said her son had forgotten the milk the first time he went through the lunch line at Graham Middle School in Triangle on May 10 so he went back.

But a school resource officer saw the teenager cutting in line and accused him of stealing the drink.

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Ryan Turk (right, with his mother), a Virginia middle school student, was handcuffed, arrested and charged with larceny for stealing a 65 cent carton of milk from the cafeteria

Police said the youngster was handcuffed for being disorderly, WTVR reports.

The teenager admitted he had pulled back from the officer, adding: I told him to get off of me because hes not my dad.

He was then taken to the principals office and searched for drugs before being suspended.

His mother said the search was because Ryan was fidgety and kept pulling on the strings of his pants.

But now, he is also facing a juvenile record after being charged with larceny.

He rejected a non-judicial punishment and a Prince William County judge has set a trial date.

The teenager (above) admitted he had pulled back from the school resource officer, adding: I told him to get off of me because hes not my dad

Shamise Turk (above) said she was frustrated that the situation had escalated so far, adding that it's 'ridiculous' that her son is being charged with larceny for milk he was entitled to

His mother said she is angry that the situation has escalated so far.

This is ridiculous, this is beyond embarrassing. Hes at home for 65 cents, Shamise Turk said.

They are charging him with larceny, which I don't have no understanding as to why he is being charged with larceny when he was entitled to that milk from the beginning, she added.

Police said the charge stems from the boy trying to hide the milk  which his mother denies.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the school said Ryan was suspended for theft, being disrespectful and for using his cell phone at school.

In a statement to the local station, the spokesman said: The need for disciplinary action is determined by how a student behaves throughout any given incident.

An appeals process is in place to ensure the fairness of any disciplinary action.
Dr Madeleine Pauliac, pictured, was sent to Warsaw to help repatriate French prisoners of war when she discovered nuns in a Polish convent had been raped by Soviet troops

As Hitler's troops withdrew from Poland in 1945, Stalin's Red Army advanced towards Berlin. Instead of liberation, the Soviet troops raped and pillaged as they followed the retreating Nazis.

In January 1945, as the war continued, French authorities sent Dr Madeleine Pauliac to Moscow to assist with the efforts to repatriate any French prisoners of war discovered by the Soviets.

By the time Dr Pauliac had traveled to Warsaw, the city was in ruins. An insurrection against the Nazis between August and October 1944 led to the deaths of more than 20,000 Polish fighters and 180,000 civilians.

Stalin ordered his troops to halt their advance while the Nazis ruthlessly crushed the insurrection. As soon as his men continued their march, tales of widespread brutality and systematic rape began to emerge.

Dr Pauliac was tasked with opening a hospital for treating any French citizens who had been taken by the Nazis.

The medic was well acquainted with danger as she joined the resistance aged 27 and treated downed pilots.

She was also involved in the liberation of Paris before being tasked with the repatriation mission.

Dr Pauliac's amazing story has been made into a French-Polish movie called 'The Innocents'

The film outlines the atrocities committed by Soviet troops as they 'liberated' Poland

As a French Red Cross doctor, her primary focus was supposed to be French nationals. But after arriving in Poland, she became immediately aware of the whole scale abuse of women by Soviet troops.

In April 1945 she was named the chief doctor of the French Hospital in Warsaw.

During her tour of duty, Dr Pauliac found Polish women in maternity units who had been raped by the Soviets while in labour or moments after giving birth.

But, she also discovered pregnant nuns living in convents who had been gang-raped by scores of troops in quick succession.

Some of the women were murdered while others were allowed to live.

According to her nephew Philippe Maynial: ' She gave medical care to these women. She helped them to heal their conscience and save their convent.'

Tragically, Dr Pauliac died while on a mission in February 1946.

Her story has been made into a film, The Innocents, by director Anne Fontaine.

Writing at the time, Dr Pauliac noted: 'There were 25 of them, 15 were raped and killed by the Russians, the ten survivors were raped, some 42 times, some 35 or 50 times each... None of this would be anything if five of them were not pregnant. They would come and ask my advice and to speak of abortion in veiled terms.'

Soviet troops waited outside Warsaw in 1944 while the Nazis ruthlessly crushed an uprising

After the uprising, the Nazis retreated only to be replaced by Soviet troops who were engaged in repeated gang rapes of women, including nuns who had been living in convents

Dr Pauliac's mission notes were compiled by her nephew who then went on to conduct more research into the subject which became the basis for the film.

According to the film's director Anne Fontaine: ' This historical fact doesnt reflect well on the Soviet soldiers, but its the truth; a truth that authorities refuses to divulge, even if several historians are aware of the events.

'These soldiers didnt feel they were committing a reprehensible act: they were authorised to do so by their superiors as a reward for their efforts.
Police are hunting for a black male seen fleeing the scene in a red vehicle

Dieudonne and Campbell were rushed to hospital but

Two North Carolina A&T State University students were shot dead at an off-campus party.

Alisia Dieudonne, 19, and Ahmad Campbell, 21, were fatally injured after a gunman opened fire at the party in the early hours of Sunday morning. They were rushed to hospital where they were both pronounced dead.

Police are hunting for a black male seen fleeing the scene in a red vehicle after the shooting.

Alisia Dieudonne, 19,(left and right) and Ahmad Campbell, 21, were fatally injured after a gunman opened fire at the party in the early hours of Sunday morning

Greensboro Police Department say that officers received reports of shots being fired this morning.

Shortly after 2am, an 'altercation' broke out at the event and an unknown man pulled out a gun and began shooting.

Dieudonne, a sophomore computer science major from Homewood, Illinois, and Campbell, a junior agriculture and environmental systems major from Kittrell, North Carolina, were hit in the gunfire.

When police arrived at the party in Circle Drive, Greensboro, they found the students with serious gunshot wounds. Both died. No one else was hurt in the incident.

Dieudonne, a sophomore computer science major from Homewood, Illinois, was pronounced dead at hospital this morning

Greensboro Police Department say that officers received reports of shots being fired this morning at the party in Circle Drive, Greensboro

The investigation continues. No arrests have been made.

University Chancellor Harold Martin said in a statement: 'I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Alisia and Ahmad this morning. My wife Davida and I extend our heartfelt condolences to each of their families and friends at this difficult time.

'Both Alisia and Ahmad were actively involved in campus life and vitally important members of the Aggie family. They will be sorely missed.'

Martin said that he was extremely disturbed by the 'heinous act' as he called for anyone with information to come forward.

'This incident is extremely disturbing . violence o or near our campus is unacceptable, the safety of our students, faculty and staff is a priority.

Both victims were students at North Carolina A&T State University (stock image)

'While there is no imminent danger, the North Carolina A&T State University police department continue to work closely with university administration to educate our students on ways to remain safe at all times.

'Please join me in keeping the families of Alisia and Ahmad in your thought and prayers.'

A public statement from the university, said: 'North Carolina A&T State University regrets to announce the loss of two of its students. Alisia Dieudonne... and Ahmad Campbell.

The university has announced an urgent safety forum at 2pm today, while counseling will be made available on campus from 2-5pm.

Police investigators are working with N.C. A&T police and administrators.
The mother of a black teenager who was gunned down by police in south Los Angeles begged to see his body for hours as it lay in the street but was not allowed.

Carnell Snell Jr was killed on Saturday near West Athens in south Los Angeles after running away from police when they attempted to pull him over in what they believed was a stolen car.

Officers chased the teenager round to the back of a house where he was shot and killed shortly before 1pm. A gun was recovered at the scene.

Monique Morgan begged for hours to be shown her 18-year-old son's body after he was shot dead by police in south L.A. on Saturday

At around 5pm, Monique Morgan was filmed by the LA Times begging to be allowed through police cordons to see his body.

An on-looker was heard remarking that he had been 'laying on the ground for over four hours'.

By nightfall the woman had still not been let through to see his body.

Carnell Snell Jr had been running away from police when they chased him

She pleaded: 'Please just let me see my baby,' in footage obtained by ABC. It's not clear when Carnell's body was removed from the scene.

Dozens of Black Lives Matters protesters flocked to the street in fury, claiming the youngster was unjustly killed.

A drummer later arrived to play music for the crowds, softening the tension.

CBS News reported that the teenager had is hands in the air while he was running away from the officers.

Snell's 17-year-old sister Trenell was nearby when the shooting occurred. She said she saw officers chase her brother and she started running too.

'At the end of the day, the cops came and shot my brother, killed my brother,' she told The Los Angeles Times.

LAPD Sgt Barry Montgomery said on Saturday: ' The officers gave chase, a foot pursuit, and went eastbound at some point on 107th Street to the rear of a residence.

'It was at that time that the officer-involved shooting occurred.

'The officers summoned paramedics who responded to scene, and unfortunately the suspect succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.'

The incident came less than a day after a black man was killed after a struggle with police in Pasadena.

About 100 people marched through the streets of Pasadena to protest the death of Reginald Thomas.

Los Angeles County sheriff's officials say Thomas was armed with a knife when he struggled with police officers, who used a Taser on him.

After he was handcuffed, police noticed Thomas, who was the father of eight children, wasn't breathing.

Both officers and paramedics tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A one-year-old child has died after being shot in the head with a handgun, possibly by his three-year-old brother.

Authorities responded to a home in McDonough, Georgia, near Atlanta on Saturday afternoon after reports of a shooting

At this point, officials are unsure if the three-year-old shot the toddler or if the younger child's fatal wound was self-inflicted.

The shooting happened at a home in McDonough, Georgia, near Atlanta on Saturday afternoon

The weapon has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in an attempt to answer that question.

It's believed an adult left the gun in the same room as the children and 'wasn't paying attention' when one of them grabbed the firearm which was a .45 caliber handgun.

The younger child was taken to Piedmont Hospital where he was pronounced dead around 5pm.
On the tenth anniversary of an Amish school massacre that left five young girls dead and five others critically injured, the fathers of two of the victims have opened up to thank their supporters and explain why they have forgiven the killer.

On the morning of October 2, 2006, milk truck driver Charles Roberts entered the one-room schoolhouse in the tiny hamlet of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, armed with three guns and around 600 rounds of ammunition.

There, the 32-year-old father-of-three - who was not Amish - committed an atrocity the community refer to only as 'The Happening.'

He shot ten girls - five of whom survived - before killing himself.

Now, the fathers of two of the girls who died has told People magazine that time has helped ease their pain.

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The the fathers of two girls who were shot dead in an Amish schoolhouse have spoken out on the 10th anniversary of the massacre. Above, a helicopter takes off from the West Nickel Mines Amish School after the shooting on October 2, 2006

The men  the fathers of Anna Mae Stolzfus and Naomi Rose Ebersol  said they did not want to give their names and said they rarely give interviews for religious reasons.

The Amish community are dedicated to living humble lives. They dress plainly, do not adopt the conveniences of modern technology, including electricity, and use horses for transportation instead of cars.

However, they said they wanted to explain their reasons for forgiving Roberts.

In the days after the shooting, it was reported that the parents of the victims had forgiven Roberts for killing their children.

Today, they want the world to know that while the decided to forgive him quickly, the process took many years.

Milk truck driver Charles Roberts (above) shot ten girls before killing himself

Their decision is rooted in their religious beliefs  which teaches forgiveness to become 'second nature.'

'It is something we are taught from babies on up  that if someone says, "Sorry", we are to forgive,' Anna Mae's father  who also had a daughter injured in the shooting - told People.

He added that they are taught that even if someone doesn't seek forgiveness, they should forgive.

But he added that 'forgiveness is not an instant, overnight thing.'

He said a choice was 'made immediately that we would forgive' adding that most of the parents made that decision on the day of the tragedy.

But that 'it took several years before most of us could actually feel as though we had forgiven him and even now we have to go through that process again.'

He added that there was 'no doubt' in his mind that he would forgive Roberts  but it took a couple of years 'before I could say it and could truly mean it.'

On the day in question, Roberts ordered the 26 children in the schoolroom to line up against the blackboard  but let the boys and adults leave.

Roberts, armed with three guns, stormed a one-room Amish schoolhouse, sent the boys and adults outside, barricaded the doors before he opened fire on ten girls. Above, people at the scene the day after the massacre

A group of Amish men are pictured talking to investigators outside the schoolhouse the day after a gunman shot several students and killed himself

He tied up the girls, aged six to 13, by their hands and feet and barricaded the door shut.

A teacher contacted police and before long, the schoolhouse was surrounded by officers.

Roberts shot all ten girls before killing himself and left a rambling suicide note describing how he was filled with 'so much hate' over the death of his prematurely born daughter Elise and how her death changed his life.

During the stand-off, Roberts told his wife in a phone call that he molested two female relatives when they were three to five years old and when he was 12.

In a suicide note left for his family, he said he 'had dreams about doing what he did 20 years ago again.'

Items he took to the siege - which included plastic ties, eyebolts and lubricating jelly - suggested that he may have been planning to sexually assault the girls before police closed in, investigators said at the time.

Five of them - Naomi Rose Ebersol, seven; Marian Stoltzfus Fisher, 13; Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12; Lena Zook Miller, eight; and Mary Liz Miller, seven, died.

Five others - Rosanna King, now 16; Rachel Ann Stoltzfus, now 18; Barbie Fisher, now 21; Sarah Ann Stoltzfus, now 22; and Esther King, now 23  survived.

A group of Amish men wait at a roadblock near the West Nickel Mines Amish School on October 2, 2006

Since that day, Anna Mae and Naomi Rose's fathers said they've had letters of support from all over the world  some with nothing more than 'Stoltzfus family United States' or 'School Families, Pennsylvania, USA' written on them.

They've come to terms with their loss but still, there are times when the bitter feelings resurface  because one of the survivors had long-term issues with her health since the shooting and another had undergone numerous surgeries because of it.

'We still have our ups and downs, all of us,' Anna Mae's father added. 'We've all found a certain degree of healing. The pain isn't as sharp.'

Naomi Rose's father added that they've not forgotten their lost children, they just 'learned how to deal with it.'

He said he has reached a point where he has accepted that she is in a better place.

'I'm at a point I'm OK she's not here,' he said. 'There are so many bad things going on in the world today.'

And all five of the families that lost children have welcomed new ones  which Anna Mae's father says has helped them heal.
Promininent law professor Daniel Markel, 41, was found shot dead in his driveway two years ago in what police believe was a murder for hire plot

A woman who police in Florida believe facilitated the murder-for-hire plot of a prominent Florida State University law professor has been arrested.

Katie Magbanua, 31, was picked up by police in Davie, Florida, on Saturday following a traffic stop outside a busy shopping plaza.

Daniel Markel, 41, a nationally renowned criminal justice scholar, was killed after being shot twice in the head in July 2014 as he sat in his car in his garage.

Detectives say Magbanua is the link between Markel's ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, and the two men accused of killing him.

She had a romantic relationship with the her brother, Chris, and had two children with Sigfredo Garcia, one of the alleged gunmen.

Tallahassee police have long alleged that the motive for the murder was the bitter divorce between Markel and Adelson.

Adelson's family's were desperate to have their daughter and the couple's two children move closer to them in south Florida, but Markel had successfully fought his ex-wife's attempt to relocate with the children.

In May of this year, police arrested Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, two south Florida men with criminal histories, and charged them in Markel's murder. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Katie Magbanua, 31, was picked up by police in Davie, Florida, on Saturday following a traffic stop outside a busy shopping plaza. She is facing first-degree murder charges

But it is Magbanua, who was arrested on a warrant for first-degree murder, who is is suspected of being the link between the two alleged hit men and Adelson's family.

Police allege that Garcia and Rivera were 'enlisted to commit this egregious act.'

In a police affidavit authorities state they believe Garcia and Rivera traveled from Miami to Tallahassee two days before the murder to shoot Markel in broad daylight.

They then drove back to Miami immediately following the murder.

The first person Garcia called after the murder, police say, was Magbanua.

Here, the relationship becomes complicated. Magbanua is not only the mother of Garcia's two children but she also had a romantic relationship with Adelson's brother, Charlie.

After Wendi Adelson (pictured) divorced Markel, she left for South Florida with the couple's children, but was forced to return after a court ruling which prosecutors say could have motivated the murder

Garcia and Rivera were arrested on charges of murder but there was not enough evidence to proceed against anyone other than the two alleged hit men.

Garcia's attorney, Saam Zangeneh, told ABC News that Magbanua's arrest was not unexpected, but that it strikes him as last-gasp attempt by law enforcement to try to prove their theory of the crime after two years of investigation.

'Desperate times call for desperate measures,' he said. 'The prosecution has made her a focal point of this investigation. I am eager to read the arrest warrant and see why Katie was arrested.'

An affidavit for Magbanua's arrest alleges she had deposited over $50,000 in cash into her bank account in the 16 months after the murder. She also began receiving regular checks from the Adelson family's dental clinic.

Earlier this month, video footage was aired showing an undercover agent who posed as Rivera's brother confronting Markel's former mother-in-law, Donna Adelson as part of a sting operation.

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.

Prosecutors say Sigfredo Garcia (left) killed Markel on request from his wife's family after the couple divorced. Charles Adelson (right), the wife's brother, knew Garcia and was dating the mother of his children

In May of this year, police arrested Sigfredo Garcia (left) and Luis Rivera (right), two south Florida men with criminal histories, and charged them in Markel's murder. Both have pleaded not guilty

Donna appears shocked and taken aback in video of the interaction which was revealed for the first time ever on 20/20, 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 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.'

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.'

June Umchinda (right), 27, said she doesn't believe that Adelson or other family members paid two career criminals to carry out the 2014 killing of Daniel Markel

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.

In June, June Umchinda, 27, a Thailand-born credit union worker who started dating playboy periodontist Charles Adelson eight months prior, told Daily Mail Online in an exclusive interview she doesn't believe the theory that Adelson or other family members paid the two men to carry out the killing of Markel.

'There's no way Charlie or anyone in the family is involved,' she said while standing outside Adelson's canal house in Fort Lauderdale. 'They're all so nice.

Detectives believe that the close-knit Adelson family plotted to have Markel killed after he dragged Wendi away from where they were living in South Florida

'I mean, he hasn't been saying anything about this. I haven't asked about it. But I know he's been under intense pressure over the last couple weeks and I assumed it was something having to do with work.

'I've gone to family dinners and they never talk about what happened to Wendi's ex-husband. I did ask once and Charlie said he was murdered. That was it.

'But I'm practically living with Charlie and I'm not worried. He's very nice and not violent at all.'

No one in the Adelson family has been charged in connection with Markel's murder, and their attorneys have described allegations by police that the family was involved in the killing as 'fanciful fiction.'

Police say a light-colored Prius was tailing Markel that day, from the time he dropped his children off in daycare then stopped by a gym for his morning workout
Bombs at two pubs killed 21 people and injured 222 others in 1974

Memo revealed the evidence 'could generate new lines of inquiry'

Police have found three DNA profiles and fingerprints on items from scene

Fresh DNA evidence could help bring those behind the Birmingham pub bombings to justice more than 40 years later.

Detectives have found three DNA profiles and two fingerprints on items found at the scene following the atrocity - widely acknowledged to be the work of the IRA - that killed 21 people and injured 222 others in 1974.

Six men, known as the Birmingham Six, were given life sentences for the killings but had their convictions overturned after spending 16 years in prison.

Fresh DNA evidence could help bring those behind the Birmingham pub bombings to justice more than 40 years later

Detectives have found three DNA profiles and two fingerprints on items found at the scene following the atrocity. Pictured is the Mulberry Bush pub in the aftermath of the bombing

A memo from the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism has revealed that the new DNA evidence is being checked against databases across the UK and Ireland, reported the Mirror.

An inquest into the deaths of the 21 people killed in the attacks on the Mulberry Bush pub and the Tavern in The Town was re-opened in June following a lengthy campaign.

Coroner Louise Hunt said there was a 'wealth of evidence that still has not been heard' about the twin pub attacks on November 21, 1974.

Ms Hunt revealed an IRA source may have told West Midlands Police 'Birmingham would be hit' 11 days before the attack, before a second warning on the day itself.

Bombs exploded minutes apart in the Mulberry Bush pub and the nearby underground Tavern in the Town.

A third bomb found in a bag in Hagley Road in Edgbaston, Birmingham, only partially detonated.

The attacks, widely acknowledged to be the work of the IRA, killed 21 people in 1974

A 1.6million review into the bombings named Operation Castors is being conducted by police.

A memo said the original investigation by West Midlands Police was 'deeply flawed' and revealed 35 exhibits are missing.

Speaking at the hearing in June, Paddy Hill, one of the Birmingham Six falsely jailed for the bombings, said police had 'let it happen' and then orchestrated a 'massive cover up'.
People are always searching for the best deal in a bid to save money and the increasing number of price comparison sites clearly demonstrates our hunger.

But imagine if instead of spending hours online looking for the best deal, you could just try ringing a company numerous times until they gave you a quote that you were happy with.

Getting a good broadband and TV deal often turns into a maze of confusion, with different packages, internet speeds and the thousands of channel bundles.

Investigation reveals BT staff are quoting customers different prices depending on which call centre in the UK they are put through to

But there are now claims that may confuse you further as BT staff are allegedly quoting different prices to customers at the same address - and it all depends on which call centre they are put through to, but you could be paying an extra 160 a year.

According to The Sun on Sunday one of its reporters who posed as a customer interested in one of BTs premium packages was first quoted 63.49 a month for their address in Cambridge.

However when they called back later and gave the same address the price was 13.50 cheaper  at 49.99.

The papers investigation was sparked after a reader who was also given various quotes believed he had been transferred to different call centres across the UK.

The Sun on Sunday claim during their investigation quotes for BTs Unlimited Infinity 1 broadband deal ranged from 10.99 to 20.

BT has apologised and says its staff are confused about prices

And reporters believed their calls were sent to centres in Dundee, Sunderland, Glasgow, Canterbury, Doncaster and London.

BT claimed staff were just confused about prices and denied accusations it was because of commission deals the company offer.

A spokesman told the paper: We apologise to any readers who feel misled.

The Mail Online has contacted BT for more information.
The family of an elderly former mayor has become embroiled in a bitter legal spat with his much younger fiancee who is attempting to claim a share of estate.

Buddy Cianci, 74, and Tara Marie Haywood, 34, had been together for two years but engaged for around a month when he died in January.

Cianci was the longest serving Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, serving two separate terms which spanned 21 years.

He died in hospital from sudden blood loss after a bowel hemorrhage. He had earlier been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

The politician's last signed will was completed before he began a relationship with Haywood, leaving her nothing of his fortune which lawyers have suggested is between $7million and $10million.

Buddy Cianci and Tara Marie Haywood, 34, (above left and center) were engaged for a month when the 74-year-old died in January. She is claiming a share of his reported $10million fortune

She is seeking to be recognized as the late mayor's common-law wife, having lived with him before his death and apparently acted as his caretaker in his final months of life.

Cianci's nephew Brad Turchetta, who is the executor of his will, has objected to her claim.

Vowing to fight him, Haywood's lawyer said she was entitled to a share of her late lover's estate because they lived together before his death and she looked after him.

'The law is pretty clear that people are entitled to compensation as a result of those services rendered.

Haywood (seen above at the former mayor's funeral in February) says she acted as his spouse by taking care of him in his final months of life

Brad Turchetta (left), Cianci's nephew, is the executor of his estate. He objected to Haywood's (right) claim for compensation

'She wasnt a gold digger  she was truly in love with him,' Frank Lombardi told WPRI, adding that his client had been treated with 'disrespect' since he died.

Cianci was jailed in 2002 for five years after being convicted of racketeering, conspiracy, mail fraud, extortion and witness tampering.

He served part of the sentence at his nephew's house under restricted release.

The politician, who was married once before, had a daughter who died in 2012 from an a drug overdose. She had three children who are likely to have been included in his 2002 will.

At their mother's funeral, Cianci joked how she didn't like 'any of his girlfriends', Boston.com reported.

Sharing news of her partner's death on Facebook in January, Haywood said she was 'inconsolable'.

Video courtesy of WPRI

Haywood gushed after her partner's death in a public Facebook post in which she described him as the love of her life

The 74-year-old was the longest serving mayor of Providence, having completed two terms which spanned a total of 21 years

Turchetta (above in January) paid tribute to his uncle in January, describing him as a 'family man' and 'great leader' whose love for the city was undying

'My love, my life...I need to talk to you. Everyone has been here and they're trying their best to console me. I'm inconsolable.

'It took me 34 years to fall in love. But, I did and was blessed to spend every single day with you for the past 18 months.'

She went on to describe how the pair had been planning their wedding in the months before his death.

'We were planning our reception. I actually looked at a beautiful dress. Now, my dress will be black. Instead of wedding bouquets, we are talking about funeral arrangements.

'We were planning our wedding mass, and now I have to sit at your funeral mass.'

Cianci was buried in a public funeral in Cranston, Rhode Island, in February. He was the mayor of Providence between 1974 and 1984 and again between 1991 and 2001.

Turchetta paid tribute to his uncle in January, describing him as a 'family man' and 'great leader' whose love for the city was undying.
A London-based PR firm carried out a $540m covert 'propaganda' operation from an office in Iraq, it has been revealed.

Bell Pottinger, the firm set up by Margaret Thatcher's PR guru Lord Bell in 1989, set up a base in Camp Victory in Baghdad, in what is believed to be one of the most-costly PR contracts in history.

From here, nearly 300 staff operated a top-secret 'Psychological operations' task force, which included writing soap operas and allegedly distributing fake al-Qaeda videos which were used to track the people watching them.

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Bell Pottinger was part of a 'psychological operations task force', working in Baghdad

The UK-based PR firm set up a base in Camp Victory (pictured) in Baghdad

An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed the details of the multi-million pound operation.

Bell Pottinger is understood to have been funded some $540million from the US Department of Defence (DoD) for five contracts from May 2007 to December 2011, according to the Times and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Lord Tim Bell, the former spin doctor to Margaret Thatcher, confirmed Bell Pottinger reported to the Pentagon, the CIA and the National Security Council on its work in Iraq.

Lord Bell, who resigned as chairman of the firm this year, told The Sunday Times: 'It was a covert military operation.

'It was covered by various secrecy documents. We were very proud of it.'

Lord Tim Bell (pictured in 2011), confirmed Bell Pottinger reported to the Pentagon, the CIA and the National Security Council on its work in Iraq

Bell Pottinger operated in Iraq from 2007-2011, and was paid some $540m by the Pentagon

The firm is thought to have employed around 300 staff at the heigh of its operation.

Costs were spent on production and distribution, however the company is thought to have made around 15million a year in fees.

Former video editor Martin Wells, 52, from Bath, had been hired by the PR firm and sent to Baghdad to work in the conflict resolution division of Bell Pottinger - but he had no idea what he was getting into.

Speaking to the Times, he described his time at Camp Victory as 'shocking, eye-opening and life-changing.'

He claimed his team was tasked with producing fake al-Qaeda propaganda films, which, when played, would relay the viewers' IP address back to a secure military site.

This could then be used to track potential terrorists.

The work carried out by Bell Pottinger in Iraq included psychological operations to protect coalition forces and Iraqi people from terrorist attacks, while helping to support the security services. Pictured, soldiers at Camp Victory

With work including scripting Arabic soap operas and putting together news bulletins for local stations, Bell Pottinger's initial work had been the high-profile 'promotion of democratic elections'.

It then, reports the Times, 'became engaged in a wider and secret propaganda programme to promote the US agenda covertly across the media'.
say he could be the victim of an elaborate scam

A British aristocrat who is to go on trial in Kenya accused of smuggling 4.6million of cocaine may be the victim of an elaborate scam perfected by the mafia, foreign investigators believe.

Jack Marrian, a sugar trader could face a possible life sentence in the African country if found guilty of smuggling the 220 pound shipment of the drug, in a court case which starts tomorrow.

Marrian is the son of Lady Emma Clare Campbell of Cawdor and he previously attended a string of public schools including Malborough College, the alma matter of the Duchess of Cambridge. The family seat is the 14th century Cawdor Castle close to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.

British aristocrat Jack Marrian, who has been accused of smuggling 4.6million worth of cocaine into Kenya. He is set to go on trial tomorrow

The 31-year-old was arrested in July when the illegal shipment was discovered hidden in a sugar consignment in a ship owned by MSC, which was ordered by his firm Mshale Commodities, in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

Marrian and his co-accused Kenyan clearing agent Roy Mwanthi deny the charges of smuggling a Class A drug.

And now foreign experts believe that when the narcotics arrived in Kenya, the police discovered plastic-wrapped bricks of cocaine hidden among sacks of sugar as well as a duplicate seal.

The 31-year-old was arrested in July when the illegal shipment was discovered hidden in a sugar consignment in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa

They say this is a sure sign of the rip on/rip off or 'blind hook' technique, where cartels secretly stash their illegal products inside a legitimate consignment removing the drugs at a stop en route and replacing the broken seal.

The technique is said to have been perfected by the Calabrian mafia organisation 'Ndrangheta and now the US Drug Enforcement Administration say Marrian and Mwanthi may not have known anything about the drugs inside the shipment that came from Brazil.

Melvin Patterson, a DEA spokeman said: 'We got information from our office in Spain. The intelligence was that their Spanish counterparts had information about a container that had suspected drugs in it.

'A criminal group based in Valencia, Spain, tried to get cocaine out of a container, but failed.'

'The Spanish stressed that this was a 'rip-off' load and the recipient of the container would have no knowledge that it was being used to transport drugs.'

The illegal shipment was discovered hidden in a sugar consignment in a ship owned by MSC, pictured, which was ordered by his firm Mshale Commodities

Sources familiar with the case also suggest the two men were taken into custody because of public and political pressure to make an arrest after news of the bust broke in local media.

Kenya is a hub for heroin trafficking via the so-called 'southern route' - from the poppy fields of Afghanistan and Pakistan to consumers in Europe via the Indian Ocean and East Africa.

But cocaine trafficking is less common with West Africa the far more popular transshipment point for moving the drug from South America to Europe.

Marrian is the son of Lady Emma Clare Campbell of Cawdor and the family seat is the 14th century Cawdor Castle close to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands

The domestic market for cocaine in East Africa is growing but remains small while drugs trafficking in Kenya, experts say, is tightly controlled by politically connected local cartels.

Although he is British, Marrian was raised in an affluent part of the Kenyan capital Nairobi before coming back to the UK in the 1990s when he was a pupil at the 35,280-a-year Marlborough College.

His family's relationship with Kenya dates back decades as his grandfather had served as a minister in the colonial government just before independence in 1963.

His father David Marrian said he had spoken with his son every day since the arrest.
Wells Fargo bosses have been accused of ignoring a petition complaining about unrealistic expectations in 2014. Above, its CEO John Stumpf

Wells Fargo bosses have been accused of ignoring a petition signed by thousands of its workers asking them to do away with unrealistic sales goals years before it emerged employees were opening sham accounts to keep up with targets.

More than 5,000 employees signed the document in 2014 which claimed it was impossible for them to keep up with targets legally, The New York Daily News reports.

In a lawsuit filed by a former teller who says she was fired for missing targets that could only be reached unlawfully, it is alleged to have ignored their concerns.

The bank was fined $185million earlier this year by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over claims it bred an unethical culture which led to employees opening sham accounts in customers' names to boost sales.

An investigation by the House Financial Services Committee is ongoing.

The accounts are said to have raised revenue by charging the customers' fees and interest without them even having knowledge of their existence.



Thousands of employees were fired over the practice which is said to have spawned as many as 2 million fake accounts.

Eight former employees are also suing the bank for $7billion, claiming they were demoted, fired or discriminated against for not meeting the quotas which they say could only be done through committing fraud.

Employees say had no way of keeping up with harsh sales targets other than by opening sham accounts in customers' names

CEO John Stumpf testified before the Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill last week on the issue

In a separate case, a former teller says she was fired for refusing to deceive customers in order to meet targets.

Lenore Kuter, who was one of the thousands to have signed the petition, worked in the bank's branch Manchester, New Hampshire, for 19 years.

Carrie Tolstedt, the executive who led the division responsible for the fake accounts, was forced to resign

The 61-year-old claims she was persecuted after refusing to sell customers products and services they didn't need.

She was fired in July after bosses allegedly told her to start 'cross-selling' products and services to clientele, most of which were elderly.

'She could not attain the sales goal by being honest and ethical,' John Tatulli, Kuter's attorney told APP.

CEO John Stumpf will have his salary frozen while the bank is investigated over the accusations.

He also said he would give up $41million in stocks after an internal investigation into the matter.

Carrie Tolstedt, the executive who led the division responsible for the fake accounts, was forced to resign from the company ahead of schedule.

She will not be given a bonus or severance of any kind, the companys board of directors said.




Paramedic David Lee leaving Aberdeen Sheriff Court after being accused of a series of sex attacks on colleagues while they were on duty

A paramedic sexually assaulted female colleagues while on duty after telling them he was an 'animal with animal instincts', a court has heard.

David Lee, 31, who is married, groped one woman in a lift at a care home and tried to kiss another on the lips in the back of their ambulance, it is alleged.

He is accused of groping four colleagues and speaking to them in an inappropriate sexual manner while on duty.

Lee, from Westhill, Aberdeenshire, Scotland also faces charges of indecently exposing himself to two of the women and is alleged to have acted in a culpable and reckless manner towards all of the women when they were driving an ambulance.

It is alleged that he unfastened their seatbelts while the ambulance was in motion and distracted them by putting rubber gloves down their tops.

Appearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court Lee denied a total of 15 charges involving five alleged victims.

He claims that all sexual activity between him and the women was consensual.

On Friday, the court heard evidence from two complainers, that Lee had been working with the Scottish Ambulance Service in Aberdeen for a while.

One of the witnesses, who cannot be named, and who was in her early 20s at the time of the alleged offences between 2013 and 2015, said that she at first found Lee's behaviour to be irritating.

However, she said this developed until he sexually assaulted her in a lift on the way to an emergency and in the back of an ambulance.

She told the court: 'One job we were at was in a care home.

'We were in the lift taking the chair up to the patient and he pushed me into the corner of the lift and was trying to run his hands from my waist to my chest.

'When we had the patient in the chair in the lift he was still trying to prod at my side as we were going down to the ground floor.

It is alleged he unfastened their seatbelts while the ambulance was in motion and distracted them by putting rubber gloves down their tops

'I kept trying to push him off and told him to leave me alone.'

Fiscal depute David Bernard said: 'What was his reaction?'

She replied: 'Called me boring or suggested that I was being moody.

'I hit his hand away several times. I did not want to make a scene with the patient on the chair.'

Referring to a separate incident, the woman said: 'I remember we were at a job in Stockethill, which was just across from the depot.

'The patient did not need transferred to hospital so I went back to the ambulance to finish off the paperwork.

'At that time I was standing leaning against the side of the cupboard. He closed the door to the ambulance behind him and started trying to kiss me on the lips.'

One woman claims he groped her whilst they were on a job at a care home and called her 'moody' when she told him to stop touching her

The woman added that Lee had also propositioned her on one occasion.

She said: 'He propositioned me asking if I wanted to find somewhere, which I presumed meant to have sex.

'When I said no, he asked me if it was because of morals. I had asked him what his wife would have to say about it and he said "my wife knows what I am like".

'He said he was an animal with animal instincts.'

The woman was asked why she had never reported the incidents to her boss when they first happened.

She replied: 'I thought about it but I was embarrassed to speak about it and I was worried that they would not believe me or that they told me "that's just how it is".'

The woman was asked if she had ever wanted, agreed to or encouraged Lee in any of his behaviour towards her.

She said: 'No, never.'
The mother of the six-year-old boy who died after being shot in the leg at Townville Elementary School in Townville, South Carolina, said her son was an angel on earth and now in heaven.

Jacob Hall died on Saturday after losing 75 per cent of his blood when he was shot in his femoral artery.

Just hours after her Jacob died, Renae Hall remembered her son as a loving child.

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Renae Hall (pictured) remembered her son Jacob Hall, six, who died after being shot in the leg at Townville Elementary School in Townville, South Carolina, just hours after his death

Holding back tears, she said she and Jacob had a bond unlike any other and said he would have already forgiven the person accused of killing him

'Jacob was an angel that was brought to this earth to show love, to show kindness, and to show forgiveness. Jacob never had a bad intention ever in his body,' Renae Hall said.

Holding back tears, she said she and Jacob had a bond unlike any other.

'We had a bond like no mother and son will ever have. He loved his daddy, he loved to tell stories, he had an imagination that was as big as he was and as bright as he was,' she said.

Jacob Hall died on Saturday afternoon, three days after being shot in the leg

She also said she knows her son has already forgiven Jesse Osborne, the 14-year-old accused of opening fire at the school after allegedly murdering his father Jeffrey at their home.

'Jacob was forgiving. What happened to Jacob, Jacob forgives already. He's in heaven smiling down on us and he's asking his mommy to be strong to forgive just like he would have,' Renae Hall said.

Renae Hall said her son's death taught her about the kindness that is still in the world after people from across the country reached out to her following Jacob's death.

'There's good people in this world, and it took my son's death for me to realize that there are still good people in this world because I had gave up. I stopped watching the news because I hated to watch every day that someone was killed on the news.

'I hated that. And Jacob's death showed me that wasn't what the world's about. The world's about people coming together in a time of crisis, and helping people that they don't even know get by that time,' she said.

Before he died, Jacob told his mother that he was secretly 'Catboy' and went out at night and fought crime like his favorite superheroes.

'So If you ever feel a chill on your back, a brush on your cheek, you know that that was my Jacob coming to save the day,' she said.

Jesse Osborne, 14, (left) is accused of shooting Jacob and injuring two others after opening fire at the South Carolina school on Wednesday

The teenager is accused of murdering his father Jeffrey (pictured together) in their home before going to the school where he allegedly opened fire in the playground

Osborne currently faces one count of murder and two of attempted murder at Anderson County Court.

Anderson County Police could not confirm whether Osborne's charges would change in light of Jacob's death on Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday Jacob was taken off life support at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

Hours earlier, Jacobs' older brother Rodger Dale Hall Jr, told NBC he was hopeful the six-year-old would recover.

'I'll never give up because I know he won't give up. We stand by each other, that is what brothers do.'

He was so enthusiastic about going to school, his brother added, he would cry if he wasn't able to attend.

Jacob's family announced his death on Saturday afternoon in a statement

Jacob's older brother Gerald announced news of his death in a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon

Jacob (above with relatives) was on life support for three days before dying on Saturday

The community in Townville rallied together to pray for his recovery, sharing public messages of support in signs across the town and online.

Announcing his brother's death on Facebook, the child's older brother, Gabriel Gambrell, described him as his 'hero'.

'God took his strongest soldier. Jacob will with us forever and always in our hearts.

'I love you little brother and I can't wait till the day we meet again. Your my hero buddy. I love you so much watch over your family son (sic),' he said.

A friend of the family later revealed he had been taken off life support after failing to recover from the loss of 75 per cent of his body's blood.

The six-year-old's family said he suffered a 'major' brain injury after losing 75 per cent of his body's blood

The Hall family thanked the local community for its support in the wake of Jacob's death. Above, signs of support for the six-year-old in the town

'Little Jacob has been removed from life support and has gone on to a better place.

'He has touched many lives through he and his family's tragedy,' said State representative Alan Clemmons.

Earlier this week, the boy's family said he had sustained a 'major brain injury' after losing so much blood.

In a statement issued on Friday, they said they were 'hoping for a miracle'.

Osborne is accused of shooting his father at their home before driving to the school in a pick-up truck, crashing in to the playground fence and opening fire on children and staff.

Witnesses claimed he yelled: 'I hate my life,' repeatedly as he shot towards the students and teachers who were making their way outside for lunchtime recess.

He was disarmed and held on the ground by volunteer firefighter Jamie Brock until being taken into custody, it was claimed.

Osborne's mother Tiffney wept as she entered Anderson County Court on Friday to watch her son face charges of murder and attempted murder (above)

The 14-year-old (above with his mother) is said to have yelled: 'I hate my life' as he sprayed bullets

Osborne's father had convictions for drug possession and domestic violence

First-grade teacher Meaghan Hollingsworth was also injured in the incident. She is recovering and is believed to be in stable condition. Volunteer fire fighter Jamie Brock (right) is said to have tackled the teen gunman and held him down until he was taken into police custody

After the shooting it emerged the boy had been expelled from a different school in the town for attempting to bring a machete and hatchet to class.

He had been the victim of bullies, said sources in Townville who revealed the boy's nickname of 'Little Jesse' to DailyMail.com.

Osborne appeared in court on Friday charged with one count of murder and three of attempted murder. The teenager's mother Tiffney sobbed throughout the proceedings.

He made no statement.

His father, Jeffrey, had convictions of drug possession and domestic violence.

He had been declared bankrupt in the past, with three different companies filing liens against him, but continued to operate a poultry farm.

First-grade teacher Meaghan Hollingsworth was also injured in the incident. She is recovering and is believed to be in a stable condition

Students and teachers are seen being evacuated from the school on Wednesday afternoon (above)
Hillary Clinton told a majority-black church in North Carolina that her own grandchildren will not experience the same fear of the police as black children because they are white.

Addressing the Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, Clinton blasted the 'implicit bias' that policing can have on black communities.

Clinton appeared on stage with Zianna Oliphant, a nine-year-old girl who last week addressed Charlotte City Council about the violence in her community.

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Hillary Clinton visited Charlotte, North Carolina yesterday to address the issue of gun violence

Hillary Clinton invited 9-year-old Zianna Oliphant to join her at the pulpit, recalling the black child's tearful address last week to the city council on race relations and the impact of violence

Clinton addressed congregants at Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina

The Democratic candidate cited the death of 43-year-old Keith Scott, a black man who was shot by police in front of a Charlotte apartment complex on September 20. She also lamented the death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher, who was shot days before during a Tulsa traffic stop. Both shootings led to community protests. The Tulsa police officer has pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter charge.

She said: 'I'm a grandmother, and like every grandmother, I worry about the safety and security of my grandchildren, but my worries are not the same as black grandmothers, who have different and deeper fears about the world that their grandchildren face.'

Clinton continued: 'I wouldn't be able to stand it if my grandchildren had to be scared and worried the way too many children across our country feel right now. But because my grandchildren are white, because they are the grandchildren of a former president and secretary of state, let's be honest here, they won't face the kind of fear that we heard from the children testifying before the city council.'

Clinton invited nine-year-old Zianna onto the stage last night during her campaign speech

Hillary Clinton acknowledged that her grandchildren would not face the same fear of violence

Clinton had to postpone her visit to Charlotte for a week at the behest of the city's mayor

Clinton has made gun violence a focus of her presidential campaign. Mothers who have lost children in shootings have joined her on the campaign trail. Clinton has said police officers should be trained to recognize implicit bias and called for the official police video of the Charlotte shooting to be released.

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, said at a rally after Crutcher's shooting that it looked like he had done 'everything he was supposed to do'.

On Twitter, he criticized Clinton's trip to Charlotte, which was postponed one week at the behest of the city's mayor, as a chance to 'grandstand'.

'Our entire country should take a moment to really look at what's going on here and across America, to imagine what we see on the news and what we hear about, imagine it through our children's eyes,' she said.

Nine-year-old Zianna Oliphant, pictured, addressed Charlotte City Hall last week in the issue of gun violence where she said: 'We are black people and we shouldn't have to feel like this'

Clinton had planned to visit the city last week but delayed the trip after city officials said their resources were stretched thin.

North Carolina is among the nation's top battleground states and Clinton's campaign has invested heavily in the state won by Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 election.

Clinton did not mention Republican Donald Trump by name but referenced her opponent's calls for 'law-and-order' during the campaign.

'There are some out there who see this as a moment to fan the flames of resentment and division. Who want to exploit people's fears even though it means tearing our nation even further apart,' Clinton said. 'They say that all of our problems would be solved simply by more law and order. As if the systemic racism plaguing our country doesn't exist.'

The former secretary of state has made gun control and criminal justice reform a centerpiece of her campaign, speaking after high-profile shootings in Texas, Louisiana and South Carolina. She noted that police officers had also been killed in Dallas,

'It's been a hard year, hasn't it?' Clinton asked, as people in the congregation responded, 'Yes.'

''Think about how many times President Obama has had to console our nation about another senseless tragedy, another shattered family, another distressed community and our children are watching and they feel it too.'

Hillary Clinton met with a group of young, black men at Mert's Heart and Soul in Charlotte

'I want to spend more time listening than talking,' Hillary Clinton told a group of young black men in Charlotte, North Carolina yesterday

Scott was shot Sept. 20 while standing outside his vehicle. Police say he was armed but video released by Charlotte-Mecklenburg authorities was inconclusive. The officer who shot Scott is also black.

After the church service, Clinton stopped by the soul food eatery, Mert's Heart and Soul, for a meeting with community leaders, all young black men.

'I want to spend more time listening than talking,' Clinton told the group. 'I want to make sure I understand .. what you think we can do together to deal with these systematic manifestations ... that affect every community and particularly flare up like we see here with Mr. Scott's tragic death.'

The Democratic nominee also eyed some pastries sitting in the middle of the table.

'I'm going to try and stay away from everything on the table,' she said, but then decided to change course.

'I've got to get the peach cobbler. Just because it's the polite thing to do,' Clinton said.

Last week, nine-year-old Zianna Oliphant addressed Charlotte City Hall about the impact of gun violence on her community.

The meeting was held following the fatal shooting of father-of-seven Keith Lamont Scott by police officer Brently Vinson.

She told the packed meeting: 'It's a shame that our fathers and brothers are killed and we can't see them anymore. It's a shame that we have to go through that graveyard and bury him. We need our fathers and brothers to be by our side.'

The girl, who said she was born and raised in Charlotte, said she can't stand how black people are being treated in the city, ABC News reports.
A new chapter in the campaign opened with the New York Times releasing several tax documents of Donald Trump's, reporting that the billionaire could have not paid federal income tax for 18 years because of a nearly $1 billion loss in 1995.

Both team Trump and team Clinton have had plenty to say about the Times' reporting, with Trump surrogates Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie calling Trump a 'genius' for working the tax system that way, while Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook called the report a 'bombshell' that enumerated Trump's 'business failures.'

The internet had a much funnier take, with droves of Twitter users contributing tweets filled with '90s references using the hashtag 'last time Trump paid taxes.'

The New York Times reported yesterday that Donald Trump could have legally not paid federal income taxes for 18 years after a 1995 financial loss. The news had Twitter going wild

The hashtag #LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes inspired Twitter users to tweet out all sorts of 1990s references from 'Clarissa Explains it All' to O.J. Simpson

Jeffrey Wright, an actor who appeared in 'The Hunger Games' movies, used the hashtag to bring back up Donald Trump's 'birther' conspiracy theories

Some Twitter users pointed out just how long those 18 years are - making jokes about Donald Trump's wives and noting the age of some of the electorate's youngest voters

Tweets included prominent '90s stars including O.J. Simpson, 'Clarissa Explains It All's' Melissa Joan Hart and Alf.

The '#LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes we still had dial up internet!' pointed out one.

'Since OJ had Isotoners,' one tweet pointed out, using the famous photo of Simpson with the gloves on in the courtroom that didn't fit.

User Travon Free posted photos of the late Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby. '#LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes there [were] still good people,' he wrote.

'Hunger Games' actor Jeffrey Wright mocked Trump for his 'birther' beliefs tweeting, '#LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes Barack Obama was a small boy running barefoot in Kenya.'

Another tweet noted how the '#LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes Dems were doing this, as they likely are again tonight,' wrote Twitter user Cassie Dagostino, sharing vintage C-SPAN footage of the Democrats, including first lady Hillary Clinton, doing the Macarena.

'Man, how I love an October surprise,' Dagostino added.

#LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes Dems were doing this, as they likely are again tonight. Man, how I love an October surprise. pic.twitter.com/HNvo4TBASP  Cassie Dagostino (@casatino) October 2, 2016

Some Twitter users marveled at the sheer length of time Trump was allowed to go without paying  18 years  if the Times' reporting was accurate.

'#LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes his next wife hadn't been born yet,' wrote Twitter user Richard Hine.

'There are people voting in this election born the same year as the #LastTimeTrumpPaidTaxes,' pointed out writer Sarah Kendzior.

Trump's own tweets about taxation also came back to haunt him as users pointed to a tweet from February 2012 that said: 'HALF of Americans don't pay income tax despite crippling govt debt,' and included a chart.

Trump also sounded off about the rich paying their fair share of taxes in a tweet from September 2015, after he had already launched his presidential bid.

'The hedge fund guys (gals) have to pay higher taxes ASAP. They are paying practically nothing. We must reduce taxes for the middle class!' Trump wrote.

Back in 2012, Donald Trump shared a Daily Mail article that said half of Americans don't pay federal income tax

Donald Trump suggested in September 2015, after he was already running for president, that the rich needed to pay higher taxes

Donald Trump has been critical of the Washington Post this election cycle, including suggesting its a 'tax shelter' for the paper's owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos

Donald Trump used the tax issue against two of his political rivals - Mitt Romney, who released his returns and criticized Trump for not doing the same, and Jeb Bush, for receiving a bailout of taxpayer dollars

In December 2015, Trump tweeted about the Washington Post's owner Jeff Bezos, also the founder of Amazon, using the paper as a 'big tax shelter,' saying he was screwing the public on low taxation.

Even more recently, Trump noted on Twitter that Mitt Romney, who was the GOP's nominee in 2012, 'totally blew an election that [he] should have been won and whose tax returns made him look like a fool.'

Trump added that Romney was 'now playing tough guy' in the February 2016 tweet.

A week later, the former Massachusetts governor would give a speech at the University of Utah labeling Trump a 'con man' and a 'fake.'

To this day Romney is not supporting the Republican nominee.

Trump hit another political rival, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, on his taxes in June of 2015, suggesting Jeb Bush got a $4 million tax payer bailout in 1990 when his father was president of the United States.

With Twitter erupting over the New York Times story, Trump also used the medium to hit back.
Immigration officials criticised the 'audacity' of an illegal immigrant who attempted to use a photograph of himself with Theresa May to stay in the UK.

Mohammed Uddin had a photograph with then-Home Secretary Theresa May when she was in charge of border controls.

The 39-year-old from Bangladesh attempted to convince authorities that it was proof he was entitled to be in the country.

'Audacity': Mohammed Uddin (right) attempted to use this photograph of himself with Theresa May to convince authorities that it was proof he was entitled to be in the UK

However his plan backfired when a civil servant sent him a stinging rebuke commenting on his 'audacity'.

Mohammed had his picture with Mrs May in 2010 when she was guest of honour at an event at the Haweli Twyford Restaurant in Reading, Berkshire.

She was unaware Mohammed was an illegal immigrant when she posed with him and Tory donor Enam Ali, founder of the British Curry Awards.

When the chef sent the photo to immigration officials, they replied: 'The photographs do not prove your residence in the UK.

'It is noted here that you had the audacity to be photographed receiving an award from the Home Secretary at a time when you were in the UK illegally.'

Mohammed Uddin had a photograph with then-Home Secretary Theresa May when she was in charge of border controls

Despite the refusal, it is understood Mohammed has since won indefinite right to remain in the UK, according to The Mirror.

A source told the paper: 'He was desperate to stay here and he thought the picture might boost his chances.

'It backfired and he got a fairly snotty note back in return, but it's all worked out for him in the end.'
Police are investigating the death of a University of Alabama at Birmingham student whose body was found in a residence hall.

Molly Wilson, of Florence, Alabama, a resident assistant in Blount Hall, was found inside the dorm on Friday evening, AL.com reports.

Her cause of death was not immediately known but a university spokesman said foul play is not suspected.

Police are investigating the death of Molly Wilson (pictured right), a University of Alabama at Birmingham student, whose body was found in a residence hall on Friday

We offer our deepest condolences to Molly's family, friends and loved ones, the UAB Student Housing and Residential Life department said to its residents in an email.

The school is also offering counseling to students living in Blount Hall.

Blount Hall features apartments with two to four bedrooms each, according to the schools website.

The hall is available only to students who are sophomores and up.

Wilson, a resident assistant in Blount Hall (above, file photo), was found inside the dorm

Friends of Wilsons paid tribute to the student on Facebook, with some changing the profile pictures of an image of a red heart on a black background in her memory.

Chelsie Ledlow paid tribute to Wilson in a post, calling her a smart, loving person.

It really breaks my heart that someone so good with her whole life ahead of her had to leave so young, she wrote.

When I was around Molly a few years ago, she was always making people laugh.
It's alleged that she and her family called Her a rapist, on Facebook

After two rape trials, one of which resulted in a hung jury and the second declared a

A woman from California who claimed she was raped by a fellow student at the University of California at Davis, is now being sued by the man she initially accused of the crime.

Lang Her, 26, is currently serving a one-year jail sentence for the assault of Yee Xiong, who is 24.

After going on trial twice, Her, 26, ended up taking a plea deal and a one-year sentence for assault.

No sooner had Her been sentenced, Xiong was handed a $4 million civil lawsuit for defamation.

The suit from Her, who had just pleaded no contest to felony assault as part of a plea bargain, stated that Xiong and her three of her siblings colluded to alienate him from the close-knit ethnic Hmong community and called him a rapist on Facebook.

Xiong said it was like a 'slap to the face,' what she saw as a way for Her to 'continue to harass my family and me.'

Yee Xiong,24, was about to leave the sentencing hearing for Lang Her, who she said sexually assaulted her when they were student when she was handed a $4 million defamation lawsuit

According to court documents, Xiong told police she woke in the early hours of July 10, 2012, after a night of drinking in an off-campus apartment, with her arms pinned by Her. She said he was having sexual intercourse with her.

Both were students at the University of California, Davis at the time.

After his semen was found during a rape kit evaluation, Her maintained that no penetration occurred, and testified that he believed Xiong wanted to have sex with him.

During the investigation, Her's story changed more than once. He went from claiming that nothing had happened on the night in question to saying he and Xiong had kissed but had not had sex.

However, his semen was found inside Xiong. Her has continued to deny that any penetration took place, and his attorneys have used Xiong's behavior after the incident  staying at Her's apartment for the rest of the night and allowing him to give her a ride back to campus in the morning  against her in court.

Her's attorneys questioned why Xiong stayed the rest of the night in the apartment if she had been raped.

A number of postings were made on Facebook by Yee Xiong's family who were supporting her during her rape trial, but her assailant is now suing her for libel and defamation as a result

FAMILY TIES OF THE HMONG COMMUNITY Both Her and Xiong are former UC Davis students who were raised in the tight-knit Hmong community of Marysville. Their families once were friendly before the rape trials, Her being expelled from the University of California and the tremendous publicity their case has received. During sentencing, the Xiong's parents threatened Her's mother across the courtroom speaking in the Hmong language. The Sacremento Bee reports how both families exchanged glares and strong words With family pride and tradition at stake, Hers family bizarrely offered to have him marry Xiong before they set about offering the family money in the hope of avoiding any kind of prison sentence and for the charges to be dropped. Advertisement

The lawsuit cites May 21, 2015, as the date the Facebook postings began: The final day of the first criminal trial, when Xiong learned it had ended in a mistrial.

Though Xiong and her siblings were angry and frustrated, she said, they never hatched a plot to ruin his reputation.

A second trial in February 2016 also ended in a hung jury.

The online postings have since been taken down, but in a formal response to the lawsuit stated that the posts were true or believed by the defendants to be true.

The saga has divided their small, tight-knit Hmong community, Xiong said, with members choosing which family to side with and whom to believe.

California has one of the largest Hmong populations among U.S. states, many of whom live in the Central Valley.

'It was very lonely,' Xiong said. 'I've had to hold off on so many things just because of the trial, like I failed so many classes. Just all of that is putting a hold on my future.'

Yee Xiong, 24, in her home in Davis, California. The UC Davis student was the victim of sexual assault and endured a multi-year battle to have her attacker punished, now he is suing her

Rather than endure a third trial, Xiong and Her agreed to a plea deal that includes a year of jail time and five years of probation, during which Her must also register as a sex offender, and complete a minimum of three months of sex offender counseling.

Her also was expelled from UC Davis. He reported to jail in Yolo County last month.

Xiong was served with a lawsuit within half an hour of her trial against Her concluding.

'We were shocked, speechless,' Xiong said. 'Who in their right mind would do this? I felt re-victimized. I want to move on with my life and this is still holding me back,' she said to the Sacramento Bee.

Her's lawsuit claims that Ger Xiong, one of Yee's older sisters made 'false and defamatory' statements against him in Facebook posts in May 2015, which was the final day of the first trial.

'Rapists destroy lives,' the note which was posted on Facebook read. 'Rapists hurt all of us, not just their victims.'

Her and Xiong are former UC Davis students who were raised in the tight-knit Hmong community of Marysville, California, near Sacramento

Later that day, the sister continued her protest: 'We will not be silenced. We will fight for justice against Lang Her, who is a rapist.' The post ended up being shared by Yee and two other siblings.

Her's motive is to clear his name, however he is also seeking $4 million in damages.

While such lawsuits have long been a legal strategy, experts say, some of the accused may feel they must seek to clear their names in court at a time when there is increased focus on campus sex assaults and more serious consequences at schools.

'Being labeled 'rapist' now has more power than it did 10 years ago,' said Emily Austin of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. 'The impact could be, if these become more common, that survivors are going to double-think reporting, afraid anything they're saying could be grounds for a lawsuit against them personally.'

Eric Rosenberg, an Ohio attorney who has represented clients suing their accusers and universities, said many of the accused suffer damaged reputations and lost educational and career prospects.

'There is no bigger stain on a person in this culture than being labeled as a sexual assailant, and that's what they're labeled as,' said Rosenberg, who has filed or acted as a consultant for more than half a dozen such lawsuits in the past five years.

He said the number of such lawsuits have increased in recent years as the consequences for those accused at schools have intensified. 'They can't get into school, they can't get in to the military, a lawsuit's their only way out,' he said.

Tracking such cases can be difficult, as defamation lawsuits are often filed in state courts and many are settled.
Donald Trump's new luxury hotel in downtown Washington has been vandalized.

District of Columbia police say the phrases 'Black Lives Matter' and 'no justice no peace' were spray-painted on the facade of the Trump International Hotel on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, the graffiti was covered up with pieces of plywood.

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Donald Trump's new hotel in Washington has been vandalized. Above, video posted online shows a man in a yellow shirt spray-painting 'Black Lives Matter' by the hotel's entrance

Police spokeswoman Aquita Brown said police have not identified any suspects.

Video posted on social media showed a man in a yellow shirt tagging the front of the hotel and signing it 'Van.'

Police are investigating the incident, which occurred just after 4pm on Saturday.

The Trump International Hotel opened on September 12.

On Sunday, the graffiti by the entrance of the Trump International Hotel was covered up with pieces of plywood

The Trump Organization won a 60-year lease from the federal government to transform the historic Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue into a hotel.

It's located less than a mile from The White House.
A reporter who quit her job live on air in protest of Alaska's marijuana laws is facing decades in jail for running a cannabis club.

Charlo Greene revealed herself to be the owner and operator of the Alaska Cannabis Club during a live broadcast for KVTA in September 2014.

She dedicated herself to campaigning for the legalization of marijuana across the state, celebrating in February 2015 when it became legal for adults.

The 28-year-old is now however facing jail as police accuse her of running the club, which matches medical marijuana cardholders with others, before the law change.

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Charlo Greene quit her job as a KVTCA reporter on air in September 2014 (above) in protest of Alaska's then anti-marijuana laws. She is now facing jail for drug possession

The 28-year-old (pictured recently) founded the Alaska Cannabis Club in April 2014 - six months before the state legalized the drug

Anchorage Police Department raided the club twice last year, checking patients' medical marijuana cards and the amounts they were carrying.

The law in Alaska states that anyone aged 21 and older may now legally possess up to one ounce of the drug and grow as many as six plants at home.

Greene has been accused of 14 charges of drug possession relating to her activity within the Alaska Cannabis Club before marijuana became legal.

The charges carry a maximum combined penalty of 54 years imprisonment after police raided the club on two occasions last year.

'I just found out I'm facing an additional 6 felonies - 30 more years,' she told Facebook fans last week after having her original eight charges increased.

'That 54 years in prison for a plant ,' (sic) she wrote.

The Alaska Cannabis Club was founded on April 20, 2014, six months before the state voted to legalise the drug.

Greene faces 10 felony and four misdemeanor charges as a result.

The activist is pleading with followers to help her case, asking them to donate towards her legal costs with an online donations page.

'I need your help to fight back,' she said.

In September 2014, Greene was presenting a news segment about the club on KVTA when she revealed herself as the owner.

Greene pleaded with Facebook followers to donate towards her legal costs, sharing a link to an online donations page on Thursday

The former reporter dedicated herself to legalizing the drug after quitting journalism

Greene founded the Alaska Cannabis Club, which matches medical marijuana cardholders with one another, six months before the drug was legalized

She pleaded with pro-marijuana voters to back her cause, claiming she had been 'abandoned by the people' she fought for

'Now everything you heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy for fighting for freedom and fairness which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska.

'And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but, f*** it, I quit,' she said.

Since being arrested, she has described her case as a 'modern day lynching', urging Alaskans who voted to legalize the drug to rally behind her.

'More than 100 million people around the world watched me quit and of the now 4,000 members of the Alaska Cannabis Club weve served to date, there was literally only one person [at the first court date] to support me,' she told High Times, an online publication dedicated to information about cannabis.
Monty Python star Terry Jones has made his first public appearance since announcing he has dementia as he collected a lifetime achievement award.

The 74-year-old comedian was accompanied by his co-star Michael Palin as they attended the Welsh Baftas in Cardiff tonight.

Mr Jones walked the red carpet at St David's Hall and was his playful self as he posed for the camera while Mr Palin pointed a finger at his lifelong friend to show he was the main man for the night.

Monty Python comedian Terry Jones has made his first public appearance tonight since announcing he is suffering from dementia

The 74-year-old comedian was accompanied by his co-star Michael Palin as they attended the Welsh Baftas in Cardiff tonight

Although at times he looked a little stooped and bemused, he still signed autographs and also posed for selfies with fans.

He even hugged one female fan in the crowd before he walked into the venue arm-in-arm with Mr Palin.

Lifelong Monty Python fan Robert Lewis-Jones, who was in the crowd, said: 'He looked good and had a smile for everyone.

'He signed some programmes but I didn't hear him say anything - but that lovely smile of his was enough to show he was enjoying his evening.'

While Siriol Thomas, 42, added: 'He looked very happy. I remembered his famous line from the Life of Brian and asked him about his award.

'He nodded and I said: "Remember you are you are not the Messiah, you are a very naughty boy."

Although at times he looked a little stooped and bemused, he still signed autographs and also posed for selfies with fans

Mr Jones, left, announced last month that he was suffering from primary progressive aphasia, a type of dementia

'He laughed in the way he does and went off quite happily. It was so good to see him - he's a legend.'

Once inside the ceremony, Mr Jones received his award for outstanding contribution to film and TV from Welsh Bafta.

However, Mr Jones was unable to make the customary acceptance speech having been robbed of his ability to speak after being being diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a type of dementia.

But his son Bill, aged 40, was on on hand with his father to collect the award on his behalf.

Mr Palin put a protective arm around his friend and they later walked into the awards ceremony arm-in-arm

Mr Jones was born in Colwyn Bay in north Wales and now spends his time with his family and having regular pub lunches with Mr Palin, who he met at Oxford University more than 50 years ago.

He directed Monty Python's Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life and co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail with Terry Gilliam.

Last month, it was revealed he was battling a form of dementia, which eventually leaves sufferers mute and robs them of the ability to understand language.

And Mr Palin has penned a heart-felt letter to his friend about his diagnosis.

He wrote: 'What has happened is truly tragic and sad. It's a form of dementia, it's progressive and that's that.

'His wife and child are doing their very best, it's difficult. I was with him yesterday evening and I think he knows people.

'He likes to see old friends and we've got to carry on our friendship. It's not ended, it's just very sad he's got this form of dementia. He can't talk at any great length but he laughs at memories when I bring them up.

'It's very limited but that's the nature of the aphasia he's got. All the Pythons have known about this for a while and no one knows what to do apart from to be supportive.

'He's still a member of the team and as far as we're concerned a working member of the Python team. I don't think he'll be doing any more stage shows but then I don't think any of us will.

Mr Jones was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python. Pictured are Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam

'One just has to say what a cruel, cruel stroke of fate for someone who was so articulate, and fluent, and funny, and loved words and loved reading and writing.

'It just seems so dreadfully unfair but there we are, that's life.'

Mr Jones's second wife Anna Soderstrom, 33, who is from Sweden, has been caring for him since the diagnosis.

They wed in 2012. He has two children from his first marriage along with seven-year-old daughter Siri.

He met Mr Palin at Oxford before they rose to fame in Monty Python alongside the late Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle.
The 28-year-old will be sentenced on December 7

An MMA fighter with the words 'Hood' and 'Rich' tattooed above his eyebrows kicked his former fiancee in the head before putting her in a chokehold when she brought home the wrong dinner for him.

Julian Brave Wallace, 28, then chased Jessy Jess around their apartment in Newtown in Sydney's inner-west as she frantically tried to pack her things, kneeing her in the ribs and pinning her down.

Last week the fighter pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of intentionally choking with recklessness over the April 28 attack.

MMA fighter Julian Wallace has pleaded guilty to assaulting his former fiancee Jesse Jess

Wallace (left) attacked Ms Jess (right) after she brought home the wrong noodles for dinner

Ms Jess is also an MMA fighter and said the attack could have been much worse if she wasn't able to defend herself

Ms Jess told Daily Mail Australia on the night she had been running 15 minutes late on her way home from work after she stopped to pick up some noodles for Wallace.

However when she arrived at the apartment he flew into a rage at her having brought the wrong food, grabbing her and accusing her of being unfaithful.

'He started attacking me, it went on for about 20 minutes, he kicked me in the head with timberland boots on,' Ms Jess told Daily Mail Australia.

'He got me in a muay thai headlock in the kitchen and was elbowing me in the face.

'He was holding my head in one hand and hitting me with the other,' she added.

Wallace then kicked Ms Jess in the face, and tried to tear off her engagement ring while threatening to break her fingers.

As she was desperately trying to break free from her former fiance's grasp, Ms Jess said she could feel herself losing consciousness.

'I was terrified, I really was, I've never been knocked out and I've never passed out before,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I remember seeing stars and getting dropped onto the bed.

'When he was chocking me I could feel myself losing consciousness.'

Ms Jess said she felt fortunate that she was an MMA professional otherwise the attack could have had a much more devastating outcome.

She told the Daily Telegraph as she was desperately trying to break free from her former fiance's clutches, she thought it could be 'the end'.

'I kept tapping him on the arm because I could feel that I was going to lose consciousness; he pulled tighter and I thought that would be the end,' Ms Jess said.

Pictured are Ms Jess's facial injuries after Wallace attacked her in their home

Wallace kicked Ms Jess in the face, and tried to tear off her engagement ring during the April 28 attack

Ms Jess said she felt fortunate that she was an MMA professional otherwise the attack could have had a much more devastating outcome

Last month Wallace made headlines over his controversial 'men only' barber shop

However the woman got herself out of the choke hold and kicked Wallace, knocking him out before calling the police.

'If I wasn't in an industry where I do get hit every day and I can brace myself against impact I'd hate to think what would have happened,' Ms Jess told Daily Mail Australia.

'I was terrified for my own life and I do this for a living.'

The woman said this was not the first time Wallace had been violent with her.

'We had fought before, never to that level it was more just him threatening me but he'd hit me a couple of times.'

In a post to his Facebook page on Monday Wallace also admitted that he and Ms Jess had shared a volatile relationship.

'I was in a very violent relationship with Jessica,' he wrote online.

Last month Wallace made headlines over his controversial 'men only' barber shop Hawleywood's in Newtown.

He came under fire for the 'sexist' policy which bans females from his shop, however at the time he defended the rules claiming 'it's not about discrimination'.

'No women can come into the premises because we only cater to men,' Mr Wallace told Sunrise last month.
A young man has been charged after allegedly stabbing his father to death during an argument over a computer in Sydney's southwest.

Daniel Chapman, 20,went and told his neighbours to call an ambulance after stabbing his father Stephen Chapman, 56, multiple times in the upper body at the Moorebank home about 8.40pm on Sunday.

According to police, the pair argued after Daniel refused to turn off his computer to join his father at the dinner table.

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Daniel Chapman, 20,went and told his neighbours to call an ambulance after stabbing his father Stephen Chapman (pictured)

According to police, the pair argued after Daniel Chapman (pictured) refused to turn off his computer to join his father at the dinner table

Mr Chapman died in the ambulance on the way to hospital and a short time later police arrested the 20-year-old at the home on Josephine Crescent.

He was taken to Liverpool Police Station and charged with one count of murder.

According to police, the mother was unaware the stabbing had taken place until later and told Daniel to tell the neighbours.

At Parramatta Bail Court on Monday, his lawyer said the 20-year-old was suffering mental health issues.

'Daniel's passion was playing video games on Xbox and PlayStation,' a school friend told Daily Mail Australia.

'He was a nice guy but also very power hungry'.

A young man has been charged after allegedly stabbing his father to death during an argument over a computer in Sydney's southwest. Pictured is police removing equipment from the home

Daniel Chapman, 20,went and told his neighbours to call an ambulance after stabbing his father Stephen Chapman, 56, multiple times in the upper body

Mr Chapman died in the ambulance on the way to hospital and a short time later police arrested Daniel (pictured) at the home on Josephine Crescent

Police were called to a home in Moorebank about 8.40pm on Sunday following reports a 56-year-old man suffered significant stab wounds

After the man died on his way to hospital, police arrested a 20-year-old man at the home on Josephine Crescent

Paramedics were seen treating Mr Chapman in an ambulance on Sunday night, but he died shortly after being removed from the property.

Police have established a crime scene at the Moorebank home and have said the stabbing was domestic related.

Daniel will front court on Wednesday.

On Monday, investigators were seen removing pieces of equipment from the home

The 20-year-old was refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Bail Court (pictured) on Monday morning

The man died in the ambulance on the way to hospital and a short time later police arrested a 20-year-old man at the home on Josephine Crescent
Parents of children at Vision of Life Academy were horrified by the news

She told investigators she had to rush to a meeting, so she told an employee to unload the children

A Miami daycare owner has been arrested after she left a two-year-old child died when they were left in a hot vehicle for six hours, police say.

Karen Aviles is facing manslaughter charges over the death of Angel Matute-Chavez.

The 36-year-old had been picking up children on Wednesday morning to drive them to her center - despite the fact that Vision of Life Academy wasn't registered to transport children, Miami Herald reports.

Karen Aviles (left) is facing manslaughter charges over the death of Angel Matute-Chavez (right)

She allegedly told investigators she had to rush to a meeting, so she told an employee to unload the children.

The other kids, including Angel's eight-year-old brother, were safely removed from the van. But somehow, the toddler was overlooked, police say.

By the time another member of staff found Angel - six hours later - it was too late.

Paramedics found the youngster bleeding from the nose and ears. An autopsy determined that he died from heatstroke.

Video courtesy of WSVN

Angel was left in the van for six hours and suffered fatal heatstroke before dying in hospital

Justin K. Beckham, the attorney for the day care owner, said in a statement: 'Our client is completely devastated due to the tragic passing of a young child at Vision for Life.

'She has dedicated the last 13 years of her life to the care of children, and she is in shock. We have reached out the City of Miami Police department in order to cooperate fully with their investigation. She wishes to specifically express her deepest condolences to the child's family.'

Parents at the daycare center were horrified at the news.

'How can you forget a whole child in the car,' one mother asked. 'How do you forget a whole baby in the car? It's like, these are the children you go to pick up. So how can you just not remember who you brought? I don't understand.'

Angel is the fifth child to die in a hot vehicle in Florida this year.

An official from the Florida Department of Children and Families said the academy was not authorized to transport children, and they have since shut down the facility.

The 36-year-old had been picking up children on Wednesday morning to drive them to her center - despite the fact that Vision of Life Academy (pictured) wasn't registered to transport children

The transport of children is highly restricted to avoid similar tragedies. Drivers picking up or dropping off children are obliged to keep records or who is where, and conduct visual inspections after all children are dropped.

The Florida Department of Children and Families issued a statement, said: 'DCF has opened a child death investigation and will assist law enforcement in any way needed. The child had no previous interaction with the child welfare system.'

'Vision for Life Academy child care center is no longer operational. The center had no major, class one child care violations. The center was not authorized to transport children. DCF child care licensing staff will continue to closely monitor the center.'
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Australia's summer festival season kicked off with a bang this weekend as Listen Out wrapped up its national tour.

Tens of thousands of revellers flocked to events in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to catch the likes of homegrown headliners RUFUS and American rap star A$AP Ferg.

Plenty of flesh was on display at all legs of the annual music event as partygoers embraced the beginning of Spring in fine fashion.

From jewel encrusted underwear, daisy duke shorts and itty-bitty bikinis, attendees put their boldest foot forward in terms of style.

The festival kicked off in Melbourne on September 24, before heading to Perth the next day where 200 people tried to jump the fence into the event.

In Sydney on Saturday partygoers stormed the grounds at Centennial Park for a day of debauchery in the sun.

Listen Out, now in its fourth year, finished the 2016 circuit in Brisbane on Sunday.

The lineup also featured Swedish rapper Yung Lean, U.S producers Anderson .Paak and Baauer and German DJ Claptone.

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Listen Out kicked off Australia's summer music festival season with events around the country in recent weeks

Revellers around the country broke out their summer wardrobes for the annual event

The last leg of the annual festival finished up in Brisbane on Sunday, pictured are partygoers before heading to the event

These men went to Listen Out decked out in shirts in the style of Brisbane rapper Midas. Gold

Plenty of flesh was on display as partygoers revelled in the Spring sunshine around the country

'Yeah the boys': These gents decided to dress up in matching singlets to take on Listen Out

'Camilla meets boogie' one festival goer posted to her Instagram account ahead of the day in Sydney on Saturday

Two friends share a smile at Listen Out grounds at Sydney's Centennial Park

From short shorts to shoelaces worn as necklaces, punters were bold with their fashion choices

'Let's go' one woman said alongside a photo of herself in a sheer bikini top

It's not just about the music!: Listen Out is also a chance for fashionistas to show off their festival style

Glitter for hair, make up and clothing! These sparkling Listen Out goers will have a hard time blending in with their shiny look

'Girls gone wild' one Instagram user captioned a photo taken on their way to the Centennial Park event

'Today is about a cute look for Listen Out dressed up as Lady Rainbow, so come say hi if you see me,' one punter wrote on her Instagram account

This group of girls was keen to get to the event, donning their shades before even leaving the house

Inked up and ready to dance: This festival goer is heading to new heights on a friends shoulders
Bernie Sanders revealed he was bothered by Hillary Clinton's characterization of his policies as 'false promises' in a hacked audio clip, but remained adamant about his support for the Democratic nominee.

In an audio clip from a donors meeting in February that emerged this week, Clinton also described many of Sanders' young supporters as people who were 'new to politics' and 'living in their parents' basements'.

While Sanders acknowledged there were 'real differences' between him and the Democratic nominee, he defended her statements and said she was still 'far and away the superior candidate'.

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Hacked audio from a donors meeting earlier this year has revealed Hillary Clinton (left) mocked young supporters of her Democratic opponent, Bernie Sanders (right)

During CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, anchor Jake Tapper asked whether Sanders was bothered that Clinton described his policies as 'false promises', to which he said 'of course'.

He acknowledged their differences, but went on to say Clinton made an important point about young people facing dire job prospects.

Sanders drove the point home on ABC's The Week, saying: 'What she was saying there is absolutely correct.

'And that is, youve got millions of young people, many of whom took out loans in order to go to college, hoping to go out and get decent-paying, good jobs.'

Speaking at the fundraiser in Virginia, Clinton said Sanders' young supporters gravitated towards him because the were 'new to politics'.

'They are living in their parents basement,' Clinton said, according to The Intercept.

'They feel they got their education and the jobs that are available to them are not at all what they envisioned for themselves. And they dont see much of a future.

'So if youre feeling like youre consigned to, you know, being a barista, or you know, some other job that doesnt pay a lot, and doesnt have some other ladder of opportunity attached to it, then the idea that maybe, just maybe, you could be part of a political revolution is pretty appealing.'

Clinton went on to say she wants to make 'progress' and stressed she isn't 'a wet blanket on idealism'.

Hillary Clinton speaks as Senator Bernie Sanders reacts during a Democratic debate hosted by CNN and New York One at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York April 14, 201

Supporters listen as then-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Santa Maria, California, on May 28

In the hacked conversation, Clinton also went on to explain why she views herself as being in the middle of two extremes in this election.

'It is important to recognize whats going on in this election,' she said to donors in February.

'Everybody whos ever been in an election that Im aware of is quite bewildered because there is a strain of, on the one hand, the kind of populist, nationalist, xenophobic, discriminatory kind of approach that we hear too much of from the Republican candidates.

'So as a friend of mine said the other day, I am occupying from the center-left to the center-right. And I dont have much company there.

'Because it is difficult when youre running to be president, and you understand how hard the job is  I dont want to over-promise. I dont want to tell people things that I know we cannot do.'

Hillary Clinton has been joined on the campaign trail by Bernie Sanders since defeating him in the primaries. They are pictured together in New Hampshire last week

Bernie Sanders greets supporters after a campaign rally in Santa Maria, California, U.S. May 28, 2016

Donald Trump tried to capitalize on the leaked audio clip and drive a wedge within the Democratic Party by tweeting that Clinton was 'nasty to Sanders supporters behind closed doors'.

Clinton is battling to convert as many young voters as possible, many of whom supported Sanders instead of her.
It's one of the most compelling stories of survival you will read.

On Saturday, in the first extract from his new book, father-of-two Brett Archibald described how, during a boat trip off Indonesia with friends, he fell overboard in the dark without a life jacket.

So began an appalling 29-hour ordeal. Today, in the dramatic concluding part, he recalls how he nearly lost his eyes to dive-bombing gulls...

8.30-9.30pm, Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Nineteen hours! Its 19 endless hours since I fell off the boat I chartered with eight friends to take us to an Indonesian island. How have I stayed alive? I wasnt even in good shape to start with; Id been retching over the side of the boat, the Naga Laut, when I suddenly lost consciousness.

Now, as I continue to tread water, Im feeling very thirsty and tired. My eyelids close, and then  wham! Something hits me on the back of my head.

The wallop forces me wide awake. I feel a rush of air over my face, then hear an odd rustling in the gathering darkness. Something, a menacing presence, is moving fast above me.

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Brett Archibald (circled) described how fell overboard in the dark without a life jacket during a boat trip off Indonesia. Pictured, Brett being towed to the Barrenjoey

Eventually, I make out the silhouette of a seagull. Its circling above me in the dying light. Again, it swoops and misses my head by millimetres. Hey! I shout. Hey! What the f*** are you doing? He returns to dive-bomb me a third time. I submerge, coughing as water fills my ears, mouth and nose.

For a moment, I think Im dreaming. Then it dawns on me: the gull is trying to pluck out my eyes or rip off my ears.

As the gull screams, I hatch a plan: Ill coax it to land on my head. Reach up and snatch it. Break its neck, bite off its head and squirt the blood down my parched throat.

Then my face explodes. Distracted, I havent seen a second  larger  bird. Hes hit the bridge of my nose; it feels as if its been sliced off my face.

Hed been going for my eyes, but Id turned my head at the last second. Blood pours from my nose and fills my mouth.

I scream at the birds. They shriek back. But Im thinking: seagulls dont sleep at sea... I have to be close to land.

Suddenly, theyre gone, two dark shapes disappearing into the mysterious night.

Im shaking uncontrollably. It will soon be pitch-dark and I have to make it through the night. Another nine hours.

9.32pm, aboard the Naga Laut

The crew are preparing for a second search across the Mentawai Strait at 3am.

9.30-10.30pm, 20th hour in the water

A long, throbbing lash of pain sweeps across my chest and around my neck, blistering my skin. I immediately know what this is: the tentacles of large jellyfish. Ive already been stung by Portuguese men o war, but this is on another level.

Its pure electricity, like a cat o nine tails swirling its stinging fingers against my skin.

I feel the jellyfishes gelatinous heads sticking to my neck. I rip off the tentacles and throw them as far as I can. They make a gurgling sound as they sink.

Suddenly, the jellyfish have vanished. My skin is agony, and I can make out the deep welts.

10.30-11.30pm, 21st hour

My body is burning  but with a kind of cold fire, a triumphant pain. Instead of life flowing out of me, its flooded into me. The jellyfish have somehow jump-started me again.

But I cant stop my teeth from chattering. The clacking reverberates in my head. I put my hand over my mouth.

Then, a canoe. I see the prow clear in the darkness. Two Indonesian boys are sitting in it. Both are about six.

Family: A joyous reunion with his wife Anita and two children Jamie and Zara

Theyre the children who sell trinkets to moored charter boats. Elated, I shout to them.

The child at the back is beautiful. The kid in front has a misshapen face, spiky hair and teeth that stick out.

Youve saved me! I shout. Thank you, boys! I focus on the one in front. Im going to take you to the best dentist. Well get those teeth fixed!

Theyre smiling at me, but they dont say a word. As Im about to grab the prow, my hand passes through air. Canoe and boys have vanished.

Down, down I sink. Those boys were a trick of the mind. Or perhaps ocean ghosts whove come for a drowning man. Im in an eerie place. Far from the living and close to the dead.

11.30-12.30pm 22nd hour

I muster my last strength to push myself to the surface. My tongue is so distended, I cant swallow. My eyes are open, but heavy-lidded. I can barely see.

Then I spot three lights. I turn 360 degrees and look back. Theyre still there.

Land. Those lights are three villages. How far are they? Ten miles? You can swim there, I say. If you start now, you can get there by daybreak.

Small strokes. Slow, steady. But Im swimming against the current. Im getting nowhere and the lights keep moving away.

12.30-1.30am, 23rd hour

I try to keep my face out of the water. My nose keeps filling and my throat closes in. I hear myself fighting for breath. My body is failing me. I cant feel anything from my chest down.

The lights are still there  like sirens calling. But I dont have the strength to get there. Exhaustion has won. Death is the forfeit. Ive failed myself, my wife, Anita, and our two children. I cant keep my eyes open or my neck straight.

Brett Archibald (pictured top left) was on a tour boat off the coast of Indonesia with friends when he fell overboard in the early hours of the morning

I feel my head plop into the water. I think I fall asleep. The sound fills my head before I see it: creaking beams of teak, ropes stretching and twisting as the wind fills a mainsail.

Theres a 1634 Dutch East India Company sailing ship 20m away. I know, because I made a model of one as a kid.

Sailors walk across the deck towards the side: raggle-taggle men, longhaired and bearded, with rotten teeth. Come on, lad, you can make it.

Two of them throw a rope over the side and a wooden stepladder unravels into the water. The clunking of the timber steps against the ships hull echoes in the stillness.

Slowly, I start swimming for it. Part of me knows Im hallucinating  theyre the souls of drowned sailors  but they seem so real. As I look up into those weathered faces, I reach to grab the ladder.

Again nothing there. My head lolls in the water, my face submerged. For an aeon, I dont have the energy to lift it. I can feel chunks of my tongue coming off in my mouth. My lips are splitting into fleshy canyons. My fingers are enormous, puffy and white in the moonlight.

I feel amphibian. Perhaps my body is liquefying? Im not even dead yet and the ocean is taking me back.

The Barrenjoey - with his head so low in the water, Brett could initially only see the top of the mast, without any rigging

1.30-2.30am, 24th hour

Crushing pain. Legs. Arms. Back. Toes in a vice. All the bones in my feet are in a spasmodic grip. Pain rips through my body. Cramps. No more, I say. No more. I dont want to go on any more.

1.18am, the Barrenjoey

Tony Eltherington, the Barrenjoeys captain, has been hired by nine Australian surfers who are celebrating a friends 50th birthday, as we were on the Naga Laut.

No one calls him Tony: hes been Doris since he was teased as a youth for having blond hair  like Doris Days. Now hes one of the most experienced captains in these parts and hes determined to go in search of the man who fell off a boat.

News of the accident has spread. Doris thinks Brett will still be alive.

2.30-3.30am, 25th hour

Come on, listen to me. Swim, swim to me. I open my eyes. Its my friend Banger, standing on the Naga Laut. His hand is stretched out to me. Theyve come back. Just in time. I swim for about 20m and grab Bangers hand. I feel his grip. I lift my foot. And sink into the sea.

I come up retching, but I can still see the boat. Swim to us, Brett. One by one, my friends join Banger on the platform. Real or imaginary, I cant ignore this call. But as I reach for a hand, it evaporates. You havent come to get me, I say. Youve come to say goodbye.

3.30-4.30am, 26th hour

Air. I need to breathe. Black water. Its everywhere. Am I going up or down? I need air, but I cant find it.

It takes for ever to surface. Im navigating the zone between life and death. Broken shapes form in front of me, but before I can identify them, theyre gone.

The water feels like liquid cement, squeezing the life out of me, like the doors of hell closing. All memory melts away. Again, I sink slowly.

5.34am, the Barrenjoey

I see some of you are keen to get off surfing, Doris tells the Australians. But Im not giving up. Im going to find this guy, dead or alive.

Brett climbing a 9-foot ladder as he reaches safety after a terrifying ordeal

4.30-5.30am 27th hour

Brett! Its my wife Anitas voice. I open my eyes and force myself to the surface. I cant feel my body.

I turn slowly in a circle. Then I see a speck in the distance. I stare at it for an eternity and eventually establish the outline. The first fishing boat is out for the day.

I fantasise about grabbing the end of the fishermans line  I imagine his surprise when he sees what hes caught. I begin to swim.

5.30-6.30am, 28th hour

Im making ground. Each time I look up, the boat is getting closer.

Then, I hear an engine starting up. The boat is maybe 100m away as it moves off. I watch in mute horror.

That boat was my last chance. I begin shrieking. Smacking the water with impotent arms. F***ing hell! God, take me, Im done!

Drowning will be a release. I take a deep breath and fill my lungs with salt water. I do it three times  its not painful. But an agonising pain is burning my tongue. The salt is cauterising every open wound.

I try breathing in water a fourth time, but the pain around my tongue is intolerable. Black spots dance before my eyes. What the f*** do you think youre doing? screams a voice in my brain.

I kick up through the water and burst onto the surface like a champagne cork. Then I see, floating above the water, a black cross.

Take that cross and shove it! I scream. Im done. Just done!

6.58am, the Barrenjoey

Doris's boat has reached the search zone. The Australians have taken up positions on the deck and bow; they pass a pair of binoculars around.

But its Anas, the Indonesian first mate, who says almost casually: Boss. There he is. Hes over there.

A gasp of amazement sweeps the deck. Then cheering. About 100m away, off the port bow, a mans head is glowing in the early light, and beside it, a ghostly white arm is waving.

Shattered, Brett is unable to believe he is out the water and safe

6.45-7.15am, 28 hours in the water

Spewing up salt water, I look up again. Its still there. The black cross. Is it the angel of death?

My heart is hammering as the cross gets bigger. But its not a crucifix; its the mast top and spreader of a yacht  I can see its rigging.

Dont get excited. Dont get excited, I keep repeating. I wont survive another disappointment.

After a few minutes, the boat turns away  slightly to starboard. NO, NO, NO! I scream. I put my head down and swim. Please be there. Please see me. I emerge 100m away and propel myself out of the water as high as I can.

Someone throws a life-ring and bodies dive over the side. But my last effort has finished me. I start sinking, aware Im going to drown. So close . . . So damn close . . .

Then an arm comes up beneath my ribs and moves across my chest. I look up to see a bright orange life-ring sweeping in an arc around me.

And I hear a man say: Weve got you, mate. Weve got you.

Epilogue

Brett had drifted approximately 50 nautical miles in the open water of the Mentawai Strait. He was found a long way out from the coast of the island of Sipura.

Australian surfer Dave Carbon, a trained lifesaver, reached him just as he was sinking under the water.

Bretts blood pressure was dangerously low at 68/44. His face and head were significantly burnt, his tongue engorged, his eyes red and painful and his nose had a gaping hole where the gulls had pecked it.

On deck, swathed in towels, he was shaky but coherent, describing everything in detail. Doris, beer in hand, shook Bretts shrivelled hand. He was as red as a rooster and high as a kite, Doris said afterwards.

A doctor on board supervised Bretts rehydration and a call was put through to his wife. Anita says Brett poured out his story to her while she sobbed with relief.

By 2pm, he was back on the Naga Laut boat. A rapturous reunion ensued, with tears all round.

That night, Brett returned to the railing hed fallen from on the upper deck of the Naga Laut. For the first time in his entire ordeal, he wept.

His tenacity and will to live had been significant factors in his survival. One expert believes 999 out of 1,000 people in the same predicament would have died.

A few months later, Brett experienced two severe panic attacks  classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress  and had counselling. His business failed. He started speaking publicly about his experience and raising money for charities.

Coming so close to death made Brett re-address his priorities  which are now faith, family and friends. He says he knows without a shadow of doubt that God was with him during his ordeal.
Labour faces claims of hypocrisy after it emerged controversial peer Shami Chakrabartis son goes to a top private school.

The 13-year-old attends 18,000-a-year Dulwich College in south-east London, an academically selective boys school where former Ukip leader Nigel Farage was a pupil.

Last night Labour tried to head off the storm by suggesting Baroness Chakrabartis lawyer ex-husband was to blame for the decision to send him there.

Divorced: Baroness Shami Chakrabarti and her ex-husband, Oxford-educated lawyer Martyn Hopper

The revelation comes just days after Labour vowed to oppose Theresa Mays plans to open more grammar schools.

Yesterday the party was desperate to shield Baroness Chakrabarti  expected to be made shadow attorney general in an upcoming reshuffle  by passing the buck to her ex-husband Martyn Hopper.

It was claimed Mr Hopper, an Oxford-educated partner at law firm Linklaters, had chosen their sons school.

A party source said: The decision about where children go to school nowadays is not taken by one parent. Each parent has their own views on where their child goes to school, as do children themselves.

And a family friend told The Sunday Times: I dont think it is a surprise to anybody that [the son of] a partner at Linklaters goes to a private school.

Partners at the London firm earn in the region of 1.45million a year.

Hypocrisy: The revelation comes just days after Labour vowed to oppose Theresa Mays plans to open more grammar schools

Baroness Chakrabarti, former director of human rights group Liberty, has not spoken out against selective schools. But two years ago she said she was very grateful for a wonderful state education.

She also appears to have her own ties with Dulwich College, having delivered a speech on rights and liberty in 2013 and attended other events to inspire pupils.

Last month Labour was accused of despicable hypocrisy for opposing selection, even though both leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell benefited from a grammar school education.

On Saturday, the party held a national day of action campaigning for inclusive education.

Baroness Chakrabarti, 47, attended Bentley Wood High School, a girls comprehensive in Harrow, north-west London, and then Harrow Weald college. Mr Hopper, 47, also went to a comprehensive, Westbourne High School in Ipswich, which is now an academy.

The couple married in 1995  with Baroness Chakrabarti describing him as not only a great cook but one of her heroes. They divorced 19 years later in 2014.

The Labour peer's 13-year-old son attends 18,000-a-year Dulwich College in south-east London, an academically selective boys school

It was claimed Mr Hopper, an Oxford-educated partner at law firm Linklaters, had chosen their sons school

Baroness Chakrabartis nomination to the peerage this August was controversial as she had recently written a report on anti-semitism in the Labour Party which was dismissed as a whitewash by Jewish groups.

Fees at Dulwich College start at more than 18,000 a year for day pupils and 37,000 for boarders. Boys hoping to attend the 1,500-pupil school have to sit a highly competitive entrance exam.

Last week Baroness Chakrabarti ducked questions over claims she had tried to send her son to Eton, telling a TV reporter: Youve been on the internet too much of late.

Last week Baroness Chakrabarti ducked questions over claims she had tried to send her son to Eton, telling a TV reporter

Diane Abbott, the shadow health secretary, sent her son to the private City of London School, while shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry sent two of her three children to a selective school.

But Mr Corbyn reportedly divorced his second wife in part over her decision to send their son to a grammar school.
The mother was too distraught to speak to police, according to authorities

Authorities are awaiting results of an autopsy due sometime this week

Her mother, a Long Beach police officer, and a male companion who is also a cop have been placed on leave pending an investigation

Chyenn Hyer, three, was pronounced dead by authorities on Friday after she was found in a parked car with the engine running

A three-year-old girl died on Friday after being left alone in a parked vehicle in the middle of a hot day in Mississippi, authorities said.

The girl, who has been identified as Chyenn Hyer, was pronounced dead at around 3.30pm on Friday afternoon after she was left by herself in a parked car in Long Beach, WLOX reported.

Authorities said that the girl was inside a car with the engine running when she was found on Friday afternoon.

Hancock Country Sheriff Ricky Adam confirmed that the girl is the daughter of a police officer.

The girl, who has been identified as Chyenn Hyer, was pronounced dead at around 3.30pm on Friday afternoon after she was left by herself in a parked car in Long Beach

She and another male officer who was with her and the child at the time have been placed on administrative leave pending autopsy results and further investigation.

The chief of Long Beach police, Wayne McDowell, said that he has spoken with the male officer but he has yet to speak with the mother because of her 'medical state'.

'As you could expect, she is very distraught,' McDowell said.

Police expect to have the results of the autopsy within the next few days.

Authorities have yet to confirm that the girl died from heat stroke caused by overheating in the vehicle's interior.

Nonetheless, temperatures in Mississipi were in the high 80s to low 90s range this past week.
Authorities in Germany have created the world's grimmest virtual reality programme - one designed to help prosecutre the last surviving Nazi war criminals employed in the Third Reich's death-camp gulag.

The 3D version of Auschwitz is stunningly realistic and meant to give the person who views it the feeling that they are actually in the complex in Nazi occupied Poland where at least 1.1 million people were murdered.

It was developed by technicians at the Bavarian State Criminal Office. No attention to detail is spared when it is viewed: the crematoria smoke, victims are herded into gas chambers and people are executed by firing squad and on the gallows.

Digital imaging expert Ralf Breker of the Bavarian criminal police wearing virtual reality glasses to view his 3D model of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz

'To my knowledge, there is no more exact model of Auschwitz,' Breker, 43, said

'It has often been the case that suspects say they worked at Auschwitz but didn' t really know what was going on,' said Jens Rommel, head of the federal office that investigates Nazi war criminals.

'Legally, the question is about intent: must a suspect have known that people were being taken to the gas chambers or shot? This model is a very good and very modern tool for the investigation because it can help answer that question.'

Digital imaging expert Ralf Breker, who works for the Bavarian crime authorities, designed the simulation which brings to life the worst place on earth.

'To my knowledge, there is no more exact model of Auschwitz,' Breker, 43, said.

'It is much, much more precise than Google Earth. We use the most modern VR goggles on the market. When I zoom in, I can see the smallest detail.'

Had he still been alive the programme would have first been used on Johann 'John' Breyer from Philadelphia whose extradition to Germany to answer charges of aiding in mass murder was granted by a judge in July 2014.

Breyer was accused of complicity in the killing of 216,000 Hungarian Jews at the camp. He - and judges, prosecutors and lawyers - would have worn the goggles taking them through the Auschwitz complex. But he died before he could answer for his alleged crimes.

Breker used a great amount of archival photos to create the programme, but also visited the Auschwitz memorial site

The entrance of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with the infamous sign Arbeit Macht Frei

'We have seen nothing, we could see nothing has been a stadard defence of many SS guards in previous klegal processes,' says Gerd Schafer, a leading prosecutor. 'This virtual reality tour takes them right back to the camp as it actually was.'

Even the trees stand where they once were to determine whether they could have blocked the view from a certain vantage point.

'The advantage the model offers is that I get a better overview of the camp and can recreate the perspective of a suspect, for example in a watchtower,' Breker said.

This year an upgraded model of the type that would have been used in the case of Breyer was roadtested at the trial of former SS guard Reinhold Hanning, who was convicted in June of complicity in 170,000 murders at Auschwitz and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

Rommel, 44, said his team is now investigating a few dozen suspects, of whom he estimates a 'double-digit number' are still alive and could potentially face trial.

Breker used a great amount of archival photos to create the programme, but also visited the Auschwitz memorial site.

'When I got back to the hotel room each night after being at Auschwitz, I was shattered. We spent each day with the head of the archive and he provided us with so many shocking details,' he said.

The killings in the summer of 1944, when nearly 440,000 Jews from Hungarian were gassed in a three month period, put such a strain on the crematoria that the chimmneys cracked and the bodies had to be burned on railway sleeper pyres outside.

'The SS men then actually built drains for the fat to collect from the bodies, which could be used to fuel the fire for the next round of corpses,' Breker said.
Scientists have discovered that Britain's last-known woolly mammoths (pictured) died after falling into a hole created by melting blocks of ice

Scientists have discovered that Britain's last-known woolly mammoths died after falling into a hole left by melting blocks of ice.

The fossils of five mammoth specimens were found in 1986 in a gravel pit in Condover, Shropshire.

The remains confounded scientists because there were so many in one location, suggesting something unusual killed them.

Research from the Natural History Museum in London found the creatures fell into a 'kettle hole' - lakes resulting from the melting of a mass of ice trapped in glacial deposits.

The mammoths are then believed to have drowned in the lakes, around 14,000 years ago.

'These kettle holes would have been honey-traps,' said Victoria Herridge, a scientist at the museum and presenter of Channel 4's Walking through Time, according to The Sunday Times.

She added: 'They would have been surrounded by rich vegetation that attracted mammoths, possibly herds of them... Inevitably a few fell in.'

The 1986 discovery was made by chance by Eve Roberts who noticed large bones sticking out of a pile of clay when out walking her dog in the gravel quarry at Condover.

Professor Adrian Lister worked on the discovery with Dr Herridge.

The mammoths are believed to have drowned in the 'kettle hole' lakes, around 14,000 years ago. Pictured, an artist's impression of a woolly mammoth (File photo)

In a journal report he said: 'The Condover mammoths, discovered by chance in 1986, are a remarkably well-preserved assemblage of partial skeletons unique in western and central Europe.

'The skeletons were preserved in a kettle-hole infill and recovered ex situ, requiring careful anatomical reconstruction.

'This revealed the skeleton of a 28-year-old adult male woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), largely complete except for the cranium, the partial skeletons of four or five juveniles in the age range 36 years, plus sparse remains of a subadult individual.'

The fossils of five mammoth specimens were found in 1986 in a gravel pit in Condover, Shropshire

The Condover mammoths are so important because the adult mammoth is by far the best-preserved woolly mammoth skeleton found in Britain and the specimens are the only Late-glacial skeletons in western Europe.

Earlier this year MailOnline reported how a team of scientists at the University of Exeter and the University of Cambridge have used statistical analysis to point towards humans being the cause of the mammoth's extinction.

They found that whenever prehistoric humans spread to continents and islands, the megafauna quickly died out.

This, they say, is the 'nail in the coffin' that puts humans firmly in the frame for the genocide of millions of some of the largest land mammals to have walked the Earth.
A passenger plane travelling from Portugal to Angola was forced to divert after a ground worker loading cargo onto the aircraft was discovered missing.

The flight, operated by TAAG Angola Airlines, was scheduled to travel from Porto to Luanda on Saturday.

It was already en-route when the crew were informed of the possibility that the member of staff was trapped in the cargo hold and was forced to make a 'rapid descent' into Lisbon.

A passenger plane travelling from Portugal to Angola was forced to divert after a ground worker loading cargo onto the aircraft was discovered missing (file photo)

Flight tracking on Flightradar24 showed the aircraft flying in a south-easterly direction from Porto before turning back to land in Lisbon

Flight DT-655, which left Porto at 10.14am local time, was approximately 60 nautical miles (69 miles) south east of Lisbon when crew were informed about the missing ground worker.

The unidentified member of staff was reportedly last seen handling cargo on the aircraft and was presumed to be trapped in the cargo hold according to the Aviation Herald.

TAAG pilots decided to divert the flight to Lisbon where, after a rapid descent, the aircraft landed 18 minutes later.

Flight tracking on Flightradar24 showed the aircraft flying in a south-easterly direction from Porto before turning back to land in Lisbon.

The ground worker was reportedly found in the cargo hold and suffering from hypothermia.

He was taken to hospital and said to be recovering from the incident.

According to the Aviation Herald report, the ground handling agency said the worker was loading a passenger's pets when he fell and became unconscious.

He was discovered to be missing 40 minutes later according to the report, at which point the aircraft had already taken off with him locked inside.

An investigation has been launched into the incident according to the report.

MailOnline Travel has contacted TAAG Angola Airlines and Porto Airport for comment.
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These hilarious photographs capture the exact moment visitors to a horror theme park came face-to-face with terror inside the attraction.

The images were captured as groups of people made their way through Nightmares Fear Factory in Ontario, Canada - a popular tourist attraction that claims to be the 'scariest haunted house' in the region.

And even after decades in business, the attraction still draws countless thrill-seekers each year.

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These hilarious photographs capture the exact moment visitors to a horror theme park came face-to-face with terror inside the attraction

The images were captured as groups of people made their way through Nightmares Fear Factory in Ontario, Canada

The popular tourist attraction claims to be the 'scariest haunted house' in the region and it comes with a spooky history

Nightmares Fear Factory, located near Niagara Falls, is housed in a building that used to be a coffin factory.

Owner of the coffin factory, Abraham Mortimer, died in a tragic accident at the site.

According to legends, Mortimer's body disappeared from his coffin after burial.

Today, the notorious attraction is a popular tourist spot thanks to the viral images of its petrified patrons.

While Nightmares Fear Factory has mostly kept what terrifies its visitors a secret, it has been posting photographs of their moment of terror online since 2010.

In a testimonial on their website, one visitor confessed: 'I pretty much s**t my pants.'

Nightmares Fear Factory , located near Niagara Falls, is housed in a building that used to be a coffin factory

Owner of the coffin factory, Abraham Mortimer, died in a tragic accident at the site. According to legends, Mortimer's body disappeared from his coffin after burial

Today, the notorious attraction is a popular tourist spot thanks to the viral images of its petrified patrons. Above, two of the visitors to the haunted house

While Nightmares Fear Factory has mostly kept what terrifies its visitors a secret, it has been posting photographs of their moment of terror online since 2010

General Manager of Nightmares Fear Factory Mark Ritchie said: 'It's a good day when someone cries. Yes they are scared, but that's the thrill and why people come here.'

But not all are exactly thrilled by the experience.

Customers who scream 'nightmares' at any point during the 15-minute experience will be escorted out of the maze and added to the establishment's infamous 'Chicken List,' which includes over 140,000 'scaredy-cats'.

Visitors are only allowed to enter with their own friends and family to avoid strangers latching onto each other.

The brave souls who manage to make it out alive get to take home a hilarious photo souvenir - usually one with bulged eyes, death grips, and gaped mouths.

Mark said: 'Our photos sum up the experience people get at Nightmares Fear Factory.

'Everyone wants to know how we do it. Keep guessing.'

The expressions captures are as varied as the visitors. In this photo for example, one visitor looks absolutely terrified while another looks amused

General Manager of Nightmares Fear Factory Mark Ritchie said: 'It's a good day when someone cries. Yes they are scared, but that's the thrill and why people come here'

Visitors are only allowed to enter with their own friends and family to avoid strangers latching onto each other

Customers who scream 'nightmares' at any point during the 15-minute experience will be escorted out of the maze
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These candid images reveal a side of Cuba that few get to see - the daily lives of Cubans.

They were captured by photographer Gina Nero, who spent a month on the Caribbean island, exploring the colourful country before it changes for good.

Her striking images feature many of the locals that she befriended on her trip as well as its rainbow-coloured streets.

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These images were captured by photographer Gina Nero, who spent a month on Cuba, exploring the colourful country before it changes for good

Her striking photographs feature many of the locals that she befriended on her trip as well as its rainbow-coloured streets

Nero, who's originally from Australia, says she doesn't plan what she's going to photograph and her best work are as a result of spontaneity

Nero, who's originally from Australia and studied photography at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, is based in New York and Los Angeles.

The 26-year-old photographer travelled to Cuba in 2015 and has only recently released the result of her stay there.

They are part of an ongoing project entitled 'Radio Bemba', which means gossiper in Spanish

Nero said: 'I spent just under a month wandering around by myself, finessing my domino skills, forming friendships, exploring towns, riding horses through sugar cane fields with Cuban men.

The 26-year-old photographer travelled to Cuba in 2015 and has only recently released the result of her stay there

These photographs are part of an ongoing project entitled 'Radio Bemba', which means gossiper in Spanish

These candid images reveal a side of Cuba that few get to see - the daily lives of Cubans. Above, a mechanic fixing a car

'The countryside was a fantasy come to life but I felt the deepest connection with the pace and energy of Centro Habana.

'I made a handful of friends who took me under their wing to show me the reality of Cuban lifestyle away from rum, cigars and the overcrowded tourist hubs.

'They showed me the heart and soul of a country so technologically isolated.

She added: 'I never plan what I am going to photograph. I feel like I should always have a plan, but it never works out that way.

'Spontaneity is how my best images are created, such as taking a wrong turn after walking for hours or accepting invites into strangers' houses.'

Nero hopes to complete her project by the end of the year.

By befriending the locals, Nero says she got an insight into a Cuba that's different from the rum and cigar lifestyle found at tourist hubs

She said the people she met in Cuba 'showed me the heart and soul of a country so technologically isolated'

Nero said: 'I spent just under a month wandering around by myself, finessing my domino skills, forming friendships, exploring towns, riding horses through sugar cane fields with Cuban men

She said: 'I am not trying to tell the story of the embargo.

'I am not attempting to document the changes taking place in this country.

'It has been happening for a long time now, and will continue to take a long time before this country transcends into full blown westernised culture.

'I am merely documenting a country rich in culture and wonderful people, and trying to do so in a way that has not been done before.

'I want to highlight the wonderful personalities and place my subjects in a position of power.

'I do not want to emphasise the hardships or look down on anyone. This is the challenge I give myself with every new place I travel to.'

Nero, who studied photography at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, says she is just trying to document the culture of the country

The 26-year-old, who is based in New York and Los Angeles, said she is 'not trying to tell the story of the embargo'

The photographer added: 'I want to highlight the wonderful personalities and place my subjects in a position of power'
Delightfully dishevelled Goldie Hawn looked as if she'd been enjoying the free bubbly as she stepped gingerly from the Mayfair nightspot Annabel's after a night of celebrations on Friday.

The Hollywood legend, 70, seemed grateful of a helping hand from her host, newly-single entrepreneur Richard Caring, 64, as she negotiated the precarious steps, below.

The pair, along with assorted glitterati, were celebrating the 'hard-hat opening' of Caring's new and improved nightclub, which will soon officially open its doors not far from the club's original venue in Berkley Square.

The Hollywood legend, 70, seemed grateful of a helping hand from her host, newly-single entrepreneur Richard Caring, 64

After famously falling down a lift shaft during a concert in 2010, Leona Lewis is anxious about trapdoors. So much so, she recently pulled out of four performances of her Broadway show Cats, worried the stage lift was 'unstable'. But Leona, 31, was happy for her understudy to take her place as Grizabella and brave the contraption, used in the show's final scenes. Happily, Leona's fears proved unfounded, the understudy survived unscathed and the star later returned to her role.
She swapped the runway for a trip to the tattoo parlour earlier this week, where she had the word 'meow' tattooed inside her lip.

And Kendall Jenner made yet another fashion statement as she flashed her sensational abs while heading out to dinner in Paris with her famous clan on Saturday.

The 20-year-old model showcased a slither of her enviable figure in a black bandeau top and slouchy white trousers.

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Abs-tastic! Kendall Jenner, 20, made yet another fashion statement as she flashed her sensational abs while heading out to dinner with her famous clan on Saturday

The black top hugged on to her perky cleavage, while the trousers skimmed her statuesque frame, which was accentuated by a pair of white heels.

Ensuring that she didn't surrender to the night-time chill, the Estee Lauder model donned a long matching white jacket which added to the chic look

Her luscious brunette tresses were tied up in to a high ponytail, allowing plenty of room to show off her thick lace choker and dainty gold necklace.

Fashionista: The model showcased a slither of her enviable figure in a black bandeau top and slouchy white trousers

Stylish: The black top hugged on to her perky cleavage, while the trousers skimmed her statuesque frame

She opted for frosty pink lips and kept her eye look flirty and fluttery as she enjoyed the culinary event.

On Thursday, Kendall debuted her new tattoo - the word 'meow' - on the inside of her bottom lip.

JonBoy, the tattoo artist who inked the starlet, shared a picture of his work on Instagram.

The beauty posed for the pic while holding her lip down to show off the tattoo; she sported loose tresses while rocking a black choker with a matching fitted top.

Wrapping up: Ensuring that she didn't surrender to the night-time chill, the Estee Lauder model donned a long matching white jacket which added to the chic look

Beauty: Her luscious brunette tresses were tied up in to a high ponytail, allowing plenty of room to show off her thick lace choker and dainty gold necklace

Documentation: She shared many Snapchat stories from the culinary night out

Ouch! On Thursday, Kendall debuted her new tattoo - the word 'meow' - on the inside of her bottom lip

The daughter of Kris and Caitlyn Jenner also spoke recently to Garage magazine about how she deals with cyber bullies.

'Let's face it  everyone is going to have an opinion,' she said in an interview for their October issue.

'Best advice I have is to just realize that, everyone's always going to be saying something and if you concern yourself with that, you're in for a giant headache. What matters is how you feel.'

Earlier in the week Kendall participated in MTV's Total Registration Live event in Times Square encouraging young people to vote in the upcoming election.

Dressed to impress: Kim Kardashian stepped out in a striking bustier teamed with lacy tights and boots for the family outing

Wrapped up: Kim wore a long trench coat but it did little to protect her modesty

Meanwhile, Kendall's step-sister Kim put on quite the racy display for the family day out.

The star went without underwear in a very plunging black bustier complete with sheer black sleeves and neckline and teamed with racy lace tights.

Black boots added to the racy look, while Kim protected her modesty with a long green trench coat.

Kim and Kendall were joined by their eldest sister Kourtney and mother Kris Jenner who brought along her boyfriend Corey Gamble for the meal.
When Amber Rose threw her second annual SlutWalk in Los Angeles on Saturday, her friend Blac Chyna braved the heatwave to support her.

The 28-year-old seemed immune to the temperature, wearing an layered outfit that emphasised her bulging baby bump - and was eerily reminiscent of one Kim Kardashian wore during her most recent pregnancy.

There was some hubbub last year when Rob Kardashian's fiancee failed to turn up to SlutWalk after seeming to promote the anti-slut-shaming event with Rose.

Bosom buddies: On Saturday, Blac Chyna joined her friend Amber Rose onstage at the latter's SlutWalk event

Busted!: Her outfit was strikingly reminiscent of one Kim Kardashian wore last October during her pregnancy with her son Saint

Location, location, location: The march was held at Pershing Square in Los Angeles

At this year's event, Chyna wore a taupe dress that fell to the knee and complemented a pair of open-toed off-white boots that stretched past her hem.

Her platinum blonde hair in a neat voluminous bob, she strolled through Pershing Square in a long pale pink overcoat that matched her lipstick and eye makeup. The Washington, DC native's long nails were painted hot pink to complete the aesthetic.

She appeared to have borrowed a bit of maternity style from her future sister-in-law, who was spotted wearing a strikingly similar outfit in Los Angeles last October during her pregnancy with her son Saint.

When she joined Rose onstage, her outfit clashed with her friend's all-black ensemble.

Defying the heatwave: The 28-year-old wore a layered outfit that emphasised her bulging baby bump

Ventilation: She complemented her taupe dress with off-white open-toed boots

The Streisand look: Her blonde hair had been arranged into a neat voluminous bob

Colour-coordination: Her pink coat roughly matched her nails and lipstick

Elaborate corsetry bared the former exotic dancer's prodigious cleavage, and she showcased her curves with a pair of black fishnet stockings.

Black knee-high boots framed the legs she's been toning as a contestant on the current 23rd series of Dancing With The Stars.

Last August, the two women appeared to be advertising SlutWalk together when they attended the MTV Video Music Awards as a duo, their outfits emblazoned with such epithets as 'WHORE," 'B****,' 'SLUT' and 'GOLD DIGGER.'

Yet two months later, when the 30-year-old's first SlutWalk rolled around, Chyna was noticeably absent, posting an Instagram photo of herself that day with 'my bestie' Treasure.

Warmth: Rob Kardashian's fiancee and the former Mrs Wiz Khalifa have been close friends for some time

No sign of a rift: Last year, when the 28-year-old failed to turn up to her friend's first SlutWalk, TMZ reported the former exotic dancer was livid

Though TMZ reported 'Amber was hot as fish grease' over her friend's failure to appear, Rose denied as much on Twitter, writing that '@BLACCHYNA is my sis for life. She wasn't at my Slutwalk cuz... It's none of ur f***ing business why'.

Whilst plugging this year's SlutWalk to BuzzFeed, the ex-girlfriend of Kanye West continued to have only pleasant words for Chyna.

Describing her own current state of mind as 'a level of just owning all the negativity, and just letting it come in and go right back out,' she said: ' My dear friend Blac Chyna has got to that level.'

She characterised her feelings: 'You just get to a point where youre like, man. You can say who you are until youre blue in the face and people still wont believe you. You just have to prove them wrong and just be great in your own life.'

Dispelling the rumours: Yet Rose insisted on Twitter two days after the TMZ report that Chyna was 'my sis for life' and 'It's none of ur f***ing business why' she'd failed to appear

Though Rose only began staging SlutWalks last year, the brand itself originated in Toronto in 2011, ignited by a policeman's remark.

Speaking at York University, Constable Michael Sanguinetti said: 'Ive been told Im not supposed to say this. However, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised,' a statement for which he later apologised.

On Friday, the day before her own second SlutWalk, Rose explained her stance at a press conference filmed by Hollywood Life, claiming: 'I was called a slut when I was still a virgin, right?'

She continued that 'when you say, like, the "definition of a slut" is a woman that sleeps with a lot of people and she's very promiscuous, well, that's not true. Because if I was called a slut when I was a virgin, how am I - that was like - I was "the school slut," right?

Friends, sisters and pals: The affection was palpable between the pair when they shared the stage Saturday

Meant for the stage: The Rob & Chyna star seemed to be enjoying herself as she addressed the crowd

An international movement: Though Rose only began holding SlutWalks in 2015, the brand originated in 2011 in Toronto

'So, for me, I can say it - and like I said earlier - I can say it until I'm blue in the face. "Hey, I never did that. You don't understand. I'm not a gold-digger. I'm capable of love. Like, this is really me." It doesn't matter. People are gonna have their own opinions about you.

'So, for me, what takes the pain away, and the extreme bullying that I've dealt with, is to just say: "I'm a slut! It's okay. I'll embrace it, and I won't let you hurt me anymore."'

Saturday's onstage lineup also featured such names as Kendra Wilkinson, who rose to fame as one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on The Girls Next Door, and internet personality Joanne The Scammer.

In addition to the celebrants, SlutWalk drew a number of counter-protesters, a video of whom was tweeted by Frank Elaridi of ABC News. An Instagram user uploaded a picture of one of them wearing a T-shirt that read: 'God hates u just the way u are' and holding a sign that blared: 'Repent or perish.'

Also featured: Kendra Wilkinson was another member of the onstage lineup at Saturday's event
Meg Ryan spoke at the Liberty Theater as part of Advertising Week in New York City on Tuesday, where her line-free face also caused a stir.

But on Saturday the When Harry Met Sally star went for a more low-key look as she hit the Soho section of the city for a shopping trip with a friend.

The 54-year-old actress kept comfortable in a big, navy blue windbreaker as she chatted while browsing the shops.

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Laid-back: Meg Ryan went for a low-key look as she hit Ney York's Soho for a shopping trip with a friend on Saturday

Meg wore the long jacket, which hit at her mid-thigh, with a pair of loose-fitting, flared dark wash jeans.

The You've Got Mail star finished off her look with a pair of black boots, and carried a cross body purse.

The mother-of-two shielded her eyes with a small pair of sunglasses, and her windswept, blonde tresses were styled in soft waves.

And in-keeping with the relaxed theme of her ensemble the actress decided to go make-up free for the outing.

Plump and line-free: Earlier in the week the When Harry Met Sally star spoke at the Liberty Theater as part of Advertising Week, where her line-free face also caused a stir

Bundled up: The Sleepless in Seattle star took on the blustery day in a long, navy blue windbreaker and loose-fitting, flared jeans

Her friend matched her laid-back style, sporting a baggy, olive green jacket with a pair of black leggings, and black leather boots.

She wore her hair pulled back into a ponytail, and sported a small pair of glasses clipped to her jacket.

The laid-back outing came after Meg had spoken during Advertising Week as part of the panel 'How are Brands Engaging the Real Transformers?'

In good company: Meg looked to be in good spirits as she set out for a bit of shopping with a friend, who matched her casual style

Browsing: The pair were spotted perusing some linens on display as they shopped in Soho on Saturday

Meg's complexion appeared virtually line-free with plumped cheeks and plumper lips.

The Golden Globe nominee spoke alongside Marcus Peterzell and Robert Gordon at the Liberty Theater on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Meg recently made her directorial debut with drama Ithaca, written by Erik Jendersen and based on the novel by William Saroyan.

Ithaca, which saw Meg briefly reunited with Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail co-star Tom Hanks, hit theaters in September.
Following her breakup with long time partner Liev Schreiber, it's no doubt been a tough week for Naomi Watts.

But the 48-year-old actually seemed quite content on Saturday, when she ventured out in New York with her two boys.

The King Kong actress even managed a quick smile as she appeared to check something on her cellphone.

Looking forward? Naomi Watts actually seemed quite content on Saturday, when she ventured out in New York with her two boys

Both boys were dressed for the somewhat chilly fall weather in puffy coats and long trousers.

Samuel Kai, age seven, may have been a bit hot however, as he held his blue outwear in his hand.

Alexander (whose parents call him Sasha), aged nine, opted to keep his on.

At one point Naomi almost seemed excited by what she saw on screen, as she turned to show her children the device.

Prepared: Both boys were dressed for the somewhat chilly fall weather in puffy coats and long trousers

Though she just split from partner of eleven years Liev Schreiber, 48, the Mulholland Drive star has seemingly been able to stay positive.

She wasn't letting the split or anything else get in the way of fun as she celebrated her 48th birthday on Wednesday.

The actress - who has been filming her new Netflix series Gypsy - took a moment to savour some cake pops to celebrate, and quite a few of them judging by her latest Instagram share.

Perhaps a cat video? The 48-year-old King Kong actress even managed a quick smile as she appeared to check something on her cellphone

Asking for input? At one point Naomi almost seemed excited by what she saw on screen, as she turned to show her children the device

Naomi was pictured 'gorging' on one of the frosted treats with a bounty of others just waiting to be consumed.

She had just been gifted with a gorgeous bouquet of the petite treats that had been dipped in dark and white chocolate with sprinkles.

'Why eat one, when you can have them all?' the actress mused in the photo's caption, adding: '#cantstopme #mybirthday #cakepops #strangeinvention #sorrynotsorry ?????? ??@samtaylorjohnson #gypsy #bts'

Not going hungry: The actress - who has been filming her new Netflix series Gypsy - took a moment to savour some cake pops to celebrate, and quite a few of them judging by her latest Instagram share

She also shared a sweet black and white photo of her younger self in an old-fashioned carriage.

'Another birthday!! #eek But I think I'm younger than this #vintage stroller?? Not quite sure what's happening here... #eek #70's #photoop #oldschool #raisedbyartists,' the actress wrote in the caption.

And the father of her two children promptly left a comment for her, writing: 'Happy Birthday Sweetheart.'

Throwback: She also shared a sweet black and white photo of her younger self in an old-fashioned carriage

Of course fans went into a frenzy over the note, with one admirer writing: 'I hope they get back together.'

On Tuesday E! News shed some light on what happened to the celebrity couple, who never married.

'It was a long time coming,' said a source who noted living on separate coasts took its toll.
Sonia Kruger was announced as a nominee for the Cosmopolitan Women of the Year Awards in July.

Around the time, the 51-year-old made controversial comments on the Today Show about curbing Muslim immigration in Australia, leading to a fierce backlash.

But organisers of the annual Cosmopolitan honour have defended their decision not to pull the TV personality's nomination in light of her views, telling The Sun Herald, the final choice of who wins is 'up to the readers'.

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Controversial: Editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, Claire Askew, has defended their decision to keep Sonia Kruger (pictured) in the running for their annual Women of the Year Awards after her controversial comments about Muslim immigration in Australia

Kruger set off a media fire-storm across Australia when she argued that there is a correlation between the number of Muslims in a country and the number of terrorist attacks.

Cosmopolitan editor Claire Askew confirmed that the controversial comments came after Kruger was selected as a nominee.

However, she also admits it did lead to a 'big debate' in the office over whether to keep her in the running or not.

'We went to press before she made those comments. She, 100 per cent, does not reflect the opinions of us or our readers but the comments were made afterwards'.

Explaining their final decision, Askew told the newspaper: 'We didn't take her out because we thought, she's one of the big TV presenters and now it's up to the readers to vote and [decide] whether she should be the winner'.

The Today Extra co-host made controversial comments about closing Australia's borders during a discussion about an article written by conservative columnist Andrew Bolt.

'Yes, yes I would': When host Lisa Wilkinson (L) asked Kruger (R) directly whether she wanted the borders totally closed to Muslim migrants, the blonde presenter admitted without hesitation that she would like that

The article discussed Muslim immigration to France after a spate of terrorist attacks in the country.

Specifically, the column came after the Bastille Day terror attack in Nice, when a 19 tonne truck deliberately drove into crowds and opened fire as people celebrated near the esplanade, where there was a fireworks display taking place.

The attack resulted in the death of 86 people and injured 434.

Kruger's co-star David Campbell, who was also part of the panel, quickly interrupted Kruger when she began to talk about feeling 'threatened' and her right to a freedom of speech.

Sympathetic: The Today Extra star made controversial comments about closing Australia's borders during a discussion about an article written by conservative columnist Andrew Bolt (pictured)

'I'd like to see freedom of religion as well!': Kruger's (L) co-star David Campbell (R) interrupted Kruger when she began to talk about feeling 'threatened' and her right to a freedom of speech

'I'd like to see freedom of religion as well! As well as freedom speech! They both go hand-in-hand,' he replied with vigour.

'We're talking about immigration, David,' replied Kruger. She then asked if people were allowed to talk about the issue.

Campbell said that Bolt's article 'breeds hate' in society to which Kruger replied: 'So you're not allowed to talk about it? You're not allowed to discuss it?'

During the heated segment Kruger argued 'good Muslim people' were dying as a result of terrorist acts as well.

'I saw the image of a baby covered in a plastic sheet': The next day Kruger explained what led her to call for a ban on Muslim immigration explaining that she was 'rocked to the core' after seeing a photograph of dead baby

'I believe it's vital in a democratic society to be able to discuss these issue': Kruger took to Twitter to explain her comments on the heated Today show segment

She added that she had 'a lot of very good friends' who are Muslims and peace-loving, beautiful people, 'But there are fanatics'.

When host Lisa Wilkinson asked her directly whether she wanted the borders totally closed to Muslim migrants, Kruger said: 'Yes, yes I would'.

The next day Kruger explained what led her to call for a ban on Muslim immigration explaining that she was 'rocked to the core' after seeing a photograph of a child's dead body in Nice the previous week.

The Nine Network host's voice trembled as she stared down the barrel of the camera and delivered a live statement at the beginning of her Today Extra program.

'As a mother': Kruger referenced her one-year-old daughter Maggie (pictured) in her defiant statement about the freedom to speak out about such issues

'I saw the image of a baby covered in a plastic sheet with a doll lying beside her and it rocked me to the very core.

'I imagined what that must have been like for the people of Nice, for the friends and families of the lost and the thought that it could happen here terrifies me.'

Kruger admitted her views - calling for the country to close its borders to Muslims - 'may have been extreme'.

But she struck a defiant note saying people should be able to discuss the 'hugely complex' issue.
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Australian actress and Rogue Traders star Natalie Bassingthwaighte is set to appear in the Brock telemovie playing Peter Brock's mistress of 15 years, Julie Bamford.

And as the premiere approaches, the mother-of-two has admitted she's anxious for her husband, Cameron McGlinchey, to see her raunchy sex scenes in the show.

The 41-year-old told Stellar Magazine: 'I'm nervous to show my husband the love scene.'

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Tricky business: Natalie Bassingthwaighte has admitted she's anxious for her husband Cameron McGlinchey to see her raunchy sex scenes in the upcoming Brock telemovie

The blonde beauty plays the partner and former mistress of late Australian motor racing ace Peter Brock, who is played by Matt Le Nevez.

The star said she got along well with the real life Julie when they first met and wanted to portray her and Brock's story accurately on-screen.

'It was important to get to the essence of who she is and what their relationship was about,' Natalie said.

'I'm nervous': Natalie is set to appear in the Brock telemovie, playing the woman Peter Brock had an affair with for 15 years, Julie Bamford

Sexy lady! Known as a sexy siren both on-stage and whilst on Neighbours, the telemovie will mark a new role for her

She said she thought Julie 'copped a lot of the flak' but hopes the public will see another side of her and who she is.

Julie and Peter had an affair for 15 years, conducting their relationship behind the back of Julie's best friend, Peter's wife Bev.

The women became embroiled in a bitter fight over his estate following his sudden death in a car rally in 2006.

Peter and Bev had been together for 28 years when he left her in 2005 to move in with Julie.

Character inspiration: Natalie plays Julie Bamford, (pictured) the partner and former mistress of late Australian motor racing ace Peter Brock (pictured) who is played by Matt Le Nevez

Controversial: Julie and Peter had an affair for 15 years, conducting their relationship behind the back of Julie's best friend, Peter's wife Bev (pictured in 2004)

In character: Natalie stars in the show alongside Matt Le Nevez

Earlier this year, Natalie told AAP about getting back into acting, after having appeared as a judge and mentor on The X Factor Australia.

'I filmed Brock last year and so that was exciting for me to get back into the acting world because that's where my heart is at the moment,' The former Neighbours actor said.

Natalie is known for hits with Rogue Traders including Voodoo Child and now has her own children's fashion line.
She's known for her endless sartorial displays.

And model Toni Garrn once again flexed her fashion muscle as she sizzled in a plunging chic white ensemble that helped parade her toned pins as she attended the Kaviar Gauche SS17 show at Paris Fashion Week.

The 24-year-old beauty wowed in the thigh-skimming blazer inspired mini-dress as she soaked up the fashion on Saturday.

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Chic: Toni Garrn sizzled in a plunging chic white ensemble that helped parade her toned pins as she attended the Kaviar Gauche SS17 show at Paris Fashion Week

German beauty Toni made sure to turn heads in the stylish streamline number that flaunted her never-ending lithe limbs.

Aside from highlighting her tiny waist, the stunner's demure number teased at her cleavage as the neckline plunged into a deep v.

Keeping to her minimal look, Toni wrapped a delicate diamond choker around her slender neck as held onto her off-white handbag with silver chain detail.

Adding to her already statuesque height, the catwalk star slipped on a pair of white pointed sandals.

Striking: The 24-year-old beauty wowed in the thigh-skimming blazer inspired mini-dress as she soaked up the fashion on Saturday

Parting her dirty blonde locks into a centre split, Toni swept her tresses into an unkempt ponytail.

The style star added a much needed pop of colour to her look with a burgundy red lipstick to plump her pout.

Letting her make-up do the talking, Toni beamed as she watched the bridal designer deliver his Spring Summer 17 collection in the French capital.

Work it! Keeping to her minimal look, Toni wrapped a delicate diamond choker around her slender neck as held onto her off-white handbag with silver chain detail

Model behaviour: Models are pictured after the show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017

Toni's latest fashion forward appearance comes as she attended the Buro 24/7 Fashion Forward Initiative.

The fashion darling looked gorgeous in a form-fitting, navy blue dress with cut-outs as she was spotted with film producer friend Mohammed Al Turki.

Toni wore a long-sleeved, high-collared dress which hugged her curves and fell to just above the model's knees.

The flattering dress featured cut-outs at the shoulders, and Toni teamed it with a pair of strappy, shimmery heels.

Putting her best foot forward: Toni looked stunning in a form-fitting, long-sleeved dress with shoulder cut-outs as she arrived at the Buro 24/7 Fashion Forward Initiative on Friday

In good company: The German beauty looked to be in good spirits as she showed off a smile while arriving at the Paris Fashion Week event with friend Mohammed Al Turki

Star-studded: Toni was also joined by fellow model Jon Kortajarena

She carried a small, silver clutch, and kept her make-up natural for the Paris Fashion Week outing.

Toni wore her long, blonde tresses pulled back into an updo, with wisps of hair left down to frame her face.

She seemed to be in good spirits for the fashion forward event, showing off a smile as she mingled with fellow models and industry names.

The Buro 24/7 event was a cocktail party held in honor of designer Natalia Alaverdyan, and hosted by founder Miroslava Duma, Caroline de Maigret, Melvin Chua, and Kim Kardashian.

Supportive: The PFW event was to launch an initiative by Buro 24/7 that would introduce new, young talent during fashion weeks

Leading lady: Toni showed off a smile as she posed beside Miroslava Duma (center), the founder of Buro 24/7

It was also held to introduce a new project, the Fashion Forward Initiative, which will choose one young talent, selected by an international team, to be presented during fashion weeks.

Toni was spotted arriving at the event with film producer friend Mohammed, who dressed in all black for the occasion.

The German beauty was also seen being accompanied by model Jon Kortajarena, who went for a more casual look in a loose-fitting, grey T-shirt, black trousers, and a coordinating jacket.
Giving birth to twin boys just days ago hasn't stopped Rebecca Judd from sharing insights into her life on social media.

The proud new mum has been keeping fans across the goings on while in hospital, sharing a sweet snap on Sunday as her two-year-old daughter Billie looked in on Darcy's crib.

Simply captioning the image with the hash-tag 'baby spam', the mother seems to be enjoying the growing brood getting to know each other.

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'Baby spam': Proud new mum Rebecca Judd shared a sweet snap to Instagram on Sunday as her two-year-old daughter Billie looked in on Darcy's crib

In the photo, Billie is seen sweetly looking up at the camera dressed in a navy long-sleeve top with a red ribbon around her neck.

Holding a water bottle in one hand, the other is placed on the crib, no doubt already a protective older sister.

The cutie has her hair pulled back off her face, as she stopped by to visit her four-day old baby brothers.

While Darcy appears contently wrapped in his multicoloured hospital blanket and asleep, although facing towards Billie.

No longer the baby of the family: Prior to the twins arrival Billie was the baby of the family, with older brother Oscar, four

'What's his name on my shoulder and what's his name in my arms': Minutes later, Bec posted another image, this time of herself cuddling the boys

Just minutes later, she posted another image, this time of herself cuddling the boys.

Jokingly, the 33-year-old captioned the shot: 'What's his name on my shoulder and what's his name in my arms'.

'Just kidding - I know who they are,' she added.

It comes after t he Channel Nine personality mentioned in a Snapchat on Saturday she was struggling to tell the newborns apart.

'Can't remember who I'm cuddling in this pic': Using a butterfly filter over her face in a Snapchat on Saturday, the 33-year-old admitted she couldn't remember which of the boys she was holding

Using a butterfly filter over her face, the 33-year-old joked 'I woke up like this' in her caption, before admitting: 'Can't remember who I'm cuddling in this pic.'

During her pregnancy, the fashionista joked she would need 'nail polish' to tell her twins apart.

Bec gave birth to the twin boys, Tom and Darcy, on Thursday via caesarian.

They're here! Rebecca and Chris announced the arrival of their twin boys Tom and Darcy in Melbourne on Thursday with a sweet hospital selfie

Rebecca and her husband, Chris Judd, announced the boys arrival at 34 weeks in a sweet hospital selfie.

The pair described themselves as 'the luckiest parents in the world' and revealed the names for their newborns.

'Tom and Darcy Judd are here! Born at lunch time today, perfectly healthy,' Rebecca wrote on Instagram.

'We are the luckiest parents in the world,' she added.

'They're definitely boys!' The mother-of-four also shared another snap of the twins, showing them sleeping soundly on her chest

Later that day, the mother-of-four also shared another snap of the twins, showing them sleeping soundly on her chest.

The model, designer and blogger told fans on Friday the babies were born just one minute apart 'and came out perfectly healthy'.

Rebecca confirmed the boys' full names as Tom Andrew Judd and Darcy Hugh Judd.
Jessica Alba has certainly made a splash since arriving in Paris for the city's Fashion Week.

The actress and businesswoman, 35, went for an evening stroll on Saturday wearing a silver shimmery Vintage Chanel coat from What Goes Around Comes Around with a fringed hem.

Underneath, she had on a flowing maxi dress and she paired the outfit with some very tall black platform shoes.

Making a splash: Jessica Alba enjoyed an evening stroll in Paris on Saturday, stepping out in a shimmery Chanel metallic coat from What Goes Around Comes Around which will open its first location in Beverly Hills

The former Dark Angel star was in the City Of Light with a female pal.

The mother of two hit the pavement toting a mini quilted purse by Valentino.

Jessica finished off her chic French look with gold hoop earrings and her diamond wedding ring.

Breathtaking: The 35-year-old actress and businesswoman wore the coat over a flowing maxi dress that reached to her ankles

Stacked: She added black platform shoes to compliment the Chanel coat - which is from What Goes Around Comes Around - who recently opened their Beverly Hills flagship

The screen siren wore her caramel highlighted tresses loose and center parted.

Jessica highlighted her natural beauty with a touch of bronze eye shadow on her lids with pink gloss on her full lips.

The stunner was seen out with her close friend, Kelly, who looked lovely in a black turtleneck and shimmery skirt.

Wow factor: Jessica's silky cream frock had a v-neckline that revealed a hint of cleavage

Beautiful inside and out: The mother of two hit the pavement toting a mini quilted purse by Valentino

Putting her best foot forward: The screen siren wore her caramel highlighted tresses loose and center parted

Stunner: Jessica finished off her chic French look with gold hoop earrings and her diamond wedding ring

The Sin City actress shared a series of Snapchat videos after arriving to Paris, including one of her luxurious Valentino purse.

Jessica chronicled her day out with Kelly; the best friends enjoyed a cab ride together as well as shopping.

The starlet also posted a video with her pal while using the deer filter on Snapchat, which digitally adds ears and a nose.

Perfect accessory: The Sin City actress shared a series of Snapchat videos after arriving in Paris, including one of her luxurious Valentino purse

Beaming: Jessica chronicled her day out with Kelly; the best friends enjoyed a cab ride together as well as shopping

Having a blast: The starlet also posted a video with her pal while using the deer filter on Snapchat, which digitally adds ears and a nose

She also recorded Kelly sporting a unique heart shaped red coat, which she captioned: 'Off with their head.'

Jessica showed her Snapchat followers a peek at her mid-day meal at L'Avenue restaurant.

The brunette beauty used the gold wreath filter before heading to bed; she wrote: 'Going to sleep now-really jet lagged #pfw.'

Good times: The twosome share a laugh over drinks together

Having a laugh: She also recorded Kelly sporting a unique heart shaped red coat, which she captioned: 'Off with their head'

Golden: The brunette beauty used the gold wreath filter before heading to bed; she wrote: 'Going to sleep now-really jet lagged #pfw'

The Honest Company co-founder rounded out her story with a peek of her Pair Of Thieves socks.

Her husband Cash Warren, 37, serves as the head of marketing for the sock brand.

Jessica and Cash, who wed in 2008, are parents to two daughters: Honor Marie, eight, and Haven Garner, five.

Having a quick bite: Jessica showed her Snapchat followers a peek at her mid-day meal at L'Avenue restaurant
His signature role is of super hero Iron Man.

And Robert Downey Jr along with wife Susan certainly look like a dynamic duo.

The 51-year-old actor and his 42-year-old film producer lady love matched in black as they attended the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) 95th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Dynamic duo: Robert Downey Jr and his wife Susan attended the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) 95th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles on Saturday night

They seemed to be in great spirits as they arrived at the star-studded gala event called Hollywood's Night Under The Stars held at the MPTF Wasserman Campus.

Robert fantastic in a silk suit jacket, Ginvenchy shirt with a monkey emblazoned on the front if it, skinny jeans and leather lace-up boots all in the same dark colour.

He combed his short brown tresses to the side as he had a bit of scruff on his face and wore a pair of large, black tinted spectacles.

Dark side: The 51-year-old actor and his 42-year-old film producer matched in black

Super hero style: Robert fantastic in a silk suit jacket, Ginvenchy shirt with a monkey emblazoned on the front if it, skinny jeans and leather lace-up boots all in the same dark colour

Susan looked casual cool in a black mini dress with a pair of matching studded leather shoes.

She accessorised with stud earrings a necklace with a large 'O' pendant, a brown bracelet and her wedding ring.

Her light brown tresses were worn down in a middle-part as she let her natural looks show with complimentary make-up on her face topped off with a swipe of shiny pink lip.

Happy: Susan looked casual cool in a black mini dress with a pair of matching studded leather shoes

The couple first met on the set of Gothika back in 2003 as they struck up a romance during production.

They were married in August 2005 and have two children together: four-year-old son Exton Elias and nearly 23-month-old daughter Avri Roel.

Robert has a 23-year-old son named Indio with ex wife Deborah Falconer.

The party featured a star-studded guest list including Hugh Jackman, George and wife Amal Clooney.

Funnywoman: Jane Lynch wore a black double-breasted suit with no shirt under

Dapper: Jeremy Renner and Chris Pine were among the star-studded guest list

Leading men: Matt Bomer and Kevin Spacey looked dapper at the gala
They've been facing rumours that there has been trouble in paradise, but Rob Kardashian seemed determined to show the world on Saturday that he and his fiancee Blac Chyna were in fact quite solid.

The 29-year-old shared a photo of his leading lady, 28, preened to perfection, as he gushed in the caption, 'Aw my baby looking perfect to me like always.'

Making the message even more sweet, the reality star included a smiling emoticon with hearts in its eyes and a three leaf clover.

Heart melting: Rob Kardashian shared a photo of his fiancee Blac Chyna preened to perfection, as he gushed in the caption, 'Aw my baby looking perfect to me like always'

Chyna did indeed look stunning as she was all dolled up with her blonde hair styled straight with pink tips.

And, continuing to prove rumours wrong, the reality star was showing off her flashy engagement ring.

Chyna was dressed to the nines as she supported her best friend Amber Rose at her second SlutWalk event in downtown Los Angeles.

The event was surely a welcome distraction for the reality star as she likely kept her mind off of rumours that have been swirling about her love life.

They're solid! Rob Kardashian was out to show the world on Saturday that he and his fiance Blac Chyna were in fact quite solid as he shared a heart melting message on Instagram

Nearly 48 hours earlier, Chyna shared Rob's phone number with the world via Twitter, apparently to force the Kardashian reality star to change his phone number and lose touch with some female contacts.

Obviously, Rob utilized a similar tactic earlier in the week when he tweeted out half-sister Kylie Jenner's number in a fit of rage over a baby shower set to exclude pregnant mother Blac Chyna.

The baby shower drama kicked off last week when it emerged the Kardashians had organised two separate baby showers for Chyna and Rob, because the couple were reportedly not speaking.

Simply chic: Chyna was dressed to the nines as she supported her best friend Amber Rose at her second SlutWalk event in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday

Rob then decided against going to his when he found out it was being filmed for Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

When his sisters told him Chyna couldn't come without him, he went on a Twitter rant, which culminated in him posting Kylie's number on the internet.

The source explained to Us Weekly magazine exactly how it went down: 'Here's what happened: Kim threw the shower. Kylie [was] the one that Rob called and told he wouldn't go to the shower, because she mentioned it was being filmed.

Preened to perfection! The 28-year-old did indeed look stunning as she was all dolled up with her blonde hair styled straight with pink tips

'He [then] got really upset and told her he wasn't going, but that Chyna still wanted to go. Chyna was all dressed up and ready to go, [but] Kylie then told him that Chyna wasn't invited if he wasn't going to be there.

'She said it was his shower and Chyna could come if they were together - but if he was going to screw them by not going, then Chyna couldn't come. That's when Rob exploded. It caused a huge fight between Rob and Chyna too, so that's when Rob went off on Kylie on Twitter.'

The couple are reportedly living in separate houses to keep them away from each other's throats, and have been getting on much better because of it.

Showing her support: The event was surely a welcome distraction for the reality star as she likely kept her mind off of rumours that have been swirling about her love life

On Friday, Rob addressed rumours their relationship was on the rocks during a phone interview on the radio show, On Air With Ryan Seacrest.

'We've been together the whole time... We've been together, it's been a bumpy road, but a great road.'

When asked if the possibility of splitting up occurred at all during their relationship, Rob admitted, 'We've had our days, but there's never been a doubt in my mind, I've always wanted to be with Chyna.'
Kylie Jenner just closed a $12 million deal on her FOURTH mansion.

The 18-year-old was left without a friend in sight as she spent Saturday night home alone with just her little dog for company.

Kylie posted Snapchat after Snapchat in an effort to fill the time and those vacuous rooms while wailing, 'All my friends cancelled on me.'

'All my friends cancelled on me': Kylie Jenner was left home alone on a Saturday night after her pals bailed on her

And as the rest of her Kardashian-Jenner clan was in France for Paris Fashion Week, that left this teenager with little else to do.

Kylie shared a clip of her little pup Penny learning to hop down a step from the darkened empty dining room into the bright and still empty gourmet kitchen.

She then begged her followers to ask her questions on Twitter because 'my phone's on 10 percent and it's about to die.' And so they did.

Unconditional love: The 18-year-old had the companionship of her cute puppy Penny

Big step: Kylie coaxed her dog to hop the step from dining room to kitchen

Pet talk: The young star kept her fans informed by answering a series of questions via Twitter such as when she first got her other dog Norman, saying, 'He was a Christmas gift from Tyga'

The youngest Keeping Up With The Kardashians star kept her fans informed by answering a series of questions such as when she first got her dog Norman.

'He was actually a Christmas gift from Tyga. I've always been obsessed with greyhounds,' Kylie answered while fiddling with the digital puppy enhancements.

'All right, I'm getting a lot of Halloween questions and I know what I'm going to be for Halloween but I'm not going to say anything,' she then teased.

Hallow-teasing: 'All right, I'm getting a lot of Halloween questions and I know what I'm going to be for Halloween but I'm not going to say anything,' Kylie said

Phone home: Kylie continued in all seriousness, despite the puppy ears, the puppy nose: 'What was my first phone - I liked this question. I had the chocolate in white'

Hair affair: Kylie also asserted that she dyed her hair that silvery platinum colour with the rose low lights

Kylie continued in all seriousness, despite the puppy ears, the puppy nose: 'What was my first phone - I liked this question. I had the chocolate in white.'

She seemed to soften up when she shared how Tyga, her rapper beau, sent her the cutest meme.

It showed a single rider on a river rafting ride beneath the quote, 'When the whole squad cancels but you're strong, independent young person who don't need no friends.'

Somebody cares: Kylie seemed to soften up when she shared how Tyga, her rapper beau, sent her the cutest meme

Get the picture? The meme showed one lone rider in a river raft that seemed to reflect Kylie's Saturday night alone status

It was surely meant to bolster Kylie's spirits after being ditched by all her friends on a Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Kylie has just added a fourth mansion to her real estate holdings.

She has just plunked $12 million down on a 13,200-square-foot Cape Cod style house built just last year in Hidden Hills, California.

The elegant white mansion includes eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, a home theatre, a massage room, pool and lushly landscaped grounds, according to the realtor's listing.
Chris Hemsworth sent social media into meltdown last week after sharing an image of his huge biceps while cheering on the AFL Western Bulldogs team.

And on Sunday, Daniel MacPherson decided to take a leaf out of the actor's book and share an identical snap to his Instagram account.

In the captured frame, the Australian TV star showed off his muscular biceps as he posed in a NRL Cronulla Sharks jersey while holding onto a Thor figurine.

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Taking a leaf out of his book: Daniel MacPherson showed off his muscles on Sunday as he posed in the NRL Cronulla Sharks jersey while he mimicked Chris Hemsworth's famous selfie

Alongside the photo, he wrote: 'Look, call me superstitious, but it worked for @chrishemsworth and the @westernbulldogs, so I'm not taking any chances.'

He finished off the caption with hashtags for, up up Cronulla, Cronulla, Sharkies, NRL Grand Final and Not Thor.

Both, Chris and his older brother Luke were quick to show their support on the image.

Mr Muscles: Chris shared an identical image of himself days earlier as he threw his support behind the AFL's Western Bulldogs ahead of their grand final game

Excitement: Alongside the photo, he wrote: 'Look, call me superstitious, but it worked for @chrishemsworth and the @westernbulldogs, so I'm not taking any chances'

Chris commented, 'Hahahaha yes doggies,' while his eldest sibling added: 'Yeeeessssss!!!!!! Doggies!!! Go sharkies! #upupcronulla.'

Over the course of the last week, Daniel has been throwing his support behind the Cronulla Sharks ahead of their grand final game against the Melbourne Storm in Sydney.

On Saturday, the former television presenter posted a throwback photo of former player Andrew Ettingshausen.

Egging him on: Chris (pictured) commented, 'Hahahaha yes doggies,' while his eldest sibling added: 'Yeeeessssss!!!!!! Doggies!!! Go sharkies! #upupcronulla'

'Bring on Sunday! @cronullasharks #upupcronulla,' he gushed with pride.

'First time I ever got drunk was on ETs family hill, was when I snuck in Jim Beam to Shark Park when I was 15 #YOTS #NRL #NRLGF #Cronulla.'

Earlier, Daniel shared another selfie of himself rocking the jersey singlet as he explored Hollywood with a group of friends.
They've been making waves in America since their 2008 synth-pop single, Walking on a Dream, became a huge sleeper hit earlier this year.

And on Saturday, Empire of the Sun took the stage at New York's The Meadows Music & Arts Festival to perform their past hits, and some new material.

The Australian duo, who were one of the festival's headliners, are set to release their third studio album, Two Vines, on October 28.

Performing: Empire of the Sun took the stage at New York's The Meadows Music & Arts Festival to perform their past hits, and some new material

For their New York performance, only lead vocalist and guitarist Luke Steele was present.

Luke often performs sans bandmate Nick Littlemore, whose introverted nature often keeps him away from the stage.

The band have been enjoying their newfound popularity in the States ever since Walking on a Dream was used in a Honda commercial, causing the track to rocket up the U.S. Billboard chart.

Flying solo: For their New York performance, only lead vocalist and guitarist Luke Steele was present.

Alone: Luke often performs sans bandmate Nick Littlemore, whose introverted nature often keeps him away from the stage

New album: The Australian duo, who were one of the festival's headliners, are set to release their third studio album, Two Vines, on October 28

'It was amazing. You never think that things like that are really going to happen,' Nick told AAP.

He continued: ' It was a very strange feeling to be jumping in a taxi and hearing it on Hot 94 or whatever radio station it was.'

Their sudden success with an old song has been well documented and resulted in the pair appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres show in April.

Success: The band have been enjoying their newfound popularity in the States ever since Walking on a Dream was used in a Honda commercial

'It was amazing. You never think that things like that are really going to happen,' Nick told AAP

' It was a very strange feeling to be jumping in a taxi and hearing it on Hot 94 or whatever radio station it was,' he continued

Their sudden success with an old song has been well documented and resulted in the pair appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres show in April

Theatrical: The duo's performance featured colorful costumes and lighting

That was enough to bring the reclusive Littlemore out of the woodwork and onto the stage.

'You only get a few opportunities in life to do things like that and they were fortunate enough to let me do that and it's one for the scrap book, it's pretty cool,' he explained.

He added: 'And Ellen was such a cool lady, very kind. It was lovely.'

'You only get a few opportunities in life to do things like that and they were fortunate enough to let me do that and it's one for the scrap book, it's pretty cool,' Nick explained.

'And Ellen was such a cool lady, very kind. It was lovely,' confessed Nick

Breaking the States: With their third album about to drop, the possibility for U.S. success has now increased thanks to Walking On A Dream's recent success

With their third album about to drop, the possibility for U.S. success has now increased thanks to Walking On A Dream's recent success.

'Now there's an open channel for us and we actually have a voice in America which is something we'd always dreamed of but you can't chase that, it has to come to you,' he said.

Two Vines drops October 28.
She's known for flaunting her toned physique in elegant dresses when sashaying onto the red carpet of star studded events.

But Dancing With The Stars actress Kym Johnson made a peculiar fashion choice when attending the Motion Picture and Television Fund's 95th anniversary on October 1.

Her trim pins were hidden behind long grey suede boots which were paired with a dusty pink skirt and white long sleeved top.

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Bizarre! Dancing With The Stars actress Kym Johnson made a peculiar fashion choice when attending the Motion Picture and Television Fund's 95th anniversary on October 1

The days of plunging necklines appeared to disappear on this occasion as Kym cut a reasonably modest figure in the unassuming outfit.

Her hair was combed back into a loose half ponytail allowing her waved golden curls to relax on her shoulders.

She appeared to be makeup free with the exception of lashings of mascara and a nude lip that flaunted her natural beauty.

The flared sleeves of her blouse rested neatly on her wrist showcasing her 6.5 carat diamond ring, which became Kym's biggest drawcard for the bizarre outfit choice.

Bling ring: Her hair was combed back into a loose half ponytail, while the flared sleeves of her blouse rested neatly on her wrist showcasing her 6.5 carat diamond ring

She finished the ensemble with a small beige clutch which matched the tones of her scalloped skirt.

Kym, who appeared to be beaming at the cameras, was later joined by husband and Shark Tank judge, Robert Herjavec.

The pair appeared to be loved up as ever as they embraced on the red carpet.

Robert, 53, was beaming as he cut an equally as casual figure on the red carpet for the anniversary event.

Happy couple! Kym married Robert, 53, in late July at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, California after she was proposed to with a 6.5 carat ring (pictured on her hand) in February

He paired a black and white patterned shirt, reminiscent of snake skin, and a pair of faded denim jeans.

Robert and Kym first met when Kym was chosen as Robert's professional partner on Dancing with the Stars in March 2015.

At the time, the Shark Tank judge was separated from his former wife of 24 years, Diane Plese.

Kym married Robert in late July at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, California after she was proposed to with a 6.5 carat ring in February - just five months after the couple went public with their relationship.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks on launch of the new Special Drawing Right (SDR) basket including the Chinese currency, the renminbi (RMB) in Washington D.C., the United States, Sept. 30, 2016. IMF on Friday announced the launch of the new SDR basket including the Chinese RMB, saying it was "an important and historic milestone" for China, the IMF and the international monetary system. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

The Renminbi's inclusion into the elite reserve currency basket of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday was hailed by Chinese businesses and analysts as a "historic moment".

"This is a historic moment," said Lu Jian, vice president of Guangdong Guangken Rubber Group Co., Ltd.

"Ten years ago, the RMB could hardly 'go out of the country'. But now China's opening-up and huge economic size has made it more and more popular in the international market," said Lu.

Early this year, Guangken Rubber launched a 270-million-U.S.-dollar bid for Thailand's Thai Hua Rubber, the world's third-largest rubber producer.

The company then sought loans from domestic and overseas banks, with some offering to fund its bid all in RMB.

The acquisition in RMB helps reduce foreign exchange risk as well as fund-raising cost, said Lu.

"Ten years ago, all our overseas business was conducted in the U.S. dollars and we often did not have RMB clearing banks. It's quite a different scenario now," he said.

Now China has 21 overseas RMB clearing banks across the world.

"Despite the fluctuations in the RMB exchange rate, the international market has not lost interest in the Chinese yuan and on the contrary, the global demand is increasing," said Lu.

Over the past decade, the world has witnessed the rapid rise of the Chinese currency.

Now, the RMB accounts for the third-largest share of the new SDR basket with 10.92 percent, following the U.S. dollar's 41.73 percent and the Euro's 30.93 percent.

"While in college, I never expected that the yuan would become such an important international currency one day," said 31-year-old Xuan Fangyu in Shenzhen.

Xuan works for Hytera, conducting foreign exchange derivatives to help the telecom equipment maker avoid foreign exchange losses.

Xuan said she earlier advised overseas customers to settle in RMB when the Chinese currency appreciated against the U.S. dollar.

"In the earlier period, customers did not trust RMB and were not willing to accept yuan settlement," said Xuan. "But over the past two years, things have changed and many customers, particularly those from the southeast Asia, even proposed to settle in yuan themselves."

In July 2009, China approved pilot program for cross-border trade settlement in RMB, embarking on the internationalization process of the Chinese currency.

The yuan was the fifth most active currency for global payments by value in July, with a share of 1.9 percent, an increase from 1.72 percent in June, according to data from global transaction services organization SWIFT.

China's central bank said on Saturday that the country will continue to push forward financial reforms and market opening after the RMB's SDR inclusion. The SDR is an international reserve asset created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries' official reserves. It can be exchanged among governments for freely usable currencies in times of need.

Last November, the IMF decided to include the yuan in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, effective Oct. 1, 2016.

Zhang Lijun, a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers China, said the RMB's SDR inclusion has similar significance with China's entry to the World Trade Organization.

"The two cases also have showed that China helped to improve rather than topple global rules and this has positive significance for the coordination of global economic governance," said Zhang.
He's best known for playing the muscular man-beast Wolverine.

But on Saturday, Hugh Jackman covered up his muscles as he stepped out for a charity fundraiser in aid of the Motion Picture & Television Fund's Foundation in Los Angeles.

The 47-year-old looked strapping in a sharp grey suit as he posed for photos on the media wall.

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Suave: Hugh Jackman covered up his muscles as he stepped out for a charity fundraiser in aid of the Motion Picture & Television Fund's Foundation in Los Angeles

Once inside, the Australian actor quickly cosied up to A-listers like George and Amal Clooney.

The Clooneys were the picture of bliss as they put on a romantic display during the star-studded event that the former E.R. actor was hosting.

All the attention was, as usual, on Amal as she put her fashion prowess on full show in an extra chic black top teamed with a silky floral print maxi skirt.

Posing: The 47-year-old looked strapping in a sharp grey suit as he posed for photos on the media wall

Star studded: Once inside, the Australian actor quickly cosied up to A-listers like George and Amal Clooney

The Lebanese-British legal eagle wore her glossy jet black locks in loose curls as she drew out her natural beauty with dewy skin, blush, and rose red lipsticks.

Hugh was without his wife-of-twenty-years Deborra-Lee Furness.

They have two adopted two children, son, Oscar Maximillian, 16, and daughter, Ava Eliot, 10.

Hugh is currently filming the next Wolverine sequel.
She has enjoyed a career of nearly two-and-a-half decades.

And Mira Sorvino still knows how to turn heads on the red carpet.

The evergreen 49-year-old actress looked stunning on the red carpet as she attended Saving Innocence's 5th Annual Gala in Hollywood on Saturday night.

Evergreen: Mira Sorvino looked fantastic on the red carpet as she attended Saving Innocence's 5th Annual Gala in Hollywood on Saturday night

She was not alone for the gala as she was joined by 34-year-old husband Christopher Backus at the gathering held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

Mira rocked a lacy black mini dress with a matching blazer and suede pumps.

She accessorised with a designer black leather bag and wedding ring as she wore her signature blonde locks flowing down over her shoulders.

Loved up: The 49-year-old actress was not alone for the gala as she was joined by 34-year-old husband Christopher Backus at the gathering held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel

Showing her style: Mira rocked a lacy black mini dress with a matching blazer and suede pumps

The Romy And Michelle's High School Reunion star put her youthful looks on show with complimentary make-up including shiny pink lip.

Her actor husband looked dapper in a black suit with a purple dress shirt with the top few buttons undone.

He finished off the look with a pair of black leather dress shoes as he wore his long brown locks down and also had a matching thick beard.

Handsome: Her actor husband looked dapper in a black suit with a purple dress shirt with the top few buttons undone

The two first met at a part in 2003 and were married in a private ceremony nearly a year later in June 2004.

They have four children together: 11-year-old daughter Matea, ten-year-old son Johnny, seven-year-old son Holden and four-year-old daughter Lucia.

The event benefited charity organisation Saving Innocence, as their vision is to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and restore cultural values of innocence and human worth.
She's the British-born American TV presenter and he's the Australian US-based film producer.

And on Saturday, Louise Roe and Mackenzie Hunkin became husband and wife in a grand and very stylish ceremony in Windsor, UK.

The pair wed inside Eton College Chapel - the school Princes William and Harry studied at - with the couple saying 'I Do' in front of 150 guests, which included Australian fashion blogger Nadia Fairfax.

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Just married! British TV presenter Louise Roe and her Australian film producer beau Mackenzie Hunkin became husband and wife in a very stylish ceremony in Windsor, UK on Saturday

Louise, as expected, looked glamorous in a couture off-the-shoulder lace gown by Pronovias, according to blog Martha Stewart Weddings.

Her bridesmaids also wore white, while the groom and groomsmen all donned tuxedos from the UK brand Reiss.

The publication reports the reception was held at a near-by 'Tudor-era house, Dorney Court'.

After cocktails and a formal dinner, there was cake and dancing, with the guest fuelled into the early hours of the morning with pizza.

That ring! The couple announced their engagement in January, after two years of dating

Loved up: Ironically, the couple met while working on a show about blind dates

The couple announced their engagement in January, after two years of dating.

In the lead up to the big day, the TV presenter documented her bachlorette party in Estelle Ranch California, as well as sneak peeks at preparations for the wedding.

Ironically, the couple met while working on a show about blind dates.

Bride-to-be: In the lead up to the big day, the TV presenter documented her bachlorette party in Estelle Ranch California

Rose all day! The girls enjoyed their time in the vineyards during their trip

The smitten couple spent last Christmas together in London with Louise's family and were also joined by Mackenzie's parents and brother who flew in from Australia.

They then enjoyed a New Year's getaway to Aspen, Colorado, where Mackenzie popped the question.

The couple were also in Melbourne last November for the Spring Racing Carnival, where Louise was a special guest of the Victorian Racing Club.
She has been hitting headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent days.

Yet Jacqui Ryland looked as though she was truly shaking off her troubles on Saturday as she headed to London's plush Cafe De Paris nightclub for the second night in a row where she got up close and personal with CBB star Chloe Khan.

The stunning model has stepping out in the wake of her sexting scandal after she revealed her TOWIE star ex-beau Pete Wicks had sent her lewd messages while he was dating Megan McKenna.

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Pete who? Jacqui Ryland looked as though she was truly shaking off her troubles on Saturday as she headed to London's plush Cafe De Paris nightclub for the second night in a row where she got up close and personal with CBB star Chloe Khan

It was reported by The Sun on Friday morning that the tattooed hunk had sent highly explicit messages to Jacqui during his time in Marbella - before admitting he couldn't wait to be home from the 'boring' trip with his girlfriend.

According to the site, many of the texts between Pete and Jacqui were too explicit to print, yet one message reportedly saw Pete admitting to the mother-of-three that he 'can't wait to get home' and that it is not just Jacqui who misses their previous relationship.

As she hit the town, Jacqui appeared defiant in the face of her woes, as she met up with Chloe who she could hardly resist during a steamy dancing session. With Jacqui pushing Chloe against a wall, the duo looked seductively at one another.

The images of the night out will no doubt further frustrate Megan as she previously shared a brief romance with Ex On The Beach's Stephen Bear, who Chloe got extremely sexy with in the CBB house.

Eye-popping: Jacqui looked as though she was truly shaking off her troubles on Saturday

Kiss me quick: As she hit the town, Jacqui appeared defiant in the face of her woes, as she met up with Chloe who she could hardly resist during a steamy dancing session. With Jacqui pushing Chloe against a wall, the duo looked seductively at one another

All the big names: Chloe looked sensational in a racy lace up number

Sizzling: The stunning model has stepping out in the wake of her sexting scandal after she revealed her TOWIE star ex-beau Pete Wicks had sent her lewd messages while he was dating Megan McKenna

Furious: On Saturday, Megan posted an upsetting video on Snapchat in which she tearfully spoke her followers through her betrayal - just hours after she was pictured screaming at her boyfriend on the beach

On Saturday, Megan posted an upsetting video on Snapchat in which she tearfully spoke her followers through her betrayal - just hours after she was pictured screaming at her boyfriend on the beach.

While Megan, who branded her love rival a b***h, has been tearfully revealing her woes Jacqui has been putting on a brazen display as she continues to hit the town in barely-there ensembles.

After stripping down to her thong bodysuit the day before, on Saturday she stepped out in a plunging crop top paired with a skin-tight skirt.

Not bothered? While Megan, who branded her love rival a b***h, has been tearfully revealing her woes Jacqui has been putting on a brazen display as she continues to hit the town in barely-there ensembles

She boosted her height with staggering heels paired with an incredibly chic Yves Saint Laurent handbag with a delicate gold chain detail.

With her raven tresses scraped into a high ponytail and her make-up flawlessly applied, the mother-of-three was certainly dressed to impress.

Jacqui has remained relatively quiet in regard to the scandal yet continues to defiantly post images of her sexy ensembles while also discussing a mystery 'Prince Charming'.

Sexy look: After stripping down to her thong bodysuit the day before, on Saturday she stepped out in a plunging crop top paired with a skin-tight skirt

Since the news arose, Megan has since posted her heart-wrenching video on Snapchat in which she revealed the situation was 'f***ing hurtful and heartbreaking'.

Pete has remained silent on social media yet his return to Essex on Saturday saw him seek solace in his best pal James Lock before he burst into tears, seemingly in turmoil over the scenario.

In her chat with The Sun while unveiling the rumours, Jacqui said: 'Why is he doing all these big public affections with her when actually he is just a complete dog?

'The conversation just started back up and before you knew it the old Pete was back being flirty. He was doing the public affection thing with her and then sending me these messages. I just feel really sorry for Megan.'

The One: Jacqui has remained relatively quiet in regard to the scandal yet continues to defiantly post images of her sexy ensembles while also discussing a mystery 'Prince Charming'

Slammed: In her chat with The Sun while unveiling the rumours, Jacqui said: 'Why is he doing all these big public affections with her when actually he is just a complete dog?'

Heartbroken: Shortly before Jacqui's sexy appearance, Megan' relationship woes were set to worsen as she revealed in an emotional Snapchat post that she was left bereft following further claims of infidelity

Happier times: Megan and Pete have been dating since she first entered TOWIE earlier this year

After the duo were pictured in the throes of a dramatic row, the state of their relationship was called in to question yet Megan's candid Snapchat rant has clarified the intricacies of their troubles without specifying the stage they are at now.

She said: 'You know what Im going to actually tell you guys on here what happened. I actually found some messages on Petes phone a few weeks ago and they werent good but I thought Id give him another chance, as I feel like everyone deserves a second chance.

'The way that he was speaking to me was that he was really sorry and didnt mean it. Obviously its not right that he was messaging other girls but he told me it was just innocent flirting.'

While she convincingly explained her early knowledge, the stunning star appeared bereft over the story: 'I did know about some messages that were going about and obviously thats hurt a lot. That a boy that I thought loved me and I loved could be with me and doing that at the same time.

Sizzling and sexy: Jacqui appeared unconcerned by the scandal surrounding her

Lucky girl: After flashing the brand new Rolex and eye-popping bunch of flowers gifted to her by Pete for her birthday, Megan is convinced Jacqui issued the messages out of jealousy

After flashing the brand new Rolex and eye-popping bunch of flowers gifted to her by Pete for her birthday, Megan is convinced Jacqui issued the messages out of jealousy.

The heartbroken star continued: 'But then like, today, for some girl to sell a story about it, and for me to see messages that I hadnt seen before. That f***ing hurts. (Jacqui had) obviously seen that me and him were trying to move on and obviously hes bought me nice things and I put it on Instagram and Twitter and its rubbed her up the wrong way.

'But just to clear those rumours up I didnt know all those messages were going about but its f***ing hurtful and heartbreaking. I just wish none of this had happened really. Lifes a c***. Everything happens for a reason.'

Adding further to her fury, Megan sent a message on Twitter on Saturday, reading: 'That b***h had enough press off me for the day'.

The other woman: According to The Sun, Pete had texted Jacqui saying how 'boring' the trip was, alongside other explicit messages that were too rude to print

Up close and personal: Chloe and her rumoured beau Ashley Cain got up close and personal

Leggy display: The next day, the brunette was hiding her fatigue in London

Dressed down: The brunette was wearing a dressed-down ensemble, trying to fly under the radar
It was a boys day out at the AFL grand final in Melbourne on Saturday.

And on Sunday, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, were joined by their mother Leonie and father Craig for a lunch outing before heading back to their homes, interstate and overseas.

Chris - best known for his role as Thor - documented the reunion between the family with a loving image on Instagram.

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Together: Chris and Liam Hemsworth were joined by their mum Leonie and dad Craig for lunch in Melbourne on Sunday following the AFL grand final

In the photo, Chris wrapped his arm around his father and a close friend as he displayed a big smile while his younger brother cosied up to his mother.

Liam returned to Melbourne from his base in California ahead of the grand final, while Chris cruised in from his home in Byron Bay on the New South Wales north coast.

On Saturday, the two actors were cheering on their favourite team - Western Bulldogs - at the AFL Grand Final at the MCG in the Victorian capital.

Showing their support: The day earlier the two brothers were cheering on the Western Bulldogs against the Sydney Swans at the AFL Grand Final at the MCG

During the day, Liam shared an Instagram photo of the Hemsworth family, including his parents Leonie and Craig, wearing Bulldogs shirts.

'Let's go bulldogs!' wrote Liam, 26, below the image.

Noticeably missing from the image was their older brother Luke.

Showing their colours: Earlier, Liam shared an Instagram photo of the Hemsworth family, including parents Leonie and Craig, wearing Bulldogs shirts

The oldest Hemsworth brother instead showed his support on his own Instagram account.

Luke, 35, posted a photo of himself flexing his muscles in team colours, adding the caption: 'Go Bulldogs!!!'

Last Saturday, the Hollywood star shared his excitement over the Bulldogs' victory against the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

Team pride: The oldest Hemsworth brother, Luke, also posted a photo of himself flexing his muscles in team colours, adding the caption: 'Go Bulldogs!!!'

He posted an image to his 6.8 million Instagram followers of himself proudly wearing the team's blue jersey.

The Thor star showed off his superhero physique as he took time off filming to enjoy the Bulldog's landmark victory.

They pulled off an incredible 89-83 win over GWS in front of a sold-out crowd at Sydney's Spotless Stadium.
He shot to fame drinking cans of lager as on half of the laddish dynamic duo, Gary and Tony, on Men Behaving Badly.

And it seemed that it was a case of life imitating art for Neil Morrissey on Thursday, as the actor was seen putting on a very animated display outside a London pub.

Heading out to a local pub in the leafy streets of Primrose Hill, the actor, 54, looked to be enjoying an outing with a group of friends - knocking back a pint or two.

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Man behaving bawdily? It seemed that it was a case of life imitating art for Neil Morrissey on Thursday, as the actor was seen putting on a very animated display outside a London pub

Just chilling: Heading out to a local pub in the leafy streets of Primrose Hill, the actor, 54, looked to be enjoying an outing with a group of friends - knocking back a pint or two

Neil, who has recently starred in the acclaimed BBC action-thriller The Night Manager, appeared to be enjoying a spot of downtime in a very British manner.

And the actor looked to have firmly forgotten all about the dapper Harry Palfrey, as he looked worlds away from the slick image of the MI6 turncoat.

Supping on a pint of ale as he sat outside, Neil looked to be easing into an afternoon of R&R as he clutched a cigarette in his other hand.

All change: Neil was sporting a very clean-cut image in his recent role as Harry Palfrey in The Night Manager alongside Olivia Colman

There he is: The actor looked to have firmly forgotten all about the dapper Harry Palfrey (pictured), as he looked worlds away from the slick image of the MI6 turncoat

The actor was seen holding down the fort at a table outside the pub as he gesticulated to a friend - presumably finalizing another order at the bar.

An onlooker told the Mirror: 'Neil and his friends were out having a bit of a lads' afternoon out - the booze seemed to be flowing and the laughter was pretty raucous.'

Before adding: 'It could easily have been a scene out of Men Behave Badly!'

Neil looked to have slipped into a laid-back mentality for the day of festivities, with the actor eschewing a clean-cut and groomed look.

A case of life imitating art: Neil shot to fame as lager-swilling Gary in Men Behaving Badly, which he starred in with Martin Clunes as Tony

A very British afternoon: Supping on a pint of ale as he sat outside, Neil looked to be easing into an afternoon of R&R as he clutched a cigarette in his other hand

Wearing his silver hair in a rather disheveled manner, the Grantchester star also sported an unkempt beard.

Wrapping up against the cold Autumnal weather, Neil wore a quilted jacket over a grey polo neck shirt which he teamed with jeans.

Following his success in Line of Duty, which saw him playing the shifty and decidedly crooked policeman Morton, Neil will next hit screens in Crucible of the Vampire.

The fantasy horror film is due out in 2017 and also stars Charles O'Neill and Larry Rew.

Neil first hit the big-time in the early '90s when he replaced Harry Enfield on Men Behaving Badly, starring opposite Martin Clunes, Caroline Quentin and Lesley Ash.
She's been busy hitting the runways during Paris Fashion Week.

And Hailey Baldwin continued to show off her model credentials as she attended the Forward by Elyse Walker Lpa Party in the French capital on Saturday.

The 19-year-old model boasted two outfit changes, flaunting her long lean limbs.

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Model behaviour: Hailey Baldwin continued to show off her model credentials as she attended the Forward by Elyse Walker Lpa Party in the French capital on Saturday

Hailey's first ensemble was a flower-patterned silk slip dress, skimming the tops of her toned thighs.

Accentuating her model stature with knee-high gladiator sandals, Hailey completed the ensemble with an oversized tangerine coat.

Wearing her blonde hair in a sleek centre-parted ponytail, she accessorised with a matching bag and a bronze choker.

Turning heads: The 19-year-old model boasted two outfit changes, flaunting her long lean limbs

Posing up a storm she cosied up to statuesque Hailey Clauson who wore an ankle length black silk dress.

Also on her selfie list was Pia Arrobio, who put on a glamorous appearance in sequin black mini dress and faux fur shawl.

Pulling off an outfit change the blonde beauty, who is actor Stephen Baldwin's daughter, changed into a sheer black top boasting a white sequin bra underneath.

Leggy: Hailey's first ensemble was a flower-patterned silk slip dress, skimming the tops of her toned thighs

Sizzling: Accentuating her model stature with knee-high gladiator sandals, Hailey completed the ensemble with an oversized tangerine coat

Alessandra Ambrosio was also in attendance, wearing a grey wrap shirt dress

She teamed it with casual grey tracksuit joggers, showcasing her legs with large rips across the thighs.

Continuing the casual appearance she wore white trainers and a studded leather jacket with flower embellishment- which was also spotted on Revolve co-founder Michael Mente.

Putting on a fun display for cameras, Hailey hopped on a fellow reveller's back, poking her tongue out as they posed for pictures.

Alessandra Ambrosio was also in attendance, wearing a grey wrap shirt dress.

Showing off a hint of cleavage in a black bodice, she left the ensemble slightly unbuttoned.

And matching it with black over-the-knee boots and a coordinated clutch, she left her golden tresses loose.

Accessorising with gold and black chokers, she posed alongside Michael Mente and Raissa Gerona- who also wore the trademark black studded jacket.

Outfit number 2: Pulling off an outfit change the blonde beauty, who is actor Stephen Baldwin's daughter, changed into a sheer black top boasting a white sequin bra underneath

Glam squad: Continuing the casual appearance she wore white trainers and a studded leather jacket with flower embellishment- which was also spotted on Revolve co-founder Michael Mente (right)

Striking poses: Accessorising with gold and black chokers, she posed alongside Michael Mente and Raissa Gerona- who also wore the trademark black studded jacket

Paris Fashion Week is only the latest stop for Hailey after she stepped out in Milan and at London Fashion Week before that.

She recently spoke to Vogue about her fashion week essentials, saying: 'Sleep, water, lip balm and snacks like protein bars. Youre always on the go so its hard to sit down and have a proper meal.'

She also named Rihanna and Australian actres Margot Robbie as among the world's best-dressed women.

Hailey said: 'I think Rihanna kills it a lot of time. Im very big on doing oversized and I think you have to do it right and Rihanna does that all the time.

'I really like Margot Robbie,' she added. 'I think when youre classically beautiful like she is you have to do that type of style. I dont think she is ever trashy about it.'

Selfie time: Putting on a fun display for cameras, Hailey hopped on a fellow reveller's back, poking her tongue out as they posed for pictures

Leather-clad ladies: Stephanie Ferrano, Becky Brewer, Christina Gonzalez go biker chic
Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's hit reality show could be in jeopardy after bosses were reportedly sent into a panic over a return to his 'hermit ways'.

According to TMZ, E! executives haven't yet ordered a second season of the series as they are afraid Rob, 29, will revert to his former self and disappear before they complete filming.

However bosses have reportedly branded Blac Chyna, also 29, 'TV gold', and would consider a solo show with her.

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The end? Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's hit reality show could be in jeopardy after bosses were reportedly sent into a panic over his 'hermit ways'

The site claims: 'E! execs haven't ordered a 2nd season yet, and a big part of the problem is they can't get the couple to shoot together.

'Rob's become a hermit again and we're told that's giving the bosses cold feet. Understandably, they're worried they won't get a full season out of him.'

Rob previously withdrew from the public eye, amidst reports of depression and battles with his weight.

MailOnline has approached a rep for Rob Kardashian, Blac Chyna and E!News for comment.

However his romance with Blac Chyna, who shares 3-year-old son King Cairo with rapper Tyga whom she was engaged to until shortly before he started a romance with Rob's half sister Kylie Jenner, appeared to bring him back out of his shell.

Iffy: According to TMZ, E! executives reportedly haven't ordered a second season of the series as they are afraid Rob, 29, will revert to his former self and disappear before they complete filming

They announced their engagement earlier this year, before confirming they were expecting their first child.

However their romance has been rocked by rumours of disagreements, many of which have been documented in their new show Rob & Chyna.

But on the weekend Rob seemed determined to show the world that he and his fiancee were in fact quite solid.

New star? However bosses have reportedly branded Blac Chyna, also 29, 'TV gold', and would consider a solo show with her

The reality star shared a photo of his leading lady preened to perfection, as he gushed in the caption, 'Aw my baby looking perfect to me like always.'

Making the message even more sweet, the reality star included a smiling emoticon with hearts in its eyes and a three leaf clover.

Chyna did indeed look stunning as she was all dolled up with her blonde hair styled straight with pink tips.

And, continuing to prove rumours wrong, the reality star was showing off her flashy engagement ring.

Chyna was dressed to the nines as she supported her best friend Amber Rose at her second SlutWalk event in downtown Los Angeles.

Heart melting: Rob HAS shared a photo of his fiancee Blac Chyna preened to perfection, as he gushed in the caption, 'Aw my baby looking perfect to me like always'

The event was surely a welcome distraction for the reality star as she likely kept her mind off of rumours that have been swirling about her love life.

Nearly 48 hours earlier, Chyna shared Rob's phone number with the world via Twitter, apparently to force the Kardashian reality star to change his phone number and lose touch with some female contacts.

Obviously, Rob utilized a similar tactic earlier in the week when he tweeted out half-sister Kylie Jenner's number in a fit of rage over a baby shower set to exclude pregnant mother Blac Chyna.

Preened to perfection! The 28-year-old did indeed look stunning as she was all dolled up with her blonde hair styled straight with pink tips

The baby shower drama kicked off last week when it emerged the Kardashians had organised two separate baby showers for Chyna and Rob, because the couple were reportedly not speaking.

Rob then decided against going to his when he found out it was being filmed for Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

When his sisters told him Chyna couldn't come without him, he went on a Twitter rant, which culminated in him posting Kylie's number on the internet.

The source explained to Us Weekly magazine exactly how it went down: 'Here's what happened: Kim threw the shower. Kylie [was] the one that Rob called and told he wouldn't go to the shower, because she mentioned it was being filmed.

'He [then] got really upset and told her he wasn't going, but that Chyna still wanted to go. Chyna was all dressed up and ready to go, [but] Kylie then told him that Chyna wasn't invited if he wasn't going to be there.

Showing her support: The event was surely a welcome distraction for the reality star as she likely kept her mind off of rumours that have been swirling about her love life

'She said it was his shower and Chyna could come if they were together - but if he was going to screw them by not going, then Chyna couldn't come. That's when Rob exploded. It caused a huge fight between Rob and Chyna too, so that's when Rob went off on Kylie on Twitter.'

The couple are reportedly living in separate houses to keep them away from each other's throats, and have been getting on much better because of it.

On Friday, Rob addressed rumours their relationship was on the rocks during a phone interview on the radio show, On Air With Ryan Seacrest.

'We've been together the whole time... We've been together, it's been a bumpy road, but a great road.'

When asked if the possibility of splitting up occurred at all during their relationship, Rob admitted, 'We've had our days, but there's never been a doubt in my mind, I've always wanted to be with Chyna.'
She rarely puts a foot wrong when it comes to the glamour stakes, and Jaime King didn't let the side down stepping out in this gorgeous number.

The Pearl Harbour star, 37, looked elegant as she graced the red carpet in a sleeveless blue dress on Saturday night.

Jaime went for old school glamour in a baby blue ruffled lace frock at the Catalina Film Festival in California where she was presented the Avalon Award for her films.

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Cool as ice: Actress Jaime King, 37, looked chic and stylish in a baby blue ruffled lace frock at the Catalina Film Festival in California

Showing off her natural style on the night, the mother-of-two turned heads for all the right reasons in her demure baby blue outfit.

The Sin City beauty opted for old school glam in the high neck ruffled lace dress that fitted her slim frame perfectly.

She pulled out the stops when it came to her jewelry as she looked remarkable in a pair of drop diamond blue earrings.

Working her magic: The Sin City beauty opted for old school glam in the high neck ruffled lace dress that fitted her slim frame perfectly

Elegant: She pulled out the stops when it came to her jewelry as she looked remarkable in a pair of drop diamond blue earrings.

Sweeping her hair up into a chic and sophisticated ponytail, she let her natural beauty shine through wearing a nude lip and a gorgeous smokey eye.

Jaime made sure she matched from head to toe and her manicure was even the same shade as her frock.

The former Vogue model teamed her cocktail dress with a pair of stunning strappy sandals.

Stylish: Jaime made sure she matched from head to toe and her manicure was even the same shade as her frock

Big night: Jaime posed alongside President of the Catalina Film Festival Ron Truppa at the plush event

Winner: Jaime was presented with the Avalon Award honoring an actor whos unafraid to enter Hollywoods unchartered waters while taking risks with their career

Fabulous: The Sin City beauty opted for old school glam in the high neck ruffled lace dress that fitted her slim frame perfectly

Jaime was presented with the Avalon Award honoring an actor whos unafraid to enter Hollywoods unchartered waters while taking risks with their career.

Sharon Stone, past recipient of Catalina Film Festivals Stanley Kramer Social Artist Award, will bring the West Coast premiere of her new holocaust documentary, An Undeniable Voice to the festival.

Recent honorees include Nicholas Cage, William H.Macy, Kate Bosworth, and Mena Suvari.

In good company: Recent honorees at the festival where Jaime, pictured alongside co-founder Delious Kennedy, who have been honoured include Nicholas Cage and Kate Bosworth
She's one-half of one of the most famous couples in the world, has conquered the music world as part of the Spice Girl, and has now done the same with fashion.

And while she's succeeded in creating her own fashion empire, Victoria Beckham has revealed it's hard raising four children and insisted she won't be trying for a fifth.

The 42-year-old designer explained it can be a struggle having four at such different ages, and often feels 'guilty' because her exhausting work schedule can infringe on family time.

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She's a grafter: While she's succeeded in creating her own fashion empire, Victoria Beckham has revealed it's not always easy on herself or her four children

Sitting down with Claudia Winkleman for an interview with Sunday Times Style Magazine, Victoria spoke about the challenges of her career and life at home.

Speaking about her four children - Brooklyn, 17, Romeo, 13, Cruz 11 and four-year-old daughter Harper - Victoria admitted she found being a parent became harder the older they get.

She explained: 'The most important thing is to make sure that each child gets the individual attention that they need... I do feel that I'm being pulled in four different directions with the children.'

'I do feel that I'm being pulled in four different directions': Speaking about her four children - Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper - Victoria admitted she found parenting tough at times

'No! I am done': Victoria admitted she's 'done' having children and won't be trying for a fifth

On the subject of children, Victoria insisted she won't be trying for a fifth child - admitting she's happy with her brood.

The fashionista revealed she's 'done' with that chapter of her life and claimed the public have been constantly obsessed with that side of her personal life.

She said: 'No! I am done. People have been obsessed with it - she's getting divorced, she's pregnant, she's getting divorced, she's pregnant - ever since I met David.'

Meanwhile, Victoria also admitted that she found herself feeling guilty if she let work encroach on her time with David and her children.

One-on-one: She said that she tries to stay up late as that's the time she gets to spend with eldest child, Brooklyn

'You feel guilty if you're missing something with the children': She also admitted that she found herself feeling guilty if she let work encroach on her time with David and her children.

'You feel guilty if you're missing something with the children,' She explained.

And it seems that this view sees the designer hiding away when taking emails and work calls, as she doesn't want her career and work to detract from family time.

Addressing her work and success in the fashion world with her own label, Victoria said that it's all been down to hard work and sustaining a second shot at success.

Though Victoria is never far away from her family, despite admitting the difficulties of being a working mum.

Over the weekend Brooklyn shared an adorable snap of himself and his mother on his Instagram account.

Summing up the Beckham broods' feelings towards their mother he simply captioned the black and white photo with a love heart.

Following a summer in Los Angeles where they own a house, the Beckhams have moved back to London where their children all attend school.

A mother's love: Though Victoria is never far away from her family, despite admitting the difficulties of being a working mum

'I feel so loved and truly blessed... My best friend,my love': The former pop star, known worldwide as Posh Spice, recently celebrated her 17th wedding anniversary with David

While Victoria has just put the stress of New York Fashion Week behind her David is currently launching both another H&M collaboration and another campagin with Haigh Club Whisky.

The former pop star, known worldwide as Posh Spice, recently celebrated her 17th wedding anniversary with David.

The couple, who met first met in the players lounge at Manchester United where he was a star player, rang in their big day puiblically with posts on Isntagram.

Victoria penned a tribute to her husband beside a picture of them sharing a tender hug on their wedding day, writing:

'I feel so loved and truly blessed... My best friend,my love.
A national flag-raising ceremony is held at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2016. Over 100,000 people from across the country gathered at the square to watch the national flag-raising ceremony on the morning of Oct. 1, marking the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua/Tang Zhaoming)

As Saturday marks the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the nation has become increasingly confident in marching along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

"The birth of New China has greatly changed the destiny of this big country in the East," said Premier Li Keqiang, while addressing a reception to celebrate the anniversary here on Friday.

Glorious past

Over the past 67 years, especially since the start of the reform and opening up in 1978, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups have forged ahead against all odds and succeeded in turning a once poor and weak country into the world's second biggest economy.

"The Chinese nation, once bullied and humiliated, is now well on the way toward great rejuvenation. The Chinese people, once short of food and clothing, are moving toward a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way," Li said.

The G20 summit that concluded early last month in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou has left a Chinese mark in the G20 history.

In addition, China's Tiangong-2 space lab blasted off on Sept. 15, marked 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.

Great changes have also taken place since China drew up the outline for its 13th five-year plan on economic and social development.

Comprehensive reforms have been carried out to ensure that people equally share the proceeds of such reforms and remain satisfied.

Peaceful development

As China is still a developing country, it needs a stable environment both at home and on its doorstep to sustain growth.

At a massive military parade on Sept. 3 last year to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted China's aspirations for peace while announcing a reduction in the number of military troops by 300,000.

"China will remain committed to peaceful development. We Chinese love peace. No matter how much stronger we may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion. It will never inflict its past suffering on any other nation," Xi said.

In the diplomatic sphere, Xi has been advocating a global community with a shared future. A series of projects, including the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, serve to highlight China as a responsible and active player in global development.

Future development

Looking forward, economic and social development will continue to be China's central mission.

Authorities will work to increase people's incomes, boost social welfare, enhance environmental protection and food safety, give the public a greater sense of accomplishment, and lift more people from poverty.

By 2021, when the CPC celebrates its centenary, China aims to complete the building of an "all-round moderately prosperous society." By 2049, when the People's Republic of China marks its centenary, the country aims to become a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic and harmonious.

"Modernizing a country with a population of more than 1.3 billion is an endeavor never undertaken in the history of mankind, and this means China must pursue its own path of development," said an editorial in the People's Daily, the CPC flagship newspaper, on Saturday.

"Standing at this new starting point (the 67th anniversary of the founding of the PRC), we have reason to believe that China is transforming from a follower to a leader in the modernization drive along the path chosen by the Party and the people," it said.

Indeed, the 67th anniversary of the PRC's founding seems like a new start for reform and the exploration of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
She's the Australian model currently making headway abroad.

And Shanina Shaik looked simply gorgeous as she posted a selfie with her model mates to Instagram on Sunday.

The Victoria's Secret model had just stepped off a seaplane and cut a relaxed pose in a tie dye playsuit and tortoiseshell sunglasses.

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Plane gorgeous! Shanina Shaik looked simply gorgeous as she posted a selfie with her model mates to Instagram on Sunday

And recently, the brunette beauty proved nothing is off limits among friends - even trips to the bathroom.

The 25-year-old model shared a VERY intimate snap of herself sitting in a bathroom as friend and WAGS star Natalie Halcro was doing her business on the toilet.

The genetically-blessed duo were celebrating a friend's birthday at West Hollywood restaurant Craig's last week when the photo was taken.

Intimate: Shanina Shaik shared a photo of herself chatting to friend Natalie Halcro during a night out, while the WAGS star was sitting on the toilet

Shanina flashed a hint of leg while wearing denim shorts and thigh-high boots.

She had a black coat featuring shoulder cut-outs draping over her shoulders as she sat inside the cubicle.

Her friend Natalie meanwhile, didn't mind the camera being around while her knickers were pulled down to her thigh.

Stepping out: The brunette beauty was at West Hollywood hot-spot Craig's for a friend's birthday celebrations

Both ladies looked immaculate with their cheeks heavily highlighted and hair looking sleek.

Earlier in the night, Shanina took to Instagram to share a snap of her stylish outfit.

'Only here for a girl's birthday,' the New York-based beauty captioned the post, tagging her pal Tamie Tran.

Jet-setter: The 25-year-old has been spending some time in Los Angeles this weekend

Flaunting her bronzed lithe pins, Shanina wore tiny denim shorts with a pair of thigh-high boots.

She showed off her cleavage in a plunging black top, which was worn with a black coat draped over her slender torso.

The Melbourne-born beauty completed her look with a YSL evening bag.

Now living on the US east coast, the exotic stunner was thrilled to be back in Los Angeles.

Romantic nights: Last week, the former Victoria's Secret model shared very racy snaps of herself in a spa with husband-to-be DJ Ruckus

Posting a snap from a sun-filled balcony, the brunette showed off her long legs along with the caption: 'Back on the westside (sic).'

Shanina's trip comes after the Seafolly model shared some very racy snaps of herself with fiance DJ Ruckus - whose real name is Gregory Andrews.

The mixed-race model, who is of Lithuanian, Australian, Saudi Arabian and Pakistani heritage, stared seductively into the camera as she leaned on the edge of a spa bath.

Sharing: The raven-haired beauty was in a state of undress in her Snapchat video from the couple's romantic night in

With her husband-to-be also in the spa behind her, the stunner plugged the luxury hotel housing the famous couple during their stay.

She also took to Snapchat to share video footage from the couple's romantic night.

The video showed the model in a state of undress, holding onto the camera while sultrily staring into the lens.

Her beau was seen enjoying the water trickle down his body from the shower head in the background, before coming closer and leaning against his stunning lady love.
She is a perma-fixture on any FROW.

So Salma Hayek was naturally a guest at the star-studded Balenciaga show alongside her husband Francois-Henri Pinault, who is CEO of the design house's owner Kering, during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

The 50-year-old beauty looked phenomenal in a one-shouldered gown which nipped in at every inch of her famously curvy figure.

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The happy couple: Salma Hayek was naturally a guest at the star-studded Balenciaga show alongside her husband Francois-Henri Pinault, who is CEO of the design house's owner Kering, during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday

Francois-Henri was looking proudly upon his empire due to his job as CEO of Kering - the company which owns Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Gucci, Puma, Volcom and Saint Laurent Paris.

Never known to put a sartorial foot wrong, Salma sizzled in her sexy ensemble which combined a ladylike edge with incredibly sexy vibes.

The dove grey dress cascaded off one shoulder while sitting high on high on her other shoulder to give a unique asymmetric feel.

Her tiny waist was accentuated by her ample bust and the flawless cut of the stunning dress - perfect for any front row fixture.

Sizzling: The 50-year-old beauty looked phenomenal in a one-shouldered gown which nipped in at every inch of her famously curvy figure

Chic: Her tiny waist was accentuated by her ample bust and the flawless cut of the stunning dress - perfect for any front row fixture

She boosted her height and lengthened her legs with a pair of teetering gold pointed heels which gave her look a luxurious edge.

Matching her gold shoes to her jewellery, she wore a stunning floating bangle alongside an eye-popping diamond ring.

Salma made sure her hair was as glamorously styled as her outfit as she slicked down the raven locks into a tight chignon falling from a centre parting.

Her make-up was kept dewy and natural to make the most of her ageless complexion as she wowed among her fellow fashionistas.

Raven tresses: Salma made sure her hair was as glamorously styled as her outfit as she slicked down the raven locks into a tight chignon falling from a centre parting

The boss man: Francois-Henri was looking proudly upon his empire due to his job as CEO of Kering - the company which owns Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Gucci, Puma, Volcom and Saint Laurent Paris

Meanwhile, Francois-Henri ensured he was smartly turned-out although kept things laid back by shunning a tie to wear with his sharp suit.

Just days before, Salma made yet another glam appearance at the 2016 Women's Media Awards in New York City, where she was the recipient that evening of the Sisterhood Is Global Award.

Also hitting the Balenciaga front row was Kim Kardashian and Anna Dello Russo.
Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt has reportedly dumped his third wife by phone.

The 67-year-old rocker allegedly told wife Lyndsay, 56, that he'd 'had enough' after they disagreed over his health and finances following ten years of marriage.

Rick, who has embraced the rock-star lifestyle throughout his career, suffered his fourth heart attack while on tour in June and recently put the couple's five-bedroom home in Marbella on the market for 1.5million.

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Family time: Parfitt with his wife Lyndsay and twins Tommy and Lily in 2009

A friend told The Sun: 'Rick phoned Lyndsay the other day to say he'd had enough and was moving out.

'She's furious. One minute she was caring for him and trying to sort out his finances - the next she was dumped.'

The source, claiming that the pair hardly speak, added that their relationship has been rocky for a while and that Lyndsay is now feeling 'low and vulnerable' as she is left to care for their eight-year-old twins Tommy and Lily as well as her 85-year-old mother.

Game over: The 67-year-old rocker allegedly told wife Lyndsay, 56, that he'd 'had enough'

Happier times: They reportedly disagreed over his health and finances following ten years of marriage

Lyndsay, who was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, told The Sun: 'We have separated but I dont want to say anything.'

MailOnline has contacted Rick's representatives for comment.

Rick, who had a quadruple heart bypass in 1997 and survived heart attacks in 2011 and 2014, once said: 'When you live the rock n roll life you pay for it sooner or later.'

In early September he revealed he may never perform with the band live again after a near-fatal heart attack.

The former hell-raising rocker yesterday told how he 'died' for three-and-a-half minutes after his heart stopped in a cardiac arrest while touring Turkey in June.

Rocking out: Rick Parfitt (L) and Francis Rossi of Status Quo performs on stage at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2013

Anger: A friend said that Lyndsay was 'furious' about the separation

While the 67-year-old has recovered well, he has been left with 'mild cognitive impairments' and is far from being fit enough to join the band's Last Night of the Electrics tour of Europe starting next month.

At Christmas, his doctor will tell him whether he is fit enough to play hits including Rockin' All Over The World on stage again. And while Parfitt is bullish about his recovery, his management said yesterday he 'may well have performed his last show with Quo'.

His departure would mean he and bandmate Francis Rossi, 67, falling just short of marking the 50th anniversary of their first hit. But Parfitt says he is determined to see his eight-year-old twins, Tommy and Lily, grow up.
Rumours have swirled that they're set to tie the knot in Australia later this year.

And pop princess Kylie Minogue and her fiance Joshua Sasse continue fight for the recognition of same-sex marriage in the country.

The 28-year-old British actor has created the Say I Do Down Under campaign.

On Sunday, he shared a picture of himself with the slogan printed on his T-shirt, as he stood beside Kylie and country music star Dolly Parton.

'Say I Do Down Under': Pop princess Kylie Minogue and her fiance Joshua Sasse continue fight for marriage equality in Australia

'This is what it's all about - spreading the word and SAYING I DO DOWN UNDER,' he wrote alongside the photo.

Kylie, who has previously labelled Australia's stance on same-sex marriage as 'backward', posted a message of support on her Instagram account.

'@joshuasasse has created the @sayidodownunder campaign to promote marriage equality for the #LGBT community in Australia,' she wrote on Sunday.

'This is what it's all about': The 28-year-old British actor has created the Say I Do Down Under campaign

'Spreading the word': The couple have been vocal supporters of marriage equality

'Please spread the word - repost, like and watch this space to see how you can get involved!!

The Australian government has proposed a plebiscite on same-sex marriage for early next year.

But the compulsory vote has been met with widespread criticism because it would carry no legal weight.

Kylie told The Daily Telegraph earlier this year that her English partner 'loves Australia' and he would push for same-sex legislation to pass in the country.

'It's backward': Kylie has previously slammed Australia's stance on same-sex marriage

'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 beau 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.

New campaign: The pop princess has urged the public to become involved in the initiative

'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.'

The pair first met on the set of Joshua's show Galavant, in September.

Kylie had a guest role in the series and they have been inseparable since.
Harry Clayton's got a bracelet that gives him the edge when it comes to beating the odd in Stan Lee's Lucky Man.

And it seems that James Nesbitt was on a winning streak too, as the actor avoided a plunge into a canal while filming new scenes for the show in London.

Shooting the second series on-location in the British capital, the 51-year-old actor couldn't help but smile as he switched places with his stuntman for the scene.

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One lucky man: James Nesbitt was on a winning streak, like his on-screen character Harry Clayton, as the actor avoided a plunge into a canal while filming new scenes for the show

As filming got underway last month, James looked refreshed and ready for a new challenge - having just finished up promotional duties for the return of Cold Feet.

Slipping back into the role of the charming but deeply flawed murder detective, James appeared to benefit from Harry's 'magical' bracelet.

Gifted with the ancient item by a mysterious woman in series one, the in-debt gambler finds himself on a winning streak when it comes to catching criminals.

And it would seem that the bracelet worked for James too, as the Northern Irish actor hopped out of a wheelchair to make way for his stuntman.

Shooting the second series on-location in the British capital, the 51-year-old actor couldn't help but smile as he switched places with his stuntman for the scene

As filming got underway last month, James looked refreshed and ready for a new challenge - having just finished up promotional duties for the return of Cold Feet

Pushed along a deserted path by a mystery female character, the actor looked to be filming a quiet scene.

However, things took a twist when James bounded out of the chair and his stuntman was tipped out, head-first into the river.

Brutally flung into the cold water, the professional action-man didn't look too pleased with his duty for the day.

Devil may care: It seems that a mystery female character was hoping to do away with Harry in the scene

Not much conversation here: Pushed along a deserted path by his co-star, the actor looked to be filming a tense scene

Time to make a move! However, things took a twist when James bounded out of the chair and his stuntman was tipped out, head-first into the river

It's all in the head: The stunt man looked to be preparing himself for the icy-clutches of the river

You ready? Given a few last-minute touches by the safety and wardrobe team, the stuntman was robed in James' coat

Given a few last-minute touches by the safety and wardrobe team, the stuntman was robed in James' coat before the actress' big moment came - pushing an incapacitated Harry into the drink.

Careering into the lake, an almighty splash went up as Harry hits the water - though the daredevil was fine.

Watched by members of the production crew and safety divers in a dinghy there was no prospect of anything going wrong - although the team sprang to his aid to help him get back to dry land.

Away we go! The mystery actress' big moment came finallym, and she launched an incapacitated 'Harry' into the drink

Headfirst into trouble: Careering into the lake in a composed manner, the stuntman took on his duty with a steely determination

We have entry: Plunging into the canal, the stuntman made a whopping impact

Making a splash: Making a truly epic crash into the water, the director must have been suitbaly impressed with the cut

To the rescue: As the crew bounded into action to do another take, the safety divers sprang into action and headed to collect the soaked stuntman

But it seems - as always - luck was on Harry and James' side, as the crew later took off to film a frantic car scene.

Hopping into a blue Ford Mondeo as Ambulances and Police cars swarmed around, Harry looked to be rushing off to catch his main suspect as his co-star Amara Karan (DS Suri Chohan) got behind the wheel.

Though fortunately someone had kitted him out with a dry change of clothes and a thermal blanket.

Back on his feet: But it seems - as always - luck was on Harry and James' side, as the crew later took off to film a frantic car scene

After the wheelchair chucker? Hopping into a blue Ford Mondeo as Ambulances and Police cars swarmed around, Harry looked to be rushing off to catch his main suspect

Fresh threads: Though fortunately someone had kitted him out with a dry change of clothes and a thermal blanket

Off they go: DS Suri Chohan (Amara Karan) came to his aid, and whizzed her boss off back to safety... or the suspect

White knuckle stuff? James looked to be finding Amara's driving a real adrenaline rush

Lucky Man aired on Sky 1 earlier this year, and series two is expected to premiere next year.

Meanwhile James' own personal life took a dramatic twist, as on Sunday he and his wife of 22-years, Sonia Forbes-Adams, were reported to be finalizing their divorce in the High Court.

The Cold Feet actor and his wife, 50 - who split in 2013 - are now believed to be ending their marriage for good.

Cold Feet star James Nesbitt and his wife of 22-years, Sonia Forbes-Adams, are set to finalize their divorce in the High Court

According to the Mirror, the Hobbit star and his wife are yet to be issued with a decree absolute though Sonia has moved into a 1.6million house in London.

The website also claims that Sonia has resigned her directorship at his production company, Brown Cow Films LTD, after 15 years.

They are now believed to be living just one mile apart, with James in a new abode in South London.

A spokesperson for James told the MailOnline: 'James and Sonia Nesbitt separated over two years ago as previously reported.

The 51-year-old actor and his wife, 50 - who split in 2013 - are now believed to be ending their marriage for good.

'They remain on the best of terms and request that their family's privacy is respected. There are no third parties involved.'

The news that the couple are set to complete their separation comes three years after they announced they were 'living separately', and had been for some time.

In October 2013 James and Sonia revealed they had split, with the two thespians citing James' hectic work schedule as the problem.

The actor had been working in New Zealand on Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy for two years at this time, with the first of the films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey released in 2012.

According to the Mirror, the Hobbit star and his wife are yet to be issued with a decree absolute though Sonia has moved into a 1.6million house in London

A spokesperson for James said: 'They remain on the best of terms and request that their family's privacy is respected. There are no third parties involved'

A number of kiss and tell stories emerged in the early 2000s regarding the actor.

However, James previously admitted that he has been fully to blame for any indiscretions while married to Sonia, and while speaking to Femail in 2008 he said:

'It was never anything to do with my wife. Any time I did anything like that, there was drink involved.

'I don't think I did anything sober. When you suddenly become successful, the change is enormous, financially and in terms of recognition and the way people treat you. I found that hard to deal with. I just regret the hurt it caused my family.'

The actor is currently enjoying an on-screen reunion with the cast of Cold Feet, the show that saw his star rise, with the sixth series of the show returning last month after 13 years.
Fans of the hit drama Call The Midwife are eagerly awaiting their next installment in the form of the Christmas special.

But they'll be aggrieved to learn that the next series, which kicks off in January, features yet another funeral after the death of Sister Evangelina in the previous run out.

The cast and crew were seen filming scenes of mourning at St. Anne's Church in Limehouse, London, clad in black and displaying solemn expressions.

Mourning: Fans will be aggrieved to learn that the next series, which kicks off in January, features yet another funeral after the death of Sister Evangelina in the previous run out

Viewers of the show will have to wait to find out who has so tragically passed away - but they'll be relieved to know that fan-favourite Trixie Franklin (Helena George) is safe and sound.

Also seen at the funeral was her real-life boyfriend Jack Ashton, who plays Rev Tom Hereward.

Call the Midwife is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The show achieved very high ratings in its first series, making it the most successful new drama series on BBC One since 2001.

Woeful: The cast and crew were seen filming scenes of mourning at St. Anne's Church, Limehouse London, clad in black and displaying solemn expressions

After being inspired by her time on the show, star Helen George has vowed to help build a much needed childbirth clinic in an impoverished South African village.

The 31-year-old actress, who plays sassy Trixie Franklin in the hit BBC1 drama, has been in the country filming the Christmas special and was moved to action after witnessing the primitive conditions in Mamre, 30 miles from Cape Town.

Pictured on set, the blonde beauty wore her long locks in curlers as she prepared to turn herself into a nurse from the fifties.

Call for Helen! In a touching case of life imitating art, Call The Midwife star Helen George has vowed to help build a much needed childbirth clinic in an impoverished South African village

Helen spent five hours in Mamre  in which some of the characters travel from London to treat babies suffering from malnourishment, polio and Downs syndrome.

Ingrid Lestrade, head of the Path Out Of Poverty group spearheading the bid to build the clinic, says the actresss visit made them feel they had been touched by an angel.

Helen was desperate to help us and has pledged to return with other cast members and build us a midwifery clinic, she said.
As one of Hollywood's finest fashionistas, Diane Kruger was in her element at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

But it seems that matters of the heart may have been playing on the 39-year-old's mind, two months after her split from longtime love Joshua Jackson.

Before making her way to Valentino's star-studded fashion show, Diane shared an Instagram photo of some writing on a wall, which read: 'Baby it was real and we were the best.'

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Fashion's finest: Diane Kruger made a statement at the Valentino show during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday, as she opted to wear jeans

However in her accompanying caption, the actress appeared to be letting fans know that she was referring to a night out with her stylist Micah Schifman.

'To whom it may concern #saturdaylatenightchoicesandconversations:) @micahmarcus #thatwasfun #dancethenightaway #myfeethurtbutwewerethebest,; she captioned it.

For Sunday's fashion show, Diane was making quite a statement as she sported a pair of extremely casual baggy boyfriend jeans that were rolled up at the ankles.

The German beauty dressed up her look with a white lace blouse, fur jacket and black sling-back heels.

Matters of the heart: The actress had earlier posted a cryptic Instagram post, but appeared to be insisting it was referring to a night out

Diane pulled her dark blonde locks into an updo and finished off her look with picture perfect make-up.

The Bridge star, who sat in the front row with Miles Teller and his girlfriend Keleigh Sperry, recently attended the Elie Saab and Dior shows.

It was revealed in July that Diane and Josh had decided to end their romance, with a spokesperson saying that they planned to 'remain friends'.

Dressing up her dressed down look: Diane added a lace blouse, fur jacket and heels

Best seats in the house: The 39-year-old was seated beside Miles Teller and his girlfriend Keleigh Sperry

And in August they were clearly sticking to their word when they were seen sharing an intimate hug at LAX.

The pair had often dealt with rumours of problems in their relationship, and in March Diane admitted she was unsure if she would consider marrying again.

Welcome to my dilemma,' she told The Edit. 'I just moved to New York. I need to unpack and buy some house stuff, like candles and books.

'[Moving here] was a major commitment. That's a big step into adulthood for me, to allow that time for someone else out of my time.'

Calling it quits: Diane split from Joshua Jackson (seen in November) in July after 10 years together

Meanwhile Joshua Jackson previously revealed Diane hated watching his sex scenes, telling Ellen DeGeneres: 'I go home and I'm like, "Babe, I had a great day today. I had sex with two different women and I felt like it went really well".

'I think she's a little conflicted on that. She's OK if I look a little schlubby ... Keep the good stuff at home.'

In December, Diane set tongues wagging when it was claimed that she had been spotted in a New York bar with The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, who played her love interest in 2015 drama Sky.

In August, Josh was seen spending eight hours drinking at a bar with his The Affair co-star Ruth Wilson, and he has since been seen hanging out with a mystery blonde as well as Margarita Levieva.
Sofia Richie certainly wasn't feeling shy on Saturday night.

The 18-year-old was spotted heading into West Hollywood's hottest celebrity spot The Nice Guy in an extremely daring outfit.

Sofia turned every head in an entirely sheer long-sleeved black top, and decided to go without a bra.

She's not shy: Sofia Richie wore a daring outfit while heading to The Nice Guy in West Hollywood on Saturday night

A couple of strategically placed patches were the only things protecting the model's modesty.

And she didn't stop there, as Sofia added a pair of black sweatpants that were slit all the way down the sides, leaving her underwear on show.

The daughter of Lionel Richie added black and white heeled trainers and lashings of make-up, wearing her blonde locks down and poker straight.

Sofia was joined by a female friend as she headed inside the venue.

Leaving little to the imagination: The model went bra-less in a sheer top, teamed with slit sweatpants

Girls' night: Sofia,who recently split from Justin Bieber, was joined by a female friend

The rising star is enjoying some time with her pals after splitting from Justin Bieber last month.

The model and the 22-year-old pop star's relationship with short-lived and lasted just a few weeks.

Sofia appeared to have put the break-up behind her last week, and she was seen hanging out with Pamela Anderson's son Brandon Thomas Lee in Italy.

The blonde spent some time in Milan for Fashion Week, and was also seen exploring the sights.

'My life': On Sunday, Sofia shared a flashback photo which showed her posing with mother Diana

Making the most of being single: The previous evening, the 18-year-old shared an Instagram post which showed Pamela Anderson's son Brandon Thomas Lee giving her a piggyback

Sofia, whose big sister is Nicole Richie, returned Stateside earlier this week and celebrated with a night at her favourite spot The Nice Guy.

And she was hanging out with Brandon again on Friday, sharing two Polaroid photos which showed him giving her a piggyback.

However Sofia appeared to be clarifying that he is actually involved with her pal Bronte Blampied (who was also once linked to Justin Bieber), as she captioned the post: 'When you steal Bronte's man for a pic ;).'
Far from the palatial estates of Beverly Hills, Jessica Lowndes knows how to rest and recuperate in style.

The 90210 star recently flashed her stunning legs in a photo shoot promoting the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Her on-camera escapades in the Puerto Aventuras area of Solidaridad included a pair of new friends: a toucan and a monkey perched on her shoulders.

Monkey business: Jessica Lowndes cuddled up to a monkey while on holiday in Mexico

Twins: The 27-year-old also posed with an avian friend during her photo shoot at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya

In one photo, the bird sat on her legs as she lounged on a deck chair, which sat on a platform at the resort's private white sand beach.

On the table next to her were a bottle of white wine and two champagne flutes. On the backrest behind her, hand over mouth, was the monkey.

The 27-year-old's white dress was splashed with geometric patterns and offered a glimpse of cleavage.

Though its asymmetric hem fell below the knee when she stood, it slid upward as she lay on the deck chair to reveal her toned stems.

Trio: Both the toucan and a monkey joined her as she sat on a deck chair at the resort's private white sand beach

When you got it: The 90210 star showcased her toned legs as she posed solo at the beach

Another photo saw her relaxing on the same beachside seat, free to show off her legs without a toucan on them.

The Vancouver native was also seen sitting on the edge of a pier, gazing away from the shore and dangling her feet over the water. Her toenails were painted bright pink.

Another photo saw her striking her best pensive face in front of the stone outgrowth, the toucan mirroring her on her left shoulder.

A new pal: The Vancouver native seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself with the monkey

Pride of place: He spent a good deal of time perched on her shoulder

She seemed to have a particularly good time mugging for the camera on the sand as the small black-furred monkey sat on her shoulder and sifted through her hair.

At one point, it went ahead and sat right on her head, still examining it, and caused her to bend over laughing.

An elegant solo photo saw her crossing her legs as she stood on a balcony dangling over the Caribbean. Its rail was dark wood, arranged into a repeating pattern of an X in a square tethered together by white ropes.

On the edge: She also dangled her feet over the Caribbean from a pier lined with canopies and deck chairs
Sibling rivalry is coming back to bite Mindy Kaling.

The 37-year-old comedy star is under fire from her brother, Vijay Jojo Chokal-Ingam, amid his release of a self-published book that paints her in a very unflattering light.

In her brother's book - titled Almost Black: The True Story Of How I Got Into Medical School By Pretending To Be Black - Vijay told the New York Post that The Office star 'tried to sabotage' its release and has pulled similar nasty tactics on her show business peers.

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Say what?: Mindy Kaling, 37, was under siege Sunday from her brother Vijay Jojo Chokal-Ingam, who told the NY Post she tried to thwart the release of his book and has pulled similar tactics on others in the past

Family feud: Mindy Kaling's brother Vijay said The Mindy Project star warned him that publishing his investigative tome would heap shame on their family

In response, Vijay told the paper he told his sister, 'You play a sl*t on national TV, and you think this will bring shame on the family?'

More shocking than the testy exchange is Vijay's claim that The Mindy Project star has been ruthless and manipulative behind the scenes, en route to her enviable spot in the comedy world.

Mindy 'has engineered similar public and private plots against her many frenemies in Hollywood,' said her brother, adding that he hoped pulling the veil off her scheming tendencies could reign her in from doing it to others.

Red carpet regular: Mindy, seen here at the Gracie Awards in May, has blossomed into a major star over the past decade

A wolf in sheep's clothing?: Mindy's brother claims that the beauty, seen here at an event in Beverly Hills, 'has engineered ... public and private plots' against others in show business

'If Mindy thinks twice about stabbing someone else in the back because of what Ive written,' he said, 'then Im doing her a big favor.'

Vijay, who works as a college admissions consultant, revealed that Mindy's relationship with writer Benjamin Nugent crumbled when she engaged in behind-the-scenes politicking to ensure that his sister, Annie Baker, would not be represented by the powerhouse agency William Morris Endeavor.

Vijay said that Mindy had even promised Nugent she would do her best to aid Baker, who went on to win a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for her dramatic piece, The Flick.

Hard-headed: Neither Vijay or Mindy speak to one another in the wake of a fight they had two years back, her brother said

Vijay's book details a social experiment he conducted to show the wrongs of the affirmative action system. He said that Mindy lied in her claim that she had no clue he was releasing the book.

Vijay said he and Mindy 'don't talk' in the wake of a falling-out in 2014, and it's safe to say that his latest remarks likely only widen the divide.

Mindy's reps have yet to respond to DailyMail.com's comment request.
Rodrigo Duterte is in news again. In a typically cavalier tone, the Philippines president has declared he is giving Washington notice that the current military drill between the U.S. and his country will be the last.

This is a further sign of strain in the historic U.S.-Filipino alliance, as the ties with the Southeast Asian country is at the core of America's grand strategy in Asia. The military force of the two countries engage in extensive cooperation and have carried out annual exercises for a long time; indeed, they were at an early stage planning for the coming years. Duerte's announcement, undoubtedly, is a major complication.

It came after Duterte had declared his intention of seeking to buy arms from China and Russia. His near daily outbursts at his critics reached a fever pitch last month with him abusing the U.S. president and the Pope and the United Nations and anyone who is opposed to his scorched earth drug war at home.

He declares himself open to trade and commerce with any power including China and Russia, and has threatened to kick American forces out of the Philippines -- although the Obama Administration says it hasn't received any official request from the Filipino side concerning cancelation of the military arrangements. Duerte's foreign secretary, Perfcto Yasay, even tried to control the damage saying the president's words were taken out of context.

This is an interesting development, to say the least. Most analysts thought Duerte would be prudent and seek to maintain a careful, balancing relationship between China and the United States (the Filipino military is almost completely dependent on the U.S. security umbrella, and trade with China is extremely important as well).

It is fair to say it's just hyperbole. Consider the evidence. Earlier, Duterte backtracked after abusing U.S. President Obama and calling him unprintable names. Similarly, he has blustered before about forcing American forces out of the Philippines, and immediately backtracked, saying he never said this. He went further to mention the need for the Americans to maintain security in the South China Sea.

On the other hand, Duterte said China needs to focus on its criminal elements. As a continuation of the drug war inside his country, Duterte claimed that most narcotics come via China, and he would raise this issue with his Chinese counterparts when visiting Beijing.

Now, this creates a curious choice for both the U.S. and China. How to deal with someone who is volatile? It is tempting for China, obviously, if Duterte really wants rapprochement while breaking with the United States, its oldest and most powerful ally.

On the other hand, the Americans are grappling with the question of whether to placate an ally who is extremely brutal at home and put human rights in the forefront of their approach to him; or, to use Philippines as a frontline ally to balance China in the bigger game of geopolitics.

First of all, deal with volatile allies is dangerous, as they can drag you into a conflict. Secondly they are dangerous as the trust quotient is less, and they constantly need to be appeased, or they might turn elsewhere, to the highest bidder  and, in geopolitics, there is no shortage of bidders. It is almost like poker in some ways.

The second fact here is maybe Duterte is still trying to work out who can and is willing to help him as he contemplates an increasingly isolated international stance, even though he is seemingly very popular at home. However, that might change and he might face a hostile uprising; certainly a combination of unknown factors could cost him popularity. Already, the Filipino peso has slumped to its lowest level in seven years, and the common people will eventually feel the pinch.

Finally, serious structural differences remain between China and Philippines that need to be sorted out and negotiated. Geopolitics and interests always inevitably trump ideology...and it goes both ways.

The Chinese government has got a lot on its plate, just as much as the U.S. government and it is unlikely they would want to spend much time on such an issue that does not threaten their existence. It seems a good time to recommend the age-old Confucian wisdom of "waiting and watching." It's still way too early to fathom and decide on a course.

Sumantra Maitra is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn
He famously answered back to Simon Cowell during his days as a Pop Idol contestant, in 2002.

But Will Young seemed to reignite his feud with his former pop boss on Sunday night, as he expressed his relief that he no longer had to come face-to-face with the notoriously hard-to-please music mogul.

Speaking after the first round of eliminations on Strictly Come Dancing this weekend, the Pop Idol winner took the opportunity to throw shade at Simon.

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Joker: Will Young had a pop at his old music boss Simon Cowell on Sunday night, as he told Strictly Come Dancing's Claudia Winkleman that he was glad he no longer had to deal with the music mogul

He told Claudia Winkleman: 'I'm really nervous. But, there's no Simon Cowell... so that's nice!'

On the night, Will was saved by the British public and put through to next week's Movie Week of Strictly Come Dancing after throwing himself into a Jive with Karen Clifton on Saturday evening.

It seemed to bring back memories of his reality TV debut on singing competition Pop Idol, a show which saw him triumph over pop rival Gareth Gates and be named winner.

Yikes: The Strictly contestant said that at least Simon wasn't in the building

Face off: Simon (centre, with Mel B, left, and Emma Bunton, right) formerly came face-to-face with Will on Pop Idol in 2002

At the time, Cowell was on the judging panel alongside Pete Waterman, Nicki Chapman and Neil Fox.

Facing criticism specifically from judge Simon, singing hopeful Will boldly bit back after one memorable rendition of The Doors' Light My Fire.

Simon called the performance 'Dinstinctly Average' and Will said: 'All of us have been dying to say things to you  I've written about ten things to say to you.

Awkward: Will once answered the music judge back after receiving critique on Pop Idol

Not impressed: Obviously, Simon had a funny retort too

'I think it's nice that you have given opinions on this show. I think in previous shows you haven't, you've just projected insults and it has been terrible to watch.

'I think, this show, I think you have been better, and I think you have given opinions and you've backed up your opinions.

'It is your opinion. I don't agree with it. I don't think it was average. I don't think you could ever call that average. But it is your opinion and I respect that.'

Light My Fire went on to be one of Will's best-selling songs when he released it as a single on debut album From Now On.

Throwback: At the time, Simon (second left) was judging Pop Idol beside (from left) Neil Fox, Nicki Chapman and Pete Waterman

Singing hopeful: Will (here in 2003) went on to win Pop Idol the year that he experienced his memorable run-in with Simon

Since the show, Will has publicly branded the X Factor judge a 'bully' telling The Huffington Post UK in 2015: 'I don't like bullies, and I don't know if there's a nurturing side to his shows.

'It always comes from the top. There definitely wasn't enough pastoral care, and I can't bear seeing people that aren't looked after.

'I didn't like it at school, and with my friends. I've never liked it, and that's my question for him.'

The lucky few: Daisy Lowe and Will were just some of the stars breathing a sigh of relief this week as the first results came in on Sunday night's Strictly and learned that they would be staying for another week

Meanwhile, during Sunday night's show, Radio DJ Melvin Odoom and his partner Janette Manrara became the first celebrity couple to leave.

Melvin was due to join US musician Anastacia in the dance-off, however the latter was unable to perform again after a serious injury in training during the week.

Melvin was sent home by the British public with the lowest votes after his Tango to M People's Movin' On Up failed to impress the judges, and earned him a measly score of 22.

Heading home: Melvin Odoom (left) and his partner Janette Manrara (right) became the first celebrity couple to leave Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday evening

Of his time on the show, Melvin said: 'I just need to say, every single person on this show; the contestants, the dancers, the production, the judges, everyone is absolutely amazing.

'It's a blessing to be on the show and thank you for Janette, it's been a great experience for me, thank you!'

Janette added: 'Melvin is one of those individuals that you meet and never forget from the first moment you meet them.

'He's got such a beautiful soul, such a gorgeous smile, an infectious personality and I just want to thank you for making this, although short, an extremely sweet journey amazing for me.'

Come to an end: Melvin said he was 'very sad' to be heading home after just two weeks of performing

Ruled out: US musician Anastacia was unable to perform in the Dance Off, which meant that the final decision was based on the public vote

Injured: The blonde aggravated an existing ailment in training during the week and had to perform an updated version of her routine on Saturday night

At the top: In more fortunate news, Louise Redknapp was at the top of the leaderboard at the end of Saturday's show

Top scorer: Louise was delighted with a score of 32, which helped her to beat the other contestants
It seems like only yesterday when Richie Strahan and Alex Nation bathed in $3,000 worth of Lindt chocolate during season four of The Bachelor.

But the new couple traded the decadence for soap suds and water while sharing a bath on Sunday.

In an intimate snap posted on Alex's Instagram, a shirtless Richie was seen naked in the tub, immersed in bubbly water.

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Rub-a-dub: The Bachelor's Richie Strahan traded chocolate for soap suds on Sunday night as he and girlfriend Alex Nation took a bath together

The romantic setting came equipped with a bottle of red wine and candles.

Richie's wet hair remained slicked back with one curl resting on his forehead.

The ropes access technician appeared to be in happy spirits as he blew bubbles to Alex, who appeared to have taken the photo.

Alex captioned the picture: 'Bubble baths and red with this guy.'

Fans gushed over the romantic setting, while others queried: 'Not chocolate this time?'

Loved up: On Sunday, Richie shared a loved up snap as he cuddled up to girlfriend Alex while enjoying a romantic getaway in Yallingup in Western Australia

The snap is one of many that appear to be popping up on the Bachelor couple's social media accounts since their relationship was made public to Australia.

Sharing another loved up selfie from Sunday, Richie cuddled up to girlfriend Alex as they enjoyed a romantic getaway in Yallingup in Western Australia.

The post was captioned: 'Spoiling her. Fire, wine & of course the best company.'

Decadent: Sparks flew when Richie and Alex sipped champagne and bathed in $3,000 worth of Lindt chocolate on season four of The Bachelor

Richie and Alex have had a rocky road in the media spotlight with fans slamming his decision to choose the mother-of-one over fan-favourite, Nikki Gogan.

The spectacular dumping shocked the nation and left fans confused and angry at the decision.

But it would appear sparks were flying early on in the show when Richie and Alex indulged their sweet tooth in a decadent chocolate bath.

Heartbroken: In the final rose ceremony fan favourite Nikki Gogan was sent home, when Richie shocked the nation by choosing single mother Alex

Dignified: The blonde beauty had a tearful goodbye, but wished the new couple all the best. She revealed that she was still 'raw' from the situation when asked soon after the finale

The pair appeared to be naked in the chocolate tub, and were seen drinking champagne while immersing themselves in the warm, sticky chocolate.

At the time Alex said: 'We've made huge progress in our relationship this evening.'

Bachelor's season finale aired last month and was shot in idyllic Bali in Indonesia, where Nikki and a few of the other Bachelor rejects will be attending a reunion.
She bowed out of a Spice Girls reunion to commemorate the 20th anniversary.

But Victoria Beckham has revealed that she does not want reformed bandmates Geri Horner, Mel B and Emma Bunton - now known as GEM - to use their songs.

Worried that it might 'be a bit sad,' the 42-year-old fashion designer told The Sunday Times' STYLE magazine how she really felt about the trio reforming.

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Defiant: Victoria Beckham has insisted that the newly-reformed Spice Girls should use their own material for the 20th anniversary reunion

She said: 'I do think they should new material, though, because what we did as the Spice Girls was so special.

'If they sang Spice Girls songs, I think I might be a bit sad.'

Despite her insistence that the trio release fresh songs, the brunette made it clear that she wished them luck as a new group.

And then there were three: Mel B, Geri Horner and Emma Bunton have decided to reform as a threesome but Victoria said she thought it would be sad if they reused Spice Girls songs

Reunited: Victoria (left) along with Mel C (second left, here in 2007) has decided not to join (from left) Geri Horner, Emma Bunton and Mel B for the reunion

Victoria's bandmate Mel C similarly turned down the chance to reunite with the Spice Girls for their upcoming reunion.

Appearing to have no regrets, she has beat the band to the punch when it comes to new material as she has decided to release a solo single called Anymore.

Taken from new album, Version Of Me, the songs was performed at G-A-Y in London on Saturday night.

Singing her heart out: Mel C debuted new solo material of her own at G-A-Y on Saturday night

Passionate performance: Taking to the stage in London on Saturday night, the 42-year-old songstress put on a leggy display as she took to the stage in front of her delighted crowd

Her solo performance at the club came just weeks after she addressed her decision to turn down a Spice Girls reunion.

Explaining her reasons for staying away, she wrote in her essay for LOVE: 'The hardest part for me was letting people down, the girls, the fans, civilisation?! Unfortunately something didnt feel quite right and I had to follow my gut.'

She added that she was confused as to why so many pop stars were making a comeback after turning their backs on music as she reasoned some things are better left in the past.

She pondered: 'Is it a new rule that bands have to reform? Why cant we just be remembered for our incredible achievements in the nineties?'

Despite being confused by the spate of reunion tours of late, the star - who appeared in the Spice Girls comeback tour in 2007 following their split in 2000 - admitted that she loved reuniting to perform at the London Olympics opening ceremony.

Rounding off her LOVE Letter, she revealed: 'For me the absolute pinnacle of my Spice existence was being watched by a billion people around the globe belting out Spice up Your Life on top of a black cab at the 2012 London Olympics.

Meanwhile, Geri, Emma and Mel have been keeping their cards close to their chests about what the comeback will entail.
New twist in SpaceX rocket blast probe

The mysterious explosion of a SpaceX rocket last month took an odd turn with a "cordial" encounter between staff of Elon Musk's firm and fierce rival United Launch Alliance, The Washington Post reported.

No one was hurt in the September 1 blast, which came as the unmanned Falcon 9 rocket was being fueled ahead of a standard, pre-launch test in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Musk is rushing to revolutionize the launch industry by making rocket components reusable.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 1, 2016 NASA TV (NASA TV/AFP/File)

And the accident -- the second of its kind since SpaceX was founded in 2002 -- came just over a year after a Falcon 9 rocket failed after liftoff on June 28, 2015, destroying a Dragon cargo capsule bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

Before that, SpaceX had logged 18 successful launches of the Falcon 9 -- including six of 12 planned supply missions to the ISS carried out as part of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

During their investigation SpaceX officials found something suspicious they wanted to check out, the Post said, quoting three industry officials with knowledge of the episode.

SpaceX had still images from video that seemed to show a shadow, then a white spot on the roof of a nearby building belonging to ULA, the Post said.

ULA is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

So a SpaceX employee visited ULA facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida and asked for access to the roof at one ULA building that had a close line of sight to the SpaceX launch.

The visit was cordial, not accusatory. The ULA people denied access, but notified the Air Force, which inspected the roof and found nothing connected to the blast, the Post said.
Afghanistan seeks aid to rebuild nation at Brussels talks

Afghanistan's president will meet world powers at a major conference in Brussels next week in a bid to secure financial aid from the international community up to 2020 to rebuild the war-ravaged nation.

The meeting on October 4 and 5 will try to drum up support from an international community suffering from aid fatigue as it grapples with conflicts in Syria and Iraq plus the worst migration crisis since World War II.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among those who will join hosts Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and EU President Donald Tusk.

President Ashraf Ghani vowed at the London Conference two years ago to build a more self-reliant Afghanistan Wakil Kohsar (AFP/File)

Financial support is "crucial" in order "to bring about a new strategic shift towards stabilisation and possibly peace" in Afghanistan, despite the country not having "been in the headlines for many years", officials said ahead of the conference.

"Nobody can afford for Afghanistan to destabilise again," a senior EU official added.

More than 70 countries and 25 international organisations will attend the event, which comes just before the 15th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.

Afghanistan is still struggling to negotiate peace with the Taliban and other militant groups who continue to wage a bloody insurgency.

- Tokyo, London, Brussels -

The Brussels conference follows up from a meeting in Tokyo in 2012 where the international community agreed to provide four billion euros a year in funding until the end of 2016.

It also comes two years after the London Conference on Afghanistan at which then newly-elected president Ashraf Ghani vowed to build a more self-reliant Afghanistan.

Ghani said last week in Kabul that "in Brussels, your government will represent all of you women, men, all of you. In Brussels the world is going to reiterate their economic commitments again".

He added: "We are taking Brussels very seriously. After we return from Brussels we have to work together, this is the importance of it."

The international community will make pledges for the next four years but officials would not be drawn on the level of funding in comparison to the four billion euros a year agreed in Tokyo.

"The pledging exercise remains a difficult one and very fluid until the last moments," one EU official said. "The three billion mark is passed, but we don't know where well end up."

The EU itself will sign a state building contract of 200 million euros for 2017-2018 at the conference, honouring its commitment to an annual budget for that amount for Afghanistan.

But payouts will depend on whether Afghanistan meets its political and financial reform commitments, as well as political transparency.

- 'Speed of reforms' -

The conference comes after NATO countries agreed at a summit in Warsaw in July to maintain troop numbers in Afghanistan and uphold a pledge of $5 billion a year for local security forces for the next four years.

EU officials expressed some optimism about Afghanistan's human development. Under the country's new unity government, "the speed of reforms has significantly increased when compared to previous administrations", said an EU official.

"The Afghan government has by and large delivered on our expectations and exceeded them," he added.

A recent diplomatic success for the country was the signing of a peace accord on September 22 with the Islamic organisation Hezb-i-Islami, led by former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

The country has also made progress in areas of women's rights, anti-corruption measures and revenue collection.

EU officials denied that the pledges would have conditions attached, after the leak of an EU memo in March that suggested that financial pledges would be made in return for Afghanistan accepting 80,000 asylum-seekers deported from EU countries.

Afghanistan is still struggling to negotiate peace with the Taliban and other militant groups who continue to wage a bloody insurgency Jawed Tanveer (AFP/File)

Financial support is "crucial" in order "to bring about a new strategic shift towards stabilisation and possibly peace" in Afghanistan Farshad Usyan (AFP/File)
President Fonseca wins second term in Cape Verde vote

Cape Verde's President Jorge Carlos Fonseca has hailed his "historic" re-election at the helm of one of Africa's most stable democracies, with nearly complete results Monday showing him sweeping almost three quarters of the vote.

Without a strong challenger for the top post, Fonseca took a whopping 74 percent, according to the latest provisional results, which cover more than 90 percent of ballots cast in Sunday's election.

Independent candidates Albertino Graca and Joaquim Monteiro took 22.6 and 3.4 percent each.

Cape Verde's President Jorge Carlos Fonseca's win was by no means a surprise, after his liberal Movement for Democracy enjoyed a string of landslide victories this year Jim Watson (AFP/File)

Winning with such a large margin, Fonseca, 66, will embark on his second term in office without going through a runoff.

Fonseca swept the vote on all nine of Cape Verde's inhabited islands as well as an important diaspora contingent.

This made the result "an historic victory," Fonseca wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday night.

"I always thought I could win this election but I know that in a democracy there are no advance victories.

"I will continue to be a president for everyone no matter who they are," he added.

Fonseca's win was by no means a surprise, after his liberal Movement for Democracy (MFD) enjoyed a string of landslide victories earlier this year.

Fonseca had called on supporters to "say yes to freedom, justice and Cape Verde" and re-elect him for another five-year term, urging voters not to give in to fatigue caused by other electoral contests.

But in the event, abstentions soared in the Atlantic archipelago, reaching 64.1 percent.

The MFD's victories in a March general election and municipal polls in September dealt serious blows to the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), which consequently decided not to field a presidential candidate.

Fonseca's two rivals were veteran political campaigner Monteiro, 76, a key player in the country's fight for independence from Portugal, and university rector Graca, 57.

In 2011, Fonseca beat PAICV's Manuel Inocencio Sousawon in a runoff with 54 percent of the vote.

- Exemplary transparency -

African Union electoral observer Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo, head of a team of 29 deployed for the vote, told AFP the former Portuguese colony was "an example as regards transparent elections".

Some 314,000 island residents and 47,000 citizens living abroad were registered to vote.

Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in July 1975, after an 11-year liberation war, and adopted a multi-party system in 1990.

Most executive power in Cape Verde resides with the prime minister, appointed by the president in consultation with parties represented in parliament and taking into account election results.

The president and members of parliament are elected every five years by universal suffrage.

About half the population of Cape Verde works in agriculture, which provides only 10 percent of the country's food needs, while tourism and remittances from the diaspora are also vital for the economy.

A lack of natural resources and infrastructure mean Cape Verde's economy is fragile, and the country runs a large trade deficit.
Software star Google expected to flex hardware muscle

A high-profile Google event Tuesday is widely expected to show a new emphasis on hardware, challenging rivals Apple and Amazon and launching a new strategy for the online giant.

While the company has offered no official preview, it is expected to unveil a new line of Google-branded smartphones, a tablet and a home virtual assistant.

Analysts anticipate that the internet titan will expand on a vision laid out by chief Sundar Pichai at its developers conference early this year.

Industry trackers anticipate Google will show off its own smartphone, showcasing the prowess of its new Nougat version of its Android mobile software Jeff Pachoud (AFP/File)

The strategy would seek to take Google's strength in software and merge that with its devices, as Apple, Amazon and smartphone leader Samsung all work to get a tighter grip on consumers.

Google fired off a Twitter message with hashtag #madebygoogle and a video of what appeared to be a long rectangular search term box morphing into a silhouette of a smartphone.

"They did call it out as a smartphone event," Gartner analyst Brian Blau said. "It is an opportunity for Google to show off its latest devices."

Industry trackers anticipate Google will show off its own smartphone, showcasing the prowess of its new Nougat version of its Android mobile software.

Google may stamp its latest smartphones with a "Pixel" brand instead of the "Nexus" name it has used in the past for Android smartphones it has made in collaborations with partners.

Google has worked with handset makers in the past to field smartphones showing off the full potential of Android mobile operating software, which it makes available free to device makers.

By stressing something "made by Google," the California company has triggered speculation it would push a premium smartphone line of its own against the likes of Apple and Samsung.

Apple recently released new iPhone 7 models, along with its new-generation iOS 10 mobile operating system. Samsung meanwhile has been struggling with a recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 handsets due to complaints of exploding batteries.

- Taking on Echo -

The Google gathering is expected to go beyond smartphones, however, with the company possibly showing off a new Chromecast device for streaming online content to television screens, a Wi-Fi router, and perhaps announcing when it will release Google Home virtual assistant.

Blau anticipated that Google will build on announcements it made at the developers conference, along with revealing partnerships for apps or services intended to make devices more enticing.

At the gathering in May, Google unveiled a virtual home assistant that will challenge Amazon's Echo and laid out a future rich with artificial intelligence.

Google Home, about the size of a stout vase, was to hit the market by the end of this year, but exact timing and pricing was not disclosed.

Home devices will incorporate new Google virtual assistant software introduced by Pichai.

"Our ability to do conversational understanding is far ahead of what other virtual assistants can do," Pichai said at the developers conference.

"We are an order of magnitude ahead of everyone else."

Home devices combine machine learning, online search, voice recognition and more to allow people to get answers to questions, manage tasks, or control devices by speaking naturally, demonstrations showed.

Home will synch with Chromecast devices that allow remote control of televisions or stereo systems, and with "smart" devices made by Google-owned Nest and other companies, company executives promised.

- Daydreaming -

Blau also expected the Google event to feature news about Daydream, a virtual reality platform that the company said is coming.

That could manifest in the form of a headset into which Daydream-enabled phones serve as screens for virtual reality experiences.

"Daydream does go hand-in-hand with the smartphones," Blau said.

Some reports ay the event could include the debut of a seven-inch tablet computer made by Chinese consumer electronics giant Huawei and running on Google software.

- Andromeda strain -

As the event neared, speculation mounted that Google might also discuss a long-anticipate merging of its Chrome and Android operating systems, and introduce a new Pixel laptop powered by the software.

Google might call the new operating system "Andromeda," according to some reports.

"The new Andromeda OS is expected to bring some of the desktop-like capabilities of Chrome into Android to form a super OS that could work across smartphones, tablets, and notebook-style form factors," Technalysis Research chief analyst Bob O'Donnell said

Such a new desktop style operating system would have the potential to challenge Microsoft Windows and Apple MacOS software for powering computers.

"Google has such a smorgasbord of things they could be doing," Forrester analyst Frank Gillett told AFP.

"It doesn't sound like we will see from them what we need to see on Android, which is to stop the forking."

A longstanding lamentation about Android is that device makers or carriers tend not to update custom versions of the operating systems when improvements or security fixes are released.

The splitting of Android software, or "forking," has created a situation in which one almost needs to toss out old handsets and buy new ones to upgrade operating systems, according to the analyst.

"The rate at which Android handsets get updated is abominable," Gillett said.

"It is a market where Android handsets are throw-aways."

Analysts anticipate Google will expand on a vision laid out by chief Sundar Pichai at its developers conference early this year Eric Piermont (AFP/File)

Samsung has been struggling with a recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 handsets due to complaints of exploding batteries Jung Yeon-Je (AFP/File)

Apple recently released new iPhone 7 models, along with its new-generation iOS 10 mobile operating system Kazuhiro Nogi (AFP/File)
Did billionaire Trump avoid taxes for 18 years?

Donald Trump declared a loss of nearly $1 billion on his 1995 income tax return, allowing him to legally avoid paying taxes for almost two decades, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The revelations come after the outspoken Republican presidential candidate repeatedly refused to make his tax filings public, the first candidate to do so since Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

The billionaire's tax records show "the extraordinary tax benefits" that Trump derived "from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan," The Times said in its Sunday edition.

Donald Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax return, allowing him to legally avoid paying taxes for decades, a report says Mandel Ngan (AFP/File)

While Trump's taxable income in the following years is unknown, "a $916 million loss in 1995 would have been large enough to wipe out more than $50 million a year in taxable income over 18 years," the report said.

The Times said it received the three pages of the tax returns via mail from an anonymous source, with a return address on the envelope as Trump Tower in New York, the real estate tycoon's headquarters.

The newspaper said it verified the authenticity of the documents and had them reviewed by a tax expert.

- 'Bombshell' -

Trump has never held political office, so the core of his campaign relies on his alleged acumen as a successful businessman.

The Trump campaign issued a statement that said nothing about the veracity of the report, and did not address the $916 million loss.

"Mr Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the statement said.

"That being said, Mr Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes," it added, giving no specifics.

The campaign attacked The Times as "an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests."

"BOMBSHELL," wrote Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon on Twitter. "Trump's returns show just how lousy a businessman he is AND how long he may have avoided paying any taxes."

Soon after the news broke late Saturday, Trump appeared agitated and veered off message repeatedly at a rally in Manheim, Pennsylvania.

Trump showed up more than 1.5 hours late to the event, then repeatedly rambled off on tangents, talking about his now-canceled reality TV show "The Apprentice," "crazy" Bernie Sanders, the "dopes at CNN," "phony pundits," and how Clinton "could actually be crazy," The Washington Post reported.

On Sunday Trump responded to The Times on Twitter, saying: "I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them."

He then claimed to have created "tens of thousands of jobs," while "Hillary has only created jobs at the FBI and DOJ!" (Department of Justice).

- Donations flow to Clinton -

Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said Saturday she raised a record $154 million in September for her White House bid, up from $143 million raised in August.

Campaign donations usually increase as the November 8 election approaches, and the money raised is actually divided between Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party.

In August, Trump raised $90 million but his campaign has not yet released a figure for September.

Individual Americans can donate up to $2,700 to a candidate in a general election. Larger donations are distributed among the network of state parties.

Clinton and her Democratic allies begin the month of October with a war chest of $150 million to blitz TV, radio and the internet with ads.

Clinton relies more than Trump on elite private fundraising events in which one ticket can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Barbara Bush -- one of Republican former president George W. Bush's two daughters -- was the surprise guest at a Clinton fundraiser for expats in Paris, CNN and Politico reported.

Barbara Bush even posed for a selfie group photo with Clinton confidant and top aide Huma Abedin and others, including a prominent fashion industry insider.

The Bush family has shown no love towards Trump, and Barbara's 92 year-old grandfather, ex-president George H. W. Bush, reportedly said that he is voting for Clinton.

Clinton has seen her fortunes rebound after her strong September 26 presidential debate performance.

The latest average posted by RealClear Politics shows Clinton ahead of Trump by three percentage points, 43.8 percent to 40.9 percent.

The former secretary of state is expanding her lead after Trump's popularity rose to within margin of error territory in many polls, and had crept ahead in some surveys.

The US presidential race Kun TIAN, Thomas SAINT-CRICQ (AFP)

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton (L) and Republican nominee Donald Trump leave the stage after the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York Timothy A. Clary (AFP/File)

A banner at Hofstra University on September 26, 2016, ahead of the first presidential debate Kena Betancur (AFP)
Ocean warriors unveil new high-speed ship against Japan whalers

With its distinctive pirate-like flag flying from the mast, the sleek, high-speed concrete grey Ocean Warrior is the latest weapon in a bitter war between marine conservationists and Japan's whaling fleet.

"The one thing that we were missing in our fleet was a vessel with speed and endurance," said Alex Cornelissen, chief executive of Sea Shepherd Global.

"With the Ocean Warrior, we have a ship that can outmatch any poaching vessel on the high seas," said Cornelissen, also the captain, giving AFP a tour of the ship before its departure from the Netherlands this weekend bound for Australia.

Stretching some 54 metres, Ocean Warrior is equipped with hybrid propulsion to extend its range, four powerful engines and a helicopter landing pad Emmuel Dunand (AFP)

"We are now able to follow them anywhere they go and even run away if they become too aggressive."

Bought at a cost of 8.3 million euros($9.3 million) funded by public lotteries in Britain, The Netherlands and Sweden, Sea Shepherd Global is counting on the vessel in its upcoming battle to save the whales in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean.

The new vessel, designed by a Dutch shipbuilder, took 18 months to build. Stretching some 54 metres (yards), it is a state-of-the-art ship, equipped with hybrid propulsion to extend its range, four powerful engines and a helicopter landing pad.

But it also has a secret weapon -- on the bridge a red cannon can eject a powerful plume of water to obstruct the views of the whalers, or block them from boarding.

For almost four decades, Sea Shepherd has fought to "defend, conserve and protect" marine life in the vast expanses of the planet's oceans.

- Masquerading as science -

And for 30 years they have been playing cat-and-mouse on the high seas with determined and at times ruthless whaling fleets.

"The minute you actually find them, you get very excited and the whole crew is excited because that's what you came down here for," said Cornelissen, sitting at the controls which resembles the helm of a spaceship.

"And then you just go into this high energy mode. You don't get tired anymore. You can stay up for 24 hours without interruption," he added.

"All the sacrifices you made to be down in the Antarctic, you know, missing Christmas, missing your family, it's all become worth it when you find the whalers."

Despite a global moratorium imposed in 1986, Japan has continued to hunt whales using a loophole in the ban, but makes no secret the giant mammals end up on dinner plates.

Tokyo was forced to call off its 2014-15 hunt after the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, ruled its annual Antarctic foray was commercial, and only masquerading as science.

But the hunt resumed in late 2015, with the fleet returning to Japan in March this year after having killed some 333 Minke whales.

Tokyo has sought to close down the anti-whaling campaigns in court saying the activists ram their ships, snare propellers with ropes and harass crews with paint and stink bombs.

The conservationists in turn complain that the whalers have thrown stun grenades at them, and tried to sabotage their boats.

- Vengeance -

Sea Shepherd USA and its renowned founder Paul Watson are now prevented by a legal injunction from leading whale defence campaigns against the Japanese.

But Cornelissen and Sea Shepherd Global, based in Amsterdam, have taken up the battle. They estimate that in the past 10 years they have saved some 5,000 whales from Japanese harpoons.

"The international community has failed to enforce the ICJ's rulings in the Southern Ocean, so it's once again up to Sea Shepherd to take action," the group says.

With Ocean Warrior leaving Amsterdam on Sunday to head to Melbourne, Sea Shepherd is readying to launch in December its 11th campaign in the Southern Ocean, dubbed Operation Nemesis.

Named after the Greek goddess of vengeance and justice, the conservationists hope this year the tide could turn in their favour.

"We've had campaigns where we've been following illegal whaling ships and because they had a superior speed, they could simply outrun us ... and we would lose valuable weeks during which they could chase whales," said the captain.

Now this warrior of the oceans, with its four engines can reach speeds of 55 kilometres an hour, around 25 knots, compared to its ocean enemies which only reach up to 20 knots.

"We asked for the biggest engines they had," smiled Cornelissen, shouting above the noise of the motors.

"I'm hopeful, because we've seen the whalers go down and they'll continue to go down, because well continue to make their lives miserable down there."

"With the Ocean Warrior, we have a ship that can outmatch any poaching vessel on the high seas," said Alex Cornelissen, chief executive of Sea Shepherd Global Emmanuel Dunand (AFP)

A red cannon on the Ocean Warrior's bridge can eject a powerful plume of water to obstruct the views of the whalers, or block them from boarding Emmanuel Dunand (AFP)

Ocean Warrior will be leaving Amsterdam on Sunday to head to Melbourne as Sea Shepherd readies its 11th campaign in the Southern Ocean Emmunuel Dunand (AFP)
Two-thirds of Israelis don't expect peace deal: poll

Almost two-thirds of Israelis believe there will never be a peace agreement with the Palestinians, according to the results of an opinion poll published on Sunday.

Sixty-four percent of the 646 Israeli and Arab Israeli respondents questioned said a peace accord would never be reached, in the survey conducted by the Project HaMidgam institute for the Walla news website.

Twenty-four percent believed an accord was possible but that it would take longer than five years to achieve, while four percent thought it could be attained within five years.

Palestinian demonstrators run for cover as Israeli security forces fire tear gas during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron, in October 2015 Thomas Coex (AFP/File)

The remaining eight percent were undecided in the poll, whose margin of error was not published.
 Flash

A year has passed since Russia launched military operations in Syria against the radical rebel groups, in what was seen by Syrian analysts as an intervention that has saved Syria from fragmentation.

Unlike the U.S.-led intervention with the pretext of fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, the Russian intervention to support the Syrian government forces is seen to have helped shift the course of actions on ground in favor of the Syrian government army, which has been facing an array of ultra-radical groups for over five years.

Local analysts said the Russian air force intervention has protected Syria from division, especially that many plans to fragment Syria were put forward in the shape of a political solution.

The Kremlin said on Friday that the Russian military support played a role in preventing the downfall of the capital city of Damascus in the hands of the rebels, noting that there is no time-frame for the Russian military intervention.

"Neither the Islamic State, nor al-Qaida nor the Nusra Front is now sitting in Damascus," Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, said.

For his part, Syrian Information Minister Muhammad Ramez Turjman commented on the achievement of the Russian air force in Syria, saying "Syria is subject to an aggression targeting its unity and its presence as a unified state, and there are many foreign attempts to divide it."

Meanwhile, Sharif Shehadeh, a Syrian political analyst and former parliamentarian, told Xinhua that the Russian support has had positive results, noting that if it wasn't for the Russian intervention, the Syrian situation would have been so tragic.

"The Russian intervention has protected the Syrian government and prevented the fragmentation of the country, especially that countries like the United States want to prolong the crisis by supporting what they call as moderate rebels," he added.

The United States and other Western powers have from the beginning of the crisis been on the side of the rebels, with previous calls for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey has always played a significant role in supporting the rebels and the ultra-radical jihadists, as the majorities of the foreign fighters and their arms have entered Syria through the Turkish borders.

Ankara repeatedly voiced its intention to impose a "safe zone" in northern Syria, which was also seen as an attempt to divide the country and make areas where the presence of the Syrian army is prohibited.

Ahead of the Russian intervention, the Syrian army was fighting solely against the foreign-backed rebels, with the foreign intervention of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition helping all but for the Syrian army dislodge the rebels and restore control over the lost territories.

But the story has changed following the Russian support, as the Syrian army moved from the defense to the offense, capturing lost terrain in the northern province of Latakia, retaking the ancient city of Palmyra and repelling countless attacks by the rebels on key areas. The latest success is in Aleppo, where the Syrian army succeeded recently to advance against the rebels.

Osama Danura, another analyst, told Xinhua that the Russian intervention in Syria came to fight the terrorist groups that are posing threat to the entire world, not only Syria.

"Russia is fighting terrorists on behalf of the entire world and protected Damascus from falling as the rebels had controlled several key areas across the country ahead of the Russian interference," he added.

Aside from the areas that the Syrian army succeeded to take back with the help of the Russians, Danura also pointed to the reconciliations that have taken place in several areas near Damascus between the government forces and the rebels with the help of the Russians.

Buoyed by the Russian help, President Assad made it clear recently that the aim of the Syrian army is to restore every inch of Syria.
Fear and faith for daughters of Pakistani Christian on death row

Esham and her sister Esha live largely in seclusion: fears they will be mistreated because they are daughters of the accused in Pakistan's most infamous blasphemy case make them reluctant to venture into the brimming streets of Lahore.

Their mother, Asia Bibi, has been on death row for six years in a case some have called a battle for Pakistan's soul as the state walks a razor-sharp line between upholding human rights and appeasing populist hardliners.

The family have new hope of a reprieve -- the Supreme Court has said it will hear an appeal for Bibi later this month.

Esham Masih's mother Asia Bibi has been on death row for six years in Pakistan's most infamous blasphemy case Arif Ali (AFP)

Their fight has reached all the way to the Vatican, where Esham found herself face to face with Pope Francis in April last year as the head of Catholic church offered prayers for her mother.

"He gave me blessings and I can't remember more," the 18-year-old told AFP.

"I feel the Pope is praying for my mother and he will keep praying, and with his prayers my mother will be freed."

The allegations against Bibi date back to June 2009, when she was labouring in a field and a row broke out with some Muslim women she was working with.

She was asked to fetch water, but the Muslim women objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was unfit to touch the water bowl.

The women went to a local cleric and accused Bibi of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, a charge punishable by death under legislation that rights groups say is routinely abused to settle personal vendettas.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in deeply conservative, Muslim-majority Pakistan. Anyone even accused of insulting Islam risks a violent and bloody death at the hands of vigilantes.

Bibi was convicted and sentenced to hang in 2010, despite her advocates maintaining her innocence and insisting the argument was a personal dispute.

The next year liberal provincial governor Salmaan Taseer, who spoke out in support of Bibi, was gunned down in broad daylight in Islamabad.

The state hung his assassin Mumtaz Qadri earlier in 2016 in a Supreme Court decision that was hailed by progressives, but brought hardliners into the streets supporting Qadri and demanding Bibi hang.

Security forces braced for violence which never erupted. But Qadri's execution in March shrank the already narrow boundaries of Esham and Esha's world.

"Papa used to tell me not to go out, the situation out there is very bad," Esham says of the days after the hanging. "We used to stay inside all the time."

She is afraid, she says. "Someday someone will come and ask me, are you the daughter of Asia Bibi?"

- 'Mother-daughter stuff' -

Esham and Esha travel twice a month to the south Punjab city of Multan, where their mother is held.

"We talk to our mama about the things at home," Esham says. "I share my thoughts with her, like mother-daughter stuff."

The visits begin joyfully, she says, but end each time with a new wrenching moment of grief. "She becomes sad... her daughters come to meet her from such a long distance and she cannot even hug them."

Esham and 17-year-old Esha, who is mentally and physically disabled, live with their father for now but for some time stayed with a caretaker, buried in Lahore's maze of streets away from their family due to safety fears.

According to a tally by Human Rights Watch, 17 people including Bibi remain on death row, though Pakistan has not yet executed anyone on the charge.

In 2010, Pope Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI called for Bibi's release, and her husband has written to Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain to seek permission to move her to France.

But the years of separation from her daughters have ground on, her appeals rejected by successive courts until last year, when the Supreme Court agreed to consider her case.

Months of inertia passed before it finally announced it would hold the appeal in the second week of October, Bibi's lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook told AFP. The exact date has yet to be confirmed.

- Law vs mob -

"There is no question that what is at stake is the very soul of the state and Pakistan society: does Pakistan respect the rights of the most vulnerable? Does it defend those rights against spurious allegations even where those allegations involved matters that are sacred to most Pakistanis?" Mustafa Qadri, an expert on human rights in South Asia, told AFP.

No matter the outcome, the blasphemy laws will continue to undermine human rights in Pakistan, he says.

But a decision in Bibi's favour "would send a powerful message to the world that Pakistan respects the rule of law and not the mob."

Hardliners, already bruised by the decision to hang the Islamist assassin Qadri, "would without question react angrily and likely violently" to such a decision, he warned.

Qadri is regularly hailed as a hero by clerics at Friday sermons, with a shrine recently erected in his honour in the outskirts of Islamabad. At a mosque in the capital recently, thousands heard a cleric's call for Bibi to hang.

But, several hundred kilometres away in Lahore, Esham and Esha continue to hope.

Esham clears her throat and speaks quietly. "My mom will be released," she says. "I ask you to pray for her."

Ashiq Masih, husband of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman facing death sentence for blasphemy, points to a poster of his wife Arif Ali (AFP)

Civil society activists gather on the anniversary of the death of liberal provincial governor Salmaan Taseer, who was gunned down in Islamabad after speaking out in support of Asia Bibi Arif Ali (AFP/File)

Esha Masih, daughter of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman facing death sentence for blasphemy, reads at a school in Lahore Arif Ali (AFP)
Sharma helps India build big lead against NZ

Batsman Rohit Sharma's dominant half-century put India firmly in command of the second Test against New Zealand as the hosts stretched their lead to 339 on the third day in Kolkata on Sunday.

India were 227 for eight at stumps in their second innings with Wriddhiman Saha on 39 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar on eight at the crease. New Zealand bowlers Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner took three wickets each.

Sharma, who scored 82, put on 103 runs for the seventh wicket with Saha to get their second innings back on track after the New Zealand seamers rattled the Indian top-order with regular wickets.

Rohit Sharma celebrates after scoring 50 for India against New Zealand at Eden in Kolkata on October 2, 2016 Dibyangshu Sarkar (AFP)

Fast bowlers Henry and Trent Boult shared five wickets between them to strike back on the two-paced pitch after the visitors conceded a 112-run lead.

"I think over the last two days, you may have seen the wicket that it's not a typical Kolkata wicket. They have relaid the surface and you may seen uneven bounces occasionally," Sharma told reporters.

"The conditions were not easy... you can't relax."

Henry, who had returned with figures of 3-46 in the first innings, sent opener Murali Vijay (4) and Cheteshwar Pujara walking back to the pavilion soon after the lunch break.

Henry trapped Pujara lbw for 7 on a pacy in-cutter that hit the outside of the batsman's front pad, but TV replays suggested that the ball might have missed the leg stump.

Boult joined forces to get Shikhar Dhawan, who got a nasty blow on his thumb early on in the innings against the left-handed pacer, trapped lbw for 17.

Boult's big wicket was that of India skipper Virat Kohli, who struck a purposeful 45 to lift India from 43/4. The star batsman was trapped lbw.

Kohli's departure once again raised New Zealand's hopes of a fightback but Sharma made sure the hosts kept up the good work of stretching their lead further.

Sharma tackled the New Zealand bowling with aplomb as the middle-order batsman struck 9 fours and 2 sixes during his 132-ball stay at the crease.

- India's batting depth -

Sharma got good support from number-eight Saha, who scored an unbeaten 54 in the first innings, as the batting duo entertained the raucous home crowd at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.

"That depth gives you a leverage to play your shots and be aggressive and more expressive," Sharma said while talking about India's lower-order batting strength.

Santner's left-arm spin finally got through Sharma's defenses after the batsman was caught behind to Luke Ronchi, who kept wickets in place of BJ Watling.

Saha and Kumar then played through the final few overs in fading light until the umpires called it a day.

"I think anything that is set, is definitely achievable," said Boult about the New Zealand squad's mindset.

"We got to take small steps at a time. If we can set small goals of batting for half a session and then a session."

Earlier Indian pacers Kumar and Mohammed Shami helped bowl out New Zealand for 204 in response to India's first innings score of 316.

Overnight batsmen Jeetan Patel, who top-scored with 47, and Watling put together a fighting 60-run eight-wicket stand before the Indian bowlers struck back.

"He did very well... all 11 of us can take a leaf out of his book and apply ourselves like he did because they were valuable runs," Boult said of Patel's defiant knock.

Kumar (5-48) and Shami (3-70) shared eight wickets between them to hand over the advantage to India, who won the first Test in Kanpur to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Hong Kong police fire shots in knife attack, three injured

Three people were injured Sunday after Hong Kong police fired shots to stop a knife attack on a man, in a rare case of violent street crime in one of Asia's safest cities.

Police said those wounded were two assailants and the man being attacked, and that all three were of "South Asian" origin.

"Five to six...men, with some carrying knives, were attacking another man," police officer Ma Wai-hing told reporters at the scene of the incident in the city's commercial district of Yau Ma Tei.

Police forensic officers takes DNA swabs from a crime scene where police opened fire on a gang of men fighting in the Yau Ma Tei district of Hong Kong on October 2, 2016 Isaac Lawrence (AFP)

No further details were given about the attack.

"After verbal warnings were ignored, four shots were fired. Two men were shot," he said. The pair were arrested and hospitalised with wounds to the forearm and waist. They, along with the knife attack victim, are in a stable condition, Ma said.

Footage uploaded to the website of Chinese language newspaper Apple Daily showed a uniformed officer pointing a gun at a group of men -- some of whom were wielding knives over a man on the ground -- before shots were fired. The officer can be heard yelling "put down your weapon" in Cantonese.

Police said four shots were fired as the first shot was "ineffective" in stopping the attack.

An AFP reporter at the scene said a road intersection was cordoned off around noon, with detectives gathering evidence and two fillet knives lying on the ground.

A police forensic officer lifts finger prints from a doorway at a crime scene where police opened fire on a gang of men fighting in the Yau Ma Tei district of Hong Kong on October 2, 2016 Isaac Lawrence (AFP)
Pakistan impregnable, military insists after Kashmir 'raid'

Pakistani military officials point to an Indian army post high on a forested ridge along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, insisting any incursions are impossible, after skirmishes ignited dangerous tensions between the nuclear rivals.

The army took the rare step of flying international media to the de facto border to make its case in a battle of competing narratives, after India said its commandos penetrated up to three kilometres into Pakistan on anti-militant raids.

The presence of Indian forces so far across the Line of Control (LoC) would be a stinging blow to Pakistan, particularly after the 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden which took place on its territory without its consent.

Pakistani troops gather at a village in Bhimber district near the Line of Control in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during a media trip organised by the Pakistani army on October 1, 2016 Issam Ahmed (AFP)

The media visit came Saturday as India's army chief Dalbir Singh congratulated commandos involved in what New Delhi has described as "surgical strikes" to take out terrorist launchpads after a deadly attack on an Indian army base last month.

Pakistan has flatly denied the claim, saying two of its soldiers were killed but only in cross-border fire of the kind that commonly violates a 2003 ceasefire on the LoC.

The helicopter tour took journalists to sectors just two kilometres from the dividing line, and near the locations India said it targeted in assaults on four militant camps.

On hand were senior local commanders as well as army spokesman Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa -- an omnipresent media personality who has taken centre stage on Pakistani television since the tensions erupted.

In villages like Mandhole, daily life was going on largely as normal despite the tensions, with shops and businesses open and children in pressed white uniforms walking to school.

"You have seen the lay of the land," said Bajwa, speaking from a command post overlooking the lush green Bandala Valley, with Pakistani and Indian fortifications visible on the opposite hill.

"You can see the way the fortifications are built and the way Pakistan has layers of defence and they have layers of defence... the LoC cannot be violated," he said.

"If they've caused that damage to us, we don't know any has been caused to us! You can go and meet the civilian population. Our side is open: to the UN mission, to the media, to the general public," he said.

- 'News spreads' -

It was not possible to verify the general's claims, though villagers who spoke with a second AFP reporter in the area independent of the military-guided trip were also incredulous.

Sardar Javed, a 37-year-old journalist for Kashmiri newspapers and a resident of Tatta Pani sector, which lies just west of India-controlled Poonch sector where one of the strikes was said to have been carried out, said he had seen no evidence of a raid.

"I'm not saying it's not true because that's the army line. It's because I'm from the LoC and I'm a local journalist. News spreads fast around here and people get to know whatever happens," he said.

Mountainous Kashmir is seen as one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints, where Indian and Pakistani soldiers watch one another across valleys divided by barbed wire and land mines.

The bitter neighbours agreed on the de facto border in 1972, but both claim the territory in full. Two of their three wars have been fought over the Himalayan region.

Areas close to the 720 kilometre (450 mile) LoC are normally off-bounds even for Pakistani nationals, and the past three years have seen a surge in cross-border shelling.

- Big lie? -

Tensions have been simmering for months over unrest on the Indian side, where more than 80 civilians have been killed, mostly in clashes with security forces, during protests linked to the killing of a charismatic young separatist in July.

Some Pakistani observers say the vaunted raids are an attempt to shift the focus and allow India to escape scrutiny over its actions in Kashmir.

Pakistan-backed militants were blamed for the attack on an Indian army base last month in which 19 soldiers were killed, prompting angry calls for action from the Indian public ahead of Thursday's action.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has offered to mediate in the dispute as the international community urged restraint.

Pakistan is eager to dispel to the world the notion it harbours terrorists; and to its own citizens vanish the idea it can be pushed around by its bigger neighbour, with whom it has long attempted to maintain a semblance of military parity.

India, for its part, seeks to diplomatically isolate Pakistan following a series of attacks that it blames on Islamist militants backed by its western neighbour.

Leaning on a walking stick in the pristine hillside village of Baghsar Saturday, 76-year-old local councillor Mirza Abdul Ghani told visiting journalists that the Indian claims were "a big lie".

"I myself am ready to fight if they dare -- I have my weapon in my house," he said.

A Pakistani soldier patrols a village in Bhimber near the Line of Control in Kashmir during a media trip organised by the Pakistani army on October 1, 2016 Issam Ahmed (AFP)

Pakistani army soldiers a village in Bhimber near the Line of Control in Kashmir during a media trip organised by the Pakistani army on October 1, 2016 Issam Ahmed (AFP)
Thousands protest steel plant over Vietnam fish deaths

Thousands of Vietnamese protesters surrounded a Taiwanese steel plant Sunday, some scaling walls and holding signs demanding its closure, as anger flares against the firm for dumping toxic waste into the ocean killing tonnes of fish.

Huge crowds on motorbike and foot gathered at the Formosa plant in central Ha Tinh province, with some holding signs saying: "Authorities, please close Formosa plant for the future of the nation" as others chanted angrily.

Dead fish and other marine life began washing ashore in central Vietnam in April, the country's worst ecological disaster in decades that devastated livelihoods in coastal towns where fishing is the main source of income.

Dead fish and other marine life began washing ashore in central Vietnam in April, the country's worst ecological disaster in decades that devastated livelihoods in coastal towns where fishing is the main source of income - (AFP/File)

Taiwan's Formosa, which is building a multi-billion dollar steel plant in the area, was blamed for the disaster and fined $500 million.

The government said it would start paying affected fishermen in October and confirmed last week that payouts would range from $130 to $1,600 per person depending on losses calculated between April and September.

Sunday's demonstrators demanded additional compensation.

"The protestors, who were directly hit by the Formosa scandal, asked for compensation and required the plant to close," witness Hoang Sy Son told AFP.

Photos and video on social media showed protesters, led by a Catholic priest, surrounding the steel plant in Ky Anh township and chanting bible passages.

"A lot of security people and vehicles were deployed here, but no clashes were seen," Son added, speaking from the rally.

AFP could not reach authorities for comment Sunday.

The rallies came days after fishermen in the area filed more than 500 lawsuits demanding additional compensation from the government over the disaster.

Demonstrators have held rare protests in several cities across the authoritarian country after the mass fish deaths, with police breaking up some rallies and jailing scores.

Protesters blamed officials for dragging their feet on investigations into the scandal.

Formosa is no stranger to controversy in Vietnam. In 2014, three people were killed when anti-China riots took place at the same Ha Tinh steel plant, where a scaffolding collapse also killed 14 last year.

The conglomerate has paid millions of dollars in fines over environmental mishaps elsewhere.
Vettel out on first lap of Malaysian GP

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel crashed out of the Malaysian Grand Prix on the very first bend at Sepang Sunday after breaking his front suspension in a collision with Nico Rosberg and Max Verstappen.

The Ferrari driver, who was the winner last year, started from the third row of the grid but was touched by the Red Bull of Verstappen catapulting his front wheel into Rosberg, causing the Mercedes driver to spin.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton got away safely from pole position into the lead and avoided the drama behind him as Rosberg, who leads Hamilton in the title race by eight points, rejoined the race way down in 17th position.
Syria army advances as UN decries Aleppo's 'living hell'

Syrian regime forces advanced Sunday in Aleppo after Russia unleashed dozens of air strikes, as the UN's top aid official decried the "living hell" suffered by residents in the city's rebel-held east.

The devastating five-year war in Syria has ravaged second city Aleppo, once the country's economic hub but now torn apart by fighting between government troops and rebel forces.

The army of President Bashar al-Assad announced a major push on September 22 to capture Aleppo's opposition-held east and has gained ground in the city with the help of ally Moscow.

Syrian regime forces gather at the Kindi Hospital in Aleppo on October 2, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP)

Dozens of air strikes pounded multiple battlefronts in the city throughout Sunday but lessened as evening fell, AFP's correspondent said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel groups and regime forces exchanged artillery fire in several neighbourhoods across Aleppo.

The Britain-based monitor said Russian raids "helped regime forces to advance in the north of the city," where they reached the outskirts of the opposition-held Al-Heluk district.

One person was killed in bombardment there, the Observatory said.

If loyalist fighters seize Al-Heluk, Bustan al-Basha and Sakhur -- all rebel-controlled neighbourhoods in Aleppo's north -- they will confine opposition factions to a small section of the city's southeast.

Assad's Russian-backed military campaign in Aleppo has sparked international outrage, particularly after two barrel bombs hit the largest hospital in the city's east on Saturday.

United Nations aid chief Stephen O'Brien fiercely criticised the attack on the M10 hospital, and called on Sunday for immediate action to end the "living hell" of civilians in Aleppo's east.

"The health care system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated. Medical facilities are being hit one by one," O'Brien wrote.

- 'Stop the carnage' -

O'Brien said the latest indiscriminate bombings subjected residents to "a level of savagery that no human should have to endure.

"The clock is ticking. Stop the carnage now," he added.

At the bombed hospital Saturday, an AFP journalist saw bloodstained beds and dented equipment lying in disarray beneath blown-out windows.

M10 had already been hit on Wednesday along with the second-largest hospital in the area, M2.

That bombardment badly damaged the two facilities and left only six fully functional hospitals in east Aleppo, according to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which supports the facility.

On Saturday, European Parliament president Martin Schulz called the hospital bombing a "war crime", tweeting that the international community "must unite to prevent (the) city's annihilation".

The World Health Organization has called Syria the world's most dangerous place for health workers, and Aleppo in particular has seen much of its medical infrastructure destroyed or heavily damaged.

Syria's armed forces on Sunday called on rebel fighters in east Aleppo to abandon their positions "and let civilians live their normal lives."

"The Russian and Syrian armies will secure safe passage and aid" to any opposition fighters that defect, said the statement, distributed on Syrian state news agency SANA.

Damascus has made similar offers in the past, but activists and rebels say they are afraid of being detained or tortured if they leave opposition-held zones.

- Rebels advance on IS -

Syria's conflict broke out in March 2011 with anti-government protests but has since turned into a complex civil war drawing in world powers.

North of Aleppo city, Turkey-backed rebel factions pressed an offensive Sunday against the Islamic State group, edging closer to the jihadist-held town of Dabiq, the Observatory said.

Dabiq, which according to a Sunni Muslim prophecy will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims, has become a rallying cry for IS.

In central Hama province, Russian strikes killed six members of the Jaish al-Izzah rebel group, which has received US backing, according to the Observatory.

And at least four civilians were killed, including two siblings, in government shelling of the opposition-held town of Douma near Damascus.

Diplomatic efforts to put an end to Syria's war, which has killed more than 300,000 people, have all but collapsed.

Russia and the United States brokered a ceasefire deal in early September, hoping it could open a path to peace -- but the truce fell apart a week later.

Relations between the two world powers have since been strained, but their top diplomats have continued to seek a way forward.

Russia said its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to his American counterpart John Kerry on Saturday and they "examined the situation in Syria, including the possibility of normalising the situation around Aleppo."

They spoke again later that evening, the foreign ministry in Moscow said on Sunday, without providing additional details.

Syria: the Russian and US forces engaged Thomas Saint-Circq, Paz Pizarro (AFP)

Syrian regime forces gather at the Kindi Hospital as smoke billows following aistrikes on Aleppo on October 2, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP)

Syrian regime forces gather at the Kindi Hospital in Aleppo on October 2, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP)

A Syrian mourns the death of his brother, killed in a reported air strike in the rebel-held town of Douma, on October 2, 2016 Abd Doumany (AFP)
India to ratify historic Paris climate change pact

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter, is set to ratify the Paris agreement on climate change Sunday on the birthday of the country's famously ascetic independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.

India, with a population of 1.3 billion people, is the latest big polluter to formally sign onto the historic accord which now takes a major step towards becoming reality.

The accord, sealed last December in Paris, needs ratification from 55 countries that account for at least 55 percent of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

Areas in severe drought nearly doubled, from eight percent of the planet in 2014, to 14 percent in 2015 Sam Panthaky (AFP/File)

With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 percent of emissions have now ratified the agreement to commit to take action to stem the planet's rising temperatures.

Indian officials are set to ceremoniously hand over signed documents at the United Nations in New York at about 1400 GMT on Sunday, the environment ministry's spokesman in New Delhi said.

"This was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a message...India is fast becoming a super power," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told reporters in New Delhi ahead of the move.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced last month that October 2, a national holiday, had been chosen as the ratification date because freedom fighter Gandhi had lived his life with a low-carbon footprint.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon and others have voiced confidence the accord will come into force by the end of the year, after a string of nations joined up, including the United States and China, the two largest emitters.

EU environment ministers also agreed last week to fast-track the ratification.

The accord requires all countries to devise plans to achieve the goal of keeping the rise of temperatures within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

- Dirty coal -

Environmentalists welcomed Sunday's move, but urged India to work to phase out heavily-polluting coal, which it relies on heavily for electricity.

"India is one the very few large economies that has not made any promises of phasing out of coal," said Joydeep Gupta, director of "the third pole" website which focuses on environmental issues.

"This government is good on renewable energy, but not good on environmental issues. There is a lot of pushing back on air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution," he told AFP.

India, the world's fastest growing major economy, has long insisted that it needs to keep burning cheap and plentiful coal to cut crippling blackouts and bring electricity to millions of poor living without it.

India, which accounts for 4.1 percent of global emissions and is the third largest carbon-emitting country, has not agreed to cap or cut its emissions outright like some.

Instead it says it will hike up its use of green energy and reduce its emissions relative to its gross domestic product by up to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels -- meaning emissions will continue to grow but at a slower rate.

Modi has set an ambitious target of reaching 100,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022, up from about 20,000 at the moment.

Modi, and other leaders of developing nations, argued in Paris that rich countries must shoulder the lion's share of responsibility for tackling climate change as they have polluted most since the Industrial Revolution.

Paris climate agreement Paz PIZARRO, Muriel PICHON-DE-BOYSERE, Alain BOMMENEL (AFP)
Hurricane Matthew: one dead, one missing in Haiti

Hurricane Matthew has left one person dead and another missing in Haiti, officials said Monday, as it churns through the Caribbean as the worst storm in nearly a decade.

A boat with three fishermen capsized Friday off the coast of southern Haiti. Two managed to make it ashore but the body of the other was found later, civil protection authorities said.

Another boat was broken up by rough seas off the same coast Sunday. Three people were rescued but the fourth is missing.

Residents buy food at a supermarket in the commune of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on October 2, 2016, before the arrival of Hurricane Matthew Hector Retamal (AFP)

As Haiti, Jamaica and other Caribbean nations gird for the Category 4 hurricane, Haitian authorities declared a halt to all maritime activities Saturday afternoon.

Forecasters say Matthew is the most powerful storm in the Caribbean since Hurricane Felix in 2007.

The US National Hurricane Center has forecast storm surges of up to three meters (10 feet) off Haiti's southern coast.
US TV comedy skewers Clinton-Trump debate

Live from New York, it's ... Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump sniffing and spouting off words like "yuuge" and "Ji-na" in a parody of the US presidential candidate's debate.

Baldwin delivered in his new role as Trump as the popular "Saturday Night Live" comedy show began its new season.

Sporting wavy blonde hair, an orange spray-tan and a lip-puckering scowl, Baldwin skewered the Republican presidential candidate's debate performance at Monday at Hofstra University.

A banner at Hofstra University on September 26, 2016, ahead of the first presidential debate Kena Betancur (AFP)

"Our jobs are fleeing this country. They're going to Mexico, they're going to Ji-na. I'd stop that. If Hillary knew how she would have done it already, end of story. I won the debate, I stayed calm just like I promised, and it is over. Good night, Hofstra," Baldwin's Trump said, as he attempts to leave.

Clinton -- portrayed by SNL regular Kate McKinnon -- walked onstage aided by a cane, a tweak at her recent bout with pneumonia.

McKinnon's Clinton said that Trump's tax plan is "not just trickle-down economics, it's -- I don't know, I guess if I had to call it something off the top of the old dome, with no prep whatsoever, I don't know, I guess I'd call it Trumped-up, trickle-down economics."

Clinton, who spent days preparing for the debate, has a reputation of being a stiff and scripted politician.

After claiming to have "the best judgment. And the best temperament," Baldwin's Trump blamed Clinton and President Barack Obama for tampering with his microphone.

The reaction? "I think I'm going to be president," McKinnon smiled.

Also mocked: Trump's repeated interruptions, his claim that climate change is a Chinese hoax and Clinton's use of 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado as "a strong, beautiful, political prop."

Machado claims that Trump -- who at the time owned the beauty pageant -- mocked her as "Miss Piggy" when she gained weight, and called her "Miss Housekeeper" because of her Latina heritage.

SNL has a history of mocking politicians going back to Gerald Ford in the 1970s, portrayed by Chevy Chase as a clumsy bumbler after the president once tripped and fell down an airplane staircase.
 Flash

After getting a thrashing from Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton on the debate stage Monday night, Republican candidate Donald Trump is attempting to make a comeback with a new slogan: "follow the money."

The slogan is Trump's effort to go back on the offensive, as experts say the brash billionaire needs to make the election a referendum about Clinton, and as such needs to take all media and public focus off himself.

The slogan is a jab at Clinton's alleged corruption, and specifically her widely-reported pay-for-play scheme, whereby high-rolling donors to her Clinton Foundation were allegedly given special access to her while she was secretary of state in the first term of President Barack Obama.

"Everything you need to know about Hillary Clinton can be understood with this simple phrase -- follow the money," Trump said on the campaign trail earlier this week, in a soundbite that media has been airing over and over in the past couple of days.

"Trump's new slogan is an attempt to reestablish some of the momentum he gets from being seen as an outsider to Wall Street, Washington, and other parts of the establishment," Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that the slogan represents an effort by Trump to change the conversation.

"The last week has not gone well for Trump. He performed terribly in the presidential debate and has struggled to regain the initiative," West said.

"His 'follow the money' angle is promising although it also opens himself up to the same type of scrutiny about his business dealings. The more he questions (Clinton's) fundraising, the more attention will get paid to Trump' businesses and charitable foundation," West said.

Indeed, Trump needs to reestablish his momentum after losing the Monday debate, in which he allowed Clinton to rattle his cage and get under his skin, experts said. The Republican nominee will have to fight hard in the coming weeks if he wants to clinch the White House.

Trump missed a number of opportunities in the debate, such as talking about the economy, the No. 1 issue of concern for Americans and an area in which the billionaire businessman has an advantage.

Trump repeatedly took the bait that Clinton laid out to make Trump seem less presidential as well as bringing up questions about Trump's leadership as both a businessman and a presidential candidate.

With Clinton beating him, Trump needs to reestablish the momentum that he had enjoyed as he began to appear more acceptable as a candidate.

"In the next debate, Trump needs to reassure voters that he can handle the presidency. He still is struggling to pass that basic threshold of acceptability for many Americans," West said.

But despite Trump's trouble in Monday's debate, that doesn' mean his campaign is dead. Former Republican candidate Mitt Romney beat Obama in their first debate in 2012, only to end up losing the elections.

"Versus Trump, Clinton importantly won both the policy points and the perception points. Trump will need to be far more prepared and far more even tempered in the coming debates," Mahaffee said.

The second and third presidential debates are slated to be held separately on Oct. 9 in St. Louis, Missouri and on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Syria's east Aleppo facing inhuman 'savagery': UN

Civilians under bombardment in Syria's rebel-held east Aleppo are facing "a level of savagery that no human should have to endure," the UN aid chief said Sunday.

Stephen O'Brien, who heads the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA), issued a fresh plea to ease the suffering of some 250,000 people besieged by a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to retake the key city.

In a statement, O'Brien called for "urgent action to bring an end to their living hell."

A wounded man is rushed into a hospital in Aleppo on September 28, 2016after he was hit by shrapnel from mortar shells Georges Ourfalian (AFP)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is battling to reclaim Aleppo, once the country's economic powerhouse. Diplomatic efforts to stem the bloodshed have failed.

"The healthcare system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated," O'Brien said, after the largest hospital in the rebel-controlled area was hit by barrel bombs on Saturday.

"Medical facilities are being hit one by one," he added.

O'Brien urged warring parties to at the very least allow medical evacuations for the hundreds of civilians in urgent need of care.

The UN has said that water and food supplies in eastern Aleppo are running low, while efforts to bring in aid convoys through the Turkish border have been stalled by the fighting.

The UN had hoped it could restock east Aleppo during a ceasefire negotiated last month by the United States and Russia, but security conditions to allow those deliveries were not met and the ceasefire quickly collapsed.

With many basic medications now unavailable most supplies are running short, patients are being turned away from health centres and the need for evacuations is likely "to rise dramatically in the coming days," O'Brien said.

The battle for Aleppo has sparked some of the most brutal violence since the beginning in March 2011 of Syria's conflict, which has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced over half the population.
Yemen rebels pose threat to shipping: Arab coalition

Huthi rebels in Yemen are posing a threat to shipping in the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, the Saudi-led coalition supporting the government said Sunday after an attack on an Emirati vessel.

The coalition said Shiite Huthi militiamen had attacked the vessel "on its usual route to and from (the southern port city of) Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians".

"Coalition air and naval forces targeted Huthi militia boats involved in the attack" near the Bab al-Mandab, it said, while "coalition forces rescued civilian passengers following the attack" on Friday night.

Fighters loyal to Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi take a break en route from Aden to the Bab al-Mandab Strait Saleh al-Obeidi (AFP)

"This incident demonstrates Huthi tactics of terrorist attacks against civilian international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab," the coalition said in a statement.

The strait is a major shipping lane between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden leading into the Indian Ocean.

The rebels, in a statement posted Saturday on their sabanews.net website, claimed the attack which it said targeted and "completely destroyed" an Emirati warship with rockets as it neared Mokha on the Red Sea coast.

The United Arab Emirates military acknowledged "an incident" involving a chartered vessel under its command in the Bab al-Mandab as it was returning from a "routine" journey to Aden, further south, but it reported no casualties.

On Sunday, the rebels reported on sabanews.net that five people were killed and six wounded in a coalition air strike targeting fishing boats off Wahjah, south of Mokha. The incident could not be independently confirmed.

The UAE is a key member of the coalition that has been battling the Iran-backed Huthis and their allies since March last year in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognised government.

Since March 2015, the coalition has pushed the rebels out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.
Philippines' Duterte apologises to Jews, but defiant

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday apologised to Jews for comparing himself with Adolf Hitler but said he did nothing wrong and reiterated his desire to kill millions of drug addicts.

Duterte, whose bloody war on crime had already drawn international condemnation, sparked fresh outrage on Friday when he likened his deadly crime war with Hitler's efforts to exterminate Jews.

Duterte said he was merely reacting to critics who drew comparisons between him and the Nazi leader.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has attracted widespread criticism from Western governments and rights groups for a bloody crime crackdown Noel Celis (AFP/File)

"So I said, 'sure I am Hitler, but the ones I will kill are these (drug addicts)'," Duterte said in a speech broadcast on national television.

"But it is not really that I said something wrong. But rather they do not really want to tinker with the memory so I apologise profoundly and deeply to the Jewish (people).

"It was never my intention but the problem was I was criticised using Hitler, comparing to me. But I was very emphatic. I will kill the three million."

Duterte, 71, won elections in May in a landslide after a campaign dominated by his pledge to eradicate drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people.

Since taking office on June 30, police have killed more than 1,200 people and about 1,800 others have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

While issuing his qualified apology on Friday, Duterte continued to lash out at Western critics and warned he was willing to kick all American troops out of the Philippines.

"The Americans, I don't like them.... they are reprimanding me in public. So I say: 'Screw you, fuck you, everything else. You are stupid'," he said.

Duterte threatened to cancel a defence accord with the United States, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), that went into force in January.

That agreement, sealed under the administration of Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino, allows US forces access to five Philippine bases to help counterbalance a growing Chinese presence in the South China Sea.

"This EDCA is an official document... but it does not bear the signature of the president of the republic," Duterte said.

"Better think twice now because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether."

The United States and the Philippines are longtime allies bound by a mutual defence pact.

However Duterte has repeatedly threatened to move away from the United States and forge closer ties China and Russia.

Duterte last month branded US President Barack Obama a "son of a whore".

Duterte on Sunday also hit out at the Europeans saying: "These stupid lawyers in the EU... well, screw you. I will kick you."
Saudi billionaire sells Toronto Four Seasons to Fulham owner

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's company has sold the luxury Four Seasons hotel in Toronto for $170 million, it said on Sunday.

Kingdom Holding Company said it sold the hotel for 225 million Canadian dollars (152 million euros) to Shahid Khan, the Pakistani-American businessman who founded auto parts maker Flex-N-Gate and owns English Premier League club Fulham.

KHC said it had made a profit of 17 million Canadian dollars from the sale of the hotel, which it bought four years ago for 200 million Canadian dollars.

A concert at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto Sonia Recchia (Getty/AFP)

"This transaction marks yet another success for KHC's value realisation strategy from our high-quality hospitality investments," said Prince Alwaleed.

"We are particularly pleased to be passing ownership of this property to Mr. Shahid Khan who is known for his passion for the Four Seasons brand," he said in a statement.

"Kingdom continues to be a stakeholder in this asset through our interest in the management company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts which will continue to operate the hotel."

Prince Alwaleed owns 95 percent of KHC, a vast global investor with shares in the Euro Disney theme park, Apple, News Corporation and the US banking giant, Citigroup.
Global trade in African grey parrots banned

Delegates at a global wildlife conference on Sunday voted to ban international trade in African grey parrots, one of the world's most trafficked birds.

Prized for their ability to mimic human speech, the birds are a highly sought-after pet, but their numbers have been decimated in recent years by poaching and the destruction of their forest habitats.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in Johannesburg voted 95 to 35 in a secret poll to ban the global commercial trade of the parrot.

African Grey parrots on sale at a bird market in Kuwait City Yasser al-Zayyat (AFP)

CITES said the vote result would give the African grey the "highest level of protection" by listing it in "appendix 1", which outlaws all international trade in animals facing possible extinction.

Dr Colman O'Criodain of conservation group WWF called the move "a huge step forward" in protecting the bird.

"Fraud and corruption have enabled traffickers to vastly exceed current quotas and continue to harvest unsustainable numbers of African grey parrots from Congos forests to feed the illegal trade," he said.

"Banning the trade will make it easier for law enforcement agencies to crack down on the poachers and smugglers, and give the remaining wild populations some much-needed breathing space."

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) estimates that between 2.1 and 3.2 million African greys were captured between 1975 and 2013.

Susan Lieberman of the Wildlife Conservation Society said the parrot had experienced "significant population declines throughout its range in West, Central and East Africa".

"It is extremely rare or locally extinct in Benin, Burundi, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo," she said in a statement

"If this bird could talk - and it certainly can - the African grey parrot would say thank you."

The CITES treaty, signed by 182 countries and the European Union, protects about 5,600 animal and 30,000 plant species from over-exploitation through commercial trade.

The 12-day conference, which ends on Wednesday, is sifting through 62 proposals to tighten or loosen trade restrictions on around 500 species.
Bangladeshi granted bail over deadly cafe attack

A Bangladesh court Sunday granted bail to a student of Canada's University of Toronto after police dropped charges against him over alleged involvement in the country's deadliest terrorist attack, police and a lawyer said.

Tahmid Hasib Khan was picked up by security forces and later arrested after he was named as a suspect in the July carnage at Holey Artisan Bakery, Dhaka, where Islamist extremists killed at least 22 mostly foreign hostages.

Khan's family vehemently protested his innocence, saying the 22-year old was in the cafe as a customer and was not associated with the five gunmen who hacked and shot to death the hostages in an attack claimed by Islamic State group.

A sign of solidarity is placed near the restaurant where a bloody siege ended in the death of seventeen foreigners and five Bangladeshis, in Dhaka on July 5, 2016 Roberto Schmidt (AFP)

Police on Sunday said investigators had not found any evidence against Khan, prompting a court to grant his bail, two police officers told AFP.

"Police submitted a report on September 28, saying that he was not involved in the Holey Artisan attack," Khan's lawyer Motiur Rahman told AFP.

"The Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court today granted bail to him. We hope he will be released later today," Rahman said.

Police confirmed in August that Khan and British citizen Hasnat Karim, of Bangladeshi origin, had been arrested and were being held.

Karim and Khan were both inside the Bakery when gunmen raided the cafe on the night of July 1, taking a group of mainly Western diners hostage and then killing 20 of them, along with two policemen.

But neither have been seen in public since the end of the siege when commandos stormed the cafe in the capital's upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood on the morning of July 2.

The men's families have said they were being held by security forces even though there was no evidence to link them to the attackers.

Police had denied the men were in their custody before announcing the arrest on August 4.

Reports in local media said both men were being investigated for suspicious activity during the siege. They said Khan was seen holding a firearm and Hasnat Karim strolling with the attackers on the roof.

The country's national police chief told reporters that the two had fallen under suspicion as a result of their "behaviour and actions" during the siege.

Khan, who is a Bangladeshi citizen, was back in his homeland while on leave from university.

Police also named a Canadian citizen, Tamim Chowdhury, as the attack's mastermind, saying his Bangladeshi group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh, not IS, carried out the attack.

Chowdhury was killed in a gunfight just outside the capital later in August.
EU observers were wiretapped during Gabon vote: report

Gabonese intelligence wiretapped EU election observers who voiced grave doubts over the outcome of hotly disputed August 27 polls in the oil-rich central African nation, a French weekly reported.

In what it dubbed Gabon's "Watergate", the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) did not say how it had obtained excerpts of around 20 recordings, but said one of the subjects had "formally identified his own voice".

It said the wiretaps of some members of the 73-strong EU observer team "reveal heavy suspicions that the results were rigged".

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in Libreville Marco Longari (AFP/File)

The announcement that incumbent Ali Bongo won the vote with a razor-thin margin sparked two days of rioting and looting that left three dead in the former French colony, according to the government.

The opposition said dozens died in the unrest, during which some 800 people were arrested.

On one recording quoted by JDD, an unidentified EU observer is heard to say: "They are trying to work out how to cheat in a way that's not too obvious."

He adds: "Ballot boxes are on their way to (the capital) Libreville and will make the difference."

An EU spokeswoman said in a statement the observer team "had no knowledge it was being listened to."

Gabonese Communications Minister Alain-Claude Bilie Ny Nze dismissed the report Sunday as "trickery aimed at covering up the involvement of some European Union observers in favour of the opposition".

The EU mission was "neither neutral nor impartial," Bilie By Nze told AFP.

The EU spokeswoman dismissed the claim that the mission had not been neutral.

The mission "diligently respected (its agreement with the government and the electoral commission) in the exercise of its mandate, as well as the principles of neutrality and non-interference," she said.

- 'Changes' on Wikipedia -

The JDD report said the man in charge of security for the EU mission, named as Pierre B., was the "main target" of the wiretaps.

He is heard saying that there had been "changes to the numbers last night on Wikipedia", adding: "They increased the population of Haut-Ogooue. That's not encouraging."

The head of the EU mission, Bulgarian MEP Maryia Gabriel, told reporters on August 29 that the polls had been "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

The EU also said its election observers had had only limited access to witness the poll, in breach of the agreement the bloc signed with Gabon's government.

The next day, officials announced that Bongo had defeated challenger Jean Ping by fewer than 6,000 votes thanks to a 95 percent score in Haut-Ogooue, the southeastern fiefdom of the Bongo family.

They said turnout there was 99.93 percent.

"They did exactly what I hoped they wouldn't do," the deputy head of the EU observer mission is heard saying to Pierre B. in an exchange quoted by JDD.

Ping appealed the result to the Constitutional Court, which upheld Bongo's victory and put the winning margin higher at around 11,000 votes.

Bongo was officially sworn in to a second term last Tuesday, extending his family's rule in the country of 1.8 million people into a fifth decade.

A week ago, the EU mission said it "regretted" that the Constitutional Court "had been unable to satisfactorily rectify anomalies observed during the count".

Gabon shaken by election violence Alain BOMMENEL, Jonathan JACOBSEN, Paz PIZARRO (AFP)
Three journalists detained in Egypt after vox pop

Three photojournalists have been detained on charges of spreading false information after conducting interviews on the streets with members of the public in central Cairo, officials said Sunday.

The trio were arrested on September 26 and remanded in custody for 15 days, according to a security official and a member of the Egyptian journalists' union.

Their lawyer, Fatma Serag, told AFP the three had been "beaten and electrocuted" while in detention and accused of "belonging to an illegal organisation" and "spreading false news".

Three photojournalists have been detained after conducting street interviews with members of the public in central Cairo Khaled Desouki (AFP)

Rights groups say President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government has tried to repress all opposition since the former army chief overthrew his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Journalists Ossama al-Bishbishi, Mohamed Hassan and Hamdy Mokhtar -- all Egyptian -- "were conducting interviews with passers-by near the journalists' syndicate", union official Khaled Elbalshy told AFP.

Serag said they were accused of "using recording devices to spread false information through television channels in Turkey giving a bad impression of Egypt".

A number of members of Morsi's blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood have sought refuge in Turkey as relations between Cairo and Ankara deteriorated since the Islamist's ouster.

Serag said the journalists were filming a segment on Islamic clothing when a passer-by informed the police.

The security official said the three men had been filming without the necessary permit.

Police in May raided the journalists' syndicate and arrested two reporters accused of "inciting protests" against the authorities.

Elbalshy himself currently faces charges of harbouring wanted men in the union headquarters.
Iran offers hotel tax breaks in bid to boost tourism

Iran offered up to 13 years of tax holidays to hoteliers at an international tourism summit on Sunday as it seeks to boost visitor numbers and revamp its dilapidated hotels.

"All economic activities related to... tourism will enjoy 100 percent tax holidays between five to 13 years depending on the region," deputy economy minister Mohammad Khazaei told hoteliers from 18 countries who had gathered in Tehran, many from Europe.

Since the lifting of international sanctions under last year's nuclear deal, the moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani has made tourism a top priority for rebuilding Iran's struggling economy.

The Ibis and Novotel hotels at Imam Khomeini international airport in Tehran Atta Kenare (AFP)

Visitor numbers have already boomed in recent years thanks to a partial thaw in the country's relations with the world, rising from 2.2 million annually in 2009 to 5.2 million in 2015.

By 2025, they are hoping to reach 20 million visitors a year.

The government hopes to see 300 new hotels over the next five years as it seeks radical improvements to its low-quality tourist accommodation.

It is hoped a rejuvenated tourism sector can create some 140,000 new jobs, with around half coming from Iran's handicrafts sector, said the minister for roads and urban development, Abbas Akhoundi.

Projects to build some 170 four- and five-star hotels are already under way, he added.

"We are working actively on 10 to 15 projects in Iran," Christophe Landais, chief operating officer for France's Accor Hotels in Iran, told AFP.

Accor was the first international company to open hotels after the historic nuclear deal -- an Ibis and Novotel outside Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport last September.

Landais said the group also hopes to tap the huge religious tourism market of Iran's second city, Mashhad, which hosts the mausoleum of a key figure in Shiite history, the Eighth Imam.

"Mashhad is the destination for pilgrims. Actually Mashhad receives more pilgrims than Mecca in Saudi Arabia -- about 25 million," he said.

A hotel operator from the United Arab Emirates said he was also about to sign a contract in Mashhad.

"We've been invited by many, many investors, many developers" to join in partnerships there, Imad Elias, chief of the Dubai-based Roda Hotels and Resorts, told AFP.

"We had Iran as a potential spot for expansion even before the lifting of sanctions. Iran is a gold mine, a jewel that needs to be explored," he added.

Akhoundi said the government had also finalised plans for $10 billion worth of rail projects to help improve the country's connectivity.
India ratifies historic Paris climate change pact

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter, ratified the Paris agreement on climate change on Sunday on the birthday of the country's famously ascetic independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.

India, with a population of 1.3 billion people, is the latest big polluter to formally sign onto the historic accord which now takes a major step towards becoming reality.

Environment minister Anil Madhav Dave said "India deposited its Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change" at the United Nations in New York.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin (L) hands over the instrument of ratification on Paris agreement to Santiago Villalpando (2L) ,chief of the treaty section of Legal Affairs of the UN on October 2, 2016

"Great push to global actions to address climate change," he added on Twitter.

The accord, sealed last December in Paris, needs ratification from 55 countries that account for at least 55 percent of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 percent of emissions have now ratified the agreement to commit to take action to stem the planet's rising temperatures.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced last month that October 2, a national holiday, had been chosen as the ratification date because freedom fighter Gandhi had lived his life with a low-carbon footprint.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon and others have voiced confidence the accord will come into force by the end of the year, after a string of nations joined up, including the United States and China, the two largest emitters.

"India's leadership builds on the continued strong political momentum from Paris for urgent global action on climate change," Ban said in a statement.

"Action on climate change is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and creating a more prosperous, equitable and livable future for all people."

US President Barack Obama also commended India's move, writing on Twitter that "Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy."

France also welcomed India's ratification of the agreement.

French Environment Minister Segolene Royal told AFP it would "allow the accord to come into effect in record time".

And the Elysee Palace "hailed" Delhi's move.

"This decision, following that of the European environment ministers, brings us close to the Paris accord coming into effect by the end of the year."

EU environment ministers agreed last week to fast-track the ratification.

The accord requires all countries to devise plans to achieve the goal of keeping the rise of temperatures within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

Environmentalists welcomed Sunday's move, but urged India to work to phase out heavily-polluting coal, which it relies on heavily for electricity.

"India is one the very few large economies that has not made any promises of phasing out of coal," said Joydeep Gupta, director of "the third pole" website which focuses on environmental issues.

"This government is good on renewable energy, but not good on environmental issues. There is a lot of pushing back on air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution," he told AFP.

India, the world's fastest growing major economy, has long insisted that it needs to keep burning cheap and plentiful coal to cut crippling blackouts and bring electricity to millions of poor living without it.

India, which accounts for 4.1 percent of global emissions and is the third largest carbon-emitting country, has not agreed to cap or cut its emissions outright like some.

Instead it says it will hike up its use of green energy and reduce its emissions relative to its gross domestic product by up to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels -- meaning emissions will continue to grow but at a slower rate.

Modi has set an ambitious target of reaching 100,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022, up from about 20,000 at the moment.

Modi, and other leaders of developing nations, argued in Paris that rich countries must shoulder the lion's share of responsibility for tackling climate change as they have polluted most since the Industrial Revolution.

2015 was the hottest year on record, and 2016 is shaping up to be even warmer, US and European government scientists have forecast.

Smoke stacks at the coal-based Badarpur Thermal Station in New Delhi Money Sharma (AFP/File)

Rooftops covered in solar panels at the Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant, some 45kms from Amritsar on May 17, 2016 Narinder Nanu (AFP)
Clinton seizes offensive as woes mount for Trump

Donald Trump's presidential hopes suffered a punishing new setback as authorities clamped down on his charitable foundation, while Hillary Clinton seized the offensive to brand him an unscrupulous businessman.

With just five weeks to go before the November 8 election, Trump is seeking to climb out of one of the darkest periods of his White House campaign as his vice presidential pick Mike Pence goes toe to toe against Democratic Senator Tim Kaine late Tuesday for their only debate of the campaign.

Already weakened by damaging revelations about his taxes, the real estate billionaire was hit with an order by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that the Donald J. Trump foundation must "cease and desist from soliciting contributions" in New York.

With just five weeks to go before the November 8 election, Donald Trump is seeking to climb out of one of the darkest periods of his White House campaign Jewel Samad (AFP/File)

The notice informed the charity that it had engaged in fundraising activities not permitted under the law because it had not been registered with the state authorities.

With Team Trump on the defensive after leaked documents suggested he may have paid no income tax for two decades, his Democratic rival rounded on him as a business bully who cares little for his fellow countrymen.

"While millions of American families, including mine and yours, were working hard paying our fair share, it seems he was contributing nothing to our nation. Imagine that," a fired up Clinton said in Toledo, Ohio.

"He has been 'dissing' America in this whole campaign," she charged, riding high on a surge in polling carried out after the bruising first presidential debate.

The pair face off in their second showdown on Sunday.

- Personal attacks -

Trump used an appearance before military veterans in Virginia to pound the former secretary of state once more for handling classified information via a "basement" private email server.

But he appeared to stumble when he addressed veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, suggesting some were returning from battle ill-equipped to cope.

"When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over, and you're strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can't handle it," Trump said.

Clinton pounced on the comment in the evening, posting a fact-checking page on her website muddying Trump's record on veterans.

"A person who implies that veterans suffering from PTS are not 'strong' is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief. Period," she said on Twitter.

Trump's strongest line of attack has been personal in recent days, and of a degree of brutality rare even for this year's bare-knuckles campaign. He mocked Clinton over the weekend for coming down with pneumonia and even questioned her fidelity to her husband.

"Hillary Clinton's only loyalty is to her financial contributors and to herself," he said.

"I don't even think she's loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth. And really, folks, really, why should she be, right?" said the Manhattan tycoon, who revived talk of Bill Clinton's past infidelities following his lackluster debate performance.

His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway meanwhile accused Clinton on CNN of working to "blame and shame the women who had consensual sex with her husband over a number of years."

- 'Poster boy' for bullying -

Trump has defiantly dodged mounting questions about his tax record.

His top allies praised their candidate's business acumen following a weekend bombshell revelation by The New York Times that he declared a loss of $916 million on his 1995 tax return, enabling him to legally avoid paying taxes for up to 18 years.

If true, the report based on documents leaked to the Times is proof of the tycoon's "absolute genius," former New York mayor and Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani said.

Trump reportedly took massive, albeit legal, tax breaks on failing businesses, earning millions for himself while shareholders and investors swallowed the losses and contractors went unpaid.

Clinton seized on the Times report to blast her rival not just for refusing to pay his share, but as a business failure.

"How anybody can lose a dollar, let alone a billion dollars, in the casino industry is kind of beyond me," she said. "Here's my question: What kind of 'genius' loses a billion dollars in a single year?"

Trump parried the accusations during a rally in Pueblo, Colorado, saying he has long railed against "unfairness" of US tax laws.

"Honestly, I have brilliantly used those laws," he said.

"As a businessman and real estate developer, I have legally used the tax laws to my benefit, and to the benefit of my company, my investors and my employees."

Polls released by Politico/Morning Consult and CNN/ORC show Clinton with a six-point and five-point lead, respectively.

A fresh Quinnipiac battlegrounds poll also showed Clinton leading in the key swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, but trailing Trump in Ohio.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during an Ohio Democratic Party rally October 3, 2016 in Akron, Ohio Brendan Smialowski (AFP)

Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump cheer for him during his campaign stop at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado on October 3, 2016 Jason Connolly (AFP)

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani called revelations about Donald Trump's taxes proof of the New York tycoon's "absolute genius" Mark Makela (Getty/AFP/File)

People wait to greet Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton after an Ohio Democratic Party rally October 3, 2016 in Akron, Ohio Brendan Smialowski (AFP)
One dead in suspected rebel attack on Indian Kashmir army camp

Suspected militants fired on an army camp in Indian Kashmir late Sunday killing one trooper, police said, two weeks after a similar deadly attack that spiked tensions between arch rivals India and Pakistan.

An unknown number of militants tried to break through the camp's perimeter in Baramulla town but were repelled by soldiers and paramilitares in heavy exchanges of fire, an army official said.

"One BSF man has been killed and another injured," senior police superintendent of Baramulla, Imtiyaz Hussain Mir, told AFP, referring to the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF).

An Indian soldier takes up position at an outpost at the India-Pakistan border in R.S Pora south-west of Jammu on October 2, 2016 Tauseef Mustafa (AFP)

The incident that lasted more than two hours had been brought under control and firing had now stopped, the army's northern command and police said.

The attack comes after India last week launched "surgical strikes" on militant posts across the de-facto border that divides the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, prompting a furious response from Islamabad.

Indian and Pakistani troops regularly exchange fire across the disputed border known as the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, but sending ground troops over the line is rare.

Islamabad has dismissed the talk of surgical strikes across the heavily militarised LoC as an "illusion" and said two of its soldiers had been killed in small arms fire.

The strikes followed the deadly attack on one of India's army bases in Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants, triggering a public outcry and demands for military action.

The raid on September 18 on the Uri army base by militants hurling grenades left 19 Indian soldiers dead in the worst such attack in more than a decade.

Early on Monday morning, soldiers were searching for the militants outside the Baramulla camp, located some 50 kilometres (34 miles) from Srinagar, and it was unknown if any had been killed or captured.

The militants were hurling grenades during the attack, according to the Press Trust of India, although this could not be confirmed. Residents told local media of loud gunfire coming from the camp.

"Terrorists opened fire on an army camp in Baramulla town," army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia earlier told AFP.

Since last month's attack at Uri, India has been on a diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain seven decades ago, two of them over Kashmir. Both claim the region in full.

A number of armed separatist groups in the Indian-controlled part of the picturesque territory have for decades been fighting to break free from New Delhi.

Even before the Uri attack, tensions were high in the heavily militarised Kashmir region, with weeks of deadly protests in response to the killing of a young, popular militant leader.

The Kashiri separatist was killed during a gun battle with security forces in July.

More than 80 civilians have been killed, mostly in clashes with forces during protests against Indian rule, in the worst violence in the region since 2010.
EU unveils aid plan for Syria's Aleppo

The European Union on Sunday announced an aid plan for tens of thousands of civilians trapped in Syria's war-ravaged city of Aleppo.

In a statement, the EU said it was unlocking 25 million euros ($28 million) of funding to help its humanitarian partners in Syria cover "urgent medical, water and sanitation, and food assistance in Aleppo and in other priority areas".

The bloc will work with the UN to deliver "basic life-saving assistance to civilians in (rebel-held) East Aleppo," EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and humanitarian commissioner Christos Stylianides said in the statement.

Syrian regime forces gather at the Kindi Hospital as smoke billows following aistrikes on Aleppo on October 2, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP)

Aleppo, once Syria's vibrant commercial powerhouse, is now at the heart of a major military campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's fighters and his steadfast ally Moscow.

The offensive, announced on September 22, has seen dozens of civilians killed and residential buildings flattened in the east, where an estimated 250,000 people live under government siege.

The UN has said that water and food supplies in eastern Aleppo are running low, while efforts to bring in aid convoys through the Turkish border have been stalled by the fighting.

Citing a "humanitarian tragedy in Aleppo," the EU called on all sides in the fighting "to urgently provide the necessary authoritisations for aid delivery and for medical evacuations to proceed".

The EU and UN are planning to coordinate medical evacuations for those in urgent need, "with a focus on women, children and the elderly", the statement said.

The UN aid chief on Sunday said civilians under bombardment in rebel-held east Aleppo were facing "a level of savagery that no human should have to endure".

The battle for Aleppo has sparked some of the most savage violence in Syria's conflict since the beginning of March 2011.

The conflict has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced over half the population.
Dutch journalist killed as clashes rock Libya's Sirte

A Dutch journalist was killed by sniper fire Sunday while covering clashes in Libya's coastal city of Sirte, as unity government forces battled Islamic State group holdouts in the jihadist bastion.

Dr Akram Gliwan, spokesman for a hospital in Misrata where pro-government fighters are treated, told AFP that photographer Jeroen Oerlemans was "shot in the chest by an IS sniper while covering battles in Sirte" 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli.

Gliwan said his body had been transferred to Misrata, 200 kilometres west of Sirte.

Fighters loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord help a wounded comrade after he was shot by an Islamic State group sniper on the western frontline in Sirte on October 2, 2016 Fabio Bucciarelli (AFP)

Oerlemans was working in Libya for a number of organisations, including the Belgian weekly Knack magazine, which confirmed his death.

A message on Knack's website said Oerlemans was shot on a reporting assignment and that the publication "wishes his family much strength".

Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders also mourned his death.

"Oerlemans is a journalist who went where others would not go. He was driven to bring us the news through his pictures especially from the world's trouble spots," Koenders said in a statement.

"That he has now paid the highest price is incredibly sad. I wish his wife, children and family every strength at this great loss. A great photographer is gone."

Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord launched an assault against the jihadists in Sirte in May.

IS fighters holed up in the town, birthplace of ousted Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, responded with suicide bombings and sniper fire, slowing the government-backed advance.

Fighting on Sunday killed at least 10 IS fighters and eight pro-government fighters around the jihadist bastion, the unity government in Tripoli said.

Pro-government forces said they were "progressing" in Sirte, where they have surrounded IS militants, prompting some to try to escape.

They said loyalist fighters had recovered the bodies of at least 10 jihadists and were chasing another group that had fled Sirte.

- Loyalist casualties -

Eight soldiers loyal to the GNA were killed, according to the Facebook page of a field hospital set up by their forces in Sirte.

Fifty-seven members of the pro-GNA forces were wounded and transferred to the main hospital in Misrata.

IS said on Twitter that it had killed or wounded 64 members of the pro-GNA forces.

On Saturday, GNA aircraft conducted six sorties in preparation for an advance on the jihadists' hideout in the city's east, said the GNA statement.

American aircraft have also carried out some 177 air strikes since early August in support of GNA forces, according to US Africa Command (AFRICOM).

The fighting has left more than 450 GNA fighters dead and 2,500 wounded. The IS death toll is not known.

An IS defeat in Sirte would be a serious blow to the group, which has faced major setbacks in Iraq and Syria in recent months.

Libya was plunged into chaos following the NATO-backed ouster of Kadhafi in 2011, and the control of the country -- as well as access to its vital oil wealth -- is divided between rival governments and militias.

The GNA was formed following a UN-backed deal in December 2015, but it has struggled to impose its power across a country.

Oerlemans was the second journalist to be killed in the Sirte offensive, after Libyan journalist Abdelqader Fsouk was killed there in July.

British war photographer Tim Hetherington was killed in April 2011 in a mortar attack in the western Libyan city of Misrata.

He died alongside Chris Hondros, a 41-year-old US photographer for Getty, as the pair covered intense fighting between Kadhafi's forces and rebels.

A fighter loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord aims his weapon towards Islamic State group positions in District 3 while his comrade uses a broken mirror to observe their movement on the western frontline in Sirte on October 2, 2016 Fabio Bucciarelli (AFP)
Yemen rebels say to set up rival government

Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen said Sunday they will establish their own government of "national salvation" to rival the internationally recognised administration of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in the south.

The move was decided by a "supreme political council" created in July by the Iran-backed rebels and forces allied to Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In early August, UN-backed peace talks in Kuwait between Yemen's warring parties were suspended.

The rebel announcement of a rival government is likely to further complicate the prospects of a political settlement in Yemen Ahmad Al-Basha (AFP/File)

On Sunday, Saleh al-Sammad, head of the supreme political council, appointed Abdel Aziz Ben Habtoor to form a government of national salvation, the rebels announced on their website sabanews.net.

Ben Habtoor is a former governor of the southern port city of Aden and a member of the political bureau of Saleh's General People's Congress.

The rebel announcement of a rival government is likely to further complicate the prospects of a political settlement in Yemen.

It coincided with the presence in the Saudi capital Riyadh of UN Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and the arrival in Sanaa of UN humanitarian operations chief Stephen O'Brien.

The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 6,600 people and displaced at least three million since a Saudi-led Arab coalition backing Hadi's government launched operations in March 2015.

Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.

- Shipping threat -

On Sunday, the coalition said the rebels pose a threat to shipping in the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, after an attack on an Emirati vessel.

The coalition said Shiite Huthi militiamen had attacked the vessel "on its usual route to and from Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians".

"Coalition air and naval forces targeted Huthi militia boats involved in the attack" near the Bab al-Mandab, it said, while "coalition forces rescued civilian passengers following the attack" on Friday.

"This incident demonstrates Huthi tactics of terrorist attacks against civilian international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab," the coalition said in a statement.

The strait is a major shipping lane between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden leading into the Indian Ocean.

The rebels, in a statement posted Saturday on their sabanews.net website, claimed the attack which it said targeted and "completely destroyed" an Emirati warship with rockets as it neared Mokha on the Red Sea coast.

The United Arab Emirates military acknowledged "an incident" involving a chartered vessel under its command in the Bab al-Mandab as it was returning from a "routine" journey to Aden, but reported no casualties.

On Sunday, the rebels reported on sabanews.net that five people were killed and six wounded in a coalition air strike targeting fishing boats off Wahjah, south of Mokha.

That incident could not be independently confirmed.

The UAE is a key member of the coalition battling the Huthis and their allies.

On Sunday, the secretary general of Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdullatif al-Zayani, "strongly condemned" the attack on the Emirati vessel.

"This terrorist act endangers world seaborne trade in the Bab al-Mandab, contravenes the regulations of international shipping and hinders efforts to send aid and relief to Yemen," Zayani said in a statement.

United Nations aid chief Stephen O'Brien (C) disembarks from a plane upon his arrival at Sanaa's international airport on October 2, 2016 in the Yemeni capital Sanaa Mohammed Huwais (AFP)
Trump losses may mean he didn't pay taxes for years

WASHINGTON (AP)  Donald Trump's business losses in 1995 were so large that they could have allowed him to avoid paying federal income taxes for as many as 18 years, according to records obtained by The New York Times.

In a story published online late Saturday, the Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trump's 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The filings show a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for the year.

That Trump was losing money during the early to mid-1990s  a period marked by bankruptcies and poor business decisions  was already well established. But the records obtained by the Times show losses of such a magnitude that they potentially allowed Trump to avoid paying taxes for years, possibly until the end of the last decade.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Manheim, Pa. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Trump's campaign released a statement on Saturday lashing out at the Times for publishing the records and accused the newspaper of working to benefit the Republican nominee's presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

"The New York Times, like establishment media in general, is an extension of the Clinton campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests," the campaign said, calling Trump "a highly skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required."

The statement added that Trump had paid "hundreds of millions" of dollars in other kinds of taxes over the years.

Clinton's campaign manager, Robby Mook, used the Times story to needle Trump about not releasing his tax returns and contending during his first debate with Clinton that not paying federal income taxes would show he was "smart."

Mook said in a statement that Trump apparently avoided paying taxes for two decades "while tens of millions of working families paid theirs. He calls that 'smart.'" Mook added: "Now that the gig is up, why doesn't he go ahead and release his returns to show us all how 'smart' he really is?"

Since 1976, every major party presidential nominee has released tax returns. Clinton has publicly released nearly 40 years' worth, and Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has released 10 years of his tax returns.

But after initially saying that he would make his returns public during the course of his campaign, Trump switched course, citing what he said were years of ongoing IRS audits and the advice of his attorneys to keep them private as those audits proceed.

Former IRS officials have expressed skepticism that anyone would be audited so frequently, and they and other tax experts say there's no prohibition on Trump releasing his returns even if he is.

In its story, the Times said the three pages of documents were mailed last month to a Times reporter who had written about Trump's finances. A postmark indicated they had been sent from New York City and the return address claimed the envelope had been sent from Trump Tower, the newspaper said.

Trump's campaign did not directly address the authenticity of the excerpts from Trump's tax filings. Former Trump accountant Jack Mitnick, whose name appears as Trump's tax preparer of the filings, confirmed their authenticity, the newspaper reported.

"This is legit," Mitnick told the newspaper.

The Times said a lawyer for Trump argued that publication of the records would be illegal because Trump had not authorized their disclosure.

Because of provisions in the tax code that allow wealthy individuals to offset their personal income with losses in various partnerships and business ventures, Trump could have used his losses in 1995 to avoid incurring tax liabilities on as many as three years of prior and 15 years of future profits.

The $916 million in losses reported by the Times would not include previous years of losses incurred by Trump while his New Jersey casino empire slid into bankruptcy.

In an interview, Mitnick told the Times he had sometimes found it odd that the tax code allowed Trump to live in such luxury without paying income taxes.
Colombia's leader to push ahead on peace after shock defeat

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  Colombians rejected a peace deal with leftist rebels by a razor-thin margin in a national referendum Sunday, scuttling years of painstaking negotiations and delivering a strunning setback to President Juan Manuel Santos, who vowed to keep a cease-fire in place and forge ahead with his efforts to end a half-century of war.

Final results showed that 50.2 percent opposed the accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia while 49.8 percent favored it  a difference of less than 54,000 votes out of a total of 13 million. Pre-election polls had predicted the "yes" vote would win by an almost two-to-one margin.

"I won't give up. I'll continue search for peace until the last moment of my mandate," Santos said in a televised address appealing for calm and in which he tried to reassure voters he was in control of the situation.

Opponents to the peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, celebrate as they listen to the results of the referendum to decide whether or not to support a peace accord to in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Colombia's peace deal with leftist rebels was on the verge of collapsing, with those opposing the deal leading by a razor-thin margin with almost all polling stations reporting results. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

To save the accord, Santos ordered his negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to consult with FARC leaders who watched the results come in from the communist island. He also promised to listen to opponents in a bid to strengthen the deal, which he said is Colombia's best chance for ending a conflict that has killed 220,000 people and driven almost 8 million people from their homes.

"I've always believed in a wise Chinese proverb to look for opportunities in any situation. And here we have an opportunity that's opening up, with the new political reality that has demonstrated itself in the referendum," he said before descending to the steps of the presidential palace to address a small group of supporters, some of them crying and waving white flags symbolizing peace.

The shock outcome, comparable to Britain's decision to leave the European Union in the Brexit vote, opens an uncertain outlook for an agreement that was signed less than a week ago by Santos and the FARC in a ceremony attended by heads of state, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry  all of whom heralded the accord.

Opposition to the accord, led by influential former President Alvaro Uribe, argued that the government was appeasing the FARC and setting a bad example that criminal gangs would seize on by sparing rebels jail time if they confess their crimes and guaranteeing the group 10 seats in congress through 2026. If the "no" vote prevailed, Uribe said, the government should return to the negotiating table.

But that is an option Santos has previously ruled out.

With the government's ability to govern now in question all eyes are on Uribe, the country's most-popular politician and whose almost decade-long military offensive forced the FARC to the negotiating table. In his home state of Antioquia, the country's second-most populous, the "no" vote won by a whopping 24 points.

In prepared remarks delivered at his ranch outside Medellin, Uribe called for a "big national pact" and insisted on "correctives" that guarantee respect for the constitution, respect for private enterprise and justice without impunity.

"We want to contribute to a national accord," Uribe said, without explicitly saying whether he supports Santos' call to continue seeking a peace deal with the FARC. "We know that our compatriots who voted 'yes' will listen to us upon receiving our message of good will."

President Santos served as Uribe's defense minister but the two haven't spoken for years, leading many pundits to joke that bringing the two former allies together is harder than achieving peace with the FARC.

Early in the day, FARC leaders, including Timochenko and Ivan Marquez, sat in leather recliners at Club Havana, once Cuba's most exclusive beach club, watching the referendum results on a flat-screen TV. Initially the atmosphere was festive, with the guerrillas laughing and joking while snacking on cheese-and-olive hors d'oeuvres, smoking cigars and visiting an open bar.

But the mood soured as results began to come in, and the rebel commanders talked in hushed tones on cellphones, conferred quietly and asked journalists to leave the room.

"The FARC deeply regret that the destructive power of those who sow hatred and revenge have influenced the Colombian people's opinion," Timochenko told reporters later.

He said the rebel group's commitment to peace remains intact.

"The FARC reiterates its desire for peace and our willingness to use only words as a weapon for building the future," he said.

Turnout was low, with only 37 percent of the electorate bothering to vote, a further sign to some analysts that Colombians' enthusiasm for the ambitious accord was lacking. Heavy rains from hurricane Matthew especially dampened turnout along the Caribbean coast, where the "yes" vote won by a comfortable double-digit margin.

The campaign exposed deep rifts in Colombia's society, dividing many families and making clear that the road to reconciliation would have been long and torturous even had the accord passed. Colombians overwhelmingly loathe the FARC, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group, and many considered the accord an insult to victims of the long-running conflict.

In the past month, ever since the deal was announced in Cuba after four years of grueling negotiations, the government spent heavily on television ads and staged concerts and peace rallies around the country to get out the vote. It even enrolled the help of U2's Bono and former Beatle Ringo Starr. And for the first time in an election, it made ballots available in Braille so blind Colombians could vote.

The FARC had also made an effort to show its commitment to peace is real. Twice this week leaders of the group traveled to areas hit hard by violence to apologize for massacres committed by their troops and discuss with communities how they can compensate victims. Even ahead of implementation, they voluntarily destroyed in front of United Nations observers 620 kilograms of grenades and light explosives.

___

AP Writer Michael Weissenstein contributed to this report from Havana, Cuba.

Joshua Goodman is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjoshgoodman . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/joshua-goodman .

Andrea Rodriguez is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARodriguezAP . Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/andrea-rodriguez .

Opponents to the peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, listen to the results of the referendum to decide whether or not to support the peace deal, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Colombias peace deal with leftist rebels was on the verge of collapsing in a national referendum Sunday, with those opposing the deal leading by a razor-thin margin with almost all votes counted. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Opponents to the peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, celebrate as they listen to the results of the referendum to decide whether or not to support a peace accord to in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Colombias peace deal with leftist rebels was on the verge of collapsing in a national referendum Sunday, with those opposing the deal leading by a razor-thin margin with almost all votes counted. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A supporter of the peace accord signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, cries as she follows on a giant screen the results of a referendum to decide whether or not to support the deal in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Colombia's peace deal with leftist rebels was on the verge of collapsing in a national referendum Sunday, with those opposing the deal leading by a razor-thin margin with almost all votes counted.(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Opponents to the peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, celebrate as they listen to the results of the referendum to decide whether or not to support a peace accord to in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. The peace deal was expected to end more than 5 decades of conflict between the FARC and the government. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Supporters of the peace accord between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, follow on a giant screen the results of a referendum to decide whether or not to support the peace accord in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. The peace deal is expected to end more than 5 decades of conflict between the FARC and the government. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

An opponent to the peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, celebrates after she listened to the results of the referendum to decide whether or not to support a peace accord to in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Colombias peace deal with leftist rebels was on the verge of collapsing in a national referendum, with those opposing the deal leading by a razor-thin margin with almost all votes counted (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A supporters of the peace accord between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, follows on a giant screen the results of a referendum to decide whether or not to support the peace deal in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. The peace deal is expected to end more than 5 decades of conflict between the FARC and the government. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Former President and opposition Senator Alvaro Uribe shows a clip of a news article with a headline reading in Spanish "FARC puts a C4 collar around the neck of a Venezuelan," after voting in a referendum to decide whether or not to support a peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. The newspaper clipping refers to a collar bomb placed around the neck of a Venezuelan rancher by FARC rebels in 2003, accusing the rebels trying to extort money from the man. Uribe opposes the deal that is expected to end more than 5 decades of conflict between the FARC and the government. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Low turnout invalidates Hungary ballot on EU refugee quotas

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  Low voter turnout invalidated Hungary's referendum on European Union refugee quotas, even though citizens voted overwhelmingly in support of the government's opposition to any future, mandatory EU plans to relocate asylum-seekers.

The government claimed a "sweeping victory," but analysts said that the result was an "embarrassing but not totally catastrophic defeat" for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

"We can be proud that we are the first and so far only member state of the European Union" to hold such a referendum, Orban told supporters after the results were known. "Hungarians were able to give their direct opinions on the issue of immigration."

Hungarian Primie Minister Viktor Orban, centre, applauds, during the Fidesz party's event after the referendum in the Balna Budapest Cultural Center in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, October 2, 2016. Hungarians overwhelmingly supported the government in a referendum on Sunday called to oppose any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers. But nearly complete official results showed the ballot was invalid due to low voter turnout.(Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP)

Orban, who did not mention at all that the referendum was officially invalid, said he would present a proposal to amend the Constitution reflecting people's intentions. Orban, a right-wing populist, has challenged the EU's refugee policy, arguing that allowing the influx of larger numbers of Muslim migrants into Europe threatens Hungary and Europe's Christian identity and culture.

"The (European) Union's proposal is to let the migrants in and distribute them in mandatory fashion among the member states and for Brussels to decide about this distribution," Orban said. "Hungarians today considered this proposal and they rejected it. Hungarians decided that only us Hungarians can decide whom we want to live with."

"The question was 'Brussels or Budapest' and we decided this issue is exclusively the competence of Budapest," the prime minister said.

With 99.98 percent of the votes counted, more than 3.25 million voters  or 98.3 of those who cast valid ballots  backed the government. But turnout stood at 43.9 percent, the National Election Office said. At least 50 percent plus one of Hungary's 8.27 million voters needed to cast valid ballots for the referendum to be valid.

Nearly 4 percent of the votes were spoiled  twice as many as in any of the other four referenda held since 1997  driving down the number of valid votes to 40.1 percent.

The referendum asked: "Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?"

Orban's Fidesz party claimed victory immediately after voting stations closed, with party vice chairman Gergely Gulyas saying it was a "sweeping victory for all those who reject the EU's mandatory, unlimited quotas."

At the same time, analysts said the relentless government campaign against the EU's refugee relocation schemes had oversaturated citizens.

"Orban was able to dominate public discourse with an issue in which the majority was on his side," said Tamas Boros, an analyst at Policy Solutions, a political research and consultancy firm. "But it seems he went too far and overestimated how much people's opinions are transformed into votes."

With a weak opposition in parliament and practically limitless campaign spending to promote the government position, the referendum's lack of validity was considered distressing for the government.

"Considering there was hardly any counter-campaign, that they spent some 50 million euros ($56.1 million) and everyone on the right took up the issues wholeheartedly, it's an embarrassing but not totally catastrophic defeat for Orban," Boros said. "It is his first national defeat since 2006, the first time in a decade that the prime minister cannot impose his will."

Orban argued that "No" votes favored Hungary's sovereignty and independence.

Orban, who wants individual EU member nations to have more power in the bloc's decision-making process, said he hopes anti-quota referendums would be held in other countries.

The invalid result because of the low turnout would make Orban's quest to persuade Brussels to drop the refugee quotas more difficult.

"With an invalid result, it is harder for Orban to claim he holds all the aces" against Brussels, Boros said. "The EU will see that while there is a majority against the quota, it's not the most important issue for Hungarians."

Separately from the referendum, the Orban government is also suing at the European Court of Justice because of the EU's 2015 decision to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from overburdened Greece and Italy. Under the original plan, 1,294 asylum seekers would be moved to Hungary.

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to "send a message to Brussels" while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.

Several opposition and civic groups have called on citizens to stay home and boycott the vote. Others urged casting invalid ballots that would not count in the final tally, but still could be interpreted as rejecting the government's "zero migrants" policies.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way toward Western Europe. Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year.

Last month, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching Hungary's border area on 13 different days.

Hungary last year rejected over 80 percent of the asylum claims made in the country, one of the highest rates in the EU, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. The country granted asylum to 508 refugees, rejected 2,917 applications and had nearly 37,000 claims still being processed.

Members of a local election commission start counting votes after the polling station closed in the first district of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians voted Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government to bolster its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers.(Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)

Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban delivers a speech in front of supporters in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians overwhelmingly supported the government in a referendum on Sunday called to oppose any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers but nearly complete official results showed the ballot was invalid due to low voter turnout.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A member of a local election commission starts counting votes after the polling station closed in the first district of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians voted Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government to bolster its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)

Members of a local election commission start counting votes after the polling station closed in the first district of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians voted Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government to bolster its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)

Members of a local election commission start counting votes after the polling station closed in the first district of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians voted Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government to bolster its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)

A man holds a poster of Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban that reads "What have I done again" during a protest by opposition parties against Orban's policies on migrants in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man rides a bicycle by a poster that reads in Hungarian "Lets not risk it! Lets vote no! October 2", supporting Hungarian Premier Minister's Viktor Orban policies on migrants in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. Hungarians will vote Sunday in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban casts his vote in the referendum as his wife Aniko Levai stands by in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man rides a motorcycle by a poster that reads in Hungarian "Let's send a message to Budapest, so they also understand! A stupid answer to a stupid question! Cast an invalid vote!" in opposition to Hungarian Premier Minister's Viktor Orban policies on migrants in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. Hungarians will vote Sunday in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks to media after voting in the referendum in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A referendum official seals a ballot box before the voting begins in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Youngsters gesture during a concert by nationalist band Romantic Violence that followed a rally far right sympathizers, supporting Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban's policies on migrants in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. Hungary is holding a referendum on Sunday against future European Union quotas for accepting asylum seekers, but schemes already in place to ensure EU member countries are taking in a fair share of the migrants reaching Europe hardly are working now. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pauses on the corridor of the polling station after voting in the referendum as his wife Aniko Levai stands by in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban leaves a polling station after voting in the referendum in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man holds an European Union flag during a protest by opposition parties against Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban's policies on migrants in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A woman exits a voting cabin after voting in the referendum in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A couple kiss back dropped by the Kossuth memorial during a protest by opposition parties against Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban's policies on migrants in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Edit Piros, an ethnic Hungarian from Romania, who moved to Hungary from Transylvania, central Romania, receives the ballot paper before voting in the referendum in the village of Veresegyhaz, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Edit Piros, an ethnic Hungarian from Romania, who moved to Hungary from Transylvania, central Romania, exits a voting cabin after voting in the referendum in the village of Veresegyhaz, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians vote in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Members of a local election commission start counting votes after the polling station closed in the first district of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians voted Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government to bolster its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)

A member of a local election commission starts counting votes after the polling station closed in the first district of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians voted Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government to bolster its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)

Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban looks at supporters before delivering a speech in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Hungarians overwhelmingly supported the government in a referendum on Sunday called to oppose any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers but nearly complete official results showed the ballot was invalid due to low voter turnout. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
NTSB: 1st recorder recovered from train crash wasn't working

HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP)  One data recorder recovered so far from the New Jersey Transit commuter train that crashed in Hoboken killing one and injuring more than 100 others was not functioning on the day of the accident, officials said Sunday.

The locomotive's recorder is supposed to store information on train speed.

National Transportation Safety Board vice chair T. Bella Dinh-Zarr said Sunday afternoon that she's "hopeful" the data recorder in the cab control car in the front of the train is functional. Investigators haven't been able to extract that recorder because it's under a collapsed section of the train station's roof.

In a photo provided by William Sun, people examine the wreckage of a New Jersey Transit commuter train that crashed into the train station during the morning rush hour in Hoboken,, N.J., Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. The crash caused an unknown number of injuries and witnesses reported seeing one woman trapped under concrete and many people bleeding. (William Sun via AP)

"We still have no firm date on when the controlling car can be accessed so we can" obtain the second recorder, Dinh-Zarr said.

There is a federal requirement that the lead locomotive have a working data recorder, said NTSB investigator Jim Southworth.

"That's something we'll see when we get in there," he said.

Dinh-Zarr also said that the train's engineer, Thomas Gallagher, told NTSB investigators that he was well-rested before arriving to work that morning and that the train was operating properly before it crashed Thursday morning.

The engineer also said the train was operating at 10 mph as it approached the station. He told investigators he has no memory of the accident; he only remembers waking up on the floor of the cab.

The train's conductor was also interviewed, and he said he didn't see anything unusual about the speed of the train, Dinh-Zarr said.

The signals on the tracks leading to Hoboken Terminal appear to be working normally and officials completed a walking inspection of the track, finding nothing that would have affected the performance of the train, the NTSB said Saturday. Investigators have obtained video from other trains that were inside the train station when the crash occurred.

Signs posted at a New Jersey Transit maintenance facility in Hoboken, dated February, said there had been 10 incidents involving trains in the prior two months, including five derailments. The sign said the "serious incidents reflect a dangerous trend" and that the main cause of the incidents appeared to be caused by human error.

A spokesman for New Jersey Transit didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

New Jersey Transit trains have been involved in more than 150 accidents that caused more than $4.8 million in damage to tracks or equipment since 2011, and the commuter rail has paid more than $500,000 to settle safety violations, according to federal data.

Federal Railroad Administration information shows that NJ Transit settled 183 safety violations  ranging from employee drug and alcohol use to violations of railroad operating rules or practices  since Jan. 1, 2011. The settlement payments include about $70,000 for more than a dozen safety violations in 2014 and 2015. Statistics for the current year are not yet available.

Months before Thursday's deadly commuter train crash in Hoboken, New Jersey, federal rail officials found dozens of violations during an audit focusing on NJ Transit's safety and operations, a U.S. official confirmed Saturday.

The official, who was familiar with the railroad administration audit, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.

The railroad administration began an audit in June after noticing an uptick in rail incidents and found "dozens of safety violations" that needed to be fixed immediately, the official said. The commuter rail agency was fined as a result of the audit, the official said, adding that federal agencies are continuing to work with the railroad to ensure compliance with federal rail safety guidelines.

There were 25 accidents in 2015 and 10 in the first seven months of 2016, but none caused injuries or death, federal data showed. Most of the incidents occurred at low speeds and more than half were in train yards.

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Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak in Philadelphia and Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton contributed to this report.

New Jersey Transit workers lay down pallets and boards for commuters to walk on a flooded hallway adjacent to the site of a train crash at the Hoboken Terminal, Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, in Hoboken, N.J. Commuters are using alternative travel in and out of Hoboken a day after a commuter train crashed into the rail station, killing one person and injuring more than 100 people. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Trump tax revelation punctuates week of political challenges

NEW YORK (AP)  Ever defiant, Donald Trump and his Republican allies embraced a report on Sunday that said the New York businessman may not have paid federal income taxes for nearly two decades after he and his companies lost nearly $916 million in a single year.

The unexpected revelation punctuated a week of missteps and aggressive personal attacks from the Republican presidential contender, with early voting already underway in some states and Election Day quickly approaching.

If there was a bright spot to the explosive story about his taxes in The New York Times, Trump supporters said, it was that it may shift the national conversation away from Trump's weeklong feud with a former beauty queen he called "Miss Piggy" as he shamed her for gaining weight, and his unfounded suggestion Hillary Clinton may have cheated on her husband.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Manheim, Pa. (AP Photo/John Locher)

"He's not been on message," said Barry Bennett, a former Trump adviser. "A week was wasted where he could have been talking about the heroin epidemic and jobs and ISIS. All the money in the world can't get that time back."

The mounting challenges injected a new sense of urgency into Trump's White House bid with the next presidential debate a week away.

Trump is deciding whether to use the debate stage to attack Clinton's role in the infidelities of her husband, former President Bill Clinton's. That's according to a person with intimate knowledge of Trump's thinking as his senior advisers huddled Sunday for a rare session of debate preparation. The person was not authorized to discuss publicly the private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Publicly, however, Trump's team was aggressively defiant on Sunday.

Neither New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie nor former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, both top Trump supporters, disputed the report that said Trump's loss in 1995 was big enough that he could have legally avoided paying taxes for as many as 18 years.

On "Fox News Sunday," Christie declared it "a very, very good story for Donald Trump." Giuliani called him "a genius at how to take advantage of legal remedies that can help your company survive and grow" on ABC's "This Week."

"Don't you think a man who has this kind of economic genius is a lot better for the United States than a woman? And the only thing she's ever produced is a lot of work for the FBI checking out her emails," Giuliani said.

The Trump did not appear publicly on Sunday, but weighed in on social media, saying he was singularly qualified to fix the nation's tax system.

"I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them," Trump tweeted.

Clinton made no mention of Trump's taxes during her events in North Carolina on Sunday. But the Democratic presidential nominee reposted a tweet from Trump, who wrote in 2012 that "HALF of Americans don't pay income tax despite crippling govt debt..."

"Now that's pretty rich coming from a guy who paid $0 in taxes for 18 years," Clinton tweeted.

Before The Times story put Trump's taxes back at the center of the campaign, the candidate and his backers were engrossed in an effort to change the subject from his feud with 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, and his middle-of-the-night tweets that directed voters to what he called her "sex tape."

The online taunts referred to footage from a Spanish reality show in 2005 in which Machado was a contestant and appeared on camera in bed with a male contestant. The images are grainy and do not include nudity, though Machado later acknowledged that she was having sex in the video.

On Saturday night in Manheim, Pennsylvania, Trump imitated Clinton's stumbles as she left this year's 9/11 memorial service ill with pneumonia and questioned her loyalty to her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

"Why should she be, right?" he asked. "Why should she be?"

In a story published online late Saturday, The Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trump's 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The filings show a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for the year.

That Trump was losing money during the early to mid-1990s  a period marked by bankruptcies and poor business decisions  was already well established.

But the records obtained by the Times show losses of such a magnitude that they potentially allowed Trump to avoid paying taxes for years, possibly until the end of the last decade.

His campaign said that Trump had paid "hundreds of millions" of dollars in other kinds of taxes over the years.

Trump has refused to release his tax returns, breaking with four decades of presidential campaign tradition. Trump has said his attorneys are advising him to keep his tax returns private until a government audit is completed.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told a House committee Sept. 21 that people under IRS audit are free to release their returns, or IRS letters informing a person they're being audited.

Trump has done neither. Clinton has publicly released nearly 40 years' worth, and Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has released 10 years of his tax returns.

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Kellman reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jeff Horwitz in Washington and Ken Thomas in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

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Follow Steve Peoples and Laurie Kellman on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/sppeoples and http://twitter.com/APLaurieKellman
FC Dallas beats Galaxy 1-0, remains atop MLS standings

FRISCO, Texas (AP)  Walker Zimmerman scored in the first half to help FC Dallas beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on Saturday night to remain atop the MLS standings.

The victory ended a three-game winless run for Dallas, which leads the Supporters' Shield race by five points. Los Angeles has lost two straight after a six-game undefeated run, but clinched a playoff spot due to other results in the Western Conference.

Zimmerman was left unmarked on Mauro Diaz's corner kick and he headed it home in the 39th minute. He earlier just missed a glancing header in the 25th.

Steven Gerrard missed a chance to put Galaxy in front in the 18th when he shot wide after a counterattacking move.

Colorado beat Portland 1-0 to secure a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2013, with Seabstien Le Toux scoring the winner in the 63rd.

With four games to go, Colorado is five points behind in the Western Conference and has the best chance of the remaining contenders to surpass Dallas for the Supporters' Shield.

At Harrison, New Jersey, the New York Red Bulls beat the Philadelphia 3-2 to join New York City FC in first place on the Eastern Conference standings with two games remaining.

Dax McCarty capped the scoring in the 66th after being involved in both of the Red Bulls' earlier goals.

Toronto dropped to third spot in the Eastern Conference with a 2-1 home loss to D.C. United, which is unbeaten in five games.

New England remained in contention for a playoff spot with a 3-1 win over Sporting KC, staying in seventh spot in the Eastern Conference just two points behind sixth-place Montreal.
Vote in Hungary highlights snags in migrant relocation plan

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  Hungary is holding a referendum Sunday against future European Union quotas for accepting asylum seekers, but schemes already in place to ensure EU member countries are taking in a fair share of the migrants reaching Europe hardly are working now.

The EU decided in September 2015 to move 160,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other European countries. There, refugees with a "high chance" getting asylum would wait for a decision on their applications and, in case of success, receive permission to settle in the country to which there were relocated.

Under this system, Hungary would receive 1,294 asylum seekers and Slovakia would get 902. Both countries reject the mandatory quotas and are challenging the EU's sharing scheme at the European Court of Justice.

A migrant woman crosses from Serbia to Hungary in Horgos, Serbia, Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. Hungarians will vote Sunday in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Here's a by-the-numbers look at how the migrant issue is playing out within the 28-nation bloc:

ASYLUM SEEKERS IN EUROPE

Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, says there were 1.25 million first-time asylum applicants in the EU during all of last year and 1.44 million in the 12 months before Sept. 21.

Germany led the EU in 2015 with 441,800 first-time applicants, followed by Hungary with 174,435 and Sweden with 156,110.

While Germany and Sweden are destination countries for refugees and migrants, Hungary is almost exclusively a transit country and often the first EU country where people heading north from Turkey and Greece register.

Next on the list are two more destination nations: Austria, with 85,505 applications in 2015, and Italy with 83,245.

At the bottom are Croatia with 140 first-time applicants, Estonia with 225 and Slovenia with 260.

PROTECTION GRANTED

Germany is also first in the EU in approving asylum requests, having granted some sort of international protection to 140,910 refugees in 2015.

Sweden is second with 32,215, Italy third with 29,615 asylum seekers recognized last year. France (20,630) and the Netherlands (16,540) round out the top five.

Latvia approved only 20 asylum applications, followed by Croatia with 40 and Slovenia's 45.

Eurostat said Hungary approved 505 asylum requests in 2015.

ASYLUM SEEKER RELOCATION

The European Commission said just 5,651 asylum seekers of the EU target of 160,000 had been relocated from Greece and Italy as of Sept. 27.

France welcomed the most, 1,952, but was expected to receive 19,714 under the EU quota plan.

The Netherlands had 726 relocations out of 5,947 pledged, while Finland took in 690 asylum seekers out of the 2,078 it was assigned.

Austria, Hungary and Poland did not admit any asylum-seekers from the relocation pool.

HUNGARY'S CASE

The Hungarian government's assorted objections to the relocation scheme have led to Sunday's referendum which, while not legally binding, has boosted both Prime Minister Viktor Orban's popularity.

Orban has argued that future EU relocation quotas could compel the country of 9.8 million to take in hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of them Muslims he says would spoil Hungary's homogenous society along with its Christian identity.

"We are only defending the right to remain unchanged," Orban said this week on state television. "We Hungarians love Hungary the way it is."

Orban says support for the government's position in the referendum would make it harder for Brussels to ignore Hungary's quota nihilism.

A migrant from Afghanistan holds on to a fence after crossing to Hungary from Serbia in Roszke, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. Hungarians will vote Sunday in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Egyptian lawmaker's call for virginity tests draws fire

CAIRO (AP)  A women's rights group has filed a legal complaint against an Egyptian lawmaker who called for mandatory virginity tests for women seeking university admission, the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported Sunday.

It quoted Maya Morsi, head of the state-sanctioned National Council for Women, as saying the complaint demands the expulsion from parliament of Ilhami Agena and a criminal investigation into his actions. She said the lawmaker was harming the reputation of Egyptian women, men and the country itself.

Agena said in an interview last week that virginity tests were needed to combat the proliferation of informal marriages, known as "gawaz orfy," between students. Virtually expense free, such marriages have become more popular in recent years because of high youth unemployment and a shortage of affordable housing.

In this Sept. 8, 2016, photo, Egyptian Parliamentary member Ilhami Agena, left, attends the human rights committee in Cairo, Egypt. An independent Egyptian daily says the states top womens advocacy group has filed a complaint with the chief prosecutor against the lawmaker who called for mandatory virginity tests for women seeking university admission. (AP Photo/Lobna Tarek)

The gawaz orfy is widely viewed as a religiously sanctioned way of having premarital sex, a taboo in mostly conservative and majority Muslim Egypt. Muslim clerics have spoken out against such marriages.

In Egypt, as in other conservative, Muslim countries, a young woman's virginity is widely seen as a matter of family honor, the loss of which could prevent her from getting married.

The military was alleged to have conducted virginity tests on 19 women arrested after troops violently broke up a protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square in March 2011, shortly after longtime President Hosni Mubarak resigned in the face of a popular uprising.

Three months later, Amnesty International said that Egypt's then-military rulers acknowledged carrying out the tests as a way to protect the army from possible rape allegations. The military pledged not to conduct the tests again, according to the London-based rights group.

Agena's comments about women have sparked controversy in the past, including claims that some female lawmakers were not dressing modestly enough.

He sparked an uproar last month by saying that the practice of female genital mutilation, or FGM, was needed to curb women's sexuality and counterbalance allegedly widespread male impotence in Egypt. He claimed that 64 percent of Egyptian men suffer from impotence, citing increased sales of Viagra.

"If women are not circumcised, they will become sexually strong and there will be a problem," an imbalance leading to divorce, he added.

His comments about FGM followed the adoption by the Egyptian parliament of tougher penalties for the practice, allowing for a maximum of 15 years in prison for offenders if a child dies and up to seven years for performing the procedure.

The centuries-old practice, misguidedly believed to reduce a woman's libido, was criminalized in Egypt in 2008. However, it remains widespread and an estimated 90 percent of Egyptian women have undergone some form of the forced procedure.

FILE - In this Friday, March 16, 2012, file photo, an Egyptian activist shouts anti-military Supreme Council slogans during a demonstration in front of Cairo's high court, Egypt. An independent Egyptian daily says the states top womens advocacy group has filed a complaint with the chief prosecutor against a lawmaker who called for mandatory virginity tests for women seeking university admission. Arabic reads " March 9, 2011, protesters torture " and " We did not want the Egyptian woman to be a second-class citizen". (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Israel bars Palestinians from entering during Jewish holiday

JERUSALEM (AP)  The Israeli military says it will prevent Palestinians from crossing into Israel from the West Bank during the Jewish new year because of security concerns.

It said the closure Sunday would remain in place for the duration of Rosh Hashanah, which ends Tuesday night, but that humanitarian cases would be allowed in.

Israel has imposed similar holiday closures in recent years, fearing militant attacks during the religious festival, when thousands of visitors flock to the Holy Land.
India ratifies Paris climate change agreement

NEW DELHI (AP)  India, which accounts for about 4.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, ratified the Paris climate change agreement Sunday at the United Nations, officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet had given its approval Wednesday to ratify the Paris agreement on Oct. 2, coinciding with the birth anniversary of India's independence leader Mohandas Gandhi, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint.

India's U.N. Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the official documents on ratification of the Paris agreement to the chief of the U.N. Treaty Section, Santiago Villalpando, in the chamber of the U.N. Economic and Social Council at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sunday, according to India's U.N. Mission.

A man carries a sack of vegetables as he walks past a polluted canal littered with plastic bags and other garbage in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. India is scheduled to deposit the ratification instruments of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the United Nations on Sunday, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. India accounts for about 4.5 percent of emissions. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted that India had kept "its promise" to ratify the deal.

The U.N. welcomed India's move. "India's leadership builds on the continued strong political momentum from Paris for urgent global action on climate change," the U.N. spokesman's office said in a statement.

The Paris agreement will come into force when 55 countries contributing to at least 55 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions ratify it.

Including India, 62 countries have so far deposited their instruments of ratification, accounting for roughly 52 percent of global emissions, according to the U.N.

The Paris agreement was adopted by 185 nations in December. It asks both rich and poor countries to take action to curb the rise in global temperatures that is melting glaciers, raising sea levels and shifting rainfall patterns. It requires governments to present national plans to reduce emissions to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

India has committed that by 2030, at least 40 percent of its electricity will be generated from non-fossil sources. This includes 175 gigawatt renewable energy capacity by 2022.

Manish Bapna, executive vice president and managing director of the World Resources Institute, said that India "has one of the boldest renewable energy targets in the world, making it destined to be a major player in solar and wind markets."

Money will be a big challenge for India, which says it will require over $2.5 trillion to meet all of its targets. It says it will achieve the targets only if other countries give it money and discounts on new technology.

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Associated Press writer Edith Lederer in New York contributed to this report.

A boy sits on a bike next to a polluted canal littered with plastic bags and other garbage in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. India is scheduled to deposit the ratification instruments of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the United Nations on Sunday, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. India accounts for about 4.5 percent of emissions. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A man guides a raft through a polluted canal littered with plastic bags and other garbage in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. India is scheduled to deposit the ratification instruments of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the U.N. on Oct. 2, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. India accounts for about 4.5 percent of emissions. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
UN wildlife conference bans trade in African grey parrot

JOHANNESBURG (AP)  A U.N. wildlife conference has approved a ban on international trade in wild populations of the African grey parrot, which is heavily sought after as a pet because of its ability to mimic words.

The decision was made Sunday in Johannesburg at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES.

Conservationists say the African grey parrot has experienced a big drop in numbers because of trade, poaching and habitat loss. They say the trade ban could enable law enforcement agencies to crack down more effectively on illegal trafficking.
Palmer point a boost for his F1 future prospects

SEPANG, Malaysia (AP)  Jolyon Palmer made a strong case to be retained by the Renault team in 2017 as he scored his first ever Formula One points by finishing tenth in Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix.

The British driver was the only one to start the race on the hardest-compound tire and made the most of a one-pitstop strategy to take the last points place.

"It feels good, I'm really happy," Palmer said. "The race was really smooth; I wish it was always so straightforward.

Renault driver Jolyon Palmer of Britain steers his car down pit lane during the third practice session for the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

"The car gave me everything I needed, we handled the tires well and the team did a great job with strategy and pit stops. Finally everything came together and we got it home to P10."

Palmer's future at Renault is in doubt, with the team chasing an experienced driver in 2017 as it seeks to make a leap forward under the sport's new design regulations.

While the team had reportedly chased Force India's Sergio Perez, the Mexican was expected to announce in the coming week that he was staying put.

That increased the likelihood that Renault will retain at least one of its current driver pairing: Palmer and Kevin Magnussen.

Magnussen finished in the points in the previous race in Singapore and was considered the more likely of the pair to be retained, but Renault team principal Fred Vasseur was impressed by Palmer's performance on Sunday.
Somali presidential candidate takes aim at corruption

HELSINKI (AP)  Running to become president of a country always comes with challenges  but facing death threats from militants and fearing you may never see your four children again are not the usual hurdles.

Despite those enormous obstacles, Fadumo Dayib, 44, plans to leave the safety of Finland, where she arrived as a refugee 26 years ago, to run for president in Somalia. She will be one of dozens of candidates vying to rule the troubled Horn of Africa nation, whose government has been struggling against the al-Shabab extremist group, which is trying to impose a strict version of Islam.

When her children are mentioned, a worried frown crosses her face.

Somali Fadumo Dayib, who is living in Finland, pictured during an interview in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday Sept. 22, 2016. Dayib is possibly running for the President of Somalia in upcoming elections. Running to become president of a country always comes with challenges, but facing death threats from militants and fearing you may never see your four children again are not the usual hurdles. Despite those enormous obstacles, Fadumo Dayib plans to leave the safety of Finland, where she arrived as a refugee 26 years ago, to run for president in Somalia. (Jussi Nukari, Lehtikuva, via AP)

"I'll have to tell them they may never see me alive again," Dayib tells The Associated Press. "That is going to be a tough, tough thing to do as a mother."

After her own mother fled adversity in Somalia, Dayib was born in neighboring Kenya and arrived in Finland as an 18-year-old refugee. Educated in health care and nursing in this Nordic country and in public administration at Harvard University, she has set her goals high for conservative Somalia aiming to eradicate the stranglehold on power held by the country's four major clans.

"My aim is to tackle this structure. My aim is to destroy it," she says. "It has no place in the 21st century."

Any Somali citizen above age 40 can run for president as long as his or her parents are both ethnic Somalis and the candidate has had higher education and work experience. Candidates do not represent regions and run on their own platforms.

Dressed in long flowing trousers and a blue-black headscarf, Dayib sips a latte in a Helsinki cafe. She could hardly be further away from the bloodshed in Somalia, where al-Shabab is waging a guerrilla war after being pushed out by African Union peacekeeping forces from major cities and towns, but the violence is never far from her thoughts.

During a recent visit to the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Dayib became only too aware of the dangers after a trip to the waterfront. People had been enjoying a quiet Thursday afternoon until al-Shabab fighters attacked the beach, killing several people  after she had posted beach pictures on social media.

"I felt that if I hadn't put those photos on social media, perhaps that attack would not have happened," she says, her voice trailing off. "But then someone said to me they would have done it anyway and you could have been one of those killed."

She wanted to visit the beach to be "part of the daily reality of Somalis," but also to let al-Shabab know she did not fear them, despite several death threats she has received since announcing her candidacy.

"I'm not scared of them," she says. "I wanted to show them that I want to go to my country, to walk anywhere I want to walk and send a very strong message that your threats are not working."

Dayib didn't learn to read and write until age 14  four years before she arrived in Finland with her younger brother and sister. Her mother joined them later through the family reunification plan and they settled in the central Finnish city of Kuopio.

There she attended university, graduating with a diploma in auxiliary nursing before continuing her nursing and public health degrees at universities in southern Finland and then to Harvard for a degree in public administration. In between she worked in Somalia, Liberia and Fiji with the United Nations, focusing on child health, adolescent care and other humanitarian issues involving refugees.

Dayib, who has dual nationalities, plans to remain in Somalia for three to four years even if she doesn't get the top job. In addition to tackling the clans and the corruption, she wants to help bring peace and democracy to the country  to be "a catalyst" for social change.

She won't speak about her personal life in Finland because she fears it might endanger her family and friends. She says she is leaving Finland because she feels a "vocational calling," born the 12th child after 11 siblings before her died in Somalia, mostly from curable diseases.

"There's a reason why I survived, and that reason is not solely to serve my own interests," she says. "It's to make sure that we have a country that is progressive and that people will lead a dignified existence."

She concedes that winning is nearly impossible. Somalia has never had a female president and Dayib says its few female lawmakers are fighting to keep their seats in the largely male-controlled country.

Regions in the country of more than 10 million will choose 14,000 electors by Oct. 10, in a move sure to reflect the power of the clans. The electors, in turn, will vote for the 275 members of a new Parliament.

The lawmakers then will vote in the new president on Nov. 30 from a list of candidates that is not yet complete.

Dayib says corruption will be a major concern in this year's election because "in Somalia, people buy votes," but she is still hopeful about the future.

I'm very optimistic that we'll have democratic elections in Somalia in 2020," she says. "I have no doubts that I will be the president in Somalia and I'm willing to wait it out for the next 20 years if necessary."
Kaine, Pence prepare for undercard debate

RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  With the first presidential debate complete and its spin cycle nearly over, the two understudies are getting ready to take the main stage.

The vice presidential debate Tuesday will be the only time Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Tim Kaine will have the nation's political attention all to themselves, away from their much more well-known running mates.

The stakes will be lower than the three presidential debates, but will give each largely undefined candidate a chance to make a mark on a national audience.

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2016 file photo, Republican vice presidential candidate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence speaks in Des Moines, Iowa. With the first presidential debate complete and its spin cycle nearly over, the two understudies are getting ready to take the main stage. The vice presidential debate on Oct. 4, will be the only time Pence and Democrat Tim Kaine will have the nations attention all to themselves, away from their much more well-known running mates. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Running mates rarely overshadow the top of the ticket, although Sarah Palin caused a sensation as Republican John McCain's pick in 2008. But voters always have a reason to size up the people who would be next in line for the presidency.

The 2016 candidates are older than the norm. Though their doctors said they are fit to serve, Hillary Clinton, who will be 69 before the election, has had several health problems in recent years while Donald Trump, 70, has for months held off disclosing much about his own fitness.

Pence, Trump's running mate, is taking a decidedly un-Trump like approach to the vice presidential debate. He's preparing for it.

The Indiana governor and former 12-year congressman held mock debate sessions with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as a stand-in, studying up on issues likely to be raised and making sure he avoids the criticisms of being unprepared that dogged Trump after his uneven performance a week ago. "We're going to do our level best to be ready," Pence told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt this past week.

Pence was spending the weekend back home in Indianapolis, taking a break from campaign travel to be with his family and continue informal debate preparations, spokesman Marc Lotter said.

Clinton's running mate, a former Virginia governor and current U.S. senator, spent several days preparing for the debate in Raleigh, North Carolina, and in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. The debate will take place at Longwood University, about an hour west of Richmond.

Helping Kaine is Washington, D.C., lawyer Robert Barnett, a veteran of prepping Democrats for debates. Kaine said he's been "thinking hard" about what Pence's record says "about the guy who chose him, because it really is more about Donald Trump than it is about Gov. Pence."

Pence and Kaine are practiced public speakers with lengthy political careers who should bring a high level of polish to the undercard debate. Pence is a former talk radio host; Kaine a former Harvard-trained trial lawyer.

But both have played dramatically different roles since they were picked to be the No. 2s.

Pence has frequently been on the hot seat defending, deflecting and explaining some of his unconventional running mate's more inflammatory comments and views. It's made for some awkward moments, with Pence defending Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump's apparent support for a policy of stop-and-frisk by police, and Trump's feud with a Muslim-American family whose son, a U.S. Army captain, was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004.

After Monday's presidential debate, Pence made the rounds on the television networks, where he broke with Trump on global warming. Trump has called warming a hoax, while Pence said after the debate that "there's no question" human activity affects both the climate and the environment.

Kaine, by contrast, is much more in lockstep with Clinton and has rarely faced tough questions on a tightly managed campaign that's so far been heavy with private glitzy fundraisers and lighter moments on TV. He's no fire-eater. He's called himself "boring," a quality Clinton said she loves about him.

Some days Kaine's toughest job is holding his own while jamming on harmonica with some world-class musical talents. That list so far includes Jon Batiste ("The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" house band leader), Lindsey Buckingham (guitarist for Fleetwood Mac), Asleep at the Wheel (local country legends in Austin, Texas) and John Popper (frontman for Blues Traveler).

Recently, while Pence was defending a tweet from one of Trump's son's comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of Skittles, Kaine was in the middle of a California fundraising tour that included a dinner at actress Eva Longoria's house and an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

After the first presidential debate, Kaine and Pence both claimed victory for their candidates and looked ahead to their showdown.

Speaking to volunteers in Orlando, Florida, Kaine said Clinton's performance "raised the bar."

"That puts pressure on me," he joked.

On a TV appearance before flying to Wisconsin for two days of preparations with Walker, Pence said the same.

"Donald Trump raised the bar for his running mate," Pence said.

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Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writer Kathleen Ronayne in Alexandria, Virginia, contributed to this report.
VIEWERS' GUIDE: Low-key VP candidates take debate spotlight

WASHINGTON (AP)  We interrupt this year's slugfest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to bring you their understudies: two low-key, middle-aged guys.

Tuesday night's vice presidential debate between Republican Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia pits a former radio host who's described himself as "Rush Limbaugh on decaf" against a harmonica-playing former missionary whose aw-shucks style has spawned a thousand dad jokes.

Barring the unexpected, their 90-minute faceoff is unlikely to alter the trajectory of the presidential race.

FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2016, file photo, tables are in place for the media for the Oct. 4 vice presidential debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. Tuesday nights vice presidential debate between Republican Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia pits a former radio host whos described himself as Rush Limbaugh on decaf against a harmonica-playing former missionary whose aw-shucks style has spawned a thousand dad jokes. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

But don't hit the snooze button just yet. Debate history suggests there still is the potential for some memorable moments.

Some things to watch for in Tuesday's debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.

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SAY WHO?

Pence and Kaine have campaigned full tilt for more than two months now, but plenty of people still don't have a feel for them. In a recent Associated Press-GfK poll, more than half of registered voters said they didn't know enough about Kaine to venture an opinion about him, and about 44 percent said the same for Pence. This is their big moment to show they're qualified to be next in line to the president.

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SCOUT MOTTO

Trump may disdain traditional debate prep, but Kaine and Pence both have embraced the Scout motto: Be prepared. Each must be ready to defend his own record, skewer his opponent and do the same for the top of the ticket.

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THE MISSION

Pence and Kaine have to decide whether to focus more on one another or on Trump and Clinton. Watch how they toggle between the two tasks. Look for Pence, who calls Clinton "the most dishonest person ever to seek the presidency," to zero in on lines of attack that Trump hardly touched in the first debate, such as questions about whether Clinton played favorites as secretary of state with donors to the Clinton Foundation. Kaine will try to act as a character witness for Clinton and go after Trump, of whom the senator says his "only recognized passion in his life has been for himself."

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DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE

Pence will have the added herculean task of explaining away the steady stream of insults, barbs and inflammatory comments delivered by his running mate, including the latest contretemps over a beauty queen whom Trump has shamed for gaining weight. Pence has had plenty of practice in recent weeks. Expect him to employ a strategy of praising Trump for his unscripted style as a "bold truth teller" without arguing the merits of the GOP nominee's specific comments.

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THREADING THE NEEDLE

Both candidates may need to navigate areas where they have policy differences with their running mates; Pence more so than Kaine. Pence, for example, says it's clear that human activity is affecting the climate while Trump has called global warming a hoax. Kaine holds that U.S. military operations against the Islamic State group have not been properly approved by Congress, a point of disagreement with Clinton.

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AMEN CORNER

Expect both Pence, an evangelical, and Kaine, a former Catholic missionary, to showcase their religious backgrounds in an effort to appeal to different constituencies. Pence likes to say of himself: "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican  in that order." Kaine often brings up his time as a missionary in Honduras, working in a few lines of Spanish along the way to reach out to Hispanics.

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TOO CLEVER?

Past vice presidential debates have provided some memorable lines. Republican Bob Dole's cutting quip in 1976 about all the Americans killed in "Democrat wars" did him no good. Democrat Lloyd Bentsen's 1988 putdown of Republican Dan Quayle with his "You're no Jack Kennedy" line still singes. Third-party candidate James Stockdale's rambling 1992 opening questions of "Who am I? Why am I here?" captured a candidate who was clearly out of his element. Four years ago, Vice President Joe Biden's denunciations of Republican Paul Ryan's budget math as "a bunch of malarkey" showed considerably more spark than did President Barack Obama's leaden performance against rival Mitt Romney in the leadoff debate.

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MODERATION

CBS News' Elaine Quijano will be under the microscope as moderator, especially since Trump has complained that NBC's Lester Holt, the moderator of last week's debate, was too tough on him.

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Associated Press writers Kathleen Ronayne in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.

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Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/nbenac
3 Indonesian hostages released in southern Philippines

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Three Indonesian hostages have been released in the southern Philippines after being held by their Abu Sayyaf captors for more than three months, Indonesia's foreign minister said Sunday.

The men, who were freed just before midnight Saturday, were undergoing health exams in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said at a news conference. She said they would be transferred to the city of Zamboanga before being handed over to Indonesian officials and flown back to Indonesia.

The three  Ferry Arifin, Muhammad Mabrur Dahri and Edy Suryono  were among seven crew members of a tugboat who were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in June. Two of the others were released previously, and two are still being held.

It was not immediately clear whether the three released late Saturday had been ransomed off.

In Manila, Philippine military officials said the release, which brought to 10 the number of kidnap victims freed by the Abu Sayyaf in the past two weeks, was due to ongoing operations against the group.

Filemon Tan, a military spokesman, said 12 more kidnap victims  two Indonesians, five Malaysians, four Filipinos and a Dutch  were still in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf.

Three Indonesian fishermen who were also being held by Abu Sayyaf militants were freed Sept. 17, along with a Norwegian man and two Filipinos.

Marsudi said the government is working for the release of the two remaining Indonesian hostages  the tugboat's navigator, Robin Piter, and third engineer, Muhammad Nasir.

The seven Indonesians were abducted June 20 in southern Philippine waters while returning from Cagayan De Oro port in the Philippines to Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan province on Borneo island.

The Abu Sayyaf has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the United States and the Philippines for deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings.

Philippine forces launched a major offensive against the Abu Sayyaf after the beheadings of two Canadians early this year sparked condemnations from then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau has called on other nations not to pay ransoms to discourage the militants from carrying out more kidnappings.

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Republican Donald Trump can do little to stop Democrat Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency if she carries North Carolina, where their close race reflects the national liabilities of both candidates.

Trump is struggling with conservative Democrats, especially women in the big and booming suburbs of Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, who've long been part of the GOP's winning formula in North Carolina.

Younger voters who helped Barack Obama win the state in 2008 and come close in 2012 are far more hesitant to back her.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C, on September 27

In a scenario playing out across the most contested states, Clinton's pursuit of new supporters is aided by a huge, data-driven ground force in North Carolina, while Trump is sticking with his come-what-may plan.

'Both candidates have problems here,' said Paul Shumaker, an adviser to U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who is seeking re-election. 'But I think the Clinton people are more attuned about fixing their problems than Trump's are.'

Polls suggest North Carolina, Ohio and Florida are among the most competitive states expected to decide the final steps on the path to the 270 electoral votes required to win the White House.

In all but one of the past nine presidential elections, the Republican nominee has taken North Carolina. Clinton's apparent strength in once reliably Republican Virginia and swing state Colorado may mean a perilously narrow route to an electoral majority for Trump.

If Clinton captures North Carolina, Trump would have to carry perennially tight Ohio and Florida, plus Democrat-leaning Pennsylvania, and sweep less populous close states that appear increasingly out of reach.

Shumaker says GOP support for Trump is lower than usual in North Carolina, as estimated in private GOP and public polling. 2012 nominee Mitt Romney received more than 90 per cent of the GOP vote in North Carolina, according to exit polls; Trump appears markedly short of that.

Trump promised to win over conservative Democrats, who are common in Cary, a suburb of roomy brick homes and newer retail developments west of Raleigh.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Kenansville, N.C. on September 20

Such a voter is Sunday Petrov, who is grudgingly backing Clinton. 'It's more like I'm voting against Trump,' she said. 'What bothers me most is his disrespect for Hispanics, for Muslims, his unprofessional demeanor.'

Trump has little outreach aimed at specific voter groups in North Carolina; Clinton does. She needs it with younger people, with whom her polling margins pale next to Obama's in 2008 and 2012.

After last Monday's debate with Trump, she pleaded her case during a rally at Wake Tech Community College.

The election, she said, 'is more about the future of young people and children than it's ever been,' and she talked about her plan for government-subsidized, tuition-free college.

Later in the week, Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, visited Asheville and Greenville, stopping at Eastern Carolina University to focus on college debt.

'North Carolina feels like Virginia in 2012,' said Dan Kanninen, the Clinton campaign's top adviser in the state.

Obama won Virginia in 2008 and 2012, after 10 consecutive GOP victories there, by attracting younger, ethnically diverse and more educated adults, especially those flowing into northern Virginia's tech and defense sectors.

Clinton is putting that same strategy to work in North Carolina. Universities, high-tech companies such as Cisco Systems and the financial sector, including Fidelity Investments, have attracted thousands of young professionals to the Raleigh area alone since 2012.

In the past four years, North Carolina has added roughly 300,000 voters, mostly in metropolitan areas that account for half of the state's vote. They are predominantly college-educated, which is good news for Clinton in a close race.

'Trump's biggest problem is college-educated whites,' said Republican strategist Michael Luethy, who charts legislative races. 'If he solves his problem there, he wins. Easier said than done.'

Trump can do little to stop Clinton from winning the presidency if she carries North Carolina

Perhaps the biggest unknown heading into the November 8 election is whether African-Americans will turn out for Clinton at near the historic levels they twice did for Obama, the first black president.

Clinton dominates Trump among African-Americans, who make up 22 per cent of North Carolina's voters, the biggest share of any battleground state. Trump has done little to turn around long-standing support for Democrats by black voters.

Clinton has organizers on or near campuses of the state's 12 historically black colleges and universities.

Moreover, early-voting restrictions enacted in 2013 by North Carolina's Republican-controlled Legislature and GOP Gov. Pat McCrory were overturned after being ruled discriminatory toward black voters.

McCrory is up for re-election in November and trails Democrat Roy Cooper in a rare case where a down-ballot race could generate turnout for the presidential campaign.

'I think Democratic intensity on that issue  the attempt at voter suppression  is going to keep African-American turnout at the levels we've had lately,' said Ken Eudy, a Democratic campaign strategist.

Shumaker, the GOP senator's aide, said that may be enough to lift Clinton in a close race.
Red Cross: As winter nears, N. Korea flood area needs help

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP)  One month after devastating floods caused by a typhoon hit a remote area of North Korea, Red Cross officials said Sunday that more help is needed for thousands of displaced people before harsh winter conditions set in.

The Red Cross estimates that 70,000 people were made homeless in North Hamgyong province by the flooding caused by Typhoon Lionrock at the end of August. Officials estimate that more than 130 people died and another 400 are missing, and that 30,000 homes were destroyed. The flooding also damaged roads and railway lines.

Red Cross video from a four-day trip to North Hamgyong this past week shows people living in temporary shelters amid rubble and mud-caked areas of destruction left in the wake of the flooding. North Korean authorities have launched a major reconstruction effort, but have asked international humanitarian organizations for help.

In this image made from TV made available Sunday Oct. 2, 2016, Red Cross staff and other officials inspects damage to a building, as people live in temporary shelters amid rubble and mud-caked areas of destruction left in the wake of massive flooding in Hoeryong City, North Korea, Wednesday Sept. 28, 2016. One month after devastating floods hit this remote area of North Korea, the Red Cross is calling for urgent help for the thousands of people who are trying to rebuild their lives before harsh winter conditions set in. (Red Cross via AP)

The Red Cross has sent supplies to construct temporary shelters and provide daily necessities for people who lost everything in the flooding.

Patrick Elliott of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies flew up from Pyongyang to North Hamgyong on Tuesday. He said Sunday that North Korea's Red Cross has taken the supplies "and have been able to build temporary shelters, in their locations or close to their locations, until they can get a permanent solution."

But winter is coming soon, meaning snow and plummeting temperatures will make life more difficult for thousands of displaced people still living in very basic conditions.

Even in good weather, the area is very remote, with most normal access only on unpaved roads.

Another Red Cross official, Chris Staines, who was among the first international humanitarian workers to reach the area in early September, said better shelter and more supplies are now needed to deal with the coming of winter.

"Well, the disaster hit in many ways at probably the worst time," he said Sunday. "It affected crops just a couple of weeks before harvest, and of course with winter closing in, and now less than a month before the first snows are expected at the end of October, it's an area where the temperatures plunge. ... That's why we need much more permanent solutions in terms of shelter, in terms of the health services and the access to food, and sorting out issues around safe water."

In this image made from TV made available Sunday Oct. 2, 2016, temporary shelters set up for victims amid rubble and mud-caked areas of destruction left in the wake of massive flooding in Hoeryong City, North Korea, Wednesday Sept. 28, 2016. One month after devastating floods hit this remote area of North Korea, the Red Cross is calling for urgent help for the thousands of people desperate to rebuild their lives before harsh winter conditions set in. (Red Cross via AP)

In this image made from TV made available Sunday Oct. 2, 2016, Red Cross staff and other officials inspects temporary shelters amid rubble and mud-caked areas of destruction left in the wake of massive flooding in Hoeryong City, North Korea, Wednesday Sept. 28, 2016. One month after devastating floods hit this remote area of North Korea, the Red Cross is calling for urgent help for the thousands of people desperate to rebuild their lives before harsh winter conditions set in. (Red Cross via AP)

In this image made from TV made available Sunday Oct. 2, 2016, a Red Cross staff and other officials inspects damage to a school building, as people live in temporary shelters amid rubble and mud-caked areas of destruction left in the wake of massive flooding in Hoeryong City, North Korea, Wednesday Sept. 28, 2016. One month after devastating floods hit this remote area of North Korea, the Red Cross is calling for urgent help for the thousands of people who are trying to rebuild their lives before harsh winter conditions set in. (Red Cross via AP)
52 confirmed dead in stampede at Ethiopia religious event

BISHOFTU, Ethiopia (AP)  Dozens of people were crushed to death Sunday in a stampede after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an anti-government protest that grew out of a massive religious festival, witnesses said. The Oromia regional government confirmed the death toll at 52.

"I almost died in that place today," said one shaken protester who gave his name only as Elias. Mud-covered and shoeless, he said he had been dragged out of a deep ditch that many people fell into as they tried to flee.

The first to fall in had suffocated, he said.

People march during an annual religious festival in Bishoftu, a town southeast of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Several people were crushed to death Sunday morning, according to witnesses, in a stampede after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters chanting anti-government slogans as they pushed toward a stage where leaders were speaking. (AP Photo)

"Many people have managed to get out alive, but I'm sure many more others were down there," he said. "It is really shocking."

The stampede occurred in one of the East African country's most politically sensitive regions, Oromia, which has seen months of sometimes deadly demonstrations demanding wider freedoms.

An estimated 2 million people were attending the annual Irrecha thanksgiving festival in the town of Bishoftu, southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, when people began chanting slogans against the government, according to witnesses.

The chanting crowds pressed toward a stage where religious leaders were speaking, the witnesses said, and some threw rocks and plastic bottles.

Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and people tried to flee. Some were crushed in nearby ditches, witnesses said.

In its statement, the Oromia regional government blamed "evil acts masterminded by forces who are irresponsible," and it denied that the deaths were caused by any actions by security forces.

Mulatu Gemechu of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress told The Associated Press that his sources at hospitals said at least 52 people were dead as of Sunday evening, but he thought the figure would rise.

The protesters were peaceful and did not carry anything to harm police, he said.

Before the stampede, an AP reporter saw small groups of people walking in the crowd and holding up their crossed wrists in a popular gesture of protest.

The reporter also saw police firing tear gas and, later, several injured people.

The crossed-wrists gesture has been used widely as a sign of peaceful resistance and is meant to symbolize being handcuffed by security forces.

It was in the spotlight at the Rio Olympics, when Ethiopian marathoner Feyisa Lilesa, who is from the Oromia region, crossed his wrists while finishing in second place. He hasn't returned to the country since, saying his life could be in danger.

Ethiopia's government, a close security ally of the West, has been accused often of silencing dissent, at times blocking internet access.

The months of anti-government protests and the sometimes harsh government response have raised international concern.

The U.S. recently spoke out against what it called the excessive use of force against protesters, describing the situation in Ethiopia as "extremely serious."

On Sunday, many people in Ethiopia turned their Twitter and Facebook profiles to solid black and expressed anger at the government over the deaths.

The regional government declared three days of national mourning.

In this image from video, tear gas envelops protesters in background as people march during an annual festival in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Oct.2, 2016, where witnesses report that several dozen people died in a stampede during the religious celebration. According to eyewitness reports, several people at the annual festival in Bishoftu Sunday were crushed to death after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters chanting anti-government slogans as they pushed toward a stage where leaders were speaking. (AP Photo/Elias Meseret)

In this photo made available by OMN, men receive medical attention after a stampede at a religious festival, in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Dozens of people were crushed to death Sunday in a stampede after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an anti-government protest that grew out of a massive religious festival, witnesses said. (OMN via AP)

In this photo made available by OMN, a woman receives medical attention after a stampede at a religious festival, in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Dozens of people were crushed to death Sunday in a stampede after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an anti-government protest that grew out of a massive religious festival, witnesses said. (OMN via AP)

People march during an annual religious festival in Bishoftu, a town southeast of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Several people were crushed to death Sunday morning, according to witnesses, in a stampede after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters chanting anti-government slogans as they pushed toward a stage where leaders were speaking. (AP Photo)

Ethiopian soldiers block the street as people march during an annual religious festival in Bishoftu, a town southeast of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Several people were crushed to death Sunday morning, according to witnesses, in a stampede after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters chanting anti-government slogans as they pushed toward a stage where leaders were speaking. (AP Photo)

People march during an annual religious festival in Bishoftu, a town southeast of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Several people were crushed to death Sunday morning, according to witnesses, in a stampede after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters chanting anti-government slogans as they pushed toward a stage where leaders were speaking. (AP Photo)

People march during an annual festival in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, where witnesses report that several dozen people have died in a stampede during the religious celebration. People at the annual festival in Bishoftu were crushed to death Sunday morning after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters chanting anti-government slogans as they pushed toward a stage where leaders were speaking.(AP Photo)
Police: 2 students killed were innocent bystanders at party

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP)  Two North Carolina university students who were shot and killed at a party were innocent bystanders to a fight that broke out, authorities said Sunday.

Greensboro police Cpl. M.D. Matthews told the News & Record of Greensboro that (http://bit.ly/2dKt62T) there was no evidence the two North Carolina A&T State University students who died were part of fight that broke out Sunday morning.

A Greensboro Police news release named the victims as Alisia Dieudonne, 19, of Homewood, Illinois, and Amhad Campbell, 21, of Kittrell, North Carolina.

Officers responded about 2:10 a.m. Sunday to a reported disturbance at a Greensboro home located off-campus, Matthews said. Police located Dieudonne and Campbell shot inside the residence.

The student who held the party, 20-year-old Nicholas Jeffers, says he told everyone to leave when a fight broke out. Another fight started outside, and he heard three shots fired, he said.

"I'm stunned because it didn't have to go this far," Jeffers said.

Jeffers, who was friends with the two students who died, said neither knew about the first fight until he told them moments before someone fired the shots that killed both of them.

Greensboro police Capt. Nathaniel Davis said witnesses have cooperated with police who have yet to determine a suspect, the weapon used or the number of guests at the party.

"This is a really sad day," Davis said. "We're just hoping people will come forward with information."
Egypt to tender retinal scan system for airport security

CAIRO (AP)  Egypt will soon announce a tender for a new security system for Cairo Airport employees involving retinal scans, in an attempt to meet Russian conditions to resume flights to Egypt, Egyptian Aviation officials said on Sunday.

They said Egypt has already met most of Russia's security recommendations for the airport, where some 20,000 people work.

A visit last week by Russia's Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov raised hopes that Moscow would soon resume flights to Egypt, which were suspended last year when a Russian airliner taking off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.

FILE - In this Thursday, May 19, 2016, file photo, the Egyptair logo is seen at the arrivals section of Cairo International Airport, Egypt. Egyptian Aviation officials said on Sunday they would soon announce a tender for a new security system for Cairo airport employees involving retina scans, attempting to meet a key Russian condition to resume flights to Egypt. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

Russian and Western intelligence agencies said the crash was likely caused by a bomb placed on board, and a Sinai-based affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

Moscow's decision, along with the U.K.'s suspension of its flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, dealt a severe blow to Egypt's vital tourism sector and its already ailing economy.

Upgrading security at its airports has cost the government in Egypt millions of dollars and given rise to long and often raucous lines at security checks. But the government is pressing ahead with the security reforms in the hope of luring tourists back.

Since the crash of the Russian passenger airliner in October 2015, Egypt's aviation industry was further shaken by the crash into the Mediterranean of an EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo in May after a fire was reported on board, killing all 66 people on board. In March, a domestic EgyptAir flight was diverted to Cyprus by a hijacker using a fake explosives belt.

The new security measures at Egypt's airports now include sealing off luggage after it is cleared by X-ray checks, a process that also applies to on-flight food and beverages. Passengers must also remove their shoes and belts for scanning at the final security check before boarding. Kiosk-shaped machines designed to detect traces of explosives have been installed at arrival halls but are not yet being used.

The recent security measures have caused their share of friction.

Last week, a tussle broke out at the airport between customs inspectors and policemen. The policemen insisted that the inspectors be searched before entering the facility. The inspectors refused, arguing that the law does not authorize such searches.

The disagreement led to scenes of shoving and shouting that were noticed by passengers. The Cabinet member in charge of customs, Finance Minister Amr el-Garhy, visited the airport on Thursday in a bid to resolve the crisis, making a point of submitting to a police search himself.

Reluctantly, the inspectors eventually agreed to submit to searches but their continuing insistence to search policemen leaving the airport, as permitted by law, is fueling tension, said the officials.
The Latest: NBA star, Ohio native LeBron James backs Clinton

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on the presidential race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton (EDT):

8:40 p.m.

Basketball star and Ohio native LeBron James is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton meets with African American community leaders at Mert's Heart & Soul in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, to discuss the urgency of addressing racial, economic and social justice issues. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

James says Clinton is a "champion for children and their futures." He also says Clinton is running on a message of "hope and unity" that is needed to address violence in black communities.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star cast a vote for Clinton as a way to build on the legacy of President Barack Obama.

James detailed his support for Clinton in an op-ed in Business Insider and the Akron Beacon Journal. The Akron, Ohio, native announced his support on the eve of Clinton's visit to his hometown.

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1 p.m.

Did Rudy Giuliani really mean to say Donald Trump would make a better president than Hillary Clinton because he's a man?

The former New York mayor told ABC's "This Week" that Trump was a "genius" for maneuvering around tax laws, unlike Clinton who was investigated by the FBI for using a private email server.

He said: "Don't you think a man who has this kind of economic genius is a lot better for the United States than a woman, and the only thing she's ever produced is a lot of work for the FBI checking out her emails?"

A phone call and email to Giuliani's staff asking if he would like to elaborate were not immediately returned.

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11:59 a.m.

Hillary Clinton says the spate of gun violence in the United States shows that "protecting all of God's children is America's calling."

The Democratic presidential nominee spoke at church services in Charlotte, North Carolina, which has been grappling with last month's shooting death of a black man by a police officer.

Clinton said at Little Rock AME Zion Church that the country should try to imagine gun violence "through our children's eyes."

She was joined at the pulpit by 9-year-old Zianna (Zee'-anna) Oliphant. The black child recently gave a tearful address to the city council on race relations, saying she couldn't "stand how we're treated."

The shooting of Keith Lamont Scott led to two nights of violent protests in downtown Charlotte.

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10:35 a.m.

Hillary Clinton's campaign manager says the report on Donald Trump's tax returns should resonate with many people who feel the U.S. tax system is unfair.

Robby Mook tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that voters clamoring for change are realizing that Trump isn't the solution.

Here's what Mook says: "We talk about the rigged system out there. Donald Trump embodies that."

Mook was referring to a New York Times report  based on 1995 tax documents  that showed Trump declared a $916 million loss that year. Such a loss is large enough to allow a person to avoid paying federal income taxes for as many as 18 years.

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10 a.m.

Donald Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani says the Republican candidate is a "genius" if he avoided federal income taxes and noted that poor people can take advantage of the same tax "loophole."

Giuliani tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that if Trump hadn't used his business losses to his advantage on his taxes, he would have been sued by any business partners and shareholders.

Giuliani says: "The reality is he's a genius."

The New York Times obtained tax documents from 1995 that showed a $916 million loss in federal taxable income, a loss large enough to allow him to avoid paying federal income taxes for as many as 18 years.

When asked whether such a loophole was fair, Giuliani noted that many Americans have such low incomes that they aren't required to pay federal income taxes either.

In Giuliani's words: "A lot of the people that are poor take advantage of loopholes and pay no taxes. Those are loopholes also."

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9:32 a.m.

Chris Christie says a new report showing Donald Trump's business losses in 1995 may have allowed him to avoid paying federal income taxes for years is a "very good story" for Trump."

The New Jersey governor said on "Fox News Sunday" that the New York Times story showcases "the genius of Donald Trump" because he has said he'd follow the law, would ease tax policy on working people and knows tax policy better than anyone.

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill retorted Sunday that Trump's nearly $916 million loss in one year "represents real pain to many people who never got paid."

They were referring to a story late Saturday in which the Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trump's 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The filings show a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for the year, a large enough loss to allow him to avoid paying federal income taxes for as many as 18 years.

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9:30 a.m.

Bernie Sanders says a report that Donald Trump's business losses in 1995 were so large that he could have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years underscores how the wealthy have manipulated the political system at the expense of the middle class.

Sanders said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that middle class Americans are working longer hours for lower wages. He says billionaires don't have that problem because they've got their friends on Capitol Hill.

Sanders said "That is why people are angry and want real change in this country."

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7:45 a.m.

Donald Trump is tweeting about the New York Times story that alleges he lost so much money in 1995 that he would have been allowed to pay no federal income taxes for as many as 18 years.

He tweeted early Sunday: "I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them. #failing@nytimes."

In a story published online late Saturday, the Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trump's 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The filings show a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for the year, a large enough loss to allow him to avoid paying taxes for as many as 18 years.

Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, Robby Mook pointed to Trump's comments during his first debate with Clinton, in which he said that not paying federal income taxes would show he was "smart."

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, second from right, stands in the audience during a service at the Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, file photo, Gov. Chris Christie listens to a question from the media in Trenton, N.J. Testimony that Christie was told about traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge while they were going on raises the question: Why wasnt he charged? Former prosecutors said the bar is high for such accusations, especially for someone of Christies profile. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump finishes his speech at Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. (James Robinson/PennLive.com via AP)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Manheim, Pa. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Philippine president apologizes to Jews for Hitler remark

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Jews worldwide Sunday after his remarks drawing comparisons between his bloody anti-drug war and Hitler and the Holocaust sparked shock and outrage.

The tough-talking Duterte said his apology was intended only for the Jewish community. He lashed out again at Western critics and human rights advocates who have raised concerns over his brutal crackdown, which is estimated to have left more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users dead in just three months.

Duterte said in a speech in the central city of Bacolod that he never had any intention "to derogate the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Germans." Historians say 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis under Hitler before and during World War II.

FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2016, file photo, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures with a fist bump during his visit to the Philippine Army's Camp Mateo Capinpin at Tanay township, Rizal province east of Manila, Philippines. The Philippine president has apologized to Jews worldwide after his remarks that drew comparisons between his bloody anti-drug war and Hitler and the Holocaust sparked shock and outrage. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)

"I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community," Duterte said.

On Friday, Duterte raised the rhetoric over his anti-drug campaign to a new level by comparing it to Hitler and the Holocaust and saying he would be "happy to slaughter" an estimated 3 million addicts in the Philippines.

In that speech, the brash president said without elaborating that he has been "portrayed or pictured to be a cousin of Hitler" by his critics.

Moments later, he said, "Hitler massacred 3 million Jews ... there's 3 million drug addicts. There are. I'd be happy to slaughter them."

While Hitler's victims were innocent people, Duterte said his targets are "all criminals" and that getting rid of them would "finish the (drug) problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition."

Germany's government slammed Duterte's comments as unacceptable, and called in the Philippine ambassador to the Foreign Ministry over the matter.

"It is impossible to make any comparison to the unique atrocities of the Shoah and Holocaust," Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said in Berlin.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said Duterte's remarks were "revolting" and demanded that he retract them and apologize.

"Drug abuse is a serious issue. But what President Duterte said is not only profoundly inhumane, but it demonstrates an appalling disrespect for human life that is truly heartbreaking for the democratically elected leader of a great country," Lauder said in a statement issued from Jerusalem, where he was attending the funeral of former Israeli leader Shimon Peres.

The U.S. State Department, which is looking to sustain its long-standing alliance with the Philippines, called the comments "troubling."

Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said it was baffling why anyone would want to compare themselves to "one of the largest mass murderers in human history."

Robertson said that in today's context, Hitler would be accused of crimes against humanity.

"Is that what Duterte wants? Does he want to be sent to the International Criminal Court? Because he's working his way there," Robertson said.

Amid the criticisms, presidential spokesman Ernie Abella defended Duterte, saying his "reference to the slaughter was an oblique deflection of the way he has been pictured as a mass murderer."

Duterte has asked for a six-month extension of his drug crackdown, saying he underestimated the magnitude of the problem.

His supporters and many Filipinos exasperated with widespread crime have welcomed his tough approach, but a growing number of critics, including U.N. officials, the European Union and the United States, have voiced concerns over the widespread killings and human rights violations.

Turning to the United States, his country's treaty ally but which has criticized his deadly anti-drugs crackdown, Duterte warned Sunday without elaborating: "Better think twice now because I would be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether."

Despite a constitutional ban on foreign forces in the Philippines, U.S. troops have been conducting multiple joint combat exercises with Filipino troops each year under a 1999 agreement.

The allies forged a 2014 defense pact which gives American forces greater access to designated Philippine military camps, but Duterte said that pact was only signed then by a Philippine defense secretary, suggesting he could push the accord back.

He repeated his desire to expand relations with China and Russia because of his unease with U.S. officials, adding both countries have pledged to back his administration.
Hope, relief for transgender military families in new policy

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP)  Like many transgender teens, Jenn Brewer faced bullying when she came out. Some classmates called her "tranny," and a few teachers refused to address the 13-year-old by anything other than her male birth name, she said.

But she and her family found that the biggest difficulty came from her father's employer: the U.S. military.

Jenn's father is an Army staff sergeant at Virginia's Fort Belvoir, and his military health insurance refused to cover private counseling to support the changes his daughter was embracing. Several months later, Jenn said, she was so frustrated and distraught that she tried to kill herself.

In this Sept. 7, 2016, photo, Jenn Brewer, 13, poses for a portrait after her monthly doctors appointment for monitoring of her treatment at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir, Va. Brewer is transitioning from male to female. A new Pentagon policy brings some relief to transgender military retirees and children of active-duty service members. Starting Oct. 3, the militarys health insurance will cover transgender-related services that include hormone therapy and supportive counseling. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

"Nothing was working out for me," she told The Associated Press in an interview, sitting in a coffee shop near her family's home on the base with her mom, who encouraged Jenn by placing a hand on her knee. "And I kind of felt suffocated by all of the rules that had been put in place for people like me."

The military insurance also wouldn't cover the $15,000 hormone blockers that could help Jenn transition to female. But such barriers will disappear Monday, when a number of health services for transgender people will begin to be covered by military insurance.

The Pentagon announced in June an end to the military's ban on transgender service members. The ripple effect of the new health benefits extends beyond active-duty military to include roughly 7 million retirees and children of service members, like Jenn.

The change puts support for Jenn's mental and physical wellbeing during her transition within reach, but the new coverage also comes with controversy.

The National Center for Transgender Equality says the new policy doesn't go far enough, with a key operation  gender-reassignment surgery  covered only for active-duty personnel.

The Center for Military Readiness, a conservative group, also derides the new insurance, arguing that it covers expensive treatments devoid of any military purpose.

The new policy comes in the wake of other transgender-related mandates from the Obama administration. Driving these changes is the medical community's belief that treatment can be considered medically necessary.

People who identify as another gender can experience various levels of distress, and studies show there is a higher risk for depression and suicide. Doctors say counseling, hormone therapy or surgery can lessen the anxiety.

The condition is known as gender dysphoria. Until now, the Pentagon lacked a policy that guaranteed coverage for it, said Eric Pahon, an agency spokesman.

In Jenn's case, she said her feelings of being born into the wrong body began when she was 3 or 4. She came out at 11, and teachers and students at her middle school mostly supported her, although not everyone, she said.

Under the Pentagon's previous policy, the family was unable to get counseling for Jenn at a private LGBT youth center. Jenn's only option was a psychologist interning on the base. To the family's relief, the intern supported Jenn's transition, her mother, Amanda Brewer, said.

But the woman eventually left, leaving Jenn without access to a therapist for months because of staffing shortages, her mother said.

Fort Belvoir spokeswoman Alexandra Snyder confirmed in an email that a personnel shortage prevented counselors from seeing new patients when Jenn's family requested one.

After Jenn's suicide attempt, she was referred to another base therapist, who is supportive, her mother said. But the family faced an additional barrier when Jenn decided she wanted to begin to physically transition to female.

The family was referred to Dr. David Klein, an Air Force major and Fort Belvoir's chief of adolescent medicine. Klein was open to starting treatment for Jenn. The first step would be hormone blockers to suppress male puberty. But the military's insurance wouldn't cover it.

Klein found a solution. Jenn also qualified for a diagnosis of early onset puberty, a condition that was covered by the insurance and could be treated with the same hormone blockers. Under the new military insurance, Jenn would have been covered without the secondary diagnosis.

But the new policy stops short of surgery for retirees and dependents.

A federal statute from the 1980s specifically bans military insurance from covering surgery for "sex gender changes." The law allows the defense secretary to make exceptions for active-duty members but not military dependents or retirees, said Pahon, the Pentagon spokesman.

Harper Jean Tobin, policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, said the Pentagon misinterprets the law. She said cosmetic surgery is banned, not operations that many doctors now consider medically necessary.

"They're trying to do the right thing," Tobin said. "But they've gotten the interpretation wrong."

Air Force retiree Shari Zabel of Colorado Springs plans to fight the Pentagon's policy. She has scheduled male-to-female reassignment surgery for February. Her military insurance has already denied covering the $36,000 bill from a private facility, she said.

"You have a group of people who can get the surgery, but you're excluding another group of people who are very similar, and that's discriminatory," Zabel said.

The Department of Defense says there is a military reason for the changes in the new policy.

"If service members are concerned about their family members' health, they can't possibly be functioning 100 percent to fight a war," Pahon said.

At the coffee shop, as Jenn drank a frozen Irish cream concoction, she hesitated to go into too much detail about the struggles of the past year, instead focusing on the positive  the girlfriend she met at D.C.'s pride parade and her treatments  and often defaulting to her dry sense of humor.

"Other than being transgender, it was a pretty normal experience," she said of the year, cracking a smile.

The move will be life-changing for the the likes of transgender teenager Jenn Brewer whose father is an Army staff sergeant at Virginia's Fort Belvoir (Jenn is pictured with her mother Amanda Brewer and Dr. David Klein)

In this Sept. 7, 2016, photo, Dr. David Klein, chief of adolescent medicine at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital and an Air Force Major, listens to the heartbeat of Jenn Brewer, 13, at her monthly doctors appointment visit for monitoring of her treatment at the Pediatric Clinic at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir, Va. Brewer is transitioning from male to female. Starting Oct. 3, the militarys health insurance will cover transgender-related services that include hormone therapy and supportive counseling. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The teen would now be covered under the new health insurance for hormone therapy for transgender children of servicemen and women

Dr. David Klein, an Air Force Major and chief of adolescent medicine at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, left, speaks with Jenn Brewer, 13, during her monthly doctors appointment for monitoring of her treatment at the hospital, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, in Fort Belvoir, Va. Brewer is transitioning from male to female. Starting Oct. 3, the militarys health insurance will cover transgender-related services that include hormone therapy and supportive counseling. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
N. Carolina Democrats aim to narrow GOP legislative margin

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina voters who've soured on contentious laws addressing gay rights, voter ID and abortion might muster enough political muscle to replace Republican Gov. Pat McCrory with a Democrat in November. But the GOP lawmakers who approved them almost certainly will keep control of the legislature.

Even ousting the governor who signed them wouldn't necessarily cancel the laws Republicans passed or stop future legislation.

So Democrats in the legislature instead are seeking a smaller prize  narrowing GOP majorities in one or both chambers, so Republicans no longer have the veto-proof margins they've held since 2013. That would allow Roy Cooper, the attorney general seeking to unseat McCrory, to stop legislation he and fellow Democrats find objectionable if he's elected.

FILE- In this March 4, 2015, file photo, North Carolina Chief Justice Mark Martin delivers his State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the General Assembly. Republicans control both the Senate and the House and are expected to retain their majorities following the November elections. Democrats, however, are seeking to flip enough seats to end the GOPs veto-proof majorities in one or both chambers. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

Many Republicans hold safe seats, thanks to favorable district lines they drew and a recovering state economy.

But if Democrats win four more seats overall in the 120-member House or five seats in the 50-member Senate, they could sustain Cooper's vetoes on partisan issues, giving them and the new governor bargaining power.

"We have noticed a sense of hopelessness among Democrats, but we are able to give them hope," said Rep. Grier Martin, a House Democratic leader working on fall elections. "The fact that we've got the ability to erect a stop sign is something that people can understand."

Democrats are focusing on swing districts around North Carolina's two largest cities, Raleigh and Charlotte  where rural-suburban real estate is filling up with shopping centers, subdivisions and newcomers from out of state who have no local political allegiances. Many have registered to vote as unaffiliated with either party. The number of unaffiliated voters has more than doubled since 2004, comprising nearly 30 percent of the electorate  nearly on par with Republicans.

Democrats say a dozen House seats and seven or eight Senate districts are winnable.

If the legislature can uphold Cooper's vetoes, then it's "a whole new world out there," said Carter Wrenn, a longtime Republican consultant. "In the urban and suburban areas, the winds are blowing pretty good for Democrats."

One such place could be the 88th House District, just south of downtown Charlotte, where McCrory lives and won two-thirds of the votes in 2012. Democrat Mary Belk is challenging GOP Rep. Rob Bryan. She hopes disappointment with McCrory flows to her race.

She notes that McCrory, a former Charlotte mayor perceived as a social moderate when elected governor in 2012, signed House Bill 2, the law that limited anti-discrimination rules for LGBT people and decreed which public restrooms and locker rooms transgender people can use.

Because of the law, the NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference last month withdrew championship events from North Carolina, including the ACC football title game in Charlotte.

"Everyone without exception talks about how (North Carolina's) reputation has been tarnished," Belk said. "People in this district feel betrayed."

Interviews with independent and Republican voters at the Mayobird, a lunchtime spot minutes from McCrory's neighborhood, show he's lost some support that could affect other races. Statewide polls show McCrory statistically even with or trailing Cooper.

"In light of everything that's transpired I find myself undecided," said Amie Rucker, 33, a Republican who voted for McCrory four years ago. Rucker said she'll have to study the 88th District race further.

Bryan, who voted for House Bill 2 last March, has been elected twice with 55 percent of the vote. Bryan said voter perceptions about the law and about McCrory, even if mistaken, could affect down-ballot races like his.

With Republicans likely to keep House control, Bryan said replacing him would reduce the influence of district voters to rework H.B. 2 or hammer out other legislation.

Belk "doesn't have a seat at the table," Bryan said. "I'm already sitting there working for compromise."

Republican lawmakers believe they still can retain veto-proof majorities  three-fifths of the members in each chamber  once citizens hear the "good things that have happened" since they took charge, said House Majority Leader John Bell of Goldsboro. He points to policies reducing tax rates and putting the state on firmer economic footing.

Still, Bell said, Republicans "have some challenges out there, especially in our urban areas."

Before 2011, Republicans hadn't controlled the legislature in 140 years. Democrats almost exclusively controlled state government during the 20th century, and lived in the Executive Mansion for 20 straight years before McCrory's election.

Should Cooper win, he and other Democrats would likely have to negotiate with the same Republican leaders now in charge, who for years have accused Cooper of failing to do his job defending laws they passed.

If elected governor, "I'm going to stand up to this legislature when I think they're wrong, but I want us to move forward and I think we can find areas of agreement," Cooper told The Associated Press.

Whatever November's results, Democrats could get more help next year. Federal judges in August struck down boundaries for nearly 30 General Assembly seats as illegal racial gerrymanders and ordered new maps. Such redistricting, if ultimately required, almost assuredly will benefit Democrats.

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Associated Press writer Tom Foreman Jr. in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.
Roadside bomb kills 4 workers in Egypt's Sinai

EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP)  Security and medical officials in Egypt's turbulent Sinai Peninsula say four workers from the state electricity company have been killed when their car hit a roadside bomb at the coastal city of el-Arish.

They say Sunday's bombing instantly killed three of the workers, while the fourth later died in the hospital from his wounds. The bomb was planted by suspected Islamic State militants, they say.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Brazil city votes a slap at president, Workers' Party

SAO PAULO (AP)  A millionaire businessman who used to tell people "You are fired!" as host of a reality TV show won the mayoral race in Brazil's biggest city Sunday, underscoring voters' myriad beefs with traditional politicians and handing a stinging defeat to both President Michel Temer and the Workers' Party that his supporters ousted.

Joao Doria, the former host of "The Apprentice Brazil," won with 53 percent of vote after campaigning on the slogan "I'm not a politician, I'm a businessman." He beat out a crowded field that included incumbent Fernando Haddad, a key member of the Workers' Party, and former mayor Marta Suplicy, a new ally of Temer.

"I always believed this could happen, even when I started with 3 percent in the polls," the mayor-elect said at a news conference. "Expect me to be a good manager. It is possible to make policy without being a politician. I beat a lot of politicians in this election."

Joao Doria, mayoral candidate with the Brazilian Social Democracy Party gestures after voting in the municipal election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. For the first time since a bruising impeachment fight led to the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff, Brazilians vote in municipal elections that take place in more than 5,500 cities. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

Doria, from the right-leaning Brazilian Social Democratic Party, had led in the polls going into the election but had not been expected to win the majority needed to avoid a runoff. His first-round victory in Sao Paulo, the engine of Brazil's economy and a bellwether for the national stage, could have strong implications for the presidential election in 2018.

Sao Paulo state Gov. Geraldo Alckmin, a stalwart Doria supporter, will likely benefit as he eyes a presidential run. Alckmin ran for president in 2006 and lost to then President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who backed Haddad and a number of other losing candidates in Brazil's richest state.

Silva, who governed Brazil in 2003-10, is also a presidential hopeful, though he is dogged by several corruption allegations related to the sprawling investigation into kickback scheme at state oil company Petrobras.

"The Workers' Party needs to go. I'm looking at the big picture," said Helio Soares da Cunha, a 74-year-old retiree who supported Doria.

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second largest city, Temer and Mayor Eduardo Paes suffered a big defeat as their candidate, Pedro Paulo Carvalho, finished third. A runoff will pit two of their biggest adversaries: an evangelical pastor who is now a senator and a human rights activist who has a seat in the state legislature. Sen. Marcello Crivella finished first with almost 28 percent of the vote, followed by Marcelo Freixo at almost 19 percent. Both rejected the support of Temer's and Paes' party, the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party. .

During the campaign for municipal posts across Brazil, opinion polls showed outsiders running well by promising to stamp out endemic graft and upend the politics-as-usual that led Latin America's largest nation to its largest political crisis since Fernando Collor was impeached in 1992.

In August, the Senate voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff for illegally shifting funds between federal budgets. Rousseff, Brazil's first female president who was in her second term, denied the allegations. During the nearly yearlong fight she called ouster campaign a modern day "coup d'etat" by the elite furious over the social welfare spending of the Workers' Party.

In the background of the nearly yearlong impeachment fight was a cascade of revelations from the corruption probe at Petrobras. Several businessmen and politicians from several major parties have been jailed in the kickback scheme that authorities say resulted in more than $2 billion in bribes.

"Politicians are a terrible race unto themselves," said Regina Fontes, a 64-year-old retired school teacher in Rio who had yet to decide on a candidate before entering the voting booths. "They make all kinds of promises and then what do they do? They steal."

While new faces dominated Sunday, the old divisions between Rousseff supporters and those who wanted her out were evident.

Temer, who was Rousseff's vice president and took over after her ouster, was slated to vote at 11 a.m. in Sao Paulo. With Rousseff supporters planning a protest against him, he surprised polling officials when he showed up at 8 a.m. before any demonstration could mobilize.

___

Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese reported this story from Sao Paulo and AP writer Peter Prengaman reported from Rio de Janeiro.

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Mauricio Savarese on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MSavarese

Peter Prengaman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterprengaman

A man sells cotton candy in front of a polling station for the municipal elections in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. For the first time since a bruising impeachment fight led to the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff, Brazilians vote in municipal elections that take place in more than 5,500 cities. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

A woman, accompanied by a child, casts her ballot in the municipal election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. For the first time since a bruising impeachment fight led to the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff, Brazilians vote in municipal elections that take place in more than 5,500 cities. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

People walk up the stairs to vote in the municipal election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. For the first time since a bruising impeachment fight led to the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff, Brazilians vote in municipal elections that take place in more than 5,500 cities. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is surrounded by supporters as he campaigns for Sao Paulo's Mayor Fernando Haddad, who's running for re-election with the Workers Party in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. The first round of nationwide mayoral elections are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 2. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Joao Doria, mayoral candidate of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, right, embraces a supporter as he campaigns in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. The first round of nationwide mayoral elections are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 2. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2014 file photo, Marcelo Crivella, bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, campaigns for governor of Rio de Janeiro state, for the Brazilian Republican Party, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After Senator Crivella ran and lost in previous mayoral and gubernatorial elections, he's the front-runner in 2016 for mayor of Rio de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
Syrian military calls on Aleppo rebels to surrender

BEIRUT (AP)  Syrian rebels and pro-government forces clashed Sunday on several fronts around Aleppo as the country's military command called on militants to lay down their weapons and evacuate the contested city.

A day after pro-government forces captured the strategic al-Shuqeef hill north of the city, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported fierce fighting in areas near the hill and in the Bustan al-Basha neighborhood.

The two sides also clashed in Aleppo's southern Sheikh Saeed neighborhood.

The government's attempt to penetrate Aleppo's opposition-held eastern side has been accompanied by a relentless campaign of airstrikes by Russian and Syrian warplanes.

President Bashar Assad's forces are depending on the Russia bombardment and Iran-backed militias for support.

A spokesman for the Nour el-Din el-Zinki rebel faction told The Associated Press that foreign fighters were actively participating in the government's ground campaign. He said rebels could identify Lebanese and Iraqi militias by their flags.

An airstrike, meanwhile, targeted a rebel headquarters near the central city of Hama, killing at least six militants, the Observatory said. It was a setback for the rebel campaign to advance on the government-controlled city.

The U.N.'s humanitarian chief, Stephen O'Brien, reported that eastern Aleppo's health system has been "all but obliterated" by shelling and bombardment.

"Medical facilities are being hit one by one," O'Brien said in a statement that called for a 48-hour humanitarian pause to the fighting each week. The U.N. estimates 275,000 people are trapped by the government siege.

"We are in a race against time to protect and save civilians in eastern Aleppo city. They need our urgent action to bring an end to their living hell," O'Brien said.

One of Aleppo's largest hospitals, located in the eastern Sakhour neighborhood, was knocked out of service Saturday by the airstrikes, doctors and activists reported.

The Syrian military command said in a statement on state media that government forces would guarantee gunmen safe passage out of opposition-held neighborhoods.

Russia announced a month ago that the Syrian government would give safe passage to civilians wanting to leave eastern Aleppo. Few have accepted the offer.

The U.N. says at least 320 civilians have been killed since the government announced its offensive Sept. 22.

The European Union offered to help evacuate patients in Aleppo's hospitals and deliver food, water and medical aid to besieged eastern districts.

In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini urged international players to unite to make the aid effort work "for the sake of humanity and the political future of Syria."
4 students from same high school are found dead in a month

BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (AP)  The school year in one suburban New York community has started with funerals, fear and frustration.

Four teenagers from Brentwood High School on Long Island have been found dead within the past month, all suspected victims of gang violence.

On Sept. 13, the day before her 16th birthday, Nisa Mickens' brutally beaten body was found on a tree-lined street in Brentwood. A day later, the beaten body of her lifelong friend, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, was discovered in the wooded backyard of a nearby home. The teenagers had been inseparable and shared an interest in basketball.

Abraham Chaparro (pictured), Garcia-Moran's stepfather, said his stepson was last seen heading off to meet some friends. He said his stepson, who emigrated from Ecuador two years ago, liked cars, soccer and girls

Days later, police discovered the skeletal remains of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta and 15-year-old Miguel Garcia-Moran in a remote industrial area of the town. Acosta had been missing since May, and Garcia-Moran vanished in February.

Students are saying they're afraid to walk alone in their community and school administrators are warning students not to wear clothing that could risk offending vicious street thugs.

Alexis Portillo, 16, was devastated when he learned of the killings: "Like, who else is going to be next, you know?"

One Brentwood teen who wouldn't give his name, saying he feared gang retaliation, said many students are nervous.

"They don't play around. If they don't like you and if you do something to them, they will come after you," he said. "I'm not going to walk anywhere. We're definitely more cautious about that. I don't go out at night anymore."

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that said the Salvadoran gang MS-13 is suspected, although police have not made arrests. The official was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Like many suburban areas, Long Island has become a home to street gangs. At least 30 people have been killed by MS-13 gang members on Long Island since 2010.

"There's definitely been an uptick, but we always have bad crews operating here," the official said.

In one particularly heinous killing, four MS-13 gangsters were convicted in the 2010 killing of a Long Island woman and her toddler son. Prosecutors say the mother had allegedly shown disrespect to the gang. Her child was murdered simply because he was with her.

In Brentwood, police are releasing few details about their investigation into students' deaths.

Abraham Chaparro, Garcia-Moran's stepfather, said he was last seen heading off to meet some friends. He said his stepson, who emigrated from Ecuador two years ago, liked cars, soccer and girls.

"He had a girlfriend in every corner. He was good-looking," Chaparro said. "I don't understand how this happened. It's a mystery."

A large photo of the boy smiling in a white suit and black bow tie sat at the front of a funeral home chapel as mourners paid respects this past week.

Maria Arias spent days going door to door looking for her son, Oscar, after he disappeared while reportedly going to a nearby park to play soccer.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy Sini says detectives are optimistic about arrests. A "violent known gang member" was in federal custody, he said, but the arrest papers and charges are under seal and no one is saying if that suspect is tied to any of the killings.

Last week, investigators searched a shuttered state psychiatric hospital for additional victims but came up empty.

All this leaves a community on edge.

Brentwood school officials said a freshman walking to a bus stop with a light blue T-shirt in his hand was stopped last week by a group in a car. The driver demanded the shirt, which was set on fire; the student was told not to wear that color again. Curtis Sliwa, founder of the New York City-based Guardian Angels, a neighborhood patrol group that has now started patrols in Brentwood, said blue is an MS-13 color.

School officials advised in a letter to parents that "children not wear clothing that could be considered to be gang-related."

Monique Darrisaw-Akil, assistant superintendent for secondary education, conceded that "students sometimes get involved in things that are not in their best interest or in the best interest of the school community, so we try to be as proactive, and provide interventions."

___

Associated Press videojournalist Ted Shaffrey contributed to this report. Follow Frank Eltman on Twitter at @feltman41.

Investigators are still offering a $15,000 reward for the first tip that leads to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the murders of Mickens and Cuevas
Court to hear suit against Deepwater Horizon spill activists

BOSTON (AP)  When Karen Savage and Cherri Foytlin wrote an article about the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill of 2010, they thought it might get a few moments of attention and then fade away.

More than three years later, Savage and Foytlin are still defending their article after being sued by a scientific consulting company. The battle is headed to the highest court in Massachusetts. Arguments are scheduled for Friday, a week after "Deepwater Horizon," a film starring Mark Wahlberg, opens in theaters.

Their 2013 article, which appeared in The Huffington Post, questioned the independence of ChemRisk, a firm that published a study that found that the Gulf disaster did not expose cleanup workers to harmful levels of several airborne chemical compounds released by the explosion.

FILE - In this April 21, 2010, aerial file photo, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns in the Gulf of Mexico, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip. Environmental activists Karen Savage and Cherri Foytlin wrote an article criticizing a company that published a study finding no connection between chemicals released by the explosion and health problems reported by some cleanup workers. Massachusetts' highest court will hear arguments Oct. 7, 2016, in a bid by Savage and Foytlin to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed by the company, siting a state law that protects citizens exercising their free speech rights. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Savage and Foytlin alleged in the article that ChemRisk had strong ties to the oil industry and accused the company of "using questionable ethics to help their clients avoid legal responsibility for their actions."

The oil spill, one of the largest environmental disasters in history, began on April 10, 2010. Millions of barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days after the explosion. British Petroleum, which was found primarily responsible for the spill, has paid billions in cleanup costs, settlements and penalties.

The defamation lawsuit filed by ChemRisk stunned Savage, then a middle school math teacher in Boston, and Foytlin, a single mother from Rayne, Louisiana, who became an environmental advocate after the Deepwater Horizon spill.

"I have a 1999 beat-up car, six kids and a mortgage  that's all I have  so I thought, there's nothing they want from me except to shut me up," said Foytlin.

The case is expected to explore the scope of a Massachusetts law aimed at discouraging lawsuits intended to silence people who speak out on issues of public interest. Savage and Foytlin claim ChemRisk's lawsuit falls into that category of litigation, known as Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation.

Many states, including Massachusetts, have anti-SLAPP laws designed to quickly dispose of such lawsuits if the people being sued can show they were engaged in their constitutional right to petition the government. The state's law defines petitioning activity as written or oral statements made in connection with an issue being considered by a government body or aimed at building public support or influencing government policy.

Savage and Foytlin say their article was an attempt by them to encourage action and enlist public participation in governmental proceedings and court cases in the oil spill. They say the lawsuit was designed to intimidate them.

"This was a spill of national significance ... we were trying to show that there was still some serious impact from this disaster," Foytlin said.

"As citizens, we should have the right to speak out, to share the story to make sure people know what's really going on," she added.

ChemRisk's lawyers, however, say the article was a "hit piece" that contained false information.

Savage and Foytlin filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge rejected that, finding that they were not engaged in petitioning activity when they published the article about ChemRisk. The women appealed that ruling.

Megan Meier, one of ChemRisk's attorneys, said ChemRisk's parent company decided to move to dismiss the lawsuit in March because continuing the case would have required significant time and resources, and because Savage and Foytlin made it clear "they would not retract their statements even if a court determined that they were false."

Meier said that before the company could notify the court, the Supreme Judicial Court agreed to hear the women's appeal of the lower court's ruling that the Massachusetts anti-SLAPP law did not apply to their claims.

The Court will be asked to decide the parameters of the law.

"The case is incredibly important from a public policy perspective because it will determine whether bloggers are entitled to the protections of the anti-SLAPP statute," said John Reichman, a New York lawyer who represents Savage and Foytlin.

Meier said the Massachusetts Legislature purposely limited the scope of the anti-SLAPP statute. ChemRisk argues that the law does not apply in this case because Foytlin and Savage were not petitioning to rectify a grievance of their own, but instead were writing on behalf of cleanup workers.
Lawyer says 3 Egyptian Journalists arrested were tortured

CAIRO (AP)  The lawyer for three Egyptian journalists who were arrested while conducting street interviews said on Sunday that they were beaten and tasered by security officers during questioning at a central Cairo station.

Fatma Serag told The Associated Press the three  Hamdy Mokhtar, 38, Mohammed Hassan 18, and Osama el-Bishbishi, 35  were accused of supplying Turkey-based television networks linked to the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group with "negative" videos of life under the rule of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

The three, arrested on Sept. 26, were remanded into police custody for 15 days pending further investigation. They face charges of publishing false news and membership in the Brotherhood.

FILE - In this Tuesday, May 3, 2016, file photo, a girl stands in front of a banner with Arabic that reads, "remove our shackles," during a protest to mark World Press Freedom Day in front of the Press Syndicate in Cairo. The lawyer for three Egyptian journalists who were arrested while conducting street interviews said on Sunday that they were beaten and tazered by security officers during questioning at a central Cairo station. Fatma Serag told The Associated Press the three _ Hamdy Mokhtar, 38, Mohammed Hassan 18, and Osama el-Bishbishi, 35 _ were accused of supplying Turkey-based television networks linked to the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group with negative videos of life under the rule of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

El-Sissi led the 2013 military ouster of Mohammed Morsi, the elected Islamist president who hails from the Brotherhood.

Serag said the beating and tasering took place at a police station located in the upscale Garden City district in central Cairo where the three were taken immediately after their arrest in the city's downtown area. She said the three, while blindfolded, were questioned by agents of the domestic security agency from the evening of Sept. 26 until the next day.

She sat in on a second round of questioning by prosecutors, which lasted nearly nine hours, and has paid the three daily visits at the police station where they are held separately from criminal suspects.

Of the three, she said, Mokhtar bore the most visible signs of torture, with his shoulders bruised from the tasering.

Mokhtar and Hassan worked for an online news site, al-Nabaa, while el-Bishbishi is employed by Balady, another site, said the lawyer. "They are neither members of nor sympathizers with the Brotherhood," she said.

She said the three were conducting street interviews on the strict Islamic dress code for women in public but were confronted by passers-by who derided them for not focusing on el-Sissi's request, made earlier on the day in a televised address, for small donations of spare change to fund development programs.

"There was a raucous scene that attracted the attention of police deployed outside the nearby Press Syndicate building," she said. "It was a random arrest."

Security officials and the New York-based Committee to protect Journalists, or CPJ, said over the weekend that the three were interviewing passers-by about el-Sissi's request, the latest in a series of unconventional suggestions to restore the economy, which was ridiculed by many on social media.

Authorities have cracked down on dissent since Morsi's ouster three years ago. The police have in the last three years shown little tolerance for journalists filming or interviewing people in public, unless it is done at government-sanctioned events or by pro-government media outlets.
Rescued tigers, bear get new life in Jordan wildlife refuge

JERASH, Jordan (AP)  Two tigers and a bear named Baloo started a new life in a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan on Sunday.

They are among 25 large animals, many rescued from smugglers, who are being transferred to the 150-hectare (370-acre) Al-Ma'wa Reserve near the town of Jerash over three days, ending Monday.

Heli Dunger of the Austria-based international animal charity Four Paws said the rescued animals 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear  all "have a horrific past."

A sedated bear is prepared to be moved from the al-Mawa New Hope Center, outside Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Two tigers and a bear were moved on Sunday to a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan. They are among 25 animals to be released into the al-Mawa reserve near the town of Jerash. Many of the 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear were confiscated from smugglers. Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip last year, while another two were rescued after smugglers advertised the cubs on Facebook. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip to Jordan last year, while another pair of cubs was rescued when Jordanian authorities arrested smugglers who advertising the two on Facebook.

Jordanian authorities confiscate hundreds of animals from dozens of species each year, including pythons, crocodiles and turtles. Animals are smuggled through the kingdom from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, according to the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature.

On Sunday, veterinarians hit Baloo, a Syrian white bear, with two pink-feathered tranquilizer darts to prepare him for his 55-kilometer (34-mile) truck ride from the Jordanian capital of Amman to the wildlife reserve.

Once tranquilized, he underwent a medical check, including an ultrasound and an eye scan. Ten workers then loaded the slumbering bear into a transport cage that was lifted by crane onto a flatbed truck, next to two tigers.

At Al-Ma'wa, the animals groggily walked through their new paddocks, seeking shade beneath pine trees.

"These animals, these tigers and lions, can once again be tigers and lions," Dunger said.

A sedated tiger is examined before being moved from the al-Mawa New Hope Center, outside Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Two tigers and a bear were moved on Sunday to a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan. They are among 25 animals to be released into the al-Mawa reserve near the town of Jerash. Many of the 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear were confiscated from smugglers. Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip last year, while another two were rescued after smugglers advertised the cubs on Facebook. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

An African lion rests at the al-Mawa New Hope Center, an animal rescue center outside Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Two tigers and a bear were moved on Sunday to a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan. They are among 25 animals to be released into the al-Mawa reserve near the town of Jerash. Many of the 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear were confiscated from smugglers. Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip last year, while another two were rescued after smugglers advertised the cubs on Facebook. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

A bear is shot with a tranquilizer gun before being moved from the al-Mawa New Hope Center, outside Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Two tigers and a bear were moved on Sunday to a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan. They are among 25 animals to be released into the al-Mawa reserve near the town of Jerash. Many of the 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear were confiscated from smugglers. Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip last year, while another two were rescued after smugglers advertised the cubs on Facebook. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

A sedated bear is examined before being moved from the al-Mawa New Hope Center, outside Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Two tigers and a bear were moved on Sunday to a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan. They are among 25 animals to be released into the al-Mawa reserve near the town of Jerash. Many of the 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear were confiscated from smugglers. Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip last year, while another two were rescued after smugglers advertised the cubs on Facebook. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

A sedated bear is prepared to be moved from the al-Mawa New Hope Center, outside Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Two tigers and a bear were moved on Sunday to a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan. They are among 25 animals to be released into the al-Mawa reserve near the town of Jerash. Many of the 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear were confiscated from smugglers. Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip last year, while another two were rescued after smugglers advertised the cubs on Facebook. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

A tiger is released into the 150-hectare (370-acre) al-Mawa, near the town of Jerash, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Two tigers and a bear were moved on Sunday to a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan. They are among 25 animals to be released into the al-Mawa reserve near the town of Jerash. Many of the 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear were confiscated from smugglers. Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip last year, while another two were rescued after smugglers advertised the cubs on Facebook. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

A tiger is released into the 150-hectare (370-acre) al-Mawa, near the town of Jerash, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Two tigers and a bear were moved on Sunday to a wildlife reserve in northern Jordan. They are among 25 animals to be released into the al-Mawa reserve near the town of Jerash. Many of the 17 lions, five wolves, two tigers and a bear were confiscated from smugglers. Two lion cubs came from the Gaza Strip last year, while another two were rescued after smugglers advertised the cubs on Facebook. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)
Clinton says wave of shootings show need to protect children

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  Hillary Clinton said Sunday that the spate of gun violence in the United States should call the nation to do more to protect "all of God's children."

Clinton addressed congregants at Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, fewer than two weeks after the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott touched off two nights of violent protests in the city's downtown.

"Protecting all of God's children is America's calling," the Democratic presidential nominee said. Clinton said too many black families have been forced to deal with the same tragedy as Scott's family.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton hugs Zianna Oliphant onstage after speaking at the Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

"Our entire country should take a moment to really look at what's going on here and across America, to imagine what we see on the news and what we hear about, imagine it through our children's eyes," she said.

Clinton had planned to visit the city last week but delayed the trip after city officials said their resources were stretched thin. North Carolina is among the nation's top battleground states and Clinton's campaign has invested heavily in the state won by Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 election.

Clinton did not mention Republican Donald Trump by name but referenced her opponent's calls for "law-and-order" during the campaign.

"There are some out there who see this as a moment to fan the flames of resentment and division. Who want to exploit people's fears even though it means tearing our nation even further apart," Clinton said. "They say that all of our problems would be solved simply by more law and order. As if the systemic racism plaguing our country doesn't exist."

The former secretary of state has made gun control and criminal justice reform a centerpiece of her campaign, speaking after high-profile shootings in Texas, Louisiana and South Carolina. She pointed to the shootings of police officers in Dallas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Philadelphia; and said their families deserved prayers.

"It's been a hard year, hasn't it?" Clinton asked, as people in the congregation responded, "Yes." ''Think about how many times President Obama has had to console our nation about another senseless tragedy, another shattered family, another distressed community and our children are watching and they feel it too."

During the services, Clinton invited 9-year-old Zianna Oliphant to join her at the pulpit, recalling the black child's tearful address to the city council on race relations. Zianna recently told city leaders that she couldn't "stand how we're treated," a speech that Clinton said moved her to tears.

Clinton acknowledged the gap in how white and black children are treated. She said that while she worries about her two grandchildren, her worries "are not the same as black grandmothers" noting her daughter's children are related to a former president and secretary of state.

"Let's be honest, they won't face the same kind of fear we heard from the young children testifying before the city council," she said. Clinton later met privately with community leaders at a downtown soul food restaurant.

Scott was shot Sept. 20 while standing outside his vehicle. Police say he was armed but video released by Charlotte-Mecklenburg authorities was inconclusive. The officer who shot Scott is also black.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes her seat after speaking at the Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Why wasn't New Jersey's Christie charged in 'Bridgegate'?

TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  It was seven days into the trial in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case when the government's key witness dropped the bombshell: Gov. Chris Christie, he said, was told about the traffic jams while they were going on.

Christie, David Wildstein told the jury last week, responded with a laugh and a joke about the role politics played. The accusation blared in headlines across the country and immediately raised one question: Why wasn't the Republican governor charged?

First off, the governor denies he did anything wrong or that he knew about the political revenge plot, often dubbed "Bridgegate," that Wildstein says was tied to his 2013 re-election campaign.

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, file photo, Gov. Chris Christie listens to a question from the media in Trenton, N.J. Testimony that Christie was told about traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge while they were going on raises the question: Why wasnt he charged? Former prosecutors said the bar is high for such accusations, especially for someone of Christies profile. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

Then there's Wildstein's testimony, in which he never says that Christie was directly told about the plot. Wildstein said that defendant Bill Baroni told the governor about the traffic jams and that the mayor wasn't happy that he wasn't getting his calls returned. Wildstein testified Baroni told the governor that Wildstein was monitoring the situation and the governor made what he took as a sarcastic joke regarding the "Wally Edge" pseudonym that Wildstein blogged under.

Former prosecutors say the answer is pretty simple. There's nothing in that testimony that would be evidence to convict Christie of anything.

David Siegal, a former assistant federal prosecutor for southern New York, said Wildstein's testimony and the photos of the meeting at a 9/11 memorial event don't prove anything. Siegal works at the Haynes and Boone law firm and is not involved in the trial.

"You'd have to have better evidence to charge and convict the governor of the state of New Jersey," Siegal said.

While the government's case against Baroni and former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly is built on both Wildstein's testimony and electronic communication between them, there hasn't been any information linking Christie directly to it.

Christie said he never knew about the scheme and did not authorize it. He disputed what Wildstein testified to on a radio interview, saying "Guess what? I know I didn't say that."

Baroni and Kelly's defense lawyers have argued that the plot was Wildstein's plan. Kelly's attorney last week took aim at Wildstein's credibility, pointing out on cross-examination instances when he lied.

Baroni and Kelly are on trial over civil rights and wire fraud charges that they orchestrated the 2013 lane closures as political payback against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, the community on the New Jersey side of the busy bridge connecting the state to Manhattan, for not endorsing Christie in his 2013 re-election. They have pleaded not guilty. Wildstein pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors, hoping for leniency.

Debating what Christie knew and when he knew it about the plot has become a parlor game in New Jersey media and political circles in the nearly three years since the scandal broke open.

Ultimately, only two of his former allies  Baroni and Kelly  were charged, while Wildstein pleaded guilty after talking to prosecutors and resigning from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge.

Wildstein also testified that others in Christie's administration or with the re-election campaign knew about the plot, either before it happened or before Christie insisted in a December news conference that no one in the administration or campaign was involved.

Randall Eliason, a former assistant federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, where he headed the public corruption section, said that prosecutors wouldn't bring charges against high-profile defendants like a sitting governor without strong evidence. Eliason is not involved in the case.

Guidelines for federal prosecutors include the requirement that they should not recommend any charges that they can't "reasonably expect to prove beyond a reasonable doubt by legally sufficient evidence at trial."

While Christie is on a list of possible witnesses, he said he doesn't expect to be called to the stand in the trial, likely to last another month.
Germany: Afghan gov't agrees to cooperate on deportations

BERLIN (AP)  The German government says Afghanistan has agreed to cooperate on the return of Afghan citizens whose request for asylum in Germany is rejected.

Germany's interior minister says the two countries signed a joint declaration Sunday that will provide a "clear and reliable basis" for both voluntary returns and deportations.

Thomas de Maiziere said in a statement Sunday that the agreement would help increase acceptance of Afghan asylum-seekers in Germany.

Germany has taken in the greatest number of refugees from Afghanistan of any European country.

Reducing the number of asylum-seekers coming to Germany  about 890,000 arrived in 2015  has become a top priority for Chancellor Angela Merkel's government.
Official: 1st black box recovered from train wasn't working

HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP)  Here's what is known about the investigation into a commuter train crash that killed one person and injured more than 100 others Thursday in Hoboken, New Jersey:

THE INVESTIGATION

Officials say the one data recorder recovered so far from the New Jersey Transit commuter train that crashed in Hoboken killing one and injuring more than 100 others was not functioning the day of the accident.

This Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016 photo provided by a passenger who was on the train when it crashed shows wreckage at the Hoboken, N.J. rail station. The commuter train barreled into the station during the morning rush hour, coming to a halt in a covered area between the station's indoor waiting area and the platform. (AP Photo)

But National Transportation Safety Board vice chair T. Bella Dinh-Zarr said Sunday she's hopeful the data recorder that's in the cab control car in the front of the train is functional. That recorder hasn't been recovered yet because that part of the station is still too dangerous to enter due to debris/compromised structure.

If operating correctly, the data recorder has information on train speeds, brake and horn usage and more.

The new details came Sunday, a day after investigators said there were no problems with signals at the station where the crash occurred.

The NTSB said the signals leading to the terminal appear to be working normally. It says a full study can't be completed yet because the train is still in the station.

____

TRAIN SPEED

Dinh-Zarr said the train's engineer, Thomas Gallagher, told investigators Saturday the train was operating properly before it crashed Thursday morning. The engineer also said the train was operating at 10 mph as it approached the station. He told investigators he has no memory of the accident.

Investigators said the conductor said he didn't see anything unusual about the speed of the train.

The NTSB has collected numerous videos of the crash, including from surveillance cameras and other trains in the area. They can use that, if necessary, to make calculations to help determine how fast the train was moving.

___

SAFETY VIOLATIONS-FRA AUDIT

A U.S. government official says the Federal Railroad Administration had investigated New Jersey Transit and found dozens of safety violations months before Thursday's commuter train crash.

The official confirmed Saturday the FRA conducted an audit of New Jersey Transit in June and violations were found. The official says the rail agency also was fined.

A follow-up phase of the audit, focusing on ensuring the railroad's compliance with safety guidelines, was ongoing when the commuter train slammed into Hoboken Terminal Thursday.

___

THE VICTIM

Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, the crash's sole fatality, was a young mother, talented lawyer and dedicated wife with a penchant for travel.

Thursday, the 34-year-old de Kroon was headed to the station during the morning commute. First she dropped off her toddler and had a good, but fleeting, conversation with a day care worker.

A short time later, the train barreled down the tracks with such speed that it plowed into a barrier and went airborne into the station. De Kroon was buried by debris. She died as a crash bystander comforted her.

De Kroon, a 2011 master's degree graduate from Florida International University's College of Business, had previously lived in Florida, but was a Brazil native. She'd temporarily paused her legal career, leaving the software company SAP in Brazil after her husband got a job with an international liquor company.

A friend of Bittar de Kroon's family told The Record newspaper (http://bit.ly/2cJAjhH) her husband would accompany his wife's body back to Brazil for burial.

___

Associated Press writer Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton contributed to this report.

New Jersey Transit workers lay down pallets and boards for commuters to walk on a flooded hallway adjacent to the site of a train crash at the Hoboken Terminal, Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, in Hoboken, N.J. Commuters are using alternative travel in and out of Hoboken a day after a commuter train crashed into the rail station, killing one person and injuring more than 100 people. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Clinton could put away Trump by carrying North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Republican Donald Trump can do little to stop Democrat Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency if she carries North Carolina, where their close race reflects the national liabilities of both candidates.

Trump is struggling with conservative Democrats, especially women in the big and booming suburbs of Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, who've long been part of the GOP's winning formula in North Carolina.

Clinton has her own worries: Younger voters who helped Barack Obama win the state in 2008 and come close in 2012 are far more hesitant to back her.

In this Sept. 27, 2016, photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C. Republican Donald Trump can do little to stop Clinton from winning the presidency if she carries North Carolina, a state where their close race reflects the national liabilities of both of them. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

In a scenario playing out across the most contested states, Clinton's pursuit of new supporters is aided by a huge, data-driven ground force in North Carolina, while Trump is sticking with his come-what-may plan.

"Both candidates have problems here," said Paul Shumaker, an adviser to U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who is seeking re-election. "But I think the Clinton people are more attuned about fixing their problems than Trump's are."

Clinton, in a visit Sunday to Charlotte, addressed congregants at a black church less than two weeks after the police-involved shooting death of a black man. The shooting led to two nights of violent protests and a debate over race relations.

"We've got to take action. We've got to start now, not tomorrow. Not next year, now," Clinton said.

Polls suggest North Carolina, Ohio and Florida are among the most competitive states expected to decide the final steps on the path to the 270 electoral votes required to win the White House.

In all but one of the past nine presidential elections, the Republican nominee has taken North Carolina. Clinton's apparent strength in once reliably Republican Virginia and swing state Colorado may mean a perilously narrow route to an electoral majority for Trump.

If Clinton captures North Carolina, Trump would have to carry perennially tight Ohio and Florida, plus Democrat-leaning Pennsylvania, and sweep less populous close states that appear increasingly out of reach.

Shumaker says GOP support for Trump is lower than usual in North Carolina, as estimated in private GOP and public polling. 2012 nominee Mitt Romney received more than 90 percent of the GOP vote in North Carolina, according to exit polls; Trump appears markedly short of that.

Trump promised to win over conservative Democrats, who are common in Cary, a suburb of roomy brick homes and newer retail developments west of Raleigh.

Such a voter is Sunday Petrov, who is grudgingly backing Clinton. "It's more like I'm voting against Trump," she said. "What bothers me most is his disrespect for Hispanics, for Muslims, his unprofessional demeanor."

Trump has little outreach aimed at specific voter groups in North Carolina; Clinton does. She needs it with younger people, with whom her polling margins pale next to Obama's in 2008 and 2012.

After last Monday's debate with Trump, she pleaded her case during a rally at Wake Tech Community College. The election, she said, "is more about the future of young people and children than it's ever been," and she talked about her plan for government-subsidized, tuition-free college. Later in the week, Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, visited Asheville and Greenville, stopping at Eastern Carolina University to focus on college debt.

"North Carolina feels like Virginia in 2012," said Dan Kanninen, the Clinton campaign's top adviser in the state.

Obama won Virginia in 2008 and 2012, after 10 consecutive GOP victories there, by attracting younger, ethnically diverse and more educated adults, especially those flowing into northern Virginia's tech and defense sectors.

Clinton is putting that same strategy to work in North Carolina. Universities, high-tech companies such as Cisco Systems and the financial sector, including Fidelity Investments, have attracted thousands of young professionals to the Raleigh area alone since 2012.

In the past four years, North Carolina has added roughly 300,000 voters, mostly in metropolitan areas that account for half of the state's vote. They are predominantly college-educated, which is good news for Clinton in a close race.

"Trump's biggest problem is college-educated whites," said Republican strategist Michael Luethy, who charts legislative races. "If he solves his problem there, he wins. Easier said than done."

Perhaps the biggest unknown heading into the Nov. 8 election is whether African-Americans will turn out for Clinton at near the historic levels they twice did for Obama, the first black president.

Clinton dominates Trump among African-Americans, who make up 22 percent of North Carolina's voters, the biggest share of any of battleground state. Trump has done little to turn around long-standing support for Democrats by black voters.

Clinton has organizers on or near campuses of the state's 12 historically black colleges and universities.

Moreover, early-voting restrictions enacted in 2013 by North Carolina's Republican-controlled Legislature and GOP Gov. Pat McCrory were overturned after being ruled discriminatory toward black voters.

McCrory is up for re-election in November and trails Democrat Roy Cooper in a rare case where a down-ballot race could generate turnout for the presidential campaign.

"I think Democratic intensity on that issue  the attempt at voter suppression  is going to keep African-American turnout at the levels we've had lately," said Ken Eudy, a Democratic campaign strategist.

Shumaker, the GOP senator's aide, said that may be enough to lift Clinton in a close race.

"It's going to come down to the wire," he said. "And we're a 2-point state."

__

Associated Press writer Ken Thomas in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2016, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Kenansville, N.C. Trump can do little to stop Democrat Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency if she carries North Carolina, a state where their close race reflects the national liabilities of both of them.(AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Suarez opens NASCAR doubleheader with Xfinity win at Dover

DOVER, Del. (AP)  Daniel Suarez jumped out of his car and sprinted down the front stretch to grab the checkered flag and take an untraditional victory lap on the track.

"I had to run a little bit. That's fine," he said, laughing. "When you win, you can run a little bit."

Suarez cruised into the second round of the Chase in the Xfinity Series with a win Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

Daniel Suarez, of Mexico, (19) takes the checkered flag to win a NASCAR Xfinity series auto race, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

He won his second career Xfinity race a day after rain washed out the race and forced a rare NASCAR doubleheader. NASCAR ran its first Xfinity-Cup doubleheader since April 25, 2010, at Talladega Superspeedway.

Suarez became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national race in June at Michigan. He became a part of NASCAR in 2011 and was involved in its Drive for Diversity and Next programs.

Team owner Joe Gibbs has been a stout supporter of NASCAR's diversity programs.

"From a diversity standpoint and all he represents there from a Hispanic standpoint too, I think it's huge for our sport," he said. "He's the perfect representative. He's funny, he's got a good sense of humor and I think he really, really appreciates where he is."

Suarez said he was proud to learn in victory lane that he won during National Hispanic Heritage Month. He said he won for all of his fans across North America.

"Having all of the support that I have had from Mexico and from here in the U.S. and all of Latin America has been super special," he said. "I really feel lucky to be in this position and to be able to represent all of them."

Suarez led 123 of 200 laps in the No. 19 Toyota and joined Elliott Sadler in the second round of the Chase.

Ty Dillon was second, followed by Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman.

With three top NASCAR Cup stars sitting out, the top five was filled with Xfinity regulars. Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano all had replacement drivers in the Xfinity race to focus on the Cup race scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Regan Smith finished 13th driving for Dillon; Drew Herring was 21st subbing for Busch; and Blaney filled in for Logano.

Busch has eight Xfinity wins, Dillon has two and Logano has one this season.

Allgaier said that even if the three stars raced, Suarez was still the driver to beat.

"I don't know that anybody was going to beat him today," Allgaier said. "I think it was smart for the Cup guys to sit out. I think two races in one day would have been a strain, mentally."

Ty Dillon, Ryan Sieg and Brandon Jones are in danger of being eliminated from the Chase next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. So is Erik Jones, one of the top rising stars in the sport who entered the Chase as the top speed. Jones finished 16th and was 28th last week.

"It's pretty embarrassing not to even be in the Chase right now for the next round," Jones said. "It's just unfortunate; it's just something that I never would have seen it coming."

Daniel Suarez, of Mexico, (19) takes the checkered flag to win a NASCAR Xfinity series auto race, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Daniel Suarez, of Mexico, (19) drives during an NASCAR Xfinity series auto race, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. Suarez won the race. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Trucks drive in a light rain early in the morning trying to dry the racetrack before a NASCAR Xfinity series auto race, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Landlord in fire that killed 6 faces manslaughter trial

PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  A Maine man is about to stand before a judge in a trial that could result in the first time in the state's history that a landlord is convicted for manslaughter in a tenant death stemming from negligent building operation.

Gregory Nisbet was indicted for manslaughter stemming from the November 2014 fire that killed six people in Portland. His trial, an outgrowth of the deadliest fire in Maine in 40 years, gets underway on Monday in the city.

The case is expected to address whether the home was being used as a legal duplex or an illegal rooming house. Nisbet, who has requested a bench trial with no jury, has contended that it was the former.

Manslaughter is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine in Maine. Matthew Nichols, an attorney for Nisbet, has said he expects the trial to be complex because of the questions relating to the use of the house.

"In this case, there's a whole separate set of legal issues to decide," he said last month. "For example, what was the use of that building?"

The Office of the Maine Attorney General is prosecuting the case. A spokesman for the office declined to comment. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Marchese said last month that prosecutors were confident in not just the manslaughter charges but also code violations associated with the fire.

The house has been razed since the fire, which occurred following a Halloween party. Investigators said they found the fire started on a porch because of improperly disposed smoking materials.

Investigators have also said the house lacked functioning smoke detectors. A lawsuit stemming from the fire also states that an emergency exit was impassable.

Nisbet's case had been the subject of plea negotiations, but they broke down days before a grand jury indicted him on the manslaughter charges and four criminal violations of the life safety code.

The fire killed residents Nicole Finlay, David Bragdon Jr., Ashley Thomas and Christopher Conlee; Topsham resident Maelisha Jackson; and Rockland resident Steven Summers. Several others were able to escape.

Families are also suing Nisbet in civil court for failing to keep the building safe.

Justin Irish, a resident of the Noyes Street home who was not present at the time of the fire, said he thinks a stiff sentence could help provide the victims' families with some justice. He said he is not involved in the lawsuits against Nisbet.
When it comes to Trump's taxes and finances, much is unknown

WASHINGTON (AP)  Donald Trump reported losses of more than $900 million on his 1995 income tax returns filed in three states, as revealed in documents obtained by The New York Times, that experts say could have allowed him to forgo paying federal income taxes for nearly two decades.

The revelation from a portion of Trump's tax returns for that year gives the most detailed insight yet into the Republican nominee's tax history during a time when his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, has suggested Trump is hiding something from voters.

Some details of Trump's tax history had surfaced before in documents from state gaming regulators and court cases. But even with the latest disclosure by the Times, several questions remain unanswered about Trump's more recent finances because the information released to date is only partial and much of it dated.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Manheim, Pa. (AP Photo/John Locher)

What we do know:

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TRUMP HASN'T PAID TAXES BEFORE

Trump reported paying no federal income taxes in 1978, 1979, 1984 and likely at least two other years in the early 1990s, according to documents unearthed by The Daily Beast , Politico and The Washington Post . Like the 1995 tax returns disclosed by The Times , Trump avoided paying taxes in those years by reporting losses that wiped out his gains.

For instance in 1984, Trump reported that he lost money and claimed on his personal tax returns that he was primarily a consultant, whose consulting business had more than $600,000 in expenses and no income. At the time, Trump had just finished Trump Tower and was quoted extensively in news reports talking up his business success.

It's unclear if the IRS questioned Trump's federal tax returns that year, but New York City tax authorities challenged his claims. The city fought with Trump for several years after he appealed his city tax bill. Trump lost that fight and had to pay the city taxes on more than $1 million in income.

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WHAT THE TIMES FOUND

The Times reported Saturday that Trump posted a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income in 1995. It was already well known that Trump was losing money during the early to mid-1990s, a time when his casinos fell into financial turmoil and some of his businesses filed for bankruptcy. But the records obtained by the Times show losses so large that they could have allowed Trump to avoid paying taxes for up to 18 years.

The newspaper reported that Trump made only $6,108 in wages, salaries and tips in 1995. He also reported $7.4 million in interest income and a loss of $15.8 million on his real estate and partnership holdings that year, the newspaper said.

The Times said it based its story on the first pages of Trump's 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The documents were anonymously mailed to one of the newspaper's reporters. Former Trump accountant Jack Mitnick, who prepared Trump's taxes that year, told The Times the documents were authentic, pointing out that they reflect a printing error from his tax preparation software that he corrected by manually inserting some numbers using a typewriter. Those numbers are slightly misaligned on the documents.

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TRUMP'S RESPONSE

Trump's campaign did not challenge the documents' authenticity or the veracity of The Times' story, but Trump threatened to sue the newspaper for making the information public.

"Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the campaign said in a statement released Saturday. The campaign also said that Trump had paid "hundreds of millions" of dollars in various kinds of taxes over the years.

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TRUMP'S REFUSAL

Before running for president, Trump said he would release his tax returns if he ran. But since he announced his candidacy last year, Trump has refused, bucking a tradition to which presidential nominees have adhered since 1976.

Trump has repeatedly said he won't release the documents because he says they're under audit by the Internal Revenue Service and his attorneys have advised against him making them public. Tax experts and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen have said such audits don't bars taxpayers from releasing their returns.

Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has released 10 years of his tax returns. Clinton has released nearly 40 years of her tax returns.

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WHAT MORE TAX RETURNS COULD TELL US

So far, only portions of any of Trump's tax returns have been made public. And everything that has been made public is decades old.

Trump's more recent tax returns when he was likely more successful would show his income sources, the type of deductions he claimed, how much he earned from his assets and what strategies Trump used to reduce his tax bill.

Full returns would also show how much Trump has personally donated to charity. The Times noted that the documents they received do not indicate how much Trump donated to charity in 1995, though Trump chose not to donate to a handful of organizations listed on the state tax documents including the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Fund.

Trump has regularly boasted of his charitable giving, but The Associated Press reported more than a year ago that there is little record of substantial personal philanthropy. More recently, Trump has faced tough questions about how his namesake foundation operates.

The Washington Post has reported that Trump's own charitable organization, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, used donations given by others to pay for Trump's legal settlements, political contributions and even purchase portraits of Trump. The Post has also reported that the foundation solicited donations from the public without the required certification under New York state law.

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WHAT DO VOTERS SAY

Voters are split along party lines whether it's important for candidates to release their tax returns, but more than half believe Trump isn't releasing his returns because he's hiding something.

An Associated Press-GfK poll last month found that 46 percent of registered voters say it is very important for candidates to release their tax returns, though Democrats were more likely say so than Republicans. A recent Monmouth University poll found that a little more than half of voters think Trump isn't releasing his tax returns because he is hiding something from the public.

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Associated Press writer Jeff Horwitz and AP Polling Editor Emily Swanson contributed to this report.

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Morris' six-year-old son tried to help stop the bleeding, Gray's wife said

Gray was drunk and argued with him about looking at a steak, court heard

A Tennessee man has been found guilty of killing his own grandson after arguing over a steak.

Harold Gray, 65, of Frayser, was convicted last week of reckless homicide in the 2014 death of Anthony Morris, the Commercial Appeal reported.

Gray got into an argument with Morris, who was 31 at the time, about Morris looking at a steak in his refrigerator, according to court records. He then stabbed his grandson with a kitchen knife.

Morris has a six-year-old son who helped Gray's wife Mildred try to stop the bleeding.

Harold Gray (left), 65, of Frayser, Tennessee was convicted last week of reckless homicide in the 2014 death of his grandson Anthony Morris (right)

'His son started throwing up real bad. I told him to move back but he stayed there with his dad,' Mildred told WREG in 2014.

Gray was drunk at the time of the argument, according to facts presented in court.

'I want to see him rotting in jail. It's sad to say but I want to see him rot in jail. I hope he never gets out of jail,' Mildred said after Gray's arraignment.

The 65-year-old did not testify. His defense said he had no intent to kill and had stabbed Morris in the groin area.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 4.

Morris' family wore t-shirts with his picture on them in 2014, when Gray was arraigned. Morris had a six-year-old son at the time of his death
Pope in 2017: Portugal, India, Bangladesh, Colombia, Africa

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP)  Pope Francis will visit Portugal next year and is "almost sure" he'll go to India and Bangladesh. Still to be determined is where in Africa he'll visit and whether Colombia's peace accord is "certain, certain, certain" enough to enable a papal visit.

Francis outlined his 2017 travel plans while flying home from Azerbaijan on Sunday. Complicating his travel schedule is that next year is already full of appointments with visiting bishops whose 2016 visits were put off due to Francis' Holy Year of Mercy, which ends in November.

But Francis confirmed that as of now, he planned a May 13 trip to the famed Marian shrine at Fatima in Portugal.

Pope Francis speaks with journalists on board the flight from Baku to Rome, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Pope Francis praised Azerbaijan on Sunday as a model for a world divided by violent extremism, sidestepping criticism of the government for the sake of encouraging religious tolerance in an often-volatile region where Catholics are a minority. (Luca Zennaro/Pool Photo via AP)

India and Bangladesh were planned as well and an Africa trip was under study. The destination depends on weather conditions, time of year and regional political and conflict situations, he said.

Francis had said previously he would visit Colombia if the government and rebels reached a peace accord. Colombians voted Sunday in a referendum to enshrine the accord ending Latin America's longest-running conflict.

Francis said he would go to Colombia "when everything is certain, certain, certain, when they can't go back, when the international community has agreed that no one can make a (legal) recourse, that it's finished. If it's like that, I could go. If it's unstable? It all depends on what the people say. The people are sovereign."

One place Francis likely won't be going is China.

Relations are "good," the Vatican Museums just had an exhibit in China and the Chinese were due to open one on the Vatican, he said. China's president just sent him a gift with a visiting delegation who attended a Vatican conference and there are working groups that are "slowly" discussing relations that were severed under communism.

"They're talking slowly, but slow things are good. Things that move fast aren't good," Francis said, adding: "The Chinese people have my highest esteem."

Pope Francis disembarks from a plane that brought him to Azerbaijan's capital Baku, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Francis arrived in Azerbaijan on Sunday for a 10-hour visit aimed at encouraging the country's inter-religious harmony while likely overlooking recent criticism of a referendum that extends the president's term and powers. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis is flanked by Vatican Spokesman Greg Burke as he speaks with journalists on board the flight from Baku to Rome, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Pope Francis praised Azerbaijan on Sunday as a model for a world divided by violent extremism, sidestepping criticism of the government for the sake of encouraging religious tolerance in an often-volatile region where Catholics are a minority. (Luca Zennaro/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis speaks with journalists on board the flight from Baku to Rome, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Pope Francis praised Azerbaijan on Sunday as a model for a world divided by violent extremism, sidestepping criticism of the government for the sake of encouraging religious tolerance in an often-volatile region where Catholics are a minority. (Luca Zennaro/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis speaks with journalists on board the flight from Baku to Rome, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Pope Francis praised Azerbaijan on Sunday as a model for a world divided by violent extremism, sidestepping criticism of the government for the sake of encouraging religious tolerance in an often-volatile region where Catholics are a minority. (Luca Zennaro/Pool Photo via AP)
Ruth Davidson to renew calls to scrap controversial named-person scheme

Ruth Davidson will renew calls for the Scottish Government to scrap its controversial named-person scheme in her address to the Conservative party conference.

The Scottish Conservative leader will tell an audience in Birmingham that the SNP administration should instead prioritise targeted support for families who are struggling to cope.

She will highlight Tory proposals for a Crisis Family Fund as well as a network of "family hubs" to provide advice, especially in deprived parts of Scotland.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson

The Scottish Government was forced to delay the roll-out of the named-person policy after the UK Supreme Court ruled some elements are "incompatible'' with the right to privacy and family life, as set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Earlier this month Scottish Education Secretary John Swinney announced a three-month consultation on how to make the scheme comply with the law, and pledged to tackle public mistrust.

The policy, introduced as part of the Children and Young People Scotland Act of 2014, would appoint a single point of contact, such as a teacher or health visitor, to look out for the welfare of all children up to the age of 18.

Opponents who launched a legal challenge argued the scheme is overly intrusive into family life and could lead to an increased workload for those tasked with administering it.

In her speech Ms Davidson will say: "We would scrap the named-person plan and start again.

"Let me be clear, we have never had a problem with a single point of contact advising and supporting a child or a parent who wants one.

"Nor have we ever had a problem with that same person helping a child or a parent access the service they need.

"But what we would scrap, right now, are the provisions which give that person the power to monitor a child's wellbeing.

"And we would scrap, right now, the power to share that information with a whole range of public bodies, all behind the backs of parents.

"A single point of contact, fine. Let's make it easier for parents and children to get access to the services they need.

"But a state-appointed guardian with powers to go behind parents' backs? No."

Ms Davidson will say a crisis fund would support projects providing intensive support for parents struggling with drug addiction, debt or mental health problems, while f amily hubs in poorer areas would provide a dvice on employment, relationships and parenting.

The Tories would also focus on boosting home ownership for young families, "creating the conditions for the most ambitious house-building programme in a generation".

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The policy aim of providing a named-person service has been judged by the Supreme Court to be entirely legitimate.

"The Supreme Court's ruling requires changes to be made specifically to the information-sharing provisions of the 2014 Act.

"Ministers remain absolutely committed to the named-person service and the Deputy First Minister updated Parliament outlining how the Government is working towards the implementation of the service.
Plain sailing for Kate as she 'bosses it' at the wheel of tall ship

The Duchess of Cambridge showed off her sailing credentials when she took the wheel of a tall ship and helped steer her in to harbour.

Kate looked at ease when she took charge of Pacific Grace, a wooden-hulled gaff-rigged schooner, operated by a Canadian charity that uses the experience of sailing to help develop life skills in young people.

She had offered the wheel to William but when he said "ladies first" the Duchess took control and "bossed it", the captain said.

The Duchess of Cambridge steers the tall ship, Pacific Grace, at Victoria Inner Harbour

The Duchess' sailing credentials are well known, not only has she crewed on a Round the World Challenge boat during her gap year but has publicly been supporting the nation's America's Cup bid led by Sir Ben Ainslie.

She is also Royal Patron of the 1851 Trust, a charity dedicated to inspiring a new generation to enter sailing and the marine industry.

The royal couple boarded the ship, run by Sail and Life Training Society (Salts), in Victoria harbour and the pair helped out with hauling the rigging joining a group of young people.

They all chanted to keep time pulling together, and a massive cheer went up when the sails were fully hoisted.

The young people were from JACK.org - a national network of youths who are working to end stigma around mental health for their generation.

At one point William and Kate, who wore a khaki Troy jacket, joked about the bushy beard of bosun Steve Atkinson.

The facial grown left the Duke laughing and he said: "That is the most amazing specimen I have ever seen.

"Seriously that is incredible, it must have taken you ages but you must be very proud. I'm very jealous."

His brother Prince Harry has a beard and during his time in the Royal Navy the Prince of Wales also grew a beard.

Moments earlier Kate had met Steve and said: "Wow, whiskers."

After they had docked in Victoria, capital of British Columbia, Tony Anderson, 52, from Victoria, captain of the Pacific Grace said: "She said early on her gap year she enjoyed sailing on a UK boat. We talked about the similarities between that programme and the Salts programme.

"We asked her to take the wheel as we came into harbour. She told William to take it but he said 'ladies first'.

"We said she could hand over to William but she didn't want to hand it over. She was bossing it."

"They were right in there hoisting everything, hauling the sails. We'd heard they were both good sailors. They were both awesome. They loved Steve's beard. Maybe Will will grow one too."
EU exit talks to start by March as Theresa May underlines immigration message

Theresa May has put Britain on track for a "hard Brexit" by the spring of 2019, as she insisted she will not accept any limits on the UK's ability to control its own borders.

The Prime Minister's declaration that the UK will "make our own decisions" on immigration put her on collision course with the Brussels institutions and the 27 remaining member states, ahead of two-year withdrawal talks due to be triggered by the end of March 2017.

European Council President Donald Tusk said other EU states would act to safeguard their own interests, while Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat - who will be president of the Council when Mrs May kicks off talks by invoking Article 50 of the EU treaties - said the single market's four freedoms of goods, services, capital and people "cannot be decoupled".

Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Conservative Party conference at the ICC in Birmingham

Taking the unusual step for a Tory leader of addressing the annual Conservative conference on its opening day, Mrs May confirmed plans for a Great Repeal Bill to overturn the 1972 Act which took the UK into what was then the European Economic Community.

She said Article 50 would be invoked "soon", and no later than the end of March next year.

And she rejected the argument Britain must choose between "hard Brexit" - in which the nation regains control over immigration but loses full access to the European single market - and "soft Brexit", under which access to the single market comes with a requirement to allow free movement of EU workers.

To loud applause, Mrs May said: "I know some people ask about the 'trade-off' between controlling immigration and trading with Europe. But that is the wrong way of looking at things.

"We have voted to leave the European Union and become a fully independent, sovereign country.

"We will do what independent, sovereign countries do. We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws."

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron branded Mrs May's announcement a "disaster" that would mean "no single market for Britain".

But Mrs May insisted she would strike a deal allowing "free trade in goods and services" and giving British companies "the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market and let European businesses do the same here".

And Brexit Secretary David Davis said EU leaders should "think carefully" before erecting barriers to trade.

Describing talk of Britain being subjected to trade barriers, such as tariffs, as "bluster", Mr Davis said: "It certainly won't be to anyone's benefit to see an increase in barriers to trade, in either direction.

"So, we want to maintain the freest possible trade between us, without betraying the instruction we have received from the British people to take back control of our own affairs."

CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn said business needed "urgent answers" on barrier-free access to EU markets.

She said: "Businesses cannot continue to operate in the dark. The decisions they face today are real and pressing.

"The Government's desire to play its negotiating cards close to its chest must be tempered by clear indications on how we will trade with the UK's most important partner, and how firms will be able to employ the people needed to drive growth."

Mrs May said there would be "no unnecessary delays" to Brexit talks but added she would not give a "running commentary" on their progress.

The Great Repeal Bill will transpose EU laws applying to the UK into the domestic statute book at the moment of withdrawal, so they can subsequently be amended or abolished by the UK Parliament as required, she said.

She dismissed the argument that the outcome of negotiations should be subject to a second public vote, and said: "Come on. The referendum vote was clear, it was legitimate, it was the biggest vote for change this country has ever known. Brexit means Brexit and we are going to make a success of it."

Attorney General Jeremy Wright will next week go to court to fight legal moves to secure a parliamentary vote on invoking Article 50, which was no more than an attempt to delay Brexit, she said.

And she insisted that, while she will "consult and work" with devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, it would be for the UK Government alone to negotiate a deal, and there will be "no opt-out from Brexit" for any of the four nations of the UK.

Mrs May said Brexit would not cut the UK off from the rest of the world, but would transform it into "global Britain, a country with the self-confidence and the freedom to look beyond the continent of Europe and to the economic and diplomatic opportunities of the wider world".

There is already "abundant evidence" that foreign countries and multi-national businesses are interested in trade and investment opportunities with a post-Brexit UK, said the Prime Minister.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said " any lingering gloomadon-poppers" should now accept Brexit will liberate the UK " to be more active on the world stage than ever before".

Mrs May said she expected a post-Brexit Britain to co-operate with the remaining EU on law enforcement and counter-terrorism work, while Mr Johnson said the UK would remain committed to inter-governmental work on issues such as sanctions on Russia, and the Mediterranean migration crisis.

"A truly Global Britain is possible and it is in sight," said Mrs May.

"Let's ignore the pessimists, let's have the confidence in ourselves to go out into the world, securing trade deals, winning contracts, generating wealth and creating jobs."

As many as 98% of Hungarians who voted in a referendum on Sunday are understood to have rejected mandatory EU migrant quotas.

But exit polls suggested that turnout failed to reach the 50% needed for the result to be valid.

Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of the Conservative party conference in Birmingham

Prime Minister Theresa May said Article 50 will be triggered in the first three months of 2017
Royals wave goodbye to Canada after milestone family visit

Prince George and Princess Charlotte waved goodbye to Canada as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's tour ended with the couple praising the nation for the "happy memories" created during their stay.

Thousands lined the harbour of Victoria, capital of British Columbia, to see William and Kate and their children leave by boat plane after an eight-day visit.

The royal tour of eastern Canada had taken the couple from the stunning scenery of the Hadai Gwaii archipelago to the Yukon gold rush town of Whitehorse.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said Canada would leave them and their children with 'happy memories'

But all eyes had been on George and Charlotte who stole the limelight from their parents when an outdoor children's party was staged in their honour in Victoria.

William spoke about the milestone visit - their first official overseas trip as a family of four - saying they felt ''very lucky'' to have introduced his children to the Commonwealth country which will play a big part in their lives.

The Duke said in a statement before their official departure from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia: ''Catherine and I are incredibly grateful to the people of Canada for the warmth and hospitality they have extended to our family over the last week.

''We have loved our time in British Columbia and Yukon and will never forget the beautiful places we have seen and the many people who have been kind enough to come to welcome us in person.

''We feel very lucky to have been able to introduce George and Charlotte to Canada. This country will play a big part in the lives of our children and we have created such happy memories for our family during this visit.

''Canada is a country of optimism, generosity and unrivalled natural beauty. I hope we have helped all Canadians celebrate what makes this country great. We will see you again soon.''

When it came to the official departure the three-year-old future king and his 17-month-old sister melted the hearts of well-wishers lining crash barriers around the harbour.

When George, dressed in his trademark, shorts, jumper, shirt and knee length shorts, stepped form a people carrier he began waving with one hand and then frantically with both to the amusement of William who smiled as Kate held Charlotte.

And later the 17-month-old princess gave a wave for the crowds as she stood on a jetty with her parents and turned to wave at British Columbia premier Christy Clark.

After ignoring the attempts of Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau who tried to high five George when the prince first arrived, he once again left a well-wisher hanging when the Cambridges first arrived at the jetty.

When posey boy Daniel Brachman, aged 9, bent down and held his palm up to the prince, he was ignored by the three-year-old.

The schoolboy said afterwards: "It was really excited to meet them, I wish that I asked them something but it was still really exciting."

But he did not appear disappointed that George hand not responded to his greeting: "I tried to high five him but he didn't want to."

The Duke and Duchess made their way along a paved walkway to their sea plane and past a guard of honour from the Royal Canadian Navy before saying goodbye to the Governor-General of Canada David Johnston and his wife Sharon, and Christy Clark premier of British Columbia who had attended many of their engagements.

With the journey home beckoning the family approached the plane but stopped to acknowledge the crowds and all four waved.

But as soon as William let go of George's hand he made a dash for the aircraft and got to the first step before the Duke placed his hands on his arms and turned him back.

With the Duchess carrying her daughter and the Duke keeping a firm grip on his son they posed for the crowds and photographers waving one last time.

An impatient George looked at the plane, shuffled his feet and pulled on his father's hand before they all boarded the aircraft.

William and Kate ended their last day in Canada by taking to the waves in a tall ship. The royal couple helped to hoist sails and Kate even took the wheel of the vessel used to take youngsters on voyages to teach them life skills.

Kate, a keen sailor, looked at ease when she guided the Pacific Grace, a wooden-hulled gaff-rigged schooner operated by a Canadian charity, to its moorings.

Earlier the couple had gone on a walkabout meeting youngsters and their parents during a visit to Cridge Centre for the Family - one of Victoria's best-known charitable institutions.

The centre provides a range of services, including childcare, youth outreach, and support for women who have experienced domestic violence.

The engagement began with William joking about his failure to reel in a catch during a fishing trip with the Duchess in waters off the British Columbia coast - shrugging it off as just one of those things.

The couple tried to hook a salmon during their trip on Friday, but the only fish they saw was one caught earlier, which was being kept in a cooler box.

When the couple arrived at the centre, waiting to greet them was Christy Clark, premier of British Columbia, and the Duke told her about his day on the water: ''We didn't catch anything. It's typical, whenever we go anywhere. All the best laid plans go to pot.''

Speaking about the fish shown to the couple, he added: ''That salmon was the biggest fish I've seen. It was a great day.''

Princess Charlotte enjoyed her moment in the limelight

The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte prepare to depart by sea plane from Victoria Harbour Airport

Prince George looks out of the window of the plane as he departs from Victoria Harbour Airport

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte board a seaplane before departing Victoria Harbour

Prince George arrives at the ceremony to mark their departure from Canada

Crowds await the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Victoria Harbour

Fans welcome the royals

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are presented with personalised sports shirts for Prince George and Princess Charlotte by BC Governor Christy Clark in Victoria

The Duchess of Cambridge talks to the public in Victoria

The Duchess of Cambridge steers the tall ship, Pacific Grace, while sailing with members of the Sail and Life Training Society at Victoria Inner Harbour

The captain said the Duchess 'bossed it' as she took the helm

The Duchess of Cambridge poses for a picture

The Duchess of Cambridge meets members of the Kelty Mental Health Resources Centre at the Breakwater Cafe and Bistro in Victoria
Scientists hail 'remarkable' progress in bid to cure HIV

A British man with HIV undergoing a pioneering treatment to cure him of the disease has shown "remarkable" progress, doctors have told a newspaper.

Scientists treating the 44-year-old patient are now hopeful of a breakthrough in what has been described as "one of the first serious attempts at a full cure for HIV".

The man, who has remained anonymous, is the first of 50 people to complete a trial using the two-stage attack on the deadly virus.

An HIV test kit, as scientists search for a cure for the virus

The research is being carried out by a collaboration of five of Britain's top universities organised by the NHS.

Mark Samuels, managing director of the National Institute for Health Research Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure, told the Sunday Times: "This is one of the first serious attempts at a full cure for HIV. We are exploring the real possibility of curing HIV.

"This is a huge challenge and it's still early days but the progress has been remarkable."

The trial patient told the newspaper that recent blood tests showed no detectable HIV virus was present, although it was too early to confirm that the treatment had worked.

The new therapy aims to overcome a major barrier to clearing the virus from a sufferer's body that has challenged researchers for decades.

Current methods using antiretroviral therapies (Art) fall short of ridding patients of HIV, as the virus can hide out of the drugs' reach in the immune system's T-cells.

By sheltering in dormant T-cells the virus can later take over its host and use it to produce thousands of copies of itself, should Art no longer work.

The research by Oxford and Cambridge universities, Imperial College London, University College London, and King's College London, is testing a "kick and kill" technique to first expose then destroy the virus.

First a vaccine helps the body find infected T-cells. This is then followed by a course of the drug Vorinostat that awakens the dormant T-cells, which then begin producing HIV proteins that act as a homing beacon to the immune system.

Imperial College London consultant physician Professor Sarah Fidler said the treatment worked in the laboratory and there was "good evidence" it will work in patients.
Robots will take over and eventually kill us all, terrified Britons believe

Britons are terrified of being enveloped by a dystopian future in which robots take control of society, research has found.

More than a third of people fear the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to robots evolving beyond our understanding and taking over.

And around 40% of us think so-called humanoids could eventually destroy humanity as we know it - concerns echoed by Professor Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk, founder of the SpaceX programme who has previously described AI as mankind's "biggest existential threat".

A robot in London's Parliament Square, during a photocall for the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots

Our paranoia about androids was revealed in studies ahead of the launch of Westworld, a new Sky Atlantic programme starting on Tuesday in which guests at a futuristic park based in the Old West live out their wildest fantasies.

While the new series, produced by JJ Abrams - the man behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Trek and Cloverfield - is pure fantasy, our fears of robots becoming the supreme beings on Earth are very real.

One in seven of us think we will encounter human-like robots on a day-to-day basis within 10 years, and two-thirds of us expect this to be the norm within the next 50 years.

Men are almost twice as likely as women to relish living among androids, but Britons in general are most worried about what impact robots could have in the way they would interact with children, followed by worries of losing their jobs to super-efficient humanoids.

Professor Noel Sharkey, emeritus professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield, said: "The robotics community have certainly been considering the idea that robots will be walking among us - it's just a matter of when really.

"I think it'll all happen very gradually over the next 20-30 years until we don't even notice they're among us.

"The way we're first going to see robots integrated into society in the near future will be as shop assistants, bar tenders and also as carers for our elderly and children.

"I don't think there's anything to be concerned about but if they come to look too human-like then they could be used to deceive us in many, many ways."
Grammar schools 'must genuinely reach out to poorer pupils'

Theresa May has insisted grammar schools will have to show they are "genuinely reaching out" to pupils from poorer backgrounds.

The Prime Minister also said the Government is seeking to find new ways to identify "struggling" children rather than rely on information detailing who receives free school meals.

Mrs May added the education system is "not going back to the 1950s", as she defended her proposed reforms to allow new selective schools.

Grammar schools will have to show they are 'genuinely reaching out' to pupils from poorer backgrounds, the PM said

She is expected to face opposition, including from Tory MPs, when she tries to get her plans through Parliament.

Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One, Mrs May said: "We are not going back to that system of binary education. We're not going back to the 1950s."

She added: "There will be different types of schools providing education. What I've always said throughout my political career... is we want the education that is right for every child."

Mrs May went on: "We'll be saying to grammar schools and people who want to set up new selective schools, actually, if you're doing that, we will want you to show that you're genuinely reaching out across society in giving those opportunities to young people and also that you're ensuring..."

Mr Marr intervened to ask Mrs May if she was suggesting targets for those children receiving free school meals - a nod to those from poorer backgrounds - and developing new feeder schools.

She replied: "It could mean a variety of things, Andrew, that's the point.

"We're consulting at the moment as to the best approach in this but it will be about ensuring that when selective schools are expanding or being set up that they are reaching out, that they are ensuring the quality of education throughout the system."

Mrs May added about the consultation: "It's also about how we identify those children - free school meals has been something that's always been used as a measure in education.
Boris Johnson paints grim picture of 'less safe' world

The world is "less safe, more dangerous and more worrying" than it was 10 years ago - partly because of a "lack of western self-confidence" in the region's political, military and economic ideals, Boris Johnson has claimed.

The Foreign Secretary received a rousing ovation from party members as he spoke at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

But in a speech laden with characteristic jokes, the former Tory leadership-hopeful also painted a grim picture of the state of the world as he accused Russia of being "complicit" in carrying out war crimes in Syria.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson speaks at the Conservative Party conference

Mr Johnson said the UK "must be humble and realistic enough to accept that in many eyes the notion that we could endlessly expand the realm of liberal democracy was badly damaged" by the Iraq War.

Meanwhile, he said free market capitalism was "seriously discredited by the crash of 2008, and the global suspicion of bankers".

He likened those two issues to "punches" which had led to a lack of confidence.

"If you look at the course of events in the last 10 years, I am afraid you can make the case that it is partly as a result of that lack of western self-confidence - political, military, economic - that in some material ways the world has got less safe, more dangerous and more worrying," he said.

"After a long post-war period in which the world was getting broadly more peaceful, the number of deaths in conflict has risen from 49,000 in 2010 to 167,000 last year.

"The global number of refugees is up by 30% on 2013 to 46 million last year."

Mr Johnson said "much of that crisis" with refugees could be attributed to the war in Syria and the "wider arc of instability" across the region.
Germany revises down 2015 refugee intake, arrivals slow

BERLIN, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Germany took in fewer refugees last year than previously thought and the number of asylum seekers dropped sharply this year, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Friday.

De Maiziere told a news conference 890,000 asylum seekers came to Germany in 2015 and 820,000 of them were now fully registered.

He said Germany took in fewer than the reported 1.1 million migrants last year because some registered twice and others had moved on to other destinations.

"But I want to leave no doubt: The number of 890,000 is still very high," De Maiziere said. "We all agree that the refugee situation last autumn must not be repeated."

So far this year, 210,000 people came to Germany to seek asylum, he said. "This shows that our measures are working."

The latest figures could take some pressure off Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is facing a popular backlash over her decision a year ago to leave German borders open for refugees.

Merkel has repeatedly defended her approach to find a European solution to the migration issue by securing the continent's external borders, agreeing migration deals with countries such as Turkey and distributing refugees across Europe.

However, after her conservatives suffered heavy defeats in regional elections earlier this month, Merkel said she wished she could turn back the clock to better prepare Germany for last year's migrant influx.
Caribbean fears for coastal families as Hurricane Matthew gets close

By Makini Brice and Gabriel Stargardter

LES CAYES, Haiti/KINGSTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Haiti and Jamaica urged residents in vulnerable coastal areas to evacuate and Cuba suspended flights on Sunday as bands of rain from Hurricane Matthew, the strongest storm to menace Caribbean nations since 2007, drenched the Jamaican capital.

Matthew's slow-moving center was expected to come near southwestern Haiti and Jamaica on Monday as a major storm bringing winds of 145 miles per hour (230 kph) and life-threatening rain, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Eastern Cuba would also feel bands of fierce wind and rain on Monday, the agency said.

"We are very worried by the situation," Haitian Interior Minister Francois Anick Joseph said at an operations center in Port-au-Prince. "We want everybody to know that it is real."

He said 1,300 shelters had been set up, with the capacity to hold 340,000 people. Some two thousand people refused to leave their seaside homes in the coastal town of La Savanne and the government was ready to use force if needed, Anick Joseph said.

One person was swept away by high waves on Saturday despite government warnings to stay out of the sea, he said.

On Sunday afternoon, nobody had arrived at the largest shelter in La Savanne, a high school with the capacity to fit 600 people, except some boys playing basketball there.

Up to 40 inches (101 cm) of rain could fall on parts of southern Haiti and the prime minister's office issued a red alert warning for landslides, high waves and floods.

"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the hurricane center said.

In Kingston, Jamaica, major roads and waterways flooded as the first bands from Matthew lashed the island. Cars stalled as rain-drenched drivers tried to push vehicles through streets that flooded within minutes after the downpour started.

In the nearby town of Port Royal, fishermen scorned government calls to leave for shelters.

Matthew was about 255 miles (415 km) southeast of Kingston on Sunday night and moving northwest at 5 mph (7 kph), with a turn to the north expected overnight. The hurricane center ranked it at Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.

"Slow motion is almost always a bad thing for any land area impacted," said John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist at the center. Matthew was expected to remain a powerful hurricane into Tuesday, the center said.

Matthew is the most powerful hurricane to form over the Atlantic since Felix in 2007.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, and a combination of weak government and precarious living conditions for most of its people makes it particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. More than 200,000 people were killed when a 7-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in 2010.

"WE CAN'T LIVE"

Despite worries about potential storm devastation, life in the southern Haitian town of Les Cayes went on much as normal. One of two restaurants at the tourist port was open but employee Jonel Glezil said there were no visitors on Sunday.

Glezil, 28, said he was unprepared for the storm and worried about damage to the restaurant and the town of 70,000 residents, where streets are lined by tall, colorful houses and coconut and mango trees.

"When the hurricane comes, there is no food in my house," he said as heavy waves driven by high winds broke over the shore. "We can't live."

In Jamaica, which could get up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Reuters outside his office that his government was mobilized and about 80 percent of the 2.7 million Jamaicans were ready for the storm.

"The damage will have an impact on our economic growth, which is already fragile," he said, as the wind began to build. In particular, agriculture, tourism and towns cut off by storm damage and landslides would suffer, Holness said.

Kingston residents stocked up on canned food, water and batteries, while banks and offices boarded their windows. Fishermen were told not to go to sea.

In Cuba, where evacuations were under way, many flights were suspended by noon on Sunday. In the seaside village of Siboney, near Santiago de Cuba, villagers moved furniture to the safest houses. Some left for evacuation centers and others were preparing shelters in caves in the cliffs nearby.

"We chose this cave to protect us from cyclone Matthew," said Eduardo Gallo, 40. "We have always hidden here, where we will be protected from the storm."

Cuban President Raul Castro warned that Matthew was stronger than Hurricane Sandy, which devastated Santiago de Cuba in 2012.

"We have to prepare as if it has twice the power of Sandy," the Granma newspaper quoted Castro as saying on a visit to Santiago de Cuba.

A few miles east, the United States was airlifting some 700 spouses and children to Florida from its Guantanamo Bay naval base. Prisoners and service personnel would remain.
Southern Philippines rebels free 3 Indonesian hostages

MANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Abu Sayyaf rebels linked to Islamic State freed three more Indonesian captives on Sunday after a three-month ordeal, the Philippine government said, taking the number of hostages released to nine in the past two weeks.

They were handed over in Sulu to Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a Muslim rebel group that has signed a peace deal with the government. It was not clear whether a ransom was paid.

During the past two weeks Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist group that has made vast sums of money from the kidnap business, had freed three Indonesians, two Filipinos and a Norwegian man snatched from a resort last year alongside two Canadians who were later beheaded.

The releases come as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) steps up offensives to flush out the rebels from their island strongholds of Sulu and Basilan.

President Rodrigo Duterte has made destruction of the Abu Sayyaf the top security priority of the military, and has ruled out including it in a nationwide peace process because of its brutality and criminal activities.

"These recent breakthroughs were a convergence of efforts that President Duterte initiated, getting the cooperation of the MNLF, the local governments, the stakeholders and the AFP through their ongoing military operations in the area," Jesus Dureza, Duterte's peace negotiator, said in a statement.

Though originally formed with secessionist goals, Abu Sayyaf, which means "bearer of the sword", is seen by security experts more as a group of bandits than separatists.
Police fire teargas, shots in air at Ethiopia protest

ADDIS ABABA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Police in Ethiopia fired teargas and shots into the air on Sunday to disperse protesters who chanted anti-government slogans during a festival in a town in the Oromiya region, south of the capital Addis Ababa, witnesses said.

Thousands of people had gathered for the annual Irreecha festival in the town of Bishoftu, which lies in a region where there have been sporadic protests in the past year or more. Witnesses said crowds fled when the police fired, leading to a stampede. Witnesses also said they saw several casualties.

There was no immediate comment from the government.
Pope pays homage to tiny Catholic flock in Muslim Azerbaijan

By Philip Pullella and Nailia Bagirova

BAKU, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said a Mass on Sunday for the miniscule Catholic community in Shi'ite Muslim Azerbaijan, urging the "precious little flock" to keep the faith and paying tribute to those persecuted during the Soviet era.

The oil and gas-rich nation of about 9 million people bordering on Russia, Iran and Turkey, has only about 700 Catholics, according to Vatican figures.

Many of them are foreigners, including staff from embassies and domestic workers and some in the oil and gas industries.

In fact, Sunday's Mass, which was said mostly in English, had more of the feeling of a worship service in a multi-ethnic, well-to-do American suburb than a liturgy on the Caspian sea.

"You are a little flock that is so precious in God's eyes," he told the congregation in the homily of the Mass in the modern church, which opened in 2007 and was built on the site of one demolished under Soviet rule in 1931.

"Courage. Go ahead without fear", Francis said, praising them for being a close-knit and vibrant "community on the periphery".

Francis, who arrived in Baku from neighbouring Georgia and returns to Rome on Sunday night, also paid tribute to Christians who were persecuted by the Communists.

"FAITH IN ADVERSITY"

"Here the faith, after the years of persecution, has accomplished wonders. I wish to recall the many courageous Christians who trusted in the Lord and were faithful in the face of adversity," he said.

He said he was sure "that when you look to the example of those who have gone before you in faith, you will not let your hearts become lukewarm."

The land for the modern church building was donated by the late president Heydar Aliyev at the request of the late Pope John Paul after the pontiff's visit to Baku in 2002.

Relations between the miniscule Catholic community and the Muslims in Azerbaijan are broadly smooth.

Before returning to Rome, Francis was due to meet in the afternoon with Heydar Aliyev son, Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled since his father's death in 2003, and visit a mosque.

Last week Azeris voted in a referendum in favour of extending the presidential term from five to seven years, a step that critics say will hand unprecedented powers to Ilham Aliyev.

Aliyev, 54, can seek re-election indefinitely after a maximum number of terms in office was scrapped via a similar referendum seven years ago.

Rights advocates accuse his government of muzzling and jailing opponents but the government says citizens enjoy full freedom of speech and a lively opposition press.
Global trade in wild African Grey Parrot banned, U.N. meeting rules

By Tanisha Heiberg

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The United Nations has banned global trade in wild African Grey Parrots, prized for their ability to imitate human speech, to help counter a decline in numbers caused by trafficking and the loss of forests.

The highly coveted species was placed on the convention's "Appendix I", which prohibits any cross-border movement in the birds or their body parts for commercial purposes.

The decision, made when members of the U.N.'s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) held a secret ballot for the first time ever, came at a two week-long convention in Johannesburg.

"Inclusion in Appendix I is in the best interests of the conservation of the species as it faces both habitat loss and rampant illegal and unsustainable trade for the international pet trade," said vice president and head of the Wildlife Conservation Society delegation Susan Lieberman.

The African Grey Parrot, usually bred in captivity and sold as a pet, was listed on "Appendix II" in 1981, which includes species whose trade must be limited, after concerns over the impact on its numbers.

High levels or deforestation, poor regulation of trade and increased trafficking for the pet industry have led to the decline of the African Grey Parrot, which was once widespread across its natural habitat in central and western Africa.

"During the past 25 years, more than 1.5 million wild African Greys have been taken from their native habitats, making them one of the most traded of all CITES-listed parrots," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director and head of the U.S. delegation, Dan Ashe.

The African Grey Parrot joins the highly endangered pangolin, a scaly animal with the dubious distinction of being the world's most poached mammal, on the Appendix I list after global trade in it was banned last week.
Austrian chancellor gambles on far right's populist tactics

By Francois Murphy

VIENNA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Four months after he took over a coalition government stunned by the far-right Freedom Party's electoral success, Austria's new chancellor has taken a populist turn, adopting positions remarkably close to those of his anti-immigration rivals.

But Christian Kern's new tactics, on Turkey joining the European Union and a trade deal with Canada, have yet to erode the Freedom Party's lead in opinion polls. And trying to beat the anti-immigration party at its own game could backfire.

"He is trying to cast out the FPO demon by using Beelzebub, to put it biblically," said political scientist Anton Pelinka. "He is trying to defeat the FPO by taking over its policies."

Austria has attracted worldwide attention over its botched presidential election, in which a Freedom Party (FPO) candidate narrowly lost the runoff in May only for a re-run to be ordered, and for the re-run to later be delayed until December.

The FPO candidate could yet win and become the EU's first far-right head of state. But while that campaign drags on, Chancellor Kern is preparing for a more important election, for parliament, and reaching for the FPO playbook.

As his centrist government returned to the sort of disputes that shredded its popularity under his predecessor and helped fuel the FPO's rise, Kern unexpectedly suggested in August that the EU should break off accession talks with Turkey.

That proposal has fallen flat with other EU leaders, who would have to approve it, but it was a safe bet at home, where polls regularly show a large majority of voters oppose Turkey joining the EU, as does the Freedom Party.

He followed that up by conducting a survey of his Social Democratic Party's (SPO) members on an EU trade deal with Canada, which was largely rejected by respondents and which he now opposes in its current form. FPO presidential candidate Norbert Hofer has long called for a referendum on any U.S. trade deal and now says the same about the Canadian pact.

"These are two issues where the chancellor can be certain that the majority of public opinion is behind him," said political analyst Peter Filzmaier, adding that foreign policy was safer ground on which to take these stands.

He said foreign policy questions were less risky because Kern could blame other countries for any setbacks while on domestic policy he had to take responsibility as chancellor.

TWO BIRDS

Another target of these forays appears to be Kern's foreign minister, 30-year-old Sebastian Kurz, who is widely expected to take over the People's Party (OVP), the junior coalition partner, before the next parliamentary election.

When that election will come is not clear -- the government's term runs until 2018 but if the SPO and OVP cannot work together, a snap election will be held, and there has been much speculation about when that might happen.

Kurz, the foreign minister, and Kern have at times seemed to be trying to outbid each other in their criticism of the EU's dealings with Turkey. Both are slick public speakers who are much more popular than their own parties.

That popularity could go some way towards explaining recent moves by Kern, including meeting members of the public in a tram and having his picture taken while jogging in New York with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

The aim is to use his popularity "in the hope that he pulls the party up before the party pulls him down", Pelinka said.

Polls show FPO support at more than 30 percent, followed by Kern's SPO in the mid-20s and the OVP on around 20 percent.

While opting for a more personal style, conveyed through social media channels that the Freedom Party has long dominated, seems relatively safe, moving towards the FPO's policies is not without risk.

Kern says he opposes the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada particularly because it could allow companies to sue governments. But the deal has been negotiated and is due to be signed this month.

"If you go into an issue in a populist way, you also have to be prepared to take the last step," political analyst Thomas Hofer said, calling Kern's populist turn a "serious mistake".

"The last step on this issue is not to sign (CETA). How he can solve that in October I don't know," Hofer said

And populism is a game best played when not in government.

"There is a level on which the FPO, as long as it is in opposition, will always be faster and more populist," he added.
Bulgaria's ruling party backs parliament speaker for presidential bid

SOFIA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's ruling GERB party nominated on Sunday parliament speaker Tsetska Tsacheva to run for president as the Balkan country steers deals with a migrant crisis and growing tensions between Russia and the West.

The vote on Nov. 6 for the largely ceremonial post will also indicate the level of support for the centre-right government ahead of general elections in 2018.

Tsacheva, 58, the first female speaker and a former legal adviser and lawyer, is seen as a front-runner for post but is also set to face stiff competition and a run-off is likely, analysts say.

"I have heard enough about fathers of the nation. It is high time to have a mother and take indeed a motherly care for the people," Prime Minister and GERB's leader Boiko Borisov said upon endorsing Tsacheva.

Two years after coming to office, GERB is still the most popular political faction in the EU and NATO member country, praised for stabilising the economy and ensuring steady inflows of EU aid, recent opinion polls showed.

But pollsters also register increased activity among leftist voters, frustrated with slower pace of increasing the living standards in the EU's poorest country and rampant corruption.

The new president, who will take office in January, will have to address a rising anxiety among Bulgarians in the wake of Islamist militant attacks in Europe and a possible increase of refugees fleeing conflicts in the Middle East.

Bulgarians are also concerned with the impact the EU sanctions on Russia and Britain's vote to exit the European Union would have on the small and open economy.

"I am loaded with political energy for stability and security," Tsacheva said.

In a bid to address risks from military and political conflicts near Bulgaria, GERB party endorsed a former navy commander, Plamen Manushev for vice-president.

More than a dozen candidates are running for president and with the winner needing a majority vote, a run-off is expected.

The most likely contenders are Socialist candidate Rumen Radev, a former air force commander, the centre-left's Ivailo Kalfin, a former labour and foreign minister, as well as Tatiana Doncheva, leader of a left-wing faction.

Radev has said he would work to lift the EU sanctions on Russia, increase the funds for the Bulgarian army, help better protect the Balkan country's borders and support reforms in education and healthcare.
Syria presses Aleppo advance, tells rebels to leave

By Lisa Barrington

BEIRUT, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Syrian government and allied forces have advanced towards Aleppo, pursuing their week-old offensive to take the rebel-held part of the city after dozens of overnight air strikes.

The Syrian army told the insurgents to leave their positions, offering safe passage and aid supplies.

Syrian forces supported by Iranian-backed militias and Russian air power began their push to take the whole of the divided city after a ceasefire collapsed last month.

An air campaign by the Syrian government and its allies has been reinforced by a ground offensive against the besieged eastern half of Aleppo, where insurgents have been holding out. Hospitals have been badly hit in the assault, medics say.

While Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone to discuss normalisation of the situation, Britain said the bombing of hospitals by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad made it impossible talk about peace.

"It is the continuing savagery of the Assad regime against the people of Aleppo and the complicity of the Russians in committing what are patently war crimes - bombing hospitals, when they know they are hospitals and nothing but hospitals - that is making it impossible for peace negotiations to resume," British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Syrian military said on Sunday that the army and its allies had advanced south from the Handarat refugee camp north of the city, taking the Kindi hospital and parts of the Shuqaif industrial area.

Zakaria Malahifji, of the Aleppo-based rebel group Fastaqim, told Reuters there were clashes in this area on Sunday.

The Observatory said air strikes and shelling continued on Sunday and there was fierce fighting all along the front line which cuts the city in two.

The Syrian army said that rebel fighters should vacate east Aleppo in return for safe passage and aid supplies.

"The army high command calls on all armed fighters in the eastern neighbourhood of Aleppo to leave these neighbourhoods and let civilian residents live their normal lives," a statement carried by state news agency SANA said.

UNDER SIEGE

East Aleppo came under siege in early July after its main supply route, the Castello Road, fell under government control.

International attempts to establish ceasefires to allow in United Nations humanitarian aid have failed, although other aid groups have brought in limited supplies.

The relentless Russian and Syrian air campaign has badly damaged hospitals and water supplies.

The U.N's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O'Brien, said he was "deeply alarmed by the ferocious pummelling of eastern Aleppo" and reiterated U.N. calls for a pause in fighting, medical evacuations and access for aid.

"The health system is on the verge of total collapse with patients being turned away and no medicines available to treat even the most common ailments."

"With clean water and food in very short supply, the number of people requiring urgent medical evacuations is likely to rise dramatically in the coming days," he said.

The European Union announced an initiative for Aleppo aimed at allowing humanitarian organisations to do their work and civilians to be rescued and protected.

"The EU calls on all parties to urgently provide the necessary authoritisations for aid delivery and for medical evacuations to proceed," a statement said.

On Saturday, the largest trauma and intensive care centre in eastern Aleppo was badly damaged by air strikes and had to close. Two patients were killed.

The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which partly supported the hospital, said the hospital had been hit seven times since July, with three attacks this week alone.

"The situation in Aleppo is beyond dire ... People are stuck under the rubble and we can't get to them because of the intensity of the shelling. We are pleading for help to stop the bombing," said Mohamed Abu Rajab, a SAMS nurse at the hospital.

SAMS said only five hospitals remained operational in east Aleppo.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state media that the participation of Russia's air force in the conflict now in its sixth year had "tightened the noose on terrorist groups and reduced their ability to spread terror to other countries".
Germany's finance minister presses for a "German Islam"

By Caroline Copley

BERLIN, Oct 2 (Reuters) - A veteran ally of Angela Merkel urged Muslims in Germany on Sunday to develop a "German Islam" based on liberalism and tolerance, saying the influx of people seeking refuge, many of them Muslims, is a challenge for mainstream society.

Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, stepping out of his usual finance remit, urged tolerance, saying the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants required a better understanding among Germans of what is important to them and how they want to live.

Almost 1 million migrants from the Middle East and Africa, came to Germany last year, stoking social tensions and boosting support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has said Islam is not compatible with the constitution.

The arrival of large numbers of refugees has strained communities and led to a rise in far-right violence and attacks on migrant shelters, particularly in eastern Germany.

Schaeuble, a stalwart of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), said: "Without a doubt, the growing number of Muslims in our country today is a challenge for the open-mindedness of mainstream society."

In a guest article for conservative paper Welt am Sonntag, he added: "The origin of the majority of refugees means that we will be increasingly dealing with people from quite different cultural circles than previously."

Schaeuble, 74, is seen as possible CDU candidate for Chancellor should Merkel not seek re-election next year.

He acknowledged that sexual attacks by migrants in Cologne and two attacks by migrants claimed by the Islamic State militant group over the summer had soured the mood.

"We should not, in this more tense situation, allow an atmosphere to emerge in which well-integrated people in Germany feel alien," he said.

Despite the rising number of xenophobic attacks in Germany, Schaeuble said he believed the majority of Germans would say: "Yes, we want you to belong to us."

The migrant crisis and the integration of the large number of refugees has raised question marks over Merkel's re-election prospects.

Her Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), have relentlessly blamed her open-door refugee policy for the CDU's poor showing in recent state elections and want to cap the number of migrants coming to Germany at 200,000 a year.
Spain's divided Socialists hold key to government as new election looms

By Angus Berwick

MADRID, Oct 2 (Reuters) - An end to Spain's nine-month political deadlock is in sight after the Socialists' leader resigned but the party will have to patch over deep divisions and strike a deal before the end of October for the country to avoid a third election.

Pedro Sanchez quit on Saturday after a majority of party members voted to oust him at a chaotic assembly meeting in which a rift within Spain's main opposition party over how to resolve the country's impasse spilled over into anger and bitterness.

It marked the most dramatic turn in Spanish politics since a national election last December ended four decades of two-party rule and forced parties to negotiate over a government.

Sanchez had led a stand-off with acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative People's Party (PP), which won the most votes in December and in a repeat election in June but fell short of a majority in parliament.

With all other possible party combinations exhausted or lacking the numbers, Rajoy can only govern with the consent of the Socialist PSOE, which ruled Spain from 2004 to 2011 and holds 85 out of the 350 seats in parliament's lower house.

Frustration within the Socialists' ranks at Sanchez's intransigence prompted half its leadership to step down this week. A former Socialist leader accused Sanchez of lying about his intentions and the Spanish press hounded him to resign to "save the party".

But even without Sanchez, seen as the biggest stumbling block to a new government, the Socialists' interim management has just three weeks to decide whether to allow a conservative minority government under Rajoy or force Spain's third general election in a year.

"The Socialists have no risk-free political option," Vincenzo Scarpetta an analyst at the Open Europe think tank in London said.

Scarpetta cited Greece's long-established centre-left party PASOK as an example of what could happen to Spain's Socialists. In 2012 it joined a conservative-led government only to be subsequently wiped out by the rise to power of the far-left Syriza party.

NO RISK-FREE OPTION

Facing another election could be just as disastrous when the party is in such disarray, say analysts, as it could hasten the Socialists' steady slip in the polls behind the PP which Sanchez presided over. He notched their worst-ever national election result in June.

Podemos, an anti-austerity party which emerged during Spain's deep recession and is now its third largest, has declared its intention to replace the Socialists as the country's main left-wing force. Its members have jumped on Sanchez's resignation as an opportunity to stake this claim.

"In the PSOE those who support handing the government to the PP have won," Podemos's leader Pablo Iglesias wrote on Twitter after Sanchez's resignation. "Facing a corrupt government, we will continue with and for the people."

An abstention could also put the party's temporary leadership, whose members lean into the anti-Sanchez camp and will be in place until a party conference can appoint a new leader, at odds with its grassroots.

Polls this week showed a majority of ordinary members favoured Sanchez remaining as leader and several hundred rallied outside the Socialist headquarters on Saturday night to decry what they called a party coup.

"This is a conspiracy led by the right-wing," said Jose Luis Rodriguez, a 74-year-old retired doctor.

Politicians from the PP and Spain's fourth-largest party, centrist Ciudadanos said on Sunday there could be no more delays in forming a government, although they stopped short of calling for the Socialists to abstain.

Although Spain's economic recovery has weathered the political impasse so far, there are signs that further uncertainty could slow growth, hamper investment, and leave it increasingly adrift from its international partners.

Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera said on Twitter that what was needed now was dialogue and chastised the Socialists for prioritising internal party politics over the country. Ciudadanos have backed both the PP and the Socialists in confidence votes over the past nine months, but in neither case was that enough to reach a majority.
HIGHLIGHTS-British PM May on Brexit, Article 50 and trade

BIRMINGHAM, England, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Britain will trigger the formal divorce process from the European Union by the end of March 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday.

Following are key parts of May's speech to the Conservative Party Conference.

For news on Brexit, click on

For full coverage click on the Brexit page http://emea1.apps.cp.extranet.thomsonreuters.biz/cms/?pageId=brexit&navid=15301

ON BREXIT:

"The referendum result was clear. It was legitimate. It was the biggest vote for change this country has ever known. Brexit means Brexit - and we're going to make a success of it."

"Everything we do as we leave the EU will be consistent with the law and our treaty obligations, and we must give as much certainty as possible to employers and investors. That means there can be no sudden and unilateral withdrawal: we must leave in the way agreed in law by Britain and other member states, and that means invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

"Having voted to leave, I know that the public will soon expect to see, on the horizon, the point at which Britain does formally leave the European Union."

ON ARTICLE 50

"We will invoke Article 50 no later than the end of March next year."

It "is not up to the House of Commons to invoke Article 50, and it is not up to the House of Lords. It is up to the government to trigger Article 50 and the government alone."

"Those people who argue that Article 50 can only be triggered after agreement in both Houses of Parliament are not standing up for democracy, they're trying to subvert it. They're not trying to get Brexit right, they're trying to kill it by delaying it."

ON EU LAW:

"We will soon put before parliament a Great Repeal Bill, which will remove from the statute book - once and for all - the European Communities Act.

"This historic bill - which will be included in the next Queen's Speech - will mean that the 1972 Act, the legislation that gives direct effect to all EU law in Britain, will no longer apply from the date upon which we formally leave the European Union. And its effect will be clear. Our laws will be made not in Brussels but in Westminster. The judges interpreting those laws will sit not in Luxembourg but in courts in this country. The authority of EU law in Britain will end."

"As we repeal the European Communities Act, we will convert the 'acquis' - that is, the body of existing EU law - into British law. When the Great Repeal Bill is given Royal Assent, parliament will be free - subject to international agreements and treaties with other countries and the EU on matters such as trade - to amend, repeal and improve any law it chooses. But by converting the acquis into British law, we will give businesses and workers maximum certainty as we leave the European Union.

"The same rules and laws will apply to them after Brexit as they did before. Any changes in the law will have to be subject to full scrutiny and proper Parliamentary debate. And let me be absolutely clear: existing workers' legal rights will continue to be guaranteed in law - and they will be guaranteed as long as I am prime minister." ON HARD AND SOFT BREXIT:

"There is no such thing as a choice between 'soft Brexit' and 'hard Brexit'. This line of argument - in which 'soft Brexit' amounts to some form of continued EU membership and 'hard Brexit' is a conscious decision to reject trade with Europe - is simply a false dichotomy. And it is one that is too often propagated by people who, I am afraid to say, have still not accepted the result of the referendum." ON BRITISH RELATIONS WITH EU:

"It is not, therefore, a negotiation to establish a relationship anything like the one we have had for the last forty years or more. So it is not going to a 'Norway model'. It's not going to be a 'Switzerland model'. It is going to be an agreement between an independent, sovereign United Kingdom and the European Union."

ON IMMIGRATION AND EU MARKETS:

"I know some people ask about the 'trade-off' between controlling immigration and trading with Europe. But that is the wrong way of looking at things. We have voted to leave the European Union and become a fully-independent, sovereign country. We will do what independent, sovereign countries do. We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws."

"I want that deal to reflect the kind of mature, cooperative relationship that close friends and allies enjoy. I want it to include cooperation on law enforcement and counter-terrorism work. I want it to involve free trade, in goods and services. I want it to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market - and let European businesses do the same here. But let me be clear. We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again. And we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice." ON GLOBAL TRADE:

"It was a vote for Britain to stand tall, to believe in ourselves, to forge an ambitious and optimistic new role in the world.
Libyan forces lose six fighters in renewed ground attack in Sirte - field hospital

SIRTE, Libya Oct 2 (Reuters) - Libyan forces resumed a ground attack on Sunday against Islamic State militants encircled in their former stronghold of Sirte, losing at least six of their fighters, according to a field hospital casualty list.

The list named six killed fighters, three of them from the city of Misrata.

The forces also said that the bodies of at least 10 slain Islamic State militants had been counted. The report could not be verified.

Forces dominated by fighters from Misrata and aligned with Libya's U.N.-backed government have been battling to capture Sirte for more than four months.

Supported since Aug. 1 by U.S. air strikes, they have taken control of most of the city and have been besieging militants trapped in a thin residential strip near Sirte's seafront for several weeks.

Their advance has been slowed by Islamic State snipers, improvised explosive devices and suicide bombings in close quarter street battles. Occasional ground attacks are interspersed by rest periods that allow fighters to regroup and hospitals to clear casualties.

The Misrata-led forces said in a statement posted on social media that they had conducted air sorties in preparation for a ground offensive on Sunday in Sirte's neighbourhood Number Three.
Opinion poll shows Hungary's migrant referendum invalid

BUDAPEST, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Some 95 percent of Hungarians who voted in Sunday's referendum rejected the European Union's migrant quotas but turnout was below the 50 percent threshold for the vote to be valid, according to an opinion poll conducted by think-tank Nezopont.

The poll, based on a representative survey of 1,000 Hungarians on Sunday, indicated that around 3.2 million voters rejected the quotas, while 168,000 voters voted "yes".

Ruling party lawmaker Gergely Gulyas said that voter turnout will be around 45 percent based on exit poll data, and that around 95 percent will have rejected the quotas.
Dozens killed in stampede in Ethiopia after police fire warning shots at protest

By Aaron Maasho

ADDIS ABABA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - More than 50 people were killed in a stampede in Ethiopia's Oromiya region that was triggered when police used teargas and shot in the air on Sunday to disperse anti-government protesters at a religious festival.

The state broadcaster put the death toll at 52, citing regional officials. The opposition also said at least 50 people were killed at the annual festival where some people had chanted slogans against the government and waved a rebel group's flag.

Sporadic protests have erupted in Oromiya in the last two years, initially sparked by a land row but increasingly turning more broadly against the government. Since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killed in clashes with police.

The developments highlight tensions in the country where the government has delivered stellar economic growth rates but faced criticism from opponents and rights groups that it has reduced political freedoms.

Thousands of people had gathered for the annual Irreecha festival of thanksgiving in the town of Bishoftu, about 40 km (25 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa.

Crowds chanted "We need freedom" and "We need justice", preventing community elders, deemed close to the government, from delivering their speeches.

Some protesters waved the red, green and yellow flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a rebel group branded a terrorist organisation by the government, witnesses said.

When police fired teargas and guns into the air, crowds fled and created a stampede, some of them plunging into a deep ditch.

The witnesses said they saw people dragging out a dozen or more victims, showing no obvious sign of life. Half a dozen people, also motionless, were seen being taken by pick-up truck to a hospital, one witness said.

"As a result of the chaos, lives were lost and several of the injured were taken to hospital," the government communications office said in a statement, without giving figures. "Those responsible will face justice."

Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, told Reuters at least 50 people had died, based on details provided by families of the victims.

He said the government tried to use the event to show Oromiya was calm. "But residents still protested," he said.

The government blames rebel groups and dissidents abroad for stirring up the protests and provoking violence. It dismisses charges that it clamps down on free speech or on its opponents.

Protesters had chanted slogans against the Oromo People's Democratic Organisation, one of the four regional parties that make up the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has ruled the country for quarter of a century.

In a 2015 parliamentary election, opposition parties failed to win a single seat - down from just one in the previous parliament. Opponents accused the government of rigging the vote, a charge government officials dismissed.

Protests in Oromiya province initially flared in 2014 over a development plan for the capital that would have expanded its boundaries, a move seen as threatening farmland.
MADISON  U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said that Russia likely is meddling in the U.S. electoral process with the aim of calling into question the results of the upcoming presidential election.

I think their goal here is to delegitimize the election, which is not a good thing, Johnson, R-Oshkosh, told reporters after an event Friday at the Wisconsin state Capitol.

Im not concerned that theyre going to be able to tip the scales of the election. But Im concerned with what theyre trying to do in terms of a disinformation campaign, as theyve done in eastern Europe, Johnson added.

As chairman of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, Johnson is one of the leading federal lawmakers on national security issues.

Johnsons remarks mirror similar concerns raised by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton weeks ago.

The Washington Post has reported U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are investigating a broad covert Russian operation in the United States to sow public distrust in the upcoming presidential election and in U.S. political institutions.

U.S. intelligence officials reportedly believe Russia was responsible for hacking into internal Democratic National Committee emails. Russian intelligence agents also may be involved in efforts to hack into voter registration records and other election data in multiple U.S. states, according to a new Time Magazine report.

The presidential candidate Johnson supports, Republican nominee Donald Trump, has taken a different tack on Russia.

Trump repeatedly has deflected blame from Russia for hacking into the DNC emails, despite U.S. intelligence officials reportedly telling Trump they have high confidence Russia is responsible.

He also has praised Russian president Vladimir Putin and called on Russia to hack into Clintons emails.

Johnson, asked repeatedly Friday about Trumps comments on Russia and Putin, declined to say whether hes bothered by them. Johnson instead blamed Obama for Russias actions.

The reason Russias doing these types of things  the reason Chinas showing aggression, the reason that ISIS hasnt been defeated  is because President Obama isnt providing the leadership, Johnson said.

The first-term Johnson is seeking re-election in November. Hes challenged by Democrat Russ Feingold and Libertarian Phil Anderson.
Dutch photographer Oerlemans killed in Libya -employer

AMSTERDAM, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Dutch photojournalist Jeroen Oerlemans has been shot dead by a sniper in Sirte, Libya, according to a report on Sunday on the website of the Belgian newspaper he had been working for.

Knack said it had been informed of Oerlemans' killing by the journalist with whom he was on assignment. The paper did not say when Oerlemans had been killed, but said he had been wearing a bullet proof vest.

Oerlemans had been reporting on fighting between government and Islamic State troops.
Pope says respect gays and transsexuals, questions gender theory

By Philip Pullella

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that homosexuals and transsexuals should be treated with respect but that teaching gender theory is unacceptable "indoctrination" of young people.

"When a person (who is gay) arrives before Jesus, Jesus certainly will not say, 'Go away because you are homosexual,'" Francis said.

The pope made his comments in the latest wide-ranging and freewheeling conversation with reporters aboard the plane returning from a foreign trip.

The pope, who made headlines on his first trip in 2013 when he uttered his now-famous phrase "Who am I to judge?" about homosexuals, spoke in answer to a question about a comment he made in Georgia about various threats to marriage.

He said that as a priest, bishop and even now pope, he had ministered to people with homosexual tendencies as well as some who were not able to remain chaste, as the Church asks them to be.

"I accompanied them, I brought them closer to the Lord," he said. "Some were not able (to obey Church teachings), but I accompanied them and I never abandoned one of them. That is a fact. People must be accompanied just like Jesus accompanies them."

During his trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan, he told priests and nuns that teaching gender theory in schools was part of a "global war" against marriage.

Gender theory is broadly the concept that while people may be biologically male or female, they have the right to identify themselves as male, female, both or neither.

"What I was talking about was the nastiness that is present today in indoctrinating people in gender theory," he said when asked to elaborate on his earlier comments in Georgia.

"IDEOLOGICAL COLONISATION"

He said gender theory being taught in schools "is against natural things."

"It is one thing for a person to have this tendency, this option, and even change sex," he said. "But it is another thing to teach it, gender theory, in schools along these lines in order to change mentality. I call this ideological colonisation."

The pope has used the phrase "ideological colonisation" in the past to denounce what he says are attempts by rich countries to link development aid to the acceptance of social policies such as allowing gay marriage and contraception.

Francis told the story of a Spanish person he met who told him of how much he had suffered because he felt like a boy in a girl's body. The person later had a sex change operation and married a woman.

The person told Francis in a letter how much the couple suffered when a local priest shouted to them: "You will go to hell." Francis invited them to the Vatican to talk, and the couple were pleased that they were treated with dignity.

"Life is life, and things should be taken as they come," the pope said. "Sin is sin, but tendencies or hormonal imbalances ... can cause many problems and we have to be careful.

"But each case must be welcomed, accompanied, studied, discerned and integrated. This is what Jesus would do today."
Arab coalition says targets Houthi forces after ship attack

DUBAI, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Arab coalition forces have launched operations against militia boats of Yemen's Houthi group that struck a civilian logistics ship on a humanitarian voyage in a strategic Red Sea shipping lane, the Saudi-led alliance said.

The vessel, an Australian-built high-speed logistics catamaran under lease to the United Arab Emirates military, was attacked by Houthi fighters near the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen's southern coast on Saturday. The coalition rescued its civilian passengers. No crew were hurt.

In a statement late on Saturday, the coalition said the vessel belonged to the UAE Marine Dredging Company "on its usual route to and from Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians to complete their treatment outside Yemen."

"Coalition air and naval forces were targeting Houthi militia boats involved in the attack," it said.

The coalition said the incident showed that Houthi tactics involved what it called "terrorist attacks" against civilian international navigation in the waterway.

The Houthis said on Saturday, however, that their forces had destroyed a UAE military vessel that was advancing towards the Red Sea port of Al-Mokha.

"Armed forces destroyed with a missile a military vessel belonging to the forces of the UAE," a military official was quoted as saying by the Saba Yemeni news agency, run by the dominant Houthi movement since it seized the capital, Sanaa, last year.

The U.S. State Department condemned the attack, called on the Houthi group to stop attacks against vessels and said the United States "remains committed to upholding freedom of navigation" through the strait.

"These provocative actions risk exacerbating the current conflict and narrow the prospects for a peaceful settlement," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, calling on all parties to return to U.N. negotiations aimed at de-escalating tensions in the conflict.

Hundreds of Emirati soldiers in an Arab alliance have been fighting Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis, and training Yemeni troops in Aden to help rebuild a state loyal to exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

In 2013, more than 3.4 million barrels of oil a day passed through the 20-km (12-mile) wide Bab al-Mandab strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
A friend, curious about my piece, teasingly asked me whether my options for topics this week extended beyond J Jayalalithaa or the Indian Army. I confess that I was planning to write on one of them and suddenly felt a bit predictable.

He asked me why I don't write about news of a different kind. "Write," he said, "about old age or childhood. These too are states of war no one talks about. They do not make news except as anecdotes. But if Hobbesian world of brutality exists, it is there".

Report

I was surprised and realised that he was right. Fortunately, a week ago, I had been to a conference on children interned for crime. A sensitive NGO Butterflies produced a fascinating and depressing report on them.

The Butterflies report tried to go beyond a standard social work report that always terms childhood a dismal science.

Very deftly, it tried to show the class character of justice. The report reveals that crime runs across society intersecting both poverty and affluence. It is only the lower classes who land in jail; the rich are able to buy their way out of the justice system.

The poor are criminal because they are criminalised by poverty and by a society that is consistently unfair and brutal to them. Poverty does not cause criminality. It is just that the poor are more easily labelled and treated as criminal.

This blows a huge hole into the social science theory which cannot make poverty the root cause of crime, when crime grows happily in the compost heap of affluence.

Once a child is treated as a commodity, we are hard towards it. (Photo credit: Reuters)

There is a kind of innocence about the power that goes further. Many children are in these homes because they could not stand the torture. They preferred to confess and be punished, rather than be tortured.

Suddenly the report changes in texture. We are facing children who desperately need rights and the entitlements of citizenship.

A child is a survivor of the great migrations, the movement of industrialisation and displacement.

Worse, the crimes listed, apart from cases of violence and sex, are petty and many are sentenced before justice is available.

The courage of the Butterfly report is that it breaks stereotypes about poverty, childhood and criminality.

The logic of deviancy is no longer following the spilt between pathology and normalcy. Secondly, time is critical in the understanding of criminality. People do not realise that not all offenders become hardened criminals.

Reading the trajectory backwards makes crime look inevitable and the criminal doomed. Most children adjust, reform and return to the maturity of adulthood. There is nothing fatalistic or doomed about the crime.

The report argues that political economy is important but so is moral luck. A tender hand or a helping adult can go a long way in redeeming a child. Kindness and political economy are both needed to understand children who are still criminal.

To understand this complex residue, one has focus on the fact the families faced with poverty, starvation, unemployment are often too vulnerable to give that extra care that can save a child.

The child sensing the weakness of the family moves to the cocoon of the peer group. Peer groups are protective but also demanding.

They can be violent in terms of their initiation rights but provide a sense of home, of comradeship, membership and belonging. Social scientists in India in their obsession with the stereotyped family need to spend more time understanding peer groups and gangs.

Stereotype

Unfortunately, we see childhood not in itself as a cocoon, a universe of its own requiring its own myths and science but we securitarise and commoditise childhood, treating it as potential manpower, we equate it to a resource.

Once a child is treated as a commodity, we are hard towards it. Treating a child as a citizen with entitlements that began long before adulthood will be a new part of democratic theory.

Social scientists emphasise on the need for an understanding voice. But their notion of voice is limited. They think an occasional quote provides a child participation and representation in defining and determining his universe.

The child's story, his scream of pain, his sense of loss, his anecdotes about surviving in the city are rarely a part of ethnography. A child, no matter how small, has to be listened to seriously as a theorist of his own being.

Injustice for these children is a prolonged rite of passage. They suffer in the wilderness of a city, in remedial homes which create a sense of punitive justice and in schools where they are seen as backward. Turning to punitive institutions hardly redeems them.

Possibility

The report offers the possibility of a new model based on a more open-ended understanding of the need to decriminalise childhood. It suggests a triangular model of cure, therapy and reform.

It is not sentimental. It realises some children gorge on criminality and yet one needs empathy to understand background.

The dangers to such an understanding comes from the fact NGOs in civil society and the state see childhood in different ways. The state sees a recalcitrant citizen and a failed resource and wants to be punitive. Civil society sees a failed childhood and attempts therapy.

The state needs to be more open to civil society imaginations and not also ignore them as deviant. This report also raises a bigger question of the fate of the body in relation to the body politics.

A child's violated body, subject to brutality, incest, starvation, threat, rape faces a vulnerability whose collective state we must understand.

A state, therefore, cannot be punitive subjecting the child to official brutality and punishment. This doubles the violence.

What the report demands is a different kind of storytelling which sees new initiatives that looks for a different social science and a different way to construct a society.

This is news in the days of old behaviourist social science which is blind to childhood as being. Democracy demands that we take childhood more seriously and caringly.
The surgical strikes along the Line of Control to destroy the launchpads of terrorist camps were a carefully crafted response by the Indian military. A message has been sent across the border that India will not tolerate attacks on its soil and sovereignty.

Given the history and character of the Pakistani State, their reaction is predictable and we should prepare ourselves for any kind of retort. Already there are disturbances in the Valley; hence extra caution is required in dealing with the situation on this side of the border as well.

Pakistan's security policy centres around rivalry with India. If we have a consistent Pakistan policy, we can make it behave. We have to protect the unity, integrity, sovereignty and the people of our country. For that, India has to move beyond symbolism such as scrapping of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan and concentrate on real economic and diplomatic issues.

Pakistan is not dependent on trade with India for survival. India-Pakistan bilateral trade came up to a paltry #2.6 billion in 2015-16, tilted largely in India's favour. What impact do we intend to cause by scrapping the unilateral preferential status we have given to Pakistan?

The diplomatic option has not been optimally utilised as of now. By now, we should have intensified our efforts to impose sanctions on Pakistan as a patron of terrorism as well as on Pakistan-based terrorist organisations.

The UNGA was a golden opportunity to diplomatically isolate Pakistan as a terror-sponsorer but we missed that opportunity. We were not there only to react to the utterances of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif but to launch an offensive counter-strategy to isolate Pakistan at the international level and to persuade the international community to declare it a state sponsoring terrorism and to impose economic sanctions on it.

Time could not have been more ripe for this. This is where we lacked. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj exhibited hesitancy in openly naming Pakistan as a hub of terror export and providing shelter to terrorists.

Why did her speech hover around indirect reference to Pakistan and leave room for inferences?

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj exhibited hesitancy in openly naming Pakistan as a hub of terror at the UN. (Photo credit: Reuters)

Because of the absence of a roadmap in our foreign policy vis-a-vis Pakistan, we have not achieved what we project: complete isolation of Pakistan at the international level.

Pakistan being a rogue state promoting terror cannot be a party to the international community which stands for peace, harmony and development.

There is a growing realisation in the US that it is pursuing a failed policy in Pakistan, which India must take advantage of. The Indian establishment in New Delhi and New York must forcefully persuade the US that sanctions and not aid will help achieve the objective of fighting terror in Pakistan.

The American authorities should be made to realise that the US-Pakistan friendship is a hindrance rather than facilitating engagement in the fight against global terrorism.

Russia has been our traditional ally. It is because of the faulty foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government that the relationship between close friends has become cold.

After the Russian and Chinese navy conducted drills in the South China Sea, where the former had taken China's side, Russia's joint drill with Pakistan should be a matter of concern for Indian political leadership.

India's opening to the US and Europe marginalising Russia, and the arms embargo of EU on China have paved the way for a strategic partnership between Russia and China. Pakistan's inclusion in that equation is a serious threat to peace in the subcontinent.

It is imperative that India and Russia work closely on strengthening economic ties between the two countries. China has also vast economic interests in India, and we should work on China and leverage Chinese access to our markets to put pressure on Pakistan so that it doesn't use its soil for anti-India activities.

India should also approach Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries for their support in fighting terror. This can be a key element in our diplomatic offensive. The PM has visited all these countries and now the time has come to reap the political dividend of the visits.

Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh have expressed solidarity with India by boycotting the SAARC summit in Islamabad. We should retain this solidarity and continue to strengthen initiatives like BBIN and BIMSTEC, which will further marginalise Pakistan in South Asia.

We cannot deny the geographical advantage Pakistan enjoys but we can certainly neutralise the political advantages drawn by it because of its geographical positioning.

Besides, the government of India should utilise international forums to expose Pakistan as a state sponsoring terror and violating human rights. A decision should also be taken to formulate an asylum policy for Pakistani dissidents and it should be taken without further delay.

A relentless diplomatic campaign is needed to build global sentiment against Pakistan. The government can utilise the experience of former diplomats to augment its efforts on this high-energy campaign.
David Staudacher, who serves on the Lake Holcombe Town Board, recalled when the town could keep ahead with needed road repairs.

Back in 2000, the town would replace three miles of road a year, so all the roads would be replaced within 15 to 20 years.

Those days are done, in part because of lower state aids and a cap on municipal tax levies, while paying for increases in labor and materials.

Now were down to one mile per year. And were not going to catch up. Were doing much more maintenance now, Staudacher told the Turnout for Transportation meeting in Chippewa Falls on Thursday.

Ronnie Arts, chairman of the town of Birch Creek, said the state is treating transportation as though it is a discretionary spending item.

You have to go out and get the money to fix roads, she said. You cant let them go. Its a mandatory thing.

Arts and Staudacher are members of a local chapter of the Transportation Development Association, which sponsored the unprecedented event Thursday.

It brought together members of county, city, village and town boards to kick around ideas on how to pay for necessary road repairs and replacements. Sessions were held in 71 of Wisconsins 72 counties on Thursday.

One idea won a consensus among those at the Chippewa Falls meeting about how to pay for better maintained roads: Raise the states gasoline tax. Currently it is 32.9 cents a gallon, compared to 28.6 cents in Minnesota. The average in the U.S. is 48.1 cents.

Nobody is afraid of (raising) it. I guess I would not close the door on it ... Its the most user-based fee out there, said Glen Sikorski, chairman of the Chippewa Countys Highway Committee.

An increased state gas tax would provide more money, but not from the owners of alternative fuel vehicles, such as electric cars or trucks.

State Rep. Kathy Bernier, R-Lake Hallie, attended the session in Chippewa Falls, and said the states problems with funding transportation began before the recession of 2008.

So the state has fallen behind and local governments have fallen behind, she said.

Bernier said Wisconsin has a lower vehicle registration fee than any of its neighboring states, and could consider that.

I think we need to look at a sales tax for local government option, she said, adding it could be set to last for a limited time.

It could replace the wheel tax, which Bernier said causes a lot of friction among members of various county boards.

Berniers opponent in the 68th Assembly District race in the Nov. 8 election, Eau Claire Democrat Howard White, did not attend Thursdays session in Chippewa Falls.

The two candidates in the 67th District race, Democrat Dennis Hunt of Chippewa Falls and Rob Summerfield of Bloomer, did attend the sessions and listened to the suggestions.

They heard from Rob Krejci, the assistant city engineer in Chippewa Falls, when he said having good roads is valuable in attracting new businesses to the area.

As road projects postpone projects, it gets harder to attract those companies to Chippewa County, he said.

Its more than just a road, Krejci said. Its an economic driver.
Harold P. ODonnell, 84, of Chippewa Falls, died peacefully at his home Tuesday, Sep. 27, 2016, supported by loved ones.

Harold was born to Peter and Anne (Lasnoski) ODonnell Sept. 16, 1932, in Escanaba, Mich.

On July 5, 1952, he married his high school sweetheart and raised a family filled with love, humor and happiness.

When he moved to Chippewa Falls in 1994, he was lucky to meet his second loving partner, Jane. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing and growing flowers.

After serving in the Army Honor Guard, he earned his BA from UW-Stout, and his MA from Adam State University in teaching. Harold took great pride in reaching out to students with guidance and education. He helped direct them with a caring heart and a firm hand. He earned the respect of many with his strong and fair teaching style.

Harold was always a genuine individual without bigotry, racism or malice. Excellent qualities for a man, and essential for an excellent educator. He will be missed by many. Harold appreciated the community and friendship he found as a member of Central Lutheran Church.

Harold is survived by his children, Michael (Jody) ODonnell of Pocatello, Idaho, Beth ODonnell, Rosanne ODonnell, of Chippewa Falls, and Tim (Nicole) ODonnell of Eau Claire; grandchildren, Timothy Ryan and Riley ODonnell; and their mother, Maureen ODonnell; his loving partner of 22 years, Jane Lardahl; along with his nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

Harold was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Marlene; and sister, Mary Ann Meyer.

A funeral service will be held at noon Tuesday, Oct. 4, at Central Lutheran Church, 28 E. Columbia St., Chippewa Falls, with a visitation one hour prior to the service at church. Pastor Aaron Sturgis will be officiating. Interment will be at Forest Hill Cemetery with military honors conducted by the Chippewa Falls Patriotic Council.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Feed My People, 2610 Alpine Rd, Eau Claire, WI 54703; or to the Special Olympics Organization, 2023 Fairfax St, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

Harolds family wishes to thank the physicians, nurses, and staff of Mayo Health System. Also a special thank you to Dr. Kincaid, Dr. Shuja, Dr. Maierhofer and Dr. Deming.

Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services, Chippewa Falls is serving the family.

Visit pedersonvolker.com to express online condolences.
The original Cray-2 supercomputer is coming back to Chippewa Falls.

The Cray-2 with the serial number 1 has been on display throughout the summer at the Spurlock Museum, on the University of Illinois campus at Champaign-Urbana. It is expected to be returned to the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry & Technology Oct. 10.

The Cray-2 is special for many reasons. When it came out in 1985, Seymour Crays creation was the fastest supercomputer in the world and had the industry buzzing due to its revolutionary design. It featured liquid cooling and was much smaller than previous supercomputers, measuring 53 inches in diameter according to Jim Mandelert.

The Cray-2 was developed for the United States Departments of Defense and Energy, and was used for nuclear weapons research or oceanographic (sonar) development, and by universities and corporations such as Ford and General Motors. This particular Cray-2 (serial No. 1) was used at the National Magnetic Fusion Energy Computer Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

Mandelert, who was the 20th employee hired at Cray Research and worked on both the Cray-1 and Cray-2, is on the board of directors of the Chippewa Falls museum. He traveled to Illinois to see the exhibit.

We went down to get the tour and see their latest machine, Blue Waters, one of the largest machines in the world, he said. Blue Waters was built by Cray, Inc., and is the fastest supercomputer on a university campus. ...

UW-Eau Claire grad top teacher

The state Department of Public Instruction announced this week that UW-Eau Claire graduate Chris Gleason, a band director and instrumental music teacher in the Sun Prairie School District, will represent Wisconsin in the National Teacher of the Year program.

Three others were chosen as Teachers of the Year to represent the state for the 2016-17 school year. You may recall Rod Stetzers profile earlier this month of Barbara VanDoorn of Tony, a 4K-12 school counselor in the Lake Holcombe School District who was Special Services Teacher of the Year. ...

Charming place

Speaking of recognition, Chippewa Falls received a nice tribute this week when the Chicago Tribune splashed the city across its travel page. The feature, titled Chippewa Falls pours on the charm, chronicled many aspects of what makes the city a destination spot for many and an ideal spot to live.

Of course plenty of attention was paid to the two things that Chippewa Falls is most known for  beer and supercomputers. The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company is likely the areas biggest tourism draw, with people from far and wide searching out the Leinie Lodge. And Seymour Cray (see the first item) really put the city on the map and burnished its reputation as a center of technology.

The story also devotes space to the ongoing Riverfront Park project, and namedrops the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites, Mahli Thai Asian Cuisine and Duncan Creek Wine Bar, Bresinas Old Home Restaurant and Bresinas Carry Out, Olsons Ice Cream, Brown Barn, Spring Street Sports, Loopys Grill & Saloon and the Sheely House. ...

In memory

Myshell Reiths life was way too short and she spent part of it fighting neurofibromatosis, or as it is often referred to, NF. Myshell was just starting her senior year at Chippewa Falls High School when she died Sept. 9. She was only 17.

NF did not stop her from embracing life, often with a smile. She competed in cross country and track, and made an impact on her fellow students that was evident this past week.

Some seniors started a penny war to raise money for the NF research foundation in Myshells memory. They have a goal of $500, and the public can also contribute by dropping off donations at the high school office.

Its a really special tribute to a really special girl, said Chi-Hi Principal Becky Davis. ...

One more

Last Sunday, Katy Macek profiled two Chippewa Falls natives who have climbed the ranks rapidly in the world of television news. Molly Baker Cuculich is an executive producer for KHOU-TV in Houston, and Kristin Keva Andersen is a digital video producer for NBC News in Los Angeles.

It turns out theres at least one more, and she is on the other side of the cameras. Molly Rachel Pierce is a co-anchor at WBBH-TV, an NBC affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla.

We know her as Rachel Licht, daughter of Jenny and Dave, who went to Chippewa Falls High School and, like Baker Cuculich and Andersen got her start in Eau Claire. The graduate of Oklahoma City University has also worked in Omaha, Neb., and Des Moines, Iowa, before realizing her dream of working and living in Florida two years ago.

Every day here seems like a vacation, she says.
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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Rogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 11.3 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited.

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Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management. The Consumer Banking and Lending segment offers diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses. Its financial products and services include checking and savings accounts, and credit and debit cards, as well as home, auto, personal, and small business lending services. The Commercial Banking segment provides financial solutions to private, family owned, and certain public companies. Its products and services include banking and credit products across various industry sectors and municipalities, secured lending and lease products, and treasury management services. The Corporate and Investment Banking segment offers a suite of capital markets, banking, and financial products and services to corporate, commercial real estate, government, and institutional clients. Its products and services comprise corporate banking, investment banking, treasury management, commercial real estate lending and servicing, equity, and fixed income solutions, as well as sales, trading, and research capabilities services. The Wealth and Investment Management segment provides personalized wealth management, brokerage, financial planning, lending, private banking, and trust and fiduciary products and services to affluent, high-net worth, and ultra-high-net worth clients. It also operates through financial advisors. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is the 5th largest bank in the world and the largest in the U.S. The current company is the result of a series of mergers that began in the earliest days of American banking history and include more than 1,200 original banks. The oldest predecessor is The Bank Of The Manhattan Company which was founded in 1799 by Aaron Burr. At the time, The Bank Of The Manhattan Company was the 3rd oldest bank in the U.S. and the 31st oldest in the world. The Chase Manhattan Bank, a precursor to JPMorgan Chase, was later formed when The Bank Of Manhattan Company purchased Chase Bank which was established in 1877.

JPMorgan & Co came to life in 1895 in order to finance the United States Steel Corporation. Itself a result of merger, the company also financed other early American businesses as well as aided the federal government by backing a bond offering. It wasnt until the year 2000 and after several more mergers that JPMorgan Chase & Co was born. It will be four more years before the merger with Bank One which is notable because it brings CEO Jamie Dimon into the picture.

JPMorgan Chase & Co was instrumental in aiding the US government during the 2008 financial crisis. It backed the accounts of several major banks including Bear Stearns and eventually took over their operations. Today, JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide with operations on every continent and in more than 60 countries.

JPMorgan Chase & Co operates through four segments that are Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). Services are available in branches in 48 of the 50 US states and around the world. Services are available via ATM, online, mobile, and telephone.

The CCB segment offers traditional banking services to consumers that include but are not limited to deposits, loans, mortgages, and lines of credit. The CIB segment provides investment banking products and services to businesses, institutions, and governments that range from prime brokerage, insurance, corporate strategy, and access to capital markets, to lending, cross-border financing, and derivative instruments. The CB segment provides financial services for small, medium, and large businesses including commercial real estate banking of all types.

The AWM segment provides investment management solutions to institutional and retail investors. This segment also provides retirement products, brokerage, trusts and estates, and investment management products.
Releases from NASA, NASA's Galex, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, HubbleSite, Spitzer, Cassini, ESO, ESA, NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, Royal Astronomical Society, NRAO, Astronomy Picture of the Day, Harvard-Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Gemini Observatory, Subaru Telescope, W. M. Keck Observatory, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, JPL-Caltech, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, ICRAR, etc
Telefonica Brasil S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides mobile and fixed telecommunications services to residential and corporate customers in Brazil. Its fixed line services portfolio includes local, domestic long-distance, and international long-distance calls; and mobile portfolio comprises voice and broadband internet access through 3G, 4G, 4.5G, and 5G as well as mobile value-added services and wireless roaming services. The company also offers data services, including broadband and mobile data services. In addition, it provides pay TV services through direct to home satellite technology, IPTV, and cable, as well as pay-per-view and video on demand services; network services, such as rental of facilities; other services comprising internet access, private network connectivity, computer equipment leasing, extended service, caller identification, voice mail, cellular blocker, and others; wholesale services, including interconnection services to users of other network providers; and digital services, such as entertainment, cloud, and security and financial services. Further, the company offers multimedia communication services, which include audio, data, voice and other sounds, images, texts, and other information, as well as sells devices, such as smartphones, broadband USB modems, and other devices. Additionally, it provides telecommunications solutions and IT support to various industries, such as retail, manufacturing, services, financial institutions, government, etc. It markets and sells its solutions through own stores, dealers, retail and distribution channels, door-to-door sales, and outbound tele sales. The company was formerly known as Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A. - TELESP and changed its name to Telefonica Brasil S.A. in October 2011. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
ResMed Inc. develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets medical devices and cloud-based software applications for the healthcare markets. The company operates in two segments, Sleep and Respiratory Care, and Software as a Service. It offers various products and solutions for a range of respiratory disorders, including technologies to be applied in medical and consumer products, ventilation devices, diagnostic products, mask systems for use in the hospital and home, headgear and other accessories, dental devices, and cloud-based software informatics solutions to manage patient outcomes, as well as provides customer and business processes. The company also provides AirView, a cloud-based system that enables remote monitoring and changing of patients' device settings; myAir, a personalized therapy management application for patients with sleep apnea that provides support, education, and troubleshooting tools for increased patient engagement and improved compliance; U-Sleep, a compliance monitoring solution that enables home medical equipment (HME)to streamline their sleep programs; connectivity module and propeller solutions; and Propeller portal. It offers out-of-hospital software solution, such as Brightree business management software and service solutions to providers of HME, pharmacy, home infusion, orthotics, and prosthetics services; MatrixCare care management and related ancillary solutions to senior living, skilled nursing, life plan communities, home health, home care, and hospice organizations, as well as related accountable care organizations; and HEALTHCAREfirst that offers electronic health record, software, billing and coding services, and analytics for home health and hospice agencies. The company markets its products primarily to sleep clinics, home healthcare dealers, and hospitals through a network of distributors and direct sales force in approximately 140 countries. ResMed Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 13125882 Canada Inc., 211 E. Russell Road LLC, 4458664 Canada Inc., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES ASIA PTE. LTD., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES BORROWER S.C.A., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES LLC, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES MIDDLE EAST FZE, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES SERVICES LIMITED, ASTRUM IT GmbH, Accudyne Industries Acquisition S.A r.l, Accudyne Industries Canada Inc., Accudyne Industries S.A r.l., Air Dimensions, Air Dimensions Inc., Albin Pump SAS, BOC Edwards Global Low pressure Air business, CISA S.p.A., Cameron-Centrifugal Compression, Comercial Ingersoll-Rand (Chile) Limitada, Comingersoll-Comercio E Industria De Equipamentos S.A., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Dosatron International SAS, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Proprietary Limited, FlexEnergy Holdings LLC, Frigoblock Grosskopf Gmbh, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First (UK) Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings II Inc., GD Global Holdings Inc., GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., GPS Industries, Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp (Canada), Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Limited, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica SL, Gardner Denver Inc., Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver International Inc., Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Investments Inc., Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan Ltd., Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte. Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia s.r.o., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH (f/k/a ILMVAC GmbH), Gardner Denver Thomas Inc., Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Ghh-Rand Schraubenkompressoren Gmbh, HASKEL EUROPE LTD., HASKEL HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, HASKEL INTERNATIONAL LLC, Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, Haskel France SAS, Haskel Sistemas de Fluidos Espana S.R.L., Hibon Inc., Highspeed Newco LLC, Hingerose Limited, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, INGERSOLL RAND ITS JAPAN LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHANG ZHOU) TOOLS CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHINA) INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND CHINA LLC, INGERSOLL-RAND COMERCIO E SERVICOS DE MAQUINAS E EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS LTDA., INGERSOLL-RAND DE PUERTO RICO INC., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL COMPANY B.V., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL SP. Z O.O., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL U.S. INC., INGERSOLL-RAND PHILIPPINES INC., INGERSOLL-RAND SPAIN S.A., INGERSOLL-RAND U.S. HOLDCO INC., IR HPS Holdco. Inc., ITO Emniyet, Ingersoll Rand Cyprus Investments Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Finance LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Investments LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Ventures LLC, Ingersoll Rand Hong Kong Investments Limited, Ingersoll Rand Inc., Ingersoll Rand Investments (SG) Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Investments B.V., Ingersoll Rand Schweiz Investments Gmbh, Ingersoll Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (Australia) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (China) Investment Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Guilin) Tools Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Hong Kong) Holding Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Ab, Ingersoll-Rand Air Solutions Hibon Sarl, Ingersoll-Rand Beteiligungs Und Grundstucksverwaltungs Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Colombia S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (Uk), Ingersoll-Rand Company South Africa (Pty) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Cz S.R.O., Ingersoll-Rand De Mexico S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Equipements De Production S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Ireland Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International (India) Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Italia S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Italiana Manufacturing S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Korea Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Korea Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments II S.A R.I., Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Luxembourg Industrial Company S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Machinery (Shanghai) Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Malaysia Co. Sdn. Bhd., Ingersoll-Rand S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Services And Trading Limited Liability Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Singapore Enterprises Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand South East Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Superay Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technical And Services S.A.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Technologies And Services Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Tool Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Trading Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Vietnam Company Limited, Instrum Rand JSC, Interflex Datensysteme, Ir Canada Holdings Ulc, Ir Canada Sales & Service Ulc, Ir France Sas, Kryptonite corp, Lawrence Factor Inc., LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MILTON ROY (HONG KONG) LIMITED, MILTON ROY (UK) LIMITED, MILTON ROY EUROPA B.V., MILTON ROY EUROPE SAS, MILTON ROY INDUSTRIAL (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD., MILTON ROY LLC, MILTON ROY US PURCHASER INC., MP Pumps Inc., Maximum AG Technologies Inc., Maximus Solutions, Mb Air Systems Limited, Nash Elmo, Officina Meccaniche Industriali Srl, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Plurifilter D.O.O., Pt Ingersoll-Rand Indonesia, Robuschi, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, SEEPEX, Seepex (M) SDN, Seepex Australia Pty Ltd, Seepex Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mit Beschrankter Haftung, Seepex France S.a.r.l., Seepex GmbH, Seepex Inc., Seepex India Private Ltd., Seepex Italia SRL, Seepex Japan Co. Ltd., Seepex Nordic A/S, Seepex OOO, Seepex Pumps (Shanghia) Co. Ltd., Seepex UK Ltd., Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Shanghai Ingersoll-Rand Compressor Limited, Shenzhen Bocom System Engineering Co., Superay, Syltone, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, Tamrotor Marine Comp AS Norway, Tecno Matic Europe s.r.o., Thomas Industries Inc., Trane Technologies, Tri-Continent Scientific Inc., Vacuum and Blower Systems division, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zaxe Technologies Inc., Zeks Compressed Air Solutions Llc, Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, Zinsser NA Inc., and crayon interface.

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Ally Financial Inc., a digital financial-services company, provides various digital financial products and services to consumer, commercial, and corporate customers primarily in the United States and Canada. It operates through four segments: Automotive Finance Operations, Insurance Operations, Mortgage Finance Operations, and Corporate Finance Operations. The Automotive Finance Operations segment offers automotive financing services, including providing retail installment sales contracts, loans and operating leases, term loans to dealers, financing dealer floorplans and other lines of credit to dealers, warehouse lines to automotive retailers, and fleet financing. It also provides financing services to companies and municipalities for the purchase or lease of vehicles, and vehicle-remarketing services. The Insurance Operations segment offers consumer finance protection and insurance products through the automotive dealer channel, and commercial insurance products directly to dealers. This segment provides vehicle service and maintenance contract, and guaranteed asset protection products; and underwrites commercial insurance coverages, which primarily insure dealers' vehicle inventory. The Mortgage Finance Operations segment manages consumer mortgage loan portfolio that includes bulk purchases of jumbo and low-to-moderate income mortgage loans originated by third parties, as well as direct-to-consumer mortgage offerings. The Corporate Finance Operations segment provides senior secured leveraged cash flow and asset-based loans to middle market companies; leveraged loans; and commercial real estate product to serve companies in the healthcare industry. The company also offers commercial banking products and services. In addition, it provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services. The company was formerly known as GMAC Inc. and changed its name to Ally Financial Inc. in May 2010. Ally Financial Inc. was founded in 1919 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.
CRH plc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes building materials. It operates in three segments: Americas Materials, Europe Materials, and Building Products. The company manufactures and supplies cement, lime, aggregates, precast, ready mixed concrete, and asphalt products; concrete masonry and hardscape products comprising pavers, blocks and kerbs, retaining walls, and related patio products; and glass and glazing products, including architectural glass, custom-engineered curtain and window walls, architectural windows, storefront systems, doors, skylights, and architectural hardware. It also offers precast concrete and polymer-based products, such as underground vaults, drainage pipes and structures, utility enclosures, and modular precast structures to the water, energy, communication, transportation, and building structures markets; and construction accessories, such as anchoring, fixing, and connection solutions, as well as lifting systems, formwork accessories, and other accessories used in construction applications. In addition, the company offers network access products, which include composite access chambers, covers, passive safety systems, retention sockets, sealants, and meter boxes; and paving and construction services. Further, it provides building and civil engineering contracting, contract surfacing, operates logistics and owned railway infrastructure; sells and distributes cement; and supplies access chambers and ducting products. It serves governments, contractors, homebuilders, homeowners, and sub-contractors. The company operates primarily in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe, the United States, and internationally. CRH plc was founded in 1936 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. designs, develops, markets, and distributes footwear for men, women, and children; and performance footwear for men and women worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Domestic Wholesale, International Wholesale, and Direct-to-Consumer. It offers casual, casual athletic, sport athletic, trail, sandals, boots, and retro fashion footwear for men and women under the Skechers USA, Skechers Sport, Skechers Active, Modern Comfort, Skechers Street, Mark Nason, and BOBS brands; sneakers, casuals, boots, and sandals for boys and girls under the Skechers Mega-Craft, S-Lights, SKECH-AIR, Foamies, Twinkle Toes, Z-Strap, Skechers Stretch Fit, and Skechers Street brands; and technical footwear under the Skechers GOrun, Skechers GOwalk, Skechers GOtrain, Skechers GOtrail, and Skechers GO Golf brands. The company also provides men's and women's slip-resistant and safety-toe casuals, boots, hikers, and athletic shoes; and lifestyle apparel for men, women, and kids. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 4,306 company and third party owned Skechers stores. The company sells its products through department and specialty stores, athletic and independent retailers, boutiques, and online retailers; and through its e-commerce sites, concept stores, and factory and warehouse outlet stores. It also licenses its Skechers brand. Skechers U.S.A., Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California.
The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Petersburg Products International" LLC, "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, 1837 LLC, Agile Pursuits Franchising Inc., Agile Pursuits Inc., Ambi Pur, Arbora & Ausonia, Arbora & Ausonia S.L.U., Avon - Giorgio Beverly Hills, Billie, Braun GmbH, Braun Shanghai Co. Ltd., Celtic Insurance Company Inc., Charlie Banana USA LLC, Corporativo Procter & Gamble S. de R.L. de C.V., DDFSkincare, Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery Shanghai Co. Ltd., Fameccanica North America Inc., Farmacy Beauty, Fater Central Europe SRL, Fater Eastern Europe LLC, Fater Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Fater S.p.A., Fater Temizlik Urunleri Ltd STI, First Aid Beauty, First Aid Beauty Limited, Folgers Coffee, Fountain Square Music Publishing Co. Inc., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette China Limited, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Shanghai Ltd., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay S.A., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, Inversiones Plaza LLC, LLC "Procter & Gamble - Novomoskovsk", LLC "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", LLC Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, Laboratoire Mediflor S.A.S., Laboratorios Vicks S.L.U., Lamberts Healthcare Ltd., Liberty Street Music Publishing Company Inc., Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones C.A., Merck Consumer Healthcare, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, Native, Nature's Best Health Products Ltd., New Chapter Canada Inc., New Chapter Inc., Nioxin Research Laboratories, Noxell Corporation, OUAI, Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Consumer Health Germany GmbH, P&G Distribution East Africa Limited, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding Inc., P&G Health Austria GmbH & Co. OG, P&G Health France S.A.S., P&G Health Germany GmbH, P&G Healthcare Zhejiang Limited, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Investment Management Ltd., P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G Japan G.K., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G South African Trading Pty. Ltd., P&G-Clairol, PG13 Launchpad Alpha Inc., PG13 Launchpad Beta Inc., PG13 Launchpad Gamma Inc., PGT Healthcare LLP, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Pressbox, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chengdu Ltd., Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble China Ltd., Procter & Gamble China Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent Beijing Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deutschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distributing Philippines Inc., Procter & Gamble Distribution Company Europe BV, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe LLC, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana S.A.U., Procter & Gamble Far East Inc., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finance U.K. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble Ghana Trading Limited, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Ltd., Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Technology Innovation Co. LTD., Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care LLC, Procter & Gamble Health & Beauty Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Health Belgium BV, Procter & Gamble Health Limited, Procter & Gamble Health Ltd., Procter & Gamble Health Poland Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Hellas Single Member Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holding Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Holdings UK Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Honduras S de RL, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership KKT, Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings Inc., Procter & Gamble Indochina Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica Limitada, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala Limitada, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama S. de R.L., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International Sarl, Procter & Gamble Investment Company UK Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Italia S.p.A., Procter & Gamble Jiangsu Ltd., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea Inc., Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble L&CP Limited, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA Pty Ltd, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Tianjin Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Mataro S.L.U., Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Philippines Business Services Inc., Procter & Gamble Philippines Inc., Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo Higiene e Saude S.A., Procter & Gamble Product Supply U.K. Limited, Procter & Gamble Productions Inc., Procter & Gamble RHD Inc., Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services Sarl, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Switzerland SA, Procter & Gamble Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology Beijing Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Trading Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Vietnam Company Limited, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil Ltda., Procter & Gamble do Brazil LLC, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble doo Beograd, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Procter and Gamble Lanka Private Limited, Procter and Gamble SA Pty Ltd., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Recovery Engineering, Redmond Products Inc., Richardson-Vicks, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Riverfront Music Publishing Co. Inc., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Series Acquisition B.V., Seven Seas Limited, Shulton Inc., Snowberry, Snowberry New Zealand Limited, Sunflower Distributing LLC, TAOS - FL LLC, TAOS Retail LLC, THIS IS L, TULA, Tambrands, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving, The Art of Shaving - FL LLC, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Iams Company Inc., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company LLC, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., This is L. Inc., Thomas Hedley Co, US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon Shanghai Academy, VitaminHaus Pty Ltd, Walker & Co. Brands Inc., Walker & Company Brands, Wella AG, Zenlen Inc., Zirh, and iMFLUX Inc..

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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.

Rick Muncrief, formally CEO of WPX, is now the head of Devon Energy. Mr. Muncrief comes to the table with more than 40 years of experience including 27 years with one of the US Big Three Oil Companies. WPX Energy (Williams Production and Exploration) brought properties in the Williston and Permian Basins to the combined company. Its proven reserves were roughly 527 million barrels of oil and equivalents. The company also owns and operates a midstream network of pipelines and storage facilities it uses to market and deliver its products.

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.
Team, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides asset performance assurance and optimization solutions in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Inspection and Heat Treating (IHT), Mechanical Services (MS), and Quest Integrity segments. The IHT segment offers non-destructive evaluation and testing, radiographic testing, ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle inspection, liquid penetrant inspection, positive material identification, electromagnetic testing, alternating current field measurement, and eddy current testing services. This segment also provides long-range guided ultrasonic testing, phased array ultrasonic testing, terminals and storage inspection and management program, rope access, mechanical and pipeline integrity, heat treating, and robotics and inspection services. The MS segment offers engineered composite repair, emissions control/compliance, hot tapping, valve insertion, field machining, bolted joint integrity, vapor barrier plug and weld testing, and valve management services, as well as leak repair services for pipes, valves, and flanges, as well as other parts of piping systems, pipelines, and related assets. The Quest Integrity segment provides furnace tube inspection system-enabled, in-line inspection, pipeline integrity management, engineering and condition assessment, and robotics and inspection services. It also offers onstream services comprising of line stopping and on-line valve insertion solutions. The company serves refining, power, renewables, nuclear, liquefied natural gas, chemical, petrochemical, pulp and paper, automotive, mining, valves, terminals and storage, pipeline, offshore oil and gas, and aerospace and defense industries, as well as amusement parks, bridges, ports, construction and buildings, roads, dams, and railways. Team, Inc. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas.
A community activist is calling on Charlottesvilles City Council to backtrack on a series of new policies altering the way council meetings are conducted, specifically with regard to council discussions and the customary public comment period at the start of each meeting.

Last month, following a six-month trial period for the new public comment procedures that require speakers to sign up ahead of meetings, the council attempted to allay concerns by amending the sign-up procedures to reserve three slots for attendees who had not signed up in advance.

But some are not satisfied with the changes.

As some believe they are not being heard by the council, JoAnn Robertson, the author of a petition that went online Tuesday, said those citizens will make a decision: either throw in the towel or become more drastic about free speech.

A few people have certainly been impassioned by the change, but according to open data advocacy nonprofit Smart Cville, the council may be on track to have slightly more people speaking at meetings this year than in recent years.

Previously welcoming an average of almost 11 speakers per meeting in 2014 and about 12 speakers in 2015, there has been an average of about 13 speakers this year, according to a Smart Cville analysis of public comment during the start and end of meetings based on council meeting minutes.

City councilors, apart from Bob Fenwick, have supported the new comment procedures, which they shaped in February. The supporting councilors say they believe the new procedures have opened up dialogue with a greater swath of the community.

Sticking to a previously established limit of 12 speakers during the public comment period at the start of a meeting, the council had implemented a new lottery system that requires speakers to sign up before 9 a.m. on the day of meetings. If more than 12 people registered to speak, the list would then be randomized and those not selected would be put on a waitlist.

While the new procedures prevent individuals or groups from dominating the speaker list by arriving early to sign up, anyone who does not sign up in advance is still eligible to fill a vacant speaking slot or speak at the end of a meeting during a final comment period, which does not limit the number of speakers.

After amending the procedures last month to reserve three of the 12 speaking slots for anyone wishing to sign up immediately before a council meeting, city officials noted that if someone who signed up ahead of the meeting is not present or chooses not to speak, the spot is forfeited. If more than nine people sign up to speak, the first person on the waitlist is granted that slot.

Lucas Ames, of Smart Cville, said in an email last week that his analysis included speakers from the start and end of meetings. I have to reiterate that this is a preliminary analysis, he said. Also, I think its understood, but Smart Cville isnt making a judgment call on these rules changes. [Were] just looking at the data. Mayor Mike Signer said the data show the council is engaging more people.

The top 9 percent of frequent speakers in 2014 and 2015 made up 56 percent of individual speeches made to the council. According to the analysis, thats 24 of 277 individuals who spoke before council during that time, with a total of 533 speeches given. Three individuals accounted for nearly 20 percent of all the speeches before council.

From the time the procedures went into effect, Ames said, the top 9 percent of speakers who signed up for the primary comment period had taken 36 percent of the slots from March through July.

Ames said he was unable to account for the single August meeting because the council had yet to adopt the minutes from it. Only three people signed up ahead of the Aug. 15 meeting, according to a city record of the sign-ups. But many of the slots were filled that evening by people who volunteered to speak immediately before it.

* * *

Regardless of the councils intention in changing the comment and meeting procedures, some have alleged its meant to curb public dissent, as well as First Amendment rights.

The petition calls for an end to the lottery system and time limits on speakers and discussion of meeting agenda items, as well as a rule that allows the mayor to order audio and video equipment temporarily turned off in case of a disturbance or disorderly conduct that disrupts the meeting.

An earlier version of the petition, which had been online for some time before it was amended later in the week, questioned why additional security was requested for the councils Sept. 6 meeting.

At that meeting, Signer requested that activist Mary Carey be removed from the meeting after she used a vulgarity and continued to bicker with the mayor after her speaking time expired.

When our police department is understaffed and there are too many unsolved crimes in our community, we question the use of police resources to monitor and control citizen dissent in Council chambers, the petition had read.

In an email last month, City Manager Maurice Jones said officials sometimes request an increased police presence at meetings when larger crowds are expected.

In the case of the Sept. 6 meeting, Jones said, we had learned that protest of some sort had been planned and were prepared just in case there was a disturbance.

We first heard about it through word of mouth, plus it was out on social media and in local media, Jones said.

Robertson, Carey and a few others went to that meeting to speak about facility maintenance and staff issues at Crescent Halls, a Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority residence for elderly and disabled people.

A few protesters came to the meeting with signs prepared, but there were fewer people at that meeting than there had been for a similar demonstration at a council meeting in August.

In their quest for transparency, they are actually pushing people away, Robertson said in a Facebook message last week.

Telling people when they can talk, how long they can talk, and then having police sit in the back or around the premises reminds me of something that I would see in a militant country, not here in Charlottesville.

On Friday evening, Robertson said she removed the concerns about police at the meetings because they are not directly related to the meeting or comment procedures. She said she plans to continue pushing that issue at another time, however.

* * *

Others in the community also have expressed distaste for the procedures.

After the council adopted the new procedures earlier this year, John W. Whitehead, constitutional lawyer and president of the Rutherford Institute, an Albemarle County-based civil liberties advocacy nonprofit, said the mayors ability to suspend audio and video recording could be a violation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act if it were applied to citizens and journalists at the meetings.

At the time, City Attorney Craig Brown said the council had never considered extending that rule to the public and that any invocation of the rule would apply only to city-operated equipment. Whitehead, however, argued that isnt explicitly written in the procedures.

Earlier this summer, Albemarle County resident Joe Draego filed a federal lawsuit against the city after he was removed from a council meeting for violating meeting rules that prohibit defamatory attacks on groups and individuals. His attorney, Jeff Fogel, has said hes personally against those rules because he believes they are unconstitutional.

The council voted to have Draego removed from a June meeting after he broadly referred to Muslims as monstrous maniacs.

Fogel said his client overstated his point and did not mean to characterize all Muslims as such. Regardless, Fogel said, the councils rule is unconstitutional because laws against defamation do not protect entire groups.

As of Saturday evening, the petition had nearly 50 online signatures.
The statue of Robert E. Lee in Lee Park was a gift to Charlottesville from Paul Goodloe McIntire, a respected local benefactor. It was erected in 1924, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Virginia Landmarks Register. It was sculpted by noted artists Henry Shrady and Leo Lentelli (www.Charlottesville.org).

Lee was well known for his engineering expertise. In 1837, he was sent to St. Louis, Missouri, as the supervising engineer of navigation. St. Louis was fast becoming land-locked, and, using his engineering training at West Point, Lee succeeded in changing the course of the river and protecting the harbor there (usace.army.mil/About/History).

Assigned as an engineer staff officer to General Winfield Scott in 1847, he participated in all the main battles from Vera Cruz to Mexico City. Recognized for his daring reconnaissance and suggestions on battlefield tactics, he received three brevets: Major at Cerro Gordo, Lt. Colonel at Contreras and Churubusco, and Colonel at Chapultepec, reports the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (usace.army.mil/About/History).

In 1852, Lee was appointed superintendent of the Military Academy at West Point. During his three years there, The school was the better for Lees administration of its affairs... (Freeman, "R.E. Lee," Vol. 1, page 351).

During the Civil War, Gen. Lee was in command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Abolition of slavery was certainly a prime cause of the war, but was it the only reason? When Lincolns troops invaded the South in 1861, many Virginians believed that their families were in danger.

Perhaps Lees finest achievement was as president of Washington and Lee University. He transformed a small school, Washington College, into an important college by adding engineering courses, a business school, and a law school. And ardent about restoring national unity, he successfully recruited students from throughout the reunited nation, North and South (wlu.edu/presidents-office/about-the-presidents-office/history-and-governance).

For these reasons, let us honor this Virginian and keep his statue in Lee Park.

Mary D. Edwards

Albemarle County
Mumbai: Concerned over lack of qualified professionals in Indian capital markets, regulator Sebi is betting big on its educational initiative NISM through which it also plans to provide training to regulatory officials.

Sebi will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the new campus of NISM (National Institute of Securities Markets), which will soon start functioning with space for around 900 residential students and 100 residential participants for various management development programmes.

The campus at Patalganga near Panvel will be developed further in a phased manner and will eventually have potential to accommodate 5,000 students, a senior official said.

Last month, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) as well as NISM also held their respective board meetings at the new campus. NISM has also held campus tours for market participants and media.

Many CEOs and senior executives from securities markets and banking sectors have also visited the 70-acre campus. NISM's board members include top bankers Chanda Kochhar and Uday Kotak, while its Academic Council is headed by former RBI Governor and eminent economist Bimal Jalan.

According to Sebi Chairman U K Sinha, who also chairs the board of NISM, it has been decided that the cost of the entire project will be funded by Sebi, though some large corporates have also offered to fund the chairs.

"Going forward, we will seek All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recognition for one of our flagship programmes and then we will also get certification programmes equivalent to MBA," Sinha said.

NISM was established by Sebi with an aim to improve financial market education in the country and is headed by Sandip Ghose, a career central banker with more than 30 years of experience at RBI. He also served as Chief of Staff and Advisor to three successive RBI Governors during 1996-2004.

"Over the last 25 years, Sebi has introduced far reaching reforms by bring various regulatory changes. However, one of the major challenges faced by the securities market is lack of qualified securities market professionals," an official said.

"There is high demand for qualified securities markets professionals who are well-informed, competent with comprehensive knowledge of securities markets, conversant with global trends and willing to swiftly adapt to changes. NISM seeks to address this gap between demand and supply of qualified professional for securities market," he added.

NISM also caters to the graduates seeking rewarding careers in financial services and securities markets. "NISM also endeavors to provide quality training and capacity building programme for officials working with market regulators, professionals and students in India and abroad," the official said.

NISM has six schools as well as a National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE), which comprises of representatives from all financial sector regulators including RBI, Sebi and IRDAI.
With less than five weeks for Diwali, there are hardly any signs of celebrations in the city. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: As tension over the Cauvery crisis continues, firework distributors and sellers in Karnataka are worried about sales this season.

With less than five weeks for Diwali, there are hardly any signs of celebrations in the city. Cracker dealers say that apart from the supply of daily essentials which have taken a hit due to the water war, their annual business  of crackers  has been the worst affected. Sources say that usually the cracker industry generates a revenue of `5,000 crore in the state. Besides Bengaluru, the wholesalers also supply crackers to cities such as Tumakuru, Chitradurga and Mysuru.

With most vehicles plying from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu and vice-versa stopping at Attibele, (the border locality of the state), dealers are complaining that trucks loaded with fireworks are stationed right outside the cracker factories.

Sivamadhavan, a dealer from Electronics City, points out, The biggest cracker manufacturers in South India are based at Sivakasi town. But this year, the demand for Sivakasi crackers has steeply decreased. Although dealers right from Mumbai come to Sivakasi for their stock, this year they too have not placed orders for crackers following tight security at the borders. 80% drop in sales While the state police are stopping lorries with Tamil Nadu registration at the border, cost of transportation too have surged, said dealers.

According to Rangavelu, another dealer at Attibele, just before the Cauvery crisis turned violent, sales had picked up, but these were short-lived.

Until Friday last week, there was movement of vehicles from Karnataka carrying crackers. Now, this has completely stopped and sales have dropped by at least 80 per cent. Dealers from other states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh too are not going to Tamil Nadu, said Rangavelu.

Traders are upset that usually, a month before the festival, stalls would have come up across the state and the sale of crackers would have earned at least `15 lakh business in the month of September. However, there was no such large-scale earning this year.

No market for Chinese crackers

Amid speculation every year that Chinese crackers have a good market in the state, traders maintain that while Chinese cracker dealers have gained a firm foothold in North India, as it is expensive for them to procure from South India. The dealers say that since Sivakasi is closer to Bengaluru, crackers here are cheap, while transporting Chinese crackers to Karnataka would not really generate much revenue.

Expect big discounts

The dealers also maintained that production at Sivakasi has been high this year. In a bid to empty stocks, crackers will be sold at huge discounts instead of increasing the prices, even though there is limited supply. In a months time the situation may change at the border, but the dealers have already made up their minds to offer huge discounts, Rangavelu said.

Families tighten budget

With this years Diwali coming in the fag end of October, Arun Kumar, a cracker dealer in Nayandahalli, has decided not to buy any new stocks this year and make do with selling previous years leftover stocks. He said, Usually, when Diwali comes at the end of a month, people, dont spend much. They think twice about going over-budget. So shopkeepers are careful not to invest too much on new stocks. Also, last year, many of our stocks were unsold due to heavy rains. So, a number of stalls in the city are not buying new stock.
Mumbai: Actress Soha Ali Khan says thereis a lot of excitement in their house to welcome the first child of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Kareena tied the knot with Soha's brother Saif in 2012 and the couple are expecting their first child in December.

"There is lot of excitement at home. I am very fond of them (Kareena-Saif) as a couple. They are obviously in love and touchwood they have a solid relationship. It is a great phase for them and she is glowing," Soha told PTI.

Meanwhile, at an event Kareena expressed her displeasure over lot being said and written about her impending pregnancy, when asked about it, Soha feels there has to be a line which

shouldn't be jumped. "I think there used to be a line before but now it's not. How can you ask someone whether it is a boy or a girl...People are asking me whether I want a boy or girl? What do I have in this? There are some questions that we don't ask our friends and family. There has to be a line," she said.

On the work front, the actress is looking forward to the release of 31st October, a film based on the aftermath of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination. Also starring Vir Das, the film is set to release on October 7.
Mumbai: Set for her big Bollywood debut opposite Ajay Devgn in 'Shivaay,' Polish actress Erika Kaar is also keen on working with superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Erika feels Shah Rukh is not only a kind human being, but also a good actor.

When asked who she would like to work with in future, Erika told PTI, "Shah Rukh Khan. He has a very kind face, I think he is a good guy... I have only seen bits of 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'. People have told me that he is a really good actor," she said.

The actress had earlier revealed that her friends are a huge fan of Devgn's wife Kajol, who has worked in several films with Shah Rukh, and dance to the popular track 'Bole Chudiya' from Karan Johar-directed 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'. Erika says working with Shah Rukh is a far-fetched dream right now and first she wants people to like her work in her maiden Bollywood film.

"I think my first film should come out and all the people should say if I know to act at all... And may be then we can talk about Shah Rukh Khan calling me!"

The upcoming action-thriller is produced and directed by Devgn. Erika found it extremely creative working with Devgn and shared an instance where the actor took inputs from her for a particular scene. She said things like these made her comfortable that a performer of his calibre was having so much faith in a newcomer.

"I felt very comfortable working with him, very safe but also creative because even though it is my first movie ever, he treated me with so much respect. He put so much trust in me," she said.
Mumbai: Activists of student wing of Bajrang Dal today burnt an effigy of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, protesting his comment supporting the Pakistani artistes, at Rajbada area here. Incidentally, the 50-year-old 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' actor was born in Indore.

"Salman has risen to great heights because of his Indian fans. He should withdraw his statement supporting the Pakistani artistes," Bajrang Dal divisional convener Sachin Baghel said. If the actor did not want to take back his words, he should release his films in Pakistan and not in India, Baghel added.

"We can't tolerate that artistes from Pakistan, which harbours terrorists, come here and return home after making money without condemning the terrorists sponsored by their country," said BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya who represents Mhow Assembly constituency.

"If Pakistani artistes condemn the terrorism, we will welcome them. Otherwise they won't be allowed to enter India," he added.

Salman had said on Friday that Pakistani artistes should not be treated like terrorists, and art and terrorism should not be mixed.

The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association has passed a resolution banning the Pakistani actors in the wake of Uri terror attack and Indian Army's subsequent surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK.
Mumbai: Akshay Kumar, who's been the torch-bearer of all things action in Bollywood for a good two decades, lend his support to something very different, recently.

Akshay, along with Alia Bhatt and Aditya Thackeray attended the prize distribution for a female self-defense martial arts course.

(Pic: Viral Bhayani)

Akshay is known to associate himself with martial arts, recreational or fitness-enhancing.

Alia, who's currently working on 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania,' and has Gauri Shinde's 'Dear Zindagi up for release, was mighty pleased to be able to champion the cause of woman safety.

Akshay and Alia, who make for a quirky duo, seemed extremely comfortable in each other's company. A film together on the cards?

Akshay, who's on a career high with three 100 crore films in 2016, and extremely promising projects on the cards, seemed at home with all the display of martial arts being thrown his way.

He was particularly pleased with a demonstration of self-defense by two in-house students.

Alia and Akshay happily cheered on once the two girls were done with their demo session, then heading on to pose for photographs and conclude the ceremony.

Watch the video here:
Mumbai: There seems to be no end to the feud between Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut, with the National Award winning actress on Saturday, asking why he needs his father to rescue him from controversies.

Recently, Hrithik's father and filmmaker Rakesh Roshan had said in an interview that his son chose to remain calm and dignified when someone was spreading lies about him (referring to the battle between Kangana and Hrithik).

He had even said that if Hrithik chose to come out with the truth, it would shock everyone.

Initially, when the journalist at the event asked Kangana to comment, her sister Rangoli came to her rescue saying the question can be skipped, although Kangana chose to respond.

"Why can't men stand up for themselves. He (Hrithik) is a 43-year old son. I just can't understand why his father has to come to rescue him from all these small controversies," the 'Queen' actress said. Kangana was talking at the launch of Chetan Bhagat's latest novel, 'One Indian Girl'.

She went further on and said, "For how long will they keep hiding behind their influential big name fathers. He is an adult and he can pretty much handle his own controversies in show business. Its just a simple controversy. Why daddies have to always save their sons. I dont understand this.

The controversy between the two actors had begun when Kangana mentioned 'silly exes' in an interview. Hrithik then shot off a legal notice to Kangana asking her to retract the statement. This had led to some mud-slinging between them.
The ban called on Pakistani actors in Bollywood by the Indian Motion Pictures Association (IMPAA) has been deemed illegal, extra-constitutional and irrelevant by film producer and censor chief Pahlaj Nihalani.

Who are these people asking for a ban? he asks. By whose authority are they asking for this ban? Not one producer-member of IMPAA is working with a Pakistani artiste. The ones who stand to lose heavily from such a ban are Karan Johar and Ritesh Sidhwani, who have almost completed films with Pakistani artistes. These artistes, who have worked in these films, should not be asked to leave. They have every right to work here.

However, Nihalani feels that rules regarding work permits for Pakistanis must change now. Direct import from Pakistan into India is prohibited, he explains. Since movies are exported and imported between India and Pakistan through Dubai, how is it that Pakistani actors have been getting work permits to work in Mumbai? Not just actors, but all professionals from Pakistan must be prohibited from working in India, until relations between the two countries improve.
Carrying a backpack on her shoulder, in a school uniform and a headcovering, Anu Sithara became for a second time in her life, a student of class IX  as Asma this time. Its not too long ago that the young actor had bid goodbye to her schooldays, yet she was eloquent on being able to have a memorable return that many could only long for. Anu, an actor who has graduated into heroine roles in tinselville, got the opportunity to be dressed up as a ninth grader in the film Nawal Enna Jewel.

Other than applying some kohl under my eyes, there was no make-up. It was such a fascinating and challenging experience. Spot dubbing was a thing I had to be extra cautious with as recording was done with a boom on the location, Anu recalls the days. Asma, a victim of Arabi Kalyanam (a kind of child marriage), is portrayed by Anu and Shwetha Menon. Anu enacts the childhood of Shwetha. A story developing in Iran, Nawal Enna Jewel will have a multi-lingual release. Anu is also back in Ktown as leading lady for Pothu Nalan Karuthi by director Zion, her second Tamil outing after the 2015 flick Veri. She acts as Mridula, a village belle.

I was waiting for a role to suit my taste. In Tamil, most offers demand you to play modern girl roles. I have a comfort zone in selecting the costumes, she reasons. Her hands full, Anu is currently on the sets of Jayasurya-starrer Fukri, which will see her and Prayaga Martin as female leads. In addition to Nawal Enna Jewel and Fukri, two more films are getting ready for release  Campus Diary and Marupadi. Bombarded with back-to-back projects, the busy bee had to turn down a mammoth offer in Telugu.

The schedule of Fukri and the Telugu movie were coinciding, so I dropped one. Hansika will play that role instead. Above all, I always dreamt of acting in a movie by Siddique sir movie and this is a dream come true, smiles Anu. The busyness has made Anu a once-in-a-while visitor to her dance school in her hometown Wayanad. The school is now managed by my mom, aunt and sister. One-and-a-half years ago, I got married. My husband Vishnu Prasad is so supportive of me and helps me in choosing roles, she signs off.
New Delhi: For the past two months Delhi NCR has been riding the tsunami of two most distressing disease outbreaks- Chikungunya and Dengue fever.

By now everyone must be aware that Chikungunya is caused by a virus which harbors in 'Aedes' mosquito which essentially breeds in artificial containers with fresh water such as cooler tanks, flower vases, water tanks and others and bites during the day.

Our body responds in two ways. In the initial acute phase, we usually see high grade fever with chills, myalgia, arthralgia, vomiting, malaise and skin rash. Multiple small and medium joints may show painful swelling as in fingers, wrist, ankle, knee, shoulder and low back. In chronic phase i.e more than three weeks, joint pains are more pronounced due to immune mediated response.

According to Dr Sridevi Gunda , Ophthalmologist at iTek Vision Centre, Noida, eyes have also been seen to be affected in the form of conjunctivitis, uveitis or episcleritis, retinitis and optic neuritis wherein the white portion of the eye becomes red. This may or may not be associated with pain.

She further said that in certain cases vision loss can be seen. In initial acute phase pain may be felt at the back of the eye. All the symptoms are self-limiting and Paracetamol and certain NSAIDs can provide symptomatic relief from fever and pain.

"For chronic joint pains respective physicians must be consulted to discuss if there is any role of 'disease modifying agents'. With regard to ocular symptoms, an ophthalmologist must be consulted to rule out any chances of deterioration of vision," added the expert.

Dr. Gunda concluded saying, this disease is better prevented than treated. This can be achieved by vector control method by eliminating mosquito breeding sites.
Udaipur: Rajasthan police have arrested three persons who allegedly chopped off a 65-year-old woman's feet and fled with her jewellery, leaving her to die in a field in Bhoiyon ki Pancholi village.

According to reports, the victim, Bhanwari Bai, lived in Bhoiyon ki Pancholi village near Udaipur and the accused have been identified as Suresh Vagaria, Gopal Vagaria and Nojiram Meena.

The incident took place on the night of September 15, when Bhanwari had gone to the fields to collect grass and when she did not return, her family members started looking for her. They found her mutilated body and the jewelleries  silver kada, nosepin and earrings  she was wearing were also missing.

Police arrested the three men after interrogating more than 100 suspects. They said the accused hit the old lady on her head and dragged her body inside a sugarcane field where they looted her and chopped off her feet.

Police said Nojiram is a repeat offender, who admitted to committing a similar crime in 2005.
Police said he had lured some of his victims, promising to get them some treasure in remote areas and had murdered them. (Photo: Representational Image)

Tiruchirappalli: A 35-year-old man, who has recently been arrested in Trichy for allegedly murdering his friend, has confessed to having murdered a total of eight persons, including his 75-year-old father and an AIADMK panchayat councillor, over a two-year period, police said on Saturday.

Police said Sappani was arrested on the charge of murdering his friend Thangadurai, who had gone missing on September 7, for money.

When he was being interrogated, he confessed that he murdered seven others for money and jewellery, and buried their bodies, police said.

Thangadurai's body was found in a canal near Krishnasamuthiram in this district. Investigation revealed Sappani was responsible for the murder, police said.

During the interrogation, Sappani told police he murdered his father for reprimanding him for committing crimes, they said, adding he confessed to also having murdered Kokila (70), Arputhasamy (70), Vijayvictor (27), Sathiyanathan (45), P Periasamy (65) and AIADMK Councillor Kumresan (50) over a two-year period.

Police said he had lured some of his victims, promising to get them some treasure in remote areas and had murdered them. He had also robbed them of their money and jewellery, they said.

He was arrested on Thursday and has been remanded in judicial custody.

Police said they had already exhumed two bodies to identify them through DNA test.

The process to exhume the other bodies, buried at different places, is on, police said.
New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday asserted that efforts are on to bring back the stranded Indian jawan from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said the Centre has activated the procedure which takes place at the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) level.

There is a standard mechanism for that. We exchange those people after enquiry who had inadvertently gone there by mistake. The procedure takes place at the DGMO level. We have activated that, Parrikar told the media at the sidelines of the Swachhta rally.

Calling on the nation to be alert, Parrikar added that people should report it to the police if they notice any suspicious activity anywhere.

Chandu Babulal Chohan, a soldier from the 37 Rashtriya Rifles had inadvertently crossed over to the other side of the LoC with his weapon. Sources had however specified that Chohan had nothing to do with the Armys surgical strikes on terror launchpads in PoK.

Chohan had apparently crossed the LoC sometime during the day on Thursday in circumstances shrouded in mystery amid speculation that he was upset and disoriented.
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India TS Thakur on Saturday urged the law ministry to devise a mechanism to relieve the judicial system of the "avoidable burden" that arises out of "sheer apathy, indifference or incapacity" of the government and its departments to take certain decisions.

The Chief Justice also asked the government to set up a panel, comprising former judges, to decide on whether or not to fight a case against any citizen when the issue could be resolved outside court.

"I would request the Law Minister to devise some mechanism to relieve our judicial system of avoidable burden that comes on us, not because we are not ready to share that burden but because of the sheer apathy or indifference or the incapacity of the government to deal with a situation to take a decision," the Chief Justice said.

He was speaking at the launch of a theme song for National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). The NALSA was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of society.

The Chief Justice referred to certain "unnecessary" cases which could be screened before reaching the court and could be solved at the administrative level itself.

"We are doing justice, isn't that the government also supposed to do? Why should we force the citizen to go to the court at all. I would request the Government of India to device some mechanism to resolve these issues outside court.

"You can have a panel of former judges with impeccable honesty. Let them decide. Let that panel decide whether the citizen is entitled to that relief. If he is right then why should we force the citizen to be brought to the court.

"Show the will to provide a mechanism for the resolution of conflicts or disputes outside the judicial system and you will have help from lawyers and judges," the Chief Justice said.

Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was also present on the occasion, addressed the inaugural session of 'National Consultation on Challenges in Mediation and Way Forward' and proposed the digitalisation of 622 district-level NALSA centres across the country to make them more efficient and effective.

The Law Minister also asked NALSA to extend a helping hand to the victims of acid attacks so that they feel that the legal system and the society is with them.

"I would recommend that victims of acid attack should also be taken on a priority basis by framing a special scheme for them," Prasad added.

Recalling his efforts as a young lawyer for the release of Mohammad Miyan, an undertrial prisoner for 49 years, as the biggest success in his career, the minister batted for ensuring legal assistance to poor.

"We must think about how we can provide legal assistance to poor people and undertrials more effectively. Legal assistance to the poor must become a movement," he said.
Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu Health Minister Dr HV Hande, who was in charge of briefing the press in 1984 when then Chief Minister MG Ramachandran was hospitalized, said on Sunday that there can be no comparison between MGRs hospitalization and that of J Jayalalithaa.

MGRs was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai for a stroke in 1984. Handes remarks come a day after DMK President M Karunanidhi said the Tamil Nadu government has a responsibility to inform the people about the Chief Ministers health.

Read: M Karunanidhi urges Vidyasagar Rao to give info on Jayalalithaa's health to people

The DMK patriarch had also advised the Tamil Nadu government to draw lessons from former Chief Minister MG Ramachandrans stint at Apollo Hospitals, where regular updates were provided about his health.

That situation was different from this, Dr Hande said to the News Minute.

MGR had been rushed to hospital following kidney failure. A small committee was constituted and Hande as health minister in his cabinet had the task of briefing the press about MGRs condition.

Hande pointed out that unlike MGR who was serious, Jayalalithaa has been admitted to Apollo with fever and dehydration. He said the medical bulletins released by Apollo Hospitals were enough.

Hande also pointed out that when Karunanidhi was admitted to hospital when he was Chief Minister, there was little update from the state government. He said that even when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was admitted to hospital for a knee surgery in 2001, the situation was the same.
New Delhi: A "swacch LoC" has been achieved after Indian security forces gave a befitting reply to our neighbour which is funding and abetting terror, said Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday.

"The other day you have seen what is Modi. Our neighbour is funding, aiding, abetting, training terrorists. They have been given a befitting reply by our forces. Swachh man, swachh dhan, swachh tan and now swachh border, swachh LoC has been done. Now all have to come together to take forward Swachh Bharat," the Information and Broadcasting minister said.

The senior minister was referring to the Army's surgical strikes across LoC in Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) where it destroyed terror launch pads.

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Naidu also asked people to respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a clean India and become 'swachhagrahis'.

Lauding the Prime Minister, Naidu said Modi stands for "Mood of Developing India".

He said Mahatama Gandhi had during the freedom movement given a call for satyagraha and those who participated became 'satyagrahis'.

"Now the time has come, all of us taking the call of the Prime Minister should become Swacchagrahi. On the pious day of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday today, let us all become Swacchagrahi", Naidu, who also holds the Urban Development

portfolio said.

He said in the 21st century India had to be free from illiteracy and "Litterati" - a reference to those who throw litter in the open.

He said the Prime Minister always wanted 'Swacch Bharat' to become a people's movement. The aim of the nationwide cleanliness drive was to clean up the country by 2019, the year that marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of

Gandhiji.

The senior minister was speaking at the award giving ceremony of a 'Swachh' film competition, where Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present.

While lauding the creativity of those who participated in the short film competition, Naidu said eminent filmmakers - Madhur Bhandarkar, Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi, Prasoon Pandey, Ramesh Sippy and Shoojit Sircar will also produce films on Swachh Bharat. Naidu said efforts will be made to exhibit these films widely.

One of the judges for the short film festival for which over 4000 entries were received, Vani Tripathi Tikoo said the quality of films had surpassed the expectations of the jury and requested that they be shown widely.

Naidu also said that cinema is a great medium of communication.

"Its a great communicator, great creator, great motivator. Sometimes its a great destroyer also. If you give a proper message, it gets registered in the minds of people," he said.

Naidu along with Rathore also released a book published by Publications Division and authored by noted Gandhian Sudarshan Iyengar - 'In the Footsteps of Mahatma: Gandhi and Sanitation'.

He also released the e-version of other classic books on Mahatma Gandhi, and an online purchase facility for its books. About 25 e-books on Gandhij are being made available today for online sale through e-commerce platforms.
The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming. (Photo: Twitter)

United Nations: India, the world's third largest carbon emitter, ON Sunday ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a major boost to the deal which appeared tantalisingly close to enter into force by the end of this year.

Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 147th birth anniversary.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded India's "climate leadership", saying India's ratification of the Paris Climate Change agreement moves the world an "important step closer" toward achieving the goal of entering the landmark deal into force this year.

In his message for the International Day of Non-violence, marked every year on Gandhi's birth anniversary, Ban said there is no better way to commemorate Gandhi and his legacy for people and the planet than with India submitting its instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

He called on all countries to complete their domestic processes for ratification and also strive in all activities to achieve progress through non-violence.

The UN chief said the commitment to sustainable living that Gandhi emphasised on is reflected in a "momentous way" as India is depositing its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary, we deposit the instrument of ratification of Paris Agreement on climate change," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

With India stressing on the importance of climate justice, its goal will be that "climate justice ends are also served" once the treaty comes into force, Akbaruddin said.

The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming by limiting greenhouse gases.

The ratification formalises pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards and try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after China and the US which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.

Last month, the US and China had formally joined the Paris agreement, which was adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change last December in Paris.

The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions have now ratified the accord.

Adopted in Paris by the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference known as COP21 last December, the Agreement was signed in New York on 22 April this year by 175 countries.

A total of 191 countries have signed the Paris Agreement so far.

However, India has decided to ratify the agreement "in the context" of its national laws, availability of means of implementation and "its own assessment" of global commitment to combating climate change.

"While agreeing to ratify the Paris agreement, the Cabinet has also decided that India should declare that it will treat its national laws, its development agenda, availability of means of implementation, its assessment of global commitment to combating climate change, and predictable and affordable access to cleaner source of energy as the context in which the agreement is being ratified," an official statement had earlier said.

The Union Cabinet had given its nod to ratifying the Paris climate deal on September 28, days after Modi announced this at BJP's National Council meet in Kozhikode. The move is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming.

China and the US jointly ratifying the Paris climate change deal has given hope that the landmark accord may come into effect by the end of this year.

Akbaruddin had on Friday said that India had played a "key role" in the negotiations and finalisation of the Paris agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a "personal commitment" to the climate deal.

He had said that India's effort was to be amongst those nations who give a push to the entry into force.

Ban in his message said: "I warmly congratulate India for its climate leadership, and for building on the strong momentum we see from all corners of the globe for the agreement to enter into force as quickly as possible this year. India's ratification of the agreement moves the world an important step closer toward achieving that goal."

Yesterday, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told reporters in New Delhi that "this (decision) was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a messege... India is fast becoming a super power".

The UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development David Nabarro had last week said the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change is closer to entering into force, after India submits its ratification.

"We are tantalisingly close to the Paris Agreement entering into force," he added.

Nabarro had expressed confidence that the Agreement will enter into force at some point this year, highlighting that at least 14 other countries, representing at least 12 per cent of global emissions, have committed to ratifying the pact.

"There's a kind of race going on now, for countries to come in there and make sure that they are part of the ratification community to show that they are part of wanting to get the Agreement into force," he said.

"We think we're going to have the speediest entry into force for any agreement that requires such a large number of ratifications. And that's why I've got a smile, because it's really good news," he added.
Sharmila was asked if she would also meet Modi to seek his advice as he was elected with a huge mandate in the general elections. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, rights activist Irom Sharmila now wants to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi expecting "good advice" from him.

She had met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on September 26 seeking his advice on how to defeat "major political parties" in her state Manipur.

"Good advice should always be expected. Whether a person is an enemy or a friend, if he has some good views and wants to share it with me, I will take the advice," she told PTI.

She was asked if she would also meet Modi to seek his advice as he was elected with a huge mandate in the general elections.

Sharmila on Friday had addressed Delhi University students at a function organised by the North East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) to commemorate the 120th birth anniversary of Hijam Irabot, a freedom fighter and social activist from Manipur.

Sharmila, who had in the past, expressed her desire to meet Modi to seek his help in the repeal of the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), reiterated her demand saying, "It is possible, I will meet because he is the authority concerned who can fulfill my demand."

The 44-year-old "Iron Lady" had an advice for students as she asked them to stop blaming the society and rather be the change they wish to see.

"Youths, which are the strength of society are the symbol of unity and inspiration. You remain protesting and blaming the society. Instead, you are responsible to help or unite to bring the change you wish to see in the society," she said.

On August 9, Sharmila broke her 16-year-old hunger strike demanding repeal of the AFSPA and announced that she would take her battle to the next level by floating her party as she wants to become the chief minister of Manipur to "press" for the demands.
Chennai: Advising her to stay put in the hospital for a few more days, the latest Appollo Health Bulletin on the Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers health revealed that Jayalalithaa was responding well to treatment given to her and was getting better.

The news comes as a relief to supporters and party workers who have been fighting hard to quell rumours regarding her health.

Ruling AIADMK on Sunday dismissed demands to release photographs of the hospitalised party supremo saying the hospital was regularly releasing bulletins about her condition.

"The hospital has been sharing bulletins about her health regularly. Even after sharing the bulletins, what do they expect?," AIADMK spokesperson C R Saraswathi told reporters.

"Every day Ministers are coming and meeting her (Jayalalithaa) since local body elections are around the corner," she said.

Read: Don't compare Jaya's health with MGR's in 1984: ex-health minister to Karunanidhi

On DMK President M Karunanidhi's suggestion to release a photograph of Jayalalithaa to quell rumours about her health, she said, "Even if we do so, he will say it has been photo shopped. He is making such comments just to criticise us." She added that the DMK was making the matter a political issue.

Karunanidhi had recently said that though Apollo Hospital was issuing bulletins on her health, "some unwanted rumours" were deliberately being floated by "some persons".

He had suggested that photographs of Jayalalithaa be released through the media to quell any kind of rumour being circulated about her health.

PMK leader Dr S Ramadoss had also demanded that either an audio or video clipping of her health condition be released to put an end to rumours surrounding her health.

68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital here on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. She has been advised to stay for a few days at the hospital.
People residing along the Hiranagar border have started migrating after getting alerted by the administration. (Photo: PTI)

Kathua (Jammu and Kashmir): Following the present situation at the Indo-Pakistan International border and the Line of Control (LoC) after the surgical strike on PoK militant camps, people residing along the Hiranagar border have started migrating after getting alerted by the administration.

In such circumstances, the farmers of the border areas are worried for their standing crops which are yet to be harvested.

"Our condition is extremely bad. We are worried as the crops are getting damaged. This is our yearly income. We are cutting the crops in fear of firing," said Balwinder Singh, a local farmer.

The paddy crops and other pulses are ready for harvest along the zero line, but the tension on the border has stopped all the activities.

"The crops are absolutely ripe and seeing the situation in the border, we are very much tensed. We are worried about how to cut the crops. The crops are ready to be cut. The government hasn't given anything to us. Even now, we pray that we live in peace. The government won't give us anything....if the crops get damaged, it will be our loss. We pray that situation remains peaceful," said Deepak Kumar Sharma, another farmer.
The decision on another special session was taken by the council of ministers late on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

Bengaluru: The state legislature will meet over a special session for the second time in 11 days on October 3--this time to take a call on release of Cauvery water to save withering crops in the basin region, and clearly, also a move which would ensure compliance with the Supreme Court's order, albeit in a subtle manner, on flow of water to Tamil Nadu.

The decision on another special session was taken by the council of ministers late on Saturday after all parties told the state government to stand by the resolution adopted by both Houses of legislature on September 23 that water should be used only to quench the thirst of people in the basin area and Bengaluru.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the media about the second special of legislature, adding that his government never willfully and deliberately defied the order of the apex court but had only expressed helplessness in view of low storage levels in four reservoirs in the basin. He reiterated that the state government would not be in a position to release 6,000 cusecs every day for six days as per the order of the apex court on September 30.

Emerging out of a long-drawn all-party meeting earlier in the day, leaders of BJP and JD(S) said they told the government to stick to the resolution adopted by both Houses of legislature on September 23 and to oppose formation of the Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) as well.
Patna: Two days after the Patna High Court quashed its order on prohibition, Bihar government on Gandhi Jayanti on Sunday came out with a new law banning liquor with more harsh provisions like arrest of all adults in the event of recovery of the contraband in their house.

The government notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 to ensure that the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as well spiced and domestic liquor continued in the state.

At a special Cabinet convened on Sunday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other members of his Cabinet took a pledge that the government would continue with prohibition which is "ushering positive social change" in the state.

Besides retaining many provisions of the previous one, the new liquor law has some more stringent provisions including enhancing duration of imprisonment, hiking amount of fine, arrest of all adults in case of recovery of liquor bottle from a house and collective fine on a place in case of habitual violation of prohibition.

Principal Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) Brajesh Mehrotra usually briefs media about Cabinet decisions, but today the Chief Minister himself took the mike and answered all queries.

The CM told reporters that the new liquor law, brought into force from Sunday, would be a real tribute to the Father of the Nation when the state is readying to observe the centenary celebration of Gandhiji's Champaran Satyagraha against British rule from the state in early 2017.

The new liquor law came into force in Bihar barely two days after the Patna High Court had on Friday quashed its April 5 notification describing it as ultra vires of Constitution.
Ahmedabad: Amid heightened vigil, a Pakistani boat with nine crew members was apprehended off the Gujarat coast this morning by the Indian Coast Guard.

Coast Guard Ship 'Samudra Pavak' apprehended the Pakistani boat having nine crew members on board at around 10.15 am on Sunday off Gujarat coast during patrolling, according to a Defence Minister statement.

Preliminary information indicated the people on board were Pakistani fishermen. However, "the boat and the crew members are being escorted to Porbandar for further investigation," the release said.

The apprehension of the Pakistani boat comes days after the Indian Army conducted surgical strike across LoC, following which a high alert has been sounded across the land and sea border with the neighbouring country.

Earlier on Friday, the Coast Guard had said that sensitive sea areas off Gujarat coast have been "sanitised" and surveillance enhanced following India's surgical strike on terror launch pads across the LoC.

The Coast Guard had also advised the fishing community and other stakeholders to maintain enhanced vigil and report any abnormal activity either at sea or in areas close to the coast.
Earlier, he had expressed disappointment with the prime minister's "reluctance" to intervene in the dispute. (Photo: PTI)

Bengaluru: Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Sunday said he had a "brief" telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Cauvery river water dispute, but did not divulge the details of it.

"Prime Minister Modi had called me up and spoken for a brief while on the Cauvery dispute," he said after garlanding the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri here on their 147th and 112th birth anniversaries respectively.

Gowda, a former chief minister of Karnataka, however, did not divulge the details of the conversation.

Earlier, he had expressed disappointment with the prime minister's "reluctance" to intervene in the dispute and said he was awaiting the outcome of tomorrow's one-day session of the state legislature.

"I have full confidence in both Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. I will wait for the outcome of the one-day legislature session. Let me see, what decision the elected leaders take," he had said.

The Supreme Court, on September 30, had asked Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs of water from October 1 to 6, while warning that "no one would know when the 'wrath of the law' would fall on it".

It had also ordered all the stakeholders in the dispute -- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry -- to give the names of their representatives to be included in the board which would be headed by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti.
In June, Parrikar had stated that the number of the fighter jets were "on path of coming to conclusion".(Photo: PTI)

Pune: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday hinted at the early arrival of the Rafale fighter jets from France to India.

As per the terms of the deal, it is 36 months, but it may come earlier slightly, Parrikar told the media at the sidelines of Swachhta rally.

India on September 23 inked a deal for direct acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

French Defence Minister Yves Le Drian finalised the deal, which will cost India Euros 7.8 billion along with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar.

The negotiations to buy the Rafale fighter jets came through on September 21.

The 'vanila price' (just of the aircraft alone) will cost about 91 million Euros each for a single seater and about 94 million Euros for a two seater trainer aircraft.

The development came after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) discussed the deal and gave the green signal to go ahead with its signing to give a crucial boost to the Indian Air Force.

Parrikar also said that a 12-member committee to suggest structural changes in the military on cutting down flab and reducing revenue (maintenance) expenditure will soon submit its report. The committee is headed by Lt Gen (Retd) DB Shekatkar.

In June, Parrikar had stated that the number of the fighter jets were "on path of coming to conclusion".

Both India and France had hoped to wrap up the strategic order during French President Francois Hollande's visit for the Republic Day celebrations in January this year, but the bargaining over the price stalled the process.
Suhag is the second person apprehended by security forces and police while moving near the border under suspicious circumstances during the last five days. (Photo: File/ Representational Image)

Srinagar: Indian security forces on Saturday night apprehended a suspected Pakistani national moving under suspicious circumstances near the international border in RS Pura sector, Jammu.

32-year-old Abu Bakar Suhag was apprehended by security forces while roaming near village Agreychak, said a report in The Indian Express.

Nothing incriminating was found on his person, and his interrogation is on. However, he appears to be mentally insane, said the report. He repeatedly kept changing his statements.

Suhag is the second person apprehended by security forces and police while moving near the border under suspicious circumstances during the last five days.

An eerie calm prevailed along the borders in Jammu region with no incident of firing from Pakistan side since 10 pm Saturday. Several border villages have been evacuated by security forces due to the looming threat of an attack by Pakistan in revenge for the surgical strikes inside PoK by Indian forces on the morning of September 29.
India on Thursday carried out surgical strikes on eight terror launchpads across the LoC, killing 38 terrorists preparing to infiltrate from PoK. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: India on Saturday rejected claims by the United Nations that the UN mission monitoring the ceasefire has not directly observed any firing along the Line of Control (LoC).

Responding to a question on surgical strikes carried out by India along the LoC, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moons spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a daily press briefing that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) had not directly observed any firing.

Dismissing these remarks, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said facts do not change whether somebody observed them or not.

Facts are facts, we presented the facts and thats where we stand, he said.

India on Thursday carried out surgical strikes on eight terror launchpads across the LoC, killing 38 terrorists preparing to infiltrate from PoK.
Hyderabad: The GHMC on Sunday introduced hawkers zones in the city, limiting the timings for street vendors at specfic areas. GHMC commissioner Dr B. Janardhan Reddy, who launched the zones at a few circles in the Old City, said 5,782 street vendors had been identified across the city; the details fo 2,904 vendors had been uploaded on the website of the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas.

We are providing identity cards to all recognised street vendors, apart from providing special training in skill upgradation and in self-employment. We have constituted town vending committees at the circle level in which 20 per cent members are government employees, 40 per cent are street vendors while 20 per cent are social activists, he said.

He said that the GHMC had introduced hawkers zones in 20 circles in connection with Gandhi Jayanti. Street vending is prohibited in red zones, free vending will be allowed at green zones. Street vending is allowed at specified timings in special zones, he said.
Bengaluru: Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, without revealing the details of his conversation, revealed that he had spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday morning and discussed the Cauvery issue with him.

Speaking to reporters during Gandhi Jayanthi and Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti celebrations at the Janata Dal (Secular) office, Mr Gowda said that Modi had called him and discussed the Cauvery issue.

However, Gowda refused to divulge any details about the talks. I have faith in both Modi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Let us see what decision the three political parties take during the special legislature session on Monday,' Mr Gowda said.

Lauding the contributions of Gandhi and Shastri to the nation, Gowda said politicians should practice what they preach. The two departed leaders did the same and did not leave behind anything for their children, he recalled.

Karnataka, a victim not a villain, says Siddaramaiah

Expressing his displeasure over the turn of events in the Cauvery row, CM Siddaramaiah said that despite respecting the Supreme Court order and letting water flow to Tamil Nadu earlier, Karnataka is being portrayed as a villain.

Speaking at Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations here, he said whatever water was left in the reservoirs was for drinking purpose. Despite trying to convince the SC about the facts, they had not understood our plight, he said.

At the moment, TN does not need water but Karnataka is facing an acute shortage due to 45% deficit rain. Instead of the regular 257 tmcft of water, only 129 tmcft has reached the catchment area, he said.

For the last one and a half months, the Cauvery row is being discussed in national and international forums. Karnataka is being portrayed in bad light on the ground that We are not releasing water to TN and not complying with the SC order,  he said.
Hyderabad: Former RBI Governor Dr. Y.V. Reddy said on Sunday that the word Centre was a misnomer as it was not part of the Constitution. Mr Reddy was speaking at Manthan Samvaad. He said that Centre had no place in the Indian system because the country had emerged from British Rule as a federation.

He said that relations between the states and the Centre  represented by the Union of India  had never been smooth as the states were reluctant to accept the Centre as a powerful reality.

Mr Reddy then recalled his stint in erstwhile AP, while working for the late N.T. Rama Rao, who said that the Centre is a perpetual myth and not a political reality. This belief, according to Mr Reddy, allowed Rao to take on the might of Indira Gandhi and later, Rajiv Gandhi. Despite such indifferent chief ministers, Dr Reddy said India continues to manage complex diversities successfully whereas Europe and Britain struggle.

Dr Reddy gave examples of how equations had evolved between the Centre and State. We have come a long way since the Gadgil formula. Today, we have chief ministers who talk like prime ministers, by setting up their states as examples of model governance. So, we have the Bihar model, Gujarat model, the Tamil Nadu model and the Telangana model, he added.

He also said the purpose of the 14th Finance Commission is now dead after the introduction of the GST law. Our job is to make everybody equally unhappy, he said.

Mr Reddy added that revenue-surplus states such as Telangana were happy but states such as AP and TN were unhappy  AP especially, as it had lost revenue from Hyderabad. About the states request for a Special Status, Dr Reddy said there ought to be a formula for it but the Finance Commission is no place for special category discussions.

GST law, however, he said was the most challenging dynamic to the Centre-State relations. For the first time, we have a tax regime which intersects the centre-state equation. What the Finance Commission faces every five years, he said the GST council has to every year. In the short-term, there will be losers and gainers but in the long-run, everybody wins, he said.

New wave all about connecting people: Manoj Saxena

There is a huge future for Artificial Intelligence which will make the impact of internet look small, said venture capitalist and machine learning expert, Manoj Saxena. Mr Saxena gave his audience a panoramic preview of our future  in which machines that were learning like human beings sparked layoffs on an unprecedented scale.

This new wave was all about connecting people and machines and he said it is likely that unlike the earlier era, in which many low-value jobs were displaced, automation in robots would go after high-value, high-cost jobs.

Uber, Netflix, Airbnb, Facebook and WhatsApp are doing what car companies, cinema chains, newspapers and telecom networks failed to do for decades. Facebook created no content but it is more valuable than newspapers, Netflix owns no cinemas but has higher valuation than cinema houses and similarly, WhatsApp has more users and value in five years than what Vodafone could create in 22 years, he said.

Need for varsity, not the building: Pramath Raj Sinha

In India, we are obsessed with university buildings rather than building universities, said Pramath Raj Sinha, founder of Ashoka University, Delhi, as he opened his talk at Manthan Samvaad on Sunday.

Mr Sinha said the gross enrolment ratio in higher education in India remains under 20 per cent which meant only one in five students would ever go to a college. University education is therefore, very elitist and for the privileged, he said.

Claiming that the entire system of university education was not preparing students to face the future, he said there had to be a shift from giving the right answers to asking the right questions.

Students have to move away from rote-based learning and marks-oriented assessment. Instead of asking which course they should enrol, the students need to understand an array of multiple subjects with enough breadth and length to solve problems of the 21st century, he said.

Mr Sinha said reading, writing and reasoning were more important for which centres of higher learning must separate teaching from research and build the right kind of governance, independent of grants from private businesses.
In what is being seen as an expression of solidarity with New Delhi, Kathmandu said it has condemned the terrorist attack in Uri. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: In a final diplomatic nail in Islamabads coffin in South Asia, current Saarc chair Nepal  in a veiled warning to Pakistan  has said, Saarc members must ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross-border terrorism.

In what is being seen as an expression of solidarity with New Delhi, Kathmandu said it has condemned the terrorist attack in Uri. Nepal also said Pakistan had informed it of the postponement of the Islamabad Saarc summit.

Kathmandu said it would work towards holding the Saarc summit successfully in the future. Maldives had also raised the issue of terrorism on Saturday. With this, Pakistan has been completely isolated in the Saarc as all other nations in the association backing India.

Nepal to initiate fresh talkson summit

Kathmandu said, Nepal regrets that the regional environment is not conducive to host the 19th Saarc summit scheduled for November 9 and 10 in Islamabad. The host country Pakistan has informed the chair of Saarc (Nepal) of the postponement of the 19th Saarc summit... Nepal will initiate the necessary consultations for successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states... To achieve peace and security in the region, Saarc members states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross-border terrorism.

Kathmandu further added, Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism. Nepal has always condemned all acts of terrorism in our own region. Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, Kashmir, on September 18.
Hyderabad: Magsaysay Award winner Bezwada Wilson on Sunday busted the commonly held notion among people that manual scavenging was a result of poverty and illiteracy. He said that it is a result of casteism.

Delivering a talk at Manthan Samvad 2016, Mr Wilson said, There are many illiterates and poor people but not all of them do manual scavenging. It is only people from a few untouchable castes who have been forced to do it for thousands of years. They have been forced to do so because of their caste. You have the privilege to forget your caste but I dont. Brahminism is in everyone's head.

He recalled an instance where he had produced a photograph of a manual scavenger at work in the Supreme Court. The Court said the picture was two years old and told him to get another one.

He said, A human cleaning and carrying human excreta is an image that I cannot bear to see but I was forced to tell the woman to pose for the picture again while working. At some places such photographs had to be clicked 7-8 times, he said.

Mr Wilson attacked the pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, Crores of rupees have been allocated for Swachh Bharat and money is being collected in the name of cess. But why is it that manual scavengers are not being paid the promised compensation ranging from Rs 1-15 lakh. Swachh Bharat was launched by the PM in 2014 but he did utter a word regarding manual scavengers."

He asked, "India has developed cryogenic engine on its own but why is it seeking technological assistance from Western nations when it comes to the simple issue of cleaning sewers and maintaining sanitation?"

Mr Wilson said that apart from casteism, patriarchy is another major issue. He said, "Why did the Gurgaon police recently issue order saying women should not be out after 8 PM. It should have rather passed order that men should not be out after 8 PM because they are the ones who commit crimes against women."

Touching on the beef issue, Mr Wilson questioned the ban on beef asking why a food item that is being consumed by some members of society since ages is being banned. He said, "If cow is matha then why is the dead body of a cow given to a dalit for disposal rather than respectfully cremating it?"
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday decided against considering Gadwal, from where Congress legislator D.K. Aruna has submitted her resignation, as a new district headquarters and said it should be located in the proposed Wanaparthy district.

Besides, Mr Rao decided to continue with the name of Ranga Reddy district, named after freedom fighter and Telangana movement stalwart Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy. His native village of Pedda Mangalaram and the Moinabad revenue mandal are to be tagged to the proposed Shamshabad district.

The proposed new district at Vikarabad will be named as Ananthagiri, where the famous shrine of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy is located. Ananthagiri Hills is the birthplace of Musi river, which flows through Hyderabad.

Green map

These decisions were taken after separate consultations on the reorganisation of districts from Vijayadasami with ruling party public representatives from Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, Ranga Reddy, Medak and Nizamabad districts. Mr Rao finally decided to go ahead with the same proposals with minor changes in inclusion of villages in proposed revenue mandals and divisions.

The Chief Minister told party leaders to take the exercise in all earnestness, and that any change should be done with the consent of local people.

He told them that wherever disputes regarding inclusion of a particular mandal or division cropped up, he had instructed the intelligence wing to give him inputs and based on which the government would take a decision, Mr Rao will meet representantives from Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts.
Chennai: Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao visited Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in the Apollo Hospital, where she is being treated and said he was happy to note she is recovering well.

A press release from Raj Bhavan said the Governor visited the Chief Minister in the ward where she is being given treatment. He was thankful to doctors who took him to the ward where the Chief Minister is being given treatment and explaining in detail the treatment given to her.

The Governor was happy to note that the Chief Minister is recovering well. He appreciated the doctors for providing the best medical care and treatment to the Chief Minister, the release noted.

The Governor was briefed by Apollo Hospital chairman Dr Pratap Reddy on the treatment being given to the Chief Minister. Vidyasagar Rao presented a basket of fruits and wished the Chief Minister speedy recovery, the release added.

Lok Sabha deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai, Ministers O. Panneerselvam, K. Palanisamy, P. Thangamani, S.P. Velumani, C. Vijaya Baskar, Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao, adviser to the government Sheela Balakrishnan and Principal health secretary J. Radhakrishnan received the Governor on his arrival at the hospital, the release said.

The visit comes after an appeal to the Governor by DMK chief M. Karunanidhi to take measures for transparency in flow of information on the Chief Ministers health.

The DMK leader had demanded that the actual condition of the Chief Minister should be revealed to people with appropriate evidence through the media.
"Eventually we have to talk to each other. We better declare war on poverty than against each other," he said. (Photo: PTI)

Budhlada: Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Sunday disapproved of the evacuation of people from the border areas of the state, alleging the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is creating "unnecessary war hysteria and tension" with an eye on Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

"Our army is staying at peace time zones and our villages are being uprooted. Punjabis are being made scapegoats for next year's Uttar Pradesh elections, as BJP has been unable to establish any foothold there so far," he claimed.

"When there are not even remote signs of war, why uproot poor farmers and that too at a time when their crops are ready for harvest?" Amarinder asked.

Asserting that as of now, there are no signs of war which would necessitate their relocation or evacuation to safer areas, the Congress leader appealed to villagers along the border areas not to leave and said he will join them soon.

"Punjabis are known for valour, courage, and bravery. They will love to fight alongside their Army than run away, which the BJP is trying to make them do. But they will never do it," he claimed.

Speaking to mediapersons along the sidelines of 'Halke vich Captain' programme here, Amarinder claimed that there were no troop movements on the either side of the border after the surgical strike by the Indian Army on terror launch pads across the LoC.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, instead of meekly submitting to the Centre's diktats, should have taken a stand against the evacuation, Amarinder said, adding even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for de-escalation of tension.

The Congress leader maintained that Pakistan has no reason to retaliate since the Indian Army had not attacked Pakistan Army, but destroyed the terrorist camps and launch pads across the LoC.

Amarinder said, while India should continue its diplomatic efforts to isolate Pakistan, it must also not close the option of talks.

"Eventually we have to talk to each other. We better declare war on poverty than against each other," he said.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Government on Saturday proposed the name of R. Subramanian, chairman of the Cauvery Technical Committee (CTC), to represent the state at the proposed Cauvery Management Board.

The state government communicated to the Union water resources ministry in an urgent communication on Saturday that Subramanian, former chief engineer of the public works department, would be the member of the CMB on behalf of Tamil Nadu.

The CTCs job is to apprise the government and advocates of technical nuances of different dimensions of the dispute. The cell consists of specialists from different disciplines such as groundwater and agriculture. Meanwhile, Puducherry Government has appointed P. Swaminathan, chief engineer, PWD, as the UTs representative to the CMB.
Chennai: As a top-notch doctor from London Bridge Hospital joined the team treating Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa at the Apollo Hospital here, the AIADMK on Saturday rejected demands for release of her photograph saying there was no need for such an action.

Dr Richard John Beale, an expert on acute lung injury, multiple organ failure and general intensive care, joined the team of doctors at the Apollo Hospitals which has been treating the Chief Minister admitted on September 22.

Mr Beale is understood to expressed satisfaction at the treatment being given to Ms Jayalalithaa at the hospital and is expected to be in Chennai for a couple of days to monitor her progress.

While there was no word on Dr Richard from the Apollo Hospitals, AIADMK spokesperson Panruti S. Ramachandran told reporters that he has begun his treatment and that they were satisfied. Anyone can fall sick. Even Hillary Clinton fell sick. Only doctors can give the right picture, he said.

Responding to demand by DMK chief M. Karunanidhi that the Tamil Nadu government should release the photograph of the Chief Minister, Mr Ramachandran said the former had no right to demand. I dont think he has any right. The hospital is releasing whatever information that public needs to know. Only doctors can tell about the treatment. There is no necessity to release pictures of the CM. We are answerable to the people and not to the Opposition, Mr Ramachandran said.

The AIADMK spokesperson also appealed to people not to believe rumors that are being spread about Ms Jayalalithaas health.

Who is Dr Richard Beale?

Professor Richard Beale, currently consultant intensivist, Critical Care Unit, at the London Bridge Hospital is a top-notch expert on acute lung injury, multiple organ failure and general intensive care.

Consultant at several hospitals in Britain, Dr Beales clinical and research interests include sepsis, haemodynamic monitoring, advanced ventilation, nutrition in the critically ill, and intensive care informatics.

Having received his medical degree (MBBS) from St Bartholomews Hospital, London, in 1984, Dr Beale undertook his General Professional Training in Anaesthetics at Guys Hospital, London and was accordingly admitted to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 1990. He has acted as principle investigator in a large number of multicentre research studies in the fields of sepsis, ARDS and clinical nutrition. He maintains up to date training in ICH GCP and the EU Clinical Trials Directive.

CPI leaders demand daily briefings on CM

The CPI state committee which met on Saturday passed a resolution demanding daily briefings by the Chief Secretary on the health condition of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa to end the rumours and make people know the real situation.

The resolution said the briefings should give the full details on her present health condition, kind of ailment and the treatment given. Only through this, rumours could be quelled and added that there is a necessity to inform the people on the real position.

The party said many speculations and rumours are continuing leading to confusion and tension among the public. The hospital had said she should stay in the hospital for a few more days for further treatment, the party noted.

CPI is the second party to demand transparent information on the Chief Minister's health. DMK president M. Karunanidhi had already sought releasing of photographs and daily briefings to the media about Chief Minister's health condition..

The CPI, in another resolution, condemned the hunger protest of Union Ministers and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and said it was an attempt to incite the people against the Supreme Court verdict and endanger national integrity and unity, the party said in another resolution.
Hyderabad: Leader of the Opposition in the TS Legislative Council, Mohd. Ali Shabbir on Saturday accused Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao of desecrating the pious institutions of the Legislature by postponing the monsoon session of Assembly and Council without even informing the Opposition parties.

This, he said, amounts to disrespecting the highest law-making bodies in the state. Mr Shabbir Ali said that the Congress will serve privilege notice against the Chief Minister for going against the assurance he had given to the Legislature.

Addressing the media at the Gandhi Bhavan here, he said that when the Assembly and Council met on August 30 to ratify the Goods and Services Tax Bill, the Chief Minister and Legislative affairs minister T. Harish Rao had assured the Business Advisory Committees that the monsoon session would be convened from September 20. However, they conveniently forgot the assurance given to the BAC and prorogued the Assembly to facilitate passing of an ordinance on new districts.

This, he said, was nothing but utter disrespect to the institution of Legislature, which is the first pillar of democracy.

Mr Shabbir Ali said that the CLP would serve a notice against Mr Chandrasekhar Rao as well as Mr Harish Rao for breach of privilege. He alleged that the TRS government was afraid of facing the Opposition in Assembly and Council.

Branding Mr Chandrasekhar Rao as a U-turn Chief Minister, Mr Shabbir Ali accused the TRS government of taking a unilateral decision on formation of new districts.

He said during the all-party meeting held on August 20, the CM had assured that another all-party meeting would be convened before the final notification was issued, but this was never done.

KCR will be go down in history as a liar CM who broke all records of giving fake assurances and making hollow promises. He never honoured his words, the Congress leader said.
Hyderabad: Telangana Congress leaders on Sunday demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao immediately convene a session of the Assembly to discuss farmers issues.

TPCC president N. Uttam kumar Reddy, working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Leader of Opposition in Assembly K. Jana Reddy, former PCC chiefs Ponnala Laxmaiah and V. Hanumantha Rao told mediapersons at Gandhi Bhavan that the farming community had suffered huge losses on account of four years of drought and due to the recent rain and floods in many parts of the state.

They said the governments own preliminary estimates showed that crops in 4,45,792 acres had been damaged due to rains. They alleged that the government had not released the third annual instalment of crop loan waiver, which had further aggravated the plight of farmers who were being refused fresh loans by banks.

They said that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao instead touring the districts to ascertain the facts from farmers had confined himself either to his farmhouse or camp office. He had even failed to take the situation to the notice of the Centre which would have deputed teams to assess crop damage.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said Mr Rao having failed to convene a high level meeting with officials on the recent rain should come to the aid of farmers by announcing compensation for crop damage. He criticised the government for its failure to contain the distribution of spurious seeds by private seed manufacturers.
Belagavi: All BJP legislators attending the special session of the state legislature on Monday, will unequivocally support the state government's stand not to release water to Tamil Nadu besides insisting on an immediate change of the team of advocates headed by Fali Nariman in the larger interests of Karnataka, said former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa.

While criticising the Siddaramaiah government for ignoring BJP's suggestions on the Cauvery issue, he said his party opposes the court's unfair' verdict on Cauvery and demanded that the government not release even a drop of water to Tamil Nadu. Speaking to mediapersons who met him in Belagavi on Sunday, Mr Yeddyurappa said, The state government did not value us (BJP) when we urged them earlier not to go to the Cauvery tribunal. None of the BJP's suggestions and advice were taken seriously by the government including changing the team of advocates,' he said.

The state BJP is opposing the court's verdict over Cauvery for the past 15 days and will continue to do so because the region depending on Cauvery water in the state has dried up and people are facing an acute scarcity of drinking water.

The BJP urges the state government to appeal against the court's verdict again to ensure justice for people, he added. It was made clear to the government at the all-party meeting in Bengaluru on Saturday that Fali Nariman did not plead in favour of the state in the Supreme Court, said Mr Yeddyurappa.

While reminding CM Siddaramaiah that the state would not get justice by retaining the same team of advocates, Mr Yeddyurappa said Mr Nariman's stand on Cauvery issue had pained him a lot. All BJP legislators will attend Monday's special session of the legislature and later attend the party's state executive in Belagavi, he said.

States legal team paid Rs 76 crore

The states advocates in the Cauvery and Mahadayi water sharing disputes were paid a whopping Rs76.21 crore as fees by the government for attending to the cases in both tribunals so far.

After RTI information revealed details of the huge fees paid to them on Saturday, an RTI activist, Bheemappa Gadad from Belagavi, has urged the advocates including Fali Nariman to immediately return the fees which they received from the government to avoid loss to the state's exchequer.

So far, 580 sittings have been conducted by Cauvery Water Tribunal starting from July 28, 1990. As per RTI information provided by the Water Resources Department, the advocates attending the Cauvery tribunal sittings were paid Rs 39.52 crore. Their last fee was paid on August 17, 2016.

Among the team of advocates who were paid the fee are Anil Diwan Rs 13.91 crore, Fali Nariman Rs 7.74 crore, Sharad Javali Rs 4.58 crore and Mohan Katarki Rs 4.47 crore. Brijesh Kalappa got Rs 82.5 lakh, S.P. Singh Rs 2.53 crore, Ranveer Singh Rs 35.14 lakh, S.C. Sharma Rs 52.10 lakh.

The advocates who attended to cases before the tribunal were not able to safeguard the government's interests, said Mr Gadad. The advocates should immediately return the crores they took from the government without causing any loss to the state's exchequer, he added.

In case of Mahadayi, the tribunal had 306 sittings from November 2004 to September 2016 for which the advocates were paid Rs 39.69 crore. The amount was paid to them until July 31, 2016, according to RTI information.

Advocates who were paid in Mahadayi and Cauvery cases are (total fees paid to them): Rs 26.24 crore (Anil Diwan), Rs 14.76 crore (Fali Nariman), Rs 9.40 crore (Sharat Jawali), Rs 7.85 crore (Mohan Katarki), Rs 3.89 crore (Brijesh Kalappa), Rs 2.53 crore (S.P. Singh), Rs 1.5 crore (Ranveer Singh), Rs 1.46 crore (S.C. Sharma), Rs 1.8 crore (Basavaprabhu Patil) and Rs 1.20 crore (R.S. Papu).
Ever-elusive Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has decided to play even more hard to get on the eve of the Assembly elections in the state. The Chief Minister has announced that the weekly Janata Darbar where the common man lined up with his problems was being stopped in view of his preoccupation with elections. Mr Yadav had launched the Janata Darbar with much fanfare when he took over as chief minister in 2012, but a few weeks later, he apparently lost interest in it and other ministers, mainly Shivpal Yadav, started attending to peoples grievances  and there were thousands of them every week.

Party leaders feel the Chief Ministers announcement of closing the Janata Darbar could not have been more ill-timed. With elections around the corner, we should have actually made the Janata Darbar a bi-weekly affair so that people could bring their grievances to us. Even if the Chief Minister was bust, other ministers could have taken over. Announcing the close of the programme is like shutting your door on peoples faces, said a party leader. Insiders, however, feel the closure of the Janata Darbar was designed to snub uncle Shivpal since he was the one who regularly made himself accessible to people and party workers who came from other districts. Apparently, the voters will now feel the heat of the raging family war in the Yadav clan.

A divided house

Does any one remember Satya Ranjan Das Munshi? The younger brother of ailing Congress stalwart Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, who was roped in by the Trinamul in November 2013 and was pitted against fiery Mamata-baiter Deepa Das Munshi in Raiganj constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Mr Satya Ranjan could not defeat his boudi (sister-in-law), but he ensured her defeat by splitting enough anti-Left votes. Deepa lost to CPMs Mohammed Salim by a slender margin. Ms Banerjee embarked on the same gameplan to make inroads into Congress bastion Malda. She engineered a division in the famous Khan Chowdhury family of Kotwali.

She pitted A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhurys brother Abu Nasar Khan Chowdhury against his own nephew Isa Khan Chowdhury in Shujapur constituency in the last Assembly election. She fielded yet another Khan Chowdhury scion Shehnaz Quadery in Ratua seat. The Trinamul Congress could not win either seat but at least the party has now established a significant foothold in Malda because the Khan Chowdhury fiefdom is a divided house.

Adopting the same strategy, the Trinamul inducted the estranged brother-in-law of another belligerent Mamata-adversary, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the state Congress president. Last week, Ms Banerjee engineered another coup of sort. On the one hand, the hills were once again on the boil after Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri imposed a shutdown as a show of strength by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. On the other hand, Mr Giris younger sister Parishma Giri joined the Trinamul Congress in Kolkata, saying she disapproved her brothers political ideology and believed in Ms Banerjees political ideology. Mr Giri is the second in command in the hierarchy of the GJM.

Power of punchlines

Perhaps no politician other than Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik in contemporary politics knows better how to marginalise potential rivals either in the party forum or in Opposition platforms at opportune moments. Mr Patnaik recently ensured that the only left-out dhoti-clad colleague, Damodar Rout, was cut into size and never made any noise against his governments failures.

When a special debate on the Mahanadi water dispute was held in the just-concluded Assembly, young BJD lawmakers were given preference to speak on the issue. Deprived and hurt, Dr Rout told mediapersons: Im born in a village located on the banks of Mahanadi. Those who have not seen the river were allowed to give lectures. You can better imagine what could be the gravity of the debate and seriousness on our part to protect the river. Always a good friend of the media for his punchlines, Dr Rout the next day found all the vernacular dailies carrying his dissatisfaction prominently in their front pages. His hurt feeling was assuaged to a great extent, said the ministers followers.

More sugar, please

How much does bad news cost? Just a teaspoon full of sugar! Believe it or not, it takes hardly an additional teaspoon full of sugar for Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh to digest negative news appearing in the media. I anticipate both favourable and unfavourable news when I open newspapers in the morning every day. I just add an additional teaspoon of sugar to my tea when I come across an adverse story critical of my government. This makes me positive and inspires me to perform better, the longest-serving BJP Chief Minister in the country said while addressing a seminar at Raipur on September 26.

No wonder the gathering had found his unique way of sweetening bitter media reports amusing and interesting. The ayurvedic doctor-turned-politician compared the adverse media reports to quinine pill that is bitter but effectively treats malaria. Similarly, negative media reports also contribute to correction of malfunctioning of the government. Sun dispels darkness and also is essential for sustenance of life. Sun also emits harmful ultra-violet radiations that are blocked by ozone layer in atmosphere. Media acts like ozone layer trying to shield society from evils, he added. If the political grapevine in Raipur is to be believed, Mr Singh has been advised by doctors to regulate his sugar intake. Adverse media reports to blame!
Washington: The army has often played a prominent role in the governance of Pakistan as democracy has not been tailored to its environment, the country's former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf has said.

"Army has always had a role since our independence. It has played a very prominent role in the governance of Pakistan, mainly because of mis-governance by all the so-called democratically-elected governments," Mr Musharraf said in an interview at the Washington Ideas Forum here on Thursday.

He said the "inherent weakness" of Pakistan is that democracy in the country has not been tailored in accordance with the dictates of the environment. "There are no checks and balances within the system. The constitution doesn't provide those checks and balances."

"Therefore, the military is forced and pulled, sucked into the political environment, especially when mis-governance is going on and Pakistan is going down in all socioeconomic indicators. The public and the people massively run towards the army chief, and that is how the army gets involved," Mr Musharraf said, justifying the frequent military coups in the country.

He said this was the reason for Pakistan having military governments and the army enjoying high stature.

"The people of Pakistan love the army and demand a lot from it. So I'm very proud of the fact that army has backed me because I've been with them for over 40 years. I fought wars with them, I've fought two wars and I've fought a number of actions with them. So I know they are my constituency," he said in response to a question.

"So, therefore, we have to maybe tailor the political structure in accordance with the dictates of Pakistan, introduce checks and balances so that mis-governance does not take place and the army does not have to come into politics," Mr Musharraf said.

He also alleged that the United States has used his country at its convenience and ditched it.

Mr Musharraf said he has plans to return to his country. "I know that the trial is all politicised. One has to face it. And no risk, no gain, as they say," he said, adding that he would not go back if the government in Pakistan was performing well.

"I have no such ambition of going back and ruling again. I just want people to run Pakistan well, because Pakistan is my passion," he said.

However, the former president put forth conditions for his return.

"I'm not that foolhardy. So therefore, I would like to see the correct environment where a political change, the third political force is a possibility. I would like to see that the cases are to a degree at a level where my movements are not restricted, the cases can continue, I'll face them," he said.

"I want my movement not to be restricted because I realise that unless I lead from the front, I wouldn't be able to generate the public support that I would require to create the third front," he argued.

Claiming that he did not knew that Osama bin Laden was living in Pakistan, Mr Musharraf objected to his hideout being called a palace.

Constructing a wall outside one home, he said, is a "normal thing" in that part of his country, so bin Laden living in a house fenced with a high wall was nothing that could have been thought of as unusual.

Mr Musharraf said he had doubts whether bin Laden had indeed lived at his Abbottabad house for five years.

"Maybe he was going and coming, I still believe that. And if he was there in one of the -- in one of the public gatherings where I was being grilled on this aspect, I finally said that the man living for five years in one room with three wives and 18 children, I think he must have rang up CIA himself and declared that he's there," he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
The incident took place in Omaha city of the US state of Nebraska. (Representational Image)

Omaha, Nebraska: A US teenager flung her prematurely born baby girl to death from the window of a second-floor apartment, minutes after delivering the newborn in her bedroom.

The incident took place in Omaha city of the US state of Nebraska.

According to a report in the Mirror, the 16-year-old went into labour when she was asleep and gave birth to a girl shortly after, in her bedroom while she was alone.

Panicked, the teen threw the baby out of her window and later told her mother what had happened. The girl's mother informed police officials and emergency services were brought in.

When police arrived, they saw a woman performing CPR on an infant.

The teen and her newborn were both rushed to the hospital. However, the baby died on the way.

Police said that they have not yet registered a case against the teenager. Authorities said that they are awaiting autopsy reports of the baby.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton shake hands during the presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead on Monday. (Photo: AP)

Grand Rapids, United States: Donald Trump is encouraging voters to check out a "sex tape" featuring the former beauty queen with whom he's feuding. Hillary Clinton's campaign is suggesting that a better rental is the adult film in which Trump himself appears.

With the presidential campaign taking a sordid turn Friday, even many of Trump's supporters shook their heads, worried that their candidate's latest outburst could further hurt him among female voters already skeptical but whose support he'll badly need to win in November.

The Republican nominee's a pre-dawn Twitter tirade tore into the 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, a Venezuela-born woman whose weight gain Trump has said created terrible problems for the pageant he owned at the time. Clinton had cited Trump's treatment of Machado near the end of their first debate, and Trump has spent days revisiting his complaints about Machado.

"Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a US citizen so she could use her in the debate?" read a tweet Trump posted at 5:30 a.m., one in a series of attacks on her.

The "sex tape" tweet apparently referred to footage from a Spanish reality show in 2005 in which Machado was a contestant and appeared on camera in bed with a male contestant. The images are grainy and do not include nudity, though Machado later acknowledged in the Hispanic media that she was having sex in the video.

Muddying the waters: an explicit 2000 Playboy video with a cameo by Trump. In a short clip posted on the website BuzzFeed, Trump pours a bottle of champagne on a Playboy-branded limo on a New York street, surrounded by a gaggle of women.

"There's been a lot of talk about sex tapes today and in a strange turn of events only one adult film has emerged today, and its star is Donald Trump," said Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill, adding he hadn't seen the film.

Meanwhile, Trump's campaign accused the media and Clinton of colluding to set him up for fresh condemnation, to which Clinton retorted, "His latest twitter meltdown is unhinged, even for him."

Machado herself took to Facebook to say Trump's tweets were part of a pattern of "demoralizing women," calling them "cheap lies with bad intentions." Planned Parenthood said it showed that Trump's "misogyny knows no bounds." And Clinton said they showed anew why someone with Trump's temperament "should not be anywhere near the nuclear codes."

With less than 40 days left in the election, Trump's broadside threw his campaign into a fresh round of second-guessing the candidate's instincts and confusion about what to do next. To believers in traditional political norms, it seemed like the opposite of what was needed to win over females, Hispanics and young Americans whose support could well determine the election.

Shaming Machado over intimate details from her past could be particularly risky as Trump tries to win over more female voters, many of whom are turned away by such personal attacks. It also risks calling further attention to the thrice-married Trump's own history with women.

What kind of a man, Clinton asked, "stays up all night to smear a woman with lies and conspiracy theories?"

Even Trump's most vocal allies seemed at a loss for words.

"He's being Trump. I don't have any comment beyond that," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a top supporter. Generally chatty and occasionally critical of Trump, Gingrich said tersely that Trump sometimes does "strange things," but that Clinton lies. "I'll let you decide which is worse for America."

But Trump's inner circle followed his lead by refusing to concede any missteps. Trump did not mention the tweets Friday evening as he rallied supporters in Michigan. Instead, he returned to Twitter to invoke Clinton's famous ad from her 2008 campaign portraying her as the best candidate to pick up an urgent call at the White House at 3 am.

"For those few people knocking me for tweeting at three o'clock in the morning, at least you know I will be there, awake, to answer the call!" Trump wrote.
Tokyo: Japan and India are likely to sign a civil nuclear cooperation pact during a visit to Japan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in mid-November, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday.

The governments of Asia's second- and third-largest economies are leaning toward holding a summit meeting between PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, the report said, citing unidentified diplomatic sources from both nations.

The two leaders last December reached a basic agreement for cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, but they stopped short of signing the agreement, citing outstanding technical and legal differences.

Japan, the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, has been demanding additional non-proliferation guarantees from India, which has a nuclear weapons programme, before exporting nuclear reactors.

India and Japan have been negotiating the nuclear energy deal since Japan's ally, the United States, opened the way for nuclear commerce with India, which has shunned the global Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The two countries have reached a basic agreement during the working level negotiations that Japan would halt cooperation immediately if India conducted a nuclear test, the report added.

A final deal with Japan would benefit US firms. India has already given land for nuclear plants to GE-Hitachi - which is an alliance between the US and Japanese firms - and to Toshiba's Westinghouse Electric Company.
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday apologised to Jews for comparing himself with Adolf Hitler but said he did nothing wrong and reiterated his desire to kill millions of drug addicts.

Duterte, whose bloody war on crime had already drawn international condemnation, sparked fresh outrage on Friday when he likened his deadly crime war with Hitler's efforts to exterminate Jews.

Duterte said he was merely reacting to critics who drew comparisons between him and the Nazi leader.

"So I said, 'sure I am Hitler, but the ones I will kill are these (drug addicts)'," Duterte said in a speech broadcast on national television.

"But it is not really that I said something wrong. But rather they do not really want to tinker with the memory so I apologise profoundly and deeply to the Jewish (people).

"It was never my intention but the problem was I was criticised using Hitler, comparing to me. But I was very emphatic. I will kill the three million."

Duterte, 71, won elections in May in a landslide after a campaign dominated by his pledge to eradicate drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people.

Since taking office on June 30, police have killed more than 1,200 people and about 1,800 others have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

While issuing his qualified apology on Friday, Duterte continued to lash out at Western critics and warned he was willing to kick all American troops out of the Philippines.

"The Americans, I don't like them.... they are reprimanding me in public. So I say: 'Screw you, fuck you, everything else. You are stupid'," he said.

Duterte threatened to cancel a defence accord with the United States, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), that went into force in January.

That agreement, sealed under the administration of Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino, allows US forces access to five Philippine bases to help counterbalance a growing Chinese presence in the South China Sea.

"This EDCA is an official document... but it does not bear the signature of the president of the republic," Duterte said.

"Better think twice now because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether."

The United States and the Philippines are longtime allies bound by a mutual defence pact.

However Duterte has repeatedly threatened to move away from the United States and forge closer ties China and Russia.

Duterte last month branded US President Barack Obama a "son of a whore".

Duterte on Sunday also hit out at the Europeans saying: "These stupid lawyers in the EU... well, screw you. I will kick you.
Peshawar: A Sikh man was abducted from his home and gunned down by suspected militants in Afghanistan's restive Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, a media report said on Sunday.

Sardar Rawail Singh, who lived in Jalalabad, was abducted from his house on Saturday morning by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area.

The incident triggered a massive protest by the minority Sikh community that staged a demonstration by placing the body of Singh in front of the provincial governor's house in Jalalabad and demanded the arrest of the killers.

They accused security forces of negligence in arresting the killers and asked the government to bring to justice the killers as soon as possible.

Later, deputy governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal met the protesting Sikhs and pacified them. He said a case has been filed and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.

The insurgents abducted Singh from his home at about 7:20 AM (local time) yesterday and gunned him down at Khalis Famil area, provincial governors spokesman Attaullah Khogyani was quoted as saying by Pajhwok Afghan News.

Rawinder, one of the protesters, said Singh had a dispute with his neighbour on Friday.

Next morning, the neighbour came along with some gunmen and abducted Singh from his home before killing him, he said, adding that Singh had invited his friends for a party at his home when his neighbour objected.

Darbhajan, a friend of Singh, said the minority communitys "homes are being occupied, we are threatened and our friend was mercilessly killed but no one came to our help.
London: All EU rules and legislation will be enshrined in British law after Brexit and then regulations deemed unnecessary will be abolished in subsequent years, ITV's political editor reported on Saturday, without citing sources.

Prime Minister Theresa May will make the pledge during a speech at the Conservative Party conference on Sunday to provide certainty to businesses as to the legality of their products, deals completed and employment rules, ITV reported.

A government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Berlin: A veteran ally of Angela Merkel urged Muslims in Germany on Sunday to develop a "German Islam" based on liberalism and tolerance, saying the influx of people seeking refuge, many of them Muslims, is a challenge for mainstream society.

Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, stepping out of his usual finance remit, urged tolerance, saying the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants required a better understanding among Germans of what is important to them and how they want to live.

Almost 1 million migrants from the Middle East and Africa, came to Germany last year, stoking social tensions and boosting support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has said Islam is not compatible with the constitution.

The arrival of large numbers of refugees has strained communities and led to a rise in far-right violence and attacks on migrant shelters, particularly in eastern Germany.

Schaeuble, a stalwart of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), said: "Without a doubt, the growing number of Muslims in our country today is a challenge for the open-mindedness of mainstream society."

In a guest article for conservative paper Welt am Sonntag, he added: "The origin of the majority of refugees means that we will be increasingly dealing with people from quite different cultural circles than previously."

Schaeuble, 74, is seen as possible CDU candidate for Chancellor should Merkel not seek re-election next year.

He acknowledged that sexual attacks by migrants in Cologne and two attacks by migrants claimed by the Islamic State militant group over the summer had soured the mood.

"We should not, in this more tense situation, allow an atmosphere to emerge in which well-integrated people in Germany feel alien," he said.

Despite the rising number of xenophobic attacks in Germany, Schaeuble said he believed the majority of Germans would say: "Yes, we want you to belong to us."

The migrant crisis and the integration of the large number of refugees has raised question marks over Merkel's re-election prospects.

Her Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), have relentlessly blamed her open-door refugee policy for the CDU's poor showing in recent state elections and want to cap the number of migrants coming to Germany at 200,000 a year.

Schaeuble emphasized at an annual conference on Islam last Tuesday that people of all faiths are part of Germany, repeating a view that Merkel voiced in 2015 at the height of the popularity of the anti-Islam PEGIDA grassroots movement.
Vatican City: Pope Francis warned on Saturday of a "global war" against traditional marriage and the family, saying both were under attack from gender theory and divorce.

Francis made his comments in an impromptu response to a question at a meeting of the small Catholic community in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia.

"You mentioned a great enemy of marriage: gender theory," the pope said in response to a woman who had asked about it being taught in schools.

He did not elaborate.

Gender theory is broadly the concept that while a person may be biologically male or female, they have the right to identify themselves as male, female, both or neither.

"Today, there is a global war out to destroy marriage," Francis said. "Not with weapons but with ideas ... we have to defend ourselves from ideological colonisation."

The pope has used the phrase "ideological colonisation" in the past to denounce what he says are attempts by rich countries to link development aid to the acceptance of social policies such as those allowing gay marriage and contraception.

Francis, who has been more accepting of homosexuals than his predecessors but opposes gay marriage, also appeared to be referring to it when he said "marriage is the most beautiful thing that God has created" adding that the Bible says God created man and woman to become one flesh.

In the same answer, he said the growing acceptance of divorce was another threat to the family.
Madrid: An airplane flying from Portugal to Angola was forced to make an emergency landing in Lisbon after a cargo worker was reported missing  and the man was found inside the cargo hold, alive but suffering from hypothermia.

Lisbon airport spokesman Rui Oliveira told The Associated Press that the TAAG Angola Airlines plane left the Portuguese city of Porto around 10 am on Saturday en route to Angola's capital of Luanda.

The worker was reported missing in Porto after loading cargo on the airplane and believed to be trapped inside the cargo hold, he said. The plane made an emergency landing in Lisbon at around 11 am

Oliveira did not disclose further details about the worker but said he's in stable condition recovering at a hospital in Lisbon.
A petition filed on the official UK Parliament website calling on Britain to strongly condemn Pakistan over terrorism crossed the threshold of 10,000 signatures on Sunday. (Photo: AFP/Representational)

London: A new petition filed on the official UK Parliament website calling on Britain to "strongly condemn" Pakistan for providing a safe haven for terrorists on Sunday crossed the threshold of 10,000 signatures, making it incumbent upon the UK government to respond to it.

The petition titled 'UK Govt to strongly condemn Pakistan for providing safe haven for terrorists' has now crossed the number of signatures required to make it incumbent upon the UK government to respond to it.

But the aim is to gather as many as 100,000 signatures by the March 29, 2017, deadline so that the issue has to be considered for a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons.

"Pakistan continues to double speak on issue of terrorism. It has aided & abetted enemies of the international coalition (of which Britain is a leading partner with the US) against terrorism. Osama Bin Laden's hideout was in Pakistan. Pakistan continues to harbour UN sanctioned terror networks," reads the petition, authored by an Indian-origin professional Naman Paropkari.

It goes on: "The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has often been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks across the world including the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, terrorism in Kashmir, Indian Parliament Attack and Mumbai terror attacks."

"It has been noted by many that several militant & criminal groups are backed by senior officers in the Pakistani army & the country's ISI intelligence establishment. Daniel Byman says Pakistan is probably today's most active sponsor of terrorism," the petition said.

Byman is a professor at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service in the Security Studies Programme and Department of Government.

Tensions between India and Pakistan are growing after militants stormed an Indian Army base in Uri on September 18, killing 19 soldiers.

The terror launch pads across the border were targeted by the Indian Army last week, inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Mahatma Gandhi is considered one of history's great champions of non-violent struggle. (Photo: Pixabay)

Sweden: Nobel Prizes cannot be revoked, so the judges must put a lot of thought into their selections for the six awards, which will be announced in the next two weeks.

A discovery might seem groundbreaking today, but will it stand the test of time?

Prize founder Alfred Nobel wanted to honor those whose discoveries created "the greatest benefit to mankind."

Here are five Nobel Prize decisions that, in hindsight, seem questionable:

When a German who organized poison gas attacks won the chemistry prize.

Fritz Haber was awarded the 1918 chemistry award for discovering how to create ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gases. His method was used to manufacture fertilizers and delivered a major boost to agriculture worldwide.

But the Nobel committee completely overlooked Haber's role in chemical warfare during World War I. Enthusiastically supporting the German war effort, he supervised the first major chlorine gas attack at Ypres, Belgium, in 1915, which killed thousands of Allied troops.

When the medicine committee awarded a cancer discovery that wasn't.

Danish scientist Johannes Fibiger won the 1926 medicine award for discovering that a roundworm caused cancer in rats.

There was only one problem: the roundworm didn't cause cancer in rats.

Fibiger insisted his research showed that rats ingesting worm larvae by eating cockroaches developed cancer. At the time when he won the prize, the Nobel judges thought that made perfect sense.

It later turned out the rats developed cancer from a lack of vitamin A. Oops.

When the chemistry prize honored man who found use for DDT, which was later banned.

The 1948 medicine prize to Swiss scientist Paul Mueller honored a discovery that ended up doing both good and bad.

Mueller didn't invent dichlorodiphenyltricloroethane, or DDT, but he discovered that it was a powerful pesticide that could kill lots of flies, mosquitoes and beetles in a short time.

The compound proved very effective in protecting agricultural crops and fighting insect-borne diseases like Typhus and Malaria. DDT saved hundreds of thousands of lives and helped eradicate malaria from southern Europe.

But in the 1960s environmentalists found that DDT was poisoning wildlife and the environment. The US banned DDT in 1972 and in 2001 it was banned by an international treaty, though exemptions are allowed for some countries fighting malaria.

When the man who invented lobotomy won the medicine prize.

Carving up people's brains may have seemed like a good idea at the time. But in hindsight, rewarding Portuguese scientist Antonio Egas Moniz in 1949 for inventing lobotomy to treat mental illness wasn't the Nobel Prizes' finest hour.

The method became very popular in the 1940s, and at the award ceremony it was praised as "one of the most important discoveries ever made in psychiatric therapy."

But it had serious side effects: some patients died and others were left severely brain damaged. Even operations that were considered successful left patients unresponsive and emotionally numb.

The method declined quickly in the 1950s as drugs to treat mental illness became widespread and it's used very seldom today.

When Mahatma Gandhi didn't win the peace prize.

Mahatma Gandhi, considered one of history's great champions of non-violent struggle, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize no fewer than five times. He never won.

The peace prize committee, which rarely concedes a mistake, eventually acknowledged that not awarding Mahatma Gandhi was an omission.

In 1989 - 41 years after Mahatma Gandhi's death - the Nobel committee chairman paid tribute to him as he presented that year's award to the Dalai Lama.
In Egyptian culture, the term 'Miss' is used for referring to a woman who is considered to be a virgin. (Representational Image)

Cairo: An Egyptian lawmaker has said that women should be forced to undergo virginity tests before being admitted to a university.

Parliamentary lawmaker Elhamy Agina has called on the Ministry of High Education to issue a notice that would enforce virginity tests on women seeking admission. He further stated that the university should issue admission cards to those females who clear the test, said a report in the Independent.

"Any girl who enters university, we have to check her medical examination to prove that she is a Miss. Therefore, each girl must present an official document upon being admitted to university stating shes a Miss," Agina was quoted as saying in an interview.

In Egyptian culture, the term 'Miss' is used for referring to a woman who is considered to be a virgin.

"No one should be upset by this decision. If youre upset then that means youre scared that your daughter is in an urfi marriage behind your back," he further added.

However, Agina received a lot of criticism for his suggestion. Taking a dig at Agina, prominent feminist Mona Eltahawy said on Twitter, "I see Egyptian parliamentarian Elhamy Agena's [sic] obsession with women's vaginas continues".

Journalist Jacky Habib also took to the micro-blogging site to express his opinion. "How about we have mandatory IQ tests for politicians who aim to mandate nonsense like this," he tweeted.

This is not the first time Agina has said something controversial. Last month, Agina said that all Egyptian women must undergo genital mutilation as the men in the country are sexually weak and cannot meet increased demands in the bedroom.

Agina also said that if Egypt decides to go against FGM, it will need strong men. And, the country does not have that. Therefore, it was better for women to undergo FGM to reduce their sexual apetite and stand by their man.
Nepal also said that it will initiate 'necessary consultation' for holding the next summit. (Photo: PTI)

Kathmandu: Regretting that the regional environment is not conducive to host the next SAARC Summit, current Chair of the grouping Nepal on Sunday said member states must ensure their territories are not used for cross-border terrorism.

Days after India and four other countries pulled out of the 19th SAARC Summit indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an atmosphere which was not right for successfully holding the event, Nepal said it strongly believes that "an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation".

Nepal "unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism," Nepal's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement, adding the country has always condemned all acts of terrorism in the region.

"Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian Army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers," it noted.

It further said that to achieve peace and stability in the region, "SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross border terrorism".

Nepal "regrets that regional environment is not conducive" to host the next Summit, earlier scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad, it said, adding that host Pakistan has informed it about the postponement of the meet.

It said it will initiate "necessary consultation" for holding the next summit.

"As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states," the statement said.

Earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who returned yesterday after leading the Nepali delegation to the 71st United National General Assembly (UNGA), told reporters here that Nepal will take "necessary steps and hold discussions with member states to press for holding the summit.

The Summit was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India said last week that "in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad".

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the eight-member bloc, includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The angry mob raised slogans such as Butcher of Kashmiris, Pakistan Army, Dogs are more loyal than ISI. (Photo: ANI)

Muzaffarabad: Kotli residents in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) took to the streets to protest against the atrocities committed against them by the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The agitation was launched against extra-judicial killings, fake encounters and brutalities committed on pro-Azadi leaders, who disagree with Pakistan.

The angry mob raised slogans such as Butcher of Kashmiris, Pakistan Army, Dogs are more loyal than ISI.

The protesters demand an independent investigation into the murder of Arif Shahid, a Kashmiri nationalist leader, chairman of the All Parties National Alliance (APNA), and president of the Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Conference (JKNLC).

Shahid fought against Pakistans oppression in PoK before he was shot outside his residence in Rawalpindi on May 14, 2013. He was 62.

Investigation into Shahids murder is still inconclusive, and there is no conclusion in the murder probe so far. The ISI has been accused of for conspiring and executing Shahids murder.

According to an estimate by the All Party National Alliance based in Muzaffarabad, more than one hundred pro-freedom political activists have been killed by the ISI over the past two years.

There is growing resentment among PoK residents over the killings as well as the continued army clampdown.

Earlier, PoK witnessed a series of protests by residents against rigged polls that saw Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), coming to power.

The United States State Department has recently also expressed concern over human rights violation in PoK, maintaining that it has always been urging parties in Pakistan to settle their differences peacefully and through a valid political process.

US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said he could not agree with the view that nobody knew about human rights violations in PoK before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that in his Independence Day speech.

Sure, Well, I would respectfully beg to differ. We do have concerns about the human rights situation there, have reported it for several years in our human rights report, and weve obviously -- are always urging all parties in Pakistan to work out their differences peacefully and through a valid political process. And with respect to Kashmir, our policy there is well known, he said.
A Pakistani soldier patrols in Mandhole village in Tatta Pani sector near the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. (Photo: AFP)

Mandhole, Pakistan: Pakistani military officials point to an Indian Army post high on a forested ridge along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, insisting any incursions are impossible, after skirmishes ignited dangerous tensions between the nuclear rivals.

The army took the rare step of flying international media to the de-facto border to make its case in a battle of competing narratives, after India said its commandos penetrated up to three kilometres into Pakistan on anti-militant raids.

The presence of Indian forces so far across the Line of Control (LoC) would be a stinging blow to Pakistan, particularly after the 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden that took place on its territory without its consent.

The media visit came Saturday as Indias army chief Gen Dalbir Singh congratulated commandos involved in what New Delhi has described as surgical strikes to take out terrorist launchpads after a deadly attack on an Indian army base last month.

Pakistan has flatly denied the claim, saying two of its soldiers were killed but only in cross-border fire of the kind that commonly violates a 2003 ceasefire on the LoC.

The helicopter tour took journalists to sectors just two kilometres from the dividing line, and near the locations India said it targeted in assaults on four militant camps.

On hand were senior local commanders as well as army spokesperson Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa -- an omnipresent media personality who has taken centre stage on Pakistani television since the tensions erupted.

In villages like Mandhole, daily life was going on largely as normal despite the tensions, with shops and businesses open and children in pressed white uniforms walking to school.

You have seen the lay of the land, said Bajwa, speaking from a command post overlooking the lush green Bandala Valley, with Pakistani and Indian fortifications visible on the opposite hill.

You can see the way the fortifications are built and the way Pakistan has layers of defence and they have layers of defence... the LoC cannot be violated, he said.

If theyve caused that damage to us, we dont know any has been caused to us! You can go and meet the civilian population. Our side is open: to the UN mission, to the media, to the general public, he said.

News spreads

It was not possible to verify the generals claims, though villagers who spoke with a second AFP reporter in the area independent of the military-guided trip were also incredulous.

Sardar Javed, a 37-year-old journalist for Kashmiri newspapers and a resident of Tatta Pani sector, which lies just west of India-controlled Poonch sector where one of the strikes was said to have been carried out, said he had seen no evidence of a raid.

Im not saying its not true because thats the army line. Its because Im from the LoC and Im a local journalist. News spreads fast around here and people get to know whatever happens, he said.

Mountainous Kashmir is seen as one of the worlds most dangerous flashpoints, where Indian and Pakistani soldiers watch one another across valleys divided by barbed wire and land mines.

The bitter neighbours agreed on the de-facto border in 1972, but both claim the territory in full. Two of their three wars have been fought over the Himalayan region.

Areas close to the 720 kilometre (450 mile) LoC are normally off-bounds even for Pakistani nationals, and the past three years have seen a surge in cross-border shelling.

Big lie?

Tensions have been simmering for months over the Kashmir unrest in India, where more than 80 civilians have been killed, mostly in clashes with security forces, during protests linked to the killing of a militant in July.

Some Pakistani observers say the vaunted raids are an attempt to shift the focus and allow India to escape scrutiny over the Kashmir crisis.

Pakistan-backed militants were blamed for the attack on an Indian army base last month in which 19 soldiers were killed, prompting angry calls for action from the Indian public ahead of Thursdays action.

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has offered to mediate in the dispute as the international community urged restraint.

Pakistan is eager to dispel to the world the notion it harbours terrorists; and to its own citizens vanish the idea it can be pushed around by its bigger neighbour, with whom it has long attempted to maintain a semblance of military parity.

India, for its part, seeks to diplomatically isolate Pakistan following a series of attacks that it blames on Islamist militants backed by its western neighbour.

Leaning on a walking stick in the pristine hillside village of Baghsar Saturday, 76-year-old local councillor Mirza Abdul Ghani told visiting journalists that the Indian claims were a big lie.

I myself am ready to fight if they dare -- I have my weapon in my house, he said.
Dhaka: Terming Pakistan a "defeated force" Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said Islamabad's protests over recent execution of a 1971 war crimes convict prompted Bangladesh to pull out of the SAARC Summit.

"Pakistan is a defeated force. We defeated them in our Liberation War (in 1971), as a defeated force they can tell many things which matters little to us... Pakistan's view is nothing but the aspersion of a defeated party, which people of Bangladesh should consider in that manner," she said.

Pakistan's protests over recent executions of a 1971 war crimes' convict prompted Bangladesh to take the decision not to join the 19th SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad, Hasina said at a press meet in Dhaka, a day after returning from New York where she attended the UN General Assembly.

"The diplomatic ties will be there... we will face them (Pakistan) diplomatically," the Prime Minister said.

She asked Bangladeshis to think about the relationship of "cohorts and patrons" of perpetrators of 1971 war crimes against humanity who carried out genocides siding with Pakistani troops during the Liberation war, in an oblique reference to main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

"BNP's founder General Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated them (war criminals) after 1975... She (Zia) rewarded the (now executed) war criminals making them ministers in her cabinet.

"Before severing diplomatic relation with Pakistan, people of Bangladesh should consider cutting off links with their local cohorts and boycott them in the social and political arena," Hasina said.

Answering a question about her government's stand on the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Hasina said the situation "concerns us".

"We do not want any tension, war-like situation... in that case we will also be affected and our development of the region will be disrupted. What we sincerely expect is the two countries will settle their issues through dialogue bilaterally," she said.

Ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan witnessed strain after Dhaka initiated the trial of Bangladeshi perpetrators of 1971 war crimes in 2010 in line with Hasina's electoral pledges, with Islamabad repeatedly condemning the trials.

In the latest such incident, Pakistan reacted to execution of a business tycoon and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali last month saying "the act of suppressing the opposition, through 'flawed trials', is completely against the spirit of democracy", angering Dhaka.

Bangladesh so far carried out judicial execution of six condemned war criminals, five being leaders of Jamaat that was opposed to the 1971 independence.

The 19th SAARC Summit was postponed after the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit which was scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad.
Hunt on for new counsel

With senior counsel Fali S Nariman informing the Supreme Court that he will not make any submission on behalf of Karnataka, the Congress high command is learnt to have suggested to Siddaramaiah to engage senior lawyers Kapil Sibal or Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Some leaders also favoured Ram Jethmalani.



The Siddaramaiah government on Saturday decided to again defer the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu as per the Supreme Court order till Monday, when a special session of the state legislature has been convened to discuss the crisis.Besides, the government took a stand not to nominate its members to the Cauvery Management Board (CMB). Instead, it decided to file a review petition on Monday on the Supreme Court direction to the Centre to constitute the board within four days.The government has to nominate two members. It is not possible to do so (to nominate the members) as we have questioned the constitution of the CMB, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters after chairing a Cabinet meeting.The apex court on Friday ordered Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs per day from October 1 to 6 to Tamil Nadu and directed the Centre to establish the CMB within four days. It had also directed all the riparian states to nominate members to the board before 4 pm on October 1. The attorney general had agreed to set up the board.The chief minister said leaders of almost all the political parties had advised the government to adhere to the earlier stand not to release water to Tamil Nadu given the severe scarcity in the basin. Leaders from the Cauvery basin region demanded that the government release water to save the standing crops.The legislature session held on September 23 had resolved to conserve nearly 27 tmcft of water for drinking purpose only. In case water has to be released, then the legislature has to discuss it again.To a question whether the government will defy the Supreme Court order, Siddaramaiah said the government had never defied the order either wilfully or deliberately. The legislature has already passed a resolution to utilise the available water only for drinking. The resolution is binding on us. So, we are going back to the legislature, he said.Defective orderThe chief minister termed the order on the establishment of the CMB as defective. The court has given the order though none of the aggrieved states had sought for it. Besides, notices have not been issued to two other riparian states of Kerala and Puducherry on the formation of the Board. Section 6 (a), class 7 of the Inter-state Water Disputes Act 1956 has laid down the procedure to be followed in this regard. The proposal to form the Board has to be placed before Parliament and the Law Ministry has to ratify it, he pointed out.PM awareEarlier, JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda staged a hunger strike and withdrew it later in the day after two Union ministers, Ananth Kumar and D V Sadananda Gowda, requested him to withdraw the protest. They told him that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of the Cauvery issue. Efforts are on to find a solution to the problem, Sadananda Gowda told reporters. The Opposition BJP and JD(S) have suggested to the state government not to release water to Tamil Nadu. They also opposed the Supreme Court direction to establish the CMB and asked the government not to nominate its member to the Board. It is for the third time the government has deferred release of water to the neighbouring state.DH News Service
Today, the situation is such that even poor parents will send their children to budget schools having low fee instead of government or municipal schools, which dont charge anything, says Mamta Devi, mother of four sons. Whats the use of such schooling if you dont get to learn anything, asks Devi, who sells vegetables with her husband in south Delhis Katwaria Sarai area.





If only my children will learn something will they get a good job and help us financially.

While her two sons are studying at a Kendriya Vidyalaya near Jawaharlal Nehru University, the third one is a dropout and the youngest one is enrolled in a municipal school.



Of the four sons, two are mentally challenged. One of them quit school after class 6 as the government school did not have a special educator to attend to him. My other differently abled son is studying in a municipal school in class 4, she says. But he is not learning anything. He doesnt even know the alphabet. Future of both my sons is in the dark, she adds.



Disappointed with government and municipal schools, Devi and her husband approached a special school in Vasant Kunj but the fee was too high for them. They were told to get a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card for availing some benefits, but they could not get one.



In 2009, Delhi High Court had directed the city government and the then unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to appoint at least two special educators in each of their schools. Last year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had also mandated its affiliated schools to appoint such teachers and to create an evaluation programme for differently abled students, based on their abilities and skill sets. Till date, the institutions across Delhi suffer from shortage of special educators.



Though the only hope for the economically weaker section of society is the municipal schools, which run from classes 1 to 5, discrepancies at these institutions force the lower strata to shun schooling and engage its children in earning a living.



Experts say that there has been a decline in the enrollment of students at municipal schools over the past couple of years. But the municipal corporations claim that the number of students has not gone down in their respective schools. Under the Right to Education Act, we are not allowed to strike off students even if he has stopped coming to the school. So there is a mismatch in the actual number of students in a classroom and the enrollment register, says a member of the education committee of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation.



The municipal corporations, however, agree that they have been dragging their feet to provide funds for the infrastructure and stationery items like chalk and duster to the institutions. School heads have to present the expenditure incurred in the previous year to the municipal corporation. Some institutions have not produced their account receipts, so the process has been a little delayed this time, says a member of the education committee of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. We will release the money by October-end.



The East Corporation is supposed to provide Rs 50,000 per building in its schools. We are not able to provide this amount because we do not have the funds, says Harshdeep Malhotra, former chairperson of the education committee of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation.



The BJP-ruled municipalities blame the Aam Aadmi Party government for not releasing funds to them. But the Delhi government claims that it has been giving municipal corporations funds well in advance.



Providing funds for education is the responsibility of the Delhi government. This time, unfortunately, we have a government in Delhi which is unwilling to give the corporations their due share. It has never happened in the past, says Malhotra. If the government implements recommendations of the Fourth Finance Commission, the municipality will get adequate amount of money to spend on education, he adds. The East Corporation is supposed to get Rs 450 crore for a financial year, but after the implementation of the Fourth Finance Commission, the amount will be increased to Rs 2,100 crore.



The East Corporation requires Rs 12,500 crore per annum to pay salaries to its 22,000 employees, says Malhotra, a former mayor of the East Corporation. How

can the government claim that it is giving sufficient money to the municipality,

he asks.



Malhotra also claims that the municipal schools are far better than the Delhi government schools. In the sense that the East Corporation has started computer-aided learning in its schools. All our schools have one computer lab with approximately 10 to 12 computers for the students, says Malhotra.



There are 398 schools running in 294 buildings under the limits of the East Corporation. None of our schools run in prefabricated structures. Of these 224 buildings, 200 buildings have been equipped with modern facilities like RO. The remaining 24 are being upgraded. We have one chair and desk for every student in all our schools.



Of these 398 schools, 200 institutions are Sarvoday schools where the medium of instruction is English. After 10 years, we have started Moral Education as a subject in our schools,  says Malhotra.






Aman* and Vishal*, students of class 8 of a government school in West Delhi, are busy competing with each other. While Vishal has been shifted to the Pratibha group, Aman vows that he too will be promoted to the group soon.





We are very good friends and have been in the same sections for a long time. He is already in the Pratibha group and after the exam, I will join him, says Aman, a student of Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya (SBV) in Patel Nagar.



The friends are referring to the Delhi governments Chunauti scheme, which is aimed at bringing down the drop-out rates in government schools and improving learning levels of students from class six to nine. The students are divided into three groups -- Pratibha (who can read and write the text of a particular class and do basic math), Nishtha (who have scored below 33% in their previous class and are struggling with reading and writing), and Vishwas (who have failed class nine twice or more).



The students are being taught from a focused syllabus according to their groups. Those like Aman, who are in the Nishtha section, will go through the summative assessment exams, after which, based on their progress, it will be decided to either send them to the Pratibha group or to retain them in Nishtha.



A teacher in the school says that it is for the first time that the students are talking about the levels of learning among themselves.



It is after a long time that government school education and a need for reform has taken centre stage in the national capital and the government education policies are being widely debated.



In the two consecutive annual budgets announced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the education sector was allotted the lions share of the total allocation, raising hopes that it will be the governments key priority.



While announcing the budget for 2016-17, the government had in March granted Rs 10,690 crore for education, nearly 23% of the total allocation.



One of the main highlights of last years focus on school education was to improve infrastructural facilities in government schools and 54 model schools were selected for this purpose across Delhi.



Many principals said that the work which has been neglected for many years was taken up in the form of the model school project. They, however, added that the progress has been slower in the last two years than expected.

Even the 8,000 new classrooms should have been constructed by now but the work is still in progress.



The construction work was handed over to the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Delhi Tourism Development Corporation (DTDC).



Atishi Marlena, advisor to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the

education portfolio, confesses that the pace of building classrooms and other construction work in schools has been slow.



The PWD department, not just in Delhi, but in all states is a very typical kind of department. The problem is structural because, for PWD, school maintenance is a very small part of their work, but for schools PWD is a big part of their work so there is a mismatch, she says.



To overcome this, the Education department has now planned to restructure the relationship between it and the PWD department.



We have created a special unit within PWD which just handles maintenance of schools. We have also created an online module by which there is tracking of work in progress in schools, Marlena says.



For the second phase, the government has already rolled out a plan to construct 4,200 new classrooms and has promised to open 25 new schools in next few months.

While the focus on infrastructural facilities made news last year, 2016 was about interventions aimed at improving learning levels of students from class six to nine. From announcing its much ambitious Chunauti-2018 scheme in June to taking a pledge of 100% ability to read which means that every child from class six to eight will be able to read by November 14, the method of learning in classrooms is slowly changing.



While the government has faced some criticism over its move to group children and label them into weak and bright, the AAP believes it is a much-needed step.



Sitting in the class day in and day out and not understanding anything is traumatic for the child. If the child can see the change for himself through this scheme, then what is the problem? We are currently making up for learning deficits in classrooms, which is why we are giving it a big push, says Marlena.



The announcement of the scheme came a few days after the Delhi government released a baseline assessment revealed that 74% students in class six cannot read their own textbooks.



Till two years ago, the focus was only on completing the syllabus. For the first time, we have been asked to slow down and concentrate on the grasping ability of the child, said an English teacher in a government school in Civil Lines.



However, the scheme has its own challenges. One of the issues which needs the governments immediate attention for Chunauti to be

successful is a shortage of teachers.



Implementing Chunauti when there is a shortage of teachers, especially in overcrowded schools, is actually a chunauti (challenge), said Bhushan Singh, Principal, Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Mori Gate.



While many schools have welcomed the scheme, they have cautioned that such a huge shortage of teachers may not bring the desired results. For some subjects like English, which is a problem area for most students, there is an acute shortage at many schools.

The 1,011 government schools currently have vacancies for about 15,000 teachers and to overcome the issue, the government has now decided that schools will be asked to recruit retired teachers against vacant posts on a per-hour basis. The proposal is currently pending with the Finance department.



Some teachers also point out that the scheme is not free from loopholes.

Even though the students in different groups are being taught from different syllabus, the recent exam paper for their assessment was same for all three sections. Students who are currently being taught basics had to answer questions from the syllabus which was being taught to the group which is at a level higher to them. We dont know if it was an error but this way, the purpose of the scheme will be defeated, says Babita, a teacher with Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Hari Nagar.



Other teachers point out the gap in the policy of preparing class nine drop-outs for class ten exam.



According to the scheme, the class nine drop-outs or those who have failed the class twice or more will not go through the regular SA-1 (Summative Assessment) and SA-2 and will give the class 10 exam next year through Modified Patrachar Scheme Examination (MPSE), Education Departments Correspondence Division.



Is it logical that students who couldnt clear class nine are directly sitting for class ten exams, asks a teacher with SBV, Najafgarh.



The government, however, is positive about the scheme reforming the dismal state of affairs of the capitals education system.



It has also made the supplementary material, in the form of Pragati books for the students, accessible , which simplify heavy concepts given in the prescribed NCERT textbooks.



What the scheme will managed to achieve and where it stands in terms of improving the learning levels will only be known after the results of the summative assessments are analysed by the government, says Marlena.





*names of students have been changed
India has never attacked any country, nor has it ever coveted anyone's territory but made supreme sacrifice fighting for others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.



"India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for any territory. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 1.5 lakh Indian soldiers had laid down their lives fighting for others," the Prime Minister said at the inaugural ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a modern complex dedicated to overseas Indians here.



His statement came days after the Indian army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control as also in the backdrop of Pakistan's constant clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international fora.



Modi lamented that despite the great price paid by Indians, India could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifice. He said whenever he went abroad, he made it a point to visit the memorials for the Indian soldiers.



The Prime Minister said the Indian diaspora did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power abroad, but on the other hand, they mingled with other communities.

Indians, the Prime Minister noted, lived abroad with the principle of "social well being. ... They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per the need," he said.



Observing that the Indian diaspora should not be looked at in terms of its numbers, but in terms of its strength, he said there were countries where the Indian community was more powerful than the Indian missions and could help removing the "fear of unknown" amongst the people there towards India.



While much has been spoken about brain drain, if the strength of the Indian diaspora was channelised, "we can convert it into 'brain gain'," Modi said.



Like dams channelise the energy of water to make electricity, a source is needed to utilise the energy of the 2.45 crore strong Indian diaspora to "light up India",he said.



He also commended the role of the Ministry of External Affairs in helping people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and evacuating Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.



Modi said India has made a place for itself and the world now accepts India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid and added that other nations now sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from trouble spots.


An ex-pilot with Jet Airways committed suicide by shooting himself, after he fired a round at his wife and daughter, following an argument in East Delhis Mayur Vihar area.





The police have recovered the pistol and are collecting evidence from the scene and trying to ascertain the exact sequence of event.



The incident took place in the evening around 4 pm in the deceaseds house in Mavila apartment. His wife, Raj Lakshmi, 57, and daughter, Abhilasha, 27, had returned from a trip in Germany on Friday.



Anand was a kidney patient who had recently retired from the airlines due to his medical condition.



His wife and daughter had left him and went for the Germany trip which had infuriated him.



When they returned to their house an argument ensued between Lakshmi and Anand after which he pulled out his pistol and fired a round at them.



The bullet however, missed them and got lodged in the wall of their bedroom.

His wife and daughter immediately fled and sought refuge in their neighbors flat after which they heard another shot being fired.



Upon hearing the shot they rushed to the house and found Anand in a pool of blood. The police was informed after which a team was dispatched. We found Anand lying on the side of the bed and a bullet injury to his head. We also found a bullet hole in the wall, said a senior police officer.



The police have collected all the evidence and are questioning the neighbours.

We are trying to get the wife and daughters statements, but they are unable to say anything this moment as they are in shock. We will talk to them later and ascertain as to what the nature of the argument was which resulted in this extreme step, the official added.



The deceaseds body has been shifted to the nearest hospital for a post mortem after which it will be handed over to the family.



Further investigation is underway.




Regretting that the regional environment is "not conducive" to host the next SAARC Summit, current Chair of the grouping Nepal today said member states must ensure their territories are not used for cross-border terrorism.





Days after India and four other countries pulled out of the 19th SAARC Summit indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an atmosphere which was not right for successfully holding the event, Nepal said it strongly believes that "an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation".



Nepal "unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism," Nepal's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement, adding the country has always condemned all acts of terrorism in the region.



"Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian Army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers," it noted.



It further said that to achieve peace and stability in the region, "SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross border terrorism".



Nepal "regrets that regional environment is not conducive" to host the next Summit, earlier scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad, it said, adding that host Pakistan has informed it about the postponement of the meet.



It said it will initiate "necessary consultation" for holding the next summit.



"As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states," the statement said.



Earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who returned yesterday after leading the Nepali delegation to the 71st United National General Assembly (UNGA), told reporters here that Nepal will take "necessary steps and hold discussions with member states to press for holding the summit.



The Summit was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.



Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India said last week that "in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad".



South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the eight-member bloc, includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
India, the world's third largest carbon emitter, today ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a major boost to the deal which appeared tantalisingly close to enter into force by the end of this year.



Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 147th birth anniversary.



UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded India's "climate leadership", saying India's ratification of the Paris Climate Change agreement moves the world an "important step closer" toward achieving the goal of entering the landmark deal into force this year.



In his message for the International Day of Non-violence, marked every year on Gandhi's birth anniversary, Ban said there is no better way to commemorate Gandhi and his legacy for people and the planet than with India submitting its instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.



He called on all countries to complete their domestic processes for ratification and also strive in all activities to achieve progress through non-violence.



The UN chief said the commitment to sustainable living that Gandhi emphasised on is reflected in a "momentous way" as India is depositing its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.



"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary, we deposit the instrument of ratification of Paris Agreement on climate change," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.



With India stressing on the importance of climate justice, its goal will be that "climate justice ends are also served" once the treaty comes into force, Akbaruddin said.



The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming by limiting greenhouse gases.



The ratification formalises pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards and try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.



India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after China and the US which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.



Last month, the US and China had formally joined the Paris agreement, which was adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change last December in Paris.



The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions have now ratified the accord.



Adopted in Paris by the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference known as COP21 last December, the Agreement was signed in New York on 22 April this year by 175 countries.



A total of 191 countries have signed the Paris Agreement so far.



However, India has decided to ratify the agreement "in the context" of its national laws, availability of means of implementation and "its own assessment" of global commitment to combating climate change.



"While agreeing to ratify the Paris agreement, the Cabinet has also decided that India should declare that it will treat its national laws, its development agenda, availability of means of implementation, its assessment of global commitment to combating climate change, and predictable and affordable access to cleaner source of energy as the context in which the agreement is being ratified," an official statement had earlier said.



The Union Cabinet had given its nod to ratifying the Paris climate deal on September 28, days after Modi announced this at BJP's National Council meet in Kozhikode. The move is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming.



China and the US jointly ratifying the Paris climate change deal has given hope that the landmark accord may come into effect by the end of this year.



Akbaruddin had on Friday said that India had played a "key role" in the negotiations and finalisation of the Paris agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a "personal commitment" to the climate deal.



He had said that India's effort was to be amongst those nations who give a push to the entry into force.



Ban in his message said: "I warmly congratulate India for its climate leadership, and for building on the strong momentum we see from all corners of the globe for the agreement to enter into force as quickly as possible this year. India's ratification of the agreement moves the world an important step closer toward achieving that goal."



Yesterday, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told reporters in New Delhi that "this (decision) was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a messege... India is fast becoming a super power".



The UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development David Nabarro had last week said the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change is closer to entering into force, after India submits its ratification.



"We are tantalisingly close to the Paris Agreement entering into force," he added.



Nabarro had expressed confidence that the Agreement will enter into force at some point this year, highlighting that at least 14 other countries, representing at least 12 per cent of global emissions, have committed to ratifying the pact.



"There's a kind of race going on now, for countries to come in there and make sure that they are part of the ratification community  to show that they are part of wanting to get the Agreement into force," he said.



"We think we're going to have the speediest entry into force for any agreement that requires such a large number of ratifications. And that's why I've got a smile, because it's really good news," he added.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said the state was the "victim" and not the villain in the Cauvery river water dispute as it was being portrayed by some people.





"Some people at the national and international levels are saying Karnataka is not releasing water to Tamil Nadu. In a way, they are suggesting as if Karnataka is the villain.



But, in reality, the state has been the victim and has been meted out injustice," he said.



Addressing a gathering on the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at Gandhi Bhavan here, Siddaramaiah said in spite of the distress situation in the Cauvery basin, Karnataka had released a "substantial" quantum of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Supreme Court's earlier direction.



However, the September 30 directive of the apex court had left the state in a difficult situation, he said.



Even though the water in the four Cauvery reservoirs in the state was "inadequate", the state government's first priority was to meet the drinking water requirements of the people of the Cauvery basin, the chief minister said, adding that the state needed to conserve water till 2017.



Meanwhile, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister TB Jayachandra said the government would file a review petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board.



"We are filing a review petition. Of course, the law is there and the Inter-State Water Dispute Act is very clear. It (the board) has to be made by an Act of Parliament," he said.

"I think it has not been submitted by any of the parties before the Supreme Court. I think, this is the ground for us and we will go for a revision," Jayachandra added.



The apex court had directed the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board by October 4.



On September 30, it had taken Karnataka to task for its repeated "defiance" by flouting its orders on water release to Tamil Nadu and giving it a last chance, warning that no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it.



The court had asked Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs of water from October 1 to 6 to Tamil Nadu.



Jayachandra said the government would take further steps only after consultations on the floor of the Assembly.



The Karnataka Cabinet had yesterday decided to convene a legislature session tomorrow for the second time to take a call on the apex court's directive.
The US today welcomed India's ratification of the Paris climate agreement with President Barack Obama saying that by joining the pact Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian people have carried on Mahatma Gandhi's legacy.





"Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy," Obama tweeted.



Obama, whose presidential term comes to an end in January next year, wants to be remembered as the president who saved the world from climate change and he played a significant role in concluding the Paris climate deal last year.



Obama and Modi, on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos last month, had discussed climate change issues as an immediate priority of Indo-US ties.



Terming it as a "bold and decisive" step, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma in New Delhi also lauded India's ratification of the Paris climate agreement.



"In joining the Paris climate agreement today, India has taken a bold and decisive step in combating climate change," Verma said.



He also commended Prime Minister Modi for his leadership and thanked all those who have worked on the agreement over many years.



"India's ratification provides indispensable political momentum to securing entry into force of the Paris Agreement this year, sending an enduring and irreversible market signal that low-carbon development is 21st century development," Verma said.



"... (It) will yield tremendous benefits not only for producers and consumers in India, but for those around the world," he said.



India, the world's third largest carbon emitter, today ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a major boost to the deal which appeared tantalisingly close to enter into force by the end of this year.



Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 147th birth anniversary.



"We look forward to continuing our close friendship with India and furthering our work together on climate change and clean energy, so that we may provide future generations a world to be proud of and treasure," Verma said.



The ratification formalises pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards and try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.



India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after China and the US which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.
Stepping away from its signature product, BlackBerry will no longer make its own smartphones, the device it once defined.





Before being overtaken by iPhones from Apple, BlackBerrys phones were so popular that they were nicknamed CrackBerry, and President Barack Obama battled security officials to retain his BlackBerry when he took office. But the distressed Canadian companys decision, means the BlackBerry name will now be found only on handsets made by a group owned by phone companies in Indonesia, which has licensed the brand.



BlackBerrys market share long ago collapsed to single digits in North America and Europe, despite the introduction of a new operating system and the companys decision to make phones based on the Android operating system from Google.



The abandoning of the phone business that made BlackBerry a household name is a major step in a strategy begun by John S Chen, the executive chairman and chief executive, to turn the money-losing company into a software and wireless device security business. When Chen joined BlackBerry almost three years ago, he made it clear that the fast-declining phone business was living on borrowed time.



With the move, BlackBerry follows the lead of several other technology companies, notably Nokia, which have turned into software businesses. Chen, however, must now demonstrate that he can generate offsetting revenue.



BlackBerrys initial responses to the iPhone, which was released in 2007 and was the handset that made software the dominant feature of smartphones, were plagued with technical bugs and poor performance. The arrival of Android phones from a variety of manufacturers, most notably Samsung, rapidly accelerated the decline of BlackBerrys phone business.



After a series of delays, BlackBerry 10, an operating system that was a more effective competitor, did not appear until early 2013. But iPhones and Android phones were well-established by that time, and the new operating system was met with indifference from consumers and app developers.



This year, Chen suggested that BlackBerry was continuing to make phones largely at the request of some of its large software customers, a group that includes branches of the US military as well as law enforcement agencies.



He also acknowledged at a recent Quarterly Call that BlackBerry software on Android phones was not as secure as its BlackBerry 10 offerings. Chen promised, though, without offering a schedule, that BlackBerry would take Android up to the same level of security as BB10.



BlackBerry has the option of reselling the phones carrying its brand name and made by BB Merah Putih in Indonesia throughout the rest of the world. But Chen said the company had decided not to exercise that option.



As a result, he said, sales of BlackBerry phones outside Indonesia will finish before the end of February 2017, the close of the companys fiscal year.



Chen said other companies had shown interest in licensing BlackBerrys trademark and its software, but he offered no specifics or indication of whether such deals were likely.



In the short term, the shutdown will most likely add to a crucial problem facing BlackBerry: declining revenue. The company said recently that phones accounted for 30 percent of its revenue during its second fiscal quarter, which ended August 31.



Sales of about 400,000 phones generated revenue of $105 million and a loss of $8 million.




Modern humans evolved in Africa roughly 200,000 years ago. But how did our species go on to populate the rest of the globe?



The question, one of the biggest in studies of human evolution, has intrigued scientists for decades. In a series of extraordinary genetic analyses published recently, researchers believe they have found an answer.



In the journal Nature, three separate teams of geneticists surveyed DNA collected from cultures around the globe, many for the first time, and concluded that all non-Africans today trace their ancestry to a single population emerging from Africa between 50,000 and 80,000 years ago.



I think all three studies are basically saying the same thing, said Joshua M Akey of the University of Washington, who wrote a commentary accompanying the new work. We know there were multiple dispersals out of Africa, but we can trace our ancestry back to a single one.



The three teams sequenced the genomes of 787 people, obtaining highly detailed scans of each. The genomes were drawn from people in hundreds of indigenous populations: Basques, African pygmies, Mayans, Bedouins, Sherpas and Cree Indians, to name just a few.

The DNA of indigenous populations is essential to understanding human history, many geneticists believe. Yet until now scientists have sequenced entire genomes from very few people outside population centres like Europe and China. The new research already is altering scientific understanding of what human DNA looks like, experts said, adding rich variations to our map of the genome.



Each team of researchers tackled different questions about our origins, such as how people spread across Africa and how others populated Australia. But all aimed to settle the controversial question of human expansion from Africa.



In the 1980s, a group of paleoanthropologists and geneticists began championing a hypothesis that modern humans emerged only once from Africa, roughly 50,000 years ago. Skeletons and tools discovered at archaeological sites clearly indicated that modern humans lived after that time in Europe, Asia and Australia.



Early studies of bits of DNA also supported this idea. All non-Africans are closely related to one another, the geneticists found, and they all branch from a family tree rooted in Africa.

Yet there are also clues that at least some modern humans may have departed Africa well before 50,000 years ago, perhaps part of an earlier wave of migration.



In Israel, for example, researchers found a few distinctively modern human skeletons that are between 120,000 and 90,000 years old. In Saudi Arabia and India, sophisticated tools date back as far as 100,000 years.



In October, Chinese scientists reported finding teeth belonging to homo sapiens that are at least 80,000 years old and perhaps as old as 120,000 years.



In 2011, Eske Willerslev, a renowned geneticist at the University of Copenhagen came across some puzzling clues to the expansion out of Africa by sequencing the genome of an aboriginal Australian for the first time.



Willerslev and his colleagues reconstructed the genome from a century-old lock of hair kept in a museum. The DNA held a number of peculiar variants not found in Europeans or Asians, raising knotty questions about the origins of the people who first came to Australia and when they arrived.



Intrigued Willerslev decided to contact living Aboriginals to see if they would participate in a new genetic study. He joined David W Lambert, a geneticist at Griffith University in Australia, who was already meeting with aboriginal communities about participating in this kind of research.



In collaboration with scientists at the University of Oxford, the researchers obtained DNA from people in Papua New Guinea. The team was able to sequence 83 genomes from aboriginal Australians and 25 from people in Papua New Guinea, all with far greater accuracy than in Willerslevs 2011 study.



Meanwhile, Mait Metspalu of the Estonian Biocentre was leading a team of 98 scientists on another genome-gathering project. They picked out 148 populations to sample, mostly in Europe and Asia, with a few genomes from Africa and Australia. They sequenced 483 genomes at high resolution.



David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School, and his colleagues assembled a third database of genomes from all six inhabited continents. The Simons Genome Diversity Project, sponsored by the Simons Foundation and the National Science Foundation, contains 300 high-quality genomes from 142 populations.



Examining their data separately, all three groups came to the same conclusion: People everywhere descend from a single migration of early humans from Africa. The estimates from the studies point to an exodus somewhere between 80,000 and 50,000 years.



The vast majority of their ancestry is coming from the same out-of-Africa wave as Europeans and Asians, said Willerslev.



Earlier wave



But on that question, Metspalu and his colleagues ended up with a somewhat different result. In Papua New Guinea, Metspalu and his colleagues found, 98% of each persons DNA can be traced to that single migration from Africa. But the other 2% seemed to be much older.



Metspalu concluded that all people in Papua New Guinea carry a trace of DNA from an earlier wave of Africans who left the continent as long as 140,000 years ago and then vanished.



If they did exist, these early human pioneers were able to survive for tens of thousands of years, said Luca Pagani, a co-author of Metspalu at the University of Cambridge and the Estonian Biocentre. But when the last wave came out of Africa, descendants of the first wave disappeared. They may have not been technologically advanced, living in small groups, Pagani said. Maybe it was easy for a major later wave that was more successful to wipe them out.



The new research also suggests that the splintering of the human tree began earlier than experts had suspected. Reich and his colleagues probed their data for the oldest evidence of human groups genetically separating from one another.



They found that the ancestors of the KhoiSan, hunter-gatherers living today in southern Africa, began to split off from other living humans about 200,000 years ago and were fully isolated by 100,000 years ago. That finding hints that our ancestors already had evolved behaviours seen in living humans, such as language, 200,000 years ago.



Why leave Africa at all? Scientists have found some clues to that mystery, too. Researchers described a computer model of Earths recent climatic and ecological history. It shows that changing rainfall patterns periodically opened up corridors from Africa into Eurasia that humans may have followed in search of food.




Two persons, one from Astilla in Pakistan and another from PoK, were arrested by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.





During routine patrolling on the border area, security forces arrested a 32-year-old man moving under suspicious circumstances near the International border in Agrechak belt of RS Pura sector in Jammu district last evening, official sources said.



He was identified as Abu Bakar, son of Amin Hamza and resident of Astilla in Pakistan, they said, adding after brief questioning, he was handed over to police.



Army along with police have apprehended a 41-year-old PoK resident in Saujian Sector of Poonch last evening, an Army officer said.



He was identified as Mohd Rashid Khan, son of Mohd Yakub Khan and resident of Tedabund of Haveli Tehsil in Bagh district of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, he said.

He is being questioned and investigations are on, the official said.

Three people were held in last one week.



On September 24, a Pakistani national and an alleged activist of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit, was arrested by BSF from near International Border in Jammu.
Ramakrishna Mutt and Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaluru, launched the third phase of massive cleanliness drive on the day of Gandhi Jayanthi on Sunday.





Swami Bodhasarananda, assistant general secretary, Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Mutt, West Bengal, complimented the Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaluru, for carrying out the cleanliness drive. Swaccha Bharath is not the responsibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone. It is the responsibility of all citizens of the country to maintain cleanliness in and around their surroundings. Let us all take a pledge to keep our city, village and towns clean, he gave a call.



We should dedicate at least five minutes to maintain cleanliness in our surroundings. The lesson on cleanliness should be taught to children, he advised.



Clean the city

It is our duty to pick a broom and go around the city for five to 10 minutes a day and ensure that cleanliness is maintained. The drive taken up by the Ramakrishna Mission will be an asset to the Mangaluru Smart City Project. For the successful implementation of the project, the local citizens should work in unity and dedication in creating a better and cleaner Mangaluru, MLA J R Lobo said.



He also gave a call to achieve the objective of Swaccha Bharath Mission by eradicating open defecation all over the district by 2019.



Teams for mission

Swami Jitakamananda, president, Ramakrishna Mutt, Mangaluru, said that the cleanliness campaign will continue for 10 months.



About 40 teams comprising over 4,000 volunteers will carry out the Swaccha Mangaluru drive on Sundays to complete the 400 drives. While teams will be divided into four sets, the first set of 10 teams will work on first Sundays of each month.



The second set of 10 teams on second Sundays and the third and fourth sets on third and fourth Sundays respectively. About 40 programmes will be covered during each month. The Third Phase will end in July 2017, he explained.



Civic workers honoured

MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik, Nitte University Chancellor N Vinay Hegde, and others were present. Civic workers of the Mangaluru City Corporation, who toil hard in maintaining cleanliness in the city, were honoured on the occasion.

DH News Service
India on Sunday named Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, as the chief guest of Republic Day, next year.





We hope to welcome a dear friend of India, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, as Republic Day 2017 chief guest, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup tweeted.



The choice is diplomatically significant as it comes at a time when India is trying to isolate Pakistan, a close ally of the UAE, on allowing terrorists to use its soil for bleeding India.



The announcement comes more than a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Arab land in August 2015, during which the two countries had condemned efforts to use religion to justify, support and sponsor terrorism against other countries, or to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy. Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE in 35 years.



In a letter to Modi, Mohamed bin Zayed expressed thanks for the invite. Our strong relations are deeply rooted in history; our strategic cooperation has increased, driven by our mutual aspirations to develop it, he wrote.



Even before the recent terror attacks, the government had been giving a thrust to renew the bridges of friendship as several Cabinet ministers were sent to the gulf nations in the recent months to take the bilateral relations forward.



The military relations between India and the UAE is on a high as Indian Air Force conducted Desert Eagle air exercise with the US air force in June 2016 at the Al-Dhafra air base.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said it will take some days to bring back Army jawan Chandu Babulal Chavan who is in Pakistans custody after crossing the border inadvertently.





He said a well established mechanism through the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) has been activated to secure his release.



He had crossed over which happens in border areas. There is a well established mechanism through DGMO which has been activated, he told reporters here.



Since the situation is tense right now, it will take some days to bring the soldier back, the minister, who was here to inaugurate a cleanliness drive in a cantonment area, said.



The Defence minister said there is no relation between the surgical strike carried out by the Army in PoK and the soldier crossing the border inadvertently.



On September 30, Chavan from 37 RR had inadvertently crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control following which Pakistan had been informed by the DGMO on the hotline.



Crossing not unusual

Such inadvertent crossing by the army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms, the army had said.



On Friday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had called up the family of the solider and assured them that efforts are being made to secure his release.



Chavans grandmother had passed away after hearing the news of his crossing over to Pakistan. Parrikar also said that people should remain alert and report anything unusual to the police.



Train to Pak running half empty

The number of passengers on Train to Pakistan, Thar Express plying between Jodhpur and Pakistans Khokhrapar dropped to almost half of its capacity, DHNS reports from Jaipur.



According to railway officials, the train is running half empty amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.



Thar Express which has a capacity of 500 passengers departed for Pakistan from Bhagat Ki Kothi railway station, Jodhpur junction on Friday night with just 278 passengers. According to officials, out of the 278 passengers, 83 were Indians while 195 were Pakistanis.



Usually, the train used to run with full-passenger capacity and used to have long waiting queues.



But after tensions escalated between the two countries, there were rumours of cancellation of the India-Pakistan train service.
Amid a series of speculations and rumours about Tamil Nadu chief ministers health, the AIADMK on Sunday claimed that Jayalalithaa, who is still in the hospital, is currently engaged in discussing the strategy for the local body elections scheduled on October 17 and 19.





Since Sunday morning, many senior party leaders including Finance Minister O Pannerselvam, Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan and Electricity Minister P Thangamani visited the hospital to meet Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to Apollo hospital on September 22 due to fever and dehydration. Most of the ministers, left to their respective districts to monitor the partys preparations for the local body elections.



However, ministers refused to respond when asked whether they had met Jayalalithaa in her ward. Our Amma is well and she will come back soon, is the only reply from them. Senior AIADMK spokesperson C R Saraswathi said that Jayalalithaa was instructing party leaders regarding the preparations for civic polls. Our Ammas health condition is very normal, and she is presently involved in discussing about the local elections, she said. Stating that Jayalalithaa will soon be discharged, Saraswathi urged the people and party cadres not believe any rumours about the leaders health condition.



With Governor Vidyasagar Raos assurance that Jayalalithaas health was normal, most of the party cadres, who were stationed near the Apollo hospital, heaved a sigh of relief and started leaving the place on Sunday morning.



Treatment plan from UK doctor

Maintaining its stance that there is improvement in Tamil Nadu chief ministers health, Apollo hospital on Sunday night officially announced that it had obtained an expert opinion from the UK for a detailed treatment plan for Jayalalithaa, DHNS reports from Chennai.



Apollo Hospital COO Subbiah Viswanathan, in his latest bulletin, said that Jayalalithaa, who is undergoing treatment, continues to improve. Apollo hospital also obtained an expert opinion from Dr Richard Beale, an international specialist and consultant, who was flown in from the UK on September 30, he said. According to him, Dr Beale examined the chief minister, evaluated various reports and had detailed discussions with the expert group of doctors treating her and concurred with the present line of treatment.


Swaraj Abhiyan, a breakaway organisation of the AAP, launched an all-India political party, Swaraj India, on Sunday.





The announcement was made by ousted Aam Aadmi Party leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan at a convention attended by around 400 delegates from across the country.



The Swaraj Abhiyan group had earlier in July announced its decision of forming a political party, to provide an alternative and with an aim to bring transparency and accountability in electoral politics.



While Yogendra Yadav was elected as the first national president of Swaraj India, Ajit Jha and Anand Kumar were elected national general secretary and adviser to the party, respectively.



The first signature on the list of founder members of the party was that of noted lawyer and ex-law minister Shanti Bhushan. Speaking at the convention, he expressed hope that the new political party would take on the divisive and corrupt political parties to bring real swaraj in the country.



The party has decided to come under the RTI Act and has announced a public information officer to that effect. It also said that the freedom of expression within the party at all levels and dissent will be accorded space.



At a time when political parties are afflicted by the malaise of personality cult and centralisation of power, Swaraj India has decided that the party shall be governed by collective leadership through an organisational model of Presidium as the highest decision-making body, it said in a statement.



Other points laid out at the convention promised transparent and innovative candidate selection process based on participatory democracy. The party said there will be no whip on legislators but horse trading will be prevented.



It was also announced that Swaraj Abhiyan shall remain a non-electoral campaign organisation and continue working on public issues. Social activist Prashant Bhushan was unanimously elected the new national president of the organisation.



Bhushan said that Swaraj Abhiyan will continue to run campaigns to ensure that governments and public institutions work according to the wishes of the people and take their decisions in public interest in the true spirit of Swaraj.


BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday said that the party would ensure fullest cooperation from the Centre and see to it that the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) is not formed.





Addressing reporters in Belagavi on the eve of the two-day BJP state executive committee meeting beginning on Monday, Yeddyurappa said the party was totally opposed to the establishment of CMB.



In Hubballi, leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Jagadish Shettar, said as per section 6 (7) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, it was mandatory to take Parliaments nod for setting up CMB.



Yeddyurappa said that though the special legislature session on the Cauvery issue and the partys executive meeting were on the same day (Monday), the BJP legislators would participate in the special session. They would express their unanimous support to the government to safeguard the interest of the state, he added.



To a query on whether the BJP would press for calling a special legislature session on the Mahadayi issue also, Shettar said the two were different issues and it was not fair to draw a parallel between the Mahadayi and the Cauvery issues.



Making it clear that the BJP would not try to destabilise the Congress government using the Cauvery issue, Shettar said, The BJP will not try to fish in the troubled waters. All the BJP MLAs are even ready to go to jail, if the Supreme Court files a contempt of court case against the Karnataka government for violating its order in Cauvery issue, he added.



Yeddyurappa and Shettar urged the state government to immediately replace the entire legal team headed by senior counsel Fali Nariman which is handling the Cauvery river water dispute case with legal experts who are committed to the states interest.



Nariman had said that he would not be arguing before the Supreme Court and also there was no option for the government but to release water. Justice cant be expected from such a legal team led by Nariman. During the all-party meeting on Saturday, the Opposition categorically demanded the replacement of the legal team, Yeddyurappa said.



PM calls up Gowda



JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda said he received a telephone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday morning.



He said they discussed the Cauvery crisis for some time, but refused to divulge more. I can only say that I am confident that Prime Minister Modi will render justice to the people of Karnataka, Gowda said, reports DHNS from Bengaluru. Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadandanda Gowda said Modi cant intervene in the Cauvery crisis directly as the independence of the judiciary cant be encroached upon by the executive.








Barely 48 hours after the Patna High Court quashed the Bihar governments April 5 notification on prohibition describing it as ultra vires to the Constitution, the Nitish regime on Sunday came out with a new prohibition law which has harsher punishment for those who violate it.





The new law  Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, which was passed by both Houses of the Bihar legislature on August 4 and also got the assent of Governor Ramnath Kovind on September 7, was notified on October 2 after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a special Cabinet meeting on Sunday.



The new prohibition law is more stringent in the sense that now onwards, all members of a family, above the age of 18, will have to go to jail if liquor or contraband is found in their house.



With the notification of new prohibition law on a day which coincided with Gandhi Jayanti, the Bihar government has ensured that the ban on sale of alcohol, including Indian made foreign liquor, continued.



Apart from retaining several provisions of the previous Act, the new prohibition law has some more stringent provisions including enhancing duration of imprisonment and hiking the amount of fine.



Opposition leaders have dubbed the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 draconian. We are not against prohibition. We are against the harsh provisions in the new law which are draconian in nature, said BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.



But an unfazed Nitish said the new law was a real tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, as prohibition had ushered positive changes in Bihar.



Several hundred crores spent on consumption of liquor are now being saved. I have been told that this amount saved is now being utilised to lead a better quality life, said Nitish soon after the Cabinet meet.



The Nitish government has also decided to challenge the high court decision in the Supreme Court.



Sushil Modi, however, said since the new law, which was notified on Sunday, was more stringent in nature, chances are it too could be challenged in the court of law.
The state government will open 200 generic drug stores across Karnataka where around 200 variety of drugs will be made available at cheaper prices, said Health and Family Welfare Minister K R Ramesh Kumar.





Speaking at the launch of the first generic drug store at N R Colony in Basavanagudi on Sunday, the Minister said that of the 200 stores, 146 will be at taluk hospitals, 21 at district hospitals and the rest at community health centres.



Kumar asked people not to heed to the rumours being spread by private drug companies on the quality of generic medicines. The drug manufacturers with the help of their medical representatives lure the doctors to recommend their medicines, which are very costly, he stated.



The state government has directed the doctors at the government hospitals only to recommend chemical component of the medicine and not a particular brand while asking patients to buy drugs from outside.



Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar said the Centre will open more generic drug stores in the state and increase the medicines from 200 to 330 and provide 150 health supplements.



The Centre has already launched a mobile application called Pharma Sahi Daam to provide the exact price of generic medicines. A web-portal Pharma Jan Samadhan to lodge complaints regarding the generic medicines will be launched. The Centre is also in the process of setting up a helpline for people to find check availability of generic medicines in their vicinity, he added.
Two men drowned while swimming in the Arkavathi river at T Bekuppe in Kanakapura taluk on Sunday.





The deceased are M Shivaraju, and S Santosh, both 28, and residents of Jayanagar 7th Block. They entered the river under the influence of alcohol and drowned, police said.



Shivaraju was a paint worker and was married for four months. Santosh was a welder.

According to police, three men  Nagaraju, Raghu and Nagaraju  left Bengaluru for Kanakapura on bikes at 5 am on Sunday. They were fishing in the river near Bekuppe. Their friends Santosh and Shivaraju joined them a little later. All the five then consumed liquor. Shivaraju and Santosh entered the water for swimming, while the others remained on the bank as they did not know swimming.



The two struggled to remain afloat and cried for help. The three friends on the bank rushed to the police station and informed the police. A team of 15 persons comprising the police and the fire force department rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies.
A special session of the state legislature on Monday is expected to take a call on the release of Cauvery water to help farmers in the basin save their standing crops.





Sources in the Congress said if the session resolves to release Cauvery water to Karnataka farmers, then some amount will naturally flow into Tamil Nadu. The state would not only be providing water to its farmers but will also be complying with the Supreme Court directive to some extent at least, the sources said. Karnataka has defied the Supreme Court orders on release of water to the neighbouring state thrice. The apex court on Friday last had said it was the last warning to Karnataka against defiance.



Both the houses of the state legislature are scheduled to meet at 11 am and the Cauvery issue is the only item on the agenda during the day-long session. Mondays session has been convened following the Supreme Court directive to the state government to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu every day from October 1 to 6. The Court has also directed the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) by October 4.



The legislature session held on September 23 had resolved to conserve 27.6 tmcft of water in the four reservoirs of Cauvery basin for drinking purpose only. At an all-party meeting on Saturday, a section of leaders had sought that the government release Cauvery water to save withering crops of Karnataka farmers in the basin region. A Council of Ministers meeting, held later in the day, decided that in case water has to be released for irrigation purposes, then the legislature has to discuss it again.



The present storage in the four reservoirs is 33.24 tmcft. The opposition BJP and JD(S) have stated that the government should stick to the resolution adopted by the legislature on September 23 that due to severe distress situation in the Cauvery basin, it was not possible for Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu.


The government requires Rs 45,000 crore to provide 62 tmcft of drinking water to 5,900 human habitations in the state. The project cannot be implemented without Centres aid, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said.





Speaking at Gandhi Gram awards ceremony on Sunday, he said that Benguru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu districts, 20 taluks, 1,000 gram panchayats had been declared open-defecation free.Panchayats, with good administration and financial management, are being presented with Gandhi Grama Award, which carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
A 56-year-old woman lost her life when her neighbour drove a four-wheeler clumsily and crashed it into the compound wall of her house on Saturday evening.





Rose Mary and her husband, David, 52, were sitting outside their house in New Bagalur Layout, north Bengaluru, around 7.30 pm. One of their neighbours, Ajmal, 31, got into his four-wheeler and turned it on. But the vehicle gain speed suddenly and he failed to control it. He tried to turn the vehicle clumsily but ended up running the couple over and crashing into the compound wall of their house. The couple was rushed to hospital where Mary succumbed to her injuries. Police said that they had arrested Ajmal on the charge of causing death due to negligence.



Marketing exec dies

Another accident claimed the life of Santhosh Govindaiah, a 31-year-old marketing executive from Kamalanagar. He was riding a two-wheeler to reach his office at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) when a truck struck him in front of the Indian Air Force (IAF) main gate on Ballari Road, north Bengaluru. He sustained grievous head injuries and fell down.



Passersby took him to hospital but he didnt survive. Police said that they had arrested the truck driver, Sheikh Fakhruddin, 50, a resident of Bagepalli, and seized the vehicle.



Hit-and-run accident

In the third accident, Nagarathnamma, 52, a resident of BTM Layout, was killed instantly when a car ran her over near Ragigudda arch in JP Nagar, south Bengaluru, on Sunday morning.



The victim, who was employed as a housekeeper near Jayanagar, was crossing the road to reach her workplace when the accident occurred around 8.30 am. The car driver sped away after the accident. Police said they were hunting for him.

DH News Service
P V Sudarshan is a middle-aged chartered accountant from Tamil Nadu who moved to Bengaluru just four months ago. But going by his proficiency in Kannada, one could easily mistake him for a local.





At an event organised by the online Kannada language tutorial, kannadagottilla.com, at the Rangoli Metro Art Center here on Sunday, Sudarshan sat in the front seat and was confidently conversing in Kannada.



I started learning Kannada just 15 days ago and have picked up 100 words. I love the city and the people and the food. I think by the end of the year, I can speak the language fluently, said Sudarshan who also speaks Tamil, Marathi and Hindi besides English.



According to him, he regularly tries to use the local language to speak to auto-rickshaw drivers, shopkeepers and others. The reception and reaction one gets when one speaks the local language without being a local is heartening, he said. Like when I use dayavittu (please) or swalpa (little), it is reciprocated with a smile.



Anybody can teach Kannada. Namma Bhashe was the theme of the event. A number of students tutored by the portal were present on the occasion.



The event was also a curtain-raiser for the Anybody can Teach Kannada campaign which aims to encourage Kannadigas to teach the language to non-locals.



Speaking about the campaign, Anup B, founder, kannadagottilla.com, said, As part of the campaign, we asked Kannadigas to upload short videos using Kannada words and sentences. As many as 100 videos have been uploaded on our Facebook page, he said. Sundays event marked the inauguration of the campaign. It saw songs and an improve comedy display being used to teach the local language.

DH News Service
The traffic police, during a special drive on Saturday night booked as many as 900 cases of drunk-driving.





The special drives are conducted at regular intervals to curb drunk-driving. Usually, the number of such cases is more during weekends. We have sought the transport authority to cancel the driving licences of 900 persons, Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic), R Hithendra told DH.



Meanwhile, Hebbal police on Saturday registered a case against the driver of an ambulance, who was at the wheels, inebriated.



We intercepted the ambulance at Laggere and subjected the driver, Ravi, to alcometer test. It was found that he was inebriated. We seized the vehicle and booked a case against the driver, the police said.

DH News Service


Residents of ITI Layout, New BEL Road, face daily hardship in the absence of a bus shelter on either side of the ITI Layout bus stop. It is very difficult for children and senior citizens to stand on the footpath when it rains and wait for bus.



Presently, buses stop very close to the signal and cause traffic jams during peak hours. We request the BMTC to look into the matter and construct a bus shelter for ITI Layout near KFC and Reliance Digital stores to help children and senior citizens.

Kanthi K S



Dust-covered flyover

The flyover which connects Tin Factory junction and Ramamurthy Nagar, next to Benniganahalli lake, is covered with dust on both sides of the road, even next to the median strips. Anyone following a truck or bus will have to breathe dust. This is a serious health hazard. The dust settlement also covers a good part of the road which makes it slippery for two-wheelers. The entire outer ring road needs to cleaned up since this is a common problem across the stretch. Buying automated cleaning trucks is the only option for the BBMP to clean such a large stretch of the road.

Sunil Reddy

Dhaba sitting on rajakaluve

An unauthorised dhaba has come up by encroaching on a rajakaluve (stormwater drain) at 3rd Block Narayan Nagar, 100 feet road circle (near Iyengar Bakery), in Doddakallasandra, ward number 97, Vasanthapura, despite protests by residents.

The dhabas tables are spread over the road, posing inconvenience to residents and passersby.



A complaint was lodged on the BBMPs website, with the complaint number GPMS/CMT-14521 DT May 29, 2016, but no concrete action has been taken. The complaint has been marked as resolved, which is incorrect.

We request the BBMP to clear the unauthorised dhaba immediately and reclaim its property.



Jagadeeswara Rao

Vade president, GMR Nagar Residents Welfare

Association, 3rd Block, Narayan Nagar,

Doddakallasandra





Complete flyover in Baiyappanahalli

The flyover near Baiyappanahalli railway cross has been awaiting completion since long. Defence authorities have cleared the decks and agreed to provide space for the flyover. Why is the government taking so long to finish the job? The latest BBMP budget had not word on the flyover. The authorities are instead allocating funds for flyovers near Sony World junction in Koramangala and ITC, Banaswadi. If the government is unable to provide infrastructure to citizens, why do we need such a government?

G Gopinath, Banaswadi



No streetlights in IT hub

Streetlights between Graphite India bus stop and the traffic signal inside the high-tech Whitefield Export Promotion Park Industrial Association (WEPPIA) in Whitefield dont light up after 7 pm on weekdays.



There is no pedestrian-crossing either, rather there is a wall, at one of Bengalurus busiest junctions. The city administration and the WEPPIA seem to discourage walking and bus use and increase motorbikes and automobiles.

Elan



Ward 63 goes from bad to worse

Nothing has been done about the mess in ward number 63 ever since corporator M K Gunashekar took over. He also looks after Jayamahal locality in the same ward. It is like ordering a one-by-two coffee.



Ward 63 covers Tasker Town which needs a lot of cleaning-up as it is beset with bad roads, lack of dustbins and all-round filth. Jayamahal is visited by VIPs, so more attention is paid to that upscale area.



I had earlier complained about the terrible mess on Curve Road, but nothing has been done till date. In the absence of dustbins, people throw garbage everywhere.

No one even cares about the board outside the park that reads, Do not throw garbage here  Rs 500 fine.

Sheroo Anklesaria, Kothari Hall Annexe



Traffic nuisance in Malleswaram

A heap of dried concrete is blocking almost half the road close to the intersection of 11th cross and 6th main road in Malleswaram. This blockage causes traffic congestion throughout the day, particularly when the school opens, during the lunch recess and closing hours. Surprisingly, the traffic police, who appear vigilant to book school buses for operating without valid licence, remain indifferent to this nuisance staring them in the face. I request the BBMP to intervene and take appropriate action to avoid accidents. This spot is not far from the office of Malleswaram MLA, C N Ashwath Narayan.

Bellur S Dattari,

10, 13th Cross, Malleswaram


Theresa May accused Brexit opponents of 'insulting the intelligence of the British people' today as she said we will leave the EU by April 2019 at the latest. The Prime Minister also laid down the gauntlet to Brussels for the looming negotiations over the single market, making clear that control over immigration is a red line. The uncompromising speech came as she revealed that Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the formal two-year mechanism for quitting the EU - will be triggered by March. - The Mail on Sunday

Google will this month reject EU claims that it is abusing its dominance in search engines and mobile phones, raising the stakes in a long-running battle with Brussels that could trigger a fine running into billions of dollars for the internet giant. The company is preparing to respond within weeks to three separate charges of EU competition rule breaches in its online shopping service, Android smartphone software and advertising business. - The Sunday Telegraph

British retailers are hoping for a boost from tourists on post-referendum shopping sprees as Chinas golden week holiday begins, bringing with it the prospect of more bargain hunters heading to the UK. Department stores and luxury shops have enjoyed bumper takings from overseas visitors snapping up watches and jewellery since the Brexit vote. The tourists were attracted to UK high streets by a sharp fall in the pound following the Brexit vote. The sharp move means tourists can now get more pounds for their own currency. - The Guardian

Tesco is set to report an increase in first-half profits this week, cementing its recovery under Dave Lewis and giving it the firepower to wage a new price war heading into Christmas trading. Analysts expect Britains biggest grocery chain to reveal operating profits of between 487m and 624m for the six months to the end of August, a significant improvement on the 354m in the same period last year. Underlying sales are forecast to have risen for the third consecutive - The Sunday Times

David Smith will join defence supplier Qinetiq as chief financial officer next year. Smith, 55, who succeeds David Mellors, was recently replaced as chief financial officer at the aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce, and previously served as chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover. - The Sunday Times

Ministers and MPs were met with shouts of 'Tory scum get out of Brum' as they began their four-day conference in Birmingham today. The protests - arranged by radical trade unions, campaigned against the Government's spending cuts. Aggressive placards read: 'The only cuts that we need are Tories on the guillotine,' while others compared the giant security wall protecting Conservative MPs from the public to Donald Trump's plans to build a wall on the Mexican border. - The Mail on Sunday

Monarch Airlines is close to unveiling a bumper fleet order of 45 new Boeing planes backed by a massive bank financing package. The deal with a consortium of major institutions will be the biggest investment in the airlines 48-year history and should secure the carriers future, ensuring that its licence to fly is fully extended. - The Sunday Telegraph

Qatari funds are nursing a 1bn loss on their investments in Deutsche Bank, after a 60pc rout in the troubled German lenders stock price since they backed a massive fund-raising two years ago. Paramount Services Holdings and Supreme Universal Holdings have owned a combined stake of 6pc of the bank since mid-2014, buying in when the shares cost just over 25. The Qataris were among a group of investors that Deutsche tapped for 8.5bn to bolster its balance sheet. - The Sunday Telegraph

The government of Holland has become the latest to crack down on binary options trading after its financial regulator labelled the fast-growing industry toxic. The move to ban advertising for the get-rich-quick trading schemes will ramp up the pressure on British authorities. The Sunday Times reveals this weekend how a woman lost more than 640,000 in what is thought to be the biggest fraud claim yet on these shores. - The Sunday Times
Blue Jackets goalie Merzlikins, family threatened verbally

Aleksandra Merzlikins, the wife of the Blue Jackets goalie, has posted online about verbal abuse and threats directed at her family by fans.
Bishop Liam MacDaid wrote this letter to the people of the Diocese of Clogher in relation to his retirement, which he announced yesterday. The letter is being read out at all masses this weekend.

A phobal De,

It is with very mixed feelings that I write to you to share with you the news that Pope Francis has accepted my retirement as Bishop of Clogher on grounds of health and in the light of medical advice.

I decided that this was something that I should explain to you personally through a letter rather than a press release. I have asked the priests to assist me by having this letter read at masses this weekend. It is at least seven years ago since many of you noticed the tell-tale tremor in the hands at the altar which was subsequently diagnosed as Parkinsons disease. The medical booklet describes it as a designer disease, which sounds posh, but is really just saying that the symptoms and progression of the disease are very individual and differ a lot from one to another.

When I was appointed to take on the responsibility of being your bishop, I was advised medically not to let this condition prevent me from taking on the challenge (Pope John Paul 11 was a sufferer) but to keep it under review and follow medical advice. I was fortunate to have excellent medical care but it is a neuro-degenerative condition which over time gets worse rather than better, to put it simply. The office of bishop is stressful and demanding work-wise so it was inevitable that I would find my own condition becoming increasingly problematic and beginning to interfere with my capacity to fulfil my responsibilities. The priests of the diocese were most supportive, as were family and friends. The staff and carers at Bishops House and the diocesan kffice were most attentive and I was conscious of the assistance of all your prayers.

Some months ago the medical team called time and, in his report, Professor Daniel Healy, consultant neurologist, wrote "I have advised him on medical grounds that he should retire from his position as Bishop of Clogher. Bishop MacDaid has bravely tried to continue to the best of his abilities with his mission and episcopal responsibility. However, I am now of the view that this is having a negative impact on his quality of life and health.

That does not leave much room for discussion especially when your body appears to be giving the same message. This report was sent to Rome and kindly received by Pope Francis. I suggested that I take six months to finish work in hand which was why my resignation did not take effect until this weekend.

The diocese will not be left rudderless. Within a matter of days from now, the chapter of canons of the diocese will choose an administrator to govern the diocese while a process of consultation will be initiated by the Papal Nuncio to select a new bishop to lead the diocese into the future under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Again I could not speak highly enough of the kindness, encouragement and support which I have received from the priests and people of the diocese. I know you will be equally generous and supportive to the diocesan administrator and, in time, to your new bishop. For all bishops and priests, the past half-century has been a most difficult time. As Bishop of Clogher for 31 of those years, Bishop Duffy has carried the heaviest burden of responsibility and it is only right that we should acknowledge this and express our gratitude.

Some church members find it difficult to see beyond the bishop and priest and mistakenly take human failure on their part to be a failure in the way and teaching of Jesus Christ. In any way of life, when we meet with human failures, we would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater if we dismissed the profession itself. If there are instances where the civil law is imperfectly framed or unjustly applied, the vast majority of the population still accept that the law is the foundation of civilised living for society. When adult and parents opt out of church on account of the shortcomings and failures of the messengers, is this not impoverishing themselves and their children, effectively depriving them of the nourishment and guidance which they can find only in the message of Christ?

I am not saying these things out of pique or in a rant but out of concern for my church and its members. We are missing out on the talents and energy of so many good people. It is sad to see good people wasting so much precious time criticising and denigrating the church when they could do so much for their community simply by living the Christian way and being an effective witness to it at work and elsewhere. In this way, we can spread the good news we are offered and preserve the integrity of the message of Jesus Christ.

Would you not agree that we could say we suffer a similar loss in our schools? Teachers do some marvellous catechetical work but they feel they are often working in a vacuum with little or no support in comparable instruction from parents and little or no church attendance to give it all a community foundation and backing. If we had these members back and involved, what new life and vitality could we then give to each others flagging spirits?

Throughout the diocese I have witnessed and experienced much joy and neighbourliness among people as together they seek to build up the community. This is despite the obstacles, current and historic, that often lurk in the background.

Within the wider Christian church, much progress has been made in overcoming obstacles of the past and present. As I retire, I wish to thank all of the other Christian churches in the Diocese of Clogher for their friendship, kindness and fellowship. I particularly acknowledge the courage and integrity of Archbishop Michael Jackson of Dublin and of his successor as Bishop of Clogher, Bishop John McDowell. Together with others, they have moved ecumenical respect and activity to a new level. I pray that the progress already made will continue to be built on so that the whole Church of Christ may be a standard for all as it ministers the Gospel to all humankind and makes its pilgrim way in hope.

We have a very impressive group of young people in Clogher don Oige who have broadened their horizons and have attracted favourable mention wherever they have gone. Their leadership is enlightened and gives appropriate attention to development and teamwork. They are training adult and youth leaders who know what they are about and have involved themselves in worthwhile community projects like the John Paul II Awards, with the assistance of sponsorship from the Knights of Columbanus. To neglect to nurture this promising tree would be to our sorrow and shame.

We have an excellent team of priests, much loved and respected by those they serve and genuinely supportive of each others needs. Unfortunately, their numbers have significantly diminished and many of those still working are well advanced in years. Happily, more and more lay people are engaging in ministry and offering support in our parishes, including many young people. This is a heartening expression of the living out of our baptismal calling. This will have to happen on an even greater scale if we are to maintain the traditional parish organisation of our communities. Pastoral support and adult education groups have greatly facilitated reflection and planning for the future including for the World Meeting of Families due to be held in Dublin in 2018.

These are some reflections on how I see things as I pass on the keys. All that we have has been given to us for our use, from the gift of the created world to life itself. Most of us accept that we need Gods word to direct us and Gods table to nourish us. Most of us believe that the church has to play a vital role in preserving the integrity of what Jesus Christ left to us, in interpreting it for our time and in passing it on. That is difficult for people to accept when we see how imperfect the church can be. It needs continual renewal and purification. This process is more authentic when we have the humility and honesty to admit that it must begin with me.

Its time for me to take my leave. It has been a privilege to serve you as bishop for the past six years. It has been a great learning experience to work with my fellow priests. It has been an uplifting experience to be a conduit of Gods grace to you, especially at difficult times. It is with some reluctance that I go yet I know that it is the right decision. I offer my apologies and ask forgiveness from anyone I have wronged or failed in my ministry. It is time to prepare for the next phase of the journey. I hope to live locally where I have spent most of my life. With a bit more attention and care, my condition might still allow me to make some little contribution to the life of the church. I leave with a heart full of gratitude for all the blessings I have received from God in so many ways, not least the marvellous people he has given me as family, relatives, friends, colleagues and fellow-travellers.

From this weekend, I retire as your bishop and from the many responsibilities that come with leading the diocese.My name will no longer be mentioned in the Eucharistic Prayer of each mass celebrated in the diocese. That naming of the pope and the local bishop tells us something: that we Catholics all around the world are united with one another through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As the Second Vatican Council tells us, all who are led by the spirit are called to holiness. It is in the reality of that holiness and unity - and having experienced your goodness to me over the years - that I ask you to remember me in your prayers, as I will continue to remember all of you.

Let us entrust ourselves to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, and St Macartan, patron of our diocese,

Lord God, hear the prayers of your Church

and give us the strength of St Macartan,

faithful disciple of St Patrick.

May the Word of God be reborn in us.

May we in our time promote collaboration among the People of God,

and lend a supportive hand to those in our families and parish communities

that may be in need.

May the Spirit of God sustain and strengthen us in our friendships with one another on our journey towards the light, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen!

- (From the Collect for the Feast of St Macartan, National Proper for Ireland (2009) and the Novena Prayer to St Macartan)

+Liam S. MacDaid
The organisers of the Bayview/Martin Howley Harvest Rally are looking forward to one of the most successful Harvest rallies in recent years.

Introducing the launch Damian Crawford paid a very sincere tribute to the late Martin Howley stressing that this event on October 8 will not be a sad occasion but a celebration of Martin's life.

With backdrops of the villages of Kilcar and Glencolmcille and the magic of the Wild Atlantic Way this event promises to be the rally of the year.

Minister Joe McHugh TD added, I will have to confess I don't know much about rallying - I used to make my way to the dances in my old Massey Fergusson but having spent a lot of time around Teelin and Kilcar learning Irish, it is a truly spectacular route.

I suppose the one thing on all minds in view of recent events is safety. With professional and accomplished drivers like yourselves there is rarely a problem but I would ask the many followers and supporters to exercise extreme care and keep this event totally accident free.

Looking at the cars outside they are all built to the highest safety specc - all I ask is do not try and emulate what the professionals do.

The Clerk of the Course Karl Reid also stressed the safety aspect adding that there was a totally mouth watering lineup set for this great showdown.

He said, With no less than three former winners of the Donegal International Rally included in WRC cars we are looking forward to a classic weekend in Killybegs.

The facilities here are ideal - our service area will be on the pier in the centre of the town, we will also have a massive screen in the service area where spectators can watch all the action live

Tracy McGill of the Bayview said, The financial implications for the local economy are fantastic.

Every bed in the town and the whole way inthrough are booked but if you still want to come to Killybegs for what promises to be the weekend of the year , give us a ring at the Bayview Hotel.

A garda spokesman added, We want to make this an enjoyable and safe event for all - please heed the steward's and Gardai instructions. Stay on track.
The presentation of the 2016 Tip O'Neill Irish Diaspora Award on Friday night week last proved to be an entertaining and illuminating evening.

This year's recipient, political analyst Chris Matthews, offered unique insights into the 2016 Presidential election campaign in the USA, as well as sharing memories of his time working for Tip O'Neill, the legendary US Speaker of the House of Representatives, and of Nobel Laureate John Hume at the time of the Good Friday Agreement.

"Totally and utterly unusual"

Mr Matthews also enthralled the audience with his take on the current US Presidential campaign.

He said, The question I get asked here all the time is 'What is going on in your crazy country today?'

"It's totally and utterly unusual. Nobody expected and nobody was ready for Donald Trump.

"The Clinton people will tell you that the country's about 50:50 and that's sort of true. It's going to be a close one. The Democrats and Republicans are pretty evenly matched and there are a lot of independents out there who are up for grabs. I don't think that explains this year, though.

Not a typical Republican

"I dont think Donald Trump is a typical Republican. I don't think he represents either party. But he is a brilliant marketer, who has an amazing connection with the zeitgeist, what people are concerned about.

"Normally, a guy like him would be killed politically. He's says things that are awful about women, that certain ethnic groups are all rapists, etc. In normal circumstances, people would be saying he shouldn't be in politics at all. But it's different this time.

"There's something going on in the air in the United States. Part of it is this. I guess it's just the closest thing to Brexit. It's just people voting 'No'.

"'No' to the way things are, 'No' to the the direction the country is going in, and 'No' to the political elite.

"Trump identified issues that works politically, such as illegal immigration and the loss of manufacturing jobs.

"You can go through a lot of the United States and see towns where there is nothing left but rust. Maybe there's a diner but that's all there is. A lot of the United States has been hollowed out. Somebody's got to be blamed for that.

"The wars, especially the Iraq war, which a lot of the media were bugle blowers for. That war has no fans today, none.

"What Trump did - and I don't know if he believes any of this but he knows it works magic in America - was to adopt very smart but nasty politics, blaming the elite and illegal immigrants for everything.

"And Hilary Clinton has got caught up on the wrong side of it because she is the Establishment and she did back the war.

"The other sad fact that he's picked up on is that a lot of working class and middle class families have lost faith in the American Dream that their kids are going to do better than them.

"Trump says he'll bring it back, the day when, like in the 50s any guy coming out of high school could get a good manufacturing job, provide for his whole family and send his kids to school.

"He never says quite how he's going to do it but he promises it.

"Now, if you're African American or Hispanic, that image means nothing to you because back then you had no civil rights or you weren't even here.

As for the debates, he said, Clinton "is very smart, incredibly well prepared, with her homework done. Normally that would be enough. She will be great, very controlled and won't make a mistake."

Whoever is perceived to have won the debates, though, Mr Matthews believes that, on balance, Trump is more likely to lose the election.

He can win. It's going to be very close.

"What I think's going to happen, though, is that moderate Republican women are going to vote for Clinton. A lot of women are going to say 'Not that guy'.

"The whole vote now is about African Americans, who are 97% for Clinton, and Hispanics, who are also overwhelmingly for her, and whether or not they turn out to vote.

"I figure that, if they do, Trump has to get 70% of the white vote. That's an incredible percentage which includes more than half women.

But it's going to be close.

"A practical, amazing man"

Mr Matthews also said he was delighted that John Hume and his wife Pat were there to share the occasion with him. One of the really great heroes of my life is John Hume. I was over here covering the events surrounding the Good Friday Agreement which was a truly remarkable occasion.

"John Hume was out there, in the midst of this incredible historic event, just a regular politician canvassing, going person to person, talking about the importance of tourism, if we could get peace.

"I got a chance to see up close how the Irish politicians worked and to see how a man like John Hume could continue to focus on the everyday things that mattered to the people of Northern Ireland while at the same time brokering such a momentus agreement. Such a practical, amazing man.
October is National Bullying Prevention month. We have all heard the phrase bullying, but what does it actually mean? Bullying is defined as unwanted aggressive behavior; observed or perceived power imbalance; repetition of behaviors or high likelihood of repetition.

Bullying is unfortunately a reality for far too many in our communities both young and old. Much like any other form of violence, bullying is not isolated to any particular age group, gender or demography. Just about everyone of us can look back in our lives and recall a time where either we were personally bullied or witnessed one of our friends or schoolmates being bullied. Its hard to believe that with all of the advancements and awareness, this type of behavior still exists, but it does and with the advent of social media, it had actually gotten much worse. This is because unlike in the past, the bully not only impacts your life on the playground or classroom; they now are able to follow you into your personal life due to the constant presence of social media.

There is good news in that we have learned a great deal about what creates these bullies and how to neutralize their ability to isolate and intimidate. The key is for those in authority to respond to reports of bullying immediately to show without question that bullying will not be acceptable. That message needs to follow to our homes with the messages we send our children not only by what we say but by our own actions in how we treat fellow adults. Bullying is without question a learned behavior. It is learned on the playground, in the classroom and follows through to the workplace and social interactions as adults. We need to send a strong message to our own children, a message of empathy and compassion not of ridicule and rumor.

Who are at risk of bullying the most? Typically those who are bullied have one or more of the following risks:

Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider cool

Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves

Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem

Are less popular than others and have few friends

Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or antagonize others for attention

However, even if a child has these risk factors, it doesnt mean that they will be bullied. The important lesson is that we as adults set the tone for how the next generation will interact with each other. Chances are if we show acceptance of others, our children will show acceptance of others. If we engage in demeaning others or spreading rumors, our children will follow suit. So often we as adults underestimate the influence, we have not only on our own children but even those who dont know us but witness our behavior.

While school or workplace policies are an important component, the only way to truly decrease bullying is by denying the bully their victim. We do this by raising strong, confident, resilient children, and speaking out and supporting those who find themselves on the receiving end of this type of behavior. We are all teachers in life lessons and we teach by our actions. Lets all be aware of what we teach.
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

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Usually in the Philippines the concept of street food is very literal, the food we see and buy from the street sidewalk food vendors. Theres isaw, Adidas, Kwek Kwek, fishball, icesramble and more. In other parts of Asia, like Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong when they say street food what comes in mind is the flavorful and mysterious food served in a food court kind of concept by different stalls. Its also what we call carinderia in Filipino and what they call Hawker Food in other parts of Asia.



Traveler friends would recommend the Hawker food as One of the must visit food stops when in Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong as this is where you can experience the authentic taste and concept. But I am. Glad to tell everyone that you dont need to pack your bags and buy and airfare ticket to the said destinations as the Hawker Experience is now here in Manila!

Say Hello to Makansutra!

Makan is the Bahasa word for food, and Sutra means guide according to Buddhist scriptures. Makansutra Chief Executive and Makan Guru KF Seetoh put the two words together to fittingly describe what the company aims to achieve: to serve as food and dining guide through recipes that have been inherited from the forefathers of the Asian region.

Makansutra in located at the SM Megamall A, is the companys first fully-owned restaurant in the Philippines, and the first of its kind in the country. It showcases hawker restaurants that are popular in Singapore, offering various recipes with Asian origins such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Gathering a total of 70 to 80 Filipino chefs, the owners of the restaurants themselves came all the way from Singapore to teach the art of cooking authentic heritage street food that customers will find unique and delectable.

These foods became iconic and famous, became big business in many countries.The best thing about this is that its convenient for you to keep coming back, and you will not run out of choices because there is something for everyone with different taste preferences. None of these foods are adopted for the Pinoy tastebud. These are all authentic heritage food from various regions. Its our entry point to Singapores popular foods.

Watch my Makansutra Hawker Food Adventure Here :

How to go about your Makansutra Hawker Food Trip.

1. Go around and see what your palate will fancy. There is Malaysia, Singaporean, Indian, Chinese Hawker food available. Yes, Bah Kuh Teh, Sate, Roti Prata and the like!

2. Order your food direct at the stalls pay as you order and find a seat.

3. Or sit back and relax at one of the Function Rooms, ask for the menu from the servers and they will order what you want for you and serve it back to you. This type of has 15% service charge. The food staff are well versed with the kind of food available here. You can ask them anything and can tell you whatever you want to know about a certain dish, restaurant or flavoring you are looking for. Like if you want less sugar or no sugar on your shake, want not spicy food or fish dish, they can help you out.





Personally, Ive tried Hawker Food in Singapore and Malaysia, when I was at Makansutra I got the same exact feel like I was abroad. Plus the food selection is variable, the place is clean and very street artsy, the best part is the food is very affordable. You can get dish for as low as Php80.00 it can get high as Php700.00 but this price is for sharing by four people or more as they have big servings.

If you have an adventurous tongue, I suggest you visit Makansutra right away. They are open everyday from 10am to 9pm on weekdays and up to 10pm on weekends.

Die Die Must Try, just a way of them saying you should try this before you die, a food experience you should not miss in your life.



Went on this Makansutra Hawker Food Trip Experience with my blogger friends, Ted, Enzo, Azrael and Jeman with our PR friend Carl.

Stay gorgeous everyone!
I dont know anyone who is not impressed or enticed with something beautiful.

Recently, Rustans had gathered together all the beauty aficionados in one gathering . Aptly entitled So Surreal, the annual affair spotlights the Philippines only luxury one-stop beauty shops affiliated brands and products through a dreamy lens. Transforming the floors of Rustans Makati into an all-white wonderland illuminated by contrasting neon pastels, Beauty Addict continues its four-year streak with whimsical installations and picturesque surreal elements, turning ones imaginative beauty idea into reality.

What I enjoyed much about this So Surreal Rustans Beauty Addict event was getting to try all of Rustans The Beauty Sources brands as I participated in games, activities and workshops from the likes of our favorite beauty brands such as Chanel, Clarins, La Prairie, Estee Lauder, MAC Cosmetics, NARS, Deborah Lippman, Acca Kappa, Diptyque, and Nuxe.

Beauty heavyweights and well-loved labels celebrating milestones this year will also have designated counters at the event. Among the assemblage are year-old Korean brand Areum, 20-year-old makeup label Laura Mercier, nail care colossus OPI, and French favorite LOccitane, which respectively mark 2016 as their 35th and 40th anniversaries. Newcomers to the Rustans roster such as the algae-anchored Algenist, the all-organic Neals Yard Remedies, and perfumer Maison Francis Kurkdjianthe newest addition to the round-upwill be ready to welcome attendees as well.

In keeping with Beauty Addict tradition, Rustans continues to give back. Carrying on last years set-up, every photo taken at the Charity booth and uploaded online with the hashtag #RustansBeautyAddictGivesBack will equate to a donation to the chosen charity of Rustans, ICanServe Foundation, an organization that helps women with breast cancer in the Philippines.

Providing full-fledged beauty junkies with the best of the best, So Surreal promises even better benefits for Beauty Addict cardholders. Every P200 purchase entitles members to a new point that may be used to obtain premium cosmetics, fragrances, toiletries, spa services, and merchandise from Rustans The Beauty Source. Customers may avail of Beauty Addict membership with any single receipt purchase of P2,500 and above at the Rustans Cosmetics, Fragrances, and Toiletries Division.

All of this is just the surreal beginning. With Manilas freshest, finest and most fashionable in tow, Rustans, together with its partners Metrobank and Moet Hennessy Philippines Inc. advocates yet another year of looking good, feeling good and doing good, all in the name of beauty.

I have hoarded a lot of beauty stuff at this event which until now I have not able to look at because of my busy sked! I promise I shall show it all to you when I have the time. I will make time.

Stay gorgeous everyone!
To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020.
Mexico City, Oct 2 (EFE).- British musician and composer Roger Waters used a concert at Mexico City's Plaza de la Constitucion this weekend to take more shots at Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The 73-year-old musician, known for his leftist politics and anti-capitalist rhetoric, performed some of Pink Floyd's classic songs, with messages flashing on the giant screen on the stage at Saturday night's concert.

The estimated 200,000 people who turned out for the concert applauded as the messages came up on the screen.

One message said "Renuncia Ya" (Resign Now), referring to a citizens' petition that calls on Pena Nieto to step down.

The stage in the plaza was located next to the National Palace and across from the Metropolitan Cathedral.

The concert was Waters's third in Mexico in the past week and the first one that was free.

During the song "Pigs (Three Different Ones)," a critique of capitalism, multiple images of Trump flashed on the screen, firing up the audience.

One image showed the New York real estate developer's face superimposed on the body of a hog.

Waters followed up that song with "Another Brick In The Wall. Part 2," welcoming a group of children wearing t-shirts with the message "Derriba el muro" (Tear Down the Wall) on stage in an even more direct criticism of Trump, who has vowed to build a wall on the border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants and drug traffickers.
Rio de Janeiro, Oct 2 (EFE).- Brazil is holding municipal elections Sunday, with candidates vying for thousands of posts in 5,568 cities.

The South American country's 144.4 million registered voters will choose from 16,565 candidates competing for mayoral posts and 463,376 others vying for the 310,062 city council seats up for grabs in the elections.

President Michel Temer was the first voter to cast a ballot in the polling place at the Pontifical Catholic University in Sao Paulo, avoiding a planned protest by students unhappy over the impeachment and removal from office of former President Dilma Rousseff.

No protesters were present when Temer voted at the university, a long-time bastion of the left in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city.

Students had called for a protest against Temer over social media, using the slogan "Temer no votara" (Temer Won't Vote) as a rallying cry.

Temer took office on Aug. 31, when the Senate removed Rousseff from office after finding her guilty of bypassing Congress to alter budgets by decree and taking too long to reimburse state-controlled banks for funds used to pay for government programs, a delay that her opponents say amounted to taking out illegal loans from those institutions.

In the southern city of Curitiba, meanwhile, voters applauded when Judge Sergio Moro, who is investigating the massive corruption scandal at state-controlled oil giant Petrobras, showed up to vote at an elections precinct.

Under the law, runoffs will be held on Oct. 30 in races not decided on Sunday.
A rebound to pre-referendum levels for consumer confidence helped the GBP/ZAR exchange rate to extend gains before the weekend.

At the present time, the pound to rand exchange rate today is extending yesterday's declines to trade in the region of 17.36321.

GBP/ZAR continued to fluctuate around its lowest levels on Tuesday afternoon, but the Rand struggled to capitalise on a weak Sterling as increasing demand for the US Dollar kept the risky Rand at bay.

Investor confidence in the Rand remains high however, after a bullish forecast for the currency from Renaissance Capital Ltd. RenCap believes the Rands value against the US Dollar could improve by as much as 20-30% over the next two years.

The modest improvement of the South African Manufacturing PMI has helped to support the Rand at the start of the week, despite the general bullishness of the US Dollar.

Although Septembers UK Construction PMI strongly bettered expectations, rising from 49.2 to 52.3 to signal a return to growth, this was not enough to boost the GBP/ZAR exchange rate on Tuesday.

A better-than-expected rise in the GfK consumer confidence survey result boosted the Pound Sterling to South African Rand conversion last week.

The index had been forecast to rise from -7 to -5, but instead climbed to -1; the same level seen in the two months leading up to the EU referendum.

Also buoying sentiment for Pound Sterling was a sizeable climb in the Lloyds business barometer reading, which leapt from 16 to 24.

Heres a look at the latest ZAR FX rates before the rest of the news;

On Monday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1

FX markets see the pound vs pound exchange rate converting at 1.

The pound conversion rate (against indian rupee) is quoted at 95.537 INR/GBP.

The pound conversion rate (against us dollar) is quoted at 1.16 USD/GBP.

NB: the forex rates mentioned above, revised as of 31st Oct 2022, are inter-bank prices that will require a margin from your bank. Foreign exchange brokers can save up to 5% on international payments in comparison to the banks.

A report from the World Bank on weakening sub-Saharan African growth weighed on the South African Rand (ZAR) exchange rate.

Weakness in the South African economy is dragging down the growth rate of sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Bank.

South Africa and Nigeria combined account for half of the continents economic output, but problems in their economies will drag the overall rate of expansion down to 1.6% this year, a report suggested.

This kept the South African Rand on a downtrend, helped by the fact that crude oil remained stronger after the recent news of a potential production freeze from oil cartel OPEC.

South Africa imports a lot of crude oil, so stronger prices weigh on the outlook for the South African economy; an especially unsettling development given the latest comments by the World Bank.

Whether or not Mondays manufacturing PMI remains around Augusts strong levels will be a key factor in GBP exchange rate movement.

Markets were cheered by the bullish recovery seen in the latest round of UK PMIs.

It may be that the initial volatility in the indices has subsided now and so markets could get a clearer idea of the overall trend of sector activity; should Mondays index reveal a weakening from its current score of 53.3, Pound Sterling could slump.

Deutsche Bank remains bearish on the Pound, noting;

The pains not over for GBP. With data surprises close to record highs, fiscal easing unlikely to help, political risk rising and the flow picture very negative, we remain bearish.

Manufacturing Data also Likely to Weigh on South African Rand (ZAR) Currency Trading

Monday also sees the release of manufacturing data for South Africa.

The Barclays manufacturing PMI currently shows the sector is firmly in contraction territory, but the South African Rand could receive a boost if the forecast rise materialises.

Predications are for an increase from 46.3 to 49.3; while still not showing sector growth, such a score would at least indicate the sector fared much better in September than in August.

Pound Sterling (GBP) Forecasts Eye Construction PMI

The next major UK economic announcements to watch out for will come on Tuesday and Wednesday, Covering Septembers PMIs.

For Sterling, todays trading has been poor on the back of Article 50-induced concerns, despite the manufacturing PMI for September rising above predictions.

Looking ahead, the Pound could be boosted by tomorrows construction PMI rising back into growth, although the services PMI on Wednesday is conversely forecast to decline on the month.
It doesn't matter if an MBA is done full-time or part-time. What does matter is that it be done at a legitimate university and an institute of financial analysts is not a legitimate university.
Hi Junction



The private medical system can also be confusing! From experience some clinics have an A&E Department and you see the doctor on duty who will then refer you to a specialist if indicated. At others the specialist will be called in straight away to see you. Also, for non urgent cases in many clinics you can make an appointment directly with the specialist.



Another thing to bear in mind is that if you have private health cover and there is an excess payment on your policy eg of 100- 300 it may be worth asking the doctor if he can give an estimate as to how much he thinks the consultation, tests and treatment will cost because it may be worth paying for it yourself so as to keep premiums lower in the future. However, you will still have to declare any treatment you have received when you next renew your medical insurance premium.



At one stage I did have private medical insurance but now prefer to pay as I go because I found the small print left me with hardly any cover at all. Charges for the doctors I deal with range from 30 - 50 for a consultation, all tests cost the same regardless of whether they are requested by a GP or a specialist - and don't forget to ask for a discount!
Guys anybody planing to move from India to Sydney by End of Jan or Early Feb 2019? We could connect and may help each other out, may be start for a beautiful friendship in a new country.



Please PM me.
From: American Evaluation Association (AEA) For Immediate Release: Dateline: Washington , DC Sunday, October 2, 2016

Erin Bock, Director of Research and Evaluation at The Sherwood Foundation in Omaha, Nebraska and OL-ECB TIG Program Co-Chair. Before I begin, I want to give a shout-out to my OL-ECB TIG Leadership colleagues: Ive had a blast working with you guys.

The OL-ECB TIG team has some cool projects were pursuing and Im kicking off this week setting the stage for those projects. In order to capitalize on the TIGs momentum, the leadership team conducted a membership survey to learn more about people who choose to affiliate with the OL-ECB TIG, the needs they have within this topic area, and mechanisms they would use to get their needs met. Heres what we learned

Lessons Learned:

Lesson #1

The average OL-ECB TIG Member has been an evaluator for a long time, but a member of this TIG a relatively short period of time. It makes one wonder about the journey we undertake as professionals and learning that successful evaluations happen when primary intended users are comfortable with evaluative practice. This brings them to the OL-ECBs doorstep.

Lesson #2

Among many needs, TIG members are challenged by a range of needs as well as target populations, limited time and resources, and garnering organizational leadership support for evaluation.

Lesson #3

In order to meet this need, members are looking to the TIG as a source of professional development and a place to network during the annual conference.

We have a number of initiatives planned in response to the data. Stay tuned this week to learn more. In the meantime, check out the report on the TIGs website:

The American Evaluation Association is celebrating Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building (OL-ECB) Topical Interest Group Week. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from our OL-ECB TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the



Welcome to the Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building (OL-ECB) TIG week on AEA365! My name is, Director of Research and Evaluation at The Sherwood Foundation in Omaha, Nebraska and OL-ECB TIG Program Co-Chair. Before I begin, I want to give a shout-out to my OL-ECB TIG Leadership colleagues: Ive had a blast working with you guys.The OL-ECB TIG team has some cool projects were pursuing and Im kicking off this week setting the stage for those projects. In order to capitalize on the TIGs momentum, the leadership team conducted a membership survey to learn more about people who choose to affiliate with the OL-ECB TIG, the needs they have within this topic area, and mechanisms they would use to get their needs met. Heres what we learnedThe average OL-ECB TIG Member has been an evaluator for a long time, but a member of this TIG a relatively short period of time. It makes one wonder about the journey we undertake as professionals and learning that successful evaluations happen when primary intended users are comfortable with evaluative practice. This brings them to the OL-ECBs doorstep.Among many needs, TIG members are challenged by a range of needs as well as target populations, limited time and resources, and garnering organizational leadership support for evaluation.In order to meet this need, members are looking to the TIG as a source of professional development and a place to network during the annual conference.We have a number of initiatives planned in response to the data. Stay tuned this week to learn more. In the meantime, check out the report on the TIGs website: http://comm.eval.org/olecb/home The American Evaluation Association is celebrating Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building (OL-ECB) Topical Interest Group Week. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from our OL-ECB TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.


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WASHINGTON  The United States isnt exactly the economic doormat Donald Trump decries in his campaign rhetoric.

Our country is in deep trouble, Trump said in last weeks debate with Hillary Clinton.

The U.S. economy does face serious challenges: an aging workforce, low worker productivity, still-sluggish growth, stagnant pay and a steady loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs  a loss thats brought pain to many American communities.

But the facts dont bear out Trumps assertion that the United States has become a global weakling, an economic pushover exploited by its competitors. Whether measured by its pace of expansion, job gains, financial might, global competitiveness or sheer size, the U.S. economy remains the envy of much of the developed world.

Over the past 10 years, the U.S. has done better than pretty much any other advanced country, certainly the European competitors, says Daron Acemoglu, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Consider:

The U.S. ranked third out of 140 countries in the World Economic Forums economic competitiveness rankings, just behind Switzerland and Singapore. China comes in 28th, Japan sixth and Germany fourth. (The report evaluates countries policies and institutions  in such areas as education, health care and finance  to see whether they make the economy more efficient and contribute to prosperity.)

Though Trump complained a week ago about Americas regulations on top of regulations, the U.S. ranked No. 7 out of 189 countries in the World Banks ease of doing business survey. By contrast, China, the worlds second-largest economy after the U.S., was No. 84.

The U.S. has outpaced other advanced nations collectively for each of the past four years and likely will do so again in 2016, according to the International Monetary Fund.

American employers have added jobs for a record 71 consecutive months and added a robust average of 204,000 a month over the past year. Unemployment has sunk to 4.9 percent  essentially what economists call full employment. The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid has been fewer than 300,000 for 81 straight weeks. Its the longest such streak since 1970, when the labor force was only about half as big as it is now.

Among developed nations, the U.S. is the best performer by far, says Sung Won Sohn, an economist at California State University Channel Islands.

Some of Trumps specific complaints dont hold up to scrutiny. He has asserted that the United States has the highest business tax rates among the major industrialized nations. On paper, the corporate tax rate  35 percent  does look onerous. But few corporations actually pay that rate because they capitalize on deductions, credits and loopholes in the tax code. Take those into account, and the effective U.S. corporate tax rate is around 27 percent, in line with global averages.

Still, Trumps message resonates in Rust Belt communities that have lost industrial plants and in Southern mill towns where garment factories have vanished along with jobs. Since 1979, the U.S. has lost over 7 million manufacturing jobs, though factory employment has risen slightly since bottoming in 2010.

Trump blames unfair competition from China, Japan, Mexico and other countries for the devastation. But in many cases, advances in technology are the biggest factor in the job losses: Robots and other machines allow factories to produce more with fewer people.

Machines that use increasingly sophisticated technology reduce the incentive for companies to go overseas in search of cheap labor.

The Reshoring Initiative, a nonprofit that lobbies manufacturers to bring jobs back to the U.S., says companies were moving an average 220,000 jobs a year to other countries a decade ago, after subtracting jobs that returned to the U.S. or were created by foreign investment. Now, it says, the number of jobs being taken abroad is roughly offset by jobs being brought back or created by foreign investment.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Whats more, China, which Trump argues is outfoxing the U.S. on trade, is losing its cost advantage.

Rapidly rising real wages indicate that the end of cheap labor in China is at hand, concluded a report this year by economists David Autor of MIT, David Dorn at the University of Zurich and Gordon Hanson of the University of California-San Diego.

Sohn says the biggest long-term threat to the U.S. is its inability to live within its means. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the federal debt  excluding what agencies borrow from each other  will climb from $14.1 trillion this year to $23.1 trillion in 2026 as baby boomers retire and tap Social Security and Medicare. The debt reflects years of annual budget deficits  the gap between what the government spends and what it collects in taxes.

Last Monday, Trump promised to deliver the biggest tax cuts since Ronald Reagan.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Trumps proposals would add $5.3 trillion to the federal debt over the next decade, versus $200 billion for Hillary Clintons plans.

Were on a dangerous path, Sohn says.

If Trump were elected, he said, the deficits likely would go up significantly, which would make the situation worse.
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AUSTIN  In a state stereotyped nationally by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz cooking bacon on a machine gun, Cecile Richards sees a different kind of sizzle.

The daughter of the late trailblazing Texas Gov. Ann Richards and prominent labor and civil-rights lawyer David Richards, her outlook was shaped by the progressive causes that she was taught to revere, but always have faced an uphill battle.

In Texas, you dont get anything that you dont fight for. I certainly learned that from my mom and my dad, whether it was the labor movement or the civil rights movement or the early womens rights movement, Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News.

I dont think its accidental that a lot of strong leaders come out of the state of Texas, said Richards, who lives in New York but makes frequent trips back here as as she did recently, combining some campaigning for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton with attending her 83-year-old fathers wedding.

Richards, 59, is the determined leader of Planned Parenthood as the organization repeatedly is targeted by anti-abortion forces, becoming a lightning rod for the right whether shes enduring a congressional grilling, joining of protesters, writing about her own abortion, celebrating a U.S. Supreme Court victory or touting Hillary Clintons support for womens rights and health care.

While turning aside suggestions for years that she run for office, Richards sees Texas activists pushing back against the long GOP reign that she says doesnt represent Texans desires, despite elections to the contrary.

She pointed to clamorous Texas Capitol protests when the Republican-dominated Legislature in 2013 passed tighter abortion restrictions. The law was overturned this year by the U.S. Supreme Court, which called the requirements an undue burden on abortion rights.

I never have felt that the politicians, and I would certainly include Gov. (Greg) Abbott in this, are reflecting the hopes and desires of folks in Texas. These attacks  were on far more than access to safe and legal abortion, they were on access to basic cancer screenings. Theyve shut Planned Parenthood out of the breast cancer screening program, she said. I believe that every time they have put their political agenda ahead of the well-being of women in the state of Texas, theyve made a huge mistake.

And we have seen the most extraordinary organizing and pushback. I believe so strongly that that Supreme Court decision is directly linked to what we have seen people on the ground do in Texas and that is  lift up the voices of women who have been disenfranchised.

An Abbott spokesman declined comment.

Richards praises others when asked about being perhaps the nations best-known face in the fight for access to safe abortion and womens health care. Its a reputation she has put to use in traveling to more than 20 states for the first woman to be a major partys presidential nominee, but she takes pains to emphasize its built on the work of many.

There are a lot of women  and not only women  that have been in the forefront of this fight for a long, long time. Im honored to be part of it, but I dont by any stretch want to think that I am the sole or even the most important leader in this movement, she said, a familiar theme for her.

After the Washington Post outlined the bolder abortion rights movement under her leadership at Planned Parenthood, she submitted a correction saying it had overstated her role.

National influence

Richards nevertheless has influenced national policy since taking the top job at Planned Parenthood more than 10 years ago, recounting a memorable personal call from President Barack Obama before his announcement that birth control would be covered under the Affordable Care Act. She emphasized the moment was built on decades of work.

She has been a target of the right, memorably in 2014 when she wrote an essay for Elle magazine about having an abortion, saying she wanted to dispel the abortion stigma. The mother of three wrote simply, It was the right decision for me and my husband, and it wasn't a difficult decision.

Asked about the criticism, she was steely: Thats because people like to judge women about the decisions they make. I didnt really know what the reaction would be, and honestly I didnt really care.  Almost one in three women in this country will have an abortion. And they make these decisions for a whole host of reasons.  Women are the best people to know whats the right decision for them.

She withstood a blistering congressional hearing last year after Planned Parenthood was targeted in videos regarding the disposition of fetal tissue. She wound up defending not only her groups record of abiding by the law but her salary, which she testified topped a half-million dollars annually.

She sparked fire from anti-abortion activists at this summers Democratic National Convention even before she addressed the gathering, simply because she had a high-profile seat next to former President Bill Clinton.

Cathie Adams, national board member and former state president of the conservative Eagle Forum, contends Richards espouses a radical agenda, exemplified by her support for Clinton and encouragement of the 2013 Capitol demonstration.

During the time when the Legislature was discussing and passing the wonderful pro-life legislation, she was with people who were very much misbehaving and not acting at all like Texans do, in a respectable manner, Adams said.

Texas abortion fight

Richards has kept her hand in Texas as Republican officeholders have chipped away at abortion rights and diverted health-care funding from her organization.

She was front and center in 2013 as protesters flooded the state Capitol to back then-state Sen. Wendy Davis filibuster against the law on abortion restrictions. She supported Davis run for governor in 2014, when the Democrat was trounced by Abbott. She celebrated the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to strike down the law, hailing it at the Austin phone bank appearance before a supportive crowd.

Melanie Gaw, 22, a volunteer who moved to Austin from Houston, said she looks up to Richards.

Being a young woman in Texas, it can be difficult, especially if youre liberal. Its not exactly a popular viewpoint. And shes been somebody whos not only made it OK to be a liberal woman in Texas, but also has fought for everything that I believe in, especially in womens health, Gaw said.

U.S Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic leader, suggested to the New Yorker magazine in 2013 that Richards could be the president. But Richards has ducked suggestions she run for office dating to Texas Democrats so-called 2002 dream ticket headed by Laredo businessman Tony Sanchez, when a poll said shed win the nomination in a hypothetical state land commissioner race.

In 2002, I strongly encouraged her, said political strategist Glenn Smith, who headed Ann Richards 1990 primary election campaign. Shes easily one of the most able people Ive ever worked with in politics. I dont think shell return to Texas and run for office, but I sure wish she would.

Asked about running in the Austin interview, Cecile Richards said: I have a pretty great job right now, and feel like we are doing really important work, including in the state of Texas. Pressed again by reporters, she said, I guess never say never about anything. But thats not in my plans.

Family legacy

Richards has a Texas resume that sets her apart from the machine-gun-bacon-cooking, Planned-Parenthood-opposing Cruz and other Republicans who hold power.

Her first girlhood dance, as chronicled in both parents memoirs, was a Rio Grande Valley shindig to kick off a protest march by farm workers over wages.

When she was called to the principals office, it was for wearing a black arm band to protest the Vietnam War. Her reaction: It was like, wow, this really made a difference.

She spent the first day of her honeymoon, after marrying fellow labor organizer Kirk Adams, supporting striking workers in Beaumont along with her husband.

They later helped with her mothers 1990 campaign to become the first woman elected Texas governor in her own right.

When Ann Richards lost to Republican George W. Bush in 1994  the last year any Democrat won statewide office in Texas  her daughter founded the Texas Freedom Network, a state organization dedicated to countering the message of the religious right.

Richards also headed national efforts dedicated to electing Democrats and worked as deputy chief of staff for Pelosi before taking the top job at Planned Parenthood.

She has spoken at three national Democratic conventions, following the path of her mother, who became a national star with a 1988 convention speech in which she jabbed at then-Vice President George H.W. Bush: Poor George. He cant help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.

Richards invoked her mother at this years convention, saying: Tonight, we are closer than ever to putting a woman in the White House. And I can almost hear mom saying, Well, it sure took y'all long enough.

The political legacy has continued with Cecile and Kirks family. Their daughter, Lily Adams  who was featured in Ann Richards 1988 speech as her nearly perfect first grandchild  is doing press for Clinton in battleground states. Her sister, Hannah, is working for Clintons campaign in Colorado. Their brother, Daniel, is pursuing a doctorate in chemistry, leading his mother to quip, Somebody got a straight job.

Mary Beth Rogers, who led Ann Richards 1990 general election campaign and became her gubernatorial chief of staff, said Cecile has always had a passion for people who pretty much are on the margins of society, and I think that goes back to her organizing days and growing up with Ann and David as her parents. That was a deep part of her upbringing.

Richards said that taking on sometimes unpopular issues as a young person led me to a whole life of organizing.

I just grew up in a family where if youve had the opportunity to make a difference, Richards said, that was the highest calling you could ever have.

pfikac@express-news.net
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At an autism education conference in Dallas on Saturday, District Attorney Nicholas Nico LaHood told attendees that hes never advised against vaccination.

Ive never told anyone not to vaccinate. Thats not what this is about, said LaHood, the father of a 6-year-old son who is on the autism spectrum. He has said his son and a daughter, who developed severe skin rashes, were both injured by vaccinations.

Its about education and letting us choose whats best for our child, he told the audience at the Autism Education Summit. Last time I checked, its my kid.

LaHood and his wife, Davida, were part of a celebrity keynote panel led by actress and author Jenny McCarthy, an anti-immunization activist who has a son who was diagnosed with autism. She is the president of Generation Rescue, an autism advocacy group, which sponsored the conference.

A San Antonio Express-News reporter paid the $89 to attend the event but was subsequently asked to leave the Hotel Intercontinental just before LaHood was set to appear. The reporter was escorted out of the hotel by two Dallas County Sheriffs deputies, but was never given any reason why he couldnt be there.

An audience member later posted the panel discussion on Facebook.

LaHood has come under criticism for his stance that vaccines cause autism and for rejecting scientific studies that have shown no link. In August, he sponsored a local theaters screening of the anti-vaccination film Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe, which drew about 100 people. The documentary asserts government officials have covered up evidence of a link between autism and the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine.

We dont start from a position of being anti-anything, LaHood said. Were just pro our kid. How bout that? So whatevers best for our kid, were all in.

The LaHoods received a loud applause from the audience when they were introduced by McCarthy. She noted the recent media attention LaHoods comments have garnered.

God bless them and their journey and protect them from what I know will happen to you guys, McCarthy said. Your skin has to become very thick. But when you believe in God and you have the right intentions and you fight for your kid, it does make it a lot easier, right?

LaHood recited a Bible verse, people perish because of lack of knowledge. The couple was only sharing their testimony, he said.

Everybody can do what they want with their child, but dont tell me what I can do with my child, he said to applause.

McCarthy asked LaHood the best avenue for parents to advocate at the local level. He responded that when it comes to choice on whether to vaccinate your child, you have a state representative, you have a state senator, you have a U.S. representative and you have a U.S. senator. Educate them.

Also on the panel was Vaxxed producer Del Bigtree, who said the film exposed a scientific fraud and cover-up.

Do vaccines cause autism? Bigtree said. I know that because Ive spent my life interviewing people . Im traveling the country and ultimately the world to let everyone know Ive looked into your eyes, Ive heard your stories. I just want you to know, you have been heard and the nations now starting to hear you.

Generation Rescue states part of its mission is to educate families affected by autism about treatment options. The California nonprofit received more than $1.1 million in contributions and grants in 2014, according to its most recently available tax return.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD

Staff writer Peggy OHare contributed to this report.
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Experience is the buzzword in the race for Bexar County sheriff.

All four candidates say they have it, and three point out they have more than the incumbent.

Sheriff Susan Pamerleau, a first-term Republican who took office almost four years ago with military and corporate credentials, said shes already proven herself capable of leading a big-city law enforcement agency.

But in a year when down-ballot candidates face several unknowns due to the presidential race, Pamerleau is having to fight for re-election as she faces three veteran law enforcement officers from the Democratic, Libertarian and Green parties.

None of the candidates portray the Sheriffs Office as trouble-free, but they offer a wide range of opinions on how troubled the office is, with Pamerleaus opponents blaming her for poor morale and working conditions for deputies and detention officers. The incumbent, however, points to several positive developments during her tenure and touts plans to further modernize the office.

Pamerleau drew the top ballot spot for the Nov. 8 election, above San Antonio Police Sgt. Javier Salazar, a Democrat; deputy constable Larry Ricketts, a Libertarian; and South San Antonio ISD police Sgt. James Dorsey of the Green Party.

Ricketts, who served nearly three decades as a sheriffs deputy after military service, contends he has the kind of broad experience needed to manage the office. Living in an unincorporated area, I do know what it is to depend on the sheriffs department for our safety and security.

Dorsey said he has 30 years of experience in law and security, serving in the military for 21 years and as a sheriffs deputy for seven years before joining South San. Citing a failure of leadership, he said he wants to improve deputies morale  and their accountability.

Pamerleau, a retired Air Force major general and former USAA executive, entered the competition with substantial political support. Pamerleau has earned bipartisan kudos for tackling longstanding jail administration woes, though a recent series of four detainee suicides has provided new fodder against her.

We have made more change, more progress in three and a half years than has been done in a very long time, Pamerleau proclaimed recently to the Express-News Editorial Board. When we walked in, we were 30 years behind in technology, facilities and training, she said.

Records management was brought out of the pen-and-paper era; plans are moving forward for construction of East and West Side substations; and major renovations are coming to the jail complex to improve the intake process and provide better access to treatment programs. Remote video visitation of inmates was recently introduced to ease family members hassles of entering the lockup.

Also under Pamerleau, body-worn cameras for deputies are gradually being introduced, and she convinced Commissioners Court to increase spending on other equipment for officers.

Even deputies who worked in the jail didnt have the right kind of protection, she said, but they now have stab-resistent vests, Tasers and radios, which replaced cell phones that had spotty reception. Pamerleau brought in jail administrator Raul Benasco from Florida, who despite criticisms as an outsider is a superstar in the corrections business, she said.

Pamerleau has pleased Commissioners Court by reducing reliance on mandatory overtime in the jail, partly through better records management.

The county had a system that couldnt even tell me how many deputies we had working at the jail or in law enforcement, she said.

She also won commissioners support to embark on decades-old plans to establish substations to reduce response times to far-flung, unincorporated areas. A North Side substation in a converted warehouse near I-10 and Loop 1604 has already proved a money-saver and improved service, she said.

We saved almost $1 million on fuel and other expenses, she said. More important, as a result we have reduced response times countywide by almost 20 percent, she said, from an average of 13 minutes when she took office in 2013 to about 10 minutes now, she said.

But not all has gone smoothly for Pamerleau. Like any sheriff, shes periodically had to fire staff for misconduct. There are constant grumblings about working conditions, favoritism and a continuation of the good ol boy system that Pamerleau said shes dismantled among her 1,900 employees.

The good old boy system is not alive and well, Pamerleau said, though her opponents said the opposite is true.

As her re-election effort was starting, the deputies union issued a vote of no confidence that Pamerleau insists was not conducted properly and was not representative of her workforce. Even so, I get it, she said.

That means weve got more work to do, Pamerleau said, adding that the blowback resulted from cracking down on workers misconduct.

When you hold people responsible, people dont like that, Pamerleau said. Shes addressed abuses in family leave and sick leave and undocumented absences, she said.

Changing the culture of an organization is the most difficult piece of all. Some people are ready, others arent. Others dont want to change because its tough to do, Pamerleau said.

The incumbent contends shes got an advantage over her opponents when it comes to fiscal management of a large organization with a budget of almost $200 million a year. Thats her main point of comparison to her most formidible opponent, Salazar.

To be the sheriff of 11th largest sheriffs office in the nation, to be a sheriff in the 21st century, takes a different set of skills than what Mr. Salazar has. Hes supervised, I believe, five people. Thats a very important role, but it doesnt qualify you to lead an organization of the magnitude and complexity of the Bexar County Sheriffs Office, she said.

Salazar disagreed, saying his 23 years wearing a badge  compared to four for Pamerleau  make him better qualified.

What I can do is use the skills that Ive amassed in my 23 years to help the Sheriffs Office be an example to be emulated, he said.

He cited his experiences as a patrol officer, an internal affairs investigator, leader of a team of undercover detectives, as well as being part of the citys community policing initiative and the public information officer for SAPD. Salazar, who took leave as police spokesman to campaign, now leads the departments integrity unit that examines officers criminal conduct.

Collectively, the experiences provide a pretty wide view of law enforecent and the criminal underside as well, Salazar said.

Some of his assignments transcended my rank, giving him wide authority and experience even though he was on smaller teams, he said.

That complete set of experiences is what I bring over to the Sheriffs Office and I believe is going to make me the next sheriff, Salazar said. He took credit for helping SAPD join social media and for outreach programs such as Coffee with Cops, but still believes in just good old-fashioned police work.

The vast majority of people who are confronted by police arent criminals, they just need help, Salazar said.

jgonzalez@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnwgonzalez
At least 11 cows have died after they wandered onto railway tracks and were struck by a train carrying Arsenal fans to Burnley.

The 9.38am service from Kings Cross to Sunderland reportedly killed eleven cows crossing the track between London and Peterborough, blocking lines and disrupting services running north from the capital.

Cows derail Arsenal fans' four hour trip to Burnley away clash (Picture: Twitter/@cr3)

The incident has caused chaos for passengers, with all services passing through the area delayed or cancelled as a result of the crash.

The train eventually turned back towards London.

In a statement Grand Central confirmed: "Due to animals on the railway between Peterborough and London Kings Cross all lines are blocked.

"Train services to and from these stations may be subject to disruption on all routes. Disruption is expected until 14:00."
The British public are becoming better informed when it comes to understanding the vital role veterinary medicines play in supporting the health and welfare of farm animals.

This is one of the findings from the first-ever survey of European public knowledge and attitudes to animal medicines commissioned by NOAHs European Federation IFAH-Europe.

6000 interviews were carried out, spread across the UK, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.

The study shows the knowledge and attitude of UK citizens, compared to the average of these countries as a whole.

Whilst in general UK citizens are more aware than their European counterparts, there is still room for improvement.

The animal health sector is trying to improve communications on key areas such as antibiotic resistance, food security and diseases that can pass from animals to people, as many misunderstandings still exist.

"In general we in Britain are quite well informed about the benefits of animal medicines," said Dawn Howard, chief executive of NOAH.

Public becoming better informed about vital role of veterinary medicines for welfare of farm animals and pets

"NOAH has commissioned similar research in the UK before, and we have been addressing misunderstandings, explaining why and how animal medicines are used to support both animal and public health.

"Almost 40% of people across Europe still do not realise animal medicines have a positive impact on farm animal health.

"Nevertheless, looking to the future, the good news is that new technologies are being embraced across Europe, with very little difference in the views between different countries.

"Our industry supports innovation, whether it means a new vaccine against an emerging disease, improved diagnostics, or a medicine in a formulation that is easier to give.

"There is a certain level of trust in the authorities that control how animal medicines are authorised and controlled too.

"In Britain, more than half those surveyed are aware that the use of antibiotics in farm animals is regulated and controlled by the national authorities, and 61% are aware that animal medicines are tested and reviewed before they are allowed to be sold," said Mrs Howard.

"But within our industry, we can all help by doing more to promote understanding of the stringent controls that govern our sector and help address any misunderstandings that still exist."

'A desire to know more'

The British results show 74% of people know that farm animals are vaccinated to prevent sickness (71% overall in the EU).

Theres a bigger difference when respondents were asked whether farm animals are given medicines to treat them when they are sick, with 75% of the British respondents confirming they were aware that their welfare was protected in this way and only 66% of the EU audience coming to the same conclusion.

Looking at awareness of farm animals given medicines to prevent internal parasites such as worms, 70% of Brits said they were aware of this, with just 17% saying they were not.

The UK's continental counterparts, on the other hand, were not so sure, with only 62% saying they were aware this is done, and 22% saying they were not.

There was an even bigger awareness gap when respondents were asked about farm animals that are given medicines to prevent external parasites  with 62% of the British audience aware of this practice as opposed to just 52% of the overall European audience.

However, there is a desire to know more: across Europe two thirds of citizens said they did not feel sufficiently aware.

When questioned about the concerns people have about the use of medicines, most centred around potential consequences from medicine residues which could pass into food or drinking water, antibiotic-resistant bacteria from animals being passed to people, or harmful substances being in food which are not declared on the packaging.

Reassuringly, the reality in the UK is that residue controls and monitoring are in place and working to ensure consumers are protected.

'Global concern about antibiotic resistance'

Dawn Howard commented: "With global concern about antibiotic resistance, it is perhaps not surprising to see this raised among the public.

"But even so, the science is very clear  the use of antibiotics in people is the main driver of resistance developing in the human population, not the use in British livestock.

"Looking at the use of antibiotics in farm animals, it was clear that many people are uncertain and have a lack of accurate information regarding their use.

"People believe that alternatives  for example, better hygiene management, and regular vaccinations, can reduce the use of antibiotics.

"However, 55% of British people dont know that farmers implement alternative measures to reduce antibiotic use.

"The good news is the survey showed that the British believe that our farmers care for animal health and welfare (70%), and that our vets adhere to high professional standards, with more than 61% in Britain supporting that view," said Dawn.

"Working together, we should not be afraid to explain how our animals are kept healthy and to promote the initiatives that support disease prevention and responsible animal medicine use."
Your digital subscription includes access to all content on our agricultural websites across the nation. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions - This Week's Paper.
Did Cumberland County Commissioners break the NC Open Meetings Law?

The commissioners met behind closed doors to discuss a pay raise for the vice chair position.
Lindsay Lohan almost lost her finger in a boating accident over the weekend.

Lindsay Lohan

The 30-year-old actress had to have half of her finger reattached during surgery after she injured herself while trying to anchor a boat.

She shared a video of her injury on Snapchat and wrote: "This is the result of me trying to anchor the boat by myself. My poor finger.

"I almost lost my finger from the anchor. Well, I lost half my finger, thank goodness we found the piece of my finger... I just had surgery to fix it. It hurts so bad."

Meanwhile, Lindsay hit out at her former fiance Egor Tarabasov in a recent interview, claiming she once feared he would throw acid in her face.

The star split from her 23-year-old fiance earlier this year after a series of furious rows and Lindsay made the extraordinary claim that she believed she was in danger from him.

In an interview with Russian television's Channel One, Lindsay said: "I went to bed and he broke into my house. He started strangling me.

"I feared that Egor may splash acid in my face.

"I jumped out to the balcony and shouted with all my force, 'He's trying to kill me, call the police!' I am lucky to come to Moscow to speak."

However, Egor has denied all claims, with his spokesman saying: "It has come to my attention that my former fiancee, Lindsay Lohan, is planning new smear campaign against me in the Russian and international media.

"My relationship with Lindsay came to an end in July 2016. In the weeks that followed, there were numerous attempts to discredit my name by inaccurately portraying the nature of our relationship, publishing distorted facts, and making false accusations.

"I decided not to address those harmful and false statements at that time. As an international businessman, I aim to maintain a low profile and concentrate on developing my business. I also chose to keep my silence out of respect for Lindsay.

"Today, I would like to state that all accusations made, and about to be made, by Lindsay against me are not true.

"I refuse to be dragged into the media storm created in the aftermath of our breakup. I will not be making any more statements with regards to my former relationship with Lindsay, but I will use all possible legal means to protect my name and reputation."
Dwayne Johnson thinks 'Deepwater Horizon' is one of Mark Wahlberg's "finest acting performances".

Dwayne Johnson

The 44-year-old actor - also known as The Rock for his days as a WWE wrestler - has admitted he is very proud of his "brothers" Mark and director Peter Berg for their "inspiring" movie, which is based on the true event which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico six years ago.

The 'Fast 8' star took to his Instagram account to praise the cast and crew of the recent release.

Alongside a picture of the film's campaign, he wrote: "Outstanding film! This weekend check out #DeepWaterHorizon. Very proud of my brothers @markwahlberg & director @pberg44.

They continue to make movies together that are based on true events about overcoming great odds, socially conscious and above all else.. INSPIRING.

"This is one of Mark's finest acting performances and Berg's direction is outstanding."

And the star also praised the 'Fools Gold' actress Kate Hudson - who plays Felicia Williams in the drama movie - as being "everything".

He added: "And @katehudson Is everything (sic)", which was followed by a wink face.

So not to exclude anyone from his praise, Johnson added: "Congratulations to the entire cast, crew and studios Lionsgate and Participant. Bravo. Everyone enjoy the movie this weekend!! #DeepWaterHorizon (sic)."

Meanwhile, Hudson has since shared the post on her own social media page thanking Johnson for his "amazing shout out" and wink.

She wrote: "When The Rock gives your film the most amazing shout out and you a [wink face] and you're like #Repost @therock (sic)."

The 37-year-old actress has previously taken to social media to declare her and her fellow co-stars felt "very connected" to New Orleans and has urged fans to buy a ticket to view the blockbuster, which will see proceeds go towards Louisiana flood victims.

She wrote: "All of us in Deepwater feel very connected to the city of New Orleans and with all of the things that unfortunately have happened in New Orleans and Louisiana we want to make sure we keep supporting this amazing city and helping it to rebuild. Our film Deepwater Horizon is now in theaters Buy your tickets through Atom and they will donate $1 to Louisiana flood victims! Use code DWH http://atm.tk/deepwater (sic)."
Tom Hanks has not been "corrupted" by fame, according to actress Felicity Jones.

Tom Hanks

The 60-year-old actor - who has returned to his role as Robert Langdon in the movie 'Inferno' alongside the 32 year old star - has been described as an "unegotistical" man by his co-star.

Speaking to The Telegraph Online about Hanks - who was awarded the Best Actor award for his performance as Richard Phillips in 'Captain Phillips' at the San Diego Film Critics Society in 2013, as well as a multitude of other gongs - Jones said: "I felt totally embraced by him.

"He is so unegotistical - he hasn't been in any way corrupted by fame."

And the 'The Theory of Everything' star has revealed she has always been a big fan of the 'Castaway' actor, and prior to working alongside Hanks she watched "lots" of the films he has starred in during his four-decade spanning career at the helm of the film industry.

Speaking about what she did prior to meeting Hanks, she said: "I did watch lots of his films again - I love 'Sleepless in Seattle.'"

Meanwhile, the brunette beauty has admitted she is "quite fortunate" because she is still able to remain in the public eye without attracting too much attention from fans.

Jones - who made her acting debut at the age of 12 when she starred in the TV movie 'The Treasure Seekers' alongside Keria Knightley - explained: "I am quite fortunate, because I can still be quite incognito. If you go out looking for attention then you'll attract it, but if you're just getting on with your life, particularly in London where everyone is engrossed in what they're doing, you can keep a measure of anonymity."

And Jones has admitted she used to liken the film industry to ballet, although she has since changed her perception.

She explained: "I did think that acting would be much more like being a pop star. Now I'm here, I can't think of anything more different."
Megan McKenna "wished" her boyfriend Pete Wicks had never sent explicit messages to his ex-girlfriend.

Megan McKenna

The 24-year-old 'The Only Way Is Essex' star - who embarked on a romance with her tattooed co-star earlier this year - has recently found out her partner had been sending suggestive messages to his ex-girlfriend Jacqui Ryland, and has admitted she is "f***ing hurt" and heartbroken.

Speaking about the cyber infidelity with her fellow cast member in a series of Snapchat videos on Saturday (01.10.16), the brunette beauty - who has been dating the French Bulldog owner for six months - said: "But just to clear those rumours up I didn't know all those messages were going about but its f***ing hurtful and heartbreaking. I just wish none of this had happened really. Life's a c***. Everything happens for a reason."

This news comes after a conversation between the 27-year-old reality TV star and his 30-year-old former partner had been leaked by the mother of three, which saw admit to wanting to break-up with the former 'Ex On The Beach' star when they returned from filming the upcoming ITVBe series.

Although Megan has admitted she had found "some messages" on her beau's phone previously, she has admitted she gave him a second chance because he claimed the conversation was merely "innocent flirting".

She explained: "You know what I'm going to actually tell you guys on here what happened. I actually found some messages on Pete's phone a few weeks ago and they weren't good but I thought I'd give him another chance, as I feel like everyone deserves a second chance.

"The way that he was speaking to me was that he was really sorry and didn't mean it. Obviously it's not right that he was messaging other girls but he told me it was just 'innocent flirting'.

"I did know about some messages that were going about and obviously that's hurt a lot. That a boy that I thought loved me and I loved could be with me and doing that at the same time."

However, the television personality - who recently celebrated her birthday in Marbella, Spain, and received a Rolex watch from Pete - has revealed she never saw the whole conversation and the explicit messages exchanged, which The Sun Online unveiled on Friday (30.09.16).

She explained: "But then like, today, for some girl to sell a story about it, and for me to see messages that I hadn't seen before. That f***ing hurts. Obviously seen that me and him were trying to move on and obviously he's bought me nice things and I put it on Instagram and Twitter and its rubbed her up the wrong way."
All Set For The Event

The stunning diva Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, all set to attend India Today Safaigiri Awards. The event was held as part of the second anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan launch and the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Aishwarya At Safaigiri Awards

India Today quoted Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as saying, "India stands tall in race of human progress." She also added, "Cleanliness is next to godliness and commitment is vital to keep the nation clean."

Aishwarya, The Keynote Speaker

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the keynote speakers at the award and was spotted along with Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information and Broadcasting.

Aishwarya Rai Presenting The Award

At the event, the winners were selected across categories through a process of online entries, field work, and selection by a jury of well-known names.

In Picture: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Apart from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, singers like Adnan Sami, Sukhwinder Singh and Rekha Bhardwaj, were also spotted at the event. All these celebs have made pioneering efforts in leading the change in cleanliness in the country.

Vision In White

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's make-up artist Mickey Contractor posted this picture on his Instagram account and wrote, "Aishwarya in Delhi tonight for safaigiri awards.#swachbharat."

The Trio Unveils The Booklet

In picture: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan sharing stage with Venkaiah Naidu and Aroon Purie at India Today Safaigiri Awards 2016.

'Focus On Cleanliness'

While delivering the keynote address at the Safaigiri Awards, Aishwarya also told that, "Godliness will leave our land if we don't focus on cleanliness."

Close-up Picture

Here's the close-up still of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She is one of those actresses, whose outings never fails to hit the headlines.

Candid Click Of Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai's presence at any award function is always a good news for her fans and why not? After all, her stunning look is worth being in the headlines!
HATFIELD, England, October 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

FOR EMEA MEDIA ONLY: NOT FOR AUSTRIAN/SWISS JOURNALISTS

Eisai today announces the initiation of a multicentre, global, randomised phase III study that will evaluate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in combination with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy pembrolizumab and lenvatinib in combination with everolimus versus sunitinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in a first-line setting. Pembrolizumab is marketed under the brand name Keytrudaby Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD) in the European Union.

Study 307 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02811861) (Comparison of the efficacy and safety ofLenvatinib in combination withEverolimus or pembrolizumab versus sunitinib alone in first-line treatment of subjects withAdvancedRenal cell carcinoma) is designed to assess the progression-free survival (PFS) of patients treated with these combinations.[1]Secondary endpoints include objective response rate, overall survival and safety. Study 307 is the first phase III trial to assess lenvatinib in combination with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) immunotherapy, in previously untreated patients with advanced RCC.[1][2]

Kidney cancer is among the ten most frequently occurring cancers in Western (countries) communities.[3]About 270,000 cases of kidney cancer are diagnosed globally each year and 116,000 people die from the disease.[3]Approximately 90% of all kidney cancers are renal cell carcinomas (RCC).[3]

In August 2016, the European Commission issued a marketing authorisation for lenvatinib in combination with everolimus for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following one prior vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy.[4]

The continued development of its oncology portfolio underscores Eisai's human health care(hhc)mission, the company's commitment to innovative solutions in disease prevention, cure and care for the health and wellbeing of people worldwide. Eisai is committed to the therapeutic area of oncology and to addressing the unmet medical needs of people with cancer and their families.

Notes to Editors

AboutStudy 307

Study 307, a phase III clinical trial, will enrol 735 patients with advanced RCC who have not received any previous systemic therapy.[1]Patients will be randomised 1:1:1 to receive a combination of lenvatinib (20 mg orally, once daily) plus pembrolizumab (200 mg intravenously, every 3 weeks); lenvatinib (18 mg orally, once daily) plus everolimus (5 mg orally, once daily); or sunitinib (50 mg orally, once daily), on a schedule of four weeks on treatment followed by two weeks off treatment).[1]The primary endpoint of this study is PFS; other endpoints include objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS) and safety.[1]

More information about Study 307 may be found on ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02811861

AboutLenvatinib

Lenvatinib is an oral multikinase inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1-3, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1-4, platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha, and RET and KIT proto-oncogenes.[5],[6]

Lenvatinib is indicated in the European Union for the treatment of adult patients with progressive locally advanced or metastatic, differentiated (papillary, follicular, Hurthle cell) thyroid carcinoma (DTC) refractory to radioactive iodine (RAI).[7]Lenvatinib is approved for the treatment of refractory thyroid cancer in the United States, Switzerland, the European Union, Canada, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Israel, Singapore, Japan and Brazil.

AboutEisai Co., Ltd.

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call ourhuman health care(hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realise ourhhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in multiple therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visithttp://www.eisai.com.

References

1. ClinicalTrials.gov. Lenvatinib/Everolimus or Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab versus Sunitinib Alone as Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma. Verified June 2016 by Eisai Inc. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02811861?term=lenvatinib+and+rcc&rank=1Accessed September 2016

2. SPC Keytruda (updated September 2016) Available at:https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/30602Accessed September 2016

3. Ljungberg B, et al. Epidemiology of Renal Cell Carcinoma. European Association of Urology, 2011;60:615-621

4. SPC Kisplyx (updated September 2016). Available at:https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/32335Accessed September 2015

5. Matsui J, et al. E7080, a novel inhibitor that targets multiple kinases, has potent antitumor activities against stem cell factor producing human small cell lung cancer H146, based on angiogenesis inhibition. International Journal of Cancer, 2008;122:664-671

6. Okamoto K, et al. Distinct Binding Mode of Multikinase Inhibitor Lenvatinib Revealed by Biochemical Characterization. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letter, 2014;6:89-94

7. SPC Lenvima (updated June 2015). Available at:http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/30412. Accessed September 2016

September 2016

Lenvatinib-EU0078
The father of the nation, one of the architects of our Independence, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, later known as the Mahatma, was born on 2 October 1869. Today  the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti  would have marked his 147th birthday. All these years after his passing, filmmakers and writers continue to be fascinated by the Mahatma's life. Hundreds of films, plays and books have been written in honour of the Mahatma and have paid homage to him. Here's a film and stage guide to the man known as Mahatma Gandhi:

Gandhi (1982)

Director Richard Attenborough's magnum opus starring Ben Kingsley as the Mahatma is a must watch for his performance; even if the idea of a foreigner playing our Mahatma is not very particularly palatable to everyone.

The film begins with a young Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsaking all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian Independence. He battles the resistance of the British Government through a policy of non-violence and endeavors to make India independent without any blood shed.

Gandhi won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.

The Making of a Mahatma (1996)

This is a joint Indian-South African produced film; directed by Shyam Benegal and is based on the book The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma by Fatima Meer (who also wrote the screenplay) about the Mahatma in the making. It documents the years he spent in South Africa as a barrister.

The film documents the famous incident in Gandhi's life that made him take up the cause of fighting for Independence against the British. As the barrister is travelling in a train, dressed in the Western suit he then favoured; he is thrown out of the first class compartment because of his race. He is also shoved out on the footpath for daring to walk close to a bureaucrat's premises; and beaten and abused without any recourse to justice. This incident shakes him and he decides to fight the Britishers in his quest to make his country independent.

Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara (2005)

This Anupam Kher produced and Jahnu Barua directed film stars Anupam Kher and Urmila Matondkar in lead roles and is a fictionalised account of events surrounding Gandhi's assassination by Nathuram Godse.

A celebrated Hindi professor; Uttam Chaudhary (Anupam Kher) falls victim to dementia; who believes he has killed Gandhi. Trisha, his daughter (Urmila Matondkar) helps prove his innocence.

Mudhalvar Mahatma (also known as Welcome Back Gandhi) (2014)

This A Balakrishnan directed film stars stars S Kanagaraj as Mohandas Gandhi. The movie's music was written by the late Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics by Bharat Acharya, and the movie's plot explores how Gandhi might react if he was still alive and visited modern day India. An eight song soundtrack is set to be released shortly after the film's debut.

Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)

This sequel to the hugely successful Munnabhai MBBS film has Munnbhai fall in love with a radio jockey (Vidya Balan) who wants to save an old age home from being taken over by a unscrupulous builder. Munna, who is now masquerading as a professor specialising in the life of Mahatma Gandhi, must now battle his very own forces and the builder. But he has one ally on his side  none other than the great man, Mahatma Gandhi himself. Only trouble is that Munna may have problems convincing everyone about this presence  as he is apparently is the only one who can see and hear Bapu.

Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy by Pradeep Dalvi (1988)

Pradeep Dalvi's controversial play has ruffled many feathers. In 1989, the playwright was denied permission by the Maharashtra government to stage the drama. After its brief resurrection nine years later, the state government has now banned the play.

The play documents the events surrounding Gandhi's assassination and what led Godse to kill him. According to Tushar Gandhi, Gandhi's great-grandson, the play creates martyrs of murderers who after "murdering him (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) are now trying to murder his memory".

As all things controversial and banned, it is available to read online.

Sammy! The word that broke an empire (2016)

'Sammy'is what the British used to call Gandhi; a play on the word 'Swami'. The play is a lively debate between Mohandas, the man, and the irrepressible Mahatma in him, the play highlights Gandhi's relationships and how he changed everyone he touched. Sammy! is the result of several years of research on Mahatma Gandhi by Partap Sharma.

Gandhi The Musical (2016)

The life of Bapu told as a Broadway musical? If it seems too incongruous to be true, then you have to see this production by the theatre group Silly Point. Abhishek Krishnan and Chirag Vohra play the younger and older versions of Gandhi, respectively, in this Danesh R Khambata directorial. All of the major life events in Gandhi's life  from his arrival in South Africa to his participation in protests against the British rulers there, return to India and subsequent career in the struggle for independence, and assassination  are charted in original song and dance numbers. A fun introduction for a younger generation that wants to discover the human and humane side of the 'Father of the Nation'.

Mahatma vs Gandhi (1998)

Feroz Abbas Khan's play was hailed as "one of the finest English plays to emerge from India" by the likes of the New York Times. It is one of the few productions that looks at Gandhi, flaws and all, instead of being a hagiography. Headlined by actors of the calibre of Kay Kay Menon and Naseeruddin Shah, Khan's play focused on the relationship between Harilal and his father. Shah lost weight, trained in how to spin the charkha and was hailed for his portrayal of Bapu.
FRANKFURT Deutsche Bank executives are heading to the United States in the coming days to negotiate a settlement over a fine of up to $14 billion for misselling mortgage-backed securities, the Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung reported.The potential fine, announced two weeks ago, has sent shares in Germany's biggest lender into freefall. On Friday, the stock partially recovered after a media report that the two sides were close to a settlement of $5.4 billion.The FAZ did not cite any sources for its report.

Deutsche Bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Chief Executive John Cryan's travel plans.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; editing by David Clarke)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
MUMBAI India has given State Bank of India's Arundhati Bhattacharya a one-year extension as chairman, the nation's top lender by assets said, allowing her more time to lead a clean-up of bad assets and oversee a merger of affiliates. Bhattacharya, 60, was due to complete her current three-year term on Oct. 6. The Indian government, which owns the majority of SBI, has extended her term for one year, effective on Oct. 7, the bank said in a filing on Saturday.Bhattacharya is the first woman to lead the two-century old bank after climbing up through its ranks since joining in 1977.

She has won strong praise from investors at a time when state-run banks are being pressed by the central bank to clean up $120 billion in soured loans that had crimped credit growth.SBI, which accounts for more than a fifth of India's bank loans and deposits, is also in the process of taking over five of its subsidiaries and a niche bank for women to create a mega bank with assets of $447 billion.

Bhattacharya was named in the Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women, and there had been speculation that she was a candidate to replace Raghuram Rajan as Reserve Bank of India Governor, although that ultimately went to insider Urjit Patel.

(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Rafael Nam and Alexander Smith)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The significance of India ratifying the Paris climate deal on 2 October hits home when we keep in mind that Gandhis thoughts on sustainable development were so much ahead of contemporary times. Gandhi, during his time, believed that modern economy was "propelled by a frenzy of greed and indulges in an orgy of envy". Further, that this unbridled predatory materialism came at the cost of bleeding the environment dry and exhausting finite natural resources. Crucially, Gandhis commitment to an "economy of permanence" predated the modern awareness of dangers posed by unsustainable models of development. He propagated his thoughts decades before climate change came to be treated as a serious subject of discourse, and of national and international concern.

However, Gandhis own party  the Congress  which ruled India for the major part of the post-independence era, found more virtue in Jawaharlal Nehrus model of high growth-powered development than in Gandhis ecological economism. Paradoxically, it was left to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to partially reinstate Gandhis economic philosophy. He has linked Gandhis till-now neglected, if not forgotten, thoughts on ecology to the Paris climate deal that was signed in December 2015.

It is another matter of course, that a separate discussion may be required on the Paris deal itself, which many leading environmentalists have described as inadequate. In a column in the Business Standard in December 2015, this is what the leading environmentalist Sunita Narain wrote about the deal: " read the fine print, and it becomes clear that poorer countries have lost big time. This battle is to save the world from catastrophic climate change impacts so that rich industrialised countries do their fair share to reduce emissions and the emerging world gets its right to development and support to develop differently."

Narain did concede that the effort to cap global temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees Celsius is definitely a move in the positive direction. But with a caveat. She argued that if the world wished to cap temperatures then it also has to lower greenhouse emissions: "The Paris agreement fails in this totally." Targets have not been set for developed nations to move towards more aggressive emission cuts.

"What is even worse is that Paris cements climate apartheid  so that the historical responsibility of the developed world of creating the problem of emissions is erased. Worse, the burden of future transition moves to the still developing world," Narain argued, critiquing the agreement. The pact will come into effect following its ratification by at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

While Narains too-little too-late argument does carry weight, Indias ratification of the Paris deal would appear to signify (if only on paper for the time being,) its apparent intent to take seriously the phenomenon of global warming and its catastrophic consequences already manifesting themselves in multiple ways. Not just that, the government will have to factor in the concerns of climate change in the process of initiating or amending economic and environmental policies. In fact, if India is serious about implementing the Paris deal, the government would have to completely rethink its conventional approach to development. As we have already seen, investors of all stripes  national as well as foreign  tend to frown upon environmental regulations and their strict enforcement.

If it is serious about tackling the challenges posed by climate change, then the government, in the coming days and months, will have to send all stakeholders an uncompromising message: business cannot go on as usual. Such an approach is not likely to go down well with various developmental sectors, particularly the burgeoning real estate industry. But there are no soft options left.

He propagated his thoughts decades before climate change came to be treated as a serious subject of discourse, and of national and international concern

It may be worthwhile in this context to recall what author Amitav Ghosh said in an interview to Elizabeth Kuruvilla in LiveMint in July 2016. When asked how we can address the concerns of climate change as laid out in his recent book The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, Ghosh replied, "We cant in any way address this issue until we address the causes of it. Which is the economic model were now pursuing, a model that is solely oriented towards perpetual growth. That is the first issue that we have to confront."

He further argued that "we cant carry on living as though everybody can expand their carbon footprint or their energy footprint. If you dont acknowledge that how can you even begin to have a serious conversation about this? And that is exactly what this document is about. It is about perpetual growth. Its just trying to find the different means of perpetual growth."

Therefore, while the symbolic power of ratifying the Paris accord on 2 October is undeniably powerful, it will all come to naught if the requisite follow through is missing. And there doesnt seem to be much cause of optimism on that front.
Patna: Two days after the Patna High Court quashed its order on prohibition, Bihar government on Gandhi Jayanti on came out with a new law banning liquor with more harsh provisions like arrest of all adults in the event of recovery of the contraband in their house.

The government notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 to ensure that the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as well spiced and domestic liquor continued in the state.

At a special Cabinet convened on Sunday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other members of his Cabinet took a pledge that the government would continue with prohibition which is "ushering positive social change" in the state.

Besides retaining many provisions of the previous one, the new liquor law has some more stringent provisions including enhancing duration of imprisonment, hiking amount of fine, the arrest of all adults in case of recovery of liquor bottle from a house and collective fine on a place in case of habitual violation of the prohibition.

Principal Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) Brajesh Mehrotra usually briefs media about Cabinet decisions, but today the Chief Minister himself took the mike and answered all queries.

The CM told reporters that the new liquor law brought into force on Sunday, would be a real tribute to the Father of the Nation when the state is readying to observe the centenary celebration of Gandhiji's Champaran Satyagraha against British rule from the state in early 2017.

The new liquor law came into force in Bihar barely two days after the Patna High Court had on Friday quashed its 5 April notification describing it as ultra vires of Constitution.

The new Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 after approval from both Houses of state Legislatures on 4 August, got the consent of Governor Ram Nath Kovind on 7 September last.

The CM told reporters that after receiving the approval from Governor, the state Cabinet had in its meeting on 14 September last gave it a nod for notification from 2 October.

Principal Additional Advocate General Lalit Kishore who had attended a high-level meeting convened by the CM hours after the HC order on Friday which had quashed its 5 April notification describing it as ultra vires of Constitution, made it clear that the Division Bench of Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmad Ansari and Justice Navnati Prasad Singh had quashed the April 5 notification on prohibition and did not say anything about the Amended Excise Act.
Bengaluru: Unrelenting in its position, despite the fresh Supreme Court order to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka Cabinet on Saturday night decided to convene a legislature session on 3 October, the second recently, to take a call on the apex court directive.

Refusing to budge from its stand a day after the Supreme Court gave the "last opportunity" to comply with its order, the state questioned the constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board and decided to file a review petition in this regard on Monday.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah spelled out the state's stand to reporters after an all-party meeting convened by him told the government not to release "at any cost" 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as directed by the Supreme Court, and to oppose the formation of the Board.

"All-party meeting has told us not to release the water. We have to go back to the legislature," Siddaramaiah said, adding "as far as release of water (is concerned), we will go back to the Assembly on Monday."

He emphasised that a special session of both the Houses of the state legislature had on 23 September mandated through a resolution that water should be used only for drinking purpose, and not be spared for any other use.

Siddaramaiah said the state would also question the formation of the water management board, for which the Supreme Court had set 4 pm on Sunday as the deadline for the riparian states to give the names of their representatives. "That we are questioning. That is why we are filing the review petition on Monday."

Taking Karnataka to task for its repeated "defiance" by flouting its orders on release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu

and giving it a last chance, the Supreme Court had yesterday asked it to discharge 6,000 cusecs from 1 to 6 October, warning no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it.

The court had also directed the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board by 4 October.

"We have not defied the orders of the Supreme Court... There is no wilful disobedience or deliberate disobedience," Siddaramaiah said, adding the legislature session was binding on the government.

Siddaramaiah said there was a demand for release of water to save standing crops in the Cauvery basin but a decision on that too had to be taken by the legislature, which had earlier decided that water should be used only for drinking purpose.

He said, "Our argument since the beginning is that Management Board cannot be created. Since the final award (Cauvery tribunal's) came on 5 February, 2007, we have been saying that Management Board cannot be created."

He also said on 18 October the SLP by Karnataka challenging final award of the Cauvery tribunal was coming up before the court's three-judge bench. "There it will be decided, because Tamil Nadu's Interlocutory Application has said this application can be heard along with main petition."

"They (TN) have said that three-judge bench can decide on it (the Board), but here two-judge bench has done this. There was no prayer either by Tamil Nadu or by Karnataka. Also, notices were not issued to Kerala and Puducherry (riparian states). In their absence, this order has been passed."

"So according to me it is a defective order. That is why we have decided to file a review petition. Most likely Monday we are filing the review petition."

He said procedures under the Inter-State Water Dispute Act, 1956 had to be followed and the issue has to be placed before Parliament. After the scheme is drawn in Parliament, the states have to send nominees for the Board to the Water Resources Ministry. "This is the legal position."

Before he went into a huddle with his ministerial colleagues, Siddaramaiah held consultations with Opposition leaders at an all-party meeting on the state's next move as it suffered repeated judicial setbacks on the issue.

Emerging from the over three-hour long all-party meeting here, BJP and JDS leaders said they told the government to stick to the resolution passed by both the Houses of state legislature that water should be used only for drinking purpose, and not be spared for any other use.

"We should not obey the Supreme Court order at any cost as it is unimplementable. The House (legislature) decision should be upheld. Government should stick to the decision," Opposition Leader in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar said.

He said BJP was opposed to formation of Cauvery Water Management Board. "We will do all that is necessary to put pressure on the Centre (not to constitute it)," he said.

JDS leader YSV Datta said the state should not release 6,000 cusecs as directed by the apex court "at any cost". "Whatever may be the consequences, we will all face it together. We are with the government," he said.

He said if a situation of contempt of court was to arise, all MPs, MLAs and MLCs should submit affidavits, stating that they all be made responsible and not just the Chief Minister and the chief secretary.

Asked about the Supreme Court observation that Karnataka cannot defy the orders any more, Siddaramaiah said, "This is not the first time they have said. They have said it on 7th (September), 12th, 20th..."

On the court talking about "the wrath" of the law, he said "whatever may be the words used, we have not defied the orders of the Supreme Court, there is no wilful or deliberate disobedience. Assembly has passed the resolution, it is binding on us. So we will go back to Assembly on Monday."

Asked who will represent Karnataka in the Supreme Court as Fali Nariman has withdrawn, Siddaramaiah said, "If Nariman does not agree, we will engage some other advocate."

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda today began an "indefinite" fast seeking "justice" for Karnataka in the ongoing row with Tamil Nadu in the morning but towards the end of the day called it off.

Gowda's decision to end the fast came after Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and DV Sadananda Gowda and Opposition BJP leader in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar called on him and made an appeal to him.

Siddaramaiah and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also called on Gowda earlier.

The Centre had made an attempt to broker an agreement between the two squabbling states on 29 September but it had failed to yield any result.

The Cauvery Supervisory Committee had on September 19 asked Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs daily from 21 to 30 September, but the apex court had on 20 September doubled the quantum to 6,000 cusecs from 21 to 27 September after Tamil Nadu pressed for water to save its samba paddy crop.

On 27 September, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and U U Lalit directed Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu for three days, despite the resolution passed by the state legislature.

On 12 September, the court had modified its order of 5 September directing Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs per day till 20 September to Tamil Nadu. The 5 September order had directed release of 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu for the next 10 days.
On 2 October, 1947, when a group of people went to wish Mahatma Gandhi a long life on his seventy-eighth birthday (he wanted to live 125 years), he was expecting condolence instead.

Gandhi had lost the desire to live. The nation was in the grip of violent frenzy and hatred. He desired "the aid of all-embracing power to take me away from the vale of tears". He genuinely felt that his words did not carry weight and "it would be best that the god took him away". Only four months later, precisely on 30 January, 1948, Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi.

Gandhi continues to be an enigma in his life and more so after his death. He is the subject of study for all disciplines of academics  ranging from scientists, social sciences, psychoanalysts to atheists. The unravelling of his personality and life still continues through academic research and often with fictional accounts by psychoanalysts like Sudhir Kakar and Asis Nandy. Each study is so revealing that it paves the way for further research on Gandhis personae.

In one such extraordinary research on Gandhis life by an Australian scholar JTF Jordens in his book  Gandhis Religion. A Homespun Shawl  Gandhis most controversial experiment of sleeping with young women was explored with a perspective that educates people of the Mahatmas spiritual pursuit not for personal benefit but for the humanity.

In fact, Gandhis concept of chastity was not related to avoidance of women. In his two experiments with Brahmacharya (celibacy) beginning from 1945, Gandhi strived to attain the idea of the state of mind where awareness of sex between genders got eliminated. In essence, he tried to reach the stage of 'ardhanarishvara' where distinctness of women and men gets blurred.

This is the precise reason why Manu, Mahatmas grand niece who in 1946 accompanied Gandhi to Noakholi, wrote a book on Gandhi titled Bapu, My Mother. Manu shared Gandhis bed till he was killed as she always found the Mahatma as her mother. Gandhi found the ideals of truthfulness, non-violence, chastity, and equanimity (sthitaprajna) as approximate attributes of divinity. He found fault with his own inadequacies to trace the genesis of partition and the subsequent Hindu-Muslim violence that killed millions. He blamed his own shortcomings in his failure to convince Jinnah to give up the demand for Pakistan on basis of religion.

Though he called himself as practising 'sanatani Hindu', his abiding faith in the message and love of other religions was steadfast and never got attenuated in face of communal violence. Far from it, Gandhi preached that the faithful of all religions to be true to their faiths, spread love, peace and truthfulness. Gandhi was averse to the divine guidance which does not pass the critical test of reason. For him, the religion was the means to serve humanity, an embodiment of God.

His rejection of orthodox Hinduism and love for other religions drove fundamentalists nuts and often fell into the category of apostasy.

What was Gandhis religion then? Picking various strands of his life, Jordens in his scholarly book describes Gandhis religion as 'large bulky homespun woollen shawl. At first, it looks very plain to the eye, but we can detect the beauty of the strong patterns and contrasting shades of folk art'. In what can be said as profound description of Gandhis personality, Jordens writes, "Gandhi combined in his frail body the ideals of total renunciation and of total dedication: the ideals of Shiva, lord of ascetics in the harsh Himalayas, and the ideals of Bodhisattva who postponed his own liberation in order to devote himself to removal of all sufferings in the world".

Gandhis life was his message for those who care to listen. He would have blamed himself for his own inadequacy to convince his detractors to follow the path which he believed leads to salvation and not the destruction of the mankind had he been alive today.
Mahatma who? Welcome to 2 October.

Are parents and teachers not sending out messages from our history, or is it packaged so badly that heroes of our recent past have become cardboards, and unreal, in both dimension and relevance to the new generation?

Since I lecture a lot of young people on mass communication and corporate conduct, I thought I would conduct a kind of spot Q&A and check out their level of signposting.

It is a surprising thought, especially since several of these under-18s (and some young executives) had no idea who JFK was. They didn't have a clue either on what a Walkman was, or, how, once upon a time, not so long ago, we had Television sets without remote controls.

I asked a bunch of NRI youngsters if they knew anything about Mahatma Gandhi. I did it over the week as a sort of exercise-in-curiosity. After all, it is 2 October and there are no NRIs where I live are singing Happy Birthday.

The answers are inscribed as honestly as I remember them. If the language is casual, it is not as disrespecting as the slang and 'txt' style that marks today's expensive education.

I was told he was the dude who got shot, right, like John Lennon.

I was informed with great panache by another aspiring bank executive that he is the Father of the Nation because he told the Brits to get lost and he went to England in winter in a dhoti to meet Winston Churchill. This saga in awareness was further accentuated by the pithy remark that he said, 'Hey Ram' when he got shot.

A third member of this group said that Richard Attenborough made a cool film and Gandhi was a tough guy who wouldnt get off the train in South Africa because he sat in a whites-only compartment and they wanted to boot him out.

He made his own clothes, said a young graduate, looking for a job, and sewed them himself.

Can you stitch? Naaaaaa, he replied, followed by giggles.

A young lady studying Mass Communication was not sure whether he died on 2 October or he was born on that day. But it was a Jayanti day, she said, when she was invited to attend a classical dance festival at the Embassy. She couldnt go because her friend was having a bridal shower.

One reasonably erudite man asked me if he wasnt the person who stayed in jail like (Nelson) Mandela and used to write letters to his daughter. I told him that it was Nehru who did that. He said, yeah,right, but they were friends, so I am pretty close.

Pretty close, sir.

A young girl looked lovingly at her boyfriend and said, he is the person who promoted khadi.

I was hoping somebody would mention non-violence, the inspiration he gave to Mandela and Martin Luther King, among so many others.

It didnt get on the stage.

Pretty close. Maybe we dont need to know. Maybe our youngsters have more important stuff to Google, Facebook, and tweet. Or, may be, we have made Gandhi unreal on this pedestal that todays 24x7 generation hasnt got the capacity to figure it out as they whizz down the information highway.

I did not indict any of these people. Neither their parents nor their schools. Not even the authorities. We have all become derelict about the heroes of the past.

We trot out Gandhi on the right day and knock off a few 'Bapu' oriented rewrites from the library files. We have made him so inaccessible as a human being that we are in danger of losing him entirely. And why should we know him when Indian leaders dont, and not even one in ten could, speak of him and his life with any authority.

I didnt even say anything rude to the lady who said he was on a play when he was shot.

Prayer, play, Lincoln, Gandhi, same difference.
What is the long-term implication of India's attack on Pakistan?

One of them might be that there is another war between us, which would make it officially the third war, if it is long, or the fifth, if it is short. We fought first in 1947-48 when Jinnah sent a tribal army of Pathans to conquer Kashmir and seized what we call today PoK and Pakistanis call Azad Kashmir. Then Ayub Khan was instigated by his foreign minister Bhutto to send intruders into Kashmir again in 1965. Shastri responded by sending tanks across the international border towards Lahore. That war ended with a peace brokered by the Soviet Union at Tashkent (today in Uzbekistan). It also ended partly because both countries ran out of air force spare parts. Fighter planes are high-performance machines which use very expensive parts which are used up quickly. For this reason, poor nations cannot afford to fight modern wars beyond 10 days. Today, India is much more powerful and richer than Pakistan and so this situation has changed. But then we both have weapons of mass destruction now which we did not in Shastri's time.

Only six years after the Tashkent peace, we divided Pakistan in the 1971 war to create Bangladesh. In 1999, we cleared Pakistan's Northern Light Infantry jawans at Kargil. Though about 1,000 soldiers died, 500 on each side, the Kargil conflict is not classified as a war because neither nation officially declared war.

This time, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered retaliation, the conflict seems to be contained. India used very cautious language when announcing the surgical strike. We also assured Pakistan and the world we were not planning further action. However, since we have already fought them so many times there is always a possibility that we will go to war again.

The problem with war is that populations get bored of it soon. I do not mean they get tired of war, in the sense that their sons are dying or that the economy is bleeding. I mean they actually get bored.

The first world war was fought in trenches. Long and unmoving lines that began in Belgium (a wretched nation that wanted no part of the fighting but became a battlefield because it was located between the combatants) and ended at Switzerland. These long and unmoving lines remained for years. Between 1914 and 1918, the Germans were facing off against the French and British they hated who were in trenches 150 metres apart.

What was going on behind them? Nothing. People were going to pubs and restaurants in the evening, to work in offices and factories and fields in the morning, children were going to school and families were going off on their annual vacations. All this time, and for four years, a couple of kilometres from thousands of French and Belgian towns and cities and villages, millions of men were shooting and bombing one another.

How many people were killed? More than one and a half crore. What was the result of the war? That is difficult to say. The national borders remained more or less the same, all the economies were gutted. Some regimes changed. The Russian empire died and the Communists took power. The Austro-Hungarian empire ended and so did the German empire. But all of these were changed from within. No country benefited from the all of the killings.

I wonder if our conflict with Pakistan will be different. Will this surgical strike of ours put an end to Pakistani terror?

And if not, what will we do when the next terror strike happens? Will there be another surgical strike or will we have to do something bigger? How big does it have to be to get Pakistan to totally stop? We cut their country in half but they still have not learned the lesson we want to teach them. Will they learn it if we cut them in half again? That will need a lot of killing and dying however. I wonder if even we will get bored.

Will we continue with our lives when after a while, there is nothing 'new' in the news and the latest killings are just the same as the ones of yesterday and the day before? Will we be going about our business, coming back home to watch the TV channels discuss the latest development in the Indrani case?

I think so because that is the nature of the human being and that is the nature of war.
United Nations: India ratified the landmark Paris climate deal on Sunday to bring into force the agreement expected to give momentum to implementation of measures at international level to control global warming.

India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary we deposit the instrument of ratification of #ParisAgreement #climatechange pic.twitter.com/2smyHPCm5L  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 2, 2016

Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded India's "climate leadership", saying India's ratification of the Paris Climate Change agreement moves the world an "important step closer" toward achieving the goal of entering the landmark deal into force this year.

In his message for the International Day of Non-violence, marked every year on Gandhi's birth anniversary, Ban said there is no better way to commemorate Gandhi and his legacy for people and the planet than with India submitting its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

"I warmly congratulate India for its climate leadership, and for building on the strong momentum we see from all corners of the globe for the agreement to enter into force as quickly as possible this year. India's ratification of the agreement moves the world an important step closer toward achieving that goal," Ban said in the message.

He called on all countries to complete their domestic processes for ratification and also strive in all activities to achieve progress through non-violence.

The UN chief said the commitment to sustainable living that Gandhi emphasised on is reflected in a "momentous way" as India is depositing its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary, we deposit the instrument of ratification of Paris Agreement on climate change," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Akbaruddin had on Friday said that India had played a "key role" in the negotiations and finalisation of the Paris agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a "personal commitment" to the climate deal.

The move comes after President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to a proposal approved earlier by the government to coincide with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on 25 September said: "There is one work left in the CoP21 (Conference of Parties). Ratification is yet to be done and India too is yet to do it."

Marking a moment in history, India had joined over 170 countries in signing the pact in April that brought together developing and developed nations for beginning work on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming.

The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming.

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told reporters in New Delhi on Saturday that "this (decision) was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a messege... India is fast becoming a super power".

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after the US and China which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.

Earlier this month, the US and China had formally joined the Paris agreement, which was adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change last December in Paris.

The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. So far, 61 countries have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval, accounting for 47.8 per cent of global emissions.

With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions will have ratified the accord.
Hazaribagh, Jharkhand: Four villagers were killed and more than ten people, including policemen, were injured when police fired at a mob in Darhi Kala village near Chirudih coal mining project of NTPC under Barkagaon Police station in Hazaribagh, on Saturday, police said.

Trouble began at Chirudih when the police team reached a dharna spot and faced stones and lathis by the protesting people, mainly raiyats, a senior police officer said.

The agitators have been demanding suspension of mining operation by the NTPC at Chirudih, settlement of land acquisition and payment of compensation to the displaced raiyats as per the provision of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act and employment to each displaced person.

As the mob became unruly, to control the situation police used force including firing leading to the death of four and causing injury to more than 10, the officer said.

The injured were admitted to Hazaribagh Sadar hospital and some of them were airlifted to RIMS in Ranchi for better treatment, the officer added.

The injured included several officials from Police and the Block, some of whom were airlifted to (RIMS) Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, by helicopter for better treatment, the police said.

The injured personnel included Kuldeep Kumar Additional SP (Operation), Circle Officer Shailesh Kumar Singh, ASI Amit Singh, police constables Mobil Ram, Krishna Sao, Anil Singh and Sunil Kumar.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das directed state Home Secretary NN Pandey, Cabinet Secretary SS Meena and ADG (CID) Ajay Kumar Singh to conduct a probe and give a report.

The Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police would assist the probe team, an official release said.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at Rajghat and Vijay Ghat respectively on their birth anniversaries.

The Prime Minister remembered the two leaders for the values they championed.

"Gandhi ji made this world a better place. His ideals, dedication to the poor and struggle against injustice inspire," Modi said in a tweet.

      Tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on Gandhi Jayanti. pic.twitter.com/FMDm9AM1mA  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2016

Gandhi Ji made this world a better place. His ideals, dedication to the poor & struggle against injustice inspire. https://t.co/fS3Fw6gek6  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2016

2 October is the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who is also known as the 'Father of the Nation' and Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of the country.

         Remembering Lal Bahadur Shastri ji on his birth anniversary. pic.twitter.com/i6CToD1Zur  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2016

Shastri ji was a stalwart, the embodiment of strength and integrity. Paid tributes at Vijay Ghat. pic.twitter.com/X6L0cXGXPB  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2016

Modi also shared a video on the microblogging site, showing people engaged in various sanitation activities and taking pledge of giving "shramdaan" (Gift of Labour) on the 147th birth anniversary of Gandhi.

With inputs from IANS
Kathmandu: Saarc Chair Nepal has said it will hold discussions with member-states and take "necessary" steps to hold the next summit, which was postponed after five countries, including India, pulled out citing an environment that was not right for the meeting's success.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat said Nepal would take necessary initiatives and hold discussions with member-states to press for holding the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit.

The 19th Saarc Summit was scheduled to take place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad from 9 to 10 November, but was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet.

Later Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India said last week that "in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad."

Mahat said Saarc member-states must be sensitive towards organising the Summit by ensuring all members' participation.

"Saarc is an important forum for advancing regional cooperation and development," the minister said yesterday after returning from the 71st UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Harmonious relations between the member-states would enhance utilisation of the association and encourage regional development, he said.

Saarc member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Rameswaram: More than 2,000 fishermen were on Sunday forced to return from sea without a catch after they were allegedly attacked by Sri Lankan Naval who pelted stones and iron balls at them near Katchatheevu islet.

Though nobody was injured in the attack, several boats suffered damages, President of the Fishermen's Association, Sesuraja said.

Fishing nets of the fishermen, who ventured into the sea in more than 500 boats, were also damaged. The Sri Lankan Navy also warned them against fishing near Katchatheevu, following which all of them returned to the shores this morning, he said.

Sesuraja urged the Centre to take steps to retrieve Katchatheevu island, ceded to Sri Lanka, so that fishermen could fish in their traditional areas.

On 8 August, the Tamil Nadu government had informed the state Assembly that retrieval of Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka in the 1970s, and restoration of the traditional fishing rights of the fishermen in the Palk Bay area were its topmost agenda.
Ahmedabad: A Pakistani boat with nine people on board was on Sunday apprehended off the Gujarat coast by the Indian Coast Guard.

Indian Coast Guard is taking the Pakistani boat and crew to Porbandar for investigation  ANI (@ANI_news) October 2, 2016

ICGS Samudra Pavak apprehended the boat at about 10.15 am off Gujarat coast, the Coast Guard said, adding preliminary information indicated those on board were Pakistani fishermen.

Security agencies have been extra cautious in view of the prevailing security scenario following the surgical strike by Indian army on terror camps across the LoC.

Further investigation is on and the apprehended Pakistanis will be quizzed at Porbandar.
Pathankot: A pigeon, apparently from across the border, was taken into custody after a letter written in Urdu and addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was found with it by BSF personnel at Simbal post in Bamial sector here on Sunday.

The development comes after two balloons were recovered with a similar message in the area on Saturday.

Pathankot(Punjab): A pigeon with a threat letter written in Urdu found at Simbal post by BSF,the pigeon ws later handed over to local police pic.twitter.com/jyi6a7E6iq  ANI (@ANI_news) October 2, 2016

Police said the message written on a piece of paper read: "Modi Ji, do not consider us same people as we were during 1971 (Indo-Pak war). Now each and every child is ready to fight against India."

The grey-coloured pigeon was found by BSF near their post, Inspector of Narot Jaimal Singh Police Station (Pathankot), Ramesh Kumar said.

"The pigeon was carrying the letter when it was found," he said, adding the bird has been taken into "custody".

"We are investigating the matter," Kumar said. Yesterday, two balloons with messages written in Urdu and addressed to Modi were found at Ghesal village in Dinanagar of Gurdaspur, which had witnessed a terror attack last year.

The message read: "Modiji, Ayubi ki talwaren abhi hamare paas hain. Islam zindabad."

On 23 September, a white pigeon, apparently from across the border, with "some words written in Urdu" was found in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district.
Buxar, Bihar: Several Class 10 students of a school in Bihar have forsworn gold jewellery until their parents build toilets in their homes to save them the shame of having to go out into the open to defecate.

In a bid to put pressure on parents to construct toilets to safeguard their hygiene, security and saving themselves from constant shame  Richa, Joyti, Ranju, Rabina, Khushbu and Puja Kumari decided to wear their gold lockets only when they will not be forced to defecate in the open anymore.

They are six of 18 Class 10 students in a government girl high school in Bihar's Buxar district, about 125km from Patna, who are still asked to defecate in the open as their houses lack toilets, a district official told IANS.

"During an inspection of the school by a district administration official, Anupam Singh, the girls were asked if they did not have a toilet in their homes and 18 of them raised their hands.

"The girls also said that they want toilets to be built so that they don't have to defecate outside and expressed their shame and agony. They removed their gold lockets and handed them over to Singh and took an oath not to wear them unless their demands were met," another official said.

"I was both happy and upset over their determination for a toilet as these girls are fully aware of the necessity of a toilet while they have been living without a basic need like that so far," Anupam Singh said.

Interestingly, the girls revealed that their parents are neither poverty stricken nor facing any financial crunch but pointed out that the construction of a toilet never figured in their agenda.

"We are ashamed of living without a toilet that forces us and our mothers to defecate outside," said Khushbu, adding that her parents were ignoring her repeated appeals for building a toilet at home.

Another class 10 girl, Puja said: "I, along with my mother, am forced to make our way to an open field every night under the cover of darkness to relieve ourselves."

In the last few months, IANS has reported several stories with rare steps by women to get toilets constructed at their houses in Bihar.

One such woman was Shanti Devi, a poverty-stricken woman in her early 40s who chose to sell her four goats to finance the construction of a toilet at her house in a village in Rohtas district as she considers it a shame for a woman to defecate in the open.

Shanti had kept the four goats to raise money for the medical treatment of her paralysed husband, who has been bed-ridden for over one-and-a-half-years.

"I have sold my goats to raise money to construct a toilet. I have finally built a toilet and fulfilled my dream," said Shanti, a resident of Khaira Bhutha village, adding that a toilet in every home is a must.

In another instance, Phulkumari Devi, in her mid-20s, a resident of Barahkhanna village in Rohtas, mortgaged her gold and silver jewellery to raise money for the construction of a toilet at her house.

In some cases, women, including newly-weds, divorced their husbands and left their in-laws' houses because they failed to get toilets constructed and made them suffer the humiliation of going out in the open instead.

As millions of people in Bihar are still living without toilets, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier launched a key scheme from his seven resolves, 'Shauchalay Nirman, Ghar Ka Sammaan' (a toilet for every household) in towns and villages of the state by the end of 2019.

The state government would provide Rs 12,000 per family for constructing toilets in urban and rural areas, while community toilets would be built for those who do not have space for constructing one.

According to Development Commissioner Shishir Sinha, there are 1.60 crore families who still do not have toilets in their homes in the state.
New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) currently celebrating its diamond jubilee has lost to termites the tree planted by Queen Elizabeth on the grand opening of the premier campus.

AIIMS was established in 1956 and the institute's buildings were formally opened by the British monarch on 27 January 1961 at an impressive ceremony attended by the then President Rajendra Prasad.

"During her visit to the campus, Queen Elizabeth II was accompanied by Prince Philip and President Rajendra Prasad. It was a glittering ceremony and on the opening day, she had planted a tree. Unfortunately, we have lost that tree to termites. But we have planted new trees there," AIIMS Director Dr MC Misra told PTI.

Rare images of the royal couple visit are part of the institute's archives, and several of these photographs were put on display during the diamond jubilee exhibition which ended on Saturday.

Queen Elizabeth, now 90, visited India in 1961 as the state guest for the Republic Day function.

At AIIMS a plaque commemorating the event still stands on a pillar inside the JL Nehru Auditorium building. The tree was planted somewhere closer to this building.

"It was a Gulmohar tree. After losing it sometime in the past, to termites, we have planted four bottle brush trees at that spot and eight would be planted in the outer circle," he said.

Incidentally, the photograph showing the Queen planting the tree is a coloured one, a rarity as by 1960s, very few had then access to the colour photography technology. Other archival photographs too are a mix of monochrome and colour.

"We dug up our own archives and many students and alumni also helped us to put together the exhibition. These rare images, including those showing the under-construction phase buildings of the campus buildings, give us a unique insight into the inception of AIIMS," he said.

The exhibition was opened on the AIIMS' Institute Day on September 26 by Union Health Minister JP Nadda. Among other rare images include photographs of the visit of Jacqueline Kennedy to the campus.

Misra said the college is planning to put together these archive material into a coffee-table book.

"We are still looking for more rare material for the book. Also, a documentary chronicling the 60 years of AIIMS is also being planned, besides a special postal stamp. Hopefully, these would be released during the convocation day in November," he added.

The exhibition also extolled the contribution made by Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, who was instrumental in founding the institution. It also carried old pictures of her mansion 'Manorvile' in Shimla, which she gifted to AIIMS for use as a holiday home for doctors and nurses.
Heads have begun rolling in Uri post the deadly terror attack on 18 September that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers and left several others injured. According to reports, the Brigade Commander of the Uri-based army brigade has been "side stepped" for fair, comprehensive and objective inquiry.

"The Brigade Commander has been "side stepped" for fair, comprehensive and objective inquiry,' an Army source told IANS on Saturday. Army sources also informed the news agency that this was a part of the protocol of inquiry.

Brigadier K Somashanker has been shifted out of the sensitive brigade, PTI said. Quoting sources from the Army, it added: "An officer from the 28 Mountain Division of the Army is scheduled to take over as the Uri Brigade commander".

Though, according to PTI, Army sources in New Delhi insisted late Saturday night that no such orders have been issued by the army headquarters, a The Times of India report mentioned that "Colonel Yashpal Ahlawat, who has been approved for the next rank and was posted in the Kilo Force of the Rashtriya Rifles, which looks after counter-insurgency operations in Kupwara, Baramulla and Srinagar areas, was sent to Uri on Saturday to take charge of the Uri brigade."

"The CoIonel is probing the series of lapses and poor perimeter security, despite prior intelligence alerts, which allowed the four fidayeen terrorists to storm the camp, next to the brigade headquarters in Uri, early on September 18," it added.

#FLASH #UriAttack probe is on. Uri brigade commander shifted out till enquiry is completed: Sources  ANI (@ANI_news) October 1, 2016

India carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads inflicting "significant casualties"across the LoC on the 28 and 29 September, seen as a reprisal for the Uri attack. The Uri Army base was attacked by heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists on September 18. India has maintained that the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed was behind the attack.

With agency inputs
Editor's note: This is the second part of a paper presented at the National Seminar held in Bengaluru by the Indian Council for Philosophical Research in September 2016.

Read part one here.

***

We may now briefly examine a few related threads.

Beginning roughly around the industrialisation era, the West began to regard man primarily as an economic being, which is also one of the major underpinnings of contemporary capitalism, most notably when we use the term human resources and productivity in the context of human beings. Its true though that this conception of man in purely economic terms has resulted in material prosperity for the West on a scale and extent unprecedented in history. But it has come at enormous human cost in terms of relentless material consumption, emotional loneliness, the breakdown of the family unit and increasing dependence on the state.

And if one examines the Indian scenario, especially, post globalisation, we seem to have unthinkingly emulated the same conceptions leading to similar outcomes. Indians who travelled to prosperous Western nations and even at home, exposed to the Western corporate culture have perhaps unconsciously internalised this notion because it is in human nature to be awed and enamored by material accomplishments on such a scale, and therefore to emulate it. This becomes more apparent given that for most of time post Independence decades, we were a closed, socialist economy with little resources to travel.

More fundamentally, this is also a failure of our education, which looks down upon Sanskrit or classical studies, and has all but banished these disciplines from mainstream learning.

The other thread is the intellectual currents that became influential in the post World War II Europe. Among these, Existentialism, which viewed the world as meaningless and absurd, also gave rise to a discourse on the lines that man is condemned to exist. This is in many ways, a throwback to the Christian doctrine[i] where Christ and St. Paul called upon the people not to resist evil.

Apart from these poles of absolute materialism and defeatism we may also note in some detail the emergence of whats now known as the Frankfurt School, which laid the foundation for much of the public discourse we witness in the West and in urban India.

Its origins can be traced back to the World War I where Communists believed that the Communists and workers of various countries would unite and fight in favour of a World Communist revolution. However, they were shocked when these workers fought on behalf of their respective nations, as patriots. This led to the formation of the Institute for Social Research, now known as the Frankfurt School founded in 1923.

The early pioneers like Antonio Gramsci, Geog Lukacs, and Felix Weil concluded that the unit of family with the man as its head had to be undermined and destroyed.

In a definitive turn in Marxist thought, the Frankfurt School became a vehicle that transformed defining Marxism in economic terms to cultural terms.

In the 1930s, the Frankfurt School published its radical work titled Critical Theory. In the words of Prof Martin J[ii] of the University of Berkeley, Critical Theory was a play on wordsone should ask what is the theory? The answer: the theory is to criticise [as an end in itself]  by the unremitting destructive criticism of every institution of Western society, they hope to bring that [traditional] society down.

Eventually, a breakthrough was achieved by cross-pollinating Karl Marxs theories with those of Sigmund Freud. The resultant theory was that everyone in traditional societies was in a state of constant psychological repression. This was further developed by Theodor Adorno and Erich Fromm whose work resulted in the sexual revolution in the 1960s America, most notably on college campuses.

Critical Theory is also the basis for todays Black Studies, Gay Studies, Womens Studies, LGBT, and so on. Every University in the world, including India, has a variant of these studies.

But perhaps the greatest breakthrough for the Frankfurt School came in the form of the highly influential book, The Authoritarian Personality, by Theodore Adorno which basically argued that anyone supporting traditional culture and family unit-based societies was psychologically unbalanced and needed psychiatric treatment. Equally, Herbert Marcuses Eros and Civilisation condemned all restrictions on sexual behavior and advocated what he termed as polymorphous perversity, which normalized sexual deviancy in the name of sexual openness.

The long term consequence has been the creation of lobbies of victim groups, litigating against perceived insults to their lifestyles. Charles J Skyes research work[iii], A Nation of Victims shows for example, how a dismissed university employee who was a habitual latecomer successfully sued the university on grounds of Chronic Lateness Syndrome.

For India, the effect of this has been pernicious to say the least in the form of rampant and destructive feminism. The most visible instance of this has been the legislation that gave birth to Section 498 (A) of the IPC. It is important to note that this legislation was the result of sustained lobbying by a group of powerful feminists drawn from various walks of life, and did not have popular support from the voting public.

Equally important is the fact that in the Indian context, feminism has been additionally equipped with a denigration of the Hindu view of the feminine, which is rooted in sanctity. As an extreme example, here is an excerpt of a poem by the Feminist-Communist activist, Meena Kandaswamy:

This poem denigrates Hindus.

This poem shows them in poor light.

This poem celebrates Krishna's freedom to perch on a naked woman.

This poem flames with the fires of a woman hungry for sex.

This poem makes the Shiva lingam the male sexual organ.

This poem prides itself in its perverse mindset.

This poem gossips about the sex between Sita and Laxman.

In a line, while the situation is not as rife as it is in Western societies, with the rapid normalisation of such discourse in India, we are surely heading in that direction. Why for instance didnt we have the now-regular phenomenon of public rallies supporting say, LGBT, White Noise, Slutwalk and so on, even 15 years ago? Or the increasing spurt in divorce rates, and or organisations like Save Indian Family?

The Frankfurt Schools discourse has increasingly polarised sections of society against others, and ultimately society against itself. Additionally, by politicising human behavior, it is leading to calls for increasing interference of the State in the lives of private individuals.

This is not to argue that discrimination against say women, sexual minorities or other classes of society did not exist in the West or in India. Indeed, commonsense tells us that as long as human societies exist, discrimination and disparity are bound to exist. The best any age or society can hope for is to minimise these ills.

An unbiased study of Indian history shows how our society responded to alleviate the said ills. This response emanated primarily from the philosophical underpinnings of ancient India. Put another way, the Indian societys philosophical conception is rooted in the notion of Rta or the Cosmic Order, which is what primarily makes us accommodative of countless Gods, sects, paths, etc. This notion has therefore built a self-correcting mechanism to respond to challenges to Sanatana Dharma both externally and from within.

We can examine just two prominent instances: Buddha and Sri Basavanna who rose as internal corrections to social and religious excesses. But the path both took, and the message they delivered, were rooted in the same ancient Indian philosophy. It is therefore both partially correct and misleading to characterise them as mere social reformers.

Perhaps Swami Vivekananda wouldnt have met with the same level of adulation and success, and his message wouldnt have endured but for the solid philosophical base on which it stood.

This then has always been the nature of self-regulatory mechanism in India throughout the ages, manifested in the lives and work of its famous people.

But in an India whose post-Independence elite was largely informed and conditioned in the Western mould, this inbuilt mechanism was lost sight of. And so, in the rush to mitigate and/or reform various social ills, we seem to have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. It is pertinent to recall PV Kanes caution[iv] in this context: In these days of growing popular education, when [an ancient] myth becomes exposed, the men who once believed it not only give up that myth but also might give up everything contained in ancient works as unbelievablethe chief catalytic agencies are modern science and Western thought and literature. The old structureis tottering and laxity in morals has made great headwaywhatever happens, we must so regulate society that the family as a social unit is preserved.

Finally, one can offer a few points by way of what can be done.

For most of the post-Independence period, India has not invested enough in critically studying the West, much less developing an independent cultural and national narrative. As Dr SL Bhyrappa and others have remarked, our universities have remained content in following and developing upon ideas and intellectual currents prevalent in the West at various points in time.

Secondly, in the contemporary period, the West regards both ideas and ideology as a means to a political end, whatever that end might be. But to the inherited cultural and civilisational consciousness of majority of Indians, politics is only one of the means to a loftier spiritual goal. This is perhaps why we have largely been unable to fathom how and why the Western mind can discern politics in say our Gods, festivals, temples, places of pilgrimage, and write thousands of expert academic theses.

About two decades ago, China initiated such a study of Western systems, and continues to reap its rewards today. Equally, over a period, it endowed numerous American universities with grants and chairs in the field of Chinese Cultural Studies, broadly speaking. The control of these institutions completely rests in Chinese hands. This among other reasons is why it receives negligible negative coverage by the Western press and other institutions. For instance, when the Western media recently published a long expose of the cruel dog festival, in China, it retaliated by publishing a similar report in a British paper covering the shocking state of Britains slaughterhouses.

Thirdly, and this has been a refrain for several decades, a complete and thorough reform of Education needs to occur, starting at the primary level. In other words, we must take back control of the narrative about ourselves from alien hands.

I shall close this by quoting Ananda Coomaraswamy[v] again: An India free in name but subdued by Europe in hersoul would ill justify the price of freedomwe should not rest satisfied until the entire control of Indian education is in Indian hands. No European should have a voice [in it].

References:

[i] Hobhouse: Morals in Evolution

[ii] Prof Martin J: The History of Political Correctness

[iii] Charles J Skyes: A Nation of Victims. Introduction.

[iv] PV Kane: History of the Dharmashastras Vol 5, Part 2: pp 1710

[v] Ananda Coomaraswamy: Preface, Essays in National Idealism
I agree with Lionel Shriver.

On 8 September, in a keynote speech titled Fiction and Identity Politics at the Brisbane Writers Festival, the celebrated author Lionel Shriver did what few in her profession have shamefully shied away from. She put front and centre the disease of cultural appropriation.

I call it a disease because of the ridiculousness of the movement (and term), especially on college and university campuses in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Shriver cited the example of a tequila-themed party in a college in America and the accusations of cultural appropriation that the said party organisers and goers had to defend against.

Whether or not the people involved were actually appropriating the culture of a different country or ethnicity was immaterial. In the court of public opinion, the easily offended and humourless convict you of thought crimes. One becomes guilty of what the accuser is projecting onto the act and/or situation. And before you even realise it, you're backpedaling, trying to defend yourself against accusations of racism, sexism, bigotry, cultural appropriation, political incorrectness.

The worst of human behaviour is projected on the most mindless of acts.

Then, there are those magic words, of course.

Unsafe. Triggered. Racist. Homophobic. Sexist.

Where these terms used to be reserved for the most despicable because acts of bigotry, sexism, racism, homophobia, are horrible and should be condemned unconditionally, these terms and their cousins are bandied willy-nilly without as much as the slightest sense of irony.

Because, especially in the creative arts, and in fiction, when barriers such as these, barriers that dont really mean anything, are erected, one quickly gets pushed into territories of authoritarianism and censorship. And I would not be off the mark if I were to make the blasphemous claim that no writer of any worth wants anything to do with it.

Whats the difference between the Ayatollah issuing a fatwa against Salman Rushdie for writing a novel, and Jenny from Chelsea who accuses Marko, a first-time novelist, of usurping the experiences of a Caribbean transgender who identifies as a Japanese businessman because Markos protagonist is Henry Powell, a 62 Caribbean transgender who walks around in immaculate business suits, and elongates his eye-liner to mimic slanted eyes and only answers when called Hirosito Mugami?

Now, for the record, the latter example does not exist. Or maybe it does. Maybe somewhere theres a writer named Marko whos writing a Caribbean-transgender-identifying-as-a-Japanese-businessman character as we speak.

I just made it up, and right there is the foundation on which all of fiction stands.

Right there is what Shriver was trying to convey.

So what exactly is cultural appropriation?

Do I, a cisgender, heterosexual male from a minority community in the Northeast of India appropriate Anglo-Saxon culture when Im influenced by Hemingway, when there are snippets of Mark Twain in my writing?

What if I decide that my piece of fiction would be incomplete without a shy Kokanastha-Brahmin lawyer who has his first homosexual experience with a flashy sports-agent Sardar?

Should I stop rapping along to rap music because the black American-in-the-ghetto experience has nothing to do with mine?

In light of such ridiculousness, especially in the past couple of years, Shrivers speech has been such an eye-opener because it takes on the issues of political correctness, cultural appropriation, and racism head on. Yes, racism exists. Yes, political correctness, in the correct environment can be a positive thing.

But you remove the power of these words and labels, when anything under the sun can be labeled politically incorrect, anyone with a different opinion of the other is called racist.

In her speech, Shriver spoke about Susan Scafidi, law professor at Fordham University and the author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law. Shriver stated that Scafidi defines cultural appropriation as taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone elses culture without permission. This can include unauthorised use of another cultures dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc.

Shriver rejects this definition and I do, too. Fiction is difficult and it is a result of attempts to make sense of the world around us, the world as we see and understand. A world where dances, dresses, music, language, folklore, cuisine, medicine, religious symbols are all tangled up. Mixed up and diverse. Borrowed and adopted and adapted.

Because human civilization has always been about that, and no amount of this far-left, meaningless progressivism that we see seeping into all facets of art, music, politics, and literature, can ever change that.
By Farzana Versey

If you are looking for a parody or, more appropriately, a lame attempt at humour, then please skip this.

Rahul Gandhi may not be a great subject for a television interview, he may not even turn out to be a good political leader, but on the much-touted first-ever interview in 10 years (he clarified on camera that this was not the first, but the first formal one!) he did exactly what he set out to do. Say his piece. What seemed like repetition, if not ducking, was a strategy he adopted to bludgeon the inquisitor softly, if not tire him out.

Some in the media have dubbed this a Rahul vs. Arnab fight. I am amazed at the ignorance. No one, I repeat no one, in the higher echelons of power will give such a big interview without vetting the queries. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi must certainly have been aware of what Arnab Goswami (AG) would ask. If AG added specific queries later, then isnt it funny that at the beginning of the interview he makes it clear and RG says You can draw me back as much as you want but would he be okay if he took a broader look? Think about it. Besides, it does not take rocket science (ahem, those Bharat Nirman ads) to figure out what the nation as filtered by the media would want to know. As he said:

"I have done a little media interaction, prior to this. I have done press conferences and spoken to the media. But mainly bulk of my focus has been on internal party work and that's where I have been concentrating, that is where most of my energy was going."

In the latter half I will reproduce some salient points, with quick notes.

First, the minutiae: This was not a live interview; it was conducted at Jawahar Bhavan; it lasted for a little under 90 minutes. According to The Telegraph:

But sources said the Congress leadership wanted to ensure that Rahuls outing should be with a journalist who has a reputation for being unsparing. An off-the-record session between Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Goswami, over pakoras and tea, also helped pave the ground for the interview, the sources said.

It just so happens that those who are building up this unsparing interviewer have rather short or selective memories. Some of us do recall his almost obsequious questioning of Bal Thackeray; even Raj Thackeray has managed to stand firm. So, let us not create heroes only because we need to look down on certain people.

Let us talk about some problem areas.

Why was RG not being specific?

Why should he? He will do so in his speeches when he addresses the nation, not for revenue-run TRP-driven media. Has Times Now donated to the Congress Partys election campaign? Is there a quid pro quo? No.

Arnab did his business of mentioning names  as the tagline of his show states  and Rahul spoke about the issue. Yes, the issues are more important. It is the system that deals with individual offenders. If he took the names, or repeated them after AG, he would be a bloody stupid politician and VP of his party.

Why did he not take the Modi bait?

This was by far the best thing Rahul could have done. He treated Narendra Modi as just another guy. The persistent questioning about whether he would agree to a debate with the Gujarat CM elicited what I thought was a perfect clincher: The debate is already going on. This effectively took the battle to where it belongs  outside the TV studios.

Why did he not apologise for the anti-Sikh riots of 1984?

What would he achieve by doing so? Get brownie points from the viewers and a pat on the back from the media, with Times going berserk by claiming that it was their channel that brought about this major penance? The PM and Sonia Gandhi have both apologised, and if RG has to do so it needs to be done to the people who are waiting for justice.

Why did he not come clean about his degrees?

Here you have an anchor who has netted a huge catch, and he is quoting a shark lapping in the shallows. Arnab brought in Subramanian Swamy to put RG on the mat regarding his educational qualifications. With all his Ivy League credentials, Swamy comes across as an uncouth man. Besides, how is it important? This Oxford-Cambridge showing off might appeal to the urban upper middle class, not the majority of the population.

Has anybody bothered to check for how long exactly Modi ran a tea stall that he is using as his new USP? Is there any evidence of it?

Why did he not commit on the Aam Aadmi Party?

Simple. The AAP is not one that sticks to its own word, so how can anybody else? Here is one bit from the interview

Arnab: Are you using the AAP to split the Anti Congress vote bank, to keep Mr. Modi out of power

Rahul: You are implying that we have brought the AAP...

This was really giving it to those ones in the politest of tones.

Why did he keep repeating about RTI, empowerment of women, the system?

Because these are crucial subjects, though they dont sound terribly sexy. Indeed, he used these terms to also answer unrelated queries, but as I said at the beginning, he was here to say his piece.

We have got so accustomed in the past few months to war cry rallies and dharnas that someone who comes across as vulnerable, yet refusing to fall prey, is not easy to accept. Calling Rahul Gandhi a fool might prove to be our biggest fallacy.

Here is how he answered some of the questions, from Modi to being attacked, and why moving off-track sometimes seemed to be just the right move:

On Modi

In my life I have seen my grandmother die, I have seen my father die, I have seen my grandmother go to jail and I have actually been through a tremendous amount of pain as a child when these things happen to you, what I had to be scared of I lost, there is absolutely nothing I am scared of. I have an aim, I have a clear aim in my mind and the aim is that I do not like what I see in Indian politics, it is something that is inside my heart. It is like in our mythology when they talk about Arjun, he only sees one thing, he does not see anything else, you asked me about Mr. Modi you ask me about anything and the thing that I see is that the system in this country needs to change, I don't see anything else and I am blind to everything else. I am blind because I saw people I love destroyed by the system.

Ergo: He does not care about Modi.

On right to information

I am the first person who has been saying over the last five years, talking about transparency in the party. I have made the Youth Congress and the NSUI fully elected bodies. I have spoken about the six bills in parliament. I have spoken about the Lokpal Bill and I have pushed the Lokpal Bill. I was involved in the RTI. We worked together to bring the RTI. So as far as transparency in the political party is concerned I am absolutely for transparency. There are questions about the RTI that need to be discussed and thought through. The real question is that our system is based on different pillars. And the question is which ones of these pillars should have RTIAm I for opening up? Am I for bringing RTI into as many places possible? Absolutely. Am I for creating an imbalance and weakening the legislative structures of this country. No I am not.

RTI enthusiasts should note that it could be misused. (This is what I had written in an earlier piece.)

On his silence regarding the scams

My position was that I report to the Prime Minister. Whatever I felt I had conversations with the Prime Minister. Whatever I felt about the issues I made it abundantly clear to the Prime Minister. I was involved in the legislation, RTI legislation. And now I have helped pass the Lokpal Bill. I bring you back. The real issue here is participation of people in politics. It is bringing youngsters into the political system, it's opening out the political system. That's where nobody wants to talk. Everybody is perfectly happy with 500 people running the entire system in India. Nobody, none of you want to raise that issue. The fundamental issue. How do we choose candidates?

By reporting to the PM he obviously meant he discussed it with the PM, instead of with Arnab Goswami.

On alliances

Our alliance in Bihar is with a political party with an idea not an individual, we are making alliance, and it is not certain that we are going to make an alliance, we are in process of talking to people and our alliance is with an idea, with a party, not an individual.

What is wrong about this? When was the last time we heard a politician talk about ideas? We have to lump coalition politics; he is telling us beforehand what will swing it.

On possible defeat of the Congress

If we don't win, I am the VP of the party of course I will take responsibility for it.

On name-dropping

I don't actually keep invoking my family name, I have mentioned my family name once or twice and then people report that. The real issue is that I didn't choose to be born in this family, I didn't sign up and say that I like to be born in this family. It happened, so the choice in front of me is pretty simple I can either turn around and say okay I will just walk away from this thing and leave it alone or I can say I can try and improve something. Pretty much every single thing I have done in my political career has been to bring in youngsters , has been to open up, has been to democratise. I am absolutely against the concept of Dynasty, anybody who knows me knows that and understands that. But you are not going to wish away Dynasty in a closed system, you have to open the system. Dynasty or children of politicians becoming powerful happens in the BJP, it happens in the DMK, it happens in the SP, it happens in the Congress party, it happens everywhere.

Nothing to add.

On being attacked

I respond by understanding why I'm being attacked. I'm being attacked because I'm doing things that are dangerous to the system. I'm being attacked because I'm asking questions that are dangerous to the system. And I'm not asking superficial questions. I'm not asking questions over here (pointing at the ceiling). I'm asking questions over there (pointing to the ground). And everybody understands that this fellow here is not just a superficial chap who talks. This fellow over here is thinking deeply and is thinking long term. That's why I'm attacked. I understand that. And frankly, attack me all you want. Beat me to death. It's not going to stop me. I'm going to keep doing it. And I'm going to ask the questions that are relevant.

This is exactly what he did. For, how many people are going to vote or not vote based on 2G, Adarsh, Coalgate? Is not Modi ruling despite the riots of 2002? Did not the Congress return to power after the Emergency and 1984, and the BJP after Babri? Having said this, RG will have to push the system to expedite the judicial process and respect it.

On being a reluctant prince

If you look at my spirit, regardless of what I do, if I'd been born in India, regardless of what I do, I don't like unfairness. It just makes my blood boil. I don't like it. And in whatever I did, if I saw unfairness, I would stand up against it. That's the heart of my politics.

Rahul Gandhi may not win the elections for the Congress Party; he may not become prime minister now or ever. But, if he continues to fight unfairness, then that should goad many to do so.

The fact that many in the opposition, and even those who have suddenly discovered balance, are behaving like a cat on a hot tin roof, even though they call it rolling on the floor laughing, is proof that he has touched a nerve.

(Farzana Versey is a Mumbai-based writer. This article first appeared on her blog.)
New Delhi: After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, rights activist Irom Sharmila now wants to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi expecting "good advice" from him.

She had met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on 26 September seeking his advice on how to defeat "major political parties" in her state Manipur.

"Good advice should always be expected. Whether a person is an enemy or a friend, if he has some good views and wants to share it with me, I will take the advice," she told PTI.

She was asked if she would also meet Modi to seek his advice as he was elected with a huge mandate in the general elections.

Sharmila on Friday had addressed Delhi University students at a function organised by the North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) to commemorate the 120th birth anniversary of Hijam Irabot, a freedom fighter and social activist from Manipur.

Sharmila, who had in the past, expressed her desire to meet Modi to seek his help in the repeal of the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (Afspa), reiterated her demand saying, "It is possible, I will meet because he is the authority concerned who can fulfill my demand."

The 44-year-old "Iron Lady" had an advice for students as she asked them to stop blaming the society and rather be the change they wish to see.

"Youths, which are the strength of society are the symbol of unity and inspiration. You remain protesting and blaming the society. Instead, you are responsible to help to bring the change you wish to see in the society," she said.

On 9 August, Sharmila broke her 16-year-old hunger strike demanding repeal of the Afspa and announced that she ould take her battle to the next level by floating her party as she wants to become the chief minister of Manipur to "press" for the demands.
For a fascinating, fiery subject such as Jayalalithaa, it's a shame her life story has been limited to only 200 pages. Vaasanthi's biography of the current Tamil Nadu chief minister  Amma: Jayalalithaas Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen  feels like it ends even before it begins, although Amma's life story has been captured in its entirety.

Nevertheless, we're offered insights and peeks into the former actor's life  how ammu (as she was known during her childhood) was deeply affected by her father Jayaram's death which threw her into a tumultuous world that she never quite really emerged from, how she moved to Bangalore and then to Chennai, all the while constantly yearning for her mother Veda's company (alias Sandhya) who after she became an actress hardly had any time for her little ammu, how her dreams of becoming a doctor or a lawyer took a drastic turn plunging her deep into the big bad world of cinema, how she'd get entwined into the life of popular Tamil film star of yesteryear MGR, and his party the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, eventually taking over after his death and becoming the first woman chief minister of the state to serve a full term (MGR's wife was the first woman CM serving a mere 24 days in office), winning the mandate five times, as recently in the 2016 Assembly election.

Growing up, it was clear that Jayalalithaa never experienced the same 'normal' childhood as her friends. Vaasanthi provides one example of this in a chat between two friends.

Jayalalithaa often told Srimathi that she did not like the film-world atmosphere, and that the men there were crude and stared at her lustfully. Jaya would say, When I go home these rascals will be sitting there. I get so annoyed seeing them  all kinds of men, tall, short, dark, fair, thin and fat and oily! Mother asks me to sit with them and talk. I hate it. She said this with a vehemence that Srimathi still remembers. It was obvious that Jayalalithaa felt she was being forced into doing things that went against her nature. Perhaps she also yearned for a normal family life like her other classmates had.

The book follows a neat chronological order of events and does not stray from its course, which, at times makes for a boring read. Perhaps, as someone who has grown up in Chennai, keenly following the events surrounding Jayalalithaa's life (or hearing and reading extensively about it) the book doesn't come as a surprise  instead it's clinical and passive, stopping short when certain events in Jaya's life could've benefitted (the reader) with some much needed poetic elaboration. Perhaps, for people to the north of the Vindhyas, who aren't familiar with politics in the south, this book is a good start. To compare it with Iruvar, the Mani Ratnam film loosely based on the relationship between MGR-Jayalalithaa-Karunanidhi would be injustice, for a movie is treated vastly different from a book and most importantly, Iruvar was really fiction. And we have to remember that this isn't an authorised biogaphy  meaning access to Jayalalithaa, the main source, is missing, as is the access to the key people in her life: her mother and her brother, Sasikala, Shobhan Babu.

Vaasanthi does manage to talk to RM Veerappan, a close personal aide of MGR, who "projected Jayalalithaa as a temptress" and who "was bent on breaking up the relationship at any cost, saying that he needed to protect MGR from an evil called Jayalalithaa", and to the late Solai, who was Jayalalithaa's speech writer when she was the AIADMKs propaganda secretary. Although the author's sympathy lies with the protagonist  this is best seen when she writes on how RM Veerappan's views on Jayalalithaa influencing MGR seemed "far-fetched", she does dip into her journalistic sensibilities  after the special court indicted her in the hotel case and AIADMK cadre set fire to a bus full of girls of which three were consumed by the flames, she writes that "Jayalalithaa reacted like a bad loser".

Born into a Srirangam-based Tamil Brahmin family in Bangalore, Jayalalithaa ruled the roost in Tamil cinema since her debut with Vennira Aadai (1965) till 1978. She had an image makeover once she met her hero, MGR, which also gave rise to the many ups and downs in her life. When Jayalalithaa first started acting, Vaasanthi describes her as a braveheart, a "remarkably fearless" woman, who if she has made her up mind would continue with it channeling her steely determination. In the chapter 'A Star is Born', she writes:

She belonged to the Mandiam Iyengar community that hailed from Karnataka. But in an article that appeared in a magazine she was quoted as saying, I am a Tamilian. My mother belongs to Srirangam. That angered the Kannadigas in Karnataka who believed her to be a Kannadiga. Because of the threats she received she cancelled her scheduled dance programme at the Dasara arts festival in Mysore. Two months later, during the shooting of director Panthulus film at the Chamundi studios in Mysore, the organizer of the Dasara arts festival heard she was there, and decided to confront her. Th e studio manager got news that about a hundred protesters were marching towards the studio to beat up Jayalalithaa. So he ordered the gates to be locked. But the hooligans jumped over the gates and entered with lathis in their hands shouting in Kannada: Where is the bitch? They barged in, knocking down the guards and journalists standing at the door. Panthulu spoke to them in Kannada and pleaded with them to go away. But they demanded that Jayalalithaa should say sorry for having said that she was not a Kannadiga. Jayalalithaa was neither ruffled nor afraid. She looked straight at them and said in chaste Kannada, I have not said anything wrong. Why should I apologise? I am a Tamilian and not a Kannadiga!

From an independent being, Jayalalithaa turned into a puppet in the hands of MGR  he took control over her activities, her finances; in short, he wanted her to be with him till he didn't. Which happened during the time he started the AIADMK on 18 October, 1972, rendering him busy with politics. In the midst of a temporary release from MGR, Vaasanthi writes about how Jayalalithaa got involved with Telugu actor Sobhan Babu, even going as far as arranging a wedding ceremony with him, which, according to some friends quoted in the book, did happen.

The meat of the book focuses on Amma's political career  for those in the dark, she joined the party on 4 June, 1982, gave her maiden speech in Cuddalore ("an impressive, fiery oration"), how she reunited with an estranged MGR, and in the end became his political heir, ousting Janaki Ramachandran, MGR's wife, in the process. As Mukul Kesavan writes in this arresting piece, for The Telegraph,

In republican India, parties founded by individuals  M.G. Ramachandran, N.T. Rama Rao, Kanshi Ram, Mamata Banerjee  never manage to institutionalize succession. The successor is either personally anointed by the leader  Kanshi Rams naming of Mayavati in 2001 is a case in point  or the leaders mantle is claimed through a war of succession. Jayalalithaa is an example of the latter route: she emerged as MGRs undisputed successor only after fighting and winning a succession battle with his widow. This contest didnt occur via the internal mechanisms of the party  there were none  but through fission and faction

All her life, Jayalalithaa has been a fighter and this book is proof of that. Whether she was constantly fighting a hate campaign brewing against her in the party or when it seemed that MGR's trust in her was fading or after MGR's untimely death, she has never given up. The one other theme that is a constant in the book is that of loneliness  it goes without saying that people at the top are lonely, and a woman who tries to reach there is even more so. In that way, the story of Jayalalithaa is the story of an everywoman: that of constant struggle, of trying to find approval an acceptance, of trying to make cutthroat decisions without seeming 'monstrous'. It's a book many women will identify with; after all women voters did play a decisive role in voting her back to power in Tamil Nadu.

Vaasanthi writes an objective account of Jayalalithaa's life, no doubt  there's no larger-than-life symbolism of the woman who turned from a glamourous actress to a de-glamourised caretaker of the state (her moniker 'Amma' translates to mother). But how she opted for politics and transformed into a leader, who then became a brand synonymous with populism, needs more sketching in the book.

The book could also do with some airtight editing: at certain incidents Vaasanthi offers us the Tamil words employed by the people (in the book), but mostly she goes with the English translation of it. Instead, if Vaasanthi could've been persuaded to employ the original Tamil words and phrases, coupled with a small glossary at the back, it would've made for some poignant reading. One more aspect that could've been fleshed upon is the dynamic between Karunanidhi and her, one that has constantly defined politics in TN till now. Amma: Jayalalithaas Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen could give rise to detailed case studies of the chief minister, her leadership and how the state transformed under her, but till then this book will just have to do.

Amma: Jayalalithaas Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen is published by Juggernaut
By Elizabeth Piper

| BIRMINGHAM, England

BIRMINGHAM, England Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would trigger the process to leave the EU by the end of March, offering the first glimpse of a timetable for a divorce that will redefine Britain's ties with its biggest trading partner.Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union in June propelled May to power and the former interior minister has been under pressure to offer more details on her plan for departure, beyond an often-repeated catchphrase that "Brexit means Brexit".In a move to ease fears among her ruling Conservatives that she may delay the divorce, May told the party's annual conference in Birmingham, central England, that she was determined to move on with the process and win the "right deal".Using Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty will give Britain a two-year period to clinch one of the most complex deals in Europe since World War Two."We will invoke Article 50 no later than the end of March next year," May told the conference to cheers from hundreds of members."Parliament put the decision to leave or remain inside the EU in the hands of the people. And the people gave their answer with emphatic clarity," she added. "So now it is up to the government not to question, quibble or backslide on what we have been instructed to do, but to get on with the job," said May, keen to reassure lawmakers that she will deliver Brexit despite her earlier support, albeit quiet, for a "Remain" vote in the referendum.Her comments were welcomed by the EU, with Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, saying the statement had brought "welcome clarity" to the situation. But behind the scenes, there was frustration at the lack of detail."It is beyond comprehension that the politicians who campaigned for Brexit for months have no idea what they want, they have no plan at all," a senior German official said.

UNCERTAINTY

Britain's decision to leave the EU on June 23 sparked turmoil in financial markets as investors tried to gauge its impact on both the world's fifth largest economy and the bloc.The country's allies fear that its exit from the EU could mark a turning point in post-Cold War international affairs that will weaken the West in relation to China and Russia, undermine efforts toward European integration and hurt global free trade.Sterling plunged to a 31-year low after the vote and is now trading around 40 U.S. cents -- or 25 percent -- lower than the six-year highs it reached in mid-2014.For some businesses, May's reluctance to offer what she describes as a "running commentary" on her strategy, has deepened fears that they could end up paying higher costs if operating from Britain.But May said she could not risk a good deal by putting her strategy under continual scrutiny.

"Every stray word and every hyped-up media report is going to make it harder for us to get the right deal for Britain," she said. "So we have to stay patient. But when there are things to say -- as there are today -- we will keep the public informed and up to date."For many of her lawmakers, the announcement hit the mark."The timing is just right," Conservative lawmaker Andrew Bridgen told Reuters, saying voters had understood that the new prime minister had needed some time to prepare her position.Others said they feared that triggering Article 50 so early could put pressure on Britain as elections in France and Germany in 2017 could change London's partners in the middle of talks.Unwilling to give too much away, May said her government must respond to the demands of voters, many of whom fear that hospitals and schools are being stretched by high levels of migration from the EU, but also had to listen to business.

"I know some people ask about the 'trade-off' between controlling immigration and trading with Europe. But that is the wrong way of looking at things," she said.Underlining her point, close ally, trade minister Liam Fox -- one of three leading Brexit campaigners in her cabinet -- told an event at the conference: "What we want is the best exit for the United Kingdom, not the quickest."'GREAT REPEAL ACT'

But it was her move to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act next year, a law that took Britain into what is now the EU, and make Britain "a sovereign and independent country" that received the loudest cheers from her audience.Some members of her Conservative Party said that what May has billed as the 'Great Repeal Act' was little more than a technicality, but many others said it was the first step for Britain to reclaim power and dispense with some EU regulation."I'm rather looking forward to being a sovereign parliament again ... to dealing with EU legislation and removing unnecessary laws and streamlining it," said Bridgen.Describing himself as an "ardent Brexiteer", Bridgen said by repealing the act, Britain could help businesses by dispensing with EU regulation "which puts them at a disadvantage". (Additional reporting by William James and Kylie MacLellan, Andreas Rinke and Noah Barkin in Berlin,; Editing by Catherine Evans)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Philip Pullella and Nailia Bagirova

| BAKU

BAKU Pope Francis visited a mosque in overwhelmingly Muslim Azerbaijan on Sunday and told leaders of all faiths that God should never be used to justify fundamentalism."From this highly symbolic place, a heartfelt cry rises up once again: no more violence in the name of God! May his most holy name be adored, not profaned or bartered as a commodity through forms of hatred and human opposition," he said."God cannot be used for personal interests and selfish ends; he cannot be used to justify any form of fundamentalism,imperialism or colonialism," the pope said in an address to Muslims, Christians, Jews and members of other faiths at the mosque, named after Azerbaijan's late president Heydar Aliyev.Francis has made similar appeals before and also has visited mosques on his world travels. But his visit to Azerbaijan, whose population of about 9 million people are mostly Shi'ite Muslims, was the first time he had made such an appeal from inside the main prayer hall of a mosque in the presence of representatives of other religions.The pontiff's first stop after he arrived in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, on Sunday morning was a modern church where he said a Mass for the miniscule Catholic community.

The oil and gas-rich nation bordering on Russia, Iran and Turkey, has only about 700 Catholics. Many are foreigners, including staff from embassies and domestic workers and some in the oil and gas industries.In fact, Sunday's Mass, which was said mostly in English, had more of the feeling of a worship service in a multi-ethnic, well-to-do American suburb than a liturgy on the Caspian sea."You are a little flock that is so precious in God's eyes," he told the congregation in the homily of the Mass in the modern church, which opened in 2007 and was built on the site of one demolished under Soviet rule in 1931.

"FAITH IN ADVERSITY"

"Courage. Go ahead without fear", said Francis, who arrived in Baku from neighbouring Georgia and returns to Rome on Sunday night."Here the faith, after the years of persecution, has accomplished wonders. I wish to recall the many courageous Christians who trusted in the Lord and were faithful in the face of adversity," he said.

Before attending the inter-religious service in the mosque, Francis addressed President Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father as president in 2003.In his own speech, Aliyev brought up Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region within Azerbaijan's borders, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians who reject Azerbaijan's rule. With support from Armenia they fought a war in the early 1990s to establish de-facto control over the territory."Our territory remains under occupation," Aliyev told the pope.In a reference to the many people displaced by the fighting, Francis expressed his "heartfelt closeness to those who have had to leave their land." (Additional reporting by Margarita Andtidze in Tbilisi; Editing by Christian Lowe)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Dhaka: Terming Pakistan a "defeated force", Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said Islamabad's protests over recent execution of a 1971 war crimes convict prompted Bangladesh to pull out of the Saarc Summit.

"Pakistan is a defeated force. We defeated them in our Liberation War (in 1971), as a defeated force they can tell many things which matters little to us... Pakistan's view is nothing but the aspersion of a defeated party, which people of Bangladesh should consider in that manner," she said.

Pakistan's protests over recent executions of a 1971 war crimes' convict prompted Bangladesh to take the decision not to join the 19th Saarc summit to be held in Islamabad, Hasina said at a press meet here, a day after returning from New York where she attended the UN General Assembly.

"The diplomatic ties will be there... we will face them (Pakistan) diplomatically," the Prime Minister said.

She asked Bangladeshis to think about the relationship of n"cohorts and patrons" of perpetrators of 1971 war crimes against humanity who carried out genocides siding with Pakistani troops during the Liberation war, in an oblique reference to main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

"BNP's founder General Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated them (war criminals) after 1975... She (Zia) rewarded the (now executed) war criminals making them ministers in her cabinet.

"Before severing diplomatic relation with Pakistan, people of Bangladesh should consider cutting off links with their local cohorts and boycott them in the social and political arena," Hasina said.

Asked what is her government's stand on the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Hasina said the situation "concerns us".

"We do not want any tension, war-like situation... in that case we will also be affected and our development of the region will be disrupted. What we sincerely expect is the two countries will settle their issues through dialogue bilaterally," she said.

Ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan witnessed strain after Dhaka initiated the trial of Bangladeshi perpetrators of 1971 war crimes in 2010 in line with Hasina's electoral pledges, with Islamabad repeatedly condemning the trials.

In the latest such incident, Pakistan reacted to execution of a business tycoon and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali last month saying "the act of suppressing the opposition, through 'flawed trials', is completely against the spirit of democracy", angering Dhaka.

Bangladesh so far carried out judicial execution of six condemned war criminals, five being leaders of Jamaat which was opposed to the 1971 independence.

The 19th Saarc Summit was postponed after the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit which was scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad.
Kathmandu: Regretting that the regional environment is "not conducive" to host the next SAARC Summit, current Chair of the grouping Nepal on said member states must ensure their territories are not used for cross-border terrorism.

An official from the Nepali Foreign Ministry said Kathmandu will reach out to all Saarc members to reschedule the summit which was slated to be held on November 9-10, the Kathmandu Post reported.

"As the chair of Saarc, Nepal has to ensure that the summit takes place at the earliest," said Rishi Raj Adhikari, Foreign Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda".

"We will discuss both the venue and dates with other member countries."

Adhikari's remarks come after India on Tuesday pulled out of the summit, saying that "increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of member states 'by one country' have created an environment that is not conducive to the successful holding of the 19th Saarc Summit in Islamabad".

New Delhi's decision was backed by Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan, who too on Wednesday expressed their inability to attend the conference.

Sri Lanka on Friday became the fifth country in the eight-member regional grouping to pull out of the summit, prompting Pakistan to postpone the summit.

Nepali Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who returned from the US after taking part in the UN General Assembly on Saturday, told the media that consultations would be held with member states "to ensure that the summit takes place".

"A decision regarding the summit will be taken after holding consultations with all member countries. Dates should be finalised after assurance of participation from all countries," said Mahat.

He called on all the member countries to be sensitive about the importance of the forum for the development of the region.

It was not clear whether Nepal will send envoy(s) to all member states or convene a meeting of officials to zero in on the dates and venue for the summit, which as of now seems to be in a state of limbo.

This is, however, not the first time Saarc has faced such precarious situation.

In 2002, following tensions between India and Pakistan, Nepal had sent a special envoy to New Delhi and Islamabad to water down the situation. The summit was later held.

New Delhi's decision to pull out of the summit came in the wake of the September 18 terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri town of Jammu and Kashmir, which left 19 soldiers dead.

Meanwhile, Nepali officials maintained that they will try to reach unanimous consensus on rescheduling the summit in Islamabad or any other venue.

"The foreign minister has just arrived; we will decide in next few days how we should proceed from here," said Adhikari.

All decisions of the Saarc are decided by consensus.
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Investors who simply look at the broader markets will probably assume that there aren't a whole lot of great buys out there today, because we're either at or approaching all-time highs for the various indexes. If you dig deeper, though, you will find that there are still some decent-looking individual stocks to buy that are trading at decent valuations. Even better, some of those stocks are strong dividend payers.

So we asked three of our contributors to highlight a dividend stock they think is a good buy this October. Here's what they had to say.

A generic dividend stock is sometimes exactly what the doctor ordered

Sean Williams: Dividend stocks are the foundation upon which great retirement portfolios are built. If you're looking to nab a great dividend stock in October, my suggestion would be to consider drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA 2.53%).

Teva Pharmaceutical has a hybrid business strategy that features the production of generic drugs as well as branded therapies. Teva's biggest concern in recent years has been what happens once multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone comes off patent. At one point, Copaxone accounted for more than 20% of Teva's annual sales, so the introduction of generics was viewed as a big worry.

However, a number of key things have gone Teva's way. Through some legal wrangling, Teva was able to halt the introduction of generic Copaxone long enough to introduce an extended-release formulation of the drug and migrate a good chunk of its longtime customers to the new extended-release version. This meant that generics wouldn't eat into nearly as much of Copaxone's sales as Wall Street had initially expected.

Even more transformative for Teva is its $40.5 billion cash and stock acquisition of Actavis from Allergan to become the largest generic drug producer in the world. The deal broadens Teva's generic drug portfolio and sets the combined entity up for $1.4 billion in cost savings by the end of 2019. More important, Teva anticipates 14% adjusted earnings accretion in 2017 and 19% adjusted earnings-per-share growth in 2019. IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics recently forecast that generic prescriptions in the U.S. could increase from 88% of all scripts written to 91%-92% by the end of the decade, which should set up Teva for success.

Currently valued at just 8.5 times Wall Street's fiscal 2017 profit forecast and paying out a healthy 2.6% yield, Teva appears to be a company dividend investors can trust in October.

A nice dividend -- and a growth story, too

John Rosevear: What if I told you that there's a century-old industrial giant that's run by sharp, shareholder-friendly managers, is poised for significant high-tech growth, pays a rock-solid 4.6% dividend, and trades at just four times its trailing-12-month earnings?

What if I told you that it's General Motors (GM 1.81%)?

Yeah, I know. It's hard to think of dumb old GM as a promising investment in 2016. But bear with me on this. It's a good story.

There seem to be three reasons that investors overlook GM: concerns about high-tech "disruption" of the auto business; worries that the U.S. new-car market has peaked; or just because when they think of GM at all, they think of a money-losing builder of junky cars.

I hear all of those concerns. But they're all misplaced when it comes to today's GM.

First, GM might already be outdisrupting the much-hyped Silicon Valley innovators. The new Chevrolet Bolt electric car has 238 miles of range and a starting price of just under $30,000 after federal incentives -- and it's a real product that will start shipping in just a few weeks.

Not only that, but there are self-driving Bolts testing on city streets in San Francisco, and Lyft plans to put them into service, ferrying paying passengers in a pilot program, within months. (Did you know that GM owns 9% of Lyft?)

Second, it's true that the new-car market is cyclical, and the U.S. market is probably at its cyclical peak. In the old days, that meant GM's profits would swing to losses as sales declined. But that's not a worry this time: This GM has a much-improved cost structure and will stay in the black at anything above a 2009-style sales trough. It has a $20 billion cash hoard to keep things going if profits slip in a downturn, and it plans to keep paying that dividend through the cycle.

Third, the days of junky GM products are long gone. This GM ranks near the top of J.D. Power's initial quality and vehicle dependability studies -- ahead of some of the vaunted Asian and German brands.

The days of big losses are gone, too. GM is a rock-solid company with a great management team. It's already posting strong profits, but CEO Mary Barra and her team have a comprehensive plan to boost GM's profits and margins even further over the next several years.

The caveat here is that you might have to wait a while before GM's stock price catches up to its story. But if you collect and reinvest that fat dividend in the meantime, you might be very happy with how things turn out.

In the running for Dividend Aristocrat status

Tyler Crowe: Ever since its initial public offering in 1998, pipeline and logistics company Enterprise Products Partners (EPD 0.67%) has raised its dividend every year. In fact, for more than 12 years the company has raised its payout to shareholders every quarter. Even though the company has strung together a long streak of dividend raises through both the Great Recession and this recent downturn in the oil and gas market, shares of Enterprise are still down more than 30% since the oil and gas market started to crash in mid-2014. For all the talk about investors starved for yield, Enterprise's stock carries a 6% yield and a history and a future that should be able to maintain and grow that payout for several years to come.

Most of the attention given to Enterprise is about its stability as an investment: The contracts it has with its customers ensure steady cash flow and a healthy balance sheet. What doesn't get as much attention, though, is the company's growth potential over the next several years. Granted, there are companies in the oil and gas pipeline industry that tout a multibillion-dollar backlog of projects to be completed over the next decade or so, but Enterprise's growth plans are nothing to shake a stick at. The company currently has $5.6 billion in assets under construction and has already put $1.9 billion into operation in 2016. Enterprise doesn't advertise its backlog like others, but chances are, the company has plenty of other irons in the fire to keep its dividend streak alive for some time. With shares still suffering from an oil price hangover, buying Enterprise stock this month looks like a good deal.
The Australian led home Max Verstappen for a Red Bull one-two, and in the process claim a first victory since Spa 2014 - two months before Bianchi's accident at Suzuka later that year, which Ricciardo admitted had been hard to move on from.

"It's been just over two years since my last victory, and it feels like a long two years - a lot has happened," he said.

"It was definitely a life-changing moment, the loss of Jules, a competitor and a friend. That was hard to take. I would have loved to have won sooner, and dedicated this a bit sooner.

"Since that day it definitely changes [you] as a person, for the better. I've become more appreciative of the things I have and the position I am in. Today I won a Formula 1 race. It's another dream come true - so this one is definitely for him."

Ricciardo also paid tribute to Verstappen, with whom he enjoyed a dramatic on-track duel. Both men embraced in parc ferme, and Ricciardo suggested their hard-but-fair duel had only increased their respect for one another.

"It was fair and clean with Max, it was fun," he said. "That was the best part, I think we both enjoyed it.

"I saw we had an opportunity, and I was very determined not to let it go. I'm sure he would love to be in this position, but he's also honest and fair and I think today we can both hold our heads high.

"We've gained a lot of respect for each other. I think the team is happy with what we've done, it's a super awesome day - very emotional, but a great feeling."
The former CEO of an international pharmaceutical company was indicted Friday in a more than $100 million fraud scheme that authorities say led to the collapse of one of Puerto Rico's largest banks.

The U.S. Justice Department said Jack Kachkar faces eight counts of wire fraud from his time as chairman and CEO of Inyx Inc. from 2005 to 2007.

He is accused of using fake customer invoices as collateral to obtain loans from Westernbank and allegedly lied about imminent repayments. Officials said the bank had provided the loans and lines of credit in exchange for a security interest in the company's assets, as well as its subsidiaries.

Authorities said Kachkar then misappropriated $25 million and used a portion of that money to buy a jet, expensive cars and high-end property in Miami. They said he also appropriated another $9.6 million in fraudulent revenue to a bank account in his associate's name

An attorney for Kachkar did not return a message for comment.

Officials closed Westernbank Puerto Rico in April 2010. At the time, it had roughly $12 billion in total assets and nearly $9 billion in total deposits. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico took over the bank.
Image source: Getty Images.

Don't look now, but the November elections are just over five weeks away. In addition to choosing the 45th president of the United States, voters in nine states will decide the fate of marijuana, which has become a front-and-center issue this year.

The expansion of the marijuana industry is impressive in two respects. First, its growth rate is practically unmatched. According to cannabis research firm ArcView, legal marijuana sales could grow at a 30% annual clip between now and 2020, all on account of organic sales growth and legalization by more individual states.

Secondly, public opinion concerning cannabis has shifted dramatically. Two decades ago, when California became the first state to allow physicians to prescribe medical marijuana for a small list of ailments, a national Gallup poll pegged support for the drug at a mere 25%. In Gallup's latest poll, support for the nationwide legalization of marijuana tied for an all-time high at 58%. A CBS News poll found even stronger support for medical marijuana, with 84% of respondents in favor of its legalization.

By the end of the 2016 elections we could see five new states joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska by legalizing recreational marijuana, and four more states could join the 25 that have legalized medical cannabis.

These states are the most likely to be seeing green in November

However, as we saw last week, not all of those nine states are locks for approval. In fact, a couple could wind up rejecting the legalization of marijuana.At the other end of the spectrum are a handful of states that look certain to vote "yes" on marijuana.

Though nothing is set in stone, recent polling suggests the following states are most likely to legalize marijuana on Nov. 8.

Image source: Pixabay.

California

The state of California is the promised land of the marijuana industry, as it represents the eighth-largest economy in the world as of 2014. Though medical cannabis has been legal for two decades, this November voters will be deciding whether recreational marijuana gets the O.K.

Known as Prop 64, the recreational marijuana initiative would establish a 15% sales tax at the retail level and a $9.25 per-ounce cultivation tax paid for by wholesalers. Additionally, it would allow households to grow up to six plants, allow the gifting of up to a quarter-ounce of cannabis (as long as it's to a fellow adult aged 21 or older), and establish marijuana cafes that would allow for the consumption of cannabis outside of a person's private residence.

What's most notable about Prop 64 is that it could lead to $1 billion in annual tax revenue generation. For context, Colorado has led the charge in legal marijuana sales, and it only mustered $135 million in tax revenue and fee collection in 2015. Richard Miadich, one of the authors of Prop 64, pointed out in August that about $200 million annually would go to law enforcement. Miadich also implied that cost savings of $10 million a year would be realized from the legalization of cannabis thanks to a decline in police enforcement and legal action.

Recent polls suggest that Californians strongly favor the idea of legalizing recreational cannabis. In a recent Field Poll/Institute for Government Studies survey, 60% of respondents voiced support for Prop 64, while just 31% opposed the law. Some 9% of respondents remained undecided. Another poll released last week from the Public Policy Institute generated almost identical results, with 60% in favor of Prop 64, 36% opposed, and 4% undecided.

Long story short, marijuana supporters are probably looking at a major victory in California come November.

Image source: Getty Images.

Maine

For our next state we'll fly from the arid Southwest to the temperate Northeast. The Marijuana Legalization Act in Maine, more commonly known as Question 1, seeks to allow adults aged 21 and over to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. Taxation of recreational cannabis would be handled at the retail level and would total 10%.

Of the nine states vying to legalize marijuana in November, Maine was among the first three to ensure that an initiative was on its ballot. If the Act is approved, the first $30 million in tax revenue generated from marijuana sales would go toward school construction, with any amount above and beyond $30 million going to the state's General Fund.

Maine's legalized medical marijuana in 1999, so the foundation has been laid for a possible expansion into recreational marijuana. Recent polls suggest that there's a good chance Maine will join Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska in the legal-recreation category. In a poll released in May by the Marijuana Policy Project, 55% of respondents favored the legalization of recreational marijuana, while just 41% who opposed the idea.In another May survey, the Maine People's Resource Center found that 53.8% of respondents favored legalization.

While Mainers might not be as overwhelmingly in favor of legalization as Californians, there's enough of a gap between supporters and the opposition to suggest that Question 1 will likely pass on Nov. 8.

Image source: Pixabay.

Florida

To stick with our theme of corner states, Florida also looks primed to pass Amendment 2 this November.

While California and Maine will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana, Florida voters will be deciding whether or not to legalize medical marijuana. While a Florida law already allows a select few Floridians to use low-THC cannabis oils, Amendment 2 would substantially expand the qualifying medical conditions and the allowable uses of cannabis.

Florida's vote is worth watching for a number of reasons. To start with, Amendment 2 requires Florida to change its constitution, so a simple 50% majority vote won't cut it. In order for Amendment 2 to succeed, it'll need to garner 60% support. In 2014, Florida's medical marijuana initiative failed by just over 2%.

What also makes this vote interesting is that Florida has a relatively older population, as retirees love Florida's warm climate. Older Americans typically have a more negative view of cannabis, meaning a victory in Florida this November would represent a key win for the industry.

While polling data has been all over the place, the results nonetheless suggest that Florida is on track to approve Amendment 2. According to FloridaPolitics.com, of the eight polls conducted since January 2015, all eight have produced support numbers that have topped 60%. That's pretty decisive, and it suggests that Florida is well on its way to becoming the 26th state to legalize medical cannabis.

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Mike Pence lags well behind Donald Trump when it comes to his personal wealth. Image source: DonaldJTrump.com.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence has been a full-time elected official since being elected to Congress in 2000.That stretch of public service has kept the Republican nominee for vice president well behind his running mate Donald Trump when it comes to wealth.

Pence, unlike Trump, has never been a businessman of any note. And while he does have a law degree from Indiana University School of Law, where he graduated in 1986, the politician actually spent most of the 1990s as a conservative talk show and radio host, according to Biography.com.

From those early days, Pence has been a success, but he has not amassed a fortune anywhere near his running mate's, nor does he have the hard-to-explain wealth many of his colleagues manage to amass while in office.Instead, Pence's financial disclosure, filed with the Federal Election Commission, shows a man who makes a comfortable salary with good retirement benefits.

Where does Pence's money come from?

While exactly how many billions Trump may or may not have has been a source of dispute, Pence's net worth sits almost entirely in the value of his pension. The governor declares he has a pension from the state of Indiana worth between $500,000 and $1 million. He also declares two other smaller retirement/deferred compensation plans worth between $1,000 and $15,000.

Aside from that, Pence declares a bank account with less than $15,000 in it, as well as two 529 education savings accounts for his children, also worth less than $15,000 each. In addition the Republican nominee for vice president also shows seven student loans (for his children) taken out between 2013 and 2015 and ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 each.

Pence lists his job as governor of Indiana on the form, and lists his year-to-date income, as of Aug. 16, as $173,860. Pence's wife Karen declares two businesses on the disclosure -- "self-employed artist" and "That's My Towel Charm, Inc."; neither generated income of more than $1,001 for the former art teacher.

"Our family has been honored to serve our state and nation. Like many American families, we have been fortunate and blessed to raise three wonderful children and put them through college while doing work that we love," Pence said in a statement released with the form and reported by Politico.

How much is Mike Pence worth?

Pence does not list any homes on his financial disclosure, but he may not currently own one, given that he resides in the Indiana governor's mansion. Essentially Pence's only major asset is his retirement savings, while he has significant student-loan debt.

It's fair to say that even on the high end, Pence has less than one million in assets, and likely less than $500,000 when you factor in his liabilities. That's actually a refreshing number, as it makes the candidate a bit more like the majority of Americans.

He may have a higher-paying job than most, but Pence lives mostly off the money he makes, and he has very little cushion should he find himself out of a job. Of course, governors are not simply laid off or let go -- and win or lose, he should be in line for a book deal and big speaking fees down the line -- but unlike so many of his political colleagues, Pence is not a rich man.

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Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would trigger the process to leave the EU by the end of March, offering the first glimpse of a timetable for a divorce that will redefine Britain's ties with it biggest trading partner.

Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union in June propelled May to power and the former interior minister has since been under pressure to offer more details on her plan for Britain's departure, beyond her often-repeated catchphrase that "Brexit means Brexit".

In a move to ease fears among her ruling Conservatives that she may delay the divorce, May will tell the party's annual conference in Birmingham, central England, that she is determined to move on with the process and win the "right deal".

Using Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty will give Britain a two-year period to clinch one of the most complex deals in Europe since World War Two.

"We will trigger before the end of March next year," May told the BBC's Andrew Marr show.

"Now that they know what our timing is going to be ... (I hope) that we'll be able to have some preparatory work so that once the trigger comes we have a smoother process of negotiation."

Britain's decision to leave the EU on June 23 sparked turmoil in financial markets as investors tried to gauge its impact on both the world's fifth largest economy and the bloc.

The country's allies fear that its exit from the EU could mark a turning point in post-Cold War international affairs that will weaken the West in relation to China and Russia, undermine efforts toward European integration and hurt global free trade.

Sterling plunged to a 31-year low after the vote and is now trading around 40 U.S. cents -- or 25 percent -- lower than the six-year highs it reached in mid-2014.

'GREAT REPEAL ACT'

For some businesses, May's reluctance to offer what she describes as a "running commentary" on her strategy, has deepened fears that they could end up paying higher costs if operating from Britain.

May said there was "a difference between not giving any commentary and giving a running commentary".

"What I am doing today is setting out some further detail on the timing and the way we are going to approach this whole question," May said.

May was expected to say she would trigger the divorce procedure early next year - a move the leader hopes will show voters that she is determined to deliver Brexit despite having campaigned, albeit quietly, for Britain to remain in the bloc.

For many of her lawmakers, the announcement hit the mark.

"The timing is just right," Conservative lawmaker Andrew Bridgen told Reuters, saying that voters had understood that the new prime minister had needed some time to prepare her position.

Others said they feared that triggering Article 50 so early could put pressure on Britain as elections in France and Germany in 2017 could change London's partners in the middle of talks.

Saying she did not want to give away her stance, May offered little insight into the question of where she would set the gauge in the struggle to balance controlling migration with winning tariff-free access to the EU's single market.

She said her government must respond to the demands of voters, many of whom fear that hospitals and schools are being stretched by high levels of migration from the European Union, but also had to listen to business.

"I want the right deal for trade in goods and services and what we are doing at the moment ... is listening to businesses here in the UK, listening to different sectors, finding out what it is that is most important to them," she said.

And she appealed to the EU, which has said "there will be no negotiations without notification", to open talks to smooth the way for Britain's exit.

"It's not just important for the UK, it's important for Europe as a whole that we are able to do this in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses ... and when we leave the EU we have a smooth transition away from the EU," May said.

But while trying to keep EU partners on board, her move to repeal next year the 1972 European Communities Act, which took Britain into what is now the EU, and make Britain "a sovereign and independent country" was aimed directly at her party.

Some members of her Conservative Party said that what May has billed as the 'Great Repeal Act' was little more than a technicality, but others said it was the first step for Britain to reclaim power and dispense with some EU regulation.

"I'm rather looking forward to being a sovereign parliament again ... to dealing with EU legislation and removing unnecessary laws and streamlining it," said Bridgen

Describing himself as an "ardent Brexiteer", Bridgen said by repealing the act, Britain could help businesses by dispensing with EU regulation "which puts them at a disadvantage".

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, William James and Kylie MacLellan,; editing by Guy Faulconbridge/Keith Weir)
Deutsche Bank is throwing its energies into reaching a settlement before next month's presidential election with U.S. authorities demanding a fine of up to $14 billion for mis-selling mortgage-backed securities.

The threat of such a large fine has pushed Deutsche shares to record lows, and a cut-price settlement is urgently needed to reverse the trend and help to restore confidence in Germany's largest lender.

Its shares won't trade in Germany on Monday because of a public holiday, but they will resume trading on the U.S. market later on Monday.

A media report late on Friday that Deutsche and the U.S. Department of Justice were close to agreeing on a settlement of $5.4 billion lifted the stock 6 percent higher, but that report has not been confirmed.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the bank's talks with the DOJ were continuing. Details are in flux, with no deal yet presented to senior decision makers for approval on either side, the paper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

"Clearly, so long as a fine of this order of magnitude ($14 billion) is an even remote possibility, markets worry," UniCredit Chief Economist Erik F. Nielsen wrote in a note on Sunday.

Ratings agency Moody's said it would be positive for bondholders if the lender could settle for around $3.1 billion, while a fine as high as $5.7 billion would dent 2016 profitability but not significantly impair the bank's capital position.

POTENTIAL RISK

Deutsche is much smaller than Wall Street rivals such as JPMorgan and Citigroup .

But it has significant trading relationships with all of the world's largest finance houses and the International Monetary Fund this year identified it as a bigger potential risk to the wider financial system than any other global bank.

Deutsche Chief Executive John Cryan will be in Washington this week for the annual meeting of the IMF, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that other executives would join him to try to negotiate a settlement with the U.S. authorities.

Like fellow large European banks also under investigation for mis-selling mortgage-backed securities -- Credit Suisse and Barclays -- Deutsche will want to get a deal done with the current administration still in power.

A new administration to be installed after the Nov. 8 election will bring unknown risks and likely delays.

Domestically, Deutsche Bank is fighting a rearguard action, seeking to shore up confidence among the public, politicians and regulators who say the bank brought many of its problems upon itself by overreaching itself and then reacting too slowly to the 2008 financial crisis.

It suffered a further blow to its image this weekend with a third IT outage in the space of a few months on Saturday, denying some customers access to their money for a short time.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT

German business leaders from companies including BASF , Daimler , E.ON , RWE and Siemens lined up to defend the bank in a front-page article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

"German industry needs a Deutsche Bank to accompany us out into the world," BASF Chairman Juergen Hambrecht said.

A spokesman for a blue-chip company that did not feature in the article told Reuters he had been asked by Deutsche for an executive to provide a similar supportive comment.

Deutsche Bank and the government in Berlin have had to play a delicate balancing act, emphasizing the substance and importance of the bank without implying any need for state aid or willingness to supply it.

The bank has a market capitalization of only about 15.9 billion euros ($17.9 billion) and would almost certainly have to raise fresh cash to pay the full DOJ demand.

Both the bank and Berlin this week denied reports that the government was preparing a rescue plan.

The Bild am Sonntag newspaper wrote on Sunday that Deutsche's chairman had informed Berlin just before it disclosed the potential $14 billion fine but had not asked for help.

The same newspaper quoted the president of the Bavarian Finance Centre, Wolfgang Gerke, as saying that the German government should step in and buy a 20 percent stake in the bank before its value fell any further. The group represents financial services companies in the southern German state.

"Fundamentally, I'm against state interventions," he told the newspaper, but added that in this case a government stake would be "a signal that could turn the whole market".

(Additional reporting by Harro ten Wolde and Michael Shields; Editing by Keith Weir, Lisa Von Ahn and David Goodman)
Between choosing a doctor, scheduling prenatal appointments and shopping for gear, theres a ton to do before you give birth. Although your list might seem endless, experts agree there are some things you should make certain to do because they will make your pregnancy and your babys birth a happy and sane experience.

1. Breathe.

It can seem that with each new trimester, new worries surface about your pregnancy and the future and often keep you up at night. In fact, 76 percent of pregnant women reported poor sleep quality while 38 percent said they didnt get enough sleep, a study in the journal Sleep Medicine found.

Fifty percent of sleep difficulties are likely due to physical discomfort and the other half are due to what Alice Domar, Ph.D. calls the midnight amp.

You fall asleep because youre exhausted and then you wake up and all the stuff that is making you anxious is magnified at night, Domar, the executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Boston, Mass. and author of, Finding Calm for the Expectant Mom: Tools for Reducing Stress, Anxiety, and Mood Swings During Your Pregnancy, said.

One of the best ways to deal with worry are mini relaxations: deep, diaphragmatic breathing combined with visualization of something that brings you happiness.

No matter where you, no matter what the situation, you can do a mini and it will calm you down, Domar said.

2. Take a childbirth class.

Between The Bradley Method, Hynobirthing, Lamaze, and the Alexander Technique, the options for childbirth classes are endless. Although which one you choose is a personal preference, its a good idea to take some sort of a childbirth class so youll understand what to expect during labor and what to do if something doesnt go according to plan.

3. Write a flexible birth plan.

Although your provider will encourage you to write a birth plan, realize that you also need to be flexible because birth is unpredictable, said Dr. Alyssa Dweck, a board-certified OB/GYN in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. and assistant clinical professor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

4. Think about postpartum depression.

If you have a history of depression or anxiety or a previous episode of postpartum depression or anxiety, you are at an increased risk. Although you cant prevent it, its a good idea to know what the symptoms are and have a plan in place to help you through it. You might want to have the name of a therapist as well as a plan for how you will fit in stress reduction techniques and where you can turn for support.

Having a safe place to express [these feelings] is one of the best ways to prepare yourself as a new mom, said Dr. Deena Blanchard, a board-certified pediatrician at Premier Pediatrics in New York City.

5. Choose a pediatrician.

Its a good idea to choose a pediatrician before you give birth and set up a short meeting with the provider to make sure she and the practice are a good fit for your family. Be sure to ask about their hours, how after-hours calls are handled and their philosophy on issues such as vaccines, antibiotics and sleep. You want to have a rapport with the pediatrician and feel that she listens to you, cares about your concerns and wont rush you.

6. Make a choice about circumcision.

The decision to circumcise is a personal one and if youre on the fence about it, do your research beforehand. Although circumcision rates are on the decline, the benefits outweigh the risks, according to a study in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. If you do decide to circumcise your son, its a good idea to do it while youre in the hospital because the procedure is more complicated later on, Blanchard said.

7. Get help with breastfeeding.

Although more than 81 percent of babies start out breastfeeding, over half continue until six months and almost 1/3 do until a year, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Although breastfeeding is natural, its not always easy.

My number one tip would be:Have realistic expectations as best you can for something youve never done before, Blanchard said.

Before you go into labor, take a breastfeeding class or find a lactation consultant who can help you after you give birth. Also, try to have a plan in place for when youll return to work and how your spouse will help, since studies show women who have support from their partners breastfeed longer.

If you encounter challenges, remember that no matter what you choose, any amount of breast milk that your baby gets is beneficial.

You dont have to be exclusively putting your child to the breast to be a breastfeeding mother, Blanchard said.

8. Buy and install the car seat.

Dont worry too much about the car seat you buy because any car seat thats sold in the U.S. has to meet a crash standard, said Kate Carr, CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide in Washington, D.C.

You do want your baby to be in a rear-facing car seat until age 2, however. There are rear-facing-only car seats, convertible car seats and 3-in-1 car seats that can be used rear and forward facing and later as a booster.

Installing the car seat can be complicated. In fact, 59 percent of car seats are not installed correctly, according to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

If you can move it more than an inch, its not installed correctly, Carr said.

Read the directions, call the manufacturers help line or find a car seat technician at safekids.org who can make sure the car seat has been installed correctly.

9. Get ready.

You want to make sure that you have everything squared away ahead of time, especially if you go into labor early. Cook and freeze some meals, pack your bag of essentials and pre-register at the hospital.

10. Gather your village.

Whether youre excited to become a mother or nervous about what it will be like, its a good idea to have a support system in place before you give birth.

Be realistic about who is likely to help you and how much time they can give. If you dont have family or friends nearby who can help, consider hiring a baby nurse, a postpartum doula or joining a new moms group to combat isolation and get support.

11. Dont eat a big meal.

Think your labor will start soon?

This is not the time to sit down to a big Italian dinner, Dweck said.

Since you could vomit while in labor, its a good idea to have small snacks instead and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Whats more, some hospitals may not allow you to eat once youre there so its a good idea to give your body the energy it needs for labor while you can.



12. Take a babymoon.

Its natural to focus your entire pregnancy on your health and your babys health but you also need to focus on the health of your relationship with your partner.

Before your baby arrives, consider going on an overnight trip or a short getaway.

Taking a babymoon is a chance to be with each other and to talk about your relationship and work on communication strategies because having a baby is one of the biggest stressors to hit a relationship, Domar said.
Actress Marisa Tomei is one of among an estimated 5 million Americans who suffers from chronic dry eye (CDE), a condition that can cause symptoms such as itchiness, stinging, difficulty making tears and blurred vision. To raise awareness about CDE and help other people find relief, the My Cousin Vinny and The Wrestler star has teamed up with pharmaceutical company Allergan and Guide Dogs for the Blind, an organization that trains dogs and pairs them with visually impaired individuals.

After toting around eye drops, Tomei said she has found a solution with Allergans prescription drug RESTASIS, which works by increasing the eyes natural ability to produce tears. CDE causes inflammation that can prevent tear production, according to Allergan.

Sometimes, individuals with CDE have trouble opening their eyes, but Tomei said she went to the doctor and reported mild but incessant itchiness and dryness, and was diagnosed with CDE.

She turned to RESTASIS because she didnt want to keep worrying about constantly using eye drops.

It was as simple as going to the doctor, getting a prescription and trying RESTASIS, Tomei, 51, who stars in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, told FoxNews.com.

She decided to partner with Allergan not only because she found the prescription improved her quality of life but also because of the companys relationship with Guide Dogs for the Blind. On Restasis.com, you can take the brands dry eye quiz for every quiz taken, Allergan has agreed to donate $1 to the organization. When you visit the website, youll see a pop-up window with a portal to take the quiz.

Tomei, a self-proclaimed animal lover, expressed that the effort is close to her heart.

A whole world of freedom opens up [for these individuals] because you can move about a city like this (New York City) or anywhere much more easily, and the dogs can become your eyes, she said.

The quiz on Restasis.com can help individuals learn whether theyre a candidate for the drug. If you think you may be suffering from CDE, Tomei advised visiting your doctor to receive a diagnosis.

To learn more, visit Restasis.com.
Talk of non-interventionism from the Venezuelan regime belies an eagerness to expand influence beyond their borders. For many years, they have had their eyes on Colombia; now the so-called Peace Agreement will open the door for 21st-century socialism, perhaps irreversibly.

The lengthy negotiation with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) proceeded under the protection of communist Cuba in Havana, after five decades of conflict with the brutal terrorists. Now the 297-page agreement is up for approval on Sunday. It needs a majority of votes and support from 13 percent of the electorate.

On both counts, passage looks probable. Half of constituents plan to vote, and the "yes" side has the edge in support. Many on the "no" side will abstain and discourage participation, since they deem the referendum unconstitutional.

Almost no one will read the agreement before voting, and the devil is in the details. Adamant support from Bolivarian Alliance neighbors, however, indicates what lies beneath the surface. This bloc, the brainchild of Hugo Chavez, opposes US influence in the Americas and advocates 21st-century socialism. Presidents Rafael Correa and Nicolas Maduro continue Chavez's ambition in Ecuador and Venezuela.

These regimes have some of the most suffocated economies in world and a flagrant disregard for human rights such as free speech. Venezuela came in 159th and last in the latest Fraser Institute freedom ranking, and Ecuador is not much better at 142nd.

Venezuela is now more violent and dangerous than Colombia, with regime-backed militias such as the Tupamaro. Last week a gang took over the Caracas University Hospital, and over 100 Caracas policemen have been murdered in 2016.

The Marxist FARC are overt Chavistas and have a strong presence in Venezuela  with mutual affection expressed by both Chavez and Maduro  so they have negotiated in that direction. The agreement has 161 mandates, with 114 solely on the government.

Beyond impunity, the terms create the institutional and political gateway for a new member of this Bolivarian Alliance. Colombia would ignite the Chavista dream of a socialist Gran Colombia, a short-lived 19th-century republic under Simon Bolivar.

The agreement sets up a Reconciliation Council, local councils, long-term agrarian reform, and 10 guaranteed seats for the FARC through 2022: five in both the Senate and the House. In other words, new socialist bureaucracies and guaranteed political power.

The FARC have largely boycotted past elections, but would be a force to be reckoned with. In part, they have already succeeded, since President Juan Manuel Santos's coalition included sympathizers whose priority was the agreement. They would be able to draw on drug-cartel funds, activist networks, violence and intimidation, and state propaganda from the Chavista TeleSUR. All TeleSUR presidents have been Colombian since the 2005 founding, with an eye on influence there.

The agreement prohibits drug trafficking, but some FARC fronts will likely ignore this. The like-minded guerrilla Popular Liberation Army is also ready to move into vacated territory and sustain the profits.

Further, many politicians support the FARC goal of 21st-century socialism. That includes Gustavo Petro Urrego, a former Bogota mayor, guerrilla, and now presidential aspirant with an approval rating of 40 percent.

To make matters worse, the deal comes when Colombians are vulnerable and desperate. As Colombian Senator Ivan Duque Marquez has noted, "[Colombia] has the perfect conditions forChavista rhetoric: economic crisis and corruption."

Like other Latin American countries, Colombia already has socialist leanings. At 116th on the Fraser Institute ranking, she only needs a nudge to line up with her authoritarian neighbors.

This downward spiral would be hastened by the cost of the agreement's implementation, which necessitates national debt and new taxes. Negotiation was in the tens of millions of dollars, but that is pennies compared to what is in store, up to $187 billion in the first 10 years. One reason is the bribe for FARC members: $700 up front and $217 per month for two years for 10,000-17,500 people.

Gushing international praise from the likes of President Barack Obama is naivete and wishful thinking. There are reasons why former President Alvaro Uribe Velez (2002-2010) rejected any concessions. He understood that there was no common ground, and that the FARC would renege on any agreement.

Colombia yearns for peace, but she need not capitulate before Latin America's most bloodthirsty guerrillas. Voters can still reject this agreement and pursue a just and lasting solution.
One of several women who have accused former President Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct is speaking out, saying Hillary Clinton shouldn't be exempt from criticism over her handling of the affairs that nearly ended her husband's presidency in the 1990s.

Kathleen Willey -- a former volunteer White House aide who accused Bill Clinton of making aggressive, unwanted advances during a private meeting in 1993 -- said she holds Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, responsible for smearing her and the many other women who have come forward with stories about their treatment at the hands of her husband.

"This no longer about Bill Clinton's transgressions or his infidelities or girlfriends or sex ... it's not about that anymore," Willey told the Washington Examiner. "What it's about is the actions that his wife has taken against the women that he has raped and assaulted."

None of the allegations of sexual misconduct levied against Bill Clinton during his decades in the public eye have ever been proven definitively. The former president has denied the accusations, admitting only to consensual relations with Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers.

As Donald Trump clumsily navigated a controversy this week over 19-year-old comments he made to a former Miss Universe winner, a debate raged about whether similarly dated scandals with ties to his opponent  each of which involved the alleged mistreatment of women  were fair game on the campaign trail.

Republican strategists agreed that attacking Hillary Clinton for the exploits of her husband could easily backfire, and Democrats preemptively dismissed the tactic as unfair and potentially sexist.

But a few of Trump's allies have begun to lay the groundwork for an assault that focuses on Hillary Clinton's role in silencing her husband's self-professed lovers and alleged victims. They say Hillary Clinton's involvement in efforts to discredit and disparage women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual harassment, assault and even rape make the scandals relevant to the presidential race.

Willey said she has bristled at Hillary Clinton's attempts to convince voters of her commitment to protecting women.

"Hillary Clinton's been calling me a bimbo for 19 years, as well as Paula [Jones] and Juanita [Broaddrick] and Gennifer," Willey said. "She, you know, doesn't have any room to talk.

Broaddrick has accused Bill Clinton of raping her in 1978 during his campaign for governor of Arkansas. Because she initially filed an affidavit in the Jones suit denying the rape out of fear of retaliation, then recounted the rape to federal investigators in the Whitewater probe, many Clinton allies tried at the time to paint her as an unreliable witness.

Willey, too, was caught up in the explosive Jones case. Her encounter with Bill Clinton was exposed publicly when, in 1997, Matt Drudge published her name on his popular Drudge Report website.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a top Donald Trump adviser, on Sunday dismissed a news report that showed the Republican presidential nominee reported a $916 million loss on his 1995 federal tax return, saying that the report showed nothing outside the law, despite the big, splashy headline.

The New York Times reported Saturday on the tax return and stated the reported loss could mean Trump wont have to pay federal taxes for nearly 20 years, citing leaked copies of his tax records.

For gosh sakes, no apologies, Christie said on Fox News Sunday, reiterating that the story said only that the loss could allow him to not pay federal taxes in the following years.

This was actually a very, very good story for him, Christie continued. You dont know that he didnt pay taxes. Lets be precise about what [the story] said.

Christie argue the U.S. tax code is an absolute mess and that theres no one better [than Trump] to fix it.

He also argued that the tax return suggests how Trump, a first-time candidate and New York real estate mogul, was able to survive the sharp economic downturn of the mid-1990s and make the comeback that he has.

Trump responded Sunday to the news report, saying he knows the country's "complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president."

Trump made the comment on Twitter after the paper reported that his claimed losses were so large that they would have allowed him to avoid paying an equivalent amount of federal income tax over an 18-year period.

"I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them. #failing@nytimes," Trump tweeted.

Christie also suggested Trump's understanding of the tax code was business "genius."

Trump supporter and former New York Mayor Rubi Giuliani later described Trump on ABC's "This Week" as an "absolute genius" in how he used tax law to his advantage.

The Times report noted that tax experts have found no evidence of wrongdoing connected with Trump's 1995 returns, though the paper claimed that the large loss likely would have drawn the attention of the IRS.

The newspaper also reported that the documents were mailed to one of its reporters last month. The return address indicated that they had been sent from Trump Tower in New York City. The paper said it had confirmed the returns' accuracy with Trump's then-accountant.

The Trump campaign issued a statement late Saturday saying the documents had been "illegally obtained" and called The Times "an extension of the (Hillary) Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests."

"Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the statement went on. "That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions."

Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon tweeted late Saturday that the Times report was a "bombshell."

During last week's presidential debate, Clinton, the Democratic nominee, speculated that Trump's returns would show that he has paid little or no federal income taxes. She cited documents obtained by Politico that showed Trump didn't pay any federal income tax during at least two years in the early 1990s because he lost more money than he earned. Other documents show he also didn't pay any federal income taxes in 1978, 1979 and 1984.

Trump responded by saying, "That makes me smart," a comment he disavowed just minutes after the debate. Asked by reporters if he had admitted to not paying federal income taxes, Trump said, "I didn't say that at all."

Trump added during the debate that he would release his returns  over what he described as his attorney's objections  only after Clinton released roughly 30,000 emails she had deleted from her private server that she had deemed personal.

Since 1976, every major party presidential nominee has released tax returns. Clinton has publicly released nearly 40 years' worth, and Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has released 10 years of his tax returns. Democratic vice-presidential nominee Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine in August released his 2015 federal returns.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump responded Sunday to a news report that he declared a loss of nearly $916 million on his 1995 income tax returns, saying he knows the country's "complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president."

Trump made the comment on Twitter after The New York Times reported Saturday on the tax return, citing leaked copies of his tax records.

The paper reported that Trump's claimed losses were so large that they would have allowed him to avoid paying an equivalent amount of federal income tax over an 18-year period.

"I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them. #failing@nytimes," Trump tweeted.

The Times report noted that tax experts have found no evidence of wrongdoing connected with Trump's 1995 tax returns, though the paper claimed that the large loss likely would have drawn the attention of the IRS.

The newly reported documents are certain to become an issue in the presidential race. Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, has repeatedly called on him to release his returns. Trump has declined to do so, citing an IRS audit.

The Times reported that the documents were mailed to one of its reporters last month. The return address indicated that they had been sent from Trump Tower in New York City. The paper said it had confirmed the returns' accuracy with Trump's then-accountant.

"This is legit," Jack Mitnick, whose name appears as Trump's tax preparer of the filings, told the newspaper.

The Trump campaign issued a statement late Saturday saying the documents had been "illegally obtained" and called The Times "an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests."

"Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the statement went on. "That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions."

The statement also claimed that Trump "knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for President and he is the only one that knows how to fix it."

Separately, The Times reported that Trump attorney Marc Kasowitz had emailed the paper threatening "appropriate legal action." Kasowitz reportedly claimed that publishing the documents was illegal because Trump had not authorized the release of any of his returns.

Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said the Times report "reveals the colossal nature of Donald Trump's past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal income taxes whatsoever.

"He stiffed small businesses, laid off workers, and walked away from hardworking communities. And how did it work out for him? He apparently got to avoid paying taxes for nearly two decades -- while tens of millions of working families paid theirs."

Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon tweeted late Saturday that the Times report was a "bombshell."

During last week's presidential debate, Clinton speculated that Trump's returns would show that he has paid little or no federal income taxes. She cited documents obtained by Politico that showed Trump didn't pay any federal income tax during at least two years in the early 1990s because he lost more money than he earned. Other documents show he also didn't pay any federal income taxes in 1978, 1979 and 1984.

Trump responded by saying "That makes me smart," a comment he disavowed just minutes after the debate. Asked by reporters if he had admitted to not paying federal income taxes, Trump said, "I didn't say that at all."

Trump added during the debate that he would release his returns  over what he described as his attorney's objections  only after Clinton released roughly 30,000 emails she had deleted from her private server that she had deemed personal.

Since 1976, every major party presidential nominee has released tax returns. Clinton has publicly released nearly 40 years' worth, and Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has released 10 years of his tax returns.

Because of provisions in the tax code that allow wealthy individuals to offset their personal income with losses in various partnerships and business ventures, Trump could have used his losses in 1995 to avoid incurring tax liabilities on as many as three years of prior and 15 years of future profits.



The $916 million in losses reported by the Times would not include previous years of losses incurred by Trump while his New Jersey casino empire slid into bankruptcy.



In an interview, Mitnick told the Times he had sometimes found it odd that the tax code allowed Trump to live in such luxury without paying income taxes.



"Here the guy was building incredible net worth and not paying tax on it," he said.

The Associated Press reported this week that Trump has released tax documents to gambling regulators in multiple states, as well as banks that have loaned the GOP candidate money over the years. However, those who have seen the returns are barred from discussing their full contents by professional or legal restrictions.

Fox News' Chris Snyder, Mike Emanuel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from The New York Times.
Bernie Sanders on Sunday acknowledged being bothered by Hillary Clintons unflattering perception of the young Americans who backed his longshot primary bid against Clinton, saying their campaigns still have real differences, despite their joint effort to defeat Donald Trump.

Of course it does, Sanders, a Vermont senator, told CNNs State of the Union, in response to a question about whether Clintons remarks at a fundraiser amid their hotly contested Democratic primary bothered him. We have real differences.

Clinton characterized the young voters -- impassioned by Sanders' populist message and who still have yet to embrace Clinton -- as living in their parents basement and disenfranchised about the future, according to a 49-minute audiotape of the February fundraiser, purportedly found in a hacked email, then given to The Washington Free Beacon, which first reported the story.

"If youre feeling like youre consigned to being a barista . . . then the idea that maybe, just maybe, you could be part of a political revolution is pretty appealing," Clinton also says in the audio tape, describing her thoughts after talking to a young African-American voter.

Clinton, like her Republican rival Trump, will need the youth vote to win the presidency.

However, Clinton continues to struggle with the voting bloc, which includes many college students, like those who helped Barack Obama win two terms and who frequently back liberal candidates.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Sept. 14 shows 55 percent of likely voters ages 18 to 34 are voting for Clinton, compared to 34 percent for Trump. The poll follows one by the school released a month earlier that showed Clinton with 64 percent of that vote, compared to 29 percent for Trump.

Despite Sanders misgivings about Clinton and her policies, the self-described democratic-socialist has helped Clinton try to win the youth vote, most recently at the University of New Hampshire last week where they touted essentially a hybrid free-tuition, debt-free college affordability plan.

The bottom line is what we have done since the primary is work together in a number of areas, Sanders also said on CNN.

He also said that Clintons basic argument at the private fundraiser was, nevertheless, essentiallly what he said during the primary, that young people graduating from college cannot find a job that pays enough for them to move out of their parents basements.

We need a political revolution, Sanders said.

With about five weeks to go before Election Day, Clinton holds a slight, single-digit lead over Trump, her Republican rival, according to most recent polls.

New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump adviser, told Fox News Sunday that Clintons comments just add to her recent remark that half of Trump supporters are deplorables.

If you are not part of the Northeast elite, she has nothing to do with you, Christie said.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stepped up his personal attacks on Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton Saturday night, telling supporters in Pennsylvania that Clinton "should be in prison" over her use of a private email server while secretary of state.

Trump made the apparently unscripted statement as chants of "Lock her up!" rang out at the rally in Manheim, Pa. Trump himself has avoided using such language in the past. But this time, he joined in.

The real estate mogul also made an apparent reference to former President Bill Clinton's sexual indiscretions, saying that Hillary Clinton's "only loyalty is to her financial contributors and to herself."

"I don't think she's even loyal to Bill if you want to know the truth," Trump added. "Why should she be, right? Why should she be?"

Trump previously highlighted the 42nd president's infidelities in a New York Times interview published Friday.

"Hillary was an enabler," Trump told the paper. "And she attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterward. I think it's a serious problem for them, and it's something that I'm considering talking about more in the near future."

When asked by The Times about his affair with Marla Maples while married to his first wife, Ivana during the late 1980s, Trump said "I wasn't president of the United States. ... I don't talk about it."

Completing a trifecta of personal attacks against the former first lady, Trump also questioned Clinton's phsyical stamina, referencing her fainting episode while attending a Sept. 11 memorial service last month.

Rattling off a list of world problems, Trump told the audience, "She's supposed to fight all of these things and she cant make it 15 feet to her car. Give me a break." At that point, Trump imitated Clinton's stumble that was recorded by a bystander as she tried to leave the event.

"Folks, we need stamina, we need energy, we need people who are going to turn deals around."

For the second straight evening, Trump questioned the integrity of the nation's voting system, recalling his warning earlier this summer that the election result would be "rigged".

"You gotta get out, get your friends, go watch your polling booth," Trump said Saturday. "Ive seen too many bad stories especially here in Pennsylvania.

"We can't lose an election because of, you know what I'm talking about," the real estate mogul added. "A lot of bad things happen. I don't want to lose for that reason."

Trump spoke hours before The New York Times reported that it had obtained documents showing that Trump had claimed a $916 million loss on his 1995 tax returns, an amount so large it may have allowed him to avoid paying income tax for 18 years.

Clinton campaign press secretary Brian Fallon called Trump's rally remarks unhinged in a Twitter post and speculated that they were an effort to distract from the Times report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The 2016 presidential race now appears in full scandal mode -- with accusations this weekend about Donald Trump being a tax dodger and Hillary Clinton being privately indifferent to the millennial voters whose support she needs -- with no end in sight.

To be sure, Trump has even vowed to bring up at the next presidential debate claims about former President Bill Clinton having extra-marital affairs and wife Hillarys apparent attempts to silence the women accusers -- despite fellow Republicans urging him to avoid such a strategy.

And he suggested Saturday that Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, might have been unfaithful to her husband.

On Sunday, Trump, the Republican nominee, seemed ready to refocus on policy and his effective economic agenda -- at least slightly more.

I have created tens of thousands of jobs and will bring back great American prosperity. Hillary has only created jobs at the FBI and DOJ! tweeted Trump, referring to the now-closed federal investigation into Clinton using a private server system while secretary of state.

With about five weeks remaining before Election Day, Clinton holds a slight lead over Trump, according to most polls published after their debate last week in which Trump appeared to get off track in the closing stages.

A Fox News Channel poll released Friday shows Clinton leading by 5 percentage points, 49-to-44 percent.

The fresh round of accusations started Friday when an audiotape of a Clinton fundraiser in February surfaced and revealed her candid albeit unflattering portrait of millennials, then turned Saturday night to speculation about whether Trump has paid federal taxes since the mid-1990s, following a New York Times report.

Bombshell, Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon tweeted after the story, which appeared to show Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 IRS return and speculated that he might not have paid federal taxes for the next 18 years, as a result.

However, such speculation, amid Trump, a New York real estate mogul, not releasing his tax returns, was beat back Sunday by top surrogates and advisers.

No apologies for complying with the law, New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie said on Fox News Sunday. He argued that Trump showed business genius in using the laws to his advantage and that he is the best candidate to fix the laws that are an absolute mess.

This was actually a very, very good story for him, Christie continued. You dont know that he didnt pay taxes. Lets be precise about what (the story) said.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on ABCs This Week described Trump as an "absolute genius" in how he used tax law to his advantage.

In the audiotape released Friday -- which was purportedly hacked from an email, then given to The Washington Free Beacon -- Clinton portrays millennial as living in their parents basement and as college-educated baristas concerned about a bleak economic future.

However, she warns about overpromising them, as primary rival-turned campaign supporter Bernie Sanders did.

Sanders, a Vermont senator, acknowledged Sunday on CNN that he was bothered by Clintons comments, saying his and her campaigns still have real differences, beyond their mutual interest in defeating Trump.

Crooked H is nasty to Sanders supporters behind closed doors, Trump tweeted. Owned by Wall St and Politicians, HRC is not with you.

The campaigns, which historically go into full attack mode in the final weeks, could return to arguments about policy and platforms when the vice-presidential nominees -- Virginia Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine and Indian GOP Gov. Mike Pence -- meet Tuesday in their first-and-only debate of the election cycle.

However, both are veteran politicians who have rigorously attacked Trump and Clinton, respectively, and will likely include such tactics when they go face to face.

Clinton made a stop Sunday at a church in Charlotte, N.C., an event postponed because of rioting late last month after a police officer fatally shot a black male.

Trump held a rally Saturday in Pennsylvania, where he made no mention of the Miss Universe winner, whom Clinton said during the debate Monday was verbally abused by Trump.

Trump spent much of the rest of the week attacking the pageant queens character, even implying she participated in a sex tape and arguing that Clinton had been duped into championing her.

I don't even think she's loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth. And really folks, why should she be, right? he told the crowd in Pennsylvania, a critical state in Clinton and Trumps path toward the White House.

Trump returns to the campaign trail Monday with an event in northern Virginia, while Clinton makes two stops in battleground Ohio, where Trump now appears to be doing especially well.

Her visit comes about one week prior to Ohio's voter-registration deadline, October 11, and the start of early voting, October 12.

On Wednesday, President Obama will stump for Clinton in the Miami-area of Florida, another key state for both candidates and where their race also remains close.
Just a couple of years after the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor, a statue of Christopher Columbus was erected to grace Barcelona's skylineand while the former represents freedom and friendship, local council members say the latter should be torn down for symbolizing the worst of colonialism, reports the Guardian.

The officials are formally requesting that the nearly 200-foot bronze figure, which went up in 1888, be dismantled, as well as all the adornments at the base of the columnincluding effigies of Columbus' sponsors, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, per the Telegraphthat "glorify the conquest of America and its 'museumification' through historical interpretation."

Instead, the far-left officials say, a better tribute would be some kind of structure signifying "American resistance to imperialism, oppression, and indigenous and African-American segregation." That's not all the CUP Capgirem members are looking to eliminate.

Also on the hit list: a statue of a slave trader outside Barcelona's post office, the Spanish flags that adorn municipal buildings, and Columbus Day celebrations on Oct. 12.

More from Newser

Other Spanish officials have voiced displeasure at the holiday in the past, with the mayor of the port city of Cadiz tweeting last year, "We never discovered America; we massacred and suppressed a continent and its cultures in the name of God."

The request has been met with some scorn by other parties, with one local leader sniffing, "Next thing you know, the CUP will ask for a statue of Kim Jong Un pointing at Ithaca." Meanwhile, Barcelona's deputy mayor said Tuesday that taking down the Columbus statue "is not part of the changes we currently have planned." A stolen Columbus letter was found in a US institution.

This article originally appeared on Newser: Barcelona Officials Want to Rip Down Columbus Statue
Illinois State Police say they are investigating the fatal shooting of a man by police in suburban Chicago.

State Police Master Sgt. Jason Bradley says the shooting happened early Sunday outside a nightclub in Markham, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Bradley says a Markham police officer fatally shot the man.

Markham Police Department officials didn't immediately respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment.

The Cook County medical examiner confirmed that the office sent an investigator to the scene but didn't immediately release information on the death.

Markham Mayor David Webb Jr. also didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Bradley says the State Police Public Integrity Task Force is investigating the shooting.
Police were called Saturday to an Atlanta area home where a 3-year-old boy may have accidentally shot and killed his younger brother, according to a report.

Fox 5 Atlanta reports that the victim was an 18-month-old boy and that the shooting took place around 3 p.m. Saturday at a home in McDonough, Georgia.

The 3-year-old may have picked up a .45 caliber handgun in a bedroom and pulled the trigger, striking the younger boy in the head, the station reported.

Two adults in the bedroom, either the parents or grandparents of the two boys, heard the gun go off, turned around and saw the younger boy had been shot, the station reported.

Police were also investigating if the younger boy accidentally shot himself.

We are actively investigating if it was an accidental shooting by the 3-year-old, or accidentally inflicted by the 1-and-a-half-year-old, Henry County Police Lt. Mike Ireland told Fox 5.

Police said they would wait until Sunday to interview the parents to give the family time to mourn. Police interviewed the grandparents Saturday.

We are allowing everybody to grieve at this time, Ireland told the station.
An angry crowd gathered in South Los Angeles Saturday after police officers shot and killed a man at the end of a car chase.

Police Sgt. Barry Montgomery said officers tried to pull over a car with paper plates, a possible sign the vehicle had been stolen. The driver refused to stop and police began a pursuit.

He said the passenger got out of the car at some point and ran into the back of a house, where he was shot. The driver fled the scene and remained on the loose.

Early Sunday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that it found a handgun at the scene of the shooting. The department did not provide any more information about the gun.

The shooting drew several dozen people to the scene. A small group of protesters gathered behind yellow police tape blocking the shooting scene Saturday night, shouting at officers in riot helmets.

Relatives of the dead man identified him as 18-year-old Carnell Snell Jr., and they told the Los Angeles Times he was killed on the same street where he lived.



Trenell Snell, 17, said she was outside with friends when she saw her older brother running from police. She said she started running too, and that she hit the ground when she heard gunfire.



When she got up, her brother was on the ground, handcuffed, she said.



"At the end of the day, the cops came and shot my brother," she said. "Killed my brother."



Snell's mother, Monique Morgan, told reporters she asked authorities to let her see the dead man to confirm whether he is her son, but they wouldn't allow her to do so. "He was just at my house, and we got a phone call that said the police shot him five times in the back," she said.

Police have not said how many times Snell was shot or if he was shot in the back.

Local activisit Earl Ofari Hutchinson called upon LAPD officials and the Police Commission to "conduct an intense review of department policies on the use of deadly force."

"This is a critical point in relations between the police and South L.A. residents given the rising incidences of deadly force in suspect and civilian encounters," he said.



The demonstration is the latest sparked by a series of fatal shootings of black men by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, North Carolina. This past week, an unarmed black man was fatally shot by police in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, triggering days of angry, sometimes unruly, protests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from FoxLA.com.
A woman whose husband was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks filed a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia Friday, two days after Congress passed a law allowing Americans to sue foreign governments over their alleged roles in terror attacks.

Stephanie DeSimone filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. Her husband, Navy Cdr. Patrick Dunn, was killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. DeSimone, then known as Stephanie Dunn, was two months pregnant with the couple's first child.

DeSimone's lawsuit, which was first reported by Bloomberg, alleges that the Saudi government provided material support to Al Qaeda and its leader, Usama bin Laden. She is seeking unspecified damages for wrongful death and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers who commandeered passenger flights to use in the attack were Saudi.

On Wednesday, both houses of Congress overwhelmingly overrode President Obama's veto of the bill, which allows families sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks. Courts would be permitted to waive a claim of foreign sovereign immunity when an act of terrorism occurred inside U.S. borders.

The following day, Republican leaders acknowledged the law may have been flawed, with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., saying "there may be some work to be done" to make sure it doesn't lead to U.S. service members overseas being sued.

The White House had warned that it could have a chilling effect on Saudi Arabia's cooperation with the U.S. in fighting terrorism. Senior national security officials also argued that it could trigger lawsuits from people in other countries seeking redress for injuries or deaths caused by military actions in which the U.S. may have had a role.

But top lawmakers said the White House didn't press those warnings until it was too late and the popular bill was already barreling its way through Congress. Other lawmakers acknowledged that they didn't pay much attention to the bill.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An American missionary's bid to spread the Gospel in Russia is facing end times after authorities accused him of violating an anti-religion law that was sneaked into recently passed anti-terror legislation.

Christian pastor Donald Ossewaarde, 55, is the first American citizen to be charged under Russias new Yarovaya anti-terror laws that contain a provision that increases regulation on evangelism. Included is a full ban on any missionary activities in non-religious settings, meaning anyone who preaches outside of a church or designated religious center, faces stiff penalties.

Ossewaarde is due in court in the town of Oryol, 224 miles south of Moscow, after he held religious services in his home and posted advertisements for the service on bulletin boards in nearby housing blocks. The pastor was fined the equivalent of $630 for violating what is also known as the "anti-sharing beliefs amendment."

The Yarovaya laws have sent Russia careening back toward the days of the Soviet Union in terms of religious freedom, Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, told FoxNews.com. Donalds case is likely just the tip of the iceberg; these laws affect everyone in Russia, not just foreign missionaries.

Ossewaarde, an Independent Baptist from Illinois who first began evangelizing in Russia during a 1994 visit there after the collapse of the Soviet Union, moved to Ukraine in 1999 and Oryol, Russia, three years later.

His wife, Ruth, has returned to Illinois, where their home congregation Faith (Independent) Baptist Church is located in Bourbonnais.

"I didn't feel that she was safe [here]," Ossewaarde told the Baptist Press. "After I had a thinly veiled threat against myself and my wife so I just figured it was time for her to go home."

Ossewaarde, who has traveled back and forth between Russia and the U.S. to raise money for his ministry, said he may follow his wife home soon. He has already referred his small group of congregants to the Russian Baptist Church.

"I want to complete the appeal process," he told the Baptist Press. "If I can successfully challenge this it will make it easier on other missionaries that would probably otherwise be prosecuted."

Many have criticized the new law and its anti-evangelism provisions, saying that its a means to block churches other than the Russian Orthodox Church from evangelizing to ethnic Russians.

Since the Yarovaya law was put into effect this past July, numerous missionaries have been charged and fined including

Sergei Zhuravlyov, a Ukrainian Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ representative, was arrested for preaching in St. Petersburg.

Ebenezer Tuah of Ghana, the leader of the Christ Embassy church, was arrested and fined 50,000 rubles for conducting baptisms at a sanatorium in the city of Tver.

Jim Mulcahy, a 72-year-old American pastor who is the Eastern European coordinator for the U.S.-based Metropolitan Community Church, was arrested and deported under the prohibition of missionary activities at non-religious sites. He promoted and held a "tea party" in Samara with an LGBT group. Authorities had targeted Mulcahy because they thought he may have been organizing a same-sex wedding.

While Ossewaardes family has returned to the United States, the pastor has stayed in Russia to fight the charges with assistance from ICC and legal counsel from the Slavic Center for Law and Justice.

We are very hopeful that the judge in this case will do the right thing and overturn Donalds case on appeal, King said. Were also encouraged to see the U.S. State Department taking an active interest by sending personnel to attend his trial. Russia should not be allowed to get away with crushing religious freedom at no diplomatic cost to itself.

Ossewaarde has been documenting much of his experience on his website since June. On Aug. 14, he recounted when he was detained.

Three policemen came into the house while we were singing. They did not knock on the door or ring the bell; they just walked in, he wrote. They wanted to ask questions, but I told them they would have to wait until after the service. I invited them to stay for the service. They were there for singing and the entire sermon.

After the service, they asked questions for about 45 minutes. They talked to all the people, too, and wrote reports, he added. They said they needed a complete package of documents on us just in case any questions arise. I asked if there had been any complaints against me. They said no.

The pastor also claims that he was fingerprinted and questioned in a locked room for nearly two and half hours before being charged with violating the new law for gluing two gospel tracts to a bulletin board at the entrance of an apartment building and for conducting a religious service in his home.
Dutch journalist Jeroen Oerlemans has been fatally shot by a sniper in the Libyan city of Sirte, according to Dutch national broadcaster Nos and Belgian publication Knack.

Both cited fellow journalist Joanie de Rijke, of Knack, who was reporting with Oerlemans in Libya. The exact circumstances of his death Sunday are unclear.

The Dutch ambassador to Libya, Eric Strating, tweeted "Rest in Peace. Your photographs of #Sirte #Libya and other places will live on forever."

Oerlemans was abducted in 2012 in northern Syria and held captive for a week before being freed, Nos reported. His Facebook account says he was based in Amsterdam and studied photojournalism at the London College of Communication.

Sirte has faced recent fighting between pro-government militias trying to take back the city from Islamic State extremists.
Egyptian officials say they will soon announce a tender for a new security system for Cairo airport employees involving retina scans, attempting to meet a key Russian condition to resume flights to Egypt.

They say Egypt has met most of Russia's security recommendations at the airport, where some 20,000 people work. It will be several months before the retina scan system is in place.

A visit last week by Russia's transport minister raised hopes that Moscow was about to resume flights to Egypt, suspended last year when a Russian airliner crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. The suspension dealt a blow to Egypt's vital tourism sector.

The civil aviation officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Authorities say an explosion at a cafe in southern Spain has injured 90 people at a local festival, five of them seriously.

The Saturday night explosion occurred at around 7 p.m. in Velez-Malaga, a small town neighboring Malaga, a popular tourist destination in Spain's southern Andalusia region. Authorities have not confirmed that a gas leak caused the explosion but said a leak may have caused glass on the cafe's windows and doors to explode.

The Andalusia emergency service said 57 of the injured were taken to a nearby hospital and about 15 were discharged, while 33 others were taken to local clinics and treated for cuts or bruises.

Mayor Antonio Moreno Ferrer said the city will open an investigation.
An explosion at a cafe in southern Spain injured 90 people at a local festival, five of them seriously, authorities said Sunday.

Explosion at cafe injures 90 at festival in southern Spain https://t.co/kgpvvahR1E pic.twitter.com/9ZlTtjxDur  The Chronicle Herald (@chronicleherald) October 2, 2016

The Saturday night explosion occurred at around 7 p.m. in downtown Velez-Malaga, a small town neighboring Malaga, a popular tourist destination in Spain's southern Andalusia region.

A spokeswoman for the Andalusian emergency service told The Associated Press that preliminary reports indicate a gas leak caused the blast. She spoke on condition of anonymity due to her agency's requirements.

The blast caused some of the La Bohemia cafe's walls and counters to collapse, injuring people inside. Chairs and tables were strewn about in the street Sunday, along with exploded glass from the cafe's windows and doors.

Mayor Antonio Moreno Ferrer said the city will open an investigation.

Two of the five who are seriously injured are in Malaga Hospital's intensive care unit and are being treated for burns and traumatic injuries, the spokeswoman added.

In all, 57 of the injured were taken to a nearby town hospital and more than 20 have been discharged, while 33 others went to local clinics and were treated for cuts or bruises, the agency said.

Immediately after the explosion, there were fears that the conservative Popular Party headquarters neighboring the cafe had been targeted, but authorities denied that the party offices were attacked.
Hungary is recruiting thousands of so-called border hunters to patrol its razor-wire boundary fence, planning to equip the special unit with night-vision goggles, riot gear and dogs in an effort to keep migrants at bay, The Washington Post reported.

The nation is hoping to attract 3,000 border hunters to support the 10,000 police officers and soldiers already trying to keep migrants  many of whom have come from war-torn Middle Eastern countries such as Syria and Iraq  at bay in Serbia, the BBC reported. Hungary hopes to have the hunters in place by May. Recruits must be 18 and pass a psychological test. They will be trained for six months before going on duty.

Hungary does not need a single migrant for the economy to work or the population to sustain itself or for the country to have a future, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said. Every single migrant poses a public security and terror risk.

Those in favor of strict border control have strongly tied migration to an increased threat of terrorism. A series of billboards around the country notes the November terror attacks in Paris were carried out by migrants. The ads also say that since the beginning of the migration crisis more than 300 people died in terrorist attacks in Europe.

Opponents, however, say the anti-migration platform is rooted in racism.

They have launched this extremely vile campaign to portray migrants as rapists and terrorists who can only be stopped if we put up walls to protect our Christian identity, Hungarian Helsinki Committee Co-chair Marta Pardavi told The Post. To them, it doesnt matter that its not true what theyre saying. They have created a great opportunity for racists.

More than 100,000 migrants remain holed up in Greece and Italy, the countries where most asylum seekers begin their European trek. The European Union has said all of its countries must help with resettlement, but Hungary is one of several countries suing the E.U. in an attempt to overturn that edict.

Voters in Hungary on Sunday cast ballots on a referendum about establishing future migrant quotas, however, turnout failed to meet required thresholds for the measure to pass.
The Israeli military says it will prevent Palestinians from crossing into Israel from the West Bank during the Jewish new year because of security concerns.

It said the closure Sunday would remain in place for the duration of Rosh Hashanah, which ends Tuesday night, but that humanitarian cases would be allowed in.

Israel has imposed similar holiday closures in recent years, fearing militant attacks during the religious festival, when thousands of visitors flock to the Holy Land.

A wave of Palestinian attacks that began this time last year has killed 34 Israelis and 2 visiting Americans. Around 218 Palestinians died during that period. Israel says the vast majority of them were attackers, but the Palestinians and rights groups have accused Israeli security forces of using excessive force.
Russia warned the United States Saturday against carrying out any attacks on Syrian government forces, saying it would have repercussions across the Middle East as government forces captured a hill on the edge of the northern city of Aleppo under the cover of airstrikes.

Meanwhile, airstrikes on Aleppo struck a hospital in the eastern rebel-held neighborhood of Sakhour on Saturday, putting it out of service, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees. They said at least one person was killed in the airstrike.

Russian news agencies quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that a U.S. intervention against the Syrian army "will lead to terrible, tectonic consequences not only on the territory of this country but also in the region on the whole."

She said regime change in Syria would create a vacuum that would be "quickly filled" by "terrorists of all stripes."

U.S.-Russian tensions over Syria have escalated since the breakdown of a cease-fire last month, with each side blaming the other for its failure. Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched a major onslaught on rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

Syrian troops pushed ahead in their offensive in Aleppo on Saturday capturing the strategic Um al-Shuqeef hill near the Palestinian refugee camp of Handarat that government forces captured from rebels earlier this week, according to state TV. The hill is on the northern edge of the Aleppo, Syria's largest city and former commercial center.

The powerful ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham militant group said rebels regained control Saturday of several positions they lost in Aleppo in the Bustan al-Basha neighborhood.

State media said 13 people were wounded when rebels shelled the central government-held neighborhood of Midan.

In the rebel-held portion of Aleppo, opposition activist Ahmad Alkhatib described the hospital, known as M10, as one of the largest in Aleppo. He posted photographs on his Twitter account showing the damage including beds covered with dust, a hole in its roof and debris covering the street outside.

A doctor at the hospital told the Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, that thousands of people were treated in the compound in the past adding that two people were killed in Saturday's airstrikes and several were wounded.

"A real catastrophe will hit medical institutions in Aleppo if the direct shelling continues to target hospitals and clinics," said the doctor whose name was not given. He said the whole hospital is out of service.

Opposition activists have blamed the President Bashar Assad's forces and Russia for airstrikes that hit Civil Defense units and clinics in the city where eastern rebel-held neighborhoods are besieged by government forces and pro-government militiamen.

On Friday, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders demanded that the Syrian government and its allies "halt the indiscriminate bombing that has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians--many of them children," over the past week in Aleppo.

"Bombs are raining from Syria-led coalition planes and the whole of east Aleppo has become a giant kill box," said Xisco Villalonga, director of operations for the group. "The Syrian government must stop the indiscriminate bombing, and Russia as an indispensable political and military ally of Syria has the responsibility to exert the pressure to stop this."

It said from Sept. 21 to 26, hospitals still functioning in Aleppo reported receiving more than 822 wounded, including at least 221 children, and more than 278 dead bodies--including 96 children--according to the Directorate of Health in east Aleppo.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom criticized attacks on civilian targets writing on her Twitter account: "Unacceptable to bomb civilians, children and hospitals in (hash)Aleppo. No humanity. Assad & Russia moving further away from peace."

In the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, warplanes of the U.S.-led coalition destroyed several bridges on the Euphrates river, according to Syrian state news agency SANA and Deir el-Zour 24, an activist media collective. The province is a stronghold of the Islamic State group.

SANA said that among the bridges destroyed was the Tarif Bridge that links Deir el-Zour with the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the extremists' de-facto capital.
Norwich Norfolk Driving School Cheapest Intensive Courses & Lessons Announced

The Norwich based driving school Chilled Driving Tuition announced an expansion of its highly popular intensive and semi-intensive driving tuition courses delivered in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere by certified instructors to help students reach test standard in a more cost and time effective manner.

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The popular Norwich driving school Chilled Driving Tuition announced an expansion of its premier and highly popular intensive driving courses tailored for different needs and experience levels, available for pupils looking to save money and time in multiple areas of Norfolk.

More information is available at http://chilleddrivingtuition.co.uk.

The Chilled Driving Tuition is an acclaimed driving school in Norwich providing a broad range of highly effective and affordable one-on-one driving tuition solutions, delivered in a relaxed and friendly manner by DSA certified instructors with over 75 years of combined experience, to students in multiple areas of Norfolk, Suffolk, Peterborough or New South Wales.

The leading Norwich driving school announced an expansion of its highly popular and effective semi-intensive and intensive driving tuition courses delivered over three to six days, depending on the student's current level of experience, with 15 to 35 hours of all in car lessons, in either automatic or manual vehicles, and completely tailored to suit each student's individual needs.

The intensive and semi-intensive driving courses ideal for those looking to fast track their driving tuition and concentrate fully on the driving lessons to reach test standard while saving time and money are delivered by hand-picked, certified and experienced instructors drawing on the school's relaxed, calm, friendly and highly successful tuition philosophy which has led to an above the national average first time pass rate of 89.14%.

More information on the multiple semi-intensive and intensive driving tuition programmes provided by the Chilled Driving Tuition to help students in Norwich and multiple other surrounding areas of Norfolk quickly and affordably reach test standard along with details on its tuition philosophy and complete service areas can be consulted on the website link provided above along with multiple student testimonials.

The Chilled Driving Tuition explains that "our Intensively Chilled programmes are developed with everyone in mind. They aim to deliver the best weekly intensive courses for the best value, without the unnecessary waste and cost of classroom lessons. We tailor a course to suit the specific needs of students who are new to driving or more experience learners wanting to concentrate fully on in car lessons or get through the test quickly and save them from spending money they don't need to".

For more information, please visit http://www.chilleddrivingtuition.co.uk/

Contact Info:

Name: Alan Brazewell

Organization: Chilled Driving Tuition Ltd

Address: 44 Dalbier Close Norwich Norfolk NR7 0RP

Phone: (078) 468-76544

Release ID: 135475

For more information visit r



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Denver Business Journal's 2016 Outstanding Women in Business Small Business Category

Denver Business Journal recognizes women in the community who demonstrate excellent entrepreneurship skills, community leadership and more, announces ColoradoMedicalWaste.com

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Colorado Medical Waste proudly announces the owner and CEO Beverly Hanstrom has been named Denver Business Journal's 2016 Outstanding Women in Business - Small Business Category. The Medical Waste disposal company continues to make advances in the industry and feels this award demonstrates the community's recognition of their commitment to customers and the environment. The Denver Business Journal recognizes women in 13 categories, and nominees are judged on their professional accomplishments, their leadership in the community, innovation and entrepreneurship.

This is only one of many ways Colorado Medical Waste has been recognized. The company was recently featured in ColoradoBiz magazine. In addition, it was named a Colorado Companies to Watch winner just a few short months ago, and the latest award is one the company is especially proud of.

"We are thrilled to be honored in this manner and are proud of our work to move the medical waste industry into the 21st century. With our introduction of ozone processing to the state in March 2014, we are now able to turn medical waste into confetti in our Aurora facility. This reduces waste volume by 90 percent and no emissions are produced during the process," Hanstrom explains.

Medical waste comes in many forms, including blood soaked bandages, bodily organs removed from a patient, surgical gloves, surgical instruments which have been used and immunization needles. The Medical Waste Tracking Act, enacted in 1988, outlines specific rules for the disposal of these medical waste products. In addition, laws may be enacted by a state that supplement the federal law created by this act. Unfortunately, incineration, the traditional method of disposing of this waste, comes with its own hazards, often resulting in the release of pollutants into the air humans and animals take in.

The process used by Colorado Medical Waste eliminates the environmental contamination and public health effects observed with outdated energy and heat intensive systems and conserves natural resources. The only sustainable facility in Colorado, the company makes use of an industrial shredder, electricity and ozone gas which is created and reverts back to oxygen to reduce the health and medical waste carbon footprint. This shows the company's commitment to being on the forefront of environmental stewardship.

Medical waste isn't merely found in hospitals and clinics. Dental and doctor offices, blood banks, research facilities, medical labs, animal clinics and patients at home often create medical waste, along with others. The key is to make it easy to dispose of these items, regardless of how big or how small the load of waste product is. If the items are not handled properly, health care workers, patients, the general public and waste handlers may be exposed to toxic effects, infection and more.

Colorado Medical Waste accepts a range of products, including animal and laboratory waste. In addition, consumers find the company takes vitamins, over-the-counter medications and crime scene waste, along with other waste products. Barbers, hotels and the military call on the company for assistance in disposing of waste materials, and the company provides bio-hazard waste containers, liners, labels, signs and sharps containers for the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of these products.

"Whether you need help with consulting services, product sales, HIPAA compliance or a written waste management plan, call on us. We are here to serve you in any way we can when it comes to waste disposal. The all-inclusive pricing makes it easy to budget for these services, and service can be scaled as client needs change. Contact us today to learn more," Hanstrom recommends.

About Colorado Medical Waste Inc:

Founded in 1992, Colorado Medical Waste is a local, minority, woman owned small business and functions as an industry expert. Combining 24 years of experience in the field, cutting edge technologies, award winning service and sustainable processes, Colorado Medical Waste truly stands out in the industry. It remains known for offering value added service while providing the most environmental means of processing waste from the medical field. The recognition and awards bestowed on the company reflect their commitment to customers and the environment, and the business values remain strong and steadfast. Colorado Medical Waste serves as a pioneer and leader in the sustainable medical waste management industry.

For more information, please visit http://www.coloradomedicalwaste.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Beverly Hanstrom

Organization: Colorado Medical Waste Inc.

Phone: (303) 794-5716

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/denver-business-journals-2016-outstanding-women-in-business-small-business-category/135515

Release ID: 135515

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SMBIA Publishes Credit Advice Guide

The company is helping home buyers understand the benefits of consulting a mortgage broker before going to the bank, reports https://smbia.com.au/.

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SMBIA has announced the release of their credit advice guide. The company is aiming to help home buyers understand the benefits they can reap from consulting a mortgage broker about their home loan before they fill out an application at the bank. For homeowners who would like to get a glimpse of the in-depth credit advice guide, it is available on the Senior Mortgage Brokers of Adelaide website at smbia.com.au.

"Securing a loan is the most critical part of the buying process. However, most homeowners don't even consider their options when applying for a loan. Unfortunately, most buyers head straight to the bank without even realizing they have choices," said CJ Hardy, a C-level executive at SMBIA. "However, opting to go to a broker for mortgage advice instead of a banker has some significant benefits, including the fact that mortgage brokers often have a greater level of experience, which means that they can provide some much-needed clarity to their clients during what is both an exciting and confusing process for them."

The new SMBIA advice guide helps home buyers see that not only are mortgage brokers often more experienced with the home loan process than bank employees, but also that they can provide the benefit of choice when it comes to financial products. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of the buyer receiving the money they need to buy the home. In addition, mortgage brokers can provide specialized assistance since they focus only on home loans day in and day out.

As Hardy continued, "Choosing a mortgage broker instead of just going with a traditional bank gives home buyers the privilege of having their own personal adviser who they can call whenever the need arises. Our smbia brokers strive to help home buyers any way we can, lending the depth and breadth of our knowledge and expertise to make the process flow as smoothly as possible. Unlike bankers, mortgage brokers become permanent fixtures in the home buyers' lives who they can always rely on for help when making one of the most important decisions of their lives."

About SMBIA:

SMBIA (Senior Mortgage Brokers in Adelaide) is an Australian owned and operated business established in January 2015 by Ray and Cilla Hardy to help people searching online for mortgage finance assistance. SMBIA brings together highly qualified and experienced ex- bankers, homeowners, personal assistants and their combined corporate savvy, and together they focus on providing home loan, property, and investment help and advice from some of the most connected mortgage brokers in South Australia.

For more information, please visit https://smbia.com.au/

Contact Info:

Name: CJ Hardy

Organization: SMBIA

Phone: 1300 668 361

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/smbia-publishes-credit-advice-guide/135535

Release ID: 135535

For more information visit r



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Smart Style Bathrooms Launches Revamped Approach to Bathroom Renovation

Homeowners need not choose between style and functionality when it comes to bathroom remodels, publishes smartstylebathrooms.com

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Reports from the construction industry point to bathroom remodels as the current leader in home improvement cost-effectiveness. According to a number of price-to-value comparisons from various sectors, this type of project is capable of generating as much as an 80 percent return on investment. Homeowners appear to be taking these figures to heart as such ventures recently forged ahead of kitchen renovations and room additions to reach first place in the popularity polls.

This comes as no surprise to the staff of Smart Style Bathrooms who have watched the development unfold for some time. In light of the growing demand and practicality, founder Cameron Slater has launched the company's newly revamped approach to bathroom remodeling. Said Slater, "From the beginning, we built our company with the hopes and concerns of clients in mind. I take a great deal of pride in the end results we create and make sure every contractor on our team feels the same way. Our approach to remodeling is designed to ensure every client is completely satisfied with not only his or her new bathroom, but our craftsmanship and work ethics as well."

Further detailed on the Smart Style Bathrooms website, www.smartstylebathrooms.com.au/our-services.html, the company's three-step process begins with a consultation and quote. Clients' ideas and budgets are factored into the project in an effort to reach design plans fitting both aspects, and renovations begin. Slater noted remodels are typically completed within four weeks.

Past renovation projects in the company's portfolio have included bathrooms both large and small. Styles range from modern and trendy to classic and rustic with a full spectrum of fixtures, decorative elements and floor plans available to clients. Examples of the company's work can be found at www.smartstylebathrooms.com.au/gallery.html.

Concluded Slater, "Bathrooms of the past were, for the most part, purely functional while comfort and style were reserved for other areas of the home. There's no reason both elements can't be incorporated when a homeowner decides to remodel the bathroom. We're proud to offer clients the best of both worlds by transforming their bland or outdated bathrooms into a sanctuary they can enjoy for years to come, and our approach is part of our efforts to make the process as simple as possible.

About Smart Style Bathrooms:

Dedicated to quality and client satisfaction, Smart Style Bathrooms combines homeowners' visions with the knowledge and experience of its team members to transform mundane bathrooms into fabulous and functional sanctuaries.

For more information, please visit http://www.smartstylebathrooms.com.au/

Contact Info:

Name: Cameron Slater

Organization: Smart Style Bathrooms

Phone: 1300 789 538

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/smart-style-bathrooms-launches-revamped-approach-to-bathroom-renovation/135533

Release ID: 135533

For more information visit r



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Kit Harington Seen With Another Girlfriend? Game Of Thrones Jon Snow Opened Up About Finding Love On-Set

"Game of Thrones" Kit Harington was seen with another red head on set but she was not his girlfriend Rose Leslie. Has Jon Snow finally found another Ygritte in his life?

Fans of Kit Harington and girlfriend Rose Leslie, stay calm. The woman seen on the set on "Game of Thrones" hugging Jon Snow was a body double for Sophie Turner according to Daily Mail.

The woman who had flaming red hair was seen throwing her arms around Kit Harington as they said goodbye on the set. Harington was on location for the filming of "Game of Thrones." The Jon Snow character was seen sporting his hair on a ponytail looking wonderful with his facial hair. He looked casual wearing blue shirt and jeans with a body bag.

In an interview with L'Uomo Vogue, Kit Harington details how he fell in love with his girlfriend on the set of "Game of Thrones." He admits it was easy to fall in love with Rose Leslie because he was initially attracted to her and she even played his love interest in the TV series.

Kit Harington describes the love on the set as something magical just like the Northern lights. It was so easy to fall in love in a beautiful country like Iceland. However, Jon Snow's girlfriend had a tragic ending in "Game of Thrones" as she was killed with an arrow and died in the arms of her beloved.

Kit Harington did not win the Best Supporting Actor as Jon Snow in the last Emmy Award. However, "Game of Thrones" broke the record in bagging the most number of awards including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Casting For a Drama Series, and Outstanding Production Design.

Stay tuned to GameNGuide for the latest news and update of Kit Harington and "Games of Thrones."
Rotary got started in Long Beach in 1917 when seven local businessmen met with a New York Rotarian who talked about his club there.
The tipping point for Corvallis and property maintenance came in 2012 when a standing-room-only crowd of more than 125 people came to the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library to talk about the matter.

Talk loudly as it turned out. Property managers complained that the city was trying to force a massive new code down their throats. Oregon State University students and other tenants testified about mold and substandard wiring and landlord retaliation.

The results took a while, but the results came. The city embarked upon a lengthy process to write a new livability code that required 41 public meetings. Property managers, meanwhile, organized and began meeting monthly, bringing in expert guests in an effort to self-regulate.

The new "livability" code went live Sept. 14 after a delay of six months because the citys code compliance supervisor position was vacant. Now, with former Bloomington, Indiana, fire chief Todd Easton in the job the city has begun enforcement of the code.

Easton has 1.5 FTEs of assistance, with the city currently recruiting for the part-time position, which was funded by a voter-approved property tax levy.

Here is a quick look at the Corvallis process:

 Those 41 public meetings led to a 48-page addition to the citys land development code (see this story online for the full pdf).

 The new code, which aims to close gaps that existed in previous code, affects interiors and exteriors of rental housing but only the exteriors of owner-occupied houses or other property.

 Among the items covered by the code are lighting, plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation, sanitation, walls, doors, windows, security, basements, trash, debris, abandoned houses and abandoned couches.

 The program is complaint-driven. Kent Weiss, director of the Housing and Neighborhood Services Division, said that the city will not accept anonymous complaints, but we will work with people who request confidentiality.

 A case begins with the original complaint, then moves to a correction notice and from there to a violation. Violations, if not resolved can result in fines. And in cases in which health and safety are involved, the city can order the abatement work to be done and charge the property owner.

The City Council, which passed the code in November of 2015, will review the code annually.

Something is going to happen that we havent thought about, said Easton, who said he read the minutes of all 41 of the public meeting. And thats good because then we can fix it.

Property managers and landlords, many of whom served on the two advisory committees that were part of the public process, remain critical of the outcome. Their concerns include whether the process really is complaint-driven, why it does not apply to structures on historic registers and whether enough public outreach is being done to explain the complicated system.

One landlord, John Wydronek, also said that despite the constructive feedback at the end of the day none of the input (of property managers) was incorporated into the code.  To me this is very insulting.

The city chose to target gaps in the city code after earlier considering a much more expansive approach. Instead, at the suggestion by Ward 9 Councilor Hal Brauner during an Administrative Services Committee meeting, the city chose the livability code path while at the same time aiming to reduce the citys outstanding case load of complaints.

The case load peaked at about 800, Weiss said, but after Brauners recommendation won committee backing, the city split the complaint cases between building services issues and rental housing issues.

Building services took on 600 of the cases and they are down below 100, Weiss said. The housing case load started at 200 and is now below 30.

The city also hopes to work with neighborhood associations to collaborate on property maintenance and will be spending $5,000 for neighborhood projects.
International Profiles : Rhine views remind a South African in Bonn of home.

Lee Nelson from DHL Express loves Bonns village feel and outdoors lifestyle. Foto: Cornelia Danetzki

Bonn With its proximity to water and vineyards, Lee Nelson from DHL Express is a fan of the Bonn lifestyle.

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Bonn wouldnt be the first choice expat posting for everyone in their early thirties, but for Lee Nelson, Head of Internal Communications at DHL Express, the city is a reminder of home.

As shes originally from Durbanville outside Cape Town, South Africa, the comparison is a bit of a surprise. Its more the lifestyle and being by water, says Nelson. The feel of the Rhine promenade with all the walkers reminds me of the promenade by the sea in Cape Town.

She also loves Bonns green spaces and forests, where she jogs, just as she used to back home. I lived in Cologne when I first came to Germany but it wasnt green enough and I found it harder to make friends. Now most of her friends live within walking distance of her Rhine-view Plittersdorf apartment and thats just how she likes it.

Nelson joined the Deutsche Post DHL Group just under five years ago, working in Cape Town before transferring to the Bonn headquarters in 2013. She moved into her current role with DHL Express in August 2016 and this is her first overseas posting. It can be hard for a South African to work overseas because of the work permit situation, she explains.

While DHL Express is headquartered in adjacent offices, the Post Tower is, of course, the symbol of Deutsche Post DHL in Bonn. Standing 162.5 metres high, it dominates the city skyline and can be toured by the public. Designed by the German-American architect, Helmut Jahn, the glass tower is illuminated at night by 2000 lights and inside, 12 high speed lifts whisk employees and visitors up and down the 40 storeys.

And Nelson is delighted that at least one woman, Melanie Kreis, has made it all the way to the top of the Tower to sit on the Deutsche Post DHL Group Board of Management. Melanies a great role model for women in the company, she says. She finds it surprising that although Angela Merkel has been running Germany for years, there are relatively few women at the top of big German companies. When asked if things are different in South Africa she says: The discussion in South Africa is more about racial equality, adding that while there are laws about gender equality in the workplace, they are not prioritised.

As a South African, she joins about 30 other nationalities at DHL Express in Bonn and although the official office language is English, other languages are often spoken between the 2000 or so Bonn-based employees. And with Afrikaans as her first language, Nelson finds it relatively easy to understand and read German. Speaking is harder though, especially with my accent! she laughs.

Still, she finds Bonn is a welcoming place for expats to live and work, though she does sometimes struggle with German regulations and processes. Life in South Africa doesnt have so many rules, she says.

Some German rules, such as not crossing the road on a red light, are now second nature. So much so that she managed to infuriate colleagues on a team road race round Istanbul by stopping at every traffic light to wait for the green man to appear. And while Sunday opening restrictions mean Saturdays can be jam-packed with chores, shes learned to appreciate having more time for herself the next day.

So how does she fill her spare time? I enjoy the simple things about living in Bonn, Nelson says. She loves any sort of wine and food festival and hikes in the Siebengebirge. And the Bonn Christmas market is really special. Much more local and intimate than Cologne. And then, of course, there is the Rhine: water, walks and memories of home.
Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Oct. 1, 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, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes destroyed six oil tanker trucks, two vehicles, and an oil pump jack, and damaged a vehicle and another oil tanker truck.

-- Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes destroyed three oil tanker trucks, two oil pump jacks, a bulldozer, and an oil wellhead.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed 24 oil tanker trucks and two oil wellheads.

-- Near Manbij, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a command and control node, a mortar system, and a vehicle.

-- Near Mar'a, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed a vehicle, a command and control node, a fighting position, and a heavy machine gun.

-- Near Washiyah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two vehicles.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, rotary and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 11 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Al Qaim, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

-- Near Hit, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL-held buildings, two vehicles, two front-end loaders, two weapons caches and three tunnels entrances.

-- Near Ramadi, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building and a weapons cache.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three vehicles.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

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Carter, ASEAN Ministers Reaffirm Commitment to Regional Security

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2016  The United States and its Asian-Pacific allies reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen defense cooperation in areas including maritime security and counterterrorism, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said yesterday in Hawaii.

Defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Friday in Kapolei, Hawaii, where they deepened their countries' partnership and renewed pledges to address shared security challenges, Carter told reporters following the talks.

"We all recommitted our militaries to keeping the region's waterways open and secure and to help all our nations see more, share more and do more in Southeast Asia's vital waterways," he said.

The ministers, Carter said, had productive discussions.

He said the Asian-Pacific nations' cooperation with the U.S., as well as among themselves, will further enhance regional security.

"We discussed the path forward for the Asia Pacific's principled and inclusive security network, which will help us all to connect, to cooperate and to contribute to regional security," he said.

'Certain and Lasting Defeat' for ISIL

The ministers spent a considerable amount of time discussing the threats posed by terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as well as from returning foreign fighters and other extremists in the region, Carter said.

The secretary said he briefed participants on efforts of the counter-ISIL coalition.

"I was able to share with the ministers the accelerating campaign to deal ISIL a certain and lasting defeat in its parent tumor in Iraq and Syria and everywhere it might metastasize around the world, including Southeast Asia," Carter said.

US-ASEAN Partnership 'Stronger Than Ever'

Carter applauded ASEAN for its enduring commitment to peace and stability over the years, saying it has helped provide the security and uphold the principles that have benefited nations and the entire region.

"ASEAN will be just as central to the Asia Pacific's principled future as it has been for the last half century," Carter said. "The United States looks forward to partnering with ASEAN and its member countries for decades to come."

The U.S.-ASEAN partnership is now "stronger than ever," according to Carter, who noted the ministerial meeting built upon the ASEAN summit held in Laos in September. He thanked Laos for its contributions to both meetings.

Rebalance to Asia Pacific

Carter said he shared with his counterparts the U.S. plans and commitments of the third phase of the rebalance to the Asia Pacific, which is meant to cement the progress of the previous phases that enhanced and improved the U.S. military force posture there.

As part of the third phase, the Defense Department will take steps to "help catalyze our shared principles and inclusive security network," he said.

That will happen, Carter explained, even as the U.S. qualitatively upgrades its force posture in the region and prioritizes investments and advanced technologies.

"The U.S. rebalance and the burgeoning security network are important at a time of regional change and challenges," he said.

Coordination within and among the militaries will be improved as well, he said. He announced a number of upcoming events, including an ASEAN maritime dialogue and a maritime domain awareness exercise both hosted by the U.S.

In addition, he said, he invited his counterparts to visit the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force South in Florida to see how U.S. military law enforcement agencies work there with partner countries.

To build on these discussions, Carter said he asked the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, a DoD institute, to host a workshop next year to identify and address any gaps in U.S.-ASEAN cooperation.

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Philippines president's Hitler remarks 'troubling': Pentagon chief

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 7:16PM

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has slammed the Philippines president for comparing himself to Adolf Hitler, former chancellor of Germany, describing his remarks as "deeply troubling."

Speaking about his war on illegal drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte likened himself to the leader of the Nazi Party, saying he wants to slaughter "three million drug addicts" in his country.

"I'd be happy to slaughter them. At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have (me)," he added.

"You know my victims, I would like (them) to be all criminals, to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition," Duterte said.

After launching a war on drugs upon taking office in January, Duterte is said to have killed more than 2,000 suspected drug sellers and users.

Carter, however, said on Friday the relations between Washington and Manila would not be affected by his remarks, adding the US-Philippines cooperation "has served the interests of our nations for many years now."

State Department spokesman Mark Toner also described Duterte's remarks as "very troubling," but said that "at the working level our relationship remains very strong and very vital."

He also highlighted security cooperation with Manila as one such area that remained strong. Toner's remarks followed comments Thursday by Carter, who described their military ties as "ironclad."

Duterte, however, cast doubt on the future of the relations, saying earlier this week that joint US-Philippine navy drills scheduled for next month will be the last of its kind.

He also called on the US last month to withdraw its American special forces troops from Philippines' Mindanao island, to where they dispatched in 2002 for what it called training and advising Philippine military units fighting local militants.

The US has long considered its relations with the Philippines as one of its most stable in Southeast Asia. In the face of China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, cutting ties with the Philippines would now be a major loss for Washington in the region.

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Israel okays building of 300 settler units in West Bank

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 6:47PM

The Israeli regime has approved plans for building some 300 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, a day after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ignored public outrage and attended the funeral for a former Israeli war criminal.

Reports in Israeli media said the regime in Tel Aviv had issued a decree for the construction of an initial 98 units near the illegal settlement of Shilo, located between the cities of Nabulus and Ramallah.

The reports said some 200 more settler homes would be built in the second stage of the project.

The order comes despite mounting international criticism about Israel's expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, a policy many blame for stalled talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

The construction orders were reportedly issued hours after Abbas attended the burial ceremony for former Israeli Premier and President Shimon Peres. Abbas sought permission to cross into the occupied territories to attend the funeral.

Israeli media said the regime's approval of the settler homes apparently sought to compensate a recent ruling by an Israeli court which ordered the eviction and demolition of Amona settlement. The court said those settler homes should be demolished by December 25 as they had been built on privately owned land.

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Saudi warplanes strike Yemen, 4 killed

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 4:1PM

At least four people have been killed and almost a dozen others injured in a fresh wave of airstrikes carried out by Saudi Arabia's warplanes against residential areas across Yemen.

Saudi warplanes pounded Jabal al-Atan district of the capital Sana'a on Saturday, Yemen's official Saba News Agency reported. Two people were killed in the strike.

Saudi jets also carried out at least two airstrikes against a local outdoor market in Nehm district, northeast of the capital.

Additionally, Saudi warplanes bombarded al-Zaher district in the northwestern province of Sa'ada. Two people were killed in the bombardment.

Warplanes also pounded Ham area in Matun district of the northern province of Jawf.

Yemen has been under almost daily airstrikes by Saudi Arabia since March 2015. International sources put the death toll from the aggression at almost 10,000. According to the UN, Saudi airstrikes are to blame for 60 percent of civilian deaths in Yemen.

Earlier this week, the United Nations Human Rights Council failed to set up an independent international inquiry into Saudi rights violations in Yemen.

The offensive was launched to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Yemen's former president who has resigned and fled the capital.

In June, the UN raised controversy by dropping Saudi Arabia from its annual blacklist of child killers, only a week after blacklisting the monarchy for overwhelmingly violating children's rights in Yemen. The decision came after Saudi Arabia and its allies threatened to cut off funding to UN programs if the body kept the kingdom on the blacklist.

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Afghan forces 'mistakenly' kill own troops in Farah

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 3:54PM

Afghan forces have "mistakenly" killed five soldiers and a law enforcement officer in the Kensk region of the western province of Farah.

"Because of the wrong coordinates, helicopters bombed an Afghan forces' checkpoint that unfortunately left five soldiers and one police officer dead," Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said on Saturday.

"An investigation into the incident has been launched," he added.

Afghan forces were reportedly in battle with Taliban militants when the incident took place late Friday.

Over the past months, Taliban militants have launched numerous offensives to capture areas, particularly urban ones, in Afghanistan.

The group has largely concentrated on areas in the northeast. Several attacks have also been carried out by Taliban militants near the southern province of Helmand.

The militant group lost its grip over Afghanistan in 2001 in a US-led military invasion but it has been seeking to regain the control of the war-torn country.

Afghan officials say they will not allow the militant group to recapture areas, and have engaged in battles against them to drive them out of different regions.

In July, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan said it had recorded 1,601 civilian deaths and 3,565 injuries in the country in the first half of 2016. The records, it said, showed an unprecedented rise in civilian casualties.

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India, Pakistan clash along disputed Kashmir border

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 8:13AM

India and Pakistan have again exchanged gun fire across the disputed Kashmir border, Pakistani military authorities say as tensions mount between the neighboring nuclear-armed rivals in south Asia.

"Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing" which started at 4:00 am local time (2300 GMT) and continued for four hours in the Bhimber sector on the Pakistani side of the border, a military statement said on Saturday.

While the statement did not provide details on possible casualties during fire exchange, Indian officials said there was no damage during the encounter.

"There was small arms fire and mortar shells fire from across the border in Akhnoor sector which lasted for around two hours (4:00 am to 6:00 am)," said Pawan Kotwal, a top civilian official in Jammu and Kashmir state on the Indian side.

"No damage was caused. We are ready for any eventuality but it is peaceful in Jammu region," Kotwal added.

Tensions between the long-time rivals have been escalating since a militant assault on an army base in Indian-administered Kashmir killed at least 19 soldiers earlier this month.

The latest border skirmishes come just two days after India declared that it had carried out "surgical strikes" several kilometers inside the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

The rare public admission of the military operation by New Delhi triggered angry rhetoric from Islamabad, prompting calls for restraint by the United Nations.

"This is a dangerous moment for the region," said Pakistan's Permanent UN Representative Maleeha Lodhi following a meeting with UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

India's mission to the UN said the country "has no desire to aggravate the situation," defending the strikes as "measured."

India and Pakistan have fought four wars since they gained independence from Britain some 70 years ago, three of them over the majority Muslim populated Himalayan region of Kashmir.

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Yemeni forces destroy Emirati military vessel: al-Masirah

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 4:46AM

Yemeni forces have targeted and destroyed an Emirati military vessel in a rocket attack near the Red Sea port city of Mokha, al-Masirah TV says.

A military source said Ansarullah fighters and allied army forces launched rockets at an HSV-2 Swift hybrid catamaran operated by the Emirati navy off the shores of the Red Sea port city of Mokha early on Saturday, al-Masirah television reported.

The catamaran was reportedly a high-speed logistical ship capable of locating mines, controlling military operations and transporting troops and equipment. The vessel formerly belonged to the US navy, al-Masirah said.

Ansarullah fighters working in cooperation with the Yemeni army have so far destroyed several hostile warships and boats.

On October 10, 2015, Yemeni army forces destroyed a Saudi warship in a missile attack in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. That development came only three days after Yemeni forces managed to destroy another Saudi vessel in the area.

Emirati casualties

The United Arab Emirates has been suffering heavy casualties in Yemen, where Ansarullah fighters and allied military units have been fighting back the Saudi-led invaders.

On Jun 13, an Emirati military helicopter crashed near the al-Buraiqeh coast of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, killing its two pilots.

On March 14, two Emirati pilots died when their Mirage fighter jet crashed while conducting military operations in the same Yemeni district.

A senior Emirati military commander and three Saudi-backed foreign mercenaries had been killed in an attack by Yemeni forces in the Dhubab district of the southwestern province of Ta'izz two months earlier.

The biggest casualties, however, came last September, when the UAE confirmed that at least 52 of its soldiers had been killed in a barrage of missiles fired by Yemeni forces at Saudi-led foreign troopers in the central Ma'rib Province. At least 70 soldiers were also injured in the missile attack.

The official Saudi Press Agency, meanwhile, reported the death of one of its border guards, who was killed after a mortar shell fell on the southwestern border region of Jizan in Saudi Arabia from the direction of Yemen on Thursday.

In a separate development, a massive bombing reportedly targeted the Craiter district in the southwestern Yemeni province of Aden, killing two people and injuring three others.

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UN Chief Offers To Mediate Kashmir Dispute Between India, Pakistan

RFE/RL October 01, 2016

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan to defuse escalating tensions over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

The offer came on September 30 after Pakistan's UN ambassador met with Ban and urged him to personally intervene in what she called an increasingly "dangerous" situation between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

Ban called on "both sides to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to deescalate the situation," his spokesman said.

The UN chief said India and Pakistan should address differences through diplomacy and dialogue and offered to mediate.

"His good offices are available, if accepted by both sides," the UN spokesman said.

On October 1, India and Pakistan accused each other of violating the cease-fire across their demarcation line in Kashmir.

The Pakistani Army said in a statement that "Indian forces once again resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling across the line of control at Chamb sector."

An Indian Defense Ministry spokesman said Indian troops responded after Pakistani troops fired across the demarcation line in the Akhnoor sector of India's state of Jammu and Kashmir early on October 1.

Tensions between the two archrivals have mounted since the Indian government accused Pakistan-based militants of launching an assault on an army base in Kashmir earlier this month that killed 18 soldiers.

India on September 29 said it had carried out "surgical strikes" several kilometers inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on what they called "terrorist" targets.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif responded that the Indian action was "unprovoked" and said Islamabad is ready "to counter any aggressive Indian designs."

That prompted India on September 30 to start evacuating villages near the disputed border that divides control of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, citing concerns about a military escalation.

"This is a dangerous moment for the region," Pakistan's Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said after meeting with Ban at UN headquarters in New York on September 30. "The time has come for bold intervention by him if we are to avoid a crisis, because we can see a crisis building up."

Lodhi accused India of creating "conditions that pose a threat to regional and international peace and security."

India's mission to the United Nations told AFP that "India has no desire to aggravate the situation" and stressed that the counterterrorist strike was "focused in terms of targets and geographical space."

"With our objectives having been met, that effort has since ceased," the Indian mission said.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief has been following the situation "with great concern," citing the escalating rhetoric and maneuvering by both sides.

A UN military observer mission is looking into reports of violations of a 2003 cease-fire along the line of control and will report to Ban, he said.

The U.S. State Department on September 30 repeated its call for "calm and restraint" by both sides.

"Nuclear-capable states have a clear responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

The Pakistani UN ambassador said she suggested to Ban that to avert a crisis, he move up his plans to visit India and Pakistan, now scheduled for November.

Lodhi also met this week with the current Security Council president, New Zealand Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, to ask that the council keep a close eye on developments.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain seven decades ago, two of them over Kashmir.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/un-chief-ban- ki-moon-offers-mediate-kashmir-dispute- india-pakistan/28025469.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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Hungarians Set To Send Fresh Antimigrant Message To Rest Of EU

RFE/RL October 01, 2016

Hungarians are set to vote in a referendum on October 2 that is all but certain to send a strong -- if symbolic -- antimigrant message to the rest of the European Union.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been a leading voice against allowing Syrian refugees and other migrants to settle in Europe -- erecting two border fences to keep out illegals -- and he has urged his compatriots to reject an EU quota to accept such outsiders in the vote.

Opinion polls suggest that Hungarians overwhelmingly back him, and they have been warned by senior politicians from Orban's ruling, right-wing Fidesz and other parties of perceived dangers from abroad that include a dilution of Hungarian culture or the risk of extremist attacks.

Stoking such fears, some billboards asked potential voters: "Did you know? Since the start of the migration crisis, the number of harassment cases against women has jumped in Europe."

"We do not agree with the quota, of course, because it would let people coming into the country without any control and although we would try like to help the refugees but still not like this," voter Zsuzsanna Toth told AP in Budapest on October 1. "I mean, it has to be some kind of control to let the people in, so the referendum is really important. Otherwise, it is going to change the culture of the nation."

But the so-called quota referendum is likely to remain symbolic unless voters defy research suggesting less than the required 50 percent of eligible voters will bother to turn up.

Past referendums on NATO membership, in 1997, and EU membership, in 2003, each failed on that count.

But EU officials fear nevertheless that the Hungarian referendum will heap more pressure on them as they grapple with the challenges presented by the ongoing flow to Europe of migrants fleeing conflict and other hardship in the Middle East, Afghanistan, or elsewhere.

Orban authored an opinion piece that appeared on October 1 arguing that people had "a duty" to help him resist the "liberal methods" practiced by the "Brussels elite."

"Mass migration without control means a real threat. It endangers the peaceful and safe European way of life," Orban wrote in the Magyar Idok newspaper. "With the referendum, we can send a message to each European...telling them that it depends on us, European citizens, to bring the EU back to reason, with common effort, or let it disintegrate."

EU interior ministers last year approved a plan to impose mandatory quotas to relocate some 120,000 migrants from front-line Schengen zone states to other countries, although the vote produced sharp and lasting divisions.

But Hungary has rejected the relocation to that country of even a single person under the scheme, and along with neighboring Slovakia has mounted a legal challenge to its legitimacy.

In another sign of tension within the EU over migrants, French police opened fire with tear gas and water cannons on October 1 after violent clashes erupted when pro-migration activists tried to hold a banned demonstration next to a ramshackle migrant camp in Calais dubbed the "Jungle."

At least 10 police officers were injured in the three-hour melee, French authorities said.

The camp houses between 7,000 and 10,000 migrants, many of them intent on getting across the English Channel to the United Kingdom and has been slated for closure by winter.

Turkish and EU leaders agreed a complex deal in March that Europeans hoped would curb massive migration flows into Europe -- some of it via Turkey -- in exchange for billions in aid to Ankara, fast-track visa conditions, and possible new impetus for EU membership talks.

But Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on October 1 signaled mounting impatience with Brussels' implementation of that agreement and suggested in the context of Ankara's pursuit of EU membership that "it's their choice to continue the path with or without Turkey. [But] they should not hold us responsible."

With reporting by Reuters, BBC, and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/hungary- referendum-migrants-orban- eu-quota/28026243.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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Lithuania Welcomes 350 Belgian Troops for Joint Army Drills - Defense Ministry

Sputnik News

23:46 01.10.2016

Some 350 Belgian troops have arrived to Lithuania to take part in the month-long Baltic Piranha 2016 joint military exercises, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

VILNIUS (Sputnik)  Belgian troops have been formed out of an armored brigade with the 1/3rd Lancers Battalion, while the forces belonging to the Grand Duke Kestutis Motorized Infantry Battalion will take part on Lithuania's side alongside the Lithuanian National Defense Volunteer Forces' fifth brigade.

"On October 1, some 350 Belgian troops with over 100 units of military equipment arrived to Lithuania on a rotational basis. Throughout October, Belgian service personnel will take part in the Baltic Piranha 2016 joint exercises with Lithuanian troops," the ministry said in a statement.

The US army 173rd Airborne Brigade will also take part. All participating sides are NATO members.

Around 500 Lithuanian troops took part in last year's Baltic Piranha drills alongside 280 Belgian soldiers, US troops and members of Luxembourg's armed forces.

NATO has been boosting its military presence in Europe, particularly in Eastern European states, since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, citing Russia's alleged interference in that conflict as justification for the move.

 Sputnik

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Afghan Forces Responsible for Friendly Fire Airstrike in Farah Province

Sputnik News

18:40 01.10.2016

The US airstrike was called by military personnel in the Bala Buluk district to provide support against terrorists but resulted in a friendly fire incident due to errors in the information provided, according to Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dowlat Waziri.

KABUL (Sputnik)  The accidental airstrike that killed several Afghan soldiers in the country's western Farah province was carried out by the Afghan army and not US forces, the Afghan Defense Ministry said Saturday.

Earlier, reports emerged that at least five Afghan military personnel died in what was alleged to be a US airstrike.

The airstrike was called by military personnel in the Bala Buluk district to provide support against terrorists but resulted in a friendly fire incident due to errors in the information provided, according to Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dowlat Waziri.

A total of six people died, including five special forces troops and one police officer, the ministry specified.

"The Defense Ministry has sent a commission to the west of the country in order to investigate the issue," Waziri said, stressing that foreign aircraft did not take part in the strike.

On September 28, at least 15 civilians were killed and 13 injured in a US drone strike in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, which was condemned by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with government forces fighting the continuing Taliban insurgency, while other extremist groups, such as the Islamic State, outlawed in many countries including the United States and Russia, have also expanded their activities both in the country and in neighboring states.

 Sputnik

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'Playing With Fire': Chinese General Blasts Singapore for Role in S China Sea

Sputnik News

01:12 02.10.2016(updated 01:49 02.10.2016)

A Chinese general lashed out at Singapore for its alleged support for the Philippines in the legal clash with China over the disputed areas in the South China Sea, saying that Beijing must express its "discontent" with sanctions.

Jin Yinan, the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Major General, said in an interview with China National Radio (CNR) on Thursday that Singapore has been ramping up tensions in the south-east Asia which are damaging China's national interests.

The statement comes in the wake of a report by the Chinese newspaper the Global Times that Singapore had pushed the issue of the South China Sea territorial dispute and backed Manila in the legal standoff with Beijing during the recent Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.

According to the report, the Singaporean delegation was "infuriated," when Venezuela, the host of the event and the NAM's current president, declined to include the issue of the disputed islands in the organization's agenda.

After that Singapore's ambassador to China Stanley Loh issued a disproof of the report, calling it an "irresponsible" fabrication that lacks factual basis.

"Contrary to the claim fabricated by the Global Times, the Singapore delegation did not raise the South China Sea or the tribunal ruling at the NAM Summit," he said in a statement.

Still, the Chinese paper didn't step back on their reporting, insisting that their source was "serious and reliable."

In Lin's opinion, by pedaling the issue of territorial disputes, Singapore is deliberately fueling the standoff between China and the United States in the region.

"We understand [that Singapore] has to survive among big countries," The South China Morning Post cited Jin as saying. "But now Singapore is not seeking balance among big countries  it is playing big countries off against each other this is playing with fire."

Singapore has been pushing the issue of the South China Sea for quite a long time, Lin went on. Last year, Singapore Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong spent an hour at the Asia Security Summit to deliver a speech emphasizing the problem.

"There are so many topics about Asian security, including unbalanced development, pollution, environment, climate, terrorism, racial problems But all the problems were ignored and the focus was just on China's South China Sea disputes," Jin said.

Moreover, the general said that it was Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew who advised the Obama Administration to "the rebalance towards the Asia-Pacific" as part of Washington's "pivot to Asia."

The Singapore's latest move regarding the dispute issues should be taken seriously by Beijing and Singapore must "pay the price" for seriously damaging China's interests," Lin stressed.

"Since Singapore has gone thus far, we have got to do something, be it retaliation or sanction. We must express our discontent," he stressed. "It's inevitable for China to strike back at Singapore, and not just on the public opinion front."

 Sputnik

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Border Fence with Serbia and Croatia

Hungary began construction work on a second fence along its border with Serbia in a bid to make the processing of refugees more effective. The construction operation began on 27 February 2017, a government spokesman said, adding that it would be the second line of fence along the country's southern border.

Construction material had already been shipped to various areas along the border while poles for the fence were already standing near the border station Kelebia. Some USD 130 million has been earmarked by the government for the fence and camps to hold refugees. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, Janos Lazar, said earlier that Hungary would begin the construction as soon as the weather permitted and the project would finish by the end of spring. The fence would for now extend only to the border with Serbia, a key point of entry for many refugees planning to travel to Western Europe.

Hungary's citizens voted 02 October 2016 in a plebiscite to reject the EU's refugee quota plan. A total of 37.88 percent, or around 3.1 million voters, turned up to vote in the referendum, thus failing to reach the required minimum of 50 percent. Over 62 percent of those eligible did not take part in the referendum or cast invalid ballots. But the ruling party's deputy chief Gergely Gulyas said the vote was "a sweeping victory for all those who reject the relocation plan, for those who believe that only nations states should remain and for those who believe in democracy."

President Viktor Orban said there would be "legal consequences" regardless of the outcome of the polls. "A valid referendum is always better than an invalid one, but the legal consequences will be the same," he said. "There is only one condition for this: that there are more 'No' votes than 'Yes' votes," he added. With just 1.79 percent answering "yes" to the question on whether the European Union should be able to relocate migrants to Hungary without the Hungarian parliament's approval, 98.21 percent voted "no." Opposition parties and rights groups had called on Hungarians to boycott the referendum.

Hungary announced plans 17 June 2015 to build a fence 4 meters (13 feet) high on its border with Serbia to stem the flow of illegal migrants. Officials said that so far this year, some 54,000 migrants had entered Hungary, up from 43,000 in 2014 and 2,150 in 2012. The move triggered a swift rebuke from the UN refugee agency.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced that Hungary will build a fence on the total 175-kilometer (109 miles) length of the Hungarian-Serbian border. A Hungarian-Serbian intergovernmental summit would be held on 1 July, at which the Serbian government would receive detailed information on the Hungarian measures, the Minister announced.

"We are not talking about a unique measure here. There is such a border closure on the Greek-Turkish and Bulgarian-Turkish borders and Spanish towns are also defending themselves this way. Hungary is infringing no EU law with this," Szijjarto stressed.

Szijjarto stressed that the government is not violating any international laws with the measure. He added that prior to the decision, the Ministry of Interior conducted a survey among local farmers, and he claimed that a majority of those queried answered that illegal immigrants coming over the border constitute a serious issue. Szijjarto said that the European Union is also trying to work out a solution regarding the issue of immigrants, but it seems to be a slow and lengthy process, and Hungary, as a country crucially affected by immigrants, cannot wait any longer.

A single week was given to make preparations for the new "Iron Curtain" the most infamous of which Hungary helped tear down in 1989. In Hungary, the Iron Curtain was installed along the Austrian border, in the form of a 356 km-long barbed wire fence, and along the 630 km Yugoslavian border on the south.

The death of Stalin in 1953, and the subsequent easing of political tension between the East and the West led to officials declaring the Iron Curtains construction complete. As a result, in October 1955, the Hungarian government ordered the removal of the barbed wire fences, which was completed by the autumn 1956, giving hundreds of thousands of people the opportunity to flee the country after the 1956 failed revolution and freedom fight.

In March of 1957 the government once again ordered the sealing off of the western border. The Iron Curtain became completed again on June 30, 1957. The new Iron Curtain consisted of 350 km of double barbed wire fences and a minefield of about 800,000 mines. With the fences deteriorating over time, the barriers were updated in 1963, and approximately one million new mines were installed.

The Hungarian Embassy in Serbia issued a release on 18 June that the Hungarian measures for reduction of illegal migrations do not affect the functioning of border crossings between the two countries and added that the plans for opening of new crossings are being made.

This meant that a well-meaning citizen of Serbia or any other country who holds valid travel documents and wants to enter the territory of Hungary in keeping with relevant laws will not face any obstacles in the time to come just as was the case until now, stated the release.

The Hungarian Embassy noted that the planned measures aimed at curbing illegal migrations had no influence on the country's full support to Serbia's European integration, and stated that it would inform the Serbian government in detail thereon during a joint session in Budapest on July 1. Both Serbia and Hungary are victims of a geopolitical situation with regard to the issue of illegal migrations, which is why the solution has to be found through joint efforts, stated the release.

Serbias Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic reacted with anger to Hungarys announcement. We will not build walls, he said, I can guarantee that. Serbia will not close itself. We don't want to live in an Auschwitz. Vucic said he was "surprised and shocked" by the Hungarian government's plan to erect a fence along the shared border to keep out illegal migrants.

Hungary's prime minister said his government's plan to build a 4-meter-high fence on the border with Serbia to stop the flow of migrants will also protect Europe "from every illegal entry." Viktor Orban said on June 19 that "if a question is complicated, choose the easiest solution," so in the case of the migrants, "the state will defend its external borders."

By August 2015 Hungary was nearly finished building a fence that stretches 110 miles, stands 12 feet high and is topped with barbed wire. The fence had one, very specific purpose: to keep out migrants. The sprawling fence lined Hungary's border with Serbia, from where tens of thousands of people have crossed in to the country in 2015 alone. Many of these migrants were Syrian refugees who had walked hundreds of miles along the Balkan land route through Europe, searching for safety.

Hungary closed its border with Croatia at midnight (2200 GMT) October 16, 2015 to contain the flow of thousands of migrants arriving daily in the country, before traveling to northern Europe. A final group of several hundred migrants was permitted to cross the border shortly before it was sealed off at midnight local time.

A fence along the frontier had already been built to prevent unauthorized crossings. Hungary has installed spools of razor wire near a border crossing with Slovenia, which like Hungary is part of the EU's Schengen zone of passport-free travel. More than 380,000 migrants had entered Hungary in 2015 and Hungarian authorities anticipate the number to exceed 700,000 by the end of the year.

On 24 September 2015 Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec was informed that the barbed wire being erected by Hungary on the border with Slovenia was a "temporary and makeshift" solution by his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto.

Today, we agreed to strengthen cooperation and decided that there will be no more unilateral measures, said the Slovenian Minister of the Interior Vesna Gyorkos Znidar, after meeting her Hungarian counterpart Sandor Pinter 28 September 2015. According to the Slovenian interior minister, there has been a positive development since when Slovenia was not informed of Hungary erecting a wire fence on the former border crossings of Pince and Dolga vas, as Hungary has removed the fence.

Slovenian and Hungarian interior minister agreed to improve cooperation, particularly at operational level, as both sides will daily share information, strengthen mutual border patrols and include Slovenian police officers in joint investigative teams fighting organisers of illegal border crossings. The Slovenian minister said that she did not discuss closing the green border and the border between Slovenia and Hungary with her counterpart. They have agreed that any additional measure will be subject to prior agreement between the countries.

The minister also said that existing cooperation between the police forces of both countries is already excellent and that the incident with the fence was an extraordinary event that does not hinder future cooperation.

The four border protection bases which will serve to accommodate the members of the defence forces taking part in the protection of the southern border have been completed. The last facility was inaugurated in Hercegszanto on 20 March 2017. Defence Minister Istvan Simicsko told journalists on site that the bases, each of which accommodates 150 soldiers, will render the protection of Hungarys southern border more effective. Soldiers were earlier put up in barracks in Kaposvar and Hodmezovasarhely as well as in rented accommodation. With the completion of the bases, they can now be accommodated at locations closer to their duties, the politician said. He added: as a result, the units concerned can be deployed much more swiftly, should any change occur.

Austrian technical units took part in the construction of the Kelebia, Bacsalmas, Madaras and Hercegszanto bases as well as in the construction of roads, for which the Minister said thanks, and expressed hope that this good cooperation will continue. He reiterated that Hungary received assistance with the protection of the border also from the Visegrad Four earlier. The Minister said: the Central-European cooperation may also render the recognition and solution of problems more effective.

Simicsko pointed out: the defence forces help the police with the protection of the border as necessary. At present, some three thousand soldiers are serving at the border, but the defence forces are able to flexibly respond to changes. The Minister said: pay rises will continue, and the Government set out to raise the pay of soldiers to one and a half times by 2019. In addition to pay rises, they also seek to express their appreciation to members of the defence forces through the modernisation of their individual equipment and clothing and the replacement of their fleet of vehicles. He added: it is also thanks to this that the retaining capacity of the defence forces has improved in the past six months.

The construction of the four border protection bases of the Hungarian Defence Forces began last autumn. In the camps, soldiers are put up in shipping container homes for four, equipped with electric heating and air-conditioning. At the base consisting of some 90 shipping container homes, in addition to the residential units, there are toilet, bathroom, kitchen and laundry facilities, communal rooms and a fitness facility, and should the need arise, an additional floor may be added to the shipping container homes, in consequence of which their accommodation capacity can be doubled at any time.





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Darfur War

Darfur has been plagued by nearly 15 years of misery since a tribal uprising against the Sudan government brought an armed response by government forces, backed by Arab militias. About 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million have been forced to flee their homes. Drought and famine have added to the suffering.

The security situation in Darfur was very serious, marked by a deeply concerning increase in violent attacks by armed assailants against United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel, the Assistant Secretary-General for UN peacekeeping operations told the Security Council 10 June 2015.

The second phase of the Governments military offensive, Operation Decisive Summer, resulted in high numbers of newly displaced people. At least 78,000 people were displaced by conflict in Darfur in 2015, according to humanitarian organizations. In addition, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) received reports of some 130,000 additional internal displaced persons (IDPs), which it was not yet able to verify.

According to the Deputy Joint Special Representative for UNAMID, the peace process was stalled, and the greatest challenge it met was the Sudanese Governments reluctance to engage in negotiations with armed movements. Abiodun Oluremi Bashua said the Government thinks it can win the war militarily, while the African Union and the UN believe only a political process can bring an end to more than a decade of conflict.

The exit strategy for African Union-UN Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) is based on the achievement of the Missions benchmarks and premised on a political solution to the conflict based on direct talks between the parties, starting with a cessation of hostilities. The exit strategy is also based on the gradual and phased withdrawal of UNAMIDs force from West Darfur, where there have not been any major fighting in two years. The prospect of a definitive end to the crisis seems to be wishful thinking in the current environment.

Though the region of Darfur was relatively peaceful by late 2016, a small portion of Jebel Marra within Darfur continued to be intermittently volatile. A major plank of UNAMIDs mandate from the Security Council is to protect civilians in Darfur. UNAMID encountered some challenges in implementing this responsibility in a small portion of Darfur. Both sides in the conflict in Jebel Marra continued to hamper or deny access to the remaining enclave of the concerned armed movement in Darfur. UNAMID is not an interposition force. It is a peacekeeping force and needs collaboration of both sides in the conflict to protect all civilians.

In a situation of continuing armed conflict between Government forces and the armed movements, and widespread intercommunal violence and attacks against civilians, the current conditions in Darfur are not conducive to a large-scale return of internally displaced persons to their places of origin.

Various initiatives have been launched by the Government in order to curb the significant levels of intercommunal violence in Darfur. Those efforts, however, are not sustainable in the absence of a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of the conflict in Darfur. Such a strategy would entail the conclusion of a comprehensive political agreement, following extensive consultations with all stakeholders on key issues such as the equitable management of land and other resources, that fully recognizes and upholds the rights of farmers and nomadic herders and empowers traditional and other local conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms, while strengthening the capacity of the criminal justice system to maintain law and order and ensure accountability for crimes.

The African Union (AU)-proposed roadmap stipulates arrangements related to cease-fire at South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur regions, entering a peace process and involving the armed movements in the national dialogue currently convened in Khartoum. The opposition Sudan Call Alliance in August 2016 signed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa the roadmap, ending months of controversy over the deal. In March 2016, the AUHIP proposed the roadmap agreement for the Sudanese rivals aiming at ending the war in Sudan. The Sudanese government unilaterally signed the roadmap agreement, but the Sudan Call, an alliance bringing together Sudanese armed groups and opposition parties, then refused to sign the deal.

In June 2016 President Bashir declared a four-month unilateral cessation of hostilities (COH) in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states (the Two Areas) and an end to offensive military actions in Darfur. The government repeatedly extended the COH, and as of years end, no offensive military actions had resumed, except for infrequent skirmishes between armed groups and government forces. Authorities used excessive force against protesters in Kalma Camp near Nyala, South Darfur, in September, killing nine internally displaced persons (IDPs). Nevertheless, the continued COH allowed for increased stability and an overall improvement in the human rights situation in Darfur and the Two Areas, as the government ceased its aerial bombardments and scorched-earth tactics in conflict zones. In Darfur weak rule of law persisted, however. Banditry, criminality, and intercommunal violence were main causes of insecurity in Darfur.

Background

Darfur is home to some 36 ethnic tribes, composed of two major blocks  Arabs and non-Arabs  the latter known as blacks. The Fur and the Masalit ethnic groups, who dominate the African population in Darfur, have a long history of clashes over land with Arab camel  and cattle  herding tribes. Initially, such hostilities were monitored through negotiation between community leaders. In the 1970s, however, competition over fertile land and dwindling resources intensified dramatically due to the desertification of the region and the lack of good governance. Traditional conflict resolution mechanisms were soon replaced with bloody and politicized clashes and ethnicity soon became a major mobilizing factor.

Rivals began identifying themselves as Arabs and non-Arabs for the first time during the 1987-1989 Fur-Arab conflict, when nomads of Arab origin and Fur clashed over grazing lands and water resources. During this time, some 27 Arab tribes grouped themselves under the previously unknown Arab Gathering. Reports at that time already refer to the nomad militia Janjaweed (evil men on horseback), which was known for attacking Fur as well as other non-Arab tribes. An estimated 2,500 Fur lost their lives and 400 villages were burned, causing tens of thousands to flee their land in search for safety.

A 1994 administrative reorganization by the government of President Omar El Bashir equipped members of the Arab tribes with new power, and was perceived by the African Masalit, Fur and Zaghawa as an attempt to debilitate their traditional leadership role and authority in the region. The decision led to the resurgence of fighting, culminating in the 1996-1998 Masalit-Arab conflict, where the torching of Masalit villages instigated the flow of 100,000 refugees into Chad. The fighting received little international attention.

In February 2003 the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), an armed opposition group long active in South Sudan, emerged in Darfur and began attacking government troops. The SLM/A declared that attacks were in protest of the failure of the government to protect villagers from attacks by nomadic groups and the economic marginalization of the region. Another armed opposition group called the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) soon emerged with demands similar to the SLM/As. The government chose to resolve the conflict by using force in March 2003.

None Dare Call It Genocide

Human rights groups described the situation in Darfur as a genocide. The United Nations said up to 300,000 people died over six years of fighting between rebel groups and government forces. Sudan put the death toll much lower, at 10,000. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, whom it accused of masterminding a campaign of rape, murder and other crimes against Darfur civilians. Bashir rejected the court's authority and has repeatedly traveled abroad in defiance of the arrest warrant.

UN-African Union mission's political chief, Rodolphe Adada, angered some Western diplomats in April 2009 when he said the situation in Darfur had settled down into "a low-intensity conflict." In August 2009 the outgoing commander of international peacekeepers in Sudan's troubled Darfur region said the area was no longer in a state of war. Speaking to reporters on 26 August 2009, Martin Luther Agwai said Darfur still has security issues, but he said the phase of full-scale war in the region has passed. Agwai said most of Darfur's rebel groups had fragmented, and are not strong enough to do any fighting.

In March 2009 President Barack Obama named retired US Air Force Major General J. Scott Gration as his special envoy to Sudan. An Africa expert and a Swahili speaker, Gration accompanied Mr Obama on a trip to Africa in 2006 and was an adviser during his presidential campaign. On 16 June 2009 Gration said the Sudanese government was no longer engaged in a "coordinated" campaign of mass murder in Darfur. "What we see is the remnants of genocide," Gration told reporters.

"The level of violence that we're seeing right now is primarily between rebel groups, the Sudanese government and . . . some violence between Chad and Sudan." On 30 July 2009 Gen. Gration (USAF, retd.), told senators that the "genocide" label was no longer accurate or helpful. "There's significant difference between what happened in 2004 and 2003, which we characterized as a genocide, and what is happening today," General Gration said in testimony.

The nature of the conflict in Darfur has changed over the years and the latest violence is mainly inter-communal fighting. Armed men from both government-linked militias and rebel groups target civilians and subject them to abuses and killings. Peace efforts by the government of Qatar and the East African regional bloc IGAD largely stalled and fighting continued between the pro-government militias and various rebel factions.

President Bashir continued to have two outstanding warrants for arrest against him based on International Criminal Court (ICC) indictments in 2009 and 2010 for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Nonetheless, President Bashir still traveled by invitation to several countries, including Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Rwanda, Russia, and Uganda during 2017. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda presented her 25th report on the situation in Darfur to the Security Council on June 9, stating, The pervading toxic culture of impunity must be tackled in order for justice to prevail in Darfur.





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Oromo Unrest

More than 100 people, mostly from the Amhara ethnic group, were killed 19 June 2022 in an attack in Ethiopias Oromia region, according to witnesses, who blamed the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) for one of the deadliest attacks in recent memory. However, two other witnesses said more than 200 people have been killed. The regional government in Oromia confirmed the attack but did not give details about casualty figures. Ethnic Amhara that settled in the area about 30 years ago in resettlement programmes are now being killed like chickens.

Earlier, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had condemned what he described as horrific acts in Oromiya, without giving details. Attacks on innocent civilians and destruction of livelihoods by illegal and irregular forces is unacceptable, he said. The witnesses as well as the Oromia regional government blamed the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) for the attacks. In a statement, the regional government said the rebels attacked after being unable to resist the operations launched by [federal] security forces.

OLA spokesman Odaa Tarbii denied the allegations, claiming that Abiys government was once again blaming the OLA for crimes it had committed itself. The attack you are referring to was committed by the regimes military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive, he said. They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place, he added.

Independent journalist Samuel Getachew said attacks against minorities were becoming more frequent in the East African country. They [Amharas] have asked to be moved to a safer area, perhaps within their own region of Amhara. The government has said they are listening but no action has been taken. Once again, this kind of killing has become the norm, Samuel said. The Ethiopian journalist said the region has become off-limit due to government restrictions, with the Ethiopian government preventing media people from speaking to OLA rebels declaring them as terrorists.

In its report on 29 May 2020, Amnesty International documented a series of alleged abuses in Oromia, where security forces are waging a campaign against the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The group is the breakaway armed wing of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), an opposition party that pursued military struggle before its return to Ethiopia to pursue a peaceful agenda in 2018.

Amnesty said it had collected evidence that at least 10,000 people suspected of supporting or working for the OLA were detained by security forces in rounds of mass detention that began in January 2019. It also said it had found evidence that at least 39 people were extrajudicially executed amid rising tensions in Oromia's East Guji and West Guji zones. Other documented abuses included multiple cases of torture by security forces, with various people interviewed by Amnesty speaking of severe beatings by the security forces.

By the end of 2017 ethnic violence was worsening in Ethiopia. From Oromia to Amhara regional states, huge anti-government protests were witnessed against what protesters called political and economic marginalization. To make matters worse more than 60 people were also recently killed caused by clashes between the Oromos and Ethio-Somalis.

Ethiopia has more than 80 ethnic groups, of which the Oromo, at approximately 35-40 percent of the population, is the largest. The federal system drew boundaries approximately along major ethnic group lines. The Oromo, who constitute about 40 percent of the population, are half Orthodox Christians and half Muslims whose traditional alliance with the Amhara in Shewa included participation in public administration and the military. The Oromiya region was established when the new government came to power in 1991. The federal system was divided along ethnic lines. The Oromos are the largest ethnic group in the country.

A long history of censorship of the Oromo by various ruling elites has made censorship one of the major features of Oromo social and aesthetic processes. Not until the fall of Haile Selassie were the voices of other histories and previously peripheral groups given a chance to participate in the dialogue of Ethiopian statehood.

Starting about the mid-sixteenth century, the Oromo people, migrating from the southwest, gradually forced their way into the kingdom, most often by warfare. The Oromo, who eventually constituted about 40 percent of Ethiopia's population, possessed their own culture, religion, and political institutions. As the largest national group in Ethiopia, the Oromo significantly influenced the course of the country's history by becoming part of the royal family and the nobility and by joining the army or the imperial government. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, religious and regional rivalries gradually weakened the imperial state until it was little more than a collection of independent and competing fiefdoms.

The Oromo occupy areas in south and central Ethiopia that only became part of modern Ethiopia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The people in these areas largely became tenants on their own land as the empire consolidated its rule. Many Oromo resented the alien rule of Amhara and Tigray from the highland core of the empire. Haile Selassie tried to win Oromo loyalty by developing alliances with key Oromo leaders. Although this strategy enabled the emperor to co-opt many Oromo into the imperial system, it failed to end Oromo resistance. Examples of this opposition to Addis Ababa included the Azebo-Raya revolt of 1928-30; the 1936 Oromo Independence Movement; and the establishment in 1965 of the Mecha-Tulema, an Oromo self-help organization.

From 1964 to 1970, a revolt in Bale presented the most serious challenge to the Ethiopian government. During that time, separate Oromo rebel groups in Bale conducted hit-and-run raids against military garrisons and police stations. Until 1969 the Somali government provided military assistance to these rebels as part of its strategy of reestablishing a "Greater Somalia." In addition, Oromo rebels attempted to coordinate their military activities with the Western Somali Liberation Front. After Mahammad Siad Barre took over the Somali government in 1969, the Oromo rebels lost Somali support and found it impossible to sustain their campaigns in southeastern Ethiopia. In 1970 the rebels agreed to a truce with the Haile Selassie regime.

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U.S. Homeland Security Chief Says No 'Manipulation' Of Voting Data By Hackers

October 01, 2016

The secretary of U.S. Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, says "malicious" hackers who recently breached electronic safeguards to "scan" voting systems in a number of U.S. states do not appear to have manipulated any data.

Johnson was responding to suggestions following reported intrusions to election systems in Arizona and Illinois and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) that foreign cybercriminals were seeking to affect November's U.S. elections.

Officials have pointed a finger at Russia, where intelligence sources say at least some of the intruders were operating.

"In recent months, malicious cyberactors have been scanning a large number of state systems, which could be a preamble to attempted intrusions," Johnson said in a statement. "In a few cases, we have determined that malicious actors gained access to state voting-related systems. However, we are not aware at this time of any manipulation of data."

FBI Director James Comey told Congress recently that the his agency was looking "very, very hard" at Russian actors who could try to influence or disrupt the U.S. vote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said of the DNC breach that "I don't know anything about it, and on a state level Russia has never done this."

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us- homeland-security-no-manipulation-of-voting- data-hackers/28026240.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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Leaders mark China's progress

People's Daily Online

By ZHANG YUNBI and QIN JIZE (China Daily) 09:00, October 01, 2016

Top officials affirm commitment to openness and engagement with world on eve of nation's 67th birthday

Top leaders signaled China's growing openness to the outside world and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace on Friday, the eve of the National Day holiday.

On Friday, leaders including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang embarked on a series of events and meetings in Beijing, including a ceremony honoring martyrs, a grand reception and meetings with foreign guests.

As he met with leading foreign experts working in China who received this year's Friendship Award, Li noted that China is ready to welcome more talent from abroad as the country becomes more open and inclusive.

On Thursday, Vice-Premier Ma Kai conferred medals on the 50 foreign experts and praised their contribution to the country's development at an awards ceremony in Beijing.

Li observed that the foreign experts in China include both young and old, and the combination of their brainpower and great experience could "help yield a greater boost to China's modernization process and world peace and development".

He said China is offering greater openness, inclusiveness and convenience for outstanding foreign talent, and the country will speed up facilitation of their application for a permanent residence permit.

Li and others also greeted foreign ambassadors and envoys assuming their new offices in China. Li said China is committed to peace and development, and will join hands with countries to "achieve robust, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth".

As the leaders attended a reception on Friday evening, Li, in a speech, reiterated China's concept of "building the community of shared destiny".

Su Ge, president of China Institute of International Studies, noted that China's diplomacy this year has demonstrated greater readiness to contribute to global governance, including hosting the G20 Leaders Summit in early September.

"China's tangible actions are showing to the world that it is a contributor and a mover for world peace, common development and international cooperation," Su said.

Earlier Friday morning, leaders joined veterans, family members of martyrs and representatives from all walks of life gathered at the Monument to the People's Heroes at Tian'anmen Square.

They attended a ceremony to honor deceased national heroes on the annual Martyrs' Day.

Friday marked the third Martyrs' Day on the eve of the National Day, since China's legislature approved Sept 30 as Martyrs' Day in 2014.

A red carpet covered paths surrounding the monument, and attendees presented flowers in memory of the people's heroes.

This year is also the 80th anniversary of the Long March, a famous military maneuver carried out by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China in the early 1930s.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

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China boosts aviation power with nationwide strength

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 14:46, October 01, 2016

China is gearing up to realize its dream of "taking off" by boosting a global aviation power. It goes all out with the state will and nationwide strength, targeting to have its own aircraft with home-made aero-engine.

Within one year, China showed the world with three iconic models of its "large aircraft family" : the commissioned heavy-load airfreighter Y-20, as well as the completed first homemade large passenger aircraft C919 and the massive amphibious aircraft AG600.

"The aviation industry is the crown industry in the manufacturing industry. The large aircraft is the exclusive capacity of a great power, with its will and strength," said Geng Ruguang, deputy manager of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's largest state-owned aircraft producer.

"It is a harvesting time for China' s aviation industry to embrace multiple symbolic major models after years of constant efforts. It represents the general upgrading of its national and scientific strength," said Geng.

The country shows unprecedented efforts and boldness in innovating to make the country an aviation power. And its has made a big decision to drive its aircraft with the "China heart" , home-made aero-engine.

On Aug.28, the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) was established in Beijing, targeting to become a world-class aircraft engine company with the indigenous innovation.

The aviation engine has long been a perplexing "pain" for China' s aviation industry. The new step is deemed as a strategic move of China to enhance the national power as well as the capacity of the armed forces.

"Based on the independent innovation, the AECC will stride forward to create the strong 'China heart' for our aircraft." said Cao Jianguo, president with the AECC.

According to Cao, the corporation will focus on building a complete industry chain with the design, manufacturing, experiment and related key material research of the aero-engine.

"It will adhere to independent research and development for the national mission of aviation engine," he added.

As a new state-owned enterprise, the AECC received investment from the State Council, the Beijing Municipal Government, Aviation Industry Corporation of China and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, with a registered capital of 50 billion yuan (US$7.5 billion).

The aircraft engines are sophisticated products of the equipment manufacturing industry. Making breakthroughs in this area as soon as possible will have great value for improving China's economic and military power and national strength.

China will launch at least 100 key projects over the next 15 years to increase the country's technological capability and improve people's livelihoods, according to the 13th Five-Year Plan unveiled earlier this year.

Aviation engines and gas turbines, as well as the "large aircraft project" were all listed among the 100 projects.

In fact, besides the move on boosting the aero-engine industry, China has also caught the world' s attention by releasing three major models of its home-made large aircraft models.

On Nov.2, 2015,China' s first domestically-produced large passenger aircraft C919 was unveiled by its producer Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) in Shanghai. It is under important mission for China to get its role in the bursting civil aviation market, which is now monopolized by the Airbus and Boeing.

With its maiden flight scheduled for next year, however, and at least another three years of test flights, it will take some time before the single-aisle jet can fly commercial air routes the world over.

On July 6, 2016, two Y-20 planes, China's largest homegrown transport aircraft, officially joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force. It represents that China has gained the capacity of long-range transportation, and entered the world' s "large aircraft club" with all members as aviation powers.

On July 23, China completed production of the massive amphibian Ag600, the world' s largest one of its kind under development phase. About the size of a Boeing 737, the AG600 is to be used to fight forest fires and perform marine rescue missions.

Industry insiders said, China' s aviation industry progress will accelerating the country to march forward to a power with stronger manufacturing industry, innovation capacity as well as national defense.

"China has shown the world with an upgrading aviation industry. It will have a bright prospect with the great nation' s determination to become a global aviation power, peering the traditional western powers," said Geng Ruguang.

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Hong Kong leader urges unity with China as secession calls grow

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 9:34AM

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying says the semi-autonomous special administrative region of China should preserve its unity with Beijing amid increasing calls for independence from the mainland.

Leung made the remarks in an annual address at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on Saturday as part of National Day celebrations that mark the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Hong Kong is governed under a "one country, two systems" arrangement - a deal made when the city was handed back to China after about a century of British colonial rule in 1979. The agreement protects Hong Kong's freedoms and partial autonomy for 50 years.

Leung described the deal as the "most beneficial and most practical" for Hong Kong, saying, "One country, two systems needs each and every Hong Kong resident to defend it to their utmost."

He further encouraged young citizens of Hong Kong to visit China and underlined "deep kinship" between the two sides.

The comments come at a time that some of the lawmakers, who won seats in the city's legislative elections last month, are calling for independence for Hong Kong through a referendum after 2047, when the city's 50-year semi-autonomous status expires.

Several legislators boycotted Saturday's event, among them Nathan Law, one of the leaders of the Umbrella Movement.

The 23-year-old lawmaker explained that he stayed away in protest at what he said to be China's rights violations.

"As long as they don't recognize that what they are doing is wrong, we shouldn't go and celebrate this kind of holiday," Law said.

Lawmaker Yau Wai-ching also boycotted the celebrations, saying, "It's not the national day of the Hong Kongers."

Meanwhile, a small group of protesters led by opposition lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung gathered outside the venue, where the Hong Kong leader gave a speech.

The demonstrators called for the release of political prisoners in China and carried a mock coffin and threw hell money next to it.

Additionally, a group of pro-democracy lawmakers interrupted Leung's speech, shouting, "CY step down!"

Also on Saturday, several pro-Beijing supporters wearing red T-shirts took to the streets of Hong Kong waving large Chinese flags and shouting slogans such as "we are Chinese" and "oppose Hong Kong independence."

Hong Kong witnessed 79 days of street demonstrations and occupations two years ago.

The Umbrella Movement was created during the 2014 protests that erupted after the Chinese government introduced an election law, under which the people of Hong Kong will have to elect their next leader from a list of Beijing-vetted candidates in 2017.

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Defense Minister: Iran's role decisive in regional equations

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Shahr-e Kord, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Prov, Oct 2, IRNA -- The Islamic Republic of Iran ranks among independent and powerful countries in the world, Iran's defense minister says.

'Iran plays a decisive role in regional equations,' Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan said on Saturday in a meeting of the provincial administrative council in Iran's southwestern provincial capital city of Shahr-e Kord.

'Today the world is counting on Iran and the Islamic Republic is capable of affecting regional equations,' General Dehghan said.

He said that this tends to establish a big asset for the country and the Iranian people.

'Iran in the region is the most stable, powerful and secure country and compared to its neighbors the Islamic Republic has the best economic situation,' he said.

The Iranian defense minister also said the Islamic Republic is the only country that could claim it is seriously fighting terrorism, extremism and violence.

'By relying on its power and supremacy, the Islamic Republic of Iran can assert their stance on the global scene.'

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Shamkhani: Drones account for significant part of Iran deterrent power

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 1, IRNA -- Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said on Saturday that drones - unmanned aerial vehicles - are significant part of Iran's deterrent power along with missiles.

Shamkhani made the remarks speaking on the sidelines of a visit to an exhibition where the latest achievements of IRGC Aerospace Force in the area of drone technology were put on display.

Appreciating the efforts made by IRGC Aerospace Force, Shamkhani said that in the industry of military drones, the power of conducting research, production, range development, time-setting of the flights, carrying weapons, surveillance and precision in shooting are the main factors of superiority which can change the balance of power.

He said that Iran's defensive and offensive power is complicated, multidimentional and based on the domestic capability and religious teachings and that Iran disavows aggression and expansionism.

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Iran JCPOA commitments carried out to the letter: IAEA

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 8:52PM

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that Iran has carried out its commitments to the historic nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

"I can certify that Tehran respects its commitments to the letter. The Iranians are doing what they promised the international community," said IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano during an interview with the French daily Le Monde on Saturday.

The July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), struck between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, envisaged Tehran scaling back its nuclear program in return for the lifting of all nuclear-related sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

"The deal is being implemented since January without any particular problem," he noted. "There was a small incident in February: the stock of heavy water very slightly exceeded the limit set -- 130 tones. But we immediately signaled that to Iran which took all the necessary measures."

In September, the IAEA once again confirmed Iran's commitment to the landmark nuclear agreement, with Amano at the time noting that the agency would continue evaluating the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran.

In a quarterly report on Iran on September 8, Iran's commitment to the nuclear agreement was confirmed by the IAEA which is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the JCPOA.

Since January, the IAEA has released regular reports confirming the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities and Tehran's commitment to the agreement.

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No country can set conditions for 'independent' Iran: Zarif

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 6:53PM

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says no foreign state can impose conditions on an "independent" country like Iran.

"No one can set conditions for Iran and Iran is an independent country," Zarif told reporters on Saturday.

He made the remarks in response to an earlier demand by German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel who told online weekly magazine Der Spiegel on Friday that Iran could have normal and friendly relations with Germany "only when it accepted Israel's right to exist."

Gabriel plans to visit Iran at the head of a large delegation of business executives to discuss possible business deals after last year's historic nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries.

As part of the deal, Iran has agreed to limit certain aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of all nuclear-related sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Zarif dismissed the German official's call and said, "Our policies are clear and [officials of] different countries travel to Iran in the knowledge that that the country's policies are constructive."

"Our country is the main country fighting against terrorism in the region," the top Iranian diplomat said.

He added that Iran has been resisting foreign bullying over the past 37 years "while it is a peace-seeking country."

"Iran is a country that has stood up to Daesh and terrorism; therefore, having relations with Iran should be an honor for all," Zarif said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi also on Saturday rejected Germany's demand and emphasized that Tehran would never drop support for the Palestinians.

"Ties between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Germany are based on mutual respect and interests, and no precondition would be acceptable in this regard," Qassemi said.

The Iranian spokesperson added, "The Islamic Republic considers defending the rights of the people of Palestine to be a fixed plank of its foreign policy and will never and under no circumstances forsake the Palestinian cause."

Germany had been Iran's biggest European trading partner for decades before a series of sanctions were tightened against the Islamic Republic under the pretext of its nuclear program.

Almost immediately after the conclusion of the deal, the German government sent Gabriel to Tehran at the head of a major delegation to discuss post-sanctions business opportunities in the Islamic Republic.

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Iran, Pakistan hold joint naval exercise in waters off Karachi coast

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 6:12PM

The 43rd flotilla of the Iranian Navy has participated in a joint relief and rescue drill with Pakistani naval forces in waters off the port city of Karachi.

Following necessary coordination among the Iranian commanders of the flotilla and Pakistani naval forces, the joint maritime drill began off the coast of Karachi on Saturday, with the main focus on naval rescue and relief operations.

Several exercises were carried out during the joint maneuver such as search and rescue training, helicopter vertical reference training, telecommunication exercises using flags, lights, radiographs and the formation and combination of the surface vessels of Iran and Pakistan according to pre-determined scenarios.

The 43rd flotilla, consisting of Lavan logistic warship, Falakhan and Khanjar missile-equipped warships, Konarak troop-carrier warship and a domestically-manufactured helicopter took part in the drill.

The commanders of the Iranian fleet also plan to meet with Pakistani naval commanders and officials and visit floating units in a bid to boost maritime training and interaction between the two neighboring countries.

The 43rd Iranian flotilla berthed at the port of Karachi on September 27.

In recent years, the Iranian Navy has increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.

In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been also conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 in order to safeguard merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries.

Iran's Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tanker ships during its missions in international waters.

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Iran's IRGC unveils new combat drone

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 11:10AM

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has unveiled the recently-manufactured combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called Saeqeh (thunderbolt).

The drone was put on show on Saturday at an expo showcasing the latest achievements by the IRGC's Aerospace Division in the UAV industry.

Saeqeh is a long-range drone capable of carrying four smart and precision-guided bombs. It can strike targets with high precision.

It is one of the Simorgh class drones, which is the Iranian version of the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft.

Iran downed a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft with minimal damage. The drone was flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, near the Afghan border, when it was brought down.

Almost three years later, the Islamic Republic produced its version of the RQ-170 drone.

Commenting on the latest achievements by the IRGC forces, Commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said that Iran is among the top four countries in the world in the drone industry.

Hajizadeh further said that the US is seeking to equal Iran in the production of stealth drones and bombers.

Reflecting on Saeqeh, the commander said that it is the latest Iranian UAV and is capable of hitting targets and returning to base intact.

He further noted that Iran will not halt its development of drones, saying, "The enemy is continuing down the path of hostility, and we should continue our course for reinforcing our might for defense against the enemy."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hajizadeh said that today Iran has better aviation systems and equipment than the US and expressed hope that one day Iran will have the same might in the UAV industry as in the missile sector.

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

Iran has also conducted military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and state-of-the-art army equipment.

The Islamic Republic maintains that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.

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Iraqi forces seize Daesh central telecom network in Sharqat

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 2:42AM

Iraqi pro-government Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units, has managed to discover and neutralize the central telecommunication network of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the central-northern province of Salahuddin.

According to a report published on Iraq's al-Masalah news website, the intelligence unit of the forces found the network, including a collection of devices designed for long-distance communication, huge wireless sets and their batteries, in the recently-liberated city of Sharqat, some 80 kilometers south of the city of Mosul, on Friday.

The report added that the heavily camouflaged systems were used by terrorists to make contact with other members of the terror group in Mosul, Daesh's de facto capital in Iraq, and Hawijah in Kirkuk province, among other places.

Iraqi forces took full control of Sharqat on September 22, and raised the national Iraqi flag over government buildings there, after the city fell to Daesh in 2014.

Iraqi forces are preparing for a major offensive to liberate Mosul, Daesh's last major bastion on Iraqi soil. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has, time and again, pledged that the country's forces will win back the city by the end of the year.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive there more than two years ago, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.

The militants have been committing heinous crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.

Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.

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South Korean president urges North Koreans to defect

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 2:7PM

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has urged North Koreans to defect to the South, two days after a North Korean soldier crossed the heavily protected border into the southern neighbor's territory.

Speaking at a ceremony in commemoration of the South Korean Armed Forces Day on Saturday, Park invited both rank-and-file troops and North Korean citizens to come to the "bosom of freedom" in South Korea.

"We will keep the road open for you to find hope and live a new life. Please come to the bosom of freedom in the South whenever you want," President Park said in a rare message directly addressing people residing in the North.

"We are well aware of the gruesome realities you face. The universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and welfare are the precious rights you should also enjoy," she said, adding that there had been persistent defections, even by North Korean elites who used to support Pyongyang.

Last month, Seoul announced that North Korea's deputy ambassador in London had defected with his family to South Korea, claiming that he had been the highest-ranking Pyongyang diplomat to date to abandon the country.

On Thursday morning, a North Korean soldier crossed the tightly-kept border line into South Korea. No exchange of fire was reported during his defection.

On April 12, a dozen waitresses and their boss, all North Korean citizens who had been working at a restaurant in China, also defected to the South, making headlines as a rare group defection. Pyongyang, at the time, accused Seoul of luring and abducting the people.

A large majority of North Korean defectors are said to prefer to cross into China through its porous border and then set off toward South Korea. It is rare for North Koreans seeking to defect to venture directly into the South through the heavily controlled border.

According to official figures provided by South Korea, nearly 30,000 people from North Korea have so far managed to defect to the South since the conclusion of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

The three-year bloody war ended with a truce, not a peace accord, which has left the two countries technically at war, locked the Korean Peninsula in a cycle of military rhetoric, and separated them by the so-called Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a strip of land stretching across the peninsula and serving as a buffer zone.

The DMZ is 250 kilometers long and about four kilometers wide, and unlike its name, it is a heavily fortified zone, guarded with armed sentries, minefields and barbed wire fences, making it one of the most protected areas in the world.

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Lavrov Accuses U.S. Of Trying To Protect Militant Extremists In Syria

RFE/RL September 30, 2016

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the United States of trying to protect a militant extremist group in Syria in its effort to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Lavrov made the accusations in an interview with BBC World News on September 30.

He said Washington had vowed to "take as a priority an obligation to separate" some opposition fighters in Syria from the former Al-Qaeda affiliate once known as Al-Nusra Front.

But Lavrov accused the United States of failing to do so.

The Russian foreign minister said Russia has "more and more reasons to believe that from the very beginning the plan was to spare Al-Nusra and to keep it just in case for Plan B or stage two, when it would be time to change the regime."

Moscow has repeatedly accused the United States of failing in its commitment to persuade rebel forces to distance themselves from militant groups such as Al-Nusra, which changed its name to Fateh al-Sham Front in July after renouncing its ties to Al-Qaeda.

Lavrov told the BBC he would speak with Kerry about the issue again on September 30.

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said on the same day that it was difficult to continue to believe in a diplomatic process for Syria considering the events happening there on the ground.

Meanwhile, Russian news agencies on September 30 quoted Lavrov as saying that a cease-fire deal on Syria that Moscow agreed with Washington was still working.

He also said Russia was not using banned weapons in Syria and demanded evidence from those accusing Moscow of hitting civilian targets with air strikes in Aleppo's opposition-controlled east.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on September 29 that Washington was on the verge of suspending talks with Russia cooperation in Syria over the collapse of the cease-fire on September 19.

Since then, Russian and Syrian warplanes have unleashed devastating bombardments of rebel-held neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo.

Together with rebel fighters, some 250,000 civilians are surrounded by Syrian government forces in those parts of Aleppo.

Kerry's comments came hours after the Kremlin dismissed an earlier U.S. threat to suspend cooperation with Moscow in Syria, and said Russian forces would continue to support a government offensive on rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, BBC, Interfax, and TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria-lavrov-accuses- u-s-al-nusra/28024927.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 to impose sanctions on Russia if Syria talks fail: State Dept.

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 5:23PM

The United States considers imposing more sanctions on Russia, if it fails to come up with a solution to the conflict in Syria, according to a spokesperson.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Friday that Washington needs to consider putting more economic pressure on Russia in an attempt to reach an agreement with it on Syria.

"[That] is another valid option, one among many that we're looking at," Toner said, referring to anti-Russia sanctions.

The US has already imposed an array of sanctions against Russia since 2014, when clashes between the US-backed government in Kiev and pro-Russia forces erupted in eastern Ukraine. The US and EU have accused Russia of playing a role in Ukraine's conflict. Moscow, however, denies the allegations.

Toner accused Russia of making a difficult situation "more confused," by increasing military action in Syria. He said Moscow was driving militant groups closer to Daesh terrorists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, however, accused Washington of protecting the Takfiri Jabhat Fateh al-Sham group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

Moscow and Washington now have a variety of disagreements over Syria, which has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. After several rounds of failed talks over the Syrian crisis, the US warned it might stop co-operating with Moscow.

A ceasefire deal, which was reached on September 9, did only last for seven days. Damascus refused to extend it after US-led air raids killed 83 of its army forces and wounded some 100 others at a military base in the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr in violation of the truce.

The deal was meant to lead to joint Russian-US air strikes on Daesh terrorists and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. But many of the US-backed militants, who fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, have now begun forming a strategic alliance with the group and fight alongside it.

In September 2014, the US and some of its allies started conducting airstrikes inside Syria against Daesh terrorists, many of whom were initially trained by the CIA to fight against the Syrian government.

Russia also launched its own air offensive one year later against the terrorists. According to analysts, The Russian campaign has broken the backbone of Daesh and other militants, and has provided the Assad government an opportunity to defeat the foreign-sponsored terrorist onslaught.

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Syrians want militants out of Qudsaya

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 4:48PM

People in Qudsaya near the Syrian capital Damascus have demonstrated against the presence of armed groups in the town.

Thousands of people gathered at the main square of Qudsaya, located about 10 kilometers northwest of Damascus, on Saturday, protesting against continued bloodshed in the town, which they said had resulted from the presence of militants.

Demonstrators urged the government to ignore an initiative meant for reconciliation with the militants.

The official news agency SANA said the protesters also called for a swift evacuation of the militants from the town. The government should accelerate talks with groups that are genuine in their peace objectives, the demonstrators demanded.

SANA said gunfire erupted during the demonstration and armed men fired shots to disperse protesters. There was no immediate report of casualties.

The demonstration came a day after hundreds of people staged a similar protest following the Friday prayer in the town, calling on the government to clearly define the legal status of various armed and opposition groups operating there.

Syria announced last November that about 120 militants and their families had been evacuated from Qudsaya to an unknown place as part of the government's reconciliation plans with certain groups.

The surge in violence in Qudsaya reportedly came after some armed groups violated a nationwide truce agreement last month. The accord, which had come through a deal between the United States and Russia, failed to reduce hostilities on the ground, especially in and around the northwestern city of Aleppo, where the government has been fighting an array of armed groups. Damascus then rejected international offers to extend the truce, saying militants had repeatedly violated the agreement as it was the case in Qudsaya.

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Syrian jets strike militant positions in west-central Hama

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 11:9AM

Syrian fighter jets have reportedly carried out a string of airstrikes against the positions of foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants in the country's west-central province of Hama.

On Saturday, Syrian military aircraft launched a number of aerial attacks against militant bases in the towns of Maardas and Kafr Zita, which lie in the northern sector of the province and more than 210 kilometers north of the capital, Damascus, killing scores of terrorists and injuring many more.

Four Takfiri militants were also killed when they engaged in an exchange of gunfire with government forces on the northern outskirts of the provincial capital city of Hama.

Elsewhere, in the Suleiman al-Halabi and Bustan al-Basha districts of the northwestern city of Aleppo, fierce skirmishes were going on between Syrian army units and foreign-backed terrorists on Saturday.

Additionally, Syrian soldiers managed to establish control over a hilltop overlooking the Handarat refugee camp in northern Aleppo, leaving a large of militants dead and several others injured.

At least 23 Daesh terrorists were also killed when Syrian soldiers retook the Um Aboud hilltop in the southwestern part of Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.

Moreover, skirmishes were underway between Syrian government forces and Daesh terrorists near the Sha'er gas field, al-Sawwan hill and Huwaisis Village in the eastern part of the western province of Homs.

Syrian jets also bombarded militant positions in the Khan Sheikh district, the town of Deir Khaibah and the Zakiyah region in the western suburbs of Damascus, killing 17 Takfiri terrorists and injuring several others.

In the northern border city of Jarabulus, militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army turned on each other and engaged in a bloody infighting. There were no immediate reports on the number of casualties.

Separately, a civilian lost his life and several others sustained injuries when a landmine went off in Kaljibrin Village in Aleppo Province.

Terror group says not at war with Israel

Meanwhile, a figure with of the so-called Jaish al-Islam militant group says his fellow militants do not seek war with Israel.

"We have no intention to make war against anyone except for the Syrian regime. Our aim now is to get rid of the Syrian regime," Mohammed Alloush said.

His remarks come amid the Syrian government's repeated statements that Israel together with its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri militant groups operating inside the violence-wracked Arab country.

Moreover, the Syrian army has repeatedly seized huge quantities of Israeli-made weapons and advanced military equipment from the foreign-backed militants inside Syria.

The conflict in Syria, which flared up in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people, according to an estimate by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

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US supporting Nusra Front terrorists: Syria

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 8:59AM

Syria's ambassador to the United Nations says the US and its allies are using Nusra Front terrorists as a shield to protect what they call "moderate" militants in Syria.

"The American administration is not genuine and not serious about combating al-Nusra Front terrorists, which is a terrorist entity according to the Security Council list," Bashar al-Ja'afari told Russia Today on Friday.

Ja'afari said the UN is turning a blind eye to reports from its own staff members who witnessed hospitals in Aleppo becoming "occupied" by foreign-sponsored militants.

He also said Washington has never had a solid plan to help resolve the ongoing crisis in Syria.

"The United States had never had a 'Plan A' to move to 'Plan B,' Washington had a 'Plan B,' they never worked out a 'Plan A,'" Ja'afari said.

He said the West is one of the root causes of the Syria conflict.

Nusra using Aleppo residents as a shield

Militants of al-Nusra Front, recently renamed as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, are using civilians in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo as human shields amid government operations in the area, Ja'afari said.

Al-Nusra is "using them as human shields and preventing them from getting out of the eastern part of Aleppo through the four humanitarian corridors opened by both the Russians and Syrian army," he said.

On July 28, the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria and Syrian government forces set up a number of humanitarian corridors in Aleppo in a bid to allow aid deliveries and safe exit for those willing to leave the divided city.

'Ready for peace'

Ja'afari further stressed that the Damascus government is prepared to cooperate with related parties on the restoration of lasting peace in the country.

"We are ready to go for a political settlement. We went to Geneva, we went to Moscow, we went everywhere for a political settlement. However, it should be a Syrian-Syrian settlement, it should be political, it should be without any foreign interference," he said.

The Syrian conflict, which flared up in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people, according to an estimate by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

Ja'afari said the conflict in Syria has "a rather geopolitical dimension."

"This is what Moscow got from the beginning, this is what Beijing got from the beginning, this is what Tehran got from the beginning. The issue is much much bigger," he said.

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Kerry 'Frustrated' Syrian Diplomacy Not Backed With U.S. Force Threat

RFE/RL October 01, 2016

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry admits being "frustrated" after losing an argument with the White House to back up diplomatic efforts to end the war in Syria with the threat of using U.S. military force, The New York Times reported on September 30.

The newspaper said it obtained an audio recording of a 40-minute discussion Kerry had with a group of antiregime Syrians at the Dutch Mission to the United Nations on September 22.

The approximately 20 participants included representatives of four groups that provide education, rescue, and medical services in rebel-held areas of Syria, and diplomats from three or four countries, The Times said.

The meeting took place days after a cease-fire Kerry had negotiated with Russia had collapsed and rebel-held areas of the Syrian city of Aleppo were coming under heavy air strikes as Moscow and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

The Times said Kerry repeatedly complained that his diplomacy had not been backed by a serious threat of military force.

"I think you're looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument," Kerry said in one of several audio clips posted on The Times' website.

"We're trying to pursue the diplomacy, and I understand it's frustrating. You have nobody more frustrated than we are," Kerry said.

The recording was made by a non-Syrian who attended the session, the newspaper said, adding that several other participants confirmed its authenticity.

It has been widely reported that Kerry pushed President Barack Obama to take a more robust path in Syria, to give teeth to international efforts to force Assad aside and end a civil war now heading into its sixth year.

But Washington's top diplomat has been careful to present a united front with the White House in public, particularly as he has spearheaded repeated attempts to work out a cease-fire deal and a revival of peace talks between the warring parties.

Russian forces joined the Syrian war a year ago, tipping the balance of power in favor of Assad, who is also supported by Iranian ground forces and Shi'ite militia fighters from Lebanon and Iraq.

The Times said several people in the meeting pressed Kerry on what they saw as contradictions in U.S. policy. They expressed frustration that U.S. efforts in their country are focused on fighting the Islamic State group and not on Assad or his allies.

One woman, Marcell Shehwaro, asked "how many Syrians" had to be killed to prompt serious action by the United States.

Kerry responded that "Assad's indifference to anything" could push the Obama administration to consider new options, The Times said, but he also said that "any further American effort to arm rebels or join the fight could backfire."

State Department spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on what he described as a private conversation.

With reporting by The New York Times, Reuters, and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/kerry-frustrated- syrian-diplomacy-not-backed-with- us-force-threat/28025468.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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Moscow Warns U.S. On Syria As Air, Ground Assault On Aleppo Rages

RFE/RL October 01, 2016

Russia has cautioned the United States not to attack Syrian government forces because such a move would "lead to terrible, tectonic consequences not only" in Syria "but also in the region as a whole."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also warned that regime change in Syria would leave a void that "terrorists of all stripes" would "quickly fill."

The unusually blunt language comes with Washington weighing its options as Russian and Syrian army forces continue stepped-up air strikes to support a ground offensive by embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces against rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo.

Those air strikes were blamed by an activist group that monitors the Syrian fighting for the barrel-bombing of one of Aleppo's largest hospitals, putting the facility out of service. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on October 1 that at least one person was killed and more injured after the bombardment by unidentified jets.

U.S.-Russian tensions have escalated since the breakdown of a Syrian cease-fire late last month, with each side blaming the other for its failure.

The United States, Turkey, and their allies blame Assad for atrocities that include the use of chemical weapons against his own people and have called for his removal and have armed Syrian fighters to battle Assad's forces and the Islamist militant group Islamic State (IS), which controls swaths of Syria and Iraq.

Russia has waged a yearlong bombing campaign to keep longtime ally Assad in power and to fight groups that it regards as "international terrorists," including IS.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on September 30 accused the United States and its allies on Syria of a refusal to distinguish between the anti-Assad opposition and terrorist groups like the Al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Nusra Front.

"About the situation in Aleppo," Lavrov said, "the entire problem derives from the fact the United States and the coalition led by the United States cannot and refuses, basically, to separate the opposition from Nusra and the terrorist groups who joined Nusra."

Rebels and a monitoring group said on October 1 that the Russian and Syrian air strikes are focused on major supply lines into rebel-held areas, while fighting rages in the Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood, the front line to the north of Aleppo's Old City.

Rescue workers in the city said on September 30 that strikes on rebel-held residential areas included the use of incendiary and phosphorous bombs, causing extensive casualties, damage, and fires.

Doctors Without Borders on September 30 urged the Syrian government and its allies to "halt the indiscriminate bombing [in Aleppo] that has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians -- many of them children."

Meanwhile, The New York Times quoted U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as telling antiregime Syrian representatives that he was "frustrated" after losing an argument within the Obama administration to back up diplomatic efforts to end the war in Syria with the threat of U.S. military force.

The newspaper cited an audio recording of a 40-minute discussion Kerry had with 20 or so participants at the Dutch Mission to the United Nations on September 22, including representatives of four groups that provide education, rescue, and medical services in rebel-held areas of Syria, and diplomats from three or four countries.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom issued a tweet on October 1 that echoed other Western criticism of the Russian and Syrian governments' actions in the conflict:

UN special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura this week called recent fighting some of "the worst...during the near six years of this devastating conflict" and said nearly 2 million people in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, are without running water.

The five-year conflict has killed more than 250,000 Syrians and displaced around half the country's prewar population, or around 11 million people.

In addition to Russia, Assad is also supported by Iranian ground forces and Shi'ite militia fighters from Lebanon and Iraq.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria-aleppo- fighting-rages-air-strikes/28025773.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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Water Supply Cut in Syria's Aleppo as Fighting Breaks Out Near Pumping Station

Sputnik News

19:14 01.10.2016

Airstrikes in Suleiman al-Halabi in the area of the water pumping station caused the suspension of water supply in the Syrian city of Aleppo, according to a pro-government militia member.

ALEPPO (Sputnik)  The supply of fresh water to the Syrian city of Aleppo has been suspended due to heavy fighting between militants and government forces near a water pumping station in the eastern Suleiman al-Halabi district, a pro-government militia member said Saturday.

"There have been airstrikes in Suleiman al-Halabi in the area of the water pumping station. Engineers cannot perform work there now, as the front line passes nearby and the militants are keeping the station under heavy fire," the militia representative told RIA Novosti.

On Friday, the Syrian army began to advance from the government-held district of Midan into Suleiman al-Halabi. Several residential buildings have been captured and fierce fighting continues.

Fighting in Aleppo has escalated over the past few weeks, with the Syrian army and local militia forces having managed to encircle large groups of militants in eastern districts of Aleppo. Government troops began to advance after the September 12 ceasefire collapsed. Syria and Russia have stressed that the militants did not observe the ceasefire, while the United States failed to distinguish terrorists from moderate opposition groups.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition groups, as well as terrorist formations.

 Sputnik

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Taiwan to continue seeking to join international community: president

ROC Central News Agency

2016/10/01 22:05:55

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () said Saturday that Taiwan will continue its efforts to seek to participate in international organizations, despite facing increasing pressure from China.

Addressing an academic seminar to mark the 20th anniversary of the first presidential election by popular vote in Taiwan, organized by the Wu San-lien Foundation for Taiwan Historical Materials in Taipei, a non-government organization, Tsai predicted that Taiwan's bids to take part in international community activities will face stronger challenges and difficulties in the future, but said that the country's efforts in this regard will not be suspended.

"Our every effort will leave a legacy and will make Taiwan's determination and its people more visible in the international community," Tsai said.

"We will continue to develop substantive cooperation relations with other countries based on sincere and honest friendship," she added.

The president cited Taiwan's aborted bid to participate in this year's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly currently being held in Montreal, Canada as an example, saying that although Taiwan has not been invited to attend the triennial conference, not only its diplomatic allies but also the United States, Japan, European nations and international media have expressed their support for its participation.

It is widely believed that Taiwan's failure to get invited to attend this year's ICAO meeting was due to objections from Beijing.

Taiwan was represented by then-Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Shen Chi () in the ICAO's last assembly held in September, 2013.

Shen attended the meeting as a special guest of then-ICAO Council President Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, under the designation Chinese Taipei -- the name Taiwan often has to use when taking part in international events.

Before Shen's participation in 2013, the last time Taiwan attended an ICAO assembly was in 1971, when it participated under the name Republic of China, just months before it lost its seat at the United Nations to Beijing.

(By Sophia Yeh and Romulo Huang)

ENDITEM/J

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Turkish troops will remain in Iraq, Syria for another year

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 7:13PM

Turkish lawmakers have almost overwhelmingly approved extension by another year of Ankara's cross-border military incursions into Syria and Iraq.

The Turkish parliament on Saturday, the first day of the new legislative year, authorized the government to further hold troops in the two southern neighbors until September 30, 2017, based on a mandate which was first approved by the parliament in October 2014 and was renewed for another year in September 2015.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, also known as the HDP, voted against the bill, while the ruling Justice and Development Party, also called the AKP, the secular opposition Republican People's Party, also known as the CHP, and the Nationalist Movement Party, also known as the MHP, supported it.

Ankara claims that these operations are aimed at curbing the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group, and to further strengthen pro-Turkey militants fighting against these two groups in Iraq and Syria.

"The extension of the mandate will support the government's ongoing actions to end terror threats permanently and will be a dissuasive factor against terrorist groups Daesh and PKK," Defense Minister Fikri Isik was quoted by the country's state-run Anadolu news agency as saying prior to parliament's voting session.

The minister added that the mandate would enable Ankara to implement all kinds of necessary measures against these groups within the framework of international law.

Using the existing mandate, Ankara, in December 2015, first deployed some 150 soldiers equipped with heavy weapons and backed by 20 to 25 tanks to Bashiqa, located on the outskirts of Mosul, the capital of Iraq's Nineveh province and the country's second-largest city, which has been under the control of Daesh since June 2014.

Ankara claimed the deployment was part of a mission to train and equip Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the fight against Daesh. Baghdad rejected the claim, saying it did not need the Turkish military assistance in the fight.

The Iraqi government condemned the unilateral move, calling it a sheer violation of Iraq's sovereignty. Baghdad even turned to the United Nations Security Council to force Turkey to withdraw its troops from northern Iraq.

Also under the same mandate, Turkish troops, backed by tanks and warplanes, entered the Syrian territory in September in a sudden incursion which resulted in the occupation of Jarablus after Daesh left the city without resistance. Damascus has strongly denounced the incursion, slamming it as a "flagrant breach" of the Syrian sovereignty.

The Turkish claims that it is hitting terrorists in Syria come as Ankara has been accused of supporting anti-Damascus militants inside the Arab country.

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Adoption of New Constitution Top Priority for Turkey - Erdogan

Sputnik News

20:18 01.10.2016

Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan said that Turkey "should materialize a constitution change."

ANKARA (Sputnik)  Turkey urgently needs to adopt a new constitution, which is a number one priority for the country, President Tayyip Recep Erdogan said Saturday.

"First we should materialize a constitution change. I think that the recent steps are important," Erdogan said, speaking at the opening of the fall parliamentary session, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily newspaper.

In July, following the military coup attempt in the country, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the works on the draft of the new constitution had already begun.

The Turkish president seeks to hold a referendum to abandon the parliamentary system established in Turkey by the 1923 Constitution in favor of an executive presidency. The country's opposition is against Erdogan's proposal accusing him of attempts to establish the individual power regime.

 Sputnik

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Turkish Parliament Extends Mandate Allowing Use of Army Abroad for 13 Months

Sputnik News

18:55 01.10.2016(updated 19:24 01.10.2016)

The Turkish Parliament extended the mandate allowing use of the country's military abroad for 13 months.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  The Turkish Parliament on Saturday by a wide margin extended the mandate allowing use of the country's military abroad for 13 months.

The issue was on the agenda of the first convention of the autumn parliament session.

Initially, the mandate was authorized in October 2014 and was extended for a year on September 3, 2015.

 Sputnik

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Turkey Set to Open First African Military Base in Somalia

Sputnik News

17:13 01.10.2016(updated 17:34 01.10.2016)

Turkey is about to finish the construction of its first African military base in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu, media reported Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The base, at which Ankara will train about 10,000 Somalian soldiers in compliance with the bilateral security cooperation agreement, is being built with the United Nations' approval, the Garowe Online news agency reported.

Some 200 Turkish military specialists will arrive to the country soon to provide training, the media outlet said, citing its sources.

Somalia has been experiencing violence since the country devolved into civil war in the early 1990s. The collapse into anarchy has provided a breeding ground for warlords, pirates and the al-Qaeda-associated group al-Shabaab.

 Sputnik

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Britain will have 'full Brexit' from EU: UK defense secretary

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 2:28PM

The British defense minister says the United Kingdom will fully break up with the European Union (EU), dismissing calls for a "soft Brexit."

Michael Fallon said the government of Prime Minister Theresa May will not have the "soft Brexit" option on the table, The Daily Express reported on Saturday.

"It is not hard or soft, it is full Brexit," said Fallon. "We are leaving the European Union."

He said the option of soft Brexit, which was introduced by those who had supported the country's remaining in the union, would keep Britain's borders open to refugees.

The so-called hard Brexit, instead suggests surrendering access to the European Union's single market and scrapping free movement of EU nationals in return for securing control over immigration.

Leave campaigners said Brexit would give Britain back its control over immigration. There are an estimated 117,234 refugees living in the UK. This, however, is only 0.18 percent of an unprecedented 65 million people, who have been forced to flee conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East.

"It is full Brexit. We are working up a plan," said Fallon. "The Government didn't have a plan on June 24, that's because the Government was arguing for Remain.

"We weren't drawing up a plan because we were hoping to win the referendum."

Fallon stressed that "we have to make a success of the exit and that is going to require a huge amount of work on our side and the European side too."

On June 23, some 52 percent (17.4 million) of British people voted to leave the EU after 43 years of membership.

The vote results, which released on the following day, sent shock waves throughout the world and prompted former Prime Minister David Cameron to step down.

"Now we are getting down to it and plotting the negotiation strategy which will take us out," Fallon added.

While May has consistently been urged to trigger Article 50-- the formal mechanism for Britain leaving the EU-- she says it will not be triggered this year.

She has also insisted that she would not rush to show "rapid progress" in Brexit negotiations, saying the process should be "sober and considered."

Starting the negotiations would begin a two-year countdown for the UK to separate itself from Brussels.

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UK Gov't to Invest $1.7Bln in New Nuclear Submarines' Construction

Sputnik News

16:29 01.10.2016(updated 16:52 01.10.2016)

According to a press release, UK government unveiled a project to invest 1.3 billion British pounds ($1.7 billion) in the construction of the new Successor-class nuclear submarines, part of the full 178 billion-pound spending plan for Britain's military.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The UK government unveiled a project to invest 1.3 billion British pounds ($1.7 billion) in the construction of the new Successor-class nuclear submarines, part of the full 178 billion-pound spending plan for Britain's military, a press release issued on Saturday revealed.

"Britain's ballistic missile submarines are the ultimate guarantee of our nation's safety  we use them every day to deter the most extreme threats. Along with increasing the defence budget to buy new ships, planes and armoured vehicles, this shows that this Government will never gamble with our national security," Defense Secretary Michael Fallon was quoted as saying in the press release.

The current UK government has made a pledge to increase the defense budget annually until the end of the decade in order to meet the NATO commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense.

The UK parliament backed the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system in mid-July. New stealth submarines are going to replace Vanguard-class nuclear subs in service since 1990s.

The proposed replacement for the Vanguard-class of ballistic missile submarines has generated controversy over its cost.

 Sputnik

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Building to start on new nuclear submarines as government announces 1.3 billion investment

1 October 2016

Construction work will start on the UKs new nuclear submarines, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced.

Construction work will start on the UKs new nuclear submarines, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced, as he unveiled nearly 1.3 billion of new investment with BAE Systems.

The Successor project will now move into the next stage, known as Delivery Phase 1, with manufacturing work beginning on structural steel work for the auxiliary machine space of the first submarine: this contains switchboards and control panels for the reactor. The money will also be spent furthering the design of the submarine, purchasing materials and long lead items, and investing in facilities at the BAE Systems yard in Barrow-in-Furness where the submarines will be built.

As part of our 178 billion equipment plan, the programme will be supported by a defence budget that will rise every year until the end of the decade, meeting the NATO commitment to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.

At a ceremonial event at the BAE Systems yard  the home of British submarine construction  next week, Mr Fallon will begin the work with a steel cut. Several hundreds of suppliers are expected to be involved in the programme at its peak, almost 85 per cent of those based across the UK  securing jobs from Scotland to the South of England.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

"Britains ballistic missile submarines are the ultimate guarantee of our nations safety  we use them every day to deter the most extreme threats."

"We cannot know what new dangers we might face in the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s so we are acting now to replace them."

"Along with increasing the defence budget to buy new ships, planes and armoured vehicles, this shows that this Government will never gamble with our national security."

The investment will support delivery of the manifesto commitment on which this Government was elected, to retain the Trident-based continuous at sea deterrent  the ultimate guarantee of our safety and build the new fleet of four Successor Ballistic Missile submarines: securing thousands of highly skilled jobs in the UK.

That commitment was underlined in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review and supported decisively by an overwhelming majority in Parliament on 18 July 2016, sending a strong message to the hundreds of companies involved in the submarine supply chain that they  and their tens of thousands of employees across the country  can keep planning for the future.

While visiting the BAE Systems site, the Defence Secretary will meet with the apprentices and shipyard workers who will build the UKs cutting-edge deterrent capability. Mr Fallon will also tour the Devonshire Dock Hall where Audacious, Anson and Agamemnon, the fourth, fifth and sixth of seven Astute class nuclear-powered submarines, are currently under construction.

Tony Douglas, Chief Executive Officer of the MODs Defence Equipment and Support organisation, said:

"A central part of this nations Defence, the Successor submarines will protect each and every one of us, as well as future generations."

"The Successor programme is the MODs biggest project and it will require team work, tremendous skill, commitment from our industrial partners and the UK supply chain, and close collaboration with our US allies to deliver it successfully."

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Ukraine govt., pro-Russia forces report partial weapons withdrawal

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 1, 2016 4:42PM

The warring sides in eastern Ukraine have pulled back heavy weapons in one of the three agreed locations on the front line.

Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia forces announced on Saturday that they had pulled back at the village of Zolote northwest of the city of Lugansk.

The two warring sides had agreed last month to withdraw heavy weapons in two other locations as well.

However, both sides accused each other on Saturday of being unwilling to withdraw at sites northeast of Lugansk and south of the pro-Russia fighters' stronghold of Donetsk.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is monitoring the conflict, said its military observers were unable to inspect the planned withdrawal sites because land mines had been planted in the areas.

The pro-autonomy Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk have been in war with the Ukrainian government since Kiev launched military operations in April 2014 to crush pro-Moscow protests there.

The conflict has left nearly 9,600 people dead, according to the UN.

Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of having a hand in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The US and European Union have ratcheted up sanctions on Moscow over the allegation.

Russia denies the accusation, and has imposed reciprocal sanctions on the West.

Representatives from the government in Kiev and the pro-Russia forces signed a ceasefire agreement in the Belorussian capital city of Minsk in September 2014, in a bid to halt the clashes in Ukraine's eastern regions.

The two sides agreed on 12 points, including pulling back heavy weapons, exchanging prisoners, setting up a buffer zone on the Russia-Ukraine border, and allowing access to international monitors.

The warring sides also inked another truce deal, dubbed Minsk II, in February 2015 under the supervision of Russia, Germany and France.

Despite the ceasefire agreements, tensions between the two sides remain high.

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Lugansk People's Republic Completes Troops Pullout Near Ukraine's Zolote Town

Sputnik News

15:45 01.10.2016(updated 15:56 01.10.2016)

The self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic completed the pullback of troops and military equipment in the military zone in the area of Zolote, according to people's militia headquarters.

LUGANSK (Sputnik)  The self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic carried out the withdrawal of troops and military equipment near the town of Zolote in Ukraine's southeast, people's militia headquarters said Saturday.

On September 21, the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis that comprises Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) concluded a framework agreement in Minsk to pull government troops and local militia apart at three locations in eastern Ukraine, including Zolote.

"Lugansk People's Republic completed the pullback of troops and military equipment in the [military] zone in the area of Zolote," people's militia told RIA Novosti.

In February 2015, a peace deal was signed between Ukraine's conflicting sides in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, after talks of the Normandy Four countries, comprising Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

The accord stipulates a full ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, an all-for-all prisoner exchange and constitutional reforms, which would give a special status to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics.

Kiev launched a special military operation in Ukraine's southeast in April 2014, after local residents refused to recognize the new Ukrainian authorities, which came to power as a result of a coup.

 Sputnik

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Danville has spent about $5.5 million for blight eradication  and demolished about 400 derelict buildings in the city since 2012. Another 195 have been demolished by private property owners, according to the deputy city manager.

A housing study had found that about 2,000 houses were deteriorating, unoccupied and/or abandoned.

Since then, $6.46 million has been allocated for the blight eradication capital improvement plan, said Deputy City Manager Earl Reynolds. The city has a balance of $898,895 in that budget, Reynolds said during an interview Thursday at city hall.

Since implementing blight eradication, the city has done a good job cleaning up those properties, said City Manager Ken Larking.

 Theres always work to be done, but the city has done a remarkable job, he said.

Larking, who served on a panel in Baltimore, Maryland, last week at a conference on the citys blight eradication efforts, told the Danville Register & Bee that city officials have been working with Realtors, bankers and the Danville Regional Foundation to create a nonprofit community development corporation to help homeowners and prospective homeowners invest or reinvest in their properties.

The city began that effort about a year ago, Larking said. The corporations board of directors is recruiting a director to begin those activities, he said.

Formation of the group was one of the recommendations from a 2014 study conducted by CZB, LLC in Alexandria, Larking said.

 Removal of blight is not just demolition, Larking said. Its a combination of strategies by making sure homes are reinvested in.

More neighborhood-serving amenities  such as converting old structures into businesses  were also a recommendation, Larking said. Rick Barkers and Steve DelGiornos plans to open a coffee/wine bar Crema & Vine  at the former Exxon at 1009 Main St. are an example, Larking said.

 Were going to look at ways to do more of that, Larking said.

Danville has turned more than $30 million in city investment in the River District into more than $100 million in private investment there, he pointed out. Were trying to replicate that within residential neighborhoods, Larking said.

Mayor John Gilstrap said the city has made tremendous strides in its efforts to get rid of blight.

 Were doing much better, Gilstrap said. We have not eliminated blight, but were making good strides.

He pointed to the Old West End and Schoolfield areas as examples.

Danville takes two steps forward and one step back in its blight eradication, he said. The city needs to eliminate blight at 200-plus properties per year, and if 100 more properties become blighted annually, youre 100 better, Gilstrap said.

Reynolds said he expects about $750,000 to be requested for addition to the blight eradication capital improvement plan budget for 2017-18. The city requested about $1.5 million for the current budget year, but was given $1 million.

Danvilles strategy for blighted structures and now-vacant land  the ones owned by the city  has been to keep them mowed and free of litter, and to consolidate them into larger properties, Reynolds said, citing areas in the Monument-Berryman neighborhood as an example.

For blighted properties, the building inspections department inspects it and notifies the owner of any code violations, Reynolds said. If they are not corrected, the case goes to court and if the owner still doesnt remedy the problem, a demolition order is issued.

An environmental report is done on the property before its demolished, in case there is lead-based paint, asbestos or other issues, and remediation takes place if there are hazards found, Reynolds said.

Once a structure is declared clean, a contractor demolishes it, he said. All the costs would go into a city-issued lien on the property, and the city recoups the expenses from the property owner.

The city has also helped owners repair their properties, Reynolds said.

 We have acquired properties to protect and stabilize them and get them into the hands of people who will repair them and live in them, Reynolds said.

Blight eradication is vital because it affects a neighborhoods quality of life, he said.

 It certainly affects the appearance of the city, he said.

Blight also impacts the health of the community, Reynolds added. The structures can have mold and air quality issues and can become targets for criminal activity, he said. They can also attract rodents and other creatures.

Blighted properties also cost the city, which is obligated to resume services at those areas when needed, Reynolds said. Weeds grow and the city must mow them, he said.

In addition, city officials must find ways to reduce the accumulation of more blighted properties, Reynolds said.

Danville has about 8,000 properties built in the 1960s and 1970s  typical brick ranch homes where residents raised children, who have now grown and moved out. However, the parents or other relatives are still there, Reynolds said.

 At some point in time, a decision is going to have to be made about that property, he said.

It can end up as a rental until it can no longer be occupied, and thats when blight issues can occur, Reynolds said.

 How can we intercede so that doesnt happen? he said.

Crane reports for the Danville Register & Bee.
United Airlines Capt. Tommy Holloman, left, and Capt. Chuck Stewart demonstrate radio communications, right, and the Data Communications Data Comm technology, left, from the cockpit of a United Airlines Boeing 777 at Dulles International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower in Sterling, Va., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016. Data Comm gives air traffic controllers and pilots the ability to transmit flight plans, clearances, instructions, advisories, flight crew requests, and reports via a digital message service. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

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Industry was left out of Paris climate accord

By Joe Ryan, Bloomberg News (TNS)

NEW YORK  The aviation industry is supporting a United Nations proposal to limit pollution from international flights, even though the measure may eventually cost companies $24 billion annually.

Trade groups representing United Continental, Boeing and other industry leaders are pushing nations to join the agreement, which would require companies to offset their emissions growth by funding environmental initiatives. The accord, being brokered in Montreal during 11 days of talks beginning Tuesday, would be the first global climate pact targeting a single industry.

Exhaust from international flights accounts for about 2 percent of global greenhouse gases, yet was largely omitted from the Paris accord on climate change last year because delegates feared divvying up responsibility for global routes could derail the broader deal. With aviation emissions forecast to triple by 2050, airlines believe that regional or global regulation is inevitable. If their pollution must be controlled, airlines would prefer a single international standard, saying it would be far cheaper and easier than following a patchwork of local programs.

"We recognize that as an industry, we have an impact on climate change," said Michael Gill, executive director of the Air Transport Action Group, which represents airlines, engine makers, airports and pilots. "The industry is willing to pay its share. We just want to pay our share in the most economic way possible."

To be clear, the 15-year agreement would not force airlines to cut their pollution. Instead, companies would compensate for any emissions growth after the accord begins in 2020 by buying credits that back renewable energy development, forest preservation or other environmental endeavors. Airlines estimate the annual industrywide cost may be as much as $23.9 billion by 2035, or 1.8 percent of projected revenue.

If the U.N.-sponsored deal fails, companies run the risk of facing even costlier regulation if Europe or others push ahead with regional plans.

Environmentalists also are pushing for the deal in Montreal, saying it's an important first step that can be improved over time. Yet they criticize the current proposal for relying on voluntary participation during the first six years. And they say the low cost of environmental offsets could let companies off easy.

"It's peanuts," said Bill Hemmings, of the Brussels-based environmental group Transport & Environment. "It gets them off the hook. Without enforced safeguards, it's a massive green-washing exercise."

Nonetheless, supporters of the accord say it's a critical piece of the effort to stave off erratic floods, droughts and other dire impacts of global warming. The agreement has garnered pledges of support from at least 60 nations responsible for most aviation emissions, including the U.S., China, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea and a majority of European countries.

"The Paris Agreement alone won't solve the climate crisis," U.S. President Barack Obama said in September during a joint appearance with Chinese President Xi Jinping, when both leaders expressed support for the aviation accord.

The push for a global emissions deal rose to the top of the aviation agenda in 2012, after the European Union said it would require airlines to buy carbon permits for all flights in and out of Europe. That triggered outcry from China, Egypt, Brazil and other nations that argued the measure was beyond the E.U.'s authority. Europe agreed to suspend its effort and allow nations to negotiate an international deal.

Officials plan to finalize the agreement during the talks that begin this week, hosted by the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization. More than 2,000 delegates are expected to attend, making it the organization's largest assembly ever. Success is far from certain.

Environmentalists say the accord hinges on whether it can draw enough nations to participate during the initial voluntary phase to cover 80 to 90 percent of emissions. Several countries with fast-growing aviation sectors  including Brazil and India  have indicated they would wait until the deal becomes mandatory in 2027. They argue the accord would impose an inappropriate economic burden on developing countries trying to grow their aviation sectors.

"The interests of poor and developing countries should be taken on board," India's environment minister Anil Madhav Dave told The Times of India in August.

Officials continue to debate how to balance responsibility between large airlines that emit most emissions and small, growing carriers from developing nations.
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By Colin Campbell and Jill Knight The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) (TNS)

RALEIGH, N.C.  Comedy Centrals The Daily Show came to Raleigh recently to poke fun at House Bill 2 by operating a food truck that refused to serve gay people.

The show parked a fake barbecue business called Bone Bros. Flamin BBQ outside Trophy Brewing on Maywood Avenue and the Ruby Deluxe bar on Salisbury Street earlier this month.

I wanted to show North Carolinians what HB2 would look like in action, so I rented a food truck  and set out to refuse service to people by telling them theyre gay, Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. says at the beginning of the segment, which aired Thursday. HB2 says I can do this Jim Crow-level (expletive), and nobody can stop me.

For the record, HB2 doesnt explicitly state that businesses can refuse service to LGBT people. But it did repeal local nondiscrimination ordinances that included LGBT protections and replaced them with a statewide nondiscrimination law.

That law bans places of public accommodation such as restaurants, stores and hotels from discriminating on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, or biological sex. But it leaves two categories unprotected: sexual orientation and gender identity.

Since HB2 passed in March, there have been no reported instances of businesses citing it to refuse service to LGBT people. At least until The Daily Show came to town.

No gays allowed, said the red sign posted on the shows barbecue truck. Most of the people featured in the segment deny being gay when Wood refuses to feed them, and theyre baffled and upset by the discrimination.

Trophy owners David Lockwood and Chris Powers said The Daily Show explained the premise to them when they sought permission to film.

They approached and let us know what they were going to be doing, said Lockwood. We had a conversation about how offensive we thought it might be to guests.

The Daily Show explained the stunt to customers and bought their meals following the filming. The barbecue truck makes regular appearances at Trophy on Maywood but was specially wrapped for the filming.

These people already have to live in North Carolina, Wood says, explaining the giveaway. Thats stressful enough.

David Lockwood acknowledged the risk of taking a side but says we feel comfortable that were on the right side. He says in the end, The Daily Show is a funny way to bring up some things politely.
Contributed photos by Donnie Lunsford Rancher Ryland Howard explains the history of the Head of the River Ranch and the management practices that have been implemented over the years.

SHARE Steve Nelle shows how vegetation and woody debris holds banks together from eroding in a September workshop. Springs can be seen coming out of the fractured rock in the creek. Members of the workshop identify plants and discusses the benefits and grazing management that could be used during a September meeting with NRCS and SWCD. Landowners, ranchers and NRCS staff have one last photo standing on a downed tree that has created the bank and is now covered with eastern gamagrass.

Information will help keep water flowing

By Donnie Lunsford, Special to the Standard-Times

Most people picture a stream as an area with well-manicured grass banks and big trees with no brush underneath and a stream free of curves. If you agree, according to experts in that field, you would be wrong.

The Head of the River Ranch, just outside of Christoval, held a Riparian Health Workshop with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Tom Green Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in September.

Ryland Howard, owner of the Head of the River Ranch, gave the history of the ranch. Steve Nelle, consultant and retired NRCS biologist, led the discussion and presented multiple topics on basic hydrology, touching on base flow, undercuts, watersheds or catchments, riparian vegetation and grazing riparian areas.

Local ranchers Charley Christiansen and Drew Sykes led a discussion from a land manager's perspective based on their experience with riparian buffers. Ryan McClintock, NRCS wildlife biologist, presented information on technical and financial assistance available from the NRCS.

The nature of a Riparian area

A riparian area is defined as the interface between the uplands and the streambank. This area is actually the floodplain, or from the banks to the area where water-dependent plants stop and the upland begins.

"This ranch has been in my family since 1902, and our springs are the headwaters of the Concho River, which we can now protect since implementing a plan to increase woody and herbaceous vegetation needed to restore our riparian area," Howard said. "This has included livestock deferment for a period of 10 or more years."

A healthy river, stream, or creek system has its banks covered in vegetation with many curves, and it meanders. The grasses, sedges, rushes and trees will protect and stabilize banks and create a large floodplain to dissipate the energy of flood events. Wooden debris and large fallen trees slow the water, allowing sediment to deposit and build a healthy riparian area.

"The riparian zone is like a sponge, where the areas with tall grasses creates large pores to absorb and hold the water instead of going onto your neighbor's property and improves water quality by trapping sediment and nutrients," Nelle said. "Leave flood debris alone and keep the downed trees in the water because that is what slows down the water in future floods."

Nelle showed photos taken over a span of years from one site that illustrated the land differences after grazing was deferred and then properly managed once the vegetation was established. The photos showed improvement on a once scoured creek with little water and vegetation that turned into lush habitat with a healthy creek over the span of six to 20 years, depending on the area.

"We can't control the weather, but with the proper management a creek will fix itself 99 percent of the time through vegetation, proper grazing management and basic knowledge of hydrology," Nelle said. "You are the water managers of Texas, and vegetation is the key to fix and manage these critical areas."

The two local ranchers shared their successes, areas needing to be improved and complete failures. One manager is more of a cattleman while the other is more of a recreation-driven manager.

"You need to build the fences for the long-term in smart areas even if you must sacrifice a few acres from not being grazed," Christensen said. "Once an area is out of the program, these areas could be used as small holding areas or grazing areas for a short amount of time."

Sykes said: "Keeping your vegetation high with little to no grazing is the biggest success for me. When I first started this, everyone saw clear water and stream banks were stable and flood damage was minimal due to healthy soils and riparian area."

McClintock finished the presentation portions by introducing the NRCS's role of technical assistance, conservation planning and farm bill programs that can help landowners be good stewards of the land.

"We start by developing a conservation plan by addressing resource concerns based on the landowner's goals and objectives," McClintock said. "The NRCS can help producers implement the plan with possible financial assistance."

Howard and Nelle identified vegetation types, siltation from vegetation and woody debris, stable banks and flood plains due to the exclusion of grazing by fencing off the area. The springs that feed the headwaters of the Concho River could be seen and are now protected and function properly because of proper management.

"You can see eastern gamagrass, switchgrass and bushy bluestem along the banks with the root structures that have the stability compared to a large bolder the size of a truck," Nelle said. "These grasses and trees have huge root masses and keep woody debris and large trees in the water because that will dissipate energy and catch soil, creating new banks."

"We can develop fences and add water troughs to improve grazing management with the technical and financial assistance of the NRCS," Howard said. "I don't have all of the answers, and that is why workshops like this help. We get experts like the NRCS, Steve Nelle, and other landowners to educate others that might need to see to believe."

For more information, contact the NRCS at a local USDA service center or visit the Texas NRCS website at tx.usda.gov.

Donnie Lunsford is a public affairs specialist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Jessica Lutz/Special to the El Paso Times Roberto Lujan from Presidio and members of the American Indian Movement of Central Texas march Friday through Alpine in protest of a pipeline being built in area.

SHARE Associated Press File Native Americans protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in August in southern North Dakota. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is suing federal regulators for approving permits for the pipeline that will move oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Jessica Lutz/Special to the El Paso Times Archeologist Will Keller of Alpine documents huge mulching machines clearing the right of way through the Trap Spring Site in northern Brewster County. Opponents of Energy Transfer Partners' Trans Pecos Pipeline say that in late September, construction workers obliterated the Trap Spring site, a 5,000-year-old Indian site near Alpine, which they say is archeologically important.

Texas line allegedly ruins Trap Spring site

By Marty Schladen, USA TODAY Network Austin Bureau mschladen@gannett.com

North Dakota isn't the only place where people are up in arms over an Energy Transfer Partners pipeline project.

People say two West Texas pipelines being built by the Dallas-based company are damaging the environment, destroying cultural treasures, jeopardizing safety and giving a raw deal to the owners of land through which they pass. And, they complain, government regulators aren't protecting the public.

Energy Transfer Partners, a company run by Texas billionaire Kelcy Warren, is running 42-inch natural gas pipelines through Texas to the Mexican border, where they'll connect with pipelines owned by a company controlled by Carlos Slim, Mexico's richest man.

ETP denied claims that it isn't a good neighbor. A spokeswoman said good community relations are paramount to the company because its employees are members of those communities.

"The Energy Transfer family of companies has more than 71,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines in this country," ETP spokeswoman Vicki Granado said in an email. "We have employees that live and work in the communities through which we cross, including yours. We want the company and our employees to be valued members of every community."

However, not everybody sees it that way.

In North Dakota, the protests of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe have attracted international attention and have become a rallying cry for Native American rights. The tribe and its supporters are fighting the 1,200-mile ETP Dakota Access oil pipeline that is planned to run from North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa and then connect with an existing pipeline in Illinois.

The tribe was already upset that the pipeline would cross under the Missouri River  the tribe's water supply  just upstream from the reservation, instead of along another alignment near the state capital, Bismarck. Then on Sept. 3, when members of the Standing Rock Sioux tried to stop construction in what they regarded as a sacred site, they were set upon by private security guards with police dogs and pepper spray.

"That incident alone speaks volumes about how Energy Transfer Partners and Dakota Access treat the tribe," Steve Sitting Bear, a member of the tribe, said in an interview.

TEXAS DISPUTES

Perhaps similarly, opponents of ETP's Trans Pecos Pipeline say that in late September, construction workers obliterated the Trap Spring site, a 5,000-year-old Indian site near Alpine. Opponents say this area is archeologically important, although it hasn't received an official designation from the state or federal governments.

The Army Corps of Engineers "basically gave the pipeline company a license to roll over the countryside," said Coyne Gibson, an engineer who has worked on pipeline construction projects and now works with the Big Bend Conservation Alliance, an environmental group that opposes the Trans Pecos Pipeline. "I saw (the Trap Spring site) wiped out before my eyes."

Opponents of the project held a protest march Friday morning in Alpine.

"They scrape and they bulldoze and they make trenches," Lori Glover, an organizer, said in an interview before the march. "This is one of the most diverse desert systems in the world  the Chihuahuan Desert."

Lisa Dillinger, another spokeswoman for Energy Transfer Partners, denied the company had destroyed an archeologically significant site.

"That is flatly not true," she said in an email. "There was an undocumented archaeological site discovered by our survey teams early in the process. We submitted this site to the Texas Historic Sites Atlas and it has been determined as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Texas Historical Commission. As a result, we adjusted the route so that this site is not within the boundaries of our right of way for this project."

BULLYING ALLEGED

The conflict over the pipeline is at least partly an example of the trade-offs as policymakers try to balance people's demand for energy against the need to do something about global warming.

Many environmental scientists say that if we are to forestall catastrophic climate change, relatively clean-burning natural gas is an important bridge to a time when more renewable sources of energy are available. The two ETP pipelines running through West Texas will carry gas to Mexico, a country where demand for power is growing.

But critics of ETP's West Texas pipelines say the company has run roughshod over landowners and local communities using a process they believe is stacked against them.

Jesus "Chuy" Reyes is general manager of El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, which receives Rio Grande water from New Mexico and supplies it to El Paso County farmers and to a desert city of almost 700,000.

He said that three other companies that built pipelines under district canals in recent years followed the district's licensing procedures. But when it came to planning ETP's Comanche Trail pipeline, company officials refused, Reyes said, describing a meeting with them last year.

One official said, "I'm going to put the pipeline where we want, at the depth we want and we'll pay you what we want," Reyes said. He added, "The Legislature has made them so powerful when it comes to eminent domain."

The irrigation district and the pipeline company ended up in court when ETP invoked eminent domain. ETP won.

Late last month, as the Comanche Trail pipeline was bored under the first of the irrigation district's 16 canals it was to cross, a portion of the canal collapsed, sending district officials scrambling to get water to farmers for a critical end-season irrigation. Friday afternoon, Reyes reported that the district was now blocking Energy Transfer Partners from boring under a canal that it never sought permission to cross.

"LEGAL FICTION"

One reason ETP's West Texas projects have so much latitude is that they're treated as intrastate pipelines and thus subject to state regulation  even though the main purpose of each is to carry gas to Mexico.

That means 195 miles of the Comanche Trail Pipeline and 148 miles of the Trans Pecos Pipeline are regulated by the Texas Railroad Commission, while just over 1,000 feet of each is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The federal stretches are near San Elizario and Presidio, where the pipelines will cross under the Rio Grande to the middle of the riverbed and connect with their Mexican counterparts.

Twitter: @martyschladen
After Massive Yahoo Data Breach: Have We Learned Anything?
Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda have indicated they aim to keep their working relationship together at Mercedes.

Boss Wolff has been linked with Bernie Ecclestone's job, while F1 legend and team chairman Lauda's contract is also reportedly set to expire at the end of 2017.

Wolff told German television Sky: "We enjoy what we do here, which is the most important thing.

"We have good discussions and we'll see what way it goes," he added.

As for fellow Austrian and 64-year-old Lauda, he suggested that he is also open to inking a new Mercedes contract.

"If I am asked, I would say yes," he said.

Lauda said he often finds himself on the side of the drivers, when Wolff is attempting to manage the difficult relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

"There are times when he (Wolff) wants to have very brutal rules and then I'm the softer one who says 'They are just racing drivers'," he said.

Wolff smiled: "You must not manage them, but they also may not be left alone completely.

"The relationship between them goes in waves: there are obviously uncomfortable moments, after which they are not on very good terms with each other."

(GMM)
Ferrari has denied Kimi Raikkonen's claim that a mechanic left a flashlight in the footwell of the Finnish driver's car during practice at Sepang.

According to Germany's Bild newspaper, the Italian team initially put an unscheduled return to the pits for Raikkonen as down to "setup problems".

But Raikkonen later told Finnish television: "The mechanics left a tool in my car. It was a flashlight. I couldn't press the throttle."

Bild claims that the flashlight actually got stuck behind the throttle. Had the tool lodged behind the brake pedal instead, it may have been a safety hazard.

But when Ferrari was asked about the story, a spokesperson insisted: "No! The accelerator was a little too stiff, which is why Kimi had problems."

(GMM)
Daniil Kvyat says he is not considering the possibility that Pierre Gasly will end his F1 career at the tender age of 22.

The young Russian admits his demotion from Red Bull this year was hard to cope with, but says he now has his mind fully back on track.

"The people who helped me to overcome this difficult period will never be forgotten," he told Brazil's Globo ahead of the Malaysian grand prix.

Kvyat said one of them was Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost, but answered "no" when asked if another was Dr Helmut Marko.

Indeed, while Tost said at Sepang that Kvyat's future is in his own hands and depends on results, the one who really decides will be Marko.

And that decision could mean Kvyat is ejected from F1 altogether, and replaced at Toro Rosso with Red Bull's latest hotshoe, GP2 frontrunner Pierre Gasly.

When asked about Frenchman Gasly, Kvyat said: "I'm not interested in Gasly at all.

"I do my work here at STR, I have a good relationship with Carlos (Sainz) and I don't think about anything else."

Asked if he will be in F1 in 2017, Kvyat answered: "If I deserve it, yes. In my view yes, but my vision is not enough."

Asked if he is afraid that his F1 career could end at the age of 22, he insisted: "I'm not afraid of anything.

"Life is like that -- anything can happen. F1 is not school, this is a job. As I said, if I deserve to stay then I will stay, and if not, life is long and there are many other things to do," Kvyat added.

(GMM)
Fernando Alonso thinks the current F1 calendar is at the limit.

There are 21 races this year and there will be 21 again in 2017, but beyond that, the sport's new owner Liberty Media has talked about expanding the calendar to as many as 25 dates.

"I understand and I respect the reasons for wanting to expand further," McLaren-Honda driver Alonso is quoted by Speed Week.

"When I started in F1, we had 16 or 17 grands prix but a lot of testing between the race weekends -- we were about as busy as we are today and perhaps even more.

"But the big point is that we travel too much and have too many races back-to-back," he added.

Alonso said the biggest problem with the 21-race calendar is how the races are organised.

"We rush from Europe in early September to Singapore and now we're in Malaysia," he said at Sepang. "In just a few days we will meet again in Japan and then we go off to the other side of the world again.

"And then we're back across the Atlantic to Abu Dhabi. To me, it's just too much," Alonso insisted.

(GMM)
The saga of Sergio Perez's future appears to be ending, with authoritative sources reporting that the Mexican is staying put at Force India.

The 26-year-old had been linked with a potential move to Renault, warning earlier at Sepang that he had set a one-week deadline for certainty.

But now, it seems Perez will definitely be staying at his current Silverstone based team.

"Very soon you will have an official announcement," he said ahead of the Malaysian grand prix.

"I know what I am doing for my future, but I am not in a position yet to confirm it," Perez added.

(GMM)
GREENSBORO  The attorney for the Greensboro Police Officers Association lashed out at City Council members Friday, calling the councils questions about former Officer Travis Coles actions in June a politically motivated witch hunt.

William Hill said in a letter distributed Friday that neither Cole nor former Officer Charlotte Jackson have received fair treatment regarding their actions with Dejuan Yourse.

To say that we have been disturbed over the past week by the way City Council has handled, and continues to handle, the incident  is an understatement, Hill wrote.

The Greensboro Police Officers Association is a voluntary association of which many members of the department belong.

Yourse was at his mothers house when neighbors reported a possible burglary. Cole and Jacksons camera showed Cole punching Dejuan Yourse in the face and pinning him to the ground while Yourse yelled I am not resisting over and over.

The police departments internal investigation determined that Cole used too much force. That, combined with the footage, prompted the council to air the footage publicly, request additional investigations and call for changes in the departments policies on how it investigates misuse of police power.

Hills letter said some council members, specifically Councilwoman Sharon Hightower, have turned the incident into a politically motivated witch hunt, with no regard to the legal rights, due process or reputations of any other officers who may end up as collateral damage.

He specifically criticized the council for making Jacksons body camera footage public without her consent.

Jackson was tried in the court of public opinion, without any regard to actual facts, Hill wrote.

To the detriment of our community, she became collateral damage for others political gain.

Councilmen Mike Barber and Tony Wilkins voted against making the footage public for that reason.

Hightower said Friday that Hill and his members have a right to their opinion, but it wont change her questions about the incident, including why mid-level police officials failed to tell higher-ups about the incident as soon as they viewed the footage.

People keep asking questions. I cant answer their questions, Hightower said.

I cannot continue to say to people who elected me, I dont know. 

City Attorney Tom Carruthers said in an email to City Council members Saturday that Hills disparaging comments are misplaced and have not contributed to the necessary dialogue surrounding former Officer Coles interaction with Mr. Yourse.

The City Councils actions may have prevented the same sort of public unrest seen in other cities, including Charlotte.

That was certainly the intent of the release, said Carruthers, adding that the councils resolutions addressed Cole and never mentioned Jackson.

Carruthers said the council will continue to review this important matter and will be getting additional information in closed session at its meeting Tuesday.

Yourse was on the porch of Livia Yourses home on Mistywood Court  a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood near Wendover Avenue and Interstate 40  when Cole and Officer C.N. Jackson responded to the possible burglary call.

The footage shows Yourse answering questions from Cole and Jackson, explaining that he was waiting on his mother to meet him. Cole asked Yourse why a neighbor had seen him with a shovel. Yourse responded that he was sticking it through the gap at the bottom of the garage door to see if his dog was in there.

Yourse had become increasingly frustrated with Coles questions but was sitting in a chair making a call when Cole grabbed the phone and lunged at him.

I dont have no weapon, Yourse can be heard screaming, as he is on the ground handcuffed. Im trying to cooperate.

You cant do this when Im not resisting.

Police officials finished their internal investigation Aug. 30. They ruled that Cole violated four department directives: use of force; courtesy toward the public; arrest, search and seizure; and compliance to laws and regulations.

Cole resigned Aug. 19, while the investigation was ongoing. Jackson resigned last week. On Tuesday, before her resignation, Police Chief Wayne Scott told the News & Record that she was involved in a personnel action. Scott declined to elaborate.

Howard Neumann, the chief assistant district attorney for Guilford County, decided Aug. 22 not to charge Cole with assault. He also declined to file assault and resisting arrest charges against Yourse.

Hills letter, which he published on the Greensboro Police Officers Association website Saturday, disputes that Yourse was passive during the incident. The letter raised allegations about Yourse that the News & Record wasnt able to independently verify Friday and Saturday. Among them:

Dejuan Yourse had been charged twice before for breaking into his mothers home. Hills letter doesnt elaborate.

After Yourse was taken into custody, officers found two active warrants for Yourses arrest, and two additional orders for his arrest.

The News & Record sent Scott an email Saturday night asking for additional information about the allegations, but he didnt respond.

Hill also wrote that:

Jacksons wrist was trapped while Cole pinned Yourse to the ground. Jackson believed Yourse was intentionally putting pressure on her wrist, Hill wrote, to the point where she believed her wrist was on the verge of breaking.

Both officers said they felt Yourse grabbing for items on their bets and Cole reported a sustained injury during the struggle.

We urge the public to view the videos again, with these facts in mind, and see if that changes the narrative that certain city leaders are trying to tell, Hill wrote.
GREENWICH  The Greenwich Harbor Management Commission is inching forward toward a state-approved Harbor Management Plan.

The commission has been working on edits suggested by the state after it submitted a 300-plus-page draft of the plan earlier this year. The committee working on the changes is to present a new version of the document to the entire commission at its Oct. 19 meeting.

We are grappling with issues that every town deals with when preparing documents like this, said Jeff Steadman, the consultant the commission hired to help complete the plan. Weve had comments that the plan is too long and there is too much in it. I guess that is a valid point, but you dont want to make the document shorter just for making it shorter. There was nothing in that draft that was inconsistent or unusual from what other towns have in their plans.

The main areas of change have been to add emphasis to the parts that the commission has identified as priorities, and to remove repetitive language, Steadman said.

The state has told the commission to sharpen the document and make it more specific.

The plan, when finished, will help set policies for water use; guide water quality and coastal resource management, mooring management and waterfront land use; and clarify the structure of harbor administration.

The Oct. 19 meeting will be in the Mazza Room on the first floor of Town Hall.

John Gaucher, a coastal planner with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, reviewed the initial draft plan and suggested edits. He said he expects to kick the document back and forth a couple more times.

Each round should be a lot shorter in time, Gaucher said. The focus will be on fewer issues, where the first one was a broad brush.

Before the state gives its approval, Gaucher will send the plan to various state agencies, including the Bureau of Aquaculture and the Inland and Marine Fisheries Division.

I dont think those will be significant comments, but it still has to be done, Gaucher said. I rely on each of those program managers to look at the plan and say it looks good.

Both Gaucher and Steadman said they think it is realistic to expect the plan will be completed and state-approved by next spring.

p f r issell@hearstmediact.com; @PeregrineFriss
Someone at Canadian carrier Bell decided to jump the gun and publish the Google Pixel page that has a picture of the phone in white. The page since then has been taken down, but not without a copious amount of screenshots been captured and mirrored online.

The page was first spotted by a reddit user for the smaller Pixel model, and later someone managed to change the URL and pull the image for the larger Pixel XL as well. Both images are as shown above.

Soon after that, another Canadian carrier - Telus - also updated the renders on its site with new ones, which were caught by Android Police. Both models in this case are black and have a slightly different Google search widget with a microphone icon, which we hadn't seen before.

That's pretty much it for now. We pretty much know everything else at this point, so now it's just a matter of it becoming official.

Source 1  Source 2




Haiti - FLASH : Matthew approaches, Haiti in red vigilance





This morning at 5 a.m., the National Hurricane Center of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), informs that the hurricane Matthew, is located 555 km south south-west of Port-au-Prince, 470km south of Port-Salut and 525km south of Dame-Marie.



The Category 4 hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 240 km/h, and is currently moving toward the northwest at 7 km/h. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles (335 km).



The combination of a dangerous storm surge and large and destructive waves could raise water levels by as much as the following amounts above normal tide levels, 6 to 9 feet for the South coast of Haiti and 3 to 5 feet for the Gulf of Gonave.



Matthew is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 15 (380 mm) to 25 inches (635mm) over southern Haiti, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 40 inches (1016mm). Matthew is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 10 (254mm) to 20 inches (508mm) over eastern Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches (635mm). This rainfall will produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.



If Matthew continues on its current trajectory Haiti should start to feel more strongly the effects of the hurricane in the next 24 hours. It should affect the South, Grande Anse and Nippes stronger, then up, the island of Gonave should feel the effects, and the West, Artibonite and before leaving the territory, the Northwest...







Red Vigilance

For its part the National Meteorological Centre (CNM) of Haiti informs that the country is in Phase of Alert 1 (Vigilance Red), and that the convective cells associated with powerful Hurricane Matthew reinforce increasingly seriously and continue to move seriously on the country. Moreover, the winds and the dangerous sea conditions, especially on the south coast remain increasingly important. Threats of thunderstorm and gale force winds are confirmed particularly for the south of the country in the next 24 hours. Matthew has a strong capacity of rainfall ranging from 200 to 300mm in the plains and more than 300mm on the heights. These accumulations of rain during the passage of Hurricane Matthew from Sunday to Tuesday could cause severe flooding, important mudslidesand of flash floods all over the country especially on the southern departments, of Nippes, Grande-Anse, South East and West.



Mobilization

All government is mobilized, as well as the security forces to quickly assess the situation and coordinate response actions. Regional committees of civil protection are also mobilized to help at-risk populations, whose cooperation is highly desirable as to the application of safety regulations. The authorities are further accelerating the deployment of medicines and hygiene kits in the most risky areas.



DPC indicated that in the South of 576 temporary shelters are available and can accommodate up to 88,252 people for a period of at least 3 days.



The Minustah will deploy its staff in reinforcement and a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team will arrive in Haiti on Sunday to immediately deploy in the south.



Cabotage operations forbidden

The SPGRD together with the CNM and SEMANAH prohibits all cabotage operations in coastal areas in particular the country's southern coast and the Gulf of Gonave until further notice.



Instructions

- Stay tuned for Meteorological bulletins

- Follow instructions issued by local authorities.

- Put in a safe place important papers.

- Prepare food kits.

- Do not go to sea, avoiding the beaches and coast, protect boats.

- Secure all that can be carried by the wind and which is outside the house, trash, tools, posters, lamps, decorative, bulbs.

- Get down any heavy object highly placed antennas, signs...

- Prepare to evacuate, the areas exposed to floods and landslides (seaside, gullies, rivers, mountain slopes, etc...)

- Avoid areas subject to flooding and landslides (seaside, gullies, rivers, mountain slopes, etc...)

- Do not cross rivers in spate under any circumstances.

- Do not shelter near windows and wooded area.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2016/10/02 | Source

Lawmakers on Monday discussed asking a small contingent of Chinese police to be stationed on Jeju Island to help with violent crime involving the ever-growing numbers of Chinese tourists on the resort island.

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Minjoo Party lawmaker Kang Chang-il mooted the idea in a National Assembly audit of the Foreign Ministry on Monday, citing the recent murder of a Korean woman by a Chinese tourist and a violent assault by a group of Chinese tourists at a restaurant.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se promised to consider the suggestion.

Chinese consulates general in Japan and the Chinese Embassy in Seoul each have a police contingent attached, Kang said.

"Chinese tourists are very afraid of their own police. The ministry should immediately discuss with the Chinese government the idea of dispatching Chinese police officers to Jeju so that they can join local police in patroling areas where Chinese tourists gather", he added.

Yun said a visa waiver for short-term Chinese tourists on the island has had some undesirable consequences. "We've called China's attention to this issue and tried to prevent such crimes through consular channels, but after the latest incidents we'll double our efforts", he added.

Some 279 crimes have been committed by Chinese tourists in Jeju this year alone, up a whopping 66.1 percent on-year.
Published on 2016/10/02 | Source

Hollywood star Drew Barrymore visited Korea recently and quietly checked out the cosmetics market here.

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On Friday, the actress posted three photos on her social network account of stores that appear to be in Seoul's Myeong-dong shopping district. In two of the photos she poses in front of cosmetics stores; in another she examines a local cosmetic product.

In 2013, Barrymore launched her own cosmetics brand, Flower Beauty, to be sold at drug stores and large retail shops only. The brand has gained popularity in the past few years.

Her visit to Korea appears to be related to her beauty business. It follows earlier trips to Hong Kong and the Philippines to check out the cosmetics markets there.
By William Schwartz | Published on 2016/10/01

Gang-jae (played by Park Hyuk-kwon) is trapped in the closet. That's not a metaphor for his being gay, I mean he's literally trapped in the closet and it's quite some time before "A Break Alone" gets around to explaining the context for this initial dark, incomprehensible scene. That context though, soon proves to be generally depressing. Gang-jae is one of those married men who, for no particularly good reason, becomes obsessed with a nearby sexually attractive woman.

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More broadly, of course, Gang-jae is an archetype- the man who makes bad decisions out of a misguided desire to escape boredom. Closet incident notwithstanding Gang-jae's failures are not terribly explosive. "A Break Alone" even manages to make a trip to Jeju Island look surprisingly mundane, because it's not the actual island Gang-jae cares about, but rather the fantasy of being an attractive person.

This is among the more interesting elements in "A Break Alone"- that attractiveness is a state of mind. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that in spite of being a generally unremarkable schlub you actually manage to have sex with a hot yoga teacher. Does that singular experience manage to magically turn you into an attractive person? Of course not. No matter how many people you have sex with or how attractive they are, you are still you, pathetic flaws and all.

That central belaboured point is what "A Break Alone" keeps coming back to. And for what it's worth, the film definitely has plenty of moments of effective dark humor. Gang-jae is only somewhat awkward. Aside from the whole closet incident, his generally unimaginative personality is oddly relatable. The more we see of Gang-jae's personal and professional life, the clearer it is that his "successes" are mostly a combination of random impulse and good timing than any obviously film-worthy quality.

The lack of any kind of real epic scope or pretension is the main downfall of "A Break Alone". It's a story about people who are largely incapable of expressing useful emotions. It's not that the acting is bad- an especially powerful scene involves tears in the car, in response to a fairly bog standard question that people in a relationship face on a regular basis. It's a question that pretty much everyone asks because romantic love is an inherently abstract unsustainable concept, yet somehow we have defined that as "true" love.

On any kind of analytical level this material is pretty fantastically bleak. Even when writer/director Cho Jae-hyun is able to pull off a well-deserved laugh the subtext at the back of your mind is likely to be "oh no do I ever do this I hope not". Really, "A Break Alone" is kind of an anti-date movie, in that it's such an uncomfortable examination of personal selfishness and character flaws that, well, in the end the whole "trapped in the closet" bit is a startlingly effective metaphor for why pining after shallow love affairs is a really, really bad idea.

Review by William Schwartz

"A Break Alone" is directed by Cho Jae-hyun and features Park Hyuk-kwon, Yoon Joo, Park Jung-woo and Kim Han-joon.
By William Schwartz | Published on 2016/10/01

So first of all, if you're looking for a list of everywhere I've been to on this trip, just scroll down to the bottom and you can find links to all the Korea Diaries I've written this year. I'm going to remain in South Korea until mid-October, but for the moment we feel this is enough writing about the more obscure parts of the country.

I do feel a little bad about not having had the chance to discuss Cheonan very much- the timing just wasn't right. Like so many obscure towns in South Korea, Cheonan has their own film festival. The sheer variety of film festivals in South Korea is hard to overestate, even outside of Seoul, but it's simply not realistic for me to cover all of them when so many of the movies spotlighted are so obscure. All the same, this really speaks to the strength of local film culture here.

Other silliness includes this line for taxis. Before coming to Cheonan I'd never see the demand for taxis outweigh the supply like this before. But then, downtown Cheonan is, for some inexplicable reason, located right in the middle of two relatively distant subway stations.

Later in Jeju, some odd performance art at a local festival. Really not much more to it than that.

Some time later, a traditional procession in Jeju's northern population center. I like the guy on the left, hurrying to get somewhere. I imagine he's a local used to seeing this stuff all the time.

A picturesque beach on the eastern coast of Jeju. One of the nice parts of Jeju is that, as an island, you will inevitably run into a beach as long as you keep going in a cardinal direction long enough.

A lovely day spent together Changgyeong Palace (), the lesser well-known counterpart to Changdeok Palace (), located just slightly north of it. You know, I do gripe about Seoul maybe a tad too much. It's not the greatest place to live, for my tastes, but it really is uncanny how just so long as you start in the right location and have some idea where you're going, it's inevitable that you'll run into some other interesting location sooner or later just by happenstance.

But always so many mysteries! Here's yet another monument to a presumed freedom fighter, with no accompanying explanation. Even his name is written in Chinese, which makes trying to search for information about the guy an exceptionally difficult task. This pictures was taken at the Grand Park in Gwacheon (), which has its own subway station, and is an obvious sightseeing destination. And yet...well, the mysteries are just that overwhelming, I suppose.

Again and again that's been the story for me here. So much to do, so much to see, almost all of it hidden in the margins, the best spots the ones found by accident while trying to get somewhere else.

I've personally never been a very big fan of photography, and it's little surprise I take very few pictures now compared to when I had to intentionally search strange places out. Even so, by the same token I'm rather amazed at how much really does seem worth photographing. It's that reminder that really sticks, how there are so many interesting things in the world. You just have to take a minute to look at them.

But that's all just abstract philosophy. Sometimes, it's just enough to get out every once in awhile and make a break from the usual milleu. Even if there have been times on this trip to Korea that I've been frustrated and angry, I'm still glad I tried it, for all the impracticalities. For anyone traveling here, just remember that you're looking for the unknown, and that by definition, you can't plan for that.

It's been fun.

- William Schwartz.

Post-script: I can be reached via william@hancinema.net if you're planning on visiting any of these locations and would like to know more about the layout. Because believe me, if anything is hard about traveling to a brand new place every few days, it's having only the vaguest idea where everything is. Peace out.

Previous [HanCinema's Korea Diaries] articles :

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Icheon August 17th-19th

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[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 15th-16th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 13th-14th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 11th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Yeongwol August 8th-10th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeongdongjin August 5th-7th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangneung August 1st-4th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangneung July 28th-31st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 26th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 24th-25th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 22nd-23rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 20th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Incheon July 15th-19th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul June 10th-14th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Chuncheon July 7th-9th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Chuncheon July 4th-6th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Wonju July 1st-3rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andong June 28th-30th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Angang June 25th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeongju June 21st-24th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeongju June 17th-20th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Daegu June 13th-16th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Daegu June 9th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Yeongdong June 6th-8th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Muju June 1st-5th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Geumsan May 29th-31st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Nonsan May 26th-28th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeryong May 24th-25th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gongju May 22nd-23rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gongju May 20th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Asan May 18th-19th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul May 13th-17th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul May 8th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gamgok May 6th-7th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jincheon May 4th-5th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andeok May 1st-3rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andeok April 28th-30th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangjeong April 25th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangjeong April 22nd-24th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seogwipo April 19th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seogwipo April 16th-18th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeju City April 14th-15th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeju City April 12th-13th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul April 5th-11th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Suwon April 3rd-4th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Suwon April 1st-April 2nd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul March 27th-March 31st
Published on 2016/10/02 | Source

The number of foreigners residing in Korea illegally has grown steadily over the past few years.

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According to Justice Ministry data, as of July there were more than 213,000 undocumented immigrants or people who overstayed their visas. That's up 27 percent from six years ago, and accounts for more than 10 percent of the foreign population here.

The number of illegal aliens has risen steadily since 2011, reflecting rapid growth in the overall size of Korea's foreign community. Although the data didn't include details of country of origin, the majority of illegal migrants to Korea have historically been from China and Southeast Asia. Illegal migration from the Middle East and Africa has also risen in recent years.

If caught, illegal immigrants are subject to deportation. Roughly 10 percent of unauthorized immigrants are sent back to their home countries every year.
Published on 2016/10/02 | Source

Workers assemble a car on a production line at Hyundai's plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. /Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

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The production volume of Korean automakers is now bigger overseas than at home.

Data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association show that Korean carmakers produced 2.77 million cars in the country from January to August but 2.92 million in their overseas factories.

The main reason were major strikes at Hyundai compounded by slow exports and lackluster sales in Korea.

The decreased output at home leads to a vicious cycle of smaller orders for subcontractors, lower factory operating rates, layoffs of assembly line workers and a worsening slump.

The car industry, one of the top export pillars, is starting to see the same exodus of production facilities that has happened among mobile phone manufacturers.

Even until 2009, the domestic plants of Korean automakers accounted for 65 percent of total production. But domestic output peaked at 4.65 million vehicles in 2011 and has been declining ever since.

Although domestic production recovered slightly in 2013 and 2014, overseas output more than doubled over the past six years.
Published on 2016/10/02 | Source

Chinese visitors take photos of QR codes for discounts at the Lotte Department Store in Sogong-dong, Seoul on Tuesday.

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A quarter of a million Chinese visitors are expected in Korea starting this weekend as China celebrates its weeklong national holiday.

The Korea Tourism Organization expects 40,000 more Chinese tourists than last year and projects that they will spend over W600 billion (US$1=W1,099).

Department stores here say Chinese tourists generate huge revenues and have expanded store space for brands they favor.

Each Chinese tourist who visited Korea last year spent US$2,319 on average excluding airfare, making them the biggest foreign spenders.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said around 300 officers will be stationed around major duty-free shops and tourist attractions in the capital to prevent traffic jams caused by vast fleets of tour buses.

A record 5.6 million Chinese are expected to travel abroad during this year's "Golden Week", and top destinations like Japan and Thailand have been working hard to attract them.
Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby.

09:44, 30 OCT 2022
The days are shorter, but not the list of things you can do.

things-to-do
Amber Clawson has an infectious laugh, such a fun person to talk to about how she came to be the executive director of the Historical Association of Catawba County (HACC).

A Boone native, she attended Appalachian State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations -- non-profit management. Her masters degree came from the College of Charleston where she studied early American history, followed by employment with the National Trust for Historic Preservation at Drayton Hall, a museum in Charleston.

Historic preservation was Ambers concentration as a Ph.D. student at Middle Tennessee State University. Her doctoral degree is in public history.

Sitting in front of shelves of local history books at the Catawba County History Museum, Amber pointed out that her education is ongoing.

In the year shes been HACCs director, shes referred to the museums library many times, absorbing with great interest stories about particular families, churches, cemeteries, and wider histories, as she called them, such as the migration of German families from Pennsylvania to Catawba County.

Ambers lucky to have linked arms with HACC. When you consider that HACC dates back 80 years, that Catawba County has a deep appreciation for historic preservation, and that titans -- geniuses really -- in the world of history live in and around the county, one of whom being HACCs first full-time director Sydney Halma, who spent more than three decades molding the countys assets into the stellar sites they are today, well, you just know that Ambers privileged to experience her first directorship at the helm of such a fine-tuned machine.

Ambers first order of business after accepting the position in Oct. 2015 was visiting the four sites that HACC operates: Catawbas Murrays Mill Historic District with buildings from 1812 to 1953, the 1895 Bunker Hill Covered Bridge in Claremont, Harper House (1887) and Hickory History Center on N. Center St. in Hickory, and the Catawba County History Museum in Newtons 1924 courthouse.

With HACC board members whod participated in the sites preservation and who eagerly shared with Amber why it was important to them to protect and maintain each site, Amber strolled the locations.

Then I did the same with Sydney Halma, said Amber, the boots-on-the-ground preservationist who coordinated all this work.

One of the reasons I took this job, said Amber, is because we have a community that cares  that mobilized to save each of these sites in the last 40 years.

Each was built by Catawbans and saved by Catawbans for future Catawbans. You cant pay for that kind of community support  that buy-in.

Ambers second order of business was turning to what she called the only source that integrates all the communities, ethnicities, stories, histories, etc., of the county: Catawba College history professor Gary Freezes multivolume The Catawbans, the third book of which, The Catawbans: Boomers & Bypasses, is hot off the press.

I noticed one of Garys books lying just inches from Ambers elbow, dozens of places marked with Post-it Notes.

During a tour of the history museum, Amber explained how various ages of school students experience the exhibits, artifacts, and architecture of the old courthouse.

I believe in the power of objects, said Amber. They speak for themselves.

She said she enjoys watching the interaction of generations when families visit HACC sites and talk to each other about the structures and relics, with the grandparents serving as tour guides. Amber believes these explanations as well as reenactments of long-ago techniques, activities, and events are potent educators.

Sharing another of her easy smiles, Amber said, Im so fortunate I get to do what I love.

Making her smile even more was sharing the news that shed recently married Gary Albert, the editorial director of the Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts, which is published by the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) in Old Salem.

Id say they have quite a bit in common!

A few facts about the HACCs 80th anniversary, courtesy of Dr. Amber Clawson:

The idea of a historical association was born in 1936 under a giant oak on property once inhabited by early Catawba County settler Henrich Weidner (1717-1792). The area came to be called Henrys Fork; the tree, Weidners Oak.By the 1950s, HACC had a collection and a museum in the centuries-old Matthias Barringer home, which also housed the Newton library. The structure and its contents burned in 1952.With items donated after the fire, HACC opened a museum in 1959 in Newtons Whitener House. A 1972 move put the collection in the Eaton Mansion  now the location of Connections Clubhouse.In 1992, HACC began renting space in the county-owned 1924 courthouse, and the Catawba County History Museum has called it home ever since.HACCs first director, working part time, was Marguerite May. Sydney Halma followed. Melinda Herzog became director after Sydneys retirement and worked until early 2015.

Learn more about the Historical Association of Catawba County at www.catawbahistory.org, by calling (828) 465-0383 or by visiting the History Museum at 30 North College Ave. in downtown Newton. Hours are 9 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

Upcoming events:

Halloween Haunt  2-4 pm Oct. 16 at Murrays Mill Historic District; 1489 Murrays Mill Road, Catawba; Admission $5 (one child and one adult)

Rise, Shine, & Run! 2nd Annual Gristmill 5K  Start time 9 am Nov. 5 at Murrays Mill; $25 pre-registration at runtimeraces.com

20th Annual Catawba Valley Pottery & Antiques Festival  9 am to 5 pm March 25, 2017, at the Hickory Metro Convention Center; Admission $6, 12 and under $2

Share story ideas with Mary at marycanrobert@charter.net.
Last weekend, I flew down to Mumbai to interview the best students from Indias top business schools for a scholarship. With me on the jury were two others  the chairman of a well-known global consulting firm, and one of the partners at the Indian office of another, equally well-known multinational consulting firm. The second and I had gone to engineering school together; he graduated near the top of the class, I was somewhere in the middle.

Over the course of the day, we interviewed 37 students, and it was a learning experience (and tiring, but not tiresome). We spent around 15-20 minutes with each student and while that may have been inadequate to assess some of them, it was more than enough to glean anecdotal evidence of the changes sweeping through this country  some social, others related to business, and still others attitudinal and behavioural (and all entirely transformational).

Read: Youth Survey 2015: Figuring out a young, restless nation

The group was far more heterogeneous than I expected it to be  after all, it was selected from the top 20% of the students (at the time of admission) from the Indian Institutes of Management, XLRI (Jamshedpur) and the Faculty of Management Studies (University of Delhi) and there was a time when most students who went to such schools were fairly similar. Indeed, the only commonality was their sheer academic intelligence, and many wore it lightly.

Two of the young women we interviewed were from small towns in Haryana, the state with the worst gender ratio in India, and from families that had traditionally not believed in educating their womenfolk.

At least a third of the students we met were from small towns, the kind that would be called Tier-II or Tier-III. And many of them were from humble backgrounds. One was the son of a grocer. Another was the first graduate in the family. A couple moved to schools where English was the medium of instruction only in Class X. Several had attended government schools.

Read: Smaller proportion of Indias youth employed

Both are evidence of the continuing trend of upward mobility that characterises todays India. Even a decade ago, many would likely have not been where they find themselves now.

The group did have a fair share of engineers  as such groups invariably do (as I often tell anyone who cares to listen, engineers rule the world). Many of the engineers had worked after graduation. Interestingly, most had worked in hardware and semiconductor companies. Only one of the engineers had worked in a software services firm. Clearly, even the best and brightest who choose to stay back in this country no longer work for such companies. Is it any wonder that almost all the big Indian software services companies find themselves at the crossroads?

A handful of the candidates with work experience had quit established companies and worked for a start-up for some time before business school. Few had started their own. One continues to run his start-up (a proprietary trading firm in debt) from business school (and with the help of his partners). Many of the 37 said they eventually wanted to start something up, although several did say they wanted to work for a global consulting firm for a few years before doing so. It is evident that Indias start-up wave will continue. According to a 2015 report by software industry lobby group Nasscom, the country has the third highest number of start-ups in the world (around 4,200 then).

Read: Why is the Indian youth agitated?

Some of the young men and women we interviewed spoke of their involvement in social and developmental causes. Theres some amount of resume-padding that happens in most interviews, but even accounting (and discounting) for that, some of their concerns and achievements related to these social causes seemed genuine.

It wasnt all good, though.

While many of the young people we interviewed had interests other than academics, most of them were extremely uninformed (or ill-informed) about current affairs. For business school students, they displayed a poor knowledge of current economic developments and thinking. Most of them admitted that they do not read newspapers, news websites, magazines, or non-fiction. The few who admitted to reading fiction were found wanting (perhaps by the jurys exacting standards). A poet had no clue about Yeatss The Second Coming (which has the famous line, Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold). A Manga-buff had no clue who Osamu Tezuka (the father of Manga) was. Maybe there was more resume-padding going on there.

Read: The youth unemployment conundrum

Still, these are minor quibbles. The bigger picture that emerged from our interactions with the 37 young men and women was of a young India that could soon be free of the curse of Macaulay (everyone of the candidates was articulate but many did not speak very good English), is extremely good at what it does, has the hunger required to do well and get ahead, isnt obsessed with (although it still leans a little bit towards) conventional career choices, and wants to contribute to society.

Every generation likes to think it is smarter than the ones that came before and after it. After last weekend, I am not sure ours is.

R Sukumar is editor of Mint and tweets as @mint_ed

letters@hindustantimes.com

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Siwans strongman Shahabuddin is behind the bars again. The Supreme Court, after a long debate, decided to cancel the bail granted to him by the Patna high court, with immediate effect.

The apex court also ruled that the murder case against Shahabuddin be heard urgently. On the surface, it appears to be a victory for the Bihar government. But if one delves deeper, one realises that in the light of numerous lapses during the hearing, the judges were compelled to express their displeasure.

Read | Will teach him a lesson: Shahabuddin back in jail with warning for Nitish

The state government also got another jolt on Friday. The Patna high court struck down the state governments pet project of a strong prohibition law in Bihar.

Coming back to Shahabuddin, does he care about going back to jail?

Perhaps not. If it wasnt the case, a person having expressed his total faith in the judiciary wouldnt have responded in such a callous manner. When a journalist asked him his reaction to late journalist Rajdeo Ranjans wife Asha Devi approaching the apex court to get his bail cancelled, he wouldnt have responded with: I dont care. Why should he care? After all, the 49-year-old spent 11 years behind bars. Whether he is in the prison or outside, it doesnt appear to affect his notoriety or his political influence.

Read | Suspects in journalist Rajdeo Ranjans murder disappear from Siwan

When Hindustan journalist Rajdev Ranjan was shot dead in public view on May 13, Shahabuddin was in prison. Ranjans wife kept on saying that she suspected Shahabuddins hand in her husbands murder, but the police could not find the evidence. But they did arrest three suspects in the case. We have seen this before.

The case is now before the CBI. The agency has taken Laddan Miyan, a suspect, on remand. Mohammad Kaif and Sonu Kumar Soni, two other suspects in the case, sought the protection of the court as soon as the CBI came into the picture. Before this, Kaif was seen in full public view during the procession organised to celebrate Shahabuddins release from jail. How was he roaming free despite the police presence? The answer is obvious.

Shahabuddin has 45 cases registered against him  this is in addition to the nine he has been convicted in. According to the law, he cannot contest elections, but he plays an important role in every election. Thats why Lalu Prasad made him a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal working committee even when he was in jail. Political posts are doled out only when it benefits a party.

Read | Ahead of hearing, Bihar govt highlights Shahabuddins incorrigible conduct

Did you know that Shahabuddin is an MA in political science and even has a bona fide PhD from Muzaffarpurs Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar University? In the 1990s, if he is so willed, as a professor somewhere, Doctor Shahabuddin would have been teaching the fundamentals of social contact theory as formulated by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This theory says that if in a particular time period anarchy reaches its peak, people become thirsty to kill each other. Exhausted by this bloodshed, they come to a compromise under which they surrender all the rights of their lives to others, provided others did the same.

This tenet of social contract theory challenged the sweeping powers bestowed on the king. Some scholars even credit this theory for the French Revolution of 1789. Shahabuddin would have read this in political science textbooks, but he chose a path that ran opposite to this.

Read | SC rebukes Bihar government for sleeping on Shahabuddins bail

The first case against him was registered in 1986. Four years later, Shahabuddin won his first election from Siwans Ziradei Vidhan Sabha seat. Ziradei is the birthplace of our first president, Rajendra Prasad. He was re-elected from the constituency in 1995. The next year, Shahabuddin filed papers for the Lok Sabha and won. During the same period, there was talk of him becoming the minister of state for home in the Deve Gowda government. But it could not reach fruition in the face of heavy criticism.

He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1999 and 2004. By now, the gentrified Shahabuddin had realised that getting a share in government is better than getting political patronage.

His opponents call him a synonym for terror, but his supporters call this perception nonsense and ask if that was the case, how do 55% of votes polled go in his favour?

Read | Bihar health minister Tej Pratap Yadav defends photo with murder suspect

Is this person, with his disdain for Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, inspired by Mario Puzo?

High on a cocktail of muscle power, money power and people power, this man, standing on the precipice of 50 years, knows that he has become indispensable in the region and that he cannot be overlooked.

That is why, on September 10, right after his release from jail, he said that Nitish Kumar was the chief minister of circumstances, that his leader was Lalu Prasad and on his own, Nitish would not win 20 seats. Perhaps his statement proved to be costly for him.

Read | Siwan judge, who declared Shahabuddin guilty, transferred to Patna

Shahabuddin may or may not care if he is in prison, but this is also true that youngsters in Bihar have to leave their homes as there are no employment opportunities in the state. For jobs we need industries, but no industrialist wants to set up business in Bihar. Why?

Siwan, where Shahabuddin was born and grew up, is around 90km from Champaran. The Mahatma launched his Satyagraha against the British oppression from here. If Bapu was reborn, he might have been forced to initiate his second battle from here. He would have had another reason for this. Bihar is full of such people who are inflicting harm upon its land and its people. The land that made the world come face to face with democracy is living a distorted caricature of its history.

Shashi Shekhar is editor in chief, Hindustan and tweets as @shekharkahin
Talk of October 2, and the first thing that comes to ones mind is that it is the day when two great leaders Gandhi ji and Lal Bahadur Shastri were born. But not many know that it is also the International Chhole Bhature Day.

No prize for guessing that the day was started by a Delhiite, Shashank Aggarwal. A typical Delhi boy who loves his plate of chole bhature, in 2012, decided to celebrate his favourite dish. And many across the globe joined him. Delhi is famous for its chhole bhature, koi bhi kahi se bhi aaye, chhole bhature jarur kha ke jaata hai. So I thought of dedicating a day to this dish. This October we are celebrating the fourth year of International Chhole Bhature Day, says Aggarwal.

Aggarwal chose social media to spread the word about this foodilicious initiative. He started Facebook pages and blogs to connect food enthusiasts from around the world. I started several blogs, threads, and wrote to many Facebook food communities to spread the word about Chhole Bhature Day. The love for food has brought together about 1 lakh people on these social networking platforms and every year, they share pictures of themselves gorging the dish. No matter where they are, they click pictures eating chole bhatures and share with other foodies.

This virtual eat up has global participants. Its an internationally loved dish. Last year, the food lovers from Los Angeles, New Zealand, Singapore and Sweden posted their pictures. Humare chhole bhature puri duniya mein famous ho rahe hain.

One may wonder why they chose Gandhi Jayanti for something so far removed from the man and Anuradha Gupta, the co-founder, says that it is for the simple reason that the day is a holiday. Its a national holiday and as people eat out on chhuttis, we thought that it was the perfect day for something like this, says Gupta.

And heres a fun fact:Do you know in the Delhi University lingo, the lip-smacking dish is called C Bats.

To participate, check out here

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It is difficult to trace how deep and far reaching Mahatma Gandhis influence has been on the world community.

His principles of non-violence and simple living have not only left an impact Indians but also people in lands as far as Africa and Brazil.

It may sound remarkable but a large congregation of men  now over 8,000  in the city of Salvador of Brazils Bahia state has been celebrating Gandhi since the last 68 years as part of their annual carnival.

The group, Filhos de Gandhy or Sons of Gandhi, was founded in 1948, two months after Gandhi was killed. Thanks to his non-violent fight for justice, Gandhi is still the poster boy of the oppressed Afro-Brazilians, who are trying to fight for equality through peaceful means.

The group, in celebrating Gandhi, pays tribute to the heroes of both African and Afro-Brazilian history, and other great leaders who have fought for racial justice and equality.

During the procession, the participants wear a customary long white tunic, a terrycloth turban, leather sandals, sapphire-blue socks, beaded necklaces (which they trade for kisses), a large plastic sapphire and a sash that reads Filhos de Gandhy: Sons of Gandhi.

However, despite the revelry, the costume and the many people, the most distinct feature of the parade remains its music that the men create while they celebrate on the streets.

Called afoxe, the music  mostly drums, double gongs and Yoruba chants  is inspired by the Afro-Brazilian religion, Candomble.

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Around `2,500 crore has been disclosed collectively in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, with the first quarter of Income Declaration Scheme ending on September 30.

The two states have over 23 lakh tax payers. The four-month Income Declaration Scheme was opened on June 1, encouraging people to make declarations which will remain confidential.

Sources said that this was the initial amount that had been estimated. The total amount of declarations is still being compiled.

According to sources, Raipur and Bhopal were among the top cities in the two states when it came to disclosure of black money.
I have never suffered a major setback in my life. Ive been very lucky, says a pensive Ajay Devgn, as he reminisces about his journey in Bollywood. I have never gone to people to ask for work. That has been my attitude till date. If a project doesnt work out, Im not going to move around with my portfolio, adds the actor, with an air of confidence that can be misconstrued as arrogance.

read more I have always understood things from a womans perspective: Ajay Devgn The ugly battle between Ajay Devgn, KRK and Karan Johar: The story so far

We are sitting in Ajays swanky, air-conditioned office in Juhu. It has a laid-back atmosphere. Talking about his career graph, which includes films such as GangaaJal (2003), Omkara (2006) and the Golmaal series, the actor says he has always tried to strike a balance between comedies and dramas.

Watch: The trailer of Shivaay

That is what I want to do in the future as well, he says. But, after Drishyam (2015), is Ajay making a conscious effort to do more serious cinema? I have done such films since the beginning of my career. I started off with action movies. At that time, I was the first actor who was part of the so-called art cinema, which the commercial actors didnt touch. I did films like Zakhm (1998) and Raincoat (2004). I have always believed in good films. They could be commercial or non-commercial ones, says the actor.

Watch: Song Bolo Har Har from Shivaay

Ajay is a chain-smoker, and we ask him what he feels about the disclaimers that are shown during smoking scenes in cinema halls. Its fine if these warnings are shown before the movie starts. But if they are shown in the middle of the movie, then it disturbs the flow of the film. However, I feel that if the message is required for the betterment of society, then its good, says Ajay.

A photo posted by Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) on Jun 6, 2016 at 7:25am PDT

The actor further discusses censorship. Interestingly, where most artistes have opposed the way the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) functions today, Ajay feels that the body has been fair. The CBFC hasnt done anything that can make us say, This is not democracy, he says.

FRIENDS FOREVER

Ajay has shared a close bond with Salman Khan (left) for several years now. Ask him what has kept their friendship going, and he says, The reason is non-interference. I dont interfere in anybodys life; nor do other people in mine. Salman and I came into the industry at the same time, and we have been here since the past 25 years. The actors from my generation know that we dont need to mingle in society or party together [to stay friends]. I stand by my friends, and they do the same for me. Thats enough.

Speaking of his friendship with Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn says that non-interference is what has kept their bond going.

Is it true that B-Town friendships prove to be fickle during box-office clashes? Yes, but you will not see that happening with me, assures Ajay, adding, I dont try and utilise relationships to my benefit when my films are up for their release.

FAMILY MATTERS

If one looks at Ajays Instagram account, it is mostly flooded with his daughter Nysas pictures. Speaking about his relationship with her, the actor says, She has seen the privileged world. But she needs to understand the battles that the unprivileged people go through. Along with that, she needs to know that privileged people too can have a lot of problems. Right now, Im trying to strike that balance for her, Ajay says.

With @nysaadevgan at the @smilefoundationindia event yesterday. Let's pledge to ensure education for every girl. Don't say no because she's a girl, give her wings because #SheCanFly A photo posted by Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) on Sep 29, 2016 at 2:01am PDT

this just about describes what exactly we did today :) - Nys A photo posted by Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) on Jul 13, 2016 at 6:50am PDT

When it comes to his wife, Kajol, the often asked question is whether audiences will see the couple on the big screen soon. When we ask Ajay about the same, he smiles, saying, It is difficult to get the right kind of script, in which both Kajol and I can fit in. But Ill start working on a movie with her at the end of the year, or next year. But I wont be part of the film.

hi  A photo posted by Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) on Jul 11, 2016 at 6:40am PDT
Actor Rasika Dugal, who is currently working on a mythological show alongside Dev Dutt Pattnaik, is gearing up for her film Manto. The movie will have actor Nawazzudin Siddiqui playing the titular role of Pakistani writer Sadat Hassan Manto, with Rasika playing the role opposite him.

read more Nandita Das all set to direct a film about Manto Manto to Kishore: Upcoming biopics in Bollywood

As a part of research for the movie, Rasika will be heading to the Aligarh Muslim University where Manto had studied and had his tryst with the Indian Progressive Writers Movement. A source reveals, The actor was sure that she wanted to completely familiarise herself with his work. She was also keen to know more about his personal life and his journey. Some of Mantos early writings were when he was studying at the Aligarh Muslim University. It was also around the time he starting associating with The Indian Progressive Writers Association. Plus, if her permits and visa comes around, she will visit Pakistan too.

Talking about the same, Rasika says, I think it will be interesting to follow this journey. Starting at Aligarh then to Bombay and finally to Lahore. I am looking forward to all this.

The movie which will be directed by Nandita Das is not a biopic and will have partition as its focal point. She had earlier said, I first read Manto in English, and then a few years later, I bought the Urdu collection, Dastavez, in Devanagari. I was struck by his simple yet profound narrative and his insightful capturing of people, politics and the times he lived in. He wrote as he saw, as he felt, without dilution, and with a rare sensitivity and empathy for his characters.

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Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is expecting her first child, has rejected offers to endorse six brands that make products for babies and pregnant women.Not only is Kareena Kapoor Khan a desired actor but is also a wanted name for brand endorsements. The actor has also promoted some brands with her husband, Saif Ali Khan. Recently, Kareena came on board to endorse a pregnancy testing kit.

read more Kareena Kapoor talks about the time Saif proposed to her and she rejected! Kareena Kapoor Khans income tax account hacked, returns filed

A source reveals that several companies have been approaching the actor to become their brand ambassador. Apparently, she was also asked to be the face of a fashion line for pregnant women. The source says, Kareena has been flooded with offers. But she has rejected more than six brands in a row. Just because she is going to be a mother soon doesnt mean she wants to endorse everything related to maternity.

Watch: Kareenas song Fevicol Se

The source adds that the star is not keen to take up any of the deals. Kareena believes that endorsing baby products is a huge responsibility and will only come on board for the brands that she believes in.

Kareena remained unavailable for a comment.
BHAGALPUR: The disciplinary committee of Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU) on Saturday decided to issue showcause to 13 employees (both serving & retired) indicted in an internal enquiry of the university in the fake degree issue concerning the former law minister of Delhi, Jitendra Singh Tomar.

The disciplinary committee at its meeting held in the evening accepted the report of the internal enquiry committee and decided to give 10 days time to the 13 in question for filing replies to the showcause.

Lapses and irregularities of these employees at different levels in the issuance of the fake law degree to Tomar had been established in the internal enquiry, sources said.

The fake de g ree case is being probed separately by Delhi Police and its team has been making frequent visits to the TMBU headquarters in Bhagalpur.

Last month, it was here for three days. TMBU probed the matter internally by setting up an enquiry committee headed by pro-vice chancellor Awadh Kishore Roy.

Incidentally, Tomar has also been issued a showcause recently by the university. Accepting the report of the internal enquiry committee, the examination board of the university had last week issued the showcause to Tomar asking the former law minister in Delhis AAP government to state why the degree issued to him should not be cancelled. Tomar has been given 10 days time - from the date of receipt of the showcause - to furnish his reply.

TMBU VC Rama Shanker Dubey, who chaired the meeting of the disciplinary committee on Saturday, said the disciplinary committee would meet again after the Durga Puja break to decide the nature and quantum of punishment to the indicted employees after receiving their replies.

According to university sources, the employees indicted in the internal enquiry include two former examination controllers of the university besides another examination controller of the Viswanath Singh Institute of Le g al Studies ( VSILS), Munger, where Tomar was enrolled as a law student. A faculty member and the head clerk of VSILS are among the indicted employees.

Two tabulators and four university employees in the examination department besides two others posted in the registration section of the university at the time when the fake degree was issued to Tomar were among those indicted, sources said.

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NEW DELHI: More than 66 hours after they were trapped under debris while trying to rescue labourers from a fire at a factory, the bodies of two firemen were found on Saturday afternoon.

On Wednesday night, fire operator Manjeet Singh, 35, and fireman Sunil Kumar, 40, got trapped while fighting fire at a plastic factory in the Narela Industrial area in outer Delhi.

It was the first case of a fire personnels death this year. More than 45 personnel, including those from the national disaster relief force were at the spot since Wednesday night, when the fire was reported.

Till late Saturday night, fire officials were engaged in removing debris, hoping to find a survivor. Fire officers said a labourer is missing.

According to the police, Sunils body was found at 3.10 pm while Manjeet was found 15 minutes later. Police suspect the two died due to suffocation.

Kumar had been with the fire department for 18 years and Dagar for 11 years.

Chief fire officer Atul Garg said while the two firemen were fighting fire, a portion of the building housing the factory crumbled crushing them. The two along with other officers managed to rescue around 39 labourers, said Garg.

Garg said that there was an explosion in the factory caused by a boiler, which led to the wall collapse. The walls were heated because of the fire. That coupled with the boiler explosion caused the wall to come down. We have not stopped and will continue the rescue operation till we find the last man, Garg said.
NEW DELHI: A 61-year-old former pilot shot himself dead with his licensed revolver at his east Delhi home on Saturday afternoon. Police did not recover a suicide note from the crime spot.

Before shooting himself in the head, Anand Kumar Singh tried to pump a bullet in his chest but missed, police said. Singh had retired as a pilot with Jet Airways six years ago.

His wife and daughter with whom he reportedly had an argument before the suicide were outside the flat when he killed himself, said police.

Police said it appears that Singh was depressed because of his prolonged illness and loneliness. Singh was suffering from a kidney ailment and had a kidney transplant around six months ago.

His wife Raj Laxmi and younger daughter, Abhilasha, shifted to his elder daughters home in Germany around one and a half month ago. They returned from Germany around 1 am on Saturday, police said.

Neighbours said the family lived in a two-bedroom flat at the Mavilla Apartments in Mayur Vihar Phase-1 for the past 25 years. Singh had taken voluntary retirement, citing poor health, said police.

Rishipal Singh, deputy commissioner of police (east), said the police was informed around 4 pm. A neighbour called the police control room and informed about firing at Singhs flat. A police team reached the flat and found Singh lying on the floor in his bedroom.

Singhs licensed revolver was found lying next to him. Two bullets were fired from the gun, said the DCP.

A forensic team combed the crime scene and the body was sent to the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Hospital for autopsy. The gun has also been sent for ballistic examination.

A senior police officer said Singh was upset as his wife and daughter had left him to live in Germany. The police spoke to his wife and daughter. Police quoted them as saying that Singhs deteriorating heath had left him disturbed and aggressive.

Around 4 pm, the couple had an argument after which Singh took out his revolver and loaded it. When his wife and daughter went outside, Singh shot himself.

The first bullet missed the target and hit a wall. Hearing gunfire, the wife and daughter rushed inside. But by the time they reached, Singh had shot himself in the head. They raised an alarm and alerted neighbours, the officer said.

An inquest proceeding has been initiated, police said.
Delhi residents must plan precautionary measures as air pollution may get worse over the next two days. With light rain predicted on Monday and Tuesday, government officials informed that suspended particulate matter in the air, especially PM 10, may witness a spike if the wind speed is low.

Drizzle is predicted on October 3 and 4 and if that happens temperature will go down. This coupled with an absence of wind is going to increase the concentration of air pollutants, said an official in the environment department. Experts suggest that people must start taking precautions such as using masks as with the arrival of winter and Diwali, air quality is going to worsen.

After ranging from good to moderate, the initial signs of poor air quality began from Saturday.

On Sunday at 6.15 pm, levels of PM 10, coarse particles in the air, in the three most polluted areas of Delhi  Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh and RK Puram  ranged between 117-564 microgram per cubic metre (m/m3) against the permissible limit of 100 mu/m3.

On the other hand, PM 2.5 particles that can trigger respiratory ailments reached 84 mu/m3 and 63 mu/m3 in Aanad Vihar and RK Puram respectively against the prescribed standard of 60 mu/m3.

Read: Hindustan Times to provide air quality data for Xiaomis weather app

In December 2015, the Delhi government had announced a slew of measures to curb alarming levels of air pollution. The action plan included restrictions on plying of vehicles, shutting down of power plants, vacuum-cleaning of roads and not allowing vehicle parking on PWD roads.

Nothing apart from the odd-even scheme, however, seems to have happened. The Badarpur Thermal Power plant is chugging, though the NTPC claims that it is adhering to the permissible emission norms. The plan to vacuum clean 1,260 kilometres of PWD roads has not moved any further since its launch in April this year. At that time four such vacuum suction sweeper machines were procured and vehicles are still being parked on PWD roads.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, special secretary (environment department) SM Ali said, We are taking all the necessary actions. Letters have been issued to the traffic police and the local police to keep strict vigilance on Chinese crackers. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has also increased its air monitoring centres.

Read: Delhi High Court seeks action plan from states to stop stubble burning
In the basement of a rundown shed on the citys outskirts, a group of men were minting money  coins of Rs 5 and Rs 10. But, the money-making business came to a halt when a gang member was arrested on Saturday.

The group was counterfeiting for more than four months and had floated coins worth Rs 10 lakh in the market, police said on Sunday. Most of the coins were supplied to toll booths, car repair shops, grocery stores, petrol pumps, vegetable vendors who always need small change.

During a surprise check on Saturday, a Delhi Police anti-auto theft squad flagged down a Swift Dzire near Rohini in northwest Delhi and found 20 packets of coins.

Naresh Kumar, who was driving the car, told them he was an officer with the Punjab National Bank. When the policemen asked for his identity card, he refused to show it. He couldnt tell them his rank or the bank branch he was employed with.

The police team also recovered minting machines and raw material used in making the coins from the factory in Bawana. (HT Photo)

The policemen then opened the packets and checked the coins, which were fake. Naresh was arrested from the spot, deputy commissioner of police (outer) MN Tiwari said. As many as 2,000 coins worth Rs 40,000 were seized from him.

His questioning led police to a factory in Bawana industrial area. A police team recovered minting machines and raw material used in making the coins from the premises. Coins worth Rs 6 lakh were also seized.

The factory is owned by one Rajesh Kumar, who is missing. As investigations are in an early stage, police dont know if Rajesh Kumar is the kingpin.

Naresh Kumar did name two of his accomplices -- Sonu and Raju. The two used to supply coins to him when he owned a small business of car accessories in Charkhi Dadri in neighbouring Haryana and convinced him to join them.

Kumar started supplying the fake counterfeit currency coins provided by Raju and Sonu. He has also identified locations where the counterfeited coins were prepared, stored and distributed, Tiwari said.

Police are looking for Sonu and Raju and questioning Kumar from more details.

Faking currency is an offence that can invite a maximum of life imprisonment. Only the Reserve Bank of India can issue coins for circulation. Coins are minted at four government mints in Mumbai, Kolkata, Noida and Saifabad and Cherlapally in Hyderabad.

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One of the victims of the military exchanges between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control is the civilian political leadership of Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He had developed a certain cordiality with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, over the past two years. By all accounts, Mr Modi saw in him a Pakistani leader who had a sensible and pragmatic view of how the two countries should handle their many differences. But Mr Sharif had no authority to pursue this moderate view of India. This is the monopoly of the generals in Rawalpindi and their hostility to India is implacable. When he authorised the military strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir, Mr Modi has concluded that investing in Mr Sharif is a political deadend.

Read | Pak in shock after army op, shouldnt take our silence as weakness: Parrikar

Various Indian prime ministers have faced a similar dilemma over the past decades. Many have taken heart from Pakistans democratically-elected civilian leadership and sought, in some small way or another, to promote their authority over the men in khaki. Prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee pursued this path. Mr Vajpayee even seeking an accommodation with Pervez Musharraf, a military man who sought to rule as a civilian. At the heart of their view was a belief India should continue to talk with whoever was in power in Pakistan, irrespective of the terrorist attacks and other forms of violence that militants inflicted on India. These attacks were secondary to a larger vision of seeking to engage the civil societies of the two countries and help Pakistan to move away from the path of religious fundamentalism and State-sponsored violence that it had taken since the dictatorial rule of Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq. Indias underlying policy was to save Pakistan from itself. This was not an easy policy to sustain. Terrorist attacks of the scale of Mumbai 26/11 or small border wars of the Kargil variety would wreak havoc with public support in India for any engagement with Pakistan and strengthen a belief that the only way to handle Indias rogue neighbour was through the barrel of a howitzer. The Pakistani policies of Mr Vajpayee and Mr Singh both struggled as a consequence. That Rawalpindi often deliberately sabotaged ongoing peace initiatives did little to assuage the public mood.

Read | What are India, BJP trying to achieve with surgical strikes across LoC?

Mr Modi seems to have pursued a version of this enlightened policy for two years, cultivating ties with Mr Sharif even though a diplomatic harvest seemed unlikely. But the prime minister has now concluded that he can no longer afford this policy. The sacrifice of the Saarc summit in Islamabad, humiliating Mr Sharif, is a case in point. In this, he is following the view of PV Narasimha Rao who concluded he was better off reducing his Pakistan contacts to just photo ops. The flip side of this attitude, however, is to give up on civil society engagement and focus more on isolating Pakistan internationally and building the political and military equivalent of a wall between the two neighbours. This has obvious benefits in the short-run but, ultimately, reflects a view that Pakistan is a problem that should be managed rather than solved.
Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe recently shared a funny anecdote of his first meeting with the present American presidential candidate over ten years ago.

During an appearance on the premiere of British comedy chat show, The Graham Norton Show, the 27-year-old actor recalled his first meeting with the businessman at a press run for Harry Potter where Trump decided to offer a young Radcliffe some tips to ease his nerves, reports E! Online. I was like 11 or 12 and it was when we were doing press for the first Potter movie, and they took us to New York and it was sort of the first time doing any of the morning shows in New York, Radcliffe began.

Watch: This is how Harry Potter looked in the first film

I was about to do the Today Show and Id never been American morning TV before, and I was quite nervous, he continued, Donald Trump had also been on that day. They walked me over to him because clearly they were like, somebody must have said, Hey, you wanna meet the kid who plays Harry Potter? and hes like Sure! I dont know how that conversation went.

The people in charge apparently walked him over to the politician. The pre-teen Radcliffe confided that he was quite nervous as he had never been on TV before.

You tell them you just met Mr. Trump, said Donald Trump to the actor.

And this is how Daniel Radcliffe looks now

To the child star that definitely must have been the Everest of self-confidence.

Imagine if Id just been to you, When you go on that show, just talk about me. Dont talk about your stuff, the Swiss Army Man actor added.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Pharmacist Sarabjit Kaur has been doing a crushing 10-hour shift at a two-room government dispensary in Amritsar districts Naushera Dhalla village since September 28.

Her six-hour shift has been extended and she was put on emergency duty, ready to treat people with wounds from bullets and shelling.

The dispensary is barely 200 metres from the India-Pakistan border, which has been on high alert since militants killed 18 soldiers in Uri and the subsequent military surgical strikes on militant hideouts across the Line of Control, the de facto boundary.

The 40-year-old Kaur travels 17km on a scooter from home in Attari, a frontier village about 45km from Amritsar city, to the dispensary. She takes the same route home after work.

On Wednesday afternoon, we received an order from the district administration  our duty hours were extended from six to 10, so I come in at 8am and leave by 6pm. The weekly off has been cancelled and we were told to be prepared for night duty at camps where evacuated villagers have been put up, she says.

Read | As evacuation begins along Punjab border, villagers tense but not scared

The lone doctor in the dispensary was moved to camps in a place called Gogo bua, so Kaur alone is dealing with patients at the dispensary for three neighbouring villages, with 11,500 people.

But the mass evacuations have reduced the number of patients to less than half. Till last week, we saw 30 patients a day, now its 10. I havent received any bullet or shelling case so far; if required Ill call an ambulance on 108 to rush them to a hospital, she says.

Most youngsters, women and children have left, leaving behind elders to guard the house and crop. Kaurs 60-year-old helper in the dispensary, Suvindar Kaur, stayed while her family moved to a relatives house in Amritsar. We cant leave the house vacant there are thieves. Also, madam is alone and needs help, she says.

Read | India-Pak tensions bring back war memories, fears: Where will we go?

The place is tense, but the threat of war is not new to the villagers. I have faced similar tension during the Kargil war. My family refused to vacate the house even though there was military all around, the pharmacist says.

Her husband died 10 years ago, and her two sons and a daughter worry about her travelling to work each day. I tell them not to worry; I will start my Activa and rush to you the moment I sense trouble. Also, I have filled the fuel tank of my Zen to capacity, in case war breaks out, I will load whatever I can and drive my children to safety, she says.

In adjoining Dhalla village, closer to the border, residents feel neglected. Naushera receives all the attention; no politician comes here. They visit Naushera and return, says villager Sukhdev Singh.

Read | Politics behind border panic in Punjab after cross-LoC strikes

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At least six militants attacked a paramilitary camp in north Kashmir on Sunday night, killing one jawan and wounding another, two weeks after a similar attack killed 19 soldiers and ratcheted up tensions between India and Pakistan.

The attack on the 46 Rashtriya Rifles camp in Janbazpora on the outskirts of Baramulla city, 54 km from capital Srinagar, started at around 10:30 pm

The attack began when the assailants tried to enter through a public park near the camp, but were stopped. They then took positions on the banks of the Jhelum river, the Baramulla police control room said.

Live updates:

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi condemns Baramulla attack, says terror and hatred can never succeed against the courage and resolve of our bravehearts

My thoughts&prayers are with our soldiers as they defend and protect our country. Salute to the martyr who laid down his life  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 3, 2016

Police sources say operation over, no militant bodies recovered but search ops are still on. Sources fear militants may have managed to escape

#Baramulla Attack: Situation under control, search operation continues (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/LYekx3yGJr  ANI (@ANI_news) October 3, 2016

Sartaj Aziz says Pak NSA Nasir Janjua and Indian NSA Ajit Doval agreed to reduce tensions on LoC, ANI quotes Pak media

Rajnath Singh discusses and reviews security situation with NSA Ajit Doval

#Baramulla Attack: Situation under control, search operation continues (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/X5GzIxa3Cy  ANI (@ANI_news) October 3, 2016

Home minister Rajnath Singh speaks to DG BSF, asks him to provide best medical facilities to the injured jawan, reports news agency ANI

A senior police officer says one BSF jawan killed in the attack. Militants havent been able to breach the camp.

Northern Command says the situation is contained and under control.

A source says there are reports from the site of the attack about militant casualties. However, there is no official confirmation.

Inspector general of police (Kashmir range) Javeed Mujtaba Gilani confirms two BSF soldiers have been injured. Says firing has stopped. Combing and search operations are on.

Two BSF jawans injured in exchange of fire with terrorists, says ANI.

Police officer Syed Javeid Mujataba Gillani says it was not immediately known whether the militants tried to enter the camp

Heavy exchange of fire and grenades is going on, an officer says.

Reports said two soldiers were injured in the ongoing assault, and that about four-five militants were holed up.

Colleagues in Baramulla town are phoning with reports of massive gunfire in their vicinity. Prayers for all in the area.  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) October 2, 2016

In a separate incident, Pakistan opened fire on Indian posts in the Akhnoor sector.

The firing violates the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan along the international border and the Line of Control  the de facto border that divides Jammu and Kashmir between the two neighbours.

The border skirmish comes at a time when New Delhi and Islamabad are locked in a bitter diplomatic war of words following the Uri terror attack, in which heavily armed militants, believed to be of Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, stormed an army base in Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers.

Relations between the two countries have been fraught with tension since the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control in response to the Uri terror attack.

With inputs from agencies
Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma on Sunday visited heritage sites in Delhi and announced a ban on polythene at all national monuments, in an initiative to boost the governments Swachh Bharat, Swachh Smarak campaign.

Sharma, along with officials of the tourism ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), visited the Red Fort, Humayuns Tomb and Qutab Minar.

He directed the officials to implement a complete ban on polythene at all monuments within a month and asked them to ensure cleanliness and availability of basic facilities such as toilets and cafeteria at the sites.

Taking forward the Swachh Bharat Mission, we have decided to ban polythene at all national monuments and tourist destinations from Gandhi Jayanti this year, Sharma said.

He said plastic bottles will not be banned, but tourists will be asked to place those in recycle bins.

With the trial phase of the initiative launched last month, the ban will be applicable in a 100-metre radius of the monuments.

It will be easier to implement this initiative as the monuments have security personnel who can check tourists at the entrance, Sharma said.

The initiative will be reviewed after a month to decide if there is any need to impose fines on the offenders, an official said.

The Centre had in March banned the manufacture of plastic bags of below 50 microns as these are difficult to dispose of thus posing a major threat to the environment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, 2014. It aims to eliminate open defecation, manual scavenging and encourage modern and scientific municipal solid waste management, among others.
Two days after the high court struck down prohibition, Bihar government on Sunday came out with a new and more stringent liquor-ban law with provisions such as arrest of all adults in the family if anyone consumes or stores alcohol.

The government notified the Bihar prohibition and excise act, 2016, to ensure that the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol, including Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), continues in the eastern state.

Those flouting the ban face up to 10 years in jail, a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and there is also a provision to confiscate the house or premises where liquor is stored or drunk. Though in a rare case, it also prescribes death penalty if people die after consuming hooch.

Enforcement of the new law, calculated to impose prohibition in a holistic manner, would repeal the previous excise laws in the state, chief minister Nitish Kumar said.

Read | Why Patna high court shot down Bihars prohibition law

But experts say the new law  which contains many of the provisions of the law that was scrapped  will immediately be challenged in court.

Unfazed by the court setback, Kumar, whose poll promise of liquor ban helped him get re-elected a year ago, said prohibition was a step towards social transformation.

Addressing a press conference after chairing a special cabinet meeting that supported the ban, Kumar said the law was a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi whose 147 birth anniversary was celebrated on Sunday.

At least 16,000 people have been arrested in the state since prohibition was clamped on April 5. Those arrested include army jawans who were passing through the state and were carrying liquor bottles.

The new law -- described as draconian by many --- was not in contravention of the court order, Kumar said, as the provisions quashed were from the old law drawn from the Bihar excise act of 1915.

Quashing the April 5 notification that banned IMFL, the court said the order was ultra vires to the Constitution, hence not enforceable. The notification was issued four days after state banned country liquor.

The new prohibition law was passed by the assembly on August 4 and got the governors nod on September 7, the CM said. It was to be implemented the very next day but they decided to enforce it from Gandhi Jayanti.

Dismissing claims that prohibition infringed peoples rights, Kumar said even the Supreme Court had observed that selling liquor or consumption was not a fundamental right of the citizens.

Kumar said they would challenge the HC order in the Supreme Court as a lot of decisions had been taken in keeping with the old excise act.

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At least six militants attacked an army camp in north Kashmir on Sunday night, killing one jawan and wounding another, two weeks after a similar attack killed 19 soldiers and ratcheted up tensions between India and Pakistan.

As it happened | Attack on army camp in Kashmirs Baramulla district

The attack on the 46 Rashtriya Rifles camp in Janbazpora on the outskirts of Baramulla city, 54 km from capital Srinagar, started at around 10:30 pm and repeated exchanges of fire ensued.

Colleagues in Baramulla town are phoning with reports of massive gunfire in their vicinity. Prayers for all in the area.  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) October 2, 2016

The assailants tried to enter through a public park near the camp, but were stopped. They then took positions on the banks of the Jhelum river, the Baramulla police control room said.

Militants fired at the RR camp in Janbazpora area of Baramulla town late tonight... at the outpost of the camp that is manned by the BSF (Border Security Force) troopers. A gunfight started after the militants firing was retaliated, a senior police officer told IANS over the phone from Baramulla town.

During the firing, two BSF jawans were injured and rushed to a nearby hospital, officials told PTI. One of them succumbed to his injuries on the operation table.

Personnel of the border guarding force, BSF, which is under the operational command of the army in the area, stay in the camp along with soldiers.

Baramulla Incident situation contained and under control @adgpi  NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) October 2, 2016

Combing and search operations were carried out after the firing stopped, inspector general of police (Kashmir range) Javeed Mujtaba Gilani said.

There were reports that two militants were also killed in the gunfight, but Hindustan Times could not independently verify the same.

Ceasefire violation

In a separate incident, the Pakistan Army opened fire on Indian posts in the Akhnoor sector.

Pakistan is often accused of firing at Indian posts to give cover to infiltrators.

The firing violates the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan along the international border and the Line of Control  the de-facto border that divides Jammu and Kashmir between the two neighbours.

The border skirmish comes at a time when New Delhi and Islamabad are locked in a bitter diplomatic war of words following the Uri terror attack, in which heavily armed militants, believed to be of Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, stormed an army base in Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers.

Relations between the two countries have been fraught with tension since the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control in response to the Uri terror attack.

With inputs from agencies
A teenage girl was allegedly gang-raped by four youths late on Saturday night in Dhokhri village under Phulpur police station.

The victims father has filed a first information report against two youths of the same village and two of their aides in connection with the crime.

The victim, a Class 10 student, had reportedly gone to watch Ramlila being staged in her village on Saturday night. Spotting her alone, two youths known to her called her out on some pretext and then with the help of two others took her away to a nearby secluded tube-well. The four then allegedly raped her and fled after threatening her to not reveal the incident.

The girl reached home and informed her parents about the incident. Her father then took her to the local police station and filed a police complaint.

A case was registered against Brijesh, 19, and Kuldeep, 20, of the same village and two other unidentified youths.

The two accused named in the FIR were arrested in subsequent police raids, and search for the unidentified suspects is on. The victim was admitted to a local community health centre.

Superintendent of police (trans-Ganga) Rajesh Srivastava confirmed that an FIR had been registered and arrests were made. We are now getting the medical examination of the victim done. Further action will follow in the case, he said.
The Indian Coast Guard caught a Pakistani boat off the Gujarat coast on Sunday morning, triggering fears of an attack amid heightened tensions between the two nations, ANI reported.

Authorities escorted the boat and its nine crew members to Porbandar for investigation, agencies said.

Read: Maritime terror major threat but Indian coasts secure: Rajnath Singh

A senior coast guard officer confirmed the development and said the crew members are being questioned by officers to get more details about their activity and plan in the Indian waters.

ICG Samudra Pavak was on patrol duty off Gujarat coast when it found the Pakistani boat in Indian waters. The Pakistani boat was chased and crew members were apprehended. The coast guard is likely to hand over the Pakistani men to Porbandar Police for further investigations.

The incident comes days after the government sounded a high alert and security agencies tightening vigil, especially in the border areas and coasts. ANI reported that the coast guard had deployed several ships and aircraft to monitor Indias waters.

Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have plummeted after the army said on Thursday it carried out surgical strikes on temporary militant bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Islamabad has hit back, dismissing the claim and saying any attempt to breach its territorial integrity will be rebuffed. Experts say the heightened tensions may trigger several infiltration attempts, both by land and sea.

Boats or vessels from the neighbouring country caught near Indias shores always raises an alarm because armed terrorists used the water route to get to Mumbai from Pakistan before launching a devastating attack on Indias financial capital in 2008 that killed 166 people.

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A former sarpanch was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in south Kashmirs Pulwama district, and the 86th day of unrest on Sunday was marked by sporadic protests and clashes in the Valley.

Police said Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, 30, was shot at by assailants outside his home in Kandzal area of Pulwama. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but did not survive.

He was a sarpanch affiliated with the National Conference, said station house officer of the area, Sarjan Ahmad. The five-year tenure of Panchayats ended in July.

Sarjan said it was not immediately clear who were the assailants, and a manhunt was launched in the area to track the attackers. Militants, who had warned people against local elections, have targeted sarpanchs in the past.

Sporadic protests were reported amid a shutdown as protests over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8 entered its 86th day.

In the southern district of Kulgam, a few residents alleged that security forces vandalised residential properties during raids on the houses of stone-pelters. They alleged the forces set ablaze some structures, including a house, cow sheds and paddy straw heaps besides damaging vehicles.

The incident reportedly prompted the villagers to come out on the streets in the morning, triggering clashes with security forces.

Police have denied the allegation. Kulgam superintendent of police, Shridhar Patel, said they were returning after arresting nine stone-pelters when some youth threw stones on the forces. After we left, some miscreants set ablaze two grass heaps and damaged a truck, he said.

Shops, businesses and schools were closed and public transport remained off the roads.

Since the protests began on July 9, 88 people have lost their lives and over 10,000 have been injured.

The latest victim, Muzaffar Ahmad, a resident of central Kashmirs Chek-i-Kawoosa in Budgam district, was hit by pellets in his eye in mid-September, developed infection and died on Saturday at a hospital.

Apprehending protests in the district, the authorities on Sunday imposed restrictions in some areas from Narbal to Chek-i-Kawoosa. Road blocks and concertina wires were laid to prevent people from marching.

However, the youth in many areas of the district including Chek-i-Kawoosa tried to defy the shutdown and organize pro-freedom rallies, prompting the police and CRPF to retaliate. In the nearby Mazhama, there were clashes between stone-pelting youth and government forces, who responded by firing tear gas shells.

In north Kashmirs Bandipora district, people tried to organize a protest rally in Putushai on the call of separatists but were stopped by security forces. The forces fired tear gas shells and used mild force to disperse the protesters.

Separatists have been issuing protest calendars, demanding the right to self-determination, even as authorities have been imposing curfew, on and off. The latest protest programme has been extended to October 6, with a relaxation on three days from 5 pm to 6 am.
A former sarpanch was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Sunday.

Police said Fayaz Ahmad Bhat (30) was shot outside his home in Kandzal area of Pulwama. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but did not survive.

He was a sarpanch affiliated with the National Conference, station house officer Sarjan Ahmad said.

Militants, who had warned people against local elections, have targeted sarpanchs in the past as well.

The state, grappling with street protests, has also seen a series of militant strikes during the period. On September 18, suspected Pakistani militants attacked a base in northern Kashmirs Uri, killing 19 soldiers, the worst assault against the army in the border state in a decade.

In its first military response to the Uri attack, the Indian Army on early Thursday crossed the line of control and hit militants preparing to infiltrate into India, a claim disputed by Pakistan.

India blames Pakistan for the unrest in Kashmir, rise in infiltration and militant strikes.

With tension rising, villages close to line of control and border with Pakistan are being evacuated even as protests continue in the state for the third month.

Eighty-eight people, most of them civilians, have died in the violence that broke after the July 8 killing of a Hizbul Mujahideen militant.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhis name occupies a pride of place in any list of leaders who have left behind a mark. His philosophy, especially the idea of ahimsa or non-violent struggle, resonates far beyond India.

Gandhis writings are stocked in public libraries across the globe and his political philosophy is discussed in classrooms. It is a measure of Gandhis stature that in countries ranging from Iran and Netherlands to South Africa, you can find landmarks or roads named after him or statues of the frail, bespectacled Mahatma in his trademark dhoti.

Read: Meet Indias new-age Gandhi who goes to the mall, takes the Metro

South Africa

It was his experiences in South Africa that forged Gandhis activism, turning him from a lawyer to a leader of Indias freedom struggle. During his time in South Africa, from 1893 to 1914, Gandhi perfected the ideas of satyagraha, of peaceful marches against unjust laws. This radical idea of passive political resistance was not only a crucial tool in Indias independence movement, but also influenced South Africas struggle against apartheid.

As a homage to Gandhi, a tall statue of him was inaugurated in 1993 by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, at Church Street, Pietermaritzburg. The railway station at Pietermaritzburg is where Gandhi was thrown off a train for not being white. A plaque commemorates the incident. Gandhis cottage, called Sarvodaya, has been preserved and Tolstoy Farm, which he started with his friend Hermann Kallenbach to house poor satyagrahis will be getting a makeover.

Read: #RememberingMahatma: Gandhi statues around the world

A Gandhi statue at Church Street in South Africas Pietermaritzburg. (Clive Reid/Flickr)

United Kingdom

Gandhi is seen as the architect of Indias independence from the British empire, yet England is home to many landmarks associated with the Mahatma.

On March 14, 2015, a Gandhi statue was unveiled in Londons Parliament Square to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his return to India. The statue was inaugurated in the presence of then British prime minister, David Cameron, Gandhis grandson and former West Bengal governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Indias finance minister, Arun Jaitley and actor Amitabh Bachchan.

This 1968 Gandhi statue, by artist Fredda Brilliant, is the centerpiece at Tavistock Square, in Bloomsbury, London. (Wikimedia Commons)

United States

In 1986, a bronze sculpture of Gandhi by Kantilal B Patel joined other defenders of freedom in Union Square Park. The other leaders include Washington, Lafayette, and Lincoln.

The park has a long history of being a focal point for protests. The monument was donated by the Gandhi Memorial International Foundation.

Netherlands

The Netherlands have a record number of roads named after Gandhi  Gandhilaan in Amsterdam to Mahatma Gandhiweg in Arnhem to Gandhistraat in Haarlem. A Gandhi restaurant is located a stones throw away from the Amsterdam Central station and specializes in tandoori, curry and vegetable dishes.

Read: This Gandhi Jayanti, we follow trail of the Mahatmas statues in Delhi NCR

Israel

A roundabout named after Gandhi was inaugurated this year in the Israeli town of Kiryat Gat. The plaque honours Gandhi and also commemorates the 60th year of the towns establishment. The two countries look upon this gesture as a sign of growing friendship. Kiryat Gat is home to 2,000 Ben Israeli Jews of Indian origin and the plaque is a result of a citizens initiative.

Iran

Irans capital city, Tehran, has a shopping district named after Gandhi. The Gandhi Avenue is home to a line of cosy cafes, where students and young people flock to discuss the latest happenings over cups of coffee.

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Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and nearly 170 towns in Gujarat, were declared open-defecation free on the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation on Sunday.

On the occasion, Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu urged the people to answer Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for a Swachh Bharat.

As Mahatma Gandhi had said, for getting freedom we all need to be satyagrahi. Similarly our PM has said we all need to be swachhgrahi for clean India. So all Gujaratis become swachhgrahi, he said in his address to people of Porbandar through video-conferencing.

This is an interim gift to Mahatama Gandhi ji and the final gift will be in 2019 when the entire country will be clean or swachhh, Naidu added.

He also complimented Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, his ministers and officials after 170 towns of Gujarat were declared open-defecation free.

Gujarat is the torch bearer and has set an example for others in swachhta (cleanliness), the minister said.
Ghasera, 45 km southwest of Gurgaon, is no ordinary village, though governmental neglect is as evident as in any other region of Mewatone of Haryanas most backward districts.

For, the inhabitants here still live on the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi who visited at the time of Partition and convinced them not to migrate to Pakistan. And 69 years on, the villagers are still waiting for the Gandhi fame to bring them good fortunes.

Gandhi comes calling

On December 19, 1947, Meo leader Chaudhary Yasin Khan, then a member of Punjab Legislative Assembly, was instrumental in inviting Gandhi to Ghasera, where Muslim Meo refugees from Alwar and Bharatpur in Rajasthan stayed at a camp on their way to Pakistan.

Apart from successfully urging half the refugees to stay back, all that the Mahatmas visit brought for the village since then is a government school and its unofficial name  Gandhi Gram Ghasera. The villages only school, Government Senior Secondary School, stands right in the field from where the Mahatma spoke.

He addressed us using a microphone, recalls 97-year-old Maulvi Ilyas of Jamalgarh in Punhana. He urged us not to migrate to Pakistan, while promising a dignified life. But, nothing has changed in seven decades since.

Utter neglect

A few metres towards the left of the main road ahead of Nuh, the district headquarters, the lane to Ghaseras government school is filled with rainwater, though monsoons disappeared a fortnight ago. The old building has been reduced to rubble; classes are held under a tree.

We are constructing a new building, says village head Mohd Ashraf, 40. Till then, students need to bear with us.

Read | This Gandhi Jayanti, we follow trail of the Mahatmas statues in Delhi NCR

A few miles from the school, villagers sitting on a cot and puffing hookah lament the lack of basic amenities. We have no basic necessities like electricity and water, says Noor Mohd. Neither us not our children have job avenues.

School-going children, who have grown up hearing about the villages Mahatma connection, are not so excited. Gandhijis visit has not led to any improvement in our life, says Saad Khan of class 10.

Meos, Indias backbone

In his address to the refugees, Gandhi, according to scholars, had said his word was not so powerful as it used to be, perhaps regretting Partition. If it had been so powerful, not a single Muslim should have found necessary to migrate to Pakistan from Indian Union and not a single Hindu or a Sikh to leave his home in Pakistan and seek asylum in Indian Union, Gandhi was quoted by a newspaper.

Another report said Gandhi concluded by saying he had been told that Meos were like criminal tribes and, if this was correct, it called for self-reformation.

Eyewitnesses recall how Gandhi started his speech by urging Meos to stay back as you are backbone of India. Some say half of them stayed back after the address.

I was 14 when Gandhiji visited us, recalls Haji Isa Khan, 83, of Ghasera. He started his speech by addressing Meos as the backbone of India. My uncle Natula Khan went to Pakistan; we obeyed Gandhiji.

Academician Siddique Ahmad Meo, an author of eight books on Mewat, agrees with Khan. According to him, Congress leaders like Sardar Patel had been warned by Hindu Mahasabha leaders of the dangers of having a large Muslim population close to the national capital, but Gandhi was against it.

Even Congress leader Gopi Chand Bhargava, says Siddique Ahmad, warned Gandhi on the matter. The Mahatma straightaway rebuked him.

But, much like the rest of Mewat, people here are also irked over recent biryani policing by Haryanas Gau Rakshak Aayog, terming it an act of snatching the livelihood of the poor. Selling beef biryani is out of question, says Shabbir Ahmad, 55. The government is making poor people jobless.

Gandhi, 41 days after his visit to Ghasera, was assassinatedon January 30, 1948. It sowed uncertainty among those who chose to stay back in India. At this, Gandhis spiritual successor Vinoba Bhave kept pacifying the people, who eventually settled in this village till as late as 1958.

India, no regret

Spread over 8 sq km area on both sides of Delhi-Alwar road, Ghasera is home to 25,000 people, mostly Meo Muslims, in 3,800 households. People here are primarily agriculturists, cattle-gazers and vehicle mechanics. The village, which was once walled, is left with a just-renovated gate out of the four of Ghasera fort it once used to be. Among other things, the villagers await a park or a monument as a tribute to Gandhi.

The neglect notwithstanding, the villagers say they feel privileged to be in India than in Pakistan. We are better off in India, the largest democracy. Being in Pakistan would mean no safety at all, says Mushtaq Ahmad, 42, a primary-school teacher.

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Several members of the Patna Club who came to its sprawling premises for a birthday party on Saturday, a day after a division bench of the high court struck down the Bihar governments prohibition law, were in for a disappointment. Sale of liquor continues to be banned, much to the despair of tipplers.

Guests at the party hosted by a private firm at a top-end hotel near the iconic Gandhi Maidan too failed to get their fix. Despite Fridays court ruling, raising hopes of a quick end to forced abstinence, the invitees had to settle for soft drinks served by sharply dressed waiters.

Some overzealous college students out and about at some well-known watering holes of the city too had to return thirsty.

Despite the court ruling, bar owners are unwilling to rush into opening for business. For one, they are waiting for clarity on what the Nitish Kumar-led government will do in the wake of the setback in court. There is talk that it will go ahead with a new prohibition law, with far more stringent measures, on Sunday.

Whether such a step is legally tenable is subject of an intense debate. For the time being, there is confusion, and liquor traders and bar owners are playing it safe.

Thought the high court has quashed the law, uncertainty prevails about what tomorrow will bring. In any case, we are left with no stock, explained a hotel manager.

Why stock liquor? The ban has been lifted for just two days. The new act will come into force from October 2, said the manager of another hotel.

Hotels and clubs alike wore a deserted look as they did not have the stock or a license to serve liquor. Kumar had clamped total prohibition in the state after being re-elected the chief minister last year.

Not everyone, though, missed drinking. The Navratra has begun. Even the most avid drinkers avoid liquor during this period, pointed out Devdutt, a member of a prominent club in the city.

Hotel owners said they were looking forward to how things develop in the coming days, saying prohibition has been bad for business. Room occupancy has gone down considerably as many outstation visitors prefer to fly back the same day, said one.

Prohibition, however, was chief minister Kumars principal poll promise, aimed at winning the support of women voters, and he is unlikely to give up on that meekly.

The chief minister has convened a special cabinet meeting on October 2, triggering speculation that he would notify and then enforce the stringent prohibition measures. According to highly placed sources, the government is also planning to file a special leave petition in the apex court, challenging the HC order.

Read | Why Patna high court shot down Bihars prohibition law

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Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi on Sunday said if Pakistani artists are sent back to their country, it should be done with respect.

Pakistani artists have not come to India as intruders but our country has given them valid visa based on which they have come, Azmi told reporters after attending an event here to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Hence, if they (Pakistani artists) are to be sent back, their visa should be cancelled. They should be sent back to their country respectfully, the SP leader said.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the recent surgical strikes conducted across the Line of Control by the army, Azmi said this is the only good work done by the PM in his tenure so far.

The teachings of Gandhiji (Mahatma Gandhi) were being massacred, while temples are being constructed for his killer. This is unfortunate, he said.

After the terror attack in Uri a controversy has erupted over the involvement of Pakistani artists in Indian movies.

Read | Pakistan theatres ban Indian films after Bollywood shuns Pak artistes
Pakistani military officials point to an Indian Army post high on a forested ridge along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, insisting any incursions are impossible, after skirmishes ignited dangerous tensions between the nuclear rivals.

The army took the rare step of flying international media to the de-facto border to make its case in a battle of competing narratives, after India said its commandos penetrated up to three kilometres into Pakistan on anti-militant raids.

The presence of Indian forces so far across the Line of Control (LoC) would be a stinging blow to Pakistan, particularly after the 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden that took place on its territory without its consent.

The media visit came Saturday as Indias army chief Gen Dalbir Singh congratulated commandos involved in what New Delhi has described as surgical strikes to take out terrorist launchpads after a deadly attack on an Indian army base last month.

Pakistan has flatly denied the claim, saying two of its soldiers were killed but only in cross-border fire of the kind that commonly violates a 2003 ceasefire on the LoC.

The helicopter tour took journalists to sectors just two kilometres from the dividing line, and near the locations India said it targeted in assaults on four militant camps.

On hand were senior local commanders as well as army spokesperson Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa -- an omnipresent media personality who has taken centre stage on Pakistani television since the tensions erupted.

A Pakistani soldier patrols in Mandhole village in Tatta Pani sector near the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on October 1, 2016. (AFP)

Read | India has never attacked another country, says Modi amid tension with Pakistan

In villages like Mandhole, daily life was going on largely as normal despite the tensions, with shops and businesses open and children in pressed white uniforms walking to school.

You have seen the lay of the land, said Bajwa, speaking from a command post overlooking the lush green Bandala Valley, with Pakistani and Indian fortifications visible on the opposite hill.

You can see the way the fortifications are built and the way Pakistan has layers of defence and they have layers of defence... the LoC cannot be violated, he said.

If theyve caused that damage to us, we dont know any has been caused to us! You can go and meet the civilian population. Our side is open: to the UN mission, to the media, to the general public, he said.

News spreads

It was not possible to verify the generals claims, though villagers who spoke with a second AFP reporter in the area independent of the military-guided trip were also incredulous.

Sardar Javed, a 37-year-old journalist for Kashmiri newspapers and a resident of Tatta Pani sector, which lies just west of India-controlled Poonch sector where one of the strikes was said to have been carried out, said he had seen no evidence of a raid.

Im not saying its not true because thats the army line. Its because Im from the LoC and Im a local journalist. News spreads fast around here and people get to know whatever happens, he said.

A Pakistani soldier stands guard at checkpoint in Bagsar village close to the Line of Control (LOC). (AP Photo)

Mountainous Kashmir is seen as one of the worlds most dangerous flashpoints, where Indian and Pakistani soldiers watch one another across valleys divided by barbed wire and land mines.

The bitter neighbours agreed on the de-facto border in 1972, but both claim the territory in full. Two of their three wars have been fought over the Himalayan region.

Read | Drama exposed: Pakistan media questions Indias surgical strikes across LoC

Areas close to the 720 kilometre (450 mile) LoC are normally off-bounds even for Pakistani nationals, and the past three years have seen a surge in cross-border shelling.

Big lie?

Tensions have been simmering for months over the Kashmir unrest in India, where more than 80 civilians have been killed, mostly in clashes with security forces, during protests linked to the killing of a militant in July.

Some Pakistani observers say the vaunted raids are an attempt to shift the focus and allow India to escape scrutiny over the Kashmir crisis.

Pakistan-backed militants were blamed for the attack on an Indian army base last month in which 19 soldiers were killed, prompting angry calls for action from the Indian public ahead of Thursdays action.

Indias BSF personnel keep tight vigil at the India and Pakistan International Border, at Gakhrial of Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI Photo)

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has offered to mediate in the dispute as the international community urged restraint.

Pakistan is eager to dispel to the world the notion it harbours terrorists; and to its own citizens vanish the idea it can be pushed around by its bigger neighbour, with whom it has long attempted to maintain a semblance of military parity.

India, for its part, seeks to diplomatically isolate Pakistan following a series of attacks that it blames on Islamist militants backed by its western neighbour.

Leaning on a walking stick in the pristine hillside village of Baghsar Saturday, 76-year-old local councillor Mirza Abdul Ghani told visiting journalists that the Indian claims were a big lie.

I myself am ready to fight if they dare -- I have my weapon in my house, he said.

Read | The choice now is Pakistans: Terror or talks
The US welcomed Indias ratification of the Paris climate agreement on Sunday with President Barack Obama saying that by joining the pact Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian people have carried on Mahatma Gandhis legacy.

Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy, Obama tweeted.

Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy.  President Obama (@POTUS) October 2, 2016

Obama, whose presidential term comes to an end in January next year, wants to be remembered as the president who saved the world from climate change and he played a significant role in concluding the Paris climate deal last year.

Obama and Modi, on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos last month, had discussed climate change issues as an immediate priority of Indo-US ties.

Terming it as a bold and decisive step, US ambassador to India Richard Verma in New Delhi also lauded Indias ratification of the Paris climate agreement.

In joining the Paris climate agreement, India has taken a bold and decisive step in combating climate change, Verma said.

He also commended Prime Minister Modi for his leadership and thanked all those who have worked on the agreement over many years.

Indias ratification provides indispensable political momentum to securing entry into force of the Paris agreement this year, sending an enduring and irreversible market signal that low-carbon development is 21st century development, Verma said.

... (It) will yield tremendous benefits not only for producers and consumers in India, but for those around the world, he said.

India, the worlds third largest carbon emitter, ratified the landmark Paris climate deal on Sunday, giving a major boost to the deal which appeared tantalisingly close to enter into force by the end of this year.

Permanent representative to the UN ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony in New York attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhis 147th birth anniversary.

We look forward to continuing our close friendship with India and furthering our work together on climate change and clean energy, so that we may provide future generations a world to be proud of and treasure, Verma said.

The ratification formalises pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards and try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.

India, the worlds third biggest carbon emitter after China and the US which are responsible for around 40% of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday ordered closure of a prominent English newspaper  Kashmir Reader  to maintain public tranquillity in the Valley.

The decision shocked Kashmiri journalists, who said this is the first time in the three decades of conflict that the government had banned a newspaper.

The Srinagar deputy commissioner served a notice to the newspaper asking its printer, publisher and owner to abstain from printing till further orders so that disturbance of public tranquillity is prevented.

The DC said the newspaper was publishing material that tends to incite acts of violence and disturb public peace and tranquillity. The paper has been warned that it would forfeit its printing press and other properties if the order was not followed.

Kashmir Reader office-bearers said the notice was served to them by police officers at its Batamaloo office in Srinagar on Sunday.

The papers editor, Hilal Mir, said the newspaper was reporting the situation in Kashmir as it was. We fail to understand how we incite violence when we have been reporting like any other media organisation except that we have tried to be more extensive in our reportage, Mir said.

We are not inventing the situation and are only reporting what is happening on the ground. If things get better in the Valley, we will obviously report that as well, he added.

Kashmir has been on the boil for the past 86 days, since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8, and the ongoing protests have claimed 88 lives.

The Kashmir Reader had published many stories on the alleged atrocities of the security forces during the unrest. It also became very popular online for its extensive coverage of the victims of the violence.

The news of the order was shared by the paper on its Facebook page, drawing condemnation from several quarters.

The mountain of Shame, wrote journalist Mir Liyaqat.

This only goes on to expose the hypocrisy and limits of facade of democracy they deploy to hide war crimes, said Dibyesh Anand, professor of international relations at University of Westminster.

Senior Kashmiri journalists also expressed surprise over the governments decision.

We have had an armed conflict in Jammu and Kashmir for nearly three decades. During this period, parties to the conflict often tried to gag the media, so much so that a number of journalists had to pay with their lives for upholding freedom of the press. But this is for the first time in these three decades that the government has ordered closure of a newspaper like this, said former BBC correspondent Altaf Hussain.

Read | Ex-sarpanch shot dead; sporadic protests on Day 86 of Kashmir unrest
A fifth vertical will be added to the already crowded political space in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday with a joint rally by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Ajit Singh at Baraut in Baghpat district.

On the day, Ajit Singhs son and former Lok Sabha MP from Mathura Jayant Chaudhary will also be projected as the chief ministerial candidate of the Janata Dal (United)-RLD combine.

The venue of the rally has been carefully chosen. Baraut is the birthplace of Ajit Singhs father and former Prime Minister Charan Singh.

A cocktail of political parties, including the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), BJP and the Congress, are in race for the 403 assembly seats, with elections due in February-March 2017.

Kumar and Ajit Singh will address several joint public across the states western flanks. We are in touch with other like-minded groups which are expected to join our secular front at subsequent stages, JD(U) spokesman KC Tyagi said.

Strategists of the JD(U)-RLD combine hope the Congress will also feel compelled to align with their formation to achieve the common aim of preventing the BJP from coming to power in the countrys politically important state.With Kumars help, the RLD leader, who had earlier also hinted at an alliance with the SP, hopes to recapture his appeal with the Jat voters, who deserted the RLD in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections held in the aftermath of the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar, a year earlier.

Unless voters again get polarised along communal lines, it will be difficult for the BJP to repeat its magic of 2014, when it won 71 of the states 80 Lok Sabha seats, observers say.

The BJPs handling of the Jat reservation agitation in Haryana is also said to have resulted in the communitys disenchantment with the ruling party.
In a fresh twist to the investigation where a Mumbai resident complained against an auto rickshaw driver for intimidating him while accusing him of carrying a bag made of cow hide, the police have booked the complainant for registering a false complaint. The investigation concluded that nothing of that nature took place, a senior police official said.

Barun Kashyap, a Mumbai resident who posted the alleged incident on his Facebook account, said trouble began when he hailed an auto rickshaw to go to his office on the morning of August 19.

According to Kashyap, the driver began a conversation, asking him about the bag he was carrying. The driver alleged the bag was made of cow hide, though Kashyap explained it was made from camel skin.

Read: Cowhide bag: Mumbai victim fears backlash, dodges media queries

The belligerent driver probed further, asking him where he hailed from. When Kashyap told him he was from Assam, the driver retorted, Is it next to Bangladesh?

Kashyap, in his social media post, claimed the driver then insisted the bag smelled of cow skin. Kashyap said that since it had got wet, the bag was giving off the peculiar odour.

A senior officer said on Saturday, Our investigations concluded that nothing of that nature took place between Kashyap and the driver. We have booked Kashyap under section 153 (A) of IPC.

Section 153(A) deals with cases promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, etc. The Amboli police said Kashyap has not yet been arrested.

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When the US and the UK asked Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to condemn the attack on the Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, he refused to denounce the assault.

According to the News International, both the world powers asked Sharif to condemn the attack, which left 19 Indian soldiers dead, during the premiers meeting with US secretary of state John Kerry and British Prime Minister Theresa May at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

According to sources, Sharif instead countered the two leaders over their silence regarding the unrest in the Kashmir Valley since July 9, which has claimed the lives of nearly 90 persons.

The sources said Sharif maintained that Islamabad could not condemn the attack, which India has blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group, and the death of the security personnel when India had no regret over its atrocities and brutalities in the valley.

Sharif said that the world, including London and Washington, had turned a blind eye to the killing of Kashmiris in clashes with the security forces after the killing of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani in July.

Pakistan categorically rejected the Indian allegations of Islamabads involvement in the Uri attack.

However, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan offered full cooperation to probe the incident as it believed the attack was either an Indian false flag operation carried out to malign Pakistan and divert the world attention from Kashmir issue or it was a retaliatory attack by the oppressed Kashmiris who are facing the worst form of brutalities from the Indian state terrorism.

With such a clear stance on Kashmir, expecting from the Pakistani premier to condemn the Uri attack and killing of Indian soldiers is really unfair and irrational, another source said.
Three months after the mysterious disappearance of 21 people from north Kerala, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday apprehended five people from Kannur for their alleged link with the extremist outfit Islamic State.

The tip-off came after questioning suspected IS recruits arrested from Hyderabad a couple of months ago, intelligence sources said.

Following this, at least eight people were under the scanner of the NIA, which tracked them for almost two months. The team raided their hideout near Panur with the help of Kerala police on Sunday. Three people slipped out of the dragnet and efforts are on to locate them, sources said.

Read | Kerala police confirm Islamic State link in missing youth case

It is not yet clear if the arrested people have links with the 21 suspected to have joined the Islamic State. Sources said the suspects were planning to activate some of the sleeper cells of the banned SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) and plotting a conspiracy to target some well-known personalities of south India.

Two of the arrested are from Tamil Nadu. The police had tightened security of four RSS leaders recently following tip-off from central agencies.

In July, Hyderabad police arrested two key IS suspects  Yasir Niamatullah and Athahulla Rehman. The latter was reported to be the main fundraiser of an IS module in south India. After questioning them, police busted a gang of five who were preparing improvised explosive devices to carry out blasts in different parts of the country.

Three months ago, 21 people, including six women and two children, had gone missing from the state, sending shockwaves across the country. Most of the missing are well-educated and hail from respectable upper-middle class families. Two men and three women had converted to Islam. Intelligences agencies had traced some calls made by them to Afghanistan.

The Kerala police had arrested two people from Mumbai in connection with the missing people. Arshid Qureshi and Rizwan Khan had allegedly played a key role in recruiting for the IS and dispatching them abroad.

Qureshi, an associate of controversial preacher Zakir Naik, was held in connection with the disappearance of Merin alias Mariyam, a resident of Kochi. Merins brother had filed a police complaint that Qureshi had also tried to convert him during a meeting in Mumbai last year. Now the NIA is investigating the case and most families have disowned them.

Read | NIA seeks assistance of six countries in Islamic State case probe

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Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on Sunday that India may get Rafale fighter aircraft from France earlier than the agreed-upon 36 months.

As per terms of the deal it is 36 months (during which the delivery has to start), but it may come slightly earlier. We have requested them to (deliver it) as fast as possible, he said.

On September 23, India and France signed the Euro 7.87-billion (Rs 59,000 crore approx) deal for Rafale fighter jets, equipped with latest missiles and weapon system besides multiple India-specific modifications that will give the IAF greater potency over arch-rival Pakistan.

The delivery of the jets, which experts say will allow the air force to strike targets in Pakistan and China from within Indian territory. will begin in 36 months and will be completed in 66 months from the date the contract is inked.

The deal is crucial for the Indian Air Force that is grappling with a dwindling fighter fleet. The IAF has 33 fighter squadrons, each consisting of 18 planes. It requires 45 combat units to counter a combined threat from China and Pakistan.

Under the deal, the vanila price (just of the aircraft alone) will cost about 91 million euros each for a single seater and about 94 million euros for a two-seater trainer aircraft.

Parrikar also said that a 12-member committee to suggest structural changes in the military on cutting down flab and reducing revenue (maintenance) expenditure will soon submit its report.

The committee is headed by Lt Gen (Retd) DB Shekatkar.

The Narendra Modi government had cleared the deal amid indications that the French government waived off the advance guarantee, allowing India to save 134 million euros.

Read: India will deploy Rafale jets carrying nukes against China, Pak: Chinese media
Disabled officers of the defence forces will still get lower amount of money in their pension as disability allowance than their counterparts in civil departments according to the seventh pay commissions recommendations which the ministry of defence notified on Friday.

Among the accepted recommendations is a return to the slab system for determining disability allowance. That was prevalent before the sixth commission replaced it with the system of calculating disability element of pension as a maximum of 30% of pay scale for 100% disability. It is the method used for civilians. For lower degree of disability, the amount was reduced on pro rata basis.

The defence services had this time even sought enhancement of the disability element of pension at 50% for complete disability.

But, in the slab system that has made a comeback, for 100% disability, for officers the allowance in pension is fixed at Rs 27,000, for junior commissioned officers (JCOs), Rs 17,000; for other ranks (ORs), Rs 12,000 a month.It would be reduced as per lower level of disability. In lower ranks, the change of system wont make a significant difference, though.

WHY THE U-TURN?

The seventh pay panel reasoned that after implementation of the previous commission s recommendations, emoluments for 100% disability, at the minimum level for ORs, went up from Rs 1,550 to Rs 3,138, that is, a little over double; and at the highest level amongst officers from Rs 2,600 to Rs 27,000, that is, by 10.38 times.

It added, As a percentage of the total officer retirees, the number of officers retiring with disability has increased in 2013-14 (19.8%), as compared to 2007-08 (13.6%). The percentage of JCOs/ORs retiring with disability is, on the other hand, decreasing (18.9 to 7.2).

For introduction of the flat slab system again, the seventh panel also said that disability pension based on percentage brought inequity, as the difference between maximum and minimum quantum of compensation across the ranks is now disproportionately high.

But Major Navdeep Singh, lawyer at the Punjab and Haryana high court, differs: Frankly, I never thought that this regressive recommendation would ever be accepted. While recommending this aspect, the pay commission has made unfounded and uncharitable remarks against disabled soldiers by casting aspersions on those who have incurred disabilities while in service. These remarks should be expunged by the political executive.

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A routine daily flag-lowering ceremony at an Indian-Pakistani border crossing became a show of strength and patriotism Saturday on the Pakistani side thanks to simmering tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Thousands of Pakistanis thronged the border town of Wagah to watch their soldiers lower the flag. The ceremony takes place daily and features a formal set of handshakes between Indian and Pakistani soldiers. Very few people attended from the Indian side.

Saturdays ceremony took on extra meaning because of an ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over the contested territory of Kashmir. Both countries claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety and are separated by the heavily guarded Line of Control.

Read | A soldiers life at LoC: Little sleep, no leave and dreams on hold

A Pakistani border guard, in black uniform, takes part in a daily border closing ceremony with his Indian counterpart at the Wagah border. (AP Photo)

Since 2003, a cease-fire has largely held despite regular small-scale skirmishes. Each side routinely blames the other for starting any violence and insists they are only retaliating.

India blamed Pakistani-supported Kashmir-based militants for a deadly September 18 assault on a base in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 17 Indian soldiers.

On September 29, the Indian military claimed to have carried out a surgical strike across the Kashmir border that destroyed what it called a terrorist launching pad used by Kashmir-based militants. Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in that barrage.

Pakistani border guards take part in a daily border closing ceremony at the Wagah border post in Pakistan. (AP Photo)

The latest spike in tensions has spilled over into a cultural and political stand-off. The Indian Motion Picture Artists Association announced it would ban Pakistani actors from Bollywood movies and several large Pakistani cinema chains announced they would stop showing Indian movies.

Saturdays ceremony began with the march of two female border guards. Then a Pakistani Sikh soldier shook hands with his Indian counterpart; the soldier also shook his fist aggressively at the Indian soldier as the Pakistani crowd clapped in approval.

Among those who travelled to witness the ceremony Saturday was 70-year-old Mohammad Ahsan, who said he came from southern port city of Karachi.

Pakistani border guards gesture while looking at their Indian counterpart during a daily border closing ceremony at sunset, at the Wagah border post. (AP Photo)

I am so happy that I saw todays parade and flag lowering ceremony. The way our soldiers sprint and march is a rare experience of my life, he said, as his daughters and others chanted, long live Pakistan.

Anam Fatima, 17, said she came to Wagah along with her classmates and teachers to boost the morale of Pakistani soldiers.

I did not know that our soldiers are so handsome, tall and brave and I saw them today closely and God willing no one can defeat our brave nation, she said.
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said the surgical strike against terrorists launch-pads across LoC was successful and that the country was prepared for any eventuality.

He also said that the brigade commander of Uri K Somashanker was removed following army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhags decision, a day after officers at the army headquarters in New Delhi denied of any such order being issued.

Surgical strike against terrorists launch pads were successful. We are prepared for any eventuality, he told CNN News 18 in an interview.

He said Pakistan was nervous after the strike.

Taking a dig at Pakistan, Parrikar said, My mother always told me if you go into a forest hunting for a rabbit, you have to be prepared for a tiger.

Asked about the removal of Uri brigade commander, he said the decision was taken by the army chief since a probe is on to ascertain the lapses that led to the September 18 deadly attack in which nineteen soldiers were killed. Four Pakistani terrorists were eliminated in the counter-offensive by the army.

Moving out Uri brigade commander was a call taken by army chief assessing if there were gaps in SOPs at Uri, he said. Parrikar said such action was called attachment in army parlance.

Parrikar added that there was a need for an impartial probe into possible security lapses at Uri.

On tensions with the neighbours, the defence minister said PM Narendra Modi had tried his best to improve relationships with Pakistan.

Parrikar underlined that diplomatic activity has given India a lot of impetus on combating terrorism and enabled India to put across its point of view on terrorism to the international community.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at Rajghat and Vijay Ghat on their birth anniversaries.

The Prime Minister remembered the two leaders for the values they championed.

Gandhi ji made this world a better place. His ideals, dedication to the poor and struggle against injustice inspire, Modi said in a tweet.

October 2 is the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who is also known as the Father of the Nation and Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of the country.

Modi also shared a video on the microblogging site, showing people engaged in various sanitation activities and taking pledge of giving shramdaan (Gift of Labour) on the 147th birth anniversary of Gandhi.
Writers, academics and policy makers will congregate in November in Bhopals Bharat Bhavan - considered a Left fortress - to discuss a plethora of issues with nationalism existing on a continuum.

A first of its kind colloquium, Lokmanthan is being organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) backed think tank India Policy Foundation.

The three-day event from November 12 to 14 will see the RSS reach out to thinkers and writers from Latin American and African countries to explore themes of western hegemony, impact of colonisation on political discourse, art and culture.

There was a need to create space for alternate voices. Most of such conclaves and literary fests are Left dominated and proscribe opinion that does not match the communist ideology, said RSS ideologue and IPF honorary director Rakesh Sinha.

While Lokmanthan is part of the Sanghs strategy to create room for its ideology, criticised by the Congress and the Left for perpetrating a saffron agenda, it is equally a signal of the right-wing breaching spaces, which traditionally remained out of bounds for them.

Take the case of Bharat Bhavan, which was set up by during late Arjun Singhs stint as Madhya Pradesh chief minister and inaugurated by then PM Indira Gandhi.

Hosting a Sangh event at Bharat Bhavan in itself is a message. There was a deliberate attempt to shrink the space for RSS-BJP sympathisers. No attention was paid to philosopher-historian Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. Leaders like (KB) Hedgewar were incorrectly portrayed as pro-British. History was doctored to suit the Left agenda. We are changing that, a functionary told HT on the condition of anonymity.

A similar takeover of so-called liberal spaces is happening elsewhere. The capitals Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), which has RSS-backed Ram Bahadur Rai at the helm, has played host to several meetings and events organised by the Sangh and its affiliates.

Also, in the capital, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), located at Teen Murti Bhavan, home to Indias first PM Jawaharlal Nehru is also witnessing a change.

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Saarc member states must ensure that their respective territories are not used for cross border terrorism, Nepal , which chairs the south Asian regional grouping, said on Sunday.

Days after India and four other countries pulled out of the 19th Saarc Summit, indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an atmosphere which was not right for successfully holding the event, Nepal said it strongly believes that an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation.

In its third statement since tensions between India and Pakistan boiled over, Nepal called on all member states to create a regional environment conducive for holding Saarc Summit, from which India pulled out in the wake of the September 18 terrorist attack on Uri military camp.

Read | India boycotts Saarc summit: Five finer points in the diplomatic tussle

Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism. Nepal has always condemned all acts of terrorism in our region, said the foreign ministry statement.

Nepal strongly believes that an environment of peace and stability is essential regional cooperation...To achieve peace and stability in the region, Saarc member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross-border terrorism.

The new statement from Nepal came after intense diplomatic pressure.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae met with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on Friday and urged him to make a clear position on terrorism and what Nepal thinks about recent spike of tension in India-Pakistan border.

This could be the reason behind Nepals change of stance, political observers said.

Most recently, Nepal had condemned the terrorist attack on Indian army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers, the statement said.

Nepal regrets that regional environment is not conducive to host the 19th Saarc Summit scheduled for 9 and 10 November in Islamabad...Nepal will initiate necessary consultations on successfully holding the 19th summit with the participation of all member states, it added.

Earlier, minister for foreign affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who returned on Saturday after leading the Nepali delegation to the 71st United National General Assembly (UNGA), told reporters that Nepal will take necessary steps and hold discussions with member states to press for holding the summit.

The summit, scheduled to be held in November, was postponed on Friday after India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan pulled out, indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India said last week that in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), the eight-member bloc, includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

(With inputs from agencies)

Read | Saarc process too slow, implementation of agreements very poor: Nepal PM Prachanda
The Supreme Court will on Monday pronounce its verdict on the quantum of punishment to be awarded to Vikas Yadav, his cousin Vishal and their aide Sukhdev Pehalwan, who were convicted in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case.

A bench headed by justice Dipak Misra will decide the appeals filed by Vikas and Vishal against a Delhi high court order enhancing the life term to 25 years in jail without remission and an additional five years for destruction of evidence in the case by terming the murder of Katara as honour killing.

Yadavs acquaintance Sukhdev Yadav, also known as Pehelwan, was also awarded an enhanced life sentence of 25 years without remission by the court, which held that the crime fell in the rarest of rare category, but saved them from the gallows, saying the possibility of their reformation and rehabilitation is not unforeseeably foreclosed.

Read | Nitish Katara murder case: SC upholds conviction of 3 convicts

Katara  a business executive and son of a railway officer  was abducted and killed on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002 by Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev, as they did not approve of the victims affair with Bharti  daughter of Uttar Pradesh politician DP Yadav  because they belonged to different castes.

The HC had on April 2, 2014 upheld the verdict of the lower court, describing the offence as honour killing stemming from a deeply-entrenched belief in the caste system.

The top court had on August 17, 2015 upheld the conviction of the three, saying only criminals are crying for justice in this country.

While upholding the conviction, the apex court had said it will separately consider hearing pleas on the limited aspect relating to enhancement of quantum of sentence of the three convicts by the high court.

Earlier, the high court had held that the murder of Katara, who was in love with Vikass sister, was an honour killing done in a very carefully planned and premeditated manner with extreme vengeance.

It had also enhanced the fines imposed on Vikas and Vishal to Rs 54 lakh.

Vikas, 39, Vishal, 37, and Sukhdev, 40, are currently serving their life terms awarded by the lower court in May 2008.
After a brief lull, sulking Marxist veteran VS Achuthanandan upped the ante against the Left front regime, criticising on Sunday the CPI(M)-led governments stand on self-financing medical colleges.

Dubbing the state administrations position on the fee structure of self-financing colleges as not correct, he urged the government to take steps to end an indefinite hunger strike being carried out by two Congress legislators here.

MLAs Hybi Eden and Shafi Parambil are on a fast at the Assembly premises, while Anup K. Jacob of the ruling UDFS ally Kerala Congress (Jacob) was admitted to hospital on Saturday after his condition deteriorated.

Private medical colleges in the state recently raised the fees steeply, leading the Opposition front to accuse the Pinarayi Vijayan government of collusion.

The allegation virtually found support from nonagenarian Achuthanandan, who said on Sunday the government was not correct on its stand on the fee structure.

The state has to take immediate action to contain this anomaly, he said.

The self-financing medical colleges in Kerala typically charge Rs 25 lakh to 35 lakh capitation fees for each medical seat. The fees in the sector went up by Rs 47,000 during the tenure of the previous CM Oommen Chandy, while the Vijayan government increased it by Rs 65,000 last week.

On Friday, Achuthanandan, a former CM, had called on the fasting legislators, embarrassing the ruling coalition.

Soon after the criticism of VS surfaced, Congress leaders asked the government to initiate talks to end the logjam. It is time the government shed its adamant posture and talked to the agitating students, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithal. We hope it will consider the plea of Achuthanandan.

On Wednesday, the Opposition had called a shutdown in Thiruvananthapuram district following a police lathi-charge on the agitating students.

Achuthanandan had last week assumed the charge of the chairman of the administrative reforms commission, but his latest position shows no change in his tirade against Vijayan, who became the CM four months ago. The 92-year-old leader, who campaigned extensively for the party ahead of May 16 polls, was upset with the party leadership overlooking his claim for CM post, though he was soon forced to fall in line.

The fee hike led the Congress-led opposition cried to disrupt the state Assembly proceedings last week, but the CM ruled out any rollback.
Two persons, one from Astilla in Pakistan and another from PoK, were arrested by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

During routine patrolling on the border area, security forces arrested a 32-year-old man moving in suspicious circumstances near the international border in Agrechak belt of RS Pura sector in Jammu district on Saturday evening, official sources said.

He was identified as Abu Bakar, son of Amin Hamza and resident of Astilla in Pakistan, they said, adding after brief questioning, he was handed over to police.

Army along with police have apprehended a 41-year-old PoK resident in Saujian Sector of Poonch on Saturday evening, an army officer said.

He was identified as Mohd Rashid Khan, son of Mohd Yakub Khan and resident of Tedabund of Haveli Tehsil in Bagh district of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, he said.

He is being questioned and investigations are on, the official said.

Three people were held in last one week.

On September 24, a Pakistani national and an alleged activist of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit, was arrested by BSF from near International Border in Jammu.
Rebel leader Mazdak Dilshad Baloch on Saturday thanked India for its support to the Baloch cause, saying it meant that they were no longer alone.

Participating in a seminar on Baloch Nationality at the RSS-backed India Policy Foundation (IPF), he told the gathering, which included journalists, former diplomats and retired armed forces officers that theirs was the strongest movement of Balochistan; it is a grass root movement run by Baloch people not by any Khan or tribal leader.

Emphasising the importance of Indian support to Baloch movement, he said: You do not know how alone we were. But now, we are not alone.

Citing the atrocities meted out to Baloch people by the Pakistani establishment, he said that there is no home in Balochistan that has not sacrificed its member.

Pakistan army beats our children in school and makes them sing the national anthem of Pakistan. I have lived in Pakistan and I can say that the people of Pakistan are no different from Pakistan army.

On the future governance of Balochistan, he said, We believe in democracy, our traditional tribal system was closer to democracy. Even during the time of the Khan (of Kalat), we had a two house parliament. Future Balochistan will be a democracy.

Thanking the people of India, he said: We want Azad Balochistan. We dont want to be with Pakistan. In last 70 years no Baloch has came to India but today we have come here and I want to thank all of you for your support.

IPF also released a booklet titled Balochistan - What the world needs to know edited by Prof Geeta Bhatt of Delhi University.
Two Chinese actions on Saturday made it even clearer why New Delhi needs to work on Beijing to cut off Pakistan.

Diplomatic isolation of Pakistan beyond the region hinges on one thing. It is about winning over, at least managing Islamabads friends --particularly China-- than getting many countries support Indias legitimate concerns over cross border terrorism.

China extended the technical hold in the UN Sanctions Committee on the listing of Masood Azhar, the chief of militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, as a terrorist. The JeM has been blamed for the attack on Pathankot airbase in January.

Beijing also announced the blocking of a tributary of the Brahmaputra to facilitate work on one of its most expensive hydropower projects -- the Lalho project on the Xiabuqu River in Xigaze in Tibet.

The Pathankot attack had derailed the proposed resumption of bilateral talks between India and Pakistan and since then ties nosedived.

But the way veto-wielding China blocked Indian efforts at the UN Sanctions Committee to list Azhar in March told its own story. India had garnered the support of the US, France and the UK as the co-sponsor of the resolution. The listed individuals face asset freeze and travel ban which could cripple their capacity to indulge in terrorism.

Beijing scuttled the plans through a last-minute intervention and the resolution was put on technical hold. In their recent conversation US national security adviser Susan Rice told her Indian counterpart Ajit Doval that Washington would step up cooperation with New Delhi on getting individuals and entities in Pakistan targeting India listed in the UN sanctions committee.

For India, getting Azhar declared a terrorist is important. It would show how New Delhi gets the world to rally behind it in declaring individuals who use Pakistani territory to launch terror attacks against India. It is no brainer that China is all-weather ally of Pakistan.

The two countries are bound by ties that have huge economic and strategic underpinnings. However, India should use whatever is under its command to drive home the point to the Chinese that the fight against terrorism is for everyones sake.

Chinas decision to extend the technical hold against designating Masood a terrorist wasnt the only development to rile India on Saturday. Beijings announcement of blocking the tributary of the Brahmaputra for a hydropower project in Tibet is another matter of concern for India.

Blocking the Brahmaputra tributary and the way it was announced unilaterally is an indication that China is keen on undermining interests of India, a lower riparian state. The Chinese announcement came days after India reviewed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and decided to make use of water it is legally entitled to under the provisions of the pact.

India has no legally-binding treaty with China and Beijing has shown little interest in addressing New Delhis concerns on water issues emphatically in the past.

Though Sino-Indian ties had started with a bang under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it had lost the salience in between. Now New Delhi is picking up the threads, which includes the decision to have frequent interactions at the political level. While managing the best possible cordiality in ties, India can emphasis the point that the relationship is based on the two countries showing sensitivity to each others concerns. Two of Asias largest countries can work together with greater vigour in areas of mutual interests like economic cooperation.

Apart from China, India will have to manage the other countries effectively to ensure Pakistan faces international heat for sponsoring terrorists. They include managing the varied interest of the US in the region and Pakistans ties with Saudi Arabia.

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Hundreds of young people from villages that line Indias de-facto border with Pakistan are spending sleepless nights, patrolling their neighbourhoods with sticks and rods to ward off thieves.

Most inhabitants in these border villages have left their homes as the government announced widespread evacuation following the armys strikes on militant bases across the Line of Control.

But the men who stayed back say the local administration hasnt provided them any help and they fear miscreants may try to take advantage of the deserted homes and steal belongings.

In Roranwala, just a few hundred metres from the LoC, a group of youngsters say they spend every night patrolling their village to save their houses, cattle and property  the glare of the floodlights from the LoC behind them.

We are awake for the safety of our village. Many people have left the village and we are here to safeguard the houses from theft, says resident Navjot Singh.

Security is an issue. The police hardly come during the night and if any vehicle comes, it leaves hurriedly. So it is our duty to keep our village safe.

The evacuation was ordered as relations between New Delhi and Islamabad nosedived following the armys announcement of surgical strikes against terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, amid fears of retaliation by the neighbouring country.

Residents patrol at night in Roranwala village. (Gurpreet Singh/ HT Photo)

Many families have sent the women and children away but the men have stayed back and say theyre already impoverished and any theft will break their backs.

People have left the village in a hurry but crops and cattle are here. We cannot run away. What if someone takes our belongings? Will anyone pay us back? asks Bittu, a resident.

We spend much time on streets during the night.

Roranwala isnt the only one. People in many villagers along the LoC say they feel abandoned by the local administration with little support in getting transportation or choosing possible destinations. Many are seen often standing in fields with swords to guard their property.

The government has just asked us to go back from the border. But has the government thought about our houses and belongings? Many people stay awake to ensure security, asks Joginder Singh, a villager from Chak Alla Baksh.

Police and administration say officials have been deployed to ensure safety at night but the people are dissatisfied. We did not sleep. We stood in the villages with swords in hand all night, said Kashmir Kaur of Daoke.

Read: Always living in fear: Villagers near LoC have painful memories of war

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The state school education department will revamp the syllabus and assessments for subjects that are awarded grades instead of marks in classes 9 and 10 from the next academic year.

These include subjects such as work experience, information and communication technology, health and physical education, personality development, career guidance and national cadet corps (NCC).

To begin with, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has called for feedback from teachers and principals. They have been asked to fill an online survey before October 5.

Currently, students have a written exam for 11 main subjects and five other graded subjects in Class 10. Only ICT is a board level exam and the rest are held at the school level.

The survey asks schools whether they have trained and specialised teachers for these subjects and if practical and project based evaluation needs to be implemented. The survey also asked teachers whether life skills or career awareness subjects should be introduced. The survey also questioned if compulsory written exam is adding to the students stress.

School principals in Mumbai said that restructuring these courses is the need of the hour. Schools are not teaching these courses seriously, since they are grade based, said Father Jude Fernandes, principal, St Marys School (SSC), Mazgaon.

Fernandes said schools take the subjects lightly because they are assessed internally.The board should make external examiners compulsory for these subjects so that there is transparency in assessment, said Fernandes.

Often schools dont even have qualified or separate teachers for these subjects. Aided schools dont get approval for too many teachers and as a result a teacher teaching history or science ends up teaching all graded subjects, said Father Francis Swamy, joint secretary, Archdiocesan Board of Education, which runs 150 odd schools in Mumbai.

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With the Maratha protests growing, there seems to be a growing sense of insecurity amongst Dalits, who fear the entire campaign is against them.

There has been overwhelming unanimity among community members that any tinkering of The SC and ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act, 1989 will only make Dalits vulnerable to attacks.

The residents of Ramabai Nagar, an area densely populated by Dalits, see an undercurrent against the community in the agitation.

Jayesh Salve, 25, who is a diploma engineer, said the online and WhatsApp campaign launched by Marathas is really turning ugly. Ever since the agitation started, my Maratha friends said we are getting so many concessions in terms of fee waiver and reservations. They are getting vocal over the issue, and believe we [Dalits] are being pampered, Salve said. This sentiment is echoed by Nitin Kadam, 23, a college student from Ramabai Nagar, who said the agitation has led to discomfort amongst the Dalits. We have no issue with them [Marathas] getting reservation, but instead of focusing on the core issues, they are unnecessarily dragging us, said Kadam.

Apart from reservation, the Maratha community wants to the atrocities act  framed by the Union Government in 1989 to help bring SCs and STs into the mainstream  repealed. The Marathas described the Act as a tool used by the Dalits to harass them and settle personal scores.

The Dalits have opposed any changes in the Act saying it provides a cushion for them. Let them stop oppressing us, then we will ourselves demand a repeal. Any repeal will only embolden the upper castes and attacks will increase, said Ramesh Kadam, a retired police constable living in the Naiguam BDD chawls. Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who heads the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, calls the agitation false propaganda spread by vested interests. We are ready to debate on the misuse on any platform, said Ambedkar.

Ever since the ill-fated Kopardi rape incident in July, where a minor girl belonging to the Maratha community was raped and brutally killed allegedly by Dalit boys, there has been a spate of protests by the Maratha community. The villagers even banned a visit by Dalit leaders, who were planning to visit the girls family. In the past one month, the protests have only intensified.

Dalits, especially in rural areas, are feeling the heat and fear they will be targeted for any untoward incident. Their existence is at stake, said political analyst Surendra Jondhale. Another expert Prakash Bal said the problem is weak leadership among Dalit leaders. The Dalits are plagued by weak leadership, which has been dancing to the tune of Maratha rulers for decades. They are not providing a credible leadership required at this crucial moment, said Bal.

A recent example exposed the confusion and disunity among Dalit leaders. While Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has been talking of counter morchas, his bete-noire Prakash Ambedkar pleaded for restraint saying this would only lead to strain in ties between the two communities. Athawale, under the pressure of the BJP, backtracked and announced a Maratha-Dalit convention to bridge the differences. Analysts, however, have described it as a stunt that will hardly make any difference.

Mainstream political parties have only made the situation worse as now they are seen siding with the Marathas. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, along with a section of Congress leaders have already asked for a review of the atrocities act. The ruling BJP shaken by the agitation announced that it would go out of the way to ensure reservation for the Maratha community.

However, Arun Waghmare, a retired personal who lives in BDD chawl, said it was an ironical demand. The Marathas have ruled the state from its inception and they control the entire economy right from cooperative banks to sugar mills and educational institutions. Why dont these Maratha elite really take care of their poor counterparts instead of demanding reservation, said Waghmare.

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WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday threatened Pakistan with a befitting reply again if it continues to sponsor terrorism, the tough talk coming a day after the US bluntly told Islamabad to stop its rhetoric on nuking India.

Parrikars warning came two days after New Delhi said Indian forces carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control  the de facto border between the two countries in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian strike was in response to a militant attack on an army camp at Uri that left 18 soldiers dead. Pakistan has no idea what happened because its condition is like that of an anaesthetised patient post-surgery, who has no idea what has happened, the minister said at Pauri in Uttarakhand. Islamabad has denied New Delhis claims about conducting surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Pranab Mukherjee and is understood to have briefed him about the surgical strikes. According to TV reports, Parrikar gave an analogy of Lord Rama, the protagonist in the epic Ramayana, who won Lanka and gave it to Vibhishana.

We did the same in Bangladesh. We do not want to harm anyone, but if someone harms us, a befitting reply will be givenLord Hanuman did not know of his powers before going to Lanka, I made our armed forces realise their power, he was quoted as saying.

India was instrumental in the bifurcation of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Parrikars tough talk against Pakistan comes when New Delhis diplomatic encirclement of Pakistan seems to be paying off. The international community, including Pakistans traditional allies, has maintained a studied silence on Indias surgical strikes, while underscoring the need to act against terrorism, indirectly bracketing Pakistan.

In a blunt message delivered publicly on Friday, the United States told the Pakistani government to exercise restraint regarding the use of nuclear weapons, or the talk about it.

I would just say nuclear-capable states have a very clear responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, US state department spokesman Mark Toner said at the daily briefing in response to a question, about some of the rhetoric from the Pakistani government.

And thats my message publicly and thats certainly our message directly to the Pakistani authorities, he added.

On Monday, Pakistans defence minister Khawaja Asif had threatened to destroy India in the event of a war.

We have not made an atomic device to display in a showcase. If such a situation arises we will use it and eliminate India, he told a TV channel, raising alarm in capitals around the world already worried about Pakistans nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of terrorists.

On Saturday, Indian army chief General Dalbir Singh also reviewed military preparedness at the northern and western borders. He visited the Udhampur-based Northern Command and interacted with the special forces men who destroyed seven terror launch pads in PoK, killing at least 35 terrorists and their handlers.

He later visited the Chandimandir-based Western Command to take stock of the armys readiness along the Punjab border.
NEW DELHI: The government will earn an estimated Rs 30,000 crore after thousands of Indians revealed previously undeclared money under a one-time opportunity to clean up their accounts, finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday.

Jaitley said Rs 65,250 crore worth black money was disclosed in the form of cash and other assets during a four-month window  Income Disclosure Scheme  that ended Friday. He said 64,275 declarations were made with an average of Rs 1 crore each filing.

With so many people declaring money, it shows (that a) significant number of people want to become tax compliant its a very good figure and if you take as part of all the steps that the government has taken cumulatively, these are very significant amounts, he said at a press conference. The additional revenue will be used for welfare schemes, Jaitley said. Black money arises mainly from incomes not disclosed to the government, usually to avoid taxation and sometimes because of its criminal links.

Acting on a pre-poll promise, the government has initiated several steps to repatriate crores of rupees in slush funds or black money stashed in safe havens abroad.

However, the government has been facing opposition pressure to act since the release of financial documents in April naming companies and individuals who allegedly dodged taxes by setting up shell companies and accounts through brokers based in Panama.

The so-called Panama Papers include the names of about 500 Indians who have allegedly invested in offshore companies.

In Panama cases, 250 references have been given to other countries and investigation is progressing in good pace. People who figured in the HSBC list, about Rs 8,000 crore assessment have been completed164 prosecutions have been filed, Jaitley said.

He said the declarants have the flexibility of paying their taxes  including 7.5% penalty and 7.5% surcharge  in installments up to September 2017. However, 50% of the amount must be paid by March.

The additional revenue will help the government meet its fiscal deficit target of 3.5% for the current financial year, Jaitley said.

In 2015-16, the governments total tax collection  direct and indirect  stood at Rs 14.60 lakh crore.

Refusing to compare IDS with the voluntary disclosure scheme of 1997, Jaitley said the earlier scheme fetched Rs 9,760 crore in taxes.

Modi complimented the tax department and those who availed the scheme. I compliment all those who chose to be tax compliant in IDS-2016. This is a great contribution towards transparency and growth of the economy, he tweeted.

The IDS was aimed at providing all domestic tax payers with undisclosed income or assets to come clean and avoid prosecution under the Income-Tax Act, Wealth Tax Act and Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act.

This is an impressive figure and could only go up furthermore importantly, the compliance fear has crept in, said Girish Vanvari, KPMGs national head of tax.
GHASERA (MEWAT) : Ghasera, 45 km southwest of Gurgaon, is no ordinary village, though governmental neglect is as evident as in any other region of Mewatone of Haryanas most backward districts.

For, the inhabitants here still live on the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi who visited at the time of Partition and convinced them not to migrate to Pakistan. And 69 years on, the villagers are still waiting for the Gandhi fame to bring them good fortunes.

GANDHI COMES CALLING

On December 19, 1947, Meo leader Chaudhary Yasin Khan, then a member of Punjab Legislative Assembly, was instrumental in inviting Gandhi to Ghasera, where Muslim Meo refugees from Alwar and Bharatpur in Rajasthan stayed at a camp on their way to Pakistan.

Apart from successfully urging half the refugees to stay back, all that the Mahatmas visit brought for the village since then is a government school and its unofficial name Gandhi Gram Ghasera. The villages only school, Government Senior Secondary School, stands right in the field from where the Mahatma spoke.

He addressed us using a microphone, recalls 97-year-old Maulvi Ilyas of Jamalgarh in Punhana. He urged us not to migrate to Pakistan, while promising a dignified life. But, nothing has changed in seven decades since.

UTTER NEGLECT

A few meters towards the left of the main road ahead of Nuh, the district headquarters, the lane to Ghaseras government school is filled with rainwater, though monsoons disappeared a fortnight ago. The old building has been reduced to rubble; classes are held under a tree.

We are constructing a new building, says village head Mohd Ashraf, 40. Till then, students need to bear with us.

A few miles from the school, villagers sitting on a cot and puffing hookah lament the lack of basic amenities. We have no basic necessities like electricity and water, says Noor Mohd. Neither us not our children have job avenues.

School-going children, who have grown up hearing about the villages Mahatma connection, are not so excited. Gandhijis visit has not led to any improvement in our life, says Saad Khan of class 10.

MEOS, INDIAS BACKBONE

In his address to the refugees, Gandhi, according to scholars, had said his word was not so powerful as it used to be, perhaps regretting Partition. If it had been so powerful, not a single Muslim should have found necessary to migrate to Pakistan from Indian Union and not a single Hindu or a Sikh to leave his home in Pakistan and seek asylum in Indian Union, Gandhi was quoted by a newspaper.

Another report said Gandhi concluded by saying he had been told that Meos were like criminal tribes and, if this was correct, it called for self-reformation.

Eyewitnesses recall how Gandhi started his speech by urging Meos to stay back as you are backbone of India. Some say half of them stayed back after the address.

I was 14 when Gandhiji visited us, recalls Haji Isa Khan, 83, of Ghasera. He started his speech by addressing Meos as the backbone of India. My uncle Natula Khan went to Pakistan; we obeyed Gandhiji.

Academician Siddique Ahmad Meo, an author of eight books on Mewat, agrees with Khan. According to him, Congress leaders like Sardar Patel had been warned by Hindu Mahasabha leaders of the dangers of having a large Muslim population close to the national capital, but Gandhi was against it.

Even Congress leader Gopi Chand Bhargava, says Siddique Ahmad, warned Gandhi on the matter. The Mahatma straightaway rebuked him.

But, much like the rest of Mewat, people here are also irked over recent biryani policing by Haryanas Gau Rakshak Aayog, terming it an act of snatching the livelihood of the poor. Selling beef biryani is out of question, says Shabbir Ahmad, 55. The government is making poor people jobless.

Gandhi, 41 days after his visit to Ghasera, was assassinated on January 30, 1948. It sowed uncertainty among those who chose to stay back in India. At this, Gandhis spiritual successor Vinoba Bhave kept pacifying the people, who eventually settled in this village till as late as 1958.

INDIA, NO REGRET

Spread over 8 sq km area on both sides of Delhi-Alwar road, Ghasera is home to 25,000 people, mostly Meo Muslims, in 3,800 households. People here are primarily agriculturists, cattle-gazers and vehicle mechanics. The village, which was once walled, is left with a just-renovated gate out of the four of Ghasera fort it once used to be. Among other things, the villagers await a park or a monument as a tribute to Gandhi.

The neglect notwithstanding, the villagers say they feel privileged to be in India than in Pakistan. We are better off in India, the largest democracy. Being in Pakistan would mean no safety at all, says Mushtaq Ahmad, 42, a primary-school teacher.

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NEW DELHI: If all goes well, students from Hindi-medium schools who gain admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will no longer face the language barrier in class.

IIT authorities are setting up a support system to ensure that study material  otherwise taught in English  is put across in a way that students from Hindi-medium schools can understand. The institutes are using their Hindi cells, which handle administrative work such as translating texts and organising seminars, to assist them in this regard.

As the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is conducted in both Hindi and English, many students from Hindi-medium schools manage to enter IITs across the country. It is after classes begin that things get tough  they fail to understand the study material and lectures, which are predominantly made in English.

Sources said many IITs, including the ones in Delhi and Roorkee, have witnessed a large number of such students failing or performing poorly due to this issue.

Incidentally, the IIT council  the highest decision-making body of the prestigious institutes  had commissioned a study in August to assess the performance of Hindi students who appeared for the JEE.

Admitting that students from a Hindi background have trouble understanding subjects taught in English, IIT-Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao said: If they dont grasp the basic concept, they face difficulties in exams. Hence, we have formed a support system, through which staffers of our Hindi cells explain the subject to them. We have launched it for first-year students.

IIT-Roorkee, for its part, is holding extra classes where professors fluent in both the languages explain scientific concepts to such students in chaste Hindi. This will help clear their doubts, ensuring that they dont lag behind, said Pradipta Banerji, institute director. Sources said language was a major reason why many such students fail to achieve the required cut-off marks for getting promoted to the second year. A large number is also expelled from the premier institutes due to their inability to grasp the concepts taught in class.

An analysis of JEE results also showed that students who took the examinations in English performed much better than their Hindi-medium counterparts. For instance, while the success percentage of English-medium students who appeared for the Advanced exam in 2016 was 24%, only 15% who picked the Hindi option made it through.

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Mahatma Gandhi had initiated the Swadeshi (selfsufficiency) movement with an aim to break the monopoly of the British-made costly goods and to encourage the Indians to make and use Indian-made products.

Promoting Khadi (hand-spun cotton clothes) was an integral part of the movement.

However, Khadi (or Khaddar) is now struggling to maintain its identity even in those areas which were once famous and regarded as the hub of the cloth. One among these is the Punjab Khadi Mandal, Adampur, which was once the epicentre of Khadi activities in North India is in doldrums now.

Inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi as Punjab Charkha Sangh in 1925, when Swadeshi movement was in full flow, it had provided employment to thousands of people across the region for decades.

The building of Punjab Charkha Sangh that was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1925 at Adampur. (HT Photo)

Recollecting the time, Krishna Kumar, chairman of Punjab Khadi Mandal said, The jeep of Mahatma Gandhi was showered with immense yarn by localities during his visit to the town. Gandhi was so impressed that he established a Charkha Sangh here.

Spread across eight kanals on the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur highway, the Mandal has assets worth `400 crore that are in a state of neglect.

Also, similar independent units are now being run at Kharar, Chandigarh, Panipat, Bhiwani and Nakodar after a decentralisation was done in 1971 for better management.

This place remained the hub of Khaddar for a long time and supplied the same to the rest of the country. There was a time when thousands of households were involved in the business from nearby areas, an elderly member recalled.

WHAT WENT WRONG

The inception of machine made fabric damaged the market for Khadi as it was cheaper and people started clinging to it in no time.

Subsequently, the funds also reduced to an extent that from 300 permanent workers and thousands of outsourced artists associated with this artisan until 1987, now only 20 are left.

We have been producing floor and bed carpets besides processing unrefined mustard oil and honey here. Other products used to be imported and available at our exclusive outlets in Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur. Although, these are costly but demanded in urban areas, Kumar said.

Sulking over governments apathy, Kumar said that Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and state government were funding them till 1994. But the monetary help had stopped afterward.

He said that government should pump funds or at least allow them to give the unit on lease so that it can be resurrected again as an employment opportunity.
A few months ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) rank and file and government officials are doing their best to convince the displaced border area villagers to stay at relief camps organised by the government at around 12 places in the district.

They are also asking the border area villagers, who left their houses after the evacuation order, that they would be given adequate compensation if they join the camps. I dont like to stay at the camp as I have a number of relatives, who offered us to stay along with them till normalcy returns, but some prominent persons in my village are asking me again and again to join the camp, said a resident of Rajoke village.

There are some unconfirmed reports that on some places, some persons associated with the ruling party are taking the affected villagers to the camps forcebly. Commenting on the special efforts being made to increase strength in camps, a villager said Such kind of atmosphere is generally witnessed on the day of polling.

Notably, majority of the people, who are staying in 12 camps in Tarn Taran district, belong to lower castes and weaker sections of the society. So, the persons, who are at the helm of affairs at the village level, succeeded in taking them to the camps to some extent. Members of the farmer community can hardly be seen there and they prefer to go to their relatives.

Apart from officials of other departments, the cops who are deployed in large numbers in affected villages, are also playing a role in convincing the villagers to take shelter in camps.

To woo the villagers, the administration is not only providing every kind of basic facilities to them, but also making arrangements in such a way that they feel like home.

For instance, they are being facilitated to watch television and their children are being given toys besides various items to eat, said district education officer (secondary) Parmjit Singh, who has been deployed at the camp at the government senior secondary school of Gaggobuha village, where around 20 families have taken shelter.

Despite all these efforts, the camps failed to draw much people. Except a few, majority of the camps Dhand, Kasel, Padhri, Panjwar villages are empty. The observers said the response is mere 10% of the effort.

Meanwhile, residents of Jhabhal have raised questions over the use resources of Gurdwara Bir Baba Budha Sahib for the camps organised by government. The government has issued `1 crore to the district for relief operation, then why the ration of the gurdwara is being used, they said, fearing corruption with this large amount of money.

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A day after returning from their Shimla tour as part of the Global Youth Peace Festival-2016, young female members of the Pakistani delegation on Saturday emphasised on how important it was to give peace a chance amid the talk of war between the two neighbours.

A group of 19 young girls from Pakistan, led by Aliya Harir who runs a cross-border peace initiative Aghaz-e-Dosti, met at the Peoples Convention Centre, Sector 36, as part of the fest being organised by city-based NGO Yuvsatta.

Apne ghar ki diwaaron ko uncha karna sabka haq hai. Jo diwarein dil mein hain, vo saari aaj gira dena. Hum door se haath hila denge, tum door se hi muskara dena (Everyone is well within their right to raise the boundary walls of their homes. Dismantle the walls in your hearts, if any. We will wave our hands from a distance, you do respond with a smile from afar), said Qandeel Fatima, one of the Pakistani delegates.

They also met the students of Dev Samaj College, to deliberate on the positive role women can play in such initiatives. The delegates addressed gender issues afflicting women across the border. Harir said working on the friendship initiative was not easy. People tell us do your household chores more and travel less. You are doing a futile and baseless work and things like that, she said. Resham Sitara, another Pakistani delegate, said that women in India and Pakistan are looked down upon as the weaker sex.

We the women of the world should join hands and break the barriers and unite for a more just world, said Sarah, their fellow delegate. Sana, a young Pakistani activist, talked about her arrest bringing to the fore fixation of the Pakistani media to single out the arrest of a woman rather than the issue at hand.

I got phone calls from my so-called friends who would say who will marry you after seeing your radical image? she said. Another young delegate talked of her working mothers experience of raising children.

They also talked about gender stereotypes on both sides of the border and the challenges women face in everyday life.

Towards the end, Gurdev Kaur, a senior member from India, read out Sahir Ludhianvis two poems.
As the border residents continue to leave for safer places, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said evacuation orders would remain in force till the state government gets instructions from the Centre.

Talking to the media on the sidelines of his visit to the border areas of Amritsar district on Sunday, the CM recalled service rendered by Punjab border residents to the country. He also urged the Centre to start a special recruitment drive for enabling the youth of border areas to join the army and paramilitary forces.

Must read | Politics behind border panic in Punjab after cross-LoC strikes

Accompanied by revenue, information and public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Badal said Punjab youths have indomitable spirit of courage and self-sacrifice, so efforts should be made to channelise this energy for the country.

He said the brave patriots of the border region had always fought against odds to safeguard the unity and integrity of the country, adding that it was high time that the country recognises their contribution.

The CM said the Punjab government would also approach the Union defence ministry for widening bridges on drains in the border region.

To a query, Badal said villages within a 10km of the Indo-Pak border were evacuated following an advisory by the Union government to prevent any loss of life.

He said the state government had made elaborate arrangements at relief camps for those who had to be moved there from their villages.

Dont miss | Surgical strikes aftermath: No takers for relief camps in Amritsar

Badal said he had directed the food and civil supplies department to make special arrangements to ensure quick procurement and lifting of paddy from the border areas.
Groups of students from Bihar, Jharkhand and Kashmir entered into a clash at Gulzar Group of Institutes in Khanna on Sunday leaving four of them injured.

The clash took place in the mess when breakfast was being served. However, the groups struck a compromise in the evening and no case was registered.

Students from Bihar and Jharkhand alleged that the group of 25 students from Kashmiri used to provoke them by raising pro-Pakistan slogans. Denying allegations, a Kashmiri student said they never raised slogans in favour of Pakistan. We are being bullied after the Uri attack, said a Kashmiri student.

Police have been deployed on the college campus after the incident. Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh and deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Jagwinder Singh Cheema recorded statements of injured, warden and the college director, but no FIR was registered.

DSP Cheema said: A student tried to jump the queue in the mess during breakfast and they had an argument. There was minor clash. Injured students are okay now and no pro-Pak slogans were raised.

Institutes administrative officer Raman Chadha said the matter has been resolved.
Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh has accused the BJP-led Union government of creating war hysteria here on Sunday.

Interacting with people during his Halke Vich Captain programme in Budhlada assembly constituency, Amarinder said: All this is being done to consolidate Hindu vote ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

He also blamed state chief minister Prakash Singh Badal for not resisting the evacuation orders in villages close to border.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked for de-escalation from both sides and even the army is not on alert, then why is there a need to evacuate villages in Punjab. The Bharatiya Janata Party wants to reap political benefits in the UP elections, said Captain.

The evacuation orders should have been sent by the defence ministry instead of the Union Home Ministry, said Captain.

Also read | As evacuation begins along Punjab border, villagers tense but not scared

Chief minister (Parkash Singh) Badal should be blamed equally for putting people in such a helpless situation, said the Punjab Pradesh Congress Comiittee president.

Badal could have resisted these orders. Had I been there, I would not have allowed evacuation of these villages, he said. There was no mass evacuation in the 1965 war or during Operation Parakram in 2002. He appealed to villagers living along border areas not to leave. He assured the villagers that he will soon join them, and asked them to stay put in their respective homes.

Also read | After 3 hours of wait, border villages of Punjab get Badals 10 mins

Amarinder assured them that there appeared no signs of war as of now to necessite their relocation or evacuation to safer areas.

Punjabis are known for valour, courage and bravery and they will rather love to fight alongside their army than run away, which the BJP is trying to make them do and which they will never do, he asserted.

Read | Recruit more youth from border areas in army: Punjab CM

Punjabis have the courage and the confidence to guard others, even if it means risking their own lives, Amarinder further said.

While India should continue diplomatic efforts at isolating Pakistan, at the same time it should not close the option of talks, said Captain.

Eventually, we will have to talk to each other, he observed, adding: We should better declare war on poverty than against each other.

Dont miss | Punjab border farmers to be allowed to harvest crop

Addressing the gathering, Captain Amarinder Singh promised that the land acquired in Gobindpura village for a thermal-power plant will be returned to people once the Congress came to power in Punjab.

Read | Politics behind border panic in Punjab after cross-LoC strikes
Senior Congress leader and former MLA Sher Singh Gagowal passed way on Sunday in Chandigarh.

He represented Mansa in 1992 (Congress), 2002 (independent) and 2007 (Congress). According to his close associates, Gagowal has not keeping well for the last couple of months.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh condoled the demise of the senior leader. Gagowal was one of the senior most leaders and had contributed immensely towards the strengthening of the party, Amarinder Singh said in a statement on Sunday.

His death has created a vacuum in the party which will be difficult to fill, the PPCC president said, adding that Congress was with Gagowals family in this hour of their grief.

Bharat Inder SIngh Chahal, a close aide of Amarinder, also expressed his condolences over the demise of Gagowal. He was a senior leader and a visionary in the party.

We had planned a mega cultural event to honour members of Chahal welfare trust in Mansa. However, the event has been postponed due to his untimely death, Chahal said.
It was over 44 years ago, on October 1, 1972, that I was attending my class in DAV College, Chandigarh, when a group led by Saroop Krishen, secretary, Blood Bank Society, entered the room. Today is blood donation day. Would you boys not like to make a gift of life? she said. That spurred me. I said yes.

That was the beginning of a beautiful journey. I joined Krishen in this noble cause. As members of the NSS, we went around various colleges and institutions spreading the message of voluntary blood donation. And lo and behold! Chandigarh youth was most forthcoming. We students helped in organising various blood donation camps. The experience of doing something for others was exhilarating. It helped us in all-round development and positive thinking. Triloki Nath, our beloved late principal, specially used to invite us (blood donors) to his house for tea. I still remember how IK Gujral, the then our minister of state for foreign affairs, honoured us at Tagore Theatre in 1973.

I left Chandigarh to join Army in 1973 but did not leave behind blood donation. I continued doing my bit even in olive greens. In my unit, wherever posted, we volunteered to donate blood for the needy. During the World Health Day, which is religiously celebrated every year by the Station Health Organisation (SHO), an army establishment in every cantonment, we conducted voluntary donation camps. I still remember how passionately I addressed a gathering in Jodhpur in 1991, giving my personal example of health and happiness, even after donating blood for 42 times at that time. That led to spurt of voluntary donors, on the spot. Even newly married couples, some of whom had misconceptions that giving blood leads to weakness, came forward.

By now my wife, Madhu, had also joined me. She made her first donation at Happy Hours School, Jodhpur, where she was teaching. She saved the life of a school maid who was undergoing a major surgery. She found a new respectability after that. Our daughter Anusha, celebrated her 18th birthday with blood donation at PGI, Chandigarh, 14 years ago, as student of the Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi. A lawyer now, she proudly donates blood now, besides motivating her colleagues. Our son Capt Aniket, made his maiden gift of life on August 29, 2007, when the Rotary and Blood Bank Society, Sector 37, Chandigarh, organised a camp at Army Institute of Law (AIL) Mohali. He is a regular blood donor today. Now that completed the family picture of voluntary blood donors (self 101 times, wife 35 times, daughter 12 times, and son roaring for a seventh donation).

Being a B (Negative), I keep answering the distress calls. We help anyone who approaches us to save a life. At Leh a few years back, we went around the villages to motivate the people to save a life. At my own village, Pillimandori (Fatehabad), my wife and self donated blood in a camp organised by the Youth Club, with Pt Jasraj as the chief guest, and the villagers willingly followed suit. It was a great success.

Each one of us, who is healthy and between 18 to 65 years of age, can save one life every three months. Then why are we shy or afraid of donating blood? Some people have misconception about donating blood. They think it will make them weak. Newly married are particularly prone to this feeling. It is not so. Donating blood is absolutely safe, healthy, and soul enriching. So, think. If we can make voluntary blood donation a habit, will it not unite the whole nation in one red thread? Will it not save hundreds of lives every day who die due to contaminated or lack of blood? Will it not save poor people from running from pillar to post or paying through their nose. Lets stop fighting in the name of religion and shedding blood of hatred. Lets spread love and brotherhood, and be tied together by the thread of blood.

ripu_d2003@yahoo.co.in
My father had unflinching faith in the court of law. For any perceived injustice meted out to him, his first reaction, I remember, would be, I will take them to court, and he did. And my mother would dread the moment. She was just the opposite. Since most legal battles involved monetary ramifications, she would rather endeavour a compromise and settle for less which she thought was better than waiting endlessly and in the bargain nurture enmities - a typical A bird in hand is worth two in the bush syndrome. Years in the army kept me insulated from legal tangles except an engrossing account of multifarious legal cases that my old man had in progress.

My fathers demise brought us back, for good, to the Civvy Street. Since we needed our leased out premises for personal use, the adamant tenants were shown the door but only after recourse to law. Well, that was my first tryst with the court of law and a speedy resolution to unpleasant proceedings. I silently saluted my dad for his conviction towards law. A reminder of my fathers desire that I should have taken up law as a profession rather than that of arms. Well, these were to be temporary thoughts. Our stubborn tenants did vacate but without clearing long pending arrears.

This, I thought was a minuscule issue. Alas! How wrong we were.

It was a proverbial tareek pe tareek; the respondents failed to turn up despite repeated summons and a newspaper notice. The judgement after an agonising delay (termed as a fair chance to the other party) was pronounced ex parte. Suddenly, the alert respondents surfaced having duly received the judgement and represented against the ex parte decision and filed a petition that the law had been grossly unfair, having not heard his part of the story and thus the case was back to where it started. Another bout of tareeks started and yet again the case was pronounced in our favour. Well, having been through the ordeal, quite well-versed with legal procedures, I realised that I had partially fulfilled my fathers desire who wanted to see me as a lawyer. Now was the hour of jubilation. I narrated the progress to another childhood buddy, a legal luminary. Avnish, unlikely that you will get your rent, he remarked. But he will go to jail if he doesnt honour the law? I replied with conviction. Look, if at all you get to that stage, you will have to bear the expense of his stay in jail and support his family in distress! We had a hearty laugh. I discussed this outrageous development with my lawyer, who nodded in the affirmative.

The situation developed as anticipated. Based on the execution appeal filed by us in support of the judgement, the summons came back unreceived by the respondent. Again the gentleman seemed to have disappeared. I was told to ascertain the correct address of Mr India, my ex-tenant. Bringing forth my Sherlock Holmes skills, the same was confirmed. It, incidentally, remains unchanged for years. Fresh summons were issued but with a direction by my able lawyer. Pandit ji, you will have to go along with the prophess server to ensure that the respondent receives them. I was perplexed. Why paaji? He was forthright. We dont want the server to return with the summons unreceived albeit with a gift from the flourishing businessman that your ex-tenant is.

My mother is having the last laugh and my wife has joined the chorus, Forget it. Your case which is a decade old is fast gaining the status of OROP (one rank one pension) imbroglio. Consider the arrears of OROP as the rent arrears. I looked at my stoic fathers garlanded portrait in the lounge and silently wished him RIP.

(The writer is a Chandigarh-based freelance contributor)
After getting accreditation from National Board of Examination (NBE), the Lord Mahavir Civil Hospital (LMCH) Ludhiana became the first civil hospital in the state to start postgraduate program for medical students.

Claiming it is as a landmark achievement for the LMCH Ludhiana, the program officer Dr Pardeep Sharma stated that, the NBE has given accreditation to admit two students in Diplomate of National Board (DNB) Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a three-year post graduate degree course.

First student Nidhi Khushwah from Alwar district of Rajasthan has joined the course on Friday. Senior medical officer of the hospital, Dr Sukhjeevan Kakkar said, It is a proud moment for the hospital staff and entire city that a postgraduate medical course has started here.

The LMCH has signed an agreement with Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana where the students will be taught and they will practice at LMCH during the period of medical course.

It is learnt that despite the odds, the LMCH got approval to start this course. Punjab principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare Vini Mahajan had given instructions to the district civil surgeon Dr Renu Chhatwal for taking required measures to start this course. Chhatwal gave the delegated the task to Dr Pardeep Sharma who along with the efforts of other doctors made it possible to start the postgraduate medical course.

Sharma said the National Board of Examination is an alternative system for the hospitals where the medical colleges are not available but teaching is possible.

The government of India has made a policy so that district government hospitals can be converted into teaching hospitals. Following West Bengal, Punjab has taken initiative to start this course at LMCH where a large number of patients visit daily.

A large number of patients visit LMCH but there was a need of teaching staff, a library, hitech laboratories, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans and other facilities to start this course.

We met the director of CMCH Dr AG Thomas and informed him about our proposal. The CMCH authorities gave a nod to support us without charging any penny. Dr Jatinder Kaur, assistant professor at CMCH will be teaching the students, he said.

Retired professors of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Dr BK Gill and Dr Mohini Sood will also guide to the students, Dr Pradeep Sharma added.

The National Board of Examination will conduct the examinations for this course. The annual fee for the course is around `80,000 while each student will get `40,000 per month as stipend for providing services at the hospital.

Students will be given free accommodation at the hospital and Wi-Fi service. We are also signing an agreement with students specifying that, they will have to continue their work with the department for next five years after completion of course, Dr Sharma said.
The Mansa Devi shrine board collected Rs 14.94 lakh in donations from the Mansa Devi temple at Panchkula and Kali Mata temple at Kalka on the first day of navratra on Saturday.

According to the shrine board officials, about 45,000 devotees visited the Mansa Devi temple on the first day and donated Rs 10.29 lakh. At the Kali Mata temple, about 25,000 devotees visited and donated Rs 4.65 lakh.

A total of 45 silver ornaments were also donated at the Mansa Devi temple along with 60 Canadian dollars and US $5, said VG Goel, chief executive officer of the Mansa Devi shrine board.

Meanwhile, Haryana governor Kaptan Singh Solanki visited the Mansa Devi temple and offered prayers. He also wished for prosperity and happiness of the people of the state.

The governor also inaugurated a free medical camp and went around an exhibition organised by the Ayush department. He said that the ambitious Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme was yielding encouraging results. Appreciating the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army recently, the governor said that such a display of might was the need of the hour.

He said that while the Indian philosophy is to live and let live in peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through the strikes, had given a strong message to Pakistan and the rest of the world. Ambala MP Ratan Lal Kataria and local MLA Gian Chand Gupta were also present.
A pigeon, apparently from across the border, was taken into custody after a letter written in Urdu and addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was found with it by BSF personnel at the Simbal post in Bamiyal sector in Pathankot on Sunday.

The development comes after two balloons were recovered with a similar message in the area on Saturday.

Police said the message written on a piece of paper read: Modi ji, do not consider us same people as we were during 1971 (Indo-Pak war). Now each and every child is ready to fight against India.

Also read | Balloons with sword message in Urdu for PM land in Punjabs Dinanagar

Police officials showing a Pakistani pigeon (in cage) that was captured by BSF jawans in Pathankot district on Sunday. (PTI Photo)

The grey-coloured pigeon was found by the BSF near their post, inspector of Narot Jaimal Singh police station (Pathankot) Ramesh Kumar said.

The pigeon was carrying the letter when it was found, he said, adding the bird has been taken into custody.

We are investigating the matter, Kumar said.

Yesterday, two balloons with messages written in Urdu and addressed to Modi were found at Ghesal village in Dinanagar of Gurdaspur, which had witnessed a terror attack last year.

The message read: Modiji, Ayubi ki talwaren abhi hamare paas hain. Islam zindabad.

On September 23, a white pigeon, apparently from across the border, with some words written in Urdu was found in Punjabs Hoshiarpur district.

Also read | Spy pigeon with Urdu code on wings lands at house in Hoshiarpur village
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet the Ludhiana industrialists on October 18, during a function of the Union Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises.

Punjab BJP president Vijay Sampla, who announced the schedule to the media here on Sunday, said the party had also requested the PM to address a public rally for two hours after the meeting. After a meeting of the state executive body of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sampla said that for the 2017 assembly election campaign, the party will organise four rallies  in Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar and Fazilka between November 13 and December 13  targeting youth, women, Scheduled Castes, and farmers.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Thawar Chand Gehlot, and Smriti Irani, besides BJP national president Amit Shah, are expected at these rallies. The party will hold marches in all 117 constituencies to mobilise its workers.

The executive body congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the surgical strikes against terrorist camps in Occupied Kashmir. It has motivated the entire country and the armed forces. Pakistan stands alienated diplomatically, said Sampla. China has also not come out in open support of Pakistan, which means that our government succeeded in distancing our neighbour from even its closest ally. The executive-body meeting was moved from Pathankot because of evacuation from the border areas after the surgical strikes.

Addressing the BJP state executive body, Sampla remembered Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Deendyal Upadhyaya. Partys state affairs in-charge Prabhat Jha said Upadhyaya had made the BJP a strong opposition.
Sometimes, politics can border on the bizarre.

The preventive move to evacuate villagers along Punjabs border with Pakistan has triggered a political skirmish between the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the opposition Congress in the poll-bound state.

The evacuation exercise, which started on Thursday after the Indian Armys surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, is set to alter the political discourse in the run-up to the assembly elections. So far, the tussle is confined to 16 assembly segments, from Abohar in Fazilka to Bhoa in Pathankot, in the six districts along Punjabs 553-km border with Pakistan.

Read | Surgical strikes aftermath: No takers for relief camps in Amritsar

The SAD and the Congress are evenly placed with seven MLAs each in the border constituencies. SAD ally BJP has two legislators in Bhoa and Fazilka.

HIGH-STAKES BATTLE

The Congress sees a design behind the evacuation. Dera Baba Nanak Congress MLA Sukhjinder Randhawa says CM Parkash Singh Badal is creating panic and playing politics by creating a war hysteria with an eye on the elections.

I saw the 1971 war. Artillery guns were placed in front of my house near the border. There is no army movement this time. The frontier has not been mined either. So, why are people being evacuated? Randhawa says.

The evacuation is a double-edged weapon for the SAD-BJP government. Any political or administrative slip has the potential to give ammunition to the Congress. Neither party is taking any chances. Both are using the evacuation as a public relations exercise.

A woman shares her problems with CM Badal in Pathankot on Saturday. (HT Photo)

Badal, who was indisposed, lost no time in rushing to the border areas on Saturday for a three-day whirlwind visit. He despatched Akali leaders besides senior bureaucrats to the border areas to oversee the evacuation and arrangements in camps.

Read | Harvest ready: BSF will provide security to border farmers, says Badal

Not to be left behind, Capt Amarinder Singh was initially critical of the evacuation and said Dont try to create refugees without a war. But now he plans to visit Amritsar on October 4 and will camp there from October 7.

MASSES MATTER

The Congress has put its campaign on hold and asked leaders to stay put in their border constituencies and help residents. Amarinders remark that we didnt evacuate people up to 10 km of the border during the 1965 war is being echoed by the Congress rank and file.

Party leaders want to know why residents of neighbouring Rajasthans border villagers have not been evacuated.

At Chak Allah Baksh, many people have left for safer areas as the government has ordered evacuation, fearing backlash for the cross-LoC strikes in Kashmir. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

Why is this evacuation happening only in Punjab? says Abohar Congress MLA Sunil Jakhar. Villagers are being displaced, while the army is in the barracks. People are ready for any sacrifice but they dont want petty politics in the guise of evacuation, Jakhar says.

Fatehgarh Churian Congress legislator Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa says: We hope and pray there is no politics behind the evacuation. It is all quiet on the BSF and army front but people are being asked to leave their homes.

Akali MLA from Khem Karan Virsa Singh Valtoha counters the Congress fears saying, Preventive steps cannot be dubbed as politics.

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Despite ongoing tension at Indo-Pak border in Punjab, farmers in the states border belt with Pakistan will be allowed to harvest their paddy crop, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has said.

A spokesman of the chief ministers office said on Sunday Badal has taken up the matter with Union home minister Rajnath Singh so that necessary directions are issued to the border security force (BSF), which mans the 553-km long international border in Punjab, and other security agencies to allow border area farmers to harvest their crop.

The paddy crop in the state is almost ready for harvest. Harvesting is to take place within the next 10 days.

Over 4,00,000 people in nearly 1,000 villages in Punjabs border districts were on Thursday asked to evacuate in view of apprehension of retaliation from Pakistani side after Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC).

Read | Politics behind border panic in Punjab after cross-LoC strikes

The villages affected due to evacuation are in the districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Pathankot and Fazilka.

Many villagers in some districts refused to leave their homes saying that they need to tend to their crops, cattle and properties and would not leave. In some other villages, the men folk have stayed back for the same reason.

Read | Harvest due, hard to leave: War fear in Punjab, a ground reality

Crops are as dear to the farmers as their children and they cannot bear this loss at any cost. Badal has taken up this issue with Rajnath Singh, who had immediately directed the BSF to allow the farmers of border region to harvest the crop.

The Centre has also allowed the farmers having their land across the fence to reap and lift their crop, the spokesman said.

A number of farmers in the border belt have their agricultural land across the barbed wire fence, which was erected in the early 1990s, where they cultivate crops under vigil of the BSF.

The barbed wire fencing has been erected 500 metres to one km inside the Indian territory.

Badal, who toured border villages on Saturday, said the state government has evacuated the population from border regions following an advisory of the central government.

Read | Harvest ready: BSF will provide security to border farmers, says Badal

It was necessitated for avoiding any sort of major loss to life and property of people. In such situations, the enemy could make any move and could not be trusted. As border villages of Punjab are densely populated, as compared to other states like Rajasthan, it is necessary to evacuate the people for ensuring their safety, Badal said.

Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Army for conducting successful operation and destroying terror launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), Badal said the Modi government gave an apt answer to the neighbouring nation for its sinister moves of supporting terror groups against India.
Paddy procurement began in over 1831 grain markets of Punjab, including 150 principal yards, 283 sub-yards and 1398 purchase centres, on Saturday.

Punjab Mandi Board chairman Ajmer Singh Lakhowal and deputy commissioner Kamadeep Singh Sangha launched the procurement process in Amloh and Sirhind markets. Total 137 metric tonnes (MT) paddy was lifted by agencies in Fatehgarh Sahib district on the first day.

Lakhowal said last year 169.55 lakh MT paddy reached grain markets of Punjab and claimed this year they were expecting 186 lakh MT to reach the markets, an increase of 10%. It will be a record paddy production in Punjab, he said.

Lakhowal said instructions were given to district mandi officers and market committee secretaries in the state to look after the arrangements and smooth procurement. Any negligence may lead to action against officers, said, Lakhowal.

PRMA STICKS TO STRIKE

However, Punjab Rice Millers Association (PRMA) boycotted the procurement process and said it would continue to stay away from it, till its demands are not met.

PRMA has been demanding that government lower the power tariff for them and bring it to on a par with other industries, which is Rs 4.99 per unit. They also do not want to pay milling charges as suggested by Comptroller and Auditor Generals report. Apart from these, they want state agencies to release transportation charges. They alleged that transportation charges of rice delivered more than 8 km from 2003-04 to 13-14 that has been paid by Food Corporation of India (FCI) to state agencies was still not transferred to millers. Transportation charges of the stock delivered from 0-40 km in 2014-15 and 15-16 was also released to agencies by FCI but that too not transferred to millers.

We will continue with our decision and if government fails to meet our demands we may declare no work for whole season on October 5, said, Tarsem Lal Saini, PRMA president, on Saturday.

NOT ENOUGH STORAGE SPACE

PRMA representatives have said the agencies do not have enough storage space for the stock and their strike would definitely build pressure on the government. In coming days there would be huge rush in mandis and agencies are going to fail to manage the situation, Said another miller.

Government will have to back to us. he added.

Interestingly, after the non-lifting of paddy by some millers in 2007, 9,881 MT paddy remained unmilled till December 2008 and was damaged.

Procurement has just begun. Millers are in talks with government and there would definitely be a solution by October 5. We will act according to the governments decision, said, Kamaldeep Singh Sangha, deputy commissioner, while answering about the arrangements made for storage, if millers continue the strike.
I am one of the lucky backward few who are yet to make it to WhatsApp or a smart phone at that. Otherwise, I would have been getting messages from one of the other elite group of our citys ladies calling me to boycott all Pakistani exhibitions, stop wearing Pakistani suits and stop watching the Zindagi channels and indulge in bashing the handsome hero Fawad Khan. There is a sense of deja vu about all this.

I am reminded of so many things said way back in 1965, 1971 and 1999.

Then lines of a near-forgotten poet of Punjabi, late Sohan Singh Misha, written after the 1971 surrender of arms by Pakistans General Niazi, come to my mind:Ajab hai ai dushmani di dastan, ghair nu dasiye te ho jaye hairan/Terian faujan ne jad merian Faujan agge si hathiar sutte/Gile wargi gal si kujh rosh vi si/Tu te royea hoyenga rohna hi si/ Mere kyon atharoo si vagge(Strange is this saga of animosity/A stranger would be surprised to hear of it/When your forces surrendered their arms before mine/There was a grudge in the act and some anger/You must have wept for you had to/But why did tears flow down my cheeks).

It is all the more confusing because I can trace my roots back to Punjab that was left behind in Pakistan even before I was born. Yet, I was brought up on its lore and legend by my family and a part of my mothers family was left behind too.

I was but four when I accompanied my mother to see her sister who lived in Rawalpindis Lunde Bazaar. Her husband was the only Hindu officer, a doctor who had opted for Pakistan army and lived in what was their ancestral home down the lane from Kelean waali Masjid.

I recall General Niazi and his family came to visit them as his children were keen to meet the Hindustani kids. When my brother and I talked to them, they went running back to mother saying: Ammi, eh Hindustani bache asadi boli bolde ne (Mama, these Hindustani children speak our language.) The bond of language is very strong be it Punjabi or Urdu and so also the tie of culture and ethnicity.

But its two different countries and two different position and the paradise of earth Kashmir at the heart of the trouble so whenever the hostility rises and soldiers are killed this side or that the common bonds are forgotten and a whole lot of anger and hatred is unleashed by apolitical women who like wearing a good lawn suit from across the border or watch a fine Pakistani serial on the Zindagi channel.

Past week we have had a Bollywood journalist Soumyadipta Banerjee crying out in anger, Dear Fawad Khan. Its time. Go back to Pakistan. Fawad, you lack courage. You lack conviction. You lack the guts to stand up against the Jihadists of your country who think they are serving God by killing us. Her anger goes viral and a reply comes from Asif Nawaz from Pakistan:So the next time you ignorantly claim that your country made Fawad Khan a super-star, always remember that it was due to this very same Pakistani star that you got your two minutes of fame. To top it all, Zee TV is proposing a ban on anything Pakistani. Meanwhile, innocent villagers are packing their trunks along border villages in Punjab as politicians seem to by crying war.

Are we common people, who like movies and music, going crazy? My friend waves her smart phone at me and says: You must understand that my group women are either daughters of army officers or their wives. Army men have been killed. Yes, men die in wars and women and children suffer.

Peace activist Saeeda Diep of Lahore, who was lighting lamps on Janmashtmi is posting videos saying: Together peace is possible. Lets join hands. Psychiatrist Simmi Warraich, whose father was taken a Prisoner of War in 1971 and never found, writes on the Facebook that killing one or the other is not the solution to the problem.

But no one seems to be listening.

Another friend here in my city glances at the WhatsApp messages and says: Anyway I never liked the Pakistani suits which are passe now.

And the strange saga of hate and love seems never to end and spills even into the festival season while one hopes for a peaceful Diwali be it with Chinese lights or Indian clay diyas.

nirupama.dutt@hindustantimes.com
On the International Day of Older Persons, the UT administration along with the Indian Red Cross Society launched a new venture  Doctor Aapke Dwaar, an initiative to provide health care services at the doorstep of the elderly ( those above 60 years).

The brochure of the new project was launched by member of parliament Kirron Kher at the UT guest house on Saturday.

AVAIL SPECIAL PACKAGE ALSO

The fee for the scheme has been kept has Rs 750 for a general physician and Rs 200 for physiotherapists. Those who make a booking for four continuous doctor visits will be provided with a special package of Rs 2500. The registration will be made during the entire month of October 2016 and the service will start from 1st November, 2016.

The idea was suggested by the MP around a week ago during the National Health Mission meeting. The services are for elderly people and will start from November 1.

The venture has been launched with support from Indian Medical Association, Chandigarh; Dabur Dhanwantry Hospital, Sector 46; Bharat Vikas Parishad; and UT health department.

For an average individual, 70% of health care needs can be met at their home environment. Due to nuclear families, changing family structures and increasing mobility of families, a large number of elderly citizens in Chandigarh are staying alone and need professional medical help from time to time, reads an official statement.

CALL 1800-180-206 FOR REGISTRATION

One can avail the services through the toll free helpline number: 1800-180-2067 at the centralised call centre, Sector 19.

Registration can be done through the toll free helpline number or through a mobile app or by filling the form physically. Initially, the service will be available from 8am to 8pm. Later, the service will be made available for 24 hours, the release says.
Mattresses have been laid, temporary toilets set up, staff deployed and grocery procured. But even as people left border villages in large numbers on the third consecutive day, they are not moving to relief camps set up by the government in Amritsar district.

Reason: They dont find the facilities at these camps up to the mark.

With the standard of living in rural areas improving in recent years, camps at Bhakna Kalan, Khasa and Chhehertta have found no takers till now.

People dont want to go to camps and are moving to their relatives homes in safer areas instead, said Daljit Singh of Chak Alla Baksh village.

He said the government may have set up camps, but these lack facilities and safety. Where are we supposed to keep our luggage and belongings at these camps? he questioned. Although the district administration has stationed evacuation buses near the defence drain, 2 km from the fence, in Dhauke and other border villages, no one is boarding these.

Also read | Gurdaspur villagers not keen on leaving homes

Deputy commissioner Varun Roojam visited many such villages on Saturday to convince people to move to relief camps, but they were reluctant.

Times have changed. People are well-off, residing in big houses. Nobody wants to live in the camps and we cant force them to, Roojam told HT. We have made all arrangements for their stay and food. Five camps are operational in Amritsar district since Friday, but not a single person has reached there, he said.

DEMAND FOR BETTER MOBILE CONNECTIVITY

As most women and children have left the villages, leaving behind male members to take care of the fields and livestock, the men want the administration to provide them food besides better mobile connectivity to stay in touch with their displaced families.

The DC said people who are staying back in villages have demanded better mobile range.We have taken note of it and do keeping in mind the security concerns. We will soon provide landline phone facilities in border villages, said Roojam.

Also read | In Pathankot, many want to stay back to assist forces

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Despite escalated tension and tense relationship between the two countries, the trade and transport between India and Pakistan continued to stay normal.

As the goods were exchanged through trucks by both the nations, a goods train also left for Pakistan from the Attari station under tight security cover.

As Pakistan continues to send cement and gypsum to India through the Attari border, India sent tomatoes to Pakistan on Saturday.

Read | India, Pakistan exchange tomatoes, dates as Attari-Wagah trade normal

Talking to HT, a customs official said, The trade between two countries is going on very normally. Trucks are coming and going in routine. On Saturday about 170 trucks came from across the border while around 80 entered Pakistan.

Even as there were rumours that the Indo-Pak buses have stopped operation, the bus service stayed normal. The Amritsar-Lahore bus left for Pakistan this morning but had no passenger in it.

It is learnt that due to the tension and no visas, the buses are not getting many passengers.

Read | Delhi-Lahore bus service on: Media on both sides wants war
World Rabies Day (September 28) comes close on the heels of the controversial public strikes against stray dogs in Kerala. The spectacle of dog bodies displayed on streets and the killers owning responsibility stung dog advocacy groups, who cited violation of prevailing laws. Today is Gandhi Jayanti and it would be relevant to re-visit his views on stray dogs, especially as advocacy lobbies are fond of citing Gandhis supposedly over-flowing compassion. Such lobbies may cite modern methods of sterilisation to counter Gandhis views below but the effete results of such drives and burgeoning dog numbers have resulted in sustained questioning of prevailing policies. The point is, Gandhi did not abhor killing as a means of dog control.

Writing in the Young India of October 28, 1926, Gandhi declared: The multiplication of dogs is unnecessary. A roving dog without an owner is a danger to the society and a swarm of them is a menace to its (societys) very existence...But can we take individual charge of these roving dogs? And if we cannot, can we have a pinjarapole for them? If both these things are impossible, there seems to be no alternative except to kill them...I am, therefore, strongly of the opinion that, if we would practise the religion of humanity, we should have a law making it obligatory on those who would have dogs to keep them under guard, and not allow them to stray, and making all stray dogs liable to be destroyed after a certain date.

Addressing the moral question on violence against dogs, Gandhi drew attention to public indifference to the menace. He declared in the Young India of April 4, 1929, that all dogs that cannot be cared for by municipalities should be shot. Gandhi continued to state: This, in my opinion, is the most humanitarian method of dealing with the dog nuisance which everybody feels but nobody cares or dares to tackle. This laissez-faire is quite in keeping with the atmosphere of general public indifference. But such indifference is itself himsa, and a votary of ahimsa cannot afford to neglect or shirk questions, be they ever so trifling, if these demand a solution in terms of ahimsa.

MITHU ON FACEBOOK

The captive parakeet, Mithu Karwal. (Photos: Mithu Karwal on Facebook)

Ring-necked parakeets are often kept illegally as pets. One such ownership that took a novel turn was with regard to a parakeet affectionately named, Mithu Karwal. He has a Facebook account in his honour and takes his caste lineage from his human benefactors. Mithus existence came into the public eye after his principal keeper, Shivani, left for Canada. Before departure, she put up Mithu Karwal for sale (`7,000 including cage) on social media groups. The sale offer was made through the Mithu Karwal Facebook account operated by Shivani and it hosted photographs and videos of the captive bird.

I contacted Shivani and sought an explanation for the parakeets illegal possession and sale offer. Her reply revealed the torturous path humans negotiate as they stumble through the minefield of emotional attachments, greed to make a quick buck and the contradictory demands of the law. Mithu flew into our balcony seven years ago. I believe he escaped from someones house. But now I have moved to Canada and my family is finding it hard to take care of him. I have been searching for a good home for him for months now. I just want a family for him that likes birds and will take good care of him and let him out of his cage a few hours daily...I know

he is an illegal bird but he has always lived in homes and I dont think hell be able to live in the wild if I let him free, Shivani told this writer, while skipping mention of her vain bid to illegally sell Mithu.

As a way out of the impasse, I advised Shivani to have her family in Chandigarh hand over Mithu to the UT forest department. She did not comply with that and has since retreated into silence like an apparition of the internet. I am not even sure that the real name of this shadowy puppeteer of a real parakeets Facebook account is Shivani.

AN AMIABLE AFTERNOON

The magur catfish caught at Sukhna Lake. (Photo: Vikram Jit Singh)

Readers will recollect a familiar image from cartoon comics: a fishing rod bending like an inverse U-shape amid expectation of a dream catch. After much struggle, a discarded car tyre emerges reluctantly from its watery dump to the chagrin of the angler and jeers of spectators. Walking along the Sukhna lake promenade recently, the cartoon flashed through my mind when I chanced upon two anglers straining to control a very bent fishing rod. This was no tyre they had hooked because a big fellow was thrashing in the water and testing rod and angler. After a fine fight, the feisty fish was landed and it turned out to be a 2.5 kg Magur, a species banned in India due to its exotic/hybrid origins and predation of native species. The Magur triggered a rush from some of the walkers and visitors to the lake, who were keen to get a selfie clicked with the big catch. I was intrigued by the pair of anglers for they made quite the odd couple. It turned out the younger fellow was Prashant Gurung, a restaurant manager with Sip N Dine, Sector 7, while the older gentleman (and veteran angler) was Munna Ram, a humble employee with a government hospital. Angling had bonded them and they had spent an amiable afternoon at the Sukhna. They had also hooked some carps to boost the pot luck. Fish fried or curried and downed with a couple of Patiala pegs was the late evening agenda for these anglers. Truly, this friendship forged on the Sukhnas banks, had navigated many cultural barriers.

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Actor Shashank Vyas became a known face after playing the lead role of Jagya in the show Balika Vadhu and he feels his struggle in the television industry has rewarded him.

When I came to Mumbai I waited for one and a half year to get my big break and my patience and hard work paid off. All the waiting to get a big break is worth it because it pays you in the longer run, says Vyas who shifted to Mumbai from Ujjain in 2009.

The actor is returning to the small screen after nine months, with the role of an army officer. During the break that he had taken, Vyas informs that he spent time exploring new places. I travelled abroad and also in the north of India. I looked after my fitness, made new friends and gave time to myself. Now, the period of rest is over and its time to come back on television and start working, he says.

The actor, who has only one mantra when it comes to achieving his goals, says, I just follow my dreams. The passion in me to face camera is what gets me going and that is what I can do. When you love your work, it is no more a burden, it becomes fun, adding, When you decide to become an actor, you are prepared for a tough journey. So was I.

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A woman whose husband was killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US has sued Saudi Arabia, holding it partially responsible for them in the first such case filed since congress made it possible after over-riding a presidential veto earlier this week.

Absent the support provided by the Kingdom, al Qaeda would not have possessed the capacity to conceive, plan, and execute the September 11th attacks, Stephanie DeSimmons, the petitioner who was two-months pregnant at the time, said in documents filed in Washington on Friday, according to CNN.

DeSimmons and her daughter who are co-petitioners, have sought an unspecified amount in compensation.

Saudi Arabia's role in the attacks has long been speculated about, based on two factors mostly. One, 15 of the 19 men who carried out the attacks were from Saudi Arabia. And, two, recently released pages from the 9/11 commission report indicated the attackers were in touch with Saudi officials.

But the Obama administration had opposed the legislation, arguing it would open up the US to similar suits the world over. Obama vetoed an earlier legislation citing the same reason.

But congress over-rode him in a vote earlier this week.

Lawmakers have since developed doubts about it, and are trying to strip it off some of its most damaging provisions.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statment earlier this week that the law passed by congress is of great concern to the community of nations that object to the erosion of the principle of sovereign immunity, which has governed international relations for hundreds of years.

The erosion of sovereign immunity will have a negative impact on all nations, including the United States, it had said.
An explosion at a cafe in southern Spain injured 90 people at a local festival, five of them seriously, authorities said on Sunday.

The Saturday night explosion occurred at around 7pm in downtown Velez-Malaga, a small town neighbouring Malaga, a popular tourist destination in Spains southern Andalusia region.

A spokesperson for the Andalusian emergency service told The Associated Press that preliminary reports indicate a gas leak caused the blast. She spoke on condition of anonymity due to her agencys requirements.

The blast caused some of the La Bohemia cafes walls and counters to collapse, injuring people inside. Chairs and tables were strewn about in the street on Sunday, along with exploded glass from the cafes windows and doors.

Mayor Antonio Moreno Ferrer said the city will open an investigation.

Police and rescue services are pictured at the scene after a gas cylinder exploded in a cafe in Velez-Malaga, Spain on Saturday night (Reuters)

Two of the five who are seriously injured are in Malaga Hospitals intensive care unit and are being treated for burns and traumatic injuries, the spokesperson added.

In all, 57 of the injured were taken to a nearby town hospital and more than 20 have been discharged, while 33 others went to local clinics and were treated for cuts or bruises, the agency said.

Immediately after the explosion, there were fears that the conservative Popular Party headquarters neighbouring the cafe had been targeted, but authorities denied that the party offices were attacked.
The venerable Cambridge University has raised 210 million pounds in one year, the largest amount of funds in the universitys centuries-old history, from friends, benefactors and alumni including those from India.

The record sum was raised by the university and its 31 colleges as part of 2-billion-pound Dear World...Yours, Cambridge campaign, which focuses on the university's impact on the world, outgoing vice-chancellor Leszek Borysiewicz said in his last October 1 speech, which marks the start of the academic year.

Borysiewicz is to be succeeded by the Toronto-based law scholar Stephen Toope on October 1, 2017. Toopes nomination to the key post was announced last week.

Over the centuries, a large number of students from India have studied at the University of Cambridge (founded in 1209) including prime ministers and individuals who have held, and hold, prominent positions in Indian public life.

Borysiewicz said: Philanthropy is critical to us. It underpins our academic autonomy, and allows us to deliver our transformative research. It brings the best people to study and work with us. They are the people who will produce ideas that change the world.

Philanthropy is the catalyst for discovery  and it ensures that discoveries continue, even at a time of unparalleled financial challenges. To all of our benefactors we owe our immense, continued gratitude, he added.

In 2011, the university had exceeded its target of raising 1 billion pounds during the course of its 800th Anniversary Campaign, which was the largest fundraising total announced by a European university.

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Canadas foreign minister Stephane Dion has irked New Delhi with a tweet in which he equated India and Pakistan in the wake of tensions along the LoC.

In that tweet, Dion said, Canada calls on #India and #Pakistan to address growing regional tensions through return to peaceful dialogue.

While his department has not formally issued a statement following the Indian surgical strikes along the LoC, this tweet was sent from Dions official account.

The ministers tweet has disappointed India, especially since relations between the two countries are in the midst of an upswing. Sources said the tweet could have been couched better instead of equating an aggressor and a defendant.

Canada calls on #India and #Pakistan to address growing regional tensions through return to peaceful dialogue.  Stephane Dion (@MinCanadaFA) September 30, 2016

Canada is a strategic partner and there should be appreciation of our sensitivities and concerns, a source said.

The tweet also cast a shadow on what is developing into an excellent equation, sources said. India has kept Canada informed of developments since the Uri attack and the consequent surgical strikes.

Dion had earlier reacted to the Uri attack, again via a tweet, and his sentiments had been appreciated by India: Appalled by todays attack on Indian forces in #Uri. My deepest sympathies to victims families & friends & quick recovery to those injured.

Dions new tweet may have come at a particularly inopportune time as the first visits of Indian ministers since the Justin Trudeau government came to power, began last week. While minister of state for commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman completed a productive visit on Friday, finance minister Arun Jaitley will be in Toronto for a series of meetings, including likely interactions with his Canadian counterpart Bill Morneau and Canadas minister of international trade Chrystia Freeland.

The two sides are also working on a visit of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau to India, after he accepted an invitation from his counterpart Narendra Modi.

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An Egyptian lawmakers call for mandatory virginity tests for women seeking university admission has irked a womens rights group, the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported on Sunday.

Head of the state-sanctioned National Council for Women, Maya Morsi in her complaint demanded the expulsion of Ilhami Agena from parliament and a criminal investigation into his actions. She said the lawmaker was harming the reputation of Egyptian women, men and the country itself.

Agena said in an interview last week that virginity tests were needed to combat the proliferation of informal marriages, known as gawaz orfy, between students. Virtually expense free, such marriages have become more popular in recent years because of high youth unemployment and a shortage of affordable housing.

The gawaz orfy is widely viewed as a religiously sanctioned way of having premarital sex, a taboo in mostly conservative and majority Muslim Egypt. Muslim clerics have spoken out against such marriages.

In Egypt, as in other conservative, Muslim countries, a young womans virginity is widely seen as a matter of family honour, the loss of which could prevent her from getting married.

Read | 63% want to marry virgins, but majority approve of premarital sex

The military was alleged to have conducted virginity tests on 19 women arrested after troops violently broke up a protest in Cairos Tahrir Square in March 2011, shortly after longtime President Hosni Mubarak resigned in the face of a popular uprising.

Three months later, Amnesty International said that Egypts then-military rulers acknowledged carrying out the tests as a way to protect the army from possible rape allegations. The military pledged not to conduct the tests again, according to the London-based rights group.

Agenas comments about women have sparked controversy in the past, including claims that some female lawmakers were not dressing modestly enough.

Read | Man divorces wife for failing virginity test, womens panel seeks probe

He sparked an uproar last month by saying that the practice of female genital mutilation, or FGM, was needed to curb womens sexuality and counterbalance allegedly widespread male impotence in Egypt. He claimed that 64% of Egyptian men suffer from impotence, citing increased sales of Viagra.

If women are not circumcised, they will become sexually strong and there will be a problem, an imbalance leading to divorce, he added.

His comments about FGM followed the adoption by the Egyptian parliament of tougher penalties for the practice, allowing for a maximum of 15 years in prison for offenders if a child dies and up to seven years for performing the procedure.

The centuries-old practice, misguidedly believed to reduce a womans libido, was criminalised in Egypt in 2008. However, it remains widespread and an estimated 90% of Egyptian women have undergone some form of the forced procedure.
Kotli residents in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) took to the streets to protest against the atrocities committed against them by the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The agitation was launched against extra-judicial killings, fake encounters and brutalities committed on pro-Azadi leaders, who disagree with Pakistan.

The angry mob raised slogans such as Butcher of Kashmiris, Pakistan Army, Dogs are more loyal than ISI.

The protesters demand an independent investigation into the murder of Arif Shahid, a Kashmiri nationalist leader, chairman of the All Parties National Alliance (APNA), and president of the Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Conference (JKNLC).

Shahid fought against Pakistans oppression in PoK before he was shot outside his residence in Rawalpindi on May 14, 2013. He was 62.

Investigation into Shahids murder is still inconclusive, and there is no conclusion in the murder probe so far. The ISI has been accused of for conspiring and executing Shahids murder.

According to an estimate by the All Party National Alliance based in Muzaffarabad, more than one hundred pro-freedom political activists have been killed by the ISI over the past two years.

There is growing resentment among PoK residents over the killings as well as the continued army clampdown.

Earlier, PoK witnessed a series of protests by residents against rigged polls that saw Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), coming to power.

The United States State Department has recently also expressed concern over human rights violation in PoK, maintaining that it has always been urging parties in Pakistan to settle their differences peacefully and through a valid political process.

US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said he could not agree with the view that nobody knew about human rights violations in PoK before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that in his Independence Day speech.

Sure, Well, I would respectfully beg to differ. We do have concerns about the human rights situation there, have reported it for several years in our human rights report, and weve obviously -- are always urging all parties in Pakistan to work out their differences peacefully and through a valid political process. And with respect to Kashmir, our policy there is well known, he said.
A visit to areas along the Line of Control arranged for journalists by the Pakistan Army dominated the front pages of newspapers in that country on Sunday, with military officials saying there was no evidence of Indias surgical strikes.

The Urdu Daily Jang, the countrys largest circulated newspaper, led with the headline Indias drama exposed, while the headline of another paper, the right-wing Daily Ummat, screamed Bharats lies and falsehoods exposed.

English newspapers too led with the same story. The Express Tribune headlined its report, Journalists flown to debunk Indian myth.

Journalists were shown different points at the LoC and given a briefing by the Inter-Services Public Relations, after which many reported that they were satisfied, based on their interviews with local residents and military officials, that no surgical strikes had taken place as claimed by India.

Read | What if India attacks: Pakistan medias coverage after surgical strikes

Other commentators focussed on the larger picture. In his column on Sunday in the influential Dawn newspaper, human rights defender IA Rehman wrote that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has perhaps done all that he could to draw the international communitys attention to the Kashmiri peoples ordeal.

Sharif and members of his large entourage spoke of the situation in Kashmir to whoever they met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. By all accounts offered by Pakistans media, the Kashmir mission, carried out with unusual vigour, went off well  this despite a slight slip while drafting the press release on the meeting with US secretary of State John Kerry, and the attempt by Pakistans enemies to sabotage its efforts by attacking the Indian military camp at Uri, Rehman wrote.

Rehman added, however, But was the world listening? He said the question is unavoidable in view of, among other things, the world communitys decision some years ago to delete the Kashmir issue from the list of its concerns. The article was extensively shared online.

Read | Pakistan to ban all Indian channels from October 15

The other statement which did well on Pakistani social media circles was one by British Indian sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor, who said India is ruled by a Hindu Taliban in a comment piece for a British newspaper. This was shared by many social media users in Pakistan.

Another story that did the rounds on social media and was highlighted by TV news channels was a report about China blocking a tributary of the Brahmaputra river as part of a major hydroelectric project, whose construction began in 2014. Some highlighted this move by China as a response to Indian threats to Pakistan.

Former military ruler Pervez Musharrafs statement on Saturday - in which he said that India is only good at hurling threats but if the Pakistani military decides to act on them, the response will assume a far more practical form - was also reported in the Pakistani media. Some social media commentators insisted that Musharraf should desist from offering his opinions on such sensitive issues.

Read | After Saarc collapse, Pak media discusses Indias irrational anger, spite
A large number of Indian medicines and Afghani mobile Sim cards were reportedly recovered in a raid from different shops along the volatile Pakistan- Afghanistan border, according to a media report on Sunday.

The Sim cards and medicines were recovered in Arandu village in Chitral district, police said.

Deputy commissioner Chitral Osama Ahmed Warraich said many traders had been arrested for selling Afghan Sims and Indian medicines.

He said keeping in view the volatile situation in the neighbouring area of Afghanistan, surveillance had been stepped up in the areas of Chitral, which borders Afghanistan.

Acting on a tip-off, the raid was conducted in Arandu town, Warraich was quoted as saying by Dawn News.

The shopkeepers had been earlier warned to surrender Afghan Sims and mobile cards as well as Indian medicines, failing which action would be taken against them, he said.

The other border villages are also under strict surveillance to check the use of Afghan mobiles which can be used in subversive activities.
The mysterious explosion of a SpaceX rocket last month took an odd turn with a cordial encounter between staff of Elon Musks firm and fierce rival United Launch Alliance, The Washington Post reported.

No one was hurt in the September 1 blast, which came as the unmanned Falcon 9 rocket was being fueled ahead of a standard, pre-launch test in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Musk is rushing to revolutionize the launch industry by making rocket components reusable.

And the accident -- the second of its kind since SpaceX was founded in 2002 -- came just over a year after a Falcon 9 rocket failed after liftoff on June 28, 2015, destroying a Dragon cargo capsule bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

Before that, SpaceX had logged 18 successful launches of the Falcon 9 -- including six of 12 planned supply missions to the ISS carried out as part of a $1.6 billion contract with Nasa.

During their investigation SpaceX officials found something suspicious they wanted to check out, the Post said, quoting three industry officials with knowledge of the episode.

SpaceX had still images from video that seemed to show a shadow, then a white spot on the roof of a nearby building belonging to ULA, the Post said.

ULA is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

So a SpaceX employee visited ULA facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida and asked for access to the roof at one ULA building that had a close line of sight to the SpaceX launch.

The visit was cordial, not accusatory. The ULA people denied access, but notified the Air Force, which inspected the roof and found nothing connected to the blast, the Post said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Sunday Islamabads protests over recent execution of a 1971 war crimes convict prompted Bangladesh to pull out of the Saarc summit.

Pakistan is a defeated force. We defeated them in our Liberation War (in 1971), as a defeated force they can tell many things which matters little to us... Pakistans view is nothing but the aspersion of a defeated party, which people of Bangladesh should consider in that manner, she said.

The diplomatic ties will be there... we will face them (Pakistan) diplomatically, the Prime Minister said.

Hasina asked Bangladeshis to think about the relationship of cohorts and patrons of perpetrators of 1971 war crimes against humanity who carried out genocides siding with Pakistani troops during the Liberation War, in an oblique reference to main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

BNPs founder General Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated them (war criminals) after 1975... She (Zia) rewarded the (now executed) war criminals making them ministers in her cabinet.

Before severing diplomatic relation with Pakistan, people of Bangladesh should consider cutting off links with their local cohorts and boycott them in the social and political arena, Hasina said.

Asked what is her governments stand on the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Hasina said the situation concerns us.

We do not want any tension, war-like situation... in that case we will also be affected and our development of the region will be disrupted. What we sincerely expect is the two countries will settle their issues through dialogue bilaterally, she said.

Ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan witnessed strain after Dhaka initiated the trial of Bangladeshi perpetrators of 1971 war crimes in 2010 in line with Hasinas electoral pledges, with Islamabad repeatedly condemning the trials.

In the latest such incident, Pakistan reacted to execution of a business tycoon and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali last month saying the act of suppressing the opposition, through flawed trials, is completely against the spirit of democracy, angering Dhaka.

Bangladesh so far carried out judicial execution of six condemned war criminals, five being leaders of Jamaat which was opposed to the 1971 independence.

The 19th Saarc summit was postponed after the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit which was scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad.
Britain is expected to make a statement on Monday after a petition on a government website that urged it to strongly condemn Pakistan for providing safe haven for terrorists received over 10,000 signatures by Sunday afternoon.

As per rules, the government responds with a statement to a petition signed by 10,000 people. If a petition enlists 100,000 signatures, it is considered for debate in parliament.

So far the Theresa May government has reacted to the Indian strikes through a brief statement to Hindustan Times on Thursday: We are monitoring the situation closely following reports of strikes carried out by the Indian Army over the Line of Control in Kashmir. We call on both sides to exercise restraint and to open dialogue.

The petition launched by one Naman Paropkari in the backdrop of the Uri terror attack and Indian surgical strikes says: Pakistan continues to double-speak on issue of terrorism. It has aided & abetted enemies of the international coalition (of which Britain is a leading partner with the US) against terrorism.

Osama Bin Laden's hideout was in Pakistan. Pakistan continues to harbour UN sanctioned terror networks, it says, adding, the Inter-Services Intelligence has often been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks across the world including the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, terrorism in Kashmir, Indian Parliament attack and Mumbai terror attacks.

It has been noted by many that several militant & criminal groups are backed by senior officers in the Pakistani army & the country's ISI intelligence establishment, says the petition.

The map of signatories to the petition indicates that it has been signed by people across Britain, but mostly from areas with concentration of people of Indian origin, such as the London areas of Harrow, Brent and Isleworth.

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The two-year process for Britain to leave the European Union under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty will be triggered by the end of March 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Sunday.

Brexit, which was voted upon in the June 23 referendum, dominated the first day of the ruling Conservative party conference in Birmingham, with May and three Brexit-related ministers - Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox - providing more details of the process than were available so far.

In a series of media interventions on Sunday, May also announced a Great Repeal Bill in the next Queen's Speech in early 2017, which will overturn the European Communities Act of 1972 that took Britain into the European Union.

May said her government will also enshrine all existing EU law into British law, and later abolish any provisions that are not acceptable to the British people.

The perception that Britain was being increasingly governed by laws made in Brussels was key to the Vote Leave campaign before the referendum.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, May said the repeal bill would mark the first stage in the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country once again...It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country. It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end.

Appearing on BBC, May refused to say more on what shape the process of leaving the EU will take.

There are strong views within her party that Britain should go for either strong Brexit (a clean break from the European Union, not part of the common market, and no free immigration of EU nationals), or a soft Brexit (continuing access to the common market).

The latter is preferred by business and industry - including Indian companies based in Britain - who are keen that Britain retain access to the common market. A soft Brexit, in their perception, will also help Britain attract the talent and professionals required in scientific institutions, NHS and other sectors.

Steering clear of the two options, May insisted that she wanted the right deal for Britain, and said it was not appropriate to give a running commentary on the positions to be adopted in negotiations with Brussels as part of the exit process.

May said her priority on immigration was to ensure that Britain sets the rules, and wanted to ensure the country gets the people it needs. Asked how important it was to get tariff-free access to the common market, she said she wanted the right deal.

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Nobel-winning astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar is among scientists from the black and minority ethnic (BME) communities whose lives and works will be celebrated at the University of Leicester throughout October, when Britain marks the Black History month.

The universitys Department of Physics and Astronomy is recognising one black and minority ethnic scientist each day with a summary of their life and work. The university attracts a large number of students from India every year.

Featured men and women, whose lives and achievements will be shown on a screen in the foyer, will include mathematics pioneer Benjamin Banneker, astronaut Mae Jemison, astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, cosmologist Hiranya Peiris, and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson who's story is told in the forthcoming movie Hidden Figures, the university said.

Organisers said the idea was to raise awareness about the under-representation of black and minority ethnic people in the industry, and to celebrate those who have changed the way the universe and everything in it is viewed.

One of the goals of the respected international festival is to encourage more BME students to study and remain in academia.

The Black History Month is an annual celebration and recognition event observed in America, Canada, and the UK which remembers the important people and events in the history of black and minority ethnic people around the world.

It is celebrated each year in the United States, where it was first held in 1976, and Canada (1995) in February, and in Britain (1987) in October.

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Slipping on a virtual reality headset, the indelible images come into view: the steel rails, the imposing brick gatehouse, the rows of identical barracks, the gas chambers, the crematoria.

Thanks to the work of the Bavarian state crime office (LKA) in Munich, German prosecutors and police investigating the last living Nazi war criminals can now immerse themselves in a highly precise 3D model of Auschwitz.

The VR death camp offers 21st-century fact-finding technology for the final Holocaust trials, in a twilight bid by the German justice system to address the atrocities committed seven decades ago.

It has often been the case that suspects say they worked at Auschwitz but didnt really know what was going on, Jens Rommel, head of the federal office investigating Nazi war crimes, told AFP.

Legally, the question is about intent: must a suspect have known that people were being taken to the gas chambers or shot? This model is a very good and very modern tool for the investigation because it can help answer that question.

Created by LKA digital imaging expert Ralf Breker, the VR model brings to life in astonishing detail the notorious Nazi-run camp in occupied Poland where more than 1.1 million people died during World War II.

To my knowledge, there is no more exact model of Auschwitz, Breker, 43, said in an interview at his workshop.

It is much, much more precise than Google Earth, he said, citing the popular map programme. We use the most modern VR goggles on the market. When I zoom in, I can see the smallest detail.

Visitor from the future

Wearing the headset, prosecutors, judges and co-plaintiffs can have the chilling experience of moving about 1940s-era Auschwitz at will.

An eerie stillness pervades the scene as a seemingly endless stream of identical avatar prisoners march past the virtual visitor from the future. Even the trees stand where they once were, to determine whether they could have blocked the view from a certain vantage point.

The advantage the model offers is that I get a better overview of the camp and can recreate the perspective of a suspect, for example in a watchtower, Breker said.

The case that gave rise to the project was that of Johann Breyer, a Czech-born retired machinist accused of complicity in the killing of 216,000 Hungarian Jews at Auschwitz.

Prosecutors in the Bavarian town of Weiden put together the case with the help of an early version of the 3D model.

But the 89-year-old American died in June 2014, just hours before a US court approved his extradition to stand trial.

This year, a more advanced model was used in the case of former SS guard Reinhold Hanning, who was convicted in June of complicity in 170,000 murders at Auschwitz and sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Rommel, 44, said his team is investigating a few dozen suspects, of whom he estimates a double-digit number are still alive and could potentially face court.

So many shocking details

To make his computer-generated recreation of hell on earth, Breker used materials from the Warsaw surveyors office and more than a thousand period photographs to create orthophotos, the uniform-scale base maps onto which buildings can be overlaid.

Then he travelled to Auschwitz twice in 2013 to fill in the gaps.

He and a colleague used a terrestrial laser scanner to create 3D images of the structures that were left standing after the Germans destroyed much of the camp while retreating from the advancing Soviet army.

The buildings that were ripped down or blown up in 1945 had to be reconstructed virtually with the help of the vast Auschwitz archives.

The Germans were very precise -- we were able to rebuild every single structure because we had blueprints for each one, Breker said.

The ruddy-cheeked career investigator turned pale as he recounted what he learned there.

Our team only investigates murders and were usually the first at a crime scene so theres a lot we see that is very unpleasant, said Breker, a seven-year veteran of the force.

But when I got back to the hotel room each night after being at Auschwitz, I was shattered.

We spent each day with the head of the archive and he provided us with so many shocking details.

No words for it

Breker recounted the story of the campaign between May and July 1944 when some 438,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The sheer volume of people gassed and cremated every day created such intense heat that it cracked the chimneys, leading the SS to burn bodies on pyres outside the crematoria.

The SS men then actually built drains for the fat to collect from the bodies, which could be used to fuel the fire for the next round of corpses, Breker said.

There are truly no words for it, he whispered. Unbelievable.

The LKA said that once the last criminal probes are closed, it would in theory be willing to lend its model to Holocaust memorial sites such as Yad Vashem or Auschwitz itself, giving visitors a visceral experience of the camp.

Of course wed have to be extremely careful no one stole it -- the nightmare would be abuse of the data, such as the creation of a computer game, Breker said.

He said VR technology was set to become a staple in criminal investigations around the world.

In two or three years, youll be able to enter the scene of every serious crime virtually, he said.

The LKA has already started using VR as part of an investigation it reopened two years ago into a far-right attack in 1980 at Munichs Oktoberfest beer festival which killed 13 people.
For half a century, Tiger Tops, a popular resort in southern Nepal, offered elephant rides as a top attraction to draw in thousands of tourists from across the world.

But it has now decided to scrap such safaris -- following complaints of cruelty, disease and stress to the animal -- and focus on sustainable and animal-friendly tourism practices, reported Nepali Times.

Earlier this year, it unchained 12 captive elephants, inviting tourists to view them in their natural habitat instead. Tourists are forbidden to touch, click selfies, or feed the elephants, who are allowed to go about their natural lives without much hindrance.

Guests can follow the elephants shortly after sunrise on their morning excursion to the river, where the animals are free to graze, reported the Kathmandu Post in January.

Moving away from elephant safaris 50 years after we introduced them, seemed too big a step, but I had seen young elephants being trained at the breeding centre. It was horrifying, they are scarred for life, Tiger Tops chairman Kristjan Edwards told the Post.

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SOFIA: Bulgaria on Friday banned wearing Islamic veils in public that cover the face, joining a small number of European Union countries as the debate on religious freedoms rages across Europe. Parliament approved the law that bans wearing in public clothing that partially or completely covers the face, referring to the burqa or the more common niqab. Infringements carry fines of 200 leva (approximately Rs 7600, $114), rising to 1,500 leva for repeated offences.

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BEIJING: India will keep a close watch on the flow in the Brahmaputra river in coming weeks after China announced it was blocking one of its tributaries in Tibet to construct the countrys most expensive hydroelectric projects.

On Friday, China said it was blocking the Xiabuqu river, one of the many tributaries of the Yarlung Zangbo, (which is how the Brahmaputra is known in China) to build a dam as part of the Lalho hydroelectric project at Xigase in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Brahmaputra, one of Indias major rivers, originates in Tibet and flows into Arunachal Pradesh and Assam before going into Bangladesh.

The impact of the blocking of the river wasnt immediately clear  or whether it would have any impact at all  but coming against the backdrop of the spat between New Delhi and Islamabad over the Indus Waters Treaty, the news is expected to ruffle more than diplomatic feathers in India.

Like the Brahmaputra, the Indus too originates in the Tibetan plateau in China.

Tibet on Friday blocked a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River as part of its most expensive hydro project, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The project is located in an area close to Sikkim.

The Lalho project on the Xiabuqu River in Xigaze involves an investment of 4.95 billion yuan ($740 million), said Zhang Yunbao, head of the projects administration bureau.

The project was scheduled to be completed in 2019. Construction began in June 2014.

The report added, The reservoir was designed to store up to 295 million cubic metres of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland.

It wasnt immediately clear what impact the dam will have on the Brahmaputra when it enters Arunachal Pradesh.

There is no evidence so far to suggest that the blocking of the river will have any major impact on water flows downstream.

Since the 185-kilometre Xiabuqu river isnt a trans-border one, it doesnt fall under the ambit of a bilateral mechanism to discuss rivers between China and India.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistans electronic media regulator has warned it will begin cracking down on satellite TV channels and cable networks airing excessive Indian content and the beaming of Indian channels on illegal direct-to-home (DTH) platforms.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said in a statement issued on Thursday that it had received numerous complaints against Indian content. PEMRA chief Absar Alam said after October 15, the regulator will start a drive against Indian channels airing in Pakistan and give exemplary punishment.

PEMRA said all satellite TV channels and distribution networks should follow the law of the land and voluntarily discontinue all illegal activities immediately.

The move came a day after cinema exhibitors announced they would not screen Indian movies for the foreseeable future to express unity with Pakistans armed forces amid a tense standoff with India.

Nadeem Mandviwalla, head of the exhibitors union, told reporters that it was taking some time to bring everyone on the same page since the ban was an initiative by cinema owners and not the government. The crackdown on Indian movies and serials comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the two countries.

India said on Thursday its special forces had carried out surgical strikes on terrorists across the Line of Control in Kashmir. Pakistan denied the raids but said two of its soldiers were killed in cross-LoC firing.
LONDON: A petition launched on a government website, urging Britain to strongly condemn Pakistan for providing safe haven to terrorists, clocked more than 3,000 signatures on Saturday . If the petition, launched by one Naman Paropkari in the backdrop of the Uri attack, receives 10,000 signatures, the British government will respond to it. At 100,000 signatures, it will considered for debate in Parliament. The petition states: Pakistan continues to double speak on issue of terrorism. It has aided & abetted enemies of the international coalition (of which Britain is a leading partner with the US) against terrorism. It added, Osama Bin Ladens hideout was in Pakistan. Pakistan continues to harbour UN sanctioned terror networks.

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WASHINGTON: Hours after US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attacked a former beauty queen on Twitter with an allegation about a sex tape, an explicit 2000 Playboy softcore pornography video surfaced in which Trump had reportedly made an appearance.

In a short clip posted on BuzzFeed, Trump pours a bottle of champagne on a Playboy-branded limo on a New York street, surrounded by a gaggle of women.

Beauty is beauty, and lets see what happens with New York, Trump says in the video in which he has been described as an entrepreneur.

From luxuriating in a warm, soapy tub, to revelling at an exclusive night club, Carol and Darlene bare their sex appeal and lead you on a sensual journey of discovery, the cover of the tape reads.

BuzzFeed News said it obtained the footage from the online-only Buffalo, New York-based adult video store Cinema Cornucopia.

The Clinton campaign was quick to respond. Theres been a lot of talk about sex tapes today and in a strange turn of events only one adult film has emerged today, and its star is Donald Trump, said Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill.

Trumps pre-dawn Twitter tirade tore into the 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, a Venezuela-born woman whose weight gain Trump has said created terrible problems for the pageant he owned at the time. Clinton had cited Trumps treatment of Machado near the end of their first debate, and Trump has spent days revisiting his complaints about Machado.

Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate? read a tweet Trump posted at 5:30 a.m., one in a series of attacks on her.

The sex tape tweet apparently referred to footage from a Spanish reality show in 2005 in which Machado was a contestant and appeared on camera in bed with a male contestant. The images are grainy and do not include nudity, though Machado later acknowledged in the Hispanic media that she was having sex in the video.

With the presidential campaign taking a sordid turn, even many of Trumps supporters shook their heads, worried that their candidates latest outburst could further hurt him among female voters already skeptical but whose support hell badly need to win in November.

Even Trumps most vocal allies seemed at a loss for words.

Hes being Trump. I dont have any comment beyond that, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a top supporter. Gingrich said tersely that Trump sometimes does strange things.
MOGADISHU: A suspected suicide car bomb hit a restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday, killing at least three people, a police officer and local official said. Residents said the restaurant was frequented by members of the national security forces. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Islamist group al Shabaab has launched many similar attacks in Mogadishu in the past in its bid to topple the Western-backed government. A suicide car bomb rammed into Blue Sky restaurant, police Major Abdikadir Hussein.

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Curious when Android 7.0 Nougat update will roll-out in your Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus, Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and Moto Z Play?

Sadly, Google is prioritizing to update its very own smartphone brand, Nexus, to Android's latest OS.

So if your smartphone is not Nexus, you may have to wait a little longer for Android 7.0 Nougat.

There are still no official confirmations when major smartphone brands, like Samsung and Huawei, are releasing the latest OS to their devices. But as Sony will likely to release Android 7.0 Nougat before the year ends, we can also expect other brands to do the same.

These smartphone brands are creating their own tweaks in Android 7.0 Nougat before they release it to their devices.

Motorola confirmed to Droid Life that users can anticipate the arrival of Android 7.0 Nougat on the Moto G4 and Moto Z Family starting in Q4 of 2016.

This means that Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus, Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and Moto Z Play will get Android 7.0 Nougat before 2016 ends.

However, Motorola did not give any comment regarding Android 7.0 Nougat update for Moto G lines and Moto X Pure Edition. The company did promise that it will share Android 7.0 Nougat update plans for other products in the future.

Android 7.0 Nougat's delightful new features includes Multi-window (can be used to access two apps in the same screen simultaneously), Quick Switch (swap to the previous app using the multi-tasking button), and VR support/ Daydream (for more immersive VR experience).

Additional notable features include new emojis, enhanced file browser, screen zoom, clear all, instant apps, push notifications, enhanced Java 8 language support, Google Assistant, smooth updates and direct reply notifications, data saver, additional power competence.

Motorola, like other smartphone companies, are making sure that the Android 7.0 Nougat update for Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus, Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and Moto Z Play will flow as smoothly as possible. To do this, it will both take time from both users and Motorola.
President Rodrigo Duterte made a controversial statement on September 30, 2016 about killing three million addicts in the Philippines as part of his administration's war on drugs. This statement was said during his arrival after the visit from Vietnam in a press conference.

Duterte somewhat likened himself to Hitler when he said, "If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have...Hitler massacred three million Jews...there's three million addicts. There are...I'd be happy to slaughter them."

This statement immediately reaped adverse reactions from people around the world especially Germans and Jews. "It is impossible to make any comparison to the unique atrocities of the Shoah and Holocaust," said the German foreign ministry's spokesman, Martin Schaefer.

Ronald Lauder, the World Jewish Congress president, said that the remarks of Duterte were "revolting" and demanded that he should retract and apologize. He said further that although drug abuse is a serious issue, what President Duterte said was profoundly inhumane and demonstrates an appalling disrespect for human life that is truly heartbreaking coming from a democratically-elected leader of a great country.

Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director for Human Rights Watch, said it was baffling why anyone would want to compare themselves to "one of the largest mass murderers in human history."

"Does he want to be sent to the International Criminal Court? Because he's working his way there?" he added.

The Philippine National Police claimed success as of the meantime, being the lead government agency that executed many raids via the so-called "Oplan Tokhang" (toktok- hangyo), which refers to the police operation of asking drug pushers and users to voluntary surrender themselves. But a number of alleged extra-judicial killings were associated to this tough war on drugs.

President Duterte has allegedly executed several extra-judicial killings during his terms as Davao City mayor. Just recently, a certain Edgar Matobato, self-confessed assassin, accused the President of ordering the killing of suspected criminals in Davao City. He told the Senate that he was recruited to a death squad called the "Lambada Boys" when Duterte started his term.

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Fans are super excited about "Star Wars: Episode 8" and though the release is still a year away, some update has emerged about Han Solo.

It looks like Harrison Ford aka Han Solo might return in "Star Wars: Episode 8," reports The Melty Galaxy. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Ford indicated at the return of his character. Though he did not say anything when asked about his return, his mime act was enough to spark rumors of a possible return.

When Kimmel asked Ford if he is still part of Episode 8, Ford took a pause and then performed a small mime act of locking his lips and throwing the imaginary key away. After this act of the 74-year-old actor, it is being said that Han Solo might reappear. However, some also think that he might be taking viewers for a ride. He is known to be a funny man and his act might be a prank.

So it is still not confirmed if viewers will see him again but if he comes back, it would definitely cheer up fans. Many believe that Rian Johnson has planned something for him. Notably, Han Solo died when Starkiller base blew up. His body was incinerated.

Meanwhile, another theory about Snoke and Leia has emerged, claims International Business Times. It says that "Star Wars: Episode 8" will explore the connection between Leia and Snoke. The next movie will reveal how Leia knew him.

For those who do not remember, one scene in "The Force Awakens" saw Leia telling Han Solo that it was Snoke's fault to seduce their son to the Dark Side and YouTuber Mike Zeroh suggests that Solo did not know about Snoke.

It was his wife who told him about Snoke and "Star Wars: Episode 8" will reveal how she knew him. She is expected to build up the villain by shedding light on his backstory. According to Zeroh, the identity of the leader of the First Order will be a big part of the upcoming Star Wars movie.

"Star Wars: Episode 8" is slated to hit theaters on Dec. 15, 2017.

Watch: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Plus Bonus Features)

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Three Chinese fishermen were killed after a clash with South Korean coastguard on Thursday just about 70 kilometers off South Korea's southwestern coast.

An official from the coastguard said the fishermen might have died of smoke inhalation caused by the fire. The fire itself was a result of a flashbang or stun grenade being thrown by the officers as they were entering the Chinese fishing vessel.

The incident happened when the coastguard confronted the fishing boat within South Korean waters. The officers had first ordered the fishing boat to stop in order to be inspected.

However, according to officials, the men ignored the commands and continued to move forward. As the coastguard vessel stopped the fishing boat and the officers began to board, the men barricaded themselves inside the wheel house.

The officers then fired a flashbang or stun grenade into the locked steering room, after which a fire broke out quickly engulfing the rest of the boat.

Fourteen other fishermen survived the encounter and were taken to a South Korean port for questioning by the authorities.

A full investigation was requested by the Chinese authorities in which the South Korean coastguard reported is already being conducted.

Flashbang or stun grenades are considered to be non-lethal, producing an ear splitting noise and an intense flash of light which temporarily affects the vision. It can also disrupt the balance of a person by impacting the fluids in the inner ear.

With proper authorization, Chinese vessels have permission to fish within the confines of the South Korean waters, but illegal fishing has become rampant due to the fishermen venturing far from the barren waters within the borders of China and this has recently put a strain on the two countries.

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A "hard" Brexit is becoming more and more feasible according to senior diplomats in Europe as the United Kingdom makes preparations to leave the European Union.

The vote for Brexit indicated the UK's desire to decrease EU immigration, end paying the union and make new deals with other countries.

This is against the European Union's customs which told British politicians, "If you don't want to pay into the EU budget and make free-trade agreements with third countries, then you are completely out."

One senior diplomat even told the Guardian that a hard Brexit was inexorable because it was "hardwired into the referendum."

What does this mean?

As U.K. heads on its path to surrender its EU membership, the country is more than likely to exit the union's consolidated market and the customs that entitles member-country to free circulation of goods among EU nations.

Under this scenario, while a new trade agreement is being authored, British banks would lose the permission that has allowed them to function across the continent. How long? The length of time it takes to come up with the final draft of the agreement is yet to be determined.

Michel Barnier, European commission's chief Brexit negotiator, plans to visit the countries of membership and weigh the options on Brexit in order to draft the appropriate positions on trade, foreign policy and budget, which is expected to produce conflicts and will definitely be bitterly contested.

European diplomats have already rejected British politician. Boris Johnson's claims that the United Kingdom may have a chance of maintaining access to the market without honoring the rules laid out by the European Union. This stance was reiterated amidst warnings from British officials that the break up would become messy unless considerations to the UK are given before official negotiations take place.

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A massive onslaught brews at South American countries facing the Atlantic Ocean as powerful Hurricane Matthew barrels the coastlines of Jamaica and Cuba.

Packed with 160 mph winds, Hurricane Matthew is considered as Category 4 hurricane by the US National Hurricane Center. It has enough wind force to wreck houses on its path.

Storm warnings were also raised in Florida, Colombia and Haiti as weather forecasters announced that the powerful hurricane could hit the areas on Monday.

However, residents are warned that they could feel the effects of Hurricane Matthew as early as Sunday. Authorities also advised the people to store food and water ahead of Matthews landfall.

Several airline companies, including IBC Airways, American Airlines and Delta Airlines, have already announced the cancellation of their flight in the affected areas.

As early as Saturday, authorities have implemented forced evacuations of tourists from Montegro Bay as the hurricanes high winds coupled with strong surge could cause catastrophic damage.

Hurricane Matthew was last spotted 420 miles southeast of Kingston in Jamaica. The real-time location of the hurricane can be viewed below:

As of 5pm, #HurricaneMatthew remains a strong category 4 storm with winds of 150mph. Majority of models do NOT have a landfall in #Jamaica. pic.twitter.com/JUGVC53pam  Mike Thomas (@MikeTFox5) October 1, 2016

Meanwhile, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness is already in his way to Montego Bay to examine the countrys preparedness for #HurricaneMatthew

Making my way to Montego Bay then Port Royal to examine to state of preparedness for #HurricaneMatthew. pic.twitter.com/tb6lK7KqM6  Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) October 1, 2016



Ahead of his visit, the Prime Minister has already spearheaded massive information drive against the onslaught of Hurricane Matthew.

Is your home hurricane ready? This image can be useful to help in your readiness. #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/MPpV3psHDf  Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) October 1, 2016

Matthew is so far the strongest hurricane along the Atlantic Ocean since Felix in 2007.

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After spotting a gold ring, now conspiracy theorists have found an alien glove on the red planet. It was spotted in an image captured by NASA's curiosity rover that is exploring Mars in search of water and life. Alien hunters believe that NASA knows about the existence of aliens.

Following the earlier claim of an "ancient gold ring" on Mars, another UFO Sighting article explains that an alien glove has been spotted in a recently recovered image clicked by NASA's Mars rover. It points to some evidence of a "petrifying weapon."

Scott Waring explains: "Many of my readers tell me that we are from Mars, the last remnants of an ancient culture that was 99% wiped out by disaster or war. That seems more likely than life just springing up here on Earth as Darwin mistakenly decided."

The photograph shows a number of other objects too, claims the UFO seeker. Scrolling down the page discloses images with portions marked as "tubes" and "containers."

What could the image of the glove be? It might be a "sculpted hand" or an actual petrified one with "an extended smaller finger." This might even be a beam weapon that has been viewed earlier in movies.

"This weapon might be a tool that converts flesh into stone," said another bizarre theory.

But the comments seem to reveal more believers than skeptics. One commentator even pointed out: "And the half-buried face to the left of it. Looks like a face."

Another Unknown wrote: "Hi Scott, have you seen the markings that look like writing to the left of the famous Mars statue image? There also appears to be some geometric markings on large stones to the centre of the image. Actually the whole area seems to be strewn with debris of worked stone."

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Around 20 TV and radio stations, including one that plays children's programs, were ordered to be shut down by the Turkish government.

The Committee to Protect Journalists were not happy about it citing that the government is using emergency powers to order the stations closed and stifle the media. Numerous journalists were detained, making Turkey the world's biggest detainer of journalists.

"Turkey is targeting a wide swathe of cultural and political expression by shuttering minority broadcasters. When the government sees even children's programming as a threat to national security, it is clearly abusing its emergency powers." said Robert Mahoney, of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

According to press reports, the TV and radio stations, owned or operated by Kurds or the Alevi religious minority, were accused of spreading "radical propaganda" in opposition to the government, said president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Their shutdown were the result of the measure that are being taken amidst the state of emergency imposed after a failed coup attempt in July so authorities can dispose of the threat posed by the religious minority along with Kurdish rebels.

According to Hamza Aktan, the news editor at IMC TV, one of the stations that is slated for closure, the measure taken by the government was based on the powers given in a decree that was issued last July.

"This has nothing to do with the coup. It is an effort to silence the last independent media covering the Kurdish issue and violations committed by the state," Aktan said.

President Erdogan has expressed his desire to extend a three month state of emergency after the July coup attempt. He said that the state of emergency is helping the authorities to quickly identify the supporters of the uprising by circumventing parliament to enact laws and suspend rights.

Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is based in the United States is being accused by the Turkish government for masterminding the coup, 240 soldiers, police and civilians were killed.

Although Gulen thoroughly denies involvement, about 100,000 state employees suspected of being linked to his movement have been absolved and 32,000 people are now incarcerated for their alleged role in the coup including the journalists.

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The 1980s and early '90s may as well be a millennium ago for many people, so it's understandable that some may not fully appreciate the devastation that AIDS wrought in the United States. Celebrities sported red grosgrain lapel ribbons to raise awareness of AIDS, but, more lastingly, works such as Randy Shilts's book "And the Band Played On" and Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" chronicled the effect of the disease and the government indifference that allowed it to spread. They are useful references for people who either don't know about America's AIDS epidemic or have put it out of memory.

Jacob, the 50-ish Yemeni poet who is the protagonist of Rabih Alameddine's fine new novel, "The Angel of History," remembers all too well. Over six months in the '90s, Jacob, a San Francisco resident, lost his pediatrician lover, Doc, and five other friends to the disease. "AIDS was a river with no bed," he says, "that ran soundlessly and inexorably through my life, flooded everything, drowned all I knew."

Twenty years later, the river is still raging. The impact of those losses lingers to such an extent that he talks to imaginary people and, as he did during the height of the epidemic, has begun hearing Satan's voice in his head, so he checks himself into a psychiatric clinic in an attempt to cope with the resurgence of his trauma.

"The Angel of History" goes back and forth in time and among different characters and styles to create a portrait of Jacob's life. How's this for a framing device: Satan sets up in Jacob's apartment to help him recall moments from his past, "to harrow the soil and dislodge the silt," and rescue him from his crisis. Satan conducts interviews with Death, sartorially resplendent in Versace and black cashmere ("I'm no low-rent Lucifer"), along with the Fourteen Holy Helpers, the Roman Catholic saints who are among the chorus of voices Jacob often hears.

Alameddine intercuts these interviews with scenes from the visit to the clinic and excerpts from Jacob's journals. In these diaries, Jacob revisits people and events of his life, beginning with his unwed mother, a "short maid from the deserts of Yemen." Mixed among Jacob's diatribes against such recent events as a drone strike in Yemen and Middle Eastern children dying from sarin gas are tales of his mother's years working as a prostitute in a Sana'a whorehouse and their subsequent relocation to Cairo, where Badeea, one of the "aunties" who serviced gentlemen customers, looked after Jacob whenever she wasn't entertaining male patrons.

Most powerful are the scenes of Jacob during the height of the epidemic. It takes 17 minutes for Jacob to pry Doc's fingers off the bedrail after Doc dies. In his final days, a friend named Greg can't stop shaking from a form of chorea. When Doc is too weak to move without Jacob's help, he cuts his foot on the floor, leaving a stain the shape of a kerosene lamp in the wood, a stain Jacob wanted to preserve as a reminder.

More Information 'The Angel of History' By Rabih Alameddine Atlantic Monthly Press; 304 pp.; $26 Author appearance Rabih Alameddine will read in Houston this fall as part of Inprint's Margarett Root Brown reading series. He'll appear with author Juan Gabriel Vasquez at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Alley Theatre, 615 Texas; $5 tickets available soon at inprinthouston.org. See More Collapse

These enduring traumas have crippled Jacob to the point that he can no longer write poetry. He turns to short fiction in the hope of regaining his creative spark. The novel's most wildly imaginative moments are in the sample stories included here. One is told from the point of view of an American drone that falls in love with a boy named Mohammad. And, in a sardonically hilarious entry, a husband and wife attend a party at his boss' opulent house, where they meet the boss' pet Arab. When the couple asks the reason the boss owns an Arab, he explains, "I'm allergic to cats."

Grim scenes of life in the AIDS era interspersed with rollicking comedy: That's the experience that awaits readers of "The Angel of History." Anyone who has read "An Unnecessary Woman" knows that Alameddine's is a poetically flippant prose style. As you can tell from the passages included here, he hasn't abandoned it. For some readers, however, that may be disconcerting: bitchy repartee among spirits and saints one minute, gut-wrenching scenes of death and illness the next. "Linearity can be boring," St. Eustace says. Alameddine would no doubt agree, but, in this case, the shifts in tone can sometimes be discordant.

But that's the price you have to pay with an author as ingenious as Alameddine. Despite its unevenness, "The Angel of History" is a richly textured novel that is a remarkable feat of imagination and a cry to remember a condition that not only still affects much of America but continues to overwhelm countries in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. The lapel ribbons may be gone, but the pain remains.
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To Dalia Rihani, the architectural landscape of her neighborhood - The Heights in Houston - is fascinating.

Rihani started drawing her neighbors' homes as a creative release in her off hours. It didn't stay that way.

The outlet became something more consuming for Rihani, who started taking commissions to illustrate specific houses after requests for the drawings became frequent. She also turned the graphics into postcards sent to some of the homeowners and even posters.

READ MORE: The Burger Joint to open in The Heights

Rihani began the art when the tech company she worked for gave her a more strategic role, pushing her creativity to the background.

"Some designers like to work on repetitive projects to hone in on their skills, so you'll see lots of 100-day projects out there," Rihani said. "Around that time, a few of my designer friends starting doing that, so I tried doing that with my houses."

It started with one house a week, quickly morphing into two-to-three a week.

READ MORE: Thousands pour into The Heights for White Linen Night

"What started as a way to challenge myself as a designer turned into a passion project," Rihani said.

The project has been a hit with homeowners. After about the 10th house, Rihani started getting requests from homeowners in The Heights for illustrations of their homes.

"It was around that time where I realized the unique sense of pride people in The Heights have when it comes to their homes," Rihani said.

READ MORE: Heights retail complex to be 'anti-mall'

Rihani tries to hand-deliver each print she sells. It's an effort to meet the homeowners and make sure they like the art.

"I've really enjoyed having those conversations, especially with those hoping to preserve the history of The Heights," Rihani said.
Two Bay City ISD schools went into lockdown Friday after the threat of "creepy clowns" circulated over social media across Texas and the Houston area.

Both Bay City High School and Cherry Elementary were placed on lockdowns Friday. Dekaney High School in Spring ISD and Westside High School, Northside High School and Tanglewood Middle School in Houston ISD received similar threats.

All the schools determined the threats were part of a hoax.

The social media warning came from an Instagram account called "Aint Clownin Around," which has since been deactivated. The post said that someone would be "at all high schools this Friday" to kidnap students or shoot teachers as they walked to their cars.

A rash of creepy clown- themed sightings and threats has emerged nationwide since August, when residents in Greenville County, S.C., said clowns were trying to lure children into wooded areas.

Since then, sightings have been reported from Florida to Oregon. Schools and school districts across the country reported similar clown threats to those in the Houston area.

The Associated Press reported that the Reading Community City School District in suburban Cincinnati closed schools Friday after a woman told authorities that a male dressed as a clown grabbed her around the neck and made a threat against students. Jefferson County schools, which surround Denver also were threatened.

AL.com reported that police arrested three people in Alabama linked to threatening Facebook posts involving "creepy clowns" that caused some schools in that state to go on lockdown.

In Central Texas, Waco ISD, Connally ISD and Gatesville ISD investigated similar threats Friday, according to Waco's KWTX.

Bay City ISD Superintendent Keith Brown wrote a letter to parents and said the two schools were placed on lockdown "as a precaution."

"Please know that no specific threat was made to any school within our district," Brown wrote. "We ask parents and students to confirm facts and be cautious of what they share on social media."

Houston ISD called parents of Northside High, Westside High and Tanglewood Middle and told them those schools had been targeted by the same threat.

"We immediately notified (Houston Independent School District) Police, and officers determined the threat was not credible," the call said. "However, HISD Police have assigned extra officers to patrol our campus as a precautionary measure."

Spring ISD officials also sent a letter to parents saying they had extra security at Dekaney High School after it was threatened.

"Although this was determined to be a hoax and your students are safe at school, please know that we have taken precaution with extra security at our campuses," the district wrote, adding, "we do appreciate students and parents alerting our Spring ISD Police Department to potential threats."
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Laura Vanessa Gutierrez doesn't exist, at least on paper.

She is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who was never issued a birth certificate. She's one of thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of U.S. residents not recognized by any nation. They are the so-called "doubly invisible."

"It's the worst thing that can happen to you," Gutierrez says.

She can't get a driver's license. She can't open a bank account. If stopped by police, Gutierrez couldn't even show that she's a Mexican national.

Because of security procedures, the stay-at-home mother can't even enter her children's school because she has no ID. Last May, her four kids secretly rehearsed at home for the elementary school Mother's Day show, knowing that their mom wouldn't be able to hear their songs and receive their roses. She had to wait outside.

No one can say precisely how many people share Gutierrez's dilemma, but globally, the problem's scope is enormous. UNICEF estimates that in 2012 alone, 57 million infants - four of every 10 babies delivered worldwide - were not registered with civil authorities. In Somalia, 97 percent of births aren't registered. In India, fewer than half are. Poverty lies behind both parts of the problem: In countries around the world, very poor people are more likely to slip through registration systems at birth and also more likely to emigrate in search of work.

HELPED BY NEW LAWS

Getting help For more information to help "double invisibles" in the U.S. in their Mexican registration process, get in contact with Be Foundation: Number to call from the U.S.: 844-998-1010 Number to call from Mexico: 01-800-639-7744 Email: contacto@derechoalaidentidad.org Website: derechoalaidentidad.org See More Collapse

Gutierrez was born in Mexico, where new laws have begun to address the enormous problem. According to Karen Mercado, president of the Be Foundation Derecho a la Identidad, about 12 percent of the population in Mexico, or between 10 million and 14 million people, were never registered in the office of National Population Registry. Many were born in rural areas or places far from registration offices. And until recently, it cost the equivalent of $12 to register a newborn in Mexico - too much for the nation's poorest residents to afford.

"The states with the greater numbers of these people tend to be the poorest, like Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas or the state of Mexico, which are regions of origin for a majority of emigrants," Mercado points out.

In 2014, Be Foundation led a constitutional reform in Mexico that made it free to register a newborn. And last month, Mexico passed a constitutional reform that will help at least some immigrants to the U.S. obtain a Mexican birth certificate. Starting in 2017, Mexican consulates can issue extemporaneous birth certificates to people who never before appeared in Mexico's official records.

"The ordeal for these people without recognized identities is now over," says Mexican Sen. Gabriela Cuevas, who supported the law. "They would be able to open bank accounts, have a passport or a (Mexican) voter ID."

At the beginning of this year, the Be Foundation began attempting to reach the people affected, visiting cities in Texas, California, Illinois and New York to publicize the new law and offer help obtaining documents. Without the budget for a high-profile campaign, the group has been limited to distributing fliers and giving talks to small groups of immigrants.

So far they've identified approximately 300 doubly invisible people in the U.S.; 160 of those are in Texas. More than 50 cases are in Dallas; 45, including Gutierrez, are in Houston. Mercado expects all those numbers to grow rapidly: "We believe we are talking about tens of thousands, if not more."

Many people are afraid to reveal their situations. Maria Villegas hesitated to call the Foundation's hotline (1-844-998-1010), but her family insisted.

"I thought that I was a strange case, that there were no people like me," she says.

Villegas, now in her late 30s, came to the U.S. with her mother when she was 2 years old. She works in her home, making quinceanera dresses and party accessories, and has five American-born children with her husband, a legal resident. Twice now, Villegas has tried to legalize her status in the U.S.: once, years ago, sponsored by her husband; and more recently, sponsored by her eldest daughter, now 24.

"Both times, immigration has accepted my process," said Villegas, "but everything has stopped because I don't have a birth certificate."

'THE DOORS ARE CLOSED'

Daniel Perez, 22, has never seen an official ID with his name on it.

"I learned of my problem when I was in high school and started to make plans about my university studies," he said, "but I realized with a lot of frustration that I would never have those opportunities. I felt very sad when I recognized that I don't exist, that the doors are closed for me."

His father, Jose Ramon Perez, drives him every day to temporary jobs, terrified that the young man could be detained and deported at any moment.

"My family lives in fear from day to night," the father said.

Perez's undocumented parents brought him from Puebla shortly after he was born. If he'd had a birth certificate, he could have benefited from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive act, which provides people brought to the U.S. at a young age temporary relief from deportation while they study and work.

His father says he feels guilty about his son's situation. Like many immigrants, he thought he expected to stay in the U.S. only a short time, just long enough to make enough money to buy a house back in Puebla. But time passed, and the money never seemed enough.

Raul Ramirez, 23, was born in Michoacan. With the Be Foundation's help, he says, he hopes "to finally have a birth certificate to prove that I exist, to study, to buy a car."

Mexican consulates are bracing for a rush of applicants in February, when the law takes effect.

"This is a major change that requires a restructuring of logistics to implement proper communications between the database systems of consulates and the pertinent Mexican institutions," says Daniel Millan Valencia, spokesperson for the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations.

Much of the government's work is related to preventing fraud. Mexico and other countries' birth certificates are valuable trafficking assets. Several interviewees said they had been approached in the U.S. by people offering "official birth certificates" for a fee between $2,000 and $4,000.

"We know of many scams that victimize immigrants, and certainly Mexico has detected several instances of robbery of printed unassigned birth certificates," said Nallely Anguiano, a Be Foundation coordinator.

'I WANT TO SEE IT ALL'

In recent years, Mexican authorities have reported thefts and disappearances of numbered certificates. Local investigations indicate that they end up in the hands of traffickers, who sell them to clients to obtain false passports and IDs abroad.

Anguiano says the new reform combats such crimes by providing the doubly invisible an official avenue to obtain legitimate records.

Villegas, the mother of five, said she is anxious to see her own birth certificate for the first time. With the help of the Be Foundation, she plans to have her case prepared by February, as soon as the law will let her file it.

Gutierrez is excited: "I'm going to have my registration, I will get the (Mexican) passport, my voter card. I will be able to open a bank account "

Trying to hold back tears, Gutierrez says that what she longs for the most is to be present at all of her younger daughters' important moments in school.

"I want to see it all," she says. "The moment they enter the school for the first time. Where they are going to sit in the class. Sharing what they have learned with their teachers in the classroom. I want to see them having breakfast in the cafeteria; I want to be a volunteer parent. That is my dream."

***

olivia.tallet@chron.com

Twitter: @oliviaptallet
Through the years, I've found that the fastest way to a tough Texan's heart is often through his or her pocketbook.

So, I won't attempt to appeal to your sense of empathy or compassion or humanity as I write about the need for bail reform. I won't drone on about how wrong it is, and potentially unconstitutional, to jail people simply because they're poor and can't pay a bond set too high. I won't harp on how this practice disrupts lives, families, child care and jobs.

I'll talk about cold, hard cash. Taxpayer money. Yours and mine. And how Harris County is wasting it to defend the reprehensible practices listed above.

Last week, my colleagues Lise Olsen and Mihir Zaveri reported that county commissioners agreed to hire yet another law firm to fight bail reform, this one to represent 16 county criminal court at law judges recently added to a federal lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed in May by a group of public interest attorneys in the name of a single mother who spent two days in jail after being arrested for driving without a valid license because she couldn't post a $2,500 bail.

The lawyers aren't seeking cash damages. The only goal, they say, is to speed up long-delayed bail reform. In other words: to stop the county from jailing people using fixed, predetermined bail schedules and other practices that don't take into consideration a defendant's ability to pay or his actual risk to society.

About 70 percent of Harris County jail inmates haven't been convicted of the crime for which they're being held; they're simply waiting for trial, at an average cost of $75 per person, per day. The overcrowded jail averages 8,500 people per day.

Reform - jailing only people who pose a risk - would save taxpayers money.

Yet, what is the county doing? Spending more money on lawyers to avoid a fairer, more affordable system.

The county had already paid an outside law firm $169,464 for six different lawyers, including one who charged $525 per hour and another $610 per hour, according to documents the Chronicle obtained through a Texas Public Information Act request.

Those figures only became more offensive when you consider another nugget the reporters gleaned from records: a six-month pilot program to provide defendants their own lawyers at bail hearings - now, only hearing officers and prosecutors attend - would have cost less than what the county has spent fighting such reforms.

One commissioner, Jack Cagle, said he was voting for the request for more lawyers only because County Attorney Vince Ryan recommended it.

Ryan has taken heat for his handling of the case, perhaps most recently on Twitter by Houston school trustee and former councilwoman Jolanda Jones, who urged followers to "BEWARE" of the "#FakeDemocrat" on Election Day.

"He hired a private law firm from another state 2 represent judges who set standard hi bails & PROFILED & PROSECUTED Black men in Sunnyside!" Jones tweeted.

Now, Ryan is a sensible guy who definitely sees the value of bail reform, and it's his duty to defend the county, even if it's up to no good.

But I asked him: what's he thinking?

In a phone interview, he and his staff said they believe the plaintiff lawyers wouldn't be content with the county merely reforming the bail system.

"They want to abolish money bond," said Ryan's special counsel, Terry O'Rourke. "We, personally, might be in favor of that, but that's not the law."

Ryan added: "I don't get to be the Supreme Court as county attorney."

Ryan pointed out that reform efforts are progressing, even if not at the pace everyone would like. He said a new pretrial services director, selected through a national search, soon will oversee implementation of a data-driven risk assessment tool developed by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. It provides objective information that judges can use when deciding whether to release or jail a defendant before trial.

Ryan said he believes hiring another law firm to represent the judges will speed reform along by "keeping the lines of communication open" and giving the independently elected judges someone to represent their perspectives.

"It's already improved communication," Ryan said Friday. "Getting everybody to move forward at the same time is the challenge, but I think we're getting there."

But Neal Manne, of Susman Godfrey, who is representing plaintiffs in the lawsuit - for the time being, out of his own pocket - pushed back on Ryan's explanation.

"Our lawsuit does not seek to end the entire system of money bail," Manne said. "For anyone to say that, they're misrepresenting what this case is about."

He said the aim is simple: to force the county to consider a defendant's ability to pay.

In my words: to stop the county from jailing thousands of poor people. The Arnold assessment is a good move, but so far, judges have shown little willingness to throw out the rigid bail schedules - which is what needs to happen.

Someday, justice will prevail. Reform will happen, probably through a settlement in this lawsuit.

In the meantime, county officials are prolonging the inevitable, and we're all paying the price.
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The growing spiral of Houston murders, up 15 percent so far this year after a staggering 25 percent hike in 2015, has forced Houston police to spend $2 million in overtime to deploy scores of extra officers at hot spots across the city.

With a focus on gangs, narcotics and domestic violence, senior police officials have begun conducting weekly reviews to determine if the surge is reducing shootings and other major crimes.

The increasing violence was evident in Houston last week with Monday's mass shooting, in which police killed a local attorney after he unleashed a fusillade of gunfire that wounded six. It overshadowed two other shootings the same day, the fatal robbery of Juan Daniel Hernandez Rivas, 23, gunned down in the parking lot of his apartment, and a woman shot and killed by her husband in what he said was an accidental discharge.

On Thursday, police were called to another apartment complex where a man returning from an out-of-town trip found his roommate shot dead on the floor, the same day one of four men shot earlier in a city park died of his wounds.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said that when he noticed homicide numbers increasing earlier this year, he and acting Houston Police Chief Martha Montalvo marshaled more police resources, including community agencies, and assigned more officers to the streets to confront the problem.

"I authorized several actions including an extra $2 million for police overtime, an additional cadet class, the shifting of 175 officers from desk jobs to the streets and a crackdown on gangs and Kush," or synthetic marijuana, Turner said in a statement Friday. "At the same time, we are utilizing My Brother's Keeper, Turnaround Houston and the Hire Houston Youth programs to address the dissatisfaction and unemployment that can lead to crime."

'We have to fight it'

The mayor and other analysts expressed difficulty in determining the reason Houston murders are on such a dramatic upswing. Last year's tally of 303 murders exceeded those in Los Angeles and Philadelphia and represented a significant spike over the 198 murders in 2011.

"It's hard to say exactly why we are seeing this increase," Turner said. "What I do know is that we have to fight it on many fronts. Hopefully, we will begin to see the numbers change by the end of the year."

At the Brennan Center for Justice, part of New York University's law school, researchers examining crime data predict that while murder is expected to decline in 12 of the 30 largest American cities this year, Houston and others are in store for more carnage.

The center has predicted that murders will rise in 2016 by 13 percent, with big increases expected in Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, San Diego and San Jose, Calif. Houston is expected to finish the year with 345 murders, substantially higher than the 303 murders recorded here last year.

The unincorporated areas of Harris County outside of Houston city limits also have experienced a hike in murders, which went from 68 in 2014 to 89 last year, a 30 percent increase. The Houston Police Department reported a clearance rate of 60 percent last year, meaning it closed 6 in 10 murder investigations. The Harris County Sheriff's Office, by contrast, reported a clearance rate of 39 percent.

The NYU researchers say possible theories about the sudden spikes in murder include long-term socioeconomic conditions, the numbers of police officers available in a city and strained relations between the police and the communities they patrol.

They hastened to add that the nation's crime is not "out of control" and will remain at historic lows. They also said the dramatic rise in murders in some big cities calls for urgent measures to control the violence.

Ames Grawert, an attorney for Brennan Center, said cities such as Chicago and Houston can have very affluent areas but still have neighborhoods where crime develops because of festering socioeconomic conditions.

"The key takeaway for us is when you look at increasing violent crime it's not a national issue. It's an issue concentrated in a few cities, and in some cities in a few neighborhoods in particular with higher than average unemployment and poverty.''

Hiring more officers

Grawert noted that police staffing also plays a role in crime, and cities that beef up their police presence can affect crime.

"In Chicago, we saw they had fewer police officers than in past years, and one thing Chicago recently announced is they are hiring more officers to confront this problem," he said. "That's a good solution, because whether you're Democrat or Republican, we can agree good police doing good work can bring down crime."

Houston police, without providing specific numbers, pointed to gang activity as a factor in the murders.

"HPD analysis has shown many of the homicides have a gang and narcotic element," HPD said in an statement Friday.

About 16 percent of murders are the result of family violence that involves "drugs, alcohol and mental illness," the statement said. "For these types of murders HPD is seeking to create a program that allows the department to partner with agencies that can assist in educating and outreaching to at-risk families."

Academic experts who study crime and sociology said it is too early to definitely say what is triggering the rise in Houston murders, although some have hunches.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was a similar type of phenomena that we had in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when there was an increase in violence and homicides in young people under 21, especially African-Americans, who were involved in gangs dealing in crack cocaine," said Clete Snell, professor of criminal justice at the University of Houston-Downtown. "I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing was going on now.''

'Young person's game'

Texas recorded 1,314 murders in 2015, an increase of nearly 11 percent. The rate of rape, robbery and aggravated assault also increased, while all categories of property crime dropped, including burglary and auto theft, according to a review of state crime data by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

"The decrease in the overall index crime rate for 2015 is positive news for our state; however, it is concerning that at the same time Texas has again experienced an increase in the rate of violent crimes," according to a statement in the report from DPS Director Steven McCraw.

DPS spokesman Tom Vinger, asked last week about increasing murders, said gangs affiliated with Mexican drug cartels play a role in the rise of violent crime.

"A continuing trend is that gangs represent a significant public safety threat to the state of Texas, and are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in our communities, including violent crime," Vinger said. "MS-13, for example, has become known for their brutality and executions - and are active in recruiting youths, who are drawn in by the narco-culture and money."

He added: "While transnational gangs are still heavily involved in the drug smuggling business, they are also increasingly involved in heinous criminal activity like human and sex trafficking because of the higher profits and lower perceived risk."

Sociologists have long recognized that a youthful population, coupled with economic inequality, are factors that drive violent crime, said Robert Werth, a lecturer in the Rice University Department of Sociology. Census figures show about 300,000 Houston residents are between 15 and 24. Houston's median age is 30.9, lower than the state average.

"Demographically, crime is a young person's game," Werth said. "One of the biggest drivers of the crime rate is the age demographics of the population. Just statistically, the larger the population in the age range of 16 to 26, the higher your crime rate is going to be because that age group commits crimes at higher rate that any other age group."

Influx of new residents

Tim Mordecai, a Harris County sheriff's deputy who has patrolled county streets for more than two decades, said he believes the increase of murders coincides with an influx of new residents, many who have moved from crime-ridden cities in other parts of the nation.

"It's everybody who is moving here, and they are bringing their crime with them," he said. "I'm going by the people who I have to contend with."
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EL CAJON, Calif. - Alfred Olango, the unarmed black man shot and killed by police in a suburb of San Diego, was remembered in a demonstration Saturday organized by clergy members and supporters of Olango's family.

Several hundred people gathered peacefully at a park in downtown El Cajon to hear speeches by religious leaders and then marched through the streets to police headquarters, where Olango's family members joined them.

"Mourning is a public sharing of grief and his unnecessary killing has rent the fabric of our human community yet once again and we are feeling it deeply in our hearts," said Rev. Frank Placone-Willey of Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in nearby Santee, Calif.

Olango's father, Richard Olango Abuka, called for the resignation of the police chief and said his son's death is a turning point in a peaceful struggle to change police practices. Other speakers demanded changes in how police respond to calls about people in mental distress.

There was a modest police presence.

The event came a day after two videos of the shooting were released by authorities, something the family and community leaders had urged.

The videos show the officer fired four times at close range almost immediately after Olango, 38, suddenly raised both hands to chest level and took what was described as a shooting stance. In addition to the videos, police showed the 4-inch electronic cigarette device Olango had in his hands when he was shot.

The shots came less than a minute after police arrived at the scene in response to Olango's sister calling 911 and reporting he was acting erratically.

The videos were released after nights of unruly and, at times, violent protests in El Cajon. On Thursday night, an officer was struck in the head by a brick hurled by a protester.

Police Chief Jeff Davis defended the release of the videos and said it was intended to de-escalate tensions and correct what he felt was a "false narrative" that was developing. Some witnesses said Olango had his hands in the air and was begging not to be shot.

"Our only concern at this point was community safety," Davis said. "We felt that the aggression of some - some - of the protesters was escalating to the point where it was necessary to release some information and truly, it was my hope to relieve some of that concern."

A fourth night of protests on Friday remained peaceful, with about 200 people blocking intersections and at one point attempting to walk on to a freeway before police stopped them.

A lawyer for the family said they welcomed the release of the videos, but he questioned the tactics used by Officer Richard Gonsalves. Olango had been reported to be mentally disturbed and unarmed and yet Gonsalves approached with his weapon out, Dan Gilleon said.

"It shows a cowboy with his gun drawn provoking a mentally disturbed person," Gilleon said.

The incident is the latest in a series of fatal shootings of black men that have roiled communities across the U.S. It came weeks after fatal shootings by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, N.C.

Olango, a Ugandan refugee who arrived in the U.S. as a boy, had a criminal record that included drug and weapon charges but no violence. His family described him as a loving father and a joyful person.

His mother said he suffered a mental breakdown recently after the death of his best friend.
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MARACAY, Venezuela - The voices tormenting Accel Simeone kept getting louder.

The country's last supplies of antipsychotic medication were vanishing, and Simeone had gone weeks without the drug that controls his schizophrenia.

Reality was disintegrating with each passing day. The sounds in his head soon became people, with names. They were growing in number, crowding the tiny home he shared with his family, yelling obscenities into his ears.

Now the voices demanded that he kill his brother.

"I didn't want to do it," recalled Simeone, 25.

He took an electric grinder from the family's garage. He switched it on.

But then, to spare his brother, he attacked himself instead, slicing into his own arm until his father raced in and grabbed the grinder from his bloody hands.

Venezuela's economic collapse already has decimated its health system, leaving hospitals without antibiotics, surgeons without gloves and patients dying on emergency room tables.

Now, thousands of mental health patients - many of whom had been living relatively normal lives under medication - are drifting into despair and psychosis because the country has run out of the vast majority of psychiatric medicines, leaving families and doctors powerless to help them, medical experts say.

Stuff of nightmares

Mental institutions have released thousands of patients because they can no longer treat them, according to physicians. The patients still being cared for now suffer in crumbling wards that can barely even feed them. Doctors and nurses fear violent attacks and say they have little choice but to tie their patients to chairs, lock them up or strip them of their clothes to prevent suicides.

In the city of Barquisimeto, the scenes at El Pampero Psychiatric Hospital are those of nightmares.

Food shortages had left one older schizophrenic man emaciated, like a walking skeleton in a concentration camp. An epileptic man bereft of medication fell into repeated seizures, while another untreated patient lay strapped to a bed, bound at the ankles. An older woman with no drugs to control her schizophrenia crawled across the floor, past a hungry patient eating fruit that had fallen into a pool of open sewage.

But most patients around the country are in the hands of families like the Simeones, doctors say. Family members must choose between going to work and watching over their loved ones. It is a life of searching for increasingly rare drugs, desperately hoping their relatives do not harm themselves, or others, the moment someone looks away.

"When I heard that he could hurt his brother, that broke me," said Evelin de Simeone, Accel's mother, recounting the day in June her son grabbed the electric grinder.

Evelin, who had hardly been able to work in order to watch over the brothers, has quit work entirely. Her husband Mario fixes cars to pay for medication for his sons, when it can be found, lamenting how far the family's fortunes have fallen.

He wanted someone to blame.

"This is a fanatic state," he said. "If you really love a country, how could you leave it without food, work or medicine?"

'It's like being impotent'

Venezuela, the country with the largest oil reserves in the world, once produced most of its own pharmaceutical drugs. In the early 2000s, the president at the time, Hugo Chavez, began a broad nationalization of Venezuelan drugmakers to produce cheaper medicines. Foreign companies like Pfizer and Eli Lilly filled in the gaps by shipping drugs.

Then oil prices collapsed. The government began running out of hard currency, leaving it unable to import raw materials for the state-owned factories supplying Venezuelan hospitals. Many foreign drug companies stopped sending medicines because the government owed them so much money.

The consequence: About 85 percent of psychiatric medicines are now unavailable in Venezuela, according to the country's top pharmaceutical trade group.

"The most elemental things are gone," said Robert Lespinasse, a former president of the Venezuelan Society of Psychiatry. "It's like being impotent."
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Two years ago, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson bested Democratic challenger Kim Ogg in a tussle focusing on substantive policy reform. Both touted impressive criminal justice resumes and spoke optimistically about improving the community by making changes at the state's largest district attorney's office.

This year is different.

Anderson finds herself at the center of a raft of problems, many that she had little direct control over. And Ogg has fanned the political flames of every new revelation.

November's election comes in the middle of a turbulent year for an office that generally sees change during times of upheaval. In 2008, voters unseated former District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal after racist and sexist emails were uncovered. That led to the election of Pat Lykos who served for four years before being ousted in the GOP primary after losing the support of law enforcement and most of her prosecutors. While Anderson has the support of her troops and Houston's largest police union, 2016 has not been kind to the district attorney's office.

"I think Houston has become the laughingstock of the United States when it comes to prosecutorial integrity and we need to establish a level playing field for everyone - the accused and crime victims," Ogg said. "I want to give voters an option to elect a top prosecutor who will make them safer and ensure that their basic constitutional rights aren't violated."

More Information Candidate: Devon Anderson Age: 50 Occupation: Harris County District Attorney Party: Republican Campaign website: www.andersonda.com Candidate: Kim Ogg Age: 56 Ocupation: Defense lawyer Party: Democrat Campaign website: www.kimogg.com The candidates Candidate: Devon Anderson Age: 50 Occupation: Harris County District Attorney Party: Republican Campaign website:www.andersonda.com Candidate: Kim Ogg Age: 56 Occupation: Defense lawyer Party: Democrat Campaign website:www.kimogg.com See More Collapse

Anderson has denied any wrongdoing by her office in each instance and insists Ogg is "desperate" to make political points at every turn, accusing the challenger of repeatedly grandstanding.

Anderson declined an interview request from the Houston Chronicle to talk about the race and her campaign. Ogg, on the other hand, has continued to hammer away at several cases that have made headlines since Anderson took office, including:

A mentally unstable rape victim who was jailed in general population over the Christmas holidays to ensure that she would testify against her attacker.

The destruction of evidence in the Harris County Precinct 4 constable's office that likely compromised more than 1,000 criminal cases, a debacle that Anderson's prosecutors were not told about as they pursued convictions in some of those cases.

A prosecutor who paid witnesses in a murder case involving several defendants, and did not disclose those payments to the defense.

Two prosecutors who intentionally forced a mistrial because a doctor they had accused of fondling a juvenile patient was going to be found not guilty.

While she was not personally involved in those decisions, Anderson has defended them. She also has come under criticism for echoing Sheriff Ron Hickman when he appeared to blame the Black Lives Matter movement for the shooting of Deputy Darren Goforth. The veteran officer allegedly was ambushed by a man later found to be mentally ill.

Voters still unsure

Those issues and more, Ogg said, make it seem like the office has an ethics problem under Anderson.

"We need to establish clear boundaries for prosecutors about what is and is not ethical prosecution and that must come from the top down," she said. "And that is clearly lacking in this administration."

In a University of Houston poll in September, the two are in a statistical dead heat with Anderson edging Ogg, 30 percent to 29 percent. However, the poll showed that nearly half  47 percent  of respondents, were unsure about their choice for district attorney.

Political observers are watching the race closely, not just because it is at the top of the local ticket, but because there are implications on national issues such as the death penalty, mental health issues, bail reform and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said he would not be surprised if the numbers in November flip from the election results two years ago, giving 55 percent to Ogg and 45 percent to Anderson.

"For partisans in both parties, there is significant distrust of Anderson," Rottinghaus said. "This probably makes her a solid prosecutor - both sides dislike her equally - but it puts her in a tough spot politically."

He said the list of problems Ogg continues to publicize could give her the race.

"There's a lot of fodder for Kim Ogg to use." he said. "She has a lots of room to target specific issues and constituencies to peel off support from Anderson's winning coalition from two years ago."

He noted while Ogg has been vocal with her attacks, Anderson also may not get much support from the deeply religious wing of Houston's Republicans because of the indictments of two activists who took undercover video of officials at Planned Parenthood.

The activists made national headlines by splicing together video to inaccurately portray officials at the women's health nonprofit as selling fetal tissue or "baby body parts." As the outrage grew, state and national Republicans called for investigations and criminal charges.

Supports grand jury

A Harris County grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast of any wrongdoing, but indicted the videographers for using fake identifications. The charges against the activists were dismissed through legal maneuvering by their lawyers, but the sting apparently remains.

In an open letter to Anderson in September, anti-abortion conservative firebrand Steven Hotze criticized her and threatened to pull his support because of the incident.

"You can redeem yourself by calling another grand jury that will indict Planned Parenthood," Hotze wrote.

At the time of the indictments and since, Anderson has said she supported the grand jury for going where the evidence led.

Other Republicans have come forward to stand with Anderson. "While our Republican volunteer army fights to elect conservatives everywhere in this battleground county, Dr. Hotze again attacks Republicans instead of fighting to end the legal loopholes that let Planned Parenthood get away with its barbaric practices," said Paul Simpson, Harris County Republican Party Chairman.

Ogg, 56, began her legal career in 1987 as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney's office. She left in 1994 to become the city's first gang task force coordinator for five years. She later ran CrimeStoppers of Houston for seven years. Since 2006, she has been a defense lawyer.

Anderson, 50, went to the district attorney's office out of law school, prosecuting cases for a dozen years before running for district court judge. She was elected to a felony bench in 2004, and was ousted with most of the other Republican judges in 2008 on the coattails of Barack Obama's election as president. She spent five years as a defense lawyer before being appointed to fill the seat after her husband, District Attorney Mike Anderson, died in 2013.

In the party room of an Italian restaurant in Kingwood earlier this month, Anderson told about 40 Republicans about several new initiatives by her office, including two that focus on disadvantaged neighborhoods, and a renewed focus on money laundering cases.

Money laundering, she said, is an avenue to take down the criminals behind drug trafficking, illegal game rooms and brothels.

"These are very intricate investigations," she said. "You have to take the money. If you don't take the money and close the business, they're right back in business again."

Seek the 'crime drivers'

Two other initiatives Anderson outlined included Safe Community Strategies, a neighborhood policing initiative championed in New York City, and "Make it Right," a program to resolve open warrants.

The thinking behind Safe Community Strategies is to embed a senior prosecutor in a neighborhood or community to learn who the real "crime drivers" are and focus on prosecuting them.

The Make it Right program puts prosecutors in churches in different precincts to resolve open warrants for a host of misdemeanors, such as public intoxication or bad checks. The program gives low-level offenders the opportunity to resolve most warrants by watching a 30-minute video on responsibility.

Those initiatives dovetail with her other efforts at systemic change, including increasing diversion programs for low-level non-violent offenders, especially first-time offenders, and those with mental health issues. She is chair of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, a county board tasked with improving the local criminal justice system and lowering the jail population, and was instrumental in securing a $4 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation to help make bigger changes, like bail reform.

Ogg has criticized those reforms as half-measures of the changes she proposed during her 2014 campaign. She also said they are overshadowed by Anderson's bad decisions.

"The public has gotten three full years of a Devon Anderson administration complete with the unethical decisions and actions being defended by her," she said. "I just want the public to know they are going to get a fair shake with me. There will be no favoritism, no cronyism."

Ogg has spent the past year renewing her campaign promises from 2014, including the pursuit of burglars and white-collar criminals, transparency in police shootings and ending the jailing of suspects in misdemeanor marijuana cases by implementing what is essentially a "cite and release" program which would see police officers ticket people caught with small amounts of marijuana.
In the spring of 1837, John James Audobon stepped off the steamer Yellow Rose on the west bank of Buffalo Bayou and got his first look at the new town of Houston, capital city of the Texas Republic. Sloshing through ankle-deep water to pay a visit to newly elected President Sam Houston, the famed naturalist and painter passed half-finished cabins, soggy tents and roofless buildings. A contingent of Cabinet members waited to welcome the distinguished visitor to the presidential "mansion," a log cabin consisting of two rooms separated by a dog run.

Neither the president nor any other newly arrived Houstonian was in the mud- and malaria-ridden town for their health. Like the settlement's founders, New York brothers Augustus and John Allen, they were there to make a killing in trade. An Allen brothers newspaper advertisement touting the new town put it this way: "Situated at the head of navigation on the West bank of Buffalo Bayou.. [Houston] must ever command the trade of the largest and richest portion of Texas. and when the rich lands of this country shall be settled a trade will flow to it, making it, beyond all doubt, the great interior commercial emporium of Texas."

And so it must. Nearly two centuries later, nothing has changed except the size and scope of our trading proclivities. According to the U.S. State Department, the nation's fourth-largest city earns about $100 billion from exports every year, which makes us the largest exporting metropolitan area in the nation. Texas earns about $300 billion and is the largest exporting state. Trade is in our genes, not to mention our jeans pockets.

Given those figures, and given the jobs they represent, Texans have to take seriously an ill-informed presidential candidate who insists he'll do everything he can to scuttle free-trade agreements, whether NAFTA or its successor, the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement with 11 Pacific-Rim nations. They need to listen to a man who promises to pay for gargantuan tax cuts by reimposing tariffs that Republican presidents from William Howard Taft to George W. Bush have worked to eliminate.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that 3.5 million Americans making goods for export would be out of a job if Donald Trump's trade and tariff proposals were implemented. It would seem that Texans, particularly Texans who live and work in the Houston area, would think twice about indulging their Hillary Clinton hatred and casting their vote for a man intent on destroying their livelihood.

Unfortunately, Clinton herself is running scared on trade. There was some truth to Trump's charge in last week's debate that Clinton turned against what she called the "gold standard" of trade agreements (the TPP) only after she became a presidential candidate. There's probably some truth also to the suspicion that if she's elected president she'll find some way to accept some version of the accord.

Trump is more a demagogue than the deal-maker nonpareil he fancies himself to be. He insisted during the debate that because of our trade policies, "our jobs are fleeing the country." (Actually, nearly 15 million new jobs have been created since economic recovery kicked in.) He targeted Ford for sending thousands of jobs to Mexico to build small cars. (Ford's chief executive said "zero" American workers would lose their jobs.) He charged that China was devaluing its currency for unfair price advantages. (Actually, it's now propping up the value of its currency.) He called NAFTA "the single worst trade deal ever approved in this country" and "one of the worst things that ever happened to the manufacturing industry."

Trump's misstatements about NAFTA and TPP are particularly pertinent to Houston. Last year, Houston-area imports from TPP countries totaled $22.1 billion, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.

The benefits of free trade are as tangible as a regular paycheck and a well-stocked shelf at the grocery store, and yet there are downsides that can't be ignored. Free trade has to be fair trade. The reason Trump's outrageous trade proposals have gotten some traction - as did the anti-trade proposals of erstwhile presidential candidate Bernie Sanders - is the neglect of those who suffer from free trade. Unlike western European nations, the U.S. hasn't done enough to prepare businesses and workers adversely affected by the removal of trade barriers. Congress, for example, needs to reauthorize Trade Adjustment Assistance, a federal program that aids U.S. workers who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade. The assistance takes the form of job training, some money and other benefits, including relocation.

Free trade is no panacea, but it certainly beats the tariff walls the Republican presidential candidate proposes to erect (not to mention that other ridiculous wall he touts). This "great interior commercial emporium of Texas" has much to lose if Congress and the White House get it wrong on trade.
Discomfort

Regarding "Student's slave costume banned" (Page A3, Thursday), kudos to Brian Ibe, the Fort Bend ISD high school senior who dressed as a slave for his school's theme costume week. Boo-hiss to the school officials who made him remove the costume because they felt it made others feel "uncomfortable." Really? Not as uncomfortable as the slaves were for 250 years, I'd venture.

Slavery is at the root of so many of our nation's ongoing problems. People should feel uncomfortable about it.

Anne Geyer, Houston

Inappropriate

Why would Brian Ibe think it was appropriate for him to dress as a slave to encourage dialogue about slavery "to make sure people did know that slavery did happen back in the day." Would he feel that a white student should dress in a Ku Klux Klan outfit to make sure people knew that the KKK did happen back in the day? Should one be allowed to dress in Nazi uniform to make sure people knew that the Nazis did happen back in the day?

His costume was totally inappropriate, and the school district acted appropriately by making him change out of the costume.

Jude Wiggins, Houston

Free speech

Debate over free speech and individual rights has not only come under fire but also has been contested. The First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press ... ."

Brian Ibe was definitely exercising his right of freedom of speech; however, the Tinker v. Des Moines court case set a precedent for the whole idea that if it causes a distraction then it shouldn't be allowed.

A school is a learning environment and may not be the proper place to use as a platform for one's agenda. Of course it was "Decades Day" for the school, and Brian was emulating the era of slavery in American history. But I don't believe it was the school administration's idea to deprived him of his individual right to freedom of speech. I believe it was more of an issue with distracting other students.

Of course we cannot negate that slavery, at one point, was prolific in our nation, but it was the nature of Brian's costume that prompted school officials to tell him to change clothes.

Thomas Edwards, Houston
"What newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?"

"I read most of them, again, with a great appreciation for the press, for the media."

"What ones, specifically?"

"All of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years."

"Can you name a few?"

"I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news. Alaska isn't a foreign country "

- GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as questioned by Katie Couric in 2008

B B B

OK ... Libya. President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Gadhafi. Just wanted to make sure we're talking about the same thing before I say, Yes, I agreed or No, I didn't agree. I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason. Um ... no, that's a different one. Um ... I got to go back to see ... got all this stuff twirling around in my head ... um. Specifically, what are you asking me did I agree or not disagree with Obama?" - Presidential candidate Herman Cain, in 2011 answering a question about President Obama's handling of Libya

B B B

"(Russian President Vladimir Putin) is not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He's not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down ..."

"Well, he's there already, isn't he?"

"OK, well, he's there in a certain way ..." - Donald Trump as questioned in July by ABC News' George Stephanopoulos

B B B

"We also know that the ... founders ... worked tirelessly until slavery was no more." - Michele Bachmann, speaking at a 2011 event

B B B

"How do you say 'delicious' in Cuban?" - Herman Cain at a Cuban restaurant in Miami in 2011

B B B

I was willing to let Aleppo go.

As with Barack Obama's "57 states" and Rick Perry's infamous "oops," I was willing to write off Gary Johnson's recent gaffe - his inability to identify the rebel stronghold in Syria - as just one of those brain cramps even well-informed people occasionally suffer, especially under the klieg lights of media attention. Then Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president, went and did it again.

Asked last week by Chris Matthews of MSNBC to name his favorite foreign leader, Johnson could come up with not one. "I guess I'm having an Aleppo moment," he confessed.

There's a lot of that going around. And it raises a question: Since when is knowing things no longer a prerequisite to running for president?

I freely admit that, if challenged to name the head of state in, say, Burkina Faso, I'd have to look it up. But then, I am not running for president. That is, I am not putting myself before my fellow citizens asking that they trust me to steer the ship of state through choppy waters.

In that context, it's hard to overstate the gall of a Gary Johnson. But the fact that such uninformed - even broadly ignorant - people capture attention and votes and that one of them may even be our next president, also offers a vivid illustration of the unserious nation we have become.

One often hears it said that people want a president they can relate to, one they could imagine having a beer with. Which is not unimportant. But isn't it more important that the president be someone who has pondered the world and America's place in it? The presidency is not a reality show. Is it too much to ask that whoever occupies that office be someone who is comfortable with ideas, and who knows actual, fact-based stuff?

Competence is not sexy. Just ask Jeb Bush. But when the waste matter hits the ventilation device, there is no substitute. We should respect that fact more than we do.

Besides, there are plenty of people to drink beer with.

Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Contact him via email at lpitts@miamiherald.com.
The irony for Texas - a state that hasn't had a Democratic governor or senator since 1995 and that has made a competitive sport out of suing President Barack Obama - is that Hillary Clinton's energy platform is better for the Lone Star State than Donald Trump's.

Why? Because her policies, as flawed as they are, show greater respect for free-market principles and the future of natural gas. Trump, in contrast, wants to push the country back with policies protecting coal. His approach would be bad for the future of jobs, investments and fortunes in Texas.

Energy is vital to the Texas economy. Trillions of investment dollars will be in play during the next two decades, creating jobs and sustaining companies in oil and gas production, decarbonization, infrastructure upkeep, integration of renewable energy, and electricity grid upgrades. Perhaps more than any other state, Texans should pay attention to the candidates' energy policy positions.

Thus far, the campaigns of both candidates have focused mainly on a single energy issue: coal, and whether it should be allowed to continue its inevitable decline (Clinton's stance) or protected from market competition (Trump's stance). But coal is just one piece of the larger energy picture. There is so much more to consider.

Clinton's energy policy positions are articulated in reasonable detail on her website where, to her discredit, she buries them as part of her stances on climate change and manufacturing. Although it's fair to acknowledge energy is intertwined with these issues, energy policy warrants its own designation. It's a bad sign that Clinton considers energy a subordinate issue.

Trump has at least separated out his energy policies, but they are less coherent and reflect a desire to move backward in time to a dirtier-energy system. There are two defining aspects of Trump's campaign positions that matter for Texans: 1) his protectionism, and 2) his isolationism. His calls for less regulation may sound appealing to some, but his isolationism and protectionism will hurt the Texas economy.

His primary energy idea is to meddle with the markets to protect coal from competition with natural gas. It's unclear exactly how he would do that and whether he would use subsidies or mandates for coal. Either way, it's bad for natural gas producers, which is bad for Texas.

Another issue is Trump's signature campaign call for a wall along the border, which sends a signal he wants to isolate the U.S. from the world stage. The Texas energy sector needs the opposite: free trade and more engagement with the world as a way to gain access to more markets. In particular, the energy sector benefits from more connections with Mexico. The Eagle Ford Shale in southeastern Texas, for instance, was a major contributor to our recent oil and gas boom. But the shale doesn't stop at the border; it continues into northern Mexico, where it's known as the Burgos Basin. Because Mexico's constitutional energy reforms are opening up their markets, Texas companies will benefit as partnerships form. An economic boom in Mexico will mean more trade and more energy connections - pipelines for gas and oil and wires or poles for an interconnected grid. Economic prosperity from a Texas-enabled energy boom in Mexico means less crime and less immigration, reducing pressure on Texas' border communities.

And our environment in Texas will benefit from a shale boom in Mexico. If Mexicans had access to abundant, affordable natural gas, Mexico could shut down its two dirty coal plants near the border, which pump air pollution into the state.

This might surprise some Texans, but Clinton's energy policies are much more market-oriented and favorable for our state. Rather than stepping in to save coal from the realities of competition, her policies are focused on job training for coal miners. Although she clearly favors renewables such as wind and solar, her support for decarbonization of the power sector relies heavily on increased use of natural gas to displace coal and seeks the use of market forces and a price on carbon to get us there. In essence, her platform promotes wind, solar and natural gas, all of which Texas has in abundance.

It's true her calls to more closely scrutinize air, land and water impacts of oil and gas productions will raise eyebrows in the oil patch, but her stance is a far cry from Bernie Sanders' call for an outright ban. And Clinton seems poised to continue the Obama administration's opening of export markets - which was a high priority for domestic energy producers.

Both candidates have strengths and weaknesses with their energy stances, and many Texans in the energy industry will cringe when it's time to vote. But, if we can see beyond historical partisan fault lines and focus on what's best for the energy sector in Texas, then Clinton's platform - flawed though it might be - is the better option.

Webber is deputy director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin and author of "Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival" published by Yale University Press.
Humane Society International is praising parties at the 17th Conference of Parties at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for adopting a resolution recommending the closure of domestic elephant ivory markets.

In response, Iris Ho, Wildlife Program Manager for Humane Society International, issued the following statement:

Todays interim decision recommending closure of domestic ivory markets worldwide is a resounding victory for the African elephant. We hope that the plenary session next week will confirm this decision. There is no excuse for any countries to continue their domestic ivory markets because legal ivory markets provide a convenient cover to launder illicit ivory and perpetuate the market demand. The choice is clear- either you are on the side of the African elephant or the side of the elephant-decimating, wildlife-crime fuelling ivory trade.

CITES parties formed an in-session working group last week to discuss two overlapping documents on the closure of domestic ivory markets submitted by the African Elephant Coalition (Doc.57.2) and the United States (Doc.27 Annex 1). The working group consisted of governments and NGOs who hold divergent views on the ivory trade. The governments in the working group3 included, but are not limited, to the United States, the African Elephant Coalition, Japan, Brazil, China, South Africa, Namibia and the European Union. After several meetings, the group reached a consensus on compromised text which can be found here.

Key elements of the compromise text:

RECOMMENDS that all Parties and non-Parties in whose jurisdiction there is a legal domestic market for ivory that is contributing to poaching or illegal trade, take all necessary legislative, regulatory and enforcement measures to close their domestic markets for commercial trade in raw and worked ivory as a matter of urgency;

RECOGNIZES that narrow exemptions to this closure for some items may be warranted; any exemptions should not contribute to poaching or illegal trade;

URGES those Parties in whose jurisdiction there is a legal domestic market for ivory that is contributing to poaching or illegal trade and that have not closed their domestic ivory markets for commercial trade in ivory to implement the above recommendation as a matter of urgency.

REQUESTS Parties to inform the Secretariat of the status of the legality of their domestic ivory markets and efforts to implement the provisions of this Resolution, including efforts to close those markets that contribute to illegal killing or illegal trade.

On September 30, Japans Minister of Environment Yamamoto stated that the Japanese market does not comprise poached ivory. HSIs Iris Ho said, Evidence has pointed to laundering of ivory of illegal and unknown origins in Japans domestic market. There also have been instances of ivory smuggling from Japan to China. No ivory market exists in a vacuum. As a top investor in Africa, it is in Japans national and strategic interest to heed the African elephant range states plea to close ivory markets worldwide. We are disappointed by the Japanese governments continued refusal to be part of the solution to protect an iconic species that is synonymous with Africas natural heritage.

Sign the Dont Buy Wild Pledge.

Media contact: Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media: 44 (0)7989 972 423, whiggins@hsi.org
The British royals' visit to Canada is over, and Prince George and Princess Charlotte have left a massive, gaping, hole where our hearts once were.

From the moment they stepped off the plane, the royal brother and sister reduced Canadians to mush, and it's going to take some time to recover:

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George, that time you left our prime minister hanging  instant classic:

Eight days went entirely too quickly.

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And on the last day they didn't look like they were ready to part ways:

We know how you feel, Charlotte, we feel it too:

Prince George was clearly denying goodbye high fives because he had every intention of staying in Canada.

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You kids can stay another week, can't you?

Don't go! We have BeaverTails!

Look at that face, he wants to bust the glass in and hop out, we just know it.

You two stole our hearts, but it's cool, just leave.

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If you ever need a babysitter, you know who to call!

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A progressive alliance is gradually creeping onto the agenda. Some kind of electoral pact between progressive parties (generally understand as Labour, Greens, Plaid Cymru, the SNP and the Lib Dems) has been proposed by the new leadership of the Green party, important figures in Labour and by a range of think tanks and media commentators. It's not hard to fathom why; without some kind of pact the Conservatives seem a dead cert to win the next general election. Even if Labour's current infighting ends, and its polling position recovers somewhat, the boundary changes that the Tories have pushed through make it far easier for them to win, as safe Labour seats are abolished in far greater number than safe Conservative ones. Labour tribalists dream of another 1997 style comeback in which it wins back hundreds of seats, but the idea of any party again receiving more than 40% of the vote seems implausible in our current era of multi-party politics.

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Would a progressive alliance make much difference? Opponents of the idea argue that, for the Tories to be defeated, most seats need to move from Conservative to Labour, so the aim must be to persuade Conservative areas to switch sides. This is a category error - it looks at seats when it needs to look at votes. There are 37 constituencies in which the total Labour + Lib + Green + SNP/Plaid vote is higher than the Conservative majority (and several others which fall just below that line). That's 37 seats that the Conservatives wouldn't have won had a progressive alliance been in place in 2015, wiping out the Tory majority and putting Ed Miliband into Downing Street as the head of a centre-left coalition. A pact with just the Greens and Plaid would be insufficient - it would only have delivered another 13 seats. And in 2015 a pact between Labour and the SNP would have only delivered one extra seat, as only one Scottish constituency fell to the Tories (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale). This is however likely to be different at the next election, if the results of the Scottish Parliament elections are anything to go by, as in these the Conservatives won 7 constituency seats. The key point, though, is that to maximise its success, any progressive alliance must include the Liberal Democrats. 2015 was probably their nadir and they still attracted 2.4 million votes - there are seats (particularly in the South West) that have never been won by Labour, always by a Conservative or Liberal. Labour and Liberal activists will need to get over their tribal dislike of each other and start working together.

What would be the policies of such an alliance? It is, after all, meaningless to add up the votes of assorted opposition parties if there are few areas on which they agree. Fortunately, there is a lot of common ground. Under Corbyn, Labour is committed to overturning cuts and investing in public services and infrastructure - making their economic policy much more closely aligned with the Greens and SNP/Plaid Cymru. And whilst the Lib Dems backed George Osborne's austerity programme whilst led by Nick Clegg, most Lib Dem members support social democratic policies. I have no doubt that it would be possible to draw up a progressive alliance economic policy based on: investment, overturning cuts to welfare and local government, reversing the privatisation of the NHS and taxing the wealthiest, and multinational corporations, more heavily. It might even be possible to go further, to pledge to trial a basic income, given this has support from several figures in Labour, Greens and the SNP, and was formerly Lib Dem policy.

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An economic agreement would, however be insufficient. A bold programme of constitutional reform would also be required, in order to attract the broadest coalition of voters. At its heart would be the introduction of some form of proportional representation for Westminster elections, so seats gained by each party match much more closely their national vote share. Electoral reform is a sine qua non of a progressive alliance - it ensures that such an alliance will only be needed once. After we have a proportional electoral system, centre left parties will be able to compete once again, without fear of splitting the anti-Conservative vote, and in the knowledge that they will be able to form a coalition once votes are counted. Of the parties that would make up a progressive alliance, only Labour does not currently support proportional representation, but it has supporters from all wings of the parliamentary party, from Jonathan Reynolds to John McDonnell, and, while not his priority, Jeremy Corbyn has expressed openness to top-up lists. While lukewarm, this tacit support for AMS/MMP, as used for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the German Reichstag, is the most positive any Labour leader has ever been on proportional representation. So an agreement between centre-left parties on this crucial issue seems a genuine possibility.

A constitutional reform programme would need to go further. It should include: democratisation of the House of Lords, devolution to English regional assemblies, a written constitution and the right to recall MPs when a certain percentage of constituents are dissatisfied with their actions. Presumably the SNP and Plaid Cymru would have demands around increasing the powers of the devolved institutions in Scotland and Wales; these should be easy to grant. Such a radical programme would demonstrate the need for a one off electoral pact - it should be presented as coming together in order to democratise Britain once and for all.

There will be opponents of a progressive alliance from members of all the constituent parties. The smallest parties, the Greens and Plaid Cymru, have the most to gain, and are thus likely to be the most enthusiastic. As for Liberal Democrats, some members see themselves as equidistant between the two main parties and would not wish to side squarely with Labour. But I think the promise to bring in proportional representation would make it a reasonably easy sell - it has been a cherished aim of the party for a hundred years, and would guarantee them far greater representation in the House of Commons in all future elections. Labour will be the toughest nut to crack. If Labour MPs think they have a chance of winning the next election outright they will not agree to any kind of pact. But if that prospect seems out of reach, they may be more willing to take risks, especially if there is the prospect of stopping the Conservatives ever again ruling the country with only the support of a minority of the population. And there is historical precedent - Labour's initial parliamentary success in 1906 came as a result of an electoral pact with the Liberals, and its 1997 landslide victory would not have been possible without extensive tactical voting by Labour and Liberal Democrats voters - backing whichever party was best placed to beat the Tories in their constituency. Further, a progressive pact offers a partial answer to Labour's ongoing civil war - if you are going to make a pact with parties on both your left and right, it should be possible to simultaneously make a pact between the factions within your own party. The Tories can only be beaten by a broad coalition - whether comprised of multiple parties or one exceptionally diverse one.
PHILIPPE HUGUEN via Getty Images

'No man is an island entire of itself... therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.'

Terminology like 'refugee' and 'asylum seeker' have become prevalent in media. The terms are not neutral; they carry their own baggage. The person's prior occupation becomes irrelevant, his or her identity and ethnicity indistinguishable from the mass, and as for culture - cancerous. Once ascribed the title, there is no way for it to moult - it becomes an insidious character trait. For those who do not drown in the Mediterranean, they become submerged in a cacophony of political bureaucracy.

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The way in which refugees have been depicted, and the connotations of this, has contributed to forming certain impressions. Some portray refugees as diametrically opposed to 'Western' values - for them the term refugee has become synonymous with terrorist. In contrast, others pertain that refugees share values that we hold precious: family, democracy, and education. However, given limited resources, which are being further constrained under current circumstances, refugees are an unaffordable luxury. This was the predominant view within the European referendum, with NHS, schooling, wages and housing limitations garnering wide support amongst the electorate for Brexit. In both instances the haze surrounding the discussion is augmented by fear. Refugees are reduced to either a 'swarm' that will infiltrate every orifice of society or they are a drain on the treasury.

Subsequently, instead of figures and statistics being the impetus for wider engagement, they have fuelled domestic paralysis towards the crisis. In September 2015 the harrowing image of Alan Kurdi invigorated a furore of public support. However, a year on and the compassion for those affected by the crisis has fatigued, being replaced by political posturing and right wing scare mongering.

The situation we find ourselves in is not particularly unique. Derogatory and xenophobic remarks towards Jews were prevalent prior to World War II. In that instance, petitioning and moral obligations eventually dictated government policy in coordinating the safe transport of 10,000 Jews to the UK. Historical remnants of the Kindertransport must not be disregarded for a politics designed by fear and franchised by Trump.

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In the most recent census carried out by the charitable organisation 'Help Refugees', 1,022 children have been found living in the Calais 'Jungle' camp alone. These children are at risk of trafficking, sexual exploitation and child labour, horrors so alien to our everyday norms, that they represent a fiction to our reality. Most recently a 14-year-old boy died trying to reach his family in the UK, despite being legally entitled under the Dublin III Amendment. This poses a stark contrast to the rights of children espoused by the British government and the media for those possessing a UK passport.

The voiceless need advocates. Within rhetoric, words such as 'swarm', cannot be used frivolously with a flagrant disregard for whom they concern. Aggregate statistics cannot be used to shroud the individual struggles of those who make the perilous journey. Additionally, fear cannot be a defense for reneging on our duties.

The conversation surrounding refugees and asylum seeker must be viewed within its proper context. Thus far the government attempt to tackle the crisis have been derisory. The mantra of the late MP, Jo Cox 'there is far more that unites us than divides us' is waning unless we appreciate the severity of the situation and the individual value of those affected. The refugees are not responsible for failing domestic policy and should therefore not be burdened by it. Only pressure from within the country will create the necessary impetus for change.

The Habibi Project's purpose is to use the creative arts to penetrate a topic that many have become desensitised to. The aim is to engage a wider audience in holding the Government to account. There are many instances of the arts illuminating social issues in an accessible way. For example, Charles Dickens' novels were - as well as great stories- a critic towards the poverty and social stratification of Victorian society. Similarly, the arts can be used to tackle some of the aforementioned depictions of refugees. To this end, we must first understand the reasons they left their countries of origin. The video 'Home' attempts to achieve this. The Habibi Project will continue to use the creative arts in order to humanize those affected by the migration crisis.

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For more information on the project go to:

http://www.habibiproject.com

or follow on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/habibiproject/
It was supposed to be Viktor Orban's masterstroke: a referendum on the EU quota plan for refugees. Last year he had already laid the groundwork by using the "invasion" of "migrants" into Hungary to create an Islamophobic frenzy in his own country and challenge German Chancellor in the European Union - by cramping thousands of refugees in Keleti Station in downtown Budapest as refugee centers in the outskirts of the city stood largely empty. This year a referendum on the ill-fated EU quota plan was supposed to kill two birds with one stone: the EU's "pro-multicultural" policies and the Movement for a Better Hungary, better known as Jobbik, Orban's biggest electoral competitor.

The plan seemed both simple and perfect. Just like Greek premier Alexis Tsipras had done in July 2015, Orban chose an unpopular, but by and large no longer relevant, EU plan to increase domestic support and use that to challenge the EU. The referendum made the prime minister the personification of the state, leaving no space for domestic opposition. After all, anyone who opposed the referendum supported not just "multiculturalism" but also the EU over the own "nation". Both would be electoral suicide for Jobbik, which is supposed to be the real radical right party in Hungary - but is increasingly outflanked by Orban's Fidesz party.

Over the past months the Fidesz government spent millions to make sure that Hungarians were terrified of "migrants" - Orban refuses to consider them as refugees - by a state-sponsored fear-mongering campaign of billboards and mailed propaganda that made bogus claims about no-go zones, sexual assaults, and terrorism in Western Europe. The increasingly streamlined media enthusiastically joined, having been made fully dependent upon state sponsoring. Even earlier today, as it became clear that turnout was going to be low, state television interviewed a "migrant" in Belgrade who said he was expecting "good news" from Hungary soon - a not very subtly hint that a defeat of the referendum would mean another "invasion" of (Muslim) migrants.

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However, this time the skilled populist had misread his people. As polls had been indicating throughout the day, the referendum did not meet the required 50 percent turnout. Even though almost all voters rejected the EU quota plan (98 percent), as had been widely expected, less than 40 percent of Hungarians electorate came out to give a valid vote. Not completely surprising, as even the referendum on EU and NATO membership didn't have a turnout of 50 percent.

Obviously, the Hungarian government is going to emphasize the percentage of people who voted nem (no), but let there be no mistake, this is a clear defeat. Orban has been emphasizing that the EU refugee policies are an existential and urgent threat to Europe and Hungary. He has thrown his whole illiberal state apparatus behind the campaign. And, still, only a minority of Hungarians bothered to come out and vote.

How should we interpret the outcome of this much-anticipated referendum? Obviously, it doesn't mean that the majority of Hungarians now supports the EU quota policy or is open to refugees and migrants. All polls show that Hungarians are among the most prejudiced people in the EU (generally only beaten by the Greeks). Like most European elections and referendums, this was mostly a (non-) vote on domestic politics. A large part of people who oppose refugees showed that they oppose Orban even more. They didn't want to strengthen his hand, even if it could help keep "Hungary for the Hungarians."
I have read Chicago Tribune editorials for almost half a century. The Tribune's September 30 editorial endorsing Gary Johnson for President of the United States is the first one that ever caused me to consider cancelling my subscription - not just because I disagree with the editorial, but because it was so bizarre in its reasoning. See http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-gary-johnson-president-endorsement-edit-1002-20160930-story.html

I can only assume that Gary Johnson, who until recently was president and CEO of the company Cannabis Sativa, Inc., and who proudly admits that he frequently used marijuana himself, must have gotten the Tribune's editorial board very stoned for them to have written that editorial.

Like Donald Trump in the recent presidential debate, the Tribune's editorial board got off to an O.K. start. They began by astutely observing that the Republican nominee is "a man not fit to be president of the United States." Trump, they noted, "has gone out of his way to anger world leaders, giant swaths of the American public, and people of other lands who aspire to immigrate here legally." Adding that Trump is "bombastic and self-aggrandizing," they concluded that he has "neither the character nor the prudent disposition for the job." In short, Trump is "not fit to be president of the United States." So far, so good.

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Clearly on a roll, the Tribune editorial board then turned to Hillary Clinton who, they sensibly observed, "is undeniably capable of leading the United States." Moreover, "electing her the first woman president would break a barrier that has no reason to be." In short, Clinton's election would be an historic milestone in our nation's all-too-reluctant recognition that women can actually lead. Whereas Trump "couldn't do this job," Clinton, the Tribune's editors boldly proclaimed, clearly can. A good, rational, sensible analysis.

But that's when the drugs took hold. In the next several paragraphs the Tribune's editorial board launched into a mindless rant that would put even Fox News to shame. Because Clinton would "greatly increase federal spending and taxation" and has raised "serious questions about honesty and trust" -- the editorial board "cannot endorse her" either.

After analyzing her spending and taxation plans, the Tribune's editorial board concluded with horror that eight years of a Clinton presidency "would raise the national debt by $200 billion." Horrors!! What a nightmare! ("Pass the joint.") The current national debt is just under $19 trillion. Thus, according to the Tribune's editors, a Clinton presidency would shockingly increase the national debt by . . . 1%!

How does this 1% increase in the national debt over eight years compare to, say, Ronald Reagan, whom the Tribune endorsed twice? In his eight years in office, Ronald Reagan increased the national debt by almost 200%! George W. Bush, whom the Tribune also endorsed twice, increased the national debt by roughly 80%. But the Tribune can't possibly endorse Hillary Clinton, because she would increase the national debt by . . . 1%. ("Exhale, guys. Exhale. You have to do it the way Gary showed us.")

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The Tribune editorial board then launched into a scathing attack on Hillary Clinton's honesty and integrity, echoing and even expanding upon the trumped up charges of scandal, lack of integrity, and dishonesty that have been exhaustingly repeated by Republican scandal-mongers and desperate "journalists" who will do almost anything to thrill their readers and viewers. The plain and simple fact is that, as she has conceded, Hillary Clinton has made some mistakes, and those mistakes raise legitimate questions about her judgment. To be honest, some of those mistakes have made me cringe, but none of them is even remotely disqualifying.

None of us, after all, is perfect. Not Tricky Dick Nixon (of Watergate fame), not Ronald Reagan (whose Iran-contra scandal overwhelms anything done by Hillary Clinton), not George W. Bush (whose dishonest invasion of Iraq led to the current tragedy in the Middle East) -- but the Tribune editorial board managed enthusiastically to endorse all of them twice. Hillary, though, well, "she's a corner-cutter" who can't be trusted -- even though, as the Tribune editorial board conceded, she "is undeniably capable of leading the United States."

So, where did all this leave the Tribune editorial board? Rather than choose the lesser of two "evils" -- presumably Hillary Clinton -- they encouraged citizens to vote for "a principled candidate" -- the libertarian Gary Johnson. It apparently does not matter at all to the Tribune's editors that Gary Johnson is demonstrably unfit to represent the United States to the world. This is man, after all, who was unable to name a single leader of another nation -- and whose instinct in that moment was to say he was having another "Aleppo moment," a lighthearted reference to a previous embarrassing lack-of-knowledge moment in which he could not even recognize the name of the most newsworthy and most brutalized city in Syria. It is enough, apparently, that Johnson offers an obscure and largely incoherent "agenda" that "appeals . . . to the Tribune's principles."

While conceding that this sweet but utterly unqualified candidate has no chance of winning, the Tribune editorial board rejects "the cliche that a citizen who chooses" a candidate who cannot possibly win "is squandering his or her vote." After all, such a vote sends "a message about the failings of the major parties and the candidates."

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With all due respect, this is absurd. As the Tribune concedes, there is a huge difference between Trump and Clinton. One is qualified; the other is not. But by the Tribune's lights, neither is "good enough." So why not "send a message" to that effect to the major parties by casting a vote for a wholly unqualified third-party loser whose greatest achievement in life, apart from manufacturing and selling marijuana, is that he served as the governor of . . . New Mexico?



If a citizen wants to "send a message" to the major parties that she's not thrilled with their candidates, she should write a letter, sign a petition, march in a demonstration, or post on Facebook. But she should not increase the likelihood of electing as President of the United States a candidate the Tribune itself condemns as "not fit to be President of the United States."



The stakes in this election are much too high for such simple-minded reasoning. Imagine the difference in this nation over the next four years with a Trump presidency versus a Clinton presidency. Unless you think there would be no difference that matters -- a position that the Tribune itself does not endorse -- it would be reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous to squander one's vote in this manner.
The upcoming, second debate between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump could tackle more substantial issues compared to the first debate - which served more to get familiar with Trump's personality and was a test for Clinton's. The battle of Mosul may impose itself on the debate too, since the incumbent President Barack Obama decided to increase the number of US troops in Iraq in preparation for the offensive. This is a matter of consequence for most Americans, regardless of whether or not they understand the implications of the battle. Syria will impose itself no matter how much the candidates try to keep the issue away, if the Obama administration follows through with its threat to end cooperation with Russia in Syria. The terror attacks of 9/11 will jump to the forefront, casting their shadow on US-Saudi relations as Congress has now overridden Obama's veto of a bill allowing Americans to sue foreign nations including Saudi Arabia in US courts. Scandals could also rear their heads through WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with the - tacit - backing of Russian president Vladimir Putin, who will seek to rescue his favorite candidate Donald Trump. Trump will be seeking some kind of revenge over the controversy stirred by Clinton concerning his past with former Miss Venezuela and Miss Universe Alicia Machado dating back to 1996. Machado exposed Trump for how she says he mistreated her for having gained weight, calling her Miss Piggy and Miss Housekeeping, an apparent slur over her Hispanic heritage.



In Mosul, preparations have compelled Obama to approve an increase of US troops deployed in Iraq he said would be the last. The goal is to bolster efforts for the push on Mosul imminently, at the request of Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi and in coordination with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces. Liberating Mosul from ISIS will not be impossible, but it will not be easy, given Iraqi divisions and mistrust regarding the post-ISIS order in the liberated regions.



Indeed, Shia militias are a major cause of concern for the Sunni-majority cities. Another is the issue of the return of displaced residents. Past experiences in this regard have been bitter, especially after the liberation of Fallujah, because of the atrocities that took place. Some Sunnis even believe the threat from Shia militias is equivalent to the threat from ISIS. If the Obama administration does not wake up to this aspect, it would be investing in pouring oil over the sectarian fires in Iraq. It might be even accused of doing so deliberately.



Abadi will involve the militias in the battle, believing he has no other choice but also in compliance with Iran's wishes. Most likely, he will consent to a leading role for the commander of the Qods Force General Qassem Soleimani, who has conducted himself as though the battlers in Iraq are Iran's own. Tehran has invested a lot in the battle of Mosul, given the city's proximity to Syria and Kurdish territories, with one eye on Turkey and one Syria.



Turkey has become a key influencer of the course of the wars in key Syrian cities like Aleppo, and Iraqi cities like Mosul. In Iraq, Turkey has historical considerations and bilateral calculations, as well as those related to the Kurds, Turkmen, oil resources, and broader geopolitics. However, the current priority for Turkey is Syria. Yet this does not invalidate the high level of importance everyone is assigning to Mosul, from Turkey to the Gulf States, and the US to Russia.



Turkey will not be present in the presidential debates, because American voters are not well aware of the complicated geopolitical intricacies of regional and international relations. By now, they may have all but forgotten about what happened in Turkey during the failed coup attempt.



The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has not forgotten. He continues to use all the means at his disposal to extract concessions from the US and Russia, in partnership with the GCC states on the basis of joint interests. He insists on his national priorities, such as combatting Kurdish groups he believes are a threat to Turkish national security.



Vladimir Putin understands the centrality of Turkey in the war in Syria. Despite his concerns and suspicions vis-a-vis Erdogan, he is gearing up to visit Turkey, perhaps to preempt any attempts by Erdogan to forge military partnerships with the Gulf countries especially with regard to arming the Syrian rebels.



The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, discussed in Turkey this week various bilateral and regional issues, led by Syria, in light of the apparent split between the US and Russia over the crisis there.



Gulf ministerial sources who had attended the stormy meetings in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly said that efforts for a "Plan B" have begun in earnest. Such a plan would have three legs: Gulf, Turkish, and European, all stakeholders left out in the US-Russian arrangements.



According to the Gulf minister, who asked not to be named, "We are in contact with France and Britain and are mobilizing support for Plan B in case the ceasefire collapses." Yet the question on the mind of Gulf leaders is: has the time come to implement Plan B or not yet?



The minister rejects the claim that the Gulf, Turkey, and Europe have no cards. "The United States and Russia are parties, not mediators," he adds, insisting that the Syrian issue should not be a way for the two powers to manage their relations as has been happening. The minister also said any solution without Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar will not succeed, stressing that there are real options under Plan B, including no-fly zones, safe zones, and arms for the Syrian rebels.



The minister explained that there is a need for a European umbrella for these efforts, which is why talks are underway with European powers, especially permanent members of the UN Security Council, upset by US-Russian unilateralism in Syria led by France and Britain.



There is a military part and a diplomatic part in Plan B. Internationally, "the priority is for a no-fly zone and a safe zone." Regionally, the opposition must be supported because as things stand Russia, Iran, and the regime are only offering for the opposition to surrender, the minister says.



The minister believes that there can be no US-Russian accord, or regional-international accord, as long as the key contention is how to define its terminology. For instance, Russia insists on excluding ISIS and the ex-Nusra Front from ceasefires using a generalist designation that includes many rebel factions. The minister said the US is also addressing the issue of separating terrorists from rebels very vaguely. As for the Russians, "they want Aleppo to surrender with the rebels disarming and leaving."



"There is no common ground or shared language between the Americans and the Russians." The minister also said that when the US proposed mechanisms to reduce violence, there were still differences over how to draft them. Hence, he continued, there was no force backing the implementation of the agreement, and no mechanism for monitoring, "which means the agreement is worthless".



He referenced the idea of a freeze, in the sense of those who seize territory from ISIS go on to control it. He expressed concern of the idea of neutralizing the rebels before liberation, saying this was the main thrust of current interventions: neutralizing the rebels to allow proxy forces to control territory captured from ISIS then freezing the conflict. He also expressed concern over opening corridors for the rebels to evacuate, saying they were traps to push them to surrender.



The minister said the Gulf countries would continue to push for a ceasefire but also for a monitoring and accountability mechanism to rein in violators. If the efforts fail, he said, then the work will shift towards a Plan B. In the end he expressed hope the US would follow suit, but said US reluctance to do so is also being factored in.



The US is preoccupied and is unlikely to join any such plans. The Obama administration may choose to disengage from Russia, but it will not be implicated on the battlefield in any scenario. Its main concern are the presidentials, and the Democratic administration in the White House will not give the Republican candidate any leverage to use against Hillary.



Trump may find that his cozy relationship with Putin could backfire, especially amid talk of Russian intervention in the elections. If Putin decides to use Assange's services to embarrass Clinton, this could harm Trump even more than his slurs against the former Miss Universe did.



Clinton is uncharismatic and over-rehearsed to the point of sounding like a robot, in her attempt to prove her experience. She knows Trump can turn the tables against her, but his problem is his temperament and buffoonish attitude.



Perhaps Trump will learn his lesson by the next debate. And perhaps by then the US voters will have decided which candidate is the lesser evil.





Translated by Karim Traboulsi

http://www.alhayat.com/opinion/Raghida-Dergham/17643605#sthash.zAxEiPyU
Part of the ensemble of dishes forming South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope is seen in Carnarvon on July 16, 2016.Even operating at a quarter of its eventual capacity, South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope showed off its phenomenal power on July 16, revealing 1,300 galaxies in a tiny corner of the universe where only 70 were known before. The image released Saturday was the first from MeerKAT, where 16 dishes were formally commissioned the same day. / AFP / MUJAHID SAFODIEN (Photo credit should read MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Something hugely important is happening in a vast, quiet stretch of South Africa's Northern Cape province. A new radio telescope operating at just a quarter of its full power is revealing the universe's secrets one image at a time.

MeerKAT will ultimately become part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope. Once it's completed some time in the decade following 2020, the SKA will be the world's largest radio telescope. The project is shared between South Africa and Australia. It's not just its size that sets it apart from other radio telescopes but also sensitivity and speed. At full power, the SKA will have 50 times the sensitivity and 10,000 times the survey speed of the best existing telescopes.

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It will see more, and see it faster. It can explore the universe and answer some of humanity's biggest scientific questions - like, "Is there life out there?" and "How are galaxies formed?"

All of this lies some time in the future. But already, MeerKAT is yielding remarkable results.

Off to a good start

MeerKAT currently comprises 16 dishes (of an eventual 64) functioning as a telescope array - a radio telescope works by effectively linking smaller dishes together and operating as one.

These 16 dishes, known collectively as Array Release 1, recently embarked on their first assignment. It was an amazing start: Array Release 1 found 1300 galaxies in a patch of sky that was previously thought to contain only 70. That's hundreds of new galaxies to be studied and understood, and greatly adds to our knowledge of the universe.

Because MeerKAT specialises in radio galaxies, it can peer through the thick layers of dust that surround such galaxies. Astronomer Michael Rich, who wasn't part of the study, told National Geographic:

In some cases, the radio galaxy can have a great deal of obscuring dust, and you wouldn't be able to see anything - or almost anything - with an optical telescope.

These "first light" images are extremely exciting, whether for seasoned astronomers or ordinary people who crave more information about the world "out there".

Massive infrastructure

There's more than pure science to any project of this scope. It takes remarkable engineering to bring any radio telescope to life, let alone what will become the world's largest.

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Each of MeerKAT's completed 64 dishes will be 13.5 metres, or about 40 feet, in diameter. The dishes are accompanied by a plethora of cryogenic coolers, receivers, digitisers and other electronic systems.

It's a challenge to get all of this equipment to work together in a fully integrated array. That's why the telescope is being commissioned in phases: it allows any technical problems to be identified and resolved as early as possible.

As the "first light" images reveal, everything is functioning smoothly as the MeerKAT begins its sky-searching work.

Space for science in action

One of the important features of the SKA and MeerKAT is that it's a massive, multinational endeavour. There are around 200 technicians, scientists and engineers working on the project. They come from all over the world and are collaborating with industry to build the technologies, hardware and software systems for MeerKAT telescope.

It's not just about the construction, though. Scientists are also getting the chance to test their theories using MeerKAT's infrastructure.

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I am part of a team led by Professor Mario Santos of the University of the Western Cape involved in a large survey that will be conducted with MeerKAT. The team consists of scientists from South African and international institutions. Our goal is to do breakthrough cosmology and study the many new galaxies that will be detected.

Recently a new scientific technique called HI Intensity Mapping has emerged as a powerful and promising probe for cosmology with radio telescopes. It involves trying to map the universe's neutral hydrogen content.

MeerKAT provides an exciting opportunity to put this science to the test. We're seeking an extremely weak signal, much weaker than the galaxy and the contributions that the instrument adds to the data. My recent work has involved demonstrating that you can "clean" out all these other contributions to access the very weak hydrogen signal. Once we're able to locate this crucial signal, we'll be able to understand much more about the universe.

Staring at the sky

It's not just those who are directly involved in the project who are excited about what MeerKAT has to offer. Just after Array Release 1, about 150 astronomers - two thirds of them from South Africa - met to discuss and update the MeerKAT science programme in Stellenbosch.

Broadly, this programme will consist of two major elements. The first involves approved large surveys of the sky. These will peer into deep space; they'll range from shallow and wide to deep and small, covering large volumes of space containing many, many galaxies. The images they'll capture will deepen our understanding of what the universe contains, how it's structured and how it works.

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The second element is open time: time reserved for astronomers to propose new and interesting observations that can then be conducted using the MeerKAT. This encourages more research and could lead to even more of the universe's secrets being revealed.

Much more to come

The "first light" images are just the beginning. Even at a quarter of its full strength MeerKAT - and ultimately the SKA project - seems set to prove that the sky really is the limit for what we can learn about our universe.
Donald Trump claims he should be president in part because he has succeeded at creating jobs and businesses.

While the foundation of his business empire was in New York real estate and construction - thanks to "a million-dollar loan" from his father - he spent about 25 years owning and/or managing casinos in Atlantic City, which sought to rival Las Vegas as America's gambling capital.

These experiences, he argues, make him uniquely qualified for the Oval Office. He also claims he would create 25 million jobs over the next decade as president. This, in his mind, entitles him to speak for America's working class.

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"I'm the only one on the stage that's hired people," he said during a Republican primary debate earlier this year. "I've created tens of thousands of jobs and a great company."

In the paper, I compare the performance of his three Atlantic City casinos - the Trump Taj Mahal, the Trump Plaza, and the Trump Marina - against that of their rivals over a 14-year period.

Even if one does not ordinarily vote on the basis of evidence, I hope that the details presented in my paper help clarify a critical issue in this election.

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Why focus on casinos

The casino data presented and analyzed in my working paper are not like other anecdotes about Trump.

His job-creating performance in other industries, such as construction, is much harder to compare with his peers. Like unsubstantiated claims about his personal wealth and taxes, we cannot assess Trump's claims about job creation in other contexts because there is no available evidence about it.

His casinos are different. New Jersey requires casino licensees to report extensive jobs and revenue data, which are readily available on the internet. The data are also audited, making them more reliable.

As for why I focused on this time frame, 1997 was the peak year of employment for Atlantic City casinos, and it is also the first year for which New Jersey's Casino Control Commission (CCC) posted casino jobs and revenue data on its website (revenue data start in 1999). I end in 2010 because that was the year Trump lost control of his casinos after the third of their four bankruptcies. I use data for all casinos in Atlantic City except The Sands and The Borgata, as they did not report data for all years in the study.

During this period, while Trump was the casinos' chief executive officer, board chair and/or dominant shareholder, Atlantic City went from a booming resort to an eventual bust. All its casinos were hurt, but, on average, Trump's suffered worst of all. Indeed, all three Trump casinos have closed or soon will.

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What the data show

The average headcount at Trump's Atlantic City casinos declined by 50 percent during the period, from 4,926 employees in 1997 to 2,463 in 2010, for a mean loss of 2,463 per location. The average non-Trump casino, by contrast, lost 35 percent of its employees, dropping from 4,468 to 2,921 for a loss of 1,547 jobs. In other words, Trump lost an average of about 900 more employees per casino than his competitors, a 37 percent difference.

As for their financial performance, average revenues for Trump's casinos fell 42 percent, from US$377 million in 1999 to $220 million in 2010. Revenue at the average non-Trump casino, by contrast, declined 27 percent in the same period, from $394 million to $286 million. While the entire Atlantic City casino industry suffered as neighboring states like Pennsylvania and Connecticut eased gambling laws, Trump's performed significantly worse, as their revenue on average fell $50 million per casino more than his rivals' - or a third more.

These findings are statistically significant, meaning that the Trump casinos' poor performance was not random. It had something specifically to do with how they were run. In particular, it means that if you worked at a Trump casino, you were nearly 40 percent more likely to lose your job than if you worked at one of the others.

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If that is what he did for his casinos' employees, it is fair to ask whether he would do better for American workers as president.

Trump supporters may object and point out that he did, indeed, create jobs, even if his casinos ultimately lost half of them under his watch. They could also emphasize that all Atlantic City casinos were in trouble, due to regional competition as well as two economic recessions in the period.

The response to these objections is that this is about relative performance. In head-to-head competition - with the same businesses in the same place and time, facing the same challenges - Trump's casinos performed worse, on average, than their peers at creating sustainable jobs.

His casinos were not the "best" and not even "average" - they were the worst.









Atlantic City via www.shutterstock.com





Why this matters

These findings are important for three reasons.

First, and perhaps not surprisingly, even as his casinos languished, Trump certainly did well for himself. He has bragged that "Atlantic City fueled a lot of growth for me" and that "[t]he money I took out of there was incredible."

Based on securities and court filings, I found that from 2001 to 2005, he earned at least $16 million from the casinos, or $3.2 million per year. This included a base salary of $1.5 million per year as CEO and chairman of Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts until 2004, when the casinos commenced their second bankruptcy. Although he lost his position as CEO, he remained chair of the board and agreed to make promotional appearances for the casinos. For doing so, he got a raise - to $2 million.

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This means that, according to one report, Trump earned about six times the average base pay of U.S. casino executives. According to CCC data, it also means that Trump received about 120 times the $26,000/year employees at his casinos earned on average.









Mark Makela/Reuters





Second, Trump did not get rich in Atlantic City because the casinos were profitable in this period. Instead, his wealth came in part from causing the casinos to borrow heavily and then slashing that debt in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Trump himself admitted that he "used the Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws of our country in four instances, much as many of our country's elite business people do."

Trump has failed to acknowledge, however, that no major business in America has gone through bankruptcy as often as his casinos. According to the LoPucki-UCLA Bankruptcy Research Database, only a few large companies have used Chapter 11 more than twice. Among large businesses, only the Trump casinos went through the process four times (three while under his ownership or control).

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Trump has justified his casinos' repeated use of bankruptcy as "an effective and commonly used practice ... to restructure a business and ultimately save jobs." While this is one reason Congress created Chapter 11, the evidence shows that Trump somehow twisted the process to benefit himself, even as the casinos continued to hemorrhage jobs and lose money.

Third, Trump's claims about job creation are unusually important. Presidential candidates often make improbable claims, and Trump is no exception. Voters may dismiss such claims as electoral exaggerations, and so neither expect them to be honored nor worry about their breach.

Jobs are different. His promise to improve the plight of workers who have lost jobs to foreign competitors is both powerful and plausible. A recent Gallup Poll shows that members of both major political parties consider jobs and economic security two of the top three most important issues in the election. Trump has forcefully articulated a vital issue that "traditional" candidates from both parties have struggled to address.

At the same time, Trump's ability to solve the problem is, at face value, plausible. He has run many businesses and certainly could have "created" many jobs (I put to one side the difficult question whether any individual can take credit for "creating" jobs). Unlike building a border wall at Mexico's expense, this might seem like something Trump could actually do as president.

The data from the Casino Control Commission are a red flag, warning that he probably can't - because he hasn't. Those data show the performance of Trump and his competitors in a substantially similar line of business (gaming), in the same place (Atlantic City), in the same time period (1997-2010), subject to the same threats, and across dimensions (employment and business acumen) that have become central to Trump's presidential campaign. On average, Trump was worse than all of them.

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David Becker/Reuters





Make America worse again?

Over the course of the campaign, Trump has tapped into a deep sense of economic anxiety among American workers.

Many believe he can be their champion because he created jobs in the past. Usually, claims like that cannot be assessed, and are dismissed as campaign puffery.

Here, however, we have hard data by which to judge the very track record on which Trump says he can "Make America Great Again." Contrary to Trump's claims, my study of that data indicates that he is more likely to make America worse.
Notes from Indian Country

By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji - Stands Up For Them)

Life takes on a game of watch, listen and wait at times.

It was in February that my step-son Earl was shot to death by a Rapid City police officer. I now think it was a needles death.

First of all, Earl had a mental problem. He was taking medication and getting psychological assistance in an effort to combat his illness. It was the way that he was gunned down that still bothers me. He was shot through the heart by a police officer with a high-powered rifle.

In his mental state Earl truly believed that there were two men at the Cornerstone Mission, a homeless shelter; that had evil intentions of harming me and his mother. He truly believed that.

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He went to a pawn shop and bought a handgun. If the pawn shop owners had been supplied a list of people with mental problems they would not have sold him the gun. There is no such provision in the laws of Rapid City to make that happen. Some family members knew he had a gun, but failed to alert his mother and me. If we had known we would have definitely taken the weapon from him.

The day of the shooting, a Sunday, I was at the office working and he stopped by the house to visit with his mother. She said he was very quiet, but she did not sense anything wrong. After he left our house he went to the Mission with the intent of shooting the men he felt wanted to kill us.

He wounded one of the men and was pointing a gun at the other when the police arrived. They supposedly shouted at him to put the gun down but he continued to hold it in his hand. A police officer with a rifle fired his weapon shooting Earl in the heart. He was not aiming the pistol at the police officer.

A rifle? Let's look at that for a minute. I used to be an avid hunter. I also passed the Marksmen test during my Navy basic training at the Marine Corps Training Camp at Camp Elliot near San Diego.

Given the same set of circumstances, and armed with a rifle, I know that I would have been able to aim and shoot at a less vulnerable part of his body. Anyone with any marksmanship whatever would have shot at his legs and given the close range of the shooter there would have been little chance of missing that target and a life would have been spared.

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There is no apparent communications between the police of Rapid City and the mental health facilities in this City. Why not? In past years Native American men were shot to death by Rapid City police officers when intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. Some of these individuals were under the care of a mental facility. Red lives matter also, but there is little public outcry for injustice by the police against American Indians. The frontier mentality still exists in places like South Dakota.

I understand the stress that the police force in this town is under, but I believe that the entire department needs to undergo a major change in how they approach a victim with a mental illness. A young Indian man with a history of mental problems was shot to death near the Rapid City Library because he had a knife in his hand. Really? An officer with a gun could not shoot a man in the leg carrying a knife? It happens all over America especially to minorities..

We lost our son because of the stupid actions of a Rapid City police officer. I only speak up now because my wife and I firmly believe that there is a breakdown in the system between the Rapid City Police Department and the mental health facilities in town.

The shooting death of Earl was not necessary. When my wife went to court to get the gun Earl had bought and paid for the courts said no, the gun had to be destroyed. She sat in court while a reporter from the local daily newspaper sat right in front of her and went back to her paper to write the story about how the gun was to be destroyed without asking her a single question.

An autopsy showed that there were no drugs or alcohol in Earl's system, only traces of the medications he was taking for his mental illness.

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The shooting death of a black mentally ill man in San Diego last week is just one of many examples of how the police have no knowledge of how to deal with the mentally ill.

I hope this column is taken as it was intended by the Rapid City Police Department and that its police officers get much more training in dealing with victims of mental illness. For goodness sake communicate with the mental health facilities in town. When a person is mentally ill get the word to the gun and pawn shops. Until this is done there will be more deaths at the hands of the police of the mentally ill.

It takes time to heal, but there will always be an empty place in our hearts for the loss of our son when it was not necessary.
This year's 'Best of' goes to local
Grudin said the book can be purchased on Amazon.com in paperback or on Kindle.

STAMFORD, Vt.  Local author Peter Grudin has harnessed the spirit of Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont in shaping a story that weaves through time.The retired Williams College professor of English and literature said his novel, "Right Here," centers around a house and its history."It's about people and the way they develop, but what makes it a little bit special it is very tightly fixed in time and space," he said. "I called it 'Right Here' because I sat at my desk and wrote it at a certain longitude and latitude and that's where the book takes place. Anyone reading it will recognize places, mountain ranges, roads, climate and, to a certain extent, people will recognize time."Grudin said the book is anchored in Stamford, specifically in a fictional house built by a ship carpenter in the year 1816 after fighting aboard the USS Essex during the War of 1812 and later finding profit as a privateer.The story is really not about the carpenter, but rather the house he built, its inhabitants and those affected by it over the last century.Grudin said many characters come and go during the vast stretch of time the book occupies but one of the main ones is a woman who lives in the house in the 1920s who is the carpenter's great-granddaughter-in-law."She is a very unusual woman living in this house by herself right after World War I," he said. "Her husband is gone, he went to the gold rush and never came back, and her son is in the war ... she is actually my favorite character. I like her a lot. She's a little nutty, very brave and smart."His third main character is an old man in the late 1990s who is trapped in his own personal hell."He is in exiled from Vermont, and he is in the worst place he can imagine, Miami," Grudin said. "He can't get out, and he wants to go home to Vermont but they have him locked up in an old folks' home."Grudin said part of the inspiration for the novel came from his own home, which is almost 200 years old and has handmade beams in kitchen."From the time I have lived in that house, I have looked at those beams and have said 'somebody did that.' You can see all the marks and you know this happened on a particular day, by a particular group of men who squared those beams to put them up there," he said. "It made me start to think about all of the things that have probably gone on in my house ... people were born there and people probably died there."He said his book explores this idea of a location absorbing history and never really letting it slip into the past and what that means for the future."It is as if a place can soak up what happens in it, that is where you get stories about haunted houses," he said. "Past events don't simply have consequences. They have ramifications. In the broadest sense, I am writing about acts of violence, that may be pretty isolated, but that have ramifications that go out for generations and affect those who never knew about the initial act."He said he rooted his story in actual history and readers will recognize national events and local landmarks and stories."The history is researched as carefully as I could have researched it over the years," he said. "In general, World War I and World War II enter into this and I had to do a lot of research on local history and folklore."Grudin, who has lived in the area since 1970, said he has a great admiration for the area that helped inspire his book. He said he hopes to capture the essence of Berkshire County and Southern Vermont.He said the locals now and then were "tough ingenious people" who honored their home even in the direst straits.He pointed to the year his fictional house was built, 1816, and said it was known as the year without a summer because of a volcanic eruption that caused climate abnormalities."The farmers in Southern Vermont where already just hanging on by their fingernails and when this happened many of them had enough and went west," he said. "These guys were just trying to put food on the table and it's a terrible place to farm. It was tough but people stayed."He said he hopes readers of all kinds are engaged by the book and it helps widen their perspective."I have been told by those who have read the book that they now look out their kitchen window differently and are more aware of what is out there," Grudin said. "I hope people that live here that read this will look out and see things a little richer than before and I hope people that read this that are not from here will want to come visit."
We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector
Imperial Valley News Center

On the Occasion of the Day of German Unity

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Germany as you mark the Day of German Unity on October 3.

"As a young boy living with my family in Berlin in the 1950s, I witnessed firsthand the harmful impact of Cold War division. At the time, there were many who believed that Germany would never again be united and that its people would never be allowed to come together under the banner of democracy. It was not until this date in 1990 that those skeptics were proven wrong.

"As we reflect today on how far a united Germany has come in the past quarter century, we might also express appreciation for the deep friendship that exists between our two countries. I just had the privilege of hosting Foreign Minister Steinmeier in Boston, and we had the opportunity to consider the links between our nations prosperity and security and the remarkable nexus of our shared interests, values, and ideals. The list of issues on which we cooperate includes everything from counter-terrorism and climate change to support for democracy and a healthy and growing world economy. We were partners in negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and in helping the people of Afghanistan to take greater responsibility for their own security. Every day, in the UN, NATO, the OSCE and other institutions, we consult on how to make progress towards our common goal of a more stable, peaceful, and prosperous world.

"On this special occasion, let us join in celebrating the unity of the German people, and in reaffirming our mutual commitment to the alliance between Germany and the United States. I wish all Germans a joy-filled Day of Unity and a safe and happy year to come."
United States and Cuba Hold Fourth Bilateral Commission Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Washington, DC - The United States and Cuba held the fourth Bilateral Commission in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Mari Carmen Aponte led the U.S. delegation, supported by Charge dAffaires Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Deputy Assistant Secretary John Creamer, and Chief of Staff and Director of Policy Planning Jon Finer. The Cuban delegation was led by Josefina Vidal, the Foreign Ministrys Director General for U.S. Affairs, supported by Cuban Ambassador to the United States Jose Ramon Cabanas.

The Bilateral Commission advances the normalization process between the United States and Cuba. The meeting took place in a cooperative and productive environment. The U.S. and Cuban delegations discussed the way forward on key issues such as agriculture, health, environmental protection, economic engagement, science and technology, civil aviation, regulatory affairs, claims, culture and education, law enforcement, nonproliferation, trafficking in persons, human rights, maritime borders, and migration. The delegations also discussed prospects for upcoming high-level visits and their shared desire to achieve as much progress as possible by the end of the year.

The United States looks forward to the next Bilateral Commission Meeting in Havana in December 2016.
Russian Supreme Court's Illegitimate Decision to Ban the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People

Washington, DC - The United States does not recognize the legitimacy of the Russian Supreme Courts ruling to uphold the ban of Crimean Tatars self-governing body, the Mejlis. We reject the characterization of the Mejlis as an extremist organization and condemn the suspension of this democratic institution. This decision is particularly troubling given Russias systematic and unjust mistreatment of Crimean Tatars.

Russia continues to subject Crimean Tatars to arbitrary arrests, abductions, politically motivated prosecutions, restrictions on freedom of movement, and police raids on their homes and mosques. We call on Russia to cease these unacceptable practices immediately.

We do not recognize Russias attempted annexation of Crimea, and we reiterate our call on Russia to return control of the peninsula to Ukraine.

Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Moscow returns control over Crimea to Ukraine.
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Angelina Jolie is looking past the media furore over her personal life and towards her creative future, launching talks to star in the Afghanistan war drama Shoot Like a Girl.

Variety reports she's set to star in the cinematic adaptation of upcoming memoir Shoot Like a Girl: One Womans Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front, which recounts the true story of Maj. Mary Jennings Hegar, who served multiple tours in Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot.

Hegar saved hundreds of lives both in her time flying Combat Search and Rescue, as well as Medevac, in Afghanistan; alongside working Civil Search and Rescue missions in California and out at sea. On her third tour to Afghanistan in 2009, she was shot down during a Medevac mission, though her actions saved the lives of her crew and patients, earning her the Purple Heart.

In 2012, Major Hegar filed a suit against the Secretary of Defense in protest at the Combat Exclusion Policy which kept female officers from serving in combat roles, with the policy being repealed in 2013 after being deemed unconstitutional.

Shoot Like a Girl marks Jolie's first action project since 2010's Salt, though it's been a genre that's marked so much of her cinematic career. Outside of 2014's Maleficent - and its sequel now in the works - she's largely focused on her humanitarian efforts and her directorial outpout; releasing 2015's By the Sea and 2014's Unbroken to mixed critical reception.
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Saturday Night Live tested out a new Donald Trump on their season premiere, bringing on Alec Baldwin to take on the infamous Republican candidate.

Having previously attracted controversy for inviting Trump himself to host the show in November of last year, the pressure was now on for Saturday Night Live to deliver in parodying the historically momentous first presidential debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton; which makes it no surprise they'd bring on such an A-list name to replace previous regular Trump impersonator Taran Killam.

Introduced by Michael Che's Lester Holt, Baldwin's Trump came on as "the man to blame for the bottom half of all his kids' faces"; before preceding into a cavalcade of pointing, podium-grabbing, and bizarre pronunciations of the word "China". The sketch also referenced Trump's near-constant interruption of Clinton, with him intermittently yelling "wrong!", "wronger", and "shut up!".

"I have the best judgment and the best temperament," he later said. "Shes the one with the bad temperament. Shes always screaming. Shes constantly lying. Her hair is weird and her face is completely orange. Except around the eyes where its white. Once she stops talking her mouth looks like a tiny little butthole."

Meanwhile, Kate McKinnon returned as Hillary Clinton once more; poking fun at accusations she was "over-prepared" for the debate, and asking, "can America vote right now?"



Listen, America. I get it. You hate me, her Clinton concluded. "You hate my voice, and you hate my face. Well, heres a tip: If you never want to see my face again, elect me president, and I swear to God I will lock myself in the Oval Office and not come out for four years. But if you dont elect me, I will continue to run for president until the day I die."

The episode marked Saturday Night Live's 42nd season premiere, with Margot Robbie on as host.
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Three people have been arrested after West Ham supporters clashed with Middlesborough fans outside West Ham's new London Stadium.

The violence took place after the 1-1 draw between the sides on Saturday afternoon.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of affray and a third on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, Scotland Yard said.

Officers were also deployed inside the stadium during the match to deal with a separate disturbance, the Met said.

But the force said the incident was quickly dealt with and no arrests were made.

Police escorted Middlesbrough fans away from the stadium while some West Ham supporters were contained by officers.

It is not the first crowd disturbance that has taken place since West Ham moved to the former Olympic Stadium, where concerns have been raised about problems with the segregation of rival fans.

West Ham's new home - in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 West Ham's new home - in pictures West Ham's new home - in pictures New Olympic Stadium roof The installation of a brand new cantilever roof at the Olympic Stadium will maintain the old Upton Park atmosphere, West Ham claim. Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures Slaven Bilic's seat West Ham's coaching staff also have new seats in the dug-out, although they are further away from the pitch than they are used to. Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures Expansive tunnel One of the trademark features of Upton Park was the tight, enclosed tunnel. That's the case no longer in Stratford. Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures Media facilities in progress As work continues on West Ham's new home, the media facilities have been left until last... Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures Store open for business Unsurprisingly, one of the first areas to open to the public was the new 'Stadium Store'. Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures Luxury VIP areas West Ham will be able to boast some of the best VIP access in the Premier League next season. Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures Large screen in place The 60,000 supporters set to fill the Olympic Stadium every fortnight will be able to re-live the action on this enormous screen. Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures History remembered Former greats like Bobby Moore adorn the walls in all areas, outside and inside, at the new ground. Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures First training session Bilic's boys got their first chance to train on the pitch ahead of the Europa League qualifier against Domzale. Getty West Ham's new home - in pictures Ready to move in The stadium was completed on time and on budget, although the latter is best left for another day... Getty

At the first Premier League match at the venue - against Bournemouth on 21 August - fighting broke out between rival supporters outside the stadium.

West Ham said 10 fans were ejected from the stadium during the 4-2 defeat by Watford last month.

The Met said more than 40,000 people had attended Saturday's match against Middlesbrough, and the vast majority had been good natured.
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A 44-year-old British man may have become the first person in the world to be cured of HIV.

Tests showed the virus had become undetectable in the blood of the previously HIV-positive man, after he was treated with a pioneering new therapy designed to eradicate the virus.

Researchers have cautioned that it is too early to tell if the treatment has really worked but said the man, a social worker, had made "remarkable progress".

The patient was the first of 50 people to complete a trial of the ambitious treatment which launches a two-stage kick and kill attack on the virus.

The new therapy is unique in that it tracks down and destroy HIV in every part of the body including in the dormant cells that evade current treatments.

This is one of the first serious attempts at a full cure for HIV, Mark Samuels of Britain's National Institute for Health Research told The Sunday Times.

This is a huge challenge and it's still early days, but the progress has been remarkable," he said.

The clinical trials, which are being paid for by the NHS, are the result of a collaboration between doctors and scientists at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, University College London and King's College London.

 HIV in numbers

The man, who has not been named, said he participated in the trial to help others with the disease.

HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus, is mainly transmitted through sexual acts or by using infected needles. The virus weakens a person's immune system by destroying T-cells which are crucial to fighting disease and infection.

About 36.7 million people are living with HIV worldwide, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Antiretroviral therapies target and suppress active infected cells but they leave millions of dormant infected T-cells lying in wait throughout the body. This means existing treatments can effectively control HIV but do not cure the disease.

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS Show all 12 1 /12 Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506633.bin Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506623.bin : Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506624.bin : Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506625.bin : Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506626.bin : Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506627.bin : Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506628.bin : Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506629.bin Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506630.bin Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506631.bin : Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506632.bin Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS 506634.bin Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation

The new treatment, however, would both suppress infections and kill the reservoir of dormant cells, The Sunday Times reported.

Sarah Fidler, a consultant physician and professor at Imperial College London, said medical tests of the potentially breakthrough therapy would continue for the next five years.

It has worked in the laboratory and there is good evidence it will work in humans too, Ms Fidler said. But we must stress that we are still a long way from any actual therapy."
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A growing number of crematoriums are fitting webcams so that mourners can watch funeral proceedings live online.

Around a fifth of Britains 281 crematoriums already offered a live streaming service, according to a recent survey, while 61 per cent of funeral directors had received requests for services to be live-streamed.

Supporters of the new trend point out that live-streaming allows grieving friends and relatives who are unable to travel to feel part of a funeral from a distance.

However, some undertakers fear watching the service live online may be used as an excuse for not attending in person, depriving the dead persons family of crucial emotional support.

Paul Allcock, president of the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, said it would be a shame if live-streaming became ubiquitous.

Its wonderful for those relatives who live abroad, but theres also a danger of pandering to peoples laziness and not attending personally and sharing your condolences, which is such an important part of the grieving process, he told The Telegraph.

Many funeral directors will tell you that a few kind words shared over a sandwich after the funeral can never be replaced by watching the event from a distance via a web-camera.

In order to live-stream a funeral, a digital camera is installed discreetly in a crematorium chapel. It captures the service and uploads it in real time to the internet, where it can be watched at any computer terminal around the world.

A secure username and password are usually issued to friends and family members in advance, so the proceedings cannot be viewed by strangers.

Live-streaming has been possible since the mid-1990s, but the technology did not enter the funeral industry until the early 2000s, according to The Atlantic, which reported has taken until recently for the trend to gain momentum.

The funeral professions like a cruise ship, said Joe Joachim, chief executive of funeralOne, a US-based company that was among the first to offer live-streaming in 2002. It takes a while to turn, but it can turn.

Obitus, a company which installs and manages live-streaming technology for crematoriums in the UK, reported receiving one request a week for its services. It currently has cameras in more than 25 locations.

James Crossland, who owns the firm, said Britains changing demographic had led to a surge in the popularity of live-streamed funerals.

He pointed out that with five million Britons living abroad  a 27 per cent rise since 1990  and 8.5 million migrants living here  a 133 per cent rise in the same period  there is growing demand for technology that allows mourners to witness a funeral service without having to travel long distances to be there in person.

Elderly, ill, or disabled people may also find it difficult to attend funerals in person, and benefit from the option to watch online.

However, Caitlin Doughty, a death theorist and mortician, said that although she wasnt surprised by the development, it could have negative implications on the grieving process. The physical dead body is proof of death, tangible evidence that the person we love is gone, and that we will someday be gone as well, Ms Doughty told The Atlantic. To have death and mourning transferred online takes away that tangible proof. What is there to show us that death is real?

But Dr Wendy Moncur, a researcher in socio-digital interaction at Dundee University disagreed, arguing webcasting and other technologies actually make death more visible by bringing it quite literally into our homes through computers and mobile devices, which she suggested is a positive change. The availability of webcasts for funerals play a part in the de-sequestration of death and bereavement, Dr Moncur said. Death is becoming less hidden, more public, in our society because of the Internet and contemporary online responses to grief and loss.

Within the funeral industry, it seems live-streaming is viewed as a compromise. It is not ideal, but it can be a useful addition to the service which increases accessibility.

Its not designed to replace folks attending funerals, Walker Posey, a fourth generation funeral director told The Atlantic. A lot of folks just dont live where their family grew up and its difficult to get back and forth.

John Childs, 87, recently live-streamed his wife Joan's funeral so that their son Wayne could watch from his home 9,500 miles away in Australia.

Ms Childs, of Calmore, Southampton, Hants, was married to Mr Childs for 51 years before she died of lung cancer in March 2008 at the age of 69, The Telegraph reported. Though her son and his family were able to visit her in her final weeks, he had to leave to return to work in Perth, Australia, before the funeral.

The Southampton Crematorium offered a live-streaming service for an additional 50 charge.

Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals Show all 4 1 /4 Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals 5563362.jpg Robert Yager Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals 5563363.jpg Robert Yager Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals 5563364.jpg Robert Yager Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals 5563365.jpg Robert Yager

Mr Childs, a retired book keeper, said: Wayne was able to see it as it happened, it meant the world to him.

I would of course recommend it to other families. It was successful and wasn't all that expensive either. I got a CD of the whole thing as well.
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The President of the European Council quickly rejected Theresa Mays call for an early start to preliminary Brexit talks.

Alongside the Prime Ministers announcement today, that Article 50 would be triggered by the end of March, Ms May said she would request for withdrawal negotiations to get underway.

Ms May told the BBC: The remaining members of the EU have to decide what the process of negotiation is.

I hope, and Ill be saying to them that now that they know what our timing is going to be  its not an exact date but they know itll be in the first quarter of next year  that well be able to have some preparatory work, so that once the trigger comes we have a smoother process of negotiation.

Ms May said it was important for all of the EU that Brexit was achieved in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses.

In a tweet a few hours later, Donald Tusk welcomed the Prime Ministers announcement for bringing welcome clarity on start of Brexit talks.

But he added: Once Article 50s triggered, EU27 will engage to safeguard its interests.

EU leaders and officials have consistently argued that, legally, they cannot open the exit negotiations with the UK until Article 50 has been invoked.

Mr Tusks stance came after, last month, he put pressure on Ms May to start the Article 50 process as soon as possible, when they met in Downing Street.

The European Council President then revealed he had been told that would happen early next year  a claim rejected by No 10, but effectively confirmed by the Prime Minister today.

For Labour, Emily Thornberry, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said the timing of the Article 50 declaration was meaningless without clarity on the nature of Britains future relationship with the EU.

She said: This is exactly the same mistake David Cameron made with his proposed renegotiation last year  working to an artificial, self-imposed timetable, with a flawed Plan A of what he wanted to achieve and no Plan B whatsoever.

Unless Theresa May starts spelling out the Governments plan on free trade, on free movement, on budget contributions, and a host of other issues, we will have to conclude she is only interested in achieving headlines not providing solutions.
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Theresa May has announced she will trigger Article 50 in March 2017.

After months of speculation the Prime Minister will activate the formal mechanism to leave the European Union, meaning she will be able to start negotiations with other European leaders about what the future trading relationship with the union will be.

Confusion over the definition of Brexit has long persisted, given the various different defintitions of the term. But while that word will inevitably remain open to interpretation, defining a fundamental element of European law should, in theory, be more straightforward.

What is Article 50?

Article 50 refers to a clause in the Lisbon Treaty signed in 2007 which codified several other agreements which had brought member countries closer together in the past.

It states: Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.

A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention.

In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State, setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union.

Why is it so vague?

When it was first written in 2007, no one ever expected it to be used and as a result they never set a timeframe in which it had to be triggered after a country decides to leave.

As the EU referendum was not legally binding, Ms May was not under any legal obligation to trigger it despite intense political pressure to do so.

This means that until the PM's announcement, the UK was potentially facing a long period of political uncertainty.

Brexit reactions  in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit reactions  in pictures Brexit reactions  in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look at their phones after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall AP Brexit reactions  in pictures Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Reuters Brexit reactions  in pictures Mr Cameron announces his resignation to supporters Getty Brexit reactions  in pictures Donald Tusk proposes that the 27 remaining EU member states start a wider reflection on the future of our union Getty Brexit reactions  in pictures Ukip leader Nigel Farage greets his supporters on College Green in Westminster, after Britain voted to leave the European Union PA Brexit reactions  in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as referendum results are announced today Getty Brexit reactions  in pictures Boris Johnson leaves his home today to discover a crowd of waiting journalists and police officers Getty Brexit reactions  in pictures Leave EU supporters celebrate as they watch the British EU Referendum results being televised at Millbank Tower in London Rex Brexit reactions  in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall Reuters Brexit reactions  in pictures Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall PA

Why is it so important?

Without first triggering the clause, the UK cannot negotiate any terms with the EU about its departure.

After it is triggered, the UK will have exactly two years to negotiate a new settlement before it has to leave.

Complexed trade deals often taken much longer to negotiate  with a trade deal between Canada and the EU currently seven years in the making.

During this two-year period, Britain must decide its negotiating position and whether it will want a Hard Brexit - minimal ties to the EU with no freedom of movement and no access to the single market - or a Soft Brexit, meaning a similar relationship to the one we have now.
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Boris Johnson referred to Africa as "that country" in a speech to the Conservative Party conference reflecting on his first three months as Foreign Secretary.

Mr Johnson made the blunder as he painted the world as a "less safe, more dangerous and more worrying" place than it was 10 years ago.

He nonetheless received a warm reception for his speech from party members as he praised the UK's role in foreign affairs, saying British values "continue to lift the world out of poverty".

Mr Johnson appeared to suggest Africa could benefit from adopting more British values, warning countries across the continent were instead becoming more authoritarian.

And he then said: "Life expectancy in Africa has risen astonishingly as that country has entered the global economic system."

The Foreign Secretary said confidence in free market capitalism and liberal democracy had been dented, saying the UK "must be humble and realistic enough to accept" that they had been hurt by the Iraq War, the 2008 crash and the "global suspicion of bankers".

But while he described Brexit as "a vote for economic and political freedom", he also urged the Western world not to shy away from global politics.

He said that the refugee crisis and the rising number of deaths from conflict around the world were "partly as a result of that lack of western self-confidence - political, military, economic".
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Boris Johnson claimed Brexit will free Britain to be more active on the world stage than ever before, in a typically joke-heavy conference speech.

The Foreign Secretary delighted the Tory faithful with an attack on the gloomadon-poppers who still predicted a grim future after Britains departure from the EU.

Instead, Mr Johnson argued, that exit would see Britain liberated to punch its weight in foreign affairs, as well as free to strike free trade deals with countries around the world.

Recommended Read more Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson fails to give Boris full backing

He told the conference: I have to tell any lingering gloomadon-poppers that never once have I felt that this country would be in any way disadvantaged by extricating ourselves from the EU treaties.

Indeed, there are some ways in which we will be liberated to be more active on the world stage than ever before  because we are not leaving Europe.

We will remain committed to all kinds of European cooperation, at an intergovernmental level  whether it is maintaining sanctions against Russia for what is happening in Ukraine, or sending our Navy to help the Italians stem the migrant flow through the central Mediterranean.

But we will also be able to speak up more powerfully with our own distinctive voice leading the world as we now are, in imposing a ban on ivory, helping to save the elephant in a way that the disunited EU is unable to do.

Or relaunching the cause of global free trade that has been stalled since the failure of the Doha round.

Mr Johnson slipped in an attack on the BBC, even as he hailed it as the single greatest and most effective ambassador for our culture and our values.

He offered his praise for the corporation no matter how infuriating and shamelessly anti-Brexit they can sometimes be.

The Foreign Secretary also argued Britains hard power was dwarfed by the soft power that flowed from English being the most commonly-spoken language on earth.

But the former Tory leadership-hopeful also painted a grim picture of the state of the world as he accused Russia of being complicit in carrying out war crimes in Syria.

Mr Johnson said the UKs hope and belief that liberal democracy could be expanded across the world had been badly damaged by the Iraq War.

Meanwhile, free market capitalism had been seriously discredited by the crash of 2008, and the global suspicion of bankers.

Likening those two issues to punches, Mr Johnson said: It is partly as a result of that lack of western self-confidence  political, military, economic  that, in some material ways, the world has got less safe, more dangerous and more worrying.
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A majority of people would rather the UK have a soft Brexit, which sees the country give concessions on EU immigration in return for access to the single market, a poll has found.

The exclusive survey for The Independent by BMG Research revealed that people preferred the option compared to a hard Brexit that sees the UK leave the single market altogether to gain full control of its borders.

The data, coming as Conservatives prepare for a battle at their conference over the terms of Britains EU withdrawal, flies in the face of the stronger approach backed by Cabinet Brexiteers David Davis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson.

BMGs research also confirms that a large majority of people believe Theresa Mays support for the Remain camp during the EU referendum was either weak or passive, following claims by one of David Camerons top ex-aides that she refused to properly support the campaign.

Perhaps more important to the Prime Minister will be the poll figures showing voters overwhelmingly see her as more concerned about immigration, the working class and disadvantaged children, and less concerned with her own career, than Mr Cameron.

Overall the poll showed the Tories under Ms May enjoying a substantial lead going into their Birmingham conference, on 38 per cent compared to Labours 29 per cent, with Ukip on 15 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 8 per cent and the Greens on 4 per cent.

BMG asked more than 1,000 people at the end of September whether they prefer a hard Brexit in which the UK leaves the single market, leaves the customs union and gains full control over all aspects of immigration or a soft Brexit which sees Britain retain a degree of access to the single market, in return for giving some concessions to the EU on immigration to the UK.

In total, a slim majority  52 per cent  said they would rather Theresa May take the softer option, compared to 48 per cent who backed the hard option.

 Theresa May tells UN the UK will not turn inwards after Brexit vote

The result is an exact mirror image of the score in the actual EU referendum, in which 52 per cent backed leaving, while 48 per cent supported remaining, indicating a cautious approach from some people who voted for Brexit.

It also comes after International Trade Secretary Liam Fox used a speech this week to underline how the UK could become a fully independent member of the World Trade Organisation after leaving the EU, indicating that he backs a hard Brexit.

The speech was delivered amid a drive by other Tories to push Ms May into a more moderate position on immigration and access to the single market.

Last week, extracts were published from a book written by Sir Craig Oliver, claiming that Ms May had done little to back Mr Camerons bid to stay in the EU.

The new BMG research suggests many people in the country hold the same view. Respondents were asked to choose one of four words  strongly, passionately, weakly, or passively  to describe Ms Mays support for Remain. Just 12 per cent said strongly, while 21 per cent said passionately. But a large proportion  43 per cent  said the then Home Secretary had only supported Remain weakly, and a further 24 per cent said she acted passively.

 Boris Johnson never wanted Brexit and only backed Leave to become heir apparent to Tory throne

It is an indication of how angry Ms Mays camp was with Sir Craigs attack that he will be charged the full commercial price of almost 1,500 to attend Tory conference this year.

Ms May has gone to great lengths since coming to power to differentiate herself from her predecessor, sacking many of his supporters from the front bench and adopting policies like grammar schools that Mr Cameron eschewed.

The claim in her speech launching the education policy, that she will act for the working class, appears to have had some impact. Asked to choose between the former and current prime minister on who they thought was more concerned about working class people, 70 per cent backed Ms May while only 30 per cent said Mr Cameron.

When asked who was more concerned about children from poorer backgrounds, a similar answer emerged with 69 per cent backing Ms May and 31 per cent Mr Cameron.

On immigration, the issue that was arguably the undoing of Mr Cameron, 59 per cent said Ms May was more concerned and 41 per cent said her predecessor.

The question that could really sting Mr Cameron was when people were asked which politician is/was more concerned with their career.

Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Show all 12 1 /12 Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A woman poses with a home-made European Union flag as Remain supporters gather on Park Lane in London to show their support for the EU in the wake of Brexit PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Remain supporters demonstrate in Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Tens of thousands of people gathered to protest the result of the EU referendum PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A majority of people in the capital voted to remain in the European Union Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Protesters chanted: What do we want to do? Stay in the EU PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The march follows a similar rally in Trafalgar Square that was cancelled due to heavy rain  but which tens of thousands of people turned up to anyway Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum by 52 per cent to 48 per cent Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London But support for the Leave campaign in urban areas and among young people was significantly lower Rex features Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Marchers gathered at Park Lane at 11am and marched towards Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Some protesters held up baguettes in a display of affection for our continental neighbours PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The disparity between different parts of the country has promoted a four million signature petition calling for a second referendum and even a renewed push for Scotland to cede from the UK PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The events organiser, Kings College graduate Kieran MacDermott, wrote: We can prevent Brexit by refusing to accept the referendum as the final say and take our finger off the self-destruct button" Reuters

In his book titled Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story Of Brexit, Sir Craig, who won his knighthood in Mr Camerons controversial resignation Honours List, noted: Amid the murder and betrayal of the campaign, one figure stayed very still at the centre of it all  Theresa May. Now she is the last one standing.

But the BMG poll showed 65 per cent of people actually believe it is Sir Craigs boss who cared more for his own career, compared to just 35 per cent who went for Ms May.

Source Note: BMG surveyed 1,059 UK adults online between 27-30 September. Full details of the poll can be found at www.bmgresearch.co.uk/polling  BMG are members of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules
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Iain Duncan Smith has hit out at lazy British businesses who hire employees from the European single market instead of training someone from the UK to do the job.

The former work and pensions secretary and Brexit campaigner told the International Business Times that EU freedom of movement had led to firms failing to invest in their workforce.

Mr Duncan Smiths comments come weeks after newly appointed International Trade Secretary Liam Fox branded British business fat and lazy.

Recommended Read more Theresa May defends keeping Brexit negotiation details secret from MPs

Most of the EU influx is in low-skilled work, 80 per cent, and thats where its done all the damage to peoples salaries and incomes at the bottom. It's also made British business rather lazy, just going out and hiring somebody from somewhere and not training them up, the former Tory leader said.

So theres going to be a cultural shift for business, they are going to have to apply for work permits.

Mr Duncan Smith caused controversy in 2010 when he made similar comments about unemployed people living in Merthyr Tydfil. He told them to get on a bus to find work.

Dr Fox had previously told supporters of the Conservative Way Forward group: This country is not the free trading nation that it once was. We have become too lazy, and too fat on our successes in previous generations.

The latest contribution from Mr Duncan Smith comes as Prime Minister Theresa May set out a new timetable for triggering Article 50. She said she do this before March 2017, heralding the start of formal Brexit negotiations.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

Though Ms May has repeatedly said there will be controls on immigration from the EU she has yet to lay out details about what exactly this will entail.

Whether British businesses will retain access to the single market is not entirely clear either, though the leaders of other EU countries have said immigration controls are not consistent with membership of the trading bloc.

Ms May will this morning set out further details about Brexit in a speech to the Tory conference in Birmingham. She will appear alongside Foreign Secretary Boris Johson, Brexit Secretary David Davis, and Dr Fox.
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Theresa May has defended her plan to keep key details of the EU exit negotiations secret from Britains Parliament.

The Prime Minister said that though MPs would be informed at various stages, they would not be privy to precisely what her negotiators were doing.

Last month Brexit Secretary David Davis told a Parliamentary Committee that he would not be able to tell you everything, even in private.

The approach is a stark contrast to the course being set by the EU, with plans reportedly being formed to keep the European Parliament informed with regular updates.

Questioned on the secrecy ahead of the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister said transparency could jepordise Britains negotiating position.

First of all, of course parliament will be involved in this process. The Great Repeal Bill, Parliament will be having its say on that, she told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show.

Of course at various stages we will be keeping parliament informed. This is not about keeping silent for two years but its about making sure that we are able to negotiate, that we dont set out all the cards in our negotiation.

Because as anybody will know whos been involved in these things, if you do that up front, or if you give a running commentary you dont get the right deal. What Im determined to do is get the right deal for Britain.

Her defence comes as the PM sets out the timescale for the triggering of Article 50. Ms May said she would start negotiations sometime in the first quarter of 2017  no earlier and no later.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

She also this morning outlined details of a so-called Great Repeal Bill that would by Act of Parliament confirm that EU law no longer applied to the UK.

Ms May will speak alongside her Brexit cabinet ministers at Tory conference this afternoon, on the subject of leaving the EU.

She will also address the annual gathering again on Wednesday in a closing keynote speech.
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Theresa May is risking a new Tory war over Europe after she wrenched open party divisions by signalling she backs a hard Brexit with controls on immigration at its core.

In her opening speech to the Conservative conference the Prime Minister unveiled a far tougher stance than she has previously taken on EU withdrawal, and even directly attacked those who want a compromise deal to allow the UK single market access.

Within hours several MPs and two former Cabinet ministers had rounded on the Prime Minister, while a senior Peer warned of a revolt in the Lords.

A group of around 80 pro-EU Tories also met at a fringe event vowing to be the resistance against what was branded the total abandonment and total recklessness of a hard Brexit.

Pro-EU MPs have been urging Ms May to do everything possible to preserve access to the single market to the greatest degree possible, with many arguing for full access.

But speaking to delegates, she claimed the MPs are looking at things the wrong way. She said she wanted a Brexit deal to include cooperation on law enforcement and counter-terrorism, to involve free trade and to give British companies the maximum freedom to operate in the single market.

Then she went on: But let me be clear. We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again. And we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

 Theresa May on immigration in conference speech

She then turned her fire on those calling for Parliament to have more involvement in the Brexit process, questioning their motives. She said: [They] are not standing up for democracy, theyre trying to subvert it. Theyre not trying to get Brexit right, theyre trying to kill it by delaying it. They are insulting the intelligence of the British people.

Taking aim at those calling for a second referendum, she said: Even now, some politicians  democratically elected politicians  say that the referendum isnt valid, that we need to have a second vote.

Others say they dont like the result, and theyll challenge any attempt to leave the European Union through the courts  oh, come on. The referendum result was clear. It was legitimate.

Former health secretary Stephen Dorrell said focussing negotiations that were about economic policy on immigration would be an odd move. He went on: Its the wrong way to go about the negotiation to say that one objective be pursued to the detriment of others. To pursue a pure objective on immigration  that way lies madness.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

Ex-education secretary Nicky Morgan said: At the moment it looks like it's more in favour of tackling immigration than the single market. Throwing access to the single market away because immigration is part of the negotiation would be a big mistake. It would damage the economy, and that damages all of us.

At a fringe meeting shortly after the speech, Stroud MP Neil Carmichael told guests: We would be reckless if we did not challenge some of the consequences of a hard, or harsh, Brexit. Because we have got to understand that, if it is a hard Brexit, it is also a harsh Brexit.

We must avoid, at all costs, a Brexit that damages our economy, damages our capacity as a nation to perform capably in the future and actually damages Europe.

Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry, a former minister and supporter of the Open Britain campaign, warned against the Government being gung-ho. She cautioned that Ms May risked millions of jobs if she handled the negotiations badly and stated that any Brexit deal will need the consent of Parliament.

Ms May gave her speech after announcing that she would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, launching Brexit negotiations, by March 2017 and that the Government would simultaneously introduce a Great Repeal Bill to end the EUs authority in the UK on day one of its departure.

But while Ms May is determined not to give Parliament a say on Article 50, the Great Repeal Bill will need to pass through both the Commons and the Lords, where most politicians oppose Brexit.

Insiders believe the Government may be able to whip the vote through the Commons, but in the Lords the Tories are already in a minority and even some Conservative Peers are unhappy.

One said: There are people who are worried that if the Lords pushes back on this, it could be the end of the Lords.

"But the Lords has to be reformed anyway, it has to happen. There are far too many of us. So some of us don't see that as an impediment."
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Right then. Get on with the job. Thats the May way. Get the Brexit thing over and done with on day one and then onward to the domestic stuff that no ones voted for. In that sense, the four day Tory conference of 2016 will be a microcosm of the four year May administration. Rush through Brexit in as quick and kamikaze a fashion as possible, then save the electoral day with some guaranteed Ukip-friendly vote winners. Test the water with grammar schools, ramp it up with a bit of pledging to spend the international aid budget on repatriating prisoners (a genuine policy announcement on Sunday from Priti Patel). The election's not for four years. Don't imagine chemical castration for paediatricians is off the table.

Out they all came, on the stage in Birmingham, one by glorious one. May, Davis, Johnson, Fox. Not Liam Fox of course, that would be too risky, but as fortune would have it the MEP for Gibraltar is called Ashley Fox so they wheeled him out instead.

(Liam Fox is on Monday, by the way. What a pity the Tories dont bother with any lefty Labour and Lib Dem nonsense like an on-stage signer for the deaf. They could have saved time by deploying a Number 10 Press officer to stand stage left live-denying his every word in semaphore.)

 Theresa May say's 'come on' towards politicians trying to reverse Brexit

What they did have stage-left was half a Union Jack lovingly reimagined in teal. This is what you get when you put a huskie-hugging PR man in charge of the party for a decade. (No sign of him by the way). But it was a fitting enough metaphor. A gentle nod to the half-Britain they have planned for us all. A vision of the nation they are by no means done debasing.

A gentle skim of the fringe calendar reveals somewhere in the region of 90 events dedicated to discussing what Brexit means. Why they are bothering we do not know. Ms May hadnt been on stage for more than two minutes before she had again reaffirmed it with her trademark blinding clarity. Brexit means Brexit and were going to make a success of it, she said. They clapped like mad. Some of them even stood. If Johnson is a comedian politician, May is a rock star. She knows theyre not here for the new material. Give them the greatest hits.

The next item on the set list was almost as classic as the last. We will not be able to give a running commentary, or a blow by blow account of what will happen in the negotiations, she boomed. Again, they clapped. She knows as well as anyone, the fatal consequences of saying what you actually want before you know what youve got, otherwise you won't be able to pretend the two are the same.

Every stray word, hyped up media report is going to make it harder for us to strike the right deal for Britain, she continued, a gentle nod towards the key strategic goal of Brexit - to make sure blame for its failure is properly apportioned in advance.

The afternoons chief motif was to repackage the nations current successes as reasons for the urgent need of fundamental transformation, and May did her bit on this front. The fifth biggest economy in the world is your entry-level duplicity here, and it fell like dung from the mouths of almost every speaker. On a personal note, over the summer, a friends four year-old won a prize for the Third Biggest Sandcastle on Aldeburgh beach. So proud was he of his achievements, I have been told, that he refused to kick it down. If only such deep thinking was not beyond the capacities of our political leaders.

 Theresa May asked why she sacked George Osborne

The Prime Minister praised the Japanese purchase of ARM, the biggest ever investment in Britain, but wisely chose not to mention the fact that, in the middle of the night on June 23rd, the price of the worlds most important microchip designing company dropped by ten per cent, or 3bn, in twenty minutes, transforming the world's fifth largest economy into a TK Maxx for foreign asset strippers. And given that the rest of her speech was a barely coded plan to pull Britain out of the single market, she also didnt mention the other British based Japanese companies, Nissan for example, who are threatening to sue for compensation if she does so - which she will.

After Brexit, Britain, she said, would have the right to label its own food', a clear admission that we are to depart from regulatory convergence and thus leave the single market. Not the Norway model, then, Not the Swiss model. But the North Korean one. All sovereignty restored.

David Davis was next, who strode on to the stage as if carried aloft on a mushroom cloud of his own ego. A fitting metaphor in fact, as he spoke for twenty minutes never for a second shifting from the impression of a man semi-drunk on the self-satisfaction of his own farts.

Why he was reading out an old his own O Level history homework he did not say, but apparently the rest of Europe loves the EU because its saved them from domination and dictatorship but Britain, the worlds oldest liberal democracy, never saw the EU that way.

Its total rubbish, of course, but whats worse is that the microscopic grain of truth within it confirms the opposite. Four hundred unrivalled years of political stability, good governance and the rule of law all went up with the bomb Davis placed under them on June 23rd. Down goes another sandcastle.

Naturally, they clapped like crazy for Boris Johnson. That he spent last week posing for awkward photographs with the same Turkish President he recently branded a goat-shagger in limerick form for no higher purpose than to ensure nepotistic victory in a poetry competition put on by a magazine he used to edit, might, you would have thought, have taught him a harsh lesson in the necessities of diplomacy.

As he opened with a series of jokes at the expense of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, one had to conclude he had not.

They whooped and cheered as Foreign Secretary Johnson described working in the Foreign Office, 'a buidling with more guilt bling than the Kardashians.' They are, he said, 'The rooms from which an Empire seven times the size of the Roman Empire was controlled.

From these rooms, 178 nations of the world we either conquered or invaded, he said, to the loudest cheer of the day.

But those days are over, he said. Silence. They were not expecting that.

What we have now, apparently, is soft power.

Up the creeks and inlets of every continent on earth there go the gentle kindly gunboats of British soft power captained by Jeremy Clarkson - a prophet more honoured abroad, alas, than in his own country, he purred. Or JK Rowling, who is worshipped by young people in some Asian countries as a kind of divinity.

Perhaps its ungenerous to point out - as another sandcastle went crashing down - that it is difficult for claims on soft power to be made by a man who has done more than any other to trash the reputation of his nation in every corner of the world. It might also be unfair. After all, thanks to him, Britain has plenty of new friends now, and if Donald Trump could just make it to the White House, and Marine Le Pen to the Elysees Palace too, then things will already be looking up.

Not that any of this matters. They were on their feet as he made his way off stage, sloping past the teal demi-flag. Party conferences always have a touch of the North Korea about them. But rarely more than this one.
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Travellers are used to lost luggage, booking errors and on-board delays - but now an American airline is being sued for mixing up two children and sending them to the wrong cities.

One of the boys mothers has filed a lawsuit against JetBlue Airways for the mistake, saying she suffered great emotional distress, extreme fear, horror, mental shock, mental anguish and psychological trauma.

Maribel Martinez said she was shocked when her five-year-old son, Andy Martinez, failed to turn up at John F Kennedy international airport in New York as she waited to meet him on 17 August. Her son had instead been put on a flight to Logan airport in Boston, Massachusetts  215 miles away.

To make matters worse, JetBlue staff escorted Andy to a woman he had never seen before, having told him he was being reunited with his mother.

Meanwhile, another boy who was supposed to be flying to Boston had been put on the flight to New York that Andy was meant to be on. He was presented to Ms Martinez at the airport as her son, leading her to inform airline staff that she had never seen the boy before.

The world's 10 worst airlines Show all 10 1 /10 The world's 10 worst airlines The world's 10 worst airlines 10. Jet AirHelp, has assessed more than 30 airlines using scores for quality of service, on-time performance and responses to claims for compensation. Here follows the lowest ranked airlines, starting with Jet Airways, 35% of whose flights were delayed in 2018 Getty The world's 10 worst airlines 9. Aerolineas Argentinas 15% of Aerolineas Argentinas flights were delayed in 2018 Getty The world's 10 worst airlines 8. Iberia 16% of Iberia flights were delayed in 2018 Getty Images The world's 10 worst airlines 7. Korean Air 36% of Korean Air flights were delayed in 2018 Getty The world's 10 worst airlines 6. Ryanair 14% of Ryanair flights were delayed in 2018 EPA The world's 10 worst airlines 5. Air Mauritius 31% of Air Mauritius flights were delayed in 2018 Getty The world's 10 worst airlines 4. easyJet 21% of easyJet flights were delayed in 2018 AFP/Getty Images The world's 10 worst airlines 3. Pakistan International Airlines 39% of Pakistan International Airlines were delayed in 2018 Getty The world's 10 worst airlines 2. Royal Jordanian Airlines 13% of Royal Jordanian Airlines flights were delayed in 2018 Getty The world's 10 worst airlines 1. WOW Air 25% of WOW Air flights were delayed in 2018 Getty

The boy had even been given Andys passport to travel with.

Both Andy and the other, unnamed boy were flying from Cibao international airport in the Dominican Republic.

JetBlue Airways sent Andy Martinez (centre) to the wrong airport and presented his mother, Maribel (right) with a different boy. (AP)

It took three hours for JetBlue to sort out what had happened and allow Andy and his mother to speak to each other on the phone. Ms Martinez said at the time she thought he had been kidnapped and that she would never see him again.

Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from JetBlue. Her lawyer, prominent New York attorney Sanford Rubenstein, said Ms Martinez hoped to shine a light on JetBlues practices and prevent a similar mistake happening again. This never should have happened and the JetBlue employees should be ashamed of themselves, Mr Rubenstein told the New York Daily News.

A JetBlue Airways spokesman said the company did not comment on pending litigation.
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The brother of the first victim of a hate crime following the 9/11 terrorist attacks has told his murderer he forgives him.

Balbir Singh Sodhi, the owner of a petrol station in Arizona, was shot dead while planting flowers outside his shop four days after planes flew into the Twin Towers in 2001.

Mr Sodhi, an American-Sikh, was wearing a turban and was mistaken for a Muslim by Frank Silva Roque, who had previously announced: Im going to go out and shoot some towel-heads.

In the recording of a phonecall between Rana Sodhi and Roque broadcast on the BBC, the convicted killer is heard asking for forgiveness.

We already forgave you, Mr Sodhi says in response, audibly moved.

He said even just after the trial, he did not want his brother's killer dead. He told the media at the time: "I dont want to take his life, this is not [what] my Sikh religion teach[es] me, to take somebodys life.

"He made a mistake. He will regret [it] someday, because my brother was the nicest person in this earth [sic].

"His death changed my life [...] his death changed so many peoples life [sic].

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Sodhi was the first in a long line of hate crime killings following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The emotional exchange between the men was recorded as part of a project that seeks to fight against a rise of hate crime in America founded by Valerie Kaur, a civil rights activist.
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Police shot dead a black teenager in front of his younger sister in a killing that has sparked angry protests in Los Angeles.

Officers from the citys police department said Carnell Snell Jr was killed after they noticed the car he was travelling in had a paper licence plate and believed the vehicle may have been stolen.

While in pursuit the police claim the 18-year-old got out of the vehicle with another man and started to flee.

Sergeant Barry Montgomery said they chased Mr Snell Jr to the back of a house, where they shot him.

The other man, believed to have been the driver of the car, fled the scene and is currently on the run.

Sgt Montgomery said a gun was removed from the scene, but Mr Snell Jrs family deny he was armed.

His younger sister, Trenell Snell, said she was sitting with friends outside the house when she saw her brother running from police.

She said she began to run as well and heard gunfire. She dropped to the ground and saw her brother was being handcuffed on the ground.

At the end of the day, the cops came and shot my brother, she said. Killed my brother.

Mr Snells mother, Monique Morgan, told reporters she had asked authorities to let her see the her sons body to confirm it was him, but claimed her request had been refused.

In a tearful interview with ABC News, Ms Morgan repeatedly begged police to let her see her son.

LA police said they did not know exactly what happened during the incident and that they were currently at the early stages of an investigation.

Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte Show all 7 1 /7 Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte Police officers clash with protesters after police fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Charlotte REUTERS Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte Charlotte Police officers were searching the apartment complex for a suspect with an outstanding warrant when they gunned down Scott. The victim was not the person they were originally trying to find REUTERS Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte The shooting occurred at 4 pm on 20 September, a day after police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, released video showing the shooting death of Terence Crutcher by one of their officers REUTERS Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte Scott reportedly exited his vehicle at his apartment complex, but got back inside when he saw officers. The police report said Scott then re-emerged from his vehicle armed with a firearm and posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers REUTERS Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte Police officers wearing riot gear block a road during protests REUTERS Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte Police identified two-year veteran Brentley Vinson as the officer who fired the shots. A law enforcement source told WBTV that Mr Vinson is African American REUTERS Police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparks riots in Charlotte Protesters demonstrate in front of police officers REUTERS

As news of the shooting spread, protests erupted around the crime scene as the family described Mr Snell Jr as respectful young man who liked skateboarding and loved his family.

One protester at the scene, Tia Gonzalez, 36, told the Los Angeles Times she had come because she knew the community was going to be hurting.

She criticised the recent spate of shootings of black men in the US by police, saying: A police officer should not be the judge, the jury and the executioner.

It comes after days of protests near San Diego, where police shot a black man who was believed to have been behaving erratically.

Meanwhile in Pasadena, California, a black man armed with a knife was shot dead by police, prompting two mostly peaceful protests.

Campaigners, including the Black Lives Matter movement, say police are too cavalier when it comes to pursuing black suspects.

The high-profile deaths of men such as Keith Lamont Scott and Terence Crutcher have prompted calls for prosecutions of the police officers involved.
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The Colombian public has voted by a narrow margin to reject the governments peace deal with Farc, near-complete results show, delaying an official end to the war with the Marxist guerilla group that has spanned the last six decades.

The referendum vote came less than a week after Colombias president, Juan Manuel Santos, signed a much-vaunted peace agreement with the Farc leader known as Timochenko, apparently resolving at last a conflict in which more than 200,000 people have been killed since 1964.

The signing ceremony, the culmination of four years of negotiations in Havana, was attended by world leaders including US Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Raul Castro, the President of Cuba.

The European Union announced it would remove Farc  whose full name is The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  from its blacklist of global terror groups. We must end a 52-year war and open the way to peace, Mr Santos said as he cast his vote. Peace is the way to ensure our children and grandchildren have a better country.

Polls had previously suggested the peace deal would pass easily, but with more than 99 per cent of the vote counted, the public appeared to have decided against an end to the western hemispheres longest-running war by the slimmest of margins. Just 50.24% voted against and 49.75 per cent voted for the peace, according to near-complete results.

The accord would have seen some 7,000 Farc fighters giving up their weapons and re-integrating into Colombian civil society, along with 17,000 non-combatants also affiliated with the group, which was set to form a legitimate political party.

Yet many Colombians expressed discontent with the peace, given the human rights abuses perpetrated by both sides during the conflict: the guerrillas sexually enslaved women and kidnapped civilians for ransom; right-wing paramilitaries affiliated with the army were responsible for multiple extrajudicial killings.

The No camp was led by the popular former president Alvaro Uribe, whose father was murdered by Farc. Mr Uribe expressed outrage that the deal permitted rebel leaders to enter the countrys parliament without serving jail sentences first.

Both sides have said they have no Plan B if the peace agreement is not ratified by the referendum.
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Authorities in Haiti and at the US naval base at Cubas Guantanamo Bay have begun mass evacuations as the most powerful hurricane to hit the Atlantic basin in almost a decade inched across the Caribbean this weekend.

Hurricane Matthew threatens to make landfall as early as Sunday in southern Haiti, where residents were being evacuated from outlying islands to evade the worst effects of the storm, which threatens to bring 150mph winds and 100cm of rain to some regions.

The poorest nation in the Americas, Haiti is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake. The government has opened some 1,300 emergency shelters capable of accommodating 340,000 people during the storm.

Meanwhile, Matthew is also expected to strike the southern coast of Jamaica, where residents of Kingston, the countrys capital, reportedly rushed to supermarkets over the weekend to stock up on emergency supplies.

It has been chaos, shopkeeper Melain Azan told the BBC. We have been (selling an) unbelievable amount of kerosene lamps, flashlights, battery radios, plastic containers, tarpaulins, candles  you name it.

By Tuesday, the storm is set to land in eastern Cuba, where President Raul Castro was overseeing preparations in Santiago, AP reported. This is a hurricane we need to prepare for as if it were twice as powerful as Sandy, Mr Castro said on state television, referring to the 2012 storm that caused widespread destruction in the countrys second-biggest city.

In nearby Guantanamo Bay, the US Navy said it was airlifting around 700 spouses and children to Pensacola, Florida to ride out the storm. Around 6,000 people live at the military base, which is also home to the infamous military prison that still holds 61 alleged terror suspects.

The civilian and military personnel who stay at the base as Matthew moves through will shelter in place and be able to support recovery efforts once safe to do so following the storms passage, the Navy said in a statement.

The strongest storm to strike the region since Hurricane Felix in 2007, Matthew could move on to the Bahamas and even Florida later in the week. On Saturday evening the US National Hurricane Centre ranked it as a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. It had earlier been ranked in the most powerful Category 5.

Matthew already killed one person in St Vincent and the Grenadines earlier this week: a 16-year-old boy, who was crushed by a boulder as he tried to clear a blocked drain.
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A six-year-old boy has died three days after a bullet hit his thigh in a primary school shooting in South Carolina.

Jacob Hall was taken to hospital in critical condition on Wednesday after 14-year-old Jesse Osborne killed his father at their family home before driving to Townville Elementary, shooting Jacob, another six-year-old student and a teacher.

Jacob sustained brain damage from the blood loss and was placed on life support before going into cardiac arrest.

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He died around 1pm on Saturday, according to Anderson County coroner Greg Shore, as reported by New York Daily News.

Gerald Gambrell, Jacobs older brother, wrote on Facebook that "God took his strongest soldier".

"Jacob will be with us forever and always in our hearts. I love you little brother and I cant wait till the day we meet again."

Another brother, Rodger Dale Hall, tod NBC that he heard of the shooting when he was at work, and listened to a local radio host urging people to pray for the victims as he drove to hospital.

"You hear stuff like that on the radio but it is never you," he said.

"It's a big difference when you pray for other families and you (are) being prayed for."

Jacob had seven brothers and sisters.

Anti-gun activist group, Sandy Hook Promise, expressed its condolences to Jacob's family.

"We know firsthand the anguish his friends, family, teachers and classmates are facing," they wrote, adding that Townville was another town that had been "forever touched" by gun violence.

The second student and the teacher, Meghan Hollingsworth, that were shot on Wednesday received non-life threatening injuries and were released from hospital shortly after the attack.

The alleged shooter was charged on Friday as a juvenile with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder.

Police have yet to establish a motive of Jesse, who was homeschooled after being suspended from school for bringing a weapon to class.
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Bernie Sanders has defended Hillary Clinton over a leaked recording in which, Republicans claimed, the Democratic presidential nominee had demeaned young voters who supported him. The Vermont Senator, who endorsed Ms Clinton after a hard-fought Democratic primary, said on Sunday that her comments had in fact been absolutely correct.

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The audio recording in question came from a private fundraiser held in February, when Ms Clinton and Mr Sanders were still opponents. Published this week by conservative website the Washington Free Beacon, it featured Ms Clinton describing Millennials as children of the great recession, some of whom were living in their parents basement.

For those who felt consigned to being a barista some other job that doesnt pay a lot and doesnt have some other ladder of opportunity attached to it, she went on, the idea that maybe, just maybe, you could be part of a political revolution is pretty appealing.

Thus the widespread support among young people for Mr Sanders European-style socialism was hardly surprising, Ms Clinton said, adding: I think we should all be really understanding of that and should try to do the best we can to not be a wet blanket on idealism.

While her full remarks suggest empathy for the challenges facing young people in the wake of the economic crisis, Republicans have seized on the speech as an example of the Democratic nominees lack of empathy, claiming she had criticised Millennials as lazy basement-dwellers.

Donald Trumps campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, tweeted that Clinton had been caught again mocking Americans; she hates coal miners, baristas, Sanders idealists.

Polls show the former Secretary of State has struggled to connect with young voters, and many former Sanders supporters have indicated they will cast their ballot for third-party candidates Gary Johnson or Jill Stein, of the Libertarian and Green parties respectively.

Speaking on ABC News, however, Mr Sanders said he agreed wholeheartedly with Ms Clintons sentiments. There are young people who went deeply into debt, worked very hard to get a good education  they are living in their parents basements and thats the point, he said.

Acknowledging that he and Ms Clinton had real differences, Mr Sanders nonetheless insisted they had found common ground on a range of issues including climate change, tax reform, equal pay for women and the influence of money in politics.

The bottom line here is that since the [primary], Secretary Clinton has worked with me, he said, adding: Clinton is far and away the superior candidate.

The leaked audio might have made a greater splash were it not for this weekends revelations regarding Mr Trumps 1995 tax returns, published in part by the New York Times, which showed the property mogul declaring a loss of almost a billion dollars that year.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump was expected to make hay with the Clinton audio recording at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, but instead used the speech to rant about Ms Clintons recent bout of pneumonia, problems with his microphone at the first presidential debate, claims that Ms Clinton wasnt loyal to her husband and unfounded warnings of potential voter fraud.
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Hillary Clintons campaign has responded to a report revealing Donald Trumps 1995 tax return, saying it was a bombshell that uncovered the colossal nature of the tycoons past business blunders.

The Clinton campaign reiterated its call for the billionaire to publish his tax returns in full, something he has repeatedly refused to do. Mr Trump says he will not release the returns because he is under audit, yet there is no rule forbidding candidates from releasing their records.

Following the report, Mr Trump did not deny the allegations that he had not paid federal taxes  instead saying it was his "fiduciary responsibility" as a businessman to pay as little tax as possible.

Ms Clintons campaign manager, Robby Mook, said in a statement: This bombshell report reveals the colossal nature of Donald Trumps past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal income taxes whatsoever.

In one year, Donald Trump lost nearly a billion dollars. A billion. He stiffed small businesses, laid off workers, and walked away from hard working communities.

And how did it work out for him? He apparently got to avoid paying taxes for nearly two decades  while tens of millions of working families paid theirs.

He calls that smart. Now that the gig is up, why doesnt he go ahead and release his returns to show us all how smart he really is.

The 1995 tax return declared a loss so significant that the tycoon may have been able to legally not pay tax to the federal government for 18 years, The New York Times reported.

According to tax experts, Mr Trumps $916 million loss would have allowed him to cancel out an equivalent amount to taxable income until 2013.

The leak threatens to derail the Republican candidate's Presidential bid just weeks before the election on 8 November.

Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States Show all 11 1 /11 Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby kisses a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby looks at a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby takes a picture of a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: People gather around a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: People gather around a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby hugs a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle.(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby has a picture taken with a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 18: A passerby has a picture taken with a statue depicting republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the nude on August 18, 2016 in San Francisco, United States. Anarchist collective INDECLINE has created five statues depicting Donald Trump in the nude and placed them in five U.S. cities on Thursday morning. The statues are in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: Park authorities haul away a statue of a naked GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump that appeared in Union Square Park this morning on August 18, 2016 in New York City. The illegally placed statue drew hundreds of curious onlookers, who took selfie picture with the statue, which was signed "Ginger." A published report attributed the work to the anarchist collective INDECLINE, which titled the project "The Emperor Has No B--s." (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: A molded foot is all that remains of a statue of naked GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump that appeared in Union Square Park this morning on August 18, 2016 in New York City. The illegally placed statue drew hundreds of curious onlookers, who took selfie picture with the statue, which was signed "Ginger." A published report attributed the work to the anarchist collective INDECLINE, which titled the project "The Emperor Has No B--s." (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Naked Donald Trump Statue Appears Across The States NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: Park authorities haul away a statue of a naked GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump that appeared in Union Square Park this morning on August 18, 2016 in New York City. The illegally placed statue drew hundreds of curious onlookers, who took selfie picture with the statue, which was signed "Ginger." A published report attributed the work to the anarchist collective INDECLINE, which titled the project "The Emperor Has No B--s." (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images

During the Presidential debate, Ms Clinton speculated as to the reason why Mr Trump's would not publish the returns. She said they may reveal he "was not as rich as he says he is", "not as charitable as he claims to be", or that he paid "nothing in federal taxes".

Mr Trump replied: "That makes me smart."

In a statement issued on Saturday night, the Trump campaign said: The only news here is that the more than 20-year-old alleged tax document was illegally obtained, a further demonstration that the New York Times, like establishment media in general, is an extension of the Clinton campaign, the Democratic party and their global special interests.

Mr Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required.

 Donald Trump does impression of Hillary Clinton faint

That being said, Mr Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions.

Mr Trump was criticised for delivering an "angry" tirade during a speech, which deviated wildly from his script during a speech in Pennsylvania.

During the speech he mocked Ms Clinton: imitating how she stumbled when she became ill at a 9/11 memorial service.
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Two of Donald Trumps top campaign surrogates have described the Republican presidential nominee as a genius following the revelation that he declared a loss of almost a billion dollars on his 1995 income tax return.

Hes a genius, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told ABC News on Sunday. Absolute genius... This is a perfectly legal application of the tax code. And he wouldve been fool not to take advantage of it.

The Trump campaign has threatened legal action against the New York Times, which on Saturday published a portion of the property moguls 1995 tax returns, posted to the newspaper by an anonymous source.

The pages showed Mr Trump declared a $916m loss after several financial disasters including a failed airline venture and three underperforming Atlantic City casinos, which, the Times noted, could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie touted the story as evidence of Mr Trumps financial know-how, telling Fox News, Theres no one whos shown more genius in their way to manoeuvre about the tax code.

Messrs Christie and Giuliani were at pains to point out that Mr Trumps offsetting of his vast losses against future income was entirely legal. The Clinton campaign and other opponents of the Republican nominee have suggested the documents show he is not the expert businessman he claims, and that he has failed to pay his fair share.

 Trump's Tax returns explained

Trump is a billion-dollar loser who wont release his taxes because theyll expose him as a spoiled, rich brat who lost the millions he inherited from his father, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement.

Mr Trump is still refusing to release his tax returns, but his campaign not deny the substance of the New York Times report in a statement released on Saturday. Mr Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required, the statement said.

That being said, Mr Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions.

During the first presidential debate on Monday, Mr Trumps rival Hillary Clinton posited several theories regarding his reluctance to release his returns, including that he pays little or no income tax, that he is worth less than he claims, or that he overstates his charitable giving.
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In a living room in western Pennsylvania, the Republican National Convention was on TV, and Melanie Austin was getting impatient.

Whos that guy? she said, watching some billionaire talk about prosperity and tolerance. Prosperity and tolerance? Forget that sh.

She lit a cigarette. Her boyfriend, Kevin Lisovich, was next to her on the couch, drifting to sleep, a pillow over his head. On the ottoman was her cellphone, her notes on the speakers so far  LOCK HER UP!! she had written  and the anti-anxiety pills she kept in a silver vial on her keychain.

She was a 52-year-old woman who had worked 20 years for the railroad, had once been a Democrat and was now a Republican, and counted herself among the growing swath of people who occupied the fringes of American politics but were increasingly becoming part of the mainstream.

Like millions of others, she believed that President Obama was a Muslim. And like so many she had gotten to know online through social media, she also believed that he was likely gay, that Michelle Obama could be a man, and that the Obama children were possibly kidnapped from a family now searching for them.

So beautiful, Melanie said as Ivanka Trump walked onto the convention stage to introduce her father, and soon the soaring score of the movie Air Force One was blasting through the TV. Melanie sat up straighter. This is what she had been waiting for.

Here comes Big Daddy, she said, clapping. The Donald. Big Daddy.

Kevin was snoring.

Here he is, babe, she said. Donalds here, babe.

Trump walked onto the stage, chanting U-S-A! U-S-A!

Thats right, Donald  USA, baby, Melanie said to the Republican nominee for president, who began his speech by marveling at all the Americans who had gotten him here.

Who would have believed that when we started this journey on June 16th of last year we  and I say we, because we are a team  would have received almost 14 million votes? Trump said, looking out on the cheering crowd.

I would, Melanie said to the TV. I would, Donald.

***

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks July 21, the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

The first time she had seen him, at a rally in June, she was just beginning to realize how many people saw the world the way she did, that she was one among millions. At the time, her hips were still sore from a series of injections intended to calm her. She had gotten them in February, during a difficult time in her life, when she had been involuntarily hospitalized for several weeks after what she called a rant, a series of online postings that included one saying that Obama should be hanged and the White House fumigated and burned to the ground. On her discharge papers, in a box labeled medical problem, a doctor had typed homicidal ideation.

Melanie thought the whole thing was outrageous. She wasnt a person with homicidal ideation. She was anxious, sure. Enraged, definitely. But certainly not homicidal, and certainly not in need of a hospital stay.

It never crossed my mind that Im losing it, she said several months after her release, and a big reason for this conviction was the rise of Donald Trump, who had talked about so many of the things she had come to believe  from Obama being a founder of the terrorist group ISIS, to Hillary Clinton being a co-founder, to the idea that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia may have been murdered in a White House plot involving a prostitute and a pillow.

They say they found a pillow on his face, which is a pretty unusual place to find a pillow, Trump had told the talk-radio host Michael Savage, who was using his show to explain the scenario to his 5 million weekly listeners, who then spread it on Facebook, where it wound up in Melanies feed.

US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures President Barack Obama embraces Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on stage at the party's convention in Philadelphia US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump's wife Melania delivered a speech at the GOP convention in Cleveland that was later found to have been cribbed in part from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton talks to reporters aboard her new campaign plane on Labour Day, 5 September, her first 'press conference' since 2015 (Getty Images) US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump held a joint press conference with Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City in August, hours before reiterating his harsh immigration plans at a campaign rally in Arizona Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Bernie Sanders officially endorsed Hillary Clinton, saying his progressive vision for a transformed America would be best served by the defeat of Donald Trump Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Khizr and Gazala Khan appeared at the DNC to slam Trump for his stance on Muslim immigration, citing the case of their son Humayun Khan, who was killed in combat while serving as a Captain in the US Army in Iraq US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is doing better in polls than any third party candidate since Ross Perot, 20 years ago Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Green Party candidate Jill Stein (centre) marches with supporters in Colorado AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine at a rally in Kaine's home state in July, days before Ms Clinton tapped him to be her running mate Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Trump on the campaign trail with his vice presidential pick, Indiana governor Mike Pence AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage appears at a Trump rally in Mississippi in August, where he told the crowd that he 'wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me'.

To Melanie, this was the glory of the 2016 presidential election. The truth about so many things was finally being accepted, from the highest levels of the Republican Party on down to the grass roots of America, where so many people like her didnt care what some fact-checker said, much less that one day Trump would suggest that Obama wasnt born in America, and on another say maybe he was.

More and more, she was meeting people who felt the same as she did, joining what amounted to a parallel world of beliefs that the Trump campaign had not so much created as harnessed and swept into the presidential election. As Melanie saw it, what she had posted about Obama was no different from what a New Hampshire state legislator and Trump campaign adviser had said about Hillary Clinton, that she should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.

If its time to lock me up, its time to lock up the world, Melanie remembered thinking when she had heard that.

And so when she was released from the hospital with instructions to maintain a healthy lifestyle, she did what seemed to her not only healthy but also patriotic. She began campaigning for Trump.

Trumpslide 2016! she posted on Facebook a few days after she got home in March.

Lets build a winning team and GREAT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!! #Vote for #Donald #Trump for #President! she posted in May. #STOPHILARYCLINTON #STOPBERNIESANDERS #SHUTUPMITTROMNEY.

 Donald Trump does impression of Hillary Clinton faint

In June, Melanie heard that Trump was holding a rally in an airplane hangar near Pittsburgh, so off she and Kevin went. On a blazing Saturday afternoon, her red Make America Great Again hat bobbed amid the thousands streaming past hawkers selling Trump that Bitch T-shirts and Bomb the Shit Out of ISIS buttons and a man handing out pamphlets about the apocalypse.

Melanie took one to fan herself, and she and Kevin found a spot in the crowd. She looked around.

I feel so inspired and uplifted! she yelled over the blasting music.

We need hope! yelled Kevin, and soon the Air Force One theme began swelling as Donald Trumps Boeing 757 rolled into view.

We want Trump! We want Trump! the crowd began chanting.

There he is! Melanie yelled as Trump stepped out of his plane. Oh, yeah! Donaaaald!

Her voice blended into the thunderous cheers, but as Trump began speaking, and people quieted down, hers became the lone voice calling out from the crowd.

Boo! Booooo! she yelled when Trump referred to Crooked Hillary.

Traitoooor! she yelled when Trump mentioned Obama.

And when Trump was saying how great it was going to be on Election Day  If you pull the right trigger, were going to have fun together!  Melanie was the one letting it rip from the back of the airplane hangar.

Yeeeeaaaah! she yelled.

***

Kayakers row along the Monongahela River in front of Brownsville Marine Products, a barge factory in Brownsville, Pa., where Austin has spent most of her life. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

A month later, she was backing out of the driveway of her house, a gray-sided two-story, the same one in which she grew up. It was late afternoon, and her check-engine light came on.

Oh, thats all I need, she said during another chaotic day.

Her morning had gone by in county court with Kevin, a onetime local council member and firefighter who was now a laid-off production-shift supervisor checking in with a judge about charges related to using someones car without permission.

We had to sit through all these arraignments, Melanie said of the parade of heroin addicts. I couldnt believe all the women they brought in. They had tattoos. Blue and green hair. These are zombies, is what they seem to be.

After that they went to help Kevins son fix his decrepit van. So we tied the muffler up, she said, and that was her day so far. Zombies, a busted muffler and now a check-engine light as she was driving.

Through the windshield was a part of Pennsylvania that is more than 90 percent white, ranks among the worst in the state on indicators such as unemployment and premature death, and is near the top in support for Donald Trump, who got two-thirds of the GOP primary vote in April.

My crappy little corrupt community, was how Melanie described it, speeding past houses with roofs sagging, porches tilting and buildings rotting into overgrown grass. She slowed as she entered the tiny downtown of Brownsville, population 2,292 and shrinking.

My workplace was right there to the left, she said, pointing to where a railroad office once was. It was a big red building. Bunch of offices. I dont miss it one bit, she said, speeding up again. And I have unpleasant thoughts.

She had spent her whole life here. She was raised in a family of coal miners and railroad men, graduated from a technical school, and had been working as a secretary when her sister became sick and asked her to take care of her son temporarily. Needing more money, she started working for the railroad, first as a crew dispatcher and eventually as an engineer, running trains full of coal and equipment.

She was usually the only woman on a crew, but she prided herself on being tough, so when she heard that some higher-up had called a colleague and asked, Whats Austin wearing today, her green miniskirt? Melanie laughed it off. She ignored the boss who she said left a Penthouse magazine on her desk. But then came the sexually explicit graffiti about her in the train toilets, and a male colleagues calling her psycho bitch over the radio, and another male colleagues flying her underwear like a flag off the train  all of which became part of a sexual-harassment lawsuit Melanie filed against the railroads. In 2002, a jury awarded her $450,000 in damages, a verdict overturned by a federal judge who did not question the facts of the case but decided that the matter had been handled appropriately.

Austin has come to blame President Obama for what she considers the decline of her community, the United States and the world. She has been deeply skeptical of him from the start. Nobody knew him! I mean, Dreams from My Father from Kenya? she said, referring to Obamas memoir.

The jury gave me my one moment in the sun as far as justice was concerned, Melanie said. But the politicians are never going to let a little girl slap two Class I railroads, and they didnt.

That was the moment when she began to see so clearly how the world worked, she said, and it wasnt just about the judge. It was about a whole corrupt political system, starting with the governor at the time, Ed Rendell  that dirty, filthy politician I call Swindell  who she figured was in the pocket of the railroads and had influenced the judge.

And it didnt stop there. Rendell was friendly with Bill Clinton, and Melanie was sure it didnt help her case that Clinton was president and embroiled in sex scandals when she began filing complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. To see Slick Willys photo all over, you just wanted to barf, she said.

What could I do? she said, driving along. Nothing. Im just one little girl.

Someone honked.

Oh, be quiet! she yelled out the window.

She was late taking her afternoon anti-anxiety pill.

My anxietys through the roof, she said, and then explained what came after the lawsuit. Her sister became ill with cancer. There were fights with doctors and insurance companies over bills. Her sister died. There was the housing collapse and the banking collapse, and her hours got cut back, and her colleagues were treating her as bad as ever.

Every day was a different scumbum, she said. I couldnt handle one more d-head.

Her anxiety was getting worse and worse, and then one day in 2011, Melanie went to work, and in a moment she cannot recall clearly, ran her train through a red signal. No one was hurt, but she lost her job.

I did cartwheels, she said. I didnt have to endure this s- one more day. Not one more creep crawling up on my engine. Still, its a hell of a transition from working woman, and then now to have to confront PTSD, anxiety and depression.

She went on disability. After a while, she tried to get a job at the local firehouse but came to believe officials were stealing money. She tried to stay on top of her anxiety medication but thought her doctor was committing Medicare fraud. She joined a motorcycle club called Bikers for Christ but found the members to be just filthy old men. And every day there was Brownsville.

When I was a kid, at Christmas time, youd have lights and a big Seasons Greetings banner hung up here, she said. There is none of that now. I dont see much pride in this town. I dont see much pride at all.

Austin often drives through Brownsville and surrounding Fayette County, where abandoned buildings and shuttered businesses abound, and where Donald Trump got nearly 70 percent of the GOP primary vote in April. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

What she did see more and more was not only a collapsing town, but also a collapsing country and world, and when she looked at President Obama, the person presiding over it all, what she saw was someone who seemed to come out of nowhere.

Nobody knew him! I mean, Dreams from My Father from Kenya? Melanie said, referring to Obamas memoir.

To her, the president seemed so far away, so oblivious to the decay she saw around her that when Donald Trump began suggesting that Obama was not American, it made sense. When Trump and others suggested that Obama was Muslim, to Melanie it seemed plausible. And when Obama started talking about, of all things, gay marriage and letting transgender people into bathrooms, it all came together: The president of the United States was a gay Muslim from Kenya working to undermine America.

The more she thought about it, the more certain she became, and with certainty came a feeling of confidence  a sense of liberation that culminated over several days in February, when she decided, Ive been pushed around all Im going to be pushed around, and began unleashing 20 years of feelings online.

Melanie is taking the world by storm! she wrote, alongside a cartoon of herself flying.

Yippeeee! she wrote when Trump pulled ahead in the South Carolina primary.

Have a cup of shut up juice DemTARD! she wrote during a Democratic forum.

OUR NATION IS IN TROUBLE, she wrote two days later. WE ARE STARVING FOR GOOD, HONEST, CARING LEADERSHIP.

She posted the name of a local firehouse official with a circle and a slash through it. She wrote to a local council member, Buzz off blubberlips! She wrote #hangslickwillynow, and in reference to Hillary Clinton, #hangtheskanknow, and then she turned her attention to Obama. The president should be hanged and the White House fumigated and burned to the ground, Melanie wrote, and soon after that, the state police were knocking on her front door.

She was in her nightgown. She was off her anti-anxiety medication. She thought that if she opened the door, the police were going to grab her, so she talked to them through a window.

Oh, they were very placating. Hello, Ms. Austin, how are you today?  she recalled. They couldnt care less how I was today.

The rest of the conversation was a blur, but Melanie remembered that she finally decided there was no use resisting, and as the police led her outside and into the hot back seat of a cruiser, she hummed the old hymn Dont Be Afraid over and over. As she saw it, she was becoming a political prisoner.

Her neighbor John, a childhood friend who was watching the whole thing unfold from his yard, walked over and ducked his head into the police car. He was worried. Melanie told him not to be, that God was in control, and that time will tell the truth. She asked him to take care of her cat, and then the police drove her away.

***

Austin displays the nightgown she was wearing the day that police took her to a hospital after she had posted comments online including one saying that Obama should be hanged. She said her posting was no different from what she reads online all the time. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Four months after that, the Republican convention was underway, and Melanie was online with her 2,795 Facebook friends and 1,430 Twitter followers and all the other people she was meeting every day across America.

(Reuters)

She was in her garage, where she went most mornings at sunrise to say her prayers and check her social media feeds on her phone. She sat at a big picnic table set with some laminated Holy Land place mats she had gotten during a trip to Israel, and under the Christmas lights in the rafters.

Oh, look, she said, reading a headline. A West Virginia member of the House of Delegates says Hillary Clinton should be tried for treason, murder and crimes against the U.S. Constitution and then hung on the Mall in Washington, D.C. 

She scrolled.

I want to find out if hes going to the nut house because of it, she said.

She lit a cigarette and squinted at the screen.

Look at this, she said, pointing to a photo of Michelle Obama with a caption suggesting she is a man. Its everywhere.

And then she began explaining, step by step, how she had come to believe that the first lady might actually be a man named Michael.

She figured it started with the Christian televangelists she had followed since the 1980s. In particular, she loved John Hagee, who had said that the Antichrist would appear as a blasphemer and a homosexual. And Jerry Falwell, who had blamed the Sept. 11 attacks on the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians.

Also, Melanie said, Falwell disclosed that the first Christmas Bill and Hillary spent in the White House, Hillary collected ornaments from homosexuals all over the world. And those ornaments were hung in the White House foyer.

And if that wasnt enough to prove they were anti-Bible, she said, the Clintons went on to support allowing closeted gay people to serve in the military, which she saw as a watershed moment when America began turning away from God.

Then came Obama  Obama and his gay initiatives, she said  and her suspicions about him deepened with each one. First he supported allowing gays to serve openly in the military. Then gay marriage. Then came the one that struck Melanie as the strangest and most sinister of all: allowing transgender people to use bathrooms matching their gender identity.

Its like he wants to classify us  alpha, beta, gamma, delta, she said, referring to the dystopian future described in the novel Brave New World.

As she tried to understand it all, the best explanation she found was that Obama himself must be gay, a notion introduced and reinforced by all sorts of stories and photos and videos showing up in her Facebook feed. Of these, few were more convincing than a video of the late comedian Joan Rivers, which was what brought her to the matter of the first lady.

Here we go, she said now, finding it on her phone.

She read the headline out loud: "Joan Rivers died two months after calling Obama gay and Michelle a transvestite."

And then she scrolled through one YouTube video after another, including a 13-minute 28-second one with more than 1.4 million views that she watched again now. In it, a reporter asks Rivers when America will have its first gay president. We already have it with Obama, so lets just calm down, Rivers says as she walks away, adding, You know Michelle is a tranny. Im sorry, shes a what? the reporter asks. A transgender, Rivers replies. We all know that.

So, Melanie said, explaining why she thought Rivers was serious. There are societies out there, especially in Hollywood, that we dont know about. Joan is in the LGTB community; shes steeped in it. I watch her stuff on E! Anyone knows that.

So, she continued, I think if she comes out and says we already have a gay in the White House and Michelle is a tranny, I mean, do you think shes nuts?

She took a drag on her cigarette.

Well, I dont, she said, and turned her attention to the question of the Obama children.

Lets look, she said, and began googling.

She started with mrconservative.com, where there was a story, headlined Evidence Michelle Obama Never Gave Birth to Malia & Sasha, that said: We have seen pictures of Barack and Michelle dating back far before they had children, like shots from their wedding, but when it comes to what would have been Michelles childbearing years, there is absolutely nothing. Not one picture of her pregnant or with a newborn baby.

US President Barack Obama (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

It continued: Ancestry.com and GenealogyBank.com have no records of Malia or Sasha being born, and also said that Malia and Sasha [bear] little resemblance to their parents, which could very well be because the two girls were adopted, possibly from Morocco. After reading that, Melanie scrolled through links to versions of the story on americasfreedomfighters.com and redflagnews.com and others among the dozens of similar websites that have proliferated in recent years and draw millions of visitors each month. She looked up from her phone.

I think those kids were kidnapped, she said. We should be looking for those kids parents.

Austin is online often, checking her Facebook and Twitter feeds for stories involving the Obamas and the Clintons, many of which come from conspiracy-theory websites. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

She kept scrolling for more evidence.

Obama gay is on Infowars, she said, pausing for a moment on the conspiracy theory website that now had more than 6.9 million U.S. visitors per month and a daily news program hosted by Alex Jones, who had interviewed Donald Trump. I just want to finish by saying your reputations amazing, Trump had told Jones in December. In May, Jones had devoted his show to the possibility that Michelle Obama was born a man, and as the Republican National Convention began, he had hosted a rally attended by Trump adviser Roger Stone. Melanie kept scrolling.

Obama Muslim. Obama ISIS. Christian beheadings. A link to an article on a website called commonsenseshow.com detailing how the U.S. government had imported 30,000 guillotines in preparation for martial law, and explaining that a single guillotine reportedly can chop off the heads of about 100 people per hour, so that in one ten hour day, 30 million people could be executed.

It was afternoon now, and Melanie got herself a glass of iced tea. She thought about the two legislators who had said Hillary Clinton should be executed, and all the memes, and all the stories on all the websites. The more she read, she said, the more certain she was becoming that she was not out of the ordinary, and that her hospitalization, for instance, was just one more example of an increasingly unjust world. She went over it again: the police cruiser, the injections, the medical bills after. Her hips still hurt. Her gait was off. She was almost out of cigarettes.

After a while, her next-door neighbor John stopped by.

John, Melanie said. Do you remember when I was in the police car handcuffed and you came to talk to me?

Yeah, said John, a laid-off coal miner. I didnt know what was going on, to tell you the truth. I said, Well, somethings up. Shes pissed somebody off. 

Melanie asked him, Did you feel I needed to be committed?

John looked at her.

Thats what Randy thought, he said, referring to a neighbor. Hes the one that said being where youre at is the best thing for you.

John, Melanie said. Im on the same meds today that I was on the day they took me out of my house.

Well, John said. Maybe they thought they had to settle your ass down.

There are a lot of people like me, Melanie said. Whats so special about Melanie Austin that she had to be hauled away to the nuthouse?

John didnt answer, and after he left, in the early evening, Melanie put on a CD of Chuck Smith, a 1970s preacher shed long admired who was best known for converting hippies to Christianity.

This is one of the last CDs he made, and its beautiful, she said, turning up the volume on the classic gospel hymn How Great Thou Art.

Thats the moment Im living for right there, When Christ takes me home,  she said, referencing the lyrics. I will say, Thanks for remembering me. 

She kept scrolling. Hillary Clinton murderer. ISIS chops off heads with dull knife.

I do feel happy and blessed, Melanie said, singing, reading on her phone.

She was looking for news about the death of Scalia. She googled Scalia murdered by prostitute, and soon she was awash in stories about secret White House plots and embalmed bodies and the murder of one of the nations most powerful people. Like so many other people around Hillary Clinton, she said. What are we supposed to think?

She finished her last cigarette and listened to a song about surrender. A fan was blowing. The lights were glowing.

So you see, the media, everybody helped me get to February, she said, referring to the day the state police took her off to the hospital. I didnt get there on my own. But Im supposed to be the one to pay the price for it for mouthing off? I need to learn my lesson?

She got up from the table.

Its not that Im some whacked-out whatever, she said. I had a lot of help.

It was almost dark.

Heaven forbid you should get pissed off and say, Up yours,  she said.

She was hungry and thinking about making dinner.

I wonder if Kevin has a cigarette, Melanie said, and went back into the house.

***

Austin comforts Kevin Lisovich, a onetime local councilman and firefighter, after he became upset talking about all the reversals of fortune he has faced in recent years. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

In the living room the next night, the Republican convention was on the TV.

Kevin was asleep on the couch with a pillow over his head, and Trump was on the television accepting the Republican nomination for president.

Praise the Lord, Melanie said.

The crowd roared.

Finally, she said. Someone who thinks like me.

Trump began talking about lawlessness, crisis, terrorism in our cities and how any leader who doesnt grasp this horror is not fit to lead our country.

Amen, Melanie said, clapping quietly on the couch. Theyre traitors.

Safety will be ... Trump said.

Restored, Melanie finished.

We cannot afford to be so politically correct anymore, Trump said.

Thats right; cut the crap, Melanie said.

Killings have risen, he went on.

Mmm hmm, Melanie said.

Illegal immigrants  innocent young girl.  Her killer  now a fugitive, he said.

Kevin jerked awake.

You all right, hon? Melanie said.

Yeah, I was dreaming, Kevin said.

One more child to sacrifice on the altar of open borders, Trump said.

I was kicking someones ass, Kevin said, and drifted back to sleep.

Our roads ..., Trump said.

Are a mess, Melanie finished.

Hillary Clinton, Trump said.

Lock her up, Melanie finished.

Death, destruction, terrorism and weakness, Trump said.

Kevin jerked awake again.

You still fighting? Melanie said to him.

Yeah, he said, groggy.

You winning? she said, but Kevin was drifting off again, and as Trump went on about how the system is rigged, and wounded American families and our own struggling citizens, Melanie said yes, yes, yes, over and over again, until Trump reached the final three words of his speech.

I love you, he said.

He really does love us, Melanie said, and soon, the balloons were dropping, Trump was waving to the crowd, and she was switching off the television. She didnt need to hear any more.

Its finished, she said of the 2016 presidential election, in which she was sure Trump would triumph and more and more people across the country would at last see the truth. "In my head, anyway."

Copyright: Washington Post
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Police in Japan are investigating whether a serial poisoner is responsible for killing as many as 48 elderly patients by injecting disinfectant into their intravenous drips.

Suspicions began after an autopsy showed two elderly patients had been poisoned in Oguchi Hospital, Yokohama.

Sozo Nishikawa and Nobuo Yamaki, both 88, died on 18 and 20 September respectively, after having a drip administered.

Two elderly patients were poisoned at Oguchi Hospital, Yokohama (Google Maps)

Investigators found 10 unused intravenous drip bags with small holes in their rubber seals on the fourth floor of the hospital, where the two elderly patients had died, The Japan Times reports.

Police believe the suspect may be an insider with medical knowledge.

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. 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They are now also investigating the deaths of 46 elderly patients since July, who were being treated on the same floor as the two deceased men.

Hospital staff told the newspaper there had been no outbreaks of infection which could account for the deaths.

The two patients died around a lightly staffed three-day public holiday. The entrance to the hospital was locked and guarded at night.

Last month, a staff members lips became blistered after they consumed a drink that may have been laced with bleach, The Japan Times said in another report.

It is unknown whether the incidents are related.

 Japan knife attack: 19 killed and dozens wounded in care centre stabbing

The investigation comes two months after the killing of 19 people at a facility for the disabled near Tokyo.
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Hungarians were expected to resoundingly reject EU refugee quotas in a referendum on Sunday.

The rejection of the quotas - which would see Hungary resettling a proportion of the Syrian and Iraqi refugees who have arrived in Italy and Greece over the past year - will be a victory for the countrys right-wing prime minister, Viktor Orban, in his long running battle with Brussels.

Opinion polls show support for a rejection of EU migrant quotas of more than 80 percent among those who say they will vote. But they also indicate turnout might not necessarily top the 50 percent required for the poll to be valid.

Voting began at 6am (5am UK time) and ended at 7pm (6pm UK time).

Mr Orban was one of several European leaders who locked down their countries borders last year in open defiance of the Schengen Agreement which requires open borders.

Last year, it built a long razor wire fence along the entire length of its borders with Serbia and Croatia and announced plans in August to build an even stronger fence and employ 3,000 new border hunters to tight control.

Last year, Hungary recorded around 18,000 illegal border crossings as many travel across the country on their way to richer places in the north such as Germany.

In a letter published in a national newspaper, Magyar Idok, on Saturday, Mr Orban urged Hungarian voters to send a message to the EU that its migration policies were flawed and posed a threat to European security.

How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon on the Serbian side of the border, near Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee throws a bottle of water towards Hungarian riot police after they used water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian armoured personnel carriers are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian police spray water cannon on migrants at the "Horgos 2" border crossing into Hungary, Serbia How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee reacts after Hungarian riot police use water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee gestures as Hungarian riot police use water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee throws a stone towards Hungarian riot police after they used water cannon and pepper spray to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon on the Serbian side of the border, near Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Migrants shout slogans as they stand in front of a barrier at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen run as they are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees stand in front of a barrier at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees wait at the Horgos 2 border crossing EPA

He wrote: "We can send the message that it is only up to us, European citizens, whether we can jointly force the Union to come to its senses or let it destroy itself".

Budapest has said immigration policy should be a matter of national sovereignty but human rights groups have accused the government of xenophobia.

On Friday, around 1,500 people demonstrated in Budapest against the referendum.

Recommended Read more Austria could sue Hungary if it refuses to take back refugees

One protester, Zsuzsa Berkesi, said they demonstrated so they "would be less ashamed of ourselves on Sunday night".

In the wake of the Paris attacks in November last year, Mr Oban provoked outrage by claiming that it was an obvious fact that all terrorists are basically migrants.

The strong anti-immigrant rhetoric has gone done well with the Hungarian public and has given Mr Orbans Fidesz party, which has been in power since 2010, a comfortable lead over the opposition.

One Budapest resident, Judit Hegyi, said the country must preserve our Hungarian national character here in the middle of Europe and all the other European states should also preserve their national characters as she picked up a leaflet from a Fidesz stall in the city in the run up to the vote.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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The Hungarian government has failed to achieve a referendum result rejecting EU-imposed quotas on migrant numbers, after an insufficient number of people turned out to vote.

Hungarians overwhelmingly supported the government in a referendum on Sunday called to oppose any mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers, but nearly complete official results showed the ballot was invalid due to low voter turnout.

While the government claimed a sweeping victory, analysts said the result was an embarrassing but not totally catastrophic defeat for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

With 99.25 per cent of the votes counted, more than 3.2 million voters  or 98.3 per cent of those who cast valid ballots  backed the government. But turnout stood at 43.9 per cent, the National Election Office said. Fifty-percent-plus-one-vote was needed for the referendum to be valid.

About four per cent of the votes were spoiled  twice as many as in any of the other four referenda held since 1997  driving down the number of valid votes to just below 40 per cent.

The referendum asked: Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?

Orban's right-wing, anti-immigrant Fidesz party claimed victory immediately after voting stations closed, saying its own projections based on exit polls showed that 95 per cent of voters supported the government position despite an expected turnout of only 45 per cent.

Vice-chairman of Fidesz, Gergely Gulyas, said: Today is a sweeping victory for all those who reject the EU's mandatory, unlimited quotas.

It is a sweeping victory for all those who believe that the foundations of a strong European Union can only be the strong nation states.

At the same time, analysts said the relentless government campaign against the EU's refugee relocation schemes had oversaturated citizens.

Tamas Boros, an analyst at Policy Solutions, a political research and consultancy firm, said: Orban was able to dominate public discourse with an issue in which the majority was on his side.

But it seems he went too far and overestimated how much people's opinions are transformed into votes.

With a weak opposition in parliament and practically limitless campaign spending to promote the government position, the referendum's lack of validity was considered distressing for the government.

Mr Boros added: Considering there was hardly any counter-campaign, that they spent some 50 million euros ($56.1 million) and everyone on the right took up the issues wholeheartedly, it's an embarrassing but not totally catastrophic defeat for Mr Orban.

It is his first national defeat since 2006, the first time in a decade that the prime minister cannot impose his will.

Mr Orban argued that No votes favored Hungary's sovereignty and independence. If a majority of voters agree, Hungary's parliament would pass legislation to advance the referendum's goal whether or not turnout was sufficient for a valid election, he said.

While the referendum has no binding legal consequences for the EU, Mr Orban hoped its passage would increase pressure on Brussels.

He said after casting his own vote: The most important issue next week is for me to go to Brussels, hold negotiations and try with the help of this result  if the result if appropriate achieve for it not to be mandatory to take in the kind of people in Hungary we don't want to.

Mr Orban, who wants individual EU member nations to have more power in the bloc's decision-making process, said he hopes anti-quota referendums would be held in other countries.

He said: We are proud that we are the first. Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the European Union who managed to have a (referendum) on the migrant issue.

The invalid result because of the low turnout would make Mr Orban's quest to persuade Brussels to drop the refugee quotas more difficult.

Mr Boros said: With an invalid result, it is harder for Mr Orban to claim he holds all the aces [against Brussels]. The EU will see that while there is a majority against the quota, it's not the most important issue for Hungarians.

Separately from the referendum, the Mr Orban government is also suing at the European Court of Justice because of the EU's 2015 decision to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from overburdened Greece and Italy. Under the original plan, 1,294 asylum seekers would be moved to Hungary.

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to send a message to Brussels while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.

How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon on the Serbian side of the border, near Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee throws a bottle of water towards Hungarian riot police after they used water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian armoured personnel carriers are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian police spray water cannon on migrants at the "Horgos 2" border crossing into Hungary, Serbia How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee reacts after Hungarian riot police use water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee gestures as Hungarian riot police use water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee throws a stone towards Hungarian riot police after they used water cannon and pepper spray to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon on the Serbian side of the border, near Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Migrants shout slogans as they stand in front of a barrier at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen run as they are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees stand in front of a barrier at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees wait at the Horgos 2 border crossing EPA

Several opposition and civic groups have called on citizens to stay home and boycott the vote. Others urged casting invalid ballots that would not count in the final tally, but still could be interpreted as rejecting the government's zero migrants policies.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way toward Western Europe. Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year.

Last month, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching Hungary's border area on 13 different days.

Hungary last year rejected over 80 per cent of the asylum claims made in the country, one of the highest rates in the EU, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. The country granted asylum to 508 refugees, rejected 2,917 applications and had nearly 37,000 claims still being processed.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Nearly six million people are expected to take part in an all-out strike on Monday against a plan to effectively ban women in Poland from having abortions.

Thousands of Poles took part in demonstrations over the weekend, as momentum built ahead of the mass action when women in several other European countries are expected to protest in solidarity with the strikers.

Female workers across the country will withdraw their labour in an effort to bring the economy to a standstill and highlight attempts to tighten already restricted abortion laws even further.

 Protests in Poland over proposed abortion ban

A lot of women and girls in this country have felt that they dont have any power, that they are not equal, that they dont have the right to an opinion, Magda Staroszczyk, a strike co-ordinator, told The Guardian. This is a chance for us to be seen, and to be heard.

Terminations are currently permitted in Poland, where 87 per cent of the population identify as Catholic, only when the life of the foetus is under threat, when there is a grave threat to the health of the mother, or when the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.

If the proposed ban were enacted, all terminations would be criminalised and women who had abortions could be sent to prison for up to five years. Doctors found to have assisted with a termination would also be liable for prosecution and a prison sentence.

Critics say the new law could mean woman suffering miscarriages would be suspected and investigated, and doctors might be put off conducting even routine procedures on pregnant women for fear of being accused of facilitating an abortion.

A government committee is currently considering the proposal, which was initiated by a hardline conservative advocacy group and submitted by the Stop Abortion coalition as a citizens initiative  a petition considered by parliament once it has received more than 100,000 signatures.

The countries with anti-women laws Show all 5 1 /5 The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws

Official strikes, part of what has been called the black protest, will be taking place in over 60 different Polish cities on Monday. In an act of solidarity, a number of businesses and corporations have reportedly pledged to shut their doors as part of the strike.

Protesters are being encouraged to wear black and post photos on social media of them participating in the action.

Inspiration for the protest came from an all-out strike more than 40 years ago by women in Iceland, where 90 per cent of women refused to work, cook, or look after their children for a day in October 1975.

In the past, feminist, pro-choice activists in Poland have struggled to inspire the wider population, who tend to oppose abortion because of their religion. According to a poll for Newsweek Polska, 74 per cent of Poles support the retention of the existing compromise  restrictive legislation passed in 1993.

But the extreme nature of the proposed ban has radicalised a broader demographic. Polling company Ipsos found 50 per cent of Poles support the strike, with 15 per cent saying they would like to take part, amounting to nearly six million people.

One thing that I think really radicalised women is when they understood that this could lead to incarceration for women who had miscarriages, Agnieszka Graff, a commentator, activist, and author, told The Guardian.

Malgorzata Lodyga, a junior doctor who supports the strike, said: My mother is very Catholic, goes to church every Sunday, and is against abortion just because you might not want the child, But she is against this law, because if a woman is raped, she will be treated worse than the man who raped her.

Police estimate around 5,000 people rallied outside Parliament in Warsaw on Saturday, many dressed in black to signify that they were mourning the loss of reproductive rights women could suffer if the law passes. Speakers said a total ban on abortion, including for victims of rape or women whose lives are endangered by a pregnancy, would be barbaric."

Campaigners added that they wanted as few abortions as possible in Poland, but this goal should be achieved with better sex education in schools and easier access to birth control, The New York Times reported.

We will not allow our hospitals to be turned into torture chambers and our doctors into prison guards, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bak, a member of the left-wing Together party, told the crowd.

Protesters chanted Stop the fanatics! and We want doctors not, missionaries, while slogans on banners included: My body, my choice.

One protester, Gosia Goszczynska, 36, told The New York Times: It's terrible to force a rape victim to have her child if she doesnt want it  this could even lead to cases of women killing their unwanted children after birth. I don't agree with this at all. Its just not acceptable.

According to official figures, around 1,000 legal abortions are performed in Poland every year. However, it is estimated a considerably higher number also take place illegally, with up to 150,000 women each year performing abortions on themselves, often with pills bought online.

In June of last year, activists used drones to fly abortion pills into Poland in a show of solidarity with local women.
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Pope Francis has warned gender theory is part of a "global war" against traditional marriage and the family.

"You mentioned a great enemy of marriage: gender theory," the Pope said, in response to a question at a meeting of Catholics in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia on Saturday

He continued: "Today, there is a global war out to destroy marriage.

"Not with weapons but with ideas... we have to defend ourselves from ideological colonisation."

 Georgia: Orthodox priests snub pope visit

Gender theory is broadly the concept that while a person may be biologically male or female, they have the right to identify as male, female, both or neither.

The Pontiff has used the phrase "ideological colonisation" in the past to denounce what he says are attempts by rich countries to link development aid to the acceptance of social policies, such as allowing gay marriage and contraception.

"Marriage is the most beautiful thing that God has created," he said, adding that the bible says God created man and woman to become one flesh in apparent reference to homosexuality.

While he has been more accepting of homosexuality than his predecessors, Pope Francis opposes gay marriage.

Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Live and let live.' GETTY IMAGES Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Proceed calmly" in life' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Be giving of yourself to others' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Sunday is for family' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Respect and take care of nature' OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Stop being negative' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: Respect others' beliefs' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive' FP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness AFP/Getty Images

In the same answer, he also said the growing acceptance of divorce poses another threat to the family.

Last week, the Pope voiced his support for Mexicans campaigning against the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

He has previously warned that same-sex marriage threatens "the family" and could "disfigure God's plan for creation".

During his visit to Georgia, Pope Francis called for nations around the world to respect international law and the sovereign rights of other countries - a reference to the situation in Georgia, where Russian troops are based in two pro-Moscow breakaway provinces.
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Child refugees have reportedly been ordered to use separate toilets at a school in Italy after parents of existing pupils claimed they posed a health risk.

Two refugee children from Egypt and Ethiopia, aged nine and 11, were told by teachers to use separate bathrooms following claims from parents that their children risked contracting diseases, according to La Stampa.

Despite being shown medical records that showed the children were in good health, two families reportedly took their children out of the school when the refugees were enrolled, while several others threatened to do so.

In response, the private Catholic school in Cagliari, Sardinia, reportedly put separate toilets in place for the refugee children, stating they were taking the measure as a precaution.

The decision has been met with criticism from local people. Mr. Yuri Marcialis, executive Council member for public education, sport and youth policies in the city of Cagliari, told The Independent: "I strongly condemn the choice to force refugee children to use different bathrooms.

"Cagliari, placed in the middle of Mediterranean sea, has been multicultural since the dawn of time and it is still one. Most of the parents of other children didn't complain but the nuns came up with a compromise after a few parents protested.

"The municipal administration have asked more information on that case, from the regional Department of Education, because clearly that is a subject of enormous importance. Private schools in Italy have many rights and freedoms but they have to abide by the law and also to respect international human rights."

The carers of the child refugees, two lawyers who took the children in after they lost their parents while making the sea crossing to Italy, said they were shocked by the level of racism and segregation in the school and urged the establishment to reverse the measure.

One of them, Antonella Taccori, told La Stampa: "[Other children] were unsociable. During recess our children were immediately isolated, and it was not only because they are still not able to speak Italian.

The behaviour of the other kids obviously reflects what they have heard at home from their parents. I only found out about the toilet segregation two days ago. Now we hope the school will integrate the toilets again.

The other carer, Marina Bardanzellu, said: This does not happen when a child has a cough or cold. The health concerns are hiding real racism.

Refugees and migrants have continued to make the perilous journey from Libya and Egypt in pursuit of a better life in Europe. More than 10,500 unaccompanied children reached Italy by sea between January and June this year. Two weeks ago a refugee boat carrying 600 people bound for Europe capsised off the coast of Egypt, killing at least 29, including one child.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

As the proportion of unaccompanied minors arriving on Italys shores reaches record highs, concerns continue to grow among charities and aid organisations, who claim governments should be doing more to safeguard child refugees in Europe.

During the summer it was revealed child refugees in Italy were being sexually abused and extorted.

In September, The Independent revealed the Home Office does not know where 360 of the vulnerable children who have already arrived in the UK are. Of these, 81 have been missing for more than five years.

Fewer than 20 children were granted asylum in the UK in the first three months of the year. Unicef has recently called on the UK government to allow unaccompanied child refugees currently stranded in the Calais migrant camp to come to Britain.
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Five Syrian refugee children have been arrested and detained in Greece after they were found carrying plastic toy guns on their way to perform in a children's play.

The boys, aged between 12 and 16, were seized "on suspicion of being members of an armed group", and then allegedly detained, beaten and forced to strip naked.

International organisations have since condemned Greek police over the alleged misconduct. Amnesty International has accused Greek officers of committing human rights violations against children, describing the incident as "disturbing", while Save the Children said the incident served as a "reminder of the risks child refugees are facing every day in Greece".

The children, who were due to perform in a production about the Syrian conflict at a local cultural centre, were carrying their costumes and toy guns in a carrier bag when they were detained on the afternoon of 27 September.

They were stopped and searched by four police officers on motorbikes, who then called more officers for support.

The children were then taken to Omonoia police station along with two older Syrian refugees, aged 24 and 21, who had been walking to the cultural centre with them.

The childrens lawyer, Electra Koutra, has given an account of how the children said they were ill-treated in custody, verbally abused and forced to undress by two police officers.

Ms Kourta wrote in her full account published on Facebook: "The children were taken to a secluded room by two policemen, where they were asked to undress completely.

"When two of them refused to remove their underwear, police exercised physical violence on them, after which the one succumbed and removed it, while the other continued to object and, as a result, had his underwear forcibly removed.

"A third child also suffered physical violence, was made to bend while naked and four were asked to turn around themselves while naked more than once, so that the policemen would have the chance to have a good presentation and look of their child bodies and genitals.

In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee children at the Moria camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees queuing for food at the Kara Tepe camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees' tents at the Kara Tepe camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees at the Oxy transit camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees waiting to board ferries to the Greek mainland in Mytilene, Lebos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees waiting to board ferries to the Greek mainland in Mytilene, Lebos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees waiting to board ferries to the Greek mainland in Mytilene, Lebos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos The graves of drowned refugees in Mytilene, Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos A building used to house unaccompanied children at the Moria camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees queuing to register at the Moria camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees at the Moria camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees arriving on smugglers' boats from Turkey in Lesbos

"The last child in the row started crying and asking for his mother. The others advised him to undress, in order to not get beaten too. After that, they were asked to dress and were subsequently photographed by use of a policemans cellphone, as a group and each one separately.

"They remained in a state of deprivation of freedom for more than six hours, amongst adult drug users and criminal adductors. As for water, they were advised, when they begged for it, to go drink directly from the police stations toilet which was impossible to approach because of the filth and odour. They were not allowed to use their cellphones for calling their parents."

After the children were released, volunteers reportedly asked police how they could report the incident, but were turned away. Later the children returned to the police station with their parents and a lawyer demanding to lodge a lawsuit.

Following a number of interviews and referrals between different services  which Ms Koutra said took several hours - they were reportedly informed that the Childrens Department of the Central Police Directorate would take over the case.

The minister of public order in Greece said the public prosecutor has ordered a criminal investigation into the incident, but said he would not "rush to a conclusion" while the investigation is still underway.

In a statement, he said: From the first moment, orders were given for details of the case to be submitted to the prosecution. At the same time the police started a disciplinary enquiry.

"The ministry investigates any case any breach of law and rules and it is known that I will show no mercy to any proven violation. But it wont rush to conclusion when the investigation is still running. It has caused great surprise that this allegation has been accepted without question when its under investigation.

Amnesty International, which has documented numerous testimonies of refugees and migrants alleging ill-treatment by the Greek police in recent years, has condemned the alleged police conduct and said that if the allegations were true the Greek authorities must ensure criminal and disciplinary proceedings were taken as appropriate.

John Dalhuisen, Amnesty Internationals director for Europe, said: The ridiculous elements of this case should not deflect attention from the extremely serious and deeply disturbing nature of the allegations against Greek police officers, who are accused of committing human rights violations against children in their custody during an identity check.

If these allegations of beating and other ill-treatment are shown to be true, the Greek authorities must ensure that criminal and disciplinary proceedings are taken as appropriate.

"They should also look into whether racial profiling may have played a part in motivating these officers to inflict such ill-treatment on children.

Save the Children also condemned the incident, saying it highlighted the vulnerability of child refugees in Greece and describing the present conditions as "unacceptable".

Andreas Ring, Greece humanitarian representative for Save the Children, told The Independent: It is unacceptable that children who survived years of violence and a notoriously dangerous journey to reach somewhere safe are now stranded in Greece, in conditions that are further traumatising them.

"The reported incident serves as a reminder of the risks child refugees are facing every day in Greece. Many are becoming more vulnerable to exploitation as families use up their resources while waiting for a decision on their asylum applications.

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

"Other children who arrived alone are having to wait in detention for months while their applications for family reunification are processed. In parallel, tensions with local communities are on the rise across the country.

"Both hosts and guests are losing patience with the asylum and national child protection systems that seem to be over-burdened and incapable of handling the added caseload of asylum seekers stranded in Greece."

Ms Koutra described the treatment of the children as "inconceivable". She wrote on a public Facebook post: "I find it inconceivable that children carrying their costumes and toys will be dealt with as terrorists, just because they happen to be refugee children.

"It is inconceivable in democratic societies that children will be made to undress and present their genitals to police officers, and be photographed out of any context of legality, by those who are in theory set to serve and protect them, or advised to drink water from filthy toilets drug users visit, when begging for water."

Ms Koutra described the incident was a "landmark" case and concluded that police stops and searches "should be conducted in accordance with national and international law prohibiting discrimination, including ethnic profiling, ill-treatment, and arbitrary deprivation of liberty".

She added that police "should take particular notice of the vulnerability of children, and safeguard their dignity."

Greek police told Amnesty International on Friday 30 September they had begun a disciplinary inquiry to determine the facts of the case.
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Turkish police have reportedly detained the brother of Fethullah Gulen, as Recep Erdogan's government continues its purge of the exiled cleric's supporters following the summers failed coup.

Qutbadin Gulen was detained in western Turkey on suspicion of being involved in the coup attempt which saw soldiers on the streets of Ankara and Istanbul in July.

Police, acting on a tip-off, detained Mr Qutbadin Gulen at the home of a relative in the Gazziemir district of the Izmir province, Agence France Presse reported.

State news agency Anadolu said he was accused of membership of an armed terror group and is currently being questioned by anti-terrorism police. Anadolu said books written by his brother had been found in the house and confiscated by police.

Following his successful suppression of the uprising  which killed 265 people  Mr Erdogan has purged the armed forces, police and civil servants of "Gullenists" after claiming Fethullah Gulen was behind the plot. His nephew, Muhammat Sait Gulen, was one of those arrested in the first days after the coup.

Turkish police have so far arrested an estimated 32,000 people in connection with the coup and a further 58,000 have been sacked.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

Soldiers seized control of a major television station, the main airport and both bridges on the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul at around 10pm on 15 July and forced a newsreader to read out a prepared statement saying they were now running the country.

But Mr Erdogan, who was on holiday in the south of Turkey at the time, called on his supporters to take to the streets to defend the regime during an interview conducted via FaceTime on a private news channel.

In the days following the attempted coup Mr Erdogan claimed the 75-year-old, who has lived in exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, was behind the plot and demanded his extradition by the US authorities. Washington has repeatedly denied the request until the Turkish government can provide evidence that Mr Gulen was involved.

Ankara has blamed Fethullah Gulen for the attempted coup (Reuters)

Fethullah Gulen leads the Hizmet movement which promotes interfaith dialogue and has supporters from all over the world.

He was once an ally of Mr Erdogan but their relationship collapsed after he was accused of secretly organising a corruption probe against members of Mr Erdogan's AKP party in 2013. He has denied any involvement and claimed that Mr Erdogan may have staged the coup as an excuse to purge his followers during a press conference at his US home.

Additional reporting by agencies
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A Dutch journalist has been killed while covering a government-backed offensive against the Isis jihadist group in the city of Sirte, a medical official has said.

Photojournalist Jeroen Oerlemans was shot in the chest by an Isis militant, according to the AFP news agency.

Dr Akram Gliwan, spokesman for a hospital in Misrata where pro-government fighters are treated, said the photographer was shot in the chest by an IS sniper while covering battles in Sirte, 280 miles east of Tripoli.

Mr Gliwan added that his body had been transferred to Misrata, 200 kilometres west of Isiss Libyan stronghold of Sirte.

Mr Oerlemans had been working in Libya for a number of organisations, including the Belgian weekly Knack magazine, which confirmed his death.

A message posted on Knack's website said Mr Oerlemans was shot on a reporting assignment and that the publication wishes his family much strength.

Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord launched an assault against the jihadist bastion in May.

The Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous media office revealed its forces lost eight fighters in the fight against Isis militants Sunday, in addition to more than 50 injuries, according to the Libyan Express.

The report also stated that 10 Isis terrorists were also killed in Sunday attacks.

In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Isis fighters parade through in Sirte in 2015 In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Islamic State (IS) group jihadists on the outskirts of Libya's western city of Sirte AFP/Getty In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte A photo of a billboard in Sirte, Libya, listing seven rules for women's clothing, saying they must be loose-fitting and undecorated HRW/social media In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Isis militants process down a street in the coastal city of Sirte in Libya this week; the group has heralded Libya as its strategic gateway to attack Europe AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte An Isis lecture on Sharia at the Ouagadougou complex in Sirte, Libya, in 2016. HRW/social media In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte A sign reading "The city of Sirte, under the shadow of Sharia" as smoke rises in the background while forces aligned with Libya's new unity government advance on the eastern and southern outskirts of the Islamic State stronghold of Sirte on 9 June. Reuters In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Fighters loyal to Libya's GNA prepare to launch attacks against Isis as they continue their resistance on the outskirts of the western city of Sirte Getty In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government are seen during clashes with jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) on the western outskirts of Sirte on June 2, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Sirte Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government fire during clashes with Isis around 14 miles west of Sirte on June 2, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Isis' Libyan stronghold of Sirte Isis in Libya

Isis took control of Sirte  Gaddafi's hometown  last year. The militant group turned the city into its North African stronghold, extending its control along Libya's coastline.

A recent report by the UKs Foreign Affairs Committee claimed Britains intervention in Libya and the chaos and bloodshed that ensued sparked helped strengthen Isis and al-Qaeda, as well as fuelling conflicts across Africa and the Middle East.

The scathing report held David Cameron ultimately responsible for failing to stabilise Libya after the death of Muammar Gaddafi.
Lawyers for an Irishman jailed in Egypt for the past three years over political protests have called on the Government to put maximum pressure on efforts to free him.

After Ibrahim Halawa's trial was adjourned on Sunday for another month, his legal team pleaded for diplomats in Dublin, Europe and Cairo to ratchet up attempts to get him home.

From Firhouse in Dublin, he was detained in a mosque near Ramses Square in Cairo as the Muslim Brotherhood held a "day of rage" over the removal of their elected president Mohamed Morsi in August 2013.

His lawyer, Darragh Mackin of Belfast-based KRW Law, said the latest delay was not a surprise as the hearing had been scheduled on an Egyptian holiday, but that they remain extremely concerned.

He said the trial process essentially restarted in June when a new panel was charged with reviewing video evidence.

Mr Mackin called on the Government and other European nations to demand Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi act on an application for a decree to secure his release.

"We are calling on the Irish Government and the wider international community. But the reality is that any of the European Union nations have their part to play, as Ibrahim is a European citizen," he said.

"We have lodged a fresh application (for a presidential decree) and the grounds behind that are the delay in the case. It applies to those who are not convicted prisoners."

Mr Halawa was detained with 493 others on charges which could ultimately see him face the death penalty.

His family claim he has been tortured, suffered electric shocks, beatings, been spat on and moved without their knowledge during his time in custody with several hundred others over the protests.

Mr Mackin said the latest adjournment in the trial strengthens the case for Mr Halawa to be freed under a presidential order and deported back to Ireland.

He said the legal team understands that the application is being actively considered.

"It is with this in mind that the maximum pressure must now be brought to bear, to ensure that it is met with the appropriate response," Mr Mackin said.

"Today's development unequivocally strengthens the requirement for the Egyptian president to now directly intervene and ensure he is returned back to Ireland. Such an outcome, in light of today's development, is the only option that remains to ensure that Egypt respects its obligations under international law."

Mr Halawa's case is due back before a Cairo court on November 12.

One of the last contacts he had with his family was a letter he wrote over a week ago to mark when he should have been graduating from university.

Mr Halawa wrote: "In this college I'm obliged to live with a broad diversity of inmates. From presidential consultants and college professors to illiterate criminals which taught me to seek the real human being behind every social rank."

Amnesty International Ireland director Colm O'Gorman said: "This young Irish citizen has spent more than three years living in horrific conditions, without access to proper medical care, and without any prospect of a fair trial. His horrific testimony catalogues a series of human rights abuses.

"While Amnesty International has not as yet been able to review this information, we take such allegations very seriously."

Amnesty is to protest at the Egyptian embassy in Dublin on Monday over Mr Halawa's prolonged detention.

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan raised Mr Halawa's case with Egypt's Ambassador to Ireland Soha Gendi following the latest adjournment, the 15th in the case.

The minister said both he and Taoiseach Enda Kenny have written to Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry and President el-Sisi setting out their support for the presidential decree.

"The Government is continuing to use every possible opportunity to underline our concerns about this case to the Egyptian Government, and also with the EU," he said.

"I want to reaffirm to Ibrahim, his family and his friends of my own and the Government's ongoing commitment to secure his return to Ireland as soon as possible and to ensure his welfare during his detention."

Mr Flanagan said the case was a high priority for him and he said officials were working closely with Mr Halawa's lawyers and the family.
He's back: Johnny Ronan will develop over one million sq ft of land at Spencer Place Photo: David Conachy

High-profile developer Johnny Ronan has signed off on a 600m deal to begin his latest development on Dublin city's Spencer Dock this weekend.

As part of the ambitious plans, Ronan will develop over one million square feet, which will include four office complexes totalling over 550,000 sq ft; a four-star hotel, a five-star hotel and a major apartment complex for 165 new homes on the landmark six-acre site.

It is the biggest property development in Dublin since the crash.

The development called 'Spencer Place' will also include several restaurants and retail outlets. In addition, the developer's team is examining the feasibility of building a 1,000-bed student accommodation campus.

With backing from US investment giant Colony Capital and tech investment guru Tom Morrisroe, Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) had previously been named as the preferred bidder on the site beating off competition from Hines, Ballymore, Galliard, Oxley and New Generation Homes.

This weekend the deal went through - at a cost to investors of 43m. The developer signed on Friday afternoon and workmen immediately moved into the site which had lain vacant for five years.

Mr Ronan may feel vindicated by his return to the docklands having previously built Dublin's Convention Centre, the adjoining Spencer Dock apartments and the PwC (Price Waterhouse Coopers) Building along the waterfront.

In London, Apple also announced that it is to create its spectacular new UK headquarters at Treasury Holding's former Battersea Power Station - which Nama sold for just 600m at what was considered the bottom of the market.

At the time developer Paddy McKillen, said: "The site was sold for a steal." It is now expected to generate profits of up to 10bn and Apple's announcement has been hailed as a "massive coup" for the current owners.

The tech giant will move 1,400 staff from eight sites around the UK capital into what it calls "a new Apple campus" at the iconic power station which remains a listed building. Its employees will occupy all six floors of office space in the brick 'cathedral of power'.

This weekend, a source told the Sunday Independent: "Naturally Johnny is delighted to finally get back to work on Spencer Dock but it obviously stung when news emerged of Apple's plans to relocate to Battersea.

When you think about it: people are upset that the Irish taxpayer lost a reported 440m over the controversial sale of Project Eagle. And rightly so. But the premature sale of Battersea has cost the taxpayer several billion. It's staggering."

Last year, in his written statement to the banking inquiry, Mr Ronan - who was the only major developer to pay back all his loans 'at par' - meaning Nama and the State have not lost money - claimed that Nama had destroyed his then business, Treasury Holdings.

Mr Ronan said it was his belief that individuals in the State's bad bank were prejudicial towards the company, which he once ran with Richard Barrett.

He also added it was his belief that they made a decision to "take it down, whatever the consequence and regardless of the cost to the taxpayer".

Mr Ronan also criticised government officials and claimed they "deferred to Nama, refused to meet us or get involved".

This weekend, speaking to the Sunday Independent Shane Whelan, RGRE's Development Director said: "Ronan Group are delighted to have completed the acquisition of reacquiring the undeveloped land in Spencer Dock, which we see as unfinished business, having delivered the PwC headquarters and a number of other buildings on the site several years ago. We now intend to deliver on one million square feet of a prime mixed use scheme."

Construction at Spencer Place will create more than 1,000 jobs, while the new office space will accommodate over 5,000 employees. It will be located on what will be the best transport hub in the city.

The Dart's new underground headquarters will be located at the site, which will also link up to the Luas line, connecting it to Busarus, Connolly and Heuston train stations.

Ronan has already made an audacious bid to attract businesses seeking to relocate from London to Dublin in the wake of the UK's Brexit decision.

While others within the property industry have adopted a 'wait and see' approach on the potential influx to the capital of firms from London and elsewhere, Ronan, working closely with the IDA, has publicly declared the determination of his company, RGRE, to woo tenants.

In a full page advertisement, which the company recently took out in the UK's Property Week, the headline read: "Yes Dublin is c alling."

The advert was Ronan's humorous play on the wording of the BBC World Service's wartime 'this is London calling' radio intro, which it used in broadcasts to occupied countries.

It has already delivered early dividends, with numerous inquiries coming from the UK in relation to the company's Dublin development portfolio.
Ballymore and Oxley Holdings will launch the Dublin Landings development this week. Above, the city as seen from Capital Docks, which is currently being developed by Kennedy Wilson

Developer Sean Mulryan is set to make a return to these shores on Thursday with the launch by the Ballymore Group and its joint venture partners, Singapore-based Oxley Holdings, of its 111m Dublin Landings commercial and residential development in the city's docklands.

Mulryan, who has stated his determination to exit Nama by the end of this year with his companies' estimated 2.6bn debt to the agency repaid in full, will be joined for the occasion by his son John, who works as Ballymore's UK managing director, and Oxley's executive chairman and CEO, Ching Chiat Kwong.

Located next to the Central Bank's new headquarters, the Dublin Landings development is set to extend to over 1m sqft. The first phase of the project got under way earlier this year and will see the construction of two office blocks at 72-80 North Wall Quay.

All told, the development, which is being funded through a mix of Oxley's own financial resources and bank borrowings, will, upon completion, consist of approximately 678,000 sqft of office space and 270 apartments, each one of which will come with its own car parking and bicycle space.

Nama, and by extension the Irish taxpayer, is set to benefit from the development owing to the State agency's decision to retain the freehold interest in the land. As well as receiving a secure income stream once the 2.35 hectare site has been developed and let, Nama also stands to receive a percentage of the future proceeds arising from the sale of any of the Dublin Landings buildings.

Mulryan's determination to work with Oxley to create a significant new quarter in Dublin's docklands saw the recent appointment of the former artistic director of the Gate Theatre, Michael Colgan, as Dublin Landings culture and arts adviser. Colgan has worked with Ballymore in the past, providing Mulryan with advice on theatre and culture in Berlin when the Ballymore Group owned the Ku'Damm-Karree shopping centre on the famous Kurfurstendamm boulevard.

Ballymore's return to large-scale commercial development in Dublin will be viewed by industry observers as something of a bellwether for the strength of the ongoing economic recovery. Notwithstanding its commencement in recent years of a number of housing developments in Dublin and Kildare, the group has limited its involvement in the Irish market, choosing instead to focus on the numerous sites Mulryan shrewdly acquired in London's docklands in the early 1990s at a time when the area had been left to fall into decay.

The development and sale of those sites has allowed Ballymore to repay its Nama debt, and has seen the group receive numerous industry awards. The latest of these came in July, with Ballymore named Large Developer of the Year at Property Week magazine's RESI awards.
The characterisation of the financial world being populated by evil geniuses owes more to popular fiction than actual fact, but according to Richard Branson, the world needs to be saved from them.

Fortunately, there are superheroes in our midst whose feet are firmly on the ground.

Writing on LinkedIn, the Virgin founder said: "The market is ripe for disruption, with incumbent banks, insurance, payments and investment management companies no longer able to bamboozle consumers with jargon, hidden costs and arcane language. The time is right for entrepreneurs and new technology to shake up these industries."

A little overwrought, perhaps, but he is right in saying the suits are under pressure from trendy digital pioneers developing products that cut out intermediaries, simplify and speed-up processes and reduce customer costs.

The generic term for this is fintech, which also includes innovations in trading, big data, risk, compliance and business intelligence.

Ireland is already very successful in this rapidly growing sector, and Enterprise Ireland has a dedicated fintech team managing more than 220 clients. Their technology is facilitating crowd-funding, peer-to-peer lending and mobile payments and giving the general public access to services previously the exclusive domain of financial institutions.

There is a long way to go before the market reaches saturation. KPMG and CB Insights say global investment in fintech start-ups doubled between 2014 and 2015 to 12.5bn.

It is the hipster philosophy of the tech world, with its commitment to personalised, intuitive, mobile and low-cost services that is driving the interest.

This past week, Minister of State for Financial Services, eGovernment and Public Procurement Eoghan Murphy was accompanied by 12 Irish fintech companies on a week-long visit to China, Japan and Singapore.

Firms including CR2, Corvil, Doran Finan- cial Services, Fenergo, Fexco, Fineos Corporation, Intuition, Monex and Taxback International met key industry influencers and experts in these markets to generate sales.

They met heavy hitters such as local banks DBS, UOB, OCBC; the Singapore Stock Exchange; and big international players including Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank, AXA and Visa International.

Mr Murphy also promoted the second Euro- pean Financial Forum which takes place in Dublin next January. The event brings together hundreds of high-level international industry leaders, policy makers, regulators and experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities within the banking and financial services industry.

There are currently more than 20 Irish fintech companies active in Asia Pacific, many with multiple presences. They generated sales of more than 115m in the region last year, and with the support of Enterprise Ireland offices in Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo are forecasting significant growth over the next five years.

Mr Murphy also showcased the capability of Ireland's broader financial services sector through the launch of the IFS Ireland brand - a Government-led initiative that is part of its IFS 2020 strategy for promoting Ireland as a leading location for international financial services.

The strategy aims to create 10,000 net new jobs in a sector that already employs close to 40,000. A third of those employed by the 400-plus companies in the sector (more than half of which are Irish-owned) are outside the greater Dublin area in locations including Kerry, Cork, Donegal, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford.

If our experience at Enterprise Ireland is anything to go by, fintech is proving attractive to emerging entrepreneurs. Some 10pc of our high-performance start-ups are in fintech, and given the banks' appetite for partners that can help develop innovative products and services, these companies will be our next generation of business heroes.

This week another 10 start-ups were given space and mentorship at Dogpatch Labs in Dublin's Digital Docklands in addition to their 50,000 award under the Enterprise Ireland Fintech Competitive Start Fund.

Number crunchers beware: the next wave of customer super- heroes are coming, but they won't be wearing spandex and capes. As Japanese deputy prime minster Taro Aso told the FT last week, they will be "people in T-shirts and jeans".

Leo McAdams is Enterprise Ireland Divisional Manager for ICT and International Services
The Government should tweak the Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP) to make it easier to attract expatriate decision makers to Ireland, Aercap chief executive Aengus Kelly has told the Sunday Independent.

SARP - which was introduced in 2012 - provides an income tax relief to people sent to work in Ireland from abroad.

Kelly said that Ireland risks losing valuable FDI if it does not make the country attractive to multinational firms' decision makers.

"There are competitive threats out there. It's well and good to have as many jobs as possible, which of course we have to have - but you need really to generate long-term value," he said.

"You want to have decision makers and people who are really generating economic value in the country. They are the people who bring all the skills with them. It's much harder then [for FDI companies] to move away when you have a really high skill set.

"Look at Silicon Valley, where you have millions of people in IT. The tax rate there isn't particularly low but you have a huge gathering of talent, mainly because California is so big, there's so much of the skill set there.

"I think SARP is a move in the right direction, for sure. I don't think you need to change the rates, you just need to change some of the terms of it, make it a bit easier to use, make it longer in duration and it'll be fine," Kelly added.

Aercap, which has its headquarters in Dublin, is one of the world's biggest aircraft lessors, with some $43bn in total assets.

Its roots lie in Guinness Peat Aviation, which was founded by the late Ryanair founder Tony Ryan.

Aercap had a cash pile of $3bn as of the end of June this year.
Aryzta, the Swiss-Irish baked goods company, has rowed back on its commitment to a 446m investment in French company Picard, which has proven extremely unpopular with shareholders.

New chairman Gary McGann (former chief executive of Smurfit Kappa) is to carry out a review of the company's position on the French frozen food company and its option to buy out the remainder of the business by 2021.

The review is a blow for chief executive Owen Killian, who heralded the deal as a "strategic investment" when it was announced 18 months ago. It was intended that Aryzta would go on to buy the business outright.

However, Killian conceded to Swiss analysts last week many investors did not want the second half of the deal to go ahead.

If Aryzta does not exercise its option, it is likely that Lion Capital - which owns the remaining 51pc of Picard - will either sell or float the company.

Killian has been under pressure over the past two years due to a collapse in the share price. The company has been criticised over its corporate governance, and the appointment of McGann is seen as a step to address these concerns.

According to analyst Jon Cox of Swiss firm Kepler Cheuvreux, Owen Killian said "there would be a review of its position on the French frozen food retailer under new chairman Gary McGann" and "it might not exercise a call option over fiscal 2019-21 to purchase the remainder of the business".

"He said he was well aware that not all investors wanted the deal to go ahead," Cox wrote in a client note.

A number of analysts also commented that the appointment of McGann could usher in management changes at the company.

Warren Ackerman of Societe Generale said he believes Killian will be given time to demonstrate a return to growth at the company.

"We don't expect any changes in the near term," he said. "Rather we think CEO Owen Killian will be given time to see whether the strong recovery in 2018 actually materialises."

Investors have been concerned about margin and earnings growth prospects.

The company did not respond to queries from the Sunday Independent.
A report published by the IMF this week as part of a review of Ireland's financial sector says Ireland has made "significant progress" and has "substantially addressed deficiencies" in its fight against money laundering.

However, former Central Bank director Peter Oakes has raised concerns over regulation of the payments sector following news that a Clare-based firm has been linked to a suspected international money-laundering network.

The PacNet group, a Canadian international payments processor, with an office in Shannon, is accused by US authorities of allegedly clearing money based on scams targeting vulnerable victims involving fake lottery wins, sweepstakes and letters from psychics.

The US Treasury Department claims that the PacNet Group has "a lengthy history of money-laundering".

It last week designated Canada's PacNet Group as a "significant transnational criminal organisation", and applied the designation to 24 firms in the group - including some in Ireland. It also sanctioned 12 individuals acting as directors or executives of those companies, including individuals based here.

Oakes, a former director of enforcement at the financial regulator with responsibility for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist finance supervision, said: "The news of PacNet has raised eyebrows in the payments industry across Europe, particularly in London.

"Why, after 10 years of work by the Central Bank on anti-money laundering enforcement, has only 'significant progress' been made," he asks.

"Deficiencies were identified 10 years ago in an evaluation report. The report also notes that the Central Bank is still in the process of implementing international standards set in 2012."

Oakes, a founder of Fintech Ireland, who this week was appointed a non-executive director of fast-growing Irish firm TransferMate Global Payments, said the fintech sector faces reputational damage from such high-profile cases.

Responding to the IMF report findings, Central Bank Deputy Governor Cyril Roux said: "The report highlights the transformation of the regulatory landscape and supervisory approach that has taken place in recent years.

"We welcome the recognition by the IMF of the progress made since the financial crisis, note the further recommendations made and will consider them, in conjunction with other authorities as part of our ongoing work."
Gary McGann, the former chief executive of Smurfit Kappa, has in recent days been appointed the new chairman at Aryzta

Two years ago, investors in Aryzta, the Swiss Irish food company, started to get nervous. For three years, Aryzta had spoken of the expected benefits of a major transformation programme. It would deliver efficiencies. New production capacity would be invested in and old facilities would be retired. Customer relationships would be enhanced and layers of management would be stripped back.

Strong growth would follow and the market bought into the story. Shares were riding high at over 70.

However, in late 2014 it became clear that the growth expected from the transformation programme had yet to materialise and margins were shrinking. Further investment would be needed.

Fintan Ryan, an analyst with Berenberg in London, said: "That's when people started saying, where is the growth going to come from? That is when it became less and less obvious where the double-digit earning growth would come from."

Aryzta, the company which owns Cuisine de France and sells baked goods to the likes of McDonalds and Burger King, had for years impressed the market with a convincing growth story led by a strong management team.

Chief executive Owen Killian had never been viewed as terribly accessible by the markets, but many institutional shareholders had bought into his self-assured vision for the company.

However, as investors began to feel uneasy, the company's future performance and corporate governance came into sharp focus. "When the story was going well, they always gave management benefit of the doubt," said a senior market source.

But as shares halved in value over 18 months, unhappiness intensified.

This discontent was encapsulated in a damning note from Societe Generale, which commented that it was hard to imagine that investor sentiment could get much worse at the Swiss Irish company.

In recent days, the company has taken what many believe is an important step in trying to restore that damaged investor confidence - the appointment of a new chairman, Gary McGann, former chief executive of Smurfit Kappa.

There will be an expectation from shareholders that he will take stock of what has gone wrong at the company and take some bold measures to address them. "It's a step in the right direction," said Ryan. "The question now is what does he do when he gets in?"

Corporate governance has been one major bone of contention, drawing attention to Killian's generous pay package and share entitlements.

He is one of the best paid chief executives in Ireland, with his annual package often amounting to several million euro.

The other issue which has weighed on the minds of institutional investors has been Aryzta's acquisition of a 49pc stake in French frozen food company Picard, which was bought for 446m. It was viewed as non-core, despite Killian's appetite for the deal.

In a meeting with Swiss analysts last week, Killian said there would be a review of its position on Picard under new chairman Gary McGann.

Analyst Jon Cox of Kepler Cheuvreux said: "(Aryzta) might not exercise a call option to purchase the remainder of the business."

He added that Killian had said he was well aware that not all investors wanted the deal to go ahead.

A number of sources told the Sunday Independent that the preference for many institutional investors would be to sell the Picard stake and abandon any plans to buy out the rest of the business.

Killian outlined last week that several "stage gates" would have to be achieved to proceed with the purchase of the remaining Picard stake.

Warren Ackerman, who wrote that stinging Societe Generale note in October 2015, put questions about the Picard deal high on his list of concerns in a new report issued after last Monday's full year results. A question he proposed for management: "Would you consider exiting your 49pc stake in Picard if you are not able to get an investment grade rating? What exactly do you think could be the scale and scope of synergies between Picard and Aryzta if you were to fully consolidate? How much would it cost you to buy out the remaining 51pc stake?"

Ryan added: "A lot of investors would like to see Aryzta exit Picard one way or another.

"It seems from management that they are not as wedded to it - they didn't seem as bullish about it as they did six months ago.

"They were adamant they would only do it if they reached certain stage gates."

These included Aryzta getting to 850m ebitda and Picard getting to 150m ebitda and Aryzta substantially deleveraging the business. "That would seem quite a tall order at this stage".

"If they don't exercise their option, presumably Lion Capital, which owns the other 51pc, will dispose of it through a trade sale or an IPO," said Ryan. "Aryzta would surrender drag-along rights so would have to go along with Lion Capital."

If Aryzta does sell Picard, it would go some way towards appeasing investors.

However, the company needs to show underlying improvement in margins. Currently, ebitda margins are at 12.5pc and turnover is quite static.

Branded food companies such as Danone and Nestle boast margins of as much as 16pc, with commodity companies around 6pc to 8pc.

Ackerman said: "(Aryzta) has underperformed both operationally and from a share price point of view in the past 18 months. We think 2017 will be another difficult year."

This is despite some positive dynamics, especially around cash flow and the new chairman.

Killian will come face to face with many of his shareholders and their representatives on Thursday at a rare investor day in Toronto, Canada.

The other big question about McGann's plans for the company when he takes over the chair in December will involve his approach to the management team, with Ryan questioning whether or not he would usher in changes to the executive line-up.

Ackerman believes Killian will be given some time to prove he can return healthy growth to the business.

"The market will doubtlessly be looking to these appointments to help improve corporate governance and perhaps, in time, foster in a new executive management team," he said.

"This may happen in the course of time, but we don't expect any changes in the near term.

"Rather, we think chief executive Owen Killian will be given time to see whether the strong recovery in 2018 actually materialises."
Niall Rochford, general manager at Ashford Castle, is expecting record revenues and room rates in the current year

Luxury Mayo hotel Ashford Castle saw revenues increase 30pc last year as it started to see the benefits of a $50m investment programme by new owners, Red Carnation.

The hotel was closed for three months in both 2014 and 2015 to undergo an extensive refurbishment and all 60 rooms have been open since August of last year.

Accounts just filed for the company show that revenues were 11.8m.

However, the company took a 17.6m impairment charge last year following a commercial valuation by Savills, based largely on the hotel's historic trading performance and cash flow.

The future financial benefits expected from the refurbishment were not included in the valuation and the company described the impairment as temporary. The loss for the year was 23m, although there was an ebitDa of 269,000 in 2015, with this expected to increase significantly for 2016. "This year is the first full year trading since the refurbishment and we are expecting record revenues and record room rates," said Niall Rochford, general manager of Ashford Castle

Red Carnation is owned by Stanley and Bea Tollman, a South African couple who made their fortune in the hotel business.

"The intention from the beginning was to invest significantly and the vision was to create the best hotel of its kind in the world," said Rochford.

"The owners and directors are very satisfied with the results and they reflect the significant investment that has gone into the property over two years."

He said revenues would be up more than 30pc in the current year. Some 60pc of visitors are from America, 20pc are Irish, 10pc are from the UK and the remainder from the rest of the world. Rochford said the Irish visitor numbers had been above expectations.

Staff numbers have increased significantly to cater to the needs of the luxury-seeking visitors. In 2014, 165 people were employed at the hotel and that increased to 212 in 2015. Rochford said that number currently stands at 288, which equates to more than three staff per room.

As well as the overall refurbishment of the castle, a new spa has opened in Ashford and, in recent weeks, a former fisherman's lodge was launched as a luxury cottage.

Red Carnation also owns the Lodge at Ashford Castle, a four-star property.
Nama chairman Frank Daly made much use of the word bespoke when speaking before the PAC

Both the C&AG and Nama executives really slugged it out, albeit in separate sessions, at the Public Accounts Committee during the week.

On the question of valuing Nama's northern property portfolio, we didn't really learn anything new from the exchange that both sides had with TDs and senators. However, this issue was never going to be fully resolved anyway.

Valuing property is not a science. Quantitative methods are applied but ultimately it is a judgement call.

In that sense, Nama chairman Frank Daly may have just about won the argument but only on penalties and only after extra time had been played.

Nama was on much shakier ground when it came to its handling of the sale process, its motivation for selling it all in one lump for 1.3bn and its complete lack of curiosity about when northern businessman Frank Cushnahan may have struck a deal with Pimco involving a success fee for him.

When it came to the sale process, Frank Daly used the phrase "bespoke". He clearly meant that if the sale of Project Eagle didn't match its customary sale process, it was only because it was a one-off, distinctive event.

Unfortunately for Daly, the definition of "bespoke" is a little more specific. Something is bespoke when it is "made for a particular customer or user". It goes on to say: "It may be altered or tailored to the customs, tastes or usage of an individual purchaser."

Designing a process for a customer or purchaser is not what Nama should be about. It should be designed for equal bidders.

Northern firm Brown Ruddnick came up with the idea of buying the whole portfolio in one go. First Minister Peter Robinson was convinced of the merits of Pimco buying it all, despite previously crying foul with the Irish government a few years earlier about a single powerful owner being in control of so much of the Northern Ireland property market.

Peter Robinson wrote to Michael Noonan who passed the correspondence on to Nama.

Then we had a sales process which involved no specific valuations of the individual properties and amendments to its normal policy.

This certainly does look "bespoke".

Frank Daly argued that it was bespoke - but with all the necessary checks and balances retained in the process.

Yet when Pimco disclosed details of a success fee due to Frank Cushnahan if the purchase was successful, Nama wasn't even curious enough to ask when this had been agreed.

Nama decided to tell Pimco to step back from the purchase or it would be forced out.

Yet Frank Daly questioned in the PAC whether Frank Cushnahan actually had a success fee in place, quoting Cushnahan's lawyers that he didn't.

Either he did or he didn't. Pimco seemed to believe he did. When that fee was negotiated was very significant because of Cushnahan's former role on the advisory board of Nama. Yet Nama didn't even enquire.

Nama had a responsibility to establish when that deal was struck. It didn't. Nama says it had a responsibility to assess the impact it might have on the sale of Project Eagle and it did that. But Nama's responsibilities didn't end there.

Instead, it ploughed on with the sale regardless and there is no evidence in the board minutes of Nama that it seriously considered pulling the sale and re-launching it later or in a different form, such as in three or four bundles of loans.

The reality here is the context of what Daly described as the "sensitivities" of the north/south situation.

Nama also disclosed that it was having an "increasingly fractious engagement with Northern Ireland debtors".

Was it afraid of a fight or just afraid of a fight in the context of northern politics? That is of little comfort to southern developers, who Nama was not afraid to take on.

Nama said it had partially foreclosed on two of the big developers in the North, who were clients of Frank Cushnahan.

The more you look at it, Nama took an opportunity to "get out of Dodge", as one TD put it.

It also begs the question, was Project Eagle the only "bespoke" deal Nama did?

Billionaire Malone is not finished buying Ireland

Rancher, billionaire and cable TV mogul John Malone has snapped up another three hotels in Ireland. His buying spree and nose for a commercial opportunity in Ireland know no bounds.

He owns Humewood Castle in Co Wicklow and is an investor in The Westin and Intercontinental Hotels in Dublin. He also bought Tony O'Reilly's former Kildare estate, Castlemartin.

Malone is the biggest landowner in the United States, with 2.2 million acres of ranch, forest and wild land across several states. That is about the size of Co Mayo.

His purchase of the Morgan Hotel, the Beacon Hotel and the Spencer Hotel in Dublin for around 150m will deliver a much-earned return for hotelier Paul Fitzpatrick. He is backed in the projects by Patron Capital Partners.

Fitzpatrick bought the Morgan in Temple Bar back in 2000 and turned it into a very successful boutique hotel. The Morgan is owned by a company called Allengage Developments, which had tangible fixed assets valued at 18.8m in 2014.

Fitzpatrick was also there at the start of the Beacon Hotel, which had a carrying value of 13.5m on its books.

Patron became involved in the Spencer hotel just three years ago when it was bought for around 33m. Patron's firm in Ireland is owned by a trust whose parent company is registered in Guernsey and managed from Gibraltar.

Patron looks set to do very well out of relatively short term investment in Ireland if speculation of a 150m price tag for all three is correct.

For every seller there is a buyer. Perhaps Malone is eyeing up County Mayo next?

Plunkett brings depth of experience to Providence

Providence Resources announced the appointment of industry veteran Pat Plunkett as chairman during the week. The former Tullow Oil chairman helped bring Tullow from a market capitalisation of around 274m in 2000 to 9bn before the oil price collapse of 2014.

Plunkett has been quite active since retiring from Tullow and is chairman of an oil and gas start-up called T5 Oil and Gas. He wanted to float it on the AIM in London in 2015 but industry conditions didn't allow it.

T5 then looked at backing into a few larger listed entities but that didn't work either, purely because of the financial impact of a weak oil price.

So what will he do at Providence?

The Tony O'Reilly jnr-led company has come through a significant and positive restructuring and has reduced its debt and losses. The issue is whether it can remain as a standalone entity in an environment of a prolonged weak oil price.

This is what Pat Plunkett had to say in the T5 annual report recently: "Throughout the year, your board continued to pursue our core strategy of building an exploration and production (E&P) company of scale with a geographic focus of Africa and the Middle East. The need for scale is now more evident than ever as the contraction in the industry has exposed the limitations of the small E&P company business model."

If Plunkett would include Providence in the small E&P category, then there may be some corporate activity coming down the track.
Jane McDaid, managing director of Thinkhouse, knows how to connect with the youth audience. Photo: Kevin Goss-Ross

Jane McDaid, the managing director of the youth communications agency Thinkhouse, is still blushing after she learned that she was to feature on the Innovator 25 list - featuring some of the most influential people in marketing communications professionals in Europe.

Compiled and published by The Holmes Report, a leading publication for people working in the communications industry, she features alongside the likes of Alexandra Dimiziani, the global marketing director of Airbnb, and Cecelia Weckstrom, the global head of Lego.com.

Coming only months after being named one of the world's leading independent agencies by Campaign magazine, her delight is understandable.

"When things like this come along unexpectedly, it's great to take time out and acknowledge what great work the team at Thinkhouse is doing," she says.

Meanwhile, back on terra firma, it's business as usual for McDaid and her 40-strong team that makes up Thinkhouse, which has specialised almost entirely on the youth market since it was set up 15 years ago with her partner David Coyle.

With offices in Dublin and London, clients include the likes of Ben & Jerry's, Sure, Dove, Magnum, Surf, Heineken Orchard Thieves, Desperados, Coors Light, Electric Ireland, William Grant & Sons, Otterbox and Expedia.

"We specialise in connecting with the 18 to 35 year olds. Most of the work we do falls into the 18-to-29-year-old demographic, but often we work to help brands connect with people, over and under that - depending on the brand and category," she says.

As any marketer will testify, the youth market today can be an extremely tricky one to target and differs substantially to the youth market that existed 10 years ago.

"Young people today are smarter, more worldly, more creative, more sophisticated and influential than they've ever been," she says.

"They think and act without borders, as they have been influenced and shaped by global internet culture. When it comes to marketing, they just get it. Brands that know this and respect it, deliver strong, considered, personalised, experience-driven campaigns that youth audiences want to be part of."

The marketing industry is renowned for its use of badges or labels used to describe them. It all started 25 years ago with Douglas Coupland's book, Generation X. Since then we've had millennials and Generation Y. Thankfully, we've now reached the end of the alphabet with Generation Z which, in case you didn't know, is the generation creeping up behind the millennials.

Unlike many others in the industry, these are labels McDaid abhors. "We in Thinkhouse, and indeed young people themselves, reject outright all forms of badging and we avoid all marketing jargon," she says.

So, how do brands and marketers connect to this much sought-after but difficult-to-reach audience - without coming across like a drunken dad dancing at a wedding?

"To connect with youth audiences, it's essential that marketers know exactly what they're doing. All too often, cringe-inducing marketing campaigns are deployed without expert advice and without collaboration with the audience themselves.

"We start with insights. The Youth Lab, our insights division, unlocks insights that form the bedrock of our creative work. Then our strategic and creative teams work to develop bold ideas that our youth audiences want to be part of.

"Then, we activate those ideas with effective social, content, peer-to-peer, design, sponsorship, PR, advertising and events," she adds.

But given that the youth market is supposed to be leading the charge when it comes to things like ad blocking, do they really want brands and advertisers engaging with them?

"Nobody wants brands butting into their lives, desperately trying to engage with them. The emergence of ad blocking has thrown down the gauntlet: it's game on. 'If you serve up crap, I'm out of here.' But ad-blocking technology isn't something to be feared. It's a wake-up call to the beige advertising that went unchallenged. It's consumers demanding better and bolder.

"There are incredible branded ads and content being loved and shared by youth audiences and campaigns that they genuinely want to be part of. The important thing for marketers is to identify the difference between beige and bold," says McDaid.

Translating all of this into success can be tricky, she says.

"The key to success is enduring commitment. Brand marketers that are genuinely committed to connecting with youth audiences, are ambitious when it comes to recruiting for their brand and are committed to future-proofing their brands, are the ones that are winning.

"They are constantly curious and invest in expertise and innovation while breaking away from convention and push for brave and bold work - the kind of marketers we always work best with," she concludes.
RTE is set to scrap controversial plans to axe its longwave radio service, aimed at saving the cash-strapped broadcaster 250,000 a year, the Sunday Independent has learned.

As the station grapples with an unprecedented financial crisis, it was announced two years ago that it planned to wind down longwave 252 broadcasts before full shutdown in May 2017.

But the plan caused widespread anger, particularly among the Irish community in Britain, where the service is seen as a crucial lifeline for thousands of older emigrants who cannot access digital broadcasts.

RTE sources say the service was targeted for shutdown because it is considered outdated, and is an ongoing and unnecessary cost, during a time of increasing financial pressures.

However, as a result of a public backlash, the broadcaster was forced to temporarily postpone the closure until 2017, giving listeners more time to move over to digital platforms.

But the station has confirmed it is now carrying out a "review" of its previous announcement.

A spokesperson added that there is now no specific date for the termination of the service. However, it is understood there remains an ongoing risk as regards its long-term viability. RTE has argued that transition to better quality, more sustainable digital alternatives, is essential in the longer term. There are an estimated 600,000 Irish-born immigrants living in the UK.

Many of the older emigrants left Ireland in the 1950s - with only basic education - as Ireland grappled with widespread unemployment.

They are now elderly and a significant number are in difficult financial circumstances, according to social services.

This radio service is still a crucial 'link with home' for many thousands of older Irish in Britain, according to various immigrant groups working with social services.

The latest development comes as RTE grapples with an ongoing financial crisis, currently forecasting a loss of up to 20m in the current year. The organisation's new Director-General, Dee Forbes, faces a difficult challenge to stem the deficit.

In the wake of the station's announcement in 2014, 'Irish in Britain', an umbrella group representing various emigrant organisation, carried out research into RTE radio broadcasting in the UK.

It looked at the frequency of Radio 1 listenership, attitudes to its content, and perceived benefits and weaknesses of the service, in England, Scotland and Wales.

It found it gives listeners a 'sense of Irishness' and helps them keep up to date with news and current affairs 'back home'. Some participants referenced their remittance contributions back to Ireland during the depression years of the 1950s.

They argued they should not now be abandoned by the public service broadcaster.

The survey also found 92pc of respondents listen to RTE "every day" or "most days".

Charlotte Curran, national health coordinator with the 'Irish in Britain' community group, says the service is an "invaluable lifeline" for the Irish diaspora.

She said there is an ongoing need for older people to maintain a link with their homeland.

"They want to hear the familiar voice of Ireland and hear the stories from back home.

"They feel a connection to that - and these are people who don't frequently travel back to Ireland."

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said while it is ultimately an operational matter for RTE, it is hoped the broadcaster will be informed by "awareness of the role that the service plays in preserving and enhancing links with Ireland."
The bohemian property owner Marie-Therese Underwood, who, along with her husband Ivor, reputedly owned 70 Georgian houses in Dublin's inner city back in the 1990s, has left 7,893,281 in her will.

The elegant Ms Underwood, who wore a distinctive turban, was rumoured to have been a former dancer with The Royalettes troupe at Dublin's old Theatre Royal.

She lived in Glengariffe House in Dalkey, Co Dublin, and drove a 1950s cream and maroon vintage Wolseley well into the present century. When her husband died in 2006, he left an estate in Ireland and England valued at 69m, but when duties and taxes were paid, the net value came to 33,952,852. His estate included a castle in England, 7m in shares and property in Dublin valued at 27m.

Southampton-born Ivor Basil Underwood left his entire fortune to Marie-Therese, but she "disclaimed and renounced" it in favour of their only child, Lise.

The couple were members of the Irish Georgian Society in the 1960s, a time when whole sections of the old red-bricked streetscape was being torn down by developers. The couple bought run-down Georgian houses all over the north city, including large and neglected properties in Henrietta Street, North Great Georges Street, Eccles Street, Mountjoy Square and in Kildare Street and Baggot Street in the south inner city. Nobody else (apart from developers) wanted them and many were bought cheaply. But the portfolio was huge and required major remedial works that the couple didn't have to resources to complete.

That led to friction with the Georgian Society, the City Council and adjoining householders like Senator David Norris.

They tended to rent cheaply, often to artists, writers and eccentrics in search of inexpensive accommodation where they were also expected to fulfil a caretaker's role. It was an ad hoc arrangement that proved quite dysfunctional. The couple were habitues of Dublin's jazz scene and tended to guard their privacy.

However, it was recognised by some that in buying this portfolio they saved many Georgian houses from demolition and could be said to have contributed much to the architectural preservation of the city at a time when it was neither popular nor profitable.

Ms Underwood died on March 12 and is survived by her daughter, two sisters and a brother.
Banks would have saved 420m, had mortgage insurance been widely used in the Irish market up until 2008, according to a report by economist Jim Power (stock photo)

Banks would have saved 420m, had mortgage insurance been widely used in the Irish market up until 2008, according to a report by economist Jim Power.

If insurers had agreed to pay claims two years after the start of arrears, the savings would have been 1.5bn.

The report, which was submitted to the Central Bank in recent days, was commissioned by JLT Insurance Brokers, which is trying to establish the sale of mortgage-insurance products, which would allow banks to offer higher loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages.

Mortgage insurance pays out in the event of a fall in the value of the property.

Power said: "Mandatory mortgate insurance could be considered for first-time buyers.

"If mortgage insurance were in place, it could facilitate higher loans to first-time buyers where mortgage repayment affordability is not an issue."

In 2015, the Central Bank introduced a range of new regulations for residential mortgage lending, including a loan-to-income limit of 3.5 times gross annual income. Non-first-time buyers have a LTV limit of 80pc. For first-time buyers, a LTV of 90pc applies for the first 220,000 and 80pc thereafter,

Power claimed that mortgage insurance helps to ensure a more "prudent, stable and liquid housing and mortgage market".

He said that mortgage insurance should not be a substitute for prudent lending and in fact the requirement for mortgage applications to be reviewed by lenders would bolster lending practices.

Pat Howett, chief executive of JLT said such products would allow banks to lend up to 90pc.

"They would know if property prices fell to 70pc, this product would cover them.

"It enables first-time buyers to have access to 90pc loans, it give the banks the security that even if property prices fall, they are covered.

"It would also mean that if first-time buyers were able to access 90pc mortgages, builders would know that first-time buyers could buy their houses. It would overcome a lot of problems in the market at the moment."

Howett was pessimistic about changes to the lending policies, claiming that the Central Bank policies indicated that it believed people should rent homes now, rather than buying.

Mortgage insurance had been popular in the past but was all placed with one insurer, which was the wrong structure to handle a property collapse. JLT's product spreads the risk among a number of insurers.

Mortgage insurance is used extensively in Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and US.

In the UK, the Budget 2013 introduced a help-to-buy scheme, whereby the government directly insures lender for the risk in the part of the mortgage between 80pc and 95pc LTV.
Stephen Rooke, founder and managing director of Tile Films: Waterways was the big series which launched my career. There were very few documentaries being made at this time.

As A young boy, Stephen Rooke projected the movies for the cinema club which took place every Sunday evening in his boarding school in Cork.

"We were never allowed to watch TV when I was at boarding school," says Rooke. "However, on Sunday evenings, we'd have a cineclub in the school. I was the person who projected the movies. At this club, we watched John Wayne movies, World War Two movies, Far from the Madding Crowd and so on. That was my spark and where my whole interest in films came from."

Little did this young boy know that he would go on to set up his own film and documentary production company a few months shy of his 30th birthday. That company, Tile Films, has produced successful documentaries and films which have been shown all over the world. One such film, Saving the Titanic - which tells the story of the self-sacrifice and bravery of the ship's engineers, stokers and firemen - has been watched by about 25 million people, according to Rooke.

"That's a good achievement for a small Irish company operating out of Dun Laoghaire [Co Dublin, where Tile Films is based]," says Rooke. "That feature film was seen across Germany, Austria, France, the US, and China - as well as other countries. It shows you what an Irish company can do if it has a good story."

Rooke set up Tile Films in 1989 - shortly after finishing film school.

His career had taken a very different route until then - though film was still very much in his mind.

When he left school, Rooke worked for the pipe organ designer and maker, Kenneth Jones. That company has built pipe organs for Dublin's Christchurch Cathedral and National Concert Hall.

"I worked with Kenneth Jones from the age of 18 to the age of 29," says Rooke. "We used to travel to the United States a lot, installing new pipe organs. I travelled all over the world with that company. It was while I was working there that I started making films myself on Super 8 [a motion picture film format]. I had my own showreel of films which were largely children's dramas - and this helped me get into film school."

Rooke graduated from that school, Bournemouth Film School, in 1989 - the same year he set up Tile Films and started to work on his first production, Undercurrents. This 30-minute television and film drama starred the actor and comedian, Niall Toibin, and Mary McGuckian - now a film director but an actress back then.

"Film was something I always wanted to do," explains Rooke. "I originally wanted to be a cameraman. I got an interview to be a trainee cameraman in Beaconsfield Film Studios in Britain and they told me that they thought my films were so good that I should be a director. So that's what I did."

It was the Waterways documentary series of the early nineties which gave Rooke his first real break. This series captured the adventures of the naturalist and broadcaster, Dick Warner, as he journeyed through the canals of Ireland in a canal boat.

"Waterways was the big series which launched my career," says Rooke. "There were very few documentaries being made at this time. The 1991 documentary won an award and sparked off two more series of Waterways. So that started me off on documentaries. Ironically, I was brought up on film and not having a TV culture - yet I've ended up getting much more into the factual TV end of things."

Rooke has directed and produced over 200 film and TV productions since he set up Tile Films. These include the award-winning Sacred Sites Ireland - which explored the religious and mythological significance of the ancient sacred sites of Ireland, such as the passage tomb of Newgrange and the stone circles of Beaghmore in Co Tyrone.

Rooke has also produced and directed the Sacred Sites of the World documentary series - which gives new perspectives on sacred sites in different times and settings throughout history. This series started to air on the Smithsonian Channel - which is available in 33 million homes across the United States and Canada - in early September. Some of the sites covered are the ancient Jordanian city of Petra, and the tombs and pyramids of Egypt. Indeed, Rooke was in Egypt last April to film an episode for the series - an experience he describes as "hairy" because of the shadow that terrorism has cast on the country.

"I was in Egypt filming before in 2004 - and April 2016 was my latest visit," says Rooke. "The tourist industry is devastated in Egypt now. Hotels are all boarded up. Boats were all tied up at the side of the river - those boats used to take people on cruises. When we walked into the Temple of Luxor in 2004, the place was so full of tourists, it was hard to film. This time, there wasn't a tourist to be seen. Egyptian tourist police were with the film crew all the time. Every site in Egypt has tourist police with machine guns."

Despite this, he still describes the pyramids as "the most amazing site".

"I remember my first time seeing them in 2004." he says. "I was driving along the motorway and then started to see the tops of them. It was breathtaking seeing the pyramids the first time - and it wasn't any less breathtaking the second time."

Rooke cites Petra as another one of his favourite locations to shoot in.

"I was in Jordan in September 2015 to film Petra," he explains. "It's the most extraordinary experience when you walk up and see The Treasury [one of the most elaborate temples in Petra] for the first time."

Rooke clearly isn't the only one enthralled by such sites - hence the ability of his documentaries to sell, and to be received, so well across the world.

"Art, architecture, religion and culture are big on our agenda," says Rooke. "In the international marketplace, these topics - especially ancient religious sites - are very popular subjects for international channels. International broadcasters are very keen to buy shows like Sacred Sites. These themes have very good international legs - and we are an exporting company. We aim to produce big international series that will work across international territories."

His company's work has been broadcast on over 40 channels internationally including BBC, Channel 4, the Smithsonian Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, France 5 and SBS Australia - as well as RTE, TG4 and UTV.

Along with Sacred Sites of the World, other recent work by Tile Films includes Wrecking the Rising - a time-travel comedy about the 1916 Rising which was broadcast on TG4 last April, Seven Women - which tells the story of the women who were caught up in the Rising, and Paramedics - which gives an insight into the hectic routine of Ireland's frontline emergency medical services.

Last summer, Tile Films started producing A Rough Guide to the Future - a science series set to be aired on TV3 in January, as well as a one-off film called Aerial Ireland - where all the filming is done from the air - for the Smithsonian Channel. Rooke is well aware of the record few years which the Irish film and TV industry has had recently and he believes this will continue - as long as Ireland remains competitive. "There's no reason why we can't keep growing," says Rooke.

"The biggest problem with Ireland is that we've never really had the good film space. The potential for bringing bigger and bigger projects to Ireland is there but every country is trying to get the best movie to come to its country - so tax incentives have to be good here. We have very good and well-trained crews in Ireland - but the rates for crews and actors all have to stay very competitive."

Rooke was born in Castleknock, Co Dublin and moved to Bray in Co Wicklow at the age of one.

He went to boarding school in Midleton College in Cork.

He comes from a very religious family - his father was a Church of Ireland clergy man; his brother is a Church of Ireland bishop. "Religion is at the heart of my family," he says.

Rooke, who has been married for 34 years, lives in Sandycove - not far from his office in Dun Laoghaire.

Although he has a successful career behind him, film production isn't the business to be in to make money, he says.

"No production company is financially successful," says Rooke. "It's not a huge profit-making industry to be in. It's very hard to make substantial profits - it's more about making a contribution to the world and the arts and society in general. You're as good as your last project - it only takes one project to go wrong and your reputation could be damaged."
London-based Irish accountant Shane Moloney and his client former England manager Sam Allardyce, who quit his post last week in disgrace, have emerged as investors in a baby formula company.

The duo are among the shareholders in a new firm, Global Baby & Infant Formula Limited, which has teamed up with food ingredients giant Kerry Group to target the $2.4bn infant formula market in China.

UK company filings reveal the company was registered last year with Samuel Allardyce and Shane Gerard Moloney listed among its shareholders.

Irish-born Moloney, who works for London accountancy firm Shipleys, is also listed as a company director.

Its registered office is listed as Shipleys in Haymarket.

Irish exports of infant formula to China are booming.

China imports about three quarters of its formula from Europe, and Ireland is the second biggest exporter to China, behind the Netherlands, which accounts for 34pc of the market.

According to the company's website, Global Baby & Infant Formula Limited owns the baby and infant formula brand "Nuby Baby & Infant Formula which is manufactured by Kerry Foods".

Irish-produced milk formula has been in huge demand in China since a 2008 scare killed six babies and made 300,000 ill from domestic formula products made from milk adulterated with melamine, a toxic chemical which artificially boosted the milk's protein count.

The four main infant formula companies exporting to China from Ireland are Wyeth, now part of Nestle, Abbott, Danone and Kerry Group.

China Retail magazine reported in July that the Nuby brand was preparing to launch a major online offensive. It said that the company's products would be sold on China's most popular e-commerce platforms.

Attempts to contact Moloney, who is an accredited member of Chartered Accountants Ireland, were unsuccessful.

Another major shareholder in Global Baby & Infant Formula Limited is Holtal Limited.

Holtal was previously party to a costly High Court dispute between businessmen over a company set up to sell baby milk formula to China.

The dispute concerned a court petition under the Companies Act for an injunction restraining alleged oppressive conduct by fellow shareholders. The case was settled in January 2015.
Film-maker Louis Theroux has spoken of his uncomfortable interviews with the victims of Jimmy Savile after failing to expose the entertainer as a sexual predator during the making of a documentary 16 years ago.

Theroux spent three months with the man who would be revealed as a prolific sex offender years later, and famously quizzed him on-camera about allegations of abuse.

He went on to maintain a friendship with Savile, even staying on occasion at the former Jim'll Fix It presenter's house.

In a new film to be aired on Sunday, Theroux will revisit the subject to try to "understand the truth more fully" by talking to Savile's victims, friends and family, including those he was introduced to by the DJ.

Theroux said that he only noticed a clip of Savile embracing two women in an "overly physical way" in 2001 when he looked back at the raw footage during the making of the new programme.

His first programme was made before allegations over Savile's sexual offences had been made public, and Theroux said that in hindsight it was "tempting to see clues everywhere".

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He recalls a " random comment" on a tape in which Savile "referred to his bed as an altar, because that's where the 'sacrifices' happen".

"Or in the overly physical way he embraced two women at Leeds' Flying Pizza restaurant one evening, which I only noticed looking back at the rushes," he adds in the BBC Magazine article.

Included in Sunday's programme will be interviews with four of Savile's victims, which Theroux admitted were "slightly uncomfortable" given his history with the entertainer.

He feared the victims would see him "as yet another person who failed them, by not doing more to expose Jimmy Savile while he was alive".

The film-maker said one of the victims felt Theroux had been "hoodwinked" by Savile when they saw the initial documentary.

Theroux wrote: " It was oddly bracing to feel the force of their unvarnished feedback. 'I remember thinking: poor Louis', said one. Another remarked on how 'silly' I seemed, being pushed around by a puffed-up celebrity."

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Sunday's programme will also explore the impact Savile's crimes had on his victims and how he escaped justice for so long.

In October 2012, a year after his death at the age of 84, an ITV documentary called The Other Side of Jimmy Savile broke the story of the sexual abuse scandal.

The full extent of Savile's crimes was revealed in Operation Yewtree's report in 2013, which recorded 214 criminal offences committed by the star.

A further Department of Health report found he committed sexual assaults at 28 NHS hospitals.
So why didn't serial killer Paul Spector die of the gunshot wounds he incurred at the end of The Fall's second season? Silly question - there would have been no third season.

But why is there a third season (RTE1/BBC1)? Hadn't we had enough of this glum-faced family man and his murderous woman-hating other life by the time he got shot? What more did we need to know about him or about his cat-and-mouse games with detective Stella Gibson?

Quite a lot, evidently, because here we were again, the new season spending almost its entire opening episode in a Belfast hospital as a medical team tried to save Spector's life and Gibson paced the corridors like a distraught lover fearful that her man might die.

This was all rather brilliantly filmed and edited, the operating theatre awash with gore as doctors tried to remove Spector's spleen, and there was a career-making turn by Richard Coyle as the no-nonsense medic in charge, but it all belonged to a different series - 24 Hours in A&E, perhaps, or one of those blood-drenched docs about emergency surgery.

And beyond the hospital's confines, matters were less persuasive. Gibson asked a policewoman to get her a change of outfit from her hotel room, and this was followed by a scene of the policewoman going to the hotel room and getting the clothes. What was that about?

Meanwhile tedious teenager Katie, still hopelessly in love with Spector, was plotting his escape, though a final cliffhanger scene suggested that he might just get up from his life-support bed himself, strangle the attending nurse, and vanish into the Belfast night. Well, something has to happen, if only to justify the next few episodes.

It's unclear what will happen in National Treasure (Channel 4), whose second episode was less compelling than the first, partly because it sidelined Robbie Coltrane's central character, Paul Finchley, in favour of his troubled daughter, Dee, as she tried to recall whether she had suffered childhood abuse from her father or had witnessed his predations.

Matters weren't helped by flashback scenes in which the actor playing a younger Paul looked nothing like Coltrane, but there was a more general sense of the drama's urgency being lessened, though Coltrane was his usual arresting self and Julie Walters worked subtle wonders as wife Marie, whose dogged loyalty seemed increasingly undermined by her own suspicions - and, indeed, by her own knowledge of, and perhaps complicity in, his past behaviour.

The currently ubiquitous Keelin Shanley has now taken over the presenting of CrimeCall (RTE1), replacing not just Grainne Seoige but Philip Boucher-Hayes as well. The message in a cost-cutting RTE seems to be that you don't need two presenters when you've got Keelin, and with that in mind, I look forward to her solo hosting of the RTE1 afternoon show (goodbye Maura and Daithi) and of the teatime news (farewell Bryan and Sharon). Needless to say, she handled CrimeCall with her usual authority, alertness and lack of fuss, and indeed it was hard not to wonder why this show had ever needed two presenters.

I'll withhold comment on Gogglebox Ireland (TV3) until I've seen a few more instalments, by which time I'll have become familiar with the quirks of the various couch potatoes, but though Cavan twins Fergal and Neal seem promising, nobody so far has registered as strongly as some of those in Channel 4's British version, especially the endearing Leon and June, the wacky Giles and Mary, and the droll Siddiqui father and sons.

Keith Richards took over the programming of BBC4 last weekend for Lost Weekend and a fine job he made of it, too, not just in his frequently droll reminiscences and observations, but also in the documentaries and feature film he selected.

I always liked Keith the best of the Stones, and I liked him even more for choosing Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves, Jacques Tourneur's Out of the Past and John Huston's The Man Who Would be King. So not just a famous hell-raiser but someone of taste, too.

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The third instalment of Can't Cope Won't Cope (RTE2), Stefanie Preissner's raucous comedy about two young Cork women behaving badly in Dublin, developed interestingly, with betrayal and humiliation among the ingredients added to the mix.

Once again Seana Kerslake commanded the screen as the nonchalantly amoral Aisling, but the prospect of her career disintegrating and the likelihood of her friendship with Danielle going down the drain added real substance to a series that hitherto seemed content to get by on implausible situations and easy laughs.

There were never any easy laughs in Fleabag (BBC2), which this week came to its six-episode end. Created, written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this has been the year's best sitcom, though it's always been much more than that and never more so than in the final episode, its darkness only lightened at the very end.

There were brilliant cameos from Bill Paterson as Fleabag's weak and ineffectual father, Olivia Colman as her monstrous stepmother, Sian Clifford as her uptight sister and Hugh Dennis as her weird but sweet bank manager, but it was Waller-Bridge herself who held the whole thing together as the lonely, self-destructive and not always likeable main character.

A super series and, if you missed it, there'll be a DVD out any day now.
A disabled and seriously ill woman has been left terrified after a paint attack on her home

Sarah Evans (56), who lives alone in Ballysillan in Belfast, was left in tears yesterday after waking to discover she had been targeted by vandals overnight.

It is the fourth vandalism attack on the family in the past three months.

Ms Evans suffers from chronic myeloid leukaemia, has poor eyesight and has difficulty walking.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph along with her two daughters Cherrie Dougherty (39) and Sarah Haslett (33), Ms Evans said she was now scared to be in her own home.

"Why are they doing this? It's hard enough dealing with what's wrong with me without having to deal with that," she said.

"My mummy lived in this house and she died two years ago, there's never been any trouble before.

"My neighbours have all called in today and they can't believe it."

Cherrie, who lives nearby, said her home had been attacked in the same way twice in July, with a third attack on the home of her aunt. She believes there is a deliberate campaign of intimidation against the family.

"We were given these brand new homes in this housing development, and to me there's no other reason than they want them for themselves," she said.

"It's not sectarian, it's just community intimidation. I think all the incidents are related and this is an escalation. Me and my aunt have put in CCTV cameras, so now they're looking at who else they can target, who else is vulnerable, who's next."

She added: "In July they targeted my house, and my cars have been done, my windows have been spray-painted.

"We're being terrorised by local thugs because we moved into Ballysillan and they don't seem to like it.

"They've lived here all their lives and they don't like the fact we've moved in there."

Ms Evans said the attacks started when Cherrie moved back to Ballysillan to take the pressure off Sarah, who had been her mother's sole carer. "When I saw the paint I thought 'the same ones that have targeted my daughters are after me now'," she said.

"Everyone round here knows I'm on my own.

"None of us have done anything."

Sarah said she was outraged to see her mother in such a state.

"It's infuriating when we see our mum like this, how dare they. How dare anybody.

"Her tablets really tire her out, she has unbroken sleep, and now after this she's going to be afraid to sleep."

She added: "It's just thugs, people that you live among that are doing this to an elderly, disabled woman.

"There's no excuse under the sun to be doing something like that.

"They just don't have a heart, it's getting beyond a joke now and something needs to be done."

Police have been made aware of the attacks and are to install a panic system in Ms Evans' property.

The measures include floodlights, door and window alarms.

DUP MLA for the area Nelson McCausland said: "I condemn this terrible attack. Nobody should have their property vandalised in this way.

"This attack is not representative of the hard-working people that live in this area. They do not want to see these types of incidents.

"It damages the image of the area and I condemn those who carried out this attack. I would ask anyone with any information to contact the PSNI."
GARDAI are investigating an alleged sexual assault on a female student.

Gardai in Athlone, Westmeath are investigating the incident in the early hours of Thursday, September 29 as the young woman was making her way home from a student night out.

The student is understood to have been confronted near the Athlone Institute of Technology campus

She reported the incident to the gardai and was then brought to the sexual assault unit at the Rotunda Hospital.

Gardai confirmed to independent.ie that an investigation has been launched in connection to the alleged attack.
The ban on gay men donating blood will be finally lifted on January 16 next year.

The move will mean gay men, for the first time in a generation, will be able to donate blood after the lifting of a ban that was put in place more than 30 years ago.

Once restrictions are removed, gay men will be able to donate a year after being sexually active or five years after being cleared of a sexually transmitted disease.

Health Minister Simon Harris announced he would lift the ban, which was put in place during the 1980s, after the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS ) recommended that gay men should be able to donate blood.

The IBTS recommendation followed a review of scientific research and practices in other countries.

The same ban was lifted in England, Scotland and Wales five years ago, and in Northern Ireland the ban was lifted last month.

The ban was put in place in Ireland during the 1980s when Aids was a major sexual health risk, especially in the gay community.

However, campaigners have argued for years that Ireland's rules on blood donations were outdated and not in line with other countries.

All blood donations are tested for HIV and other infections before they are used by medics.

The change of policy follows IBTS figures which showed there was 21pc drop in people donating blood last year.

Figures show the health service needs 3,000 donations a week as one-in-four people will need a blood transfusion during their lives.

Campaigner Tomas Heneghan dropped his High Court case against the ban after Mr Harris committed to changing the policy on gay men donating blood.

Mr Heneghan had been donating blood since he was 18, but was permanently banned when he disclosed he had sex with another man.

He argued the policy was discriminatory and a breach of European Union human rights law.

Former Health Minister Leo Varadkar said one of the reason he went public about his sexuality was because of political decisions he had to make, such as lifting the ban on gay men donating blood and laws on surrogacy.
Up to 350 patients a year - one person a day - may be dying due to lack of intensive care beds, leading medical specialists warned yesterday.

And another 300 are needlessly dying because of the dangers posed by the trolley crisis, said Dr Fergal Hickey, emergency consultant.

The Sligo medic, told the Irish Hospital Consultants Association annual meeting that Ireland is a top spending country on health but the outcomes for patients are "quite consistently poor".

The lack of critical care beds for the sickest patients was forcing major surgeries to be cancelled. It also leads to a delay in moving some very ill patients, leaving them in an emergency unit instead.

"We know that if your admission is delayed by more than six hours to an intensive care unit, your mortality chances rise."

He told the gathering that the dysfunctional manner in which the health service is run means that we are "burning money".

The risk to patients from a lack of intensive care beds was backed by Dr Tom Ryan, of St James's Hospital, the President of the doctors' body.

He said the number of critical care beds has fallen, despite a report in 2009 calling for an increase. At the same time the numbers of elderly patients have risen, he added.

Intensive care units are operating at over 100pc capacity, he added.

It means patients who should be in intensive care are having to be cared for in other parts of the hospital with risks such as cross-infection.

Dr Ryan also warned the hospital trolley crisis will worsen this winter and a potential calamity is looming.

This crisis could be sparked by a major flu outbreak.

Emergency unit overcrowding is a reflection of a failing hospital system, he added

He warned that Ireland has been fortunate to avoid a major health care calamity during winter due to surges in activity.

"But we are all keenly aware that our luck may not hold out," he told the conference.

He said hospitals are struggling with a bed shortage, over 600 patients occupying beds who could be discharged and failure to recruit enough doctors.

Doctors are having to endure witnessing quality of care coming second to the need by hospitals to meet budgets, he added.

The rush to stick to budgets has meant the 'ledger mentality' has taken over.

"We have a failing hospital system which is rationing healthcare to patients," he added. He raised particular concern about the reduction in intensive care unit beds.

Speaking at the conference Health Minister Simon Harris said Dr Ryan's comments were a fair and detailed critique.

Meeting the demand for healthcare is challenging as the population ages.

There was a decrease of 5pc in people waiting on trolleys this year compared to 2015.

Nothing to get excited about but a "step in the right direction," he insisted.

He said a detailed review of hospital bed numbers and where they are needed is to get under way.

He accepted waiting lists are unacceptably high and the 50m will be targeted as patients waiting longest.

There will be no cherry picking of patients, he insisted. Commenting on the revelation that Lloyds pharmacy had to pay back 12m to the HSE over the manner in which it boosted its income through a scheme for elderly medical card holders, he said he viewed it very seriously. This was money that could be used for badly needed health services, he added.
Gardai are continuing to question a man (41) about the murder of a dog walker in county Dublin.

A murder investigation was launched after a retired man out walking his dogs was apparently beaten to death on a forest track in the Dublin mountains.

Gardai confirmed that a 41-year-old man has been arrested as investigations continue.

He was arrested around 5pm yesterday evening.

The victim (64) has been named locally as Michael McCoy. His body was discovered on Friday after concerns were raised when he failed to return home from a walk around Ballinascorney Hill between Tallaght and Brittas.

The forested area is popular with hill walkers and mountain bike enthusiasts and is close to where the victim lived.

Expand Close A Garda preserves the scene where the mans body was discovered off the Ballinascorney Road in Brittas. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook

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Whatsapp A Garda preserves the scene where the mans body was discovered off the Ballinascorney Road in Brittas. Pic Steve Humphreys

Gardai were alerted last Thursday evening and began an immediate search of the area, where members of the man's family had also been looking for him.

Following a post mortem at Tallaght Hospital carried out by State Pathologist Linda Mulligan, it emerged that Mr McCoy died as a result of injuries inflicted by an attacker or attackers. Yesterday senior gardai made an appeal for information close to the site at Ballinascorney Forest where he was found.

Supt Peter Duff from Tallaght Station asked anyone who may have information to come forward.

"We have established this man was last seen at 6am on Thursday morning. His family had left to go to work and that evening realised he had not returned home, and they reported their concerns to Tallaght Garda Station."

Expand Close Gardai preserves the scene close to where the mans body was discovered on Ballinascorney Hill in Brittas. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook

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Gardai assisted by the helicopter unit searched the area and as darkness fell requested assistance from the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Service. Two members of the service discovered the body lying on the path at around 5.30am on Friday.

"The post mortem indicates that he died of an assault. There were head injuries," said Superintendent Duff. Asked if a weapon had been used, he said: "We are keeping an open mind and are still searching the area."

"It's a very isolated area, a kilometre and a half off the main road. We would appeal to anyone who was in the area, it's used by recreational hill walkers and people on mountain bikes. It's a popular area," added Supt Duff, who said there have been no recent reports of any kind of anti-social activity in the location.

Supt Duff explained that the victim, who is retired, would regularly walk his dogs along the gravel paths.

"It's part of his normal routine."

He added that there was nothing in the man's background to suggest he could have been deliberately targeted, and that he was certainly "not known to us".

One of the man's pets had returned home but another female boxer is still missing, prompting family and friends to search for the animal.

They also launched a social media campaign appealing for people to help find 'Fia'.

Gardai do not believe that robbery was a motivation in the incident as Mr McCoy's keys, wallet and phone were recovered nearby.

The man is being questioned at Tallaght Garda Station and can be questioned for up to 24 hours.
POLICE in Spain have arrested fugitive tiger kidnapping suspect Jeffrey Melvin.

The 34-year-old was held at Alicante Airport on foot of a European Arrest Warrant.

Expand Close Jeffrey Melvin (33) from Lucan in West Dublin disappeared three years ago while on bail for his alleged involvement in a January 2010 tiger raid in the capital / Facebook

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Whatsapp Jeffrey Melvin (33) from Lucan in West Dublin disappeared three years ago while on bail for his alleged involvement in a January 2010 tiger raid in the capital

Melvin, from Lucan in West Dublin, disappeared in 2012 while on bail for his alleged involvement in a January 2010 tiger raid in the Irish capital.

He was accused of robbing the cash from Brinks Allied employee Reginald Shannon and also falsely imprisoning him, Angela Shannon and a child at the property in Dublins Bath Avenue.

A Spanish National Police spokesman confirmed the arrest today.

The force said in a statement: The National Police have arrested at Alicante Airport an Irish fugitive accused of committing 11 crimes in his country.

It added: He was living in the province of Alicante with fake ID and adopted high levels of security to avoid being discovered.

A source said: Jeffrey Melvin is the man who has been arrested.

Reports last year said Gardai had been tipped off Melvin was based in Spain but could be using a fake passport to travel between the Costa Blanca and Ireland.

It was also reported he had been travelling to Australia.

Reginald Shannons elderly mother and an eight-year-old child believe to be his niece were held on January 4 2010 while the Brinks Allied employee was sent to intercept a cash-in-transit van making a delivery at Bank of Ireland on OConnell Street.

The female pair were later released unharmed.

A European Arrest Warrant was issued after Melvin failed to show up at court in June 2012.

He was previously described in court as a jack-of-all trades and a Del Boy figure.

The comments were made by Stefan Saunders, from Hazelbury Park, Blanchardstown, a co-accused in the tiger kidnapping case who was cleared in May 2014.

The Spanish police said the warrant out for Melvin was based on an indictment issued by the Irish judicial authorities for an alleged crime of robbery, three counts of illegal detention, six counts of illegal possession of firearms and an alleged crime of membership of a criminal organisation, having been allegedly recognised as one of the two authors of a robbery through the kidnap of two people, of a cash-in-transit van with 140,000 in 2010.

The spokesman said: The detainee is facing two possible life sentences if convicted of the crimes of robbery and illegal detention and up to 62 years if convicted of the crimes of illegal possession of firearms and membership of a criminal gang.

Police who suspected he could be hiding out in the province of Alicante activated a search and find operation for him which culminated with his detention outside Alicantes El Altet Airport while he waited in his car for another person.

It is not known when Melvin was arrested or where he was living in Alicante province.

He will now be taken to Madrid for an extradition hearing held between closed doors where he will be asked if he consents to being returned to Ireland or not.

If he agrees to extradition, he will be flown back to Dublin within the next fortnight.

The process will be slowed if he refuses to be sent back and a second hearing will then place.

He is expected to be held in jail until his future is decided.

A Gardai source, quoted in February 2014, told an Irish paper: Melvin is meant to be in Spain but there are rumours of other locations he might be.

Hes been missing for a year and a half now. Officers are desperate to find him.
THE Galway politician Bobby Molloy has died aged 80.

Mr Molloys death takes away another personal link to the huge internal struggles within Charlie Haugheys Fianna Fail in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1985 he was a founder member, along with Des OMalley and Mary Harney, of the Progressive Democrats, which was set up in part because of their profound objections to Haugheys leadership of Fianna Fail.

Mr Molloy served as a TD for Galway from 1965 until 2002 when he retired. He was Mayor of Galway in 1968 and over his long career held a series of senior government posts, including Minister responsible for Local Government, Defence and Energy.

The Galway politician impressed early on after his first election win for Fianna Fail in Galway West in April 1965. He was promoted by Taoiseach Jack Lynch and eventually served as Local Government Minister from 1970 until 1973.

Always a Lynch loyalist, he backed the late George Colley against Charlie Haughey in the 1979 leadership election which followed Lynchs retirement. Haughey dropped him from the government team and soon Molloy was part of efforts to oust him as leader.

He was a prominent member of the so-called Club of 22, named for the 22 deputies who voted against Haughey in a leadership challenge. In later years he would talk about the acrimony and division which characterised the Haughey years and he was known for his candour and plain-speaking.

In early 1986 he surprised many by leaving Fianna Fail and allying himself with Des OMalley and Mary Harney to help found the Progressive Democrats (PDs). The party espoused a low-tax liberal economy and a number of radical measures to help end recession and economic paralysis.

In June 1989 Molloy was one of the PD negotiators as the part shared power with Fianna Fail under their old enemy, Haughey. It was the first time Fianna Fail had ever shared a cabinet table and both OMalley and Molloy were senior ministers.

He again helped with coalition talks in June 1997 when Bertie Aherns Fianna Fail formed a minority coalition with the PDs and the support of Independents.

Always an assiduous constituency politician he was a big vote-getter down the years. But he quit Dail politics in the summer of 2002 after controversy over his attempts to contact a judge on behalf of a constituent who had a relative convicted of rape.

However, in the May 2002 general election which followed, he helped devise a three-candidate strategy in Galway West and managed to hold the seat for the PDs against all odds.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: "Bobby gave a long and dedicated service in many ministries and he was always a tireless campaigner for his native Galway.

"I got to know Bobby well during his time in the Dail and I extend my deepest sympathy to his wife Phyllis and to their family."

Mr Molloy is survived by his widow, his sons Donnacha and Dara and his daughters Saoirse and Sorcha.

President Michael D Higgins, who represented Galway West with Mr Molloy, said his Dail colleague made a huge contribution to Irish public life.

"Throughout his career, he gave excellent service over several decades and his name is recalled with great affection throughout the constituency," he said.

"His life in politics began before mine, and on every platform he served he delivered his contribution, which was always well informed, with great distinction.

"A close friend of Desmond O'Malley, he was one of the founding members of the Progressive Democrats. He earned the respect of both his supporters and opponents because of the integrity with which he held his views."
The generation that came of age before the 1980s are angry about the bus strikes. That's because they can relate to the drivers' experience. Like the bus drivers, they probably had the same job (likely with the same company) for their entire working lives. Like the bus drivers, a pension and job security is a given. Like the bus drivers, they think they deserve more. They're upset because, unlike the bus drivers, they can't get it - and then the drivers have the gall to mess up their commute.

For my generation, it's different. The bus drivers and their plight are so far removed from our experience of the working world so as to seem quaint. The idea of a job for life or a pension is laughable - a relic. It seems like an argument happening on a different planet. Besides, they can't ruin our commute; a lot of us don't have one. Or we'll just work from home that day. The bus strike debate can tell us a lot about what making a living means to us today.

It's fair to say that much of our work is an unrecognisable proposition for the baby boomers.

Dee (27) says she's never had a "proper job". She runs an online business for eco-products: "I started my first business because I wanted money to go on holiday." While our parents aimed for homes and family, Dee is living the millennial dream. The goalposts have moved.

Our generation is perceived by our parents as a load of adult babies who refuse to grow up - when they were my age they had a car, a house, a family. Of course, this is a generation who had access to higher education, all the jobs they needed upon graduation and a housing market that they hadn't yet destroyed. If my generation are flighty and immature, it's because we don't have a choice. Between rent and the cost of living in a city, professionals in their early 30s still exist from pay day to pay day - the idea of home ownership is a pipe dream.

We're not complaining - this sense of uncertainty and the necessity of short-term thinking has fed back into the way we work and what we expect. Flexibility is central to this generation. We want a task and a deadline and the freedom to do it when and where we want to. Creative director Emma says: "Unless you're harvesting, nine to five seems pretty arbitrary."

All around me, my friends are dropping like flies from this kind of employment. In the last six months, four of my peers have quit their jobs in search of greater freedom. Lucia (28) recently left her job as an events logistics manager to go freelance. She's just sent off her first invoice; it was to her old company, for exactly the same work she was doing before - at double the rate. "As a full-time employee, I was expected to be available for clients whenever they needed me, regardless of the time or day. I was only ever paid for nine to five. Now I'm my own boss and I make the rules; overtime and weekends is extra."

Alice (27) left her job at a big youth charity in favour of short-term contracts; she's heading to Tanzania for two months now, then to Greece to manage a refugee camp on a rolling contract. She doesn't know what will happen afterwards. "I don't want this job in order to progress somewhere else. I want it for itself. The youth charity taught me a lot about child protection, about crisis management, about community engagement. And now it will mean something."

Lucia and Alice are typical of a generation willing to give up the relative security of a salary in pursuit of immediate financial gain and fulfilment. In the face of a future that is already uncertain, with pensions a non-starter and the prospect of working well into our 70s, leaving the nine-to-five for a while doesn't seem like too much of a stretch.

The research bears this out - most millennials have their foot out the door already; two-thirds of us don't expect to be employed in the same place in 2020 as we are today. Loyalty to companies seems almost non-existent.

We see our stints in various roles as an opportunity to gain more skills. We expect to reinvent ourselves and our jobs four or five times in our working lives; the bus drivers with their expectation of using their skill forever are a world away. We're not afraid of change; we see it as an opportunity. We are also aware that a generation is coming up through school now who will be fluent coders by the time they enter the job market. "We need to stay ahead of the curve in coding and technology or get management skills which are transferable to make us employable long term," says Rosie. Unlike the baby boomers, we accept this as a fact of the modern world, we won't howl at the moon and insist things be kept the same because it's 'not fair'.

We want to be prepared. While our parents finished with education when they graduated, our generation is aware of the necessity of learning for life.

From where I'm sitting in a cafe, my office for the day, I can see no fewer than six twenty- somethings on MacBooks. The cafe is generous with its Wi-Fi and one flat white buys you a good few hours. This is happening in every coffee shop with exposed brickwork and chai lattes all over the country. And developers are taking note - 'third spaces', part cafe, part 'home', part workplace, are popping up all around Europe - and they're packed. They are responding to a real demand from millennials who have turned their back on the traditional working week.

Perhaps we're beginning to see through the shiny tech start-ups with their beer fridges and space hoppers in the office, but not the wages and security we need. Instead we gorge ourselves at the open bar at work drinks so we're pissed enough to not need the dinner we can't really afford and so drunk we can forget for one night that we'll never be able to afford to have children.

Sure, the freedom to work in a groovy warehouse and have buttered toast served up to you is great, and the 'isn't it fine for them' attitude is understandable from a generation that could leave the office at 5pm and switch off. We're getting one kind of freedom out of necessity, but we've sacrificed the freedom that security brings, the kind our parents have. We may get to travel for a year when we're 30 if we want to, but we won't have second homes - or perhaps even a first one. This is a world in which my 27-year-old friends can't even think about marriage, children and mortgages yet. My thirty-something friends say they had a crisis when they turned 30, they wondered where all their money had gone and panicked that they had nothing to show for it; ultimately, they realised measuring themselves against 20-year-old goalposts was pointless. As Amy (31) said, "I didn't have a choice; I still don't."

Millennials might look like a generation of hipster commitment-phobes, but we graduated into a recession and understand the importance of moving with the times. We know the next generation is snapping at our heels, so we want to learn; we're willing to change. Perhaps our parents could learn a thing or two from us.
Each week about 10 people are being newly-diagnosed with HIV in Ireland

A British man could become the first person in the world to be cured of HIV using a new therapy designed by a team of scientists from five UK universities.

The 44-year-old is one of 50 people currently trialling a treatment which targets the disease even in its dormant state.

Scientists told The Sunday Times that presently the virus is completely undetectable in the mans blood and if it remains that way it will be the first complete cure.

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"This is one of the first serious attempts at a full cure for HIV, said Mark Samuels, managing director of the National Institute for Health Research Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure.

We are exploring the real possibility of curing HIV. This is a huge challenge and it's still early days but the progress has been remarkable."

The trial is being undertaken by researchers from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, University College London and King's College London.

HIV is so difficult to treat because it targets the immune system, splicing itself into the DNA of T-cells so that they not only ignore the disease, but turn into viral factories which reproduce the virus.

Current treatments, called anti-retroviral therapies (Art), target that process but they cannot spot dormant infected T-cells.

The new therapy works in two stages. Firstly, a vaccine helps the body recognise the HIV-infected cells so it can clear them out. Secondly, a new drug called Vorinostat activates the dormant T-cells so they can be spotted by the immune system.

One unidentified patient, a social care worker in London, said: "It would be great if a cure has happened. My last blood test was a couple of weeks ago and there is no detectable virus.

"I took part in the trial to help others as well as myself. It would be a massive achievement if, after all these years, something is found to cure people of this disease. The fact that I was a part of that would be incredible."

Professor Sarah Fidler, a consultant physician at Imperial College London, added: "This therapy is specifically designed to clear the body of all HIV viruses, including dormant ones.

"It has worked in the laboratory and there is good evidence it will work in humans too, but we must stress we are still a long way from any actual therapy.

"We will continue with medical tests for the next five years and at the moment we are not recommending stopping Art but in the future depending on the test results we may explore this."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
When we think of a hideaway or a place to escape, images of of remote Connemara in Co Galway might spring to mind.

A quiet part of Ireland, where nobody will bother you, where you won't have to worry about traffic, where the surrounding landscape may get your creative juices flowing and before you know it, you're writing your memoirs. This must have been part of the draw to Cashel in Connemara for Charles de Gaulle in May 1969, just a few weeks after he resigned as president of France.

General de Gaulle and his wife Yvonne stayed at the Cashel House Hotel for two weeks on a month-long trip to Ireland, which he used to rest and begin his presidential memoirs. The hotel had only been open a year and was run, as it still is today, by the McEvilly family. When departing, the former president wrote just one word in the hotel visitors' book - "Excellent".

Foxglove Cottage is only a couple of miles away from the hotel, overlooking Inagh Valley. The owners bought it as a holiday home 10 years ago, when it was little more than a ruin. After a lot of blood, sweat and tears, the cottage, which was originally built in the 1800s, was restored to its former glory, thatch roof and all, but with all the comforts of modern living. The couple and their young family didn't get to use it as much as they'd hoped, so it has been let out as a self-catering house for the past couple of years. It has been very popular with French, German and American tourists, and can fetch about 900 a week in high season.

The House

At 807 sq ft, this is a small cottage, best suited to a couple or small family. The size may be beneficial if using as a second home, because there is not too much upkeep needed in the renovated dwelling. From the front door, you walk straight into the open-plan living/kitchen area. This is one narrow room with blue hand-painted units in the kitchen, a Belfast sink and gas hob. The living room has a solid fuel stove and doors out to a decking area - a great spot to take in the views of the Twelve Bens mountain range and the piercing blue lake in the valley below.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Views of Inagh Valley from the house The kitchen The open-plan living area/kitchen The master bedroom Doors from the living room to a decking area / Facebook

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Down a tiny hallway are two bedrooms - one double, one twin. There is a Jacuzzi bath in the bathroom and also a separate shower. All house contents are included in the sale.

Outside, there is a small utility room for extra storage, a gravelled driveway with steps down to the property from the parking area, and just under one acre of land around the property. There is an option of purchasing another 22 acres of land with the house for an extra 22,000. The adjoining land goes from the house all the way down to the lake. It's not the best of land, but could appeal to someone who always harboured dreams of starting up their own small farm.

The Locale

Leitir Sheanna is two miles outside Cashel, on a quiet and isolated road. The village of Cashel lies on the Atlantic coast, west of Galway city and south-east of Clifden, which is 13 miles away. It would take about two minutes to drive into Cashel or 10 minutes to walk. It's a small enough village with not too much going on outside the Zetland Hotel, but Roundstone is only eight miles away with plenty of shops and cafes. For bulk shopping, Clifden has the main supermarkets like SuperValu, Aldi and Lidl.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The master bedroom The kitchen The open-plan living area/kitchen Views of Inagh Valley from the house Doors from the living room to a decking area / Facebook

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A drive from Dublin to Cashel would take about three-and-a-half hours. Galway city is over an hour away by car and the nearest airport to Cashel is in Carnmore, which is 75km away.

What to do

This is a great part of Galway for walkers, with the Cashel walk starting just opposite the Zetland Country House Hotel. This track walk offers fine views down to Bertraghboy Bay and beyond before turning onto an old bog trail. Alternative starting points along Cashel Bay will lengthen this walk, which takes a little over two hours to complete.

Lough Mask and Lough Corrib are very popular with anglers and are well known for brown trout, or the large ferox trout in Mask. Full-day fishing trips can be organised locally.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The open-plan living area/kitchen The kitchen The master bedroom Views of Inagh Valley from the house Doors from the living room to a decking area / Facebook

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For the thrill-seekers, Killary Adventure Company in Leenane, caters for children and adults, and includes everything from bungee jumping to kayaking.

Connemara National Park is just over half an hour from the cottage and is a great day out. With some 2,957 hectares of scenic mountains, bogs, heath and woodlands, the park is also home to the Kylemore Abbey Estate and Letterfrack Industrial School. The parklands are now wholly owned by the state, but were once partly owned by Richard 'Humanity Dick' Martin, who helped found the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the early 19th century. You can wander around the number of walking trails and discover the 19th century graveyard, the old lime kiln, ice house or the megalithic court tombs. A tour of the abbey is worth the price of the ticket, followed by a trip to the tea rooms or playground for the younger ones.

On sunnier days, Connemara beaches are a thing of great beauty. Just off the Clifden to Roundstone road, Dog's Bay and Gurteen Bay lie back-to-back in a unique setting and are well-sheltered from the currents.

Eating and Drinking

If you don't want to stray too far, the Zetland Country House Hotel is a short walk from the cottage. There is a restaurant here if you're after fine dining, or the bar serves food until 8pm every evening.

Further out the road in Roundstone, O'Dowd's pub and restaurant just won Pub of the Year 2017 in the Georgina Campbell awards. It has managed to retain the traditional Irish pub atmosphere but has added a mouth-watering seafood menu with Connemara salmon, Roundstone crab and Galway Bay oysters.

Clifden has a good selection of places to eat and drink. Marconi's on the main street is hot at the moment. Or try Guys Bar and Snug for some food with traditional music on the side.

The Crowd

Connemara, and Galway in general, have always been popular with overseas buyers. Agent Maureen McKeown finds that the only problem at the moment is supply. She said that Brexit is definitely not a turn-off for buyers from the UK, with most interest in recent months coming from British and American bidders, and nothing much from the Irish.

"The world is changing and Americans in particular are looking for a safe haven in Europe, and Ireland seems to be that haven," she said.

What's Not To Like

It's the west, so it's wild and it's wet. This means that older houses can get cold and draughty during the winter months with the requirement for a glass of whiskey and a decent turf burning fire.

Foxglove Cottage

Leitir Sheanna, Cashel, Connemara, Co Galway

Asking price: 195,000 (or 217,000 with extra 22 acres)

Agent: Maureen McKeown Estate Agents (091) 861000
It is a midweek evening towards the end of September, and the rain is bucketing down on Dublin's south inner city. The normally vibrant Dawson Street is largely devoid of pedestrians, but a young man with a box on his back doesn't seem to mind. He is one of an estimated 400 riders who have helped to put the international food-delivery company Deliveroo on the map in Ireland. And he appears happy that the inclement conditions look set to stay for the night.

"Business has been really good tonight," he says, emerging from a restaurant with a new order. "People are staying in, and are maybe in the mood to treat themselves. You're also more likely to be tipped because they see you turning up at their door soaking wet and they feel sorry for you."

His mood is enhanced yet further because this particular order is for an apartment building near the Google HQ and he can cycle there in "six minutes flat". The more orders he gets on a typical three to four-hour shift, the more money he makes.

Later that night, when his shift is over, he's not quite as upbeat. "You caught me on a good night," he says over the phone. "There are times where you'd be twiddling your thumbs - orders would be slow to come in to you and you'd be looking at all this time that you were making yourself available to Deliveroo and you weren't being paid.

"We used to get paid a flat rate per hour, plus a euro for each delivery we did, but then they changed it to a situation where you only got paid per delivery. To be honest, I think I'm making more money on this new set-up than I was, but I hate the principle of it. I was going to walk away, but I like being out and about. I spend enough time studying and in college."

As with most Deliveroo riders - past and present - who agree to speak to Review, this DIT student does not want to give his name.

Another, a former rider - or 'delivery consultant', as Deliveroo like to refer to the couriers they use - has a blunt appraisal for the business models of many on-demand app firms like as Deliveroo.

"Yes, we're largely young people who are either in college or just out of it, but that doesn't mean we should be f***ed over when it comes to employment rights. No matter what way you look at it, we're employees in all but name and entitlements.

"All the talk is about how great it is to have flexible working hours, but we don't get paid if we have a fall off our bikes and can't work a shift the next day, for instance. You can't get sick when you're employed on this kind of model because if you do, there'll be no money coming in."

Deliveroo is part of what has become known as the 'gig economy'. Originally coined at the height of the recession in 2009, it refers to the freelance economy, in which workers support themselves with a variety of part-time jobs that do not provide traditional benefits such as sick leave or pensions. Rather than employ staff the conventional way, many of the new breed of start-ups use a workforce of self-employed contractors.

Deliveroo began life in London in 2013 and has become nothing short of a sensation. The idea is remarkably simple - provide a courier service to restaurants who normally don't offer food delivery. It was made possible because of technological advancements that allow customers to place orders in real time on their smartphones.

Founded by former investment banker Will Shu and ex-software developer Greg Orlowski, the company took in 166m in revenue in the 12 months up to July of this year.

Investors are queuing up for a piece of the action, and in August it secured a staggering $250m of funding from hedge fund Bridgepoint. One of its investors is an Irishman, Dylan Collins of Hoxton Ventures, who has, to date, pumped 22m into the venture.

It launched in Ireland in July 2015 and it has been reported that it has enjoyed 25pc month-on-month growth in that time. At present, it says it is partnering with 400 restaurants in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Belfast.

"Riders engage with us as freelance contractors," says a Deliveroo Ireland spokesperson, "allowing them to work flexibly, often around other commitments, such as additional work, studies or family. As such, riders tell us that flexibility is the aspect of the work they value most.

"In Dublin city centre, riders work with us on a fee-per-delivery payment system designed to increase this flexibility even more. Through this system, riders log in and ride whenever they want and for as long as they choose. We share daily insight reports with all riders, highlighting when we expect to be the busiest - such as evenings and weekends - providing visibility of the best times to maximise fees in line with their availability."

Outside of Dublin, cyclists are paid 6.50 per hour, plus 1 per delivery - the very rate their city counterparts enjoyed until April. The company's decision to introduce a pay-per-delivery system was originally trialled in Brighton, but its introduction in London lead to a one-day strike from Deliveroo riders angered at what they thought to be an attempt to make them work below the minimum wage.

And, around the same time, couriers protested outside the offices of a new venture, UberEats, and chanted, "We are people, not Uber's tools!"

For some, the unrest in London was the first time that on-demand apps suffered overwhelmingly negative publicity. Up to that point, Uber, Just Eat, Deliveroo et al were more often seen as shining beacons of this age of ultimate convenience. Want a quick solution to mounting laundry? Just ZipJet it. How about a cleaner for your home? Get on the Hassle app pronto.

"These companies are not doing anything new," says Michael Taft of the Unite trade union. "They're taking existing industries and delivering them in what they see as a more efficient way, but it's the person on the bottom of the rung that's getting squeezed most."

Taft says on-demand companies are "creating a process of bogus self-employment", where staff are not hired as employees, but rather sub-contractors with virtually no rights. "They're expected to work for these companies but don't get sick leave or holiday pay or any of the social protection benefits," he says. "It's all about reducing costs for the employer, and what it's also doing is driving down working conditions to the point where we're returning to 'piecework' employment and zero-hour contracts."

He points out that last year his union took a successful case against the construction giant JJ Rhatigan on the grounds that bricklayers working on a building site in Dublin were essentially making just 5 per hour due to the subcontracting system they were working in. The court recommended that the firm pay 100,000, to be divided among the 14 striking workers.

"Unfortunately, subcontracting is rife in the construction sector at the moment," he says, "and there's far more at stake than just poor pay. Workers often don't know when they're going to get shifts. Sometimes, their contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on."

It's a view echoed by Joe O'Regan of the Independent Workers Union. "Low-paid contract workers are some of the most vulnerable people in our society," he says. "And they tend to be the very people who aren't unionised. The nature of their works means that they're isolated from other people doing the same kind of role."

O'Regan points out that it's not just the on-demand app companies that are pioneering such labour practices. "Sub-contracting out roles that would have been filled by staff members in the past has, worryingly, become very common."

It was the IWU's British counterpart that helped organise the Deliveroo strike in August, and much of its concern was centred around productivity pressures that riders felt under thanks to the 'algorithmic management' tools employed by firms at the vanguard of the gig economy.

Deliveroo's algorithm monitors riders' shift activities and sends them personalised 'service level assessments' on such detail as average time to accept orders, to travel to the restaurant, to the customer and so on. Riders typically have 30 seconds to accept an order, or risk being unassigned. Deliveroo believe such a response time is necessary to fulfil their stated objective of ensuring customers have their food within half an hour of placing an order.

Uber drivers are also subject to algorithmic control. They choose when they work, but once they log on to the app, they have less than 20 seconds to respond to 'trip requests' routed to them. They are not told the customer's destination until they have picked them up (similarly, Deliveroo riders don't know the location they have to deliver to until they collect food at the restaurant).

Uber drivers who miss three requests in a row are logged out automatically for two minutes, and the failure to accept is logged and sent to them in weekly reports.

For many, Uber epitomises the gig economy. Originally a tiny San Franciscan start-up, it moved into the big time in 2011 during downtime at the Web Summit in Dublin, when co-founder Travis Kalanick convinced investor Shervin Pishevar that Uber could be a behemoth following a meeting at Bruxelles pub. It was an encounter that led to a $38m investment and today the firm is valued at $50bn, and has more than one million drivers on its books worldwide.

It has transformed the short-hop travel industry globally - but not in Ireland, as would-be drivers here have to be holders of taxi licences - but Uber has found itself fighting employment-relations cases around the globe. In the UK, court cases have been taken against the company on the grounds that it has 'deactivated' the employment of drivers who fall below a certain customer rating (out of five).

In one case, an email was read out to court which illustrated the Big Brother-like hold these algorithms can have on de facto employees. "We will continue to monitor your rating every 50 trips and will email you if we see your rating for your past 50 trips falls below 4.6."

While such personalised data might feel like a very modern concept, it has its roots in a practice that was popularised in blue-collar America in the early 20th Century. Frederick Taylor was an industrialist who made his fortune in the steel industry.

Frustrated about inefficiencies he saw on the factory floor, he devised a system in which every labour task was evaluated and the optimum time for its completion was worked out. "This task," he wrote in 1911, "specifies not only what is to be done but how it is to be done and the exact time allowed for doing it."

Workers were subsequently timed and those who consistently failed to work as efficiently as Taylor's 'Scientific Management' timings had dictated risked losing their jobs. Unsurprisingly, productivity in his factories shot up immediately and they were soon adopted throughout the US.

Taylor's legacy lives on in some of the world's most profitable companies. Amazon warehouse workers use handheld devices that give them step-by-step instructions on where to walk and what to pick from the shelves when they get there, all the while measuring their 'pick rate' in real time.

"Algorithms are providing a degree of control and oversight that even the most hardened Taylorists could never have dreamt of," Jeremias Prassl, Oxford University law professor, told the Financial Times last month.

While on-demand apps might be leading the way, it's clear that an algorithmic approach is on the way to the high street, too, especially now that the technology is getting smarter all the time. One Silicon Valley start-up, Percolata, has built a complex algorithm which monitors each employee's 'shopper yield' or, in plain-speak, which staff members generate most sales. It's being used by a number of retailers in the US, and those employees who do best are rewarded with extra shifts.

All-powerful apps aren't just having an effect on workers on the group: they can also disrupt traditional industries, as taxi drivers found out in cities like London and Paris once Uber took hold.

"The task-based apps are really hurting businesses like mine," says the owner of a small Dublin cleaning company. "When Hassle came along, we lost customers virtually overnight. They're offering a service for an hourly rate we just can't sustain - it's a race to the bottom, really. How low can you go? And they've made it so user-friendly too -a cleaner is just a tap of your phone away."

Hassle - billed by some as 'Uber for cleaners' - charges customers 13.90 per hour for the services of its 'trusted cleaners' and its independent contractors receive 11 per hour.

The company was founded by Irish woman Jules Coleman in 2011 and she became a multimillionaire just four years later when it was sold to a German rival for 32m.

Impressive as Coleman's success is, it's in the ha'penny place when viewed alongside that of another Irish entrepreneur, Oisin Hanrahan. The Dubliner also saw a gap in the market for house-cleaning services and DIY, and his Handy app has been a big hit in the US, where he has been based since his days at the Harvard Business School. The company is now valued at $500m.

Hanrahan had originally cut his teeth as a property developer in Eastern Europe while still at Trinity College Dublin.

Twenty-year-old Offaly native Tom Pywell is also studying at Trinity and he believes a Computer Science degree will hold a myriad of possibilities for his future. He has an entrepreneurial spirit, having co-founded LaunchBox - a "crowdfunding platform for up-and-coming musicians" - and he is also getting to see, hands-on, just how the Deliveroo model works.

"I've cycled for Deliveroo for almost a year," he says, "and I really like it. I'd cover about 50km in a three-hour shift and I've worked out that I average 14.80, including tips, per hour. That's more money than I've got in other part-time jobs I've done."

He knows it's a casual job that will help sustain his college years, not a career. But others who have worn the Deliveroo box on their back believe this casualisation of work is just the start.

"My parents' generation took it for granted that they could get secure, pensionable jobs if they wanted," says the young rider who Review first met on a rainy Dawson Street.

"But while, of course, there are still jobs like that to be had, there are far less of them. That's very obvious now. You might work your butt off in college, but you could still be facing unpaid internships and then a lifetime of one short-term contract after the next.

"We're told we're the lucky generation who can set our own hours and enjoy all this flexibility.

"I just hope my peers realise that there's a hell of a price to pay for that."

Appy to be of service

UBER

The daddy of the lot, this ride-hailing app and its keenly priced fares have had a seismic effect on the taxi industry in several countries. Estimated to be worth $50bn, it has more than one million drivers across the globe. A food delivery offshoot, UberEats, was launched in the UK this summer.

DELIVEROO

Its USP is couriering food from restaurants who don't normally offer a delivery service. It's enjoyed phenomenal growth in its three years in operation, and has 20,000 self-employed riders in 12 countries. Roughly 400 couriers currently service the Irish operation.

HASSLE

Co-founded by Irish entrepreneur Jules Coleman (below), the so-called 'Uber for cleaners' was bought by a German rival for 32m last year. It offers a house-cleaning service starting at 13.90 - a price many of its smaller, more traditional competitors struggle to match.

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TASKRABBIT

Ever dreamed of a service that enables you to outsource errands and small jobs to a team of 'helpers' who come and do them for you? This app might just be what you're looking for - and the company says it takes great care in conducting background checks on prospective helpers.

ZIPJET

If washing, drying and ironing your clothes is too onerous a task, this German-founded app can come to your rescue. Linking in with a network of laundrettes and dry cleaners, your dirty garments are laundered and pressed and returned to you within 48 hours.

BUYMIE

An Irish-owned app for on-demand groceries. You can order goods from a selection of local stores and have them delivered by what the firm dubs 'a personal shopper' in one hour. It is, Buymie claims, "convenience as it should be".
Croatia is coming of age as a destination, our travel Editor writes - as this weeks travel special shows.

People who love Croatia really love Croatia.

Its just one of those destinations. Think of Dubrovnik and the island-speckled coast. Consider the walled towns, national parks and Roman ruins.

Then theres the seafood. And the sunshine. Croats dont make the friendliest first impression, but youll soon see why they inspire such glowing goodwill.

Its easy to forget how new all of this is.

Remember Yugoslavia? Remember Dubrovnik being bombarded in 1991?

Now, with security fears stemming travel to Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt, Croatia is reaping dividends as a tried-and-tested alternative (hotel bookings from Ireland are up 49pc in the past year, according to hotelscombined.ie). Zadar and Pula are a direct flight away, and travel agencies say multi-centre trips are booming.

Croatia isn't super-cheap, but the kuna is steady; Airbnb and the countrys villa scenes are improving; islands like Hvar, Lopud and Brac are easier to flit between than their Greek counterparts; and thats not even starting on Game of Thrones...

What were watching now, I think, is the coming of age of a new Irish holiday staple. Dubrovnik is no longer a secret (in peak season, its a tourist trap), but as Yvonne Gordon discovers this week, its food scene is sizzling.

Elsewhere in our Croatia special, Leslie Ann Horgan explores Istria; and Laura Miller maps out a brilliant city break away from the Adriatic in Zagreb.

In 10 years, I wouldnt be surprised to see Croatia up there with Spain, France, Portugal and Italy in our holiday hit list. Get to know it and, like the Croats themselves, a whole new world of hospitality emerges.

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The bad news? The summer season is winding up.

The good news? Summer 2017 is on sale  with Concorde Travel (concordetravel.ie), for example, offering an early booking discount of up to 200 until the end of January. Next June, you can bag a seven-night, three-star package in Dubrovnik from 499pp, with five-star prices a little further south in Cavtat from 754pp. Elsewhere, clickandgo.com has a five-star, seven-night package including flights and accommodation on the Istrian Riviera from 884pp.

Splash

Last-minute luxury is still a runner. Croatia Tours (croatia.ie) has a seven-night getaway bundling flights and five-star accommodation at Dubrovniks Rixos libertas hotel from 831pp, departing October 19, for example.

A week-long sailing holiday next May, taking in Korcula, the Elaphite Islands and Mljet, starts from 1,184pp (book before December 31 for a free bottle of bubbles on arrival).

Meanwhile, Falcon Holidays (falconholidays.ie) has a four-star, half-board Dubrovnik offer departing October 23 from 939pp.

NB: All prices subject to availability/change. For more to see and do in Croatia, see croatia.hr.

Read more:
Seeking a new and exciting city break option? Laura Millar maps out a cool 24 hours in Croatia's capital.

10am: Get your heart broken

Zagreb is divided into the medieval Upper, and 19th-century Lower, Towns. Both have bags of charm. Check out the eccentric Museum of Broken Relationships, featuring the weird and wonderful things people leave behind after a break-up - from pink, fluffy handcuffs to a cellphone ("he gave his to me so I couldn't call him anymore"). Afterwards, stroll around the corner to St Mark's Church with its distinctive red, white and blue-tiled roof.

How: Cirilometodska 2, Upper Town; brokenshipscom/en

2pm: Go to market

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Located behind the main square, Jelacic, you'll find Dolac food and crafts market. Stallholders peddle everything from fruit and vegetables to cottage cheese (don't leave without trying the local baked or boiled delicacy, strukli, which is stuffed with it). Bargain hunters shouldn't miss the Hrelic flea market by the Sava river, every Sunday; you can find anything from vintage clothes to secondhand cars here.

How: For Hrelic, take tram no 14 from the town centre and get off at Zaprude.

5pm: Get arty

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Modern art lovers should head to the Museum of Contemporary Art in the New Town, south of the Lower Town; its industrial design looks a bit like London's Tate Modern and has regularly changing exhibitions. If you're a fan of street art, stroll along Branimirova Street, next to the train station, for walls decorated by local graphic artists. Or check out the beautiful sculptures by Croatia's 'Rodin', Ivan Mestrovic, at his former studio in the Upper Town.

How: msu.hr/en; Mestrovic.hr

8pm: Be a bar crawler

Live it up on Tkalciceva Street, in the Lower Town, which you'll find lined with bars and restaurants. Try funky Kava Tava for fruity-flavoured brandies, from pear to apple (3.50 approx.), or Bar Donna at number 24 for cocktails, all to the soundtrack of 1980s and 1990s tunes. Then get a stylish night's sleep at the slick Hotel 9, which has three floors - each colour-coded white, silver or gold.

How: kavatava.com; hotel9.hr/ (rates from 88)

Do it:

Fly to Zagreb via Paris with Air France (airfrance.ie) or via Amsterdam with KLM (klm.ie). More info at infozagreb.hr.

Read more:
Dubrovnik's food scene is pivoting from tourist traps to a genuine taste of Croatia. Yvonne Gordon tucks in.

The huge fish sizzles and smokes on the heat of the grill, a simple rack set over charcoals. It's lunchtime at Skerac restaurant and they're cooking us a large dorada, or sea bream.

The restaurant's tiny stone terrace overlooks a small beach, where three red kayaks rest on the sand - abandoned while their occupants have lunch here. Beside the beach, a stone jetty leads into the clear blue and green Mediterranean water where the fish we are about to eat was caught this morning.

We're on the island of Kolocep, in the Elaphiti Islands just off Dubrovnik in Croatia. Everything is relaxed and slow-paced. We sailed here, though there are regular ferries from the Old Town. Tying up at the tiny pier, beside a row of colourful wooden fishing boats, we find a man tidying up a fishing net on his small blue boat.

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Fishing was good this morning, he tells us. His catch is a few kilos.

At Skerac (+385 91 576 1165), we tuck into octopus, anchovies and capers, followed by the dorada with a healthy feast of mixed vegetables, salad and chargrilled aubergine. This is typical Dalmatian cuisine - nearly every restaurant in this part of coastal Croatia serves fresh fish with whatever is in season. The dorada is bursting with flavour I never knew fish could have - in the Adriatic Sea, the salinity and cleanliness of the water helps make seafood so tasty. Everything is local. The wine, Zlatna vrbnicka Zahtina, is from Krk island further north.

At Sipanska Luka on Sipan island, the largest of the Elaphitis, we dine at Konoba Kod Marka (+385 20 758007), started by Marko Prizmic when he retired as a chef in Dubrovnik. He wanted to create a relaxed corner that people could escape to from everyday life. Now his son, Dino, runs the tiny waterside restaurant which looks over a quiet bay where life is so laid-back, every day seems like Sunday.

There's no menu here. You just say if you want fish or meat. We go for fish, and are soon enjoying fresh anchovies, tuna carpaccio and octopus cakes, followed by the main course - a delicious shrimp and vegetable pasta.

Back in Dubrovnik's Old Town, the atmospheric walled city with its tiny churches and palaces, tourist traps have their usual signs out, boasting of the best views and menus.

Dubrovnik's culinary scene has been evolving with the global growth of food tourism, however. This is my fourth visit, and in the past couple of years a host of new restaurants has sprung up offering everything from Asian/Mediterranean fusion to creative twists on Mediterranean cuisine, and the city now has its own food festival. A food tour gives me an insight into the culinary traditions and less touristy dining options.

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"These salted and marinated anchovies have been kept in oak barrels for 18 months with no light," says Marija Tosic, my guide with Dubrovnik On Plate. "It's the traditional way to prepare them."

In Marco Polo restaurant (marcopolo-dubrovnik.com), down a tiny stone street in the Old Town, Marija talks me through each dish - the dried, smoked tuna is salty because it was dried near the seaside; the oysters are from Ston, a town 30 miles north which has the oldest oyster farm in Europe and 5.5km-long walls; the ham was dried in the Bura northern wind.

Next is Kopun (restaurantkopun.com), an outdoor restaurant specialising in capon (castrated rooster), where we tuck into a platter of marinated prawns, Croatian cheese with rosemary and olive oil, Kulen (a dried sausage), octopus salad, Dalmatian ham and tuna - a blend of many Croatian flavours.

We also visit Vina Skaramuca wine bar (dingac- skaramuca.hr/en), before ending with coffee and cake at Pupica patisserie (pupodubrovnik.com).

In Dubrovnik, I taste everything from black risotto to mussels, clams, scampi, cuttlefish and squid. I visit the market where the chefs plan the day's ingredients. I eat in restaurants outside town with tables so near the sea, the warm Mediterranean water practically laps onto the restaurant floor. But it's at what seems the most unlikely place that I discover some of the city's best food - an octopus burger at Barba (BoSkoviceva 5), a tiny seafood street-food place up a narrow street.

Here, owner Miho Obradovic explains his restaurant's name. A barba is a fisherman, he says - "the person who knows good fish, good olive oil and good weather".

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Miho's grandfather Ivan was a barba, his father is head of the fish market and Miho (32) himself studied marine biology, so he knows his fish. Everything on the menu, from the tuna pate to the marinated shrimp, is bursting with flavour. There's a sardine burger and a shrimp burger, but the octopus burger is the number one.

Other restaurateurs said he was crazy when he first opened two years ago, Miho says - but the following year, he sold nearly 12,000 octopus burgers and now they all think it was a great idea.

Dubrovnik has every type of cuisine for every budget - I am sure I could have found fancy foams and infusions, but having started by appreciating the traditional fish, it's nice to see someone taking the seafood tradition into the future.

Three Must-Do's

Take a gourmet tour

Find out where locals eat, sample traditional food and wine and learn about local culinary traditions on the Dubrovnik On Plate gourmet tour in the Old Town. It takes three hours (minimum 2 people; maximum 12) and costs 60pp, including wine. Tours run April to November. See dubrovnikstory.com.

Good Food Festival

The Dubrovnik Good Food Festival runs from October 20 to 23 with special menus in 30 restaurants, dinner with a celebrity chef, tastings, gastro tours, workshops on preparing local delicacies, a daily food fair and live music. This is the festivals second year. See tzdubrovnik.hr.

Tasty Treats

Looking for a takeaway? Buy some local delicacies  drop into the open-air market in the Old Town (Monday to Saturday, 7am to 1pm, Gundulic Square) for everything from fresh and dried fruit and vegetables to candied almonds, arancini (candied orange peel), jams, honey or golden olive oil.

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What to pack

Flat shoes - many of the Old Town's streets are uneven or the stones get slippy and there are lots of stone steps. Leave woollies at home - the coldest it ever gets during winter is 10C - and bring a water bottle to fill up at Onofrio Fountain near Pile Gate.

Getting there

Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies up to five times weekly from Dublin to Dubrovnik from 59.99 each way, including taxes and charges. The service runs until November 4 and recommences on March 26, 2017. Dubrovnik packages are also available from several Irish tour operators and travel agents.

Where to stay

The Bellevue Hotel (doubles from 162) is a 10-minute walk from the Old Town; it has its own beach and every room has a sea view. See adriaticluxuryhotels.com. We sailed to the Elaphiti Islands with Huck Finn Adventures (huckfinncroatia.com; three-day trips from 370pp).
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Eoghan Harris Opinion Misery media fails to give due credit to the Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheal Martin must drive his advisers mad. Unlike Leo Varadkar or Donald Trump, he never bigs up success stories such as the effect of Level 3 Plus on Covid or his visionary Shared Island project. Last Friday, Tony Holohan and RTE cheerleaders seemed to imply Level 5 was responsible for the improved Covid situation. Not so.
It's an odd sensation to walk into a cinema and watch Mark Strong play your grandfather. The improbability of that match has been stressed by several critics (somewhat unfairly, I should add), but those same critics have passed over far greater liberties in silence.

I have never before been moved to speak up for Conor because, as readers of this paper will recall, he was never shy about doing that himself. Yet the accuracy of this film has been raised, and by extension Conor's portrayal in it, and that simply won't do. Since he's no longer about to point out the obvious, I will: The Siege of Jadotville is a stirring account of outstanding heroism by Irish UN troops in Katanga; but, as far as Conor goes, it's a travesty.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the film; I've seen it twice. The action scenes are thrilling. Bullets and mortars really do seem to bang and whirr about your head.

Jamie Dornan, and especially Jason O'Mara, impress in their roles as Comdt Pat Quinlan and Sgt Prendergast.

Surprisingly enough, Mark Strong does look the part - well, almost. Strong is a good 10 years older than Conor was in 1961, but if anything looks a little younger (heavy responsibilities will do that) and a little trimmer too (no time at the gym for Conor).

Strong's wig has been mocked, but seeing Conor in old newsreel footage, I think it's pretty accurate: his dark, side-parted hair actually did look as though it had just landed on his head, and Strong's stylist has successfully reproduced the errant forelock and its regular bid for escape.

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One small mercy: Strong doesn't try to mimic Conor's voice at the time - an exotic mix of TCD scholar and World Service announcer. His altogether more neutral tones make several diversions between London, Dublin and the mid-Atlantic, but in the main they don't distract.

What does distract, at least to those who knew him in life, is the character presented on screen. Here we must allow that any fictionalised account has the right to alter character and trim fact according to the demands of running time and plot.

This is primarily an action film, and it should be commended for trying to address its wider geo-political context. That's no easy thing.

Historians have spent the last half-century untangling the precise roles of the UN and the Great Powers in the newly independent Congo and its breakaway province of Kat- anga. Mysteries remain. No: it's the specific role assigned to Conor that gives offence.

We first meet Strong/O'Brien striding along a corridor in UN Headquarters in New York, rehearsing and fumbling his notes for a speech on Katanga.

I was amused by this, as Conor never seemed to be flustered in preparation. After a brief meeting with Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold - who flatters him with the prospect of advancement should he end Katanga's secession - he's quickly dispatched to its capital, Elizabethville.

From this point on, Strong's role is to act as arrogant foil to the rugged Comdt Quinlan. All the administrative faults of the UN operation are heaped on Conor's shoulders, one charitably assumes for reasons of space. Along with the various narrative burdens he's forced to assume, the makers have excised all mention of his first operation on the ground - Rumpunch, a deft and bloodless military exercise, stymied by outside political interference.

The unsuspecting viewer could be forgiven for assuming that Conor landed in Katanga, arms swinging, operation Morthor in breast pocket, heedless in his complacency.

In fact, he arrived in Katan- ga several months before Morthor (Hindi for "Smash") - a rather bolder plan than Rumpunch - to thwart the Congo's break-up. He didn't assume, as he does here, that "they would never dare attack a UN company". Nor can I imagine him saying "It'll all be over before your company gets a sun tan" - not least because he possessed some wit.

A brief scene of Strong idly reading a newspaper as a black servant polishes his shoes slyly suggests a colonial outlook. Conor's lifelong commitment to anti-colonial and anti-racial politics utterly belies this.

Yet there is worse. Conor is next shown at the immediate aftermath of a massacre by Indian UN troops at Radio Katanga.

The massacre did indeed take place, but I have read nothing to place Conor at the scene, nor to direct - as Strong is made to - a cover-up.

The UN did hush-up outrages by its troops in the Congo (still does), and as the film outlines, there was some reason: fear of reprisal against its troops. However, to put Conor solely in the frame, and to imply that he acted with a view to saving his career, is to turn distortion into calumny.

At least, the film shows Dag's duplicitous efforts to cut Conor loose once Morthor went off the rails.

While en route to a meeting with the Katangan leader, Hammarskjold tells Conor he intends to fire him (no such call was made). When Conor later learns of Hammarskjold's death in a plane crash, Strong's face presents quite the picture. A belated "Oh, God" suggests both shock and something dodged. In reality, Conor described himself as in a state too numb to feel.

Ultimately, the script's most insidious suggestion is that Conor denied Quinlan the air support required to spare his men's surrender and then colluded with army top brass to block citations for A Company's heroic stand.

Both are demonstrably false. Strong is even shown skulking in a Baldonnel hangar, while in the sunshine a fictionalised general tells Quinlan there's to be no mention of Jadotville. "Is this coming from you - or O'Brien?" an indignant Quinlan asks.

Happily, I can answer him. By this time (late December 1961), Conor had very publicly left both the UN and the Department of External Affairs - "extruded" was his word - to give the world his side of the story.

No skulking in the shadows there, and no collusion with the UN or Irish Government; he was now persona non grata with both.

The end titles don't mention that, and sadly they don't mention To Katanga and Back, his urgent, funny, rueful and picaresque account of that extraordinary and tragic adventure, now re-issued by Faber.

If you want to appreciate the exploits of Comdt Quinlan and A Company, by all means, watch The Siege of Jadotville. If you want to experience Conor's role and character in the Congo up close, forget the film and read To Katanga and Back.

It isn't fiction, but it reads with the suspense and intrigue of a thriller.

Alexander Kearney is the son of the late Kate Cruise O'Brien.

The Siege of Jadotville is in cinemas now and available on Netflix from October 7.

Twelve of Conor Cruise O'Brien's titles, including To Katanga and Back, have been re-issued by Faber & Faber.
Widad Fardossi looks much older than her 60 years. She crossed the mountains in the dark three days ago. Widad was propped on a mule, a man on each side to hold her up as they negotiated the steep track from Syria to the Bekaa Valley. Even with support she slid from the mule three times. They avoided Syrian guards and Lebanese border forces.

This border is closed to those fleeing the carnage of Syria. Yes, it is worth remembering, there is now no legal way out of Syria into Lebanon or Turkey for most who are fleeing the war.

Some 75,000 refugees are trapped in the middle of the desert between Syria and the Jordanian border, refused permission to go further. Jordan is already catering for 1.2 million Syrians and spends $870m (774m) a year helping refugees.

I saw Widad lying on the floor of the tent where her son and his nine family members now live. They escaped two-and-a-half years ago from Aleppo. Widad was breathing with difficulty. Her heart medication had been lost on the mountain crossing.

She told the story repeatedly: she had gone to visit her daughter in Jarblus, but Islamic State had captured the town and she was trapped there. When the city fell she made her way back towards Aleppo, but it was encircled. There was no way and nowhere to stay.

There are an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a nation already hosting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled earlier conflicts. It amounts to a quarter of the country's population. The United States has agreed to take 11,812 refugees.

Lebanon is a mess these days. Competing sectarian factions feud - politically for the moment - as they have always done. The private army of Hezbollah ensures the continuing influence of Iran against the Sunnis backed by Saudi Arabia, a toxic little cockpit that reflects the wider regional battle.

These days our European politicians call Lebanon a "safe country" in the region. They say the same about Turkey, which has recently experienced a coup and which is at war with Kurdish militants. How do we define safe these days?

Lebanon is safe in the sense that a Syrian or Russian bomb is not going to be dropped on your apartment block or grim-tented encampment in the Bekaa valley. (The Israelis did that in Beirut in 1982 with catastrophic effects on civilians. So far the Syrian war has not spilled over in violence to Lebanon.)

But Lebanon is nobody's idea of a politically stable or secure environment for numbers of Syrians.

International and local NGOs and the United Nations do what they can to alleviate the plight of the dispossessed, but so many Syrians tell stories of exclusion and discrimination that it is easy to understand the impulse to escape and head for Europe.

A 12-year-old boy told a local charity he was constantly bullied at school, so much so that Syrian children had to be educated separately. Around 73pc of Syrians in one study reported difficulty in being able to move from one area to another.

I walked the Beirut Corniche the other night. At the Pigeon Rocks in Raouche, Lebanese families were taking selfies against the red blur of the Mediterranean horizon.

An eight-year-old girl darted between the silhouetted figures offering red roses for sale. She was from Aleppo and, understandably, did not wish to give her name.

But her life in Lebanon, like so many thousands of Syrian children, is a routine of drudgery. How quickly children become invisible on these streets, flitting shadows exiled beyond our care.

The sidewalks of Rue Hamra - that most invigorating of Middle East thoroughfares - are home to Syrian shoeshine boys and cigarette sellers.

Long before the latest war, Syrians were present in their thousands as migrant workers. The Syrian interventions in Lebanon in the past made them unpopular in some quarters. That antagonism lingers and has attached itself to new arrivals. There is also the very understandable Lebanese fear of being sucked into the quagmire next door.

Syria is a mess because there were no good options to begin with. A Western-armed intervention might have overthrown Assad, but the American and European public would never have agreed. Congress would certainly have revolted.

And even if it had worked, what then? Would the West have been willing to bear the costs of occupation and ongoing civil war with the Iranian and Russian backed Alawi/Shia forces?

Oh, and let's not forget to add Al Qaeda affiliates and other Sunni Jihadis to the battlefield.

The idea that these characters would up sticks and settle down to enjoy democracy and harmony is laughable.

I have never heard a credible argument for how military force might have worked at the outset. After Iraq and Libya?

It is tempting to say that the deployment of Western troops and air assets might have prevented the rise of Islamic State in Syria, but who can prove that? Putin understood that Assad had a plan. Do whatever you have to do to stay in power and keep talking about a political transition.

This does not automatically rule out the idea of a no-fly zone over cities where civilians are being slaughtered every day and night. This would be a targeted action to limit a humanitarian disaster. Putin would veto this at the UN. Obama would then have to go eyeball to eyeball with the Russians, threatening to shoot down any aircraft involved in the bombing of Aleppo.

This will not happen.

Putin and his client, Assad, will keep bombing. The civilians will continue to be buried alive. There is no will in the West for such a confrontation.

The other struggle is at the UN Security Council, where the Russians are immune to moral pressure. It has become the automatic Kremlin response to simply deny the truth and muddy the waters with fictional scenarios that thrive in the post-truth, "believe what suits your ideological position" era of politics.

So you can invade and annex Crimea, there is compelling evidence your weapons are used to shoot down a civilian airliner, you continue to sponsor an illegal war in eastern Ukraine and in Syria you bomb Aleppo as you once bombed Grozny, to rubble.

We have reached a new age of brute power. The air is brittle with redundant condemnations. They change nothing.

Remember TS Eliot and The Hollow Men:

We are the hollow men

We are the stuffed men

Leaning together

Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!

Our dried voices, when

We whisper together

Are quiet and meaningless

As wind in dry grass

Or rats' feet over broken glass

In our dry cellar.

The demagogues and iron men are in the ascendant. The public is overwhelmed with compassion fatigue. There is a weariness, a sense of helplessness, as people watch the nightly images of children being pulled from the rubble.

It is far away from us, in distance and concern. Human beings are once again reduced to what the German corporal called "biological plasticine".

What we are losing in the ruins of Aleppo is our humanity.

This should frighten us all.

Fergal Keane is a BBC Special Correspondent
A robot in London's Parliament Square, during a photocall for the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots

Britons are terrified of being enveloped by a dystopian future in which robots take control of society, research has found.

More than a third of people fear the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to robots evolving beyond our understanding and taking over.

And around 40% of us think so-called humanoids could eventually destroy humanity as we know it - concerns echoed by Professor Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk, founder of the SpaceX programme who has previously described AI as mankind's "biggest existential threat".

Our paranoia about androids was revealed in studies ahead of the launch of Westworld, a new Sky Atlantic programme starting on Tuesday in which guests at a futuristic park based in the Old West live out their wildest fantasies.

While the new series, produced by JJ Abrams - the man behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Trek and Cloverfield - is pure fantasy, our fears of robots becoming the supreme beings on Earth are very real.

One in seven of us think we will encounter human-like robots on a day-to-day basis within 10 years, and two-thirds of us expect this to be the norm within the next 50 years.

Men are almost twice as likely as women to relish living among androids, but Britons in general are most worried about what impact robots could have in the way they would interact with children, followed by worries of losing their jobs to super-efficient humanoids.

Professor Noel Sharkey, emeritus professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield, said: "The robotics community have certainly been considering the idea that robots will be walking among us - it's just a matter of when really.

"I think it'll all happen very gradually over the next 20-30 years until we don't even notice they're among us.

"The way we're first going to see robots integrated into society in the near future will be as shop assistants, bar tenders and also as carers for our elderly and children.

"I don't think there's anything to be concerned about but if they come to look too human-like then they could be used to deceive us in many, many ways."

:: 2,000 people were questioned for the survey in September.
Fiona from Ballyclare, Co Antrim, and Rob from Dublin, met while they were studying at the National College of Art and Design, and although they meandered as friends for a long time, they both realised on the last day of college that it was "now or never!".

After nearly 10 years together, Rob proposed to his love on London's Battersea Bridge, overlooking the Thames, with a ring he had commissioned from friend and jeweller Clare Grennan - asking Fiona if she wanted "to have a big party". The pair wanted a fun and colourful Humanist ceremony and decided to have their Big Day at Cork's Blackwater Castle, where they could have their own castle for a day and get creative to have everything to their tastes.

"All the decorations were made by friends and relatives. We had a big pom pom- and kimchi-making party a few weeks before the wedding. Then everyone helped fluff up pom poms when we got to the castle. We asked family to bring blankets to cover the straw bales for the ceremony," says Fiona. Even the flowers were all grown on an allotment by a friends of Fiona's mother and brought down the day before the wedding.

The bride had her unique gown designed and made by two very good friends of hers, Jill De Burca and Emma Sheridan, meaning she could choose the fabrics.

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After their beautiful day, Fiona and Rob spent some nights in the Garryvoe Hotel before travelling straight to Glastonbury festival where friends had pitched their tent in the mud - "Best wedding gift ever," says Fiona.

* Words by Dee Finnerty. Photography by Aoife O'Sullivan Photography, visit aosphoto.com

If you would like your wedding featured here, email weddings@independent.ie
Fresh fighting has broken out in the Syrian city of Aleppo, according to reports

Syrian rebels and pro-government forces have clashed on several fronts around Aleppo as the country's military command called on militants to evacuate the city.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported fighting in areas close to al-Shuqeef hill and the Bustan al-Basha area as the government tries to penetrate the city's opposition-held eastern side.

The reports come a day after pro-government forces captured the al-Shuqeef hill.

The government's offensive has been accompanied by a relentless Russian and government campaign of air strikes across eastern Aleppo.

President Bashar Assad's forces are depending on Russian air strikes and Iran-backed militias to bolster their campaign.

A spokesman for the Nour el-Din el-Zinki rebel faction told The Associated Press that foreign fighters were actively participating in the government's ground campaign for the city. He said rebels could identify Lebanese and Iraqi militias by their flags.

An air strike, meanwhile, targeted a rebel headquarters near the central city of Hama on Sunday, killing at least six militants, the Observatory said.

The blow is a setback for the rebel campaign to advance on the government-controlled city.

The UN's humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said on Sunday that east Aleppo's health system has been "all but obliterated" by shelling and bombardment.

"Medical facilities are being hit one by one," Mr O'Brien said in a statement that called for at least a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause to the fighting.

The UN estimates 275,000 people are trapped in the east by a government siege.

"We are in a race against time to protect and save civilians in eastern Aleppo city. They need our urgent action to bring an end to their living hell," Mr O'Brien said.

Air strikes put one of the city's largest hospitals, located in the eastern Sakhour area, out of service on Saturday, doctors and activists reported.

The Syrian military command said in a statement carried on state news on Sunday that government forces would guarantee the gunmen safe passage out of the city's opposition-held eastern areas.

Russia, which backs Mr Assad's government, announced a month ago that the government would open safe passages for civilians to leave eastern Aleppo.

The United Nations says at least 320 civilians have been killed since the government announced an offensive on eastern Aleppo on September 22.

AP
A man in China killed his parents then massacred 17 neighbours in an attempt to cover up the crime, police have said.

Yang Qingpei confessed after being arrested, state media reported.

The mass killing is one of the worst in China in recent years, but the story appears to have been heavily censored in the country, leading to some complaints on social media.

Mr Yang became involved in an argument with his parents over money on 28 September. Local reports claim he was a gambler, leading to speculation he had racked up debts. The argument escalated and resulted in the murder of both his parents.

Fearing being identified as the killer, police said, Mr Yang went on to murder a number of his neighbours in the remote village of Yema, Yunan province.

After the crime, Mr Yang fled to Kunming, the regional capital, where he worked, but was arrested.

Police have not said how the murders were carried out, but that there were 19 victims aged between three and 72, including four children.

Gun ownership is strictly restricted in China and murders are often carried out using knives or other methods.

Despite the apparent lack of political motive to the mass killing, state censors have restricted reporting of the story, with official outlets reproducing a short statement but no further details.

The Communist government is known for its attempts to control any major stories which could reflect badly on the country.
A soldier rides on a military vehicle in a convoy carrying the bodies of soldiers killed in an ambush (AP)

Military vehicles escort a convoy carrying the bodies of soldiers killed in an ambush (AP)

A total of 13 bodies have now been found at Lake Chapala in western Mexico.

The head prosecutor of Jalisco state, Eduardo Almaguer, told the Milenio television network on Saturday that the dead apparently were members of a gang and came from nearby communities.

He said they were killed by their former criminal allies in the neighbouring state of Michoacan on or around September 21.

The bodies of the 12 men and one woman were then apparently thrown into a river that feeds into the lake.

They were found at the opposite end of the lake from the town of Chapala, popular among tourists and retired Americans.

Also on Saturday, a soldier died in a shoot-out with criminals in the central state of Guanajuato, a day after five soldiers were killed in an ambush in the northern state of Sinaloa.

The Guanajuato state prosecutor's office said police and soldiers were chasing a three-vehicle convoy of armed men in the township of Comonfort, Guanajuato, when the gunfight broke out and the soldiers was shot dead.

It appeared unrelated to Friday's attack on a military convoy in Sinaloa, which was probably launched to free a wounded drug suspect being transported in an ambulance guarded by the convoy.

Defence secretary General Salvador Cienfuegos used harsh language to describe the attackers, who apparently used grenades to attack the army convoy.

"Our soldiers were ambushed by sick, insane criminal beasts," he said.

AP
The scene at Townville Elementary School on Wednesday after the shooting (AP)

A six-year-old boy who was critically wounded in a shooting has died, days after a 14-year-old opened fire on a school playground.

Jacob Hall had been fighting for his life at a hospital after a bullet struck him in a main artery in his leg, causing him a major brain injury due to a "catastrophic" loss of blood, his doctor said.

Jacob died about 1pm local time on Saturday, and a post-mortem will take place on Sunday, Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said.

The a uthorities say Jacob, another student and a first-grade teacher at Townville Elementary in South Carolina were wounded by the teenager, who had just killed his father at their home, on Wednesday.

After the killing, the teen - who is not old enough to have a driver's licence - drove a pick-up truck about three miles down a country road, crashed at the school and started firing with a handgun.

The wounded were struck as a door opened for recess. Another teacher who heard the first gunshot was able to get other students safely inside, school officials have said.

The other wounded student and the injured teacher, Meghan Hollingsworth, were treated and released from hospital.

Jacob's parents, Renae and Rodger Hall, thanked the nurses and doctors who cared for their son and Ms Hollingsworth, "who put her life on the line to try to protect and save Jacob".

Jacob died surrounded by his family at Greenville Health System Children's Hospital, his parents said.

"Jacob came into our lives six years and four months ago and changed it completely," they said.

"He showed us how to love, laugh and smile even on days we did not want to. God gave him to us and he was taken away from us by a senseless act. We know that Jacob has already forgiven this child for what he did to him and his family because that's the kind of child he was."

The authorities have not released a motive for either shooting.

The teenager was charged as a juvenile on Friday with murder and three counts of attempted murder.

Dr Keith Webb called Jacob a "tremendous fighter" but said he was "unable to overcome the catastrophic blood loss and resulting cardiopulmonary arrest caused when the bullet hit his femoral artery".

Classes at Townville Elementary are set to resume on Monday.

AP
Hillary Clinton has said that the spate of gun violence in the United States shows that "protecting all of God's children is America's calling".

The Democratic presidential nominee spoke at church services in Charlotte, North Carolina, which has been grappling with last month's shooting of a black man by a police officer.

Ms Clinton said at Little Rock AME Zion Church that the country should try to imagine gun violence "through our children's eyes".

She was joined at the pulpit by nine-year-old Zianna Oliphant.

The African American youngster recently gave a tearful address to the city council on race relations, saying she could not "stand how we're treated".

The shooting of Keith Lamont Scott led to two nights of violent protests in the centre of Charlotte.
From left, Jevgeni Dzjoegasjvili, Curtis Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, the grandsons of Second World War leaders Josef Stalin, Theodore Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill, meet in Maastricht (AP)

In a 1933 photo, US president Franklin D. Roosevelt sits in his car with his daughter Anna Eleanor Dall and her two children, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, and Curtis Roosevelt (AP)

Curtis Roosevelt, who lived in the White House as a child when his grandfather was US president and worked for two decades at the United Nations, has died aged 86.

The oldest grandchild of Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt died of a heart attack in Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard in southern France on September 26.

Curtis Roosevelt insisted before his death that he did not want a funeral service. Instead, according to his widow Marina Roosevelt, he said: "If you must do something, then get together and have a good time, with wine and cheese, and make awful martinis like my grandfather did."

Roosevelt's childhood in the spotlight marked the rest of his life, as did his grandfather's exceptional legacy.

Curtis Roosevelt, born April 19 1930 when his grandfather was governor of New York, was the son of Anna Roosevelt, the president's eldest child and only daughter.

Curtis and his sister Anna moved in with their grandparents as his father Curtis Bean Dall's stock market career suffered in the Depression and his parents divorced.

Dubbed Buzzie and Sistie, they lived relatively shielded from the difficulty of the era, shuttling between Washington and holidays at the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New York.

The children lived in the White House for several years until their mother married a newspaper reporter John Boettiger.

"He never really got over those early impressions," his sister Anna Eleanor Seagraves said on Saturday from her home in Bethesda, Maryland, in the US.

Curtis Roosevelt went on to work as an educator and political reformer in New York, and then became a diplomat at the UN from 1964 to 1983, where he notably served as liaison with non-governmental organisations.

He was following in the footsteps of his grandmother, Eleanor Roosevelt, who was a member of the first American delegation to the UN in 1945, and later served as chairman of the UN Commission on Human Rights from 1947 to 1951.

In his memoirs, Curtis Roosevelt had both praise and criticism for his grandparents, seeing them as more engrossed in world politics than family matters.

But they always loomed large for him, Marina Roosevelt said from their home in Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard.

Roosevelt defended his grandfather's efforts to hide his polio-stricken legs from the American public.

"FDR was a Victorian," Roosevelt wrote. "You do not display your illness, and if somebody asks you how you are, you say, 'Fine.' Besides, he wanted a practical way to carry on with what he had to do and who he was."

In 2005, Curtis Roosevelt joined the grandsons of Soviet leader Josef Stalin and wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill in a debate over the legacy of their grandfathers' historic summit at Yalta 60 years earlier, which laid the groundwork for the post-war division of Europe and the Cold War.

"Nobody got what they wanted from Yalta except the Russians, who were in a position to get it," Curtis Roosevelt said at the meeting at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.

He said that for his grandfather, the decisions made at Yalta were mostly about accepting reality after the United States' late entry into the war.

The Yalta conference took place as Stalin's army was poised for the final attack on Berlin after occupying Poland. Stalin had the largest army in Europe, with 12 million soldiers, while Eisenhower's four million men were still west of the Rhine.

Roosevelt's fourth marriage proved the most lasting. His widow Marina hopes to fulfil his wishes for an informal memorial gathering in late November.

Curtis Roosevelt is survived by his widow, sister, daughter Julianna Roosevelt and half-brother John Boettiger of California, and a grandson.

AP
People march during an annual festival in Bishoftu, Ethiopia (AP)

A total of 52 people have been confirmed killed in a stampede in Ethiopia after police tried to disperse an anti-government protest at a religious festival.

The Oromia regional government confirmed the death toll late on Sunday.

The government is also declaring three days of national mourning.

The stampede occurred in one of the east African country's most politically sensitive regions Oromia.

It has seen months of sometimes deadly demonstrations demanding wider freedoms.

Dozens of people were crushed after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protest.

An estimated two million people were attending the annual Irrecha thanksgiving festival in the town of Bishoftu, south-east of the capital, Addis Ababa, when people began chanting slogans against the government, according to witnesses.

The chanting crowds pressed toward a stage where religious leaders were speaking, the witnesses said, and some threw rocks and plastic bottles.

Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and people tried to flee. Some were crushed in nearby ditches, witnesses said.

Ethiopia's government initially acknowledged that deaths had occurred but did not say how many were killed and injured. Through a spokesman, it blamed "people that prepared to cause trouble".

Many people were taken to hospitals, the spokesman's office said.

Mulatu Gemechu with the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, said he thought the death figure would rise. The protesters were peaceful, Mr Gemechu said.

Before the stampede, an AP reporter saw small groups of people walking in the crowd and holding up their crossed wrists in a popular gesture of protest.

The reporter also saw police firing tear gas and, later, several injured people.

Ethiopia's government, a close security ally of the West, has been accused often of silencing dissent, at times blocking internet access.

The months of anti-government protests and the sometimes harsh government response have raised international concern.

The US recently spoke out against what it called the excessive use of force against protesters, describing the situation in Ethiopia as "extremely serious".

AP
A fighter of the Libyan forces affiliated to the Tripoli government rests sitting on a wall destroyed by bombing at the western front line city of Sirte (AP)

Dutch journalist Jeroen Oerlemans has been fatally shot by a sniper in the Libyan city of Sirte, according to Dutch national broadcaster Nos and Belgian publication Knack.

Both cited fellow journalist Joanie de Rijke, of Knack, who was reporting with Mr Oerlemans in Libya. The exact circumstances of his death are unclear.

Eric Strating, the Dutch ambassador to Libya, tweeted: "Rest in Peace. Your photographs of #Sirte #Libya and other places will live on forever."

Mr Oerlemans was abducted in 2012 in northern Syria and held captive for a week before being freed, Nos reported.

His Facebook account says he was based in Amsterdam and studied photojournalism at the London College of Communication.

Sirte has faced recent fighting between pro-government militias trying to take back the city from Islamic State extremists.

AP
An Egyptian activist shouts anti-military Supreme Council slogans during a demonstration in front of Cairo's high court (AP)

Egypt's top women's advocacy group has filed a complaint with the chief prosecutor against an MP who called for mandatory virginity tests for women seeking university admission, it has been reported.

Maya Morsi, head of the National Council for Women, is quoted on Sunday by Al-Masry Al-Youm as saying she will demand the expulsion from parliament of Ilhami Agena and a criminal investigation into his actions.

She says the MP is harming the reputation of Egypt and its women.

The MP said in an interview last week that virginity tests were needed to combat the proliferation of informal marriages, known as "gawaz orfy," between students.

Virtually expense free, such marriages have become more popular in recent years because of high unemployment among young people and a shortage of affordable housing.

AP
People protested at another fatal shooting of a black man by police

Police shot and killed a man in Los Angeles at the end of a car chase, sparking a protest by several dozen people frustrated by another fatal shooting of a black man by officers.

The chase began on Saturday when police tried to pull over a car with paper plates, suspecting the vehicle may have been stolen, and the driver refused to stop, police officer Barry Montgomery said.

He said the passenger got out of the car during the pursuit and ran into the back of a house, where he was shot. The driver fled the scene and remained on the loose.

Early Sunday the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that it found a handgun at the scene of the shooting.

The shooting drew several dozen people to the scene. As news of what happened spread, a group of several dozen protesters blocked a junction near the house Saturday night.

Some people waved signs that read Black Lives Matter, and others shouted at officers standing behind yellow police tape and wearing riot helmets.

Tia Gonzalez, 36, told the Los Angeles Times that she went to the scene because she knew the community was "going to be hurting". She criticised shootings by police, saying officers should be better trained to avoid killing people.

"A police officer should not be the judge, the jury and the executioner," she said.

The demonstration is the latest sparked by a series of fatal shootings of black men by officers around the country.

In the last week an unarmed black man was fatally shot by police in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, triggering days of angry, sometimes unruly, protests.

The fatal shooting of a black man armed with a knife by police in Pasadena, California, on Friday led to two mostly peaceful protests.

Relatives of the dead man in Los Angeles identified him as 18-year-old Carnell Snell Junior, and they said he was killed on the same street where he lived.

Snell's mother, Monique Morgan, appeared at the protest Saturday night. "He was just at my house, and we got a phone call that said the police shot him five times in the back," she said.

Police have not said how many times Snell was shot or if he was shot in the back.

Trenell Snell, 17, said she was outside with friends when she saw her older brother running from police. She said she started running too, and that she hit the ground when she heard gunfire.

When she got up, her brother was on the ground, handcuffed, she said.

"At the end of the day, the cops came and shot my brother," she said. "Killed my brother."

Snell's mother told reporters she asked authorities to let her see the dead man to confirm whether he is her son, but they would not allow her to do so.

AP
Donald Trump has released the first campaign adverts staring his daughter Ivanka as his team scrambles to boost his support among women and recover from a week dominated by his war with a Miss Universe contestant.

The new adverts involve Ivanka Trump - an entrepreneur herself who is seen by many to be one of Mr Trump's greatest assets - discussing his childcare policies and the importance of motherhood.

They came as a new poll by Fox News showed Hillary Clinton, his Democrat rival for the presidency, benefiting from a three-point bounce after Monday night's debate in which a rattled Trump failed to provide cohesive arguments, struggled with the microphone, and left many viewers confused as to where he stood.

In the closing minutes of the debate Clinton startled the billionaire by reminding him how he had called Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe, "Miss Housekeeping" - a dig at her Venezuelan origins - and "Miss Piggy," accusing her of putting on weight.

The 70-year-old businessman has long struggled to win over female voters, and Friday's poll put Clinton ahead with women by 20 points.

"The most important job any woman can have is being a mother," Ivanka Trump says in the spot, which will be broadcast in swing states this week.

"And it shouldn't mean taking a pay cut," she adds as the video shows mothers playing with their children. She then proceeds to discuss her father's proposed policies, including paid maternity leave and tax credits for child care. The US and Papua New Guinea are the only countries in the world not to guarantee paid maternity leave.

"Donald Trump understands the needs of a modern workforce. My father will change outdated labour laws so that they support women and American families," she says. "He will provide tax credits for child care, paid maternity leave, and dependent care savings accounts. This will allow women to support their families and further their careers."

Despite Ivanka's best efforts, however, her father seems unable to help himself.

Following Clinton's coup at the debate in bringing up Alicia Machado, Trump hit back in the early hours of Friday - around 3am - launching a Twitter tirade against the former beauty queen, describing her as "disgusting" and referencing a "sex tape."

Machado did appear on a Spanish reality television show, and grainy night-time footage from 2000 shows her having sex. She also posed in sultry, but not pornographic, magazines. But there is no evidence of a "sex tape" existing.

The Republican candidate's woes did not end there. On Friday Buzzfeed obtained a Playboy video from 2000 - featuring Mr Trump. He promised in August to crack down on pornography, yet in the video he appears - fully clothed - alongside Peruvian twins on a tour of America, most of which they seem to spend naked, covering each other in honey, and posing in sexual positions.

"Beauty is beauty, and let's see what happens with New York," Mr Trump says in the film, Playboy Video Centerfold, as he sprays champagne on a Playboy limo.

In an interview with the New York Times published yesterday, Trump risked further alienating women by announcing that he plans to attack Clinton for her husband's infidelities.

When asked about his own - the thrice-married billionaire was still married to Ivanka's mother Ivana when he began a relationship with Marla Maples - he dodged the question. "No. I never discuss it. I never discuss it. It was never a problem," he said.

Mr Trump accused Mr Clinton of having had numerous indiscretions that "brought shame onto the presidency, and Hillary Clinton was there defending him all along."

Mr Trump's aides are concerned that his referencing Mr Clinton's affairs is a risky strategy that may hurt his ratings with women even more. Mrs Clinton's campaign described him this week as "unhinged."

Last week, businessman Denis O'Brien was attacked by Trump for his support for Hillary Clinton.

The Republican candidate issued a press statement summarising a number of newspaper articles about Mr O'Brien under the headline 'Follow The Money', which Trump has used several times during his campaign while trying to link the Clintons to big business.

Denis O'Brien, who is the largest shareholder in Independent News and Media, is listed as having made donations totalling between US$10m-$25m to the Clinton Foundation as of June 2016.

Among the articles were references to the outcome of the Moriarty Tribunal, which investigated how Mr O'Brien secured a mobile phone licence for his company Esat Digifone and several links to articles which describe his relationship with Independent TD and former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass in the Immaculate church, in Baku (AP)

Pope Francis travelled to Azerbaijan on Sunday for a 10-hour visit aimed at encouraging the country's inter-religious harmony, while overlooking criticism of a referendum that extends the president's term and powers.

Francis' first stop was to celebrate Mass for Azerbaijan's tiny Catholic community.

The Caucasus nation - the second-largest Shiite Muslim country after Iran - has fewer than 300 Azeri Catholics.

Several thousand foreigners make up the rest of its Catholic community, and Azeri Jews, Zoroastrians and other minorities round out Azerbaijan's religious mix.

"Some may think that the pope wastes so much time: travelling so many kilometres to visit a small community," Francis told more than 400 people in the church in Baku and another 450 who followed the Mass outside in the courtyard.

But he said he was merely doing as God did in delivering Jesus among the Jews of Jerusalem. "In this, the pope imitates the Holy Spirit. He also descended from heaven to a small community."

"Have courage. Go on, without fear. Go ahead."

Francis was to meet with the region's Muslim sheik and representatives of all the main faiths as well as president Ilham Aliyev before heading back to Rome after a weekend visit that first took him to Georgia.

Francis has denounced the use of violence in God's name and has stressed the need for greater interfaith dialogue. In many ways, the Vatican sees Azerbaijan as a model of religious tolerance given the interfaith harmony that characterises relations among its Muslims, Christians and Jews.

The Catholic Church where Francis celebrated Mass was built with the financial help of Muslims and Jews, according to the Salesian priests who preside there.

The Azeri government donated a plot of land on the outskirts of the capital, Baku, after Saint John Paul II visited in 2002, but it took the help of non-Christians to get the structure built.

"I cannot contain my boundless joy," parishioner Eva Agalarova, 61, said of Francis' visit. "It is both joy and happiness that the faith gives me."

The half-dozen Salesian priests who minister to Azerbaijani Catholics gave Francis a hand-woven carpet depicting both the church and the Maiden's Tower, a 12th-century bastion in Baku's walled Old City that is probably Azerbaijan's most recognisable structure.

Last week, Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission said more than 80% of voters in the former Soviet republic backed a constitutional amendment extending the presidential term from five to seven years. Other provisions granted the president the right to dissolve parliament, create new vice presidential jobs and cancel age limits.

Aliyev's opponents, as well as human rights organisations including Amnesty International and Freedom House, said the moves cement a dynastic rule in the oil-rich Caspian Sea nation.

The Azerbaijani government has rejected the criticism, saying the constitutional amendments aimed to cut red tape and speed up economic reforms.

Baku's Muslim residents welcomed Francis' presence.

"Islam is a tolerant religion and it accepts all faiths," a Muslim woman, Aygun Mikayilova, said. "I will welcome the pope's visit if he is bringing a message of peace, calm and tolerance."

Aliyev, in office since succeeding his father in 2003, has firmly allied the Shiite Muslim nation with the West, helping secure its energy and security interests and offset Russia's influence in the strategic Caspian region.

AP
Amitabh Bachchan has found an innovative way of spreading awareness about the Swachh Bharat India campaign. India is observing Swachh Bharat Diwas today, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Big B found a filmy and perfect way to disseminate information

Big B, who spoke about NDTV's clean-up initiative at the Juhu beach on Sunday told media that he found reworked posters of films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Anand and Deewar (in which he co-starred with Shashi Kapoor) and he could not hold himself back from sharing the same.

Twitter

According to big B, each message has a deeper meaning to them.

Like, an iconic "Jaa Simran Jaa, jeele apni zindagi" has been replaced by "Ja Simran ja... Platform bhi saaf karte hue ja."

Here are the posters that Big shared on FB:

Commenting on the initiative, Big B said,

"These iconic places are the most visited by tourists, so it's a good thing to keep them clean. This initiative is to create an impression. So, clean up places and send a message across the country."
1. A dowry and harassment case has been filed against Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family by his sister-in-law.

Twitter

The complaint that has been reported to Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rakesh Jolly, the woman who married the actor's younger brother Minauzzidin Siddiqui on 31 May 2016, alleging that in-laws have been asking for dowry and misbehaving for the same.

2. After Salman Khan expressed his support in favor of Pakistani artists, MNS now threatens to ban his films.

Twitter

Jawans are fighting for us at borders. Whatll happen if they decide to put down their weapons? Wholl guard the borders? Salman Khan? Bollywood? These artists (Salman Khan) should realise Nation first. If they have so many problems, we will ban their movies too. Thackeray said.

3. After Daddy Roshan came out and spoke in defense of his son Hrithik, Kangana Ranaut now took a dig at him.

Twitter

Kangana said, "Why cant Indian men stand for themselves. He is a 43-year-old son. Why does he need his father to come for his rescue always? For how long they will keep hiding behind their influential big name fathers. He is an adult and he can pretty much handle his own controversies in showbusiness. Its just a simple controversy. Why daddies have to always save their sons. I dont understand this."

4. Akshay along with actress Alia Bhatt and politico Aditya Thackrey recently attended a prize distribution ceremony for a female self-defence martial arts course.

Facebook/Akshay Kumar

At the ceremony, Akshay Kumar did a Facebook Live which shows a woman disarming her attacker and showing off some killer self-defence moves. Alia too was with him, cheering for the two girls performing a demo session.

5. Angelina Jolie has reportedly been granted custody Of Kids and Pitt has been granted temporary visitation rights.

Instagram

This agreement further states that the couples six children will stay in full physical custody of Jolie while Brad Pitt has been given temporary visitation rights. Pitt can only visit his children with a therapist present or if Jolie grants him the permission to meet without supervision.
TOI/representational image

A Pakistani boat with nine persons on board was on Sunday apprehended off Gujarat coast by the Indian Coast Guard.

ICGS Samudra Pavak apprehended the boat at about 10.15 am, the Coast Guard said, adding preliminary information indicated those on board were Pakistani fishermen. Read more here.

Here are 5 more stories that may interest you:

1. Now Porn Plays On A Jakarta Billboard In The Middle Of Traffic!

It was an ordinary afternoon drive for commuters in Jakarta  before porn took over a billboard for 5 minutes.

Police rushed into action and cut power to the jumbo-tron billboard immediately. No one knows whether it was an accident, or a prankster at his finest but Indonesian newspaper Harian Jogja has reported that the perpetrator has since been caught. Read more here

2. NRI Woman In France Says RSS Has Already Killed Jayalalithaa, Gets An FIR Registered Against Her!

facebook/Tamizachi

The Chennai police on Friday booked a woman for spreading rumours about Jayalalithaas health on Facebook.

It has been reported that Tamizachi, in a post on Thursday, claimed that she had received information from reliable sources that Jayalalithaa passed away two days ago. She reportedly mentioned that RSS killed Jayalalithaa because it is planning to spread riots in Tamil Nadu.

Tamizachi reportedly lives in France and is known for several disputable/controversial posts before, including the Chennai techie Swathi murder case. She has been reportedly accusing RSS behind a sequence of events in TN. Read more here

3. Indias First Statue Of Gandhi Killer Nathuram Godse Unveiled by Hindu Mahasabha In Meerut

washingtonpost

The first ever bust of Nathuram Godse - Mahatma Gandhi's assassin- was installed and unveiled by the members of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha at their Sharda road office in Meerut on the occasion of Gandhi's birthday on Sunday.

The statue, which had drawn controversy in December 2014, was finally erected as the members of the Hindu outfit also observed Gandhi's birthday as 'Dhikkar Divas'.

Detailing, Pandit Ashok Sharma, national vice president of the outfit, said, "In 2014, when we had tried to install the bust of Godse after a foundation stone laying ceremony. It was opposed by police and right-wing outfits due to which the spot was sealed and the matter was taken to court. This time, we exercised extreme caution and unveiled the statue on Gandhi Jayanti - as there can be a no better day. Our step signifies that it is time all Indians stop following Gandhi's footsteps and start worshipping Godse." Read more here

4. Gandhi Didn't Win The Nobel Peace Prize, But These Three Dangerous Men Did

bbc

The worlds biggest honour, the Nobel Prizes will be bestowed 2 weeks later in a glorious ceremony. While the awards were created to honour those whose discoveries created "the greatest benefit to mankind,, here are five Nobel Prize decisions that, in hindsight, seem questionable:

1. The man who organised Poison gas attacks

Fritz Haber was awarded the 1918 chemistry award for discovering how to create ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gases. His method was used to manufacture fertilizers and delivered a major boost to agriculture worldwide. Read more here

5. Hordes Of Villagers Risk Their Own Lives, Take Kids Along To Hunt A Maneating Tigress

BCCL/representational image

With hordes of villagers, many with small children in tow, joining the search for the elusive man-eater tigress near Ramnagar on Friday, questions have been raised as to why so many people were allowed to hunt for the big cat in a move that would endanger their lives.

Even as environmentalists wondered why no checks were kept on people's movement, forest officials said the district administration had been asked for additional forces to help in crowd control. Read the details here.
First Jats in Haryana, then Patidars aka Patels in Gujarat, and now the Marathas in Maharashtra are demanding caste-based reservations. Maratha rallies throughout Maharashtra, remained peaceful, while Jat agitation and the Patidars protests held the authorities to ransom for over a week.

DNA

Particularly in Haryana, where the agitation turned into a caste feud between the Jats and non-Jats, resulting in huge loss of property, roughly worth Rs 35,000 crore.

This was not the first time, the agitation by a certain community demanding reservation went awry. In 2008, Gurjars' demand for status of Schedule Tribe (ST) also met the same fate when the state wide clashes between Gurjars and Meenas threatened the law and order situation in Rajasthan. Meenas who are currently reaping the benefits of ST status feared for the increase in competition if Gurjars get inducted in ST category.

The system of reservation introduced after the independence was implemented to elevate the pariahs of the society who always lived on the receiving end. Blame the caste system followed by the Indian society.

The political compulsions, further convoluted by the vote bank politics derailed this attempt to bring economic, if not social parity in society.

Here are major communities, demanding reservation in India

Jats in Haryana

During the Jat movement in February, many ridiculed their claim for OBC status as they are seen as one of the most affluent community in north India. This wasn't for the first time, the Jats demanded OBC status. In fact in many states like Delhi, UP, Rajasthan (except Bharatpur and Dholpur), the Jats are in state list of OBC.



Gurnam Singh Commission, constituted in 1990, had listed Jats among the backward classes. But despite several promises, the Jats weren't given OBC status. The UPA government in 2014 inducted the Jats into Centre's OBC list, but the case didn't stand the scrutiny in Supreme Court and quota given to the Jats got quashed.

Similarly, in Haryana, the Punjab and Haryana High Court in September 2014 had removed the Jats and other four castes from the state's Special Backward Classes (SBC), which irked the Jats who form a majority community in Haryana with over 50 per cent of the land holdings.

Jats even now demand for the inclusion in state as well as Centre's list of OBC and the leaders have been giving ultimatum to government for another movement for reservation soon.

Patidars in Gujarat

The Patidar movement in Gujarat, too went in the same direction in Haryana. The movement led by Hardik Patel turned violent. In July 2015, the protest which began on a peaceful manner took an ugly turn when Police tried to arrest Hardik in a mid-night raid. Protesters went on a rampage attacking police and public transport, torching many vehicles.

PTI

At least eleven people were killed in various police crackdowns. Despite erstwhile Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel, who herself belongs to the Patel community appealing for restrain, the demonstrations continued.

Reuters

Marathas in Maharashtra

Marathas too are demanding reservation through their massive yet silent marches across Maharashtra.

ndtv

The move, so far, does not seem to get violent as the state government is keeping a stock of the situation. Political parties like Shiv Sena and NCP are likely to support their right for reservation. Bombay High Court too has asked all political parties litigating in the matter to submit the synopses of their respective arguments.

Gurjars in Rajasthan

The Gurjar community held a 10-day protest in May 2015 demanding reservation. Thousands of Gujjar community members blocked railway tracks for days, bringing train traffic to a halt. The community had organised similar protests in 2008, and 2010 led by Kirori Singh Bainsla, who, despite several rounds of talk with government, couldn't reach any agreement.

IndianExpress

In 2008, the Gurjar demand for inclusion in ST category was marred by their clashes with Meena who are major beneficiary of resevation given to category. Soon the bloody clashes between two communities forced Bainsla to call off the agitation.

IndianExpress

However in 2015, Gurjars called off the agitation after government announced it would bring two laws, providing 5 per cent reservation to Gujjars in the Special Backward Classes category and another 14 per cent reservation for the economically backward classes among the upper castes.

The Kapus in Andhra Pradesh

The Kapu community in Andhra Pradesh has been demanding OBC status for nearly three decades. Kapus claim that they were classified as BC until 1960, when their status was changed and quota benefits revoked.

PTI

Despite the Chandrababu Naidu government setting up a commission to study their demand, the agrarian community which comprises of nearly 26 percent of Andhra Pradesh's population recently has been intensifying their agitation time to time.

Other than these communities, many small and large groups across the country have also raised similar demands for reservation in different categories. However, with such high demands, governments are in a predicament as the Supreme Court has put a cap of 50 per cent on reservations. In most of the states the limit has already reached and the government can't accommodate any new group into the SC/ OBC category.
An Iraqi grandmother claims to be one of the people most feared by IS and has received personal death threats from the group's leader.

independent

Wahida Mohamed Al-Jumaily, 39, said she has beheaded and cooked the heads of IS fighters to avenge the deaths of her family .

IS killed her second husband earlier this year and has previously killed her father and three brothers.

Better known as Um Hanadi, she leads a 70-strong militia in the fight against IS in the recently liberated town of Shirqat, which sits 50 miles south of the IS' Iraq stronghold of Mosul. "I fought them, I beheaded them, I cooked their heads, I burned their bodies," she told CNN.

The militia leader, who describes herself as a "housewife", has published a photo on Facebook appearing to show her carrying a severed head, and another showing two severed heads in a cooking pot. A third photo appears to show her standing among headless bodies which have been burned.

independent

She said she head received personal death threats "from the top leadership of IS," she said, "including from (Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi himself ".

"I'm at the top of their most wanted list, even more than the Prime Minister," she added. "Six times they tried to assassinate me. I have shrapnel in my head and legs, my ribs were broken, but all that didn't stop me from fighting," she said in the interview, lifting her headscarf to reveal several scars.

Um Hanadi began fighting jihadis in 2004, she said, working with Iraqi forces and the coalition in the battle against al-Qaida and later IS.

She recently led her militia in the battle to help government forces drive IS from Shirqat. General Jamaa Anad, commander of Iraqi ground forces in Salahuddin province, told CNN they had provided her group with vehicles and weapons. "She lost her brothers and husbands as martyrs," he said. "So out of revenge she formed her own force."

Isis fighters are afraid of being killed by women, according to female Kurdish soldiers, because they believe it means they won't go to heaven.
Top US lawmakers have come out in support of India's surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack which claimed the lives of 19 jawans.

BCCL/representational image

"Uri attack against India was horrific. Prayers are with victims' families. I will continue to follow India's subsequent counter terrorism op closely," Congressman Steny Hoyer, Democratic Whip in the US House of Representatives wrote on Twitter yesterday.

Also Read: Surgical Strikes: What We Know So Far

"Our sympathy and support go out to India as they work to counter the terrorism they faced in the Uri Attack," Congressman Pete Olson said in a tweet. Olson, from Texas, is Vice Chair of House Energy and Power Committee.

scroll/representational image

"Condolences to the victims of last week's terrorist attack on the Indian Army base in Kashmir. We stand with India fighting terrorism," said Senator Jeff Flake from Arizona.

Meanwhile a White House petition seeking to designate Pakistan as "terror state" has gained more than 3,90,000 signatures.

Organizers of the petition said they have set a target of getting the support of more than a million people, which they said would reflect growing sentiment against Pakistan in the United States and globally.

Uri attack against India was horrific;prayers are w/victims families. I will cnte to follow Indias subsequent counter terrorism op closely  Steny Hoyer (@WhipHoyer) September 30, 2016

In a first, India carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC with the Army inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from PoK, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Uri attack would not go unpunished .

Also Read: The People's Verdict Is Clear! Indians Are Over The Moon Celebrating Army's Successful Surgical Strikes Across LoC

Seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) were targeted by the Army on the intervening night of September 28 and 29 in a nearly five-hour-long operation during which heliborne and ground forces were deployed, Defence sources said on Thursday.

tvn24/representational image

They said the launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) were in the range of 2 to 3km from the LoC and were under surveillance for over one week while Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the strikes targeted 5-6 places along Kupwara and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. Naidu said there was no casualty on the Indian side.

thelittlenews/representational image

The announcement of the strikes that came 11 days after the attack by Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Kashmir over which Modi had said the attackers will not go "unpunished" and that they will not be forgiven and the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain. The announcement was made by DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh.

After the Uri terror attack, the NDA government faced intense pressure for a strong response against Pakistan.

Unconfirmed reports said around 40 terrorists were present in the seven launch pads and they may have been killed. However, there was no official word on it.

Also Read: Pakistani Media Claims Indian Casualties Are Morphed, Denies That Surgical Strikes Happened
Sexual harassment cases have risen among Nifty 50 companies with two-thirds of them disclosing a total 525 complaints in the year ended March, an increase of 26% over the previous year. Wipro tops the list with 111 cases, followed by ICICI Bank with 87 and Infosys with 62.

ntnews/representational image

Information technology and banking companies, which typically employ more women than others, constitute over 80% of the total. This is the second year that companies have disclosed the data in their annual reports to comply with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Eye opener for Indian companies

This statistic should be an eye-opener for companies which are in denial mode on the incidence of sexual harassment in Indian workplaces, said Vishal Kedia, founder of Complykaro Services, an adviser on the matter.

glassdoor

A caveat is in order: Higher numbers reported by companies can be a reflection of robust reporting systems put in place by them as prescribed by the law, thereby encouraging employees to report cases of harassment, experts said. Managements are also trying to sensitise employees as to what constitutes sexual harassment, something thats fraught with cultural and societal taboos in a male-dominated society and therefore vastly under-reported.

It is still not easy for women to complain about sexual harassment in India, said Kedia. In the case of IT companies, a large proportion of complaints could be coming from employees working outside India.

The number of complaints doubled at TCS and State Bank of India.

Tech Mahindra reported 26 cases in FY16, up from zero. IndusInd Bank saw cases rise threefold to 20 from six. Companies that reported zero cases stood at 15, down from 19. TCS said it has stepped up awareness programmes.

insideiim

While there is no exact reason to pinpoint as to why the complaints have gone up, the fact that we have grown as a company and have more people employed with us now and also that we have been undertaking measures to create awareness about sexual harassment seem to have caused more women to report, a TCS spokesperson said. We have lots of activities taking place with an intention to increase awareness.

We stand committed to anticipate, monitor and manage such issues with zero tolerance, Tech Mahindra said in a statement. An IndusInd spokesperson said the total number of cases in FY16 was 14 with complainants numbering 20.

Of these 14 cases, five were either dismissed by the committee formed under the Vishakha guidelines or were withdrawn by the complainants. The remaining nine cases have been investigated with utmost urgency and dealt with as per guidelines, the bank said. The bank has zero tolerance in these matters.

Increasing Awareness

Cipla also said that it had intensified education to increase awareness among employees and is fully compliant with the law. Wipro said it was in a silent period ahead of results and couldnt comment. ICICI Bank, Infosys and State Bank of India didnt respond to queries. The degree to which companies have adopted the law varies, with those that already had processes in place ahead of others.

wikimedia

Post the Act, there was a flurry of companies who took up the formation of internal complaints committees, said Saundarya Rajesh, founder president, Avtar Group. There is a lot of action in training both the men and women in POSH (prevention of sexual harassment) to demystify the Act to employees at all levels. Companies are making it into e-learning modules, and often it is part of induction. As a result, the reporting of cases has gone up."

Experts said an estimated 10-15% of companies generally are still not complying with guidelines and that implementation remains a concern.

Cases reported include propositioning colleagues, harassing junior employees, seeking sexual favours as quid pro quo and creating a hostile work environment involving abusive and derogatory language.

Civil liberties lawyer Vrinda Grover said the numbers needed to be broken down into more granular detail. This data does not reveal how many complaints companies received from the managerial level staff and those from the shop-floor level, she said. The case of the garment manufacturing industry has shown that sexual harassment is routine, especially in case of industries employing a high number of women at the shop-floor level, where vulnerability is the highest.

She called for an audit on how companies are resolving complaints. There is no information disclosed by companies on the number of workshops conducted. Besides, we have not seen the government monitoring the compliance of the Act. Local complaints committees are still to be set up in many regions.

As workers and companies get better educated, complaints will likely rise, said the representative of an NGO working in the area thats also part of internal complaints committees at some companies.

We see most large companies complying with the sexual harassment Act and hence we are shifting our focus to small-scale industries, the person said. "We are currently in the honeymoon phase, involved in conducting first-level awareness sessions rather than investigating cases at companies. Once the sensitisation process is completed in another few months, we expect complaints to be raised.
The worlds biggest honour, the Nobel Prizes will be bestowed 2 weeks later in a glorious ceremony. While the awards were created to honour those whose discoveries created "the greatest benefit to mankind,, here are five Nobel Prize decisions that, in hindsight, seem questionable:

1. The man who organised Poison gas attacks

bbc

Fritz Haber was awarded the 1918 chemistry award for discovering how to create ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gases. His method was used to manufacture fertilizers and delivered a major boost to agriculture worldwide. But, he assisted in chemical warfare during World War I, supporting the Germans with the first major chlorine gas attack at Ypres, Belgium, in 1915, which killed thousands of Allied troops.

2. The man who discovered the effect of DDT to fight pest, which poisoned animals and the environment

britannica

The 1948 medicine prize to Swiss scientist Paul Mueller honored a discovery that ended up doing both good and bad. Mueller didn't invent dichlorodiphenyltricloroethane, or DDT, but he discovered that it was a powerful pesticide that could kill lots of flies, mosquitoes and beetles in a short time. The compound proved very effective in protecting agricultural crops and fighting insect-borne diseases like Typhus and Malaria. DDT saved hundreds of thousands of lives and helped eradicate malaria from southern Europe. But in the 1960s environmentalists found that DDT was poisoning wildlife and the environment. The US banned DDT in 1972 and in 2001 it was banned by an international treaty, though exemptions are allowed for some countries fighting malaria.

3. The man who invented lobotomy

biografiasyvidas

Carving up people's brains may have seemed like a good idea at the time. But in hindsight, rewarding Portuguese scientist Antonio Egas Moniz in 1949 for inventing lobotomy to treat mental illness wasn't the Nobel Prizes' finest hour. The method became very popular in the 1940s, and at the award ceremony it was praised as "one of the most important discoveries ever made in psychiatric therapy." But it had serious side effects: some patients died and others were left severely brain damaged. Even operations that were considered successful left patients unresponsive and emotionally numb.

The method declined quickly in the 1950s as drugs to treat mental illness became widespread and it's used very seldom today.

Yet, When Mahatma Gandhi didn't win the Peace prize.

jangchuplamrim

Mahatma Gandhi, considered one of history's great champions of non-violent struggle, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize no fewer than five times. He never won. The peace prize committee, which rarely concedes a mistake, eventually acknowledged that not awarding Mahatma Gandhi was an omission.

In 1989 - 41 years after Mahatma Gandhi's death - the Nobel committee chairman paid tribute to him as he presented that year's award to the Dalai Lama.
With hordes of villagers, many with small children in tow, joining the search for the elusive man-eater tigress near Ramnagar on Friday, questions have been raised as to why so many people were allowed to hunt for the big cat in a move that would endanger their lives.

BCCL/representational image

Even as environmentalists wondered why no checks were kept on people's movement, forest officials said the district administration had been asked for additional forces to help in crowd control.

Surendra Mehta, director of Corbett tiger reserve, said, "Friday's operation got risky. What if the animal pounced at the crowd?"

"We were on tenterhooks as we prepared ourselves to capture or shoot the animal and simultaneously protect the people. The operation is still on". Officials have appealed to local residents to cooperate with the operation.

BCCL/representational image

"If the crowd hadn't interfered, the operation would have been successful a week ago," said a noted conservationist who is assisting the team in the task.

On Friday, the team of more than 150 people had managed to corner the tigress in a 2-3 acre sugarcane field. Temporary machans, human chains, nets, tranquilizing guns mounted on three elephants and other arrangements were in place.

BCCL/representational image

"The crowd and interference from people spoiled it all. It was foolish of the local residents to visit the spot with their families and kids aged as young as four," said a DFO rank officer on condition of anonymity.
Tensions between Pakistan and India have been escalated after the recent Uri attacks where 19 Indian soldiers were killed. And allegedly, stones were thrown from the Pakistani side at the beating retreat ceremony at Wagah Border on Sunday.

During beating retreat ceremony today at Wagah Border, crowds from Pakistani side threw rocks at Indian side  ANI (@ANI_news) 2 October 2016

Punjab Tourism

Sources say that the BSF asked for a meeting to address this issue. The beating retreat was cancelled until today, October 2, following India's surgical strikes in Pakistan.

Flag meeting between BSF and Pakistani Rangers was held to discuss belligerence of Pakistani crowd at Wagah border pic.twitter.com/4gXJWue27k  ANI (@ANI_news) 2 October 2016

NewsX

At the UN General Assembly 2016, India categorically said that Pakistan supports terrorism, while Pakistan said that India has created a hostile environment for discussions about Kashmir.
Days after the Patna high court struck down Bihar's prohibition law, chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday introduced a more stringent Prohibition and Excise Act to keep the state dry.

BCCL

"Now people are not wasting money on alcohol like before, that money is being used in better ways and financial situation is improving," CM Nitish Kumar said at a press conference in Patna.

Also Read: Bihar CM Says Alcohol Lovers Should Drink Juice In The Darkness - It's Like Liquor

"The Bihar Excise & Prohibition Act, 2016 will come into force from October 2 and total liquor ban will continue in Bihar. The high court order was related to the old Act that came into force in April this year," the chief minister explained.

BCCL

The strictness of the new law can be gauged from the fact that all Sections in the new Act are non-bailable, in which bail can be granted by courts only, and not from the police stations. Only special courts under the Bihar Special Courts Act will try cases related to the violation of the Bihar Prohibition law. These special courts, till now, had been trying only corruption cases and CBI related cases.

Another stringent provision in the new law is that if any utensils with a mix of jaggery or grapes is found in any premises, the authorities can be free to assume that process of liquor manufacturing was going on in the premises, and all those providing logistics such as vehicles or containers may be arrested. The new law also empowers the authorities to confiscate houses or premises where liquor is either consumed or stored.

BCCL

Both Houses of the Bihar legislature had passed the Act at a specially convened meeting chaired by Nitish and it was formally approved by governor Ram Nath Kovind. "There is no need for gazette notification. The state Cabinet has already taken a decision for its implementation from October 2.

The state government is also set to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the high court order overturning prohibition. "We are looking into the high court's 150-page judgement and will approach the apex court soon," additional advocate general Lalit Kishore said.

Talking to media after the cabinet meeting, Nitish said, "We are enforcing the new prohibition Act to fulfill the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his birthday on October 2 and centenary year of Champaran Satyagrah."

BCCL

"Liquor consumption is a social stigma," the Bihar chief minister said, adding that prohibition would improve society. All previous excise laws, including the one quashed by the high court on Friday, "would be repealed with the enforcement of the new Act," the chief minister said.

The chief minister, who has been championing prohibition for a while now, even suggested imposing a similar ban in other states during his campaigns outside Bihar. This year he has visited Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand and addressed public meetings in which he appealed to the respective state governments to impose a liquor ban.

According to police records, more than 16,000 people have been arrested for violation of the liquor ban in the last six months and over 100,000 litres of illegal liquor has been seized.
The Chennai police on Friday booked a woman for spreading rumours about Jayalalithaas health on Facebook.

facebook/Tamizachi

It has been reported that Tamizachi, in a post on Thursday, claimed that she had received information from reliable sources that Jayalalithaa passed away two days ago. She reportedly mentioned that RSS killed Jayalalithaa because it is planning to spread riots in Tamil Nadu.

Tamizachi reportedly lives in France and is known for several disputable/controversial posts before, including the Chennai techie Swathi murder case. She has been reportedly accusing RSS behind a sequence of events in TN.

AIADMKs IT wing soon filed a complaint and the police booked her under three sections of the IPC including promoting enmity between different groups. Meanwhile, DMK leader M Karunanidhi on Friday wished Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa speedy recovery and said the state government should put a stop to rumours about her medical condition.

BCCL

Due to keeping of Jayalalithaas health condition a closely-guarded secret, some people are spreading baseless rumours about her health condition, Karunanidhi said. The DMK leader said Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao had not gone and met Jayalalithaa, who has been in hospital for more than a week.

There is also no news on leaders of ruling AIADMKs allies meeting the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in hospital, he said.

The former chief minister said the state government should have at least released a photograph of her in the hospital as she chaired a meeting of state officials on the Cauvery water issue and dictated her speech to be read out at a meeting on the subject in New Delhi
At least three dozen balloons with abusive messages in Urdu against India were recovered by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel from various outposts along the Punjab border on Saturday.

TOI

Officials said most of the balloons were recovered from outposts in Ferozepur, Pathankot and Amritsar.

Notes attached with the balloons mostly had obscenities for Indian women and security forces. Some of them were addressed to PM Narendra Modi , daring him to "check and verify the valour of Pakistan armed forces".

"Modi sun le, Ayubi ki talwar abhi hamare paas hai," read a note attached with a balloon recovered from the Sehjera outpost in Ferozepur.

BCCL

In January, just before Republic Day, the Indian Air Force had shot down a US-made helium balloon over Rajasthan after it had floated in from Pakistan.

The shiny 3m in diameter balloon with "Happy Birthday" written on it was flying at a height of about 25,000 feet in Jaisalmer district when it was picked up by Air Force radars.

At the time, defence officials had wondered if Pakistanis were using the innocuous balloon to check India's response time.

thestar/representational image

On Saturday, some of the balloons were seen flying at an altitude of 8-10 km, BSF sources said. Most of them had a diameter of one to two inches. "We have taken this incident seriously. The sensors at the outposts in Pakistan can easily detect such objects when they are flown from their land. If they deliberately ignored it, then it's a serious concern as the balloons have nasty messages on them," said a senior BSF official.

"Some of them may have flown at altitude higher than helicopters," he added. A few of them travelled as far as Kartapur in Jalandhar.
Rebel leader Mazdak Dilshad Baloch on Saturday thanked India for its support to the Baloch cause, saying it meant that they were no longer alone.

abplive

Participating in a seminar on Baloch Nationality at the RSS-backed India Policy Foundation (IPF), he told the gathering, which included journalists, former diplomats and retired armed forces officers that theirs was the strongest movement of Balochistan; it is a grass root movement run by Baloch people not by any Khan or tribal leader.

dailymail

Emphasising the importance of Indian support to Baloch movement, he said: You do not know how alone we were. But now, we are not alone.

Citing the atrocities meted out to Baloch people by the Pakistani establishment, he said that there is no home in Balochistan that has not sacrificed its member.

Pakistan army beats our children in school and makes them sing the national anthem of Pakistan. I have lived in Pakistan and I can say that the people of Pakistan are no different from Pakistan army.

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On the future governance of Balochistan, he said, We believe in democracy, our traditional tribal system was closer to democracy. Even during the time of the Khan (of Kalat), we had a two house parliament. Future Balochistan will be a democracy.

Thanking the people of India, he said: We want Azad Balochistan. We dont want to be with Pakistan. In last 70 years no Baloch has came to India but today we have come here and I want to thank all of you for your support.

timesexpressnews

IPF also released a booklet titled Balochistan - What the world needs to know edited by Prof Geeta Bhatt of Delhi University.
Come Durga Puja, the potters colony of Kolkata, Kumartuli (situated in North Kolkata), where a majority of the city idols are made is the buzz of the town. Idol makers are working day and night to meet the deadline. With numerous local, national and international demands for Durga idols, sculptures are seen at their workshops painting the idol, giving proper shape to them, and cladding them with jewellery and vibrant clothes.

Walking down the narrow lanes of Kumartuli with a bag on my back and camera on one hand in quest to see preparations for the puja, the excitement within me rose multifold. Wherever my eyes went, I could see the goddess getting ready to be taken to pandals or marquee.

Carved out of clay and straw idols at Kumartuli are initially made with a bit of clay from river Ganga.

Umang Sharma

The potters colony is situated on the banks of the river.

Umang Sharma

The goddess, who is worshipped as daughter in Bengal, transforms from a crude structure of clay-and-hay to a beautiful mother who is then taken to puja pandals across Kolkata.

Umang Sharma

With about nearly five hundred small and big workshops on both the sides of the by-lanes of Kumartuli, I could only see idol makers kneading clay with rapt attention and perfection.

Umang Sharma

The three-eyed-goddess rides on lion and is seen slaying the muscular demon, Mahisasura.

Umang Sharma

The goddess is the consort of Shiva.

Umang Sharma

At one hand, Durga is the slayer of the buffalo demon Mahisasura, a mother who has come home with her children, and on the other hand she is the darling daughter returning home to be pampered at the fullest at her maternal home.



Umang Sharma

For five days beginning the Panchami of Navratra, people start pandal hopping. The city wears a different look with colourful pandals, lights of different colours and people in almost all the streets entire day and night.

Umang Sharma

The festival is observed in her honour, to celebrate her victory over evil.

Umang Sharma

On Dashami (the tenth day), as the goddess bids adieu to her mortal family, one can hear cries of conch shells and Aaschhe bochhor abaar hobey (we are coming back next year)!

Umang Sharma
In a major damage-control exercise, the Pakistani army yesterday flew international and local media to the Line of Control (LoC) to 'prove' India didn't conduct any surgical strikes across it in Pakistan, local and other international media reported today.

TOI

In fact, French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) called the ferrying of journalists by air "a rare step" by Pakistan.

"The army took the rare step of flying international media to the de facto border to make its case in a battle of competing narratives," AFP wrote.

Also Read: Pakistani Media Claims Indian Casualties Are Morphed, Denies That Surgical Strikes Happened

All of this to desperately prove to the world that no "signature of any surgical strike" could be found and that India's claims were "white lies", as Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa, a spokesman for the Pakistani army, told the journalists, according to Dawn and The News International.

TOI

The group of 40 journalists flown by the Army to a forward command post on the LoC represented about 20 media organisations.

Pakistan in denial

Pakistan has denied the surgical strikes took place and merely said that two of its soldiers were killed in ''routine'' cross-border fire on the intervening night of September 28-29, when India successfully struck terrorist camps taking out at least 38 terrorists across the LoC in Pakistan.

"No such incident has taken place nor any such will be allowed to happen in future and if the adversary attempted so, it will be responded to with an ever strongest force," Bajwa said.

TOI

Gen Bajwa asked several rhetorical questions of the Indian military about its surgical strikes and said the Indian Army's director general of military operations should be "sure-footed" while making statements on sensitive matters.

"If they've caused that damage to us, we don't know any has been caused to us! You can go and meet the civilian population. Our side is open: to the UN mission, to the media, to the general public," AFP quoted him as saying.

Also Read: Indian Army Rubbishes Pak Claims Of Indian Military Being Captured, Killed In Surgical Strike!

AFP, on its part, said it was not possible to verify the general's claims, "...though villagers who spoke with a second AFP reporter in the area independent of the military-guided trip were also incredulous", AFP wrote.
Who else fails to understand the connection between virginity and education?

In Egyptian culture, the term miss is used to address a damsel, especially the one who is a virgin and somehow a highly sought factor.

Recently, an Egyptian MP, Illhamy Agina, has called for women to undergo a virginity test. According to the lawmaker, the Ministry of High Education must take it in written from all young girls who seek admission in the university that they are virgins.

ibtimes

He further stated that the university should issue admission cards to those females who clear the test, said a report in the Independent.

"Any girl who enters university, we have to check her medical examination to prove that she is a Miss. Therefore, each girl must present an official document upon being admitted to university stating shes a Miss," Agina was quoted as saying in an interview.

The man also says that one shouldnt be offended by such rules and if theyre that means that your daughter is in an urfi marriage behind your back.

Urfi marriages are the kind of system in which one can enter into without the approval of a brides guardian and can only require two witnesses, resulting in a cultural perception among some segments of Egyptian society that they are covert or secret marriages.

In his argument, he blatantly emphasised on the point that a girl must be a maiden before she enters the university.

However, his suggestion has been widely criticised, with many women coming forward to fight him.

How about we have mandatory IQ tests for politicians who aim to mandate nonsense like this? https://t.co/2PuZrrvDmg #Egypt #Masr  Jacky Habib (@JackyHabib) September 30, 2016

Wait wtf did egypt actually made it official that a girl can't go to college if she isn't virgin  Omar (@OmarrMustafaa) October 1, 2016

Prominent Egyptian feminist Mona Eltahawy tweeted this in his response:

I see #Egyptian parliamentarian Elhamy Agena's obsession with women's vaginas continues - https://t.co/9edUtNA8U3  Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) September 30, 2016

This is not the first time that such regulations have been proposed to the government, in fact, theyre already being practised in many countries.

In Indonesia, female recruits must undergo them to join the military or national police. The tests see doctors attempt to deduce the state of the hymen using a so-called "two finger test".
We are used seeing people sue each other and companies across the country and continents but a for a citizen of one country to sue another country located thousands of miles away over terror attacks; well that's news that you need to know.

Business Insider

According to multiple reports in international agencies, a woman widowed when her husband was killed during the 9/11 attacks in 2001 has now sued the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for allegedly playing a role in the attacks. For this she used the latest legislation passed by the the US Congress only two days ago.

Stephanie Ross DeSimone's husband Navy Commander Patrick Dunn died, not at the WTC attacks but, at the pentagon on September 11, 2001.

She has alleged that the kingdom "provided material support" to al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, in a complaint filed Friday at a US court in Washington. DeSimone was pregnant when her husband was killed and her daughter is also part of the suit.

The Congress had passed the 9/11 bill last week and this would allow the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be sued for involvement in the 9/11 attacks. Both the White House (read President Obama) and Saudi Arabia tried to lobby against it but failed. Obama had vetoed the bill but the Congress cleared it with overwhelming majority. It was the first time Congress has overridden one of Obamas veto.
Bangladeshs population is thriving every minute, but sadly, the country fails to facilitate indispensable living standards. The nation struggles with the pressure of swelling population, exponentially growing slum areas, poor housing quality, proper sanitation, traffic jams, air pollution, broken roads, inadequate clean water, electrical blackouts, and terrible governance, to name a few.

But every atrocity seems to be coming to an end, as Bangladesh is fighting one battle at a time.

Recently, the country became the second South Asian country after Sri Lanka to effectively eradicate open air defecation from their system.

thethirdpole

Those living in wetlands  locally called Haor, where the land is under water for up to six months a year. Sanitation is a big issue.

During the dry seasons, it is easier for people to take a dump on the land, but when it rains, it is nearly impossible for them to manage a tiny piece of land to perform this activity. Thus, almost everyone from Haor ends up using a hanging toilet--with the waste falling untreated below.

And not just that, the availability of proper sanitation remains an anguished problem throughout the year, with 11 people using one toilet.

But things are changing this year.

scholarships

People used to pollute water as they had no other options, but now we have been using this floating toilet. It is really good, said Mokbul Hossain, who lives in Ghagatia village in Sunamganj district of north-eastern Bangladesh.

whale

A civil servant, Muhammad Talut, proposed the idea of floating toilets and it has been a hit since.

It is very simple, technologically. Anybody can make it using three to five empty fuel barrels, a plastic sanitary pan, bamboo, rope and some polythene sheet or cloth to provide shade, said Mohammad Talut.

A 200-litre barrel will be used to make these toilets , which can hold up to 160 litres of waste before it has to be emptied into a reservoir, where again, it will be further used to make fertilisers.

thethirdpole

According to him, a family of 3 can go up to about a month with these toilets, before its need to be emptied.

The cost of the toilet is around $40, at least 10 times letter than a conventional work.

The villagers are quite happy with this change and the government is also swooping in with full support.
A California woman was forced to change her seat in a United Airline flight, after two Pakistani monks refused to share the seat with her.

The woman, 47 year old Mary Campos is now asking United Airlines to formally apologise, after she was given a new seat assignment, right before boarding the plane at Orange County on her flight to to Houston.

California traveler says airline discriminated against her after Pakistani monks refused to sit next to a female: https://t.co/Jsen3wckZt pic.twitter.com/ZmScWCBWfI  CBS News (@CBSNews) September 30, 2016

A United Airlines representative said that they had been forced to reseat her as the two monks couldnt be near a woman,, RT News reported.

The two gentlemen seated next to you have cultural beliefs that prevent them from sitting next to, or talking to or communicating with females, Campos quoted the agent, speaking to a local Los Angeles news channel.

Two two men were descrbied as Pakistani monks wearing long orange shirts..

I thought I lived in a culture where women were equal to men, Mary Campos told CBS Los Angeles.

We cant discriminate against half the population ... for a belief from another nation.

In a written response to CBS 2 Los Angeles, the flight said: We regret that Ms. Campos was unhappy with the handling of the seat assignments on her flight. United holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and has zero tolerance for discrimination.
Greeces foreign ministry issued a statement over the weekend over the abrupt emergence of a revisionist fervor on the part of Turkish leadership regarding the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, and even a quip by the Turkish foreign ministry citing problems in the ownership status of several (Aegean) islets.
A 17-year old girl threatened to take her life after being stripped Unclad and beaten by her married lovers wife after she was caught between the sheets in Budiriro 4 Extension, Zimbabwe on Monday.

Florence Chizinga of Budiriro 5 was humiliated before a crowd by her lover Shadreck Manyikas wife only identified as Mai Shantie and she was splashed with urine.

Mai Shantie teamed up with her friend and stripped and clapped Florence while the crowd called her names after she caught her between the sheets with Shadreck.

One of the neighbours told H-Metro that Shadreck accommodated Florence, believed to be pregnant, after Mai Shantie left the house to visit her parents.

Mai Shantie must have been tipped by someone that her husband had accommodated this lady and she returned quickly and found the two caressing and kissing each other in her matrimonial bedroom, said the neighbour.

The lady was attacked and splashed with urine after she threatened to stab herself with a knife and that did not go down well with the crowd.

She is from Budiriro 5 and is claiming that she is pregnant but some believed that she is one of the ladies of the night who hook men by the streets for sex, added the neighbour.

Mai Shantie, Florence and Shadreck refused to entertain H-Metro for comment after the fracas.

Shadreck hired a taxi and whisked Florence away with the help of neigbours who stood with him as the crowd bayed for her blood.

Source: News Every Hour
Two men Wole Oke, 38, and Wasiu Adesina, 30, were arrested by the Ogun State Police command for being in possession of human parts .

Both of them were arrested at Ijebu, Idi-aro area of Abeokuta while policemen attached to Oke Itoku Division, led by the DPO, CSP Abeni Farinre, were on patrol.

Confirming the arrests, the State Police Spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the suspects on sighting the policemen on patrol took to their heels with a leather bag and they were hotly chased and arrested.

On searching the bag with them, it was discovered that it contained human bones, he said, on interrogation, one of the suspects, Wole Oke, confessed that they were the bones of his sister who died four years ago.

He further stated that one herbalist sent him to go and bring them for money ritual purpose.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmed Iliyasu, has ordered the transfer of the suspects to the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation.

He also directed that the herbalist mentioned be arrested without further delay.
The Lagos State Police Command said 23 robbery suspects were arrested in the state between September 14 and 29.

Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said during the operations in which the suspects were arrested, his men recovered four pistols, five live cartridges, one fabricated gun, and a stolen Toyota Sienna.

Owoseni during a briefing at the police headquarters said residents of the state should be wary of fake policemen and fake officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority operating at the Anthony end of the Ikorodu Road.

They sometimes stop unsuspecting motorists and enter their victims vehicles under the guise of some traffic violations. Sometimes they direct their victims to drive towards the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where they rob them, the CP said.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that seven of such suspects were arrested recently by the police in the state.

Source: Punch
Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State declared on Saturday that he will not seek any elective position when his tenure terminates in 2019, describing rumours of his senatorial ambition as mere speculation.

He made the clarification during a media chat to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the creation of Nasarawa State.

The Nigerian Senate is fast becoming a retirement place for former governors with no fewer than 16 former state executives occupying seats in the upper legislative chamber.

Debunking rumours of his senatorial ambition, Al-Makura assured people of the state that contesting for the senatorial seat is not in my plan as some people are insinuating and already calling me Senator.

According to him, These are mere speculations. I want to see myself as a leader and father of the state after my tenure as governor in 2019.

Al-Makura also said that naturally, Nasarawa-North senatorial district should produce the next governor of the state in 2019, based on understanding, but I dont have the powers to choose who will be the next governor. I am too small to choose or decide who will succeed me in 2019, but we are all aware that Nasarawa-West governed the state for eight years and Nasarawa-South as well. We are in a democracy; the people of the state have the right to choose who will govern them.

The governor also said that despite the security challenges facing the state, Nasarawa has achieved a lot, especially in infrastructural development, calling on people of the state and the entire country to embrace the present administrations Change Begins with Me campaign.

While commending the founding fathers of Nigeria, Gov. Al-Makura urged citizens to emulate them by living together in peace at all times irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations.

He said as part of efforts to tackle the present economic situation, the state was partnering some multinationals for the exploration of coal.
In this interview with JESUSEGUN ALAGBE, the founder of The Latter Rain Assembly and convener of the Save Nigeria Group, Pastor Tunde Bakare, shares his thoughts on the countrys 56th Independence anniversary, President Muhammadu Buharis administration and other issues

Nigeria is marking its 56th Independence anniversary today. Is there anything worth celebrating?

If you ask a sick man who has gone through a lot of problems in his health and has made it through the Intensive Care Unit and is now beginning to live again, Is there anything worth celebrating?, he will answer you and say, You should try to be in my previous predicament for you to know where Im coming from and then youll see the reason for my celebration. Theres a lot to thank God for. We are not better than many nations which have broken into pieces. We are not better than many nations which have gone through bloodbath, but Gods grace and mercy have helped us to still forge ahead. Its worth celebrating and when I say we should celebrate, Im not talking about frivolity or spending the money that we dont have to pay the workers or the money we could spend on much better things. Im talking about having a sober moment to thank God and ask for a new opportunity to do it again, a new opportunity to build our nation so we can get the best of what God has in stock for this country.

If someone asks, What is there to be celebrated about Independence in the midst of an economic recession? Why should I be happy? What will be your response?

First, we should thank God that we are alive to witness the 56th Independence anniversary. I was in school when the first anniversary was celebrated. I remember the fanfare, the flag, the jollof rice that we cooked to mark it. That was in 1961. And now, 55 years after, there are many individuals who have benefitted from this country. Such people should have moments of sober reflection to see how they can contribute their quota to make this country great again. I have a deep-seated feeling, you can call me an incurable optimist. I have this feeling that the future of Nigeria is more glorious than our past, all because of the intervention we expect from God and a change of heart from the leadership and people of our country. So we should thank God that were alive to see the future despite the challenges we might be facing. We must not give up on our country. Theres no other nation we can call ours. I remember that God who predetermined the boundary of every nation at the time of their creation also distributed to each nation gifts, endowments and gave each an inheritance. So its high time we located what ours is and maximise it. Nigeria is too rich to sell its assets at this time

So you are against the sale of assets?

We must think beyond selling our assets. We are too rich to say we want to sell our national assets like the prodigal son did and we should not be little-minded like the elder brother of the prodigal son by saying we have little. There is much more in our ground. Theres so much in our human capital to be developed. I met a Nigerian recently who is a great designer of automobiles. Hes from Sokoto State and is making a huge impact abroad. Hes thinking about how to replicate what he has done abroad here at home. I look forward to a time when the resources of the best and the brightest  North, East, West and South  would come together to make this country great again.

Could this country be great again without restructuring?

It depends on what you mean. There are many people who are touting it and dont even understand what it means. Restructuring is not about dividing this country and asking each region to go into disintegration. This is it: We have 36 states and not up to four among them can stand on their feet. Why do we create those artificialities that will keep on wasting our resources? In the past, the golden era was when the regions had opportunities to create, according to the law, and to maximise the potentials of their ground and their resources, and then paid taxes to the Federal Government through the federating units. But what we have now is what I call the satellite shops of the Federal Government. They can, whether they sell or dont sell, go with begging hands to Abuja to collect monthly allocations, whereas if you give this country, say six geopolitical zones, and say let there be decentralisation of power for those zones or regions to begin to maximise whats in their grounds and pay tax to the Federal Government, we will have strong federating units. Thats the restructuring we are talking about. If we dont do that, we are just postponing the doomsday because we cannot continue to sustain what we are doing right now.

When you visited President Buhari recently, did you discuss this issue with him as his friend?

The things I discussed with the President are very private. I learnt this from Dr. Billy Graham: You dont throw on the pages of newspapers privileged conversations, but you can be assured that President Buhari means well for this country. He loves the country and in spite of all the challenges, he wants to give it his best shot to turn around the fortune of this country. I can say that to you. If you ask him what his vision is, he wants to fight corruption to a standstill. There are challenges because of the judicial system that he inherited and because of the investigative arms of the government, but we will get there. People may think it will not happen. Its going to happen. When justice is not speedily executed, the hearts of men are settled to do evil. So there must be examples that will teach the next generations, Hey, dont go there. Dont do this. Like I said, he wants to fight corruption to a standstill and second, he wants to ensure that Nigeria is secure. Third, he wants to diversify the economy into agriculture. Those are his three main visions.

Some people believe the Presidents focus on fighting corruption is affecting other areas of governance like the economy. Do you think people should go hungry because the President is fighting corruption?

In fact, I dont think President Buhari is the one fighting corruption. I only said its his vision. Hes not the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, hes not the Attorney General of the Federation, hes not the Inspector-General of Police. What needs to happen is to have a formidable team with clearly stated responsibilities. The President is one man and cant do all the things Ive enumerated on his own. When you have a team that is working together, things will improve because you cannot say this is what I will do and leave the other areas to suffer. Its not going to augur well for the country. There seems to be a disconnect somewhere. However, in the month of October, Im sure we will begin to smile. We may not laugh but Im sure we will begin to see certain changes in certain directions.

You talked about the President having a formidable team with clearly stated responsibilities. Some people believe that the economy is bleeding because he put square pegs in round holes in the formation of his cabinet. Do you share same view?

If you believe so, you have to show me the square peg in the round hole and the round peg in the square hole. It took him six months to form his cabinet and do some things he had done. We should realise that governance is a complex thing. Do you know how many decisions he has to make and how many files are on his table on a daily basis? The quality of decision that a leader makes is contingent on two things  the information at his disposal and the people surrounding him. If the people surrounding you give you wrong information, you will make wrong decisions. For example, I was there (I wasnt told) with two other people inside the Presidential Villa with former President Goodluck Jonathan when they called him from the Army headquarters that they had found the Chibok girls. While on the call, they told him that they had seen 85 of the girls. Meanwhile, it was a lie. I left the place that day thinking that solution had come, but unknown to him, it was a lie. In a proper society, what do you do to those people? Well, it depends on a number of factors. But you need to ask, how did those people get to where they were? Were they competent? Im just saying all these because in the process of trying to kill the mosquito, you dont smash yourself. These are issues that are complex and Im not doing double-talk. Is it possible that mistakes have been made? Its human to make mistakes, but we must have the will and the courage to correct them. I dont know whos a square peg in a round hole and I dont know whos a round peg in a square hole, but I do know theres a clamour for change and Im sure Mr. President is giving it its utmost attention.

Talking of former President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2012 when he increased the price of fuel, you  through the Save Nigeria Group  led many protests to ensure the price was reverted. But President Buhari did the same thing in 2016 and there was not a single protest. You even gave reasons why it was the right move to make. Is it because youre President Buharis fan that you didnt protest against his action?

You cant be close to a man and go and fight him in the public. The fight begins when you have a leader who is unresponsive and irresponsible. For as long as they are showing you their cards and you know they are responsive and responsible, you dont fight your friend in the public. You can fight behind closed doors and you shut your lips and you go out there and do what you need to do. Im a very good friend of President Buhari, but I was not also unfair to the former President. In fact, eternity will reveal at the appropriate time the role we played to ensure there was no bloodbath and why the concession was that easy. I will leave that for posterity to judge.

Some say you perhaps want an appointment from President Buhari. So if hed like to give you one today, which position would you want?

I learnt from childhood not to count my chickens before they are hatched and I dont sit down and start contemplating, This may happen, that may happen. When we get to that bridge, we will cross it. Im not at home praying that God should give me this or that. What God has made me is already awesome and Im contented. Im fulfilled. The kind of access God granted me to President Jonathan and much more to President Buhari is not common and I would like to use that for the benefit of his administration. His success is my success. I dont want him to fail at all neither did I pray for President Jonathans failure. He (President Jonathan) is coming up with a book soon and youll see what he wrote about me there. I was President Buharis running mate. You dont run with a man at that level and then turn your back and walk away. You keep on supporting him, giving him your best. Its like you have an uncle or you have a son. Do you abandon them because certain things are not going well? You keep on doing your best because you hope that one day, they will rise. When I was born lame and was crawling on my buttocks, everybody abandoned me. Only my mother stayed and played with me. On my third birthday, I had started running and I am what I am today by the grace of God. If she had poisoned me because of my condition, she would not have anybody taking care of her now. So lets not give up on the leadership of the country and dont forget, people deserve the kind of leadership they get and the leaders deserve the people who follow them. They are not foreigners, they are Nigerians. The wastage and the stealing that characterised the past administration are phenomenal. They are mind-boggling, but gradually we are coming out of the woods and Im sure things will turn around for the better. So if I have to do anything with any government, it has to be by the direction of the Holy Spirit and it must be something that Im equipped to do so that you will not tell the whole world tomorrow that Im a square peg in a round hole.

Still on fighting corruption, some Nigerians would tell you that the fight is not fair as it is mainly directed at the members of the opposition. Someone even said recently that if youre an All Progressives Congress member, youd be in the Presidents good books

I remember the prophecy I gave when we lifted the ban on the election in 2015. I said those who hoped that the Peoples Democratic Partys loss would be APCs gain should think twice because after the election, PDPs loss would be APCs pain. Now there were PDP governors who switched over to APC and they are now ministers and there are APC senators who also switched over to become PDP senators. In every nation, democracy takes time to nurture. It takes time for it to mature. You cant compare ours with that of other countries. The other day when my wife and I were watching the first United States presidential debate, you could see one thing that was evident in both candidates answers. Despite their political differences, they want their nation to be great again and they want to give it their best shots. Thats what we also need here. Nigeria is the only country where I know armed robbers remit money abroad. Recently, I was in Manila, the Philippines and when I landed there to preach, I saw red carpet from the stairway to the immigration portal. When I looked at the people walking on the red carpet, they were wearing beach slippers and were casually dressed. It caught my attention. I knew they could not be diplomats. So I went to the end of the red carpet to see what they put up there and there it was written, We welcome our citizens who are working abroad and sending money home to ensure that our economy is buoyant. Ive been to several nations, but this is the only nation I saw as unique. In our country here, an average Nigerian wants to buy the best house in California, US, and then they take all our resources out of the country. People like that hate our country. Its not wrong to have houses abroad. By the grace of God, I have some here and there too, but this is the place I find peace and rest. My wife will tell you that anytime I travel abroad and its getting to 10 days, I find it uncomfortable again to stay there. In spite of the turmoil here, this is the only place I feel maximum protection. I fear nothing. Theres an inherent goodness in an average Nigerian, but we tap into it and bring it forth. I believe that with the right set of leadership, this country will be great again. I remember eight years ago when Barack Obama won the US presidential election, Nigerians made fabrics with Obama on them and they were buying drinks and were merry. I asked them, How is Obama presidency going to affect you here? It was then I realised that social mobility is not frozen in this country. Its quality leadership that is lacking. Look at our youths who are jobless, if you create farm settlements for them and you ask them to go and serve there and pay them what is commensurate with their labour, we will feed the whole of Africa in no time. Meanwhile, the future doesnt belong to job seekers, but job creators. We can start small. You can do something to contribute your own quota. I agree totally that we should not begin to tell our youths, Do not ask what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country. You can quote John F. Kennedy a million times, but for JFK to have said that, he had benefitted from that country. We must put social amenities in place that will alleviate the suffering of especially our youths.

Some argue that this cannot happen when this administration has no clear-cut policies which propel it to excellence.

It will be absolutely wrong to say this administration or the APC has no policies in place. Im not saying this because Im a policymaker for the party because Im not. I have never joined any party. In 2011 when I was the Presidents running mate, I was just called to come and serve. That was when they prepared a card for me. I am a nation builder. But I know there are policies in place. People like Dr. Kayode Fayemi (the Minister of Solid Minerals Development) and others put in their energy to help in the formulation of the partys policies. However, I agree that the implementation has been extremely slow and the reason for that is probably because of the rot they inherited from the previous administration. I know this shouldnt be an excuse to hammer on all the time because you must at least have some ideas before you seek power. But if you find contrary things, then you must make sure you find a way of fixing those issues and then implement your own policies. If people say the party has no policies, then maybe PDP had and we can see where it has landed us. The time will come when we will stop the blame game.

When will the time come? Isnt it depressing to keep hearing that PDP did this or that in the last 16 years?

Are those things true or false? No good doctor will treat a sick man without first diagnosing him or else he will use the medicine used in killing ringworm to cure leprosy and the doctor will realise hes not making any lasting impact. Im not saying they should keep saying they inherited so-and-so problem from the PDP because they knew they were going into problem, to start with. The economy was artificially buoyant and everybody thought we were good, but when the whole thing opened, we saw that we had been doing some juggling. Now we are faced with the reality, but should we now throw the baby away with the bathwater? If you look back, there were some things the past administration did well which have kept us going. Lets hold on to those ones and remove the bad things. I believe strongly that surgery is better than tragedy. Thats why the Bible says if your right hand offends you, cut it off so you can still have the rest of the body to use. So let those people who know what to do be there. A great leader does not mind who takes the credit and he doesnt mind who is more accomplished.

Concerning the rot that President Buhari inherited from the past administration, do you think hell be able to fix things before 2019?

The human memory is fickle and we forget things easily. In the past administration, in Borno State, how many local governments were seized by Boko Haram? They were many. But today, not a single one is being controlled by the sect. We forget so quickly because our expectations were so high. The change mantra was so real to us that we thought those who were tenants would become landlords overnight and those who were riding okada would just own Mercedes Benz cars. Things dont happen that way. If it took God seven days to fix the chaos in the earth, please give us a break because a day with God is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. Is this government working or they are just sleeping? I love what former President Olusegun Obasanjo said recently. He told us how he inherited a low foreign reserve and then went ahead to get the best and the brightest people to build it. Thats what is needed here. A good leader must have wisdom and courage to take those actions that need to be taken. What Ill implore President Buhari to do is to let Nigerians know concerning the things that will start happening in October. He should let them know that, See, this is where we are and this is where I want to go and to go between here and there, theres a gulf and we need to blow the bridge. These are the materials were using to build the bridge. These are the men I want to use and Im giving them so-so timeline to deliver. This will encourage the people to know their president is talking to them and we pray that the communication should continue, but as far as working is concerned, the man is working himself to bones. I also think the APC should put its house in order and stop fighting because when a chicken starts to eat its intestine, the end is near.

What should Nigerians be doing as we celebrate the countrys 56th Independence anniversary?

They should be thankful, prayerful, sober and ask ourselves why those we were above are now above us. See countries like Malaysia and Singapore that we were far ahead and now they have become better developed. We should not be a stupid giant of Africa. We should be wise and put our house in order.

Source: Punch
Governor Ayo Fayose has praised late former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, for yielding to the cries of Ekiti people for a state of their own on October 1, 1996.

The late maximum ruler announced the creation of Ekiti State alongside Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Gombe, Nasarawa and Zamfara during a nationwide broadcast to commemorate Nigerias 36th Independence Anniversary.

Ekiti was carved out of the old Ondo State and currently consists of 16 local government areas and 18 local council development areas.

The governor, who spoke at an interactive session with interest groups at Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado Ekiti, as part of activities to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State and 56th independence anniversary yesterday, vowed not to leave any abandoned project behind by the time he completes his tenure on October 15, 2018.

Fayose also hailed all his predecessors  Col. Inua Bawa, Capt. Atanda Yusuff, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Chief Segun Oni and Dr. Kayode Fayemi  for their sacrifices and contributions to the development of the state.

He said the former governors tried their best within the limited resources available to them, saying their contributions have given him something to build upon to take Ekiti to greater heights.

Fayose appealed to politicians across various divides to always place the interest of the state above personal interests and work for its development.

He said: Let me commend Gen. Abacha for creating the state and I also thank our founding fathers for their vision.

Though, I didnt participate in the struggle but I am a beneficiary and many children and governors yet unborn will also benefit.

Politics aside, let me commend all the military and duly elected governors of the past for their contributions because they have contributed their own quota within the available resources to lay a foundation. For without foundation there could be nothing to build upon.

Ekiti has scored many firsts within the two years I came on board. Ekiti recorded in transparency in budget provision.

It came first in 2016 NECO and these came at the most auspicious time when Ekiti is 20.

He added: Our desire now is to buckle up and work harder for more service delivery for the good of you and I.

Whatever our political, religious and interests are, we must put our eyes on the ball called Ekiti for our tomorrow to be better than this.

I want to tell you that I wont abandon any project. All the projects I have started will be completed before my departure.
The Imo State Government has denied the banner headline report of the Vanguard Newspaper stating that the Appeal Court has ordered the freezing of all its accounts.

The newspaper report further stated that the appellate court ordered that the money in the affected accounts be used to settle the debt owed to the litigants.

The Imo State Government stressed that the Appeal Court did not give any order or ruling freezing its accounts as claimed in the report.

The Attorney-General of the State and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Cletus Nlebedim told media practitioners in Owerri, the state capital yesterday that the story was nothing but a deliberate mischief and then challenged those behind the false report to publish their facts.

He said: I want to categorically state that the Court of Appeal Sitting in Owerri did not make an order or gave any ruling freezing the accounts of the State Government as reported by the Vanguard Newspaper. The burden now lies on the Vanguard Newspapers to authenticate their claim by publishing their facts.

Recall that the media was awash with reports that the Appeal Court had ordered the accounts operated by the Imo State Government frozen and the confiscated monies should be used to offset the sum of N1billion owed E.F Network Limited and Mr. Gideon Egbuchulam.
The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has congratulated Nigerians on the attainment of 56 years of nationhood.

The opposition party, in a statement by its spokesperson, Dayo Adeyeye, on Saturday, said it particularly celebrated the nations forefathers and all those who fought and were still fighting to keep the unity of the country.

The caretaker committee of the PDP also said that the cooperation and contributions of all citizens are required at this time to move the nation forward from the present situation.

It, however, urged the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, to close ranks and ensure the fulfilment of the ideals, vision and mission of those who fought for the independence the country.

The statement also urged all PDP members to remain confident in the National Caretaker Committee under the leadership of Ahmed Makarfi.

We are committed as ever loyal Party men and women in delivering on the mandate of the National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to re-discover our Party, the statement said.

Equally, we call on our members and supporters to remain undaunted in the face of the on-going distractions within the Party hierarchy and we promise that all issues will be resolved soonest, it added.

Nigeria celebrated a low-key 56th Independence Anniversary on Saturday, October 1.
Four suspected crude oil thieves that specializes in the illegal refining of crude oil into automotive gas oil have been arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Navy in Ataba Community, Akwa Ibom State.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas at the weekend commended youths of Ataba Community in Akwa Ibom state for providing timely information about the activities of the oil thieves which led to their arrests and destruction of the illegal AGO.

A statement from Naval headquarters regarding the arrests, signed by Commodore Christian Ezekobe, Director of Information said, In continuation of the clampdown on crude oil thieves and illegal bunkerers, the Chief of the Naval Staff has expressed the appreciation of the Nigerian Navy to the gallant youths of Ataba Community in Akwa Ibom state for their exemplary conduct.

The conduct of the youths led to the arrest of 4 suspected oil thieves with about 70 drums of products suspected to be illegally refined automotive gas oil (AGO).

The Youths alerted the operatives of NNS Jubilee in the state on the activities of the suspects.

To this end, the CNS urged other youths in the Niger Delta to emulate their patriotic act which is a testimony of the Nigerian Navys commitment to strengthen community relations in the current effort to eliminate all forms of economic sabotage and crimes in the maritime areas.
The Governor-elect of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has ruled out the possibility of forming a government of unity in the wake of his victory at the September 28 governorship poll.

At the inception of Governor Adams Oshiomholes administration in 2008, he appointed three members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party as members of his cabinet.

Rather than tow the path of his outgoing predecessor, Obaseki said he would instead reach out to the opposition in terms of explaining his administration policies to them.

He ruled out anything like government of unity as according to him, I will not be able to accept anybody from the opposition as a commissioner in my cabinet.

Speaking in an interactive session with journalists in Benin City, the state capital yesterday, Obaseki said he would immediately put a team together for the purpose of preparing the 2017 appropriation budget

He pointed out that he had to prepare the budget to get on the ground running because he has only four weeks to present the Appropriation Bill before the legislative arm go on recess.

He said the focus of his administration would not change from the incumbent in terms of infrastructure and education but that job creation and empowerment would receive topmost priority.

My first assignment is to put together a team and get appropriation for next year because we have to get to the ground running.

The focus will not change in terms of infrastructure and education. The added focus will be on job creation and empowerment. That is why I need to focus on the budget and ensure I get enough appropriation to emphasis the social aspects which I promised during my campaigns. We will continue to build roads and refurbish schools. What is important is how to get people to work, the governor-elect said.

Mr. Obaseki noted that 700 out 11,700 documented pensioners that retired under the state civil service were yet to be paid.

He explained that the 700 were those that retired from 2012 to 2015 and that vouchers for payment for those that retired from 2012 to 2013 were ready.

Vouchers are ready for payment for 2012 and 2013 pensioners. We are waiting for a little savings to pay them. For 2104 and 2015, we need to find the cash to pay them. We pay our pensioners regularly. We will have to help the local government fiscally responsible. We will reduce their cost and increase their revenue so that they can meet their obligations including pensions and salaries, Governor-elect Obaseki explained.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday disclosed that he warned immediate past president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan about a looming recession and the consequences of the reckless spending of his government.

Obasanjo said in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital that two years ago when he saw signs that Nigeria was walking down the path of recession and the way the powers that be were expending the nations resources, he drew the former presidents attention to the danger ahead, but was ignored.

The former president spoke yesterday during a lecture organised by the Youth Fellowship of Owu Baptist Church, Abeokuta to mark Nigerias 56th Independence Day anniversary.

He said the economic situation in the country has turned development upside down as things are not what they should be.

Obasanjo, who said he will not stop lamenting about the state of things in Nigeria, however, added that Nigerians have reasons to be grateful to God.

He said: Whoever that has lived to witness the celebration of today should thank God. Things are not what they should be, but we should pray that next year will be better than this year.

We thank God for those who are alive, we prayed for the souls of those who have laboured for this country and who have passed on to rest in perfect peace.

The former president recalled how he got five job offers immediately he completed his secondary school education at Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta.

He said he received offers from the United Africa Company (UAC) and Moore Plantation, Ibadan, among others. He, however, said the situation is different today in the country.

Mr. Obasanjo said business tycoon, Aliko Dangote, told him that six Ph.D. holders were among applicants seeking jobs with his company as truck drivers.

The former president warned that the high level of unemployment was unacceptable and unless something was done about it, it will consume the nation.

Unemployment is a major problem in the country today and if we dont take care, it will consume all of us. In fact, the rising unemployment is a time bomb, he said, adding that the high rate of unemployment was responsible for youth restiveness in the country.

The former president said the country cannot develop if it pays no attention to agriculture.

That is why we have to take it as a key of our development else the many educated Nigerians who have no job are like time bomb, sooner than later, it will explode, he said.

Obasanjo added that development of the country must not be by Nigerians alone, that it should include foreigners.

He also said all those interested in assisting the country in its developmental efforts must be encouraged to do so.
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has declared that Nigeria is not a failed state.

He said that despite the ugly picture being painted by certain people, the country has not done badly.

Okorocha made the assertion in a message to celebrate Nigerias 56th Independence Anniversary yesterday.

According to him, Nigerians have reasons to celebrate in spite of the current challenges.

He said whatever challenges the country is facing at the moment are not strange as bigger nations also passed through similar challenges.

Gov. Okorocha charged Nigerians to be hopeful, as the nation will recover from the current problems.

In the past few years, nobody was talking about agriculture, but oil. And today, agriculture has become the unavoidable issue in the nations debate or discuss. All these point to the fact that the nation is moving to the fast lane of development and growth, he said.
Ahead of the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke, one of the aggrieved governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday decamped to Alliance for Democracy (AD).

Oke, who polled 576 votes after the September 3 gubernatorial primaries of the APC, said he dumped the party because of injustice.

His defection to the AD ends weeks of speculation about his next political move. It also marked the climax of the crisis rocking the APC over its controversial governorship primary that produced Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) as the winner of the exercise.

It would be recalled that the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun overruled the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) that called for fresh primary following irregularities detected by the Appeal Committee that probed the post-primary crisis.

Mr. Oyeguns decision to unilaterally over-ride the partys NWC pitched him against a National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who called for his resignation.

Addressing crowd of supporters at his Ijapo estate residence in Akure, the state capital yesterday, Mr. Oke said since the leadership of the party had failed to do justice to the irregularities, he decided to step aside from APC in order realise his aspiration under the AD.

Oke, who was the former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, described APC as a good party but lamented it had been hijacked by some cabals.

According to him, it was illogical and wrong for Oyegun to jettison the verdict of the majority members of the NWC when it was cleared the shadow election was allegedly manipulated in favour of the governorship candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

Oke noted that many APC stakeholders including Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, had condemned the NWC, calling for cancellation of the exercise, which was not addressed.

The legal practitioner assured his supporters that by Gods grace, he would actualise his dream on the platform of the AD.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State yesterday told militants bombing vital oil and gas assets in the Niger Delta that they cannot intimidate Nigeria with their actions.

This is just as he insisted that the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable, in spite of the challenges.

Our political frustrations cannot be an excuse to sponsor people to sabotage the economy, breaking pipelines and resorting to carrying arms to intimidate the state. The Nigerian state cannot be intimidated, he said.

Niger Delta militants led by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have since early 2016, been engaged in acts of economic sabotage against the Nigerian state and in spite of a plea by government to come to the negotiation table, they have remained bent on grinding crude oil production to a halt.

Speaking during the Independence Day celebration at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, Gov. Oshiomhole stressed that no amount of acts of sabotage will lead to the negotiation of the nations unity, as no nation in the world is perfect.

I am one of those who believe and I am not reluctant to say that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable. The unity of Nigeria cannot be re-negotiated. It is not whether it is perfect or not perfect. I know of no nation that is perfect, and our elite must rethink; if things go wrong as Karl Marx taught us, the masses will have nothing to lose. The political elite will have everything to lose. All of us must put the national interest over and above personal interests, he said.

Mr. Oshiomhole, whose tenure as governor of Edo comes to an end next month, also called on Nigerians to stand by President Muhammadu Buhari in his efforts to rebuild the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari led other high ranking members of his administration to celebrate the nations 56th independence anniversary in a low-key fashion at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The ceremony, which lasted for about two hours at the fore-court of the Presidential Villa, was the second in the democratic administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The celebration also had in attendance the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Others are former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Vice Presidents Alex Ekwueme and Namadi Sambo, service chiefs and other top government functionaries and members of the diplomatic corps.

See photos below:
Operatives of the State Intelligence Bureau in Kaduna State have arrested three suspects in connection with the kidnap of the wife of a lecturer of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

Spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, Mr. Aliyu Usman, an assistant superintendent of police, identified the suspects as Mohammed Tukur, Suleima Auta and Shuaibu Rabiu, all of whom were living behind the ABU campus.

Usman told Saturday PUNCH that Inusa was kidnapped on September 19, 2016 at her residence in Zaria.

He explained that the police launched a manhunt for the suspects after the case was reported and that they were tracked down a week after at different hideouts in the state.

But Usman, who indicated that Inusa had been released too, did not give details of the circumstances surrounding her release by the suspects.

The suspects have confessed to the crime and investigation is still ongoing to arrest their accomplices, he said.

Meanwhile, the police in the state also arrested the suspected killers of an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Timothy Ayuba.

The suspects  Mustapha Idris, Shamsudeen Ahmadu and Ali Ayuba allegedly shot Ayuba on September 8, when their gang attacked him on his way to Sabon Gayan in Chukun Local Government area of the state.

He was also robbed of his motorcycle, which the police have now recovered.

Usman told Saturday PUNCH that the police also recovered two other Bajaj motorcycles they snatched from two other victims, one of whom they identified as Idris Bello.

Investigation is in progress to track down the rest of the gang, Usman said.

In another case, the police arrested two suspects  Favour Friday and Sunday Joseph  at the Federal Prison in Kaduna.

When they were searched, three live rounds of ammunition were allegedly found on them, it was learnt.

The police believe they were in the process of gaining access to the prison yard to give the ammunition to an inmate namted Zachariah Tanimu, AKA Kolo, an awaiting trial inmate who was being prosecuted for criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms.

Usman said Joseph and Friday had been charged to court.

Source: Punch
Dozens of people have died during a stampede at a protest in Ethiopia after police fired teargas into the crowd.The incident occurred at the Oromia region after a religious festival in Bishoftu turned violent. People threw stones during the festival and Police responded.

Sources say the people who threw stones were anti-government protesters while others insisted it was peaceful.
Bayelsa State Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with Global Education Counseling Limited, Cyprus, to begin academic activities at the newly established University of Africa, Toru-Orua, Sagabama, in January 2017.

This is contained in a statement by Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seriake Dickson.

According to Mr Daniel, the Cyprus institutions Director, Theo Theodorou, was present at the brief MoU-signing event held in Government House, Yenagoa.

While speaking at the event, Theodorou, praised the initiative of Dickson which is aimed at re-positioning the educational sector adding that it was one of the best in the continent.

He said the establishment of University of Africa, the first of its kind in Nigeria, would discourage parents from sending their children abroad for studies.

I have seen over the years, thousands of Nigerians, sending their children abroad for studies. This idea must be stopped. Let us educate our children in Nigeria, he added.

Theodorou assured the government of the readiness of his organization to make the university one of the best in the world, saying that the necessary facilities would be put in place to achieve the feat.

He said that the School of Foundation Studies, an arm of the institution that would prepare the prospective students for various degrees, would start in January, 2017.
The editorial board of USA TODAY has never taken sides in the presidential race. But all that is about to change this year, as the American daily middle-market newspaper has expressed opinions about one of the candidates.

USA TODAY wrote;

In the 34-year history of USA TODAY, the Editorial Board has never taken sides in the presidential race. Instead, weve expressed opinions about the major issues and havent presumed to tell our readers, who have a variety of priorities and values, which choice is best for them. Because every presidential race is different, we revisit our no-endorsement policy every four years. Weve never seen reason to alter our approach. Until now. This year, the choice isnt between two capable major party nominees who happen to have significant ideological differences. This year, one of the candidates  Republican nominee Donald Trump  is, by unanimous consensus of the Editorial Board, unfit for the presidency. From the day he declared his candidacy 15 months ago through this weeks first presidential debate, Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents. Whether through indifference or ignorance, Trump has betrayed fundamental commitments made by all presidents since the end of World War II. These commitments include unwavering support for NATO allies, steadfast opposition to Russian aggression, and the absolute certainty that the United States will make good on its debts. He has expressed troubling admiration for authoritarian leaders and scant regard for constitutional protections. Weve been highly critical of the GOP nominee in a number of previous editorials. With early voting already underway in several states and polls showing a close race, now is the time to spell out, in one place, the reasons Trump should not be president: He is erratic. Trump has been on so many sides of so many issues that attempting to assess his policy positions is like shooting at a moving target. A list prepared by NBC details 124 shifts by Trump on 20 major issues since shortly before he entered the race. He simply spouts slogans and outcomes (hed replace Obamacare with something terrific) without any credible explanations of how hed achieve them. He is ill-equipped to be commander in chief. Trumps foreign policy pronouncements typically range from uninformed to incoherent. Its not just Democrats who say this. Scores of Republican national security leaders have signed an extraordinary open letter calling Trumps foreign policy vision wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle. In a Wall Street Journal column this month, Robert Gates, the highly respected former Defense secretary who served presidents of both parties over a half-century, described Trump as beyond repair.

He traffics in prejudice. From the very beginning, Trump has built his campaign on appeals to bigotry and xenophobia, whipping up resentment against Mexicans, Muslims and migrants. His proposals for mass deportations and religious tests are unworkable and contrary to Americas ideals. Trump has stirred racist sentiments in ways that cant be erased by his belated and clumsy outreach to African Americans. His attacks on an Indiana-born federal judge of Mexican heritage fit the textbook definition of a racist comment, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking elected official in the Republican Party. And for five years, Trump fanned the absurd birther movement that falsely questioned the legitimacy of the nations first black president. His business career is checkered. Trump has built his candidacy on his achievements as a real estate developer and entrepreneur. Its a shaky scaffold, starting with a 1973 Justice Department suit against Trump and his father for systematically discriminating against blacks in housing rentals. (The Trumps fought the suit but later settled on terms that were viewed as a government victory.) Trumps companies have had some spectacular financial successes, but this track record is marred by six bankruptcy filings, apparent misuse of the familys charitable foundation, and allegations by Trump University customers of fraud. A series of investigative articles published by the USA TODAY Network found that Trump has been involved in thousands of lawsuits over the past three decades, including at least 60 that involved small businesses and contract employees who said they were stiffed. So much for being a champion of the little guy. He isnt leveling with the American people. Is Trump as rich as he says? No one knows, in part because, alone among major party presidential candidates for the past four decades, he refuses to release his tax returns. Nor do we know whether he has paid his fair share of taxes, or the extent of his foreign financial entanglements. He speaks recklessly. In the days after the Republican convention, Trump invited Russian hackers to interfere with an American election by releasing Hillary Clintons emails, and he raised the prospect of Second Amendment people preventing the Democratic nominee from appointing liberal justices. Its hard to imagine two more irresponsible statements from one presidential candidate. He has coarsened the national dialogue. Did you ever imagine that a presidential candidate would discuss the size of his genitalia during a nationally televised Republican debate? Neither did we. Did you ever imagine a presidential candidate, one who avoided service in the military, would criticize Gold Star parents who lost a son in Iraq? Neither did we. Did you ever imagine youd see a presidential candidate mock a disabled reporter? Neither did we. Trumps inability or unwillingness to ignore criticism raises the specter of a president who, like Richard Nixon, would create enemies lists and be consumed with getting even with his critics. Hes a serial liar. Although polls show that Clinton is considered less honest and trustworthy than Trump, its not even a close contest. Trump is in a league of his own when it comes to the quality and quantity of his misstatements. When confronted with a falsehood, such as his assertion that he was always against the Iraq War, Trumps reaction is to use the Big Lie technique of repeating it so often that people begin to believe it. We are not unmindful of the issues that Trumps campaign has exploited: the disappearance of working-class jobs; excessive political correctness; the direction of the Supreme Court; urban unrest and street violence; the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group; gridlock in Washington and the influence of moneyed interests. All are legitimate sources of concern.

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But that optimism was much reduced at the start of this week, and oil prices seemed to reflect that. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Iran had formally rejected the Saudi proposal. Although talks over another alternative were set to continue on Wednesday, persons close to the negotiations indicated that those talks were not expected to result in an agreement. According to Business Insider, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh declared that Wednesdays meeting would only serve as an exchange of views, thus pushing any hope for an actual agreement to the next OPEC meeting, scheduled to take place at the organizations Vienna headquarters in November.

The Saudi Energy Ministry also struck a pessimistic tone about Wednesdays talks and pinned hopes on the November meeting, although media commentary appeared to be divided about whether those hopes would ultimately be justified. For instance, Bloomberg reported that Iran and Saudi Arabia would still have to overcome a gap of 600,000 barrels per day in their individual expectations for production limits, but it also claimed that the acknowledgement of this specific figure is a sign that an agreement is closer than ever. On the other hand, Reuters quoted one OPEC expert as saying that the Saudi proposal had not been serious and that the latest talks were only aimed at assigning blame to the other party for the ultimate failure to reach a compromise.

In any event, the Wall Street Journal reports that with the issue of output levels outstanding even just for the time being, the global oil market will remain oversupplied at least until late next year. And Reuters indicated that the lack of progress toward controlling this oversupply had resulted in prices falling by three percent on Tuesday. Later on Tuesday, Business Insider specified that Brent crude had declined by 3.5 percent and West Texas Intermediate by 3.6 percent. And it appears that this is a reaction not only to Irans formal rejection of the Saudi proposal on Tuesday, but also earlier indicators that compromise between the two rivals might not be in the offing.

On Monday, Reuters had already reported that global oil prices had fallen about five percent in recent days, at which time Tehran was already downplaying the chances of an agreement during the Algeria talks. That report quoted Baader Bank executive Robert Halver as saying that OPEC was cannibalizing itself as a result of Iran and Saudi Arabia remaining in combat mode. And on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal suggested that this situation was unlikely to change in the near future, even though the plan put on the table by Saudi Arabia would narrowly meet OPECs needs for output reduction.

The Journal specifically declared that there would always be burning hot tensions during negotiations that involved both Iran and Saudi Arabia. Such commentary reflects awareness of the ongoing anxiety that Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies face as Iran continues to extend its influence into the broader Middle East, particularly through intervention and direct participation in the internal conflicts of nations like Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. And although the OPEC oversupply and the supposed progress toward setting an output goal gives further incentive for reconciliation, it remains rather unlikely that the regional countries will be able to accomplish that reconciliation in absence of significant changes in foreign policy.

Meanwhile, the recent United Nations General Assembly has helped to give the impression that such changes are not forthcoming on either side. In the first place, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is regarded by some Western policymakers as comparatively moderate, used his speech at the New York gathering to contribute to seemingly hardline rhetoric accusing the US of violating last years nuclear agreement and blaming Saudi Arabia for sectarian tensions throughout the Middle East.

Representing the Arab side of the regional divide, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan called out the Iranian leadership for being a source of tension and instability in the region. A United Nations press release quoted Nahyan as criticizing the Islamic Republic of Iran for being the only country whose constitution specifically calls for the exportation of its own revolution. This, he said, explains why Iran is the main perpetrator of regional interference in Arab affairs.

Nevertheless, another Reuters report pointed out on Monday that the UAE was eager to accomplish an oil output freeze, even as Iran was downplaying that prospect. Irans recalcitrance has been explained in terms of its desire to restore pre-sanctions levels of output, in order to make up for ground it lost to its regional competitors in the time between the imposition of nuclear-related sanctions and the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

But Irans specific target output is considerably greater than its reported pre-sanctions levels. And some sources indicate that the Islamic Republic has already matched its pre-sanctions output. Reuters reports that current output has been stalled at 3.6 million barrels per day for approximately three months. It may or may not be coincidental that this is identical to what some Western sources identify as the countrys real pre-sanctions output. Iran News Update noted earlier that in its discussions with Saudi Arabia, Iran has insisted upon setting output levels on the basis of each national governments domestic statistics instead of an independent assessment. INU further suggested that this could be indicative of a desire to manipulate domestic figures in order to diminish international expectations regarding the size of Irans cut.

But whatever Irans current production levels are, the countrys leadership has long insisted upon raising its self-reported figures to four million barrels per day before even considering an agreement with the rest of OPEC. Furthermore, recent reports have cited OPEC sources to indicate that Iran has either moved the goalposts regarding this increase or has been rounding down in its public commentary in the past. Reuters, for instance, reported on Monday that Iran was still insisting upon reaching between 4.1 and 4.2 million barrels per day, making the gap between Iranian and Saudi positions greater than it might have been only weeks before the Algeria meeting.
French police have fired tear gas and water cannon on protesters defending migrants in the northern city of Calais as the government prepares to shut down the city's notorious migrant camp.

The demonstrators - including activists from migrant support groups, a far-left presidential candidate and migrants themselves - defied a ban by authorities on Saturday's protest.
Russia has warned the US against carrying out any attacks on Syrian government forces, claiming there would be repercussions across the Middle East.

The warning came as Syrian government forces captured a hill on the edge of the northern city of Aleppo under the cover of air strikes.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said a US intervention against the Syrian army "will lead to terrible, tectonic consequences not only on the territory of this country but also in the region on the whole".

She said regime change in Syria would create a vacuum that would be "quickly filled" by "terrorists of all stripes".

US-Russian tensions over Syria have escalated since the breakdown of a ceasefire last month, with each side blaming the other for its failure.

Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched a major onslaught on rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo.

Syrian troops pushed ahead in their offensive in Aleppo on Saturday, capturing the strategic Um al-Shuqeef hill near the Palestinian refugee camp of Handarat which government forces captured from rebels earlier this week, according to state TV. The hill is on the northern edge of the Aleppo, Syria's largest city and former commercial centre.

The powerful ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham militant group said rebels regained control of several positions they lost in Aleppo in the Bustan al-Basha region.

State media said 13 people were wounded when rebels shelled the central government-held area of Midan.

Air strikes on Aleppo struck a clinic in the eastern rebel-held area of Sakhour, putting it out of service, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees. They said one person was killed in the air strike.

Opposition activists have blamed Syrian president Bashar Assad's forces and Russia for air strikes which hit civil defence units and clinics in the city where eastern rebel-held areas are besieged by government forces and pro-government militiamen.

On Friday, the international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders demanded that the Syrian government and its allies "halt the indiscriminate bombing that has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians - many of them children," over the past week in Aleppo.

"Bombs are raining from Syria-led coalition planes and the whole of east Aleppo has become a giant kill box," said Xisco Villalonga, director of operations for the group.

"The Syrian government must stop the indiscriminate bombing, and Russia as an indispensable political and military ally of Syria has the responsibility to exert the pressure to stop this."

It said from September 21 to 26, hospitals still functioning in Aleppo reported receiving more than 822 wounded, including at least 221 children, and more than 278 dead bodies -including 96 children - according to the directorate of health in east Aleppo.

Sweden's foreign minister Margot Wallstrom criticised attacks on civilian targets writing on her Twitter account: "Unacceptable to bomb civilians, children and hospitals in #Aleppo. No humanity. Assad & Russia moving further away from peace."

In the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, warplanes of the US-led coalition destroyed several bridges on the Euphrates river, according to Syrian state news agency SANA and Deir el-Zour 24, an activist media collective. The province is a stronghold of the Islamic State group.

SANA said that among the bridges destroyed was the Tarif Bridge that links the eastern city of Deir el-Zour with the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the extremists' de-facto capital.
'Gone Viral', a short film by Charlo Johnston, is the story of Fupin Eejits - otherwise known as Senan Byrne and Eddie Whelan.

They've been keeping Ireland skitting for the last few years with their Facebook sketches and Vine videos.

What makes their rise to comedy viral prominence even more remarkable is their day jobs, they are both mental health nurses.

The film has been received well by critics since its release at the Galway Film Fleadh in July and has been earmarked for showings at prestigious film festivals across the Atlantic, such as the DocUtah International Documentary Film Festival, Edmonton Film Festival and Tacoma Film Festival.

From this weekend, it will play in selected IMC Cinemas across Ireland before each showing of Mark Wahlberg's Deepwater Horizon.

It will also be competing against other films at festivals in Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Belfast, Limerick and Waterford.

Eddie Whelan of the Fupin Eejits told the Irish Examiner that his mother has Clonmel cinema booked out for the whole day today and she's paying for everyone... on his credit card.

Senan Byrne praised the efforts of filmmaker Charlo Johnson who decided to make the film a short in the tradition of their own sketches: "We had enough material to make a feature but went for a high impact short film instead."

GONE VIRAL Trailer [2016] from Zimmerhands Films on Vimeo.

For more information, check out Gone Viral's website and you can keep up to date with the short's progress on Facebook.
Mr Strang, best known for his appearance in the Emmy winning series, spoke to law enthusiasts, students and members of the public at University College Cork, the University of Limerick and Trinity College Dublin on his recent visit to Ireland.

Speaking at the University of Limerick this week, Mr Strang opened his speech by inviting the audience to answer a particular question.

What I want to address is a question that any defence lawyer whether in the United States or in Ireland or almost anywhere else is asked frequently. How can you defend those people?"

Consider again the question slowly, he said. How can you represent those people? It is never my people, it is never even one of us or our people, the question rests on the belief that both the questioner and the lawyer being asked the question are above or superior to the other or those people.

Mr Strang went on to explain how the question denies the truth that we are all criminals. He asked the audience if anyone had ever smoked marihuana or ever tried cocaine, if anyone had ever shared any illegal drug with a friend, if anyone had ever shoplifted, if anyone in the audience had groped a fellow student or kissed him or her while he or she was drunk.

About one in four Americans have a criminal record, he said.

Will we eventually get to the point where we are willing to restate the question this way. How can I not defend my people? Mr Strang asked.

Professor Shane Kilcommins and Dean Strang in conversation. Photo Credit: Sean Curtin (True Media)

If and when you restate the question in some way like that you will be a defender, you will be a defender whether you work as a lawyer, you will be a defender whether you work as a corporation employer, you will be a defender if you work as a professor. If you come to think of the question that way, you will be a defender if you are an engineer, a doctor, an astronomer or take up any other calling in life you will be a defender of Irish society and culture, you will be a defender of your countrymen, he concluded.

In particular interest to the audience was the case of Steven Avery, for whom Mr Strang was the defence lawyer in 'Making A Murderer'.

Professor Shane Kilcommins of the University of Limerick Law School, lead a discussion with Mr Strang about the Irish and American legal systems and about his personal experiences with Steven Averys trial.

Speaking on the media coverage of the trial, he said, In the United States no controls are put on what the media can publish, what becomes available to them.

Mr Strang said it was clear that the jurors had a broader perception of Steven Avery than they would have acquired from the evidence of the trial itself.

Professor Kilcommins asked Mr Strang about his opinion on how the interviewing of Brendan Dassey, Steven Averys nephew, was conducted by police and used in court.

It is no surprise that the fact that Brendan Dasseys interviews were wrongfully conducted was not struck down in state court. Mr Strang said.

He explained that he was not surprised that a state judge would reach a decision far more favourable of the prosecution because in Wisconsin and in the majority of U.S. states, judges are elected.

What are the qualifications for being a judge? Well, that you have a law degree, he said. You simply can be elected and serve as a judge and what that does is it produces for us traditional elections in which the candidates are competing for who's going to be tougher on crime.

We do not elect our federal judges. They are and always have been appointed for life by the president with the consent of the U.S. Senate. I think it really is no accident that it was a federal judge who finally held that Brendan Dasseys statement was involuntary.

Professor Kilcommins asked what Mr Strang made of Mr Dasseys defence, which he found a whole lot frustrating.

In terms of behind the scenes stuff on Making A Murderer, we missed by one hour the opportunity for Jerry Buting to defend Brendan Dassey, he said.

Professor Shane Kilcommins and Dean Strang. Photo Credit: Sean Curtin (True Media)

Mr Strang told the audience how he and Jerry Buting were about an hour into a meeting about working together on Mr Avery's case, Mr Strang sharing information about Stevens case, when the phone rang. It was a member of the Avery family saying Brendan had been arrested.

I had disclosed all kind of confidential information about Stevens case to Jerry, he was already conflicted and already had a duty to Steven Avery. Ethically, under the rules of professional conduct for lawyers in the U.S., there was no way now that you can then go and represent an accused accomplice, he said.

The final question put to Mr Strang was what would be the one thing he would change about the American legal system.

An easy one would be to abolish the death penalty but that wouldn't make the system more just, it would just make the consequences of injustice less grave, he said.

If I had to pick one thing I would say it is time to change how the police in the U.S. are taught to interview people in custody, it is time to move away from the psychological manipulation and the suggestiveness of the techniques that, uniformly, U.S. law enforcement officers are taught, he said.
The Mount Holly Springs Police Department recently became a victim of a cyber attack that forced the deletion of some files but did not jeopardize active criminal cases, Police Chief Thomas Day said Friday.

Department secretary Nancy Ewanek was on her computer reviewing email Thursday morning, Sept. 22, when she noticed what appeared to be a message from FedEx, according to Day.

The message asked department staff whether they wanted to reschedule after missing a delivery, the chief said. Nancy didnt know if someone had ordered something. Its not unusual for the department to get packages.

It looked legit.  It looked like it came from FedEx, Day said. Once she opened it, another email popped up right away saying they had installed a virus.

This virus automatically encrypted a number of files saved on Excel and Microsoft Word.

It did not affect our police records, Day said. No cases are in jeopardy.

He explained how the officers in the department input case information directly into the Pennsylvania Public Safety and Criminal Justice Portal, which is protected from hackers.

The affected files include spread sheets and crime statistic reports to borough council, Day said. He added the secretary is in the process of reconstructing the files that had to be deleted.

The follow-up email gave the department three days to pay $500 worth of bitcoin online or face the permanent loss of the affected files on the secretarys computer, Day said. He said only her computer was affected by the attack because none of the computers within the department are connected to a server.

I refused to pay the ransom, Day said. It has been fixed. We basically had to delete everything out of the system and reboot our files. It was a learning lesson. It was a wake-up call for me and the borough.

Day immediately contacted a technician at the Cumberland County information technology department. That person suggested that Day contact 3rd Element Consulting of Mechanicsburg.

The chief followed through and a staff person with 3rd Element inspected the department computer network on Tuesday, Sept. 27. In the course of his visit, the staffer discovered another problem with the borough computer network.

Computers serving the borough water authority and administrative office were not backing up information onto an off-site server, Day said. Instead the information from each day was being backed up onto the work station hard drive.

The water authority has 1,400 clients, Day told council Thursday. If the hard drive crashes, we just lost all of our accounts.

This surprised Council President James Collins III and Councilman Leroy F. Shildt who thought the borough had an arrangement in place where files are backed up on the off-site server.

Borough Council Thursday gave Day the authorization to hire 3rd Element to troubleshoot the borough computer system as needed at a cost of $125 per hour. The alternative was to pay 3rd Element $6,000 a year to provide 24-7 emergency services.

The issue with backing up the files has since been resolved, Day said. It is believed that the connection between the computers and the off-site server was disrupted when the borough recently changed over to a Comcast digital phone system.

Either the connection was disconnected or the function needed to be reset, the chief said. His advice to readers is to never open an email if the source of the message is in doubt or if the message causes you to be skeptical.

The email message the department received looked convincing and included the FedEx company logo. Day also sought advice from a computer forensic expert in the Cumberland County District Attorneys Office.

The forensics expert, the county IT staff person and the representative from 3rd Element all told Day the same thing: There is no way to really track back the email to its source and identify the perpetrator for prosecution.

Its virtually impossible to get these guys, Day said.

His advice to small business owners is to hire a computer technician to keep your system free and clear of hackers.
Following the release of her new drama film, "Denial," English actress Rachel Weisz is already moving on to another project. Recent reports revealed that the actress is set to lead and produce a movie adaptation of Naomi Alderman's novel, "Disobedience."

According to Variety, Weisz will serve as co-producer together with Ed Guiney and Frida Torresblanco for Alderman's novel adaptation. The actress also will take on the role of Ronit Krushka, a daughter of a rabbi who flew away from home to live a life in Manhattan.

The production of the movie is still on its way, thus movie posters and trailers are yet to be released.

Weisz has been productive with her lineup of projects this year. She has taken on several acting projects, with lead roles in movies like "The Light Between Oceans" and "Denial."

Additionally, the award-winning actress just finished filming for "My Cousin Rachel" by Fox Searchlight studio, and "The Mercy," a James Marsh movie creation. Both movies will debut next year. She also starred in the 2015 sci-fi film "The Lobster" with co-lead Colin Farrell.

"Disobedience" Synopsis

The film centers on a woman who must return to the London Orthodox Jewish community, which she left years ago. She comes back after the death of her preeminent rabbi father. Her return then causes troubles in the quiet community when she tries to win back a repressed love with her best friend -- a woman who is now married to her cousin.

Krushka is thirty-two and single, and she lives in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Her family's faith and religion as Orthodox Judaism is a suffocating culture for her, which moved her to flee long ago. She then receives news that her estranged father has died, so she decides to return home for the first time in years.

Amid the traditional ebb and flow of the Jewish community, Krushka reminds herself of her only two missions for her return: to mourn and to collect a single heirloom - her mother's Shabbat candlesticks. But as days come, as Krushka reconnects with her complex cousin Dovid as well as with a forbidden childhood sweetheart who are now married to each other, she becomes more than just a stranger; she seems to become a threat to the peaceful life of everyone.

Set at a time where tradition fights with modernity, where personal desires compete with the demands of God, "Disobedience" is generally about the importance of moving on and about the tendency of people to disobey.

The movie "Disobedience" will be directed by a Chilean filmmaker Sebastian Lelio based on a script co-written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Release date of the movie is still unannounced.


Cumberland Countys artists and artisans are ready to celebrate American Craft Week, the nations largest craft celebration that runs this year from Oct. 1 to Oct. 16.

This is the first time the event has run for two whole weeks. Its usually held after the first Friday in October to second Sunday, which usually is 10 days. This year its two weeks, said PJ Heyman, owner of the Village Artisans Gallery in Boiling Springs.

American Craft Week is a project of Craft Retailers & Artists for Tomorrow, or CRAFT. The trade association champions the business of handmade in America, according to its website, www.craftonline.org. The events purpose is raising appreciation for handmade American craft and helping to build the craft economy.

Heyman co-chairs the areas Treasures of the Valley tour with Connie Hollenbaugh, manager of East Street Artisans in Carlisle. The tour coincides with American Craft week, offering special activities at numerous Cumberland Valley businesses.

Sweepstakes entries also are available at the Treasures of the Valley Tours participating businesses during American Craft Week. The grand prize is a two-night stay at the winners choice of one of several local bed-and-breakfast venues. Gift certificates for local businesses also will be awarded.

We want to emphasize the work of our Cumberland Valley craftsmen. Its different than getting something thats made by a machine. Ive been involved with American Craft Week since its beginning, but its really growing around here now, Heyman said.

Its no secret that the Cumberland Valley offers an impressive roster of artists and crafters. The area ranked fourth of Americas Top 10 Towns for Craft Lovers in this years poll conducted by the American Craft Week website, http://americancraftweek.com. Around 48,000 craft lovers from across the U.S. cast votes in the websites second annual poll.

For a complete listing of all American Craft Week events in the area, visit www.visitcumberlandvalley.com/craft. Local businesses listed as participating in the Treasures of the Valley Tour include:

American Artisan Gallery, 35 N. Hanover St., Carlisle.

Blue & Gold Embroidery, 301 Shirley Lane, Boiling Springs.

Brain Vessel Gallery, 4704 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg.

Brittle Bark, 33 W. Main St., Mechanicsburg.

Carlisle Arts Learning Center, 38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle.

Cupboard Maker Books, 157 N. Enola Road, Enola.

East Street Artisans, 405 N. East St., Carlisle.

Feathers in the Nest, 61 W. Chapel Ave., Carlisle.

History on High  The Shop, 33 W. High St., Carlisle.

Hershey Violins, 11 W. Main St., Mechanicsburg.

Meadowbrooke Gourds, 125 Potato Road, Carlisle.

Mechanicsburg Art Center School & Galleries, 18 Artcraft Drive, Mechanicsburg.

metalledwith Studio, 110 Forge Road, Boiling Springs.

One Good Woman, 1845 Market St., Camp Hill.

Oxford Hall Celtic Shop & Tea Cafe, 233 Bridge St., New Cumberland.

Richelle Lee Collection, 4702 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg.

Tickle My Senses, 315 Bridge St., New Cumberland.

The Greatest Gift, 117 N. Hanover St., Carlisle.

Village Artisans Gallery, 321 Walnut St., Boiling Springs.

Whistlestop Bookshop, 129 W. High St., Carlisle.
Rashbam (Shemos 4:10): It is inconceivable that a prophet who spoke with G d face to face and received the Torah from Him should have a sp...

Shemos Rabbah (52:03) The story is told of R. Simeon b. Halafta, that he once came home just before the Sabbath and found that he had no fo...

Important!! email - yadmoshe@gmail.com
WASHINGTON  Heres a look at how area members of Congress voted last week.

U.S. House

Synthetic drug compounds: The House has passed the Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act (H.R. 3537), sponsored by Rep. Charles W. Dent, R-Pa. The bill would add 22 chemical compounds used to make synthetic drugs to the federal governments list of schedule I controlled substances. Dent said the 22 compounds are designed to mimic the effects of illicit drugs and known controlled substances, and adding them to the list would improve the Drug Enforcement Administrations ability to confiscate the compounds. The vote, on Sept. 26, was 258 yeas to 101 nays.

Nay: Adams, D-12th

Yeas: Foxx, R-5th, Walker R-6th

VA Veterans Crisis Hotline: The House has passed the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act (H.R. 5392), sponsored by Rep. David Young, R-Iowa. The bill would require the Veterans Affairs Department to improve the responsiveness of the VAs Veterans Crisis Line for answering messages and calls from veterans in distress. The vote, on Sept. 26, was unanimous with 357 yeas.

Yeas: Adams, Foxx, Walker

Individual health insurance mandate: The House has passed the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Act (H.R. 954), sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb. The bill would exempt from the health care reform laws mandate for individual health insurance individuals with insurance bought through the laws Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP). The vote, on Sept. 27, was 258 yeas to 165 nays.

Nay: Adams

Yeas: Foxx, Walker

Terrorism lawsuits: The House has voted to override President Obamas veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (S. 2040), sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The bill authorized victims of terrorist acts that take place within the U.S. to file lawsuits against foreign countries or leaders in U.S. courts by removing sovereign legal immunity for those countries in cases of terrorism. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 348 yeas to 77 nays.

Yeas: Adams, Foxx, Walker

Great Lakes initiative: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. David P. Joyce, R-Ohio, to the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 5303) that would reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through fiscal 2021, and authorize $300 million of annual funding for the Initiative. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 407 yeas to 18 nays.

Yeas: Adams, Foxx, Walker

Water aid for Flint, Mich.: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., to the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 5303). The amendment would authorize $170 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to repair or replace water infrastructure in areas such as Flint, Mich., that have lead or other contaminants in their water supplies. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 284 yeas to 141 nays.

Yea: Adams

Nays: Foxx, Walker

Water Resources bill: The House has passed the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 5303), sponsored by Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa. The bill would authorize work on various Army Corps of Engineers water projects across the country in 2017 and 2018. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 399 yeas to 25 nays.

Yeas: Adams, Foxx, Walker

Funding military and Zika programs: The House has agreed to the Senate amendment to the Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act (H.R. 5325), sponsored by Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga. The amendment would fund discretionary government programs through December 9, and provide $82.5 billion of fiscal 2017 funding for military construction and the Veterans Affairs Department, as well as $1.1 billion of fiscal 2016 emergency supplemental funding for Health and Human Services Department measures to contain the Zika virus and treat Zika victims. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 342 yeas to 85 nays.

Yeas: Adams, Foxx

Nay: Walker

White-collar workers overtime rule: The House has passed the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act (H.R. 6094), sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich. The bill would delay by six months implementation of a Labor Department rule setting income thresholds for determining when white-collar workers are eligible for overtime pay. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 246 yeas to 177 nays.

Nay: Adams

Yeas: Foxx, Walker

U.S. Senate

Overriding veto of terrorism bill: The Senate has voted to override President Obamas veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (S. 2040), sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The bill would authorize victims of terrorist acts that took place within the U.S. to file lawsuits against foreign countries or leaders in U.S. courts by removing sovereign legal immunity for those countries in cases of terrorism. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 97 yeas to 1 nays.

Yeas: Burr, R; Tillis, R

Funding military, Zika programs: The Senate has passed the Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act (H.R. 5325), sponsored by Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga. The amendment would fund discretionary government programs through December 9, and provide $82.5 billion of fiscal 2017 funding for military construction and the Veterans Affairs Department, as well as $1.1 billion of fiscal 2016 emergency supplemental funding for Health and Human Services Department measures to contain the Zika virus and treat Zika victims. The vote, on Sept. 28, was 72 yeas to 26 nays.

Yeas: Burr, R; Tillis, R
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

ABC News reports that Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that a U.S. attack on the Syrian army will lead to terrible, tectonic consequences not only on the territory of this country but also in the region on the whole. She maintained that if the regime were overthrown, it would create a vacuum within which quickly filled by terrorists of all stripes.

The incident a couple of weeks ago wherein the US military killed dozens of Syrian Arab Army troops, mistaking their base for an ISIL one, either spooked Putin or presented him with a pretext.

The Russians and the Syrian regime are all up on their high horses about what was likely friendly fire and a simple mistake.

Now theyre accusing the US of contemplating an attack on al-Assad himself. I dont buy it.

But Zakharova is right that a precipitous overthrown of the Syrian government at this juncture could have unintended consequences.

If the US-, Saudi- and Turkey-backed fundamentalist militias swept into Damascus and took over Syria, there would likely be immediate reprisals against Alawite Shiites, the backbone of the regime. Moreover, Christians (5% of the population), would probably be targeted, just as they were in Iraq.

Iran would lose its land bridge to south Lebanon and perhaps ability to resupply Hizbullah. If Hizbullah really was weakened by this step it would risk losing territory and positions to hard line Salafis, provoking a grave crisis in multicultural Lebanon.

The ascendancy of fundamentalist Sunni Arabs (Salafis) throughout the Middle East would be the biggest threat to Iran and to Iraq.

I think the subtext here is that the Putin government is afraid of a new wave of fundamentalist violence in places like Chechnya inside the Russian Federation if the secular government of Syria falls to Salafi jihadis.

But what is really remarkable here is the tone of voice she used against the US. Given the diplomacy pursued by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, it seems awfully shrill.

If Moscow really fears that Obama in his last months will move on al-Assad and produce a tectonic shift, they dont know Obama very well. Hes far too cautious for that. Moreover, people in Washington are understandably upset that the Russians are openly saying they think the US has sloughed off in the fight against Syrias al-Qaeda, or are secretly allied with it.

Russia should dial down the rhetoric! Kerry and Lavrov need to put back together the ceasefire the only sure way out of this mess.



Related video:

Euronews: Syria: US on verge of ending peace talks with Russia
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By Richard Tofel | ProPublica |  

In 1733, New York printer John Peter Zenger began publishing the eighth newspaper in the American colonies, and the first willing to venture criticism of the government. The New-York Weekly Journal was the second paper in a city of 10,000 or so people, 1700 of them slaves.

As we are reminded in Richard Klugers comprehensive new book, Indelible Ink, the first full-length account of Zengers travails, by 1735, Zenger (and the likely editor of his paper, James Alexander) had so offended Britains royal governor of New York and New Jersey, William Cosby, that Cosby brought suit against Zenger for seditious libelthe crime of criticizing the government. Under the law then in effect in Britain and its colonies, truth was not a defense to this charge. The leading legal treatise of the day explained that since the greater appearance there is of truth in any malicious invective, so much the more provoking it is. And: The malicious prosecution of even truth itself cannot be suffered to interrupt the tranquility of a well-ordered society. This was deemed especially the case with true attacks on those in power, as they would have a direct tendency to breed in the people a dislike of their governors and incline them to faction and sedition.

New Yorkers in 1735, though, werent buying it. While the jury in the Zenger trial was instructed that the truth of Zengers attacks on Cosby was no defense, Zengers lawyer argued that it should be, and asked the jury, if they found the stories true, to acquit the printer. This the jury did, striking a dramatic blow against the law of seditious libel, and launching a proud American tradition, ratified in 1791 in the First Amendment, and laid out over the centuries in a range of Supreme Court decisions.

For at least the last 30 years, since Chief Justice William Rehnquist acquiesced in the constitutionalization of the law of libel, which has safeguarded the American press for more than a half century, we appeared to have a consensus in this country around our modern system of protections for the value of a free and untrammeled press to the process of self-government.

Until now. This year, for the first time since at least Richard Nixon, the leader of one of our major political parties has pledged to limit press freedom by restricting criticism of his prospective rule.

But Nixons threats were private, revealed only by his own taping system, while Donald Trumps are very public, loud and clear. And to be fair to Nixon, he never made good on his private threats, and in the one Supreme Court case he argued personally as a lawyer, he seemed to accept modern constitutional protections for libel.

In fact, Trump is more hostile to the legal and constitutional rights of the press than any major presidential candidate of the last two centuries. What he proposes is reminiscent of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 championed (to his immortal disgrace) by President John Adams in the last serious attempt to relitigate at the federal level what had seemed resolved in the Zenger case. It is cold comfortalthough it may be some warning to Republicans inclined to go alongthat Adams was not only defeated for re-election after passage of those laws, but lost the White House to Thomas Jefferson and his close associates James Madison and James Monroe for a quarter of a century, while Adams Federalist Party never really recovered.

In case you think a comparison of Trumps goals with Zengers opponents or the sponsors of the Alien and Sedition Acts is unfair, a quick review of the record may be in order.

Trump has said that most reporters are absolute dishonest, absolute scum. Hes said that I think the media is among the most dishonest groups of people Ive ever met. Theyre terrible.

In February he pledged that one of the things Im gonna do if I win, and I hope that I do, and were certainly leading, is Im gonna open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. Were gonna open up those libel laws. So that when the New York Times writes a hit piece that is a total disgrace, or when the Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money rather than have no chance of winning because theyre totally protected. You see, with me, theyre not protected, because Im not like other people, but Im not taking money, Im not taking their money. Were gonna open up those libel laws, folks, and were gonna have people sue you like you never got sued before.

Nor is a threat by Trump to sue for libel an idle one. In 2006 he brought such a suit against a book that asserted he had wildly overstated his wealth. He lost the case on the merits as well as for failure to prove fault. But the Washington Post reported that Trump said in an interview that he knew he couldnt win the suit but brought it anyway to make a point. I spent a couple of bucks on legal fees, and they spent a whole lot more. I did it to make [author Tim OBriens] life miserable, which Im happy about.' Trump has also sued the Chicago Tribune and comedian Bill Maher, and threatened to sue the New York Times (more than once), ABC, the Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, the Huffington Post, reporter David Cay Johnston, TV host Lawrence ODonnell and comedian Rosie ODonnell

In the February rant, Trump also seemed to threaten to force Jeff Bezos to divest himself of the Washington Post, asserting that it had been purchased to obtain political influence, and declaring that such purchases should be forbidden.

Asked in June if his stance on the press would continue as president, he said, Yeah, it is going to be like this You think Im gonna change? Im not going to change. He repeated his view that I am going to continue to attack the press. I find the press to be extremely dishonest. I find the political press to be unbelievably dishonest.

In August he tweeted that It is not freedom of the press when newspapers and others are allowed to say and write whatever they want even if it is completely false!

Melania Trumps libel lawyer (she is suing the Daily Mail in Maryland for a story on her modeling days) is even more specific, saying that New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, the 1964 Supreme Court decision that established modern press protections, should be overruled.

Anyone paying attention knows there is a great deal at stake in this election. Freedom of the press in this country may be among those stakes.

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for their newsletter.

Via ProPublica

-

The Young Turks from last winter: Trump On Killing Reporters
The Democratic Republic of Congos (DRC) electoral commission [official website] announced on Saturday that the next presidential election, originally scheduled for November, would be pushed back to 2018. The commission stated that it needs more time to prepare supplies and voter registration lists. The announcement has led to violent protests [DW report] in the country and greater calls for President Joseph Kabila [BBC profile] to leave office. Members of the opposition believe [WSJ report] that the delay is an attempt by Kabila to remain in office, although Kabila denies any involvement in the decision. Kabilas presidential term is set to expire in December and he is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election.

The DRC and surrounding region has seen a high level of conflict in the past decades, and the extension of presidencies has been a contributing issue in many African nations. At the end of January UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged African leaders to avoid using loopholes and undemocratic constitutional changes to cling to power [JURIST report]. Last year protests and demonstrations [JURIST report] took place across the DRC to oppose the proposed changes in the law that would allow Kabila to extend his presidential term past the allotted two-year limit, and the government was accused of using excessive force against these protesters.
Hungarian citizens gathered on Sunday to vote on a European Union (EU) [official website] referendum regarding the relocation of refugees and migrants among member states. The proposed plan seeks [Al Jazeera report] to share 160,000 asylum seekers throughout the 28-member bloc through imposition of mandatory quotas. Under the mandatory quota system, Hungary would receive less than 1,300 asylum seekers. However, the countrys right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban [BBC profile], has expressed strong opposition to the plan. Opinion polls have also shown Hungarian opposition to the proposal among those voting. Those in support of the EU plan have stated they fear the governments media campaign against the plan has stoked the fires of xenophobia within the nation, driven by a covert anti-Islam message. According to a 2011 census [Hungary census website], approximately 5,600 Muslims currently reside in Hungary.

The rights of migrant populations has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issues around the world, as millions seek asylum from conflict nations. Ahead of the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants this week, UN experts urged [JURIST report] states to protect women and girls in the movement of refugees and migrants by adhering to international human rights conventions and standards. Last week Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy websites] said that the draft of the final outcome document for the UN summit on refugees fell short of dealing with the issue effectively [JURIST report]. According to the rights groups, the UN is missing an opportunity by not proposing anything of substance. Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said [JURIST report] earlier this month that Austria will take Hungary to the International Court of Justice if Hungary does not begin accepting returning migrants that crossed into Austria from Hungary. Last month the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al Hussein [official profile] expressed concern [JURIST report] over Bulgarias criminalization of migrants leaving and entering the country.
UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng [official profile] condemned [UN News Centre report] remarks made by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte [official website] comparing his war on drugs to the genocide of Jews by Hitler. Duterte addressed comparisons to Hitler and said on Friday he would be happy to slaughter millions of drug dealers in the Philippines. Dieng said these comments are deeply disrespectful and undermine the efforts made to prevent future genocides throughout the world. He also urged Duterte to refrain from using language that creates hostility or encourages acts which would be considered crimes against humanity. On Sunday, Duterte publicly apologized [Reuters report] for his comments.

Duterte took the presidential office in May after promising [WSJ report] the Filipino population that he would aggressively crackdown on corruption and crime. During his campaign, Duterte declared [Guardian report] that 100,000 people would die in his crackdown on crime. Since Duterte has taken office, over 400 suspected drug dealers have been killed and 600,000 have surrendered to the police. Earlier this month, he declared [JURIST report] a state of lawlessness in the Philippines, which would allow police and military personnel to frisk individuals and search cars. In August, Duterte named [JURIST report] 150 serving and former state officials connected to the nations illegal drug trade and ordered them to either surrender to the authorities or risk being hunted down. Duterte has stated that he disregards criticisms from the UN and human rights groups. Also in August, Duterte threatened to withdraw [JURIST report] the country from the UN following criticisms against his controversial crackdown on the illegal drugs.
        :         ,     FIR    
A regional government in Ethiopia has confirmed that 52 people have been killed in a stampede after police tried to disperse an anti-government protest at a massive religious festival.

The government is also declaring three days of national mourning.

The stampede occurred in one of the East African country's most politically sensitive regions, which has seen months of sometimes deadly demonstrations demanding wider freedoms.

An estimated 2 million people were attending an annual religious festival southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, when witnesses say people began chanting slogans against the government. The chanting crowds pressed toward a stage where religious leaders were speaking, and some threw rocks and plastic bottles. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and people tried to flee. Some were crushed in nearby ditches.
LEXINGTON - "Be merciful, please."

That was Kelsey Peterson's plea as the former Lexington schoolteacher who had a sexual relationship with one of her students was sentenced today.

Dawson County District Judge Jim Doyle sentenced Peterson to two eight-10 year prison terms for two Class II felonies of first-degree sexual assault of a child.

Peterson will serve her time at the same time as a federal sentence she received last year. The 27-year-old should be released from prison after her 33rd birthday at the latest.

Doyle said a presentence investigation by a psychologist found that Peterson was not a pedophile, not a predator and not a deviant.

He also said the presentence investigation concluded that Peterson did not pose a risk to society once she was released from prison.

About 10 members of her family were present for the sentencing. Some cried while others mumbled under their breath during closing arguments by Dawson County Attorney Liz Waterman and Peterson's lawyer, James Martin Davis.

Peterson fled to Mexico with Fernando Rodriguez, who was 12 when the sexual relationship with Peterson began. She pleaded guilty to federal charges of traveling with a person younger than 18 to have sex.

They were thrown into the national spotlight after school officials in Lexington exposed the inappropriate relationship between the teacher and student.

Peterson hastily packed her car, withdrew $2,500 cash from her accounts and headed south with Fernando.

A week later, on Nov. 2, 2007, Peterson was pinpointed by a fugitive-chasing police officer using a GPS tracker. She was arrested in Mexicali, Mexico.
Denmark's Queen Margrethe II, third left, smiles besides German President Joachim Gauck, third right, and his wife Daniela Schad, left, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, second left, chair of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Reiner Haseloff, second right, governor of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, and his wife Gabriele, right, prior to the service in front of the Castle Church entrance in Wittenberg, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Together with Gauck, Margrethe II will open the Castle Church after several years of restoration. The queen is in Germany for a one-day visit. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
SANTIAGO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - A decision will likely be made this year or next year at the latest on the future of a controversial hydro-power project in southern Chile, Enel Chief Executive Francesco Starace said in an interview published in a newspaper Sunday.

The massive 2,750 megawatt HidroAysen project, originally slated at over $8 billion worth of investment, is a joint venture between a local subsidiary of Italy's Enel and Chile's Colbun .

But the Chilean government in 2014 canceled the project's permit, after environmentalists protested it would wreck pristine valleys.

Although the government decision was a major blow to the project, it still left open a route of legal appeal and did not kill it dead. The companies are still paying for water rights.

However, Enel, which is taking an increasing interest in its relatively lucrative Latin American assets, has said that it does not want to carry out projects that are opposed by local communities and in August gave up its water rights to several smaller hydro projects. "With HidroAysen we are not the only owners, we have another partner...that is the only reason it has been treated apart," said Starace in comments to La Tercera on Sunday.

"If it were me, with my money, I would have returned (the HidroAysen water rights) already," he said, adding that the "onerous" annual payment for the rights could not be justified if the project were not to progress.

When asked if the company is prepared to keep waiting, Starace replied: "No. I think a solution must be found soon. I think it will be this year or next at the latest, but we can't do it alone."

The separate 490 megawatt Neltume hydro project was effectively dead, he said. Last year, Chilean unit Endesa had said it would rework the project's design to take into account environmental concerns. "We have already anticipated that we are not going to continue with that project. It is not sustainable," he said. A final decision would be taken in coming months, he added.

Starace was in Chile last week to attend final shareholder meetings on the company's local restructure. Colbun could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
The first "official" Bremerton Union High School football team claimed the 1908 State Class 2 high school championship. The team won nine out of 12 games. Its losses were to a Class 1 high school and two athletic clubs. Shown are: (top row) Tom Driscoll, Bert Harlow, Milton Valdre, "Doc" Steigert (teacher/coach) Jesse Sutton and Earl Reiner; (middle row) Ray Schutt, Oliver Willets, Clarence Robinson, Harry Jertsen, Harry "Skinny" Bennett and Paul Bennett; (bottom row) Phil Harbach, Rudy Campbell, Walter Gordon, Lawrence Kost and Percy Kendall. To see more photos from the Kitsap County Historical Society Museum archives, visit www.facebook.com/kitsaphistory, Twitter KitsapMuseum, or stop by the museum at 280 Fourth St. in Bremerton. Call 360-479-6226 for information

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In 1941 (75 years ago)

Measures to stop the spread of rabies in Kitsap County will go into effect Monday when state, county and city authorities institute the state-ordered countywide rabies quarantine that will affect the freedom and transportation of all domestic animals in the area.

Dr. Russell M. Wilson, Kitsap County public health officer, warned today that strict enforcement of the quarantine will be carried out, with a group of state men assisting local authorities in enforcing regulations.

Pet owners who fail to comply with the order to confine their dogs will face loss of the pet.

All dogs running loose will be picked up and held 48 hours and then if not claimed by the owner will be dispatched, Wilson said.

Acting in compliance with defense demands, Bremerton city officials today subleased to the Bremerton Terminal Company a recently vacated strip of the city's waterfront for the purpose of erecting immediately a second ferry site.

Construction of the slip has been demanded by government authorities and urged by naval officials.

There will be leasing of the waterway area adjacent to the city's old First Street Wharf, followed by the vacating of the waterway area by the state land commissioner, acting on advice of the attorney general.

Engineers are taking soundings today in preparation for building the new ferry slip.

In 1966 (50 years ago)

Operation Grass Roots will officially get underway Monday when four teams start knocking on doors in various parts of the county.

Each team will consist of six or seven persons and will operate out of headquarters in Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard and Suquamish.

The main target of the teams will be homes of low-income families, and the purpose of the campaign is to inform persons in the low-income bracket of services available to them in the county, city and state, according to Mrs. F. C. Vibrans, grassroots director.

The teams are made up of 26 women, drawn from low-income families, who have just completed a two-week training session. They will be paid $2 an hour for the door-to-door work with the money to come from a $53,647 federal grant to the county.

State Attorney General John J .O'Connell declared yesterday that civilian and military personnel living on federal reservations in the state may vote in state elections.

This opens the door to city and county officials to set up voter precincts at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the Naval Ammunition Depot at Bangor and Naval Torpedo Station in Keyport.

The opinion means residents of these sites may vote in state elections if they meet same residency requirements asked of other citizens.

PSNS is within the Bremerton city limits and it will be up to the city to set up a precinct there.

Other new precincts for military reservations will have to be set up by the county clerk.

In 1991 (25 years ago)

Bremerton's mayor did not violate the city's ethical code for public employees by appearing in a recliner commercial for Arnold's Furniture, an independent consulting agency has told the city.

Mayor Louis Mentor apologized Tuesday to those who found the commercial offensive, saying the only reason he did it was because the store has been a major booster of the city and community service programs.

"I certainly had no hidden agenda. I did it to bolster a city supporter," Mentor said. "If I offended anybody, I certainly apologize but I haven't talked with any citizens who were offended. If anybody had suggested they might be, I certainly wouldn't of done it."

Acting City Council President Morrie Dawkins, who presided over an executive session to consider a citizen complaint about the commercial, said he is satisfied that any question that Mentor acted unethically has been answered.

But he noted that the council may have to consider changes to the code of conduct.

In 2006 (10 years ago)

Who knew brownies could be so messy?

A rule implemented a year ago that bans students from selling or sharing homemade snacks at North Kitsap schools has some parents flustered.

School administrators say they understand the disappointment among parents who want to send goodies to birthday party and special treats for fundraisers.

But administrators say they are responsible for preventing allergic reactions, widespread illness and costly lawsuits.

"It might sound strange but this is a real health issue," said Dan Blazer, director of food and nutrition services for North Kitsap schools. "We have to be careful."

From Kitsap Sun archives.
By Marilyn Balerak, citizen sponsor of Initiative 1491



In June of 2015, my son James shot and killed himself and his stepsister Brianna. He bought his gun legally at the same store where I taught him to shop, to talk to clerks, and to smile at other customers.

It was the worst day of my life, and I should have been able to prevent it. Initiative 1491 would give families like mine a tool to prevent a crisis from becoming a gun-violence tragedy.

James was a smart and independent; he wanted to be a nurse anesthetist. He was also a bit different. He started therapy at age 5 and, when he was 7 years old, he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We saw doctors and specialists, tried every treatment after treatment, but his personal struggles overwhelmed him over time and he experienced depression.

Though it isn't true for all people diagnosed with autism or depression, James became violent and verbally abusive in the last years of his life, and he experienced suicidal ideation. When he was young, I could make sure he went to counseling, ensure he spent time practicing how to recognize social cues, and monitor how his medications affected him. I could ease his path. When he was an adult, it was more difficult. I researched doctors and therapists, but I could not make his appointments for him or make him go.

The summer before James died we got into an argument. It got heated and I suggested we wait and talk in the morning when everyone was more calm. I went upstairs to get ready for bed.

James followed me up the stairs and began pounding on the outside of my door, begging me for permission to end his life. He asked over and over again, "Yes or no, can I kill myself? Yes or no?"

That night, I did one of the hardest things I'd ever done: I called the police on my son. When they arrived, James was calm, cool, and collected, sitting on the front steps. I knew James was at risk and I asked the officers if there was anything I could do to make sure he didn't have easy access to guns. They said "no." I could either get a restraining order and cut off all contact with James  and then wait until he violated the order, or I could wait until he committed a felony. Either of those would have destroyed James; I was his connection to the world, and to love and family.

After the shooting in Isla Vista, I remember thinking that could have been James. I went back to the police and asked again if there was anything I could do. I wasn't afraid that James was going to hurt our family, but I was afraid for him. Again I was told there was nothing I could do.

In November, voters can change that. We can pass Initiative 1491 and pass Extreme Risk Protection Orders into law. I-1491 would allow family members and law enforcement officers to petition a judge to remove guns from a person in crisis  before that crisis becomes a tragedy. These orders, modeled on the protection orders we've used in Washington to protect people for decades, would give families a lifesaving tool.

If I-1491 were in place, I would have been able to gather my evidence, the text messages and threatening behavior, the police reports, and present it to a judge. James would have a chance to respond. If the judge decided that James was a threat to himself or others, James would be prohibited from buying a gun for one year. After one year, the order would expire.

A law just like this has been on the books in Connecticut since 1999, and it's saving lives. Dozens of people are alive today and almost 30 percent of the people who were subject to an order got treatment for mental health or chemical dependency issues because their loved ones took this step.

If I-1491 had been in place two years ago, I would have had more time to get my son help. My stepdaughter would be alive.

Washington families deserve this life saving tool. Vote yes on Initiative 1491.

This column was provided by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, gunresponsibility.org.
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By the Kitsap Sun editorial board

This week The Arizona Republic's editorial board announced its endorsement in the presidential race using Facebook Live, which broadcasts live events to Facebook users. The editorial board used that live format to further explain its endorsement Hillary Clinton, the first time it has supported a Democratic presidential candidate in the paper's 126-year history.

That's just one example of some of the nontraditional things being done by editorial boards this year. The decisions are driven by two factors  a presidential race with candidates that many voters find tough to accept, which has led major papers like the Chicago Tribune to take the unusual step of endorsing Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson; and the increasing use of digital media and social media by newspapers to communicate with an audience that may not understand or accept the notion of editorial board endorsements.

The Kitsap Sun's editorial board has not endorsed a presidential candidate for the past three elections. The reason is that we do not spend time with those candidates, so our accessibility to the race is no different from the average voter's. There's nothing our volunteer board members would know about Clinton, Johnson, Jill Stein or Donald Trump that any other voter doesn't have access to, so we don't presume to have an opinion that would be additionally influential.

That's not the case in local elections, where our editorial board spends at least one hour with the candidates in most races. Our interviews give us an opportunity not every voter may have, and we combine those interactions with outside research and debate among our seven members. What comes out of that is a consensus opinion that we share with readers  not to "tell" you who to chose but to offer another case that may help inform your vote.

But even that notion of an editorial board's role isn't accepted by everyone  including a longtime editor of this newspaper, the late Gene Gisley. While examples of "new" ways to handle the question arise, like the Republic's use of Facebook, we're shifting closer toward Gisley's old-school philosophy this year.

That doesn't mean we're giving up our right to say what we think! No, our editorial board has been as engaged as ever in local races this election season, and other teams at the Sun are working to help you be as informed as possible before Nov. 8. Our board's plan is to offer less formal endorsement and more in the way of information. Here are a few things to look for:

Next Sunday on this page, we'll begin columns on races and issues based on the editorial board's series of interviews with candidates. We're leaning away from the traditional "vote for this person" endorsement in favor of columns that reflect our consensus impression of each candidate with whom we discussed the issues. We'll also explain our positions on each race  what did we ask about, and why? What we'll explain is this board's lens, no different from how each voter has issues he or she cares about more than others.

The "Our View" columns won't shy away from pointing out strengths and weaknesses for each candidate, or offering criticism if warranted. But the idea is to fairly share the information as well as some opinion.

Second, videos of our interviews with candidates will begin to be posted on www.kitsapsun.com next week. Watch for yourself to see how candidates answer our questions, then draw conclusions for yourself.

Third, today's opinion page features pro and con columns on Initiative 1491, along with cartoonist Milt Priggee's take on the gun control ballot measure. Those columns form the background to the first event in a series we're calling Brews and Issues, taking place through October.

We've arranged three forums at local breweries where the supporters and opponents of state ballot initiatives will be given a change to make their case and take questions from you. The full schedule is at pugetsoundblogs.com/brews-and-issues, and we'll run pro/con columns in upcoming weeks to preview those forums.

Finally, our Kitsap Sun voters guide is in the works and will publish online and in print on Sunday, Oct. 16. We've sent questionnaires to all candidates in contested races, and we'll publish their responses in a special section that you can study before voting.

The one opinion we firmly hold and want to share is that you should be informed when you vote. We've always been in the business of making that happen locally. This year's emphasis seeks to continue that in some new ways, and we invite you to use these resources as Nov. 8 approaches.

Our View columns are the consensus opinion of the Kitsap Sun's editorial board. The board is made up of David Nelson, editor; Jim Campbell, opinion editor emeritus, and community members Martha Burke, Susanne Hughes, Drayton Jackson, Bart Kale and Jim Stark.
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Last week, Congress engaged in a bipartisan barrage of CEO bashing.

The Senate Banking Committee assailed Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf for pushing employees to create as many as 2 million bogus bank and credit card accounts without customer consent  making customers pay overdraft and late fees on accounts they never knew they had.

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform criticized Mylan NV CEO Heather Bresch for raising the price of its EpiPen, an emergency allergy treatment, forcing customers to pay $608 for a two-pack that had cost $100 in 2009.

Noting that Mylan had sought legislation to increase the number of patients who receive prescriptions for EpiPens, Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., angrily told Bresch: "You get a level of scrutiny and a level of treatment that would ordinarily curl my hair, but you asked for it."

Such shaming before congressional committees tends to reassure the public that Congress is taking action. But, especially with Republicans in charge, Congress is doing nothing to prevent the wrongdoing from recurring.

Can we be clear? CEOs have only one goal in mind: making money. If they can make more money by misleading or price-gouging, they'll continue to do so until it's no longer as profitable.

For years we've watched Congress grill CEOs of Wall Street banks about bank fraud. If it's not Wells Fargo's sham accounts, it's JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, whose bank failed to report trading losses. (Remember the "London Whale"?) Or it's Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein, whose firm defrauded investors.

Wells Fargo's Stumpf made $19 million last year, partly because all those new accounts helped maintain the bank's profit machine. Sure, the bank was fined $185 million by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for the fraud, but that's chicken feed relative to what the bank pulls in. From April through July 2016 alone, it had revenues of $22.16 billion.

Why should we expect Wells Fargo or any other big bank to stop such frauds when they're so lucrative?

For years we've watched Congress condemn CEOs of pharmaceutical companies for price-gouging. If not Mylan's Bresch, it's Turing Pharmaceuticals' Martin Shkreli, who jacked up the price of Daraprim  used to treat life-threatening infections  from $13.50 to $750 a pill. Or Valeant Pharmaceuticals' Michael Pearson, who quadrupled the price of Syprine, used to treat an inherited disorder that can cause severe liver and nerve damage. Or Amphastar Pharmaceuticals CEO Jack Y. Zhang, who hoisted the price of naloxone, used in cases of heroin overdoses, to more than $400 a pop.

Bresch made $18.9 million last year. Mylan's incentive plan will bestow additional bonuses of $82 million on top executives if they hit certain high profit targets by 2018.

Why should we expect Mylan or any other pharmaceutical company to refrain from yanking up the price of lifesaving drugs as high as the market will bear?

Republicans may rage at the CEOs who appear before them, but they haven't given the Justice Department enough funding to pursue criminal charges against corporations and executives who violate the law. They haven't even appropriated enough money for regulatory agencies to police the market. Funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for example, is capped at 12 percent of the Federal Reserve's operating expenses. Even now, Republicans are trying to put the CFPB's funding into the appropriations process, where it can be squeezed far more.

Meanwhile, Congress has allowed Wall Street banks and pharmaceutical companies to accumulate the sort of vast market power that invites wrongdoing.

Wall Street's five largest banks (including Wells Fargo) now have about 45 percent of the nation's banking assets. That's up from about 25 percent in 2000.

This means most bank customers have very little choice. Every big bank offers the same range of services at about the same price  including, most likely, services that are unwanted and unneeded.

Similarly, Mylan and other pharmaceutical companies can engage in price-gouging because they're the only ones producing these lifesaving drugs.

Congress has made it illegal for Americans to shop at foreign pharmacies for cheaper versions of same drugs sold in U.S., and it hasn't appropriated the Food and Drug Administration enough funds to get competing versions of lifesaving drugs to market quickly.

So instead of setting up further rounds of CEO perp walks for the TV cameras, Congress should give the Justice Department and regulatory agencies enough funding to do their jobs.

While they're at it, break up the biggest banks. And regulate drug prices directly, as does every other country.

It's easy to holler at CEOs. It's time for to stop hollering and take action.

Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies.
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Back in the 1960s, as large numbers of black students were entering a certain Ivy League university for the first time, someone asked a chemistry professor  off the record  what his response to them was. He said, "I give them all A's and B's. To hell with them."

Since many of those students were admitted with lower academic qualifications than other students, he knew that honest grades in a tough subject like chemistry could lead to lots of failing grades, and that in turn would lead to lots of time-wasting hassles  not just from the students, but also from the administration.

He was not about to waste time that he wanted to invest in his professional work in chemistry and the advancement of his own career. He also knew that his "favor" to black students in grading was going to do them more harm than good in the long run, because they wouldn't know what they were supposed to know.

Such cynical calculations were seldom expressed in so many words. Nor are similar cynical calculations openly expressed today in politics. But many successful political careers have been built on giving blacks "favors" that look good on the surface but do lasting damage in the long run.

One of these "favors" was the welfare state. A vastly expanded welfare state in the 1960s destroyed the black family, which had survived centuries of slavery and generations of racial oppression.

In 1960, before this expansion of the welfare state, 22 percent of black children were raised with only one parent. By 1985, 67 percent of black children were raised with either one parent or no parent.

A big "favor" the Obama administration is offering blacks today is exemption from school behavior rules that have led to a rate of disciplining of black male students that is greater than the rate of disciplining of other categories of students.

Is it impossible that black males misbehave in school more often than Asian females? Or Jewish students? Or others?

Is the only possible reason for the disparities in disciplining rates that the teachers and principals are discriminating against black males? Even when many of these teachers and principals in black neighborhoods are themselves black?

But Washington politicians are on the case. It strengthens the political vision that blacks are besieged by racist enemies, from which Democrats are their only protection. They give black youngsters exemptions from behavioral standards, just as the Ivy League chemistry professor gave them exemption from academic standards.

In both cases, the consequence  unspoken today  is "to hell with them." Kids from homes where they were not given behavioral standards, who are then not held to behavioral standards in schools, are on a path that can lead them as adults straight into prison, or to fatal confrontations with the police.

This is ultimately not a racial thing. Exactly the same welfare state policies and the same non-judgmental exemption from behavioral standards in Britain have led to remarkably similar results among lower-class whites there.

The riots of lower-class whites in London, Manchester and other British cities in 2011 were incredibly similar to black riots in Ferguson, Baltimore and other American cities  right down to setting fire to police cars.

One of the few bright spots for black children in American ghettos have been some charter schools that have educated these children to levels equal to, and in some cases better than, those in affluent suburbs.

You might think that this would be welcomed by those who are so ready to do "favors" for blacks. But you would be dead wrong. Democrats who have been in charge of most cities with sizable black populations, for decades, are on record opposing the spread of charter schools. So is the NAACP.

That is a de facto declaration of moral bankruptcy in both cases, just as in the case of the Ivy League chemistry professor. In all three cases, it is a question of promoting one's own special interests, while offering "favors" to blacks.

The Democrats' special interest is in serving the teachers' unions, which oppose charter schools and support Democrats financially. The NAACP's special interest is in serving the same donors  and in keeping ghetto schools controlled by racial activists, as part of their turf.

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website is www.tsowell.com.
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By Tom Philpott

"I was confirmed 97-to-0," says VA Secretary Bob McDonald, recalling the Senate vote in July 2014 on his nomination to lead 360,000 VA employees and an aging infrastructure in delivering health care, disability and education benefits, and a host of other services, to millions of veterans.

"And what I sensed was an appetite for, an urging for, somebody with experience transforming large organizations to do that," adds the retired chief executive officer and board chairman of Proctor & Gamble Co. "While I have seen that, I have seen it sporadically. And right now, perhaps because of the elections upcoming, we're seeing a hiatus in that kind of thinking."

In an hourlong interview in his office overlooking the White House, McDonald expands on the surprisingly sharp critique of Congress he delivered a week earlier while testifying on recommendations of the congressionally chartered Commission on Care.

McDonald is upset to see fiscal 2016 expiring with Congress having failed to pass up to two dozen pieces of legislation he labels "essential" for continuing to transform VA to better serve veterans  with faster access to quality health care outside VA, breaking a disgraceful logjam of disability claim appeals, shelving archaic statutes that handcuff staff, and more.

The enthusiasm he felt on Capitol Hill two years ago came amid a patient wait-time scandal that alarmed veterans and demoralized the Veterans Health Administration. It also spurred Congress, nearing a long election-year recess, to swiftly negotiate and pass a flawed Veterans Choice Act, hailed with false promises that would confuse and anger veterans.

McDonald, a top industry executive but also a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger, not only was volunteering to clean up a mess but to transform the entire department, its legacy practices and systems, into a high-performance organization that would put customers  veterans  first.

The transformation is well underway, McDonald says, but it won't progress at the speed and breadth veterans deserve unless Congress helps. VA needs legislation to streamline and consolidate six separate community-base care programs that VA still must run in addition to the Choice program. It needs authority to repair a broken claims appeal system that has veterans waiting three years for a decision; to lift unnecessary limits on physician work hours; to extend VA authorities to maintain services, such as transportation to facilities in rural areas and for vocational rehabilitation, and to fix provider agreements with long-term care facilities so the hassle of dealing with VA don't keep enticing these facilities to turn out vets.

These are highlights of 100 proposals sent to Congress with the VA budget in February, most of which haven't been voted on by both the House and Senate to become law, McDonald says, despite the continuous pro-veteran rhetoric from Republicans holding majorities in both chambers.

McDonald notes that in May, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, with bipartisan support, cleared an omnibus bill, the Veterans First Act, packed with reforms. Yet no floor vote has been scheduled. A senator or two, it seems, has a hold on the bill, upset over how it would be funded or over how it would keep VA in control of access to non-VA health providers.

Despite that disappointment, McDonald suggests he has worked well with the Senate committee and chairman Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia.

The House, meanwhile, has passed many veteran bills that VA doesn't view as critical. Recently, it voted for the appeals process reforms VA wants, but linked it to tougher accountability measure that the administration opposes. The disputed provisions would relax employee job protections so that, at VA alone, staff could be fired or demoted more easily for wrongdoing or poor performance than is possible in other agencies.

Many bills get passed "as demonstrations of a particular ideology (without) bipartisan support," says McDonald. "As a result, it's all about legislative jiujitsu of, can you get the president to agree to something he doesn't want to agree to, by attaching something good to it?"

McDonald says he realized soon after becoming secretary that veterans' issues, even priority reforms strongly backed by veteran service organizations, are not free of the bitter partisanship that has made Congresses increasingly dysfunctional.

"I perceived that relatively early on," he says, "particularly when there was this spirit of 'gotcha!' If you say the wrong word, the political opposition tries to exploit it in order to embarrass the administration. It wasn't something I was familiar with in business."

His harshest critics are Republicans on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Its chairman, Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida, led lengthy investigations into the patient wait-time scandal and launched many other examinations of VA waste, fraud and abuse since taking the committee gavel in 2011. His staff pumps out a steady stream of news releases focusing on VA corruption.

Miller says McDonald failed in his promise to establish "a climate of accountability" across VA workforce despite his claims of 3,750 staff firings.

McDonald doesn't mention Miller by name in our interview, but he's the presumed target of some pointed remarks.

"You've got to make a decision in life," the secretary says. "Are you always going to be pointing out problems, which is easy to do, or are you going to be part of the solution? It's a cop-out to be what I call an 'against' leader. You know, 'I can negotiate a better deal' or 'you've improved access (to health care) but not enough.' It's always easy to criticize what someone else has done. But that's not going to improve things for veterans."

I asked if, in his opinion, some Republicans don't want this administration to be able to claim more victories on behalf of veterans. McDonald replies, "Maybe that's the issue. Maybe that's the issue."

He says he hasn't made that charge to committee leaders.

"But one thing I did say is we've got to stop using veterans as political pawns. Veterans are getting very upset about standing behind candidates, being thanked for their service, but then not getting part of the sacred covenant Abraham Lincoln talked about in his Second Inaugural address."

If the priority is party politics, McDonald finds irony in the quest, because he was a Republican when nominated, a donor to prominent GOP candidates from his home state of Ohio, including John Boehner.

"Now I say my political party is the Veterans' Party," McDonald says.

Next week: Committee Chairman Miller reacts to McDonald's criticism and returns fire. And more from the secretary on postelection aims.

Send comments to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120, email milupdate@aol.com or twitter: Tom Philpott @Military_Update
The 12th annual Northeast Louisiana Celtic Festival was held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Kiroli Park in West Monroe on Saturday.

The festival - hosted by the West Monroe Chamber of Commerce - had food, games and of course, traditional Celtic music by several bands throughout the day. The yearly event brings awareness to the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures.

Organizers say they were hoping to bring in over 5,000 guests this year.

"We've come close to that a couple of times, so it's a lot of people to put in this park for one day," says West Monroe Chamber of Commerce member, Tom McCandlish.

The NELA Celtic Festival is held the first weekend of October every year.
The Omicron Iota Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority hosted a health fair at Lincoln Elementary in Monroe to educate the community on wellness.

This is the 13th year the sorority has held the event, where they were able to educate people on health issues like diabetes, immunizations, and hypertension.

Lifeshare Blood Center was also on hand for those who wanted to donate blood.

"There's a great need to educate the community. A lot of people suffer with illnesses and even death because of the fact that they don't have enough knowledge and understanding of what the disease process is, how to treat it, and maintain health," says the Omicron Iota Omega chapter President, Naomi Smith.
HAVANA  You can't drink the water and there's a shortage of toilet paper and toilet seats, but don't mistake Cuba for a backward, Third World country.

I'm just back from a brief but intensive excursion to Havana with a group called Insight Cuba. It was more than your rum-tasting, cigar-smoking, flan-eating tourist trip, although there was plenty of that. What we got was a clear-eyed look at a country and a culture on the verge of cataclysmic change.

Social media is not a big thing in Cuba, not because of censorship, but because Wi-Fi is so sketchy. But Cuban millennials are still glued to their mobile phones; earbuds are ubiquitous, and fade hairstyles and black Nikes are all the rage. At the same time, the population skews older, with a decreasing birthrate. Young people are leaving the island in droves.

There's affection for Fidel and Raul Castro and for the Russian people. In fact, tens of thousands of Cubans went to the Soviet Union during the Cold War and brought back Russian wives, so the cultures are inextricably linked. Afro-Cuban jazz is alive and well. And tourism is the lifeblood of the economy.

Both the Japanese prime minister and the Chinese government were in Havana with huge contingents during my visit. Global investors are circling Cuba like sharks, looking to invest ahead of the inevitable wave of international commerce. While the Cuban government still owns a majority stake of all business, capitalism is creeping in among the decaying buildings and vintage cars. The model is a seemingly benign socialism that permits all sorts of enterprising Cuban initiatives.

Paladares are privately owned restaurants that are sanctioned by the government, which takes a large slice of the flan. Within this model, young people receive training in the hospitality and tourism business and are equipped to find jobs across Cuba. School is only mandatory until age 15, so there's a large demographic of teenagers eager to get to work. Complacence is not the mindset here. Rather, there is a burning ambition to make a living and help support the family, which is the bedrock of Cuban culture.

"You won't see any homeless people," explained our Cuban guide, Pavel, "because Cubans will always take care of their families, the elderly and infirm. Even if we don't have much, we have enough for our family."

So what's the big takeaway for companies looking to do business in Cuba? Change didn't just start with President Barack Obama's visit. Cuban people are multicultural, sophisticated and business-savvy, despite decades of communism and a U.S. trade embargo. They are up on all things American, with imports from family members in the states. All packages  even bicycles  are curiously wrapped in cellophane at the Miami airport, because the Cubans are convinced their luggage will be looted en route. Family first. Cubans, above all else, despite the melting pot of ethnicities.

The infrastructure is not in place to support the burgeoning tourist industry, but the Cuban people are eager to welcome the world with open arms.
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By Maria Browning, Chapter16.org

Ask comfortable Americans to describe their image of homelessness, and few of them will immediately mention families with children. We all know there are homeless kids in this country, but most of us don't see or think about them much. Richard Schweid didn't until 2002, when he happened to stay at a Dearborn, Michigan, motel where homeless families were being temporarily housed at government expense. Disturbed by the sight of children with "nowhere else to play but long, narrow hallways on dirty, threadbare carpeting," he began to investigate the issue. "Invisible Nation: Homeless Families in America," Schweid's ninth book, offers a troubling look at the problem and attempted solutions in five U.S. cities, as well as a brief history of American responses to poverty from the Puritans onward.

Schweid, a Nashville native, begins "Invisible Nation" in his hometown. Nashville's new identity as a hot, hip "it" city has done little, he finds, to help her poorest citizens. During a stay in a grimy motel on Dickerson Pike, a rundown strip where prostitution and the drug trade flourish, Schweid meets Jennifer, a single mother of four, who has managed to move her family into a broken-down trailer after months of living in a motel and, for a while, their car.

The elements of Jennifer's story are typical of many Schweid will encounter all over the country  an abusive husband, no education or job skills, no family to provide a safety net, personal tragedy leading to depression and drug abuse, all of it culminating in destitution and despair. What comes through most powerfully in Jennifer's account is her desire to protect her children. Recalling their time in the motel, she says, "They never got any sunlight in there. I kept the curtains drawn all the time. I didn't want my kids seeing out, and I didn't want nobody seeing in. It was horrible, horrible."

The conditions in shelters and motels, Schweid argues, are not just unpleasant for families like Jennifer's. They're physically and psychologically unhealthy. He cites studies showing that homeless children are far more likely to suffer serious illness and developmental problems than comparably poor children who have stable housing. Homeless children are also more likely to witness or be victims of violence, and they are particularly vulnerable to long-term problems such as depression, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In a model he repeats for Boston, Fairfax, Portland, and Trenton, Schweid looks at the history of Nashville's attempts to aid homeless families, and he talks with professionals who deal with the problem day-to-day. Though every locality has its particular challenges and methods of approach, what they all share is the reality of homelessness as a problem on the rise. Between 2007 and 2012, for example, Nashville's official count of homeless students in its schools increased by more than 700.

Everywhere, the core of the problem seems to be simply a lack of affordable housing. In the Boston chapter, Schweid cites a 2013 study that determined an annual income of $67,200 was needed to meet the day-to-day living expenses of a single parent with two young children, yet the annual income of someone working full time for Massachusetts's $9 minimum wage would total $18,720. Clearly, it's nonsense to think that any single parent is just a steady job away from delivering a family out of homelessness.

And yet the idea that society owes destitute families nothing but grudging temporary aid and an opportunity to work has an enduring political currency. Schweid traces this line of thought all the way back to the Puritans, who initially showed some generosity toward their own poor but became increasingly tight-fisted as their communities grew. Shaming poor people has a long history in the U.S., says Schweid, from eighteenth-century New York and Pennsylvania, where people receiving public assistance had to wear badges on their clothing, to the twentieth-century "man in the house" rules, which were used by states to deny federal welfare benefits to any mother who cohabited with a man.

Schweid makes a compelling argument that our current policies place an unconscionable burden on vulnerable children. He advocates direct housing subsidies for homeless families, a move that would be expensive in the short run but would yield critical long-term benefits. The problem of homeless families is, as he sees it, not a political or economic issue; it's a moral one. "Children in the United States," he concludes, "should not have to grow up this way."

For more local book coverage, visit http://chapter16.org/, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.

NONFICTION

Invisible Nation: Homeless Families in America by Richard Schweid (University of California Press, 240 pages, $29.95)

DISCUSSION

Who: Richard Schweid

Where: Southern Festival of Books, Oct. 14-16

Where: Legislative Plaza and the Nashville Public Library, Nashville

Admission: Free
SHARE Thousands gathered Saturday to watch humans and llamas compete in the third annual Great Llama Race hosted by Casa de Sara. (Special to the News Sentinel) Thousands gathered Saturday to watch The Great Llama Race, in which llamas and celebrity runners ran to raise money for schools in East Tennessee and Bolivia. Students from Oak Ridge High School prepare their llama to run Saturday.

By Jay Miller, Special to the News Sentinel

Llamas and humans joined forces Saturday at World's Fair Park to test their speed for a good cause at the third annual Great Llama Race.

Thousands of people gathered on the park lawn to watch the four-legged and two-legged athletes run 100-yard heats to raise money for Casa de Sara, an international nonprofit based in Knoxville.

The event raises money for Casa de Sara's school for impoverished children in Bolivia, as well as in Knox County and surrounding area schools.

Lori Santoro, executive director for Casa de Sara, said about 5,000 spectators gathered for the event.

"We hope to raise $40,000 today," Santoro said. "We will be helping internationally and locally."

Brian Bruce, one of the runners, said this year was his first race. He and his running mate, Smiley, wore wigs and tie-dyed shirts for the race.

"I just got thrown into this the last couple days, and I have never run with a llama before," Bruce said. "I hear Smiley is pretty fast, but I am not that fast, so we expect to finish in the middle."

Janet Acosta, a Spanish teacher at Karns High School, said the event was important because of the support for local and international schools.

"It's a good cause to help the impoverished country of Bolivia and Knoxville, locally," Acosta said.

Live music, games and giveaways were held throughout the day on a makeshift stage in the park. Musical acts included performances by Sam Hatmaker, Sparkle Motion and Dre Hilton.

According to Kristy McMichael, an event organizer, the proceeds were divided among the top three running pairs. Southeast Llama Rescue also received a portion of the funds.

"We have seven heats, two qualifiers and the finals," she said. "We divvy up our intake and divide that among the first-, second- and third-place winners."

Santoro said llamas, the national animal of Bolivia, offered a natural theme for the event.

"The llamas just fit in with our organization," she said. "We thought, 'What can we do with them?' We decided to race them.

"It is the most unique event you will ever see. The outreach is probably bigger than any other event because it touches lives globally."
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By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  Ignoring grumbles from Democrats, Gov. Bill Haslam has scheduled a third fundraiser for the campaign season at the state's official executive residence  the latest is an Oct. 19 event to benefit David Kustoff, Republican nominee in Tennessee's 8th Congressional District.

Democratic legislators have declared they will propose a ban on political fundraising on state-owned property, including the executive residence, during the 2017 legislative session. Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, complained that Haslam "continues to throw political parties and put them on Tennessee taxpayers' tab."

State Republican Chairman Ryan Haynes says the Democrats are guilty of hypocrisy in "trying to smear Gov. Haslam" because former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen also held political fundraisers at the governor's official home.

Actually, other former governors  including Republican Don Sundquist and Democrat Ned McWherter  also held partisan fundraising events at the residence, which is legal under current state law.

The fundraiser for Kustoff will be a noon luncheon event, according to the invitation sent out by the Kustoff campaign, and Republican U.S. Reps. Diane Black of Gallatin and Marsha Blackburn of Brentwood are listed as hosts along with Haslam.

The basic ticket is $500 per person, but attendees can be designated a "sponsor" by donating $2,700 or a "host" for $1,000.

Haslam hosted a fundraiser at the residence in July for Black, who at the time was facing a primary challenge from Joe Carr and other fellow Republicans.

Carr, a former state representative from Rutherford County, said then that holding a fundraiser at a building "subsidized by the Tennessee taxpayer is by definition establishment politics." Black defeated Carr by a 2-to-1 margin in the August primary.

The governor did not publicly support Kustoff, a former U.S. attorney from Memphis who ran George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign in Tennessee, during his contested primary, though his father, brother and other Haslam family members donated to Kustoff.

On Sept. 26, Haslam held a luncheon fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who the governor had supported in an unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

That was somewhat more expensive than the Black and Kustoff fundraisers with a minimum admission fee of $1,000 per person instead of $500.

State Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris, D-Memphis, who plans to sponsor the proposed legislative ban on fundraising at the executive resident with Clemmons, said in a news release that it was "particularly audacious" to hold the event as a midday luncheon "using state resources during business hours."

"These government properties should not be used for campaign fundraisers or events. If the Governor can do this, what is to stop him from going further and charging an admission fee to enter public buildings and stuffing the money in his campaign account. The Governor's Mansion is special, let's not treat it like the lobby of a Holiday Inn," Harris said.

Haynes fired back in a state GOP news release citing Bredesen's fundraising events at the executive residence.

"It's a shame when an attempt to score political points gives an entire Party amnesia about their own activities, but that is exactly what has happened with Tennessee Democrats," Haynes said.

"I realize Tennesseans have relegated Democrats to superminority status in our state for six years, but it has not been so long that it excuses their ignorance of the precedent they set."

Actually, the precedent predates Bredesen. His Republican predecessor, Sundquist, held several fundraising events  most controversially, perhaps, an affair to benefit the late former Lt. Gov. John Wilder, a Democrat who was elected Senate speaker with Republican support.

McWherter, Sundquist's predecessor, also held fundraising events at the "governor's mansion," including receptions to raise money for Democratic legislators' campaigns.

New home for governor: While hosting fundraisers at his official public residence, the governor and his wife, Crissy, have changed their Knoxville private residence.

As initially reported by former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe, the Haslams have moved from their home on Sherwood Drive in West Knoxville to a home on Lyons Bend Road where the governor lived as a teenager.

His father, James A. "Jim" Haslam II, and his wife, Natalie, have meanwhile moved to a home in Sequoyah Hills.

There's no report of the governor hosting a fundraiser at his new private residence, though U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, who co-hosted the Rubio fundraiser at the executive mansion with Haslam, held an event at his Chattanooga home Sept. 23 to benefit Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte's campaign for re-election in New Hampshire.

Haslam has made a $5,000 donation to Ayotte, however, along with contributions to at least eight other Republican senator campaigns outside of Tennessee, according to campaign disclosures.
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By Harrison Akins

Do you daily use soap, shampoo, toothpaste, a toothbrush, coffee, a clock, a camera, a fountain pen? Did you study algebra, chemistry or the scientific method at a university? Do you own a guitar or magnifying glasses in your home?

If your answer is yes to any of these, you have Islamic civilization to thank, from which all of these inventions and scientific disciplines, plus many more, were developed during the medieval period.

Islamic civilization shaped our ideas of modern education (the first university was founded in Fez, Morocco, in 859 AD, over 200 years before the first university appeared in Europe); modern medicine (public hospitals structured around wards with trained staff physicians and surgeons using precise surgical instrumentation and science as the basis of their practice originated in Baghdad in the 9th century); and philosophy (Ancient Greek philosophy was revived and interpreted by Islamic philosophers in Muslim-ruled Spain).

The access to Islamic technology, scientific advancements, literature and philosophy, such as that of ancient Greece lost to Europe at the time, in many ways laid the foundation for the European Renaissance, which has influenced how we think, act and organize our societies to this day.

Did you know any of this? Most people don't. This is, in part, because of the limited attention American schools already pay to the important contributions Islamic civilization has made in world history.

Yet, the Tennessee State Board of Education is going in the wrong direction and further limiting students' introduction to this topic. It has recently released for public comment a revised 7th grade social science curriculum that removes the study of the history of Islam, a section that is already restricted to only a week's instruction.

This has been an ongoing issue for the past year, when various interest groups, school board members and parents accused Tennessee schools of "indoctrinating" students by teaching about the Islamic religion, alongside other world faiths, and its history. It even provoked the passage of a February 2016 bill in the Tennessee State Legislature banning religious "proselytization" in schools.

In this heightened political environment, this is a trend that has affected schools in Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina.

Is the Board of Education right to further limit Tennessee students' exposure to Islamic history and civilization? My answer is an emphatic no. Students need greater religious literacy, not less, in Islam and in other major faiths in the world.

In addition to the benefit of learning about the profound impact Islamic civilization has had on Western civilization, we are now living in an interconnected and mobile world where contact with people of other cultures and religions is not just a luxury of a few elite travelers or policy wonks who pay attention to international news. It is now a guarantee. Yet, interactions combined with ignorance can lead to an unfounded fear of the other, especially within the current political and security climate that too often provokes and feeds off of this fear.

Whether for good or ill, events of the past 15 years have inextricably cemented the attention of the American public on a generic and simplistic idea of Islam as a threat, ignoring the complex history and wide cultural, social and political diversity within the Muslim world. Nobody denies that there are many problems facing the Muslim world today  poverty, terrorism, civil war, lack of quality education. The purpose of an education about Islamic religion and history is not to gloss over these problems but provide a background and context to be able to understand them.

It should be the policy of the state to produce well-informed and reasoned citizens. By censoring the exposure to Islam, Tennessee is not fulfilling this duty. It is unfortunately relegating these students to ignorance of a topic for which they can't afford to be ignorant, can't avoid confronting, and which can affect their future opinions and behavior.

Moreover, educating Tennessee students about Islam is keeping in line with the pluralist traditions of our Founding Fathers. The likes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson wrote positively about Islam and Prophet Muhammad and specifically welcomed Muslims to the United States as future Americans.

So should the Tennessee State Board of Education be limiting the teaching of Islam in schools? No, they should be expanding it.

Harrison Akins is a doctoral candidate in political science and graduate research fellow at the University of Tennessee's Baker Center for Public Policy.
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"That makes me smart."

It was the most stunning line in last Monday's 90-minute presidential debate, and Donald Trump uttered it.

But this was no ordinary quip. This was arrogance on steroids.

It was more insulting than Trump's assertion that blacks live in hellish, bullet-ridden environments. More jarring than Trump's refusal to apologize for leading what Hillary Clinton rightly called the "racist" birther movement. More puzzling than Trump's description of a $1 million business loan he received from his father (before receiving millions more later) as small.

No, Trump's little aside about being "smart" was surprising, even for Trump. That's because it came as Clinton surmised that Trump's refusal to release his tax returns was linked to the possibility that he'd paid no federal income taxes. Before Clinton could even finish, Trump arrogantly told the world that his failure to pay was justified, because, for people like Trump, manipulating the tax code to avoid federal income taxes doesn't make one a tax dodger, or a scam artist.

Instead, Trump said, "That makes me smart."

If Trump believes he's smart for not paying taxes, then what does he think of those of us who pony up what we owe Uncle Sam every year?

I think he looks down on us. I think he believes that rules are for other people, that paying one's share is for suckers. In short, I believe Trump thinks American taxpayers are stupid. No matter our color or ethnicity.

That's right, white working-class voters. Trump played you when he told you that your problems are everyone else's fault. He manipulated you when he whipped you into a frenzy of xenophobic euphoria. When he made crazy statements about every other group, he never told you he wasn't too impressed with you, either.

He played you with his crass and stereotype-filled pitch for black votes in August.

"You're living in poverty," he said of African Americans. "Your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed."

White working-class voters ate it up.

Never mind that most blacks don't live in poverty. Forget that his youth unemployment numbers are inflated. Ignore the fact that the overall black unemployment rate is below 10 percent. Trump's assessment of black life is based upon a stereotype wrapped in a caricature.

When Trump told Americans that Muslims should be banned from entering this country, the white working-class voters who attend his rallies believed Trump was on their side. When Trump called undocumented Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists and promised to build a wall to keep them out, white working-class voters believed Trump felt their pain. Their love for him grew when Trump claimed a federal judge's Mexican heritage made the judge incapable of impartiality in a lawsuit against Trump University.

But Monday night's debate proved that Trump's disdain isn't limited to blacks, Mexicans and Muslims. When it comes to taxpayers, he has equal-opportunity scorn, because, after all, not paying taxes makes one smart.

If you are among the millions of hardworking Americans who can't afford a legion of accountants to pore over the tax code for exemptions, you're not smart. If you can't afford to hire a cadre of tax lawyers to lock horns with the Internal Revenue Service, you're not smart. If you don't have the means to manipulate the system in ways that drastically reduce your tax liability, you're not smart. If you don't have political cronies in office to stop litigation against you, you're not smart.

Trump isn't like you poor workaday saps. He has connections. That's how he was able to tie up the state of New Jersey in six years of litigation over a casino tax bill that had grown to nearly $30 million. Once Republican Chris Christie  a Trump friend  became governor, Trump was able to settle the tax bill for just $5 million. Too bad the rest of us aren't smart enough to have those kinds of pals at our disposal.

But as bad as Trump's "smart" comment looks, there's one thing about it that should hearten most Americans. Trump's apparent contempt for the American taxpayer isn't driven solely by race. That's because, in Trump's world, if you're white and you're paying your taxes, you're just as dumb as everybody else.

Solomon Jones is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News.
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The first presidential debate, which attracted a record TV audience for an event of its type, has come and gone, and the polls are tightening. Hillary Clinton's once-commanding lead over Donald Trump has shrunken considerably, and the stretch run has started: We're now down to the final six weeks of the campaign.

Who has the advantage? Why? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, debate the issue.

JOEL MATHIS

Watching last Monday's debate, it became apparent that Clinton is probably the only major American politician who could beat Trump at the polls in 2016.

Why? Because she's a woman, of course.

Trump left a trail of destruction in the GOP primaries, in part, by practicing a politics of dominance  with repeated displays of alpha male posing that seemed to belong more in a nature documentary than the evening news. "Low energy" Jeb Bush seemed befuddled by the attacks; "Little Marco" Rubio tried countering with jokes about Trump but his heart didn't seem in it; "Lyin' Ted" Cruz snarled with anger, only to turn into the "servile puppy dog" long after it mattered. Chris Christie? The less said, the better.

For whatever reason, no man was able to meet and beat Trump on his macho man terms.

Clinton? She quietly needled Trump  about his wealth, about his treatment of women  then watched calmly as he spiraled into red-faced bluster. Instead of practicing the politics of dominance, she tried a bit of jiu-jitsu instead, letting her opponent defeat himself.

As many women observed on Twitter and Facebook, what Clinton did in the debate is what millions of smart, professional women have been doing for decades in workplaces filled with overstuffed male egos and good old-fashioned sexism: She kept her calm, kept smiling and got stuff done.

In this case, the "stuff" was demonstrating that yes, she has prepared for the presidency: Clinton was in command of facts, figures and knowledge about the work of the White House, while Trump displayed his ongoing obsession with Rosie O'Donnell and "fat" beauty pageant queens. Narcissism is a job requirement for politics and punditry, of course, but most officials have the good sense to try and disguise it. Trump, for whatever reason, can't help himself. Clinton has shown Trump doesn't have the temperament to be given keys to the Oval Office; she can seal the deal by offering a vision for the presidency that will benefit all Americans.

BEN BOYCHUK

Trump lost the first presidential debate. He's going to win the presidency.

He rambled about Barack Obama's birth certificate and dissembled about his taxes. But he also beat Clinton senseless on jobs and trade and mounted a noble defense of New York City's much-maligned and misunderstood stop-and-frisk program.

Jobs. Trade. Law and order. Those are winning issues.

In the end, Trump looked and sounded like a plausible chief executive, and Clinton looked and sounded like a condescending scold with a phony smile.

Everyone from his Republican rivals and the professional political class to liberal pundits and Democratic pollsters has underestimated Trump as a candidate. I certainly never expected he would be the Republican Party's nominee, let alone win the whole shebang.

But he's going to win.

He's going to win because he doesn't care about convention. Trump isn't running a typical presidential campaign. He isn't spending tens of millions of dollars on advertising. Clinton has been waging a relentless air war against him. He's either ahead in the polls or within the margin of error. Trump is close in states that Clinton should have sown up. Minnesota? Wisconsin? Ridiculously close.

He's going to win because she's a terrible candidate who looks sick and tired. Sen. Bernie Sanders may have forced Clinton to speak more like a leftist, but at bottom, she's still the candidate of Goldman Sachs and the globalist elite. Trump is a billionaire traitor to his class.

He's going to win because the people who care about the disintegrating middle class in Rust Belt states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan outnumber the people who care about what mean Trump may have said to a Venezuelan beauty queen many years ago.

Clinton almost certainly exposed the nation's secrets to our enemies by running a private, unsecure email server during her tenure as secretary of state. And her family's foundation is the subject of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.

Trump isn't going to win because he's a nice guy. He's going to win because Clinton is the status quo candidate. And conserving the status quo is no longer a viable option.

Joel Mathis (joelmmathis@gmail.com) is an award-winning writer in Kansas. Ben Boychuk (bboychuk3@att.net) is managing editor of American Greatness.
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Congress is poised to grant amnesty to the owners of floating houses on Tennessee Valley Authority reservoirs.

On Wednesday the House of Representatives passed its version of the Water Resources Development Act on a 399-25 vote. The Senate had previously passed its version 95-3. When the two versions are reconciled before going to the White House for the president's signature, lawmakers should reconsider an amendment overriding TVA's new policy on floating houses. The existing floating houses were not supposed to be built in the first place.

Floating houses are structures built on platforms that are moored in marinas. They cannot sail on their own and are used as residences, vacation homes or weekend retreats rather than for transportation or boating. TVA refers to them as a modern version of non-navigable houseboats. Typically, marinas, which lease their waters from TVA, sublet space to floating house owners. Unlike owners of real estate, they do not pay property taxes.

Beginning in 1971, TVA prohibited the mooring of non-navigable houseboats on the lakes it manages. The regulation was updated in 1978 to ban all non-navigable houseboats except those in existence on or before Feb. 15, 1978. In recent years, however, floating houses have proliferated on TVA lakes. According to the environmental impact statement issued in February, an estimated 1,836 houses float on the waters of TVA reservoirs. More than half are on Norris Lake. Other popular reservoirs include Fontana, South Holston, Boone and Fort Loudoun.

TVA, concerned about water pollution, safety, navigation and other issues, decided to formulate a new policy to address floating houses. After looking at various alternatives, the federal agency decided to allow existing floating houses to remain for up to 30 years. Owners will have to obtain permits, and all the structures have to be removed by May 5, 2046.

Owners understandably were outraged, and they found allies in Congress. At a hearing last week, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican who is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, blasted the policy as "an arbitrary decision" that would harm tourism-dependent communities and as an unnecessary distraction from the TVA's mission of producing low-cost energy.

Producing low-cost energy is only one part of TVA's mission, however. The utility manages the region's lakes for navigation, recreation, water quality and other responsibilities as well.

TVA President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Johnson told the committee the utility's board considers the new policy reasonable since existing floating homes do not have to be removed for 30 years. Allowing them to remain beyond that time frame, Johnson said, would be tantamount to giving a few people indefinite property rights to reservoirs that are intended for public use.

J has a point. The reservoirs belong to the general public and in essence are aquatic parks, not locales for floating subdivisions.

Still, TVA bears much of the responsibility for the controversy. Its lax enforcement of the 1978 ban created conditions under which people could violate the policy without fear of adverse consequences or even knowledge of its existence.

TVA has a responsibility to make the policy transition as compassionate as possible. Many of the floating houses are large, comfortable, well-appointed homes. The 30-year sunset period seems to be a good-faith effort to do just that, especially since floating houses, like boats and cars, tend to decrease in value over time.

Both the Senate and House versions of the Water Resources Development Act contain provisions that would prevent TVA from eliminating floating homes as long as they comply with TVA's safety and environmental codes, but congressional micromanagement of TVA is unwise. The conference committee that will reconcile the two versions should strip the bill of the floating house amendment.
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Concerning a recent letter, it would help if people understood what is and is not socialism.

German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck (a conservative/reactionary) implemented a social security system in the late 1800s. Its objectives were to stabilize and strengthen the German state.

This same program was implemented in America in the 1930s and sold to the public for what it was, a federally backed pension plan.

This is not socialism.

Only those who make a significant (as defined by law) contribution to the plan over time benefit.

Some in this country  socialists, radicals, liberals  are trying to convert this plan to a socialist-based system where workers are forced to contribute and others will derive benefits with little or no contribution on their part.

Paul R. Bienkowski, Sevierville
By Yoon Sung-won



Family members of Lotte Group, the country's fifth-largest conglomerate, have allegedly engaged in tax evasion through overseas shell companies, the prosecution revealed Sunday.



Investigators said that the families of the group founder and General Chairman Shin Kyuk-ho sold Japan-based Lotte Holdings shares actually owned by Shin under a borrowed name at abnormally cheap prices to shell companies the group set up overseas in an apparent bid to evade taxes.



One of the companies is owned by Shin's eldest daughter and Lotte Foundation Chairwoman Young-ja, Shin's third wife Seo Mi-kyung and their daughter Yoo-mi.



The prosecution presumed that Seo and the foundation chairwoman evaded at least 300 billion won in taxes. However, the group claimed that the sum was about 101 billion won.



"We have found that founder Shin even financed the transaction of the shares," an investigator said. "This is a crime that was designed to evade gift taxes."



Shin has owned a 6.2 percent stake in Lotte Holdings using the names of his relatives or acquaintances to gain a firmer grip on the company in case of a managerial rights dispute.



According to the prosecution, a head of a Lotte affiliate in Korea and another person close to Seo's elder brother came to own 3.25 percent and 2.96 percent of Lotte Holdings shares, respectively, in 2003. Then, they sold their stake to a shell company at the face value of 50 yen per share under Shin's direction.



Seo was the largest shareholder of the company. The transaction price was less than one-tenth of the market value.



Allegations have been that Shin ordered the transaction amid concerns about a possible legal dispute over ownership.



Later in 2005, Shin ordered the group to seek ways to transfer his assets to his daughters and his third wife without paying a large gift tax. As a result, the Shin families allegedly succeeded in avoiding the gift tax by selling off the borrowed-name shares to shell companies abroad.



For Seo and her daughter Yoo-mi, Lotte founded a shell company called China Rise in Hong Kong.



China Rise financed another bogus company dubbed Kyung Yu in Singapore. At that time, the previous trade of the 6.2 percent stake by the head of Lotte's affiliate in Korea and another person close to Seo's elder brother was canceled. Instead, the two sold their stake to Kyung Yu.



For the Lotte Foundation chairwoman, the group established a Hong Kong-based paper company, Extra Profit Trading, and its U.S. subsidiary Clear Sky.



Later, Kyung Yu sold off the Lotte Foundation chairwoman's three percent stake in Lotte Holdings to Clear Sky.



The prosecution said they have secured a written confirmation of the share transactions at Shin's office. It also confirmed that Lotte Holdings have regularly paid dividends to Kyung Yu and Clear Sky.




A group of Vietnamese people who visited South Korea without a visa have disappeared from the country's resort island of Jeju, authorities said Friday.

The 46 are among 155 Vietnamese who came to the island on Tuesday for a six-day trip. Ten others who attempted to flee -- nine men and one woman -- were caught earlier this week and are under investigation, according to the local immigration office.

The immigration office said it is investigating if they were trying to look for illegal employment in South Korea.

"If they go outside the (Jeju) province, they will be charged with violating the Special Act on the Establishment of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Development of a Free International City," an official from the office said. "If they are caught over illegal employment, they will be charged with the violation of immigration control law."

The Vietnamese tourists can leave the country on Sunday as planned if they are cleared of suspicion, the official added.












Crime on Jeju Island has risen sharply in recent years. / Yonhap



By Hong Dam-young

Jeju Island is in the midst of a foreign crime wave.

Until recently, the island has been known as one of Korea's best tourist spots, attracting a growing number of foreigners each year.

In June this year, almost 18,000 foreigners were registered as living on the island, of whom 8,400 were illegal immigrants without a visa, according to an immigration office in Jeju.

And more than 1.6 million foreigners had visited the island by the end of June.

But the number of foreigners is not the only figure rising in Jeju: crimes by foreigners have been rapidly increasing over the past few years.

The number has been rising since 2011, from 121 to 393 in 2015, and even more on the way this year, according to Yonhap news agency.


Island residents worried about rising crimes by foreigners

By Jung Min-ho

A Korean woman, 61, has died after allegedly being stabbed by a Chinese tourist on the southern resort island of Jeju, police said Sunday.

According to the Jeju Seobu Police Station, the 50-year-old Chinese man allegedly stabbed the woman with a knife four times in a chapel in Jeju City at around 8:45 a.m. Saturday. She was praying at the time of the attack, police said.

While she was still conscious, she made an emergency call. Ambulance crews immediately brought her to a nearby hospital, where she underwent surgery. But she died the next day.

Afterwards, the suspect, identified as having the surname Chen, fled to Seogwipo, a southern city of the island, but was apprehended by police at 3:50 p.m.

Police believe that misogyny was the motive behind the murder.


By Park Si-soo



Lee Jong-hyuk, a salaried man in his mid-30s, was baffled last week when he checked the alert of a new follower of his photo-sharing Instagram app.

"I saw a naked photo (of a woman) on the profile (of the new follower) with a lewd introduction line apparently promoting prostitution," Lee recollected. "I have since had several other followers with similar profiles and messages."

This account indicates that the sex trade is thriving on Instagram, as was the case with Facebook. Instagram users and experts said the trend will become more noticeable as the app continues to gain popularity in Korea.

As of the end of last year, an estimated 6 million people in Korea use Instagram, double-digit growth from the previous year. This has caused a sharp increase of obscene content on the app and other social media outlets.

According to the Korea Communications Standards Commission, 72,111 "inappropriate" postings on social medial were blocked last year alone, up 23.6 percent from a year earlier.

The Korea Times explored Instagram with sexually explicit keywords in Korean and was able to find dozens of accounts instantly. Many of them were containing sexually provocative pictures with memos promoting paid sexual services.

"24-year-old. Living in Incheon," an account wrote with several sexually provocative images uploaded.

Another account wrote, "We arrange for you a highly profitable part-time job, which is having sex with divorced lonely women in their mid-30s. You can be paid up to 800,000 won for a two-hour session." These postings contain IDs of the nation's leading instant messengers such as Kakao Talk or Line.

"These accounts lure visitors to send messages to ID owners, many of whom are swindlers," an industry insider told The Korea Times. "But there are also agents who actually arrange sexual deals."
Shin Jung-hoon

By Park Si-soo



Renowned nanoscience professor Shin Jung-hoon died in a car accident on Friday at age 47. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) professor was in 2014 touted as the "leading young scientist of the year."

The deadly accident took place when Shin's motorcycle collided head-on with a taxi known to have been driving over the centerline while on his way back home from a seminar in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Friday 4 p.m. He was taken to a hospital but declared dead.

He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in physics and earned a doctorate in applied physics from California Institute of Technology. He secured a professorship at KAIST -- Korea's leading science and technology university -- in 1996 when he was only 27.

He has since excelled in nanoscience, winning various awards from prestigious institutes at home and abroad. In 2006, Shin attended a meeting with then President Roh Moo-hyun as a representative of Korean scientists.

Many scientists paid condolences to the loss of a promising scientist. KAIST professor Lee Hee-chul said his death is a "big and irrecoverable" loss for Korea's science community.

He is survived by his wife and two children. His funeral will be held at Yuseong Sun Hospital in Daejeon on Monday 7 a.m. For more information, contact 042-825-9494.


By Lee Jin-a

Police said they will intensify monitoring of foreigners on Jeju Island as the number of crimes committed by non-Koreans is increasing there.

Jeju police are considering lifting their anti-crime readiness from the current "Code 2" to "Code 1," under which police will be obliged to respond more quickly and aggressively to crimes involving foreigners.

According to Jeju Provincial Police Agency, 347 foreign suspects have been apprehended by police this year before the end of July, up 60 percent from the same period last year.




Ruling Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk attends a party meeting to discuss whether to return to government audits at the National Assembly, Sunday. / Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin

The ruling Saenuri Party ended its week-long boycott of National Assembly audit sessions, Sunday, amid growing public criticism over the prolonged political deadlock.

The decision came after Saenuri Chairman Lee Jung-hyun ended a hunger strike, urging his party to return to the government audits.

But the party won't give up on holding Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun accountable for what they view as breaching political neutrality, the party said.

"We decided to go with public opinion," Saenuri Party floor leader Chung Jin-suk told reporters after the party's general meeting, noting the decision was made unanimously by the party's lawmakers.

"People want us to rectify the Assembly speaker's abuse of power, but they also want us to perform our duties by attending the audit sessions."

The floor leader, however, stressed that the party will not withdraw a petition it filed with the prosecution last week demanding an investigation of the speaker.

"We cannot ignore the fact that the speaker repeatedly undermines the principle of political neutrality," Chung said. "He should be held accountable for breaking legislative rules."

The party will discuss measures for strengthening the speaker's obligation of political neutrality with the opposition bloc, he said.

Earlier in the day, party chairman Lee ended a hunger strike he had been holding in his office demanding Chung's resignation.

"I ask (Saenuri lawmakers) to attend the audit sessions from Oct. 4," Lee said in a press release. "I will stop my hunger strike today to pay attention to state affairs. We will seek other ways to fight against the tyranny of the majority and fight for parliamentary democracy."

Following the ruling party's decision, Assembly Speaker Chung expressed his regret over his behavior.

"As speaker, I'm sorry to the public that the National Assembly has made you concerned especially when the country faces grave difficulties to tackle," he said. "I welcome Saenuri's decision and wish Lee a quick recovery."

The Saenuri Party had boycotted the proceedings, calling on Chung to resign for breaching political neutrality while dealing with a no-confidence motion to sack the agriculture minister on Sept. 24.

The party has insisted that the speaker, sided with the opposition parties, skipped prior consultation before deciding when to table the motion for a vote, consequently helping the opposition parties unilaterally endorse the motion.

The clash turned nasty after the ruling party filed a petition with the prosecution, Thursday, demanding a criminal investigation into Chung's alleged abuse of authority.

After a week-long boycott, however, the party leadership moved to seek an exit plan as the standoff between the party and National Assembly speaker showed no signs of easing, according to party officials.

The speaker has been adamant in his stance that he have done nothing wrong in any legal aspect so has no intention to resign as requested.

Under such circumstances, the leadership was reportedly concerned that the extended boycott could worsen public sentiment toward the party and fuel intra-party conflicts between its supporters and opponents.

Saenuri leadership is now eyeing revising the National Assembly Law to obligate the speaker to observe political neutrality.

The current law does not include specific rules on neutrality except that it does not allow the speaker to be a member of a party once assuming the post.

Saenuri Party floor leader Chung Jin-suk suggested the revision to his opposition counterparts, receiving a positive answer from the minor opposition People's Party. But the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea showed its reservations with the proposal.
Ruling Saenuri Party Chiarman, Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, is loaded into an ambulance after ending a week-long hunger strike at the National Assembly, Sunday. / Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin

Saenuri Party chairman Lee Jung-hyun was hospitalized after ending his week-long hunger strike, Sunday.

Although his health had quickly deteriorated over the weekend, Lee vowed not to end his protest until National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun steps down to take responsibility for the passage of an opposition-backed motion to sack the new agriculture minister.

Earlier in the day, Lee reportedly told lawmakers visiting him he "will die" unless the situation changes.

Party officials said Lee appears to have changed his mind due to his worsening health and advice from fellow lawmakers and Cheong Wa Dae.

Starting a hunger strike on Sept. 26, Lee had only consumed water and salt for over a week in the Chairman's Office at the National Assembly. His blood sugar level once dropped below 70mg/dL, which could cause him to go into shock, party spokesman Yeom Dong-yeol said, noting Lee had started suffering convulsions and stomach pains.

Choo Mi-ae, the chairwoman of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), visited Lee and urged him to end the hunger strike.

"Everyone is worried about you," she told him. "What can't be discussed in the Assembly? I hope you stop fasting and exert leadership in the political deadlock."

Choo earlier sarcastically said that Lee was holding a hunger strike only for President Park Geun-hye, not for his party or people, so he would end it only if Park asked him to do so.

Presidential secretary for political affairs Kim Jae-won paid Lee his second visit Sunday, delivering a similar message.

Massaging Lee's arms and touching his forehead to check for fever, Kim told him to "stop being stubborn on this."

Lee's second visit following one Friday could have been interpreted as the President's message, encouraging Lee to change his stance, the officials said.

Lee's hunger strike, however, ended even before the speaker apologized or resigned, which will consequently dent his leadership.

He is expected to take flak from the opposition bloc for delaying the audit sessions to defend the government from being interrogated over sensitive scandals involving the Mir and K-Sports foundations as well as troubled presidential secretary Woo Byung-woo.

Some analysts viewed that Lee opted for the hunger strike for his own political interests.

Although the hunger strike was unsuccessful, Lee could quell discontent raised by the party's rival factions for a while, taking credit for being at the forefront of the protest against the opposition bloc and the speaker, they said.

Lee, a close confidant to the President, has faced criticisms by party members for his unilateral leadership style since assuming the post in August.
Views of industrial complexes managed by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), a state-run company under the Ministry of Industry / Courtesy of IEAT







Suvit Maesincee

By Yi Whan-woo

BANGKOK  With Bangkok being one of the world's most popular travel destinations and also dubbed the "kitchen of the world," Thailand attracted a record-high 1.37 million Korean tourists in 2015.

Under its new economic roadmap, "Thailand 4.0," which is in line with the 20-year economic development plan from 2011 to 2030, Thailand now has a broader plan to attract more Koreans.

Southeast Asia's second-largest economy by GDP is welcoming Seoul to invest and share its knowhow in Bangkok's step for economic reform based on digital technology and other cutting-edge technologies.

"Thailand 4.0 is about fundamental change, about transforming the mindset as well as the skills sets of the people, rebuilding the ecosystem, reducing economic inequality, avoiding the middle income trap," Deputy Commerce Minister Suvit Maesincee told a group of Korean reporters at his office in Nonthaburi Province located north of Bangkok last week.

"Thailand and Korea need to work toward our strategic partnership and build stronger relationships across government, the private sector as well as with people," he said. "There are four areas where we need strong cooperation: digital economy, creative economy, bio-economy, and advanced industrial economy."

Maesincee invited the Korean media to explain Thailand's economic potential in a follow-up to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak's visit to Korea in March.

Jatusripitak then met President Park Geun-hye and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation, including trade, investment, tourism, infrastructure and technology.

A total of 2,237 economic development projects worth $22.5 billion were approved last year and another 826 projects won approval between January and June in Thailand, according to the Board of Investment of Thailand.

Maesincee said POSCO, Korea's largest steel manufacturer, has been investing in information and communications technology while Samsung Electronics has "shown interest in investing more" in Thailand.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the country's leading engineering school, is working closely with Thai universities in mechatronics, biomedical engineering, biotechnology and service design.

Calling "Thailand 4.0" a "clear-cut economic model," Maesincee speculated that it may help in increasing foreign direct investment from Korea rivaling that of Japan. The latter traditionally has been the top investor in Thailand.

"Japan has invested in the car and electronics sectors so far, but is making more investments in high value-added advanced industries," he said. Korea can equally help us in the digital economy, creative economy, bio-economy as well as advanced industrial economy. We are collaborating with some of the world's leading educational institutions in the biomedical and engineering spheres to build our Food-Innopolis."

Concerning Thailand's competition with other ASEAN countries to attract Korean investors, Maesincee underscored cooperation among them although he also emphasized his country's competitiveness as the potential "center of Southeast Asia."

"We need to change our paradigm and mindset so that we are not treating them as separate markets in terms of trade surplus and deficit," he said. "We need to treat the people of this region well collectively, and also think of the products produced by these peoples as Made in ASEAN."

Meanwhile, an official at the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) asked Korean firms to capitalize on Thailand's traffic jams as well as other social and economic problems to expand their businesses

"Our problems can be your opportunities," a senior FTI official said in a separate meeting.

Netithorn Praditsarn, vice president of Thailand's largest conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group, said the firm seeks to hire young jobseekers from Korea amid growing concerns over youth unemployment in Seoul.

He said his company's integrated system of computerized agricultural production, food manufacturing and logistics can offer chances for Koreans to land jobs there, especially in the logistics sector.
A scale model of Show DC / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo







Chayadit Hutanuwatra

By Yi Whan-wo



BANGKOK  Chayadit Hutanuwatra, chairman of Show DC Corp., is no ordinary hallyu fan who is merely optimistic about the popularity of K-pop, Korean films, soap operas and cuisine around the world.

For Hutanuwatra, hallyu is worth enough to bet his fortune on a new business despite already having established himself as a successful investor.

On Nov. 18, Show DC Corp. plans to open Show DC, Thailand's first multi-purpose megamall in Bangkok where more than 30 percent of the stores will be related to Korea.

"What we call it is mall of Korea,' one of the concepts of our project. We've been working on this project for over four years," he told Korean reporters during a meeting in Bangkok. "If you don't have passion and if you don't love what you do, you can't do this."

He said Thailand is "a very good base" for hallyu marketing, claiming it takes only one or a few hours by plane to reach Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and other ASEAN countries where hallyu is also popular.

"If you have a good channel of distribution here, it surely will be a good market," he said.

The mall is in the final stage of construction. It is built on 18,000 square meters of land with a total investment of $265 million.

Some 95 percent of the mall is already leased. Stores will be operated by 400 companies and brands from Thailand and abroad. They include Korea's largest duty free store operator Lotte Duty Free, plus Korean cosmetic brands Laneige, Missha, Nature Republic, Skinfood and Sulwhasoo.

Hutanuwatra speculated that the mall's accessibility to both Bangkok International Airport and Don Mueang International Airport, two main gateways to Thailand, are anticipated to attract hallyu fans.

Each airport is about 30 minutes away from Show DC by car.

Show DC Corp. will also provide free shuttle bus services for customers between the mall, the airports and hotels.
By Doug Bandow



It's been at least a couple of weeks since North Korea did anything terribly provocative. So another disruptive event was long overdue. Pyongyang announced its fifth nuclear test. And, as always, the "international community" was shocked and appalled.



Watching the Democratic People's Republic of Korea offers a sense of endless deja vu. Yet policymakers in America and its allies are notoriously blind to the implications of their many failures. "To be clear, the United States does not, and never will, accept North Korea as a nuclear state," intoned President Barack Obama.



But accept it or not, the North is a nuclear state. Some lessons should be learned from Pyongyang's latest challenge.



1. North Korea isn't going away. In today's globalized, inter-connected world, the North's system of totalitarian, monarchical communism shouldn't exist. Yet the regime persists, despite its failure to assure its people even sufficient food, let alone the many other products taken for granted almost universally by people around the globe.



2. Although the Kim dynasty is under some pressure, nothing yet suggests a dangerous fracturing of critical North Korean interests. For the nomenklatura to turn on the system would risk being swept away in the resulting deluge. South Korea's proximity would make it extraordinarily difficult for an independent North of any sort to survive if the Kim dynasty was toppled.



3. Allied policy toward the DPRK has failed. Successive U.S. presidents have inveighed against a nuclear North Korea and insisted that the North would not be allowed to become a nuclear state. It is one. And its capabilities are growing.



4. There is no obvious answer to the "North Korea" problem. Almost certainly Pyongyang is not willing to negotiate away its nuclear arsenal. Sanctions haven't worked and military action could trigger a bloody second Korean war. Which leaves Washington policymakers reduced to issuing statements after every new DPRK bad act.



5. China isn't going to rescue the West from its discomfort. Beijing deplored North Korea's latest infraction, but the People's Republic of China is angrier about South Korea's planned deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system. At the moment the PRC fears the consequences of North Korean collapse more than North Korean nuclear weapons.



6. Allied expressions of shock and horror ring hollow. Surely no one is surprised by Pyongyang's latest rejection of the dictates of "the international community." Sounding the alarm after every North Korean nuclear and missile test offers positive reinforcement for the DPRK to do the same again.



7. The U.S., South Korea, and Japan should begin considering life with the DPRK as a serious rather than incipient nuclear state. Little is gained by allied officials promising to ignore reality.



8. A nuclear DPRK does not mean war. No one wants the North to become a nuclear state, but it undoubtedly has multiple objectives for doing so, starting with defense against an alliance including the world's greatest military power, which has proved willing to attack smaller states and impose regime change whenever the Zeitgeist seemingly strikes America's president.



9. The U.S. has different interests than its Northeast Asian allies. Geography forces South Korea and Japan to be concerned about the North. And the DPRK must deal with Seoul and Tokyo. America's involvement is entirely voluntary. Today Washington's military guarantee is more an act of welfare for the ROK than defense of America.



10. As Pyongyang's ability to inflict nuclear pain increases, so does the potential cost to the U.S. of its promise to defend the South. Given South Korea's ability to take over its conventional defense, Washington should bring home its garrison. There is no reason for America to turn its military personnel, unnecessary to guard a nation with 40 times the GDP and twice the population of its northern antagonist, into nuclear hostages.



11. The U.S. must decide whether extended nuclear deterrence makes sense, that is, whether Americans are prepared to sacrifice Los Angeles for Seoul. An alternative would be for South Korea and Japan to threaten to build countervailing nuclear deterrents  which would have the added advantage of encouraging the PRC to act against North Korea.



12. Whoever wins the election must consider a course change. The Obama administration's refusal to talk with the DPRK unless it takes steps toward nuclear disarmament has proved to be a dead-end. Washington needs to open communication channels.



North Korea is well on its way to becoming a serious nuclear power. It is time for a change when it comes to America's dealings with Pyongyang.



Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.




South Korea's cyber command established to counter external hacking attempts on the country's military was found to have been hacked last month, a lawmaker said Saturday, raising speculation that North Korea might be behind the latest cyber attack.

Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, a lawmaker of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, told Yonhap News Agency in a telephone interview that the hacking targeted the "vaccine routing server" installed at the cyber command.

Kim is a member of the parliament's national defense committee.

"A malicious code has been identified and it seems to have taken advantage of the vulnerability of the routing server," he said. "In a cautious measure, the server has been separated from the network."

The server is tasked with security on computers that military has for Internet-connection purpose. Around 20,000 military computers are known to have been connected to the server.

Kim said that chances are "very low" that the latest hacking led to a leak of confidential information given that the military's intranet is not connected to the server.

An investigation is underway to figure out where the hacking originated. He said that it has yet to be confirmed whether the North was involved but noted that military authorities are leaving that possibility on the table. (Yonhap)
The U.N. nuclear watchdog has adopted a resolution, condemning North Korea's nuclear weapons program "in the strongest terms" and demanding Pyongyang take "concrete steps" toward denuclearization, the foreign ministry in Seoul said Saturday.



The International Atomic Energy Agency adopted the resolution unanimously as it wrapped up its general conference in Vienna, according to the ministry. The weeklong meeting ended Friday (local time).



"The latest resolution pointed out the North's resumption of reprocessing activities this year and condemned the North's continued nuclear activities in a stronger manner than last year," the ministry said in a press release.



The IAEA and its members reaffirmed their stance that they will not tolerate the North owning nuclear weapons, while strongly deploring its persistent pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.



They also urged the communist state to dismantle all of its nuclear weapons and related programs in compliance with the denuclearization promise made with the other six-party negotiation countries in 2005, the ministry said.



North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test earlier last month in defiance of multiple global warnings and it came just eight months after its fourth one in January. The latest nuclear warhead detonation test is regarded as the most powerful.



The U.N. Security Council is currently working on a fresh resolution to tighten its squeeze on Pyongyang in blocking money and materials that could be used for its development of nuclear weapons.



Some are calling for stronger punitive measures than the resolution adopted right after the fourth nuclear test, mentioning efforts to cover the "loopholes" through which the North is suspected of getting its hands on the necessary money and materials.



In a speech at the IAEA meeting, Kim Hong-kyun, South Korea's top nuclear envoy, called upon the agency to send a "firm" message to the North, raising worries that it is "at the final stage of nuclear weaponization."



The foreign ministry praised the IAEA's strongest condemnation to date, saying it underlines a consolidated global front against North Korea after its repeated provocations, and pursuit of upgrading its nuclear and missile capabilities.



South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam has met with his Angolan counterpart, and asked the African country to thoroughly enforce U.N. sanctions on North Korea and join international efforts to put pressure on North Korea, according to South Korea's foreign ministry.



Angola, one of the nonpermanent members on the U.N. Security Council, has vowed to support and implement an international decision against North Korea over its nuclear program, it said.



Lim wrapped up his two-day trip to Angola on Saturday following his visit to Senegal for a similar mission.



Separately, a North Korea's Foreign Ministry delegation repeated Pyongyang's long-standing claim that the present situation on the Korean Peninsula "is reaching an uncontrollable phase entirely because of the U.S. heinous hostile policy toward" the North.



The delegation made the comment in a meeting with Iranian officials during its recent trip to Tehran, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.



North Korea frequently accuses the U.S. of harboring a hostile policy toward it and plotting with South Korea to invade the North, though the U.S. has said such claims are false. (Yonhap)




By Yi Whan-woo

South Korea and the United States are ramping up pressure on North Korea following its fifth nuclear test, raising the possibility that they may possibly be pushing for a regime change there.

They never clearly stated that a regime change is their policy goal, but recent remarks from their leaders and key officials suggest that they do not expect any change in North Korea under the rule of Kim Jong-un.

On Saturday, President Park Geun-hye vowed to separate North Korea's ruling class from the rest of the people in dealing with the reclusive country. Her move is fueling speculation that she no longer considers Kim a dialogue partner while preparing for the possible collapse of the tyrannical state.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se also said, Sunday, that North Korea's nuclear capability must be viewed differently compared with the past and that there should be a "drastic change" in dealing with North Korea.

The U.S. has been gearing up toward blockading Pyongyang's exports of coal and other mineral resources despite concerns that a ban on such trading for "livelihood purposes" can cause chaos to the Kim regime. Washington has been trying to cut Pyongyang's remaining access to international banking as well.

"President Park is now opting for a North Korea policy that is ultimately aimed at the fall of the Kim regime," said Nam Sung-wook, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University.

He cited that Park urged North Korea's civilians and rank-and-file troops to "come and find a new home" in South Korea during her speech to mark the 68th anniversary of the Armed Forces Day, Saturday.

Park also said universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and welfare are "the precious rights" North Koreans should also enjoy and that she will leave the path open for them to flee here.

Her remarks were seen as an effort to separate North Korean leaders further from other classes of people. She only encouraged the civilians, including working-level officials, to join inter-Korean unification efforts on Aug. 15 when she first hinted at regime change in North Korea.












By Andrei Lankov

China is routinely described in the world's media as "North Korea's sole ally," but this statement is rather misleading: the relations between Beijing and Pyongyang have never been easy, and the friendly official rhetoric all too often has served as a thin veneer, masking a great level of mistrust and suspicion. In the last year, since September 2015 or so, Sino-North Korean relations have been uncertain to say the least. Periods of warmth have been followed in quick succession by sudden cooling, and periods of near open hostility have given way to renewed cordiality

By the summer of 2015, relations between China and North Korea had been bad for a few years. It was an open secret that President Xi Jinping does not like the young North Korean strongman, and such feelings obviously have been reciprocated by Kim Jong Un. The Chinese downgraded official exchanges, and halted all major infrastructure projects which had begun during the thaw of 2008-2011. The North Korean media made thinly veiled attacks on China  and the Chinese official media could also be quite critical about the North.

However, given the growing Sino-American rivalry, and also the need to maintain the status quo on the Korean Peninsula, around August last year China decided to take a softer stance. In early October North Korea was visited by Li Yunshan, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and one of the top five Chinese decision-makers. Li was greeted with much pomp, and for the next few months relations visually improved.

Relations were not damaged even by a rather comical incident which occurred on December 12. China was visited by the Moranbong girls' group, essentially Kim's personal entertainers. The visit was meant to be a gesture of friendship, and as such was widely publicized, but at the last moment, only a few hours before the scheduled first performance, the North Korean girls rushed to the airport and left the country. The concert, which the Chinese elite were to attend, had to be cancelled when it was too late to notify all visitors. The details are not fully known, but it seems that the Chinese diplomats were not happy with the boasting the group did in their songs about nuclear weapons which were meant to be a part of the Moranbong performance. When the Chinese officials required minor changes, the Young Marshal's girls refused and left.

However, a real blow was delivered early this year when, on January 6, the North Koreans conducted another nuclear test. Initially, the Chinese government did not want to overreact, and was inclined to support only a mild increase in the level of international sanctions. However, the nuclear test was followed by a long-range missile test, strategically conducted in early February, exactly when a high-level Chinese envoy arrived at Pyongyang. It was seen as a major affront, so a Beijing-Pyongyang detente, then merely five months old, ended suddenly and prematurely. In early March the Chinese representative at the UN Security Council voted for Resolution 2270 which introduced unprecedentedly harsh measures against North Korea.

The jury is still out on whether China fully implemented or will fully implement Resolution 2270, but it seems that trade with North Korea indeed went down considerably. Given that China is by far the most important trading partner of North Korea, this turned out to be no small matter.

However, another U-turn, the third in less than a year, happened in mid-July when South Korea and the U.S. announced plans to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile defense system in South Korea. While the Americans insist that THAAD is technically incapable of intercepting the Chinese missiles, this does not help. The Chinese still worry about the additional intelligence-gathering capabilities the Americans would acquire if the system is deployed, and they also did not want to create a dangerous precedent of the U.S. anti-missile systems being deployed so near to China's borders.

On top of that, the THAAD decision was seen in China as a betrayal of trust. In March they agreed to support tough sanctions on the assumption that the U.S. would not increase its military presence in the region that China sees as vital. The THAAD deployment is seen as a sign of U.S. (and South Korea's) duplicity and anti-Chinese attitude.

Predictably, China moved to improve relations with North Korea and got softer on the sanctions issue (admittedly, ambiguous wording of Resolution 2270 offers a great deal of flexibility). The period of frosty relations was seemingly over, having lasted for some five months.

For a while it looked like China was going back to its old position of grudging and conditional support of North Korea. However, things changed again: on September 9, a new nuclear test took place.

Will it mean that the Chinese policy will undergo a new U-turn, the fourth in a year? Well, soon we will see.

Andrei Lankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul. Reach him at anlankov@yahoo.com.
Resuming talks with North Korea in the wake of its fifth nuclear test would end up recognizing the communist nation as a nuclear state and further embolden the regime, a former chief U.S. nuclear negotiator with Pyongyang said Thursday.



Former Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who served as lead negotiator for the six-party nuclear talks with the North from 2005 to 2009, also stressed in an article to the Project Syndicate that now is not the time for such conciliatory gestures, but to tighten sanctions on Pyongyang through greater cooperation with China.



The North's Sept. 9 nuclear test has brought not only calls for tougher punishment for Pyongyang, but it also for reopening negotiations with the North, even in exchange for some concessions to the regime, in order to stop any further progress in the North's nuclear and missile programs.



"The logic behind such suggestions seems to come down to, 'What have we got to lose?' The answer is simple: plenty. Such talks ... would most likely bring with it a general acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear-weapons state," Hill said.



Moreover, Hill said that the North would be unlikely to engage in any such talks, much less impose a moratorium on weapons tests, unless some of their longstanding demands, such as the suspension of joint military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea, were met.



"This Realpolitik approach, some seem to believe, will somehow diminish whatever power the North Koreans wield, essentially disarming them. But the truth is that the North has done nothing to earn such appeasement," he said. "And, in fact, if the international community were to make any such conciliatory gestures, the result would be a bolder North."



The North has long demanded an end to joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, denouncing such routine drills as a rehearsal for invasion, despite repeated assurances from Washington and Seoul that the exercises are purely defensive.



Hill said such exercises are an essential part of any alliance and should continue.



"If two countries agree to mutual defense, they need to ensure that their cooperation is practiced and perfected. That is precisely why North Korea, which knows a thing or two about the need for tests and exercises, has made the issue a top propaganda priority," he said.



Hill said the U.S. government has been right in demanding any talks with Pyongyang be based on previous deals, including a 2005 denuclearization deal, which he negotiated and calls for the North to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for political and economic concessions.



Launching new talks that ignored past obligations would cast doubt on the "viability of any new accord," he said.



"What is needed is more cooperation with China on sanctions enforcement, as well as deep and quiet talks with the Chinese that aim to address any strategic mistrust over the eventual political arrangements on the Korean Peninsula," Hill said.



"The U.S. should also continue to strengthen its security relations with Japan and South Korea, including by developing and deploying anti-ballistic missile systems. Direct measures like those that were allegedly used to hamper Iran's nuclear program should be explored and accelerated," he said. (Yonhap)




A U.S. House lawmaker has introduced a bill designed to completely cut off North Korea from the international banking system in what could be one of the most powerful sanctions on the communist nation defiantly forging ahead with nuclear and missile programs.



Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) submitted the legislation (H.R.6281) with the stated goal of curbing Pyongyang's nuclear program "by preventing specialized financial messaging services to, or direct or indirect access to such messaging services" for the North's central bank and other financial institutions.



Specialized financial messaging services are essential for international financial transactions. Without such services, wire transfers and other global transactions are impossible. The most representative of such services is the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication or SWIFT.



The legislation, a copy of which was obtained by Yonhap News Agency, requires that after 90 days of its enactment, the president should sanction those knowingly providing such services for the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, other financial institutions assisting the North with its nuclear programs and other entities blacklisted for links to the nuclear program.



That means that SWIFT could be sanctioned if it provides its services to the North.



"North Korea continues to develop a ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program, despite numerous United States and international sanctions," the legislation said. "By its actions and continued investments in its nuclear program, it is clear that the government of North Korea has no intention to reduce or eliminate its nuclear program."



It also said that specialized financial messaging services allow for messaging and contact, including the transfer of funds, between financial institutions, and the North's central bank and other institutions "are currently able to avail themselves to financial messaging systems which could be used in funding the North Korean nuclear program."



The legislation also said that experts link the North to the hacking of SWIFT that resulted in the theft of $81 million from the central bank of Bangladesh.



Should the legislation be enacted, it would have powerful impacts on the North, possibly similar or even greater than the 2005 U.S. blacklisting of a Macau bank for doing business with Pyongyang.



By designating the bank in the Chinese territory, Banco Delta Asia (BDA), the U.S. not only froze $24 million in North Korean money held in the bank, but also scared away other financial institutions from dealing with Pyongyang for fear they would also be blacklisted.



The measure hit Pyongyang hard, and reports at the time said North Korean officials had to carry around bags of cash for financial transactions because they were not able to use the international banking system. The sanctions were later lifted in exchange for a denuclearization agreement that later fell apart.



The measure has been considered the most effective U.S. sanction on the North yet.



This week's legislation is the latest in a series of measures that the U.S. has been taking to punish and isolate the North in the wake of its fifth nuclear test earlier this month.



Earlier this week, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a Chinese firm accused of exporting to the North "dual-use" items that can be used in the country's nuclear and missile programs. It was the first time the U.S. has sanctioned a Chinese entity in connection with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.



U.S. officials have said that they are investigating more Chinese firms over dealings with the North.



The U.S. has also asked countries around the world to "downgrade or sever" their diplomatic and economic relations with the North. (Yonhap)




By Lee Min-hyung



Nearly one out of three foreign investors in Korea possess a nationality from tax havens, Rep. Park Gwang-on of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea said Sunday, calling for the government to toughen sanctions on their possible unfair trades.



According to data from the Korea Customers Service (KCS), some 12,786 out of 42,692 foreign investors here hold nationalities from the so-called tax havens  such as the Cayman Islands, Luxembourg and Ireland, said the second-term lawmaker.



Their combined stock and bond value is worth some 16.37 trillion won ($148.27 billion), amounting to almost one third of the total investment from foreign investors in Korea, he added.



"Tax havens are where individuals or companies establish a paper company in their bid to dodge taxes," he said. "The government should step up its monitoring on the market by strengthening cross-border alliances with overseas financial watchdogs, due to concerns over potential unfair business practices, such as tax dodges or stock price manipulation."



By countries, Luxembourg topped the list with 480 investors in the amount of stocks owned worth some 2.93 trillion won, followed by 2.85 trillion won obtained by 143 Singaporean investors.



The data also revealed that four foreign investors, from Switzerland, Luxembourg and Singapore, held more than 1 trillion won in bonds, respectively.



In 2011, the KCS classified 62 countries as tax havens where individuals and businesses are under minimal tax liability. Politicians and entrepreneurs here have often used the countries as a means to dodge taxes or create slush funds.



Last year, the nation's tax watchdog levied some 1.28 trillion won in taxes, from some 500 billion won in 2010. Park called on the government to come up with specific monitoring measures, as it is hard for the government to crack down on transactional information of paper companies.



Amid the growing controversy over the tax haven, the KCS has in recent years joined hands with government bodies  including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance  to obtain stronger legal authority to monitor tax dodgers in Korea.




Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 7s are displayed at a handset outlet in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, Saturday. The electronics maker said it restarted providing the Note 7 without battery problems in Korea more than a month after it stopped selling it. / Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung

Samsung Electronics sold more than 21,000 Galaxy Note 7 handsets on the first day of its official sales resumption here, after its global recall due to faulty batteries, according to sales data by the nation's three mobile carriers.

The sales figure  combined by SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus  dispelled concerns that the company brand may be tarnished following the battery problems of the 5.7-inch flagship smartphone.

"In the Korean smartphone market, we consider a sales record of 10,000 per day as a big hit," said an industry source. "It remains to be seen whether the handset continues to sell well, but for now, it seems the company has rebounded at least in the local market."

Samsung Electronics said it will soon expand its sales resumption internationally, as the firm is in the final phase of its global recall. In Korea, more than 80 percent of Note 7 consumers returned their handsets, with 90 percent of them opting to exchange their devices with new ones rather than seeking a refund, according to Samsung Electronics.

Analysts said the company's IT and mobile communications (IM) division is expected to suffer short-term deficits, but its swift decision to recall all the handsets has prevented the firm from losing customers' trust on a long-term basis.

"We downgraded the firm's operating profit projection in the third quarter from 7.8 trillion won ($7.65 billion) to 7 trillion won, but the decision to recall was the optimum countermeasure," Samsung Securities analyst Hwang Min-sung said in a report. "This year's sales projection for the new Note 7 will be around 6 million from the previous estimation of 12 million."

Hana Financial Investment analyst Kim Rok-ho said: "The recall will not damage the firm's brand image, as the company has swiftly recalled the handsets." He said negative impact following the Note 7 recall has already been reflected on its stock value, so the firm is not expected to suffer any long-term setback.

The remark reflects that shares of the tech giant nosedived to 1,465 million won on Sept. 12, the lowest since Aug. 27 in 2012, due to the aftermath of the global recall. But the stock value continued to recover to close at 1.598 million won on Friday.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics plans to unveil its earnings guidance on Oct. 7. In the second quarter, the company reported an operating profit of 8.14 trillion won, up 18 percent from the previous year, due to strong sales for its flagship Galaxy Note 7 handset.
If ever there was a year for Latinos in the United States to exercise their right to vote, 2016 is it.

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has made Build a wall! and deporting 11 million people central promises of his presidential campaign. At his rallies, Latino immigrants are cast as an invasion that needs to be stopped because it is transforming the face of America too profoundly, too quickly.

The implicit point of his campaign theme  Make America Great Again  is that America was great when it was a less diverse nation and that resurrecting that era will require drastic measures. While this has resonated with some white Americans, disaffected by social changes and an uneven economic recovery, it has offended and frightened Latinos, one of the fastest-growing segments of the electorate.



Whether stoking xenophobia turns out to be a genius or a disastrous move by a presidential candidate who has defied all the laws of political gravity will depend on how many of the 27 million eligible Hispanic voters turn out in November.

In a tight race, a resounding Latino showing could flip battleground states for the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, and change how political parties perceive and engage with Hispanic voters in the future. That would affirm that Latinos are shaping the destiny of a nation that has always become stronger by embracing newcomers.

Presidential campaigns have been courting Latino voters since John F. Kennedy made a strong effort to woo Mexican-Americans during his 1960 White House run, which he narrowly won. Since then, Latinos, an electorate that is rapidly diversifying as it grows, have continued to lean Democratic in presidential elections, but have turned out in low numbers.

George W. Bush made notable gains in 2004, getting roughly 40 percent of the Latino vote. After he left office, the Republican Partys position on immigration hardened considerably. In a shortsighted move, party leaders have since sought to suppress minority voting power through a combination of redistricting and tactics like voter ID laws. Mitt Romneys loss in 2012, when he received only 27 percent of the Latino vote, caused Republican strategists to talk seriously about remaking the partys relationship with Latinos.

Mr. Trump obliterated any chance that would happen by making the demonization of Mexican immigrants a centerpiece of a campaign that has catapulted white supremacy into the mainstream of American politics. He has also vilified Muslims and spoken ignorantly and contemptuously about African-Americans.

Latino grass-roots organizers hope that Mr. Trumps nastiness will unlock the potential of the Latino electorate. That may well happen. They have made an ambitious push to get Hispanics to become naturalized citizens and to register to vote this year, particularly in swing states. The crush of applications for citizenship has overwhelmed the government.

In addition to defeating a bully, Latinos have plenty of reasons to enthusiastically support Mr. Trumps main rival.

Mrs. Clinton has coherent, well-thought-out plans to address the matters that Latinos say they care about most. These include the economy, affordable access to health care, national security and education. Her record on immigration policy is not consistently progressive; as a senator in 2007, she opposed allowing unauthorized immigrants to get New York drivers licenses. But she has changed her position on that issue and has promised to make the long overdue overhaul of Americas broken immigration system a priority. She also has vowed to continue, and expand, the program President Obama established to temporarily shield from deportation millions of unauthorized young immigrants with deep roots in the United States.

While immigration reform will no doubt entail a tough political fight, Latinos could make the prospect of an overhaul more likely by going to the polls in November. Low turnout among these voters would increase the likelihood of a Trump victory, which could mean mass deportations and more attacks on immigrants.

Americas 56 million Latinos  one third of whom are under 18  are helping to shape Americas future in classrooms, workplaces and neighborhoods. It is only a matter of time before their mark on the nations politics matches their contributions in other spheres.

That moment should start now.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
A man who targeted four Catholic Church buildings in central Rome over the last 24 hours has been apprehended, Italian police said Saturday.

The suspect was described as a 39-year-old legal resident from Ghana with several previous run-ins with the law. Authorities are evaluating what charges to press, a statement said.

Police said he broke into four churches in central Rome  twice on Friday evening and twice on Saturday morning  and damaged at least five religious statues.

A parish priest who witnessed one of the attacks, Father Pedro Savelli of Santa Prassede church, told the La Repubblica newspaper: He was out of his mind, but luckily we made him run away before he also destroyed the cross.



It was all over in a few seconds, and luckily not many people were in the church, no more than 15. But they were all terrified. That man was out of control, he said we were using sacred images in the wrong way and then hurled himself at the statues, Savelli added.

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The gig: Kirstin Harper-Smith, 32, is senior project manager at Boston-based Suffolk Construction, where she is supervising the building of a 525-unit apartment tower on Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles.

The 888 Grand Hope Lofts project by L.A. developer CIM Group will eventually rise 34 stories, consuming 27,000 cubic yards of concrete and 3,500 tons of rebar along the way.

As head of the 10-person office side of the project, she oversees the budget, ensures safety requirements are met and directs who should do what jobs when  all while trying to keep the project on schedule to wrap in about two years. She anticipates 10-hour days until then.

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An early start: Harper-Smith caught the engineering bug while growing up in San Diego. She recalls spending hours building Lego towers for her Barbies to live and play in. I was like the Queen of Legos, she says. I would just sit there and build crazy things.

The toys helped her understand the physics of things, how things fall over and how you have to balance them  tools shes used through the years as a gymnast, dancer and engineer. All engineers are huge problem solvers, and that is something I enjoy; just figuring out how things work or ways to make things efficient  just kind of putting it all together.

A quick rise: Harper-Smith says its important for young people entering any industry to lean on the people there before them and listen.

You have trade experts out there who know their job better than anybody else or people at Suffolk who have been doing this for 30 years, she says. If you listen and understand you are empowered to take the next step.

Using the knowledge she gained, Harper-Smith took many of those steps quickly, working her way from internships to full-time jobs. She previously worked on Los Angeles Unified School District projects and Temple Streets Hall of Justice, which underwent a $231-million seismic retrofit and renovation.

Just 13 years after she started in the industry, Suffolk hired her from Clark Construction to manage the CIM tower downtown.

A good example: Hard work is a major reason Harper-Smith says shes now managing such a large construction project at only 32 years old. And a major reason for that hard work is her mother, Mary-Elizabeth.

Watching her single mother take care of the family, work a full-time job and get her law degree at the same time provided an example for Harper-Smiths life.

It kind of instills that mentality in you that you are always ready to work and accomplish things, she says. Its more feasible when you see someone else do it, you know?

So who worked harder: her mother or the project manager who has a bachelors degree in civil engineering from USC, an MBA from Loyola Marymount University and is overseeing a major construction project?

I am sure she would argue she did, Harper-Smith said with a laugh.

Leadership style: Show, dont tell. Harper-Smith says she tries to guide her team toward solutions or a common goal by talking through problems and doing the work with them.

People think, Oh you are the boss and you wag your finger and you tell someone to do something and they are going to do it. But that is the complete opposite of what really should happen, she says. The people you work with are the most critical people that you are ever going to need, and they need to be able to find their own path.

Love of the job: Harper-Smith says she enjoys driving or walking past old projects she has worked on, including L.A. Live and downtowns restored Hall of Justice, because it brings back happy memories. Indeed, when she sees a skyline, she thinks of all the effort that it took to build.

Its not one person  a lot of times people always remember the owner or the designer. But the people who built it, the day-to-day workers, you cant thank them enough because they are the ones who give us the city that we live in.

A different team. Harper-Smith, who is biracial, manages a team on the CIM tower thats half women, a rarity in an industry dominated by older, white males.

The different perspectives that members of her team bring to the job help them succeed, she says.

Tried and true does not always mean it is the best or most efficient way to get things done, she says. Diversity in a team allows team members to challenge one another in thinking and find better paths forward.

Personal: When not working, the Koreatown resident enjoys cooking, yoga and exploring her adopted town.

In this city, its amazing the random things you can find.

andrew.khouri@latimes.com

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Many thousands of Californians are dying every year from infections they caught while in hospitals. But youd never know that from their death certificates.

Sharley McMullen of Manhattan Beach came down with a fever just hours after being wheeled out of a Torrance Memorial Medical Center operating room on May 4, 2014. A missionarys daughter who worked as a secretary at Cape Canaveral, Fla., at the height of the space race, McMullen, 72, was there for treatment of a bleeding stomach ulcer. Soon, though, she was fighting for her life.

On her medical chart, a doctor scribbled CRKP, an ominous abbreviation for one of the worlds most lethal superbugs, underlining it three times.

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Doctors tried antibiotic after antibiotic. But after five weeks in the hospital, mostly in intensive care and on morphine because of the pain, McMullen died.

Her death certificate does not mention the hospital-acquired infection or CRKP, however. Instead, her doctor wrote that McMullen had died from respiratory failure and septic shock caused by her ulcer.

The doctors conclusion outraged Shawn Chen, McMullens daughter.

It should say she died of an infection she got in the hospital, said Chen. She was so hardy. She would have made it through if it wasnt for this infection.

Dr. Yasmeen Shaw, who treated McMullen in the ICU and filled out the death certificate, said she was following directions from health officials by recording the underlying cause of death, which in her opinion was the perforated ulcer.

Everything that happened to her health is a consequence of the initial condition she came in with, Shaw said. Had the patient not have had a perforated ulcer they wouldnt have been in the hospital in the first place.

An epidemic of hospital-acquired infections is going unreported, scientists have found.

University of Michigan researchers reported in a 2014 study that infections  both those acquired inside and outside hospitals  would replace heart disease and cancer as the leading causes of death in hospitals if the count was performed by looking at patients medical billing records, which show what they were being treated for, rather than death certificates.

Even if one person dies from a hospital-acquired infection, its one too many, said Dr. Chesley Richards, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Center for Health Statistics and who met recently with a group of families to discuss the misleading death certificates.

California does not track deaths from hospital-acquired infections. And unlike two dozen other states, California does not require hospitals to report when patients are sickened by the rare, lethal superbug that afflicted McMullen, raising questions about whether health officials are doing enough to stop its spread.

McMullens daughter Chen said she called the Los Angeles County public health department to report that her mother had been diagnosed with CRKP, which stands for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, at Torrance Memorial. When the bacteria gets into a patients blood, it kills as many as half its victims.

A county employee told her it was not a reportable infection. She said, Its everywhere, Chen said.

Torrance Memorial declined to answer questions about the accuracy of the death certificate or other questions about McMullens care. In a statement, the hospital said it takes patient safety, particularly as it relates to infection control, very seriously.

Experts say hospitals can prevent the deaths through better infection control procedures, including some as simple as making sure staff wash their hands, but have little incentive to do so if the deaths are not reported.

We, the community of physicians, had been watching these patients die and trundling them off to the morgue for years, said Dr. Barry Farr, former president of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, who is now retired. Now were in the eighth verse of the same song.

Federal health officials call CRKP and other species of pathogens in the broader family known as carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, one of the nations most urgent health threats.

Because of the danger, the CDC recommends that local health officials require hospitals to report CRE cases. And if thats not possible, according to agency guidelines, health departments should still survey hospitals and nursing homes for the presence of the superbug to make sure facilities are trying to halt its transmission.

Chen said that at first the nurses at Torrance Memorial had taken extra precautions to keep the bacteria raging through her mothers body from spreading by wearing disposable gowns and posting a sign on the door warning others from entering.

But Chen said she was stunned when her mother was moved to another floor where no such precautions were taken. There was a bedpan of urine sitting on a chair, Chen said.

Chen said she worries that other patients may have been infected.

Torrance Memorial declined to comment on Chens report of a gap in safety precautions.

County health officials explained that they had stopped requiring health facilities to report CRE infections in 2012 due to resource limitations, though some hospitals voluntarily submit bacterial samples from patients diagnosed with the superbug.

Infection cases gathered between 2010 to 2012 showed that Los Angeles County was a high-prevalence region for the superbug, county officials said.

Sharley McMullens death certificate says she died from respiratory failure and septic shock caused by her ulcer. (Kirk MCoy / Los Angeles Times )

County officials said they were working to prevent the infections, including by sending public health nurses to hospitals to consult on potential outbreaks and proper infection controls. They said they had no record of a complaint about a CRE case at Torrance Memorial.

The CDC estimates that 75,000 Americans with hospital-acquired infections die during their hospitalizations each year. Since California provides between 10% and 12% of the nations hospital care, state officials used the agencys analysis to estimate that 7,500 to 9,000 Californians die each year from infections from hospital germs.

But these numbers may be underestimated, perhaps by a great degree, experts say.

Its fair to challenge that number, the CDCs Richards said of the estimate of 75,000 deaths.

Sepsis can cause death when an infection spreads to the blood, triggering an inflammatory response that damages the bodys organs and causes them to fail.

In March, the CDC estimated that the actual number of deaths from sepsis were as much as 140% higher than those recorded on death certificates, or as many as 381,000 deaths a year. According to another study, 37% of hospitalizations for sepsis were caused by infections caught in hospitals or other health facilities like nursing homes.

That suggests that as many as 140,000 Americans are dying each year from healthcare-acquired sepsis, just one subgroup of the infections.

McMullen came to Torrance Memorial for an elective hernia surgery in late April 2014. A week later, her husband rushed her to the emergency room because she was suffering from abdominal pain and weakness.

ER doctors suspected she was losing blood from a perforated ulcer in her stomach. Their suspicion was confirmed through two procedures with an endoscope. She had surgery to stop the bleeding on May 4. By the next day, doctors had diagnosed her infection and sepsis.

McMullens medical records, which her family provided to The Times, detail how doctors became frustrated as the drugs they prescribed  including colistin, known as the antibiotic of last resort  did not help. Soon McMullen was in critical condition.

The CDC advises hospitals that have a patient with CRE to test other patients nearby and those who have shared the same medical equipment to ensure others are not infected.

The Times asked Torrance Memorial officials whether any other patients were infected with CRE in 2014 or 2015 and if any of those cases may be linked to the bacteria that sickened McMullen. Officials declined to answer those questions.

We, the community of physicians, had been watching these patients die and trundling them off to the morgue for years.  Dr. Barry Farr, former president, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

Sharley McMullen caught a superbug infection at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, but it wasnt listed on her death certificate. The public should know, says daughter Shawn Chen, right, shown with McMullens husband Robert McMullen and another daughter, Lecia Rand. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

Without mentioning McMullen, Torrance Memorial officials said that during 2014 the bacteria seem to have contributed to the death of one patient, who likely acquired CRE while hospitalized.

Yet they ruled out the endoscopes  the source of recent superbug outbreaks at three other Southern California hospitals  as the cause of McMullens infection. Officials said following an extensive investigation they had determined that there have been no known cases of CRE transmission by endoscope at the hospital.

One reason doctors are reluctant to report in public records that patients have died from hospital-acquired infections, experts say, is the possibility of malpractice lawsuits.

CDC officials warned in October that they had discovered that some hospitals had tried to stop their infection-control staff from reporting certain types of hospital-acquired infections to a national database as required.

In a 2010 survey published in a CDC medical journal, 49% of New York City medical residents said they had knowingly reported an inaccurate cause of death on a certificate.

Nile Moss, 15, unexpectedly died a couple days after having an MRI at Childrens Hospital of Orange County in Orange in 2006.

An autopsy showed that he died from a rare superbug, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which the CDC says is a leading cause of healthcare associated infections.

His parents say they believe the pad patients lay on in the MRI machine was contaminated with the bacteria. The teen was hit with flu-like symptoms soon after having the outpatient test. He was hospitalized after his fever reached 104 degrees and he struggled to breathe.

The doctor did not list the bacteria on Niles death certificate. Instead he wrote the teen had died from adult respiratory distress syndrome. Contributing causes, the doctor wrote, were septic shock and pneumonia.

Doctors have the ability to write whatever they want, said Niles mother, Carole Moss, one of the people who attended the CDC meeting on inaccurate death certificates. Many people are angered by this. They cause the harm and then cover it up.

Denise Almazan, a spokeswoman for the childrens hospital, said officials were looking into the teens case and could not immediately comment.

Ed Winter, assistant chief in Los Angeles Countys medical examiner-coroners office, said that any case in which a patient is suspected of dying from an infection acquired from hospital procedures should be sent to the medical examiner for review to determine whether county officials rather than hospital doctors should determine the cause of death.

If there is a question, we will look into it, he said.

If the autopsy and facts of the case conclude a patient died from the infection, the death certificate would state acquired infection after surgical procedure, Winter said.

In May, Dr. Martin Makary, a surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, called on the CDC to add a line to all death certificates where doctors would be asked if the death was caused by a preventable complication from medical care.

Makary estimates that infections, errors and other cases of medical care going wrong would be at least the third-leading cause of death among Americans if they were properly recorded.

We need an open and honest conversation about the problem, Makary said.

melody.petersen@latimes.com

Twitter: @melodypetersen

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Neville Marriner, the first music director of the L.A. Chamber Orchestra and the founder of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra in London, died Sunday night, the academy said. He was 92.

The cause of death is unknown.

Millions of moviegoers who may not recognize Marriners name have nonetheless been touched by his work: He served as music supervisor for the film version of Amadeus and conducted the soundtrack, which went on to be one of the bestselling classical recordings of all time.

Born April 15,1924, in Lincoln, England, Marriner studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He began his career as a violinist, eventually playing in the London Symphony Orchestra. Later, what started as a group of friends gathering to rehearse in Marriners living room became the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, a premier chamber ensemble that gave its first performance in its namesake London church in 1959.

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The academys statement Sunday said that the group had one of the largest discographies of any chamber orchestra worldwide, and that its partnership with Marriner was the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.

In 1969, Marriner found his way into Southern California music history as the founding music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, a position he held until 1978.

He very quickly established an atmosphere of intimacy, transparency, vibrancy and energy that has defined Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and its commitment to the Southland ever since, Scott Harrison, the orchestras executive director, said in a statement. We will miss him deeply  the musician and the man  and we extend our condolences to his entire family.

Though London was his home, Marriner returned to Los Angeles as recently as last year. At age 90, he led the Colburn Orchestra in Tchaikovskys violin concerto and Holsts The Planets at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Ahead of the concert, Marriner surveyed the combined lives of the two orchestras he founded  101 years at the time.

Oh, really. My God, he told The Times. I hadnt thought of it that way, no indeed. Thats a century there, anyway. Thats good.

In that same interview, Marriner spoke about what being his age meant to him as an artist.

You do begin to reflect on your career and wonder if there is anything left that you want to achieve, whether you should switch off now and just enjoy the freedom of having no responsibilities at all, he said. It certainly made me examine my past performances a little carefully, and I suppose rather regret that Ill never have a chance to redeem some of the bad ones.

Marriner credited his time in Los Angeles with helping to build his reputation in Europe by putting him in contact with the pupils of distinguished music teachers such as violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.

Marriner was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979 and was knighted in 1985. Last year, he was made a member of the Order of Companions of Honour for his service to music. He was also music director of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1979 to 1986.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get your life! Follow me on Twitter: @TrevellAnderson.

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The honor and struggle of the working class are a staple of auteur cinema  in modern days, via some of the works of the Dardenne brothers and Mike Leigh and, in earlier times, with classics such as The Bicycle Thief.

But few directors do neorealism like Ken Loach. And few Loach movies arrive at a more propitious moment than the British directors latest, I, Daniel Blake.

The surprising (to some critics, really surprising) recipient of this years Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival, Blake made its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival on Saturday ahead of its American release in December. It comes as income inequality has factored into a presidential election cycle and driven various forms of populism across Europe.

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Here we are, the fifth-richest economy in the world, and you [see] people choosing between heat and food, screenwriter and longtime Loach collaborator Paul Laverty said of his native Britain, explaining the films origins at the premiere. What we wanted to do was tell a story that was almost elemental, almost raw.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

I, Daniel Blake follows its title character (Dave Johns), a carpenter somewhere between good-natured and curmudgeonly, who after suffering a heart attack is told he cant work again.

This would seem like not much of a personal crisis in a country with a relatively strong social safety net. But Daniel is just fit enough to work  says an ominously named decision-maker at the welfare office  that he cant collect disability. And hes not nearly looking hard enough for that work, says another decision-maker, to garner unemployment. So hes left to navigate a maze thats as Kafka-esque as it is unfair.

As this unfolds, Daniel, a 60-ish widower with no children, meets a young single mother named Katie (Hayley Squires), befriending her and her two kids. Katie faces similar unfairness as Daniel. She also has the same tough skin and gentle spirit as he does, and the two bond.

If the lines here can be a little too sharply drawn  nearly everyone in the system is bad, and all the everyday people pure and hardy  the movie sells the idea with deep wellsprings of humanity and sparkling performances. Johns offers heart without sap in the title role. But the films standout may be Squires, a previously unknown 28-year-old who in interviews has spoken about her own hardscrabble upbringing. Several scenes are minor-key dramatic showstoppers, not least one at a food bank involving Squires.

The actress said such scenes were effective in part due to Loachs decision to shoot chronologically. By giving out the script to actors only in sections, they didnt have the burden of knowing that in 10 or 15 days, they would have to get to a particular place emotionally.

Loach, at 80 and awaiting surgery, did not make the long flight from his native England for the New York festival. (More perplexingly absent was Johns, a veteran comic who shows new dramatic chops in the film.)

Among other purposes, the New York Film Festival is a gathering of second chances. The festival screens a number of Cannes movies, but without that gatherings instant and at times herd-like reactions. Certainly some ambivalent Cannes veterans  steeped in Loach films with similar themes over the years  may be inclined to take a fresher look. That said, a commercial breakout could be tough for distributor IFC; most of Loachs films are niche art-house pieces.

This one does bring the seal of the directors second Palme. Opening on the heels of an economics- and class-minded U.S. election could help give it further traction. Blake is, at heart, an indictment of a bureaucracy that is at best unfeeling and at worst actively oppressing the poor with cutbacks in social-welfare programs.

Laverty was not shy about this. He referred to a targeting of the weakest members of society. Nor was he reticent about what he sees as the politics undergirding the issue. He called out politicians who declare war on immigrants as well as companies that he said skirt tax obligations, noting they were a dagger in the heart of civility.

Its a political decision to let them get away with it, and theres a great duty to organize and inform ourselves so those bastards dont get away with it, he said.

The audience responded enthusiastically to this call to arms. The movie, though, doesnt make as overt a claim, coming somewhat close only with a speech about Daniels virtue. Laverty said that the real people who had similarly been let down by the system were gobsmacked to see their story on screen. The movie, quietly and narratively, seeks to honor their feelings.

On Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT
Slow it down.

Police havent always been trained to think that way. Theyre supposed to take immediate control of a situation, resolve the problem and move on to the next call. There are always more calls.

But the recent spate of fatal police shootings of unarmed black men  including Tuesdays killing of Alfred Olango by El Cajon police  is fueling a movement by agencies across the country to expand the training officers get in de-escalation techniques. Through role-playing with real-life scenarios, they are taught better communication skills aimed at helping them defuse situations that might otherwise turn violent.

Its the direction law enforcement needs to go, said former San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdowne. We need to spend more time on when to shoot as opposed to just how to shoot.

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1 / 23 Members of the community pray outside the El Cajon Police Department.

(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 23 El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis holds a vaping device similar to the one that victim Alfred Olango was holding in the video. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 23 El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis stands at the podium while he releases the video of the officer involved shooting. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 23 Photographers capture views of the police shooting video during a press conference at the El Cajon Police Department. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 23 Members of the community pray outside the El Cajon Police Department. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 23 Members of the community pray outside the El Cajon Police Department. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 23 Police arrest a protester who tried to stand his ground after an unlawful assembly was declared near the site where Alfred Olango had been shot by police in El Cajon. (David McNew / Getty Images) 8 / 23 A protester points a cellphone at a police officer after an unlawful assembly is declared near the site where Alfred Olango had been shot by police earlier this week in El Cajon. (David McNew / Getty Images) 9 / 23 A protester walks toward sheriffs deputies in an intersection after an unlawful assembly was declared near the site where Alfred Olango had been shot by police earlier this week in El Cajon. (David McNew / Getty Images) 10 / 23 A driver, left, argues with protesters blocking an intersection near the site where Alfred Olango had been shot by police earlier this week in El Cajon. (David McNew / Getty Images) 11 / 23 Protesters block a driver from entering an intersection near the site where Alfred Olango had been shot by police earlier this week in El Cajon. (David McNew / Getty Images) 12 / 23 Victoria Bonini offers a Buddhist prayer chant at a memorial for Alfred Olango, who was shot by police earlier this week in El Cajon. (David McNew / Getty Images) 13 / 23 Protesters peacefully sit on Broadway in El Cajon, stopping traffic in both directions overthe death of Alfred Olango. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 23 Khadijah Neely, left, and Sabrina Crawford hold a candle during avigil held in El Cajon for Alfred Olango. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 23 A police officer blocks the onramp to a freeway during the police-shooting protest in El Cajon. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press) 16 / 23 Demonstrators yell at police in El Cajon at a rally against the shooting of Alfred Olango. (Julie Watson / Associated Press) 17 / 23 Taina Rozier, left, wife of victim Alfred Olango and daughter Chare Rozier listen during a news conference about the shooting. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 23 Protesters lock arms in front of a police line in El Cajon after the police shooting of Alfred Olango. (Bill Wechter / AFP/Getty Images) 19 / 23 Protesters face off with police in El Cajon after the shooting of Alfred Olango. (Bill Wechter / AFP/Getty Images) 20 / 23 A driver yells at demonstrators blocking a street in El Cajon. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press) 21 / 23 People block streets in El Cajon as they protest the shooting ofAlfred Olango. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press) 22 / 23 Ebonay Lee holds up her fist toward a line of Sheriffs deputies protesting Tuesdays police shooting. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 23 / 23 A man protests the shooting of Alfred Olango in El Cajon. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

Although de-escalation has been a part of recruit training for years, its generally been just a small part. A survey last year of almost 300 law enforcement agencies by the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit best practices organization based in Washington, D.C., found that recruits on average receive 58 hours of training on firearms, 49 hours on defensive tactics and just eight hours on de-escalation.

In-service training for veteran officers also gives little attention to it, according to the survey.

The issue is drawing renewed interest after a summer marked by fatal police shootings and riots in Milwaukee, Wis., Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte, N.C. Two weeks ago, police officials in Chicago, beset by use-of-force controversies, began sending all 12,500 of their sworn officers through mandatory, two-day de-escalation training. That follows similar efforts in Seattle, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

De-escalation techniques can be especially useful while dealing with people who are mentally ill or emotionally disturbed, according to experts.

About 25% of fatal police shootings in the country involve people with mental health issues, according to data collected by the Washington Post  172 of the 716 shootings so far this year. A 2013 study by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs Assn. said the figure is closer to 50%.

As the Police Executive Research Forum survey found, police in general get little training on how to interact with the mentally ill. That can be a problem, according to experts, because an ongoing shortage of mental-health treatment services leaves people to call 911 for help in a crisis. The first ones there are usually officers carrying guns.

We really have to take a second look at the training we are doing in this country, said Chuck Wexler, the research forums executive director. Its not kept up with todays demands.

His group issued a report in March called Guiding Principles on Use of Force that highlights 30 recommendations for improving policies, training, tactics and equipment. Several pertain to de-escalation, including one that says it should be a core theme of an agencys training.

During a difficult situation, communications between officers and the person they are encountering should begin at a low level, according to the guidelines, with police talking calmly in a normal tone of voice and asking questions instead of shouting orders. When possible, they should use distance and cover to slow the situation down and provide time to communicate and develop options.

Officers should not unnecessarily escalate a situation themselves, the guidelines say.

Lansdowne, who along with hundreds of other police personnel from around the country participated in conferences that helped shape the guidelines, said he thinks theyre the right approach, especially when it comes to dealing with people who are mentally or emotionally disturbed.

They often dont respond well to commands and orders, he said. Youve got to back off and calm it down.

The push toward more de-escalation training has drawn backlash from police unions and rank-and-file officers, some of whom dismiss the emphasis on better communication strategies as hug a thug.

Harvey Hedden, executive director of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Assn., told the New York Times, The concern we have is that hesitation might end up having an officer getting killed or assaulted.

Lansdowne said hes heard resistance from the old cadre that doesnt want to change.

But its time, said the retired chief. We get it. Law enforcement is resilient, innovative and very much wants to do the right thing.

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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettis Hancock Park house was egged after protesters angry about the police shooting of a man in South Los Angeles demonstrated there Saturday night.

Protesters took to the streets after Los Angeles police shot and killed 18-year-old Carnell Snell Jr., who ran from officers following a vehicle pursuit. A gun was recovered at the scene.

Demonstrators first marched near the intersection of 108th Street and Western Avenue, interrupting a news conference and chalking Snells name in the street. Later in the evening, protesters marched to Garcettis home in Hancock Park and apparently threw eggs.

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On Sunday morning, a carton of eggs was visible in the mayors driveway, and egg residue was visible on a gray Ford Fiesta parked out front as well as parts of the mayors home. City street services employees arrived later to hose down the house and water the lawn.

Although more protests were planned for Sunday morning, the scene was quiet. Jackie Stahl, a West Hollywood resident who was absolutely appalled by the shootings, showed up at noon to join a protest that she had heard about, but no one else was there.

Stahl remarked on how rapidly workers arrived to clean up Garcettis home.

I dont think thats happening so quickly in South L.A., is it? Stahl said.

Garcetti had not responded to requests for comment as of Sunday afternoon.

Los Angeles police are monitoring the situation to make sure the neighborhood is safe, said spokeswoman Jenny Houser. There was no police response to the protest Saturday night and no protests at the mayors residence have been reported today, she said.

frank.shyong@latimes.com

Twitter: @frankshyong
Alicia Machado, the former Venezuelan beauty queen whose treatment by Donald Trump nearly 20 years ago became a potent political weapon for the Clinton campaign, has had numerous brushes with controversy.

During the presidential debate Monday night, Hillary Clinton described how the Republican nominee disparaged Machados weight and ethnicity after she won the 1996 Miss Universe title, a pageant that Trump once owned.

Machado says that Trump called her Miss Piggy and Miss Housekeeping when she put on several pounds after her coronation; Trump claims Machado put on so much weight that she violated the terms of her contract.

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Stung by poor reviews of his debate performance, Trump took to Twitter last week to accuse Machado of having a terrible past and suggest that she appeared in a sex tape.

Trump supporters revived reports that Machado drove a getaway car for her then-boyfriend during a 1998 murder attempt in Venezuelas capital, Caracas. Old claims that she later made a threatening call to a judge in the case have also been circulating.

In an interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, Machado conceded that she was no saint girl but said that was not the point. He was really aggressive. He was really rude. He was a bad person with me, she said of Trump.

So what really happened?

Machado did act in a racy 2005 reality show broadcast on Spains Antena 3 TV network, scenes from which have gone viral on YouTube. The show, titled Farm of the Famous, is said to have shown Machado having sex with a former Mr. Spain, Fernando Acaso.

Although neither Machado nor Acaso appeared nude in the show, Machado later admitted in various interviews that she had sex with the Spanish actor during filming.

Miss Universe of 1996 Alicia Machado, center, of Venezuela dances with the 74 contestants of the Miss Universe pageant in Miami Beach. (Roberto Schmidt / Agence France-Presse )

The accusation that she was an accomplice to an attempted murder stems from her involvement with Juan Rodriguez Reggetti, now a well-known Caracas attorney.

According to media reports at the time, the controversy began after Regettis sister, eight months pregnant and the mother of an 11-month-old boy, committed suicide.

Reggetti is alleged to have fired two shots at his sisters husband, Francisco Sbert Moukso, as he was leaving a memorial service.

During the subsequent police investigation, Machado was mentioned as having driven the getaway car. She denied the accusation, saying she was filming a soap opera at the time. A judge later said there was insufficient evidence to arrest her.

The beauty queen also denied having made the threatening call to the judge, and since it came down to her word against his, the allegation went nowhere.

Controversy has continued to dog Machados career in the years since, frequently putting her on the defensive. Although she has achieved a modicum of success in Venezuelan and Mexican soap operas, she has derived more fame from her off-camera activities, which are always closely followed by Venezuelas tabloid press.

Machado posed twice for Playboy magazine, mockingly dedicating an appearance to Trump.

She is also said to have had a romance with an alleged Mexican drug trafficker, Gerardo Alvarez Vazquez, who goes by the alias El Indio or El Chayan. Mexican tabloids, citing prosecutors investigations, reported that Vazquez is the father of Machados daughter, who was born in Miami in 2008.

But Machado repeatedly denied the claim and later identified Mexican businessman Rafael Hernandez as the father.

She is now a U.S citizen but remains a presence in the Venezuelan media  often because of missteps on her social media accounts, including a Twitter post in which she described North and South Korea as the two Chinas.

Special correspondents Mogollon and Kraul reported from Caracas, Venezuela, and Bogota, Colombia, respectively.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

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An evenly divided Supreme Court opens a new term this week with a few dozen mostly low-profile cases. But perhaps the biggest question of the year wont even be settled by the justices.

Instead, voters this November will effectively decide the courts ideological bent for the next four years and possibly much longer.

Not since 1968 has the high court had a vacancy expected to be filled by the winner of a presidential election.

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RELATED: Supreme Court set to decide cases on insider trading, death penalty and aid to church schools 

Back then, Senate conservatives filibustered President Lyndon Johnsons choice to replace retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren, leaving Richard Nixon to nominate a conservative instead, the start of a quarter-century of Republican appointments that steadily moved the court to the right.

Now, with the GOP-led Senates refusal to consider President Obamas candidate, Merrick Garland, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Antonin Scalia, the high court faces the prospect of a similarly historic shift, albeit in the opposite direction and potentially moving much faster.

If GOP nominee Donald Trump wins in November, conservatives are likely to restore their 5-4 majority, based on the names of prospective nominees his campaign has released.

But a Hillary Clinton victory would give the court a majority of Democratic appointees for the first time since 1969. The Senate could decide to approve Garland in the lame-duck session at the end of the year, or leave the choice to Clinton after she takes office in January.

Either way, it would represent the most liberal high court since the early 1970s.

So what would change?

For starters, liberals could score some short-term victories early next year on several hot-button issues involving Obamas executive actions and regulations  on immigration, climate change, contraceptives and rights for transgender students.

This past spring, the justices put off several decisions, given the current 4-4 split among Republican and Democratic appointees. For example, they did not decide whether employers at religious schools and colleges can be required to provide free contraceptives for their female employees under the terms of Obamas healthcare law. That issue remains unresolved, but a fifth Democratic appointee could form a majority to uphold the so-called contraceptive mandate.

In June, the court split, 4-4, on Obamas plan to defer deportation and offer work permits to more than 4 million immigrants who have been living in the U.S. illegally. The tie vote kept in place a Texas judges order that has halted Obamas policy.

But the case is still pending, and with a fifth Democratic appointee, the court would probably clear the way for the administration to put its policy into effect.

Similarly, earlier this year  shortly before Scalias death in February  the court by a 5-4 vote temporarily blocked Obamas plan to limit carbon pollution from power plants. That case is working its way through the U.S. appeals court and is certain to return to the Supreme Court for a final review, possibly as early as next spring.

The growing dispute over transgender students using bathrooms that match their gender identity could be taken up early next year. A Virginia school district has filed an appeal challenging a decree issued by Obamas Education Department.

The court has also agreed to decide a potentially significant church-state dispute, but has put off scheduling arguments, apparently waiting for a ninth justice. At issue is whether a church day-care center in Missouri can claim an equal right to state-subsidized playground materials provided to public schools.

A final major decision could come in the area of voting rights. In recent years, Republican-led states have adopted new election laws that limit early voting and require voters to display specific state-issued photo IDs at the polls. These measures have been challenged by civil rights lawyers and the Justice Department who claim that they are designed to restrict voting by African Americans and Latinos.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj 

The court is set to hear cases from North Carolina and Virginia, where Republican lawmakers are accused of setting election boundaries so that black voters are concentrated in a few districts in order to strengthen the GOP in surrounding areas.

There is no doubt that a liberal court would be more sensitive to claims of voter suppression like weve seen in North Carolina and Texas and more vigilant against racial gerrymandering, said Steven R. Shapiro, the ACLUs national legal director.

Longer term, liberals would have their first opportunity in generations to tee up potentially landmark cases on issues such as partisan gerrymandering, political spending and protecting gays from workplace discrimination.

When conservatives held the majority, liberal and progressive advocacy groups often tried to prevent sensitive issues, like abortion and affirmative action, from reaching the high court. But with a majority of Democratic-appointed justices on the bench, liberal think tanks and civil rights groups would  for the first time in years  have incentives to cultivate precedent-setting lawsuits and push their issues to the Supreme Court.

For their part, many conservatives say that the prospect of a liberal Democrat filling Scalias seat is driving support for Donald Trump.

It could mean rolling back at the 2nd Amendment and cutting back on religious liberty, said Elizabeth Slattery, a legal analyst at the Heritage Foundation. Citizens United is also on the hit list for the left, she said, referring to the 2010 decision that knocked down limits on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions.

She said a liberal court would not be a check against out-of-control executive power. If Hillary is in office, she could use unelected bureaucrats to achieve the goals she could not win in Congress.

My guess is the shift would be fairly slow and incremental, rather than sudden and dramatic.  Geoffrey Stone, University of Chicago law professor

Legal scholars, however, doubt a newly liberal court would move quickly or aggressively, particularly if the new justice is Garland, who is seen as a moderate.

My guess is the shift would be fairly slow and incremental, rather than sudden and dramatic, said University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone. The so-called liberals on the court are by nature and experience fairly cautious and moderate.

Conservatives learned that even with a majority, sudden or sweeping change is often difficult to achieve.

When Republicans came to dominate the court in the 1970s and 80s, conservatives confidently took aim at liberal precedents like the Miranda decision on police warnings, the Roe vs. Wade ruling on abortion and the Bakke decision allowing race-based affirmative action in colleges and universities.

Despite repeated legal attacks, all three precedents remain standing.

No matter who a Democratic president appointed, the center of gravity would be with [Justices] Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, said Walter Dellinger, a former acting solicitor under President Bill Clinton. This is not a court that is likely to set about overturning precedents.

david.savage@latimes.com

On Twitter: DavidGSavage

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Sanders defends Clinton remarks on basement-dwelling baristas

A day after Donald Trump accused Hillary Clinton of mocking supporters of Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator said Sunday that she was absolutely correct to tell donors that many of his young supporters were stuck living with their parents and working low-wage jobs after college.

Youve got millions of young people, many of whom took out loans in order to go to college, hoping to go out and get decent-paying, good jobs, Sanders told ABCs This Week. And you know what? Theyre unable to do that.

In an audio recording made public last week, Clinton is heard telling campaign donors during her Democratic primary race against Sanders that some of his supporters were children of the Great Recession, and they are living in their parents basement.

If youre consigned to, you know, being a barista or, you know, some other job that doesnt pay a lot and doesnt have much of a ladder of opportunity attached to it, then the idea that maybe, just maybe, you could be part of a political revolution is pretty appealing, she said.

Trump, who stands to benefit if Sanders voters snub Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, attacked his Democratic rival over the recording at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, saying she was demeaning Crazy Bernie and his supporters.

I took it exactly the opposite way, Sanders told ABC.

Sanders was not entirely uncritical of Clinton, however. Asked on CNN about his attacks on the Clinton Foundation during the primaries for taking money from such governments as Saudi Arabias, Sanders said her family would need to decide whether to shut down their global charity.

It does raise serious questions if foreign governments, for example, are making contributions to a foundation tied closely to what I hope will be, who I hope will be the next president of the United States, he said.

Sanders also urged any of supporters who are weighing whether to back someone other than Clinton to consider her support for fighting climate change, raising the minimum wage, mandating pay equity for women and curbing the influence of campaign money.

The evidence is overwhelming that the next president of the United States is going to be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, he told ABC. If anyone plans to vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson or the Green Partys Jill Stein because of what they see as Clintons shortcomings, Sanders said, it is a vote for Donald Trump.
In November, Californians will vote on raising the cigarette tax for the third time in a decade. And like previous campaigns, the tobacco industry isnt spending much time trying to convince voters that, in general, increasing tobacco taxes is a bad thing to do.

Instead, in television advertisements in heavy rotation across the state, opponents of the initiative to raise the cigarette tax by $2 a pack are arguing that voters should be wary of the gains by doctor groups and insurance companies that are backing the measure.

Follow the money, one ad says.

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The tobacco industrys strategy isnt new, but it has been successful. Despite longstanding support among Californians to hike taxes on cigarettes, ballot measures to raise them in 2006 and 2012 fell short after tobacco companies dumped tens of millions of dollars into campaigns to seed doubt among voters about the initiatives details, and dwarf supporters spending.

Still, in each campaign, proponents have left themselves open to those attacks because theyve needed to cobble together backing from interest groups to finance their measures. And in turn, those interest groups have stood to benefit from how the tobacco tax money would be spent.

Proposition 56 is no different. Tobacco companies have contributed more than $56 million so far to fight the measure, compared with supporters $23 million. Most of the money from the proposition would go toward boosting Medi-Cal, the states healthcare program for low-income residents. But the tobacco companies are contending that spending is simply a payoff to the doctor groups and insurance companies that are among the measures biggest financial backers.

Its important to have a conversation about what a measure will do and the impact that will have on voters and taxpayers, said Beth Miller, spokeswoman for No on 56. Its an old adage, but its a true one, that the devil is in the details.

Roughly 12% of California adults smoked in 2014, according to state figures, the second lowest rate in the country. Thats true even though the tobacco industrys success in California has kept the states cigarette taxes comparatively modest. Californias tax of 87 cents a pack ranks 37th in the country, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and hasnt been raised in almost 20 years.

The low tax rate belies the popularity of the idea to increase it. Wide support for boosting the tobacco tax has held steady for a decade. Most people dont smoke in California and the tax increase doesnt impact them directly, said Mark Baldassare, the president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, which tracks public opinion on tobacco. Most people also think people shouldnt smoke.

But that support has eroded when tax increases have appeared on the ballot, and the tobacco industry hammers away with advertisements.

In 2006, backers tried to raise the tax by $2.60 a pack  which would have been the highest in the country at the time. The tobacco industry spent $66 million against it  nearly four times the supporters campaign  and sharply criticized that the largest fraction of the new money would have gone toward emergency services for hospitals and doctors, who were financing the campaign. The measure lost by nearly 2 percentage points.

Six years later, supporters tried a $1 a pack campaign. Most of that money would have funded medical research, and tobacco companies attacked that initiative for creating a new bureaucracy to dole out the money and because it wouldnt have helped the states severe financial woes at the time. The tobacco industry spent $48 million to kill the measure, five times the supporters campaign. That measure failed with 50.2% voting against it.

The campaign that the tobacco companies are running against (Prop.) 56 here in California is the standard No campaign that theyve run for almost 30 years, said Stanton A. Glantz, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and supporter of Proposition 56 who has researched tobacco tax efforts at the national level.

Polls last month from USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times and PPIC had the measure with roughly 60% support among voters, though a Field Poll showed the measure with 53% in favor.

If Proposition 56 passes, more than half of the revenue the tax hike would raise next year  at least $1.27 billion  would go to Medi-Cal, with a large proportion of the remainder backfilling existing state and local programs, including the states existing anti-tobacco efforts. That revenue replacement is needed, supporters said, because fewer people would buy cigarettes with higher taxes.

Ironically, the tobacco industrys advertisements also criticize the initiative, saying that only 13% of the money from the tax increase would go toward new anti-smoking programs, something the No on 56 campaign has labeled as deceptive.

Backers of Proposition 56 said theyve learned from previous failures.

The coalition of supporters for the effort is broader, with more business and labor groups than before. And it makes sense for most of the money to go toward healthcare for low-income residents because of the need within that population, said Jim Knox, vice president of California government relations at the American Cancer Society, who has been involved in all three campaigns in the past decade.

Still, Knox said, hes worried that the tobacco industrys spending might overwhelm the campaign like it has before.

The lesson is we need money to beat the tobacco companies, he said. If they have a 4 to 1 advantage on us, were going to lose.

Times staff writer Sophia Bollag contributed to this story.

liam.dillon@latimes.com

Follow me at @dillonliam on Twitter

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Costa Mesa Seasons 52 manager lauded by parent company

Matt Shapiro, managing partner of Seasons 52 in Costa Mesa, has achieved Diamond Club status with his restaurants parent company, according to a news release.

The commendation from Darden Restaurants was given to four others nationwide this year. It recognizes Shapiro for providing high-level experiences while making a difference in the lives of guests, his team members and the community, according to a news release.

Matt is passionate about creating a welcoming and positive experience for both our guests and our team members, Brian Foye, president of Seasons 52, said in a statement. He fully embraces Seasons 52s promise of celebrating living well.

Fountain Valley animal hospital to host ribbon cutting

VCA West Coast Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital in Fountain Valley hosted its grand opening and ribbon cutting Saturday.

The 25,000-square-foot facility at 18300 Euclid St. features specialized care, diagnostics and treatment, and 24/7 emergency care for dogs and cats, according to a news release.

Rodd & Gunn coming to Fashion Island

Rodd & Gunn, a New Zealand mens lifestyle brand, is opening its first U.S. flagship store at Fashion Island on Friday.

The event from 7 to 11p.m. will showcase the brands latest collections alongside cocktails and canapes, according to a news release.

Rodd & Gunn is near Nordstrom.

Goodwill opens new store in Huntington Beach

Goodwill of Orange County is opening a new 7,283-square-foot store in Huntington Beach.

The store was scheduled to open Friday at the Marina Village shopping center, 5880 Edinger Ave. It is Goodwills third outpost in Huntington Beach and 24th retail location in Orange County.

Rudys Barbershop to have grand opening

Rudys Barbershop in Huntington Beachs Pacific City is having a grand opening Oct. 6 from 6 to 9p.m., according to a news release.

The shop is at 21010 Pacific Coast Hwy., Suite A106.

-----------

FOR THE RECORD

A headline on an earlier version of this article incorrectly called the barbershop Rubys. It is Rudys Barbershop.

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Irvine Co. lauded for energy-saving efforts

The California Energy Efficiency Industry Council recently named the Irvine Co. as one of the top three Energy Champions in California for 2016, according to a news release.

The Newport Beach-based real estate development and investment company was credited for advancing the cause of energy efficiency. Its efforts include launching a platform that can control thousands of devices, installing a performance monitoring network to track energy usage and training service technicians through a Southern California Edison energy-efficiency program, according to a news release.

Were committed to creating more sustainable office buildings that serve as vibrant workplace communities for our customers, Tom Boyer, Irvine Co.'s senior director of engineering operations for campus offices, said in a statement. These changes benefit everyone and provide our customers with the green initiatives they want.

Leatherbys names new executive chef

Leatherbys Cafe Rouge in Costa Mesa has recently named Greg Stillman as executive chef.

He replaces Ross Pangilinan. Stillman has worked at Catal Restaurant, Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria, Napolini and Uva Bar in Downtown Disney, as well as with Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in Northern California.

Newport chamber hosts economic forecast

The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce is having its 2017 Economic Forecast on Oct.21.

Registration starts at 7:15a.m. at the Fairmont hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. The presentation will last until 9a.m.

Seats start at $55. Breakfast is included.

For more information, contact Rochelle Lindenlaub by emailing rlindenlaub@newportbeach.com or calling (949) 729-4400.

 From staff reports

 From staff reports
Costa Mesa City Council members will decide if they want to support a possible merger of the Costa Mesa Sanitary and Mesa Water districts.

Council members are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to take an official stand on Measure TT, an advisory question Mesa Water placed on the Nov.8 ballot to gauge public support for the concept of combining the two special districts.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer is seeking consensus from his colleagues to support the measure, according to Tuesdays agenda.

Measure TT isnt binding, so even if it passes, consolidation isnt guaranteed. Mesa Water officials, however, have said the results will indicate whether ratepayers support a merger.

The City Councils consideration of taking a formal position on Measure TT validates the proposals merit and the need for further exploration of the potential $15.6million one-time cost savings and $2.7million annual cost savings that could be achieved by consolidating Mesa Water and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, Mesa Water External Affairs Manager Stacy Taylor said in an email Friday.

A Mesa Water consultant, Arcadis U.S. Inc., identified those possible savings in a study earlier this year. The study also concluded those savings could result in a $650 rebate for each ratepayer and up to a 28% reduction in wastewater rates.

Sanitary District General Manager Scott Carroll declined to comment on the councils possible action Friday. He said board President Mike Scheafer is planning to speak on the item during Tuesdays meeting.

In June Mesa Water officials commissioned the Arcadis analysis to examine whether a merger made financial and operational sense. District board members later decided to put the question before voters, saying residents should have a say in the process, especially given the level of possible savings.

The sanitary district declined to participate in the effort, raising concerns with the level of input it had in shaping the study and how fast the process was moving.

Since its release, sanitary district officials have blasted the studys findings as flawed and inaccurate. They claim the measure is a political stunt and that Mesa Water is attempting to stage a hostile takeover.

Mesa Water officials have said they stand by the studys findings.

In August, Scheafer took Mesa Water to court over the wording of Measure TT, which had once cited all the possible savings identified in the Arcadis study. Attorneys for both parties struck a deal on Aug.31 that removed all the disputed language from the ballot question. It now reads, Shall the Mesa Water District and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District pursue consolidation?

Mesa Water provides service to about 110,000 people in Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach and sections of unincorporated Orange County, including John Wayne Airport.

The sanitary district provides sewer and curbside trash collection services to about 116,700 ratepayers in an area that is similar, though not identical, to Mesa Waters.

Those who are ratepayers in either district can vote on the ballot measure.

Along with the merger question, Costa Mesa voters will decide the fates of eight other measures on Novembers ballot.

Tuesdays City Council meeting starts at 5:45p.m. at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.
Did the city of Newport Beach violate the California Public Records Act?

A court determined Jan. 20 that it wasnt, but didnt totally let it off the hook.

Last September, I wrote about the lawsuit Kent Moore filed against the city of Newport Beach in which Moores attorney, Melinda Luthin, claimed city officials either ignored or stonewalled Moores document requests, allegedly violating the records act.

The city claimed it responded to the requests, but admitted some records were not produced because they had been either lost or misplaced during the move from the old City Hall to the new Civic Center.

The reason Moore and Luthin were requesting documents in the first place stemmed from Moores concern over reports about the Newport Sister City Assn.'s 2010 trip to Antibes, France. Included in those concerns were alleged acts of incompetent chaperon oversight, an incident of underage drinking and trip expenses Moore felt werent verified by receipts or other documentation.

Since the Sister City Assn. receives grant money from the city, Moore called for an investigation and requested copies of grant documents and correspondence among city officials regarding the matter. He also asked the Sister City group for documents.

Moore formerly sat on the Sister City Assn. board and was not on the Antibes trip.

The citys investigation into Moores claims no wrongdoing.

But Luthin sued the city over Moores document requests, which she said the city didnt produce.

Then things got nasty.

Luthin alleged that when process servers tried to serve subpoenas to Newport City Manager Dave Kiff, Councilmen Keith Curry and Ed Selich they ran like cockroaches.

Kiff disputed those claims, telling me none of them tried to evade service.

Selich called Luthin delusional, and Curry said the evasion accusation was simply a lie, adding that Luthin was using the lawsuit to shake down the taxpayers for personal financial gain.

Luthin had been the original attorney of record in the Friends of the Fire Rings lawsuit, but isnt any longer, according to City Atty. Aaron Harp.

So, on Sept. 28, all parties in this document lawsuit appeared in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana.

At the time the judge continued the case, urging the city to produce whatever documents Luthin says she didnt receive.

Fast forward to Jan 29. All parties were back in front of Presiding Judge Linda S. Marks.

Luthin argued that some of the records the city couldnt produce were produced by the association, inferring the city had nefarious reasons for not producing the records.

The court didnt agree with that reasoning, but did feel there were holes or gaps in missing documents, and the city should go back and take a look at what it has in its possession, according to court transcripts.

Harp said the city did this and Luthin should have whatever additional documents they could find.

The court admonished the city for not producing all the records in a timely fashion, which wouldve avoided the litigation.

The judge believed the citys claim that some documents were lost or destroyed in the City Hall move, so the court didnt find a violation of the Public Records Act.

It does not appear that the city needs to justify withholding records if they claim no records exist, the judge said, also suggesting Newport needs to create a more-user friendly website so users can more easily find public documents.

I dont believe that a member of the public should have to click after click after click to ascertain information on the website, she said.

Luthin said none of the subpoenaed witnesses or defendants appeared to testify in court.

Perhaps because they did not want to have to invoke their Fifth Amendment right [against self-incrimination], and decided that a sanction or citation for contempt would be better than taking the stand, she wrote in an email.

Court documents show the judge ruled witnesses could be on call and didnt need to be in court.

Reading all 35 pages of the Jan. 29 court transcript, there are no real winners here except Luthin. Shell see a pay day for her services. The judge told the city to come to agreement on her fees.

The city was indeed sloppy with its record keeping. It needs to comply with record requests, even when someone is unpleasant.

The court even said, the attorneys demands of the city appears to border on harassment.

And Im still questioning why Moore even went through all of this angst over this Antibes trip.

One thing I do know is taxpayers will pick up the tab, and theyre the biggest losers here.

BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at bvontv1@gmail.com. Listen to her weekly radio segment on Sunday Brunch with Tom and Lynn from 11 a.m. to noon on KOCI/101.5 FM.
Re. Barbara Venezias Feb. 12 column, Taxpayers are the real losers in this case, (Feb. 10) having to do with the action by resident Mr. Kent Moore to obtain public records from the city of Newport Beach: I agree with Ms. Venezia, however, for a very different reason.

Taxpayers are losers because the checks and balances of city government to serve the public are not working, and no citizen should have to resort to court action to obtain public records. This has long been established by court precedence and is why there are laws in place to protect the publics right to know and government transparency.

As a reporter, it would be more encouraging to the profession, and us readers, if the facts were presented, not Venezias opinion about what the city did or did not do. If the city, as stewards for the people, had readily responded, Moore would not have had cause to file a writ.

Reference to the judges statement that the attorney, Melinda Luthin, demands of the city appears to border on harassment is out of context. I was at that hearing. The judge made that statement, due to Moores effort to file subpoenas, which the judge said a writ is not a trial to hear testimony, but is a legal procedure one uses to obtain a judges order (in this case) for the city to respond to the public records request.

When Luthin pointed out that case precedence shows subpoenas have been used to have city staff authenticate documents in person since they refused to provide written declarations authenticating documents, the judge had no reply and began to admonish the city for being so difficult.

Furthermore, it is immaterial to imply Luthin of impropriety when Venezia says, Shell see a payday for her services, or writes, Selich calls her delusional, and Curry accuses her of using the lawsuit to shake down the taxpayers for personal financial gain.

Does she also doubt the judges decision, which means something because, the judge told the city to come to agreement on her fees?

I am dumbfounded that her articles summary of the matter is that an attorney who provided a service gets paid, and not the fact that our city has misappropriated my tax dollars by violating the Public Records Act. This is not a labor issue, but a civic example that too many persons and entities these days seem to believe they are above the law, including our city.

For the record, I was the treasurer of Newport Beach Sister City Assn. during the time of the Antibes, France, exchange, and the unfortunate events that Moore describes did happen. When the city began to investigate and discovered this was a toxic matter, it appears the city stopped the investigation.

Moores effort to obtain records was initially to confirm if the city continued to give grant money to an organization that means well, but perhaps went awry. In the end, the taxpayers lose because we spent tax dollars and did not get to the heart of the matter, and the message of Venezias column lets our city off the hook.

Ruth Klein

Newport Beach

*

Columnist redirected the blame

In her column, Barbara Venezia conveniently shifts the blame from the city to resident Kent Moore, who had every right to sue due to the citys foot-dragging on producing public records.

Sonja Doder

Newport Beach
The Crescenta Valley Town Council will seek public input during a meeting later this month when Los Angeles County Public Works officials are expected to share renderings of medians that are slated to be installed along Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta.

The medians that will be placed between Pennsylvania and Briggs avenues are currently in the design phase, so its uncertain when they would be installed, said councilwoman Desiree Portillo-Rabinov.

NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in your community >>

They represent the latest project aimed at beautifying Foothill Boulevard in a series of improvements that the Town Council began to implement in 2000, she added.

Since then, the council has advocated for funding to pay for a number of upgrades including replacing unsightly utility poles with underground wiring, building a new library, installing bike lanes and planting trees on sidewalks.

"[Over the years], every different council administration would keep identifying projects the community has been wanting for years, Portillo-Rabinov said.

The medians officially went from the councils wish list to becoming a reality last August after L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich set aside $1 million for the project.

Now, the council members are eager for residents to weigh in on the countys initial designs for the medians, which will likely feature drought-tolerant plants and trees, Portillo-Rabinov said.

The community forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. on April 27 at the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd.

Residents may send comments to contact@thecvtowncouncil.com if they are unable to attend the meeting.

--

Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan

--

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Not everyone plans. Thats why travel apps entered our world.

Name: Whym: Last-Minute Tickets, Tours & Attractions

What it does: The app sells tours and activity tickets to spur-of-the-moment travelers. Destinations include Barcelona, Spain; Rome; Paris; London; San Diego; New York; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and San Francisco.

Available: In the App Store, requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. In Google Play, requires Android 4.1 and up.

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Cost: App is free;the prices of tours and tickets vary widely.

Whats hot: When I searched for activities and tickets in New York for a mother-daughter trip, I saw page after page of tempting offers. Then I clicked on Collections. It was much easier to tap into themes such as Food & Drinks, Kid Friendly or city-specific threads such as Classic New York and Broadway rather than clicking through the general interest filters you find on other apps. In San Diego the options appealed to locals with Fun Date Ideas and to travelers with Get to Know San Diego. Another plus is the comprehensive information about the activity or tour provided once you click on the attraction.

Whats not: When it says last minute, it means last minute. I wanted to book activities on a Thursday for a trip that began on Friday of the following week, but I could access activities no more than seven days in advance. Also take note of payment options. I was surprised to see Apple Pay as the only option for all the tickets I tested on my iPhone, but once I clicked it I saw that it was easy to add a new credit card.
People need to be cautious when scheduling river cruises. Rivers depths that are too low or too high can cause problems. We scheduled a river cruise on the Elbe River in late August. We also had plans and reservations to spend the two weeks after the cruise visiting in Hamburg, Germany.

A day before flying to Prague, Czech Republic, a representative from the line called and advised us that a decrease in the depth of the Elbe would probably not allow the ship to cruise the river. If cruising was not possible, we would live on the ship docked in Dresden and be bused to land excursions during the week.

We later found out, while in Dresden, that during the previous week the ship was unable to cruise for the same reason. The line could have been honest and called a week earlier and given us a chance to replan our trip and cancel the cruise.

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I would like to advise people to quiz the cruise line about the river and time you plan the cruise. Also do your own research on river conditions for the same time in previous years. I wish we had.

Gary L. Palmer

Banning

Pets That Fly

I agree 100% with James Tyners Oct. 2 letter regarding pets with passengers [Plane Sense About Pets]. They should be cared for in cargo.

Recently I was on a long flight and a woman in my row had two small dogs (pampered pets) outside of the carrier. I advised the attendants, who spoke to her.

She glared at me and cooperated only until they left. I requested a complaint form before landing and then followed up with a letter to the airline. I received a thank you and noncommittal response. Nothing further; obviously it did not care to hear from me or do anything to make changes to better accommodate human passengers.

Ann Cressman

Laguna Niguel

Airlines that share

Catharine Hamms article explaining airline code-sharing was very informative, though it did not include a couple of important considerations [Confused by Code Sharing? Dont Be, Oct. 2.]

We recently booked a round trip to Europe with Lufthansa. Because we would return to Los Angeles from London, Lufthansa booked us through United. It was fully disclosed.

However, the fight reference identifier with Lufthansa did not carry through to United, and I did not not know it. I had to call Lufthansa USA from London to get it. (I later found the United email with the reference had been sent late in the day before our London departure.)

More troublesome, we could not check in online. At first it appeared that Lufthansa had not transferred our traveler information, including passport numbers, but they did and our seat reservations were preserved.

I wasted an hour online the night before our London departure trying fruitlessly to add that information to my United profile and the United system just discarded it.

Tom Lang

Glendale
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Jews worldwide Sunday after his remarks drawing comparisons between his bloody anti-drug war and Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust sparked shock and outrage.

The tough-talking Duterte said his apology was intended only for the Jewish community. He lashed out again at Western critics and human rights advocates who have raised concerns over his brutal crackdown, which is estimated to have left more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users dead in just three months.

Meet the Nightcrawlers of Manila: A night on the front lines of the Philippines war on drugs 

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Duterte said in a speech in the central city of Bacolod that he never had any intention to derogate the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Germans. Historians say 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis under Hitler before and during World War II.

I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community, Duterte said.

On Friday, Duterte raised the rhetoric over his anti-drug campaign to a new level by comparing it to Hitler and the Holocaust and saying he would be happy to slaughter an estimated 3 million addicts in the Philippines.

In that speech, the brash president said without elaborating that he has been portrayed or pictured to be a cousin of Hitler by his critics.

Moments later, he said, Hitler massacred 3 million Jews ... theres 3 million drug addicts. There are. Id be happy to slaughter them.

While Hitlers victims were innocent people, Duterte said his targets are all criminals and that getting rid of them would finish the [drug] problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.

Germanys government slammed Dutertes comments as unacceptable, and called in the Philippine ambassador to the Foreign Ministry over the matter.

It is impossible to make any comparison to the unique atrocities of the Shoah and Holocaust, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said in Berlin.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said Dutertes remarks were revolting and demanded that he retract them and apologize.

Drug abuse is a serious issue. But what President Duterte said is not only profoundly inhumane, but it demonstrates an appalling disrespect for human life that is truly heartbreaking for the democratically elected leader of a great country, Lauder said in a statement issued from Jerusalem, where he was attending the funeral of former Israeli leader Shimon Peres.

The U.S. State Department, which is looking to sustain its long-standing alliance with the Philippines, called the comments troubling.

Words matter, especially when they are from leaders of sovereign nations, especially sovereign nations with whom we have long and valued relations with, spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. He repeated U.S. calls for Philippine authorities to investigate any credible reports of extrajudicial killings.

Also critical was Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, who said it was baffling why anyone would want to compare themselves to one of the largest mass murderers in human history.

Robertson said that in todays context, Hitler would be accused of crimes against humanity.

Is that what Duterte wants? Does he want to be sent to the International Criminal Court? Because hes working his way there, Robertson said.

Amnesty International said that Duterte has sunk to new depths and urged governments around the world to condemn his extremely dangerous outburst.

Amid the criticisms, presidential spokesman Ernie Abella defended Duterte, saying his reference to the slaughter was an oblique deflection of the way he has been pictured as a mass murderer.

He likewise draws an oblique conclusion, that while the Holocaust was an attempt to exterminate the future generations of Jews, drug-related killings as a result of legitimate police operations (as opposed to so-called extra-judicial killings of criminals, wrongly attributed to him, as these are not state-sanctioned) will nevertheless result in the salvation of the next generation of Filipinos, Abella said in a statement.

Duterte has asked for a six-month extension of his drug crackdown, saying he underestimated the magnitude of the problem.

His supporters and many Filipinos exasperated with widespread crime have welcomed his tough approach, but a growing number of critics, including U.N. officials, the European Union and the United States, have voiced concerns over the widespread killings and human rights violations.

Freelance photographer Linus Guardian Escandor II has seen the nature of his job on the Manilla police beat change since the election of President Rodrigo Duterte.

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He said, Im on my way, Mama. Then, like thousands of others in Mexico, he vanished
South African protesters lob rocks at security guards at one of the continents leading universities. Police fire rubber bullets at students on another campus. Vice chancellors warn that students might not be able to finish the academic year if a national dispute over financing higher education is not resolved soon.

Twenty-two years after the end of white minority rule, grievances over economic inequities are fueling unrest that has forced the closure of some of South Africas most prominent universities, which are struggling to cover costs. Opinion has splintered among students, faculty, parents and the government, which acknowledges funding shortfalls but accuses a radical minority of bringing campuses to a standstill.

One target of protesters condemnation is Adam Habib, vice chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, also known as Wits. Habib, in turn, has suggested it is ironic that Wits, whose student population is mostly black, could unravel because of protesters who say they are committed to decolonization.

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He tweeted: The tragedy of our moment.

The protests are smaller than widely popular demonstrations in 2015 that forced the government to suspend university fee increases this year. Demonstrations picked up again after the government said universities can increase fees by up to 8% next year, although it will pay about $180 million to cover the costs of poor students in 2017.

Wits and the University of Cape Town hope to resume the academic program on Monday. Some students vehemently oppose that plan.

Once a student demand for free education is met, we are willing to go back to class. I mean, we are here because we want to study and get degrees, said Mzwanele Ntshwanti, a student leader at Wits who wore a jacket with an emblem of the Student Representative Council.

Weve managed to disrupt the system because thats the only language that they understand, he said Friday.

Ntshwanti was standing outside the Great Hall, a temple-like building whose tall columns evoke Western academic traditions that irk some South African students who demand a curriculum more focused on African affairs. As he spoke, about 100 members of the Wits teaching staff, many in red and black academic robes, rallied on the Great Hall steps to demand more state funding and an end to violence.

No cops on campus! read a placard. About 10 police vehicles were stationed on a nearby campus road and in a parking lot beside the Origins Center, a university museum that explores human evolution.

On Sept. 20, protesters at Wits threw stones at private security guards, smashing glass at the Great Hall entrance. Some guards picked up projectiles and threw them back, contributing to an image of a prestigious center of learning as a chaotic battleground. In a separate incident, the government blamed student activists for the death of a university worker who was hospitalized after being affected by a fire extinguisher sprayed by protesters.

Wits is charging between $2,200 and $4,200 for tuition for a first-year undergraduate in 2016. In addition, there are book, travel and lodging costs. The government says it will pay tuition for students from households with up to $43,700 in annual income, a measure expected to benefit about 80% of undergraduates.

On Wednesday, police fired rubber bullets and arrested 11 students during a protest for free education at Rhodes University in the city of Grahamstown. That prompted the vice chancellor, Sizwe Mabizela, to say students should not become collateral damage in the dispute over costs.

Vice Chancellor Max Price of the University of Cape Town on Friday met 200 protesters who oppose the universitys reopening on Monday. Separately, about 2,000 students and staff members, some holding books, held a silent rally urging the resumption of classes, Price said on the universitys website.

Theres a lot of uncertainty. There are a lot of different political positions and views on campus, said Mehita Iqani, an associate professor of media studies at Wits.

There are also expectations of more violence. Wits Vuvuzela, a university newspaper, advises students on how to respond to stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas in a section titled: What to expect from the police and how to stay safe.

Around the corner from the Great Hall at Wits is a piece of graffiti with instructions. It starts: How to make a petrol bomb: a guide for students.
One of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history roared over the open Caribbean Sea on Saturday on a course that threatened Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba.

Hurricane Matthew briefly reached the top hurricane classification, Category 5, and was the strongest Atlantic storm since Felix in 2007.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Matthews winds had slipped slightly from a peak of 160 mph to a still potentially devastating 150 mph, a Category 4 storm. It was expected to near eastern Jamaica and southwestern Haiti on Monday.

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The center issued a hurricane warning for Jamaica and parts of Haiti, where it said life-threatening rainfall was expected.

The forecast track would also carry Matthew across Cuba and into the Bahamas, with an outside chance of a brush with Florida, though that would be several days away.

Its too early to rule out what impacts, if any, would occur in the United States and Florida, said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman at the National Hurricane Center.

As Matthew skimmed past the northern tip of South America there were reports of at least one death  the second attributed to the storm.

Authorities in the area breathed a sigh of relief as the storm, which triggered heavy flooding in towns along the La Guajira peninsula of Colombia, caused minimal damage overall. Some officials were even grateful for the rain after a multiyear drought in the poverty-stricken area.

Families that evacuated are returning to their homes, said La Guajira Gov. Jorge Velez. The dikes and wells filled up, the earth is moist, and this benefits agriculture in an area where it hasnt rained for five years, benefiting the community.

Authorities said that at least 27 houses were damaged and two roads were washed out. One person, a 67-year-old indigenous man, was carried away to his death by a flash flood in an area where it hadnt rained for four years.

All across Colombias Caribbean coastline, authorities set up emergency shelters, closed access to beaches and urged residents living near the ocean to move inland in preparation for storm surges that they said would peak sometime Saturday.

There was concern that heavy rain across much of the country this weekend could dampen turnout for a nationwide referendum Sunday on a historic peace accord between the government and leftist rebels.

In Jamaica, high surf began pounding the coast, and flooding temporarily closed the road linking the capital to its airport. Carl Ferguson, head of the marine police, said people were starting to heed calls to relocate from small islands and areas near rural waterways.

Residents of the capital, Kingston, crowded supermarkets to buy bottled water, canned food and batteries, and there was already flooding in the coastal town of Port Royal, where officials were urging residents to seek refuge in government shelters once they opened up Sunday.

Many Jamaicans also began stocking up for the emergency.

At the Azan Super Center, a supermarket in Kingston, shoppers were scooping up flashlights and gas lamps along with food. The kerosene was already sold out.

It has been chaos from the morning, owner Melain Azan said.

Shopper Nardia Powell said she was stocking up because she learned a hard lesson when she was unprepared for Hurricane Ivan in 2004, as were many others. So, I just want to be on the safe side, right? she said.

Feltgen said storm-force winds and rain would arrive well before the center of the storm. Jamaicans basically have daylight today; they have tonight, and they have daylight tomorrow to take care of what needs to be done, he said.

Jamaicans are accustomed to intense storms, but Hurricane Matthew looked particularly threatening. At its peak, it was more powerful than Hurricane Gilbert, which made landfall on the island in September 1988 and was the most destructive storm in the countrys modern history.

In Haiti, civil protection officials broadcast warnings of a coming storm surge and big waves, saying the country would be highly threatened from the approaching system. They urged families to prepare emergency food and water kits.

Emergency management authorities banned boating starting Saturday, particularly along the impoverished countrys southern coastline.

Forecasters said rainfall totals could reach 10 to 15 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches in Jamaica and southwestern Haiti.

The U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is also potentially in the path of the storm. A mandatory evacuation of nonessential personnel, including about 700 family members of military personnel, was underway and everyone staying behind was being told to take shelter, said Julie Ann Ripley, a spokeswoman. There are about 5,500 people living on the base, including 61 men held at the detention center.

Matthew caused at least one death when it entered the Caribbean on Wednesday. Officials in St. Vincent reported a 16-year-old boy was crushed by a boulder as he tried to clear a blocked drain.

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UPDATES:

8:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

4:15 p.m.: This article was updated with details from Colombia.

12:55 p.m.: This article was updated with the hurricanes new position and additional information.

8:45 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information.

This article was originally published at 4:05 a.m.
With its drab two-tone walls, neon lighting and plastic chairs, it looks more like a lecture hall than a war room. But instead of students, officers from Iraqs security forces study a bank of flat-screen TVs showing feeds from drones flying hundreds of miles away.

On one side, amid a jumble of equipment, sit a row of U.S. servicemen. They tap occasional directions to the drones on their laptops while eating lunch, Iraqi-style ribs with rice, from Styrofoam boxes. One computer, left alone for a minute, loops a video of penguins frolicking on an ice floe.

The languid atmosphere in the Joint Operations Center, here on the historic plains of northern Iraq, is deceptive. For months, they have been preparing for what could be a turning point in the fight against Islamic State and its 2-year-old, self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq: the campaign to retake Mosul.

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Islamic State bombings in Baghdad kill at least 17 civilians, Iraq says 

Expected to commence in the coming weeks, the battle for the city of 1.2 million people, Iraqs second-largest, is expected to send up to 1 million people fleeing for safety and help determine the future of Americas bid to contain the spread of violent Muslim extremism in the Middle East.

Where is the existential threat to Iraq? Maj. Gen. Gary J. Volesky, commander of the U.S.-led coalitions ground forces in the country, said recently as final preparations were getting underway. The decisive point for the fight in Iraq is Mosul.

It was more than two years ago that Islamic State blazed through Mosul, capturing a city that was then home to up to 2.5 million people  part of a blitz that soon put the militant group in control of a third of Iraq and Syria.

Iraqs army, which had collapsed in the path of the jihadis, has been waging a slow fight to recover. Backed by the warplanes of the U.S.-led coalition and tens of thousands of paramilitary fighters  some of them supported by Iran  Iraqi troops this year have wrested control of some of Islamic States major bastions, shrinking the groups territory by a quarter of what it controlled in 2015, according to a July report by IHS Conflict Monitor.

Yet nothing they have done so far compares with the upcoming battle for Mosul, a crossroads of commerce and culture for thousands of years that is the jewel in Islamic States crown. Its size alone has made the task of overrunning it a daunting one.

The Iraqi army will have to throw everything it has into the campaign, military commanders say, but there is now a conviction that there is no more time to wait.

The momentum is with the Iraqis, and they know it, said Col. Brett Sylvia, head of the U.S. Task Force Strike in Iraq.

Previous commanders would say to their troops, This year were going to Mosul, and they didnt go. When we came, they told us we werent going to Mosul. But we will.

One of the big uncertainties is how much support Islamic State militants have among the citys inhabitants.

When Islamic State militants first swarmed into the city in June 2014, the primarily Sunni Muslim residents, nurturing longstanding resentments against Iraqs majority Shiite Muslim government, hailed the jihadis as liberators. The militants rolled into the city on pickups flying the groups trademark black-and-white banner, then quickly appropriated the U.S.-supplied Humvees and armored vehicles left by the fleeing Iraqi army.

See the most-read stories in World News this hour 

The takeover stunned Iraqis and humiliated the government, but it also granted legitimacy to Islamic States vision of a self-declared caliphate in the eyes of some Muslims, especially when the group removed the much-hated borders, imposed by Britain and France at the turn of the last century, between Iraq and Syria.

The Mosul takeover cleared the way for Abu Bakr Baghdadi, Islamic States leader, to make his first public appearance, delivering a sermon at Mosuls Great Mosque in which he declared himself caliph of the militant groups emerging empire.

Immediately after Mosuls fall, jubilant activists posted photos of volunteers cleaning the streets and removing concrete barriers. They called the takeover a revolution and praised the militants for their courteous and welcoming behavior when speaking to journalists they encountered outside the city.

But matters soon took a turn for the worse. Islamic State fighters banned any other group from raising its flag in the city and confiscated all weapons, pursuing and killing all who stood in their way. Contact with members of factions, on phone or social media, soon went dead.

The militant groups application of a brutally literal interpretation of Islamic law, with punishments including beheadings and amputations, spurred a pogrom of Mosuls Assyrian, Yazidi, Turkmen, Armenian and Shabak communities. Islamic State shuttered Mosul University, one of the top educational institutions in the area. (They militants spared its once-famous medical college but banned women from enrolling.)

Since then, reports have emerged of severe shortages of food and water, with citizens treated as de facto prisoners. They contradict Islamic State propaganda materials depicting markets overflowing with produce and crowded with shoppers. On a recent nocturnal flyover of Mosul, the citys lights glowed brightly despite talk of electricity cuts.

Meanwhile, communications have been all but severed, leaving unknown the fate of a city once famed for its educated and intellectual class.

Publicly, representatives of the different forces have put a timeline of between mid-October and mid-December for the start of the operation. In the run-up to the offensive, a 9-square-mile base near the town of Qayyarah, 40 miles south of Mosuls center, is an essential component. Its capture from Islamic State, so soon after the successful recapture of Fallujah, surprised the attacks planners.

People thought [the Iraqis] werent going to get to Qayyarah until November. They did it in July, said Volesky.

Once named after former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but now known as Q-West, the base has undergone a major overhaul ahead of the push into Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital. It has become the new forward position for government and coalition forces, including the bulk of the 560 U.S. troops dispatched to Iraq by the Pentagon in July.

When we first got there it was like a Category 5 level hurricane went in there and tore through the place. Daesh went through some significant effort and energy to make the ground as unusable as possible, said Sylvia, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

But within weeks the facility was operational.

On a wall map of northern Iraq in Sylvias briefing room, someone had drawn concentric circles with a felt-tip pen, with Q-West as the center; they indicated the range of weapons now stationed at the base.

Iraqi troops have already begun massing there. Last week, as scores of soldiers and militiamen began an attack on the Islamic State-held city of Sharqat, clumps of army recruits trudged on the nearby highway, pleading for a ride to the air base.

The coalition is ramping up its presence as well, with the addition of 600 more U.S. troops, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Meanwhile, large convoys of coalition trucks and armored vehicles shuttle between Q-West and Camp Swift, a base in Makhmour, a roughly 90-minute drive from the northern Iraqi town of Irbil.

In the meantime, most indications point to a zero hour sometime in the middle of this month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking to U.S.-based Turkish community members on Sept. 25, gave Oct. 19 as the kickoff date.

British Tornadoes and Typhoon fighter jets have focused their efforts on targets outside Mosul, while Pentagon spokesman Col. John Dorrian said last week that 13 Islamic State commanders, part of the groups military intelligence network in Mosul, had been killed in the last 30 days.

Plans for the capture of the city, which is bisected by the Tigris River, call for some forces to advance up to Mosul from the east while army units and special forces, known as the Golden Division, mount an attack from the south.

Its unclear how long the jihadis can last. Although they have had more than two years to prepare against the onslaught, coalition officials say the groups top leaders have already begun their escape.

But there are fissures among the ground forces involved in the battle. Some Iraqi militia and intelligence officials have said they suspect the Kurdish fighting forces, also known peshmerga, will try to engage in a land grab in an attempt to join parts of Nineveh province to a presumptive Kurdish state.

The presence of the Turkish army in the area, over the objections of the Iraqi government, has added to the confusion. The Turks have provided training and weapons to a Sunni militia led by former Mosul Gov. Atheel Nujaifi. Although the militia intends to join the battle against Islamic State, some of the allied factions view it as an enemy.

The U.S., meanwhile, does not want to include the Shiite-dominated factions known as the Popular Mobilization Units, which are accused by the coalition of committing sectarian-driven crimes against Sunni populations in the areas under their control.

These concerns have dictated a plan in which both the peshmerga and the Popular Mobilization Units would stay outside the city while the army and special forces engage in street fighting inside Mosul.

Nevertheless, officials play down any hint of a fractious relationship.

There is unprecedented coordination between the Iraqi army and the peshmerga. In their battles we help them. And we get calls from their commanders telling us theyre ready to help us, said Maj. Gen. Najim Jabouri, the Iraqi army commander slated to lead the attack on Mosul..

U.S. forces will not be on the front line, said Volesky, who described a crucial but behind-the-scenes role for soldiers under his command.

What is different about this fight is that the Iraqis are really in the lead. Theyre the ones fighting. Were not telling them what to do.

At Al Asad base, 180 miles south of Mosul in Anbar province, mobile artillery units stand ready to lob their ordnance at Mosul. A nearby hangar houses more than a dozen drones used to monitor and strike Islamic State targets. At another corner of the sprawling base, coalition trainers prepare 8,500 Iraqi border guards to seal the border to prevent the militants from fleeing back into Syria or Turkey.

Over in Makhmour, Camp Swift provides a more literal example of the United States central role: Nestled between two other bases, it is the link binding the Iraqi armys Nineveh Operations Command to the Kurdish peshmerga.

We have great aerial support from them, Jabouri said of the American presence. Theyre like a skillful surgeon removing a cancer.

He added that he expected residents of Mosul will be ready to rise up against a much-weakened Islamic State.

In other liberated areas, when weve talked to people who welcomed Daesh in the past, they all said they regretted it. And in Qayyarah, the fight was much easier because the people helped, he said. We know many people are waiting for their hour of liberation.

Bulos is a special correspondent. Follow him on Twitter.

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After the success of OnePlus 3, the company is now looking forward to manufacturing another phone which is the OnePlus 4. The new smartphone is expected to supersede the power-packed performance that OnePlus 3 has proved as well as provide a cutthroat competition with other well-known devices such as iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and Google devices.

Although Apple's iPhone 8 will have an all-glass display and other popular tech companies' flagships exhibit dual-edge curved display, OnePlus 4 will not be left behind with its promising features and specs, MSN reported.

The forthcoming handset might also have a modular design that will enable users to link different modules to it. OnePlus 4 is anticipated to come with two versions, 6 GB and 8 GB and runs on Android 7 Nougat.

OnePlus 4 will have 8 GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 830 processor which could expand the device's dependability. Tech critics forecast that the new handset would highlight a 64 GB internal storage while the reliability could be around 128 GB.

According to the website, the new device will boast of a 5.5 inch curved aluminum metal design. Just like other famous smartphones, OnePlus 4 has a retina Eye scanner, print scanner and other added features. It has a quick-charging battery of 4000 mAh which is irremovable. It has 22-megapixel rear cameras and an 8-megapixel front camera that take snapshots like a pro. The promising device will run on Qualcomm Octa Core Processor.

Speaking of the price, OnePlus 4 could be around $399 to $449. The release date of OnePlus 4 is Summer 2016 for all the following countries: Indonesia, Europe, the US, Malaysia, China, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and Russia. OnePlus 4 is an inexpensive smartphone that can compete with the top of the line handsets in terms of features and specifications.
The Easton-Phillipsburg free bridge has connected Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 100 years.

A replica assembled Saturday by Lafayette College students connects them to 150 years of engineering at the school.

The real 550-foot bridge was built in 1895 by Lafayette alumnus James Madison Porter III. The walkable 150-foot model was built as part of the Easton college's open house on Saturday.

Check the Lafayette website for information about performances, movie screenings, art exhibitions and other events.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Lehigh County investigators continue to probe the home of a man police say worked with a Lehigh County woman who disappeared from her Lower Macungie home three years ago.

Pennsylvania State Police are looking for missing Lower Macungie Township resident Holly Grim. (Courtesy photo)

Troopers were called Nov. 22, 2013, after Holly Grim didn't report to work at Allen Organ Co. and her family wasn't able to get in touch with her. She was last seen taking her son to a bus stop near her home in the Red Maples Mobile Home Park in the 1100 block of Grange Road.

The 42-year-old Grim disappeared under "suspicious and unexplained circumstances," state police have said.

A WFMZ-69 News broadcast Sunday showed an excavator on the Woodhaven Drive property of Michael Horvath, a former co-worker of Grim, in Ross Township Monroe County. The pair both were employed at Allen Organ at the time of Grim's disappearance.

The Pocono Record previously reported a human bone was found on the site, but no charges have been brought against Horvath.

Pennsylvania State Police told WFMZ there are "a lot of items in the house" and hundreds of people -- including Horvath -- have been interviewed.

Lehigh County investigators have sealed a search warrant issued by Monroe County, according to a WFMZ report. Police did not say in news reports if Horvath has been cooperative in the investigation.

The WFMZ broadcast stated Horvath was formally arraigned on a DUI charge last week and approved for the county's first-offenders program. If successful in the program, the charge would be expunged upon completion.

Dionne Molony, a neighbor interviewed during the broadcast, said the investigation has been "scary, uncomfortable" and has given residents "uneasy feelings."

"We just don't know what's going on; they're not say anything," she said of police. "I do wish they would be more forthright."

The investigation at the Horvath home is expected to wrap up by next Friday, WFMZ reports.

What you can do:

State police have asked anyone with information about Grim's disappearance to contact the Fogelsville station at 610-395-1438. Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Hurricane Matthew Churns in Caribbean

In this NOAA satellite image, Hurricane Matthew can be seen in the Caribbean Sea just south of Cuba and Jamacia on Oct. 1, 2016. As of Saturday morning, Matthew was a very strong Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 145 mph.

(NOAA | Getty Images)

Packing steady winds as powerful as 145 mph, Hurricane Matthew continues moving west across the Caribbean Sea on Saturday and threatens to hit parts of Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba during the next few days, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters say it's too early to know with certainty whether Matthew -- a dangerous Category 4 hurricane -- poses any threat to New Jersey and other states in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. But they are expecting the storm to make a fairly sharp turn toward the north late Sunday into early Monday, a track that would directly threaten the Bahamas and would put southeastern Florida into the storm's so-called "cone of uncertainty."

Based on the latest forecast track, the center of the hurricane will move across the central Caribbean Sea on Saturday and Sunday, then approach Jamaica and the southwestern section of Haiti Sunday night and Monday.

This map shows the projected track of Hurricane Matthew, as of 11 a.m. Saturday. (National Hurricane Center)

Eastern Cuba would be in Matthew's direct path Monday night into Tuesday morning, and the Bahamas could face a direct hit by early Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

After that, it's uncertain whether the storm will continue moving north, threaten the southern Atlantic coast or turn out to sea, forecasters from AccuWeather said.

"Should Matthew remain offshore of the East coast, impacts would be minimal," AccuWeather said in a report on Saturday. "However, there will still be a period of rough surf, strong rip currents, beach erosion and dangerous seas that shifts northward."

Based on the current speed and projections, if Matthew does impact the Northeast, those affects would be felt late next week or next weekend. For now, forecasters say New Jerseyans and other residents in northern states should monitor the storm's track, but there's no need to take any precautions right now.

During the past few days, Matthew quickly intensified from a tropical wave to a tropical storm, then into a low-level hurricane. On Friday morning, Matthew strengthened once again and became a major Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.

By Friday afternoon, Matthew strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane -- the strongest level on the five-level scale -- but overnight the storm weakened slightly but remained a still-strong Category 4 hurricane.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Those who live in Northampton County and believe their vote is insignificant in a national election might want to read this.

A Republican consulting firm founded by GOP political operative Jeff Roe has identified the county as one of the 10 biggest battleground counties nationwide in the presidential race.

Roe's firm, Axiom Strategies, studied election results in eight battleground states to develop the top 10 list. The only other Pennsylvania county on the list is Luzerne County. Pennlive.com, our sister website, reported the firm's findings on Thursday in a story focusing on Luzerne's impact on the election.

The other eight include two counties in Ohio and one county in each of the following states: North Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin.

"These counties historically reflect statewide results, so monitoring them will be key in analyzing the 2016 presidential race," Axiom Strategies says in its analysis, which was conducted in collaboration with Readington Research Group.

A look at how Northampton County voted in the past four presidential elections backs up that statement.

Consider the following data provided by Axiom Strategies:

In 2012, President Barack Obama won the county with 52.08 percent of the votes; he won the state with 51.71 percent of the votes.

In 2008, Obama won the county with 55.50 percent; he won the state with 54.65 percent.

In 2004, then-Sen. John Kerry won the county with 50.06 percent of the vote; he won the state with 50.96 percent.

In 2000, former Vice President Al Gore won the county with 50.72 percent of the vote; he won the state with 50.61 percent.

Despite the designation as a battleground county, the candidates -- Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump -- have yet to visit Northampton County. Clinton's running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, made an appearance in August in Hanover Township.

But if recent history is any indicator, there's a good chance the campaign trails for Clinton and Trump will pass through the county at least once before Election Day.

Sen. John McCain, 2008's GOP nominee, visited the region multiple times in the months leading up to the election, including a joint rally with running mate and then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin held in a packed Stabler Arena on Lehigh University's campus in Bethlehem.

Obama, Clinton (during her 2008 primary run), Kerry, Gore, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (2012's GOP nominee) and former President George W. Bush also campaigned in the Lehigh Valley in pursuit of the presidency.

Election Day is Nov. 8.

The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Oct. 11.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Tidy Towns Competition 2016

Adjudication Report: Mountrath

Mark:272. Mark awarded 2015: 268

Community Involvement & Planning:

The adjudicator would like to welcome Mountrath to the 2016 National Tidy Towns Competition. Thank you for your entry form and nicely drafted hand drawn annotated map, which was a great help on adjudication day. Your overall approach to the competition is good and it is obvious that the committee of 6 core members work hard to keep up the high level of care witnessed on adjudication day. Plus a great turn out from the younger members of the community with regular support from your scouts and schoolchildren right down to little tots, a special thanks to them for all their work. The enclosed photographs gave us a great flavour of the work they do with you. We note your hope to have a junior tidy town committee member in 2017 so good luck with progressing that. The Committees work with the Local Authority and Laois Partnership is to be commended and your participation in their workshops can only further your committees knowledge. Thank you for including a town plan, however many centres find it useful to structure the plan with projects in each category in order to progress in the completion.

Built Environment and Streetscape:

Your village has a lovely mix of new and old buildings and in spite of being dissected by a busy road retains a real sense of place and community. The blue oval sign to the Quaker Burial Ground was nicely placed and informative.

this year was a milestone for you and its successful establishment has earned you marks. Your public houses and eateries contribute much to the overall appearance of the village however remove Christmas lights at the Fountain Hose once the festive season is over. The traditional frontage at Galbraiths and Fitzpatricks was lovely to see but perhaps the artificial hanging flowers here could be removed as they are now faded. The Miller corner house looked newly painted. Once again the church was a delight having been decorated for a summer wedding. Facades and more importantly gable walls along the main street were all looking neat and clean. As with many other centres you have a prominent empty site and we wish you luck with new life being brought to this prime spot in the future but in the short term the sweet shop mural was well done. Floral Visions had a lively shopfront. We look forward to your progress on the signage with Laois County Council. Scoil Bride is beautifully located beside the river and tucked away amongst trees here. A lovely spot.

Landscaping and Open Spaces:

The emphasis on establishing a strong landscape structure in the town is to be commended with your programme of tree planting included your local students. The play area and walks by the river are such a gem. It is a lovely peaceful spot. We realised, during our judging tour of Laois, the high standards of play areas in the county. But with regard to setting and maintenance we have to say the Mountrath playground was by far the best we saw in the County. We thank your committee members for the effort required to keep up this level of presentation and care.

The 1916 memorial opposite was beautifully presented and a striking modern design. Ensure the trees are kept well-watered for the first few growing seasons. We hope you resolve the landscape issue at the river. Look to your Mountrath Local Biodiversity Action Plan for appropriate species to be planted at each of your habitat types.

Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities:

Your recently completed Biodiversity Plan will give you an understanding of the importance of your surrounding habitats and this work has gained you marks in this category. A key in this category is to follow through on your habitat initiatives and continually assess their successes. To do this we would encourage you to do perhaps survey and audits every 2/3 years to see for example are your butterfly habitats are being used and if not why not  they may need to be relocated or maintained more regularly. Keeping track of all these result will let you see how your habitats are responding to your interventions. The community orchard is a great idea and another way you have found to involve the younger generations. Community orchards are a great opportunity for everyone to learn new skills  fencing, wildlife watching, horticultural skills gained from pruning and maintenance of the fruit trees and jam and fruit juice making skills, for example, once the fruit is picked.

Sustainable Waste and Resource Management:

We hope to see your water butts installed for next years adjudication visit. We hope your school are enjoying their participation in An Taisces Green School scheme. For further advice on how to address this category we would encourage you to visit http://localprevention.ie/tidy-towns/ . The Local Prevention website have added a specific

'Tidy Towns' page to their website so you can see what waste prevention projects have been done by other similar groups around the country. There are various case studies to learn from with practical tips, advice, free downloads of brochures etc. this may give you ideas for other ways to address this category to the benefit of the town.

Tidiness and Litter Control:

Be aware of redundant signage e.g. the Mill Lane sign beside the Quaker Graveyard and old hanging basket brackets at upper floors on the main street; remove if no longer in use. There were a few redundant poles in the town so liaise with your area engineer to remove these poles if no new signage is proposed for example on the Dublin road approach. We note the accident at the bridge so we hope to see this repaired soon. Standards of litter control were good with very little litter evident in the village core area; Bins were emptied so well done to all involved in the weekly litter picks. The play area was immaculate with bins here clean and empty. We are glad to hear of your involvement in Laois Clean Up Week. Excessive signage at the entrance to the Mountrath Business Park could be tided and rationalised. Blue and white plastic to poles on the approach from Portlaoise were looking tatty and should be removed.

Residential Streets & Housing Areas:

The residential properties in the village were presented to a high standard so well done to all your residents.

Remove tree ties to the young trees at Ard Erin and the mature tree overhanging the entrance may need attention.

There were some well presented cottages along the riverbank at Stillbrook. Bright painted doors were admired at White Horse view. At Kiln Lane the nicely presented pots were somewhat hiding the estate sign and the bright pink bench here added a splash of colour.

Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes:

Generally there was appropriate maintenance of the verges on the approaches to the village And approach roads were well maintained with speed signage clearly visible. The neat Failte angled sign by the Portlaoise Road junction was particularly well maintained with its setting amongst summer flowering perennials. A number of gable walls in the town could be refreshed as they are prominent when viewed from the main street for example the wall at the junction with the Church of Ireland and the Quaker Graveyard. The grass must be particularly hard to maintain on the central town roundabout. Perhaps fill all of this space with 1 or 2 types of perennials for impact and to reduce mowing commitments. Is a roundabout the best spot for a seat? Is it ever used? Consider relocating it to reduce clutter here. The Mountrath twining sign and 50kph speed sign by the derelict cottage were very dirty so good luck with your discussion with the County Council on signage.

Concluding Remarks:

Mountrath has a lovely riverside setting and the tone of the works that have been done by your group so far will ensure the protection of its heritage and landscape for the next generation. Well done on this. You have a proactive approach to addressing issues and its no wonder you are all kept so busy throughout the year. All involved with this years entry are warmly thanked and congratulated for their efforts and we wish you the very best for 2017.
I spent a couple of days in Witney this week. Events since my return have prevented me from telling you too much about my trip  but I would say that if you can get there before the by-election on October 20th, do go. We have a brilliant candidate and a huge team doing an incredible job. I spent Tuesday canvassing with Liz and some of her team in Eynsham and I was surprised by the warmth of the reception on the doors and its clear that the more people who go to help, the more people we can speak to, the better the result we will get. So, what are you waiting for? If you cant go, phone! All the info you need to help is here.

Before we headed out, I sat down with Liz for a chat. She is an incredibly impressive candidate. Ive known from working with her pretty closely for some years now that she is one of those people who can come into a situation where everyone is running around panicking and just sort stuff. She has the knowledge, the authority and the passion to be a brilliant MP for Witney. She understands the issues facing local people, from the threats posed by Brexit, to cuts in bus services which leave people trapped in their villages to the huge problems in accessing NHS services.

I am very grateful to John ONeill from Northern Ireland Lib Dems, who very kindly transcribed it for me.

CL: We are sitting in the Lib Dem office, currently a hive of activity, with Liz Leffman. Youve been a by-election candidate for a week now, whats it been like?

LL: Well, its been quite a journey! It started off on Tuesday when I was selected. The following day I went straight off to Chipping Norton with Tim Farron. That was very exciting, and then I was on television that evening. So, its been all go actually, and I think probably I havent really stopped since then.

CL: So, what sort of reception are you getting on the doorstep?

LL: On the doorstep, very, very good. Its helped that weve been canvassing in my own ward, where actually, Im incredibly well-known. Its also very encouraging. When I went out with Tim on that first Wednesday, I met two people almost immediately, that I knew, in the street in Chipping Norton, so thats great. And the message has definitely got round that I am the candidate, and Im getting lots of people saying, Great!, and, Were really hoping for you and rooting for you and hoping that youll win.

CL: Im hearing people are now actually recognising you in the street as well!

LL: Well, yes they are, actually! The other day I got out of the car in one of the villages and as I was getting back in again, somebody said, Ooh, thats Liz Leffman over there!, and I got out and said hello, and they said Yes, we recognise you from your leaflets! Its thanks to the huge number of leaflets that have gone out over the last weekend. That first weekend was fantastic.

CL: People have just been flocking here, havent they?

LL: They have! I think weve had over a hundred people in the first weekend. I think the Party is really putting all their effort behind this, and everybody is very, very excited about it.

The biscuit question

CL: Now, I asked the Lib Dem/newbies group on Facebook to put out some questions for you, and the first one was the obvious one that every politician has to answer: What is your favourite biscuit?

LL: Well, actually my favourite biscuit is a biscuit that I buy  and you cant get this anywhere else  the only place you can buy this biscuit is at the WI Country Market in Chipping Norton on a Saturday morning, and there is a lady there who makes Anzac biscuits, and if you are in Chipping Norton over the weekend, please go from 9 til 12 to the WI market and buy those biscuits. They are fabulous!

On making sure rural areas dont get left behind

CL: The other thing, more seriously, that people have asked is, if you do get elected as MP, what will be your policy priority?

LL: Absolute priority  making sure rural areas dont get left behind in the way they have been. We are in a very rural area here in Witney. Now, a lot of people think of Witney as a very rich constituency because its where the Prime Minster lived, and everybody talks about the Chipping Norton Set, but, the truth is that actually Chipping Norton is a town with a significant number of disadvantaged people in it who, despite their best efforts, are really struggling. Actually, the rich and famous people live outside Chipping Norton, and a lot of people have lost jobs over the years. We used to have factories in Chipping Norton. There are no factories anymore. As a result, people feel very let down, I think.

Weve got a County Council that is consistently cutting things like bus services; there are villages now in our area which have no buses at all. No buses, and elderly people have to rely on their neighbours to get out and about. To me, that is completely wrong. When we think about the way that older, rural residents are being treated, these are people whove been paying their taxes all their lives, and theyre being sidelined by the Conservative government, and I want to make sure that stops. Its just not fair.

Witneys high-tech companies need relationship with EU to survive

CL: The other thing that I was thinking, because I am a massive Formula 1 fan and I know that a lot of people in Witney constituency will have jobs based at one of the teams or one of the suppliers. Its massive for the economy, and somebody wrote on Lib Dem Voice the other day on the threat that Brexit, particularly a Hard Brexit, would cause. What do you think about that?

LL: The thing about this area is, 54% of people voted to Remain, and thats quite important, because that means an awful lot of the Tories here voted to Remain. And, I think they recognise that if we come out of the EU, and we are forced to renegotiate a trade deal with the EU, that is going to have a major impact, not just on F1, which is very big round here. The teams here will suffer.

But the really important thing is its not just those sort of jobs that will go  weve got Siemens in Eynsham, for example, a high-tech company, there are a lot of high-tech companies round the area, and theyre dependent upon that relationship with Europe to survive, and I think that the people who are negotiating Brexit for us dont really understand the ramifications of what theyre doing. They really do not understand. And I fear very much that unless weve got powerful voices in Parliament on our side, I think were going to be in real trouble. Im happy to say that Nick Clegg is a very powerful voice, and is making the case for continuing membership of the single market.

This is one reason why Im very keen to be elected. Because I think I can add to the weight of our team in Parliament in making the case.

I will campaign vigorously against NHS cuts

CL: One of the big issues round here is the NHS, and that features quite heavily on your leaflet  tell me a bit more about the problems people are facing

LL: Well, Ive seen problems around here over the last ten, fifteen years. Theres been an increasing reduction in services. For example, when I was the candidate in 2005, we had a problem with the Chipping Norton Hospital, which was threatened with closure, and I was part of the Hospital Action Group that actually kept that hospital going, and got it rebuilt. So weve now got a facility there, but even that is now under threat, because the CCG is removing money from community hospitals. So its quite possible that we may be fighting another campaign in the future to keep that hospital open.

The problem is that thats got a maternity unit, and if that closes, then people have to go all the way into Oxford to have their babies, because the one in Banbury is also under threat of closure. And, I think, Caron, you have seen how bad the roads are going in and out of Oxford (shed clearly seen a message Id written about the A40 being a slightly mobile car park while stuck on it the previous day). And, if somebodys in the throes of child birth and they have to drive from far across the constituency, practically on the Gloucestershire border, to get into Oxford in order to have a baby, that is going to be a major problem. Thats the sort of thing that Im going to be campaigning against.

And weve also got a doctors surgery in Witney, which is growing rapidly  Witneys got another 1500 houses planned  and yet theyre closing a doctors surgery there which has got 4,500 patients. Goodness knows where these people are going to go.

So, there are all sorts of issues, and that is entirely to do with budgets being cut, because they have put out a tender which is 25% less than the previous tender. So, how theyre supposed to manage with 25% less? And thats why the surgerys shutting; because nobody wanted to tender for it, they couldnt reach an agreement. So there are all sorts of threats to our health service round here, and I will be campaigning vigorously against those cuts.

And those cute dogs

CL: The other participants in this campaign are your beautiful dogs

LL: Yes! Freddie and Oscar! I havent got them here today, in fact Oscars gone off to Puppy Class this morning!

CL: How old is he?

LL: Hes just coming up to one. Hell be one next week.

CL: Hes so cute!

LL: He is, hes absolutely adorable!

CL: Have they been out canvassing?

LL: Oh yes! Ive ordered yellow collars; they havent yet arrived. And a friend of mine who iswe have these people in Charlbury called the Yarn Bombers who make crochet things, and on Valentines Day they go out and hang them on peoples doorknobs, and theyve crocheted some rosettes for them; theyre nice and soft and will hang off their collars nicely.

CL: And I understand theyre very affectionate dogs, and anyone who likes dogs may get the chance to meet them

LL: Well certainly bring them into the office and well make sure that people get to know them, yes, absolutely, but Im hoping theyll feature heavily in the campaign; there are an enormous number of people with dogs around here, so many of my friends are dog-walkers, so yes, I think the dogs are going to feature quite heavily!!

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
The total cost would be $49,500 per lethal injection.

Richmond Times-Dispatch -- The Virginia Department of Corrections has agreed to pay a secret supplier of lethal injection drugs $16,500 per execution under a new state contract, more than 30 times higher than what prison officials say they would have had to pay last year for a supply of chemicals sufficient for one execution.





In early 2015, an equivalent batch of drugs would have cost $525.14, according to the Department of Corrections. In 2013 and 2014, a batch would have cost a little less than $250, according to the agency, which calculated the costs by reviewing past invoices.





Virginias process for buying execution drugs changed dramatically this year after the General Assembly passed a law allowing the Department of Corrections to buy special-ordered drugs from compounding pharmacies rather than getting them directly from pharmaceutical manufacturers. The legislation was intended to make it easier for the state to purchase drugs that have become increasingly difficult to acquire as pharmaceutical companies pull back from participating in the death penalty.





The law, which took effect July 1, allows the new vendors identity to remain hidden, a provision Gov. Terry McAuliffe said was necessary to entice companies to do business with Virginia without fear of exposure. McAuliffe, a Democrat, proposed the secrecy bill this year as an alternative to a Republican proposal to use the electric chair as a fallback option if the state should ever be unable to carry out a scheduled execution due to a lack of drugs. At the time, McAuliffe said lawmakers had a choice between effectively ending the death penalty or finding a new way to purchase chemicals.





The death penalty is the law in Virginia, said McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy. And in the modern atmosphere, with respect to lethal injections, this is the cost of enforcing the law.





Critics of the law say the lack of public oversight opens the door to price gouging by allowing an unknown vendor to negotiate with a government in desperate need of a controversial product.





It sounds like were executing people with designer heroin or something, said state Sen. Scott A. Surovell, D-Fairfax, a death penalty opponent who voted against the secrecy law. Usually when government does things secretly, taxpayers end up paying through the nose. ... Instead of $2,000 toilet seats, I guess were going to get $15,000 injections.





Officials redacted the cost in their initial response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, citing the secrecy measure that appears to only cover the suppliers identity. After a reporter questioned whether the secrecy law also shields the contracts financial details, the Department of Corrections released a new version of the contract that discloses the price. Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Kinney said in an email that the price was being revealed after further consideration by counsel as to the level of confidentiality required by the General Assembly.





The price covers three doses of the compounded drug (a primary dose and two backups) and enough vials to allow the drug to be tested every month until its expiration date. Kinney noted that drugs purchased from manufacturers could be treated like any other commercially available drug and didnt have to be tested.





Though several death-penalty states, including nation-leading Texas, carry out executions using a single drug, Virginia uses a three-drug execution protocol: a sedative in step one, a paralytic in step two and a final drug to stop the heart. Virginia has struggled to find drugs for the first step, which can involve one of three approved drugs: midazolam, pentobarbital and sodium thiopental.





When the state executed serial killer Alfredo Prieto in October 2015, officials had to use pentobarbital obtained from the Texas prison system free of charge, a process challenged by Prietos lawyers. The states supply of midazolam had expired shortly before Prietos Oct. 1 execution date.





Kinney said the $16,500 covers only one of the drugs needed for the three-step protocol. She did not specify which one. If the state had to buy all three drugs from the compounding pharmacy, Kinney said, the total cost would be $49,500.





Seven men are on Virginias death row, but none has a pending execution date. The state doesnt appear to have purchased any drugs under the new contract, because officials said no records exist in response to a request for documents showing what, if anything, has been ordered.





Two death-penalty experts said the $16,500 figure for the one drug appears unusually high compared with the drugs market value and costs reported in other states.





Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, noted that Missouri has been paying $7,178 for two vials of pentobarbital per execution, according to a recent Buzzfeed News report. The prices offered to Virginia, Dunham said, are exorbitant.





Public review of contractors and government contracts deters fraud, overpricing, conflicts of interest, and other questionable business practices, Dunham said. A company that knows that its identity will be publicly disclosed and that it may be called upon to defend the details of its contract is much less likely to overcharge so significantly.





Corinna Barrett Lain, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law who researches capital punishment, said the pharmacies desire to avoid bad press can drive up costs.





Theres no pharmacy out there that wants to be known as the death drug producer. And part of that is just simple economics, said Lain, who has publicly opposed lethal-injection secrecy efforts in Virginia.





The electric-chair bill had already been passed by the legislature, but McAuliffe said he would not sign it and instead offered the prospect of contracts with secret pharmacies. After McAuliffe said the Republican-controlled General Assembly would be to blame for ending the death penalty in Virginia, the legislature passed his amended bill in a series of close votes.





The debate over execution methods came as the Department of Corrections said it lacked the chemicals needed to execute Ricky Javon Gray, who was sentenced to die in connection with the 2006 murders of Richmonds Bryan and Kathryn Harvey and their two young daughters, Stella and Ruby.





Gray had been scheduled to die March 16, but his execution was delayed pending further appeals.

 | 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: Richmond Times-Dispatch , Graham Moomaw, September 30, 2016
RESIDENTS and business owners in Croagh are calling for access to and from the village to be included in plans for the new Limerick to Foynes road.

There was disappointment in the area when the latest design update was published, showing no junction to serve the village. Instead, motorists trying to access Croagh would have to exit at either Rathkeale or Adare.

Unless this is changed, residents warned this week, local businesses and jobs could suffer.

Margaret Buckley, chairperson of Croagh Community Council said many local people were upset when they saw the latest plans. Croagh is getting no access from the new road. The only access is from the Lantern Lodge [on the far side of Adare] or from the Rathkeale side, she said.

We are very disappointed because there are a lot of businesses in Croagh and many of them are dependent on passing trade.

And, with the route of the proposed new road cutting through the parish, there is also uncertainty about how people living on the Askeaton side will be able to access the main part of the village. It has been suggested that an overpass will be constructed but this remains undecided.

Ms Buckley pointed out that the community council met with the road designers in January and made a submission seeking direct access for the village.

The community council is inviting all local residents and politicians to a meeting in the community centre on October 7 to formulate a response to the latest design.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins has made his own submission to Transport Infrastructure Ireland calling for an access road for Croagh to be included in the plans.

This new road scheme is going to have a huge impact on many communities, business, farms and families. There is an obligation on the NRA and the Council to ensure that this impact is minimised as much as possible. One way of ensuring this is to provide safe access to and from the proposed new road, Mr Collins said.

Many people from the community in Croagh are very concerned at the lack of proposed access to Croagh, he added.

To divide the community into two separate parts and expect people to do a round commute through either Adare or Rathkeale to travel to the other side of their parish is simply not acceptable.

Local Fine Gael councillor Adam Teskey has also raised concerns about the lack of access. He pointed out that all the businesses in the area were rate-payers and deserved to have their voices heard. Passing trade, he said, was the lifeblood of these businesses and there was great concern locally that it would be affected.

I do feel it would be the height of neglect for the local area and for local people if [access to the village] wasnt to be facilitated, he said.
THE history of a unique medieval settlement at Castletown Conyers, is being uncovered and revealed as part of a concerted local effort to preserve the remains of the building known locally as the Abbey.

But this Abbey was, in fact, the parish church which , along with a motte and a castle or manor house, formed the centre of a medieval borough of up to 300 people which dates back to the 13th century.

According to archaelogist Sarah McCutcheon who has carried out some investigations into the site, Castletown in the parish of Corcomhide was the ancient name for the tribal area of the McEniry family.

This family remained a force in the area until the late 17th century. It was known as Baile Caisleain Mhic an Oighre or town of MacEnirys castle. It obtained the name Castletown Conyers many centuries later when it was subsequently purchased by Captain G. Conyers.

Castletown became the site of a medieval borough, with a church, a motte, a castle or manor house. The manor of Corkemoyd was granted by Maurice Fitzmaurice to his son-in-law Thomas de Clare and his wife Juliana, who in turn granted the church, in 1276, to the Cathedral of Limerick.

By 1284 the manor was holding a weekly market but in 1302 it was destroyed by war. However, an inquisition of 1321 suggested that an estimated 290 people were living there.

There are a number of references to the castle during the 14th century, when it was held by the de Cliffords, amongst others. The church was rededicated in 1410 to the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

After the Reformation it would have been vested in the Church of Ireland and there are some 16th century alterations to the church. The Conyers Vault in the west end was inserted in the late 18th or early 19th century and it's likely the church was a ruin at this point. It was certainly a ruin by the time of the first Ordnance Survey in the 1830s and 1840s.

Now, through the combined efforts of the Castletown Conyers Development Association and Limerick City and County Council, work has begun on preserving the church ruins.

When the matter was first raised with councillors in March last year, the associations chairman Denis Cagney explained that trees were growing within the walls and in the walls and more recently a number of large stones had fallen from a height.

The roots of trees and ivy might be the only thing holding it together, Mr Cagney said at the time. It would be a huge project to take on but we will have to do something about it.

At that meeting, Ms McCutcheon explained that the work required to stabilise the building would need to be done in several phases.

Because the trees had taken over so badly, she said, the first phase would involve cutting back the trees and then drilling and treating the boles and roots. Some propping and boarding off would also be necessary in this phase, she said. She estimated it would cost about 125,000 to stabilise the building.

Later phases, she explained, would involved repairing the cavities left by the roots, removing other vegetation, consolidating the south east corner and north wall chancel and capping the walls.

Since then, work on clearing the trees and ivy has been undertaken under the direction of Ms McCutcheon and the north wall has been propped up.

And this month, councillors were told that the council had received two grants to begin the next phase.

A grant from the Heritage Council will allow a LiDAR or three-dimensional scan of the building to be undertaken along with a photographic survey. And money from the Structures at Risk fund of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, will be used to carry out consolidation works on a 14-metre section of the North Wall.

The council also intends to apply for further funding next year for the next phase in the project.
THE GILHOOLY brothers from Lisnagry keep striking the right chords both at home and abroad.

Last week, John was presented with the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. The director of Wigmore Hall received the honor in recognition of his tireless services in the field of music and musical exchange as a bridge between two nations.

Ambassador Peter Ammon said there was hardly any contemporary German composer, conductor or classical musician who cannot look back with gratitude upon your active support in establishing them in Londons crowded music scene.

It is the latest accolade for John, who also has an OBE, has been honoured in Finland with the rank of Knight of the Order of The White Rose and is listed in the Sunday Times Most Influential People in Britain in 2016.

Back in Lisnagry, Owens Mid-West Vocal Academy and Music School continues to go from strength to strength. Janet Harbisons Irish Harp Centre has moved there from nearby Castleconnell and is now working in partnership with the renowned tenor.

After 14 wonderful and rewarding years at the Old Schoolhouse in Castleconnell, a new era starts  still guided by me but in a new partnership that holds very exciting plans for the future, she said.

While Dr Janet Harbison has moved home to London, she returns to Ireland this week to take up a new post at the University of Ulster in Derry and to attend the new Harp Centre at the Mid-West Vocal Academy in Lisnagry every three weekends.

For more information, please call Rachel on 083 465 9415 or email Rachel@owengilhooly.com.
SOME OF Irelands most successful entrepreneurs are calling on local primary schools to sign up to this years Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP).

The free nationwide programme gives children between 10 and 12 years-old a real insight into the business world, by enabling them to convert their commercial ideas into real business opportunities, complete with management teams, sales and the thrill of running a successful and profitable business.

The free 12-16 week programme is led by Jerry Kennelly, founder and CEO of Tweak.com, in association with Mary Immaculate College. Over the last five years, more than 26,500 pupils have already benefitted with Limerick being one of the first counties to embrace it and best represented.

Mr Kennelly, JEP co-founder, said: All too often entrepreneurship programmes target transition year students at second level, but by then many career decisions and subject choices have already been made. The ideal time to open young minds to the thrill of business is at primary education level, when they are at their most creative and uninhibited in their approach to business ideas and solutions.

The JEP programme is aligned with the primary school curriculum with participants developing skills and confidence in presentation, drawing, technology, research, numeracy as well as problem solving, collaboration and brand awareness. A full programme kit is provided to schools free of charge.

JEP county partner in Limerick, Diarmuid Geary, of Pallas Foods, said: The pupils participating in JEP not only learn about business but they gain a far greater understanding of marketing, finance, sales, leadership while presentation skills, teamwork and confidence increase significantly as a result.

Visit www.juniorentrepreneur.ie to sign up.


Lopez Aguilar, 18, is accused of running a stop sign at Southeast Sixth Street and Bell Avenue, causing a three-vehicle crash Sept. 8. Police said he was driving too fast.



Lopez Aguilar was charged with homicide by reckless driving Monday after 12-year-old Lea Phann died Sunday night from injuries she suffered in the crash.



...



On Oct. 8, 2013, Lopez Aguilar sought a temporary exemption from deportation under a policy known as DACA from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, according to the report. On June 5, 2014, that deferred action was approved, valid until June 4, 2016.



"Lopez Aguilar apparently received deferred deportation protection under the Obama Administrations executive action on immigration. However, he has since fallen out of status with the program and remains in the country illegally," Grassley's office said in a news release accompanying his letter Tuesday.



The report released Thursday also confirms Lopez Aguilar's two interactions with law enforcement in Iowa.



According to court records, Lopez Aguilar's only other criminal offense in Iowa appears to be a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia June 30 in Perry. Police did not take Lopez Aguilar into custody as a result of that citation. He made an appearance in court related to the case, which is pending.



Lopez Aguilar's immigration status was not questioned in that case, according to the report.



On Sept. 8, Lopez Aguilar was arrested following the crash at Southeast Sixth and Bell Avenue. On Sept. 9, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration hold, also called a detainer, on Lopez Aguilar, an ICE spokesman said Wednesday.



Polk County Sheriff's Sgt. Brandon Bracelin, a spokesman for the Polk County Jail, said Tuesday night that the jail will notify ICE if Lopez Aguilar is able to post bail. He is in custody at the Polk County Jail on a $560,000 cash bond, according to jail records.



Lopez Aguilar faces criminal charges of homicide by reckless driving, two counts of serious injury by reckless driving, child endangerment, operating without a driver's license, and having no insurance.




Apr 29, 2021, 7 PM

Spinks sale of early India in September offered an 1857 cover from Aden to Bombay with two examples of the 4a fourth printing. The cover sold for $42,300.

In September, Spink in Singapore offered an unused corner-margin single of Indias first issue, printed from the first plate. Ex-Maurice Burrus, the 4-anna rarity brought three times the pre-sale estimate, selling for $51,200.

Also at the September Spink sale, a rare pair from the fourth printing of Indias first issue, with considerable original gum, sold for $44,100: twice its presale estimate.

By Matthew Healey, New York Correspondent

Spink held a sale at its offices in Singapore Sept. 9-10 that was devoted entirely to an advanced holding of the early stamps of India.

The countrys first issue, in 1854, consisted of simple designs showing a profile bust of Queen Victoria, the country name India and the denomination in words, from half anna to four annas. The stamps were printed locally and issued imperforate. While the basic stamps are not rare, specialists delve into the intricacies of the different dies and printing plates used, and stamps or covers showing the scarcer varieties command great premiums.

The bicolor octagonal 4a stamp, for example, was printed in two different plate configurations. The first had the stamps spaced far apart, with delicate framelines running between them, while the second had the stamps arranged more conventionally, without the dividing lines.

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An enormous, unused corner-margin single of the first setting, showing the wiggly framelines and corner rosettes on three sides, also included part of the bottom-margin imprint of the office in Calcutta (modern Kolkata) that did the printing. Minute details identify the head, which is dark blue, as coming from the second of three dies used, and the frame, in red, as coming from the first.

A light crease hardly detracts from the beauty and rarity of the stamp, which once resided in the famous collection of Maurice Burrus. It went for triple its presale estimate, or the equivalent of $51,200, including the 20 percent buyers premium Spink adds to all lots.

A rare pair from the fourth printing, on which the stamps are closer together, shows the third head die and second frame die. Augmented by a large amount of original gum on the back, the upper-margin pair sold for double its estimate, or $44,100.

Two examples of the 4a fourth printing on an 1857 cover to Bombay paid the double-weight letter rate from the British colony of Aden, at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula. Aden used stamps of India until its own first issue in 1937.

Both stamps on the native (locally made) envelope are canceled by a barred-numeral 124, the number assigned to Aden, and one also is tied by a Nov. 20 Aden datestamp. The cover sold for $42,300.
Oct 1, 2016, 11 PM

By Michael Baadke

American poet Wallace Stevens was born Oct. 2, 1879, in Reading, Pa. While at Harvard University, Stevens contributed poetry to both the Harvard Advocate art and literary magazine and Harvard Monthly. He wrote briefly for the New York Evening Post before earning a degree at New York Law School, and eventually claiming a career in Connecticut as an insurance company executive.

He remained at The Hartford for decades while composing and publishing imaginative poems filled with vivid imagery and descriptive, often dense details and language. Stevens was in his mid-forties when he published his first book, Harmonium, and would go on to publish several more acclaimed books during his lifetime.

He received the 1951 National Book Award for The Auroras of Autumn, and the publication of The Collected Poems in 1955 brought a second National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

Stevens died Aug. 2, 1955, and is honored on a forever stamp issued April 21, 2012, in the Twentieth Century Poets set (Scott 4660).
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"I didn't know I was so loved until I got cancer."

That's what survivor Rosa Duran-Perez had to say Saturday morning at the 21st walk for the Cause, an event hosted by Soroptimist International of Albany.

Since 1983, the philanthropic women's group has raised funds for women's and children's health causes. Walk for a Cause raises grant money for not only breast cancer, but also for various other causes throughout Linn County.

The walkers followed a route a little more than 3 miles long that took them from the Linn County Courthouse to along the waterfront on the Dave Clark Trail almost to Bowman Park, and then back down Water Avenue toward Bryant Park, and back again to the courthouse.

And while the participants bring a mix of laughter and a stiff upper lip, it's clear that their efforts to help fight the illness do pay off. The walk has to date raised more than $700,000, last year netting $35,000. The Soroptimists this year were able to fund half of a grant for a mammography chair at Lebanon Community Hospital.

Rosa's words set the tone for the event, where 700 people on 40 teams showed up to walk, raise money, and laugh as much as they could while supporting cancer patients, survivors, and research. She was one of 11 grand marshals in the event, all survivors.

Two of those survivors, Gabby and Michelle Fief, a mother and daughter, tell a special story. Gabby, now an Oregon State University student, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 11. Michelle was diagnosed with breast cancer at 47. Michelle's mother (Gabby's grandmother) died from the disease.

This is the undercurrent of the walk: a celebration ringed with heavy hearts. But the fun the participants have and the costumes they wear announce that life goes on. A father and daughter who lost a wife and mother just four years ago walked with the team Stinkin' Cancer. It was not without tears that they told their story. And another, Albany resident Brian Oare, dressed in bunny ears and a tutu, had to take a break as he teared up while talking about his wife, Mary, a 10-year survivor.

"I love my wife," he said finally, delivering the words with a finality and sense of redemption.
A group of Ukrainian doctors visited the mid-valley this week as part of a Corvallis Sister Cities Association program sponsored by the U.S. Congress.

The five doctors, all in family medicine, have toured Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Northwest in Lebanon, and the neonatal intensive care unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield.

Pete Bober, chairperson of the Corvallis Sister City Associations Uzhhorod Council, said the visit is part of the sister cities program with funding provided by the Open World Leadership Center. According to Bober, the program is sponsored directly by the U.S. Congress and has three major goals for everyone involved: raise occupational awareness, create awareness of democratic processes and provide cultural exposure.

Bober said the visitors have met with elected officials, including Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Peter DeFazio, are staying with local host families and are having cultural experiences, like visiting the coast. They also are doing occupational training work through their visits to health care facilities, he said. The group arrived from Uzhhorod, one of Corvallis sister cities, on Sept. 22 and depart Sunday.

Bober said President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the sister cities program as a way to allow diplomacy to be done citizen-to-citizen rather than by government officials.

Politicians tend to focus on the differences it seems, but we actually find we have a lot in common, Bober said.

Bober added that the doctors selected for the program are the best and brightest, and after their exchanges many go on to prominent positions at home.

Nataliia Molanych, one of the visiting doctors, said some of the differences she observed were in insurance, as there is no public insurance like Medicare and Medicaid in Ukraine, and the structure of medical school. In Ukraine, doctors are in school longer, but their residencies are shorter.

It is a good experience to get to see the health care system in the United States, she said.

Vlasta Petrishchak, another visiting doctor, said she was impressed by the hands on training they saw for medical students. She added that shed like to see classes on what being a doctor is like taught at medical schools in Ukraine as they are in the U.S.

Nataliya Hryb, another doctor, added she was interested to see a Corvallis practice using microsurgery for things they would send people to a surgeon for in Ukraine, and she would like to see that type of care come to her country.

Petrishchak added that the doctors like getting to know Americans and experiencing American life.

We are also enjoying the program, she said.

Hryb said they also have met many people who were very friendly, particularly their host families.

The families we live with are very open-hearted, she said.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

In late September, Yahoo announced that at least 500 million user accounts had been compromised. The data stolen included users names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth and encrypted passwords, but not credit card data. Large data breaches have become increasingly common: Just in 2016 we have found out about Yahoos breach as well as the LinkedIn hack (compromising 167 million accounts) and the MySpace breach (opens in new tab) (360 million accounts).

The Yahoo breach affected more users than the other two, but all of them share a crucial element: They were announced to the public years after the fact. The LinkedIn hack happened in 2012, MySpace was breached in 2013 and Yahoo was hacked in 2014. Not until 2016 did users of the three sites found out their information had been stolen.

When personal information is stolen, rapid response is important. Customers need to change their passwords, and take other steps to protect their identity, including securing bank accounts and credit records. If people dont know a breach has occurred and that they need to take these protective steps, they remain vulnerable.

So why does it take such a long time for companies to disclose that they have been hacked? Its not as simple as you might think  or hope.

Time is a key factor

Its not yet clear when Yahoo learned about its attack, though in this case the timing is questionable. A news article published on August 1 quoted a company spokesperson saying Yahoo was aware a hacker was selling login details for 200 million Yahoo accounts in an online black market.

But more than a month later, the company filed a document with U.S. financial regulators saying it didnt know of any claims of unauthorized access that might have an effect on its pending sale to Verizon. And Verizon said publicly that it had heard about the breach only two days before Yahoo announced it to the world.

All those events, of course, were years after the breach had actually happened. This is an uncommonly long delay. According to a recent report from network security firm FireEye, in 2015 the median amount of time an organizations network was compromised before the breach was discovered was 146 days.

That includes all sizes of companies in all types of business. As a major internet company with an extremely large user base, its reasonable to expect Yahoo might detect  and disclose  breaches much sooner than other firms.

Detecting, and confirming, the hack

The company has said it believes the attack was conducted by a national government, though it hasnt said from what country. That may suggest the attack was more sophisticated, and therefore harder to detect  but its impossible to know if thats true, because the company has declined to offer details of how the breach was achieved.

In addition, anyone on the internet can claim anything they want  companies have to investigate their systems to find out whether someone who is advertising they have login information for sale actually took anything, or is just making it up to cause trouble.

Nontechnical reasons that Yahoo took so long to discover the hack could include frequent changes in leadership of its security team and the companywide stress of finding a buyer.

Notifying the public

Once a company has learned it has been hacked, its important to tell customers  and the public  so that people can take proper measures to protect their information, privacy and identities.

At present there is no federal law regarding when companies must tell the public about information security breaches. In 2015, Democrats proposed giving firms 30 days from discovering a hack to announcing it had happened. That effort failed because many states, which have varying requirements, have stricter standards that the federal law would have overruled.

Recovering a corporate reputation

Tech companies can typically recover quickly from data breaches  if they respond fast and take the necessary steps to notify their users. Thats true even for corporations whose data breaches resulted in the compromise of customers credit card information, such as Target in 2013 and Home Depot in 2014.

Lawsuits filed after the breaches have cost companies millions in settlement costs, not to mention legal fees and lost business. The lesson is clear: Early disclosure of a data breach is better. If Yahoo knew about its hack as early as August  or even years ago  and took this long to announce it to the public, the company has manifestly betrayed its users trust.

Though Yahoo urged users to change their passwords and security questions after the public disclosure of the security breach, thousands of users took to social media to express anger that it had taken the company two years to uncover the data breach. The lawsuits filed against Yahoo are mounting.

It can be extremely difficult for companies, even tech-focused ones like Yahoo, to protect themselves from skilled and determined hackers. But not reporting the attack as soon as its suspected can be almost as damaging as the hack itself.

Yanfang Ye, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
President and long-time member of Longford Tidy Towns, Andy O'Dowd was honoured at the results of the SuperValu Tidy Towns Competition in Dublin's Helix on Monday last.

Mr O'Dowd was one of just a handful of volunteers nationwide who were highly commended with a SuperValu Community Hero Award, after being nominated by local SuperValu retailer Roy Davis for his unwavering commitment to enhancing his local community.

It felt very good, Andy smiled. I appreciate it and it shows that people appreciate what you do. I hope itll motivate people to keep Longford moving up the ladder.

There was a small drop back in the IBAL but the Tidy Towns results show were on the right track!

Speaking after attending the celebrations in Dublin, Andy admitted that he didnt know about his nomination until the weekend.

I didnt expect it at all, but having said that, I appreciate it very much.

Paying tribute to the hard work done by Tidy Towns groups across the county, Andy also congratulated Longford Tidy Towns Chairperson John Farrell, the committee and volunteers for their result, which saw Longfords score increase by four points to 302.

The increase is wonderful, Andy added. Im delighted for John and all the volunteers after their hard work.

The hard work definitely paid off, with Longford earning a Bronze Medal Award in its category. The town was also commended in the county awards.

Elsewhere in the county, Newtowncashel came highly commended and also won a Silver Medal Award in its category after increasing by three points to 317.

Moydow enjoyed great success this year, picking up the countys Endeavour Award for a 5.88% improvement on last years results, bringing the area to a score of 204.

Finally, Abbeyshrule had another memorable year, scooping a Gold Medal Award for their 325 points, just one point behind Tidiest Village winner Birdhill, Co Tipperary.

The south Longford village was the county winner, and was also named runner up in the Clean Air Award, which was won by Emly, Co Tipperary.
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A very recent court judgment issued by the Beijing IP Court imposed contributory liability on trade fair organisers for patent infringement. Though the reasoning is quite unclear, this decision gives some worthy attention to IP enforcement at Chinese trade fairs.

In China, there are ways for IP rights owners to enforce their IP rights, to some limited extent, at major trade fairs, such as the Canton Trade Fair. IP rights owners file complaints at the complaint desks at the trade fairs, which are often set up by trade fair organisers but actually operated by the local patent office, copyright bureau and AICs jointly. Once the officials at the complaint desk decide that there is an infringement they will ask the vendors to remove the infringing items from the exhibition booths. But there is no penalty decision nor fine imposed on the exhibitors. The major purpose is to give some peace of mind to IP rights owners and avoid any on site legal proceedings by courts or government authorities. What IPR owners have not been happy about is the burdensome formality requirements and the very limited number of actions that the complaint desk will take. Obviously, the trade fair organisers do not want to cause too much disruption or confrontation.

"In China, there are ways for IP rights owners to enforce their IP rights, to some limited extent, at major trade fairs, such as the Canton Trade Fair"

The Beijing IP Court decision involves a local patent owner Zhang Weidong. He owned a utilty model patent covering door patching pieces. He purchased the asserted product, witnessed by a notary public, at the Furniture Expo held in Beijing China International Exhibition Centre (Exhibition Center) in March 2015, and then filed a lawsuit against the landlord company that owns and runs the Exhibition Centre and the organiser company that runs the Furniture Expo. It is unclear why the patent owner did not name the manufacturer of the product in the lawsuit, which might be due to failure to locate the defendant.

In the judgment, the Court concluded that there is a patent infringement, and held that the landlord company is not liable because it fulfils all the obligations when signing the lease with the organiser company. But the Court had a different view about the liability of the organiser company. Without much reasoning, the court held that the trade fair organiser, as the lessor of the booth and the organiser of the expo, bears the obligations of appropriately regulating the business activities of the exhibitors as well as reviewing their qualifications. The court concluded that the trade fair organiser has not fulfilled the corresponding obligations and as a result has assisted the patent infringement under the Tort Law, and thus will be liable for the plaintiff's damage and reasonable expenses of Rmb20,000 in total. However, the Court did not elaborate how the trade fair organiser should fulfil its legal obligations. The judgment reads a bit too short. Perhaps the judges in the Beijing IP Court are getting overly busy.

China issued its trade fair IP protection measures, through joint efforts of various IP enforcement related agencies, including MOFCOM, the National Copyright Administration, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the State Intellectual Property office back in 2006. The measures stipulate some obligations that the trade fair organiser shall bear. For example, the organiser should review the exhibitors' projects at the initial stage when promoting the exhibition; the trade fair agreements should set out clearly the consequences of the IP infringement; the exhibitors shall fully cooperate with IP enforcement work taken by government agencies. For any trade fair lasting over three days, complaint desks shall be made available for IP rights owners. Also, IP rights owners also owe some duties for follow-up enforcement actions. Apparently, the government does not want IP rights owners to abuse trade fair actions to deal with same infringers again and again without taking other actions.

In this case, it is somewhat hard to understand why the plaintiff never named the direct infringer. It is true that China does not require naming direct infringement when contributory infringement is alleged. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court issued its judicial interpretation on patent trials, setting out tests for contributory and inducement liability. It would be much more revealing if the judges explained why the trade fair organiser was held to have knowingly assisted the patent infringers.

The expo industry is booming in China. The need to clean up infringement becomes more urgent for many IP rights owners. This case is encouraging but IP rights owners should continue the fight and develop clearer case precedents.

He Jing Wang Ying

AnJie Law Firm26/F, Tower D, Central International Trade Center6A Jianguomenwai Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100022, PR ChinaTel: +86 10 8567 5988Fax: +86 10 8567 5999wuli@anjielaw.comwww.anjielaw.com
Mumbai: The MNS chief Raj Thackeray on last day slammed Bollywood star Salman Khan for opposing the ban on Pakistani artists in India, saying soldiers guarding our borders face real bullets unlike film actors.

Refusing to buy the argument that there was no justification to ban Pakistani artists since they are not terrorists, Raj said, "How does that concern me if the people are good. I am seeing only terrorists who come to kill our people", he added.

He said film industry knows only the business of their films. "But the (MS) Dhoni biopic has been banned in Pakistan. Is there dearth of talent in India that we should take artists from the neighbouring country," he asked.

Salman last day said that artistes from Pakistan should not be treated like terrorists and art and terrorism should not be mixed. The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association has passed a resolution to ban Pakistani actors from the industry in the wake of the Uri attack, which left 19 soldiers dead.
Gold And Silver  Qrtly, Monthly Charts. Last Weekly Commentary

This will be our last weekly commentary on the markets. What we know for certain is that the globalists have a stranglehold on the markets, and more importantly, a stranglehold on all Western nations to the point where life has become a theater of the absurd, negatively and without an end in sight.

We have been leaning in this direction for some time. Time off at the end of August, when access to a computer and news was limited to an hour a day, and we chose to use only a small portion of the allotted time, drove home the point, or more appropriately the pointlessness of what is going on all around the world.

Two anecdotal stories put our sense of senseless activities into a context. 1. The boiling frog, and 2. Rip Van Winkle. The frog analogy compares how when put into a pot of boiling water the frog will immediately jump out to escape from the danger of being boiled alive. When a frog is placed into a pot of tepid water, there is no sense of any danger. The temperature of the water is then gradually increased and the frog adjusts to the change until the point where the frog eventually becomes boiled alive. With Rip Van Winkle, when he awakens after a 20 year sleep, all of the changes that have taken place after his two decade absence are so glaringly obvious to him.

The boiling frog analogy seems more apt as the majority of people have acclimated themselves to the onslaught of changes that have been almost nonstop over the last Rip Van Winkle 20 years. Adaptation to all of the sometimes not so gradual, and many times so detrimental to the living standards and living conditions/circumstances to just about everyone, has placed most of the world in an unacceptable over-boiling situation. By contrast, had todays ongoing daily occurrences been introduced to the population that had been asleep for the past 20 years, [which has been the case despite what has been going on], everyone would be in a state of shock at how badly deteriorated life has become at the hands of the globalists and their puppet governments ruling over the masses.

It should be noted that the globalists are masters at creating the boiling frog syndrome because they plan events often decades in advance and just as often take them much time to implement them. This is how the creation of the Federal Reserve and theft of all the US gold and silver took placeover many decades. It fooled most of the world very successfully.

We could make a laundry list of so many events that give life to these two analogies, which had been our intent, but repeating what has already been accepted to an inured world population that fails to see or fails to defend against being stripped of all liberties and in many cases loss of personal dignity and economic sustainability is as senseless as the world is today.

Our weekly repeating the situation for gold and silver, waiting for the changes that have been kept suppressed by the globalists in order to preserve their fictional fiat world and ruining it for everyone else in the process, has become too tedious when there is no apparent end of the absurd, for who knows how much longer, but end it will and for the worse, at least in our opinion. Of course, we would love to be proven wrong.

With a US population of around 325 million, it is beyond absurd that the best this country can produce for presidential candidates is a psychopathic liar beset by a deteriorating, sick body, the poster child for carrying out the elites dictates at the expense of everyone else, opposed by a bombastic businessman with questionable standards and integrity, but still head-and-shoulders above his opposition, sadly to say. [We withdrew from all voting rights a few decades ago, so we support no candidate[s] for anything in all US elections that are a farce and have never changed the course of events on well over 100 years.]

Even after no change brought about by constantly electing new politicians over the past century, people have not caught on and still think elections will make a difference!

Promises made should always be kept, so we make no promises for any future writings or market recommendations. While the focus over the past few years has been only on the long side of the gold and silver markets, refusing to abet the manipulated short side in the paper market, we also used to write only on the S&P relative to the stock market but stopped when those markets were taken over by the lunatics who run the asylum the world as become.

Reality has become distorted to the point of nonexistence, at least for us, which is why we choose silence as opposed to trying to rationalize the corruption that rules the world. It is possible we may write something on a monthly or quarterly basis, but like the markets, the future is unknown. Time and events will tell.

Our heartfelt thanks to those who have signed up to receive our commentaries each week, and our thanks to the many others from around the world who have taken the time to read them on the various sites kind enough to carry our posted commentaries.

To the best reality we know, beyond our own, we turn to the charts

As a prelude to what follows, we remain strong advocates of buying and personally holding both physical gold and silver. If readers have learned nothing else, if you do not actually have possession, you may never likely have any of the PMs you bought, based on results on a world-wide scope. Everyone has to decide for themselves. What the governments may do to make the future use of precious metals in any form of transactions is up for grabs. More than likely, all control will be placed in the hands of those who rule, [they want your gold and silver, as well as your guns, and that message is the strongest reason for your having and holding them]. Those who have none will suffer the worst.

1400+ resistance is the stand out key on the two charts in one below. When and how gold breaks through that price level will be an important watermark for golds next upside directional move. Until that happens, and the when factor remains unknown, gold remains in a bottoming process.

The other standout feature is the record high monthly volume for July and the accompanying small range bar. The fact that the range of the bar is so small, relative to the great volume effort, tells us sellers put another [temporary] cap on the market. The small range on the Qrtly chart [last bar] and poor close location supports that conclusion. You can see the rally throughout 2016 [Qrtly] ended with a go-nowhere swing high and slightly higher net close. Further, all of the volume effort failed to reach the resistance level before stalling out, another sign of near-term weakness.

These larger time frame chart references say gold is nowhere near breaking out to the upside. Read whatever you want into the news and constant barrage of strong fundamental factors, which are overwhelmingly real, the charts, as now determined by reading the activity of those in charge [central bankers controlling the market], the charts reveal it will take still more time before gold breaks out to the upside with any conviction.

The strongest resistance is seen at the top of the chart, near 1400. The lesser levels of support and resistance are being played out between 1300 and 1375. 1300 looks susceptible. The chart comments give lower support targets if 1300 gives way.

The two most important components in reading developing market activity are price and volume. Volume is the fuel to drive price directionally. You can see all of the highest volume days did nothing to move price even into the upper half of the TR, let alone break above resistance.

The resulting message from the market is sellers are more than matching the effort of buyers, and when buyers cannot overcome sellers, price will move lower. That is the probability factor for the market, still.

The higher time frames for silver are similar to gold yet simpler in their read. With no standout feature, silvers simplest interpretation is that it continues to be bottoming, and that process remains ongoing. The KISS principle at work.

The end of the June wide range bars rally failed to reach even the lowest of the failed swing high resistance. You can see how volume increased as the swing high at 21 was reached. This is the opposite of how volume functions in a rally. Strong-handed buyers get in at the low of a range where volume should be higher and then diminish as a swing high is reached. You can see the mid-range close on the swing high bar that also attracted the highest volume. This scenario tells us that sellers overcame buyers and kept price from closing higher. Price has been correcting ever since.

That is how the market speaks, price and volume.

The daily TR looks to be one of weakness in its development. The higher time frames say the bottom is still in process. This is not to say the December 15 lows are not the final low, for they well could be, but that there is more work to be done at these lower levels before a strong and sustained bull market can get underway.

Again, you can believe the news and all of the fanfare on how bullish the factors are for silver, especially, and how silver is poised for an astonishing rally, but the charts, at least for now, tell us that this market aint going higher any time soon.

Precious metals remain within the eye of a deceptively manipulated economic hurricane.

Cheers

By Michael Noonan

http://edgetraderplus.com

Michael Noonan, mn@edgetraderplus.com, is a Chicago-based trader with over 30 years in the business. His sole approach to analysis is derived from developing market pattern behavior, found in the form of Price, Volume, and Time, and it is generated from the best source possible, the market itself.

 2016 Copyright Michael Noonan - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

Michael Noonan Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




It sure is hard to keep a secret, especially from sisters  especially when its about the brother.

Brother doesnt often make phone calls. When theres a message from him to call, somethings up.

I called him back, and he talked with me for about half an hour about a new company he started with some buddies. It was quite interesting.

A half an hour on the phone was about the most Ive ever gotten out of him. We were running out of things to talk about, and I felt the conversation draw to a close. Our talk was slowing down, and I started in on the good-byes.

Theres one more thing, he said.

He then told me he and his wife were going to have a baby.

I cried in joy, and scolded him for wasting our time on job talk when this was the big news!

We had an animated conversation about the baby and pregnancy which lasted at least another hour. When we finished, he warned me not to tell the other sisters. He already had left messages with all of us, he said. I was the first to call him back and get the news.

I made my promise, and we hung up.

About an hour later, I started to call a sister to see if she heard the news yet, but when I saw the time, actually only 10 minutes had passed. With this kind of exciting news to talk about and a promise not to be the one who broke the news, it was going to be a long evening.

As the night wore on I couldnt resist the urge to call my sisters and see if theyd talked with our brother yet. I left a few messages, trying to sound nonchalant, saying they should call him, and to call me later if they thought of it.

Eventually I got ahold of one of them.

Have you called him back yet? I asked. Call him back, then call me.

Well, with an opener like that, she was immediately worried.

I assured her he was in good health. Then she went through a list of potential disasters, and I had to mark them off her list, one by one.

I was in trouble now. Just call him, I said. But she did  and the line was busy. She called me back.

Its not bad news, I repeated. He just wants to talk with us.

Its not  bad  news? she replied, realization dawning on her. Are they  pregnant?

Just call him! I boomed back frantically.

She squealed in joy and started to cry, and I started to cry, and we talked about our beloved brother without using the B word. Since we had to avoid the topic, we just babbled on about how much we love him and his wife and our entire family.

Then she broke the pattern.

Do they know if its a boy or a girl? she asked.

We dont know what were talking about! I said. Just call him.

Oh, right, she said, and we sniffled and cheered together a little more. Babies are a big deal in our family. We are several siblings, but so far theres been only one baby. This (if it was a baby) would be the second.

She called me back quite late that night, but it was the type of phone call worth waiting up for.

She was laughing when she said he told her right off that they were expecting a child. He must have taken my scolding to get right to the point seriously, she said.

Like he gave me, he gave her a list of limitations, which I could respect. No patting his wifes belly, no posting pregnancy pictures or baby pictures on social media, and so forth.

He didnt specifically say no writing newspaper columns about it  and Im not specifically doing that, anyway. This column is more about how its hard to keep an exciting secret.

Our exciting secret entered the world last weekend, and now we are aunts  aunts who cant really keep secrets, but who are full of love and joy.
Martinsville will be visited Saturday by the big leagues, when the Steep Canyon Rangers take the stage at the Brewster Walk Second Annual Craft Beer Festival & Concerts.

Steep Canyon Rangers album Radio is at No. 9 this week on the Billboard bluegrass music charts. SCR is the group that has been on the national stage  and overseas  performing with comedian and banjo player Steve Martin.

In 2013, their solo album Nobody Knows You won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. Their Rare Bird Alert had been nominated for that award the previous year.

Despite their resounding success, the group came together with no musical experience behind them.

We started with nothing, said mandolin player Mike Guggino. We all met in college 16 years ago. He was at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Woody Platt, the guitar player, and Graham Sharp, who plays banjo and Charles R. Humphrey III, who plays upright bass, were at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

They had just started playing, Guggino recalled. During a school break, he was visiting Platt, with whom he had grown up. He said he is playing guitar, and I said, Really? I just bought a mandolin and am playing bluegrass. Thats how the band started.  We learned to play as a team, together.

Finding success took a while, he said. It was six or seven years for us to be able to get traction on record labels.

By 2006, the Stone Canyon Rangers were honored by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) as Emerging Artist of the Year.

Along the way, they were joined by fiddle player Nicky Sanders, a graduate of Berklee College of Music, and drummer Mike Ashworth. Platts wife Shannon Whitworth occasionally sings with the band.

They live in the Asheville and Brevard areas of North Carolina.

In 2009, comedian and banjo player Steve Martin asked to play with Steep Canyon Rangers for a benefit concert for a California library.

That was pretty cool and has been a good thing, Guggino said.

That first concert with Martin was such as hit that the SCR and Martin went on a tour which included New York City, London and Boston. That same year, the SCR and Martin were featured on A Prairie Home Companion, and later, performed together at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, Austin City Limits and A Capital Fourth.

Weve gotten to work with our favorite musicians, like Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Del McCoury, People who are now our friends.

SCR recorded the album Rare Bird Alert with Martin in 2010. It featured vocals by Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks. In 2011, Martin and SCR were named Entertainers of the Year at the IBMA Awards ceremony in Nashville. Martin and SCR were the headlining act at the fifth annual DelFest.

The group recorded another album with Marin and three records on Rounder Records since 2011.

Radio, produced by Douglas on Rounder Records, is the bands ninth studio-produced album.

Behind the creation of their music is a lot of inspiration, Guggino said. We all listen to a lot of different kinds of music, bluegrass music, and I think it all comes into play when we sit around and write songs or arrange songs.

Now that weve been a band for about 15 years we kind of know what our strengths and our weaknesses are, and our style, how we can approach a song and put our footprint on it.

The crux of any good song is the lyrics that make a good story, a good message or whatever, Guggino added. Thats real important.

Brewster Walk will be held from 2-7 p.m. (with admission an hour earlier for VIP ticket holders) in uptown Martinsville in front of the Rives Theatre.

Were really excited about playing Brewster Walk, Guggino said. The group has performed at Rooster Walk, which he called a great thing, and I hope that festival continues to grow and be successful. Most of the bands that play there have a great time and theyve got such a beautiful festival site, and Im glad to know theyre doing a Brewster festival in Martinsville.

Saturday, were going to put on a high energy show, Guggino said. Thats what weve been doing. Well have a lot of fun. Hopefully there will be a big crowd there.
Four minutes.

Thats how long the 25-year-old owners of FluxTeq were given to pitch their startup business to judges during the Virginia Velocity Tour last month.

FluxTeq produces heat flux sensors, something thats hard to describe in just a sentence or two. Four minutes is not much time for anyone to learn the real value of a growing business, but in a pitch competition a few minutes is usually all you get.

After the hit show Shark Tank premiered on ABC in 2009, business pitch competitions have cropped up all over the U.S. Many took the model of the show: Business leaders and potential investors hear quick-hit pitches from a startup or small business seeking investment. Participants get feedback, advice and, if the pitch goes well, money for their business.

The competitions are all different. Some scour the nation. Some are hyperlocal. Some offer a cash prize, others venture capital.

The Roanoke and New River valleys have seen a multitude of these competitions come through in the past few years. Last week, the Virginia Velocity Tour stopped in Roanoke and Blacksburg to hear from competitors in the energy field. That is where Blacksburg-based FluxTeq emerged victorious and accepted a $25,000 prize.

This week, Cox Business hosts a pitch competition for $5,000 and additional Cox services. Next month, Star Tank, a locally formed event, will host a day of pitches from small businesses and startups.

How effective are these competitions? That has yet to be determined, according to multiple people involved with them.

The first boost

Most concede they certainly dont hurt, especially FluxTeq owners Chris Cirenza and Rande Cherry, who are using the money they won to keep their small operation up and running.

Most of the participants in pitch competitions do not get any money, but that doesnt mean they walk away empty-handed.

In 2011, Monica Rokicki-Guajardo had just started Better Building Works, a construction and development company focused on energy and cost efficiency. It was just a bootstrapped organization at the time, working out of the Roanoke Regional Entrepreneur Center, but it was a perfect fit to compete in the Expand contest, which had entrepreneurs pitch their business plans for a chance to win $35,000 in cash and business services.

As one of the finalists, Better Building Works didnt win any prize money. But that was OK.

It was one of the first big boosts we got as a business, Rokicki-Guajardo said.

Between the networking with well-known regional business leaders and the free publicity, she landed several new clients. It also gave the business a boost in internet searches.

Now Better Building Works has its own office and a small staff in downtown Roanoke. Rokicki-Guajardo also recently served as a panelist in a pitch competition and got to see the process from an entirely different perspective.

[The competition] forces you to put it down in a precise manner, she said. It takes some of the wide-eyed innocence off you.

Mentoring services and networking are typically a big part of each competition and serve as one of their most effective aspects.

Developing relationships with successful local business leaders is one of the best things Drew Arney got out of pitching his small business to Star Tank last year. Arney and Austin Bousman co-own Wingman Outfitter, which produces a cooler outrigger used to stabilize a canoe. They went to Star Tank to find an investor. While that was unsuccessful, Arney said they built relationships and received helpful exposure.

He said Star Tank was like an entrepreneur festival, allowing him to meet others like himself and show off his companys work. Chris Desimone, a local attorney and the founder of Star Tank, said all the competitions are beneficial in this way, creating and nurturing relationships among area entrepreneurs.

Samantha Steidle, an innovation officer at Virginia Western Community College and a co-founder of Roanokes CoLab, said pitching contests also highlight whats out there.

People dont raise their hand and say, I want to be an entrepreneur, she said. This is one of the ways to find these people. They start pitching and you start to see a demand in the region.

The large number of entrepreneurs interested in these contests helped prompt the creation of the CoLab, the HIVE Business Incubation Center and the new Regional Acceleration and Mentoring Program.

Steidle was involved with the Expand contest in 2011, when pitch competitions were far less common. The contest was organized by Lynda McNutt Foster, now the CEO of Cortex Leadership Consulting. Foster said she thought Shark Tank was brilliant and believed the concept could work on a regional level.

Within a month of creating the event, about 220 entrepreneurs applied to participate, she said.

I wasnt shocked there were so many out there; I was shocked there werent more events like this, she said.

Gauging effectiveness

Many competitors are ill-prepared to give their pitch, Steidle said. Thats why mentors and prep sessions are frequently offered  and come in handy.

Arney said sitting in front of investors and getting feedback was one of the most helpful parts of competing in Star Tank.

In all reality we were really too early in the process, he said. The amount of money wouldve been less than we needed and someone would have wanted a lot of our equity, and we werent in a position to do that.

He said he realized that Wingman Outfitter needed some work before bringing in an investor.

Everybodys hearts in a good place when they bring up these competitions, said Bart Smith, the director of the Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center.

I would say about 95 percent of them [participants] are not prepared, he said.

Those who are prepared really shine, he said, but the majority of participants dont understand what the judges are looking for.

Smith said participants also need to understand that the funding offered by most of the competitions is just a drop in the bucket compared to the money they need to get a business off the ground.

The thing that can be a little frustrating about these competitions is the amount of time and resources are needed to create and host them, he said.

Really, usually only a couple of businesses in each competition have that potential to create a true economic impact, he said.

Smith said the most effective competitions have a lot of different pieces, including efforts to consult and mentor the businesses. One competition he observed required participants to talk about how they would use their winnings.

Smith also said money given to an existing business is often more effective than the same amount given to a startup that just has an idea and needs so much more funding.

Desimone said he found Star Tank to be more effective when its more selective. After three years, the number of entrepreneurs selected to participate in the competition has dropped from about 30 to 10 this year. The competition also will be divided between startups and existing businesses, since hes found that they have very different needs.

Jonathan Whitt, director of the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council, said tech startups often need a lot more than $5,000 or $10,000 to get off the ground, which is what many of the competitions offer.

He said the contests can still be productive because some small companies want more than money  they need feedback or exposure.

The competitions can be truly valuable to the participants, Whitt said. Does this create a lot of value in the community? The case is still out on that, he said.

Most of the competitions are based around the idea that the true benefits will not be seen until years later.

Desimone said Star Tank in particular is playing the long game.

Unlike many business pitch competitions, Star Tank doesnt give out prize money but instead offers a chance for investors to take an equity stake in a startup or small business they value. There are no winners or finalists. Desimone wants to keep it that way.

Prize money is nice, he said, but its not even in the same category as when their [investors] money is at stake. Niceties dont pay the bills.

If someone invests in the company, that person is going to work hard to get results, he said.

Desimone acknowledges there arent a lot of deals being made on the day of the competition. Sometimes, the investors will even kill a business, but he said there is still value in that.

He cant point to any new tall buildings in Roanoke and say, Star Tank did that. But he or another one of the pitch competitions might be able to do that in 10 years.
MARTINSVILLE  The case against a Martinsville man facing hit and run charges will play out in Circuit Court. On Friday, Judge Marcus Brinks found probable cause to send the case against Johnny Venable III to trial.

Venable, 34, faces charges of eluding police in a high-speed chase, reckless driving, misdemeanor hit and run, driving with a suspended license, displaying a license plate or decal issued for another vehicle, operating an uninsured vehicle and possession with intent to sell or distribute marijuana.

According to testimony Friday, an indictment, arrest warrants and criminal complaints, officers had outstanding warrants for Venable when a motor vehicle chase began on July 11, 2016. The BMW Venable allegedly was driving was in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Rives Road, went over a curb, through landscaping onto Rives Road and proceeded on Rives Road and other local streets, at times traveling more than 90 mph, swerving into oncoming traffic, running red lights and eventually struck a building at 618 E. Church Street. Several law enforcement vehicles pursued the BMW during the chase.

After the BMW wrecked, Venable allegedly fled on foot and discarded a duffel bag before being apprehended a short distance from the wrecked BMW. The bag contained green plant material that field-tested positive for marijuana and weighed 0.32 ounce; digital scales; 47 plastic baggies; and other items.

Also in Martinsville General District Court on Friday, Judge Brinks found probable cause to believe that Stephen Allen Workman committed felony breaking and entering and certified that charge to Martinsville Circuit Court, along with a related misdemeanor charge of petit larceny, both offenses on May 25. Workman, 54, whose address is listed in court records as 120 Maple Street and 205 Holt Street, Martinsville, allegedly cut the lock off the basement door of the residence of Donna Lynn Martin on Cemetery Street, Martinsville, and allegedly stole her mountain bike from her basement.

Martin testified that Workman was a friend of her boyfriend, and that she told Workman he could use the mountain bike whenever he wanted, but that it was her bike. Martin said when she discovered the crimes, she suspected Workman and confronted him, and she said he admitted to the crimes. Martin said when she asked Workman about getting the bike back, he said it was gone.

A defense witness testified that Workman had moved in with Martin and that he had a lawn mower shop in the basement of Martins residence. (Martin said Workman did not live at her home and that they were never more than friends.) That defense witness said she herself has an alcohol problem but that she wasnt drinking when she saw Workman at Martins home. That witness also said she herself has some previous convictions.

The prosecution dropped a related charge of misdemeanor destroy property against Workman.

HENRY COUNTY GEN. DISTRICT COURT

Thursday in Henry County General District Court, Judge Brinks found probable cause to believe two defendants each committed grand larceny and certified those cases to Henry County Circuit Court.

Quinton Neal Gilbert, 33, of 904 Clarke Road, Martinsville, allegedly stole a trailer belonging to Shannon Baker, of George Taylor Road, Spencer, on April 18, 2016.

According to a criminal complaint, Gilbert allegedly contacted Baker on April 19 and stated he had taken her trailer with intentions of borrowing it; however, she had not given him permission to be on her property or to take the trailer, valued at $1,500. Gilbert allegedly returned the trailer to Baker on April 19.

Sahit Hajrullahu, 37,of 1281 Westover Drive, Collinsville, allegedly stole a Rolex watch from a Reidsville, North Carolina, person on April 24, 2016.

According to a criminal complaint, the alleged victim told Deputy C.S. Curtis of the Henry County Sheriffs Office that the victim had met a man named Boom-Boom to sell him a Rolex watch, but Boom-Boom left with the watch without paying for it. The alleged victim gave the tag number of the vehicle the man left in to Curtis, and Curtis researched the plate, which came back to a Ridgeway address. Curtis went there, found the vehicle and spoke with Hajrullahu, who gave a written statement saying he allegedly had taken the watch without paying for it.

According to the criminal complaint, the watch was worth $2,000 but was offered to Hajrullahu for $300.

HENRY COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

On Friday in Henry County Circuit Court, Casey Daniel Stanley, 31, of 427 J.B. Dalton Road, Ridgeway, pleaded guilty to the felonies of uttering a forged check, obtaining money by false pretense, credit card theft and credit card fraud. The commonwealth dropped a charge of forgery against him.

Judge David V. Williams set sentencing for Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.

Criminal complaints, indictments and warrants alleged that Casey Stanley stole five checks from a relative(s), wrote the checks to himself and cashed them for $4,650, and that he allegedly stole a relatives Lowes credit card or credit card number and used it to make purchases. The offenses allegedly happened in April and June 2016.

Christina Marie Vaughn, 23, of 36 Grace Drive, Bassett, entered no contest pleas Friday in Henry County Circuit Court to the felonies of grand larceny and grand larceny of a motor vehicle and misdemeanor obtain money by false pretense.

Judge Williams sentenced Vaughn in each case to one year of probation, one year of good behavior, as well as to enter and successfully complete drug treatment, to have no positive drug screens and to start paying restitution. The following restitution is owed: $7,000 to Joey All, $1,700 to Tim All and $135 to K&F Pawn, with individuals to be paid first.

According to indictments, arrest warrants and criminal complaints, in May 2016 Vaughn allegedly took an air compressor, an infrared heater and two tool boxes full of tools to K&F Pawn Shop at 8620 A.L. Philpott Highway and sold the items for $135. The items later were discovered to have been stolen from Timothy Alls residence on Chestnut Street, Fieldale.

Vaughn also allegedly stole a car from Joey All, of Chestnut Street, Fieldale, on May 26.
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1 Effects of Bison on Bird Communities in Northern New Mexico Richard P. Reading and Brian Miller One of the most iconic species of North America, bison (or buffalo) are a commanding presence on the Great Plains and other habitats where they occur. They also strongly affect their environments, modifying habitats to the extent that conservationists and ecologists refer to these powerful beasts as ecosystem engineers. A type of keystone species, ecosystem engineers modify the places they live, creating habitat for a wide variety of other species (think beavers and the dams they build or elephants that maintain open grasslands by knocking over trees). Bison do the same. In northern New Mexico, we ve found that bison damage and eliminate intrusive pinon pine and juniper trees as well as yucca plants and cholla cacti. They also smooth out cut banks along streams channels, using the physical action of their hooves and horns to transform drainages and thereby slow water flow and erosion. Other studies have documented the importance of bison wallowing to other species and have shown bison use grasslands differently than cattle, leading to a greater diversity of vegetation and vegetation height. What does this mean for birds? Some conservationists, ourselves included, suggest that the switch from bison to cattle grazing adversely affected some native species of flora and fauna on the Great Plains. For example, grassland birds have declined more than any other group of birds in North America. Could that decline be linked to the change from wild bison grazing to commercial domestic livestock ranching across the plains? We do know that cattle grazing has simplified and degraded much of America s grasslands. So, might returning bison to the Great Plains range help restore native wildlife and habitats? We set out to try to find out the answers to these questions with support from the Denver Field Ornithologists. American bison once numbered around 30 million animals. Before European settlers eradicated bison from the Great Plains in the late 1800s, huge herds roamed the open grasslands seeking

2 out the best pastures. Plains settlers replaced native ungulates with exotic livestock, primarily cattle. Cattle graze the land differently than bison and have significantly altered vegetative communities that evolved with bison. Bison disturbance (grazing, trampling, and wallowing) no longer influences native vegetation and species composition as it once did. Yet, bison numbers are increasing across North America. Most of that increase has resulted from commercial bison producers, as more and more people look for healthier, less fatty sources of meat. More recently conservationists have begun working to restore wilder herds of bison that they refer to as conservation herds on both public and private lands. Conservation herds strive to maintain more natural age and sex ratios (usually meaning more males and older animals), use less fencing, and use little to no supplement feed. Although animals still get harvested from conservation herds, managers work to cull a broader range of ages and an equal number of males and females. Such conservation herds provide us with an opportunity to compare how bison and cattle differ in their impacts to other species. In late 2012, Denver Zoo assumed management of the newest unit in U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service s (FWS) National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System, the Rio Mora NWR in northern New Mexico. In an innovative and novel partnership, Denver Zoo became the first non-governmental organization to manage a NWR, working in partnership with the FWS, New Mexico Highlands University, and the Pueblo of Pojoaque. Prior to becoming a refuge, Rio Mora operated as a private refuge operated by the Wind River Ranch Foundation. In another innovative partnership, Wind River reintroduced bison to the ranch in partnership with tribes from northern NM. Just prior to creation of Rio Mora NWR, the Pueblo of Pojoaque assumed ownership of all bison on the property. Pojoaque s strong connection to nature made them the perfect partners in research we initiated to try to better understand the role of bison in the ecosystems they inhabit and how that role differs from cattle grazing. The Pojoaque hope to increase their bison herd to conserve both their cultural and ecological heritage. They use bison meat to provide food for the poor and as a low fat alternative to beef to help them battle the high rates of diabetes that afflict their people. Further, they use the head and coats of the bison to make costumes for their bison dancers. Bison promise to restore the ecology of the land and culture of their tribe.

3 To compare how bison and cattle might differently affect the bird community, or avifuana, of the shortgrass prairie, we initiated a pilot study of birds occurring on Rio Mora NWR and an adjacent, commercial cattle ranch. We studied bird communities using what scientists refer to as variable circular plot surveys on randomly located survey points on both the refuge and a cattle ranch. During these surveys, researchers stand quietly at random points for 5 minutes soon after sunrise or just before sunset and let the birds settle down to their normal routines. Surveying simply consists of counting birds and determining the distance of each bird from the researcher using a range finder. With enough data, a software package can analyze those data to provide population estimates. Sadly, we never collected enough data (at least 40 observations of a species per sampling effort) to allow us to estimate populations sizes, but we did get enough data to begin to look at the number of species (called species richness by scientists), the diversity of species (the number of species, but also the relatively abundance of those species) and the evenness of the species (another measure of diversity). Our findings are admittedly preliminary and we hope to find a graduate student to increase the sample sizes and obtain more data to help us better assess the differences between bison and cattle. So what did we find? As the figures and tables demonstrate, the differences in number of species (one measure of diversity) were relatively small and favored pastures with bison in all seasons, except spring, when we found more species of birds on cattle pastures. However, better measures of diversity, such as the Shannon-Weiner and Evenness Indices, take into account the abundance of different species, not simply the number of species. Most people, ourselves included, would argue that at pasture with 100 individuals equally divided among 10 different species is more diverse than a pasture with 10 species in which one species accounted for 91 individuals and the other nine species accounted for just 1 individual each. The Shannon-Wiener, Evenness, and other indices, permit us to make such comparisons when differences are less dramatic and the number of species is much greater. In our study, we found relatively small differences in the Shannon-

4 Wiener and Evenness Indices, but slightly higher diversity and evenness on pastures with cattle for all seasons, except winter. So, while bison pastures supported more species and more total individuals, fewer species tended to dominate the number of individuals observed. To make more definitive statements about how bison and cattle influence avifaunal diversity, we require more data and additional sites where we could replicate the work conducted on Rio Mora. We intend to do just that and are working with universities in the region to find a suitable student to take over and expand our work. As we write this paper, a graduate student at Colorado State University appears interested in doing just that and using replicates at sites in Colorado to expand our work. Stay tuned for those exciting results over the next few years! Further Reading Brennan, L. A. and W. P. Kuvlesky, Jr North American grassland birds: an unfolding conservation crisis? Journal of Wildlife Management. 69(1): Callenbach, E Bring back the buffalo! A sustainable future for America s Great Plains. Island Press, Washington. Knapp, A. K., J. M. Blair, J. M. Briggs, S. L. Collins, D. C. Hartnett, L. C. Johnson, and E. G. Towne The Keystone Role of Bison in American Tallgrass Prairie. Bioscience 49(1): Lott, D. F American bison: a natural history. University of California Press, Berkeley. Saab, V. A., C. E. Bock, T. D. Rich, and D. S. Dobkin Livestock grazing effects in western North America. Ecology and Management of Neotropical Migratory Birds: A Synthesis and Review of Critical Issues. T. E. Martin and D. M. Finch (eds.) Oxford University Press US. pp Truett J. C., M. Phillips, K. Kunkel, and R. Miller Managing bison to restore biodiversity. Great Plains Research 11:

5 Figure 1. Indices of avifuana diversity on pastures grazed by cattle and bison in northern New Mexico. A. 24 Mean Richness Winter Spring Summer Fall Bison Cattle B.

6 1.2 Mean Shannon-Wiener Diversity Winter Spring Summer Fall Bison Cattle C Mean Evenness Winter Spring Summer Fall Bison Cattle

7 Table 1. Number of birds observed on bison and cattle pastures in Northern New Mexico, Bison pastures # individuals Cattle pastures # individuals Pinon Jay 111 American Crow 78 Sparrow sp. 110 Canada Goose 62 Mountain Bluebird 94 Northern Raven 40 Cliff Swallow 52 Turkey Vulture 40 American Crow 40 Horned Lark 36 American Robin 34 American Robin 28 Western Meadowlark 34 Swallow sp. 27 Turkey Vulture 33 Northern Flicker 26 Northern Raven 30 Red Crossbill 25 American Kestrel 25 American Kestrel 24 Spotted Towhee 25 Mourning Dove 22 Black-billed Magpie 20 Mountain Bluebird 21 Swallow sp. 17 Townsend's Solitaire 13 Horned Lark 15 Long-billed Curlew 12 Mourning Dove 13 Pinon Jay 12 Western Kingbird 13 Black-billed Magpie 10 Western Scrubjay 11 Spotted Towhee 10 Barn Swallow 10 Western Kingbird 10 Northern Flicker 9 Western Meadowlark 9 Western Bluebird 8 Sparrow sp. 8 Hawk sp. 7 Common Nighthawk 7 Say's Phoebe 6 Western Scrubjay 6 Lesser Goldfinch 5 Cliff Swallow 5 Vesper Sparrow 5 Great Blue Heron 5 Bluebird sp. 4 Bluebird sp. 4 Jay sp. 4 Dark-eyed Junco 4 Thrush sp. 4 Gadwall 4 Townsend's Solitaire 4 Hawk sp. 3 Woodpecker sp. 4 Mountain Chickadee 3 Black-capped Chickadee 3 Red-tailed Hawk 3 Dark-eyed Junco 3 Say's phoebe 3 Eastern Bluebird 3 Common Grackle 2 Lark Sparrow 3 Eurasian Collared Dove 2

8 Table 1. Continued. Bison pastures # individuals Cattle pastures # individuals Red-winged Blackbird 3 Mallard 2 Sandhill Crane 3 Rough-legged Hawk 2 Savannah Sparrow 3 Vesper Sparrow 2 Bluejay 2 Western Bluebird 2 Common Nighthawk 2 Barn Swallow 1 Eastern Meadowlark 2 Cassin's Kingbird 1 Great Blue Heron 2 Clay-colored Sparrow 1 Grey Vireo 2 Eastern Kingbird 1 Hairy Woodpecker 2 Falcon sp. 1 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Flycatcher sp. 1 Blackbird sp. 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Jay sp. 1 Falcon sp. 1 Lark Sparrow 1 Flycatcher sp. 1 Loggerhead Shrike 1 Hepatic Tanager 1 McCown's Longspur 1 Hummingbird sp. 1 Pine Siskin 1 Rock Dove 1 Roadrunner 1 Sage Thrasher 1 Sandhill Crane 1 Swainson's Hawk 1 Thrasher sp. 1 Swift sp. 1 Vermillion Flycatcher 1 Western Wood Peewee 1 TOTAL

9 Table 2. Number of species observed each year on bison and cattle pastures in northern New Mexico, Pastures # species Year Bison Cattle Bison Cattle Bison 55 Both Cattle 52 Both Both 72 Both
Theres a famous old fable known as Belling the Cat.

For those who havent heard it, it goes like this: A bunch of mice are threatened by a vicious cat, and they call a council to figure out how to solve the problem. One mouse proposes that they place a bell around the cats neck. That way, theyll hear the cat approaching and have plenty of time to run and hide.

The mice applaud the plan. They love the plan. Its a great plan.

One mouse asks whos going to volunteer to place the bell around the cats neck.

Suddenly, all the mice have excuses for why they cant do it.

The moral of the story: A plan is only as valuable as it is feasible.

Over the last few weeks (and months and years), the Martinsville Bulletin has spilled a fair amount of ink concerning Interstate 73. Everyone seems to agree that I-73 would be a wonderful thing for Martinsville and Henry County. What eludes us is the actual way to create it.

On Tuesday, Sen. Bill Stanley spoke to the Henry County Board of Supervisors and Martinsville City Council and suggested a new plan to hasten the creation of I-73.

First, he mentioned the possibility of toll roads or using a private construction firm. With respect, I think those were the sorts of ideas that someone mentions so that their third idea sounds even better in comparison.

And the third idea is admittedly an interesting one. Stanley suggested that Henry County, Martinsville and other neighboring localities in Southside join forces to create something called a Local Regional Transportation Authority, just as northern Virginia and Hampton Roads have done.

This authority could then do what Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads have also done  round up the sales tax from 5.3 percent to 6 percent  and invest the new funds from that 0.7 percent increase into transportation projects.

As I said, this is an interesting idea, and when presented by a charismatic speaker like Sen. Stanley, it sounds fantastic.

But I also think its a bit like belling the cat: Maybe its a good idea on its own merits, but I dont know how we would execute it.

Without retreading too much of what editor Brian Carlton said in a previous column on this topic, its going to be difficult to sell the people of Henry County and Martinsville on a tax hike  even a comparatively small one  much less the people of the other localities that would need to sign on in order to make the authority a reality.

One of the main reasons Stanley recommended the creation of the authority is because he said that Congress needs to see a certain level of commitment on the local level. In fact, he said, the comment he often hears from colleagues is that they didnt know we were serious about getting I-73 built.

Considering the fact that the Henry County Board of Supervisors has offered to donate vast swaths of county-owned land for I-73 right-of-way  and also considering the fact that the county and city have been paying the advocacy group Alcalde and Fay a combined $2,500 every month since May 2015 to advocate for I-73 on the federal level  it is distressing to hear that Washington doesnt think were serious about I-73. If theyre not convinced yet, Im not certain the creation of a transportation authority would do the job.

Theres something else to consider here. On the state level, one of the main appeals of creating a regional transportation authority is that it would allow us to side-step the Commonwealth Transportation Boards SmartScale road grading system.

Richmond, Stanley said Tuesday, often forgets that southwest Virginia was once the driving economic force in this state. When it comes to transportation dollars, northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are getting most of the pie, and were just getting a tiny sliver.

So why is that?

Ive driven in northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Its a terrible experience. The level of road congestion is unreal.

SmartScale exists to grade road projects based on need. Two of the biggest factors considered are congestion and safety. That makes sense.

But for us, thats also the problem. The reasons we need I-73 are based purely on future economic potential, not alleviating existing congestion or safety hazards.

Im not saying this to bash I-73. I think the road could do tremendous good for our area. But we generally build roads to transport traffic that already exists, not to generate the industry that will create the traffic that will need the roads.

Im reminded of another famous fable: That of the Field of Dreams. If you build it, they will come may have worked for Kevin Costner, but in the real world, its not an easy sell.
Atkinson 5.jpg

Patricia Atkinson-Sirois, of Belchertown, is shown here with a memorial stone for her brother, George "Buddy" Atkinson Jr., which she placed in August at Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks in Lake Placid, New York, near the trail where he hiked in 1973 before his death. His remains were found in a nearby gorge three years later in August, 1976.

(PATRICIA ATKINSON-SIROIS)

Forty years is a long time to take to deliver thanks.

But, for Pat Atkinson-Sirois, the journey to today has not been without an unwelcome companion.

Grief never really frees one from its grip. She knows better than most. It's haunted her for too many years.

She's fortunate, though, to have a loving and supportive husband and great family and friends who have stood beside her along her path to find solace.

This journey began in March 1973 when she took a call from her then-20-year-old brother, George "Buddy" Atkinson Jr., letting his family know he'd arrived safely in the Adirondacks of New York state where he planned to camp and hike for several days. "I'll see you guys next week" are the words Pat Atkinson-Sirois remembers him saying to her in that all-too-brief telephone conversation.

George "Buddy" Atkinson Jr. in his Chicopee High School graduation photo.

Little did she know that she would be the last person to ever hear her brother's voice, the last person to speak with him.

When he didn't return home the following weekend, their father, George Atkinson, came to her to say he was going to call the Chicopee Police Department to report Buddy as a missing person. "'Something's not right,' he said," Pat recalls.

What unfolded was a massive search on ground and from the air, organized by the New York State Police and Adirondack State Park rangers. Volunteers, including groups from Western Massachusetts, banded together to comb the region around Mount Marcy in search of Buddy Atkinson.

Buddy had graduated from Chicopee High School as a member of the Class of 1971. He had just turned 20 in December 1972 and was working at the Marshall's store on Parker Street in Springfield, a job he hated but which helped pay his bills and let him pursue his two passions in life, cars and all things outdoors. In another time, he would have been a true mountain man, movie character "Jeremiah Jones" come to real life, says his sister.

Just 16 months separated Buddy and Pat in age. Growing up in a tight-knit neighborhood around Ames Avenue in Chicopee, they were, as the saying goes, "thick as thieves." They played together, shared friends together, and their older sister, Judy, "didn't stand a chance against the two of us" as she was separated by more than a half-dozen years, Pat says.

Later, "as teenagers, you try not to be together," Pat remembers. The sudden death in 1968 of their mother, Phyllis, at the age of 47, proved a seminal moment for each member of the family in different ways. In retrospect, Pat thinks the loss of their mother may have set Buddy on his path in search of himself amid the outdoors he loved so much.

"If you ask me, he was a guy who was born 100 years too late," she says. Although accepted as a student at the Stockbridge School at the University of Massachusetts, Buddy Atkinson decided to put off college for awhile to figure out what he truly wanted to do with his life. "He wanted a little bit of time to just figure things out," his sister says. "He was not a happy person with civilization. He was doing things just to make money and get these piece-of-crap cars he loved. He took every opportunity he could to go hunting or camping, by himself or with friends. He just wanted to be in the outdoors."

George "Buddy" Atkinson Jr. with his sister Patricia Atkinson-Sirois.

So it was that Buddy planned the trip to upstate New York, mapping it out for weeks in advance before he set out in mid-March. He packed his shotgun, both for protection and hunting, along with all the camping and climbing gear he would need.

On March 15, Buddy signed the register at the trailhead leading to Mount Marcy from the Adirondak Loj, a place his family had enjoyed together back in the camping days of his youth. From there, it was as if he vanished into thin air. His car was found in the parking lot at the Loj with nothing appearing amiss.

He was headed to the summit of Marcy, New York state's highest peak, and that's where searchers knew to start looking. Unfortunately, there had been a blizzard during the week Buddy went missing, and the ensuing weather and hazardous conditions hampered the search and is likely what contributed to his loss.

Their father participated in as many of the searches as he could, keeping careful track of each one and mapping where searchers had been in the weeks and months that followed, all coming up empty.

Pat can remember how both she and her father dealt with a question from authorities, "Do you think Buddy could have just taken off." "I thought, yeah, maybe he could have. People back then did things like that, going to 'find themselves.' He was trying to figure things out. But, in the back of my mind, I don't think he would have ever done it to my dad," she explains. "(Our mother's death) was such a life altering thing. I was 14. Buddy was 15."

Hope endured for the Atkinson family. "My dad and I were always hopeful. What else did we know," she says.

Her father stayed in New York for about two weeks straight, on leave from his job at Monsanto, but no sign of Buddy was found. Over the course of that summer, more searches were pursued, all without a trace of Buddy in the wilderness. Over time, the searching became sporadic. Sometimes just Pat and her father would travel back to check in with the park rangers who remained friendly and concerned.

In this photograph from 1973, Patricia Atkinson-Sirois is seen during one of the searches for her brother at Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks.

"They never closed the book. It was still an open case to them," Pat remembers.

"I never lost hope. I am my father's child. My dad was always this happy-go- lucky, always whistling and cheerful guy, very much an optimist about things. I always, in the back of my mind, kept thinking there would be an explanation. I never had any reason to doubt he would just come home one day," Pat remembers.

Until the spring of 1976.

Her father was notified that Buddy's sleeping bag, wallet, shotgun with a spent shell and pieces of clothing had been found. Ironically, perhaps, it was Robert Thomas Jr., the brother of another man who went missing on Mount Marcy that spring, who located Buddy's possessions. Pat says she can only imagine what it was like for another sibling to come upon things which might have belonged his own loved one.

Her father organized a new search party and was again joined by friends from the region. Pat, at her father's request, didn't make that trip. "He told me, 'I don't think you better go on this one.' I don't think he wanted me to be there if we spotted my brother's remains and I don't think he wanted to worry about me. He was about as protective a father as you could have."

Buddy Atkinson's remains were found deep in Panther Gorge, sometimes a refuge for hikers seeking protection from the elements as they climb in the area, according to Pat. He was brought home and buried in Chicopee at Calvary Cemetery beside their mother on Aug. 1, 1976.

Pat always wanted to return to Mount Marcy one day, to the place where her big brother spent his final moments. Thoughts of how he died haunted her. So, too, did a sense of helplessness for not having been there to comfort him. Was he in pain? Why did he have to die alone?

She and her husband, Al Sirois, decided they would make the trip together this summer. Forty years had been long enough. Her father died in 1986 at the age of 70. In 2009, her sister, Judy Green, died at 62. "I'm the last one standing," Pat says.

To prepare for the trip, Pat combed some of the archives her father had amassed of reports of the searches. Among them she found a photograph of Buddy's car, covered with all messages left for him, including one she recognized as her father's: "Buddy, please come to the Loj. We're there." "It hit me like a punch in the gut," she says, pausing before continuing tearfully, recalling her father's resolve: "I'm going to bring my boy home." "He was so determined," she says.

From what she has read and learned since, it wasn't until her father was out of the woods and headed for home that word was received that someone had found Buddy's remains. That someone turned out to be a Vietnam veteran, an Army sergeant from Greenfield, Joe Korpiewski.

The headline on one of the stories she found recently read: "Greenfield man discovers Buddy Atkinson's remains." In all of these intervening years, she says, she hadn't known it was someone who lived so close who had found her brother.

In late July, she and her husband set out from their home in Belchertown for Lake Placid. She carried with her a "piece of Chicopee," a stone from the Ted Ondrick Co. that she had engraved with Buddy's name. Along the trail from the register that Buddy had signed back in 1973, she found a spot to place the stone off next to a sapling.

"I don't know how else to explain it. I wanted a piece of home to go with me, so he'd have a piece of Chicopee there with him. No one else has to see it. I'll know it's there. It's something on that mountain that will be a reminder that he was there, that he died there."

Pat and Al spent five hours in the Adirondack woods on Aug. 2. Amid the tranquility, Pat says, she "felt this sense of serenity come over me. My mission was accomplished. We caught our breath on a log among the beauty, and I said to Al, 'Now I know why he loved this place so much.'"

In mid-September, Pat finally connected with the man who found Buddy. It was a "long and intense" telephone call. He was sensitive enough, she says, to inquire if she truly wanted to know all the details of his finding her brother's remains.

"I told him, yes, I needed to hear everything about it," she says. "It was very difficult to listen to it all, but, in the end, as I said to Joe, he was the right person at the right time to bring this to an end and his skills were put to the best use on that forbidding mountainside."

She was comforted by Korpiewski's recollections of his many talks with her father, remembering what a strong and special man he was. "You couldn't ask for a better father."

She knows now her brother suffered no physical trauma, no broken bones, but rather was a victim of the unmerciful cold and weather which engulfed the mountain that March. She knows Buddy died a peaceful death in a place he loved.

"It was an emotional call for me to be sure, but I couldn't say it strongly enough to Joe, that even after 40 years, I finally had the chance to verbalize the words 'thank you' to the one person who so deserved them," Pat says. "I would never give short shrift to all the dozens of volunteers who helped in searches over the years, but this was the guy whose courage and dedication brought it to an end."

Buddy Atkinson's dream, his sister believes, "would have been to have a piece of land, very remote, so that maybe he could carve out a life for himself in the outdoors and make a living for himself in the natural world."

As she left Mount Marcy in August, Pat says she turned back to take a last look at the vista Buddy so loved and spotted a hawk soaring by itself. "OK, I'll take that, I thought," she said. "It was his spirit. His soul is still where it needs to be."

Cynthia G. Simison is managing editor of The Republican; she may be reached by email to csimison@repub.com.
NORTHAMPTON This city's Polish community takes observance of Pulaski Day very seriously.

For decades, a parade has been held each October to pay tribute to the Revolutionary War hero, Gen. Casimir Pulaski, tied to the date, Oct. 9, 1779, when he was mortally wounded during the Battle of Savannah.

This year, there will be a patriotic emphasis on the 30th annual Pulaski Day parade sponsored by the Polish Heritage Committee as military units, bands, veterans, traditionally dressed members of Polish societies and re-enactors of the Civil and Revolutionary wars and others march from the former Lia Honda lot on King Street to Pulaski Park on Oct. 10.

The parade, which also celebrates the substantial Polish presence across Western Massachusetts, steps off at 11:15 a.m. It is preceded by a Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church on King Street in Northampton at 10n a.m. The Mass will be celebrated by the Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, and the Rev. Piotr Calik, a native of Poland.

Mayor David Narkewicz will serve as grand marshal of the parade.

Organizers consider the parade the largest Pulaski Day celebration in Massachusetts.

"Over the past 20 years the parade has gotten bigger and better with groups and marchers coming back year after year," commented Angela M. Fydenkevez, a co-chair of the Pulaski Day Parade Committee for the Polish Heritage Committee. "The purpose for the parade is to keep up Polish heritage and customs the younger generation should know about."

The event at the newly renovated Pulaski Park on Main Street will include music, a wreath presentation, salutes, the reading of proclamations and Miss Polonia and Junior Miss Polonia presentations. Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos will be the keynote speaker.

All of this "gives people the opportunity to show gratitude and to honor General Pulaski for his ultimate sacrifice in the fight for freedom in both America and in Russian-dominated Poland," said John F. Skibiski, a member of the Northampton Polish Heritage Committee.

Pulaski, an associate of George Washington, was the founder of the American Cavalry.

"He's a hero of two nations, (Poland and the United States)," Skibiski said. "He serves as a role model for other Americans who fought and are still fighting for others to obtain freedom. We honor them as well."

At the parade, Fydenkevez likes to see the younger children in traditional Polish dress and to hear them speak Polish. "Seeing these children every year, watching them grow up and knowing they know their heritage and history is enough to keep us going in the years to come," she said.

The parade has grown substantially in recent years and features Polish, church and religious organizations, military and veterans groups, educational groups, agricultural organizations paying tribute to the region's Polish farmers and civic and service organizations from communities throughout Western Massachusetts.

The parade will feature the Joey and Jeff polka band from Chicopee, the Northampton High School and Hopkins Academy bands and both the Marquis de Granby and Windsor Regiment Fife and Drum Corps groups from Connecticut.

"People here are proud of their heritage," Skibiski said.

According to Gerald S. Budgar, a co-chair of the Pulaski Day Parade Committee for the Polish Heritage Committee, Northampton's Pulaski Day celebration has taken on added significance in recent years as the city's predominantly Polish parish, St. John Cantius Church, was closed. "So, this remains one of the important annual events in the local Polish calendar," he said.

There are about 33 members of the heritage committee who work to continue the Polish history and culture. Other activities include Polish folksong concerts, Polish language classes and cultural functions that exemplify Polish traditions.

President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution in 1929, declaring an annual Pulaski Day. The granite monument in Northampton was erected shortly after, unveiled by Hoover's predecessor, former President Calvin Coolidge, who lived in Northampton.

The Polish community of Chicago celebrates Casimir Pulaski Day on the first Monday of every March in memory of the general during the month of his birth. It is a separate holiday from the federal observance.

The Northampton celebration has "truly become a day for the Polish community to shine and put its best collective foot forward," Budgar said.

For more information, call 413-584-2964 or email gbudgar@rcn.com.
DWTand, besides, he and his wife just had their second baby last week so, like most Americans, they've had their minds on more important things than following the intricacies of the presidential campaign. He came over yesterday and told me he had watched the debate. He was mortified that he ever considered voting for Trump. "The man is a joke," he told me with disgust. Boom! Trump lost a vote. Actually polling shows that Trump lost a lot of votes by his performance Monday night. Just over a month ago, I wrote about an Israeli-born friend of mine who is supporting Trump. Not only was he supporting Trump, he told me that the Jewish community he was involved in was entirely supporting Trump. He's a smart guy but he doesn't pay obsessively close attention to the presidential race the way we do here atand, besides, he and his wife just had their second baby last week so, like most Americans, they've had their minds on more important things than following the intricacies of the presidential campaign. He came over yesterday and told me he had watched the debate. He was mortified that he ever considered voting for Trump. "The man is a joke," he told me with disgust. Boom! Trump lost a vote. Actually polling shows that Trump lost a lot of votes by his performance Monday night.





Every single poll taken since the debate has shown Clinton moving out ahead-- both nationally and in all the battleground states. Last week, before the debate, Fox was screaming about how Trump was beating Clinton in swingy Nevada (as well as in North Carolin and Ohio). He was up by 3 points in Nevada in Fox's own September 18-20 poll. That didn't last long. Clinton 3 point deficit turned into a 6 point margin-- so a 9 point swing-- after Trump made a money out of himself at the debate. And the Suffolk University poll of likely Nevada voters , was done before Trump's apparent-- and very public-- mental breakdown over Alicia Machado following the debate.





The Nevada poll shows Hillary gaining slightly as Trump hemorrhaged support after debate viewers saw him in action. She now leads him 44-38% in the state, after he lead her 44-42% in the same poll in August.

Hillary Clintons strong debate performance resonated with women in Nevada, said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. There was a corresponding increase in Donald Trumps unfavorable rating, and fewer voters see him as honest and trustworthy.



Among debate watchers, 57 percent said that Clinton won the debate, while 23 percent said Trump was the winner, and 12 percent called it a draw. When likely voters were asked who performed better than expected, Clinton was the choice of 60 percent to Trumps 27 percent, while 5 percent said both candidates exceeded their expectations. The poll was taken in the three days immediately following the first general-election debate by the major-party candidates.



Among women, Clinton bested Trump by 15 points, 49 percent to 34 percent. This was higher than the 5-point margin in August, 44 percent to 39 percent.



Likely Nevada voters gave Trump an unfavorable rating of 59 percent, compared to 55 percent in August. And 61 percent said that he wasnt honest and trustworthy, notably higher than the 52 percent recorded in August.

And it wasn't just among women that Trump lost support. My Israeli friend isn't just not a woman, he was an Israeli Navy SEAL equivalent whose main problem is that he was afraid Hillary would be a weak president internationally-- which is how he perceives Obama-- compared to Trump. That perception was turned right on its head during Trump's adderall-fueled debate performance Monday.





PPP, polling nationally and across several key states came to the conclusion that Trump hurt himself badly during the debate. Clinton how leads him by 4 points in a head-to-head matchup and by 4 points with all the third party candidates competing as well. "Monday night's debate was a big success for Clinton," they wrote . "54% of voters think she won it, to only 31% who think Trump won... Clinton has solid leads in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Virginia-- states seen as important to her path to 270 electoral votes-- and modest leads in Florida and North Carolina, where wins would be indicative of a dominant overall victory in the Electoral College. If these results hold up, Donald Trump has no path to victory."

 Colorado- Clinton 46, Trump 40, Johnson 6, Stein 2

 Florida- Clinton 45, Trump 43, Johnson 3, Stein 1

 North Carolina- Clinton 44, Trump 42, Johnson 7

 Pennsylvania- Clinton 45, Trump 39, Johnson 6, Stein 2

 Virginia- Clinton 46, Trump 40, Johnson 7, Stein 1





In each of these states, voters saw Clinton as winning the debate by big margins-- by 24 points in Virginia, by 22 points in Colorado and North Carolina, by 19 points in Pennsylvania, and by 17 points in Florida. It was much worse for Trump among millennials, where Clinton was seen as winning the debate by much higher numbers-- 41 points in Colorado, for example, and even 33 points in Florida! Voters in all the states polled said they found Trump unprepared tp be president, with the wrong temperament to be president and untrustworthy to be in charge of nuclear weapons. Even in his best state among the 5, Florida, only 40% viewed him as prepared to be president-- as opposed top 55% who said he;s not prepared. Majorities in each state found Hillary prepared to be president and with the right temperament to be president.





My Israeli friend seemed sensitive to Trump being overly bellicose and reckless internationally. He said Trump would get us into a war, something as the father of a 2 year old and a new-born, that particularly disturbed him. PPP asked voters which candidate they thought would be more likely to cause a nuclear war. I doubt these numbers will surprise anyone:









PPP also asked this question: "There is a proposal in Congress to privatize some of the services veterans receive from the VA. Currently VA Hospitals cover veterans for all their health care needs. Under this proposal some of the hospital programs would be privatized, and veterans would get a credit card like voucher, where they would have to pay for their health care through a private for profit insurance company. The voucher would only pay for some of the costs for private insurance, and the hospital services currently fully covered by the VA would go away. Would you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose this plan to privatize some VA services and eventually do away with the VA health care system?

 Colorado- 27% favor, 64% oppose

 Florida- 27% favor, 61% oppose

 North Carolina- 26% favor, 62% oppose

 Pennsylvania- 27% favor, 62% oppose

 Virginia- 27% favor, 65% oppose

And, yes, PPP is a polling firm generally favored by Democrats. But Fox isn't. They agreed with PPP's findings : "Hillary Clinton has gained ground on Donald Trump, who has slipped in key measures of the presidential race after the first debate... Clinton is ahead of Trump by three percentage points: 43-40 percent in the four-way matchup, according to a new Fox News Poll of likely voters."

The consequences of the debate, which voters score as a win for Clinton by nearly three-to-one, are even clearer on other measures. Trumps honesty rating is down, most still say he doesnt have the right temperament, and over half wouldnt be comfortable with him as president.



Meanwhile, more voters now see Clinton as honest than Trump, the number who say she has the right temperament is up, and over half think her long tenure in government is a positive. Plus, her support increased among women, non-whites, and younger voters.



In addition, the number that believes Trump is honest and trustworthy is down 8 points since mid-September: 31 percent vs. 39 percent. At the same time, Clinton has mostly held steady on this measure: 35 percent now vs. 34 percent two weeks ago.

New York Times Times expose was a statement asserting that the serial bankrupt "is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required." They made a point that he pays other kinds of taxes, The Times for publishing his records. This evening the reported what many people have long assumed-- Trump isn't releasing his tax returns because his business incompetence gave him a $916 million loss in 1995 that gave him the opportunity to avoid paying any federal income tax for 18 years. The Trumpf campaign's response to theexpose was a statement asserting that the serial bankrupt "is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required." They made a point that he pays other kinds of taxes, like sales taxes (on all his tasteless, gaudy furniture for example). At least they didn't quote him saying " vagina is expensive " again. Trump's attorney threatened to suefor publishing his records.
BOSTON -- A couple from Georgia was charged in federal court last week creating a complex scheme to defraud Framingham-based Staples out of $1.4 million worth of customer loyalty rewards and product rebates.

John Douglas, 46, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Boston. His 41-year-old wife, Analyn Douglass was charged with conspiracy to ship stolen goods in interstate commerce. The husband and wife from Alpharetta, Georgia spell their last names differently.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts said Douglas and one of his associates created more than 1,100 Staple rewards accounts using fake names, addresses and contact information.

"He then created a computer script to query a Staples web site and seek unclaimed customer loyalty rewards for purchases that he did not make," the news release said. "The computer script made thousands of queries a day, amassing more than $889,000 worth of rewards in small increments, often less than a dollar at a time."

The couple and others involved in the scheme used the rewards like money to buy items at Staples locations throughout the southern part of the United States and along the eastern seaboard, as far as Massachusetts, authorities said.

Analyn Douglass is accused of selling much of the fraudulently obtained Staples merchandise on eBay.

Authorities further allege the couple and their associate used a similar scheme to claim more than $527,000 in cash rebates from Staples for products that they did not purchase.

Once Staples discovered the fraud, officials at the company notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney's Office. The company has cooperated with the investigation.
AGAWAM - This week new information was released about the 24-year-old unsolved slaying of Lisa Ziegert, a teacher's assistant who was abducted from a gift store, taken to a wooded area, raped and stabbed to death.

Using new techniques scientists analyzed old DNA found at the scene to come up with distinguishing features of the killer.

The 24-year-old Agawam resident and Westfield State graduate was an aspiring teacher who was working at Agawam Middle School and Brittany's Card and Gift Shoppe when she was abducted on April 15, 1992. Her body was found in the woods off Suffield Street four days later on Easter Sunday.

The crime sent a panic through the community. In the days after the crime, people lined up at the Agawam Police Department to apply for firearms permits. The City Council approved thousands of dollars for police overtime and people called in hundreds of tips.

Using a new method called DNA Phenotyping, Gulluni said the analysis shows the killer is white with light skin, has brown hair and brown or hazel eyes. He is of European descent. Although Gulluni's office released a composite sketch of what the killer may have looked like, they said they could not tell weight, height and other facial characteristics with the method.

Traditionally DNA has been used as a kind of fingerprint. A DNA sample is compared with existing samples on file to identify a suspect. Gulluni said none of the DNA in the Ziegert case matched any record on file locally or nationally.

Gulluni also announced a new tip line number. People with information can call 413-333-9148.

Here are some of the things people were Tweeting about the new information.
FARMINGTON, Conn. -- In a room with a 9,500-piece Austrian Swarovski crystal chandelier, the most noticeable thing is the silence.

"This is the most important room and the most beautiful room in the temple," said Larry Y. Wilson, the executive director of the Temple Department for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints -- the Mormons. "It is a place for quiet meditation, a place where you can experience beauty and peace."

Wilson last week gave members of the media a tour of the church's new temple, which is located on an 11.3-acre parcel along Route 4 in Farmington right past the Farmington River. The temple, officially called The Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Hartford, will serve about 27,000 members of the church living in Connecticut, Western Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island and New York.

Robert Bazyk, who lives in Granby, Connecticut, is excited to have a temple near him.

"This is halfway between New York and Boston, and as a result those members like myself who live in this area won't have to travel as far to visit a temple," he said. "Being closer means we can go to the temple more often and going to the temple makes us better people and helps us."

While anyone can attend a Mormon meetinghouse where regular church services are held, it is rare for the general public to enter a temple, which is considered the house of God and is used by Mormons for the most special and serious ceremonies in their faith, from baptism of ancestors to sealing marriages and making covenants with God.

Before the temple is dedicated on Nov. 20, Wilson said the public is welcome to come and view the 32,246-square-foot building.

"We were welcomed so graciously by the community and we want people to see this beautiful and important space which is now part of the community as well," he said.

The public open house will be held through Oct. 22 with the exception of Oct. 9 and 16. To reserve free tickets to view the temple, visit www.templeopenhouse.lds.org.

While the temple is large and prominent, Wilson said architects paid special attention to the architecture of surrounding buildings in the area and incorporated many of those elements into the design both outside and inside the temple, which was built in a traditional American Georgian style.

From a three-tier bowl bronze fountain to 200 newly planted trees and a gleaming granite building, the exterior of the temple is just as impressive as the interior, which features Calacatta Gold marble floors, broadloom carpets, new Hepplewhite and Chippendale furniture and original artwork.

The temple will have about 10 paid employees and nearly 800 "workers" -- Mormon volunteers who are assigned particular duties within the temple. The temple president and his wife are also volunteers.

"The LDS (Latter-Day Saints) church is a big volunteer army, everyone is expected to pitch in and do their part," Wilson said.

Although the church will not release the cost for the building, Wilson pointed out that funds for every temple come from the tithing of LDS members.

"You've got somebody in Cambodia who contributed a dollar of tithing last year and that was a lot bigger sacrifice than somebody here who contributed $10,000, and that $1 of tithing or a portion of it is used toward this building," he said.

Wilson said while the temples are expensive, the church is also known for giving back.

"Even though a tremendous amount of money was spent on this building, the church worldwide is doing tremendous things when it comes to our humanitarian efforts and welfare programs," he said.

The temple tour also included an explanation of each room and the purpose it serves.

The baptismal room with Italian marble floors and 12 fiberglass oxen treated with a French technique to look like marble, hold up a baptismal pool used by members of the church to be baptized in honor of their dead ancestors. Mormons believe that when a person dies they leave their body, but retain all of the knowledge, experiences and lessons they learned in this life.

"This is a place where members of the church can be baptized on behalf of an ancestor who died without being able to learn about Jesus Christ, " Wilson explained. "We believe that the ancestor can then accept or decline the baptism."

A common theme in all of the rooms, including the celestial room and instruction rooms, is the Mormon belief in the importance of family.

In the sealing room, which is decorated in soft greens, white and beige colors with a chandelier and an alter, a man and woman have their marriage sealed.

Sealing is a process by which a husband and wife are united together not only for this lifetime, but for eternity. Any children that come from that union or are adopted are also sealed into the family.

"We believe that while a civil marriage binds you together until death, a sealing binds you together for eternity," Wilson said. "This changes your perspective on marriage. When you face difficult things, you realize this is temporary and ... this relationship will endure. So I want to treat my marriage partner and family in a way that enables this relationship to be what I want it to be not only here, but hereafter."

Wilson said only about 10 percent of Mormon marriages end in divorce, in large part because of the significance of the sealing ceremonies.

"When you have an eternal marriage you see your spouse and your children in a different way than you might otherwise," he said.

There are currently 155 operating temples across the world, and each one is kept in pristine condition due to the church's belief in the Millennium, a thousand-year period of peace.

"You can go into a temple that was built a hundred years ago and it will still look as if it was just built. These buildings are made to withstand earthquakes and survive a thousand years," he said.

Wilson said he hopes the public will take the opportunity to visit the Farmington temple.

"This temple stands for our belief in Christ, our belief in the immortality of the human soul, our belief in eternal families, our belief in the connections we have to our ancestors and the desire to offer the same thing to them that we have available to us, and to offer that to everyone ultimately," he said.
robert mcmahon.jpg

Robert McMahon

(Palmer Police)

PELHAM - A Montague man is facing a variety of charges including drunken driving second offense, operating after a license suspension and possession of heroin after he was pulled over by police, Friday.

Robert McMahon, 49, was arrested at about 2:30 a.m. after officers observed him allegedly driving erratically on Route 202, police said.

McMahon was charged with second offense driving under the influence, possession of heroin, operating after license suspension, marked lanes violation, attaching plates, unregistered motor vehicle and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, police said.

Police also arrested him on active warrants issued by Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, police said.
CLINTON,CONN.  A Far Rockaway, NY woman was arrested at a Connecticut outlet plaza after she had charged nearly $3,000 in merchandise on some of the 45 cloned credit cards she was carrying.

Kumarie Patel

Clinton Police said Kumarnie Patel had accumulated $2,800 in various purchases at the Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets Friday.

When they searched her they found she was carrying a New Jersey license with a false name on it, and 45 cloned credit cards all with the same name imprinted.

Officers told the Hartford Courant that store keepers became suspicious when as a credit card was rejected, Patel reached into her purse and pulled another from a stack she was carrying.

Police said when searched her car they found more items she had purchased at other malls in the area.

Patel was charged with 45 counts of unlawful reproduction of a credit card, 11 counts of illegal use of a credit card and single counts of third-degree larceny and second-degree larceny. She was released on $20,000 bond pending a hearing in Middletown Superior Court on Oct. 10.
SPRINGFIELD - The Taste of Italy took place in the auditorium of the South End Middle School Saturday as part of a fundraiser for the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Springfield. The Taste of Italy kicked off after a Mass in the church on William Street.

Several hundred visitors worked their way around the aisles that were full of authentic Italian main and side dishes. Dishes included ziti, eggplant parmigiana Bianca, chicken cacciatore, chicken marsala, lentil soups, and more than 35 other favorite foods.

The food festival also included a table featuring the latest in The Republican Heritage book series, "On Being Italian: A Story of Food, Family and Faith." The book provides information on the Italian-American community in Western Massachusetts from the beginnings to the present.

The Republican's Executive Editor Wayne Phaneuf and retired editor Mimi Rigali, who helped edit the book, were on hand to sign copies. The nearly 300 page book was offered at a discounted price with a portion of the proceeds from each copy sold benefiting the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

The books are available at The Republican office's at 1860 Main St. or online.

Assistant Managing Editor Ray Kelly and Cori Urban contributed to this report
This story was updated with additional information at 7:05 p.m.

FOXBORO - A Massachusetts State Police trooper was hit by a motorcycle Sunday afternoon in a parking lot near Gillette Stadium.

State police said the trooper's injuries are serious, but he is expected to survive. He was conscious during transport to Boston Medical Center.

The motorcyclist, Jose Perez-Rodriguez, 25, of Everett, is in state police custody and expected to face charges. He was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center "and will be booked as soon as his medical condition allows," state police said in a news release.

The trooper was working traffic control in a parking lot on Route 1 when he was hit at around 4:25 p.m., shortly after the New England Patriots game.

State police said troopers were trying to stop Perez-Rodriguez near the P6 parking lot when he fled, driving south in the northbound lane. Another trooper tried to stop him outside the P8 lot; Perez-Rodriguez struck that trooper.

The name of the injured trooper will not be released on Sunday, state police said.
The suspected ivory found at Noi Bai airport on Saturday. Photo by VnExpress/Son Duong

Around 309 kilograms of what are suspected to be elephant tusks from Nigeria were seized at Noi Bai Airport on Saturday.

Around 309 kilograms of what are suspected to be elephant tusks from Nigeria were seized at Noi Bai International Airport on Saturday.

The shipment arrived at the Hanoi airport two days earlier on an Etihad Airways flight from Nigeria in a container labeled as containing glass.

Customs officials have taken test samples to confirm the shipment's origin.

They have also summoned representatives of a company in Hanoi that was named on the invoice as the recipient.

Vietnam banned the ivory trade in the 1990s, but it has been fueled by rising affluence in recent years and demand for decorative pieces.

The country has been named one of the biggest markets for wildlife trafficking as many people believe rare animal parts can cure diseases, despite a lack of scientific evidence.

Wildlife protection organizations have been cooperating with celebrities and doctors to campaign against this belief. The government has also been slammed for doing little in its part to prevent the wildlife trade.

Related news:

> Germany seizes $1 million worth of illegal ivory en route to Vietnam
Chuck Palazzo at age 60 in Da Nang. Drew Brown, the man who took this photo, now says that Palazzo fooled him and others into believing he had returned to Da Nang to heal psychological trauma incurred while fighting in and around the city from 1970-1971 as a U.S. Marine. After reviewing Palazzos military records, Brown wrote a letter to fellow members of the Veterans for Peace Chapter 160 claiming that Palazzo never set foot in Vietnam during the war. In May, members of the group asked local police to help investigate Palazzo for misappropriating approximately $100,000 in charitable donations during his time as their secretary and treasurer. Photo courtesy of Drew Brown

Chuck Palazzo is accused by the men who entrusted him with charitable donations.

Chuck Palazzo, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran living in Vietnam, has been accused of fraud and embezzlement by the men who entrusted him with thousands of dollars in charitable donations.

In May, donors and members of the Veterans for Peace Chapter 160 had removed Palazzo as secretary and treasurer pending an internal audit and investigation into the disappearance of funds. VnExpress International has obtained a letter, dated May 23, sent to donors and members of the group announcing Palazzo's removal and plans to conduct a thorough audit of the missing funds.

It has always been clear that donors conveyed these funds, in good faith and with full trust, to VFP 160 with the intention that the money be used to provide support and mitigation to war victims of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and Agent Orange (AO) in Vietnam, the letter reads. It is now clear that there has been an unconscionable violation of that trust, involving an undetermined amount of money, by a key officer of the organization, CHARLES (CHUCK) PALAZZO, which PALAZZO has admitted.

Three current and former members of the group claim that roughly $100,000 in charitable donations went missing this year from the organization's coffers and that police in the central city of Da Nang are nearing an end to their investigation of Palazzo as the prime suspect.

We have no comment pending the outcome of the investigation, said Chuck Searcy, the vice president of VFP 160 who has played a central role in raising funds to help clear un-exploded ordnance from the central province of Quang Tri.

Palazzo did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

In 2012, the group began offering a two-week guided tour to Vietnam for up to 20 veterans, their spouses and peace activists. Participants were required to make a minimum $1,000 donation.

Members of the group say the program raised $15-20,000 per year in funds that were quickly dispersed to a list of local charities. In recent years, members say, three anonymous donors gave the group an additional $100,000 that can no longer be accounted for.

The beneficiaries of these funds included the Da Nang Association of Victims of Agent Orange whose vice president said VFP 160 tours added $2,000-3,000 to their annual budget. The official also said he was awaiting the outcome of a police investigation of Palazzo, who did not respond to numerous calls, emails and text messages seeking comment.

The most-profiled man in Da Nang

Numerous stories have been written about the recalcitrant U.S. Marine who had returned to his former battleground to heal his own psychological wounds by assisting the victims of Agent Orange -- a toxic defoliant the U.S. Air Force sprayed throughout Southern Vietnam to deny food and cover to those below them.

Images of the veteran posing next to those deformed and disabled by dioxin (a byproduct of the spray) abound on the internet. Palazzo frequently emailed friends stories critical of Monsanto, one of several companies that manufactured the dioxin-laced spray.

Palazzo also wrote a regular column for veteranstoday.com, which described him as a veteran of the 1st and 3rd Marine Reconnaissance Units from 1970-1971.

In July of 2015, he attached his personal bank details to an email solicitation for donations.

This is the FIRST of what I hope to be, many, Respite Homes For Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange, he wrote in the email. This is probably the most important thing that we can do together - for the over 3 million Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange. Give what you can. But please donate something. Be part of this very special project.

Last year, Palazzo, an affable, heavyset 62-year old with a butterfly tattooed over his left thumb welcomed foreign journalists to the central city of Da Nang for the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Over beer and seafood, he offered a now well-documented narrative of having grown up rough in the Bronx and come of age under fire in Quang Nam Province.

Palazzo then told VnExpress International that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder had ruined his marriage and professional career and, ultimately, inspired him to return to Vietnam in 2007 to provide assistance to the victims of Agent Orange.

'A total fraud'

This July, Drew Brown, a photographer, journalist and veteran of the U.S. invasion of Panama sent out a letter to members of the Veterans for Peace Chapter 160 accusing Palazzo of lying about his experience in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Palazzo's a total fraud, Brown told VnExpress International when reached on his cell phone in Byron, Georgia.

Brown wrote that he decided to share the findings of his investigation into Palazzo's military record after receiving a letter from two VFP 160 members announcing that Palazzo had stolen practically all of chapter 160's money.

Brown wrote that he first met Palazzo in 2012 while preparing a photo series about the impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam..

Palazzo told me that his recon team had been sent regularly into North Vietnam to locate and 'take out' surface to air missile sites, he wrote in his letter. He also told me that he had been exposed to Agent Orange when a U.S. helicopter sprayed defoliant nearby while his team was on a mission in the hills near Da Nang [] Palazzo later claimed in a February 2013 interview, for which I shot the pictures, that he had also parachuted into combat on several occasions.

Profiles offering a similar account of Palazzos life have appeared in the Guardian, Bloomberg, The New Yorker and in the Vietnamese media.

Brown says that Palazzo duped them all.

Every single one of Chuck Palazzos tales about serving as a Marine in Vietnam is a complete fabrication, part of an elaborate series of lies that he built up over the years, presumably to bolster his standing among other veterans and to enhance his credibility as an activist working on behalf of Agent Orange victims in the country.

Brown wrote and maintains that Palazzo has never responded to his requests for comment or disputed his accusations.

Military history

Brown moved to Da Nang in 2013 and became a partner in a bar called Dimples, which he says closed after the landlord sold their location. Brown says he also invested $20,000 in Palazzo's web development company, NFS Mobile.

Brown says his suspicion that Palazzo did nothing to hold up his end of the agreement led him to investigate his military history.

According to information released from [Palazzo's] DD-214, which I obtained from the National Personnel Records Center in February 2016 through a Freedom of Information Act Request, Palazzo did, in fact, serve as a Marine, but he never stepped foot in Vietnam nor did he ever serve in a reconnaissance unit in any capacity, Brown wrote in the letter he addressed to fellow members of the Veterans for Peace chapter in July.

Brown says he initially planned to keep the information to himself for fear that he might cause strife among the veterans community.

Had I come forward a year ago, when I finally realized that my project with him had really been nothing more than a vehicle to fund his living expenses for a year, then perhaps his embezzlement of Chapter 160s money might have come to light sooner, he wrote. I sincerely regret not doing so.

Related news:

> German film about Agent Orange in Vietnam nominated for Emmy
Despite a raft of complaints about air and water pollution, the second check this year has resulted in no action being taken, again.

Government officials inspected a thermal power plant in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh on Saturday after numerous complaints about air and water pollution.

The Duyen Hai Thermal Power Plant stands along the coast of Tra Vinh with a capacity of more than 4,400 megawatts. This equates to around four million tons of ash and sludge discharged every year.

A dump site of 100 hectares (247 acres) for the sludge will be full in no more than two years, and the investor has not figured out what to do with the sludge yet.

Locals said their lives have been badly disturbed by the plants huge emissions since it started running around two years ago. Several fish and salt farmers said they have abandoned their businesses due to the dust.

Dao Van Chinh, a commune official, said there are times when wind blows dust from the plant all over locals houses and fields.

The inspection team comprised officials from the Politburo, the Communist Partys decision-making body; the Fatherland Front Committee, an umbrella organization of all political and social groups in Vietnam; and the provincial government.

Officials from the Environment Ministry checked the plant in March but it seems nothing has changed since then. This second inspection appears to have been toothless as well, with no tough actions taken.

The officials once again asked the plants investor to submit a report on the plants environmental impacts, which it was supposed to do before starting operations.

They questioned its shift to dry-sludge discharge from the planned wet-sludge discharge system, which costs more but reduces the impact on the area.

The plant was also questioned about the legitimacy of its underwater pipes used to discharge sewage into the sea. Commune officials said that leaks from the pipes could hit fishing in the area.

But Nguyen Viet Dung, chief manager of the project which is part of the state monopoly Electricity of Vietnam, said discharging sewage into the sea is not prohibited under Vietnamese laws, as long as it is treated.

Dung also said the plants dry sludge is discharged through a closed system into the dump site, which is watered regularly.

There are no impacts on the environment, he said.

Vietnam's government has announced plans to build 14 coal-fired power plants in the Mekong Delta by 2030, adding a total capacity of around 18,000 megawatts to the power-hungry south.

A study by the Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance found thermal power plants require lots of water for cooling, and that the 14 plants will discharge around 70 million cubic meters of 40C water every day, posing a significant threat to an aquatic eco-system that sustains 20 million people.

Vietnam depends mostly on hydropower and thermal plants to meet its power demands.

The country has scrambled to develop a new network of coal-fired plants after news of droughts and damage attributed to hydropower dams circulated in the media. Beyond public discontent with the dams, experts say the country has already tapped every available hydrological resource it has for power.

But there is also concern about the plants carbon dioxide emissions.

Last year, a joint study produced by Green Peace and Harvard University estimated that air pollution created by coal-fired power plants kills around 4,300 people in Vietnam each year. The study also estimated the toll would rise to 25,000 per year if the Mekong Delta plants go into operation.

Related news:

> Vietnam, hungry for electricity, turns into net coal importer

> World Bank urges Vietnam to shun coal
A branch of Agribank, officially known as the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, in the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho. Violations of economic management at an Agribank services company will be heard at a trial in the coming months. File photo

6 serious corruption and economic mismanagement cases are being brought to trial between now and the first quarter of 2017.

Six serious corruption and economic mismanagement cases in Vietnam are going to be brought to trial for the first time between now and the first quarter of next year.

One of the cases involves charges of irresponsibility and violations of economic management at the Agribank Services Company, the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption announced at a meeting Saturday.

The countrys biggest lender by assets has been caught in legal turmoil on a number of occasions in recent years, with many executives jailed and arrested for swindling.

Another case concerns bribery and abuse of power charges at the Vietnam Waterway Construction Corporation under the Transport Ministry, and another is a $16-million embezzlement case at state-owned Vinashin Ocean Shipping Co. Ltd., also known as Vinashinlines.

The fourth case involves fraud and economic management violations between Que Vo Textile JSC, a private firm, and a public development fund in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

A Ho Chi Minh City office of Vietinbank, one of the biggest lenders in Vietnam, is caught in another trial regarding fraud, abuse of power and lending rate violations, which allegedly scammed nearly $50 million from five companies.

Executives from the Hanoi-based OceanBank will stand trial in the sixth case. The banks then chairman Ha Van Tham, one of Vietnams richest men, was arrested in late 2014 following a central bank inspection into various lending violations, including his approval of a $23.5 million loan for a company without the proper collateral.

In 2014, Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index, an international standard gauge of government malfeasance, ranked Vietnam 119 out of 175 countries and territories; the country was ranked 116 in 2013 and 123 a year earlier. Its position has barely budged, moving to just 112 in 2015.

Related news:

> Corruption biggest business obstacle in Vietnam: private equity firms

> Vietnam targets families of public officials in anti-corruption drive
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by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, October 1, 2016

Google co-founders have been contemplating the acquisition of Twitter for nearly as long as the social site -- launched in July 2008 by co-founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass -- has been around.

Now Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin may get the chance. Bloomberg reports that Alphabet, Google's parent company, has hired Lazard Ltd. to evaluate the deal.

The acquisition would provide a long list of benefits to Google's advertisers that also use Twitter to run campaigns, as well as brands with strong search engine optimization strategies.

While the move doesn't mean a done deal, it's clear the Google co-founders have been contemplating its options, as they have for years.

Rumors of an acquisition began in 2009, but recently resurfaced after being dormant for years. "Twitter hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Allen & Co. to solicit potential buyers after receiving interest from Salesforce, people familiar with the situation have said," reports Bloomberg. The social site has been trying to shape its business model, but its growth has stagnated for more than a year.

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Google's relationship with Twitter continues to play out like an on-off love affair. The search engine inked a deal with the social site early on and then again in 2015, which provides a means for Google to pull in every real-time Twitter tweet into search engine results.

Social has not been one of Google's strongholds. In 2010, Google launched Buzz, a social networking microblogging site. The site provided a way for users to share photos and videos, messages and links. About a year later, it shuttered the tool.

Next came Google+ in 2011. The advanced HTML5 platform allowed users to drag-and-drop their friends, family, classmates, co-workers and other custom groups into social circles to share content. Video chat came along, too, but the site never really caught on.

"By 2014, Google+ underwent a series of leadership changes, followed by a massive redesign of the service," writes CB Insights in a post published late September 2016, as part of a list noting 23 of the biggest "Google Goofs."

"However, these moves failed to substantially enlarge the user base. Although Google+ is still in operation with an audience of about 111 million active users (compared to Facebooks reported 1.7 billion monthly users), its hardly the first name that comes to mind when mentioning 'top' social networks," per CB Insights.

Twitter may be just what Google needs to finally build out its social strategy. And assistance from a former financial adviser could help.

"Lazard served as the financial adviser for Googles $625 million takeover of software developer Apigee in September," according to Bloomberg.
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Flu season traditionally begins in October and ends around April, peaking in January and February."It takes almost two weeks after vaccination for the flu shot to become fully effective," said Dr. Parada. "Similarly, it can take four to five days after exposure to the flu virus to develop symptoms.""Unlike many infectious diseases, the flu can be prevented and even eliminated when everyone in a community gets the vaccine," said Dr. Parada. "Just as a hard hat is necessary safety equipment for construction workers, those of us who work in healthcare know that we need to take special precautions. Getting a flu shot protects ourselves, our patients and our entire community from harm."Loyola is a leader in infectious disease prevention and is in its seventh season of mandatory flu vaccine as a condition of employment.Each February, an FDA committee determines which virus strains will go into vaccines sold in America for the coming season. The committee considers which viruses are making people sick in Asia, where the flu season first begins, and the effectiveness of the previous season's vaccine.According to the CDC, flu vaccines protect against the three or four viruses that research suggests will be most common. For 2016-2017, three-component vaccines (trivalent) are recommended to contain: A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like virus B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus (B/Victoria lineage)Four component vaccines (quadrivalent) are recommended to include the same three viruses above, plus an additional B virus called B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata lineage).Dr. Parada offers the following tips to protect yourself and your community this flu season: Get your flu shot anytime starting now, and certainly before the end of October Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently throughout the day Cover your mouth and nose with the crook of your arm when you sneeze to limit the spreading of germs Stay home if you have the flu"You'll know you have the flu, and not just a cold, if you also have a fever," said Dr. Parada. "Stay home for two to three days until you are not in danger of infecting others. And remember there are multiple strains of the flu virus so it is possible to get sick with flu more than once during the flu season."Loyola University Medical Center is one of a few select hospitals who invest in universal screening of all inpatients for MRSA, was the only academic hospital to participate in a national C. difficile study and performs the most accurate testing for bacteria.Source: Newswise
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Never before implemented to study drug-trafficking patterns, Chandra's methodology is simple. Drugs are inferred to flow from the city with the lower price to the city with the higher price. If cities are connected as source and destination cities, drug prices will move in lockstep, growing more expensive as they leave cities of origin.Other key findings: Canada has become a major exporting country of Ecstasy into the United States. Cities close to the U.S. - Canada border, such as Seattle, Detroit and Portland, have become major Ecstasy gateways and distribution centers. Clusters of cities with lower prices can be found along the entire West Coast, in the Central Rockies and in the Great Lakes region - areas in which there are major interstate highways connected to Canada. The price of Ecstasy increases as it travels inland from the west and east coasts and the Canadian border.Chandra said his method could be used to inform drug policy and enforcement efforts and plans to allocate resources for treatment. It can easily be applied to the trafficking of other drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine."While prices can be used to confirm some of what we already know and suspect, there are instances in which they can tell you things that perhaps you weren't thinking about," he said. "The more information you bring to bear on a problem, the more facets of that problem you get to see."Chandra's study is published in the journalSource: Newswise
In a September 25, 2016 speech to a Tehran political circle, Mohsen Rafighdoost, who was minister of the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War and who heads the Noor Foundation,[1] said that the secret of the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution was Iranians' total obedience to the leader. He said that today the IRGC ground forces are "five times better" than the U.S. Army, and that the Iranian regime is capable of deploying nine million troops against it in less than 10 days.

Rafighdoost added that Iran's missiles in Tehran and the northwest of the country can reach Tel Aviv, and expressed his yearning for Israel to launch a missile at Iran so that Iran could "flatten Tel Aviv." He also said that Islamic Revolution founder Ayatollah Khomeini established Hizbullah in Lebanon to promote the Islamization of other countries,[2] and that today, in the era of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the organization has become "a supreme force in the region."



Mohsen Rafighdoost. Source: Wilayah.info, January 27, 2014.

Following are his September 25 statements:

"The IRGC's Ground Forces Are Perhaps Five Times Better Than The American Army"

"The factor that led to our victory in the [Iran-Iraq] War is [the same] factor that led to our victory in the [Islamic] Revolution. The Imam [Khomeini], in France, would order a parade [to be held in Iran], and the people would hold a parade, even in remote villages.

"During the eight years of the imposed war, not only was not one inch of Iranian land surrendered to the enemy, but we also acquired deterrent capability. I believe that as long as the Islamic Revolution stands against the Western and Eastern camps, we will be under military sanctions. We must never think that the world will provide us with military aid. Thanks to the war and its martyrs, Iran currently has deterrent capability. After a while, the Imam [Khomeini] replaced the call of 'war, war to victory' with 'war, war until the fitna is removed.' At the time, we understood this call as meaning that 'we must be so strong that the enemy will not even think of a military strike against Iran.'

"Today, Iran has deterrent capability. In recent years, the enemies have spoken of the option [of a military strike against Iran] as being on the table, but that was a lie. [Our] air force and navy are good, but it is [our] ground forces that finish the war. The IRGC's ground forces are perhaps five times better than the American army.

"Despite all the enemy media and cultural propaganda against us, if America wants to try its luck against us, [it should know that] we are completely capable of mobilizing nine million fighters [against it]... on the [battle]front in under 10 days."

"If Only A Single [Israeli] Shell Would Strike Anywhere In This Country - So That We Can Flatten Tel Aviv"

"We have warehouses full [of missiles] in Tehran, Zanjan [in northwest Iran] and Oshnavieh [in Western Azerbaijan Province in northwest Iran] that can strike Tel Aviv. If only a single [Israeli] shell would strike anywhere in this country, so that we can flatten Tel Aviv."

In Khamenei's Era, Hizbullah "Has Become A Supreme Force In The Region"

"In accordance with his secondary plan, the Imam [Khomeini] created Hizbullah in Lebanon. This plan was [aimed at] Islamizing other countries. Today, in the era of the Leader [Khamenei, Hizbullah] has become a supreme force in the region.

"Despite all the criminal [plots], Iranian security forces grow stronger every day. Some of the statements being put out there are made out of lack of awareness, and anyone who makes them is ignorant.[3]

"The secret to victory lies in wise and complete obedience to the leader [Khamenei]. During the time of the Imam [Khomeini], we obeyed him, and today we obey the leader [Khamenei]."[4]

Endnotes:
In two recent TV interviews, former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki talked about his disappointment in the outcome of the Arab Spring revolution in his country. Speaking on Al-Jazeera on September 16, he said that the "rosy" image of Tunisia as a successful democracy was "propaganda that has nothing to do with reality." Speaking on BBC on September 22, Marzouki said that "what we are witnessing now is the return of the old regime," accusing President Beji Caid Essebsi of "conspiring against the revolution from day one."
Du Gia and Mau Due are two communes in Yen Minh District, Ha Giang. The 73-kilometer part that goes through these communes is hence named after them. From central Du Gia northward to Lung Ho Commune, travelers will meet Nam Lang Cliff, a sight that pulls many over for its splendor. The part from there to Mau Due has become notorious for its dangerous chain of slopes and turns that offer the best vantage points to look down on the terraced fields below.
The first step in buying a gun isn't "will you be paying cash or credit?" It's "is your background clear?" You can't have been sent to prison, been dishonorably discharged from the military or other issues.

For all prospective firearms buyers, be it the purchase of a $250 mass-produced handgun or a handcrafted rifle worth 50 times that, the first step is submitting a computerized background check to the FBI.
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the electric utility, banking, and renewable/sustainable infrastructure investment businesses in the state of Hawaii. It operates in three segments: Electric Utility, Bank, and Other. The Electric Utility segment engages in the production, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. Its renewable energy sources and potential sources include wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, wave, hydroelectric, municipal waste, and other biofuels. This segment serves suburban communities, resorts, the United States armed forces installations, and agricultural operations. The Bank segment operates a community bank that offers banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses, including savings and checking accounts; and loans comprising residential and commercial real estate, residential mortgage, construction and development, multifamily residential and commercial real estate, consumer, and commercial loans. This segment operates 42 branches, including 29 branches in Oahu, 6 branches in Maui, 4 branches in Hawaii, 2 branches in Kauai, and 1 branch in Molokai. The Other segment invests in non-regulated renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure in the State of Hawaii. Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. was incorporated in 1891 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Douglas Dynamics, Inc. operates as a manufacturer and upfitter of commercial work truck attachments and equipment in North America. It operates through two segments, Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions. The Work Truck Attachments segment manufactures and sells snow and ice control attachments, including snowplows, and sand and salt spreaders for light trucks and heavy duty trucks, as well as various related parts and accessories. The Work Truck Solutions segment primarily manufactures municipal snow and ice control products; provides truck and vehicle upfits where it attaches component pieces of equipment, truck bodies, racking, and storage solutions to a vehicle chassis for use by end users for work related purposes; and manufactures storage solutions for trucks and vans, and cable pulling equipment for trucks. This segment also offers up-fit and storage solutions. It also provides customized turnkey solutions to governmental agencies, such as Departments of Transportation and municipalities. The company sells its products under the BLIZZARD, FISHER, SNOWEX, WESTERN, TURFEX, SWEEPEX, HENDERSON, BRINEXTREME, and DEJANA brands. It distributes its products primarily to professional snowplowers who are contracted to remove snow and ice from commercial and residential areas. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Beijing Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Guangzhou Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Asia Limited (Korea Branch), AMO Asia Limited Taiwan Branch (Hong Kong), AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Australia Pty Limited (New Zealand Branch), AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings Unlimited Company, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Ireland Branch, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Anakuria Therapeutics Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Apsis, Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., Branch of Johnson & Johnson LLC (RU) in Kazakhstan, C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., Cerenovus Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:Labo USA Inc., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, GMED Healthcare BV (Branch), Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Hickory Merger Sub Inc., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma LLC, Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceutical Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Japan Branch, Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Branch of Cilag GmbH International, Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Kft. Branch Office, Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd (Branch), Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (DHCC Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (JAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. Service Center (DAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AB Eesti filiaal (Branch), Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson AG (Zuchwil Branch), Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Care Switzerland Branch of Janssen-Cilag AG, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Dominican Republic Branch), Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH (Branch Office), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Belgian Branch) (European Logistics Center), Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Branch), Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Lda, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Limited (Sri Lanka Branch), Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Ankara Branch), Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Izmir Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East - Scientific Office, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ - LLC (Lebanese Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Ghana Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Kenya Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Branch (TSO) (Saudi Arabia Branch), Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson NCB (Belgian Branch), Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Poland sp. z o.o. oddzial w Warszawie "Consumer", Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd. Korea Branch, Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson Y Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, LTL Management LLC, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, Legal Entity Name, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medos International Sarl, Medos International Sarl succursale de Neuchatel (Branch), Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthospin Ltd., Orthotaxy, PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Royalty A&M LLC, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Elsker Mother & Baby Co. Ltd Minghang Branch, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., UAB "Johnson & Johnson", UAB Johnson & Johnson Eesti Filiaal (Estonian Branch), Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Beijing Branch Office, Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Shanghai Branch Office, Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.

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Graco Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The company's Industrial segment offers proportioning systems to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; equipment that pumps, meters, mixes and dispenses sealant, adhesive, and composite materials; and gel-coat equipment, chop and wet-out systems, resin transfer molding systems and applicators, and precision dispensing solutions. It also provides liquid finishing equipment; paint circulating and supply pumps; paint circulating advanced control systems; plural component coating proportioners; spare parts and accessories; and powder finishing products to coat powder finishing on metals under the Gema and SAT brands. The company's Process segment offers pumps to move and dispense chemicals, water, wastewater, petroleum, food, lubricants, and other fluids; pressure valves used in the oil and natural gas industry, other industrial processes, and research facilities; and chemical injection pumping solutions for injection of chemicals into producing oil wells and pipelines. It also supplies pumps, hose reels, meters, valves, and accessories for fast oil change facilities, service garages, fleet service centers, automobile dealerships, auto parts stores, truck builders, and heavy equipment service centers; and systems, components, and accessories for the automatic lubrication of bearings, gears, and generators in industrial and commercial equipment, compressors, turbines, and on- and off-road vehicles. The company's Contractor segment offers sprayers to apply paint to walls and other structures; and viscous coatings to roofs, as well as markings on roads, parking lots, athletic fields, and floors. It sells its products through distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and home center channels; and directly to end-users. The company was incorporated in 1926 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Despite Flipping in Surf 4 Times in a Year, Marines Say New ACV Is the Future of Amphibious Warfare

Some Marine veterans familiar with the vehicle and its operations have worried about the reliability of the ACV.
The Padres are exploring the idea of turning catcher Christian Bethancourt into a multi-position player, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Bethancourt has thrown two bullpen sessions and could become a pitcher/catcher/outfielder hybrid, per Lin, who notes that the Padres recently shifted ex-catcher prospect Jorge Ruiz to the mound (Twitter links).

Bethancourts best asset is likely his arm, which some scouts have graded an 80 on the 20-80 scale, and the right-hander did see some time as a pitcher this year before suffering a season-ending intercostal strain at the end of August. The 25-year-old Bethancourt made two appearances on the mound and totaled 1 2/3 innings with three hits, a walk and a strikeout. Interestingly, Bethancourts pitches ranged from 54 mph to 96 mph during that limited sample size, with Mike Petriello of MLB.com noting (via Twitter) that he complemented his fastball with a changeup and knuckleball.

The Padres arent the first team to consider a position change for Bethancourt. His previous organization, the Braves, also mulled converting him into a pitcher, according to Lin. Ultimately, Atlanta traded the former top 100 prospect to the Padres last December.

Bethancourt hit an unpalatable .228/.265/.368 in 204 plate appearances with the Friars this season, which was actually a significant improvement over the .200/.225/.290 line he recorded in 160 PAs as a Brave in 2015. But such subpar production wont suffice either behind the plate, where the Padres already have a potential long-term solution in Austin Hedges, or in the outfield. Bethancourt did garner some experience in the grass this season, though, as he picked up limited action in both corners. Now the Padres are deciding whether to have Bethancourt divvy up his time among the outfield, the mound and behind the plate going forward.
MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- Scott Baker has heard so much trash talk in the past week, he figures he can take the worst.

So the Grayling middle-school teacher was looking forward to sitting in the Central Michigan season-ticket holder section at Kelly/Shorts Stadium Saturday, proudly wearing his black Western Michigan shirt.

Baker, a 2002 Western Michigan graduate, is used to it. He was a lonely black shirt in a sea of maroon-and-gold tailgaters north of the stadium prior to the 7 p.m. game.

"There are maybe five Western graduates in Grayling schools and about 50 Central people, so we've enjoyed some trash-talking this week," Baker said. "I enjoy it. I'm here with some of my Central friends at their tailgate."

Baker's Western shirt also featured his name on the back, just in case CMU fans want to get personal.

"I enjoy it," Baker said. "We have a good time. My wife is with me. My two kids are here. If they don't have a thick skin, they'll get one."

Baker said he saw two other Western fans, both children, in the CMU tailgate area.

"But they left pretty quickly," Baker said. "Other than that, we're pretty alone. I talk. They talk. It's fun."

Baker has attended several other CMU games, courtesy off his friends. And he always sits in the CMU section.

"I've always kind of enjoyed being the guy from the other team," Baker said. "I'm a Lions fan, but when I go to a Lions game, I wear stuff from the opposing team, just to have a good time and get people talking.

"I'm not worried. I'm not scared. It's all just good fun."
ANN ARBOR, MI - Like many black students on the University of Michigan campus, D'Kari Wilson says the feeling that others don't value his life is hard to shake.

Wilson, a senior movement science major who also is president of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Epsilon Chapter, said the state of race relations on the U-M campus is reflective of the struggles black people face across the country.

"It is being perpetuated in every medium that African-American lives are of lesser value, that we are inherently less significant, that we will always be a notch below our white counterparts," Wilson said in an email to The Ann Arbor News. "Whether this is in the workplace or in police interactions, it is being made very clear that we are expected to be inferior. The most painful reality is that a white ally who does not live our experience and our struggle will be heard before a crowd of African-Americans."

Black students at U-M reacted to racist fliers that appeared on campus on Monday by participating in two protests, demanding that their lives be valued and their struggles be recognized.

While the university was proactive in condemning the racist fliers with a quick response from President Mark Schlissel and other high-ranking officials, students like Wilson called the response "emotionless and generic" in addressing the overall climate of race relations on campus.

"Not only is it imperative that I help lead my community, it is of greater concern that we are able to enjoy the same wonderful experience that so many of us hoped for when we accepted our hard-earned offers from this university," Wilson said. "We must endure the same academic and otherwise everyday challenges as every other student, in addition to battling the social turmoil affecting our community and (increasingly) devaluing of our lives. This cannot continue to go on."

Black students and their allies on the U-M campus have banded together to organize protest efforts to finally be heard. Hundreds of students flooded the Vandenberg room inside the Michigan League to voice their displeasure with the Michigan Political Union's decision to debate that the Black Lives Matter movement is harmful to racial relations.

Regardless of the MPU's intentions to debate the BLM and create an open dialogue, students remarked that they were hurt that their lives were "up for debate" and that no black students were asked to participate in the event.

"We were just frustrated that people are de-validating us and our experiences and feelings," said Lawrielle West, one of the black students who organized the protest. "They were stating statistics, but they were only stating statistics that helped their case."

Now that their voices are being heard on the U-M campus as well as at neighboring Eastern Michigan University, where students organized multiple protests after racial slurs were spray painted on university buildings last week, students recognize they need to use the opportunity to affect change that improves the campus climate for black students.

The students who organized this week's protests at U-M have started an online petition with 12 "concrete demands as black students and other students of color for President Schlissel," outlining their desire to be heard by the president and create spaces where they can organize and grieve with students of color on campus.

Schlissel has responded to the racist flyers by hosting a conversation for the U-M campus community in hopes of preventing discrimination. It will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2, in the Rogel Ballroom of the Michigan Union.

Students also reported on social media that Schlissel had attended the Black Student Union's meeting on Thursday, expressing a desire to want to work with black students to make things better.

President Schlissel here at @THEBSU meeting.  Greeze Belcher (@DeeGreezy) September 29, 2016

Also, U-M will unveil its wide-ranging diversity plan as it hosts a series of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion events throughout the day on Oct. 6.

"Hateful messages have no place at the University of Michigan," Schlissel wrote in his message to the campus community about Sunday's event. "They are an attack on all of us who value constructive dialogue and a welcoming university environment. We've heard this from our African-American students and students of many races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations and other identities. Behavior that seeks to intentionally cause pain to members of our community is reprehensible. It violates basic human decency and goes against the values of our university.

"Many students have told us they are in great pain," he added. "They experience these messages on a very personal level and in the context of violence and discrimination happening across our nation and around the world."

Wilson believes these types of attacks, on top of experiencing discrimination on a regular basis, can take a toll on black students, who already are dealing with the pressures of college life.

"My reaction was that of disgust and pain and anger," Wilson said of the racist fliers. "To be utterly ridiculed at a university you earned every right to call home away from home is truly beyond words.

"It's emotionally draining to endure such attacks, to constantly defend your worth, to relentlessly advocate for the value of the people in your community," he added. "It's even more painful to know that students in our classes may have been laughing at and/or agreeing with these harsh postings."
NH_Imagination Station04

Bay City Manager Rick Finn at the Pere Marquette Depot on Wednesday, Oct, 21, 2015.

(Nicole Hester | MLive.com)

BAY CITY, MI -- Following a positive review, Bay City Manager Rick Finn is in talks with the City Commission to extend his contract in an effort to work year-to-year.

Finn's three-year contract that he signed in 2014 expires Feb. 28. Contractually, the City Commission needs to let him know whether they intend to keep him on as manager by the end of October.

Commission President Andrew Niedzinski, 3rd Ward, and the two other commission officers met with Finn, 64, on Thursday, Sept. 29, to discuss his contract. In the coming weeks, the commission needs to decide how long they want to extend Finn's contract.

Niedzinski initially wanted to extend it to June 30 to line up with the budget year, but now says a later date, like sometime in September, could make sense to align with future elections.

Andrew Niedzinski

"We could potentially have five new commissioners when the contract comes up next," Niedzinski said. "If he's going year-to-year, you want to wait for the new commission to hire someone once Rick is done, but you don't want to wait too long."

Finn said he is in agreement with the commission officer's idea to extend the contract, in order to let him then work year-to-year.

"I think that's the best way to handle it," he said.

Finn said he plans on working until he is 70 years old -- another six years -- as long as his health cooperates.

"I feel good and I like what I do," he said. "I'm prepared to work that long."

Niedzinski said there have been no talks of a pay raise for Finn, who earns a salary of $117,875. Finn was hired in at a salary of $115,000, but received a pay raise of $2,875 after a successful first six months on the job -- a stipulation added to his contract in February after he accepted $5,000 less following public outcry about his potential $120,000 salary.

Finn is the Bay City's highest-paid manager ever.

The contract talks come about a month after a positive review. For the third consecutive time, Finn has requested a closed review, which took place in August.

He was graded on a number of categories, including his individual characteristics, professional skills and his relations with elected members.

Niedzinski said, "Overall, Rick received positive remarks from all commissioners."

"Personally, I think he's doing a great job and I want to see him stick around," he said.
BAY CITY, MI - Under dark, eerie skies, hundreds ventured through the depths of the USS Edson, a retired U.S. Naval destroyer that calls Bay County home on the banks of the Saginaw River.

Dozens of volunteers came together on Saturday, Oct. 1, to kick off a month of haunted tours on the vessel. The Vietnam-era ship has been the focus of numerous paranormal investigations over the years. Those brave enough to enter were asked to investigate a terrifying military experiment on all five levels of the Naval destroyer.

Sarin Hoogeveen came with friends to see for herself what terrors awaited her in the ship.

"It's totally unexpected," she said. "The minute you get in, the vibe changes."

The tour lasts 15 minutes. People in hazmat suits lead participants through a labyrinth of tunnels, evading zombies and creatures across the five decks of horrors.

While Saturday night's festivities were all fun and games, there have been talks about whether or not the USS Edson is haunted. Mike Kegley, Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum president, has said in the past that he's a believer when it comes to possible ghosts on the ship.

The haunted attraction at the USS Edson began last weekend on Sept. 24 and continues to Nov. 5. General Admission is $15, Fast Pass tickets are $25, and Group Rate tickets are $12.

"If you don't have anybody to hide your face in, you're in trouble," said Robin Sutherland, who came with Hoogeveen.
The times and places have been announced for visits by former president Bill Clinton to the mid-Michigan area to start the week.

Clinton is scheduled to hold a rally at 1:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2 at the Dow Event Center, 303 Johnson St., in Saginaw, followed by a rally at 3:15 p.m. the same day at the Northbank Center, 420 N. Saginaw St., in Flint.

Both rallies in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton are being held by the Michigan Democratic Party and take place one week before the Oct. 11 voter registration deadline in the state.

A third rally planned for Monday in Rochester Hills has been canceled due to a change in Clinton's schedule, according to a statement from the campaign Sunday afternoon.

The nation's 42nd president "will lay out the high stakes of November's election for Michigan's working families and talk with Michiganders about Hillary Clinton's plans to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top," reads the statement.

Doors open for the the Saginaw rally at noon and 3:15 p.m. in Flint.

Residents looking to attend the Saginaw event may click here, while those hoping to attend the Flint rally can RSVP here.
VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI -- An 18-year-old Holly man died from injuries sustained in a Sept. 24 crash.

At 1:31 p.m., the man was driving with a 15-year-old Paw Paw male passenger when he lost control of the Chevrolet sedan and crashed on 36th Street, just north of 96th Avenue in Decatur Township.

As Van Buren County Sheriff's deputies, Fire, and EMS staff arrived on scene, they found both of the men trapped inside the vehicle. After being removed from the vehicle, emergency medical personnel began to treat the vehicle occupants.

The passenger was immediately transported from the scene to Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo for medical treatment, while the driver was flown to Bronson Hospital by West Michigan Air Care.

Police said the 18-year-old died from his injuries on Saturday, Oct. 1.
1 Vets Court.jpg

Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting speaks about the need to for Kalamazoo County to create a Veterans Treatment. Getting spoke during an event at the offices of Levine & Levine in Kalamazoo on Thursday, Sept. 29. Other speakers included Circuit Court Judge Pamela Lightvoet, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller, and WMU-Cooley Associate Dean Michael McDaniel.

(Courtesy Photo)

KALAMAZOO, MI - The idea of establishing a specialized court to handle criminal cases involving military veterans -- and help them address issues that may have led them into the justice system -- was introduced Thursday in Kalamazoo by a group of legal professionals.

The establishment of a Veterans Treatment Court is being discussed as a means to help veterans who face criminal penalties as they deal with issues related to military service such as post traumatic stress disorder, drug or alcohol dependence, or brain injuries suffered in the line of duty.

Kalamazoo County officials are shown at the offices of Levine & Levine Attorneys at Law on Sept. 29, to discuss plans for the creation of a Veterans Treatment Court. From left are attorney Sharan Levine, Kalamazoo Coounty Circuit Court Judge Pamela Lightvoet, attorney Randall Levine, veteran issues therapist Chaya Gieszer, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller, and retired Brigadier General and WMU-Cooley Law School Associate Dean Michael McDaniel.

"Veterans Treatment Courts offer veterans access to services including mentoring, mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment," Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Getting said in a statement issued following a Thursday afternoon meeting of several leaders discussing the possibility of getting such a court started here.

"This treatment and support can help veterans avoid incarceration and save taxpayers substantial resources," Getting said. "Saving lives and saving money - that's a win-win outcome."

Veterans Treatment Courts, which have gotten a start in Allegan, Ottawa, Van Buren and Washtenaw counties, are modeled on the successful "Drug Courts" that have been established in Michigan during the last 10 years.

VTCs apply drug court and mental health court principles to help veterans, focusing on recovery issues and adherence to law-abiding behavior.

Also introduced the concept of such courts were Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Pamela Lightvoet, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller, WMU-Cooley Law School Associate Dean Michael McDaniel, and Randall and Sharan Levine, attorneys with Levine & Levine Attorneys at Law in Kalamazoo.

The Levines, who are advocates for VTCs, hosted the meeting to discuss Kalamazoo County's effort to establish such a court at their offices in the Fifth Third Building in downtown Kalamazoo.

"We were pleased to present this opportunity to discuss the importance of the development of a Veterans Treatment Court in Kalamazoo County" Randall Levine said in a prepared statement. "Michigan is a national leader in the number of Veterans Treatment Courts, and the addition of a Veterans Treatment Court here will address challenges the justice system is ill equipped to solve."

Although the group did not provide statistics, in the statement, Lightvoet said she sees veterans in the court system far too often and is "proud to be part of the team wanting to help those who served and have legal issues gain support to be equipped to handle the struggles they may face."

Fuller said, "For years, we have not given our veterans the proper resources to succeed after they have been put in front of the criminal justice system. I am certain that we can cut down on repeat offenses in Kalamazoo County by simply creating a program that walks through the needs and recovery efforts of our veterans."

McDaniel said Veterans Treatment Courts can help veterans get back to productive, law-abiding lifestyles more quickly.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016 will have high temperatures in the lower 70s in most of Lower Michigan.

Mark Torregrossa | mtorregr@mlive.com

Warming trend well underway Tuesday

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Wednesday, October 5, 2016 should have temperatures ten degrees warmer than normal.

Wednesday will be much warmer

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Thursday will warm into the mid-70s. Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Jackson will be at least 76deg, and possibly touch 80deg.

Mark Torregrossa | mtorregr@mlive.com

Some spots flirt with 80 degrees Thursday

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Friday, October 7, 2016 will still warmer than normal. Normal highs are in the mid-60s on Friday. The southeast half of Lower Michigan will still be in the low-70s. Cooler air will be spreading into the Upper Peninsula.

Mark Torregrossa | mtorregr@mlive.com

Friday still warmer than normal

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The temperature forecast for October 7-11, 2016 still puts Michigan in an area where warmer than normal temperatures are possible.

Mark Torregrossa | mtorregr@mlive.com

Six to ten day temperature forecast continues warmth

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Temperature forecast October 9-15, 2016 shows a new surge of warm air heading toward Michigan. This could push Michigan back into the 70s.

Mark Torregrossa | mtorregr@mlive.com

Forecast two weeks out is warm

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The experimental three to four week temperature forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of warmer than normal temperatures in Michigan.

Mark Torregrossa | mtorregr@mlive.com

Second half of October to continue warm?

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Here's the 30 day forecast for October temperatures, made September 30, 2016. Everything is coming up red and warmer than normal.

Mark Torregrossa | mtorregr@mlive.com

October could be warm as a whole
Ellen White

02.10.2016 LISTEN

Actress Ellen White has has turned a year older. she has been in the industry quite a while and became popular with her role in the movie 'Okukuseku' and since then she has acted several movie.

The talented actress grew up in Ofoase , attended Adventist Day . Some of the movies she acted are, 'Asomfo ', 'Meyefo, 'Eye odo asem',Nipa entire mu ye sum, Junior Jesus,Village wife, Fault and lots more.

Ghanaian actress, Ellen White turns a year older today. Ellen feels so good that she added another year in good health and peaceful heart.

Ellen White give thanks to her creator and also wishes all her birth mates a happy birthday celebration.
Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL.
Tripoli (AFP) - A Dutch journalist was killed by sniper fire Sunday while covering clashes in Libya's coastal city of Sirte, as unity government forces battled Islamic State group holdouts in the jihadist bastion.

Dr Akram Gliwan, spokesman for a hospital in Misrata where pro-government fighters are treated, told AFP that photographer Jeroen Oerlemans was "shot in the chest by an IS sniper while covering battles in Sirte" 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli.

Gliwan said his body had been transferred to Misrata, 200 kilometres west of Sirte.

Oerlemans was working in Libya for a number of organisations, including the Belgian weekly Knack magazine, which confirmed his death.

A message on Knack's website said Oerlemans was shot on a reporting assignment and that the publication "wishes his family much strength".

Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord launched an assault against the jihadists in Sirte in May.

IS fighters holed up in the town, birthplace of ousted Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, responded with suicide bombings and sniper fire, slowing the government-backed advance.

Fighting on Sunday killed at least 10 IS fighters and eight pro-government fighters around the jihadist bastion, the unity government in Tripoli said.

Pro-government forces said they were "progressing" in Sirte, where they have surrounded IS militants, prompting some to try to escape.

They said loyalist fighters had recovered the bodies of at least 10 jihadists and were chasing another group that had fled Sirte.

Loyalist casualties

Eight soldiers loyal to the GNA were killed, according to the Facebook page of a field hospital set up by their forces in Sirte.

Fifty-seven members of the pro-GNA forces were wounded and transferred to the main hospital in Misrata.

IS said on Twitter that it had killed or wounded 64 members of the pro-GNA forces.

On Saturday, GNA aircraft conducted six sorties in preparation for an advance on the jihadists' hideout in the city's east, said the GNA statement.

Smoke rises following a double airstrike on the District three neighbourhood of Sirte on September 29, 2016

American aircraft have also carried out some 177 air strikes since early August in support of GNA forces, according to US Africa Command (AFRICOM).

The fighting has left more than 450 GNA fighters dead and 2,500 wounded. The IS death toll is not known.

An IS defeat in Sirte would be a serious blow to the group, which has faced major setbacks in Iraq and Syria in recent months.

Libya was plunged into chaos following the NATO-backed ouster of Kadhafi in 2011, and the control of the country -- as well as access to its vital oil wealth -- is divided between rival governments and militias.

The GNA was formed following a UN-backed deal in December 2015, but it has struggled to impose its power across a country.

Oerlemans was the second journalist to be killed in the Sirte offensive, after Libyan journalist Abdelqader Fsouk was killed there in July.

British war photographer Tim Hetherington was killed in April 2011 in a mortar attack in the western Libyan city of Misrata.

He died alongside Chris Hondros, a 41-year-old US photographer for Getty, as the pair covered intense fighting between Kadhafi's forces and rebels.
01.10.2016 LISTEN

Government has increased the produce price of cocoa by 11.4%

A 64kg bag of cocoa, previously sold at Gh425, will now be sold at GHc475.00, an 11.46% increase, representing a 77.45% increment of the net of the FoB [Free on Board].

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Ato Casseil Forson made the announcement at the celebration of the International Cocoa Day at Tepa, in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti region, under the theme, Transforming the cocoa sector for economic growth- The role of the youth.

The Minister, who doubles as the Chairman of Producer Price Review Committee, said the new price takes effect from October 1, 2016.

According to Mr. Forson, last year, the average FoB per tonne of cocoa sold was US$2,900, and this year the average FoB is $2,950 per tonne. The producer price of cocoa has been reviewed from 6,800 per tonne to 7,600 pee tonne for 2016/2017.

The Deputy Minister assured the farmers that, government shall continue the Stabilization Fund with annual contributions from the FoB price as a risk mitigation mechanism against declines in international cocoa prices.

He said government will continue with the fund so as to be able to cushion farmers, should the world market price begin to decline as we move into the future.

Meanwhile, some farmers of Cocoa in the Ashanti Region, present at the celebration, have expressed disappointment in government over the increase, saying it did not meet their expectation.

They said they had expected an increase from the current 425.00 of one 64kg bag to over 500.00.

According to them, their expenses still outweigh their gains.



By: Lauretta Timah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
By Prosper K. Kuorsoh, GNA

Nadowli, (U/W), Oct. 1, GNA - Mr Alban Bagbin, the Majority Leader in Parliament has launched his seventh successive campaign bid for the Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency in the Upper West Region.

The campaign event that attracted party big wigs across the country including Mr Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff was attended by the constituents who were in white party T-shirts and National Democratic Congress (NDC) paraphernalia.

Mr Bagbin beat everybody's expectation when he arrived at the campaign grounds in a Bajaj car instead of the usual V-8 vehicle enjoyed by Ghanaian politicians.

The event, which also attracted heavy security and media presence saw speaker upon speaker coming out to shower praises on the veteran Legislator, President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC.

Mr Debrah described Mr Bagbin as a very experienced person in Parliament whose absence would create a very big vacuum not only in the House, but also within the NDC and the Constituency.

The Chief of Staff said Bagbin had become a national asset and that voting to retain him as the Member of Parliament for Nadowli-Kaleo would be more beneficial than any other person.

Mr Debrah said the government has great plans to boost agriculture through a programme dubbed: 'Green Revolution,' in other words 'Operation Feed Yourself.'

He said under the programme 12,000 tractors would be brought into the country to establish agriculture mechanisation centres across the country to enable farmers have access to tractor services even on credit basis.

Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister said the NDC stands for peace and development and advised the people of the constituency to vote massively to retain Bagbin and President Mahama for them to address the challenges in the constituency.

Mr Bagbin thanked the chiefs and people of the Constituency for keeping faith with him for all these years, adding that he would never turn his back on them.

He said President Mahama had the region at heart and appealed to the people to vote for him to address the development problems. GNA
01.10.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Oct. 1, GNA - Mr Tony Lithur, Solicitor for President John Dramani Mahama, has commended the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for tackling all the issues arising from complaints against his client.

He said he received the report from CHRAJ dated September, 29, in respect of complaints of conflict of interest and corruption lodged against his client by three different complainants.

In a statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency, he said: 'While I was always confident of my client's innocence, the report throws more light on the circumstances surrounding the subject of the complaints, and demonstrates clearly to the people of Ghana that the accusations of conflict of interest and corruption variously made against my client by different people and entities in various fora, were wrong, without basis and unsupported by the facts.

'The thoroughness of the investigations conducted by CHRAJ, and the manner in which it has tackled all the issues arising from the complaints are commendable.'

He commended CHRAJ for discharging its constitutional mandate with despatch.

He added: 'I hope that the clarity and completeness of its determination of all the issues, will finally lay this matter to rest once and for all.'

GNA
By Caroline Pomeyie, GNA

Accra, Sept. 29, GNA - Domestic violence cases decreased from 18,356 in 2014 to 16,272 in 2015, Chief Superintendent of Police Laurencia Wilhemina Akorli, the Coordinating Director of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) National Secretariat has revealed.

In 2015; 13,465 women were victims of domestic violence as against 15,207 in 2014 whilst 2,807 males were victims of domestic violence in 2015 as against 3,149 in 2014 C/Supt Akorli said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, in Accra.

She said the reduction was as a result of DOVVSU partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection sensitisation on domestic violence in various communities.

C/Supt Akorli said through the sensitisation programmes people learn about their rights and build the confidence to report cases as well as child protection practices.

In 2014, 15,404 males were suspected to have indulged in domestic violence as against 2,841 females.

In 2015, however the number dropped to 13,692 males as against 2,484 females.

The statistics indicated that men continue to be generally perpetrators of domestic violence while women continue to be victims even though the figures are reducing.

On defilement cases also reduced from 1,304 in 2014 to 1,196 in 2015; and rape cases dropped from 337 in 2014 to 316 in 2015.

In 2014 a total of 1,283 men and 21 women were arrested as suspects of defilement, which dropped to 1,195 men in 2015 with no female.

The statistics on unlawful removal of children increased from 239 in 2014 to 343 in 2015.

There was also an increment in abduction cases from 326 in 2014 to 339 in 2015; and 5,127 cases of non-maintenance was recorded in 2014 as against 4,679 cases recorded in 2015.

In 2015, 1806 threats were issued, 798 males and 223 females were arrested. 1482 cases are still under investigation and 176 cases are closed.

The statistics said 5,348 assault cases were recorded in 2014, which jumped to 5,494 cases in 2015; and in 2014, 174 indecent assault cases were recorded in 2014 which dropped to 167 in 2015.

In 2015, 325 men were victims of stealing and 414 were suspects of stealing and 319 women were victims of stealing and 227 were suspects of stealing.

The report showed that there was no record of assault by imprisonment (domestic detention), murder, exploitative child labour or attempted kidnapping in 2015.

Although domestic violence cases generally reduced in 2015, child trafficking cases increased from two in 2014 to 11 in 2015.

The report recorded that out of the 16, 874 cases in 2015, 1,291 cases are still in court, 139 have been convicted, 26 have been acquitted and discharged, 1,157 are still under trial, 3,316 cases have been closed and 10,945 cases are under investigation.

GNA
The Electoral Commission has said it will release the list of presidential candidates who have qualified to contest in this year's general elections next week.

This comes after the commission on Friday [September 30], closed the window for the submission of completed nomination forms from persons interested in contesting in this year's presidential election.

A total of 17 presidential aspirants had submitted their forms on the deadline for submission of forms on Friday, September 30.

Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, told Citi News, the Commission will soon start vetting of the forms to ensure they are in compliance with the constitution and other subsidiary legislation.

For the candidates who have met the requirements, their nominations will be accepted, which will mean they will be on the ballot paper for the December presidential elections, she said.

Charlotte Osei said the Commission will take seven (7) days to vet all the forms before coming out with the final list of qualified candidates.

Next week, the Commission will come out with the official list of those who have met the legal requirements to be candidates for this year's presidential and parliamentary elections, she added.

At the end of the submission on Friday, 17 aspirants, including two independent candidates, submitted their forms, although the EC was expecting 23 people.

PPP sues EC over 'high' filing fees

The Progressive People's Party (PPP), led by Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom as the presidential nominee for the 2016 polls, sued the Electoral Commission (EC) and government through the Attorney-General, over the high filing fees set by the Commission for presidential and parliamentary hopefuls.

EC declines filing fees

The EC on Thursday [September 29] refused to accept the filing fee of some political parties including the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic congress (NDC), when their flagbearers and representatives submitted their forms.

The EC said it was temporary decision following a court injunction secured by the Progressive People's Party (PPP) over the filling fees.

The Commission however accepted the completed nomination forms of the various presidential aspirants.

EC accepts PPPs filing fees

But in a rather interesting twist, the Commission accepted the filing fee of the Progressive People's Party's (PPP) flag-bearer despite an interlocutory injunction placed on the process by the same party.

Dr. Nduom, who was represented by the party's Chairman, Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, subsequently requested that the filing fee be returned; but the EC Chair, Charlotte Osei, said it was too late to return the fee as the PPP was aware of the legal implications yet went ahead to present the fee in bank draft form.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Director of Operations for the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Nana Ofori Owusu, has stated that the party had no intention of tricking the Electoral Commission, when it presented its filing fee to the election management body, despite its own lawsuit against the fee.

He said this on Citi FM's news analysis programme, The Big Issue.

According to Nana Owusu, whos also the PPP parliamentary candidate for Efutu Constituency, by presenting their nomination forms with the filing fees, the PPP was only doing what was required by law.

We know the tricks that exist, we didn't trick the EC. The law states that we bring those things. They returned the filing fees of all the parties that came after us. What was the intent? I cannot take a decision and take my independent decision not to take what is required, he stated.

He also said, If the EC didn't return the filing fee of the PPP, but returned that of other parties, why is it saying that it thought the case had been withdrawn from court. Where in this world can anyone accept this explanation? The PPP isn't broke, our issue is with the process under which the fee was set.

On September 19, the PPP filed a suit at the High Court seeking an interlocutory injunction to prevent the EC from receiving the nominations in protest against the filing fees for presidential and parliamentary aspirants.

When some of the aspirants went to the offices of the Commission on Thursday (September 29), the EC said that it would not accept the fees until the court rules on the substantive matter.

Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, PPP Chairman and team presenting Nduoms forms

However, when the PPP's chairman, Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, presented the filing fee of the party's flagbearer, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, the EC Chairperson accepted it and refused to return it.

Justifying her decision to accept the fee, the EC chairperson, Charlotte Osei, said, I thought they had withdrawn the case. That was the impression.

PPP could face contempt over filing fee submission  Ndebugri

The Progressive People's Party (PPP) risks being cited for contempt of court for presenting its filing fee to the Electoral Commission (EC), despite being the very entity to place an injunction on the process, a private legal practitioner, John Ndebugri has said.

It remains to be seen in court, what the impact of today's incident, will have on the substantive case in court.



By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Some cocoa farmers in the Ashanti Region have expressed disappointment in government over what they describe as a 'paltry' increase in producer price of cocoa.

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Ato Forson Cassiel, announced an 11.76 percentage increase in the producer price for the 2016/2017 farming season, at the national celebration of the International Cocoa Day, at Tepa, in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region on Saturday.

The increase, which takes immediate effect, means farmers will receive about 475 for every 64kg bag of cocoa beans.

But some cocoa farmers in Tepa, who were present at the event, told Citi News, the new prices did not meet their expectation.

According to them, they expected an increase from the current 425.00 per 64kg bag to an amount of over 500.00.

They said the new price still meant their cost will outweigh their income.

The Deputy Minister however assured the farmers that government will continue the Stabilization Fund with annual contributions from the FoB price, as a risk mitigation mechanism against declines in international cocoa prices.

He said government will continue with the fund so as to be able to cushion farmers, should the world market price begin to decline as we move into the future.

Last year, the average FoB per tonne of cocoa sold was US$2,900, and this year the average FoB is $2,950 per tonne. The producer price of cocoa has been reviewed from 6,800 per tonne to 7,600 per tonne for 2016/2017, representing 11.76%. A 64kg cocoa bag therefore shall be sold at 475, up from the 425 ker bag representing 77.45% of the net FoB.

The theme for the celebration of the 2016 World Cocoa day in |Ghana was, Transforming the cocoa sector for economic growth- The role of the youth.



By: Lauretta Timah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, has told lawyers not to see their profession as a gold mine but rather see it as one that requires them to shun greed and avarice.

Mrs Wood said measuring their professional success in monetary, material terms as well as the trappings of wealth and power would rather blind them and throw them overboard or lead them to doom.

The Chief Justice gave the advice during the enrollment of 250 newly trained lawyers to the bar at the State House in Accra.

She said commitment to ethical 'lawyering' and hard work would not only earn them rewards and good financial harvest but would win them public trust, respect and honour.

Mrs Wood urged the new lawyers to do away with arrogance and self-importance so they could receive a good foundation on which to build the practice of law.

The Chief Justice said it was also imperative that lawyers remained steadfast to the core values and ideals of the profession with an unwavering commitment to rule of law and justice for all.

She urged the lawyers to be mindful of the fact that having sufficient knowledge in law alone was not enough for them to play useful roles in society.

You need to understand the political, socio-economic, cultural as well as international context within which you will function effectively as good lawyers. This is because the law does not function in a vacuum, she said.

The Chief Justice said as lawyers they occupied a unique position to contribute to the building of Ghana's democratic credentials which are built on the foundation of rule of law.

She said the legal profession was not exactly what it used to be adding this why we expect that your future conduct will greatly assist us to shore up the image of this noble profession.

The Chief Justice said lawyers have always been at the forefront of the country's struggle for freedom, justice and equality.

Thus as leaders, you should not only be concerned with whether your decision, actions and omission conforms to the laws of the land but also that they enhance the building of the democratic culture and contribute to political, social, economic, cultural or moral wholesomeness of our people.

Mrs Wood urged them to resolve not to become mere additions to the legal profession but be counted as positive contributors, shaping the frontiers of the law and making their trade relevant.

She urged them to have the interest of the nation and welfare of the people at heart as the country stands in dire need of leaders.

Mrs Wood said a lawyer was not a private person. He or she is the repository of a nation's laws, a practitioner or master of the law and a nation's conscience.

She said the actions of lawyers have far reaching consequences on individual clients, families, communities and the nation they served.

Therefore our dealings with them must be such as would promote confidence, faith and trust in the law and not otherwise.

The CJ, Justice Sophia Akuffo, a Supreme Court Judge and Dr Dominic Ayini, Deputy Minister for Justice and Attorney General took turns to present certificates and undertakings to the new members of the bar.

Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, New Patriotic Party Parliamentary Candidate for the Ofoase Ayirebi constituency, was among the 250 persons called to the bar.

Mr Emmanuel Kyei was adjudged the best all round performance in both Parts I and II of the Professional Law Examinations.


The Graduate Students Association of Ghana, GRASAG, has said it may be forced to take legal action against government if it continues to delay the payment of their thesis grants and bursaries.

The Association, after carrying out a protest march to press home their demands for the immediate release of their monies on Wednesday, say they have received no positive response from government.

President of the University of Ghana chapter of GRASAG, Nana Kwame Asafo-Adjei, in an interview with Citi News said although the Employment Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, receiving their petition on behalf of the Finance Minister on Thursday promised government's commitment to resolve the issue, they are yet to be contacted by government on the matter.

He said the association has planned series of actions to ensure the monies due them are paid.

This is the first in a series of our actions. I want to believe that the Minister will be honorable enough. He told us he was going to study it [petition] and that we should give him 24 to 72 hours to look at it. We also said we will come on Friday to ask for a response.

On the Association taking legal actions against government, Kwame Asafo-Adjei said it is in order and not far-fetched.

GRASAG planned to picket flagstaff house

GRASAG earlier last month planned to picket at the Flagstaff House over their concerns, but called it off to further engage the government in addressing their concerns.

However, the association said government did not adequately address their concerns hence their decision to embark on a demonstration.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
President John Mahama has cautioned Ghanaians against engaging in any form of violence that could undermine the country's peace as the December 7 polls draw close.

He said Ghanaians risk losing the respect of the international community which holds Ghana as a model of democracy on the continent if the country degenerates into violence.

The president was addressing the chiefs and people of Dzodze in the Ketu North district of the Volta region during the celebration of the Palm Festival, 'Deza.

Dzodze is famous for the production of oil palm and its various products and the festival is held annually.

As president and commander in chief of the armed forces of Ghana, I am going to ensure that peace prevails before, during and after the elections.

But all citizens have a role to play in order that Ghana continues to be identified as the model of democracy in Africaand so all of us must contribute to peaceful elections, President Mahama said.

He urged Ghanaians to accept whoever is elected as president so that that person will lead the country in peace.

President Mahama lauded the chiefs Dzodze for allocating a 50 acre land for an oil palm plantation and promised government's assistance in establishing oil palm processing plants.

Assistance is going to be given for the establishment of plantations, like the 50 acre plant you intend to develop but other small holders will also be assisted.

So people who have one acre, two acres, five acres or 10 acres will all be assisted to not only establish the plantation but also to look after the plantation, he added.

He indicated that a major part of government's assistance will be focused on the provision of processing plants for the production of palm oil.

-myjoyonline
02.10.2016 LISTEN

During a campaign trail President John Mahama is seen in a video which has gone viral on various media platform handing over something which the President claim is money to some traders at Abossey Okai .

Speaking on Joy FM / Multi TV news analysis program, Newsfile on Saturday 24th September 2016 , the National Communication Director of the NPP Nana Akomea said it could be the President was showing concern to a hawker whose wares might have been scattered as the convoy was passing .

He said looking at it , the President was not bribing the electorate to vote for him. He gave examples where the President is really seen giving out Money , Outboard Motors , Cars , Akua Donkor being given two Cars and a House, etc as bribing people to vote for him

Christiana Asamoah was heard on Adom FM news on the 28th and 29th September 2016 criticising Nana Akomea on the comments he made during the news analysis The Branch disassociate itself from the ugly and unwarranted comments made by Christiana Asamoah, who is not an Executive Member or a Member of NPP Germany Branch

Alex Tuffour

Communication Director

NPP Germany
Ken Agyepong with members of the Diplomatic Platform and Doves for Mahama of the NDC | Photo: Facebook

02.10.2016 LISTEN

New Patriotic Party (NPP) firebrand Kennedy Agyepong is making waves on social media after being spotted in selfies with some ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters at the campaign launch of Sam George in Ningo-Prampram.

The opposition lawmaker of Assin Central could be seen cladded in NDC paraphernalia in an elated disposition with some jubilant NDC supporters known as Doves for Mahama and Diplomatic Platform at the event.

Ken Agyepong with members of the Diplomatic Platform and Doves for Mahama of the NDC | Photo: Facebook

One of the NDC supporters told Starrfmonline.com the vociferous opposition MP, who was also attending an NPP event within the precinct, capitalised on the occasion for a photo session in the spirit of unity going into the 2016 elections.

Hon. Agyepong poses for the cameras with NDC supporters at Ningo-Prampram | Photo: Facebook

His presence at the event, which stunned many NDC sympathisers, attracted a lot of spectacle as more of the supporters mobbed him for selfies.

Ghanas seventh election under the Fourth Republic is slated for December 7, 2016 and it is a close contest between incumbent John Mahama and opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo.
Seth Terkper, Minister of Finance

02.10.2016 LISTEN

The Board members of IMF have expressed positive remarks and satisfaction over Ghanas positive economic performance under the third review of the 3year Expended Credit Facility (ECF) programme.

Hon. Seth Terkper, the Minister for Finance, in a statement said Government is he not surprising to this development because the Moodys Rating Agency affirmed Ghanas ratings to B3 with a stable outlook just this week.

He noted that government is glad to learn that, the IMF Board is satisfied with the developments made by Ghana and has approved the third review of the ECF programme.

The approval is a further confirmation of the economic turnaround story. Hon. Seth Terkper, Minister for Finance said after the IMF Executive Board met on Wednesday 28th September, 2016 and approved Ghanas economic performance under the Third Review.

He added that this approval comes after the IMF Mission to Ghana in April/May 2016, the effort to meet the prior actions before the IMF Board date, and the Follow up IMF Mission from 29th August to 2nd September, 2016 to update the data used in the review.

According to the sector Minister, Government will continue its effort at fiscal consolidation and not be complacent with the present good news. In this vein, Government will continue to contain expenditures whilst mobilising domestic revenue.

Mr. Terkper noted that looking forward, The prospect ahead is even brighter with the coming on board of the utilisation of the Policy Risk Guarantee to bring investments into the economy especially the oil and gas sectors.

He added that the use of the integration of the oil and gas to the other sectors of the economy especially, fertiliser development for the agriculture sector and bitumen production for road infrastructure.

To expedite action towards the ultimate completion of the Third Review by satisfying these new prior actions, several of which are structural in nature, the Sector Minister said government gave the completion of these activities its top priority.

Hon. Seth Terkper indicated that prior to this development, the Government had secured an oversubscribed Eurobond  One of the only sovereigns in Africa to have done that in 2016.

According to him, this attracted global investors amidst the successful tender offer with the utilisation of the balances in the Sinking Fund account.

He posited that following this achievement, is the successful Ghana COCOBOD raising of US$1.8 billion bond from the international market.

The Hon Minister added that, the Government would like to express its gratitude to all Ghanaians and especially the Parliament of Ghana for their continued support during this time.
A panel of five Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) team members will present a paper on significant innovations supported by T-TEL, at the second Annual International Conference on Education Research for Development in Africa (ICERDA 2016) billed to take place at the Alisa Hotel, Accra from the 3rd-5th October, 2016.

The conference will be attended by international scholars and researchers with a strong interest and commitment to education for development in Africa that is led by Africa.

The theme of the 2nd ICERDA conference is: Towards a Vision of Education for Sustainable Development in Africa.

The goal of this years conference is to promote meaningful and equitable progress in education for sustainable development, informed by the experience of Education for All and responsive to the aspirations of the next generation of learners.

The conference will reflect on stories of education development and progress in Africa since 2000 and provide an African arena to review the past and present practices and plan the future of educational investment.

This theme resonates powerfully with Ghanas vision for education, which is fully captured by

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all.

At a National Stakeholder Forum in March 2016, the Minister of Education confirmed that if this vision is to become a reality we must dramatically improve the effectiveness of our teaching so that more young people can play their part in Ghanas progress.

Ghanas policy framework, the Pre-Tertiary Teacher Professional Development and Management Policy- provides the conditions for teacher education institutions to work together to improve teaching in Ghana.

T-TEL is the Government of Ghana programme, supported by UKAID, set up to support the implementation of this policy.

T-TELs Theory of Change is based on evidence from Ghana and West Africa that transforming learning outcomes for pupils in schools and for student teachers in Colleges of Education requires that change happens simultaneously at all levels of the system.

Consequently, T-TEL supports innovations taking place at the policy level, within its national institutions, in Colleges, in partner schools, and district offices of education.

Their team of presenters at ICERDA; led by T-TEL National Programme Manager, Akwasi Addae-Boahene will discuss innovations that T-TEL is supporting within the National Policy Reform agenda, in the area of institutional leadership, in Tutor Professional Development in Colleges, and through the introduction of funding mechanisms to support innovation.

The paper, will share on early evidence of impact on educational practices within Colleges of Education, and discuss their potential for sustaining an improved quality of education for children in Ghana.
02.10.2016 LISTEN

Here we go again! We hare not recovered from the excesses of past politicians that decided to sell Government properties to themselves, now Buhari Government is sending out feelers on how we will react to another sale. It was during the Obasanjo Government that we were painfully exposed to OBJ- Atiku Show. We saw how Government money went to the banks and the banks lend the same money to politicians to buy asserts under the guise of privatization.

It is either each of these governments that preached fiscal responsibility during elections thinks people will forget or they do not care if we do. We must wonder how this came about, who sold it to Buhari and how he swallowed it. Some of us may remember the parents of our friends that owed properties in the cities. Many of them sold so many properties; some sold the houses they lived in. If their former tenants that bought did not kick them out, they became tenants.

In the case of a country, a few privileged cronies of the politicians buy our communal properties and turned around to sell to foreigners with expertize it if they could not manage it. The case in point was the enmity between good friends: Obasanjo and Danjuma. Danjuma was allocated so many properties he could not manage; he wanted to sell oil blocks to foreigners. OBJ blocked him and they became enemies.

The United States Justice Department, has decided to fine Och-Ziff, a $39 billion hedge fund over whether it paid bribes to officials in Africa including Zimbabwe, Libya and Congo. They are the buyers of African assets from our politicians. It is usually the oil and mining companies that are involved in these bribery, but now hedge funds have gotten involved. It is just too lucrative to let go. Och-Ziff stands to pay a fine of around $400 million for bribery in Africa.

One would think Obasanjo would be the one against this new charade of privatization. Instead he cautioned them to proceed with diligence. Sure, who is fooling whom? The buyers of these communal properties have no expertize but do know the Who And Who in high places and use their connections to enrich themselves. Before we say it happens everywhere, we must admit that the impunity and recklessness it encourages in African countries is repugnant.

People from the South-south are already crying that more Nigerians that do not come from the land of oil and polluted environment are the major owners of oil blocks. It was not that the same people did not do the same during their time in power. Most of Jonathans ministers claimed with impunity that it was their oil on their land and could do anything they want with it without anyone interfering from the rest of Nigeria!

In most cases, when stolen money or property is discovered, investigators would set up a trap hopping the rogue would show up. If police discovered drugs or funds from drugs, you do not expect a drug dealer to show up and claim them. In the case of Mrs. Jonathan, she had the guts to come out and claim embezzled funds from the Government claiming it belonged to her dead mother in heaven. Shoo Naija!

However, Dankote biko, wetin be your own? How much more does the richest man in Africa want by calling for the sale of our assets to beat recession? If we sell our assets during every recession, how much assets we would have left during depression? It sounds like some politicians are not thinking, selfish and ready to thrown their motherland under the bus just to get rich. There must be a limit to these daily insults on talikawa, little and working people.

Buyers of Government properties are lined up to scoop the spoils of our suffering and smiling. They have economists behind them that will give us classic textbook financial advise on the benefit of selling our common properties off to vultures. No matter how simple or complex a case, you can always find a lawyer on either side. So there is nothing odd about economists.

No one should be surprised if the question of whether to sell or not fall on the same persuasion as that of devaluation or floating of Naira. There is every reason to turn against those who turn us into hungry man, women and children by looting the treasury dry. People want meat in every pot, garri in every bowl and clean water to drink; not to stay on the line for the mercy of their politicians. These same politicians display their generosity with crumbs to the masses.

Since when have we become beggars in order to eat? We ask politicians to create enabling environment so that every family has enough money and can afford to buy food for every member of their household. Instead, they have turn food into a lottery for the starving poor and dwindling middle class. When it gets to a point when people step on and crush a few to death in order to get a bag of rice, garri or a tuber of yam, there is no reason to jubilate.

Look, there are men and women in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular that can solve problems in each country but greed and selfishness have obliterated their medulla oblongata once they came into irresistible community assets they could sell to foreigners and enslave their own people and future generation. Who is going to pay for Eko Atlantic Americans love or Kenya rail built by the Chinese? They have mortgaged our next generations to foreigners!

Their argument for selling is that nobody cares about government properties. Only individuals care about bottom-line in business. As the argument goes, even if government retains certain percentage, those appointed to represent government interest demand more than what can keep the companies afloat in bribes and gratuities. What we should have learnt in the previous devaluation saga is that Foreign Private Investors are only interested in short-term profit.

The Cooperative Board in the local governments worked very well in the past. It may need some modernization, tweaking and technical support from African expertize underutilized at home and abroad, to make it work again. These are the bodies that should be scrutinized and examined to their capability to manage each government property for sale. They will be easier to track and held responsible for failure, held accountable whether deliberate or inadvertent.

We must keep a good eye on how Buhari Government process the proposed sale of our common properties. His government was voted in because most people were tired of sleaze in the previous Government. It is up to him to prove us right or wrong.
The NPP MP for Bantama has denied media reports that he has resigned from the party.

Henry Kwabena Kokofu has also dismissed claims that he is contesting the December 7, polls as an independent candidate.

A statement purportedly signed by him Saturday evening noted that the first term parliamentarian had left the opposition party due to outstanding issues following his defeat in the partys primaries in the constituency.

But Kwabena Kokofu who lost the primaries with about 60 votes told Adom FM from his base abroad that he is still a member of the NPP.

I will back in Ghana by Thursday. I have not resigned, I have not left the NPP, he said.
Johannesburg (AFP) - Delegates at a global wildlife conference on Sunday voted to ban international trade in African grey parrots, one of the world's most trafficked birds.

Prized for their ability to mimic human speech, the birds are a highly sought-after pet, but their numbers have been decimated in recent years by poaching and the destruction of their forest habitats.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in Johannesburg voted 95 to 35 in a secret poll to ban the global commercial trade of the parrot.

CITES said the vote result would give the African grey the "highest level of protection" by listing it in "appendix 1", which outlaws all international trade in animals facing possible extinction.

Dr Colman O'Criodain of conservation group WWF called the move "a huge step forward" in protecting the bird.

The African grey parrot will now have "the highest level of protection"

"Fraud and corruption have enabled traffickers to vastly exceed current quotas and continue to harvest unsustainable numbers of African grey parrots from Congo's forests to feed the illegal trade," he said.

"Banning the trade will make it easier for law enforcement agencies to crack down on the poachers and smugglers, and give the remaining wild populations some much-needed breathing space."

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) estimates that between 2.1 and 3.2 million African greys were captured between 1975 and 2013.

Susan Lieberman of the Wildlife Conservation Society said the parrot had experienced "significant population declines throughout its range in West, Central and East Africa".

"It is extremely rare or locally extinct in Benin, Burundi, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo," she said in a statement

"If this bird could talk -- and it certainly can -- the African grey parrot would say thank you."

The CITES treaty, signed by 182 countries and the European Union, protects about 5,600 animal and 30,000 plant species from over-exploitation through commercial trade.

The 12-day conference, which ends on Wednesday, is sifting through 62 proposals to tighten or loosen trade restrictions on around 500 species.
Embattled Ghanaian writer and journalist, Fadi Samih Daboussi, has said he does not regret publishing articles said to contain offensive comments about President John Mahama.

According to him, he wrote the articles without malice, however, the negative inferences drawn by a section of the public about the publications made it appear offensive.

Mr Daboussi, who was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport by the BNI last week and released later on a self-recognizance bail , said he is ready to apologize for the commentary in his article if people find it offensive.

It looks like everybody needs to do due diligence and double check on information before putting it out there or writing articles. Even that, I picked information from sources there were already available, I do not regret. However, I do regret the insinuation of evil that people might have inferred the compendium of information that I had put together, he said.

From my point of view, I did not mean anything evil, but unfortunately some form of inference was made that did not go down well with some people and based on that I apologized and I don't mind doing that again, Mr Daboussi added.

Meanwhile, Lawyer to Mr. Daboussi, Hassan Tampoli, has told Citi News that his client's visit to the BNI on Friday was postponed.

Mr. Daboussi was expected to turn himself in at the BNI intermittently, as part of the conditions that secured his release from custody.

But his lawyer says the BNI called to cancel the arrangement.

Lawyers to sue BNI over Fadi Daboussi's detention'

Lawyers of Fadi Samih Daboussi, earlier indicated that they were going to take legal action against the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) for the unlawful detention of their client [Mr. Daboussi].

The Ghanaian writer and journalist, known to be a sympathizer of the opposition NPP, was reportedly arrested at the Kotoka International Airport for allegedly publishing a book which many say contains offensive comments about President John Mahama.

Subsequently, the BNI is said to have ransacked his home.

Mr. Daboussi is the author of 59 years to nowhere, the future is now'.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Some Ghanaian actors and actresses on Friday gathered at the forecourt of the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), to celebrate the life of veteran actor, Henry Hale Kofi Middleton-Mends.

Henry Hale Kofi Middleton-Mends died in August this year, after a reported kidney failure at the age of 77.

He was a respected actor well-known for his catch phrase, Sarah, my socks and a Key Soap television commercial.

He played key roles in many movies including Grey Dawn (2015), and No Tears for Ananse (1968).

The late Kofi Middleton-Mends was formerly a lecturer at the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) and the University of Ghana.

A burial service was held for him at the State House in Accra on Saturday, as family and friends paid their last respect to the late actor.

Dignitaries present at the service included the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts, Dzifa Gomashie, theater scholar, Prof Martin Owusu, veteran TV Presenter, Nanahemaa Adjoa Awindor, Mr. Amon Kwafo, actor Fred Amugi, Kofi Falconer and others.

The actor had been battling with kidney failure for about two years before giving up the ghost at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Industry players pay glowing tributes

Renowed players in Ghanas movie and television industry paid glowing tributes to the late Henry Middleton-Mends when news of his death broke.

Personalities including Leila Djansi, Shirley Frimpong-Manso, Dzifa Gomashie all took to social media to pay their tributes.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Paris (AFP) - Gabonese intelligence wiretapped EU election observers who voiced grave doubts over the outcome of hotly disputed August 27 polls in the oil-rich central African nation, a French weekly reported Sunday.

In what it dubbed Gabon's "Watergate", the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) did not say how it had obtained excerpts of around 20 recordings, but said one of the subjects had "formally identified his own voice".

It said the wiretaps of some members of the 73-strong EU observer team "reveal heavy suspicions that the results were rigged".

The announcement that incumbent Ali Bongo won the vote with a razor-thin margin sparked two days of rioting and looting that left three dead in the former French colony, according to the government.

The opposition said dozens died in the unrest, during which some 800 people were arrested.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in Libreville

On one recording quoted by JDD, an unidentified EU observer is heard to say: "They are trying to work out how to cheat in a way that's not too obvious."

He adds: "Ballot boxes are on their way to (the capital) Libreville and will make the difference."

Gabonese Communications Minister Alain-Claude Bilie Ny Nze dismissed the report Sunday as "trickery aimed at covering up the involvement of some European Union observers in favour of the opposition".

The EU mission was "neither neutral nor impartial," Bilie By Nze told AFP.

The JDD report said the man in charge of security for the EU mission, named as Pierre B., was the "main target" of the wiretaps.

'Changes' on Wikipedia

He is heard saying that there had been "changes to the numbers last night on Wikipedia", adding: "They increased the population of Haut-Ogooue. That's not encouraging."

The head of the EU mission, Bulgarian MEP Maryia Gabriel, told reporters on August 29 that the polls had been "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

The EU also said its election observers had had only limited access to witness the poll, in breach of the agreement the bloc signed with Gabon's government.

Bullet holes in the window of a guard post on the gate of Gabon's opposition leader Jean Ping's headquarters in Libreville

The next day, officials announced that Bongo had defeated challenger Jean Ping by fewer than 6,000 votes thanks to a 95 percent score in Haut-Ogooue, the southeastern fiefdom of the Bongo family.

They said turnout there was 99.93 percent.

"They did exactly what I hoped they wouldn't do," the deputy head of the EU observer mission is heard saying to Pierre B. in an exchange quoted by JDD.

Ping appealed the result to the Constitutional Court, which upheld Bongo's victory and put the winning margin higher at around 11,000 votes.

Bongo was officially sworn in to a second term last Tuesday, extending his family's rule in the country of 1.8 million people into a fifth decade.

A week ago, the EU mission said it "regretted" that the Constitutional Court "had been unable to satisfactorily rectify anomalies observed during the count".
02.10.2016 LISTEN

The opposition npp is too weak and confused to win the December 7th,2016 election should the ruling Ndc enter the race with some smart strategies, and alignments, the fragmented opposition should start looking to 2021 when they have a better candidate and responsible managers of their party. The claim of rigging elections is our Ghanaian way of conceding defeat in elections,and is mostly spoken by npp. The eminent defeat is a result of own enumerable party failures of driving issues based politics but rather resulting to lies which would surely expose them.

Embracing frictional politics does not fly in this dispensation. Sadly, other than Dr. Paa kwasi Nduom known for trying his best on leading mature and issues based opposition politics, most opposition parties have remained academic clubs too detracted with none issue politicking, internal deficiencies bordering on party identity crisis, political strategy, and character to inspire national confidence.

Sadly, many parties have drifted into sensational political theater platforms of lamentable failure to articulately sale their agenda to Ghanaians. Their outrageous promises lack the how component of policy implementation.

The period 2008 to 2012, sadly was a lost period of opposition politics since Npp lost power. Those with the opportunity to reorganize, wasted time on insulting late President Mills and laughing at his health. As if not enough mistake to learn from, after suffering defeat at the hands of President John Mahama a totally new candidate, the country was stunned when 2016 became a reload of opposition failures characterized with lack of political mojo and thought leadership. Most opposition parties have dug themselves in concoctions of whatever cyberstalkers and internet trolls come up with.

Unfortunately, none of these politician is a political bulldozer in the league of president John Dramani Mahama to shock Ghanaians unless Ndc sabotage its own chances, the opposition is just pretending to have a shot at ousting President John Mahama and his ruling Ndc. President John Mahama's ruling Ndc is virtually assured of keeping power in the December 7th vote.

Ibrahim Hardi,

Contact: 0208235615

Email: [email protected]
Madina (GAR) Oct. 2, GNA - Eleven shop owners were on Saturday arrested and fined by a joint Sanitation Taskforce in the La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality (LaNMMA)for doing business, whilst the National Sanitation Day (NSD), was being observed.

Each shop owner was fined GHa100.00 each.

meanwhile the NSD exercise, which started at 6.am attracted market women, Concerned Citizens of Madina, LaNMMA and Zoomlion staff.

There were about 175 mechanics from Atomic junction led by Mr Attah Bonsu, who also assisted in cleaning around the Atomic junction's overhead bridge.

Speaking to Ghana News Agency, the LaNMMA Municipal Environmental Officer, Mr Joseph Quacoe said the exercise covered: Ritz junction to Atomic junction, Madina market, lorry stations, Randy Pharmacy to Rawlings Circle including Oyarifa Refuse Dump.

Equipment for the cleanup exercise were supplied by the Assembly with Alliance Waste providing a compaction vehicle that carted the gathered refuse for disposal.

The Municipal Chief Executive Mr Franklin Anku and the Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Dramani Saakah were part of the exercise.

GNA
02.10.2016 LISTEN

By Belinda Ayamgha, GNA

Accra, Oct 2, GNA - The Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) says the ongoing restructuring of Volta River Authority (VRA) legacy debts on the books of some local banks is on course.

The process would show a reduction of Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) by the end of the year.

The GAB noted that the first quarter payment, after the initial deposit of GHa 250.00 million, was due to be paid on September 30, and was confident of the capacity of the Fund under Energy Sector Levies Act (ESLA) to make the quarterly payments.

Mr Alhassan Andani, President of the GAB and CEO of Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited made this known during a news conference after the Association's 33rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Accra.

He said the banks would receive the two quarter payments this year; September and December, and based on the capacity of the ESLA, which was the source of the payments, could reclassify the NPLs on the books of banks to performing loans.

He noted that a similar arrangement is being made to restructure the NPLs of other energy sector State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) including GRIDCO, Electricity Company of Ghana and Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and if successful, would have a similar impact of reducing NPLs on the books of banks.

He said the restructuring initiative is being driven by the banks and not being 'shoved down their throats' by government.

Mr Andani said the GAB is negotiating an arrangement regarding Bulk Oil Distributing Companies (BDCs), which would also address NPLs in that area.

The arrangement seeks to restructure the total VRA debt to the banking sector of GHa 2.3 billion. An upfront payment GHa 250.00 million has been made, and the remaining restructured over a five-year period with quarterly principal and interest payments.

Mr Andani also stated that although there are high levels of NPLs in the banking industry, mainly from it its exposure to the energy sector, it does not affect their decision on whether or not to give loans.

Answering a question on whether the high level of NPLs informed banks willingness to make loans to businesses, he said NPLs do not take banks to a position where they do not make loans but rather helps them to make better decisions and inform how they deal with particular portfolios.

He said most of the NPLs now are in the government related energy sector SOEs and thus does not affect other sectors like oil and gas and manufacturing, where they could keep doing business based on their liquidity.

Dr Abdul Nashiru Issahaku, Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), who gave the keynote address at the 16th Annual luncheon of the GAB, following the AGM, said the restructuring of energy related debts of SOEs would further support the performance of the banking industry, which he noted, remains stable, solvent and liquid, evidenced by the key Financial Sector Indicators.

He stated that under the debt restructuring exercise, the legacy debt of the TOR over a 10-year period would also commence on September 30.

'As part of the arrangement, TOR will pay an initial investment amount of GHa 150.00 million to the lenders and this would be invested over a 10-year period at a rate of 20 per cent per annum,', he explained.

He said the initial investment amount would cater for the principal repayment whilst interest payments would be made from the ESLA and TOR's internally-generated funds.

He outlined other reforms being spearheaded by the BoG in the sector including the passage of the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Takers Bill, which is currently awaiting presidential assent, the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Act and the Ghana Deposit Protection Bill, among others.

Dr Issahaku said the BoG would continue to pursue programmes and policies aimed at developing a vibrant financial system capable of harnessing financial resources for the development and growth of the economy.

GNA
By Elizabeth Tetteh, GNA

Accra, Oct. 2, GNA - A cross-section of Ghanaians have expressed their displeasure about the indiscriminate manner people spit in the city, posing danger to public health.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency Ms Brenda Obeng, a business woman, called on the government and other institutions responsible for sanitation to educate people on indiscriminate spitting in the city.

Madam Akosua Boafo, a trader, complained about the way people spit anywhere and anyhow.

She said it is very disgusting and unhygienic since it could to lead to the spread of communicable diseases.

Mr Kofi Boateng, an entrepreneur, said it is not a pleasant sight especially in the morning and whenever he sees saliva on walkways it made him feel nauseous.

'Whenever I see people drop saliva or phlegm on the ground, I ask them to put sand or even better rub their feet on it', Madam Klorkor Okai, a shoes seller in Accra Central said.

GNA
Accra, Oct. 2, GNA - The Progressive People's Party (PPP) has launched its campaign advertisement in Accra, to give detailed explanation of its contents.

The first advert tagged 'Nduom on election' saying Ghanaians are a team, so they should come together for change by making the right choices on competent leadership.

The second advert tagged 'voice of the people' had a voice of a concerned citizen called Mawuena who shared her grievances on the current economy and energy crisis and advised the public to neglect the two big parties in the country and pay attention to Dr Nduom and the PPP policies.

The third Advert also tagged 'pre papa preko' was about 'Do not sell your vote for any materialistic thing' but fight for the best, by voting for the unsurpassed candidate to win without any beneficial ultimatum.

Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, PPP Presidential Candidate, who unveiled the campaign, said whilst others are promising, he has done all what they are promising.

Mr Richmond Lamptey, the National Committee Member of the PPP, said the Party would work with qualified people not its members only.

He explained the meaning of the campaign song 'y3 ta wo akyer3 a yensuro' as a good general who would lead his people to the battle front and win.

Mr. Kofi Asamoah Siaw, the Policy Advisor for PPP, noted that the media as the Fourth Realm of the State should fight against the winner takes it all mindset by informing the masses to choose competent people as representatives in government.

By Theophania Dzadza, GNA
By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, Oct. 2, GNA - Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, in collaboration with Values For Life (VFL), has honoured some female legends in the industry.

The event was to witness and honour some of the country's female legends in the creative arts industry, whose hard work have paved way for some of the young ones to be courageous enough to venture into the industry and take professions.

The celebrated legends honoured on the night includes Asabea Cropper, Naa Amanua, Ewurama Badu, Afua Darkenoo, Grace Nortey, Monica Quarcoopome, Grace Omaboe, Doris Adabasu Kuwornu, Veronica Cudjoe, Grace Djabaki Laing, Professor Esi Sutherland and Mercy Offei.

Ms Gomashie speaking during the maiden edition of a Night with Female Legends in Accra said some of them, their hard work have gone unnoticed and unappreciated, but their toil have made some of them what they are today.

She said their lives are worth emulating as they reap the harvest of toil today.

She said the programme would be a yearly event to be able to honour few more legends in the industry, who have contributed immensely to the sector.

She said the industry has contributed immensely to the country's gross domestic product and is one of the sectors promoting the growth of the nation.

The Deputy Minister said there is the need to re-strategise as practitioners to push the industry to become one of the best in the economic development of the country.

She advised the younger generation to learn from their forerunners in the industry and focus on their talents to promote the sector.

Asabea Cropper on behave of her colleagues expressed gratitude to the organisers of the event, especially the Deputy Minister for the efforts to promote the interest of industry players.

She also commended the Minister for the recognition done them as pacesetters in the sector.

VFL is a non-governmental and non-profit making organization, which promotes African cultural renaissance and restoration particularly among the youth.

The organisations believe that the face of every nation is mirrored through its arts and culture and has created an environment for young people to unearth their creative arts talents.

Madam Esther Antwi, Programme Coordinator, VFL said the organisation is interested in skills development, for economic and social empowerment of the youth.

'We see the need to groom the next generation of Creative Artistes and Cultural Activists, this will be enhanced and accelerated if and when the youth see how the nation celebrates the legends in the sector to inspire and reward the clearer of the path on which we walk as industry players,' she added.

She said: 'We cannot continue training the youth without celebrating the elders in the same space.'

She expressed gratitude to sponsors including Ghana Free Zones Board, Svani Group Limited, Nestle, Brigadier General Ahiaglo- Director General of National Lottery Authority, Unique Floral, Charter House and Alisa Hotel

The musicians among the legends used the opportunity to thrill patrons with some of their old renditions

Elivava, Becca and Naa Adjeley performed on the night. GNA
02.10.2016 LISTEN

By GNA Reporter

Accra, Oct.2, GNA - The third Ghana e-Commerce expo and conference designed to help boost the growth the secure online trade is schedule for October 27- October 28 in Accra at Alisa Hotel.

The two-day event on the theme: 'Transforming Ghana's Online Businesses through Technology, Innovation and Opportunity,' is the largest gathering of companies and professionals from online retail shops, telecommunications, banks, internet service providers and software designers among others.

A statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency by Mr Paul Asinor, Head of events at OML Africa, organisers of the Expo, said the third Ghana e-Commerce exhibition would provide the platform to exhibitors to gain market exposure by showcasing their products and services.

It would also gain market feedback from thousands of highly targeted potential customers and buyers who need products and services.

The statement said the expo would help exhibitors to sign on new businesses or clients, network with potential e-Commerce and e-solutions investors.

It said other advantages of the expo are the launching of a new and innovative e-commerce and electronic financial transaction products to directly reach potential customers with customised best practices e-commerce solutions.

Mr Asinor said: 'Consumers are becoming more comfortable with e-Commerce and traditional retailers are adapting their strategies, and drawing in new customers, while sales are increasing year on year.'

The exhibition, which is free to attend would have on display nearly 50 Ghanaian and international online solutions and products with an impressive list of exhibitors including Spearhead Networks, Tisu.com.gh, Teledata ICT, Pweb Systems, Brandit, Swifta Systems, News Ghana, Zoobashop, Jumia Travel, Africakart.

Others are mNotify, Ghana Women in Business Online Directory, Nespresso, citibusinessnews.com, Mobile App Solutions, National Express and many others.

He said the e-Commerce conference running alongside the exhibition was designed to cover every aspect of online business with more than 100 plus delegates to be addressed by leading experts in e-Commerce, FinTech, Mobile and Online Banking, Social Media for Business, Digital Advertising and Cyber Security among others.

The conference is strategic as businesses adapt their processes to meet the evolving demands and behaviours of Ghana's fast growing middle class who are IT-savvy, trendy, use mobile apps and digital platforms; seek shopping convenience and have disposal incomes.

This year's key highlight of the conference would be the discussion on mobile banking's strategic approach to consumer money management through smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices as many retail banks in their quest to offer mobile banking services have leaped before looking.

GNA
Yawhima (B/A), Oct 2, GNA - The personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAFs), have been asked to remain alert, steadfast and dedicated to maintain peace and stability particularly in the country and the world in general.

Brigadier-General Casmos Alhassan, the General Officer Commanding the Central Command made the call at the opening ceremony of the GAFs' Inter-Services Shooting Competition code-named 'Exercise Fireblast 2016' at the Yawhima Military Range near Sunyani.

It was under the distinguished patronage of Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje, Chief of the Defence Staff.

Brig Gen. Alhassan said Ghana had created an enabling environment for economic growth which is being praised by the world but 'some misguided elements have taken to organised crimes, chieftaincy/land disputes and armed/highway robbery in recent times'.

He said the situation is worsened by the sophisticated nature of the weapons and tactics adopted by the robbers.

He said terrorists over the world are bent on disturbing world peace and Ghana has its share of such security threats.

He noted that the situation could undermine and threaten the peace in the country, adding: 'That is why we in the Armed Forces must remain alert, steadfast and dedicated to maintaining peace and stabilising our dear mother land in particular and the world in general.'

Brig Gen. Alhassan said: 'The aim of the competition is to confirm the level of skills at arms training achieved by the Services within the training period, improve on weapon handling within the GAF, foster cooperation and friendship among the Services, and promote competitive spirit and the esprit-de-corps within the GAF.'

He reminded the soldiers about the upcoming December 7 general election and called on them to maintain law and order when called upon in time of need.

'You must remain impartial and professional when the time comes. The posture you will present can enhance your ability to deter or ward off thugs and miscreants.'

The Army, Navy, and Air Force are competing for honours in the four-day exercise.

GNA
A vigilante group, the Aluta Boys in Tamale, which affiliates itself with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), has impounded the campaign vehicle of the Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini.

The branded double cabin Nissan pickup with registration number GN3625-14 was seized at Changli on Saturday October 1, 2016.

They deflated the tires and hijacked the vehicle in front of the Aluta Boys base.

It coincided with the Tamale lawmakers campaign launch at the Tamale Jubilee Park which some critics have described as flamboyant.

The angry NDC youth among other reasons, accused Inusah Fuseini, whos also the Roads and Highways Minister of failing to secure them better jobs.

They claimed he is not trustworthy as compared to the Tamale South Legislator, Haruna Iddrisu.

They have since vowed never to release the vehicle pending Mr. Fuseini's response to their demands.

Shatta Wale's Ghc150, 000 show

Dancehall Artiste, Shatta Wale , among other local musicians in Tamale performed at the campaign launch.

Citi News' deep throat sources within the Aluta Boys camp alleged that the Tamale central Legislator's campaign team paid Shatta Wale Ghc150, 000 to perform at the event.

This, according to them, incurred their wrath to seize the campaign vehicle.

They described that act as an insult to the NDC foot soldiers in the Tamale central constituency.

They argued that Shatta Wale is neither a northerner nor a constituent in Tamale central.



By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Tripoli (AFP) - Eight Libyan pro-government fighters and at least 10 Islamic State group jihadists died in clashes Sunday as some jihadists tried to flee their besieged stronghold, the unity government said.

Pro-government forces said they were "progressing" in Sirte, where they have surrounded IS militants, prompting some to try to escape.

They said pro-government fighters had recovered the bodies of at least 10 jihadists and were chasing another group that had fled the coastal town, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of the capital Tripoli.

Eight soldiers loyal to the Government of National Accord were killed, according to the Facebook page of a field hospital set up by their forces in Sirte.

Twenty-four members of the pro-GNA forces were wounded and transferred to the main hospital in Misrata.

Forces allied with the GNA have cornered the group in Sirte, the birthplace of ousted dictator Moamer Kadhafi, since launching an offensive on May 12.

But suicide bombings and sniper fire from the surrounded jihadists have slowed the assault.

On Saturday, GNA aircraft conducted six sorties in preparation for an advance on the jihadists' hideout in the city's east, said the GNA statement.

American aircraft have also carried out some 177 air strikes since early August in support of GNA forces, according to US Africa Command (AFRICOM).

The fighting has left more than 450 GNA fighters dead and 2,500 wounded. The IS death toll is not known.

An IS defeat in Sirte would be a serious blow to the group, which has faced major setbacks in Iraq and Syria in recent months.
The Paramount Chief of Krachi, Nana Mprah Mesemuna has backed the National Democratic Congress' manifesto promise of creating five more regions across the country.

Nana Mprah said the people of northern Volta massively support this manifesto promise and hopes the Northern Volta will be allocated a region out of the five government wants to create.

He was speaking on Saturday at the climax of the annual Krachi Yam festival celebrations at Krachi in the Krachi East district.

According to him, the clamour for a region in Northern Volta has been pending for a long time, with successive governments failing to honour the wishes of the people of Northern Volta.

He said his outfit has petitioned president John Mahama over the matter and hopes their dream will finally materialize.

"...According to the NDC manifesto, it is the declared intention of the party to create five more regions in the country.

"I can say with authority that we the people of Northern Volta region massively support this policy and this support cuts across the political divide," he said.

He added all the eight districts in Northern Volta started agitating for the creation of the Northern Volta region during the Rawlings and Kufuor eras and hope their wish will finally be executed.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com
The Central Regional Chapter of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), is demanding an immediate seizure of what it describes as violent attacks against its members in the region.

The party in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Regional Communications Officer, Kwesi Dawood, condemned attacks by some alleged New Patriotic Party (NPP) thugs against some of its members on Saturday at Ajumako Bisease, in the Ajumako Anyan-Kwamankese ConstituencyConstituencym while they embarked on regular campaign activities.

The party said one of its officers was also stabbed in the right eye by a known NPP activist in the process.

The statement said, in spite of the violent provocation by the opposition New Patriotic Party, it urges all of its supporters in the Constituency to exercise restraint and refrain from any acts that may undermine the peace of the area as the Regional leadership of the party is taking steps to address the situation.

It further called on the police and other security agencies to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime against its members to book.

Read the full statement below

The Central Regional Branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), condemns in no uncertain terms, violent attack on our members at Ajumako Bisease yesterday by thugs belonging to the New Patriotic Party.

In preparations towards a planned Keep Fit activity today-Sunday, 2nd October 2016, the communications wing of the Ajumako Anyan Kwamankese Constituency, went about their usual evening publicity through the Ajumako Bisease Township. The Communications Officers were set upon by the NPP thugs in a pick-up and on motor bikes at Bethel Hill, forcefully pulled down from their vehicles and viciously assaulted.

As peace loving and law abiding citizens, our activists did not retaliate but went to the police station to lodge a complaint.

The NPP thugs chased our officers to the Bisease police station to continue their violent assault.

In the process, a known activist of the NPP activist, Rasta, stabbed an NDC officer, Samuel Asare in the right eye.

Another NPP activist also used an offensive weapon to knock him down. With blood oozing from his eye, Comrade Asare passed out instantly. The family and friends of Samuel Asare identified the perpetrator of the unprovoked attack on their relation as the driver of Mr J. N. Okyere who is the Managing Director of Comptran Engineering & Planning Associates and Chairman of the NPPs Central Regional Finance.

Mr J.N Okyere is believed to have incited the Npp thugs to assault the NDC activists and because he is the mastermind of this dastardly act, his driver got emboldened not only to stab Samuel Asare but also rushed to his residence for a machete to inflict more wounds on our activists.

This unprovoked attack has led to an increase in tensions in the Constituency and anxiety among members of the NDC.

Despite this violent provocation, we urge all NDC members in the Constituency to exercise restraint and refrain from any acts that may undermine the peace even as the Regional leadership takes steps to restore normalcy.

We are aware that the NPP is poised for violent confrontation this electioneering season in keeping with the violent disposition of their flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo.

We are aware that his call to violence through his all die be die chants still provides inspiration for misguided youth of his party to resort to violence at the slightest opportunity.

We in the NDC subscribe to peaceful political conduct and would not encourage or partake in any form of violence.

We would instead, focus on championing the propagation of the monumental developments of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama and leave the security agencies to ensure law and order in the Central Region and elsewhere.

The NDC has a job to execute and will not be distracted from our core mandate of ensuring a ONE TOUCH Victory for the President with a historic minimum of twenty (20) Parliamentary Seats; Our eyes are firmly fixed on the prize.

In conclusion, we call on the Police and other Security Agencies to bring the perpetrators of this crime to book immediately.

Long Live The Great NDC!!! Long Live Ghana!!!

Signed:

Kwesi Dawood

Reg. Communication Officer



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Reading commentaries on Independence Day amuses me a lot especially considering our deliberate lies on our revered independence leaders. We painted a rosy pictures of founding fathers who painstakingly laboured and delivered a united peaceful and harmonious federation.

In 1960, leaders joyously received mantle of leadership without intrigues, infighting and justice delivered. In fact ethnic politics, corruption, skewed federalism, controversial census and all sorts of ills now pervasive today were non-existent.

So from 1960 to 1966,a perfect federation was in operation where all Nigerians acted as one and under which a vibrant young nation was demonstrating best examples to the rest of Africa. Leaders at independence ate, slept and adored a united federation with shared common destiny.

That was the utopia we perpetuated even in the face of denial by history, lying to our children and demonizing the successor generation. A nation that fails to diligently study history or accords history prime place cannot but be plunge into an ocean of ignorance, deceit and falsehood even about basic facts of her evolution. Even in 2016, we still continue our lies and misrepresentation of our independence leaders.

Our leaders at independence were great patriots, well-grounded within their respective skills and capacities. They were political war leaders who had to fight from ethnic turfs and who struggled on all fronts to give realities to their people's driven agenda. Men of timber and deliver they were, their greatness cannot be disputed as they were frontline players in the making of Nigeria no matter how imperfect it was.

Late sage, Obafemi Awolowo, the erudite scholar-politician of immeasurable intellect and contributions to national and regional politics. The Great Zik of Africa, Dr Nnmdi Azikwe, a flamboyant cross border politician, an astute nationalist and a great leader for a controversial, expansive united Nigeria without ethnic map. Sir Abubabakar Tafawa Balewa,a perfect English gentleman as described by some British leaders and a clean incorruptible independence prime minister. Former premier of old Northern region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna Sokoto, an undiluted devotee to the greatness and wellbeing of his people, a traditional ruler ,an Islamic scholar and a greatly loved leader of his people.

As 1959 approached then, how did these leaders acted? What were the pre-independence electoral campaigns like? The records are well preserved in our libraries-it was bitter political war and battles that laid a negatively strong ground for many ills that still dogged the nation till date. The 1959 election was fought by political generals who appeared to be representing separate countries.

And yes, by 1959, Nigeria was still a paper nomenclature comprising of three countries namely North, west and eastern regions. Fact was that from 1914 to 1959, the so called united Nigeria was never united.

1959 to 1960 was the time the new nation was to be delivered in reality. That independence election was to lay the foundation for the birth of the new baby. Unfortunately, the conception was fraught with still birth even though the British induced the birth of a defective baby whose jaundice has refused to heal since.

Why are commentators repeatedly lying about events preceding our independence in 1960?Why are we not coming clean of the bitterness of post -1959 election which manifested openly even on the day of independence ? Why are we lying that the nation was truly united as at the time the British lowered the union Jack flag?

Our erudite scholars have documented the realities of what was handed over to independence leaders, a fractured nation with deep level of distrust among leaders .Nigeria was borne out of intrigues and back stabbing among leaders, leading to an in cohesive leadership and consequent implosions six years later. Ours was a nation deliberately modeled by the British to be in cohesive, conflicting and divisive through connivance with some local leaders.

At independence, the Igbos aligned with the North, leaving the West in the opposition. The North ruling under the party called Northern Peoples Congress later supported the implosion of the opposition Action Group, generating so much heat from 1964 to 1965.Igbos disengaged from the alliance to later embraced another alliance with the Yorubas under United Grand Alliance (UPGA) while the North aligned with breakaway factions from East and West to form the New Nigeria Alliance. The bitter fact is at independence Nigeria was as fractured as it is today.

From 1960 to 1966, it was a tale of bitterness, political corruption, selfish deployment of state power, minority oppression, political persecutions, intolerance of opposition, and corruption among leaders among others. The foundation built on intrigues and ethnic permutations only gave rise to a nation reeling from ethnic politics, imperfect federalism, stunted growth and retrogressive genotype. Is that why we dont want history in our school curriculum?

Many scholars have equally documented evidence that proved that the pre-and post- independence embedded ills in national and regional structures watered and prepared the ground for the unfortunate first coup, counter coup and the three years civil war of 1967 to 1970.Where is the utopia of an Eldorado First Republic that we so annually eulogies?

There are surviving actors of the independence era and the troubled first republic across the states. Those surviving elders know the fact; they know the faulty foundations they helped foisted or they were forced to foister on the new nation which may not solely be their fault. We need to come clean and accept that 56 years after, we are still unable to correct first, the errors of 1914 and more seriously heal the injuries of 1959-60s.

Let me assert that Nigeria's continued survival despite her "down syndrome" is due to just one major bloc of power brokers -the military political elite. When independence leaders failed to heal the political tuberculosis of 59s-60s, the tumbling from first to second coups to the civil war produced a strange national dynamics in leadership evolution. A new set of leaders acting like a brotherhood surfaced.

From 1975 to date, the military elite successfully subjugated the remnants of independence political elite, creating a new league of leaders still ruling till date. Records showed that all those military leaders of the civil war and specifically those who masterminded directly or indirectly the 1975 coup are still subsisting leaders of Nigeria till date. If they did not occupy office, their cronies play the proxy game.

So the big question -if independence elite had issues as to the entity created by them or bequeathed on them, has the military elite fair better? That is contentious and a discourse for another day.

But for now, let come clean with our history -there was never a time we have gotten it right as a nation.

*Olawale Rasheed, a policy analyst, is the CEO of Sahel Media Group.
Daffiama-Bussie-Issa is one of the young districts that was created out of the then Nadowli district in 2012. As a new district which is still battling with various development challenges, the students across the country from the district came together to contribute their quota to catalyze the development process of the district.

The Union identified teenage pregnancy as a threat to quality education and youth development. The 2016 mid year review of the Ghana Health Service indicates that fifty eight(58) cases have been recorded so far. This is about a 98% increased from last year's figure of thirty(30) cases.

In an educational forum organized by the Union on 29/09/16 at Tabiasi which brought students, youth groups, parents, teachers and several other stakeholders, strategies were discussed as to how this canker can be eliminated.

Speaking at the event, the president of the Union, Mr Zumankyere Aloysius said, the Union is ever ready to work with all stakeholders to fight and monitor the situation. He called on parents to give every needed support to combat the situation.

" we are ready to continue to war until we drastically reduce the situation if not eradicated completely " he added. He indicated his wish to ensure that all the communities in the district shall benefit this educational campaign before the end of the year.

Many people with expert knowledge were brought as facilitators who took the participants through a series of preventive strategies of this canker. Among them was the main sponsor of the program Dr Sebastian Sandaare who is a medical doctor and director of Ghana Health Service at Lawra. Dr Sandaare hails from the district.

In his speech, he indicated his unrelenting support for vulnerable groups like the girl child whose future depend on how we handle the canker now. He outlined his intentions to collaborate with the Student's Union to institute various educational policies including special initiative for the girl child, award schemes for brilliant but needy students among others. He urged all stakeholders to come together and work for the progress of the district and avoid a situation of sitting aloof and waiting on government to ameliorate all our predicaments.

The program was well attended as hundreds of students and youth groups were present.

Img 20160929 152946
The president of any nation is the elected head of state and head of government of that country. He is also the father and the number one gentleman, and represents all the people of that land.

On 23 September 2016, a Tanzanian lecturer was charged with insulting President John Magufuli in a WhatsApp message. A Tanzanian newspaper, Mwananchi published an article claiming the number of people who had been arrested across the country for insulting the president had risen to ten.

Moreover, in Turkey, more than 10 people who had been probed for insulting the president were released on 6 September 2016, following President Recep Tayyip Erdogans decision to withdraw such cases.

Right here in Ghana, on 24 September, a Ghanaian-Lebanese pilot and author, Fadi Daboussi, was detained by Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) for two days for asking in one of his publications if President John Mahama had HIV/ AIDS and also making reference to a publication that alleged Mr. Mahama had impregnated a daughter of Ashanti monarch, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

Insult Knows No Bounds

Recently, the targeted body part of an insult against US President Barack Obama, was his ears. And for former UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, it was his cheeks; French President Francois Hollande, his stature; for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the cartoonists went for the downturned mouth; and for Ghanaian President John Mahama they focused on his HIV/AIDS status.

This culture of insult is not our invention, neither is it exclusive to Ghanaians as we have seen happening elsewhere around the globe with presidents subjected to insults and name calling. However, our culture has trained us to respect elders and fathers.

In our culture, it is unacceptable to stand and hail insults at elders or fathers. We were taught and trained to honour people older than us and to respect them. We learnt not to use our left hand to point at people, let alone use our mouths to insult them.

In recent times, there have been concerns from well-meaning Ghanaians including the Ashanti monarch, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II about insults on our president and the insults common in political debates, discussions in the media, and other public platforms.

Young people who have never achieved anything with their lives mount radio stations, social media and other platforms hailing insults at the president and at people who have built reputation over the years and have achieved a lot with their lives. Men and women who have become statesmen and women, elders and fathers of the land are insulted in public without due regard to their dignity.

All Ghanaian cultures frown on this emerging attitude of our young people and the Bible also strongly forbids it and admonishes us to rather honour our father and mother so that it shall be well with us and we shall live long on the earth. Where lies the honour and the respect for our elders and fathers of the land? What is the motivation for a citizen to open his mouth to insult the president and the father of the land?

This is neither our culture nor the way we were raised up to behave towards elders and fathers in the community. The president is the father of the land and just as a child will never be seen and heard in public insulting his father, it is as well wrong for a citizen to be seen and heard in public insulting the president.

Solution

Perhaps, the media must refuse to be a medium for insults. They should invite onto their shows people who will debate rather than insult. The hosts of radio programmes must be firm and take absolute control over their programmes and regulate as a matter of principle the serial callers and others who call in during radio discussions to make contributions. They must not be allowed to just say anything and the press must not be seen as pouring fuel on every little fire of insults that they find.

Leaders of political parties must be heard condemning the insults of their members, and such people hurling insults must not be treated as some sort of heroes. The ambitious young men and women in political parties who are eager to climb to political heights by insults to please big men whose favours they are courting must not be praised, but rather receive their fair share of censure to act as a deterrent to others.

Church leaders must speak up against the politics of insults. Religious leaders must get involved in the prevention of insults. They must call to order the leaders of political parties for them to calm down their followers. Our eminent chiefs must also play a similar role to religious leaders in the fight against this malodorous practice. Moreover, the National Communication Authority (NCA) must be seen as exercising its power of authority in sanctioning radio stations which allow their mediums to be used for such bad behaviours.

A New Day

However, I pray for the day when Ghanaian politics will gain maturity and be devoid of insults. That day will be the dawn of a new day. Insults cannot always have its way, in the same manner that night would not always reign. It shall be a day when politics in this country shall be based on who has the best ideas and policies to develop the country rather than on personalities and insults.

It will be a dispensation in which those who rain insults on fathers of the land will not be seen as heroes any longer, and never would they be honoured. In those days, insults will not dominate our politics in this country and radio discussions will be about debates on how to develop mother Ghana. It will be a period in which we will tolerate the opinions of one another and peoples reputation will not be denigrated through insults. A new day in which no citizen of our great nation will ever use his mouth to insult the president or other dignified members of the country.

[email protected]
03.10.2016 LISTEN

In Rumundele Community of Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, the residence threw open party recently in jubilation that over 200 youth from two bloody cult groups that had terrorised the area for months with property worth hundreds of thousands of naira destroyed and many lives lost, have openly denounced their membership in the Community.

In some communities in the state, cult-related activities were rife which compelled the state governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike to initiate amnesty for the bigoted cultists of which, not only in Rumundele, many youths who were into gangsterism across the state, have embraced the initiative.

Like the immediate past governor of the state, Chibuike Amaechi, Wike invariably inherited a volatile Rivers State in what have been as cult activities, militancy, piracy along waterways, political backbiting and hostage taking. Amaechi-led administration implored the services of security personnel with the code names, Joint Task Force (JTF) or Operation Flush Out, which moved in the streets heavily armed.

But upon the presence of the security agents, the much sought peace was elusive till Prince Tonye Princewill waded in and took peace campaign personally to the creeks and hideouts where the boys took as their base for operation. So, with Amaechi recording half-baked peace with the presence of JTF, till Princewill came in and helped for the restoration of peace in Rivers State, Wike might not bring about absolute peace in the state with his amnesty initiative.

Prince Tonye Princewill, the Labour Party governorship candidate in the 2015 governorship election in Rivers state, may have diverted his attention from the politics of the state to other ventures out of principle but observers know that he was part of the foundation to the relative peace that the state is enjoying today and he should have a rethink or be appealed to help the present government of Governor Nyesom Wike to succeed because Princewill knows how best to go about peace.

In the event that Wike was declared the winner of the election, the voice of Princewill was up in advice that all political parties should be civil in any move for redress in the court of law and should not incite their followers into violence. This was given that the election in the state raised tension upon that the 3 major candidates that were contesting in the persons of Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressives Congress, Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party and Tonye Princewill of the Labour Party had signed an undertaken on January 22 2015 before a US Ambassador to Nigeria to ensure a violent free election.

Many political observers saw that move as the first in the political history of the state. Of a truth, Princewill has maintained that peace pact covertly and overtly by not citing comments capable of breaching public peace like some other person has been doing. Although, he has told truth to the people that the election was marred by irregularities. Since hes not a lawyer, legal luminaries at the Supreme Court had said that Wike was duly elected and is the Governor of Rivers State; Princewill has since then, channeled his energy to his private business.

It is on record that by January 2014, which was regarded as the decisive year for the 2015 election, Princewill sued for peace and reconciliation among the many warring politicians in the state. Peace has always been Princewills insignia. His approach to a peaceful resolution may be connected to the fact that he is the son of King (Prof) Theophanous Jacob Tom Princewill, CFR, Amachree XI, Amayanabo Kalabari whom the junior Princewill shares the same birthday with. We cannot also say that he came about peace from the books he has read as he holds a Master of Sciences degree in Mineral Resources Engineering and distinguished Diploma from Imperial College, London, having had a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt. But in another look, majority of the sons of Kings and influential are known for arrogance. So, we may say that peace runs in Princewills blood and not because of his royal pedigree.

Its observable that his strong political philosophy of equality and liberty might be his undoing political factor as he is an apostle of free and fair elections, when majority politicians think the obverse. He also believes in civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free trade, and a right to life, liberty, and property, as was captured by one of his former aides. He does not believe in politics of bitterness, with his popular mantra that politics is too important to be left to politicians. Hence, his venturing into politics in 2007 under Action Congress, after he returned from London in 2003, where he spent many years studying and doing business. That year was the pick of upsurge of militancy in Rivers State with his home town of Buguma boiling.

Princewill was chiefly the arrowhead that initiated peaceful movements that resolved the crises which saw to many people and companies packing, lives wasted and property worth billions of naira destroyed. For the love of Rivers State, Princewill refused to go to court against the Supreme Court judgment that favoured the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi against Sir Celestine Omehia; the later being a very gentle man. As a master of peace, Princewill made sure that all the political parties in the state come under an umbrella known as and called Forum of the Organised Opposition Political Parties (FOOPP) in Rivers State. Over 43 political parties were in this forum and the state was calm from 2008 when the forum was formed to 2010 when Princewill moved to the Peoples Democratic Party, for personal reasons.

His peaceful dispositions and art in reconciling people saw him to becoming a member of the Rivers State Economic Advisory Committee in 2008, which Professor Nimi Briggs was Chairman. On July 7, 2008 the National Mirror, published the names of 40 Nigerians that, in its view, could fix Nigeria's problems. It also published the pictures of the people in a publication titled, "Cabinet Reshuffle  40 People who could Fix Nigeria" on page 6 of that edition. Princewills name was there.

By 2009, Princewill was on the Presidential Technical Committee on the Niger Delta and was Sub-Committee Chairman of the Niger Delta Subcommittee on Vision 2020 that was pioneered by the then President Umar Yar'Adua. For the love of humanity, Princewill tendered his resignation letter as a sign of protestation from the Vision2020 Committee when the military invaded Gbaramatu, in Delta State.

He continued with his peace move by founding the Princewill Political Associates (PPA); although as a political pressure group. He brought Ohaneze Ndi Igbo leadership into looking for ways to resolve the Niger Delta crises; a move he personally made to Enugu in 2009. On 29th June 2009, Princewill reconciled Alhaji Asari Dokubo with Amaechi. He proved the critics of the Eso-led reconciliatory panel wrong, by leading Asari to reconcile with Amaechi, although journalists as at the time said the reconciliation was of an unproven issue.

But spectators knew that Alhaji Asari was angry with Amaechi over statement by the later calling the then Niger Delta crusaders criminals. In a statement by Asari to Amaechi, he said, I decided to follow him (Princewill) to visit you, the governor, today to demonstrate that apart from the issues highlighted above, I have no other grudge against you and to formally accept you as my governor and the undisputable Governor of Rivers State, as upheld by the Supreme Court."

Amaechi explained his happiness and commended Princewill for this feat, saying, "My becoming the Governor of Rivers State, apart from being divine, was a calculated attempt to restore hope and actualization of the vision of the founders of our dear state in 1967. Today is one of my happiest days because no matter our differences, I admire Asari so much for his love for our region and his readiness to lay his life on behalf of our people; and I feel so bad that such a personality could not team up with me to contribute to develop our only state. But thanks to God who, in his infinite wisdom, decided to use Tonye to make this great reunion possible."

Prince Tonye Princewill knows how to go about peace and he is tested and trusted in this area. Therefore, Governor Wike and Prince Princewill have to team up and see how they can lift Rivers State to the next level irrespective of party affiliation.

Odimegwu Onwumere is the Coordinator, Concerned Non-Indigenes In Rivers State (CONIRIV). Tel: 08057778358. Email: [email protected]
The highest bidder gets my vote. My vote is for sale and I don't really mind or care what people think or say for I believe I should have a share of the National cake. It's my constitutional rights as a citizen to sell my vote to these business men and women for my own good.

Should many Ghanaians sell their votes too, our motherland would have been far from where she is now.

Having to witness about four (4) presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana, one thing for sure is that most Ghanaians go into contracts with these business people and end up being cheated or swindled. In less than 80 Days, we shall go to polls but the question is, are you ready to sell your vote to that bidder who is willing to pay as much as you want? If your answer to the above is No, I will advice you not to vote because you are just wasting your civic right. in fact, it's a crime to waste a ballot paper to vote for someone who doesn't have you at heart and willing to go the extra mile to fulfill the wishes of the masses.

Sell your votes to that person who is willing to tackle your problems.

Don't settle for party A because people from your family supports it or deny party B your vote because of your believe of it being a political party that represents a specific group of people (ethnic group).

Selling your votes to any political party or politician just like people sell their items to customers for in the end you will have yourself to blame or praise.

It's business year (election) as usual and they shall bring forth their products (campaign) for you (customers or consumers) to study, compare and make your selection based on what suits you. To students who wish to sell their votes, sell your votes to those who have the educational system at heart and are capable of transforming the systems for your better tomorrow. Sell your votes to the politician who would pay you with good jobs and make life a bit easier for you just by meeting your demands.

Are you a trader who thinks you deserve better? Sell your votes to the person who would give you good economic policies that would favor your business. My friends in the farm, sell your votes to them to make life a bit bearable so that you can purchase fertilizers to aid in your farming activities and help you sell your products through their good policies for the growth and development in the agricultural sector. I know it's illegal to sell votes but in situations like this, even the highest court of the land will pardon your crime.

The race is on, they say. Business men and women are officially filing. Let it stressed, this election is not about John Mahama or Akufo-Addo. It is not about NDC or NPP. It is about you. Your life. Your situation. Your hopes. Your future. Your family. Your community. Your nation.

Sell your vote to the competent people to lead this company called Ghana to a better successful days.

Abdul-Jawad Tiyumba
Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister Hanna Serwaa Tetteh has briefed Ghanaians working with the United Nations headquarters in New York on the situation at home.

The meeting held on the side-lines of the 71st UN General Assembly was attended by members of the UN Social Recreation Club (UNSRC), an association of Ghanaians with the UN and officials of Ghana's Permanent Mission to the UN. It afforded the Minister the opportunity to give them a vivid picture of the situation at home and to respond to various questions agitating their minds on the Ghanaian situation. The issues discussed ranged from the single spine policy, diaspora engagement, economy, elections, job creation, and investment opportunities among others.

Ms.Hanna Tetteh underscored the need for all Ghanaians to appreciate the peace and stability they were enjoying in the country and to make various suggestions that can enrich government policies and programmes.

On the December elections, the Minister gave an assurance that the EC, together with the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and the government have been able to put all the relevant measures needed to ensure smooth and peaceful elections in place. In this vein, she stressed the need to respect the credibility and independence of the Electoral Commission. To a question, Ms.Tetteh indicated that Ghanaian diplomats abroad, Ghanaians working with international organizations and Ghanaian students qualified to vote by proxy.

On roads, she indicated that the government had invested a considerable amount in the sector to modernize, expand and particularly to boost economic and other business activities. This is to make it easy to bring food from the hinterlands, adding that we have worked on the major trunk and urban roads including those in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi.

Regarding youth employment, the Minister mentioned various positive interventions by the government like the Youth in Agriculture, National Vocational and Technical Training, Integrated Centres for Employable Skills, Trades and Vocation Module, Graduate Business Support scheme run by the Employment Ministry and numerous partnerships with the private sector to create mostly self-employed jobs.

On energy, the Minister explained that the growth in the Ghanaian economy had resulted in an increase in people's electricity power consumption saying that "Our government has therefore taken adequate steps to permanently fix the perennial shortfalls in power generation which resulted in the load shedding. With the positive measures taken, she said the country hoped to be a net exporter of power, having acquired a number of Independent Power Producers like the Sunon- Asogli, Ameri Power Plant, Karpower barge, Cen Power, Jacobsen, Amandi, GE, Kpone Thermal Plant, and the 110 megawatts steam component of the T2 Power plant at Aboadze to provide power. Added to these are the Bui and the Atuabo Gas Plant that supplies gas to the Aboadze Thermal Plant.

On roads, she indicated that the government had invested a considerable amount in the sector to modernize, expand and particularly to boost economic and other business activities. This is to make it easy to bring food from the hinterlands, adding that we have worked on the major trunk and urban roads including those in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi.

Regarding youth employment, the Minister mentioned various positive interventions by the government like the Youth in Agriculture, National Vocational and Technical Training, Integrated Centres for Employable Skills, Trades and Vocation Module, Graduate Business Support scheme run by the Employment Ministry and numerous partnerships with the private sector to create mostly self-employed jobs.

On energy, the Minister explained that the growth in the Ghanaian economy had resulted in an increase in people's electricity power consumption saying that "Our government has therefore taken adequate steps to permanently fix the perennial shortfalls in power generation which resulted in the load shedding. With the positive measures taken, she said the country hoped to be a net exporter of power, having acquired a number of Independent Power Producers like the Sunon- Asogli, Ameri Power Plant, Karpower barge, Cen Power, Jacobsen, Amandi, GE, Kpone Thermal Plant, and the 110 megawatts steam component of the T2 Power plant at Aboadze to provide power. Added to these are the Bui and the Atuabo Gas Plant that supplies gas to the Aboadze Thermal Plant.

Aside these, Ms Tetteh said that the government had fully included renewable energy into the system whereby a number of solar, wind, tidal wave and biomass projects were under way.

Commenting on the improvements in the internet infrastructure, the Foreign Minister noted that the Mahama-led administration had invested a lot in that area. For example, she mentioned the completion of the Eastern Corridor fiber optic project that serves communities along the route from Ho to Bawku with a link from Yendi to Tamale.

Responding to a question on diaspora engagement and contributions, Ms.Tetteh encouraged Ghanaian diaspora to form partnerships with local experts to do business in the country. "With their financial muscle, they should be able to team up with locals to bring in the needed products and services as investors", she added.

Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, UN Special Representative for West Africa who was present said from the conversations on the international circles, Ghana continues to get plaudits for her enviable political stability, freedom of speech and movement among the people.

On the preparations for the elections, he was particularly happy that all outstanding issues on the elections like the Voter's register which went to court, had been ironed out by the Electoral Commission (EC) together with Civil Society Groups, political parties and the government.

There Is consensus that the Electoral Commission Chairperson and her team will ensure a smooth, credible and peaceful election", the UN Special Representative for West Africa stated. Furthermore, Dr. Chambas said it was very assuring when President Mahama reiterated at a meeting with the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon earlier in the day that his (President Mahama) government will do everything possible to ensure a free and peaceful elections.

"You can count on the UN to support you always" the UN representative stated.

Earlier, Mr. Ben Dotsei Malor, president of the UNSRC welcomed the Minister and particularly the newly promoted and appointed Ghanaians to senior positions in the UN system.

Present at the interaction which was the third, was the Secretary to the President, Ambassador Kwesi Quartey, and Ghanas Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Mrs. Martha Pobee, Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah, Director Africa Two Division, Department of Political affairs and Mrs Charlotte Nana Yaa Nikoi, Assistant Director for Human Resource, UNICEF and Mr. Philbert Johnson, Deputy Permanent Representative.
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Surviving 80 years of oil industry booms and busts is quite a legacy.

Legacy is the key for Great Western Drilling Co., which just celebrated 80 years in business.

Perseverance, a conservative business model, not borrowing money to do a lot of horizontal drilling and concentration on our legacy properties, is how Bruce Brady, president, said the company continues to thrive after 80 years.

Sitting in his office in the two-story building at 700 W. Louisiana Ave. -- that literally was built around Midland Countys oldest native pecan tree -- Brady said stability could best describe Great Westerns 80-year history.

He lists the companys stable oil production, the number of long-term employees, many of whom have been with the company 30 years or more, as defining the companys steady path through 80 years.

As Permian Basin operators were ramping up amid triple-digit oil prices, Great Western utilized contractors instead, he said.

And during the recent horizontal drilling boom in the Permian, Great Western didnt feel the need to aggressively go out and buy leases, he said. The company has drilled horizontal wells on leases it already owns and has participated with other companies on drilling projects, Brady said.

He is quick to point out that the company is aware of the latest in technology and will utilize it in their operations, as long as it doesnt require a lot of debt.

Brady said that the company also has an extensive history in implementing and operating waterfloods in both the Permian Basin and Mid-Continent.

The name is a bit of a misnomer, he said. When Great Western was founded in 1936, it was both an exploration and production company and one of the countrys largest contract drilling companies. In 1962, the company sold off its drilling rigs to focus on exploration and production.

Great Westerns first president, George Livermore, founded the company in Kermit with financial backing from Ken Davis Sr., who bought out his interests in 1951.

Davis was known for a number of companies owned under his A Kendavis Co. corporate umbrella.

If he saw a need for something, he just started a company, said Sandy Kepple, human resources manager.

The company remains privately owned by the Davis family, and after moving from Kermit to Lubbock, has been headquartered in Midland since 1951.

Currently, Great Western operates in and participates in exploration production and acquisitions in eight states and has offices or facilities in Midland and Odessa, Fort Worth, Sundown and Mentone and in Farmington and Lovington, New Mexico.

Great Western has working interest in more than 400 producing properties, operating nearly half of those properties.

While Great Western is primarily focused on the Permian, it is also active in the Texas Gulf Coast, Rocky Mountains and Oklahoma.
Midland will show off its German side on Thursday when Energy Related Properties hosts Oktoberfest: the Beer, Sausage and Pretzel Festival. ERP will bring out the beers and the bratwursts for this inaugural celebration that is another step to revitalizing downtown. ERP also will show off its extensive renovations by hosting Oktoberfest at its new plaza on Big Spring and Wall streets.

We wanted to host an event in that plaza to show some of the improvements, ERP partner and COO Meghan Berry said. Plus, we wanted to bring something to downtown and get people here.

ERP owns the Bank of America and First Capital buildings and One Wall Plaza and has been working on both the exteriors and interiors of each building.

Oktoberfest was perfect timing with the completion of our construction, Berry said. Plus, we want people to maybe come up with other ideas that can happen here. Having a strong downtown can really help the city.

Even if that means coming in lederhosen.

ERP partnered with Do432 for the event, which should offer a fun and spirited evening for Midlanders. Oktoberfest is packed with more than just food and drink, so here is your guide to Midlands newest downtown festival.

What is Oktoberfest?

The folk festival is held annually in Germany and can last up to 18 days beginning in September and ending the first weekend in October. The festival is significant to Bavarian culture, which has celebrated Oktoberfest since the 1800s.

The events signature is consuming beer while also enjoying traditional foods such as wursts, pretzels and potato pancakes.

The tickets

There are three tiers of admission.

General tickets are $35 and includes tastings selected from almost 20 craft beers, food, live music by Chris Rybak, on-site games and a commemorative stein.

VIP admission is $65 and includes all general admission perks, a seat in the VIP area, exclusive pours and food served to the table.

VIP tables are $400 and include six tickets, a reserved space and all the other previously mentioned perks.

The event is located at the Bank of America Plaza at 303 W Wall St.

Tickets can be purchased at doyourcity.us/oktoberfest. The event is rain or shine with no refunds.

The beer

Im looking forward to trying the breweries. Most of the beers that will be at Oktoberfest you cant buy in stores here, Berry said.

With a festival ticket, guests receive 12 two-ounce tastings. Should you wish to continue tasting, a punch card can be purchased for $2. Bottles can also be purchased.

The list of options is an impressive one. These are the breweries slated to have samples available:

Oskar Blues Brewery from Austin: Beerito, Passionfruit Pinner and IPA.

Community Beer Co. from Dallas: Mosaic IPA, Witbier and Legion.

Oasis Texas Brewing Co. from Austin: London Homesick, Slow Ride pale ale and Luchesa lager.

Founders Brewing Co. from Grand Rapids, Michigan: Dirty Bastard, Porter, Centennial IPA.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery from Milton, Delaware: 60 minute IPA, 90 minute IPA and Namaste.

Those with VIP tickets will get a flight of four three-ounce German import beers, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan original and hefeweizen along with Stiegl Brauerei Salzburgs radler and goldbrau.

For non-beer fans, Steak 42 will have a cash bar on-site.

The food

Festival-goers will be privy to unlimited sausages by Browns Bar B Q as well as fresh-baked pretzels on-site.

Fun for the whole family?

No. Oktoberfest is for 21 and older only. Despite being outdoors, pets will not be allowed unless they are service animals.

Still fun

People are welcome to dress up for the event whether its in lederhosen or a dirndl. Rybak will bring the polka sounds to the festival. The Texas accordion player has performed throughout the country and recently returned from a European tour. The event will also feature a classic corn hole game and oversized Jenga.
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This year Midland ISD will send at least $50 million to Austin -- the result of being a chapter 41 or property rich school district.

Andrews ISD is set to pay $20 million, nearly 36 percent of its $55 million budget, according to Superintendent Bobby Azam. While MISD is set to make its fourth Chapter 41 payment, Andrews is a property rich veteran. AISD has made recapture payments since the inception of the so-called Robin Hood school finance plan in 1993, according to Azam.

Neither district really likes the system that distributes money to property poor districts around the state. The Texas Supreme Court, while ruling the system constitutional, called the finance system Byzantine. Gov. Greg Abbott, who was in Midland last week, called it broken. He expects it to be addressed in the upcoming legislative session.

I believe the way it is structured right now is broken and has to be fixed, Abbott said. There will be a lot of good ideas put on the table to fix it.

One of the many issues we will be addressing in the session is school finance as well as the bigger picture of education, he said Thursday. The key focus is ensuring we are providing the best possible education for every single child in the state of Texas.

Midlanders recently have become frustrated by the system, even as the district is in its infancy as a property rich school district. Still, the district is closing in on having to send $150 million in recapture payments in those four years.

Some Midlanders, such as Concho CEO Tim Leach, expect school finance will be highlighted when lawmakers return to Austin in January. He pointed to the situation facing Houston ISD -- and its $160 million recapture payment -- as bringing extra attention to the issue.

State Rep. Tom Craddick, who opposed Robin Hood when it was created in 1993, said he is keenly aware of the frustrations school districts have with recapture and the funding uncertainties that go along with fluctuating property valuations.

As a result, MISD finds itself in a precarious budget situation that jeopardizes the world class education our students deserve, Craddick said in a previous Reporter-Telegram article.

At Midland ISD, recapture payments have forced board members to call a tax ratification election (TRE) so voters can approve this years tax rate of $1.09 per $100 valuation -- an increase from $1.04 last year. The increased tax rate is just one measure being used to combat the $25 million deficit created during the budget process. Board members will use a $10 million donation from the Scharbauer Foundation, nearly $6 million in cuts and more than $2 million from the districts savings account to make up the rest of the money. Should the voters vote down the proposed rate, school board members then would be forced to cut another $6 million in expenses.

Leach told the Reporter-Telegram he is proud of what the community is doing to combat the precarious school finance situation. Leach is one of the business leaders who helps make up the Business and Funders Initiative, business, foundation and community leaders who have come together to tackle community problems. They have identified academic performance in the district as its top priority.

Oil companies and other businesses in Midland require top-notch schools, he said.

I think we need to see this as one step in many steps to improve the quality of our education, Leach said. I am happy to support the TRE. I think we are on the right track, but it will be a long process.
The TRE is receiving strong support from all sectors of our community. Midland business and community leaders Roger Alexander, manager of Cimarex, and Russell Myers, president and CEO of Midland Memorial Hospital, are among the TRE advocates.

Q. Roger, your children are adults. Why does public education matter to you and to Cimarex?

A. We have many Cimarex employees with school-aged children, and I feel strongly that their children should have the opportunity to experience the same quality education that I was offered when I attended Midland schools 45 years ago. Cimarex is committed to the Permian Basin, and in particular the community of Midland. It is important that the children of our current and future employees who have chosen to live and work here are afforded the opportunity to obtain a quality public education.

Q. Russell, as one of the largest employers in Midland, what do you tell your employees about the TRE?

More Information ttps://www.facebook.com/Midland1st/

http://www.midlandisd.net/Page/29955

Early Voting Continues Through October 4th

Election Day is October 8th See More Collapse

A. I have worked to explain the budget shortfall to our employees and stakeholders. The districts current maintenance and operations tax rate is already at the state-mandated maximum, and MISD is required to secure voter approval of the tax increase it adopted in setting its fiscal 2017 budget. Under Texas complex Robin Hood school finance system, districts like MISD have to send substantial amounts of their local tax revenue to the state to help support poorer districts. MISD faces substantial operating budget cuts if the TRE does not pass, perhaps worsening its well-documented performance challenges. I am encouraging our employees to get out and vote in the upcoming election. It is important that they express their opinion at the polls, because the right to vote is the most powerful tool we have.

Q. Roger, how do you respond to those who have little confidence in the district due to academic performance issues?

A. Passing the TRE only addresses the financial issues of this problem, and it will be up to School Board, MISD administration, teachers and the community to demand a culture of academic excellence in our schools. I am confident that the people of Midland are up to this challenge.

Q. Russell, you work with a large and diverse group of people, both employees and patients. Is the attitude about investing in education changing in Midland?

A. My sense is that there is unprecedented support for MISDs improvement effort from all sectors of the community. Now is not the time to limit the resources the district has available to succeed in its improvement effort.

Q. Russell, what do think will happen if the TRE fails?

A. Midland is the ultimate can-do community. If the TRE fails, we will certainly find another way, but the lack of resources will make MISDs performance challenges much more difficult to overcome, and the improvement effort will undoubtedly take much longer.
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 []
Be measured in the margins you ...
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)



The Party chief chaired a meeting of the standing board of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption as head of the Committee in Hanoi on October 1st.

He said six serious and complicated cases, involving intentional economic mismanagement, irresponsibility, bribe giving and taking, swindling, embezzlement, money-laundering, and power abuse, must be judged in the first instance from now to the end of 2016 and in Q1 2017.

They relate to the Agribank Printing, Trade and Service Company; the Vietnam Waterway Construction Corporation; the Que Vo Textile Joint Stock Company and the Bac Ninh development support fund (now the Bac Ninh transaction office of the Vietnam Development Bank); the Vinashin Ocean Shipping Co. Ltd (Vinashinlines); the Dien Bien Phu transaction office of the Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank)s HCM City branch; and the Ocean Commercial Joint Stock Bank.

Meanwhile, six other cases with appeals lodged must be expeditiously dealt with at the appeal courts.

The Party chief asked authorised agencies to proactively perform their duties, promote investigation quality, and pay more attention to classifying persons involved in corruption in order to strictly handle the masterminds. They also have to take effective measures to recover stolen assets.

At the meeting, he also lauded anti-corruption efforts by relevant bodies, especially in the settlement of the case involving Pham Cong Danh, ex-Chairman of the Vietnam Construction Bank, who committed wrongdoings and violations of banking rules that caused losses of over VND9 trillion (USD404 million )./.
A handful of residents in the Tampa Bay area are cutting it close this election season when it comes to voter registration.

Community leaders encourage voter registration in Tampa

Activists brought forms to local barbershop Saturday

Deadline to register is October 11

Theyve only got until October 11 to register to vote in this next election," explained Ralph Smith, with 100 Black Men of Tampa. "And it is just so important to have everybody out and voting in this election."

The shared concern prompted Sean Shaw, who's hoping to represent District 61 in the House after November, and others, to bring registration forms to Boyz 2 Men Barbershop Saturday.

"You know theres nothing like a black barbershop on a Saturday," said Shaw, "to find everybody getting their high and tight, like you said. So were all here trying to make sure everybody here is registered. If theyre not, get them registered. If they are, tell them to register some other people."

Natalie Louis Charles was one of the individuals who registered at the barbershop. This election cycle will mark the first opportunity Charles, a native of Haiti, will have to cast her vote.

"Thats my first time," said Charles. "Im going to do it and I want to enjoy it. And Im looking for change, looking for something thats a little bit better for this country."



She isn't alone. Maurcus Smith also plans to exercise his rights for the first time. He said he feels like he can make a difference.



"This is the first election since my birthday and I know whos running," said Smith."Its just like, I have to. I have to do it this year."
While some states appear to be doing all they can to make voting as difficult as possible, Connecticut has done the opposite.



Recently, Connecticut became the fifth state in the nation to approve a system where residents are automatically registered to vote when they conduct business with the Department of Motor Vehicles. The initiative, which went into effect in August, added 14,693 residents to the voter rolls in its first month. Thats far more than the DMV registered over the previous three calendar years combined (3,323 in 2013; 3,948 in 2014; 2,703 in 2015.)



Ultimately, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill believes the motor-voter push could register some 400,000 Connecticut residents. This is great for our state, and our democracy.



It shouldnt be a big effort on anyones part to register to vote, Merrill said. And once people take that first affirmative step of registering, its like their first act of citizenship. It makes them really go seek out info about elections and makes them much more likely to vote.



Connecticuts new streamlined system prompts customer service agents at the DMV to offer a voter registration form during every transaction. A fully automated system is expected in two years. With help from the DMV, things should be easier on municipalities, which currently handle the vast majority of voter registration.



Sounds like a win all around.



Of course, politics being what it is, not everyone likes the idea of automatic voter registration. Some politicians argue the government should not be in the business of registering people who arent interested in voting. Others say automatic registration could lead to voter fraud.



These are preposterous ideas, and one should question the motives of politicians who wish to see fewer registered voters.



Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, a lobbying group focusing on state government operations, put it well when she said, We think our democracy works best when more people are able to make their voices heard.






Vistors to the Vietnamese booths (Photo: VNA)



Arabica products were introduced at the event by businesses from the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, a coffee cultivation hub of Vietnam.

Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Doan Van Viet said those companies are outstanding in Arabica coffee production and sale. The event was a good chance for them to promote local coffee products so as to seek export markets and Japanese investors.

Some Lam Dong businesses said many international enterprises came to the Vietnamese booth to explore cooperation opportunities.

Tomita Sho, a representative of the Japan International Cooperation Organisation (JICA) which assists Lam Dong companies at the exhibition, said Arabica coffee holds huge potential in Japan. While Vietnam is the worlds second biggest coffee producer, Japan ranks fourth in the world in terms of coffee consumption.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, the Vietnamese side also met with some of Japanese firms experienced in the production and distribution of coffee as well as other agricultural products to share information and set up partnership.

The SCAJ World Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition, held from September 28th-30th, is a major event in Japan for global coffee companies. It attracted enterprises from many countries like India, Rwanda, Paraguay and Colombia./.
Before the sensibility of Tracy Kidders new book clearly emerges, and before its subject, Paul English, becomes endearingly familiar, you may be tempted to put it down.

The first few chapters of A Truck Full of Money: One Mans Quest to Recover From Great Success have the sound of a glossy business-magazine hagiography  so much so that readers may wonder why the book isnt blushing.

Decency? Generosity? Why, this man has them in spades. Hed need a whole wall of shelving to fit all that decency and generosity. And brains! Well, for those hed need to sprout a second head.

It takes a while to realize that English, a founder of the travel website Kayak.com, actually is a sensitive, maddening, loopy sort of whiz.

He really doesnt care much about money, and he really does seem delighted to give it away.

Money is a yucky reason to switch jobs, he wrote in a charming, touching email volley with a close friend.

But its a mistake for Kidder to strike such a gushing tone as he introduces us to this man. Theres been far too much slobbering over barons of the new economy in the last 15 years for readers to understand that this narrative may be slightly different.

Admirers of Kidders recent works, like Strength in What Remains (about a remarkable Burundian refugee) or Mountains Beyond Mountains (about the indefatigable Dr. Paul Farmer), may also wonder why Kidder alighted on English as his latest biographical subject, considering that he hardly meets the same standard of heroism or resilience.

More Information A Truck Full of Money: One Man's Quest to Recover From Great Success By Tracy Kidder Random House, $28 See More Collapse

In an authors note, Kidder explains that A Truck Full of Money is a kind of sequel to The Soul of a New Machine (1981), his Pulitzer Prize-winner about the race to build a next-generation minicomputer. Fair enough: The writer is returning to his roots.

But a book about a software guy and software culture in 2016 isnt nearly as novel as a book about hardware guys and hardware culture in 1981, and Kidder is not in the same command of his material.

He seems much more like a fellow whos stepped off a cruise ship for an afternoon than like someone whos spent many months inhabiting Englishs world. (He doesnt seem to realize, for instance, that excitable entrepreneurs often pitch banal ideas by using words like awesome and disruptive.)

Nor did English, as smart as he is, revolutionize the way we use the internet. Hes a fellow who helped come up with an innovative way to compare travel options online and sold it for a ton of money to Priceline.

If Kidder was hoping for an airport business-book best-seller, I dont think this is it.

There is, however, an element of Englishs story thats quite striking, one that makes A Truck Full of Money feel very much like a Tracy Kidder book.

In his 20s, English was told he had bipolar disorder. For a long time, he kept his diagnosis a secret. But today, he is wonderfully open and courageous about it.

Many of Kidders subjects are coiled with enough energy to launch a missile, of course, but English has a psychiatric diagnosis to go with it.

The questions Kidder raises  Are Englishs manic spells responsible for his entrepreneurial boldness? Or does he succeed in spite of them?  are well worth probing, and Kidders portrayal of living with manic depression is as nuanced and intimate as a reader might ever expect to get.

On a good day, Englishs mind is gaily swarming with bumblebees. On a bad one, though, hes Gulliver imprisoned by the tiny Lilliputians, laid out on his back, tied to the ground with a web of tiny ropes.

A Truck Full of Money ends on a note of tranquillity  with English philosophical, the loose ends of his various projects, cockamamie or not, tied up in a bow. It all feels a bit arbitrary, much like the book itself. But you cant help admiring English and cheering for him.
Dan Slaters Wolf Boys follows the story of Gabriel Cardona from his birth in Laredo in 1986 to his eventual career as a hit man with the Los Zetas drug cartel.

After pursuing a criminal career in high school, the teen catches the eye of a Mexican drug cartel and is lured into working south of the border.

The job brings a steady income, respect from his friends and enemies, and a sense of belonging.

Meanwhile in Texas, Robert Garcia, a Mexican-born detective, fights a drug war with which hes quickly becoming disillusioned.

But when Gabriels work with the drug trade brings him back to the United States, Roberts involvement suddenly gets more personal.

Slaters work depicts the day-to-day horrors of drug cartel operations.

From brainwashing at boot camp orientation where children and men learn the practicalities of murder to company hierarchies, parties and rules of conduct, gritty details unfold in grueling fashion.

The author also explores the complicated relationship between cartel members and their families.

Mothers, girlfriends and wives beg their loved ones to turn away and pursue legal employment, yet eagerly accept the perks of drug trade  wads of cash, new cars and name brand clothes.

More Information Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers and Mexico's Most Dangerous Drug Cartel By Dan Slater Simon & Schuster, $26.95 See More Collapse

In one scene, a teen shoots an enemy who sits in the drivers seat of a Lexus with his family.

In the next, the mother of the victim sells plates of chicken and rice on the side of the road to pay for the funeral.

A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Slater traces the history and money among cartels, politicians, authorities and the media in Mexico and Americas border towns.

While few maintain clean hands, Slater expounds on the complexities tethered to each pass of currency.

Thoroughly researched with stark details, Wolf Boys shines a glaring light on the atrocities of cartel life.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Alameda County Fire Department / / Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Alameda County Fire Department / / Show More Show Less 3 of 3





One cat was killed and two others are missing after a fire ripped into a home in San Leandro on Sunday morning, officials said.

The fire started at the split-level house on Bella Vista Avenue and Lorrain Boulevard around 7:15 a.m., officials with the Alameda County Fire Department said.
I am 20 years old, and my underage friends have an easy time acquiring alcohol.

My collegiate experience has been different from my peers. I choose to stay sober in the midst of societal pressures. My friends applaud me for being sober and say that they wish to be like me. It is daunting how society sees inebriation as a form of celebration. I have continuously introduced the idea that they, too, can have fun without a drop of alcohol.

If I am applauded for being sober, I want to be able to applaud my peers for being aware that the environments we put each other in can be a recipe for disaster. How often have we heard of sexual assault at these parties? How often has someone been arrested for drinking and driving? How often has someone passed out from alcohol poisoning?

It is important that we recognize the ramifications of what youth and adults perceive as normal. Sometimes we can be the change we want to see in the world, and if it involves holding responsible the person who provided us with this toxic environment, then let it be. I am tired of seeing my peers fall into the vicious cycle of celebrating with alcohol. I want them to be prevented from these hazardous situations.

My first day back at the University of Texas at San Antonio this year consisted of people looking forward to the next party. It is unfortunate that society and our peers have decided this is a rite of passage. We are young adults; our brains are not done developing, and alcohol can put us at great risk for substance abuse.

I am not saying that I havent been to one of these parties. It has happened before; I thought my friends and I were getting together for a birthday and instead were taken to a house where alcohol was being served. This party did not just involve underage drinking; drugs were also being used. I was amazed because I thought this only happened in movies, but it proved to me how big and real this problem is. The party was broken up by police, and I was not scared because unlike my peers, I did not take anything.

The frustrating thing is that I assumed this would not happen again and that the arrival of police would stop them from having a party like that in the future, but I was wrong. The next weekend, my peers were at it again in the same house.

My close friends have heard this before and appreciate my designated-driving services. Being behind the wheel is one way I can keep them safe. A social host ordinance would make sure that the law is in the best interest of public safety for my peers who cannot recognize that being sober is a great thing.

I love my friends, but enough is enough! The status quo is not doing enough to send the message to them. Many of them have told of being caught multiple times at underage drinking parties, but the people who host them get away with it because they claim to not have furnished the alcohol. It is hard for a police officer to prove the provision of alcohol, and this is why the social host ordinance would close that loophole.

Alcohol is just the beginning of the problem and the easiest substance to acquire, but social hosts are facilitating the real problem  the space for substance use and its effects on society.

Kristen Rosales is a junior at UTSA majoring in digital communications.
For the many Texans concerned that outdated criminal justice laws are endangering public safety and ruining peoples lives, its heartening that Congress has indicated it hopes to take up the issue. But it remains unclear whether any legislation will make it to the presidents desk.

Thats why the roughly 383,000 employers who call Texas home should consider taking action themselves.

Businesses have a powerful role to play in giving individuals with criminal records a second chance. The easiest step they can take is to ban the box.

Right now, most employers require job seekers to check a box on an application indicating whether they have a criminal record. Too often, this can function as an automatic application denied for individuals who have any blemish in their past.

Nationwide, some 650,000 incarcerated individuals rejoin society every year, and they desperately need jobs to help them transition back into society and provide for themselves and their families. But the criminal record box often shuts them out of the job market before they can get a foot in the door. A 2009 study by Harvard and Princeton researchers showed individuals who checked the box reduced their chances of a callback by 50 percent, with blacks hurt twice as much as whites.

Sure enough, unemployment among those with a criminal record remains staggeringly high: A third of men without jobs between the ages of 25 and 54 have a criminal record. And the lack of employment is one of the key reasons why more than two-thirds are rearrested, more than half are convicted again, and 2 out of 5 are reincarcerated within three years of release.

Ex-offender unemployment not only holds back individuals working to improve their lives, it also stifles our economy. A 2010 study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research estimated the annual lost economic value at between $57 billion and $65 billion.

These are a few of the reasons why my employer, Koch Industries, officially banned the box on our job application last year, including for applicants in Texas. Now we delay the question until later in the hiring process. This allows us to consider a candidates past record in the context of their other life experiences.

Companies big and small have made the same choice because it makes sense from a business perspective. With an estimated 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. having some sort of criminal record, its shortsighted for an employer to potentially eliminate one-third of the available applicant pool. We should seek the best talent period  with or without a record.

Over the years at Koch, individuals with a record have been dedicated employees who succeeded at the company. They are valuable contributors, and more important, they are on a path toward a productive and fulfilling life.

We recognize that banning the box may not make sense for every business, which is why a government mandate isnt the solution. Each employer needs to make its own decision on this issue. If the roughly 383,000 employers voluntarily considered banning the box, the social and economic landscape could be defined by more opportunity and prosperity, especially for the least fortunate.

Thousands of Texans with criminal records try to rejoin society every year, and they want to contribute to their communities and improve their lives. Texas businesses can help them by breaking down barriers that stand in their way. No one should be judged forever based on what they did on their worst day  and everyone deserves a second chance.

Mark Holden is general counsel and senior vice president at Koch Industries.
On the website of the Bexar County Election Department, there is a countdown to the Nov. 8 election  in days, hours, minutes and seconds.

But there is another date voters need to worry about. Thats the Oct. 11 deadline to register to vote. No matter how passionate you are about this election, no matter how much you realize the enormous issues at stake, it is all wasted emotion if you dont register.

No registration, no vote. It is as simple as that. And if you dont register  or vote  this amounts to a waste of a right that many have fought and died to defend.

Texas traditionally lags the nation in voter turnout as a percentage of those registered to vote.

But consider those left out of that figure. In the March primaries, there were 14.2 million registered voters. They were among the 19.7 million people in the voting age population, some of whom arent eligible because of citizenship issues.

Nonetheless, the turnout was a paltry 30 percent of those registered to vote and only 22.1 percent of the voting age population.

Said another way: Roughly 15 million in the voting age population didnt cast a ballot, for whatever reason.

Not being registered is one big reason. While Texas has relatively high numbers of residents without citizenship, this gap is likely to be yawning even taking them into account.

There are already complications in this particular election because of court rulings on the Texas voter ID law. You will be able to vote without a photo ID if you have certain other documents. Critics have charged that Texas voter ID law is thinly veiled voter suppression.

Thats one issue  being denied the vote is serious. But denying yourself the vote is as well. And just as inexcusable.

Go to http://www.bexar.org/1568/Elections-Department/ for registration information. Or to http://www.sos.state.tx.us/.

Please register. And then vote.
TWO men from Chikuti near Chinhoyi were bludgeoned to death using machetes Thursday after artisanal miners engaged in a bloody battle over a well-endowed woman.

The deceased have been identified as Tinashe Nyanguwo (38) and Joshua Kadungure (37).

Two other men involved in the row, and still at large, are now wanted for murder.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident.

ZRP Murereka is investigating a case of murder which occurred on September 29, 2022 at Village 19 shops, Chikuti, he said.

Two artisanal miners, Tinashe Nyanguwo (38) and Joshua Kadungure (37) were attacked with machetes by the suspects, only identified as Rasta and Peter after an argument over a girlfriend.

Tinashe Nyanguwo died on the spot while Joshua Kadungure died upon admission at a local clinic. Anyone with information to contact any nearest police station.

 NewZimbabwe

Breaking News via Email
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- As Saturday marks the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the nation has become increasingly confident in marching along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

"The birth of New China has greatly changed the destiny of this big country in the East," said Premier Li Keqiang, while addressing a reception to celebrate the anniversary here on Friday.

GLORIOUS PAST

Over the past 67 years, especially since the start of the reform and opening up in 1978, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups have forged ahead against all odds and succeeded in turning a once poor and weak country into the world's second biggest economy.

"The Chinese nation, once bullied and humiliated, is now well on the way toward great rejuvenation. The Chinese people, once short of food and clothing, are moving toward a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way," Li said.

The G20 summit that concluded early last month in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou has left a Chinese mark in the G20 history.

In addition, China's Tiangong-2 space lab blasted off on Sept. 15, marked 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.

Great changes have also taken place since China drew up the outline for its 13th five-year plan on economic and social development.

Comprehensive reforms have been carried out to ensure that people equally share the proceeds of such reforms and remain satisfied.

PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT

As China is still a developing country, it needs a stable environment both at home and on its doorstep to sustain growth.

At a massive military parade on Sept. 3 last year to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted China's aspirations for peace while announcing a reduction in the number of military troops by 300,000.

"China will remain committed to peaceful development. We Chinese love peace. No matter how much stronger we may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion. It will never inflict its past suffering on any other nation," Xi said.

In the diplomatic sphere, Xi has been advocating a global community with a shared future. A series of projects, including the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, serve to highlight China as a responsible and active player in global development.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

Looking forward, economic and social development will continue to be China's central mission.

Authorities will work to increase people's incomes, boost social welfare, enhance environmental protection and food safety, give the public a greater sense of accomplishment, and lift more people from poverty.

By 2021, when the CPC celebrates its centenary, China aims to complete the building of an "all-round moderately prosperous society." By 2049, when the People's Republic of China marks its centenary, the country aims to become a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic and harmonious.

"Modernizing a country with a population of more than 1.3 billion is an endeavor never undertaken in the history of mankind, and this means China must pursue its own path of development," said an editorial in the People's Daily, the CPC flagship newspaper, on Saturday.

"Standing at this new starting point (the 67th anniversary of the founding of the PRC), we have reason to believe that China is transforming from a follower to a leader in the modernization drive along the path chosen by the Party and the people," it said.

Indeed, the 67th anniversary of the PRC's founding seems like a new start for reform and the exploration of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Lambert here. Yves comments: I have never heard of an IPO underwritten by Investment Banks You Heard Of and a clean accountants opinion by a Big Four firm refunding investors.

By Don Quijones, editor at Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street



It just doesnt let up.

Obscured somewhat by the spectacular antics of Deutsche Bank, there appears to be another bailout of two of Spains franken-banks: mostly state-owned Bankia and wholly state-owned Banco Mare Nostrum (BMN). The news was released so quietly that even in Spain barely a living soul is aware its happening.

The Next Madcap Merger

The two banks, each the product of two madcap mergers of Spains most insolvent savings banks, will be merged into one giant entity that is expected to become Spains fourth biggest bank by assets. The merger has been on the cards for a number of months since Spains Economy Minister (and former Lehman Brothers advisor) Luis de Guindos began dropping hints that one of the first jobs of Spains next elected government would be to find a solution to BMNs ownership issues. Now its being brought forward, probably because the chances of Spain having an elected government any time this year are fading by the hour.

For the moment, BMN is completely state-owned, after its four constituent state-owned parts  Caja Murcia, Caixa Penedes, Caja Granada y Sa Nostra  were rescued by Spains taxpayers and lumped together for the modest price of 1.6 billion in 2010. But by the end of this year all that was supposed to have changed. Plans had been drawn up for an IPO of the bank, but in the current environment, with banks falling like flies all over Europe, investors refuse to go near it.

Hence the merger, which despite only being in the study stage, has already received the blessing of Spains caretaker government, Spains central bank, and Standard & Poors, which has promised not to downgrade Bankias credit rating after it has absorbed BNMs assets and liabilities. The merger will also no doubt enjoy the undivided support of the ECB: Mario Draghi, announced just a few days ago the urgent need for greater concentration and consolidation of Europes banking sector.

Also firmly behind the merger is a motley crew of European and U.S. investment banks. They include Morgan Stanley, which predicts that the deal could add as much as 300 million to Bankias profits by 2018 or 2019.

Deja Vu

Such lofty promises have all been heard before  and by and large from the exact same institutional mouthpieces. Before Bankias public launch in 2011, Bankias management, led by former IMF Chairman Rodrigo Rato, reported in its IPO prospectus a healthy quarterly profit of 300 million. Deloitte, Bankias auditor and consultant responsible for formulating its accounts (no conflict of interest whatsoever), was happy to sign off on the accounts. So, too, was the Bank of Spain. As for the government, it was just happy something was being done to save its favorite bank, which many of its own former ministers  Rato included  had run into the ground.

It was all a blatant lie: in reality Bankia was bleeding losses (more than 3 billion) from every orifice. Within months of its IPO, the shares had lost virtually all their value. Cue the biggest taxpayer bailout of a banking entity in Spanish history with a total cost to date of 22.4 billion, of which 1.6 billion has been recovered, by a government that had repeatedly reassured the public that it would never spend un centavo on rescuing the countrys troubled banks.

A recent trial in Spain has established that the image projected by Bankia prior to its IPO did not correspond with the banks true financial situation and that without this carefully constructed facade of solvency conveyed in the IPO prospectus, the IPO would never have gone ahead. As of June 30 this year, the bank had returned 1.6 billion to 223,000 duped retail investors. Almost all of it was public money. And now a growing list of institutional investors, including Spanish corporations like Iberdrola, OHL and Melia, want their money back, too. almost all of which will be drained from the public coffers.

Hiding Problems (Again)

Now, Spain could be about to witness another major financial operation involving Bankia. And not everyones as excited about the prospect as Morgan Stanley. According to 15MpaRato, a Barcelona-based activist group that has single-handedly landed dozens of former members of Bankias board, including Rato, on trial, the overarching goal of the operation has more to do with hiding the problems on BMNs books than creating value for either banks shareholders.

Most of the value attributed to BMN does not come from the financial assets on its books but from its state-guaranteed tax assets [we covered this mess in 2014], the activist group told the Spanish daily El Boletin. As such, the reason why the banks IPO didnt happen was quite simply because its accounts are not reliable.

If the banks assets are deteriorating fast, it would help to explain why Spains caretaker government is now in a mad rush to merge the two publicly bailed-out banks. In other words, it wants to make BMNs impossible numbers disappear.

If true  and given Bankias six-year history, one can be forgiven for expecting the worst  the chances are that theres yet more pain ahead for Spains long-suffering taxpayers. By Don Quijones, Raging Bull-Shit .

Everyone is denying everything. Read The Loophole for Deutsche Banks Bailout: Game almost Over?
Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan met here Saturday with Chairman of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) Miyegombo Enkhbold, pledging to increase mutual trust and jointly push forward bilateral ties.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, arrived in Ulan Bator earlier Saturday as guest of Enkhbold, who is also chairman of the State Great Hural, Mongolia's parliament.

Describing the two countries as "good neighbors, friends and partners," Liu said China has proposed and will uphold its neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

Liu called for the implementation of the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, saying the two sides should boost mutually beneficial trade cooperation and tightly dovetail China's Belt and Road Initiative with Mongolia's Steppe Road program.

In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Mongolia, and the two countries agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership -- the highest rank in Mongolia's diplomatic relations.

Liu also pledged closer party-to-party and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

China-Mongolia friendship is deeply rooted in the minds of the two peoples, said Liu, expecting to further increase cultural interactions on such fields as exchanges between youths, women, media and civil organizations so as to pass on the friendship from generation to generation.

Enkhbold expressed congratulations on the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, saying the frequent high-level exchanges will vigorously promote pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.

Mongolia's political and economic development is at a critical stage,said Enkhbold, voicing hope for more support from China.

He also said Mongolia attaches great importance to cooperation on major projects under the Belt and Road Initiative and the strategic trilateral cooperation among China, Mongolia and Russia.
Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan met separately with Mongolian president and prime minister on Saturday, signalling a strong desire on both sides to cement ties in a comprehensive manner.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, started his visit to Ulan Bator Saturday morning.

In his meeting with Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Liu first conveyed greetings and best regards from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

During the state visit by President Xi in 2014, the two countries upgraded their bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and the bilateral ties have since entered a new stage. The momentum should be cherished and maintained, said Liu.

"My visit is to implement the agreements made by top leaders of the two countries, help increase mutual understanding and promote cooperation in a bid to push forward the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership," said Liu.

Liu stressed that China highly values its relations with Mongolia and regards its ties with Mongolia as an important part of its neighborhood diplomacy.

Respecting each other's core interests lays the political foundation for the healthy and stable development of China-Mongolia relations, said Liu, adding that China respects Mongolia's state sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as the development path chosen by the Mongolian people.

China appreciates Mongolia's stance of upholding the one-China policy, Liu said.

China hopes the two sides will further strengthen political trust, jointly work for better connectivity along the border, enhance cooperation on ports, industrial capacity, and investment, among others, and maintain close coordination on major regional and global issues so as to safeguard common interests.

China is also willing to enhance coordination with Mongolia within the framework of the United Nations and it welcomes the Mongolian side to play a positive role in international and regional affairs.

For his Part, Elbegdorj said Mongolia will unswervingly pursue a friendly policy towards China, and continue to deepen political mutual trust and substantial cooperation with China in various fields.

While during his meeting with Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat, Liu proposed that the two countries deepen exchanges at all levels, work for new progress on major projects, tap their economic complementarity and create a stable and better investment environment.

China encourages cooperation with Mongolia in supporting the Silk Road Fund under the Belt and Road Initiative, said Liu.

Erdenebat spoke highly of the long-term Mongolia-China friendly cooperation, saying Mongolia will actively participate in China's proposals like the Belt and Road Initiative, interconnectivity and production capacity cooperation.

The Mongolian side appreciates China's consistent assistance, and will advance cooperation with China in such areas as mineral resources, infrastructure, currency-swap, farm produce processing and cross-border transportation, said Erdenebat.

Earlier, Liu also met with Chairman of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) Miyegombo Enkhbold, discussing party-to-party and cultural exchanges. Enkhbold is also chairman of the State Great Hural, Mongolia's parliament.

On the same day, Liu also attended a launch ceremony of a joint cultural program, which introduces Chinese TV dramas to Mongolia.
Funding 'research' for bought-and-paid-for results

'Medical journals are filled with interesting ideas that fail'

(NaturalNews) Today's mainstream medical system is often touted as a marvel of science, both state-of-the-art and highly effective, as evidenced by the fact that humans are living longer. But the reality is, hundreds of medical procedures and practices that are deemed "standards of care" have not faced proper scrutiny, and as such are simply unproven.As reported by , stopping untested medical practices from becoming industry standards seems simple enough: simply test and ensure first. But even though studies on new procedures may be carried out early, the problem is they often do not examine the right parameters or take the proper measurements. They too often look at "surrogate outcomes," because doing so is easier and quicker, rather that genuine end points, and the result has been the adoption of scores of medical procedures whose effectiveness is, at best, unknown.The quality of outcomes and results can very often depend on who is paying for the research, and to a great extent, the "outcome" they are looking for. In fact, these are long-standing issues that taint medical research. Pressure is put on researchers to publish new findings, while medical journals tend to put forth primarily positive research results.However, the pharmaceutical and medical device industries are increasingly funding clinical trials and studies. What's more, though the government says its funding  via the National Institutes of Health  is "not commercially motivated," studies are often skewed or slanted to support a particular government interest , and this is especially true when it comes to vaccines.So, not only do Big Pharma and other medical industries have vested interests in the initial study outcomes, especially those they are funding as a means of "researching" their own products, but once their products are approved there is almost no incentive for more long-term, in-depth research that risks overturning initial findings, and thus harming their profit margins,reported.Take pain management, which is currently a multi-billion dollar sub-industry for Big Pharma and the medical industry at large. Studies have shown that, when taken over longer periods of time, over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen can damage kidneys, the liver and the gastrointestinal system.Meanwhile, prescription pain medications  mostly opioids  are habit-forming and lead to overdoses. Vioxx led to dramatic increases in heart attacks and stroke before it was finally banned by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA approved Vioxx in 1999, but the manufacturer, Merck, was eventually accused of concealing the elevated risks that were actually found in the early studies.That said, by the time independent researchers were able to show that Vioxx boosted heart attack risks , some 20 million people had been given prescriptions. The drug was banned and withdrawn in 2004, but not before as many as 140,000 heart attacks were linked to the drug. Eventually Merck pleaded guilty to criminal charges and paid nearly $1 billion in fines.The thing is, research is designed to test products for efficacy and effectiveness  that's the whole purpose of conducting it. But instead it is increasingly being utilized primarily as a process that leads to eventual approval of drugs and medical devices, not as a tool to ensure that only the best drugs and products are put on the market."The medical journals are filled with interesting ideas that get tested and fail. That's science," Dr. Adam Cifu, M.D., of the University of Chicago and co-author of the book,with Dr. Vinayak Prasad, said. "The problem is when that new technology or treatment or surgery has actually gotten out and is being given to millions of people before it's found to not work."We spend so much time training people first and foremost in how the body works and how it breaks. So we get why things should work, and then we tend to adopt things because they should work before we know if they actually do," added Cifu, according to
Majority of Americans regard Clinton as winner of first presidential debate: poll

(Xinhua) 11:41, October 02, 2016

A major of Americans, or 61 percent, say Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won the first presidential debate on Monday, found a new Gallup poll.

Only 27 percent of Americans think that Republican candidate Donald Trump was the winner at the Monday debate held at the Hofstra University in New York state, found the Sept. 27-28 Gallup poll.

Clinton's 34-point lead is on par with her husband and former President Bill Clinton, who won the debate over Republican rival Bob Dole in 1996.

Additionally, 59 percent of independent voters think Clinton prevailed in the debate, the poll showed.

Along the partisan line, 92 percent of Democrats think Clinton won the debate, while 53 percent Republicans believe Trump was the winner.

In term of perceptions of the candidates' qualities exhibited at the first debate, 62 percent say Clinton "had a good understanding of the issues," while 26 percent said the same about Trump.

A majority, or 59 percent, say Clinton "appeared presidential" while 27 percent say so about Trump. Meanwhile, 55 percent say Clinton was "more likable," while 36 percent say the same about Trump.

Clinton's confidence in detailing one policy plan after another likely contributed to viewer perceptions that she had a good command of the issues and was more "presidential," Gallup said.

However, debate performances do not always line up with election outcomes, and a poor showing in the debate doesn't mean a candidate can't come back and win the next one, Gallup noted.

A best example was the first presidential debate held on Oct. 3, 2012 between President Barack Obama, who sought reelection, and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who was widely believed to win the debate but lost the election in the end.

In 2004, George W. Bush even won the presidency in 2004 after losing all three presidential debates against Democratic rival John Kerry.
Florida is not only home to alligators, but is also slowly becoming a home of environmental problems.

After green algae has spread in Florida, the bloom of red tide is now engulfing the Floridian beaches. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission defines red tide, also known as Karena brevis, as "harmful algal bloom, wherein there is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga (plantlike organism)."

Red tides produce toxic chemicals that can affect both marine organisms and humans.

In an announcement posted on their website, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that the red tide has been spreading plague in Manatee and Sarasota beaches and has reached the Pinellas County.

"As of September 30th, fish kills affecting multiple species, as well as respiratory irritation, have been reported at locations along Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties," the update read.

Visitors in the northern counties complained about the revolting smell and complained of coughing and throat itching even in areas not right on the beach.

"There was some dead fish up on the beach. You could just feel it in the air," said visitor Jonathan Pearce in an interview with NBC. "We went outside this morning. Coughed as soon as we went outside, unfortunately. Kids were coughing."

Red tides can last as little as a few weeks or longer than a year. For people with asthma, red tides could be really dangerous because of the toxic chemicals carried by the wind. In some cases, oysters and clams could also accumulate the poisonous chemicals. People who consume contaminated mollusks can suffer from Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning, which include symptoms such as vomiting, nausea and a variety of neurological symptoms such as slurred speech.

Mote Marine Laboratory scientists in Southwest Florida and other experts and officials are closely monitoring counts of red tide algae.
Explorers have reportedly discovered the world's deepest underwater cave found in the eastern Czech Republic. Found near the town of Hranice, the Hranice Abyss or the Hranicka Propast goes at least 404 meters or 1,325 feet deep.

Krzysztof Starnawski, a Polish explorer, had led the team. For Starnawski, the discovery made him feel like the "Columbus of the 21th Century." According to Starnawski, the flooded limestone cave was at least 404 meters deep. Starnawski scuba dived to at least 265 meters down the cave, before sending down a remote operated robot (ROV) which went to a depth of 404 meters.

Surprisingly, the ROV still did not reach the bottom of the cave. According to the Czech Speleological Society, even with the ROV at 404 meters down, "it was as deep as its rope could go, but the bottom was still nowhere in sight." Their discovery is said to beat the record holder of the world's deepest cave, which is a sinkhole in Italy called the Pozzo del Merro by 39 feet or 12 meters. Pozzo del Merro is approximated to be at 392 meters or 1,286 feet.

Their discovery of course comes with a challenge. Due to the muddy areas and water temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, equipment has been damaged. Divers also face injuries especially on areas with exposed skin. Even with the challenges posed, the team plans to go back to the cave and dive to 200 meters before sending down an ROV.

"But that is the only price to be paid for this discovery, and it was worth paying," stated Starnawski.

Starnawski plans to bring the robot through the narrow passage of the cave, which is an unexplored area, where he believes the fissure goes even deeper. The ROV device was made specifically for Starnawski's expedition and is operated by GRALmarine, a Polish firm. National Geographic was first to report on the exclusive discovery.
Im with her, the San Diego Union-Tribune says.

Breaking from its 148-year history of backing a Republican presidential nominee, San Diegos major newspaper endorsed Hillary Clinton in an editorial on Friday.

This paper has not endorsed a Democrat for president in its 148-year history. But we endorse Clinton, the editorial states. Shes the safe choice for the U.S. and for the world, for Democrats and Republicans alike.

The paper acknowledged a lack of enthusiasm surrounding Clintons candidacy, but states that she has the better temperament, experience and background to be president.

The editorial also took a scathing look at Trump, comparing his potential presidency to a Hugo Chavez or Cristina Kirchner regime.

The paper says it has a dramatically different view of him than the last Republican candidate it endorsed: Mitt Romney.

Diplomacy. Collaboration. Patience. Mitt Romney, whom we endorsed for president in 2012, exhibited those same traits as the moderate governor of Massachusetts and the business-savvy savior of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the editorial says. Vengeful, dishonest and impulsive, Trump is no Romney.

The Union-Tribune is the latest of several major U.S. newspapers that have traditionally backed Republican candidates, but have chosen Clinton over Trump.

Last week, the Arizona Republic endorsed Clinton, a move that broke from the papers 126-year tradition of endorsing the Republican candidate.
A search crew with the U.S. Coast Guard discovered the body a missing kayaker early this morning near the San Mateo Bridge.

The kayaker, a 38-year-old man, had gone missing around 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, according to U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Marcia Medina.

The victim, who was with two other kayakers, left from Oyster Point in South San Francisco. The kayakers then discovered the victim had gone missing near the San Francisco International Airport, Medina said.

With help from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and the San Mateo County Fire Department, coast guard officials began a search for the man. A helicopter then discovered his body just south of the San Mateo Bridge around 3 a.m. this morning, according to Medina.

The identity of the victim has not been released pending notification of his family.
The massive 4,416-acre Loma Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains has destroyed 12 homes and is 66 percent contained as of Saturday evening, but some folks have been given the green light to return home, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire hopes to fully contain the blaze by Monday and accounced Saturday that evacuation orders for Croy Road and Sveadal were lifted. Mandatory evacuations in Santa Clara County remain in effect along the Loma Prieta ridgeline area, Uvas Canyon County Park, Loma Chiquita, Casa Loma, and Loma Prieta Way.

In addition to the 12 residences, the Loma Fire has gutted 16 outbuidlings. One house has also been damaged and a firefighter was injured on Thursday, according to Cal Fire.

Dramatic Images: Destruction, Aftermath of the Loma Fire

Antsy residents impacted by the fire met Saturday morning at a community meeting in Morgan Hill to discuss current firefighter tactics and the timetable for when displaced folks could return to their homes.

Jeremy Rahn, Battalion Chief and Public Information Officer for Cal Fire, understands the frustration, but said that fire crews preach a safety first mentality and will only let residents return when the threat of wildfire and subsequent infrastructure issues such as blocked roads and downed power lines are resolved.

"We need to keep people out of the area to allow us to get in there to get services restored and to improve containment before we're going to be able to allow more people to come in," he said.

From tragedy to relief, waves of varying emotions have overcome worried residents since the fire broke out.

Lucie Vogel and her husband Roman Petres were forced to evacuate from their home as the Loma Fire quickly came close, but thanks to the dedicated work of fire crews, the couple and their animals are back home. Marianne Favro reports.

Lucie Vogel and her husband Roman Petres were ousted from their home Monday evening and had just enough time to spare the lives of their goats, cats and dogs.

"The few little things that define the thin line of our lives," Vogel said.

The couple was able to return to their property briefly on Thursday and scope out the scene, but not without facing a lot of uncertainty.

"Right off our back porch there were six helicopters," Vogel said. "It looked like a war zone. They were just looping the ridge there. I've never seen anything like it in my life and, I mean, they just worked for hours."

For the next two days, the couple waited anxiously to figure out if their house was still standing or not. Petres wasn't sure that he would ever see his home again.

"That was the toughest moment in my life, knowing this might be the start of a new life," he said. "I hope it won't be, but it may."

Vogel and Petres did not have to start from scratch. They instead shed a smile Saturday after receiving word that they could gather their prized possessions and go home for good.

"I think we held hands and cried," Vogel said.

Upon return, the happy couple settled in, counted their blessings and expressed unending praise to the firefighters that helped saved their abode.

"I just feel like I owe everything to them," Vogel said.

Another homeowner, a volunteer firefighter, said he lost his vineyard but his home was saved. But the same can't be said for many of his neighbors.

"It was an inferno," said David Ward, who owns a home on Loma Chiquita Road. "It looked like bombs were going off and so the only thing youre thinking is  'Are we going to make it out of here?'"

Even those who were not required to leave their homes in the San Jose's Almaden Valley feel they're in an at-risk zone  from all the smoke and ash.

[NATL-BAY] Photos from Fire in Santa Cruz Mountains

Meanwhile, road closures also remain in the area. Non-residents are urged to avoid Ormsby Cutoff, Haven Hill Lane, Pacific Rim, Loma Prieta Way, and Rancho Prieta, Mt. Bachi and Summit roads.

This is the fourth significant wildfire to rock the area in 14 years: The Croy Fire erupted in 2002, the Summit Fire broke out in 2008, and another Loma Fire burned in 2009.

The origin and cause of the Loma Fire remain under investigation. An evacuation center can be found at Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church at 16970 De Witt Avenue.
San Francisco fire crews were kept busy Saturday afternoon fighting three separate fires across the city.

The worst blaze, determined to be a two-alarm fire, ignited in the Mission District at 2999 Harrison Street just before 4:45 p.m., San Francisco Fire Department Public Information Officer Jonathan Baxter said.

That heavy blaze, which ripped through the building's rear garage, top floor and attic, displaced nine adults and also damaged a small market located beneath the residences, Baxter said. The American Red Cross is currently working to temporarily house those displaced.

Across the city, a one-alarm fire broke out shortly after 4:30 p.m. in the Sunset District at 3621 Taraval Street, Baxter said.

The final blaze, which also maintained a one-alarm status, ignited in the Bayview District as a result of a cooking accident, Baxter said.

All three blazes have been contained and no injuries were reported in any of the fires, fire officials said.

Baxter reported that it's not unusual for the city to fight multiple fires at the same time, but the almost identical timing of Saturday's episodes was interesting.

"To have these three fires come in almost on top of each other is a little unique," he said.

Further information regarding the three fires was unavailable.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous edition of this story reported that the fire in the Sunset District reached two-alarms instead of one-alarm.
At least 41 people have been shot across Chicago since Friday evening, leaving four dead.

The most recent fatal shooting happened Sunday afternoon in the Lawndale neighborhood on the Southwest Side, according to Chicago Police.

The 28-year-old man was shot in the back at 4:02 p.m. in the 2000 block of Homan, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Cook County medical examiners office confirmed the death, but did not release his name.

Earlier on Sunday, a man was fatally shot outside a Pink Line CTA station on the Southwest Side. Officers responded to a fight outside the California station in the 2000 block of South California at 7:38 a.m., according to Chicago Police. A 20-year-old man, who has not yet been identified by the Cook County medical examiners office, was shot in the neck and pronounced dead at the scene. A 24-year-old man was shot in the buttocks and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

Early Saturday, a man was shot to death in the South Side Chatham neighborhood. Just before 1 a.m., the 35-year-old was driving west on 79th Street near Champlain when he heard gunshots and realized hed been hit in the buttocks, police said. His car crashed nearby, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital where he died, police said. Authorities have not released his name.

About half an hour earlier, a 17-year-old girl was fatally shot in the South Side Back of the Yards neighborhood. Noame Zuber was in the back seat of a vehicle going north in the 4500 block of North Wood about 12:30 a.m. Saturday when a gunman on the sidewalk shot her in the head, authorities said. Noame, of the 5400 block of South Kenneth, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 12:52 a.m.

The latest nonfatal shooting happened Sunday evening in the South Deering neighborhood on the Far South Side, police said. The 24-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk at 6:22 p.m. in the 2400 block of East 102nd Street when a white vehicle drove by and someone inside it began shooting. The man was shot in the left leg and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where his condition was stabilized.

In the weekends first shooting, a stray bullet grazed the head of a school bus driver with students on board about 5:30 p.m. Friday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. He was in good condition; no children were hurt.

At least 33 more people were wounded in other city shootings since 6:45 p.m. Friday.
A 17-year-old girl was shot and killed while sitting in a car on Chicago's South Side early Saturday.

The shooting occurred around 12:29 a.m. in the 4500 block of South Wood Street in the city's Back of the Yards neighborhood, according to police.

The victim, who family members identified as Naome Zuber, was in the backseat of a vehicle traveling southbound on Hoyne Avenue when a man opened fire from the sidewalk, police said.

Zuber sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital where she later died. Three other people were in the car at the time, but were not injured.

Chicago Police later confirmed that Zuber was an unintended target in the shooting.

Zuber was a senior at Curie Metropolitan High School on the city's Southwest Side, her family said, and began working at a concession stand at U.S. Cellular Field in the spring.

Her stepfather Ernesto Alvarez said she was working there earlier in the evening before she was killed. Zuber came home after her shift, he said, and was headed to a birthday party with her friends when the shooting occurred.

"Our final words were, she said, 'I love you papa,' and I said, 'I love you too,'" Alvarez told NBC5. "By the time I got there, they said she was gone."

"She was so bright. She was so loving, so kind," her stepgrandmother Rachel Alvarez said. "She loved the better things in life. She liked to look nice. That's how I remember Naome."

"I just want her to be remembered as the sweet loving girl that would do anything for anybody," Ernesto Alvarez added.

"We lost a daughter, a sister and a friend to many," reads a GoFundMe established to raise money for Zuber's funeral expenses. "She was the sweetest most lovable person I knew. She was the oldest of 3. She loved Volleyball, shopping and just being with her friends."

Zuber's biological father Ray Mangan told NBC5 that Mayor Emanuel reached out to their family.

"He sent his condolences and assured me that he would do everything possible to make sure whoever shot her will be brought to justice, and assured me if there's anything I need I can reach out to him," Mangan said.

Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison is offering a $2000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. No one is in custody and authorities continue to investigate.
A police officer shot and killed a man outside a nightclub in south suburban Markham early Sunday, authorities confirmed.

Between 2:30 a.m. and 2:45 a.m., officers responded to a call of a fight in the back parking lot of Stadium nightclub, located at 16300 Dixie Hwy, according to the Markham Police Department.

Officers attempted to disperse the crowd, police said, when the group became combative and began throwing things at police. Several agencies including the Harvey Police Department were called in to assist.

During the chaos, a man fired shots at a group, police said, and then approached an officer with the firearm in his hand.

The man was allegedly angry that his friend was getting arrested, according to police, and was threatening the officer.

The officer opened fire on the man, who was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

He was later identified as 36-year-old Donte Jones of the 300 block of South 5th Avenue in Maywood, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

The identity of the officer was not released, though officials called him a veteran of the Markham police force.

The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force continues to investigate.

Authorities said a weapon was recovered from the scene, and state police also took the club's surveillance video which clearly shows the incident.

Stadium nightclub was formerly known as Adrianna's, which closed earlier this year. At least eight people have been shot, two fatally, at the club or in its parking lot since 2010, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Two men were injured, one critically, in a shooting in New Haven Sunday afternoon.

New Haven police said one victim, identified as Taevon Alston, 28, of West Haven, was found at 2 Derby Avenue around 2:10 p.m. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment. His injuries are not considered life threatening, police said.

A short time later a second victim, identified as Harold Herring, 33, of New Haven, arrived at the St. Raphaels campus of Yale-New Haven Hospital with a gunshot wound. Herring is listed in critical but stable.

Police believe Herring was involved in the same incident as Alston.

According to police, a witness reported seeing a masked man in a hooded sweatshirt armed with a gun get out of a car near the scene. Another reported someone limping away.

The New Haven Police Detective Bureau and Bureau of Investigation are handling the case. Anyone with information should contact detectives at (203) 946-6304.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2

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Armenias armed forces have 12 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Oct. 2.

The Armenian armed forces stationed in Paravakar village and the nameless heights of the Ijevan district, Barekamavan village of the Noyemberyan district opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located on nameless heights and Bala Jafarli, Qaymaqli villages of the Gazakh district.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near the Gorgan village of the Fuzuli district, as well as from the positions located on the nameless heights of the Goranboy, Jabrayil and Fuzuli districts.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Answering the call to serve and protect often takes a toll on first responders. In the past year, Connecticut has lost three of them to suicide.

Sunday in East Hartford, an emotional event was held to recognize the sacrifice of Westport Police Sergeant Robert Myer, Branford Fire Department Deputy Chief Ronald Mullen, and retired Bethel Police Lieutenant Kevin Kennedy, who all took their own lives during the past year.

People dont understand what officers go through day in and day out, said Deputy Chief Mack Hawkins of the East Hartford Police Department.

Hawkins worked with Officer Paul Buchanan, who took his own life in 2013. Since then, hes volunteered every year at the Believe 208: Run for the Brave and Finest. The race was created by Buchanans widow, Trish, to help end the stigma that surrounds suicide. The number 208 was on Buchanan's badge.

They wear that badge and theyre supposed to be our superheroes, yet theyre only human under that badge, Buchanan explained.

Trish started this race to raise awareness about the need for trauma training for first responders. She says PTSD drove her husband to take his own life.

Paul left us a note they day that he died and he said make my death an issue and help others like me, said Buchanan.

Her goal is to prevent future tragedies.

The help didnt come soon enough for Lieutenant Kevin Kennedy. He took his own life in July, a year into retirement from the Bethel Police Department.

He was all about the guys. He was all about his men, said his wife Eunice Kennedy.

Now, his brothers and sisters in blue are standing by Kennedy's family, giving back that support. They joined more than 300 others who crossed the finish line Sunday from departments across Connecticut.

In the police brotherhood, EMS, fire, you are one family. Ive learned that, Kennedy explained.

People need to know that our police officers and first responders they do a lot and they need recognition that and I think that the stigma that everyone is fine in that field needs to be more aware that some people need our support and our love, said runner Lauren Backus of Coventry.

Jeff Rodick graduated from the police academy with Buchanan and served alongside him until his death.

Police officers know we see everybody elses bad day. We go other places where other people wont go. We see things that a lot of people dont see. After a while it builds up, he explained.

Buchanan has made it her mission to see that first responders have access to the support and mental health resources they need.

There are times that Id rather run and hide, but I cant because I know I have to do something, because only good can come out of this tragedy, she said.
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May pledged Sunday that Britain would trigger the formal process for leaving the European Union before the end of March 2017, putting to rest weeks of speculation on the timing of the move.

While the prime minister had long hinted that she would start the process early next year, many observers had speculated that she would hold off until the French presidential elections, due to conclude in May.

Britain voted in a June referendum to leave the EU, but has not yet invoked the article of the EU treaty that would trigger negotiations. Triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty early next year would set the nation on a course to leave the 28-nation trading bloc by 2019.

May confirmed her plans to the BBC on Sunday ahead of ahead of a speech on the so-called British exit or Brexit at her Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

"I will be saying in my speech today that we will trigger (Article 50) before the end of March next year," she said.

The prime minister also said she would ask Parliament to repeal the European Communities Act, the measure that makes EU law British law. She said her government would incorporate all EU laws and then repeal measures as necessary on a case-by-case basis.

"That means that the United Kingdom will be an independent, sovereign nation," she said. "It will be making its own laws," May said of repealing the act.

Once the relevant section of the Lisbon Treat is invoked, there is a two-year timeline laid out for talks under EU rules. However, the process can be extended beyond two years, if Britain and all other EU countries unanimously agree.
While community leaders work towards solutions to Dallass homeless situation, a visitor to the city brought his own approach: trying to simply tell the stories of some of the people living on the street.

Justin Doering of Boise, Idaho spent the weekend in the city visiting homeless people and offering them a meal on him in exchange for their story.

Its a campaign the recent college grad is taking across the country called Fifty Sandwiches.

Thats kind of the point to find these people who dont have a voice and give them a voice, said Doering.

He raised funds for the project through online kickstarters and sponsorships and has started a webpage to tell some of the stories hes collected.

Eventually he plans to compile 50 of them into a book to show the variety and diversity of people in the homeless population.

I started off this project trying to get a collective face to homelessness and Im realizing pretty quickly, thats not going to happen, he said while visiting the homeless camp beneath I-30 at Haskell Avenue.

Doerings met people who became homeless after turning to drugs, losing jobs, losing family members, and a wide variety of other reasons.

He said through the stories he hopes to get people looking at the homeless less as an over-arching situation and more as individuals who have had their own journeys.

And the idea of it is to try to show that theres more to homelessness than just being homeless. Im learning the diversity behind it is just incredible, he said.

Doering will continue meeting with homeless in Dallas through Monday before heading to his next stop.

Click on this sentence for a link to Doering's website.
Former President George W. Bush is hosting his annual Warrior 100K bike ride for military veterans at his ranch west of Waco.

The 70-year-old Bush led a group of bicyclists that included 16 veterans on a ride Friday on his 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford.

The three-day event began Thursday and is in its sixth year. It's sponsored by the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

Bush said Friday that Americans have welcomed home veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars, but that more must be done to aid those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"My advice to the new Commander-in-Chief is love the troops," Bush said. "These are extraordinary people. And not only love the troops -- and by love I mean support the troops -- but their families as well."

The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that assisting veterans with the transition back to civilian life has been a focus of the George W. Bush Institute, a think tank associated with his Dallas center.
Hundreds of people filled the streets of Fort Worth Saturday to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Tarrant County Gay Pride Parade.

The parade is the second-longest running pride parade in Texas after Houston.

Organizations said they appreciate the participation of everyone, especially those who are not gay but are willing to show their support.

The parade and festival, which is sponsored by Ben E. Keith of Fort Worth, took place from noon until 6 p.m. in Sundance Square. The parade proceeded south down Commerce Street from Weatherford to Lancaster.
In an effort to cut a recent spike in violent crime, the Deep Ellum Neighborhood Association will walk the streets with the Dallas chapter of the Guardian Angels Saturday night.

About a dozen people have committed to the neighborhood patrol that begins at 11 p.m.

The Guardian Angels help teach communities how to make citizen's arrests for violent crimes. The nonprofit group also patrols neighborhoods and provides education programs.

"It's how to deal, how to identify and how to see the problems in the neighborhood," said Deep Ellum business owner Cathrine Jacobus. "With all of our own schedules, we need to figure out how to blanket this neighborhood 24/7."

Jacobus owns and operates Stonedeck Pizza Pub, a restaurant which banks on the Saturday night crowd. She's leaving work early to help patrol the neighborhood.

"There's increased traffic at night and that creates an opportunity for those would like to take advantage," said Jacobus. "The incidents we all know about happened around 3 a.m."

Earlier this week, Dallas police released surveillance video of two men who investigators believe sexually assaulted a woman in Deep Ellum on Sept. 18.

Police said the victim was approached by two men with a gun who grabbed and sexually assaulted her on the 3300 block of Elm Street.

The Deep Ellum Neighborhood Association will reach out to residents and business owners after Saturday night's patrol to discuss long term solutions.
A man was critically wounded Saturday in a shooting on Fort Worth's west side, police say.

Officers were called to the Miramonte Apartments on the 2800 block of Las Vegas Trail at about 7:30 p.m.

MedStar Ambulance told NBC 5 a man was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital in critical condition. No other injuries have been reported.

The circumstances of the shooting are not yet known and the investigation is ongoing.

Check back and refresh this page for the latest information.
A man riding in an electronic wheelchair was struck and killed by a motorist in Dallas late Friday night.

Dallas police said a 54-year-old man was hit and killed at about 11 p.m. while crossing in a cross walk at Singing Hills Drive and E. Redbird Lane.

Officials said 43-year-old Terrence Hoskins was speeding in his 2013 Chevrolet Sonic when he ran the stop sign and crashed into the man.

The victim's name has not yet been released.

Hoskins was arrested and charged with manslaughter. He is currently being held at the Lew Sterret Justice Center.
The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of celebrating Kwanzaa by dedicating a new Kwanzaa Forever stamp Saturday.

The First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony took place in Marion Square in Charleston at the MOJA Art Festival celebrating African-American and Caribbean arts.

Kwanzaa, an annual non-religious holiday taking place over seven days from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, brings family, community and culture together for many African-Americans.

This year, Dec. 26 marks the 50th anniversary of the widely celebrated holiday.

The public is asked to share the news using the hashtag #KwanzaaStamps.
Holding signs and chanting slogans like My body, my choice, attendees of the second annual "Amber Rose SlutWalk Festival" gathered in downtown Los Angeles to raise awareness about sexual injustice and gender inequality.

The all-inclusive festival, hosted by model Amber Rose, encouraged gatherers to march and make signs as part of the event held in Pershing Square.

The aim of the "SlutWalk" was to impact and uplift while shifting the paradigm of rape culture," according to the event's website.

I dont want to feel confined to a box anymore, and I feel that the pressure to wear clothes or to not show a bra strap confines me and everyone else with boobs or without boobs, said Lo, one of the festivalgoers.

#AmberRoseSlutWalk2016 A photo posted by Amber Rose Slut Walk (@slutwalk_la) on Oct 1, 2016 at 3:32pm PDT

She said she participated in an effort to support women and to resist societal pressures.

Ive gotten talked to about showing a bra strap at school, Lo said. And I was covered up, except for that. And Im tired of that.

Exactly #AmberRoseSlutWalk A photo posted by Amber Rose (@amberrose) on Oct 1, 2016 at 12:31pm PDT

The SlutWalk first began in Toronto in 2011 when a police officer told women not to dress like sluts if they wanted to avoid sexual assault, according to the SlutWalk website.

SlutWalk is now a movement in over 200 countries, according to the site.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.2

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Regretfully, Azerbaijani people have faced a humanitarian disaster, the countrys President Ilham Aliyev said during the meeting of Pope Francis with representatives of the general public at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

President Aliyev noted that Azerbaijans historical land Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts have been occupied by Armenian armed forces as a result of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan in early 1990s.

Our citizens, more than a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs on their native lands. Twenty percent of our lands are under occupation. A policy of ethnic cleansing was pursued against us. Khojaly genocide was committed against our people and ten countries have officially recognized this genocide, said the president.

OSCE has sent fact-finding missions to the occupied lands twice and the report of these missions are horrifying, said the president. All of our historical and religious monuments have been destroyed by Armenia. Our mosques, graves have been destroyed and our museums have been ravaged, he added.

We restored an Armenian church in Baku and more than 5,000 books in Armenian language are kept in this church. This is the difference: their actions and our attitude. Therefore, it is not accidental that Azerbaijan is known in the world as a center of multiculturalism, said the president.

President Aliyev pointed out that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved in line with the international law.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on this conflict. These resolutions call for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from our lands, he said. Regretfully, these resolutions are not fulfilled and our lands have been under occupation for more than 20 years.

Like all other conflicts, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved within the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, said the president.

As I said, our country and our people greatly suffer from this conflict, he added.

Our population was 8 million in early 1990s and one million of them are refugees and IDPs. We resolved and resolving this humanitarian disaster by ourselves, added President Aliyev.
Two people dressed in black managed to break into a Miami Beach restaurant Saturday and pulled an ATM from out of a window and into their car.

"I cant believe what happened," Omar Sanchez, owner, said. "This is incredible this can happen."

The owner of El Tablazo restaurant in Miami Beach says he got a call from police at 7 p.m. Saturday morning informing him that he and his wife's restaurant of more than 20 years had been broken into.

"We feel very very sad because we work very hard," Sanchez said.

The owner says that these suspects were able to break into the glass in order to get to the ATM that was bolted to the ground.

"The question is how someone can break a big window, tie an ATM machine hold the machine, the pole was broken and they have time to tie again, hold again, this is long time," Sanchez said.

The owner says the thieves managed to steal thousands of dollars and for some reason their alarm system didn't go off when they needed it to.

"We have an alarm, but it didn't sound and I don't know why," Elena Sanchez, owner, said.

The owners say they hope the surveillance video from the bakery next door to them can help lead police to an arrest.

"He was a tall guy 6 feet, you know with somebody else in a white truck and he had a lot of time, a lot of time," Elena Sanchez said.

Both owners hope the police investigation can find the person responsible for the damage.
Governor Rick Scott is urging residents to stay alert and be prepared in case South Florida winds up in the path of Hurricane Matthew.

As of Sunday, Hurricane Matthew is a Category 4 storm swirling across the Caribbean Sea on track towards Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba.

"This storm is catastrophic, and if it hits our state, we could see impacts that we have not seen in many years," Scott said.

Scott adds the even if the storm's projected path is just east of Florida, no one should take it lightly.

Scott said residents should stay alert and listen to local officials for protective actions and emergency messages. He is advising everyone to get prepared before the weekend is over.

"Make sure to have three days of food and water, flashlights, batteries and a battery powered radio," Scott said.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon said: "Hurricane Matthew continues to pose a significant threat to Florida. I encourage everyone to take this potential threat seriously.

Both Scott and Koon request that residents take time to ensure them and their family have a plan to remain safe.
A Prince William County, Virginia, teen is headed to court after being charged in a dispute over a carton of milk, according to The Washington Post.

Ryan Turk, 14, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and petty larceny after being accused of stealing a 65-cent carton of milk and pushing a school resource officer. The incident occurred at Graham Park Middle School on May 10.

Turk said he forgot to get his milk the first time through the lunch line and just went back to grab it, the Post reports. He said as a recipient of free lunches at the school, he felt he was just doing what he did every day.

Authorities told the Post that a school resource officer saw Turk take the milk and accused him of stealing it. When the student did not cooperate with a trip to see the principal, he was arrested and charged.

"No one needs to be punished for stealing a 65-cent carton of milk," Emmett Robinson, the family's attorney told the Post. "This officer treats kids like theyre criminals, and guess what happens  theyre going to become criminals."

Shamise Turk, Ryans mother, alleges Ryan was discriminated against and targeted because he is a black teenager who didnt want to go with the officer, who she said was being unfair, according to the Post. The officer and principal involved are also black.

Phil Kavits, a Prince William County schools spokesman, said that he could not comment on the specifics of the incident but that it is not a race-related issue, noting "all the key parties involved, including the principal and the police officer, are African-American.

"The staff members are well known in our highly diverse community for their dedication and caring approach to all students, Kavits added.

The Washington Post generally does not identify minors charged with misdemeanor crimes, but Ryan Turk and his family opted to speak publicly to bring attention to the matter.
What to Know Two men, Abu Bakr Radwan and Hassan Ali, handled a suitcase found near the scene of the Chelsea explosion

The men found the contents of an unexploded bomb in the suitcase

Both are still employed as security personnel by Egyptair because they weren't found guilty of a crime

Two men employed as security personnel for Egyptair handled a suitcase containing the contents of an unexploded bomb, an Egyptair security source said.

Abu Bakr Radwan and Hassan Ali were on an Egyptair flight to New York City from Cairo, the source told local press. After Radwan and Ali disembarked, they traveled to Manhattan, where they found a suitcase containing a bomb.

It was only after hearing news of the Chelsea explosion that the men realized that the bomb was placed by an alleged terrorist, according to the source. Radwan and Ali then traveled to Egypt without the suitcase.

A second source said to local press that the two "capable" security personnel are continuing to work in Egyptair's security department without punishment because they weren't convicted of a crime.
What to Know New Jersey Transit trains have been involved in more than 150 accidents since 2011, causing $4.8 million in damage to tracks and equipment

Federal Railroad Administration data show that NJ Transit settled 183 safety violations within the last six years

NJ Transit has paid over $500,000 to settle safety violations

Federal regulators were "very concerned" about safety on New Jersey Transit and dysfunction within the agency after federal data showed the railroad had 150 accidents in five years.

Dozens of violations were discovered by the Federal Railroad Administration during an audit on the safety of NJ Transit's line in June, a source familiar with the audit told NBC News. Regulators began the investigation after observing an uptick in rail incidents.

The agency was fined as a result of the audit, and federal agencies are continuing to work with the railroad to ensure compliance with federal safety guidelines, the source said.

NJ Transit trains have been involved in more than 150 accidents since 2011, according to federal data. The agency has settled 183 safety violations ranging from employee drug and alcohol use and violations of railroad operating rules since Jan. 1, 2011, and has spent over half a million dollars to settle safety violations.

Signs dated from February posted at an NJ Transit maintenance facility in Hoboken said there had been 10 incidents involving trains in the past two months, five of which were derailments.

There were 25 accidents in 2015, federal data showed. More than half of the accidents occurred in train yards and most of them were at low speed.

Thomas Gallagher, the engineer of the train that crashed into the Hoboken Terminal platform, was interviewed by the National Transit Safety Board Saturday.

Though the NTSB would not provide details on the interview, offiicals said that the signals on the tracks leading to the terminal seemed to be working normally.

NBC News contacted NTSB for comment, but was unable to immediately reach the agency.
A coroner says a 6-year-old boy has died days after he was critically wounded in a school shooting in South Carolina.

Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said Jacob Hall died about 1 p.m. Saturday. Jacob had been fighting for his life at a hospital since the shooting Wednesday at Townville Elementary School. A bullet struck Hall in a main artery in his leg, causing him to lose a lot of blood.

Shore said an autopsy would take place within the next couple of days. Once those results have been received, the Sheriff's Office and the Solicitor's Office will discuss whether to upgrade any of the charges against the shooter.

"We have all been affected by this terrible event," Sheriff John Skipper said.

Authorities say another student and a first-grade teacher were also shot when a 14-year-old boy opened fire on a playground. They were treated and released.

A GoFundMe page was set up by a friend of Jacob Hall's family and had raised about $100,000 by noon Friday. The boy's parents needed financial assistance after missing work to be with him in the hospital, according a message on the crowd funding site.

Sandy Hook Promise, an organization that advocates for gun control legislation, founded by family members who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, sent condolences to Jacob Hall's family and the community.

Our Condolences to Jacob Hall's Family and Community https://t.co/bK7bdcST9k pic.twitter.com/yHTsJYvRxn  Sandy Hook Promise (@sandyhook) October 1, 2016

In a statement, Sandy Hook Promise said its members are "heartsick" over Hall's death. "We know firsthand the anguish his friends, family, teachers and classmates are facing. This didnt have to happen, it should not have happened, and we are deeply saddened to add Townville, and any town, to the growing list of American communities forever touched by gun violence."

The small Connecticut town of Newtown was thrust onto the world stage on December 14, 2012, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 school children and six teachers.

Authorities say the teen killed his father before he drove to the school. He was charged as a juvenile Friday with murder and three counts of attempted murder.

Authorities have not released a motive.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
A trolley carrying nearly two dozen wedding guests flipped on a Delaware highway Saturday afternoon, sending at least a dozen people to the hospital with injuries.

Police said the vehicle, an attached passenger trolley trailer, was being pulled by a Ford Econo van along Coastal Highway (Route 1) just south of Dewey Beach about 4:40 p.m. when the trolley began to sway, then overturned. The van pulling the trolley, operated by Jolly Trolley, did not flip. The van's 76-year-old driver did not suffer injuries, police said.

Authorities said there were 22 people on board the trolley, many of whom suffered bumps and bruises. A dozen of them were taken to local hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Delaware State Police.

State police are continuing to investigate the crash, and said they aren't sure yet why the trolley began swaying, but wind may have played a role. Gusts up to 15 mph were recorded in the area of the crash.

Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company

A man who answered the phone at Jolly Trolley said the company had no comment at this time when asked about the incident. The company operates charter services and a fixed shuttle service to Delaware beach towns, according to its website.

The four-lane highway was shut down in both directions for two hours after the crash.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.2

Trend:

The visit of Pope Francis to Azerbaijan has a great meaning, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev Oct.2.

Ilham Aliyev made the remarks during the meeting of Pope Francis with representatives of the general public at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Your Holiness, Pope Francis. Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen. Your Holiness, first of all, I sincerely greet you in Azerbaijan and welcome your delegation, said President Aliyev.

During the meeting in Vatican last year, I invited you to Azerbaijan and I am very glad that you accepted my invitation and visited our country, said Ilham Aliyev. This visit has a great meaning. This is a historic visit.

President Aliyev noted that this visit will make a great contribution to the development of relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan.



This visit is important for the entire humanity, because it also shows that the dialogue among civilizations exists, continues and is getting stronger and we try to give a new impetus to this dialogue, said Ilham Aliyev.



The relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan have been developing successfully for 24 years, said the president, adding that high level reciprocal official visits have been paid.



An exhibition dedicated to Azerbaijan was held in Vatican museums in 2012 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of our relations. Azerbaijani exhibition was the first exhibition of a Muslim country, said President Aliyev.



At the same time, our relations are supported by public organizations. Vaticans Saint Marcellino and Pietro's Catacombs were opened in February 2015 after the major overhaul and repair work with support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is the largest non-governmental organization in the South Caucasus, he added.

This great event once again shows that the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Vatican are developing successfully and the strengthening of the interreligious and intercultural dialogue is a reality, according to the president.



Representatives of all religions and nations have lived in Azerbaijan in peace, dignity and friendly atmosphere for centuries and this continues in the same way today as well, he added.



Regardless of the socio-political structure, civilizations have always come together in our land. Azerbaijan has always played a role of a bridge between the East and the West. This is both a geographical and moral bridge, said Ilham Aliyev.



The president pointed out that the historical monuments of all religions are protected and restored in Azerbaijan.



Azerbaijan is a very ancient land. We are proud that one of the oldest mosques in the world, the Juma Mosque of Shamakhi, which was built in 743, is situated in Azerbaijan, said President Aliyev.



At the same time, one of the oldest churches in our region, the Church of Caucasian Albania, is also situated in Azerbaijan, said the president. The ancient temple of fire worshippers, Orthodox and Catholic churches, synagogues are protected and restored by the state in Baku.

President Aliyev added that a very remarkable event took place in the history of relations between Vatican and Azerbaijan in 2008.



We marked the opening of a Catholic Church in Baku in 2008. The Catholic Church was built in Baku in 1912, but was destroyed by the Soviet government in 1934, said the president. Like other religious monuments, the mosques, Orthodox churches and synagogues were also destroyed.

Independent Azerbaijani state decided to re-build the Catholic Church in Baku and today, in the morning, Your Holiness held a religious ceremony in this church, said President Aliyev. This is remarkable. First of all, we eliminate the historical injustice. On the other hand, this is a great gift for Catholics living in Azerbaijan.

Currently, the relations between religions, peoples and nations in our country can serve as an example. This is said not only by us, but also by foreigners becoming familiar with Azerbaijani realities, said the president.

We have put forward many initiatives. Baku Process, which has already gained a great fame in the world, is among them. Baku Process started in 2008, he added.

President Aliyev pointed out that Azerbaijan is among few countries which is a member of both the Council of Europe and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

We invited the ministers of culture of Muslim countries to the meeting of the ministers of culture of the Council of Europes member states in 2008, he added.

Contacts were established between the two organizations for the first time in history. These contacts were established by us, said the president.



We invited ministers from the Council of Europe to the meeting of the ministers of culture from Muslim countries in Baku in 2009. Thus, this process was called the Baku Process and currently, we hold many international events in our country as part of the Baku Process, he added.
A flood of social media posts that surfaced in recent days threatening attacks on Philadelphia schools by clowns  some of which named specific schools  prompted Philadelphia police and the city school district to investigate.



The district and police on Sunday released a joint statement saying that the unnerving posts, some of which named Philadelphia schools as targets in attacks to be carried out by clowns in the coming days, are being taken seriously.



"The School District of Philadelphia's Office of School Safety alerted both the Philadelphia Police Department and the Office of Homeland Security Saturday upon learning of these disturbing social media posts," the statement read in part. "The safety of our children and the communities surrounding our schools is a top priority for us, and we are taking this matter seriously."



Authorities said similar posts have surfaced in a number of other states, but they're actively investigating those in Philadelphia and "pursuing those responsible for them."

Reports of clown sightings across the country surfaced in recent weeks, including several in the Philadelphia area and surrounding counties.

Police in northeastern Pennsylvania about two weeks ago said they were investigating in Pottsville after receiving a report that a 12-year-old girl and her friends were chased by a clown, who then threw a stick at them and yelled obscenities before running back into the woods. Last week in Reading, police said a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death after someone in a clown mask may have provoked a confrontation.

Reports of clown sightings have also surfaced in Lower Macungie, Easton, and New Jersey over the last several weeks.
Halloween is upon us, and its ready to hit San Diego hard with a four day weekend leading up to a monstrous Monday Halloween celebration. Does that mean you should wait until then to dress up (or down) to enjoy the city nightlife? NO! San Diegos music providers have been keeping busy making sure you have plenty of options to boogie.

CRSSD isnt holding back any punches either as it comes through with 14 amazing events throughout the first weekend of October. The daytime celebration of CRSSD returns Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 with the climactic two day daytime event at the Waterfront Park with artists like ZHU, Destructo, Felix Da Housecat, Dubfire, Rezz, Miike Snow, Cashmere Cat and many more. If the daytime dance-a-thon isnt enough for you, CRSSD is taking over nighttime venues for some dance-till-you-drop DJ fun action.

On Friday, Oct. 7, the man making house hits on his own Rising Music label and collaborating with Deadmau5 for Mau5trap comes home to lay down the knowledge at Bang Bang. On Oct. 8, Lovelife celebrates five years of Red Hot Lovin with German Brigante, the man behind many fabulous tracks under the Get Physical and Dirtybird imprints. Bringing the big room bass, Ghastly will be ready to drop the fat tunes at Omnia San Diego and make a jump for some festival-style crowd surfing. More big tunes come to San Diego as Feed Me returns and lands at Bassmnt on Oct. 5, along with some of his surprise little alien friends whove come along for the ride.

With just half of the month listed so far, youll have to stay strong, because Halloween is right around the corner! A very special event is going down at House of Blues on Oct. 21 with Seven Lions bringing the low end, neck-breaking tunes to the Gaslamp while Purple Disco Machine make a special warehouse appearance on Oct. 22. Youll have to do some research on this one the day of the event if you want to find the hidden location! If youre looking to rest at a daytime spot on Oct. 23, Quartyard will NOT be the place for you, as the legendary turntablist, producer and performer A-trak will be taking over the decks and making sure the partygoers lose their minds!

With Halloween landing on a Monday, it is highly recommended you pick up more than one outfit for the weekend. The party options are plentiful and you dont want to look like a rag doll come Sunday (unless thats what youre going for). Kicking off with the legal warehouse vibes, Mark Farina and Simon Shackleton visit the dance music cave at Spin Nightclub as it goes into the early, early morning. If youre looking to get out of San Diego, the worlds most famous boat party, Groove Cruise, says bon voyage as it departs on Oct. 28 for a five day cruise to Cabo. The lineup features Arty, Audien, Fedde Le Grand, Robin Schulz and more! For an in-town, on-land festival, the crew at CRSSD has created a new experience for you at Petco Park with the musical likings of Disclosure, Justin Martin, Hanna Wants and many more from Oct. 29 to Oct. 30. Heaven & Hell returns to the Town & Country Event Center with W&W and Borgeous -- party it up in multiple areas, and have the chance to stay at the resort to truly prep your Halloween celebrations.

If you still have some Halloween juice left in you, Bassmnt has Doctor P scheduled for an appointment. Hell make sure the ghouls didnt consume all of your party soul.

I hope to see you all out and about this month partying and dancing. Tag me in your Halloween pics at @DJIDeaL

For now, peace!

Oct. 2: CRSSD @ Waterfront Park Day Two feat. ZHU, Destructo, Dubfire, Felix Da Housecat, MNEK, Sam Feldt

Oct. 2: CRSSD by Day feat. Aeroplane, Two Shoes @ Andaz Rooftop

Oct. 2: CRSSD by Night feat. Thomas Jack @ Bang Bang

Oct. 7: Chris Lake @ Bang Bang

Oct. 8: Lovelifes Five Years of Red Hot Lovin' feat. German Brigante

Oct. 14: Ghastly @ Omnia San Diego

Oct. 15: Feed Me @ Bassmnt

Oct. 21: Seven Lions @ House of Blues SD

Oct. 22: Purple Disco Machine @ TBA

Oct. 23: A-trak @ Quartyard

Oct. 28: Mark Farina, Simon Shackleton @ Spin Nightclub

Oct. 28  Nov. 2: Groove Cruise SD to Cabo feat. Arty, Audien, Fedde Le Grand, Robin Schulz

Oct. 29  Oct. 30: Groundwater feat. Disclosure, Justin Martin, Hanna Wants @ Petco Park

Oct. 29: Heaven & Hell feat. W&W, Borgeous @ Town & Country Event Center

Oct. 31: Doctor P @ Bassmnt

Tomas Serrano, aka DJ IDeaL, is the electronic dance music correspondent for SoundDiego, covering the best of San Diego's electronic music events and culture. Follow his whereabouts on Facebook, Twitter or contact him directly.
Seventeen people were arrested following two large protests and rallies across San Diego in response to the controversial deadly shooting of an unarmed black man in El Cajon.

The arrests happened after a Saturday afternoon protest that started in Balboa Park; crowds marched to Downtown before heading back to Broadway.

Police first stopped a car leaving the protest area near the 800 block of Broadway for a traffic infraction, according to El Cajon Police Lt. Rob Ransweiler.

The driver, who was under 21, was arrested for driving under the influence. The two passengers were also arrested and charged with being drunk in public.

After that arrest, police responded to a fight between a small group of protesters near the 800 block of Broadway. It was reported someone left to get a gun, Ransweiler said.

Officers declared an unlawful assembly and ordered the group to disperse. Most of the protesters left, but a small number stayed. Officers asked the remaining protesters to leave and they promised to leave, Ransweiler said. However, when they did not leave, officers again reminded them of the unlawful assembly and ordered them to leave. The remaining individuals did not make an attempt to leave, Ransweiler said.

Fourteen adults were arrested, 12 of which were charged with failing to depart an unlawful assembly, one for an arrest warrant and one for public intoxication.

The protests came one day after police released video of the police shooting of Alfred Olango, 38.

"No justice, no peace!" the demonstrators chanted. One woman held a sign that read: "Comply or not, we're shot."

The large crowd prompted transportation officials to close the State Route 163 connector to Interstate 5 at Park Boulevard.

Protestors chanting at the Hall of Justice downtown San Diego. Want justice for #AlfredOlango. #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/n3dv8PR8Rd  Ashley Matthews (@ashleyNBC7) October 2, 2016

#CHP blocking off traffic at 11th and A St. to make sure protestors don't go on freeway. #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/VX8mjHNxHQ  Ashley Matthews (@ashleyNBC7) October 2, 2016

Watch the Facebook live of the march below or here.

The shooting:

Protesters marching from prayer vigil on Main Street to @elcajonpolice department #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/V2GI3H3pc1  Liberty Zabala (@LibertyNBC7SD) October 1, 2016

Olango was shot and killed by officers with the El Cajon Police Department (ECPD) on Tuesday in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 800 block of Broadway.

Police said Olango refused to comply with the officers orders to get his hands out of the pockets of his pants. Police said he pulled a 4-inch-long vaping device from his pocket and pointed it at the officers in a shooting stance. At that point, ECPD Officer Josh McDaniel deployed a Taser on Olango; Officer Richard Gonsalves fired several shots at Olango, critically striking him.

The encounter was captured on cellphone video by a witness who was working at a nearby taco shop, as well as on a surveillance camera from that business.

Following the shooting, the ECPD released a single still photograph pulled from that video of Olango in that shooting stance. Civil rights leaders urged the police department and San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to release the full video.

ECPD Chief Jeff Davis said the decision to release the video Friday stemmed from concern for public safety.

However, Harris argued that the video was not shown to Olangos family before it was publicly released, which was upsetting to the family. He argued that Davis, Dumanis and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells released the video to only quell protests.

They want peace. But what they dont understand is that if there is no justice, there is no peace, said Harris at his own news conference following the release of the video.

The shooting of Olango is the latest case in a series of police shootings of unarmed black men across America. The case has sparked days of protests in El Cajon. Some demonstrations have been peaceful, others have been heated, leading to arrests.
After being rescued from Louisiana flooding late last month, 65 dogs and one cat are looking for new homes in San Diego.

Families lined up at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society Friday morning to meet the flood dogs, and by the end of the day one dog, Beckett, had gone to his new home and others have pending applications  families that need to come back with their kids or with a dog they already have.

The dogs (and cat) arrived by private plane to Gillespie Field on September 23 after being separated from their families during the floods in Louisiana. Some of the families had to relinquish their pets because there was no room in shelters.

There were families lined up to meet the Louisiana Flood dogs when your Rancho Coastal Humane Society opened this morning.

The other animals are still available for adoption.

They have all been examined by a vet, received necessary vaccinations and been spayed or neutered.
A man accused of burglaries and sexual abuse was arrested Saturday, according to D.C. police.

Brian Craig Webster, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was arrested in connection with two crime scenes, one in August and one in October, investigators said. In both cases, Webster entered a residence, produced a gun, and bound and sexually assaulted a man.

Following the second incident, the victim managed to loosen his restraints and call out to his roommate, interim Police Chief Pete Newsham said. He and his roommate were able to hold the suspect until police arrived.

Im disturbed that people think they can come in to Hill East and rape residents, ANC Commissioner Denise Krepp said.

Police are investigating whether there are more victims.

If you have been a victim, here on Hill East, of rape, regardless if youre male or female, please call police, Krepp said. Please call them and tell them what has happened.

Webster is a counselor at Community Connections in southeast D.C., which helps residents dealing with mental illness, addiction and abuse, News4's Darcy Spencer reported.

Webster was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse while armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (gun) and carrying a pistol without a license.

The first crime occurred in the 1200 block of Massachusetts Avenue, Southeast, on Sunday, Aug. 28 around 6 a.m. The second offense occurred in the 1300 block of Independence Avenue, Southeast, on Saturday, Oct. 1 around 12:30 a.m.
A 10-story condo building in Fairfax County had to be evacuated Sunday afternoon after significant water damage to some of the building's columns caused the building to lower 2 to 3 inches, officials say.

Fairfax County firefighters and building officials found significant structural damage at one of three River Towers Condominiums buildings at 6631 Wakefield Drive in Alexandria, Virginia. A resident noticed cracks in a few columns and called the fire department.

Crews started checking the building and found two floors had cracks in walls and several doors could not be closed. Firefighters then ordered everyone to leave the building and about 400 residents were displaced for several hours while crews and officials examined the building.

Fairfax County Building Official Brian Foley told News4 that the columns that had cracks have severely deteriorated because of water damage and the weight of the building has started to crush and shift the columns.

"Right now the building has fallen 2 to 3 inches. The building does need to be jacked back up and put into place," Foley said.

Foley said years of water infiltration caused the damage and the columns were not appropriately maintained. There is also some damage to columns at the two other buildings at River Towers, but Foley said it is not as severe.

Most residents were allowed back into the building about 8 p.m. Sunday. Fire officials said residents in the 32 apartments above the affected columns cannot go back inside.

Residents that have gone back into the building do not have gas or air conditioning.

The condo buildings date back to the 60s.
A man refused to put down a rifle during a domestic dispute in Boyds, Maryland, before officers used a stun gun on him, police say.

Maryland National Capital Park Police said Michael Sisler fired shots into the ground during an argument with his girlfriend at a house on Clarksburg Road on Saturday.

Police were called to the home about 3:30 p.m. and officers found Sisler holding a handgun in one hand and a rifle in the other, authorities said.

Sisler allegedly dropped the handgun, but refused to put down the rifle and that is when an officer Tasered him, police said.

Sisler was taken to the hospital and is okay, police said. He is facing two first-degree assault charges.

Police said he could face additional charges.
A driver was hospitalized Sunday morning after crashing a sport utility vehicle into a utility pole then a house in Brockton, Massachusetts.

According to The Enterprise, the crash happened at about 8 a.m. at the corner of Argyle Avenue and North Main Street.

The paper reported that SUV left a street lamp suspended in midair, which was held up by the wires still attached to surrounding utility poles.

The driver of the SUV was taken to an area hospital with unknown injuries.
Two New Hampshire schools are getting federal grants from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Woman.

Saint Anselm College is getting nearly $300,000 to support campus efforts to prevent sexual assault and better support survivors. The University of New Hampshire is getting close to $400,000 to research and evaluate approaches to combatting domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.

The grants were announced by U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte.
Clinton police have arrested a woman accused of making illegal copies of credit cards.

Kumarie Patel, 27, of Far Rockaway, New York, faces 45 counts of unlawful reproduction of a credit card, 11 counts of illegal use of a credit card, third-degree larceny and second-degree forgery.

According to police, Patel was shopping at the Clinton Crossings on Friday using multiple fake credit cards. Workers reported that if a card was declined, Patel just pulled another from a stack of cards, which they found suspicious.

Police said when they caught up with Patel as she left the Clinton Crossings, she had 45 cloned credit cards on her and a fake New Jersey license. According to police, the fake license matched the name on the fake credit cards, but the number on the cards did not match the information stored in their magnetic strips.

Police said Patel had merchandise and receipts in her car from various malls in the Tri-state area as well as $2,800 worth in merchandise and gift cards from Clinton Crossing.

Patel was released on a $20,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Middletown Superior Court on October 10.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.2

Trend:

Azerbaijan will mark the 25th anniversary of restoring independence this month, the countrys President Ilham Aliyev said during the meeting of Pope Francis with representatives of the general public at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Azerbaijan has come a long and honorable way over these years, he added.

We enjoy great respect on the international arena. Several years ago, 155 countries voted for Azerbaijan and chose it a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, said the president.

Our economy has grown three times over the last 13 years. The poverty and unemployment rate has dropped to 5 percent, said President Aliyev. Many projects are under implementation in Azerbaijan. We have created a modern state.

Today, Azerbaijan marks the 25th anniversary of its independence with optimism, because, we have proved to ourselves and to the world that we can live successfully as a free country, he added.

Azerbaijan is a native land of all peoples living in our country. Azerbaijan stands strong. It is a modern, secular, developing country open for cooperation, said the president.

Ilham Aliyev pointed out that Pope Francis visit to Azerbaijan is a historic event.

This is a great honor for us, he added.

You sent a clear message from Baku to the whole world, saying that multiculturalism, the interreligious dialogue, good will and good attitude should gain victory and prevail, President Aliyev said to Pope Francis.

I told you in our meeting today that with this visit, you drew the attention of the whole world to Azerbaijan, he said.

Today, your followers, your supporters on all continents look at Baku, become familiar with our city and our country. They see that there is a modern, secular and developing country in the world, in the Muslim world, said the president. They see that the head of the world's Catholics Francis is in Baku. Therefore, I would like to express gratitude to you on behalf of the whole Azerbaijani people. I wish you robust health and new success.
University of the Third Age holds welcomes special guests to anniversary lunch

A NEWBURY group that has helped retired and semi-retired people come together to learn new skills celebrated its 25th anniversary last week.

Newbury University of the Third Age (U3A) has provided a place where members can share their skills and life experiences with each other since 1991.

The group held the quarter-century celebration at Newbury Rugby Club last Wednesday at a special lunch.

The guest of honour was Lady Carnarvon and 120 members were joined by mayor of Newbury Julian Swift-Hook, chairman of West Berkshire Council Quentin Webb, and principal of Newbury College Dr Anne Murdoch OBE.

Speaking after the event, Newbury U3A chairman Derek Child said: Members and the guests were unanimous in praising the organisation of the event, the venue, the menu and Lady Carnarvons presentation on Highclere. It was a fitting tribute to the founders and a great way to start planning for the next 25 years.

For more information about the Newbury U3A visit www.u3a.org.uk
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2

Trend:

Priests, religious people and those faithful to the Roman Catholic Church expressed gratitude to Pope Francis for his visit to Azerbaijan.

Ordinary of the Church of the Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception (Roman Catholic Church) in Azerbaijan Vladimir Fekete read out a gratifying letter.

Dear Holy Father, fourteen years ago, some of us have had the privilege to meet your predecessor, John Paul II in this city, Fekete said.

This event was truly a miracle and up to now we are reaping the abundant spiritual fruits of that visit, he said. You, understand very well the meaning of words as discrimination, marginalization and poverty very well.

At the same time you are trying to tell to the world how change these words and these realities change into new words and realities: mercy, kindness, tolerance and all other synonyms of the word  charity, he added.

It is very significant for us that your visit takes place during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, he said.

Dear Holy Father, on behalf of the faithful, priests and religious of the Apostolic Prefecture in Azerbaijan, I express our gratitude and joy for your presence among us, for your words of encouragement, proclaimed during the homily and through your example of life, fully consecrated to the Kingdom of God, he said.

We ask you to continue to pray with us for reconciliation and peace in the Caucasus, he added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.2

Trend:

Pope Francis has visited the Alley of Martyrs to commemorate Azerbaijani heroes who gave their lives for the country`s independence and territorial integrity.

A ceremonial guard of honor was set up for the Pontiff here.

Pope Francis laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame monument.

A military orchestra of the Defence Ministry played the anthems of the Holy See and Azerbaijan.

Pope Francis was informed of the history of the Alley of Martyrs as well as construction and renovation work in the city.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The customs duties on some goods imported from abroad will be increased in Azerbaijan for two years. The corresponding decision of the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers was published in the countrys official press Oct. 2.

In particular, the changes will be applied to meat and edible meat offal (fresh, chilled and frozen poultry meat), eggs, vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, garlic), fruits and nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, grapes, apples, pears, quinces, persimmons), fruit and vegetable juices, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (mineral and soda water), construction materials (bentonite, gypsum, cement, clinker), articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos (slabs, bricks, building blocks) and ceramic products.

The decision will enter into force for two years after 30 days from the date of publication - November 1, 2016.

At present, the customs import duty imposed to the aforementioned goods is 15 percent.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Oct. 2

By Demir Azizov Trend:

More than 462,500 people were provided with jobs in Uzbekistan in January-June 2016, 59.8 percent - in rural areas, Aziz Abdukhakimov, Uzbek minister of labour, said at a meeting of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis.

The employment was ensured by commissioning new facilities, mainly in industry, services, as well as by accelerating the development of small businesses.

The Senate (upper house of the Uzbek parliament) approved a program in December 2015 to create 993,000 jobs in 2016.

According to the ministry, some 896,000 jobs were created in the country in 2015.

According to the Uzbek State Statistics Committee, the country's population is 31.8 million people as of early July 2016, including the economically active population - 13.2 million people.

The official unemployment rate amounted to 5.2 percent in Uzbekistan in January-June 2016.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 1

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has finalized a deal to export crude oil to Hungary, Mohsen Qamsari, director of international affairs at the NIOC, said.

The deal to export a 1-million-barrel oil cargo to the European country in next month has been concluded, Qamsari said, the oil ministrys SHANA news agency reported Oct. 1.

All crude oil shipments to Europe should be 1-million-barrel to be able to cross the Suez Canal, Qamsari said.

Prior to sanctions, France, Italy, Spain and the UK were among Iran's traditional customers in Europe. Nonetheless, since sanctions were terminated last January, East European states have also submitted proposals to purchase oil from Iran.

Negotiations for crude export to Hungary launched in early 2016.

In mid-July, Qamsari said Hungarian multinational oil and gas company MOL called for importing 40,000 barrels of light crude oil per day from Iran. However, he added that Tehran is not ready to provide MOL with light crude currently.

Irans August crude oil exports jumped 15 percent from July to more than 2 million barrels per day (bpd). The volume is close to Tehran's pre-sanctions shipment levels in 2011.

The strong demand in Irans crude in Asia and Europe has enabled it to raise its oil output to just over 3.8 million bpd, still below the 4 million bpd level termed by Tehran as a precondition for discussing output limits with other oil producers.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Irans daily oil and condensate exports stood at over 2.5 million barrels during the curent fiscal year(started March 20), Mohsen Ghamsari, director of international affairs at National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC), said.

The Islamic Republic exported 2 million barrels of crude oil, as well as 500,000 barrels of gas condensate per day during the period, Ghamsari said, Mehr news agency reported.

He further said that the average price for crude oil and condensate stood at $40/b during the six-month period.

Under international sanctions, which extended till early 2016, Irans oil export dropped from 2.3 to 1 million barrels a day.

Irans August crude oil exports jumped 15 percent from July to more than 2 million barrels per day. The volume is close to Tehran's pre-sanctions shipment levels in 2011.

The strong demand in Irans crude in Asia and Europe has enabled it to raise its oil output to just over 3.8 million bpd, still below the 4 million bpd level termed by Tehran as a precondition for discussing output limits with other oil producers.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will soon pay a state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart President Tran Dai Quang, says the Vietnamese media, citing officials, IRNA reported.

President Rouhani is due in Vietnam from October 5-7, local media including the Viet Nam News' newspaper quoted the countrys Foreign Ministry as saying.

Vietnam and Iran set up diplomatic relations on August 4, 1973.

Over past years, the two sides have enjoyed growing ties in politics, economy, trade, culture, education and science and technology.

In 2015, two-way trade between the two countries reached 107 million dollars, with Vietnams exports accounting for 72 percent.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Head of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Northern Iraq Massoud Barzani is scheduled to visit Tehran Oct. 12, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.

KRG Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani is scheduled to accompany the KRG head during the two-day visit.

The KRG officials are expected to discuss bilateral ties in political, economic and security areas, as well as the fight against terrorism with senior Iranian officials.

The reports regarding Barzani's Tehran visit appeared for the first time during the visit of Iran's Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi to the Northern Iraq in mid-May.

An official with the Kurdistan Regional Government earlier suggested that the KRG and Iran had agreed to export KRG's crude oil through Iran.

For several years, Iraqi KRG and Iran have been in talks to construct a pipeline that would transport the northern Iraqs oil to the Iranian market. However, the negotiations have lagged so far as the regional administration in northern Iraq instead focused on developing an oil export route through Turkey.
New Delhi: Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be the Chief Guest at the 2017 Republic Day parade.



This was announced by External Affairs Spokesman Vikas Swarup on Sunday.



"We hope to welcome a dear friend of India, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, as Republic Day 2017 Chief Guest," he tweeted.



In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mohamed bin Zayed expressed "thanks for the kind invitation to attend India's Republic Day celebrations".



"Our strong relations are deeply rooted in history. Our strategic cooperation has increased, driven by our mutual aspirations to develop it," the Crown Prince said.



The visit of Al Nahyan, who is also the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, is expected to give boost to bilateral ties in the key areas of trade and security.



It is also significant given that UAE is a close ally of Pakistan, whom India is trying to diplomatically isolate over the issue of cross-border terrorism.



During Modi's visit in August 2015, the two countries had condemned efforts, including by states, to use religion to justify, support and sponsor terrorism against other countries, or to use terrorism as instrument of state policy.



They had also decided to strengthen their cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism.



Trade is another important component of the bilateral ties as UAE is India's third largest trading partner after China and the United States. Bilateral trade between UAE and India is around USD 60 billion.



There are also more than 2.6 million Indians live in the UAE and their annual remittance is estimated to be around USD14 billion.
Srinagar/New Delhi: Two weeks after the Uri attack and days after India retaliated by sending special forces deep into the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to destroy jihadi launch pads, a group of fidayeen terrorists attacked an army camp on the banks of Jhelum river in Baramullah on Sunday night.



According to initial reports, one BSF jawan was killed and another was injured in the attack on the headquarters of the 46 Rashtriya Rifles in Janbazpora.



The attack began at around 10.20 pm and at around 12.30 am, the Indian Army Northern Command tweeted that "Baramulla incident situation contained and (is) under control."



Initial reports put the number of fidayeen at seven. The camp is located on the outskirts of Baramulla city and personnel of BSF, which is under the operational command of the Army in this area, jointly stay in the camp with the soldiers, officials said.



The terrorists are believed to have entered the RR premises through the adjacent BSF camp and there was firing reported from adjacent houses located near the camp.



Earlier, Pakistani troops launched firing and shelling on forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Pallanwala sector of Jammu district.



On Saturday, Pakistani troops shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) and heavy machine guns (HMG) amid small arms firing along LoC in positions along LoC in Pallanwala and Chhamb areas.


Russian Foreign Ministry said that Sergey Lavrov and John Kerry discussed the situation in Syria's Aleppo and North Korean issue in another phone conversation late on Saturday, Sputnik International reported.

During a previous phone call on Saturday, Lavrov and Kerry have already discussed the fighting in Aleppo.

"Lavrov and Kerry discussed possible joint steps to normalize the situation in Aleppo, as well as work in the UN Security Council on the North Korean issue, and certain aspects of bilateral relations," the statement read.
New Delhi: Lauding India's ratification of the Paris climate deal, green bodies on Sunday said it increases the pressure on rich nations, which have contributed the most to this problem, to reduce emissions and also shows that the country's leaders are standing with the global community in its efforts to tackle climate change.



Noting that the step gives out a clear indication that India both needs urgent action at home and globally, the bodies said that India must make sure that the next steps that will be negotiated really do reflect "fairness and equitable action" for all.



Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that by ratification India has shown itself as a serious global player in the climate negotiations.



"By being in the club of early ratifiers, India has shown itself as a responsible and serious global player in the climate negotiations.



"But ratification is just the beginning of tough and difficult negotiations ahead. India will have to play an important role in making Paris Agreement effective and equitable," said Chandra Bhushan, CSE Deputy Director General.



CSE also noted the Paris Agreement is "weak and not enough" to keep the global average temperatures rise below 2.0 degrees Celsius as compared to the pre-industrial era and developed countries have pledged very low emissions cut targets.



"The Paris deal is weak and erases historical responsibility of the developed countries in addressing climate change. However, there is still enough scope for equity and ambition in the current framework of Paris Agreement. India should strive to bring Equity back into the climate agenda," said Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE.



India today ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a significant push for the deal to enter into force by the end of this year.



The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions have now ratified the accord.



Global research body, World Resources Institute (WRI) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made clear that his actions are driven by the necessity of blunting climate impacts today and for future generations but also the significant economic opportunities for a clean energy future.



"India's leaders are standing shoulder to shoulder with the global community on climate change, a common challenge that unites us all," Manish Bapna, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, WRI told PTI.



WRI Executive Vice President said the country has one of the boldest renewable energy targets in the world, making it destined to be a major player in solar and wind markets.



He said India's ratification comes swiftly after the European Council's vote to have the EU join the Agreement.



"We are now on the verge of entry into force for the Paris Agreement at a pace that is one of the most rapid ever and faster than almost anyone imagined. This is an exciting moment in history as countries ramp up action and work collectively to address this global challenge," Bapna said.



CSE said the rule book for implementation of Paris Agreement is yet to negotiated.



"India should play an important role in issues of adaptation, finance and loss and damage in the upcoming climate talks in Marrakech in Morocco as these issues are important for the poor and vulnerable population of the country," Bhushan said.



Meanwhile, Greenpeace India said it is now essential that India rationalises its energy policy and with India's ratification, the Paris Agreement has edged even closer to the moment where it enters into force.



"I am glad that the Indian government has acted decisively and ratified the Paris agreement, thereby strongly communicating its intention to move quickly to achieve its ambitious renewable energy goals. It is now essential that India rationalises its energy policy," said Greenpeace India Executive Director Ravi Chellam.



He said an analysis done by the body earlier shows that nearly USD 50 billion in scarce resources is currently being sunk to build over 60 GW of idle coal plants that India does not need and can ill-afford.



"This is a colossal waste of scarce resources that would be better used to achieve India's goal of 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022," he said.



He said that the momentum behind this Agreement is a recognition of the danger of climate chaos, to which India is particularly vulnerable and the major emitters which haven't yet ratified must do so promptly.



"All countries must take action now, to meet and go beyond the commitments they have already made, so that the Paris Agreement goes down in history as the moment mankind stared climate catastrophe in the face, and did something significant about it.



"India's ratification increases the pressure on the rich, industrialised countries which have contributed the most to this problem, to raise their level of ambition on both, reduction of emissions and providing finance and technological assistance to developing countries," he said.




New Delhi: After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, rights activist Irom Sharmila now wants to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi expecting "good advice" from him.



She had met Kejriwal on September 26 seeking his advice on how to defeat "major political parties" in her state Manipur.



"Good advice should always be expected. Whether a person is an enemy or a friend, if he has some good views and wants to share it with me, I will take the advice," she told PTI.



She was asked if she would also meet Modi to seek his advice as he was elected with a huge mandate in the general elections.



Sharmila on Friday had addressed Delhi University students at a function organised by the North East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) to commemorate the 120th birth anniversary of Hijam Irabot, a freedom fighter and social activist from Manipur.



Sharmila, who had in the past, expressed her desire to meet Modi to seek his help in the repeal of the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), reiterated her demand saying, "It is possible, I will meet because he is the authority concerned who can fulfill my demand."



The 44-year-old "Iron Lady" had an advice for students as she asked them to stop blaming the society and rather be the change they wish to see.



"Youths, which are the strength of society are the symbol of unity and inspiration. You remain protesting and blaming the society. Instead, you are responsible to help or unite to bring the change you wish to see in the society," she said.



On August 9, Sharmila broke her 16-year-old hunger strike demanding repeal of the AFSPA and announced that she would take her battle to the next level by floating her party as she wants to become the chief minister of Manipur to "press" for the demands.


India has never attacked any country or tried to usurp others territory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, his first comments since India carried out surgical strikes to dismantle terror infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan."India has never coveted any territory, never attacked another country. Yet thousands of Indians gave their lives in World War I," Modi said in a veiled reference to Pakistan, which continues to raise the Kashmir issue at international fora."In the last two years, you have seen how the government rescued people from conflict situations, not just Indians but foreigners too."The Prime Minister made the statement after inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a state-of-the-art complex dedicated to overseas Indians.India is locked in tense stand-off with Pakistan since the September 18 attack on an army base in Uri town of Kashmir which killed 19 soldiers. New Delhi said the attack was carried out by militants from the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group, which is based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir  a claim Islamabad denies.On September 29, a fortnight after Modi said the Uri attack would not go unpunished, Indian forces raided at least five terror launch pads in Pakistan-held territory and inflicted significant casualties at the terror camps.Pakistan, which has faced unprecedented diplomatic isolation since the Uri attack, has accused India of trying to disguise ceasefire violations as surgical strikes. It said two of its soldiers had been killed in the Indian aggression.
United Nations: India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, on Sunday ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a significant push for the deal to enter into force by the end of this year.



Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.



UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded India's "climate leadership", saying India's ratification of the Paris Climate Change agreement moves the world an "important step closer" toward achieving the goal of entering the landmark deal into force this year.



In his message for the International Day of Non-violence, marked every year on Gandhi's birth anniversary, Ban said there is no better way to commemorate Gandhi and his legacy for people and the planet than with India submitting its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.



"I warmly congratulate India for its climate leadership, and for building on the strong momentum we see from all corners of the globe for the agreement to enter into force as quickly as possible this year. India's ratification of the agreement moves the world an important step closer toward achieving that goal," Ban said in the message.



He called on all countries to complete their domestic processes for ratification and also strive in all activities to achieve progress through non-violence.



The UN chief said the commitment to sustainable living that Gandhi emphasised on is reflected in a "momentous way" as India is depositing its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.



"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary, we deposit the instrument of ratification of Paris Agreement on climate change," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.



Akbaruddin had on Friday said that India had played a "key role" in the negotiations and finalisation of the Paris agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a "personal commitment" to the climate deal.


Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the state was the "victim" and not the villain in the Cauvery river water dispute as it was being portrayed by some people.



"Some people at the national and international levels are saying Karnataka is not releasing water to Tamil Nadu. In a way, they are suggesting as if Karnataka is the villain. But, in reality, the state has been the victim and has been meted out injustice," he said.



Addressing a gathering on the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at Gandhi Bhavan, Siddaramaiah said in spite of the distress situation in the Cauvery basin, Karnataka had released a "substantial" quantum of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Supreme Court's earlier direction.



However, the September 30 directive of the apex court had left the state in a difficult situation, he said.



Even though the water in the four Cauvery reservoirs in the state was "inadequate", the state government's first priority was to meet the drinking water requirements of the people of the Cauvery basin, the chief minister said, adding that the state needed to conserve water till 2017.



Meanwhile, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister TB Jayachandra said the government would file a review petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board.



"We are filing a review petition. Of course, the law is there and the Inter-State Water Dispute Act is very clear. It (the board) has to be made by an Act of Parliament," he said.



"I think it has not been submitted by any of the parties before the Supreme Court. I think, this is the ground for us and we will go for a revision," Jayachandra added.



The apex court had directed the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board by October 4.



On September 30, it had taken Karnataka to task for its repeated "defiance" by flouting its orders on water release to Tamil Nadu and giving it a last chance, warning that no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it.



The court had asked Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs of water from October 1 to 6 to Tamil Nadu.



Jayachandra said the government would take further steps only after consultations on the floor of the Assembly.



The Karnataka Cabinet had yesterday decided to convene a legislature session tomorrow for the second time to take a call on the apex court's directive.
Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism. Nepal has always condemned all acts of terror in our own region," the release said.



Pakistan deplores India's decision to impede the SAARC process by not attending the 19th SAARC Summit at Islamabad on 9-10 November 2016," the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.



: NEPAL has announced that the SAARC summit slated to take place in Islamabad next month has been postponed, and in a veiled reference to Pakistan also said that member states should ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross-border terrorism.A press release to this effect issued by the Government of Nepal also said Kathmandu had condemned the terrorist attack on the Indian army base in Uri, Kashmir, last month.Nepal said that it was postponing the 19th SAARC Summit because the "regional environment is not conducive".The host country, Pakistan, has informed the Chair of SAARC of the postponement, the release said. Reminding that an environment of peace and stability was essential for meaningful regional cooperation, Nepal said SAARC nations, among others, should ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross-border terrorism.SAARC member-states India and Bangladesh have long accused Pakistan of promoting cross-border terrorism, and in the wake of the Uri attack, the countries along with Bhutan and Afghanistan had pulled out of the summit.On Friday, Pakistan had announced that it was postponing the summit.It claimed that the spirit of the SAARC Charter is "violated" when a member state casts the shadow of its bilateral problems on the multilateral forum for regional cooperation.Sri Lanka also pulled out of the SAARC Summit on Friday, becoming the fifth country to do so.Citing continuous cross border terrorism by Pakistan, India had announced earlier this week that "in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad."SAARC member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Lahore: A judicial commission constituted by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court will travel to the port city of Karachi next week to examine a boat used by 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists to reach India for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks.



The commission will travel to Karachi on October 6 to examine the boat, Al-Fouz, and will also record the testimony of a witness who saw the vessel being seized at the Karachi Shipyard.



Headed by an ATC judge, the commission includes officials from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the defence counsel and court officials.



The commission was constituted during a hearing into the Mumbai terror attacks case by ATC-Islamabad, which held the hearing at the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, last week as the court heard the boat was used by the terrorists in the attacks in which 166 people were killed and around 300 were injured.



The ATC judge accepted the request by the FIA to send a judicial commission to examine the boat as it was difficult to produce the vessel before the court.



Earlier the Islamabad High Court had set aside the verdict of a trial court of not allowing to send a commission to Karachi terming it "flawed and not in accordance with law" and allowed examination of the boat in the port city.



In May, the prosecution had challenged the trial court's decision to reject its plea to form a commission to examine the boat so that the vessel could be made a "case property".



According to the FIA, the attackers used three boats - including Al Fauz - to reach Mumbai from Karachi.



Al-Fauz is in the custody of Pakistani authorities in Karachi, from where the 10 LeT terrorists armed with AK-47 assault rifles and hand-grenades had left for India on November 23, 2008, to carry out attacks in Mumbai.



En route to their destination, they hijacked another boat, killing four of its crew members. They forced the vessel's captain to take them close to the Indian shores and killed him when the vessel reached Mumbai's coast.



Mastermind and LeT operations commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are accused of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the Mumbai attacks.



Lakhvi is living at an undisclosed location after being released from jail on bail a year ago. The other six suspects are in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.



The case has been underway in the country for more than six years.






Ahmedabad: A Pakistani boat with nine persons on board was on Sunday apprehended off Gujarat coast by the Indian Coast Guard.



ICGS Samudra Pavak apprehended the boat at about 10:15am off Gujarat coast, the Coast Guard said, adding preliminary information indicated those on board were Pakistani fishermen.



Security agencies have been extra cautious in view of the prevailing security scenario following the surgical strike by Indian army on terror camps across the LoC.



Further investigation is on and the apprehended Pakistanis will be quizzed at Porbandar.




New Delhi: Union defence minister Manohar Parrikar has thanked the Opposition parties for supporting the surgical strikes carried out by Indian Army commandoes across the Line of Control into Pakistan in response to the Uri attack.



In his first, exclusive interview after the raids on September 29, Parrikar told CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan that bipartisanship was very important in matters of national security.







Referring to the recent surgical strike against terrorist launchpads along the Line of Control, Parrikar said that the operation was successful.



"The surgical strike along the LoC was successful and Pakistan is nervous post the covert operation," Parrikar added.



Parrikar also assured everyone that there is nothing to worry as far as security is concerned as India is prepared for any eventuality under the leadership of PM Modi.



"The country and its borders are safe under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Parrikar said.



Recalling his mother's wise words in the context of India's preparedness, Parrikar said that, "My mother always told me if you go into a forest hunting for a rabbit, you have to be prepared for a tiger."



Parrikar also backed Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag's decision to remove the Uri Brigade Commander post the attacks on the army camp and said that there must have been "some lapses" and the chief of Army staff may have wanted to conduct an "impartial" probe over the "possible security lapses".



Talking about India-China relations, Parrikar said that they have better since the NDA government took over.



"Relations with China have been better than how they were during the UPA rule and we only intend to improve them over time. Even the border management with China is much better than the previous governments," Parrikar added.



Parrikar also clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi put in enough efforts to improve ties with Pakistan.





On the Rafale deal with France, Parrikar said that he has the asked the French company to speed up supply.



"Rafale deal will help meet India's air power requirement as Rafale is a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft with inbuilt India specific requirements. Rafale deal also has weapons package including the Dassult that will ensure that 75% of Rafale fleet is ready for operations," Parrikar said.



Speaking about India's recent diplomatic moves to corner Pakistan, Parrikar said that diplomatic activity has given India a lot of impetus on combating terrorism.



"We have been able to put across India's POV on terrorism to international community," Parrikar revealed.



Parrikar added that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has promised support to India's defence requirement should the need arise.




Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi can easily be described as the man who bought the might of British empire to its knees during the heydays of Great Britain. He showed the world that the doctrine of non violence is possible and soon his name became synonymous to non-violence. Gandhi is not just an individual but an entire movement that changed the fate of our nation.His journey from a lawyer in South Africa to the Mahatma in India is perhaps nothing short of magic. With his thoughts soaring high and feet on the ground, he transformed lives wherever he went.On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, we bring you 5 quotes that will inspire the leader within you and will motivate you to work for a good cause.
The European Commission called on all parties to the Syrian conflict to back the urgent humanitarian initiative for Aleppo, according to official statement, Sputnik reported.

The European Commission launches a humanitarian initiative for Syria's Aleppo aimed at allowing aid groups to do their work and civilians to be protected, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Christos Stylianides said in a joint statement on Sunday.

"We as the European Union are taking an urgent humanitarian initiative for Aleppo," the statement read. "First, it aims at facilitating the urgent delivery of basic life-saving assistance to civilians in East Aleppo covering medical, water and food needs Second, it aims at ensuring the medical evacuations of wounded and sick from Eastern Aleppo."

The officials called on all parties to the Syrian conflict to back the initiative.

Syria is seeing intensified fighting in the city of Aleppo, after the Syrian army declared an end to the week-long ceasefire on September 23, blaming militants for numerous violations that made the cessation of hostilities unreasonable. Aleppo has been under siege by militant groups, including Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front.
New Delhi: Dark skin is not so beautiful in India - or so it seems from the flourishing business of skin-lightening and whitening creams, demands for "fair and beautiful girls" on matrimonial sites, and mockery of the dusky skin tone.



But those reaching out for skin-lightening solutions beware - experts warn against excessive use of such products and therapies. It can lead to life-long complications, they say.



"Many creams contain steroids and they can cause permanent damage to the skin from long-term use," Kuldeep Singh, Senior Consultant Plastic, Cosmetic and Reconstructed Surgery at Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, said.



He said that healthy skin can be achieved regardless of complexion and that skin treatments cannot lead to lasting or permanent change in complexion.



"Glutathione is a drug which has been advertised all over the Internet as a skin-whitening agent. The truth is that glutathione is a very strong antioxidant present in our body which gets depleted with age or illness. The only scientifically-documented efficacy of glutathione injections is to reduce toxicity of certain anti-cancer drugs.



"The rest is all vague, and not scientifically proven," he added.



Aakriti Kochar, beauty and make-up expert at Oriflame India, pointed out that skin-lightening creams can only lighten the melanin in the skin to a certain extent. "They can't drastically change one's skin colour.



"A lot of factors, depending on the treatment and quality of one's skin, determine the risk factors involved in such treatments. Overdoing these can lead to severe skin problems as melanin is lightened, causing more exposure to sun rays and skin quality might be affected, leading to depleting in layers," Kochar said.



There are many cosmetic brands which endorse skin-lightening and whitening creams, and indulge in blatant marketing to sell them. Of course, there are takers too.



According to market researcher AC Nielsen, in 2010, India's whitening-cream market was worth $432 million (Rs 2,600 crore). In 2012, Indians were said to have consumed 233 tonnes of skin-whitening products.



Two years later, the obsession with "whiteness" scaled a new level when a brand came up with a product designed to "brighten" the vagina.



The skin colour debate has time and again surfaced in the Indian and international cinema market. The latest instance involves acclaimed Indian actress Tannishtha Chatterjee, who has expressed outrage upon facing a "racist attack" on a nationally-televised comedy show, for mocking her dark skin tone.



The actress is especially upset with how this deeply-rooted bias against colour has prevailed over the years.



Blossom Kochhar, Chairperson of the Blossom Kochhar Group of Companies, agreed that even in the 21st century, there seems to be no sign of a decrease in the number of people running after fair skin.



"People do not understand that to look beautiful, you need a glowing, clear and blemish-free skin. Not necessarily fair skin, as it does not symbolise beauty," Kochhar, a veteran in the Indian beauty industry, said.



Stressing that skin-lightening solutions do not make one's skin fair but merely helps in brightening the skin, she added: "We should appreciate beautiful skin and that should not depend on the complexion. One can look beautiful by maintaining a clean and glowing skin by following a proper cleansing, toning, oiling and moisturising (CTOM) regime," she added.



Also, the conditioning needed for people to accept and appreciate people of all skin tones must be done from childhood.



"Any bias in society exists because enough has not been done to remove it. Education should be given from childhood to sensitise everybody not to discriminate against any human being on grounds of skin colour, race, religion, nationality, gender or profession. And this should start from the parents," Kuldeep Singh said.
The impressive figure that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was, he has been a part of several films. Every film has something new to depict - shades of him as a father, a leader, a discriminated-against barrister.On this Gandhi Jayanti, we bring you a list of films, inspired from the life of Mahatma Gandhi, that you can watch today.: This 1982 film depicts Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. The film describes the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi who freed India from the British rule using peaceful means and thus giving hope and inspiration for generations to come. Gandhi took on an Empire with nothing but truth, non-violence and indomitable will as weapons and won. The film won eight Oscars and 26 other film awards, including BAFTA, Grammy, Golden Globe and Golden Guild awards.: The story is a journey of the life of Mahatma Gandhi - his first run in with the British and racial discrimination in Britain, his journey to South Africa and his struggle against Apartheid and his return to India. Rajat Kapoor, who played the title role, won the Silver Lotus Award for Best Actor for the film.: When Saketh Ram's (Kamal Hassan's) wife is raped and killed by rioters, his life changes dramatically and he vows to personally to kill as many Muslims as he can find. He joins a group of Hindu extremists and becomes temporarily taken with the cause himself. When he is persuaded to marry a second time, Saketh Ram begins to settle down but meets a Maharajah (Vikram Gokhale) who manipulates him into committing himself to renouncing his family in the interests of the cause - the assassination of Mahatama Gandhi(played by Naseeruddin Shah).: It is the second film in the popular Munnabhai series. Sanjay Dutt stars as an underworld don, who begins to see the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi(Dilip Prabhavalkar). Through his interactions with the image of Gandhi, Munnabhai begins to practice what he calls Gandhigiri (Satyagraha, non-violence, and truth) to help ordinary people solve their problems. The film had a strong cultural impact in India, popularising Gandhigiri and stirring popular imagination leading to a number of Gandhigiri style protests in India and the US. It was the first Hindi film to be shown in the United Nations. The film won seven awards including Filmfare, Screen and Zee Cine awards and was nominated for many more.: Urmila Matondkar plays Trisha Chaudhury, whose Alzheimers-stricken father (Anupam Kher) starts getting hallucinations that he is the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.: The film is a depiction of a strained relationship between Gandhi and his son. It portrays how Gandhi's first-born, Harilal (played by Akshaye Khanna), didn't inherit his father's brilliance and strayed towards cheating and embezzlement. The story is about the failure of Gandhi as a father to his own son. Shefali Shetty won Best Actress Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for the film.: The Iron Man of India: Vallabhai Patel was born in a wealthy Gujarat-based family and initially did not take part in the freedom struggle, scoffed at Mohandas Gandhi(Annu Kapoor) and referred to him as a Social Worker. But when Mohandas gave a speech in Ahmedabad during 1915, Vallabhai changed his mind, decided to immerse himself in the independence struggle. The film is a biographical epic on Sardar Vallabhai Patel concentrates on the last five years of Sardar's life, from 1945 to 1950 when he emerged on the national scene - a key figure in the freedom struggle and in integrating the nation.: The film depicts the life of Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi's assassin. How Godse planned the assassination is shown in the film. The film reveals in a series of flashbacks how Godse became a Hindu activist who, in his mind, blamed the Mahatma for the killings of thousands of Hindus by Muslims. It is based on a book of the same name by author Stanley Wolpert.
: Filmmaker Karan Johar today began shooting for the upcoming fifth season of his popular celebrity chat show Koffee With Karan.Johar, 44, shared with fans, on Twitter, that he shot the promo of the edition."Started the #koffeewithkaran shoot today... shot the promo! This Season...things are hotting up... @StarWorldIndia," the director tweeted alongside a photo of himself holding the famous "coffee with mug" "(this time yellow in colour).There have been reports that two of Johar's closest people from Bollywood - superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt - will be the first guests on this season.Interestingly, the pair shares screen space in director Gauri Shindey's next, Dear Zindagi.Koffee With Karan, which premiered in 2004, is known for the uninhibited chatter between the host and his celebrity guests that has often led to gossips, spats and controversies in Bollywood
Days after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the surgical strikes on terror launchpads in POK, AICC General Secretary and Rajya Sabha Member Digvijaya Singh called PM Modi and NSA Mr Ajit Doval as 'war mongers';' I see Mr Narendra Modi and Mr Ajit Doval both as war mongers', Mr Singh said, replying to a question on whether India and Pakistan can afford a war.



Digvijaya Singh also said that surgical strikes happened during UPA's term and then the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took opposition parties and leaders into confidence and asked them not to publicize the issue because, 'what was more important for the prime minister was peace between Pakistan and India so that India's economic growth is not hampered'. Singh also pointed out that while the BJP has told it's people not to indulge in chest-thumping, 'the chest thumping is done by Amit Shah and down the line'.



The veteran Congress leader spoke exclusively to CNN News18's Rupashree Nanda.



Full text of the interview





CNN News18: The NDA Government and the Army have said that the surgical strikes were hugely successful and even though BJP has told it's people not to indulge in chest thumping, a little bit of that has already begun. We have heard the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh saying that the Prime Minister now has a 100 inch chest. How would you react to this?



Digvijaya Singh: First of all let me congratulate brave soldiers who have gone through the surgical strikes. How successful it was, I think we have to believe what they are claiming. I don't want to dispute that. But these kind of strikes have taken place earlier also. The only difference is this chest thumping and this media going overboard never happened earlier because earlier prime minister thought that these were issues that are best left to be tackled by the army and the defense forces. There was never an instance where the PM said no to an army offensive or,said no to a surgical strike. Intact there were number is instances where surgical strikes took place but what was more important for the prime minister was peace between Pakistan and India so that India's economic growth is not hampered. What has now happened? Ok the BJP may say please don't do chest thumping. But the chest thumping is done by Amit Shah and down the line. Whether prime minister has got has 56 inches, 100 inches or 100 yards we are not interested. What we are interested is , is the welfare of the people. And the welfare of the people of this country is in the hands of the Government of India and they have to not only provide security but also growth, economic prosperity which is most important.



CNN News18: What do you think should be the next step of the Government of India? Should it move to de-escalate tension, should it engage in diplomatic moves also in order to put pressure on Pakistan or should it build pressure by threatening more surgical strikes? What is the way forward for the Government of India now?



Digvijaya Singh: In matters of security it is best left to the wisdom of the Government which has got the mandate. The Congress party never indulges in petty politics which Mr Narendra Modi and BJP used to indulge in when UPA was in power. We don't indulge in such petty politics. The best thing is to allow the Government of India which is privy to lot of information which we are not. So let them take decision. What is most important is to have peace and prosperity for the people of India.



CNN News18: In fact Cong VP surprised many by applauding the role of Prime Minister in the context of the surgical strikes. But when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister during the UPA regime and Mr Modi was the Chief Minister then, he was scathing in his criticism. Why was that? Is it because Congress party as you said never claimed that it went ahead did these surgical strikes? Could it not manage perceptions?



Digvijaya Singh: Let me also put it on record, every time a surgical strike took place, the then Prime Minister took the then opposition leaders, opposition parties into confidence but he asked them not to publicize it because obvious reasons which I have already said. Now this is the basic difference between BJP and Congress party. Congress party never does petty politics in matters of India's security and also at the same time on issues where the peace and prosperity of the country is at stake. Unfortunately, Mr Narendra Modi has come through a process where chest thumping and Muslim baiting and Pakistan baiting has been his USP. This is the difference between the extreme right wing religious fundamentalist party and the Congress party which is left, liberal, modern party.



CNN News18: Is war an option? A lot of people are talking about it. Can India and Pakistan afford a war? Is it ever a solution?



Digvijaya Singh: We have had number of wars with China and Pakistan, Pakistan in particular. Ultimately, what has been the result? We have lost so many people and both countries have suffered. Although let us also remember the leadership of Mrs Indira Gandhi who through her decisive leadership not only succumbed to the then US pressure and divided the country, East Pakistan, West Pakistan into Pakistan and Bangladesh but, at the same time , both countries have continued with discussion and talks. War should always be the last option. I see Mr Narendra Modi and Mr Ajit Doval both as war mongers. BJP is basically right wing fundamentalist party which believes in chest thumping. What this country needs is liberal, modern thinking who understands global international politics and it is only through peaceful means it can go ahead. Let us not forget both India and Pakistan are Nuclear powers. And it does not help anyone, either of these two countries to go beyond a point.



CNN News18: Going through the twitter handle, u have asked for accountability of defence minister. Are you asking for his resignation? Are you asking him to be answerable in some other way?



Digvijaya Singh: Member Well the Brigadier commanding Uri has been transferred. There have been instances for the Congress party - Lal Bahadur Shashtri ji - it is his birthday today, he today - he resigned on issue of railway accident, Madhav Rao Scindia resigned on issue of Air accident. Shivraj Patil resigned after 26/11 took place. I am only appealing to his conscience.



CNN News18: Coming to Cauvery issue - it is an issue which is threatening to go out of control, and your Government has said consistently that it is not going to listen to the Supreme Court's orders. Is it going to take a political overtone now?



Digvijaya Singh: First of all, let me put it on record that the Government of Karnataka has followed every decision of honorable Supreme Court in this case...the first two orders we have complied with. The third order there was a problem. There is a severe drought in the catchment area of the KRS and also the KRS is the source of drinking water for Bangalore, one of the most important cities, it is almost like an international city of India. So when there is no water what can we give? Globally, water policies have a common thread that the first right for any availability of water is for drinking purposes. Only after that the surplus water it should be given for irrigation. On that principle the Government called all political parties and passed an unanimous resolution and had decided that we should request the honorable Supreme Court to review their decision and also should not ignore the availability of water. We are not against the judicial system. We are a law abiding system. We believe in the Constitution, we believe in the Law. But the honorable Supreme Court should also not create a situation where the unanimous resolution of the assembly is not even taken note of. At the same time, don't forget that ex Prime Minister Mr Deve Gowda has gone hunger strike..



CNN News18: The Supreme Court would say it has passed order and they are not complied with and...



Digvijaya Singh: Order on the basis of what? The supervisory committee appointed by the Supreme Court had said give only 3000 cusecs. They increased it to 6000 cusecs. On what basis? Should they not explain that in their order?



CNN News18: How do you see the conflict getting resolved? It is a question of two states?



Digvijaya Singh: Well I would appeal to both the Governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to see reason. The first right should be for drinking water and if there is surplus water for irrigation purpose the Government should release it.



CNN News18: Will you move an Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court?



strong>Digvijaya Singh: Well this is what I have spoke with the honorable Chief Minister. He has called for a meeting of the Assembly tomorrow. They would reconsider the present circumstances and the SLP is being filed tomorrow.




Mumbai: Expelled RSS leader Subhash Velingkar launched a new political party on Sunday called Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) with an avowed aim of defeating BJP in the imminent polls to the Goa state Assembly.



"99 per cent of RSS workers in Goa are strongly against the BJP and these workers will not be neutral this election, they will actively campaign against the BJP," Velingkar told News18 after launching his party on Sunday.



The development comes weeks after Velingkar was relieved from his post in the RSS for speaking out against the BJP leadership, particularly former Goa CM and Union defence minister Manohar Parikkar. The Velingkar-led Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) had also shown black flags to BJP chief Amit Shah during the latter's visit to the state last month.



The BBSM, a regional languages front has accused the BJP of reneging on its electoral promise of making Konkani/Marathi the medium of instruction in the states schools as also the withdrawal of state grants to English medium primary schools.



Velingkar told News18 it wasn't an exaggeration when he claimed 'the BJP will be trounced in the upcoming elections.



"There is deep anti-incumbency, we tour every taluka, we know the pulse of the people", Velingkar claimed.



Reacting to the development Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who had taken over the states reins from Parrikar said, "It is natural that more the number of smaller parties, it will help the ruling party win the election. I welcome all such new political parties".



Meanwhile Velingkar confirmed to News18 that an electoral understand with the Shiv Sena is almost a certainty. The rebel RSS leader also revealed that he wouldn't have floated a political party had the Mahatarshtrawadi Gomantak Party ( MGP), an ally of the BJP agreed to break away from the alliance.



"We had told them we would back them fully. But they wanted to wait till the notification of elections in December. Even now we have said that if they break with the BJP we can reach an electoral understanding", he said.


Paris: France on Sunday welcomed India's ratification of the Paris climate change agreement on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, saying the decision "brings us closer" to the coming into force of the pact before the end of the year.



India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a significant push for the deal to enter into force by the end of this year.



"The President of the Republic (Francois Hollande) welcomes the ratification of the Paris Agreement by India, on this symbolic day commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday," a Communique issued by the French Presidency said.



"This decision, coming after the decision of the Environment Ministers of the European Union, brings us closer to the entry into force of the Paris agreement before the end of the year," it said.



French President Hollande recalled that India played a key role in the adoption of this agreement in December 2015.



India also launched, with France, the International Solar Alliance, which will contribute to the realisation of the objectives of the Paris agreement by facilitating access to solar energy.



Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.



The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions have now ratified the accord.


Budapest: Muslims in Hungary say they are wary of the government's anti-migrant referendum this weekend, which polls suggest has boosted xenophobic feelings.



The government, contending that there is a direct link between migrants and terrorism, is seeking a popular mandate in Sunday's vote for its opposition to accepting any mandatory European Union quotas for resettling asylum seekers.



"I'm starting to feel that my own homeland is repudiating me," says Timea Nagy, a Hungarian Muslim.



Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said Hungarians have "no problems" with the local Muslim community, but he believes any EU quotas to relocate asylum seekers, including many Muslims, would destroy Hungary's Christian identity and culture.



Orban hopes that a rejection of EU quotas in the referendum will be mimicked by others and force Brussels to reconsider the scheme.



A poll taken in August by the Publicus Institute for the Vasarnapi Hirek newspaper found 35 percent of the 1,000 people asked said it was obligatory to help refugees, down from 64 percent in September 2015.



Some 5,600 Muslims live in Hungary, according to the 2011 census, the latest available.



On Friday, about 30 people took part in a "Muslims living among us" walking tour in a Budapest neighborhood, an effort to counter prejudice.



"In the past year, especially since the migrant crisis is causing tension in Hungarian society, this is one of our most popular walks," said tour guide Anna Lenard. "We present Hungarian Muslim communities and try to show their human face because people living here get a lot of false information from the media."



The tour in the city's so-called "New Buda" neighborhood stretching to the Danube River includes stops in several shops and mosques, as well as presentations and chats by community leaders.



"We could say that this (referendum) campaign is against the migrants but in reality it is covertly against Islam, that's how people mostly understood it," said Tayseer Saleh, imam of the Darusallam Mosque.



"We do not support the migrants coming to Europe," Saleh said. "We support putting an end to the problems there and I guarantee that 90 percent of the people will return to their homeland."



Government billboards and media ads have drawn a direct link between migration and terrorism, warned Hungarians that millions more migrants may soon be headed for Europe and asserted that cases of harassment of women in Europe have risen greatly since the start of the migrant crisis.



Speaking last September at a meeting of Hungarian diplomats, Orban said the Muslims in Hungary were a "valuable asset" and wanted to avoid causing "awkward situations, even at the verbal level" for them.



"We are truly glad that there are kebab shops on our avenues. We like buying lamb from Syrian butchers at Easter," Orban said. "We are going to honor this Muslim community in Hungary, but we don't want their proportion to grow suddenly."



Local Muslims said the problems they faced in light of the government's referendum campaign were far beyond awkward.



"I consider myself a good Hungarian and I want to be one, too," Timea Nagy said. "But if people are surrounded by this kind of propaganda and they are so impressionable, it often makes you wonder."


Kingston: Hurricane Matthew, a potentially devastating Category 4 storm, swirled across the Caribbean on Sunday toward Haiti and Jamaica, where residents frantically stocked up on emergency supplies and authorities urged people to evacuate threatened areas.



Matthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history and briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane here since Felix in 2007.



The latest projections show Matthew's center likely to strike the southwestern tip of Haiti tomorrow. A hurricane warning has been issued for the impoverished country which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.



Deforestation has greatly increased the potential for devastating floods and landslides on Haiti and the country's ramshackle homes and buildings are vulnerable to storms.



After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba late tomorrow, potentially making a direct hit on the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, where authorities said they were evacuating non-essential personnel, including about 700 family members of those serving there.



Everyone remaining behind was being told to take shelter, said Julie Ann Ripley, a spokeswoman. There are about 5,500 people living on the base, including 61 men held at the detention center.



The forecast track would also carry Matthew into the Bahamas, with an outside chance of a brush with Florida, though that would be several days away.



"It's too early to rule out what impacts, if any, would occur in the United States and Florida," said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman at the Hurricane Center.



In Haiti, civil protection officials broadcast warnings of a coming storm surge and big waves, saying the country would be "highly threatened" from the approaching system, and they urged people to prepare emergency food and water kits.



Emergency management authorities banned boating, particularly along the southern coastline.



In Jamaica, flooding temporarily closed the road linking the capital to its airport. Carl Ferguson, head of the marine police, said people were starting to heed calls to relocate from small islands and areas near rural waterways.



In the coastal town of Port Royal, officials urged residents to seek refuge in government shelters and people in the capital, Kingston, crowded supermarkets to buy bottled water, canned food, flashlights and batteries.
Beirut: Russia warned the United States on Saturday against carrying out any attacks on Syrian government forces, saying it would have repercussions across the Middle East as government forces captured a hill on the edge of the northern city of Aleppo under the cover of airstrikes.



Meanwhile, airstrikes on Aleppo struck a hospital in the eastern rebel-held neighbourhood of Sakhour on Saturday, putting it out of service, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees. They said at least one person was killed in the airstrike.



Russian news agencies quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that a US intervention against the Syrian army "will lead to terrible, tectonic consequences not only on the territory of this country but also in the region on the whole."



She said regime change in Syria would create a vacuum that would be "quickly filled" by "terrorists of all stripes".



US-Russian tensions over Syria have escalated since the breakdown of a ceasefire last month, with each side blaming the other for its failure. Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched a major onslaught on rebel-held parts of Aleppo.



Syrian troops pushed ahead in their offensive in Aleppo on Saturday capturing the strategic Um al-Shuqeef hill near the Palestinian refugee camp of Handarat that government forces captured from rebels earlier this week, according to state TV. The hill is on the northern edge of the Aleppo, Syria's largest city and former commercial center.



The powerful ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham militant group said rebels regained control Saturday of several positions they lost in Aleppo in the Bustan al-Basha neighbourhood.



State media said 13 people were wounded when rebels shelled the central government-held neighbourhood of Midan.



In the rebel-held portion of Aleppo, opposition activist Ahmad Alkhatib described the hospital, known as M10, as one of the largest in Aleppo. He posted photographs on his Twitter account showing the damage including beds covered with dust, a hole in its roof and debris covering the street outside.



A doctor at the hospital told the Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, that thousands of people were treated in the compound in the past adding that two people were killed in Saturday's airstrikes and several were wounded.



"A real catastrophe will hit medical institutions in Aleppo if the direct shelling continues to target hospitals and clinics," said the doctor whose name was not given. He said the whole hospital is out of service.



Opposition activists have blamed the President Bashar Assad's forces and Russia for airstrikes that hit Civil Defense units and clinics in the city where eastern rebel-held neighborhoods are besieged by government forces and pro-government militiamen.



On Friday, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders demanded that the Syrian government and its allies "halt the indiscriminate bombing that has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians_many of them children," over the past week in Aleppo.



"Bombs are raining from Syria-led coalition planes and the whole of east Aleppo has become a giant kill box," said Xisco Villalonga, director of operations for the group. "The Syrian government must stop the indiscriminate bombing, and Russia as an indispensable political and military ally of Syria has the responsibility to exert the pressure to stop this."



It said from Sept. 21 to 26, hospitals still functioning in Aleppo reported receiving more than 822 wounded, including at least 221 children, and more than 278 dead bodies_including 96 children_according to the Directorate of Health in east Aleppo.



Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom criticized attacks on civilian targets writing on her Twitter account: "Unacceptable to bomb civilians, children and hospitals in #Aleppo. No humanity. Assad & Russia moving further away from peace."



In the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, warplanes of the US-led coalition destroyed several bridges on the Euphrates river, according to Syrian state news agency SANA and Deir el-Zour 24, an activist media collective. The province is a stronghold of the Islamic State group.



SANA said that among the bridges destroyed was the Tarif Bridge that links Deir el-Zour with the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the extremists' de facto capital.




Madrid: Spain's Socialists have voted against party leader Pedro Sanchez in a move that seeks to end the party's internal divisions and possibly resolve the country's nine months of political deadlock.



After more than 10 hours of debate, Sanchez was defeated 132-107 in a vote Saturday. He immediately announced his resignation as party leader, saying it was "a great pride and an honor" to serve.



Sanchez had led the Socialists in blocking conservative Mariano Rajoy of the rival Popular Party from building a minority government. His departure could end months of political gridlock in Spain, as the new Socialist leadership may be more agreeable to letting Rajoy form a coalition government.



In an attempt to force Sanchez to resign, 17 of the party's 38-member executive committee had resigned Wednesday. Still, Sanchez supporters gathered outside party headquarters in Madrid on Saturday, chanting his name.



His successor is unclear. The party plans to use a temporary governing committee for now.



Spain has been led for decades by either the conservatives or the Socialists and has never had a coalition government. An inconclusive election last December saw the rise of other parties, and another national election in June did not resolve the question of who should lead the country.



Rajoy has been leading a caretaker government. His conservative Popular Party won the most seats in both elections but needs the support or abstention of other parties to form a government.



The 137-year-old Socialist party is reeling from losses in the Galician and Basque regional elections last month and its worst-ever results in the last two national elections.



One analyst said the only winner in the political stalemate is Rajoy.



"The Spanish left is broken. There is no alternative to a Popular Party-led cabinet," said Antonio Barroso of the Teneo Intelligence political risk consulting group. "If Rajoy is not appointed PM before 31 October, new elections will only strengthen his party further and make his re-election more likely."


The Turkish prime minister accused the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO, of perpetrating rumors of a possibility of second coup attempt, Anadolu reported.

There will be a new [coup] attempt, it will be tonight, [they] will come tomorrow Those are a pack of lies to create unrest in the society, Binali Yildirim said, accusing Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO of being behind the rumors.

Speaking to reporters during a reception to mark the new legislative term of the Turkish parliament, Yildirim said that the government was taking all the necessary measures to prevent any such attempt.

Yildirim's remarks came after several media reports claimed that the government feared a second coup attempt.

He said those who would try to plot another coup attempt would pay a price higher than those who organized the one on July 15.

Turkeys government blames FETO for the deadly July 15 defeated coup in the country. At least 241 people were martyred in the failed coup, which the government has said was organized by followers of Fethullah Gulen, the head of FETO.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.
Ankara: Turkey's parliament on Saturday overwhelmingly approved a one-year extension of an existing mandate to use Turkish troops abroad in Syria and Iraq.



The mandate was first approved by parliament in October 2014 and was renewed for another year in September 2015.



It allows military action in Turkey's two southern neighbours against Islamic State jihadists and other groups deemed by Ankara to be terror organisations.



Using the existing mandate, Turkey on August 24 launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria dubbed Euphrates Shield to back pro-Ankara rebels fighting IS jihadists and a Kurdish militia.



Ankara is also believed to have an unspecified number of troops in the Bashiqa camp outside IS- controlled Mosul in northern Iraq involved in training Iraqi fighters who plan to recapture the city.



The bill passed easily on the first day of the new session of parliament with support from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), secular opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).



Only the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) voted against.



According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the new mandate will run until October 30, 2017.



In his speech marking the opening of parliament, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the initial goal of the Syria operation was to create a "safe area free of terror organisations" some 5,000 square kilometres in size.



Erdogan hailed the results of the operation so far in the Syrian town of Jarabulus, saying its population had expanded from 2,000 to 40,000 since being captured from IS jihadists.



As well as targeting the jihadists, the operation is also aimed against Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia which Ankara regards as a terror group.



Erdogan said he believed that Mosul could be taken from IS but warned Baghdad and Turkey's Western allies that Ankara had to be involved in any operation and included in the decision-making process.



"Turkey cannot be left off the table. The others don't have such a border (with Iraq). They may want us to stay as spectators but that decision is also going to be made here."



In December, Turkey said it had sent up to 300 troops to Bashiqa camp to protect Turkish military personnel involved in training Iraqi fighters.




Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Conservancy established near McArthur Lake October 1, 2016 Photo The Nature Conservancy View from the McArthur Lake East Forest Legacy Project In an area recognized as one of the regions most important wildlife linkage zones and one of Idahos highest priority areas for benefiting forest-based markets, approximately 5,568 acres of forestland has been permanently conserved to benefit wildlife, local economies, clean water and recreation.



These forests, located east of McArthur Lake between Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry, were placed under conservation easements in September. The conservation easements were conveyed to the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) through a partnership between The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC, on behalf of clients, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service.



Conservation easements are voluntary and legally binding agreements that compensate landowners for limiting certain uses, such as development and subdivision, while still retaining private ownership.



Conservation easements and the Forest Legacy Program keep private working forests working, said Karen Sjoquist, IDL Forest Legacy Program Coordinator. The continued use, protection, and sustainability of these forests provide local jobs while protecting the social and environmental values that forests provide.



Molpus believes that private working forests provide environmental, economic and social benefits to meet the needs of present and future generations. Molpus, committed to sustainable forestry and sound stewardship practices, manages these forestlands to adhere to Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards. This initiative is based on principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and forests with exceptional conservation value.



We are proud to work with The Nature Conservancy and the public agency partners to dedicate these properties as working forests into perpetuity. Our commitment to manage these properties on a sustainable basis benefits long-term timber production, wildlife, and recreation, said Ken Sewell, Chief Operating Officer of Molpus.



The conserved lands are located within the McArthur Lake Wildlife Corridor, an area of Idaho nationally recognized for its scenic beauty, outdoor recreation and wildlife. By protecting this area from development, the project allows for permanent public access for activities such as hiking, hunting and berry picking.



These lands in the McArthur Lake linkage area provide tremendous conservation value for native wildlife species while also maintaining jobs in the local communities, said Toni Hardesty, State Director for the Conservancy in Idaho. We thank Molpus and their clients for their shared vision for this land to support the economy and wildlife in North Idaho.



Funding for the project came through the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, and from Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Conservancy. The program seeks to protect working forests  those that support the natural resources economy while protecting water quality, providing habitat, opportunities for recreation and other public benefits.



We are conserving wildlife habitat while providing access for hunting and other outdoor activities, Idaho Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore said. This easement is a win-win for the people of Idaho and its wildlife.



Janet Valle with the U.S. Forest Service noted, The Forest Legacy Program is a partnership with the State, landowners and partners to protect important forest lands and provide economic and resource values for future generations. We are grateful for the landowners and partners commitment and hard work to protect Idahos privately owned forest lands.



Forest Legacy funds originate from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, royalties paid by energy companies drilling for oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf. The revenues from the depletion of one natural resource support the conservation of another precious resource  our land and water.



Legacy funds are used for forest conservation throughout the United States and Idaho receives project grants through a nationally competitive process. IDL is working with other landowners in the McArthur Lake and Hall Mountain areas of Boundary County and at Clagstone Meadows in Bonner County. Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail!
Turkey's parliament passed a motion on Saturday to extend a mandate that allows military action against terror organizations in neighboring Syria and Iraq for one more year.

The parliament convened on Saturday, on the first day of a new parliamentary session to discuss the current mandate which expires on Oct. 2.

Under the new motion, the Turkish government is authorized military action in Syria and Iraq to fight any group threatening the country. The measure will be in effect until Sept. 30, 2017.

Speaking earlier, Defense Minister Fikri Isik said the mandate would enable Turkey to take all kinds of necessary measures against terrorist threats and security risks within the framework of international law.

"The extension of the mandate will support the government's ongoing actions to end terror threats permanently and will be a dissuasive factor against terrorist groups Daesh and PKK," Isik said.

The current mandate allows military incursions into Syria and Iraq against a threat to Turkey and allows foreign forces to use Turkish territory for possible operations against the same threats including Daesh, and the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Turkey and the EU.
Special treatment for Laventille teachers

SIP will focus on the development of 20 primary and five secondary schools located in the greater Laventille area. The project will focus on areas such as improving literacy and numeracy skills of students; infrastructural upgrades to schools, increased safety and security and enhancing parenting skills.

Noting there is discussion in some quarters of society about a dress code for school teachers, the Prime Minister said, Im not interested in the shirt and pants dress code. I am interested in something that will identify a teacher..saying I am a Laventille teacher. Rowley said he will judge the success of SIP when, teachers in the Laventille schools are proud to tell TTUTA and the rest of the national community that I am a Laventille teacher...

teaching in a Laventille school and do that with pride. He said further evidence of that success would be parents in Laventille being able to tell their friends with pride, they are pleased and happy to send their children to the schools in their neighbourhood. Rowley said because of the nature of the problems in Laventille and because, this Government believes that special problems require special solutions...the Government will look at special treatment for the teachers in the Laventille district. Observing the assignment for teachers in Laventille differs from those of teachers in other communities, Rowley said it is not acceptable for these teachers, to come to school in the morning possibly late...leave in the afternoon possibly early and not come back. He explained students were successful in rural schools and in difficult environments because of those teachers, who went beyond the call of duty. Rowley also said in secondary schools, Government will do what it can to, reactivate and push the school board arrangement. The Prime Minister also appealed to parents in Laventille and across the nation to be more involved in the parent teacher associations. He said parents must prepare their children at home for what they will learn in school and religious leaders in communities across TT also have a role to play in improving education.

Rowley also said he empathised with children in Laventille who face the threat of crime and recalled how he felt as a young boy in Mason Hall, Tobago, when he learnt of someone being murdered in the village.

He told his audience that to this day, he could remember that feeling
CAL cancels 14 flights

In a media release yesterday the carrier announced the flights had been cancelled for today and tomorrow to a number of destinations from Norman Manley International, Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica to Bahamas, Fort Lauderdale, New York, Trinidad and Canada. Two flights also had earlier times today: BW 414 from Piarco, Trinidad to Kingston, Jamaica will depart Piarco at 7.50 am (local time) and BW 415, from Kingston, Jamaica to Piarco, Trinidad will depart Jamaica at 11 am (local time).

Caribbean Airlines reported that is has activated its call out plan to contact customers travelling on these services. However, customers are advised to keep checking flight information on the website www.caribbean-airlines.com or to contact the Caribbean Airlines call centers.

Caribbean Airlines thanks its valued customers for their support and understanding at this time, but the circumstances leading to the flight disruptions are completely outside of the control of the airline, the airline noted.
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Littlefeather Raises Eyebrows IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
(Newser)  Sperm banks are keeping up with the times, and it's driving some people crazy. Back in the old days (say, the dark ages of the 1990s), those on the hunt for the perfect sperm donor had the time-sucking task of flipping through binders of prospective donors to weed out the ones that didn't fit the bill. But now, thanks to the London Sperm Bank, you can seek out the perfect babydaddy on a free app reminiscent of Tinder, reports Quartz, meaning it's now that much easier to filter potential donors by occupation, ethnicity, religion, and yes, hair and eye color. "How much further can we go in the trivialization of parenthood?" the director of pro-life group Comment on Reproductive Ethics tells the Times. "Its digital dads. This is the ultimate denigration of fatherhood."

"It seems like a natural progression," argues Julia Sklar, who was herself conceived via IVF and a sperm donor, at MIT Technology Review. It "makes sense that as our ability to help parents conceive evolves, so too does the technology we use to find sperm donors." Filters were being applied before; now they're just being made with technological efficiency, goes the argument. It's also legal, with the British Andrology Society, British Fertility Society and Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority vetting every donor on the app to ensure healthy, viable sperm. And with 25,000 vials in the bank, users can create a wish list to be notified of samples that fit their criteria. The cost of ordering sperm is about $1,200, be it through the app, online, or at the bank itself. (Not all perfect donors are as they seem.)
Turkish police have arrested the brother of Fetullah Gulen, accused by the government of plotting the July 15 deadly coup attempt, Anadolu reported.

Kutbettin Gulen was detained in Turkeys western Izmir province on charges of "being member of an armed terrorist organization".

Anti-terror police started searching for him in the Gaziemir district of the province after receiving intelligence the suspect was staying at a relative's house.

Previously, Kutbettin Gulen was dismissed from a printing house operating under Kaynak Holding after the state appointed trustees to the company in 2015 for its links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Led by Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of organizing the defeated coup as well as a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Turkey has repeatedly asked the U.S. to extradite Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.
(Newser)  When Navy Cmdr. Patrick Dunn died in the attack at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, he left behind a wife who would give birth to their daughter seven months later. Now, 15 years after his death, CNN reports that Dunn's widow, Stephanie DeSimone, is suing the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the first such lawsuit to go forward since Congress overrode President Obama's veto of a bill that allows Americans to sue foreign governments for terrorism. "Absent the support provided by the Kingdom, al Qaeda would not have possessed the capacity to conceive, plan, and execute the September 11th attacks," DeSimone's lawsuit, which also lists her daughter as a plaintiff, reads. It says the victims suffered "severe and permanent personal injuries." Hundreds more such suits are set to go forward as early as Monday, notes RT. (Read more 9/11 attacks stories.)
New Delhi:

India is all set to ratify the Paris climate deal on Sunday, with President Pranab Mukherjee giving his assent to a proposal approved earlier by the government, making India one of the key countries to help bring the pact into force.



We will ratify the Paris deal in the UN tomorrow (October 2). The President has signed it. The Union Cabinet has already approved it, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told reporters in New Delhi.



He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced on September 25 that India will ratify it on October 2 on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.



This (decision) was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a message...India is fast becoming a super power, Dave said.



Call it international pressure or a sort of competition, this morning European Union has also decided to ratify it, which is a good thing, Dave said.



The Union Cabinet had given its nod to ratifying the Paris climate deal on September 28, days after Modi announced this at BJPs National Council meet in Kozhikode. The move is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming.



Indias ratification on Sunday will further underline its responsive leadership, which is committed to global cause of environment. The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.



So far, 61 countries have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval accounting in total for 47.79 per cent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions.



Indias decision to ratify the agreement will take the number of cumulative level of emission of countries that have ratified the agreement so far to 51.89 per cent as its total emissions is 4.1 per cent of the global emissions.



Dave said after EU has decided to ratify it, the total emissions amongst countries which have ratified the agreement will go up to 61 per cent.



Paris Agreement was adopted by 185 nations last year on December 12 and India signed it in New York on April 22 this year. A total of 191 countries have signed the Paris Agreement so far.

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New Delhi:

Pakistan Army has reportedly denied the knowledge of Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chavan, the Indian Army soldier who inadvertently crossed the Line of Control.



According to a report in Pakistani newspaper Dawn, The Indian Army, in a communication with the Pakistan Armys military operations directorate, asked for the release of Chavan as it believes he is in Pakistani custody.



The Pakistani military operations directorate, in its reply, expressed ignorance about the whereabouts of Chavan, the report said. The contact took place at the level of duty officers and the Indian side was told the soldier was being traced.

Also read: Who is Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chavan?



The Indian Army reiterated on Saturday that Chavan had inadvertently strayed across the LoC and was being held captive by the Pakistan Army. A senior official said the Indian director general of military operations had taken up the matter with his Pakistani counterpart.

Soon after the Indian side said that Chavan had mistakenly cross the LoC, Reuters had quoted two unnamed Pakistani officials in Chhamb sector as saying that the soldier was captured with weapons at 1.30pm local time on Thursday.



Under a bilateral arrangement, soldiers who inadvertently cross the LoC are handed over to their side. However, the level of tensions between the two countries, particularly after the Indian claims about surgical strikes, precludes any possibility of cooperation, the Dawn reported.

Also read: Grandmother of jawan, captured by Pakistani soldiers, dies





Do you think Govt is doing enough to bring captured Indian soldier back safely from Pakistan?

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New Delhi:

The Rashtriya Rifles, a force which was created in 1990 to fight terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, has complemented the security forces operating in the state to the hilt.

The counter insurgency force is made up of soldiers from other parts of the Indian army. It can also be described as a crack force whose main job is to neutralize terrorists at high altitudes. Further, RR works under the authority of Ministry of Defence.

The last decade of the 20th century, the 1990s was brutal for Jammu and Kashmir as separatists and terrorists had gained ground in the state. Insurgency had gripped the countryside as Pakistan backed terror groups wreaked havoc in the valley.

In such a situation, Rashtriya Rifles played a huge role in counter insurgency operations and was instrumental in breaking the backbone of militancy.

An attack on 46 Rashtriya Rifles by Pak terrorists on Sunday (October 2) is likely to elicit a stern response from India, especially as it came exactly a fortnight after the Uri terror attacks and only four days after Indian Army conducted surgical strikes against seven terror launchpads in Pakistan ocupied Kashmir. In Sunday's attack two terrorists were killed while one BSF jawan losts his life.

Watch: Suicide attack on BSF, army camp in Baramullah, one jawan killed, 2 terrorists shot dead

Sepoy Chandu Babula Chavan, who served with 37 Rashtriya Rifles had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control after surgical strikes by India in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. He is still being held captive by the Pakistan army due to heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Indian government is trying its best to bring the soldier back.

Bring Back Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chavan Safe: News Nation launches campaign for his speedy rescue

Do you think Govt is doing enough to bring captured Indian soldier back safely from Pakistan?

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The surgical strikes by Indian army across the LoC to inflict damage on terror launch pads were executed by the brave Para Commandos of the Parachute regiment of the Indian army. Whenever an operation of this nature has to be carried out the 'Special Forces' units of the armed forces have accomplished their mission assigned with clinical precision.

The Parachute regiment is considered one the elite regiments of the Indian army as the nature of covert operations they carry out are highly unconventional and difficult to execute.

The Indian army also has one of the best special Forces in the world. The Parachute regiment of the army has special forces battalions who have been considered the best in their class .

Para (Special Forces) is a special forces unit of the Indian Army which is tasked with missions such as special operations, direct action, hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, counter-proliferation, counter- insurgency, seek and destroy and personnel recovery.

PARACHUTE REGIMENT

Role: Airborne Infantry and Special Forces

Type of Units: Special forces, Airborne

Regimental Colours: Maroon and Sky Blue

Regimental Center: Bangalore

Motto: Shatrujeet

Regiment Insignia: An open parachute with wings spread out and a dagger placed upright, between the wings

Battle honours: Shelatang, Naushera, Poonch, Jhanger, Hajipir, Poongli Bridge, Mandhol, and Chachro

History:

The parachute units of the Indian Army are among the oldest airborne units in the world. The Indian Parachute Regiment was formed on 1st March 1945, consisting of four battalions and an equal number of independent companies. Despite the performance in Operation Dracula, the Indian Parachute Regiment was disbanded in late 1945 as part of the reduction and restructuring of the postwar British Indian Army.

After independence, the airborne division was divided between the armies of India and newly formed Pakistan, with India retaining 50th and 77th brigades while Pakistan took possession of the 14th Parachute Brigade.

Para (SF) personnel, like other parachute troops in the Indian military, wear a maroon beret. In addition, they wear a Special Forces tab on each shoulder. Personnel who serve in the Para (SF) are allowed to wear the Balidaan (Sacrifice) patch on their right pocket below the name plate, which is similar to the SAS beret insignia; only para commandos are allowed to wear the patch.

Operations: Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Operation Blue Star, Operation Cactus, Operation Pawan, Kashmiri hostage taking 1995, Kargil War (1999), Operation Rakshak, Operation Khukri

It is noteworthy that In 1999, nine out of ten parachute battalions were deployed for OP Vijay in Kargil, which bears testimony to the operational profile of the regiment.

While elements of the parachute brigade (6 PARA & 7 PARA ) cleared the Mushkoh Valley intrusions, 5 Para was actively involved in the forgotten sector Batalik, where it exhibited great courage and tenacity, and was awarded the COAS unit citation.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit back at Pakistan saying that India has never coveted territory. Speaking after the inauguration of Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi, PM Modi said, India has never attacked another country, Pakistan was responsible for all four wars against India.

India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for any territory. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 1.5 lakh Indian soldiers had laid down their lives fighting for others, the Prime Minister said at the inaugural ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a modern complex dedicated to overseas Indians here.

His statement came days after the Indian armys surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control as also in the backdrop of Pakistans constant clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international fora.

Modi lamented that despite the great price paid by Indians, India could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifice. He said whenever he went abroad, he made it a point to visit the memorials for the Indian soldiers.

The Prime Minister said the Indian diaspora did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power abroad, but on the other hand, they mingled with other communities.

Indians, the Prime Minister noted, lived abroad with the principle of social well-being. They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per the need, he said.

Observing that the Indian diaspora should not be looked at in terms of its numbers, but in terms of its strength, he said there were countries where the Indian community was more powerful than the Indian missions and could help removing the fear of unknown amongst the people there towards India.

While much has been spoken about brain drain, if the strength of the Indian diaspora was channelised, we can convert it into brain gain, Modi said.

Like dams channelise the energy of water to make electricity, a source is needed to utilise the energy of the 2.45 crore strong Indian diaspora to light up India,he said.

He also commended the role of the Ministry of External Affairs in helping people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and evacuating Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.

He said, In past two years you have seen how Government has rescued people from conflict regions, not only Indians but also foreigners.

Modi said India has made a place for itself and the world now accepts India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid and added that other nations now sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from trouble spots.

Also read: PM Modi, President Mukherjee pay homage to Father of the Nation at Rajghat

Crediting the success of Pravasi Bhartiya programme to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi said that Connecting with the diaspora is important. Atal ji coined idea of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and it has been continued since then, he said.



The Prime Minster also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi saying that the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra has been inaugurated on October 2 because even though Bapu had left the country love of people and call of the nation brought him back.

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Mandhole (Pakistan):

Pakistani military officials point to an Indian army post high on a forested ridge along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, insisting any incursions are impossible, after skirmishes ignited dangerous tensions between the two countries.



The army took the rare step of flying international media to the de facto border to make its case in a battle of competing narratives, after India said its elite commandos penetrated up to three kilometres into Pakistan on anti-militant raids.



The presence of Indian forces so far across the Line of Control (LoC) would be a stinging blow to Pakistan, particularly after the 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden which took place on its territory without its consent.



The media visit came on Saturday as Indias army chief Dalbir Singh congratulated commandos involved in what New Delhi has described as surgical strikes to take out terrorist launchpads after a deadly attack on an Indian army base by Pakistan-backed militants last month that killed 19 soldiers.



Pakistan has flatly denied the claim, saying two of its soldiers were killed but only in cross-border fire of the kind that commonly violates a 2003 ceasefire on the LoC.



The helicopter tour took journalists to sectors just two kilometres from the dividing line, and near the locations India said it targeted in assaults on four militant camps.



On hand were senior local commanders as well as army spokesman Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa - an omnipresent media personality who has taken centre stage on Pakistani television since the tensions erupted.



In villages like Mandhole, daily life was going on largely as normal despite the tensions, with shops and businesses open and children in pressed white uniforms walking to school.You have seen the lay of the land, said Bajwa, speaking from a command post overlooking the lush green Bandala Valley, with Pakistani and Indian fortifications visible on the opposite hill.



You can see the way the fortifications are built and the way Pakistan has layers of defence and they have layers of defence... the LoC cannot be violated, he said.



If theyve caused that damage to us, we dont know any has been caused to us! You can go and meet the civilian population. Our side is open: to the UN mission, to the media, to the general public, he said.



It was not possible to verify the generals claims, though villagers who spoke with a second AFP reporter in the area independent of the military-guided trip were also incredulous.



Sardar Javed, a 37-year-old journalist for Kashmiri newspapers and a resident of Tatta Pani sector, which lies just west of India-controlled Poonch sector where one of the strikes was said to have been carried out, said he had seen no evidence of a raid.



Im not saying its not true because thats the army line. Its because Im from the LoC and Im a local journalist. News spreads fast around here and people get to know whatever happens, he said.



Tensions have been simmering for months over unrest on the Indian side, where more than 80 civilians have been killed during protests linked to the killing of a young separatist in July.

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NEW DELHI:

Nathuram Vinayak Godse assassinated Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on . He shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point blank range. As per some documents written by Godse the primary reason behind his assassination of Gandhi was the latters adherence to the unjustified demand by Jinnah for issuing Rs. 55 crore for Pakistan. He was sentenced to death after executing Bapu.

Things to know about Nathuram Godse:

 Nathuram Godse was one of the strongest supporters of Gandhi during his youth days and even worshipped him for his ideologies related to life and nation. He bred no personal hatred against Gandhi and even bowed before the Mahatma during the morning prayers, just before he fired shots at him.

 He was among the very few who believed in the ideology of Vir Savarkar in a real way and moulded his thinking accordingly. Though he followed writings of Gandhi too, he was more influenced by Savarkars works

 Nathuram Godse even ran a newspaper named Agrani along with his partner in crime Apte. He was the editor of the newspaper and wrote articles for it.

 Nathuram Godse has been branded as a Hindu fanatic by successive governments of the country. Godse joined a Hindu political outfit and left it because he did not find it militant enough and entered the Hindu Mahasabha.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
NEW DELHI:

Condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, Nepal on Sunday urged the SAARC members to not aid in cross-border terrorism. The 19th SAARC Summit, which was to be held in Islamabad in the month of November, has been postponed. Nepal regretted that the regional environment is not conducive to host the next SAARC Summit.

Days after India and four other countries pulled out of the 19th SAARC Summit indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an atmosphere which was not right for successfully holding the event, Nepal said it strongly believes that an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation.

Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism, Nepals Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement, adding the country has always condemned all acts of terrorism in the region.

Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian Army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers, it noted.

It further said that to achieve peace and stability in the region, SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross border terrorism.

Nepal regrets that regional environment is not conducive to host the next Summit, earlier scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad, it said, adding that host Pakistan has informed it about the postponement of the meet.

It said it will initiate necessary consultation for holding the next summit.

As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states, the statement said.

Earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who returned yesterday after leading the Nepali delegation to the 71st United National General Assembly (UNGA), told reporters here that Nepal will take necessary steps and hold discussions with member states to press for holding the summit.

The Summit was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India said last week that in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the eight-member bloc, includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

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Baramulla:

According to reports till 12:10 am on October 3, two terrorists were killed in a heavy exchange of firing and gun battle near an army camp in Jammu and Kashmiras Baramulla district.A The situation has been contained now.A

According to sources, terrorists didnat breach 46 Rashtriya Rifles camp and tried to enter through a public park near the camp.

Earlier on Sunday night, firing was reported near 46 Rashtriya Rifles camp after which the army retaliated and killed two terrorists.

19 soldiers were killed in Uri attack wherein four fidayeen terrorists had sneaked into an Army base in Uri and also in Baramulla district in September this year.

On last wednesday Indian army had conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control against terror launch pads and reportedly killed 50 terrorists in PoK.

#WATCH Baramulla attack: situation contained and under control, says Army (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/VDsaz4fOot a ANI (@ANI_news) October 2, 2016

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H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media

DANBURY - Middle school students interested in learning more about math, science, technology and engineering can now join a club that will give them more experience in these fields.

Parents can attend an information session for a STEM Scouts middle school lab in the city from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 at the First Congregational Church.
GREENWICH  Shortly after his 50th birthday, Garrett Moran decided he needed a change.

It was 2004, the markets were booming, and Moran had compiled a profitable career in private equity since he graduated from Wharton Business School in 1982. But a dissatisfaction, a questioning of his lifes purpose, bubbled within him.

He quit his job and turned his attention to an entirely new sector, nonprofits.

I wanted to do something where I thought the organization and the mission were compelling ... a good problem they were addressing with a good way of doing it, he said. I wanted to feel like I was adding value.

Moran, a Greenwich resident, had always had a quiet interest in the little dogs  developing markets. He described himself as a political activist who agitated for social justice and emerging world issues during his undergraduate years at Middlebury College. After his graduation, he taught English in Taiwan for a year.

But his passion for social justice really went back further.

I grew up in Tarrytown and went to public schools. It was a pretty diverse class; I knew people from all different economic backgrounds and ethnic backgrounds and so forth, he said. I was always aware of what people were up against and what opportunities they had or didnt have as a result of that. I had that in my head all through my life.

When he left his post as president of MMC Capital in 2004, he didnt find the exact job he wanted. Big establishment nonprofits were too hide-bound and constrained, he observed; small ones seemed to want to mine him for his fundraising Rolodex.

He made a structured study, a disciplined search, for a nonprofit position, he said.

A year later, he got a call: a good friend at the Blackstone Group was looking for a Chief Operating Officer of the private equity division.

Moran was back in investment, sucked in for another seven years.

It was really exciting but ultimately, I began thinking about wanting to go back and do something to help my fellow man, he said.

At age 58, it was time.

I thought, If I want to do something for, say, 10 years, I need to get started,  he said.

Moran and his wife, Mary, began a one-year program at Harvard designed for people who want to start a second career in social impact work. The program crystallized his thoughts about joining a nonprofit, he said.

Year Up, a growing nonprofit that provides urban young adults with professional and technicial skills classes, mentoring and internships, was looking for its first president. The organization wanted someone with experience with larger organizations to help Year Ups mission of closing the opportunity divide and empowering urban 18- to 24-year-olds to access professional careers and higher education.

It was a good fit for Moran, who was a trustee of Middlebury College and had served on the board of Brunswick School in Greenwich, the Connecticut Council for Education Reform and the Posse Foundation, a leadership and scholarship organization for urban high schoolers.

In 2013, at 59 years old, Moran celebrated his first day at Year Up and the start of his second career in social impact work.

Three years later, Moran is fluent in the languages of education reform and student achievement, industry needs and in-demand professional skills.

With fervor, he will launch into detailed descriptions of the four broad skills that all young adults, regardless of education or other forms of privilege, need to succeed in the modern economy: data literacy, cultural competency, a collaborative work style and the ability to continuously reinvent themselves.

Morans Year Up mentees often focus on self-reinvention, a skill Moran himself struggled with. They are motivated individuals but come from Americas poorest families, are high school drop outs, lack resources transportation or clean clothes, he said.

One of Morans mentees was homeless, alternating between shelters and riding the subway all night, until Year Up found him a place to live. He was too proud to ask for help, Moran said.

There are so many dimensions of poverty that I now understand in a different way. More and more it makes you feel like its just not fair, he said, adding, The optimism and ambition of the young people are incredibly inspiring.

Another mentee of Morans quit high school at age 15 to care for his father, who was slowly becoming incapacitated by Alzheimers. Tinkering with old computers, the young man taught himself IT until he built a business in his Brooklyn neighborhood fixing computers for locals, earning his family $1,000 a week.

Through the Year Up program, the mentee interned at Google.

Now, the Internet giant is paying for his college education.

Before I went to work at Year Up, I knew that brains and talent were evenly spread around a community  I knew that at an intellectual level  but opportunity was not, Moran said.

I know that now so much more viscerally and so much more intensely, having gotten to know so many of our students and having seen this in action.

Moran said there are numerous opportunities for people to get involved in the lives of opportunity-starved youth and adults, just a stones throw from Greenwich.

We all live in a bubble: rich people and old people and young people, white people and black people, employed people and unemployed people, he said. Challenging yourself to get out of your bubble, in whatever form, will have a positive impact.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
Building a new emergency housing system that would accommodate the privacy needs of victims of domestic violence in Connecticut has been complicated, frustrating work.

When a person who is homeless is seeking to be housed, their name, age, and other details are entered into something called the Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS. This data is then used to direct people toward appropriate housing, and its a big part of why Connecticut is on track to ending chronic homelessness  the most pernicious kind  by the end of the year.

But the Violence Against Women Act, which was signed into law in 1994, contains some strict confidentiality restrictions to protect victims of domestic violence. When a woman  and its usually a woman  escapes domestic violence, her first concern is safety. Part of that safety for many includes safe housing and the resources to maintain that housing, said Catherine Zeiner, executive director of Safe Futures, a New London-based organization that works with victims of domestic violence.

So if you cant safely enter a womans name into an all-important housing system, how do you get that woman housed?

The feds certainly didnt know. On one telephone conversation with federal officials, the noes to suggestions from Connecticut advocates were coming so fast that Zeiner removed her shoe and slammed it against the floor.

It was a kitten-heel pump, said Zeiner, laughing. Im too old for stilettos.

So Connecticut advocates came up with an innovative workaround. The barest of information is entered into the system until the last possible moment. For example, rather than include the number of children belonging to a woman seeking housing, the system records that the woman needs a two- or a three-bedroom apartment, said Karen Jarmoc, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. This allows women to be housed quickly and efficiently.

Other states are taking notice, said Lisa Tepper Bates, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. In July Jarmoc spoke at the National Alliance to End Homelessness about Connecticuts new system.

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, on a single day in 2015, more than 31,500 adults and children left domestic violence for a domestic violence emergency shelter or a transitional housing program. But 12,197 requests went unmet because of a lack of funding, staffing, or other important resources. Of those, 63 percent of unmet requests were for housing.

To have entirely two separate systems is inefficient from a public policy perspective, and its just silly, said Zeiner. She says the state continues to work out the kinks.

With any electronic system, once the information is there, you cant call it back, said Zeiner. A survivors experiences often evolve and change. One day she may be fine and the next day something happens and shes at high risk and we need to keep her safe. The downside is we still havent figured out how to keep survivors out of the system. Once she gets matched [to housing] she goes into the system, and I have twinges of concerns about that. That will be the next piece that well have to think about.

Jarmoc is hopeful.

I think weve built an element of trust and collaboration over the past four years and were absolutely vested, she said. Were coming at this from different places, with different experiences. We have that shared interest in ensuring sustainable, affordable housing. Were guinea pigs here. But were committed to trying this and being thoughtful about it.

Susan Campbell is a distinguished lecturer at the University of New Haven. She can be reached at slcampbell417@gmail.com.

This column was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org).
Welding is complete on the largest piece of the core stage that will provide the fuel for the first flight of NASAs new rocket, the Space Launch System, with the Orion spacecraft in 2018. The core stage liquid hydrogen tank has completed welding on the Vertical Assembly Center at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Standing more than 130 feet tall, the liquid hydrogen tank is the largest cryogenic fuel tank for a rocket in the world. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank are part of the core stage  the backbone of the SLS rocket that will stand at more than 200 feet tall. Together, the tanks will hold 733,000 gallons of propellant and feed the vehicles four RS-25 engines to produce a total of 2 million pounds of thrust. This is the second major piece of core stage flight hardware to finish full welding on the Vertical Assembly Center.

The SLS design is driven by two imperatives: to achieve particular lift goals (initially 70 MT, later 105 MT and finally 130 MT) and to re-use Space Shuttle and Constellation technology.

Spacex and Elon Musk have the 61 page presentation of the Interplanetary Transport System and the plan from early exploration to a sustainable colony on Mars

However, besides the test firings of the new Raptor engine that is needed for the Mars transport, Spacex has also built a full sized carbon composite fuel tank.

The Interplanetary Transport system can launch 550 tons to low earth orbit which is nearly four times as much as the Saturn V. It would be over four times as powerful as the SLS in the final version of the SLS

NASA Space Launch system

Spacex Falcon Heavy

SOURCES- NASA, Spacex
Embattled ex-First Lady Patience Jonathan seems to have an hurdle to clear in her legal battle to reclaim the $22.3million in bank accoun...

Embattled ex-First Lady Patience Jonathan seems to have an hurdle to clear in her legal battle to reclaim the $22.3million in bank accounts linked to her.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has already placed restriction on the accounts in Skye Bank while she battles in court to have the restriction lifted.An application has now been filed at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to establish whether she declared the seized cash as required by law at the exit of her husband in 2015.Abuja-based lawyer, Barrister Osuagwu Ugochukwu who filed the application wants the bureau to come clean on whether ex-President Goodluck Jonathan declared the money to which his wife is now laying claims in his exit form in 2015.Ugochukwu in a September 1 letter to the Chairman of CCB, Mr. Sam Saba, said he was acting in the interest of the public and in the exercise of his rights pursuant to Sections 1 and 4 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.His words On May 19 2015, the CCB, in an advertorial by its Acting Secretary, Kolade Omoyola, in some newspapers had reminded political office holders to declare their assets on assumption and vacation of office in accordance with Paragraph II of the 5th Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.The Code of Conduct Bureau has asked President Goodluck Jonathan, his Vice, and 42 Ministers in his cabinet to declare their assets.The bureau reportedly issued the Completed Assets Declaration Forms to all concerned, with a 30-day deadline to return the completed forms before exiting office.Usually every public servant declares what the spouse earns and must have acquired as property or asset in their Spouses (public servant) declaration forms.This brings me to whether ex-president Goodluck Jonathan declared or completed his Exit Asset Declaration forms with the CCB.Only recently, as reported by Vanguard newspapers, former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, wrote a letter to the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) explicating that the $31.4 million connected to the financial fraud leveled against Mr. Waripamo Dudafa by EFCC was for the payment of the medical bills she incurred in London in 2013.Patience Jonathan claimed ownership of the $31.4 million in the affidavit before a Federal High Court in Lagos September 2016.The former first lady in her letter to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu by her lawyers, Granville Abibo (SAN) and Co enjoined the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Skye Bank to lift the restriction placed on the accounts.In the letter, Patience Jonathan admitted that the she is the sole signatory to the accounts and the accounts were card-based.We note also that First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan was Permanent Secretary in the Bayelsa State Civil Service. Governor Dickson had in July 2012, five months after his inauguration appointed Patience Jonathan, as one of the 17 new permanent secretaries in the state civil service.The question that agitates me are: Whether this $31.5 million or $20 Million as being claimed by ex-President Jonathans wife was declared in May 2015 in President Jonathan Exit forms with the CCB?Kindly avail me whether ex-President Jonathan did file his Asset Declaration Form with the Bureau upon exit from office in May 2015?Did Dame Patience Jonathan declare her assets upon exit upon appointment as permanent secretary in Bayelsa State and upon her exit from same position?A special investigation team to Port Harcourt (Rivers State) and Yenagoa (Bayelsa State), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had linked nine choice properties, two hotels and a plot of land under construction to the ex-First Lady.A report of the EFCC investigative team had implicated the former First Lady.The report of the investigative team said in part: Based on the investigation so far carried out, it has revealed that the four fraudulent VISA Platinum USD Card accounts used by Mrs. Patience Goodluck Jonathan has a cumulative balance of $14,029.881.79 which has been swept Post No Debit Card category.Again, her personal account, different from the four fraudulent VISA Platinum USD Card accounts, bears the balance of $5,841,426.17.
For the second year running, President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday marked the nations Independence Day anniversary inside the Presiden...

For the second year running, President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday marked the nations Independence Day anniversary inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amidst tight security.The nations 56th Independence anniversary was marked with Presidential Change of Guards Parade attended by top government officials, former Nigerian leaders, members of the diplomatic corps and captains of industry.The nations 50th anniversary in 2010 was the last held inside Eagles Square, Abuja where it usually held.The event was marred by bombings allegedly orchestrated by members of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta led by Henry Okah.Since then, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan changed the venue of subsequent independence events to the Presidential Villa.Buhari did not change the trend as he celebrated the 55th independence anniversary at the same venue last year.The anniversary which was strictly a military event featured military parade, change of guard, 21-gun salute, signing of anniversary register, release of pigeons and cutting of an anniversary cake.Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara and a national leader of the All progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were absent at the event attended by the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed; and other principal officers of the National Assembly.Former Nigerian leaders who attended the programme included former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.); former Chief of General Staff, Gen. Oladipo Diya (retd.); former Vice President Alex Ekwueme; former Vice President Namadi Sambo; a former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani; and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali NaAbba.Others in attendance were chieftains of the ruling APC led by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; members of the Federal Executive Council, and service chiefs.
Governorship candidates of five of the 19 political parties that contested this weeks governorship election in Edo State have called f...

Governorship candidates of five of the 19 political parties that contested this weeks governorship election in Edo State have called for the cancellation of the results declared by INEC. They insisted that the figures INEC declared and displayed on national television were at complete variance with those which their own agents and observers obtained from the polling units across the state. At a press conference in Benin City weekend, the Chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council , IPAC, Mr Frank Ukonga, who contested on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, said INEC falsified the results to favor the APC.He said,The results that INEC made public do not tally with what most, if not all, our agents came back home with.We are calling for the cancellation of the entire election because INEC gave APC the PDP votes. Another candidate, Mr Andrew Igwemoh, of the Advanced Congress of Democrats, ACD, said there were glaring errors in the figures computed by INEC in an election that was marred by open exchange of money between party agents and the voters.I am calling for the cancellation of the results especially that of Etsako West local government because what transpired on the field is not what INEC made public. The mathematical errors are too obvious to be ignored. Dr Omorogieva Gbajumo, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, said Nigerians are wondering how INEC came up with about 66, 000 missing votes whereas voters voted as soon as they were accredited.It is clear that the votes declared by INEC are not correct. Even parties which were not on the ballot were allocated some votes by the electoral umpire which shows that something does not add up. Mr Thompson Osadolor of Kowa Party was of the view that since no voter went home after being accredited to vote and there was a generally peaceful election across the state, INEC had no business voiding votes. It is a shame on INEC and it should the needful by ensuring that the voice of Edo people which was loud and clear on September 28 is reflected by declaring the true results of the elections. The candidates vowed to continue in their advocacy for the cancellation of the elections so that the will of Edo people will be upheld, arguing that it is the only way to sustain democracy which is still in its infancy in the country.
Operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command on Friday arrested a lady, her boyfriend, and two others for steali...

Operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command on Friday arrested a lady, her boyfriend, and two others for stealing an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card which belonged to one Musa Alli.They also allegedly withdrew over N300,000 from the account.The lady, Bamigboye Imoleayo, 24, was arrested by the operatives at a club (name withheld) in Surulere area of Lagos for the crime. The police later arrested three other accomplices including her boyfriend, Adeyinka Ayodele, the same day in Itori, Ogun State.Mr. Alli, the victim, who reported the case at the RRSs office in Alausa, said he met the suspect at a club in Surulere penultimate Friday, the police said in a statement on Sunday.He said the lady stole his ATM card, after memorizing his Personal Identification Number (PIN) during an online transfer of funds into his friends account.I thought I had misplaced the card not knowing that the lady had stolen it and thereafter glimpsed at the PIN for withdrawal, Mr. Alli said.The victim said he was shocked on Saturday afternoon when he received alerts amounting to N90,000 withdrawals.While I was still contemplating on how to deal with the issue, I got another debit alert for buying two Infinix phones totalling N84, 000, I was confused and shocked. I didnt know what action to take on a Saturday evening.On Sunday, Mr. Alli said there was another debit alert on his phone.I couldnt pin the crime to the lady I met at the club, he said.I lodged a complaint on Monday morning at my bank and I was told that the withdrawals and shopping were legitimately made by me.I reported the incident at the RRSs office on Monday after informing my bank. My emphasis to the police were the withdrawals and shopping totalling N300, 000.It was unbelievable for me when I was face to face with the suspect, the lady I met at the club. And, she explained everything.The police said Ms. Imoleayo admitted, during interrogations, that she pocketed the victims ATM card when he slept off during their conversation at night in the club.Initially, I had spied on and crammed his PIN when he was sending money to his colleague via mobile app, she said.I committed this offence because I was so desperate to re-stock my shop at Wasimi in Ogun State, and also to take care of my only daughter.I never had a rethink while committing the crime. Although, I regretted my action now.The suspect said her boyfriend accompanied her while she withdrew and spent the money from the ATM card.After I spied on his PIN during a particular banking transaction on his phone, I intended to only withdraw N20, 000 out of his bank account and then destroy the card, said Ms. Imoleayo.However, when I withdrew the money, and checked the account balance, I was shocked to see his balance. Afterwards, I withdrew another N70,000 again making N90,000 that day.Then, the following day, I called my boyfriend, who instructed me not to destroy the card, but I should come straight to Itori, Ogun State, where he resides.On getting to him, he called two of his friends, Abimbola Akintanna and Owolabi Bamidele, to use the ATM at any nearest bank.She added that they took the card to a shopping mall in Abeokuta, the following day, where they bought phones and clothes.We thought by going this far nobody could trace us. We bought two android phones for N84,000 at a phone store, she said.We proceeded to a boutique where four of us bought clothes worth N126,000. I recharged my phone with another N2,500 worth of recharge card. The money spent from the account was over N300,000.Two Android phones, eight pairs of trousers and shirts were recovered from the suspects during a search of their houses.Dolapo Badmus, the Lagos State police spokesperson, confirmed the arrest, and urged the public to always protect their PIN during any banking transaction.The suspects and exhibits recovered have been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, for prosecution, according to the police.
The New York Times urged Latinos Saturday to get out and vote, calling it a way to help defeat Donald Trump and assert their growing rol...

The New York Times urged Latinos Saturday to get out and vote, calling it a way to help defeat Donald Trump and assert their growing role in American society.In an editorial, the influential paper noted that Trump has pledged to built a wall on the border with Mexico to keep out migrants and insulted Mexicans and other minorities throughout the campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton.Clinton, it added, has solid plans to address issues that matter to Latinos, such as the economy, education, and access to health care, and has pledged to make immigration a reform a priority.In addition to defeating a bully, Latinos have plenty of reasons to enthusiastically support Mr. Trumps main rival, said the editorial, also published in Spanish.Strong Latino turnout on November 8 could help Clinton win in key battleground states and change how US political parties perceive Hispanic voters and how they deal with them in the future, the paper said.Americas 56 million Latinos  one third of whom are under 18  are helping to shape Americas future in classrooms, workplaces and neighborhoods. It is only a matter of time before their mark on the nations politics matches their contributions in other spheres, the paper said.That moment should start now.AFP
Three hundred and forty eight suspected members of the terror sect, Boko Haram, were let out of incarceration yesterday in Maiduguri by ...

Three hundred and forty eight suspected members of the terror sect, Boko Haram, were let out of incarceration yesterday in Maiduguri by the army to mark Nigerias 56th independence anniversary.The suspects were handed over to the Borno State government after investigation showed that they had no links with the sect. The event held at the Ramat Square civic centre.The General Officer Commanding, 7 Division Nigeria Army, Brigadier-General Victor Ezugwu, said the review of the cases of the suspects involves a painstaking and continuous process as directed by the Chief of Army Staff who emplaced measures to guarantee societal and individual human rights.He said the army had investigated all suspects arrested and found 348 of them to be in the clear. The number comprises 114 males, 107 females, and 127 children. Among the children, 115 are minors.Governor Kashim Shettima, who received the cleared Boko Haram suspects, commended the army for ensuring that the suspects human rights were protected during their days in custody.
Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa said in Gombe on Sunday that Nigerians owed a lot to President Muhammadu Buhari for his swift action...

Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa said in Gombe on Sunday that Nigerians owed a lot to President Muhammadu Buhari for his swift action in addressing the security challenges posed by insurgents.Bindow, who was in Gombe to felicitate with the people of the state on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the state, noted that the threat to lives and property had been substantially reduced.Our President deserves commendation for his military exploits in fighting the insurgents. Now, we can sleep both eyes closed and move around freely, he said, while fielding questions from newsmen. The Governor also commended Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe for taking the state to greater height within a short time of his stewardship.No doubt Dankwambo has achieved a lot; Gombe state has been transformed to a modern city within 20 years of its creation, he said.The governor said he joined the people of Gombe in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the creation of their state because they and people of Adamawa were one and inseparable. Although we now differ in our political persuasion, Gombe state being PDP and Adamawa APC, I can confidently say we are dialectically, economically and socially related , he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, admitted that there was no easy solution to myriads of problems bedevilling Nigeria.

Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, admitted that there was no easy solution to myriads of problems bedevilling Nigeria.In a nationwide broadcast to commemorate the countrys 56th Independence Day anniversary, the President, however, assured Nigerians that his administration was pursuing the solutions available to it with a view to repositioning the country.Buhari said it was normal for countries to face ups and downs, while attributing the economic recession in the country to a shortage of foreign exchange and violence by the Niger Delta militants.According to him, the problems are temporary.He said, The recession has been brought about by a critical shortage of foreign exchange. Oil price dropped from an average of $100 per barrel over the last decade to an average of $40 per barrel this year and last.Worse still, the damage perpetrated by Niger Delta thugs on pipelines reduced Nigerias production to below one million barrels per day against the normal 2.2 million barrels per day. Consequently, the naira is at its weakest, but the situation will stabilise.But this is only temporary. Historically, about half of our dollar export earnings went to importation of petroleum products and food. Nothing was saved for a rainy day during the periods of prosperity. We are now reaping the whirlwinds of corruption, recklessness and impunity.There are no easy solutions, but there are solutions nonetheless. The government is pursuing them in earnest. We are to repair our four refineries so that Nigeria can produce most of our petrol requirements locally, pending the coming on stream of new refineries. That way, we will save $10bn yearly.On the economic crisis plaguing the county, Buhari said he was aware of the difficulties being faced by Nigerians.He acknowledged that many families could not afford to pay their childrens school fees or buy foods at exorbitant prices, while many others are unemployed.He reiterated the problems his administration wished to tackle: security, corruption and the economy, especially unemployment and the alarming level of poverty.On security, the President insisted that his government had made progress by defeating Boko Haram last December.According to him, the Federal Government, while confronting other security issues like herdsmen/farmers clashes, cattle rustling, and kidnappings, is determined to tackle and surmount the challenges.Again, Buhari read the Riot Act to the militants in the Niger Delta, who had claimed responsibility for vandalising oil installations, describing them as mindless groups (that want) to hold the country to ransom.He said his administration would no longer tolerate their excesses.It is known that the clean-up of the Ogoniland has started. Infrastructural projects financed by the Federal Government and post-amnesty programme financing will continue.We have however, continued to dialogue with all groups and leaders of thought in the region to bring lasting peace, he said.Buhari reiterated his position on corruption, saying it must be fought headlong.He promised to adhere strictly to the rule of law while fighting the menace.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to embrace all major stakeholders with the ...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to embrace all major stakeholders with the view to bringing to bear the ideals, vision and mission of the nations founding fathers.The PDP, in its Independence Day message by the spokesman of the Caretaker Committee of the party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye enjoined the citizenry to contribute getting the nation out of its present precarious situation.The party said: Most importantly, we celebrate our fathers and all those who fought and are still fighting to keep the oneness and unity of this great Country, Nigeria. May our Flag continue to hoist!Equally, we call on our members and supporters to remain undaunted in the face of the on-going distractions within the party hierarchy and we promise that all issues will be resolved soonest.
Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan along with his wife paid a visit to Bayelsa State after marking the October 1 Indep...

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan along with his wife paid a visit to Bayelsa State after marking the October 1 Independence Day in Abuja. Dr. Jonathan, who has been dubbed by leading international organisations as the icon of Democracy in Africa and the continents foremost Statesman, had in his October 1 Independence Day Message posted on his Facebook page urged Nigerians to be patriotic and work on building Nigeria.Dr. Jonathan, who has been dubbed by leading international organisations as the icon of Democracy in Africa and the continents foremost Statesman, had in his October 1 Independence Day Message posted on his Facebook page urged Nigerians to be patriotic and work on building Nigeria. The Independence Day message of Dr. Jonathan which in part read thus:I call on all my beloved countrymen and women to remain patriotic by praying for and supporting governments at all levels to build up Nigeria. Remember, do not think of who will make Nigeria great. Instead, think of how you will make Nigeria great. May God bless Nigeria and may God bless her people, was personally signed with his trademark initials GEJ. Dr. Jonathan was received at the Port Harcourt International Airport by close family members and well wishers with whom he exchanged pleasantries and thereafter departed for Bayelsa State.It can be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari has received criticisms from critics who consider claims by the EFCC to criminalise his wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan as an attack on the rising International profile of Dr. Port Harcourt based Lawyer, Barrister Jonas Iniayemana recently called on the EFCC to comply with the provisions of the Constitution, extant laws including the EFCC establishment Act regarding procedures and respect for the human rights of Mrs. Patience Jonathan, considering the presumption of her innocence until proven guilt by a competent court of law. the actions of the EFCC smacks of desperation, and a vindictive mission to malign and expose the Jonathans to public ridicule and anger by portraying them as scapegoats for Nigerias current economic crisis, which in reality is in credit to the incompetence and ineptitude of the Buhari led administration. Iniayemana said.
Donald Trumps supporters rushed to defend him Sunday following reports that he may have avoided paying any taxes for the past 20 years.

Donald Trumps supporters rushed to defend him Sunday following reports that he may have avoided paying any taxes for the past 20 years.Trump neither confirmed nor denied the reports.The article in Sundays New York Times capped a disastrous week for the Republican presidential candidate, focusing renewed attention on his steadfast refusal to release his income tax returns.Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a key Trump surrogate on the campaign trail, called the reports proof of the New York tycoons absolute genius.You have an obligation when you run a business to maximize the profits and if there is a tax law that says I can deduct this, you deduct it, Giuliani told ABC News, suggesting investors in Trumps company probably would have sued him had he done otherwise.Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clintons vanquished Democratic presidential primary foe who now supports her, took the opposite view.If everybody in this country was a genius,' the Vermont senator told ABC, we would not have a country.Trump tweets againWhile not admitting to paying little or nothing in taxes, Trump boasted on Twitter that what he called his deftness in fiscal and business dealings is one of his greatest strengths.I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them, he wrote after The Times story appeared.The real estate mogul declared a loss of nearly $1 billion on his 1995 income tax return, enabling him to legally avoid paying taxes for almost two decades, according to documents obtained by the New York Times.He has repeatedly refused to make his tax filings public, the first major party presidential contender to do so since Richard Nixon in the 1970s.Trump has said he will release his tax returns only after the federal authorities complete an ongoing audit.However, tax officials  without confirming or denying that Trumps tax filings are under review  have said being under audit does not prevent their release.A lawyer for Trump said publication of Trumps tax returns is illegal because he did not authorize it, and threatened appropriate legal action against The Times, the paper reported.During last weeks acrimonious first presidential debate, Clinton suggested that Trump is hiding something terrible by failing to produce his tax returns.Maybe he doesnt want the American people, all of you watching tonight, to know that hes paid nothing in federal taxes, she said during Monday nights debate.She prompted this Trump retort: That makes me smart.Numerous reports have suggested he has used high-pressure tactics to convince officials in New York and elsewhere to give him tax breaks and other hugely favorable conditions in his deals.He is also reported to have taken massive, albeit legal, tax breaks on failing businesses, earning a fortune while shareholders and investors swallowed large losses and contractors went unpaid.Democratic Senate minority leader Harry Reid called Trump a billion-dollar loser on Sunday, urging lawmakers to pass the Presidential Tax Transparency Act, which would require candidates to release their tax returns.Despite losing a billion dollars, Trump wants to reward himself with more tax breaks on inherited wealth while stiffing middle-class families who earn their paychecks with hard work, he said in a statement.Reid added that Americans deserve to know who has leverage over this man who wants to be president.Out of controlTrumps latest campaign trail bombshell follows an abysmal few days for the bombastic billionaire, Clintons campaign manager Robby Mook said on Sunday.Trump has had a really bad week: He failed in the debate, he said in an interview with barely suppressed glee.He has spun out of control subsequent to that. Insulting (Venezuela-born beauty queen Alicia) Machado. His 3 am tweet storm, he added, recounting other Trump controversies that dominated headlines last week.You know, his campaign is spinning out.In the latest poll showing a boost for a newly energized Clinton this week, an ABC News/Washington Post survey released on Sunday said 53 percent of Americans saw Clinton as the winner, compared to 18 percent for Trump.Nearly half of respondents said he got facts wrong during the debate and a third that he lied outright, while his unpopularity rating grew to 64 percent in the same poll, compared to 53 percent for Clinton.Trump spent most of last week embroiled in controversy over his abusive comments about Machado, who won the Miss Universe pageant  owned by Trump at the time  in 1996.He doubled down this week, including in his predawn Twitter rant Friday with more insults about Machado  a tirade Clinton said proves he is temperamentally unfit for the presidency.Trump went on the attack again on Saturday, mocking the former first lady for a recent bout with pneumonia and raising questions about her loyalty to her husband, former president Bill Clinton.His running mate Mike Pence is set to debate his Democratic counterpart Tim Kaine on Tuesday. But Americans are expected to pay scant attention, with the focus firmly on Trump with little more than a month to go before the November 8 election.AFP
Fresh reports indicate that the United States government may launch attacks against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, as a drone ...

According to reports, the American drone base is under construction in Agadez, a town in Niger.The facility is expected to offer US military, greater ability to use drones against Islamist extremists in countries like Libya, Mali and Nigeria.But some security experts revealed that such drone attacks against insurgents in the North might kill innocent people.The project, considered to be the United States most important military construction effort in Africa, according to secret files obtained by an online medium, The Intercept, will gulp $100m.The construction of the base is an indication that the US is paying more attention to terrorist groups in Nigeria and other countries on the African continent.As the only country in the region willing to allow a US base for MQ-9 Reapers  a newer, larger, and potentially more lethal model than the venerable Predator drone  Niger has positioned itself to be the key regional hub for US military operations, with Agadez serving as the premier outpost for launching intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions against a plethora of terror groups, The Intercept said.The Americans have for years operated an air base in Niamey, Nigers capital, but in September 2014 the US African Command announced plans to build a drone facility for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance.The documents obtained by The Intercept and made available online stated, The top MILCON [military construction] project for USAFRICOM is located in Agadez, Niger to construct a C-17 and MQ-9 capable airfield.Remotely Piloted Aircraft presence in Africa supports operations against seven (Department of State)-designated foreign terrorist organisations.Moving operations to Agadez aligns persistent ISR to current and emerging threats over Niger and Chad, supports French regionalisation and extends range to cover Libya and Nigeria.Reacting to the development, a member of the American Society of Industrial Security, Prof. Femi Adegbulu, revealed that there was a possibility of collateral damage, should the US launch drone attacks against Boko Haram in the North.He said, There are two sets of drones, one for surveillance and the other for attacks. A reconnaissance drone is used for intelligence gathering, while the other kind of drone is used for attacks. There is no 100 per cent accuracy in warfare.You lose lives, money, time, and resources. The possibility of collateral damage cannot be ruled out, especially since Boko Haram terrorists are known to use humans as shields when attacked.Similarly, a former Director, Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, told one of our correspondents that he was concerned about the US militarys plan to launch attacks against Boko Haram from Niger.I am worried that the US military will be making such efforts to launch attacks against Boko Haram from outside Nigeria. If the US did not get the nod from the Federal Government to establish its drone base in the country, how could the US military launch attacks against Boko Haram from Niger Republic?When the spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Charles Nwodo, was contacted at 3pm, he asked one of our correspondents to give him till 6pm to respond to the story.However, when he was called again at 6pm, he did not pick the calls placed to his telephone line. Also, Nwodo had yet responded to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.Army releases 348 suspected Boko Haram detaineesMeanwhile, the Nigerian Army on Saturday freed 348 suspected Boko Haram members as a gesture to celebrate the countrys 56th Independence anniversary.The detainees included 114 male, 107 female and 127 children.They were handed over to the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, at the Ramat Square, Maiduguri by the acting General Officer Commanding, the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Victor Ezegwu.Ezegwu explained that the suspects were arrested at various camps and havens of the insurgents in Borno State.He said they were investigated and found to be innocent of involvement in insurgency.He also said 115 out of the 127 children among the suspected insurgents were between the ages of five and 10, while 12 of them were 11 years and above.He however, said some suspects, including six foreigners who illegally entered Nigeria, would be prosecuted.He added that the suspected insurgents had been handed over to the Police and the Department of State Services.He said the foreigners comprised of four Cameroonians, a Chadian and a Jamaican, who would be separately handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for deportation.
FL cat rescue

Franklin Lakes police and firefighters rescued a kitten from a storm drain Oct. 1, 2016 (Photo: Franklin Lakes Fire Department)

( )

-- Police and firefighters worked together to rescue a kitten trapped in a storm drain Saturday night in the borough, according to officials.

The kitten was taken to a local animal hospital and believed to be in good health, according to Chief Ryan Dodd of the Franklin Lakes Fire Department.

Photos posted on the borough fire department's Facebook page showed a gloved police officer and firefighter holding the small white and orange kitten after the animal was rescued near the High Mountain Road ramp to Route 208.

Crews from the fire rescue truck 333 and Engine 331 responded to aid police at the scene.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- The death of an 8-year-old boy in Newark on Sunday morning has been labelled suspicious and is being investigated by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Newark Police said officers responded to an address on Munn Avenue on a report just before 10 a.m. of a child not breathing.



A police spokesman referred questions about the boy's death to Prosecutor Carolyn Murray, whose office confirmed it was handling the case.



"We are investigating the death of an 8-year-old boy on Munn," Kathy Carter, a spokeswoman for Murray, said in an email. "It's considered suspicious now."



Carter could not immediately provide additional details of the incident.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
ectot credit susie raisher.JPG

Jose Ortiz is all smiles as Ectot crosses the finish line in first in the $500,000, Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Oct. 1, the last major prep in the East for the $4 million, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5. (Photo by Susie Raisher)

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Many European horses that show promise on the race track are sent to North America to race in search of firmer ground. They just can't handle the softer courses in England, Ireland and France.

That appeared to be the case with Juddmonte's Flintshire.

After some promising starts in Europe, he came to Saratoga in 2015 with his French trainer, Andre Fabre, and pulled of a 2-1/2 length win in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer over a firm inner turf course.

Second place finishes in the Grade 1 Prix l'Arc Triumphe at Longchamp and in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin earned him a trip to the U.S. and a stall in mega-trainer Chad Brown's shed.

Under Brown's care, he won Belmont's Grade 1 Manhattan, Saratoga's Grade 2 Bowling Green and Grade 1 Sword Dancer -- all on firm turf courses.

When the second weekend of Fall 2016 came up rainy and Belmont's Widener turf course was labeled 'yielding,' the question arose -- Was the 1 to 5 morning line favorite Flintshire vulnerable?

With only three opponents in the starting gate, Flintshire and Javier Castellano were sent away at 1 to 5 in the $500,000, Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, the last major prep in the East for the $4 million, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.

Ectot, a Group 1 winner at Saint-Cloud and a Group 3 winner at Longchamp, popped out of the gate first and stayed there for the entire mile and half posting a five-length win over Flintshire who broke fourth and stayed in there for the first mile of the mile and half race.

When it came time to fire, Flintshire had very little response.

After the race, Castellano said, "There really wasn't much you could do with the soft ground. It was heavy and he didn't like it much."

Brown said he wanted the race for Flintshire to prep for the Turf Classic. "We knew there was a risk going into the race running on the soft ground. He has a poor record on it...We gave it a shot and it didn't work out."

Looking ahead, the trainer said, "Hopefully, he'll get a chance to redeem himself in the Breeders' Cup on firm ground."

Todd Pletcher, who trains Ectot for Al Shaqab Racing and Gerard Norman, looked toward the Breeders' Cup Turf and said, "We don't anticipate we'll get a lot of rain in California. But, at the same time, he's run well on firm ground."

Pletcher said he will more than likely keep Ectot at Belmont to prep for the Breeders' Cup and "go out a week before the race."

Saratoga riding champion Jose Ortiz said his racing plan for Ectot was put asunder. "My strategy was to go to the lead and slow down. But, my horse is was a little strong in the early stages. So, I just needed to try relax him. "When we got to the quarter pole, I opened up two lengths without even asking. I thought I had a really good shot," he concluded.

Ectot ran the mile and a half in 2 minutes, 28.76 seconds, almost 5-1/2 seconds over the course record set by Big Blue Kitten a year ago.

The 5-year-old horse by Hurricane Run from Tonnara now boasts a record of seven wins from 14 starts with earnings of $840,000.

Ectot paid $20.80 and $4.40 to win and place. There was no show wagering. Flintshire paid the minimum $2.10 for place.

Monmouth-at-the-Meadowlands cards canceled

Three days of rain and dreary conditions that took their toll on the turf course forced cancellation of the the Friday and Saturday night cards Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 of Monmouth-at-the-Meadowlands.

Live racing resumes Wednesday night, Oct. 5 with the tracks unprecedented 15% takeout offered for all wagers.
sherman

Authorities are searching for multiple suspects who fled the scene of an early morning shooting in the Heights, nearly striking a police officer with their car, a city spokeswoman said. Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY -- Authorities are searching for multiple suspects who fled the scene of an early morning shooting in the Heights, nearly striking a police officer with their car, a city spokeswoman said.

The shooting was reported just before 4 a.m. Sunday near School 8 on Franklin Street near Sherman Avenue. No one was injured and two shell casings were recovered, spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

Police spotted a car in the neighborhood that matched the description of the vehicle believed to be involved with the shooting. The car, with five people inside, sped off when police ordered them to stop, Morrill said.

One of the officers was nearly struck by the car. Police chased the car to Beach Street where the five people inside the car took off on foot, Morrill said.

Police arrested one person, 25-year-old Rhudell Cruz-Snelling, of Kearny, near Kennedy Boulevard and Carlton Avenue. He was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for and unlawful purpose, certain persons not to have weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, eluding police, aggravated assault on a police officer, and criminal mischief over $2,000.

The other four suspects were not arrested. The shooting remains under investigation.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The event recorder removed from the locomotive of the NJ Transit train that crashed Thursday in Hoboken. (Photo: NTSB)

HOBOKEN -- The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it found no signal anomalies on tracks leading to the Hoboken terminal where a New Jersey Transit train crashed Thursday, leaving a woman dead and more than 100 people hurt.

Officials have not yet completed a full signal examination because the crashed train remains in the terminal, according to the NTSB.

"Investigators completed the walking inspection of the track and found nothing that would have affected the performance of the train," the NTSB said in a statement.

In other developments, the NTSB interviewed the train's 48-year-old engineer, Thomas Gallagher, but would not disclose what he told officials, according to a statement from the agency. Crew members from the Pascack Valley Line train were already contacted.

As part of the probe, investigators are also looking at video footage in the area and seeking information from witnesses.

"With the assistance of NJ Transit, investigators obtained video from other trains that were at the Hoboken Terminal, to see what those cameras captured from the accident event," the NTSB said. "The event recorder and camera from the controlling cab of the accident train remain inaccessible to investigators."

An event recorder from the trailing locomotive also arrived at the manufacturer's facility in Kentucky, where NTSB officials are overseeing the process of downloading its information.

Investigators face safety concerns at the damaged terminal, including a partial collapse of the station's canopy on top of a train car and possible asbestos in the building.

"Environmental and structural issues still prevent removal of the train from the station," the NTSB reported. "Extensive debris removal must be completed before investigators can access the train and then have the train removed."

Officials would not speculate on what caused the deadly wreck. Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday said the train was traveling at "a high rate of speed" when it crashed through barriers and slammed into a wall at the busy station during the morning rush hour.

A 34-year-old Hoboken woman, Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, was hit by debris and killed as she stood on the station platform. Officials on Saturday reported one person remained in intensive care and at least five others remained hospitalized.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
steve fulop september 2016 resized.JPG

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop speaks in his office on Sept. 29, 2016 about his decision not to seek the Democratic nomination for governor next year as expected.

(Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal)

Jersey City is still in shock four days after Mayor Steve Fulop abruptly dropped his unofficial gubernatorial bid.

City workers who had been dreaming of jobs in Trenton in 2018, political foes who had been thinking -- hoping? -- Fulop would be out of the picture by this time next year and even some of Fulop's close friends were blindsided Wednesday morning by the news that the mayor was abandoning his gubernatorial aspirations and running for re-election instead.

Almost all but a handful of the mayor's closest allies didn't know until hours before his announcement. The city's directors learned during a morning staff meeting, when their phones started buzzing with text messages relaying the news, according to someone who attended the meeting. The Jersey City Democratic chair found out after the mayor's spokeswoman emailed a media alert about the announcement.

It didn't take long for the rumors to spread about the reasons behind the mayor's sudden change of heart, a change Fulop publicly attributed to his belief that Democrats should avoid a primary war next year. Fulop, during an interview with The Jersey Journal late Thursday afternoon inside the mayor's office, dismissed the rumors that some brewing scandal forced his hand.

"At the end of the day I had to make a decision that was best for everybody involved and for the city," the mayor said. "There's nothing forcing or triggering or looming. No, none of that stuff exists."

Fulop, elected mayor in 2013 after two terms on the council, acknowledged limiting the number of people who knew beforehand, saying he told a select few -- Chief of Staff Mark Albiez, Corporation Counsel Jeremy Farrell, political operative Jason Solowsky, labor leader Ray Greaves -- at breakfast on Wednesday. Their reactions ran the gamut, Fulop said.

"You try to keep political decisions tight," he said. "I thought that was important and it was important for both protecting supporters and avoiding enemies."

Instead of avoiding enemies, Fulop may have made more of them. Democrats around the county and the state said they were angered both by Fulop abandoning his gubernatorial bid and by doing so without consulting with or even warning many of the people who had been preparing to get him to Trenton.

"He sold everybody out," said one Democrat.

Fulop again dismissed as "rumors" claims that he is now the target of ire and said he is confident he did the right thing.

"I feel perfect about it," he said. "I feel like I made the right decision. It clears any doubt."

The mayor and his unofficial gubernatorial bid have taken some hits in recent months. A super PAC linked to him was criticized for accepting an essentially anonymous $1 million donation that it later revealed came from the co-founder of local hospital group CarePoint Health. Two out-of-town barbecues intended to introduce him to voters in Bergen and Monmouth counties were sparsely attended. And gubernatorial hopeful Phil Murphy alleged Fulop was illegally using his 2017 re-election campaign fund to subsidize a de facto gubernatorial run. Murphy, who accepted Fulop's endorsement on Wednesday, said that complaint is now moot.

At home, Fulop has been taking some heat for his gubernatorial ambitions, with Councilman Rich Boggiano in particular regularly accusing the mayor of focusing on gaining statewide recognition over tackling the challenges of a big-city mayor, like fixing potholes and easing traffic. Asked whether he thinks voters next year may punish him for his gubernatorial fixation, Fulop shook his head.

"Given the choice between running for governor and running for mayor, I chose Jersey City. Period," he said.

Fulop faces re-election either in May or in November 2017, depending on the results of a referendum on next month's ballot regarding the timing of local elections. At his appearance with Fulop on Wednesday in front of City Hall, Murphy did not endorse Fulop's re-election bid.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
Some Louisiana indigent defendants get lawyers who can't be much help
HARLAN - Larry Petersen, President of Midstates Bank, N .A. and Mike Kenealy, Executive Vice President of Midstates Bank, N .A., are pleased to announce the recent promotion of Mikala Holtz. Holtz has accepted the position of Senior Vice President - Retail Banking Officer. Petersen said, "In this new role she will continue to oversee the banks residential lending, in addition to working with the banks operations, compliance and branch managers to meet our objectives in retail banking that covers deposit growth, consumer lending, staff training, and marketing/branding of Midstates Bank, N.A." Holtz also recently graduated in July 2016 from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC), a 25-month banking school which provides management and leadership training for community-banking professionals located on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. Holtz received her diploma upon successfully completing classroom training which focuses on the areas of general management, lending, leadership and human-resource management and financial management in banks. Requirements for graduation also include comprehensive examinations, intersession research projects and participation in a bank-management simulation course designed to provide students with experience managing a bank. "Since Mikalas accomplishment and completion of Graduate School of Banking, we have further defined her role at Midstates Bank to enable us to further utilize her talent and education. Her education and expertise is invaluable in helping lead Midstates Bank toward higher levels of service and bank management," stated Kenealy. Holtz graduated from Creighton University in 2000, and began her banking career in 2002. She joined Midstates Bank in 2004, and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2012. In addition to her duties as an Executive Officer and part owner, Mikala is a member of Midstates Banks Board of Directors. Mikala and her husband, Eddie, live in Council Bluffs with their two children . Midstates Bank is a $385 million dollar bank with offices in Council Bluffs, Harlan, Avoca, Missouri Valley, and Mondamin
Five police conscripts were killed when militants ambushed their vehicle in Egypt's North Sinai city of Arish on Saturday evening, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

The militants released the driver and shot the conscripts dead.

Hundreds of security forces in North Sinai have been killed in similar attacks by Islamic militants since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Egyptian security forces also killed hundreds of suspected militants in North Sinai during the same period.

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Paper Clover Campaign to raise funds for 4-H members

Tractor Supply Company, in partnership with National 4-H Council, is announcing the October launch of the 2016 Fall Paper Clover Campaign.

From Wednesday to Oct. 16, funds will be raised when Tractor Supply shoppers purchase a paper clover for $1 or more at checkout and will be awarded as scholarships to individual 4-H members wishing to attend 4-H camps and leadership conferences across the country. With the completion of the 2016 fall campaign, Tractor Supply and the National 4-H Council hope to reach the milestone of $10 million raised for 4-H members since the partnership began seven years ago.

Tractor Supply will work with 4-H groups on the state level to donate the funds as scholarships to local 4-H members to attend camps and leadership conferences. 4-H members can contact their county agents for information on how to apply. The number of scholarships distributed to students will be determined based on the total amount raised throughout the campaign.

For many years, this fundraising event has allowed us to provide thousands of 4-H youth across the country greater access to 4-H programs, said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of National 4-H Council.

Commission now accepting wildlife viewing grant proposals

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is accepting grant proposals that will enhance watchable wildlife opportunities and nature-based experiences in Nebraska.

Watchable Wildlife Grants, funded through the Wildlife Conservation Fund, help to develop wildlife viewing and nature-based experiences in Nebraska. The intent of these grants is to help people build appreciation and stewardship for natural resources through practical experience. Individuals, nonprofit, governmental and for-profit entities are encouraged and eligible to apply.

Potential projects include, but are not limited to, viewing site development, events, infrastructure, marketing, equipment and plan development. Proposals are due by Dec. 1, with a maximum of $3,000 available per proposal.

For more information, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/WatchableWildlifeGrants or contact Adam Jones at adam.jones@nebraska.gov or 402-471-5631, or Kristal Stoner at kristal.stoner@nebraska.gov.

Scholarships to help students with wildlife background

Two $2,500 John and Diane Poehling scholarships are being offered to college students with a background in wildlife conservation, hunting and fishing. Applicants must be a college sophomore or higher and have a B grade average or better. Poehling scholarships may be used at any accredited college or university in Nebraska.

Anyone residing in Nebraska or attending college in Nebraska may apply. Deadline for applications is Nov. 1.

Applications for Poehling scholarships are available at Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation, 121 N. Dewey St., Suite 112, North Platte, 308-534-3315 or mncf@midnebfoundation.net.
The Nebraska Section-Society for Range Management is offering a range program and tour on Oct. 13-14 for land owners/managers, livestock producers and anyone interested in rangeland management.

The Oct. 13 range program is titled Capitalizing on Range Management Opportunities and will be at the Monsanto Water Center located 2 miles south of the Gothenburg I-80 Interchange on Highway 47. The program cost is $20, which includes lunch, and will run from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are appreciated for a lunch count. Call 308-534-2360, ext. 3, or for more information.

Among the featured range program speakers are Jim Robb of the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver, Skip Marland of North Platte, Dr. Justin Derner of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Mitch Stevenson from the University of Nebraska at Scottsbluff and Dr. Dirac Twidwell of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The Oct. 14 range tour will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude around noon, with lunch provided free of charge. The Sundstrom Broken Box Ranch south of Brady will host the tour, and Russ Sundstrom will share his management strategies over the past 20 years for cedar tree encroachment, which includes mechanical cutting, five different prescribed burns including patch burns, grazing strategies, pollinator habitat establishment and much more. Scott Stout from the Loess Canyons Rangeland Alliance will discuss the economics of prescribed burning for cedars. Andy Moore with Quail Forever will discuss birds, pollinators, beetles and other wildlife as essential components of the ranch.

Partial funding for the events is provided through a Public Information and Education mini-grant administered by The Nebraska Academy of Sciences Inc. with dollars supplied by the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

To register for either day or for more information, call 308-534-2360, ext. 3.
CURTIS  Eighth-graders at North Plattes Adams Middle School might consider agricultural professions in welding, animal science, crops, agribusiness management or veterinary science after a glimpse into their futures.

Sixty students and four administrators visited the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture last Tuesday to learn about career opportunities in areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

While on campus, the eighth graders explored agribusiness management, veterinary technology, agronomy and animal science.

NCTA students shared what they are learning in four venues. At an indoor arena, Aggie students exercised horses in the advanced equitation class, while veterinary technology students were studying animal anatomy by identifying skeletons and bones in the anatomy lab. Meanwhile, in the ag mechanics laboratory the students in Welding I were fusion welding with oxygen-acetylene torches. Agribusiness management programs were also showcased in the sessions.

Agricultural education majors at NCTA provided the tours and presentations, Tina Smith, NCTA recruitment coordinator said. The ag students are completing their second year of coursework at NCTA and will transfer in 2017 to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to complete their student teaching and degrees.

At the end of the day, students had an ice cream sandwich as they heard from Brenda Aufdenkamp on how they can become involved in STEM programs through Lincoln County 4-H.

NCTA will host a Discovery Day for prospective students who are exploring their options for college on Monday, Oct. 10. For more information or to register, go to ncta.unl.edu/discovery-days or call Tina Smith at 800-3-CURTIS.
KEARNEY  Grant Holscher wants to become a pilot.

He also wants to teach history to high school

students.

Its why he joined ROTC out of high school on a four-year national scholarship that allows him to pursue both.

Im a really big history buff. Im big into world history. I love World War I and II, Holscher said.

This summer, Holscher traveled to Europe on a Holocaust-focused trip, led by the University of Nebraska at Kearney History Department.

I always thought the Holocaust was interesting, so it was right up my alley, said the senior history education major from North Platte. It was one of the coolest trips Ive been on. I got a lot of neat history background on things I never would have thought of.

Before touring Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic in May, Holscher took a class about the Holocaust from European history scholar and trip organizer Roy Koepp, UNK assistant professor of history.

And not long after Holscher returned from Europe, he went to the West African coastal nation of Liberia with the ROTC.

Through ROTC, there are a lot of summer opportunities you can experience that are competitive. You compete based on how well you do in school, how active you are in the community or based on your physical fitness and leadership qualities, Holscher explained. They take all of those factors into consideration and base your order of merit on this list.

Initially, Holscher applied for an ROTC trip in Europe due to his affinity for history. Instead, he was placed in Liberia.

At first I was like this is going to be crazy, I dont even know where Liberia is, he recalled. I knew the ebola outbreak happened there, but I didnt know they had been riddled with civil war for the last 30 years.

Over the 21 days Holscher spent in Liberia, he and fellow cadets visited the United States Embassy, fixed up orphanages and provided English training to Liberian soldiers, helping them with grammar, reading and writing.

As much as I want to say the Holocaust trip was sobering and enlightening, I think this trumped it tenfold just because it was currently happening in the 21st century, Holscher said.

His summer didnt stop when he returned from Africa. He spent all of July in Fort Knox, Kentucky, at the ROTCs Cadet Leadership Course, which required training for cadets to become commissioned officers in the United States Army.

Out of 180 cadets in Holschers company, he placed ninth based on a scoring system that evaluated individuals on leadership skills, performance under pressure and other tests like IQ.

He finished in the top 15th percentile, an achievement that four of the last five UNK cadets have placed in at the leadership academy.

Ive met people from all over the United States who are going to be the greatest leaders our country has seen, he said. Some of them will stay in the Army and be leaders and generals and do great things. Some arent going to stay in it for 20 years, theyll go out and be teachers, scientists and doctors.

I know so many great people from all over. Were going to have some great upcoming potential leaders in the United States. Its kind of cool to know that Im a part of that group and that Im friends with them.

Holscher is currently pursuing a career in the Armys aviation branch. After college, hell attend flight school for two years and become a pilot in the Army National Guard in Nebraska.

Holscher will student teach in the spring and become commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation in May.

I love being in a leadership position where I can help some of the people that Im with, go in the direction that they need to go, Holscher said.
For some young Jews, its almost become a rite of passage: taking a free trip through Birthright Israel.

Since the organization launched 16 years ago, its brought 500,000 Jews to Israel. They come from 66 countries, but about three-fourths are American. The only requirement is that participants be 18 to 26 years old, with at least one Jewish parent (or one Jewish grandparent if theyre from the former Soviet Union).

Birthright Israel was founded by philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt. Today funding comes from the Israeli government, Jewish nonprofits and individual donors, including the conservative billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam.

Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark calls the free trips a gift from one generation to another. The Associated Press interviewed Mark in New York about the organizations goals and how it has evolved.

AP: Whats your mission?

MARK: The real gift we give young people is the ability to think. This is a crucial time in their lives, leaving parents homes, asking, Who am I? Who am I going to be? We give them 10 days to forge their own identities.

Brandeis University has done research that shows Birthright increases feelings of attachment to the state of Israel by 40 percent. It increases the number of Jews marrying Jews by 45 percent. It increases the willingness to raise their children Jewish if they have a non-Jewish parent. ... Forty-five percent of our participants from the U.S. come back to Israel within five years.

AP: How do you handle controversy over Israeli politics?

MARK: We used to hear complaints that a speaker was too right-wing and about 50 percent complain the other speaker was too left-wing. We decided to go and take the best speakers in Israel and give them guidelines of messages that anybody could feel very well with. We started this last year and for the first time we did not receive one complaint.

We have thousands of people who are very critical of Israeli policy. But after 10 days in Israel they take ownership of whats going on in Israel, including the criticism. We dont say Israel is impeccable.

We add eight Israelis to each group of about 40 participants. Among eight Israelis there are nine opinions. If we want to control content, we cannot.

We dont allow preaching, not religiously, not politically.

AP: Do Birthright participants meet with Palestinians?

MARK: A large part of participants do meet with Arabs living in Israel from all walks of life.

AP: How do you keep Birthright Israel trips safe?

MARK: Luckily we have a very clean record after half a million participants. Parents were concerned about going into the Middle East, its a volatile area. But Israel has become relatively safe in the eyes of Americans, partly because of whats going on here (in the U.S.) and whats going on in Europe.

We have one security guard joining each and every one of the groups. We constantly change itineraries if we need to. We dont go to regions that might have any potential of violence. Each and every one of the groups has an emergency button that goes directly to the national emergency room and every group is monitored 24/7.

AP: How much of the Birthright Israel experience is religious?

MARK: Only 2 percent of our participants consider themselves Orthodox. I believe close to 40 percent define themselves as Reform, about the same number define themselves as just Jewish, and dont belong to any movement.

We do the blessings for Shabbat ... but we take religion as part of a very broad tradition in a positive way. No coercion.

We also from time to time make huge bar mitzvah ceremonies and Hebrew naming ceremonies, which are very moving.

We try to show them that Judaism is not about religion only. Religion is part of many faces of Judaism. There is culture, art, history, social relationships.

AP: How has Birthright Israel changed?

MARK: You cannot compare Birthright Israel today to Birthright Israel five years ago.

First of all we diversified the offerings. We have 40 different types of groups. Groups for foodies, for theater, for journalists, for bloggers, for doctors. Groups for people who have Aspergers or Crohns disease or are disabled or LGBT or film writers.

We would also like to extend the time they spend in Tel Aviv and improve it. Weve opened the first-ever visitors center in Tel Aviv to showcase Israelis high-tech industry. Weve started to bring Birthright Israel groups there to meet with entrepreneurs.

AP: Spending a night in the desert seems to be something a lot of participants find memorable.

MARK: For thousands of them, just to lie on the ground and look at the sky like Moses and Abraham, its a new experience. They are really excited about it. We give them binoculars and telescopes to see falling stars, to see something they would never forget.

AP: Birthright is famous for its hookup culture.

MARK: We are not the police. We are lucky to have decided from day one we dont deal with minors. Anything they do, they do with mutual respect.

AP: Are there many Birthright marriages?

MARK: I personally know of hundreds of marriages that came from Birthright trips and I can tell you there are hundreds of children. In two years we are going to have the first child of Birthright parents come on a trip.
Dozens of lawyers gathered on Saturday in a demonstration in front of Egypt's High Court in protest against the recently-passed value-added tax (VAT) law.

Head of the lawyer's syndicate Sameh Ashour said in a statement on Tuesday that the syndicate "rejects" the law as it "violates technical, scientific and legal standards applied in all countries".

Ashour said that while the law did not articulate any obligation on practitioners of liberal professions, which include lawyers, it still did not define the term "professional and consulting services".

Syndicate member Mohamed Othman told Aswat Masriya that though the legal profession falls under "liberal professions", as per Article 198 of the constitution, the VAT law obligates lawyers to register themselves in tax offices to be subject to the VAT .

Othman added that "lawyers are already subject to a number of taxes including the tax imposed on liberal professions."

It is not yet clear whether the VAT will cancel the other taxes imposed on lawyers, as the bylaws stipulated by the Ministry of Finance are yet to be released.

Othman, however, believes the imposition of VAT on lawyers will "harden" their situation especially that the practice is not-for-profit as "it contributes to the achievement of justice".

Egypt's House of Representatives approved the VAT law late August with the VAT rate set at 13 per cent for fiscal year 2016-17. The rate will increase to 14 per cent next year.

The VAT law has been effective since early September, a few days after it was published in the official gazette.

The VAT is expected to replace the current sales tax and broaden the tax base by subjecting all services to the tax while maintaining the principle of exempting basic goods and services that affect the poor, according to a cabinet statement in May.

It is part of the government's reform programme, which includes cuts to expensive energy subsidies and the introduction of other new tax measures, in an attempt to cut spending and meet conditions for a three-year $12 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The loan is still subject to the final approval of the IMF executive committee.

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Autumn has always been my favorite season. Most of my favorite holidays fall this time of year. The weather is almost enchanting to me; the crisp, cool, air and colored leaves fly through the blustery breezes. The little furry creatures scurrying around gathering various seeds and nuts for the impending winter months are always a treat in our neighborhood.

Autumn has also become a time of preparing for the winter for our home and our special guests. I clean and ready our home for the coming colder months.

My parents, our special guests, usually visit us during the month of September from sunny Arizona. They visit with family and friends and many times they have a high school reunion during the month. This year they are visiting through the beginning of November to meet their first two great granddaughters in October and November.

Every year Portage welcomes special guests this time of year that my Dad would love to see. He has been one of Elvis Presleys fans for as long as I can remember, but he has never been here in October when the Elvis FANtasy Fest comes to town for all to enjoy everything Elvis.

This next weekend is a fest that Elvis fans look forward to from far and near. Its the 24th Annual Elvis FANtasy Fest in Portage. The fest is set for Friday through Sunday at Woodland Park, 2100 Willowcreek Road, and will highlight gospel music that was near and dear to the King. It opens at 7 p.m. on Friday with a Welcome Party hosted by Elvis Stylist Quentin Flagg and Friends. There will be a meet and greet with special guest for the weekend, Donnie Sumner of the Stamps Quartet and Voice, the group Elvis hired and named to sing gospel music with him.

Saturdays festivities begin at 10 a.m. This day holds a time for greeting Porter County Special Olympians, and the Elvis Ultimate Tribute Artists Preliminary competition begins. There is also a dinner and an Elvis memorabilia auction. That night, at 8 p.m., is an Elvis-Back to the Future concert with the 2015 Ultimate Champion, David Lee, along with other popular champions.

Sunday at 10 a.m. will be a Gospel Show with a brunch with the Spaniels and Donnie Sumner. Then on to the Final for the Elvis Ultimate Tribute Artist Contest and the grand finale which features the march of the Porter County Special Olympians and the contest awards.

For those of you are not familiar with this fest, it is run by the EFF Productions. These fans are devoted to not only keeping Elvis memory alive but also helping the Porter County Olympics along the way. All the proceeds of the fest benefit the Special Olympics of Porter County. They are the best because they are portraying someone they know only through someone elses eyes. Its a event you wont want to miss.

For more information, contact Kay Lipps at (317) 844-7354.
ATLANTA  The right to bear arms is fundamental to the U.S., carved into the Constitution and seemingly embedded in the national DNA. But after a seemingly endless stretch of violence, Americans are confronting how far those rights extend, propelling gun issues to the forefront of this years elections.

Do Americans have the right to have AR-style firearms, the long guns with a military look used in the past year in several mass shootings? Should they be able to buy magazines that hold 10 or more bullets? Can those on a terrorist watchlist, but not charged with a crime, be allowed to buy a gun? Should every gun buyer have to pass a background check?

Where they stand

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are like bookends marking the divide that exists in the U.S. today on gun issues.

Trump casts himself as an ardent protector of the Second Amendment and proclaims that if more good guys were armed with firearms there would be fewer gun tragedies. He even went a step further than the National Rifle Association after the Orlando nightclub shooting, suggesting that if it werent a gun-free zone, a patron would have been able to stop the bloodshed. (The NRA, while supporting Trump, said its not a good idea to allow firearms where alcohol is being served.)

Trump also has vowed that on his first day as president he would end gun-free zones at schools and on military bases. He also supports reciprocity among all 50 states for concealed-carry permits.

Clinton, whose husband as president successfully pushed for a 10-year ban on assault-type weapons, has advocated renewing that ban. Shes also called for measures to ensure background checks are completed before a gun sale goes forward, mandating such checks for gun-show sales and repealing a law that shields gun manufacturers from liability.

Gary Johnson said Americans would be safer if guns were more readily available, not more restricted.

All these atrocities have been happening in gun-free zones, USA Today quoted Johnson as saying. If there were law-abiding citizens that were carrying weapons  Im not saying they would lessen the impact of these horrible atrocities, but maybe, maybe they could.

Hes open to ideas that would keep guns away from the mentally ill, the USA Today story said. Johnson also sees guns as a necessary defense against government tyranny.

Why it matters

The next president will get to nominate at least one member of a Supreme Court thats closely divided on how to read the Second Amendment, and the next Congress will continue to confront gun-rights issues.

Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February, was the decisive vote in a Washington, D.C., case in which the court on a 5-4 vote affirmed the right of individuals to own handguns for self-defense.

Whatever gun policies a Clinton or Trump administration were to pursue would probably be challenged, and Scalias replacement could be the pivotal vote.

Much has happened to bring guns to the forefront again: Charleston. Orlando. Oregon. San Bernardino. Theres even been a protest staged by members of Congress on the floor of the House.

There are roughly 300 million firearms in the United States and tens of thousands of shootings each year.

In a world that feels increasingly violent, whether at home or across the globe, Americas cowboy culture and the Second Amendment are under the microscope. Voters are asking what will make them safer, more guns or fewer?
INDIANAPOLIS  Indiana continues to have the top business tax climate in the Midwest and ranks eighth best in the nation, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundations 2017 state ratings.

The Washington, D.C.-based organization analyzed more than 100 variables in each states tax code to determine which states are most competitive for business.

Indiana scored fourth best in the country for property taxes, 10th for sales tax and unemployment insurance tax, 11th for individual income tax and 23rd for corporate income tax.

Employers invest in areas where they see the most potential for growth and success, and creating a tax climate to help them achieve that end is one of the most important aspects of attracting high-paying jobs to our state, said state Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, whose district includes part of Jasper County.

The Tax Foundation found Wyoming had the best business tax climate, in part because the state does not levy a business or individual income tax and its sales tax rate only is 4 percent compared to Indianas 7 percent.

The other states in the top 10 were: South Dakota (2); Alaska (3); Florida (4); Nevada (5); Montana (6); New Hampshire (7); Utah (9); and Oregon (10).

All of those states, except Indiana and Utah, do not assess either income or sales tax on their residents. New Hampshire omits both, relying instead on significant property taxes to fund the government.

Illinois business tax climate rated 23rd overall, unchanged from last year.

It bested Indiana for individual income tax as Illinois 3.75 percent rate is less than what Hoosiers pay when county income tax is added to the 3.3 percent state rate.

But Illinois lagged its neighbor in every other tax category, especially property taxes which came in 46th out of the 50 states.

Among Indianas other adjacent states Michigan ranked 12th overall, Ohio 45th and Kentucky 34th.

New Jersey was deemed to have the worst business tax climate due to its high property taxes, poorly structured individual income tax rates and the existence of both an inheritance tax and an estate tax.

The other states in the bottom 10 were: Louisiana (41); Maryland (42); Connecticut (43); Rhode Island (44); Minnesota (46); Vermont (47); California (48); and New York (49).

In coming years, Indiana potentially could improve its rank above eighth as tax cuts that state lawmakers already have approved go into effect.

They include a reduction in the corporate income tax rate to 4.9 percent by 2021, from 6.5 percent, and a 0.07 percent decline in the individual income tax rate on Jan. 1, 2017.

Substantive state tax reform has gained a lot of momentum over the past few years, said Scott Drenkard, Tax Foundation state projects director. The stagnation of our federal tax code means that policymakers are turning to state codes to boost their national and global competitiveness.

Hershman said even though Indianas 4.5 percent unemployment rate is below the national average this is no time for Hoosier leaders to rest on their tax-cutting laurels.

It is vital for Indiana lawmakers to continue fostering our business-friendly tax climate so we can build on our record employment levels in the months and years ahead, he said.
HAMMOND  The city is in negotiations with a group of Illinois communities that could increase the amount of revenue it is receiving through the sale of water.

The Hammond Water Works Department already sells water to a number of communities in Illinois and Indiana, although it is the citys contract with Chicago Heights that has significantly brightened Hammonds financial outlook.

After the Chicago Heights contract with Hammond expired in 2012, the city worked out an arrangement under a new contract in which Hammond would receive the bulk of the money produced through the sale. The more than $7 million annually produced through the contract was partially used to fund a $36.5 million bond issue in 2015 to balance the citys budget.

The sale of the water to Chicago Heights like other contracts Hammond Water Works has with some other Illinois communities is based on a rate that is 88 percent of what the city of Chicago charges. Ed Krusa, chief executive operator of the Hammond Water Works, notes that Chicago would be the alternative water source for these communities if they didnt get the water from Hammond.

The rising rates of Chicago also prompted some Illinois communities in 2011 to form the South Suburban Joint Action Water Agency to obtain and treat Lake Michigan water on their own. The agency, that included the communities of Harvey, Alsip, Blue Island, Calumet Park, Markham, Midlothian and Robbins eventually entered negotiations with Hammond to access Lake Michigan water in Indiana before disbanding.

According to Kevin Smith, a Hammond attorney who has worked on water contract negotiations for the city, under a proposed agreement the agency would have paid an initial charge of $1 million then ongoing charges for the untreated water they obtained from the plant.(tncms-asset)7d0d31ee-8763-11e6-b58f-00163ec2aa77(/tncms-asset)

More Illinois cities looking to Hammond for water

Although the deal with the South Suburban Joint Action Water Agency never reached fruition, Smith said a new group has formed and has been negotiating with Hammond for several months.

The new groups members include Homewood, Flossmoor, Olympia Fields, Calumet Park, Country Club Hills, East Hazel Crest, Hazel Crest, Markham, Matteson and the portion of South Holland not currently served by Hammond, according to Krusa.

Smith said once again the deal would involve the city selling untreated water to the group, which it would then treat. The twist to the proposed agreement this time, though, is that Hammond would like to have the groups treatment facility built in Hammond rather than in Illinois, he said. This would keep the capital investment and jobs in Indiana, Smith said.

We dont have anything signed, Smith said. Its still in the early negotiating stage.

Another opportunity to increase the amount of revenue Hammond receives from selling water would involve Chicago Heights eventually increasing the number of communities to which it sells water. Currently, Chicago Heights not only delivers the water to its own residents, but also resells the water it gets from Hammond to Glenwood, South Chicago Heights, Thornton and Ford Heights.

If Chicago Heights were to greatly increase the number of communities it resells the water to in Illinois, Hammond might have to look at increasing the size of its water treatment plant.

If there is an opportunity there we would have to seriously look at expanding the plant, Smith said.

In February 2015, the rates charged to Chicago Heights, Calumet City and Burnham were raised from $2.89 per thousand gallons to $3.35 per thousand gallons based on an increase by the city of Chicago.

Lansing was able to obtain a much better deal when it signed a contract with the city in May 2006. Instead of being tied to the rate charged by the city of Chicago, the communitys rate is based on the cost of service. Lansings rate of $1.12 per thousand gallons was last modified in July 2012 and will be modified again this year.

The rates charged to Munster, Highland, Griffith and Whiting are all staying the same for now, Krusa said. The communities pay a base rate of 46 cents per thousand gallons plus additional money related to capital costs. Munster also pays a premium related to sales it earlier made to Lynwood. Whiting pays 48 cents per thousand gallons; Highland, 50 cents; Munster, 52 cents, and Griffith, 58 cents.

Chicago Heights helping balance Hammonds budget

The big pot of money that comes into Hammond is through its contract with Chicago Heights. In the cases of all the other contracts with outlying communities, the Water Works Department keeps all the income generated through the sales of the water.

In the case of Chicago Heights, however, the Hammond Water Works Department only gets 46 cents of the $3.35 per thousand gallons charged to the community. The rest of the money is retained by Hammond under a separate contract between the city and Chicago Heights.

Last year, Chicago Heights paid $8,386,313 for the water it received from Hammond. Of that amount, the Water Works Department received about $1,189,023, while the city received about $7,197,290. Hammond is using a portion of that windfall to pay off a $36.5 million bond that it issued last year to shore up the citys budget.

Krusa said the Water Works Department also pays Hammond $650,000 a year in lieu of taxes and gives Hammond any excess revenue it has at the end of the year. The last few years, however, there has not been any excess revenue to give to the city, he said.

The prior 30-year-old contract with Chicago Heights did not contain any clause that allowed for the rate to be modified, Krusa said. Under that contract, which expired in November 2012, Chicago Heights was paying only 57.5 cents per thousand gallons for the water it was getting from Hammond.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. wanted to make sure that never happened again, Krusa said.

The new 20-year contract does not obligate Chicago Heights to buy the water from Hammond and Chicago Heights officials at one time spoke about finding an alternate supplier, but that has not happened.
LANSING  Trustee Patty Eidam will head the Village Voice Party as its candidate for village president in the April election.

I stand with the Village Voice Party and promise you the following: We will listen with curiosity, speak with honesty and act with integrity, Eidam said.

Trustee Mike Manno, Brian Hardy and Jerry Zeldenrust are the partys candidates for the Village Board. Megan Roe is running for clerk.

The Village Voice Party name was carefully chosen to tell all of you that we want each of you to voice your opinions, Eidam said. It is our way of letting you know that you, our neighbors, our employees and all of our residents have a voice and we will listen.

Current Village President Norm Abbotts tenure will end in May. Lansings term limits disallow Abbott from running for re-election.

Eidam won election for trustee in April 2015 and served eight years on the board from 2001 to 2009. She was also village clerk from 2009 until 2013.

Eidam was a Lansing police officer and paramedic from 1979 until 1999. Her speech Tuesday attacked the current village governments handling of the Police Department, including not allowing the officers to speak to media directly. Fabian Newman, village communications director, addresses the press.

With my background, it is extremely difficult for me to watch the recent criticism and lack of support for our law enforcement community on the national, state and Chicagoland level, Eidam said. Thankfully, our village as a whole seems to realize the value of our well-trained and dedicated first responders.

Eidam lost her 2013 re-election bid for the clerks position to Clerk Donna Kooyenga.

She and her husband, Bud, own Lamp Shade House and Antiques in Munster.

The party gears much of its platform toward advocating for police. Manno and Zeldenrust are also retired Lansing cops. Zeldenrust and Eidam were sworn in on the same day in 1979.

As I learned during my years at the Police Department, what may initially appear to be a police issue or a school issue or even a village government issue almost always requires the talent and resources of many parts of the village to come together to help to address it, Zeldenrust said. Our citizens have concerns that need to be heard.

Roe works for Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansing. She previously worked as a 911 dispatcher in Midlothian and for the University of Chicago police.

Hardy twice ran unsuccessfully for a trustees seat, including on the United Party ticket in 1997. Hes on the Planning and Zoning Board and was with the Lansing Chamber of Commerce from 1996 to 1999.

Even though I did not win, I believe you must continue to pursue what you have a passion for, Hardy said.

Hes the owner of Chicagos Finest Ironworks, on Chicago Avenue in Lansing.
Unfortunately there is evil that exists in this world, but good always wins. Theres no better example of that than in Lansing, where resident Diane Pranske survived a violent attack just over a year ago and has since seen immense support from the community as she continues her recovery.

Pranske went into an ICU burn unit in September last year where she remained through February before being transferred to a rehabilitation unit for another three months. She spent a full nine months in the hospital healing from her wounds and numerous surgeries.

Theres been so many fundraisers and support things that its hard to name them all off the top of my head, says daughter April Pranske. At first, a lot of people that went to school with heror didnt know her, but went to T.F. Southwanted to help. There was a committee formed and they planned fundraisers and events for her and they met every week. The group was eventually called the Love Wins team.

The biggest event planned by the committee was a ticketed fundraiser held at Bottoms Up in Lansing. It was catered and they had auctions, raffles, five bands and raised over $20,000, says April Pranske. They also did a 5K that raised over $8,000 in May. It was really cold and the turnout wasnt as big as wed hoped, but everyone prepaid, so it raised a lot of money. It also happened the same weekend she came home from the hospital.

Another large event that raised a lot of funds was held at Theos Steaks & Seafood in Highland. Its a fine dining place where my mom tended bar before she got hurt, says Pranske. They gave half of all their proceeds that night and donated about $15,000.

She says that Jacks Bar and Restaurant in Lansing also held a fundraiser. They planned a night called Jacks for Diane and it was a jam with a lot of local bands and artists. It was a whole night of music and there was a cover charge to get in and part of the food and drink proceeds were donated.

So many people and groups have pitched in to help, according to Pranske. The La Rosa De Guadalupe Bakery gave 25 cents for each baked good sold and donated over $1,000. The American Legion Riders did a motorcycle run with purple ribbons on their bike and collected money after the run, totaling around $1,000. A collection table at Lansing Autumn Fest in 2015 brought in more funds. The Love Wins committee started selling purple bracelets, which was very profitable, Pranske says.

A friend of a cousin made specially designed handmade jewelry on Etsy and proceeds went to my moms recovery, says Pranske. The jewelry says, For Diane with a purple heart and a cross. The Fetching Market event that was held last month at the Ford Hangar at the Lansing Municipal Airport also donated a percentage of the proceeds to the cause.

Diane Pranske once worked at Margaritas Bar and Grill in Lynwood, and they also held a fundraiser there with part of the food and drink sales being donated along with funds from raffles and a bake sale. The Lather Lounge in Munster also did a cut-a-thon that raised about $2,000.

All of the fundraisers, along with a Go Fund Me campaign, have helped the family tremendously with all the expenses caused by her mothers injuries, April Pranske says.

Funds that have been raised are being used in various ways as the recovery needs continue. The money is not just going for the medical burden, says Pranske. Its being used for other things like modifications to her boyfriends home, where she is living now. A ramp had to be put in. She needed all new clothes and shoes because her body is so different now and none of her old stuff fits. Shes eating different things and was on a feeding tube for a while. So, it didnt all go to the hospital. Its helping for other things to make life comfortable while she is adjusting after being in the hospital for so long. There are just so many random expenses incurred from what happened.

While she is so grateful for the contributions, Pranske says that the support has gone far beyond monetary gifts. The people on that committee will do anything for me and our family, from rides to the airport to picking up groceries. Its amazing, she says. All I have to do is send a group text and someone will go over to Walgreens and pick up my moms medicine. Since April Pranske resides in Florida, she has found great comfort in having so many people in Lansing to turn to for help. She says she spent about a month here when her mom first went into the hospital, and shes been traveling home about once a month.

The outpouring of people hanging purple ribbons (which is her moms favorite color) around town and a prayer vigil at Trinity Lutheran Church that drew a crowd of about 800 gave Pranske and her family comfort knowing that so many people were behind her mom. A lot of the businesses on Ridge Road changed their signs to say Pray for Diane, says her daughter. And the village of Lansing itself and the police force and all the people who live therepeople have just jumped in. I dont know what we would have done without them. My family and I couldnt have gotten through it without them. Theyve been selfless.

Although her moms recovery has been a long, slow process that is ongoing, she says that her mother is doing better than expected. Currently, shes doing better than we ever thought she would be. Shes still in a wheelchair, but shes speaking and eating and being her complete normal self, she says. She wont be in a wheelchair forever, but shes weakened from being in the hospital and healing from some of the surgeries.

Pranske says the reason that so many people knew her mom was that she was so social. She worked at bars and restaurants and was so outgoing, says Pranske. She was a familiar face and people gave back the kindness that shes given over the years.

To donate to the Pranske family, visit GoFundMe.com/lavenderribbon.
GARY Officers from the Indiana University Police Department-Northwest invite IU Northwest students, faculty and staff, as well as residents to a Coffee with a Cop from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday in the RedHawk Cafeteria in the Moraine Student Center.

The mornings meet-and-greet will be an informal conversation providing students and residents the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the departments work, both on the IU Northwest campus, as well as in the community, most specifically in Gary.

IUPD-NW Chief of Police Wayne James said the event is an opportunity to get to know officers and what they do to build positive relationships with the residents they serve.

Similar community-based efforts include the Citizens Police Academy, the Youth Citizens Police Academy, and the annual Shop with a Cop program, among others.

For more information, call (219) 980-6501.
HAMMOND  Bishop Noll Institute senior Liliana Mendez has a passion for medicine and joined other high school students from around the country who aspire to become the next generation of leaders in the medical field.

Mendez represented Bishop Noll and Indiana at the National Leadership Academies Congress of Future Medical Leaders, which was in June in Boston, Massachusetts.

The East Chicago resident was taught by some of the greatest minds in medicine including winners of international prizes, prominent medical school academic leaders and prodigies who are leading the future of medicine.

My favorite part of the congress was listening to the speakers and their stories for us. The main message to us was that it is OK to fail, we need to fail in order to succeed and realize our potential, she said.

Mendez, who attended St. Marys School in Griffith, was nominated to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum: Medicine in summer 2015. After participating, she was invited to attend the June gathering by one of its presidents/program directors.

The senior plans to study medicine to become a doctor with multidisciplinary care in the trauma unit, she said. At the congress, she met top physicians in different fields and learned the challenges that helped them discover their specialties.

Attending the congress amongst my peers who had the same difficulties, dedication and drive for medicine as I did helped establish my passion for medicine. Ive always known I wanted to help people. As I grew older I realized I wanted to go into the field of medicine.

Liliana and her grandmother, Lupe Mendez, enjoyed visiting Boston and had a few hours to tour the historic city.

We were able to walk the Freedom Trail and visit some amazing historical landmarks such as the Boston Massacre site and the Old State House.

Michele Arnold, Bishop Nolls director of guidance, said Mendez is conscientious, friendly, focused and determined. She consistently seeks out challenges.

She expects a lot of herself and isnt satisfied unless she knows that she did her best, Arnold said, adding that Mendez transitioned well into BNI.

Rebecca Dostatni, Noll Class of 2000, is Mendezs Honors Biology teacher and said she is a serious, pensive and mature student.

I hope that Liliana follows her dreams and continues to work diligently at everything she chooses to do in her life. She pays great attention to details and will become an excellent professional in the medical field.

Next up for Mendez is a trip to Washington, D.C., in January to attend the Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit. She is working hard to raise enough funds to pay for the trip.
"Not only does the pain from the accident still sit with him, he's in pain every day. They say it will be that way for a long time and will probably never change."
EAST CHICAGO  A coalition of pro bono lawyers on Saturday told Calumet residents living on toxic soil they will advocate on their behalf with local, state and federal officials now in high gear to confront a centurys worth of pollution that still lingers in the city.

Members of the legal team, whose efforts began in the summer, said they are in close contact, in part, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agency heading up cleanup efforts, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is aiding the East Chicago Housing Authority as they move 1,000 West Calumet residents from a complex eyed for demolition.

The attorneys, working for free, also said they would fight to ensure the state health department tracks children with elevated blood lead levels through proper health care coverage, routine monitoring and treatment.

For much of the two-hour meeting at American Legion Allied Post 369, the panel heard residents voice concerns about the EPAs plan of action for the easternmost section of the Calumet neighborhood, legal recourse, home values, and the effects of lead exposure in children and the elderly.

Maritza Lopez, a Calumet resident helping lead efforts to form a Community Advisory Group to advocate during the EPAs cleanup, urged people to get involved.

They wont know our concerns unless we speak up, Lopez said.

The EPA has targeted the neighborhood, which is part of the USS Lead Superfund site, for cleanup, and could begin as early as Sunday on 19 properties. The EPA is pushing forward with the cleanup of zone 2 though the area was not covered under a $26 million settlement reached in 2014 between the federal and state government and DuPont and Atlantic Richfield, successors to companies responsible for contamination.

Ronald Adams, a former Calumet resident who owns two properties on McCook and Alexander, said he worries about declining values and the responsibility he has to tell potential buyers about the contamination. His properties have not been targeted for demolition.

I cannot legally sell my property without telling the buyer that theres lead, right? You have to tell them its contaminated with lead paint, so why not with lead in the dirt? Adams asked.

Michael Gonzalez, of the 4800 block of Euclid Avenue, told the panel his daughters  ages 1 and 3  came back positive for lead. His girls tested at 3.3 micrograms per deciliter, which is below the Centers for Disease Controls 5 mcg/dl threshold for action.

So my daughters levels are not high right now, but there could have been a chance that their levels were high before, Gonzalez said. I have to be a concerned parent and just sit and wait to see the outcome. ... They say lead can affect the brain.

Melissa Maldonado, 24, broke into tears as she explained her story to the panel. Shes 12 weeks pregnant, she said, and has two children under age 6. She moved into the West Calumet Housing Complex in April 2015 and recently found out about the contaminated soil.

When I moved in there, my concern was more of the crime rate, than (harmful toxins) being in the ground, Maldonado said. And I just feel that the (East Chicago Housing Authority) could have been more sincere. It seems they are sweeping things under the rug instead of answering questions we have.

City officials have said they didnt know about the extent of the contamination until this spring, blaming EPA for a lack of information and communication.

Faced with questions from residents about health issues brought on by long-term exposure to toxins, David Chizewer, attorney with Goldberg Kohn, a Chicago-based firm providing free services, said environmental health is tricky.

Its not like if your homes were hit with a tornado and you could obviously see the damage, Chizewer said. But with environmental damage, its sort of in the air, you cant really see it. Its hard to understand whether its affecting you or not. Should I stay in my home? Do I need to move out? When they say theyve cleaned it up, is it really cleaned up? Am I now safe? These are really difficult questions.
Egypt's Court of Cassation overturned on Saturday a five year jail sentence issued to two national security police officers over the torturing of a lawyer to death while in custody in 2015, ordering a retrial.

In December 2015, a Cairo Criminal Court found the two officers guilty of beating lawyer Karim Hamdy in the Matariya police station to death and of attempting to extract a confession under duress in February of that year, and sentenced the two officers to five years hard labour.

The officers in the case had interrogated Hamdy in the police station on illegal weapons possession, involvement in anti-government violence, and belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

A forensic medicine report said the victim sustained fractures to his ribs and suffered a cerebral haemorrhage.

In recent months, several policemen have been referred by prosecution to criminal court over abuse related charges.

Last September, a Cairo misdemeanour court sentenced nine lower-ranking policemen to three years in prison over assaulting two doctors at Matariya Teaching Hospital in January, an incident that sparked anger, leading doctors to hold a protest at the Doctors Syndicate to demand the policemen stand trial and for the health minister to be sacked.

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VALPARAISO In observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Porter Health Care System will host a Blow Away Breast Cancer rally featuring a flag-raising ceremony and presentation at 1 p.m. Wednesday on the front lawn of Porter Regional Hospital.

During the ceremony, Porters CEO Steve Lunn will read the Breast Cancer Awareness proclamation and encourage women who are 40 or older, or who are considered at risk, to schedule an annual screening mammogram.

According to the American College of Radiology a mammogram can detect tumors up to two years before a patient or the physician can feel them. And the American Cancer Society reports that breast cancers found during a screening mammogram tend to be small and still confined to the breast, increasing the chances they can be treated.

Its vitally important to find something when its small, said Peggy Banks, Porters breast care patient navigator. The five-year survival rate is 98 percent for those who cancer is detected before it spreads to the lymph nodes. So you can see its all about early detection and we encourage women to make scheduling their mammogram part of their routine health care plan.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among American women, affecting roughly 230,000 women as well as 2,300 men each year and is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths annually in the United States.

Porter Health Care System has two hospital campuses and seven outpatient facilities serving Porter, Lake, LaPorte, Starke, Newton, Marshall and Jasper counties.
VALPARAISO  Valpo Parks is offering a new exercise program that is designed to engage adults at any fitness level. Classes will be conducted outdoors at Old Fairgrounds Park, Oct. 11 through Nov. 17.

The program will consist of warm up, high intensity interval training with intervals and resistance training followed by lengthening and stretching of the core and ending with a cool down. The six-week program will include speed training, yoga, walking, resistance training, Pilates and workouts on the Life Trails System.

Class instructor will be Kelly Burns, an AAFA certified personal trainer, who has been in the fitness industry for more than seven years and has a degree in health and kinesiology.

The program classes are offered four times a week: 7:45-8:45 a.m. on Tuesday and Friday mornings and 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. In the event of inclement weather the classes will move indoors. The fee is $75 person; participants may attend as many classes as they choose during the six-week session. Registration may be done in person at the Valpo Parks office, 3210 N. Campbell St, by phone at (219) 462-5144 or online at valpoparks.org.
WASHINGTON  With Congress opening the way for the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, victims families are focusing on an unproven theory that a Saudi consular official in Los Angeles and a Saudi intelligence operative in San Diego directly assisted two of the 19 hijackers.

The alleged Southern California connection is the key to showing that Saudi Arabia financed Muslim extremists who played a direct role in supporting some of the hijackers, according to lawyers for the families.

The families contend that lower-level Saudi operatives in Southern California helped find housing for the two hijackers, both Saudi citizens, months before they muscled their way into the cockpit of an American Airlines passenger jet that smashed into the north side of the Pentagon.

If a pending lawsuit is allowed to proceed, the families hope to find the evidence in thousands of classified FBI, CIA and Treasury Department documents that could be made public in federal court.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied any direct or indirect support for al-Qaida, the terrorist group that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, or any foreknowledge or involvement in the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

FBI and CIA reviews concluded that no senior Saudi officials were aware of the plot. The 9/11 Commission found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded al-Qaida but left open the possibility that lower-ranking officials may have played a role.

California is an important part of the story, said former Sen. Bob Graham, DFla., who chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee and helped lead a 2002 congressional inquiry into the attacks. Graham has supported the families lawsuit.

I hope that during the course of the case we will learn much more about the Saudi role, he said.

Graham said he wants to find out how far the 9/11 Commission went to chase down speculation and leads from FBI investigators about alleged assistance from Saudi officials to the two hijackers in California.

The issue was revived after Congress passed a bill that allows the victims families to sue Saudi Arabia for damages if it played any role in the plot. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

Wednesday, Congress voted overwhelmingly to override a veto by President Barack Obama despite his warning that the law could put U.S. military and intelligence officials at risk overseas. Officials worry that Americans could be dragged into foreign courts to answer for U.S. drone strikes and other US operations.

The California connection involves Nawaf Hazmi and Khalid Mihdhar, two al-Qaida veterans of conflicts in Bosnia and Afghanistan. They flew into Los Angeles International Airport as students in January 2000 and prayed at a Culver City mosque built by the Saudi royal family and frequented by a Saudi consular official.

They later moved to San Diego where they tried to improve their English and took flying lessons at the Sorbi Flying Club.

Their move to San Diego later drew the interest of FBI agents searching for any evidence of Saudi support for the attacks, according to the 9/11 Commission report and to recently declassified material from the congressional inquiry.

While eating at a halal restaurant in Culver City, the two mens Gulf Arabic drew the attention of a Saudi named Omar Bayoumi, who had a no-show job with a Saudi defense contractor in San Diego, investigators found.

Bayoumi offered to let the newcomers stay in his apartment in San Diego for a few days and later helped them pay the deposit for an apartment.

The FBI suspected that Bayoumi, whom bureau informants considered a Saudi intelligence operative, was sent to meet the two by a Saudi consular official named Fahad Thumairy, who also led prayers at the Saudi-funded mosque.

When retracing Bayoumis steps, FBI agents found that he had visited the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles and saw Thumairy on the same day he met Hazmi and Mihdhar.

Whether those meetings were coincidence or a link that proves official Saudi complicity in the plot is key to the families claims against the kingdom.

No one ever said Bayoumi or Thumairy were senior government officials, but a government is responsible for lower level officials who cause death or injury to people under the cause of their employ, said Jack Quinn, one of the lawyers for more than 2,000 9/11 families.

Despite the circumstantial evidence, FBI investigators concluded that Saudi officials were not aware of a terrorist plot or the two mens ties to al-Qaida. The CIA had tracked the pair overseas but didnt alert the FBI when they flew to Los Angeles.

Eric Lewis, a lawyer for two Saudi charities that are also defendants in the lawsuit, said allegations that Saudi authorities supported al-Qaida and the 2001 attacks strikes me as ridiculous since the terrorist group founded by Osama bin Laden previously had targeted the kingdom.

Either way, resolution of the lawsuit isnt expected any time soon.

The case is before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. But passage of the new law, called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, could send it back to the Southern District of New York in lower Manhattan, where the lawyers may end up battling for years over release of classified material.

If the lawsuit prevails, U.S. courts could order the seizure of Saudi assets in the United States to pay the families. Saudi officials have warned they might need to sell off hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. holdings in response.
Evan Bayh has a problem.

The $10 Million Man thought he could do an end around Hoosier voters, evade a primary election, grab a U.S. Senate nomination in July for a seat he refused to defend in 2010, then traipse back to Washington where he could sleep in his own bed every night.

Instead, he is in a pure dog fight with Republican Todd Young, who already has knocked off two congressmen (former Rep. Mike Sodrel in the 2010 Republican primary, then Rep. Baron Hill that November).

This Senate race, which is already nearing the $25 million mark in money, is playing out in perhaps the most unlikely place in the state: East Chicago.

As Donald Trump might put it, Steeltown has become Importantville.

The reason is that last May, the EPA informed about 1,100 residents in the West Calumet Housing Complex that they and their 700 children were living on land severely contaminated by lead and arsenic left behind by a now defunct USS Lead factory. It should have been no secret. The Associated Press reported in 1985 the Indiana Department of Environmental Management found elevated lead levels in the soil, and the Indiana Department of Health found high levels of lead in the blood of children.

A 2008 EPA memo described the tract as an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health, welfare and the environment.

East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland was forced to make a fateful decision: Declare West Calumet uninhabitable. This, of course, sent a thousand Hoosiers scrambling.

Its mind-boggling. You have so many people who could have and should have done something, Democratic State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, who has represented the city since 2008, said. The bottom line is somebody just didnt care.

Gov. Mike Pence is on his excellent vice presidential adventure, and his administration has essentially checked out, though spokesman Matt Lloyd said the state has sent $100,000 in for health and housing.

The governor hasnt bothered to come to East Chicago (though he has visited flood victims in Iowa and Louisiana and tornado victims in Kokomo), perhaps because this crisis collides with a key Pence talking point that industry is over-regulated by the federal government.

This lack of priority had the mayor and senator reaching out to anyone who might help.

Enter Rep. Young, who sits on the influential House Ways & Means Committee. Earlier this week, he introduced legislation to address the affordable housing shortage in East Chicago by targeting additional low-income housing tax credits to the impacted area.

Entire lives are being uprooted by this disaster, said Young. It is bad enough having families forced from their homes, but it is a tragedy to learn so many will end up leaving the community altogether in search of an affordable place to live. Hundreds of children are implicated here, and as such, there is more we should be doing at all levels of government to find a workable solution.

Too many of the Hoosiers I represent from the West Calumet Housing Complex will be forced to leave the area because of a lack of affordable housing, Randolph said. Congressman Young and I met earlier this month to discuss the federal governments response, and I am pleased those conversations gave rise to this legislation.

U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., told The Times he seeks to work with all stakeholders.

And the Bayh campaigns response?

Peter Luster, Bayhs political director, blasted Youngs proposal as politically expedient and said it reeks of cynicism and opportunism. Lets be clear: East Chicago is our Flint, and Todd Young is exploiting people that need help to try and get ahead.

It was an odd response from a candidate who is basing his comeback on the notion of seeking bipartisan cooperation.

Lake County is Bayh Country and has been since the early 1960s, when Birch Bayh was first elected to the Senate.

With the Sept. 6-8 WTHR/Howey Politics Indiana Poll showing Bayh leading Young by just 44-40 percent, he will need a heavy turnout in Lake to offset Youngs strength in other places.

The poll captured this fascinating data point: Bayh was getting only 11 percent support among Republicans. Back in the days when he was winning landslide elections, Bayhs slice of the GOP vote was firmly in the 20th percentile.

So theres some irony that Democrats, facing a huge problem in a city with a motto Progredemur (We progress), would find a willing partner in a Republican from Bloomington.
Family often isnt what you expect it to be.

It can look nothing like you envisioned  and frankly nothing like you at all.

But look out. When the love of family unexpectedly yanks your heartstrings, youll know it by its intense gravity.

Its a lesson Wheatfields Jill Terborg keeps learning again and again, and its little wonder why.

The massive heart of this single mother of two girls  with one more on the way, as it turns out  has its own gravitational pull for all things selfless and good.

Her story provides a potent lesson in the diverse ways in which families can be built and parental love can be found, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

I introduced many of you to Terborg in a column late last year as she hosted a Chinese orphan, then 7-year-old Bobo, at her Wheatfield home.

Bobo had been best friends with Terborgs youngest daughter, Lexie, when the two children lived in the same orphanage in China.

Terborg, a nurse in Crown Point, adopted Lexie, now 8, and her oldest daughter Ella, now 10, from China several years ago.

But Lexie hated to leave Bobo behind, often crying in the night for her little friend.

Terborg resolved to reunite the friends during the 2015 holiday season, hosting Bobo at her Wheatfield home for a month. It was part of a program, through Pennsylvania-based Living Hope Adoption Agency, to help introduce international orphans to U.S. culture and to attract interest from potential adoptive parents.

In Bobos case, it worked in spades.

A friend of Terborgs family read all the social media traffic and Times coverage of Bobos visit and fell in love with the little boy.

By the end of the year, Melissa Speakman, her husband Ric, an Air Force officer, and their three daughters expect to finalize the adoption and welcome Bobo into their family.

The Terborgs holiday hosting of Bobo brokered a once unimaginable future for the boy, who has known nothing of family outside the walls of a Chinese orphanage.

Because of that success, and significant begging from her daughters Lexie and Ella, Terborg resolved to host another Chinese orphan, this time during the summer.

Based on videos and files provided through the adoption agency, Terborg chose to host a little girl this time around.

In July, Terborg, Lexie and Ella drove to Washington, D.C. to meet 5-year-old Yunlian.

Like Bobo, the little girl grew up in a Chinese orphanage  with a few other challenges. Yunlian suffers from caudal regression syndrome, which affects development of the lower spine.

The Terborgs arrived at the D.C. airport gate to a number of orphans meeting up with host families. In the back was a tearful, uncertain little girl in a wheelchair.

I didnt know how much it would affect her mobility, Terborg said.

It turns out, not much.

Once they convinced Yunlian to come home with them  for just two days, she made the Terborgs promise  the 5-year-old showed little use for the wheelchair.

She just took off, said Terborg, noting Yunlian moves around very well with the aid of lower leg braces.

So off the little girl went with her host family  a family hoping to use social media and other means to help yet another orphan find a forever home.

During that first meeting in the airport, Jill Terborg said she had no idea that forever home would be hers.

The visit of just two days turned into a joyful  family-building, as it turns out  month. Terborg watched Yunlian bond with her daughters.

Beyond the common history all three girls shared with origins from Chinese orphanages, a closeness and sisterly chemistry quickly emerged, Terborg said.

Despite a language barrier, aided in part through a computer translation program, Yunlian always needed to be in on the action.

Dressing up and applying makeup with the girls was a favorite activity. And the little girl never seemed to stop talking, chattering away in an innocent little voice, Terborg said.

It really hit me when I took the three girls to Bellaboos, Terborg said of a childrens play facility in Lake Station.

For those who havent been, its a mecca of whirring childhood activities, from water tables and ball pits to dress-up and face painting.

Its also where a 5-year-old orphan began an enduring strum on Jill Terborgs heartstrings.

I looked at the three girls playing together there  this little girl, who knows no limitations by her challenges, doing things with my girls, she said.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she knew the girls should be sisters.

If there was any doubt Terborg would initiate adoption proceedings after the Bellaboos trip, it was erased at the airport when it was time for Yunlian to fly back to China.

Tears flowed, and no one wanted to say goodbye.

When our hosting time ended, and we had to send her back, it was one of the hardest things we have ever done, Terborg said. It was clear it was hard for her, too.

So the process has begun. Terborg is now officially matched as a prospective parent of Yunlian, with pre-approval from the Chinese government.

If all goes well, the little girl could fly back to the Region and become Selah Jolee Yunlian Terborg in about a year.

Its not something the Terborg family banked on when first opting to host Lexies friend, Bobo, or subsequently taking Yunlian into their home for a summer visit.

Love made it so, as did the enormous heart of a woman who looks past oceans and differences of both culture and physical form to find the unconditional bonds of family.
Crossing the line separating Indiana and Illinois sometimes means dealing with different laws and customs. Readers are asked to share ideas for this weekly feature. This week: Beauty pageants.

Illinois women historically have been judged more beautiful than their Hoosier counterparts, at least by beauty pageant standards.

Miss Illinois has claimed the Miss America title five times since the annual contest began at Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1921. Most recently Erika Harold, of Urbana, was Miss America 2003.

Only four states  California, New York, Ohio and Oklahoma  have won it more than Illinois with six each.

Miss Indiana has been named Miss America just once.

In 2009, Katie Stam, of Seymour, won the national title after first claiming the Miss Duneland crown at a 2008 Michigan City pageant.

Illinois also tops Indiana for Miss USA pageant crowns, 4-0.

The city of Gary has the distinction of hosting the Miss USA pageant in 2001 and 2002. It never has been put on in Illinois.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer says his office will lead a new probe into the Administration for Childrens Services, following the death of a six-year-old Harlem boy earlier this week.

Stringer's office conducted an audit in June, finding that the agency routinely failed to check in with victims of abuse or neglect, and did not evaluate homes for signs of domestic violence.

The Comptroller's probe will determine if ACS implemented any of the reforms his office recommended.

Five ACS employees have been placed on desk duty following Zymere Perkins' death.

Police say last spring, a school nurse had notified authorities after she found a bruise on the boy's leg.

The NYPD and ACS both questioned the family, but did not have enough evidence for an arrest.

His mother and her boyfriend were arraigned on charges of endangering the welfare of a child.

The Department of Investigation is also looking at how ACS handled the case.
Emotions were running high at a vigil honoring a six year old boy who was beaten to death in Manhattan. The gathering followed news that Comptroller Scott Stringer has launched an investigation into the city's child welfare agency, ACS.

NY1's Angi Gonzalez filed this report.



Almost a week after the beating death of 6-year-old Zymere Perkins, around 100 people gathered outside his Harlem apartment on Saturday to grieve and demand answers.

"What should've happened is a thorough follow-up, a thorough investigation with ACS," said Shameka Perkins, Zymeres aunt.

The Administration for Children's Services and several other agencies had previously investigated reports of child abuse against Zymere's mother Geraldine.

Both she and her boyfriend, Rysheim Smith, face charges of endangering the welfare of a child following Zymere's death.

Authorities say that Geraldine Perkins told them that Smith had beaten Zymere with a broomstick and hung him, by his shirt, using a hook on the back of the bathroom door.

Five workers at the Administration for Children's Services are now on desk duty following Zymere's death.

What Comptroller Scott Stringer wants to know is if ACS made any changes ordered following his audit of the agency earlier this year.

"This little boy had multiple visits from ACS and each time they said everything was okay," Stringer said. "This mirrors an audit I did in June that showed clearly that ACS was not following up in the homes of these children, that ACS was not completing investigations, that ACS was losing paperwork."

Among the recommendations made in the Comptroller's audit were that ACS managers and supervisors needed to do a better job of completing case reviews, in a timely matter, and needed to make sure case workers perform all key steps on an investigation, including domestic violence screenings.

"If necessary we will park ourselves in the agency for the next couple of years until we are assured that they are doing everything they can to protect our children," Stringer explained of his office's new investigation into ACS.

Family members say they'll be working to make sure ACS is held accountable, if Zymere's death could have been prevented.

"As long as I got breath and strength in me, I'm going to look into it that they look into it," said Rosemary Perkins, Zymere's Great Aunt.

The city's Department of Investigation is also looking into ACS following Perkins' death.

The Manhattan District Attorney and the Governor's office have launched their own investigations as well.
Manhattan turned green and white with pride Sunday for the annual Nigeria Independence Day Parade and Festival.

People came together in Midtown to celebrate the 56th anniversary of Nigeria's independence from British Colonial rule.

The event was organized by a coalition of Nigerian civic groups.

Parade-goers we spoke with say the annual event helps them connect with other Nigerians.

"It's like a reunion for all the Nigerians in America," said one. "People travel from Boston, from Maryland, from all around the state, just to be here today, to celebrate today."

"It means, you know, we all get to come together, embrace each other's cultures, It means that we get to remember that, you know, we are now independent, and we get to enjoy, you know, our freedom," said another.

The parade takes place on Second Avenue from 54th to 44th Street.

It was first held in 1991.
What to expect from Paris Fashion Week, Day 6. Here, a look at past collections.

Credit... Clockwise from top left, Landon Nordeman for The New York Times; Joshua Lott/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images; Patrick Kovarik/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images; Firstview
Egypt's flagship airline EgyptAir is set to resume Luxor-London trips starting Monday following a one-year suspension of flights between the two destinations, a statement by the airline read on Sunday.

EgyptAir's chairman Safwat Mosalam said that the first flight  a Boeing 737-800 that accommodates 144 passengers  is set to take off from Luxor to London on Monday at 10am Cairo local time.

Mosalam said that the resumption of flights to Luxor aims "to revive tourism in the city, which is considered one of the most important touristic destinations in Upper Egypt in the frame of the company's commitment to the return of tourism to Egypt, one of the crucial sources for national income."

Egypt's tourism industry has been hit hard since the 2015 Russian airliner crash in Sinai that killed all 224 people on board.

The crash led Russia to suspend all flights to Egypt, and several European countries, including the UK, suspended their flights to the popular Sinai resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, all over security concerns.

Since the crash, Cairo has worked to improve airport security in an effort to regain the confidence of foreign governments.

Last June, Egypt-based National Falcon Company for Airport Security signed an agreement with British company Restrata for Consulting and Training where the British company would train 7,000 Falcon personnel to secure Egyptian airports.

In the past months, British inspection teams have visited Egyptian airports several times to review security measures.

Last month, Turkey resumed flights to Sharm El-Sheikh following 10 months of suspension, while Poland resumed flights to the resort city in early August and Germany eased restrictions on flights to and from Sharm El-Sheikh in May.

Russia, which is currently negotiating airport security measures with Cairo, has not yet set a date for the resumption of flights to Egypt.

The number of tourists visiting Egypt dropped by 50 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period last year, according to Egypt's Tourism Authority. Tourism revenues during that period witnessed a drop of 60 percent compared to 2015.

Egypt has been seeking billions of dollars in loans to address a severe hard currency shortage.

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Heather Charisse McGhee and Cassim Saud Cauldwell Shepard were married Oct. 1 at the grooms family home in South Dartmouth, Mass. The Rev. L. Alton Wasson, a United Methodist minister, officiated, with T. Garret Graddy-Lovelace, who offered a Sufist invocation, taking part. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the couple jumped a broom, an African-American wedding tradition.

Ms. McGhee, 36, will keep her name. She is the president of Demos, a public policy organization in New York that conducts research and addresses inequality in society. She is also on the board of directors of Consumer Reports, and a trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which supports social change.

She is also a performance artist whose most recent show was at the Guggenheim Museum in 2015, a summerlong installation of Gerard & Kellys Timelining with her brother, Hassan Christopher, a dance theater artist.

The bride graduated from Yale and received a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jamie Hara Siskin and Andrew Evan Goldstein were married Sept. 30 at Village Hall in Westhampton Beach, N.Y. Ralph Urban, the deputy mayor and the marriage officer there, officiated. On Oct. 1, Michael Landsburg, a childhood friend of the groom, led the couple in a ceremony incorporating Jewish traditions at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, N.Y.

Mrs. Goldstein, 29, is a public relations and digital-marketing consultant at BeccaPR in New York, where she works on communications strategies with chefs and restaurants. She graduated from N.Y.U., then received a degree in pastry arts from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.

She is a daughter of Jane R. Siskin and Jeffrey M. Siskin of New York. The brides mother is the chief executive of Jaya Apparel Group, a contemporary clothing manufacturer in New York.

Mr. Goldstein, 38, is a television writer and producer in New York for MTV Networks. He worked on VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live with Nick Lachey from 2011 to 2015 and was the head writer of Uncommon Sense with Charlamagne on MTV2 last year and this year. He is also a co-host of Sorry Ive Been So Busy, a weekly comedy podcast. He graduated from Temple University.
Morgan Ashley Jacobs and Bradley Scott Friedman were married Oct. 1 in Bridgehampton, N.Y. Rabbi Bruce S. Block officiated at the Bridgehampton Club.

The bride, 31, is taking her husbands name. She is a third-year Ph.D. student studying intellectual disabilities and autism at Teachers College at Columbia, from which she also received a masters degree. She is also an adjunct professor at Columbia, teaching computer application in special education. She graduated magna cum laude from George Washington University.

She is the daughter of Janet F. Jacobs and Michael F. Jacobs of Tenafly, N.J. The brides father is the chief executive of Jam Paper and Envelope, an office supply manufacturer based in New York. Her mother, who is a retired, was a clinical social worker, specializing in children and family, in Englewood, N.J.

The groom, 34, is an associate focusing on corporate restructuring in New York for the law firm Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy. He graduated from Emory University and received a law degree with highest honors from George Washington University.
Sharon Kathleen Skettini, the daughter of Susan C. Tarrence of Tucson and Stephan A. Skettini of Maplewood, N.J., was married Oct. 1 to Leo Ruiz Clavijo, the son of Leonardo Ruiz of Melo, Uruguay, and the late Elmira Clavijo. Erik Bowie, a friend of the bride who became a Universal Life minister for the event, officiated at a home in Clinton Corners, N.Y.

Ms. Skettini, 35, is keeping her name. She owns Las Traductoras, an educational advising company in Montevideo, Uruguay. She helps high school, college and adult-age students apply for educational and work programs in the United States and Europe. She graduated from Colby College.

Her father retired as a vice principal from Technology High School in Newark. Her mother retired as the vice president for sales development at the Tribune Company in Chicago.

The bride is the stepdaughter of Maria Markatos, and of Stephen Golden. Her stepfather retired as a lawyer in Tucson, and had previously worked in the former forest products division of The New York Times as a vice president for product, health, safety and environment. Her stepmother retired as a technology coordinator for the Newark Public Schools.
After dropping out of school at 13 to help support his family, he was apprenticed to a clothes dyer, a precursor to the modern dry cleaner. He spent hours figuring out how to remove stains, then read chemistry textbooks and did experiments at home. My boss was a chemical engineer, and would answer all of my questions, he said. On weekends he helped a chemist at a local dairy, in exchange for butter.

In the summer of 1943, he and his family were arrested and sent to Drancy, the internment camp for Jews near Paris that was the last stop before the death camps. This time, their passports saved them. Argentinas government protested the familys detention, so they stayed at Drancy for three months, while thousands of others were swiftly sent on to die.

Mr. Kaminsky remembered a math professor who had agreed to tutor him in the camp. One day, when it was time for our classes, he wasnt there. He hadnt wanted to tell me beforehand that his name was on the list.

The Kaminskys were eventually freed, but they werent safe in Paris, where Jews were under constant threat of arrest. Soon Argentines were being deported, too.

To survive they would have to go underground. Adolfos father arranged to get false papers from a Jewish resistance group, and sent Adolfo to pick them up. When the agent told Adolfo that they were struggling to erase a certain blue ink from the documents, he advised using lactic acid, a trick hed learned at the dairy. It worked, and he was invited to join the resistance.

Mr. Kaminskys cell was one of many. His would get tips on who was about to be arrested, then warn the families, assembling new papers for them on the spot.

The group focused on the most urgent cases: children who were about to be sent to Drancy. They placed the kids in rural homes or convents, or smuggled them into Switzerland or Spain. In one scene from the book, Mr. Kaminsky stays awake for two nights straight to fill an enormous rush order. Its a simple calculation: In one hour I can make 30 blank documents; if I sleep for an hour, 30 people will die.
There were also pronounced differences in how black and white women saw the importance of appearance. In the survey women were asked to place a value on success at work; religion or spirituality; education; and appearance. They were first asked how important these things were to them personally, and then how important they were for women as society viewed them.

Most white women placed success at work and education well above appearance and spirituality to them personally, while most black women rated all four as very important to them. When the question switched to societys views, however, women had much more in common: Appearance shot to the top of the heap for everyone.

Lorraine Rawls, 58, an African-American accountant from Landover, Md., who had rated appearance as very important, said in an interview: Women need to take more pride in themselves and how they look. She added: I do think appearance plays a major part in the workplace, but it doesnt take away from your knowledge or what youre doing. A friend of hers is wearing her hair totally natural, but she walks into her boardroom with her suit and heels and still gets the job done.

One other group was almost as likely as black women to say that their own appearance was very important to them: women over 64.

I dont know if wearing a uniform when I was raised in an orphanage by nuns has anything to do with it, but Ive always watched how I was dressed, said Patricia Yolas-Wulffen, 73, a white retired engineer from Pine Mountain, Calif. If you work in an office I still think women should be dressed in pantsuits and skirts and heels.

We expected to see gaps between older and younger women. The Bernie revolution suggested that younger women would be more critical of Mrs. Clinton, but that was not the case. Millennials are more likely than baby boomers to say that a Clinton presidency would be good for women, and about twice as likely as women over 64 to say that Mrs. Clinton is judged more harshly because she is a woman. Women ages 18 to 29 are also much more likely than women over 64 to say that men in general have advantages over women (58 percent to 38 percent).

The main thing is that women still dont get equal pay for equal work, Christine Southworth, 38, a composer and musician in Lexington, Mass., said in a follow-up interview. And of course there is still discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
It is not easy to be fat in America, even though more than a third of adults are obese.

Donald J. Trump brought the issue of fat shaming to the fore during and after last weeks debate, when he disparaged a former Miss Universe winner who gained weight and when he said the hacking of the Democratic National Committees emails might have been done by somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds.

But there also is a body of evidence showing that the effects of fat shaming and stigmatizing go far beyond such remarks, beyond the stares fat people get on the street, the cutting comments strangers make about their weight and the funny greeting cards featuring overweight people. It turns out that fat prejudice differs from other forms in ways that make it especially difficult to overcome.

The problems with fat shaming start early. Rebecca Puhl, the deputy director of the University of Connecticuts Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, and her colleagues find that weight is the most common reason children are bullied in school. In one study, nearly 85 percent of adolescents reported seeing overweight classmates teased in gym class.

Dr. Puhl and her colleagues asked fat kids who was doing the bullying. It turned out that it was not just friends and classmates but also teachers and  for more than a third of the bullied  parents.
California regulators have changed course and opened a pathway for the public to get self-driving cars that have no steering wheels or pedals.

It will not happen immediately  automakers and tech companies are still testing prototypes.

But the states Department of Motor Vehicles said in a revision of draft regulations released late Friday that the most advanced self-driving cars would no longer be required to have a licensed driver if federal officials deemed them safe enough.

The redrafted regulations will be the subject of a public hearing on Oct. 19 in Sacramento.

The department has been wrestling for several years with how to oversee the emerging technology.

In December, the agency released an initial draft of regulations for self-driving cars, which required the presence of a licensed driver in any self-driving vehicle.
Donald J. Trump suggested during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday that Hillary Clinton was not loyal to her husband, former President Bill Clinton, an insinuation about their relationship that plunged the 2016 presidential race further into a personal battle.

Mr. Trump told the crowd in Lancaster County, about 70 miles west of Philadelphia, that Mrs. Clintons only loyalty was to her donors and herself. He added: I dont even think shes loyal to Bill, you want to know the truth. And really, folks, really, why should she be, right?

A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Mr. Trump, who offered no evidence to support his aspersion, made the remark a day after he told The New York Times in an interview that he was prepared to attack Mrs. Clinton over her husbands well-publicized infidelities before and during his presidency. In the interview, he called her an enabler and said she had attacked the women who said that Mr. Clinton had had affairs with or sexually harassed them.

Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, has struggled to move past a widely panned performance last week in his first debate against Mrs. Clinton. But he has simply repeated criticisms of her regarding her husband, as well as attacks on a former Miss Universe whom Mrs. Clinton mentioned during the debate as someone Mr. Trump had once belittled.
A 6-year-old boy wounded in a school shooting in Townville, S.C., this week died on Saturday, officials said.

The boy, Jacob Hall, was struck in the leg on Wednesday when someone fired at Townville Elementary School in Anderson County. A 14-year-old boy, whom the authorities have not identified, has been charged in the shooting.

The bullet hit an artery and caused catastrophic blood loss and resulting cardiopulmonary arrest, Dr. Keith Webb of the Greenville Health System Childrens Hospital said in a statement.

Jacobs parents, Renae and Rodger Hall, said in a statement that their son died surrounded by family. Words cannot express how much we will miss him, they said.
Three workers in an electrical company were killed and three of their colleagues were injured when the vehicle transporting them to work hit an IED in the west of Al Arish city in North Sinai, state news agency MENA reported.

The injured were transferred to Al Arish military hospital.

On Saturday evening, five police conscripts were killed when militants ambushed their vehicle and shot them dead in Al Arish.

Hundreds of security forces in North Sinai have been killed in attacks by Islamic militants in the past three years since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

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MANDHOLE, Kashmir  The sound of gunfire awoke Malik Rustam and his family around 4 a.m. on Thursday. Within minutes, they headed for cover in a community bunker, as residents here in the Pakistani-controlled portion of Kashmir have been trained to do.

Cross-border fire between Pakistani and Indian troops is nothing new, but on Thursday, the Indian military claimed it had carried out surgical strikes against four camps, including one near Mandhole, used by militants intent on attacking the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.

The village of Mandhole is along the banks of the Poonch River, just across the Line of Control, the de facto border between Pakistan and India in the disputed Kashmir region, which both sides claim in its entirety. Indian military posts within 500 yards are visible.

On Saturday, Mr. Rustam, 22, pointed in that direction and said the Indian troops never left their posts. They are lying, he said. They never crossed the L.O.C. A group of villagers standing nearby nodded in agreement.
MADRID  The leader of Spains main opposition Socialist Party resigned on Saturday night after losing a bruising and chaotic battle against other senior party members who were opposed to prolonging the deadlock in Spanish politics.

The Socialists leader, Pedro Sanchez, stepped down after a majority of his partys federal committee voted against his proposal to hold new party primaries on Oct. 23. The proposal would almost certainly have forced Spain to hold a third national election because of an Oct. 31 deadline to form a new government.

Spain has been without an elected government since an inconclusive national election in December. Mr. Sanchez had refused to allow Mariano Rajoy, the caretaker prime minister, to start a new term, arguing that Mr. Rajoy was unfit for office largely because of corruption scandals that have tainted his conservative Popular Party. Mr. Rajoy, however, has insisted that he should stay in charge after his party twice won national elections  in December and June  but both times without a parliamentary majority.

Mr. Sanchez lost on Saturday by a vote of 133 to 109. The Socialist leadership will be taken over by a caretaker management committee whose first task is likely to be to confirm whether the Socialists will change tack and no longer block Mr. Rajoys re-election.
Televisions efforts to wring every possible permutation out of the crime-and-punishment genre results in another bland series with Conviction, premiering Monday night on ABC.

The hook in this one: New York City sets up a Conviction Integrity Unit to re-examine prosecutions that may have put innocent people in jail. The cases are unsurprising, the central characters back stories are contrived, and the shows efforts to be sexy and saucy are clumsy. Its a series for people who arent picky about their procedurals.

Hayley Atwell (Marvels Agent Carter) stars as Hayes Morrison, who as the series opens is being dragooned into heading up the new unit, which has been created by Conner Wallace (Eddie Cahill), an ambitious, image-conscious district attorney. The two have some sort of history, of course, and whatever it is causes them, at least once an episode, to get kissing-close in order to exchange heated views. These scenes are supposed to crackle with sexual tension but come off as silly.

Conner, though, represents only a fraction of Hayess colorful past. Shes the daughter of a former president. (Ex-occupants of the White House: TVs newest trend? See Epixs coming Graves.) Her scandalous activities back in the day overshadowed her top-of-the-class law-school credentials, and as we meet her, she has yet to grow out of her youthful recklessness: Conner essentially blackmails her into taking the integrity-unit job by using her latest bad behavior against her.
In the latest twist in one of the most intriguing literary mysteries in recent history, an Italian investigative journalist says financial and real estate records indicate that the Italian translator Anita Raja  daughter of a Polish Jewish mother and Neapolitan father  is behind the best-selling author Elena Ferrante.

In a report released Sunday in The New York Review of Books and in Italian, French and German publications, Claudio Gatti, an investigative journalist for Il Sole 24 Ore, an Italian business daily, reported that records show a dramatic uptick in payments from Ms. Ferrantes publishing house in Rome, Edizioni E/O, to Ms. Raja since 2014, when Ms. Ferrantes novels took off around the world.

In recent years, Ms. Rajas name and that of her husband, the novelist Domenico Starnone, have been most often mentioned as possibly being responsible for Ms. Ferrantes books because of stylistic echoes in Ms. Ferrantes work, in Mr. Starnones novels and in Ms. Rajas translations of German novels whose self-aware female narrators recall those in Ms. Ferrantes books.

Ms. Ferrante has become an international phenomenon with her four novels set in Naples:My Brilliant Friend (2012), The Story of a New Name (2013), Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (2014), and The Story of the Lost Child (2015). The books trace the lives of two women from their childhoods in poverty in Naples into the middle class against the backdrop of Italian postwar history, exploring the complexities of female friendship.
The themes Mr. Weinstein explores are hardly new. The darker potential of technology is a staple of William Gibsons and Bruce Sterlings cyberpunk. The British TV series Black Mirror often paints a terrifically spooky and deranged vision of technological excess. Sherry Turkle, an early internet evangelist from M.I.T.  she was on the cover of Wired Magazine in 1996  now argues that the virtual world drives us apart, rather than unites us, and shallows our capacity for reflection. The title of her 2011 book, Alone Together, says it all.

At his least artful moments, Mr. Weinsteins stories are too literal, and his moral takeaways, too obvious. The most vivid example of this tendency appears in Excerpts from The New World Authorized Dictionary, which is exactly what it sounds like  a self-conscious series of unrealized story ideas. One of his entries is togging: The practice of relying upon ITPs (Inner-Ear Therapy Programs) while in a public space, often in the company of others or during social interaction (eating, walking, while in conversation). Yikes. Swipe left.

But at their finest, Mr. Weinsteins stories contain moments of moral complexity and, even more challenging  and more moving  moments of grace. The calamity-howlers view is that the virtual world offers a hollow substitute for lived experience. But what if technology offers us psychological comforts that the real world has denied us? What if it fulfills some of our deepest yearnings that have nothing to do with, say, sex?

In the title story of this collection, Children of the New World, a childless couple  the wife is post-menopause  must enter the mists of cyberspace to start a family. Judge them if you like: They waited too long, perhaps, and in their on-the-grid lives, they still indulge their carnal needs, going to those thousand-finger parlors while their virtual children sleep.

Yet when these parents are told to delete their online children  their account has been corrupted by a virus  its crushing to read about. If its any consolation, a supervisor tells the father, they wont feel a thing; theyre just data. But the parents feel plenty, the mother especially. She felt their bodies disappear from beneath her embrace.

The reader feels the same melancholy in Saying Goodbye to Yang, which opens the collection and is by far its strongest story. Yang is a robotic older brother purchased specifically to care for an adopted little girl from China. One day, without warning, he goes on the fritz, slamming face first into a bowl of cereal. The image of him crumpled into the trunk of the narrators car amid jumper cables and windshield-washing fluid is upsetting; so too is the moment when the mechanic tells the narrator that the most he can do is salvage Yangs language system.

If you want, I can separate the head for you, he says.

Are you kidding? the narrator replies. Im not giving my daughter her brothers head to play with.

O.K., this moment is not just touching but also funny. This is Mr. Weinstein at his best: Exposing hidden corners of our selves, or perhaps how generous our capacity for empathy is. And maybe its not such a surprise. We often invest in fictional characters as if they were members of our own families. That these particular characters are made of bioplastic, data or pixels may be just as immaterial  in every sense.
The global banking giants  think of JPMorgan Chase or HSBC  make a nice return by capturing their share of the trillions of dollars that course through financial markets each day.

But few are as reliant on this business  be it swapping currencies, selling bonds or structuring derivatives  as Deutsche Bank, the giant lender that has made its name not as a home for German savers but as a place for hedge funds and other risk-loving investors to put on some of their boldest financial bets.

And that is why its swooning stock price last week set off alarm bells in finance ministries, central bank suites and trading floors from Hong Kong to New York.

More than eight years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers sent shock waves around the world, the fear is whether Deutsche Bank and its highly leveraged balance sheet of 1.6 trillion euros might teeter and set off another bout of financial contagion.
More often than not, the venom comes from pseudonymous accounts  the white hoods of our time.

Just take a gander at @Bridget62945958, who published a series of anti-Semitic posts against my colleague Binyamin Appelbaum. One message showed a series of lampshades. Its caption read: This is your family when Trump wins. Get your Israeli passport ready.

Twitter suspended the account after Mr. Appelbaum brought it to the attention of Twitters co-founder and chief executive, Jack Dorsey, by way of his own Twitter feed. A new account sprang right up to continue the vitriol, prompting Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for The Atlantic, to write a post asking Mr. Dorsey, How does it feel to watch Twitter turning into an anti-Semitic cesspool?

Mr. Goldberg says he is torn about what Twitter should do, given that its cause  openness and free speech  is a reason he and so many other journalists are drawn to the service. Thats the fundamental problem, he told me. At a certain point Id rather take myself off the platform where the speech has become so offensive than advocate for the suppression of that speech.

Twitter clearly wrestles with the same fundamental problem. It warns users they may not threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender and various other traits. Yet it often fumbles the enforcement. Charlie Warzel of BuzzFeed News unearthed a doozy last week.

After a user who identified herself as Kathleen posted a tweet criticizing the Trump campaign, a Twitter member going by Adorable Deplorable directed a message back at her featuring a photograph of a beheaded man  apparently an ISIS victim  and the words, Your [sic] heading for a deep hole.

Twitter forced the photos removal after BuzzFeeds inquiries, but it initially told Kathleen that the post did not violate its policies. This is apparently common. In a BuzzFeed survey of Twitter users, about 90 percent of those who said they had reported abuse said their complaints went unheeded.

So-called trolls are a problem for all social media  even Facebook, which keeps a tidier, more contained system. (To wit, the Facebook message a local New Jersey politician wrote to the Daily Beast writer Olivia Nuzzi after she posted something about Mr. Trump that he did not like: Hope. You. Get. Raped. By. A. Syrian. Refugee.)
PARIS  Tatiana Kombo, 25, grew up in a highly contemporary mix of cultures and countries, so it may seem surprising that she identifies with the classics.

My closet is mostly white, black, gray and neutral tones; clean-cut blazers and retro leather jackets, said Ms. Kombo, a creative consultant in fashion and politics.

And her scent? That most classic of fragrances, Chanel No.5, the perfume that Coco Chanel introduced in 1921.

Ms. Kombo was born in Tours, France, to a Ukrainian/Iranian mother, a teacher involved in womens rights, and a Nigerian father, a professor. The family moved to Niger when her father was voted into the countrys transition government and organized its first democratic elections. When she was 4, the family came to Paris, and later Ms. Kombo headed to the United States to study at Wellesley College.
As the founder of two fragrance brands, Jo Malone has been immutably associated with perfume for a couple of decades. So its not surprising that the print editions of her autobiography  Jo Malone: My Story, to be published in Britain this week by Simon & Schuster, with an American release due next month  have a fragrant twist: A page near the front is treated with Pomelo, a crisp, citrus-based scent from her Jo Loves collection, which will waft softly upward to the reader.

The book recounts her life through a business lens, from helping her father sell paintings at a market stall at age 8 to the founding of the Jo Malone brand and, recently, Jo Loves. She also talks about difficult times, such as being estranged from her mother and overcoming breast cancer, topics she refers to with an unflustered air.

What I want this book to be about is the reinvention of yourself, that nothing is wasted in our life, that every single thing that happens in our life can come out for the good to build you, Ms. Malone said by telephone from her office in the Chelsea neighborhood of London. I really want this story to resonate and to be for people to say, I can build my business.

The business Ms. Malone is best known for  Jo Malone London  is now owned by Estee Lauder. She sold it to the global giant for an undisclosed amount in 1999, staying on as creative director until 2006. In 2011, she introduced Jo Loves.
On the thrumming streets of downtown Vancouver, signs of the Seattle regions growing economic ties to the city are hard to miss. A rectangular glass and steel office building with a large Microsoft sign occupies nearly an entire city block, sitting atop a large Nordstrom store (another Seattle brand).

Microsoft says it invested $120 million in its new offices in Vancouver, which opened in June, and expects to spend $90 million more annually on wages and other operating costs. It plans to employ nearly 750 people in the city.

Microsoft is hiring Canadians for the facility, but the countrys more open immigration policies were an important factor in its investment, Brad Smith, Microsofts president, said in an interview. Microsoft and other tech companies have long complained that the United States education system does not produce enough computer science graduates, forcing them to rely on immigrants from India, China and elsewhere.

Foreign workers in the United States can wait about three times as long for a work visa as those in Canada do, the Boston Consulting Group estimates. And the prospect of Donald J. Trump winning the presidency has raised concerns among tech companies, because of the Republican candidates comments about further restricting immigration to the United States.

Right now, theres just a lot of uncertainty about open immigration, Mr. Smith said.

Last month, officials and executives from both cities huddled in a Vancouver hotel to discuss how to enable people, ideas and capital to flow more freely between them, as heedless of the international border separating the cities as a pod of orcas swimming in the sea.
Egypt condemns in the "strongest terms" the Houthi attack against an Emirati maritime vessel in the strategic Bab Al-Mandab strait in the Red Sea, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Sunday.

Egypts foreign ministry spokesman sad in a statement that the attack "was a violation of international law" and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The UAE is a key member of the Saudi-led coalition that has been battling the Iran-backed Houthis and their allies since March last year in support of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's internationally recognised government.

The Houthi rebels attacked the vessel on Saturday "on its usual route to and from [the southern port city of] Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians," according to the Saudi-led coalition.

In a statement posted Saturday on their website, the rebels claimed the attack, which they said "completely destroyed" an Emirati warship with rockets as it neared Mokha on the Red Sea coast.

The United Arab Emirates military acknowledged "an incident" involving an attack on a chartered vessel under its command in Bab Al-Mandab, but reported no casualties.

Egypt has also been a member in the military coalition fighting the Houthis since March 2015, deploying Egyptian naval forces to secure the Bab Al-Mandab strait.

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SAN FRANCISCO  Autumn is a good time to see what is happening next in the $3 trillion business technology market. In particular, its a good time to check out whats new in corporate paranoia.

This time of year, San Franciscos streets are blocked off so companies like Oracle and Salesforce can bring in thousands of customers for several days of presentations, coffee and performances by Milli Vanilli-era pop stars. In the next few days, Salesforce expects to host 171,000 people, enough that even seedy hotels in the Tenderloin neighborhood cost $600 a night.

At conferences here, or in Atlanta, where last week Microsoft gathered 23,000 people, companies state their visions on the current and future state of tech.

These talks are, as they say, buzzword compliant, with the companies praising their capabilities in cloud computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence. They are renting computers in remote data centers over the internet and using the tremendous amounts of data we are now collecting from computers, phones and sensors to analyze and predict how to make and sell more stuff.
Donald J. Trump and his allies struggled on Sunday to move beyond the revelation that he might have been able to legally avoid nearly two decades of federal income taxation, putting new pressure on the candidate just as he tries to recover from a lackluster debate performance.

Mr. Trumps campaign lurched between refusing to acknowledge that the 1995 tax records, portions of which were published on Saturday night by The New York Times, were bona fide, to insisting that his not having paid taxes was evidence of his unrivaled business prowess.

The Times report, based on documents obtained by the newspaper, showed that Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, which could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years.

At a rally in Lancaster County, Pa., that began shortly before the article was published, Mr. Trump seemed jarred by the pending revelation, shifting from topic to topic; mocking his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, for having had pneumonia; and insinuating that she might have cheated on her husband.
BOGOTA, Colombia  A Colombian peace deal that the president and the countrys largest rebel group had signed just days before was defeated in a referendum on Sunday, leaving the fate of a 52-year war suddenly uncertain.

A narrow margin divided the yes-or-no vote, with 50.2 percent of Colombians rejecting the peace deal and 49.8 percent voting in favor, the government said.

The result was a deep embarrassment for President Juan Manuel Santos. Just last week, Mr. Santos had joined arms with leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC, who apologized on national television during a signing ceremony.

The surprise surge by the no vote  nearly all major polls had indicated resounding approval  left the country in a dazed uncertainty not seen since Britain voted in June to leave the European Union. And it left the future of rebels who had planned to rejoin Colombia as civilians  indeed, the future of the war itself, which both sides had declared over  unknown.
BIRMINGHAM, England  Outlining a timetable for Britain to leave the European Union in the spring of 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday put immigration at the center of her strategy for withdrawal, suggesting that Britain could be headed for a hard Brexit, or clean break, from the bloc.

In a speech at the start of the Conservative Partys annual convention here, Mrs. May said Britain would formally begin exit negotiations by the end of March. Those talks will be governed by a two-year deadline unless all members of the bloc agree to prolong them.

Previously, Mrs. May had said only that the talks, under Article 50 of a European Union treaty, would not begin before the end of this year  a delay designed to buy time for the government to work out its negotiating stance.

On Sunday, Mrs. May also began to lay down her priorities for a deal on withdrawal, known as Brexit, including the power to control immigration and reject European Union rules that allow people to move and settle across national frontiers.
BUDAPEST  Hungarians handed the countrys autocratic prime minister, Viktor Orban, a partial victory on Sunday by overwhelmingly voting no in a national referendum on whether to accept more migrants, but without giving him the turnout for a valid result. What Mr. Orban intends to do now, however, remains a mystery.

The referendum  on which the government spent at least 10 billion Hungarian forint, or about $36 million  included no specifics about legislation or government action.

What will happen after the referendum will depend partly on the results themselves, but also on what is happening on the international scene, said Zoltan Kovacs, Mr. Orbans chief international spokesman, who declined to provide any more details.
In some ways, this is a phantom crisis for ordinary Spaniards. There has been no United States-style government shutdown. There are no mounds of uncollected garbage, no unpaid police officers, no shuttered ministries, no public trains or buses halted.

Budget money is still flowing. Government ministries are functioning. Social service recipients and civil servants are being paid. Even if no new government has been formed when the 2016 national budget expires this fall, the old budget will simply become the new budget for 2017.

But government is paralyzed in other ways. Nobody is proposing legislation, debating international affairs or even rotating Spains ambassadors. Funding for many infrastructure and government projects is frozen. And nationalist movements in Catalonia and the Basque region continue to roil national politics.

Spain has been in political limbo since last October, when Mr. Rajoy called a general election while he held a parliamentary majority. His Popular Party then won the most votes in December and June, but did not win a majority. It now holds 137 of the 350 seats in Parliament.

The stalemate has come at an opportune moment. After a severe recession ended in 2013, Spains economy rebounded. Growth is forecast to be 2.9 percent this year, almost twice the 1.6 percent eurozone average expected by the European Commission. Interest and energy rates are at historic lows.

Spain, a tourism superpower, expects 74 million visitors this year, six million more than last year, as terrorism fears elsewhere send visitors here. Cafes and museums are crowded, and hotels are booked solid.

But after trudging to the polls twice already in the last year, weary voters are in no mood to vote again. The political calendar dictates a vote on Christmas if no agreement to form a government can be reached by Oct. 31.
The Beheira prosecution ordered on Sunday the detention of four men pending investigation into charges of arranging the trip for migrants on the boat that sank off the Rosetta coast late last month.

The sinking of the boat, which was on its way to Italy, resulted in the death of 202 migrants, while where 164 others survived.

At least 110 of the victims have not been identified, according the health ministry.

So far police have arrested 28 people suspected of involvement in the illegal migration scheme, including four crewmembers who survived the accident.

The suspects  all of whom are detained pending investigation  face charges including human trafficking, wrongful death, wrongful injury and using a fishing boat for another purpose.

The boat, which was carrying hundreds of migrants of different nationalities, sailed from Egypt's Mediterranean port city of Rosetta and was heading to Italy when it capsized due to overload, according to survivors.

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The Senior Community Service Employment Program recognized area employers who hire older workers during National Employ Older Workers Week.

Im giving them recognition because they hired people from the Senior Community Service Employment Program, said Margaret Jones, the programs case manager. Im giving them recognition because they hired my people from the program.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program is a part of Easter Seals, a non-profit organization that assists individuals with disabilities and needs.

National Employ Older Workers Week was Sept. 18-24.

The mission of SCSEP is to get people ages 55 and older back into the workforce, Jones said. She said her job is to locate seniors who need employment or other needs, and find them financial opportunities. She said participants are given stipends and training until they find a permanent job.

Jones said she wanted to recognize individuals such as Margaret Calhoun, director of Awbrey Public Library in Roanoke; Kendall Erlandson, Goodwill career center specialist; Lanett Mayor Kyle McCoy; Earl Tarver of the Alabama Council on Human Relations; and many others who hired people from the program.

I dont want to recognize just any one host site, she said. They are all outstanding and we appreciate them because we couldnt do any of it without any of them. We would love to show our gratitude to all of them.

The program placed Zilpah Winsley back on her feet when she sought a job after having a medical procedure completed. Before having surgery, she said, she held positions as an executive assistant. She said the program placed her in a job at the Alabama Council on Human Relations in Auburn.

When I started looking for something in my field, they [employers] automatically looked at my age, she said. People my age dont get an opportunity to get a good job because of our age. Its obvious some employers try to hire younger people. Its a really good program.
Egyptian business tycoon Hussein Salem's family argues that his payment of billions of pounds to the government in exchange for the dropping of charges against him is "unlawful," with his daughter referring to the funds as "donations," the family said in an interview with prominent TV host Amr Adib on his show Kol Youm.

Adib interviewed Salem, who appeared in a sickly condition, along with his son Khaled and daughter Magda in Spain in mid-August in their first TV appearance after the conclusion of Salem's deal with the Egyptian government on 3 August. The interview was aired on Saturday.

The financial settlement was achieved once a fugitive Salem, a former close associate of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, agreed to a deal with the government where charges against him would be dropped in exchange for the business mogul giving up EGP 5.3 billion (approx. $596.5 million).

The 83-year-old, who fled to Spain shortly after Egypts 2011 uprising that overthrew long-time president Mubarak, had received two jail terms in absentia over corruption charges including squandering public funds, profiteering and money laundering.

The money paid in the settlement was 10 percent cash and the rest was in assets, Salem said in the interview.

The figure accounts for 75 percent of Salem's assets inside and outside Egypt, according to Adel El-Saied, a justice ministry aide for the Illicit Gains Authority.

Salem's total assets are worth EGP 7.12 billion (approx. $799 million), El-Saied added.

Salem's daughter Magda insisted in the interview that the deal with the government "is not reconciliation, it is a donation."

"My father is not a suspect; he did not commit any crime."

Salem's son Khaled claimed that the family paid EGP 5.4 billion even though the deal required a payment of EGP 4.5.

"After six years of silence, we decided to talk to the media as cases were fabricated against us," Khaled goes on, claiming that the family has been borrowing money to get by over the past six years.

"We want a quick resolution. We want mercy. Why did my father donate? He donated so his sons and grandsons can live in peace," Magda said.

"We only have EGP 147 million, and part of it is indebted," she claimed.

According to the Illicit Gains Authority, Salem's remaining family assets are estimated at EGP 1.82 billion.

Throughout the interview, the family called on officials to quickly implement the required legal procedures so they can return to Egypt.

The interview took place in mid-August in Madrid before Egypts prosecution asked Interpol last Thursday to lift the names of Salem and his family off its Red Notice Wanted list and airport watch lists.

Also in late August, Egypt's prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek sent a request to judicial authorities in Switzerland, Spain and Hong Kong to unfreeze Salems assets and funds abroad.

Salem blames Muslim Brotherhood

"The Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar are the ones behind our current situation," said Salem  who could not speak properly due to his medical condition  as interpreted by his children.

"Qatar wanted to take the gas contract to export natural gas to Israel," Magda said, alleging that Qatar was attempting to undermine Salem as he was a major shareholder in East Mediterranean Gas (EMG), the firm that exported gas to Israel. Salem reportedly contributed $95 million to EMG's paid up capital.

Egypt agreed to provide Israel with natural gas in a 2005 deal.

The public prosecution said following the 25 January Revolution that the agreement caused Egypt losses of over $714 million.

Salem referred to the revolution as a "major plot and conspiracy by the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar," adding that "God saved [the country] on 30 June," when Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was ousted from power.

On Mubarak, Salem said that the former president has not been in contact with him, though Salem "prays for him."

Salem blamed all of Egypt's current troubles on the Brotherhood.

In the spring of 2012, Salem offered the Muslim Brotherhood government half of his fortune in exchange for the dropping of all charges against him, a deal which was never reached.

Another offer was made in January 2014 to the interim government, prior to the election of Egypt's current president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

"We thought they would do us justice after the 30 June uprising, but that did not happen," Salem said.

Salem said that he stands against the Muslim Brotherhood as well as Qatar, Turkey and the US.

Return to Egypt

The family claimed that they have been unfairly targeted for prosecution.

"Did anyone pay money like me? There are many businessmen from Mubarak's era that have not paid anything. They are richer than me. Why the focus on the Salem family?" Salem said.

During the interview, the host Adib called for further financial settlements with imprisoned or fugitive businessmen following the example of Hussein Salem.

"The country needs to get this done in order to move past this era," Adib said, adding that this would make foreign investors feel that "investment and money issues" in the country are easily resolved.

"Similar deals can take place with [former officials] Rashid Mohamed Rashid and Youssef Boutros Ghaly," Adib suggested.

When Salem was asked whether such settlements would encourage other businessmen and investors to move towards the same solution, he answered, "of course."

Article 18 of the criminal law allows the countrys premier to create a reconciliation committee if a defendant or his lawyer requests it.

The Illicit Gains Authority has received 26 requests from other Mubarak-era figures for reconciliation with the government, El-Saied said earlier.

While Salem's family says their father was eager to give back to Egypt, saying that the country was "in need" of the money they "donated," they called on officials to stop being hesitant over concluding legal procedures.

The businessman previously told Adib in a 2012 interview "I do not believe I owe the country a single penny."

The family said they are planning to manage their business ventures upon their return to Egypt, including shares in Sharm El-Sheikh hotels under Magda and Khaled's control.

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The largest hospital in eastern Aleppo was bombed Saturday for the second time in a week, killing and wounding more than a dozen patients as they recovered from earlier attacks.

Doctors at the facility, known as M10, said the assault involved cluster munitions, barrel bombs and incendiary weapons, prompting mass panic and appeals for help.

The hospital is being destroyed. SOS, everyone, said Mohammad Abu Rajab, the hospitals administrator and radiologist, in an audio message sent to journalists Saturday morning.

As a coalition of mostly Shiite militias gathers on the outskirts of the city, hospitals in rebel-held Aleppo have endured a barrage of attacks by allied Syrian and Russian warplanes.

The attacks are apparently aimed at forcing the surrender of an area that has held out through four years of war  a full takeover of Aleppo would represent the largest military victory for Syrian President Bashar Assad since the crisis began in 2011.

When you destroy a hospital or kill a doctor, thats a death sentence to the people around them, said Adham Sahloul, a spokesman for the Syrian American Medical Society. Only 35 doctors remain in the area, according to the World Health Organization, and attacks on medical facilities have crippled their ability to cope in the face of a blitz.

Russian and regime warplanes have dropped almost 2,000 bombs in less than two weeks, pushing Washington and Moscows already-fragile diplomatic dance to the edge of failure. The Obama administration threatened Wednesday to cut ties over Syria altogether, but provided no indication of when it would do so or whether an alternative strategy might follow.

According to the WHO, 338 people been killed in eastern Aleppo since a cease-fire deal between the two sides was shattered by a Russian and regime attack on a United Nations aid convoy.

While U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has attempted to tamp down that violence, his negotiating powers have been hamstrung by the White Houses reluctance to engage more deeply in Syria.

In a meeting with Syrian civil society representatives on the sidelines of last months U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, Kerry said he had lost the argument on backing diplomacy with the serious threat of military force.

Repeating earlier Russian warnings, Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Moscows Defense Ministry, said Saturday that any use of force against the Syrian government would cause a terrible, tectonic shift across the entire Middle East.
Sandra Campos was on a mission.

Monday through Friday, shed drop her grandson off at school then hit the phones for the rest of the day, hunting for a new apartment.

Number after number, call after call, 50 apartments a day.

Hi, do you take Section 8?

Click. Dial.

Hi, do you take Section 8?

Click. Dial.

I was like a telemarketer, said Campos, 51.

RELATED: No voucher, no vacancy, no help: The cruel realities of Section 8 housing in Orange County

The plump, 5-foot-tall grandmother with shoulder-length brown hair was notified in February that her application for a Section 8 rental voucher had come to the top of the pile. After six years on the waiting list, she finally could have a home of her own.

She had just four months to find a place or the voucher would expire.

Campos was not going to let this opportunity slip away. She was not going to stay in the homeless shelter. No more renting rooms from questionable housemates. And she was not going back to living in her car.

All she needed to do was find a suitable rental  and a landlord willing to rent it to her.

NO SECTION 8

Section 8 voucher recipients often wait six to 10 years for their shot at a subsidy. Each year, some 1,200 to 1,600 of those vouchers become available in Orange County. But about a third of them expire because recipients cant find an apartment in time.

Four months is scarcely enough, even for the most diligent apartment hunter.

The refrain, No Section 8 is ubiquitous on Craigslist housing listings.

Landlords dont like waiting for an inspection before the lease begins, or they say theres too much paperwork involved. Many charge a lot more than Section 8 will pay.

Theres a gap between the rent that theyre offering and the current market, said Ray Maggi, CEO of MPMS Inc., an Anaheim-based apartment management firm that rents to Section 8 clients when the payment is high enough or the inspections dont take too long.

Some Southern California housing agencies take three to four weeks for an inspection, Maggi said, plus four to six weeks after the inspection for rent payments to start  a lag of seven to 10 weeks.

Some of the housing agencies are so backlogged, he said.

With failure rates high, Section 8 recipients say theyre under tremendous pressure to find a rental.

An undocumented Anaheim woman lost her voucher after 10 years on the waiting list and four months of fruitless hunting.

Even though the benefit was small  about $150 to $200 a month to cover her two U.S.-born sons  it would have helped pay expenses not covered by her husbands paycheck as a construction worker.

She spent days scouring the ads and driving the streets. Her car broke down, and she continued to look by bus.

She considered  and rejected  apartments with broken windows, stopped-up toilets, cockroaches and rats. After shed checked on about 100 apartments, her voucher expired.

Her family now pays about 60 percent of their income in rent. They rely on food stamps. They dont eat out, go to movies or buy things for their sons. Their sons got new sneakers at Goodwill.

RENT VS. FOOD

Another voucher recipient sometimes goes without eating after her rent went up and she was unable to find anything cheaper.

The Fountain Valley woman doesnt want to be named to avoid embarrassing her three grown children. She had been on Section 8 for 10 years when she got notice her rent would go up by $150 a month.

Voucher recipients are limited to paying no more than 40 percent of their income on rent when looking for a new rental. But after the first year, theres no limit on how much they can pay out of pocket.

Her share of the rent now equals 43 percent of her $890-a-month disability check.

In late July, she had just $40 to live on. In the last week of August, she was down to $25 and skipped eating for three days. Her family kicked in some money to help her get by. She took a job cleaning houses.

But 21/2 months into her new lease, she has no idea how shell get through the rest of the year.

BACK TO THE TOP

Sandra Campos went from riches to rags.

The Anaheim grandmother earned almost $48,000 a year working for the county. She bought a townhome near the bottom of the housing market, then sold it for nearly three times the original price.

She moved to Spokane, Wash., and bought a four-bedroom house with a finished basement. She bought new furniture and had money in the bank. She got her daughter her first dog.

I felt like I was on top of the world, Campos said.

But things didnt work out in Spokane. Campos couldnt find full-time work. Soon the money ran out. She had $5,000 left over after selling the house.

With custody of her grandson, she ended up back in Orange County, sleeping on friends couches, renting rooms and, finally, living in her car.

We were homeless. I didnt have any money, Campos said. I went from owning two houses to being homeless with a grandchild.

Her brown eyes fill with tears as Campos recalls the shame of being homeless, coupled with the terror that she might lose custody of her grandson.

Then came her shot at redemption.

In February, a packet arrived saying she had qualified for a rental voucher. It had been six years since she had applied. By now, she was living in a homeless shelter and working part time for Boys Town as a parent mentor.

She scoured rental listings online and in the newspaper. She looked up property management companies and called them. She pored over free apartment magazines, looking for the magic words: Section 8 welcome.

You have to make it like a job. Get on the phone. Drive around, Campos said.

Some of the apartments looked like prisons  ugly and dark. She turned them down in her heart, but called the landlord anyway, relieved when she didnt reach anyone.

After 2 months, Campos saw a for-rent sign on an Anaheim street. She called the number.

Ill meet you there right now, the landlord said.

He gave her an application and ran a credit check. It took a few days to hear back.

You can call your (housing authority) worker and tell her you found an apartment, the landlord said. Rent would be $1,150 a month. Her voucher covers $880. She pays $270.

I was so happy, she said. I wasnt going to be homeless anymore.

Now, she said, Im on top of the world again.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7734 or jcollins@ocregister.com
After decades of Americans feeling safer in their neighborhoods, a new FBI report suggests that time may be over. The FBIs crime report released this week reveals that murder rates increased 11 percent between 2014 and 2015. In Orange County, overall crime rose 23 percent, the greatest single year jump in at least a decade.

California legislators risk exacerbating this crime trend with labor mandates that reduce job opportunities. A University of New Hampshire survey finds that five in six U.S.-based labor economists say that a $15 minimum wage, like the one recently passed in California, causes youth job loss. And there is a longstanding link between joblessness and crime.

Concerns about this link have been voiced by some unlikely sources. Andy Stern, the former president of the union thats bankrolled the Fight for $15, recently remarked: There is a lot of correlation between unemployment and drug use.  Clearly over time, particularly in urban settings, the lack of employment is tinder for lighting a fire of social unrest.

If unemployment is the tinder in the fire of social unrest and criminality, then California has spent the last few years aggressively stockpiling it. In the Los Angeles metro area, nearly one in five teens age 16 to 19 that wants a job cant find one. Over a half-million young people are entirely outside of the labor market.

This tenuous youth labor market faces the barrier of a minimum wage that is rising to $15, pricing additional entry-level employees out of the market. Research suggests that this may worsen criminality.

A 2013 study by economists at Boston College looked at increases in state and federal minimum-wage levels between 1997 and 2010 and found that low-skill workers affected by minimum-wage hikes were more likely to lose their jobs, become idle and commit crime. The studys authors went so far as to warn that their findings point to the dangers both to the individual and to society from policies that restrict the already limited employment options of this group.

A Congressional Budget Office report earlier this year showed that roughly one in six men nationally are either jobless or in prison and pointed to minimum-wage increases as a possible factor.

The solution to high rates of youth crime and youth unemployment is a job, not a government-mandated raise in wages. According to a 2014 study published in the journal Science, a summer jobs program in Chicago dramatically reduced criminality. Out of more than 1,600 disadvantaged high schoolers, the teens who participated in the jobs program were arrested for a violent crime at nearly half the rate of their non-program counterparts over the following year.

Though its unlikely that California will slow its $15 minimum wage implementation schedule, at the very least legislators should take steps to minimize the damage. A youth starter wage similar to provisions in federal labor law and many other states would give young people a greater chance of finding opportunity in the legal economy rather than the illegal one.

Entry-level employees face an uncertain future. Technology and automation are expected to eliminate 6 percent of all jobs in the United States by 2021, according to a September report released by market research company Forrester. Yet by making these jobs more expensive with dramatic minimum wage increases and other labor mandates, legislators only speed the process and contribute to societal problems that we all pay the cost for.

Michael Saltsman is research director at the Employment Policies Institute.
MORGAN HILL  A wildfire burning in Northern Californias Santa Cruz Mountains has destroyed a dozen homes and 16 other structures.

Cal Fire said Saturday afternoon that 12 homes and 16 structures were destroyed by the fire. That compares to eight homes and nine other structures on Friday reported destroyed.

The blaze has charred about 61/2 square miles and is 56 percent contained. It is still threatening 325 structures.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated from both Santa Cruz and Santa Clara County neighborhoods after the blaze started Monday.

Mandatory evacuations were lifted for Santa Cruz County but they remain in effect for Santa Clara County, where most of the threatened structures are located.

Fire officials expect full containment by early next week.
Are you ready to become a real city yet, Southern California? Being truly livable, our betters suggest, means being infatuated with spending more billions of dollars on outdated streetcars (trolleys) and other rail lines, packing people into ever small spaces and looking toward downtown Los Angeles as our regional center.

Our cognitive elites dislike the very idea that Los Angeles, as Dorothy Parker once supposedly described, has long been 72 suburbs in search of a city. Yet, Southern California, as I discuss in a new Chapman University report, has from its early emergence grown around a post-suburban model of dynamic, smaller clusters. This urban form has become common in many major metropolitan areas as automobiles have replaced transit as the primary means of getting around.

This model worked here brilliantly for most of the last half century  until planners, real estate speculators and California bureaucrats decided that we needed to emulate New York City and other older monocentric core cities. Like the provincials they consistently prove themselves to be, our leaders have generally complied.

So, after nearly 15 years spent in pushing this direction, what have we accomplished? A transit system that barely serves as many people as it did before we started building trains, housing prices among the highest in the nation, super-high poverty rates and a population that continues to seek to go somewhere else, including some 1.6 million net domestic migrants who have left the L.A. and Orange County area since 2000.

The density mirage

Some see densification as necessary to meet the demands of an expanding population. Yet, both L.A. and O.C.s populations are growing slower than both the state and national average. Nor has the pro-density regime relieved any of the pressure on housing and rent. For one thing, high-density housing is far more expensive on a per-square-foot basis, either for townhouses or detached housing. It can only accommodate the poor at the cost of massive subsidies.

The drive to re-engineer our post-suburban form assumes that downtown Los Angeles can become like the more historic central business districts of New York, Chicago and San Francisco. These CBDs have from nearly double to 10 times the employment levels as downtown L.A. Suffice it to say, downtowns in New York, Chicago and San Francisco have retained regional significance, as others, including Los Angles, have declined in relative influence, with little growth in their share of regional employment. Even the most generous definition of downtown Los Angeles encompasses considerably less than 5 percent of the metropolitan areas employment, and that share has not grown appreciably since 2000. All the net job growth has been in newer suburbs and exurbs.

Fundamentally, in post suburban regions like southern California, the sell is a different one than in places like New York. It is based on a largely suburban quality of life. This does not mean we need to lag economically. Many of the most successful high-tech regions  notably, Silicon Valley; Austin, Texas; Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and the northern reaches of Dallas  are largely suburban and less dense than the L.A. area. Certainly, densification policies so far have not turned Los Angeles County into a high-tech haven. The county suffers from below-average tech employment, while more suburban Orange County remains 20 percent above average. The fastest increases, albeit from a low base, are occurring in the Inland Empire.

Elect a new people?

The advocates of the new dense Los Angeles have stirred opposition throughout the region. True, some of those objecting to new growth may be too concerned with preserving the past, but many others, including some in Los Angeles, have rightly concluded that the regions once splendid quality of life is being consciously undermined by planners, politicians and their real estate paymasters.

The patterns of both jobs and settlement, however, tell us something of peoples real preferences. Since 2000, less than 2 percent of the Los Angeles metropolitan areas population growth has been in the urban core, including downtown and the surrounding ring. The entire urban core accounts for only 10.1 percent of the population, somewhat less than in 2000. If high-density urbanization associated with Los Angeles is attractive to most migrants, this is not evidenced in the U.S. Census Bureau data.

Those longing for a denser Southern California might follow Bertolt Brechts advice to the East German government after the 1953 Berlin uprising: Wouldnt it be simpler  if the government dissolved the people and elected another?

That way, our aspiring East German planners can get Southern Californians to give up all the things they love  their houses, their backyards, the freedom to settle or shop wherever  by replacing them with a population more amenable to living like harried New Yorkers, Hong Kongers or even denizens of Mumbai.

Perhaps, instead, our leaders might think about going with the flow. Lets look at innovative solutions to transportation, home-based work, the development of dynamic centers spread throughout the region. If the demand is there, build new Irvines, Valencias or Lakewoods on the fringe, as has been done for generations. Southern California can only enjoy a greater future if it embraces our bold history of urban innovation.

Joel Kotkin is the R.C. Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University in Orange and executive director of the Houston-based Center for Opportunity Urbanism (www.opportunityurbanism.org).
PASADENA  Authorities in Los Angeles County released security video and a 911 call from the family of a man armed with a knife and later reported to be bipolar who died after a struggle with Pasadena police officers at an apartment complex.

Police did not reveal the name of the man who died, but several family members identified him as Reginald Thomas, a father of eight.

In the 911 recording released late Friday, a male caller told the dispatcher that his brother Reginald was high and holding a knife under his armpit, but had not threatened those in the apartment with it.

When the dispatcher asked if his brother had any mental conditions, the caller didnt know. Later he said his brother was known to be violent, contradicting claims other family members made later to reporters.

During the call early Friday, a brief struggle could be heard over the phone, with someone shouting, get off me.

Pasadena police Chief Phillip Sanchez said a fight ensued after the officers used a stun gun Taser on the man when he ignored their orders to drop the knife.

After he was subdued, officers noticed he wasnt breathing and attempted to revive him, Sanchez said in a statement. Paramedics also tried but failed, and the man was pronounced dead at his apartment in a modest Pasadena neighborhood.

Several added that while Thomas had a long history of mental illness that included previous run-ins with police, he was not a violent person.

Some said they suspected police overreacted because Thomas was black. They noted the recent shootings of black men by officers around the country, although they acknowledged a gun had not been used in this instance.

He was struggling with mental illness but the police know this, said Thomas brother-in-law, Forrest Elder. But he wasnt treated as a patient or a victim. He was treated as a suspect, and thats how they treat us.

On Friday night, about 100 people marched from the apartment complex through the streets of Pasadena to the police department to protest Thomas death. Many carried candles or lighters or lit up their phones.

The group blocked roads and intersections but was otherwise peaceful.

Thomas wife, Shainie Lindsay, told KTLA-TV that her husband himself called police to their apartment about 2:30 a.m. Friday when he realized he needed help.

Hes bipolar. Hes crazy, Lindsay said, adding Thomas was holding a knife and a fire extinguisher when officers arrived.

They said, Mr. Thomas, drop the knife and the fire extinguisher. He was not responding because he was not  he was just out of it basically, said Lindsay, who added she is the mother of four of Thomas eight children and is six months pregnant with another.

Elder said the children range in age from about 1 to 11. Elijah Floyd, who lives in an apartment just across a walkway from Thomas apartment, called him a doting, stay-at-home father who never caused neighbors any trouble.

The brothers call reporting the family disturbance came at 2:35 a.m.

Grainy, black and white security camera footage released late Friday showed several officers with flashlights responding to the complex but did not appear to show the struggle that preceded the death.

Pasadena police asked Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department homicide detectives to investigate Thomas death, and sheriffs Capt. Steve Katz asked about three dozen friends and family members gathered outside the locked security building to remain calm while they do their work.

I know youre angry. I do. I get it. But its going to take time, Katz told one friend of Thomas, Jasmine Abdullah, wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and shouting angrily at police officers that they had murdered her lifelong friend.

He was a good father. He had eight children. About to have nine. And when people arent well and call for help theyre supposed to get help. Not die, she said.
Agricultural News

USDA Finds Slightly Larger Oklahoma and Kansas Wheat Crops in Final 2016 Crop Survey

The US Department of Agriculture Small Grains 2016 Summary saw the Oklahoma wheat crop production nudged up from the August Crop production estimates, with USDA finding more acres harvested while trimming the final yield per acre by a bushel. The 136.5 million bushels of winter wheat produced in Oklahoma in 2016 was the largest total crop since the 155.4 million bushels were raised in 2012. The 2016 crop was a record yield per acre, but slipped from forty bushels an acre to 39 bushels per acre in this final analysis from USDA. The government did find 200,000 more acres of harvested wheat in the state with 3.5 million acres as the final harvested acreage number for the growing season. That was a drop of 300,000 acres from the 2015 crop in harvested area, but the yield thirteen bushels per acre better in 2016 versus 2015 meant that the overall crop was 38% larger in 2016 versus 2015 when total production was 98.8 million bushels. Oklahoma was one of twenty states growing winter wheat that ended up with a record yield in 2016.





Uncle Sam also found 100,000 more acres of harvested wheat in Kansas compared to the August report, with 8.2 million acres combined in Kansas this year, with a 57 bushel per acre yield- which was also a yield for the Sunflower state. Total production in Kansas came in for 2016 at 467.4 million bushels total. Kansas and Oklahoma were the top two winter wheat producing states in 2016, followed by Washington, Montana and Colorado.





Nationally, winter wheat production for 2016 totaled 1.67 billion bushels, up 22 percent from the revised 2015 total of 1.37 billion bushels. The United States yield, at 55.3 bushels per acre, is up 12.8 bushels from 2015 and represents a new record high. Area harves ted for grain is estimated at 30.2 million acres, down 7 percent from the previous year. Record high yields are estimated in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin for 2016.





Harvested acreage was down from 2015 in most of the major Hard Red Winter (HRW) growing States, the primary wheat producing area. However, HRW production totaled 1.08 billion bushels, up 30 percent from 2015 due to the higher yields in 2016 compared with 2015.





In the Soft Red Winter (SRW) growing area, planted and harvested acreage decreases from 2015 were experienced throughout most of the region. SRW production totaled 345 million bushels, down 4 percent from 2015. White winter production totaled 245 million bushels, up 32 from the previous year. Harvested acreage in the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) was up 2 percent from 2015. Yields were up from last year in Idaho and Washington.





To view the full report as released by USDA, click here.









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Syrian regime forces advanced in Aleppo on Sunday after Russia unleashed dozens of air strikes in the battleground northern city overnight, a monitor and an AFP correspondent reported.

Among the targets of air raids during the night were the neighbourhoods of Bustan al-Basha, Sakhur and Suleiman al-Halabi, the correspondent reported.

"Dozens of Russian air strikes targeted overnight the fighting zones inside Aleppo city," said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the raids "helped regime forces to advance in the north of the city" where they reached the outskirts of Al-Halaq district.

"Regime forces aims to control Bustan al-Basha and Sakhur districts to tighten the zones controlled by rebels," said Abdel Rahman.

Aleppo, once Syria's vibrant commercial powerhouse, is now at the heart of a major military campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's fighters and his steadfast ally Moscow.

The offensive, announced on September 22, has seen dozens of civilians killed and residential buildings flattened in the east, where an estimated 250,000 people live under government siege.

Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting across the country have all but collapsed.

However, the foreign ministers of the United States and Russia, which brokered a week-long truce deal that collapsed last month, spoke by phone on Saturday.

Russia said its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to his American counterpart John Kerry and they "examined the situation in Syria, including the possibility of normalising the situation around Aleppo".

It said "illegal armed groups" continue fighting in the city despite Russian-US agreements.

Since fighting first broke out in the city in 2012, Aleppo has been divided by a frontline between rebel forces in the east and government troops in the west.

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Houthi rebels in Yemen are posing a threat to shipping in the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, the Saudi-led coalition supporting the government said Sunday after an attack on an Emirati vessel.

The coalition said Shia Houthi militiamen had attacked the vessel "on its usual route to and from (the southern port city of) Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians".

"Coalition air and naval forces targeted Houthi militia boats involved in the attack" near the Bab al-Mandab, it said, while "coalition forces rescued civilian passengers following the attack" on Friday night.

"This incident demonstrates Houthi tactics of terrorist attacks against civilian international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab," the coalition said in a statement.

The strait is a major shipping lane between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden leading into the Indian Ocean.

The rebels, in a statement posted Saturday on their sabanews.net website, claimed the attack which it said targeted and "completely destroyed" an Emirati warship with rockets as it neared Mokha on the Red Sea coast.

The United Arab Emirates military acknowledged "an incident" involving a chartered vessel under its command in the Bab al-Mandab as it was returning from a "routine" journey to Aden, further south, but it reported no casualties.

The UAE is a key member of the coalition that has been battling the Iran-backed Houthis and their allies since March last year in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognised government.

Since March 2015, the coalition has pushed the rebels out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.

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An hour into her party, the birthday girl hadnt gotten a bite of cake.

Like a bride at a wedding, Thelma Sutcliffe was too busy to eat. There were too many people to greet. She shook hand after hand and got her cheeks kissed so many times its a wonder her red lipstick didnt smudge.

Guests oohed and aahed and called her beautiful and glamorous and the prettiest girl in the room. They clutched Thelmas hands and grinned and even teared up. It was as if this birthday party, for a woman believed now to be Nebraskas oldest living person, was for them.

It only happens once, that you hit 110, one well-wisher explained.

On Saturday, Thelma did exactly that. She had been born in Omaha in 1906 when Roosevelt was president. Teddy Roosevelt, that is. It was the year of the San Francisco earthquake and fire that killed thousands and the year when Victrola record players became coveted household objects. In that year, Adolf Eichmann, who would become a Nazi war criminal, was born. So was the comedian and actor Lou Costello and Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay. Thelma has lived through both world wars and 19 U.S. presidents. She has seen the smartphone.

110 or above is about as good as it gets, said E.A. Kral of Wilber, Nebraska, who tracks the oldest Nebraskans for the Nebraska Health Care Association. It gets rare for people to get to 111 or 112. We do have four people who made it to 113.

According to Krals research, 36 Nebraskans had ever made it to supercentenarian status  110. As of Saturday, Thelma Sutcliffe became the 37th.

Many people think making it to 100 is pretty good, but thats practically passe these days. According to the 2010 census, almost 500 Nebraskans were between the ages of 100 and 109.

Thelmas birthday at Elmwood Tower, where residents have to be 50 or older, was a way for octogenarians and nonagenarians to feel like spring chickens.

I just had my 51st, one woman told her.

Thelma quipped back: Youve got a long way to go.

Thelmas receiving line lasted well over an hour. It included mostly residents of the 21-story Elmwood Tower at 52nd and Leavenworth Streets. But Thelma, who outlived her husband by 45 years and never had children, also invited her closest relatives. A nephew and his wife, Warren and Irene Sorenson, had made the trip from Sun City, Arizona.

Warren, 89, stood. Irene, 92, sat near Thelma.

We have a friend who was celebrating her 103rd today in Arizona, Irene said. I told her Shes going to be 110! 

Irene told me that as you get older, you outlive many of your friends.

But it looks to me like shes gained a lot! Irene said, eyeing a seemingly endless line of greeters.

Indeed, an hour into the two-hour party, 87 people had signed the guest book and more were waiting in line. A basket of cards was full. Every seat in the dining room was taken.

Irene told me that Thelma threw herself a similar party for Elmwood Tower residents 10 years ago, when she turned 100. Back then, Thelma stood for the whole thing. On Saturday, she made a single concession to age: a chair.

Her hearing has slipped. She cant see as well as she used to. But otherwise, her health is good.

She still plays bridge several times a week. She still makes her famous deviled eggs for the regular Elmwood Tower potluck. And she even does her own laundry.

We do our wash together. Saturday evenings. Shes there, and I am, said Bill Osick, age 85.

I thought my own hearing had slipped. Come again?

She does her own, yes, Osick repeated. Can you imagine that?

Watching Thelma, dressed smartly in a black blazer and cream-colored pants, her white hair a perfect crown atop her head, her posture erect, I could imagine it. Why not?

Thelma doesnt have any groundbreaking secret. Shes had good luck  she survived two bouts of breast cancer. Shes had good genes  her younger sister lived to almost 106. Shes made good choices  shes never smoked.

My mind is boggled, said Bernie Hoffman, who gave his age as approaching 70.

I see her on the elevator. I ask Howd you live this long? She said I dont worry about anything I cant control. 

On Saturday, the birthday girl didnt have time for a bunch of questions about her personal history or what has changed in her lifetime. Plus, shes humble.

To me, it really isnt a big deal, she said later. My life was very modest  a modest life.

She eventually did get a piece of cake. Mostly, she was concerned with giving everyone who had come the gift of her time.

She held their hands. She held their gaze. She took the gushing in stride, saying in an aw-shucks kind of way that she didnt know if she could make it through all this.

But Thelma knew she had to. She knew that simply being able to mark the occasion would fill others with hope. And it did.

Im going to be 90 on my birthday, said Gwen Rosholm, who is 89 until March. If she can do it? I can do it.
Hungarians were voting Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government to seek support for its opposition to any future, mandatory

European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers.

The government's position is expected to find wide support among voters, though there was uncertainty whether turnout would exceed the 50 percent plus-one-vote threshold needed for the referendum to be valid.

The referendum asks: "Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?"

Orban has argued that "No" votes favor Hungary's sovereignty and independence. If that position secures a majority of ballots, Hungary's parliament would pass legislation to bolster the referendum's goal whether or not turnout was sufficient for a valid election, he said.

Orban also said he would resign if the "Yes" votes won, but the vow was seen mostly as a ploy to boost turnout by drawing his critics to the polls.

"The most important issue next week is for me to go to Brussels, hold negotiations and try with the help of this result  if the result if appropriate achieve for it not to be mandatory to take in the kind of people in Hungary we don't want to," Orban said after casting his vote in an elementary school in the Buda hills.

Orban, who wants individual EU member nations to have more power in the bloc's decision-making process, said he hopes the anti-quota referendums would be held in other countries.

"We are proud that we are the first" he said. "Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the European Union who managed to have a (referendum) on the migrant issue. I would be happy to see other countries to follow."

Nearly 8.3 million citizens were eligible to cast ballots between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. (0400-1700 GMT) on Sunday.

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to "send a message to Brussels" while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.

Several opposition and civic groups have called on citizens to stay home and boycott the vote. Others urged casting invalid ballots that would not count in the final tally, but still could be interpreted as rejecting the government's "zero migrants" policies.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way toward Western Europe. Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year.

Last month, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching Hungary's border area on 13 different days.

Hungary last year rejected over 80 percent of the asylum claims made in the country, one of the highest rates in the EU, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. The country granted asylum to 508 refugees, rejected 2,917 applications and had nearly 37,000 claims still being processed.

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LINCOLN  Voters will elect a first-time office holder when they decide the winner of what could be a closely contested election for Grand Islands seat in the Nebraska Legislature.

Voters in Legislative District 35 also will have a clear choice between a Democrat and a Republican running for the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

Were about as far apart philosophically as you can get, said attorney Gregg Neuhaus, the Republican who wants to work to stop government regulations on businesses, reduce taxes and block public benefits for immigrants who enter the country illegally.

Dan Quick, the Democratic candidate, said hes more in touch with the concerns of working families in the district, many of whom hold multiple jobs to pay the bills.

Weve hit about 9,000 doors since last August, Quick said. I feel like when I talk to them they can relate to what I stand for  working family issues.

About 19,000 voters had registered in the district as of last week. About 8,500 identify as Republicans, 6,100 as Democrats and 4,200 as independent.

Based upon the most recent finance reports from June, Quick had raised nearly $46,000 for his campaign, with the largest donations coming from organized labor. Neuhaus had raised $23,000, with his largest donations coming from businessmen and the Nebraska Bankers Association.

During the May primary election, Quick came out on top and Neuhaus beat a second Republican candidate vying for the seat. The two candidates are competing to replace Sen. Mike Gloor, a Republican who is term-limited.

Gloor has chosen not to make an endorsement in the race. But he did say the employment, ethnic, educational and other demographics of District 35 more closely resemble downtown Omaha districts than those in greater Nebraska. In other words, he said, the race could be close.

Quick, 58, said he can relate to working-class Grand Islanders because its a background he shares. Hes a welder and maintenance mechanic at Grand Islands city-owned power plant. He also has been a leader in local and statewide labor organizations.

He thinks part of the answer to challenges facing working families has to do with being able to afford the education or training needed to compete for better careers. So providing funding and new approaches in education, from preschool to the university level, would be priorities for him.

Quick said he likes the career-pathway approaches offered in community colleges. He also supports ideas such as providing incentives to employers to help their workers get more training and skills.

He also said he is encouraged by the new major investments the state is making in highways and bridges because such projects support well-paying, skilled labor. He also favors Medicaid expansion as a way to help working adults with limited incomes obtain health care.

The two candidates said they are both anti-abortion, but they differ on other key issues.

For example, Neuhaus, a 63-year-old lawyer, said he opposes Medicaid expansion.

Another point of disagreement is immigration. The Legislature has passed measures in recent sessions allowing drivers licenses and professional licenses for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

Neuhaus said he would have voted against those bills. His ancestors immigrated from Germany so he doesnt oppose immigration in general, he said, just when it fails to follow the rule of law.

Those who are here illegally should not be voting, he said. So I dont see how it hurts my chances.

Quick said he would have voted for the license bills. The people who will benefit from the measures are often students or well-educated young adults whose illegal status is no fault of their own, he argued.

They also stake out different positions on the death penalty. Neuhaus supports it; Quick does not.

Neuhaus said one of his top priorities would be to remove state taxes on Social Security income and veterans benefits. He also would push for reforming the school aid formula and other policies that would reduce pressure on property taxes.

Neuhaus has received the endorsement of Gov. Pete Ricketts.

While he agrees with many of the governors positions, Neuhaus said he has told Ricketts they may part ways on some issues. For example, Ricketts is an opponent of gambling, but Neuhaus said he would most likely support some gambling proposals because the horse-racing industry is important to Grand Island, the home of Fonner Park.

Neuhaus is among a number of conservative candidates whove signed a pledge not to raise the gas tax and to support an effort to end secret ballots on leadership votes in the Legislature.

* * *

Dan Quick

Age: 58

Party: Democratic

Home: Grand Island

Occupation: Works at Platte Generating Station

Public offices held: None

Education: High school diploma

Family: Married, three children

Faith: Catholic

Gregg Neuhaus

Age: 63

Party: Republican

Home: Grand Island

Occupation: Attorney

Public offices held: None

Education: Bachelors degree, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; law degree, University of Denver College of Law

Family: Married, two children

Faith: Catholic
One of the commendable goals pursued by Chancellor John Christensen at the University of Nebraska at Omaha has been to emphasize outreach to students from many backgrounds. The numbers are encouraging.

Minority students total 3,336 at UNO this year, up from 1,382 in 2006, and account for 26.6 percent of current undergrad enrollment. First-generation students total 5,645 (45 percent of UNOs undergrad numbers), and military personnel, veterans and their dependents number 1,309 (10 percent of the undergrad population).

The Thompson Learning Community, geared to provide supports to UNO students from diverse backgrounds, has grown from 65 participants in 2008, its first year, to 954 this year.

These are laudable steps forward as Christensen prepares to retire, completing 10 years as UNO chancellor.
Related French Muslims invited to church to mourn slain priest

Some two months after Islamist militants murdered a French priest in cold blood while he was celebrating mass, the Normandy church he served for decades was to reopen its doors on Sunday.

Observances laden with symbolism will be aimed at cleansing a sanctuary profaned by the murder of 85-year-old Jacques Hamel as well as seeking inter-faith reconciliation.

The day's events, to be led by Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of the nearby city of Rouen, will be "oriented towards seeking forgiveness, reconciliation and peace," he told AFP.

A special mass will pay tribute to Hamel, who was at the altar of the old stone church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray when his throat was slit by two teenaged jihadists in the first such attack on a Christian church in Europe.

But first, clerics will perform a ritual to symbolically purify the church by sprinkling holy water through the sanctuary, Lebrun said.

A week after the July 26 attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, Lebrun presided over Hamel's funeral mass at the Rouen cathedral attended by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners on that occasion.

On Sunday, members of the Muslim community in Saint-Etienne, a town of some 27,000, will join a procession to the church for the mass.

"It will be a day of brotherhood ... I hope that all local people will be there, believers or not," Mohamed Karabila, representing the local mosque, told AFP.

A giant screen has been set up to allow people who cannot fit into the small church, whose nave dates from the 16th century, to follow the service outside.

Hamel's 19-year-old killers, Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche, had pledged allegiance to IS.

Both were shot dead by police after a tense hostage drama in which one worshipper, Guy Coponet, survived after being seriously wounded and left for dead. Three other hostages escaped unharmed.

The Christian weekly Famille Chretienne interviewed 87-year-old Coponet, who was stabbed in the neck, back and arm.

But the worst part of the ordeal, he said in the interview published last Wednesday, was being forced to film the gruesome killing.

"The two young killers... put a camera in my hands and said, 'Film, granddad.'... I can't get over it," Coponet said.

The attack stunned France's religious communities, sparking fears of tensions in a country with a population of some five million Muslims, Europe's largest.

The murder of the frail octogenarian came less than two weeks after the Bastille Day attack that claimed 86 lives when a Tunisian extremist rammed a truck into crowds on a popular promenade in the southern city of Nice.

The priest's murder and the Nice rampage were the latest in a series of Islamist militant attacks to rock France since the January 2015 massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly.

In six weeks, France will mark a year since the November 13, 2015, gun and bombing attacks on Paris killed 130 people and wounded hundreds of others.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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Eyeing UP polls, NDA govt creating war hysteria: Amarinder

India

oi-PTI

Budhlada (Pb), Oct 2: Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today disapproved of the evacuation of people from the border areas of the state, alleging the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is creating "unnecessary war hysteria and tension" with an eye on Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

"Our army is staying at peace time zones and our villages are being uprooted. Punjabis are being made scapegoats for next year's Uttar Pradesh elections, as BJP has been unable to establish any foothold there so far," he claimed.

"When there are not even remote signs of war, why uproot poor farmers and that too at a time when their crops are ready for harvest?" Amarinder asked.

Asserting that as of now, there are no signs of war which would necessitate their relocation or evacuation to safer areas, the Congress leader appealed to villagers along the border areas not to leave and said he will join them soon.

"Punjabis are known for valour, courage, and bravery. They will love to fight alongside their Army than run away, which the BJP is trying to make them do. But they will never do it," he claimed. Speaking to mediapersons along the sidelines of 'Halke vich Captain' programme here, Amarinder claimed that there were no troop movements on the either side of the border after the surgical strike by the Indian Army on terror launch pads across the LoC.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, instead of meekly submitting to the Centre's diktats, should have taken a stand against the evacuation, Amarinder said, adding even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for de-escalation of tension.

The Congress leader maintained that Pakistan has no reason to retaliate since the Indian Army had not attacked Pakistan Army, but destroyed the terrorist camps and launch pads across the LoC.

Amarinder said, while India should continue its diplomatic efforts to isolate Pakistan, it must also not close the option of talks. "Eventually we have to talk to each other. We better declare war on poverty than against each other," he said.

PTI
Lack of development in J&K for decades was one of the reasons behind rise of terrorism: Rajnath Singh

40 down and counting: Forces on the verge of wiping out Pakistani terrorists in Valley

Fidayeen's strike at Army camp in J&K

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Oct 2:Terrorists have attacked an army camp in Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. The terrorists tried to breach the camp by first hurling grenades and then resorting to heavy gun fire. Two terrorsits have reportedly been killed in the attack.

Two BSF personnel have been injured. The attack took place at the 46 Rashttirya Rifles camp.

The terrorists have not been able to breach the camp. Heavy firing is on between then personnel and the terrorists.

The number of terrorsits involved in the attack is however unknown. The terrorists had tried and entered into the camp through a public park.

The gun batltle is on since the past one hour. It is reported that the terrorsits had also hurled grenades at the camp before firing. The locals have told the media that they heard massive firing. They say that the firing is on since the past hour.

Officials say that it appears that the attack is the handiwork of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. Officials also point out that the terrorsits involved in this attack could have infiltrated several days back taking advantage of the unrest.

Earlier during the day, Pakistani troops launched firing and shelling on forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Pallanwala sector of Jammu district. Further an incident at the Wagah border in which Pakistanis hurled stones on to the Indian side had also been reported.

OneIndia News
India ratifies historic Paris climate deal at U.N

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Oct 2: India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, on Sunday ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a significant push for the deal to enter into force by the end of this year.

Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the U.N., at a special ceremony here attended by top U.N. officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded India's "climate leadership", saying India's ratification of the Paris Climate Change agreement moves the world an "important step closer" toward achieving the goal of entering the landmark deal into force this year.

In his message for the International Day of Non-violence, marked every year on Gandhi's birth anniversary, Mr. Ban said there is no better way to commemorate Gandhi and his legacy for people and the planet than with India submitting its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

"I warmly congratulate India for its climate leadership, and for building on the strong momentum we see from all corners of the globe for the agreement to enter into force as quickly as possible this year. India's ratification of the agreement moves the world an important step closer toward achieving that goal," Mr. Ban said in the message.

He called on all countries to complete their domestic processes for ratification and also strive in all activities to achieve progress through non-violence.

The U.N. chief said the commitment to sustainable living that Gandhi emphasised on is reflected in a "momentous way" as India is depositing its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary, we deposit the instrument of ratification of Paris Agreement on climate change," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Mr. Akbaruddin had on Friday said that India had played a "key role" in the negotiations and finalisation of the Paris agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a "personal commitment" to the climate deal.

Mr. Akbaruddin had said that India's effort was to be amongst those nations who give a push to the entry into force.

With India stressing on the importance of climate justice, its goal will be that "climate justice ends are also served" once the treaty comes into force.

The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming by limiting greenhouse gases.

India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary we deposit the instrument of ratification of #ParisAgreement #climatechange pic.twitter.com/2smyHPCm5L  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 2, 2016

The ratification formalises pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards and try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after China and the U.S. which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.

Last month, the U.S. and China had formally joined the Paris agreement, which was adopted by 195 parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change last December in Paris.

The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions have now ratified the accord.

Paris Agreement was adopted by 185 nations last year on December 12 and India signed it in New York on April 22 this year. A total of 191 countries have signed the Paris Agreement so far.

However, India has decided to ratify the agreement "in the context" of its national laws, availability of means of implementation and "its own assessment" of global commitment to combating climate change.

"While agreeing to ratify the Paris agreement, the Cabinet has also decided that India should declare that it will treat its national laws, its development agenda, availability of means of implementation, its assessment of global commitment to combating climate change, and predictable and affordable access to cleaner source of energy as the context in which the agreement is being ratified," an official statement had earlier said.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 2, 2016, 21:16 [IST]
At least 9 students killed after boat capsizes in Cambodia river

Gujarat: Suspected Pakistani boat apprehended by Coast Guard

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Ahmedabad, Oct 2:The Indian Coast Guard on Sunday apprehended a Pakistani boat with nine crew members off the Gujarat coast, officials said.

Coast Guard officials apprehended the crew members travelling in the boat as soon as it eneterd in Indian waters around 10.15 a.m.

"In the prevailing scenario, Coast Guard ship Samudra Pavak apprehended a Pakistani boat with nine crew members," an official statement said.

"Preliminary information indicates the crew to be Pakistani fishermen. However, the boat and the crew members were being escorted to Porbandar for further joint investigation," it added.

IANS
Swachh Bharat- Malleshwaram, Bengaluru declared black spot free constituency

News

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Under the Swachh Bharat initiative, the first anniversary of the Smart Swachh Malleshwaram, Bengaluru was celebrated today. The highlight of the event was the elimination of black spots in Malleshwaram. This means all black spots in the constituency of which Dr Ashwathnarayan is the MLA have been eliminated.

Another highlight was the inauguration of the Mechanised Waste Bin-KISOSK. The Smart Swachh Malleshwaram initiative spearheaded by BJP, MLA Dr C N Ashwathnarayan completed one year today.

At the programme held today, both Dr Ashwathnarayan and Union Minister D Sadananda Gowda inaugurated the KIOSK. At the inauguration they demonstrated how the KIOSK works. People can dispose e-waste, wrappers, tetra packs, tin cans, paper cups and pet bottles into this KIOSK. The KIOSK also tells you your weight while waste is being disposed.

On Sunday the Swachh Bharath logo structure was alsot inaugurated at Circle Maramma circle temple,Malleshwaram,Bangalore,Karnataka. This is the second time that this has been inaugurated after Gujarat.

At the event several stalls were also put up. Each stall had children in it and they were advising people on waste management. In one of the stalls there was a placard which read, " I love Malleshwaram more than plastic."

Also read: 'Smart Swachh Malleshwaram' campaign launched in Bengaluru

Setting an example:

In terms of waste management, Malleshwaram has managed to set an example for the rest of the city. In the one year of this initiative being launched, waste segregation has gone up from 20 per cent to 55 per cent. Moreover Malleshwaram also became the first constituency to be declared as Black Spot Free.

In the past year, as part of this initiative there has been a successful students outreach programme apart from an adopt a tree initiative. In the past year, 3,000 saplings have been planted in the 7 wards of the constituency. In addition to this the smart collection and transport was introduced. As part of this waste was being transported in a manner that the same was disposed off in a proper manner.

The smart lorry points is another initiative which restricts the multiple lorry points to a single lorry point. Further the festival waste management programme was also initiated.

The year ahead:

In the following year, Dr Ashwathnarayan says that there will be several more initiatives introduced. These would include leaf composting during the winters and also introducing the manned waste collection bin KIOSK. Further the street vendor initiative to restrict vendors to a particular stretch is also being introduced.

The plate bank is also another initiative on the anvil. A plan to have an inventory of dining essentials with steel plates, spoons, bowls etc is also on the anvil. The MLA of this constituency also proposes to introduce the Smart Swachh Maathu. Thoroughly this programme short chats would be arranged over a cup of tea or coffee. During these chats, the discussion would be about betterment of the community.

Among the other programmes planned are the the use of the CCTV cameras. The cameras will be used to address the waste management issues like littering, blackspots etc. A target of 50 cameras for each ward has set for next year.
Baloch activists come out in support of Jadhav, accuse Pak of framing him

We are no longer alone: Rebel Baloch leader

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Oct 2 Rebel Baloch leader Mazdak Dilshad Baloch on Saturday thanked India for its support to his cause, saying it meant that they were "no longer alone".

Participating in a seminar on "Baloch Nationality" at the RSS-backed India Policy Foundation (IPF), he told the gathering, which included top journalists, former diplomats and retired armed forces officers that their's was "the strongest movement of Balochistan; it is a grass root movement run by baloch people not by any Khan or tribal leader".

Emphasising the importance of Indian support to Baloch movement, he said: "You do not know how alone we were. But now, we are not alone."

Citing the atrocities meted out to Baloch people by the Pakistani establishment, he said that there is no home in Balochistan which has not sacrificed its member.

"Pakistan army beats our children in school and make them sing the national anthem of Pakistan. I have lived in Pakistan and I can say that the people of Pakistan are no different from Pakistan army."

On the future governance of Balochistan, he said, "We believe in democracy, our traditional tribal system was closer to democracy. Even during the time of the Khan (of Kalat), we had two house parliament. Future Balochistan will be a democracy."

Thanking the people of India, he said: "We want 'Azad' Balochistan. We don't want to be with Pakistan. In last 70 years no Baloch has came to India but today we have come here and I want to thank all of you for your support."

IPF also released a booklet titled "Balochistan - What the world needs to know" edited by Prof Geeta Bhatt of Delhi University.

IANS
Imran Khan's party rejects ISI chief's allegations; says he never made unconstitutional demands

Why is 'Mr. Bean controversy trending on Twitter after Zimbabwe beat Pakistan?

Pak off the FATF grey list doesn't mean it's not under scrutiny anymore: MEA secretary

Imran Khan again targets Pakistan's establishment on Day 2 of protest march; govt rules out talks over snap polls

Pakistan Naval Chief visits Navy forward posts

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Islamabad, Oct 2 To review the combat readiness, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah visited forward posts of Pakistan Navy at Creeks area on Friday.

The Naval Chief visited various Naval posts and observed the operational readiness of the troops deployed on forward bases, Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.

Targeting India, Zakaullah said that "Pakistan's commitment for peace must not be construed as weakness."

He said that Pakistan Navy was fully capable to hit back with all its might if the war is imposed.

IANS
Several dead in Ethiopia stampede after tear gas fired

International

oi-PTI

Bishoftu (Ethiopia), Oct 2: Several people were killed in a stampede near the Ethiopian capital today after police fired tear gas at protesters during a religious festival, according to a photographer at the scene.

Several thousand people had gathered at a sacred lake in the town of Bishoftu to take part in the Irreecha ceremony, in which the Oromo community marks the end of the rainy season.

Some participants crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of Oromo anti-government protests. The event quickly degenerated, with protesters throwing stones and bottles and security forces responding with baton charges and then tear gas grenades.

The tear gas caused panic and at least 50 people fell on top of each other into a ditch. The AFP photographer saw between 15 and 20 unmoving bodies some of which were clearly dead.

Police demanded that the photographer leave the scene, where rubber bullets were strewn on the ground. "This government are dictators, there is no equality or freedom of speech. There is only TPLF.

That's why we must protest today," said Mohamed, referring to the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front. In 1991 the TPLF, then a rebel group, overthrew Mengistu Haile Mariam's dictatorship and now, as a political party stands accused of monopolising power.

Every year millions of people in the Oromo region mark the Irreecha festival on the shores of Lake Harsadi, which they consider sacred. Ethiopia is facing its biggest anti-government protests in a decade.

They started in the central and western Oromo region in 2015 and spread in recent months to the northern Amhara region.

Together, Oromos and Amharas make up 60 percent of the population and have become increasingly vocal in rejecting what they see as the disproportionate power wielded by the northern Tigrean minority in government and the security forces.

(AFP)
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Hungarians voted Sunday on the EU's troubled refugee quota plan, in a referendum aimed at boosting Prime Minister Viktor Orban's self-styled campaign to defend Europe against the "threat of mass migration".

While there is little doubt his 'No' camp will comfortably win, the poll could still end in embarrassment for Orban if it fails to reach the required 50-percent turnout and is deemed invalid.

Polling stations opened at 0400 GMT and close at 1700 GMT, with results expected later in the evening. By 3 pm (1300 GMT) turnout was just over 30 percent, according to the national election office.

"We are proud that we are the first to be able to vote on this question, unfortunately the only ones," Orban said after casting his ballot in the capital Budapest.

The firebrand leader has emerged as the populist standard-bearer of those opposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" policy, in the wake of the bloc's worst migration crisis since 1945.

He has led a fierce media offensive urging the eight-million-strong electorate to spurn the EU deal, which wants to share migrants around the 28 member states via mandatory quotas without the consent of national parliaments.

Orban warned on Saturday that mass migration was a "threat... to Europe's safe way of life" and that Hungarians had "a duty" to fight the failed "liberal methods" of the "Brussels elite".

The proposal -- spearheaded by Germany and approved by most EU governments last year after antagonistic debates -- seeks to ease pressure on frontline countries Italy and Greece, where most migrants enter the EU.

But implementation has been slow. Eastern and central European nations are vehemently opposed to the plan aimed at relocating 160,000 people, many having fled war in Syria.

Even as Hungarians voted, neighbouring Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said the EU should stop clinging to its troubled plan.

"The target is totally unrealistic," he told the German daily Welt am Sonntag, warning that disagreements over the plan could threaten "the cohesion of the entire European Union".

Hungary has not accepted a single refugee of the 1,300 allocated under the scheme and instead joined Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it.

The referendum threatens to further split the quarrelling bloc, already weakened by Britain's decision in June to leave the union -- a decision Orban has blamed on the EU's handling of the migrant crisis.

European Parliament president Martin Schulz warned Sunday that Hungary was playing "a dangerous game".

To cement his power at home, Orban "plays with the EU's founding principle: he questions Europe's legal basis -- which Hungary was involved in creating," Schulz told German media.

The referendum asks voters: "Do you want the EU to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?"

Many said they would abstain out of protest.

"I will not be a pawn in Orban's game... The question is phrased in such a way that it practically only invites one answer," said a 40-year-old farmer who accompanied his mother to a polling station in Budapest.

Surveys show the vote may not reach the required 50-percent threshold -- a scenario Orban has already downplayed, insisting the turnout had "no political significance".

"If there are more 'No' than 'Yes' votes, that means that Hungarians do not accept the rule that the EU bureaucrats want to impose on us," he said Friday.

More than 400,000 refugees trekked through Hungary toward northern Europe in 2015 before Hungary sealed off its southern borders with razor wire in the autumn and brought in tough anti-migrant laws, reducing the flow to a trickle.

Other countries on the so-called Balkan migrant trail followed suit, leading to some 60,000 migrants now being stranded in Greece.

The EU said last week it hoped to relocate half of them by the end of 2017.

A deal struck in March with Ankara to halt the influx looks shaky in the wake of a coup attempt in July.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere meanwhile said Sunday that Berlin wants to reinstate EU rules, suspended in 2011, which oblige asylum seekers to be sent back to Greece as the first EU country they reached.

"I would like the (rules) to be applied again... we will take up discussions on this in a meeting with (EU) interior ministers" later in October, he told the Greek daily Kathimerini.

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India's ratification of the Paris climate agreement on Sunday brings the ambitious global warming deal a big step closer to coming into effect.

The accord, sealed last December in the French capital, is aimed at keeping global warming below two degrees celsius compared with pre-industrial levels.

To come into force the deal must be ratified by at least 55 countries that account for at least 55 percent of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

The first of the two criteria has already been achieved, with 61 countries ratifying the deal ahead of India.

India, the world's third-largest carbon emitter with its population of 1.3 billion people, has brought the second criteria within sight.

Now a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 percent of emissions have ratified the agreement to tackle rising temperatures worldwide, according to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) website.

Canada, which accounts for 1.95 percent of global emissions, is expected to ratify the Paris agreement soon while on Friday the 28 European Union nations agreed to fast-track the ratification procedure.

The process for the EU is more complicated as each invididual member state must ratify the deal under its own system.

Some have already done so; Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia.

The two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, ahead of India -- China (20.09 percent) and the United States (17,89 percent) -- formally joined the party together last month.

US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping handed ratification documents to UN chief Ban Ki-moon at a ceremony in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

The Paris accord should come into effect "before the end of the year," Ban said last week.

French Environment Minister Segolene Royal, who hosted the COP21 Paris climate talks, hopes the deal will come into effect before COP (Conference of the Parties) 22 gets underway in Morocco on November 7.

The Paris accord was formally signed, though not ratified, by 75 countries in New York in April.

The deal requires all countries to devise plans to achieve the goal of keeping the rise of temperatures within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and strive for 1.5 C (2.7 F) if possible.

Climate change experts estimate that it will require overall emissions cuts of 40-70 percent from 2010 to 050 to achieve the two degrees goal.

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Pope Francis has agreed to speed up the path to sainthood for French Catholic priest Jacques Hamel, murdered by two teenaged jihadists in July, Vatican sources said Sunday.

Normally the Vatican observes a five-year "cooling off" period after the death of a candidate for sainthood before launching the process for beatification, the first step on the way.

However the pontiff, who was in Azerbaijan on Sunday during a Caucasus tour, has agreed to make an exception in Hamel's case, according to the sources.

Speaking at the Vatican last month, Pope Francis called Hamel "a martyr", describing him as a "good, gentle man".

The jihadists slit the throat of the 85-year-old priest on July 26 while he was presiding over an early morning mass for a handful of parishioners in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen in northern France.

Hamel's attackers, Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Petitjean, both 19, were shot dead by police. The Islamic State group subsequently claimed they had murdered the priest on its behalf.

The church reopened on Sunday, more than two months after the murder, with emotional observances led by Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun.

While praising Hamel in his comments last month, the pope said: "How good it would be if all religious confessions declared that killing in the name of God was satanic."

Only two other candidates for Catholic sainthood have been put on the "fast track".

Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, was made a saint in 2014, while Albanian nun Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, was canonised last month.

As Hamel is considered a "martyr", his beatification and sainthood dossiers will not require proof of miracles, as in the case of the other two who needed one "accepted" miracle for each dossier.

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The Twilight is really the Dawn

(Image by Marcello Rollando) Details DMCA



Perhaps Saturday Night Live returns just in time to remind us, you really can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time -- and just like that, 2016 elections aren't funny anymore.

Soulmate, my aging cat, born on the streets, with a bad liver, a bad leg and now kidney issues, reminds me, like a Sons of Bill lyric, for some of the people some of the time, existence has been, dragging your life across the sands of time -- from Food Desert to College Loan Debt -- whether individual or nation, from dinner wine to morning after joe, The Twilight looks a whole lot like the Dawn.

It's not how little Trump, Stumpf, Romney and Koch brothers pay in taxes. It's the lawmakers we elected allowing this systemic imbalance to increase and multiply in all areas of American life.

Let's reassert, we hold these truths to be self-evident, and reconnect to an all-inclusive oasis, where no matter how many, he speaks his mind, excuses, or clueless about Aleppo and foreign leaders or even sincerity regarding democracy -- most still gravitate to the center of reason.

Casting our precious privilege in a way that enables the election of a dangerous thin-skinned angry old snake oil salesman, neither preserves, protects nor defends democracy or the American Democratic Republic. Such a hard right turn, turns us back to a Supreme Court failing to embrace, counting all American votes as the constitutional way forward.

In the wake of Bush v. Gore, America has been Shock and Awed into

Preemptive strikes against a country that had nothing to do with 9/11

Perpetual war creating ISIS (Al Qaeda on steroids)

Global financial instability

Worst national unemployment since The Great Depression

The Great Recession

2016 gives us an opportunity to help America think again by voting to prevent fears, frustration and anger from transferring our belief in each other, to faith in GOP hypocrisy, Gary Johnson ignorance and a Machiavellian Trump.

Only rarely in America has it been acceptable, to give belligerency, misogyny and bigotry a free pass, but now that Trump is no longer a reality sideshow, but mob pleasing improvisation staged as semi-scripted nominee of the ultra-Conservative Right Wing, that rarity has exposed its fangs once again.

As an ardent Sanders supporter, I understand crushed dreamers and frustrated activists, but joining the deserting non-voters or giving into hopelessness that denies America mature, rational pragmatic voting booth judgement gives neo-cons the legitimacy they crave.

As citizens, it is up to us to vote to imprint the U. S. Supreme Court and impact the U. S. Congress. Hold the feet of Democrats to the fire, insisting on, an Attorney General Bernie Sanders, an Elizabeth Warren heading SEC, a Supreme Court Justice Barack Obama, a Treasury Secretary Melinda Gates -- all while keeping James Comey as FBI Director to keep the next President Clinton on the straight and narrow.

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(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Samantha Nutt has spent decades working on humanitarian aid in war zones. Her book, Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies, and Aid, is rich in wisdom drawn from experience. But more powerful and pointed, and worth beginning and ending with, is her talk titled "The Real Harm of the Global Arms Trade."

Nutt describes child armies across the global south including eight-year-olds who have never been to school but have fought and killed using automatic weapons. Yet, she says, war can be ended despite its being "as old as existence." (I think part of the path to ending it may involve rejecting myths like the one that war is as old as existence, but never mind that.)

Nutt describes a root cause of war that the wealthy of the world could easily eliminate, because it's not found in the "human nature" of Africans but in the financial records of educated, well-off, comfortable people typically not involved in war directly.

There are 800,000,000 small arms and light weapons in use in the world, Nutt says. There are places where you can get an AK47 for $10, and where you can get an automatic weapon more easily than a glass of clean water. (Of course it would cost a tiny fraction of military spending to provide the world with clean water -- $11.3 billion per year, says the U.N.)

Nutt shows two maps of the world, one highlighting the locations of wars, the other the locations of the big weapons exporters. There's no overlap. Like alcohol for Native Americans and opium for Chinese, weapons of war are products that the United States and Europe (and Russia and China) push on targeted populations. Eighty percent of all war weapons, Nutt says, come from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.

Nutt shows two other statistics. One is that small arms sales are up three-fold in the past 15 years. The other is that deaths caused by them are up over three-fold in the same time. Arms shipped to Iraq and Syria are in the hands of ISIS, she notes. Arms shipped to Libya are in the hands of Boko Haram. Weapons' first stop is rarely their last.

So, Nutt concludes, what we need is "transparency" in arms sales. Ignore that bit. I know that even transparency is too much to ask of the U.S. government, but that doesn't make it an appropriate demand. What we need is an end to weapons gifts and weapons sales. Everybody knows the U.S. is selling Saudi Arabia weapons with which to blow people up in Yemen, boost terrorism, and destabilize the region. Knowing it doesn't help anything. And stopping it wouldn't make a single other weapons sale or gift to a single other nation, or to Saudi Arabia next month, morally defensible. There's no proper way to deal arms.

So, if you live in the United Kingdom, make Jeremy Corbin your prime minister. And if you live in any other wealthy northern country, bring nonviolent pressure to bear on your society and your rotten government to end the arms trade. If we can divest from Israeli war crimes and nukes, we can divest from the overarching evil, which is war. Nutt also suggests weapons divestment in her book, along with numerous suggestions for improving and expanding humanitarian aid.

Antiwar and pro-aid activists need to work more closely together. Antiwar groups need Nutt's wisdom on where to best direct aid. Nutt, in my humble opinion, could use a bit more understanding of what's wrong with war. That sounds ridiculous for me to say from the safety of my home as she travels from war zone to war zone, but citing six million Jews as the greatest killing ever done by war misses the problem. And I don't mean by omitting the three million non-Jews killed in the camps (though why omit them?). I mean the 50 million or more killed in the war outside the camps, a war justified in U.S. mythology by the deaths of the Jews, despite the U.S. and U.K. governments' refusals to evacuate them or accept them as refugees.

Perpetuating World War II myths in an antiwar book for Americans is as ill advised as any of the counterproductive amateur attempts at aid that Nutt critiques. (Never mind the reduction by ten fold of the number of Iraqis killed since 2003 in the statistic Nutt uses, or her repetition of the "erase the state of Israel from the map" line/lie, or her claim that arming Paul Kagame is an example of good weapons proliferation, or her claim that we couldn't know Iraq had no nukes or chemical or biological weapons until years after 2003.)

Nutt's focus is not on debunking propaganda for war but on providing aid. She claims that "the single greatest impediment to peace [is] the marginalization of women and girls." Really? I don't deny its significance. But the single greatest impediment? Just a few pages later, Nutt is recognizing NATO's interest in pretending to have a reason to exist as a cause of the violence she's discussing in Somalia -- a place that does not manufacture the weapons used in it and still wouldn't if it stopped marginalizing women. A few lines later, Nutt is describing how using militaries trained and armed for war to provide aid tends to produce, on the contrary, war. Not only does the U.S. invest many times more in war than in aid, but it ruins prospects for private aid organizations by destroying, as Nutt recounts in Somalia, the ability of aid groups to claim neutrality, and the ability of suffering people to trust the advice of foreign doctors.

Nutt writes as well as anyone on the topic of Western society's deep financial investment in war:

"The New York State Teachers' Retirement System, for example, has nearly $2 billion invested in weapons manufacture. When teachers start betting on a boom in weapons sales to see them through their golden years, it's time to load the trunk of the car with flashlights and soup cans."

Later, Nutt writes:

"Peace, development, and security will remain stubbornly out of reach for any civilian population choking on weapons fed to them by countries with eighty times their GDP."

That strikes me as right, and as grounds for putting our efforts into ending arms dealing.
Hillary Clinton said Sunday that the spate of gun violence in the United States should call the nation to do more to protect "all of God's children."

Clinton addressed congregants at Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, fewer than two weeks after the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott touched off two nights of violent protests in the city's downtown.

"Protecting all of God's children is America's calling," the Democratic presidential nominee said. Clinton said too many black families have been forced to deal with the same tragedy as Scott's family.

"Our entire country should take a moment to really look at what's going on here and across America, to imagine what we see on the news and what we hear about, imagine it through our children's eyes," she said.

Clinton had planned to visit the city last week but delayed the trip after city officials said their resources were stretched thin. North Carolina is among the nation's top battleground states and Clinton's campaign has invested heavily in the state won by Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 election.

Clinton did not mention Republican Donald Trump by name but referenced her opponent's calls for "law-and-order" during the campaign.

"There are some out there who see this as a moment to fan the flames of resentment and division. Who want to exploit people's fears even though it means tearing our nation even further apart," Clinton said. "They say that all of our problems would be solved simply by more law and order. As if the systemic racism plaguing our country doesn't exist."

The former secretary of state has made gun control and criminal justice reform a centerpiece of her campaign, speaking after high-profile shootings in Texas, Louisiana and South Carolina. She pointed to the shootings of police officers in Dallas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Philadelphia; and said their families deserved prayers.

"It's been a hard year, hasn't it?" Clinton asked, as people in the congregation responded, "Yes." ''Think about how many times President Obama has had to console our nation about another senseless tragedy, another shattered family, another distressed community and our children are watching and they feel it too."

During the services, Clinton invited 9-year-old Zianna Oliphant to join her at the pulpit, recalling the black child's tearful address to the city council on race relations. Zianna recently told city leaders that she couldn't "stand how we're treated." Clinton later met with community leaders at a downtown soul food restaurant.

Scott was shot Sept. 20 while standing outside his vehicle. Police say he was armed but video released by Charlotte-Mecklenburg authorities was inconclusive. The officer who shot Scott is also black.

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India and Pakistan have been busy in the war of words since last month's attack at Uri in Indian-ruled Kashmir which killed 18 Indian troops. India blamed Pakistan for the attack and Indian media reported that the Indian army has conducted a cross-border operation into the Pakistan-ruled Kashmir. However, the Indian Army formally denied any cross-border operation.

As the war of words continued between the two nuclear neighbors many Indian defense experts advised hawkish Prime Minister Naendra Modi to use the water as a weapon against Pakistan by scrapping the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

On September 26, Prime Minister Modi headed a top level meeting in New Delhi to reconsider the 1960 IWT agreement. Although no clear decision could be taken, while addressing the tiptop officials the Indian premier said: "Blood and water can't flow at the same time."

As India mulled scrapping of Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan China blocked tributary of Brahmaputra in Tibet to build dam.

According to Xinhua, China's action on Friday (Sept 30) falls within the parameters of the larger Lalho project that began in 2014. The project on the Xiabuqu in Xigaze, also called Shigatse, involves an investment of $740 million, the head of the project's administrative bureau was quoted as saying.

The Xiabuqu river is a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo, the Tibetan name for Brahmaputra which is one of India's major rivers, originates in Tibet and flows into Arunachal Pradesh and Assam before going into Bangladesh.

The multipurpose enterprise, which includes construction of two power stations with a combined generation capacity of 42 MW, was scheduled for completion in 2019. Its reservoir is designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland, Xinhua reported.

According to the outline of China's 12th Five Year Plan, three are more hydropower projects on the mainstream of the Brahmaputra river in Tibet Autonomous Region have been approved for implementation. Last year, China completed the $1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet, built on the Brahmaputra river, which has raised concerns in India.

The Times of India said, blocking of the tributary would be a cause of concern for India as its flow goes into Arunachal Pradesh, one of India's states, and provides water to Bangladesh as well.

Daily Pakistan Global said by scrapping the Indus Water Treaty, India wants to hurt Pakistan, however, if the agreement is withdrawn, it may end up irking China, indirectly. "China, without any doubt, is the best friend of Pakistan. It has announced to invest some $46 billion in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). And there is another reason as well: Chinese government and firms are actually building almost all of the dams being constructed by Pakistan in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan."

In 1960, when the Indus Water Treaty was signed, the World Bank acted as a third party. It was responsible for the provision of funds to both countries for the construction of several dams and canals to fulfill their needs. The World Bank has also been playing a role to appoint neutral judges to hear all IWT-related issues between Pakistan and India.

Under the Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan was given three major rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab while three other rivers Ravi, Sutlej and Beas were given to India.

Currently, India is trying to reach IWT-like treaties with China, Nepal and Bangladesh citing the successful implementation of the Indus Water Treaty.

If India abrogates the very treaty, apparently none of these countries would take treaties with India any step forward, knowing the fact that India, at any time in future, would use water as a weapon against them.

Although China and India have had no water treaty, the two countries founded Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) on trans-border rivers while also signing in October 2013 MoU on bolstering cooperation which makes Beijing provide India with data on the water flows.

Hindustan Times said India will keep a close watch on the flow in the Brahmaputra river in coming weeks after China announced it was blocking one of its tributaries in Tibet.
Reprinted from Nation of Change

In a mindboggling trick, some magicians levitate themselves. But remember, the key word in "magic trick" -- is trick.

And magicians aren't the only ones performing. Scott Walker, for example, is quite the political trickster.

This right-wing extremist became so unpopular in his first term as Wisconsin's governor that he faced a recall election in 2012. Yet, he seemed to rise in front of our very eyes, miraculously lifting himself above the public's anger to avoid defeat.

How'd he do that?

As reported by The Guardian, some 1,500 secret emails, court testimonies, and financial records were recently uncovered, revealing that Walker had a hidden lifeline of corporate cash hoisting him up.

Despite a Wisconsin law specifically prohibiting corporations from funding political candidates, millions of those banned dollars were pumped into the governor's campaign.

The trick is that corporate checks were sent to supposedly independent political outfits that -- thanks to the Supreme Court's ridiculous Citizens United decree -- are allowed to take unlimited campaign funds from corporations without disclosing the names of the donors.

This is all provided that the independent groups don't in any way coordinate their electoral efforts with the campaign of the candidates they want to elect.

Even when obeyed, this farcical rule essentially sanctions organized corporate corruption, but Walker and company didn't even try to follow the rules. Rather, the governor asked everyone from the Koch brothers to Home Depot to Donald Trump to funnel checks to the "independent" political groups backing him.

Walker wrote personal thank-you notes to the donors, and even had his media strategist handle the ads for both his campaign and the groups.

Scott Walker, his front groups, and his corporate donors aren't a magic act -- they're debouched thieves, stealing our democracy to impose their plutocracy over us.

The cat's out of the bag.
This is Part 3 of a Series of Articles on How to Move Past Austerity and Oil in a New Omani Economy. The first article was called: Modest Development Proposal for my Omani Friends: An Aircraft Industry for Oman. The second article was: Another Modest Development Proposal for my Omani Friends: Renewable Energy . In each of the essays, comparisons between Kansas (my homestate) and Oman are undertaken in a way that focuses on past, present and future Omani development. Oman, like all of the GCC countries is overdependent on petroleum industries and needs to think through new possible development activities--and implement them very quickly.

by Kevin A. Stoda, from Kansas but living in Oman for five years now & Comparative Historian

In the 18th century, both Kansas of today and Oman of today, were parts of empires that straddled two or more continents. Kansas was claimed by the Spanish and French Empires. Much of present day Oman was central to the Kingdom of Oman & Zanzibar and were part of an empire that spread from South Asia to Southeastern Africa to the islands and the inland of present-day Kenya and Tanzania, most notably including Zanzibar and other Spice Islands.

Neither the French Empire in the Americas nor the Omani regimes in its Indian Ocean realm spread out were very much interested in an educated populace. In fact, both (France, most notably in present day Haiti) and Oman in Africa were more interested in buying and selling slaves and building plantations. On the other hand, both were also interested in sending missionaries on the coasts, up the rivers or around the islands and even into the highlands (or high plains) to carry out their religious mandates to propagate their faiths.

Records of muslim faith expeditions into the dark continent record marches into western Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique territories. Catholic missions were to be found throughout the present day southwest in the USA and up the Mississipi and Missour Rivers. Schools, centers or madrasas to teach reading Korianic Arabic of the Africans was likely under taken by the Muslim mission leaders, but in the case of Kansas and most of the nearby Missouri river basin there is no record of French missions founding any missions for natives has been recorded.

In contrast, wasn't until nearly a quarter of a century after the United States had bought from France in 1804 the Louisiana Territory (where Kansas is now located) that American churchmen first arrive in the Kansas territories to offer mission schools to the native peoples.

History of Development of Kansas Schools Colleges & Universities

Catholic and Methodist missions were founded west of the Missouri state line in Kansas in 1837. The township and school districts in that metropolis were eventually named Shawnee-Mission. Meanwhile, it wasn't until the 1850s or 1860s that Kansas' first public school buildings were constructed. Some were made with imported wood. Others were built with earthen sod or even local rock.

It wasn't until "1866 [that] Leavenworth [Kansas] established the first public high school in the state. Classes for all grades (1-12) were held in one school building until 1875 when a separate high school was constructed."

However, by the 1870s and 1880s school construction was taking place throughout the state of Kansas (and its 82 million square miles of land). "As settlers built towns and cities across Kansas, communities were quick to establish public schools. Providing an education for their children was a priority. Soon colleges and universities also were begun although, during the 19th century, most Kansans did not attend school past the eighth grade. Schooling consisted primarily of the 'three R's' ("readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmetic")."

The Kansas public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) currently operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. Kansas public schools have just under 500,000 students enrolled in a total of 1,351 schools in 321 school districts. Until the past few decades, i.e. as austerity and highway building became more important than education, Kansas public schools were ranked high nationally year-after-year.

In 1858, Kansas' first (or oldest) private college was opened in Baldwin City, Baker College. It was named for Osmon Cleander Baker, a Methodist Episcopal biblical scholar and bishop. It has been been associated with the Methodist churches of the local communities and across America. Dozens and dozens of similar institutions were founded by churches in the state over the next half decade.

For example, my first college alma mater, Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, was founded in 1887. It is still affiliated with the churches that founded it. Starting in the 1870s, thousands of Russian Mennonites had begun arriving in Kansas. Under the Russian Tsars these same German-speaking settlers had been allowed to run their own educational institutions. First, in 1882, they opened Emmental, a training school for teachers, north of Newton, Kansas. Soon this school was moved to Halstead, Kansas. Finally, the final site was found in North Newton, Kansas, and the cornerstone of the main building was laid on October 12, 1888.

Kansas has historically had an astoundingly large number of private institutions of tertiary education. There are currently about 28 such institutions operating in Kansas. There are also many schools not on this list (below) that have operations in Kansas:

When I went to attend Bethel College in Kansas in the autumn of 1980 there were nearly a dozen more tertiary level institutions not now shown on the list above. For example, there were many small liberal arts colleges, like St. John's College at Winfield and S t. Mary's of the Plains in Dodge City, who closed their doors soon there-after. In all, since the 1860s there have been over 40 more such private educational institutions in Kansas, which are now defunct.

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John Malkovichs filmography includes not Wild at Heart but Places in the Heart, not Inland Empire but Empire of the Sun, not Mulholland Drive but Mulholland Falls. This respected actor, in short, has never appeared in a David Lynch film, but he recently demonstrated that he could have starred in all of them  and can even portray the director himself. In Psychogenic Fugue, Malkovich slips into a variety of Lynchian personas, from heroes like Eraserheads iconically pillar-haired Henry Spencer and Twin Peaks squarely coffee-loving Special Agent Dale Cooper to villains like Blue Velvets Frank Booth and Lost Highways Mystery Man, to even the Ladies Log and in the Radiator.

Those names, I assure filmgoers not so up on their Lynch, will mean a great deal to fans, whether of the director or of the actor. Though both are American men of cinema, both of the same generation, Lynch and Malkovich would at first appear to have little in common: the former, whos made ten features in the past forty years, has spent his career diving deeper and deeper into stranger and more personal (but ultimately, somehow, accessible) psychological waters, while the latter, prolific in his screen acting with almost 100 appearances to his credit, hops between hugely disparate personalities, time periods, and intellectual levels without seeming to break a sweat. But both of them do tend to attract the same descriptor: intense.









The versatile Malkovich also knows what it means to look inside himself, having starred in Spike Jonzes Being John Malkovich, which famously includes a scene where every human being has turned into a version of John Malkovich. This minute-long trailer for Psychogenic Fugue may remind you of that unforgettable viewing experience, but if you want the full, twenty-minute version, it comes with only a ten-dollar donation (accompanied by more goodies at higher donation levels) to the David Lynch Foundation, which you can make at playinglynch.com. The fact that the money wont go to fund another Lynch feature may disappoint some, but at least if he eventually decides to make a not just psychologically but literally autobiographical film, hell know exactly who to cast in the lead.

via Welcome to Twin Peaks

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Based in Seoul, Colin Marshall writes and broadcasts on cities and culture. Hes at work on a book about Los Angeles, A Los Angeles Primer, the video series The City in Cinema, the crowdfunded journalism project Where Is the City of the Future?, and the Los Angeles Review of Books Korea Blog. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall or on Facebook.
The film festival will be held in eight venues across Cairo with options to tour the city

SHNIT International Short film festival will be back in Cairo between 5 and 9 October for the fifth year in a row.

SHNIT will be taking place simultaneously in Bern, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Moscow and San Jose.

Over the course of five days, a vibrant programme of film screenings and diverse interactive events will be held at several venues across Cairo -- The AUC Greek Campus, The Swiss Club, Zawya cinema, IRC of the US Embassy, The Netherland-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC), CSA in Maadi, and ZigZag.

The fourteen-year-old SHNIT festival was launched in 2003 in Switzerland and went international in 2008. The festival aims is to highlight short film productions as an independent art form across the globe.

The Cairo festival has announced that the award winning Dry Hot Summers will be one of the Egyptian films screening in the Made in Egypt section.

The other film categories include the Best of 2015, Feel Good, Crossing Borders, Shnit Animates, Shnit Documents, Swiss Made, Little & Short, and International.

SHNIT REALTIME -- a competition for local filmmakers to write a script, shoot, edit and fully create a short film in three days -- will be one of the festival's features.

Participating teams will be given five options of genres and three mandatory elements to include in their short film. The completed films will be screened and juried at the closing night of the festival. The winner will be awarded with EGP 15,000.

This year edition of SHNIT introduces the UBER treasure hunt, inviting participants to look for clues within the short films and find the treasure in Cairo by cruising with Uber's services.

Festival attendees could also enjoy TALKINGshnit, a programme of panel discussions and master classes, ReelFOOD, a picnic and movie event highlighting innovative new vendors and restaurants in Cairo.

SHNIT's website also says the festival will feature PITCH4CHANGE, a day bringing together "local film and media makers with local foundations and international NGOs, Corporate CSR officers, campaigners, philanthropists, policymakers, brands and media around leading social and environmental issues."

The closing night and after party will take place at the Greek Campus on 9 October.

Check the complete programme below:





For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Lu Ang is a theatre director, playwright, professor and the dean of the directing department at Shanghai Theatre Academy

In its 23rd edition, the Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theatre honoured several renowned international theatre practitioners, among them Professor Lu Ang, dean of the directing department at Shanghai Theatre Academy, and vice chairman of the Shanghai Theatre Association.

Lu Ang is known for creating theatrical bridges between the past and present, East and West. He has directed 70 theatre productions, most of them based on traditional Chinese operas, has published many theoretical books on directing and has won multiple awards.

Ahram Online spoke to Professor Lu Ang recently about the connection between tradition and modernity, links between Chinese and Egyptian theatre, and his creative experience as a whole.

Ahram Online (AO): One of your major achievements is that you were able to create a link between traditional Chinese theatre and modern Western theatre. Why do you think it important to link both?

Lu Ang (LA): Ive been working a lot around this topic and you will find its reflection in my theatre and academic work.

The idea of creating a connection between both theatres goes back to 1935 when Mei Lanfang, one of the most famous Peking opera artists, was performing in Moscow. There, Lanfang met four of the most important Western theatre directors of the time: Russians Konstantin Stanislavski, Vladimir Nemirovich Danchenko and Vsevolod Meyerhold and the German Bertolt Brecht.

They were impressed with Lanfangs performance and thought about developing a creative link between the two theatres, namely traditional Chinese opera and Western modern theatre.

Every kind of drama stands for the culture of its country. There are many theatres around the world reflecting the experiences of each society. If you wish to have a rich, diverse and colourful theatre, you also need to be open to a variety of theatres. and know how to bring them together.

That is also why visiting Egypt is very important to me. Im getting to know your theatre and listen to your music. Im getting to know your culture.

Life is very short and human beings have this desire of exploring "other planets," and this is why we always need to find a connection between people of every planet.

AO: How popular is this theatrical fusion in China?

LA: The history of modern Western drama in China is only a hundred years old, while Chinese traditional theatre has existed for over one millennium.

Most of the young generation residing in the cities is very receptive to modern drama, but 80 percent of Chinese people who live in the rural areas prefer traditional Chinese opera.

In villages, the older generation finds in traditional theatre an educative element, as it brings to them stories from history. They also use traditional opera in their celebrations and weddings.

The younger generation is not attracted to traditional Chinese forms of theatre, and this can create a problem. This art form might vanish, just as happened in the case of old traditional Greek and Indian theatres. It is a pity for a nation to forget about its traditions and cultural history.

AO: So by fusing modern and old, you try to keep those these traditions alive? How do you do this?

LA: Our government is working hard to preserve and to promote Chinese traditional theatre. That is why I believe when I am honoured in Egypt, the honour goes to traditional Chinese theatre.

Throughout the years of my theatrical practice I noticed that traditional Chinese theatre is like an antique that is covered with ash and dust. Yet, the more you know about it the more valuable it becomes to you.

What I am trying to do is to carefully remove the dust from our traditional culture, and place it on a modern stage so the audience can capture its original beauty.

However, I do not use traditional art in a modern performance, rather I am working on removing some really old elements and I then re-introduce the best of the tradition to the audience.

One of the plays I directed was based on an over 800-years-old Chinese opera tradition. It toured the world and was well received.

AO: You are a theatre director, playwright, professor, and dean of the directing department at Shanghai Theatre Academy. Which position do you cherish the most?

LA: First and foremost, I am a professor. And I direct in my leisure time. I believe that teaching, directing, and writing books all feed into each other. All three serve my main mission, which is the fusion between Eastern and Western theatre.

AO: How do you assess the current theatre scene in China?

LA: Theatre is facing a global problem. Traditional art forms are being affected by modern art forms. For example, radio was negatively affected by television and cinema, and now they are all being affected by the internet. But theatre has a great value that most of other art forms lack, which is people to people communication.

Globally, theatre is losing the younger generation and we have to work out a solution together. This is why it is important that the Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theatre is back because it is an opportunity for people to come together and exchange ideas rather than just communicate online.

I have great interest in Egyptian theatre and I wish to direct an Egyptian theatrical production upon my return to China, or to invite Egyptian directors to China where they can embark on some theatrical partnerships. We can also introduce Egyptian classics to our Chinese traditional theatre. This can be the beginning of an interaction between both theatres.

AO: And how would you assess freedom of expression in the Chinese theatrical scene today?

LA: There is no absolute freedom in any country, and absolute freedom is not necessarily a good thing.

In my opinion, theatre is like religion; it seeks to revive the good nature of human beings. We make theatre because we want to reach this target. We are free, but this kind of freedom is not absolute. For example, I would never make a play promoting drug use as a way to respond to ones desires.

AO: Is there any censorship placed on theatre productions in China?

LA: I believe that theatre productions that tackle social problems should be allowed by the authorities, provided the problem that they tackle really exists and that it is being presented for good purposes.

AO: What about the states financial support for theatre?

LA: In China, the government places a strong emphasis on art, and the development of our economy in the past years has helped us realise the importance of culture. For example, we now have the National Art Foundation to support artists.

AO: What advice do you usually give your theatre students in the Academy?

LA: To open up to the world and to become familiar with the different theatres of the world. I advise them to travel the globe and witness other realities. I also encourage them to attend different International theatre festivals, because they are good opportunities to gain experience.

AO: How did you find the Chinese performance Thunder Storm, which opened this years Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theatre?

LA: I liked it. The director, Chen Dalian, is my student and I enjoy his work because he borrows many methods from traditional Chinese theatre, including the use of space and the drums we saw in Thunder Storm. But I would suggest he shortens the performance to be one hour and 90 minutes, instead of two hours.

AO: What are your thoughts on this years edition of the festival?

LA: Though I am visiting Egypt for the first time in my life, in China we are well aware of this festival, as China participated in this event on several occasions.

I am very happy to be honoured and in fact I see that this recognition is not for me only, but for Chinese theatre in general.

Chinese theatre has a very long history of over a thousand years and it is great to receive such an honour from a country that also has a long history and culture. Also, the festival comes in conjunction with year 2016 being marked by celebrations of Chinese-Egyptian cultural connections.

AO: How do you evaluate the cultural cooperation between Egypt and China, and particularly in the theatre sector?

LA: I believe we need to create more and more channels for cultural exchange. Participation in the 23rd Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theatre gave me an opportunity to know more about Egyptian theatre.

I watched some of the Egyptian plays during the festival and I appreciated many performances and liked the way the audience interacts with theatre here.

In the Shanghai Theatre Academy we have an international master class programme that welcomes scholars from around the world. In past years, we hosted theatre people from the US and European countries. I think we need to expand and introduce participants from the Mediterranean region. We also need to explore more the theatre from Turkey, Iran, as well as Egypt. These are the most important countries in the region. I would also like to invite Egyptian theatre directors to take part in this master class.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Six Michigan authors will sign copies of their books from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at Barnes & Noble in Midland.

The authors that will be featured are:

Jody Hedelund, of Midland, a Christian fiction author who will be featuring her new release titled Newton and Polly.

Tracie Barton-Barrett, whose book Deep in Our Hearts will kick off the event with reading and discussion at 1 p.m.

J.L. Hickey, author of the science fiction/fantasy series the Secret Seekers Society.

Harry Grether, whose book Lessons from an Imperfect World is a personal growth book to encourage others through the toughest of times.

Kari Triplett, a childrens author who is featuring her book Buttercup the Unicorn.

Ryan MF Gembarowski, a firefighter, national ski patroller, a sky diver, recently hitchhiked across America charging toward optimism. His book titled Namaste-Stoked: A High 5 Philosophy will be featured.

This event will be in conjunction with Barnes & Nobles annual Educator Appreciation Week Kickoff. The week is a chance for local teachers to gather at the store and be celebrated for all that they give to area students. They are offered refreshments, publisher giveaways for their classroom, as well as information on Barnes & Noble programs for Education.
If you ask him, former Midland County Mosquito Control Director Tom Wilmot will say he is unretired again.

Just two weeks into his latest job as Vector Control Issue team leader for the Centers for Disease Controls (CDC) Zika Response in Atlanta, Ga., the job is both exciting and exhausting.

Im here on a four-month appointment, Wilmot said. The short duration of assignments is necessary to reduce burnout in such an intense work environment. We work with the people in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and we have our own room a few levels up in the headquarters building, too.

Wilmot says in spite of his years collaborating with local, state and federal government agencies as Midland Countys Mosquito Control director and as president of the American Mosquito Control Association, one of his biggest challenges is learning the CDCs acronyms and terminology.

His team coordinates the activities of in-field vector control personnel, offers guidance to state, local and territorial authorities and answers questions from other teams and the public.

Wilmot is a native of Montana and attended college in Montana, Oregon and California. He worked for mosquito control programs in the western U.S. before landing in Midland for a 30-year career as Midland County Mosquito Controls entomologist and director.

After retiring from Midland County in 2014, Wilmot and his wife moved to Naples, Fla., where he worked for two years as consultant and interim director of Collier Mosquito Control District, an Independent Special District of the State of Florida that began in 1950.

Learn more about Zika virus at www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html
Selected as outstanding leaders in business, four honorees will be inducted into the 15th annual Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame on Thursday at the H Hotel in Midland.

The honorees include Jim Fitterling, president and chief operating officer of The Dow Chemical Co.; Dr. Charles (Ted) Skinner, chairman of the board of Advanced Battery Concepts, interim chief executive officer of Mrs. Glees Gluten-Free Foods, director of Midland Solar Applications and retiree of Dow Corning Corp.; and Tom Valent, president and CEO of Gerace Construction Co. and dean of SWH Santa Claus School. Also honored will be rising star Charlie Zimmer, strategic marketing director for packaging, elastomers, electrical and telecommunications at Dow Corning, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Co.

The JA Business Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding business leaders who have demonstrated excellence through their contributions, not only to the business world, but also to their communities. Honorees, nominated by members of the community, are elected for induction into the Hall of Fame by a consensus of the past honorees.

The 2016 Hall of Fame dignitaries truly epitomize the essence of Junior Achievement, which teaches business leadership, free enterprise, ingenuity and entrepreneurship to K-12 students. These honorees have unselfishly shared their individual talents to enhance the quality of their respective industries, and the quality of life in Midland and the surrounding areas. We are fortunate to have such exceptional leaders in our community to serve as role models, said Mike Rush, president of Junior Achievement of North Central Michigan.

For tickets or more information on the JA Business Hall of Fame, contact Junior Achievement of North Central Michigan at (989) 631-0162 or visit www.janorthcentralmi.org

Following are additional details about each of the honorees.

Jim Fiiterling is president and chief operating officer of The Dow Chemical Co. He is a member of the Office of the Chairman and CEO. As a member of Dows most senior leadership, Fitterling has played a key role in developing and executing Dows strategy to invest in a market-driven portfolio of advantaged and technology-enabled businesses. Fitterling has executive accountability for all of Dows businesses excluding Dow AgroSciences. He also oversees operations including Environment, Health and Safety and Sustainability; Manufacturing and Engineering; and Supply Chain, as well as Research and Development. In addition, Fitterling has a strong commitment to diversifying the companys global talent and actively serves as the executive sponsor for the Dows Womens Innovation Network.

Fitterling joined Dow in 1984 and has served in a variety of sales, marketing, supply chain and leadership positions both domestically and abroad. He was named business vice president for polyethylene in December 2005; president, basic plastics in March 2007; vice president of corporate development in April 2009; senior vice president of corporate development in April 2010; executive vice president of The Dow Chemical Co. and president, plastics and hydrocarbons in August 2010; and executive vice president of The Dow Chemical Co. and president, corporate development and hydrocarbons in March 2011. Fitterling assumed additional executive oversight of the companys chemicals and energy division in August 2011, in addition to his exiting executive role for corporate development and hydrocarbons. In September 2012, he assumed executive oversight for Feedstocks, Performance Plastics. Fitterling was named vice chairman, business operations in 2014. He was named vice chairman and chief operating officer in 2015 and promoted to his current role in February 2016.

Fitterling is a member of the board of directors of Chemical Financial Corporation and a member of the board of directors of Sadara Chemical Co. He earned a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Dr. Charles E. (Ted) Skinner is chairman of the board of Advanced Battery Concepts, interim chief executive officer of Mrs. Glees Gluten-Free Foods and is active in and a director of Midland Solar Applications (design and installation of PV solar electrical generation). These are all start-up companies with funding from Blue Water Angel Investors.

Skinner has 32 years of research, development, project leadership and R&D management experience in the chemical industry, much of this time working on activities with a global scope. He has a bachelor of science in chemistry from Alma College and a Ph.D. in physical inorganic chemistry from Vanderbilt University. As a Dow Corning employee, he worked in catalysis research; silicone intermediates process development; silicone product development, marketing, project management, patent strategy development and R&D functional management. He worked for four years in research at Dow Corning Corp, followed by 28 years in various management positions with 26 patents issued in Skinners name. He has also written numerous successful funding proposals and patent specifications, led negotiations for acquisitions and divestitures and directed R&D laboratories across Asia and the Americas for Dow Corning. After retiring from Dow Corning, he consulted with small start-up companies and lead the spin-off and establishment of a stand-alone, nonprofit agency in Midland (Personal Assistance Options), which supports the independence of people with disabilities.

Tom Valent is the president and CEO of Gerace Construction Co. In 1992, he is credited with taking Gerace into their lead expertise of rebuilding and repairing hydroelectric darns throughout the United States. He is a licensed professional civil engineer, and holds contractor commercial building licenses in 48 states. He serves on the advisory board of the Midland Salvation Army, and on the Saginaw diocese building commission. In 2004, he was elected into the Michigan Technological University Academy of Civil Engineers. He earned his civil engineering degree from Michigan Technological University. After college, Valent served in the U.S. Army Combat Corps of Engineers as a first lieutenant.

Valent is also the dean of the internationally recognized CWH Santa Claus School. Established in 1937, it is the oldest Santa School in the world. The school is a nonprofit organization in Midland and has educated thousands of Santa Clauses. In 1995, Tom and his wife Holly conducted the first world Santa School in Illulisatt, Greenland, where they represented the U.S. with 17 other countries participating. In 1986, the Midland Area Community Foundation asked Valent and Gerace Construction to design and build a permanent Santa House in Midland. Over three decades, he has spent countless hours designing, carving and fine tuning the hundreds of original animated toys, elves and North Pole displays at the Santa House. One of his most recent dreams came to fruition with the creation and building of the Northern Star locomotive that runs families through downtown Midland like the Polar Express.

Charlie Zimmer is currently the global strategic marketing director for packaging, elastomers, electrical and telecommunications at Dow Corning. In this role, he is responsible for designing, implementing and managing the business strategic direction for these key market segments, guiding innovation investments aligned to the needs of Dow Cornings customers and partners.

Zimmer joined Dow Corning in 1998. He spent the earlier years of his career in engineering roles in its Midland facility before moving into the commercial organization with the Specialty Chemicals Business division where he assumed new business development, marketing communications and major market leadership roles. In 2008, he had the responsibility for establishing the Textiles Major Market Strategy, where he developed many new business models, created the DEFLEXION brand and increased the penetration of silicone materials into the performance textiles segment. In 2010, he took on the leadership of a business start-up for a new technology into the building and construction markets. He then took on a global strategic marketing leader role where he led the design of the new Customer Experience. In this role, he led a group of strategic marketers aimed at developing new business opportunities for key growth platforms.

He holds a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from Michigan Technological University and a masters degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Central Michigan University. He has been active on community boards, most recently serving on the Habitat for Humanity board as the marketing and communications committee chair.
This is the Daily News weekly Political Round-up, highlighting the campaigns of candidates for both the 98th House and 99th House races. All four candidates have been contacted and asked to submit items for the round-up.

In the 98th House District, Republican Gary Glenn, R-Midland, will be facing Democratic challenger Geoff Malicoat in the Nov. 8 general election. The 99th House race will have Democrat Bryan Mielke squaring off against Republican Roger Hauck.

ROGER HAUCK

I continue to knock on hundreds of doors throughout the 99th District. Its a wonderful experience for me to be able to talk to the residents of our community about whats important to them. The response is similar each time: people want more and better-paying jobs, greater funding for education and more effective and efficient government.

People continue to tell me that the last thing Lansing needs is another politician working on behalf of their own interests or those of Lansing lobbyists. Im not a politician  just someone who loves his community and wants to give back. I promise to fight for you and for what you believe in.

I look forward to the next five weeks of our campaign  and to meeting more and more residents of our community.

I am proud to have received the support of the following organizations:

 Right to Life of Michigan

 Associated Builders and Contractors

 National Federation of Independent Businesses

 National Rifle Association

 Michigan Chamber of Commerce

For more information about Hauck: rogerhauck.com

BRYAN MIELKE

Bryan Mielke expressed his deep concern over the lack of road funding available for state roads in 2017. Despite the promise of funding increases in the Republicans road plan, which passed by a narrow margin last year, drivers in 2017 will be paying $460 million more than they did in 2016, and are expected to pay $600 million more in subsequent years.

The road funding plan, signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2015, is insufficient to fix Michigans roads. Despite experts estimating that at least $1.2 billion is necessary to be dedicated as transportation funding each year, less than half of that will be added in 2017. Meanwhile, beginning Jan. 1, the cost to fill a 15-gallon tank will increase by about $1.10 and the annual vehicle registration cost of $100 will increase, on average, by $20.

For more information about Mielke: bryanmielke.com

GARY GLENN

 Rep. Gary Glenn toured The Midland Academy, a public charter school, where he read to kindergartners, witnessed a demonstration by the schools robotics club, and spoke to a third grade class that is studying state government and to a senior history class.

 Glenn on Tuesday was the only Republican candidate attending the Midland Education Association Retirees candidate forum. He told the union-affiliated group that he has come close in each of the last two state budgets to winning for Midland Public Schools a share of the states at risk funding, and he predicted it will finally occur for the first time in the 2017 budget. At risk funding is state dollars given to school districts to assist low-income children who qualify for the federal school lunch program, but the funding to date has gone only to districts in which 50 percent or more of students meet that standard.

 Glenn, vice chairman of the House Energy Policy Committee, reported that he had received an award from the Michigan Schools Energy Cooperative for his efforts to hold down school electricity costs, including legislation to allow all schools to buy electricity from the least expensive supplier they can find.

 Glenn met with Central Michigan University professor Tom Rohrer to discuss sustainable energy policy and that evening held a meet-and-greet fundraiser at the home of Ron and Gaye Beebe of Midland. Friday, he was a guest on WJR Radios Frank Beckmann Show, broadcast live from Northwood Universitys International Auto Show, and later that day participated in the presentation of a check from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to Pinconning city officials for an Infrastructure Capacity Enhancement construction project.

Glenn has received the following endorsements:

 Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan

 Corn Growers of Michigan

 Great Lakes Education Project

 Home Builders Association of Michigan

 Michigan Agri-Business Association

 Michigan Bankers Association

 Michigan Chamber of Commerce

 Michigan Farm Bureau Federation

 Michigan Vaccine Freedom

 National Association of Theater Owners-Michigan

 National Federation of Independent Business-Michigan

 National Rifle Association

 Small Business Association of Michigan

For more information: GaryGlenn.US

GEOFF MALICOAT

Geoff Malicoat addressed a large gathering of retired teachers this week and reiterated his support for public education. Over the last few years, our education budget has been gutted to pay for tax breaks for special interests and the wealthy and well connected. Our broken political system in Lansing is robbing from our children their chance for a prosperous tomorrow. Not only do we need to ensure that our schools are properly funded, but we must also provide vocational training so that our graduates can fill the vacancies available in manufacturing and other technical fields.

Malicoat has continued to meet with residents of the 98th District as well as various community groups to discuss their desire for a change in our state government. To schedule a meeting with Malicoat, call (989) 495-2558. Malicoat for House will be having a fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at Diamond Jims, 101 E. Main St.

For more information about Malicoat: malicoatforhouse.com

MIDLAND COUNTY DEMOCRATS

The Midland Democratic Party office has extended its hours. It is now open Monday through Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The office still has a lot of Hillary Clinton yard signs available. The Geoff Malicoat campaign is working out of the office and so there are lot of his yard signs available as well. The office is located at 2720 Rodd St. at the corner of Jefferson and Rodd in Midland.

The Midland Dems are hosting a Trivia Night on Oct. 7 at the Steelworkers Hall, 3510 James Savage Road, from 7 to 9 p.m. Snacks and sodas will be provided. Those attending can bring their own adult beverage.
Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities will sign on Monday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in order to broaden institutional engagement through cultural joint ventures and exchange programmes and activities in the field of museums and archaeology.

Secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Amin said that the MoU aims to develop joint ventures in the fields of conservation, museum programmes, archaeological research and exhibitions.

Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, director-general of Historic Cairo, told Ahram Online that among the most important articles of the MoU is the collaboration between the Ministry of Antiquities and the Aga Khan museum in Toronto, Canada in the field of exchanging experiences through the exchange of professional staffs and works of art on a loan basis for temporary exhibitions from the collections of museums as well as scientific research projects.

He also said that the Aga Khan Programme for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) has been launched at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The programme  dedicated to the study of Islamic art and architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design and conservation  prepares students for careers in research, design and teaching, and aims to enhance the understanding of Islamic architecture.

Luis Monreal, general director of the AKTC, said that there are also many facets of cooperation between the foundation and the antiquities ministry such as in the restoration of several archaeological buildings in Egypt.

He explains that a technical committee is to be established through the composition of a steering group to monitor the development and implementation of this MoU, prioritise initiatives and identify further avenues of collaboration.

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Midland County Board of Commissioners recently voted unanimously to increase the 2017 Senior Services tax levy from the present 0.875 mill up to 0.90 mill, the maximum approved by voters.

The board also unanimously approved the Michigan Department of Treasury 2016 Tax Rate Request, which reports the various millage requests and amounts to be levied on Dec. 1.

Despite projected savings from the reorganization of our activity and meal centers and consolidation of the day programs, other expenses, new initiatives and staffing costs will drive up overall expenses for 2017. We also have conservatively projected the replacement funding of that portion of millage loss from the personal property tax exemptions, Alan Brown, executive director of Senior Services, stated in a letter to the board.

The levy increase will add approximately $25,000 to 2017 revenues. Senior Services is projecting an 8 percent increase, or $20,000, in health insurance costs. To cut expenses Senior Services has closed the Happy Diners Activity and Dining Center at Memorial Presbyterian Church and reduced the days of service at the Greendale and Mills locations.

The locations were shut down, but the services are still available, said Commissioner Scott Noesen, R-1st District. The numbers have dropped significantly at (Memorial Presbyterian Church Happy Diners). The council has provided transportation for those that wanted those services. The council is doing a good job of managing the resources they have. People are getting older and there are more people.

The Tax Rate Request reported that property owners will see the following tax levies on Dec. 1:

Road  1 mill

Road  1 mill

Seniors  0.90 mill

9-1-1  0.60 mill

EMS  0.55 mill

Mosquito  0.42 mill

Pinecrest  0.37 mill

All levies are the maximum allowable, except for EMS (0.65 mill) and Mosquito (0.50 mill). In 2016, one road millage along with the 9-1-1 and mosquito millages all expire. The following year the Seniors Services millage expires. In 2018, the other 1-mill road millage and the EMS millage both expire. Voters will continue paying the Pinecrest millage through 2026.

The Tax Rate Request does not include the millage for County Connection, as their millage expired December 2015. A renewal request for 0.25 mill will be on the Nov. 8 ballot for voters to approve or deny.

The 2016 Tax Rate Request also includes the 2016 taxable value of all properties in the unit. This year that amount is $3,441,709,887. For past years, the amounts were:

 2015  $3,684,561,852

 2014  $3,645,175,541

 2013  $3,627,649,340

 2012  $3,472,172,418

Midland County Administrator/Controller Bridgette Gransden stated that the reduction of $242 million from 2015 to 2016 is due to a $12 million appeal that was finalized in 2015 along with the phase out of personal property taxes.

Commissioners also reappointed Yvonne Corbat to the Department of Health and Human Services board. Her second term runs from Oct. 1, 2016, through Sept. 30, 2019.
YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region will host its ninth annual Womens Empowerment Symposium on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the Great Hall Banquet and Convention Center in Midland, starting at 3:30 p.m.

Speaker topics include learning how to avoid burnout, strengthen negotiation skills, develop your personal brand, improve communication skills and find your purpose and passion in life.
EDITORS NOTE  OWI means operating while intoxicated. DWLS means driving while license suspended. (MC) is for Judge Michael D. Carpenter. (L) is for Magistrate Gerald Ladwig. (SC) is for Circuit Judge Stephen P. Carras. Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentencings include other fees imposed by the state.

Bay City

Lauren Michele Cojocari, 25, no valid license on Aug. 24, $200 fines and costs (L).

Beaverton

Keeley Shaye Cummings, 18, fail to stop and identify at traffic crash on June 30, $250 fines and costs (L).

Coleman

Harley Raymond Colberg, 20, improper plate on Sept. 5, $200 fines and costs (L).

Leeann Marie Walter, 29, use of methamphetamine on March 17, one year in jail with all but 14 days held in abeyance and credit for time served, $975 fines and costs, 18 months probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Freeland

Jeremy Joseph Ignatowski, 32, DWLS on Aug. 31, 21 days in jail with credit for time served (MC).

Cody Loyd Savage, 21, impaired driving on May 20, 93 days in jail with all but three days held in abeyance and credit for one day, $600 fines and costs, nine months probation, attend substance abuse program and Impact Weekend, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Natasha Jean Thompson, 24, DWLS on Aug. 14, 2015 and contempt of court, three days in jail with credit for two days served, $100 fine (MC).

Gladwin

Adam Marshall Dougherty, 35, allowing DWLS on May 15 and impaired driving on Dec. 11, 60 days in jail with credit for 35 days (MC).

Kenneth Ervin Hickey, 59, assault and battery on June 29, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for two days, $400 fines and costs, one year probation, not to be involved in any assaultive, threatening, intimidating, violent, aggressive, disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, one year sentence delay granted (MC).

Andre Willis Nichols, 31, OWI and fail to report accident to fixtures on Aug. 27, 25 days in jail with credit for time served, restitution left open (MC).

Hope

Paula Christine Stockton, 39, allowing DWLS and expired plate on April 9, $400 fines and costs (MC).

Midland

Kimberly Kay Crippen, 52, second-offense second-degree retail fraud on Aug. 19, 180 days in jail with credit for four days (MC).

Tiffany Lee Dorion, 35, North McCann Drive, impaired driving on July 1, one day in jail with credit for time served, $500 fines and costs (MC).

Lawrence Allen Foster, 25, Village East Drive, noise violation on Aug. 25, 22 days in jail with credit for time served (MC).

Ashley Nichole Huckins, 19, Eastlawn Drive, allowing DWLS on Aug. 4, $250 fines and costs (MC).

Elaine Marie Johnson, 38, East Shearer Road, improper plate and no proof of insurance on May 20, $410 fines and costs (MC).

Jennifer Dee Limon, 33, West Isabella Road, domestic violence on Aug. 18, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for two days, $575 fines and costs, six months probation, not to be involved in any assaultive, threatening, intimidating, violent, aggressive, disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Lorisue Kathleen Miller, 39, Sequioa Lane, DWLS on June 2, $600 fines and costs (MC).

Shaunn Thomas Murray, 33, Bay City Road, assault and battery on May 1, 93 days in jail with all but three weekends held in abeyance and credit for one day, $3,503 restitution, 18 months probation, not to be involved in any assaultive, threatening, intimidating, violent, aggressive, disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Renalee Starr Pope, 67, Flajole Road, third-degree retail fraud on July 11, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $450 fines and costs, one year probation, may not enter Kroger in Midland, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Mount Pleasant

John Robert Birgy, 18, MIP on Aug. 25, $300 fines and costs, three months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol or be in the company of anyone who does, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, attend substance abuse program as recommended (L).

Saginaw

Ryan James Baz, 34, larceny on Feb. 7, 180 days in jail with credit for 17 days, $30 restitution, attend programs while in jail (MC).

Erica L. Brethauer, 32, second-offense OWI on April 17, one year in jail with all but two weekends held in abeyance and credit for two days, $800 fines and costs, one year probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Joshua Nicholas Castanier, 22, operating with a high blood alcohol content on March 21, 180 days in jail with all but 15 days held in abeyance and credit for two days, $975 fines and costs, one year probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, to be monitored by an alcohol tether for 180 days (MC).

Saetisha Owens, 20, no valid license on Aug. 25, $200 fines and costs (L).

Sanford

Antonio Ricardo Garza, 51, fail to report accident to fixtures on April 9, $200 fines and costs, restitution left open (MC).

Joseph Randal Hickerson, 31, illegal plate and DWLS on Aug. 4, five days in jail held in abeyance, $250 fines and costs (MC).

Gabriella Ruth Kapanka, 26, jostling on Aug. 23, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for two days, $200 fines and costs, one year probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Cameron Tyler Lavely, 25, second-offense OWI on May 1, one year in jail with all but two weekends suspended and credit for one day, $1,075 fines and costs, 18 months probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, to be monitored by an alcohol tether for 90 days (MC).

Brandon Gerald Maleport, 21, second-offense DWLS and illegal plate on March 12, five days in jail with credit for one day for the first count and four days in jail for the second count with the terms to be served at the same time, $100 fine (MC).

David James Munger, 20, second-offense minor driving with any blood alcohol content on May 12, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $975 fines and costs, one year probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Elsewhere

Kersten Susanne Hanback, 25, Wayne, no proof of insurance on Aug. 8, $210 fine (MC).

Jason Gabriel Wolverton, 41, West Branch, third-degree retail fraud on Aug. 31, 21 days in jail with credit for time served, $1.49 restitution (MC).
David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, wrote that, Donald Trump is an affront to basic standards of honesty, virtue and citizenship. I will explore in this column why Brooks made such a bold statement.

Words

Words are the building blocks of communication, whether in personal conversation or speeches. Trumps speeches are filled with words of anger and frustration, echoing what so many people are experiencing today. Instead of raising people up from their anger and frustration, however, he is using that to fuel his campaign and his hunger for power.

Patrick Healy and Maggie Haberman reported in the New York Times in December 2015 that Trump often uses words like kill, destroy, and fight even though those he intends to fight are illusive even in his own mind and speech. He talks of building up the military to fight unidentified enemies. He supports the use of nuclear weapons, even in Europe.

Trump said in reference to a protester at a rally, Maybe he should have been roughed up. Clearly he was suggesting violence but later denied it.

Trumps style of speaking is much like a demagogue. He maligns whole groups of people, claims to be the sole savior of the mess we are in and will personally make America great again.

Jennifer Mercieca, an expert in American political discourse at Texas A&M University, said that Trump puts people in categories of losers or winners. For Trump, illegal immigrants, people captured in war, like John McCain, and the disabled are losers. He claims himself and others like him to be winners, based on wealth, success and intelligence. Trump said in Macon, Georgia, When youre really smart, when youre really, really smart like I am  its true, its true, its always been true, its always been true. That sentence alone shows his lack of intelligence.

Following closely upon his demagogic use of words is his avoidance of factual evidence, even when confronted with it. He has claimed, for example, that Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the Second Amendment and is a co-founder of ISIS. Both statements are absolutely false.

Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin by saying he had greater leadership qualities than President Obama, but then bristled when he was questioned about it.

David Brooks reported on a study done on facts in 4.6 hours of Trumps speeches. The study revealed five dozen untrue statements, or one every five minutes.

One of the most amazing attempts to make a lie into a fact was the claim that President Obama was not born in the United States. Trump was the primary advocate of this notion and only recently disavowed it by saying Hillary Clinton started it and he finished it. Clinton had nothing to do with this lie.

Tony Schwartz, the ghost writer for Trumps book, The Art of the Deal, said, More than anyone else I have ever met, Trump has the ability to convince himself that whatever he is saying at any given moment is true, or sort of true, or at least ought to be true.

Focus

In an interview with Philip Rucker at the Washington Post, Trump said nothing coherent or substantive in answering any questions. In other words, his abuse of words is indicative of the lack of depth in his thinking.

This lack of focus is borne out in an article by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker, in which she writes about her interview with Tony Schwartz, who spent hundreds of hours with Trump. When Trump announced his candidacy, Schwartz was terrified of the prospect of Trump being president because of Trumps personality, which he considered pathologically impulsive and self-centered.

After meeting with Trump just a few times, Schwartz observed that its impossible to keep him focused on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes. Schwartz believes, Mayer wrote, that Trumps short attention span has left him with a stunning level of superficial knowledge and plain ignorance.

World view

Among the most ardent supporters of Donald Trump are evangelical Christians, like Dr. James Dobson, founder of Christian based Family Talk, Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of the Christian based Liberty University, and Robert Jeffress, the influential pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas.

A Christian world view defends human dignity, welcomes the stranger in our midst, stands for justice, dispenses grace and is an agent of reconciliation in a broken world, According to Peter Wehner, who is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and has served in the last three Republican administrations, Trump represents none of these traits.

As I have indicated above, Trump has shown contempt for the vulnerable in our society, bullied people he disagrees with, and his first thoughts in any crisis are of himself. Power, strength and success are his values, Wehner wrote. In contrast, Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful, and blessed are the peacemakers.

Wehner says we need to look to Friedrich Nietzsche, who was repulsed by Christianity and Christ, for the source of Trumps values. Nietzsche wrote that good is Whatever augments the feeling of power, the will to power, power itself in man. Evil is Whatever springs from weakness. Happiness is the feeling that power increases. Werner concludes that Trump embodies a Nietzschean morality rather than a Christian one.

Conclusion

I believe the evidence presented here clearly demonstrates that Donald Trump is not fit to be president of the most powerful nation on earth. If you support Trump, then I hope you have a few reasons to reconsider your support. If you dont support Trump, then you have more information to bolster your decision. If you are in the middle, then I hope this column will influence you to reject Trump as our president. Those who endorse Trump, like our Congressman John Moolenar, do not deserve our vote either.

Norbert Bufka is an occasional contributor to the Midland Daily News. Citations for references can be found in the digital version on his website: http://www.thisonly.org/
"Dont Get Around Much Anymore" is a Duke Ellington tune but it also applies to trading stocks. It is not that I lack energy or interest, but it has become too expensive. I still buy, but trading is a different matter. I want to look at this from both a micro and macro point of view. Micro means essentially "what is in it for me?" and macro is "what is in it for us all."

To me, micro means making money within risk and ethical parameters that I set. On ethics, I try not to be too self-righteous. My parents had no problem with American Tobacco although Dad quit smoking after the war when cigarettes went to 15 cents a pack. Over the last century, tobacco has been an outstanding investment but it is poison and I stay away. Gambling can be addictive but so is chocolate. No real ethical problem for me, but I really dont want to be part of it.

Certain television ads predict the imminent collapse of our financial world. If that happens, those who have traded their cash for gold and silver will be the smart ones. I do own a few shiny coins but there is a need inside me for my investments to work and not sit in some vault.

The macro issues are two. A few promote policies to bring equal poverty for all but most of us go for growth. We were younger, but was it really so much better 35 years ago? Rattletrap cars, tiny TVs, what is a laptop and mobile phones the size of WW II walkie-talkies. We really want to keep moving on. Next, even conservatives in their heart want a lot of government services. We need taxes. As the song goes, you cant have one without the other. In the past, I have made money trading one stock for another and Washington has taken its share in taxes. But not much lately. Why not?

I am not smart enough to time the market for quick bucks. My investment song is "Long time passing." I bought The Home Depot (HD) 15 years ago for $26 and today it trades for $126. That $100 a share gain feels really good. That has been about a 10 percent annual increase and in addition a stream of dividends of over 2 percent. Now, suppose I think some other investment will be better; how do I proceed? The government has its hand out for what is called a capital gains tax. For me, it is 23.8 percent on my $100 gain, leaving only $102 to reinvest. That new stock had better be really hot.

A couple of years ago, my tax rate was a lower 15 percent, which would have left me with $111. Some politicians say I am not paying enough and propose a 31.8 percent rate for me. That would leave me with just $94. With those rates, Im not getting around because I am locked in, locked up.

I am probably not going to quit my job if I think taxes are too high. If capital gains taxes are too high, I avoid them by not selling. In a 25-year run, my $6 Caterpillar stock is now $83; an even better gift from Grandfather ($2 Walgreens stock) has returned off the charts. Over 30 years, it is now $81. The tax system has us in a hammerlock if we want to trade.

Now the macro. Do we want investors like me to keep trading? Money goes to the Treasury and I suppose that is good, but more importantly there are lots of ideas out there that can make a better world. Ideas to become reality need to attract capital. In the 1970s, there was a movement called "the limits of growth" which said (in words from Oklahoma) "weve gone about as fer as we can go. The capital friendly 1980s showed the technology sun was just rising. I think it still is, but counterproductive tax policies will slow things down. You have traded the walkie-talkie for the phone in your pocket. What good ideas are in the heads of the innovative that need capital to be released?

Professors are good at spinning theories. For more money for the government and more progress? Lower capital gains rates. Any data to back this up? The infamous Bush tax cuts allegedly all for the rich came in 2003. The top 1 percenters' share of taxes paid increased from 32 to 37 percent. Capital gains reported went from $310 billion to $668 billion. The rich werent really that much richer but were buying and selling more freely because the tax penalty in realizing gains was lowered. The tax rate was lowered from 20 percent to 15 percent and revenue increased from $55 to $119 billion.
During his visit to Japan to inaugurate the Pyramid Builders exhibition in its fifth round, Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany witnessed the signing of a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) between the Tokyo National Museum and the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

El-Enany said that this is the first MOC between the Tokyo National Museum and a non-Asian museum or association, a fact that highlights the keenness of Japan to support Egypt in the archaeological field and the completion of its GEM mega project.

GEM supervisor-general Tarek Tawfik told Ahram Online that according to the MOC, several facets of cooperation are to be implemented, including the exchange of experts in museology and restoration as well as organising archaeological conferences, scientific seminars and permanent exhibitions.

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Bloomington-Normal

Kindred; Oct. 8-10, Jan Brandt Gallery, 1106 W. Bell St., Bloomington; works in various media by ISU printmaking alumni; opening reception, 7-9 p.m. Oct. 8; thereafter, viewing by appointment at janbrandtgallery@gmail.com.

Mickell Duncan; 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-noon Sat., through Oct. 31, IAA Credit Union lobby, 808 IAA Drive, Bloomington; paintings; free.

ISU University Galleries; noon-4 p.m. Mon., 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Uptown Station, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal; rotating exhibits in three galleries; free; 309-438-8321.

Wonsook Kim: Lines of Enchantment; through Oct. 16, ISU University Galleries, see above; cast bronze outlines, paintings, prints and drawings.

Placelessness: Marissa Lee Benedict & David Rueter and Sarah Rothberg; through Oct. 16, ISU University Galleries, see above; interactive installations.

Beyond the Norm: International Juried Print Exhibition; through Oct. 16, ISU University Galleries, see above; works by 54 artists.

And There's the Humor of It: Shakespeare and the Four Humors; through Oct. 29, IWU Ames Library ground floor; six-panel touring exhibit exploring role of four humors in Shakespeare's work; free.

IWU Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; school hours, noon-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 7-9 p.m. Tue.; 302 E. Graham St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits; free; 309-556-3391.

Fences and Courts; Oct. 6-Nov. 3, IWU Wakelely Gallery, see above; paintings, collages and sculptures by Lloyd Ahern. Gallery walk, 5:15 p.m. Oct. 6.

Chromatic Candela; Oct. 6-Nov. 3, IWU Merwin Gallery, see above; installation by Erin Taylor. Gallery walk, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 6.

McLean County Arts Center; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits, sales, rentals, art classes and lectures; free; 309-829-0011.

40 Years NEW; through Oct. 22, McLean County Arts Center, see above; 40th anniversary retrospective of ISU's New Editions Workshop.

Behind Every Print; through Oct. 22, McLean County Arts Center, see above; works by ISU faculty and Normal Editions Workshop staff.

McLean County Museum of History; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Tue.), 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits; adults $5, seniors $4, students, children under 12 and members free; 309-827-0428.

Challenges, Choices and Change: Making a Home; McLean County Museum of History, see above; new permanent exhibit exploring experiences of people from around the world who made McLean County their home.

Abraham Lincoln in McLean County; McLean County Museum of History, see above; new permanent exhibit on Lincoln's life in Bloomington.

Prairie Aviation Museum; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits and displays with aerial history themes; adults $5, ages 6-11 $3, 5 and under free; 309-663-7632.

Central Illinois

U of I Krannert Art Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Thu. during fall and spring semesters), 2-5 p.m. Sun., 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; paintings, porcelain, historical artifacts, traveling art exhibits; $3 donation suggested; 217-333-1861.

Borderline Collective: Northern Triangle; through Dec. 22, U of I Krannert Art Museum, see above; installation featuring art works and historical documents.

Amity Township Museum; 1-3 p.m. first Sun. of month or by appointment, 510 Main St., Cornell; displays and artifacts relating to history of Cornell and Amity Township; free; 815-358-2973.

Eureka College Burgess Hall Art Gallery; 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and by appointment on weekends, third floor of Burgess Hall, Eureka College, Eureka; rotating exhibits; free; 309-467-6866.

Simpkins Military History Museum; 1-5 p.m. Tue., Thu., Sat., or by appointment; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; permanent and rotating military history exhibits; free (donations accepted); 309-473-3989.

The Vietnam War 50th Anniversary; through Nov. 30, Simpkins Military History Museum, see above.

Dickson Mounds Museum; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; displays, special exhibits; free; 309-547-3721.

Lincoln Heritage Museum; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat., Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; Lincoln-era items, audio-visual displays, tours, exhibits, more; adults $7, children/tours $4; 217-735-7399.

Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water, Peoria; rotating exhibits in two galleries; free; 309-674-6822.

Building Space: The Objects of Adam G. Perschbacher; through Oct. 21, Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, see above; geometric abstractions.

Under, Above, Everywhere; through Oct. 28, Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, see above; paintings by Deborah Barlow, photographs by Kay Canavino, ceramics by Ramah Commanday.

Peoria Art Guild; Foster Arts Center, Harrison and Washington streets, Peoria; rotating exhibits, gift shop; free; 309-637-2787.

Peoria Riverfront Museum; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Wed. and Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thu.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sun., downtown riverfront Peoria; permanent and rotating exhibits, planetarium shows, Giant Screen Theater and events; $8-$11; 309-686-7000.

Changing Perspectives: The Landscapes of Harold Gregor; through Oct. 16, Peoria Riverfront Museum, see above; paintings.

Museum of the Gilding Arts; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., April-Oct., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sun., Nov.-March, 217 N. Mill St., Pontiac; displays, history and hands-on exhibits dedicated to the art of gilding and gold beating; free (donations welcome); 815-842-1848.

Pontiac Community Art Center; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 103 W. Madison St., Pontiac; rotating exhibits; 815-844-5831.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; Lincoln-themed exhibits, historical displays, special events, more; adults $12, seniors and students $9, ages 5-15 $5, under 5 free; 217-558-8844.

Rare and Rarely Seen; through Jan. 29, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, see above; rarely exhibited items from museum's permanent collection.
BLOOMINGTON  Energetic and well-liked, John Jackman spent more than 40 years in railroading, working in Massachusetts, Ohio and Illinois. Arriving in Bloomington in 1864, he took a position as superintendent of machinery for the Chicago & Alton Railroad shops, working for 15 years.

But Jackman, one of the featured characters in this years Evergreen Cemetery Walk, also loved the stage.

Whether reciting Shakespeare in a play or delivering a poem from Lord Alfred Tennyson, Jackman made a name for himself in Bloomington-Normal in the late 1800s by performing in plays and writing both fiction and non-fictional stories. He is brought back to life as part of this years Cemetery Walk, which continues Sunday as well as next Saturday and Sunday, at Evergreen Cemetery in Bloomington.

The cemetery walk is live theater about our communitys history and a great way to learn about this beautiful cemetery and its history, said Candace Summers, director of education at the McLean County Museum of History. A lot of people see history through a textbook and the people are long gone and nobody knows who they are. But we bring back real members of Bloomington-Normal who have changed this community to what we have now. Its a unique event that allows us to educate our public about our history.

Jackman, who lived from 1816 to 1896, is portrayed by J. Michael Grey of Bloomington.

We encourage our actors to bring out three things and that is mystery, humor and adventure, said Rhys Lovell, the artistic director. If you bring out those three qualities, you will really engage your audience and that is what its all about. Its a different style and a different type of theater. Typically, you see actors off in their own little world, but with this, its more about making eye contact with people and engaging with them and making them feel a part of that world.

Participants of the 22nd annual walk were broken into groups of 10 to 12 people and escorted through the cemetery by tour guides such as Mary Kay Zeter of Bloomington.

I really enjoy discussing the history of Bloomington-Normal and even though I love history, sometimes I learn new things just by talking with people, she said.

At each stop, the characters talked about their lives, particularly their time spent in Bloomington-Normal.

I am best described as a railroad man, Jackman said. It was the railroad that brought me to Bloomington. When I started, railroading was extremely crude, but during my time here, the railroad would be linked from coast to coast and even from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Some characters are not nearly so well known, but are more recent, such as Richard Shipley, who lived from 1903 to 1973 and is portrayed by Jeremy Stiller of Bloomington.

Stories are often told about youths running away to join the circus, he said. Well, at the age of 16, I actually did that.

After a year with the Ringling Brothers Circus, he returned to Bloomington, but that one year with the circus ignited a passion for a love of animals. He eventually returned to the circus as an elephant trainer.

An elephant named Dorothy sat on me once, he said. Well, she was doing a handstand as part of her circus act. She broke my collarbone and crushed my ribs. The year before, she killed a man doing a handstand on him. They eventually sent her to the Tulsa zoo. It wasnt her fault. Elephants have to be trained and trained well. People think they never forget anything but thats not right. They have to have a set routine so they remember what to do.

Lovell said he has been very impressed with this years group of actors. By the end of the performances next week, they will have performed their specific act dozens of times, including for school groups.

Its an amazing group, and we are very happy with the way the costumes, the writing and the performances turned out, he said.
Its certainly not uncommon for a machinery technician to save the day during harvest season, but it is rare for one to literally save a farmers life.
HEYWORTH  A Heyworth-area farmer is recuperating in a Springfield hospital after being rescued from a combine Saturday morning.

He was trapped for about an hour, said Randolph Township Fire Chief Dennis Powell. Great teamwork and mechanical knowledge from our crews and local farmers were key to today's outcome.

The name and the condition of the farmer, who was airlifted to a Springfield hospital, were not available. "The prognosis is very good, Powell said.

Heyworth Fire and Heyworth Ambulance Service were notified about 11 a.m. of a person trapped in a combine head near county roads 1200 East and 200 North, according to a release from the Heyworth Fire Department.

Rescuers from Mount Hope-Funks Grove Fire Department, Normal Fire Department tech rescue team and Bloomington Fire Department assisted, as well as a technical adviser from Cross Implement John Deere in Minier.
About 4:30 a.m. Saturday, police were notified of a pedestrian on Ill. Route 17 at the railroad tracks. Police said the 23-year-old Braceville man was alone, lying in the road, when found by a passing motorist. There were no other vehicles at the scene.
"Although I would love for the citizens to be able to have their say on the ballot ... my duty is to apply the law here," Circuit Court Judge Scott Kording said.
Life's but a walking shadow, observed Shakespeares Macbeth. Our time on earth is fleeting, and soon we will be heard no more.

Though true (and truer still with each passing day after the age of 50!) cemetery markers, monuments and stones are an attempt by many mortals to maintain a presence among the living  to be heard, if you will, once more.

In the pioneer era many gravestones were unadorned marble slabs that often deteriorated into illegibility in the unforgiving Midwestern elements. Yet with the arrival of railroads in the early 1850s, the transformation of the prairie into the Great Corn Belt and the rise of vibrant commercial centers such as Bloomington, all this new wealth created a market for more substantial and elaborate gravestones, many of which were made of imported granite.

For some eight decades, Bloomingtons leading designer and sculptors in marble and granite for cemetery purposes was H.J. Higgins & Co., later known, with the addition of two partners, as Higgins, Jung, and Kleinau Co.

Company founder Hamer J. Higgins was born in Ohio in 1840, and during the Civil War served in two Buckeye State infantry regiments. He participated in some of the ugliest fighting in the wars western theater, including Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamauga and the Atlanta campaign. After the war he headed westward to seek his fortune, arriving in Bloomington in the spring of 1868 with all of $10 to his name. Once here, he apprenticed at James S. Haldemans Marble Works.

Higgins eventually acquired the business, and in the fall of 1878 he was joined by Jacob Phillip Jung, Sr., another former Haldeman apprentice. Mr. Jung, read one glowing notice of the new partner, has made a life study of granite and marble cutting and has the true artists eye and delicacy of touch  which distinguishes the work of art  the masterpiece from the ordinary patterned block.

In 1886, Higgins and Jung built a striking (and still-standing) three-story building on the 200 block of East Front Street. The Victorian Romanesque design was the work of local architect George H. Miller, but the decorative marble pilasters and carvings were all Higgins and Jung.

This building served as an all-in-one sales office, showroom, warehouse and stonecutting workshop. At the time of the buildings opening, Higgins & Co.s workforce still shaped monuments out of raw blocks of marble or granite. By 1900, though, economies of scale and industrial efficiencies in the business meant the Bloomington firm now received stock monuments, carved near where they were quarried and needing only inscriptions and decorative flourishes. In addition, statuary pieces found on Higgins & Co. monuments were carved by more specialized or larger firms and then shipped, ready-to-mount, to Bloomington.

Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, one of the more picturesque necropolises or cities of the dead in downstate Illinois, is dotted with Higgins & Co. monuments. Perhaps none is more imposing than the one for Marie Litta, Bloomingtons homegrown opera diva, who died in 1883 at the age of 27. Composed of Barre, Vt. granite, the Litta monument includes a 17-foot, 5-inch shaft topped by a draped urn representing eternal life.

A bird singing the richest and rarest melody has gone forever from the groves of time, reads an inscription on the monument, and the voice which caught the highest symphonies of nature has joined in the chorus of the infinite.

By the late 19th century Vermont granite had become the stone of choice in the monument business. In Bloomingtons Evergreen Memorial Cemetery there are hundreds and hundreds of light gray granite markers, 90 percent of which were quarried in Vermont. And in fact, Higgins & Co. purchased much of its granite from Jones Brothers Co. of Barre, Vt.

Stonecutter Charles A. Kleinau became a third partner of Higgins & Co in 1890. Five years later, the firm hired Ada Maxwell as bookkeeper. She remained with the memorial establishment for 44-some years, serving in time as director, secretary, treasurer and stockholder.

In addition to cemetery stones, Higgins & Co. also constructed more elaborate memorials.

The most imposing and flamboyant mausoleum in McLean County  if not all of Central Illinois  was the work of the Higgins firm. It can be found at the Lexington Cemetery (also known as Porteus Cemetery), on a rise commanding a lovely view of this silent city. Built in 1892 for John Jackson J.J. Kemp (no relation to the author), the Indiana limestone block mausoleum includes four marble columns topped by two Newfoundlands. The carved canines keep watch over the premises and flank a white angel placing flowers on a cross. Granite trimmings and terra cotta detailing provide further flourishes.

J.J. Kemp, a prominent farmer, banker and grain dealer, oversaw the design and construction of his crypt, which was finished eight years before his death. The engraving H.J. Higgins & Co., Bloomington, ILs. can be found near the bottom of the door. That is my masterpiece, Higgins said of the Kemp mausoleum.

Before Higgins death, a local newspaper reporter strolling through our beautiful cemetery (whats today Evergreen Memorial) came across a visitor from Vermont who, being a Vermonter and all, knew a thing or two about granite. I see many new designs here, that I have not noticed in other places, and I find on all the handsomest monuments the imprint of Higgins & Co., said the unnamed visitor. The work done by this firm certainly excels any Eastern work I have met with, and I am a very close observer.

Higgins died on April 15, 1902, at the age of 62, and soon thereafter the reorganized firm incorporated as Higgins, Jung, Kleinau Co., with Jung as president, Kleinau as vice president, and Ada Maxwell as secretary and treasurer.

For many years the firm had a reputation for keeping records of all sales dating to its earliest years, making it a popular destination for those researching their family history.

Although both Jung and Kleinau passed away in 1933, the firm remained in the hands of descendants until its closing more than two decades later.

The end of Higgins, Jung, and Kleinau Co. came on Jan. 1, 1956. Its monument inventory and equipment were sold to Pontiac Granite Co. of Pontiac, which is still in business today. Kleinaus son-in-law, S.P. Boozell, had managed the business since 1933. And at the time of closing there were also Higgins and Jung descendants involved in the ownership and operation of the old family (or rather, multi-family) business.

Hamer Higgins and J.P. Jung are two of eight historical figures featured in this years McLean County Museum of Historys Evergreen Cemetery Walk. It runs this weekend and next, with performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. For todays performances, tickets are available at the cemetery. For next weekend, contact the museum at 309-827-0428.
"Vikings Season 4" Part 2, the swan song for Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), will be disturbing revelation about his successor Ivar The Boneless (Alex Hogh Andersen). Is the "Vikings Season 4" midseason finale a hint that Ragnar Lothbrok is about to make a mistake about Ivar The Boneless?

Preview from History on "Vikings Season 4" Part 2 interestingly showed Ragnar Lothbrok entrusting Ivar The Boneless with revenge. The choice of crippled Ivar over his other sons as successor is firm indication that Ragnar Lothbrok is well aware of what his youngest son with Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) is.

Which of the #Vikings is your soulmate? Take the quiz to find out! https://t.co/eWUNFXAkQ7 pic.twitter.com/Zgj2rukWmd  Vikings on HISTORY (@HistoryVikings) 30 September 2016

Fans of the History series saw earlier "Vikings" episodes reveal that the young Ivar had sinister tendencies. That Ragnar Lothbrok should advice Ivar The Boneless to be ruthless in revenge foreshadows the cold-blooded killer that "Vikings Season 4" Part 2 will introduce.

IGN quotes Jordan Patrick Smith (Ubbe), David Lindstron (Sigurd) and Marco Isl (Hvitserk) in describing how the "Vikings" series will endow Ivar The Boneless with remarkable lunacy. According to the media outlet, this dark side to Ivar The Boneless will begin to be highlighted in "Vikings Season 4" Part 2.

However, fans of the History series should also prepare for Ivar The Boneless to clash with Sigurd in "Vikings Season 4" Part 2. IGN points out that because of events toward "Vikings Season 4" midseason finale, Sigurd has a chip on his shoulder over Ivar The Boneless.

Jordan Patrick Smith summarized the tone that "Vikings Season 4" will take on Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons. Jordan Patrick Smith essentially said Ivar The Boneless, Hvitserk, Ubbe and Sigurd will continue where Ragnar Lothbrok ends in their introduction at "Vikings Season 4" Part 2.

"You need other people to come in to keep the fighting and the life of Vikings alive, rather than having old men chopping each other down," Jordan Patrick Smith said. The words veiled a tease of the exit of Ragnar Lothbrok after "Vikings Season 4" Part 2.

History is set to air "Vikings Season 4" Part 2 from Nov 30. Do you believe Ivar The Boneless is the strongest successor for Ragnar Lothbrok after "Vikings Season 4" Part 2?
"Prison Break" Season 5 fans are seemingly ready to dive into the lives of Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows once again but are they ready to see Lincoln die in the finale? Well, recent reports claimed that one of the gang will, unfortunately, face an epic death as "Prison Break's" new season ends. And, rumor has it that it is Lincoln who will have to die in the process of saving his beloved brother, Michael.

The official trailer released for "Prison Break" Season 5 sees Lincoln and his friends plan on helping Michael escape the Ogygia prison in Yemen. For the uninitiated, "Prison Break" will pick up with an alive Michael detained in a prison cell. Lincoln, being his brother, would do anything to get Michael out of that cell even if it means risking his life, News Everyday reported.

However, "Prison Break" Season 5 trailer also revealed Michael reuniting with his brother from the outside. So, does this mean that Lincoln's mission to get his brother out of jail will be a success? It might be. But who is going to die in the finale episode of "Prison Break" Season 5 then?

If reports will be considered that Lincoln is definitely going to die on a mission to save Michael, it might happen after Michael frees from jail. As pointed out by Movie News Guide, Michael's life will remain endangered as he keeps a secret information against the government in "Prison Break" Season 5. This may possibly lead Lincoln to sacrifice himself in their dangerous mission against the new series villains who are after Michael's life.

However, these are merely speculations for now so fans may take these with a grain of salt. "Prison Break" Season 5 may end with no deaths or it may possibly end with a death but not Lincoln's death.

"Prison Break" Season 5 is scheduled to air in 2017. Fans may just wait a little more to see what happens in the lives of Lincoln and Michael as the series comes back next year.

For now, fans can watch the official trailer of "Prison Break" Season 5 below.
A jury from the East Texas Federal District Court in Tyler, Texas has ordered Apple to pay more than $302 million in damages over an infringement on patent of Apple's FaceTime application. This is the third time Apple and VirnetX battled over patent infringement since 2010.

The first case of Apple against VirnetX in 2010 was thrown out by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., saying the jury might have been confused about the calculation of damages that amounted to $368.2 million, according to Reuters report. VirnetX, a patent holding firm, won the judgement against Apple over four patent infringement but Apple argued that they did not infringe on the patents and the patent holding company did not establish enough evidence.

Earlier this year, a retrial over patent infringement case of VirnetX against Apple was thrown out again by the judge, Robert Schroeder, in Tyler, Texas that amounted to $625.6 million in damages with almost the same reason and found it unfair for Apple.

The third retrial happened and the jury ruled in favor of VirnetX over the infringement of Apple's FaceTime, VPN and iMessage. The jury has ordered Apple to pay $302.4 million to VirnetX Holding Corporation. The award in line cannot be claimed yet because the case is not yet over. It will now go the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., which has a history of ruling on patent cases, according to The Verge report.

VirnetX is a Nevada-based patent-licensing company founded by former engineers and executives from Science Application International Corporation (SAIC) which developed technologies on security for federal agencies. In 2011, VirnetX lost a patent trial against Cisco Systems Inc. over infringement on virtual private network inventions. In 2014, VirnetX won $24 million on a settlement with Microsoft over dispute on patents used in Skype.
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King Francis is finally dead and as "Reign" Season 4 follow history, Queen Mary would still get married to two possible candidates. The third one may finally bring her some luck in love this time around although he may be responsible for some crimes to secure Mary's affection.

Following the series of "Reign," it could be seen that King Francis (Toby Regbo) and Queen Mary (Adelaide Kane) are very much in love. However, the king died when they were ambushed by bandits on their way to Paris. King Francis tried to save Queen Mary from a possible death which ended for Francis getting injured resulting in his death.

Nostradamus already predicted his death and was asked to take the necessary steps to avoid his demise but he was still unable to escape his fate. Before he died in "Reign" Season 3, King Francis asked Queen Mary to make sure that Charles (Spencer MacPherson) is king and the regency is secured. He also asked him for a second and mostly a difficult task, and that is for Queen Mary to find love again as he would eventually die, according to Christian Today.

Following the accounts of history, on "Reign" Season 4, it is assumed that two men will compete for Mary's heart. While the first man, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart (Will Kemp) is also smitten with Queen Mary but his intentions was to bring down Queen Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) and claim Kingship on Queen Mary's land.

To save Queen Mary from a possible mistake of having Lord Darnley as a husband for Queen Mary, the Earl of Bothwell, James Hepburn (Adam Croasdell) will plot to kill Darnley in "Reign" Season 4. Although there is not enough proof to point the murder to him, Queen Mary's advisors will still doubt him.

James Hepburn who is totally in love with Queen Mary in "Reign" Season 4 will do everything in great extent to show his affection for the queen which is why after the death of Lord Darnley, Bothwell becomes the third husband.

There will be a lot to see on "Reign" Season 4 as the cast is still on production. Once the series comes back, fans will find out if they indeed follow history.


Well, there is a breakfast, after which the board will meet  but, otherwise the 7th Biennial Gathering of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association is in the history books.

Just a few less than ninety clergy from a variety of Soto lineages met at Camp Courage in Maple Lake, Minnesota, about an hour from the Twin Cities. We sat together, celebrated liturgy, had workshops and lectures, and a keynote address from Dr David Loy, scholar, eco justice activist and Zen master in the Sanbo Zen tradition.

For me the highlights were definitely the keynote, which earned David a standing ovation. And, Im pretty sure will effect the attention given to the ecological crisis among several of our sanghas. Similarly I found a brief TED style talk by Koun Franz, a confession and call to address the pervasive issue of racism in our country to be deeply moving. As, I know, it did a number of others among us. I was profoundly moved by the sense that our practice has matured to the degree that we can continue to cultivate the spiritual disciplines we have inherited and are charged with protecting and transmitting and at the same take the perspectives we have gained and turn them toward the pressing issues of our time and place.

Gengo Akiba Roshi, sokan (bishop) for the North American mission of the Japanese Sotoshu brought warm greetings and words of encouragement for us, and made a presentation on the current status of Tenpyozan, the planned pan-lineage traditional Japanese style training monastery in Lake County, California.

We stepped back from the near all consuming issue of membership criteria, at least all consuming for the board, to begin a process of asking the membership, and I think significantly, including the associate members who are still in training, about what are their hopes an visions for this organization. This process, adapted from Appreciative Inquiry is expected to take months, maybe the year  but out of it, I suspect we will re-orient some of what were doing, and take major steps toward being the supporting organization for this vital spiritual tradition that is definitely taking root in our rich Western soil.

The Dharma Heritage ceremony, which acknowledges the entry of a Zen priest into full fellowship within the SZBA, and stands for many as a replacement for the Japanese Zuisse ceremony was deeply moving, and it was equally powerful to see Jisho Warner Roshi, one of our revered elder Soto priests, officiating.

The concluding no talent show had a couple of ringers in that three of our members are actually professional musicians. It was, as always, a hoot. I brought my own highly refined capacity to be audience to the project and was pleased there was something for all of us to do.

Many good things. Many small and larger memories. Got to spend a little time with old friends, and make the acquaintance of some whom I hope will be ongoing friends.

Life in the big world

Heres a little something from Hozan Alan Senuake, the current president of the SZBA, recorded last year.

(the photo is from the 2014 gathering. I will change it when the current photo is available)
Edison, NJ, USA: Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA), in partnership with the Consulate General of India in New York, arranged a community reception in the honor of Jharkhand Chief Minister Mr. Raghubar Das at Royal Alberts Palace, New Jersey on Friday.

About 650 members from BJANA families came from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Ohio, and Massachusetts besides many joining from New Jersey and New York City. Many high ranking government officials from Jharkhand accompanied the Chief Minister Being a Friday, hundreds of community members were seen dancing and enjoying the festive like moment mingling with each other hours after Das had left the venue following his address.

In her welcome address, Mrs. Anjali Prasad, President of BJANA, indicated willingness to partner with the Jharkhand government in its Swachcha Bharat program and also requested to setup NRI cells within Jharkhand government to facilitate transfer of knowledge in the light of the ongoing Smart City planning in the state.

Ms. Riva Ganguly Das, Consul General-New York, Govt. of India, congratulated all BJANA members for hosting the event and its participation in cultural activities for many years.

Mrs. Raj Bala Verma, Chief Secretary, Jharkhand government, informed the Diaspora about the investment friendly atmosphere in the state and invited business community to do business in the state and find new opportunities. She also invited BJANA members to the Global Summit being organized in Ranchi in February 2017.



The Chief Minister congratulated NRI Diaspora for their success and invited them to collaborate with Jharkhand government and support investments and social causes. He showed a keen interest in partnering with BJANA and SmileTrain to perform surgeries at government hospitals and make Jharkhand a cleft-free state.

Das also encouraged BJANA to adopt a village in Jharkhand under the Swachcha Bharat Program initiated by the Prime Minister of India to improve access and use of sanitation facilities in households and public places in that village. To the delight of the NRI's from the state, the CM promised to set up NRI cells in Jharkhand that would facilitate interaction with its Diaspora.

BJANA is a 41 year old non-profit organization and it has in the past taken up charity causes in Bihar and Jharkhand. Very recently, it partnered with SmileTrain a world renowned charity organization to perform free cleft surgeries in Jharkhand. It is also actively running a fundraising for flood relief in Bihar. It was also one of the very few non-commercial organizations to run a float during the India Day parade in New York City that represented the states of Bihar and Jharkhand.
Patna: Despite being rebuked by the Patna High Court that on Friday ordered the Nitish government to scrap its 'Talibani' prohibition policy, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar chose to defy the court order that could very well spell doom for the man who once proudly claimed to be 'a man of law'.

Kumar, in defiance of the High Court order, not only refused to withdraw the already tough Excise laws that makes drinking liquor a crime worse than rape, murder, and kidnapping; he vowed to make it even tougher leaving no choice to those against prohibition but to drag the government to the Supreme Court.

Rolling out an even tougher Excise law formulated hurriedly after the High Court order, Kumar said he would never scrap prohibition as it was the will of the people who had given him the mandate to ban drinking in Bihar.

The Chief Minister, who has been accused of treating the people of Bihar as if they were not matured enough to know what was good or bad for them, said that with prohibition in place, people were not wasting their money on alcohol and this was helping them improve their financial condition.

"The High Court order does not pertain to the new Excise law that has just gone into effect on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2. The ban is here to stay and if needed, we will seek the intervention of the Supreme Court to overturn Patna High Court order," Kumar, who has staked his entire political career on prohibition by ignoring his previous agenda of development and law and order, said on Sunday.

Somehow connecting ban on alcohol to economic prosperity, the Janata Dal  U leader said that prohibition would result in more saving for the family which, in turn, would result in extra spending money in each one's pocket which, in turn, would attract investment in the state.

Calling out the Chief Minister on his strange plan to invigorate investment and spur growth and prosperity in the state, NDA leaders in Bihar wasted no time in criticizing the Chief Minister calling him a 'false messiah' who was trying to be 'Mahatma Gandhi' despite no comparison between the two.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) President and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan accused the Chief Minister of trying to fool the people of Bihar after having failed at all fronts.

"Nitish Kumar is trying to divert the attention of the people from his failures. Now he wants to become Gandhiji in the name of prohibition," he said.

Going a step further, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said that even someone like Mohammed Shahabuddin (former RJD MP from Siwan) followed the order of the court and surrendered himself before a Siwan court. "Nitish Kumar, on the other hand, has shown his real face by openly defying the order of the court. People of Bihar will not forgive him for this," he said.
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Tataloo: the regular arrest of cursed celebrities in Iran

10/02/16

By Rouzbeh Hamid, Radio Zamaneh

Amir Tataloo, Iranian musician is till in jail after his second arrest on 23 Aug 2016 by Islamic Republic authorities without any clear announcements regarding the charges against him.





Amir Tataloo (artwork by Iranian magazine 40Cheragh)





Sources linked to Tataloo have reported in their social media posts that the charge against him is spreading corruption and indecency. The reports add that he has been subjected to psychological tests and it is not clear how long he will be held in custody.

Amir Maghsoodloo who goes by the artistic name of Amir Tataloo, is a popular Iranian R&B musician whose artistic activities and personal life have become the subject of much controversy in Iran.

His buff appearance and tattooed body along with his lyrics about his daily experiences have repeatedly put him under the microscope.

He has been highly criticized for expressions of loyalty to the system and Irans leader Ayatollah Khamenei. His support for Irans right to develop nuclear capabilities has also raised many eyebrows. He has been accused of hypocrisy for his emphasis on religious concepts as a means of getting distribution permits for his music.

Why is an artist like Tataloo being accused of hypocrisy and why, despite his adherence to certain values dictated by the establishment, is he being persecuted by the authorities?

Ali Peyvandi, Iranian Paris-based sociologist explains that hypocrisy is a learned characteristic shaped by specific social circumstances.

He further adds that restricting artists and famous cultural figures in a country like Iran where the media is under strict control of the state has always been a chief policy of the Islamic Republic. Mostly because the public reach of celebrities is considered as a threat to the systems political security.

Irans political and social situation gives a political layer of significance to the statements and actions of all celebrities turning their public lives into an arena of constant battle between government supporters and the opposition.

Thus some celebrities receive the mark of champions and others that of opportunists. Amir Tataloo is often given the title of opportunist and hypocrite.

Religion, whether a personal choice or a strategy for self preservation, has a prominent place in Amir Tataloos music and daily life. Tataloo collaborators have released his new song Imam Reza while the artist is in custody. This has further irked Tataloos detractors who say he is using religion as a tool and lacks integrity.

Tataloo has also been accused of being apolitical. This kind of accusation is often from left wing intelligentsia and cultural elite who often have little regard for popular culture. Is it fair to demand pop artists to take a political stance and accuse them of hypocrisy when they do not?

Artists that work inside Iran are faced with such restrictions that might appear absurd to the eye of their observers from the outside.

Recently Chartar Music Ensemble asked its fans after a concert abroad to put on a headscarf if they wanted to take souvenir photos with them. The news exploded in social media with cries of condemnation.

The day to day survival of Iranian celebrities inside Iran is a complex arena of infinite contradictions and conflict between different social groups. Mostly, none of the public demands laid upon them can be reconciled with their social reality of these celebrities. They walk a thin line between fame and notoriety in constant threat of losing all credibility.
Iran has sold 32 tons of heavy water to US: Nuclear Chief

10/02/16

Source: Press TV

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says the Islamic Republic has sold 32 tons of heavy water to the United States and delivered 38 tons of the nuclear substance to Russia. "European firms, including German and French ones, seek to purchase Iran's heavy water and we have expressed our readiness in this regard," Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters on Sunday.





Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi

(artwork by Hossein Saafi, Iranian daily Shargh)





Salehi added that under last year's nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia - plus Germany, Tehran can keep a heavy water stockpile of 130 tons and offer the surplus for sale on international markets.

Pointing to the increasing demand for heavy water worldwide, Salehi noted that Iran has become a major international supplier of the substance.

The AEOI head said heavy water is not used only in reactors but can also be utilized in various industries, including pharmaceuticals.

He added that only a few countries are authorized to produce heavy water under regulations of the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA).



According to the JCPOA, the US administration of President Barack Obama said in April that Washington would buy $8.6 million worth of heavy water from Iran.

The agreement, which took effect in January, calls for an end to decades of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.

In September, the IAEA once again confirmed Iran's commitment to the landmark nuclear agreement, with the agency's Director General Yukiya Amano saying that the UN nuclear agency would continue evaluating the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran.

In a quarterly report on Iran on September 8, Iran's commitment to the nuclear agreement was confirmed by the IAEA which is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the JCPOA.

Since January, the IAEA has released regular reports confirming the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities and Tehran's commitment to the agreement.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Police have shot and killed a man in south Los Angeles at the end of a car chase on Saturday.

Officers tried to pull over a car with paper plates, believing the vehicle may have been stolen, around 1 p.m., authorities said.

When the driver refused to stop, police began a pursuit, Sgt. Barry Montgomery said.

He said the passenger got out of the car at some point and ran into the back of a house, where he was shot. The driver fled the scene and remained on the loose.

Montgomery said a weapon was recovered at the scene, but he would not say what it was or what led to the shooting.

The shooting drew several dozen people to the scene, angered that police had shot a black man. A small group of protesters gathered behind yellow police tape blocking the shooting scene Saturday night, shouting at officers in riot helmets.

The demonstration is the latest sparked by a series of fatal shootings of black men by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, North Carolina. This past week, an unarmed black man was fatally shot by police in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, triggering days of angry, sometimes unruly, protests.

Relatives of the dead man identified him as 18-year-old Carnell Snell Jr., and they said he was killed on the same street where he lived.

Trenell Snell, 17, said she was outside with friends when she saw her older brother running from police. She said she started running too, and that she hit the ground when she heard gunfire.

When she got up, her brother was on the ground, handcuffed, she said.

At the end of the day, the cops came and shot my brother, she said. Killed my brother.

Snells mother told reporters she asked authorities to let her see the dead man to confirm whether he is her son, but they wouldnt allow her to do so.
Riverside-based electronics manufacturer Bourns has a root story as American  and Southern Californian  as it could be: Started by a Midwestern couple in an Altadena garage, Bourns created home-built, sophisticated devices for the post-war aerospace and military markets, then expanded and moved to Riverside.

Nearly 70 years after Bourns start, its headquarters remain in Riverside, plus locations in Santa Clara; Logan, Utah; and Auburn Hills, Mich.

The closely held company also has manufacturing, design centers and offices around the globe, including in Mexico, Costa Rica, Germany, Hungary, Britain, Japan, Taiwan and China.

U.S. companies ties to Asia have been much in the news lately. Arguments against brisk bilateral trade generally note a trade imbalance and the loss of jobs to foreign  as in Chinese  producers.

The Bourns experience is that trade is a net positive.

Bourns has about 5,000 employees worldwide, and about 200 of them work at the Riverside headquarters on Columbia Avenue, originally built to accommodate 1,000.

The company does not disclose its value or revenue.

California businesses now supply or use overseas factories that once stood in their own backyards. That fact doesnt play well on the political stage these days.

With working Americans anxious over their economic future, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump promise to revive the manufacturing hubs that have declined over the past four decades.

Both have set their sights on China, where the West carries an enormous trade imbalance.

But not for every business.

Twenty years ago, we had very little sales to China, or the Asian market in general, Gordon L. Bourns, board chairman and chief executive of Bourns, said in an interview.

But that all has changed. Today Asia is our biggest market, and our fastest-growing market. And within Asia, China represents about 90 percent of our business. Its a tremendously important market for us to be serving.

Although the U.S. imports much more than it exports, China also voraciously consumes American-produced goods.

Much of what Bourns makes in China gets sold there to feed its growing automotive industry. The company sells twice as much product in China, compared with what it makes in China and sells outside of the country, to the United States and elsewhere, Bourns said.

In 1980, the U.S. and China traded $4.8 billion worth of goods. By last year, trade between the countries had climbed to $598.1 billion, with American consumers the biggest drivers. Still, the Chinese spend more each year. The country is a leading market for almonds and other specialty foods. And last year, the Chinese bought $845 million worth of California-produced chips for computers.

Imposing restrictions on trade or tariffs would be a huge weight on trade, certainly both ways, in China and also in California, and it would apply to many other industrialized states in the U.S. as well, Bourns said.

A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD

Research and development at Bourns Riverside headquarters turns into products made around a world that is very different from the nascent Cold War environment in 1947, when the company was started by Gordon Bourns parents, Marlan and Rosemary Bourns.

Back when my parents started the company  (they) were serving the aerospace-military industry 100 percent. And they really didnt ship much at all out of the United States, Bourns said.

But over the years the military has become very cost-conscious.  To a great extent the military and the government encouraged companies to go offshore to meet their expectations and other industries too, for reducing costs, a move that started back in the 1960s.

Bourns markets have changed, as well. More recently, in the last 15 years, we have made huge investments in the automotive and consumer markets, and those markets particularly require that product be very low cost, but also very high quality, Bourns said.

Those customers require that their suppliers be very close to them, Bourns said.

The company began looking overseas, and across the border to Mexico, in the 1960s, long before the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement was signed.

Bourns de Mexico opened its Tijuana plant in 1968. European sales offices were opened in the early 1960s.

The world has become much more interdependent and integrated, such that if you want to deal with a big customer, theyre going to look at you from the standpoint of how well we can support them in each of their major markets, Bourns said.

A Bourns plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, makes electronic components for cars used in nearby auto assembly plants, he said.

The Tijuana plant, just a couple of hours away from Riverside, represents a different kind of economic engine, he said.

Right here, on our border, is one of the lowest-cost places in the world to manufacture, Bourns said. We design products here in Riverside  but having a fantastic plant in downtown Tijuana is a huge benefit for us, and for our customers, too.

Some people have said NAFTA is taking away jobs. I think if anything its allowing California, particularly Southern California, to grow under this unique environment, Bourns said. To be able to have the design and high-tech skilled labor being complemented with excellent, low-cost labor right next door.

And manufacturing has changed, especially in the electronic components industry, Bourns said. The industry is highly automated and doesnt need as many people as it once did.

We have very little intensive hand labor anywhere in the world. We now have customers demanding parts per million, even parts per billion, quality level. You just cant do that with manual labor, he said.

WE OUGHT TO BE LOOKING AT OURSELVES

For us, the balance of trade is definitely into China, because the Chinese market is growing rapidly, said Bourns. More cars are now made in China than the United States.

The Chinese market is becoming very big and dynamic because people in China are becoming wealthier and want to enjoy the fruits of their labor, he added.

The shift to out-of-country manufacturing is just too easy to blame offshore, Bourns said.

We ought to be looking at ourselves and trying to figure out how we can do more to encourage especially startup companies and companies that are expanding, Bourns said.

Its more beneficial for our economy  to let the free market forces prevail rather than to put into place more trade restrictions and taxes, in addition to those we already have, Bourns said in an email after the interview.

Our leaders in California and the U.S. need to take more actions to improve the U.S. as an attractive place to manufacture and do business, including making sure we have a workforce that is strong in STEM education, he said.
As many as 15,000 steel cargo boxes leased or owned by the failed Hanjin Shipping Co. have nowhere to go.

Since the company collapsed at the end of August, the orphaned containers have piled up in and around the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles  and no ones sure what to do with them. They cant stay here; the real estate is too scarce, especially ahead of the busy holiday season.

Some people were hinting to take (the boxes) out in the desert and abandon them, said Dan Monnier, who sits on the board of the Los Angeles Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association, which arranges transportation for retailers. It sounds cute, but remember (the containers) still belong to the bankrupt company Hanjin.

Lawyers for Hanjin could not be reached.

Hanjin, the seventh-largest shipping company in the world, failed to secure funding from the Korea Development Bank on Aug. 30, then abruptly ended services, leaving ships and crews stranded and billions of dollars worth of cargo in limbo. As the courts slowly unwind the finances of the company and work to get creditors paid, the companys assets and leased property  including the steel containers  are scattered around the world.

Container company Seaco Global Ltd., based in London, leased about 50,000 containers to Hanjin that it cannot account for, said Neil B. Klein, an Irvine-based attorney representing the company. Klein is trying to find where those boxes are.

At the local ports, there may finally be a solution on the way. On Friday, Alex Chernin, a spokesman for logistics company Total Transportation Services Inc., confirmed the company is hammering out a plan to open up a 100-acre facility in Ontario where the containers can be stored. The specific location has not been disclosed, Chernin said.

Asked whether the opening of a yard was good news, Klein replied: We would like to think so. I want to know if our boxes are there so we can collect our boxes, he said.

Those 40-foot-long industrial orphans are a linchpin to global trade, moving millions of dollars worth of goods from the ports to retailers across the country. Freight handlers, retailers and others said local yards have filled up in the past few weeks, and the ports wont accept Hanjin-owned containers.

Complicating matters is that some of the containers are leased, and some of the leased containers are being accepted.

Another pressing issue is a shortage of the trailers that hold the containers. Many of the containers that the ports are rejecting are going to storage yards near the ports, but many yards dont have the equipment needed to remove the containers from the chassis.

That means chassis, critical and somewhat scarce pieces of equipment, are being held hostage, Monnier said.

Industry experts worried that if a solution is not found soon, there could be a shortage of chassis  a situation that caused major disruptions in 2015 when a breakdown in labor contract talks led to slowdowns and major congestion.

But the Hanjin failure caused a shortage in chassis because so many were taken out of the system at one time.

There is light coming through the tunnel, but this is not a wide-open solution, Monnier said. He warned there are still many questions, including how the chassis will be moved to the port, where truck drivers usually pick them up.

Local port officials, however, welcomed Fridays development.

This depot will put containers into a safe, secure location, which frees up chassis for use in the San Pedro Bay port complex during our busiest season, said Gene Seroka, CEO of the Port of Los Angeles. Its an example of supply-chain partners stepping up to improve logistics in Los Angeles.

A day earlier, Mario Cordero, the head of the Federal Maritime Commission, which regulates the maritime industry, issued a statement urging players across the supply chain to find ways to cooperate and collaborate.
Media showed its colors at debate

Re: Did debate change minds? [Opinion, Sept. 27]: I believe the debate was a tie due to poor umpiring by Lester Holt, who showed his left-wing bias. On the other hand, Trump allowed himself to be distracted into taking pitches down the middle that he should have knocked out of the ball park, like the emails, Benghazi, pay to play, ISIS, hacking, Libya and other lies Clinton has told.

This did not sway my vote, as Trump made several important points about nuclear weapons being our biggest threat, not global warming, and that he is an outsider who understands how debilitating regulations are to small business, besides the need to bring back business to the U.S. through a lower tax rate. These were rookie mistakes I dont think Trump will make again in two weeks. Might also be a wake-up call to Mike Pence.

 Arn Lahde, Hemet

No winners, but 300 million losers

There wasnt an apparent winner in Monday nights debate, but there certainly were millions of losers. Im talking about the American people who are stuck with the two worst presidential candidates our country has ever matched together in the same election cycle.

It gets worse  the alleged debate was moderated by NBC TVs softball pitcher, Lester Holt. This supposedly qualified journalist failed to steer Hillary Clinton into addressing some hardball issues (her private email server, among other items, come to mind), while literally arguing with Donald Trump over some rather petty items (President Obamas birth certificate, etc.). Lost in this two-hour tragedy/comedy was the chance to reveal solutions to issues that truly matter to many Americans. Lets hope that rounds two and three will present more dignified debates that give American citizens real answers to real questions and topics.

 Dain Gingerelli, Temecula

Hillarys internal polls tell different story

Now that the first presidential debate is completed, the pundits and the liberal media have claimed that Hillary won the debate. But Hillarys own internal polling numbers tell a different story. Hillarys support is dropping like a stone. This week, Hillary, accompanied by Bernie Sanders, is in New Hampshire and Vermont trying to get millennials back into her camp. New Hampshire and Vermont have been blue states since forever, but now Gary Johnson is eroding her support.

Black voters are leaving her in droves, because she has been making the same promises for over 30 years, and she is still making the same promises, because she has failed to change anything that will benefit them. One state reported last week that it is sending out absentee ballots for mail-in voting. This one state has reported that it is mailing out four Republican ballots for every one Democrat ballot, not good news for Hillary.

 David Baker, Riverside

Unprepared challenger

Re: Doomed after debacle [News, Sept. 28]: You have posted an interesting article about how early debate troubles do not always lead to electoral defeat. In listing Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Al Gore, George W. Bush and Barack Obama and their rough debate performances you have pointed out that these candidates came back to win (except Gore).

A more interesting point (and you could include Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush) is that the names above have something else in common: they were all perceived as incumbents, either of their own administrations (Reagan, George W. Bush, Obama) or an extension of the previous one (Nixon, Gore). The incumbents were the persons with the poor performance, not the challenger. Never before have we witnessed challenger so unprepared for a major test (the initial debate).

Simply, no on Trump for president.

 Scott Hamre, Cherry Valley

We have nothing to fear from ISIS

Re: How much do you fear terrorism? [Opinion, Sept. 20]: If I had been living in London in the early 1940s I would have been concerned about things blowing up. Living in the United States at the present time, not so much.

Nevertheless, a lot of Americans seem to be willing to gut themselves by installing a third-world type strongman as president to save us from terrorists. The steady pressure against terrorism and ISIS practiced by the current administration appears to be the best way to go.

Consider the leaning elephant theory: If an elephant leans against something for long enough, it will give. Terrorism is way down on the list of things that need to be urgently addressed, such as a dysfunctional Congress due to big money from special interests, concentration of wealth, crumbling infrastructure and impractical immigration policy. Global warming is going to make life on this planet highly uncomfortable, if not unlivable, for future generations. Of course, if ISIS starts sending over fleets of strategic bombers and cruise missiles, Ill change my mind.

 Bob Wood, Redlands

Gun violence is the elephant in the room

The American standard of decent behavior, aka political correctness, is now cause for ostracism and job penalties if a person is politically incorrect, e.g. sexist, anti-LGBT, anti-patriotic, racist, etc. As I see it, one of the most egregious politically incorrect acts is the discharge of a firearm with intent to kill or harm.

If a person becomes a pariah for verbal slurs like the former Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, then why is it not repugnant to American society to advocate the arming of citizens for the purpose of shooting another human being?

Is it not hypocrisy to blow smoke under the guise of the U.S. Constitution and of self-defense to minimize the sad fact that all too often, an angry or deranged persons first option to vent is to get a gun and fire away? Or a scared cops or a macho ones first reaction is to empty his or her guns magazine? Society should be outraged that criminals have such easy access to guns and that police too often resort to firearms to resolve a confrontation.

Shame on our politicians and business CEOs for being politically correct on issues like gender use of bathrooms while ignoring the elephant in the room, the malodorous malaise of gun violence in the United States.

 George Chung, Redlands

Terrorism is a real danger

I was surprised when one of the most deadly terrorist attacks on America soil occurred in San Bernardino. San Bernardino has its share of gang-related incidents, but it isnt New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. Random attacks like these emphasize that everyone has to be vigilant about their surroundings. My worry is for the future safety of all Americans.

We are not winning the war on terrorism. I worry about how bad it might be in the future for my family. Terrorism is present. We are vulnerable because of uncontrolled borders and a lack of proper vetting. We can fight this war first and foremost by electing leaders who understand our enemies diligence toward our destruction.

I think Donald Trump has an understanding and concern for how dangerous terrorism is. Hillary Clinton and our president do not have the same understanding and concern which, I think, leaves our nation vulnerable. Terrorism does not always have a political motive.

 Palma Espinosa, Highland

Conservative and disappointed

As a confirmed conservative and after supporting, contributing to and voting for every Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon in 1960, I find myself disappointed and dismayed to be faced with a candidate so devoid of the necessary qualities to be president. I have finally not only decided that I cant support him, but that I will cast my vote and make my contributions on behalf of Hillary Clinton.

With 17 candidates to choose from initially, I would have supported any of the other 16, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but I find Donald Trump lacking the experience, ethics, honesty and temperament to lead the country.

While I have many policy disagreements with Hillary Clinton, I do think that she is, at least, qualified and competent to serve and worthy of trust. I would urge that those Republicans truly concerned with the future of our party values (especially conservatives) join those of us rejecting Donald Trump as the wrong messenger for our party.

 William Merrill, Yucca Valley
San Bernardino police officers issued about 35 citations late Saturday to drivers who had gathered in the parking lot of a Costco store in the city, police said.

Officers asked a group of car enthusiast who had gathered at the Inland Center Mall Saturday night to move along, said San Bernardino police Sgt. John Cardillo.

The car enthusiasts left but moved on to the Costco store on East Hospitality Lane, Cardillo said.

Police officers arrived shortly before midnight at the parking lot and issued about 35 citations for various vehicle code violations, he said.

Officers are trying to prevent problems that could lead to violence similar to an outbreak that resulted in a shooting in which Carl Ingram, 37, of Pomona was fatally wounded, officials said. Ingram was in the parking lot of the Carousel Mall late Sept. 25 when he was shot.

Classic car enthusiasts had gathered at that shopping center on a weekly basis, although it was not clear if Ingram had attended the gathering which had concluded earlier in the evening.

As a result of the homicide, police are giving extra attention to such gatherings and trying to prevent groups from congregating, Cardillo said.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Activists on Sunday called on Los Angeles police to publicly name the officers involved in the deadly shooting of an 18-year-old black man near his home and to conduct a quick and transparent investigation.

We dont want to see a cover-up. We dont want to see a whitewash, Earl Ofari Hutchinson of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable said after meeting with the family of Carnell Snell Jr. We have a family thats grieving. We have a community thats grieving.

The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon. Los Angeles police say they tried to pull over a car with paper license plates at about 1 p.m. After a short chase the driver and a passenger got out and fled. The passenger ran in back of a house, where he was shot. The driver escaped.

The coroners office confirmed Sunday that Snell was the man killed. His family lives in another house in the front of the property where the shooting occurred. A back gate there was riddled with six bullet holes.

Police have disclosed little about their investigation other than to say a handgun was found at the scene. It was not clear if Snell was carrying it.

In a statement, the LAPD said investigators will gather evidence related to the shooting to determine whether deadly force was necessary and the district attorneys office will review it to see if any criminal charges are warranted.

Snell was the third black man in five days to die in confrontations with police in Southern California. Last Tuesday, Alfred Olango was fatally shot by an officer in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, triggering three days of angry and sometimes violent protests. Olango was shot when he took a shooting stance and pointed at an officer with what turned out to be a 4-inch vape pen  an electronic cigarette device.

On Friday, Reginald Thomas died after being shot with a Taser by police in Pasadena. He was armed with a knife and his wife described him as mentally ill. His brother told a 911 dispatcher that Thomas was high and had a history of violence.

In Snells South Los Angeles neighborhood of small stucco houses and well-kept lawns there was a makeshift shrine of flowers and candles in front of the property where he died.

Christine Conley, a next-door neighbor of Snells for 10 years, described the teenager she knew as CJ as cheerful and polite, someone who liked to dress nicely and didnt sport gang clothing or tattoos.

She knew he had been in jail but didnt know why. A Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department website indicated that Snell was arrested in January and released from jail on probation in June. It did not describe the nature of the offense.

Hes never given me any problems. Hes always been respectful and kind, Conley said. He was always happy.

She said there is outrage in the black community because of the way police handle our people.

If he was any other race than black, he may have had another chance, she said.

There were small protests over the shooting Saturday night near Snells home and at the residence of Mayor Eric Garcetti in the Hancock Park area. Protesters blocked an intersection near the Snell home and eggs were thrown at the mayors house.
If all goes as it has the past few years, people will line up Sunday in front of the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, and they wont be there for the jokes.

Rosh Hashana starts at sundown Sunday, Oct. 2, and the iconic comedy club is one of a small but growing number of venues that host services for the key Jewish holiday free of charge.

Im so happy that its truly become a community event, said club owner Jamie Masada, a Jew who was born in Iran and raised in Israel. And that people feel at home here.

The High Holy Days come at a high cost. For millions of American Jews, the 10-day period of introspection, self-examination and atonement, which ends with Yom Kippur, means shelling out at least a few hundred dollars.

RELATED: What kind of a horn is a shofar and why is it sounded on Rosh Hashana?

Synagogues in Southern California typically hold services on Rosh Hashana for families who are full-time members, meaning theyve been paying dues all year, or for people who buy one-time tickets. Those tickets can run anywhere from $300 to $400 or more per person, depending on where you pray.

For synagogues with declining year-round membership, selling tickets during the High Holy Days is a way to pay for the mortgage, utilities and salaries  bills that come all year long.

Increasingly, that ticket money is important.

Fewer than one-third of American Jews belonged to a synagogue full-time in 2013, according to a Pew Research Center Survey. About 23 percent of U.S. Jews said they attend synagogue at least once or twice a month.

The survey also showed that a majority of Jewish people  about 75 percent  attend synagogue only during the High Holy Days.

And this is why synagogues are put in the unfortunate position of ticketing the services and events on these special days, said Rabbi Elie Spitz of Congregation Bnai Israel in Tustin.

In synagogues, there is no passing of the plate during weekly services, he said, adding that Jews are not allowed to handle money on Sabbath days.

Thats another reason why those who come just for the holiday services are urged to support their synagogue by buying the tickets.

But Spitz and other rabbis insist that no one is turned away or denied participation in services because they cannot pay.

There is also the strong feeling that no one should be embarrassed or shamed. This is an important Jewish value.

COUNTER TREND

In recent years, as younger families have shied away from buying holiday tickets or paying synagogue memberships, which can cost a family up to $3,000 annually, some synagogues have shifted gears.

The Chabad synagogues, which represent the Jewish Orthodox movement, have opened up their services at no cost.

Rabbi Reuven Mintz of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Newport Beach says roughly 80 percent of the Jews who live in Orange County arent affiliated with any synagogue, and cost is a big reason for that.

These holy days are a time to engage in prayer, spiritual pursuits and hit the reset button, Mintz said.

We feel that there should not be a price tag placed on that experience.

Chabad Newport Beach typically rents out a ballroom in a local hotel for the High Holy Days, and last year hosted about 800 people across all services. Mintz said sponsors pick up much of the bill.

You never know if someone is unable to pay because theyve fallen on hard times or because they are on a fixed income, he said. And its not easy for people to pick up the phone (and) say they cant afford tickets.

Some synagogues turn to churches for room to host the special services.

The Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, headed by Rabbi Marcia Tilchin, is providing services and programs during the High Holy Days at St. Marks Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, at the Newport Beach LDS Cultural Center and even in private homes.

A donation of $180 is requested, not required.

NONTRADITIONAL

Masada said he opened the Laugh Factory for Rosh Hashana a few years ago as a way for out-of-town comics to attend holy day services. Before that, he said, he would buy tickets so the comedians could attend elsewhere.

But, one year, I thought, Why not do it in my club? Masada said.

So, I got my own rabbi, cantor and flowers.

The lines have grown long enough over the years that hes enlisted a neighbor, a deli owner, to rent a section of his parking lot for a TV screen and chairs to accommodate the overflow.

I just felt that everyone had to be accommodated and no one should be turned away, Masada said.

Over the years, the Laugh Factory has welcomed up-and-coming comedians, members of the general public and even Hollywood stars like Kirk Douglas. Masada said some of the volunteers who hand out prayer books during the services are Holocaust survivors, now in their 90s.

I think a lot of people came because they wanted to get in touch with their roots, he said.

Masada said he is trying to find a bigger venue for the services but, this year at least, they will still be held at the comedy club.

COMPETITION

But the Laugh Factory and other nontraditional places for synagogue, as well as all other free venues, present a challenge to old-school synagogues that need the money connected to the holiday, says Rabbi Jay Sherwood of Congregation Emanu El in Redlands.

Sherwood said his is the oldest synagogue in Southern California, established by a Jewish man who came to the area in the 1850s as part of a (mostly) Mormon wagon train.

But like most synagogues, he said, weve suffered a drop in membership.

The temple charges for High Holy Days tickets, but it also raises funds through other events and programs all year long.

With a younger generation that doesnt seem too interested in a physical congregation, and with new outlets of Jewish expression, our challenges continue to grow, Sherwood said.

Such challenges have forced many synagogues to innovate.

Spitz, the rabbi at Temple Bnai Israel in Tustin, said he has sought the mentorship of Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren to implement small group programs in the synagogue. The concept  which involves forming groups of members who come together for a limited time to discuss a specific topic picked by the rabbi  is modeled after Warrens church.

Spitz said the topic he assigned during last years High Holy Days, when he kicked off this campaign, was Becoming Your Best.

We had 350 members participate in 85 groups, he said. Were doing it again this year.

Despite hurdles presented by the pay to pray model, many community members are sympathetic to synagogues.

Nelli Greenspan of Huntington Beach, who attends services at Chabad Huntington Beach, says the $180 ticket price for a holiday service is justified.

When we go to the philharmonic, or a Broadway show, we pay a lot of money, she said.

In these services we listen to rabbis and cantors who are dedicated to the community. Yes, its worth paying to show your support.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com
The desire among three friends from Asante Bekwai in the Ashanti Region to become rich overnight by way of rituals (Sakawa) turned bizarre when one of them allegedly turned into a cat after sleeping in a coffin for seven days.



The names of the three friends were given as Kwadwo Kumasi, 28; Yaw Mensah, 37, and Kwame Osei, 26.

They are said to have contacted a popular jujuman, identified as Mallam Kantanka, at Sefwi Asawinso in the Western Region, to perform rituals for them to become rich overnight.

As part of the rituals, the jujuman instructed them to sleep in a coffin in turns for seven days.

According to a resident of Asawinso, Nana Yaw Koranteng, who is a close friend of Mallam Kantankas, Kumasi elected himself to be the first to sleep in the coffin, while the remaining two waited for their turns.

Nana Koranteng said when the first seven days elapsed, two of the friends went to check on Mallam Kantanka at his shrine but he was nowhere to be found.

He said apart from the disappearance of the jujuman, there was no trace of Kumasi who had slept in the coffin.

Worried about the turn of events, Nana Koranteng said, the two friends quickly reported the case to the police at Asawinso.

When contacted, the Asawinso District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Richard Boahen, confirmed the incident and said the two friends reported the incident last Monday and the police quickly invited Mallam Kantanka for interrogation.

During the interrogation, Mr Boahen said, Mallam Kantanka confirmed the report of the two complainants but said the jujuman gave the two seven more days to perform some rituals to bring Kumasi back to life.

He said the police were waiting to see Kumasis return, as promised by Mallam Kantanka, while investigations were ongoing.

As of the time of filing this report, some policemen and residents of Asawinso had thronged the premises of the shrine to see how Mallam Kantanka could possibly bring Kumasi back to life.

According to reports yet to be confirmed, a cat and an amount of money were found in a coffin in which Kumasi had slept for the rituals.

It is suspected that Kumasi had turned into the cat.

Some of the people the Daily Graphic spoke to dismissed that claim as mere superstition, but others said in the era of sakawa, it was difficult to wish the reports away.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Host of Metro TVs Good Evening Ghana show, Paul Adom-Otchere has described the Flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo Addo as a master brain in Parliament when he was a member of the House.



According to the Communications Consultant and Broadcast Journalist, the brilliant delivery of the three-time Presidential candidate especially regarding constitutional and legal matters during Parliamentary proceedings was a delight to watch and listen and also crucial to the course of the NPP.



The eloquent and articulate Nana Akufo Addo served as the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South for 12 years, exiting the Legislature in 2008 to pursue his Presidential ambitions.



Serving as the Minority Spokesperson on Constitutional and Legal Affairs in Parliament, Nana Akufo Addo was always heard making strong arguments on matter relating to the supreme law of the land and its rightful application.



Speaking to Bola Ray on Starr FM, Wednesday, Mr. Adom-Otchere who said he was inspired by Akufo Addo to study law recountered one of the instances in Parliament where the latter showed his exploits much to the amazement of the House.



On this occasion Hackman Owusu Agyeman had brought a motion about the Abacha bribe which became news recently, and Hackman had asked the Speaker that the Parliament should discuss the matter and see whether they will form a committee to investigate the situation. The speaker had told Hackman that this is a newspaper allegation and he did not expect Parliament to discuss and form committees matters that newspapers had raised. The Speakers view sounded like a very sound view and Hackman was bastardized by the NDC and he was in very bad shape on the floor of Parliament. This was one of the few occasions that we had seen the Minority being bastardized by the Majority on intellectual point.



He added: So then Akufo Addo raises his hand that he had something to say, the whole Parliament went quiet because we were all wondering what he was going to say, we knew that he was a very brilliant MP but we thought this was a bad case and we didnt know how he was going to help this one. So speaker said, tell uswhat do you have to say, and then he started by saying that the matter before the House was not whether to discuss Rawlings/ Abacha bribe nor whether or not a newspaper article should be discussed or not by Parliament. By this time he had gooten everybody confused, so the Majority started shouting at him asking so what is the matter before the House and he said, it is about the Speaker, and then Justice Annan said meAkufo Addo said yes. It is about your conduct. You are not an elected member of the House, you cant participate in the decision as to what we should discuss or not discuss, but here you are actively participating in the decision so you are the problem. Speaker nodded and said I understandMPs cast your votes and lets see if the matter should be discussed or not. Of course everyone knows that the Minority walked out on the vote. That day I was impressed with the man.



Nana Akufo Addo was a master-brain and I think J.H Mensah relied on him significantly. I fell in love with him so much that almost every afternoon Ill go to his Nima office, and hell be in the office and I just looked at the way he conducted his office affairs and of course Ill get an exclusive for Joy FM. That was my inspiration to study law. I terribly fell in love with the man.



He also described the Second Parliament of the Fourth Republic as the best in recent times which had Justice D.F Annan as the Speaker, J.H Owusu Acheampong as the Majority Leader and J.H Mensah as the Minority Leader.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









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Kweku Baako Jnr has taken a swipe at the Flagbearer of the All People's Congress (APC) Hassan Ayariga for venting his spleen on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.



Hassan Ayariga lambasted Nana Addo, flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) claiming he is not fit to be President of the Republic because he still lives in his father's house even at age 72.



At age 72, my senior and my father, Nana Akufo-Addo, is still living in his fathers house. At this age 72, I would have retired from politics and been advising young men of this country to move this country forward and not contest with them anymore, he reportedly said.



He is also reported to have said in an interview with Class FM on Wednesday, September 28 that Nana Addo is nobody but just an ordinary human being and must pave way for the youth to take over the leadership of the country.



"The NPP thinks Nana Addo is a god. Nana Addo is nobody, he is no god. I want the NPP to know in this world that if Nana Addo is what they think he is, he will have won elections for them. He is nobody; he is just an ordinary human being. Where I come from, [the eldest] son [doesnt] live in his fathers house after a certain age; thats leadership. You must move out and let the youth take over and show leadership.



Speaking to these comments, Kweku Baako, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper expressed bitter feelings over the behaviour of the APC flagbearer, saying the method he's adopted is very crude".



"I have seen some of them attacking other presidential candidates especially Nana Addo and they are going about it in a very crude way," he said, adding that Ayariga's attacks on the personality of Nana Addo proves how unprepared and unready he is for the Presidential seat.



It creates the impression that they are not seeking the ultimate, which is the presidency; they are just exposing themselves that they are not in the competition."



Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi /Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Deputy Communications Officer for the National Democratic Congress [NDC] Kweku Boahen has confidently declared that President John Dramani Mahamas good looks and competence makes him the best candidate to occupy the countrys presidential seat for the next four years.



According to him, Ghanaians would definitely not vote for any political party whose candidates qualities pales in comparison to that of President Mahama.



He further expressed optimism that the NDCs agenda to garner more votes in the opposition partys strongholds is still on course.



our votes (this year) in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions, where members of the New Patriotic Party [NPP] claim are their strong holds, would move up by greater margins more than we have polled in the past years, he said.



Commenting on the brouhaha over the Electoral Commission (ECs) filing fees on UTVs Adekye Nsroma programme, Kweku Boahen stressed that persons who agitate against Electoral Commission [EC]s filing fees are those who want to derail the commissions work, which shouldnt be so because filing fees paid by aspirants in both presidential and parliamentary primaries at the inter-party level is not much different from that of the EC. We must give the EC the peace of mind to effectively go about their job.



The EC has come under heavy criticism for some of the demands it is making from the presidential and the parliamentary candidates for the December general election.



After an Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Thursday September 8, the EC announced that parliamentary candidates will have to file their nomination at a fee of GHC10,000 while presidential candidates are expected to pay GHC50,000.



However, the decision to charge high filing fees appears to have caught fire as some of the political parties have gone to court to place an injunction on the process.



The Convention Peoples Party (CPP), the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), the Peoples National Convention (PNC) and a host of other political parties, have accused the EC of using the price hikes as a means to stifle democracy; an assertion the EC has vehemently refuted.



But Kweku Boahen believes there is nothing wrong with the new filing fees introduced by the electoral body and told Lawyer Tweneboah Koduah, host of the show that I wont be surprised some candidates go for the forms just for showmanship or business purposes known to them alone.



However, his co-panelist on the show, Member of Parliament [MP] for Fanteakwa South in the Eastern Region, Hon. Kofi Okyere Agyekum, dismissed his assertions on President Mahama standing tall over the other presidential candidates saying Mahama would lose this years election massively due to his illogical manoeuvres as a bad driver.

Source: Semiheva Elizabeth









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The conduct of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) lately has taken Ghana back as far as the countrys human rights record is concerned, Nana Akomea, Director of Communication of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said.



His comment follows BNIs arrest and detention of Ghanaian-Lebanese author Fadi Daboussi for two days for asking in one of his publications if President John Mahama had HIV/AIDS and for also making reference to a publication alleging Mr Mahama had impregnated a daughter of Ashanti monarch Otumfuo Osei Tutu.



Speaking on Multi TVs Newsfile programme on Saturday, October 1, Mr Akomea said: This country seems to be going back as far as human rights and the libertarian profile of our constitution is concerned. The liberal constitutional regime that we are engaged in now, this country seems to be going back in the last couple of years. The BNI itself has been a major factor in this development. In the last couple of years, the whole country has been alarmed at the way BNI had picked people, Ghanaians, up and the way they have been treated.



Many times the BNI breaches the laws of Ghana, even if those detentions were to have any merit, the BNI breaks the law; keeping people beyond the 48 hours and so on. In the case of Fadi, he [had] been detained by the BNI because he had written something about the President that the BNI believed was questionable. [But] there has been a period in this country where a sitting president was accused of having impregnated some foreign woman and having had twins, and you had the NDC political party going on organising press conferences on this matter about the sitting president having impregnated some foreign woman and having had twins.



These kinds of accusations and writings have happened in this country [but] people were not detained by the BNI. You can call people in and question them to see if there is any basis to the writings. There was a time in this country when a sitting president of this country was accused of having transferred the gold reserves of this country into a private offshore account. That had several criminal implications [but] nobody was detained by the BNI because they made those accusations. If Mr Daboussi had written something that the BNI found that it didnt have any merit, call him. Do you need to detain citizens of this country because they have written something that you dont agree with?



Also speaking on the same programme, George Loh, Member of Parliament for North Dayi constituency, disagreed with Mr Akomea, saying, National Security operatives all around the world have operational guidelines that they depend on to act against threats to their countries.



He said: I am amazed at how sometimes we descend on our National Security in this country as though they are not a product of this country. All over the world, national securities have their own operational guidelines and they depend on what they think is serious or disingenuous to this country [to] act.



Nana Akomea has given us a repertoire of what he doesnt like about what has happened, but clearly he hasnt said anywhere that the National Security apparatus or the BNI has erred. I have done my investigations, they (the BNI) didnt keep him (Fadi) beyond the statuary 48 hours. They allowed him to have access to a lawyer. He himself has come out to say he wasnt ill-treated.

Source: classfmonline.com









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Alhaji Abubakari, a stern critic of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who performed the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca this year, has asked all Muslims in Bole- Bamboi constituency and Northern Ghana to support President John Dramani Mahama because of his good works for them.



Speaking on Nkilgi FM in Bole, Alhaji Abubakari said performing Hajj has been made easier for the people of the North disclosing that he did less than three hours from Bole to Tamale because the Sawla- Fufulso road is now a first class one and did not believe he travelled from Tamale to Saudi Arabia straight to perform the Hajj.



Alhaji Abubakari who is known to be a principled and honest man said he rejected all persuasions by NDC leading members including the founder of the party and first Chairman for the Bole-Bamboi Alhaji Meijida who is his cousin, and Alhaji Abudulai Allah Kabo who is a former Bole-Bamboi Constituency NDC Vice- Chairman to join the NDC but now feels it is an obligation to let the world know about the good works of President John Dramani Mahama.



He added that he bought his own ticket to perform the Hajj at Mecca and so no one should misconstrue his current stance as someone that has been influenced with money.

Source: Ultimate1069.com









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The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is protecting the president against suits in relation to the Ford gift saga, a member of pressure group OccupyGhana, Sydney Casely-Hayford, has alleged.



According to him, CHRAJ has done a poor job and this [report] was a whitewash to try and give the president an opportunity to try and block anything that anyone comes up with to try and sue him further and it is not good enough.



CHRAJ has said not only did its investigation into allegations of bribery, fraud and conflict of interest brought against Mr Mahama in connection with the SUV gift exonerate the President, but also brings closure to the matter.



After close to four months of what CHRAJ describes as extensive investigations, the commission said President Mahama only violated the gift policy regime for public officers.



It is recalled that the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), the Youth Wing of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), and a private citizen petitioned CHRAJ to have Mr Mahama investigated after he received the Ford SUV from the contractor who was in turn awarded government contracts.



Reacting to the verdict on Citi FMs The Big Issue on Saturday October 1, the social commentator insisted that there was more to the issue and the president could not be vindicated since he violated the gift policy.



For him, Mr Mahama did not like to face the reality that he erred in his acceptance of the gift.



The Financial Analyst maintained that Mr Mahama was not an honest person and charged him to face facts and be candid with Ghanaians.



CHRAJ stated in its report that upon inspection, the investigators noticed that the vehicle had been customised (i.e. re-fitted) with security gadgets, including machine guns and ammunition. The investigators also noticed that the vehicle uses different numbers at different times as part of security measures.



Mr Frank Niiti, Special Assistant, Logistics and Operations at the Flagstaff House, Kanda, assisted the commission with information on the use of the Ford Expedition.



He said: Ever since the delivery of the vehicle to the castle, it has been used solely for the provision of security for presidential and other VIP convoys.



Mr Casely-Hayford did not understand how such a vehicle from a private person would be used for such purpose even though the original manufacturers did not intend it for that.



So, we have a situation where our president drives around town with a war mentality, he alleged.



He continued: We credit ourselves as a peaceful and growing democracy that respects the rule of law or orderliness but behind the scenes we are preparing for war with some unknown assailants. Why was the Ford mounted with machine guns? Why this one in particular? he questioned.

Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Veteran Nollywood actor, Martins Njubuigbo, popularly known as Elder Maya has died.



Elder Maya, who featured in blockbusters, including Died Wretched and Battle of Musanga, died months after battling a liver-related ailment.



His son confirmed his demise on social media yesterday. Senior Pastor of Champions Royal Assembly, Abuja, Joshua Iginla, had assisted Elder Maya with N1million for treatment.



The Nigerian movie industry has lost some big names this year. In January, young actor, Olamide David, who played the lead role in Foluke Daramolas movie, Cobweb, passed away.



In February, Nollywood actor, Mike Odachi of the Igodo fame died at the age of 51.



Also in February, another Veteran Nollywood actor, Festus Aguebor died after battling an undisclosed ailment. In May, another actor Fred Ebhoria Ekata, gave up the ghost. He died after one year of struggling with a kidney related disease.



In July, veteran actress, Bukky Ajayi, passed on at the age of 82. Late Ajayi made her last public appearance at the 2016 AMVCA in March, where she won the AMVCA Merit Award. In May, rising star, Genevieve Nene died after a brief illness.

Source: Dailypost.ng









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A couple of months after television personality Sonia Krugers on-air call for Muslims to be banned from entering the country, Cosmopolitan magazine has backed away from endorsing the presenter in its Woman Of The Year Awards.

Speaking to Fairfax, Cosmopolitan editor Claire Askew said Kruger, 100 per cent, does not reflect the opinions of us or our readers. Askew also said her appearance on the TV Presenter Of The Year list  alongside Samantha Armytage, Carrie Bickmore, Erin Molan and Sylvia Jeffreys  was approved and went into publication before Krugers mini-Trump tirade.

via Cosmopolitan.

Despite that public disavowal, Askew has still left Kruger on the list of nominees. Sure, she claims there was a big debate in the office about Kruger, but Askew said its up to the readers to vote and whether she should be the winner or not, and that she [trusts] them to choose the best woman who they think deserves the award.

Pre-emptively claiming Kruger is straight-up unrepresentative of Cosmos audience while still giving punters the option to cast a vote in her favour sure is an, uh, interesting move. Regardless, youll have to wait until next months award ceremony to see how this whole thing shakes out,

If you feel so inclined, you can scope out the vote right here. Take note of the taglines provided for Krugers entry, too: her description as a provider of sensible opinions was pretty thoroughly maligned when the nominations were first announced, but its still right bloody there.

Baffling.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Photo: Cosmopolitan.
One of the underpinning principles of the Governments proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite is that Australia can be trusted to conduct a civil, reasoned debate on a subject which sensible people can disagree.

It all sounds well and good on paper, but the bloody thing hasnt even passed Parliament and weve already had Bill Leak compare same-sex marriage advocates to Hitlers genocidal stormtroopers, and now Miranda Devine  obviously confused and disoriented because Nazis had already been done  compared em to ISIS.

Columns up. Take our olive branch and shove it: the case of the doomed marriage plebiscite. Plus SA green-blackout https://t.co/LzqnvkgR0O  Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) October 1, 2016

Devine is by far one of the best News Corp columnists to read, because it is patently clear that she just bangs out whatever cretinous nonsense crosses her mind in the full knowledge that there is a bunch of people who will gladly read it no matter what. Conservative writers like Janet Albrechtsen or Rowan Dean  hell, even Andrew Bolt  at least try to build some kind of lunatic structure around their (extremely bad) arguments. Devine just does the newspaper column equivalent of screaming into a pillow.

Case in point: this article. Devine asserts that gays are somehow ISIS without even providing the bare minimum of an argument to support that point:

They are gentle Christians and other defenders of traditional marriage who have been vilified for daring to hold a contrary view. Those courageous enough to raise a head above the parapet are brutally made examples of. Its the social form of warning off perfected by ISIS when they publicly behead people or lower them in cages into swimming pools or stage any number of elaborate tortures as a lesson to others who might dare even think of being disobedient.

People who cop flak for not supporting same-sex marriage in 2016 are roughly equivalent to the people ISIS behead. I see how that makes sense. It feels like there should be  oh, I dunno  three or four paragraphs supporting that assertion in between those two, but whatever.

Im sure that ISIS would consider themselves very much aligned in beliefs and tactics with same-sex marriage advocates in Australia.

It seems unusual that the very people who argue for a same-sex marriage plebiscite on the grounds that civil debate and free speech ought to be enabled and encouraged are the same people using their very powerful pulpits to compare advocates to Nazis and Wahhabist militants.

Heres whats going to happen: marriage equality will be legislated at some point. Its essentially a tedious inevitability at this point. The media Devines of the world can pound their fists and yell from their luxe North Shore enclaves all they like. But at the end of the day, its LGBTQI youth that end up bearing the brunt of this shit. Not fucking Lyle Shelton.

Source: Daily Telegraph.

Photo: SBS.
2016 has arguably been the biggest year of Margot Robbies career. A massive role in Suicide Squad confirmed her as one of the best elements of the entire DC Cinematic Universe, while her turn as Jane in The Legend Of Tarzan further bolstered her already-blinding star factor.

With that in mind, it makes sense Saturday Night Live would tap the Aussie actress to host the premiere episode of its 42nd season, but the show didnt exactly draw from her cinematic work over the past 12 months  it seemingly dipped into that thirsty-as-fuck interview with Vanity Fair.

ICYMI, the writer tasked with interviewing the 26-year-old gun seemingly couldnt get over Robbies looks, and was seemingly so awestruck that he didnt really mention anything else bout her at all.

It read a bit like some sort of cheesy 80s teen movie fantasy, but not in a good way. So, thats exactly what the folks at Saturday Night Live decided to emulate: pure hormonal #thirst taken to its logical extreme, and the consequences of not noticing any other important characteristics about a fully-fledged human being / hellspawn succubus.

Pointed satire on gender politics? In my SNL? Believe it:

Source and photo: Saturday Night Live / NBC.
Well folks, it wouldnt be an Australian music festival without the solemn recital of the drug arrest stats afterwards. Given that we still have governments who believe the best way to address young people using party drugs is to arrest em, this is how its gotta be.

Listen Out in Sydney yesterday provided a tasty haul for cops: of the 25,000 people who attended, more than 120 were nabbed on drug offences. 113 were caught possessing drugs, and 13 were nailed for supply.

Furthermore, three people were charged with assault, three were arrested for allegedly assaulting police and six were charged with resisting police.

Despite that fairly high number of arrests, Superintendent Karen McCarthy said the cops were overall pretty happy.

Most of the festival goers were able to enjoy the featured acts safely and without the dangerous effects of illicit substances or anti-social behaviour, Superintendent McCarthy said.

People need to realise that high-visibility police operations are par for the course at major music festivals. If you bring illicit drugs to these events, chances are you will be caught.

Our take? Why not replace the sniffers and cops with drug testing? Now theres an idea.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Photo: Listen Out.
Marijuana Labs-Explosions

In this Sept. 27, 2016 file photo, debris is seen scattered around at the scene of a house explosion in the Bronx borough of New York. Authorities believe that the house contained an indoor marijuana growing operation and an illegally tapped gas line may have caused the explosion that killed a New York City Fire Department Battalion Chief. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

(Mary Altaffer)

NEW YORK (AP) -- An explosion that destroyed a New York City home and killed a firefighter has drawn attention to marijuana-making methods that are legal in many states -- but can also be lethal.

A New York fire battalion chief died responding to the blast Tuesday in a Bronx home that authorities say had been converted into an indoor marijuana farm. They're investigating whether the alleged growers tampered with gas lines and mishandled other materials in ways that caused the explosion.

Indoor marijuana farmers can create potential fire hazards by using natural gas, propane or butane to power carbon dioxide generators that make the plants grow. In recent years across the country, similar methods used to produce more potent marijuana extracts have resulted in explosions and other catastrophes.

Indoor gas use "is a standard way to grow marijuana," says Michael O'Hare, a professor at the University of California in Berkeley who is an expert in cannabis cultivation. "If you raise the CO2 level, it'll grow faster."

Some growers rely on propane or butane gas because using large amounts of metered gas from a utility could draw the attention of authorities, who might question why so much fuel is needed for a house of a certain size, O'Hare said. In those conditions, a gas leak could spell disaster, he said.

An hour before the explosion at about 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday in the Bronx, dozens of nearby residents said they could smell gas wafting over the neighborhood. The house had already been evacuated and fire personnel were on the scene when the blast sent debris flying, killing Chief Michael Fahy, a 17-year fire department veteran and father of three. His funeral was being held Saturday.

Two suspects, Garivaldi Castillo and Julio Salcedo, were arrested and are being held on drug charges while authorities try to determine whether there is evidence they could result in more serious counts related to Fahy's death.

Prosecutors said in court this week that the two-story Bronx property was full of combustible items related to the pot operation, including grow lamps and vats of liquid fertilizer. Windows were sealed and other areas covered with extra insulation to retain heat. Plants the size of "small trees" were growing in bedrooms on the upper floor.

A lawyer for the 32-year-old Castillo has questioned his connections to the house. Castillo has pleaded not guilty. Salcedo, 34, was arraigned late Friday, pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.

Firefighters packed the courthouse where Salcedo was arraigned. Earlier, as he walked into a Bronx precinct, some firefighters told him to "burn in hell," The New York Daily News reported.

Given that only about half of U.S. states have legalized marijuana, either for medical or recreational use, it's impossible to estimate how many such growth labs exist, O'Hare said.

In marijuana production-related accidents, more than 30 people were injured last year in Colorado from butane explosions involving hash oil -- a concentrated form of marijuana extracted from the plant's leaves and flowers.

Last year, a marijuana dispensary in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was engulfed in flames after a blast that injured two workers. Fire department investigators said a butane leak met with an ignition source, causing an explosion powerful enough to separate the roof from the wall and melt fluorescent lights.

And in Washington state, federal prosecutors have brought charges in five cases involving explosions during hash oil production. The former mayor of Bellevue, Washington, died while trying to escape a fire linked to such activity.

In the past year or so, an especially strong concentrate is appearing -- "shatter," a form of cannabis wax derived from butane hash oil that is about five times more potent and faster-acting than unrefined smoked cannabis. It's legal for recreational use in states such as Colorado and Washington, but sold in medical marijuana dispensaries in other states.
283 crash sunday.png

A multi-vehicle crash is causing a northbound lane restriction on Interstate 283 near the exit to Route 441.

(PennDOT traffic cam. )

Update: Crash cleared.

A multi-vehicle crash is slowing Sunday traffic on Interstate 283.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the crash occurred around 1:39 p.m. in the southbound lane about a quarter mile north of Exit 2 to Pennsylvania Route 441 and Swatara.

There is a lane restriction.

For more traffic information, follow live traffic updates, accident reports and road closures below from PennDOT, Total Traffic Network and other Twitter sources.

Get a look at conditions on local roads -- via PennDOT traffic cameras -- anytime here on PennLive. For Pennsylvania Turnpike updates and possible travel delays visit the Turnpike website here.

Tweet us at @pennlive with any incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com.
MANHEIM--Donald Trump for the last two weeks has threatened to make former President Bill Clinton's past infidelities a central issue in the campaign.

He threatened to invite Gennifer Flowers to the first presidential debate, but ultimately didn't.

After the debate, which most people said he lost, Trump claimed he would bring up Bill Clinton's trysts in the next debate.

But during a Saturday night campaign stop in Lancaster County, he suggested Hillary Clinton is the cheater.

"I don't even think she's loyal to Bill to tell you the truth, and why should she be?"

He did not elaborate or explain why he believes that.
traffic 83.png

A crash in the southbound lane north of the exit to Paxton Street and Bass Pro Drive is slowing Sunday traffic on Interstate 83.

(PennDOT traffic cam. )

UPDATE: The crash has been cleared.

The multi-vehicle crash that slowed southbound traffic on Interstate 83 in Dauphin County has been cleared.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the crash occurred around 2:32 p.m. Sunday about a mile north of Exit 45 to Paxton Street and Bass Pro Drive.

The crash was cleared just after 3 p.m.

For more traffic information, follow live traffic updates, accident reports and road closures below from PennDOT, Total Traffic Network and other Twitter sources.

Get a look at conditions on local roads -- via PennDOT traffic cameras -- anytime here on PennLive. For Pennsylvania Turnpike updates and possible travel delays visit the Turnpike website here.

Tweet us at @pennlive with any incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com.
MANHEIM - This is the type of Donald Trump crowd Democrats are sometimes quick to dismiss.

It's the kind of group President Barack Obama once described as clinging to their guns and religion.

They chant "Lock her up!" when someone mentions Hillary Clinton's name. They say the Pledge of Allegiance a little louder than everyone else. They take off their "Make America Great Again" hats during the invocation. They applaud every time someone mentions a police officer or veteran. They get tears in their eyes during the National Anthem, and they cheer "USA, USA, USA" when someone finishes singing it.

They are rural, blue collar and why Trump could be the first Republican since 1988 to win Pennsylvania.

Republicans do face an uphill battle in Pennsylvania because the largest population centers in the state - Philadelphia and Pittsburgh - bleed blue.

But there are some interesting dynamics at play this year that could make the November election buck tradition. Trump is attracting more voters than Mitt Romney did in 2012, and Clinton isn't expected to draw the Philadelphia turnout Obama did in 2012 or 2008.

While Clinton has attracted large crowds, they haven't been as big as Trump's audience. Her rallies typically include several hundred people to about 3,000 people.

At Trump's Manheim rally Saturday night, more than 6,000 people attended and thousands more were turned away at the door.

Trump is expected to get 65 to 70 percent of the vote in the red Lancaster County, where he campaigned Saturday night to register voters and encourage them to go to the polls on Nov. 8.

The bigger the pie, the bigger that 65 to 70 percent is. Trump is hoping to magnify his yield, according to Chris Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.

"If he does that, and Philly doesn't turn out the way it did for Obama, it starts to make the state a real possibility for Trump," Borick said.

The black vote makes up at least half of the Philly vote, and that support is overwhelmingly gong to Clinton.

"But not as much as Obama," Borick said.

"Let's imagine Dems don't come out of Philly with a 400,000 to 500,000 advantage and Trump is able to make it up in other blue-collar parts of the state. It starts to be a real concern for the Dems," he said.

It's likely already a real concern. Democrats have had their eye on Philly before the election really began, choosing the city as the site of the Democratic National Convention.

And both parties have been focusing on Pennsylvania overall, vying for the state's 20 electoral votes. The commonwealth has frequently been the first stop for Clinton, Trump and their top surrogates before and after major political events, such as the primary election, political conventions and debates.

"They come out either to stop the bleeding or build momentum," Borick said.

Most recently, Trump's running mate Mike Pence hosted a rally Thursday in York County--three days after the first presidential debate. Trump campaigned in Lancaster Saturday night. And Clinton is set to be in Philadelphia and Harrisburg on Tuesday.

Also, the Obamas and Bidens have taken turns campaigning in Philadelphia throughout the last month.

"It really comes down to Philly. If the margin in Philly is significantly lower than 2012 or 2008, this could be a much closer race than we've seen," Borick said.

Trump is counting on it.

At recent campaign stops in Pennsylvania, Trump guaranteed he would win the state.

Political analysts say he might be right.

Clinton's lead in Pennsylvania is about 2 to 2.5 percent, according to an average of the last several polls. That's within the margin of error.

"Pennsylvania, despite what a lot of people thought, is very much in play with Clinton having a narrow lead," said Terry Madonna, veteran pollster and political analyst at Franklin & Marshall College.

All the focus needs to be on African-Americans and millennials, Madonna said, emphasizing that African-Americans make up half the vote in Philly.

Obama had 588,000 votes, and 93 percent of the African-American vote, in Philadelphia during the last election.

"Clinton has to come close to equal that, if not more, because Trump is going to do better than Romney," Madonna said.

Millennials make up 19 percent of eligible voters. Obama won that group with 64 percent of the vote in 2012.

"Both campaigns are doing everything they can to make African-Americans and millennials enthusiastic," Madonna said.

Something that could help Clinton if she doesn't do as well as Obama among African-Americans and millennials is Trump polling poorly among college-educated voters.

"If Trump gets wiped out by college-educated voters in the Philly suburbs, that helps offset Clinton's challenges with African-Americans and millennials," Madonna said.

Trump's challenge is that he's not winning many groups.

"He need more demographics than white males," said Kyle Kopko, a political science professor at Elizabethtown College. "And his problem with women is fairly significant."

That's why Kopko thinks Clinton still has the edge, but agrees it's a narrow race.

Pennsylvanians can and should expect more campaign stops in the state leading up to Election Day, he said.

"Democrats have won it for the last 24 years, and it really hasn't been a swing state, but they can't take it for granted," Kopko said. "There's still always a shot it could be taken."
With a wave and a smile, the Royal Fab 4 are saying goodbye to North America.

Wrapping up their week-long tour of Canada, Prince William and Princess Kate highlighted mental health initiatives on their last day in Canada before setting sail  and taking flight.

After a brief sailing trip and tour over Vancouver Island on Saturday morning, they then returned home to London with children Prince George and Princess Charlotte on a Canadian Air Force Plane.

The farewell ended a memorable week of travel around British Columbia and Yukon  including the ultimate royal playdate.

The family arrived in Canada last Saturday, when George showed off his signature knee socks and memorably decided against a high-five from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte Have the Best Time in Canada!

Amid the formalities, there were many opportunities for outdoor fun. And for Kate, there were even more opportunities to honor the host nation with her impeccable diplomatic dressing.

Among the weeks highlights: an unusual local delicacy, George twinning with Prince Harry, the cutest royal re-wear yet and the poignancy of a visit to a train carriage once used by his granny Queen Elizabeth.

 Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter.

Next week for George, it will be back to his preschool near the familys country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

The couple has a series of royal duties to come, including a day-trip to the Netherlands for Kate on October 11, while William will be carrying out his air ambulance duties and planning a visit to Vietnam in November.
Early signs show OPEC supply deal not easy









OPEC will decide on quotas in November

LONDON

Petroleumworld.com 10 03 2016

Just days after OPEC agreed the framework for its first production cut in eight years, initial estimates of the group's output this month show the potential bind faced by its most powerful member.

While Saudi Arabia lowered output this month -- following the typical seasonal shift as local consumption sags at the end of summer -- the group's overall output remained steady as Nigeria and Libya restored disrupted supplies and Iran continued its return from international sanctions, according to data from Vienna-based consultants JBC Energy GmbH.

Saudi output fell by 140,000 barrels a day to 10.5 million a day last month, the data show. At the same time, Nigeria added 90,000 barrels a day and Libya pumped an extra 30,000, JBC said. That left total OPEC output stable at 33.5 million daily barrels, illustrating the challenge the Gulf kingdom may face to deliver on the Sept. 28 pledge to reduce the group's output to 32.5 million to 33 million barrels a day.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed two days ago in Algiers that it would limit supply in a bid to shrink the world's bloated oil stockpiles and boost prices. It set up a committee to work out how to divide up the necessary output cuts between members over the next two months, then make recommendations at its next meeting in Vienna on Nov. 30.

Within hours of the announcement, Iran and Nigeria said they considered themselves exempt from any commitment to freeze supply, while Iraq rejected OPEC's own estimates of how much crude it's pumping -- which could determine the size of eventual output cuts. Libya had said prior to the Algiers meeting that, with its output slashed by years of internal conflict, it didn't expect to be bound by the deal.

If each of those countries boosts output, it would require deeper cuts from other members to fulfill this week's agreement. Algeria initially proposed at the Sept. 28 meeting that Saudi Arabia should make the largest cuts, with a reduction of almost 800,000 barrels a day, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.








Maybe the country should just hold the presidential election tomorrow, because it seems everyone has pretty much decided on a candidate.

Such is the polarization among Democratic and Republican voters, who refuse to be swayed by the campaign performances of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton - and a conclusion of a select panel of political consultants, journalists, and good-government activists Saturday at Haverford College.

The moderated discussion sought to answer the 2016 election question: What's at stake?

The short answer: plenty. About 120 people gathered to try to make sense of an unusual presidential campaign.

Juan Williams, a former White House correspondent for the Washington Post and now a political analyst at Fox News, told listeners that he closely watched the first presidential debate.

"To my surprise," he said, "there were people saying to me, 'Donald Trump won.' And I'm like, 'I just saw that debate. Tell me why you think Trump won.' "

When challenged, he said, these voters would say that, well, maybe it was a tie.

Meanwhile, Democratic supporters saw Clinton's debate performance as a total victory, "a demolition job," he noted.

And subsequent polls showed no movement of Trump backers toward Clinton.

Why?

"Politics as usual is broken," said Ron Christie, a political strategist who is founder and president of Christie Strategies LLC.

Twenty-five years ago, he said, Democrats and Republicans got along, even if they disagreed, and attempted to conduct the nation's business. Now they barely speak. That has driven the electorate to turn to outsiders, like Trump for the Republicans and Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary.

Four of the five panelists and moderator Samantha Phillips Beers graduated from Haverford.

One thing that's certain among voters?

"Nobody is happy," Beers said. "The American people aren't happy. . . . Nobody is happy that things aren't working."

Partisan politics didn't get all the blame Saturday. Members of the media got their share, criticized as seeking ratings by confirming opinions that people already hold. The big cable stations don't broadcast - they niche-cast. Audiences - and voters - are split. People may be fans of conservative Rush Limbaugh or liberal Rachel Maddow, but not both. They want to hear someone who agrees with them, and when they don't, they get mad.

"People tell me not only what they think, but what I should think," Williams said.

Pennsylvania is a battleground state. With about five weeks before the election, recent polls show Clinton ahead - by up to 8 percentage points in one tally and as little as 1 point in others. The importance of Pennsylvania didn't come up Saturday, as panelists and questioners tended to focus on larger concerns.

Junior Josh Fried, a political-science major, wondered how the racism and sexism displayed during the campaign would continue to play out after Election Day.

Bryn Mawr College senior Abby Hoyt, editor of the Bi-College News, said she was surprised that when asked what was different about this election, none of the panelists noted that a woman was running.

A businesswoman who gave her name as C. Maier asked: "Who is served by obstructionist strategy? Who is served when government doesn't work?"

She didn't think she got much of an answer.

"It is really weird, guys," said Elaine Kamarck, director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institute in Washington.

jgammage@phillynews.com

@JeffGammage 215-854-4906
Duterte sees China-Philippines ties 'not limited to one issue'

2016-10-01 17:45

Martin Andanar [Photo by Parker Zheng Erqi/China Daily HK]

Rodrigo Duterte wants a "soft landing" on the South China Sea dispute, as practical cooperation on other fronts with China would result in more mutually beneficial fruits, his communications chief said on Saturday, while confirming the Philippine president will visit China within this month.

Philippine Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar noted that Manila, under Duterte administration's independent foreign policy, has departed from his predecessor's reliance on the United States.

But analysts pointed out that the Philippines is trying to achieve better balance between the world's major power with great finesse, though Andanar denied Manila is resorting to so-called balancing act, as some other regional countries do, to maximize its own interests.

Calling the US "still an ally", Andanar said, "it is just that Philippines has awaken to the reality that we should also talk to other people" in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

"The US has time and again reminded us their pivot to Asia. That's their foreign policy. We respect their foreign policy. Now we have a new president in the Philippines, having an independent foreign policy," he said.

"To paraphrase what the president has mentioned before, he said that it is enough that we have tried the food that has [been] offered to us by other countries, and it is time for us to try the banquet in China," Andanar added.

Duterte has repeatedly criticized the US since coming to power in July. He said on Wednesday that he wants an end to the Philippines' joint military exercises with the United States, adding that the upcoming scheduled drill in a few days will be the last under his term

Earlier this month, he said he would not allow government forces to conduct joint patrols of disputed waters near the South China Sea with foreign powers. He has said he wants US military forces out of the southern Philippines and blamed America for inflaming local Muslim insurgencies there.

Duterte has even said he would visit China and Russia this year to have "open alliances" with them.

Despite Duterte's strong and clear rhetoric, pundits said it is impossible for the Philippines to "ditch" the US as a partner.

Zhang Jie, an analyst with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the key consideration of the Duterte administration is improving ties with China not at the cost of antagonizing the US, in an effort to share benefits of China's economic growth while enjoying the US's protection in terms of security.

Shi Yinhong, professor with the Renmin University of China, said the Philippines seeks US's protection while blaming it.

Though the blaming got louder under Duterte's leadership, it's not possible for Manila to break up with, or ditch, Washington, he said.

"Indeed, it would be in our best interest as a small country to be seen as impartial in dealing with other countries, particularly the world powers, and in defining our country's standing in the global community," Philippine Daily Inquirer, a local newspaper, has pointed out in a recent comment piece.

Andanar denied such measures as typical balancing act, but said it just highlighted the country's independent foreign policy, of which sovereignty lies at its core.

"It's not about balancing this, balancing that. It's about being warm to everyone. We have to be friends to everyone, but enemy to no one," he said, noting bringing benefits to ordinary Filipinos is the ultimate goal of such foreign policy.

He said even the South China Sea dispute won't stop China and the Philippines to improve their bilateral ties.

Adopting a humble manner, Andanar downplayed the dispute, and said there are "so many things" that the Philippines can "learn and get from" China, the world's number two economy and a, very close neighbor, geographically.

"Our president would like to work on the side of peace. He wants a soft landing (on South China Sea dispute)," he said.

Andanar said Duterte "does not want to limit our relationship to one issue", noting there is "astronomical number of things", including infrastructure, agriculture, industry, maritime security, etc., that China can help with.

Andanar's remarks resonates with that of former Philippine president Fidel Ramos, when he acted as an icebreaker of Beijing-Manila ties to visit Hong Kong as Duterte's special envoy in August.

During their informal discussions in Hong Kong, Ramos and Fu Ying, foreign affairs chief of China's top legislaturethe National People's Congress, explored possible human and ecological security options and suggested cooperation in fields such as fishing, tourism, trade and investment, and the fight against corruption to benefit both sides.

Meanwhile, China has offered its support to Duterte's "war on drugs".

"The Chinese government is a staunch force in the international campaign against drug crimes. The Chinese side fully understands and firmly supports the Duterte administration's policy that priorities the fight against drug crimes and stands ready to continue to cooperate with the Philippines by providing further assistance and jointly implementing bilateral plan of action," Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua has said this week.

Contact the writers at zhanghaizhou@chinadaily.com.cn
Chris Johnston prepping his bike for a big day ahead and checking tire pressure for the more damp terrain. Current leader Geoff Kabush taking care of some last minute fine tuning in the Shimano pit.

Billy Lewis ready for action at the top of Eula on one of the burlier stages today. Start of Lawler Trail on the first stage of the day.

Matthew Slaven rocking a bright orange kit for today being the first of October and hunting season beginning. Even on the road up, there was a lot of hunter traffic soon after the stage ended. Lev Stryker rocking more hunters orange during today's open game season.

Kathy Pruitt keeping her top ranks insight.

Dinner time after a long and exhausting day. Line em up.

TEN FOR TRAILS: Win A Custom Santa Cruz - Shimano Dream Bike

the winner will be announced on Monday, October 3

Sponsors

The excited energy at basecamp this morning was palpable. Not only was a massive day of blind racing on the horizon for the participants, but it was a completely new course for the event team as well. Todays stages represented the essence of why Trans-Cascadia was created.  said Rosara Joseph, wearing her leader jersey. A planned 20 miles of pedalling and 15.5 miles of racing took racers from the trails around Oakridge to their new base camp on the outside of MacKenzie River. Stage 12 and 13 ran down Lawler on Patterson Mountain, a trail that local, Derrick Bell, has been riding for over 20 years. Over the last two years Trans-Cascadia has been working with Kevin Rowell of the Forest Service, Derrick Bell, the Eugene Trail Club; Disciples of Dirt, and Dirt Mechanics; a recreational excavation company, to extend the trail to the bottom of the mountain.explains Derrick. Money raised by the Disciples of Dirt and Trans-Cascadia paid for the necessary trail work, and Dirt Mechanics donated machine time and subsidized a good portion of the build. While the trail is not yet officially opened, Trans-Cascadia racers were able to experience it today - and locals look forward to it being officially open in the near future.Racers shuttled back up to the top of Hardesty Mountain to descend Eula Ridge for Stage 14. The finish line was full of a mix of exclamations of love for the trail to cursing its punchy climbs. Chris Johnston thoroughly enjoyed the stage, "!Stage 15 on Grasshopper Ridge was another Trans-Cascadia supported initiative. The backcountry 16-mile trail had a two-hour traverse up and down the ridgeline, through seven wide-open meadows, and ended with a 5.1-mile descent. Native Americans and pioneers used the the ridge for transportation, as it was easier to travel up high and out of the scrub, in recent years there had been little use and much of it was overgrown and difficult to find. Working with both the Oakridge and MacKenzie Forest Service Districts, Led by Kevin Rowell and Tyson Cross, opened up access to revamp it as a rideable mountain bike accessible route.  says Derrick.Unfortunately, Nick Hardin went down on Stage 14; breaking his collarbone, and had to be extracted from the course. Mark Weir acted quickly, giving up his race run to help Nick  and serving as a reminder that when it comes to backcountry racing, people come first.Due to the course hold of nearly an hour, the last bus of racers missed the cut-off for Stage 15. The results for this stage werent counted in the overall  but everyone was in agreement that the right decision was made in respect to everyones safety.Those racers who did ride the stage experienced everything from rain to sleet and snow  but a warm fire at the top helped keep spirits high. Geoff Kabush was one of the racers who rode Grasshopper,Geoffs strength in pedaling on todays long stages earned him a further lead over Chris Johnson.  said Chris. Peter Ostroski held on to 3rd place. And Rosara continued her winning streak, taking home her 8th straight finisher jersey.Despite some logistical challenges and injuries today, the field of racers settled into their new base camp tonight  tired and happy.Each $10 donation increases your chance of winning a custom Santa Cruz - Shimano XTR dream bike of your size and choice and 10% of Ten for Trails proceeds will be donated to the trail advocacy group of your choice. The remaining proceeds will benefit the trail advocacy efforts of the Trans-Cascadia team.Donations can be made until October 2, 2016 at midnight and. Donations can be made online for $10 each, each $10 donation increases your chance of winning. Click here for more information. Shimano, Santa Cruz, MODUS Sport Group, PRO, Chris King, Pearl Izumi, FOX Shox, ENVE, PUSH, evo, SMITH, Travel Oregon, Clif Bar, Stiegl, Clif Family Winery, Stumptown, The U.S. Forest Service, DAKINE, OBRA, and Oregon Adventures.
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HOUSTON (Reuters)  Taco trucks in Houston have begun doubling as voter registration sites as Latinos in Texas flex their political muscle before the Nov. 8 presidential election in a state that has long symbolized Mexican immigration to the United States.

Riffing on widely ridiculed comments by Marco Gutierrez, a supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, that without action on immigration reform, youre going to have taco trucks on every corner, the non-partisan civic group Mi Familia Vota is driving the effort to reach first-time voters.

We Latinos have been the group with the most growth in Texas, but this hasnt translated into the political sphere, said Houston coordinator Carlos Zamora. We want to build political capital.

Although Texas is a Republican stronghold, demographics in the Lone Star State are seen shifting in favor of Democrats with the steady increase in Hispanic voters, who have historically favored the party. In the 2012 election, Latinos nationally voted for Democratic President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney by 71 percent to 27 percent, according to exit polls.

The Pew Research Center estimated this year that 39 percent of Texans were Hispanic and that about 4.8 million Latinos were eligible to vote in the state.

Historically, there has been a voter registration gap. In 2012, about 2.6 million Latinos were registered to vote in Texas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 2012, Romney beat Obama in Texas by about 16 points. In this years campaign, Trump, whose hardline approach to illegal immigration has alarmed many Hispanics, leads Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state by about 8 points, according to fivethirtyeight.coms average of polls.

Mi Familia Vota did not say how many people it hoped to register in Texas. It said that in the first few days of the campaign, it often had to restock registration brochures at the trucks.

At Tacos Tierra Caliente, one of eight taco trucks participating in the registration drive in Houston, posters urging customers to vote hung next to the menu of meat stuffings painted on the side of the truck advertising barbacoa, lengua and pollo.

At the metal counter where they pay, customers can fill out voter registration cards that require no postage when mailed. The group plans to expand its campaign to other taco trucks across the countrys fourth most populous city.

(Fixes spelling of groups name, paragraphs two and eight.)

(Reporting by Terry Wade; Editing by Peter Coone
Faning the flames of tradition

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-10-01 18:46

Wang Jian (above) and Li Jing have each earned acclaim for their work in crafting traditional fans. Fans that have good craftsmanship and intricate designs are highly sought after by collectors and can cost tens of thousands of yuan.[Photo by Gao Erqiang/ China Daily]

Once used as a status symbol and luxury accessory in China, traditional fans are now making a comeback in the world of antique collection, thanks to a group of craftsmen from Suzhou XU JUNQIAN/BO YIMENG It is the middle of June in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and the temperature is at a stifling 32 C.

Inside his two-story studio, large beads of sweat trickle down Wang Jian's wrinkled forehead. Within this cozy space, dozens of folding fans lie around, some in their unfinished state. But the Suzhou native is not using any of them to get some reprieve from the heat.

Made using paper and bamboo, these fans cost at least 15,000 yuan ($2,244) a piece, about five times the price of a standard air-conditioning unit in China. There is no upper limit to the cost of these delicate handicrafts, each of which takes approximately a month to craft.

Arguably China's most well-known maker of folding fans, Wang thinks that his creations are actually underpriced considering people's average incomes these days. Back during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the time when folding fans peaked in terms of popularity and diversity in China, such creations were considered treasures.

Local fan retailers, tour guides and avid fan collectors have lavished praise on Wang throughout the years. The 51-year-old's creations are so sought after that some even say that it is serendipity, and not money, that gets you one of his fans.

The history of folding fans

According to historical records, it was the Japanese and Koreans who invented the folding fan. The item later found its way to China when it was given as a tribute to the royal family during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) before gaining popularity early in the 15th century. Unlike in the countries of its origin where it was made for everyday use, folding fans in China were seen as a status symbol and as an objet d'art.

Known as a cradle of literary figures and men of letters, Suzhou has unsurprisingly become a hotbed for the production of exquisite folding fans. There are generally three types of fans available in Suzhoumoon-shaped ones made of silk, those crafted using sandalwood and those folding fans that come with a blank paper cover. The last type is meant exclusively for people to paint or write calligraphy on them. As such, it is often referred to as the "literati's fan" among collectors.

"It's one of the few gadgets in China, if not the world, that requires both skillful craftsmanship and skill in painting, calligraphy and literature. It's not a complete folding fan without either one of the two elements," says Wang of the literati version.

Wang Jian and Li Jing (above) have each earned acclaim for their work in crafting traditional fans. Fans that have good craftsmanship and intricate designs are highly sought after by collectors and can cost tens of thousands of yuan.[Photo by Gao Erqiang/ China Daily]

In China, folding fans are hardly ever meant as a means to cool oneself down. There is a strict set of rules on how to unfurl, hold and wave a folding fan. The side of the fan cover that features painting or words, for example, must always face the outside for others to see.

"A folding fan is like a name card. People can learn about its owner just by looking at the signatures on the fan. Factors such as the person who constructed the ribs of the fan, the artist who painted on your fan cover all determine the sort of the person you are. It is kind of like today's social networks, except this takes the form of a material object," says Wang.

Contemporary demand

The latest craze for literati's fans occurred in 2005, the same year Huang Tiancai, an avid collector from Taiwan, organized an auction in Beijing and sold his entire collection of 232 folding fans for a whopping 22.5 million yuan.

The sensational event has since given a massive boost to the popularity of folding fans, which used to have little clout in the antique collection world. The auction is also believed to have renewed interest in the collection of such fan ribs. A year later, a fan rib that is believed to date back to around the 18th century, sold for a record price of 121,000 yuan at another auction.

"People have started to rediscover the value of folding fans, but I don't think they truly understand it yet," says Wang.

As antique fans are scarce, investors began to eye newly-made ones instead, believing that their value would appreciate through time, just like China's aged pu'er tea and eaglewood, or agarwood.

While the prices of folding fans vary greatly from several yuan to several million yuan, those that are priced above 100 yuan have generally seen a general double-digit percentage growth in their value. Factors that affect the price of a fan range from the materials used for ribsusually ivory, wood and bambooto the reputation of its maker.

"Wang Jian's fans are definitely the most pricey. Usually, it's out of the reach of common retailers and buyers," says a fan shop owner in Suzhou, who adds that while the premium folding fans are the ones that have always dominated the spotlight, there is a growing "middle class" in the scene who are willing to pay several hundred yuan for a mediocre fan "to play with".

Wang Jian and Li Jing have each earned acclaim for their work in crafting traditional fans. Fans that have good craftsmanship and intricate designs are highly sought after by collectors and can cost tens of thousands of yuan.[Photo by Gao Erqiang/ China Daily]

Humble beginnings

Wang first started making folding fans 35 years ago at a State-owned fan factory in Suzhou. Fascinated by the complex procedures involved in fan-makinghe says that it takes roughly 300 steps to complete a fanWang dived into the craft immediately after he graduated from school and has since "been addicted to the magic".

"It's hardly possible for one to excel in all the steps. But I would like to learn as much as possible within my lifetime," he says.

One of Wang's most notable achievements is reviving the craft of Ming Dynasty-style, gold-painted, paper-cover folding fans. Wang believes that this particular type of fan represents the highest aesthetics of folding fans. Indeed, its market price reflects this as wellthe cost of such a fan starts from about 60,000 yuan.

"But prices are only for amateurs to learn its value. Making fans is the only thing that I am capable of and interested in. All I want to do is make real Chinese fans," says Wang.

Wang left the factory and started his eponymous brand in 2000 when the decade-old fan factory was plagued by low efficiency levels and had few orders coming through.

When Wang decided to set up his own business, the folding fan market was still in a nascent stage. Today, his studio has a score of workers and students who help produce thousands of fan ribs and tens of thousands of fan covers every year. Most of the fans are made to order.

While the studio's output is still low compared to an industrialized production line, collectors and investors are more than ready to wait.

"These fans are like Hermes bags. Goods things are always worth waiting," says a customer at Wang's studio.

Wang Jian and Li Jing have each earned acclaim for their work in crafting traditional fans. Fans that have good craftsmanship and intricate designs are highly sought after by collectors and can cost tens of thousands of yuan.[Photo by Gao Erqiang/ China Daily]

Young blood, old industry

A growing number of young people have started to flow into this industry and are, somewhat surprisingly, making a good living despite the competition.

Li Jing is one such person. The 30-year-old native of Jiaxing, a neighboring town of Suzhou, says he was born "an old soul" and has been interested in Chinese traditional opera and its props ever since he could read and understand the ancient Chinese language used in such performances.

With little chance to sing opera on and off the stagehe says that his strict parents never allowed him tohe took a detour "to indulge in the things he loves". He later became a self-taught moon-shaped fan maker while majoring in business management in college.

A widely-used prop for female characters in traditional Chinese opera, moon-shaped fans generally have a silk cover and frames made from bamboo or wood. Li's fans, however, feature a twist. His creations, which are made using recycled materials from old furniture, jewelry and accessories and are sold for thousands of yuan, have been quickly snapped up by collectors.

"The fact that rich Chinese shop for luxury bags and fancy cars doesn't mean they have bad taste. It could also mean that those foreign brands have found a way to cater to their contemporary needs. That happens to be something Chinese craftsman are poor at," says Li.

His bright and well-decorated studio is hidden in an alley in downtown Suzhou. Like his fans, the studio is quaint but features a modern touch.

"I believe the penchant for traditional things is deeply rooted in almost everyone. As a craftsman, I feel a need to bring out this inclination in people and to make tradition more accessible," says Li.

"That is also why every period in history needs its own craftsman, despite the fact that there is already so many masters ahead of us."

Bo Yimeng contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn
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An October surprise leak of Donald Trumps 1995 tax return has dealt a devastating blow to the Republican nominees campaign by suggesting that Trump may have paid no personal income taxes for 18 years.

The New York Times reported:

Donald J. Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a tax deduction so substantial it could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years, records obtained by The New York Times show.

The 1995 tax records, never before disclosed, reveal the extraordinary tax benefits that Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, derived from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

Trump is Mitt Romney on steroids. Here is a man who made sure that he directly benefited from bankrupting his companies while inflicting economic misery on anyone in his path. Everyone from contractors to casino employees was devastated, while Donald Trump gained.

The narrative about Trump in the 2016 election is that he is a candidate who is only interested in looking out for himself. His 1995 tax return is black and white proof that Trump only cares about Trump. Voters are now a step closer to knowing what Donald Trump has been hiding by refusing to release his tax returns.

The big secret that Trump doesnt want the American people to know is that he is a billionaire who pays no income taxes. The Republicans have nominated a man for president who is living embodiment of the sort of billionaire who gets all of the benefits from the USs rigged tax system that Democrats have been fighting to make pay their fair share for years.

Trump has been courting rural white working class Americans in his campaign while hiding the fact that he is a prime example of the reason why their taxes are so high, and economic existence has become more difficult.

The tax return doesnt show a populist billionaire, but a billionaire who doesnt pay his fair share.

One tax return has destroyed the myth of Donald Trump, and in the process dealt a devastating blow to his presidential campaign.

A journalistic Saturday night special may have ended Trumps White House dreams.
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A Texas newspaper hasnt just endorsed Hillary Clinton. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times destroyed the media created myth that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are equals, but that Clinton is the lesser of two evils.

In their endorsement the editorial board of the Caller-Times wrote:



She is not, as has been sold, a mere lesser of two evils. Her experience and intellect would make her a standout in any group of candidates. Like President Obama said and didnt need to be fact-checked, shes more qualified than him or her husband.

.

Being the only serious alternative is both Clintons fortune and misfortune. It increases the likelihood of victory, but also of presiding over a nation with large groups of dissidents. While voting against her can be a statement of differing principle, voting for Trump would not rise to that level. Its not a vote for Republicanism. The Republican Partys principles and standards are beyond Trumps reach.

.

We perceive in Clinton the capability to bridge the divide  to define rather than exploit our problems and pursue intelligent solutions. Her basket of deplorables comment made the task more difficult but it was a rare lapse by an otherwise level-headed servant leader with a history of self-correcting resilience. The former senators Republican colleagues remember her fondly as a middle-ground-seeking master of the art of deal-making. If there is to be a return to bipartisanship, she is the one to lead it.

It is rare to see an endorsement in this presidential election that focuses on why one candidate should be president instead of why her opponent is unfit to hold the office.

Hillary Clinton is not the lesser of two evils. She has never been. When one examines the facts, there is no contest between Clinton and Trump. Donald Trump has a real rap sheet that should disqualify him from being president. Hillary Clintons crimes are conspiracy theories that have been cooked up by the conservative medias anti-Clinton conspiracy cottage industry that has spent decades as a robust source of profit for conservative authors and media.

The idea that Hillary Clinton is the lesser of two evils is a lazy media narrative that was created by corporate mainstream talking heads only interested in false equivalence to keep ratings and interest up during an election. It would take too much effort for the media to discuss the fact that Clintons approval ratings are a byproduct of decades of Republican attacks on her last name combined with the extreme polarization of the electorate.

2016 isnt a lesser of two evils election. It is a base election that may turn into a rout because Republicans made the foolish decision to nominate a candidate with a closet full of evils to run against the most competent and qualified candidate to a major partys nomination in the modern era of American politics.
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The pressure seems to be getting to Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for president launched into a strange attack on Sen. Bernie Sanders less than a day after his 1995 tax return became public.

Sen. Bernie Sanders responded to a story being pushed by the Trump campaign and Republicans that Hillary Clinton disparaged his supporters by pointing out that Clinton is sympathizing with the plight of his young supporters, and agreeing with her comments.

Trump reacted by tweeting:

Bernie should pull his endorsement of Crooked Hillary after she decieved him and then attacked him and his supporters.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2016

It is obvious that his bad debate performance combined with his attack on a former Miss Universe, and the release of one year of his tax returns has pushed Trump to the brink.

Trump attacked Bernie Sanders because the Senator from Vermont went on national television and told the truth about Hillary Clintons comments. Donald Trump expected Sen. Sanders to take back his endorsement of Clinton and tell his supporters to vote Trump.

Sen. Sanders is an honest person who told the truth. Since Trump seems both unfamiliar with and incapable of honesty, Sanderss actions set the GOP nominee off.

Trump seems to be completely off the rails. Instead of dealing with the devastating leak of his tax returns, Donald Trump is pouting about Bernie Sanders.

Donald Trump is out of control, and it wouldnt surprise anyone if the pressure of the campaign is causing him to crack up.
Nominations are being accepted for the Small Business Administration's awards including National Small Business Person of the Year.

The awards, which also include exporter of the year and small business contractor and subcontractor honors, are given out during Small Business Week, scheduled next year for April 30 through May 6.

The Small Business Person of the Year is selected from winners of competitions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.

Information about the awards including submission forms and criteria for the selection of winners can be found on the SBA website: www.sba.gov/nsbw/awards.
ALBERT LEA  A church bookkeeper accused of stealing nearly $200,000 from an Albert Lea church and its affiliated school was sentenced Thursday to 10 days in jail and placed on probation for 20 years.

Ryan Mae McFarland, formerly known as Ryan Mae Schoppe, 37, pleaded guilty in July in Freeborn County District Court to two counts of felony theft by swindle. In exchange for the plea, seven identical counts were dismissed.

McFarland, an Austin resident, was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community work service; a restitution hearing has been set for December. The money she's accused of taking has all been spent, court documents show.

The investigation began March 11, 2015, when Albert Lea police were contacted by officials at St. Theodore Catholic Church after an audit by the financial office of the Diocese of Winona.

Based on records kept by the church and St. Theodore's School, it appeared money received as offering, donations and fees had been stolen from the facilities' bank accounts.

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The money had been taken by McFarland between August 2013 and February 2015, the criminal complaint says, during her time as bookkeeper for the two facilities.

McFarland was responsible for payroll and benefits, overseeing contributions and the money counters of the weekly collections, handling tax information and providing information to the church administrator for the purpose of budgeting.

She was fired in February 2015, when the thefts were discovered.

Fr. Russell Scepaniak, pastor of St. Theodore Catholic Church, said the parish was initially notified of the theft in 2015. "Now that the investigation is completed, there's a feeling of relief." Parish insurance covered all the missing funds minus the deductible.

McFarland regularly paid herself extra money, court documents say, by making bogus entries about what the money was for.

Between Jan. 3, 2014, and Jan. 30, 2015, the amount misappropriated through her false payroll records was nearly $53,000.

In addition to putting the extra money in her personal account, the complaint says she used church funds to pay off a 2012 civil judgment against her in Mower County. That case ruled McFarland's wages should be garnished in order to pay her debt.

She properly deducted a little more than $2,000 from her wages to apply to the outstanding judgment, reports say, then used church money by creating false documents to pay off the rest of the debt  nearly $13,000.

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In August 2015, McFarland dropped her health insurance provided by the church but continued to be repaid for the share she claimed to have paid for the insurance.

While employed by the church, McFarland accumulated 326 hours of paid time off, but over the course of about two years paid herself for 1,165 hours of paid time off, the complaint says. The overpayment totaled more than $17,000.

Though she was not responsible to provide items to the school, she allegedly paid herself nearly $5,000 by creating false receipts for things she claimed to have provided.

Between September 2014 and January 2015, the court documents say, McFarland made nonpayroll-related electronic deposits of nearly $23,000 into her personal account.

Investigators discovered the dates and amounts of funds paid by the church and school matched the deposits into two personal accounts, both owned by McFarland, the complaint says.

The total amount misappropriated by McFarland, per the audit of all financial records, is $199,771.29.
A walk has been planned in memory of Jose Sanchez Negrete Jr.

The 15-year-old died July 1 after he got into a fight with another 15-year-old in Rochester. The walk will be at 10 a.m. Oct 15 at Essex Park, 5455 W. River Road NW in Rochester. The cost to join the walk is $5, and participants are encouraged to wear blue.

Money raised from the walk will go toward purchasing a headstone for Jose. The family's hope is to establish an annual walk for Jose that will raise funds to purchase artwork for youth.
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?
Beneath the glittering facede of cinema's stars

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-10-01 18:46

Brigitte Lacombe speaks during her exhibition at the Shanghai Center of Photography.[Photo/China Daily]

A master of portrait photography, Brigitte Lacombe has built a name for herself with her ability to bring out the true essence of her subjects.

Fifty of Brigitte Lacombe's most iconic works were on exhibition recently at the Shanghai Center of Photography, a new museum founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Liu Heung Shing.

Titled Inside Cinema, this was the French photographer's first solo exhibition in China.

The 65-year-old, renowned for her ability to capture the intimate side of people, has photographed countless celebrities throughout her illustrious career which started about three decades ago. Lacombe's works have been widely published in magazines, including Vanity Fair, Glamour, The New Yorker, GQ and The New York Times Magazine.

A school dropout who chanced upon photography while fiddling with her father's camera, Lacombe first worked as a trainee in the dark room of Elle magazine when she was just 17. Two years later, her mentor left the publication and convinced the boss that Lacombe was qualified to take her position.

"I was really lucky. I was just 19 years old but I was told to cover events and do studio shoots right away," says Lacombe.

Her big break came in 1975 when she was assigned to cover the Cannes Film Festival. As women photographers were a rarity back in those times, she naturally stood out from the crowd of men. However, it was her photographic style that shone the brightest.

Following the publication of the images, her keen eye for photography was quickly recognized by influential people from the movie industry. She soon found herself in the acquaintance of Hollywood stars such as Dustin Hoffman and Donald Sutherland.

Impressed with the style and quality of her work, the two actors commissioned her to take behind-the-scenes photos during the filming process.

Gong Li photographed by Brigitte Lacombe [Photo provided to China Daily]

Lacombe shot images on the set of the 1976 film All the President's Men, a political thriller that starred Hoffman and won four Academy Awards. Lacombe remained in Los Angeles after completing that assignment and Hoffman later helped her obtain a green card for the United States so that she could advance in her career.

Lacombe would then move to New York where she lived for 35 years.

"Everybody wanted to be in New York. They wanted to accomplish something. There was a lot of competition and people there had big ambitions and worked with great focus and discipline," recalls Lacombe of the unique charm of the city in the 1970s and 80s.

In the late 1970s, the photographer worked on the sets of movies directed by Hollywood heavyweights such as Martin Scorsese, David Mamet, Sam Mendes and Quentin Tarantino.

Karen Smith, the curator of the exhibition in Shanghai, says that Lacombe had managed to develop an "unusual proximity in the world of cinema", and this was evidenced by her exclusive working relationships with some directors.

For decades, Lacombe was the only photographer allowed on the sets of Scorsese's films. Some of her best work was produced on these sets too, having shot images from Taxi Driver, The Age of Innocence, The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street. Some of these photos are on display at the exhibition.

Some of Lacombe's most iconic pictures were taken during breaks in filming when the camera was not rolling; the surreal space between reality and make-believe where actors look to be in the midst of recovering their real identities.

Frank Rich of The New York Times once wrote about Lacombe's works, praising them for being able to walk the fine line between these boundaries.

Gwyneth Paltrow photographed by Brigitte Lacombe [Photo provided to China Daily]

He wrote: "There is art, and there is show business. In a young century overdosing on glossy and voyeuristic celebrity exploitation masquerading as photojournalism, it's essential to keep the boundary distinct."

"That is the key to appreciating the photography of Brigitte Lacombe, whose work often takes her into the realm of show business but whose pictures strip the commerce away from the artists until we are face-to-face with what some of the seminal figures of our time are trying to say to their audience."

One of her most well-loved images is the one of Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai and actors Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai during the filming of In the Mood for Love.

In the picture which seems to masterfully fuse elements of peace, theatricality and energy, Wong is seen hiding his gaze behind his signature dark glasses, Cheung is captured with a slight tilt of her head while Leung is wearing an restrained smile and looking straight at the camera.

Lacombe juxtaposes portrait photography with shooting on film sets, saying that the former is a more intimate genre that requires trust. She explains that it takes not one, but two people to produce a good portraitthe subject will need to be comfortable enough to let his or her guard down in front of the photographer. In contrast, film stars are hidden behind a shield of theatrical mystery with their makeup and costumes.

"As a photographer, it is important to win the trust of your subject and convince them that you are doing something good together, and not something they will regret. It is only then will the subject be able to give you something you can capture," says Lacombe.

Even famous actors such as Meryl Streep can be very shy when they're in front of the camera in a studio, said Lacombe, who admittedly doesn't like to be photographed as well.

Jude Law(left)and Matt Damon(right) photographed by Brigitte Lacombe [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Actors have to be preoccupied with themselves more than normal people. They have to take care of their appearanceseverything has to do with their body, which is part of their instrument," says Lacombe.

"When they are on the film set, they become someone else. They also have to do things on demand, like cry during an emotional scene. They have to be very much in control of their body and their emotions. I think that's why when they are suddenly themselves after the camera stops rolling, they don't really like being scrutinized by the photographer."

Lacombe has never been married nor has she any children. She is still actively pursuing photography and is currently covering the election campaign of Hillary Clinton, the US presidential nominee that she would love to vote for but cannot as she is not a US citizen.

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn
A second time shortlisted contestant for the NLNG Nigeria Literature Prizewhich she had earlier won in 2012 for her striking prose narrative, On Black Sisters StreetChika Unigwe is a widely acclaimed Nigerian-Belgian author with an impressive oeuvre, including the Night Dancer, one of the three finalists in contest for the 2016 Prize. In this interview, Unigwe, a member of the Board of Trustees of pan-African literary initiative, Writivism and a recently appointed judge of the 2017 Manbooker Prize, speaks to PREMIUM TIMES about literature and the universe that gives some of her work life.

PREMIUM TIMES: Already you have several titles to your name out of which On Black Sisters Street won the NLNG Nigeria Literature Prize. Some of the lines in the Acknowledgement page reveal the debt you owe to pre-publication research in this book. To what extent would you say this helped your understanding of the plot of a fictional work and the writing of the novel?

Chika: The research helped me to understandto a certain extentthe lives of the characters I was writing about. Learning to write you can only do by reading (and writing). Research adds depth to the narrative but no amount of research is substitute for extensive reading (and writing).

PREMIUM TIMES: Can you share your experience of writing Night Dancer, thats currently in the running for the 2016 NLNG Nigeria Literature Prize for Prose?

Chika: I always start writing with a lot of trepidation: what if this story I have imagined doesnt come out right on paper? What if my characters do not cooperate with my vision for/of them? I also experiencewhen I am writinga lot of frustrated moments. I suffer from a chronic case of writers anxiety. Writing Night Dancer was no different.

The same way as I dont consider myself the spokesperson of Ndi Igbo or the spokesperson of mothers or the spokesperson of all mothers of sons. It would be ridiculous of me to imagine when I am writing that I am doing so as THE representation of every other woman. Also a huge responsibility.

PREMIUM TIMES: An earlier winner of the NLNG Nigerian Literature Prize for Prose with the book, Yellow-Yellow, Kaine Agary said she was concerned about the predicament of the multi-racial child being fathered by expatriates in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, but your fictional works focus on the experiences of the Nigerian migrant sex workers in Europe. Beyond fiction, what needs to be done besides the rather cosmetic interventions of Nigerian First Ladies, since Maryam Babangidas time, on this issue?

Chika: One novel of mine deals with sex migration. Night Dancer doesnt. So, it is hardly accurate to say that my works focus on this theme. I have several anthologised and published short stories, which do not deal with migrant sex workers. Having said that, fiction helps shed a light on issues or aspects of them that people may not be aware of. After On Black Sisters Street came out, I was invited by an anti-human trafficking NGO in Austria (run by a Nigerian woman) to join them on a huge campaign in Nigeria. There were delegates from the six or so European countries with the highest numbers of Nigerian sex workers. The team from the UK told me that their policemen read On Black Sisters Street to help them understand the motivations of the women better.

There are NGOs on the ground in Nigeria devoted to rehabilitating deported sex workers and devoted to early intervention to halt sex migration. There are also many NGOs in the core host countries working to encourage trafficked (whether willingly or unwillingly) women to turn in their pimps.



PREMIUM TIMES: When was the beginning of serious creative writing for you?

Chika: The first time I was paid for a short story (the BBC, 1999).

Apart from the very practical reason that there are no Igbo publishers making offers to me, it would be a pointless exercise. Who would I be writing for? How many Igbo newspapers are there? Go to any of our Igbo cities and tell me how many Igbo children you hear speaking Igbo.

PREMIUM TIMES: Some writers say you do not have to experience your subject matter personally or physically to write about it. How does it work for you as a fiction writer who has had to undertake extensive research before starting to write?

Chika: You dont have to be a sex worker to write about sex workers. You can ask questions (which I did) or read. You dont have to experience rape to write about rape. You must know as a human being what it feels like to. Whatever you are writing about, whether set in an imagined world or in a world you are familiar with, you have to present it in a way that your readers believe they can trust you with it.

PREMIUM TIMES: Antjie Krog, the South African writer, poet and author of the memorable Country of My Skull and, of course, A Change of Tongue, where she felt called upon to say why she has chosen to write the latter book and future ones in the English language as opposed to Afrikaans, her mother tongue. But your own choice to expand the linguistic possibilities of communicating with your readers is different. Your first novel, De Feniks (The Phoenix) was published in Dutch in 2005, which made it the first book by a Flemish writer of African origin, and, your second novel, On Black Sisters Street, was also first published in Dutch with the title, Fata Morgana. Have you ever thought about writing and publishing in Igbo?

Chika: No. Apart from the very practical reason that there are no Igbo publishers making offers to me, it would be a pointless exercise. Who would I be writing for? How many Igbo newspapers are there? Go to any of our Igbo cities and tell me how many Igbo children you hear speaking Igbo. I was listening to an Igbo programme on ABS Awka sometime in the summer and hardly a single person who called in or was on the panel spoke Igbo 80 percent of the time. In fact, one of the panelists spoke English a lot more than he spoke Igbo. It is a tragedy and the best way to remedy it is to reintroduce Igbo into the school curriculum. We have to take the teaching of Igbo seriously

PREMIUM TIMES: Do you actually write in English and translate to Dutch? Or, is it the other way? From your experience so far, is the authors linguistic prowess enriched by being involved in translating her own works? Does anything of significance to the story get lost in translation?



I met Flora Nwapa as a kid and I remember wanting to be a writer because she was.

Chika: No. I find it very difficult to translate my own works. Writing it the first time is hard enough.

PREMIUM TIMES: Are we to expect a sequel to your essay, Losing My Voice, with a title like, My Voice Regained? You are a writer, a Nigerian-Belgian, wife to a Belgian man, and mother of four; how have you managed these roles alongside the quirky challenges that writing entails?

Chika: I dont write sequels. My husband and I are hugely supportive of each other. We encourage each others dreams. I bring him his chai latte when he is working and I have time; he brings me my coffee when Im working and he has time. We are respectful of each others personal time. He cooks when he can. I cook when I can. There is room for both of us to grow, to breathe and to be.

PREMIUM TIMES: Heres a cast list of widely recognised African female authors of an earlier generation, who, much like you, have made, in varying degrees, the female perspective the primary concern in their works: Nadine Gordimer, Mabel Segun, Flora Nwapa, Bessie Head, Ama Ata Aidoo, El-sadawi, Mariama Ba, Buchi Emecheta. Did any one of them inspire you personally as a writer? Or, did any influence your work in some indirect way through your encounter with their books?

Chika: These are writers I have read, enjoyed and learnt from. I met Flora Nwapa as a kid and I remember wanting to be a writer because she was.

PREMIUM TIMES: Even as legitimate and necessary as your choices of themes in your novels are, have you ever conceived your role as a writer in gender terms? As a spokesperson for one particular gender?

Chika: No. The same way as I dont consider myself the spokesperson of Ndi Igbo or the spokesperson of mothers or the spokesperson of all mothers of sons. It would be ridiculous of me to imagine when I am writing that I am doing so as THE representation of every other woman. Also a huge responsibility.



I think anyone with commonsense feels overawed sometimes by the very tragic things happening around us. Writing is a way for me to make sense of it all but at the same time to not feel completely helpless in the face of it all.

PREMIUM TIMES: Chika Unigwe, you are a nominee for this years NLNG Nigerian Literature Prize and also a previous winner of the prize, and you have so generously described the novel by a fellow nominee, Elnathan Johns Born On A Tuesday, in these words:  Igbo people have a saying about a little piece of dry meat that fills the mouth. Johns book is that meat: a relatively short novel with an extraordinary density, and we, his readers, are grateful. You sounded really wowed and genuinely impressed. Do you share the writer, Molara Woods sentiments that, This is the Northern Nigerian narrative we have been waiting for. It will stand as a testimony to these times?

Chika: Yes. I was really wowed. I wouldnt have said so otherwise.

PREMIUM TIMES: You have been familiar with the fictional work of another fellow nominee, Abubakar Adamu Ibrahim before his debut novel was published recently. What are your views on Season of Crimson Blossoms?

Chika: Ibrahim is a gifted writer who certainly deserves his spot on the shortlist.

PREMIUM TIMES: The 2015 Nobel Laureate For Literature wrote The Unwomanly Face Of War where she rendered the emotional traumas felt by women when their spouses are lost to war. Do you sometimes feel overawed by it all? In a milieu where the undreamed and the unimaginable have happened with tragic frequency, and reality has become so ungraspably surreal, how is it possible to invent fiction when reality itself has overawed fiction? How do you create fiction at the very point of realitys unremitting un-realness? Especially concerning the subject-matter very dear to your he(art)?

Chika: I think anyone with common sense feels overawed sometimes by the very tragic things happening around us. Writing is a way for me to make sense of it all but at the same time to not feel completely helpless in the face of it all.

Another part of the compilation by Contributing Editor on Arts & Culture, Chiedu Ezeanah, the next installments will focus on what the two other authors have to say about their lives and art.
A large scale rice farmer in Asaba, Raymos Guanah, on Sunday observed that demand for locally-produced rice was on the increase.

Mr. Guanah, the Chief Executive Officer of Raymond Guanah Farms, Illah, near Asaba, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Asaba that such a positive development was heart-warming.

He said that local rice was now well processed and cheaper than imported one, hence the increase in demand.

Nigerians are beginning to be more aware that there is so much difference between the locally-produced rice and the imported rice. Local rice is very nutritious.

The rice we produced last year had been bought off and we have nothing left in stock, he said.

Mr. Guanah, a former Commissioner for Lands in Delta, noted that one of the reasons for the increased patronage was because the rice processed in the farm contained no stone or sand.

He said, because of the increased patronage in 2015, we are expanding our farm this year and this will result in more harvest at the end of this farming season.

In 2014, we cultivated 100 hectares of land and we harvested about 300 tonnes of rice while in 2015, we cultivated 300 hectares and harvested about 900 tonnes.

This year, we are expanding our cultivation to 600 hectares and the essence of this is to have more rice to sell.

Mr. Guanah said that the multi-million Naira processing mill the State Government inaugurated in the farm in 2014 had the capacity to produce about 200 of 50 kg bags of rice per day.

Residents of Asaba and environs now prefer local rice, which sells for N17,000 per 50 kg bag to the imported brands which is sold for between N21,500 and N23,000 per bag.

(NAN)
Report says scores of Ethiopians have been killed as police fired warning shots and teargas in Oromiya region on Sunday to disperse anti-government protesters at a religious festival, triggering a stampede.

It said that even though government did not give a precise death toll resulting from chaotic scenes during the annual festival, yet the opposition party said no less that 50 people were killed.

According to the report, government merely announced at the festival where some people chanted slogans against the government and waved a rebel groups flag, that lives were lost and that several were injured.

Meanwhile, witnesses said that sporadic protests have erupted in Oromiya in the last two years, initially sparked by a land row but increasingly turning more broadly against the government.

They added that since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killed in clashes with police.

They said that the developments highlight tensions in the country where the government has delivered stellar economic growth rates but faced criticism from opponents and rights group that it has trampled on political freedoms.

Thousands of people had gathered for the annual Irreecha festival of thanksgiving in the town of Bishoftu, about 40 km Addis Ababa.

Crowds chanted we need freedom and we need justice, preventing community elders, deemed close to the government, from delivering their speeches at the festival, they said.

The witnesses said that some protesters waved the red, green and yellow flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a rebel group branded a terrorist organisation by the government,.

They said that when police fired teargas and guns into the air, crowds fled and created a stampede, some of them plunging into a deep ditch.

The witnesses said they saw people dragging out a dozen or more victims, showing no obvious sign of life.

Half a dozen people, also motionless, were also seen being taken by pick-up truck to a hospital.

They noted that the government communications office said in a statement, without giving figures that As a result of the chaos, lives were lost and several of the injured were taken to hospital, and those responsible will face justice.

Merera Gudina, Chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, said that not less than 50 people were killed, adding that his group had been talking to families of the victims.

He said the government tried to use the event to show Oromiya was calm, but residents still protested.

Meanwhile, government has blamed the rebel groups and dissidents abroad for stirring up the protests and provoking violence.

It dismissed the charges that it clamped down on free speech or its opponents.

Protesters had chanted slogans against Oromo Peoples Democratic Organisation, one of the four regional parties that make up the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has ruled the country for quarter of a century.

In a 2015 parliamentary election, opposition parties failed to win a single seat  down from just one in the previous parliament.

Opponents accused the government of rigging the vote, a charge government officials dismissed.

Protests in Oromiya province initially flared in 2014 over a development plan for the capital that would have expanded its boundaries, a move seen as threatening farmland.

Scores have been killed since late in 2015 and this year as protests gathered pace, although the government shelved the boundary plan earlier this year.

(Reuters/NAN)
Saudi Arabia has shifted to the Gregorian or Western calendar as a basis for paying civil servants as part of an austerity package.

The birthplace of Islam shifted to the Gregorian calendar on Sunday, bringing the oil-rich kingdom in line with many of its energy customers.

The Islamic lunar calendar is actually 15 days shorter than the 365-day Gregorian year which means Saudi civil servants work more days for their salaries.

The kingdom has been using the Islamic calendar since it was founded in 1932, Al Arabiya local news reported.

The Kingdom had last week announced a cut of 20 per cent of salaries for ministers and other top political appointees.

A decree issued by King Salman last Monday said the government has decided to stop and cancel some bonuses and financial benefits for top officials including Mr. Salman.

Saudi Arabia like most oil producing countries is currently facing financial difficulties owing to the low price of oil, its main export. The Kingdom suffered a $100 billion budget deficit last year.

Apart from the 20 per cent pay cut for ministers, 15 per cent cut was also announced for all members of the Shura on their housing and car allowances.

Reports said other bonuses were curbed at between 25 and 50 per cent of basic salaries, while annual leave may no longer exceed 30 days.

Al Arabiya reported that austerity measures and the need to conserve funds caused the shift from the Islamic to Western calendar.

It also said Saudi workers will now need to work more days to earn the salaries already sliced by government.
On Security, we have made progress. Boko Haram was defeated by last December  only resorting to cowardly attacks on soft targets, killing innocent men, women and children.  President Muhammadu Buhari during his 2016 Independence Day speech.

President Muhammadu Buharis repeated claim that his administration has defeated Boko Haram has raised several eyebrows.

PREMIUM TIMES partner, Africa Check, had previously looked into a similar context of this assertion when Mr. Buhari made it earlier this year.

On Saturday, in his Independence Day speech, Mr. Buhari repeated an oft-stated claim; saying, Boko Haram was defeated by last December.

A fact-check of the presidents claim, however, shows it falls short of meeting Mr. Buharis own definition of victory and the target he set for himself in the war against Boko Haram.

The Claims

Mr. Buharis seeming desperation to proclaim victory in the war against Boko Haram, despite contrary evidence, appears to have been self-inflicted.

It started on August 1, 2015, about two months after he assumed office, when he visited the Republic of Benin on a courtesy call on former President Boni Yayi in Cotonou.

I assure you that we will defeat Boko Haram by the end of this year, he said while discussing the military cooperation between the two countries with his host.

He made a similar comment when he administered the Oath of Office on newly appointed service chiefs two weeks later.

You need to brace up and continue to team up with other stakeholders to come up with a well-coordinated joint effort which will bring a desired end to these insurgencies within three months, Mr. Buhari said during the State House ceremony on August 13, 2015.

The declaration earned Mr. Buhari the ire of Nigerians and a few security experts from other countries at the time.

Among those who questioned the wisdom in Mr. Buharis statement was a former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon.

I can tell you this, nobody can really talk about when any particular operation is going to end, Mr. Gowon said. And as a (former) commander-in- chief, I know this.

Yes, you can say you target a particular time, but it may finish before that time or it may go slightly beyond. To end it, that is the most important thing.

But rather than yield to calls for caution, the administration encouraged military chiefs to make public statements about their readiness to beat the deadline as suggested by the president.

We are currently working on the December deadline by re-addressing our strategies to ensure that we meet the target, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin, said on October 7, 2015.

Meanwhile, Boko Haram continued its onslaught across the Northeast, where over 50 attacks left hundreds dead and properties worth billions of naira destroyed between August 1 and December 31, 2015.

In December, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said Mr. Buhari had defeated the seven-year long insurgency within six months of assuming power.

Both Mr. Buhari, Mr. Mohammed and other officials brought the message into the new year. They ignored expert opinions and were usually quick to dismiss Boko Haram attacks as desperate tactics by the groups remnant.

When he played host to the President of Germany, Joachim Gauck, on February 12, Mr. Buhari made another victory claim.

What they have resorted to is using improvised explosive devices to cause maximum casualties on soft targets as they did yesterday, doing what they are capable of doing now, Mr. Buhari said. But for them to organize conventional attacks on military, police installations and take hold towns, I think they are not able to do that.

From January till now, Mr. Buhari had managed to repeat the claims at meetings with foreign leaders.

The Facts

But daily realities showed that the victory claims are not only premature but also exaggerated as our partner found in the previous work cited above.

Within the last two weeks alone, the media has been awash with reports of intensified activities of Boko Haram across the Northeast

On September 17, the United Nations found that more than two million people are still held in areas controlled by the sect.

The BBC also reported this week that the insurgents had run over settlements and unfurled their flag.

In a September 25 attack, at least four soldiers were fatally wounded by Boko Haram during a gun battle.

Attacks on military outposts and a town near Chibok were also reported within the last two weeks.

Although what counts as victory remains vague, but Mr. Buhari offered a compromise during his inaugural speech on May 29 that he seemed to have long abandoned.

The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain until Boko Haram is completely subdued, Mr. Buhari said. But we cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents.

The sect showed in one of at least three videos it released within the last six weeks that the girls are still in captivity.

By Mr. Buharis own target, therefore, the administration cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls.

Also, the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, whom the military claimed had been killed, also appeared in a latest video, threatening to attack the president and more cities.

The administrations concerted attempts at pronouncing victory over Boko Haram seems like a strategy aimed at allaying the fears of rural dwellers  since governments messages are usually carried on radio unchallenged.

However, the fact that the president personally defined what constitutes victory against Boko Haram on the day he was sworn in even makes the repeated claims of triumph over the sect doubtful.
The federal government has restated its willingness to negotiate with the terrorist Boko Haram group to free the over 200 girls kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Sunday reiterated Federal Governments commitment to rescuing the girls abducted by the deadly group.

Mr. Mohammeds statements came a week after the sect released a video showing its leader, Abubakar Shekau.

In the video, Mr. Shekau threatened to attack more cities and vowed not to release the girls until his groups members in detention were released.

Mr. Mohammed spoke on a live programme on Channels Television, titled Nigeria at 56: Recursive, Resilient, Rising.

He said no group, local or international, could claim to have more stake or be more committed to the rescue of the girls than the Federal Government.

He added that the issue of the rescue of the girls was a humanitarian one that everyone or group should be passionate but rational about.

The minister said contrary to the position of some critics, government had robust counter terrorism policy and had recorded significant success in the anti-corruption war.

He said the fact that the Chibok girls were yet to be rescued should not be a yardstick to write off the achievements of government in decimating the Boko Haram group.

Mr. Mohammed recalled that upon assumption of President Muhammadu Buharis administration, many parts of the North-East were under the control of the sect and were not safe and accessible.

He said that the situation was not the same today as no part of the North East region was under the control of the group.

He reiterated that Boko Haram had been decimated and that government was working daily to ensure the release of the abducted girls.

The North-East is free now, students are returning to schools, all the towns and communities hitherto under the control of the terrorists have been liberated and those who fled their homes are gradually returning, he said.

The minister also recalled that when the Buhari administration assumed power, it was 410 days after the Chibok girls were abducted without any clue to their rescue by the previous government.

He noted that in all cases of abduction, especially by terrorists, 24 hours was critical to ensuring prompt rescue, adding that the government in power then did not utilise the intelligence then.

The minister said the present administration had thrice established links with Boko Haram for the exchange of the abducted girls with the arrested members of the terrorist group.

He explained that on each occasion, the efforts were thwarted by either the link with the terrorist, fresh demands by Boko Haram or division in the camp of the terrorist group.

Mr. Mohammed said government had not foreclosed negotiation with the group on the release of the girls but it wanted to ensure that the link were genuine and credible.

He said government appreciated the efforts of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group but noted that the administration is as concerned as they are and ready to work with them in ensuring the release of the girls.

On her part, Oby Ezekwesili, one of the leaders of the BBOG, reiterated the position of the minister that 24 hours was critical to ensuring success or failure in cases of abduction by terrorists, adding that the past administration failed in that regard.

Ms. Ezekwesili, however, said the BBOG group was disappointed that more than 900 days after the girls abduction, there was no tangible evidence or convincing plans by government on their release.

She said the group resumed its agitation with vigour to canvass citizens engagement in the release of the girls and ensure that government did not stay away from the parents of the girls.

She underscored the need for government to carry along the group in its rescue efforts and be consistent in its messages and briefings.

She pledged the support of the group to the government in ensuring a safe rescue of the abducted girls.

(NAN)
While the national debate on the sale of asset to raise funds to help Nigeria out of recession continues, the federal government last week said it has not taken a firm decision on the matter.

However, despite the governments seeming indecision, a top official of the presidency had told PREMIUM TIMES about the administrations intentions.

Some of the intended sales could be in form of time-bound leases, advance renewal payments on leasing licenses and concessioning, which would attract buoyant signature fees, the official said.

Below are some of the asset that may be affected should the federal government finally decide on asset sale.

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited

The six trains facility is reputed to possess the capacity to produce 22 million tonnes per annum (MPTA) of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and 5 MPTA of natural gas liquids (NGLs) from 3.5 billion standard cubic feet per day (BCF/D) of natural gas feedstock.

It is owned by four shareholders, namely: Nigeria, represented by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49 per cent), Shell (25.6 per cent), Total LNG Nigeria Ltd (15 per cent) and Eni (10.4 per cent).

The NLNG-Six project consists of Train 6, additional condensate processing and additional LPG storage and Jetty facilities making up Train 7, under construction. When completed, total production capacity of the plant would grow to 30 MPTA of LNG.

The NLNG was incorporated as a limited liability company on May 17, 1989, to harness Nigerias vast natural gas resources and produce liquefied natural gas and natural gas liquids for export.

Its subsidiaries include Bonny Gas Transport (BGT) Limited and the NLNG Ship Management Limited (NSML).

The company has been Nigerias cash cow in critical periods.

In 2015, when the present administration came to power, the $2.1 billion dividend and royalty from NLNG served as the take-off grant.

The presidency official told PREMIUM TIMES that only five per cent of governments 49 per cent equity would be sold, with a buy-back clause to be included in the share purchase agreement (SPA), for government to repurchase the shares when the situation has improved.

The arrangement would leave government with 44 per cent stake-holding in the plant.

The federal government does not own the entire gas company, and will certainly not sell-off its entire shares. Government is open to selling 5 per cent, or thereabout of its 49 per cent shareholding. The decision is yet to be taken at all, he said.

2. NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is the state-owned national oil company with business interests in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.

In the upstream industry, NNPC operates seven joint venture partnerships, with Shell (55:45 per cent) and 60:40 per cent with Mobil, Chevron, Total, Agip, Elf and Panocean.

The corporation has at least 11 subsidiaries, with strategic business interests spanning exploration and production, gas development, refining, distribution, petrochemicals, engineering, and commercial investments.

It is not clear what percentage equity in the joint ventures or any of the subsidiaries the government is contemplating selling.

However, the Governor of Nigerias Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, said government would soon commence the sale of about 15 per cent of its oil asset held by NNPC.

Mr. Emefiele, who has consistently canvassed selling part of government equity in the oil and gas joint ventures, said the present proposal is expected to yield a minimum revenue inflow of $10 billion for the country.

A team of consultants has been commissioned to carry out a study on the proposed sale. The countrys income would have been beefed up to $15 billion if the asset had been sold earlier in the year, Mr. Emefiele said.

3. Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC)

The Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited is a subsidiary of the NNPC.

The 210,000 barrels per stream day (BPSD) facility consists the 60,000 BPSD capacity refinery commissioned in 1965, and the new 150,000 BPSD capacity refinery opened in 1989.

In view of its declining production capacity in recent years as a result of age and poor maintenance, the refinery has been one of the facilities in the petroleum industry often identified for possible sale.

It was actually sold during the dying days of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration to some private investors, but the sale was reversed by the Umaru YarAdua administration following protests by concerned Nigerians that the process was not transparent.

4. Kaduna Refining & Petrochemical Company (KRPC)

KRPC LIMITED is another subsidiary of the NNPC involved in refining of crude oil into petroleum products and petrochemicals.

The 110,000 BPSD installed capacity refinery was designed to process heavy crude oil from Kuwait, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia or Russia.

The refinery has been performing below installed capacity for long, mainly as a result of poor maintenance.

It is also one of the establishments in the oil and gas industry often touted for sale.

5. Warri Refining & Petrochemical Company Limited.

Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company is a wholly owned NNPC subsidiary established in 1978, to process 125,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The refinerys refining capacity has equally dwindled drastically over time, recommending it for possible inclusion in governments list of potential establishments likely to be sold.

6. Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)

AFC is an international organization of African financial institutions to promote synergy between African banks. It was established by treaty between sovereign states, with Nigeria as one of the major shareholders through the Central Bank of Nigeria (42.5 per cent) from a total 47.7 per cent stake by African financial institutions.

Other members include Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana, Chad and Cape Verde, Uganda, Rwanda, Gabon and Djibouti.

The corporation has substantial private sector participation, with several industrial and corporate shareholders including United Bank for Africa Plc (10.7 per cent,) Access Bank Plc (10.2 per cent), First Bank of Nigeria Limited (9.2 per cent), Wempco Group (9.2 per cent), Zenith Bank Plc (4.6 per cent), Union Bank of Nigeria Plc (4.6 per cent), Ecobank Nigeria Limited (4.6 per cent) and others 4.4 per cent.

Total capital of the bank is put at $1.38 billion.

It is not clear what percentage of its equity holding in the bank the federal government is considering to dispose under the asset sale proposal.

Apart from outright sale of some interest, some of the other asset are only to be concessioned; meaning they will be owned and managed by a private investor for a period after which it will return to the government. Some of the asset in this category include the East-West rail lines and some major airports.

7. East-West Rail lines

The concessioning of the East-West rail lines of the Nigeria Railways is close to being completed, with General Electric-GE as the concessionaire, several government officials have said.

The deal would see GE invest $2 billion in the Nigerian economy, including refurbishment of the single-gauge lines abandoned for over a year.

Under the deal, government would receive a hefty signature fee in foreign currency, as it would in other asset proposed for concessioning.

8. Airports

Most of the 22 federal airports are in various state of disrepair. Although government is investing in the rehabilitation of about five of them at the moment, government is said to be considering including putting the others on the list of asset proposed for sale.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said the four major airports: Lagos, Kano, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, would definitely be concessioned.

Government does not have money to put into these businesses and we dont want to sell these facilities either; so that is why we are concessioning them because it is the only way to go, he said.

9. West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP)

The 678 kilometres West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is a project initiated by some oil and gas operators with the NNPC to convey 800 million standard cubic feet per day gas from Escravos area in Delta state to some West African countries, including Ghana, Benin Republic and Togo.

The project has suffered hiccups, resulting in long delays to the completion.

10. Presidential Air Fleet

The debate on the reduction of the 10 aircraft in the presidential air fleet as a cost cutting strategy has been on for a long time.

Although the government has not said the presidential air fleet was one of areas being proposed for sale, some concerned Nigerians have urged government to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the planned sale of national asset to dispose of some the ten aircraft in the fleet.

If the government considers the proposal, some planes in the presidential air fleet may be sold.
The Nigerian Army says it plans to hand over six foreigners who were arrested in the course of its anti-terrorism war to the Nigeria Immigration Service, for deportation.

The foreigners include four Cameroonians and one Jamaican.

Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 division of the Nigerian Army, stated this while speaking with journalists in Maiduguri on Sunday.

Mr. Ezugwu said that the foreigners were among suspects arrested at various raids in Boko Haram terrorists camps, but were cleared of affiliation with the group.

He said that the suspects had been found to have entered the country illegally.

We handed over 348 cleared detainees to the Borno State Government on Saturday

 Some other suspects were not released because they had committed crimes that are civil in nature, as such, will be handed over to relevant security agencies for further action.

Among this category are six foreigners who illegally entered Nigeria.

They consist of four Cameroonians, one Chadian and one Jamaican; these foreigners will be handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for deportation , he said

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Nigerian Army had on Saturday, handed over 348 cleared detainees to Gov. Kashim Shettima as part of its efforts to ensure justice and fairness to individuals arrested in the ongoing anti terrorism war.

(NAN)
Operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command on Friday arrested a lady, her boyfriend, and two others for stealing an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card which belonged to one Musa Alli.

They also allegedly withdrew over N300,000 from the account.

The lady, Bamigboye Imoleayo, 24, was arrested by the operatives at a club (name withheld) in Surulere area of Lagos for the crime. The police later arrested three other accomplices including her boyfriend, Adeyinka Ayodele, the same day in Itori, Ogun State.

Mr. Alli, the victim, who reported the case at the RRSs office in Alausa, said he met the suspect at a club in Surulere penultimate Friday, the police said in a statement on Sunday.

He said the lady stole his ATM card, after memorizing his Personal Identification Number (PIN) during an online transfer of funds into his friends account.

I thought I had misplaced the card not knowing that the lady had stolen it and thereafter glimpsed at the PIN for withdrawal, Mr. Alli said.

The victim said he was shocked on Saturday afternoon when he received alerts amounting to N90,000 withdrawals.

While I was still contemplating on how to deal with the issue, I got another debit alert for buying two Infinix phones totalling N84, 000, I was confused and shocked. I didnt know what action to take on a Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Mr. Alli said there was another debit alert on his phone.

I couldnt pin the crime to the lady I met at the club, he said.

I lodged a complaint on Monday morning at my bank and I was told that the withdrawals and shopping were legitimately made by me.

I reported the incident at the RRSs office on Monday after informing my bank. My emphasis to the police were the withdrawals and shopping totalling N300, 000.

It was unbelievable for me when I was face to face with the suspect, the lady I met at the club. And, she explained everything.

The police said Ms. Imoleayo admitted, during interrogations, that she pocketed the victims ATM card when he slept off during their conversation at night in the club.

Initially, I had spied on and crammed his PIN when he was sending money to his colleague via mobile app, she said.

I committed this offence because I was so desperate to re-stock my shop at Wasimi in Ogun State, and also to take care of my only daughter.

I never had a rethink while committing the crime. Although, I regretted my action now.

The suspect said her boyfriend accompanied her while she withdrew and spent the money from the ATM card.

After I spied on his PIN during a particular banking transaction on his phone, I intended to only withdraw N20, 000 out of his bank account and then destroy the card, said Ms. Imoleayo.

However, when I withdrew the money, and checked the account balance, I was shocked to see his balance. Afterwards, I withdrew another N70,000 again making N90,000 that day.

Then, the following day, I called my boyfriend, who instructed me not to destroy the card, but I should come straight to Itori, Ogun State, where he resides.

On getting to him, he called two of his friends, Abimbola Akintanna and Owolabi Bamidele, to use the ATM at any nearest bank.

She added that they took the card to a shopping mall in Abeokuta, the following day, where they bought phones and clothes.

We thought by going this far nobody could trace us. We bought two android phones for N84,000 at a phone store, she said.

We proceeded to a boutique where four of us bought clothes worth N126,000. I recharged my phone with another N2,500 worth of recharge card. The money spent from the account was over N300,000.

Two Android phones, eight pairs of trousers and shirts were recovered from the suspects during a search of their houses.

Dolapo Badmus, the Lagos State police spokesperson, confirmed the arrest, and urged the public to always protect their PIN during any banking transaction.

The suspects and exhibits recovered have been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, for prosecution, according to the police.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno on Sunday assured that government would reconstruct structures damaged by Boko Haram terrorists in the liberated border community of Damasak to enable residents return to their normal lives.

He made the promise while addressing some residents in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area of the state.

The governor, who expressed sadness over the level of destruction by the terrorists, said it is sad that the lunatics chose to engage in wanton destruction of lives and property in the guise of religion.

We will strive hard to ensure that all the structures destroyed are reconstructed within our limited resources.

He said government would conduct a census of the damaged structures to determine the actual figure before embarking on the reconstruction programme.

He also promised to empower residents of the area financially to enable them return to business.

He added that Damasak has lots of historical and economical significance in the state because it is the livewire of Borno North.

We have to make sure that residents who are mainly farmers, fishermen and business merchants return to business.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the residents are eager to return home and pick up the pieces of their lives.

Kyari Bukar, a resident, said the people were tired of staying as refugees in neighbouring Niger Republic.

He said we are currently staying in Bosso in Niger Republic as refugees.

We want to return home and continue with our economic activities; we are farmers and fishermen, we are tired of living as refugees.

He, however, lamented that their homes had been destroyed by the terrorists, but stressed that all the same, we want to go back since the military has liberated the area from the terrorists.

If government can assist us to rebuild our homes and empower us to start something, we are ready to go back.

Governor Shettima also visited the Commander of the 145 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Damasak, where he commended the military for liberating the area from the terrorists.

He said we cannot thank you enough for the giant strides recorded in recapturing Damasak.

We are here fundamentally to thank you for all the sacrifices you made for us to have peace in this part of the country.

He prayed for soldiers who died in the course of duty.

May the souls of all those who paid the supreme price for us to have peace rest in peace; May God give the families the fortitude to bear the losses, he prayed.

The governor also pledged to tackle the problem of water shortage facing the troops.

We will send a team from the Ministry of Water Resources to address the problem, he said.

(NAN)
Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa said in Gombe, Sunday, that Nigerians owed a lot to President Muhammadu Buhari for his swift action in addressing the security challenges posed by insurgents.

Mr. Bindow, who was in Gombe to felicitate with the people of the state on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the state, noted that the threat to lives and property had been substantially reduced.

Our President deserves commendation for his military exploits in fighting the insurgents.

Now, we can sleep both eyes closed and move around freely, he said, while fielding questions from newsmen.

The Governor also commended Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe for taking the state to greater height within a short time of his stewardship.

No doubt Dankwambo has achieved a lot; Gombe state has been transformed to a modern city within 20 years of its creation, he said.

The governor said he joined the people of Gombe in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the creation of their state because they and people of Adamawa were one and inseparable.

Although we now differ in our political persuasion, Gombe state being PDP and Adamawa APC, I can confidently say we are dialectically, economically and socially related, he said.

(NAN)
The Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, yesterday said after 56 years of being together as one nation, there was no need for agitation for secession.

He appealed to those calling for such separation to have a rethink because the creation of Nigeria was not accidental, rather God ordained.

Mr. Bello made this passionate appeal during a special parade by security agencies, school children, artisan and cultural groups to mark the nations 56th Independence anniversary in Minna, the state capital.

He maintained that founding fathers of the country were quick at inception to realize that there is unity in diversity and have over these years strived to keep the country together.

The governor advised that if the national cake is no longer big enough, as it is been agitated, it is only logical that we come together and bake a bigger one.

He noted that Nigeria remains the greatest black nation in the world such that in every group of five black men, at least one of them must be a Nigerian. He then advocated we use our population to our advantage.

Earlier the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Isah Ladan said that the state government decided to celebrate the 56th anniversary in order to infuse national consciousness in the people for collective contribution to the development of the state and the nation.

The SSG urged all to use the celebration to reflect and re-dedicate selves to the service of our country by rallying round the administration of Mr. Bello.

He said the administration is focused, decisive and progressive to consolidate on the achievements so far recorded in the areas of provision of some basic infrastructure like: good roads, resuscitation of schools, reviving the healthcare delivery system, youth and women empowerment initiatives, security among others.

The governor later flagged off sales of assorted grains at 50 per cent market price as part of palliative efforts of the state government to cushion the effect on the present economic recession.

The grains are to be sold at headquarters of each of the 274 wards in the state.

To ensure proper coordination and accountable distribution of grains, Governor Bello directed his Special Adviser, Special Duties, Umar Alkali; Special Adviser, Local Government , Shehu Pawa; Director General, Project Monitoring, Abdullahi Arah; and Hannatu Salihu, to monitor the process.
The Kano State government has attributed the fresh outbreak of malaria in the state to the refusal of over 60 per cent of its residents to use

mosquitoes nets distributed to them freely by the government.

The state Commissioner for Health, Kabir Gesto, disclosed this in Kano on Sunday.

There was outbreak of malaria in the state about two weeks ago with over a hundred people currently receiving treatment in the hospitals while others resorted to traditional treatment.

When PREMIUM TIMES visited the state-owned general hospitals, many patients were seen receiving treatments for disease.

Mr. Gesto said over three million people were treated of malaria in the country in 2015 alone. He said the new cases in Kano were as a result of the refusal of the residents to use mosquito nets as well as dirty environments.

He said the government had procured drugs and diagnostic equipment worth N59 million to combat the scourge.

He said the drugs and equipment had already been distributed to 38 hospitals in the state while over six million insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed to sufferers of the disease.

Mr. Gesto said the government also procured 20 microscopes to diagnose the disease fast before medication.

The commissioner however lamented that only 40 per cent of the people make use of items distributed to them.

He disclosed that not less than 200 health workers have so far

been employed and deployed to the various hospitals in the state as a way of containing the spread of disease.

He said the government had also embarked on the training of personnel as intervention measure even though the state was enjoying the technical support from foreign donors.

Mr. Gesto disclosed that the state government also embarked on an aggressive reach-out scheme and enlightenment campaign to sensitize the public of keeping their environment clean in order to get rid of mosquitoes around their homes.

He also said the government procured tricycle ambulances for conveying pregnant women from their rural communities to primary healthcare centres.

The commissioner also said the government will within the next two weeks commence the second phase of polio vaccination in the state.
True to the predictions of political observers, the governorship aspirant, Olusola Oke, has dumped the All Progressives Congress for the Alliance for Democracy.

He has also been granted the ticket to fly his new partys flag in the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State.

Mr. Okes spokesperson, Rotimi Ogunleye, on Sunday gave reasons for his principals exit.

Mr. Oke contested the APC governorship primary election and was defeated by Rotimi Akeredolu. He placed third behind Olusegun Abraham who came second.

He appealed to the Appeal Committee alleging that the election was rigged using a fake delegates list.

His protest was well received by the appeals committee, but the national working committee rejected the recommendations of the committee and upheld the primary.

That controversial decision by the John Odigie-Oyegun led APC National Working Committee is one that has led to calls for his resignation. One of those championing the call is a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu.

Confirming Mr. Okes switch on Saturday, his spokesman, Rotimi Ogunleye, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Oke left the APC because the platform was tainted with injustice.

He said Mr. Oke believes that the September 3 primary of the APC was rigged and the delegates lists tampered.

According to Mr. Ogunleye, in spite of the protest and the recommendations of the committee which considered the appeals arising from the election, the national chairman of the party still went ahead to subvert the will of the people.

Mr. Oke has the dream to build our fortunes into our future, Mr. Ogunleye said.

His agenda is that of Ondo State which is to bring sustainable development to the people. Mr. Ogunleye said. The journey cannot be abandoned even though the vehicle had broken down. We cannot abandon the journey but we can abandon the vehicle.

Mr. Oke had earlier abandoned the Peoples Democratic Party shortly after the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan to secure a re-$election in 2015.
Residents of Ketu community in Aiyetoro area of Ogun State on Sunday expressed mixed feelings over the report that a Pentecostal pastor , Wale Fagbere , was stricken after he invaded a shrine in the area.

They spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Aiyetoro, Yewa North Council Area of the state.

Mr. Fagbere on September 20 allegedly got stricken in a shrine in Ketu community in Ayetoro area of Yewa North Local Government of the state after destroying some structures in the shrine.

Mr. Fagbere, who was reported to have been stricken by some angry gods, allegedly regained consciousness after custodians of the shrine carried out some rites on him.

When NAN visited the community on Sunday, many of the traditional title holders declined comments, saying the issue had been resolved.

Some of the residents of Ayetoro, who spoke with NAN on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Fagbere was not telling the truth as he was actually stricken.

One of them, a commercial motorcyclist, who said he was at the scene when it happened, confirmed the incident.

The pastor got stuck in the shrine and at a point the traditionalists were called in to set him free.

He was there from morning till evening. At a point, his mother had to come to the scene to plead for him.

If not for the king who waded into the situation, things would have gone beyond human control, he said.

But a female resident of the area, who refused to mention her name, disagreed with people who believe the pastor was stricken.

She said that the pastor was not stricken but only obeying the divine instruction he claimed he had been given.

NAN also visited the palace of the Alaye of Ayetoro, Abdulazeez Adelakun; but one of the palace Chiefs, Kola Onifade, said the monarch was unavailable for comment.

Mr. Onifade also said the monarch was the only person that could speak on the matter.

He, however, noted that there was nothing more to say on the issue, saying it had been resolved.

The cleric had on Thursday in Abeokuta at a press conference organised by the Ogun Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria said that many people mistook his posture at the shrine for paralysis.

(NAN)
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The founder and President of World Sufi Forum and All India Ulama & Mshaikh Board, Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichochwi congratulates the Indian establishment and the Prime minister Narender Modi on his stern act against terrorism. He laudes India's surgical strikes in the wake of the Uri attack perpetrated by the Pakistani terrorists on the Indian army near the LoC in Jammu & Kashmir in which over18 Indian Army were martyred.The Founder of World Sufi Forum welcomed the motive behind this operation preventing terrorists who infiltrate or attack the Jammu & Kashmir region.Syed Mohammad Ashraf states:"In January 2004, Pakistan had assured us that it would not use its territory as breeding ground for terrorism against India. We hoped Pakistan would keep its promise. But it backed out of its word recently in the Uri attack. Given this, the surgical strike has conveyed to Pakistan the sentiments of our countrymen: Pakistan must stop sponsoring terror".He further states:"The surgical operation is an apt and timely retort to the terrorists emboldened by the Pakistan government. We should understand that surgery comes into play as the last resort when all medicines have failed. There has been a pressing urge for the surgical strikes for a long time. Of course, for a successful surgery and a positive outcome, one needs a holistic view of the situation."Syed Mohammad Ashraf added saying:"I am sure that the people of Pakistan will also appreciate and support this most-needed decision of the Indian government to restore peace and tranquility in the region.Islamic scholar and researcher with the World Sufi Forum, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi said: "It's time Pakistan stopped sponsoring terrorist outfits. Surgical strike was the only panacea for the devastating ill plaguing the region. However, the operation should be focused on ensuring ultimate peace and internal security and preventing the terrorists from enacting their nefarious designs causing destruction and endangering the innocent lives."
A tax-court ruling in Morris County last year could have a major impact on South Jersey nonprofit hospitals.

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center has had its nonprofit status challenged by its host municipalities in an attempt to get the hospital to pay property taxes. The challenges stem from a ruling last year that Morristown Medical Center did not meet the standards of being a nonprofit and thus had to pay property taxes.

In his opinion, the judge questioned all nonprofit hospitals and their tax exemptions, saying modern nonprofits do not meet the current criteria for the exemptions under the law.

The ruling sparked lawsuits between municipalities and nonprofit hospitals across New Jersey. So far, 37 of the states nonprofit hospitals have had their tax-exempt status challenged, said Kerry McKean Kelly, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Hospital Association.

The lawsuits created complicated situations between municipalities and hospitals, she said. In March, Gov. Chris Christie called for a two-year freeze of all litigation while a state commission creates a solution that preserves the tax-exempt status but requires the 58 nonprofit hospitals to make yearly contributions to their municipality instead of paying property taxes.

Assemblyman Chris Brown, R-Atlantic, said the Assembly passed a bill during the last session to address the issue, but it was vetoed by Christie. Now, the Assembly is reintroducing the bill and working to make it something the governor is willing to sign, he said.

We need to come up with a resolution quickly. Otherwise, the only winners will be the lawyers, he said.

McKean Kelly said the New Jersey Hospital Association supports the approach of keeping the tax-exempt status while making yearly monetary contributions to the municipalities.

We believe a much better path is a statewide solution (instead of dozens of individual lawsuits), she said. I dont think anyone wants to see hospitals and municipalities at odds.

In South Jersey, AtlantiCare has been challenged by Galloway Township and Atlantic City, where AtlantiCares two campuses are located.

A spokesman for AtlantiCare said the hospital supports the two-year freeze on litigation Christie called for.

It is our hope that there will be a legislative solution that recognizes the challenges many hospitals face in providing care and services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of a patients ability to pay for services, while they also contribute in many other ways to the well-being of the communities they serve, spokesman Frank Blee said in a statement.

A representative from Galloway Township said he could not comment on pending litigation, while efforts to get a comment from an Atlantic City representative were unsuccessful.

Somers Point Administrator Wes Swain said the city, where Shore Medical Center is located, is waiting to see how the matter plays out in the Legislature.

The city will analyze whats going on and do what it has to do to protect its rights, Swain said.

The chief financial officer for Shore Medical Center said in a statement the hospital has been paying taxes on its affiliated entities that are deemed for profit. He also said Shore has been giving voluntary payments, bought a police vehicle for the Somers Point Police Department and has provided ambulance service for the area at a cost exceeding $230,000.

Given the economic meltdown in Atlantic County and the closure of thousands of hospitals across the country, the last thing we need to do is destroy more communities and take away health care from those in need and put thousands of more people out of work, said David Hughes, chief financial officer of Shore Medical Center.

Meanwhile, the individual lawsuits around the state could take years to sort out, McKean Kelly said. The litigation in Morristown lingered for five years before the judge made his ruling.

Weve had good conversations with legislators, McKean Kelly said, reiterating the Hospital Associations hope of a statewide solution. If that doesnt happen, were looking at years of lawsuits and millions in legal fees.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Terri Hidock had a frightening and life-changing experience in 1989.

A cooking fire razed her apartment in Pennsylvania, causing her severe burns.

But Hidock said firefighters battled their way through the flames to rescue her and provide first aid. Some stayed with her while she was in the hospital.

They saved my life, she said.

Hidock was one of several hundred people at St. Katharine Drexel Roman Catholic Churchs annual tribute to police, firefighters and emergency medical crews. Those first responders were honored Saturday evening during a Mass. Masses also are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Its a way for us as a parish to say thank you for the great job our first responders do, said the Rev. John Vigone. Its a way for us to show them that they have our support and our prayers.

Parishioner Frank Finnerty, who helps organize the Mass, said it is important especially this year because of controversy surrounding some police encounters.

It has been really some troubling times for the police community and their families, he said. There have been so many issues out there. Its time to let the police and fire departments know that the vast majority of people are really supporting of the work they do.

Sydney Gunderson, of Egg Harbor Township, said she felt for her it was important to go to Saturdays Mass.

To see the support of the community, it makes me feel good, Gunderson said.

For the service, police, fire and rescue staff placed their hats and helmets in front of the altar.

They were led into the service by an honor guard from the local Knights of Columbus, and participated in prayers and sacramental offerings.

Hidock said her life-changing experience involved a rebirth of faith. She said she began to pray after the fire, eventually converted to Catholicism. She now attends the annual Mass for the first responders.

And, she said, firefighters hold a special place in her heart.

Theyre my guardian angels, she said.
Steve Tyman stood on the train platform, feeling the wall of warm air from the oncoming train push against his body.

Its going to be over in two seconds, he thought.

His many problems  marital troubles, family illness, a struggling business  would disappear in the headlights of a train.

He was one step away from becoming part of a growing number of people whove silently turned to suicide.

That morning, Nov. 23, 2009, he awoke in his Northfield home, got out of bed, careful not to wake his wife or youngest son.

He put on sweatpants and slippers, and drove to the Absecon train station and bought a ticket to Philadelphia. His mind was numb; the only recurring thought he had was about dying.

He stood on the Broad Street platform waiting for the train, surrounded by morning commuters. It was just another day for them. For him, it would be his last.

Then something stopped him. In the window of the first car, he saw the conducting engineer. He imagined his sons face.

How could I do this to my kids, he thought.

Tyman stepped back. He was calm. The train that was supposed to kill him came and went. He made it to the other side of the platform and boarded an outbound train.

When he finally got off in Cherry Hill, he called a friend to get him.

From there, he went to the hospital.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. For every person who commits suicide, there are 25 other attempts. Rates are higher in almost every age group than they were a decade ago.

Among Tymans age group, 35 to 54 years old, suicide is the eighth-leading cause of death nationally. The risk is even higher in younger demographics. It is the second-leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds, and fourth-leading among 25 to 44-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions 2015 report.

Suicide is especially worrisome on college campuses, where one in four college students will have a diagnosable mental health disorder each year, according to two specialists at Stockton University.

Not all people who have depression become suicidal, and not all people who attempt suicide have a long-standing history of depression, but experts say the mental illness and action are often closely related.

People experiencing suicidal thoughts dont look or act the same way, so warning signs arent obvious, said Nathan Morell, an assistant director of counseling services, and Donald Cassidy, a psychologist and director of counseling services.

The problem is, were not talking about it. People feel alone. And when they get to the point where they attempt suicide, I feel like weve failed them as society, Morell said.

Once hed decided not to jump, but to instead get help, Tyman checked himself into Hampton Behavioral Health Center in Westhampton Township, Burlington County.

And for the first time, he was diagnosed with severe depression.

It was a transformative moment for Tyman, who until then had always tamped down his feelings and concerns about his mental health.

I was just happy-go lucky-Steve. I was always the one caring for everyone else, said Tyman, 58, who now lives in Cherry Hill. But I never shared my feelings with anybody, I never let people in. In my case, my depression started when I was probably around 12 or 13, but nobody would have ever known it.

Hes sitting at the Shore Diner in Egg Harbor Township, his 6-foot tall frame filling the booth. A mug of tea is on the table, but he sits, his hands folded. Amid the din of clattering plates and lunchtime chatter, he recalls his first signs of trouble.

Growing up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Philadelphia, his parents and friends considered him a well-behaved child. He won citizenship awards in elementary school, was the nerdy captain of the safety patrol. He wasnt the smartest kid, he said, but he had a good group of friends.

He was 7 years old when he began working in the jewelry store his father managed. Working at such a young age left him with a work ethic that would follow him into adulthood.

When they werent working, father and son rode bikes, played catch and watched the Phillies and Flyers.

He had a good relationship with his mother. He cared deeply for his younger brother.

He was also good at keeping other peoples secrets, and keeping his feelings to himself, all to keep others and those he loved happy.

Although he didnt experience many of the classic symptoms of depression, like irritability and changes in appetite and sleep during childhood and adolescence, he developed a pattern of lying to others to keep their secrets.

He knew his brother was gay from a young age, he said, but it wasnt something his brother wanted their parents to know. Tyman kept that secret for years, lying about where his brother was and who he was with to their parents.

Before he left for college, the stress and sadness over the lies became too much and he begged his brother to finally tell their parents. He couldnt do it anymore.

As Tyman grew older, he hit the major milestones. He got married to someone he loved, and together they had two sons. He co-owned businesses at the shore in Margate, Ventnor and Sea Isle City. His parents lived nearby.

But when those pillars of his life began to erode, his life started to crumble with it. After more than 20 years, his marriage began to go downhill. He fought with his landlord.

He missed his oldest son, who was away from home for the first time, a freshman at college. And his father, a charismatic, active man who was his best friend, was being consumed by Parkinsons disease.

The day before he decided to act, problems with his Sea Isle City business landlord came to a peak.

It was the downward spiral of these aspects of his life that came to a head and drove him to nearly end his life.

The business was something hed built from the ground up, and the thought of losing it was the final trigger.

What brought him back was his love for his sons.

I realized it wasnt time for me to leave my children yet, and it wasnt time for me to die before my parents, he said.

By the second day I was there, I realized that I was where I belonged, Tyman said of his decision to admit himself.

At Hampton Behavioral Health Center, he worked with therapists, attended group therapy sessions, tried medications and talked with others who had depression. He learned to detach from unhealthy situations and people and to deal constructively with his problems, current and future.

He moved to Cherry Hill to be closer to his Philadelphia roots and distance himself from the Shore, a place that reminded him of his past issues.

He got divorced.

There have been other challenges in his recovery. His business at a new location in Sea Isle was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. After getting it back up and running, it burned down in a neighboring electrical fire in January.

And while he visits his sons out of state frequently and talks with them often, they still hold some anger at him over his suicide attempt, said Tyman.

They have a right to feel that way, he said, but he has begun to share more with them about what he was feeling and thinking all those years ago. He hopes that as time goes by, they may one day be able to forgive him.

He has bad days and bad things happen in his life, but the difference is how he handles these setbacks now. Part of breaking away from his past are new opportunities. He began dating and is looking for more outreach positions in the mental health field.

On a recent Thursday, he talked to a class of 30 Stockton occupational therapy students about his story and how understanding depression might help them in their jobs someday. He has taken on a leadership role at his weekly support group meetings in Northfield and spoken at several community events.

He vows to never again get to the point where he feels suicide is the solution.

He never lets himself wallow and stay in bed all day, always making sure to take a walk or bike ride outside, even if its raining or snowing.

When he needs peace and calm, he often finds it on the Ventnor Boardwalk, still one of his favorite places at the shore.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  After her second child was born this spring, Elyce Loper thought she would stay home with her children.

But the potential downsides of only one parent working provided too much insecurity, so she decided she had to go back to work.

It was just a little bit too nerve-wracking for my husband and I, Loper said. Even though like an entire paycheck goes to day care.

Lopers situation is similar to that of families across the country and South Jersey.

In Atlantic County, the cost of day care can consume nearly 18 percent of a familys income for just one infant, according to a 2013 report by Child Care Aware of New Jersey.

The annual cost of center-based child care in Atlantic County for one child under 18 months old was $9,620, the report said. Results were similar in Cape May and Cumberland counties. The cost is similar to in-state tuition at Stockton University this year, state data show.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, child care is considered affordable if it is less than 10 percent of a familys budget.

Loper said she was shocked at some of the prices.

I couldnt find a lot that took infants and then pretty much that ones that did were extremely expensive, she said.

Loper said she pays $310 a week for both her children, or $16,120 a year.

The issue affects thousands of New Jersey families.

In the state, there are 251,540 children under the age of 6 in two-parent families where both parents work, according to Child Care Aware of America. An additional 160,491 children under 6 are part of single-parent families where the parent works, the organization states.

Child care, much like education, is a labor-intensive service, which is a large factor in the cost, officials said.

Jean Sidway, director at English Creek Academy in Egg Harbor Township, said local facilities are trying to stay competitive while providing a safe, educational environment.

Theyre learning through different experiences just everything that they need to know to get them ready for kindergarten, Sidway said.

At English Creek Academy, the full-time cost for a 3-year-old, potty-trained child is $10,556 a year.

We remain competitive with area schools, and we try not to raise our tuitions too often, probably every other year. Were doing a minimal, maybe 3 percent raise when we do that, Sidway said.

For children who are not potty-trained, the cost increases slightly depending on age. For infants, the cost is $13,468 a year.

Sidway said a large part of the tuition goes to keeping a low ratio of children to caregivers. There are about 160 children at the center on any given day, Sidway said, adding the ratio of children per teacher increases as the children get older.

For infants, there must be one teacher for four babies. The ratio increases to one teacher per 10 children for 2.5- and 3-year-olds.

At One Love Daycare II in Egg Harbor Township, which can care for up to 28 children, the cost for a child over 12 months old, full-time, is $140 a week for potty-trained or $160 a week for nonpotty-trained. Under 12 months old is $170 a week, she said. Thats between $7,280 and $8,840 a year.

Owner Nicole Mistroff said she focuses on providing an all-natural experience for the children, including the use of organic and green products, while keeping ratios and costs down.

Mistroff said her facility accepts almost all forms of payment to make it convenient for parents, including credit cards and state subsidies.

In New Jersey, the Department of Human Services offers a Child Care Subsidy Program for low- to moderate-income working families and for Work First New Jersey recipients.

Locally, the programs are administered through Rutgers. For a family of four, the maximum allowable gross annual income to be eligible for subsidies is $48,600.

Nicole Brossoie, spokeswoman for Human Services, said the subsidy helps parents maintain steady incomes by allowing them to work.

Recently, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have proposed plans to reduce the cost of child care for families across America.

Trumps proposal includes a rebate of up to $1,200 per year for low-income families, tax deductions for child care costs for up to four children for families making less than $500,000 a year and incentives for businesses to provide child care to employees.

Clinton proposes capping child care costs at 10 percent of a familys income, access to child care on campuses, doubled investment in Early Head Start programs, universal preschool for all 4-year-old children and better wages for child care employees.

Local parents say the cost of child care needs be addressed.

From going from one to two kids in day care, our budget is really tight now, Loper said. I couldnt even imagine what people with more kids do.

Loper said she doesnt follow politics but was happy to hear proposals are being put forward to help working families.

It seems like the only programs are for people at the lowest income bracket, and I feel like there needs to be more options for working-class people like myself, she said.

Monica Coffey, of Margate, said she was lucky to find a nanny to watch her children in her home while she is at work. The married mother of four used Care.com to find a child care provider.

Now that her daughters  ages 14, 14, 11 and 6  are all in school, Coffey uses a nanny for after-school care. She pays $13 an hour.

Coffey said she had considered staying home to care for the children.

But for us it was more financially beneficial for me to return to work, she said. In this area, its a hard decision to give up a good job even if the difference is that meaningful.
WEST WILDWOOD  When Winter Storm Jonas hit the area in January, the bulkhead failed at the end of Glenwood Avenue, sending floodwaters throughout the island community.

During Jonas, the West Wildwood Bible Church  located on Neptune Avenue in the center of town  had water up to its windows. The churchs pastor, the Rev. Tim Kincade, said the church is planning to reopen as a warming center this Code Blue season, which runs November through March, despite the flooding threat.

He also is seeking donations for needed repairs.

Ive never seen flood water like that, said Kincade, who is a North Wildwood native. I saw flooding during (Hurricane) Sandy, but it wasnt as bad. The only other time it was this bad was 1962, and that was a bit before my time.

Kincade said the church has replaced the floor in the sanctuary, including new carpet, but the restoration work is not finished at the small church.

We are still moving along a little bit ... but there is still a lot of work to be done, he said.

Kincade said while they are slowly and surely cleaning up the other rooms  the church office, the Sunday School room, and kitchen  are all a wreck. They are leery about doing more work until they get the building lifted. He said preliminary plans are to raise the church about four feet. He knows the borough will always experience flooding, but they dont know if it will ever again be as bad as during Jonas. Elder Donna Howard has gotten estimates of around $30,000.

Howard said she has gotten an estimate from a friend who found a contractor who would raise the church for $24,000, not counting block work for the foundation.

My friend said he would get friends to put in the foundation, Howard said.

Howard said the church depends on the help of others, such as the men from the United Methodists Church in Cape May Court House who helped them put things back together after Hurricane Sandy. The church was able to restore one bathroom, but they still need a new hot water heater, a refrigerator, a new floor in the kitchen and to repair the other bathroom. She said someone donated a stove.

Howard said she is worried what would happen if they dont raise the church. Howard is an elder and the church treasurer, and she lives near the church. She said she could not live in her home for a month after Jonas hit.

It seems this might be normal; getting that much water, Howard said. Weve been flooded twice in three years and we didnt have flood insurance.

Howard said the church only carries liability insurance. They were also denied help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency because they are a nonprofit. She said FEMA could loan the church money, but the church is too small to take out such a loan. Being a small, independent church, there is no organization above them to whom they can reach out to for help.

Howard said it was important for the church to resume opening the sanctuary as a warming center for the homeless.

We are the only warming center, which is sad, Howard said. We helped out a few people in the winter before the storm and the year before.

Denise Venturini, the director for Cape Hope, said the West Wildwood Bible Church has been the only church to offer its building as a warming center for the last three years.

They responded immediately to our first request, without hesitation. They opened their doors and allowed us to bring the homeless there, she said.

Venturini said West Wildwood Bible Church also opened a clothing closet and allowed Cape Hope to distribute clothing to the homeless. She said Cape Hope would love to get other churches on board to act as Code Blue warming centers in the event West Wildwood Bible Church cannot function.

We are praying fervently for other churches to sign on, she said.

Asked why she thought other churches were not signing on, Venturini said she believes they dont understand what it is to be a warming center. The warming centers open their doors for up to 12 people when a Code Blue is called. A Code Blue situation means the outside temperature has dropped to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or 32 degrees with rain or snow. They are allowed to operate for no more than 14 consecutive days.

On the Cape Hope website we have extensive information on what it is to be a warming center, she said.

Venturini said she and other Cape Hope members are concerned about the apparent apathy they face from the church community.

They wont even give us an audience to explain what a warming center is or to discuss the possible opportunities for ministry. The church is the body of Christ, the hands and feet of Christ, and we are commanded to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, Venturini said.

Kincade said he was planning to attend the next Cape Hope meeting on Sept. 20.

We want them to know we will be open as a warming center, Kincade said.

He said according to the Farmers Almanac there will be some very cold weather this winter, especially in the new year. Kincade said the church can also be used as a shelter during hurricanes, but West Wildwood is one of the first places to flood during storms.

Howard said they have gotten donations toward raising the church and have started a Winter Jonas Storm Fund at TD Bank. They have raised about half of what they need to raise the church.

Anyone who like more information or would like to contribute can call Donna Howard at 609-780-3857.
STAFFORD TOWNSHIPPolice officers and social workers are teaming up to bridge law enforcement with mental health and social services in one of the first pilot programs of its kind in the state.

A licensed social worker will be on-duty at Stafford Township Police Department headquarters as of Thursday to help people with mental health and/or substance abuse issues in the community get access to programs, treatment and services through police officer referrals.

If you look at some of the recent law enforcement involved shootings, a lot of them involve people in mental health crises, said Stafford Police Chief Thomas Dellane. My thought is that if we can get to those people before they reach that crisis state, we could save some lives.

Meghan Corrigan, of Toms River, will join officers as a social worker at the headquarters two days a week, and continue to work the others days at the police departments Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services.

Officers will refer people to Corrigan who may need help with mental health and addiction issues, financial struggles, elderly isolation, family discord and other problems.

Corrigan will then work to connect these people with programs, treatment options and other social services in the community, including early intervention services that may reduce future crisis and law enforcement involvement.

This pilot program arose out of a concern that our officers are sometimes dispatched to a crisis that may not be criminal in nature, Dellane said. Our officers diffuse the crisis but do not have the level of training necessary to effectively address the underlying root cause of the crisis.

Ocean County has the second largest number of psychiatric emergency screenings in the state, according to the Stafford Police department. It was because of this that Dellane, Corrigan and others at Ocean Mental Health Services saw a need for a collaborative program.

Dellane said the program mimics successful ones in other parts of the country, like Illinois, but he found that there was a lack of similar initiatives in New Jersey.

Ocean Mental Health will fund the program into June, 2017, and additional money will be needed to sustain it. The police department has been working with Sen. Cory Booker and Congressman Tom MacArthurs offices to identify possible grants.

We need to make sure these people are kept out of the justice system and get help, said Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato. This is the new face of law enforcement. This program will serve the public better and it will help officers on how to better identify and handle situations.

Corrigan said future goals include getting more funding to sustain the Stafford Township program, expand the social worker position to five or seven days a week and then bring the program to all other departments throughout Ocean County.

Ive never walked away from a police department that I didnt think couldnt do this program, she said. The culture of policing, with the awareness and wanting to do it, just contributes to more melding of our professions.

Dellane said he hopes the program enable officers to more quickly identify what people need when they go out on calls, thus reducing the time it previously took to figure out which agency or service was best appropriate for individuals.

After a person is referred to Corrigan, who can get him or her to the correct treatment program, officers will have more time to perform other services, Dellane said.

This is designed to be very proactive, she said. Currently the response seems to be very reactive. We dont get involved, we dont link people to treatment until after crisis has occurred.

The officers are in the ideal position to identify what community members they see maybe at beginning stages of a crisis or situation that can escalate if some type of intervention isnt put in place.

Contact: 609-272-7022

Twitter @ACPressNLeonard
ATLANTIC CITY  Striking Local 54 workers gathered Saturday afternoon on the beach in front of Trump Taj Mahal for a concert, barbecue and bonfire.

The event allowed the nearly 1,000 striking workers to take a break from the picket line.

Several workers, standing in the misting rain, said the occasion was celebratory, if bittersweet.

I see it as a positive memory, said Pedro Martinez, 28, of Pleasantville, a room service cook at the casino. This is actually the only bonding weve done away from the (picket) line.

Three months ago, Unite Here Local 54 members at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort went on strike. The casinos management group announced in August it will close the property Oct. 10 and lay off 2,848 employees.

This is probably going to be the largest gathering until it closes on the 10th, added bellman Peter Battaglini, 60, of Egg Harbor Township.

The gathering was a chance for workers to connect and share memories, Martinez said.

On the picket line, we dont get a long time to talk, he said.

Martinez has worked at the Taj Mahal for 10 years, but his experience with the casino goes back to his childhood in the South Inlet section of the resort. He said he and his friends would play hide-and-seek in the building before getting kicked out for being underage.

Martinez said he was still around friends at the barbecue, referring to his Local 54 co-workers.

Diana Hussein, a spokeswoman for Local 54, said delegations from other chapters of Unite Here, which represents hotel, casino, food service and other workers, attended the event to show support. Groups from Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C., and New Haven, Connecticut, were at the barbecue, she said.

Big Burrito, a cover band from Burlington County, played as the workers enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers and other picnic staples next to a beach bonfire.

Still, the prospect of the Taj Mahal closing in less than two weeks loomed. Several of the picketing workers said they realized their longtime colleagues would be searching for new jobs or leaving the area.

Its sad, but we did the right thing, said Battaglini, an employee since Tajs first day 26 years ago. We stood up to this billionaire.

Battaglini was referring to owner Carl Icahn. Taj Mahal management has blamed the strike for blocking a path to profitability and forcing the casinos closing.

Hussein and Battaglini both said they expect another large gathering when the casino closes Oct. 10. Until then, its back to the picket line.
At a time when Atlantic Citys elected officials are fighting to retain local authority over the city, it is hard to understand why the Atlantic City Council would spend time on a non-binding referendum that would permit the state to have increased authority over education in Atlantic City.

Currently, there is no law governing vouchers in New Jersey, which is a good thing, because every place where the voucher scheme has been attempted, it has failed. The proposal supported by Jesse Kurtz demonstrates his lack of knowledge regarding Atlantic City schools; his promised benefits and savings just dont add up.

In a recent report by the Government Accountability Office, officials found that taxpayer-funded voucher schools lack high educational standards for students and teachers, discriminate against certain students and fail to demonstrate true academic achievement.

The report also found that 79 percent of the students who received private school vouchers were already attending those private schools, which means that taxpayers were told they would be providing opportunities for public school students, but really would be subsidizing tuition for students who already attended other schools.

In addition, private schools have no responsibility to keep any student. It is a common practice in places where vouchers are legal to accept a student, take all the money allotted to them, and then find a reason to expel them  for reasons that include special education and other needs available and required in the public schools.

The truth is that vouchers are not proposed because they are in the best interests of students; they are proposed in order to enrich private individuals and interests. Voucher proponents, regardless of the titles they hold, are motivated more by self-interest than the public interest.

At a time when the city is struggling to maintain its tax base, why would the City Council agree to a tax credit for people who homeschool their children? That would further reduce the citys tax base at a time when it cannot afford that.

Finally, vouchers have been shown to further segregate students by race. We have residents of Atlantic City who still remember what it took to desegregate city schools. It is an insult to them to propose a scheme that would take us back in the wrong direction.

The fact is, vouchers are a failed experiment that have been inflicted primarily on students of color. Atlantic Citys public school students deserve better than to be used as ideological guinea pigs. In these difficult times they deserve the communitys support and encouragement.

Keep in mind, if vouchers worked in improving educational opportunities for children, then Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which has had vouchers for 25 years, should have the highest performing schools in the nation. That is far from being the case.

Atlantic City public schools provide an excellent education and invaluable services to our students. We provide meals for the neediest of students. We educate every child, regardless of their ability. At a time when our staff has been cut dramatically, we continue to care for the needs of every child  and our students are succeeding. Every year, we are proud to send our graduates into bright futures, including on to the Ivy League.

New Jerseys public schools lead the nation in almost every indicator, including closing the achievement gap and having one of the highest graduation rates in the nation. It is no accident that there is no voucher program anywhere in New Jersey. But states that do offer vouchers have some of the worst graduation rates and largest gaps between minority and white students. Clearly, we are doing a lot of things right in New Jersey  why would we adopt vouchers when they are a proven failure?

The community needs to pull together now, more than ever. It is not the time to strip funds away from public schools and further demoralize staff with a voucher scheme. We are asking all of our elected officials to put aside their self-interest and work in the best interests of all Atlantic City residents. Support Atlantic Citys public school students and the staff who are helping them succeed.

Marcia Genova, of Ventnor, is president of the Atlantic City Education Association.
On a recent afternoon, Joe Evangelista leaned in the doorway of Cape May Artists Cooperative Gallery, surrounded by his work.

Along the walls, the Del Haven residents photographs showcase landscapes from around Cape May. Some depict monuments, while others show beach scenes awash in vibrant sunsets. Some even take the viewers down a sandy path or up-close with nature.

I love to do the sunsets but the sunsets have to include something, Evangelista said, as he gestured at some rocks in one of his photographs.

When it comes to sunrises, hes not so keen. If you miss it, you wake up early for nothing, he said.

Photography had been the former Middle Township chief of polices passion since his 20s, but it would be many years before he would circle back to it again.

I really love it down here, its just such a beautiful area, he said. When I worked as a policeman, I saw the other side of what the tourists see and everybody else.

Raised in Camden, Evangelista said he was fortunate enough to spend many of his summers in the Wildwoods.

I was going to college and I worked down here in the summers. We used to surf a lot  I cant tell you how many Instamatic cameras we had, we would put them in baggies, and take them out on the surfboard with us, he said.

Even when Evangelista was in the army during the Vietnam War, he brought a camera along with him.

I shot a ton of pictures, he said, adding that his camera even sustained a small dent in the top from a bomb that went off near him. Most of the pictures I took were of the guys, he added.

After the army, Evangelista attended the Antonelli Institute in Pennsylvania for photography. After two semesters, a job opened up at The Wildwood Leader newspaper and his instructors encouraged him to seize the opportunity. He worked at the paper for two years as a photographer and eventually opened Evangelista Studios in North Wildwood for a few years.

If I could make a dollar with the camera thats what I did, he said (After the army) my initial push was to somehow get into the police department but there just werent any openings.

Evangelista transitioned to photography. Right before he went to the police department, his uncle attempted to get him a job with the City of Philadelphia as a crime lab photographer.

Evangelista said the opportunity just didnt work out, and he took the test to become a police officer. In 1993, he joined the Middle Township Police Department.

When I first started working there, I thought, OK I can still take pictures, he said.

But Evangelistas schedule was demanding, and much of his photography was limited to photos of his family or his three sons.

By 2003, he became chief of the department.

Current Middle Township police chief, Christopher Leusner, said Evangelista was a pleasure to work with.

Hes very intelligent and hes very direct and blunt  you always knew where you stood and the direction youre going, he said. I learned a lot from him.

When Evangelista began nearing retirement, he realized he wanted to get back into photography. He updated his equipment and began photographing police officers to build up his portfolio.

I convinced some of the guys at work their kids just needed to be photographed, he said.

Leusners own son, Christopher, who was born in 2010, was photographed by Evangelista.

I was one of many officers, Leusner said. Those pictures he took, I hang in my home today.

After Leusner became chief in 2009 when Evangelista retired, Leusner said he would still reach out to his former chief for advice.

When you work with someone you have so much respect for, and they see something in you, that inspires you and motivates you to be the best you can, Leusner said. To this day, until I retire as chief, I dont ever want to let him down.

For Evangelista, helping others was what gave him satisfaction.

The people in Middle Township were great to work for. I dont mean the people who run the town, I mean the people in the town, he said. We helped out a lot of people. Thats what made me feel good about police work, helping people, really deeply in need.

Evangelista also dedicates some of his time to volunteer as a photographer for the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities (MAC) in Cape May. In June, he was voted volunteer of the month.

That was really nice. I just do this because I want to do, he said. I like what they do and what theyre doing.

Susan Krysiak, MACs communications coordinator, said close to 146 unique events in 2015 were photographed.

Krysiak, who is MACs chief photographer, said she will sometimes call on Evangelista to help with photography projects.

Working with Joe is a pleasure; he is the utmost professional, Krysiak wrote in an email. He draws upon his many years of experience as a news photographer and art photographer and makes it possible for us to document more events and capture them with more variety. That in turn helps us publicize them well. I am especially grateful to Joe for his dedication to MAC.

As Evangelista began his photography again, he found his real passions were in landscapes rather than in portraits and weddings.

I just felt landscapes had never complained to me yet, he said. I can go out at night with a vision with my head, thats usually what I do, I have a vision of what I want to accomplish and sometimes when I leave the site its totally opposite.

He also has a passion for nature photography, too.

One of his favorites, he said, is a close-up photograph of a snowy owl.

My luck with other birds is not so great, he said. Every time I get out of the truck they fly away.

This particular time, Evangelista said that the owl wasnt nervous, allowing him to slowly inch closer to her until he was about 10 feet away. Thats the main reason why its one of his favorite photos  though he admits hes sold a lot of prints.

But one of the things he enjoys the most is the stories and emotions that are evoked by the people who view his photograph. He recalled one time watching a woman break down and cry at the sight of his print.

The picture moved her that much which really kind of blew me away, he said. I think every artist wants to have an emotional tie from the image theyve done and the person thats looking at it, and when that happens its just unbelievable.

Others, he said, have pointed out how a photo will remind them of a certain memory or will reminisce to him about growing up in the area.

Ive had these guys at a show just start telling me stories about old Cape May, he said. I think photographs do that to people but when theyre mine, I find it really, really, special.
PARIS, October 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Contemporary art leads the art market with Frieze Art Fair and Fiac

Thierry Ehrmann CEO and Founder of Artprice (PRNewsFoto/Artprice.com)

On the whole, the Contemporary art market is substantially profitable over the medium and long terms. Despite several adjustments and corrections, our price index shows that the segment has retained the vitality it acquired in the early 2000s. Its 1,370% turnover growth in 16 years reflects an extremely dynamic market. The Artprice Contemporary Art Market Annual Report (2015/2016) is freely available at the following link :

http://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2016

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160228/338238LOGO )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161002/414164 )

The chronique financial and economic crisis affecting the world since 2007, prompting widespread recourse to negative rates, has made the Art Market look like an oasis in the desert. According to thierry Ehrmann, Artprice's founder and CEO, the market is undergoing an orderly period of adjustment that was both necessary and predictable, and Contemporary Art has clearly occupied the center stage.

In this context Contemporary art has emerged as the powerhouse of the art market as a whole, a role historically played by Modern art. In fact, the figures for the Contemporary art segment anticipate the general trends outlined and analysed in Artprice's latest semi-annual Art Market Report released in August 2016 (freely download at http://imgpublic.artprice.com/pdf/semestriel_2016_fr.pdf ).



Thanks to the abundance of auction sales results, prices in the Contemporary art market are today perfectly structured. More than ever before, supply and demand takes into account all available information, including event-triggered information that can have a substantial impact on actual prices. News of any kind (Artprice has identified over 70 exogenous factors) is now almost immediately integrated into artists' prices and price indices. Hence the annual evolution of our world ranking of the top 500 artists by auction turnover - who all enjoy relatively robust and firmly established markets - clearly shows a coherent and structured market as well as revealing the preferences of collectors and art professionals.

In buying Contemporary works of art, collectors and art consumers consciously accept that they cannot know what History will make of the artists they acquire. However, the last sixteen years have shown that a well-diversified portfolio of Contemporary artworks generates an annual yield of 5.6%, higher than the art market as a whole.

Note:

Contemporary Art: artists born after 1945

Fine Art: painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, video, prints, installations

Period concerned: July 2015 - June 2016

Key figures:

1. 55,000 Contemporary artworks sold at auction last year with every result integrated into Artprice's database.

2. $1.5 billion in auction turnover versus $2 billion in the previous period

3. 1,370% turnover growth since the year 2000

4. The United States' turnover of $582 million confirms its place as global leader, far ahead of China's $362 million

5. The UK is second with $400 million

6. France, fourth with $42 million, generated 3% of global auction turnover from Contemporary Fine Art

7 Painting, which accounted for 67% of the total, remains collectors' preferred medium, followed by sculpture (15%)

8. The museum industry - opening over 700 new museums per year - contributes to a healthy de-saturation of the market and provides a solid consensus-based economic reality for the art market

9. In the modern world, museums, art fairs and artistic events of all types are increasingly proving that Contemporary art is now engaged with the general public and is no longer the preserve of a privileged class.

Brand new report

Available free online, the new 2016 Artprice Report employs five decision-support tools to elucidate the development, organisation and latest trends in the Contemporary art market. Five studies that delve into the market's most sensitive topics and answer questions of art consumers, collectors, professionals and institutions active on the Contemporary art market.

A. Short, medium and long-term track record

Given the unstable economic environment, the major auctioneers have reorganized their sales around the middle market. After twelve months of adjustment, we are seeing the first signs of a recovery with the Contemporary art price index bouncing back in H1 2016.

B. Market geography and market economics

Although New York and London generate the bulk of Contemporary art auction turnover, some smaller markets in Europe and Asia have posted good growth. Meanwhile, we may be seeing a movement towards market concentration among the world's major auction houses (i.e. Sotheby's and China Guardian...).

C. Yield, risk and liquidity

Highly profitable in the long run, Contemporary art now rivals Post-War art as a financial investment. On the other hand, this creative period is subject to a level of volatility that requires careful and prudent management.

D. Market restructuring

Auction Houses have temporarily abandoned the race for records to refocus on more affordable works, thereby ensuring price stability, transaction volumes and market liquidity. In the last year, the Contemporary art market has proved its robustness and maturity.

E. Trends and performances

The recent adjustment period has underscored the maturity of art collectors and confirmed the utility of a mature market. The past year saw the market narrow its focus onto Contemporary Art's safer investments, while a number of new young artists have received the blessings of major cultural institutions.

The Top 500 Contemporary artists

The individual auction performances of the world's Top 500 artists paints an interesting picture of the Contemporary art market. The ranking - which reflects the extraordinary diversity of the market - allows us to follow competition between the market's stars and reveals the latest preferences of collectors. The strong Chinese presence in the Top 500 shows that China's art market covers all segments of the art market (for the art market as a whole, China returned to the leader position, ahead of the USA, in H1 2016).

The acquisition of Contemporary art (12% of the global market vs. only 2.8% in 2000) requires a different approach to the acquisition of Impressionist or Modern artworks. The prices and indices for a Contemporary artist are in fact continuously subjected to the influence of event-driven news, which ultimately makes them more volatile.

In order to apprehend this reality, Artprice - the world leader for Art Market information - has developed, in conjunction with its econometrics department, its editorial team and its art historians, a new method of analysis and decision-support tools that make it easier to understand and interpret price evolutions.

Contrary to certain myths, the price structuring processes at work in the Contemporary art market are in fact extremely sophisticated. As thierry Ehrmann said in 1999 during the course of a financial seminar in New York, "the Art Market is ten times more cruel than the financial markets, and ten times smarter".

http://www.artprice.com copyright 1987-2016 thierry Ehrmann

About Artprice:

Artprice is listed on the Eurolist by Euronext Paris, SRD long only and Euroclear: 7478 - Bloomberg: PRC - Reuters: ARTF.

Artprice is the global leader in art price and art index databanks. It has over 30 million indices and auction results covering more than 630,000 artists. Artprice Images(R) gives unlimited access to the largest Art Market resource in the world: a library of 126 million images or prints of artworks from the year 1700 to the present day, along with comments by Artprice's art historians.

Artprice permanently enriches its databanks with information from 4,500 auctioneers and it publishes a constant flow of art market trends for the world's principal news agencies and approximately 7,200 international press publications. For its 4,500,000 members, Artprice gives access to the world's leading Standardised Marketplace for buying and selling art. Artprice is preparing its blockchain for the Art Market. It is BPI-labelled (scientific national French label).

Artprice's Global Art Market Annual Report for 2015:

http://imgpublic.artprice.com/pdf/rama2016_en.pdf

The text presented hereafter is a translation of Arte Creative's online presentation:

ARTE: A gigantic Christmas tree in the guise of a butt plug, a machine that defecates five-star meals, an icon immersed in urine and staged corpses - subversive, trash, provocative or insulting? Thierry Ehrmann, the man behind The Abode of Chaos dixit "The New York Times", an artist and the founder of Artprice, is the mouthpiece for scandal and discloses the workings of the most striking controversies in contemporary art. And scandal sells. 9 episodes are online:

http://www.arte.tv/guide/en/weekly-highlight

Discover the Alchemy and the universe of Artprice http://web.artprice.com/video, which headquarters are the famous Museum of Contemporary Art, the Abode of Chaos http://goo.gl/zJssd https://vimeo.com/124643720

News Artmarket:

http://twitter.com/artpricedotcom

https://www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom

https://www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom

https://plus.google.com/+Artpricedotcom/posts

http://artmarketinsight.wordpress.com/

The Contemporary Arts Museum The Abode of Chaos on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/la.demeure.du.chaos.theabodeofchaos999

Contact : Josette Mey : e-mail : [email protected]

SOURCE Artprice.com
SYDNEY, Oct. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BitScan announces the launch of its crowdfunding initiative for the new blockchain loyalty token, Incent through an ICO. Starting October 1, 2016, at 00:01 (GMT), the ICO will go on until 23:59 (GMT) on November 30, 2016. During the ICO period, the company aims to raise between $1 million to $5 million for its digital loyalty token that offers instant, transferable rewards which holds tangible value in the real world.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161001/414147

BitScan Launches an ICO for Its 'Incent' Blockchain Loyalty Rewards Token

Incent overcomes the shortcomings of existing loyalty schemes that are costly to run, have low customer satisfaction ratings and restricts the customers from redeeming it anywhere else but with the issuing business. Incent leverages the blockchain technology to offer a shared loyalty scheme where retailers can enjoy a low cost loyalty-as-a-service-solution where they are in control of the deals offered to their audience while keeping profit margins in mind.

The Incent platform is delivered as an easy plugin for merchants, providing them access to a shared customer base with push marketing capabilities. The platform has already developed a proof of concept application which can be accessed here.

Incent ensures instant gratification for shoppers by allowing them to receive rewards directly on their mobile phones or email. They are free to spend these Incent rewards anywhere across the whole Incent retail network, gift to others or even cash out. The reward tokens will be stored in the users' Incent wallet, integrated into an accessible mobile app. The platform has taken a mobile-friendly approach to meet the needs of an increasingly mobile retail market, which also happens to be the fastest growing retail sector.

On-board Businesses

Incent draws its knowledge and insights from BitScan's prior experience as the "#1 Bitcoin business directory". The platform is already in talks with a number of companies interested in being part of the Incent network.

"Our engagement with the merchant community has been very positive. We have taken Incent to a significant number of retailers, all of whom have shown a keen interest in the savings we offer and in our easy-to-use platform. Retailers recognize that current loyalty systems are overpriced and underperforming and are looking for something new,"

Says Rob Wilson, the CEO of Incent.

John Warner, the CEO of Suregreen UK, one of the companies involved in the discussions with Incent says,

"Here at Sure-Green we see great potential in Incent to help us grow repeat business across our wide trade community, through the provision of rewards for customers that our tradesmen really value, at a manageable cost to our business and with no administration overhead."

Waves Platform

Incent has entered into a strategic partnership with Waves Platform, a company involved in the development of an entire blockchain ecosystem, complete with the token issuance, wallets, and a decentralized exchange. Referring to the partnership, the CEO and Founder of Waves Sasha Ivanov says,

"We've built Waves for applications like Incent. I am thrilled to announce our partnership on this exciting project"

Upon successful completion of the ICO, Incent tokens will be distributed to the users' Waves wallets. Incent will also be made available for trading on Waves platform and other third-party exchanges.



Learn more about Incent at  http://www.incentloyalty.com/

Incent Proof of Concept available at  http://www.incentloyalty.com/#demo

Register for Incent ICO at  https://www.incentloyalty.com/register

Find Incent on Bitcointalk at  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1610052.0

Learn more about BitScan at  https://bitscan.com

Learn more about Waves Platform at  https://wavesplatform.com



Media Contact

Contact Name: Freya Stevens

Contact Email: [email protected]

Location: Sydney, Australia

Incent 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 consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.

Related Links

Bitcoin PR Buzz

Incent

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gFVfMTBOuo

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Incent

Related Links

https://www.incentloyalty.com


COPPELL, Texas, Sept. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DecisionEd announced that it has been selected by Alhambra Elementary School District to provide data management, analytics and reports; delivering performance management solutions.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160929/413520LOGO

"Alhambra ESD developed a very detailed set of requirements for a data analytics and performance management product selection," said DecisionEd Chief Architect, Mark Mason. "DecisionEd provides a robust match of features and functionalities to provide powerful insight into their data. We are excited to be working with Alhambra and leveraging our past experience working with other districts in Arizona to impact the educational process."

"Alhambra Elementary School District #68 selected DecsionEd through a rigorous Request for Proposal (RFP) process. A district stakeholder team, made up of district and site leaders, chose DecisionEd based upon the customizable dashboards, comprehensive data model, and rich analytics," said Nan Williams, Ed.D., Director of Technology. "We loved that there are no added or hidden costs for "non-included modules" and that we have the flexibility to include new data sets (new assessments, SIS, etc.) as the data becomes available or changes from year-to-year."

DecisionEd's solution is based on quantitative decision tools long used by business, tailored to the unique needs of education. By combining disparate databases, the solution helps K-12 school districts consolidate information critical to meeting their goals. DecisionEd's complete, easy-to-understand accounting of critical metrics enables schools to make more informed decisions, leading to improved student success and graduation rates.

The Alhambra School District #68 currently services students in 14 schools in Phoenix, Arizona. Alhambra ESD focuses on enriching the life of the whole child in collaboration with families and the greater community. Nan followed up saying, "We know that using the DecisionEd Data Warehouse will help us in achieving our vision of educating the whole child."

About DecisionEd

With more than 10 years of experience in the industry, DecisionEd provides a powerful, easy-to-use, easy-to-understand education intelligence solution with simple customization and FERPA-compliant security to K-12 school districts throughout the United States. Headquartered in Coppell, Texas, DecisionEd is a privately held company. For more information, visit www.decisioned.com.

Contact:

Karen Krycho, Media Relations

Email

214-287-1986

SOURCE DecisionEd

Related Links

http://www.decisioned.com


BLOKHUS, Denmark, Oct. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Incent, the blockchain-based loyalty platform created by the crypto business hub BitScan announces the launch of its crowdfund ICO alongside OpenLedger decentralized conglomerate. The ICO starting today on October 1, 2016, makes allowance for great discounts for Pre-ICO 'angel' investors.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161001/414146LOGO

The creators of Incent, BitScan has been offering the largest Bitcoin merchant directory service for over three years now. The new blockchain-based loyalty platform is a result of their learnings and experience. The CEO of Incent Rob Wilson, while explaining the motivation behind the new loyalty program says,

"A clear message we have learned is that merchants are crying out for better loyalty solution."

He further adds,

"The rewards sector isn't just inefficient, it is broken. Using blockchain technology, we can offer a far more effective and more attractive model  one that will give consumers new reasons to come back to a store."

Incent uses blockchain technology to create transferable, freely tradable crypto tokens that can be shared between the merchants who are part of the Incent network. These tokens can be used by the merchants as rewards for their loyal customers, which can be immediately credited to their wallet, accessible through their mobile phone or web browser.

Redemption of these rewards is not confined to one retailer and can be used across any merchant who is part of the Incent loyalty platform. Incent rewards can also be gifted to others or traded for fiat and other digital currencies on exchanges as well. Incent relies on instant gratification and possibility of using the rewards in real-world to increase customer retention. As the number of merchants on the platform increases, the value of a "finite" number of reward tokens also increases.

Incent has also partnered with Waves platform, a blockchain ecosystem over which the tokens will be issued. Soon after the ICO, Incent tokens will be distributed to the investors' wallets provided by the Waves platform. The wallet will be a part of the Incent app, and both users are merchants don't have to worry about downloading separate wallets or mining the crypto tokens.

ICO and Pre-Investment

The Incent crowdfund ICO opens today on October 1 and will go on until November 30, 2016.

As a part of its initiative to allow early access to Incent trading, OpenLedger are now in association with Incent, able to distribute early stakes in the ICO. OpenLedger users will have a unique opportunity to buy into, as well as trade Incent from the very first day of the ICO on the DEX platform. This opportunity is exclusively for DEX users and cannot be found on any other trade platform in the industry.

Investors are now able to subscribe to the OPEN.INCNT token on OpenLedger or buy them via the subscription service available at CCEDK. Investors will receive their tokens instantaneously at a 4% subscription fee, and can begin trading their tokens on the OpenLedger platform the very same day.

Traders and investors alike may withdraw their tokens to their Incent wallet at the launch date.

Another option is to buy the tokens on the Incent website, and receive them on the official release date, November 30, 2016. Investors may also send funds directly to the OpenLedger account ico.openledger, by stating the name of the ICO they wish to subscribe to in a memo.

About Incent

Incent is a blockchain based loyalty token platform created by BitScan. The platform allows merchants to be part of a decentralized loyalty-as-a-service network with access to a universal customer base and marketing tools.

Learn more about Incent at  http://www.incentloyalty.com/

Learn more about OpenLedger at  https://openledger.info

Incent Proof of Concept available at  http://www.incentloyalty.com/#demo

Register for Incent ICO at  https://www.incentloyalty.com/register

Find Incent on Bitcoin talk at  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1610052.0

Learn more about BitScan at  https://bitscan.com

Learn more about Waves Platform at  https://wavesplatform.com

Incent information pack available at  http://incentloyalty.com/media/IncentICO-InformationPack.pdf

Join Incent Slack community at  https://incentinvites.herokuapp.com

Media Contact

Contact Name: Ronny Boesing

Contact Email: [email protected]

Location: Blokhus, Denmark

OpenLedger 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 consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.

Related Links

Bitcoin PR Buzz

OpenLedger

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gFVfMTBOuo

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE OpenLedger

Related Links

https://openledger.info


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
Moscow, Sep 28 : International prosecutors investigating the downing of Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine say the missile that hit the plane was fired from territory controlled by Russian-backed rebels, media reports said.

A report by the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) confirmed the missile that downed the plane was brought in from Russia and fired from rebel-controlled territory during the conflict in eastern Ukraine, The Independent reported.

"It may be concluded MH17 was shot down by a 9M38 missile launched by a Buk, brought in from the territory of the Russian Federation, and that after launch was subsequently returned to the Russian Federation," Wilbert Paulissen, a senior Dutch police official said.

"The conclusion is that MH17 was shot down by a Buk missile launched from a site around 6 km south of the village of Snizhne," he added.

They traced the convoy carrying the Buk, originally with four missiles, from the Russian border through the cities of Donetsk, Torez, Snizhne and on to the launch site, hours before MH17 was downed.

Pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian troops were fighting for control of the region at the time of the incident.

Ukraine has accused Russian-backed militants operating in the area for shooting the missile, while Russia and the rebels it supports have said Ukrainian forces were responsible.

On July 17, 2014, all 283 passengers and 15 crew members on the Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur flight were killed when their Boeing 777-300 was blown up by a surface to air missile over eastern Ukraine. There were 193 Dutch passengers on board.
Wellington, Sep 30 : The New Zealand government on Friday expressed appreciation for the independent investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17, saying its report is an important step towards accountability.

The downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine in July 2014 costs 298 lives, including a New Zealand citizen and a New Zealand resident, Xinhua quoted Foreign Minister Murray McCully as saying.

"We remain committed to ensuring there is accountability for this tragic incident," said McCully.

"This report, which is based on a painstaking, impartial and careful investigation, raises some very serious questions," he said.

"The Joint Investigation Team's release of its preliminary findings is an important step towards accountability."

New Zealand continued to urge all countries to fully cooperate with the investigation, as required under Security Council resolution 2166.

"The victims of this tragedy and their families deserve this much," he said.

The Joint Investigation Team, which comprised investigative authorities from The Netherlands, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia and Belgium, released its interim report into the MH17 disaster on September 28 in The Hague.
Islamabad, Sep 30 : Pakistan's cabinet met on Friday to review the situation on the Line of Control (LoC) in the wake of surgical strikes by the Indian Army.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired the meeting, which is expected to put across the collective response of the nation to the challenge thrown by the latest events, Radio Pakistan reported.

The meeting comes in the wake of the surgical strikes that India carried out on terrorist launch pads across the LoC on Wednesday night. Pakistan has denied that no surgical strike took place and that there were only firing and artillery shelling between the two armies across the LoC that killed two of its soldiers.

In their remarks before the meeting, the cabinet members reiterated resolve of the government to defend the nation at all costs.

Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said support to the struggle of the Kashmiri people would remain Pakistan's main priority.

He said India was "indulging in diversionary tactics in a bid to deflect attention of the international community from its brutalities against Kashmiris."

He said Pakistan would confront India diplomatically but "our armed forces are also fully prepared to defend the country."

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif reiterated that Pakistan does not want escalation of tension but it was ready to meet any eventuality.

He said Pakistan would respond befittingly to any firing across the LoC.

The Defence Minister said India was displaying irresponsible attitude and trying to playing with the galleries in a bid to hoodwink its public opinion. He said India cannot suppress legitimate aspirations of Kashmiri people.

Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir said India was creating artificial tension in its attempt to divert attention of the world from its atrocities against Kashmiris. He said Pakistan's defence is in strong hands and the country would continue to raise voice for rights of Kashmiris.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs Barjees Tahir said the world pledged right to self-determination through UN resolutions decades back and now fifth generation of Kashmiris is protesting for this right. He said Indian policy of suppression of legitimate struggle of Kashmiris would neither benefit India nor the region.

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Syed Riaz Hussain Pirzada regretted that instead of giving right of self-determination to Kashmiris, India was resorting to terrorism against Pakistan. He said the world community should take notice of India's belligerence.

Secretary Foreign Affairs will brief the Cabinet on Kashmir issue and tensions between Pakistan and India.
Lucknow, Oct 1 : The wife of Nawazuddin Siddiqui's younger brother has filed a police complaint against the Bollywood actor and his parents in Muzaffarnagar, alleging torture, an official said on Saturday.

The woman has made serious charges on the film actor, saying he kicked her in the stomach when she was three months pregnant.

In a complaint given to Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rakesh Jolly, the woman who married the actor's younger brother Minauzzidin Siddiqui on May 31, 2016, has alleged that her in-laws have been asking for dowry and misbehaving with her. She has also alleged that Nawazuddin beat her up on September 28.

The woman had first approached the Kotwali police station, but when they did not entertain her complaint, she met the superintendent of police (rural) along with her mother, father and uncle.

Police said they will investigate the matter and act accordingly to law.
New Delhi, Oct 1 : CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury on Saturday said India should initiate a dialogue with Pakistan to resolve issues, and there should be no further escalation of conflict between them.

"We think there should now be no further escalation of conflict and in order to ensure that we are saying that there should be diplomatic and political hopes that should be initiated," he said while addressing a press conference here .

The Left leader also suggested that India should lead the way in initiating the talk with Pakistan after the recent tension in relations.

"India from its position of strength should initiate these things (dialogue) so that some degree of understanding and an agreement can be reached in order to eliminate the scourge of cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan," he added.

Relations between India and Pakistan have hit all time low after terrorist attack on an Army camp in Uri of Jammu and Kashmir last month. It followed India's reaction in form of surgical strike in Pakistan administered Kashmir across Line of Control (LoC).
Kolkata, Oct 1 : Claiming that the "pro-US tilt" in the Narendra Modi government's foreign policy had made the country a target for terror groups opposed to Washington, the CPI-M on Saturday called upon the government to keep up the diplomatic and political efforts to defuse tension and eliminate the terrorism originating from Pakistan.

Exuding hope that there would not be any further escalation in the India-Pakistan tensions in the coming days, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General secretary Sitaram Yechury also said the central government should initiate steps for the safety and security of the people from cross-border terrorism.

Referring to the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian army on terrorist hideouts across the Line of Control, Yechury hoped "incidents like what happened in Pathankot and the recent one at Uri will not recur."

"We feel the government should ensure the safety and security of Indians from cross-border terrorism originating from Pakistan," he told a media conference here.

"We hope henceforth there would be no further escalation of the conflict. We urge the government of India that it should continue with the diplomatic and political moves to defuse tension and eliminate the scourge of cross-border terrorism that is originating from Pakistan," Yechury said.

India has claimed to have conducted deadly surgical strikes at terror launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the intervening night of September 28 and 29, Pakistan has denied the Indian claim of the surgical strike, terming it as a "hyped routine border clash".

The rising rift has led to thousands of residents being relocated from around border villages in India amid fears of further military clashes between the two nuclear-powered nations.

To a query on what has prompted the CPI-M to favour talks with Pakistan despite the failure of such initiatives in the past, Yechury said India-Pakistan talks was the government's declared agenda.

Referring to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with then US President George Bush, the CPI-M chief said the American leader had then described India s a country with a vast Muslim population "where not even a single one of them was a Taliban".

"Can you say the same today? We have seen reports of Al Qaeda and IS recruiting from India. The more you get closer to the US, the more you become vulnerable to the anti-US terror groups."

He also opposed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's diktat post the Uri attack to the Pakistani artistes to leave India, saying arts and culture should not be mixed with politics.
Ottawa, Oct 2 : Prince William and Kate, along with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, departed from Victoria Harbour seaplane terminal on Saturday after their week-long tour in Canada.

"Catherine and I are incredibly grateful to the people of Canada for the warmth and hospitality they have extended to our family over the last week," CBC News quoted a statement by Prince William as saying.

"We have loved our time in British Columbia and Yukon and will never forget the beautiful places we have seen and the many people who have been kind enough to come to welcome us in person," the Prince said.

The royal couple finished off the last day of their visit by meeting with social service agencies, which have featured prominently in their schedule since they arrived last Saturday.
Washington, Oct 2 : A major of Americans, or 61 per cent, regard Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as the winner of the first presidential debate, found a new Gallup poll.

Only 27 per cent of Americans think that Republican candidate Donald Trump was the winner at the Monday's debate held at the Hofstra University in New York state, found the poll taken up from September 27 to 28.

Clinton's 34-point lead is on par with her husband and former President Bill Clinton, who won the debate over Republican rival Bob Dole in 1996, Xinhua reported.

Additionally, 59 per cent of independent voters think Clinton prevailed in the debate, the poll showed.

Along the partisan line, 92 per cent of Democrats think Clinton won the debate, while 53 per cent Republicans believe Trump was the winner.

In term of perceptions of the candidates' qualities exhibited at the first debate, 62 per cent said Clinton "had a good understanding of the issues," while 26 per cent said the same about Trump.

A majority, or 59 per cent, said Clinton "appeared presidential" while 27 per cent said so about Trump. Meanwhile, 55 per cent said Clinton was "more likable," while 36 per cent found this about Trump.

Clinton's confidence in detailing one policy plan after another likely contributed to viewer perceptions that she had a good command of the issues and was more "presidential," Gallup said.

However, debate performances do not always line up with election outcomes and a poor showing in the debate does not mean a candidate can't come back and win the next one, Gallup noted.

A best example was the first presidential debate held on October 3, 2012 between President Barack Obama, who sought re-election and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who was widely believed to win the debate but lost the election in the end.

In 2004, George W. Bush even won the presidency in 2004 after losing all three presidential debates against Democratic rival John Kerry.
New Delhi : The venerable sages of India, the Buddha, Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, Guru Nanak -- the founders of all major religions -- were all known to spurn material comfort and stress compassion for the weak and safeguarding nature, but not many of their followers emulated them. One who did unreservedly was this Christian saint, venerated even beyond his own sect, and with such an image that nearly eight centuries later, a Pope with a vision to revitalise the church signalled his intention by adopting his name.

Both St Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis shouldn't be thought important for their own religion, or students of theology, for both have much to teach us. And there some splendid accounts that we can depend upon.

Especially St Francis of Assisi (c. 1182-1226), whose feast day falls on October 4, given how he has resonance in other religious traditions. Then, the order he founded, with its stress on poverty, love and charity, is still influential around the world, and responsible for some esteemed educational institutions (like my own alma mater, Lucknow's second-oldest existing college, St Francis, established 1885).

Like Guru Nanak, he was a trader's son but also angered his father by distributing goods to the poor; like the Buddha, or the Islamic Qalandars, he abandoned a prosperous life for peripatetic mendicancy; like the old Hindu sages, he stressed on respecting nature and revering all living creatures; and his habit of song and dance to reach religious ecstasy closely resembles the Sufi tradition of qawwali and Maulana Rumi's Whirling Dervishes. He also was Mahatma Gandhi's favourite Christian saint.

There is no shortage of books on Giovanni 'Francesco' di Pietro di Bernardone's transition into Brother Francis (he was canonised in 1228, less than two years after his death), but among the best, even with much creative license, is Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis' "God's Pauper" (1962).

Kazantzakis (1883-1957), best known for his "Zorba the Greek" (1952), and "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1961) -- banned by the Catholic Church and earning him a threat of excommunication from his Greek Orthodox Church, tells us that if in this, he has "omitted many of Francis' sayings and deeds and if I have altered others, and added still others, which did not take place but which might have taken place, I have done so not out of ignorance or impudence or irreverence, but from a need to match the Saint's life with his myth..."

In this lyrical work, told from perspective of Francis' devoted companion Leo, some notable sections include the meeting with the Pope (Innocent III) in Rome, and prior to it, a meeting with Spanish monk Dominic, keen to find an order to safeguard the Church (demonstrating the paths between a Church Compassionate and a Church Combative).

Then there is the nearly-surrealistic meeting with Ayyubid Sultan, Kamil, in Egypt during the Fifth Crusade (differing versions of what happened exist but it must be noted it was only the Franciscans who were allowed to stay to tend Christian sites in the Holy Land, long after the Crusades, save a brief period, till now). And the passages about his interaction with animals are superlative too.

More straightforward biographies include Fransciscan scholar Murray Bodo's "Francis: The Journey and the Dream" (2011) and Dominican scholar Augustine Thompson's "Francis of Assisi: A New Biography" (2012). His legacy is studied in Patricia Appelbaum's "St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became America's Most Popular Saint" (2015).

And then, the Pope. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became the 266th Pope in 2013, was, apart from being the first from the Americas, the first Jesuit, the first non-European in around 1,300 years (though the 12th overall), the first to chose Francis as his pontifical name -- after the Saint of Assisi, though his own order also had a St Francis (Xavier).

Becoming the most famous Argentine since Juan and Eva Peron, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, Diego Maradonna, and Gabriela Sabatini, he had a positive impression over his humility and openness, focus on mercy, concern for poor and social justice, stress on inter-faith dialogue and a perceived liberal bent despite his conservatism in doctrine.

Interest had been growing in him since it was revealed he received some support in the 2005 papal conclave and this prompted Argentine journalist Sergio Brin to write his biography, along with Italian counterpart Francesca Ambrogetti. Though Bergoglio initially resisted, he agreed to a series of extensive interviews over two years that became "El Jesuita" (2010). The only biography available, it was quickly translated into English. "Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio: His Life in His Own Words" (2013) reveals the person behind the cleric.

Since then there have been more, but among the most comprehensive, yet readable, is British journalist-writer Austen Ivereigh's "The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope" (2014), which not only gives his history, but also of the Church, Jesuits, Argentina and South America.

A more technical (but accessible) examination of his theological challenges is American historian Gary Willis' "The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis" (2015).

(Vikas Datta is an Associate Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
Shimla, Oct 2 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Sunday paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri here on their birth anniversaries.

He said the nation was indebted to both the leaders for the nation building.

The Chief Minister said following their ideals in true spirit was the best tribute to them.

At a function on the Ridge, the Chief Minister, who was accompanied by cabinet colleagues Vidya Stokes and Thakur Singh Bharmouri, administered an oath of 'Swachh Bharat and Swachh Himachal' or clean India and clean Himachal to the gathering.

October 2 is the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who is also known as the "Father of the Nation".
Manila, Oct 2 : The Abu Sayyaf terrorist group has freed three more Indonesian hostages in southern Philippine province of Sulu, a senior government official said on Sunday.

Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza said the Indonesian fishermen were turned over by Nur Misuari, founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, to Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II before Sunday noon, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Chairman Misuari personally called and informed me about another breakthrough in the efforts to recover hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf group," he said.

He said that the three freed Indonesians would be turned over to the military.

Dureza said those freed were among those Indonesian fishermen who were abducted in July off Lahad Datu in Sabah.

He said the ongoing military operations helped in pressuring the Abu Sayyaf to release the hostages.

Last month, three other Indonesian fishermen were freed by the Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Around 10 local and foreign hostages still remain in the hands of the terrorist group.
Islamabad, Oct 2 : When the US and the UK asked Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to condemn the attack on the Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, he flatly refused to denounce the assault.

According to the News International, both the world powers asked Sharif to condemn the attack, which left 19 Indian soldiers dead, during the premier's meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and British Prime Minister Theresa May at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

According to sources, Sharif instead countered the two leaders over their silence regarding the unrest in the Kashmir Valley since July 9, which has claimed the lives of nearly 90 persons.

The sources said Sharif maintained that Islamabad could not condemn the attack, which India has blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group, and the death of the security personnel when "India had no regret over its atrocities and brutalities" in the valley.

Sharif said that the world, including London and Washington, had turned a blind eye to the killing of Kashmiris in clashes with the security forces after the killing of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani in July.

Pakistan categorically rejected the Indian allegations of Islamabad's involvement in the Uri attack.

However, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan offered full cooperation to probe the incident as it believed the attack was either an "Indian false flag operation" carried out to malign Pakistan and divert the world attention from Kashmir issue or it was a "retaliatory attack by the oppressed Kashmiris who are facing the worst form of brutalities from the Indian state terrorism".

"With such a clear stance on Kashmir, expecting from the Pakistani premier to condemn the Uri attack and killing of Indian soldiers is really unfair and irrational," another source said.
Panaji, Oct 2 : A regional languages front backed by rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkar announced the formation of a new political party on Sunday, with its spokesperson Uday Bhembre claiming the new outfit will take on the BJP government over its failure to deliver electoral promises and tackle corruption.

Speaking to the media after launching the Goa Suraksha Manch, Bhembre said academician Anand Shirodkar will head the new political party, which is expected to contest the upcoming polls in alliance with the Shiv Sena.

"Our objective is to defeat the BJP-led alliance government which has betrayed promises made to people on the regional languages issue. The tenure of this government has been marked with corruption, U-turns and inefficiency," Bhembre said.

Velingkar was sacked as the Goa vibhag pramukh of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh following his constant criticism of the BJP-led government in the state, especially Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, for what he claims is the betrayal of a promise made to stop government grants to English medium primary schools, most of which are run by a society operated by the influential Roman Catholic Church in Goa.

The now former RSS leader is the co-convenor of the regional language front, Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, which has been leading the attack against the BJP and Parrikar over the medium of instruction issue, which has been simmering for years now.
Aizawl, Oct 2 : The Mizoram government has launched a New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) to boost the state's agriculture-based economy, develop rural infrastructure and to raise livelihood of the people.

The new policy would develop private-public partnerships for adding value to various agricultural, horticultural and other produce, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said here, aunching the NEDP on Saturday evening.

"NEDP was born out of the state's flagship programme -- New Land Use Policy (NLUP), which was launched in 2010. Its main aim was to lead Mizoram from a subsistence based economy to a market-based economy," the Chief Minister said.

The Mizoram government launched the Rs 2,873 crore NLUP to give financial assistance to over 125,000 families and provide them training for settled farming instead of 'jhum' cultivation.

Tribals, who constitute 27 per cent of 45.58 million people in the northeastern states, practice 'jhum' or slash-and-burn method of cultivation. Rice is grown along with vegetables, maize, cotton and mustard.

Finance Minister Lalsawta said the state government was not averse in obtaining loans from banks and financial institutions to execute the schemes and projects to be undertaken under the NEDP.

An official release said that the core committee of NEDP accepted 27 proposals under the new policy which would be taken up during the current fiscal year (2016-17). An amount of Rs 250 crore has been allocated for these projects.

The release said that under the NEDP, key sectoral interventions identified for 2016-17 are for agriculture, horticulture, link roads, introduction of annual agriculture and horticulture crops with high domestic consumption and other high-value crops, improved processing facilities and marketing linkages for agricultural and horticultural produce, establishment of handloom export promotion facility, and a skills development centre.

The NEDP also aimed to establish additional classrooms in higher secondary and model schools to meet the growing demand for admission into government-run higher secondary schools.
Amritsar, Oct 2 : Highlighting the services rendered by residents of Punjab to the country, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday urged the government to start a special recruitment drive for enabling the youths of border areas to join Indian Army and para-military forces.

Interacting with the media on the sidelines of his visit to border areas of Amritsar district on Sunday, Badal recalled the spirit of courage and sacrifice of the border belt residents and stressed the need to channelise the energy of youths of this belt.

Badal said that he would soon raise this issue with the central government.

He said the state government would also approach the Ministry of Defence to impress upon it for widening the bridges on defence drains in the region. He said that it was need of the hour to facilitate the people and avoid any sort of untoward incident.

The Union Home Ministry had on Thursday directed evacuation of nearly 1,000 villages in six border districts of Punjab located close to the international border with Pakistan.

Badal said that despite the ongoing tension at the India-Pakistan border, agriculturalists would be allowed to harvest their paddy crop.

"In view of this situation, I had taken up this issue with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who had immediately directed the Border Security Force (BSF) to allow the farmers of border region to harvest the crop. Likewise, he said government of India has also allowed the farmers having their land across the fence to reap and lift their crop," Badal said.

The Chief Minister said that the state government would soon release the pending compensation of farmers who have land across the border fence.

He said that people within 10 km area of the border were evacuated following the advisory of the government for preventing any loss of life to people.

Tension built up between India and Pakistan on last Thursday following surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army along the Line of Control (LoC) to destroy terror launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (POK).
Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), Oct 2 : Chhattisgarh Police on Sunday arrested six Maoists in a raid in Bijapur district of the state, while 25 Maoists, including six women, surrendered before the police and the Forests Minister.

The police, in a search operation, arrested six Maoists after chasing them in a forest close to Chillamraka village, in Bijapur district. Upon interrogation, it was found that they were involved in several crimes.

In another incident, 25 Maoists, including six women, influenced by the state-run surrender and rehabilitation policy for Maoists, surrendered before Forests Minister Mahesh Gagda.

The 25 Maoists were members of the Jan Militia group.

Police said the surrendered Maoists were given an incentive of Rs 10,000 each. As per laid down policy, they would also be given rehabilitation facilities.
New Delhi/Paris, Oct 2 : India on Sunday deposited its Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the United Nations.

"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary we deposit the instrument of ratification of #ParisAgreement #climatechange", tweeted External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

French President FranAois Hollande welcomed the ratification of the Paris Agreement by India, on this symbolic day commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.

"This decision, coming after the decision of the Environment Ministers of the European Union, brings us closer to the entry into force of the Paris agreement before the end of the year," said a communique issued by the French Presidency.

Hollande recalled that India played a key role in the adoption of this agreement in December 2015.

The Indian cabinet, on September 28, decided to ratify the Paris Agreement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced during the BJP National Council meeting late last month that India would ratify the 21st Conference of Parties (CoP) protocol on combating climate change on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2.

The Paris Agreement was adopted by 185 nations on December 12 last year and India signed it in New York on April 22 this year. A total of 191 countries have signed the Paris Agreement so far.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : A man was arrested here and fake Indian coins of the face value of Rs. 40,000 seized from his possession, an officer said.

Police nabbed Naresh Kumar near Rohini, while he was carrying two plastic bags having 20 packets each of counterfeit coins in his car.

Following Kumar's interrogation, the police raided a factory in Bawana Industrial area where the counterfeit coins were being minted and seized huge quantity of raw materials.

"Kumar who runs a car accessories shop, got in contact with two people who minted the fake coins and started circulating them," said Deputy Commissioner of Police M.N. Tiwari, adding that police are on the lookout for other members of the gang.
New Delhi/United Nations, Oct 2 : India on Sunday deposited its Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the United Nations.

India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee to Santiago Villalpando, the chief of the Treaties Division.

"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary we deposit the instrument of ratification of #ParisAgreement #climatechange", tweeted External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

"India has deposited its Instrument of Ratification to the Paris Agreement under the convention on Climate Change," the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations said in a press statement.

The day is the birth anniversary of India's 'Father of the Nation' Mahatma Gandhi, and is also commemorated as the International Day of Non Violence.

With the deposition of the ratification instruments, India became the 62nd country to ratify the Agreement taking the cumulative emission of the countries that have ratified the Agreement so far to 51.89 percent.

As per the provisions of the Paris Agreement, the treaty will come into force as and when 55 countries, or signatories contributing 55 per cent of the total global harmful emissions, ratify the Agreement.

"This significant contribution towards the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement underlines Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to global cause of environmental protection and climate justice and reaffirms India's responsive leadership in addressing the impact of climate change," the Permanent Mission's statement added.

US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande welcomed the move and congratulated India.

"Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy," Obama said in a tweet.

Hollande welcomed the ratification of the Paris Agreement.

"This decision, coming after the decision of the Environment Ministers of the European Union, brings us closer to the entry into force of the Paris agreement before the end of the year," said a communique issued by the French Presidency.

Hollande recalled that India played a key role in the adoption of this agreement in December 2015.

India also launched, with France, the International Solar Alliance, which will contribute to the realization of the objectives of the Paris agreement by facilitating access to solar energy.

The Indian cabinet, on September 28, decided to ratify the Paris Agreement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced during the BJP National Council meeting late last month that India would ratify the 21st Conference of Parties (CoP) protocol on combating climate change on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2.

The Paris Agreement was adopted by 185 nations on December 12 last year and India signed it in New York on April 22. A total of 191 countries have signed it so far.
New Delhi, Oct 2 : Amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said the country was "fully prepared for any escalation".

"We are fully prepared for any escalation. My mother used to say if you go to the forest hunting for a rabbit, be prepared to face the tiger as well," Parrikar told CNN NEWS18 channel in an interview aired on Sunday.

The situation has been tense on the Line of Control (LoC) after the September 18 terrorist attack on an Indian army base camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian retaliation on the terrorist launch pads through cross-border "surgical strikes" early on September 29.

However, Parrikar refused to say anything beyond what Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen. Ranbir Singh said on the surgical strikes.

"I would only say that it was successful operation. I would not comment beyond the stated official position because it's a very sensitive security matter... The DGMO has already given all the details in his statement," Parrikar said.

On India's relations with China in the light of China's proximity to Pakistan, Parrikar said that a country's closeness to a particular nation does not stop it from having relations with other nations, and that India's relations with China have improved over the years.

"We are concerned about (certain) issues, but I think our relations with China are better today. The border management is better. We are employing more confidence building measures," he said.

He added that China's refusal to acknowledge remarks made by the Pakistani media that China would side with Pakistan in case of a tussle with India is a diplomatic victory for India.

"China's statement (that they do not know of any senior government functionary pledging support to Pakistan) is a victory for our diplomacy vis-a-vis China," Parrikar said.

The minister said that thanks to its diplomatic efforts, India now has more international support against terrorism and all major powers of the world know that "terrorism is flowing out of one country".

"Our Prime Minister made all efforts to build relations with Pakistan," he said.

Asked if India is now beefing up security around military camps and equipment, the minister said that security is also a "mindset".

"I think security is a mindset. The equipment and apparatus has to be there but it is also a mindset. For example, while driving a car some people anticipate danger and escape safely. Some people do not anticipate danger and meet with an accident," Parrikar said.

"We are trying to sensitise the commanders and troops so that security improves, while providing all the requisite infrastructure," the minister added.

On the removal of the brigade commander of Uri camp, Parrikar said it was the army chief's decision.

"I think it was the decision of the army chief because perhaps he must have found some lapses, or at least he wants to investigate some apparent lapses in terrorists' entry to the camp," he said.

He said for an impartial enquiry, the person being investigated cannot be allowed to remain in a position of power.

Pointing at the apparent lack of vigil at the Uri camp that probably provided terrorist a chance to enter the army camp, and not the lack of infrastructure as was pointed out by some, Parrikar said: "If two cars meet with an accident, it has to the fault of one of the drivers. It is very rare that an accident occurs due to axle failure."
Chandigarh, Oct 2 : The Punjab government on Sunday announced the constitution of a high-level Disaster Management Committee headed by the Chief Secretary to tackle any emergency situation occurring after the recent surgical strikes on the international borders with Pakistan.

An official spokesman said that the newly constituted Disaster Management Committee would comprise Additional Chief Secretaries, Home, Agriculture, Education, Principal Secretary, Health, Secretaries, PWD B&R, Irrigation, and Public Health, the Director General of Police, Punjab, the Director General of Police, Law and Order and Inspector General of Police, Intelligence.

The committee had a video conference with the senior officers of six border districts, namely Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Taran Tarn, Ferozepur and Fazilka, and reviewed the latest situation there.

"Villages falling within 10-km of the International Border have been evacuated. About 60 villages in Fazilka, 300 in Ferozepur, 135 in Taran Tarn, 137 in Amritsar, 290 in Gurdaspur and 65 in Pathankot have been evacuated so far in view of the escalating situation. The districts administration of these districts has been put on high alert," the spokesman said.

The government has directed the civil and police officers to be ready and cautious to handle any emergency, he added.

"Instructions have also been sent to the MLAs and other members of the elected bodies to be stationed there in their respective constituencies and stand by the side of the people in this hour of crisis.

"Nearly 1,500 police and PAP (Punjab Armed Police) jawans have been deployed as the second line of defense in the border areas. Besides this senior officers have been especially posted to oversee the entire evacuation process besides identifying suitable locations for setting up of more camps, if needed. They have also been told to ensure that the residents being evacuated were not put to any inconvenience," the spokesman said.
Bengaluru, Oct 2 : Karnataka's ruling Congress on Sunday issued whip to its lawmakers to attend the special joint session of the state legislature on Monday to decide on the Supreme Court order to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

"Chief whip Ashok Pattan has issued the whip directing our legislators in the assembly and council to be present in Vidhana Soudha on Monday and participate in the discussion on the apex court order," a party source told IANS.

The cabinet on Saturday decided to convene the day-long session after an all-party meeting urged the state government not to release the river water at any cost as it is required for drinking purpose in the region.

A division bench of the top court on Friday directed the state to release 6,000 cusecs per day for a week from October 1-6.

"As the resolution to utilise the scarce water in the four dams across the river basin for drinking purpose was unanimously passed in the council and the assembly at a special session on September 23, only the legislature has to decide on how best to use the resource," said the party official.

Deficit monsoon rains this year led to the lowest storage of water in the four reservoirs of Kabini, KRS, Harangi and Hemavathy across the river basin in the state's southern region.

"The reservoirs has collectively 27 tmc (thousand million cubic) feet of water, which is barely sufficient to meet the drinking needs of the people in cities, towns and villages in the region," said the source.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah meanwhile regretted that Karnataka was being portrayed as a "villain" for not releasing the water without ascertaining the ground realities in a distress situation.

"The Supreme Court is unable to understand the crisis we are facing due to deficit rains in the catchment areas of the reservoirs. When we are not able to release water for our farmers, how can we do for irrigation in the neighbouring state," he said at a Gandhi Jayanti function here.

Noting that his government was bound by the legislative resolution - not to draw water for any purpose other than drinking needs, the chief minister said it was unfortunate the apex court was repeatedly asking the state to release water despite explaining the distress situation.

"We can't obey an order which is not helpful to the people. We don't intend to disrespect the Supreme Court nor defy its order but we are in a precarious situation to conserve whatever water we have for drinking purpose only," he added.
Agra, Oct 2 : Displaying "Gandhigiri" on Mahatma's birthday, activists here on Sunday offered water to Yamuna and put it on a glucose drip to protest total neglect of the river by the government.

Volunteers of the River Connect Campaign who have been without a break conducting a 'havan' and 'arti' for over 525 days without a break, used Mahatma Gandhi's birthday to highlight pollution in the river, which had reached an alarming level, posing threat not only to life but to historical monuments including the Taj Mahal.

An official of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society said that the river is almost dead without fresh raw water, and all that flows down is waste from sewers and industrial effluents from upstream cities including Delhi. The toxic waste could be damaging the foundation of the Taj Mahal, he added.

River activist Ranjan Sharma said "to protest we have put the river on glucose and offered bottled water. The powers that be both at the centre and in the state, have gone deaf and do not respond to repeated pleas by both commoners and experts.

Conservationist Shravan Kumar Singh said the government had failed to enforce the order of the National Green Tribunal to ensure a minimal flow, which Haryana had stonewalled.

He noted Union Minister Nitin Gadkiri had announced that steamer service between Delhi and Agra would be started in two years, but now seemed to have forgotten his promise. Similarly Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti had made a number of promises but so far has not been able to do anything for Yamuna, which is the lifeline of Braj mandal.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3 : Former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Sunday blamed the media for misquoting his comments against the merger of local State Bank of Travancore with the SBI for the ongoing fast by legislators of the opposition Congress against the fdee hike.

"I was returning after inaugurating a protest meeting with regards to the merging of the State Bank of Travancore with that of State Bank of India and it was to that I said that this was a wrong move by the government and a solution to this must be found out.

"But the media put out the news that what I said was about the ongoing indefinite fast by the Congress-led UDF legislators. This was purposely done to project that there was a difference of opinion between me and the state government," said Achuthanandan in a statement issued here on Sunday night.

However the TV channels continued to show Achuthanandan, in response to questions about the ongoing strike by the opposition legislators on the "steep" fee hike, saying that the state government was handling the indefinite fast in a wrong manner.

The Congress was quick to support his statement.

"Anyone with sense will only say that an amicable solution should come from the government to end the ongoing impasse and we welcome the statement of Achuthanandan," said State Congress President V.M. Sudheeran.

Since Wednesday, three legislators of the Congress-led opposition have been on an indefinite fast in the foyer of the Kerala Assembly alleging that there was collusion between the state government, led by Pinarayi Vijayan, and private medical college managements who raised fees steeply.

The opposition has taken a tough stand against the way the Vijayan government has handled the issue of fee hike by self-financing private medical colleges in the state and said that they would not call-off the protest till the hike was rolled back.

The fast entered its fifth day on Sunday and on Saturday the health of former state Minister Anup K. Jacob deteriorated forcing him to be shifted to hospital.

Achuthanandan, whose rivalry with Vijayan is well-known, appeared to have lost no time in putting Vijayan on the back foot and Sunday's statement gave enough ammunition to the Congress-led opposition for when the assembly meets on Monday after a two-day break.

Last week, Achuthanandan called on the fasting legislators and spent some time with them, enquiring about their health, while Vijayan was yet to do the same.

The two have been at loggerheads for long and Achuthanandan is still to come to terms with being sidelined by the party leadership -- which handed over the Chief Minister's post to Vijayan -- after it used him so successfully in the assembly election campaign.
"The Dahans have always been forward-looking, enabling MediSend to create and deliver programs with long-term sustainable outcomes for people in need," says Nick Hallack, MediSend CEO.

The Dahan Family Foundation has awarded a matching grant in support of MediSends educational and humanitarian work to support and strengthen healthcare in developing countries. The grant promises to match donations and grants up to $300,000 until the end of 2016.

In 2005, Elisabeth and Rene Dahan donated Medisends current facility, the Elisabeth Dahan Humanitarian Center, home to the organizations Biomedical Engineering Technology School and its International Distribution Center, a division of Medisend that distributes medical supplies and equipment to developing country hospitals in need, as well emergency aid in times of disaster.

The Dahans are not only longtime friends and benefactors of MediSend, but also invaluable mentors with an unwavering belief in MediSends educational and humanitarian work.

Thanks to the Dahan Family Foundation, MediSend made significant contributions to the Ebola crisis, supports women and childrens care in Liberia and Sierra Leone and, as a partner with the World Health Organization, is currently playing an important role in rebuilding Liberias healthcare infrastructure. MediSend has trained biomedical technicians for hospitals throughout Africa and has recently partnered with GE El Seif (Saudi Arabia) to train technicians for hospitals in the Middle East. With the Dahans ongoing support, MediSend is working with Jane Goodall to rebuild a hospital and deliver better health services in the area of Gombe National Park, Tanzania.

The Dahan Family Foundation has made a difference in countless lives. Through the Dahan familys incredible generosity, men, women and children around the world have access to improved healthcare. In times of tragedy, their kindness has spread to families suffering from illness, natural disasters and strife, says Nick Hallack, President and CEO of MediSend, adding, The Dahans have always been forward-looking, enabling MediSend to create and deliver programs with long-term sustainable outcomes for people in need."

For more information on MediSend, go to MediSend.org or contact Nick Hallack at 214-575-5006 ext.112 or nick(dot)hallack(at)medisend(dot)org.
The Louisiana Board of Dentistry has partnered with CE Broker, a continuing education tracking system with over 13 years of experience, to help licensees track progress to ease the license renewal process. That brings CE Broker to 11 state agencies nationwide, with more on the way!

In a no-cost contract, CE Broker tracks continuing education(CE) hours for all dentists and dental hygienists in Louisiana and determines CE compliance status for license renewal.

Currently, if a healthcare professional is audited, the licensee will be required to submit documentation of completion. With CE Broker, licensees will be entering CE course completions electronically through the tracking system and will know when they are complete. The board can then instantly verify that all CE requirements have been met. Once their CE Broker account shows "Complete," the licensee can rest assured that they will successfully pass an audit. It's instant peace of mind for the licensee and a streamlined process for the board.

"I'm excited the board in Louisiana has chosen to work with us to simplify the impact of the CE process for their dentists and dental hygienists," says Brian Solano, CEO of CE Broker. "We are modernizing compliance monitoring by leveraging mobile technology and a paperless process to give their dentists and dental hygienists the support they need to understand and successfully fulfill their CE requirements."

CE Broker offers free iPhone and Android apps that licensees use to see their requirements, check their CE Compliance status and report continuing education hours.

CE Broker also employs a full-time support center available via phone, live chat, and email to help licensees report their hours on time, and all of this is provided at no-cost to the State. The company funds their operations by offering voluntary subscription services to healthcare employers & licensees.

"Like how Turbo Tax has simplified filing taxes for millions of people each year, we are doing the same thing for continuing education," says Solano. "You can choose to do your taxes on your own, but why do that when there are so many great inexpensive services out there that make it easier?"

CE Broker was founded in 2003 to track continuing education for the Florida Department of Health and is based in Jacksonville, Florida.
Fleets deploy a range of technologies for a variety of reasons but these systems are only beneficial when they are working

Velociti Inc., a global provider of technology deployment and support services, today announced its new VelociCare program for post-deployment maintenance support of on-board technologies, including proactive system health monitoring, hardware repair and replacement and system upgrades.

Velociti is the first and only company to provide a formal program for providing maintenance support of on-board technologies after deployment, said Deryk Powell, president of Velociti. Fleets deploy a range of technologies for a variety of reasons but these systems are only beneficial when they are working. They must be maintained just like tires and engines.

With the ELD mandate and the rapid growth of the connected vehicle, prioritized maintenance of on-board technology is essential, added Powell. The consequences of non-functioning equipment are far worse than just not meeting ROI projections.

VelociCare is a subscription-based support program, providing customers with set pricing and the ability to accurately budget for on-board technology support. VelociCare can be customized based on a wide range of categories, but always includes its one-of-a-kind proactive system health monitoring feature. This feature automatically monitors real-time information about the performance of the supported technology and allows Velociti to resolve any situation quickly, based on the severity of the issue and the customers preferences. For example, a malfunctioning ELD in a long-haul scenario is scheduled for repair as soon as possible, whereas an issue such as a system settings adjustment on a local-delivery scenario is typically addressed upon return of its delivery schedule for the day. In all cases, Velociti guarantees completion timeframes with a service-level agreement.

In addition, Powell said, the proactive nature of VelociCare allows for technology problems to be addressed before they get out of hand and become even more costly for the carrier. Were helping our customers eliminate the hidden downtime between system failure, the reporting of that failure, and finally the resolution.

The VelociCare package also includes:

Web-based Project Management with real-time updates of any pending repairs.

System Troubleshooting by Velocitis Tech Support Call Center

Inventory Storage, Shipping and Staging

User Training

Extended Warranties

The need to maintain and support on-board technologies is often underestimated, Powell stated. A reactive approach to technology support leads to increased downtime while a proactive, preventive approach can assure that not only benefits are realized, but that safety and compliance requirements are met as well. As trucking increases its use of technology, VelociCare makes it easier to budget and plan for the support, maintenance and repairs that are a necessary part of technology use.

About Velociti Inc.

Velociti is a global provider of technology deployment services, specializing in the installation & service of a broad range of transportation and networking technology products. Velocitis experience allows enterprise level technology consumers to maximize ROI as a result of leveraging expert, rapid deployment. Velociti clients include many Fortune 500 companies from a wide variety of market segments including transportation, retail, distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, government, education, food service and public venues. For more information visit http://www.velociti.com or call toll free (855)-233-7210.
Today is Sunday, Oct. 2, the 276th day of 2016. There are 90 days left in the year.

1891 -- 125 years ago: L.S. McCabe, Rock Island, and W.R. Moore, Moline, were re-elected directors of the Moline Central Street Railway Co..

1916 -- 100 years ago: Neighbors rescued the Barhard Brahm family from possible death when fumes from a leaky hot water heater overcame them.

1941 -- 75 years ago: The Rev. J.L. Vance was renamed clerk of United Presbyterian Synod at closing session of the 84th annual meeting in Rock Island today.

1966 -- 50 years ago: Members of Trinity Lutheran Church, Coal Valley, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the congregation in Coal Valley on Sunday, Oct 2. A special service at 10:15 a.m. will highlight a year of celebration.

1991 -- 25 years ago: For a second day, students in the Sherrard School District were out of classes today as their teachers walked the picket line. Whether the strike will enter a third day may be determined this afternoon when the Sherrard Education Association and district sit down for a 4 p.m. negotiating session.
Voting yes to the Rock Island County half-cent Public Safety Sales Tax will lower your property taxes and keep our courthouse safe.

For homeowners, this is a windfall. It will reduce your county property tax rate by 12 percent. Look for this referendum question on your election ballot.

Vote yes.

This is a matter of public safety. Our sheriffs department will lose up to 33 law enforcement positions, many of them armed deputies.

These budget cuts are caused by Springfields refusal to pay its share of tax money. Income from the sales tax increase will fully fund the sheriffs budget.

Sales tax money is paid by all shoppers.

Currently, the sheriffs budget is disproportionately funded by property taxes.

The solution?

We can fix this:

-- The courthouse is the place where civilized society settles its disputes and stores its important records such as land titles, voting and birth records.

-- Courthouses, by their nature, are dangerous places. The mix of criminal and civil cases creates an ever-present tension.

Some people come to court in various stages of mental distress: angry, drug- or alcohol-addicted, disappointed, mentally ill, or just plain mean. Unstable people can wreak havoc.

-- There is a bullet hole in one of the courthouse windows. It is a constant reminder that the courthouse is a dangerous place.

-- Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos is one of the best sheriffs in Illinois. His personnel (knock on wood) have kept thousands safe for years.

-- Sheriffs personnel have always performed their duties respectfully.

-- Modern security requires the screening of all visitors for weapons upon entry to the courthouse. Bailiffs and armed deputies are indispensable.

-- Quad-Citians are law-abiding and respectful people. They account for 95 percent of the people coming to the courthouse.

-- It is the great police work provided by the sheriff that protects the courthouse from the 5 percent who have behavior issues.

-- The safety of courthouse employees falls squarely on the sheriff.

Departments in the building are: circuit clerk, states attorney, recorder of deeds, domestic violence advocate, Ppayment gearing officer, juvenile probation, law library, court administration, judges, public defender, attorneys and police officers.

There are many witnesses of every variety including experts, medical, scientific, plaintiffs and defendants, family members, friends and even the press.

-- The courthouse welcomes more than 10,000 court users per month.

They come for civil and criminal cases, to get married, to check on their real estate, to attend an auction of real estate, to pay the fine for a traffic violation, to seek protection from the states attorney or police because they are victims of abuse.

-- Court administration schedules more than 500 court cases per week.

These cases are heard by our Rock Island County judges. Justice is always prompt, courteous and fair. Judges rely on the sheriff for their safety.

-- A Rock Island County sales tax increase of one-half percent is a small amount. It will not burden anyone.

-- The sales tax money will replace property tax money in the sheriffs budget. This will reduce the county portion of the property tax by 12 percent.

Homeowners win.

This will save many police jobs and keep the courthouse safe.

Everyone wins.

Im asking every Rock Island County voter, especially homeowners, to vote yes for the half-cent Public Safety Sales Tax Increase on this Novembers ballot, and to convince reluctant voters to join you.

Thank you.
"This stuff has been asked and answered time and time again and we can just get on with it which is why I'm not pulling my bill," Chloe Swarbrick said.

2 hours ago
The industry groundswell attacking the Surface Transportation Boards pending actions on forced access and commodity reregulation has grown to include the railway supply community, including the three principal trade associations (REMSA, RSI and RSSI) and numerous members, the Railway Tie Association and the railway contracting community, led by the NRC.

Congressional leadersSenate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) and the committees ranking Democrat, Bill Nelson of Florida; and House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and the committees ranking Democrat, Peter DeFazio of Oregonhave received a letter signed by dozens of suppliers and contractors pointing out the STBs recent trend of imposing regulations first, and discovering the consequences later.

Following is the full text of the letter:

Towson Universitys Regional Economic Studies Institute recently quantified the national impact of major freight railroads on the U.S. economy, finding that sizeable industry investments supported 1.5 million jobs, generated $33 billion in taxes and produced $274 billion in economic activity in 2014 alone. Like many economists before, the researchers concluded that the regulatory structure surrounding the industryset forth by Congressional leadership in passing the Staggers Actprovides certainty and stability and allows the industry to earn the revenues needed to invest and create such positive ripple effects.

As the collective voice of businesses that serve railroads and provide the equipment and technologies to enhance the efficiency and safety of their operations, we know this first hand. Over-involvement of the federal government in the day-to-day business decisions of railroads once pushed this sector and the larger railroad ecosystem of customers and suppliers to the brink of collapse. Without the wisdom to partially deregulate the industry in 1980, America would have lost a privately owned and maintained economic engine that provides quality jobs to support families and communities, affordable and environmentally friendly options for businesses to move goods and critical infrastructure to support passenger railroads.

So it is especially troubling to see the Surface Transportation Board (STB) move forward on reregulatory efforts, including so called reciprocal switching and commodity reregulation. The Rail Customer Coalition recently wrote you advocating for these misguided proposals and casting them as common sense and in the common interest of the American public. Nothing could be further from the truth, and as a result, we are asking you to ensure the STB regulates as you intended in the 2015 reauthorization.

As leaders on issues pertaining to surface transportation, the railroad supply community asks you to please consider the facts as it relates to the STB and proposed regulations.

Reciprocal switching, or more accurately, forced access, would upend longstanding precedent. It would force railroads to switch traffic to competitors without any suggestion that the incumbent railroad failed to offer competitive services, or has otherwise engaged in any sort of unreasonable behavior. A rash of new switches could possibly advantage a few, but in the aggregate it would strain a 140,000-mile network and degrade services for the majority of customers.

We are deeply concerned that this regulatory effort could greatly cut into capital spending by the railroads. Past analysis by the Association of American Railroads found that a similar proposal could affect an estimated 7.5 million carloads of traffic, placing nearly $8 billion in revenues at risk. Reduced revenues mean reduced money for investment in the rail network and reduced demand for businesses like ours. Continued investments are critical for maintaining a safe and efficient rail network and allow us to provide strong employment opportunities in our communities.

The government dictating what a private business can do with its property and operations is antithetical to the free market and should be soundly rejected by a Congress that has never advised the STB to embark on this path.

A separate commodity regulation would subject five commodity groups to STB economic regulation for the first time in two decades, despite the fact that railroads face strong competition for the service from trucks. The proposal comes without any evidence that the transportation markets are different today than in past decades, and more alarmingly, without petitions from these commodity groups. Such a rule would again signal that the STB views competition through a narrow prism.

The railroad supply community plays an integral role in maintaining the worlds safest, most efficient and highly competitive freight railroad system. We also provide high-paying and high-skilled manufacturing jobs in our communities. We are concerned that the STB has interpreted its reauthorization as a signal that Congress wanted the independent agency to regulate more.

We support a transparent and efficient STB and believe that the agency maintains an important role in maintaining a proven regulatory structure. But we do not support the STBs recent trend of imposing regulations first, and discovering the consequences later.

We appreciate your continued leadership in setting sensible policies to govern this critical industry that serves U.S. industry and creates local jobs. We ask that you ensure the STB regulates as you intended in the 2015 reauthorization by making your concerns known directly to the STB and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Signatories:

GoRail

National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc. (NRC)

Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association, Inc. (REMSA)

Railway Supply Institute (RSI)

Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc. (RSSI)

Railway Tie Association (RTA)

A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.

Amerities Holdings, LLC

Ames Construction, Inc.

Amtrac Railroad Contractors of Maryland, Inc.

Ansaldo STS, A Hitachi Group Company

Arthur N. Ulrich Company

Atlas Company of Lincoln/Judds Brothers

Construction Co.

AXIS Track Report

Balfour Beatty Rail

Bergmann Associates

Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co., Inc.

Boschert Precision Machinery, Inc.

Bowers & Company CPAs

BSM Technologies

Bullock Construction Inc.

Chester Bross Construction Company

Coleman Heavy Construction, Inc

Commercial Insurance Associates LLC

Design Nine, Inc.

Driven Engineering, Inc.

Dymax Inc.

East Coast Railroad Services, LLC

Edna A. Rice, Executive Recruiter, Inc.

Encore Rail Systems, Inc.

Esco Equipment Service Co.

EVRAZ North America

Fritz-Rumer-Cooke Co., Inc.

Frontier Railroad Services, LLC

Gannett Fleming, Inc.

GE Transportation

Genesis Technologies, Inc.

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company

Granite Construction

Gross & Jones Co.

Hall Signs, Inc.

Hanson Professional Services, Inc.

Harsco Rail

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

HiRAIL Corporation

Hudson ROI Equipment, Inc.

Hulcher Services, Inc.

Innovative Parts & Solutions Ltd.

IP Automation, Inc

Johnsons Frog & Rail Welding, Inc.

Kelly-Hill Company

Koppers, Inc.

L.B. Foster Company

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

Menards Railroad Materials

Modern Track Machinery, Inc.

MPL Innovations, Inc.

NARSTCO, Inc.

National Salvage & Service Corporation

Natural Wood Solutions, LLC

Nevada Railroad Materials, Inc.

New York Air Brake, LLC

Ogborn Consulting Group, LLC

Ohio Railroad Association

Omaha Track, Inc.

Omega Industries, Inc.

OMNI Products, Inc.

Orgo-Thermit Inc.

Outsource Administrators, Inc. (OAI)

Peak Performance Asset Services LLC

Plasser American

Polivka International Company, Inc.

Progress Rail, a Caterpillar Company

R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC

Rail Construction Equipment Co.

RailPros Field Services

Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey, Inc.

Railtech Boutet, Inc.

RailWorks Corporation

RCL Services Group, LLC

RedHawk Energy Systems

Reflective Apparel Factory

Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc.

Salco Products, Inc.

Shannon & Wilson, Inc.

Siemens Rail Automation

Simmons Railroad Group, LLC

Site-Specific Solutions, Inc.

Southern National Track Services Inc.

Southern Technologies Corporation

Special Fleet Service

SpillX, LLC

Standard Steel, LLC

Stella-Jones Corporation

Strato, Inc.

STV Incorporated

The Okonite Company

Thomas McGee, L.C.

Trackside Services, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

TransCore

Truss, LLC

Twinco Manufacturing Company, Inc.

US Trackworks, LLC

V&H, Inc.

Wabtec Corporation

WAGO Corporation

Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.

Wheeler Lumber, LLC

Willamette Valley Company

Wilson & Company, Inc.

Winkle Industries

WJ Riegel Rail Solutions, LLC
Licensed contractor Trent Fasnacht is a passionate restoration expert who restores abandoned and condemned homes to their original South Carolina charm in DIY Networks newest series, Restoring Charleston.

Premiering on 5 October, the Scripps series follows Fasnacht and his team as they tear out old additions and rotten materials to recreate homes as the first builder intended.I love it when people say you cannot fix this house, he said. Its a big challenge, but thats part of the excitement in a town known for its distinctive architecture style.In the first episode, they tackle the renovation of a long-abandoned Queen Anne Craftsman style home built in 1895. Sitting empty for more than 50 years, the 1,850 sq ft home has rotten floors, cracked plaster and dilapidated wainscoting, which are just a few of the challenges the crew must face while giving this property a 21st century upgrade.They dont build them like this any more, Fasnacht said. That big, grand hallway and the 14-foot ceilings make this a special house thats worth saving.
Hifter's ambitions reach far beyond gaining access to specific amounts of Central Bank of Libya funding. He appears to be playing the long game; progressively building up legitimacy, leverage and influence. Since the start of the uprisings against Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi, Hifter has tried via various tactics and ruses to become Libya's strongman. It is in this light that we must interpret his current military maneuver in the oil crescent and generosity toward the GNA. He clearly hopes to finally acquire a strong enough position to seize the leadership of Libya for himself, whether through political negotiations or more likely through military force.
Property details:

This piece of land parcel is beautiful, abundant with natural growth of timber trees of different age profiles, water bodies over the land parcel, hunting potential and best of all, incredibly affordable when compared to similar sized land parcels in other parts of the world. Compare property values in places like England, Ireland, Germany and the U.S. (specially California and the East Coast) and buyers here always get more for their dollar than they would at home.This land parcel lies in the g...

Price: $ 110,000 Seller State of Residence: Quebec State/Province: Quebec Type: Recreational, Acreage & Home Lot Zoning: White Zoning - Transferable at the Provincial leve Location: , Quebec

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Nearby White Zoning - Transferable at the Provincial leve
Property details:

Here's another opportunity for someone looking for land in Northern California, and this is one of the lots a little closer to the highway and lake, and only 90 minutes from the San Francisco Bay Area and adjacent to the Napa Valley and beautiful wine country. You will be bidding on this residential lot that has a beautiful LAKE VIEW, approximately 5,200 square feet in size, and located only 2 blocks from Clear Lake, the largest natural lake entirely in the state. The property is located near in...

Price: $ 931 Seller State of Residence: California City: Clearlake Oaks State/Province: California Property Address: Widgeon Way Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Rural Residential Zip/Postal Code: 95423 Location: 928**, Orange, California

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CaptiveAire is poised to expand its operation in Redding, which already employs about 125 people who build kitchen-hood fans, air-conditioning systems and heater and duct parts.

The North Carolina-based manufacturer came to Redding in 2006, choosing the North State as its first and still only manufacturing plant west of the Rocky Mountains.

CaptiveAire is one of two Southern-based companies that have set up in Redding, using our city as a West Coast manufacturing and distribution hub. Southern Aluminum Finishing, of Atlanta, opened here in 2007.

Combined, CaptiveAire and Southern Aluminum Finishing employ nearly 200 people.

CaptiveAire repurposed the former Redding French Bakery building on Lockheed Drive across from Redding Municipal Airport and began production 10 years ago with about 30 employees. The company's campus has grown and is expected to get even bigger starting next year.

Earlier this month, CaptiveAire purchased 1.5-acre lot on Thunderbird Drive for $150,000. The company also bought an adjoining 2-acre parcel from a private owner for about the same price. Both parcels are across the street from CaptiveAire's current plant.

Brandon Hafner, in charge of construction for the company, told me they are working on designs for the new building, which will complement its existing facility in Redding.

"We will have more information to follow," Hafner said. "We are not sure how many people the new plant will employ but it will have the capacity for a substantial number of employees."

Rob Middleton, of House of Realty in Redding, brokered both property purchases. He said the company looked elsewhere.

"It's a nice coup for Redding to keep CaptiveAire here," Middleton said.

I asked CaptiveAire President Bob Luddy if he considered building in Stillwater Business Park, Redding's shovel-ready industrial complex northeast of Redding Municipal Airport.

"We did consider Stillwater but the cost to combine our operations into a new building would have been more expensive," Luddy said via email. "Additionally, moving would have caused a temporary disruption of service levels."

Meanwhile, business is booming for CaptiveAire, which has doubled its manufacturing operations from three to six since it opened in Redding in 2006. The company's other locations are in Youngsville, North Carolina; Muskogee, Oklahoma; West Union, Iowa; Bedford, Pennsylvania; and Groveland, Florida.

Luddy has been outspoken (http://bit.ly/2dlskeW) over the years about the burden that government regulations and taxes put on small business.

Yet he has managed to make it in California, a state many consider ground zero for onerous business regulations and high taxes.

Just last week the Tax Foundation released the 2017 State Business Tax Climate Index (http://bit.ly/2cL7iFs). California is near the bottom, coming in at 48. Only New York and New Jersey fare worse.

Along with my Stillwater inquiry, I asked Luddy how he's been able to find success in California while balancing the cost of doing business today. He didn't respond to that part of the question.

Bottom line, the folks with the Economic Development Corp. of Shasta County for years have said that some manufacturers need to be in California, citing its location and the size of its economy.

Operations like CaptiveAire, Southern Aluminum Finishing and Knauf Insulation are examples of this.

STILLWATER AMBASSADORS

CaptiveAire and Southern Aluminum Finishing both considered Stillwater Business Park as sites for their new plants in Redding before choosing other locations.

In Southern Aluminum Finishing's case, the manufacturer purchased an existing building in the Mountain Lakes Industrial Park and repurposed it to suit its needs.

Two companies, based in the Eastern time zone, coming to California  of all places  to expand their operation is an economic development success story for the North State.

Their experience of moving across the country should be shared. No, they did not choose Stillwater. But maybe their story does a better job of putting Redding on the map for manufacturers looking to expand or relocate.

And I'm not forgetting about Lassen Canyon Nursery, the local company that purchased the first lot in Stillwater last year. Lassen Canyon has a story to tell, too.

The more companies looking at Redding, the greater chance the city has at selling lots in the business park.

VIEW FROM THE STREET

Colleague Jenny Espino's recent Facebook post about complaints she's been reading on campaign signs being in public right-of-ways caught my attention.

It was interesting that out of all these concerns, not one has made it to Redding's Public Works Department or Code Enforcement.

Makes you wonder. Are residents really concerned about safety, or do they just not like the view, in other words the message, from their windshield?

Less than 40 days left until the election.
FILE - In this March 15, 2016 file photo, actor George Takei attends the premiere of "Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures" in Los Angeles, Calif. Takei is donating a trove of art and artifacts from his life and career to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The museum announced the gift Wednesday, Sept. 28, and said the collection will be featured in an exhibition,New Frontiers: The Many Worlds of George Takei opening March 12. (Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision/AP, File)

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By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Actor and activist George Takei is donating a trove of art and artifacts from his life and career to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

The museum announced the gift Wednesday and said the collection will be featured in an exhibition next year. "New Frontiers: The Many Worlds of George Takei" is set to open March 12, 2017.

Takei's collection includes photos, sculptures, scripts and other memorabilia from his "Star Trek" days, as well as his run for Los Angeles City Council in 1973 and the Olympic torch he carried ahead of the 1984 games in Los Angeles.

Takei's most recent acting credit was in the animated "Kubo and the Two Strings." The 79-year-old entertainer is an activist for gay rights and spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign.
T20 World Cup: Ravichandran Ashwin Can't Believe Virat Kohli Had Dropped Aiden Markram | WATCH VIDEO

T20 World Cup: With Delicious Indian Food And Laidback Culture, Perth Proved Excellent Host for India

'India ne Marwa Diya Humein': Shoaib Disappointed With India's Loss, Says 'Their Batting Got Exposed'

'Could Have Made The Difference': Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Missed Chances Against South Africa
FILE - In this July 17, 2014 file photo, Gary Glasberg executive producer/showrunner of "NCIS" appears at the "NCIS: New Orleans" panel at the CBS 2014 Summer TCA in Beverly Hills, Calif. CBS says in a statement that Glasberg died in his sleep on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. He was 50. Glasberg joined NCIS as a producer and writer in 2009 and became its showrunner in 2011. He launched the New Orleans version of the show in 2014. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

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By The Assoicated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP)  The executive producer of TV's "NCIS" and creator of "NCIS: New Orleans" has died. CBS says in a statement that Gary Glasberg died in his sleep Wednesday. He was 50.

Glasberg joined "NCIS" as a producer and writer in 2009 and became its showrunner in 2011. He launched the New Orleans version of the show in 2014.

CBS Television President David Stapf said Glasberg "brought kindness, integrity and class to everything he did."

Glasberg's other television credits include "Shark," ''The Mentalist," ''Crossing Jordan" and "Bones."

He is survived by his wife, Mimi Schmir, and their two sons, Dash and Eli. Glasberg is also survived by his father and sister. A memorial service is planned for next month.
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Q: It's been an ongoing debate among our small spearfishing group and it's time to ask the authorities. When spearfishing from a boat, if a diver reaches his maximum limit of three white sea bass for the day and then gifts one of his fish to somebody who does not have a fish, can the person who caught the fish hunt for one more sea bass since he now only has two in his possession?

 Chester L.

A: No, each spear fisherman or angler is allowed to catch and keep up to three white sea bass per day, period. If a fisherman chooses to give one away, that's fine, but they cannot then continue to try to catch another to refill their personal bag limit for the day. That spear fisherman would have to wait until the next day, and if they still had their two sea bass in possession, they would only be able to catch one more the next day because three sea bass is both the daily bag limit and the possession limit.

There are a couple of exceptions here, though. Anglers/divers who will be out to sea for multiple days can get a multi-day fishing permit that will allow them to keep up to three limits of sea bass over three days if they have secured this permit prior to their trip and followed all of the associated regulations under California Code of Regulations. There is also a one-fish limit between March 15 and June 15 for the take of WSB south of Point Conception.

Q: I hunt with a bow and on some occasions will shoot my game right at sundown and then have to chase my animal sometimes for an hour or more. And then when I find it, I may have to shoot it again. Is it legal to finish off an animal after dark if it was shot during the legal hunting hours?

 Geoff M., Camarillo

A: No. Authorized hunting and shooting hours are clearly stated in the regulations as running from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. To shoot an animal outside of those authorized hours is illegal.

Whenever possible, try to plan your hunt so that you will not be pushing the envelope right at the end of hunt hours and can leave ample time to track and retrieve the animal during legal hours.

Q: What are the restrictions on shooting ravens in California? I have personally witnessed ravens killing baby chukar and baby red-tailed hawks. At my home they raid my chickens and steal the eggs. They like to sit on a pole where the remnants of their kill ends up on the ground, including a variety of egg shell bits and baby desert tortoise shells. I have also seen a group of ravens attempting to kill a cat. I know that they became protected at one time, but what is the status now? Can I shoot the ones on and around my property?

 David C.

A: No. Ravens, Corvus corax, are protected by both California and federal laws. Ravens may not be taken in California except under the authority of a permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). For more information regarding the availability of permits, please check the USFWS permits website.

Q: Can I transport an over-limit of fish carcasses to the dump?

For example, three peoples' fish limits are cleaned at a home location. Then, one person pulls the short straw and gets stuck having to take the combined carcasses by vehicle to the dump. I can see how if they were stopped by law enforcement and they had an over-limit of three peoples' carcasses carried by one person, an explanation stating that person was dumping three legal limits of carcasses may or may not fly with a warden.

Can you please provide some clarity?

 Trevor L.

A: The department recommends that the person transporting the carcasses have copies of each person's fishing licenses, or at least their names and contact information in case the transport and disposal of more than one person's limit comes into question.

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone's questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@wildlife.ca.gov.
Pedestrian struck and killed on I-5 in Cottonwood

A pedestrian who was walking in the traffic lanes of Interstate 5 was killed in Cottonwood late Saturday night.
SHARE Pam Giacomini Mary Rickert Bill Schappell Steve Morgan

By Damon Arthur of the Redding Record Searchlight

During the past five years, the number of felony arrests in Shasta County rose about 14 percent, according to the California Department of Justice.

It's just one part of a complex picture of crime in Shasta County, which has undergone a change in how it views and deals with crime since California prison realignment went into effect in 2011.

With crime on the minds of residents and policymakers, candidates for Shasta County supervisor were asked what three things they would propose to address crime in the county.

Pam Giacomini

The District 3 incumbent said the county needs to continue to work with Redding, Anderson and Shasta Lake city officials to negotiate how to share the $6.5 million the county receives from the state in AB 109 prison realignment funds.

She would like to use the county's share of the money to shore up finances for the jail and for the Sheriff's Office in general, she said.

The county also needs to work with the state to make sure building a new courthouse gets back on track. She said that is important because the county was planning to use the old courthouse to renovate and use as a kitchen to cook meals for inmates.

The county needs to work with Redding to find solutions to mental health and homeless problems.

The county also needs to look at ways to streamline the process of hiring deputies. She said the hiring process takes months and many don't successfully pass through to become hired, she said.

Mary Rickert

The District 3 challenger said the county needs to address substance abuse and mental health issues by offering more treatment for addicts.

The county could save money by improving and expanding its mental health service and substance abuse services. She said the problem of crime and mental health are related and need to be tackled to reduce the crime rate.

"We are spending more money by sending people to the jails and emergency rooms," she said.

More money should also be spent on drug education while inmates are in the county jaili, and for students in school, Rickert said.

Also on the issue of mental health, Rickert said police officers and sheriff's deputies need more training in how to work with the mentally ill to de-escalate confrontations.

Bill Schappell

The District 4 incumbent said he supports Measures D and E, which would provide more money for law enforcement.

The county needs to expand the jail to keep some suspects behind bars longer, he said.

The county also needs to build a sobering center, an adult rehabilitation center for substance abuse and a crisis center for those having mental health issues, he said.

He said the county is jailing too many people for substance abuse and mental health issues. The county also needs to work with inmates to help them build job skills to reduce recidivism and instead get them on a career path.

"Locking up people isn't a solution for correction," Schappell said.

Steve Morgan

The District 4 challenger said he wants to see Redding voters pass Measures D and E in November.

Measure D is a half-cent sales tax to pay for an annual $11 million spending plan on public safety and mental health needs over 10 years. Measure E is the companion piece that advises what areas the money should be directed.

He wants to see the money raised from the sales tax hike spent on a sobering center. The county also needs to increase the number of jail beds for inmates. He also wants to see a methadone clinic opened in Redding to treat those addicted to heroin.

Reducing heroin addiction would reduce crime rates because many minor crimes are committed by drug addicts stealing to support their drug habit, he said.

"I think that is important because that is going to take a lot of petty crime off the streets," Morgan said.

He said officers need to be better trained to deal with the mentally ill, who are often jailed rather than sent to mental health facilities.

He said the county should placing more emphasis on job creation and business recruitment to improve the economy, which should also reduce crime by putting more people to work, he said.
Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight

Steve McLain of Redding rolls the ball at the bocce ball court during Paesano Days on Saturday. The festival was held at South City Park in Redding for the first time.

SHARE Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight People gather at the new bocce ball courts at South City Park for Paesano Days.

By Amber Sandhu of the Redding Record Searchlight

Promising a bigger and better year, the Sons of Italy's Paesano Days began celebrations Friday night that ran through Saturday evening at South City Park in Redding.

The event, which celebrates Italian-American heritage, had traditionally been held at Anderson River Park, which has a bocce ball court. But since most of the visitors were from Redding, the Sons of Italy members decided to bring the event to Redding, where it debuted last year at Lake Redding Park.

But last year there was no bocce ball, "which is the integral part of our celebration," said Jim Nobili, past president with the Sons of Italy.

However, this year, on an August morning at the crack of dawn, Sons of Italy members broke ground at South City Park to build the bocce ball court.

"It's kind of a miracle to me, I'm surprised that we did that," Nobili said.

And just as he anticipated, bocce was a big hit at the event. "Our bocce tournament is really going strong, people are having a lot of fun," he said Saturday.

For couple Monty and Rita Turner of Bella Vista, they're serious about their bocce game. Both are in their 70s and play it every Monday morning. And it's a tradition they've kept alive at Paesano Days.

"We've been playing in Paesano Days for 15 years," Rita Turner said.

Rita and Monty took turns rolling the ball down the court, each focused diligently during their turns. For Monty Turner, he said he was happy bocce ball was back at the event, and even happier that it was in Redding.

"Everything is perfect out here," he said.

South City Park, which is near the Redding Library, is known for a number of homeless people that reside there. Measures have been taken by local community groups to make the park more family friendly and drive the homeless out. Members of the Facebook group Shasta Support Service took to holding picnics in the park, to achieve that purpose.

But on the day of the event, people weren't fazed.

First-time Paesano Days attendee Marcia Burchiel, 59, said she's not bothered seeing homeless people at the park. As a volunteer firefighter in the community, she's worked with people from all walks of life, and hopes that everyone practices tolerance and understanding of those who might not be as fortunate.

"I can see others who might be bothered," she said. "I hope it doesn't distract because this is a wonderful event."

Steve McLain, 53, brought his 22-year-old son Dalton to play bocce ball and enjoy the day. He only lives a few blocks away from South City Park and often brings his daughter to play at the park as well. He, too, doesn't feel like the homeless population is bothersome. "They've been here the whole time," he said.

If anything, they've been cordial and respectful to him, he said. So he doesn't plan to stop coming to the park, especially now that the bocce ball courts are in.

And for Nobili, it's an accomplishment he and the Sons of Italy members are proud of.

"Those bocce courts, that's our contribution to the city, our community," Nobili said. "We're so proud to have these courts here, we hope that people take advantage of them and use them."
SHARE Ryan Mason Lozano Date of birth: Sept. 26, 1986 Vitals: 5 feet, 9 inches; 160 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Burglary Eve Iss Clark Date of birth: Nov. 30, 1971 Vitals: 5 feet, 5 inches; 143 pounds; black hair, green eyes Charge: Burglary Robert Raymondluis Arevalo Date of birth: Aug. 13, 1975 Vitals: 5 feet, 5 inches; 150 pounds; brown hair, blue eyes Charge: Corporal injury of spouse Kelly Marie Foster Date of birth: Dec. 30, 1980 Vitals: 5 feet, 4 inches; 145 pounds; blond hair, blue-hazel eyes Charge: Possession of a controlled substance for sale

By Staff Reports

Shasta's Most Wanted, featured in the Record Searchlight in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, targets people who have failed to show up in court for sentencing after being convicted.

As of Friday, a total of 700 arrests had been made through the Most Wanted program since it began in September 2013. Authorities say they have seen an increase in criminals failing to appear in court since the onset of Assembly Bill 109. Also known as prison realignment, the state program shifted certain state prison inmates to county supervision.

Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti said court appearances have gone up since the rollout.

Five new people are added each week. Those caught will be held until at least their next court appearances. Shasta County Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $250 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be provided anonymously at 530-243-2319 or at www.scsecretwitness.com/home/submit-a-tip.

Anyone with information also can call SHASCOM at 245-6540. The feature appears Sundays in the Record Searchlight's Northern California section and on Redding.com.
If you do one thing to prepare to vote and teach your kids to be involved in their community's future, make it the Democracy Popup event next Saturday at Old City Hall.

Sure, I'm biased. The Popup is the brain child of my colleague Carole Ferguson, the managing editor here at the Record Searchlight and an enthusiastic supporter of democracy. A few months ago, Carole came back from a meeting where a sister paper described putting on a similar event and said "we've got to do this."

The Popup is meant to be almost the opposite of the traditional candidate forum. Instead of a row of seats facing a stage, there will be the open space surrounded by the candidates at tables, waiting to talk to you directly. Instead of listening to scripted questions from a moderator, you just walk up and ask what's on your mind.

And that bit about bringing the kids? We really mean it.

One of the ideas I'm most excited about is that we're going to give everyone  including the kids  the opportunity to vote. Each person who comes in will receive a "passport" for the event, which will include a limited number of "hanging chads." Those can be torn off an dropped in jars corresponding to each candidate. We'll have winning candidates announced at the end of the event, and a 5-year-old's vote counts just as much as anyone else's.

So if you know a kid, like mine, who is just itching to have a say and thinks it's just NOT fair that you have to be 18 to vote, bring her or him down.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. at Old City Hall in downtown Redding. Old City Hall is hard to miss  it's the stately 1907 Romanesque Revival style red brick building at the corner of Market and Shasta streets.

The folks at SCAC-TV, a project of the Shasta County Arts Council, are just as excited about this as we are. SCAC-TV runs the public access television in our area and with the Arts Council operates out of Old City Hall. In addition to giving us a great facility  I mean, c'mon, the Old City Hall is the closest we have to a temple of democracy up here  the SCAC-TV partnership means the event can be broadcast, as well.

You can come and go as you please between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. We'll have a Dutch Bros. coffee van out front if you need a caffeine jolt, and it should be a fun, energetic vibe.

But if you do want to see political candidates sweat a little bit under the pressure, we'll have that too. At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Carole will lead a "lightning round" of questions for the candidates, where they'll be allowed only brief answers before the music plays.

And while the emphasis will be on local politics and issues, there just may be an opportunity for a selfie with Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Mind that you don't lean on them, though  they will fall over.

I hope to see you out there Saturday, Oct. 8 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Democracy is serious business. But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with it.

Reach Editor Silas Lyons at 225-8210 or silas.lyons@redding.com. He's on Facebook and Instagram, and on Twitter @silaslyons_RS.
A day after the Patna high court scrapped the Bihar Government's prohibition law, saying it was "draconian" in nature and application, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said liquor ban would be reinforced in the state, and if need be his government would approach the Supreme Court on the matter.

"From today, liquor ban has been reinforced in Bihar. Now, people are not wasting money on alcohol like before. It is inspired from Mahatma Gandhi. We will mark the centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha movement by implementing the new Act on Gandhi Jayanti," Nitish told media in Patna.

Asserting that liquor consumption is a social stigma, Nitish said that prohibition would improve society.

He added that one should see how peaceful the environment has become in some villages after the prohibition was introduced, before which there was utter chaos.

"All the previous excise laws, including the one quashed by the high court on Friday, would be repealed with the enforcement of the new act. The people should go and see the post-prohibition peaceful environment in villages which earlier used to present a picture of chaos, especially in the evenings," he added.

Nitish said the prohibition is saving people's thousands of crores as they are not wasting it on alcohol.

"These savings will boost the economy of the state in the long run as people would invest it in businesses," he added.

The new Act contains harsher provisions such as making all adults culpable in case a liquor-related offence is committed in a house and imposition of community penalty in case of repeated offence of manufacturing liquor or trading in it in a village.

Some of the old provisions that would find place in the new law are penalising someone for allowing use of premises for a liquor-related offence, penalising a company and everyone in charge of its affairs if the offender is a company, and fining the owner of a house from where utensils meant for making liquor are found.
Mahatma Gandhi was on Sunday remembered on his 147th birth anniversary, with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders paying floral tributes to the Father of the Nation at his memorial in New Delhi.

IMAGE: Children take part in a programme to celebrate the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at a school in Moradabad on Sunday. Photograph: PTI

Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior BJP leader L K Advani also paid tributes to Gandhi.

"Gandhiji made this world a better place. His ideals, dedication to the poor & struggle against injustice inspire," Modi said in a tweet.

Clad in a white kurta and pyjama, Modi, who arrived at Rajghat at 7.40 am, paid homage to the Mahatma by offering rose petals at the memorial and performing a parikrama (circumambulation) around it.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends an inter-faith prayer meeting on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhis 147th birth anniversary at Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi on Sunday . Photograph: Subhav Shukla/PTI

Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Rao Inderjit Singh, and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad too joined in paying homage to the Gandhi.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who arrived along with his deputy Manish Sisodia, paid tributes to the Mahatma on his birth anniversary.

Mukherjee, Ansari, Modi and Manmohan Singh also paid tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at his samadhi at Vijay Ghat on the occasion of his 112th birth anniversary.

IMAGE: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary during his Kisan Yatra in Firozabad, Mainpuri on Sunday. Photograph: PTI

Later, Modi led parliamentarians in paying floral tributes to the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri in the Central Hall of Parliament House.

Among others who paid tributes to Gandhi and Shastri were Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien and Advani.

The family members of Shastri also joined the dignitaries in paying tributes to the two leaders.

IMAGE: A girl paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Photograph: PTI

Later, while inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra here, Modi said the birth anniversary of Gandhi and Shastri was an apt occasion for such an event.

He said Mahatma Gandhi had left India, but the call of the nation brought him back. He also inaugurated an exhibition on the Mahatma at the newly-inaugurated building.

In the evening, Modi attended an inter-faith prayer meeting at Gandhi Smriti where he sat among dignitaries and school children and listened to devotional songs.

Opposition leaders were conspicuous by their absence at Gandhi Smriti.
India has never attacked any country, nor has it ever coveted anyone's territory but made supreme sacrifice fighting for others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

IMAGE: The p rime minister said the Indian diaspora did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power abroad . Photograph: PIB photos

"India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for any territory. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 1.5 lakh Indian soldiers had laid down their lives fighting for others," the Prime Minister said at the inaugural ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a modern complex dedicated to overseas Indians.

His statement came days after the Indian army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control as also in the backdrop of Pakistan's constant clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international fora.

Modi lamented that despite the great price paid by Indians, India could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifice. He said whenever he went abroad, he made it a point to visit the memorials for the Indian soldiers.

The Prime Minister said the Indian diaspora did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power abroad, but on the other hand, they mingled with other communities.

Indians, the Prime Minister noted, lived abroad with the principle of "social well being. ... They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per the need," he said.

Observing that the Indian diaspora should not be looked at in terms of its numbers, but in terms of its strength, he said there were countries where the Indian community was more powerful than the Indian missions and could help removing the "fear of unknown" amongst the people there towards India.

While much has been spoken about brain drain, if the strength of the Indian diaspora was channelised, "we can convert it into 'brain gain'," Modi said.

Like dams channelise the energy of water to make electricity, a source is needed to utilise the energy of the 2.45 crore strong Indian diaspora to "light up India",he said.

He also commended the role of the Ministry of External Affairs in helping people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and evacuating Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.

Modi said India has made a place for itself and the world now accepts India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid and added that other nations now sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from trouble spots.
Activists of student wing of Bajrang Dal on Sunday burnt an effigy of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, protesting his comment supporting the Pakistani artistes, at Rajbada area in Madhya Pradesh.

Incidentally, the 50-year-old "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" actor was born in Indore.

"Salman has risen to great heights because of his Indian fans. He should withdraw his statement supporting the Pakistani artistes," Bajrang Dal divisional convener Sachin Baghel said.

If the actor did not want to take back his words, he should release his films in Pakistan and not in India, Baghel added.

"We can't tolerate that artistes from Pakistan, which harbours terrorists, come here and return home after making money without condemning the terrorists sponsored by their country," said BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya who represents Mhow assembly constituency.

"If Pakistani artistes condemn the terrorism, we will welcome them. Otherwise they won't be allowed to enter India," he said.

Salman had said on Friday that Pakistani artistes should not be treated like terrorists, and art and terrorism should not be mixed.

The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association has passed a resolution banning the Pakistani actors in the wake of Uri terror attack and Indian Army's subsequent surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK.
In the years to come, India's space assets will play a much bigger role if and when hostilities break out on our borders, says Pallava Bagla.

The precision 'surgical strikes' that Indian soldiers carried out on terrorist camps across the Line of Control were ably assisted and facilitated by at least half a dozen satellites.

India is fast developing a huge capability called 'C4ISR' or 'command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance'.

The country has already put in place an Aerospace Command and experts who understand the nature of the 'surgical strikes' acknowledge that this new tri-services body played a key role in planning and execution of the midnight attacks.

The Indian Space Research Organisation evidently does not fight wars and is purely a civilian agency, but the capabilities it imparts to the nation are among the very best in world.

From watching over the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan to providing two-way communication in desolate places to giving out accurate navigation signals, ISRO has built a formidable infrastructure that helps India protect its borders in day or night.

Not many Indians know of these deep capabilities that lie hidden within the portals of the space agency. But silently and steadily, the 17,000 strong work force of the ISRO contributes to keeping 1.2 billion Indians secure.

ISRO provides the necessary platforms, and then it is the user agencies that utilise its downstream products which means ISRO does not directly participate in the conflict.

K Kasturirangan, former chairman of ISRO, says "The space agency has a formidable suit of technologies and all are suitably deployed with each user agency utilising the assets to their best advantage."

So a high resolution imaging satellite can help in urban planning while also monitoring terrorist camps across the border.

Kasturirangan says a satellite image does not distinguish between friend and foe; that interpretation rests with the users.

Nobody doubts that ISRO's eyes and ears facilitated 'surgical strike' in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at the staging points for terrorists.

In the years to come, India's space assets will play a much bigger role if and when hostilities break out on our borders.

Kiran Kumar, chairman of ISRO, says, "The Indian space agency will not be found lacking in helping secure India's national interests now and in future."

Today, India has 33 satellites in orbit around the earth and one in the Martian orbit. These include 12 communications satellites; 7 navigation satellites; 10 earth observation satellites and 4 weather monitoring satellites. This is one of the largest constellation of satellites in the Asia-Pacific region. Each is tailor-made for a specific purpose and each when needed helps protect national interests.

India has some of the sharpest eyes in the sky and to prepare for the 'surgical strikes' India's best bird in the sky, the Cartosat 2-series satellite launched as recently as June 22 played a key role.

From its 526-km perch, Cartosat 2 can peer at every object in Pakistan and can easily count the number of cars parked in

the grand mansion of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

With its almost 0.65-m resolution, as it rotates the earth every 90 minutes, this formidable spy in the sky can count every tank, truck and fighter aircraft parked anywhere in Pakistan or for that matter anywhere India desires.

Speaking about the capabilities of this ultra-sharp satellite, Kumar said: "The Cartosat 2 series has a unique capability of capturing a 1-minute video, which despite its enormous speed of 37 km a second, is able to focus at a single point for a minute."

In addition, there were three other earth imaging satellites Cartosat-1, Cartosat-2 and Resourcesat-2 that provide top class imagery during day time. Going further, ISRO seeks to develop satellites that have a resolution of 25 cm in the very near future.

In contrast, Pakistan has no such capability as its space programme has hardly lifted off.

Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair says even China does not have such high resolution satellites, the best China has is about 5-m resolution.

Nair says "India invested heavily in space imaging technology and is now reaping the benefits."

India also flies some satellites that have day and night viewing capabilities called 'synthetic aperture radar satellites'. There are two in orbit, the RISAT-1 and RISAT-2.

Nothing can hide from these mean birds as they can see through cloud cover and are not blinded at night. Especially RISAT-2, which is among the best in its class and its revisit time is relatively short.

Assessing damage on the camps that harboured the terrorists would be relatively easy using the radar satellites. It is not that these satellites do not help civilian activities, radar satellites help monitor floods and have even been deployed to search for crashed planes and helicopters.

India has put in place a regional satellite navigation system called NAVIC as recently as April 28 -- the last of the seven satellites was launched -- and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on its huge benefits.

This system gives better than 20-m accuracy for navigation signals akin to the American Global Positioning System in an envelope which extends about 1,500 km from the border on all sides.

The signals are being beamed down 24x7 all the year around. Only America and Russia have similar capability over the South Asian region, China is still putting in place its satellite navigation system.

The restricted signal which is available to the Indian armed forces is supposed to be even more accurate than the American GPS in the Indian region. Experts say it is unlikely that the Indian special forces used the hand-held devices from NAVIC to guide them to the terrorist camps as the devices are still being fine-tuned.

In the event of an all-out war, signals from NAVIC will undoubtedly help India target its missiles to unleash unprecedented punishment on the enemy. Since the satellite navigation system is in India's control there can never be any fear of someone switching the constellation off.

There is another 2,000 kg-plus bird that points towards the Indian region all day and night, and provides unprecedented capability to India's armed forces -- the GSAT-6. This unique satellite has multi-media capability as it can stream video in both directions. It has the largest antennae which is 6 m in diameter. This is one unique satellite which will play a crucial role in the network centric warfare of the 21st century.

Using a hand-held device, individual soldiers can connect and will be able to transmit live pictures of what they can see from their helmet mounted cameras even as they engage in combat. Launched last year the users are still developing the handheld devices that can be made portable and compatible with this capability. Very soon this satellites twin GSAT-6 A may be flown which will have even more powerful capabilities.

Nair says, "The government and ISRO should expedite development of GSAT-6 A to have special capabilities that the special forces need."

If one recalls in 2011, it was shown that President Barrack Obama monitored live feeds of the surgical strike the US carried out as part of Operation Geronimo to eliminate Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. India's GAST-6 and GSAT 6 A both will in principle be able to help providing live signals from the remotest of remote places in India's neighbourhood.

Sources in India's Aerospace Command confirm that they did have access to a live feed that was put in place using typical Indian 'jugaad' but with these satellites such capabilities will become common place.

Nair says right now India relies heavily on using Thuraya handsets for satellite telephony but he hopes very soon the Defence Research and Development Organisation will be able to deliver Indian handsets that are compatible with the country's GSAT-6 satellite.

In fact, Nair insists that in the upcoming GSAT 6-A, satellite telephony should be made the bigger component.

While understandably much of the resources are focused on land since India has hostile neighbours both on its western and eastern fronts. ISRO has not forgotten the deep blue oceans that surround India and they need to be protected as well.

On a specific demand by the Indian Navy, the Indian space scientists have already deployed a satellite the Navy calls 'Rukmini'. This is a dedicated communications satellite which helps the Indian Navy talk to its ships when they are beyond the visual range, in a secure fashion.

In coming years, ISRO will also deliver a dedicated satellite made for the Indian Air Force.

The author is a writer on science subjects for the Press Trust of India.
Expelled Aam Aadmi Party leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan on Sunday launched a new political outfit 'Swaraj India' and declared it will contest Delhi civic polls but will skip Punjab election scheduled next year.

IMAGE: Bhushan and Yadav said Swaraj India will not only bring itself under the ambit of RTI, but it will also not use party whip on MLAs and MPs and restrict it to no-confidence motion . Photograph: PTI

Lashing out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for "betraying the aam aadmi", Yadav, who will head the new party, said it would offer "alternative politics" and not resort to "cult politics".

Swaraj Abhiyan, an organisation, formed by the duo after their expulsion from the AAP in April last year, said the outfit will continue to exist as a separate entity, giving people who don't wish to participate in electoral politics an alternative platform. Bhushan will head the organisation.

Abhiyan has been campaigning on varied issues, ranging from agriarian crisis to corruption.

"Now that we are a political party, it is not that we will contest every election.

"Politics in Punjab is very fluid and the need of the hour is to defeat the Badal government, which is the mosthated organisation in the country.

"We will support (suspended AAP MP) Dharamvira Gandhi, who has already announced a front. We will be contesting the MCD polls," Yadav said.

Bhushan said Swaraj India will not only bring itself under the ambit of RTI, but it will also not use party whip on MLAs and MPs and restrict it to no-confidence motion.

"Our members will have the freedom to express their opinion contrary to the one shared by the party, which doesn't exist in other parties," he said.
Shania Twain coming to Indianapolis on first tour in nearly five years
Cowboys offense clicks in rout of Bears

Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, Micah Parsons returned a fumble for his first NFL score in Dallas Cowboys win.
Chris Evatt, manager of First Financial Bank's Antilley Road branch, has been promoted to president of First Financial Bank's San Angelo Region.

The bank's board of directors announced the election in a news release last week.

'We are pleased to name Chris as president of the San Angelo region and we welcome him to our executive team and our community,' Mike Boyd, chairman and CEO of the San Angelo Region, said in the news release.

Boyd told the San Angelo Standard-Times that he has no plan to retire soon, and the company is simply planning for the future.

Succeeding Evatt as manager of the Antilley Road branch will be Marshall Morris, who has been promoted to senior vice president.

'It is gratifying to promote Chris and Marshall who consistently demonstrate their commitment to our bank, our customers and our banking communities,' said Ron Butler, CEO of First Financial Bank's Abilene Region. 'Their experience and expertise will serve them extremely well in their new roles.'

Evatt, who holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Tarleton State University, began his career with First Financial in the Stephenville in 2001 while attending Tarleton. He became a senior vice president and branch manager when the Antilley Road branch opened in September 2012.

Evatt is a board member of the Abilene Better Business Bureau, the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, the City of Abilene Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2, the Hardin-Simmons University Academic Foundation and the United Way of Abilene. He also serves as chairman of the chamber's Young Professionals group and is a board member of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking Alumni Association.

Morris joined First Financial in March 2011 and was promoted to vice president and commercial loan officer in 2014. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and is in his final year of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University where he serves as class president.

He has been a loaned executive for United Way of Abilene, and is a board member of Abilene A&M club, Junior Achievement, Abilene Preservation League, St. John's Episcopal School and Frontier TX! Morris is a member of the Leadership Abilene Class of 2015 and received the Abilene Reporter-News 20 under 40 recognition in 2014.
SUNDAY

Life Chain

The 29th national Life Chain will be conducted from 2-3:30 p.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 5410 Buffalo Gap Road, and at Chick-fil-A, 3130 S. Clack St. Participants are encouraged to bring water and lawn chairs, and are asked not to park in front of open businesses. For more information, go to www.LifeChain.net or call 325-660-7726.

MONDAY

College and Technical Fair

Abilene ISD and the Abilene Education Foundation will conduct the ninth annual College and Technical Fair for all area students from 6-8 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. Sixth St. Representatives from more than 50 universities will be present. To register, go to www.gotocollegefairs.com.

Photography workshop

Members of Abilene's West Texas Photographic Society will present a free workshop, 'Basic Digital Photography,' at 6:30 p.m. at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St. Participants are encouraged to bring their cameras and owner's manuals.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, noon, Hinds Square Building, 100 Chestnut St., Room 112.

Schizophrenia Support Group, 1-2 p.m., Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

Blood drive, 1-6 p.m., Brookshires, Comanche.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Anorexics Bulimics Anonymous, 6 p.m., Shades of Hope, 402A Mulberry St., Buffalo Gap. 800-588-4673.

Central Texas Gem & Mineral Society of Abilene, 7 p.m., 7607 Highway 277 South. 325-692-0063.

Abilene Toastmaster's Club 1071, 7 p.m., Conference Center, Texas State Technical College, 650 E. Highway 80. 325-692-7325 or abilene.toastmastersclubs.org.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

Mid-City Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First Christian Church. 325-670-4304.

Memory Men (4-part a cappella singing), 7 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church, 1165 Minter Lane. Park on east side, enter through kitchen. 325-676-SING.

Taylor County Libertarian Party, 7 p.m., Winery at Willow Creek, 4353 S. Treadaway Blvd. 325-675-0266.

Abilene Community Band rehearsal, 7:30 p.m., Bynum Band Hall, McMurry University. 325-232-7383.

South Pioneer Al-Anon Group, 8 p.m., 3157 Russell Ave.

Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Avoca United Methodist Church. 325-773-2611.

Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Group. 325-676-1400.

TUESDAY

Coffee with Casa

Big Country Court Appointed Special Advocates will conduct a 'Coffee with CASA' informational meeting at 9 a.m. at The Birdhouse Coffee Shop, 500 Chestnut St., Suite 101. For information, call 325-677-6448.

Breast cancer awareness ceremony

The Taylor County Commissioners Court will conduct a ceremony in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month at 9:30 a.m. at the Taylor County Courthouse, 300 Oak St.

Business workshop

Texas Tech Small Business Development Center Abilene will conduct a workshop, 'Where's My Profit,' from 6-8 p.m. in the Texas Tech Training Center, 749 Gateway St., Suite 301. To make a reservation, call 325-670-0300.

National Night Out

The Abilene Police Department and Connecting Caring Communities will conduct National Night Out events from 6-8 p.m. at multiple locations in Abilene. Information about police programs, statistics and community issues will be presented, and food, music and games will be available. Host sites are: Mission Abilene, 3001 N. Third St; Grace Lutheran Church, 1202 S. Pioneer Drive; Johnston Elementary School, 3602 N. 12th St; Freedom Fellowship, 941 Chestnut St.; Anson Park Community, 2934 Old Anson Road; Anson Park Seniors, 2249 Vogel St.; Grace Fellowship Church, 910 Cypress St.; Valley View Baptist Church, 3564 Clinton St.; Abilene Christian University Mall, 1850 Campus Center Road; Lytle West Neighborhood, 1602 Lakeshore Drive; Holiday Hills Baptist Church, 5309 Capitol Ave.; Nelson Wilson Park, San Jacinto Drive; and Dyess Youth Center, 232 Texas Ave.

The Sweetwater Police Department will conduct its National Night Out event from 6-8 p.m. at the Nolan County Courthouse in Sweetwater. Participants will be able to meet first responders and representatives from a variety of local agencies.

Square dance

TYE  The Key City Squares will conduct a square dancing workshop at 6:30 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel.

Fashions for the Cure

The 13th annual Fashions for the Cure style show and silent auction will begin at 7 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. Sixth St. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. Proceeds will go to Cancer Services Network.

Other ...

Veterans benefit meeting, 10 a.m. to noon, Disabled American Veterans, 2555 Grape St. 325-793-9699 or 325-480-6175.

Mission on the Move Soup Kitchen, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Southwest Drive Community United Methodist Church, 3025 Southwest Dr.

Abilene Southwest Rotary Club, noon, Beehive Restaurant, 442 Cedar St.

High Noon Al-Anon, noon, Southern Hills Church of Christ, 3666 Buffalo Gap Road (south end; follow the yellow signs).

Blood drive, 1-6 p.m., Brookshires, Eastland.

Stroke/Aphasia Recovery Program support group, 1:30-2:30 p.m. West Texas Rehabilitation Center boardroom, 4601 Hartford St. 325-793-3535.

Betty Hardwick Center board of trustees, 5:15 p.m., Betty Hardwick Center, 2616 S. Clack St.

Dystonia Support Group, 5:15-6:15 p.m., Not Without Us, 3301 N. First St. Suite 117.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS), 5:30 p.m., Brook Hollow Christian Church, 2310 S. Willis St. 325-232-7444.

Legacies Al-Anon Family Group, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-280-7584.

Dining For Women  Abilene Chapter, 6 p.m., First Christian Church, 1420 N. Third St.

Family (of Mental Health Consumers) Support Group, 6-7 p.m., Mental Health Association in Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

MHAA Bipolar/Depression Peer Support Group, 6-8 p.m., Ministry of Counseling & Enrichment, 1502 N. First St. 325-673-2300.

Free certified nurturing parent class (pregnancy to toddler), 6-8 p.m., Mission Church, North Third and Mockingbird streets. 325-672-9398.

Abilene Star Chorus, 6:15 p.m., Wisteria Place Chapel, 3202 S. Willis St. 325-829-1470.

Overeaters Anonymous, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Exodus Metropolitan Community Church, 1933 S. 27th St.

Al-Anon Parents Group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. Use Church Street entrance.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., Doug Meinzer Activity Center, Knox City. 940-658-3926.

Abilene Society of Model Railroaders, 7-8:30 p.m., 2043 N. Second St.

Parents, Family, Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of the Big Country, 7-9 p.m., Unity Church, 2842 Barrow St. 325-232-4726, www.pflagbc.weebly.com.

Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St.

WEDNESDAY

Museum anniversary

A 15th anniversary celebration will be conducted from 10 a.m. to noon at the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum. Admission will be free all day.

Square dance

TYE  The Wagon Wheel Squares will conduct a square dancing workshop at 6:30 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, 8 a.m., Hinds Square Building, Room 112, 100 Chestnut St.

Blood drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Eula High School.

Abilene Cactus Lions Club, 11:45 a.m., Cotton Patch Cafe, 3302 S. Clack St.

Abilene Wednesday Rotary Club, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway. $12 for lunch. Jo Ann Wilson, 325-677-6815.

Kiwanis Club of Abilene, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway Blvd.

Clearly Speaking Toastmaster Club, noon, Westgate Church of Christ, 402 S. Pioneer Drive. 325-795-5570.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Veterans Peer Support Group, 6 p.m., 765 Orange St. 325-670-4818.

Mid-week Al-Anon Family Group, 6-7 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-698-4995.

Advanced Square Dancing, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wagon Wheel.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

DivorceCare support group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. 325-691-4200.
DEAR ABBY: I have been living with my boyfriend for 11 months. Things are mostly good, but there are a few things I need your advice on.

He still hasn't introduced me to his grown daughter, and he stays in contact with his ex-wife. When he gets drunk, he texts her and tells her he loves her and wants to go back home to her, but when he's sober, he insists he loves only me and wants us to spend our lives together.

Do you think he's still in love with her, or does he really love me? I have talked to his friends. They say he loves me and not her because he wouldn't be with me if he didn't.

LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT

DEAR L.M.L.M.N.: Do I think your boyfriend is still in love with his ex? Let me put it this way  he still has feelings for her, but whether they are strong enough that she's a threat to your relationship I can't be sure.

What does need addressing because you and he have been living together for nearly a year is why you haven't met the daughter, and the fact that this man may have a drinking problem. Once you do, you'll find the answers you're looking for.

DEAR ABBY: Please encourage businesses to consider the benefits of hiring senior adults. They tend to be empty nesters and have skills that one can learn only from years of experience in the job market. Seniors are prompt, non-demanding and without a sense of self-entitlement. The baby boomer generation already knows the computer basics. They can be taught about software related to the job at hand, and they don't have a tendency to 'job hop.' Thanks for letting me have my say.

 BELIEVES IN SENIOR WORK ETHICS

DEAR BELIEVES: What you say about senior workers is true. They are hardworking, dedicated and motivated. However, it is up to each employer to decide what qualities they want and need while hiring, and I wouldn't presume to suggest they discriminate against a younger job-seeker.

DEAR ABBY: My 9-year-old granddaughter was invited to a birthday party for a friend. The invitation said 'cash and gift cards only, please.' My daughter bought a card for her daughter and said she would put $20 in it. I'm Scottish; when she told me, I fainted. Then she said she had two $10s and would discuss it with her hubby.

What is an acceptable amount in this case? I'm glad I'm old. I appreciate it if someone still thinks enough of me to send a card.

 SCOTSMAN IN NOVA SCOTIA

DEAR SCOTSMAN: Pass the smelling salts my way, because I, too, was taken aback when I read that a guest had been instructed on what kind of gift to bring to a birthday party. How rude!

Ask your daughter how she arrived at the amount of money she's considering sending as birthday loot. The suggestion on the invitation was only that  a suggestion. She should determine an amount that suits her budget. That's the amount she should give.

TO MY JEWISH READERS: As the sun sets tonight, Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins. As we begin this time of solemn introspection, let me wish you all, 'L'shana tova tikatevu'  may you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year.
If you really like tacos, here's a book for you  "The Tacos of Texas" by Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece (University of Texas Press, $19.95 paperback).

The authors rounded up about 20 taco aficionados they call the Texas Taco Council to help them produce a guidebook to the best taco eateries and tasty recipes in 10 Texas cities or areas.

The 10 areas are Abilene, Austin, Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, Laredo, Midland-Odessa, and San Antonio.

"Covering the traditional to the modern," the authors write, "this story is about Texans' love for tacos. We've been behind the scenes with the trailers, stands, trucks, taqueros, home cooks, families, and even some ranchos."

In the 440-page book, they "tell the stories, share the traditions, and identify the iconic tacos from all over the state."

In Abilene, they were assisted by "Taco Ambassador" Blake Kammerdiener. Together, they came up with these top five Abilene taco spots: Armando's, Farolito's, La Popular, Taqueria La Ranchera, and Lola's in Buffalo Gap.

Of course, Taco Bueno gets a mention since the restaurant chain was founded in Abilene.

Alligators: I had no idea that alligators can be found in 120 of Texas's 254 counties until I picked up "Alligators of Texas" by Louise Hayes, who has been studying the subject for more than 30 years (Texas A&M University Press, $29.95 flexbound).

The authoritative 228-page book also features the color photography of Philippe Henry, who spent several weeks a year for five years with the same family of alligators in Fort Bend County.

"Sometimes I could get very close and was able to film intimate moments," Henry writes. "Every alligator has a different personality. Some will let you get close without displaying any aggressive behavior. Others will not."

In her text, Hayes devotes chapters to such topics as: "What Is an Alligator?" "Where Do Alligators Live?" "Life History of Alligators," "Alligator Tales," and "Alligator-Human Interactions."

"The American alligator," she notes, "is found only in the United States and ranges through 10 states."

Crocodiles, on the other hand, are restricted to extreme South Florida but also range through Central and South America.

Hayes points out that because the alligator is a protected species, "it is illegal to catch a baby alligator to keep as a pet, harass an alligator in any way, or kill an alligator unless an individual is signed up for a specific alligator hunt."

Back when I was in elementary school, my friend Dan McGinnis kept a pet alligator in a fish pond in his backyard. Word would spread alarming the neighbors when Dan's pet got to where he could climb over the side of the shallow concrete pond. Finally, Dan and his dad released the alligator in a bayou a few miles out of town, and we all slept better.

Readers are invited to share their own alligator stories at AlligatorsInTexas.com.

Glenn Dromgoole's latest book is "West Texas Stories." Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.
Brothers Johnny and Mark Jones browsed through the tables of free clothing and bedding, one stuffing an Army duffel bag full, the other sizing up the clothes.

A little way down the line, a man asked, 'Can you get more than one blanket?'

'Make your heart happy,' replied Lori Sigmon, a social worker with the West Texas VA Health Care System.

And that could have been the theme for Saturday's Homeless Stand Down event held on the Goodwill West Texas parking lot. The event was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a number of veterans agencies, nonprofits, and governmental entities.

Airman 1st Class Camerae Lang, who is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base and sings with the Voices of Dyess, made everyone's heart happy with her perfect a cappella rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner as part of the opening ceremonies.

State Rep. Susan King, one of three guest speakers, said the military can only grow with family support and sometimes that isn't available.

'If they don't have a family,' King said, 'we must be their family.'

King, who lost a bid for the state Senate in the May Republican primary, said the upcoming legislative session will need to address three main areas affecting veterans  jobs, health, and education.

City Councilman Anthony Williams, filling in for Mayor Norm Archibald, read a 'Big Country Stand Down Day' proclamation. The proclamation noted that there are almost 100,000 homeless veterans in the United States. The plaque expressed appreciation and gratitude for the planning committee that made Saturday's event possible.

Col. David Benson, 7th Bomb Wing commander at Dyess, thanked the veterans for helping create a foundation for the nation and the freedoms Americans enjoy.

'Thanks for all you do,' he said.

The one-stop event was geared toward homeless or near homeless veterans. The Jones brothers, Johnny, 56, and Mark, 55, both enlisted in the military in 1978. Johnny served in the Army and Mark in the Marines. Neither gets military benefits.

They both did some construction and painting work after the military and now both are retired. Each lives in his own apartment, but it is tough making ends meet. Mark was searching for winter clothing to wear when he leaves in December for the Middle East, where he plans to start a church.

Michael Gordon, 36, wore a T-shirt with the words, 'Freedom Isn't Free. I Paid For It.' Gordon served in the Navy for seven years. He was sharing an apartment when his roommates starting using drugs. He moved out immediately and is now staying at the Salvation Army.

He can stay there for free for five days but then must either begin paying or move out. A woman with the Abilene Housing Authority, which takes referrals from the Veterans Administration, said the housing authority is working on Gordon's situation.

Gordon said he will have to move out of the Salvation Army when his free stay is over. He will be living on the streets, but he doesn't know how long.

'Until I can find something better,' he said.
The National Night Out will be observed in Abilene on Tuesday evening at 13 locations.

The Abilene Police Department and Connecting Caring Communities are heading the effort.

Representatives of APD will be on hand to talk about crime statistics specific to the geographic part of the city. Members of the City Council and city administration will talk with residents about community issues, according to a news release.

There will be free food and drinks, music and games for the entire family.

The event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the following locations:

Mission Abilene, 3001 N. 3rd St., as the kickoff location, activities will start at 5:45 p.m.

Grace Lutheran Church, 1202 S. Pioneer Drive

Johnston Elementary, 3602 N. 12th St.

Freedom Fellowship, 941 Chestnut St.

Anson Park Community, 2934 Old Anson Road

Anson Park Seniors, 2249 Vogel St.

Grace Fellowship Church, 910 Cypress St.

Valley View Baptist Church, 3564 Clinton St.

ACU Mall area near the library, 1850 Campus Center Road

Lytle West neighborhood, 1602 Lakeshore Drive

Holiday Hills Baptist Church, 5309 Capitol Avenue

Nelson Wilson Park, along San Jacinto Drive

Dyess Youth Center, 232 Texas Avenue (for Dyess families)

The NNO is meant to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, connecting neighbors with neighbors and other anti-crime efforts.
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"Bullets wrote our past. Education, our future."

That is the inscription on the pen used on September 26 to sign the final peace agreement between the government of Colombia and the FARC. The writing instrument was made from a recycled bullet, apt symbolism for sure.

The agreement still must be ratified by the voters in October. That remains a major hurdle, given controversy over the deal and unpopularity of President Juan Manuel Santos. Another major radical group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), has indicated willingness to cooperate in the peace process  for now.

During the past half century, almost a quarter of a million people are estimated to have been killed, and five million displaced, as a result of the brutal warfare. Now, after complex and painful negotiations, both sides have reached agreement to end the fighting.

The term FARC is an acronym for the Spanish name of the powerful rebel army, known in English as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The movement has found inspiration and effective recruitment through communist ideology. At the same time, the FARC is rightly notorious for enormous illegal drugs dealing.

Officials from the United Nations were present for the signing, along with representatives of Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Uruguay and the United States. Cuba has played a significant role long-term in brokering these negotiations. That is important not only in symbolic terms, but as a direct reflection of the substantial real strategic changes over the past quarter century.

Soon after the remarkable success in early 1959 of the revolutionary forces led by Fidel Castro, Cuba became rightly viewed as a force fomenting and supporting communist subversion throughout the Western Hemisphere. That commitment survived the collapse of the Soviet Union, a close ally and sponsor of Castro's Cuba, and has only faded in recent years. President Barack Obama's March visit to Cuba, the first since President Calvin Coolidge, represented economic opening. However, in political terms Cuba remains a brutal and repressive dictatorship.

Early in this century, the FARC seemed to be gaining momentum. The evolving conflict resembled the first years of the United States' long and costly military involvement in Vietnam. More and more civilian and uniformed advisers were being sent, along with a steadily growing array of helicopters, arms and ammunition, and other materiel.

The administration of President George W. Bush significantly expanded aid which began in the Clinton administration, but also tried to minimize media attention. This effort was eerily reminiscent of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, which endeavored before 1965 to deflect Vietnam from the news even as U.S. involvement increased. Then, violence in Colombia began to decline, in great contrast to the evolution of the war in Southeast Asia.

The long war in Colombia made the nation an inviting place for international criminals. In November 2011, Viktor Bout, the 'Merchant of Death,' was convicted and imprisoned. A Soviet army veteran, he became enormously rich dealing weapons and drugs on a global scale. Colombia was a major profit center. Drug Enforcement Administration agents posing as Colombia rebels arrested him.

Also in 2011, the U.S. Congress ratified free trade agreements with Colombia along with Panama and South Korea. The Colombia agreement may result in positive regional cooperation. The Summit of the Americas, begun in 1994, is held every three to four years. The Organization of American States, formed in 1948, is one of the world's oldest regional organizations.

Cooperation helps undercut destructive walls.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of 'After the Cold War.' Contact: acyr@carthage.edu
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the people responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine two years ago could be known by the end of 2016 and will be prosecuted.

Bishop told Australia's ABC TV on October 2 that "by the end of the year, maybe early next year, the list of those that we believe should be held accountable will be confirmed and then there must be a prosecution."

International investigators said in a report on September 28 that the plane with 298 people on board was downed by a Russian-made missile fired from territory in Ukraine's Donbas region that is controlled by Russia-backed separatists.

Although most of the victims were Dutch, there were also 28 Australians who perished in the crash.

Moscow has questioned the investigators' findings and called them "preliminary," countering earlier that Ukraine's military shot down the plane.

Bishop said the findings counter Moscow's suggestion that the flight, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in July 2014, was brought down by Ukraine's military rather than the separatists.

Bishop said Russian theories on how the plane was downed were "improbable, implausible."

She said if Russia vetoed a UN-backed prosecution of the suspects than a "Lockerbie-style prosecution" was possible, a reference to a tribunal set up to try suspects in the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Based on reporting by AAP and Reuters
Polling stations have closed in local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina that were held amid renewed ethnic tensions in the Balkan country, which is seeking to join the European Union.



More than 3.3 million voters were eligible to cast ballots on October 2 in the two constituent states that comprise Bosnia.



Turnout four hours before voting was closed was 38.78 percent. First preliminary results are expected to be announced overnight.

There are races for 74 municipal councils, four city councils, and 131 mayoral offices in the Bosniak-Croat federation.

In the Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, there are 10 mayoral races, as well as elections for 57 municipal councils and six city councils. Voters will choose between their current nationalist leader's party or a pro-EU coalition.

Locals and outsiders alike will be watching for signs there of whether an erosion of popularity that began in municipal elections four years ago continues for Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, who advocates close relations with Russia.

Dodik's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats campaigned on a promise of Serbian secession from Bosnia.

Its rival, the pro-Western Alliance for Changes coalition, has charged Dodik with being corrupt and failing to improve Republika Srpska's poor economy.

On September 25, Dodik held a controversial referendum for an ethnic Serbian holiday despite the poll being banned by Bosnia's high court.

Bosnian Serbs voted overwhelmingly to maintain a "statehood day" holiday on January 9 in the referendum that was boycotted by most non-Serbs.

The vote has led to the most heated debate between Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Serb officials since the 1995 U.S.-brokered Dayton peace accords created Republika Srpska as one of two constituent states within Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In the northwestern town of Velika Kladusa, convicted war criminal Fikret Abdic, 77, is running for mayor and is expected to win.

Abdic, a Bosnian Muslim, was convicted of war crimes by a Croatian court in 2002 and served 10 years in prison.

In Srebrenica, known for the massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces in 1995, an ethnic Serb, Mladen Grujicic, is considered the favorite to become mayor.

The 1992-95 Bosnian War claimed some 100,000 lives and displaced about 2 million people.

In Bosnia's 2014 general elections, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) election-monitoring arm, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), documented multiple complaints of vote buying and voters going into polling booths with premarked ballots.

Other complaints included "campaign activity" outside polling stations, denial of access to polling stations for accredited observers, proxy voting, ballot-box stuffing, and vote-counting discrepancies.

With reporting by AFP and AP
Kyrgyzstan appears to be headed for a national referendum in December to vote on amendments to the constitution. Kyrgyzstan, since a 2010 referendum, is home to Central Asia's only parliamentary form of government but nearly all Kyrgyzstan's politicians concede the constitution could use some fine-tuning.

However, the timing of the upcoming referendum, approximately one year before the country holds its presidential election, has left many wondering if there isn't more to these amendments than just making adjustments to improve the parliamentary system of government.

To take a closer look at the referendum and the possible reasons for holding it this year, RFE/RL assembled a Majlis, or panel, to discuss the issue. (This was prepared before Kyrgyzstan's parliament gave the third and final reading of the bill for making amendments to the constitution.)

Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. From Bishkek, Tynchtykbek Chorotegin, professor at Kyrgyzstan's Jusup Balasagyn National University and also the former director of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Azattyk, participated. From Boston, Bakyt Beshimov, professor of international studies at Northeastern University and also a former deputy in Kyrgyzstan's parliament, joined the talk. And I had many questions about this referendum, so I joined in to see what I could learn about these amendments.

While many politicians in Kyrgyzstan agree there is a need to make some revisions in the constitution, Chorotegin pointed out that when the constitution was adopted in 2010 there was a stipulation that amendments could be made "only starting from September 2020."

Opponents of the referendum have noted this, questioning why it is so urgent to make amendments now rather than waiting until 2020.

Chorotegin said in the seeming haste to push through the referendum in parliament, many in Kyrgyzstan still have questions. "We had only a very short time to challenge this proposed draft and we didn't have another challenging draft constitution," which Chorotegin called "a bad thing because it repeats the previous mistakes in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, all the draft constitutions were proposed by the ruling parties and there was no option for another vision."

Atambaev's Legacy?

Opponents have other questions about the motives for conducting the referendum this year.

"The initiator of these amendments to the constitution is President Atambaev," Beshimov said, and voiced the concern some in Kyrgyzstan have now: "The question is why he has decided to initiate these amendments."

Almazbek Atambaev is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term after his six-year mandate expires in late 2017 and he has repeatedly said he will leave politics when he steps down as president.

Beshimov agreed that "these amendments seek more balance between the power of the president and prime minister and parliament," but he mentioned that "we know informal politics plays a huge role today in Kyrgyzstan."

Beshimov speculated that Atambaev might wish to continue playing a role in Kyrgyzstan's politics behind the scenes. But at the very least, Beshimov said, for "a president whose term is ending not to think about the future of his political legacy will be suicidal."

Therefore, "it would be ideal for him, for instance in the next presidential election to bring to power a president who will be completely loyal to him and having a prime minister who is very loyal to him and having a majority in the parliament," Beshimov added.

Chorotegin did not discount Atambaev's loyalists taking the reins of power but said Kyrgyzstan was unlikely to repeat a Russian scenario. "It is not like [President Vladimir] Putin and [Prime Minister Dmitry] Medvedev changing each other after one term to another," Chorotegin said. "Kyrgyzstan is totally different, Mr. Atambaev said he will not seek another presidential term next year and at the same time he said he will not fight for his own person to follow him."

Still, Beshimov suggested that in a worst-case scenario, "If a future president will be strong enough and will decide to betray Atambaev and his influence over politics, he can initiate changes in the parliament and theoretically it is possible that our fractions in the parliament just will switch their allegiance and just join to the new president."

That would leave Atambaev vulnerable. "The opposition can bombard him with tons of 'kompromat' [compromising evidence of wrongdoing] against him and with no difficulties can undermine his reputation," Beshimov said and claimed there was such compromising material on many of Kyrgyzstan's politicians, not only Atambaev.

Atambaev's party, the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK), won the most seats (38) in the October 2015 parliamentary elections, not enough for an outright majority in the 120-seat parliament but enough that the SDPK only needs alliances with two parties to form a coalition. Currently, five of the six parties in parliament are part of the ruling coalition, but the debate over the referendum has caused some cracks to appear in the coalition.

Chorotegin said, "Even if the coalition government will be divided it will not stop its activity, the process is going on, it will not be stopped."

So far the issue of the referendum has not aroused much public opposition. Chorotegin explained, "Usually people are not politicized until the real situation, the problem of amendments of the constitution is not clear for most of the people."

To prevent an outbreak of discontent over the referendum, Beshimov recommended that Atambaev "should give an answer...how these amendments and new version of the constitution that will be adopted on December 4 will serve for the true democratization of the Kyrgyz Republic."

The referendum will almost certainly be an issue during campaigning for next year's presidential election. There are many perennial problems the political opposition has used in the past to try to discredit those in power -- corruption, infrastructure problems, poverty, and others. Soon the opposition might have one more topic it can raise publicly. If opposition groups can show that somehow the new amendments work to the advantage of Atambaev or his party, and that this works to the disadvantage of Kyrgyzstan's people, it could create tensions quickly.

Chorotegin recalled the revolution of 2010 that chased then-President Kurmanbek Bakiev from power, however, and noted that when Kyrgyzstan's people do become politicized they have twice been able to oust presidents from office. "On April 7, 2010, people were much politicized, even though opposition leaders were arrested, people were coming out to the streets and fighting for Kyrgyz democracy."

The Majlis discussed these and other issues in detail. You can listen to the full podcast here:

Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to Majlis on iTunes.
Pope Francis has led a Mass in Azerbaijan's capital and held talks with the country's leader, as he continues a swing through the Caucasus preaching tolerance and peace.

Upon his arrival at Baku's airport on October 2, Francis celebrated Mass in the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"You are a little flock that is so precious in God's eyes," Francis told the more than 800 people who followed the Mass inside the church and outside in the courtyard.

Azerbaijan has fewer than 300 Catholics in its predominantly Shi'ite Muslim population.

The pontiff later met with longtime President Ilham Aliyev, who called the visit "historic."

"Your visit to Azerbaijan is very important for relations between Azerbaijan and the Vatican, including the dialogue between civilizations," Aliyev said.

"People of all religions live in Azerbaijan in an atmosphere of friendship, as one family," he added.

During his 10-hour visit to Baku, Pope Francis also met with representatives of all the main faiths and he also visited a mosque where he said God should never be used to justify fundamentalism.



"God cannot be used for personal interests and selfish ends; he cannot be used to justify any form of fundamentalism, imperialism, or colonialism," the pope said in his remarks to Muslims, Christians, Jews, and members of other faiths at the mosque, named after Azerbaijan's late president, Heidar Aliyev.

The Roman Catholic Church maintains agreeable relations with oil- and gas-rich Azerbaijan despite Western accusations of egregious rights violations and jailings and other punishment of dissent under Ilham Aliyev's watch since he took over from his father in 2003.

"I hope the pope listens to the pleas of international human rights organizations and speaks up for release of political prisoners," human rights activist Rasul Cafarov told dpa news agency.

Cafarov was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison last year on tax-fraud charges. An international campaign for his release led to his presidential pardon earlier this year.



The visit follows a stop in neighboring Georgia that was marred by a conspicuous snub by the local Orthodox Christian authorities and a hounding by right-wingers who denounced what they regard as his efforts to proselytize.



On October 1 in Tbilisi, Pope Francis said Mass before just a few thousand people at a stadium that seats tens of thousands -- one of the smallest crowds in his three-year papacy.



The Georgian Orthodox Church decided not to send an official delegation to the Mass at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, saying that Orthodox faithful cannot participate in Catholic services.



The Orthodox patriarchate said the delegation had stayed away "by mutual agreement" with the Vatican.



Georgia is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian, but has a 2.5 percent Catholic minority, according to Vatican estimates.



The visit to Baku comes a little over three months after the pope received a warm welcome in Azerbaijan's Caucasus archrival, Armenia, where he was met by cheering throngs and greeted by local Orthodox Christian leaders.



In Armenia, Francis alluded to the ongoing conflict between Yerevan and Baku over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, warning that "not making peace on account of a small patch of land -- because that is all it is -- is something grim."



Baku and Yerevan have been locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh for years.



Armenian-backed separatists seized the mainly Armenian-populated region from Azerbaijan during a war in the early 1990s that killed some 30,000 people.



Diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict have brought little progress.

With reporting by AP, APA, and AFP
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."
The Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have announced a pullback from a frontline city as agreed upon in a demilitarization deal agreed to last month.



Ukrainian military spokesman Valentyn Shevchenko said on October 1 that both sides had moved their forces several kilometers away from the town of Zolote, recently the scene of fierce fighting.



Shevchenko added that some members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission in Ukraine's Donbas region had "confirmed the retreat."



Mikhail Filimonenko, a separatist representative, said that "not a single soldier remains at the positions which they previously occupied, conforming to what is required by the Minsk peace accord."



Representatives of the Ukrainian government and the separatists had reached an agreement in Minsk in September to withdraw all heavy weapons and fighters from Zolote, Stanytsya Luhanska, and the Donetsk region town of Petrovske.



No withdrawal was reported in the other two towns.



The pullback should create a 2-kilometer perimeter around the three frontline towns.



It would be first progress registered in months toward the Minsk peace process.



Fighting in eastern Ukraine started shortly after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014.



At least 9,600 people have been killed in the fighting.

Based on AFP and Interfax
With the sun apparently setting on the house of one of Central Asia's most ruthless and enduring leaders, political elites are vying for power and control of the purse strings in Uzbekistan, a country that watchdog groups say is mired in corruption.

But what about the massive amount of assets already pocketed and stashed around the world by the family and allies of the late President Islam Karimov, whose death was announced in early September after he'd run the country virtually unchallenged for nearly three decades?

U.S. officials are pursuing at least some of that illicit money in an ongoing case that highlights the fragility of relations between Washington and Tashkent at a crucial juncture in Uzbekistan's development. It also showcases the potential obstacles to returning such funds to autocratic regimes.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department placed a seizure order on nearly $600 million stemming from an audacious multiyear bribery scheme allegedly involving Karimov's elder daughter, Gulnara, and a shakedown of major multinational telecom companies.

Since then, the Americans have been in tough negotiations with Uzbek officials about what to do with the money.

U.S. officials say they want to return it to Uzbekistan, but they are also reportedly insisting on transparency in how the money is subsequently disbursed.

Uzbek officials, meanwhile, are said to be chafing at the idea of Washington dictating how they spend money that they see as rightfully theirs.

"For me, the asset-recovery issue is the biggest unacknowledged, unpublicized issue of U.S.-Uzbek relations at this moment," says Alexander Cooley, a Barnard College professor and co-author of an upcoming book about Central Asian government elites. "This is the issue that is really shaping ties."

Changing Rules

The situation is complicated by the death of Karimov and questions around potential successors, including possible openness to democracy and the rule of law, as well as Uzbekistan's future foreign-policy orientation.

Washington's relations with Tashkent have cooled since the early days after the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, when the U.S.-led international coalition needed a conduit for NATO and other troops and supplies in the effort to dislodge Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

Washington also welcomed Uzbek help in targeting international terrorism and particularly Islamist radicals, some of whom were based in Uzbekistan.

That relationship unraveled as Karimov's administration engaged in what human rights groups say were increasingly brutal tactics on civil-society activists and some religious believers. The United States and many Western states openly broke with Tashkent after a massacre of demonstrators in Andijon, in eastern Uzbekistan, in 2005.

Meanwhile, Russia regards fellow former Soviet republic Uzbekistan as a natural ally with deep trade and security ties to Moscow.

Pushing, But Not Too Hard

So while Washington might regard the asset return as a possible lever to push Uzbek authorities for reforms, it is likely keen to avoid alienating Tashkent.

"The U.S. will want to gain traction with a new leadership in Tashkent, and the need for good relations with a new Uzbek president may well have an impact on the negotiations over the funds," says David Lewis, a former Central Asia researcher with the International Crisis Group who now teaches at the University of Exeter.

The seizure of Karimova-linked funds is one of the largest ever by the U.S. Justice Department, which used it to tout its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, a program designed to seize illicit gains from corrupt officials around the world and repatriate illegally acquired assets to their home countries.

Even before Karimov's death, however, the Uzbek talks were said to have been what one Western consultant familiar with the process described as "very difficult."

In Tashkent, a Uzbek government official with knowledge of the negotiations said a delegation of Uzbek representatives recently returned from Washington "in a very depressed mood" after discussions.

"There was no result, and almost no hope that they would get this money back," the official told RFE/RL.

Officials at the U.S. State and Justice department declined to comment to RFE/RL about the talks.

Who To Give Money To?

Independent activists and Karimov critics have argued that the seized funds could be repatriated and channeled to groups outside the government's control -- groups involved in, say, economic development, human rights, or civil society.

Some observers have pointed to the recent appointment by Uzbekistan's acting president, Shavkat Mirziyaev, of a former head of the Communications Ministry to his old post despite his responsibility for issuing telecoms licenses at the heart of bribery cases against Karimova.

The opaque nature of Uzbekistan's government and the clans that vie for control behind the scenes limits any prospects that repatriated money could be handled fairly or without government interference, they say.

"If the money [seized from the Karimov family] is repatriated,... it's just going to be pocketed," says Erica Marat, a professor at Washington's National Defense University who wrote a book in 2009 about the role of the armed forces in Central Asian states. "It's not going to go into any investments, or charities, or let alone NGOs. There are no NGOs."

She adds, "It's wishful thinking."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Zamira Eshanova
On Tuesday night, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana and Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia will meet onstage at Longwood University in Farmville for the lone vice presidential debate of the 2016 election. It may well prove to be the most engaging exchange of ideas and viewpoints on policy in the entire election campaign.

Overall, the general election debates are inspiring moments of civility, particularly in this otherwise dispiriting election year. And historically, the vice presidential debates have proved more civil, substantive and memorable than the presidential ones. With television viewership that often far exceeds 50 million  in the stratosphere of the Olympics and Super Bowls  they also draw extraordinary attention. This year, both vice presidential candidates taking the stage are sincere, thoughtful and deeply knowledgeable.

Hosting the debate is a proud moment for Longwood, particularly in light of our mission to prepare citizen leaders. Many of our fall courses have been specifically created to focus on issues of the election, and more than 600 students are serving as volunteers for the debate. On Tuesday night, thousands of proud alumni will be meeting up as well to watch together at 150 watch parties around the commonwealth and nation.

The debate should also be a proud moment for Virginias public universities as a whole. Nationally, public institutions educate three-quarters of college students but have accounted for just one-quarter of the 16 college campuses that have hosted debates since 2000. I believe thats partly because public universities feel pressure to stick to the basics, and preparing students for a life of active citizenship is considered by some an extravagance to be left to private education. To the contrary, its imperative for democracy that the universities that educate most of our students prepare them for active citizenship. Thats one of many reasons its important that public institutions take part in the public service of hosting a debate.

I hope Tuesdays debate will highlight the remarkable historic and contemporary strength of Virginias public universities. Founded in 1839, Longwood is among the countrys 100 oldest colleges and universities, and proud to be Virginias third-oldest public university, behind only U.Va and William & Mary. In most states wed be the oldest  a testament to Virginias deep history as a leader in public higher education.

Virginias remarkable collection of diverse and excellent public universities is the crown jewel of our state  something that can be easy to forget. Peruse the U.S. News and World Report College Rankings. Virginia has two of the top six public universities nationally and is the only state besides California with two public institutions in the national top 35 of all universities  a list otherwise dominated by private institutions, which Virginia is so fortunate to have in such strong abundance as well. Longwood is one of four Virginia public institutions ranked among the top-10 regional public universities in the South.

Virginias public universities are also doing a great job with their students. One statistic that gets comparatively little attention is four-year graduation rates  the percentage of students who finish a degree in four years. Institutions thriving on this measurement arent just graduating students, but theyre helping them progress efficiently, which is at least as important as limiting tuition costs when it comes to reining in student debt. Nationally, only one in 10 of the nations almost 600 public universities have a four-year graduation rate over 50 percent. Eight of those, including Longwood, are in Virginia.

Its also easy to lose appreciation for the value of Virginias culture of bipartisan support for public higher education in Virginia. In many states, including North Carolina, Wisconsin and Texas, bitter political divisions have poisoned discourse around higher education and genuinely harmed great universities there.

In Virginia, we certainly have varied views about priorities and policies. But there is very little fundamental disagreement over the value to our state of a proven and diverse set of independently governed public institutions with different personalities and strengths. In most states the public universities seem to blur together. In Virginia each is special and distinctive. They run from Longwood, with our emphasis on small classes and citizen leadership, to VMI, to proud historically black institutions, to great research universities.

On Tuesday night, when moderator Elaine Quijano of CBS News welcomes the world to Longwoods Willett Hall, it will be an exceptionally proud moment for the Lancer family, particularly our 34,000 alumni around the commonwealth and the globe.

I hope it will also be a proud moment for all Virginians, and a reminder that our great public universities truly are the key to the future prosperity of both our economy and our democracy. Public universities are places where people from all walks of life come together to learn from one another, offer perspective to one another, and develop the habits of democracy. There could be no better setting for a debate.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
RINER  For more than six decades, Friendship Baptist Church opened its doors weekly, first in Radford and later in Montgomery County, to share its version of old-time religion.

Now, the doors to the church are padlocked.

After 10 years under the leadership of the Rev. Jon Thomas, the former pastor, Friendship Baptist closed earlier this year. A church sign still carries the message: Christmas tradition is Jesus redemption.

Friendship is buried in almost $500,000 of debt, church members say.

At the request of Montgomery County Commonwealths Attorney Mary Pettitt, the county Sheriffs Office is investigating what it describes as a financial matter between Thomas and the congregation.

Pettitt wrote in an email that the investigation stemmed from an anonymous letter in late March. The writer expressed concerns about the congregations financial condition, specifically a $130,000 loan the church took out to build a fellowship hall that a year later showed no evidence of being under construction.

The anonymous writer also said the bank met with church members and expressed concern about large checks being cashed from the churchs account, Pettitt wrote.

No one has been charged. Authorities declined to elaborate on the investigation.

Thomas resigned in a Jan. 10 letter, citing a Dec. 19 church meeting during which he confessed and admitted negligence, and mis-management of my office within the year 2015.

He wrote that he was told he was forgiven.

We have seen just how powerful the devil truly is and how subtle he can be in devastating a work of God! Thomas wrote.

My and my Churchs reputation have been tarnished.

Thomas received more than $100,000 from a church bank account over a five-month period last year, according to bank records provided by church trustees. When he resigned, he was being paid $2,700 a month, plus $650 for housing and $300 for vehicle expenses, according to bank records.

Thomas did not respond to multiple messages left on his cellphone and Facebook page as well as at his parents Riner home. No address for him could be found. Several others in the church who were identified as people who might be able to explain how Thomas handled the churchs finances could not be reached for comment.

Near the end of his resignation letter, Thomas wrote: I do consider my business closed with Friendship Baptist Church, and at this time, ask for no contact to allow a time of healing for me and my loved ones.

A month after Thomas resigned, HomeTown Bank foreclosed on the Riner church building.

Private battles

Struggles with finances arent uncommon for churches, according to research by the Center for The Study of Global Christianity at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts.

Routine safeguards can provide protection, but Friendship Baptist trustees admitted those were missing in their case.

We didnt have any checks and balances out there, said trustee Kenny Weeks. We were all too stupid for that.

Monitoring churches finances from beyond the pews is difficult. Churches are excluded from an IRS mandate that generally requires nonprofit organizations to file returns listing basic financial information. And churches frequently keep their struggles private.

The study center estimates that churches around the world will lose more than $50 billion this year under a broad category that includes everything from fraud to mishandling money to cases where churchgoers pull other worshipers into pyramid schemes and similar investment scams.

That figure only represents cases for which the center could find information, said Senior Research Associate Bert Hickman. Many churches prefer to handle matters internally.

Theyre seeking restoration rather than prosecution, Hickman said.

He recommends requiring two signatures on checks and undergoing regular audits, among other protections. Neither of those steps was taken at Friendship Baptist.

If you have someone who is upright, theyre going to want those checks and balances in place, Hickman said.

Friendship is one of almost 200 self-governing Independent Baptist churches listed in Virginia in the denominations directory. Three percent of Virginians described themselves as Independent Baptists, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey.

Autonomy is a defining characteristic of Independent Baptist churches, which have no hierarchy or overarching authority, said Neal Cushman, a seminary professor at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The conviction based on scripture is that there is no biblical office that goes over a group of churches, Cushman said, so the highest officer would be the pastor, who is also an elder or overseer.

I am the Pastor

In 2006, Jon Thomas was 23, recently married, newly ordained and leading a church.

He wed the former Rebecca Peters in 2004. Two years later, he was ordained at Gospel Light Baptist Church in Christiansburg, according to Montgomery County records. He became pastor of Friendship Baptist the same year, when the church still was located on Bolling Street in Radford, its home since 1953.

In 2010, the minister described to The Roanoke Times a streamlined hierarchy at Friendship Baptist.

You wont find any boards or committees here, Thomas said. The leadership is simple.

He said a brief stint touring the East Coast with a Christian rock band led him to take a stand against the contemporary Christian movement by becoming an old-fashioned preacher.

Its not popular to proclaim with certainty ... to preach black and white, Thomas said.

He said hed quadrupled his churchs attendance from 15 when he began there, and he referred to his sermons recently being broadcast on local television.

It is working, Thomas said. Its not broken and were sticking to it.

New River Valley-based lawyer Patrick Moore facilitated the paperwork for some Friendship transactions, including a loan when the church moved to Riner in 2012. He remembered the impression left by the older conservative church members and their young pastor.

I would say I felt like Jon Thomas was in control, Moore said.

Jay Roberts of Lynchburg said his prison ministry received $25 a month from Blessed Hope Baptist Church, until its merger with Friendship Baptist in 2013. Tom Bonn, Blessed Hopes former pastor, had said the support would continue, Roberts said.

When it did not, Roberts emailed Bonn. Thomas responded, Roberts said.

Trying to receive funds from our church by going through any other means besides contacting the Pastor is un-acceptable, Thomas wrote in a May 2014 email provided by Roberts. We are not a church that is run by boards, committees, elders, etc. I view what you did as an insult to me personally and to my church.

Continued support was contingent on Roberts adherence to certain conditions, Thomas wrote.

If you try to write, call or otherwise try to contact ANYONE in my church, other than myself, concerning missions support or anything business related, you will be IMMEDIATELY dropped as a missionary of Friendship Baptist Church, Thomas wrote.

I am the Pastor ... I am the administrator.

Bonn declined to comment.

The loans

Friendship Baptist sold its parsonage in 2007 for $119,000, using the money to refurbish its church building in Radford, trustee Bill Ray said.

In April 2012, the congregation voted to appoint four new trustees and reappoint only Ray, removing Thomas as a trustee and his obligation to sign the churchs legal documents.

The Roanoke Times interviewed all but one of the former trustees, none of whom could recall a reason for the shift. The other trustee did not respond to interview requests.

Shortly after the change, trustees and church members said, Thomas began urging the congregation to move from Radford to Riner, where he grew up.

In June 2012, HomeTown Bank loaned Friendship Baptist $335,000. Friendship bought the Riner building and property from Auburn Baptist Church, according to Montgomery County records.

[Thomas] said, There is a lot of people out there that keep telling us, When are you going to get out here? And, of course [once we moved to Riner], nary a person came from out there, said former member Bobby Leonard.

Ray said Thomas set up the loan and instructed trustees to go to Moores office to sign the paperwork.

Legal safeguards for churches include requirements for meetings and that more than one member sign documents, said Moore, who has worked with churches on real estate transactions for 23 years.

Those conditions were met in Friendship Baptists case, Moore said, but he added that he got the impression trustees lacked a keen understanding of finances.

Piling up debt

About a year after relocating to Riner, Friendship Baptist sold its former Radford building to Christs Church, now known as River City Christian Church.

According to documents provided by River City Christian, the church paid $179,505 up front to Friendship Baptist for the property. An additional $130,000 was financed by Friendship, which agreed to hold a lien, pending the sale of River Citys old building.

Thomas handled the negotiations and accepted the check, Bailey said.

Afterward, Thomas urged the church to borrow money to expand its building in Riner, trustees said.

According to Montgomery County and Radford City land records, the congregation consented in June 2014 to borrowing another $130,000 from HomeTown for the construction of a fellowship hall. This pushed the churchs total loan debt to more than $400,000 within a period of slightly more than two years.

In an order attached to the land record, Thomas wrote HomeTown Bank Senior Vice President and Real Estate Loan Officer Rodney Quesenberry to say the congregational vote was unanimous with no discussion, questions or concerns raised.

Quesenberry declined to comment.

In November 2014, HomeTown filed a modification of deed of trust in Montgomery County increasing the maximum amount the church could borrow against its Riner property from $450,000 to $480,000.

The trustees said they neither were apprised nor made part of any effort to construct a fellowship hall.

Meanwhile, River City has not sold its former building. Radford records show that in August 2015, Friendship Baptist sold its $130,000 lien to Hart Investments LLC.

Michael Hart of Hart Investments confirmed the purchase of the lien, but declined to cite the purchase price.

Hart said he became involved with the purchase after hearing that Thomas was shopping for a buyer, trying to find money the church needed. He said Thomas was the only one he dealt with during the transaction.

The checks

Bank records show Ray; trustee Kenny Weeks wife, Bobbi; and Katie Mikels, who worked as the church secretary during Friendships final months, each were authorized to sign checks from the Friendship Baptist account. Checks were signed by just one person.

The words reimbursement or help for family often were penned in the memo lines on checks written to Thomas.

The checks date from 2012 to 2015. Earlier checks frequently were for small amounts with exact change, while later checks were written for larger amounts with round numbers and no change  a June 19, 2012, check, for example, was written for $59.88 while a Dec. 23, 2015, check was for $800.

When reached by phone, a woman who answered at a number found for Mikels hung up.

Bobbi Weeks declined to comment. Kenny Weeks said his wife attempted to help with the churchs books for a time and often complained about the lack of receipts.

Lets say theres a foot of checks written. You might have a couple inches that told what they were for, Weeks said.

From August 2013 to March 2015, monthly totals of checks written to Thomas ranged from $2,860 to $9,115. From April 2015 to August 2015, more than $106,000 in checks were written to Thomas. Checks in July 2015 totaled $30,745, according to bank records.

The church had another bank account with BB&T that, following Friendships move, was dedicated to holding money gathered in a separate collection each month for a building fund, Ray said.

He said the goal was to add $1,000 a month to the account.

The records the trustees provided from the BB&T account date to April 2014 and show money was routinely drawn.

Eleven of 27 BB&T checks were written to Thomas for a total of $8,664. Six checks were written to Mikels for a total of $3,345. Remaining checks went to various parties.

Following the churchs collapse, Ray said, he attempted to close the BB&T account and found it overdrawn by $5.77.

The aftermath

Former Friendship Baptist members say they dont expect to recoup their losses.

In February, trustees said, they turned over the remaining $25,000 in Friendships HomeTown account as well as the Riner building to the bank. The structure has not yet been sold. Friendships debt totaled $467,873.

Congregants lost their church, their building and hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the man who pastored them for a decade is absent from their lives.

It hurts, Kenny Weeks said. It really does.
Dorothee Gizenga, head of the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), the organization dealing with the traditional diamond mining, in her interview to Rough&Polished told about the challenges facing DDI and the programs it is implementing.

Please tell us about the history of DDI.

The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) was created to parallel and complement the regulatory instruments of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), by responding to development needs within the artisanal diamond mining sector with development solutions.

DDI was conceived in 2005 at a meeting in London, UK with the participation of representatives from the United Nations, national governments, US and UK international development aid agencies, NGOs and the diamond industry. The purpose was to address the social and economic issues facing artisanal diamond miners who live in poverty outside the formal economy. DDI received its first funding in 2007 and subsequently became operational in 2008.

Who are the founders of your organization?

The Diamond Development Initiative grew out of the vision of Partnership Africa Canada and Global Witness, which was immediately supported by De Beers. I myself was involved in the initiative from the very beginning, and became the first Executive Director at the launch of operations in 2008.

DDIs international Board of Directors includes representatives of the diamond industry, governments, academia and civil society, residing in Belgium, Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

What are the main goals of DDI?

I think our vision statement is the best answer I can give to that question. DDI envisions a world in which artisanal and small-scale miners have access to the opportunities, information and tools they need to work with dignity within flourishing, self-sustaining communities, as valued actors in the formal economy and as contributors to their countrys development.







Registration agents and miners at the Mailomba site

The word dignity is key for me. If people work in respectful conditions, if they are recognized by their government, if they receive a decent wage, and if they have the resources to improve their own situation, they are working with dignity.

To make this vision a reality, our goal is the transformation of artisanal and small-scale diamond mining through the formalization of the sector.

What kind of programs have you already implemented, what projects are in the process of implementation and what are your plans for the near future?

Our programs are largely focused on formalization, and we use several different and complementary approaches.

One of our essential programs is Participation in the Kimberley Process (KP) for the purpose of assisting countries with alluvial artisanal diamond production to integrate development solutions alongside KP regulations and thus making KP implementation more efficient. DDI holds the status of Independent Observer in the KP.

We also have a Miners Registration program through which DDI has registered more than 200,000 artisanal miners in the DRC in three different projects. Registration provides the government with a database that locates and recognizes miners and mining sites, thus giving them the ability to have greater oversight of the sector, undertake appropriate policy development and planning for economic development of the sector and of the mining communities.







Women's cooperative in Lutonde, DRC

Registered miners may be organized into cooperatives to further enhance their labour structure and economic powers. DDI is currently working on a cooperative program in the DRC.

The Maendeleo Diamond Standards Certification System is a program that helps to develop and recognize best practices in artisanal diamond mining. The application of standards for worker and human rights, environmental responsibility, health and safety and community engagement improves the conditions for miners as well as the productivity of the mining operation. MDS certification leads to new market opportunities and fair value for the diamonds, therefore further enhancing the economic situation of miners and their communities.

DDI has been implementing its MDS program in Sierra Leone where it began its first pilot project, and will soon be replicating the system in the DRC.

In order to invest in community well-being and development, DDI also sometimes responds to community needs for essentials such as clean water and education. We have built several wells in villages where there was no previous source for drinking water, and we are currently operating mobile schools in four alluvial mining villages in the DRC. The schools are a means of retiring children from the mines, and giving them the opportunity to envisage a different future.







MDS training

What problems cause your greatest concern as the head of the DDI?

My biggest preoccupation is the sustainability of our activities. Thus, getting continuous support for our programs which require sustainable provision long-term to effect the kind of transformation we seek to achieve, is my largest priority. Linked to that is the need to remain present with our programs to artisanal miners, their families and communities, and sustaining opportunities for change.

What is your appeal to the world's leading diamond mining companies?

Artisanal mining operations continue to be characterized by a variety of development challenges. Large mining companies are concerned about the industrys reputation and artisanal mining is part of the industry. This is why they are happy to support DDIs work of formalizing the ASM sector, introducing standards for artisanal operations and improving conditions for miners.

What sort of role does DDI play in the Kimberley process?

DDI plays several roles as a member of the Kimberley Process with an Independent Observer Status.

DDI is a member of the Working Group on Alluvial Artisanal Production (WGAAP), promoting the formalization of artisanal diamond mining. DDI also serves as a provisional member of the Working Group on Monitoring (WGM) and is a member of the Technical Team that guides and follows the KP Regional Approach for the Mano River Union countries.







Students arriving at school with their supplies



Additionally, DDI is the coordinator of the KP Technical Assistance program, which enables the sharing of knowledge and expertise between member countries so they can better implement the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. Requests for assistance are received from producing countries and matched with offers of assistance from other member countries with qualifying expertise. Technical assistance is important because it builds capacity and enhances collaboration among member countries.

How serious today, in your opinion, is the problem of blood diamonds? Do they continue to be a part of the world diamond market?

The Kimberley Process was created to stem the flow of blood or conflict diamonds  rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments. The KP is a regulatory mechanism and has been successful in its function. Blood diamonds are no longer the real problem.

There are still serious development issues surrounding the artisanal mining of diamonds in Africa and South America, and the KP does not deal with those. This is why DDI was created. DDIs work is complementary to the KP, focusing on the needs of artisanal miners and their communities, and bringing about change through the transformation and formalization of the sector.

Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&Polished European Bureau in Brussels
Office of Sen. John Thune.

The industry groundswell attacking the Surface Transportation Board's pending actions on forced access and commodity reregulation has grown to include the railway supply community, including the three principal trade associations (REMSA, RSI and RSSI) and numerous members, and the railway contracting community, led by the NRC.

Congressional leaders John Thune, Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and Bill Nelson, Ranking Member; and Bill Shuster, Chairman, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Peter DeFazio, Ranking Member, have received a letter signed by dozens of suppliers and contractors pointing out the STBs recent trend of imposing regulations first, and discovering the consequences later.

Following is the full text of the letter:

Towson Universitys Regional Economic Studies Institute recently quantified the national impact of major freight railroads on the U.S. economy, finding that sizeable industry investments supported 1.5 million jobs, generated $33 billion in taxes and produced $274 billion in economic activity in 2014 alone. Like many economists before, the researchers concluded that the regulatory structure surrounding the industryset forth by Congressional leadership in passing the Staggers Actprovides certainty and stability and allows the industry to earn the revenues needed to invest and create such positive ripple effects.

As the collective voice of businesses that serve railroads and provide the equipment and technologies to enhance the efficiency and safety of their operations, we know this first hand. Over-involvement of the federal government in the day-to-day business decisions of railroads once pushed this sector and the larger railroad ecosystem of customers and suppliers to the brink of collapse. Without the wisdom to partially deregulate the industry in 1980, America would have lost a privately owned and maintained economic engine that provides quality jobs to support families and communities, affordable and environmentally friendly options for businesses to move goods and critical infrastructure to support passenger railroads.

So it is especially troubling to see the Surface Transportation Board (STB) move forward on reregulatory efforts, including so called reciprocal switching and commodity reregulation. The Rail Customer Coalition recently wrote you advocating for these misguided proposals and casting them as common sense and in the common interest of the American public. Nothing could be further from the truth, and as a result, we are asking you to ensure the STB regulates as you intended in the 2015 reauthorization.

As leaders on issues pertaining to surface transportation, the railroad supply community asks you to please consider the facts as it relates to the STB and proposed regulations.

Reciprocal switching, or more accurately, forced access, would upend longstanding precedent. It would force railroads to switch traffic to competitors without any suggestion that the incumbent railroad failed to offer competitive services, or has otherwise engaged in any sort of unreasonable behavior. A rash of new switches could possibly advantage a few, but in the aggregate it would strain a 140,000-mile network and degrade services for the majority of customers.

We are deeply concerned that this regulatory effort could greatly cut into capital spending by the railroads. Past analysis by the Association of American Railroads found that a similar proposal could affect an estimated 7.5 million carloads of traffic, placing nearly $8 billion in revenues at risk. Reduced revenues mean reduced money for investment in the rail network and reduced demand for businesses like ours. Continued investments are critical for maintaining a safe and efficient rail network and allow us to provide strong employment opportunities in our communities.

The government dictating what a private business can do with its property and operations is antithetical to the free market and should be soundly rejected by a Congress that has never advised the STB to embark on this path.

A separate commodity regulation would subject five commodity groups to STB economic regulation for the first time in two decades, despite the fact that railroads face strong competition for the service from trucks. The proposal comes without any evidence that the transportation markets are different today than in past decades, and more alarmingly, without petitions from these commodity groups. Such a rule would again signal that the STB views competition through a narrow prism.

The railroad supply community plays an integral role in maintaining the worlds safest, most efficient and highly competitive freight railroad system. We also provide high-paying and high-skilled manufacturing jobs in our communities. We are concerned that the STB has interpreted its reauthorization as a signal that Congress wanted the independent agency to regulate more.

We support a transparent and efficient STB and believe that the agency maintains an important role in maintaining a proven regulatory structure. But we do not support the STBs recent trend of imposing regulations first, and discovering the consequences later.

We appreciate your continued leadership in setting sensible policies to govern this critical industry that serves U.S. industry and creates local jobs. We ask that you ensure the STB regulates as you intended in the 2015 reauthorization by making your concerns known directly to the STB and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Signatories:

GoRail

National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc. (NRC)

Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association, Inc. (REMSA)

Railway Supply Institute (RSI)

Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc. (RSSI)

Railway Tie Association (RTA)

A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.

Amerities Holdings, LLC

Ames Construction, Inc.

Amtrac Railroad Contractors of Maryland, Inc.

Ansaldo STS, A Hitachi Group Company

Arthur N. Ulrich Company

Atlas Company of Lincoln/Judds Brothers

Construction Co.

AXIS Track Report

Balfour Beatty Rail

Bergmann Associates

Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co., Inc.

Boschert Precision Machinery, Inc.

Bowers & Company CPAs

BSM Technologies

Bullock Construction Inc.

Chester Bross Construction Company

Coleman Heavy Construction, Inc

Commercial Insurance Associates LLC

Design Nine, Inc.

Driven Engineering, Inc.

Dymax Inc.

East Coast Railroad Services, LLC

Edna A. Rice, Executive Recruiter, Inc.

Encore Rail Systems, Inc.

Esco Equipment Service Co.

EVRAZ North America

Fritz-Rumer-Cooke Co., Inc.

Frontier Railroad Services, LLC

Gannett Fleming, Inc.

GE Transportation

Genesis Technologies, Inc.

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company

Granite Construction

Gross & Jones Co.

Hall Signs, Inc.

Hanson Professional Services, Inc.

Harsco Rail

Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

HiRAIL Corporation

Hudson ROI Equipment, Inc.

Hulcher Services, Inc.

Innovative Parts & Solutions Ltd.

IP Automation, Inc

Johnsons Frog & Rail Welding, Inc.

Kelly-Hill Company

Koppers, Inc.

L.B. Foster Company

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.

Menards Railroad Materials

Modern Track Machinery, Inc.

MPL Innovations, Inc.

NARSTCO, Inc.

National Salvage & Service Corporation

Natural Wood Solutions, LLC

Nevada Railroad Materials, Inc.

New York Air Brake, LLC

Ogborn Consulting Group, LLC

Ohio Railroad Association

Omaha Track, Inc.

Omega Industries, Inc.

OMNI Products, Inc.

Orgo-Thermit Inc.

Outsource Administrators, Inc. (OAI)

Peak Performance Asset Services LLC

Plasser American

Polivka International Company, Inc.

Progress Rail, a Caterpillar Company

R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC

Rail Construction Equipment Co.

RailPros Field Services

Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey, Inc.

Railtech Boutet, Inc.

RailWorks Corporation

RCL Services Group, LLC

RedHawk Energy Systems

Reflective Apparel Factory

Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc.

Salco Products, Inc.

Shannon & Wilson, Inc.

Siemens Rail Automation

Simmons Railroad Group, LLC

Site-Specific Solutions, Inc.

Southern National Track Services Inc.

Southern Technologies Corporation

Special Fleet Service

SpillX, LLC

Standard Steel, LLC

Stella-Jones Corporation

Strato, Inc.

STV Incorporated

The Okonite Company

Thomas McGee, L.C.

Trackside Services, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

TransCore

Truss, LLC

Twinco Manufacturing Company, Inc.

US Trackworks, LLC

V&H, Inc.

Wabtec Corporation

WAGO Corporation

Western-Cullen-Hayes, Inc.

Wheeler Lumber, LLC

Willamette Valley Company

Wilson & Company, Inc.

Winkle Industries

WJ Riegel Rail Solutions, LLC
Swiss drug giant Novartis AG (NVS) announced that new data shows Cosentyx (secukinumab) delivers high and long-lasting skin clearance in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis out to 4 years of treatment.

The company also presented results demonstrating the longer-term efficacy of Cosentyx in treating psoriasis of the hands and feet, which are considered difficult areas to treat on the body. Approximately 60% of patients achieved clear or almost clear palms and soles with Cosentyx, which continued to improve over 1.5 years.

These late- breaking data were presented for the first time at the 25th European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress in Vienna, Austria.

In addition, newly published data show Cosentyx delivers superior, long-lasting skin clearance versus Stelara (ustekinumab) for up to 1 year in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

The company said the aim of psoriasis treatment is clear skin, and the Psoriasis Area Severity Index 90 response is considered an important measure of treatment success. Clear or almost clear skin was achieved by 68.5% of patients at Year 1 and this high rate was maintained to Year 4. In addition, 43.8%of psoriasis patients achieved completely clear skin at Year 1 and this rate was maintained to Year 4.

The standard goal of treatment, PASI 75 response, was achieved by 88.5% of patients at Year 4. In this long-term study, Cosentyx continues to have a favorable safety profile, which was consistent with that demonstrated in previous Phase III studies, the company noted.

Vasant Narasimhan, Global Head, Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer, Novartis, said, "These impressive results show that Cosentyx keeps working year-on-year, maintaining high levels of skin clearance with a favorable safety profile. Psoriasis patients need therapies they can use over long periods of time without loss of efficacy and we are pleased that Cosentyx is proving a sustainable choice for patients."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
By SA Commercial Prop News

Group Five more than doubles core operating profit in the year to June on what it says is an 'exceptional result from its investments and concessions cluster in eastern Europe.

This rocketed to 111%, from R348m to R736m, mainly as a result of the stronger fair value profit realised on toll road concessions. But the stock rose a subdued 2% at the close on Monday after substantial losses in its engineering and construction businesses took the gloss off the overall results.

CEO Eric Vemer said the bulk of group performance was driven out of Europe. In future, this would include a concession road project in Northern Ireland. Group Five had equity in some of these projects and garnered annuity income from them.

Its a very good result from the group, driven by very strong underlying project cash flows, he said. Tolling projects in Poland and Hungary became operational in the period. Meanwhile, the weaker rand had boosted returns in the Polish and Hungarian currencies.

The JSE-listed construction and engineering company said it had R6.1bn in secured operations and maintenance contracts, up from R5.8bn in December 2015. However, most of the companys earnings metrics had rocketed amid a 1% decline in gross revenues and an 8% fall in the order book from June 2015.

Fully diluted earnings per share were up 64% in the 12 months.

Vemer said government spending on infrastructure projects was the key to any recovery in the heavy construction sectors. But a general lack of spending in this area and slow payment by customers  in SA and the rest of Africa  dragged on the results. The groups civil engineering segment was affected by a R365m provision for a potential impaired debt. The company said given the uncertainty around the recoverability of this previously certified, but now problematic debt  the board and management had deemed it appropriate to raise a provision against the carrying value of the debtor until resolution was achieved.

Group revenue was largely flat at R13.8bn. Group Five saw decreased revenue from its manufacturing cluster and the civil engineering and energy segments within its engineering and construction cluster, while revenue from the building and housing segment also remained flat for the period.

Ron Klipin, portfolio manager at Cratos Capital, said that apart from the fair value adjustments on European toll roads, the results were indifferent due to a lack of infrastructure spend by both the government and the private sector in SA. But he said Group Five had a good and experienced management team.

Momentum SP Reid analyst Dexter Mahachi said Group Fives investment and concessions business showed remarkable year-on-year growth.

The manufacturing and building and housing divisions appear to have been the only other divisions to show above target range performance in terms of margins. We are generally positive on the results, but remain wary at the reduced profitability of its core operations.
By SA Commercial Prop News

MAS Real Estate Ceo, Lukas Nakos says we have made substantial progress during the financial year and the portfolio is coming of age with substantial developments delivered on time and on budget.



JSE- and Luxembourg-listed MAS Real Estate, reports a strong results for the year to end-June 2016 marked by a 63% increase in rental income and a 34% increase.

MAS Real Estate (MSP) the Europe-focused commercial property investor developer and operator listed on the JSE and in Luxembourg has reported strong results for the year to end-June 2016 marked by a 63% increase in rental income and a 34% increase in final distribution to 4.5 euro cents per share.

We have made substantial progress during the financial year and the portfolio is coming of age with substantial developments delivered on time and on budget. We have now begun to roll out our updated strategy for the group which focuses on delivering a high quality and growing income distribution per share including through expansion into the Central and Eastern European (CEE) regions said CEO Lukas Nakos.

MASs updated strategy includes expanding its target markets to include the growing economies of Central and Eastern Europe through a joint venture with the developers and investors at Prime Kapital.

MAS intends to invest 200m in the joint venture over the next four years as it rebalances its portfolio across Europe.

We are very excited about the joint venture with Prime Kapital. The team brings exceptional development investment and financing experience in CEE to the table. There are attractive opportunities in the region backed by a combination of relatively high initial acquisition yields substantial growth prospects and attractive debt terms that will deliver strong returns on equity said Nakos.

South African investors have bought into European property stocks such as MAS as they look to hedge against rand volatility and are attracted to euro-denominated returns. The CEE region is also attractive as it is growing off a low base with many Eastern European countries receiving listed real estate investment for the first time.
By SA Commercial Prop News

True black empowerment in the property sector is still rare, says Nkuli Bogopa, President of the South African Institute of Black Property Practitioners (SAIBPP).



The traditionally white male property industry is far from a true reflection of South Africas demographics, judging from the number of blacks participating.

True empowerment in the property sector is still rare, Nkuli Bogopa, President of the South African Institute of Black Property Practitioners (SAIBPP) told SA Commercial Prop News in a telephonic interview on Friday Last week.

She explained that one of the biggest questions for blacks wanting to work in the property business is whether the industry dominated by white males will award them contracts.

According to statistics from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), about 70% of world wealth comes from real estate. In Africa and South Africa where economic development is a priority, the property sector can be a driver of the growth that is needed, explained Bogopa.

Also Read: Public Works Minister meets Property Stakeholders over mutual interest

However the majority of the population, about 80%, is excluded from this sector. This does not create an equitable economy, she said. We need inclusion and transformation to create an equitable economic environment, she explained.

From the barriers to entry faced by young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in becoming estate agents  a profession perceived to be lily-white  to the difficulties black people face when trying to enter into property development, the problems are manifold.

But, according to some in the industry, change is happening, albeit slowly.

The upcoming 2016 SAIBPP Annual Convention will provide a much-needed platform for professionals within the South African property industry to not only network and share information but to also engage in meaningful dialogue around transformation within the industry.

Also Read: Murray & Roberts shifts focus, quits the lucrative Construction sector

The overall theme will be underpinned by the robust interrogation of topics including land reform, property ownership, public sector transformation policy and sustainable economic development.

The second day of the conference will address the Land Issue.

The 2016 SAIBPP Annual Convention speakers and panellists include a range of key industry stakeholders and decision makers from public and private sector, and funding institutions, such as Paul Serote, Head of Property Management Trading Entity; Kevin Roman, CEO of Mowana Property Group & COO of Pareto Limited; and Boni Muvevi, Gauteng Partnership Fund, CEO.

This year marks SAIBPPs 20th Anniversary and we believe that its time for honest reflection on the slow pace of transformation in SA, and our industry in particular. This conference represents a strategic, practical and solutions-orientated approach to dealing with the current challenges facing the various stakeholders in the property sector. For instance, beyond legislation, what practical interventions do we now need to apply in order to see radical transformation in the property sector, says Bogopa.

Also Read: Government pension fund pours R10.5bn to boost Affordable Housing

She says property and/or land ownership is one of the key foundations of wealth creation and the basis upon which our currently stagnant economy will be rebuilt.

"The industry is valued at R5.8-trillion according to Property Sector Charter excluding the value chain and associated services. Black people are still largely excluded from the entire value chain which is unacceptable and unsustainable 22 years into our democracy, she added.



The SAIBPP Awards dinner will wrap up the 2-day programme where industry professionals, will once again honour property industry leaders that have excelled in their respective disciplines and companies that have succeeded in demonstrating a commitment to transformation. This year will see the introduction of a new award category honouring excellent academic achievement.

The theme of this years Annual Convention will therefore, open up a strategic dialogue about the specific interventions that are required to achieve radical transformation in the property industry in the next 20 years, she said.
India now home to over 450 Web3 startups, 11% of global talent India now has more than 450 active Web3 startups, with four unicorns, that have raised $1.3 billion ...
$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.
An explosion strikes during a military demonstration targeting a theatrical 'ballistic missile launchpad' at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: AP)

An explosion strikes during a military demonstration targeting a theatrical 'ballistic missile launchpad' at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: AP)

NOVI, Mich. (AP)  Thousands of Michigan voters roared with approval as Donald Trump lashed out at an economic system he said was rigged against everyday Americans. They cheered louder when he declared that Hillary Clinton was to blame.

"I am going to fight so hard for all of you," the Republican presidential nominee boomed as he read from a teleprompter, "and I am going to bring back the jobs that have been stripped away from you and your country."

Friends and foes agree he is at his best in those scripted moments. But Trump's frequent unscripted moments are often drowning them out  diverting attention from his economic message and alienating women and minorities with early voting already underway in some states.

The Friday night speech was the latest example of Trump's sharpened focus on the economy  and his Democratic opponent's shortcomings  as he treks across the Midwestern battlegrounds he needs to become the 45th president of the United States.

But on Twitter and in interviews, the former reality television star this week fueled a self-inflicted political firestorm after an underwhelming debate performance by attacking a former Miss Universe, first seizing on her weight and then calling on the world to view her "sex tape."

"He's not going to change. This is who he really is," said former Minnesota Congressman Vin Weber, a Republican. "It's ridiculous to even argue this, but if he could stay on message, which is to say if he could be somebody else, he could win."

Lifelong Republican loyalists across the country are beyond frustrated that Trump's dueling personas appear to be jeopardizing the GOP's chance to take back the White House. Despite Trump's faults, Clinton remains deeply unpopular and untrusted by a large segment of the electorate.

Yet there is little room in the national conversation for Clinton's faults when Trump tweets about sex tapes.

Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges calls Clinton a "liar" and says she deserves to lose. "And just when it's looking like it's a good bet that she will lose, we're talking about things that I believe don't help us win," he says.

There is little sign that Trump's approach will help him expand his support beyond the white working-class voters who cram into his rallies. During Monday's opening debate, the New York billionaire said African American voters are "living in hell." And his four-day feud with former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, a Venezuelan who is now an American citizen, threatens to push his already-low standing among women and Hispanics even lower.

Trump is also gambling he can help himself by highlighting Clinton's role in her husband's infidelities.

"Hillary was an enabler," Trump told the New York Times on Friday. "And she attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterward. I think it's a serious problem for them, and it's something that I'm considering talking about more in the near future."

That's even as Trump's acknowledged his own marital infidelities, although he tried to draw a distinction with Bill Clinton. "I wasn't president of the United States," he told the Times when asked about his affair with Marla Maples when he was married to Ivana Trump. "I don't talk about it."

Machado took to Facebook to say Trump's tweets were part of a pattern of "demoralizing women," calling them "cheap lies with bad intentions." Planned Parenthood said it showed that Trump's "misogyny knows no bounds." And Clinton said they showed anew why someone with Trump's temperament "should not be anywhere near the nuclear codes."

Trump again took to Twitter on Saturday, this time to complain about his microphone during the first debate five days ago. The Commission of Presidential Debates acknowledged on Friday that there was an issue with Trump's microphone, which was quieter than Clinton's at times.

"The so-called Commission on Presidential Debates admitted to us that the DJT audio & sound level was very bad. So why didn't they fix it?" Trump tweeted.

Even Trump's most vocal allies seemed at a loss for words.

"He's being Trump. I don't have any comment beyond that," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a top supporter. Generally chatty and occasionally critical of Trump, Gingrich said tersely that Trump sometimes does "strange things," but that Clinton lies. "I'll let you decide which is worse for America."

Back at the Michigan rally, 74-year-old Beverly Scharf, of Shelby Township, said she was voting for Trump despite the self-created distractions. She wants him to focus on the economy instead of sex tapes.

"I don't think he can help himself," Scharf said. "It doesn't bother me. It's in his character. That's just Trump."
Even the sternest critics of the present government would have been silent when a new national hospital was proposed to replace many of the former rundown buildings that made up the Motootua Hospital.

The first phase of the Tupua Tamasese Memorial Hospital was opened in July 2013 and was funded through the partnership between Samoa and the Peoples Republic of China. .

At the time, the Prime Minister reaffirmed in his speech on the day, his governments commitments to lifting general health standards in the country.

And certainly the new buildings themselves were a far cry from the often unsanitary wards and facilities for sick patients where patients were largely cared for by their families on a day to day basis.

With the new buildings, air conditioning and exterior landscaping, the new hospital was living up to the Prime Ministers promise that, In order to achieve health outcomes, we need to make strategic and sound investments in our health system.

However as we gaze at the many large, imposing buildings in downtown Apia that have been funded by our partnerships with overseas countries, it is difficult to not keep harping on to our politicians that at the heart of any planning, priorities must always be the people.

What is the point of a building that looks like those we see in First World countries but is just a facade when it comes to what is happening inside?

In the case of the hospital, the priorities should be the people; those who administer the organisation, care for the sick and lets not forget the general public who go there to receive the healthcare for the sometimes life-threatening sicknesses they are struck with.

In the Prime Ministers speech on that day in 2013, and we do understand that he makes many speeches and cant be expected to remember everything, he said, There can be no real growth of an economy and of a nation without a healthy population. There can be no sustainable development without tackling ill health and promoting and maintaining good health.

To the credit of the Ministry of Health, there have been noticeable changes over the last five to 10 years in terms of general health messages getting out  not only in urban Samoa but also in the villages.

The growth of exercise classes for all shapes sizes and ages held in gymnasiums, fitness centres or out on the grass in the villages has been seen and promoted.

Likewise the message about healthy living, growing and eating local produce particularly plant food and limiting the processed products is also having an impact  thanks in part to it being very in vogue in overseas countries.

A shortage of medical professionals is also a worldwide problem and certainly not limited to Samoa. Thankfully we are blessed in that we are the recipients of care from many medical groups who come in year after year and provide specific skills in the many facets of healthcare  usually at little or no cost.

But getting back to our government and the people; surely one and the same?

Until the present government stops talking endlessly about priorities which they say are education and health, (government speak for buildings), things will never really change.

All the finest buildings in the world are not going to make people smarter in our schools or healthier after being in our hospitals, if we dont have the best people teaching them and caring for them.

And that, quite simply is where the priority should be - their salaries.
The Hotel Elisa conference room was the venue for the monthly members meeting of the Samoa Chamber of Commerce last Monday.

Three guest speakers  M.N.R.E. Coordinator Fiona Sapatu, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Officer Maxine Hunter and Dr Hans Maurer of AgriChain presented after four new members were introduced from Fuatinos Natural Products, Reti Consultants, Leilua Barber Shop and Hair Salon and AgriChain.

Fiona Sapatu, M.N.R.E. Coordinator highlighted the upcoming developments set to take place for the Apia Waterfront Project. It was re-emphasized that the Apia Waterfront Project aims to be an attractive destination, connecting people to unique places and Samoan experiences.

Chamber members enquired the development plans considerations for the impacts of climate change and the need for climate change resilience infrastructure. In addition, enquiries were raised regarding the Ports Expansion project and its implications on the intended plan along the Marina.

Fiona reassured the gathering that climate change resilience is a key aspect of their planning process, further highlighting that the Apia Waterfront Development Project is a long-term plan, receptive to being revised based on consultations with the public.

With the launch of the Draft Waterfront Plan, further consultations are being carried out with final submissions for feedback by the public which closed on Friday 30th September.

Maxine Hunter of M.F.A.T. presented on the PACER Plus Trade Agreement, as well as to update Samoas preparation in light of further negotiations. It was highlighted that the negotiations look to secure opportunities and benefits for Samoa, with regards to improved trade facilitation, reduction of trade costs for exports and services, better access to overseas good and services and increase in labor mobility opportunities.

The presentation was an opportunity to engage Chamber members in the PACER plus dialogue as well as to inform the private sector of the proposed trade agreement.

Members main concerns with PACER Plus were;

1.) Our Government should take time to fully determine the positives and negatives of PACER Plus before signing off.

2.) We need to strategize on how we might be able to replace duty income that we will forgo due to joining PACER Plus. This will support a notion for a comprehensive tax review for Samoa.

Dr. Hans Maurer of AgriChain NZ delivered a special presentation on the Samoa Cocoa Value Chain Development Project. This is a five year programme funded by New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in partnership with Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry which aims to provide support for Samoas cocoa industry. The Project has held two workshops this week in Upolu and Savaii, for the relevant stakeholders to provide feedback on the proposed approach for the design of the project.

The Samoa Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. as the National Private Sector Organization (N.P.S.O.) is funded by the Pacific Leadership Program (P.L.P.).
Living in modern day Samoa can leave one scratching ones head sometimes.

Samoa describes itself as being a democratic nation with strong attachments to the Samoan way of life (faasamoa) but when the faasamoa gets in the way of freedom of speech, then can we still call ourselves a democracy?

When a villager speaks out, and more often than not they are fined by the village council, is it because there is no freedom of speech or is it just a good way of making quick cash in the form of fines?

According to the N.U.S. Samoan Studies Centre Director, Leasiolagi Dr.Malama Meleisea, I think that freedom of speech is a very significant part of democracy although some people have opted to say that faasamoa and freedom of speech are conflicting, he told the Samoa Observer.

I think that we have accepted democracy as a form of government and identity and I think everybody should have the right to express their opinion wherever and about whatever.

According to Leasiolagi the system should encourage freedom of speech as much as possible but its hard to have both the faasamoa and democracy when they sometimes contradict one another.

There is of course a practice that has become a principle; whenever a matai makes a decision, then the people should listen to that, he said.

Whatever people may say when the Council meets in the villages, however often they meet, the decision is made by the Council and the others listen in.The practice is that once that decision is made then they follow it.

I know the government has been trying to say through some of the traditional reviews through the Office of the Pulenuu, Ministry of Women and Community development that its a requirement for the Council (village) to have the accused person to present his/her version before they announce any fines.

Usually before that the Council decides (on the matter) and they dont have to interview the people who are accused and then the family of the accused will just go and do what the Village Council wants.

There is no situation that was allowed for the accused to give their version beforehand.

But was Samoa always like this?

Yes, there was just no other alternative, Leasiolagi said.

Traditionally thats the way decisions were made and thats the way decisions were implemented; it was all done at the village level.

You can imagine 250 villages all with their own Councils and doing their own thing; initiating their own pieces of legislation or rules.

They imposed fines on those who didnt listen and thats fine but now theres another alternative. Its an alternative in which the government has taken up in terms of political and traditional systems that we have.

A lot of decisions nowadays over the last 40-50 years; Human Rights and Freedom of Speech have become a very strong alternative to the traditional faasamoa system.

Leasiolagi also feels that in moving forward, we may have to leave some parts of the faasamoa behind.

I think in every system, it doesnt matter which country you talk about, there is change, he said.

Faasamoa has changed a lot and for people to argue now to stick to the faasamoa, the principles of the faasamoa which were established a hundred or more years ago, would not be a wise thing to do.

So much has happened over the last hundred years. If you go back to the time when the missionaries arrived, the missionaries brought a lot of influence and the so-called traditional system that our people want to stick to, has become more and more vague.

My personal experience is that people talk about their customs and traditions and they go ahead and do the opposite so I think it would be unwise for leaders of this country to try and stick to some of the principles which were established a hundred years ago.

Back then, the population was very low with about 30,000 people; now weve got more than half a million including Samoans living overseas.

We have to look at ways of accommodating the faasamoa into the modern day principles.

Leasiolagi then concluded with a word of encouragement to the media.

I think what the media is doing trying to encourage freedom of speech; I think its good, he said.

I consider it the responsibility of the media to try and push it. A lot of our people dont like but its ok.
CITY COUNCILS

CARLSBAD

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The Carlsbad City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive, to set a public hearing for Nov. 29 on proposed increases in potable water and recycled water rates; and to consider adding funds to the budget for the El Camino Real road widening project: $172,900 for Saving Sacred Sites for Native American monitoring services and $279,471 for Atkins North America Inc. for archaeological recovery and processing services. The council will also hold a hearing on construction of a 250-room hotel with restaurant and gift shop within the parking lot of the Legoland California Resort Theme Park north of Palomar Airport Road.

DEL MAR

The Del Mar City Council will meet in special closed session about anticipated litigation at 4:15 p.m. Monday in Suite 100 (the former Pilates studio) at 2010 Jimmy Durante Blvd. In open session at 6 p.m., the council will hear a report on Measure Q, the Del Mar Transaction and Use Tax Measure, and the annual State of the Library report. The council will also hear a report on development of a public art program; a resolution on the feasibility of implementing Community Choice Energy; and a report on the recent KAABOO festival.

POWAY

The Poway City Council is set to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Council Chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive, when it will consider amending the 2016 Regional Transportation Improvement Program list of projects for 2016-17 through 2020-21; appropriating $30,000 to fund the Twin Peaks Road Traffic Analysis; authorizing documents to convey land to Villa de Vida through the Poway Housing Authority for $2.1 million to build apartments for people with special needs; and spending $172,700 on water quality improvement plans for the Los Penasquitos and San Dieguito watersheds.

SOLANA BEACH

The League of Women Voters will host a forum from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday for Solana Beach City Council candidates, held at the San Dieguito Boys and Girls Club, 533 Lomas Santa Fe Drive. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Six candidates are vying for three seats: Dave Zito, Judy Hegenauer, Jewel Edson, Ed Siegel, Chris Hohn and Cynthia Walsh. The format will include statements by the candidates, followed by questions from the League of Women Voters and audience members.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

FALLBROOK

The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board is set to meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Room 106 of the district office, 321 N. Iowa St., when it will consider resolutions to approve the Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School and the San Onofre School replacement projects, and to take action as needed; to contract with outside agencies to provide services for special-needs students; and to approve revised board policies, including on immunizations, student use of technology and education for English learners.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
CITY COUNCILS

CARLSBAD

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The Carlsbad City Council met in special closed session at 4 p.m. Tuesday to discuss litigation and security procedures. In open session, the council approved seeking bids for the Aviara Community Park Phase II Construction and the Poinsettia Community Park Phase III Construction ; approved a permit for an indoor shooting range and gun store at 2717 Loker Ave. West; upheld denial of an appeal on a four-lot single-family subdivision but directed amendments to be made on the application, which the developer will resubmit. The council also allowed Abstract Ale Works to open a brewery tasting room on Yarrow Drive, and approved an amendment to the Carlsbad Oaks North Specific Plan for light industrial use at Faraday Avenue and El Fuerte Street. The council postponed hearing a report on public safety issues in the northern beach area.

ENCINITAS

The Encinitas City Council met Wednesday and approved a resolution to increase maintenance of ficus trees in downtown Encinitas, including $54,000 toward that goal; approved a proposal from the Surfing Madonna Oceans Project to donate public art for the Marine Safety Center; and approved a proposal for a contract with EC Constructors Inc. to build the Moonlight State Beach Marine Safety Center, not to exceed $3,194,618. The council also heard a solar assessment report and approved recommended sites, such as rooftops and parking areas, to enable the city to become a net zero energy city. The city also authorized seeking proposals for an Energy Services Agreement with an 11-year term that would provide solar systems to that end. The council also approved an ordinance amending the citys density bonus ordinance. A proposal to create a new Open Space and Recreational Trail Commission and develop a funding strategy was discussed.

ESCONDIDO

The Escondido City Council met in closed session Wednesdayto discuss labor negotiations. In open session, the council approved changing two-hour parking to three hours on Grand Avenue (Centre City Parkway to Valley Boulevard) and on Orange Street, Maple Street, Broadway, Kalmia Street, Juniper Street and Ivy Street between Valley Parkway and Second Avenue. The council approved a one-year pilot program creating a resident-preferred parking district in the Rose to Foxdale neighborhood, and a $10,000 budget for parking district signs and resident/guest parking permits. The council also agreed to apply for a grant up to $1 million from the California Natural Resources Agency for Urban Rivers to be used for drainage improvements to the earthen portions of the channel draining the Spruce Street area near the Transit Station.

SAN MARCOS

The San Marcos City Council met Tuesday and approved funds to participate in the Next Gen Regional Communications System, and approved an ordinance amending the 2016 California Fire Code. It held its third and final public hearing on moving to by-district elections and approved the ordinance creating the districts and establishing the election schedule. The ordinance will return for a final reading, and the new cycle of elections will begin in 2018 with Districts 1 and 2. The council then went into closed session to discuss litigation.

SOLANA BEACH

The Solana Beach City Council met in closed session Wednesday to discuss labor negotiations and litigation. In regular session, the council approved antennae reconfigurations at a wireless communications facility at 200 Marine View Ave.; heard a presentation on the Breeders Cup horse races coming to the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Nov. 3-4; and hosted Assembly Speaker Emeritus Toni Atkins for an address and legislative update. The city also reviewed a design proposal for the Solana Beach North County Transit District train station that would include restaurants, a hotel, stores and offices, and about 30 apartments.

VISTA

The Vista City Council met Tuesday and approved applying for a $262,846 SANDAG TransNet Senior Transportation Grant to fund the Out & About program of the Gloria McClellan Adult Activity & Resource Center for fiscal year 2017-18. The council approved a lease agreement with Valcenters LLC for the roughly 17,000-square-foot city-owned property south of University Drive, north of state Route 78, to build a monument sign to display business names in the North County Square Shopping Center. The city also agreed to buy a property at 501 S. Santa Fe Ave., next to city-owned parcels, for $642,000 in order to develop the entire tract. The council discussed the idea of appointing alternate candidates to city commissions, but took no action.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

DEL MAR

The Del Mar Union School District board met in closed session Wednesday to discuss personnel and labor negotiations. In open session, the board approved contracts with outside agencies for services to special-needs students; approved revisions to board policies and regulations, including those regarding school-connected organizations, solicitation of funds from and by students; and gifts, grants and bequests; and created a new board policy on short-term independent study. The board heard a report on the districts results from the 2016 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), and a report on summer maintenance projects, which included relocating the Early Childhood Development Center from Sycamore Ridge School to Torrey Hills School; adding a safety barrier at Del Mar Heights Elementary and replacing the lunch shade; and new carpeting and paint at Ocean Air Elementary.

ENCINITAS

The Encinitas Union School District board met in special closed session Tuesday to discuss personnel matters; no action was taken. In regular session, the board heard the first reading of new job descriptions for the business services department and the coordinator of enrichment programs. Members also approved policy and regulation updates to the Education Code.

OCEANSIDE

The Oceanside Unified School District board met in closed session Tuesday to discuss litigation, personnel and labor negotiations. In regular session, the board held a hearing and certified that it has sufficient educational materials for students, as required by the state; and approved various contracts with outside agencies for services to students and teachers. An item seeking approval of a field trip to New York was pulled from the agenda.

POWAY

The Poway Unified School District board met in special session Monday to discuss the process and timeline for hiring a new superintendent. The search firm is working on different ways to gather input, including online, from the community, staff and students on what qualities and characteristics they feel are important for the next superintendent to have. The board said it hopes to name a superintendent by early 2017.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
In 1916  more than a decade before the master of minimalism, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, would start construction on Villa Tugendhat in the Czech Republic and 40 years before Los Angeles architect Pierre Koenig would hang a glass box over the Hollywood Hills in the celebrated Stahl House  Irving J. Gill was designing a home in La Jolla for Ellen Browning Scripps. It had creamy white walls, bold geometric forms and an upper-story glass sunroom floating high above the rugged coastline.

Today that sunroom is a gallery in the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), home to Robert Irwins iconic artwork, 1234, a conceptual link in time to when Scripps watched the ocean from her perch.

What we see now as clean-lined modernism was created by Gill in San Diego, says James Guthrie, an architect himself and president and co-founder of the Irving J. Gill Foundation.

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Guthrie has pulled together 14 organizations in a collaborative project, Irving J. Gill: New Architecture for a Great Country. Its timed to coincide with Archtoberfest, a month-long celebration of architecture and design. The Gill portion includes nine exhibitions plus a symposium, tours, talks and publications.

His work is internationally important and significant, architecturally speaking, especially when you know the history and timeline of modern architecture. Hes the No. 1 guy. Hes the one who started it, says Guthrie, before adding, If you pick up a book on modern architecture, hes not in it. And so that needs to change.

A few years ago, Guthrie learned that UC Santa Barbara was thinking about showing selections from its extensive archive of Gills photographs, renderings and letters. Guthrie initially considered bringing it to San Diego, but local groups wanted to do more  something that would quantify the depth of Gills influence, trigger new research and secure the architects place in history.

In a broad sense, the reason it is this year is because all the stars that needed to align to make it happen did align. You can imagine, with all the organizations that are working on this, it took some doing to get everyone locked in, Guthrie says. Coincidentally, 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the Scripps House and the now-demolished Dodge House, considered two of Gills best works.

Guthrie describes San Diego as Gills petri dish, where he established a vocabulary that he would later take with him to Los Angeles. The architect learned his early skills in Chicago as an apprentice under Joseph Silsbee and Louis Sullivan, when they were setting the pace for an American architecture, one that split from European tradition to reflect regional character.

Gill brought those ideas west in 1893. He embraced the Southern California topography and climate, creating designs that were a radical change from fussy Victorian homes on flat lots. He worked with the areas natural canyons, recognizing them as a way to frame views and circulate air. He used concrete and stucco, materials now considered essential for fire safety. He opened up rooms to encourage outdoor living and incorporated technical advances like solar water heaters and whole-house vacuum systems.

This led to international acclaim and high-budget commissions  many of them from progressive, single women like Scripps. But the Great Depression brought a halt to custom homes and Gills profile dropped. Unlike Frank Lloyd Wright, who weathered the downturn by lecturing, publishing and opening Taliesin West, his Arizona architecture school, Gill preferred to work quietly. He died in 1936 at age 66, long before postwar economic resurgence revived the careers of the men who would become modernist stars.

Gill was every bit as good an architect as Frank Lloyd Wright. He just wasnt good at self-promotion, says Guthrie. He was much more interested in solving the architectural problem that he was dealing with at the moment.

In the same way that engineers appreciate the structure of a Gill building while architects admire the aesthetics, each contributing organization brought its own perspective.

Marston House reflects Gills transitional period when he moved away from Arts and Crafts decoration and began to find ways to streamline. The exhibit at La Jolla Historical Society, curated by Kathryn Kanjo of MCASD, presents watercolors and sketches that reveal his gift for luminous color. The San Diego History Center exhibit, curated by Guthrie, traces Gills evolution from New York to Chicago to San Diego through photographs, artifacts, a documentary on the Dodge House and a model of Gills tilt-up concrete technique.

Barona Cultural Center & Museum hosts one of his final projects, a church and cottages developed for the Barona Indian Reservation. Barona allowed Gill to explore a personal interest: applying his principles of low-maintenance, healthy living to affordable housing. His simple shapes were intended to be replicated by the homeowners, who went on to make their own improvements.

That adaptability may be another reason why Gill was left out of the history books. As Guthrie notes, well-designed architecture becomes a background for your life  comfortable but taken for granted.

Gills innovations, once startling and avant-garde, have eased seamlessly into the landscape, because they were meant to fit here.

What Gill did is now everywhere in San Diego. It is pretty ubiquitous. Thats one of the reasons why people dont think of it as special  but it is, says Guthrie.

As San Diegans, we do take that for granted, but its very special in the world.

Irving J. Gill: New Architecture for a Great Country

For more information, visit the Irving J. Gill Foundation website at irvingjgill.org

Irving J. Gill: A Comfortable Fit (Exhibition and tour):* Aug. 20-Oct. 23. Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. $8. (760) 435-3720 or oma-online.org

Irving J. Gill: Simplicity and Reform (Exhibition): Sept. 10-Dec. 4. Art, Design & Architecture Museum at UC Santa Barbara, 552 University Road, Santa Barbara. Free. (805) 893-2951 or www.museum.ucsb.edu

Stones in the Meadow (Exhibition, workshops, tours and lecture):* Sept. 20-Indefinite. Barona Cultural Center & Museum, 1095 Barona Road, Lakeside. Free; reservations required. (619) 443-7003, Ext. 219 or baronamuseum.com/stones

Irving J. Gill: New Architecture for a Great Country (Exhibition): Sept. 24-March 31. San Diego History Center, 1649 El Prado, Suite #3, Balboa Park. $10. (619) 232-6203 or sandiegohistory.org

Irving J. Gill: Illustrating New Architecture (Exhibition and lecture):* Sept. 24-Jan. 22. La Jolla Historical Society and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect Street, La Jolla. Free for exhibit, fee for Nov. 12 lunch and talk. (858) 459-5335 or lajollahistory.org

The Iannellis in California: Selected Works 1910-15 (Exhibition): Sept. 24-Nov. 5. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla. Free. (858) 454-5872 or ljathenaeum.org

Irving Gill: Progress & Poetry in Architecture (Exhibition and tours):* Sept. 24-March 26. Marston House, 3525 Seventh Ave., Balboa Park. $15. (619) 297-9327 or sohosandiego.org/main/marston2.htm

Irving J. Gill, Coronado Refined (Exhibition, lectures and tours): Oct. 1-April 1. Coronado Historical Association, 1100 Orange Ave., Coronado. Free admission, fee for lectures. (619) 435-7242 or coronadohistory.org

Irving J. Gill and the Chicago School (Symposium and tour):* 5 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 20. La Jolla Womans Club, 7791 Draper Ave., La Jolla. Free. irvingjgill.org

Romance and Honesty: Irving Gills Vision for The Bishops School (Exhibition and tour):* 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 29. The Bishops School, 7607 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Free. (858) 875-0728 or bishops.com/page/irving-gill-

In addition, Save Our Heritage Organisation will hold tours and events from October to March. See sohosandiego.org for dates and ticket prices. For information on Archtoberfest events, go to archtoberfest.com.

*Denotes Gill-designed building
A day of demonstrations following the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in El Cajon earlier this week began Saturday with a peaceful gathering of clergy who called for justice and more answers.

About 200 people gathered in Prescott Promenade Park in downtown El Cajon for the hourlong rally before a much larger crowd took to the streets for a march.

Some in the ethnically mixed crowd carried pictures of Alfred Olango, a 38-year-old Uganda refugee who was fatally shot by an El Cajon police officer on Tuesday. Speakers at the morning rally questioned why police had their guns drawn after responding to a call about a man who appeared unstable.

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On Friday, police released video that showed Olango taking a shooting stance while holding what later turned out to be an electronic cigarette before the officer opened fire. Demonstrations have been held each night since the shooting, with at least two men arrested Thursday night after some people in a crowd threw bottles and broke windows of passing vehicles.

Warning: These business surveillance and private citizen cell phone videos show the fatal shooting of Alfred Olango by El Cajon Police on Sept. 27, 2016.

On Saturday, following about a dozen faith leaders, Shane Harris of the Rev. Al Sharptons National Action Network introduced Olangos brother, Apollo.

Wearing a black suit and white fedora, Apollo Olango struggled to speak as he became overcome with emotion.

I just want to say were thankful for all the support we have received, and well forever be grateful, he said. Thank you for helping my brothers name to never be forgotten.

Harris said that Sharpton was aware of the situation in El Cajon and would be coming to the city at a later date.

The family is not going to stop pursuing justice, Harris said. We have to make it very clear that what we believe happened to Alfredo Olango on that day was murder.

Like other speakers, Harris questioned why police used lethal force when confronting Olango, and he called for reform in the justice system.

Harris said that with the death of Olango, an African immigrant, the world had taken notice.

What happened to Alfred Olango shocked the world, he said. The world is watching San Diego County, and you will not get off this time.

Harris also called for all protests to be peaceful. The organization Black & Blue United scheduled a march in downtown San Diego at 3 p.m. Saturday, beginning at the San Diego Central Police Station.

Warth writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

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Adam Koven and his buddy, Nate Ransom, started out small when they began their cookie company  at local farmers markets. They were able to get direct feedback from people about their unconventional flavors, which led to opening an online store, and finally their first shop in 2014. This month, they opened their second store in Carlsbads Bressi Ranch Village Center. The Cravory is their gourmet cookie shop with thousands of flavors  unusual flavors like pancakes and bacon, rosemary balsamic and taro.

The original concept was for a brick-and-mortar shop, similar to a Cold Stone Creamery, where people could create their own custom cookie flavors, Koven says. But it was 2009 and they couldnt find investors willing to help with an unproven concept, so they decided to make their own recipes.

We tested the cookies out at the local farmers markets and they were a hit.

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Today, Koven, 30, is co-owner of the business with his childhood friend, where he manages the companys strategy and physical stores. Before graduating from the University of Arizona in 2009, he knew he always wanted to own his own business and used the cookie shop idea for his undergraduate entrepreneurship program. He talks about what it takes to come up with new and unusual recipes each month, what prepared them to open their own stores, and which recipe never made it onto their menu.

Q: Why cookies?

A: No one had done to cookies what Ben & Jerrys and Cold Stone Creamery did to ice cream  creating bold recipes with interesting flavor profiles and mix-ins. So, we started playing around with new recipes and have developed a total of more than 3,500 gourmet cookie flavors to date.

Q: Youre a Food Network fan. Whats one of your favorite shows on the network?

A: I was addicted to watching Food Network during college. In fact, I credit my inspiration and ability to cook and create flavor profiles to the networks various shows. One of my favorite shows is Iron Chef America. Its always mind-blowing how chefs take a random secret ingredient and create elaborate menus incorporating that ingredient into each dish. Iron Chef America inspired me to think outside of the box and allow my creativity to shine.

Q: How did you and Nate get into business together?

A: We grew up together through high school in Tucson, Ariz., and stayed good friends though our college years. During that time, our families took many vacations to San Diego and we both loved it here. We have always wanted to create our own companies and decided to join forces and start up The Cravory here in San Diego.

Q: Whats your role versus his role?

A: Nate and I both have specific areas of focus but frequently work together. Nates specialty is the financials and marketing side while my specialty is in company strategy and our brick-and-mortar division. We work collaboratively on business operations, including online sales, monthly subscriptions and corporate gifting programs. We also have a great team at The Cravory that supports us in all areas of the business. One of our favorite roles is the official cookie taste tester for every new cookie flavor we develop. Were lucky to have a creative team of chefs.

What I love about Carlsbad ...

Carlsbad is a truly welcoming community and they have been extremely supportive of our store from the very start. Everyone has offered to help spread the word about us and bring back new people to the shop every day. Weve been blown away by the high level of support weve received and appreciate that more than the people in Carlsbad know.

Q: What did you learn from starting out in farmers markets?

A: Starting at the farmers markets in San Diego helped shape our companys success from the start. We were able to create new cookie flavors, present them directly to our customers and receive immediate feedback. The farmers markets became our cookie taste-testing grounds as we began developing more and more flavors. We were also able to fine-tune our customer service, branding and overall experience. The things we learned at the farmers markets helped shape how we design and operate our brick-and-mortar locations.

Q: What was the first non-traditional cookie flavor you made?

A: It was the rosemary balsamic cookie. This was actually the first cookie we ever created from scratch. We combined non-traditional cookie ingredients like olive oil, fresh rosemary, cracked pepper, lemon zest and balsamic syrup with flour and sugar, and placed it in the oven. When we opened the oven door, it smelled like a sweet Italian bakery and when we took a bite, it was a savory yet sweet flavor.

Q: What was the first flavor you made for your new business that was a definite success?

A: Red velvet, without a question. Cupcakes, red velvet especially, were all the rage back in 2009.  The original recipe for this cookie became an instant hit. About two years ago we decided to upgrade the red velvet cookie because it was missing the cream cheese frosting flavor. To incorporate this, our chefs created cream cheese truffles from scratch.

Q: What was the first flavor that was an epic failure?

A: I make a homemade barbecue sauce that is sweet, spicy and zesty. Its perfect for grilling. One year, for Fourth of July weekend, we took my barbecue sauce recipe and turned it into a cookie with barbecue chips and smoked almonds. We thought wed created the perfect cookie for all the holiday weekend parties. We tasted the cookie during one of our taste tests, and lets just say it didnt leave The Cravorys kitchen.

Q: Take us through the process of creating a new flavor/recipe.

A: We usually start by looking at what holidays are coming up or what may be trending in the food world. From there, our team compiles a list of ideas and flavor profiles, then sources ingredients to match. With these ideas and ingredients, our chef mixes up new dough flavors with mix-ins. This process takes place each month as we create six new flavors for our Cookie of the Month Club.  For October, we wanted to create unique a pumpkin cookie that was fun and festive. We created a pumpkin cookie with a pumpkin drizzle and a chocolate pop tart on top.

Q: Whats been challenging about your work?

A: We create six new cookies each month, and each one has to be a rock star. While this a large task, its also the most fun aspect of our company. Theres nothing better than seeing a customers face light up because of an unexpected, delicious cookie flavor.

Q: Whats rewarding about your work?

A: When someone tries our cookies and is so in love with them, that they whisper that our cookies are better then their grandmas or wifes recipes.

Q: What have you learned about yourself as a result of this process?

A: Ive learned that I can overcome many challenges and continue to press forward no matter what. Starting and running a business is not an easy undertaking, but persevering and seeing people truly enjoy all of your hard work makes the long hours worth it.

Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?

A: You are not your target market. In our business, you cannot simply create the flavors that you personally love and skip the ones you dont. You need to truly understand your customers and provide the range of flavors they will love. Often times, the flavors we take more risks on, like the mango con chili, quickly become our top sellers. So we listen to our customers.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: I used to ride horses and rope while growing up in Arizona. Many of my friends do not even know about that, but I guess the secret is now out.

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: My perfect weekend means spending as much time as possible near or on the ocean. Every weekend I try to get to the beach to surf, hang out with friends, bike the boardwalk and play beach volleyball. Throw in some time on the water for fishing and youve got the ideal day in San Diego. Id also spend some time exploring San Diegos exciting culinary scene. There are so many great restaurants and talented chefs creating delicious food all over town.
Protestors, faith leaders and family members of Alfred Olango marched around the El Cajon Civic Center following a Unity rally Saturday morning. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune )

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells said he understood.

The day after Alfred Olango, a 38-year-old unarmed black man was shot and killed during an encounter with two El Cajon police officers, the mayor said he got the message. He got why hundreds of people felt the need to march in the streets in protest. He got why they were angry.

I understand that they dont feel heard, Wells said at a news conference Wednesday. I understand that they feel frustrated by a system that they sometimes feel is not working in their favor.

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When authorities released two videos Friday of the shooting  all 1 min, 37 seconds of it  they said they did so for public safety reasons, because the protests had become increasingly aggressive and violent.

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, joined by law enforcement leaders, discusses the release of the cellphone video showing the shooting of Alfred Olango. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters )

Our goal today is to clarify and hopefully calm the communitys concerns regarding the recent officer-involved shooting, Police Chief Jeff Davis said at a Friday news conference, adding that misinformation had the potential to fuel unrest.

This was done in the spirit of community calm and peace, he said.

Some African-American community leaders commended the decision as a step toward building trust between police and the city theyre sworn to protect.

But the protesters anger isnt just about the fatal shooting of Olango on Tuesday, and it isnt just about El Cajon.

Although the pain of Olangos loss is acute, his death signifies a problem many would characterize as chronic: black people being killed by police. The issue, some of the protesters say, isnt necessarily about any one police department but systemic racial bias.

Some contend any conversation about race and policing in the United States should begin with the concept of implicit bias. Its the type of prejudice born of attitudes and beliefs that exist on an unconscious level, fortified by fearful associations and stereotypes.

Everybody has them. But not everybody carries a badge and a gun.

Experts say recognizing implicit bias not only within ourselves but within our institutions, including the criminal justice system, is the first step toward reform.

Last year, President Barack Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing made dozens of recommendations to law enforcement agencies throughout the country, including expanding the training to focus on implicit bias and cultural responsiveness. The task force was formed in 2014 after several officer-involved killings of unarmed black men around the country.

One of them was 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Another was Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y.

Protests erupted in both cities when grand juries declined to indict either of the officers who were involved.

In November, California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced the launch of implicit bias and procedural justice training, certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST. She touted the training as the first of its kind in the country.

Harris, who is running for the U.S. Senate, said the training came out of a discussion she had with other state leaders about strengthening the relationship of trust between law enforcement and the communities we are sworn to serve.

Many people of color say their trust in the police erodes a bit more each time news breaks of another shooting, even when  and perhaps, especially when  authorities determine the shooting was justified.

Thats part of the message supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement have stressed since its inception, sometime after Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was killed in 2012 by a neighborhood watch volunteer who was later acquitted of a murder charge.

Its a message protesters shouted in the streets in Ferguson, Baltimore, New York, Chicago, Oakland, Dallas, Baton Rouge, La., Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte, N.C.

And now in El Cajon.

The videos released Friday do answer some questions about the moments before the shooting, but it cant tell us everything. It cant tell us what was in the minds of the two officers  one with his gun drawn and the other with a Taser  as they approached Olango in a parking lot. And it cant tell us for sure whether implicit bias was a factor.

El Cajon, a city of just under 100,000 people, is 57 percent white, 28 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 6 percent African-American, according to 2010 Census data. Smaller populations of American Indians, Asians, Pacific Islanders and other groups make up the rest.

East County also is home to 40,000 to 50,000 Chaldean refugees who fled Iraq, the second largest population of Chaldeans in the U.S., behind Detroit. About 12,000 live in El Cajon and surrounding unincorporated areas.

Olango was born in Uganda. His family settled in San Diego more than 20 years ago.

Mayor Wells said after the shooting that El Cajon police officers spend a lot of time doing community outreach among the different racial and ethnic populations that live in the city.

I would venture to say that the El Cajon police have more cultural training than any other police department in the region, he said. El Cajon has been the landing ground for people from all over the world.

The mayor also said the conversation about race had already begun in El Cajon before protesters took to the streets following Tuesdays shooting.

The conversation no doubt will continue.

El Cajon Shooting On Now Dumanis rules El Cajon police shooting of Alfred Olango justified 2:09 On Now Justice for Alfred Olango 1:33 On Now Video: Protests in the weeks following Olango shooting 1:43 On Now El Cajon City Council Meeting 10.11.2016 1:49 On Now Protest still present after El Cajon Shooting 2:49 On Now Video: Faith leaders, demonstrators rally in El Cajon 3:32 On Now Video: Rally after El Cajon shooting 1:45 On Now Video: Prayer vigil draws crowd in El Cajon 1:12 On Now RAW: Full video of Alfred Olango officer involved shooting 1:46 On Now Angry crowd grows after man is shot by police in El Cajon 1:15

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

TWITTER: @danalittlefield
From his fifth floor office on Broadway, Rick Gentry has a clear view of some of the work hes helped oversee to assist the homeless of San Diego.

Remember how ugly that thing was? the CEO and president of the San Diego Housing Commission said as he pointed to the senior housing building San Diego Square.

It looked like something from the Soviet Union, he said. It was ugly and gray and dour looking.

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Gentry, 68, is obviously proud of the renovated building that houses 157 seniors. His office also has a view of the Celadon at 9th and Broadway, a 250-unit affordable rental high-rise where 80 formerly homeless people pay rent with vouchers from the Housing Commission.

Finally, theres the Hotel Churchill at 9th and C streets, which reopened earlier this month to provide homes for 56 veterans and 16 others who otherwise would be homeless.

The Hotel Churchill built in 1914 reopens as a seven-story hotel converted to 72 units for homeless veterans, at-risk youth and ex-convicts.

Weve got the best view of it from anywhere in town right here, he said.

The hotel had officially reopened earlier that day, and Gentry was planning to stay late in his office just to watch the sign light up. In the meantime, he went over his itinerary for the following week with an assistant who said she was having trouble keeping up with his energy.

On Tuesday, he was flying Washington, D.C., to testify before a Senate committee and to meet with the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to talk about homelessness.

Then back home Thursday, followed by another flight to D.C. for a chamber of commerce event.

Gentry and others in San Diego County for years have asked HUD for more money to help the homeless population in the area. That work appears to have finally paid off, with HUD announcing earlier this year that it plans to revise the formula that many local issues have complained shortchanged San Diego. Gentry said hes prepared for a fight for the money in D.C.

Besides having ones of the highest homeless populations in the country, San Diego also high rent and few vacancies, making the needs for affordable housing even greater. The San Diego Housing Commissions website states about 46,000 households are on a waiting list for housing vouchers, and the waiting list is eight to 10 years.

Already one of the most recognized voices working on affordable housing and homelessness in San Diego, Gentrys schedule may be about to get tighter, and his profile even higher.

In addition to leading the housing commission, which owns and operates 3,400 units of affordable housing and is responsible for more than 15,000 housing vouchers, hes executive director of the San Diego Housing Authority, a separate body of the San Diego City Council. He also recently became chair of the governing board of the San Diego Regional Continuum of Care Council, which distributes federal funds to fight homelessness throughout the county.

At the same time, the Continuum of Care Council has announced it is merging with the nonprofit San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless, creating what will be the single largest regional organization working to house homeless people.

Gentry said the somewhat burdensome name Continuum of Care Council will be dropped in the near future, and both groups will be called the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. Hell remain CEO and president.

While Gentry may seem tireless, small physical things can be a challenge. Getting up from his desk to walk across the room with the help of crutches is a struggle, and he relies on a motorized scooter to get around outside the office.

His legs have gotten worse in the past few years because of the lingering effects of a near-fatal car accident 52 years ago that set him on a somewhat wayward path to his career.

I was driving my mommas car, driving like a damn fool, a cocky teenager, he said about the Sept. 13, 1964 crash.

Gentry was driving his mothers 1960 Chevy to his girlfriends house in his native North Carolina when the accident happened. He suffered a broken neck, and doctors believed he might never walk again.

But 10 weeks after the wreck, Gentry walked out of the hospital in Winston-Salem.

It left me with a handicap, and it also left me with a need to pay back, he said.

Sensing that his ability to walk was a miracle, Gentry decided to devote his life to God. He enrolled in Wake Forest University with a plan to be a preacher and began working toward a bachelor of administration degree in religion.

Although never ordained, Gentry did some lay preaching but began sensing that the life of a Southern Baptist preacher might not be for him. After earning his degree, he enrolled in Florida State University with a plan to earn a masters degree and work as a religious teacher.

Once again, he began having second thoughts.

I didnt want to teach about what other people did, he said. I wanted to do it.

He wasnt sure what it was until 1971, when he met a friend of a friend worked for HUD. After learning about the federal agencys mission of helping people find affordable homes, Gentrys life took another a sharp turn.

I had a calling, but it wasnt to live the life of a Baptist preacher, he said.

Gentry scored well on a federal service exam and took a job in 1972 at a HUD office in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The next nine months were spent learning everything about the organization, rotating from public housing to insurance to urban renewal programs.

I got a spattering of everything, he said.

His parents werent disappointed with his sudden career change but rather proud that someone in the family, including 25 cousins and two younger brothers, had finally earned a college degree. His father had a 10th grade education and worked at a Elkin, North Carolina, textile mill, where his mother worked as a secretary.

Gentry began working in housing management for HUD In 1973, the year he married his first wife, and for eight years he monitored 130 agencies in North Carolina.

In 1980, he moved across town to the Greensboro Housing Authority, where he was the number-two person at the city agency overseeing real estate operations.

Gentry decided he wanted to be a CEO after seven years on the job, but realized he would have to move to another city because his boss was only six years older and not going anywhere.

He remarried in 1987 and moved to Texas to take a job as head of the Austin Housing Authority, an organization that had 1,900 units and, he said, was in shambles.

Gentry and his wife stayed in Austin three years, turning the agency around before he was recruited to Virginia to run the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority in 1990. He stayed eight years, expanding his knowledge of the field to include redevelopment while overseeing 4,400 housing units and 3,500 vouchers.

He left for the private sector in 2000, taking a job in Chicago with the National Equity Fund, an affiliate for the nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a syndicator of low-income housing tax credits.

Gentry said he figured he would end his career in Chicago and retire to North Carolina. But in 2008, he got a call from a headhunter who knew him from years before to tell him about a job opening in San Diego.

I said, Good God, Id have to go back to the public sector, have to deal with politicians again, have to deal with the media. Why would I do that? Gentry said. And he said, Rick, arent you cold?

Without being critical of his predecessors, Gentry described the Housing Commission as underperforming when he arrived.

I was hired to take a plodding public sector agency and make it a first-rate agency, more like a private sector nonprofit rather than a government agency, he said.

After Gentrys arrival, the Housing Commission became one of the first agencies to detach vouchers from affordable-housing units, allowing people more choice in where they lived. About half of families who used vouchers ended up moving closer to work, friends or family.

We were the first, weve been the best, and weve been the most extensive to make this conversion happen, he said.

While Gentry said the Housing Commission has done more than ever before in recent years to house the homeless, he acknowledges that the needle doesnt seem to have much far. An annual count found about 8,700 homeless people in San Diego County, roughly the same as the year before.

Like everybody else, Gentry said he cant say for sure why the number remains high, but hes undeterred in trying to lower it.

If youve not an optimistic, you wont last long in this business, he said.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

760-529-4939

@GaryWarthUT
Every day, in countries all over Africa, grade-schoolers are learning the dirty truth about how germs spread, thanks to a colorful animated video by Fallbrook artist Joel Anderson.

The amusing video shows an African mother encouraging her children to wash their hands before meals, after swimming in the river and whenever they handle farm animals, which can be seen comically pooping up a storm around the familys small hut. Anderson, who has autism, spent 600 hours over 10 months creating the five-minute educational film for the African Water Projects. This weekend, Anderson will be honored for the film at the International Naturally Autistic People Awards, at the 2016 World Autism Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Anderson, 25, earned third place in the awards visual arts category, which drew 127 entries from all over the world. Anderson said hes proud of the video and excited to receive the award.

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I felt like I did a very good job with it so I hoped it might get an award, he said. I feel good about it. Im very happy.

He screened the video Wednesday afternoon at the 22nd annual TEACCH Autism Program conference at the California Avenue School in Vista. Thirty special education teachers from throughout California are attending the conference to learn new techniques for working with children with autism. Conference director John Dougherty has invited Anderson to speak at the conferences for four of the past five years.

Joel provides an adult perspective of the benefits of good services, Dougherty said. Hes an example of a person who has been served by a good education and he can articulate how he has made a success of himself.

Joel Anderson speaking to a group of teachers at California Avenue School in Vista Wednesday with some of his artwork displayed behind him. (Bill Wechter / For the San Diego Union-Tribune )

Anderson, who lives at home with his parents, Sandi and Jeff, has been a professional working artist for several years. He has done commissioned artwork for the Autism Tree Project Foundation in San Diego, created a live action I Can Fly informational video for Blue Horizons for Autism that parents can show their children before their first plane flight, and has published a childrens book. He has also spoken to more than 12,000 schoolchildren in the U.S., China and Japan on living with autism and how he has followed his dreams to launch a career.

Early last year, Anderson was speaking at an autism convention in Los Angeles when he was approached by Paul Knerr, founder of African Water Projects, which provides clean water solutions to villages in rural Africa. Intrigued by Andersons childlike eye for humor and detail, Knerr hired him to create the How Germs Work video. Knerr supplied the story and Anderson designed, animated and directed the piece and hired the voice actors to play the African family. The germs, bright green and pinks squiggly creatures with buggy eyes, are voiced with a high squeal by Anderson.

Since the film was finished in February, it has been shown to children in Togo, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda. Knerr has been so happy with its appeal to children, he has ordered a second film, which will teach children how to purify their water supply. Sandi Anderson, who acts as her sons business manager and chauffeur, said he has also been commissioned to create 3-second animations for a new communication app called sing to speak for preschoolers with disabilities.

Anderson said attending the conference at California Avenue was like a homecoming. After he was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at age 3, he attended preschool at the special needs public school. His first teacher, Linda Aubrey, was one of the conference coordinators. She said that when Anderson arrived at the school 22 years ago, he was one of the first children with autism she ever taught.

Back then the field of autism was new, so we learned on Joel, she said. He was like our guinea pig. We learned together on the best ways to help these children. So its so nice to have him back here using the strategies he learned in school.

Aubrey said that even as a small child, Anderson seemed destined for a career in the arts.

He was a very imaginative boy, she said. He was a goodstoryteller and could create all kinds of character voices.

During his half-hour presentation, Anderson read a speech from a laptop computer and showed slides of his artwork and photographs from his travels. He also described in detail how his autism affects his life and his perspective on the world. He said his hearing is so acute he can almost hear the grass grow, and his vision is so hyper-acute that he often turns away from people hes talking to because its the only way he can focus on their words. He described being physically touched as painful and prickly so he doesnt like crowds for fear of brushing up against other people.

On the plus side, he said his heightened senses have helped him to become a better artist. He uses bright, vivid colors in the paintings and greeting cards that he sells on his website, joelsvisionarts.com, And he said autism gave him the focus to entirely conceive the How Germs Spread film in his head from start to finish.

As for the future, he told the audience his dream is to run his own studio where he can paint, write books and poetry and make films.

I dont want to do just one thing, he said. I like anything  everything.
Rumors of Nokia gearing up for a smartphone industry comeback in 2016 have been making rounds for quite some time now. As per new reports, Nokia's upcoming Android smartphone, possibly dubbed "Nokia D1C", was recently spotted on benchmarking website, GeekBench.

As per the listing, the purported "Nokia D1C" handset, which appears with the model number MSM8937, will come powered by Google's latest Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. The device is shown to have Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core CPU, clocked at 1.4 GHz, coupled with Adreno 505 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The Nokia handset managed to score as high as 667 in single-core test and 3,229 in multi-core tests. Unfortunately, there's no information about the handset's display size and camera specs. Considering the specs, it is clear that the handset in question is a mid-range smartphone. The Geek bench smartphone listing authenticity is yet to be proved. So, readers are advised to take the information with a big grain of salt.

Last month, two Nokia Android Phones with model numbers Nokia 5320 and Nokia RM-1490 also appeared in Geek bench listings. The first handset Nokia 5320 was listed with a 2.27GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor, expected to be the latest Snapdragon 821 processor, 2GB of RAM and Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS. The second Nokia Android 2016 handset with model number RM-1490 was listed with a single core AMD A8-5545M processor clocked at just 500MHz, 2GB and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS.

According to reports, Nokia's comeback in 2016 will be marked by a couple of top-notch Android phones and tablets which will be manufactured by Finland-based HMD Global. Notably, HMD Global has inked an exclusive agreement with Nokia to manufacture Nokia-branded phones and tablets for the next 10 years. Mike Wang, President, Joint Management Team, Nokia China, has already confirmed that the company will launch two smartphones and two tablets either in December 2016 or in the beginning of 2017.

Don't forget to check with SWR for latest news and updates on Nokia Comeback 2016.
Frigatebirds, an aquatic bird with a six-foot wingspan, can spend weeks at a time up in constant flight, up in the clouds. How is that even possible? As Trace Dominguez explains in today's DNews report, the birds sleep with one eye open. Literally.

Earlier this year, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany fitted several frigatebirds with small EEG monitoring devices that measure brain waves. Then they cut the birds loose and recording data over 10 days while their feathered test subjects flew, nonstop, more than 3,000 kilometers.

The results were pretty amazing. It appears that frigatebirds sleep in the air by resting their brain for short durations -- one hemisphere at a time. In other words, they sleep with one eye open, while still flying. Data suggest the birds typically circle upward on air currents in the direction of their open eye, which is the one connected to the awake hemisphere. The Planck Institute researchers think they do this to watch where they're going and so they don't run into other birds.

RELATED: Birds Fly Faster as Flocks Get Bigger

Actually, frigatebirds are not the only animal that sleeps half a brain at a time. It's a documented but unusual rest pattern called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, and dolphins do it, too. A dolphin will shut down one hemisphere of its brain, leaving the other half of the brain to monitor breathing functions and keeping that eye open to monitor its environment. The left eye will be closed when the right half of the brain sleeps, and vice versa.

We humans can actually do this, as well -- kind of. Sleep researchers have documented unihemispheric slow-wave sleep in people, though it's not a full hemispheric separation. It's more of an asymmetry and it's associated with the first night effect, in which people have trouble getting a good night's sleep in a new location. One hemisphere of the brain remains more active and vigilant, monitoring the environment for unfamiliar sounds in the new surroundings.

So that old expression about sleeping with one eye open? It's actually pretty accurate. Double Secret Bonus Fact: Because of their tendency to steal food from other seabirds, frigatebirds are classified as kleptoparasites.

-- Glenn McDonald

Learn More:

NPR: Nonstop Flight: How The Frigatebird Can Soar For Weeks Without Stopping

Science Alert: Scientists have just seen birds sleep during flight for the first time ever

Nature: Evidence that birds sleep in mid-flight
Long before Christianity or Islam existed, Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic faiths, was one of the most dominant religions on Earth for about 1,000 years.

With about 200,000 followers, most of whom live in India or Iran, identifying themselves as Zoroastrian today, the religion still has a sizeable following even if it is dwarfed by the world's big three monotheistic religions.

What exactly is Zoroastrianism, and what do its adherents believe? Today's Seeker Daily video answers those questions.

WATCH VIDEO: How Powerful Is Jesus?

Founded by the prophet Zoroaster in the sixth century B.C., Zoroastrianism follows a single god, known as Ahura Mazda, a name that translates to "wise lord." Ahura Mazda is a benevolent, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent creator deity who designed a "perfect" universe.

Zoroastrians also believe in dualism, or a world in which everything exists within moral opposites. The opposite of Ahura Mazda, for example, is Angra Mainyu, which translates to destructive spirit. Just as Ahura Mazda is the source of life and goodness in the world, according to Zoroastrians, Angra Mainyu brings death and evil to the world. This duality is reflected in Christianity and Islam, and in fact that concept of heaven, hell and the devil are largely inspired by Zorostrian dogma.

Followers of Zoroastrianism believe that "good thoughts, good words and good deeds" keep evil at bay. The "law of Asha" is a prescription for those looking to follow a righteous path. There isn't a strict moral code or long list of rules, unlike other monotheistic faiths.

Zoroastrianism also differs from other religions with its emphasis on individual, rather than group worship. Members of the faith only ever gather together to celebrate their religion during holidays or other special occasions.

RELATED: How Science, Religion Square Off in the Brain

Although Zoroastrianism flourished thousands of years ago, it has seen the number of followers decline precipitously in the modern era, largely as a result of oppression, forced conversions and migrations.

In Iran, where the religion was founded, Zoroastrians are routinely persecuted and subject to "increasing repression and discrimination," often subject to intimidation and arrests, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. India, home to more Zoroastrians than anywhere else on Earth, loses about 10 percent fewer followers every decade.

Zoroastrians once numbered in the tens of millions, but today they are a rare find, and someday, they might only turn up in the history books.

-- Talal Al-Khatib

Learn More:

Washington Post: Saudi Arabia's Top Cleric Says Iran's Leaders 'Not Muslims'

BBC: Zoroastrianism at a Glance

NPR: Zoroastrianism an Ancient, Shrinking Religion
Relative to the other features on our smartphones -- storage capacity, camera resolution -- battery life has not progressed much in recent years. As a matter of fact, there hasn't been a truly significant breakthrough in consumer battery technology in decades.

As Jules Suzdaltsev explains in today's DNews report, that's not likely to change in the near future, but there may be a long-lasting light at the end of the tunnel.

First, let's take a look at what we've got. Nearly all rechargeable modern batteries are based on lithium-ion technology. They generate electrical current from the movement of lithium ions between electrodes. And for this purpose, lithium is great. It's the least-dense metal, with the highest energy-to weight ratio of anything else we could potentially be using.

But lithium batteries aren't built to last. At least, they don't last as long as we'd like them to. Here's a statistic for you: The average lithium-ion smartphone battery is generally expected to last between 300-500 charge cycles. (Bear in mind this refers to a full-discharge cycle, taking the battery from zero percent all the way back up to 100 percent.) Recharge efficiency degrades gradually, and can be accelerated by overheating and other factors.

RELATED: Fungi Extracts Lithium from Discarded Batteries

While battery capacity isn't getting much better, battery life is continuing to improve. That's because effective battery life is really capacity divided by consumption. For instance, the new iPhone 7 processor chip uses only two-thirds as much power as the previous iteration, while reportedly increasing performance by 40 percent.

Now for the good news: Earlier this year, researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) accidentally invented a battery that, for all practical purposes, never dies. The breakthrough involves the use of nanowires, highly conductive filaments that are thousands of times thinner than a human hair. Nanowires are great for moving electrons around, but they're extremely fragile and scientists have been unable to get them to work with traditional batteries.

The UCI team appears to have solved the problem by coating gold nanowires in a manganese dioxide shell and encasing the assembly in an electrolyte gel. (Why didn't we think of that?) The upshot: Researchers charged up the test device 200,000 times over three months without any loss of capacity or power and without fracturing any nanowires.

This could be a Very Big Deal indeed, but the entire initiative is still in early research phase, so it will be a while before we see anything play out. If the math holds up, these new nanowire batteries could last up to 400 years.

-- Glenn McDonald

Download Science GO!

Read More:

UC Irvine: All powered up: UCI chemists create battery technology with off-the-charts charging capacity

Tech Insider: The companies that make your smartphone batteries say they should barely last a year

Seeker: Samsung Battery Explosions: Key Questions and Answers
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October 2, 2016 Bam wants simplified tax system and lower taxes for small businesses Aside from reducing personal income tax, the government must also provide small businesses with lower income tax rate, a simplified process and other privileges to stimulate their growth, according to Sen. Bam Aquino. While he is certain that the personal income tax reform will be passed, Sen. Bam said the government must include tax reform for small businesses in its tax reform package. "With all the support from the executive, we're certain the personal income tax reform will be passed. What we should also focus on is the Small Business Tax Reform Act na makakatulong sa mga maliliit na negosyo na nagsisilbing kabuhayan ng maraming pamilyang Pilipino," said Sen. Bam, referring to his Senate Bill No. 169. Sen. Bam's bill seeks to provide small businesses with a lower income tax rate, VAT exemption and simplified filing of taxes. Under the measure, all small businesses shall be exempt from payment of income tax for the first three years of its operation from date of establishment and will be subjected to lower income tax rates thereafter. Small businesses earning less than P300,000 will be exempted from income tax while those with income ranging P300,000 up to P10,000,000 will be subjected to a 10-percent income tax rate. "This bill also proposes the lowering of the income tax rate for MSEs and an exemption from VAT, among other methods to help our small businesses grow," said Sen. Bam. The measure also pushes for simpler bookkeeping, a special lane and assistance desk for MSEs, exemption from tax audit, annual filing of returns, and payment in installment. Sen. Bam stressed the need for simpler taxation, saying the Philippines placed 126th out of 189 economies in Ease of Paying Taxes in a joint study by PWC and the World Bank - Paying Taxes 2016. "This must change. The Small Business Tax Reform Act will simplify tax procedures and unburden our small businesses of the complex tax process," said Sen. Bam. By streamlining the country's tax system, it will boost the chances of our local enterprises to succeed and, in turn, generate prosperity and livelihood for more and more Filipinos.
The Loma Fire burning in the Santa Cruz Mountains has leveled a dozen homes and 16 other buildings over the past week as firefighters on Sunday gained ground on the blaze and lifted some evacuation orders, officials said.

The latest damage assessment from the 4,474-acre wildfire was released as the flames slowed overnight, allowing firefighters to increase containment around the fire to 71 percent, officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
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MIDDLETOWN, Lake County  The shock came a year ago.

A YouTube video playing in a Santa Rosa motel room flashed what the small group of guests, chased from their homes last Sept. 12 by the historic Valley Fire, never imagined theyd see: The beloved retreat they ran in the hills of Lake County had been reduced to piles of rubble and ash.

The managers of Harbin Hot Springs, who helped shape the decades-old mantras of tolerance and self-expression that lured droves of spiritual seekers to their clothing-optional getaway, lost not only their livelihoods but also a community  one that included 55 residents, 240 employees and tens of thousands of annual visitors.

The circle extended to Middletown locals who, in addition to taking part in dance classes, healing workshops and meditation, counted on out-of-town traffic to support their own businesses.

The mother ship was destroyed, said Sajjad Mahmud, senior vice president of Harbin and a 30-year resident. We had so many people coming from so many places. Theres been a great sense of dislocation.

But amid the charred remains of cabins, massage studios and a wooden temple, the centers signature springs continued to flow. The water in the pools, the managers said, gave them hope for the future.

Now Harbin, like the rest of the region, is trying to move beyond a fire that, across the region, killed four people while leveling nearly 1,300 homes and 66 businesses.

On the anniversary of Californias third-most-destructive wildfire, the heads of Harbin Hot Springs are among hundreds of Lake County residents working to rebuild. Few, though, are being watched as closely.

Harbins comeback from the Valley Fire  and the momentum it may provide a broader, regional recovery  hinges on a multiyear plan being hatched at a small house in Middletown, the groups temporary base of operations.

Their undertaking involves clearing out wide swaths of dead trees on the mountain property, reclaiming the areas natural hot springs, and surrounding the soaking pools with a mini-village of rebuilt lodging along with a restaurant, theater and conference center.

The effort, which could cost as much as $60 million, is complicated by estimates that Harbins insurance payout will cover only a fraction of the bill.

Harbin was put together over 40 years, Mahmud said, appearing unfazed by the obstacles. If you start thinking too far ahead, its overwhelming. I think what were doing, as they say in the cliche, is taking one day at a time.

On the scorched hillsides where the rustic resort once stood, the sound of heavy machinery echoed on a recent morning. All of the burned structures were gone, and the frames and foundations of new decks and refurbished pools were emerging, alongside shoots of newborn oak and bay trees.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Harbins managers say theyd like to partially open by the end of the year, but acknowledge thats a best-case scenario.

The immensity of the destruction was overwhelming, said Will Erme, one of the retreats managing directors and former residents, as he walked past a metal dragon gate that survived the fire. I knew we would start rebuilding, but we didnt know how or when.

There was this period of not knowing, he said. There are still many periods of not knowing.

The Valley Fire, which burned quickly from the mountain community of Cobb to Middletown 10 miles away, destroyed all but a handful of the dozens of historic buildings at Harbin. Many dated to the early 1900s, a time when the site operated as a high-end resort with Turkish baths and a dance pavilion before it was acquired by the Heart Consciousness Church and its new-age practitioners in the 1970s.

Among the small staff that has returned since the fire is a security team that works out of a trailer, keeping nefarious or merely curious interlopers off the property. On some days, dozens of onetime visitors drive up the dead-end road in the isolated canyon to check on progress.

They just want to know that were coming back soon, said Nikki Palmer, who was manning the entrance. One woman recently told me that God sent her. I just got her a chair and let her sit by the sign. She did some yoga and said some prayers. Most people just need a few minutes.

The initial work at Harbin is focusing on the the sites spring-fed pools, the centerpiece of the retreat and a product of Lake Countys unique geothermal activity. Geysers, warm creeks and a 4,000-foot volcano, Mount Konocti, loom nearby.

Harbin managers say that if all goes well, six rebuilt pools  and two new ones  will open to the public on New Years Eve. Few buildings will be in place by then, but guests will be able to soak in the mineral water, eat at food trucks and camp. Watsu, a type of aquatic massage that started at Harbin, and other bodywork are expected to resume.

Construction consultant and Lake County resident Shah Allard, who was inspecting new walls around a hot tub, said the pool complex will in many ways be better than it was.

New pipes that tap the areas seven underground springs and a more modern pump house will boost water flow by 10 percent and better control temperatures. The hottest pool will sizzle at a steady 112 degrees.

Its very high-tech, Allard said, standing between hot and cold tubs where people once enjoyed the rush of plunging in one, then the other. I dont think Ive seen this anywhere in the world.

The long-term plans for Harbin are less certain. The managers have drawn up a lengthy to-do list, which includes building a dozen guest cottages and a small market next year, but the timeline beyond that is fuzzy, in part because of finances.

Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

An insurance payout between $10 million and $12 million is expected, well short of the estimated planning and construction costs for the new Harbin. The resort had limited coverage.

Members of the management team, however, hope to come up with enough money through savings, visitor fees, grants and a fundraising drive to pay for the work as they go along.

A few hundred thousand dollars in donations have already come in, but the money went to displaced residents and employees, many of whom are now staying in communal houses that Harbin owns in and around Middletown.

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Heather Rogers, a magician in El Cerrito and a longtime Harbin devotee who has been following the retreats headway on Facebook, said shes ready to come home.

The resort was one of the few places where she could truly unwind, and she liked to stay, for $60 a night, in the mermaid room, with its funky collection of mythic statues.

Her relaxation was aided by the centers policy barring cell phones, cameras, drugs and alcohol. Those who wanted no disruptions, as Rogers sometimes did, could wear silence beads.

People talk about it being a scene, and its true theres naked people cuddling all over ... but Harbin has this magical power, and its the only place on Earth Ive found it, she said. It was like a Disneyland for people who need to shut down and are a little new-agey.

Interest in the rebuild goes far beyond the guests.

Bringing money and jobs into the county, which was struggling economically even before the Valley Fire, is critical for financing the pipeline of projects planned for burned areas, said Lake County Community Development Director Bob Massarelli.

Harbin Hot Springs, with the tourist tax and the revenue it generates, is really important, he said.

Of the homes and businesses destroyed by the 76,000-acre fire, only about 125 have been rebuilt or permitted. Two other wildfires in the county last year, and this years Clayton Fire in Lower Lake, left a couple hundred more homes in ruin.

Harbin Managing Director Eric Richardson says that if theres a silver lining for the resort, its the unique chance to move forward with a tabula rasa  a clean slate.

The reconstruction will result in a modern and environmentally friendly campus, he said, that has more light and a greater sense of openness, while still retaining its earthy, artsy charm.

Keep the quirk, is one of the credos that the managers often cite.

Harbin had this great synergy when it was operating. It was this healthy but very relaxed buzz, Richardson said. I look forward to when that experience is fully alive again, and I believe it will be that much richer.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
There are 28 people running for six seats on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and between them theyve knocked on tens of thousands of doors and struck up conversations with countless city residents.

What do they hear most often? In a phrase, Throw the bums out.

Nobody, it seems, is happy with City Hall. In a reflection of the national mood, which has become so anti-Washington, D.C., that we might actually have Donald Trump as our next president, San Franciscans are none too pleased with their elected leaders. In response, candidates with ties to City Hall are painting themselves as political outsiders.

Theres just a distrust of everyone in City Hall, from the mayor to the supervisors to the supervisors staff, said Joshua Arce, who is running in District Nine, which includes the Mission. Homelessness has reached epidemic levels. Prostitution on Shotwell Street has reached highs not seen in decades. Property crimes are reaching new levels.

Car break-ins. Tent camps. Potholes. Congestion. Dirty streets. If theres a complaint about a quality-of-life issue being neglected by City Hall, the candidates across the city have heard it. And heard it and heard it.

Arces campaign literature reads: City Hall has failed our community and City Hall is broken. Hes hardly a political outsider, though, having been appointed to the Commission on the Environment by Mayor Ed Lee in 2012 and having served on the Democratic County Central Committee. He no longer holds either position.

Arces main challenger, Hillary Ronen, is considered the front-runner in the race. Though shes worked in City Hall for more than six years as the right-hand woman of Supervisor David Campos, who will be termed out as representative of District Nine, Ronen appears to be distancing herself from her longtime boss.

In June, Ronen sought to have her occupation on the ballot listed as civil rights attorney. She has been Campos legislative aide for years and deactivated her law license to take the job. The occupation didnt fly with the elections office, and Ronen instead chose to appear on the ballot as legislative aide/mother.

In her opening statement at a recent Chronicle editorial board session, Ronen began by saying shed be a very different supervisor than Campos. Like a lot of you, we have bosses we agree with and bosses we disagree with, and of course Im no different, she said.

Ronen later disputed the notion shes trying to distance herself from Campos. Shes listed his endorsement on her website and has pictures of herself with him there, too.

I have been frustrated by the fact that Josh has been spending the entire campaign attacking David as a way of attacking me, and I think thats so typical of male candidates that dont recognize that I am my own person and will have my own leadership style and my own priorities as supervisor, she said.

Specifically, she said Campos has focused on the city as a whole, while she will concentrate solely on improving District Nine. She ticked off a number of constituents complaints about the district that she wants to tackle, from a lack of affordable housing to tent camps to robberies.

Asked why shed be able to solve these problems as supervisor when she hasnt been able to as Campos top aide, she said, You know how City Hall works. Im not setting the priorities of the office. Im executing the priorities that are set by the supervisor.

Ronen isnt the only one making these distinctions. Ben Matranga, who is running for supervisor of District Seven, the West of Twin Peaks neighborhoods, said his team has knocked on 9,000 doors and that complaints about City Hall are a consistent drumbeat. The neighborhood is filled with owners of single-family homes who dont understand where their property tax money goes and why theyre being asked for more money in multiple tax measures on the November ballot, he said.

Matranga just left City Hall in March, working for the mayor as the citys first-ever street-safety director charged with eliminating traffic deaths. Asked whether he wants Lees endorsement, Matranga paused and said, I dont think its important to the average voter.

Ouch. But thats about the same response as just about every candidate we asked.

Marjan Philhour, who is running in District One, which encompasses the Richmond, said, I think the mayor has done so much nationwide for affordable housing, but right now Im focusing on endorsements from people in the neighborhood. David Lee, who is also running in District One, said, I want neighbors to endorse me. I want regular people to endorse me.

Joel Engardio, who is running in District Seven, said, I dont have a comment on that, I guess. Arce said, Its an endorsement that cuts both ways ... his popularity has declined greatly.

It may be an academic exercise anyway, because Lee hasnt endorsed any candidate for supervisor this go-around and may stay out of the endorsement game entirely, focusing instead on ensuring the outcome of ballot measures he feels strongly about.

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Lee has made a practice of not endorsing in supervisorial races, with the exception of pushing hard for his appointee Julie Christensen to beat Aaron Peskin in District Three last year  and that didnt turn out so well for him.

Tony Winnicker, a senior adviser to Lee who is on leave to work on defeating four ballot measures the mayor opposes, said, Theres a lot going right with the city, but people are rightly concerned about the cost of living, homelessness, public safety and other issues. Candidates who represent a break from the status quo in their districts could have an advantage in that environment.

He pointed out that could cut both ways. People may be be dissatisfied not only with the moderate mayor, but also with the progressive supervisors, three of whom are termed out, leaving their seats wide open.

Ruth Bernstein, a pollster for EMC Research, has conducted numerous polls in recent months for various campaigns. She said that overall, San Francisco residents are feeling better about their city than they did earlier this year.

In March, Bernstein found that 35 percent of residents said the city was headed in the right direction, and 50 percent said it was on the wrong track. Those numbers are now reversed, she said.

Whether those more rosy feelings apply to Lee and the supervisors is unclear. A Chamber of Commerce poll in March found that Lees approval ratings had tanked, dropping to the low 40s. Those saying they strongly approved of his performance were in the single digits. Approval of the Board of Supervisors was at 40 percent.

Asked what her newer polls show about Lee and the board in particular, Bernstein said she didnt have anything to share, which doesnt exactly give us confidence the results are rosy.

Heather Knight is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer who covers City Hall politics. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com, Twitter: @hknightsf
The uproar over former Sheriff Ross Mirkarimis spousal-abuse case may have faded for most folks, but not for local anti-domestic-violence activists and tech titan Ron Conway.

Conway and the activists have been willing to wait for years for a chance to take out the supervisors who blocked Mirkarimis removal from office in 2012. So far the score is two down and two to go, with Supervisor Jane Kim now squarely in their crosshairs.

The tech millionaire is funding a $200,000 (and counting) TV and Internet ad campaign aimed at defeating Kim in her state Senate battle with fellow Supervisor Scott Wiener. Two years ago, Conway paid big bucks to prevent Supervisor David Campos from prevailing over David Chiu in their race for state Assembly, and ex-Supervisor Christina Olagues pelt is also on Conways wall  he helped fund her election defeat in 2012.

It may have been four years since the Mirkarimi fight, but Conway and his allies in the anti-domestic-violence forces dont forget.

We are holding her (Kim) accountable, and we will be doing that on every level, said activist Andrea Shorter, who has helped spearhead the hits on Kim and the others.

Kim is being targeted in two ads, one featuring Mauryne Lees, a retired worker in the County Jails domestic violence program, whose daughter was killed by her partner in a domestic violence incident 20 years ago in Aurora, Colo.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

The second features Shorter, who says the fact that Kim said she would support a Mirkarimi recall after she voted not to bounce him as sheriff shows that she plays it both ways.

Kim declined to comment on the ads, but campaign spokeswoman Julie Edwards slammed the attacks  saying, This isnt about Mirkarimi. This is about raw power. The establishment is clearly worried about a leader like Jane Kim who isnt afraid to stand up to the special interests and fight for the working people of this city.

History shows Conway will dig deeper into his wallet to defeat Kim if he has to. Olagues 2012 election loss in District Five came after a $300,000 campaign waged by Conway, his wife, Gayle, Shorter and others in the anti-domestic-violence community.

Campos was nailed by an $800,000 TV, Internet and mailer blitz paid for by Gayle Conway and LinkedIn co-founder and Airbnb investor Reid Hoffman in the final weeks of his race with Chiu.

Campos and Olague, plus Kim and Supervisor John Avalos, provided the votes on the board needed to block Mayor Ed Lees attempt to throw Mirkarimi out of office for an incident involving his wife, in which the then-sheriff eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor false imprisonment. Avalos has been spared Conways wrath only because he was unopposed when he ran for re-election, and now hes termed out.

As for Mirkarimi himself? He overwhelmingly lost his re-election bid last year. The outcome was such a foregone conclusion that Conway and Co. didnt even bother with the heavy artillery.

Ax falling: Within a day of being made the Fine Arts Museums of San Franciscos chief executive officer, Max Hollein was cleaning house.

Sources tell us that as many as a half-dozen employees were handed pink slips as part of an administrative reorganization that Hollein, the museums director since March, launched after getting his additional title last week.

And it may not stop there. We hear that Chief Operating Officer Richard Benefield, who had been widely viewed as helping to bolster philanthropist and board boss Dede Wilsey during her tumultuous reign, is heading out the door for another job.

Max has a different style how he wants to organize the musuems, said one longtime insider, who wasnt authorized to speak for the record.

Among those who found themselves on the chopping block was Ken Garcia, the former Chronicle news columnist who served in recent years as the museums government and community affairs director. He was the museums spokesman who provided the statement in July that suggested Wilsey was preparing to step down from her roles as president and CEO to focus on other areas where her skills and expertise will have a positive impact.

Wilsey immediately pledged to stay on as leader of the de Young and Legion of Honor. Last week, however, she did relinquish her CEO job, and her board title was changed from president to chair.

Rock n roll em: It seems like a natural fit  Berkeleys legendary Amoeba Music and a pot club.

The Telegraph Avenue store hopes that becomes a reality within the next six months, now that its landed the citys single new permit to open a medical marijuana dispensary.

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Appropriately, the pot club will go into what is now the stores jazz room.

With record sales slowing, weve been looking for way to diversify our product line to make enough money to save our store and keep our people working, Amoeba co-owner Marc Weinstein said after the City Council approved the permit. This seems to be the best way to do it.

For years, merchants along the avenue have been frustrated by the once-popular streets decline.

To be honest, I was expecting them to oppose the idea of a weed dispensary at Amoeba, said Mayor Tom Bates. Instead, they all supported it.

In part because of the rules for pot clubs.

We have to keep the area completely clean and safe, with security guys with eyes and ears on the street  something the city certainly hasnt provided for, Weinstein said.

And while the doors will initially open up for medical marijuana, Weinstien also has an eye on what might happen if voters legalize recreational weed in November.

Who knows? Weinstein said. Someday we might have pairings of different types of weed to fit different kinds of music.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation last week requiring arbitrators to follow California law in workplace disputes arising in the state. But he vetoed a different, hotly contested bill aimed at limiting companies repeated use of arbitrators they consider sympathetic.

Both bills were part of an effort by consumer and labor groups, and trial lawyers, to clamp restrictions on arbitration. Retailers and employers are increasingly including terms in contracts requiring grievances to be heard by private arbitrators rather than judges, with rulings that are virtually immune from appeal.

SB1241 by state Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, which Brown approved Sept. 25, overrides employment contracts that require arbitration to be held in another state, typically the employers home state, or to follow the laws of another state, generally one less employee-friendly than California. The law, effective in January, will require in-state arbitration using California law.

While the arbitration law is still skewed against workers, the legislation eliminates some of the worst arbitration clauses, Wieckowski said in a statement.

The vetoed bill, SB1078 by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, would have required an arbitrator to obtain consent from both sides before accepting any new arbitration contracts from either party in a case until the arbitration was concluded. It would also have required arbitrators to disclose any contract offers they had received from either party in the previous two years.

Californias current ethical standards for arbitrators, adopted in 2002 after a series of articles in The Chronicle about abuses in the system, require arbitrators to disclose potential conflicts of interest and prohibit them from soliciting new contracts from either side in a pending case. But the California Employment Lawyers Association said SB1078 was needed to curb repeat players, arbitrators who favor businesses that regularly hire them.

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But the business-backed Civil Justice Association of California said the restrictions were unneeded and would deprive arbitration companies of some of their most frequent customers. The American Arbitration Association said its members would withdraw from California cases if the measure became law.

Brown, in his Sept. 25 veto message, said arbitrators in California already face stringent disclosure requirements that the state Judicial Council can strengthen if necessary. I am reluctant to add additional disclosure rules and further prohibitions without evidence of a problem, he said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
Theres new evidence that the climate on crime and punishment is changing in California: a handful of bills signed by Gov. Jerry Brown that will make it easier to overturn, or prevent, wrongful convictions.

One law, signed by Brown last week, will allow prisoners to challenge their convictions with new evidence that, more likely than not, would have changed the outcome of their trials, easing the current standard that requires near-certain proof of innocence. The law takes effect next year. Another measure allows immigrants facing deportation for criminal convictions to offer newly discovered evidence that they were wrongfully convicted.

A third bill, whose supporters included the California Police Chiefs Association, will require police to record all interrogations of murder suspects, recordings that jurors can use to decide whether confessions were voluntary or coerced. A decade ago, lawmakers twice approved legislation requiring recording of interrogations in all violent felony cases, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both measures.

A more significant test of public attitudes awaits in November, when voters will consider a repeal of Californias death penalty  similar to an initiative that was narrowly defeated in 2012  and a measure backed by Brown that would overhaul state sentencing laws and allow thousands of prisoners to apply for early parole. But the newly signed laws suggest a turnabout in a state that had been among the nations leaders in tough sentencing practices that swelled the prison system.

The measures are a step in the right direction, said former state Attorney General John Van de Kamp, who served as chairman of the state Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice in the mid-2000s. Progress moves slowly sometimes.

The commission, whose members included prosecutors, defense lawyers and police, recommended a series of changes in California criminal laws from 2006 through 2008, including recording of police interrogations and narrowing or abolishing the death penalty, but most were rejected by legislators or vetoed by Schwarzenegger. One proposal, to require testimony by jailhouse informants to be backed up by independent evidence, was vetoed twice by Schwarzenegger but was signed by Brown in 2011.

For nonviolent offenders and drug cases, theres a much different view than there was 20 years ago, said Van de Kamp, who served as attorney general from 1983 to 1991.

He might have said 40 years ago, when lawmakers and voters started tightening the screws on the criminal justice system. A bill signed by Brown in 1976 required convicted felons to serve fixed terms prescribed by law, and was followed by a succession of measures mandating prison for certain crimes, increasing terms for gun use, gang affiliation and other factors, and requiring sentences of 25 years to life for felons with two previous serious or violent convictions  the first-in-the-nation three strikes law approved by both legislators and voters in 1994.

Other prosecution-sponsored ballot measures, labeled victims-rights initiatives, allowed use of evidence from some police searches and interrogations that had been ruled illegal under state law. The prosecutor-backed voter removal of Chief Justice Rose Bird and two state Supreme Court colleagues in 1986 helped to install a conservative majority that rarely reversed convictions or death sentences.

By 2009, the state prison population had reached 175,000, seven times its total three decades earlier. At that point, a federal court panel ordered a reduction of 40,000 to ease overcrowding that the court blamed for shoddy prison health care.

In response, Brown, back for his second stint as governor, won passage of a law sending low-level felons to county jail instead of state prison. But the state has been able to comply with the order only because voters, for the first time, approved ballot measures shortening sentences  one narrowing the three-strikes law, and another reducing some drug crimes and minor thefts from felonies to misdemeanors.

I think there is an opening today for criminal justice reforms that push back on the punitive swing of the last couple of decades, said David Sklansky, a Stanford law professor, former federal prosecutor and co-director of the law schools Criminal Justice Center.

Lucy Salcido Carter, policy director of the Northern California Innocence Project at Santa Clara University, said the public has also become more receptive to claims of wrongful convictions, thanks in part to video footage of questionable police conduct.

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I think its disturbing for people to think about innocent people serving time in prison, and it crosses party lines, said Carter, whose organization backed the three bills signed by Brown.

They are:

SB1134 by Sens. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Joel Anderson, R-San Diego. Passed without a dissenting vote, it allows convicts who offer new evidence of possible innocence, after losing their initial appeal, to get a hearing if the evidence probably would have led to acquittal. The previous law required a showing of almost certain acquittal.

AB813 by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego. It allows an immigrant who has pleaded guilty to a crime, and served his or her sentence, to offer new evidence of innocence that could spare the immigrant from deportation.

SB1139 by Sens. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, and Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina (Los Angeles County). It requires police to record interrogations of all murder suspects, expanding the current law that applies only to juvenile murder suspects.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
Back in 2011, architect and designer Laura de la Torre persuaded her then-husband to check out a fixer-upper in Albany. There was little about this 560-square-foot 1930s bungalow that was not in need of fixing: It was full of mold, covered in old linoleum and filled with a scent that could only tastefully be described as eau de feline.

But it had a new foundation, and de la Torre saw potential: a new kitchen; bright colors; her two little boys climbing the sprawling low-limbed tree in the backyard; and, eventually, a second floor.

The couple offered less than the seller was asking and their bid was rejected.

Less than a year later, de la Torre found herself suddenly single with her two small boys, Tomas, 6, and Mateo, 3, living in a large four-bedroom rental in Oakland. The space felt cavernous. She was again drawn to the scrappy little Albany bungalow and discovered that it was still on the market and, in a rare Bay Area phenomenon, the price had plummeted. This time, her bid was accepted.

I didnt think too much, I just did it, de la Torre says.

De la Torre scraped together a budget of $80,000 for phase one of her remodel plan: Move the kitchen to the other side of the house; transform the original kitchen space into a dining room; remodel the only bathroom; remove the linoleum and add hardwood; restore the original 1930s hardwood in the living room; and replace all the windows. Work began in March with the goal of finishing by June.

The timing was good for taking on an all-consuming task. My energy was really focused on creating, de la Torre says. The work was finished on time and on budget.

Peter DaSilva/Special to The Chronicle

Two days before move-in, panic set in. I was like, Oh my God, what am I doing moving from a four-bedroom house to a no-bedroom house? The makeshift bedroom for the family of three would be the living room until de la Torre had the budget for phase two. That turned out to be two years later.

But no one suffered. A garage sale liquidated overflow belongings, and the rest was piled into the detached garage. The spacious backyard gave the boys a place to run. The tiny home became an oasis: I remember getting here to move in  it was my place, I bought it, I remodeled it. It felt so good.

Phase two began in early 2015, and the family had to move out. The plan was to add a second floor with three bedrooms, a bathroom and two balconies. The square footage was increased by extending 4 feet off the back of the second level and adding a deck on the ground floor off the kitchen.

Nine months later, the second floor was mostly ready. The addition doubled the square footage, giving each family member a bedroom of their own. A few finishing touches remained: painting, mostly, but de la Torre was ready to stop paying rent on top of her mortgage.

She also decided some things were better left unfinished. Most of the shelving and closets are open. The staircase and built-in bookshelf are constructed with LVL wood, which is covered in markings that would typically be painted or otherwise covered.

But I said just leave the marks, I like it, de la Torre says.

Peter DaSilva/Special to The Chronicle

She accommodated the two boys with a large space separated by a pocket door. These days it stays open and serves as a play space, but de la Torre is planning for the day when older Tomas, now almost 10, will want his privacy.

Looking at the outside of the home, no one would imagine it was built in two pieces. De la Torre used windows and strategic painting to connect the homes lines both vertically and horizontally. The exposed pipes, bright colors and modern silhouette both stand out and fit right in on a street lined with eclectic bungalows, some with manicured landscaping, others decorated with totem poles and dream catchers.

De la Torre's five-year journey, ultimately, brought her home in the truest sense.

I feel really accomplished, like, Oh my god, I can do this.

At the same time, she feels free enough that she could pick up the boys and move anytime. Two more garage sales later, the detached garage is now empty and poised to become her next project: a rental with a bedroom and bath.

Kristen Philipkoski is a freelance writer. Email: home@ sfchronicle.com

De la Torres remodeling tips

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Peter DaSilva/Special to The Chronicle

Get light

I have moved so many times, and lived for two years in a small space, so I had to get rid of a lot. I have loved getting light; I dont feel attached to anything.

Be flexible

I had to be really creative with the kitchen because I didnt have a big budget. So I left it open above with Ikea shelving and spent a little more on eco-cabinets underneath.

Negotiate for perfection (or close to it)

I learned that maybe not everything will be perfect, but negotiation skills are key to getting what you need or at least close to what you dream. And I like it to be not perfect. I like when it feels like people use it, like people live there.

Write it down

When de la Torre had a moment of panic two days before moving into the first version of her new home, she calmed her nerves by making a sketch of where her furniture would go  and committed to getting rid of the rest. I realized you can live in a really small space.

Patience and persistence

It took five years from the time her bid was accepted, but de la Torre and her boys now live in their dream home: I learned that anything is possible.

 K.P.
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For this years 39th Mill Valley Film Festival, which opens Thursday, Oct. 6, the stars have aligned  in more ways than one.

Thanks to savvy leadership, a strategic spot on the awards season calendar, and spectacular scenery that is a hop, skip and jump away from Hollywood, the venerated Bay Area event has positioned itself as one of the countrys most important bellwethers of Oscar gold: Six of the past eight best-picture winners have made their California or U.S. premieres in the picturesque Marin County environs.

And now, more than ever, the celebrity guest list is beginning to equal the wattage of the prestigious offerings. Dont get us wrong: The Mill Valley Film Festival is no stranger to high-profile visitors; its past gallery of in-person honorees could fill up several red carpets.

But this year, the star power seems to have reached a new level, headlined by Nicole Kidman, the Academy Award-winning actress who next Sunday, Oct. 9, will receive a career tribute and screen her new film, Lion. Also appearing will be such luminaries as Amy Adams, Emma Stone, Annette Bening, Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Ewan McGregor, James Franco, Edward James Olmos, Gael Garcia Bernal, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Tamblyn, Carl Lumbly, Kerry Bishe and Connie Nielsen.

Many of these actors, who have garnered more than a dozen Academy Award nominations among them, are appearing in or directing new films that are already generating Oscar buzz. For them, Mill Valley represents a serious yet relatively relaxed venue to promote their projects.

History is on their side. In the past eight years, the best-picture winners that played at the festival are Slumdog Millionaire (2008), The Kings Speech (2010), The Artist (2011), Argo (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Spotlight (2015).

During the two down years of that era, Mill Valley screened three best-picture nominees in 2009 (An Education, Precious, Up in the Air), and the same number in 2014 (The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash), topped off by the appearance of Theorys best-actor Oscar winner, Eddie Redmayne.

In 2006, the festival welcomed both the eventual Oscar winners for best actor and best actress: Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland) and Helen Mirren (The Queen).

Yet the Mill Valley Film Festival is much more than a pre-Oscar splash. Its formidable section of international films consistently features many of the Cannes winners, including this years I, Daniel Blake (Palme dOr) from Great Britain, and The Salesman (awards at Cannes for best actor and best screenplay) from Iran. Veteran actresses Isabelle Huppert, from France, and Sonia Braga, from Brazil, also have highly regarded films in the lineup.

The festival has always been a showcase for documentaries and for Bay Area filmmakers, and this year is no exception. Some of the local highlights include Company Town, a look at how incumbent Supervisor Julie Christensen squared off against challenger Aaron Peskin over Airbnb; Unleashed, a San Francisco story of pets that are incarnated as humans; and Circus Kid, a beguiling documentary about a kid and his father who were in San Franciscos Pickle Family Circus.

And last but not least, there will be nine nights of music at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, featuring about every genre under the stars.

David Lewis is a Bay Area freelance writer.

39th Mill Valley Film Festival

When: Thursday, Oct. 6-Oct. 16

Where: Movie venues in Mill Valley, San Rafael, Corte Madera and Larkspur

Opening-night films: La La Land, Arrival, followed by opening-night party

Centerpiece presentation: 20th Century Women

Closing-night film: Loving

Tributes: Actress Nicole Kidman, filmmaker Julie Dash

Spotlights: Actors Ewan McGregor, Gael Garcia Bernal, Aaron Eckhart

Music: Second year of MVFF Music; concerts at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley

Schedule, tickets and more information: (877) 874-6833, www.mvff.com

Stars align

The Mill Valley Film Festival is known for in -person appearances by past and future winners of Oscars and other major awards.

Emma Stone

Amy Adams

Nicole Kidman

Ewan McGregor

Annette Bening

James Franco

Edward James Olmos

Gael Garcia Bernal

Joel Edgerton

Ruth Negga

Aaron Eckhart

Carl Lumbly

Connie Neilsen

Amber Tamblyn
Merrill Beth Niskers most recent music video  for a song called Sick in the Head  is about exactly what youd expect from the electroclash performer better known as Peaches.

She starts off in front of a mirror, clipping blond hair extensions to her head before slipping into a sequined black leotard. For a few beats, viewers get to see her only from behind. Then, suddenly, shes in a metal tunnel, spinning around to reveal an eyeball on each breast and a big, gnarled mouth on her crotch. Pretty soon that mouth is screaming along to the music. Oh, and theres some (possibly satanic?) face paint, too.

All of this is to say, about 15 years after she first told listeners to F the Pain Away, Nisker, who is set to perform at Mezzanine on Monday, Oct. 3, is just as wild and weird and subversive as ever.

Niskers been confronting and twisting social norms around gender and sex through her music and visuals since the very beginning, but these days, she says during a recent phone call, shes on her own  she independently released her most recent album, 2015s Rub  and feeling freer than ever.

Theres no one to answer to, she says, adding that not even TV censors can hold her back now that people can go watch her videos, which are frequently labeled Not safe for work, online. Now its like people are going to see your s if its good, even if it is subversive. Thats motivating for me.

The new setup has meant videos featuring orgies, comedian Margaret Cho in a fuzzy onesie with a fuzzy penis and an aerial acrobat who performs with a laser butt plug. In that last video, Nisker sings: Im an everlasting iconoclast/ I came to destroy the past/ My stargasm makes the blast/ Shake the system, then surpass. The message there, the one about destroying systems, is all her.

At 47, Nisker says shes on a mission to make aging cool, and shes still tackling big, complicated issues  like the way people relate to their bodies. Photos from her newest stage show have started making the rounds. In some of the images she has five breasts on her chest and another one between her legs. Its not the first time shes covered herself in boobs. (And there have also been times when shes also draped herself in hair or dressed herself in a foam uterus or walked out into the crowd in a giant blowup phallic shaft.)

Nisker plays with these things, she says, because its a body. And because we have it. And because so many things are taboo for no reason.

When the conversation turns to the word iconoclast, though, she hedges a bit.

That song was made specifically for Empress Stah, the laser-butt-plug aerialist, who actually gave me some words that she thought related to me and her together, Nisker says. Everlasting iconoclast was something she wanted in there. I think it fits, and I think its good. But it wouldnt normally be my style to say that.

Still, Niskers iconoclastic influence is everywhere  consider the sexual exploits of Miley Cyrus or Lady Gagas sartorial choices  even if shes never gained the mainstream attention those other artists have. Nisker has noticed, of course, and shes watched as times have caught up with the sorts of politics shes always been about.

These days, pop stars happily call themselves feminists, and sexual and gender fluidity arent nearly the taboos they once were. Nisker says shes glad for the progress, but shes also clearly worried about its staying power.

I hope it doesnt just become a trend, she says. I hope its something that continues.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @RyanKost

Peaches: 8 p.m., Monday, Oct. 3. $22-$30. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie St., S.F. http://mezzaninesf.com

Watch her latest video for Sick in the Head: tinyurl.com/peachessfc
The Nazis would hang.

The Chronicles front page from Oct. 2, 1946, covers the conclusion of the first Nuremberg trial, which ended in death sentences for 12 of the highest-ranking living members of the Third Reich.

Hermann Goering and 11 other Nazi chiefs who helped Adolf Hitler plunge the world into the greatest war of all time were sentenced today to death by hanging, the story read. Seven other defendants, including Rudolf Hess, were sentenced to prison and three were acquitted by the four-power military tribunal in the first international war crimes trial.

Hitler and two of his top lieutenants  Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler  had killed themselves in 1945 as their dreams of world domination crumbled as the Allies closed in.

The top Nazi commanders who didnt commit suicide would go on trial in November of that year. After nearly 11 months, the convictions were handed down, and death would soon follow.

The Chronicle ran a front-page editorial on the day after the trials conclusion. Here are excerpts:

There was something almost pathetic in the way the men who had made a foul joke of human dignity in their days of power strove feebly to cling to the tatters of their own dignity when they heard their personal fates decreed at (Nuremberg) ...

The savage truth  and it is said reluctantly of those who once laid claim to parity, nay, superiority, as humans  is that those who heard the gallows prescribed for their crimes had become more animal than man. ...

The lesson and the comfort from the (Nuremberg) example do not lie, then, in the mere fact of merited extermination  of destiny catching up. There is no more satisfaction to be gained from the hanging of these 12 than from the eradication of any other 12 jackals; likewise, the motive of vengeance is lost, because these 12, like their four-footed counterparts, are in a measure insensate.

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

Chronicle Covers highlights one classic Chronicle newspaper page from our archive every day for 366 days. Library director Bill Van Niekerken and producers Kimberly Chua, Michelle Devera and Jillian Sullivan contributed to the project. Tim ORourke is the executive producer and editor of SFChronicle.com. Email: torourke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TimothyORourke

(Click to enlarge)




A 78-year-old Fairfield driver drunkenly plowed into a pedestrian Saturday evening, police said.

The suspect, Jerry Swearengin, struck the 48-year-old pedestrian on North Texas Street near Oak Street, police said.

When officers got to the scene, they found the victim in the street suffering from multiple injuries. Paramedics rushed the pedestrian, who was not identified, to a hospital where he is expected to survive.

Swearengin was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
After five years of punishing drought, I am more fearful than ever that increasingly destructive and unpredictable fires will exceed our capacity to put them out quickly and protect the lives and property of Californians. And the odds are high that the state will continue to grapple with extreme fire seasons long after the current drought ends.

During my travels in California, I have seen firsthand the enormous number of trees that have been killed by drought and bark beetle infestations. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that there are 66 million dead trees on our states public lands, half of which are concentrated in the Sequoia, Sierra and Stanislaus national forests.

The lack of water, combined with the proliferation of tree-killing beetles that thrive in dry conditions, has created a tree mortality crisis unlike any weve seen in recent decades. But this growing public-safety threat has not received the attention or resources it deserves. That needs to change.

Despite the fact that our traditional fall fire season is just beginning, California already has faced more than 5,000 fires this year, burning nearly 500,000 acres, resulting in seven fatalities and destroying more than 1,270 homes and other structures. More than 12,000 firefighters and 92 aircraft have been deployed by the state and federal governments to battle the blazes.

Because of all of the dead trees, federal and state fire officials say that firefighters are seeing unprecedented extreme fire behavior that limits their ability to quickly contain fires before they get out of control. According to the U.S. Forest Service, about 2 percent of fires escape containment measures, but battling just those catastrophic fires accounts for 97 percent of firefighting costs.

While dead trees do not necessarily cause more fires, they do result in more unpredictable fires. Small, seemingly contained fires sometimes explode within minutes and burn right through retardant.

For example, the Blue Cut Fire in San Bernardino County consumed 30,000 acres in less than 24 hours and forced more than 80,000 residents to evacuate. The Soberanes Fire in Monterey County burned straight through the fire retardant that was expected to stop its advance.

If were ever going to get a handle on these increasingly destructive and unpredictable fires, then we need to address the root of the problem: the 5.5 million trees that are the biggest threat to public safety  about 8 percent of the 66 million. These trees are most likely to fuel catastrophic blazes or fall on roads, power lines and homes.

The federal government  the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, and the Office of Management and Budget  should provide $38 million from existing agency budgets for 19 tree-removal projects on 38,000 acres of the Stanislaus, Sierra, and Sequoia national forests that pose the greatest risk of catching fire and threatening lives and homes.

They also should designate additional funding in next years federal budget to cut down and remove even more trees in high-hazard areas.

Funding these projects now will not only help protect Californians from extreme fires in the short-term, but it also could also help reduce how much is spent on fighting fires in the long-term.

Of course, cutting down millions of trees in high-risk areas creates a new problem  tons of timber would need to be removed and repurposed.

Facilitating the export of dead trees to other states and countries is the right path forward. While California has a glut of unprocessed timber, other states, such as Montana, and countries, like China, are experiencing a shortage of unprocessed timber.

Since 1968, there has been a federal ban on exporting unprocessed timber harvested on public lands. While this policy made sense at the time  Congress wanted to ensure an adequate supply of raw timber for our then-booming wood-processing mills and furniture industry  it needs to be changed to expedite the removal of trees in drought stricken areas. Todays situation is far different than 1968s.

The federal and state governments should ensure the wood is put to good use when possible, and Gov. Jerry Brown should make funding available to subsidize the significant cost to transport the dead trees to mills, biomass plants and export facilities.

They should also incentivize companies and consumers to use blue-stained pine  the result of bark-beetle infestations  and encourage purchasing of such wood products through targeted marketing campaigns. The change in color does not affect the quality of the wood.

We need to do all we can to clear Californias forests of the 5.5 million dead trees that are exacerbating wildfires and threatening public safety. Californians must get engaged in pushing their federal, state and local governments, as well as private partners like utilities, to take decisive action as soon as possible.
SACRAMENTO  As lawmakers scurried around the red-carpeted floors of the state Senate on a busy day near the end of the last legislative session, several briefly paused when the clerk began reading a resolution.

The resolution, by Assemblyman Eric Linder, R-Corona (Riverside County), designated a week in August as Concrete Pipe Week, to promote a progressive interest and understanding of the importance of the reinforced concrete pipe industry to every community throughout California and across the United States. The resolution drew chuckles from several lawmakers in the back of the chambers.

Linders was one of almost 600 resolutions introduced in the state Legislature during the past two-year session, which ended on Aug. 31. These legislative formalities, designed to honor individuals or groups or draw attention to issues, dont create or change laws. Some considered this past session, for instance, asked Californians to celebrate cowboys and urged parents not to idle cars when picking up their kids from school.

While some legislators may find humor in them, taxpayer groups and other critics say they are no laughing matter. They argue that they have become excessive and costly, and that there is little public benefit from them.

Yet, there are, at times, clear personal benefits to lawmakers who push resolutions through the Legislature. A review by The Chronicle of all 578 legislative resolutions in the past two years found many instances where special interest groups made campaign contributions to the lawmakers who carried resolutions highlighting their organizations or causes.

For example, Linder received $900 in campaign contributions from members of the American Concrete Pipe Association last year. He worked with the association this year on the resolution, which declared Aug. 8-12 as Concrete Pipe Week.

Both houses of the Legislature approved the resolution.

Linder told The Chronicle in a written statement that he was proud of the resolution. He did not respond to questions about the political donations.

As a representative of a district that relies heavily on construction jobs, I believe it is entirely appropriate to honor the industries that keep Californians working, Linder said.

Theres also Engineers Week.

Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres (Stanislaus County), recognized National Engineers Week in a February resolution requested by unions and associations representing engineering companies or their employees. The resolution read in part: It is appropriate at this time to recognize the contributions of engineering professionals to the betterment of humankind.

Weeks after it won approval, Cannella reported $5,200 in donations to his Republican campaign for lieutenant governor from two of the groups that brought him the resolution, the Professional Engineers in California Government and the American Council of Engineering Companies of California.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

In each of the past three years, Cannella has authored resolutions for Engineers Week while taking in donations from engineering unions and trade groups that asked for the resolutions. Since 2011, Cannella received $16,100 from two of the groups, the Professional Engineers in California Government and the American Council of Engineering Companies of California.

Cannella declined to comment for this story.

I think there is tremendous abuse of resolutions by lawmakers who want to take the easy way out by passing a resolution instead of a bill, said Jamie Court, president of the consumer and taxpayer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog. They give the false impression that a lawmaker is doing something.

Another lawmaker, state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, who is a doctor, carried resolutions in the past two years related to the medical profession. The California Medical Association and California Academy of Family Physicians asked Pan to author SJR7, which urged Congress and the president to increase funding for medical residency training programs.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Both groups are among his biggest political donors. The California Medical Association donated more than $100,000 to get Pan elected in 2010 to the Assembly and has since made regular contributions to him. The California Academy of Family Physicians donated $5,900 to Pan in the past two years.

Another of Pans resolutions declared a week in January 2015 as Physician Anesthesiologist Week. That resolution was brought to Pan by the California Society of Anesthesiologists.

The same day, Feb. 13, 2015, that the resolution was passed by the Legislature, the California Society of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee donated $4,200 to Pans 2018 Senate campaign.

This year, the American Society of Anesthesiologists honored Pan with the 2016 Excellence in Government award, citing, in part, the resolution. He received another $4,200 donation, bringing his total contributions from the group to $31,300 since 2009.

Pan said hes proud of the resolutions he wrote.

Resolutions play an important role in recognizing groups and the history of them, Pan said.

Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

But resolutions dont just help lawmakers earn campaign dollars. Critics say they also help legislators earn their per diem of $176 a day. Thats a daily tax-free living expense lawmakers receive on top of their salaries as long as they are not out of session for more than three days. The per diem averages to about $36,000 per lawmaker, or $4.3 million for the 120 legislators, according to state Department of Finance budget documents.

If they didnt have the resolutions, they would be hard-pressed to have an excuse to have a session, and without a session they could lose a day or two of per diem, said Michael Genest, a former state Department of Finance director under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The per diem, you could say, is what resolutions cost. Thats what seems to preserve it.

On Feb. 25, senators spent nearly their entire hour-long floor session discussing resolutions that included teen dating violence awareness month, California Pharmacists Outreach Week, Ronald Reagan Day, Korean American Day and Black History Month. Meeting that Thursday enabled lawmakers to receive their per diem for Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well.

Such resolution-heavy sessions are common at the beginning of the year, when policy bills are still being introduced or weaving their way through committee hearings.

The cost of a bill or resolution is unknown, since the Legislature does not track the amount of time spent on individual proposals.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

The nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office estimated two decades ago that the average cost to process a bill in the state Legislature was $13,733. The office has not done an estimate since 1993. But adjusting that figure to todays dollars using the California Consumer Price Index would peg the average cost of a bill at $24,000. Still, the cost of a resolution would be less than that of a bill because resolutions typically do not go through committee hearings, which adds to the amount of legislative staff time.

Genest said because legislative staff are paid the same regardless of how many resolutions are passed, its hard to make an argument that drafting and passing resolutions itself is costly. No matter how many resolutions are passed, the staff earns the same.

He said the actual cost is mostly in the attorney fees from drafting the resolution. The Office of Legislative Counsel, a nonpartisan public agency with 80 attorneys and an annual budget of $97 million, drafts legislation and resolutions for lawmakers. But the office does not track how much attorney time is spent on bills or resolutions.

Former Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said resolutions serve a vital role for the Legislature by allowing lawmakers to recognize the work of individuals or groups.

To the person receiving a resolution its most often a big deal, Steinberg said. So long as the important policy business is considered and gets done, I dont see a negative.

In the Assembly, each of the 80 lawmakers is allowed to carry up to five resolutions during the two-year session, a cap created under then-Speaker Fabian Nunez in 2006.

Assembly members introduced 313 resolutions during the last two-year session.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

In the Senate, however, the 40 members have no restrictions. Pan carried the most of any lawmaker with 23 resolutions in the past two years. Senate Republican Leader Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield, was second with 21 resolutions.

Nunez said resolutions are an ineffective method of drawing attention to an issue because so many are introduced each year that they lose their meaning.

Resolutions dont solve any problems, Nunez said. They are symbolic gestures. The question is whether that is a good use of the time of legislators. I would argue its not.

While many resolutions typically receive the obligatory aye vote in the Legislature, some result in lengthy floor debates that eclipse the time dedicated to substantive policy bills. For example, when John Wayne Day was taken up in the Assembly this year, it received considerable debate as to whether the actor was worthy of the designation given racist remarks hed made. The resolution ultimately failed.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Resolutions are like feel-good moments for policy members, said Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor and expert on state ethics laws. They are all a way to say I resolve to be a person who is popular and who is re-elected.

Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, sparked a debate over Ronald Reagan Day after saying he could not support the annual resolution because of the former presidents inaction on the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. The resolution was amended twice and two legislative staffers analyzed it four times. All that added to the time given to the resolution.

In all, lawmakers spent 30 minutes discussing the merits of Ronald Reagan Day in the Senate and Assembly before it passed in both houses.

In the Senate, lawmakers introduced 265 resolutions in the two-year session.

Senate Republicans, on average, introduced three more resolutions than Senate Democrats, likely a result of Republicans being the minority party and having a more difficult time passing bills.

This is a way for them to make a statement, Leno said. It may not have the effect of law, but they can still add something to a resume and still feel accomplished as a legislator whereas they cant otherwise.

Leno said he did not introduce his own resolution during the two year session, because we are busy authoring actual bills.

During the most recent session, lawmakers passed resolutions to declare September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Pain Awareness Month, Chiari Malformation Awareness Month and California Pedestrian Safety Month.

In August alone, amid the end-of-session rush before lawmakers finished for the year, lawmakers introduced 24 resolutions. The Legislature ran out of time to pass many of them after they had been drafted by Legislative Counsel.

They included one recognizing Gold Star families in an effort to rebuke Donald Trumps highly publicized clash with the Khan family, and one that would profusely apologize to American Indians in California for the atrocities committed against them. Others would have named September 2016 as Silver Alert Community Education Month and declared Aug. 25 as California Young Parents Day, Sept. 28 as Parent Advocacy Day and a week in October as Digital Citizens Week.

I wont say they are never appropriate, but the vast majority are meaningless and only give the appearance that they are doing real work, said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. At the end of the day, you have to wonder what the real value is.

Some lawmakers say its hard not to grow frustrated with the steady stream of resolutions, particularly when the Legislature is busy with budgets and deadlines.

There is often a little eye rolling, said termed-out Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles. Members can sense that it may be something thats a priority to one member, but maybe not the state as a whole.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
The towering residences of Russian Hill were quite the sight in the mid-1800s. For wealthy families, like Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Manrow, they were a symbol of wealth and stature. For Mr. Manrow, a successful civil engineer and noted brilliant mathematician, the house, fashioned as a Swiss chalet, was more than that  it was a refuge.

Well, it was for a while anyway.

One day, around 1856, Mrs. Manrow's sister and niece came to visit. They had been traveling around Hawaii (then often called "the Sandwich Islands") and came to believe they brought with them some unexpected baggage. Soon, odd things began to happen around the mansion. They say items flew around rooms unprovoked and the salt and sugar were found switched in their dishes. Once, most alarmingly, Mr. Manrow says he narrowly dodged an axe thrown at him by no one while he was walking through the kitchen.

Mr. Manrow, then 40 and frequently appearing in the San Francisco Chronicle for his engineering work around the city, was dubbed the "judge-advocate of the Vigilance Committee," an organization revamped that year in response to the murder of a journalist named James King of William (yes, his real name) and the growing crime in the city following the discovery of gold.

In such a dignified position, Manrow frequently met with other movers and shakers in the city also fighting for the cause. In particular, he often met friends running the short-lived "True Californian," a partisan daily newspaper. Two of the three men running the newspaper were present on the day in 1856 Manrow decided he had had enough of the spirits his sister-in-law brought into the house. One was Almarin Brooks Paul, a prominent 32-year-old mining engineer; the other was William H. Rhodes, a 32-year-old lawyer.

As Rhodes and Paul listened, they became fascinated. "There seemed to be a persistent and malign influence connected with the house," a writer in the Chronicle wrote in 1919. "Acts of spite and mischief and elfish pranks were played in broad daylight."

Entranced with Manrow's "extraordinary" story of menacing spirits, they resolved to go to the Manrows' Swiss chalet on September 19, 1856 to conduct a seance.

When the two young men arrived at the Manrows' house that night, they were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Manrow, as well as her sister and niece. Paul, quite excited to begin the seance, asked Mrs. Manrow if she was frightened.

"No," she responded. "It was rather terrible at first, but we're used to it now. In fact, I confess I am rather more annoyed and indignant than terrified. These spirits, or whatever they are, seem so childish and petulant that I cannot understand it at all ... Today I bought an expensive bonnet downtown. When I got home I laid it upon the piano. The next moment I turned to look at it again, and just while my back was turned for an instant every feather had been plucked from the bonnet!"

As soon as the six of them joined into a circle around a table, they said, "manifestations began to occur." They heard knocking from every direction, and the table at which they were seated levitated a foot in the air. Then, "the whole apartment was thrown into commotion."

They recalled the doorbell began violently ringing, sofa cushions were hurled about the room, and all six say they felt their hair pulled, their skin pinched and their limbs grabbed. Books flew off shelves, one of which struck one of the women. Paul briefly broke the circle to pick it up  a travel book  and put it on the table. It shot open, and he closed it, but it shot open again, revealing a singular bible passage: "Cannot ye discern the signs of the times?"

The six began to converse with the spirit through a series of knocks; at first, the ghost identified itself as James King of William. They called the spirit a fraud, and the second time, it revealed itself to be an old, thin Hawaiian woman named Capitana, whom Mrs. Manrow's sister had known while in Honolulu. Again, they compelled her to appear in a physical form.

At once, a bush outside began to shake against the window forcefully. The moon, almost full outside, beamed upon it as a figure appeared beside it, just for a flash.

Everyone ran to the window to get a closer look. Mr. Manrow, perhaps in disbelief, challenged Capitana to wake an employed servant sleeping in a different building. Barely had he uttered the words when the servant burst into the kitchen, terrified. Turning back to see him, a figure, in human form, rose from the ground. "Its countenance was so terrible, so repulsive, and so threatening, black and cruel, that the whole party fled in horror," they reportedly recalled. Other items in the room flew through the air behind them. The men later said the figure was a "naked wraith, tattooed and dusty."

The spirit then shot through the wall and out into the night, tearing a front gate in the process, and flinging it ten feet away.

Shocked and rattled, the six regrouped and then reformed the circle, asking to be joined by "kinder" spirits. This time, their experience was quite different:

"Immediately everyone was softly touched and caressed by many hands; their hair was smoothed and their cheeks patted by hands that became gradually visible, till sometimes a dozen were seen about a single person."

Not content to accept the night's activities as reality, Paul and Rhodes returned the next two nights, both times to experience similar events. More figures were seen outside the window, trying to speak, and sometimes succeeding in whispering.

On the last night, one spirit became particularly violent with Paul. He had been sitting in a chair in the corner of the room when suddenly, he was thrown from it. Grasping the arms of the seat, he tried to force his way back into it, but the ghost would not oblige, and ripped him away, forcibly throwing him onto the table.

The Manrows said they continued to be visited by these ghosts in the home  now dubbed as the "House of Demons"  for months. Then one day, it ceased. Some believe they vanished, but others did not. In any case, Mr. Manrow died and the house was sold to a fearsome man named John G. Klumpke, whom the newspaper speculated was "a terror to unruly spirits." Klumpke lived in the house until his death, and never reported any paranormal activity.

The house was torn down at some point after Klumpke's death in December 1916, and the plot was used for an apartment building in 1927, which still stands there today.

Alyssa Pereira is an editor for SFGATE. Follow her here on Twitter.
When chef Prem Tamang was 14, he left his village in northern Nepal and went to work on the mountain. In the 1980s, the trekking industry in the Himalayas was still gearing up, but Tamang found enough work up there to be a porter, then a cook and, finally, a guide.

When Nepalese political tensions in the mid-90s affected American tourism there, Tamang emigrated to the United States and relied on the cooking skills hed acquired in the mountains to work in Indian restaurant kitchens throughout the Bay Area.

In 2003, he landed at Bernal Heights Little Nepal, a restaurant owned by his friend Ramesh Lama. Together they ran a successful neighborhood business, beloved by Bernal locals for its momos and creamy cashew chicken curry.

Lama died in 2010, and Tamang drifted for a few years. He opened a Nepalese restaurant in Petaluma, went back to Little Nepal for a stretch, and looked around for a new San Francisco kitchen to showcase his cooking.

Finally, last fall, he was eating at Chans Cuisine, at Mission and Cortland, and found that its owner was looking to get out of the business. Tamang, 58, took on the lease and opened the 28-seat Cuisine of Nepal in April.

The neighborhood fans that hes cultivated over the past decade have followed him down the hill. Theyre drawn there in part by the excellent kukhurako ledo, that cashew chicken curry, with its fire-broiled chicken bits bathed in a subtle tomato-based sauce made creamy with ground cashews in lieu of too much actual cream. Sopped up with buttery, garlicky naan, its quickly become one of the culinary treasures of that stretch of Mission.

Nepalese food is less reliant on butter, ghee and cream than Indian cooking, Tamang explains. As such, he tries to be judicious with his use of those ingredients  even when hes making Indian dishes like palak paneer, which he knows that the neighborhood wants alongside Nepali classics. (They also offer a brisk takeout and delivery business.) He prides himself on grinding spices every day and skipping shortcuts like subbing frozen spinach for fresh baby leaves.

But he also ensures that he makes dishes from his hometown, like butternut squash and pumpkin curries, which have a subtle heat that rounds out the gourds sweetness. He puts mustard greens braised in curry, another childhood favorite, on the menu whenever he can find the leafy greens. He also applied his heritage to the juicy, gingery momos, that essential Nepalese dumpling with a skin a little thicker than a gyoza.

While items like the cashew curry are superlative, the rest of the menu is about on par with a great neighborhood takeout place: nothing life-changing, but also as good or better as it needs to be to fulfill weeknight delivery or a wallet-friendly night out.

There are plenty of meaty sizzling platters, like poleko khasi, tender hunks of lamb that have been marinated in olive oil and yogurt, as well as vegetarian dishes like jhol, a mild dahl-like lentil soup, and chana saag, spinach and chickpeas. All of the entrees can be upgraded to a combo with rice, garlic or plain naan, and dahl and vegetable curry for a few extra dollars.

Cuisine of Nepal is a narrow sliver of a restaurant, although its made more cheery than claustrophobic with orange walls and the warmth of the greeting from Tamang, who says hes just happy to be here at this juncture of his life. On occasion, it seems as if hes having trouble believing that hes come into such good fortune.

He and his wife own a house in San Mateo and have raised two sons, now at university  a constant source of pride for their father, who didnt even go to high school. More than that, he still has American friends who date back to his Himalayan guide days. One of them, now 97, stopped by Cuisine of Nepal for lunch the other week. Tamang was touched by the visit.

Im so proud of my life, he says. And so grateful for the help from all the friendships.

Anna Roth is a freelance writer in San Francisco. E-mail: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annaroth

What: Chicken cashew curry ($15.99), Himalayan momo ($6.99), butternut squash curry ($15.99), sizzling lamb platter ($16.99)

Where: Cuisine of Nepal, 3486B Mission St. (at Cortland Avenue), S.F. (415) 647-2222. www.cuisineofnepal.com

When: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
LOS ANGELES  Agnes Nixon, the creative force behind the enduring TV soap operas One Life to Live and All My Children, has died. She was 93.

Ms. Nixon died Wednesday at a Haverford, Pa., physical rehabilitation facility close to her Rosemont home, said her son, Bob Nixon. She had checked in to gain strength for a planned book tour, he said.

She had just completed her memoir, My Life to Live, on Sunday, a week before it was due to publisher Penguin Random House for publication in early 2017, her son said.

She was really a great wife, mother and human being  but above all, a writer. She was writing up until last night, he said, and had called him with a few changes for the book.

The cause of death was not immediately known, he said.

Ms. Nixon suffered a stroke four years ago with serious complications, her son said, but she fought to regain her health. He confirmed her birth month as December 1922, despite media reports that she was 88.

I am devastated to learn that we have lost Agnes. I adored her and admired her and I am forever grateful to her! Susan Lucci, who starred as Erica Kane on All My Children, said in a statement.

Ms. Nixon created, wrote and produced the long-running ABC daytime serials, which were canceled in 2011 as the network bowed to the reality that soaps had faded as a daytime TV force. Both subsequently had short-lived online runs.

All My Children aired for nearly 41 years, while One Life to Live made it to 44 years. They were set in the fictional Philadelphia-area towns of Pine Valley and Llanview.

Social issues including child abuse, AIDS, alcoholism and gay rights made their way into the series story lines. Erica Kane was the first regularly appearing TV character to undergo a legal abortion, in 1973.

In a 2003 episode of All My Children, Bianca, who was Ericas daughter, and the character Lena shared what was billed as daytime TVs first same-sex kiss.

The theme of All My Children from the beginning is the belief that, as Gods children, we are all bound to each other by our common humanity, despite our many personal differences, Ms. Nixon said at the time. The Bianca story is our latest effort to dramatize that belief.

Agnes impact on daytime television and pop culture is undeniable, said Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of ABC parent The Walt Disney Co., in a statement. She was the first to champion socially relevant topics, and the towns and characters Agnes brought to life leave an indelible imprint on television that will be remembered forever.

Ms. Nixon, a native of Chicago, was mentored by the grande dame of the soap opera genre, Irna Phillips, back in the radio age.

She was writing for a TV soap, Search for Tomorrow, as early as 1951. In the late 1960s, while raising a family and serving as head writer for The Guiding Light, Ms. Nixon created a bible detailing All My Children.

The show was rejected by CBS, but after Ms. Nixon breathed new life into NBCs flagging Another World, she was approached by ABC to create a new serial. That was the start of One Life to Live, which earned such solid ratings in its first year that ABC asked for another.

I said to my husband, I cant think of another one,' Ms. Nixon told the AP in 2013. He said, How about All My Children?' So I opened the desk drawer and took out the bible and sent it to ABC. They said, Boy, that was fast work!'

The stories and characters of Ms. Nixons fictional worlds never ended for her, Bob Nixon said: It might not have been on the air but it was in her head.

Agnes Nixon was married to the late Robert Nixon, and the couples four children are among her survivors. Services were planned for Saturday in Rosemont, with a private burial to follow.
Adam Lau/Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) The Blue Angels announced that their performance Saturday at the California Capital Airshow at Mather Airport has be canceled after their flight leader became sick.

The Blue Angels commanding officer and flight leader, Cmdr. Ryan Bernacchi, contracted a food-borne illness and is under medical supervision of the team's flight surgeon, airshow officials said.
Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez might need more than one debate to catch up with state Attorney General Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate race, but thats all shes going to get.

Wednesdays hour-long debate from Cal State Los Angeles will be the only head-to-head matchup of the two Democrats in the fall campaign, and polls show the congresswoman will need some help if shes going to catch Harris, who beat her 40 percent to 19 percent in the June primary.
LONDON  Britain will trigger the formal process for leaving the European Union before the end of March, Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday, putting to rest weeks of speculation on the timing of the move.

May outlined her vision for a post-EU Britain at her Conservative Partys annual conference in Birmingham and took the first steps to making a British exit  or Brexit  a reality.

As her fellow lawmakers applauded wildly, May made it clear that the British people expected to see the moment on the horizon when Britain would leave  and that she was going to deliver.

We will invoke it when we are ready, and we will be ready soon, she said. We will invoke Article 50 no later than the end of March next year.

While the prime minister previously had hinted she planned to initiate Britains EU exit early next year, many observers had speculated she would wait until Frances presidential election ends in May or perhaps even the Germany elections, set for the late summer or fall of next year.

Britain voted in a June referendum to leave the EU, but has not formally notified the bloc of its intentions by invoking the article of the EU treaty that would trigger negotiations. Doing so will launch two years of talks to work out the details of Britains future relationship with the single market.

The prime minister also said she would ask Parliament to repeal the European Communities Act, which automatically makes EU rules the law of the land in Britain. May said her government instead would incorporate all EU laws into British law and then repeal measures on a case-by-case basis.

That means that the United Kingdom will be an independent, sovereign nation, she said. It will be making its own laws.

May said that by offering a timetable now, she hopes to encourage the two sides to engage in preliminary work that would help the negotiations go smoothly once they begin.

The president of the 28-nation EUs governing European Council, Donald Tusk, offered a tweet in support of her position. He had told her at a recent Downing Street meeting that the ball is now in your court.

PM Mays declaration brings welcome clarity on start of Brexit talks, he tweeted Sunday. Once Art. 50s triggered, EU27 will engage to safeguard its interests.

One of the biggest sticking points in any talks will be immigration. The free movement of labor is a founding principle of the EU, and millions of EU citizens live and work in Britain.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti  A powerful Hurricane Matthew moved slowly Sunday across the Caribbean Sea on a track that authorities warned could trigger devastation in parts of Haiti.

The storm had winds of 145 mph as it moved northwest and the center is expected to pass across or very close to the southwestern tip of Haiti late Monday before reaching Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti. Forecasters said the southern Haitian countryside around Les Cayes could see the worst of it.

Wherever that center passes close to would see the worst winds and thats whats projected to happen for the western tip of Haiti, said John Cangilosi, a hurricane specialist at the center. There is a big concern for rains there and also a big concern for storm surge.

Matthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history and briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane here since Felix in 2007. The hurricane center said it appeared to be on track to pass east of Florida through the Bahamas, but it was too soon to predict with certainty whether it would reach the coast of the United States.

The government of Haiti opened 1,300 emergency shelters across the country, enough to hold up to 340,000 people. Authorities broadcast warnings over the radio and across social media, urging residents to evacuate.

The shelters are open but I dont believe we have anyone inside them just yet, said Joseph Edgard Celestin, a spokesman for the civil protection agency.

Teams of civil protection officials were walking the streets of Les Cayes asking residents to secure their homes, prepare emergency kits and warn their neighbors. Many Haitians appeared unaware of the looming hurricane.

No, I havent heard anything about a bad storm coming here, farmer Jean-Bernard Mede said with a concerned expression as he took a break from walking three cows along a dirt track outside the town of Leogane. Ill do what I can for my animals and my family.

Forecasters said the slow-moving Matthew was expected to dump 15 to 25 inches of rain over southern Haiti, with a few places getting as much as 40 inches.

The impoverished country is particularly vulnerable to devastating floods because of steep terrain, with hillsides and mountains often devoid of the trees that hold back the water because they have been cut down to make charcoal for cooking fires. Many people live in houses that are not able to withstand a storm, typically built of scraps of wood with flimsy corrugated steel roofs.

A hurricane watch was posted for the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. A tropical storm warning was in effect for parts of the Dominican Republic, where authorities began mandatory evacuations of areas at risk for flooding.

The hurricane earlier had been projected to move closer to Jamaica, but the risk to the island diminished somewhat.

The center of the system is looking more likely that it will pass to the east of Jamaica but it wont miss it by that much, so they are still going to see impacts, Cangilosi said. The impacts are maybe going to be a little lower there than they would be in Haiti and eastern Cuba.

After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew is expected to reach Cuba, potentially striking near the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, where authorities were evacuating non-essential personnel, including about 700 family members of those serving there.

Cuban President Raul Castro traveled to the eastern city of Santiago to oversee preparations for Matthews arrival.
1 Mistaken bombing: Five Afghan soldiers and a police officer were killed in an air strike carried out by an Afghan military helicopter in western Farah province, Afghanistans Ministry of Defense said Saturday. The ministry said the helicopter used inaccurate information from ground forces when it conducted the air strike late Friday. The forces were being attacked by insurgents in the Bala Buluk district. When they called for air support, the helicopter incorrectly fired a rocket at a checkpoint occupied by Afghan security forces.

2 Refugee crisis: French police fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters defending refugees in the northern city of Calais on Saturday as the government prepares to shut down the citys notorious refugee camp. The demonstrators defied a ban by authorities on the protest. Hundreds of people came in by bus from other cities and were met by police, who used tear gas to disperse them and keep them from marching into the city center.
BAKU, Azerbaijan  Pope Francis praised Azerbaijan on Sunday as a model for a world divided by violent extremism, sidestepping criticism of the government for the sake of encouraging religious tolerance in an often-volatile region where Catholics are a minority.

Francis avoided direct mention of criticism in the West over allegations of human rights abuses in Azerbaijan and a recent government referendum that extends the presidents term and gives him new powers.

The pope addressed a gathering of Muslim, Jewish and Orthodox leaders in Azerbaijans main mosque before heading back to Rome after a Caucasus visit that first took him to Georgia.

From this highly symbolic place, a heartfelt cry rises up once again: No more violence in the name of God, Francis said. May his most holy name be adored, not profaned or bartered as a commodity through forms of hatred and human opposition.

The pope spent his 10 hours in the Azeri capital of Baku celebrating one of the worlds smallest Catholic communities and the good relations it enjoys with Azerbaijans Shiite Muslim majority and its Jewish, Orthodox and other religious minorities. There are only about 300 Azeri Catholics in Azerbaijan, though the community also includes several thousand foreigners.

These good relations assume great significance for peaceful coexistence and for peace in the world, Francis told President Ilham Aliyev and government officials. They demonstrate that among followers of different religious confessions, cordial relations, respect and cooperation for the common good are possible.

Francis celebrated Mass in Bakus new Catholic Church, which was built with the financial help of Muslims and Jews, according to the Salesian priests who preside there. The Azeri government donated a plot of land on the outskirts of the capital after St. John Paul II visited in 2002, but it took the help of non-Christians to get the structure built.

I cannot contain my boundless joy, parishioner Eva Agalarova, 61, said of Francis visit.

Last week, Azerbaijans Central Election Commission said more than 80 percent of voters in the former Soviet republic backed a constitutional amendment extending the presidential term from five to seven years. Other provisions granted the president the right to dissolve parliament, and created new vice presidential jobs and canceled age limits.

Aliyevs opponents as well as rights organizations said the moves would cement a dynastic rule in the oil-rich Caspian Sea nation.
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BUDAPEST, Hungary  Low voter turnout invalidated Hungarys referendum on European Union refugee quotas, even though citizens voted overwhelmingly in support of the governments opposition to any mandatory EU plans to relocate asylum-seekers.

The government claimed a sweeping victory, but analysts said the result was a setback for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

We can be proud that we are the first and so far only member state of the European Union to hold such a referendum, Orban told supporters after the results were known. Hungarians were able to give their direct opinions on the issue of immigration.

Orban, who did not mention that the referendum was officially invalid, said he would present a proposal to amend the Constitution reflecting peoples intentions. Orban, a right-wing populist, argues that allowing the influx of larger numbers of Muslim migrants into Europe threatens Hungary and Europes Christian identity and culture.

The (European) Unions proposal is to let the migrants in and distribute them in mandatory fashion among the member states and for Brussels to decide about this distribution, Orban said. Hungarians decided that only us Hungarians can decide whom we want to live with.

With 99.98 percent of the votes counted, more than 3.25 million voters  or 98.3 of those who cast valid ballots  backed the government. But turnout stood at 43.9 percent, the National Election Office said. At least 50 percent plus one of Hungarys 8.27 million voters needed to cast valid ballots for the referendum to be valid.

The referendum asked: Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?

Orbans Fidesz party claimed victory immediately after voting stations closed, with party vice chairman Gergely Gulyas saying it was a sweeping victory for all those who reject the EUs mandatory, unlimited quotas.

The invalid result because of the low turnout will make Orbans quest to persuade Brussels to drop the quotas more difficult.

The EU will see that while there is a majority against the quota, its not the most important issue for Hungarians.said Tamas Boros, an analyst at Policy Solutions, a political research firm.
The New Zealand dollar was little changed as the prospect of a smaller settlement by Deutsche Bank with US authorities eased market fears a big penalty could have wider ramifications for the financial sector.

The kiwi traded at 72.65 US cents at 8am in Wellington from 72.81 cents at the New York close on Friday and 72.64 cents at 5pm in Wellington. The trade-weighted index was at 77.13 from 77.17.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange's Volatility Index, known as Wall Street's 'fear gauge', fell 5.2 percent as investors were soothed by an Agence France Presse report that Deutsche Bank would settle an investigation with the US Department of Justice into the sale of mortgage-backed securities with a US$5.4 billion payment, less than the US$14 billion claim first reported. That bolstered appetite for risk-sensitive assets at the end of the week, pushing up stock markets.

"News that DB (Deutsche Bank) might settle with the US Department of Justice for US$5.4bn saw equities rally (DB up 6 percent) and treasuries sell off," ANZ Bank New Zealand chief economist Cameron Bagrie said in a note. "Dips (in the kiwi are) still actively supported and we dont see that changing until the world economy moves out of 'muddle through' (clear risk-off develops) or the tenor of local data folds."

The local currency rose to 56.29 British pence from 56.10 pence on Friday in New York after UK Prime Minister Theresa May outlined plans to trigger an exit from the European Union by the end of March next year. It was little changed at 64.69 euro cents from 64.75 cents last week.

The kiwi traded at 94.82 Australian cents from 94.88 cents last week ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's first policy review under new governor Philip Lowe on Tuesday, with traders expecting no change.

The New Zealand dollar was little changed at 73.64 yen from 73.78 yen last week and slipped to 4.8447 Chinese yuan from 4.8553 yuan.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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October 31st Morning Report


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Remember that adorably skinny little third-grader at PS 29 in Castleton Corners who sparked a hot-button national debate by being declared fat by the NYC Department of Education?

Fast-forward two years: Gwen Williams is now 11 -- "and she's still not fat," deadpans her mama bear, Laura Bruij Williams of Westerleigh.

What Gwen is, is featured in a new documentary, "The Student Body," which takes a serious bite out of state-mandated BMI tests and "Fat Letters" in an American school system taking drastic measures to solve what the World Health Organization has declared a "global obesity epidemic."

Snatch tickets for the film's Oct. 5 premiere screening at 7:30 p.m. in Times Square via the Gathr Films website.

For the record, Gwen's letter actually was called something more cutesy: A "Fitnessgram" (Hey, congrats on your fat kid!?), which did nothing to quell Laura's outrage -- or the concerns of other S.I. parents.

"This film highlights all of the reasons why Fitnessgrams are ineffective and potentially psychologically damaging, and I think it has the potential to empower parents to speak up and say, 'This is not OK,' we don't have to passively allow our children to take part in something that we don't feel comfortable with."

Gwen, now a sixth-grader at IS 51, is equally outspoken on the topic: "I think this film will show other people that it's not OK to weigh kids in school, and hopefully it'll make people speak up to their schools about it."

WHAT THIS DOC IS ABOUT

U.S. lawmakers are taking drastic measures to solve the obesity crisis: "Desperation and ignorance has led to what some experts call a culture of shaming and blaming," says the film's director.

In an effort to address the obesity problem among American youth, lawmakers in dozens of states passed controversial mandates forcing schools to perform BMI tests on students.

Dubbed "Fat Letters" by students, the notification notes (aka "Fitnessgrams") were sent to kids whose body mass did not fall within a narrowly acceptable range -- essentially telling kids as young as kindergarteners they're fat.

Gwen, for example, was one pound over the permitted limit. So she got a letter.

When Gwen -- and other determined elementary school students around the country -- protested against the letters, student journalist Bailey Webber was inspired to take up their fight.

Convinced that her fellow students are being "unfairly profiled and bullied by the government," Bailey's investigation turns into a battle of wills between herself and the bureaucrats and high-ranking government officials who passed the law.

Watch "The Student Body" trailer here:

The Student Body - Official Trailer from MainSail Productions on Vimeo.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Behind the scenes, "The Student Body" presents its own compelling story, as a father/daughter team unite to tackle an issue. Having grown up around filmmaking and witnessing the social impact docs can have, Bailey resolved to make her own short film during summer break.

Her father, award-winning filmmaker Michael Webber, agreed to mentor her through the process. When Bailey chose a personal story that hits close to home with her and her peers, little did they realize the true scope of what they were about to undertake.

By the end of the summer, what started off as a short project turned into a full-blown feature film and a two-year odyssey into an issue that impacts kids and parents on Staten Island and beyond.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A 6-year-old boy who was critically wounded in a school shooting died Saturday, days after

, authorities said.

Jacob Hall had been fighting for his life at a hospital after a bullet struck him in a main artery in his leg, causing him a major brain injury due to a "catastrophic" loss of blood, his doctor said. Jacob died about 1 p.m. Saturday, and an autopsy will be done Sunday, Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said.

Authorities say Jacob, another student and a first-grade teacher at Townville Elementary were wounded by the teenager,

. After the slaying, the teen -- who is not old enough to have a driver's license -- drove a pickup truck about 3 miles down a country road, crashed at the school and started firing with a handgun, authorities said.

The wounded were struck as a door opened for recess. Another teacher who heard the first gunshot was able to get other students safely inside, school officials have said. The other wounded student and the injured teacher, Meghan Hollingsworth, were treated and released from a hospital.

Jacob's parents, Renae and Rodger Hall, thanked the nurses and doctors who cared for Jacob and Hollingsworth, "who put her life on the line to try to protect and save Jacob."

Jacob died surrounded by his family at Greenville Health System Children's Hospital, his parents said in a statement.

"Jacob came into our lives six years and four months ago and changed it completely. He showed us how to love, laugh and smile even on days we did not want to," his parents said. "God gave him to us and he was taken away from us by a senseless act. We know that Jacob has already forgiven this child for what he did to him and his family because that's the kind of child he was."

Authorities have not released a motive for either shooting.

The teenager was charged as a juvenile Friday with murder and three counts of attempted murder. The Associated Press typically does not identify juveniles charged with crimes.

Dr. Keith Webb called Jacob a "tremendous fighter" but said he "unable to overcome the catastrophic blood loss and resulting cardiopulmonary arrest caused when the bullet hit his femoral artery."

Classes at Townville Elementary are set to resume Monday.
NWS FOODGIVEAWAY

Assemblyman Michael Cusick and the Council of Jewish Organizations partner for a Rosh Hashanah Food Giveaway. At far left is Assemblyman Cusick joined by Mendy Mirocznik, president of the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island; Josephine Marino of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield; Michael Carr of Staten Island University Hospital Northwell Health, and Scott Maurer, Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Crawford)

Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D -Mid Island) and the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island (COJO) partnered for a food giveaway in preparation for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.

Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest holidays in the Hebrew calendar, is celebrated from sundown on Sunday to the evening of Oct. 4.

The event took place on Sept. 29 at Assemblyman Cusick's office, where over 100 bags of food were distributed to those in need.

This year marks the 37th year that COJO has helped ensure all members of the Staten Island community can celebrate Rosh Hashanah in a dignified manner in accordance with Jewish traditions and customs.

"For decades COJO of Staten Island has provided invaluable support and services to the people of Staten Island and this event is just another example of their dedication to bettering our community," said Cusick. "I am always proud to be their partner in bringing events like this food giveaway to the people of Staten Island."

Mendy Mirocznik, president of COJO, acknowledged Stuart Cohen, director of the Food Pantry at COJO, and team of volunteers for doing a great job in organizing the Rosh Hashanah food drive and distribution.

"The COJO Rosh Hashanah Food Relief is just one component of our pantry that services all people of Staten Island. Our goal is to make sure that no person goes hungry in Staten Island," said Mirocznik.

Mirocznik also acknowledged the COJO Food pantry partners who made the Rosh Hashanah food drive and distribution possible, such as Zanita Johnson, manager of Member Services at Food Bank for New York City, City Harvest, Met Council, Kevin Mannix CEO and owner of Staten Island Shoprite, Josephine Marino, Community Relations Representative, Empire Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Michael Carr of Staten Island University Hospital Northwell Health.

Scott Maurer, CEO of COJO, said he hopes that one day there won't be a need for the COJO food pantry.

"My dream is that no one should experience poverty and hunger and the pantry should go out of business due to a lack of clients in need," Maurer said. "However, until we reach that day, we here at COJO are in the business of combating hunger."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Got a zombie home in your neighborhood?

Come Dec. 20, when a new state law goes into effect, it might be easier for you to get action to clean up the community blight.

The law, signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in June, curbs the threat to communities by "zombie properties" by fast-tacking foreclosure proceedings. It also aims to improve the efficiency of mandatory settlement conferences, and requires banks and mortgage providers to "secure, protect and maintain" abandoned properties before and during foreclosure proceedings.

Violators of the new law are subject to a civil penalty of $500 per day, per property.



"Abandoned homes are a blight on New York communities, and the longer they are allowed to fall in disrepair, the lower property values for entire neighborhoods are dragged down," Governor Cuomo said.

The state Department of Financial Services has proposed a regulation that mandates banks and mortgage providers report vacant and abandoned properties in accordance with the new law.

"This regulation is another step toward combating the scourge of vacant and neglected properties, and will ensure that banks and mortgage servicers are held fully accountable for complying with their obligations under this new law," he added.

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-North Shore/Brooklyn), who co-sponsored the comprehensive zombie property bill said: "Just like every homeowner has a duty to maintain his or her property, banks should do the same so that nearby residents aren't forced to pay the price in dealing with the blight of unmaintained properties. We've experienced a surge in this problem since the devastation of Sandy, and many banks were not acting as good corporate citizens."

Malliotakis, along with Senator Diane Savino, (D-North Shore/Brooklyn), fostered a recent study that revealed that Staten Island is home to 303 zombie homes, which has resulted in plummeting property values of privately-owned homes in surrounding neighborhoods by $50.7 million.

LOCAL REALTORS WEIGH IN

Staten Island Realtors hope the new law will greatly decrease the number of zombie properties in the borough.

"My personal feeling is that this legislation is long overdue. Zombie properties are a blight on neighborhoods," said Joan Camerlengo, broker/owner of Joan Camerlengo Realty in New Dorp.

Said James Prendamano, managing director of Casandra Properties in St. George: "I applaud Governor Cuomo and the legislature for passing zombie legislation and hope the banks and mortgage companies take action to comply. "

"This legislation could be an opportunity for banks to work with local minority and women owned businesses, as well as build good will with the community," he added.

NEW LAW RESTRICTIONS

Under the law, bank and mortgage providers must complete an inspection of a property subject to delinquency within 90 days.

They also must secure and maintain the property where the bank or provider has a reasonable basis to believe that the property is vacant and abandoned.

Banks and mortgage lenders are required to report all vacant and abandoned properties to the Department of Financial Services and submit quarterly reports detailing their efforts to secure and maintain the properties and any foreclosure proceedings.

If the Department of Financial Services determines that a property that has been deemed vacant and abandoned is not being properly maintained by the bank or mortgage provider, the superintendent will exercise authority to hold the bank or mortgage lender accountable.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Thousands of Staten Islanders turned out for the fourth annual "Bikers for Bini" charity event in the Staten Island Mall parking lot in New Springville on Sunday.

The fundraiser was hosted by the Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund with a $10 admission from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. complete with raffle prizes, rides and games for kids, food vendors and live performances. The event hopes to raise up to $100,000.

The event kicked off with an opening ceremony and the singing of the national anthem. The New York Police Department then escorted the motorcycle run along Staten Island's major roadways, including Hylan Boulevard, Richmond Avenue, the West Shore Expressway and the Staten Island Expressway.

"Our mission is to help the local community in their time of need and what makes our organization so unique is that we adapt to the needs of the community," said Massimo DiDonna, president and chairman of the Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund, who is the late Carl's son-in-law.

Monster trucks, motorcycles and over 300 classic cars were on display at the charity event. Raffle prizes include a Harley Davidson FLSS Softail Slim bike or $10,000 in cash.

Grounded for Life, The Lads, London Fog, The 180's, Radio Daze, Speed Limit, Illegally Blind, Giffords Lane, Rocket 88, No More Tears, Light Up the Sky, Midnight Rock Show and Outshined performed on the Harley Davidson of Staten Island Stage and the Ray Catena Stage.

Sponsors of Bikers for Bini include the Staten Island Mall, Ray Catena Auto Group, Gerald Peters Goldmine Jewelers, Gotham Motorcycles, Tom & Co., Prosho Inc., Harley Davidson of Staten Island, ADCO Electrical Corporation, Partner's in Sound Productions, Investor Bank, Shore to Shore Realty, and PRcision. Party Jam donated all of the rides and games for the event.

"To see that so many businesses are reaching into their pockets to help our organization to continue to give back to the community just shows that we are Staten Island. We believe in our community, we make money in our community, let's give back to our community," DiDonna said about the sponsors for the event.

ABOUT THE BINI FUND

Carl V. Bini was an 18-year veteran and New York City Firefighter who was assigned to Rescue 5 in Staten Island. He lost his life on September 11, 2001. The Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund was created in Carl's memory to honor him and to continue his lifelong belief of helping others.

The Bini Fund supports the community through scholarships, emergency grants and special needs assistance. The fund is uniquely positioned to adapt to the changing needs of communities, especially in times of crisis.

According to DiDonna, more than 90 percent of every dollar donated to The Bini Fund goes directly to helping the community.

The Bini Fund has also contributed to Carl's House, a non-profit drug addiction help center that opened this past summer on Veterans Road West in Rossville.

"Last year, we saw firsthand the epidemic with the drugs on Staten Island. We took a pledge in front of all our supporters and with the proceeds from last year, we (helped) open up Carl's House," DiDonna said. "The importance of this event this year is the fact that the proceeds will help to keep the doors open, on top of all the other fundraising we do."
Jamaica Tropical Weather Matthew

Hurricane Matthew continues its track towards the Caribbean and might affect the United States. People walk under a screen with information about the path of Hurricane Matthew in Kingston, Jamaica. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As Hurricane Matthew continues its track towards the Caribbean, it continues to grow stronger and is moving north westward, according to the National Weather Service.

However, it's still too soon to tell how it will affect the U.S., meteorologists say.

"It is too early to determine if Matthew will directly impact the U.S., but this dangerous storm will be closely monitored," the National Weather Service wrote on their website.

The storm reached up to 145 miles per hour Sunday as it was last reported heading for Jamaica, Haiti and the Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma and Las Tunas.

According to an Accuweather video, meteorologists believe that the storm can continue to move northward the next few days.

"As it gets closer to the U.S., Thursday into Friday, it can either take a track right along the coast or it could end up going out to sea," an Accuweather meteorologist said. "Right now there is a lot of uncertainty, but that means that all interests along the east coast need to pay attention to Matthew, especially by the mid-part of this week."

Rough surf and strong wind currents are expected on the east coast later this week. Depending on how close the storm gets, it could mean soaking rains and gusting winds, but predictions are still uncertain, Accuweather reported.

WEATHER FORECAST

Sunday's forecast for Staten Island calls for patchy drizzle and fog with light winds. Monday's forecast calls for a chance of morning showers, according to Accuweather.
vp debate.jpg

Tim Kaine and Mike Pence will meet for the vice presidential debate on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After the first presidential debate between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump shattered previous televised debate records, their running mates will take the stage on Tuesday for the first and only vice presidential debate.

Virginia's Democratic Senator Tim Kaine and Indiana's Republican Governor Mike Pence will meet in Virginia to try to boost their presidential candidates' campaigns.

Here's are things you need to know before watching Tuesday's debate:

1. When and where

The debate is slated for 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time, without commercial breaks. It is scheduled to be held Tuesday, Oct. 4, at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.

2. Moderator

The moderator for the debate will be Elaine Quijano who is a CBS News correspondent and anchor for CBS' 24-hour online news network CBSN. She also anchors the Sunday CBS weekend news. She leads CBS's political coverage and has extensively covered the 2016 presidential election.

Quijano, of Filipino descent, is the first Asian-American to host a national presidential debate, as well as the youngest journalist to moderate a national debate since Judy Woodruff in 1988. She is also the first anchor from a digital news service to be offered a debate moderator role.

3. Where to watch and listen

The debate will broadcast live on major TV networks including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. It will also air on C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Telemundo and Univision.

Most broadcast and cable news networks, CBSN, YouTube and Facebook will be streaming the debate live. Twitter said they will show debate coverage and analysis from Bloomberg Politics, as well as stream the debate live here.

For radio listeners, NPR and local NPR affiliates will air the debate.

4. Format of debate

The debate will be divided into nine 10-minute segments. Quijano will start each segment with an opening question. Kaine and Pence will then each have two minutes to respond.

Leftover time in each segment will be used to go deeper into the discussion's topic.

5. Gary Johnson and Jill Stein's running mates won't make an appearance

Bill Weld, running mate to Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, and Ajamu Baraka, running mate to Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein, were not invited to the debate.

The presidential debate commission said they would only invite candidates that averaged 15 percent in five national polls it selected. Johnson and Stein did not meet the requirements.

6. Topics discussed won't be released before debate

The topics for Pence and Kaine will not be released ahead of time -- forcing both candidates to think quickly. It is expected that they will both use the questions to promote their presidential candidates.

7. Both candidates are preparing

Pence held mock debate sessions with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as a stand-in, preparing for the debate, after Trump received criticism for being unprepared for the first presidential debate.

Kaine is preparing for the debates with the help of Washington, D.C. lawyer Robert Barnett, a veteran of prepping Democrats for debates.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Students at Egbert Intermediate School (I.S. 2) are at risk each time they cross Midland Avenue to enter or exit the school, due to motorists making illegal maneuvers.

While parents complain about speeding motorists and double-parking, their biggest concern is the illegal U-turns drivers make at drop-off and pick-up times. Many motorists cross the double yellow line and make an illegal turn to head home as students continue crossing the busy street.

"It's dangerous," said Cathy Castellanos of Midland Beach, who often walks with her 17-month-old in tote, to pick up her daughter, an eighth-grader at the school. "It's a lot of traffic. They shouldn't make illegal U-turns, especially by the school, and they still do it."

Watch the video above to see motorists making the illegal U-turns near the school.

COUNCILMAN MATTEO CONTACTS DOT

Councilman Steven Matteo sent a letter last year to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), due to concerns expressed by Principal Adrienne Stallone.

"According to the principal, motorists are making illegal U-turns near the school and believe bollards along Midland Avenue between Boundary Avenue and Mason Street will help alleviate motorists from making dangerous illegal U-turns," Matteo stated in his March 9, 2015, letter to DOT.

Matteo agrees the installation of bollards, which are short posts designed to guide traffic and protect from vehicle intrusions, would help ensure student safety.

DOT responded that an investigation was done of the area and "failed to indicate the need for bollards."

Matteo made another request on Sept. 16 in light of a student who was struck by a car. According to members of the school community, the child suffered minor injuries. However, parents, along with the councilman, expressed concerns that if the situation is not addressed, something more serious may happen.

"While I understand that the New York City Department of Transportation has denied my request for bollards here in the past, we cannot allow another incident....to happen again," Matteo said in his letter to DOT Borough Commissioner Thomas Cocola.

The DOT is in receipt of Matteo's letter and will review his request for bollards, according to a DOT spokesperson.

"I think it is very clear that despite warnings or even the threat of tickets, there are just some drivers who refuse to obey the law and pose a serious danger to our children by making illegal U-turns at this school," Matteo said. "I think bollards are an appropriate solution because they would discourage this behavior by imposing a physical barrier, while still allowing emergency vehicles to cross if necessary, thus striking the right balance between safety and accessibility."

PARENTS EXPRESS CONCERNS



Parents echoed Matteo's statements, expressing concern for the dangerous situation.

"People have to realize we are all here for the same reason," said Ritty Mahoney, a New Dorp resident whose daughter is in seventh grade at the school. "Once you have (picked up) your child you have to be patient, and people aren't."

Mahoney said that he will often sit in the car and catch up with his daughter about her day waiting for traffic to clear.

"I'm going out of my way to not battle it," he said.

A Department of Education spokesperson said that the safety of students and staff is their top priority, and they are working with the school to address the concerns.

Staten Island's Community Education Council President Michael Reilly said that I.S. 2 has "been on the radar" for several years due to traffic problems, and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has been notified of the issue and responded regularly by ticketing motorists who make traffic infractions.

However, Reilly, a retired NYPD lieutenant, notes that there just aren't the resources to have police at every neighborhood school daily to prevent traffic infractions.

Reilly suggests giving NYPD school safety agents power to write tickets to dangerous motorists. In fact, members of Staten Island's Community Education Council have requested in the past that NYPD school safety agents be given the authority to issue traffic and parking tickets in school zones during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal.

"It's one layer of a resource that we can use...we need some consistent enforcement and if we use school safety agents it would definitely help," Reilly said.

Until the problem is resolved, parents say they will continue to advise their children to be extremely cautious.

"She's careful," said Castellanos, referring to her daughter, whom sometimes walks home alone. "She knows to watch -- but I still get nervous. People have no patience."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- During the 1830s, the community of Rossville was originally named after Col. William E. Ross.

Col. Ross had built a replica of Windsor Castle, called Ross Castle and later known as Lyon Castle -- on a bluff overlooking the landing of the Blazing Star Ferry, according to the New York Library Postcards Collection, Lyon Castle: Rossville, Staten Island.

The South Shore community also has the distinction of boasting an historic settlement by the name of Sandy Ground, which is among the oldest surviving communities in America.

The grounds were a haven from persecution for freed African-Americans, starting with the first documented land purchase by an African-American on Staten Island in 1828 -- three months after slavery was abolished in New York State.

Each year hundreds flock to the Sandy Ground Festival to partake in an annual gathering of friends, down-home food, music and community spirit.





The annual tradition celebrates the history and culture of Staten Island's African-American community at one of its most significant spots.



The on site historic museum features an exhibit detailing artifacts, story quilts and the history of Sandy Ground and its storied families.

The Sandy Ground Museum has been and is dedicated to the oldest continuously inhabited free black settlement in the United States.





The featured heroes of these quilted journeys range from regal African mothers guiding their sons, to fallen members of NYPD's finest and FDNY's bravest.

Other landmarks and places of interest in Rossville include St. Joseph's R.C. Church founded in 1848, the Rossville African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, formed in 1850, and the historic Harris Home, built in 1906 and located at 444 Bloomingdale Rd.

Do you have vintage photos of Staten Island or information you'd like to share? Share them in the comments section below or email them to benanti@siadvance.com.
2016 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #40

Posted on 2 October 2016 by John Hartz

Story of the Week... SkS Highlights... Toon of the Week... Quotes of the Week... Graphic of the Week... SkS in the News... SkS Spotlights... Video of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...

Story of the Week...

To much fanfare, global leaders have agreed to tackle the climate crisis by ratifying the Paris climate agreement, but a group of esteemed scientists is warning that current pledges to reduce emissions are far from sufficient and, in fact, put the world on track to reaching the dangerous 2C climate threshold by 2050.

"The pledges are not going to get even close," said Sir Robert Watson, former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and lead author of a new report out Thursday. "If you governments of the world are really serious, you're going to have to do way, way more."

Aptly titled The Truth About Climate Change, the report, put forth by the Argentina-based Universal Ecological Fund (Fundacion Ecologica Universal FEU-US), comes amid a rash of new research, all suggesting that key global warming thresholds will be reached much more rapidly than previously thought.

Forget Paris, Scientists Say 'Radical Change' Only Way to Stay Below 2 Degrees by Lauren MaCauley, Common Dreams, Sep 30, 2016

SkS Highlights...

Using the metric of comments garnered, the two most popular articles posted on SkS during the past week are:

Toon of the Week...

Quotes of the Week...

New research suggesting that the planet might already be committed to vastly greater warming than previously thought is being dismissed as deeply flawed by prominent climate scientists.

A study published today in one of the world's top science journals, Nature, offers the most complete reconstruction to date of global sea-surface temperatures for the past two million yearsa valuable addition to the climate record, scientists say.

But the conclusions the study's author drew from that researchthat even preventing any further increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could still leave the Earth doomed to a catastrophic temperature rise of up to 7 degrees Celsius (about 13 degrees Fahrenheit)isn't supported by the data, several top scientists said.

"This is simply wrong," said Gavin Schmidt, chief of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

Jeffrey Severinghaus, a paleoclimatologist at Scripps Institution for Oceanography in San Diego, was equally vehement, arguing that the study's result isn't logical: "It's based on a fundamental mistake," he said. "The problematic conclusion doesn't flow from the main meat of the paper."

Global Warming Is RealBut 13 Degrees? Not So Fast by Graig Welch, National Geographic, Sep 26, 2016

Graphic of the Week...

Scripps Institute of Oceanography Mauna Loa Observatory / Climate Central

SkS in the News...

Professors weigh in on the climate change debate by Alexandra Karlesses posted on The Review (University of Delaware) includes:

Ninety to 100 percent of publishing climate scientists have opposing views to Legates, according to John Cook, a supporter of climate change and the author of Skeptic Science, a blog that maintains that human-caused climate change is occurring.

In his article, Scientific Consensus: Why Should We Accept It? posted on Futurism, Robert Sanders writes:

A recently published paper by John Cook along with seven other authors of climate change studies found that 97% of publishing climate science endorse the consensus position of anthropogenic climate change. Further, the paper found that the studies conducted by more expert scientists reaffirmed the consensus more.

SkS Spotlights...

From WXshft's About page...

Your forecast, with climate context. Your weather, explained. Your world, made a little clearer.

WXshift (pronounced "weather shift") is a collection of ?independent journalists, ?climate scientists, and ?meteorologists working to bring you the latest in weather and climate information.

Our team is committed to providing you with the most up-to-date weather forecasts, news and information, all with local and relevant climate context.

This? site is a project of Climate Central, an independent group of journalists, and leading scientists and researche?rs who are committed to communicating the science and effects of climate change. We are a non-partisan, non-advocacy organization and we do not support any specific legislation, policy or bill.

We're here to simply make your day brighter (unless it's raining, of course).

Video of the Week...

Coming Soon on SkS

The future belongs to clean energy (Anders Runevad)

(Anders Runevad) Mapped: How Germany generates its electricity (Simon Evans & Rosamund Pearce)

(Simon Evans & Rosamund Pearce) DOE charts show why we should be optimistic about stopping global warming (Dana)

(Dana) Video: Laurence Tubiana on the 1.5C questions scientists need to answer (Leo Hickman)

(Leo Hickman) Scientists: How the new focus on 1.5C is reshaping climate research (Roz Pidcock)

(Roz Pidcock) 2016 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #41 (John Hartz)

(John Hartz) 2016 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Waming Digest #41 (John Hartz)

Poster of the Week...

Climate Feedback Reviews...

Climate Feedback's team of experts analyze the article, Climate Exaggeration is Backfiring by Robert Bradley Jr. (Forbes, Sep 23, 2016) and concludes:

Nine scientists analyzed the article and estimated its overall scientific credibility to be very low.

Click here to access the detailed review.

SkS Week in Review...

97 Hours of Consensus...

Ken Caldeira's bio-page and Quote source

High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide)
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The position of Commissioner for International Engagement was first raised in the ACT public service on July 4, with no consideration of candidates and no analysis of the need for such a job, documents released under Freedom of Information laws suggest.

The job was announced on July 11, and the controversial appointment of Liberal parliamentarian Brendan Smyth was announced on Friday July 15.

Andrew Barr with Brendan Smyth, launching their international engagement strategy at Canberra Airport. Credit:Rohan Thomson

The email chains released this week show the bureaucrats making hurried suggestions back and forth about what to call the job.

It is also clear the pay rate was set without any reference to the independent Remuneration Tribunal, which advises the government on salary rates for such positions.
"We're hoping to open one [store] in Marsden Park in Sydney next year, in July. And [the northern Melbourne suburb] Epping is probably going to be [20]18, I think. That's the horizon right now. There are a number of other opportunities around the country but those are the two that we have in the works."

Still, Mr Noone suggested Costco might pick up some of the land now up for grabs from the collapse of Masters. "I don't think there's any definites there yet," he said. "We're always interested in new sites but right now it's pretty confusing so I don't know how it's going to work out."

The comments come after Aldi veteran Paul Foley estimated Costco would end up with 5 per cent market share, while German discount supermarket Aldi would get 15 per cent share.

This would leave big chains Woolworths and Coles and independents supermarkets such as IGA, FoodWorks and Foodland with a combined 80 per cent market share  albeit in a market that is much less lucrative for retailers, but cheaper for shoppers.

Mr Foley, who helped the German discount supermarket set up in Australia, said international retailers had been attracted to the country by its high profit margins, its high wages, its lack of discounters, and the dominant supermarkets being listed and therefore slow to react.
Has it occurred to you that, with the Reserve Bank now run by Dr Philip Lowe and his deputy Dr Guy Debelle, Glenn Stevens may have been the last governor we'll see without a PhD?

All Stevens and his predecessor, Ian Macfarlane, could manage was a master's degree.

The doctor is in the house: Reserve Bank governor Dr Philip Lowe. Credit:Bloomberg

Of course, nothing is certain. After Dr Ken Henry was succeeded as Treasury secretary by Dr Martin Parkinson, I convinced myself the era of PhD-only secretaries had arrived at Treasury.

Wrong. It didn't occur to me that Tony Abbott would intervene, sacking Parkinson and replacing him with John Fraser (honours degree), a throwback to Treasury's (John) Stone Age.
Australia's peak union and business organisations will help shape a new international convention on the impact of domestic violence and other forms of violence in the workplace.

The International Labor Organisation will meet in Geneva, Switzerland, this week and has asked for Australia's advice on the impact of domestic violence on workers and the workplace as part of a plan to develop a global convention on violence against women and men at work.

"You are asked to choose between a pay cut and a worse pay cut," says ACTU president Ged Kearney. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Ged Kearney, the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions will urge the ILO to follow Australia's lead in providing domestic violence leave.

"This is a really significant move by the ILO to recognise there needs to be an international labour standard around violence at work," Ms Kearney said. "While there are standards about physical violence and people being attacked at work, this is finally a recognition that the definition of violence is much broader than that.
When an employer reported David Evers to Centrelink, saying he had failed to show up for work, his welfare payments were swiftly cut.

Mr Evers, 33, of Melton in Victoria, complained there had been a misunderstanding, but Centrelink suspended his payments for eight weeks on the advice of the employer.

David Evers says he "didn't have a leg to stand on" after his payments were suspended. Credit:Pat Scala

"I didn't abandon my post of full employment. I was given the wrong time to start and the location was changed at the last minute," Mr Evers said.

"I got an instant letter saying my payments had been suspended for eight weeks and I had to sort that out myself.
Six current and former managers of Deutsche Bank AG - including ex-asset and wealth management head Michele Faissola - along with former executives at Nomura Holdings Inc. and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA were charged in Milan for colluding to falsify the accounts of Italy's third-biggest bank and manipulate the market.

A judge in Milan approved a request by prosecutors to try 13 bankers on charges over separate derivative transactions Paschi arranged with the securities firms, said a lawyer involved in the case, who attended the closed-door hearing Saturday, where the decision was announced.

The charges deal another blow to Deutsche Bank. Credit:Bloomberg

The charges deal another blow to Deutsche Bank, which is seeking to reassure investors and clients that it will be able to withstand pending US penalties over the bank's sale of mortgage-backed securities and its dealings with some Russian clients.

Monte Paschi, the world's oldest bank, restated its accounts and has been forced to tap investors twice to replenish capital amid a surge in bad loans and losses on derivatives. It's now attempting to convince investors to buy billions of soured debt before a fresh stock sale.
It's quite apt that the term "flamethrower" is so often used to describe feminist Clementine Ford.

The first time the modern flamethrower  or Flammenwerfer  was used was in an act of war, fighting against men. The Germans used it often on the western front during World War I, though it was limited by the fact that it could only be operated from inside a trench: you had to hide to fire one.

Flaming, torching and destroying are not the techniques usually employed by ladies. But in recent years the abuse and verbal violence women have experienced in the real world has shifted to the virtual world, and is getting worse. Subterranean trolls savage women  and, less frequently, men  often from the vantage of cowardly anonymity, forcing many to be silent, to back down or repress opinions. It's a peculiar kind of backlash whereby the moment we earn the right to speak, or a place on a public stage, we are booed and shooed off a virtual one.

This is feminism's final frontier: technology.
Your paper's rabid expose of the overfunding of certain private schools, while whetting the appetite of the anti-private school brigade, fails to draw comparisons between the funding per student of public and private school students, particularly those in schools in the higher "capacity to contribute" categories. In these categories, funding entitlements are approximately $2000 a student, while total funding of public school students is around $15,000 a student, according to the 2015 Productivity Commission report on government services. The "overfunding" is the legacy of a federal government commitment that no school would be worse off due to a change in the funding model from one where schools received financial support based on their assets, to the "capacity to contribute" model, where funding is based on the statistical household incomes of the areas from which the school generally draws its students. This protected some of the most affected schools from fee increases beyond the capacity of a substantial portion of parents to pay. Even at the higher level of funding, total funding for each student was generally less than 50 per cent of funding of public school students. The legacy provisions are only fair and equitable to the many hard-working families who exercise their right of choice in a democratic society.

Bill Higgins Cammeray It's shocking that taxpayers are overfunding more than 150 private schools. But there's an alternative to funding cuts: maintain funding on the condition that overfunded schools enrol disadvantaged children on scholarships. This would redirect funding to students who need government support, without funding cuts. It would take pressure off the underfunded state and private schools and cost taxpayers nothing extra. It would also begin to dismantle socio-economic segregation in our schools. If overfunded private schools turn down conditional funding, it will show they are more committed to exclusivity than education. Matthew Costa Five Dock

Should science's shortcomings prompt a tax rethink? There is nothing particularly clever and certainly nothing new in mocking God, Garry Linnell, and despite its long history of investigating the cosmos, science is yet to explain why so many, including some of its own best and brightest, confess to being people of faith ("Pennies for heaven assured by power of religious right", October 1-2). Neither has science created a society where people no longer require help from charities or search beyond themselves for meaning in their life. Nor has it uncovered the reason why some will endure abuse and suffering at the hands of those they trust, whether in the context of a religious organisation, a government institution or a family. Science has also failed to explain why the benefits of research into medicine and pharmaceuticals profit those from developed countries ahead of those in the Third World. Perhaps these shortcomings should also lead to questions about the tax status of scientific organisations.



Philip Cooney Wentworth Falls Last week Garry Linnell put on display his morally questionable judgment on the issue of capital punishment. This week he is demonstrating his ignorance of scientific history. Hubble did observe that the universe was expanding, but the proper explanation of the phenomenon was provided by a Jesuit physicist, George Lemaitre, using Einstein's theory of general relativity. Lemaitre went on to propose what we now call the Big Bang, and was the first scientist to do so. His position was rejected by the atheist scientist Fred Hoyle, because Hoyle considered the notion religious. So did Pope Pius XII, who praised Lemaitre's work as a scientific equivalent of creation out of nothing.

Neil Ormerod Professor of Theology, Australian Catholic University Why is it so? Don't ask Turnbull It's time Malcolm Turnbull was called out on his claims to be a technical wiz ("Energy spat threatens investment: industry", October 1-2). Just because he got behind OzEmail, wears an Apple Watch, uses an iPad and probably has some facility with a computer does not mean that he is an engineer nor a scientist, however much he respects these professions. He seems not to have any understanding that if 20 or so major power towers are collapsed by a storm that it's like unplugging your refrigerator: it stops working. Whether the power comes from a hamster wheel or a hydro station is irrelevant. He missed out on some basic physics classes at school, I fear. Bill Forbes Kippaxs Like so many others I breathed a sigh of relief with the termination of the Credlin/Abbott ascendancy. Disappointingly, the opportunity to return the country to stable and effective leadership has passed.

Malcolm Turnbull jumped the mullet with his denunciation of renewable energy sources as the cause of South Australia's blackout. This statement, without referral to the many power line towers destroyed by the cyclonic winds and the lack of empathy for a state in crisis, was extraordinary. No alternative Liberal leaders as yet on the horizon. What a mess. Gregory Johnson Cremorne We have had several blackouts in the Blue Mountains during the year. Now I know it's caused by renewable energy.



Rod Tuck Katoomba

Riddled with guilt, I've just returned from trudging around the neighbourhood, apologising to all for each and every bout of regional wild weather we've experienced since I and others recklessly and wilfully had solar panels installed.



David Baird Burradoo A class of their own It comes as no surprise that wealthy neighbourhoods have less rubbish strewn about compared with low-income areas where there is estimated to be 10-15 times more litter ("The link between rubbish and wealth", October 1-2). The former, of course, have the ability to pay the latter a comparative pittance of a wage to clean up after them  or at the very least can drop their lolly wrappers inside the ostentatious cars they drive about in ("Agents roll out red carpet for Chinese buyers", October 1-2). Alicia Dawson Balmain

Howard's fan club blind to his failings Riley Brown (Letters, October 1-2) "genuinely" laments the fact that those of us referred to as "Howard haters" have not been able to "get on with our lives", after almost a decade since John Howard lost office. Equally, I feel "sorry" for good folk like Brown who have, after more than 10 years since the Coalition of the Willing's invasion of Iraq, been unable to process the tragic implications of its gung-ho and ill-conceived actions. Perhaps Brown and other Howard admirers missed the release of Britain's recent Chilcot Report? Ross Pulbrook Wyong I want to move on, Riley Brown. Really, I do. But every time there is an election John Howard is wheeled out as an exemplar for the conservative side of politics, in spite of his less than impressive run at his last start. Now the University of Sydney has conferred on him an honorary degree and, for goodness sake, he's on the television paying homage to another suburban solicitor, Robert Menzies. I'm quite happy to get on with my life as long as John Howard stays out of it.



Cliff Jahnsen Bowral

More school pain In reality, only about one third of schoolchildren should be attending university ("HSC reform will label kids as 'failures' at 14, says former principal", October 1-2). I wait with bated breath to see the details of the online tests for those who don't reach the benchmark in year 9. Peter Miniutti Ashbury Getting facts right I enjoy Elizabeth Farrelly's columns, including her piece on Saturday in which she highlighted common ground between the film Captain Fantastic and the real world Bayer-Monsanto merger ("Question of truth has never been more urgent", October 1-2).

However, she needs to be more careful with her research. First, RoundUp is a herbicide, not an antibiotic, i.e. it kills plants, not bacteria. Second, "antibiotics" are not spliced into GMO plants, it is "antibiotic resistance genes" that are added  a world of difference. Dr Nicholas Coleman School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney Lest we forget Reading the story about the scholarship being set up in memory of the Indigenous boy sent to Rome 163 years ago and noting there was also one girl sent by Catholic authorities at the time made me wonder what happened to that little girl ("Rome scholarship in memory of Indigenous boy", October 1-2). In the graveyard at my convent school in London there is the grave of an Aboriginal girl who was sent over by the Sisters of Mercy from Western Australia about the late 1840s when they were thinking of starting a mission in Australia. She was taken in as a boarder at Gumley House, Isleworth, and died within the year.

As a penance for misbehaviour as a pupil at this school, I would be sent to weed the nuns' graves and I always felt sorry for this young girl, so far away from her family and culture. What about a scholarship for her?



Rosemary Breen Inverell Gone to the Dogs Congratulations Bulldogs ("Bulldogs deliver the impossible dream", smh.com.au, October 2). Enjoy your celebrations. After so many years, Sunday morning would have been a real Dog's breakfast if you hadn't won. George Manojlovic Mangerton Gran Fawnils (Letters, October 1-2)? She's the body-building, guernseyed, exhibitionist old tart who flounces out every spring. She disrupts traffic, gatecrashes barbies, incites drunken lunacy and seduces tuneless men into grunting silly songs.

She's as toothy as a shark and as mad as a bulldog in a storm. Love her or leave her, she's the perennial strayan extrovert. Meredith Williams Dee Why Given their impact on families and the natural order of things, it is unconscionable that historic drought-breaking grand final wins are decided by a few footy players on the field on the day: fairness would dictate premierships be decided by all Australians in a plebiscite held each February ("Festival of the boot", October 1-2). Australians in a plebiscite held each February ("Festival of the boot", October 1-2). Peter Fyfe Erskineville Stop the naming rites
Kevin Rudd has said another country offered to nominate him for the top job at the United Nations after the Turnbull government knocked back his bid.

But the former prime minister said through his spokeswoman on Sunday that he ruled out the proposed nomination from the unnamed country after asking the Australian government its view and failing to receive a reply after more than six weeks.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd says another country offered to nominate him for UN Secretary General. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"Following the decision by the Australian government, another government approached Mr Rudd to nominate him as a candidate for UN Secretary General," the spokeswoman said.

"Mr Rudd approached the Australian government more than six weeks ago asking if they would oppose such a nomination, were he to consider accepting it.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has flagged the possibility of a "Lockerbie-style" international prosecution to bring the perpetrators of the downing of flight MH17 to justice.

Ms Bishop said that a domestic prosecution in a country such as The Netherlands  whose citizens made up the majority of the 298 victims on board the plane  might be simpler.

Nearly 40 Australians died when MH17 was shot out of the sky in 2014. Credit:AP

But if issues such extradition challenges arose, the demand for justice could be served by setting up a special sitting, as happened in the prosecution of two Libyans for the 1988 bombing of an airliner over Scotland.

Ms Bishop was speaking after a Dutch-led international investigation concluded last week that, as suspected, flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile that had recently been shifted from Russia to pro-Kremlin Ukrainian rebel-held territory.
The storm  both real and political  continues to rage over South Australia, with federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg conceding initial inquiries found renewable energy was not to blame for last week's statewide blackout, while refusing to back down from attacks on "aggressive" state Labor renewable energy targets.

With South Australia preparing for more flooding as it deals with the fallout from Wednesday's unprecedented storm, debate is still raging over what caused the power blackout, which left thousands of people still without power four days later.

Mr Frydenberg told Sky News on Sunday that while preliminary investigations showed the state's increasing reliance on renewable energy was not at fault for the blackout, it was time to discuss "aggressive" renewable targets set by Labor states. Such targets could not take precedence over energy security, he said.

It is a topic set to dominate conversations at this Friday's emergency Council of Australian Governments meeting between Mr Frydenberg and state and territory energy ministers.
The Indigenous prisoner population has more than doubled in NSW over the past 15 years despite a sharp drop in arrests for serious crimes, prompting calls for an overhaul of bail laws which are hitting disadvantaged communities hardest.

Almost 40 per cent of Indigenous defendants held in custody awaiting trial or sentence will not go on to receive a jail sentence. Credit:Dionne Gain

Latest figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) reveal a 40 per cent rise in the rate of Indigenous imprisonment between 2001 and 2015, due in part to an increase in the rates of bail refusal.

At the same time, Indigenous involvement in violent crime and property crime declined by 37 per cent and 32 per cent respectively.
A rail line to Melbourne airport is not one of the Andrews government's priorities but widening the Tullamarine Freeway is, says Roads Minister Luke Donnellan.

Speaking at a media conference on Sunday, to announce $300 million worth of widening works starting on the Metropolitan Ring Road, Mr Donnellan was asked about the need for an airport rail line.

The questioning came after The Sunday Age revealed that a group of advisers set up by the Andrews government secretly reconsidered a rail link to the airport as one of several "strategic investments" to boost Victoria's tourism prospects.

There are almost 34 million passengers a year passing through Melbourne Airport  up from 25 million six years ago.
Power failures, freezing, browser issues and interrupted internet connections have plagued initial trials of the new online NAPLAN tests, principals report.

A survey reveals 23 per cent of primary school principals, who are among those administering the online test for the first time next year, will not be up to the task by May 2017.

Power failures, freezing, browser issues and interrupted internet connections have plagued initial trials of the new online NAPLAN tests. Credit:Rob Young

They are still grappling with basic challenges such as maintaining power and an internet connection, with a survey of nearly 200 principals finding an alarming 84 per cent faced problems with technology during initial trials of the test.

One school was forced to connect all devices by extension cords to maintain power on the students' devices, posing a safety problem for students and supervisors moving around the classroom.
A former chief executive of a West Australian shire who stole almost $600,000 and gambled it away has been jailed for four-and-a-half years, with a judge telling him he let down his community.

Dacre John Alcock, 44, stole the money in instalments over 665 occasions between October 2011 and October 2015 when he was the chief executive at the Shire of Dowerin in the state's Wheatbelt region.

Dacre Alcock right in his role as Dowerin CEO, before he was arrested.

Alcock used a shire credit card to deposit money into personal online betting accounts and also transferred money from the shire's accounts into his personal bank account, the WA District Court heard on Friday.

Judge Felicity Davis said the father-of-three had sought to hide his offending from his workmates by falsifying bank statements and tax invoices, and only repaid about $28,000 from the $599,879 stolen.
Most of the time, the general public slides uneasily by homeless people on the streets, trying to avoid eye contact  but at least for a few hours in Northbridge on Sunday, things were different.

Perth brother and sister Siham and Mirwan Carollisen were inundated by offers of support after suggesting on social media that they set up a one-stop shop for homeless people to access food, clothing, toiletries, bedding and healthcare.

After a month of hard work the James Street space was set up something like a department store, with sections for donated shoes, backpacks and bags, blankets and clothes, so people could try on and choose what they needed.

An optometrist, podiatrist, psychologist and a group of nurses each had an 'office' where they donated their time and skills, while volunteer security guards kept an eye on things.
Police are investigating a single-car crash that killed a 16-year-old driver and two of his passengers on Saturday in the state's Kimberley region.

The driver, two occupants aged 15 and 28 and a 16-year-old girl were travelling in a silver Holden Commodore on Great Northern Highway, 140km east of Fitzroy Crossing, about 12.05pm when the boy lost control of the car.

Fitzroy Crossing police and Major Crash detectives are investigating. Credit:WA Police

The vehicle rolled, throwing the other boy and man from the back seat.

They died at the scene, while the teenage driver also died while trapped in the car.
But in China, the country's censors have been hard at work taking down posts about the killings on social media that deviate from the terse, five-sentence account released Thursday afternoon by Xinhua , the official news agency, and dutifully reproduced in print and on the internet across the country.

Had this crime occurred in the United States, it would have ranked as one of the most horrific mass murders in the nation's history, worse than the killings last year in San Bernardino, California, where 14 people died , and the 2012 shootings at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, which killed 12 .

Yang Qingpei killed his parents in a squabble over money, before going on to kill 17 neighbours, including three children, to try to cover his tracks, state media said.

Hong Kong: In a remote Chinese mountain village, 19 bodies were found. Among the dead was a three-year-old. Hours later, a young man was arrested in connection with the killings.

Although Yang Qingpei, 27, was arrested in relation to the killings in the village of Yema - "wild horse" in Chinese - little was publicly known on Friday, 36 hours after the bodies were discovered, about what happened. The police arrested Yang on Thursday afternoon in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, more than 100 miles south of Yema, Xinhua reported.

The Beijing News was one of the few news outlets to go beyond Xinhua's account, reporting that Yang was a native of the village and that the police did not suspect the killings to be a case of terrorism. No official reports indicated any possible motive, and there was no indication what weapon Yang is accused of using, though in China it is far more common to commit homicide with a knife than with a gun.

It was also not clear when the killings took place. Xinhua reported that the police received calls around 7.50am on Thursday, local time. But The Beijing News referred to a document listing the names of the dead from the "9/28 incident," suggesting they might have occurred the day before.

One paper in western China, The Chengdu Economic Daily, citing a classmate of Yang's, reported that he had racked up large gambling debts while working in Kunming. He had asked his family in Yema for money, but his request had been rejected. The report was subsequently taken down but remained cached on Google.

Only on Friday evening did Xinhua provide more detail, confirming the Chengdu paper's account. In a five-sentence report, it said police, working for 33 hours, had solved the case.
It began in the mid-1990s when an Australian traveller passing through Cox's Bazar, a beach town in impoverished Bangladesh which locals boast is home to the world's longest natural sand beach, sold a board to a student.

"There was a huge ocean beach and nobody was surfing," said Rashed Alam, the founder of the Bangladesh Surf Girls and Boys club, as he strolls down to the waves where women wearing head scarves are posing for selfies.

Bangladeshi kid surfers on the beach in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Credit:Amy Fallon

The locals may not know the name of the Australian man who sold the board for about $20 in 1995 to Jafar Alam, then a 14-year-old student who couldn't even swim. But he left a great mark in the conservative south Asian country plagued with many challenges, including a high rate of child labour.

There are more than 100 people surfing in the country today, but the sport is still considered relatively new.
Out of the spotlight: Tiffany Trump, pictured here in July. Credit:Doug Mills/The New York Times Tiffany, according to her mother, has felt wounded by the media depictions of her as the forgotten Trump and is eager to help out on her father's campaign as it heads into its final six weeks. "She'd like to get to know her father better and spend time with him like his other children did: by going to his office and watching him work," Maples said in a recent phone interview. "Only now, he's not in the office anymore. He's on the campaign trail." Maples raised Tiffany as a single mother in Los Angeles and now lives about a mile from her only daughter in Manhattan. Donald Trump's children, from left to right, Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany (peering over her half-brother's shoulder) at the Republican National Convention, in Cleveland in July. Credit:Damon Winter/The New York Times Tiffany seems intent on living up to Trump's expectations. And like her older half sister, Ivanka, Tiffany reflects well on her father and mirrors his idealised self-image.

"Tiffany has always been a very special person, very confident, very driven, always the hardest worker and not bashful about it," Ivanka Trump said in a phone interview. "A lot of people are happy to get by without doing a lot of work, or work hard and pretend they don't. She is proud of her work." Tiffany Trump has become known as the Jan Brady of the Trump family. Credit:Michael Kirby Smith Like Ivanka, Tiffany went to her father's alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania; likes fashion; and is dating someone whose family is in real estate: Ross Mechanic, a senior at Penn, the son of Jonathan Mechanic, a real estate attorney. (Ivanka is married to real estate scion Jared Kushner.) Tiffany Trump attended a private school in Calabasas, California, alongside the Kardashians but without close contact with her father. Tiffany Trump, right, pictured with her mother Marla Maples in London in August 2009. Credit:Getty Images

"I had the blessing of raising her pretty much on my own," Maples said. There, the Trump name wasn't as well known as it is in New York, and Tiffany was shielded from the kind of tabloid attention that dogged his older children during their parents' sensational divorce. Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric are from Trump's first marriage to the Czech-born Ivana; Barron, 10, is his son with his wife Melania. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Credit:AP Like her older siblings, Tiffany spoke with aplomb on her father's behalf at the Republican Convention in Cleveland, describing him as her mentor, her role model and a caring, attentive parent. Like them, Tiffany didn't give many concrete examples. She said she saved all her report cards because she treasured the "sweet notes" he wrote on them, even though more often it's the parent who holds on to memorabilia. She recalled that when a beloved relative died (her grandmother's fiance), he was the first to phone her.

Trump takes credit for his children's sunny devotion. "I've always been a very good father," he told Anderson Cooper in a Trump family interview this summer on CNN. "They come to me, friends of mine, very successful people, and their children have problems with drugs and problems with alcohol and problems with a lot of things, and they say: 'Could you speak to my son? Could you speak to my daughter?' And I'm always very honoured to do that." When asked to describe his youngest daughter, Trump replied by email: "Tiffany is a tremendous young woman with a big and beautiful heart. She was always a great student and a very popular person no matter where she went. I am incredibly proud of Tiffany and how well she has done. DJT." (Tiffany did not consent to be interviewed for this article, although she did pose for its photoshoot. Instead, the campaign delivered a list of approved contacts. Other family friends who were not on the list said they were instructed not to speak without authorisation.) Tiffany's vacations were mostly spent on trips with her mother - a mix of fun mother-daughter getaways and goodwill tours overseas, like handing out vitamin C pops at an orphanage in Malawi. A bodyguard went with her on visits to her Georgia relatives, but otherwise she blended easily in her mother's small hometown. Sometimes, her celebrity status poked through.

Recalling a party for three-year-olds, Janice Kiker, a close family friend in Dalton, Georgia, said: "Tiffany showed up in a faded, worn-out tutu. I was shocked." She added with a laugh: "Then someone told me it had belonged to Shirley Temple. I said, 'Never mind.' " Lara Trump, who is married to Eric, said Trump is close to all his children. "I was struck when I first came into this family how much he is their dad," she said by phone while campaigning for her father-in-law in Columbus, Ohio. "In public, he's a performer. Behind closed doors, he is polite and respectful and wants to hear from other people," Lara Trump said. She noted that Trump and Tiffany have a "fun and loving relationship" and that "he is very proud of her". Some observers have a less benign view of Trump's rapport with his children. "I can say with real confidence that he spent virtually no time with them when they were young," said Tony Schwartz, who shadowed the real estate developer for 18 months to ghostwrite Trump's 1987 best seller, Trump: The Art of The Deal. Schwartz said in a recent article in The New Yorker that he now regrets the book and his role in promoting Trump.

"On the rare times Ivana brought one or two of the children to his office, he couldn't have been less interested," Schwartz said. That wasn't entirely true with Tiffany, Maples said. When Tiffany was a baby at Mar-a-Lago, he would occasionally snatch her up and carry her as he talked to electricians and carpenters building a club health spa. Tiffany was too young to remember. "I kept pictures for her to prove it," her mother said. (She also confirmed that Tiffany was named for one of Trump's favourite deals: the air rights he bought above landmark store to build Trump Tower.) College brought Tiffany closer to her father and her half sister. Ivanka arranged for her to have a summer internship at Vogue. After graduating last June, Tiffany spent her summer months on a paid internship in communications at Warby Parker, the eyewear company, and is studying to take the law school entrance exams. Tiffany seems intent on staying close to her centripetal father.

"Law school completely makes sense," said Lara Maggs, a close friend from Penn. Maggs described "Tiff" as a study grind who is driven to prove herself. "A law degree would bring added value to a really accomplished family," she said. In that family interview with Anderson Cooper, Tiffany batted back a suggestion that her father was condescending and even insulting to women. "He has the utmost faith that we can accomplish whatever we set our minds to," she said, speaking of Ivanka and herself, "just as well as men, if not more so." Even Trump wasn't always sure his children would flourish under his oversize shadow. "Statistically, my children have a very bad shot," Trump told Playboy in 1990. "Children of successful people are generally very, very troubled, not successful."
The United Nations has banned global trade in wild African Grey Parrots, prized for their ability to imitate human speech, to help counter a decline in numbers caused by trafficking and the loss of forests.

The highly coveted species was placed on the convention's "Appendix I", which prohibits any cross-border movement in the birds or their body parts for commercial purposes.

Rapid decline in numbers: Global trade in wild African Grey Parrots banned.

The decision, made when members of the UN's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) held a secret ballot for the first time ever, came at a two week-long convention in Johannesburg.

"Inclusion in Appendix I is in the best interests of the conservation of the species as it faces both habitat loss and rampant illegal and unsustainable trade for the international pet trade," said vice president and head of the Wildlife Conservation Society delegation Susan Lieberman.
Washington: In the wake of a hugely damaging report that Donald Trump might have avoided paying federal income tax for nearly two decades, his campaign is countering on two levels  declaring Trump a financial "genius" and threatening legal action against The New York Times, for basing its report on "illegally obtained" paperwork.

An absence of even qualified denials by Trump and his surrogates, gives credence to the weekend report based on the leak of three key pages from Trump's 1995 tax papers.

Tax experts interviewed by the Times conclude that a massive deduction of $US916 million which was allowed by the Internal Revenue Service, would have put as much as $US50 million a year of Trump's income beyond the reach of the taxman for 18 years.

In 2012, Trump lashed out at those who don't pay tax, tweeting: "half of Americans don't pay income tax despite crippling govt debt." And in 2015, he blasted out this tweet: "The hedge fund guys (gals) have to pay higher taxes ASAP. They are paying practically nothing. We must reduce taxes for the middle class!"
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
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A Charlotte jail was the site of protests from those, who are upset that several people were arrested as they were marching and demanding justice for Keith Lamont Scott and Justin Carr. Friday night, about 50 people gathered near the Mecklenburg County Jail Central in Charlotte, North Carolina with signs and marched around. The activists were also calling for Police Chief Kerr Putney to resign.

They were also angered by Putneys decision to cancel a community forum scheduled at the Central Church of God. Some of the activists taking part in the week-long protests carried giant signs that read Stop Killing Black People! Justice for Keith Scott and Justin Carr and Let Our People Go! Amnesty for Uprising Arrestees.

The protesters have been marching around the jail where several people, who were arrested in late September, are being held. The people were arrested as they were protesting the killing of Mr. Scott, a 43-year-old African-American man, who was shot by a police officer named Brentley Vinson in Charlotte. According to police, Scott exited a vehicle in the parking lot while carrying a handgun, but his wife claimed that he was not armed. Scotts family said:

He was in his car reading a book when the incident began, and that he did not have a gun when he exited the vehicle.

The police stated:

No book was found at the scene of the incident and lab analysis found Scotts DNA and fingerprints on the gun recovered at the scene. Police also found a gun, a holster, and a marijuana blunt at the scene.

It took the authorities several days to fold under pressure and finally release the video of the killing to the public. Some activists say police planted the weapon. The protesters were also calling for justice for Mr. Carr, another African-American man, who was gunned down during the protests related to Scotts death.

Authorities stated that Rayquan Borum, 23, was arrested and charged with the murder of Carr. However, protesters say Carr was killed by a police officer. The coalition of activist groups told local reporters that they want amnesty for those arrested in the wake of violent protests on September 20 and 21. Ashley Williams, a Charlotte Uprising organizer, said:

We want amnesty for all of the people in the uprising. And we want the police chief and the mayor to resign.

Williams is adamant that Carr was shot in the head by an officer. She also claimed that Borum was probably coerced into confessing to a crime he did not commit. She added:

Historically, black people have been accused of crimes they had nothing to do with.

In September, the tragic events in Charlotte dominated the national discourse, but politics eclipsed them after the first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Quito, October 2, 2016 (SPS) - The 3rd Latin American Progressive Meeting (ELAP) adopted a final declaration calling for the United Nations to take urgent action for the holding of a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara, as a decisive step to eradicate the last vestiges of colonialism in the world.

The meeting, held September28-30, in Quito under the slogan: "'For an ethical political Latin American Pact", was opened by the president of the Ecuador Mr. Rafael Correa along with former Presidents Mr. Pepe Mujica and Ms. Cristina Kirchner, in presence of leaders, intellectuals, politicians, journalists and social organizations, and more than 90 parties and movements in Latin America and the world, including the Polisario Front.

Invited by the PAIS Alliance of Ecuador (organizer of the event), Saharawi Ambassador to Quito Dr. Ali Salem Sidi Zein, hosted a conference under the theme: "the conflict of Western Sahara and the media", attended by more than 200 people.

On the sidelines of this event, the Saharawi diplomat had several meetings with delegations and participating officials during which he informed his interlocutors of the latest developments of the Saharawi question at the level of the United Nations and the human rights violations in the occupied territories by Morocco and its illegal looting of natural resources in collusion with some foreign companies.

The meeting witnessed the organization of conferences, round tables, debates and other activities. (SPS)

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El Aaiun (occupied territories), October 2, 2016 (SPS) - The Moroccan authorities arrested Friday two journalists from Sahrawi Media Team (Equipe Media), Said Amidan and Brahim Laajail.

According to a statement released by the team, the two journalists from Equipe Media were students in Agadir and they were traveling aboard a bus of Supratours (subsidiary of the national company ONCF) that made the route between El Aaiun and Agadir.

The two young men were back to university to start the school year. Said is attending the second year of Private Law and Laajail, already graduated in Sociology, is attending the second year of Public Law.

At 2 p.m., Said has sent a text message to Ahmed Ettanji, president of Equipe Media, to inform him that the Moroccan police arrested them on the bus, at the checkpoint south of Gulimin (south Morocco) and led them to the police headquarters in the city. When calling in response to Said s phone message, his phone rang unanswered.

The two activists are technicians of Equipe Media. Said films demonstrations and he is the director of documentaries; Brahim makes video editing and produces the video newspaper from Equipe Media.

The head of the DGST (National Territory General Surveillance Directorate) in Gulimin was officer in El Aaiun, his name is Mouloud Boukricha. It is likely that it was he who conducted the interrogations.

The legal period of custody of the Moroccan authorities to instruction is 72 hours, during which the detainees cannot communicate with their families or be assisted by a lawyer.

When contacted by telephone, police headquarters in Gulimin denied the presence of the two journalists at its premises. (SPS)

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Welcome!

Welcome to FH & Other Things! One of my favorite things is studying The Male Form in Art, photography, the media and culture. Although you will find many great looking men on the blog, I strive to showcase talent, both in front of, and behind the camera. You will also find some of my favorite things, not just from today, but from years gone by. FH also loves to focus on upcoming talent; actors, photographers and models. So sit back, relax and spend a bit of time with some of my favorite things
As guests took their seats at Demna Gvasalia's sophomore womenswear show for Balenciaga today, the proof that in their ranks was a designer who had already made his mark on the fashion world was everywhere.

Sporting the same off-shoulder trench coats and angular sculpted skirt suits which formed the Georgian's debut for the house, Gvasalia's rapidly increasing fan base stood as proof that Balenciaga's man at the top is among the most cherished - and copied - in fashion right now.

Such influence also served as evidence that Kering boss Francoise Pinault had played a recruitment blinder in enlisting Gvasalia, the brains behind of-the-moment design collective Vetements, to invigorate the storied Balenciaga brand.

His latest collection, an offering which saw Spandex, latex trench coats with exaggerated shoulders and moroccan pouff bags combine, oozed with a sense of freshness that Cristobal Balenciaga would have undoubtedly found both intriguing and appealing.

Swan Gallet/WWD/Rex

The Spanish couturier was renowned for his ability to bring the best out of all types of woman, and this collection was the latest interpretation of that with Gvasalia's trademark cast of models, stylists and party kids taking a turn on the catwalk in clothes which had a firm rooting in the realities of the 21st Century.

This isn't to say that this was in any way easy on the eye - at least not in the conventional sense.

Gvasalia is a master in creating drama and with strange models and haunting silhouettes. Accordingly, highlights today came from sinister rubber capes and angular boots with square toes. This was one part Eighties power dresser - pussy bow blouses crafted in Spandex and oversized shirting was a recurring theme - and another otherworldly super force with models sporting spiked neon fingers nails and spandex thigh high boots.

Swan Gallet/WWD/Rex

Backstage Gvasalia cited "a new sensibility" as his starting point, adding "I was inspired by the parallel between couture and fetishism".

Ruffle mini-skirts, printed in block colours of violet or splayed with floral motifs, served as proof of this with Gvasalia looking to Spandex, a fabric invented during Balenciaga's heyday, to heighten the sense of severity at work within the Balenciaga woman. He also pioneered his latest take on the shoulder - a favourite erogenous zone of Balenciaga's - with a sleek silhouette which ended with a knife sharp summit.

Already winning favour for his thoroughly contemporary approach, Gvasalia's Balenciaga is one that takes its lead from subcultures forged in Berlin nightclubs and on the Instagram feeds of the Euro kids that are his primary source of inspiration.

Swan Gallet/WWD/Rex

This collection was their wardrobes, repurposed in luxury through precision cutting and luxurious textiles. There was also plenty on offer with which to delight the Balenciaga fan next season.

Floral dresses inspired by vintage swimwear prints echoed those which have come to define the Vetements label were among the most commercial on the catwalk today while one supersized orange body warmer is poised to delight the many street style stars who are taking delight in Gvasalia's determination to raise a smile with his clothes.

It is this ability to play, to experiment, to have fun with fashion that has ensured Gvasalia's position as the leader of a new self-deprecating but simultaneously intelligent new movement occupying fashion.

While historically designers have considered streetwear and the clothes worn by kids in clubs to be an insignificance, they are Gvasalia's everything. The show's soundtrack, featuring everything from George Michael's Careless Whisper to Dolly Parton's I will always love you, served as an embodiment of this approach. "I chose it to make everyone happy" said the designer, "people smiling in fashion is the new black".
P rime Minster Theresa May has announced when she will trigger article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to begin Brexit negotiations.

Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show, Mrs May has pledged to trigger article 50 by the end of March next year.

This means the UK is likely to leave the European Union around Spring 2019.

Ahead of her speech on Brexit at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Mrs May said: "As you know, I have been saying that we wouldn't trigger it before the end of this year so that we get some preparation in place.

Brexit: Theresa May announces date for triggering article 50 / Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

"But yes, I will be saying in my speech today that we will trigger (Article 50) before the end of March next year."

The minimum period for leaving the European Union after article 50 has been triggered is two years.

Any country wishing to leave the EU is free to do so but must invoke Article 50 to negotiate their future relationship with the union.

The process can be extended beyond two years if Britain and all other EU countries unanimously agree, but that prospect is seen as unlikely.

Mrs May added: "The remaining members of the EU have to decide what the process of negotiation is.

"I hope, and I will be saying to them, now that they know what our timing is going to be - it's not an exact date but they know it will be in the first quarter of next year - that we'll be able to have some preparatory work so that once the trigger comes we have a smoother process of negotiation.

"It's not just important for the UK but important for Europe as a whole that we're able to do this in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses, and when we leave the EU we have a smooth transition from the EU."

The Prime Minister was also challenged on how she will seek to control immigration post-Brexit.

Asked if a work permit system would be adopted for skilled workers, Mrs May said: "We will look at the various ways in which we can bring in the controls that the British people want, and ensuring, as we have been in our immigration policy generally, that the brightest and best can come to the UK."

Mrs May will later tell the Tory party conference that her "Great Repeal Bill" will scrap the 1972 European Communities Act, which gives direct effect to all EU law, and at the same time convert Brussels regulations into domestic law.

This will give Parliament the power to unpick the laws it wants to keep, remove or amend at a later date, in a move that could be welcomed by MPs keen to have a say over the terms of Brexit.
S cotland Yard, officially known as New Scotland Yard, is on the move. On September 9, its iconic revolving sign was taken down and parcelled up, ready to travel to its new premises on the Victoria Embankment.

The Metropolitan Police, responsible for law enforcement within London (excluding the City of London), is set to move back into the Curtis Green Building, which will be renamed Scotland Yard.

The Met Police was formed in 1829 by Robert Peel at 4 Whitehall Place, which backed onto a street called Great Scotland Yard - hence the metonym.

The move coincides with news that Sir Bernard Hogan-How will step down as Met Police Commissioner in February, before his contract expires.

As Londons police force gets set to move, we take a look at life at Scotland Yard, from as early as the 1910s, when women volunteers were drafted in to work in the canteen during a General Strike in 1016. Naturally, with the advancement in technology, life and work at the Met's HQ has changed drastically, which is evident from the pictures.

A photograph from 1929 shows officers using equipment - groundbreaking at the time - that allowed them to send and receive messages. In 1977, you can see File Section operators getting to grips with a new police computer, which was primarily designed to store and retrive fingerprint records stored on magnetic tape. This is in stark contrast to an earlier picture in 1947 depicting officers sifting through fingerprints with a magnifying glass in the Fingerprint Room.

You can also see everything from how 999 emergency calls were dealt with in 1959, to a visit from British actor Shaw Taylor in 1970, who was best known as the presenter of Police 5, a TV programme which appeals to the public for information helpful in police investigations.

The insightful photo series continues right up until the present year, where you can see the iconic revolving sign getting ready to embark on its next journey.

Click through the gallery above for a glimpse into life at Scotland Yard through the years.

Follow us on Twitter @eslifeandstyle
M Ps could meet in a glass dome on the River Thames when the Houses of Parliament close for major refurbishment, it has been suggested.

The unusual replacement would see politicians meeting in a glass dome built onto a steel platform set in the river just 10 metres away from the current Palace of Westminster.

The Grade I listed palace is set to close as it undergoes a massive restoration programme, estimated to take at least six years. The multi-billion makeover is not expected to begin before 2023.

The latest suggestion, designed by architect Gensler, could be made in shipyards across the UK in less than three years before being floated down the river and put in place.

Its futuristic design would be inspired by the roof of Westminster Hall, designers say.

Envisioned: The glass dome would be built on a steel platform on the river. / PA

In total, the Gensler structure would cover 8,600 square metres and designers say it would be able to hold all of Parliament "under one roof".

Ian Mulcahey, the design firm's managing director, said: "The concept provides a simple solution to what is a very complex problem.

"The challenge has been to find a location that enables all the key components of Parliament to be located together in close proximity to the wider Government estate in Whitehall.

"The Palace of Westminster is one of the most important symbols of democracy in the world.

"This scheme provides a powerful expression of continuity and reinforces UK's world-leading creative expertise."

Duncan Swinhoe, regional managing principal at Gensler, also hinted towards how the temporary replacement could be used once the palace is back open for business.

He said: "Once the refurbishment of the palace is complete, the modular structure could be relocated and adapted to provide a permanent legacy such as a museum for democracy or alternatively a new parliament for an emerging overseas democracy."


T his is the moment a blazing double-decker bus "exploded" outside a busy City train station in front of horrified bystanders.

Video taken from the scene show flames ripping through the route 26 bus in Bishopsgate, outside Liverpool Street station, before a loud bang is heard.

London Fire Brigade said it was sent to the scene just before 10am and that half of the vehicle was destroyed by the blaze.

No passengers were on board at the time and the driver safely left the vehicle, Transport for London (TFL) said.

Firefighters remain at the scene which has been cordoned off as stunned passers-by filmed the fire on their mobile phones.

Eyewitness Ben Lewis, who was mong those to record footage, said: "I was just walking past as it was fully ablaze

"I didn't really see much, just what you see in the video.

"That little explosion made me jump."

A City of London police spokesman said the road was closed between Threadneedle Street and Wormwood Street for "several hours".

It has since reopened.

Tony Akers, TfL's Head of Bus Operations, said: "At approximately 9.55am on Sunday October 2, a route 26 double-decker Hybrid bus, operated by CT Bus, suffered a fire at Bishopsgate Junction.

"No passengers were on board at the time, and the driver alighted safely. London Fire Brigade and police attended the scene.

"There will be a full investigation into the incident."
T he roof of a double decker bus has been ripped off in west London after the driver ploughed into a bridge which was too low.

Three people are suffering from shock after the top floor of the bus was sliced straight off after the driver unsuccessfully navigated the small tunnel in Isleworth.

Photos from the scene show the sliced roof lying on the ground as bemused passers-by stop and take photos.

The bus roof is completely missing leaving it resembling an open-top double decker more often seen around London's tourist hotspots.

Crash: Police were called to the scene in Isleworth. / JB Wilson Twitter.

Police said they were called to the crash at 4.45pm on St John's Road, Isleworth today.

John Wilson, who lives nearby, said he was in the house at the time when he heard a crunch as the bus went under the bridge.

Ripped off: Passers-by stop to look at the sliced-off roof. / JB Wilson

He said the driver of another Transport for London bus, route H37, had beeped his horn to warn the driver.

A spokeswoman for the Met Police said three people were suffering from shock but there are no serious injuries.

Transport for London said buses are being diverted because of the crash.
A man was rushed to hospital after he was knifed in the shoulder in east London on Saturday night.

Police and ambulances sped to the scene near Victoria Park in Hackney after reports came in of a stabbing.

One man was taken to hospital suffering a stab injury to his shoulder.

His condition is not believed to be serious, police said.

The Met said detectives from Trident are now investigating the attack, which happened on Gore Road on the north border of the park at aroudn 8.15pm.

The London Ambulance Service's Joint Response Units posted a photo of ambulances at the scene on their Twitter page.

The JRU, which works closely with the Met Police at peak times, said: "Responded with @MPSHackney to yet another person stabbed."

They said they arrived on the scene in four minutes and the victim was taken to a major trauma centre.

No one has yet been arrested, the Met Police said.
P rime Minister Theresa May said the UK will "make our own decisions" on immigration as she underlined how important border controls will be in Brexit talks.

Speaking at the start of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham today, Mrs May put Britain on track for a "hard Brexit" by the spring of 2019 and made it clear she will not accept any limits on Britains ability to control immigration.

The PM also rejected the idea Britain will be forced to make a trade-off between immigration controls and enjoying the single market.

Her promise comes just hours after she revealed Article 50 will be triggered by the end of March next year, kick-starting the two-year process of talks to leave the EU.

What is Article 50? - Explained

It means Britain can expect to become a non-EU member by the summer of 2019  a year ahead of the next general election.

Speaking at the conference, Mrs May said: "Whether people like it or not, the country voted to leave the EU.

"That means we are going to leave the EU. We are going to be a fully independent, sovereign country, a country that is no longer part of a political union with supranational institutions that can override national parliaments and courts.

Highlights from Theresa May's Tory conference speech

"That means we are going, once more, to have the freedom to make our own decisions on a whole host of different matters, from how we label our food to the way in which we choose to control immigration."

Speech: "We will do what independent, sovereign countries do." / PA

She added: "I know some people ask about the 'trade-off' between controlling immigration and trading with Europe. But that is the wrong way of looking at things.

"We have voted to leave the European Union and become a fully independent, sovereign country.

"We will do what independent, sovereign countries do. We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws."

She said her aim would be to strike a deal with the UK's EU partners to include "co-operation on law enforcement and counter-terrorism work ... (and) free trade in goods and services", and to give British companies "the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market and let European businesses do the same here".

She added: "Let me be clear: We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again. And we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice."

But Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat - who will be president of the Council when Mrs May kicks off talks by invoking Article 50 of the EU treaties - said the single market's four freedoms of goods, services, capital and people "cannot be decoupled".

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron branded Mrs May's announcement a "disaster" that would mean "no single market for Britain".

But Mrs May insisted she would strike a deal allowing "free trade in goods and services" and giving British companies "the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market and let European businesses do the same here".

Before the show: Theresa May and her husband Philip May arrive at the Conservative conferance. / EPA

And Brexit Secretary David Davis said EU leaders should "think carefully" before erecting barriers to trade.

Describing talk of Britain being subjected to trade barriers, such as tariffs, as "bluster", Mr Davis said: "It certainly won't be to anyone's benefit to see an increase in barriers to trade, in either direction.

"So, we want to maintain the freest possible trade between us, without betraying the instruction we have received from the British people to take back control of our own affairs."

CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn said business needed "urgent answers" on barrier-free access to EU markets.

She said: "Businesses cannot continue to operate in the dark. The decisions they face today are real and pressing.

"The Government's desire to play its negotiating cards close to its chest must be tempered by clear indications on how we will trade with the UK's most important partner, and how firms will be able to employ the people needed to drive growth."
A fundraiser for tragic boxer Mike Towell who died after being seriously injured in the ring has passed its 20,000 target in one day.

The fundraiser, set-up by former world champion boxer Ricky Hatton, aims to raise as much money as possible for Mr Towell's partner, Chloe Ross, and young son, Rocco.

A "heartbroken" Ms Ross spoke of her loss and said Mr Towell, from Dundee, had been suffering from headaches in the weeks before Thursday's fight as a politician and doctors questioned the safety of the sport.

The boxer's management team said they were not aware of any headache complaints.

Tragic: Mike Towell died on Friday after suffering injuries in the ring / Getty Images

The 25-year-old welterweight, was stretchered from the ring after a fifth-round loss to Dale Evans in a St Andrew's Sporting Club fight in Glasgow.

He was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, diagnosed with severe bleeding and swelling to his brain and died shortly after 11pm on Friday, 12 hours after being taken off life support.

Ms Ross, his partner of eight years, wrote on Facebook: "I'm absolutely heartbroken to say my annoying best friend passed away tonight at 11.02 very peacefully.

"Michael had severe bleeding and swelling to his brain. He had been complaining of headaches for the last few weeks but we put it down to migraines with the stress of his fight.

"It has been the longest 24 hours of our lives. My baby has lost his daddy. But he will be so so proud of his dad in what he achieved.

"Once he was taken off of his life support he managed 12 hours, 12 whole rounds off his life support, he fought right to the end and he's done us all so proud."

A spokesman for St Andrew's said nobody in Towell's management team was aware of any headache problems leading up to the fight.

The eliminator for the British welterweight title at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow, was being broadcast on STV Glasgow when Towell was fatally injured.

On the JustGiving page he set up, Mr Hatton, who has donated 5,000 of his own money, wrote: "Mike Towell lost his life doing either what he loved or looking after his family - or both.

"A young boy and partner are left behind let's make sure they are looked after. Give what you can. Let's see if we can smash the 20,000."
A newly-married bride was reportedly left in overwhelming despair after she discovered her husband was also her biological grandfather.

The couple made the discovery three months after they tied the knot while flicking through a photo album when they realised the mans son was also the brides father, the Florida Sun Post reported.

The man, 68, a millionaire who lives in a waterfront home in Miamis Golden Beach, proposed to the 24-year-old on New Years Eve after they met through an online dating website.

He had apparently became estranged from the children in his first marriage and had moved away after his second marriage ended in divorce when he scooped several million dollars as a lottery prize.

Looking for companionship, he signed up to a dating website and struck up a relationship with a 24-year-old woman from Jacksonville who said she was kicked out of her family home.

Three months after they tied the knot, the couple reportedly discovered their family connection while looking through family pictures.

According the Florida Sun Post, the woman said: When I saw my father in that photo album, I just felt an overwhelming sense of despair.

And despite the shocking the discovery, the couple apparently have no plans to divorce.

The man told the newspaper: Ive already had two failed marriages, and Im determined not to have a third.
D ozens have been killed in a stampede in Ethiopia after a religious celebration turned into an anti-government protest.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the annual Irrecha event, south-east of the capital Addis Ababa, which was attended by around two million people.

The event took place in one of the country's most sensitive regions, Oromia, which has seen several months of sometimes deadly protests demanding wider freedoms.

Ethiopia's government acknowledged deaths during the event and, through a spokesman, blamed "people that prepared to cause trouble" for the chaos.

Emotive: A woman cries at a protest during Irreecha, the thanksgiving festival. / REUTERS

The spokesman's office said many people were taken to hospital but it did not provide any figures.

Witnesses said police dispersed protesters chanting anti-government slogans as they pushed toward a stage where religious leaders were speaking. Some threw rocks and plastic bottles.

Police: Officers watch as demonstrators chant slogans. / REUTERS

As festival goers fled, some were crushed in nearby ditches.

An Associated Press reporter saw people holding up crossed wrists in a popular gesture of anti-government protest and police firing tear gas. The reporter also saw several injured people.

The months of anti-government protests in several parts of Ethiopia and the sometimes harsh government response has raised international concern.

The US recently spoke out against what it called the excessive use of force against protesters.
F rench police fired tear gas and water cannon on British protesters defending migrants in Calais as authorities prepare to shut down the so-called Jungle camp.

Demonstrators waving Union Jacks were among those caught up in the disturbance as they defied a ban by officials to protest on Saturday.

The protesters, including British activists, say they are expressing solidarity with the migrants, who face imminent expulsion from the camp.

Around 300 people came in by bus from other cities, and were met by police, who used tear gas to disperse them and keep them from marching into the city centre.

Message: Migrants hold a placard aimed at Theresa May during the Calais demonstration / REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

They chanted demands to be allowed access through the Channel Tunnel to Britain, according to La Voix Du Nord.

The newspaper added protesters hurled stones at police as tensions boiled over which prompted officers to fire tear gas and water cannon in response.

Four people were reportedly injured in the clashes which lasted about half-an-hour.

French president Francois Hollande has pledged to close the Calais camp by the end of the year and transfer thousands of migrants around France while their asylum cases are examined.
M ore than 70 people have been injured after gas explosion in Malaga during a festival yesterday.

Tourists were seen fleeing the from La Bohemia restaurant in the centre of Velez-Malaga around 5pm

Shocking pictures and video posted on social media showed the huge damage caused by the explosion.

The towns mayor said: "It appears that there may have been a gas leak with overheating and fire."

The area of Velez-Malaga is particularly popular with British tourists and expats.

Local media have reported that a chef at the restaurant was able to warn people of the explosion which gave them enough time to escape.

It has also been reported that some of the injured needed to be taken to hospital in police cars as there were not enough ambulances.

It is not believed that anyone suffered life threatening injuries from the blast.
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The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lazar Comanescu, said that he spoke with US Ambassador Hans Klemm, about the photograph in which the American diplomat appears holding a Szekler flag, during a visit to Covasna county.

"We spoke on the phone. (...) I said that, (...) in relations between states, anywhere in the world, there can be topics, aspects, that at a point, in certain circumstances, may generate sensibilities," said Lazar Comanescu, on Sunday, at private broadcaster Digi 24.Comanescu mentioned that there was no summoning of the US ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter. "That is an inexact information, there was no summons," said Comanescu.Asked if the US Ambassador made "a mistake" in this case, Lazar Comanescu mentioned that the ulterior reaction of Hans Klemm clarified things."The reaction fo Mr. Ambassador Klemm, (...) in Craiova, I believe clarified things. There are, for America, for himself, but two flags, the national flag of Romania and the flag of the United States of America. (...) I believe that, as himself said, it was a gesture of courtesy, (...) he was in a situation in which he had to manifest with this gesture of courtesy," Comanescu showed.Furthermore, he considers that, when you know the history and sensibilities of a country, you take them into account. "When you know very well, I said it then, the history, the sensibilities, you take them into account. (...) Everybody assumes responsibility for what they do," the Minister of Foreign Affairs also said, asked if he would've done the same gesture as the US Ambassador.In September, the mayor of Sfantu Gheorghe, Antal Arpad, published on Facebook a photograph in which he appears together with the US Ambassador in Romania and other local representatives holding a Szekler flag."I gifted a flag of the Szekler community to the US ambassador, flag that has become a symbol of lack of respect of the authorities towards the Szekler community. I mention that this flag was first used in 1599, when the Szeklers fought together with Michael the Brave," said mayor Antal Arpad on Facebook. AGERPRES
Nailed into the white wall of the Peers Store about chest high on its front porch is a square piece of metal marking the height of the Missouri River floodwater in 1951. The nail that holds it in place is rusted.

The store sits along the Katy Trail between Marthasville and Treloar. Its about two miles north of the Missouri River along a stretch of landscape in Warren County that Dan Burkhardt believes connects this regions past with its future.

If the people in St. Louis understood the beauty and value of whats out here, Burkhardt says, it would lift the spirits of the region.

Burkhardt and his wife, Connie, consider themselves dual citizens of St. Louis and Marthasville. They spend most of the week in their Frontenac home and weekends on their farm down Highway 94 from the old general store. There they grow three varieties of grapes for Missouri wine and raise cattle and chickens. The Peers Store, like much of what they do, is a labor of love.

In 2010, the Burkhardts founded the Katy Land Trust to help preserve land and farming heritage in the rural landscape west of St. Louis along the trail that runs the old route of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Landowners can donate easements to their properties that will make sure they are not developed in the future. The couple bought the Peers Store in 2014 for a similar purpose.

Long run by the Glosemeyer family, it had become run-down and was in danger of being bulldozed.

Now, its reconditioned and serves as a conservation outpost of sorts.

Sitting on one of its shelves inside is the Burkhardts latest project, a book that the couple hopes inspires the next generation of conservationists by connecting them to the river that weaves together much of our regions history.

Called Growing Up with the River, the coffee-table book is a piece of historical fiction targeted at younger readers that tells imaginary tales along the real towns that dot the Missouri River from Chesterfield to Washington to Hermann, New Haven and Dutzow.

The book features an introduction by Missouri History Museum President Fran Levine and an epilogue by Hollywood producer Jon Landau. Artist Bryan Haynes colorful illustrations help bring the Missouri landscape to life.

Its about getting people to love the river, Connie Burkhardt says.

The Burkhardts envision a day when the Peers Store and other places like it along the Katy Trail come to life as more St. Louisans, and tourists, look to Missouri River country as a destination.

To that end, Dan is working with the St. Louis Regional Chamber on a tourism study for the Missouri River area. Hes also meeting with some of the civic leaders in small towns along the river about working together to promote business opportunities.

He sits under the pergola on his farm, or has a drink on its highest point  the Burkhardts call it Happy Hour Hill  and thinks big thoughts.

For instance: What if there were a water taxi  think Uber on the Missouri River  to ferry tourists among Hermann and New Haven and Washington? How could the various wineries and bed and breakfasts work together to get tourists to think about exploring the history of the entire region?

The focus on commerce isnt just about business  though before retirement, Dan did make his living as head of investment banking for Edward Jones  its about finding the right motivation to get St. Louisans and others to care more about preserving the Missouri River.

If people understand that the Missouri River is one the regions great assets, maybe they will be more sensitive to what happens to it, Dan says.

That means understanding how the river works.

For instance, Peers Store wasnt always two miles from the river. Until 1903, Peers was a river town, and the general store was bustling as a key stop when the train came to town. But that flood, like many in the rivers history before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed and channeled it, caused the river to actually move. After the 1903 water receded, Peers was no longer a river town.

Still, the store flooded again in 1941, and 1947, and 51, 86, 93 and 95. It will flood again, as will the cornfields to its south, where corncobs are harvested and turned into Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipes.

But the floods of today are different from the ones of centuries past, because some of the lessons offered in the pages of Growing Up with the River have yet to be learned.

Grandpas friend explains one of those lessons in chapter nine:

Levees will protect the stores, houses and crops in one area, he tells his friends curious grandchildren, who grew up shopping in the Chesterfield Valley, but it will make the flooding worse in others. The water has to go somewhere.
UPDATED at 11:30 a.m. Monday with police continuing to search for evidence, including bullet casings, at scene.

ST. LOUIS  Police shot and wounded a 14-year-old boy after he fired at a shot at officers Sunday morning in the Walnut Park East neighborhood, Police Chief Sam Dotson said.

The shooting was reported about 9:25 a.m. in the 5000 block of Beacon Avenue; the department posted a tweet saying the wounded person was stable at a hospital.

No officers were injured in the shooting.

Dotson told reporters at the scene that officers had been searching for a car taken in a carjacking late last month. After a short pursuit, police said, the officers stopped to try to talk to at least one teen walking on Lillian Avenue. Police described him as a suspect. The teen ran off, turned through a vacant lot near Walbridge Elementary School and fired at least one shot before officers returned fire, police said.

The boy dropped the gun and ran but was taken into custody nearby, police said.

The two officers involved are white; the teen is black. The boy was in critical but stable condition at a hospital; he was conscious and able to speak. Dotson said witnesses told police they heard the pursuing officers identify themselves as police and order the teen to get down.

A 14-year-old with a gun I think really goes to the conversation about the epidemic of violence that we have in our community, Dotson told reporters. That a 14-year-old has access to a gun or feels the need to have a gun, and certainly when officers approach, running or pointing that gun at officers, it does nobody in the community any good.

Police found the teens semiautomatic pistol at the scene and were looking for the shell casing in the vacant lot, Dotson said. The gun had a defaced serial number, according to police.

Overgrown areas with knee-high weeds made the search for evidence difficult, police said. On Monday morning, city forestry workers were cutting weeds around two homes in the 5000 block of Davison Avenue, near Walbridge Elementary, to make the search easier.

Officers planned to bring in metal detectors and a dog trained to pick up the scent of gunpowder to help locate shell casings and other possible evidence. They placed yellow evidence markers on the ground, and were raking up grass clippings and searching through them by hand.

The chief said officers were not wearing body cameras, and there is no dashboard or body camera recording of the shooting. St. Louis police officers do not have body cameras, although some higher-ranking officers participated in a pilot program using the equipment starting last year.

A witness to the incident, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said two young men or boys were on the street when a police cruiser drove past. The person said it didnt seem like the police were pulling up quickly on the two people, but they did kind of slow down and look at him.

One of the boys ran, and officers got out of the car to chase him. He was holding his side like he had a gun, the witness said.

The boy, who the witness described as almost 6 feet tall, ran past the elementary school and toward a vacant lot. He then fired at officers, who took cover and returned fire, the person said.

Dotson said the 14-year-old who was shot was reportedly out with an acquaintance Sunday morning, and police were searching for the acquaintance.

An estimated 50 people gathered in a couple of groups near the shooting scene Sunday, some already skeptical of the police account of the incident.

Cassandra Barton was among a group of people near the scene, with some yelling that the police were lying about the shooting.

They need them body cameras, said Barton, who did not see the shooting but whose mother lives on the block where it occurred. Then they wouldnt have this problem.

St. Louis Alderman Chris Carter, who represents the ward where the shooting occurred, said the incident speaks to the need for body cameras. People are just tired of the police shootings, Carter said.

People have a right to ask questions, Dotson said, and he spoke with people who gathered near the scene Sunday morning.

In the world that we live in now, people are skeptical, he said. I have to do everything, and I hope my officers do everything they can, to make sure the community has confidence in the police department.

Dotson said police were looking for video footage of the area, which could include a camera on the Walbridge school property. He also expressed support for officer body cameras, noting a proposal from Missouri Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, that could help pay for the equipment. Some police sergeants wore the cameras in the pilot program that began late last year, but the department is still evaluating a larger body camera program.

In this day and age, if Sam Dotson were a young police officer, I would certainly want to wear a body camera every day, the police chief said.

One officer involved in the shooting is a 40-year-old man with nine years as an officer. The other is a 31-year-old man with eight years.
A report suggesting that Valley Parks levee may exceed its authorized height has drawn increased attention to the process that guided the structures design, prompting a recent meeting between those who engineered it and representatives of groups focused on river management issues.

In the Sept. 16 meeting, experts from the St. Louis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shared information about the levee systems construction in an effort to address concerns that the levees height worsened recent flooding of the adjacent Meramec River.

In late December 2015, the river swelled to unprecedented levels, devastating homes and businesses in communities surrounding Valley Park. When Valley Parks levee was not topped by floodwater, some began to question whether the structure was overbuilt.

Those suspicions were seemingly upheld by an August report based on measurements from a local engineering firm, which identified parts of the levee 8 feet higher than what some felt would be the structures proper height.

But determining the proper height of the levee depends on how you define a 100-year flood  the maximum level of flood protection the levee aims to provide.

Since the reports release, the corps has stood by the design of the levee, explaining that they used different flood-level data than that from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which some outside experts presumed dictated the levees proper height.

Corps representatives have also acknowledged that some portions of the levee do exceed its design height, due to anticipated settlement of the earthen structure.

That added height for post-construction settlement was one of the main topics discussed at the recent meeting between the corps and concerned groups. Corps officials said it is typical for levees to be built 5 percent to 10 percent higher than designed to account for settlement over time. Along parts of the Valley Park levee, they said the 10 percent maximum was necessary because of underlying layers of clay and silt conducive to settlement.

But some individuals attending the meeting voiced concern about the fact that the rate of the levees settlement is not being monitored, and that no plans would be put in place to remove any potential excess height.

It doesnt make sense to me not to monitor it and not to remove (excess height), said Brad Walker, the Big Rivers director for the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.

Corps officials, though, say settlement is still taking place and can take upward of 20 years. Moreover, they say it doesnt matter, because lower parts of the levee exist  such as concrete walls and flood gates  that are not built to account for settlement. They say those low portions make higher stretches a moot point in terms of their impact on flooding.

Those would be the first points to overtop, and thats why they are more relevant than the height of the levee, said John Boeckmann, a hydraulic engineer with the corps.

But perhaps the bigger question addressed was if the levee worsened flooding in neighboring communities. Corps officials dont think so, saying their studies indicate that the levee affected flood heights by less than 4 inches  an amount they say would have dissipated within a couple of miles upstream.

The levee had less effect than you might think on adjacent floodwaters, said Boeckmann. Its really localized.

That impact of a few inches is well within Missouris legal parameters, which state that development projects cannot impact flooding by more than 1 foot.

Critics, however, say that policy misses the bigger picture.

The problem is ... we have all these cumulative impacts of a foot or less, said Walker, arguing that the regionwide total significantly adds to flood danger. You have levees being built all over that are in compliance with the law, but does the law make any sense?

In the immediate vicinity of Valley Park, Walker wonders whether flooding models can keep pace with the impact from developments such as a nearby landfill and other construction projects. Ultimately, he wants Missouri to emulate states with more stringent limits on permissible flooding impact. Illinois, for instance, only allows one-tenth of a foot. Wisconsin, meanwhile, does not allow any impact.

The corps said that the agency has no plans to alter Valley Parks levee or to more closely examine the structure beyond routine annual inspections, which do not assess its height.

I see no signs of forcing Valley Park to do anything, said David Stokes, executive director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance  the organization that originally commissioned the investigation into the levees height.

Others, though, say some homeowners and businesses in affected communities  such as Fenton, Kirkwood and Sunset Hills  are still weighing options for legal action.

I know (there are) a couple plaintiffs attorneys talking about it now, said Glenn Jamboretz, a member of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance who also attended the meeting with the corps. He said that he and Bob Criss, a Washington University professor who studies the Meramec and is a vocal critic of flood-control policy, plan to eventually hold an informational meeting about the levee for interested parties.

But any legal action that may arise could be complicated by the fact that, according to the corps, nearby city and county governments agreed to the plan outlining the details of the levees construction.
So my question is, if the department is defunded, and low pay continues, what will happen the next time the police are desperately needed and only a handful of them are available?
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The head of Germany's financial regulator warned on Saturday of negative perceptions that could lead to downward spirals on the markets, at the end of a week that saw Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) shares battered by a crisis of confidence.

In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper due to be published on Sunday, the head of Bafin, Felix Hufeld, declined to comment specifically on Deutsche Bank, Germany's biggest bank.

But he said: "I warn people not to let themselves be drawn into a kind of downward spiral of negative perception. Not every nervous market reaction is backed by objective facts."

Deutsche Bank shares were hit first by a demand for up to $14 billion from the U.S. Department of Justice for mis-selling mortgage-backed securities, then a report that Berlin was preparing a rescue plan and lastly on Friday by a report that hedge funds were reducing their exposure.

They recovered from record lows on Friday after another report late in the day that the bank was close to a settlement of $5.4 billion with U.S. authorities instead of $14 billion.

Hufeld said it was correct that there were rescue and wind-down plans for every large bank, without elaborating.

He blamed the low interest-rate environment for eating away the banks' profitability but said the institutions needed to react fast. "Painful cuts will be unavoidable," he said.

Hufeld said he expected several mergers in the German banking sector, mainly between the smaller cooperative and savings banks.

He did not name Deutsche Bank or Germany's second-biggest bank, Commerzbank (CBKG.DE), but said he did not believe in a "cure-all miracle merger" that would solve all Germany's banking problems overnight.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Helen Popper)
Like most towns Stratford has its issues with drugs, begging and rough sleeping, with Warwickshire Police agreeing that the number of people living on the towns streets has risen over recent months.

The numbers are not huge, but it is an issue that the police are trying to address, working closely with other organisations across the area.

This week the Stratford Herald accompanied police as they patrolled the town, experiencing how they engage with beggers and those living on the town's streets.

Inspector Julia Brealey, from the Stratford Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: The message I would like to give to people in Stratford is not to give money to beggars, it doesnt help and it doesnt get people off the streets. It is much better to give money to a homeless charity or to just have a chat with rough sleepers.

Not all but most of the beggers in Stratford have issues with drugs and nearly all of them actually do have homes or accommodation, but choose to stay on the streets. What we are doing is working with Stratford District Council, social services, Stratford Link, The Recovery Partnership and other groups to try and move people back into a more mainstream lifestyle, where they can take more responsibility for themselves.

One of the ways we can help them is to stop their income stream.

Sgt Alan Edwards added: Stratford town centre is a very safe place to be, the general population are very genuine and generous, but there are some people in the town that are taking advantage of the goodwill of residents.

Stratford ten or even five years ago used to have a problem with antisocial drinking and drinking on the street late at night, but that has largely disappeared. Stratford is a lovely place to be.

Inspector Brealey explained that when people are seen to be actively begging they are issued with a written warning letter, informing them that it is an offence to beg and that their behaviour is causing alarm and distress.

The letters signpost offenders towards the Stratford Link Project that provides support on a number of issues including substance abuse, housing advice and debt assistance.

Inspector Brealey added: Ultimately we can issue summons, but we dont want to criminalise people we want to support them into a more mainstream lifestyle.

On a patrol across the Tramway Bridge, officers come across Jonas, a 40-year-old rough sleeper originally from Lithuania who has lived on the streets for six years.

Jonas said: In five years time I dont know if I will be off the streets, its sad to say but I just feel lost, I dont know what I want. I dont blame anyone else for why Im here, drugs are probably the main reason I have ended up like this.

Jonas, who was busking with a guitar, admitted that he thinks he would only be able to survive like this in Stratford and said it was easy to find food in the town.

Elsewhere on the patrol officers met 26-year-old Stacey, who lives on the street with her partner Tim and dog Porro.

Stacey, originally from Bishops Itchington, said she had been living in a property on Josephs Way, but had left because of issues with the neighbours.

Stacey said: Ive got a job lined up in Bristol so I hope to move there soon, where Ill have my baby boy. I had to move out of my home because the door has been smashed and its just not a safe place to be. Im sure I will have a place to stay by the time the baby is born. Its very hard to get accommodation or a place in a B&B because weve got a dog.

Me and my boyfriend busk and I sell dreamcatchers, and I hope to be running my own business in five years time. There are beggers who come in to Stratford because its seen as a soft touch, but if they stop the beggers crime will go up, theyll move on to something else.

I understand why the police want to stop beggars but there are things that do cost money. You have to have water and there are no public taps in Stratford and you have to be able to go to the toilet, people on the streets still have to live.

There is some help for rough sleepers in Stratford, Recovery are very good and so are the Link, but it would be helpful if there was somewhere to get food, the Salvation Army cafe has shut down now.

For more information about The Recovery Partnership and how it can help visit www.cw-recovery.org.uk or to donate to the organisation's efforts in Stratford, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/StratfordTRP
Alibaba Group Dominated Partner Announcements at this Year's IBC

The incredible shrinking Earth was on display at Septembers IBC show in Amsterdam, where a number of well-known companies in the streaming space made announcements highlighting partnerships with one of the industrys newest entrants: Alibaba Group and its rapidly growing Alibaba Cloud division.

From Haivision to Wowza, a number of press announcements centered on the integration of hardware and software services within arguably the first successful Alibaba Group service to reach America.

In 2014, Alibaba Group, now listed on the New York Stock Exchange as BABA, made history as the worlds largest IPO, with more than $25 billion in shares sold on opening day. Yahoo, which had a 15 percent stake in Alibaba as part of its China strategy, now holds the bulk of its $36.4 billion valuation primarily in Alibaba stock. This is after selling off its core advertising assets to Verizon, but retaining stakes in Yahoo Japan and Alibaba.

For most, the Alibaba hype could be summed up in two words: market potential. While others were unable to penetrate the Chinese consumer goods market, Alibaba10 companies that collectively take on Amazons core ecommerce product delivery business as well as eBays auction approachgrew into a trillion-dollar business.

The rise of Alibaba Group is astounding. Its revenue growth from 2014 to 2015 more than doubled Amazons (44.1 percent growth for Alibaba, 19.5 percent for Amazon) while maintaining an operating margin of 26.6 percent, which is closer to eBays operating margin (26.4 percent in that same time frame) than it is to Amazons (less than 1 percent for the 2014 calendar year).

The cloud computing division of Alibaba Group, known interchangeably as AliCloud or Aliyun, has been around in various forms since 2009. But it wasnt until AliCloud opened international data centers in Hong Kong (2014) and Silicon Valley (2015) and moved its international headquarters from China to Singapore (2015) that the business world began paying attention.

Amazon, for its part, had AliCloud on its radar long before that, in no small part because Alibaba handed Amazon its e-commerce hat in China and across parts of Asia-Pacific (APAC). Amazon understands the T in SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), a classic MBA tool used to calculate the risk involved in a companys overall marketplace.

Expanding into the Chinese marketplace, with its 1 billion-plus consumers, is an opportunity; facing a Chinese competitor not just in China but also on a global stage is a threat to a companys very existence. Alibaba represents a very big threat to Amazon, so Amazon must meet the AliCloud challenge to protect its cloud business.

It wasnt a surprise when Amazon announced in late 2013 that it would expand its Amazon Cloud service to China, a strategic move to preempt AliCloud from moving too far afield from its Chinese roots. Alibaba seemed intent on balancing the playing field, though, and has made at least two large investmentsone topping $1 billion in 2014, which allowed AliCloud to expand to Dubai and move forward in the United Statesto compete with Amazon.

Even so, itll be an uphill climb. While Alibaba Group trails Amazon slightly in its ecommerce offerings, it is much further behind in the web services space: Amazon has almost 10 percent of the global cloud computing market, bringing in $7.9 billion in cloud computing revenues in 2015. AliCloud brought in only $0.4 billion.

The potential market balancer, though, may be the Chinese cloud computing market. It experienced a 45 percent compound annual growth rate between 2013 and 2015 and now accounts for about $3.1 billion in annual revenues. In other words, if Amazon isnt successful with its push into the Chinese cloud computing market, the potential is there for AliCloud to dominate the Chinese market and thereby need less of the overall global cloud computing market to catch up with Amazons cloud computing services the same way it is doing in the ecommerce realm.

One advantage that Alibaba has in APAC is that it understands the market. This market is fraught with peril, from incompatible video formats to highly fragmented market sectors. Well explore those issues in a future Streams of Thought column.

[This article appears in the October 2016 issue of Streaming Media magazine as "Looking East."]

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Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte leaves the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Sunday he had received support from Russia and China when he complained to them about the United States, in another broadside that could test his increasingly fragile alliance with Washington.

Duterte said that during a meeting on the sidelines of a leaders' summit in Laos last month, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had agreed with him when he railed against the United States.

"I met with Medvedev, I am revealing it to you now," Duterte said in a speech. "I told him this is the situation: They are giving me a hard time, they are disrespecting me; they are shameless.

"He said: 'That is really how the Americans are.' He said: 'We will help you.'"

Duterte gave no further details about the nature of his complaints.

His ire toward the United States has intensified since U.S. President Barack Obama said he would raise concerns about Duterte's deadly war on drugs.

The White House canceled a meeting between them in Laos after Duterte had called Obama a "son of a bitch."

Duterte said on Sunday he had raised objections about the United States to China also.

China said the Philippines would not benefit from siding with the United States, according to Duterte. It was not immediately clear which Chinese official he was quoting and when the remark was made.

Duterte has said repeatedly during recent, frequent speeches that he planned to open new alliances with Russia and China, particularly for trade and commerce, as part of his pursuit of an independent foreign policy.

Several commercial and diplomatic sources have confirmed to Reuters that a Philippine business delegation will accompany Duterte on a visit to Beijing from Oct. 19-21.

DOUBTS OVER DEAL

In another swipe at Washington, Duterte said he would review a landmark security deal agreed upon with the United States, arguing it may not be legally binding because no president had signed off on it.

Duterte's remarks show his intent to challenge or test the limits of a historic alliance that U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday called "ironclad."

That came the day after Duterte declared joint U.S.-Philippines war games starting this week would be "the last."

The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed a few days before Obama visited the Philippines in 2014, allows U.S. troops to build storage facilities for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations.

It also provides broad access to Philippine military bases.

Duterte said the agreement would be reviewed because it was signed by the then Philippine defense secretary and the U.S. ambassador, and not the country's president.

Duterte did not explicitly say that he would try to scrap the deal, but in comments aimed at the United States, he said: "It does not bear the signature of the president of the Republic of the Philippines ...

"Better think twice now, because I would be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether."

In a response, the Pentagon said the United States and Philippines had a long history of working together on security issues and that conversations between Carter and his Philippine counterpart last week in Hawaii had been "positive."

"We will continue to honor our alliance commitments, and we expect the Philippines to do the same," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.

"We will continue to work closely with the government of the Philippines to address any concerns they may have," Cook said.

Under the defense agreement, two C-130 transport planes and 100 U.S. servicemen have been at an air base in the central Philippines since Sept. 25 as part of a two-week exercise.

Analysts saw the agreement in part as a deterrent to ward off moves by China to advance its interests in the South China Sea.

Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, John McCain, has previously said the agreement was a landmark deal with a significance "not witnessed in decades."

Any indication it could be halted would be a big setback for U.S. efforts to boost its influence in Asia and counter that of a fast-rising China.

Washington's defense agreements with the Philippines, its former colony, are more substantial than with any other country in Southeast Asia.

Duterte's comments come at a time when U.S. defense ties with Thailand, another traditional ally, have been temporarily scaled back following the military's 2014 coup.

The defense deal with the Philippines faced a legal challenge from some of the Asian country's lawmakers and activists. They were concerned that it represented a challenge to sovereignty and would make the Philippines a launching pad for U.S. military intervention in the region.

The Supreme Court ruled in January that it was constitutional.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Lisa Von Ahn)
Johns also known as the billion dollar man, because his work leading the revitalisation of Aucklands central city waterfronthas attracted more than a billion dollars in investment into the Auckland waterfront, says event organiser Max Mason.

The revitalisaion of Aucklands Wynyard Quarter is arguably the largest urban regeneration project in New Zealand, which and during the process worked through several models during the citys changes from Auckland City to the super city.

His main message was really telling the story of the transition, says Max.

John started with the City from the Sea council controlled organisation, which changed with the 2010 Super City to Waterfront Auckland and then most recentoly Punuku Developemnt and during the process morphed from a CCO into an Urban Development Corporation.

The successful revitalisaiton of the Viaduct Basin and the Wynyard Quarter using council land to encourge private investment in revitalisaiton projects is now going to be adopted for other parts of the city says Max.

For example the Manukau urban area, they will be doing urban revitalistion there using council land to lever privae investment, and one of the key tenants of the development agencies is bridging the gap between where the market has failed and the counicl then decides they need to intervene to create more community outcomes, says Max.

A good example for Taurnga would be the hotel development which has been going for however many years now.

Rather than just letting it happen, its more about taking a pro-active stance to this and setting up an urban development corporation which is still controlled by the council. But if the council says we have got all these land parcels around the city centre and would like to have really good community outcomes, the UDC then provactively markets those parcels of land where the private sector carries the burden of the risk. Then its a win win for everybody.

Exactly the same thing happened in Wellington, it had a Wellington Waterfront CCO, and as you know the Wellington waterfront is highly regarded. Now what they have set up in the last few months is an UDA backed by the whole citys property portfolio.

John Dalzells brings a very strong community engagement perspective to the process says Max. Where the community is heavily involved in setting the vision.

To him a key part is literally having a picture, a plan which everybody can see after all the discussion and suggestions that might have been put in, which is kind of adapted as you go as well. Because you dont always get it right is the first few years, says Max.

Max says he did receive aplogies from most of the absent city councillors who for various reasons were unable to attend.

On Thursday at the last council meeting of the triennium Tauranga City Council formally adopted audited amendments to the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan in its next step to creating Taurangas civic heart.

The Amended Plan now incorporates the total cost of $27.5 million for Council to work with the private sector to deliver a new civic administration building with surrounding open space on the Council-owned Willow Street or Durham Street site.

The city council will lease the building from the building owner and the budget has been revised to reflect commercial lease costs. The existing Council administration buildings are to be demolished in a phased approach over the next four years.

Further expenditure has been provided for detailed business cases for a fit for purpose, future-proofed library and museum in the city centre. While the LTP Amendment does not include expenditure related to a performance venue, Council agreed on 20 September 2016 to spend $100,000 to develop an indicative business case for a performance venue in the current financial year.

The Amended Long Term Plan 2015-2025 differs from the proposed Long Term Plan Amendment that supported the consultation document in that the financials are based around a lease of the council administration building on the site; the removal of capital budget for the creation of a civic square on Masonic Park.

The fesibility study funding for the museum and library by adding a further $400,000 expenditure to extend these studies to detailed business cases. This will potentially fast track any delivery of these amenities by at least two years.

The financial impacts of these decisions are included in the final adopted Long Term Plan Amendment.

There will be further opportunities for community feedback through formal and informal consultation on the library, museum and performance venue projects, once the business cases have been completed, including more discussion on the look and feel of the projects, says Mayor Stuart Crosby.
Fourth term Rotorua Lakes councillor Mike McVicker and Tauranga-based NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell say they support the views of the lobby group Hobsons Pledge.

The group, fronted by former National Party leader Don Brash, has been established to end perceived privileges for Maori over non-Maori.
At least one angler is in with a chance to win $10,000 after catching one of the special green-tagged fish released into the Rotorua lakes in time for the opening of the new fishing season.

The Fish for Gold promotion centres on 30 green-tagged fish which have been put, 10 apiece, into lakes Tarawera, Rotoiti and Okataina.
Farmers and horticulturalists growing quality food and produce, while caring for the environment and their communities, are being encouraged to enter the 2017 Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

The awards are not about winning major prizes or overseas travel, but instead about sharing positive farming stories, ideas and expertise with the wider farming community and the general public.
A wire rope safety barrier installed on State Highway 2 less than three months ago has already prevented at least three potential head-on crashes, according to New Zealand Transport Agency.

The barrier, which runs between Turner Rd and Sargent Dr at Apata segmenting northbound and southbound traffic on the highways passing lane, has been struck by vehicles in three separate incidents since being installed at the start of July.
The days of interest-free loans for students may be coming to a close soon.

A report to the Government suggests students should return to paying interest on their loans in an attempt to make tertiary education more accessible for all.
90 people were injured in the incident, which happened on the penultimate day of the town's annual Feria de San Miguel

The bar's terrace, after the explosion. EUGENIO CABEZAS

Mayor of Velez-Malaga, Antonio Ferrer, revealed at a press conference on Tuesday, that the kitchen where Saturday evenings gas canister explosion occurred, has been operating without a licence since 2013.

Ferrer announced that a licence was applied for on 27 March 2013, for the premises to open a burger and takeaway bar, but it was denied. On 25 May 2016 a further licence was sought to open a bar with kitchen, a process which was still in progress at the time of the explosion. However, the mayor has confirmed that the bar La Bohemia does have a full licence and was operating legally. The establishment, which is located next to La Bohemia, was providing extra help to the bar during the fair.

At around 7pm on Saturday evening, the cook, a 35-year-old Moroccan woman, noticed flames coming from a gas canister in the kitchen of the bar in Pasaje Montera, in the town centre and immediately alerted staff and clients in and around the bar, by shouting at them to run from the area, knowing that the canister would explode.

90 people were injured in the explosion, of whom four seriously, including the cook, who was released from hospital on Tuesday morning. None of the injuries are considered to be life-threatening and witnesses and emergency services who attended to the injured have said that the situation could have been much worse had it not been for the quick-thinking of the cook.

Six people were transferred to the Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquia in Torre del Mar and a further two were taken to the Hospital Regional in Malaga city, including the cook.

Others were taken to the health centres in Velez-Malaga with minor injuries, including cuts and bruises, which required stitches caused by flying glass and the panic which ensued after the blast.

According to the emergency services a temporary hospital was set up in the streets near the bar, to offer first-aid to people while they waited for ambulances to arrive.

Witnesses have reported hearing cries of people believing that the explosion was a bomb or terrorist attack. Ferrer has repeatedly thanked emergency services as well as members of the public for their fast action following the explosion and visited those injured in hospital after the incident.

A Facebook site allowing people to mark themselves as safe was set up and the story had reached international press by Saturday evening.

Insurance companies and the town hall are continuing to assess the damage to the bar and surrounding buildings, which include homes and a firm of lawyers, as well as the cause of the explosion. A team of local lawyers has set up a platform for those affected by the explosion in order to put in claims collectively.
thandie newton westworld hbo

Without auditioning, Thandie Newton was given the choice between two roles on HBO's highly anticipated new series, "Westworld."

"I picked Maeve," Newton, 43, told Business Insider earlier this week.

At face value, the choice to play a brothel madam would seem an odd choice for an outspoken women's right activist and victim of Hollywood sexual abuse.

"Maeve was bit more challenging to me, personally, with the nudity and so on," she said. "It was also very important, because ironically, the use of my body has not been my choice in a number of situations."

In an interview in W magazine in June, Newton revealed that one particular hurtful situation.

Earlier in her career, a director instructed her to fondle herself while he shot up her skirt for an audition. Years later, Newton discovered that the filmmaker was sharing the tape with friends after poker games at his house.

Produced by new "Star Wars" movie franchise director J.J. Abrams and based on the 1973 Michael Crichton movie of the same name, "Westworld" revolves around an amusement park where wealthy people pay admission to live out their fantasies with robot humans called "hosts."

Those fantasies can run the gamut of playing out a Western movie storyline where it's guaranteed they'll come out unharmed to sexual fantasies of all kinds. But a slight glitch in some hosts has the park's scientists anxious as they try to keep its customers' engaged in their fantasies.

Newton decided to take the "Westworld" role precisely because it mirrored what she and other women have experienced with sexual abuse and maintaining control over their bodies and at the same time asked the hard questions.

"My decision to play this role was a result of conversations we had about what they wanted to create with the show, the provocative material, which was going to be a conversation about what it means to be humane, what defines life, and do you value that life," she said.

Story continues

"Those are all questions that Ive been asking myself for a very, very long time. My social activism, my activism for womens rights, which takes up a huge proportion of my time, but wasnt my day job. So suddenly my day job was going to be turned into telling those stories and potentially go on for a number of years, I was like, Count me the f--- in."

thandie newton rodrigo santoro westworld hbo

As for the role Newton turned down in order to play Maeve, the actress isn't talking.

"Its a role beautifully played by somebody," she told us. "I dont want to pop an idea in someones head thats going to mess with whats actually there, because whats there is whats real."

The ensemble cast of "Westworld," which premieres Sunday at 9 p.m., stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Jeffrey Wright, and Jimmi Simpson, among others.

Watch a trailer for "Westworld" below:

NOW WATCH: Here's what real NFL agents think about HBO's 'Ballers'





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Cambridge has rejected calls for the withdrawal of public funding from its primate research facility after animal rights campaigners called their experiments sickening.

The Anti-Vivisection Coalition rejuvenated an ongoing campaign against the University last month, claiming Cambridge was using money from the publically-funded Medical Research Council to conduct vicious primate experiments, which included cutting open the heads of monkeys and planting electrodes in their brains.

Luke Steele, Head of AVC, said: 2014 marks 10 years since the British people spoke out against sickening primate experiments by stopping a new monkey laboratory being built in Cambridge. This was a call for change, but the government continues to present money from the very people who oppose these tests to fund the vivisectionists who undertake them.

Yet a University spokesperson told The Cambridge Student: Ongoing research with animals here at Cambridge and elsewhere offers the greatest hope of effective treatments for conditions such as cancer, Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers, strokes and transplants Without animal research, which is only used when there is no alternative, many treatments we take for granted today would not be possible.

He also explained: The UK has the most rigorous animal welfare regulations in the world, and Cambridge has always adhered to these regulations and will continue to work to the highest possible standards of animal care.

Sam, a preclinical medical student, said: Animal research forms the basis of so much of the knowledge that we as medical students read and learn about everyday. If we were to delete all the knowledge derived from animal studies from our textbooks we would be left with pretty scanty volumes, especially in disciplines such as neuroscience.

Jacob Sen, a first-year Veterinary Scientist at Trinity Hall, added: I think its fair to say that nobody wants animals to [suffer]  I dont think people should be guilt-tripped into believing animal testing is unacceptable when it still has relevance and is tightly regulated.

A spokesperson for MRC explained the stringent guidelines surrounding animal testing: Researchers applying for funding for studies involving animals must give clear scientific reasons for using them and explain why there are no alternatives. The legislation surrounding the use of monkeys is strictest of all. All facilities are regularly inspected by the Home Office.

The University spokesman assured TCS: The University strongly agrees with, and rigidly follows, the guiding principles emphasised by the Home Office on the need to refine protocols, keep the numbers of animals used to a minimum and replace the use of animals with other methods where possible. This underpins all research carried out at Cambridge.
Last September 30, 2016, a mysterioushandset along with its internal specifications appeared on's device list.Based on what's written on the site ( source ), it's clear that the product runs Android 7.0 Nougat operating system with its 1.4 GHz Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 420 MSM 8937 processor and has 3GB of RAM for multitasking.The benchmark test was run on the device a total of five times and the scores above are the highest marks it got.That, we should know for sure within the coming months.Last May 2016, the Finnish Giant confirmed its much-awaited return to the mobile devices game after years of being tied to a contract with Microsoft. However, unlike its business model during its heydays in the late 1990's to early 2000's, Nokia will no longer be crafting and assembling its own smartphones but will simply collect royalties from HMD after licensing its name and set patents to devices that it will help conceptualize and develop with FIH. Nonetheless, the company reassures consumers that new Nokia-branded mobile devices 'will exemplify what consumers have come to expect from all Nokia devices, including quality, design, and innovation'.
A federal jury in Texas has ordered Apple to pay $302.4 million in damages to VirnetX Holding Corp. over the use of patented internet security technology without permission, included in its FaceTime communications app.

VirnetX, based in Nevada, is considered to be what is known in the industry as a patent troll. The company has no products in the market, but it makes money by licensing patents and then filing lawsuits against companies that infringe on them.

The patent battle between Apple and VirnetX started in 2010, when the patent troll filed a lawsuit against Apple in Texas for the infringement of four patents. Many cases on patent infringement are handled in courts in Texas, as these courts are known to favor plaintiffs who allege that other companies have infringed on their patents.

The amount of $302.4 million that Apple was ordered to pay to VirnetX came from a retrial that had the jury determine how much Apple needs to pay for two patents that were already found to have been infringed, and to determine if the other two patents were also infringed and the damages that will be associated with them.

The damages that the jury ordered Apple to pay is lower than what was awarded to VirnetX in 2012, when the jury said Apple owed $368.2 million in damages. The Court of Appeals, however, overturned part of the verdict, citing issues on the instructions that the trial judge gave to the jurors on how to calculate for the damages.

The highest amount that the jury awarded to VirnetX was back in February, when Apple was ordered to pay $625.6 million. The amount was one of the highest ever awards ever recorded in a patent case in the United States. However, the judge handling the case, Robert Schroeder, moved for the retrial, stating that the repeated references to the earlier case may have caused confusion among the jurors, leading to an unfair trial for Apple.

The case between the two companies, however, is not yet over, as there will be another trial to determine if Apple willfully infringed on the patents. If Apple will be found to have consciously made the infringements, the total amount that Apple will have to pay to VirnetX would increase. In addition to this second trial, Apple will also have to deal with another lawsuit that VirnetX has filed over the newer releases of security features by the company, along with features on the iMessage app.

However, for VirnetX to actually receive money from Apple, the case will have to once again go through the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, the specialty of which is patent law.

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The world's deepest underwater cave is discovered in the Czech Republic by a team of explorers led by a Polish diver, Krzysztof Starnawski.

A Czech-Polish expedition team funded in parts by National Geographic found that the underwater cave, Hranicka Propast, is 1,325 feet (404 meters) deep. Hranicka Propast is 39 feet deeper than Italy's Pozzo del Merro, the world's second deepest underwater cave. The research team used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to explore the bottom of the limestone abyss.

Starnawski first explored Hranicka Propast, or Hranice Abyss, in 1999. In 2014, the Polish diver reached a depth of 656 feet, which he first mistook to be the bottom of the cave. However, he discovered a narrow "squeeze passage" that lead to another vertical tunnel. Starnawski then used a probe to explore the pitch-black tunnel further but it ran out of line at the depth of 1,260 feet.

In 2015, Starnawski returned to Hranicka Propast and found that the passage had widened, allowing him to enter the tunnel by himself. After reaching a depth of 869 feet he lowered another probe, which landed at 1,214 feet - possibly on debris formed from the passage above.

On Sept. 27, Starnawski and his team finally made the historical discovery with the help of an ROV they released at the depth of 197 feet. From there the team navigated the robot to the bottom of the cave at 1,325 feet.

"I scuba dived down to 200 meters just before the ROV's deployment to put in the new line for the robot to follow," said Starnawski in an interview with National Geographic. "I came back to the surface, and then we went down with the robot to a depth of 60 meters (197 feet). From there, the team at the surface navigated it, via fiber-optic cable, down along my new line to 200 meters deep. Then it went down to explore the uncharted territory - to the record-breaking depth of 404 meters."

When Starnawski was asked why he deployed the robot at 656 feet instead of diving deeper by himself, he noted that his intention wasn't to be called as the deepest diver ever but to aid the ROV in exploration. The motive was to explore the cave beyond 400 meters (1,312 feet), which can't be done by a scuba diver.

Starnawski also noted that the depth gauge used in the process is certified by the state commission and therefore the measurements are absolutely accurate. The diver also added that he spent between two and four hours in the underwater decompression chamber located close to the surface after returning from such a depth.

Photo: Erin Khoo | Flickr

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European Union antitrust regulators are threatening to fine Alphabet's Google if it doesn't stop violating antitrust regulations.

More specifically, the EU wants Google to stop paying smartphone makers to put Google Search exclusively on their devices. Should Google continue with such practices, the EU could slap the company with hefty fines.

Antitrust regulators reportedly sent a 150-page document to complainants last week, seeking feedback. In the copy sent to Google back in April, the European Commission argued that the company is taking advantage of its dominant position on the mobile market with its Android OS to trump rivals.

In a charge sheet called "statement of objections," the EU competition enforcer revealed plans to order Google to stop offering payments or discounts to mobile phone makers in exchange for preinstalling the Google Play Store with Google Search.

At the same time, the regulators are also looking to ensure the company doesn't force smartphone makers to preinstall proprietary Google apps if it limits their ability to use rival OSs based on Android.

Regulators also point out that Google can't "punish or threaten" phone makers if they don't comply with its conditions, Reuters reports.

Google, however, is not at its first antitrust rodeo in Europe. The EU slapped Google with a third round of antitrust charges back in July, similarly arguing that Google is denying rivals the chance to compete and innovate.

If it doesn't change its ways soon, Google could face a steep fine because its anti-competitive practices are long-standing, stretching from January 2011 to the present day.

"The Commission intends to set the fine at a level which will be sufficient to ensure deterrence," said the EC, as cited by Reuters.

The fine could be calculated based on revenue Google made from AdWords clicks by users in Europe, as well as Play Store app purchases, Google Search product searches and AdMob in-app advertisements.

Google, for its part, keeps defending its practices and says it's not unfairly eliminating competition by exploiting its dominant position. The company says it plans to prove to the EC that the Android model it designed benefits both consumers and the competition, while also supporting innovation across the region.

Reuters has also seen another charge sheet in which the Commission charged Google with playing favorites, pushing its Android OS ahead of rival operating systems, and this case could also draw a separate fine.

It remains to be seen how things will pan out in the end, but Google's antitrust woes in the EU seem far from over. As always, we'll keep you up to date as soon as we have more information.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
U.S. surrenders key role for internet

The U.S. government has officially given up the address book of the internet to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) effective October 1, 2016. In other words, ICANN has become a self-regulating non-profit international organization managing the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, the system for online domains such as .com. Effective October 1, 2016, ICANN is no longer under the watch of the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

While the U.S. and ICANN officials say that the change is part of a longstanding plan to privatize those functions, some critics complain about a giveaway that could threaten the internets integrity.

ICANN will take its input from academics, companies, governments and the public. While the American government didnt really exercise its influence, it no longer has that option.

This transition was envisioned 18 years ago, yet it was the tireless work of the global Internet community, which drafted the final proposal, that made this a reality, said ICANN Board Chair Stephen D. Crocker. This community validated the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. It has shown that a governance model defined by the inclusion of all voices, including business, academics, technical experts, civil society, governments and many others is the best way to assure that the Internet of tomorrow remains as free, open and accessible as the Internet of today.

Christopher Mondini, ICANNs vice president for global business engagement, said the change will have no impact on day-to-day internet use, and will assure the global community that the system is free from government regulation and interference.

This is a new kind of governance model, he added.

The handover follows an unsuccessful last-minute attempt by four states Republican attorneys general to block the transition arguing that it would allow authoritarian regimes to have greater control over the internet.

However, their temporary injunction request, which centered around the idea that the U.S. was giving away government property and required Congressional approval to give up ICANN was rejected by a federal judge. The attorneys resonated their partys concern that reducing U.S. control would open the internet to greater censorship by countries like China and Russia, who dont value the freedom of speech. They were also worried that the shift could threaten U.S. government domains like .gov and .mil (for government and military-related websites, respectively) and could be tampered with.

On the other hand, supporters of the transition are of the opinion that the move is not only harmless, but might prevent a far worse outcome. Since ICANN will still operate out of Los Angeles, they say that censorship-heavy countries dont have any more power over the internet than they did before. If anything, a privately-managed domain system reduces the pressure to hand over control to the United Nations, where China and Russia would have some influence. Theres also a fear that a fully independent ICANN may act unpredictably once free of US oversight and would encourage countries to set up their own domain systems and fragment the internet.

To sum up, while the U.S. no longer has the keys to the internet kingdom, the important thing to remember is that neither does anyone else.
The winner of the Brazilian presidential elections on Sunday, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2011), assured that he would work to put his country back on the international... | Read More
Cross the threshold of the house on Ritterman Avenue and the floor sags underfoot. With the home stripped to its shell, it's possible to peer at the dirt between wooden slats.

Chris Andrews pointed at a stud with his toe, bumping it and causing a bit to flake off and disintegrate. Termite damage, the nonprofit leader noted.

Debris remained at the curbs, in heaps throughout the neighborhood. Leaning against the house were just a few things that may be salvageable  a metal headboard, a pair of decorative mirrors, a partially disassembled treadle sewing machine.

Andrews next drove a mile down the road to another north Baton Rouge house his crews helped gut  its two doors down from a home where the American flag is flying upside-down in distress. The whole area faces exceptional rebuilding challenges, he noted.

"At one time, this was a very solid working-class neighborhood," he said.

While many of the East Baton Rouge Parish residents who flooded lived in relatively affluent suburban neighborhoods, low-income areas washed out, too.

Those poorer residents may be in for a rebuild that is slower, tougher and more bound in red tape than the wealthier folks across town.

Many may never come back home.

Which will run out first  time or money? Academics and local leaders worry that lower-income residents won't have the resources to make repairs or to rent a short-term home while they wrangle with their insurance companies or wait for word on federal aid that can help them rebuild.

Religious, civic and other volunteer groups in Baton Rouge have helped people gut their houses but generally aren't equipped to rebuild entire neighborhoods. There is talk of working with organizations like Habitat for Humanity to help get neighborhoods back into livable conditions. But as LSU economics professor Stephen Barnes noted: "We can't rebuild all of it at once."

Andrews, the executive director of Rebuilding Together Baton Rouge, is worried some people may receive help to make the minimal repairs allowed under the Shelter at Home program  which includes basic items like exterior doors, a toilet and a mini-fridge  but be unable to perform any substantial renovations.

"They're beginning to see that (Federal Emergency Management Agency payouts are) not enough money to fix their houses," said Mid City Redevelopment Alliance Executive Director Samuel Sanders. "The heartbreaking part for me ... is seeing the number of individuals still living in these homes. That's just hard to wrap my arms around."

To begin understanding the impending challenges, it is helpful to think of low-income neighborhoods as two communities, each with its own set of problems, said Carlos Martin, a researcher at the Urban Institute who studies housing and community policies. First, there are the renters who were made homeless by the flood and are unlikely to return any time soon while their landlords navigate the path toward rebuilding.

Then there are the folks who own their homes outright  including houses that have been in families for generations. Many of those old homes are behind on their repairs, and a foot of water inside did much more catastrophic damage than a foot in newer construction. Mortgages that required flood insurance have long been paid off, so many owners let their coverage lapse. They'll need government assistance to start rebuilding or start over, but first they'll have to jump through legal hoops just to prove who owns the property.

Several property owners already have approached the local government to see how much money they can get by selling their land to the Redevelopment Authority. The head of the agency said it's too early to tell what the post-flood landscape will look like  though a few years ago, the city-parish commissioned plans for five neighborhoods in north Baton Rouge in need of assistance.

These plans spelled out designs for better roads, incentives for minority-owned businesses, access to mixed-income housing and even independent living facilities for the elderly. Without much money for implementation, however, the plans largely have stalled, though they could be resurrected post-flood.

No insurance

All told, the city-parish estimates that 4,645 residential structures flooded in the lowest-income U.S. census tracts  those where median household income is less than half the parish median in 2010, or about $22,000.

At least 8,286 more flooded in "moderate" income neighborhoods, where median household income is less than approximately $36,000 annually.

While many of the homes were in high-risk flood zones, nonprofit leaders familiar with the neighborhoods believe many of the houses were paid off, which could mean they are uninsured. Although banks require mortgage holders to buy flood insurance, once the property is owned outright, owners can drop coverage.

After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans officials saw scores of households without insurance in the Lower 9th Ward, where many homes were passed down between generations of a family, said University of New Orleans planning and urban studies professor Marla Nelson.

"When your budget gets tight, that's the first thing to go," she said.

Most people the Redevelopment Alliance has encountered in Baton Rouge weren't policyholders.

"At this point, 95 percent of the houses that we've stepped in ... did not have flood insurance," Sanders said.

That means people will have to rely on federal assistance or rebuild on their own. Gov. John Bel Edwards is asking the federal government to come up with $2.6 billion, including for housing assistance, but it's unclear if or when all of that help might materialize. So far, Congress has included $500 million in one spending bill approved last week.

Some homes likely will have to be elevated or demolished and built anew, an especially expensive process. The elevation standards will apply to homes in high-risk zones that were 50 percent damaged and are not at least 1 foot above the 100-year flood level.

Between flood and full recovery lie innumerable hurdles. Some are intuitive: demolition, permits, applications, contracts, construction. Others can be unforeseen headaches, like property titles.

The Center for Planning Excellence, a nonprofit planning organization, frequently works with people who live in old, multigenerational homes in Baton Rouge.

"It was astounding the percentage of buildings that did not have clear title," said CEO Elizabeth "Boo" Thomas.

Often, when an older family member dies, a relative moves into the house without an official legal succession document in place. However, that paperwork is essential if a family wants to apply for FEMA assistance, Thomas said. Even if there aren't any complications, it could cost $1,200 to hire a lawyer to set the record straight, she continued.

Conditions also are difficult for the flooded people who rent, instead of owning their homes.

"They're in a more desperate position," said Martin, the Urban Institute researcher.

Most don't have renters insurance to cover their flooded possessions, and even if they do, the policy might cover theft but not flood, he continued.

After Katrina, rental rates in dry areas went up 70 percent, and although the state has an anti-price gouging law, "it's really poorly enforced," Martin said.

It's not uncommon for rental units to make up half or more of the housing units in the census blocks in low-income flooded areas.

Renters tend not to get the same level of assistance, even when more federal money becomes available.

One issue is that the United States has a strong bias toward homeownership, which could be seen in policy decisions made after Katrina, said demographer Allison Plyer, head of the Data Center in New Orleans. She explained that money first went to owner-occupied housing, meaning rental units were slower to bounce back, though it's not clear how the current number of rental properties compares with the level before the hurricane.

There are some options for people who want to repair rental properties, said Garth MacDonald, a spokesman for the Small Business Association.

However, most options are loans, not outright assistance, even to fix up properties that one family member rents to another.

Landlords can borrow up to $200,000 at a minimum of 4 percent interest to fix most property but may be able to get 1.563 percent interest if they rent to family. Renters themselves can get up to $40,000, also at 1.563 percent interest.

Renee Carter, an accountant, owns one of the properties Andrews nonprofit helped gut. She inherited the house on Cyrus Avenue after her mother died.

All three of Carter's north Baton Rouge rentals took on water. She's trying to fix up the house on Cyrus so her tenants, a couple that includes a partially paralyzed man, can move back home.

Carter has applied for loans to cover the cost of repairs for the two properties she's bought over the years. She hasn't heard back yet about whether she'll qualify or under what terms.

Meanwhile, she's forging ahead with repairs to the home she and her brother inherited. The side door has been replaced and fans are working to dry out the inside. A window air conditioner was stolen somewhere along the way and will need to be replaced, and she's waiting to hear back to find out when she can put the drywall back up to get her tenants back home.

"They want to come back, but I can't let them live somewhere where it isn't safe," she said.

Should Louisiana qualify for additional Housing and Urban Development grants, the government could allocate some of its federal disaster funds toward fixing up rental properties, but that decision probably will come down to whether the state wants to make rentals a priority, MacDonald said.

Existing blight

"Housing is going to be a real serious issue for everybody," said East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Councilwoman Donna Collins-Lewis, who represents some of the flooded low-income neighborhoods.

Collins-Lewis frequently had sought to combat blight before the storm, and now the issue only stands to worsen. According to the 2010 U.S. census, there already were blocks where more than 10 percent of the housing units were vacant.

Take tract 6.01, an irregular-shaped block to the southwest of the intersection of North Foster Drive and Prescott Road. It's one of the city's poorest areas, and Hurricane Creek, which overflowed its banks during the flood, cuts right through it. According to city and census data, there are 509 total housing units. In 2010, 59 were vacant. In August, 393 flooded.

Collins-Lewis isn't sure what rebuilding will look like. She's reluctant to talk about how the local government may distribute federal disaster funds and said she doesn't want to talk about spending money the city-parish doesn't have yet.

"I don't like giving people false hope," she remarked.

It's simply not clear how long it will take for whatever federal funding is made available to trickle down to residents.

Martin, the Urban Institute researcher, and Nelson, the UNO professor, both noted past trouble surrounding the cost to replace damaged or destroyed homes. Following previous disasters, residents would get paid only the amount their homes were worth, not the cost it would take to replace them.

For example, two people whose houses were destroyed may elect to build identical new houses. However, if the first family's old house was built in the 1960s and the other family's was finished last year, the second family would get a lot more assistance, even though their costs are the same.

And with everyone hiring contractors at once, the cost to rebuild goes up. "If you lived in a lower-income neighborhood, you just got left," Nelson said.

The researchers hope some of those past issues will be addressed in time for Louisiana's recovery.

The local Redevelopment Authority already has fielded some calls from people asking about selling their property, said Gwen Hamilton, the agency's interim CEO.

Hamilton noted that if anything good came of Hurricane Katrina, it was that the storm allowed the local government an opportunity to perform redevelopment work.

One concern is that in the years after that storm, many complained about rising rents across New Orleans that made the city less affordable for families who lived there for generations. A Housing and Urban Development report found the city became even more sharply divided along racial lines, and a dearth of affordable housing combined with certain zoning policies caused gentrification of some neighborhoods.

How the Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority ultimately responds will be dependent on funding, but Hamilton said the agencys previously commissioned plans could still work as a guide. Generally, she would like to encourage more mixed-income housing to replace low-income housing by working with nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity, government agencies like the Housing Authority and private low-income developers.

Many areas already had substandard housing, and this summers storm both laid them bare and worsened conditions, Hamilton said.

The flood exacerbated an existing problem, she said.
Although LSU properly remained neutral over a controversial speakers who recently visited the university, reactions by some on campus point to an iron-fisted totalitarian spirit in a touchy-feely glove.

Sponsored by a student organization, Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopolous recently spoke at the LSU Union Theatre. The appearance, in which he flouted the usual decorums of speech, was his way to protest attempts on many campuses to limit free discourse. LSU political scientist Benjamin Acosta embraced the mood of the evening while introducing Yiannopolous, using a play on a profane word to ridicule champions of cultural liberalism.

Calling Louisiana Americas fattest state, Yiannopolous, occasionally using profanity, argued for shaming obese individuals into changing their behavior, pointing out that their condition usually makes their lives shorter and more miserable and shifts higher medical costs to the public. He spoke of research that shows social pressure can change destructive eating habits. He also criticized leftist dogma that proclaims obesity socially acceptable and joked about the group Black Lives Matter.

The impending visit prompted complaints that Yiannopoulos would make some people feel uncomfortable, suggesting that he should not speak. What he and Acosta did say drew the ire of Quint Forgey, editor of the student newspaper The Daily Reveille. Forgey wrote that the introduction and performance begged the question, How hateful must a performers rhetoric be for the University to at least speak out against it? A subsequent letter to the editor by Acostas departmental colleague, Joshua Potter, criticized Acosta for mean speech that fails to consider the consequences of our words on the well-being of others.

Both commentaries seemed to mistakenly imagine a constitutional right not to be offended  and a stubborn insistence that they get to define hateful and mean. This peculiar conceit lies at the heart of every attempt, ranging from Josef Stalin to Adolf Hitler, to strangle ideas that subvert an ideological world view.

That kind of thinking leads to absurdities such as the Southern Law Poverty Center designating some organizations hate groups not on any rational basis, but apparently because the ostensible offenders don't share the SLPC's ideology. This mindset also leads to the ridiculous notion of hate crimes, where extra punishment comes to miscreants if they have bad thoughts that motivated their misdeeds. Of course, the harm committed is just as bad regardless of the motive, and research indicates no extra deterrent effect comes from the additional penalty.

As long as speech, including that which helps clarify useful distinctions about public policy choices, doesn't directly incite physical violence or threaten lives, it should be permitted. Individuals do not have the luxury to impose their beliefs about what constitutes harmful speech or to use that as justification for silencing debate, no matter whose feelings get hurt. Instead, critics should respond to what they perceive as objectionable speech with more speech, offering counterarguments to those they oppose.

What's more, a public, taxpayer-supported institution like LSU, especially given its status as a university, should not denounce nonviolent speech. LSUs statement about the event  that it supports the use of facilities for approved organizations to hold events without endorsing or opposing the speech that results  is laudable. That policy should help prevent the slippery slope some segments of the campus wish to risk traveling toward tyranny.
The ACT Electoral Commission has issued close to 20,000 votes with the territory election less than two weeks away.

The commission has mailed more than 12,000 postal ballot papers with 860 sent to Canberrans living overseas. Around 13,000 had been issued at the same point during the 2012 election.

Plans in place: ACT Electoral Commissioner Phillip Green. Credit:Graham Tidy

Another 7100 people have already cast a pre-poll vote with the majority opting for electronic voting at six polling centres in Belconnen, Canberra City, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong and Woden.
Grief and pain were mixed with a small measure of sad relief when Patricia Riggs' loved ones watched as her ashes were pushed into a wall, and she was finally laid to rest, 15 years after she was reported missing.

Dozens of mourners brought flowers and released green balloons  her favourite colour  into the sky over Queanbeyan Lawns Cemetery as they gathered to farewell Mrs Riggs who vanished in 2001.

Family and friends gathered to farewell Patricia Riggs 15 years after she died in September 2001. Credit:Jay Cronan

Mrs Riggs, who was 34, had been considered missing for more than a decade before her skeletal remains were found in the backyard of what had been her Queensland home in August.

Her husband, Edmund Ian Riggs, was charged with her murder and with interfering with a corpse. Riggs is due to face court again next month.
The media landscape in the next decade will involve Facebook becoming a real news provider, rather than an accidental one, says CNN anchor and correspondent Hala Gorani.

The Emmy-award winning journalist will be giving a speech at the Women World Changers Summit in Melbourne and Sydney later this month about the crucial role of journalists as media transforms in the digital age.

"The media landscape will look very different in 10 years," she tells Fairfax Media in an interview by phone from London.

Gorani, who is currently based in London as host of CNN's The World Right Now program, says Facebook may have not set out to be a news service, but it inevitably it will be.
The alleged international bribery scandal enveloping listed Australian miner Sundance Resources has dramatically widened, with new evidence suggesting the firm may have bribed Congo's Mines and Geology Minister as well as the country's President.

Leaked documents obtained by Fairfax Media reveal Sundance gifted millions of dollars worth of shares to a company directed by the brother of Republic of Congo mining minister Pierre Oba.

The mining minister's support has been critical for Sundance to progress the firm's Nabeba Congo iron ore venture, which has the potential to be one of the biggest iron ore projects in Africa.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is to be applauded for his commitment to the digital transformation of the federal government.

His leadership on the issue comes not before time. Any further delay in government in catching-up, in the digital sense, with the lives of many millions of Australians might have left the Commonwealth and its public service decades off the pace and hopelessly behind the times.

Yet, news last week of the latest embarrassing slip-up from the Health Department, publishing potentially sensitive data on Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, is yet another reminder that government still has much work to do in in its search for digital proficiency

The accidental leak, which was sufficiently serious to force Health Minister Sussan Ley to apologise to a group of general practitioners over the compromised data, had a number of things in common with other recent Commonwealth tech wrecks.
It is often alleged that a federal parliamentarian has acted corruptly by misusing their entitlements or breaching basic standards. Unfortunately, such accusations may be ignored, or never properly investigated. This might be because the rules are lax, or even non-existent. Sometimes, no penalty is imposed, even when the politician's actions would be grounds for dismissal for a person in any other job.

The most recent allegations relate to government MP Stuart Robert. It is said that he defended Gold Coast property developer Sunland in Parliament, and put an Australian's life at risk, in a speech largely penned by the company's lobbyist. Sunland then donated thousands of dollars to the Coalition.

How might this matter be dealt with? It is hard to see that there has been any breach of Australia's political finance laws. They are wide open to receiving money in return for influence and favour. It is also hard to see that the police can get involved given that no other offence may have been committed.

At best, Robert might be investigated by Parliament's privileges committee. But that is a body composed of other politicians, a majority of whom are government members determined to maintain the Coalition's wafer-thin majority in the House of Representatives. As a result, the community interest in seeing the matter resolved properly may be trumped by political self-interest.
A former Liberal premier of NSW used to tell confidants that his state was basically Labor and the only way for the Liberals to win was to have Labor values but Liberal competence. I doubt that Prime Minister Turnbull has thought that deeply about this but the only way he will win the next election is if his NSW ex-colleague's dictum applies to the whole country.

The Turnbull government is said to have had its best fortnight yet but its three cited achievements: a superannuation compromise, some modest savings measures and showcasing Australia's border protection policies at the UN were all capitulations to someone else.

On super, Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison surrendered to party conservatives who insisted that the backdated cap on non-concessional contributions was electoral rat poison in Coalition seats. On savings, the government accepted Labor's proposals rather than fight for its own. And on border protection, the Prime Minister, through gritted teeth, finally embraced the Abbott policies that he'd never liked.

For as long as the Turnbull government lasts, this is what we'll see: deals with Labor or the Greens to raise taxes, cut concessions or reduce so-called middle-class welfare; incessant discussion with the crossbench to produce watered down versions of the Abbott government's policies to get tough with militant unions; and look-both-ways, hedge-your-bets responses to any new circumstance that the government might face.
After introducing the GST in 2001, John Howard, watching his party losing election after election at state level and he himself facing electoral obliteration, said: "We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come. This piece of nonsense precipitated a nightmare that has been wrecking Australian politics ever since. It has seriously damaged national debate, it has ethically corrupted several federal government departments, and what it has done to our two leading political parties is beyond bewildering.

As a Victorian, I can never insist "whoever moves into the house next door, it must not be a Queenslander". I suspect everyone grasps the principle involved here. I simply want to point out globalisation makes exactly the same thing true on the international level.

Of all the critical freedoms our political traditions are based on, free flow of information, freedom of choice, the international financial freedoms we have seen introduced in past years (Malcolm Turnbull rightly points out Australia has been an outstanding beneficiary of these) arguably the most important of all is the freedom to live where we want to live. The defining characteristic of this freedom I suggest is that no one can ever choose their neighbour.

There is a penalty to be paid for ditching freedoms. Inconsistency in upholding principles flows straight into inconsistency in the application of the law. In Australia's instance, after 15 years of this corrosive nonsense we now find we are treating people fleeing terror and persecution with greater severity than with which we punish rapists, murderers and paedophiles. We squander dollars in the billions destroying the lives of people who have done nothing wrong. An open society relies on respect for the law, and to earn this respect the law must be consistent. If our law becomes chaotic then, really, everything is up for grabs. That is why I am saying as soon as we embarked on this path we were opening ourselves up to appalling consequences. And finally, for goodness sake, let's please not be sidetracked by the lame excuse "strong borders save lives". This proposition is preposterous. If every country "saved lives" the way Australia does, then refugee movement would indeed be impossible, but these people would die on their streets and in their homes instead, in far, far greater numbers though.

There is no way Australia can lecture the world on the value of globalisation unless we accept the responsibilities globalisation brings. Politics is the art of the possible, for sure, but political arguments must sit firmly within a framework of principles. We can legitimately argue and lobby for effective international action to resolve problems in troublespots those that might generate refugee movement. We can do this for all sorts of reasons: practical (ameliorating the convulsions associated with large movements of peoples) as well as humanitarian. These aims are consistent with maintaining fundamental freedoms, however no way can we argue that closing down borders and making travel impossible is a solution.

What's especially dismaying is that this nonsense has been dogging our history for generations now. In this regard, Australia has a lot to answer for. Think of the bloody anti-Chinese riots on the gold fields in the 1860s, the stultifying White Australia policy running for generations, fear in the 1960s of being swamped by Asians (which is what the Domino Theory essentially was) something that drove the Vietnam War for more than a decade costing 3 million lives and three countries devastated. Now we are paralysed to hysteria by the weird idea the entire world wants to up-stakes, come here and overwhelm us. Let's face it, this is as ridiculous as suggesting we should close down interstate travel because, otherwise, every Australian will inevitably end up living in Melbourne.

If it's any encouragement, there's a straightforward business case to be made for dealing sensibly with this issue. The same business arguments our prime minister uses to promote free trade also hold true for freedom of movement. For instance, it has been estimated freeing up borders would double the world's GDP in very short order. (See Alex Tabarrok's excellent article in The Atlantic, October 10, 2015.) And of course free movement of people would also be a catalyst, an early safety valve if you will, to alleviate population movements from trouble spots in the first place. It's simply a matter of having systems in place to deal with problems as they eventuate.

The advantages of globalisation are inarguable, and it's certainly the only way we will deal with the appalling problems of climate change and ecological collapse that promise to destroy the world of our grandchildren. And there are other advantages. I'm sure violence and low-level terrorism will always be around (if anyone thinks terrorism is new, try looking at London in Queen Victoria's time) however globalisation will make nation-state warfare implausible I suggest, and rather quickly impossible. This would free up resources to deal with those more serious issues.
Port-au-Prince: Haiti and Jamaica implored residents in vulnerable coastal areas to evacuate and Cuba suspended flights on Sunday as Hurricane Matthew, the strongest storm to menace the Caribbean islands since 2007, spun slowly toward the region.

Matthew is expected to scrape western Haiti on Monday as a major storm bringing 230km/h winds and life-threatening rain to the southern coast, while simultaneously lashing Jamaica.

Eastern Cuba also will feel bands of fierce wind and rains on Monday, the US National Hurricane centre said.

The storm was advancing northwest at 7km/h, located about 475 kilometres southeast of Kingston on Sunday afternoon. The hurricane centre ranked it at Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said "all trust has broken down" between the United States and Russia over Syria, and described the bombing of the city of Aleppo by regime forces as an "unprecedented" atrocity.

Her remarks, reflecting the scale of the destruction and the backslide in international efforts to rein in the violence, followed reports of a regime air strike on a hospital in eastern Aleppo.

Speaking on the ABC's Insiders program, Ms Bishop also said a Lockerbie-style international tribunal  referring to the 1988 Libyan bombing of an airliner over Scotland  could be used to bring to justice those behind the downing of flight MH17.

On Syria, Ms Bishop painted perhaps the bleakest picture yet of the intractable conflict. She said "all options" had to be on the table, including an arms embargo in which the US and Russia withdrew military support for the rebels and regime respectively.
The long-running American comedy show began its 42nd season this weekend with Robbie as guest host.

Robbie wore a black T-shirt with the slogan "Say 'I Do' Down Under" alongside a map of Australia in rainbow colours.

Margot Robbie has called for Australia to legalise same-sex marriage while hosting US television show Saturday Night Live.

The "Say 'I Do' Down Under" campaign has been promoted by Kylie Minogue's fiance, British actor Joshua Sasse.

Margot Robbie is set to play Queen Elizabeth. Credit:NBC

Sasse launched the campaign with a website and social media channels this weekend in collaboration with Australians 4 Equality.

"I was shocked to find out earlier this year that same-sex marriage in Australia is still illegal," he writes on the site.

"Let's raise our voice and public support for change."
"You're not supposed to gain 60 pounds during the year that you're Miss Universe," the pudgy Gingrich said in a hissy fit last week. Giuliani declared Hillary Clinton was "too stupid to be president" if she did not immediately know that Monica Lewinsky was telling the truth. And he was in true Mean Girl form when he catcalled the press to "go online and put down 'Hillary Clinton illness'" if you wanted to see alarming videos. Pretty boy Sean Hannity is as obsessive about Trump as a teenage girl with a Tiger Beat pop icon. On Fox News on Thursday night, the anchor and Gingrich did their best to scratch Clinton's eyes out on Benghazi, Bosnia and Ferguson. Hannity frantically tried to deflect from Trump's Machado meltdown with a segment called "Is Obama an Islamic Theologian?" Megyn Kelly, now The Man at Fox News, seemed to throw shade at her colleague's girl crush after the first debate. "We've got Trump speaking to our own Sean Hannity," she said. "We'll see if he speaks to the journalists in this room after that interview."

Often this year, Christie has replaced Melania Trump as the mute helpmate at Donald's side. A witness at the infamous bridge trial painted Christie as a vengeful and manipulative she-devil, testifying that when the New Jersey governor was told of the 2013 lane-closing scheme, he cackled. Ailes was supposed to help prep Trump for the first debate, but he was too busy pouting on his fainting couch about losing his job. No one worries that Clinton is not tough enough to be president. We know that she can pull the trigger, but does she know where to aim? A Washington Post story about Clinton's history of waging aggressive defenses against women who claimed that they slept with her husband painted her as stoic and relentless in trying to destroy the women's stories. Her longtime Arkansas friend Jim Blair told the paper her response to "bimbo eruptions," as they were called, was: "These people are not going to run over us." This, even though in case after case, Bill Clinton would later admit the women were telling the truth.

As former Clinton consigliere George Stephanopoulos wrote in his memoir: "She had to do what she had always done before: swallow her doubts, stand by her man and savage his enemies." Usually women candidates have the so-called virtue advantage, but Hillary Clinton does not because of her reputation for being shifty. Although women are often portrayed as the vainer sex, Trump has swept away that cliche. He has forced the Republican Party to contort its historical wary posture toward Russia, simply because he got a compliment from the buff, bare-chested Vladimir Putin. And his hair care is so elaborate and mystifying that it instantly eclipsed the fascination with Clinton's hair. Women are known as having more tender feelings, but no one on the planet is more thin-skinned than Trump. His team is tiptoeing around him, trying to figure out how to persuade him that he lost the debate and how to make him work harder for the next one. Kellyanne Conway, Trump's sturdy campaign manager, attempted to communicate with her fragile Blanche DuBois candidate last week through an appearance on "The View."

"A delicate approach to the candidate is now in the works," Patrick Healy, Ashley Parker and Maggie Haberman wrote in The New York Times. Trump's team wants to prepare him for the second debate with an actual rehearsal - as opposed to coming up with zingers over cheeseburgers and Cokes. They want to toss him questions that will get under his skin, so that next time he doesn't let his emotions get the better of him and go all PMS. After working with psychologists to figure out how to goad Trump into an outburst in the first debate, the commanding Clinton saved the Machado provocation until the end. Trump unravelled and kept unravelling all week. It culminated with a bout of hysteria and a series of middle-of-the-night tweets, including a supremely catty one at 5:30 a.m. urging people to check out Machado's sex tape - offering no evidence that one exists - and her past. (Trump wasn't so offended by sex tapes when he told Howard Stern in 2003 that Melania had shown him Paris Hilton's sex tape and when he suggested in 2009 that a Miss USA contestant release her sex tape.) Do you recall when Trump sent out a blizzard of six tweets in 2012 about the breakup of Twilight stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson?
When a backpacker drowns or a child's life is cut short in a swimming pool tragedy, it makes headlines  but a 10-year study reveals the deadliest and most common location for drowning is Australia's vast and often remote rivers.

Middle-aged men, many of whom are at least four times over the alcohol limit, continue to be over-represented among victims, said the study's lead author, Amy Peden of the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia.

Bailey Maher, 18, of Camden, drowned in December 2015 when he went for a swim from a houseboat at a Christmas party on the Hawkesbury River. More men than women die from drowning in rivers. Credit:Facebook

Of the 2892 people who drowned in Australia between 2002 and 2012, 770 jumped, dived or fell to their deaths in rivers, making it the leading location for unintentional drowning deaths.

Four out of every five victims were male, nearly all drowning victims lived with 100 kilometres of where they died, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people living in remote locations were more likely to drown.
Two men have been taken into custody after separate incidents south of Brisbane, where drivers allegedly tried to hit pedestrians.

A man was left in hospital with serious injuries after trying to stop a vehicle on Saturday night, while in another incident two police officers narrowly managed to jump out of the path of a car that mounted the curb on Sunday morning.

Two police officers ran out of the way of a speeding car at Leichardt on Sunday morning, after responding to a reported domestic violence incident. Credit:Glenn Hunt

The first incident occurred in Tallai on the Gold Coast after two men began arguing in Alawara Drive about 11.30pm and one of them began driving away when the other stood in front of the vehicle. Police said the driver had appeared to accelerate and drove directly into the man who was thrown into the air and landed on the footpath.

A 32-year-old Upper Coomera man was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital with serious injuries.
Police are treating a fire at the rear of Goodyear Autocare in Bowen Hills during the early hours of Sunday morning as suspicious.

Just before 3am, fire crews found tyres and wheel rims burning at the rear of the Taylor Street address.

Fire crews managed to prevent a "suspicious" fire from damaging a nearby tyre business in Bowen Hills on Sunday morning. Credit:Queensland Fire and Emergency Se

Fire crews from the nearby Windsor station were quick on the scene and prevented the building from being seriously damaged.

A Queensland Police spokesman said officers believe someone deliberately started the fire and investigations are continuing.
Melburnians are enjoying a brief reprieve from the wild winds which brought down trees and powerlines on Sunday night.

The winds eased in Melbourne on Monday afternoon, with little more than a gentle, crisp breeze greeting evening commuters.

Scott Williams, a senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, said it had been very windy in coastal areas on Monday.

However, he said, it was nothing compared to the wild weather over the weekend which toppled trees, ripped a roof off a building and brought down powerlines.
Western Power crews worked through Sunday to restore power to about 3500 homes in Perth and the South West after Saturday's wind winds persisted into the night.

Most affected were in the South West, though on Sunday afternoon the metropolitan outages included more than 1000 homes in Carine, 80 in North Beach, 120 in Forrestfield and 76 in Mahogany Creek, though Western Power was hoping to have these areas restored by 5.30pm.

Els Van de Veire captured hail falling in the backyard of her Perth home. Credit:Els Van de Veire / Twitter

Gusts of up to 119km/h were recorded in the South West on Saturday, uprooting trees and taking down powerlines, with more than 24,000 without power at some point during the day. Some took to social media to report hail in areas including Kwinana, Jandakot and Balcatta.

"There were still wind gusts of more than 90 km/h reported at Perth well into the evening," WeatherZone meteorologist Jacob Cronje said.
Paris: Pope Francis has put a French priest knifed to death at his altar by Islamist militants in July on the fast track to possible sainthood, the Archbishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun says.

At a special mass designed to purify the church where 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel was killed, Archbishop Lebrun said Pope Francis had set aside the period normally imposed after someone's death before the process of beatification can start.

"Pope Francis has waived the five-year delay before a sainthood process can begin," Lebrun told hundreds of people at the church of Saint-Etienne-du- Rouvray, near Rouen, in northwest France.

Usually a miracle needs to have been declared for a candidate for sainthood to be beatified.
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman as an investment bank catering to institutions and businesses. Among the firm's first products are the revolutionary use of commercial paper for entrepreneurs which opened a new method of finance for business and industry.

The original firm expanded to Goldman Sachs in 1882 with the inclusion of son-in-law Samuel Sachs and again in 1885 with a son and another son-in-law. The firm joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1896 expanding into trading of its own and in 1898 it was worth $1.6 million. The company began its work in the IPO market in 1906 with the initial public offering of Sears, Roebuck & Co., and then moved on to Ford and other prominent names of the time.

The 1930s brings a change of leadership and a new direction for the firm. The company shifted toward a purer play on investment banking and embarks on a campaign of acquisition that lasted until the present day. The company doesnt go public itself until 1999 and from that point on it will change into a bank holding company that not only offers investment banking services but takes deposits too, and in 2016 the company added consumer banking to its list of services.

Today, Goldman Sachs is a financial institution that provides a range of financial services for corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals globally. The company operates through four segments that include Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. According to US banking regulations, it is systemically important to the financial health of America.

The company is headquartered in New York, New York, and operates 6 regional headquarters as well. Regional headquarters are located in financial hotspots such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Warsaw. Among its many prominent CEOs are John Corzine and Hank Paulson who both went on to successful work in government.

The company's Investment Banking segment provides a full range of financial advisory services as well as underwriting for the public markets. The financial advisory services include but are not limited to strategic advisory for mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, restructuring, and spin-offs. This segment is also engaged in middle-market lending and transaction banking. Underwriting services include IPOs, preferred stock, debt instruments, and bridge loans.

Goldman Sachs Global Markets segment facilitates market transactions for institutions, banks, brokerages, corporations, and governments. Services include execution, derivatives, financing, clearing, settlement, and custody.

The Asset Management segment manages client portfolios across the investment spectrum while the Consumer & Wealth Management segment provides advisory and banking services to consumers.
Annual colonoscopies, daily medication, periodic flare ups requiring extended treatment and, often, hospitalization. Excessive weight loss, bloody diarrhea, painful cramping, loss of bowel control. This is life with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), suffered by 1.4 million Americans and for which there is no cure--only treatment options that sufferers find costly, lacking in efficacy, and with unpleasant, even dangerous, side effects.

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, one of the types of IBD, when I was 25-years-old. I was in my first year of teaching middle school, often running to the student bathroom at the end of the hall in the middle of class, unable to make it all the way to the staff facilities. After months of seeking medical help, I ended up in the emergency room because I couldnt stop vomiting and passing bloody diarrhea.

After a week of not being allowed to eat solid food, I received a sigmoidoscopy (similar to a colonoscopy but not as extensive) which confirmed my doctors suspicions: I had IBD. For the past 15 years, I have undergone extremely intrusive rectal scopes. I take maintenance medications that often fail, and Im back to running for the bathroom again. I am at an exponentially higher risk for colon cancer, hence the yearly test. I have tried various holistic treatments such as meditation and aloe pills, but inevitably I experience another flare up.

One particular alternative treatment that is unavailable in my state, yet investigated by a growing number of IBD sufferers, is the medicinal use of cannabis.

During the second half of this decade, medical marijuana is gaining legal ground in the United States. While federally still illegal, many states have passed laws allowing for prescription pot as treatment for a wide variety of illnesses. California lead the charge, legalizing medical marijuana 20 years ago; since that time, medical practices dedicated to the use of cannabis have flourished.

Medical marijuana is now legal in 25 states as well as the District of Columbia. Four of those states, as well as DC, have legalized recreational use. In spite of increased legality, however, official advocacy groups such as the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America are hesitant, if not entirely opposed to endorsing its usage, which is more than likely the result of the still-existent federal ban on medical marijuana.

While weed may be most commonly recognized as an alternative treatment for nausea, particularly for chemotherapy patients, its usage as an anti-inflammatory is gaining ground as researchers learn about stimulating the bodys naturally-occurring cannabinoid receptors. By studying how cannabinoids relieve nausea and pain, researchers discovered the physiological effects in addition to the known psychoactive properties.

There are an abundance of cannabinoid receptors in GI tissue, both on immune cells and GI cells, says Dr. Jordan Tishler. Cannabis has been very effective in inflammatory disorders at treating both the underlying disease as well as the symptoms. At his Boston-area medical practice, Inhale MD Health and Wellness, the Harvard-educated Dr.Tishler utilizes cannabis to treat his patients for any number of illnesses, both physical and psychological, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Inflammatory Bowel Disease, not to be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is a chronic illness that causes inflammation of part or all of the digestive tract. Since there is no cure for IBD, the most that sufferers can hope for is management of symptoms, which include severe diarrhea, nausea, cramping, fatigue, rectal bleeding, malnourishment, weight loss, skin ailments, and eye inflammation. People with IBD experience periods of remission in between often debilitating, even life-threatening, flare-ups.

There are two kinds of IBD: Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease. Ulcerative colitis is restricted to the large intestine and rectum, whereas Crohns affects the entire digestive tract, from mouth to anus. Conventional medical treatment involves steroids, biologic therapies like Remicade and Humira, and bowel resection or removal--all of which have serious side effects. Often the side effects are just as hard or harder to manage than IBD itself. As many as 1.4 million Americans suffer from IBD according to the Crohns & Colitis Foundation of America, (CCFA) the leading organization in funding and research. Patients are typically diagnosed before reaching the age of 30, which often greatly impacts daily life.

Using cannabis as a treatment, according to Dr. Tishler, is less harmful. Side effects are real, but I can count the number of patients whove failed cannabis therapy due to intolerance of side effects on one hand. Careful regimen planning, patient compliance, and regular follow up, just like with any other medicine, can effectively overcome these issues.

Dr. Tishler and others who prescribe cannabis seek to minimize the impact IBD has on the daily lives of those who have it. Taking into account the symptoms of each individual patient, Dr. Tishler recommends a range of preparations.

Oral preparations (edibles) give much longer coverage, whereas for intermittent symptoms, I typically prefer vaporized flower, he said. For those patients requiring additional treatment, he will sometimes combine an oral regimen with vaped flower, the loose leaf form of marijuana versus a concentrate. As with all medicines, there are risks and benefits to cannabis, Dr. Tishler said, and the aim is always to find and use the lowest dose possible to get the best benefit and the fewest side effects. He also emphasized that a medical regiment vastly differs from a recreational one.

Dr. Rashna Patel is a licensed physician in the state of California who runs her own medical marijuana practice. Known as The Medical Marijuana Expert, Dr. Patel treats IBD using cannabis with much success. Ive found that it helps [my patients] in a couple of ways, she said. It helps reduce abdominal cramping, nausea, and it also helps to stimulate the appetite. Since IBD sufferers often have issues with weight loss, using cannabis can help with appetite and weight management.

The most recent breakthrough in Crohns disease research inadvertently supports cannabis as not just a treatment for symptoms, but for the disease itself. The study, conducted by an international team led by Case Western University School of Medicine, found that the fungi and bacteria normally present in the human body have atypical interactions in the body of Crohns patients. Additionally, by studying the fecal matter of both healthy and Crohns patients in the same family, researchers found that in comparison with the healthy family members, Crohns patients had a higher level of two bacteria and one fungus, which worked together to create a slimy, inflammation-causing film in the intestines.

This discovery, combined with the identification of cannabis antifungal and antibacterial properties, has the potential to bring about new treatments and perhaps even ultimately a cure for Crohns and other IBD sufferers. By cultivating various strains of cannabinoid with these properties, researchers are attempting to maximize the antifungal and antibacterial properties for both topical and internal applications.

But while doctors like Tishler and Patel prescribe medical marijuana to their patients, the Crohns & Colitis Foundation has repeatedly cautioned against its usage. In its most recent statement released this month, CCFA spoke more favorably than in the past, but still said, CCFA does not endorse the use of marijuana in any form by IBD patients, any current state-based medical marijuana programs, or the legalization of marijuana.

It continues, CCFA does support the calls by various health organizations urging review of marijuanas status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance, with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and the potential development of cannabinoid-based medications. This call for research is a marked change from earlier statements which concluded that there were no compelling reasons to even explore cannabis as a treatment option.

Samantha S., who lives in a non-legal state and is quoted under an assumed name, self-medicates her IBD symptoms with cannabis.

Ive used it recreationally for a long time, but I didnt connect the two until about five years ago, when I realized how it treated my nausea better than anything else, she says. She also notices the positive effect of cannabis on her other IBD symptoms. When Im going through a flare up, nausea is overwhelming and I vomit frequently if I dont have cannabis to help.

Since she lives in a non-legal state, Samantha doesnt have regular access to edibles, but notices a huge difference in pain relief when she is able to use them. She hopes that her state will one day legalize cannabis as she has had a positive experience managing her symptoms with it.

In England, where cannabis is legal for medicinal purposes, 37-year-old Steve Alexander of Manchester started vaping with a device called the Medipen. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis four years ago, and after exhausting several standard and alternative treatment options, he is trying cannabis.

I have been using it a week now, and to be totally honest, I feel better. I think it helps slightly with cramps and most importantly with the stress [ulcerative colitis] brings,he says.

Englands current law allows for a maximum concentration of 20 percent cannabis oil, and Alexander is on this regimen as a last gasp effort to avoid steroids. In conjunction with high strength probiotics, he hopes the cannabis will get the symptoms under control. Im an engineer and father of two young children, he says, and my life/work becomes quite difficult if Im constantly using the toilet.

Dr. Tishler is encouraged by CCFAs progress on medical marijuana, but remains frustrated by their conclusion. They lend too much weight to the idea of side effects, many of which are simply not seen with any frequency in cannabis users, and overlook the reality that all medication have side effects, and are not going to be safe and effective for all patients.

Whether a change to the federal law might mean a change to CCFAs position cannot be predicted, but that is the hope of doctors who support medical marijuana. And it is certainly the hope of those patients who are desperate for better treatment options.
Donald J. Trumps threat to sue The New York Times for its report about his leaked 1995 state tax returns showing he lost nearly $1 billion is as predictable as it is laughable.

Trumps lawyer pledged prompt initiation of appropriate legal action against the Times, saying the Oct. 1 story was illegal because Trump did not authorize the release of his confidential tax returns.

What is the appropriate legal action? None.

Even my journalism students in my entry-level media law class know that the First Amendment provides an absolute legal shield to journalists who are sued for publishing lawfully obtained documents that are a matter of public concern.

The U.S. Supreme Courts rulings in Pentagon Papers, Florida Star v. B.J.F., and the tongue-twisting Bartnicki v. Vopper created a First Amendment protection for journalists who publish documents that are confidential by law  so long as the journalist is a passive recipient of the documents. The journalist cannot be prosecuted for criminal violations or sued under civil privacy laws even if the leaker broke civil or criminal laws by obtaining or leaking the documents.

The internet is blowing up with stories saying that the Times could be prosecuted criminally under federal tax law 26 U.S. Code Section 7213(a)(3), which makes it a felony for any person to  willfully print or publish tax returns provided in a manner unauthorized by law. But this is a federal law governing federal tax returns and does not apply to the Times publication of Trumps state tax returns. Even if it did apply, it would probably be unconstitutional as applied to the Times, but we dont need to go there.

Which takes us back to Bartnicki, where the Supreme Court ruled that the government could not punish a radio journalist for airing an illegally taped phone call because the journalist received the tape from a third-party and the tape was a matter of public concern. We think it clear that that a strangers illegal conduct does not suffice to remove the First Amendment shield from [a journalists] speech about a matter of public concern.

There can be no dispute that the tax returns of a current presidential candidate are a matter of public concern, especially when that candidate is campaigning as a successful businessman, has several active businesses and business ties that may influence his decisions as president, and pledges to drastically change the tax code. The Times says it was a passive recipient of the documents, which were mailed anonymously. Trump, therefore, could not win a lawsuit against the Times based on a claim for violation of secrecy laws governing tax returns or invasion of privacy.

But, hey, the First Amendment never got in the way of Trump threatening or filing frivolous lawsuits to chill speech.

My study of the six speech-related cases filed by Trump & Co. found that all five filed in public courts were dismissed before trial. Trumps only victory came in a private arbitration decided by a rent-a-judge who declared Trump the winner because the defendant was a no-show.

Heres a walk down Trumps Libel Walk of Shame, from LOL to ha ha.

My favorite is when Trump sued Bill Maher, host of HBO political talk show Real Time in 2013. Trump was in full birther mode at the time, trafficking his racist claim that our first black president, Barack Obama, was born in Kenya and demanding to see his birth certificate.

Maher launched his own birther attack: Maher would donate $5 million to charity if Trump would provide his birth certificate to disprove he was the spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.

Trump provided his birth certificate and filed a $5 million breach of contract lawsuit against Maher, only to quickly withdraw it, robbing Maher of the pleasure of slapping down one of LAs silliest cases, even by crybaby Hollywood-celebrity standards.

Just two months ago, a federal judge in Las Vegas bounced the deceptive advertising lawsuit filed in 2015 by Trumps Las Vegas hotel companies against two labor unions for calling Trump anti-union. As the judge ruled on Aug. 8, labor protests are hardly advertising.

Trumps greediest lawsuit was his $5-billion libel lawsuit filed in 2006 against Timothy OBrien for saying in his book TrumpNation, The Art of Being The Donald, that Trump was at best worth $250 million, not the billions Trump claimed.

A Jersey court dismissed the case because Trump failed to prove OBrien had any actual doubts about the accuracy of his book and Trump lacked any reliable evidence that he was worth billions, admitting his net worth is based on [his]  own feelings.

Trump University  Trumps for-profit real estate school  lost its $1-million libel lawsuit in 2014 against a former Trump U student. Trump U sued Tarla Makaeff in California for saying Trump U and its affiliates engaged in deceptive business practices, trickery, and fraud. It took four years, but the libel claim was dismissed by a federal judge who ruled that Trump U failed to prove that the former student published with knowing falsity.

Trump fell in love with libel litigation when he filed his first libel lawsuit in 1984 against the Chicago Tribune and its architecture critic for calling Trumps 1980s plan to erect a 150-story Manhattan skyscraper aesthetically lousy. The lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge in New York who said there is no accounting for taste and Trump should get a thicker skin.

Trump has one victory: Trumps Miss Universe/Miss USA pageant company sued and won a $5-million default libel judgment in 2013 against Miss USA contestant in Sheena Monnin for calling the Miss USA pageant rigged. (Was she sued for using Trumps favorite word?) But Monnin got bad advice from her attorney to skip the private arbitration, which was decided by a rent-a-judge who gave Trump a victory based on Monnins default. Winning by default is not a true win. Its just good luck.

The Times is not likely sweating its tax return story. When faced with real lawyers and real judges who know about the First Amendment and libel law, Trump & Co. gets kicked out of court.

Susan Seager is a First Amendment attorney in Los Angeles who teaches media law at the University of Southern California.
Donald Trump maybe didnt pay taxes for the last twenty years because hes a geniusaccording to his surrogates, anyway.

Their comments came after a New York Times story published late on Saturday, Oct. 1 detailed how Trump, after claiming on his taxes he lost nearly $1 billion in 1995, may not have paid any income tax for the past two decades. Instead of pushing back on Sunday morning, Trumps top backers didnt undercut it. Instead, they embraced it as evidence the Republican nominee is smart and forward-thinking.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the story was very, very good for the Republican nominee.

What it shows is what an absolute mess the federal tax code is, and thats why Donald Trump is the person best positioned to fix it, he said. Theres no one whos shown more genius in their way to maneuver about the tax code as he rightfully used the laws to do that.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani made the identical case on CNNs State of the Union and NBCs Meet the Press, on both shows using the word genius to characterize Trumps tax avoidance.

Dont you think a man who has this kind of economic genius is a lot better for the United States than a woman, the only thing shes ever produced is a lot of work for the FBI, checking out her emails? he told host George Stephanopoulos on ABCs This Week.

And on Meet the Press, Giuliani suggested that Trump isnt the only person looking to game the system. After all, he said, poor people do it all the time!

A lot of the people that are poor take advantage of loopholes and pay no taxes, he said. Those are loopholes also.

On CNNs State of the Union, Bernie Sanders made the opposite argumentthat working class people in particular dont get special carve-outs in the tax code.

Many of these billionaires have loopholes that their lobbyists and their friends on Capitol Hill provide for them, which enable them to avoid taxes, in some cases not paying a nickel in taxes, the Vermont senator said. You've got the middle class people working longer hours for low wages. They pay their taxes... but the billionaires, they don't have to do that.

And some Democrats sounded amused at the assertion that Trumps willingness to capitalize on loopholes in the tax code makes him a man of the people.

Its so ironic that hes trying to lift himself up as some kind of champion of working people, said Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill on Fox News Sunday. He crashes businesses into bankruptcy, leaving scores of businesses unpaid, people really hurting with the losses his companies have suffered, but he walks away unscathed. It appears he walks away with a golden ticket that allows him under the tax code to avoid taxes for decades.

Its unlikely that the genius defense of Trump will get him out of hot water. A focus group of undecided voters in Philadelphia during last weeks debate, which The Daily Beast observed, showed virtually complete consensus on one issue: that Trump should not have bragged about how smart he was to skip paying taxes.

But Trumps top boosters arent worried about that view. Instead, theyre banking on the idea that Americans will be enchanted with a brilliant genius who maybe didnt pay taxes at all and could show them to do it, too.
President 41: George H.W. Bush

January 20, 1989  January 20, 1993

Every kid has that one food that gives them the shivers. I would rather have a lobotomy than eat a vat of tuna salad. For the veggie haters, resisting the steamed greens on your plate is always futile. You have to close your eyes and cram them down in pursuit of dessert. Complaints dont help the mission. Well, President Bush Sr. waited until he was leader of the free world to seek his ultimate revenge, banishing broccoli from all White House and Air Force One menus. I havent liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. Now Im President of the United States and Im not going to eat any more damn broccoli, he famously proclaimed. Barbara, a lover of the green veggie, playfully threatened to serve him dish after dish of the stuff followed by broccoli ice cream. To be fair, he isnt a fan of cauliflower either. At 92, I think George Sr. deserves that dessert.

President and Barbara Bush werent snobby gourmands during their time in DC and are still fans of comfort foods. The President, who still likes to fish, doesnt care for seafood. They both enjoy Mexican and Chinese cuisine, odes to places lived and jobs past. One of his White House staff remarked that after watching the President eat his nachos that he eats, ''like a big teen-age boy, unembarrassed by hunger. When it comes to snacking, Bush is a fan of popcorn and, more famously, pork rinds covered in Tabasco. His love for the snack became well known during his Presidential campaign, and sales rose 11%, making him no stranger to pork barrel spending (about $2.50 a bag).

The Bushes reportedly weren't big drinkers, only downing the occasional beer or vodka martini socially. To be fair, they have led a very social life. It is estimated that before Barbara even moved into the White House, she had hosted almost 1,200 events and attended a similar number. Many of these were fancy affairs, including the Presidents inauguration dinner, which featured the colonial favorites of George Washington in a George to George themed menu. As we get closer to the end of the series and we are in the thick of apple season, I think an all-American apple dessert is most appropriate. For those unfamiliar, a brown betty is similar to a crumble, only it uses bread crumbs instead of flour crumbles. I found this gem in the Library of Congress archives. It was printed for the public in the Washington Post in 1999 as an apple-cranberry brown betty but the allure of fresh blackberries at the market was just too strong to resist. Feel free to substitute cranberries back in. I have added additional changes in italics.

Apple-Blackberry Brown Betty (10 servings)

Adapted from: George to George Inaugural Dinner, 1989

Butter and sugar for preparing the souffle dish

10 Granny Smith apples

1 teaspoon lemon juice

6 tablespoons butter, plus additional 1/2 cup melted

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups fresh blackberries, washed and dried

Zest of 2 oranges

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups stale white-bread crumbs, crusts removed

1 cup ground almonds

How To:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a 2-quart straight-sided glass souffle dish and then sprinkle with sugar.

Peel, core and quarter the apples, then cut each quarter into 3 chunks. Reserve in a bowl.

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the apples and toss to combine.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter until hot and add 1/3 of the apple pieces.

Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and saute over high heat until the apples are lightly caramelized.

Remove the apples from heat and reserve in a large bowl.

Repeat process until all the apples are cooked.

Combine the apples with the blackberries, orange zest, brown sugar, mace and cinnamon and mix well.

Mix the bread crumbs and ground almonds with the remaining 1/2 cup melted butter.

Line bottom of souffle bowl with 1/3 of the bread-crumb mixture.

Add 1/2 of the apple mixture, then sprinkle with 1/3 more of the bread crumbs.

Add rest of apple mixture, then top with the remaining bread crumbs.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Top with vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon
MOSTAR, Bosnia  Drenched in sweat, holding onto a rock as the icy aquamarine waters of the Neretva River swirl dangerously past, I stare up at the bridge for the moment Ive been waiting for all day: Somebody is going to jump.

The crowd yells, and in the span of three seconds one of the divers plummets 80 feet into the river below, before emerging safely.

The bridge is none other than the Stari Most, the iconic gravity-defying stone bridge whose existence spoke to the ingenuity and talent of Ottoman design and engineering, and whose destruction in 1993 came to symbolize the wanton horror of the Balkan Wars. Its completed reconstruction in 2004 represented a new era for the region.

Looking up from the river, the bridge is a magnificent sight. It stretches nearly 100 feet from end to end. On either side are two stone gatehousesthe more memorable of the two, the western one, looms over the riverbed scene below. There, people (mostly men) of all ages cannonball off an embankment, allowing the freezing and fast-moving waters to carry them to the beach a dozen yards downstream. On a 99-degree day, the swim is worth the risk.

But the Neretva poses a danger, and not just for those jumping from the bridge. The river has a number of underwater caves, and according to one of the women running the fabulous museum and hotel, the Muslibegovic Hotel, just blocks away, nearly every year somebody is drowned. Just the year before, she says, a young boy fell in while playing cards near the bank and his body was never found.

In between guardhouses soars the single arch bridge of Stari Most. The arch is topped by a slippery 13-foot-wide walkway made by an obtuse angle, giving the bridge a very distinct shape. By far the best time to view it is at night, as lights underneath illuminate the bridge, allowing it to cast a perfect reflection on the now black water rushing below.

The Stari Most connects the two sides of the central city of Mostar, a city whose entire story gets its start with the bridge. In fact, the name Mostar is derived from mostari, a Slavic word for bridge keepers. There was a wooden bridge supported by chains connecting the two banks since the Middle Ages, explains Andras Riedlmayer, the director of the Documentation Center for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. But it shook so much that people allegedly got seasick or were often too scared to cross. The bridge was how one got from the Adriatic coast to the inland trade routes in the Balkans. But around the end of the 15th century, an Ottoman census put the town at a mere 30 households.

In 1557, Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned a single arch stone bridge and assigned Mimar Hayruddin to design it. Hayruddin had already cut his teeth as an engineer for new fortresses for Suleiman. Hayruddin was a pupil of Sinan, Riedlmayer tells The Daily Beast, who was like the Michelangelo of Ottoman architecture. He designed the incomparable Suleymaniye Mosque complex in Istanbul, as well as the Karaoz Bey Mosque down the street from the Stari Most in Mostar.

The bridge took nine years to build. Given the technical difficulty of building a free-standing single arch bridge over a raging river, legend has it that on the day the keystone was put into place, Hayruddin was preparing to be killed and made ready his shroud.

Instead, the bridge would survive earthquakes, two world wars, the Austro-Hungarian empire, and Titos Yugoslavia. It would see the town of a mere 30 households grow into a polyglot city of Croats, Serbs, and Bosniaks, made up of three rings of architectural styles. The inner ring is the truly enchanting time-warp Ottoman city (now a UNESCO World Heritage site) with its rambling stone houses with roofs made of shingles cut from stones. This is surrounded by both architecture from the Austrian period, in which leafy ordered boulevards are dotted with Baroque edifices (many of which are still bombed out) and concrete blocks from the Communist era.

In the 1950s, Riedlmayer tells The Daily Beast, when the new Communist town was built on the western part of the city, the old town became unfashionable and fell into disrepair. Heroic work by citizens led by Dr. Amir Pasic managed to somehow face down the bureaucratic juggernaut that is a Communist regime and pulled off an award-winning rescue and restoration of the old town.

After Pasics work, the old townand the bridge in particularbecame a source of civic pride. But when the civil war that tore Bosnia apart hit Mostar, the bridge became a significant target.

It was a civic monument, Riedlmayer explains. But at a time of war with new nationalistsit was a symbol of Ottoman rule, so they targeted and destroyed it to demoralize the Muslim residents.

On Nov. 9, 1993, after heavy shelling by Croat forces, the bridge collapsed.

But icons like the Stari Most are rarely kept down, and once again Dr. Amir Pasic pulled off another feat. In 2004, the bridges reconstruction was completed.

Immediately, of course, those looking for a few seconds of thrill resumed one of the cities greatest past-timesrisking life and limb to soar from the top of this magnificent piece of architectural history.
The only possible witness to Marsha Carters murder couldnt testify. He was too young to speak.

On the the morning of Dec. 7, 1983, 25-year-old Marsha Carters three oldest sons woke without their mother. The boys, ages 10, 9, and 7, entered the single mothers room to find a pool of blood on the mattress and their 10-month-old brother cowering beneath the bed. There would be no sign of the young Richmond, California, mother for another 10 days until her body turned up some 70 miles away, in the trunk of her own car in Sacramento. Without a witness or even a suspect, the case faded away without a trace, just as Marsha Carter had that foggy December morning.

Then, nearly 33 years later, police announced their first suspect in the case. On Sept. 14, the cold case reignited with the arrest of 54-year-old Sherill Smothers, Carters one-time boyfriend whose own brush with death was once the subject of headlines.

Smothers is quadriplegic, his spinal cord badly damaged at the neck. He cannot move below the chest, his lawyer testified during a 1991 lawsuit against General Motors. In 1988, five years after Carters death, Smothers had been driving his Corvette with his wife and infant son when a drunk driver rear-ended them, sending the Corvette flying upside down off the road. Smotherss baby was ejected from the window, an accident that may have saved the childs life. The overturned cars roof collapsed, crushing Smotherss neck.

But at the time of Carters death, Smothers was abled-bodied and living near her in the Bay Area, public records show.

They were in a dating relationship, Lt. Felix Tan, a public information officer for the Richmond Police told The Daily Beast, declining to address what he considers Smotherss motive. The prosecutor doesn't want to share that at this time, Tan said.

Public records show Smothers was married in June 1984, just six months after allegedly slaying his once-girlfriend.

When police arrested Smothers on murder charges on Sept. 14, they placed his bail at $1.03 million, a fraction of the $6.1 million in damages he won from his lawsuit against General Motors. Now Smothers is out on bail. But for the first time in 33 years, police say they are moving in on a suspect in Marsha Carters slaying.

Reached by phone, members of Smotherss family declined to comment on his arrest. Richmond Police reopened the case in 2008, as part of an effort to clear old cold cases. They were working with a slaying that had stumped investigators even in its immediate aftermath. POLICE FIND NO TRACE OF MISSING MOTHER OF 4, an Oakland Tribune headline had read after the hunt for Carters body stretched into its third day.

At the time of the murder, Smothers had been 21 and working in the circulation department of the Tribune. Hed worked for the newspaper since hed started delivering papers at age 12.

Carter was 25, and worked for a manufacturing firm, the Oakland Tribune reported in 1983. She was in a rock band. She drove a 1975 Mercury Monarch, the same car in which her body would be discovered on Dec. 17, 1983, parked outside a Sacramento hotel. She lived with her four sons on a street of short, neat houses between two south Richmond freeways.

When Carter went missing the morning of Dec. 7, her three oldest sons ran to one of the neighbors houses for help, police said Saturday. When the boys returned with a neighbor, they found their baby brother hiding under Carters bloody mattress, rattled but unharmed and unable to tell anyone what had happened.

Police would not find their mothers body for another 10 days, or her alleged killer for 33 years.

A grand jury hearing, conducted in secret, moved to file murder charges against Smothers in August, police announced Saturday. These charges include a special provision for murder with a knife, which could could extend Smotherss prison sentence if convicted, the East Bay Times reports.

The department is extremely proud of our detectives amazing work, Richmond Police said in their Saturday statement. We hope that this arrest and indictment brings some relief and closure to Marsha Carters family.
If this past Mondays first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was the most anticipated political event in modern history, then tonights parody version from Saturday Night Live wasnt too far behind.

Just as the show cast Larry David as Bernie Sanders last season, they have now brought on Alec Baldwin as a nearly-full time cast member to take on Donald Trumpmuch to Darrell Hammonds disappointment, no doubt. Following Matt Lauers kid-glove treatment of Trump and Jimmy Fallons even more laughable sit-down with the candidate, the stakes are high for SNL to avoid humanizing him the way they previously did with Will Ferrells George W. Bush and Tina Feys Sarah Palin. So how did they do?

At the top, Michael Che made a rare sketch appearance as moderator Lester Holt, who introduced a coughing Hillary Clinton and the man to blame for the bottom half of all his kids faces, Donald Trump.

Baldwin got Trumps podium-clutching and bizarre China pronunciations down perfectly. And while the real Trump waited until after the debate to complain about his microphone, he did so during the SNL debate. Beyond just interrupting Clinton with wrong, Baldwins Trump added Shut up!, admitted a make out session with Sean Hannity, and referred to Holt as both jazzman and Coltrane.

Just like the real Trump, Baldwin described Clinton in a way that sounded oddly familiar. I have the best judgment, and the best temperament, he said. Shes the one with the bad temperament. Shes always screaming. Shes constantly lying. Her hair is weird and her face is completely orange. Except around the eyes where its white. Once she stops talking her mouth looks like a tiny little butthole.

Instead of responding, Clinton yielded her two minutes back to Trump, who went on an unprovoked rant about the blacks. Asked by Holt what she thought about Trumps comments at one moment, Clinton said, I think Im going to be president. After another of his rants, she said she didnt have a response, more of a request: can America vote right now?

For most of the sketch, SNL used the candidates exact words as parody because there was no way they could come up with anything funnier. But their respective closing statements summed up their campaigns to date even better than the candidates have been able to do themselves.

Listen, America. I get it. You hate me, Clinton said into the camera. You hate my voice, and you hate my face. Well, heres a tip: If you never want to see my face again, elect me president, and I swear to God I will lock myself in the Oval Office and not come out for four years. But if you dont elect me, I will continue to run for president until the day I die.

Trump, unsurprisingly, went a different direction. After bringing up Bill Clintons White House affair, he said, Its true. My investigators are looking into it right now. It was a woman named Monica. Very heavy. I dont have her last name yet but when I get it, Im going to set my alarm for 3:20 a.m. and go sit on my golden toilet bowl and tweet about it until completion.

In the end, SNL perceived the debate the same way that the rest of the media and a majority of Americans did. Clinton may have been overprepared, but was clearly having the time of her life. And Trump came off like a straight-up crazy person.
During the first presidential debate, a record-breaking primetime television event viewed by over 84 million people worldwide, Hillary Clinton managed to get under Donald Trumps skin by invoking two of his favorite pastimes: beauty pageants and unbridled sexism.

One of the worst things [Trump] said was about a woman in a beauty contest. He loves beauty contests, supporting them and hanging around them, said Hillary. And he called this woman Miss Piggy. Then he called her Miss Housekeeping, because she was Latina. Donald, she has a name. Her name is Alicia Machado, and she has become a U.S. citizen, and you can bet shes going to vote this November.

Hillary was referring to the Venezuelan Miss Universe 1996, and the dig prompted Trump to not only double down on his comments about Machados weight on Fox & Friends the following day, but also unleash a Twitter tirade in the early morning hours Friday, urging the American voting public to check out Machados sex tape (she doesnt have one) and look into her past, even though these have virtually no bearing on Trumps fat-shaming of the former beauty queen.

Of course, Trumps beauty pageant fetish isnt limited to Machado. He owned the Miss Teen USA, Miss Universe, and Miss USA pageants from 1996 to 2015when NBC and Univision severed ties with Trumps Miss Universe Organization following his derogatory statements against Mexicans in his presidential announcement speech. Trump was ultimately forced to sell his ownership stake in the Miss Universe Organization to WME/IMG.

Trump would, according to testimony by former contestants and audio first obtained by TMZ, engage in a troubling practice while overseeing the Miss USA pageant. Dubbed The Trump Rule, the ex-reality host would oversee a pre-screening of the Miss USA contestants in revealing outfits and play his own personal game of Hot or Not, dividing the women into groups. Hed then demand that each beauty contestant name another contestant they felt was the most beautiful, and separate the contestants accordingly.

Listen to the audio of Trump implementing The Trump Rule here:

In the audio, first obtained by TMZ, Trump is heard salivating over the Miss USA 2009 contestants during a pre-screening. He orders them around by name, ogling them. He utters the word beautiful over two dozen times.

West Virginia, West Virginiaget over here. Beautiful, utters Trump. I knew a girl from West Virginia onceshe drove me crazyI loved her. She had no makeup, no nothing. They didnt know about makeup. You know, in West Virginia, they didnt know about makeup, they didnt know about cellulite. Just beautiful.

Trump is then heard explaining The Trump Ruleand implementing it.

As I told you, many of you have already been chosenso it doesnt even matter. But as the Miss Universe Organization and the Miss USA Organization, we get to choose a certain number, he said. You know why we do that? Because years ago when I first bought it, we chose ten peopleI chose none. And I get here, and the most beautiful people were never chosen! And I went nuts! So we call it The Trump Rule, he added. Its called The Trump Ruleand we get to choose.

In Carrie Prejeans autobiography Still Standing, the former Miss California USA 2009 and Miss USA 2009 runner-up described how, moments after meeting Trump, the Miss USA contestants were subjected to The Trump Rule.

We were told to put on our opening number outfitsthey were nearly as revealing as our swimsuitsand line up for him on stage. Donald Trump walked out with his entourage and inspected us closer than any general ever inspected a platoon. He would stop in front of a girl, look her up and down, and say, Hmmm. Then he would go on and do the same thing to the next girl. He took notes in a little pad as he went along, wrote Prejean. Then, recalled Prejean, Trump called all the women forward and proceeded to ask each one, Tell me, whos the most beautiful woman here?

In this way, Donald Trump made his way through all the girls, Prejean wrote. As he did, he motioned those girls he liked over to one side, leaving the discards to one side of the stageIt became clear that the point of the whole exercise was for him to divide the room between girls he personally found attractive and those he did not. Many of the girls found this exercise humiliating. Some of the girls were sobbing backstage after he left, devastated to have failed even before the competition really began to impress The Donald, she continued. Most of us respected Donald Trump as an amazing businessman and leaderand certainly I still do. But we naturally felt sorry for the girls who were left in the reject line. Even those of us who were among the chosen couldnt feel very good about itit was as though we had been stripped bare.

Prejean was eventually stripped of her title by Trump after risque photos of the beauty queen emerged from a lingerie photo shoot, as well asyesa sex tape.
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Plan your week ahead in SE Iowa with these local events: music, art, more

Your guide to getting off the couch and out the door this week in Southeast Iowa.
NORWALK  Norwalk Public Schools is spending big on special education: $50,000 on equipment and furnishings at Norwalk High and Wolfpit Elementary; $100,000 on a special education teacher for a middle school math program; $150,000 to hire a manager of outplaced special education students.

Those are just a few of the planned expenses that amount to the $1.2 million that will be spent this school year in Norwalk Public Schools as a part of the three-year, $3.6 million Special Education Development Fund, which aims to overhaul the districts handling of special education.

It is intended to be an investment, said Brenda Wilcox Williams, a spokeswoman for the school district. You need a little bit of seed money or investment to get the change started.

The money and plan to make changes comes after the district received a Capitol Region Education Council, or CREC, report late last year that revealed several flaws in the districts handling of special education. That report followed similarly critical reports in 2008 and 2012 that revealed issues and showed minimal, if any, progress being made over time.

Earlier this year, Norwalk Public School's Superintendent Steven Adamowski asked the Board of Education and city of Norwalk for money to finally invest in the much-needed changes.

After back-and-forth as to where the $3.6 million should come from, a decision was made.

A June memorandum signed by Board of Education Chairperson Mike Lyons and Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling states that the city will pay $1.1 million and the board $1.3 million to account for the first two years of funding. The board and city will come back together in the future to determine the best way to come up with the third years $1.2 million.

The overall goal with the changes is to decrease the number of outplaced students and decrease the number of paraprofessionals or aides by providing more and better quality services in-house.

That, school officials say, would offer a better education to the special education kids living in the district and save the district money in the long-run  from slowly easing away from the high costs associated with outplacing special needs students who cant get the services they need within the district.

In order to get that started though, the district needs to make changes in many programs, services and structures, which comes with many initial costs.

They are front-loaded, Lynn Toper, the school districts new chief of specialized learning and student services, said of those costs. There is a lot of furniture, fixtures, equipment and initial hiring, that is a larger price tag at the front end but saves the district money in the long haul because now you don't have children that are outplaced.

Toper joined the school district in July, hired in response to priority recommendations released in the last CREC report. The opening of the districts new Early Childhood Center, which features inclusive preschool classrooms, was also in response to that report.

Topers position will have her overseeing the changes and therefore the spending of this school years $1.2 million budget, which ranges from infrastructure costs associated with beginning to bring special education students back into the district to hiring someone to manage the special educations students who remain placed out of the district.

A total of seven students with special education needs have already been brought back into Norwalk High School from the private High Road School of Norwalk. Those students are part of an initiative to slowly start bringing back students from out-of-district placement.

Those seven students were placed in a classroom in Norwalk High School, but are still taught by High Road educators.

The program is technically there's, Toper said. But our staff is embedded with their staff to learn in a hands-on way.

Toper plans for the High Road staff to step out at the end of the school year, once Norwalk staff is trained and can take over.

A similar transition program is taking place at Wolfpit Elementary School.

A total of seven students on the autism spectrum who were previously outplaced have been brought back into a classroom within that school. CREC staff are working side-by-side with Norwalk staff so that a similar transition can be made between staffs at the end of the school year.

The school district has always tried to reintegrate outplaced students, but this process is taking place with new systems put into place, Toper said. Plus, the transition used to comprise of having students visit the school, instead of actually being brought in to be a part of the school environment.

Now they are a part of the culture, Toper said. A part of lunch, recess. Integration can happen more frequently and naturally.

Toper said only students who are ready to be placed back into the district are considered for reintegration. About 120 children remain outplaced presently, Toper said.

A sum of $50,000 of the budget was put toward equipment and furnishings for returning students into those programs.

Costs to come next year include $200,000 for training and the transition for Norwalk staff to take over the new classrooms and $175,000 for the startup of a CREC Hearing Impaired Regional Program.

The funding plans are an estimate and are tentative to change.

Adamowski has said he will request another CREC report in two years to check on the progress made within the special education program.

KSchultz@thehour.com; 203-354-1049; @kevinedschultz
Lloyd (Bud) Windfield will be joining the Heavenly Father as he passed away at the age of 94, on Sept. 18, 2016, while living at Country House in Grand Island.

Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grand Island, with the Rev. Adam Snoberger officiating. Inurnment will be in the Grand Island City Cemetery.

There will be no visitation, cremation was Buds choice of disposition. Apfel Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memorials in his name are suggested to Trinity Lutheran Church, Zion Lutheran Church in Worms, Trinity School or Heartland Lutheran.

Bud was born on the Windfield farm near Worms on Jan. 1, 1922. His parents were Thomas and Lydia (Wagner) Windfield long-time residents of the Worms community. He was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church and attended the Lutheran parochial school in Worms.

He graduated from Chapman High School in 1940 and took courses in mechanical engineering from the University of Nebraska. He then returned to the family farm where he worked with his brother Edgar for many years. He married Gertrude White in October 1942 and they were blessed with three children. Gertrude passed away in 1997 and Bud remarried Florence Thompson in 1999.

Over the years, he served on numerous church, hospital and bank boards. He also was very active and supportive of the Missouri Lutheran Church, Synod and Lutheran Education. Everyone enjoyed being with him because of his outgoing personality and respected success and vast knowledge of business.

Survivors include his wife, Florence; a daughter, Susie Mann of Ogallala; a son, Tom of Aurora Colo.; a daughter-in-law, Sherry of Denver Colo.; four grandsons and five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Trudy; a son, Gary; his parents, three sisters and two brothers.

The family would like to express their thanks to Pastor Snoberger for providing spiritual comfort, the Country House Staff who treated him like family and everyone who visited Bud during his final days.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.apfelfuneralhome.com.
TURLOCK, Calif.  Maurice E. Palmberg, 84, passed away on Sept. 13, 2016, in Turlock, Calif.

Maurey was born in Hamilton County, Nebraska, in 1932, to Edwin and Esther (Swanson) Palmberg. He was the oldest of four siblings. He attended North Park University in Chicago before entering the Army. In 1954, Maurice and Barbara (Axelson), his college sweetheart, were married in Iron Mountain, Mich., and moved to Aurora. In January 1956, Kurt J. Palmberg was born, followed shortly thereafter in February 1957 by Karen A. Palmberg.

When Maurey and Barbara returned to his hometown, he began working in the family business, Palmberg Auto Supply, owned by his dad and uncle. He and Barbara eventually bought into the business and saw it expanded into three towns in Nebraska. Later, in 1974, when they moved to Turlock, Calif., they sold their Nebraska stores and purchased Mid-Valley Auto Supply of Turlock and Palmberg Auto Supply of Hilmar.

Maureys life was about his faith and his family. He was a camp counselor, a youth leader, and, before he retired, he had been a visitation pastor at the mens prison in Tracy. He was a Sunday school teacher for years and especially enjoyed his tenure as II Timothy class teacher at Turlock Covenant.

When Maurey retired from business, he worked for more than 10 years at Whitehurst-Norton-Dias Funeral Service where he continued his ministry and care for the community. Most recently, Maurey was the unofficial visitation chaplain for Covenant Village of Turlock as he rode his power wheel chair to the hospital, to Brandel and to the Care Center every day, visiting his friends, the staff, and people to whom he could bring a smile, a prayer and sometimes a song. It was important to him that he share his faith and to carry on the Palmberg family heritage of service to God and community begun by his great-grandparents, both paternal and maternal, well over 100 years ago.

Maurey loved politics too. In Nebraska, he served on the State Central Committee of the Republican Party, with a goal of becoming governor someday. When the move to Turlock came, due to Barbaras health concerns, he entered city politics in 1982, when he was elected to the Turlock City Council, where he served for 12-1/2 years, the last four as mayor pro tem. Maurey was a solid presence in the city, and was known as a problem solver and a wise and steady leader. He was active in the Exchange Club in Turlock and he was also privileged to receive the Paul Harris Award from the Turlock Rotary.

Fiscal responsibility was high on his list of priorities, and thus his legacy to the present City Council of the Palmberg Rule, which states that city staff may not put an expenditure of $20,000.00 or more on the Consent calendar. This was just one reflection of the high moral and ethical standard he placed on himself when he first entered the political arena years ago and which he modeled for others. After Maurey retired from the NAPA Auto Supply business he owned with wife, Barbara, and his partner Kurt, he and Barbara moved to Covenant Village in Turlock. There he became involved in the resident leadership of the campus and served several years on the national Covenant Retirement Communitys board as resident liaison.

As a native Nebraskan, Maurey was fiercely loyal to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He made annual trips back to Nebraska in his pickup to visit family and friends after he had retired and moved to Covenant Village, but his favorite trip was with his good friend Bob Peterson, when they took the train across country together.

His sense of humor and sharp wit are legendary and wherever he went and whomever he met, he was recognized and enjoyed. Maurey stories are priceless, no matter how many times you hear them.

Maurey is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Barbara; a son, Kurt J. Palmberg and wife, Karole, and daughter, Karen Palmberg; grandchildren, Britta (Palmberg) Mitchell and husband, Stuart, Jon-Erik Palmberg and wife, Theresa, Kristofer J. Palmberg and fiance, Clara; great-grandchildren, Kaatje Mitchell, Kassidy J. Palmberg, Kaleb J. Palmberg and Ian Palmberg; brother, Rev. Bud Palmberg, wife, Donna; sister, Doris (Palmberg) Schultz and husband, Glen; sister-in-law, Mary Palmberg, and nieces, nephews, cousins and many, many friends.

He was predeceased by his parents, Ed and Esther Palmberg; and youngest brother, Bob Palmberg.

Peace be to Maureys memory.

A memorial service will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 15, at Turlock Covenant Church, 316 S. Laurel St., Turlock, Calif.

Memorial contributions may be made to North Park Seminary. Please direct your contributions to the Rev. C. Oscar Palmberg Scholarship Fund in memory of Maurice Palmberg. Gifts by mail can be sent to North Park University, Office of Development, 3225 W. Foster Ave., Box 6, Chicago, IL 60625-4895 or online at www.northpark.edu/giving. Please be sure to note Tribute information with your online gift.

Or: You may send memorial gifts to the Benevolent Fund for Covenant Village of Turlock. c/o Covenant Village Benevolent Fund, 2125 N. Olive Ave. Turlock, CA 95382.

Arrangements under the direction of Whitehurst-Norton-Dias Funeral Service (FD504), Turlock, Calif.
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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, October 3, 2016

An exhibition dubbed 100 Tahun Otto Djaya (100 years of Otto Djaya) is being held at the National Gallery in Central Jakarta from Sept. 30 to Oct. 9. In the event taking place at the A and C building of the gallery, visitors can marvel at 172 artwork collections by the younger brother of painter Agus Djaya.

All collections, mostly of the painter's works in the 1990s, have been brought to Indonesia by the initiative of European curator Inge-Marie Holst and her husband Hans Peter Holst, with the help of Indonesian curator Rizki A. Zaelani and the gallery. Holst, the owner of around 200 artworks of Otto Djaya, thought of the painter as interesting.

(Read also: 'I am the Forest' exhibition reveals Kalimantan's magnificent wildlife)

"He's one of the painters who have been through many eras and he kept painting in a funny way at a time when people were going to prison," Holst told The Jakarta Post in a press event at National Gallery on Friday. She noted that the painter (1916-2002) had lived through various Indonesian regimes, from Dutch colonial, the Japanese invasion, revolution, the rule of Sukarno and even through the Soeharto era.

Holst described Otto as having a distinct, contrasting way of painting compared to other painters of his era.

"Otto has his own style and at the beginning they [he and people within the Indonesian painting expert union or Pesagri] couldn't sell anything because what the Dutch and upper-class Indonesians wanted was beautiful landscapes," she said, referring to Otto's figurative works.

Despite having been painted years ago, Holst named Otto's works, which contain plentiful women and Punakawan figures, and were mostly made in the acrylic on canvas media, as up-to-date.

(Read also: State Palace painting exhibition)

Rizki, co-curator of the event, described Otto as a painter whose time has come for him to be known by young artists in Indonesia".

"Otto's works relates to peoples lives today. He invited us into the fantasy, mythological world by incorporating wayang," he said.

To Rizki, it is Otto's "unique way of giving criticism, as well as judgment toward the social and cultural condition in Indonesia."

Through Holst's research, Otto's works can now be seen on display in the gallery. Her research on the painter, who was a soldier during the revolution, was not without stumbling blocks. Among the difficulties was the lack of information.

"He lived in a time when it was not very good because the country was under Dutch rule, so the Dutch had all the information available," she stated. She also noted that there was no documentation of Otto's solo exhibition at the National Gallery in 1995.

(Read also: Exhibition explores maestro Affandi's style of expression)

"We want, in particular, for the younger generation to learn about it [his works] before it's too late," the writer of World of Otto Djaya conveyed.

The exhibition is open to the public with no admission fee until Oct. 9, with the exception of Oct. 2 when the gallery is closed. In the exhibition, visitors can see the colorful, comical and satire works divided into several themes, which includes his own self portraits, social-political criticism, local traditions, market and journey. There will be gallery tour for the public on Oct. 8 and a gallery talk on Oct. 9. (asw)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 2, 2016

Police seized copies of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels at a book fair held at the Jakarta Convention Center on Saturday and questioned four people involved in the sale of the books.

Tanah Abang crime investigation unit Cmr. Mustakim said police seized six copies of the book.

"The publishers and the sellers at the fair are Malaysian citizens," he said on Saturday as reported by kompas.com.

The four people questioned by police were Zulfikri Zamir bin Mohammad Munir, 31, of Thukul Cetak publisher, Sakri bin Abdullah, 51, head of the stand at the book fair, and stand attendants M. Rozla Bin Muhammed Noor, 46, and Khairul Nizam bin Muhammad Yunis, 45.

Mustakim said the four would not be slapped with charges, but police took them to the Jakarta Police headquarters for questioning. The questioning aimed to get information on the book feared to cause public unrest.

Police detained in May two people for selling T-shirts of German trash metal band Kreator emblazoned with the image of a hammer-and-sickle.

Hard-line groups have protested the perceived rise of communism ever since relatives and victims of the 1965 communist purge sought justice from the government.

A number of events, shows and discussions on the 1965 purge have been shut down since last year. (rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 2, 2016

Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono has brushed off criticism over his lack of political experience.

The 38-year-old member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) said young age was the right age to enter politics.

"Everyone has [their own] starting point," said the eldest son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Sunday, as reported by kompas.com.

Agus admitted that even though his political career only started with his recently declared candidacy in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, he came prepared to learn to be a good politician.

His military experience was also not to be overlooked, Agus insisted.

"I also have experience, and I am ready to learn with anyone. I think steadiness is more important," he added.

Agus is in the process of resignation from the TNI following his decision to run for the office of governor, alongside the former Jakarta gubernatorial assistant for culture and tourism, Sylviana Murni, who is hoping to become the deputy governor. The pairs candidacy is supported by the Democratic Party founded by Yudhoyono as well as by the National Awakening Party, the United Development Party and the National Mandate Party. (rin)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 2, 2016

Three more Indonesian sailors held captive by Abu Sayyaf militants were released on Saturday evening, leaving two remaining in captivity, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Sunday.

The three crewmen released at 11:35 p.m. local time were Ferry Arifin, M. Mahbur Dahlan and Edi Suryono

"A special team picked them up. The three are at the Sulu Joint Task Force West Mincom, where they are undergoing health checkups, Retno said in a press conference with Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo at the Defense Ministry in Jakarta as reported by Antara news agency.

The three men will be taken to Zamboanga to be officially handed over to the Indonesian government, represented by the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, she said.

The government will provide an update on their return as soon as matters in Zamboanga are taken care of, Retno said, adding that the ministry had also contacted the respective families of the sailors on the release.

With the release of the three men, crew members of tugboat Charles that were taken hostage by the militants on June 21, two Indonesian crewmen remain in the hands of Abu Sayyaf. The two men are Robin Peter and M. Nasir, who are also crew members of tugboat Charles.

Details of the release have not been made public.

Retno said the government had stepped up efforts to secure the release of the two remaining crewmen. (rin)
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Brilliant batty boy challenging Caribbean homophobia

JAMAICA: Hes brilliant and charismatic and should be one of Jamaicas heroes up there on the pedestal with Usain Bolt and the reggae and dancehall stars who stand in the long shadow of Bob Marley.

Sunday 2 October 2016, 10:00AM

Jamaica has trouble embracing novelist Marlon James, even after he won one of the worlds top literary prizes, the Man Booker, last year. Photo: Dominique Faget/AFP

But Jamaica has trouble embracing the novelist Marlon James, even after he won one of the worlds top literary prizes, the Man Booker, last year, the first Caribbean writer to do so since V S Naipaul 45 years ago.

The reason is simple. Im a batty boy, James said using the derogatory island slang for gay.

In Jamaica homosexual acts are punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Ragga stars like Buju Banton have called for the murder of gay men, and a string of horrific killings a few years ago prompted rights groups to brand it the most homophobic place on earth.

Yet James argues that Jamaica has come a long way since. And he hopes the international success of his book, A Brief History of Seven Killings  which turns on an attempted assassination of Marley in 1976  will help.

It is still a very homophobic country, though it has evolved for the better in a lot of ways, he said. Which doesnt mean I feel totally safe.

When the US-based writer returned in glory earlier this year to give the Bob Marley lecture at his old alma mater, the University of the West Indies, people were really supportive but there was still a Facebook page saying, Should a homosexual be talking about Bob Marley?

You can imagine what the comments on it were like... The trouble is I know who put up the page. It is somebody who works in the arts, yet shes still a flipping homophobe, and has no problem inciting hatred.

She said at one point, I read the book and I thought it was good, but should this batty boy...

What cheered him however was being invited to talk to the universitys gay student association.

I was so stunned we had one. Even if there was one I would never have gone, said 45-year-old James.

Ten years ago riot police had to fire on a mob who chased a gay student through the campus, and in 2012 security guards at the islands University of Technology beat up a man who had sought refuge from a similarly homophobic crowd.

Violence is never far away in James A Brief History of Seven Killings. Critics have called the book a virtuoso evocation of the dark days of the late 1970s, when rival political factions fought on the streets of Kingston, with the CIA arming gangsters to unseat the socialist Michael Manley  who Marley supported.

Jamaica became another Cold War battleground, James said, and as elsewhere the US ended with some very strange bedfellows.

But rather than stop his story at the failed attempt to kill Marley, who was shot in the arm and carried the bullet to his grave, James  who also wears his hair in dreadlocks  became fascinated with what happened to the gunmen afterwards.

These men for the most part vanished. There are rumours about what happened to them  who was shot, whose throat was slit, who was hung... Jamaicans made an effort to destroy them and make sure they never existed. Of course that fired my imagination, James said.

I had no idea that two people involved in the Marley assassination became instrumental in bringing crack to America. So I followed the gun and murder and drug trail, and the CIA and the Cold War right to 1991.

The whole writing of this book was crazy. The very first paragraph that I wrote is now on page 458. I wanted to write something quick, brief and brutal, he added.

But the book ended up at nearly 700 pages. It is some crazy shit, James laughed, that breaks every rule, so dont ask me why it works. But it does.
Phuket Opinion: The Vegetarian Festival, a piercing statement of originality

PHUKET: As the sun set and lantern poles were raised at Chinese shrines across the island for the Nine Emperor Gods to descend from the heavens on Friday evening (Sept 30), this years Phuket Vegetarian Festival quietly began.

opinionculturetourismeconomics

By The Phuket News

Sunday 2 October 2016, 09:00AM

A devotee takes part in a procession at the Chinese Shrine in Kathu, the spiritual home of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival.

However, today there is more than just one Vegetarian Festival, raising concerns about preserving the originality of the festival, which for years has had copycat versions erode the authenticity the Phuket-born event.

Many other Chinese communities in Thailand now host their own versions of the Vegetarian Festival, including the renowned Yaowarat district in Bangkok, better known simply as Chinatown.

The Phuket News understands how citizens in the capital of this Bangkok-centric nation might find this southern festival a little hard to swallow as Thai culture. Traditionally, folk from the northern reaches of the Kingdom tend to dictate what is Thai and what is not.

The Vegetarian Festival is Thai and it is culture, regardless what some peoples interpretations of the festival may be. Living culture is exactly what the people of the day make it, whether it be being polite and respecting elders, honouring gods for blessings of purity or singing karaoke.

It is true that many shrines have flourished in the past decade or so that the festival has been promoted commercially, but that does negate the fact that the festival traces its routes back 191 years  long before any thoughts of tourism to this fair isle began  to the festivals home shrine in the small village of Baan Kathu.

The practices of the modern-day incarnation of the Vegetarian Festival may have stepped away from the original ablutions all those years ago, but that is what happens to traditional festivals anywhere in the world. For instance, who could claim that the festivities of Christmas or Halloween are anything like the original celebrations?

On that note, in preserving the festivals own purity, shrine administrators over the years have struggled to curtail the spectacle of non-traditional items used for face piercings, such as bicycle parts, six-shooter handguns and beach umbrellas, but they seem to have finally won that battle.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is our festival. Lets keep it that way. Be proud of the odd cultural melting pot that Phuket has been for centuries, one that firmly includes expats, and lets lead the way in defining our own culture.
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Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) More than 1,000 foreign workers in Taiwan gathered in Taipei on Sunday to demand speedy passage of an amendment that would scrap a requirement that migrant workers leave the country for at least one day every three years if they want to be re-hired.
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Today

A mix of clouds and sun early, then becoming cloudy later in the day. High near 60F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar are the worst performing states in Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, according to a survey while 61 per cent of its respondents said that cleanliness has improved in their neighbourhood in the last two years.

The survey conducted by LocalCircles, a citizen engagement platform, covered 60 cities, 19 states and 14 national polls to assess the impact of two years of Swachh Bharat.

In the state and city level surveys, citizens from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have suggested a visible improvement of 30 per cent or more in cleanliness, while Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar states were the worst performing with their residents saying they observed minimal or no impact.

Across the nation, only nine per cent citizens feel that the improvement is more than 30 per cent and most suggesting a marginal improvement, according to the survey, which also said that 40 per cent citizens indicated that civic sense has improved in the last two years.

Things were not as positive on the public toilet front with only 20 per cent respondents suggesting that the availability of such toilets has improved in their city.

The biggest challenge, according to respondents, for Swachh Bharat Mission is municipal engagement, capability and delivery.

Only 18 per cent believe their municipality is engaged in driving cleanliness and civic sense awareness initiatives on the ground, while most felt it is critical that going forward, a special impetus is put upon upgrading and reforming the municipalities, the survey revealed.

Approximately 85 per cent of the respondents said it must be mandatory for every municipality to engage with citizens both online and offline to qualify for any further Swachh Bharat funds.
NIA sleuths reportedly arrested five people, on suspicion of links with the Islamic State (IS), after a raid at Kanakamala near Panoor of Kannur district on Sunday evening. The police have refused to reveal any information about the detained. A top police official, without divulging details, confirmed to THE WEEK that such a raid did take place.

A few months ago, almost 21 people had gone missing from Kerala, reportedly to join the Islamic State. This had drawn attention to the terror networks covertly operating in the state, leading to a huge public outcry.

Later on, the Kerala Police arrested two people from Mumbai, Arshid Qureshi and Rizwan Khan, in connection with the alleged role they played in recruitments for the Islamic State.

Kannur and its neighbouring districts are a hotbed of political violence between the CPI(M) and RSS.
Not content with setting a record by unfurling the biggest national flag on the tallest flagpole, the Telangana government is now looking to add another feather on its cap by celebrating Maha Bathukamma in a grand, record-setting manner. Over 10,000 women are expected to take part in the festivities at L.B. Stadium at Hyderabad on October 8, worshipping a giant 20-ft high Bathukamma decorated with flowers. More than 500 women from abroad are also expected to be a part of the festival.

Bathukamma literally means 'Mother Goddess come alive', and is symbolised by a flower cone. Many legends are attached to this festival, but it is ultimately a festival of hope and aspirationa festival of flowers observed by women. A rural fete, it brings women of the village together and promote a sense of unity among them.

Navaratri is celebrated for nine days and the Bathukamma is built anew each day. Each day is called by a different name. Day one is called 'Engili Poola Bathukamma', the second day is 'Atukula Bathukamma', third is 'Muddapappu Bathukamma', fourth 'Nanabiyyam Bathukamma', fifth 'Atla Bathukamma', sixth 'Aligina Bathukamma', seventh 'Vepakayala Bathukamma', eighth 'Venna Muddala Bathukamma' and the final ninth day is called the 'Saddula Bathukamma'.

The Bathukamma is stacked on a flat base in concentric layers, leading to a conical shape, looking like a crown or the gopuram of a temple. The flowers used here are seasonal and found in forests and on roadsides. They are also considered to have medicinal properties and are known locally as Thangedu, Gunugu, Bandhi, Chemanthi, Dosa, Katla Puvvu, Beera Puvvu, Gaddipuvvu and Gummadi Puvvu.

These flower cones are carried by the women in a procession and are later immersed in the village tank. While this is a festival, traditionally celebrated by women, the men also participate by way of collecting flowers. Earlier the cones used to be small, but now with the approach of the competition season, the cones have become larger and heavier and men help here too.

Dusshera is now considered as Telangana state festival and this time the government will spend close to Rs 100 crore on celebrations. As part of the festivities, the department of tourism will decorate 40 junctions in the city, with 100 more junctions to be decorated by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
At least one person has sustained gunshot wounds after an armed perpetrator tried to break into a synagogue in central Moscow and threatened to set it on fire, local media reported.

Police confirmed the incident.

There was a conflict in one of the religious institutions between the guards and a man, who behaved inadequately, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said.

As a result, the person fired several shots at the guards from a non-lethal pistol. After that he was arrested and delivered to a police station, she added.

The attacker had a gun and a canister of gasoline with him, saying that he was going to burn the Moscow Choral Synagogue, Life.ru reported.

The guard was hospitalized in critical condition after the bullets hit him in the head and chest, Mediazona news outlet reported.

Police identified the attacker as a 40 year-old-resident of the Moscow region town of Korolev. His motives remain unclear. But according to Life.ru, the man has a clinical record and may be mentally unstable.

The incident happened as Davening was ending, Viktor Rakhmilov, the deputy chairman of Moscows Community of Mountain Jews, told Life.ru.

The perpetrator had been trying to enter the building for several hours prior to the event, saying that he wanted to see the rabbi, according to Rakhmilov.

After the man shot the security staff member with the traumatic pistol, he reportedly attempted self-immolation, but was taken to the ground by the injured guard.

The security guard was escorted to surgery, but I dont think that his injuries were serious. He got his cheek and tongue punctured, Rakhmilov said.

The head of Russias Federation of Jewish Communities, Aleksandr Boroda, has called the attack a disgusting manifestation of xenophobia, pointing out the fact that it was attempted on Saturday, a sacred day for Jews.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia has urged Moscow authorities to boost security at synagogues ahead of New Year festivities.

Unfortunately, this is not the first attack on the countrys main mosque and probably not the last. Youre all aware of the situation with these kinds of attacks around the world nowadays. Youre probably also aware we have holidays ahead  we are not canceling any of the events. We will increase our security together with the police. We are not afraid of anyone, Aleksandr Kagno, head of Moscows Jewish religious community (MERO), told RT.

The Moscow Choral Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Moscow. According to the synagogues website, its visited by around 500 people on a daily basis.
Irans Revolutionary Guard has built a new attack drone which is similar to a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle captured five years ago, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency says the Saegheh (Thunderbolt) drone is similar to the RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone. Irans state-run Press TV says the long-range drone can carry four precision-guided bombs. Neither report gave figures for the drones range.

Iran claimed to have shot down an RQ-170 drone used by the Central Intelligence Agency in December 2011 and broadcast footage of the recovered aircraft. It also claims to have captured three American ScanEagle drones.

Iran said last year that it had successfully tested its replica of the RQ-170.

Also on Saturday, Tasnim published photos of what it said was a U.S.-made MQ-1C drone captured recently by the Guard. It did not say when or how the drone was captured.

(AP)
Federal investigators are again gathering evidence from the home of a man charged with setting off bombs in New York and New Jersey.

FBI special agent Michael Whitaker says agents were back at Ahmad Khan Rahamis familys home in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on Friday to conduct interviews and collect evidence as part of their investigation. He says theres no threat to public safety.

The Sept. 17 blasts came two years after the FBI looked into Rahami but found nothing tying him to terrorism. The bombs injured 31 people.

Rahami is an Afghan-born U.S. citizen. He remains hospitalized with gunshot wounds after a police shootout that led to his capture outside a bar in Linden, New Jersey. He hasnt made an initial court appearance, and his American Civil Liberties Union lawyers have declined to comment.

(AP)
Clean-up is continuing at the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in suburban New York where an undetermined amount of oil spilled into a drainage canal leading to the Hudson River.

Jerry Nappi, a spokesman for Indian Point owner Entergy, says the oil is not radioactive and none was observed in the river.

State environmental officials were notified after an oil sheen was observed in the discharge canal Friday morning.

Nappi tells the Journal News that the spill occurred after the cooling system for one of the turbines in a non-nuclear area of the plant malfunctioned.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo toured the plant Friday evening and said there was no reason for neighbors to be concerned about the spill.

(AP)
The District Court last week denied the parole of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, accepting the appeal from the state.

The prison parole board decided to release Rabbi Pinto after serving seven months of his one-year term due to his declining health. He is undergoing chemotherapy while serving his term.

The state opposed the early release due to the severity of his crime and the fact that his one-year term is the result of a plea bargain agreement that the rabbi signed.

The appeal was filed with the district court and the rabbis release from prison was delayed until the district court issued its verdict.

The district court accepted the appeal, overturning the parole board, ordering the rabbi to serve the remainder of his sentence.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Donald Trump may or may not have paid federal income taxes for years after losing nearly $916 million. But if he did avoid paying taxes, hes a genius at taking advantage of a loophole-ridden law, his supporters said Sunday.

The New York Times on Sunday published a very, very good story for Donald Trump, Chris Christie said on Fox News Sunday. Rudy Giuliani called him an absolute genius on ABCs This Week. And Trump himself weighed in, saying he was singularly qualified to fix a system he may have exploited.

I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them, Trump tweeted on Sunday, just five weeks ahead of the election.

Democrats said Trumps nearly $916 million loss in one year pokes holes in his claim to be a champion for working, tax-paying Americans.

He doesnt care about those small businesses he didnt pay. He doesnt care about the people who lost millions of dollars in all of his bankruptcies, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said on Fox News Sunday. Those losses represent real pain to many people who never got paid.

Even as the story was published, the candidate and his surrogates were engrossed in an effort to change the subject from his feud with 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado and his middle-of-the-night tweet storm on the subject. On Saturday night in Manheim, Pennsylvania, Trump questioned Hillary Clintons loyalty to her husband and imitated her near-faint on Sept. 11 after being diagnosed for pneumonia.

The New York Times report sheds light on some of the billionaires tax returns after Trumps campaign refused to release any such documents, breaking with 40 years of presidential campaign tradition. Clinton has publicly released nearly 40 years worth, and Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has released 10 years of his tax returns.

Trump has said his attorneys are advising him to keep his tax returns private until a government audit is completed. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told a House committee Sept. 21 that people under IRS audit are free to release their returns or IRS letters informing a person theyre being audited.

In a story published online late Saturday, the Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trumps 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The filings show a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for the year.

That Trump was losing money during the early to mid-1990s  a period marked by bankruptcies and poor business decisions  was already well established. But the records obtained by the Times show losses of such a magnitude that they potentially allowed Trump to avoid paying taxes for years, possibly until the end of the last decade.

His campaign said that Trump had paid hundreds of millions of dollars in other kinds of taxes over the years.

Trumps allies defended him during appearances on the Sunday news shows.

Giuliani, former New York mayor, said Trump had some failures and then he built an empire and called the businessman a genius at how to take advantage of legal remedies that can help your company survive and grow.

Dont you think a man who has this kind of economic genius is a lot better for the United States than a woman, and the only thing shes ever produced is a lot of work for the FBI checking out her emails, Giuliani told ABCs This Week.

In a separate interview on NBCs Meet the Press, Giuliani noted that poor people take advantage of similar loopholes, referring to the millions of Americans who arent required to pay federal income taxes each year because their incomes are too low.

Clintons primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who made wealth inequality a top campaign issue, said that assuming Trumps tax strategy was legal, what it tells you is you have a corrupt tax system which says to ordinary people, youre supposed to pay your taxes. But if youre a billionaire, there are all kinds of loopholes that you can utilize that enable you  not to pay anything in taxes.

Clintons campaign manager, Robby Mook, used the Times story to needle Trump about not releasing his tax returns and contending during his first debate with Clinton that not paying federal income taxes would show he was smart.

Mook said in a statement Saturday: Now that the gig is up, why doesnt he go ahead and release his returns to show us all how smart he really is?

In its story, the Times said the three pages of documents were mailed last month to a Times reporter who had written about Trumps finances. A postmark indicated they had been sent from New York City and the return address claimed the envelope had been sent from Trump Tower, the newspaper said.

Trumps campaign did not directly address the authenticity of the excerpts from Trumps tax filings. Former Trump accountant Jack Mitnick, whose name appears as Trumps tax preparer of the filings, confirmed their authenticity, the newspaper reported.

(AP)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Jews worldwide Sunday after his remarks drawing comparisons between his bloody anti-drug war and Hitler and the Holocaust sparked shock and outrage.

The tough-talking Duterte said his apology was intended only for the Jewish community. He lashed out again at Western critics and human rights advocates who have raised concerns over his brutal crackdown, which is estimated to have left more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users dead in just three months.

Duterte said in a speech in the central city of Bacolod that he never had any intention to derogate the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Germans. Historians say 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis under Hitler before and during World War II.

I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community, Duterte said.

On Friday, Duterte raised the rhetoric over his anti-drug campaign to a new level by comparing it to Hitler and the Holocaust and saying he would be happy to slaughter an estimated 3 million addicts in the Philippines.

In that speech, the brash president said without elaborating that he has been portrayed or pictured to be a cousin of Hitler by his critics.

Moments later, he said, Hitler massacred 3 million Jews  theres 3 million drug addicts. There are. Id be happy to slaughter them.

While Hitlers victims were innocent people, Duterte said his targets are all criminals and that getting rid of them would finish the (drug) problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.

Germanys government slammed Dutertes comments as unacceptable, and called in the Philippine ambassador to the Foreign Ministry over the matter.

It is impossible to make any comparison to the unique atrocities of the Shoah and Holocaust, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said in Berlin.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said Dutertes remarks were revolting and demanded that he retract them and apologize.

Drug abuse is a serious issue. But what President Duterte said is not only profoundly inhumane, but it demonstrates an appalling disrespect for human life that is truly heartbreaking for the democratically elected leader of a great country, Lauder said in a statement issued from Jerusalem, where he was attending the funeral of former Israeli leader Shimon Peres.

The U.S. State Department, which is looking to sustain its long-standing alliance with the Philippines, called the comments troubling.

Words matter, especially when they are from leaders of sovereign nations, especially sovereign nations with whom we have long and valued relations with, spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. He repeated U.S. calls for Philippine authorities to investigate any credible reports of extrajudicial killings.

Also critical was Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, who said it was baffling why anyone would want to compare themselves to one of the largest mass murderers in human history.

Robertson said that in todays context, Hitler would be accused of crimes against humanity.

Is that what Duterte wants? Does he want to be sent to the international criminal court? Because hes working his way there, Robertson said.

Amnesty International said that Duterte has sunk to new depths and urged governments around the world to condemn his extremely dangerous outburst.

Amid the criticisms, presidential spokesman Ernie Abella defended Duterte, saying his reference to the slaughter was an oblique deflection of the way he has been pictured as a mass murderer.

He likewise draws an oblique conclusion, that while the Holocaust was an attempt to exterminate the future generations of Jews, drug-related killings as a result of legitimate police operations (as opposed to so-called extra-judicial killings of criminals, wrongly attributed to him, as these are not state-sanctioned) will nevertheless result in the salvation of the next generation of Filipinos, Abella said in a statement.

Duterte has asked for a six-month extension of his drug crackdown, saying he underestimated the magnitude of the problem.

His supporters and many Filipinos exasperated with widespread crime have welcomed his tough approach, but a growing number of critics, including U.N. officials, the European Union and the United States, have voiced concerns over the widespread killings and human rights violations.

(AP)
Wikileaks cancels Tuesday's announcement due to "security concerns". Remember, whatever the leak, it will be blamed on Russia.Security was scrambled at the London building sparking international concern Assange was the target of the intruder.A statement was put out by WikiLeaks this morning.It stated: 16 mins ago at 2:47am a "cat burgler" scaled the side wall+window of the Ecuadorian embassy in London; fled after being caught by security.Mr Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than four years and has been granted political asylum by Ecuador.moHillary has already tried to kill Assange once this summer. The current threat must be really serious.next leak must be a goody. ;-)
KAR Auction Services, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides used vehicle auctions and related vehicle remarketing services for the automotive industry in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The company operates through two segments, ADESA Auctions and AFC. The ADESA Auctions segment offers whole car auctions and related services to the vehicle remarketing industry through online auctions and auction facilities. It also provides value-added services, such as auction related, transportation, reconditioning, inspection, title and repossession administration and remarketing, vehicle research, and analytical services, as well as data as a service. This segment sells its products and services through vehicle manufacturers, fleet companies, rental car companies, finance companies, and others. As of December 31, 2021, this segment had a network of approximately 70 vehicle logistics center locations in North America. The AFC segment offers floorplan financing, a short-term inventory-secured financing to independent used vehicle dealers; and sells vehicle service contracts. The company provides wheel repair and hail catastrophe response services. It serves vehicle manufacturers, vehicle rental companies, financial institutions, commercial fleets and fleet management companies, and dealer customers. The company was formerly known as KAR Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to KAR Auction Services, Inc. in November 2009. KAR Auction Services, Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.
New York Community Bancorp, Inc. is the bank holding company for New York Community Bank. New York Community Bank is the nations 47th-largest financial institution and its largest thrift. As a thrift, the bank specializes in real estate and consumer accounts specifically real estate loans and savings accounts and has limited exposure to other forms of business banking. Among the benefits to consumers are interest-bearing checking and saving accounts that come with higher-than-average interest rates.

New York Community Bank was founded in 1859 to serve Queens County, New York. It operated under that name, growing all the while, until 2000 when it changed its name to better reflect the business. The company IPOd in 1993 and has made multiple acquisitions in the time since. As of 6/30/2022, the bank had $63.1 billion in assets and $41.2 billion in deposits.

New York Community Bank operates in greater New York City, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, and Arizona. The company provides deposit products ranging from interest-bearing checking and money market accounts to savings accounts, IRAs, and CDs. Brands under the companys umbrella include AmTrust in Florida and Arizona, Ohio Savings Bank, Garden State Savings Bank, and Atlantic Bank.

The bank offers a wide range of real-estate-related loans including but not limited to multi-family loans, commercial real estate loans, construction loans, and consumer loans and mortgages. Investment products include annuities, mutual funds, and life insurance. Customers include individuals, small businesses, and organizations and are served through a network of more than 230 branches, and 300 ATMs, online, mobile, and by phone. Many of the locations are open 24 hours and 6 days a week although those hours are not available at all branches. Clients can access their accounts digitally 24/7.

New York Community Bancorp and its underlying business carry investment-grade credit ratings from all the major rating agencies. The credit outlook in the 4th quarter of 2022 was stable as it had been for some time. In New York, it is a leader in the multi-family market specializing in lower-cost housing in rent-controlled areas. As of June 30, 2022, the multi-family loan portfolio accounted for more than 75% of all investments. The company has a stock purchase and dividend reinvestment plan that help to sustain a high level of ownership.






Bancolombia S.A. provides banking products and services in Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. The company operates through nine segments: Banking Colombia, Banking Panama, Banking El Salvador, Banking Guatemala, Trust, Investment Banking, Brokerage, International Banking, and All Other. It offers checking and savings accounts, fixed term deposits, and investment products; trade financing, loans funded by domestic development banks, working capital loans, credit cards, personal and vehicle loans, payroll loans, and overdrafts; financial support to real estate developers and mortgages for individuals and companies; factoring; and financial and operating leasing services. The company also provides hedging instruments, including futures, forwards, options, and swaps; and brokerage, investment advisory, and private banking services, including selling and distributing equities, futures, foreign currencies, fixed income securities, mutual funds, and structured products. In addition, it offers cash management services; foreign currency transaction services; life, auto, commercial, and homeowner's insurance products; and online and computer banking services. Further, the company provides project and acquisition finance, debt and equity capital markets, principal investments, M&A, hedging strategies, restructurings, and structured financing; money market accounts, mutual and pension funds, private equity funds, payment and corporate trust, and custody; internet-based trading platform; inter-bank lending and repurchase agreements; managing escrow accounts, and investment and real estate funds; and transportation, securities brokerage, maintenance and remodeling, and outsourcing services. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 1,015 branches; 28,676 banking correspondents; 529 PAMs; 210 kiosks in El Salvador and 187 in Colombia; and 6,094 ATMs. Bancolombia S.A. was incorporated in 1945 and is headquartered in Medellin, Colombia.
Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company. The company primarily focuses on developing petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; explores, acquires, develops, produces, transports, refines, and markets crude oil in Canada and internationally; markets petroleum and petrochemical products under the Petro-Canada name primarily in Canada. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Corporate and Eliminations segments. The Oil Sands segment recovers bitumen from mining and in situ operations, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, or blends the bitumen with diluent for direct sale to market. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations off the east coast of Canada and in the North Sea; and operating onshore assets in Libya and Syria. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and intermediate feedstock into various petroleum and petrochemical products; and markets refined petroleum products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through its other retail sellers. The Corporate and Eliminations segment operates four wind farms in Ontario and Western Canada. The company also markets and trades in crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
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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Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities. In addition, the company provides investment management services for institutional pension fund mandates; and manages various retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and individual savings accounts for third-party financial institutions, pension funds, public sector organizations, investment professionals, and private investors. It markets its products through a network of insurance brokers, as well as MyAviva platform. The company was formerly known as CGNU plc and changed its name to Aviva plc in July 2002. Aviva plc was founded in 1696 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
Winnebago Industries, Inc. manufactures and sells recreation vehicles and marine products primarily for use in leisure travel and outdoor recreation activities. The company operates in six segments: Grand Design Towables, Winnebago Towables, Winnebago Motorhomes, Newmar motorhomes, Chris-Craft Marine, and Winnebago Specialty Vehicles. It provides towable products that are non-motorized vehicles to be towed by automobiles, pickup trucks, SUVs, or vans for use as temporary living quarters for recreational travel, such as conventional travel trailers, fifth wheels, folding camper trailers, and truck campers under the Winnebago and Grand Design brand names. The company also offers motorhomes, which are self-propelled mobile dwellings used primarily as temporary living quarters during vacation and camping trips, or to support active and mobile lifestyles under the Winnebago and Newmar brand names. In addition, it offers other specialty commercial vehicles for law enforcement command centers, mobile medical clinics, and mobile office spaces; commercial vehicles as bare shells to third-party up fitters; and boats in the recreational powerboat industry under the Chris-Craft and Barletta brand names. Further, the company is involved in the original equipment manufacturing of parts for other manufacturers and commercial vehicles. The company sells its products primarily through independent dealers in the United States, Canada, and internationally. Winnebago Industries, Inc. was incorporated in 1958 and is based in Forest City, Iowa.
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By Patrick Donachie

The Jamaica Hills Partnership celebrated the establishment of a new website to help business and homeowners around Hillside Avenue collaborate, as well as to help visitors to the area learn more about local merchants.

The partnership celebrated the website during a meeting at the Star Kabab and Chinese Restaurant at 168-21 Hillside Ave. Community leaders, members of the partnership, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation Board Chairman Peter Kulka and Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest) attended the event.

The website is for the use of businesses on Hillside Avenue, Lancman said during the meeting. Its also for the benefit of people shopping in the community.

The partnership started about a year-and-a-half ago with a few business owners on Hillside Avenue, according to Azahar Haque, owner of local business Exit Alliance Realty and a member of the partnership. The group was originally called the Jamaica Hills Merchant Association but changed the name to help attract interest from homeowners in the area, he said. He said attendance was slowly creeping upward.

It used to be very bad, but its improved, he said, noting that more homeowners started attending meetings when representatives from the city Departments of Sanitation and Transportation attended. He wanted to procure more brochures that would include a full listing of businesses in the partnership.

The partnership includes a large number of immigrant merchantsincluding many from Bangladeshand the span of the partnership runs from 172nd Street to Parsons Boulevard, from Hillside Avenue to Union Turnpike.

The website can be viewed in either English or Bengali, and includes a full searchable business directory, information on upcoming events and tips for business owners on negotiating city mandates and regulations, including how business owners can prepare for an inspection from the Department for Consumer Affairs.

Haque said he intended for the partnership to hold more consistent monthly meetings and expressed hope that the new website would increase interest and attendance among local business owners.

Hillside Avenue is a thriving business corridor filled with exactly the kind of businesses that people love to brag about, Lancman said. We want to make sure this community and its interests are expressed in city government.
The largest hospital in rebel-held east Aleppo was bombed on Saturday for the second time in days as Syrian government forces pressed a Russian-backed offensive to retake the entire city.

Aleppo, once Syria\s vibrant commercial powerhouse, is now at the heart of a major military campaign by President Bashar al-Assad\s fighters and his steadfast ally Moscow.

The offensive, announced on September 22, has seen dozens of civilians killed and residential buildings flattened in the east, where an estimated 250,000 people live under government siege.

Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting across the country have all but collapsed.

However, the foreign ministers of the United States and Russia, which brokered a week-long truce deal that collapsed last month, spoke by phone on Saturday.

The foreign ministry in Moscow said on Facebook that Sergei Lavrov spoke to his American counterpart John Kerry and they "examined the situation in Syria, including the possibility of normalising the situation around Aleppo".

It said "illegal armed groups" continue fighting in the city despite Russian-US agreements.

As the situation for civilians in Aleppo grows increasingly dire, the largest hospital in the east of the city was hit by barrel bombs on Saturday, the medical organisation that supports it said.

"Two barrel bombs hit the M10 hospital and there were reports of a cluster bomb as well," said Adham Sahloul of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).

Sahloul said a small group of patients and doctors "were inside the hospital for basic triage, bandaging, and cleaning services for emergency cases" when the bombardment began.

SAMS radiologist and hospital administrator Mohammad Abu Rajab made an urgent call for help from inside M10.

"The hospital is being destroyed! SOS, everyone!" he said in an audio message distributed to journalists.

M10 had already been hit on Wednesday along with the second-largest hospital in the area, M2.

That bombardment badly damaged the two facilities and left only six fully-functional hospitals in east Aleppo, according to SAMS.

At the bombed hospital, an AFP journalist saw bloodstained hospital beds and dented equipment lying in disarray beneath blown-out windows.

"A new barrel bomb fell this afternoon in front of the hospital, forcing medical staff to evacuate all patients to another one and leave the hospital," a doctor at M10 told AFP.

European Parliament president Martin Schulz called the hospital bombing a "war crime", tweeting that the international community "must unite to prevent city annihilation".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said "the systematic targeting of structures and health workers is particularly unjustifiable".

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council urged the UN Security Council to "immediately intervene to stop the aggression against Aleppo".

The World Health Organization has called Syria the world\s most dangerous place for health workers, and Aleppo in particular has seen much of its medical infrastructure destroyed or heavily damaged.

Since fighting first broke out there in 2012, Aleppo has been divided by a front line between rebel forces in the east and government troops in the west.

After the government launched its offensive last month, more than 220 people have been killed by bombardment on Aleppo\s east, including six children and 12 other civilians on Friday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In west Aleppo, rebel rocket fire killed 15 civilians and wounded 40 on Friday, state television reported. The official news agency SANA said 13 people were wounded Saturday in the western Al-Midan neighbourhood, also by rebel shellfire.

The assault has seen government forces seize territory in both the Suleiman al-Halabi neighbourhood in the city centre and on the northern edges of Aleppo.

On Saturday, regime loyalists advanced on the edges of the Bustan al-Basha neighbourhood in Aleppo\s north, the Observatory said.

An AFP correspondent said clashes and the loud booms of shelling were heard around the Suleiman al-Halabi and Bustan al-Basha fronts throughout the night.

An official at the Suleiman al-Halabi pumping station in the rebel-held area said most of Aleppo had water cuts on Saturday because of damage.

Residents of regime-held areas expressed relief that the rebels were being pushed back, but said they feared retaliation.

The battle for Aleppo has sparked some of the most brutal violence since the March 2011 beginning of Syria\s conflict, which has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced over half the population.

The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) medical charity warned Friday that "bombs are raining" over the city, turning east Aleppo into "a giant kill box".

SOURCE: AFP
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.
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard arguments on Tuesday from attorneys representing some 26 states that the Environmental Protection Agency went too far in requiring states to comply with the federal mandates outlined in the Clean Power Plan.

The legal challenge to the Clean Power Plan is just one of many instances when the state of Texas and others have joined together to fight numerous new federal regulations adopted by the Obama administration.

A day after the arguments were heard in D.C., the Texas Senate Natural Resources Committee heard testimony from a number of industry groups regarding the impact of one of these new regulations, the EPA's methane emissions rule, which has thousands of oil and gas companies wondering how they will be able to comply.

John Tintera, executive vice president of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, told committee members the new methane rule will "severely impact" the Texas oil and gas industry and state revenue.

A national movement organized by the Madison Coalition based in Washington, D.C., seeks to prevent further federal regulatory overreach without approval from Congress. The objectives are to pass legislation that would require the approval of Congress before a major new federal regulation could become final, and adoption of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that also would require Congressional approval of regulations.

The 2016 Republican platform endorsed the Regulation Freedom Amendment as have 19 state legislative chambers.

The Regulation Freedom Amendment states: "Whenever one quarter of the members of the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate transmit to the President their written declaration of opposition to a proposed federal regulation, it shall require a majority vote of the House and Senate to adopt that regulation."

Tomi Collins, national chairwoman of the Organizing Committee, said the amendment and legislation are critical reforms to end "regulation without representation." She wants major new federal regulations approved by Congress before they can take effect.

"It's just common sense that the regulations that govern us, like laws, should have the consent of the governed," Collins said. "That's why every Republican member of the U.S. House who cast a vote, along with some courageous Democrats, supported the REINS (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act to require Congressional approval for major new regulations."

Collins noted that Presidential candidate Donald Trump said he supports the REINS Act. "The monstrosity that is the federal government with its pages and pages of rules and regulations has been a disaster for the American economy and job growth," Trump said. "The REINS Act is one major step toward getting our government under control."

"No matter who is elected President in November, the time is now for a coalition of reformers across America, citizens, state legislators and members of Congress to work together rein in the out-of-control federal bureaucracy and to permanently end regulation without representation," Collins said.
Contributed photo Dallas/Fort Worth-based artists Benito Huerta and Janet Chaffee collaborated to create their home studio. They also have created a series of collaborative sculptures, prints and designs, such as "Screen, 2010," out of a wafer-thin piece of mineral fiberglass. Their work is featured in the exhibit "Arts for All: Collaborative Endeavors" at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University. The exhibit is leading up to the Arts for All Mural that will be installed on the downtown Zales building in 2017.

SHARE Contributed photo Collaborative artworks by painter and sculptor Anne Farley Gaines and her husband, Geoffrey Novelli, an engineer and lawyer studying sculpture, are part of the "Art for All" collaborative exhibit at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University. Also featured are husband and wife painters Benito Huerta and Janet Chaffee.

By Richard Carter, Special to the Times Record News

As common as collaboration is in the performing arts, it's uncommon in the visual arts.

But from the old Romantic notion of the artist painting alone in his garret or up on a hill somewhere, the times are changing. More visual artists are finding ways to collaborate, Wichita Falls Museum of Art Director Francine Carraro said.

"Our curator, Danny Bills, has discovered all sorts of artists who are collaborating in making art. They make their own art and discover new energy in collaboration they had not seen before," she said.

"Arts for All: Collaborative Endeavors," which runs through Oct. 31 at the Midwestern State University museum, explores the collaborative work of two married couples.

The show features works by painter and sculptor Anne Farley Gaines and her husband, Geoffrey Novelli, an engineer and lawyer studying sculpture. It also features architecturally oriented pieces by husband and wife painters Benito Huerta and Janet Chaffee.

The Chicago-based Gaines is helping facilitate the production of the Arts for All Mural, a mixed media piece to be installed on the downtown Zales building in 2017. The multifaceted, 18-month Arts for All community art project is funded by the Priddy Foundation.

The project includes this museum exhibit in addition to preproduction workshops and the downtown mural. A second exhibit at the museum in 2017 will explore different aspects of artistic collaboration, though Bills has not set a date.

"The mural is about collaboration, and that's how we're tying this all together," Carraro said.

The Wichita Falls Museum of Art exhibit focuses on the collaborative process itself.

Bills said one level of collaboration can be as simple as two visual artists working together on an artistic object.

"In the exhibit, 'Arts for All: Collaborative Endeavors,' there's also the intellectual collaboration," he said. "For example, Benito and Janet create works in which they're dealing with the architectural environment, which they helped create and where their work now takes place. Their works (in the exhibit) are about the home studio they share. You have pieces of the architecture, the house numbers, you have building materials like roofing tile."

What's interesting about both sets of artists' work, Bills added, is that their collaborative pieces do not look like the individual artist's work. It's like one artist working with another artist equals a sort of third artist.

Bills discovered Huerta and Chaffee's collaborative work when he ventured to Dallas/Fort Worth to curate a show of Huerta's work in 2015 and saw their home and the shared studio space two doors down.

"When I saw that studio, I saw their work, and that's where the notion of collaboration came up."

Carraro has known Gaines for at least 35 years. Novelli is really a sculptor and Gaines a painter, she said: "One makes, and one glazes the form, and they found this medium that they could collaborate on. He would create the platter and she would paint it, but they did it together, in a way."

To underline the notion of artistic collaboration, especially with regard to the downtown mural, Carraro emphasized that "Gaines is not an artist who does murals. She is an artist who coordinates the activity to produce community murals."

The downtown mural will be a collaboration of many artists.

Bills hopes this new exhibit will help people interested in the artistic process understand more about artist collaboration. He also hopes the exhibit will benefit those who want to take part in the mural but know little about how artistic collaboration can work.

The exhibit organizers ultimately hope to expand the notions of what artistic collaboration can be.
Torin Halsey/Times Record News The Omicron Theta Chapter of the Chi Omega sorority at Midwestern State was founded 50 years ago this week and a reunion is being held this weekend. Founding members are, at left, Yvonne Davis Kekuna, Jan Davis Hancock, Carol Wallender Lawrence, and Pat Thompson Shores with current members Jennifer Wright and Julie Brady, right.

SHARE Torin Halsey/Times Record News Carol Wallender Lawrence (center) looks through an old yearbook for the Chi Omega sorority at Midwestern State University as Jennifer Wright (from left), Jan Davis Hancock, Pat Thompson Shores, Julie Brady and Yvonne Davis Kekuna share a laugh. Lawrence, Kekuna, Hancock and Shores were the founding members of the Omicron Theta Chapter of Chi Omega at MSU 50 years ago.

By Judith McGinnis of the Times Record News

There's more to sorority life than parties and fashion. Celebrating the half-century mark of its founding, Midwestern State University's Omicron Theta Chapter of Chi Omega has a lot to be proud of.

"Today the Omicron Theta has 76 current members and more than 880 members have been initiated into the chapter during it's 50-year history," said Joellen Tritton, organizer for the event. "Omicron Theta at MSU was the 161st chapter established."

More than 225 members from Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Georgia, Kansas, Colorado and Texas visited the MSU campus for a reunion this weekend. They were treated to a "reconnect dinner" Friday. Saturday there were 10 simultaneous brunches (one for every five years of members hosted by their presidents) and a picnic on MSU's Quadrangle for returning alumnae and their families.

Shelley Potter, Chi Omega's national president was keynote speaker for the 50th anniversary celebration at the Wichita Falls Country Club.

Founded in 1895 at the University of Arkansas, Chi Omega is the largest women's fraternal organization in the world with over 330,000 living members, 189 collegiate chapters on campuses across the U.S. and more than 240 alumnae chapters.

Chi Omega has a strong commitment to community service and building career strengths. The motto is "I lead, I love, I give."

"In 2001 the Chi Omega Foundation built a connection to Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each of the chapters took on an annual fundraiser for them," said Tritton. "Since 2001 Omicron Theta has raised $130,000 for Make-A-Wish."

The MSU chapter members are active on campus and have many times held the highest GPA rating of the Greek organizations, according to Tritton. Omicron Thetas volunteer for the Cattlebarons Ball, Multiple Sclerosis fundraisers and have maintained a Hotter'N Hell rest stop for five years.

Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., the Chi Omega Foundation provides a leadership-training program, scholarships for current members and alumnae. It also helps those faced with a crisis or are in need after a federally-declared disaster.

Among the best known Chi Omega members are Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," Joanne Woodward, Academy Award winner and wife of Paul Newman, Angela Kinsey, an actress based in Archer City who appeared in "The Office", Sharyl Keeton Strayhorn, former Texas Comptroller and Mae Beth Cormany, from Wichita Falls and Shannon Sanderford, both former Miss Texas.
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The United States and China recently ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change, with the Obama administration's contribution being the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed Clean Power Plan  the largest climate-change regulation ever attempted in the United States  whose legality is currently being argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.

Unfortunately, the public seems to know little about the Clean Power Plan, a point brought home to me recently when I spoke about energy to 200 accountants employed by one of the largest accounting firms. When I asked the group how many had heard of the Clean Power Plan, only about 10 people raised their hands.

The plan is being promoted as a means to accelerate a shift away from carbon dioxide-generating electricity fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas to lower CO2-generating sources such as wind and solar.

The EPA's website clearly states the overarching goal: "Nationwide, by 2030, the Clean Power Plan will help cut carbon emissions from the power sector by 30 percent from 2005 levels, while starting to make progress toward meaningful reductions in 2020."

Regardless of your perspective on climate and carbon, or on the legalities of the plan, it is valuable to examine some basic facts: The year 2005, the base year of the Clean Power Plan, is essentially tied with 2007 for the highest year of CO2 power-sector emissions in the U.S. at about 2,400 million metric tons. The 2030 emissions goal is a 30 percent reduction from 2005, or roughly 1,680 million metric tons.

In 2015, U.S. power sector emissions were 1,900 million metric tons, already a 20 percent reduction from 2005. In fact, from 2005 to 2015, the U.S. reduced CO2 emissions more than any other major economy in the world.

In other words, by 2015, we had already reduced emissions by 20 percent without a Clean Power Plan or government carbon price signal. Not only does the 30 percent goal in the plan not seem very ambitious, it appears misleading to trumpet a 30 percent target when 20 percent has already been achieved.

The 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from 2005 to 2015 happened in three ways: renewable energy such as hydroelectric, wind and solar increased; there was a recession, which dampened energy demand; and the use of natural gas nearly doubled, which had the biggest impact.

Natural gas grew quickly because hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of shales created new supplies, causing natural-gas prices to plummet. If the pace of CO2 reduction from 2005 to 2015 continues to 2030, CO2 emissions would be around 1,300 million metric tons  a 45 percent reduction from 2005 and substantially lower than the goals of the Clean Power Plan.

Confused? So am I. Why push for a Clean Power Plan if we are already two-thirds of the way there and headed  without federal intervention  lower than the ultimate goal of the plan?

As with most things in energy, there are politics involved. Take the proposed EPA rate-based CO2 reduction burdens recommended by the Clean Power Plan for each state. If you arrange the states from left to right on a graph, you'll see that the half on the left with the least proposed CO2 reduction burden voted 75 percent Democrat in the 2012 presidential race, and the half on the right with the greatest burden voted 66 percent Republican.

We should not judge political motivation or intention, but we do need to look at actual outcomes. Government carbon interventions have not worked very well in other countries, and in fact they have often had the opposite effect on actual CO2 emissions. In contrast, the U.S. has made great progress thus far, even if not orchestrated, without federal policy or agency rules.

Back in the early 2000s, the Kyoto Protocol  a precursor to the Paris Agreement  set out a similar goal, but in fact had the reverse impact: CO2 emissions in developed nations remained essentially flat, but emissions in developing nations increased sharply.

Nonetheless, some still argue the Clean Power Plan is needed, perhaps on philosophical or moral grounds. But if the goal is actual reductions in CO2 emissions, the road to green is not always a federal highway.

Scott W. Tinker is the state geologist of Texas, the director of the Bureau of Economic Geology and the Allday Endowed Chair in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin.
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It was two against one in the Monday night presidential debate. We had moderator Lester Holt, who apparently assumed he was a candidate, too, and Hillary Clinton, well-equipped with policy malformations, against Donald Trump. Trump wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated  much closer to reality on the economy, police, guns and Iran, for instance, if issues still count in this contest.

Again and again, the ill-informed, biased Holt asked Trump tough, personal questions and, when he didn't like the answers, interrupted him in a way that should have been left up to Clinton, who was spared an equivalent assault. They call it fact-checking, but this was a debate, not a reporter's interview, and he had some facts utterly confused.

The economy was issue No. 1, and Clinton espoused the usual, worsening federal interventions, the most absurd being President Barack Obama's global warming plan. Now before the Supreme Court, the clearly unconstitutional plan could cost all kinds of fossil fuel jobs, as Trump pointed out.

Through subsidies, it could also hurt the green industry, which would do better by heeding market demands. It would raise utility rates, damn the economy with energy deprivations and, according to experts, do next to nothing by itself to affect global warming by century's end.

Trump had it right when he talked about a hefty reduction of the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world and otherwise arranging a means to bring home billions earned abroad. Clinton said he had no plan to do either, which is either a lie or ignorance. Holt, ever alert on Trumpian mishaps, said nary a word.

Trump went overboard as usual on his trade attacks, although reviewing some provisions in some treaties could make sense. Both are wrong on the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal that could be important economically as well as diplomatically. The difference is that Trump comes at it sincerely, while Clinton, who helped formulate it and praised it to the skies, is now against it as a matter of political convenience. In other words, deviousness remains her middle name.

Clinton was also wrong on thinking background checks are the answer to too many guns in criminal hands. Go ahead and expand them, but there is no evidence that they work, whereas there is plenty of evidence about the effectiveness of stop-and-frisk as recommended by Trump to save thousands of lives in Chicago. Both Clinton and Holt made it sound as if stop-and-frisk was now illegal, at least in New York City, when what we have had instead is an officially condemned ruling by a federal judge that it had been unconstitutionally applied in the city.

There was lots more to the debate, of course, and Trump repeated old stupidities along with too much self-defensive focus on himself. But that was caused in no small part by Holt hitting him with questions on such things as not turning over his tax returns, his long-term refusal to give his birther theory a funeral and his saying Clinton did not look like a president. If Holt thought that was a service to the American people, why didn't he think it a service to bring up the Clinton Foundation, the FBI's condemnation of how she handled classified material as secretary of state or her own ways of being hurtful to women.

Clinton, at the end, smashed Trump with things he should never have said about individual women, and  showing signs of needed self-control  he was gentlemanly enough not to bring up the way her husband ruined the lives of multiple women and she colluded in their defamation.

That's real trashiness to go along with continued leftism sufficient to devastate America as we have known it. Just as Trump decided not to invite Gennifer Flowers to the debate, it's now his job to correct himself sufficiently to keep Clinton out of the White House. Impossible? We will see.

Jay Ambrose is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may email him at speaktojay@aol.com.
Donald J. Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a tax deduction so substantial it could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years, records obtained by The New York Times show.

The 1995 tax records, never before disclosed, reveal the extraordinary tax benefits that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, derived from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

Tax experts hired by The Times to analyze Trump's 1995 records said tax rules that are especially advantageous to wealthy filers would have allowed Mr. Trump to use his $916 million loss to cancel out an equivalent amount of taxable income over an 18-year period.

Although Trump's taxable income in subsequent years is as yet unknown, a $916 million loss in 1995 would have been large enough to wipe out more than $50 million a year in taxable income over 18 years.

The $916 million loss certainly could have eliminated any federal income taxes Trump otherwise would have owed on the $50,000 to $100,000 he was paid for each episode of "The Apprentice," or the roughly $45 million he was paid between 1995 and 2009 when he was chairman or chief executive of the publicly traded company he created to assume ownership of his troubled Atlantic City casinos. Ordinary investors in the new company, meanwhile, saw the value of their shares plunge to 17 cents from $35.50, while scores of contractors went unpaid for work on Trump's casinos and casino bondholders received pennies on the dollar.

"He has a vast benefit from his destruction" in the early 1990s, said one of the experts, Joel Rosenfeld, an assistant professor at New York University's Schack Institute of Real Estate. Rosenfeld offered this description of what he would advise a client who came to him with a tax return like Mr. Trump's: "Do you realize you can create $916 million in income without paying a nickel in taxes?"

Trump declined to comment on the documents. Instead, the campaign released a statement that neither challenged nor confirmed the $916 million loss.

"Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the statement said. "That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes."

The statement continued: "Mr. Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for President and he is the only one that knows how to fix it."

Separately, a lawyer for Trump, Marc E. Kasowitz, emailed a letter to The Times arguing that publication of the records is illegal because Trump has not authorized the disclosure of any of his tax returns. Mr. Kasowitz threatened "prompt initiation of appropriate legal action."

Trump's refusal to make his tax returns public  breaking with decades of tradition in presidential contests  has emerged as a central issue in the campaign, with a majority of voters saying he should release them. Trump has declined to do so, and has said he is being audited by the Internal Revenue Service.

At last Monday's presidential debate, when Hillary Clinton suggested Trump was refusing to release his tax returns so voters would not know "he's paid nothing in federal taxes," and when she also pointed out that Mr. Trump had once revealed to casino regulators that he had paid no federal income taxes in the late 1970s, Trump retorted: "That makes me smart."

The tax experts consulted by The Times said nothing in the 1995 documents suggested any wrongdoing by Trump, even if the extraordinary size of the loss he declared would have probably triggered extra scrutiny from Internal Revenue Service examiners. "The I.R.S., when they see a negative $916 million, that has to pop out," Rosenfeld said.

The documents consisted of three pages from what appeared to be Trump's 1995 tax returns. The pages were mailed last month to Susanne Craig, a reporter at The Times who has written about Trump's finances. The documents were the first page of a New York State resident income tax return, the first page of a New Jersey nonresident tax return and the first page of a Connecticut nonresident tax return. Each page bore the names and Social Security numbers of Trump and Marla Maples, his wife at the time. Only the New Jersey form had what appeared to be their signatures.

The three documents arrived by mail at The Times with a postmark indicating they had been sent from New York City. The return address claimed the envelope had been sent from Trump Tower.
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Albany

The voters of the 20th Congressional District have seen this movie before: The stalwart politician with the Schumer-esque penchant for glad-handing at multiple chicken barbecues per weekend faces the unknown blue-collar challenger fueled by disdain for what he views as a failed political elite.

On Nov. 8, Democratic Rep. Paul Tonko, the Amsterdam resident with decades of time in government, squares off against Republican Joe Vitollo of Coeymans, an unsuccessful candidate Albany County executive last year who has shelved a nursing career to take a shot at fixing the America his 16 grandchildren will inherit.

The contrast between the two could not be more stark.

Tonko, who served almost a quarter-century in the state Assembly before winning his current seat in 2008, says he remains in touch with the communities he serves and has developed the kind of relationship with residents that enables him to represent the heart of the Capital Region (Albany and Schenectady counties and parts of Montgomery, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties lie within the 20ths borders) with passion and intellect.

He drills down on two subjects in particular: infrastructure, a major concern in upstate cities like Albany contending with crumbling water systems, and energy.

"As an engineer, I want to be able to address that energy planning policy," said Tonko, who studied mechanical and industrial engineering at Clarkson University and briefly served as president and CEO of the state Energy Research and Development Authority before his first run for Congress. "I want to address the clean drinking water policy. I want to address efforts to clean our air and clean our water so that as we pass our environment over ... to the next generation, it'll be all the cleaner."

Vitollo though sees Tonko as a rubber stamp for the Obama administration. He decries Obamacare, relying on anecdotes from his time as an emergency room nurse about those he treated who couldn't afford co-pays on their medication because of the insurance they were required to obtain. He wants to see the nation institute a flat tax after cutting away the hunks of fat from a bloated federal budget.

Like Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who will be at the top of the ticket with Vitollo next month, he proudly embraces nationalism.

"I care about people, but I care about Americans first," he said after lighting into Tonko's support of Syrian refugees entering the country. "We definitely should help people; I'm not against helping people. But I am in favor of helping America first, and that's what we need to start thinking about. We need to start thinking about (how) charity begins at home."

Vitollo supports Trump, though he doesn't agree with all of his proposed policies.

You'll find equally stark contrasts in the candidates' campaign resources.

Tonko had nearly $670,000 cash on hand at the end of June, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Vitollo has not yet made any campaign filings: At the last quarterly deadline, he had less than $5,000 on hand and spent less than that amount, meaning he didn't meet the threshold for filing with the FEC.

Vitollo anticipates his next filing will show somewhere between $10,000 and $12,000 raised. He said he has avoided the help of any special interests, which he would like to see banished from the political process.

In a world in which political handicappers make their judgments based largely on a candidate's ability to reach the voters  a costly undertaking these days  Vitollo's campaign might be seen as quixotic.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter.

Yet he has the sort of self-confidence that Trump has instilled in the sort of disaffected working-class voters who considered themselves apolitical until now.

"I am going to take the bully pulpit," he said, expressing outrage at practices such as the inclusion of pork-barrel items in otherwise unrelated legislation. "It is not what your Founding Fathers intended, and it is not the most effective (practice) for the American public."

This election, Vitollo said, is about the public: "It's not me, and it's not Paul Tonko. It's ... the people who elect us, that's who we're supposed to represent."

Tonko maintains he's in the best position to represent those people, hopefully in league with Hillary Clinton's White House.

A Democratic win in the presidential race, Tonko said, would be a boon to a 20th District represented by the incumbent. He has known Clinton since she first considered running for U.S. Senate in 2000.

"Any time you can have had a great working opportunity, a great working experience, a familiarity with the person who is now sitting in the White House, that's a good thing for the people that you represent," he said.

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
[October 01, 2016] Captain Obvious Takes Flight at Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Early today, Hotels.com and its biggest fan, Captain Obvious took to the skies at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The 45th annual event featured hundreds of hot air balloons, including the first Hotels.com hot air balloon. "It's been an exciting experience presenting Hotels.com at the Balloon Fiesta," said Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert for Hotels.com. "Albuquerque is a beautiful city with so much to see and do. Events like the Balloon Fiesta will keep Albuquerque as a top destination for people searching for new and unique travel experiences." Balloonist Randy Oates piloted the balloon "Glory" for Hotels.com. The hot air balloon featured Captain Obvious artwork and a quote "My head's in the clouds." Captain Obvious and Taylor Cole embarked on the first balloon ride on opening day of the Balloon Fiesta. Upon returning to the ground, Captain Obvious posed for a custom chainsaw carving of his bust with carver Steven Hggins.



According to new Hotels.com Hotel Price Index data, Albuquerque is the 41st most popular destination for American travelers. Hotels in the city average $93 per room per night.

About the HPI The HPI is a regular report on hotel prices in major destinations across the world, tracking the movement in prices that people actually paid for their accommodation and providing valuable insight into the reasons behind these changes. The data is drawn from bookings made on the hundreds of thousands of hotels on the Hotels.com websites worldwide. For more information on the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index, please visit http://hpi.hotels.com/. About Hotels.com:

Hotels.com L.P. operates Hotels.com, a leading online accommodation booking website with hundreds of thousands of properties ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favorites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals.  2016 Hotels.com, LP. Hotels.com, The Obvious Choice, Hotel Price Index and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CST # 2083949-50 Press Contacts: Sandy Sirirat  Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Phone: (310) 463-9117

Email: [email protected]

@hkstrategies Taylor L. Cole, APR

Hotels.com North America

Phone: (469) 335-8442

Email: [email protected]

@TravelwithTLC Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161001/414140

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160302/340017LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/captain-obvious-takes-flight-at-albuquerque-international-balloon-fiesta-300337624.html SOURCE Hotels.com

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[October 02, 2016] Has the Dream of Elon Musk come true? Chinese CredEx Fintech Has Resolved the World's Problem of Mobile Internet Credit

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 30, the 2016 Silicon Valley Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (SVIEF) was held at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Entrepreneurs, developers and venture capitalists from all over the world gathered here to present high-tech innovation achievements in various fields. CredEx Fintech, the world's very first mobile app for loans brought about by a Chinese financial technology company, set off a lively discussion among experts and media from various countries. "Overturning traditional finance via the internet" is one of the three dreams referred to by Elon Musk in Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Unfortunately, the dream has not been realized, which is a pity for both the fields of global financial and internet technology. The technological revolution for mobile internet credit is much more difficult than that for internet wealth management and internet payment, because the former's essence is finance and at its core is risk control. The credit information system in China is underdeveloped and its data sources are separated, so it is much harder for China to combine risk a control system with the internet than it is for developed countries such as the United States. However, this Chinese company has managed to successfully resolve the worldwide problem of internet risk control without any previous references around the world. By taking advantage of its technological and model innovation, CredEx Fintech has become the only Chinese financial case selected by The Wharton School in the US, behind which three world-class innovations are created.



First world-class innovation: mobile app for loans CredEx Fintech has initiated a mobile app for loans that is done totally via the mobile internet, with registration, application, money withdrawing and repayment all completed in the mobile phone. It has been made available to all Chinese citizens. Via the CredEx Fintech app, customers can borrow as much as CNY300,000 within three minutes without a mortgage or face-to-face meeting.

This product has resolved the five problems of traditional loans once for all; difficulties of application, approval, money withdrawing, repayment and re-lending. It is a revolutionary overthrow of the traditional loan business. Second world-class innovation: first risk control by mobile internet Behind this type of credit product is the technology of mobile internet risk control initiated worldwide by CredEx Fintech. CredEx Fintech's technology of mobile internet risk control is based on three aspects: firstly, the prevention of false applications by technologies like face recognition; secondly, recognition of false applicants and interception of discredited customers by integrating the best big data of credit reporting in China and credit rating work for customers with an intelligent scoring model; thirdly, keep tracking customer's financial transactions and non-financial transactions throughout their lifecycle and dynamic management of customer's credit limit and loan rate. Professor Amit of The Wharton School pointed out that CredEx Fintech Group is proficient in both finance and technology and their innovation in risk management reconstructed the leading edge of the global financial industry. Third world-class innovation: connector of financial institutions and borrowers CredEx Fintech is playing the role of connector between financial institutions and borrowers in China for its outstanding ability of mobile internet risk control and product design. CredEx Fintech doesn't offer money itself. All money borrowed via CredEx Fintech is from China's four big state-owned banks. Professor Amit believes that CredEx Fintech's model of cooperating with banks to access capital greatly improves the running efficiency of capital and creates a larger value for shareholders. Meanwhile, it can raise financial efficiency, optimize financial service and present the strength of financial technology. At the end of February 2016, CredEx Fintech started to spread to some first- and second-tier cities in China. Within five months, the number of CredEx Fintech customers surpassed 3 million, its credit limit exceeded 10 billion yuan and its daily lending totaled 100 million yuan. From the perspective of Yi Xianrong, a Chinese economist, CredEx Fintech is likely to be the next jumbo enterprise in China. The loan market of small and micro businesses in China is huge, worth around 20 trillion yuan, which will probably make CredEx Fintech's loan transaction reach a trillion yuan level. In the presentation, Zeng Xuhui, president of CredEx Fintech, paid tribute to Musk, the king of global innovation. He thought that CredEx Fintech and Musk have the same dream- that technology will change finance. The credit revolution of the mobile internet practiced by CredEx Fintech has pushed the dream one step forward and Musk's unfulfilled dream will eventually come true via CredEx Fintech. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160929/413700 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/has-the-dream-of-elon-musk-come-true-chinese-credex-fintech-has-resolved-the-worlds-problem-of-mobile-internet-credit-300337114.html SOURCE CredEx Fintech

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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.
CHECK THE LATEST WORD FROM THE KANSAS CITY CATHOLIC HIERARCHY DISCOURAGING VOTER ABSTINENCE AND TELLING THE FAITHFUL TO CHOOSE THE LESSER EVIL!!!

Bishop James V. Johnston: "I encourage you to vote. It is very important that you exercise your duty as a Christian citizen in the selection of our leaders. This year is very unusual in that the two main candidates for president are so obviously flawed and viewed unfavorably by a majority of the country. Many are discouraged and some have told me they may not vote because they so dislike both candidates. I believe this is a serious mistake. At the very least, we should vote to choose the candidate that we believe will do the least damage."

The upcoming Presidential election has many Kansas City Catholics confronting a crisis of conscience given the horrible options presented.Accordingly . . .Here's the word . . .This is a provocative stance and the only good news in this statement is that the first instinct of many locals is to take a somewhatapproach and just sit this one out . . .Still, in order to provide more contradictory advice than the catechism itself . . . The Kansas City cleric directs his flock to a document concocted by the United States Conference Of Catholic Bishops for reference:It's a good starting point for the holier than thou and a look at the handiwork of a group that hosts some of the same community whoNevertheless, this word from on high encouraging voter participation is hopeful as more Americans opt out and lose faith in both theandin general.You decide . . .
On the first day of fall, I sat by a window in Redding, California, looking out on a pond that mirrored a blue sky, watching squirrels and geese and clouds and trees do what they do best.

I wish you couldve seen them.

I believe all Gods creations are put on Earth for a purpose. If their purpose that day was simply to delight me, they knocked it out of the park.

Have you ever noticed how most things in Nature seem to know why they are here?

Humans are the exception. As soon as we can talk, someone will ask us, What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I was 6, I wanted to be a forest ranger in a lookout tower. Somedays, I still do.

Animal babies are never asked what they will be. Birds grow up to be birds. Dogs grow up to be dogs. Jack rabbits grow up to eat everything in my yard.

Humans grow up to be human. Most of us. But some of us spend our lives trying to figure out why we are here.

My reason for being in Redding was pretty clear. In three days, I spoke at three events, two of which were fundraisers for the Womens Fund of Shasta Regional Community Foundation.

Those talks were easy. I talked about some of the kindnesses I have known: As a child whose family fell on hard times; as a teenager hoping to go to college; as a wife and mother whose husband was dying with cancer.

Ive had vast experience on the receiving side of kindness. I can talk about it until the cows come home. And so I did.

Kindness, I said, is love in action: The love of God. The love of family and friends. Even the love of strangers. It comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. A canned ham when youre hungry. A college scholarship when you need it. The prayers of someones children for your children. And in countless other strange and wondrous ways.

Sometimes, I said, its an organization like the Womens Fund, that makes hard times a little easier for women, like my mother, and families like mine, who never want a handout, but need a helping hand.

There are many organizations like the Womens Fund, neighbors helping neighbors all around the country. Or there should be. If theres not one in your town, maybe you can start one with your friends?

At the third event, I met with some journalism students from local colleges. I told them my story of how I became a reporter (through the grace of God and the back door of a newsroom) and a few things Ive learned in my 25 years as a columnist.

Like all good journalists, they asked excellent questions. I wish you couldve heard them. There are days when I worry about the future of journalism. Something about the light in their eyes made me worry a little less.

For three days in Redding, I shook hands, hugged necks and met hundreds of friends Id not met before and may never see again this side of heaven.

I got to know the gorgeous land they call home, the birds and trees, the mountains and the river and especially the people. They made me feel like it was my home, too.

I listened to them talk about the things they love, the hopes and fears and dreams they share for themselves, their children and their community.

For a while, I got to be one of them. What a gift. Best of all, I heard them say that my stories are their stories, too. We are all more alike than we are different.

What is your purpose, your reason for being here? After all these years, Im still not sure of mine. But I do know what I want to be when I grow up.

I want to be kind. A truly kind wife, mama, nana, sister, auntie, cousin, neighbor, friend, writer, speaker and forest ranger in a lookout tower. If you hear of any openings, let me know.
Kansas City

"Condemning violence and hate speech, expressing support for Muslim students and those perceived as Muslims: Adopted by the Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education September 28, 2016"

THE KCPS RESOLVES AGAINST HISTORY OF U.S. RACISM IN DEFENSE OF MUSLIM STUDENTS IN A CONTROVERSIAL DOCUMENT AS LOCAL MEDIA MOSTLY IGNORES THE BACKLASH FROM PARENTS AND VOTERS!!!

WHEREAS there are more than 3 million Muslims living in the United States today, and approximately 30,000 living in the Greater Kansas City area, making invaluable contributions to our economy, our social and political life, and our culture; and





WHEREAS discrimination on the basis of religion, and against Muslims and those perceived as Muslims in particular, is deeply embedded within our countrys long history of racism and xenophobia; and





WHEREAS there has been an unprecedented backlash since the September 11th attacks in the form of hate crimes and employment discrimination toward Arab and Muslim Americans and those perceived as Muslims; and





WHEREAS Muslims, Muslim Americans, and those perceived as Muslims, are frequently the targets of abusive and discriminatory police practices sanctioned by the state including surveillance in their neighborhoods and places of worship; and





WHEREAS the recent escalation of hateful rhetoric against Muslims, those perceived as Muslims, immigrants, and people of color is especially harmful to children, as it has a negative impact on their psychological well-being, the health of their peer relationships, and their ability to thrive in school . . .

Now therefore be it resolved, that the Kansas City Public Schools 





(1) Condemns all hateful speech and violent action directed at Muslims, those perceived as Muslims, immigrants and people of color;





(2) Commits to fostering a school environment that promotes respect for and curiosity about all religions and cultures, affirms the equal humanity of all members of the community, and rejects all forms of bullying and discrimination;





(3)Commits to instituting school policies and setting an educational curriculum that reflects the values expressed in this resolution via training of staff and teachers, the inclusion of diverse resources to supplement in-class curricula, and the creation of safe spaces for students to address school-based bullying.

Today our blog community considers a recent religious protection resolution approved by the vast majority of Kansas City Public Schools and its decidedly aggressive tone toward U.S. history.. . . But the language of the ordinance has raised eyebrows amongConservatives.A faith blogger shares this reaction and post:Here's the actual title of the resolution from the KCPS which remains only partially accredited . . .We'll reserve judgement until we hear back from our blog community but here is a fact . . .The most controversial passages of this legislation have been underlined in bold . . . Here's a look at the language of the document:################Here's the conclusion . . .Confirming this deet from the Kansas City Board Of Education website . . .Motion was made to approve board item 017-SEC-009-008 Board Anti-Hate Resolution.Motion by Matthew Oates, second by Jennifer Wolfsie.Final Resolution: Motion CarriesYea: Jennifer Wolfsie, Natalie Lewis, Ajia Morris, Carl Evans, Amy Hartsfield, Pattie Mansur, Matthew Oates, Melissa RobinsonNot Present at Vote: John Fierro##############You decide . . .
AHI announced it has released a 2016 update to its fact sheet that details Greeces contributions to United States interests in the eastern Mediterranean and to NATO

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) announced it has released a 2016 update to its fact sheet that details Greeces contributions to United States interests in the eastern Mediterranean and to NATO. The fact sheet is titled, Greece: Valued Ally. Strategic Partner, according to newgreektv.com.

When it comes down to it, Greece is a proven, reliable, and invaluable ally of the United States and an integral contributor to NATO. Greece takes its obligations to the Alliance seriously despite enduring two well-chronicled crises, economic and migratory, President Nick Larigakis said. Our fact sheet presents data, provides testimonials from prominent U.S. and NATO officials, and highlights examples of how Greece has contributed to United States security interests and international peacekeeping operations over many decades. We strongly encourage the community to utilize the fact sheet as an educational tool when speaking or meeting with policymakers and to share it widely.

Please click here to download the fact sheet.

The American Hellenic Institute is an independent non-profit Greek American public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek 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
Expat Focus is taking a look at Greece and some of the blogs that might be useful for expats there

Expat Focus is on the lookout for resources around the web that could help prospective expats adjust to their new countries. The website is taking a look at Greece and some of the blogs that might be useful for expats there:

Life Beyond Borders

http://www.lifebeyondbordersblog.com/

Globetrotting Rebecca fell in love with Greece and she fell hard. The culture, language, sights and smells of the Hellenic world all captured her heart and she made it her base to travel the world. With an international readership and naturally sunny tone that draws readers in, not to mention a section of her blog dedicated to her experiences of a whole new culture, Life Beyond Borders is a fascinating journal.

Symi Dream

http://www.symidream.com/

British-born James not only writes for a living, but shares his many musings on life both in his adopted Greek home and further afield. His experiences have been so entertaining over the years that he has used his everyday insight as an expat on the island of Symi as catalyst for 3 books as well as honest blog recountings of his neighbourhood. Having traded the bright lights of the rat race for the exhilaration of supermarket trips that can leave him stranded on a storm-lashed island for days, James' blog is a must-read for anyone moving to Symi.

Adriana's Symi

http://adrianas-symi.blogspot.co.uk/

Adriana's Greek diary not only shares a window onto her home, but the peaceful island of Symi (well, peaceful when not besieged by sun-seeking tourist crowds.) Almost treating the beautiful isle as a person in its own right, Adriana shares the joys (and occasional perils) of day to day living in a Grecian sanctuary - including outdoor bathrooms in the 21st Century.

Greeker than Greek

http://greekerthanthegreeks.blogspot.co.uk/

Susan is a Brit who swapped a rain-soaked indoor life, for the sun-dappled Island life with her very own Greek God. 35 years, two children and an adorable granddaughter later, she is sporting a tan and an enormous smile. She shares her experiences and loves through the medium of a blog - a perfect read for people looking to relocate to a small town near Athens.

Brits in Crete

http://britsincrete.blogspot.co.uk

Many are drawn to Crete with its unique mixture of culture, tradition and laid-back charm. All the amenities of modern living are available, and the British especially seem to be under the spell of the largest Greek island. Brits in Crete is a more formally written, collaborative blog bursting with practical advice, news and almost everything any one could need, with a special focus on property.

Paros Paradise Blog

http://parosparadise.blogspot.co.uk/

So many expats begin blogging as an easy communication method (and photo store) for friends and family back home - Michael is no exception, and also shares items that have made him smile. Paros Paradise Blog is a well of inspiration, amusement and a few home truths - including the struggle to find a good barber.

Xpat Athens

http://www.xpatathens.com/

Xpat Athens is a regularly updated resource for expats living not only in Greece's capital but all over the beautiful country. Full of practical advice, events and featuring an entire section on life in Athens, this is a must-read, professionally curated blog. One of the most fascinating corners is their 'Survival Guide' filled with visa advice, incredible festivals and a sprinkling of essential superstition advice.

My Greece My Travels

http://mygreecemytravels.com/

A vivacious journal of globetrotting New Yorker Marissa, My Greece My Travels is just that - a collection of everything she loves. Adopting Athens as her home - and finding love with a Greek bloke who doubles as her camera toting blog assistant - Marissa is exploring Europe one city at a time. Interspersed with her beautiful images are the fascinating experiences she has discovered as an expat far from home.

Olive, Feta & Ouzo

http://www.amandasettle.com/

Migrating from the UK to Kuwait and then finding herself in the sunny climes of Rhodes (close to Greece's borders with Turkey) Amanda shares her inspired, balanced musings about life in a new community. With posts ranging from topics such as not having children to delicious local recipes, Olive, Feta & Ouzo is a thought-provoking collection of writing for old and new expats alike.

Ramblings from Rhodes

https://ramblingsfromrhodes.blogspot.co.uk/

Full of beautifully written tales and, well, ramblings that are uploaded as the muse takes the author, Ramblings from Rhodes is an intriguing insight into the bureaucracy, beauty and turquoise waters of a beleaguered island. With an honesty and clarity that can't be beaten, John is simply living Grecian life to the full.

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 winners of the inaugural Business Traveller Russia and CIS Awards have been announced.

The winners of the inaugural Business Traveller Russia and CIS Awards have been announced. Held for the first time on Monday, September 26 in Moscow, the awards ceremony was the culmination of a three-month voting process by readers of Business Traveller Russia.

The awards celebrated the best representatives of the Russian business travel market in six categories: airline, airport, destination, hotel, car rental service and roaming. Results were audited by the independent research company GfK Group, ensuring an unbiased process that rewarded the best of the best.

Notable victories included host city Moscow being awarded Best City for Business and Event Tourism Worldwide, beating destinations such as Rome, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Saint Petersburg, Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod. Other significant winners included Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, which was awarded Best Airport Worldwide; Kempinski Hotels, which won Best Business Hotel Chain Worldwide; and Singapore Airlines, which was named Best Asian Airline.

The Business Traveller Russia and CIS Awards is a valuable tool for the business travel market to determine customer loyalty and satisfaction  the so-called positive index of Customer Experience. The specially developed questionnaire and opinion poll, covering a variety of professional spheres, ensure the awards highlight the needs of both corporate and individual travellers as well as determine the quality standards of travel services.

First held in 1988 in the UK, the Business Traveller Awards have won an enviable reputation as authoritative and respected events, and today are held in 12 countries, including Great Britain, Germany, Poland, the US, India, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.

Nomination winners of this year are:

Airlines

Best Airline in Russia and CIS - Aeroflot

Best Regional Airline in Russia and CIS - UTair

Best European Airline - Aeroflot

Best Asian Airline - Singapore Airlines

Best Middle Eastern Airline - Etihad Airways

Best Business Class on Long-Haul Flights - Etihad Airways

Best Business Class on Medium-Haul Flights - Aeroflot

Best Economy Class on Long-Haul Flights - Emirates

Best Economy Class on Medium-Haul Flights - Swiss International Air Lines

Best Frequent Flyer Programme - S7

Airports

Best Airport Worldwide - Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

Best Airport in Russia and CIS - Sheremetyevo International Airport

Best Regional Airport in Russia - Sochi International Airport

Best Business Lounge in Russia and CIS - Space business lounge at Sheremetyevo International Airport

Destinations - Choice by Business Travellers

Best City for Business and Event Tourism Worldwide - Moscow

Best City for Business and Event Tourism in Russia and CIS  Saint Petersburg

Hotels

Best Business Hotel Chain Worldwide - Kempinski Hotels

Best Business Hotel Chain in Russia and CIS - Azimut Hotels

Best Business Hotel in Russia and CIS  Lotte Hotel Moscow

Best Business Hotel in the Central Federal District - Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow

Best Business Hotel in the Northwestern Federal District - Belmond Grand Hotel Europe

Best Business Hotel in the South Federal District - Mriya Resort & Spa

Best Business Hotel in the Far Eastern Federal District - AZIMUT Hotel Vladivostok

Best Business Hotel in the Ural Federal District - Hyatt Regency Ekaterinburg

Best Business Hotel in the Volga Federal District - DoubleTree by Hilton Kazan City Center

Best Business Hotel in the North Caucasus Federal District - Grozny City Hotel

Best Business Hotel in the Siberian Federal District - Novosibirsk Marriott Hotel

Best Airport Hotel in Russia - Sheraton Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport Hotel

Best Hotel Loyalty Scheme - Best Western Hotels & Resorts

Best Business Hotel Worldwide - Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow

Travellers Arsenal

Best Roaming  Best Mobile Network Operator - Beeline

Best Rent-A-Car Service

Best Car Rental Company - Avis

Business Traveller Russia and CIS Awards 2016 ceremony was held with the support of Moscow City Government.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: businesstravelrussia.ru
Total cement sales in Saudi Arabia fell 10.3 per cent year on year in August, but grew 41 per cent from the previous month to 4.34 million tonnes, a report quoting Yamama Cement data said.



Total inventory reached a new high of 26.35 million tonnes, representing 45 per cent of the

last 12 months sales. Inventory grew 11.7 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) and five per cent from the previous month, said the Al Rajhi Capital report.



Cement production in the kingdom came in at 4.3 million tonnes during August, down 10 per cent compared to the same time last year.



Among the companies under the report's coverage, Saudi and Yamama Cements market shares improved 0.4 per cent and 0.3 per cent compared to the same period last year to reach 13.1 per cent and 9.1 per cent respectively, the report said.



For the remaining months of 2016, cement demand is expected to remain modest and achieving a positive y-o-y growth could be a challenge for companies, the report said.



Key highlights of the report:



* In the first eight months of 2016, total cement dispatches slipped four per cent y-o-y to

38.7 million tonnes.



* Umm Al-Qura Cement (UACC) commenced commercial operations at its new Portland cement production line. The plant is located in Taif governorate and has an annual production capacity of 2.22 million tonnes of cement . This capacity addition is expected to raise the competition in the

Western region. - TradeArabia News Service
Dubais non-oil trade with Latin America reached Dh17 billion ($4.628 billion) in value in 2015, according to a recent study conducted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).



The study was done in the run-up to the Global Business Forum (GBF) on Latin America taking place on November 9 and 10 at Atlantis, The Palm, in Dubai, UAE.



The trade figure shows a growth of 26 per cent when compared with the Dh13.5 billion traded in 2010. The report goes on to project continued growth in trade until 2018, buoyed by the increasing demand in the UAE, on the one hand, and Latin America, on the other.



The study indicates that Brazil tops the list of Dubais trade partners in Latin America with the non-oil trade between the two parties accounting for 67 per cent of the emirates total exports and imports from the region.

Dubais cane sugar imports from Brazil, for instance, reached Dh1.9 billion in value, followed by gold  including plated with platinum, raw, semi-manufactured, or powder forms  at Dh1 billion.



Meanwhile, Mexico ranked as Dubais second-largest non-oil trade partner in Latin America, with the emirates mobile device imports alone reaching approximately Dh1.3 billion in value, while the total value of imports of Mexican gold  also including plated with platinum, raw, semi-manufactured, or powder forms  reached Dh381 million.



According to the study, Dubais re-exports to Mexico of parts for use with lifting and moving machinery reached Dh53 million in value, while re-exports of electricity generating sets and rotary converters to Brazil, were valued at Dh50 million.



Hamad Buamim, president and CEO, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: Despite the instability unfolding in the global economy  accompanied with dwindling demand  Dubai has succeeded in attracting global capital, which stands to develop the economy, and cement Dubais position as a secure business destination, offering an ideal environment for business and entrepreneurship.



The Global Business Forum on Latin America 2016 will bear the theme Shifting Synergies. The Forum is part of a series of business events the chamber has been organising since 2012 to explore new business opportunities in key emerging markets around the world. TradeArabia News Service


Turkey, Indonesia and South Africa will make debut in Al Fares, the international equine trade fair considered the oldest in Asia and Africa, that will be held from October 5-7 in Meydan, UAE.



Al Fares 2016 will powerfully kick off being the only fair that comes very prior to the kick off of the horseracing season in Dubai. We have moved to Meydan because we consider it the ideal destination for the equestrian business, sport and lifestyle not only in the UAE but also regionally, said Satish Khanna, general manager of Al Fajer Information and Service that organizes this show every two years.



It is delighting that we have added these three countries into our participants list as this shows the continuous interest in Dubai as a springboard to serve the entire Middle East market, added Khanna. Capitalizing on the booming regional market for equestrian products, Al Fares is one of the most prominent equestrian shows worldwide that offer a leading trade platform to do business.



Shifting venue of Al Fares to Meydan is in line with the efforts of Meydan Group to link the world with Dubai through international horseracing and equestrian events. Meydan will let us serve the equestrian business at a closer proximity as it is not just a venue for horseracing, but an integrated city that is sustainable, environmentally responsible positioning Dubai at the center of the competitive global business stage, Khanna added.



Huge number of visitors is expected to visit the exhibition that allows direct retail shopping prior to the racing season and holding it in Meydan will further strengthen the position of the show, said Rasheed Mbayed, exhibition manager, Al Fares 2016.



The UAE tops the list among Mena countries in the equine industry due to the many world-class races held, including endurance, flat races and show jumping. Also, there are a variety of private and public clubs in the UAE that highly contribute in the development of this industry in the country.



More than 200 racing stables listed from the Gulf look into Al Fares as a retail shop for three days. The show is well positioned to cater to the needs of the series of horse races happening in the UAE as a time the average flat race in the UAE is among the highest internationally, according to the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, added Mbayed.



The exhibition offers a platform for traders to showcase equine food, medicines and infrastructure for the establishment of racing centres plus any other maintenance services associated with the horses and the equestrian sector. It also displays the latest new products and services for horses and riders.



This years Al Fares will host a series of exciting discussion panels and sessions about the equine industry and horses. These sessions will throw light on the latest technologies and scientific researches. They represent an ideal opportunity for horse owners, veterinarians and equine industry professionals and fans to benefit from the international expertise and the latest findings in this domain.



The exhibition reflects the remarkable development witnessed by UAE equestrian sector and highlights the latest new products and services for horses and riders. It also attracts horse owners, trainers, equine industry experts and renowned horsemen as well as professional polo players from all over the world.



The exhibition also showcases the latest equipment and equestrian products bringing together horse owners, trainers and industry leaders.



The organizers of Al Fares 2016 say that there is an ambiance of competition among exhibitors at this edition which comes as an additional value for both individual buyers as well as companies.



The 11th edition of Al Fares 2016 will feature elite names of international players in the equine industry and will open its doors to the traders and public between 11 am till 7 pm daily. - TradeArabia News Service
DES MOINES  County auditors should be able to better spot convicted felons who are barred from voting in the 2016 general election thanks to a database created by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate since his office changed the approach to voter fraud when he took over in January 2015.

Pates staff spent months working with officials in the state Department of Corrections, the Iowa judicial branch and Gov. Terry Branstads office to compile a list of Iowa felons who have had their voting rights restored.

The result is election officials statewide now have access to databases that contain 56,997 records of convicted felons not eligible to vote and about 250,000 Iowans who have had their voting rights restored.

The lists are based on records dating back to 1984 in the office of the secretary of state who also serves as Iowas election commissioner.

Its about as comprehensive as were going to see, Pate said in an interview last week. Its the first time that were aware of that we have a complete list of felons with their rights restored. Its not just a list of felons. That was always the question mark.

Pate said there were gaps in the felon voting data because former Gov. Tom Vilsack issued a blanket restoration of rights for convicted felons during his administration.

In January 2011 Branstad rescinded Vilsacks executive order. Under Branstads rules, Iowa felons again were required to petition the governor to have voting rights restored  a process he agreed to streamlined earlier this year.

Now, with the updated databank that is updated regularly and accessible to county election officials, auditors can use the lists to determine eligibility.

They are also asked to submit changes to Pates office verifying voters residency, age, citizenship and other qualifications to participate in the election process, he said.

Each county auditor will have the list and, if theres any doubt, they call our office and we will physically go to the archives and pull the paper up. Thats kind of the last resort we have to verify, he said.

Pate said his office tried the new approach in the primary election and it worked pretty well.

With same-day registration in Iowa and a higher-turnout presidential-year general election, he added, there still may be some situations where someone will cast a provisional ballot, but those should be fewer with the updated information.

My approach was we got the list cleaned up so I know who the good players are and who the bad players are. We now want to do a better job of informing them so they know.

When those two things are done, Im going to have to say that anybody who tries to vote after that are bad guys and I think they ought to be turned over for prosecution, he said.

Pate said his read on things is that Iowa generally is a very honest state with high voter participation in contrast to some other parts of the country.

But he added as much as I promote participation, integrity is equally important.
More than 500 stakeholders from the academia, industry and government will network and exchange information at the upcoming Solar Power And Chemical Energy Systems (SolarPACES) Conference, taking place in Abu Dhabi, UAE.



The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy, and sustainable technologies, will co-host the event running from October 11-14 at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.



Masdar Institute shares the role of national host for the conference with the UAE Ministry of Energy. The event, which will be held from, will include around 300 technical contributions (oral and poster) and 30 plenary talks by leading experts.



It will be a forum for industry, research, political and financing stakeholders to discuss the future of concentrating solar energy, while offering an insight into new developments in technology, and the market presented by top experts in the field.



The conference is organized annually by SolarPACES, an international cooperative network that brings together experts from around the world and focuses on the development and marketing of concentrating solar power systems. It is one of a number of technology collaboration programs (TCPs) managed under the umbrella of the International Energy Agency to help find solutions to worldwide energy problems.



This year, Masdar Institute faculty and students are scheduled to present 17 abstracts. A total of 500 abstracts have already been submitted for the event according to the conference organizers, of which about 180 will be presented as oral presentations and about 200 as posters.



Dr Steve Griffiths, vice president for Research, Masdar Institute, said: As the joint national host with the UAE Ministry of Energy, we are privileged to bring this key CSP conference to Abu Dhabi, which has become a key hub for clean and renewable energy. Solar power is the primary renewable energy resource for the Arabian Gulf region and will play an increasingly important role in meeting regional energy demand. This conference is central to knowledge exchange about solar energy and supports in continued innovation in the sector.



The event will include the SolarPACES 2016 Technology Innovation Award that will acknowledge innovations relevant to rapid deployment of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, and the SolarPACES 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award, which will honour the personal contributions of an individual throughout a major phase of his/her life to the successful development and implementation of CSP systems. A technical tour will include a visit to the 100MW Shams-1 CSP plant and the Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP).



Masdar Institute continues its research initiatives in CSP technology through the MISP. A team of seven engineers and technicians currently working at the thermal energy storage (TES) pilot facility to demonstrate its performance over many charge/discharge cycles.



Dr Nicolas Calvet, assistant professor, Thermal Energy Storage Research Group Leader and Chair of MISP, said: With our research collaborator EnergyNest, we are testing a new kind of high temperature concrete TES. Currently, we are operating the plant 24 hours a day to cumulate a certain number of cycles of charge and discharge between 290C and 390C. Up to now, we have reached more than 100 cycles. The goal is to demonstrate the durability of the system on a long term basis.



Last year, Masdar Institute faculty and students presented 14 abstracts  nine oral presentations and five posters  at the 21st SolarPACES Conference in South Africa. A 15th abstract was also submitted by Masdar Institute in collaboration with Shams Power Company, builder and operator of one of the worlds largest concentrated solar power plants, in the UAE.  TradeArabia News Service
The distinguished VIP Programme at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec 2016) is coming back stronger than ever this year, bringing a series of high-level speakers to the UAE capital in November to share their insights on critical industry topics shaping the future of energy.

Held across the four days of Adipec, the 2016 VIP Programme takes place in a purpose-built dedicated theatre and caters to the members of the prestigious Middle East Petroleum Club (MEPC), the definitive networking and knowledge-exchange platform for senior oil and gas executives.

The programme invites industry officials and decision makers to engage in open dialogue with MEPC members through a series of An audience with discussions and Executive Dialogues in the controlled privacy of the club.

This years programme will include an exclusive Opec industry briefing by Mohammed Barkindo, Opec Secretary General, and Ahmed Al Kaabi, UAE Opec Governor and the Assistant Undersecretary for Petroleum, Gas and Mineral Resources at the UAE Ministry of Energy, offering their expert insights on the world outlook for oil.

The highly anticipated discussion will assess the state of the oil market, looking at the delicate balance between supply and demand in line with contracting economies and tighter emission regulations. It will also offer clarity on the challenges that lie ahead for the industry, and encourage dialogue between producers and consumers.

Also headlining this years agenda is Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy, who will be shedding light on the nations future energy vision, which is committed to including both traditional and renewable energy forms.

Tarek El Molla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for Egypt  the largest oil producing country in Africa outside Opec  will also present his insights on Egypts ambitious goals for the energy sector and the nations strategy for encouraging international investment and balancing supply demand subsidies.

Topics scheduled for discussion will cover issues high on the agenda of C-Suite members, including effective leadership strategies amid an evolving energy landscape and challenging business climate.

Drawing parallels between the military and business worlds, General Sir Richard Shirreff, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Nato Europe (2011-2014), will share his insights on the importance of partnerships, collaborations, and international relations in times of conflict and economic difficulty.

While the fundamentals of leadership have remained the same, what has changed is the intricate nature of the environment we work in, Gen Shirreff said.

What is required today is leadership through influence, as opposed to the traditional form of authoritarian leadership. Building lasting strategic relationships through diplomacy and negotiations is essential in todays world. Getting people to follow your direction because they want to, not because they have to  that is the true quality of a good leader.

After his highly acclaimed participation last year, celebrated oil expert Dr. Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of the industry consulting group IHS Markit, will be returning to the MEPC to offer his latest academic views on todays global energy markets, politics, and economics.

With a strong track record of promoting cross-industry collaboration and best practice, the VIP Programme will also invite F1 Grand Prix Motor Racing Executive, Mark Gallagher, to the stage for a live Q&A discussion on how risk management and teamwork skills on the racetrack can be adapted for the boardroom.

The one-hour Executive Dialogues will also include discussions on underwriting the new energy landscape, decarbonising the future energy mix, the emerging role of gas as the clean alternative of choice, and fracking and its environmental impacts.

Established as the worlds most influential exhibition and conference for the oil and gas industry, Adipec brings globally celebrated luminaries, experts, and decision makers under one roof to discuss challenges and opportunities in the energy sector. The annual four-day event will take place from November 7 to 10 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.  TradeArabia News Service
Oud Milano, a new brand from Italy with its first store in Milano and its second, third and fourth stores in Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia, is looking to expand vastly in the Middle East as part of a five-year corporate strategy.



Oud Milano recently invited well-known Arab bloggers from different Gulf countries to enjoy the products and introduce it to the world through their own experiences.



The special event was held with the presence of: Sondos AlQattan, a famous makeup artist and blogger from Kuwait, Dalal Aldoub, a well-known famous fashion and beauty blogger from Kuwait, Bayan Lanjawi a famous vlogger and social activist from Saudi Arabia, Yasmina Joujou stylist and model representative for Shoes and Drama from Lebanon, Mokhtar Chahine a well-known photographer from Saudi Arabia and Vivien Charrey, general manager of Oud Milan, Italy.



The event was set with an oriental feel, music and costumes presented in an oriental style with a touch of a bold western radiance making the occasion a memorable one.



We have big plans for Europe, but we started by concentrating on the Middle East as it is dynamic, and has a strong customer profile that is diversified with so many ethnicities and oriental cultures that represent the essence of our brand,  said Vivien Charrey, GM of Oud Milano, Italy.



Oud Milano awarded AbdulSamad Al-Qurashi, a Saudi company ranked as one of the top 20 in the field of cosmetics and perfumes, exclusivity to market its brand across the Middles East.



The brand consists of casual and chic oriental makeup and spa products specially designed to fit the lifestyle of the cultural woman. With sophisticated seasonal collections of colours and products, Oud Milano provides a wide array of options for stylish traditional ensembles.



Although it is high in quality and stylish, Oud Milano is priced within the reach of university students, housewives, and young professionals, a company statement said.  TradeArabia News Service
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Darren Lee Chipp

LATIMER  Darren Lee Chipp, 50, of Latimer, died Friday, Sept. 30, 2016.

Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 7, at Church of the Living Word in Hampton. Burial will take place in the Lindenwood Cemetery, rural Geneva.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at Church of the Living Word in Hampton.

Family requests casual attire be worn for the visitation and service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family.

The Sietsema Vogel Funeral Home of Hampton is handling the arrangements.
Harold P. ODonnell

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis.  Harold P. ODonnell, 84, of Chippewa Falls, died peacefully at his home on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, supported by loved ones.

Harold was born to Peter and Anne (Lasnoski) ODonnell on Sept. 16, 1932, in Escanaba, MI. On July 5, 1952, he married his high school sweetheart and raised a family filled with love, humor and happiness. When he moved to Chippewa Falls in 1994, he was lucky to meet his second loving partner Jane. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing and growing flowers.

After serving in the Army Honor Guard he earned his BA from UW Stout and his MA from Adam State University in teaching. Harold took great pride in reaching out to students with guidance and education. He helped direct them with a caring heart and a firm hand. He earned the respect of many with his strong and fair teaching style.

Harold was always a genuine individual without bigotry, racism or malice. Excellent qualities for a man, and essential for an excellent educator. He will be missed by many. Harold appreciated the community and friendship he found as a member of Central Lutheran Church.

Harold is survived by his children, Michael (Jody) ODonnell of Pocatello, Idaho, Beth ODonnell, Rosanne ODonnell, of Chippewa Falls and Tim (Nicole) ODonnell of Eau Claire; grandchildren, Timothy Ryan and Riley ODonnell, and their mother, Maureen ODonnell; his loving partner of 22 years, Jane Lardahl; along with his nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

Harold was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Marlene; and sister, Mary Ann Meyer.

A funeral service will be held at 12 p.m. (Noon) on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, at Central Lutheran Church, 28 E. Columbia Street, Chippewa Falls, with a visitation one hour prior to the service at church. Pastor Aaron Sturgis will be officiating.

Interment will be at Forest Hill Cemetery with Military Honors conducted by the Chippewa Falls Patriotic Council.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Feed My People, 2610 Alpine Road, Eau Claire, WI 54703, or to the Special Olympics Organization, 2023 Fairfax St., Eau Claire, WI 54701.

Harolds family wishes to thank the physicians, nurses, and staff of Mayo Health System. Also a special thank you to Dr. Kincaid, Dr. Shuja, Dr. Maierhofer and Dr. Deming.

Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services, Chippewa Falls is serving the family.

Visit pedersonvolker.com to express online condolences.
Rachel J. Holcomb

OSAGE  Rachel J. Holcomb, 89, of Osage, died Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, at the home of her son in Arnolds Park, Iowa, after a brief illness.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016, at the First United Methodist Church in Osage, Iowa, with Pastor Julie Schubert officiating. Burial will be in the Osage Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Osage Public Library.

Rachel was born Oct. 7, 1926, to Robert and Arminta (Stull) Gould on the family farm south of Birmingham, Iowa. She was raised on that farm and graduated from Birmingham High School in 1943. Rachel then attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a degree in Commerce in May 1947.

While in Iowa City, she met and married Sam Holcomb and together they celebrated 69 years of marriage. They moved to Osage in 1948, began raising a family and working as partners at The Daylight Store. They purchased and later expanded the business to include The Annex before retiring in 1988.

Rachel was fiercely loyal to her family and friends. She was a busy scout leader and band mother for her children. She attended as many school and church activities of her children and grandchildren as possible. Family asked for many of her recipes including her potato salad, baked chicken dish, and her creme de menthe ice cream dessert she always served at Christmas. Her grandchildren will fondly remember many games of chickenfoot played at the dining room table.

Rachel was a member of the United Methodist Church and numerous civic clubs.

After retirement, Rachel and Sam wintered in Mesa, Arizona, for 23 years, where she enjoyed her snowbird friends, potlucks and bingo night. Rachel also enjoyed playing cards, belonging to several card clubs with one of them meeting for over 50 years. She loved camping with the family, traveling out west and reading. She collected hundreds of recipes and cookbooks and enjoyed checking out flea markets and antique shops.

Rachel is survived by her husband, Sam Holcomb of Osage; children, Larry Holcomb of Okoboji, Iowa, Kathy (Dwight) Jones of Rochester, Minnesota, Steve Holcomb of Arnolds Park, Iowa, and Ron (Lee) Holcomb of West Des Moines, Iowa; grandchildren, Matt Jones, Hannah Jones, Eric Holcomb, Natalie (Holcomb) Anderson and Aly Kudron; and numerous great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and siblings, Maurice Gould, Marjorie Gould and Ruth Beebe; and one grandchild, John Kudron.

Information available and condolences accepted at www.champion-bucheitfuneralhome.com.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage, 641-732-3706.
Amit Sethi

Term insurance is the cheapest form of life insurance product that is useful for a specific period of time. Term insurance policies are offered by major insurance companies for various periods such as 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and so on. Moreover, getting death benefits for the insured person, if the person dies within the specified period, is a major advantage of term insurance. Besides, it acts as a tool to save tax and can add extra savings to your account.

Term insurance plans have come up with various aspects of tax deductions underlying in the Income Tax Act, 1961. The insurance premium paid by the person taking up the plan will be allowed deduction under the provisions of Section 80C of the Act. It subsequently adds more value to the plan for investors as well as for individual assessee and Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) assessee. The maximum amount of deduction that an assessee can claim will be limited to Rs 1,50,000 under Sections 80C, 80CCC of the Act.

Section 80C provides benefits to individual assessee  himself/herself, spouse, children of such individual and HUF assessee - any member of HUF. Thus, any payment made by a taxpayer or separate tax entity on account of the term insurance policy will be allowed deduction as per Section 80C. Section 80CCE further states that the maximum amount of deduction that an assessee can claim under Sections 80C and 80CCC will be limited to Rs 1,50,000, which would subsequently help you saving a huge part of your income.

It assures that the person would be able to proceed with claiming tax exemption in respect of maturity proceeds of the term insurance plan at the time of any unforeseen situation such as natural calamity.

Exemptions are there under Section 10(10D) such as if any sum received under a life insurance policy, including the sum allocated by way of bonus on such policy, it will be free from income tax. However, this rule does not apply to various amounts such as sum received under Section 80DD (3), or any sum received other than as death benefit under an insurance policy which has been issued on or after April 1, 2003, and if the premium payable in any of the years during the term of the policy does not exceed 20 per cent of the sum assured.

Under the Finance Act 2012, for insurance policies issued on or after April 1, 2012, the above mentioned limit of 20 per cent has been changed to 10 per cent under Section 10 (10D). However, people would face no problem in claiming such a tax deduction as the premium is exceptionally low under almost all term insurance policies. Moreover, death benefit is exempted from tax under Section 10 (10D).

After exploring all key elements of term insurance plans, what a taxpayer could conclude is that it's a great package of profits which not only provides death benefits to the insured person but also serves as a tax-saving tool to leverage its tax benefits.

The author is Principal Officer, Alankit Insurance Brokers Limited. The views expressed in this article are his own.
Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 2

The international airport in Mohali is spreading its wings, though slowly and steadily. After the launch of two international direct flights to Sharjah (thrice a week) and Dubai (daily) last month, two more international direct flights to sought-after destinations Singapore and Bangkok are set to take off from here in March.

Besides, an additional direct flight to Bengaluru will take off on October 9, airport director Suneel Dutt told The Tribune here today. It will take 3.05 hours to cover the distance between Chandigarh and Bengaluru.

IndiGo will launch the second direct flight from Chandigarh to Bengaluru. The daily flight from Bengaluru to Chandigarh will take off at 7.10 am and land in Chandigarh at 10.15 am while it will take off from Chandigarh at 10.45 am and land in Bengaluru at 1.50 pm. Already, AirAsia is operating a direct flight between Chandigarh and Bengaluru.

Moreover, direct flights to several other domestic destinations, which are presently not connected directly with Chandigarh, are also in an advanced stage of finalisation.

The direct flights to Singapore and Bangkok will be launched by Air India, which had launched the first international flight to Sharjah from here on September 15.

We have got the requisite clearances for direct international flights to Singapore and Bangkok from Chandigarh and they have been scheduled to take off before the end of March next, Air India Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Ashwani Lohani told The Tribune.

Keeping in view the potential destinations, Air India will launch direct flights between Chandigarh and Singapore and Chandigarh and Bangkok thrice a week.

Air India Express, a low-cost carrier and subsidiary of flag carrier Air India, has inducted three new aircraft into its fleet this year and will induct three more next year. It currently operates about 350 flights per week of which flights on the India-UAE routes account for 275 flights per week.
Tribune Reporters

Chandigarh, October 1

The Chandigarh Senior Citizens Association (CSCA) celebrated the International Day of Older Persons at a function organised in association with the UT Cultural Affairs Department at Tagore Theatre here today.

CSCA president welcomed the chief guest VP Singh Badnore, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator. He read out the activities and achievements of the association.

Badnore released the souvenir and directory-2016 before honouring 45 persons, including 22 senior citizens, for their incredible contribution in community services. In an intimate address, he lauded the efforts of the CSCA executive bodies, since its inception, for cultivating an atmosphere of mutual harmony and brotherhood. He exhorted the young generation to accept moral responsibility to look after their parents and adore older citizens.

The audience relished musical performances by Sarvesh Kumar, Kulwinder Kaur, Shruti, Parkash Nepali and others.

Senior Citizens Club holds celebrations

Panchkula: The International Day of Older Persons was celebrated today at the Senior Citizens Club in Sector 25. District Social Welfare Officer Dr Vishal Saini was the chief guest. The event saw performances, including dances and retro songs, by senior citizens. Three of the oldest members of the club were honoured on the occasion.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 2

The 11th Global Youth Peace Fest (GYPF)-2016 concluded at the Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management here today with the delegates making a fervent plea for global peace and harmony in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the whole world is one family, which they displayed over the week by embracing each other.

The collective aspiration for peace and harmony took the form of a resolution that called for establishing peace in every corner of the globe.

On the concluding day of the event, organised by Yuvsatta, an NGO, the high-octane aspiration for peace and harmony was evident as countries cheered the delegates from across the globe, forgetting regional tensions and lack of harmony. As we met and embraced each other over the past week, we connected to the aspiration of the world as one family in the hearts and minds of every participant, the final GYPF resolution passed by them read.

What was striking in todays event was the rapport that the young people built over the week which translated into a standing ovation for every country as they walked up to the stage to get their mementos and certificates. The Pakistani delegation waving the Indian Flag was a touching sight in stark contrast to the tension that has been experienced across the border between the two countries.

The delegates also called upon the governments and international bodies to support youth programmes and projects and involve them in the decision-making process.We all agree that there is an urgent need for exploring meaningful participation of young people in establishing a culture of peace by actively pursuing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and connecting to the universal yearning for peace, they said, adding that the GYPF had shown the way to building a global culture of voluntarism and service.

The delegates presented action plans on what they would be doing back home in areas of women empowerment, sustainability, global citizenship and promoting youth leadership in SAARC countries with the learning of the GYPF fresh in their minds. The young people decided that they would remain in touch with each other and report the progress in achieving the goals in the next GYPF.

Earlier in the day, a Wildlife Conservation Walk was organised with all delegates assembling at Sukhna Lake carrying the message of live and let live.

A felicitation ceremony for all delegates from 33 countries was organised in which they were honoured with a canvas depicting a sketch of Mahatma Gandhi by Shammi Malik, state retail sales manager of Indian Oil Company Limited, Rani Sharma, chairperson, Sidharth Vashisht Charitable Trust, American Gandhi Bernie Meyer, Principal of the Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management TK Razdan and Dr Markandey Rai, Adviser, UN Habitat.
Pritam Singh

There is a palpable danger of India-Pakistan conflict escalating after the Indian Armys recent operation against terror sites across the border. India and Pakistan have previously fought four wars and each of those wars has led to loss of lives and destruction of nature on both sides. These mutually destructive wars have also hindered the initiatives at reducing poverty and ill health in both the countries.

A very basic lesson in economics teaches us that resources are always scarce and overuse of resources in one sphere is always at the cost of resources in another sphere. A development economist once did a global survey of solider-teacher ratio in different countries and found that countries with higher soldier-teacher ratio have lower human development than those with lower soldier- teacher ratio. A very simple conclusion is that societies which have more resources devoted to teaching than those devoted to building armies are higher in human well-being index.

The most impressive example is of Costa Rica, a Latin American country which decided in 1948 to have no army at all because it decided that it will never attack another country and believed that since none of its neighbours will feel threatened by it, it does not have any fear of being attacked by any of them. The country maintains only a police force for internal security measures. A calculation done a few years ago showed that although Costa Rica ranked 68th in the world in terms of per capita Gross Domestic Product, it ranked Number 1 in the Happy Planet Index and also Number 1 in the World Database of Happiness. In 1987, Costa Rican President Oscar Aria in an address to the US Congress outlined the remarkable vision of his country when he said:

I belong to a small country that was not afraid to abolish its army in order to increase its strength. In my homeland you will not find a single tank, a single artillery piece, a single warship or a single military helicopter.... Today we threaten no one, neither our own people nor our neighbours. Such threats are absent not because we lack tanks but because there are few of us who are hungry, illiterate or unemployed. This bold vision was one reason that he was awarded, very deservingly, the Nobel Peace Prize that year. The peace dividend that Costa Rica earned also led to the country being selected for the headquarters for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and also the United Nations University of Peace. Not every country has the fortune, either because of its geo-political location or due to the quality of its leadership to take the path Costa Rica took, but every country has a choice between deescalating or escalating conflict with its neighbours.

In the case of India-Pakistan relations, there have been ups and downs due mainly to the quality of political leadership in both countries. Undoubtedly, the Kashmir issue is the most intractable in the relations between the two countries. It is an internal conflict within India and any Pakistan interference is because the Indian political leadership has not shown the boldness of vision that is required to solve this issue. An external power can, if it wants to, intervene in an internal conflict of another country but it cannot create that conflict. Why is it that Pakistan cannot intervene in Haryana or Madhya Pradesh or any other Hindi-speaking state? The answer is that none of these states has any fundamental conflict with the Indian Union. Even in Punjab, there was some Pakistan interference only after there was internal disaffection in the state after the 1984 Operation Bluestar action at the Golden Temple. Similarly, India was able to intervene in 1971 in what was East Bengal then because that region had conflict with the Punjabi-Urdu dominated establishment in Pakistan. Or for that matter, India now intervenes in some form or another in Baluchistan because that region has a conflict with the central Pakistani state but India is unable to intervene in any way in Pakistani Punjab because that region has full identification with the central Pakistani state.

Indias problem in Kashmir or Pakistans problem in Baluchistan is not unique. In fact, the major forms of armed conflict in todays world are not between countries but within countries. There has not been a major war for quite some time between countries but the world is ravaged today by internal conflicts. Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, Chechnya in Russia and the Uyghur Autonomous Region in China are the major known trouble spots of internal conflicts. The late Edward Said had once made a remarkable observation that the twentieth century was a century of the birth of nations. He referred both to the process of decolonisation that gave birth to many nation states such as India and Pakistan, but also to the struggles of smaller nationalities within large nation states to shape their own destinies. That process is continuing in the twenty-first century.

Countries with developed democratic cultures and institutions have found democratic ways of dealing with internal nationality aspirations, such as Scotland in the UK and Quebec in Canada, but developing countries lacking such structures have become arenas of armed conflicts. A major study done by Prof Frances Stewart and her colleagues at Oxford has found that countries with poverty are more prone to violent conflicts, and the violent conflicts, in turn, further lead to more poverty by destroying infrastructure and through distorted resource allocation.

In the long run, path to peace does lie in India resolving its internal conflict in Kashmir but waiting for that long run does not mean that steps cannot be taken in the interim to deescalate conflict. It is important to recognise that there are uneven regional implications of conflict. Regions far away from the borders can afford to play warmongering games because their stakes are next to nothing but the border regions would be devastated in both countries if tensions continue and war breaks out. The political and community leaders in the border regions, irrespective of their party affiliations, have a moral duty at this historical juncture to raise their voice against those who are itching for escalating conflict.

The writer is a Professor of Economics at Oxford Brookes University, UK.
Gen Ashok Kumar Mehta (retd)

IT is quite bizarre. Pakistans brazen denial of Indias smart and sharp punitive raid by both the military and civilian leadership has put New Delhi in a quandary about any military riposte. The situation is confusing. GHQ Rawalpindi was extremely surprised by Indias punitive retaliation. While Pakistans Inter Services Public Relations maintains that the LoC has not been crossed and army chief Gen Raheel Sharif has called it malicious propaganda. Pakistan TV channels have added to the opacity by showing doctored footage of captured Indian soldiers. Some media reports say the attack was a ground trespass in which eight Indian and two Pakistani soldiers were killed. Hafiz Saeed has said: Let us teach Indians surgical strikes. He wants the Pakistan army to liberate Kashmir. By denying that the LoC had been crossed, a response might be averted.

On the face of it, the strategic message is that no escalation is being contemplated and it is business as usual. Domestically and internationally, Pakistan is in one big mess. While General Sharifs popularity is soaring and his term is coming to an end in weeks, the battle for succession is waging in the minds of the army, the public and PM Nawaz Sharif. Despite the army clarifying that the General will retire by November-end, nobody is sure the transition will be bloodless. The economy is in bad shape, the campaign against terrorism is not going well and Mr Sharifs standing is slumped. Pakistan has never been so isolated regionally and internationally as it is today. Presidential favourite Hillary Clintons latest pronouncement that she fears a jehadi coup in Pakistan and suicide nuclear bombers roaming the streets paints a scary nuclear scenario. Given these conditions, a Pakistan army adventure should not be surprising at a time and place of its choosing, though without significant escalation. Overt or covert tit-for-tat strikes should be expected in the form of spectacular fidayeen attacks on military camps or more measured strikes inside J&K.

World attention was grabbed by Indias retributive, preemptive raid described as a calibrated counter terrorism operation. It was not condemned by even some of Pakistans best friends like China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain. Cleverly choreographed and kept below the escalatory threshold, it sent the right message to Pakistan that henceforth its cross-border terrorism (CBT) will not go un-responded. It is the domestic audience which has been overwhelmed by the punitive retaliation. Dileep Chand, the taxi driver who brought me back after one of the many angry and emotional TV studio indictments of Uri, asked me whether India would retaliate. Before I could answer, he shot back: Our leaders indulge in empty threats. He was old enough to have lived through the cyclic ignominy of the attacks on Parliament and Mumbai and the numerous Pathankots and Uris over the last three decades. Dileep Chand is a happy man now.

The cross-border operation was symbolic to signal our readiness to violate the sanctity of LoC, something we didnt do even during Kargil  to make the Deep State rethink its strategy of employing non-state actors as instruments of coercion. As more Uris will happen, our capacity to deal with them has to expand. Former NSA MK Narayanan has revealed that our retributive capabilities are inadequate and that the options of striking terrorist training camps in the PoK were considered unviable after Mumbai in 2008 following a cost-benefit analysis. He said at that time India lacked the capability of conducting spectacular raids, rescue missions and extractions like Entebbe, Mogadishu and Abbottabad, adding that the reality is that Indias security agencies and the armed forces still do not have adequate capabilities of this kind notwithstanding claims to the contrary.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has admitted that mistakes have been made in Pathankot and Uri. He has also talked about using a terrorist to fight a terrorist and putting back in place the dismantled deep assets in Pakistan. Similarly, NSA Ajit Doval has warned Pakistan if there is another Mumbai there will be no Balochistan. These capabilities should be constructed.

India has not invested in transparent and clandestine punitive capabilities despite it being bled for the last 30 years, if not 70, by Pakistans CBT. According to the latest Pew Research Centre poll, 62 per cent of Indians want military force to be used to defeat terrorism; 63 per cent want India to spend more on defence. An online poll post-Uri suggests that 67 per cent Indians want the application of kinetic force. According to Credit Suisse, India has the fourth-largest militaries in the world and unarguably one of the most competent and yet it has not been employed effectively. That said, it is clear that certain necessary and urgently needed capabilities have not been developed. Who is to blame? The military, of course, but even more, successive governments that have starved it of funds and requisite political direction. The announcement last week by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that the defence budget will be increased has not come a day too soon.

PM Modi should devote more time and resources on the defence of the realm. Without sanitising the periphery and the homeland, his goal of building a prosperous and secure India cannot be realised. There was no reason for him to meet his Service Chiefs individually and collectively four times before going to Kozhikode, had he visited the War Room ab initio more frequently. In fact, on assuming office, he should have asked the military chiefs, two questions: readiness to respond to the next Mumbai type attack; and dealing with CBT. He should also have attended a war game or two to imbibe the nuances of a nuclear overhang. Had he done all this, contingency plans and rehearsals of a fitting reply commensurate with existing capabilities would have been ready for immediate use and not 10 days later.

The retributive strike is not going to end CBT. The battle to alter the behaviour of the Deep State has been joined. For now, the Pakistan media is toeing its armys line that the Indian Army did not cross the LoC. This make-believe allows Pakistan to not respond and escalate the situation. We should not try to rub GHQ Rawalpindis nose to the ground but leave it with the face-saving exit option. At the same time, we should be prepared for retaliation, mainly in J&K. The military should keep its powder dry and let active diplomacy take the front seat, though Indias dilemma will remain crafting retribution over the next Uri.

The writer is a founder member of the erstwhile Defence Planning Staff
WHAT now after border villages have been evacuated and the Army put on alert? The assumption is that the Pakistan army has lost face and the Modi government has taken these preemptive measures in case it tries to avenge the surgical strikes. Now that it should be done with basking in the warmth of favourable public opinion, New Delhi will realise that an anxious standoff cannot continue for too long. Winter is setting in and the evacuated villagers from the borders of Punjab and J&K will be unwilling to endure hardship for an undefined goal. The state of general alert for the armed forces means its equipment is taking a beating just like it did during Operation Parakram.

After getting stunned into issuing denials of a surgical strike, Pakistan appears to be moving on a game plan designed to get both sides to the negotiating table. Its top diplomat at the UN has petitioned its lame duck Secretary General for intervention. Pakistans Defence Minister has twice spoken of nuclear retaliation. This ploy too is meant to cool down India and draw world powers into convincing New Delhi to talk about talks. The Modi government would not be averse to this option. The strikes have fulfilled the Indian public's sense of revenge. But the terrorist camps were temporary structures and if the Kashmir lockdown continues, Pakistani recruiters will have enough motivated recruits to staff them again.

While hinting at its desire for negotiations Pakistan remains insouciant. Earlier, Indian cross-border operations were conducted under the cloak of deniability. After India had levelled the score with a cross-border strike, Pakistan would be ready for talks. With India publicly owning up to the strikes for the first time, Islamabad is being forced to make belligerent noises to placate its domestic audience. Despite lashing out at each other, neither couple is willing to put the wedding band on the kitchen table because they know that war is not in their larger interest. Though both sides will act unwilling, opening up channels of communication may be the next best thing to a damaging stalemate.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 2

Tension mounted on the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) campus following a violent clash between SFI and ABVP activists in the university hostel last night in which 15 students were injured. Both students organisations are blaming each other for the clash.

SFI state president Vivek Rana said ABVP activists armed with sharp-edged weapons entered the room of a research scholar, abused him and beat him up.

They then barged into the library and started beating up students in front of the police. He alleged that some students had been injured in the attacks.

However, ABVP state secretary Ashish Siktha alleged that about 50-60 SFI activists, who were drunk, attacked 10 students near Tagore Hostel with sharp-edged weapons yesterday injuring them.

Even today they openly flaunted arms on the university campus in front of the police which was a mute spectator.

The police have registered a case under Sections 147, 148, 149, 307, 323 and 506 of the IPC but no arrests have been made so far. Fingers are being raised on the working of the Shimla police.

The clash has cast shadow over the visit of the NAAC team which arrived here today. The quick response force has been deployed on the campus to avoid further clashes.

Vice-Chancellor ADN Bajpai has appealed to students in general to maintain academic peace and tranquility on the campus.

Meanwhile, an 11-member team of NAAC headed by Vice-Chancellor at Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan Prof. Indra Vardhan Trivedi arrived here today.

The team will determine the academic standards and growth at HPU. It will interact with the Deans of the faculties, visit department and offices of the office-bearers, interact with the teaching and non-teaching associations and members of the University Court.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 2

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today paid floral tribute at the statue of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries at a function here today. He was accompanied by Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes and Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri

Virbhadra urged people to reaffirm their commitment for Swachh Bharat for realising Mahatma Gandhis dream. He also administered the oath of Swachh Bharat to all present on the occasion at an exhibition put up by the Shimla Muncipal Corporation. A heritage race was also organised.

Mayor Sanjay Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Tikendar Singh Panwar, councillors, Deputy Commissioner Rohan Thakur, Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Rai, Marketing Board chairman Subhash Manglet and other were present. The SMC had targeted to distribute pamphlets on cleanliness to all 141 schools in the city, Rai said. Ten more e-toilets would be constructed in the city as the two e-toilets at Chhota Shimla and seven benches had become functional, he added.
Ravinder Sood

Dr Ashok Kumar Sarial, Vice-Chancellor, CSK HP Agriculture University, Palampur, has said vacant posts of scientist and technical staff at university research stations and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts will be filled on a priority basis to boost research activities in the snow-bound areas of the state.

The Vice-Chancellor, who is also the chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, was addressing members at Kukumseri in Lahaul during his visit this week.

He said farmers of the district were hard working as despite short duration of cropping season and adverse weather conditions, they were providing off-season vegetables to the plains. He said with the efforts of the university, the farmers had started taking two crops in a short duration of the cropping season.

He said since the farmers were shifting from growing peas and other vegetables to cauliflower and exotic vegetables, there was a need to conduct research on the varieties of lettuce, broccoli, red cabbage and other exotic vegetables with specific focus on agronomical, disease management and integrated nutrient management aspects.

He also underlined the importance of growing vegetable seedlings in poly-tunnels so as to make available the seedlings early in the crop season in April. He said Lahaul and Spiti topped the state in term of consumption of minimum chemical nutrients corresponding to the total geographical area.

Veterinary microbiology dept gets ICAR appreciation

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) review committee has given a good rating to the Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Dr GC Negi College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, CSK HP Agriculture University, for its consistent brilliant research work and successfully meeting the objectives of the All India Network Programme on Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, an infectious disease of livestock.

A team of scientists led by Prof Mandeep Sharma, principal investigator of the network programme, has achieved many objectives, including a status paper on pasteurellosis in animals. More than 8,500 samples were processed for pasteurella multocida isolation and close to 208 isolates were recovered.

Antibiotic profiles for all isolates and molecular profiles and virulence profiles were created on selected isolates. Many virulent genes were sequenced and deposited to the NCBI database. Vaccines developed by the partners under the project were validated by studying immune responses.

Global meet on botanical pesticides

Dr JP Saini, Professor and Head, Department of Organic Agriculture, CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, attended the first International Conference on Botanical Pesticides & Environmental Sustainability at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, during the last week of September.

As a keynote speaker in the plenary session, Dr Saini delivered a lecture on the Role of botanical pesticides in organic agriculture in north-western Himalayas. He also presented a research work being done at CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University on organic farming which was appreciated by all delegates. He co-chaired a technical session. Around 130 delegates from all over the world participated in the conference.

Pact signed

CSK HP Agriculture Universitys Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension Education & Rural Sociology and Project Director, Himachal Pradesh Crop Diversification Promotion Project (HPCDP), Japan International Cooperation Agency-Overseas Development Assistance (JICA-ODA) signed a service agreement worth Rs 8.5 lakh.

Under the agreement, the university will evaluate the impact of the project running in five districts namely Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi and Una. The agreement envisages investigating the impact of the project in enhancing the income of farmers in these districts through agricultural diversification and creation of related infrastructure.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Prof Ashok Kumar Sarial, Vice-Chancellor. On behalf of the University, Director of Research Dr SS Kanwar and Head of the Department Dr SK Chauhan, who is also the coordinator of the project, signed the agreement and the HPCDP was represented by finance officer DS Chaudhary.
Our Correspondent

UNA, OCTOBER 2

The three-day party executive meeting of the state BJP will begin here from tomorrow. State party president Satpal Singh Satti today told media persons that matters of political and organizational importance will be discussed during the conclave.

Satti said while state BJP in-charge Srikant Sharma and party national general secretary Ram Madhav will be present at the meeting as mentors and guides, former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and Union Health Minister JP Nadda will attend the meeting. Former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar will not be able to make it to the meeting due to ill health.

BJP state president said all party MPs and MLAs from Himachal Pradesh besides representatives of various party cells would attend the meeting. Kullu MLA Maheshwar Singh, who has been recently inducted into the party, will also be present.

Satti said details regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modis proposed Himachal Pradesh visit on October 18, including the venue of public meeting, will be worked out. Besides, he said failures of the state Congress government during the four years in office will be discussed.

Satti said the strategy by the state BJP for Mission 50 plus  winning more than 50 seats in the next Assembly elections  will be reviewed. He informed that the party had decided to set up Information Technology cells in each Assembly segment for achieving Mission 50 plus. The cell, he said, would provide computerized data on membership and logistics, besides enabling information exchange through email, Facebook and other applications.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar/Anantnag, October 2

Tension gripped parts of Kulgam district today after village residents protested night raids by the police to nab those responsible for creating trouble, which led to clashes in which at least 50 persons were injured.

While curfew was not imposed in any part of the Valley for the second consecutive day, clashes between protesters and police personnel took place at various places, including Shopian, Narabal and Bandipora, amid restrictions and shutdown.

At least 50 persons, including 20 women and two children, were injured in Kulgam this morning as security forces personnel allegedly carried out a crackdown in some villages. Pellet and teargas guns were reportedly used to quell subsequent clashes.

Local residents said security forces personnel carried out raids in some villages in Kulgam district. People alleged that at least 100 houses were damaged during the raids.

Two women were hit on the head with iron rods and two children, aged four and seven years, were injured, alleged local residents. A youth (16) and a man (35) were shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment after being hit on the heads with iron rods allegedly by security forces personnel. Hundreds of people took to the streets and protested in the Qaimoh area.

The police used teargas shells and pellet guns to disperse the protesting youths, resulting in injuries to at least three dozen persons. Clashes were going on in the area till reports last came in.

The police denied damage to property by security personnel. A police spokesman in Srinagar quoted the district administration in Kulgam clarifying that miscreants assembled and set on fire two heaps of paddy straw at Redwani this morning after withdrawal of deployment from Khudwani, Redwani and nearby areas.

He said the miscreants set afire a truck in Khudwani. Clashes between protesters and policemen took place at many places in Shopian, Budgam and Bandipora.
Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 2

Post-1947 political class in Jammu and Kashmir has vilified him and downplayed his contribution, but Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of the state, is becoming a unifying force and an icon for the youth in the Jammu region.

Since the 2008 Amarnath land agitation, the young generation has come to know about him. This has led to a political awakening among the people. Youth are turning pages of history to study and discuss glorious days of the Dogra empire as hundreds now participate in the events organised in his memory. It has also brought the Rajput community together.

Many attribute this to the frustration among the people with Kashmir-centric political parties, who are riding piggyback on separatist elements on vital issue and ignoring the aspirations of other areas. There is also a deep-rooted anger among people alleged discriminatory policies towards the region in matters of employment, education and economy.

For the last few years social and political organisations in Jammu have been raising demands to declare September 23, the birth anniversary of Hari Singh, as a state holiday and renaming Kunjwani Chowk after Maharaja Gulab Singh. Even July 13, observed officially as MartyrsDay to remember the 21 people killed after rioting against the rule of Hari Singh in Srinagar in 1931 is observed as Black Day.

Similarly October 26, when the Army landed in Kashmir in 1947 is celebrated in contrast to the Valley where the separatists observe it as black day as signing of the instrument of accession allowed the Army to enter Jammu and Kashmir. Statues of Hari Singh, General Zorawar Singh, Gulab Singh and Ranbir Singh have been put up at various parts of Jammu along with other national heroes.

Dogra history for the youth is a source of inspiration, a reminder of their purpose and responsibility towards the state and nation. Our legendary warriors remind us of the fact that it was the Dogras who built this state with their blood, sweat and toil and kept the state unified and prosperous for 100 years, said Manu Khajuria Singh, who heads Voice of Dogras.

Though several places associated with the erstwhile Dogra dynasty were converted into hotels or commercial places, people are taking pride in contribution of their forefathers in shaping the present map of Jammu and Kashmir.

Even the long-forgotten places like Jia Pota, Akhnoor, where the cornation of Jammu and Kashmirfounder Gulab Singh took place in 1822, has become a new shrine for urban youth in Jammu who visit the place on weekends.

Since 1947, Jammu has remained politically weak as the power centre shifted to Srinagar. Today everybody talks of the Kashmir valley and its aspirations while treating us just as a second class subjects. This needs to change now. Today the youth in Jammu are angry with appeasement of separatists and pro-Pakistan elements, said Surinder Singh Gilli, president Yuva Rajput Sabha.

The Dogras under the able military leadership of Gulab Singh and General Zorawar Singh established the Jammu and Kashmirkingdom by extending its boundaries up to the border of Russia in the North and Tibet in the East, and remained as the largest princely state in British India up to 1947, when India attained Independence. Dogras were ruling Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad-Mirpur, Aksai Chin and Saksham valley and were de facto rulers of feudatories like Hunza and Nagar.

Hari Singh ascended the throne in 1925 and his reign saw several progressive measures taken for welfare of masses. His main focus remained on empowerment of women, education, health and outlawed un-touchability.
Muzaffarabad (PoK), October 2

Kotli residents in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) recently took to the streets to protest against the atrocities committed by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistani Army.

The agitation was launched against extra-judicial killings, fake encounters and brutalities committed on pro-Azadi leaders, who disagree with the Pakistan State.

The angry mob raised slogans such as Butcher of Kashmiris, Pakistan Army, Dogs are more loyal than ISI.

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The protesters demand an independent investigation into the murder of Arif Shahid, a major Kashmiri nationalist leader, chairman of the All-Party National Alliance (APNA), and president of the Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Conference (JKNLC).

Shahid fought tooth and nail against Pakistans oppression in PoK before he was shot outside his residence in Rawalpindi on May 14, 2013. He was 62.

Investigation into Shahids murder is still inconclusive, and there is no closure in the cold-blooded murder, so far. The ISI is blamed for conspiring and executing Shahids murder.

According to an estimate by the Muzaffarabad-based All-Party National Alliance, more than 100 pro-freedom political activists have been killed by the ISI over the past two years.

There is growing resentment among PoK residents over the killings as well as the continued Army clampdown.

Earlier, PoK witnessed a series of protests by residents against rigged polls that saw Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), coming to power.

The United States State Department has recently also expressed concern over human rights violation in PoK, maintaining that it has always been urging parties in Pakistan to settle their differences peaceably and through a valid political process.

US States Department spokesperson Mark Toner said he could not agree with the view that nobody knew about human rights violations in PoK before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that in recent times.

Sure, Well, I would respectfully beg to differ. We do have concerns about the human rights situation there, have reported it for several years in our Human Rights Report, and weve obviously - are always urging all parties in Pakistan to work out their differences peaceably and through a valid political process. And with respect to Kashmir, our policy there is well known, he said.  ANI
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 2

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is reaching Ladakh on Monday morning to hold interaction with all stakeholders and to get a first-hand account of the peoples grievances.

This is Rajnaths fourth visit to Jammu and Kashmir since the eruption of violent protests following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

His two-day visit follows the clamour over the alleged discrimination against the people of the region in evolving consensus over contentious issues confronting the state.

Official sources said Rajnath will reach Leh airport around 11 am on Monday and will interact with different groups and cross-section of society during the day-long programme.

He is also scheduled to hold an interaction with senior officers from Army, ITBP and paramilitary forces deployed in the strategic Ladakh region which has been put on a high alert after the Armys recent surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Ladakh shares its vast boundaries with China and Pakistan.

Although the purpose of Rajnath visit is primarily to satisfy the resentment among the people of Ladakh over their continuous neglect, he will interact with senior officers from different security agencies deployed in Ladakh to have a detailed review of the situation along Line of Control with Pakistan and Line of Actual Control with China in wake of the recent surgical strikes, a source said.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 2

Gandhi Jayanti was celebrated by various organisations and educational institutions here today. Apart from paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, a cleanliness drive under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was undertaken to mark the occasion.

A large number of Congress workers attended the function at Kunjwani organised by the J&KPradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) under the chairmanship of its chief GA Mir to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. Senior functionaries of the party and other prominent leaders paid floral tributes to the Father of the Nation and Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Addressing the gathering, Mir said the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi was relevant for all times to come and even more relevant today when an atmosphere of conflict and violence prevailed in different parts of the world.

He added that Mahatma Gandhi had led the nation to freedom through non-violence against the mighty British rulers.

He remembered the contribution of Shastri and paid rich tributes to him for his outstanding role in the freedom struggle and in different capacities later, especially as Prime Minister. He said Shastri was a symbol of honesty, integrity and dedication to the nation.

The Gandhi Global Family (GGF), Jammu and Kashmir, celebrated the 147th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation along with the 112th birth anniversary of second Prime Minister Shastri.

In this connection, a function was organised at Mubarak Mandi in collaboration with government and private schools of Jammu and civil society organisations under the aegis of the United Nations Information Centre, New Delhi.

People from various walks of life paid floral tributes to the great leaders. Jammu Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal, in his presidential address, said Mahatma Gandhis ideology was becoming more and more relevant in society every passing day.

He underlined the contribution of Shastri. He appreciated the efforts of the GGF in promoting sustainable peace and harmony. He said work on the heritage complex would be restarted soon as funds for restoration were now available. He was awarded Mahatma Gandhi Seva Medal by the GGF for his outstanding service to society.

Dr Abdul Kabir Dar, Director General, Indian Systems of Medicine, Jammu and Kashmir, started Swachhta Abhiyan from Government Ayurvedic Hospital in Jammu. Speaking on the occasion, he said cleaniness was the key to healthy life.

The style of living in ancient times was governed by ayurvedic ethics so people were healthy and the need of hospitals with indoor sections was very less, he said.

Indian systems had ages-old acceptance both at home and abroad and Jammu and Kashmir was no exception. There is a paradigm shift towards AYUSH the world over as more people are attracted towards it, he said.

He added that construction of two government medical colleges, an ayurvedic college in Jammu and a Unani college in Srinagar was almost complete.

The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) launched a cleanliness drive and organised various programmes within the limits of the JMC.

A sufficient number of men and machinery were deployed by the JMC for the drive whererin sweeping of roads, lanes and bylanes, desilting of drains and sprinkling of lime was done. The JMC organised an awareness drive in Gandhi Nagar where Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh was the chief guest. JMC Commissioner Manmohan Singh and Joint Commissioner (A) RS Jamwal were present.

A large number of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists from Nagrota paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Shastri. The activists remembered the contribution of these leaders in the freedom movement and their message to the youth for their participation in nation-building.
New Delhi, October 2

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade next year. This was announced by External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup here today.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mohamed bin Zayed expressed thanks for the kind invitation.

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The visit of Al Nahyan, who is also Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, is expected to boost bilateral ties in key areas of trade and security. Significantly, the UAE is a close ally of Pakistan, whom India is trying to diplomatically isolate over cross-border terrorism.  PTI
In this citadel of the rich and powerful, where the imperious Trump Tower looms over those who pull the financial strings, it is astonishing that not one CEO of a Fortune 100 company has donated to Donald Trumps effort to become president.

After all, Trumps logic in claiming he should run the nation is that he is a wealthy businessman who negotiates big deals and influences people.

Trump is the Republican nominee, and a majority of top CEOs are Republican. But Trumps argument is not swaying those who know him best  his fellow business leaders.

The Wall Street Journal analyzed donations to Trump through August and reported top CEOs are avoiding having anything to do with his presidential bid.

This is dramatically different from four years ago when, the newspaper said, about a third of Fortune 100 CEOs donated to Mitt Romney. This time around, many CEOs donated to Trumps rivals during the primaries, and 11 have donated to Hillary Clinton.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, an esteemed financial columnist for The New York Times, found a number of business leaders think Trump is a bully and are steering away from him out of fear of reprisal.

Sorkin quoted Reid Hoffman, a founder of LinkedIn who recently created a card game that ridicules Trump, as acknowledging even he feared blowback from Trump.

Its the same thing like on school grounds, when people wont go help the kid who is being bullied because theyre worried that the bully will focus on them, Hoffman told Sorkin.

Also, CEOs have to answer to boards of directors and stockholders; getting into messy political controversies in a divided nation is not smart business.

Nonetheless, if business leaders truly believed that Trump could bring back jobs from overseas, where his Make America Great Again caps are made, or that he could single-handedly modify health and safety regulations, or that he could solve the problems of the inner city and end terrorism or triple economic growth and cut their taxes, they would probably hold their noses and endorse him. They are not.

How does a buttoned-down pillar of the community endorse a man who, during his debate with Clinton, said about his profiting from the housing downturn that took millions of Americans homes away, Thats called business, by the way?

How can men and women who run multibillion-dollar companies with thousands of employees countenance a candidate who, when Clinton noted he paid no income taxes, boasted, That makes me smart?

How can bottom-line managers endorse a man whos had a rash of business bankruptcies, opposes free trade and is a pariah with big banks?

How can disciplined CEOs struggling to make their companies more diverse and tolerant give money to someone who calls a Latina Miss Universe Miss Piggy, Miss Housekeeping and Miss Eating Machine? (And then, unasked, derided her for gaining a massive amount of weight.)

Trump and his sycophantic team argue that lack of business support shows he is an outsider. They say when he boasted he gave money to politicians because he knew they would do what he wanted, it means he knows how the system works.

But the opposite is true. There is no evidence indicating Trump would not use the presidency to bully, to intimidate and to enrich his own businesses. He has no specifics about the change he says he seeks.

Americans who are desperate for change should realize that change can be bad. Many think a Trump era would result in fewer jobs, lower wages, more trade wars, shooting conflicts and a nasty recession. Not change we wish to see.

We are nearing the end game of this long cycle. The Donald camp of supporters remains resolute. Nothing will dissuade them from voting for a straight-talking guy who makes a mockery of political correctness. The Hillary team of backers sees her experience, preparation and eagerness to serve as indisputable qualifications to lead.

So it falls to the uncomfortable undecideds, who are squirming at having to decide. If they move to Libertarian Gary Johnson, Trump will win. If they stay home, Trump still may win.

Its risky business, any way you look at it.

Ann McFeatters is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may send her email at amcfeatters@nationalpress.com.
Patna, October 2

Two days after the Patna High Court quashed its order on prohibition, the Bihar Government today came out with a new law banning liquor with harsher provisions, such as arrest of adults in the event of recovery of the contraband at their residence.

The government notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, to ensure that the ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol, including India-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), continued in the state.

At a special Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and ministers took a pledge that the government would continue with prohibition, which was ushering a positive social change.

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Besides retaining several provisions of the previous law, the new liquor law has more stringent provisions such as enhanced duration of imprisonment, higher fine and collective fine in case of habitual violation of the law.

Nitish said the new liquor law, in force from today, would be a befitting tribute to the Father of the Nation when the state was preparing to observe the centenary celebrations of Gandhiji's Champaran Satyagraha against the British rule.

The Patna High Court had on Friday quashed the governments April 5 notification, describing it as ultra vires of the Constitution.

The legislation was okayed by Governor Ram Nath Kovind on September 7 last.  TNS/PTI
Suresh Dharur

The long-cultivated image of Hyderabad as an international information technology hub has suffered a dent with the week-long torrential rains exposing the chinks in the municipal administration and haphazard urban planning.

Crater-filled and waterlogged roads, inundated colonies, clogged storm water drains and nightmarish traffic snarls brought the city to a virtual standstill, forcing the government to declare holidays for educational institutions and to urge the IT companies to opt for work from home. For nearly one week, starting from September 21, the city received heavy downpour, nearly 23 times the daily average rainfall in monsoon, triggered by a depression over the Bay of Bengal.

We received 16 cm of rain on a single day on September 21 as against 32-40 cm throughout the year, said P Saroja, the deputy commissioner of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

Ironically, the upmarket colonies in the close vicinity of the citys IT hub in Gachibowli, Nizampet and Kukatpally were flooded, causing hardship to the residents. The office-goers had a harrowing time, navigating the potholes, waterlogged roads and massive traffic jams.

The two-year-old Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government has attributed the chaotic situation to the failure of the previous governments in checking the illegal encroachments on the lake beds and nullahs, or storm water drains.

There are 28,000 encroachments on nullahs in Hyderabad and some of them even in government complexes and we need about Rs 11,000 crore over the next three-four years to rectify the situation, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said.

We will demolish all those structures to prevent flooding in future. From now on, we will not allow a single illegal construction to come up in the city, he said amidst growing public criticism over handling of the flood situation.

Special teams of municipal officials, assisted by the police, have already pulled down over 650 such structures. The Greater Hyderabad MC has also announced a cash reward of Rs 10,000 to persons who provide information on unauthorised constructions.

All these years, the municipal authorities looked the other way in the face of indiscriminate encroachments of lake beds and storm water drains. In fact, the illegal colonies were given power and water connections. There is a nexus between unscrupulous builders, encroachers and officials, said noted environmentalist K Purushotham Reddy.

Of the 390 km-length of nullahs in the city, 173 km of them are directly connected to Musi river. But, illegal structures are completely obstructing the flow of water through these drains.

Kishor here too?

Famed political strategist Prashant Kishors next destination may well be Andhra Pradesh. Though Assembly elections in the state are still two and a half years away, the main Opposition YSR Congress is planning to engage his services to formulate a strategy to capture power.

The YSR Congress, headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, had lost to the Telugu Desam Party led by N Chandrababu Naidu in the 2014 elections. We have approached Prashant Kishor to help us devise an appropriate strategy, the party sources said.

Kishor had grabbed the national limelight when his campaign strategies for the NDA in the run-up to the 2014 general elections, including Chai Pe Charcha, proved a major success.
Patna, October 2

Two days after the Patna High Court quashed its order on prohibition, the Bihar government on Gandhi Jayanti today came out with a new law banning liquor with even more harsher provisions like arrest of all adults in the event of recovery of the contraband in their house.

The government notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 to ensure that the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol, including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as well spiced and domestic liquor, continued in the state.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

At a special Cabinet convened today, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other members of his Cabinet took a pledge that the government would continue with prohibition which is ushering positive social change in the state.

Besides retaining many provisions of the previous one, the new liquor law has some more stringent provisions, including enhancing duration of imprisonment, hiking amount of fine, arrest of all adults in case of recovery of liquor bottle from a house and collective fine on a place in case of habitual violation of prohibition.

Principal Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) Brajesh Mehrotra usually briefs media about Cabinet decisions, but today the Chief Minister himself took the mike and answered all queries.

The CM told reporters that the new liquor law, brought into force from today, would be a real tribute to the Father of the Nation when the state is readying to observe the centenary celebration of Gandhijis Champaran Satyagraha against British rule from the state in early 2017.

The new liquor law came into force in Bihar barely two days after the Patna High Court had on Friday quashed its April 5 notification describing it as ultra vires of Constitution.

The new Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 after approval from both Houses of state Legislatures on August 4, got the consent of Governor Ram Nath Kovind on September 7.  PTI
Ahmedabad, October 2

Amid heightened vigil, a Pakistani boat with nine crew members was apprehended off the Gujarat coast this morning by the Indian Coast Guard.

Coast Guard Ship Samudra Pavak apprehended the boat around 10.15 am off Gujarat coast during patrolling, according to a Defence Minister statement.

Preliminary information indicated the people on board were Pakistani fishermen. However, the boat and the crew members are being escorted to Porbandar for further investigation, the release said.

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The apprehension of the Pakistani boat comes days after the Indian Army conducted surgical strike across the Line of Control, following which a high alert has been sounded across the land and sea border with the neighbouring country.

Earlier on Friday, the Coast Guard had said that sensitive sea areas off Gujarat coast have been sanitised and surveillance enhanced following Indias surgical strike on terror launch pads across the Line of Control.

The Coast Guard had also advised the fishing community and other stakeholders to maintain enhanced vigil and report any abnormal activity either at sea or in areas close to the coast.  PTI

UKPNP: Pak playing with sentiments of Kashmiris

Geneva: United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) spokesperson Nasir Aziz Khan on Sunday said Pakistan only pretended to care about Kashmiris, but their real intention was only to exploit their rights for ulterior proposes. "The Kashmiris should understand that the issue of Kashmir was created because of Pakistan. Whenever Kashmir rises for freedom, Pakistan has sabotaged their movement, whether it be 1947, 1988 or the ongoing situation. Pakistan has no affection for the people of Kashmir. If they loved them, they would have treated the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and the one they call as Azad Kashmir nicely," Khan said.  ANI
Just as the flood of 2008 changed the face of Mason City forever, a new threat to our community  to the entire state, in fact  promises to do the same.

It is the emerald ash borer, and no amount of preparation can stop its arrival. When it finally gets here it will kill thousands of trees that, in most cases, will have to be cut down.

To its credit, the Mason City Council has agreed in principle to a plan by Operations and Maintenance Manager Bill Stangler that will have the city ready to deal with its arrival. The council gave an unofficial green light to his plan in a work session Thursday night, when no official business could be taken.

The emerald ash borer has already been found in 36 Iowa counties, and Stangler, who grew up in Mason City, told the council its not a matter of if but when it arrives in Mason City. He believes that time is drawing nearer.

For such a great threat, it is an unassuming little pest. It is a small, shiny green beetle that lives its adult life happily munching on ash tree leaves. That feeding causes little relative damage, however, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The real destruction begins when the adult female beetle lays her eggs in the nooks and crannies of the ash tree bark. When the larvae hatch they burrow through the bark and feed on the inner layers of the tree right under the bark.

If enough emerald ash borer larvae invade the tree, their tunneling activity as they feed effectively cuts off the path for nutrients to flow between the leaves and the roots, causing the tree to die a long, certain death.

The good news is the emerald ash borer can fly only a few miles, which helps slow its spread. However, people are guilty parties to its spread by inadvertently moving the beetle in infested firewood, ash nursery stock and other ash items. Thus the warning from the DNR not to move firewood from invested areas into non-infested areas.

But sooner or later it will be here, and Stangler wants to be ready. There are nearly 3,000 ash trees on city property, he told the council as he outlined his plan.

He wants the city to buy an aerial basket truck for $210,000 and to hire three additional city employees at a cost of $165,000 annually. The truck will take six to nine months to arrive. In the meantime, the employees will be trained for the process, which Stangler said will take six to eight years to complete.

And that cost  $1 million to $1.5 million and 3,000 public trees  is only part of the impact. Stangler said there are an additional 10,000 trees on private property that are also threatened and that will likely have to be removed by private tree firms at great expense to the property owners.

It makes sense for the city to get ready for this impending arboreal crisis.

But just as important as getting ready to deal with dead trees is being proactive to replace them. The city should develop a comprehensive plan on how it will replace lost trees, and both the city and private property owners should begin now planting a diverse range of climate-appropriate trees to take the place of ash trees that are likely to be lost.

In some situations the landscaping and space will require removing a dead ash tree before a replacement can be planted, but in many other locations additional trees can be planted now, to have several years of growing established before the ash borer problem starts taking large numbers of local trees.

For help with choosing replacement trees, experts advise property owners consult with local specialists well-versed in the best options for their territory.

Its important that we establish and maintain a diverse range of tree species, so that the next disease or pest doesnt have such widespread impact.

Stangler and the city are to be commended for being out front on the issue. The thought of losing so many beautiful trees is sickening, but being proactive  both by planning on how to handle the deaths and removals of so many trees, and equally important how to replace them  seems the best way to deal with this most unfortunate situation.
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Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 2

One BSF jawan was killed and another injured in an attack on an Army establishment in Baramulla in Kashmir on Sunday night. Heavy firing and blasts were reported.

The attack comes less than a week after Indian Special Forces smashed seven terror launch pads in a surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC).

Initial reports said the first gun shots were heard at 8.25 pm, followed by blasts and intermittent firing, which is continuing.

Terrorists attempted to breach the 46 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) camp located inside a stadium in Stadium Colony area of Old Baramulla town. Official sources said terrorists were believed to have entered the establishment through the adjacent BSF camp.

While the police have not yet confirmed it, the attack bore hallmarks of a fidayeen attack.

The camp is located on the banks of the Jhelum river between Azad Gunj and Janbaz Pora localities of Baramulla town. On the other side of the river are also located important police and army installations, including the Divisional Headquarters.

The Special Operations Group of the police and other reinforcements have also reached the spot.

The Northern Command said the "incident situation" had been contained and was under control.

Baramulla Incident situation contained and under control @adgpi  NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) October 2, 2016

The attack has come even as the Army and other security agencies in the town were on high alert. The Indian Army had intensified patrols since the Uri attack.

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Majid Jahangir & Ishfaq Tantary

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 2

A Border Security Force (BSF) guard was killed and another injured as militants attacked a battalion headquarters of Army's 46 Rashtriya Rifles on the outskirts of Baramulla town in north Kashmir tonight.

A BSF sentry was killed when a group of militants, whose number could not confirmed immediately, tried to storm the base at Janbazpora, Baramulla, around 60 km from Srinagar, around 10.30 pm. A BSF company is deployed at the RR battalion headquarters.

Editorial: At daggers drawn

"So far, one BSF sentry has been killed and another jawan is injured," Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police Imtiyaz Hussain told The Tribune.

Defence sources said militants could not breach into the camp. They launched attack by lobbying grenades and opening indiscriminate fire. The exchange of fire is still on and the area around the base cordoned off. No militant has been killed so far.

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The 46RR battalion base which is under attack is located on the banks of the Jhelum between Azad Gunj and Janbazpora localities of Baramulla town. A number of important Army and police installations, including offices of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (north Kashmir) and the Senior Superintendent of Police (Baramulla), are situated on the other side of the river.

Today's strike comes exactly a fortnight after terrorists struck at the Army brigade headquarters at Uri, 102 km from here, killing 19 soldiers. Days after the Uri attack, India reacted by launching surgical strikes on militant launch pads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 2

With major global powers like the US, Russia and China urging India and Pakistan to resolve disputes and reduce tensions, the chances of escalation to the latest war-type hysteria are receding.

In India, the calculation is that barring the usual firing across the Line of Control (LoC), matters will not escalate. But the guard is up as Pakistan could try a new tactic to counter the Indian Armys cross-LoC strike on terror camps on September 29.

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Though it may be too early to think of a dialogue, going by recent incidents, tensions have defused slowly. Almost a year after the Operation Parakaram (December 2001 to October 2002), Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had taken a call on opening a dialogue with Pakistan. The ceasefire along the LoC in November 2003 had been agreed upon. The composite dialogue had carried on well for the next five years till the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008. After the Mumbai attacks, it took several months for the first official engagement.

As of now, Beijing has favoured direct bilateral talks between India and Pakistan to iron out the wrinkles. China holds an economic interest in both countries. It has a US $46 billion investment in the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) that connects its Xinjiang province (north of Kashmir) with Gawadar port in the Arabian Sea. This is road, rail and petroleum pipeline connection. With India, China has bilateral annual trade of nearly US $80 billion with India being a major market for Chinas exports.

As for the tension between Pakistan and India, recently Chinese side has been in communication with both sides through different channels, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing in Beijing last week.

New Delhi and Beijing had conducted pre-planned counter-terrorism and security dialogue and it happened after the September 18 terror attack on an Indian military establishment at Uri in northern Kashmir.

Air Vice Marshall Kapil Kak (retd), a former fighter pilot who fought two wars with Pakistan, says, While being prepared in every way to respond potently to any reaction from Pakistan Army, we need to rework our arithmetic to initiate talks at the NSA level to begin with for restoration of a semblance of normality in bilateral relations.

Air Vice Marshal Kak, who has been a powerful voice among New Delhis think-tanks and track-II diplomacy circles, cites the example of Vajpayee and his initiative to argue: Such an initiative would be a true indicator of Indias maturation as a great power in the making.

The US, on its part, has asked Pakistan to close all terrorist safe havens and target all militant groups, including those that target neighbouring countries. India made a pitch at the UN for isolating nations that nurture, peddle and export terror. Russia has also supported the US and called upon both Pakistan and India to show restraint and resolve all the outstanding issues through peaceful means.
Amritsar/Tarn Taran, October 2

Despite the ongoing tension at the Indo-Pak border, the farmers in the states border-belt with Pakistan would be allowed to harvest their produce at every cost, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said on Sunday.

Despite the ongoing tension at Indo-Pak border, the agriculturists will be allowed to harvest their produce at every cost. The crops are as dear to the farmers as their children and they could not bear this loss at any cost, Badal said, while speaking on the sidelines of his visit to border areas of Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts.

He said in view of the current situation, he had taken up the issue with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who had directed the Border Security Force to allow the farmers of the border region to harvest their crop.

Likewise, he said the Centre has also allowed the farmers, having their land across the barbed fence inside the Indian territory, to reap and lift their crop.

Punjab shares 553-km border with Pakistan and six districts in the state lie close to the International Border.

People in nearly 1,000 villages falling within the 10-km radius of the International Border were asked to be evacuated following the advisory of the Central government in view of an apprehension of retaliation from Pakistani side after Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC).

A number of villagers in some districts had refused to leave their homes on the grounds that they need to tend to their crops and cattle and also look after their properties.

The Chief Minister said the government would soon release the pending compensation of farmers having land across the border fence.

He said the government has always extended a helping hand to the farmers of the border region and every effort would be made to bail them out of the present crisis.

Badal said he has directed the Food and Civil Supply department to depute special officers to ensure procurement and lifting of grains from the border region falling within the 10-km radius of the Indo-Pak border.

Keeping in view the escalating tension at the border the state government is duty-bound to lift each and every single grain of the farmers, he said.

Recalling the great service rendered by border residents of the state to the country, Badal urged the Central government to start a special recruitment drive for the youth of the border areas to enable them to join army and paramilitary forces.  PTI
Anirudh Gupta

Along Zero Line (Ferozepur), October 2

Having borne the brunt of the 1965 and 1971 wars, besides frequent flooding of their fields by the swollen Sutlej, farmers of villages along the border are at the receiving end again.

Already reeling under debt, we cant afford to lose another crop, said Resham Singh of Tindiwala village. Those having influence get compensation, but marginal farmers like us are often left in the lurch, he added.

The government has told us to evacuate, but no assistance has been provided so far. We have no option but to leave our children and the elderly with relatives living in the city, said Makhan Singh of Rajoke village, adding that they were returning home daily to take care of their crop and the livestock.

Leaving behind home and hearth and relocating to a relatives house or relief camps at such a short notice is not easy, said Gurdip Singh of Kamalewala village.

Karan Singh Dhaliwal, president, Border Area Sangharsh Committee, said the farmers had finally been allowed to go across the fence for harvesting, but for those having land close to the international border, problems persisted. Its difficult to arrange labour or harvester combines during these troubled times, he added.

The families residing in Kaluwala  known as Kala Pani  and other villages are sandwiched between Pakistan and the Sutlej. It took much persuasion by the administration to ask them to evacuate. However, despite living on the edge, these villagers have always risen to the occasion. Our stomachs might be empty, but our hearts are filled with the spirit of sacrifice for the motherland, said Parkash Singh of Hazara Singh Wala village.
Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, October 2

Amid the escalating tension along the border, the Punjab Police today dispatched a special team comprising senior police officers to review the security arrangements at the Ranjit Sagar dam complex.

ADGP (Security) BK Bawa, IG SK Singh and senior officers of the Pathankot police, including SSP Rakesh Kaushal, held a five-hour-long meeting in the complex. The officers inspected all strategic points and check posts in and around the dam.

Interestingly, even as the officers were holding deliberations reports filtered in that a spy pigeon had flown into the district from across the border. The SSP immediately directed his subordinates to send hourly reports to him.

Ranjit Sagar Dam, also known as Thein Dam, is a hydroelectric project on the Ravi river located near Pathankot city.

The city hosts some high-security entities like the dam, Mamun cantonment, Pathankot-Jammu highway and the Air Force base and all possible measures are being taken by the police and the Army to guard them.

Ever since the airbase witnessed an attack on January 2, the security agencies have been holding regular meetings to ensure that no untoward incident happens. Last month, Punjab Police DGP (Law and Order) HS Dhillon visited the border districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur and Amritsar to review the situation against the backdrop of the terror attack in Uri.

The SSP said he had apprised the ADGP the need to install at least 50 more CCTVs to cover the entire premises of the dam. At present, we have installed 10 CCTVs after taking permission from the dam authorities. I have formed a committee which will pinpoint the places where the 50 CCTVs can be fixed. The ADGP assured me that funds will not be a problem, he said.

Already 750 cameras have been installed in Pathankot district at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. Officers say the security of the dam is vital. Today the ADGP and the IG visited the complex. In any case we hold regular meetings to review the arrangements, said the SSP.
Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, October 2

Congress leaders of Gurdaspur district on Sunday alleged that the Punjab government was using the evacuation drive as a lever to gain political mileage ahead of the Assembly elections.

Dinanagar MLA Aruna Chaudhary and Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who visited some border villages, said while Pakistani farmers were tending to their crops, unnecessary evacuation was being undertaken on the Indian side.

I visited Chakri, where the BSF has a picket. I was amazed to see Pakistani farmers busy in tilling their fields while we were asked by the Gurdaspur police to cut short our meetings and return to our homes, Chowdhury said.

Rajya Sabha MP Partap Bajwa, who belongs to Gurdaspur, said a lot of villagers had complained to him that they were being uprooted by the police.

Five states are going to the polls shortly and the BJP-led government in the centre wants to derive maximum political mileage from these strikes, Bajwa said.

Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, MLA from Fatehgarh Churian, said that the Punjab government had made a mockery of itself by ordering evacuation.

When there is no movement of army personnel or vehicles, what made the state government order a large scale evacuation? Villagers should be compensated as they are being asked to leave when their paddy crop is ready for harvesting, he said.

Ashwani Sekhri, Batala legislator, said he had visited the relief camps but found only a handful of people present. When I questioned them they told me that they were brought in forcibly keeping in view the impending visit of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, he said.

Ashok Chowdhury, president of the Gurdaspur district congress committee, said, Till today morning I have received half a dozen delegations of villagers asking me to urge the CM to immediately stop the ill-conceived evacuation process.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorney R. Rex Parris made the following remarks: In a move that even the word chutzpah doesn't adequately describe, SoCal Gas has stridently objected to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) considering numerous public comments made regarding its operations at the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage facility. Why? Well, according to SoCal Gas, the only complaints about one well (SS25) should be considered, as in view of SoCal Gas the AQMD abatement orders only concerned that one well and that is all that should be discussed. Never mind that AQMD discovered leaks in 15 other wells, or required daily reports on all 115 gas storage wells on the site.

Parris, whose law firm represents thousands of residents sickened and injured by Southern California Gas Companys massive natural gas failure in Aliso Canyon sent a letter to (AQMD). In the letter, Parris writes, The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) discovered leaks in approximately 15 other gas storage wells operated by SoCalGas after the AQMD issued its notice to stop the release of natural gas from Well SS-25. In other words, the nuisance at issue never related to just one well.

In the letter, Parris adds, The residents of Porter Ranch agree with one clarification requested by SoCalGas  we should have included four introductory words (The District alleges that) in our prior letter with the following quote: SoCalGas is unable to conduct operations at the facility without being in violation of H&S Code  41700 and District Rule 402. SoCalGas has been unable to stop discharging air pollutants impacting nearby communities. . . The residents of Porter Ranch still believe the Districts allegation is correct.

For a copy of the letter sent to the AQMD, click here.

About The R. Rex Parris Law Firm

For over 30 years, R. Rex Parris has devoted his practice to protecting the rights of injured people and aggrieved workers. Rex and his dedicated team provide thorough, high-quality representation with integrity and compassion. From motor vehicle crashes to class actions and defective products, these lawyers fight aggressively against corporate defense attorneys and insurance companies to ensure their clients get the compensation they deserve. For more information, visit rrexparris.com.
Amritsar, October 2

A stone was thrown during the otherwise low-key Retreat ceremony on Sunday evening at the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost, 30 km from here, BSF sources said.

No one was injured in the incident.

Even as the stone thrown from the Pakistan side landed in the Indian territory and a section of Pakistani spectators raised anti-India and pro-Kashmir slogans, the ceremony carried out by border guards of both the countries continued.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The sources said the Border Security Force (BSF) immediately sought a flag meeting with Pakistan Rangers but there was no immediate response from them.

The BSF had on Thursday suspended the ceremony following escalation in tensions between both nuclear neighbours after the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) to destroy terror launch pads.

The Punjab Police are also investigating the sighting of two balloons and a pigeon in the border areas of Pathankot district.

"Messages in Urdu were attached to the balloons and the pigeon in which India was warned on behalf of Pakistan-based terrorist organisations about terror strikes in future," a Punjab Police officer said.  IANS
Gurdeep Singh Mann

Tribune News Service

Dabwali/Bathinda, October 2

A Dabwali resident  with the help of Revenue Department and Municipal Corporation officials  managed to lay his hands on a plot worth Rs 1 crore in the heart of Bathinda city by declaring the owner dead.

But an investigation by The Tribune has found that the dead man is alive in Dabwali.

The ancestral property of 71-year-old bedridden Mathra Das was bequeathed to him by his grandfather Ramji Das in 1991 through a registered will.

Ramji Das had earlier offered the 248-yard land  having 3-4 rooms  to the area patwaris (revenue officials). Over the years, it became a patwarkhana (patwaris office) and even people thought it to be government property.

But when the building became weak, the patwaris abandoned it and shifted elsewhere. My children got married and settled down in Ludhiana and Chandigarh, Mathra Das told The Tribune at his residence in Dabwali.

He alleged that Raman Kumar, a friend of his nephew, was aware of the inside story and hatched a conspiracy to sell his land worth crores.

Raman posed as my nephew, prepared a will with my statement that I had bequeathed the land to him in 2011 and declared me dead, Mathra said.

Raman then sold the land to Gurpreet Singh and another Gurpreet Singh  residents of Ajit Road and Kartar Basti Bathinda.

A registry was prepared in the name of both Gurpreets on November 12, 2013. The new buyers demolished the building and constructed eight shops in 2015. But the Revenue Department employees protested the demolishing of their patwarkhana.

Despite ailments, I went with documents to make all the officials aware of my claim over the land. I even met the then Assistant Commissioner, but no action was taken, Mathra said.

The patwaris brought the issue of encroachment of government land into the notice of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and got a portion of the shops demolished few days ago.

Senior advocate Mohan Lal Garg, who procured all the documents of the dead mans property said that the then Naib Tehsildar, the man who wrote the testament, two witnesses, notary who attested the will, Raman Kumar, witnesses of the sale deed and the two buyers should be booked for fraud.

SDM Anmol Dhaliwal, who submitted a detailed inquiry report to the Deputy Commissioner on September 22, said, Officials of the Municipal Corporation, Revenue Department and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have been found guilty in the report. Revenue officials prepared a fake registry. The ASI gave its NOC to renovate the building, but in reality, it was completely demolished. The Corporation officials allowed the construction without any layout map.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 2

Chief Minister Harish Rawat today visited Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarnagar on the anniversary of the infamous Rampur Tiraha police firing and paid tributes to statehood agitation martyrs at the memorial.

The Chief Minister, while addressing a gathering at the memorial, said it was most unfortunate that on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, statehood agitators had to face police bullets and torture. The perpetrators of Rampur Tiraha killings would be brought to justice and all legal advice would be taken in this regard, he added.

Rawat praised villagers of Rampur Tiraha for helping statehood agitators in distress when they were brutally attacked by administration and police goons. He said Uttarakhand today is growing by leaps and bounds and is among the six fastest developing states of the country. All necessary facilities were being provided to statehood agitators, he added.

Rajya Andolankari Samman Parishad Chairman Dhirendra Pratap said the state government was committed to ensuring that those responsible for killing statehood agitators at Rampur Tiraha were punished at all costs.

Earlier, the Chief Minister paid floral tributes at the Statehood Agitators Martyrs Memorial at the Dehradun collectorate office. He said the concerns of statehood agitators would be considered sympathetically.

Wounds alive

On October 2, 1994, the Uttar Pradesh Police opened fire and killed six unarmed statehood agitators, who were on their way to Delhi to stage a dharna for a separate state of Uttarakhand. Besides, some women were also molested and raped. The incident had led to widespread outrage among the people of Uttarakhand across the country.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 2

Governor KK Paul paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri by garlanding their portraits at Raj Bhavan here on Sunday.

The Governor spoke about their struggle and sacrifices for the Independence of the country and expressed gratitude towards them. He said it was a matter of great pride that since 2007, Gandhi Jayanti was being observed by the whole world as Ahimsa Diwas (International Day of Non-Violence). Only peace and non-violence can help society progress, he said.

The Governor honoured specially invited freedom fighters Ram Pratap Bahuguna, Dr Munishwar Singh, Sadhu Singh, Sachidanand Painully and Paripoornanand Painully with a shawl and mementos. He expressed gratitude towards them for their sacrifices and dedication to the nation.

The Governor said the nation would always remain indebted to Gandhiji for the path he showed to the entire world. By following this path and the ideals of Gandhiji ,the country could become strong and prosperous. It is our responsibility that we should resolve to follow the path shown by these great leaders and take our country towards development, peace, harmony and safety, he added.

The Governor said Lal Bahadur Shastri was an epitome of simplicity. His way of life was more relevant in todays context. His slogan of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan was for strengthening soldiers and removing poverty.

Artistes from the Bhatkhande Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Dehradun, presented Gandhijis favourite bhajans such as Vaishnav Jan te taine kahiye jo peer parayee jaane re and Allah tero naam, Ishwar tero naam, giving grace and dignity to the programme.

MLA Harbans Kapoor, Sunderlal Mandarwal, Principal secretary Radha Raturi, Governors OSD and secretary Arun Dhaundiyal, legal adviser VK Sharma and all officials and staff of Raj Bhavan were present.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 2

Chief Minister Harish Rawat paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to commemorate their birth anniversaries at a function here today. He said people of the country would always remain indebted to them.

He said Mahatma Gandhi spread the message of non-violence and truth across the globe. He called upon the residents to follow the footprints of Gandhiji. Gandhiji played a pivotal role during Indias freedom movement and worked throughout his life for uplifting the backward class. India became self reliant due to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastris slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.

Chief Secretary Shatrughna Singh paid floral tributes to Gandhiji and Shastri at the Secretariat. He recalled their efforts for the countrys development.

Vidhan Sabha Secretary Jagdish Chander garlanded the photos of Gandhiji and Shastri at the state Assembly. He said Gandhis principles should be followed.

Dehradun District Magistrate Ravinath Raman recalled the efforts of Gandhiji and Shastri on the District Collectorate campus.

Chief Medical Officer Dr YS Thapliyal unfurled the national flag at a function at the CMO office to pay homage to Gandhiji and Shastri.

Forest Research Institute (FRI) held a function to remember the legendary personalities wherein Director Dr Savita recalled their contribution.

An NGO, Society for Health, Education and Women Empowerment Awareness (SHEWA) showed a documentary film to children of slum areas to motivate them to follow the path of non-violence. Over 65 children were present. The programme began with a rendition of Gandhis favourite bhajan Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram. Dr Sujata Sanjay, Dr Pratik Preetam, Sonia, Poonam and Puja Neetu were present.

Residents urged to maintain cleanliness

Chief Minister Harish Rawat urged residents to contribute towards cleanliness in the city. He said it was the duty of everyone to create awareness among residents about the importance of keeping our surrounding neat and clean.

He was expressing his views at a cleanliness drive organised by the Uttarakhand Police at Darbhanga colony here today.

The Chief Minister collected garbage at different places during the cleanliness drive. He cleaned drains in different colonies. He said residents should take steps to avoid accumulation of water in open to avoid breeding of mosquitoes.

The Chief Minister told residents to ensure that drains do not get choked with indiscriminate dumping of waste and are sprinkled with kerosene on regular intervals.

He said the state government was committed to curbing dengue menace in the state. He advised them to take necessary precautions.

Cabinet Minister Dinesh Agarwal and Dehradun Municipal Corporation Mayor Vinod Chamoli were present on the occasion.
Dehradun, October 2

Governor KK Paul gave away prizes to students who won the run and slogan competition organised at Pestleweed College by the Principals Progressive Schools Association for Swachh Bharat-Swasth Bharat on Sunday.

The Governor said this programme had been organised on Gandhi Jayanti as Mahatma Gandhi was an inspiration for the entire world. He not only struggled for political freedom but also for cleanliness. He took a pledge to make India clean.

The Governor congratulated students and asked them to maintain cleanliness. He administered an oath to students for making efforts to ensure a Swachh Bharat.TNS
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 2

Members of the Uttarakhand Rajya Nirman Sainani Manch have demanded punishment for culprits involved in the Rampur Tiraha police firing at Muzzafarnagar district in 1994 in which six statehood agitationists lost their lives.

The statehood agitators gathered at the Shaheed Sthal and paid tributes to the martyrs of the Rampur incident on the occasion of its 22nd anniversary here on Sunday. They paid floral tributes to martyrs and raised slogans against the accused of the incident.

They said statehood activists, who were going to Raj Ghat, Delhi, to hold a protest in support of their demands, were stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police and fire upon. As many as six protesters died and many were injured in the incident.

It is pity that people involved in that massacre are still unpunished. People of the state will never forgive Samajwadi Party and Mulayam Singh Yadav for this brutality, who was then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. It is a failure for both BJP and Congress governments as none of them took any strong step for punishing those who were involved in the incident, said Nanda Vallabh Pandey, president, of the Uttarakhand Rajya Nirman Sainani Manch.

Pandey slammed the CBI for not showing any interest in this case. It is clear that everyone was trying to protect officials which were involved in the incident but statehood activists would continue the struggle until the martyrs get justice, he added. The statehood agitators expressed hope that Chief Minister Harish Rawat would take some initiative towards this incident.

Satya Pokhriyal, Radha Tiwari, Vinod Aswal, Veer Singh Rawat, Sunil Juyal and Prem Singh Negi were present on the occasion.
Beijing, October 2

China has for the first time deployed 10 intelligent robots, who can detect suspicious people and raise an alarm, as customs officers at three ports in southern Guangdong Province, after it used robots for security at an airport.

The robots are the first batch of intelligent robots, being used by Chinese customs at the ports of Gongbei, Hengqin in Zhuhai city and Zhongshan.

Based on a specialised customs database, the robots can answer questions in 28 languages and dialects, including Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Japanese.

There are some particular problems they cannot solve, and customs officials said they will link the robots to their customer service hotline in the future.

With face recognition technology, the robots can detect suspicious people and raise an alarm, according to Zhao Min, director of Gongbei customs.

Last month, China for the first time deployed a robot to maintain security at one of its busiest airports in Guangdong Province.

The Anbot, a security robot, has been hired for its first job at the Shenzhen airport where it can be seen making round-the-clock patrols through the departure hall in Terminal 3.  PTI
Sydney, October 2

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Sunday the names of those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 might be confirmed by the end of the year.

By the end of the year, maybe early next year, the list of those that we believe should be held accountable will be confirmed and then there must be a prosecution, Bishop said in an interview with Australian state broadcaster ABC.

International investigators said on Wednesday the passenger plane was downed by a Russian-made missile fired from a pro-Russian rebel village in eastern Ukraine.

The findings counter Moscows suggestion that the flight, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in July 2014, was brought down by Ukraines military rather than the separatists. All 298 people on board, including 28 Australians, were killed.

Bishop said the culprits could face an international tribunal, similar to the one used to prosecute those responsible for the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, Scotland.  Reuters
Kathmandu, October 2

Regretting that the regional environment is not conducive to host the next SAARC Summit, current Chair of the grouping Nepal on Sunday said member states must ensure their territories are not used for cross-border terrorism.

Days after India and four other countries pulled out of the 19th SAARC Summit indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an atmosphere which was not right for successfully holding the event, Nepal said it strongly believes that "an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation".

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Nepal "unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism," Nepal's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement, adding the country has always condemned all acts of terrorism in the region.

Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian Army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers," it noted.

It further said to achieve peace and stability in the region, "SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross border terrorism.

Nepal "regrets that regional environment is not conducive" to host the next Summit, earlier scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad, it said, adding that host Pakistan has informed it about the postponement of the meet.

It said it will initiate "necessary consultation" for holding the next summit.

"As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states," the statement said.

Earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who returned yesterday after leading the Nepali delegation to the 71st United National General Assembly (UNGA), told reporters here that Nepal will take "necessary steps and hold discussions with member states to press for holding the summit.

The Summit was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India said last week that "in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad".

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the eight-member bloc, includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  PTI
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lock Family Eye Care is pleased to offer the highly effective Optomap Retinal Imaging Technology to Iowa clients. The technology helps determine eye health through a detailed evaluation, and detects conditions which could threaten vision faster than traditional optometry methods. West Des Moines optometrist Lock Family Eye Care is pleased to offer Optomap as part of their suite of eye exams and premier eye care services.



Optomap Digital Retinal Imaging Technology allows for a multi-layered, in-depth view of the retina. The technology is non-invasive, painless and can provide a permanent record for tracking potential issues, diseases and conditions over time. Patients rate the experience highly as they dont have to undergo dilation, stinging eye drops, or any of the uncomfortable side effects which are often experienced from those methods.



Optomap uses an ultra-wide digital imaging device to capture images of the retina and macula in high resolution. Up to 80 percent of the retina is captured in each image, making diagnosis much easier and more accurate. The digital images can be easily saved for future reference. Clients can even see their own retinal images if they wish.



Numerous eye conditions and diseases can be easily detected and tracked with the Optomap. These include glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic eye diseases including cataracts diabetic retinopathy, high blood pressure and detached retina.



Retinal detachments in particular can often be missed by conventional exam techniques. The ability to compare past digital images of the eye with current ones can assist with eye disease detection, tracking and management. In some cases, ailments show improvement, but if an issue has gotten worse, a West Des Moines eye doctor can recommend appropriate treatments.



For example, most cataracts will eventually require surgery. However, Optomap technology along with eye exams can help to monitor cataract size and vision impact over time. When a certain threshold is reached, the client can be referred to a surgeon. The condition of glaucoma and its impact on the optic nerve can be monitored in a similar way.



Dr. Michael Lock says, We are pleased to bring a higher level of service to our clients with Optomap Digital Retinal Imaging Technology.



Dr. Jenessa Lock agrees, We strive to always bring the very latest in eye care technology, and Optomap is among the best.



West Des Moines optometrist Lock Family Eye Care is located in Suite 12190 at 101 Jordan Creek Parkway in West Des Moines, Iowa. This West Des Moines eye doctor also serves the Waukee, Urbandale and Johnston areas. Those who would like to learn more about Optomap Retinal Imaging Technology or book an appointment may do so by calling (515) 207-7844. More information about the practice is available on their website at http://lockfamilyeyecare.com/.




Peshawar, October 2

A Sikh man was abducted from his home and gunned down by suspected militants in Afghanistans restive Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, a media report said on Sunday.

Rawail Singh, who lived in Jalalabad, was abducted from his house yesterday morning by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area.

The incident triggered a massive protest by the minority Sikh community who staged a demonstration by placing the body of Singh in front of the provincial governors house in Jalalabad and demanded the arrest of the killers.

They accused security forces of negligence in arresting the killers and asked the government to bring to justice the killers as soon as possible.

Later, deputy governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal met the protesting Sikhs and pacified them. He said a case has been filed and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.

The insurgents abducted Singh from his home at about 7:20 am (local time) yesterday and gunned him down at Khalis Famil area, provincial governors spokesman Attaullah Khogyani was quoted as saying by Pajhwok Afghan News.

Rawinder, one of the protesters, said Singh had a dispute with his neighbour on Friday.

Next morning, the neighbour came along with some gunmen and abducted Singh from his home before killing him, he said, adding that Singh had invited his friends for a party at his home when his neighbour objected.

Darbhajan, a friend of Singh, said the minority communitys homes are being occupied, we are threatened and our friend was mercilessly killed but no one came to our help.  PTI
HELP Inc. Vice President and COO Mark Doughty offers up details of PrePass's new service InfoRM during a Saturday press conference in Las Vegas. Photo: Evan Lockridge

LAS VEGAS  The provider of PrePass unveiled a new business intelligence tool on Saturday, before the start of the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition, that is says revolutionizes the way carriers look at their safety data.

Called InfoRM, the service gives carriers the information they need to understand the anatomy of Inspection Selection System (ISS) scores. This score is the key factor enforcement agencies use to determine which trucks to inspect.

According to HELP Inc., InfoRM provides an unprecedented level of data and helps fleets quantify fleet safety trends to improve safety scores.

Fleets now have a tool that allows them to create a plan for immediate safety improvements, said Mark Doughty, vice president and chief operating officer of HELP. Carriers can clearly identify the issues that are adversely affecting their safety scores. These new data dashboards enable fleets to create awareness across their organization and facilitate changes in areas such as vehicle maintenance and driver behavior.

PrePass safety and bypass data has always been available to HELPs customers, but InfoRM takes all that information and aggregates it into a user-friendly dashboard to create a one-stop shop of information for carriers, according to HELP Inc.

InfoRM provides a carrier with a company snapshot that includes:

An interactive map of truck inspection and violation locations by state, city and highway;

Search by VIN number, site, violation and equipment to identify clusters and trends; and

Historical views of inspections and violations, with the ability to export data and integrate it into other fleet management tools.

PrePass determines a carriers ability to bypass a weigh station based in part on a fleets Inspection Selection System score determined by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The score is derived from motor carrier safety performance data in areas of crash history, inspection history, driver history and safety management experience. The recommendations range from inspect for motor carriers with poor safety performance in one or more Safety Evaluation Areas and for carriers with little or no safety data, to pass for carriers with good safety performance data.

It is important for carriers to have visibility and an understanding of each of these areas to ensure safe and efficient operations, said Steve Vaughn, HELPs national director of field operations. Vaughn is the former chief of the California Highway Patrols Enforcement Services Division.

For instance, if the topography of a certain area tends to make a truck go through brakes faster, then law enforcement assigned to that area may focus on brake checks," he said. "If a carrier sees that trend through InfoRM, they can perhaps change their brake maintenance practices or even modify a drivers braking behavior.

HELP Inc. said it maintains the most robust and accurate fleet safety database in the industry by compiling the most current data sets, including CVIEW/SAFER carrier records maintained by the FMCSA and information provided by more than 100 different state sources. HELP analyzes and corrects data errors prior to importing into the PrePass credentials database.

InfoRM creates a level playing field for everyone concerned about safety by identifying the key issues putting a carriers trucks out of service or resulting in frequent citations by location  providing the carrier actionable data for addressing those concerns, said Doughty.

PrePass said it is the only weigh station bypass system to also offer electronic tolling coast-to-coast, complete integration with weigh-in-motion technology, and now the InforRM fleet safety portal. HELP Inc. introduced PrePass in 1993 and currently serves 550,000 commercial trucks, including 51,000 fleets, for weigh station bypassing and electronic toll payment services.
Deryk Powell, Velociti president, details new monitoring and maintennace program for on-board technologies. Photo: Evan Lockridge

LAS VEGAS. Velociti, a provider of technology deployment and support services, announced its new VelociCare program for post-deployment maintenance support of on-board technologies, including ELDs, at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition.

VelociCare is proactive system health monitoring, hardware repair, and replacement and system upgrades, said Deryk Powell, Velociti president. Velociti is the first and only company to provide a formal program for providing maintenance support of on-board technologies after deployment.

With the ELD mandate and the rapid growth of the connected vehicle, prioritized maintenance of on-board technology is essential, he continued. The consequences of non-functioning equipment are far worse than just not meeting ROI projections.

VelociCare is a subscription-based support program, providing customers with set pricing and the ability to accurately budget for on-board technology support. The program can be customized based on a wide range of categories, but Powell noted it always includes its one-of-a-kind proactive system health monitoring feature.

The proactive feature automatically monitors real-time information about the performance of the supported technology and allows Velociti to resolve any situation quickly, based on the severity of the issue and the customers preferences. For example, a malfunctioning ELD in a long-haul scenario is scheduled for repair as soon as possible, whereas an issue such as a system settings adjustment on a local-delivery scenario is typically addressed upon return of its delivery schedule for the day. In all cases, Velociti guarantees completion timeframes with a service-level agreement.

The proactive nature of VelociCare allows for technology problems to be addressed before they get out of hand and become even more costly for the carrier, Powell said. Were helping our customers eliminate the hidden downtime between system failure, the reporting of that failure, and finally the resolution.

The VelociCare package also includes:

Web-based Project Management with real-time updates of any pending repairs

System troubleshooting by Velocitis Tech Support Call Center

Inventory storage, shipping, and staging

User training

Extended warranties

The need to maintain and support on-board technologies is often underestimated, Powell added. A reactive approach to technology support leads to increased downtime while a proactive, preventive approach can assure that not only benefits are realized, but that safety and compliance requirements are met as well. As trucking increases its use of technology, VelociCare makes it easier to budget and plan for the support, maintenance and repairs that are a necessary part of technology use.
Appreciate an Evaluation [ #permalink

Hello, Mosa Rahimi, Originally from Afghanistan.



1. Work experience: Ive started as a sergeant in January 2004, rose the rank very quickly and became the Aide the Camp to the Afghan Border Police Director General. In 2008, I left my job to fully pursue higher education and was a lieutenant by then. Joining counter narcotics programs sponsored by the U.S. Government, I worked in different capacities: language assistant, program assistant, senior program assistant and finally adviser to the deputy minister of counter narcotics. My last two promotions, senior program assistant and adviser came after my graduation from college in May 2013. During not only my college but also secondary and high school, I had had a full time job while with hardworking continued my education. However, Ive been living in the U.S.A since October 2014 and have had difficulties entering to a relevant career path. Jobs worked in the State, Bank teller, Cashier and currently I work as an over the pone interpreter for Cyracom Internationals.



2. GMAT score 620, 66th percentile, Quant 44, 54th percentile, Verbal, 32, 67th percentile. My score, even though not as high and competitive as needed for top business schools, is the highest, with a gap of 70 points from the second highest, GMAT score that I know any afghan applicants who studied and grew in Afghanistan has gotten.



3. The American University of Afghanistan. GPA 3.31. BBA with concentration in Finance, May 2013



4. Leadership roles: Member of the student government association with highest entry vote, initiator and organizer of a number of gatherings, meetings and fund raisers for students who had difficulties funding their education. In the context my community, my contribution can be defined as the first call for both materialistic and advisory helps. i.e. a place to stay, fund to borrow, take people with health issues who come from my countryside to hospitals or advice in terms of what course of action shall I or my school in children take. (note: I am a strong advocate of female education and was one of the most trusted males who was reached by different females for advice, financial support, either loaning my own money to, or finding another trusted male to borrow for them, and even needs such as transportation from university to home). In the summer of 2014, I turned down the suggestion made by some of my community elders to take part in provincial and district (county) people assembly election on the ground of not being ready for that role.



5. My short terms goals are entering into finance and consulting for a couple of years and get experience in this market. M long term goals are open my own consulting and finance company in Afghanistan with a focus on education support, financial advisory and business operation sustainability.



6. Any top schools specially Harvard, Columbia and Cornell (maybe Fuqua) in particular for my wish list and Daniel Business School, University of Buffalo and Baruch College.



I really appreciate if you provide me your assessment on my profile.
Half of the officers who chased a suspect into a Muskogee home, where the man was subsequently Tasered and an 84-year-old woman was pepper-sprayed, were disciplined after an internal investigation.

Of the eight officers involved, one was suspended for inappropriate deployment of a Taser, and one was suspended for failing to render proper aid to the women after she was pepper-sprayed and for not giving the Tasered man medical attention, Muskogee Police Chief Rex Eskridge announced in a news release.

A third officer was suspended for inappropriate comments made during the incident, and a supervisor was issued a written reprimand, Eskridge said.

The names of those officers arent being released, police spokesman Officer Lincoln Anderson said.

Early on Aug. 7, officers attempted to pull over 56-year-old Arthur Blackmon after he reportedly ran a stop sign. Instead of stopping, Blackmon parked at his mothers home in the 2400 block of Denver Street and went inside, ignoring multiple commands by officers to stop and stay outside, Anderson said.

In body-camera video of the incident, officers are seen approaching the homes door. After a few moments, an officer kicks in the door and yells from the doorway, Show me your hands! He also tells a man, presumably Blackmon, to stand up.

An officer later deploys a Taser on Blackmon while another officer is giving him orders. Blackmon is seen falling down as the officers enter the house.

Once inside, the officers begin giving orders, telling 84-year-old Geneva Smith to turn around and face away from them. An officer says, Turn around and face that way now or Ill spray you. The woman is then sprayed in the face and falls to the ground.

Anderson said officers knocked on the door for several minutes, identified themselves as police and waited for more officers to arrive on scene before they breached the door.

Anderson said the officer deployed a Taser on Blackmon because he wasnt following commands.

As officers attempted to clear the house, Smith reportedly became irate and was yelling profanity at officers, Anderson said. Video depicts her yelling at officers.

She, too, reportedly refused to comply and thats why an officer sprayed her, Anderson said.

After police released body-camera video of the incident, it spread online and became local and national news.

After investigating the incident, the Muskogee Police Departments Disciplinary Action Board issued these findings:

 The use of pepper spray aligned with department policy.

 Police didnt act properly to decontaminate Smith after she was sprayed.

 Officers acted against policy when they didnt give Blackmon medical care despite his requests.

 Investigators didnt properly collect or process evidence from the scene.

 Officers didnt properly manage a recruit officer on scene.

 Police didnt used body cameras efficiently, and didnt know when they should be on or off.

The board ultimately recommended the three suspensions and the reprimand, Eskridge said.

In response to the investigation, police are giving officers tactical communication training to minimize barriers caused by cultural differences. Cultural diversity training also will be added to the new recruit mini-academy, Eskridge said.

The department is also creating a committee composed of members of the African-American community to help recruit more black police officers, Eskridge said.

Eskridge asked the Department of Justice to investigate in September. That investigation is not yet complete.

Blackmon was charged Aug. 12 with DUI, obstructing an officer, driving with a suspended license and carrying weapons in connection with the incident.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 16, according to online court records.
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David Duchovny period drama Aquarius has been cancelled by NBC after two seasons.

The Charles Manson drama created by John McNamara rated low in 2015 but received a surprising renewal before being moved in the NBC schedule. The network even gave it a rare ad-free 2hr. season premiere in June, but the series has not performed.

Media reports suggest the actors were released some months ago, although that frees up David Duchovny for more X-Files.

The news is also unfortunate for local streaming platform Presto, which doesnt have many first-run US titles.

Source: Hollywood Reporter
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).
In the district Magura, Bangladesh, a baby boy with wrinkled skin, shallow eyes and shrunken body resembling an 80 year old, was born to a farmers wife. This is the new real-life Benjamin Button, the baby boy whose body has aged way beyond his actual age. Despite his rare condition, the parents are as joyed and loving as any couple welcoming their newborn and thank the god for their happiness.

The little boys parents are excited to have a new member join their family of three.

Biswajit and Parul Patro, the father and mother of the child, are quite happy to have their child. Parul Patro was quite busy meeting their relatives and the curious villagers who kept visiting the hospital to have a look at the baby. Even people from neighboring villages came to visit their son and they were quite happy to host them all.

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The newborn baby suffers from progeria and has wrinkled face and skin, with sunken eyes and shrunken body like that of an 80-year-old.

According to the doctor treating the baby, there are prominent signs of aging such as excessive wrinkling and rough skin texture. Progeria is an extremely rare genetic disorder, occurring in an estimated 1 in 8 million live births, in which the symptoms of aging are seen at a very early age. Since there is no cure for the disease, most children do not live beyond 13 years of age, and sometimes early 20s; the oldest survivor being a South African painter and hip-hop artist Leon Botha, who died at the age of 26.

People with progeria age at a rate eight to ten times faster than normal people, but their mental abilities are not affected.

Though they age at such higher rates, their mental abilities and intelligence are not affected and they tend to be average or above average like any other child. Another 4-year-old child in Bangladesh, not far from where Parul and Biswajits son was born, called Bayezid Hossain from Khalia village was diagnosed with progeria. He was said to be very intuitive, aware and conversational, but is faced with isolation from other children because of his appearance.

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Parul and Biswajit hope that their son would live a long and healthy life despite his condition.

The parents are not unhappy that their son suffers from a rare genetic condition for which there is no cure, or that he is different from normal children. They said they would accept their new son the way he is. This is their second child. The first is a daughter, Aparna, who Biswajit says has taken after her mother and breaks into a hearty smile when told his son resembles him.

There are currently over 100 known cases of progeria over the world, with 140 from historical records and a suspected 150 more undiagnosed.

Progeria takes a toll on those suffering from it. The body starts to degenerate. Apart from visible aging symptoms, they develop complications such as kidney failure, loss of eyesight, bone defects and have small fragile bodies. At least 90 percent of the patients die of conditions such as heart attack or stroke.



[sources: 1, 2, 3]
Australian university graduates are having a hard time finding employment after completing higher education. According to a research by the National Institute of Labour Studies at Flinders University, the proportion of fresh university graduates in full-time employment has dropped from 89 percent to 67 percent between 2008 and 2014.

ABC News reported that job prospects for students who have yet to complete their studies may continue to decline. Adjunct Professor Tom Karmel noted that the number of available jobs have continued to shrink with the supply of university graduates.

"That's not to say they won't get a job, but people do have to start thinking about the return that they get on their degrees," he added. "There certainly has been a huge increase in the supply, but what you would expect over time is for the labor market demand side of things to adjust, and that hasn't happened sufficiently over that period of time."

Dr. Karmel added that the drop had been uniform but the student-to-work ratio of some fields fared better than the others. In 2008, it was revealed that 97.5 percent of graduates from medicine were able to land a job. That figure, though, had dropped to 95 percent by 2014.

Swinburne University student Charlotte Henderson admitted that she was confident that she would be able to find a job after she finished her double degree of business and communication. For her friends, though, she is unsure.

"I know a lot of my friends are studying degrees that are a little bit more vague [sic] and are really, really struggling to find work in their area," she said. "I think most of our generation is pretty aware of that it's just getting harder and harder."

Meanwhile, according to UConn Today, University of Connecticut graduates were able to find jobs within a few months of graduating. 80 percent of undergraduates were employed or enrolled in higher education within four months of graduating. A few were participating in social service activities or serving in the army.
University of Washington has added another feather in its cap after Reuters ranked it in fifth place in its annual list of the world's most innovative universities in the world.

Reuters uses their proprietary data and analysis tools to create the rankings which are based on 10 metrics to determine which university will make it to the list. The criteria include patent filings, academic papers on research, and the university's ability to make their discoveries and development applicable to practical real-world use.

Although the university has fallen down one rank below than the previous year, the research and innovation efforts in all three campuses continue. In the Seattle campus, its startup incubator CoMotion continues to churn various startups. To date, it has already produced 126 startups involved in different industries. The program will start their incubator space which focuses on augmented and virtual reality soon. Aside from that, the campus also houses different startups and entrepreneurial firms in Startup Hall, a building they rent out for office spaces.

Anna Marie Cauce, University of Washington's first female president said that they are "focused on innovation, not just in creating companies and developing new products and technologies, but as a mindset and a core value."

Indeed, the University of Washington is serious about pursuing its vision because its computer science program is the top choice among incoming freshmen students. Aside from that, it has tied up with Microsoft and China's Tsinghua University to create Gix, a technology institute.

Along with the University of Washington, other universities that have made it to the list are Stanford University, MIT, Harvard, and University of Texas System which occupy the first four top spots. Below the University of Washington, KAIST (South Korea), University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, KU Leuven (Belgium), and Northwestern University take the sixth to tenth spots.




If the Berlin results are replicated on a national level, Germany is going to become ungovernable. This assumes that Berlin is a leading indicator of party support, that in a national election the establishment parties wouldnt get more votes to avoid this outcome, and that Germanys political and economic conditions wont improve. Having said all that, this result, taken at face value, indicates that the European foundation, Germany, is moving toward a major political crisis that will resonate.



The migration issue is obviously a major factor, but in the end, the economy is even more important. The Bundesbank announced yesterday that the German economy could slow down in the third quarter. Given that it has hardly been screaming along to this point, and that Germany needs to increase its growth, the news from Bundesbank is troubling. The ongoing challenges facing Deutsche Bank are also concerning. It is now facing significant fines in the United States, totaling about $14 billion. This should not be a staggering amount for one of the largest banks in the world, but questions have been raised about the impact of paying such fines on the banks capital base. This gives us a sense of the underlying weakness of Deutsche Bank and therefore of the German and European banking system.



Meanwhile, a Financial Times story pointed out that U.S. imports have declined. We expected this. The U.S. economy is also not performing at its best, but in addition, many of the items that had been imported are becoming cheaper to produce in the United States. There are structural changes under way in the global economy. And somewhere out there a cyclical recession is lurking.



The Financial Times article focused on the impact this will have in China. In our view, the major impact will be on Germany. Germany derives almost 50 percent of its GDP from exports . As Europe has weakened, Germany has shifted its export focus to the United States and, to a lesser extent, China. If the United States is cutting Chinese imports, then German exports to China will likely contract. But far more important, if the U.S. is cutting imports from Germany, Germanys economy will be affected rapidly and we think dramatically. The Germans are addicted to exports and therefore utterly at the mercy of their external customers. Their last major customer with a healthy economy is the United States. If the United States cuts purchases, the German economy will be hit hard because Germany cant increase domestic consumption enough to compensate.



Finally, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) issued a report asserting that the international financial system is showing instability. The BIS is one of the more reliable analytical sources, as it is genuinely not beholden to anyone. The BIS was the first to note the crisis in the Japanese system and other significant events. So when it speaks, we listen, and it is now saying that the international system is unstable, not least because of European banking weakness. The instability does not seem to be cataclysmic, but given that Germany is at the heart of the earthquake, even a moderate shaking will bring it down.



All of this is known to ordinary Germans probably better than it is to the financial community. The ordinary German will feel the tremors early on. The financial community has a motivation to live in denial (as investors think, lets close that one last huge deal) and the financial markets do not feel the tremors the same way an ordinary person does. For the markets, the slowdown in the economy is a statistic. For the ordinary worker, it could threaten his job, mortgage and so on. In many ways, he is more sensitive to economic shifts than the banks.



When you consider the fact that the results of the Berlin election look like someone smashed a plate on the floor  with support for the various parties fragmenting into pieces  it is clear that something is being felt on the ground. The strength of the left-wing parties is not that they are pro-migration. That doesnt help them much, if at all. Their strength comes from their anti-austerity stance . Voters believe that anti-austerity parties know the current situation cant continue. They also believe that, at the very least, these parties cant be worse than the mainstream ones.



In my view, there is a growing sense in Germany that the German system is failing. It has not yet dawned on most that excessive exports are a sign of weakness and not strength because it makes a country dependent on external customers. But the tremors are now being felt by the finest financial analysts in the world: ordinary people who work for a living and need their paychecks to survive. The political base of modern Germany is crumbling, and as in Britain with Brexit, it will be dismissed as the work of the irresponsible proles.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
One-half of WWEs hottest tag team, American Alpha, is relishing the chance to return to the British Isles and one again perform before the insane United Kingdom crowd.

Chad Gable and his tag-team partner Jason Jordan are two of the most in-demand performers on the SmackDown Live roster and VAVEL took part in a conference call ahead of their European team in November.

The 30-year-old experienced his first taste of an English crowd when he was a part of NXTs first tour in the continent last year and he is itching for the chance to return but this time as part of the main roster.

On returning to Britain

Chad Gable says he is ready to experience the 'insane' British crowd again (image: WWE.com)

Gable was stunned when he stepped into the ring last year as the British crowd in Blackpool cheered him and his partner ahead of their tag-team match, so much so that the match took a while to get going.

Now as a part of the WWE main roster, he is hoping for a repeat prescription of the 'insane' atmosphere that the British crowd will offer as he gears up for the companys return in November.

He said on the crowd's reaction, That was kind of a unique deal you know, we were all so excited to get over there and travel and do shows in all new arenas and in front of new crowds but we did not quite know what to expect.

Their run in NXT was still in its early stages but the duo quickly became fan favorites and the English crowd went wild when they appeared for their opening match during last years tour.

He said, We were just blown away by every single night on that U.K. tour and that first one was just mind-blowing and Blackpool was something completely different than any other night there.

The Empress Ballroom was the setting for one of their first tour dates and the crowd was so wild and rowdy ahead of American Alphas match that it was delayed for ten minutes as Gable and Jordan breathed in the atmosphere produced 3,000 strong, sell-out crowd.

This was something that the the young performer is yet to experience again as he said, I think we had a match with Blake and Murphy that night and I dont think we touched for about eight or nine minutes of the match because the crowd would just not stop  something that we have never experienced before and even since then we still havent.

NXT returned to the U.K. for the second time in June and Gable said the crowd were just as insane as their first experience and is looking forward to returning but this time wearing SmackDown Live colors.

He said, When we went back in June, the crowd were just as insane and just as awesome so for us to make the jump at this time to the SmackDown roster and get to go back again, we could not be happier.

On early main roster success

American Alpha have hit the ground running since their main roster debut (image: SkySports.com)

The blue brand has started strong since the Brand Extension with American Alpha one of the standout attractions in the tag-team division.

Gable and Jordan have won seven of their nine televised matches across SmackDown Live, SummerSlam and Main Event tapings, with wins over The Vaudevillians and The Usos on their resume.

On their desire to start and impress early he said, We wanted to make sure when we hit the ground, we hit the ground running - we did not just come in and you know kind of make our way in slowly but surely, we wanted to make an impact immediately.

Following a number of wins on the weekly episodes of SmackDown Live, they made their debut showing at SummerSlam something the former Olympic level wrestler described it as an honor in his short career.

Gables career has come a long way in such a short amount of time as he talks about being present in the same setting in Brooklyn just one year before appearing at The Biggest Party of the Summer.

He said,The year before that we were there at SummerSlam weekend in Brooklyn doing TV tapings for NXT and now fast forward a year later and were on the SummerSlam show it is just like kind of mind-blowing you know.

With huge strides already made as they edge towards tag-team success on the main roster, the former NXT tag-team champion said him and Jordan have already made giant-steps this year.

He finished by saying Everything seems like it is so far away all of the time and you look so forward and it is like man we have such a mountain to climb but you just chip away and all of a sudden you have made these giant steps in a year and it is really gratifying.

Gable will be a part of the WWE U.K. tour taking place this November on the following dates:

Friday, Nov 4 (The SSE Wembley Arena, London, England)

Saturday, Nov 5 (Butlins, Minehead, England)

Saturday, Nov 5 (Manchester Arena, Manchester, England)

Sunday, Nov 6 (Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, England)

Sunday, Nov 6 (First Direct Arena, Leeds, England)

Monday, Nov 7 (Monday Night Raw at The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland)

Monday, Nov 7 (GE Oil & Gas Arena, Aberdeen, England)

Tuesday, Nov 8 (SmackDown Live at The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland)

Wednesday, Nov 9 (Genting Arena, Birmingham, England)

Thursday, Nov 10 (Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales)


On Wednesday, Sept. 28, SlotZilla, one of the worlds most unique zipline attractions located in Downtown Las Vegas at Fremont Street Experience, hosted the culmination of its Month of the Millionth Flyer celebration by giving away $1,000 each to 10 lucky flyers including one grand-prize winner, Pamella Siegel who is from the Sacramento area.

Siegel was in town celebrating her 65th birthday with her daughter, Heather Wagy, and granddaughter Emilie Wagy, who also celebrated her 21st birthday two days prior  making it the ultimate multigenerational bucket list experience.

A special ceremony to celebrate the Month of the Millionth Flyer grand-prize winner was held on Fremont Street Experiences 3rd Street Stage. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman and Patrick Hughes, CEO and president of Fremont Street Experience, awarded the grand-prize winner with a $1,000 prize, a one-year SlotZilla flight pass, a commemorative plaque, plus a special congratulatory certificate from the Mayor. Additionally, the Mayor proclaimed Wednesday September 28th Month of the Millionth Flyer Day in Las Vegas. Nine other lucky flyers were awarded a $1,000 prize throughout the day, totaling one million pennies ($10,000) between all 10 winners.

To be celebrating our one millionth flyer only two years after opening is an exciting accomplishment not only for us here at Fremont Street Experience, but for downtown Las Vegas as well, said Patrick Hughes CEO and president of Fremont Street Experience, which owns and operates SlotZilla. We look forward to providing this experience for years to come.
Gary Bias, the man accused of beating his grandmother to death and tying up his mother in their East Village apartment, reportedly told cops he had one regret: not being able to kill his mother, too.

Bias is accused of tying up his great-grandmother, 82-year-old Ella Mae Bias, to a chair using duct tape on Friday afternoon, then beating her. According to the Daily News, Bias called his 39-year-old mother afterwards, claiming that her grandmother wanted to see her. When Bias's mother arrived, the elderly woman was already dead.

Bias then allegedly beat and kicked his mother, bound her to a chair, and covered her mouth with duct tape before fleeing the scene in his great-grandmother's 2006 Audi. She was able to free herself and call the police.

An NYPD spokesperson told Gothamist that Bias was caught by police after fleeing into Brooklyn via the Williamsburg Bridge. Police found him and the vehicle near South 2nd Street and Bedford Avenue in South Williamsburg. On Saturday, he was denied bail and charged with murder and attempted murder. Bias was previously arrested on assault charges, including the alleged beating of his 42-year-old stepfather last November.

Ella Mae Bias's family members told the News that the woman had lived her entire life in her apartment in the Lillian Wald Houses, where the murder took place. Neighbors were shocked her great-grandson could have committed the crime.

"That kid had a good upbringing, you would never expect that of him," neighbor Tyrone Bethea told the News. "The kid was a quiet, loving kid, but I guess he was a walking time bomb. I don't know what set him off. It looks like he had a lot of things bottled up."

According to the Post, Bias is "believed to be mentally ill." They also report that Bias told cops that his mother and great-grandmother were conspiring to kill himand that he regretted not killing his mother, too.
Volunteers introducing the Temple of Literature to foreign tourists. (Photo: CPV)

The team of young volunteers supporting Thang Long - Hanoi tourism was recruited in June by Hanois Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Department of Culture and Sports, and the Department of Tourism.

Nguyen Thu Thuy, a student majoring in tourist guidance at the Hanoi Open University, registered to join the team as soon as she heard about it.

She said in the four months she has been on the team, her greatest happiness has been seeing the happiness of foreign tourists who are visiting Hanoi for the first time.

While introducing Hanois tourist attractions to foreigners, Thuy has made friends with foreign youths and learned a little about their cultures.

I have been assigned to guide foreign tourists at the Temple of Literature. Visitors want information about Hanois tourist attractions, Vietnamese food, directions to the ways to certain places, and basic information about the Temple of Literature," Thuy said.

"Joining this team is useful for me to improve my communications capacity and my English skills, become more confident, and apply what I have learned at school, she added.

Since being established, the volunteers have actively helped to introduce the capitals relics to foreign tourists, including the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, the Old Quarter, the night market, and Dong Xuan Market.

Before becoming official team members, selected volunteers were trained in basic knowledge of the citys cultural and historical values and basic tourism promotion skills.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, a student at the Hanoi University of Culture, said at first the team members were hesitant but now they feel more confident about working with the tourists.

She said My specialty is tourist guidance so its very useful for me to practice my future work, build up my confidence in communication, and strengthen my foreign language skills.

On walking paths around Hoan Kiem Lake, the volunteer tourist guide team have been impressing residents and visitors with their activities to promote Hanois culture and history.

Folk games like o an quan - literally "Mandarin's square capturing - jumping rope, and playing bamboo jacks are being taught by the volunteers to enthusiastic tourists.
A series of huge projects with investment capital of billions of dollars were registered in 2014 and 2015.



Experts described the investors as early birds waiting to catch worms who believed that if they arrived in Vietnam soon, they would be able to take full advantage of the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) agreement, of which Vietnam is a member.



However, there has been no more information about the investment in the field so far this year.



Nguyen Hong Giang, deputy chair of the Vietnam Cotton and Spinning Association (Vcosa), attributes this to the news about the presidential election in the US.



Some experts said they anticipate roadblocks to TPP as both the US presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party and Donald Trump of the Republican Party, oppose the agreement.



Giang commented that foreign investors were not making decisions at this moment.



According to Giang, foreign investment into the textile & garment sector can be divided into three groups.



The first comprises large enterprises, mostly Chinese or enterprises operating in China. They came to Vietnam in recent years in anticipation of the big benefits to be brought by TPP.



The second comprises enterprises which also have large operation scale, but dont have much experience in making outward investment or are still cautious investing in another country.



The enterprises would make investment right now if they see favorable conditions. However, with the news about TPP, they are keeping a wait and see attitude and would make investment if Chinese enterprises succeed in Vietnam.



The third group comprises smaller enterprises, which would come after the second group.



Pham Xuan Hong, chair of the HCMC Association of HCMC Knitting, Embroidery and Textile, also commented that there has been not much information about FDI in the textile & garment sector this year.



He predicted that the investment projects implementation may be delayed as investors are awaiting information about the election in the US.



However, Giang affirmed that the Vietnamese investment environment is still very attractive to foreign investors.



Besides TPP, Vietnam also has free trade agreements (FTAs) signed with other partners, such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Europe. The production cost in Vietnam is also competitive compared with other countries.



Vietnam exported US$18.7 billion worth of textile & garment products in the first eight months of the year.
Police forensic officers takes DNA swabs from a crime scene where police opened fire on a gang of men fighting in the Yau Ma Tei district of Hong Kong on October 2, 2016 AFP/Isaac Lawrence

Police said those wounded were two assailants and the man being attacked, and that all three were of "South Asian" origin.

"Five to six...men, with some carrying knives, were attacking another man," police officer Ma Wai-hing told reporters at the scene of the incident in the city's commercial district of Yau Ma Tei.

No further details were given about the attack.

"After verbal warnings were ignored, four shots were fired. Two men were shot," he said. The pair were arrested and hospitalised with wounds to the forearm and waist. They, along with the knife attack victim, are in a stable condition, Ma said.

Footage uploaded to the website of Chinese language newspaper Apple Daily showed a uniformed officer pointing a gun at a group of men - some of whom were wielding knives over a man on the ground - before shots were fired. The officer can be heard yelling "put down your weapon" in Cantonese.

Police said four shots were fired as the first shot was "ineffective" in stopping the attack.

An AFP reporter at the scene said a road intersection was cordoned off around noon, with detectives gathering evidence and two fillet knives lying on the ground.
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The Ministry of Justice in Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, is planning to stage what it calls a "reconstruction" of two tragic episodes of Bosnia's 1992-95 war that furthered the international isolation of Serbian forces at the time and spurred Western resolve to intervene militarily.

Officials in Banja Luka say the effort is part of an investigation aimed at establishing "the truth" about who fired the shells that killed 111 people and wounded 219 more in two separate bombardments of Sarajevo's Markale market in 1994 and 1995.

Critics, however, accuse the Bosnian Serb authorities of trying to whitewash terrible wartime crimes and justify other atrocities at the expense of "digging into the wounds" of the families of victims.

The event will not be staged at the scene of the massacres, in the Bosnian capital, or even in Bosnia.

Reenactment approved

RFE/RL's Balkan Service reported the Defense Ministry in Belgrade has given its approval for Bosnia's predominantly ethnic Serbian ministate to carry out its plans on Serbia's territory, at the village of Vojvodina Nikinci.

Milorad Kojic, the head of the Republika Srpska Justice Ministry's Center for Research on War, War Crimes, and Missing Persons in Banja Luka, told RFE/RL that the activity will be reviewed by a panel of "international experts" -- including experts from the United States.

Kojic would not identify the experts involved nor reveal exactly when the "reconstruction of the crime" would be carried out.

"An investigation will be conducted based on documents that show how it really happened, and, in this way, the scene will be set up in an authentic way," Kojic said. "The shells will go off and then the investigation will take place."

It was a single 120-millimeter mortar shell fired into Sarajevo's historic city center on February 5, 1994, that killed 68 people and wounded 144.

Eighteen months later, on August 28, 1995, five shells fired into Markale market killed 43 people and wounded 75.

With television crews from around the world already positioned in Sarajevo at the time of both bombardments, the massacres focused international attention on the toll Bosnia's war was taking on civilians.

In fact, the August 28 attack was the reason given by NATO for launching air strikes against Bosnian Serb forces -- an international military intervention that changed the course of Bosnia's war, eventually leading to the defeat of the Bosnian Serbs and the signing of the Dayton peace accords.

Hague convictions

Based on evidence compiled by United Nations monitors, The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) ruled in 2003 during the trial of Bosnian Serb commander Stanislav Galic that his forces were responsible for both attacks on Markale market.

Galic was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity over his role in the siege and shelling of Sarajevo.

Although the first international investigators to arrive at Markale market after the February shelling told RFE/RL that the projectile clearly came from Bosnian Serb-controlled territory, later reports by international investigators did not lead to unambiguous conclusions.

Belgrade state-run television, along with Bosnian Serb leaders at the time, immediately pinned the blame on Bosnian Muslim forces -- spreading the narrative that Bosnian Muslim troops targeted their own people at the market in order to provoke Western intervention on their side.

Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic tried to use the claims of Bosnian Muslim responsibility for the market shellings during his defense against war crimes charges, but his attempt was rejected by the ICTY.

In March 2016, the ICTY found Karadzic guilty of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity -- including responsibility for the Srebrenica massacre in which around 8,000 Muslim men and boys were massacred in a corner of what is now Republika Srpska -- and sentenced him to 40 years in prison.

'Digging into the wounds'

Kojic told RFE/RL that the "the primary objective" of staging a "reconstruction of the crime" was "to show the truth, because it is these events that burden the Serbian people and show a distorted picture of the nature of the war."

Kojic also suggested that the material produced by his office in Banja Luka "can be made accessible to the defense teams" in war crimes cases and used as "new facts and proof" in order to launch new proceedings.

But Senida Karovic, head of the Sarajevo-based Union for Civil Victims of War, told RFE/RL the effort was an attempt by the Bosnian Serb authorities to deny the crimes committed by Bosnian Serb forces during the war.

"This is a provocation, and it is digging into the wounds of the victims after 20 some years," Karovic said. "I think that behind this action are bad intentions on the part of the Serbian leadership and denial of what they did."

Karovic added, "It may be that they are trying to justify the crimes committed by their compatriots."

Berko Zecevic, an expert witness who testified in connection with the Markale shellings, said Banja Luka's new initiative was founded in politics, not science or even the pursuit of truth.

Denying guilt?

Zecevic said any doubts about the conclusions of the ICTY and international investigators were ridiculous.

"Essentially there are some differences," Zecevic told RFE/RL, "but it does not play a role" in altering the conclusion that Bosnian Serb forces were responsible.

Natasha Kanic, a coordinator in an effort to create a regional truth-seeking commission called REKOM for the former Yugoslavia, accused Belgrade of sending a negative message to neighboring countries and international institutions by allowing the Bosnian Serbs to stage the event in Serbia.

"It's a message that says a lot about what Serbia thinks of the international institutions -- I mean the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, [and the ICTY]," Kanic told RFE/RL.

"The fact is that Serbia is siding with those who say that everything proven at The Hague -- and this implies the crimes committed by the Bosnian Serb Army -- is not true," Kanic said.

Belgrade's Defense Ministry would not comment on its decision to allow the event to be staged in Serbia.

But Kojic defended the idea of trying to recreate the Markale shellings outside of Bosnia. "It is impossible to do the reconstruction at the authentic locations, because the places look differently than they did in the 1990s," he said.

"The place is not the same anymore, so how can any investigation take place [in Sarajevo]," he said. "On the other hand, the scene will be portrayed in an authentic way [in Vojvodina Nikinci] and a shell will be launched. In any case, it's not feasible to do this in the place where these events really did happen."
Brazils Workers' Party (PT) is expected to lose big Sunday when Brazilians vote in the first local elections since Dilma Rousseffs impeachment.

Brazilians in 5,568 municipalities will vote for mayors and city councils. National polls indicate Rousseff's PT is set to suffer a major defeat.

The mayors posts held by the Workers Party will fall to less than half of those they won four years ago, political analyst David Fleischer told AFP.

According to local reports, Brazilians want change as they continue to struggle during one of the country's worst recessions and aftermath of the Petrobras scandal; the state-run oil company at the center of a sprawling political kickback scheme.

PT also has no presidential alternatives, according to experts. The Brazilian Senate voted to remove Rousseff from the presidency for pedaladas fiscais  the practice of using public money to fund state or federal social programs without the approval of Congress.

The [PT] party made a lot of mistakes in recent years and never admitted it was wrong, said Claudio Couto, a political scientist at the FGV think tank in Sao Paulo.

In Sao Paulo, a city that usually brings recognition to politicians at a national level, the incumbent Workers Party candidate Fernando Haddad has only 15 percent support of likely voters, according to national polls.

Voting in Brazil is obligatory, but many do not seem enthusiastic to cast a ballot.

Whats the point? There are no alternatives. Look left, look right, all the candidates are corrupt, Ana da Rocha, a maid and Brasilia resident told Reuters.

Once they get elected, they do nothing but look after themselves, so they dont have to work again in their lives, she said.

This is also the first election since the countrys Supreme Court banned corporate financing in order to clean up politics and steer officials away from corruption.

Reports say the new rule, however, is helping wealthy businessmen and candidates who receive support from evangelical churches.

"Ending corporate donations has, in fact, favored rich candidates who have their own resources," Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, who heads Brazil's top electoral authority, told Reuters.

Wealthy candidates are now allowed to donate up to 10 percent of their declared income to their own campaign.

Electoral authorities said Joao Doria, the millionaire businessman leading the race for mayor in Sao Paulo, funded half of his campaign from his own pocket, giving $914,000. He is leading the polls with 35 percent support.

Donation drives organized by churches  and even crime gangs  are also influencing the races across Brazil.

In Rio de Janeiro, police said 15 candidates have been murdered in the past 10 months. Authorities have called extra officers to guard voting stations.

The police are prepared to secure the voting site and to guarantee that everyone can exercise the right to vote, Colonel Luis Henrique Marinho Pires from the military police told G1 news site.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says he is not giving up on peace after Sunday's stunning defeat of a referendum on a treaty with FARC rebels.

Voters narrowly rejected the deal 50.2 percent to 49.7. Public opinion polls going into Sunday's voting forecast the referendum would pass overwhelmingly.

Santos went on Colombian television to accept defeat of the referendum, but refused to declare that peace with the rebels is dead.

"I will not give in and I will continue to seek peace to the last day of my mandate," he said.

Santos ordered his negotiators to return to Havana, Cuba, where four years of peace talks had taken place. Santos reassured the nation that the cease-fire with the rebels will remain.

The leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Rodrigo Londono, who is also known as Timochenko, is also refusing to give up.

"To the Colombian people who dream of peace, count on us. Peace will triumph."

He is also expected to return to Havana.

Supporters of both sides took to the streets of Bogota after the results of the referendum were announced. The "no" celebrated while a group of "yes" voters, dressed in white from head to toe, gathered outside President Santos' home.

The peace agreement signed last week was aimed at formally ending the 52 year-old uprising by the leftist rebels. The guerrilla war in Colombia has killed more than 220,000 people and driven millions from their homes.

The Santos government had waged a fierce campaign in favor of the peace deal, appealing to the millions of Colombians who say they are sick of war and violence and terrorism.

But the "no" side, led by Santos' chief political rival, former President Alvaro Uribe, campaigned just as vigorously against the deal.

Many "no" voters were genuinely offended that nearly all FARC rebels will avoid prison time for crimes allegedly committed during the uprising and get various financial support from the government..

They are also upset that FARC would be guaranteed seats in the Colombian congress without an election in exchange for transforming FARC into a political party.

Timochenko had publicly asked for forgiveness for whatever harm was committed by the rebels during the long uprising.

The FARC rebellion began as a simple peasant uprising in 1964 and soon grew into a major threat to various Colombian obtainments over the next five decades.

No more war, declared President Santos in his remarks following Timochenko. I welcome you to democracy, change weapons for votes and weapons for ideas.

The conflict since the mid-1960s displaced millions of people and left more than 250,000 dead.

The FARC has agreed to cooperate with de-mining, an effort being led by the United States and Norway.

It used drug trafficking as a major source of funding. Kidnapping politicians and foreigners and holding them hostage in remote jungle hideouts was a FARC trademark.

The United States spent billions of dollars in military aid to help the Colombian government combat FARC and bring it to the negotiating table.

VOA's Steve Herman in Washington contributed to this report.
A women's rights group has filed a legal complaint against an Egyptian lawmaker who called for mandatory virginity tests for women seeking university admission, the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported Sunday.

It quoted Maya Morsi, head of the state-sanctioned National Council for Women, as saying the complaint demands the expulsion from parliament of Ilhami Agena and a criminal investigation into his actions. She said the lawmaker was harming the reputation of Egyptian women, men and the country itself.

Agena said in an interview last week that virginity tests were needed to combat the proliferation of informal marriages, known as "gawaz orfy," between students. Virtually expense free, such marriages have become more popular in recent years because of high youth unemployment and a shortage of affordable housing.

The gawaz orfy is widely viewed as a religiously sanctioned way of having premarital sex, a taboo in mostly conservative and majority Muslim Egypt. Muslim clerics have spoken out against such marriages.

In Egypt, as in other conservative, Muslim countries, a young woman's virginity is widely seen as a matter of family honor, the loss of which could prevent her from getting married.

The military was alleged to have conducted virginity tests on 19 women arrested after troops violently broke up a protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square in March 2011, shortly after longtime President Hosni Mubarak resigned in the face of a popular uprising.

Three months later, Amnesty International said that Egypt's then-military rulers acknowledged carrying out the tests as a way to protect the army from possible rape allegations. The military pledged not to conduct the tests again, according to the London-based rights group.

Agena's comments about women have sparked controversy in the past, including claims that some female lawmakers were not dressing modestly enough.

He sparked an uproar last month by saying that the practice of female genital mutilation, or FGM, was needed to curb women's sexuality and counterbalance allegedly widespread male impotence in Egypt. He claimed that 64 percent of Egyptian men suffer from impotence, citing increased sales of Viagra.

"If women are not circumcised, they will become sexually strong and there will be a problem," an imbalance leading to divorce, he added.

His comments about FGM followed the adoption by the Egyptian parliament of tougher penalties for the practice, allowing for a maximum of 15 years in prison for offenders if a child dies and up to seven years for performing the procedure.

The centuries-old practice, misguidedly believed to reduce a woman's libido, was criminalized in Egypt in 2008. However, it remains widespread and an estimated 90 percent of Egyptian women have undergone some form of the forced procedure.
A man came away with over $1.5 million worth of gold after stealing a five-gallon barrel of gold flakes off the back of a truck on Thursday afternoon.

According to police, the suspect snatched the 86-pound pail from a truck parked in front of 48 West 48th Street around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. The suspect apparently grabbed it off the back of an armored truck that was picking up other metals to be taken to a refinery in Canada. He then escaped east down 48th Street with his flaky haul.

Police describe the suspect as a male in his 20s with short dark hair, who was wearing a black vest, green shirt, blue jeans and a messenger bag. Sources also say he loves gooooold.
Hackers have made their way into state election systems in a few cases, but the federal government hasnt found "any manipulation so far of voting information, the homeland security secretary said Saturday.

Twenty-one states have contacted the agency for help in safeguarding their election systems, and Secretary Jeh Johnson is urging additional requests for cybersecurity assistance.

We hope to see more, Johnson said in a statement.

A department official told The Associated Press Friday that hackers have targeted the voter registration systems of more than 20 states in recent months. The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the subject and spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was unclear whether the hackers were foreign or domestic.

As the November 8 vote nears, there are heightened concerns that foreign hackers might undermine voter confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections. Federal officials and many cybersecurity experts have said it would be nearly impossible for hackers to alter an elections outcome because election systems are decentralized and generally not connected to the internet.

We must remain vigilant and continue to address these challenges head on, Johnson said. These challenges arent just in the future. They are here today.

The FBI last month warned state officials of the need to improve their election security after hackers targeted systems in Illinois and Arizona. FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers this past week that the FBI is looking hard at Russian hackers who may try to disrupt the U.S. election.

Johnson said that in recent months, malicious cyberactors have been scanning a large number of state systems, which could be a preamble to attempted intrusions. In a few cases, we have determined that malicious actors gained access to state voting-related systems. However, we are not aware at this time of any manipulation of data.

He gave no specifics.

The FBI held a conference call Friday with local Florida elections officials, according to a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Ken Detzner. A person who was on that call said authorities had seen evidence of someone probing a local elections website. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss the call and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hackers also tried to mine data from the Arizona and Illinois voter registration systems, according to Kay Stimson, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Secretaries of State. She said in Arizona a hacker tried to probe voter registration data, but never infiltrated the system, while in Illinois hackers got into the system, but didnt manipulate any data.
Harvard Business School has moved to the Big Apple.

Well, sort of.

The school opened the HBS Startup Studio in New York City to help graduates get their startups off the ground. Unlike a tech incubator or accelerator, HBS will not take equity in member startups, but will provide workspace, business advice, workshops and networking opportunities.

We have over 8,000 alumni here, and so we thought it would be a great place to put down a stake, especially with all the entrepreneurial activity happening here in New York City, said Avani Patel, director of HBS Startup Studio.

Located in a WeWork co-working space in Manhattans Union Square neighborhood, employees from a dozen startups specializing in everything from health care to media to virtual reality, work side by side.

To be accepted into the studio, startups must have secured $500,000 or more in funding and have at least one team member who is an alumni of Harvard Business School. Companies are given up to seven seats and can remain indefinitely, but Patel predicts that most will outgrow the space, allowing new companies to enter.

One member is Joshua Haas, the founder of Bubble, a programming tool that lets users create web and mobile applications without having to learn how to code.

A big challenge of working on a startup in general, is [that] youre responsible for everything, and you have to make stuff happen, Haas said. You have to be proactive about problems, you have to say This is where the company needs to go; this is what Im going to do to get it done. Im starting at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Having worked from home and in coffee shops, Haas appreciates the built-in community at the startup studio and says it keeps him accountable.

If you have people you can show off what youre working on to, thats motivation to get up in the morning to do it, he said.

Networking

For all the work required to launch a business, building a network and fostering relationships in the tech community are equally important.

You need access to the right knowledge; you need access to the right connections, Patel said. What were trying to do here is build that out for the entrepreneurs, provide that support so when they are thinking about launching into e-commerce and they need to speak to a digital expert, we have access to people who they can speak to.

According to Digital.NYC, the official online hub for New York Citys tech startup community, more than 200 tech investors and venture capital funds are located here, making it a prime location for Harvard Business School grads seeking funding for their startups.

Weve got the relationships with investors that we can leverage to say, 'Hey investors, weve got these companies fundraising, you might want to take a look, Patel said.

Alex Dulac is closing on Series A funding (first round funding) for his startup, The Plunge, a wedding website geared toward men. Beyond funding, he cited the diversity of New Yorks industries for providing invaluable experience and insights.

We brought on Tiffany as our first advertiser and that was like getting a second Harvard MBA, Dulac said. Their standards are really high, so that forced us to elevate what we were doing.

Dulac praised the HBS Startup Studio for the camaraderie it provides.

Its sometimes lonely to run a startup, he said, and to have like-minded, hardworking people that are really trying to be at their best, that really helps.

Building a team

For Yigit Yigiter, CEO of the virtual reality app Timelooper, the day-to-day challenges of running a startup are more practical.

The most difficult part is acquiring talent, growing the team, he said. On the one hand, the business is growing very fast so you need people to build the company. But on the other hand, if you dont have the right people ... thats very difficult.

Through the Harvard network, Yigiter was able to find qualified employees from as far away as South Korea.

These are our section mates, classmates ... were reconnecting with them, Yigiter said. He added that referrals from the startup studio have been a great resource for hiring.

Day to day, one can be really disconnected from the alumni network and the community, but this really brings that all together under one roof, Dulac added.


Alfred Olango, the unarmed black man shot and killed by police in a suburb of San Diego, was remembered in a demonstration Saturday organized by clergy members and supporters of Olangos family.

Several hundred people gathered peacefully at a park in downtown El Cajon to hear speeches by religious leaders and then marched through the streets to police headquarters, where Olangos family members joined them.

Mourning is a public sharing of grief, and his unnecessary killing has rent the fabric of our human community yet once again and we are feeling it deeply in our hearts, said the Rev. Frank Placone-Willey of Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in nearby Santee, California.

Olangos father, Richard Olango Abuka, called for the resignation of the police chief and said his sons death is a turning point in a peaceful struggle to change police practices. Other speakers demanded changes in how police respond to calls about people in mental distress.

There was a modest police presence to direct traffic.

The event came a day after two videos of the shooting were released by authorities, something the family and community leaders had urged.

The videos show the officer fired four times at close range almost immediately after Olango, 38, suddenly raised both hands to chest level and took what was described as a shooting stance. In addition to the videos, police showed the 4-inch electronic cigarette device Olango had in his hands when he was shot.

The shots came less than a minute after police arrived at the scene in response to Olangos sister calling 911 and reporting he was acting erratically.

The videos were released after nights of unruly and, at times, violent protests in El Cajon. On Thursday night, an officer was struck in the head by a brick hurled by a protester.

Our only concern at this point was community safety, police Chief Jeff Davis said. We felt that the aggression of some  some  of the protesters was escalating to the point where it was necessary to release some information and, truly, it was my hope to relieve some of that concern.

A fourth night of protests on Friday remained peaceful, with about 200 people blocking intersections and at one point attempting to walk onto a freeway before police stopped them.

A lawyer for the family said they welcomed the release of the videos, but he questioned the tactics used by Officer Richard Gonsalves. Olango had been reported to be mentally disturbed and unarmed and yet Gonsalves approached with his weapon out, Dan Gilleon said.

It shows a cowboy with his gun drawn provoking a mentally disturbed person, Gilleon said.

The incident is the latest in a series of fatal shootings of black men that have roiled communities across the U.S. It came weeks after fatal shootings by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Olango, a Ugandan refugee who arrived in the U.S. as a boy, had a criminal record that included drug and weapon charges but no violence. His family described him as a loving father and a joyful, happy person.

His mother said he suffered a mental breakdown recently after the death of his best friend. On Tuesday, his sister called 911 and reported he was acting strangely and walking into traffic by a strip mall.

The longer of the two videos released by police came from a surveillance camera in the drive-through of a restaurant. It is roughly a minute, has no sound and police blurred out the heads of everyone in it.

Olango is seen walking through the parking lot and then stopping suddenly as Gonsalves approached, his weapon drawn at his side.

Olango, his right hand in his pants pocket, moved side to side and backed up toward a white pickup truck.

As Gonsalves moved in from the front, a second officer got out of a cruiser and approached from the side.

In the second video, taken on a cellphone by a witness in the drive-through, Olangos sister is seen approaching Gonsalves from behind and a woman can be heard screaming at Olango to put up his hands and telling police not to shoot.

Olango then bent over and assumed the shooting stance, and Gonsalves quickly fired four shots at close range.

That night, as an angry crowd protested outside police headquarters, Davis released a single image from the video showing Olango with his hands clasped in front and in the shooting stance. Police said he had ignored repeated orders to show his hands.

Davis defended the release of image and said it was intended to de-escalate tensions and correct what he felt was a "false narrative that was developing. Some witnesses said Olango had his hands in the air and was begging not to be shot.
The village of Mandol in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir along the banks of the Poonch River is just 2,100 meters from the Pakistani military post that authorities say came under fire from India last Thursday.

Villagers here say the explosions rattled their houses as usual when Pakistani troops opened retaliatory fire, and they ran for cover in bunkers until five-hours of gunfire ended.

India said its troops carried out surgical strikes on alleged terrorist camps on the Pakistani side of the ceasefire boundary, named the Line of Control, or LoC.

WATCH: Report from Kashmir line of control

Pakistans military, however, swiftly rejected any assertion that Indian forces crossed the heavily militarized line, which divides the Himalayan territory between the nuclear-armed arch-rival nations.

Instead Pakistani authorities asserted a routine exchange of fire across the LoC that killed two Pakistani soldiers, while several others sustained minor injures.

Security officials in Islamabad also say that if Indian forces had crossed into Pakistan, it would have been treated as a declaration of war.

The military flew a group of journalists on Saturday to Mandol and Bagsar, two of the several sites of the skirmishes, to reassert their side of the story as bilateral tensions continue to simmer.

We would have known it if Indian troops secretly came across the the LoC, said Mirza Abdul Waheed, a local political figure.

Such an invasion and damage inflicted on this side would have not skipped local attention, he added.Other residents gathered nearby narrated similar impressions to reporters.

Regional military commanders and Pakistan army spokesman, Lt. General Asim Bajwa, accompanied the journalists to Tata Pani, where Mandol is located, and Bhimber, the two sectors along the de facto Kashmir border.

The officers briefed the media on the challenges both the mountainous terrain and military deployment would have made it rather impossible for Indian soldiers to physically cross over to Pakistani side to undertake any action like surgical strikes.

Thats a total lie. It is very difficult to comprehend. It is unimaginable, said. Maj-General Muhammad Chiragh Haider, the commander of the 23rd Infantry Division of the Pakistan Army.

We met a surgical strike and we did not know what had happened. Were they so magical or so mysterious I cannot say, but what happens actually here is slightest movement is picked and it is responded in a strong manner.The entire areas is in front of you, he asserted.

General Bajwa asked India to produce evidence of any damage caused on the Pakistani side.

Where is that damage? Where are the bodies of the people they killed and where did the invading Indian soldiers go, he asked.

Bajwa said Pakistan is open to the U.N. mission [for any probe] and to media, and has nothing to hide. He asserted that most of the area that came under attack from India on Thursday is linked to the rest of the world through cell phones and the internet, making it difficult for anyone to prevent locals from putting information or images on social media had there been any physical Indian incursion.

While the United Nations and the United States urged both India and Pakistan to defuse tensions to reduce changes of another war between them, residents in villages near the ceasefire line appeared calm, with schools and markets opened and farmers busy working in their fields.

General Bajwa would not confirm whether an Indian soldier was captured by Pakistani troops after the clashes broke out, saying inadvertent crossers is a routine matter along the more than 700 kilometer LoC and authorities take time to ascertain their identity.

He said Pakistan has been officially convey by Indian authorities that an Indian solider has inadvertently crossed over to the Pakistani side. We are checking out details on ground, we are in the process of ascertaining, Bajwa added.

The general avoided speculating on whether Pakistan and India are on the verge of another full scale war. You can see that all the escalation and signal for escalation, any claims of movement like evacuation of the border villages is coming from the Indian side. We are not in any mood to imitate anything but if anything gets initiated from their side it will get a very comprehensive and very befitting response, he said

Responding to Indian terrorism charges, General Bajwa reiterated that Pakistan has been fighting a major war against terrorism on its own soil with full commitment and those operations being undertaken by more than 200-thousands troops are moving towards the concluding stage.

It will be very unfortunate if we have to pull out troops from their and bring them on the eastern border [with India], the army spokesman said when asked whether further escalation in tensions with India would promote Pakistan to redeploy troops from the western border with Afghanistan.
In a major boost to global efforts to address climate change, India  the worlds third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases  ratified the landmark Paris climate pact Sunday.



Indias formal agreement brings the accord closer to coming into force. It is to take effect after 55 countries producing 55 percent of the worlds emissions ratify it.



With India's signature, 62 countries accounting for more than half the worlds emissions would have come onboard.



The European Union has said it will ratify the pact next week. The United States and China did so last month.



Indias ratification is significant. Although the country of 1.2 billion people accounts for about four percent of worldwide emissions, it is poised for a "quantum leap" in energy generation to fuel its fast-growing economy.



The Paris pact aims to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times by ushering in a radical shift away from the worlds reliance on fossil fuels.



India ratified the deal on the birth anniversary of its independence leader, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, calling him an example of how to live with a low carbon footprint.



In a reference to developed countries, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said profound lifestyle changes would be necessary to reduce pressure on the worlds resources. We want to say loud and clear that the Indian way of life, the Gandhian way of life, unless that lifestyle is adopted, we can have seminars and negotiations, but little will be achieved, Dave said a day before India signed the pact.



India has always argued that its per capita contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is a fraction of that of developed countries.



The minister also said India will seek a clear roadmap relating to finance and technology transfers at future climate change talks. Rich countries have pledged $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020, but so far concrete commitments amount to a fraction of that sum.



India has promised to slash the intensity of its fossil-fuel emissions  a measure of pollution released per unit of economic growth  by one-third by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.



It plans to achieve that by making a massive shift to renewables, generating 40 percent of the power from clean energy sources by 2030. Much of this will come from solar in the sun-drenched country, which so far relies heavily on polluting coal for power generation.



India was initially reluctant to join a global climate pact arguing that it cannot end its reliance on cheap coal to meet its growing energy needs. It points out that one-third of its population is still not connected to the grid and it needs to improve the standard of living of millions still struggling in poverty.



But New Delhi changed its position last year and signaled that it is ready to combat climate change with the rest of the world.



The road ahead in climate negotiations, however, is not going to be easy. Minister Dave said at talks on phasing out a potent group of gases called hydrofluorocarbons, the country will ensure that development of India must not get compromised. That we must get enough time."



Nitin Pandit, the head of the Indian arm of research organization World Resources Institute, said India is making earnest attempts to enable renewable energy to play a big part in its energy mix through new policies to encourage investment in clean energy.



To integrate renewables into the grid is not childs play says Pandit.



He says there is pressure to act. I do believe the overall public and politics at large in India and perhaps in many other countries is seeing the impact of climate change. They are right there to see. And if they dont do anything, nature has a way of telling society what is going on, says Pandit.



A small town in Rajasthan state this summer broke Indias previous record for the highest temperature, when the mercury in Phalodi town touched 51 degrees Celsius.
Iranian news reports say Tehran has built a new aerial attack drone similar to a U.S. military aerial vehicle captured five years ago after it entered Iranian airspace from the country's eastern border with Afghanistan.

The semiofficial Tasnim news agency said the "Saeqeh" ("Thunderbolt") long-range drone is capable of hitting four targets with smart bombs with what it called "pinpoint accuracy."

The report described the new drone as a homegrown aircraft "made by reverse engineering of [an] American Lockheed Martin RQ-170" vehicle that was downed in December 2011. It described the new drone as part of a broad range of unmanned vehicles with civilian and military applications.

There has been no official U.S. comment on the Tasnim report.

In 2012, Iranian media quoted a top general as saying data recovered from the seized U.S. drone showed it was used to conduct surveillance on the Pakistan hideout of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden shortly before he was killed by U.S. forces in 2011.

The Washington Post also reported that year that a CIA stealth surveillance drone had earlier flown deep over Iranian territory, capturing images of Iran's high-security Qom uranium enrichment facility before leaving the country's airspace.

During that period, Iran and Western powers were embroiled in a contentious dispute over the details of Iran's suspect nuclear program, which was widely thought to be working to develop nuclear weapons.

The dispute led to a series of crippling Western sanctions against Iran that remained in place until 2015, when Tehran reached a preliminary agreement with Western powers to redesign its nuclear facilities to curtail the production of nuclear fuels.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologized "profoundly and deeply" to the world's Jewish community Sunday for comparing his war on drug traffickers to the Nazi Holocaust of World War II.

"I would like to make it clear here and now that there was never any intention on my part to derogate the memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Germans," Duterte said at the opening of a festival in the city of Bacolod.

He admitted his comments last week left a "bad taste" in many mouths.

But he said he will not apologize to the critics of his tough and often violent crackdown on suspected drug users, producers and sellers.

His drug war has killed estimated 3,000 people, including many without a trial. Duterte used an expletive against "stupid" European Union lawyers and United Nations human rights officials who have criticized his campaign, and he has threatened to throw them out of the country.

Duterte said Friday "Hitler massacred three-million Jews...there's three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them."

Historians say the number of Jews murdered by the Nazis was at least six million.

Duterte's aides say he was angry and reacting to a U.N. official's remark comparing his tactics to those of mass murderers Hitler and Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner called Duterte's remarks "troubling" and a significant departure from the Philippines' tradition of human rights and dignity.
Syrian forces advanced in the northern city of Aleppo Sunday, in an ongoing offensive to wrest one of the country's major cities from opposition fighters.

Syrian state media reports the army promised rebels safe passage if they cleared out of the city's eastern sector, following bombing campaigns that have heavily targeted the area's hospitals.

Relief workers say the largest remaining Syrian hospital in the rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo was bombed Saturday for the second time in recent days, as Syrian government forces and their Russian allies push to recapture the entire city.

"The healthcare system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated," U.N. Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien implored Sunday.

Watch video report from VOA's Zlatica Hoke:

He called again for at least a temporary stop to the violence to evacuate critical medical cases from the city, where he said the hospital system is on the verge of collapsing.

"As an absolute minimum, I reiterate my call for 48 hours weekly humanitarian pause in the fighting," O'Brien said in a statement posted online. "Stop the carnage now."

The month-long battle for Aleppo has sparked some of the deadliest violence since civil war erupted in Syria more than five years ago.

U.N. officials have estimated as many as 400,000 people have been killed in the fighting, which has also displaced millions of others.

World Health Organization humanitarian spokesman Rick Brennan, speaking Friday, described the situation in Aleppo as really unfathomable.

Brennan said health officials in the city have recorded 338 bombing deaths in the last couple of weeks and said the toll includes 106 children. More than 800 people have been wounded, he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has denounced the hospital bombings as war crimes, while the United States continues to press Russia for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

The Obama administration accuses Russia and Syria of targeting hospitals, refugee camps and other critical sites, including water pumping stations and power plants. U.S. officials say the bombings are indiscriminate and that the Russians make no effort to limit their targets to Islamic State fighters.

For its part, Russia insists its forces are targeting what it calls "terrorists."
The campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump traded fierce accusations after The New York Times newspaper published what appears to be a portion of the Republican nominees 1995 federal tax returns.

Sent anonymously to The Times, the documents show Trump declared a $916 million loss in 1995, allowing the real estate mogul to pay no tax on income in subsequent years totaling the same amount.

The revelation came days after Clinton, a Democrat, repeatedly assailed Trumps financial dealings and his refusal to release his tax returns at Mondays presidential debate.

In one year, Donald Trump lost nearly a billion dollars. A billion, Clintons campaign said in a statement late Saturday. He apparently got to avoid paying taxes for nearly two decades  while tens of millions of working families paid theirs.

"The only news here is that the more than 20-year-old alleged tax document was illegally obtained, a further demonstration that the New York Times, like establishment media in general, is an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Trump campaign said in a statement.

"Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required. That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, the statement added.

Trump surrogates took to the airwaves Sunday to defend the nominee.

This man, 26 years ago, had some failures and then he built an empire, said former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani on ABCs This Week program. He was a genius in being able to do that. America needs a turnaround right now, and Donald Trump is a turnaround artist.

If everybody in this country was a genius, like Mr. Trump is and not pay any taxes, we would not have a country, said Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who challenged Clinton for the Democratic nomination, also on ABC. Secretary Clinton and I believe that the wealthiest people in this country should start paying their fair share [of taxes].

The Times said the Trump tax records expose "the extraordinary tax benefits" he acquired from "the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan." The Times says the documents were mailed to a reporter at the newspaper from a New York address, and consisted of three pages.

Nothing in the documents sent to The Times shows illegal behavior by Trump. All Americans can offset taxable gains with financial losses. But in a political cycle where income inequality and transparency have been major issues, Trumps tax history  what is known and unknown  is giving Democrats ample ammunition as the election draws closer.
Volkswagen has agreed to pay its U.S. dealers up to $1.2 billion to compensate them for losses they said they suffered as a result of the companys emissions cheating scandal, according to a settlement agreement filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco.

Under the terms of the deal, dealers can opt out and pursue their own lawsuits against Volkswagen. A judge must to approve the settlement before it can go into effect.

Volkswagen previously reached an agreement with attorneys for car owners. That deal calls for it to spend up to $10 billion buying back or repairing about 475,000 vehicles involved in the cheating and paying their owners an additional $5,100 to $10,000 each.

Details about the vehicle repairs have not been finalized.

Attorneys for vehicle owners said in a court filing Friday that more than 311,000 people have registered for the deal and fewer than 3,300 people have opted out.

There is resounding support for this consumer class settlement and the substantial benefits it provides, Elizabeth Cabraser, lead attorney for Volkswagen owners, said in a statement.

The settlement also includes $2.7 billion for unspecified environmental mitigation and an additional $2 billion to promote zero-emissions vehicles.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer gave the deal preliminary approval in July, and he is expected to make a final decision October 18.

The deal does not cover about 85,000 more-powerful Volkswagens and Audis with 3-liter engines also caught up in the emissions scandal.
This past Thursday, a New Jersey Transit commuter train crashed in Hoboken Terminal, killing one woman and injuring at least 100 others, including the conductor. In addition to being leaderless and underfunded, a recent federal investigation has revealed that NJ Transit has had more than 150 accidents over the past five years.

The Associated Press reports that NJ Transit's history of accidents over the past five years has resulted in more than $4.8 million in damage to tracks and equipment, and the state's transit authority has paid more than $500,000 to settle safety violations. This data does not include the figures for this year, which are not yet available.

Since 2011, NJ Transit settled 183 safety violations ranging from employee drug and alcohol use to violations of railroad operating uses and practices. The Federal Railroad Administration began an audit of the transit authority in June after noticing an increase in rail incidentsinspectors found more than a dozen violations in 2014 and 2015 alone. According to the report, there were 25 accidents and 10 in the first seven months of this year, none of which were fatal or caused any injuries. Most of the accidents occurred at low speeds and more than half were in train yards.

Despite NJ Transit's high volume of accidents, the fatal crash that occurred in Hoboken this week is particularly egregious. Passengers on the train said nothing seemed unusual until the moment of the crash, when the lights went out and the train flew into the station.

Fabiola Bittar, who was standing on the platform when the train barreled into the terminal, died after part of the ceiling collapsed onto her. Bittar was the only fatality, and more than 100 others were injured as a result of the crash.

The train's engineer, Thomas Gallagher, has been interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board and has no record of having prior medical problems, criminal history, or other infractions. Gallagher was among those injured during the accident.

On Saturday, the NTSB announced that track signals leading to Hoboken Terminal seem to be working normally and that they were unable to find anything that would have affected the performance of the train. Signs posted at an NJ Transit maintenance facility in Hoboken said there had been 10 incidents involving trains between December 2015 and this February, and that the main cause of the incidents was human error. Samples of Gallagher's blood and urine have been sent to a toxicology lab for examination.

The NTSB also retrieved an event recorder from the locomotive at the rear of the train which contains speed and braking information. They have been unable to extract a second recorder from the train's forward-facing camera because it is stuck under a collapsed section of the terminal's roof. Investigators are concerned the crash may have released asbestos in the 109-year-old building.

In response to the crash, Chris Christie announced on Friday that New Jersey's gas taxwhich funds the state's depleted Transportation Trust Fundwill increase by 23 cents, its first hike since 1988.
As in many parts of Hungary, factories in this town have been shuttered for decades. Locals say those who have jobs are paid poorly.

When asked, many of the people here say they will vote "no" in Sunday's controversial referendum because they don't want migrants moving in, competing for jobs and raising security concerns.

"I will definitely vote, because we are worrying about our jobs, our living standard, our families and our daughters," said Sidos Zsolt, a 56-year-old construction worker who lives on the ground floor of a Soviet-era apartment building.

Analysts say that as long as enough people vote in Sunday's referendum on European Union-mandated migrant quotas, the measure will likely pass, rejecting the EU position. Analysts say that if the measure passes with a "no" vote, it could encourage European political parties who favor hardening policies against refugees.

WATCH: Heather Murdock reporting from Kiskunhalas

Officials in Budapest say the EU does not have the right to dictate national migrant policy. If Hungarians turn out to vote "no" on migration quotas, it will send a clear message to Brussels, they say.

"We don't need migrants in this country," government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said. "What you see in Europe is that there is a difference on a very fundamental level about it if it's a good thing."

IN PICTURES: Voting in Hungary

Government campaign

The government has hung billboards and aired commercials across the country, urging people not to "take the risk."

The opposition is small but increasingly loud as the vote nears.

Activists with the Two-Tailed Dog Party say the ballot is a power play and that the government is using fear of refugees to gain power.

"The main goal of this campaign is to take the attention from its critical performance," explained Csaba Dudas, a Two-Tailed Dog Party organizer. "Because before starting this fear campaign from the migrants, the popularity  the support  of the government was falling down."

In response to the government campaign, Dudas' party has hung signs and billboards across the country, mocking the referendum and urging people to cast invalid votes.

Right-wing politicians

Analysts say if 50 percent of the voters turn out, the ballot measure is likely to pass, empowering increasingly popular right-wing politicians in Europe, because Fidesz is Hungary's ruling party, not a fringe group.

"Mainstream parties like Fidesz are taking the agenda of the radical-right parties," said Goran Buldioski, the co-director of the Open Society Initiative for Europe. "I find it really worrying, because then we really have much bigger and broader support for radical policies in the society."

At a pro-refugee rally Friday night, some locals said whether passing the ballot measure is practical or radical, the effect of it is largely up to the migrants themselves.

Hungary has almost no refugees, and mandated migrant quotas would most likely never be enforced because refugees perceive Hungary as unwelcoming and rarely seek to settle in the country, the locals added.

"I hate that they are raising hatred," said Lajos, a Hungarian information officer attending the rally. "It's a joke. A really bad joke."
As Hungarians are voting for a referendum on European Union-mandated migrant quotas, analysts say that as long as enough people vote, the measure will likely pass, rejecting the EU position. Analysts say the political consequences of the referendum passing could encourage European political parties who favor hardening policies against refugees. From Nyergesujfalu in the Hungarian countryside, VOAs Heather Murdock reports.
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, according to The New York Times, which said the "substantial" tax deduction could have allowed Trump "to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years."

The nearly billion-dollar loss was large enough to eliminate more than $50 million a year in taxable income for 18 years, according to The Times. The newspaper said it had consulted tax experts who saw nothing illegal in the Trump tax documents that took advantage of a tax provision that is "particularly prized by America's dynastic families, who, like the Trumps, hold their wealth inside byzantine networks of partnerships, limited-liability companies and S corporations."

Responding to the report Sunday, Trump tweeted "I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them."

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, speculated Monday at the presidential debate that Trump had not released his tax returns because they would reveal that he had not paid any federal taxes. Trump responded to Clinton at the debate, saying "That makes me smart."

The Times said the tax records expose "the extraordinary tax benefits" Trump acquired from "the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan."

The Times says the documents were mailed to a reporter at the newspaper from a New York address, and consisted of three pages.

The returns were shown to Jack Mitnick who took care of Trump's tax matters and returns for more than 30 years, according to The Times. Mitnick told the newspaper the tax documents "appeared to be authentic."

The newspaper reported that a Trump lawyer has threatened legal action for the publication of the records because Trump had not authorized the disclosure.

The Times said the Trump tax documents it received "represent a small fraction of the voluminous tax returns Mr. Trump would have filed in 1995."

In other developments, at a Trump rally Saturday in Manheim, Pennsylvania, the Republican candidate questioned Clinton's physical health and said she had contempt for Americans. He also urged his Pennsylvania supporters to be observant at their polling places to avoid voting fraud.

After listing a host of world problems, Trump said his opponent is "supposed to fight all of these things and she can't make it 15 feet to her car. Give me a break." Clinton did not reveal she had a bout of pneumonia until televised footage was released of her stumbling into a vehicle.

Trump also told the rally that Clinton thought Bernie Sanders supporters are "hopeless and ignorant basement dwellers." Sanders lost to Clinton to become the Democratic presidential candidate.

In recently leaked documents from a February fundraiser, Clinton said Sanders supporters were "children of the Great Recession" who she said "are living in their parents' basement. They feel that they got their education and the jobs that are available to them are not at all what they envisioned for themselves." She said the idea that they could be part of the economic revolution that Sanders proposed was "pretty appealing."

Trump goes after Bill

Also, Trump has apparently launched a plan to discredit Clinton by attempting to make former president Bill Clintons sexual indiscretions a central issue of the presidential campaign.

In an interview Friday with The New York Times, Trump said he thought the negative attacks would help him win over more female voters, two-thirds of whom view him unfavorably, according to polls.

"She's nasty, but I can be nastier than she ever can be," Trump said.

"Hillary Clinton was married to the single greatest abuser of women in the history of politics," Trump said in reference to her husband, who served as president from 1993 and 2001.

"Hillary was an enabler, and she attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterward. I think it's a serious problem for them, and it's something that I'm considering talking about more in the near future," Trump told The Times.

The Clinton campaign has apparently tried to preempt Trump's attacks by releasing audio of Bill Clinton discussing his marriage with Hillary.

Trump's verbal attacks come despite the fact that the first of Trump's three marriages ended in divorce after the real estate mogul developed a relationship with the woman who eventually became his second wife.

When asked by The Times if he was ever unfaithful to his wives, Trump responded by saying, "No. I never discuss it. I never discuss it. It was never a problem."

Poll numbers slip

In addition to finding a way to rally from what was widely perceived by independent political analysts as a loss to Clinton during Monday's presidential debate, Trump is trying to regain ground he has since lost to Clinton in the polls.

Clinton leads Trump by an average of 3 percentage points among likely voters nationwide, according to RealClearPolitics. The latest poll, released Friday by Fox News, confirmed Clinton's 3-point edge in a four-way matchup. The poll, conducted over a three-day period after Monday's debate, showed Clinton leading Trump 43 percent to 40 percent. That represented a 1-percentage-point increase over the previous Fox News poll conducted in mid-September, prior to Monday's debate.

Another recent poll showed most people who supported third-party presidential candidates were not completely committed to them, suggesting that a shift in their support toward Clinton or Trump could significantly alter the dynamics of the race. An Associated Press-GfK poll found that nearly 70 percent of third-party supporters said they could still change their minds. These voters were about evenly split between leaning toward Trump or Clinton.

With the November 8 presidential election about five weeks away, the presidential candidates are approaching the final stretch of what has been a grueling campaign season.

Trump was on the campaign trail Saturday in Pennsylvania, where Clinton was clinging to an average 1.8-percentage-point lead, according to RealClearPolitics.

If Clinton holds on to her leads and wins in Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, she could capture the 270 electoral votes needed with Colorado and Pennsylvania. If Clinton loses one of those states, she would have to earn victories in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio, where the two major party candidates are tied.

Electoral College

U.S. presidential elections are not decided by a national popular vote. Instead, they are decided by individual races in the 50 states, with each state's importance in the overall outcome weighted by its population. Winning presidential candidates have to amass a majority of 270 votes in the 538-member Electoral College based on the state-by-state results.
What, you thought since Bernie Sanders bowed out of the election this summer that SNL wouldnt find a way to bring back Larry David as Americas favorite lovable curmudgeon? Nah. Hillary Clintons political posse turned up to support her in the newest edition of Family Feud, where the septuagenarian was joined by Bill Clinton (good to see ya, Darrell Hammond!), Sarah Silverman, and Lin-Manuel Miranda to face off against Trumps crew. This time around, Bernie wants to enlighten you as to why Hillary is the prune juice of the election, all while being dismissive of the social protocol of handshakes. Feel the Bern.
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Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church at Ninth Street and Dutton Avenue has stood its ground as developers bought land all around it, promising the arrival soon of two new hotels, a retail strip and restaurants. It even said thanks but no thanks when representatives of Wal-Mart offered to buy the building the 101-year-old congregation occupies.

The Rev. Kerry Burkley, who serves as pastor, said despite what the public may have heard, the church never received an offer it thought was adequate, considering the rich history of Greater Ebenezer, its roots in the neighborhood across Interstate 35 from Baylor University and what it invested in a new home in 2009.

We will continue to show up and worship the Lord, Burkley said when asked about the banging of hammers next door that accompanies construction and the arrival of drive-thru windows at eateries and new places to spend the night. Its kind of intriguing to see what arrives next, and it could prove to be another field of outreach.

Acres of land between South 10th and 11th streets near I-35 found new owners two weeks ago, marking the consummation of four years of negotiations involving developers Shane and Cody Turner, Waco restaurateur Sammy Citrano and real estate agent Bland Cromwell, along with others who have assembled the parcels between South Ninth and South 11th streets, from I-35 to Cleveland Avenue.

In the midst of this commercial boom sits Greater Ebenezer, which attracts about 120 worshippers to its lively Sunday morning services.

Already, members can hear the roar of big rigs and heavy traffic on the nearby interstate, but the noise does not quench their spirit. Owners of nearby homes have sold their property to the developers, their homes becoming fodder for bulldozers that reduce them to mounds of lumber.

Still, Greater Ebenezer stands firm, like the solid rock on which it was built, Burkley said.

God has us here until he tells us to move, he said.

Cromwell said he and others negotiated with the leadership of Greater Ebenezer until it became obvious the church didnt want to sell for what they were offering.

We offered to buy the church and were willing to include another tract of land at another location on which they could build, Cromwell said. It was not as if we said, We will give you this amount of money. It was a convoluted deal. We met with them twice, as I recall, and there were some differences of opinion. There was a lot of sentimental value attached to that church, but we offered what I considered a fair number, a big number, but we just could not get it done.

Cromwell said Wal-Mart indeed was interested in placing a store on that site, but he did not recall mentioning that fact to the congregation.

Citrano, a member of a partnership that acquired land near Greater Ebenezer, said he distinctly recalls telling the church about Wal-Marts desire to build there.

We offered to build them a new church at a different location and to pay off all debt on their existing church, which was a lot, Citrano said. But they thought their property was worth more than all the other property along three streets combined. They would not change their minds.

Citrano declined to say exactly how much the deal would have been worth to Greater Ebenezer but confirmed it would have well exceeded $1 million.

Behind us

Wal-Mart was interested, which is the only reason we could offer what we did, Citrano said. But its all over and behind us, and I dont want to make anybody mad over this. I need prayers, not enemies. Its all good, and I think what we will see going up in that area is great.

Burkley, the churchs pastor, declined to comment on the offer the church received and which its deacons prayerfully considered. He said Greater Ebenezer is familiar with the trials involved in methodically acquiring parcels of land, as it spent decades closing deals to accommodate a new worship site.

We finally amassed enough to do what we did in 2009, and that is to move into our new building, which is about 65 feet from our old one, Burkley said.

Elroy Cross, a deacon at Greater Ebenezer, said he spent countless hours combing through records to figure out who owned tracts the church needed to expand.

One businessman owned a piece of land right in the middle of where we wanted to build and he demanded an outrageous price to get it, but we had to do what we had to do, Cross said. We have a lot of history here, a lot that people outside the congregation may not care about. . . . I-35 is a blessing to Waco, but that does not mean we have to pack up and leave because were right next to it.

We have had offers, but have we really been tempted to sell? No. Most of the people who spoke with us were truthful and straightforward, but the idea of someone looking us in the face and suggesting the church didnt mean a whole lot to them, that they were more interested in the property, that was kind of a turnoff.

Cross said hes not sure what it would take for the church to take an offer seriously and its a difficult question to consider.

There are some that would be worth praying about, Ill put it that way, he said. But I kind of doubt well be seeing any more offers. I think theyre about finished with us.

Burkley said most of the people who attend Greater Ebenezer do not live in the immediate neighborhood.

We are a majority black congregation, but our doors are open to anyone who may want to worship with us, he said. Were right across the highway from Baylor University, and we welcome Baylor students. The church is 101 years old, and weve been meeting at this location 91 years.

Land transactions near the church already have produced a new Raising Canes Chicken Fingers, a new Panera Bread and a Freddys Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. Meanwhile, site preparation has begun on a Waco branch of McGregor-based TFNB Your Bank for Life.

Deals that recently closed involved 11th Street Partnership, a group that includes Citrano, the Turner brothers and others who sold acreage nearest I-35 to yet another partnership that includes brothers Shane and Cody Turner. Hotelier Raju Patel acquired a tract near Cleveland Avenue on which he will place a 110-room La Quinta del Sol, which he described as a top-tier concept of La Quinta. The dealing means another hotel developer, as yet unidentified, controls a tract next to Patels.

Burkley, meanwhile, said apartments and townhomes, including Tinsley Place, going up near the church only strengthen its resolve to stay put.

We will meet new folks and express the relationship we have with our Lord, he said. They are now our neighbors in an excellent town.
Praising the cool, dry weather, Waco Cultural Arts Fest director Doreen Ravenscroft estimated late Saturday afternoon that 10,000 to 15,000 people had visited the displays and interactive booths in Indian Spring Park and the Waco Convention Center, across University Parks Drive from the park.

We scheduled it a week later this year, and it paid off, Ravenscroft said, contrasting this years 13th annual event with the steamy 2016 festival.

The National Weather Service recorded a high temperature of 83 on Saturday and an average of 69.

Gesturing toward the natural outdoor amphitheater framing the stage for performing arts, she said, The crowds have been like this all day, just solid. When you have an outdoor festival, everything depends on the weather.

Activities this year were highlighted by a dedication and ribbon cutting for the Waco Downtown Cultural District recently chartered by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

At the microphone onstage, arts commission executive director Gary Gibbs, of Austin, emphasized the role of the arts in fostering a citys revitalization and vibrancy.

Where the arts are thriving, people want to live, work and play there, Gibbs said.

Fiona Bond, executive director of the nonprofit Creative Waco  formed partly to organize and promote the district  thanked local and state dignitaries who took part in the ceremony sandwiched between performing arts presentations.

It takes a whole city to raise a cultural district, Bond said.

Arts fest activities started Friday evening, continued all day Saturday and will begin again Sunday. Onstage at 1 p.m. will be the Ray Johnston Band, to be followed by Guy Forsyth and the Hot Nut Riveters at 2:30 p.m. and Holly Tucker at 4 p.m.

Works by 25 area artists are featured. A Wordfest will continue with workshops, writers panel discussions and open mic poetry readings. Two classes starting at 11 a.m. will precede a dance concert in the Dance Festival in the convention center.

A Filmfest celebrating African life concluded Saturday, as did a Sciencefest, with interactive science and engineering displays.

Interactive tables and booths for sculpture and painting for all ages will be open in the park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., across from a line of food trucks on University Parks Drive.

Becky Hansen was leading a team Saturday evening packing equipment up from a childrens easel art table.

Weve been doing this for many years and had an especially good time this year because of the weather, Hansen said. The kids painted everything you can imagine.

Ravenscroft said she had met many people who have been attending the festival since its beginning or shortly thereafter.

Weve become a civic institution, she said.

Festival newcomer Judy Brown, who attended with her four children, said she will be back.

I was thinking of it as a way to get the kids out of the house, but we learned a lot, Brown said. Since we got here late in the day and found so much here, were coming back Sunday to spend all afternoon.
With courtroom space at a premium in the 114-year-old McLennan County Courthouse, judges and county officials are looking at two long-vacant, county-owned structures to create a possible criminal courts building.

The countys two primary felony court judges, Matt Johnson and Ralph Strother, are history buffs and appreciate the significance that their respective courtrooms have in the landmark building.

But the judges, along with 74th State District Judge Gary Coley, who is taking on a portion of Strothers criminal court duties and expects to take on more, realize the countys present-day criminal justice system has outgrown the courthouse design and function.

For us to be able to utilize the 74th District Court as a full-time criminal district court, we are going to need an additional courtroom that can securely and safely handle felony trials, said Johnson, judge of 54th State District Court. The current courthouse is at capacity for courtroom space, and with the growth in our county and the increase in indictments, we need to look to the future and be prepared.

Johnson, Strother and Coley met with McLennan County Judge Scott Felton and County Commissioner Ben Perry recently to discuss the countys criminal justice issues.

For some time, county officials have discussed how to gain more use from the former Grand Karem Shrine building at Washington Avenue and Seventh Street, which has 50,000 square feet.

A court that presides over attorney general child-support cases and the county health and human service office are the buildings lone tenants.

But a recent study of the building, which features a huge ballroom on the fourth floor, said it could cost up to $12.5 million to renovate it. That was more than double what Felton expected, he said.

People come up with a lot of good ideas, but they very seldom have any money. We are looking to see if it is feasible to use the Shrine building to a great extent or some sort of shared-use services arrangement with the city, Felton said. It is just pretty expensive to redo an old building.

Looking at all things

We are just looking at all our options, looking at what we occupy and space we own and dont have anything in it. We are looking at logistical and financial things and, really, just looking at all things.

Felton declined to discuss potential plans in detail because he said the discussions so far have been preliminary and he wants to talk to members of the commissioners court about them first. That could come Tuesday at their meeting, Felton said.

When the high Shrine building renovation estimate came in, officials turned to the vacant downtown jail on Columbus Avenue, which they say could be turned into a criminal courts building.

They say the building has sufficient room for holding cells, which the main courthouse lacks, and for three or four district courtrooms and two county courts-at-law.

The way our current courthouse is configured, there are security risks with the way we have to transfer inmates, Johnson said. It is not just a risk to court personnel. It is a risk to any citizen or individual who is in the courthouse. Because of the Jail Standard Commissions regulations on holding cells, we have very limited space to detain individuals in custody.

On any given week, because of the limited number of holding cells, eight to 10 defendants charged with serious felonies are placed in jury boxes in the courtrooms to wait their turn in front of the judge. Courthouse deputies transfer the inmates to Strothers 19th State District Court through the courthouse hallways, which can be filled with witnesses, victims family members, jurors, spectators, lawyers and others.

I dont want to put ideas into anybodys head, but it is basically a train wreck waiting to happen, Strother said. With all those people we sometimes get up there, it makes for a volatile mix and it makes it very difficult to operate. That is our present situation, and it is totally inadequate for our present-day needs. This place was never designed for the volume of business that we do now.

Coley, of 74th State District Court, is the countys juvenile court judge and spends most of his time at the juvenile detention center on Gholson Road. He also handles civil cases.

Recently, he has been coming to the courthouse annex to handle the state-jail felony plea docket from Strothers caseload. Eventually, if there are other courtrooms available, he could handle more felony cases to ease the growing load on Johnson and Strother.

Coley cant handle felony cases in his courtroom on Gholson Road because adult inmates and juvenile offenders cannot be detained in the same building.

Johnson said he expects county officials to consult with an engineering firm to get an estimate about converting the downtown jail, which has been vacant about seven years, into a courts building.

There also has been talk of relocating the 10th Court of Appeals, which has outgrown its space on the fourth floor of the courthouse. The county considered the Shrine building as a place for the intermediate appellate court, but the old jail might be able to accommodate it, Johnson said.

There is a lot of room over there in that old jail that is just sitting there empty, Strother said. It would be up to the commissioners to give final approval, but the three district judges who were in that meeting are all in favor of the concept.

Despite the need for courtrooms, the history buff comes out in Johnson and Strother when thinking about moving their courtrooms.

I certainly understand making sure the system works and making sure it is efficient, but I cant tell you I wont have some regret taking the 54th District Court out of the McLennan County Courthouse, where it has been located since 1902, Johnson said.
The nonprofit grocery that store Mission Waco is creating at North 15th Street and Colcord Avenue will open Nov. 21, just three days before Thanksgiving, Jimmy Dorrell, executive director of Mission Waco, announced in an email to supporters Friday.

Dorrell said the Jubilee Food Market will have a soft opening that day, giving residents of its North Waco neighborhood the ability to shop at a grocery store near their home and not travel more than 2 miles to the nearest food store, the H-E-B at Park Lake Drive and North 19th Street.

Dorrell also said that after many months, Mission Waco received what he described as an amended grant from Green Mountain Energys Sun Club in the amount of $234,000 for the Urban REAP program. Mission Waco will develop a complex next to the Jubilee Food Market with an aquaponics greenhouse for raising produce; solar panels; a composting system; a rainwater collection and water purification system; areas for food growing; and a small training room for school groups.

Plants and fish raised with the system will be sold in Jubilee Food Market, across 15th Street from other Mission Waco facilities.

Mission Waco will have to provide about $96,000 in additional funds for the project, Dorrell said. Some of those dollars will come from the Seth Dorrell Memorial Fund, but we will still have to raise more for unfunded needs of the project. Since their initial email announcement was a simple, Congratulations, there is more news to come.

Dorrells son, Seth, died at age 32 of a heart attack while on a mission trip to Mexico in 2013.

Using donations that have poured in from around the country, Mission Waco is spending nearly $500,000 to convert an old Safeway building into a store to serve a food desert in North Waco, where many residents rely on convenience stores to meet their grocery needs, paying higher prices for a more limited selection than they would have at full-service grocery stores.

Crucial donations

The effort has benefited from donations of freezers, air-conditioning units and other equipment, as well as labor and expertise, Dorrell has said. He has estimated he will spend $75,000 or more to stock the store with merchandise that Jubilee will sell as inexpensively as possible.

It will focus on the sale of edible items, but shoppers also will find paper goods, diapers, batteries and about a dozen other nonfood products.

We are working on deals with food suppliers, including larger ones out of Houston and Brenham and several smaller ones who provide limited items, Dorrell said recently. Were getting inquiries from people who want to make livestock available to us, including a woman who raises grass-fed beef and likes to keep it hanging in coolers for 30 days, which she said improves the finished product. We wont be able to sell that a whole lot cheaper than others might because it represents higher quality.

Anyone may shop at Jubilee, but people who live in area codes nearest the store will receive additional discounts.

Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of the hit show Fixer Upper on HGTV and owners of Magnolia Market at the Silos, contributed $51,000 to the cause, which was raised by an auction of contents of the historic Elite Cafe on Wacos traffic circle.

The Gaineses bought the iconic eating establishment shortly after it closed for business earlier this year.

They plan to open a restaurant there and have submitted documents on its renovation to the Texas Historical Commission.
Someone asked me the other day if the Trib editorial board was going to endorse anyone for president of the United States. I replied we already had. Last spring we recommended our fellow voters support Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican.

Yeah, but he got beat in the Republican primary.

Yeah, well, thats not our fault.

In fact, Kasich, an accomplished budget-cutter; man of faith in word and deed; and fierce believer in bipartisanship, got 5.14 percent of the Republican vote in this county. Obviously, that recommendation carried precious little weight. So why should some voters suddenly press us at the Trib to offer a recommendation in the general election between two perfectly deplorable nominees?

Granted, dreadful past decisions by voters, including bypassing highly qualified Republicans in favor of a rodeo cowboy for ag commissioner and an ethically compromised lawmaker for state attorney general, make us less and less inclined to bother with candidate recommendations. On occasions when we make a recommendation, we usually base it on candidates views, experience and integrity after exhaustive editorial board Q&As.

Its hard to do that in this presidential race. Not only have we not had a crack at the candidates, neither, it seems, have the legitimate national news media. So much of the 2016 campaign has focused on candidates blowhard stump speeches and what passes for debates  really mud-wrestling and name-calling in the GOP forums  that one cant make an informed decision.

For instance, the last few weeks have seen birtherism revived, an issue that reality TV star and real estate mogul Donald Trump raised in 2011 and that a majority of Republicans now accept as gospel. One of the proudest moments in my newspaper career came during my daily meetings for this opinion page with then-Trib owner and businessman Clifton Robinson, easily one of the most conservative Republicans in Waco. As much as he opposed President Obama on virtually every front, he thought it disgraceful that Trump would try to delegitimize the nations first black president through such outrageous, unfounded and racist slander.

In Mr. Robinsons view, one always respects the president, whatever his party or politics  something that we made clear in a number of editorials at the time. Its a message many papers, both conservative and liberal, voiced. Obviously, few Republicans heeded.

Now, after five years and with his numbers rising in the polls, Trump has decided that, well, OK, maybe Obama wasnt really foreign-born after all but was born in Hawaii, just as the presidents birth certificate and Hawaii state officials said all along. And then Trump promptly blamed the Hillary Clinton campaign for raising the rumor in the first place during her 2008 campaign  a scurrilous Trump charge just as truthful as his seeing Muslim mobs in America celebrating the collapse of the World Trade Center in the 9/11 attacks. Too many Republicans have bowed down in adoring chorus.

All this raises an interesting point: If in fact the Clinton campaign first raised the issue in 2008  and theres no evidence such discussions got beyond a few private communications between campaign officials  then what does it say that someone all-knowing such as deal-maker Donald Trump would fall face-flat for such a rumor, especially one from the despised and deceitful Clinton camp? What does it say that he would run with it for several years? I say it raises questions about his basic judgment, if not his intelligence.

Last week, Trump sidetracked his campaign again in a bizarre Twitter tirade over a former Miss Universe and his reservations about her weight, complete with 3-in-the morning rants.

The real problem is none of this deals with serious issues, which is what some of us need to make informed decisions. Questions about Trumps willingness to abandon NATO and risk World War III, or Hillary Clintons willingness to further bankrupt the nation with debt-free college, or their shared willingness to cede trade advantage to China in the Pacific, go unanswered.

So given that the 2016 election has steadily devolved into a shabby circus that would shame the Founders and provides comfort to our enemies and anxiety to our allies, we leave the decision to each and every voter. Step right up and pick your poison: The Dragon Lady in Ring No. 1 or the Snake Man in Ring No. 2.

Enjoy the results. No matter what happens and no matter who wins, many of us  perhaps even most of us  will have helped bring our great nation to this sorry point in history.
Nobody likes the wall, says Tony Martinez, mayor of Brownsville, a city in the southeastern corner of Texas across the Rio Grande from Matamoros, Mexico. Hes the son of Mexican immigrants and a Democrat, but hes not exaggerating: Even Donald Trump supporters in the town hate the border fence that has been here since 2008.

Build that wall, build that wall! I have heard people chant this at Trump rallies in the small towns of Iowa and New Hampshire, far from the Mexican border. Trump promises to build a wall that will be impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful.

The fence in Brownsville is 18 feet tall and made from rusty iron bars. I could climb it in about 15 seconds.

Our record is eight, says Michael Seifert, an organizer for the Equal Voice Network, a coalition of civic groups in the Rio Grande Valley.

It has cost more than $6 million per mile to build and it runs through farmers fields and townspeoples backyards. The local consensus is that it hasnt helped anyone except contractors and drug cartels.

The fence stretches across private lands as far as two miles from the Rio Grande, the natural border between Texas and Mexico. It doesnt quite reach the Gulf of Mexico. There are gaps for every county road and gates for farmers to move between parts of their bisected properties. The gates have electronic code locks. Bonnie Albert, whose family owns the Loop Farms at the southeastern edge of Brownsville  a sizable operation that grows vegetables and citrus fruits  says the locks freeze from time to time. Farmers have to call the U.S. Border Patrol to unlock them.

Its common for farmers to actually live on the south side of the fence: It went up north of some houses because of terrain peculiarities and administrative problems.

The government is selective about whom it protects with this wall, says Eloisa Tamez, a nursing professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, who knows all about the wall because it runs through her yard. She has to walk around it to get to the southern part of her property.

Albert doesnt think the fence protects anyone at all. In places, you can see scuff marks on it where they climb over, she says. And there are so many gaps.

Nor does Cuban Monsees, a 68-year-old known as Rusty who lives alone with his dog on a 21-acre ranch at the end of a road that bears his familys name. He says the walls concrete foundations have shut off water to wells along the border, requiring them to get costly permits to dig deeper.

Meanwhile, people still get across, including people paid by the cartels to deliver drugs or run errands like smuggling in Central American refugees. According to Border Patrol statistics, only slightly more than half of the undocumented immigrants apprehended last year were Mexicans. Most of the others came from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Monsees says people from a cartel have been offering him money for the use of his rather overgrown property, but he has rejected the advances. Bonnie Albert says the cartels run everything south of the border, but she is reluctant to talk about the specifics.

We have to live here, she says.

The wall has created a pressure cooker, says Seifert, a former Catholic priest who has lived on the border for 29 years. Before it was built, people crossed to pick peaches or lay roofing and came back. Then suddenly it became hard to do. The human smugglers loved it.

Albert and Monsees arent bleeding hearts. We must enforce immigration laws, says Albert, who says that faced with a choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton, shell vote for Trump. Its expensive even to take care of your own family, and the people who come over need taking care of. But they will keep coming if there are no consequences to it, wall or no wall.

Monsees, who says he suffers from two forms of cancer and survives on Social Security, let it be known in 2014 that he needed help staying safe. The call spread on social networks and gun-toting locals and out-of-staters turned up to form a kind of militia on his property. Some of them were good people, but others were here to play Rambo, Monsees says. It was a vacation thing for them.

They shot their AR-15 rifles and hunted illegal crossers. Fortunately for everyone, no deaths ensued. Two of the militiamen turned out to be convicted felons who had no right to possess firearms. They went to jail and local police told Monsees, a former highway patrolman, that they didnt like the company he kept. Monsees says he sent his helpers home.

Despite this history and his support for Trump, Monsees believes in increasing border-patrol numbers more than he does in fences, ugly or beautiful. I didnt notice any lack of personnel  as we talked on the tailgate of Monsees shabby truck on the south side of the wall, a patrolman passed back and forth no less than three times, waving to us in a friendly way  but Monsees doesnt feel protected. Hed like to sell or lease his ranch and go away.

Brownsville is in fact extremely safe. It is last of the 24 Texas metro areas in violent crime. Matamoros is another matter. There is a State Department warning for Americans to delay all non-essential travel there because of robberies and kidnappings.

The cartel violence in Matamoros is the real wall on the other side, says Seifert, who once crossed the border every weekend but no longer does so. There used to be a great atmosphere there, but no more.

Its not the wall thats keeping the violence out of Brownsville. The criminal enterprises are like corporate America in a way, Mayor Martinez says. They dont want any part of the U.S. judicial process; problems are the last thing they want.

In Mexico, the cartels fight their wars. In the United States, they do business. They have captured the heroin and fentanyl market from South Asian suppliers and they dont want to lose it by attracting too much attention.

Rather than keep down crime and illegal immigration, the fence ended up hurting ordinary Americans who lost their land under eminent domain.

I got raped on the deal, Monsees said. An acre went for $10,000 back then, but they offered me $1,500 for three acres and said if I didnt take it, theyd just take the land. So I took it.

Bonnie Albert said the compensation Loop Farms received was adequate for the land itself but not for the disruption of the business.

Eloisa Tamez, who fought the partition of her property in court and forced the government to consult with her on the placement of the fence, was paid $56,000 in compensation for less than half an acre on which the fence went up in 24 hours after she lost the last appeal. She has established a scholarship fund for nursing students. But she grew up on the property and the trauma hasnt quite healed. If they could get away with that, what else could they do to me? she says. I never felt so lost as during that time. I was not treated as a citizen.

That psychological effect is perhaps the walls biggest wound to Brownsville, a community with a 91 percent Hispanic population. Before the fence went up, we used to travel between Brownsville and Matamoros in a pretty liquid fashion, Mayor Martinez says. We all have relatives on the other side.

Many locals are angry at Trump. I watched Monday nights debate with a group of mostly Spanish-speaking people at a local law office, and one woman showed up in a T-shirt with a Spanish vulgarism under the Republican candidates picture. To be categorized as rapists and undesirables is extremely hurtful and unwelcome, Martinez says.

Trump is just offering people who dont know better a quick fix. And its not as if this fellow has never failed.

Martinez hopes the existing wall will eventually come down. He points to the first private space launch pad in the United States that Elon Musks SpaceX is building near Brownsville. We are about to become an interplanetary civilization, he says. And here we are talking about a wall separating what is essentially the same community.

Leonid Bershidsky is a Bloomberg View columnist.
ANACONDA -- In a world of glued-on soles and cheap vinyl flats, Joe Lynch practices what many would consider a dying craft  cobbling.

Last September the Anaconda resident opened Lynchs Boot and Shoe Repair on East 3rd Street in the Smelter City.

However, Lynch says this isnt his first time at the rodeo when it comes to repairing shoes.

For 31 years he owned and operated Glenns Shoe repair in Kalispell with his wife Niki Lynch, until he moved to Anaconda because, he said, he wanted a change of pace.

It was getting to be overwhelming, said Lynch. Kalispell was just getting a little too big and too hectic.

Arguably for as long as shoes have existed people have been repairing them, and the first recorded mention of the word cobbler by the Oxford English Dictionary goes back to the 1300s.

However, today there are fewer and fewer shoe-repair specialists.

When Lynch started in Kalispell, he said, there were eight cobblers in the Flathead Valley, but by the time he left his and another shop were the only two left in the region.

Lynch said one reason for the declining numbers is that people have become accustomed to throwing away inexpensive shoes.

But even inexpensive shoes can be repaired, Lynch said, and often at a lesser cost than buying a pair of new ones.

However, Lynch doesnt just repair shoes and boots  he also makes them.

In Kalispell he made custom boots for clients, but today he just makes them for friends and family members.

Lynch said he learned how to make boots after attending a trade school in Oklahoma in the 1980s.

The part I did was shoe, boot and saddle, said Lynch. I went down there to learn how to make saddles and I started watching them making cowboy boots. I got into that and never did learn how to make a saddle.

Before going to the trade school, Lynch said he studied two years to become an accountant, but ultimately decided a life of crunching numbers wasnt for him.

I met a guy that had been to the school in Oklahoma, Lynch said. I had done some leather work just as a hobby and I just signed up, and I took off and went.

Lynch said he enjoys working with leather and repairing worn-out shoes because of the creativity involved and the satisfaction the goes along with bringing something back to life.

What I like about boot making is creating the different patterns and building something from scratch, said Lynch. The repairs are the same. You take something thats worn out and bring it back.

Lynch said he works with just about every kind of boot or shoe, with some exceptions.

Most everything can be repaired, but some things arent feasible, said Lynch, adding that he also works with bags, purses, belts and other leather items.

Tools of the trade include both electrical and mechanical sewing machines, Lynch said. But since his move to Anaconda, he said hes decided to go strictly vintage.

He pointed out a circa-1960s sewing machine to The Montana Standard, along with a harness machine from the late 1800s that can sew through leather as thick as an inch.

My shop in Kalispell is still full of the newer stuff. But I like working with the old ones, so I brought old, said Lynch. Those you can keep rebuilding.

Like Lynchs vintage machines, you can also keep rebuilding a pair of shoes.

Lynch said he has some clients who repeatedly bring in the same pair. The reason, he said, is often because repair is more cost effective than buying new, but more often than not its because some people get attached to their shoes.

Ive had people that bring in shoes that probably cost them $10 and have me put in $45-worth of work into them, said Lynch. A lot of times (its) because its just a favorite shoe.
Maybe youve had this experience: Whether you work as a high-, mid-, or lower-level employee for a company, teach in a school, or manage state or federal public lands, you work with colleagues to get the job -- your job, the company job -- accomplished.

Whats another word for that? Collaboration. The world works on the basis of collaboration. Thats how we get good things done. Teamwork is another word for collaboration.

Last time I checked, most people recognize that they have more in common with their neighbors than differences. Yes, there can be some annoying differences -- like their choice of lawn ornaments. But fundamentally, we all require food, housing, our families, our communities, and government services to prosper.

When a natural disaster strikes, whether its a Missouri flood, Hurricane Katrina, or a forest fire here at home, we respond as a community and put our petty differences aside. We collaborate, work together, pull ourselves up as a community. Ideology, religion, our choice of clothes -- the lawn ornaments of our lives -- don't matter.

Our sense of community represents a deep natural wisdom. Its ageless and perhaps our greatest trait as human beings. We should exercise this wisdom.

Now lets turn to our countrys political situation. We have two dominant parties. Republicans and Democrats. Do they work collaboratively? I can hear you saying, Of course not!

And yet we wonder why Washington is a mess.

Ted Cruz recently endorsed Donald Trump because, he said, he gained assurance from the Trump campaign that only conservative judges would be nominated for the Supreme Court. Heres an example of ideology before wisdom, and division before collaboration.

Trump has called Cruz a sniveling coward. He threatened to spill the beans on Cruzs wife. He suggested that Cruzs father was linked to President Kennedys assassination. Trumps rhetoric and actions have served to dominate, divide and conquer. In other words, to put ideology and himself first.

Cruz, a self-professed religious man, said, "After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, that he decided to vote for Trump.

After many months. What took him so long? Obviously, Cruz is not connected to our deep wisdom, despite thinking hes religious. His own style as a senator demonstrates his preference for not working across the aisle to accomplish national needs and priorities. He doesnt collaborate for the country.

No wonder he can ignore Trumps deeply offensive, immoral attacks. This will be how Trump governs if elected. This is how Cruz will come slinking back to a place of power in a Trump government.

Thankfully, we live in a free country. We have the vote.

How will you use your vote? Will you cast it for candidates that promote collaboration and teamwork, for the way you work each and every day? Or will you vote for candidates that take hardline positions and divide neighbor against neighbor?

As individuals and citizens, we actually have the ability to make Washington -- and Helena -- function better. However, if we vote for candidates who cant or wont work collaboratively, for egomaniacs, power-seekers, and ideologues, well only have ourselves to blame.

Ultimately, how we prosper as a country and a state, and as a people comes down to how we vote. And whether we vote wisely or for our ideology, our annoying lawn ornaments, the things that dont really matter.

Dave Hadden of Bigfork played a key role in the formation of the Whitefish Range Partnership in the Flathead Valley that aimed to bring diverse interests to the table to unanimously recommend management practices for the Whitefish Range portion of the Flathead National Forest.
More than 120 partygoers were arrested for drug related offences at the Listen Out Festival in Centennial Park in Sydney's east on Saturday.

The arrests came as two teenage boys, who were headed in the direction of the festival, were taken to Westmead Hospital after a suspected drug overdose.

Paramedics were called to the boys who were travelling on a private bus on the M2 motorway at Seven Hills.

Another three people at the festival were taken to hospital after having adverse reactions to drugs and 116 people were treated at the festival by paramedics.
Birmingham: Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May has called for patience as her government negotiates its exit from the European Union, which she says will formally begin by the end of March 2017.

Mrs May announced the timing as the 2016 Tory party conference opened in Birmingham in England's West Midlands on Sunday and gave a strong indication she would back a so-called hard Brexit where Britain would leave the single market and control its migrant intake from the EU.

The announcement is seen as the Prime Minister's first tangible progress since the country voted to leave in June.

Mrs May, who has been under pressure to say what Brexit means, said her government would not be able to provide a "blow-by-blow" account of the negotiations because she didn't want them to be compromised by "hyped media reports."
Lewis and Clark County Commission Chairman Mike Murray said the annual routine financial audit of county departments will take a closer look at the county coroner's office, which is in possession of human remains dating back decades.

His request came after Commissioner Susan Good Geise called for an audit in the wake of Coroner M.E. Mickey Nelsons Sept. 11 death from complications of cancer. Nelson had been the coroner for 42 years.

Geise said she wanted a clean slate for Bryan Backeberg, the deputy coroner who was appointed by the commission on Tuesday to fill the two years remaining in Nelsons term.

Helping to achieve that would be for an independent party to be part of the effort to catalog items in a coroners office storage room, Geise said.

The coroner can request that, Commissioner Andy Hunthausen said, noting that perhaps the commission should ask Backeberg to request that.

In terms of a path forward, that might be the best way to go, Hunthausen said.

We have to give him every tool to succeed, Geise added.

The coroners office became the focus of controversy this summer, after the current staff was removed from Nelsons office and control following allegations that he created a hostile environment by making disparaging remarks about women, minorities and others.

A staff person was also removed from Nelsons office and reassigned to another job a year ago in July after similar allegations.

None of those who were removed from Nelsons office and authority had done anything wrong, Eric Bryson, the countys chief administrative officer, said previously to dispel rumors.

While Nelson acknowledged that some of his remarks might have been offensive, he also said the allegations were not completely truthful.

Among the concerns raised by former staff at the coroners office was the disarray of items collected during investigations. County officials have also noted the issue prior to Nelsons death and suggested that local law enforcement officials could be tapped to help organize and catalog the items.

While some of the items being held by the coroners office would include personal effects taken from death scenes for use in determining causes and manners of deaths, the office also retained human organs, body parts, fluids and other items that an Aug. 11 inventory was not able to identify.

Some of the 96 items relating to 57 cases are refrigerated, while others are stored without the need for refrigeration, according to the inventory.

Of the 49 items stored without refrigeration in a closet relating to 38 cases, 38 of the items are listed as unknown body part. While one unknown body part has no date on it, the oldest item in the inventory is apparently from 1986.

Neither inventory contains names associated with case numbers.

The inventory of refrigerated biological specimens, containing 40 unknown body parts, dates from 1994 to 2015, although some contain no dates.

County Attorney Leo Gallagher met with the commissioners on Wednesday to advise them on handling the inventories.

His opinion focused on whether the commission or other county representatives acting under the commissions direction are obligated to provide written notification to representatives of deceased persons as to the existence of specimens collected from deceased persons during a coroners investigation into the cause and manner of death.

Gallaghers opinion did not support providing notice to representatives of the deceased individuals. County representatives who provide notice to representatives of the deceased, his opinion explained, would be acting outside the course and scope of their employment.

Gallagher further stated that the county commission cannot, nor should it, interfere with the coroners duties as to the disposition of such specimens.

The coroner has discretion to dispose of the specimen without notification to the deceased persons representatives or permission of a court, Gallagher wrote in his opinion, which was read to the commissioners.

He prefaced this statement by saying this discretion would be exercised when the coroner determined that retention of a specimen was no longer necessary to determine the cause and manner of death or to further assist investigations by a law enforcement agency or proceedings before a court of competent jurisdiction.

Unless clearly illegal, the decision as to the disposition of evidence collected by a coroners office is governed by the discretion of the coroner, not by any other elected officials, Gallagher wrote in his two-page opinion.

Gallagher also made note of a 1980 Montana attorney general opinion that the county commission cannot control the discretionary duties of another elective official.

Attorney general opinions, Gallagher noted, carry the weight of law unless they are overturned by a court or the Legislature changes the law or laws involved.

There is no state law or legal case obligating a coroner to return specimens to someone outside the coroners office, Gallagher wrote.

Courts in other states have found that without direction from the laws of those states, a specimen collected by a coroner is not property and the survivors or estates of deceased persons have no protected rights to the receipt of specimens for burial or cremation based on the constitution or a provision of common law, his opinion noted.

Because of the legal status of specimens in Montana, the coroner is not obligated to dispose of them as if they were property subject to state burial or inheritance laws, he continued.

If a coroner must return a fragment of bone, must the coroner also return blood or vitreous fluid or urine or fingernails or a hair of the thousands or the thousands of other items which at one point may have been part of a person down to the microscopic DNA which is found within all of us? he wrote.

Gallagher cautioned that a jury could easily conclude that notifying representatives of a deceased person after the lengthy amount of time that a specimen had been held by the coroners office and requesting input on its disposition could lead to serious or severe emotional distress.

If this distress resulted in the representative suffering physical manifestations of grief, then the county will have created an independent cause of action against it for the negligent infliction of emotional distress and a possible award of damages, he concluded.

Murray said he supported Gallaghers opinion and noted that the county attorney is the countys chief legal defense.

Geise said she wanted the county to hold a ceremony that would address the tissues in a way that no one would be personally contacted to avoid those issues.

This has been a horrible process to have tried to figure out what is the legal thing and what is the moral thing and what is the kind thing and to get the nexus on those three things, she said.

After the meeting, Geise said she had spoken with others on the disposition of the specimens held by the coroners office.

The vast majority of people dont want to know that there are tissues from their loved ones being held by the coroners office, she said.

But for some people it matters. For Native Americans, they have very strong feelings and beliefs about what should happen to those body parts.

How long do you retain those, she asked and added, You surely dont retain those for decades. And for us to just dispose of them I believe is a violation of peoples rights.

Of all of the options she considered for the disposition of the specimens, she said she had suggested advising people that the coroner's office had the tissues and that the county would provide an ecumenical service covering the spectrum of beliefs and give those tissues the respect that many cultures believe they deserve before disposing of them in a legal and respectful way.

Geise said she didn't agree when the county attorney says no one has any rights to them.

That may be legally right, but I cannot see that is morally right, she said.

To just dispose of that, she explained, that struck at the very core of my conscience.
When a few hundred history-happy Montanans converged on Hamilton and Stevensville last weekend they were part of something unique.

For the first time in its 43 years, the annual Montana History Conference was held in the Bitterroot Valley, on the states far west fringe. It wrapped up Saturday with a special outdoor pageant on grounds that teem with history like no other -- St. Mary Mission in Stevensville.

Each year the mission marks Founders Day on Sept. 24, the day in 1841 on which Jesuit priests and lay brothers led by Father Pierre DeSmet were greeted by some 2,000 Salish and established the original mission on the banks of the Bitterroot River. This time it was special: the 175th anniversary of that event.

Here are a few takeaways from the three-day conference:

 While the Blackrobes reached the Bitterroot in 1841, Christianity arrived among the Salish people years before. Joe McDonald, founder and past president of Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, told a raindrop-dodging crowd last Saturday that between 1812 and 1820, Old Ignace LaMoose led a group of Iroquois trappers to the country. It was they who told the Salish of the Catholic faith -- big medicine. By the time the Jesuits reached them, the Salish knew the sign of the cross and routinely prayed before battles and hunts.

Jim Hardee, historian with the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinesdale, Wyoming, said that when fur trader Nathaniel Wyeth spent two weeks in the Bitterroot in 1833, he noted the Salish took Sundays off. Wyeth said their singing and dancing were reminiscent of Jewish and Jesuit traditions.

 Tony Incashola and Steve Lozar shared the luncheon podium on Friday and eloquently explained the indissoluble ties the Salish have with the Bitterroot, despite their final removal to the Flathead Reservation in 1891.

Lozar, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and a trustee of the Montana Historical Society, drew on his anthropology background to trace his peoples presence in Montana back to 14,000 years ago. The fact that the last Glacial Lake Missoula is said to have disappeared roughly 10,000 years ago suggests that bond -- and fodder for one heck of a feature film.

Incashola is director of the Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee in St. Ignatius. Each year, he and the tribe make two formal visits to the Medicine Tree along Highway 93 in the Sula area. Incashola said plans were in the works for a return march to St. Mary in mid-October to coincide with the forced march of Chief Charlo and the remaining Bitterroot Salish to the reservation 125 years ago.

 Many Montanans know about the states only Kentucky Derby winning 3-year-old thoroughbred -- Noah Armstrongs Spokane, in 1889. Catherine Melin Moser pointed out that weve also celebrated a Belmont Stakes champion. The Belmont is the third leg of the modern Triple Crown of racing, which dates back informally to the 1920s.

In the 1897 Belmont, jockey Joe Scherrer guided Scottish Chieftain to victory at Morris Park in the Bronx, New York. Scottish Chieftain was owned and bred by Marcus Daly, the Montana copper king whose stables at Bitterroot Stock Farm are a drive of mere minutes from the Bitterroot River Inn in Hamilton, where Moser was speaking at the conference. Dalys trainer, Matt Byrnes, saddled two horses that ran that day. Melin said he lost $1,000 by betting on the other one, Ogden, who finished last in the six-horse field.

 Saturdays Founders Day pageant had an international flair with a greeting from Guglielmo Ravalli. While DeSmet was credited with setting the missionary wheels in motion in Montana and Northwest, it was Anthony Ravalli, the Italian Jesuit priest, who came, stayed and died in Montana. He was buried in a place of honor in the St. Mary Cemetery at Stevensville in October 1884.

Like his uncle of many greats, Guglielmo Ravalli calls Ferraro, Italy, home, though he now lives with his family in New York City, where hes an investment banker.

I wish I could have come here telling you that in the Ravalli family we are all like Father Anthony, that it is all in the genes, Ravalli said from the large stage set up beside his ancestors old cabin. Dont get me wrong, we are good people, some intelligent, many highly educated: engineers, doctors, architects, artists. The difference is that Antonio Ravalli combined all those skills and competences in only one man.

 Add to the many names for what we now call the Clark Fork River this one: Cart River. Sally Thompson, an anthropologist from Missoula, gave a presentation on the images Jesuit priest Nicolas Point painted in 1846 while traveling among various bands of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Like DeSmet, whom Point accompanied to the Bitterroot five years earlier, Point kept a journal.

He made reference, when traveling up the Clark Fork, to Cart River, presumably because it was the river down which DeSmets party traveled to the Bitterroot in two-wheeled Red River carts -- the first wheels in western Montana. Thompson said the term never appeared on a map.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Oct. 01, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 01, 2016 | 07:30 PM | PADUCAH, KY

A Paducah man has been arrested on drug charges after an alleged verbal fight with a woman.



According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, the alleged verbal fight happened Saturday afternoon at around 2:30 along the 500 block of College Avenue in Paducah. Deputies say 28-year-old Andre Tompkins, of Paducah, was allegedly at a home on College Avenue making threats toward a woman. The woman told deputies that Tompkins threatened her with a handgun. Tompkins then apparently left on foot.



Deputies later caught up with Tompkins about an hour later where he had apparently been picked up by a driver along Blandville Road. Tompkins was taken into custody without incident, and was apparently in possession of marijuana when he was arrested. Tompkins was arrested on several misdemeanor drug charges, and also three arrest warrants for failure to appear out of McCracken County.



Tompkins has not yet been charged with anything related to the initial alleged threat that he made to the woman on College Avenue. The outcome of the driver that picked up Tompkins was not immediately available.








By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 01, 2016 | 11:57 PM | MURRAY, KY

Murray State University's department of biological sciences, through the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology, recently received a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation's initiative, S-STEM (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The grant is titled "Upper Delta Region Biodiversity Scholarship Program."

Rooted in experiential learning for students, a majority of the grant will be used to support graduate and undergraduate students with stipends/scholarships and travel to research sites, professional meetings and a multi-day summer institute in biodiversity science and natural history collections management. Students will work in teams on biodiversity-related research projects in the upper delta region, which includes the greater Mississippi Valley from central Arkansas through southern Illinois, including western Kentucky.

Murray State's department of biological sciences includes a herbarium with approximately 34,000 specimens, the oldest of which were collected in the late 19th century. The herbarium represents more than 200 plant families from 48 states and several foreign countries. The collection information serves as a valuable resource to researchers as well as the public.

The grant was awarded to Dr. Dayle Saar, professor of biology. Biology faculty Drs. Michael Flinn and Tim Spier will also serve as mentors on the grant.

"It is becoming more and more important to understand how the diversity of plants and animals evolves as a result of habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change. This project will provide opportunities for students in STEM sciences to utilize computer techniques to data mine the wealth of historic natural history information contained in university biocollections," said Saar. "Coupled with their field work to collect current data and/or molecular analyses in the lab, students will be gaining valuable experience while generating a deeper understanding of natural history trends. This information will be vital to science if we are going to effectively manage and preserve native populations for future generations."

Earlier this year, Murray State received a $3.8 million grant, also from the National Science Foundation, to study toxic algae blooms.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 02, 2016 | 01:46 PM | HICKMAN, KY

One man is dead and another man faces a murder charge after a fight Saturday afternoon in Fulton County.

According to Kentucky State Police, 59-year-old William Jamison of Tiptonville, TN got into a fight with 49-year-old Mark Williams of Hickman in a field off of KY 94 in Hickman. Troopers said Jamison shot and killed Williams.

Williams was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel

Jamison is lodged in the Fulton County Detention Center on a $1 million bond. An autopsy on Williams' body is scheduled for Monday in Louisville.
VIDEO





Lummi Nation fishermen will drive a feast of locally caught salmon this weekend all the way to Cannon Ball, N.D., to feed the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and many supporters who are fighting against the Dakota Access Pipeline.The tribal fishermen have decided to donate their catch, said Waylon Ballew, who met up with a handful of fishermen to filet dozens of kings and silvers behind the Lummi Nation Commodity Foods building Wednesday morning, Sept. 28The group planned to leave Thursday night in vans and head to North Dakota with a few dozen tribal members on board, and the soon-to-be feast packed on ice.Its a traditional teaching among our people to show caring and love by feeding one another and supporting each other when times get rough, said Josh Phair, one of the people who helped organize the trip. All of our Lummi people are excited to have the opportunity to give in any way we can.To be able to take what we have here and share it with the rest of the community is something that were proud of, something we feel good about, Ballew said. Today (Wednesday) we are processing the fish to be able to feed these people who are working really hard to protect our water, protect our rights, because what we know as tribal people is that what happens in one part of Indian Country happens to all the other tribal communities in the United States.The issue at hand is not just for indigenous people, Ballew said.This is a people issue, its a human being issue, he said.Hereditary Chief Bill James, who planned to go to North Dakota with the others, said those involved were standing together to remember their ancestors and to protect the sacred grounds and the ways of our people.We have to protect all things the Creator gave us, especially the water. The water is the giver of life, which gives life to everything, James said. We are asking the Creator to stop the black snake to keep our waters pure. Were standing with the people of Standing Rock to do so.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 02/10/2016 (2219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Droves of pink-clad people helped raise $410,051 for breast cancer research on Sunday.

The annual CIBC Run for the Cure had 3,579 registered participants at Shaw Park and The Forks Sunday morning, drawing breast cancer survivours and supporters for its one- and five-kilometre heats.

Walking, running, rolling in wheelchairs and riding on shoulders, adults, children and dogs took part in the non-competitive walk and run. Goldie, the Winnipeg Goldeyes mascot, donned a pink jersey and shared hugs and high-fives with participants at the finish line, while fans lined the course cheering with pom poms and tambourines.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Runners taking part in the CIBC Run for the Cure warm up prior to the start of the 5km run/walk outside SHAW Park in Downtown Winnipeg Sunday morning.

Cathie Loreth celebrated two years of surviving breast cancer  to the day  with her family by her side Sunday, including her four-year-old niece, Kensie, who dressed up as Minnie Mouse.

Loreth said she found a lump in her right breast and then three more in her left breast three years ago, just before setting out to do the Run for the Cure. She saw a doctor and got a mastectomy the very next day.

Loreth said she continues to fundraise because breast cancer is too common in her family.

So Ive got to be walking and making a difference  making change for them, she said.

I keep walking to raise awareness so that when she grows up, hopefully she doesnt have to worry about it, Loreth said, motioning to Kensie.

Lynne Hudson, the CEO of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, said one in nine women are expected to develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

It is inspiring and humbling to see so many Canadians come together for the CIBC Run for the Cure to support this cause, she said in a prepared statement, thanking all the participants, volunteers, donors and sponsors for making a significant difference in the lives of so many individuals and their families who are touched by breast cancer.
First, a confession: I can't recall ever having a silverfross at Elam's. The Decatur landmark was in business for 15 years after I moved here, but I don't know if I ordered the root beer there.

If for no other reason, THAT should get me drummed out of town.

I'll tell you what I do remember: the A&W drive-in, back when I was growing up. Like Elam's, they would come out to your car and clamp that tray onto your car window. On the tray would be some drive-in food  and that heavenly root beer. So cold. So foamy. So goooooooood. We didn't go out to eat much at all when I was growing up, so those infrequent trips were memorable.

Many years later, I was home for the summer from college, and my parents were building a house. I was "helping," largely by staying out of the way, or holding one board up while Dad or Mom was nailing another one to it. Still, I must have provided enough help that they felt I deserved to be bought lunch. Off we went to A&W.

For some reason, I just recall Dad and I going. I recall looking forward to tasting that root beer again, but it seemed especially satisfying, just being together with him.

As far as A&W goes, I seem to remember that their sublime drink came in mugs of all sizes of glass mugs (none of that plastic!), ranging from as big as your head, down to thimble size. And, I think I was pretty excited about the prospect of A&W putting out their root beer in bottles. I'd be able to recapture that rapture of the drive-up, the mug, the cold, frothy goodness.

But, no.

It was perfectly acceptable root beer, but no: don't tell me it is as good as I remembered it. Or maybe it is, but the memory is just sweeter, richer.

Coming back to earth from all this rhapsodizing, it should be said that root beer has a "past." It's come full circle, as far as alcohol is concerned. In medieval Europe, its forerunner was called "small beer." Still, the brew could contain up to 12 percent alcohol, more than popular beers marketed today.

By the time colonial Americans were producing it, the alcohol content had been reduced to about 2 percent. As the decades passed, root beer solildly became a soft drink.

Fast-forward to the present day. As the craft beer movement continues, brewers have turned their attention to the old root beer standby. Various "hard" versions are on store shelves.

During America's early days, birch beer, sarsparilla beer and ginger beer had their fans. Root beer surpassed them all.

As is the case with Coca-Cola, 7up and other famous soft drinks, root beer's creation is traced back to a pharmacist. Charles Hires was working in Philadelphia in the 1870s, trying to come up with a "cure-all" for common sicknesses.

Hires combined herbs, berries and roots into a tea. He later changed the name to root beer to market it better.

So Hires did quite well, selling his "healthful" beverage, well into the 20th century. Enter the Food and Drug Administration. They looked into sassafras and, in 1960, banned it as a potential carcinogen. The next move was the soda industry's. It found artificial substitutes to mimic the sassafras flavor.

This final note: Dr Pepper Snapple Group is on its way to snapping up the root beer industry. It controls A&W, IBC, Hires and Stewart's brands. Whether that cheapens any of those individual brands is for the market to determine, I guess.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 02/10/2016 (2219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week, the president of Israel gave a speech in Kyiv that discussed Ukrainians participation in the Holocaust. Ukrainian nationalists were not amused.

Reuven Rivlin made his remarks at a session of the Ukrainian parliament commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre, when Nazi invaders slaughtered 33,771 Jews in a Kyiv ravine on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30, 1941. The lawmakers who invited him to speak may have expected him to dwell on the crimes committed against Ukrainian Jews by Germans. But Rivlin chose to also address the actions of Ukrainian collaborators who assisted the Nazis in mass murder.

Rivlins remarks came at a moment when Ukrainians are engaged in intense reflection about their national identity. The Euromaidan revolution of two years ago, the loss of Crimea and the continuing war with Russia have heightened nationalist feelings, leading to a renewed veneration of 20th-century nationalist groups. Rivlins clear association of these groups with the Holocaust clearly struck a nerve. But without the kind of confrontation he sparked, it would be impossible to frankly discuss this darker side of Ukrainian history. If it doesnt honestly reckon with its past, Ukraine is in danger of enshrining a mirror image of the history-blind chauvinism that predominates in neighbouring Russia.

The Israeli head of state began his remarks with what could be seen as an attempt to build a rapport with his Ukrainian audience though shared pain. He told the story of his wifes family of Ukrainian Jews, murdered by the Germans a year after Hitler invaded the Soviet Union.

He likened the fate of his doomed relatives  some whose names we will never learn  to the fates of the victims at Babi Yar.

Many thousands of Jews who were shot, tormented, burned and buried alive in Babi Yar also have no name, Rivlin said.

They were exterminated under the open sky  without anyone bothering to register their names. They are nameless.

Rivlin noted the people killed at the hands of the Nazis and their Ukrainian collaborators were forgotten intentionally  not only by the Nazis, but under Soviet rule, when commemoration of the massacre was forbidden.

In contrast with the anonymity of the victims, Rivlin was clear in identifying the guilty.

Noting about 1.5 million Jews were killed in Ukraine during the Second World War, he was unflinching in confronting his hosts with the full scope of the truth.

Many collaborators to the crimes were Ukrainians, he said.

And among them, the fighters of the (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists)  who mocked the Jews, killed them and in many cases handed them over to the Germans  particularly distinguished themselves.

It was Rivlins specific mention of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists that prompted some of his listeners to later denounce him. Formed in 1929, the organization was a nationalist group that sought to establish an independent Ukrainian state and often employed violence against its enemies, including Poles and supporters of the Soviet regime.

The role of the organization in the Ukrainian national consciousness has increased as Ukraine has asserted its identity in the face of Russian aggression. It is an integral part of the countrys history of struggle for independence from the Soviet Union and is particularly resonant today as the Kremlin continues to delegitimize the Ukrainian state and assert its supremacy over its neighbour.

This year, the Kyiv city government voted to rename a major street after Stepan Bandera, the groups leader. Thats why, though Ukrainian-Jewish relations have noticeably improved since the collapse of the Soviet Union (Volodymyr Hroysman became the countrys first Jewish prime minister in April), Rivlins speech hit a raw nerve.

Bogdan Chervak, current leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists  which still exists as a political interest group  reacted sharply.

What the president of the state of Israel did in Parliament today can be unambiguously interpreted as a spit in the soul of Ukrainians, he wrote on Facebook.

To accuse the OUN of (taking part in) the Holocaust, and during parliamentary hearings for the 75th anniversary of Babi Yar, no less, is to disrespect the Ukrainian nation.

While it is undoubtedly false to say every member of the organization committed crimes against Jews during the Holocaust, it is simply untrue to claim they played no role at all. Involvement of certain units of the group in the murder of Jews is well-documented, including units loyal to Bandera. In Ukraines struggle against Soviet colonialism, some nationalist rebels saw aligning with the Nazis as a matter of survival. Yet that choice often entailed participation in Nazi atrocities.

Volodymyr Viatrovych, the controversial leader of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, has made a career out of minimizing the negative image of Ukrainian nationalists. He, too, reacted negatively to Rivlins speech.

Unfortunately, the president of Israel repeated the Soviet myth about the OUNs participation in the Holocaust, Viatrovych wrote on Facebook. Honouring the memory of the Babi Yar victims would be more sincere without employing the myths of those who erased their memory.

Another factor that complicates the legacy of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists is its regularly portrayed as a dangerous fascist group by Russian propaganda, always in search of ways to delegitimize Ukraine. Conversely, Ukraine has been implementing a process of decommunization, its controversial effort to do away with the legacy of the Soviet past by shedding Soviet names and symbols from Ukrainian territory. It is through this very process Kyivs city council voted to name a street after Bandera. But saying the organization has done only good, as opposed to its Russian portrayal as evil, is simply a mirror image and no nearer to the historical truth. Any grey area is lost  the very area Ukraine must focus on to grow its new-found democratic civic identity.

Intriguingly, Rivlins comments also divided Ukraines Jewish leaders. Josef Zissels, head of Ukraines leading Jewish association, accused Rivlin of perpetuating Soviet-era stereotypes.

He was raised on Soviet historiography, Zissels said in an interview on Ukrainian radio. Israel, at least the older generation, still lives under its influence. He doesnt reflect the views of the young. After all, young, religious Israelis stood on the Maidan. Such views as he expressed today are yesterdays.

Many Jewish community leaders such as Zissels view Jewish participation in the revolution as another sign Jews now consider themselves full members of a unified Ukrainian nation.

Last weeks series of commemorative events, including a conference organized by a Canadian organization where the history of Ukrainian-Jewish relations was openly discussed, shows just how far Ukraine has come in reckoning with its history.

Just as some Ukrainians collaborated with Nazis, more than 2,500 others are among the Righteous Among the Nations  those whom Israel credits with saving Jews during the Holocaust. Rivlins words may have stung or even seemed tactless to those who are committed to presenting only the most positive images of Ukrainian history, especially at a time when Ukraine is doing so much to honour the victims of wartime atrocities.

But if Ukraine is to continue on in its struggle to become a democratic society, it must face up to all sides of its history: positive, negative and everything in between.

 Foreign Policy
Winonas Home and Community Options, better known as HCO, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It was formed in 1975 as Group Homes of Winona, and licensed its first home for adults with disabilities in August 1976.

Services have grown and changed significantly over the years. HCO provides residential services today, but the model has shifted from group homes to smaller family-size homes with four to six residents. Some homes are outfitted with remote monitoring technology, reducing the need for overnight staff and giving clients more independence.

The agency has added programs for younger clients, too, including childrens therapeutic services, with a specialty in autism, and family support services to help families caring for a child or adult with developmental disabilities.

HCO also offers community living skills training to help clients achieve more independence, and runs a subsidized apartment complex for folks living independently.

And it offers other opportunities, like the organizations annual musical, which runs over a June weekend every summer to packed houses. The musical, a fixture since 1988, is a big fundraiser for the agency and showcases actors with and without disabilities in a truly integrated community.

Their goals in all of this? Seeing friends and neighbors with disabilities enjoy life, have as much independence as possible, and live as full members of the community.

Thats the best part of the work, said executive director Suzanne Horstman.

You feel good about what you do, and you know that somebodys life is going to be a little bit better because of the work you did that day.

A gradual integration

Group Homes of Winona, Inc. was established in 1975 to bring people with cognitive disabilities out of institutions and back into their community.

At the time, institutions or state hospitals were still the main care model for people with developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and mental illnesses. But care standards varied and were often prison-like, and many people didnt receive quality education or rehabilitation services.

That began to change in 1972, when six Minnesotans who lived in state hospitals filed a class action suit regarding the conditions they endured, alleging they violated their constitutional rights. After a 12-day trial in 1974, a U.S. District Court Judge ruled in their favor.

The decision was one of many leading to the development of more community-based facilities for people with disabilities. This movement was built on the idea that people with disabilities could lead lives not much different from their friends, family, and neighbors  and they deserved the opportunity and support to do so.

Winona residents were quick to recognize the need for group homes in the city, and got the attention of the Daily News, which in its reporting language also showed just how much has changed in 40 years.

Its a home for mentally retarded adults who can function in a work environment, but who need a place to stay and some social training to help them adapt to the rest of us, the Daily News wrote about Group Homes of Winonas first home in 1976.

The young agency faced an uphill battle in the community. At the time, some people were still afraid they could catch developmental disabilities the same way people catch colds.

When we first started, the integration of housing was very challenging, said Dennis Theede, development director at HCO. Theede has been working in disability services since the early 1970s, starting in Houston County, then serving as HCOs executive director for 20 years, from 1993-2013.

There were issues with city government, meeting rooms full of residents opposed to the homes, open stares when residents went out for lunch at a restaurant, Theede explained. It took a lot of work and advocacy to establish the homes as part of the community.

At the same time, institution staff and even families were worried that the new model wouldnt last, that their jobs would be jeopardized, that their loved ones wouldnt be taken care of.

Institutions gave a sense of safety and security, and used a more hospital-like approach to care, explained Paula Krage, director of services at HCO. She started at the agency in 1983, and remembers what it was like to bring two men from an institution setting to live in Winona.

We really had to prove that we could take care of them as well as the state hospital, that they could live a normal life like you and me, she said.

Growth, change, and a new name

Over the coming years, the agency added more homes, and didnt stop there.

In 1983, a semi-independent living services drop-in center opened. A few years later the agency began to develop respite care services to allow a persons primary caregiver to take time off. As services expanded, the agency changed its name to better reflect that work, officially becoming Home and Community Options in 1987.

Theede said over the years, ideas for new services often came from the families and individuals the agency serves.

We are a grassroots organization, he explained. We were started by and have been driven by the needs in our community.

The first of many important changes was when HCO staff realized some people they served could live in a more normal community environment, and didnt need the structure and supervision a group home model entailed.

Initially, group homes were more like mini-institutions, because thats all staff and residents knew, she explained. But the corporate foster care model, where a few individuals live in a house with rotating staff, allowed people to have more independence and a better quality of life.

The principle of normalization was challenged, said Mary Jansen, a director of services at HCO and one of its first two primary counselors. Now the focus on services is more person-centered.

HCOs last group home closed in 1997, and now people receive services in a variety of settings, from independent living to corporate foster care. A pair of family resource homes offer respite care and training to families raising a child with disabilities, and HCO offers behavioral therapy for children too.

Looking ahead

Over the years, HCO has kept pace with rapid changes in the world of human services, and taken a leading role in advocacy efforts for the individuals and families they serve.

We believe people have the ability to learn, and they can be active members of the community like you and I  given the guidance and support  and weve proven that, said longtime finance director Pat Wood.

But Horstman said there are plenty of challenges on the horizon, chief among them a workforce shortage and lack of adequate funding.

Being able to have a stability of caregivers for the individuals is very frightening for me, she said.

One way the agency has worked to address the worker shortage and enhance client independence has been through remote monitoring, which uses cameras, sensors, and secure video call capability to make sure help is there when people need it.

Through failsafe technology, HCOs four remote monitoring homes cut back on the need for sleeping overnight staff. Most problems that occur at night can be handled via video call, and residents love it.

They so much appreciate their independence, Theede said. We have a long way to go with more people living that way.

Their goal is to bring remote monitoring to 15 more people in the next couple years.

Horstman said the other area of most concern for the agency is funding for in-home services, which help people with disabilities live in their own homes or with their families.

Those supports help people stay as independent as possible, and integrated in the community  both key elements of disability services. Theyre also less expensive than 24-hour supervised care.

But HCO loses money on them, Horstman said, because funding levels dont meet the need.

This is one area that we continue to talk to our legislators about, she said. Theyre good and important services.

Along with these challenges, Horstman and Theede have also seen some bright spots in the growth and empowerment of the individuals HCO serves.

Minnesotas Olmstead Plan, which was approved late last year, is already changing and will continue to affect HCOs work going forward.

The cornerstone of that legislation, Theede explained, is listening to individuals and using a person-centered approach.

Its really a transformation in how you think about people with disabilities, he said. They can tell us what they want and need.

So instead of identifying the things a person cant do, Theede said its about focusing on the things they can do, and the things they want for their life, and then coordinating supports around those dreams.

It often comes down to choices  making sure individuals have self-determination, from bigger life decisions to something as simple as a choice to stay home instead of going to the grocery store.

Now were trying to identify an individuals hopes and dreams and build support around those attributes of a person, and give them a quality of life that is meaningful, he said.

Our work should be to work ourselves out of a job.
Voting third party in this presidential election isnt merely impractical.

Its unprincipled.

With the two most-ever disliked major-party nominees on the ballot this year, many American voters are desperately seeking alternatives, including fictional characters and dead gorillas. Young voters in particular have been shunning the two main options, with some recent polls showing that a quarter to a third plan to vote for either Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson or Green Party nominee Jill Stein.

The loudest arguments against casting a ballot for these third-party options rely on their unviability. These are admonitions against enabling a spoiler and effectively electing the greater of two perceived evils (usually meaning Donald Trump).

If you vote for a third-party candidate whos got no chance to win, thats a vote for Trump, President Obama cautioned this week.

Sen. Bernie Sanders has repeatedly made similar remarks, urging against a protest vote because Americans must remember that either Clinton or Trump will become president.

The implication is that if Johnson or Stein had a chance of winning, voting for them would be justifiable. Righteous, even!

But these third-party options are bad candidates not simply because of their impracticality, or their underdog status, or some nonsense about a rigged political system.

Johnson and Stein are, on their own merits, terrible, unserious choices. They are unfit for office.

This was especially evident Wednesday. Johnson had whined about being denied a place on the presidential debate stage. So MSNBC gave him a giant prime-time platform from which to make his case.

It didnt go well.

Whos your favorite foreign leader? MSNBCs Chris Matthews asked.

Whos my favorite? Johnson responded, with a blank stare.

Anywhere in the continents, Matthews said. Any country. Name one foreign leader that you respect and look up to. Anybody.

Johnson could not name a single foreign leader worthy of respect. He rambled about a former president of Mexico  which shares a border with the state Johnson previously helmed as governor  but then could not recall which Mexican president he was thinking of.

Johnson chalked up the whole incident to another Aleppo moment, referring to an earlier time when he embarrassed himself by not recognizing the name of a besieged Syrian city. His immediate, self-deprecating apology after that flub was refreshing; hey, we all have brain freezes sometimes.

Given that blunder, though, Johnson should have expected further prodding about his foreign policy knowledge in future interviews, and boned up. Instead, he apparently found it acceptable to claim another Aleppo moment. Note: Its never a good sign when an entire new genre of political gaffe is named after something you did.

These are hardly the only times Johnsons apparent disinterest in learning about the world around him have proven him unworthy of the presidency.

Questioned about apparent terrorist incidents in New York and Minnesota this month, Johnson responded, Well, first of all, just grateful that nobody got hurt. The attacks had collectively led to dozens of injuries, which was widely reported.

Then there was that time in June, when an aide directed Johnson to a room named for Harriet Tubman, and Johnson replied, Whos Harriet Tubman?

And his bonkers comments arguing that man-made climate change is real but that theres no point in trying to stop it because in billions of years, the sun is going to actually grow and encompass the Earth.

Or the time he high-fived George W. Bush about the fact that neither of them knew anything about anything. Not one thing, Johnson recounted proudly, when introducing his fellow anti-egghead at a rally.

Johnsons campaign tries to spin such ignorance and anti-intellectualism as proof that hes a real person. And its true, he is a real person  just one who happens to be unprepared for the presidency.

So what about Stein? In brief: Despite being a medical doctor who knows better, shes pandered to anti-vaxxers; expressed strong stances on high-profile issues, such as Brexit, only to abruptly reverse herself without explanation; and trafficked in conspiracy theories, among other disqualifying behaviors.

And independent latecomer Evan McMullin? (Who?) The most memorable thing hes done thus far in the election is to accidentally pick the wrong running mate.

These candidates have received relatively little media scrutiny, let alone attacks from competitors. This allows many Americans to think of them as the purer choices for the presidency. If all the mudslinging misses them, their feet of clay go unnoticed.

Which is precisely why they probably havent felt the need to do their homework. If you give them your precious vote, you havent done yours, either.
Ive been thinking about heaven and hell recently and not only because of the recent presidential debate. But its tough to avoid comparisons.

For one thing, the Jewish New Year  Rosh Hashanah  is being celebrated around the world, which takes us directly back to the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. You see, in the original Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah can be translated as The Feast of Shouting.

While much of the shouting Monday night was repressed (applause to Lester Holt), some of it escaped as one word  Wrong!  when barked by the large, sniffling Republican candidate. Trump turned wrong into its own kind of expletive, using it as what we used to call a swear word because of the implied curse. Interrupt the first woman presidential candidate and former secretary of state every five minutes by barking wrong all you want; we knew the phrase you wanted to communicate and that it contained two words, one syllable each.

The connections between heaven, hell and the elections are clear: Consider, for example, the idea of heaven as the final word in gated communities. Will St. Peter end up being the ultimate guard, grilling those who wish to enter about the entry code? Will St. Peter, rather than examining your conscience or your record of generosity toward the poor, spend time looking up the names of the people you were expecting to visit to make sure theyre expecting you? How will St. Peter make sure that you look like the right type of person to make it past the gates? Will he check the accuracy of your income by looking at your tax returns?

Oops: We may need to recalibrate that one. Not paying taxes makes me smart, according to the billionaire presidential candidate. (Were guessing Trumps a billionaire; he might have all of $39.99 in coins for all we know.)

The rest of us who have done our bit and paid taxes, the membership fee required of American citizens, are legitimate members of the club. Paying taxes is sort of like putting some coins in the collection plate and not removing the coins put in by others even though you can.

Perhaps because death and taxes have been inextricably linked, Trump believes by avoiding one he can avoid the other. Maybe thats why he brags about having a 10-year-old. Itll be interesting to see if it works.

And if the thought of approaching the pearly gates is intimidating, isnt it still far less scary than the idea of, say, approaching a wall?

At least gates have open spaces through which you can peek at the Promised Land; they offer hope and the possibility of welcome. But imagine a stark, endless opaque wall with a security guard whos there to perform a stop-and-frisk. I dont think it would incite goodness. It would lead only to despair, a place from which few return with their souls intact.

Everybody has a slightly different idea about how you get to heaven or get written into the Book of Life. Mine is that youre part of a community, yet guided your own conscience, and that you exercise a conscientious and effective compassion. I think you should have inspired, given and received joy.

Maybe it was the tax-dodging business that reminded me of the story about the great comic actor W.C. Fields. His friends were surprised to see him propped up on his deathbed pillows holding a Bible. Bill, they said, What are you doing? Fields replied, Looking for loopholes.

I suspect that, when it comes to looking at eternity and looking at November  both of which events seem far, far in the future and might not look like anything we expected  many of us are going to be looking for loopholes.

And if we dont choose the right leader, well be in for a hell of a time.
MADISON (AP)  A federal judge on Friday ordered the state of Wisconsin to investigate whether transportation workers are failing to issue temporary photo identification for voting, as promised.

U.S. District Judge James Peterson issued his order around the same time a civil liberties group filed a motion in a separate case demanding a federal appellate court invalidate voter ID requirements in Wisconsin because the state hasnt abided by its pledge.

Under Wisconsin law, voters must show a form of government-approved photo identification at the polls. People who lack such identification can obtain free photo IDs at state Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles field offices.

The agency in May announced that people who want IDs but lack the underlying supporting documents such as birth certificates could get a receipt valid for voting. The move was designed to blunt a pair of lawsuits alleging that voters who lack such documents face tough challenges in obtaining free ID.

Peterson ruled in July that the DOTs petition process to obtain the receipt was a wretched failure because it still left black and Hispanic citizens unable to obtain IDs. He ordered the state to quickly issue credentials valid for voting to anyone who enters the petition process but lack the necessary documents, including birth certificates.

The Nation published a story on Thursday alleging DMV workers at a field office told a man named Zack Moore that he couldnt obtain a temporary ID because he lacked a birth certificate and that the way IDs were being handled was still up in the air. The story went to say that Molly McGrath, the national campaign coordinator with VoteRiders, visited 10 DMV stations where employees gave people a wide range of answers about how long it would take to get an ID.

Moore tried to obtain his ID on Sept. 22. That was the same day Attorney General Brad Schimel filed an update with Peterson saying all DMV field staff had been trained to ensure anyone who fills out an application to enter the petition process will get an ID mailed to them within six days.

These reports, if true, demonstrate that the state is not in compliance with this courts ... order, which requires the state to promptly issue a credential valid as a voting ID to any person who enters (the petition process) or who has a petition pending, Peterson wrote.

He ordered the state to investigate and report back to him by Oct. 7.

Transportation spokeswoman Patricia Mayers called the stories of problems at the DMV offices concerning and ... not consistent with DMV protocol. She said the agency has already launched an investigation and will report its findings to Peterson, as ordered.

DMV remains committed to working with all eligible voters to ensure they receive free identification, as required for voting, she wrote in an email.

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union on Friday filed a motion in a separate voter ID challenge before the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The motion alleges that the DOT isnt issuing voting credentials to people in the petition process and has violated its promise that anyone who goes to the DMV will get an ID with whatever documents they possess.

The ACLU alleged that DMV workers have failed to tell applicants the petition process exists, that applicants have had to make multiple visits to DMV offices and that workers have incorrectly told people that in order to begin the petition process, they need proof of identity such as a social security card  which cant be obtained without a photo ID. As many as 1,640 eligible voters in Milwaukee County lack both ID and a Social Security card, the ALCU alleged.

The group also claimed that people who present birth certificates with misspellings havent been allowed to enter the process and DMV field offices offer limited hours. The motion asks the court allow voters who lack ID to cast ballots by affidavit or completely invalidate the voter ID law.

People who have started (the petition process) are supposed to get a temporary ID but as were seeing on the ground thats not happening, ACLU attorney Sean Young said in a telephone interview. DMV employees arent implementing their own procedures. DMV cannot be trusted to this correctly.

The state Department of Justice is defending the voter ID law in the case. DOJ spokesman Johnny Koremenos said agency attorneys are reviewing the ACLUs filing.
The Volunteers of Columbus Community Hospital celebrated 60 years of service to the hospital and the Columbus area on Sept. 21, which marked the organizations anniversary of its first meeting on Sept. 21, 1956. At that time, the group consisted of about 30 members. Today, the Volunteers of CCH is made up of over 110 men and women who donate close to 10,000 hours and about $20,000 a year to Columbus Community Hospital.
DECATUR  T/CCI Manufacturing in Decatur has expanded its operations over the past decade, despite economic issues affecting manufacturers nationwide.

The manufacturer of heavy-duty compressors and clutches for the mobile air-conditioning and refrigeration industries operates in the United States and a handful of other countries, including China, said Dennis Flaherty, vice president and general manager.

We've experienced a lot of growth, even through the down economy, Flaherty said. We've been busy and growing. The bad economy kind of helped us.

The economy and job creation are top issues in the upcoming presidential election, as they were the first topics Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump discussed last week during their first debate.

Companies such as T/CCI are working to overcome concerns about the economy and grow despite some of the trends with which they're dealing. Many workers are deciding to pursue further educational opportunities or open their own small businesses.

In order to grow, Flaherty said T/CCI has expanded its product offering. It came at a time when other manufacturers were cutting costs to improve their bottom lines, Flaherty said.

Expanding some of its operations to China helped reduce costs while still maintaining operations at 2120 N. 22nd St. in Decatur.

We have the best of both worlds, Flaherty said. We blended the two to bring products to market.

Flaherty said the company keeps an eye on the future of U.S.-Chinese relations but for now, he sees no reasons for concern. He said the company can continue to grow and build more compressors.

We could do even better, Flaherty said. We have to stay on top of what's going on.

As it does, that means job opportunities for workers in Decatur, ranging from skilled general labor to professional positions. It partners with Richland Community College to meet some of its training needs, and it's able to hire from the local area much of the time, Flaherty said.

We're willing to train, he said. Often, they'll come in ready or need a little bit of training.

Employees end up staying for many years in the family-owned business, Flaherty said. Yet, that can mean the workforce is aging and will need to be replaced at some point.

It's hard to get bored, Flaherty said. We end up wearing a lot of hats.

Advanced education beyond high school is becoming increasingly necessary. Pursuing educational opportunities is the way Jillian Howerton has found helps overcome economic and job concerns.

That's really important, Howerton said, as she is taking classes at Richland with the goal to become a teaching assistant in special education. The extra education plays a big part in getting a job.

Eventually, Howerton would like to become a teacher.

The best place to start is at Richland, Howerton said. Otherwise, it would be a struggle to find a job.

Howerton said keeping state and federal financial aid programs in place is important for students as they pursue career advancement opportunities.

Tiffiany Leischner is hoping college will be worthwhile despite the expenses involved with it. Affordability made going back to school a difficult decision. Leischner, who is married with a daughter, was hoping to get through classes at Richland without taking out a loan.

We knew it was going to be going from two incomes to one income, Leischner said. I didn't realize how hard it would be.

To find a job that matches her interests, Leischner realizes her search might need to expand beyond Decatur. Leischner is hoping to find a job working as an advocate for youth with disabilities.

I don't want to be a college graduate working in the fast-food industry, Leischner said. I hope it pays off.

Tom and Kathleen Garmon have found the timing right to open and establish a restaurant, TKG's Wing Heaven at 760 S. Franklin St. in Decatur, in the past year. Kathleen Garmon, who previously worked as a manager in the retail industry, described opening a business as a roller coaster.

It was well worth the ride, Kathleen Garmon said. It's working out beautifully.

Some of the employees are working in their first jobs, so Kathleen Garmon said they're proud to be doing a small part to reduce the area's unemployment rate.

They're learning what it means to earn a wage, she said.

Having worked and trying to run a business in the auto industry during a bad economy in the past, Mike Sleeth is hoping to build on experience to establish an expanded car care center in Decatur next year.

I've worked on care ever since I was 13 years old, Sleeth said. My father owned a gas station. I was an aircraft mechanic for four years in the Air Force.

Sleeth remains comfortable he can make his plan work.

I have no doubt this going to be a success, Sleeth said. I need to have more services. Decatur's economy has been lagging behind the country. That has been a concern and a reason why I haven't opened sooner.

He is preparing for the expansion by taking classes and participating in SCORE workshops as he develops business plans.
SET position on quality, free higher education

Wits SET clarifies its position on quality, free higher education.

There have been several calls from students and staff for the Senior Executive Team to clarify its position on free education.

The Senior Executive Team supports the call for access to quality, free higher education for the poor and the so-called missing middle. In this regard, management commits to working towards this goal with all stakeholders in the sector, including student leaders.

We are willing to consult with the leaders of various constituencies on this matter, and if there is broad consensus from the University community, a General Assembly, through the resolution of Council, can be called within the next two weeks to solidify Wits stance on this issue. If consensus is reached by all constituencies and a decision is taken at the General Assembly for the University to participate in a public protest, then the executive management will support such a public demonstration.

The University further commits to working with the leaders of relevant stakeholders in the sector to engage on this matter at the national level.

It would be opportune to build on the work of staff and students compiled and presented by Professor Hlonipha Mokoena to the Heher Commission which puts forward models on how South Africa can progressively achieve free education for the poor and what is referred to as the missing middle.

The transformation of the curriculum is a key component of the Universitys transformation programme, and a matter that the University will continue to prioritise.

A further statement on whether the University will reopen tomorrow will follow at 17:00.

Thank you

SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM

2 OCTOBER 2016 (13:00)
DECATUR  Before health professionals were able to genetically profile patients to determine breast cancer risk factors, they used only one tool -- a mammogram.

Baseline mammograms were given to women younger than 40 and then every year until women were no longer mobile.

It was a good test, because screening saves lives, said Decatur Memorial Hospital Radiologist Dr. Jonathan Locke.

The yearly test is still an important tool in early detection. However, hospitals and cancer centers now have easier, and clearer, devices and tests to assist in finding cancer.

After years of research, doctors have found cancer screenings need to fit the patient's needs. We want to do what is best for the patient, said Karen Oesch, DMH mammography coordinator. This isn't a one-size-fits-all.

The most common screenings offered in Central Illinois are mammograms, ultrasounds and Tomosynthesis mammography, or 3-D mammography.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed a bill into law requiring insurance companies cover 3-D mammograms. The insurance companies are not allowed to refer to the procedure as an elective, Oesch said. It is the future of mammography.

In Decatur, 3-D mammogram screening is available at Decatur Memorial Hospital.

The 3-D screening is still a mammogram and requires a series of breast compressions. However, instead of the four photos required with a regular mammogram, the patient gets six photos taken at various angles. According to Oesch, no more radiation is needed for 3-D.

The 3-D mammogram creates a more clear image of the cancer. The breast cancer spots appear on the images as white. In a typical mammogram, the glands also appear as white. It is not good when the glandular density is dense, Locke said. If you take the breast cancer out of the white and put it on a black background it is more easily seen.

Two factors determine which tests will be given to a patient; risk factors and breast density.

During their initial visit, patients are given a questionnaire to determine their risk of breast cancer. Women are asked various questions including their family history of breast cancer, their age during their first menstrual cycle and how many births have they have had. The questionnaire determines the patient's score; the higher the number, the greater the risk.

Density of the breast tissue is another factor. The denser the breast, the more difficult it is to see cancer on a mammogram image. Therefore, further tests will be needed.

After all factors have been studied, the doctors will then decide on the types of screening. All patients will begin with a mammogram.

Mammography works well with women who do not have dense breast tissue or risk factors. You don't need anything more than a mammogram, Locke said.

Patients with dense breast tissue, but no risk factors, may receive a 3-D mammogram after the initial mammogram. If the patient has dense breast tissue and high risk factors, she will then receive a regular mammogram and an ultrasound. It is two pieces of the puzzle, Oesch said.

An ultrasound is a procedure using high frequency sound waves to view certain areas of the body. Although it is a tool to detect and describe breast lumps, it can not detect early cancers.

According to Locke, the majority of women are at an average risk and require only a mammogram.

However, patients who have tested positive for the breast cancer gene have a 20 percent chance of getting the disease. These patients will receive a mammogram as well as an MRI. The alternative choices include a screening MRI, molecular breast imaging (requiring an injection of a radiotracer dye), ultrasound and 3-D mammograms. Studies have been shown none have been able to replace a mammogram, Locke said. These tests are supplemental screenings and each hospital and breast facility has their own preferences.

Insurance is also a factor when deciding on further testing. Ultrasound procedures are considered a supplemental test usually suggested by a doctor and are covered by the majority of insurance companies. On the other hand, MRI screenings are expensive. Locke has found many patients have difficulties dealing with their insurance companies. They make it really hard to do the procedure, he said.
Compass Minerals International, Inc., produces and sells essential minerals primarily in the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Salt, Plant Nutrition North America, and Plant Nutrition South America. The Salt segment offers sodium chloride and magnesium chloride, including rock salt, mechanically and solar evaporated salt, and brine and flake magnesium chloride products; and purchases potassium chloride and calcium chloride to sell as finished products or to blend with salt to produce specialty products. This segment provides products for use as a deicer for roadways, consumer, and professional use; as an ingredient in chemical production; for water treatment, human, and animal nutrition; and for various other consumer and industrial uses, as well as records management services. The Plant Nutrition North America segment offers sulfate of potash specialty fertilizers in various grades, including agricultural products that are used in broadcast spreaders, direct application, and liquid fertilizer solutions; turf products used by the turf and ornamental markets, as well as for blends used on golf course greens; organic products under the Protassium+ brand; and micronutrient products under the Wolf Trax and other brands. This segment provides its products to distributors and retailers of crop inputs, as well as growers. The Plant Nutrition South America segment offers various specialty plant nutrients and supplements; water and wastewater treatment chemicals for cleaning, decontaminating, and purifying water; and process chemicals for industrial use. The company was formerly known as Salt Holdings Corporation and changed its name to Compass Minerals International, Inc. in December 2003. Compass Minerals International, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.
The following companies are subsidiares of Kroger: 84.51 HQ Building Company LLC, 84.51 LLC, Alpha Beta Company, Ansonborough Square Investors I LLC, Ansonborough Square Retail LLC, Ardrey Kell Investments LLC, Bay Area Warehouse Stores Inc., Beech Tree Holdings LLC, Bleecker Ventures LLC, Bluefield Beverage Company, Box Cutter Inc., CB&S Advertising Agency Inc., Cala Co., Cala Foods Inc., Cheeses of All Nations Inc., Country Oven Inc., Crawford Stores Inc., Creedmoor Retail LLC, Dillon Companies LLC, Dillon Real Estate Co. Inc., Dillons, Distribution Trucking Company, Dotto Inc., Edgewood Plaza Holdings LLC, Embassy International Inc., FM Inc., FMJ Inc., Farmacia Doral Inc., Food 4 Less GM Inc., Food 4 Less Holdings Inc., Food 4 Less Merchandising Inc., Food 4 Less of California Inc., Food 4 Less of Southern California Inc., Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer Inc., Fred Meyer Jewelers Inc., Fred Meyer Stores Inc., Glasswing Labs LLC, Glendale/Goodwin Realty I LLC, Grubstake Investments LLC, HT Fuel DE LLC, HT Fuel NC LLC, HT Fuel SC LLC, HT Fuel VA LLC, HTGBD LLC, HTP Bluffton LLC, HTP Plaza LLC, HTP Relo LLC, HTPS LLC, HTTAH LLC, Harris Teeter, Harris Teeter LLC, Harris Teeter Properties LLC, Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., Harris-Teeter Services Inc., Healthy Options Inc., Henpil Inc., Home Chef, Hood-Clayton Logistics LLC, Hughes Markets Inc., Hughes Realty Inc., I.T.A. Inc., IRP LLC, ITAC 119 LLC, ITAC 265 LLC, Inter-American Foods Inc., Inter-American Products Inc., J.V. Distributing Inc., Jondex Corp., Jubilee Carolina LLC, KCDE  2013 LLC, KCDE-2 LLC, KCDE-3 LLC, KCDE-4 LLC, KCDE-5 LLC, KGO LLC, KPF LLC, KPS LLC, KRGP LLC, KRLP Inc., KV Anderson LLC, Kee Trans Inc., Kessel FP, Kiosk Medicine Kentucky LLC, Kirkpatrick West Retail LLC, Kroger Community Development Entity LLC, Kroger Dedicated Logistics Co., Kroger Fulfillment Network LLC, Kroger G.O. LLC, Kroger HQ LLC, Kroger LM Real Estate Holdings LLC, Kroger Limited Partnership I, Kroger Limited Partnership II, Kroger MC Holdings LLC, Kroger MTL Management LLC, Kroger Management Co., Kroger Management  Corryville LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Athens I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign II LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Cincinnati I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Dallas I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Danville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Logansport I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Missouri I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Oak Ridge I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Olney I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Omaha I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Portsmouth I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Starkville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Topeka I LLC, Kroger NMTC Fremont I LLC, Kroger OZ1 Inc., Kroger OZ1 LLC, Kroger OZ2 Inc., Kroger OZ2 LLC, Kroger OZ3 Inc., Kroger OZ3 LLC, Kroger Opportunity Fund I Inc., Kroger Prescription Plans Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion AL LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion TX LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy FL 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 2 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 3 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings I Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy LA LLC, Kroger Texas L.P., LCGP3 Home Cooking Inc., Latta Village LLC, Local Mkt LLC, Main & Vine LLC, Matthews Property 1 LLC, Mega Marts LLC, Michigan Dairy L.L.C., ModernHealth LTC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays LIC LLC, Murrays Table LLC, Pace Dairy Foods Company, Paramount Logistics LLC, Pay Less Super Markets Inc., Peyton's-Southeastern Inc., Plum Labs LLC, Pontiac Foods Inc., Queen City Assurance Inc., RBF LLC, RGC Southeast Properties LLC, Ralphs Grocery Company, Relish Labs LLC, Rocket Newco Inc., Roundy's, Roundys Acquisition Corp., Roundys Illinois LLC, Roundys Inc., Roundys Supermarkets Inc., Second Story Inc., Shop-Rite LLC, Smiths Beverage of Wyoming Inc., Smiths Food & Drug Centers Inc., Southern Ice Cream Specialties Inc., Stallings Investors I LLC, Sunrise R&D Holdings LLC, Sunrise Technology LLC, TLC Corporate Services LLC, TLC Immunization Clinic LLC, TLC of Georgia LLC, The Kroger Co. of Michigan, The Little Clinic LLC, The Little Clinic Management Services LLC, The Little Clinic of Arizona LLC, The Little Clinic of Colorado LLC, The Little Clinic of IN LLC, The Little Clinic of Kansas LLC, The Little Clinic of Mississippi LLC, The Little Clinic of Ohio LLC, The Little Clinic of TX LLC, The Little Clinic of Tennessee LLC, The Little Clinic of VA LLC, Topvalco Inc., Ultimate Mart LLC, Ultra Mart Foods LLC, Vandervoort Dairy Foods Company, Vine Court Assurance Incorporated, Vitacost, Vitacost.com Inc., Woodmont Holdings LLC, and YOU Technology.

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DECATUR  Health professionals in the field of breast cancer treatment experience the fear and uncertainty of a diagnosis through the eyes of patients.

So, whenever they encounter a new patient, the staff at both Decatur cancer centers reach out with an offer of help before the patient even thinks to ask for it.

We get them started and help them navigate, said Heather Ludwig, Decatur Memorial Hospital Breast Center Patient Navigator. Ludwig and co-worker Pam McMillen are two of the resources a patient can call upon throughout her life with the disease.

At DMH, the breast navigator is a nurse, McMillen said. We are a consistent point of contact.

The navigator shares available resources and customizes them to the patient's needs. They are often in contact with support groups, rehabilitation services, nutrition counseling and financial services.

The team also makes sure questions are answered or direct the patient to the appropriate resources. They don't know what is available, McMillen said.

Valerie Jordan is the director of oncology St. Mary's Cancer Care Center, she makes sure she gets to know her patients shortly after they receive their diagnosis.

We meet them where they're at, when they walk through the door, she said. By getting to know them and developing a relationship, we get to know their needs.

Jordan utilizes the entire staff at her facility as support for the patient. It's not a specific group, she said.

St. Mary's partners with the American Cancer Society in providing many immediate financial needs, such as rides to and from appointments or gas cards. The society also offers programs, such as Road to Recovery and Look Good Feel Better, to help with the emotional struggles associated with breast cancer. We are able to meet a lot of their needs here in our department, Jordan said.

Patients have also found strength and answers through support groups, such as Look Good Feel Better as well as HER (Helping Each Other Recover) and Pink Link.

Spiritual care is an important part of St. Mary's cancer support system. The staff has found a less-formal atmosphere works best.

Sister Anna Phiri is a common face among the staff at the Cancer Care Center, often seen praying with patients in the chemo room, hospital room and their homes. If I close my eyes and I picture Jesus here on earth, it's her, Jordan said.

The sister just sits, knits and prays, Jordan said. It is her calming presence here.

The staff at both cancer facilities, including nurses, radiation therapists and counselors, sees the patient every day. They describe themselves as the eyes and ears of their facilities. By developing a relationship, they develop a safe zone to talk openly about problems.

We are more in tune with them, Jordan said. Maybe more than their physician.

After the patient has finished treatments, the DMH breast center patient navigators offer a Survivorship Care Plan. The package contains all of the patient's history during the disease, including the type of cancer, a summary of treatments, their doctors and follow-up care.

Patients are allowed to take this information home with them, Ludwig said.

If they move they have it with them, McMillen said.

Because each patient has personal worries and troubles with breast cancer, the support staff treats each as an individual. They can call at any point, Ludwig said. We also touch base with them throughout their treatments.

Comfort is concern No. 1 for the staff at both facilities.

It's a hard disease, Jordan said. And the support doesn't have to come in the form of a support group; it can come in the form of a friend. It is important to know that you are not alone and to reach out.
Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation provides a secondary market for various loans made to borrowers in the United States. It operates through four segments: Farm & Ranch, USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Guarantees, Rural Utilities, and Institutional Credit. The Farm & Ranch segment purchases and retains eligible mortgage loans that are secured by first liens on agricultural real estate; securitizes eligible mortgage loans, and guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest on securities representing interests in or obligations secured by pools of mortgage loans; and issues long-term standby purchase commitments (LTSPC) on designated eligible mortgage loans. The USDA Guarantees segment purchases portions of certain agricultural and rural development loans guaranteed by the USDA. The Rural Utilities segment purchases and guarantees securities that are backed by loans for electric or telecommunications facilities by lenders organized as cooperatives to borrowers; and purchases eligible rural utilities loans and guarantees of securities backed by those loans, as well as LTSPCs for pools of eligible rural utilities loans. The Institutional Credit segment guarantees and purchases general obligations of lenders and other financial institutions that are secured by pools of loans eligible under the Farmer Mac's Farm & Ranch, USDA Guarantees, or Rural Utilities lines of business. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.
STOCKHOLM  Nobel Prizes cannot be revoked, so the judges must put a lot of thought into their selections for the six awards, which will be announced in the next two weeks.

A discovery might seem groundbreaking today, but will it stand the test of time?

Prize founder Alfred Nobel wanted to honor those whose discoveries created "the greatest benefit to mankind." Here are five Nobel Prize decisions that, in hindsight, seem questionable:

n Fritz Haber was awarded the 1918 chemistry award for discovering how to create ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gases. His method was used to manufacture fertilizers and delivered a major boost to agriculture worldwide.

But the Nobel committee completely overlooked Haber's role in chemical warfare during World War I. Enthusiastically supporting the German war effort, he supervised the first major chlorine gas attack at Ypres, Belgium, in 1915, which killed thousands of Allied troops.

n Danish scientist Johannes Fibiger won the 1926 medicine award for discovering that a roundworm caused cancer in rats.

There was only one problem: the roundworm didn't cause cancer in rats.

Fibiger insisted his research showed that rats ingesting worm larvae by eating cockroaches developed cancer. At the time when he won the prize, the Nobel judges thought that made perfect sense.

It later turned out the rats developed cancer from a lack of vitamin A.

Oops.

n The 1948 medicine prize to Swiss scientist Paul Mueller honored a discovery that ended up doing both good and bad.

Mueller didn't invent dichlorodiphenyltricloroethane, or DDT, but he discovered that it was a powerful pesticide that could kill lots of flies, mosquitoes and beetles in a short time.

The compound proved very effective in protecting agricultural crops and fighting insect-borne diseases such as typhus and malaria. DDT saved hundreds of thousands of lives and helped eradicate malaria from southern Europe.

But in the 1960s environmentalists found that DDT was poisoning wildlife and the environment. The U.S. banned DDT in 1972, and in 2001 it was banned by an international treaty, though exemptions are allowed for some countries fighting malaria.

n Carving up people's brains may have seemed like a good idea at the time. But in hindsight, rewarding Portuguese scientist Antonio Egas Moniz in 1949 for inventing lobotomy to treat mental illness wasn't the Nobel Prizes' finest hour.

The method became very popular in the 1940s, and at the award ceremony it was praised as "one of the most important discoveries ever made in psychiatric therapy."

But it had serious side effects: some patients died and others were left severely brain damaged. Even operations that were considered successful left patients unresponsive and emotionally numb.

The method declined quickly in the 1950s as drugs to treat mental illness became widespread, and it's used very seldom today.

n Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian independence leader, considered one of history's great champions of nonviolent struggle, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize no fewer than five times. He never won.

The peace prize committee, which rarely concedes a mistake, eventually acknowledged that not awarding Gandhi was an omission.

In 1989  41 years after Gandhi's death  the Nobel committee chairman paid tribute to Gandhi as he presented that year's award to the Dalai Lama.
Modine Manufacturing Company provides engineered heat transfer systems and heat transfer components for use in on- and off-highway original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vehicular applications. It operates through Climate Solutions and Performance Technologies segments. The company offers gas-fired, hydronic, electric, and oil-fired unit heaters; indoor and outdoor duct furnaces; infrared units; perimeter heating products, such as commercial fin-tube radiation, cabinet unit heaters, and convectors; roof-mounted direct- and indirect-fired makeup air units; unit ventilators; single packaged vertical units; precision air conditioning units for data center applications; air handler units; fan walls; chillers; ceiling cassettes; hybrid fan coils; and condensers and condensing units. It also provides microchannel, heat recovery, round tube plate fin, and motor and generator cooling coils; evaporator unit, fluid, transformer oil, gas, air blast, and dry and brine coolers, as well as remote condensers; and coatings to protect against corrosion. In addition, the company offers powertrain cooling products, including engine cooling modules, radiators, charge air coolers, condensers, oil coolers, fan shrouds, and surge tanks; on-engine cooling products comprising exhaust gas recirculation, engine oil, fuel, charge air, and intake air coolers; auxiliary cooling products, such as transmission and retarder oil coolers, and power steering coolers; and complete battery thermal management systems and electronics cooling packages. It serves heating, ventilation, and cooling OEMs; construction architects and contractors; wholesalers of heating equipment; automobile, truck, bus, and specialty vehicle OEMs; agricultural, industrial, and construction equipment OEMs; and commercial and industrial equipment OEMs. The company has operations in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Modine Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1916 and is headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin.
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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BLOOMINGTON  Sue Antolik and Tristan Toohill have never met, but for the past several years they have been engaged in a common battle with the states child welfare agency over the care of children who became dangerously violent after they were adopted.

The two women also share the same lawyer, Alan Novick of Bloomington, who estimated he has represented 15 to 50 families who adopted children diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder or RAD, a rare condition that often comes with a dim prognosis.

The disorder affects children neglected in early childhood and who failed to form a parental bond. Symptoms expressed by parents interviewed by The Pantagraph include harm to themselves and others, lying, defecating in the home and a coldness toward family members that never gets better.

In addition to the heartbreaking decision to return custody of the children back to the state, parents also reported close calls with death to their other children, financial ruin  and placement of their names on a state registry of known child abusers.

This is not the kid who wont do his homework. This is the kid who murdered four pets and tried to murder her sister. These are not small problems, said Novick.

In 2011, Antolik agreed to be a foster parent to two girls, ages 5 and 7, after her cousin, the girls' foster mother, died. A year later, Antolik, who lives in LaSalle County, adopted them.

The familys life became increasingly chaotic after the older girl began to show signs of serious behavioral issues, said Antolik. There were incidents of hitting her younger sister and holding her under water. Pets were poisoned and blinded.

According to Antolik, at one point her younger child came to her and asked, Mom, why are you letting her try to kill me? 

Counseling did not change the older childs behavior. A list of mental health diagnoses compiled after the adoption contains 24 ailments, with RAD at the top. When she asked for medical records, caseworkers with the Department of Children and Family Services, told Antolik the girls' records had been lost, she said.

Antolik said caseworkers and private agencies offered no solutions that changed the child's behavior. When she took matters into her own hands and took the girl to a Chicago hospital, doctors did not recommend she return home.

That's when things got complicated with the state.

In February 2015, DCFS said, You dont have a choice. You have to take her back or were taking it to the states attorney, Antolik said.

Antolik refused and asked that the adoption be reversed. The child was placed in a residential program in Peoria where she has remained since the adoption was reversed in June.

The younger girl still lives at home. Shes not good. She sees a counselor. Shes still afraid her sister could come back and kill her, Antolik said.

A lack of understanding by social workers of the challenges parents face has added to the problem, Novick said.

DCFS needs to train their investigators about the dynamics of RAD, and they need to stop immediately jumping down the throats of the foster and adoptive parents who are dealing with the aftermath of neglect. They need to walk a mile in their shoes instead of punishing them for not being able to do the impossible, Novick said.

According to DCFS, the agency does not track the number of children in its care who have been diagnosed with RAD, or the number of foster and adoptive parents who have been placed on the abusers list for a RAD-related issue.

DCFS spokeswoman Veronica Resa said "caregivers and adoptive parents of children who have difficulty with attachment experience behaviors on all areas of the spectrum. We recognize these situations can escalate and disrupt the family system, leaving family members exhausted and feeling isolated."

The department links parents to several programs to help youth with serious mental health issues, said Resa.

For more than a year, Antolik fought a legal battle with DCFS to have her name removed from the list of child abusers. In August, the state agreed to drop her from the list.

Similar story

Dan and Tristan Toohill of DeWitt County spent a decade trying to help two boys who were diagnosed with RAD after they were adopted.

Two weeks after the first child, 6, arrived in 2001, his behavior became concerning.

There was constant opposition and defiance we couldnt control, said Tristan Toohill, who has a degree in early childhood education.

Two years later, the family that also included two biological children, grew when they agreed to be foster parents for two brothers, ages 3 months and 17 months; both had been neglected.

In his early teens, the Toohill's first adoptive son began exposing himself to his siblings, who were interviewed by authorities after their mother reported the incident and DCFS advised the family to keep constant watch over the older boy.

Our family was on complete lockdown," said Tristan Toohill.

There were also physical threats. After the oldest adopted son whispered ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Say your good-byes because this is your last night in his mother's ear, no one felt safe, Toohill said.

As a last-ditch effort, the Toohills contacted the boy's his birth father who agreed to take him. After 10 months, the father, unable to cope with the same issues, brought him back.

The Toohills did what is referred to as a "lockout" where they refused to allow the child into their home, a decision that came with a threat of child neglect from DCFS.

We just had to tell them that he cannot come back home, said Toohill.

The Toohills did not dissolve their adoption but asked the state to place their son in another foster home. The family has not seen their son, now 21, for six years.

I have hope we will talk with him again someday, said Toohill, noting that he has had contact with some family members.

The older of the two brothers adopted by the Toohills was diagnosed with RAD when he was in the fifth grade.

"It took two years of phone calls to DCFS to get residential treatment" for the boy who urinated and defacated all over the house and acted out violently, Toohill said.

The Toohills are working with the state to continue his long-term placement at a Peoria facility.

"It's been a long, hard road for our family. I don't see how we can ever live with us again. We want to support him, but we've given this 110 percent," said Tristan Toohill.




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Pizza (illustration)

By: Tanya Malhotra

Four teenagers are facing charges after they decided to get food without paying for it.

The group of teenagers of Oregon, used a stun gun on a Pizza Hut driver and escaped with pizza pies on Friday morning, according to Gresham police.

The driver told police that he was delivering pizza pies to an apartment complex on Northeast 170th Place and Halsey Street, when he was approached from behind.

He was shot with the stun gun, which caused him to drop the boxes. The teenage girls then grabbed the food and ran to a nearby building.

The driver was not injured during the incident that occurred at about 12:20 a.m.

Officers located the four teenage girls, three of whom are 17 years old and one who is 18.

They were found in an apartment along with the boxes of fresh Pizza Hut food that they stole and a stun gun.

Police said the teens placed the pizza order, but they gave the address to the apartment complex next to theirs.

Police arrested 17-year-old Erionna Patten, because she allegedly used the stun gun during the attack. She was charged with robbery.

Police are considering charges against the other three teenagers.
SPRINGFIELD  After going nearly a year without receiving any state funding, Illinois small and midsize public universities saw enrollment declines this fall that were among the largest for comparable schools across the region, according to a new survey of enrollment data.

Reviewing fall enrollment figures for 57 public institutions in Illinois and six neighboring states, the nonpartisan Illinois Campaign for Political Reform found that Illinois small and midsize schools show falling enrollment numbers that are not on trend with similarly sized schools in the region.

With a 7.5 percent drop this year compared with last, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale was at the bottom of the pack among midsize schools, defined those enrolling between 10,000 and 20,000 students. Western Illinois University fared only slightly better, with a 6.5 percent decline.

Eastern Illinois University, meanwhile, ranked third from the bottom among small schools, those enrolling fewer than 10,000, with a 13 percent decline.

Sarah Brune, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said its hard to draw a direct correlation between enrollment declines and the budget impasse in Springfield because many factors affect students college choices. However, university officials, higher education advocates and state legislators have said numerous times that this years incoming freshmen were being encouraged by high school counselors and others to consider schools outside the state.

Amid the standoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, universities didnt receive any state money last school year until lawmakers approved a partial funding measure in April. That was followed by more money from the six-month stopgap spending plan thats funding state government through the end of December.

Taken together, the two measures provided Eastern, Western and Chicago State University with 90 percent of their annual funding to cover 18 months of expenses and gave the six other university systems 82 percent.

Without drawing a direct correlation, I think we all should be a little bit alarmed at what were seeing and hopefully keep this in mind when it comes time to renegotiate the stopgap budget, Brune said.

Lawmakers will take up higher education funding, along with a host of other issues, when they return to Springfield following the Nov. 8 election. It remains to be seen whether theyll reach a budget compromise before the new General Assembly is seated in January or whether the impasse will carry over into the spring legislative session.

Rauner continues to push for items on his turnaround agenda, such as term limits for elected officials and changes to workers compensation laws, which he argues will attract businesses and spur economic growth. Democrats continue to contend that those issues shouldnt be tied to the budget.

Illinois universities deserve our support, but we need economic growth to properly support the work they are doing to educate our students, Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. Thats why the governor continues to push for a complete, balanced budget with structural reforms.

Despite these larger differences, a small, bipartisan group of lawmakers who negotiated the higher education portion of the stopgap continues to have occasional discussions, and members see room for further agreement.

If we can keep up what I thought were productive and positive discussions and lines of communication through putting together the next budget, then thats going to be positive, said state Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, chairwoman of the House Higher Education Appropriations Committee and a member of the bipartisan working group. We had differences, dont get me wrong, but we were able to come together and put a package together within the framework of that six-month budget.

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, another member of the working group, said he felt the group, which also included state Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, and state Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, was getting close to crafting a full-year higher education plan this spring when it became clear that an overall budget agreement wasnt going to come together.

Higher education spending will have to be dealt with in the context of the entire state budget when lawmakers return, Rose said.

The pressure will be enormous, he said. The only question will be whether you have a major overhaul of how the state does business  or whether you get another stopgap.

Illinois State University Chief of Staff Jay Groves said that whether a deal is reached by the end of the calendar year or after, there needs to be a discussion, a long-term discussion, about public higher education, how it is valued in Illinois and what budget do you place on that value.

Illinois State, like the University of Illinois three campuses, saw an uptick in enrollment this fall. The school so far has been insulated from the budget fallout, and it has worked hard to allay the fears of parents and potential students, Groves said.

SIU spokeswoman Rae Goldsmith said the states budget problems will continue to hurt student recruitment until a solution is reached.

It is still going to hang over us and many other public institutions in the state as along as the budget impasse continues, Goldsmith said.
Cash and credit cards (illustration)

By: Wayne Morin

(Scroll down for video) Police launched an investigation after a new immigrant rammed his vehicle into a robber who stole his cash and ATM card, according to police in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia police said that the incident unfolded at the Wells Fargo Bank at 7345 Bustleton Avenue, on Monday around 11:00 p.m.

The 49-year-old robber, who was not identified, pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the driveras face. He grabbed the victimas cash and debit card, and left.

The driver, who had his wife and young child in the car, left the scene, but after a few minutes, the victim decided to come back to the scene.

The to victimas surprise, the robber was still at the scene, and he was armed with a knife. The driver rammed his vehicle into the thief, who suffered serious injuries.

The driver got out of his car, went through the pockets of the robber and found his money and debit card. The police found the robber lying in the road around 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

The robber suffered severe head injuries, and was taken to a nearby hospital. Police plan to charge him with robbery. Police will not charge the new immigrant for ramming his car into the thief.
Man sitting on his suitcase (illustration)

By: Chan Yuan

A teenage drug dealer was put out of business after asking police whether they found his suitcase filled with cocaine, according to police in Washington.

The Seattle Police Department said that they have arrested the 19-year-old man, who was not identified, after police found his suitcase filled with cocaine on the street.

He was charged with one count of possession of narcotics with intent to distribute. He was booked into the King County Jail, pending a bail hearing.

According to the police investigation, the 19-year-old drug dealer was walking on the street when he stopped to pet a dog on Sunday around 2:00 p.m.

He then walked away and left his suitcase behind. The dog owner took the suitcase and gave it to a police officer. The officer opened the suitcase, hoping to locate the owner.

Inside, he found multiple bags of cocaine.

The officer also found the identification card of the teen along with a cellphone, a scale, 50 tablets of diazepam and a small amount of marijuana.

After a few minutes, the teen came back to the scene and asked the officer if he found a suitcase. He claimed that the suitcase contained important documents.
Harry Butler

By: Chan Yuan

A family of the United Kingdom, was left mourning the loss of their son a short time after hearing the good news that he was cleared of attempted murder charges.

The teenager was hit by a camper van while he was crossing a busy highway with his friend a few hours after he was informed that he will not be prosecuted after being accused of trying to kill a love rival.

18-year-old Harry aHazza Butler of Andover, died while his 23-year-old friend suffered serious injuries and remains in the Southampton General Hospital.

Julie, the mother of Butleras former girlfriend Hannah Simmons, said that legal troubles for Butler began almost 10 months ago when he found her daughter with a new man.

Butler was upset to lose his girlfriend to the 24-year-old man and he reportedly attempted to get her back.

A few days later, the new boyfriend fell 30 feet from a balcony and suffered injuries that left him hospitalized for months.

Detectives began an investigation to determine whether Butler was behind the attack.

However, after a long investigation, Butler was cleared of any wrongdoing. Sadly, he died a few hours later.

Julie said that when her daughter received the call to inform her of Butleras death. She thought it was a cruel joke as she was celebrating her 19th birthday. She was shocked to learn that it was not a joke, Julie said.
The woman and the dinosaur

By: Wayne Morin

Police released photos of a woman that was seen having sex with a dinosaur that was on display at a childrenas park in the United Kingdom.

The disturbing photos shows the woman holding her dress up and with no underpants on.

She was seen straddling the fibreglass baby T-Rex dinosaur that is on display at the Dinosaur Safari Trail attraction in Devon.

People took photos if the indecent acts that took place in broad daylight and handed the photos to police.

Police said that since releasing the photos, they received tips that led them to the suspect. Charges against her are still pending.

Sergeant Richard Stonecliffe of the Exmouth police department, said: aWe have now identified the woman in the photographs and we will be speaking to her.a

Organizers of the Exmouth Dino Trail attraction said they were acompletely disgusteda by the womanas actions.

An East Devon District Council worker removed the head of the baby dinosaur to deep clean it after the womans sex act.
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NORMAL  With another school shooting earlier this week in South Carolina fresh on their minds, police, fire and college officials staged an active-shooter drill Friday at Heartland Community College that included a campus-wide lockdown.

In a break from past practices, Normal Fire Department paramedics accompanied the police department's Emergency Response Unit into the hot zone to rescue wounded victims and quickly get them to treatment.

The purpose of this is to prepare ourselves for a mass casualty type shooting or active-shooter scenario, said Normal police Lt. Nick Thacker, who oversees the Emergency Response Unit.

You pray that it never happens in the town of Normal, he said. We do ourselves an injustice if we don't train.

About a dozen police trained in special weapons and tactics participated in the drill along with six members of the hostage negotiation team, according to Thacker.

Whenever there is a shooting, such as the one in South Carolina this week or at a Umqua Community College in Oregon a year ago, officials review what happened, said Thacker and James Hubbard, Heartland's executive director of facilities.

You look at what worked well and  try to learn from it, said Thacker.

That has led to changes in the practice of waiting for an all-clear signal before going in to treat victims.

Normal fire Lt. Matt Burscak said fire departments are getting more aggressive in extracting wounded victims from shooting scenes because victims were dying from wounds that were treatable.

Matt Swaney, the fire department's public information officer, said, This partnership between fire and police personnel is ensuring the best outcome for our potential victims.

More and more schools also are practicing lockdown procedures.

Hubbard said Heartland employees received training in August and watched a graphic video regarding locking and barricading rooms.

"Today's practice of these skills gives them an opportunity to practice what they learned," he said. You want to train in real-world type situations to build muscle memory.

Thacker said having a drill at Heartland helps build relationships and familiarity with the building layout.

The lockdown lasted less than half an hour, although the active-shooter scenario continued into the afternoon in the college's cafe area. The college also used the drill to test its emergency notification system, including text alerts and public address announcements.

The majority of the drill took place in the cafe in the Student Commons Building on the west side of campus. An intern, portraying a distraught student, fired shots from a starter pistol then ran into the cafe, where he shot several people and barricaded himself in the food service area.

As police participating in the drill attempted to talk to the gunman and calm the situation, they also had to respond to pleas for help from those portraying wounded victims, reassuring them that help is on the way.

When the full team arrived, they negotiated with the gunman so the wounded victims could be removed from the area. Fire department personnel set up a treatment area outside of the building.

The drill, which began at 11 a.m., continued until about 2 p.m., when the gunman surrendered to police.
Missing 43-Year-Old Found Safe And Well

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Oct 2nd, 2016

UPDATE 10:47pm: Police have just said Sian has been found safe and well.

Original information below

An appeal has been launched this evening for a missing woman from the Acrefair area.

North Wales Police have this evening launched an appeal for Sian Kersey Smith 43, who is missing from the Acrefair and Llangollen area.

Sian is described as being slim, 57, wearing a pink fleece, shoulder handbag, jeans and pumps.

It is thought her hair may be in a ponytail.

There have also been reports of the police helicopter hovering above the Acrefair and Ty Mawr areas of Wrexham this evening.

Third visit to area today? Police heli over Cefn Mawr this evening  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) October 2, 2016

If sighted or whereabouts known please contact North Wales Police on the 101 telephone number.
By Markar Melkonian

Addressing the National Assembly on Wednesday, September 14, Armenias newly appointed Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan acknowledged the grave state of Armenias economy and said that his new government would tackle that challenge through systemic changes to enhance economic efficiency.

There is that word again: efficiency. Even after twenty-five years of impoverishment under obedient neoliberal tutelage, Armenias ministers, entrepreneurs and NGOs are still obsessed with an efficiency that, as a matter of historical fact, has had little to do with the welfare of the majority population of a country.

Armenias New State Religion

Armenians like to think of themselves as a Christian nation. But if religion is unquestioning faith in things unseen, then the state religion of Armenia today is Capitalism, with its faith in unseen Free Market progress.

We have sustained this faith even as a generation has wandered in the desert and the next generation is wandering, too, with no Promised Land in sight. It seems our faith always comes up short; our capitalism is never quite pure enough. So the economist-priests call upon yet another generation to sacrifice its children to the god of the Free Market, the most efficient of all gods.

To placate this wrathful god, Karapetyan wants to start with tax breaks to private companiescompanies that already pay little if anything in the way of taxesand he has initiated a bill to rename the Ministry of Economy. It should, he says, be renamed the Investments and Business Support Ministry. I want to make it clear to entrepreneurs and investors, he explained, that there is an agency to which they can present their grievances, demands, objections and advice. (BNE Intellinews, Sept. 26)

How very efficient. A couple of questions: Where is the agency to which the residents of the resort town of Jermuk may present their grievances when it comes to cyanide runoff from the Amulsar gold mine?

Where is the agency to which families evicted from their homes around Northern Avenue can present their grievances? Or the farmers along the Yeghegis River who have been deprived of irrigation water by privately owned hydro plants? Or the unpaid Nairit and Byuregan Glass World workers? Or the hundreds of thousands of families swindled into poverty by privatization? Where is the agency to which they can present grievances? Clearly, the current Republican Party of Armenia administration, like the two post-Soviet administrations before it, is implacably opposed to workers and the poor. These observations, plus hundreds of others that we could mention, combine to form a blinking Jumbo Tron confirming the Marxist-Leninist observation that every state is a class state.

The Opposition Is No Better

Yes, the current Sargsyan administration is hostile to workers and the poor. But the opposition is no better.

Consider the six parties with the largest number of representatives in the National Assembly. These parties may describe themselves as liberals, conservatives, nationalists, or any combination of these words, but when it comes to their actual policies and practices, each and every one of these parties has tried to promote one or another faction of Armenias big capitalists. And in the context of Armenia in the twenty-first century, this means support for neoliberalism.

Neoliberalism, in turn, has meant: the massive privatization of public property; cutbacks in state provision of healthcare, education, and public transportation; deregulation of private industry, including the removal of environmental protections and provisions for occupational safety; and the shift of the tax burden squarely onto the shoulders of the working class. The overall effect, in Armenia as elsewhere, has been an enormous transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top.

To be fair, there is one partial exception to the claim that the top six parties in Armenia invariably side with neoliberalism. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) has been trying to brand itself as Armenias social democratic alternative to the full-throated Free Market cheerleaders. We know about the oligarchs who are members of the ARF, but even if we set that aside, a review of the record will confirm that the partys best efforts in the social democratic direction have amounted to little more than attempts to soften the worst effects of neoliberal policies and to salvage some few threads of a social safety net. ARF leaders sometimes grumble about it, but when push comes to shove, they too line up behind neoliberalism.

Armenias Workers and the Poor Need Their Own Party

On those rare occasions when this or that minister, representative or opposition figure acknowledges these problems, he (gender intended) will almost invariably do so in order to advocate ever more Free Market Reform. Indeed, the word reform has become an abbreviation for Free Market reform, as if no one could imagine any sort of reform other than the Free Market variety that has been failing to live up to its promises for more than thirty years now.

As a result, we have the spectacle of ministers, opposition politicians, MPs, and NGO bureaucrats striding up the podium one after another, each one promising, even more loudly than the one before, to give the country an ever-bigger dose of market reforms, to accelerate this famous, never-ending transition to a market system. The same thing over and over again, with no end in sight.

Meanwhile, the reforms in Armenia have worked the same magic they have worked in Chile, Mexico, Peru, Greece, Italy, and Spain. And so it was that, five days after the 25th anniversary of the final destruction of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, UNICEF reported that one-third of Armenias children are poor and deprived. According to the report, about one third of children in the country aged five years and under are nutritionally deprived, and 23% of children aged three to five are deprived when it comes to early childhood education; moreover, more than half of the countrys children are deprived when it comes to water supply and heating, housing, and access to recreational facilities. The same month, the Armenian office of the British organization Oxfam reported that 19% of children under the age of five are malnourished, while overall, 60% of the population of Armenia is malnourished, with most adults receiving 2000 or fewer calories daily, compared to the adult requirement of 2410 calories.

Under these circumstances, it should not be surprising that the overriding concerns of the population of Armenia have been unemployment, housing, education and healthcare. (See, for example, Armenian General Public Opinion Survey, Armenia National Voter Study 2007.)

But to listen to the opposition politicians, one would never guess this. These days they are busy trading accusations of corruption, applauding two weeks of Sasna Dzrer street theater this past July, and trying their best to foment hatred of everything Russian. The opposition politicians, it seems, are too busy to bother themselves with Armenias real problems.

So why should the poorest 90% of Armenians lift a finger to support any of these parties? If the poor and working class majority is to have a voice, it will need a party of its own. One would think that the Armenian Communist Party holds out promise. For one thing, it continues to have supporters and some small organizational presence in the countryside; more importantly, the party could benefit from renewed popular appreciation of the achievements of Soviet Armenia, compared the sad post-Soviet reality. But if the ACP cannot step up to the task, then for the sake of future generations, a new party of working class fighters will have to pick up the red flag.

The most formidable obstacle to this happening, of course, is a lack of class consciousness among workers in Armenia. As usual, the lack of class consciousness at the bottom goes hand in hand with acute capitalist class consciousness at the top. But this is another topic for another time.

Markar Melkonian is a teacher and an author. His books include Richard Rortys Politics: Liberalism at the End of the American Century (1999), Marxism: A Post-Cold War Primer (Westview Press, 1996), and My Brothers Road (2005)
Morning briefing: Trump tax records show he could have avoided taxes for nearly two decades, NYT finds
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KINGSTON/PORT-AU-PRINCE - Haiti has began evacuating residents by boat from outlying islands in preparation for Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest storm to cross the Caribbean for years that threatens to wreak widespread damage in the region with flash floods and high winds.

Matthew, with winds at about 150 miles per hour (240 kph), is expected to make landfall as a major storm on Jamaica's southern coast, home to the capital, Kingston, and its only oil refinery. Stormy weather could begin on Sunday.

Simultaneously. the storm is forecast to lash southern Haiti, dumping up to 40 inches (101 cm) of rain there and up to 25 inches (64 cm) in Jamaica, possibly triggering life-threatening landslides and floods, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Albert Moulion, Haiti's interior ministry spokesman, said authorities had started voluntary evacuations of residents of small, exposed sandy islands in the south as a precaution.
In Rosh Hashanah greeting to Diaspora, President Rivlin stresses challenges facing Jewish leaders, calls for greater engagement with Israel among the younger generation.

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In the run up the Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, President Reuven Rivlin issued his traditional greeting to Jewish communities around the world. The greeting was both recorded as a video and distributed as a letter.

Today, the Jewish community and its leaders - in Israel and around the world - face three very difficult challenges, Rivlin said in his message. He named the first as the ensuring the wellbeing and safety of Jewish communities around the world who are in need.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (Photo: Reuters)

We must work to help them continue to be proud to be Jewish, with security, free from anti-Semitism, and free to wear a Kipa in the street. The President reiterated that, every Jew will always have a home in Israel, but should have the right to live without fear where they wish, and we must stand up for this right.

The second challenge Rivilin argues that the world Jewish community faces is the "strengthening (of) the bond between Israel and the Diaspora  especially the younger generation.

He spoke directly to young Jews around the world and stressed firmly, do not take Israel for granted, do not forget that our destinies are tied together.

You hear arguments about religion, between right and left, and you see the conflict that has been forced on us with our neighbors and feel you have no voice, he added.

I say to you, this year, come to Israel and visit, come to Israel and learn - Israel is a strong democracy, come and hear and be heard. Because we are one people, and have a duty to each other.

The President then noted that a third challenge was how to build and strengthen the connections between all of the different sectors in Israeli society.

We must build together a shared hope for Israel for our shared future in this land," he said. As President of Israel this shared hope is at the top of my agenda, and I see you all as important partners in this mission.

The President concluded, saying let us this year face these challenges together. This is our strength. I wish you all a happy and sweet New Year.
A Palestinian woman who joined her fiance when he attempted to commit a vehicular attack two weeks ago was released on Saturday.

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Raghad Khaddour, 18 from Bani Na'im, was in the car when her fiance Fares Khaddour, also 18 from Bani Na'im, tried to ram his vehicle into Israelis standing at the bus station at the Elias Junction. Fares was shot to death by IDF soldiers securing the station. Three Israeli teenagers were treated for shock.

Raghad was seriously wounded in the incident and taken to the hospital in Israel for treatment. Upon her release on Saturday, she was taken to a hospital in Ramallah.

Raghad Khaddour at the hospital with Palestinian Minister of Education Dr. Sabri Saidam

"I was (in the car) with my fiance and soldiers suddenly started shooting at us, and I didn't know what happened or why they were shooting," Raghad said from her hospital bed in Ramallah.

Raghad's sister, Majd Khaddour, committed a similar attack at the same junction in June, during Ramadan, and was shot dead by Israeli forces. Raghad praised her sister's actions in Facebook post two days after that attack.

Fares and Raghad had known each other from childhood and became lovers. They were planning on getting married, but did not receive the blessing of their families, who thought the two were too young to wed.

Rumors spread in Bani Na'im that Raghad was pregnant, and the two decided to commit suicide when they realized they could not be together. They wrote a joint will and signed it together.

The vehicle used for the attack at the Elias Junction (Photo: Kiryat Arba Council)

After every terror attack or security incident, the attackers left alive are taken for interrogation by the Shin Bet or the policedepending on their involvement in the attack.

According to investigation officials, Raghad claimed she did not know of her fiance's plans to commit an attack and said he suddenly started speeding towards the bus stop at the junction.

The officials said that there was no evidence linking Raghad to the attack or indicating she was planning to attack Jews, which is why she was released.
DUBAI- Arab coalition forces have launched operations against militia boats of Yemen's Houthi group that struck a civilian logistics ship on a humanitarian voyage in a strategic Red Sea shipping lane, the Saudi-led alliance said.

The vessel, an Australian-built high speed logistics catamaran under lease to the United Arab Emirates military, was attacked by Houthi fighters near the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen's southern coast on Saturday. The coalition rescued its civilian passengers. No crew were hurt.

In a statement late on Saturday, the coalition said the vessel belonged to the UAE Marine Dredging Company "on its usual route to and from Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians to complete their treatment outside Yemen."

"Coalition air and naval forces were targeting Houthi militia boats involved in the attack," it said. The coalition said the incident showed that Houthi tactics involved what it called "terrorist attacks" against civilian international navigation in the waterway.
NAIROBI- Police killings of Kenyans are on the rise, a Kenyan newspaper said on Sunday, as it published the country's first comprehensive database detailing hundreds of such alleged killings in the past two years.

The Daily Nation, one of Kenya's top selling newspapers, said it hoped the database covering 262 killings since the beginning of 2015 would help policymakers tackle police impunity.

Kenya's struggle to track such killings has many parallels with the United States, the paper's data editor Dorothy Otieno said. In both countries, the lack of official information about police killings prompted the national media to begin compiling their own statistics, she said.

In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced last week it would begin tracking police use of deadly force, US media reported. But Kenyan authorities do not track police killings.
A year after female fighters first joined the Artillery Corps' Skylark drone unit the results of their hard work can already be seen on the screens of the Gaza Division's command centers.

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While the Gaza border area has experienced relative calm since Operation Protective Edge ended two years ago, the Southern Command, the Shin Bet, and Military Intelligence are still working around-the-clock to prepare for the next war against Hamas. These efforts mostly focus on gathering intelligence and growing the IDF's "target list," along with work to thwart border-crossing terror tunnels.



Sgt. Ariella Lock launching a Skylark drone (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

"Last weekend, we had a series of identifications and we collected new coordinates," said Capt. Toval Tzadok, the commander of the combat intelligence collection company in the Gaza Division.

Skylark fighters monitor the Gaza Strip (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Unit)

Capt. Tzadok is the one who sets the assignments for the Skylark teams along with the commander of the territorial brigade.

"We follow suspicious vehicles arriving at the homes of Hamas operatives and monitor observation points and enemy command centerswhat we find gets all the way to the division commander, Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fox," she explained.

Skylark fighters in the field (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

"We provide a lot of visual information which becomes part of the intelligence puzzle," said one of the female fighters in the unit.

"A lot of the time, our drones are launched when an IDF lookout identifies a vehicle of a senior Hamas official that makes it all the way to the border fence. We're then called in and within minutes have the drone in the air. We follow him for hours, sometimes all the way to the shore or to the north (of the strip). There are also scheduled assignments, like when we have intelligence suggesting something is about to happen on the other side of the border."

The IDF's smallest drone, Skylark, has operated on all fronts from the Syrian border in the Golan Heights to the Sinai border in the south. While it is considered a credible, effective and sought-after drone by every battalion and brigade commander, one usually crashes in enemy territory once or twice a year.

Launching the Skylark drone (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

However, a senior officer in the unit said the enemy will find no value in a crashed drone, perhaps except for a psychological "achievement" for having captured it. Hamas fighters have released photos they've taken of a drone that crashed in the Gaza Strip more than once .

The officer also noted that all of the crashes have been due to technical issues with the drone, and none have been shot down.

Skylark fighters fixing a drone (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

The female combat soldiers of the Skylark unit won't be in the battlefield during wartime because of the heavy weight of the drone, which is carried on the backs of the unit's male soldiers. But the male soldiers also get to reap the "benefits" of a small launcher developed for the female fightersa catapult with a rope that stretches from the launching pad, sending the drone into the air without the need to manually pull a cable, as is done in the launch of most Skylark drones.

The small launcher, about seven and a half feet in length, can be operated from the roof of any structure, any place on the battlefield, and even from the back of an armored personnel carrier (APC).

The small launcher (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

But the drone's main advantage is its low flight altitude500-600 meters. The drone can even fly below the clouds if necessary, something larger drones don't normally do

"With this drone we can follow several Hamas militants, and we can, based on the analysis of the material we have, figure out where they are gathering, thereby increasing the number of targets for an attackif and when this information is needed," said 2nd Lt. Ofir Eyal, the commander of a team in the Skylark unit, while looking at the flat screen that was showing her live, high quality images from the Gaza Strip that were coming in from the drone she was controlling.

Controlling the drone using a tiny joystick (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

"We monitor Hamas's training with the drone. The soldiers are professional enough to decide who and what to follow in real time during a mission," Eyal said, not taking her eyes off the screen during the interview. Minutes later, her team was once again called to action following the identification of a suspect.

One member of her team is Sgt. Ariella Lock, a lone soldier who made aliyah from Cleveland, OH, so she could enlist in the IDF and serve in combat. According to her, "There's no difference between us and the male fighters."

Sgt. Ariella Lock in action (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

The unit's commander, Lt. Col. Ran Ashkenazi, said that "just last weekend, our teams were called in because of an alert on a soldier being kidnapped in Nabluswhich turned out to be a false alarm. There is no area we don't operate it, including over Lebanon. Battalion and company commanders in the different divisions 'fight' over the Skylark teams."

The next stage in Skylark's evolution is currently being developed Ashkenazi said. While the current drone is being used by the company or battalion commanders and weighs 7 kilograms, the new drone will weigh about 50 kilograms and is meant for brigade commanders. It will be able to stay in the air longer and provide images of a much higher resolution.
Many Israeli-Arabs are expressing their disgust with Knesset members from the Joint Arab List who decided to boycott the funeral of former President Shimon Peres on Friday.

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"I dont think that there will be anyone else who will be able to do what Peres did for the sake of Israelis and Arabs," said an Israeli-Arab who himself attended the funeral.

"The fact that even (Palestinian President) Mahmoud Abbas shed a tear says it all. Sadly, (Haneen) Zoabi and (Ayman) Oudeh don't represent the whole sector."

Joint Arab List MK Ayman Oudeh (Photo: Daniel Elior)

Haneen Zoabi and Ayman Oudeh both boycotted Peres's funeral.

A relative of Hanin Zoabi, Nael Zoabi, came out against his relative's actions. "The Joint Arab List has done a huge injustice to the memory of Shimon Peres. I believe that their actions are in-humane and don't represent us. I'm embarrassed by what they did. It wasn't done in good taste whatsoever."

Joint Arab List Chairman Ayman Oudeh responded to the criticism, saying "while I expressed my sorrows to the family in private, the funeral was not a private matter  it was done in order to help construct a collective memory, a memory which refuses to acknowledge the pain of the Arab minority."

Shimon Peres's son in law Rafi Valdan expressed his disappointment, saying "the Israeli-Arabs lost an extraordinary opportunity to express their appreciation for a man who did more than anyone else to bring peace and love to Jews and Arabs."
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert, former president Moshe Katsav and Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto left prison on Sunday morning after receiving furlough for Rosh Hashanah.

The three big-name prisoners were among 260 inmates to be let out for Rosh Hashanah, which is considered a particularly popular furlough as it's a long 96-hour-long break from prison. The inmates will return to prison on Wednesday morning.

Olmert, Katsav and Pinto have been regularly going on furlough since they meet the criteria, including having already served a quarter of their sentence.
Six residents of Shuafat and 'Anata in East Jerusalem were indicted on Sunday for supporting ISIS. Some of them were also charged with trying to join the terror organization's ranks in Syria and with planning terror attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

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According to the indictment, which was filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney, during 2015 and until August 2016, the defendants worked both together and separately to support and join ISIS. They allegedly established a study group ("halaqah") that met several times every week to learn the terror organization's ideology.

During these study meetings, the members of the halaqah watched ISIS videos, including speeches by leaders of the terror group, reenactments of battles, acts of murder and reports from ISIS claiming to have taken over different areas.

ISIS fighters in Mosul (Photo: AP/File)

Ahmad Shweiki, one of the defendants, preached to the participants that they must destroy infidels, Jews, Crusaders and Arabs who don't follow the laws of the Islamic State. He instructed the members to cut their hair and grow their beards the way ISIS fighters do, as well as fold the ends of their pants legs as ISIS fighters do.

According to the indictment, two of the defendantsAmr al-Bayah and Mohammed Hamid from Shuafatmet after they both failed to leave Israel for Syria to join ISIS. Al-Bayah allegedly said in that meeting that he plans on carrying out an attack against Jews in Israel, and Hamid accepted the former's offer to join him.

After realizing they would not be able to purchase a Kalashnikov (AK-47) rifle, al-Bayah told Hamid that he could buy a shipping container where they could prepare explosives to be used in a bombing they were planning at Kiryat HaMemshala (a complex of government buildings) in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv.

Kiryat HaMemshala in Tel Aviv - one of the intended targets (Photo: Yaron Brener)

Hamid suggested they carry out a bombing near the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, but al-Bayah said he preferred to attack the government buildings.

Until his arrest, Hamid managed to save NIS 1,000 for the purpose of buying weapons. When he heard that police forces were on their way to his home to arrest him, he erased all of the content from his cellphone so police would not see the ISIS-related content he had on it.

Another defendant, 24-year-old Saad 'Alamein, allegedly tried to recruit Yusef al-Sheikh 'Amr, 29, for terror activity. 'Alamein was at the time working at a construction site in Rishon Lezion, where he found a box with old army uniforms. The two decided to use the uniforms for training, shooting attacks, and kidnappings they had planned, all inspired by ISIS.
BEIRUT- Syrian government and allied forces advanced north of Aleppo, pressing their week-long offensive to take the insurgent-held part of the city after dozens of overnight air strikes hit the besieged eastern sector, state media and a monitor said on Sunday.

The Syrian military, supported by Iran-backed militias and Russian air power, began their offensive to take control of the whole of the divided city of Aleppo after a week-long ceasefire broke down last month.

An initial air campaign by Syrian government and allied forces more than a week ago was later reinforced by a ground offensive seeking to establish control over the besieged insurgent-held eastern half of the city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and state television said the Syrian military and its allies advanced south from the Handarat refugee camp north of Aleppo city, which they took earlier this week, into the Shuqaif industrial area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin held a long meeting at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

According to a statement from the President's Residence, the two discussed the current diplomatic situation in light of recent development and briefed each other on their respective meetings with the world leaders who arrived in Israel for the funeral of former president and prime minister Shimon Peres.

The president and prime minister wished each other a good year, filled with joint work for the people of Israel and the State of Israel.
A memorial rally took place on Friday, marking 16 years since the October 2000 riots - during which 12 Arab-Israeli protesters were killed - took place. All 13 of the Knesset members from the Joint List party (a party mainly representing the Arab-Israeli sector) attended the event, as did several other prominent Arab-Israeli public figures.

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Former MK Mohammad Barakeh, speaking at the rally, said the state of Israel did not the right lesson from the October riots, and that it was attempting to eliminate the Arab-Israeli political leadership, illegalize it, and grind down the Arab-Israeli civilian population. Our spirits will not be broken, we are shunned from all events, and suddenly its important to the state of Israel whether or not we participate in Shimon Peres funeral. Suddenly they miss us? Its not our priority whether to participate or not. We have problems with lands, homes up for demolition, and what not, he added.

Arab-Israelis marching in Sakhninm, Friday. (Photo: Fant website)

The October 2000 riots broke out a few days after the Second Intifada (nicknamed the Al-Aqsa Intifada by Palestinians, since one of its main claimed catalysts was the way Israel was handling the Temple Mount area, which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque), in October 2000. On October 1, 2000, Israeli Arabs began violently protesting in several Arab-Israeli towns and villages across Israel, in solidarity with Palestinian protesters who had been rioting for several days.

The dispersal of the Arab-Israeli riots (which were generally geographically disconnected to the Palestinian rioting that took place mainly in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem) involved the deaths of 12 Arab-Israelis and one non-Israeli Palestinian civilian, as well as a Jewish woman who was killed by a thrown stone.

In the aftermath of the riots, the Or Commission, headed by Supreme Court Justice Theodor Or, which rebuked several government ministers, high-ranking officers in the Israel Police, and leaders of the Arab-Israeli public.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Jews worldwide Sunday after his remarks drawing comparisons between his bloody anti-drug war and Hitler and the Holocaust sparked shock and outrage.

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The tough-talking Duterte said his apology was intended only for the Jewish community. He lashed out again at Western critics and human rights advocates who have raised concerns over his brutal crackdown, which is estimated to have left more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users dead in just three months.

Duterte said in a speech in the central city of Bacolod that he never had any intention "to derogate the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Germans." Historians say 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis under Hitler before and during World War II.

Duterte. "I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community." (Photo: Reuters)

"I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community," Duterte said.

On Friday, Duterte raised the rhetoric over his anti-drug campaign to a new level by comparing it to Hitler and the Holocaust and saying he would be "happy to slaughter" an estimated 3 million addicts in the Philippines.

In that speech, the brash president said without elaborating that he has been "portrayed or pictured to be a cousin of Hitler" by his critics.

Moments later, he said, "Hitler massacred 3 million Jews ... there's 3 million drug addicts. There are. I'd be happy to slaughter them."

While Hitler's victims were innocent people, Duterte said his targets are "all criminals" and that getting rid of them would "finish the (drug) problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition."

Germany's government slammed Duterte's comments as unacceptable, and called in the Philippine ambassador to the Foreign Ministry over the matter.

"It is impossible to make any comparison to the unique atrocities of the Shoah and Holocaust," Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said in Berlin.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said Duterte's remarks were "revolting" and demanded that he retract them and apologize.

"Drug abuse is a serious issue. But what President Duterte said is not only profoundly inhumane, but it demonstrates an appalling disrespect for human life that is truly heartbreaking for the democratically elected leader of a great country," Lauder said in a statement issued from Jerusalem, where he was attending the funeral of former Israeli leader Shimon Peres.

The US State Department, which is looking to sustain its long-standing alliance with the Philippines, called the comments "troubling."

"Words matter, especially when they are from leaders of sovereign nations, especially sovereign nations with whom we have long and valued relations with," spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. He repeated US calls for Philippine authorities to investigate any credible reports of extrajudicial killings.

Also critical was Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, who said it was baffling why anyone would want to compare themselves to "one of the largest mass murderers in human history."

World Jewish Congress President Ron Lauder. Called Duterte's comments 'revolting.' (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Robertson said that in today's context, Hitler would be accused of crimes against humanity.

"Is that what Duterte wants? Does he want to be sent to the international criminal court? Because he's working his way there," Robertson said.

Amnesty International said that Duterte "has sunk to new depths" and urged governments around the world to condemn his "extremely dangerous outburst."

Amid the criticisms, presidential spokesman Ernie Abella defended Duterte , saying his "reference to the slaughter was an oblique deflection of the way he has been pictured as a mass murderer."

"He likewise draws an oblique conclusion, that while the Holocaust was an attempt to exterminate the future generations of Jews, drug-related killings as a result of legitimate police operations (as opposed to so-called "extra-judicial killings" of criminals, wrongly attributed to him, as these are not state-sanctioned) will nevertheless result in the salvation of the next generation of Filipinos," Abella said in a statement.

Duterte has asked for a six-month extension of his drug crackdown, saying he underestimated the magnitude of the problem.

His supporters and many Filipinos exasperated with widespread crime have welcomed his tough approach, but a growing number of critics, including UN officials, the European Union and the United States, have voiced concerns over the widespread killings and human rights violations.
Colombians look set to back a peace accord with Marxist rebels in a referendum on Sunday, the final hurdle for a deal that would end 52 years of war and allow FARC fighters to re-enter society and form a political party.

The plebiscite asks for a simple "yes" or "no" on whether Colombians support the accord signed on Monday by President Juan Manuel Santos, who has staked his legacy on peace, and the rebel commander known as Timochenko.

"We must end a 52-year war and open the way to peace, a peace that will take us to a better future ... peace is the way to ensure our children and grandchildren have a better country," Santos said after voting.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, whose numbers halved to about 7,000 in recent years due to a US-backed military offensive, have agreed to turn in weapons and fight for power at the ballot box instead of with bullets.

After four years of negotiations in Havana, the final agreement was applauded around the world. Recent polls show about two-thirds of voters are likely to ratify it.
In the midst of the lawlessness of Prohibition and the distress of the Great Depression, history forgot a slain Stoughton police officer.

On Saturday, 82 years after his death, Paul Kraby was recognized for his service to Stoughton.

After a memorial service in Riverside Cemetery, the Stoughton Police Department awarded Kraby the Police Purple Heart to commemorate his sacrifice for the small city decades ago. Members of Krabys family accepted the award at the ceremony at American Legion Post 59.

Kraby was 43 when an unknown gunman shot 18 pellets into his head in the early hours of Sept. 30, 1934.

He was on patrol near a coal yard where investigators at the time said the shooter laid in wait for Kraby to pass by.

The shot rang out around 1:15 a.m. Kraby was killed instantly.

Investigators at the scene found only a few footprints, torn-out fence boards and burnt matches as clues. They found the footprints in the coal yard about 40 feet from Krabys body and determined this was the location from which the shot was fired. The removed boards were said to be the culprits entrance and exit to the coal yard. The burnt matches indicated the shooter had been waiting for Kraby.

Investigators also drew a white circle in chalk around a few pellets found in the wall behind where Kraby was killed. Former Stoughton resident Duane Thorsen remembered passing by the white circle and asking his mother why it was there.

That memory instilled a fascination in Thorsen that led him to write the book The Chalk Ring decades later in the late 1990s.

The year 1934 was a tumultuous one in Stoughton. Bootleggers thrived during Prohibition in the economically depressed city affected by both the Great Depression and drought conditions. Krabys murder added to the tensions in the area between police and crooks.

Questions arose of why Kraby would be targeted. By all accounts, he was the most likable officer in Stoughton. Most residents knew him, as he resided in Stoughton for 26 years after emigrating from Norway. He was a naturalized citizen and fought for the United States in World War I, where he was stationed in France. He became an officer only about nine months before his murder.

Residents said he was well liked even on the job. He would take drunks home rather than arresting them and would break up fights by talking with the parties rather than using force, according to the original Wisconsin State Journal report on the murder.

Many suspected that Kraby wasnt the intended target.

Officer Severt Hellekve and Kraby would rotate that patrol. The State Journal report said either officer could have passed the coal yard that night, making Hellekve the possible intended target. Hellekve had testified against bootleggers, but he didnt think revenge was a viable motive.

If the bootleggers wanted me bumped off for testifying against them in liquor cases, they had plenty of chances, Hellekve told State Journal reporter Lawrence H. Fitzpatrick in 1934.

Thorsen doesnt believe the bullet was meant for anyone but Kraby.

Paul Kraby was really trying to catch the bootleggers, Thorsen said. This person who shot him wanted to keep his friends happy with liquor.

Ten days after Krabys murder, police arrested former officer Joseph Pliner. Pliner reportedly had been working with bootleggers and was forced to resign. Kraby was hired as Pliners replacement.

Pliner ran with the crowd that liked bootlegging, Thorsen said.

Pliner was jailed for seven months before being acquitted of Krabys murder. He remained in Stoughton and lived to age 96, according to an obituary published in the State Journal in 1981.

The trial lasted six days with more than four hours of jury deliberation, according to State Journal archives. The 10 men and two women of the jury voted only once before bringing the verdict to the judge.

The jury listened to an expert address forensic evidence during the trial, according to Chris Milligan-Ciha, a distant relative of Krabys. The expert testified that the pellets found in and near Kraby matched the gun Pliner owned.

This sort of evidence was new, Milligan-Ciha said. They may have been one of the first juries to get that sort of forensic evidence, and it appears they disregarded it.

After Pliners acquittal, questions, outrage and grief remained with members of Krabys family. Bob Burull, of Stoughton, whose father was a first cousin of Kraby, went to Norway in 1959 and met with Krabys siblings. All they knew was that their brother had died while on patrol, Burull said.

My grandmother Lida and my great-aunt Edna would sometimes talk about the incident, Milligan-Ciha said of Krabys cousins who lived in Stoughton. They were appalled that the person who was on trial for his murder was acquitted. They were quite frankly outraged.

After 82 years, Kraby got his recognition for the price he paid serving his adopted city.

The Purple Heart that Stoughton Police awarded to Kraby posthumously holds the same intention as the Purple Heart of the U.S. Military, though from a separate entity.

At last Paul Kraby has been vindicated and the community has come forward to acknowledge what he had done, Burull said.

[Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a correction. In the original, the first name of Bob Burull was incorrect.]
UW-Madison senior Jackie Spaight estimates she spent more than 50 hours per week volunteering for Bernie Sanders primary campaign as the lead organizer of Badgers for Bernie.

But Spaight wont follow the Vermont senators plea for his supporters to back Hillary Clinton in November. Instead, Spaight says she will vote for the Green Partys Jill Stein.

I cant get behind (Clinton), Spaight said. If Bernie flew in from D.C. to have a sit-down conversation and asked me to vote for her, Im not convinced I could do it.

Spaight is among a significant group of young voters  some of them former Sanders supporters unpersuaded by Clinton, others Republicans opposed to Donald Trump  who say they plan to vote for third-party candidates this year.

In Wisconsin, where neither Clinton nor Trump won their partys primary in April, polling shows nearly 30 percent of voters between 18 and 29 say they support Stein or Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, matching a national trend of growing interest in those candidates.

Plenty of the college students and people under 30 who helped propel Sanders campaign now support Clinton. As the race between Clinton and Trump has tightened in recent weeks, though, the popularity of third-party candidates among young voters has loomed larger over the Democratic campaign.

They are really essential for the Democratic coalition, UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said, noting the importance of young voters to President Barack Obamas victories in 2008 and 2012.

This year, though, Theyre flirting with a lot of options, Burden said.

Clintons campaign has noticed. In recent weeks she has sought to bolster her support among young people by touting issues such as college affordability and climate change that are popular among those voters.

Last week, Sanders joined Clinton on the stump, and first lady Michelle Obama campaigned on her behalf at colleges in key swing states, warning young voters against sitting out of the election or casting protest votes for third-party candidates. On Tuesday, Sanders will campaign for Clinton at University of Minnesota campuses in Minneapolis and Duluth.

Young voters tend

to look elsewhere

Although young people generally tend to vote for Democrats, Clinton trails Trump among 18- to 29-year-old registered voters in Wisconsin, according to the September Marquette Law School Poll, drawing only 26 percent of those voters compared to 31 percent for Trump. Johnson had support from 20 percent of voters under 30, and 9 percent supported Stein.

Poll director Charles Franklin noted Johnsons supporters tend not to be as likely to vote  his support drops to 14 percent among 18- to 29-year-old likely voters. Still, faced with a choice between two unpopular major-party nominees, Franklin said voters are open to third-party candidates.

Nationally, an Associated Press-GfK poll this month found 14 percent of likely voters under 30 supported Johnson while 3 percent backed Stein.

Young voters tend to be more interested in third-party candidates than older voters, experts say, and Johnson and Steins popularity in Wisconsin is highest among 18- to 29-year-olds compared to other age groups.

Clinton led Trump 39 percent to 35 percent among all registered Wisconsin voters in the Marquette poll when third-party candidates are included, with 12 percent for Johnson and 3 percent for Stein.

UW-Madison professor Connie Flanagan, who studies youth political engagement, said young people tend to be less willing to compromise with their votes, making them more likely to support candidates whose values align with theirs even if they stand no chance of being elected.

A vote often is the principle that you stand for, so the practicalities dont always sink in, Flanagan said.

Allan Samaniego, a first-year student at Madison Area Technical College, supported Sanders primary campaign but said he doesnt trust Clinton, citing her use of a private email server as secretary of state. Samaniego, who is Latino, also wont vote for Trump, who he considers really racist.

He took a quiz online to match his political beliefs to a candidate, and Johnson was the top result.

Hes a person I can trust, instead of Hillary or Donald Trump, Samaniego said.

Will voters come home to major parties?

What remains to be seen is how many of the voters who support third-party candidates now will still feel that way when they go to the polls in November, or if they will be drawn back to major parties, said UW-Madison professor Michael Wagner.

People tend to vote with their party when it comes down to it on Election Day, Wagner said.

Despite the age groups traditionally Democratic bent, Franklin cautioned that many of the young voters expressing support for third-party candidates may not be Clintons to win over because Marquettes poll shows most of Johnsons supporters are Republicans or those who lean right.

He and other experts acknowledged, though, that Trump faces an uphill battle in winning over many young voters, who are members of a generation that is generally more diverse and tolerant, and has been turned off by Trumps comments about women, immigrants and Muslims.

I disagree with Trumps policies on pretty much everything, MATC student Declan Fair said.

He just seems to run on hatred, said another MATC student, Julie Heida.

Almost three-quarters of Wisconsinites under 30, 73 percent, had an unfavorable view of Trump, according to the Marquette poll, compared to 63 percent overall. Unfavorability ratings for Clinton among young voters, at 57 percent, were a point below those for all age groups.

Even though I might not agree with ... all of her policies completely, theres definitely, I feel like, a pressing need to keep Trump out of office, said Anna Ofstead, a UW-Madison senior.

Gillian Drummond, Clintons Wisconsin communications director, said the campaign is confident that we will garner a significant proportion of the youth vote because Hillary Clintons vision is the one that is best for them.

Narrow race could

pull voters back

The narrowing gap between Clinton and Trump in recent weeks has done some of the campaigns work for them in bringing young voters back to mainstream candidates.

UW-Madison junior Nick Haugstad was reluctant to support Clinton after voting for Sanders in the primary, but said the tight race ended his thoughts about voting for a third party.

If it was like the lead she had on Trump a month ago  I would definitely give Johnson more of a look, Haugstad said. But its getting pretty close.

Freshman Andy Holzmann, a John Kasich supporter in the Republican primary, is also considering a vote for Johnson, saying he is uncomfortable with Trumps foreign policy and would prefer Johnson, who he considers more moderate. Realistically, though, Holzmann said he will probably wind up voting for Trump come November.

I would want to vote in a way that would give the Republican party the best chance, he said.

Trumps campaign declined an interview request, but issued a statement from Wisconsin state director Pete Meachum criticizing both Johnson and Clinton.

Wisconsin Republicans know that there is only one candidate for them, Donald Trump, Meachum said.

Others third-party voters, such as Spaight, will be more difficult to convince.

Spaight said Clintons Hawkish foreign policy, as well as her prior opposition to same-sex marriage and support for tough-on-crime policies now derided by Democrats seeking to reform the criminal justice system, were among the issues that decided her vote.

The point is that were looking for something else, she said of third-party voters. We need more than just, Im a little better than the other guy.

In the campaigns final weeks, Wagner said Clinton must emphasize to young voters that the difference between her and Trump is far more than a matter of degrees, while employing Sanders and Barack and Michelle Obama to unite voters behind the Democratic ticket.

They really need to focus on where they agree, Wagner said of Clintons surrogates, and how where they agree is fundamentally different from what Donald Trump thinks, what Gary Johnson thinks and what Jill Stein thinks.
Latest News

Washington, DC - Ambassador Kristie Kenney, Counselor of the Department, will travel to Peru and Panama October 3-7, to meet with senior government officials, representatives of the business community, and members of civil society.

Counselor Kenney will be in Lima, Peru, October 3-5 to meet with senior Peruvian officials. They will discuss opportunities for increased collaboration on a range of bilateral and global issues. While in Peru, Counselor Kenney will also meet with the business community, Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) entrepreneurs, and representatives of civil society.

Counselor Kenney will travel to Panama October 5-7, to meet with senior Panamanian officials. They will discuss priorities in U.S.-Panama bilateral relations and areas of global cooperation. She will also tour the newly opened expansion of the Panama Canal, visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and meet with members of civil society.
Latest News

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1.

"As the people of China take justifiable pride in their nation's accomplishments, we too welcome the rise of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous China that plays a constructive role in global affairs. Together, our two countries have led the world in addressing climate change and threats to global health. When our countries work together, our own people and the whole world benefit.

"Over the past 44 years, the ties between our nations have reached into nearly every field of cooperation. Individual friendships formed in our universities, laboratories, and boardrooms have blossomed as our two governments have pursued far-sighted and pragmatic policies to promote such interactions.

"The United States remains committed to strengthening these ties between our peoples. As you celebrate, the people of the United States wish the citizens of the Peoples Republic of China a peaceful and joyous celebration."
Living Section

San Luis, Arizona - Need help preparing for the Citizenship exam? Beginning Tuesday, October 11th, the San Luis Library will offer citizenship classes every Tuesday and Wednesday. Review test subjects, learn interview tips, and more.

Tuesday, October 11th, 18th, 25th @ 5:00 p.m.

Citizenship Class (English)



Wednesday, October 12th, 19th, 26th @ 4:00 p.m.

Clase de Ciudadania (Espanol)



There is no charge to attend; however, space is limited and registration is required. For more information, and to register, call Monica Colorado at (928) 627-8344.



The San Luis Library is located at 1075 N 6th Avenue in San Luis, Arizona.
Madison just took a big step toward equipping its patrol officers with uniform cameras, as so many other cities have done to improve public safety, accountability and trust.

The citys finance committee last week agreed to test body cameras on police in the departments North District. The full City Council now should approve the pilot program.

Mayor Paul Soglin said at Mondays Board of Estimates meeting that his view on police cameras has changed because of heightened controversy over the performance of police officers nationally, and because of potentially costly legal liabilities. Officers need accountability for their actions, the mayor said, and the city needs evidence of what transpired during police encounters that are challenged in court.

The city, for example, paid a $2.3 million settlement last year to the family of an unarmed and intoxicated man shot and killed by a Madison officer in 2012  even though the city attorney, district attorney and federal authorities contended deadly force was justified. A camera on the officer could have definitively showed what happened.

The Board of Estimates last week agreed to keep $75,000 in the city budget to buy cameras for patrol officers on the North Side. City leaders last year had rejected uniform cameras, claiming the public wasnt ready for them, and suggesting too many complicated issues prevented a simple test.

But the city now appears open to giving cameras a try, as so many other cities have successfully done in Wisconsin and across the nation. A huge majority of respondents  82 percent  supported body cameras on police officers in a statewide poll last year.

And as Ald. Barbara Harrington-McKinney noted at the finance meeting, a previous study in Madison showed some residents were skeptical of how officers might use the cameras, but they werent opposed to the technology itself.

As an African-American mother, McKinney said, speaking in favor of a North Side test, I want and I need some kind of ... mechanism that will say to police officers that it is not OK to shoot and kill black African-American males.

She also cited the case of 19-year-old Tony Robinson, a young and unarmed man whom a Madison police officer shot in a stairwell on the citys Near East Side last year after reports of Robinson running into traffic and assaulting random people.

We dont know what happened in the minutes before Tony Robinson was killed, McKinney said. We dont have that view. We dont have the view of what happened in the final moments when the other two or three individuals were killed by Madison police in other incidents.

We dont have that view, she continued. And the only way we can have that view is to have the pilot.

The state police union supports uniform cameras, too, because they reduce complaints against officers as well as the use of force, according to a 12-month study the Obama administration has cited. Police videos have led to charges against some officers, and they have exonerated others.

Madison should embrace this technology to improve transparency and outcomes when police interact with the public.
Jagdalpur: Chhattisgarh Police on Sunday arrested six Maoists in a raid in Bijapur district of the state, while 25 Maoists, including six women, surrendered before the police and the Forests Minister.

The police, in a search operation, arrested six Maoists after chasing them in a forest close to Chillamraka village, in Bijapur district. Upon interrogation, it was found that they were involved in several crimes.

In another incident, 25 Maoists, including six women, influenced by the state-run surrender and rehabilitation policy for Maoists, surrendered before Forests Minister Mahesh Gagda.

The 25 Maoists were members of the Jan Militia group.

Police said the surrendered Maoists were given an incentive of Rs 10,000 each. As per laid down policy, they would also be given rehabilitation facilities.


Washington: Old tax returns of Republican nominee Donald Trump showed that he could have avoided paying federal income taxes for the last 18 years.

The New York Times obtained these records which were sent to them anonymously with a return address of Trump Tower and published them on Saturday night.

The records showed that Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a deduction so substantial it could have given him a legal pass to avoid paying any federal income taxes.

The 1995 tax records, never before disclosed, reveal the extraordinary tax benefits that Trump derived from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

Tax experts hired by The New York Times to analyse the 1995 records said that tax rules especially advantageous to wealthy filers would have allowed Trump to use his $916 million loss to cancel out an equivalent amount of taxable income over an 18-year period.

"He has a vast benefit from his destruction," said one of the experts, Joel Rosenfeld, an assistant professor at New York University's Schack Institute of Real Estate. Rosenfeld offered this description of what he would advise a client who came to him with a tax return like Trump's: "Do you realise you can create $916 million in income without paying a nickel in taxes?" Trump declined to comment on the documents.

Instead, the campaign released a statement that neither challenged nor confirmed the $916 million loss.

"Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the statement said.

"That being said, Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes."

"Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for President and he is the only one that knows how to fix it," it added.
I am Kerry Burgess. This is what I think.
Washington: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has warned of voter fraud in "certain areas" and mocked Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's health and marriage while suggesting she should be imprisoned.

Speaking to a crowd of nearly 5,000 in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, Trump made some of his wildest accusations yet about his opponent and the integrity of American elections, the Guardian reported.

Trump attacked his rival in starkly personal terms. He said of her "she has bad temperament, she could actually be crazy" and went on to imply that she had been unfaithful for her husband.

"I don't even think she's loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth. And really folks, why should she be, right," Trump said.

The Republican nominee whose rallies have long included loud chants of "lock her up" directed towards Clinton, said bluntly on Saturday "she should be in prison".

Trump also warned of the specter of voter fraud without evidence, revisiting accusations he first made in August that there will be voter fraud in "certain areas" of Pennsylvania, a statement that was a clear indication about African-American areas of Philadelphia city.

"Watch your polling booths, because I hear too many stories about Pennsylvania, certain areas," the Republican nominee told the almost exclusively white crowd in Manheim.

He added "we can't lose an election because you know what I am talking about".

The Republican nominee also complained about what he saw as a rigged debate and insisted that he actually bested Hillary Clinton in Monday night's presidential debate.
Dhaka: Evan as Nepal on Sunday regretted that the regional environment was "not conducive" to host the next SAARC summit (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today termed Pakistan a "defeated force".

She also said that Islamabad's protests over recent execution of a 1971 war crimes convict had prompted Bangladesh to pull out of the SAARC summit.

"Pakistan is a defeated force. We defeated them in our Liberation War (in 1971), as a defeated force they can tell many things which matters little to us... Pakistan's view is nothing but the aspersion of a defeated party, which people of Bangladesh should consider in that manner," she said.

Pakistan's protests over recent executions of a 1971 war crimes' convict prompted Bangladesh to take the decision not to join the 19th SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad, Hasina said at a press meet here, a day after returning from New York where she attended the UN General Assembly.

"The diplomatic ties will be there... We will face them (Pakistan) diplomatically," Hasina said, as per PTI.

She asked Bangladeshis to think about the relationship of "cohorts and patrons" of perpetrators of 1971 war crimes against humanity who carried out genocides siding with Pakistani troops during the Liberation war, in an oblique reference to main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former pm Khaleda Zia.

"BNP's founder General Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated them (war criminals) after 1975... She (Zia) rewarded the (now executed) war criminals making them ministers in her Cabinet. Before severing diplomatic relation with Pakistan, people of Bangladesh should consider cutting off links with their local cohorts and boycott them in the social and political arena," Hasina said.

Asked what is her government's stand on the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Hasina said the situation "concerns us".

"We do not want any tension, war-like situation... In that case we will also be affected and our development of the region will be disrupted. What we sincerely expect is the two countries will settle their issues through dialogue bilaterally," she said.

Ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan witnessed strain after Dhaka initiated the trial of Bangladeshi perpetrators of 1971 war crimes in 2010 in line with Hasina's electoral pledges, with Islamabad repeatedly condemning the trials.

In the latest such incident, Pakistan reacted to execution of a business tycoon and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali last month saying "the act of suppressing the opposition, through 'flawed trials', is completely against the spirit of democracy", angering Dhaka.

Bangladesh so far carried out judicial execution of six condemned war criminals, five being leaders of Jamaat which was opposed to the 1971 independence.

On the other hand, current Chair of the SAARC grouping Nepal today said that member states must ensure their territories are not used for cross-border terrorism.

Days after India and four other countries pulled out of the 19th SAARC summit indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an atmosphere which was not right for successfully holding the event, Nepal said it strongly believes that "an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation".

Nepal "unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism," Nepal's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement, adding the country has always condemned all acts of terrorism in the region.

"Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian Army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers," it noted.

It further said that to achieve peace and stability in the region, "SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross-border terrorism".

Nepal "regrets that regional environment is not conducive" to host the next Summit, earlier scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad, it said, adding that host Pakistan has informed it about the postponement of the meet.

It said it will initiate "necessary consultation" for holding the next summit.

"As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC summit. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states," the statement said.

Earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who returned yesterday after leading the Nepali delegation to the 71st United National General Assembly (UNGA), told reporters here that Nepal will take "necessary steps and hold discussions with member states to press for holding the summit.

The summit was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India had said last week that in the prevailing circumstances, India was unable to participate in the proposed summit in Islamabad.

SAARC members include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

(With PTI inputs)
Islamabad: Hundreds of Kotli residents in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) came out on the streets demanding freedom from the Pakistan rule while protesting against the atrocities committed by the Pakistani forces and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The agitation was launched against extra-judicial killings, fake encounters and brutalities committed on pro-Azadi leaders, who disagree with the Pakistan State.

The angry mob raised slogans such as 'Butcher of Kashmiris, Pakistan Army', 'Dogs are more loyal than ISI'.

According to an estimate by the All Party National Alliance based in Muzaffarabad, more than one hundred pro-freedom political activists have been killed by the ISI over the past two years.

In recent times, PoK has witnessed a series of protests by residents against the Nawaz Sharif government for the ongoing atrocities and human rights violation by Pakistani forces.

Watch the video here:
Patna: Even after the Patna High Court struck down Nitish Kumar government's Anti-liquor Act, deeming it 'illegal', the Bihar government on Sunday implemented the new stringent Bihar Excise and Prohibition Act by re-imposing ban on sale of alcohol in the state.

According to reports, the state government is planning to approach the Supreme Court against Patna High Court's order quashing its April 5 notification regarding amendments in old Excise Act.

Bihar government also claimed that the blanket ban, which came in force on April 5, had led to a betterment in the situation in the state and crime rate had come down considerably in a short period of time.

"From today, liquor ban has been reinforced in Bihar. Now, people are not wasting money on alcohol like before. It is inspired from Mahatma Gandhi. We will mark the centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha movement by implementing the new Act on Gandhi Jayanti," CM Nitish told media here.

"Our government is committed to continue with total prohibition in the state. Today, people in the state are no longer wasting their money on alcohol like before and that money is being used in better ways. Financial situation in the state has been improving after the liquor ban came into force," CM Nitish said.

"All the previous excise laws, including the one quashed by the high court on Friday, would be repealed with the enforcement of the new Act. The people should go and see the post-prohibition peaceful environment in villages which earlier used to present a picture of chaos, especially in the evenings," he added.

"These savings will boost the economy of the state in the long run as people would invest it in businesses," he added.

The new Act contains harsher provisions such as making all adults culpable in case a liquor-related offence is committed in a house and imposition of community penalty in case of repeated offence of manufacturing liquor or trading in it in a village.

Some of the old provisions that would find place in the new law are penalising someone for allowing use of premises for a liquor-related offence, penalising a company and everyone in charge of its affairs if the offender is a company, and fining the owner of a house from where utensils meant for making liquor are found.

Recently, the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Bill -2016 was termed illegal by the Patna High Court which had provisions of strict punishment to prevent consumption of liquor.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had roped in 40 lakh JD(U) volunteers just a few days back to speak in favour of the ban. Political adversary turned coalition partner RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav had also extended his support to Nitish's decision.
New Delhi:The Supreme Court will on Monday decide the quantum of sentence to be awarded to Vikas Yadav, his cousin Vishal and their aide Sukhdev Pehalwan, who all were convicted in the sensational 2002 Nitish Katara murder case.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan will pronounce the verdict on the appeals filed by Vikas and Vishal against the Delhi High Court order which had enhanced the life term to 25 years in jail without remission and an additional five years for destruction of evidence in the case by terming the murder of Katara as 'honour killing'.

Yadavs' acquaintance Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehelwan was also awarded an enhanced life sentence of 25 years without remission by the court which held that the crime fell in 'rarest of rare category', but saved them from the gallows saying possibility of their reformation and rehabilitation is not 'unforseeably foreclosed'.

The Supreme Court had on August 17, 2015, upheld the conviction of Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev, saying 'only criminals are crying for justice' in this country.

While upholding the conviction, the apex court had said that it will separately consider hearing pleas on the limited aspect relating to enhancement of quantum of sentence of the three convicts by the High Court.

It, had, issued notice to the Delhi government on the scope of punishment and sought the reply within six weeks.

Earlier, the high court had held that the murder of Katara, who was in love with Vikas's sister, was an "honour killing" which was done in a "very carefully planned and premeditated" manner with "extreme vengeance".

It had also enhanced the fines imposed on Vikas and Vishal by slapping an amount of Rs 54 lakh each on them, to be deposited in the trial court within six weeks.

Vikas (39), Vishal (37) and Sukhdev (40) were serving life term awarded by the lower court in May 2008 for abducting and killing Katara, a business executive and the son of a railway officer, on the night of February 16-17, 2002, as they opposed the victim's affair with Bharti, daughter of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav.

The high court had on April 2, 2014, upheld the verdict of the lower court in the case by describing the offence as 'honour killing' stemming from a 'deeply-entrenched belief' in caste system.

Katara was abducted and killed by Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev as they did not approve of the victim's affair with Bharti because they belonged to different castes, the court said.
Kolkata: Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said the Centre is committed to achieve the standards of quality education, while making sure that not even a single child is left out of the educational drive.

Addressing the annual cultural celebration of Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan here today, Javadekar said the Centre was striving hard to ensure quality education to all, specially to the girl-child and the deprived sections, irrespective of communities and faith.

A number of drives were lined up, including orientation and training of parents and pre-service and in-service training of teachers to develop students into better human beings, he said.

Lauding the efforts made by Vidya Bharati in extending valuable help to the Government and society for imparting education, he said providing education has always been held as a very high virtue in our traditions and there is no better cause than educating the poor.

India, during the nation's 70 years of Independence, has largely achieved the goal of providing quantity education as 27 crore students are being educated from KG to PG levels today.

"Having achieved on the quantity-front with 97 per cent enrollment of potential students, partially aided by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in the past, the present government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working in a mission mode to achieve and ensure quality education for all in the next five years," the Union Minister said.

West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi inaugurated the event along with the Union HRD Minister, paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries.

They also felicitated some outstanding philanthropists in Kolkata who had donated for the expansion of Vidya Bharati institutions in 20 districts of West Bengal and across India.
Delhi: US President Barack Obama on Sunday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi after India ratified the landmark Paris climate deal.

Obama tweeted saying: "Gandhi ji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, PM Modi and the Indian people carry on that legacy."

Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy.  President Obama (@POTUS) October 2, 2016

Responding to Obama, PM Modi tweeted:

Care & concern towards nature is integral to the Indian ethos. India is committed to doing everything possible to mitigate climate change. https://t.co/cKLlIu2J7S  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2016

Today, Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 147th birth anniversary.

Honoring a commitment.

India's Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change now deposited @un. pic.twitter.com/pt4kfhb0Ig  Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) October 2, 2016

Honoring a commitment.

India's Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change now deposited @un. pic.twitter.com/pt4kfhb0Ig  Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) October 2, 2016

Applause all around @UN for India's deposition of Instrument of Ratification of Paris Agreement on Climate Change. pic.twitter.com/1Wrchrw8vu  Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) October 2, 2016

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded India's "climate leadership", saying India's ratification of the Paris Climate Change agreement moves the world an "important step closer" toward achieving the goal of entering the landmark deal into force this year.

In his message for the International Day of Non-violence, marked every year on Gandhi's birth anniversary, Ban said there is no better way to commemorate Gandhi and his legacy for people and the planet than with India submitting its instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

He called on all countries to complete their domestic processes for ratification and also strive in all activities to achieve progress through non-violence.

The UN chief said the commitment to sustainable living that Gandhi emphasised on is reflected in a "momentous way" as India is depositing its instrument of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary, we deposit the instrument of ratification of Paris Agreement on climate change," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary we deposit the instrument of ratification of #ParisAgreement #climatechange pic.twitter.com/2smyHPCm5L  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 2, 2016

With India stressing on the importance of climate justice, its goal will be that "climate justice ends are also served" once the treaty comes into force, Akbaruddin said.

The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming by limiting greenhouse gases.

The ratification formalises pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards and try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius, as per PTI.

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after China and the US which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.

Last month, the US and China had formally joined the Paris agreement, which was adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change last December in Paris.

The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions have now ratified the accord.

(With PTI inputs)
Pune: Amid fresh tensions with its neighbour, India hopes to take delivery of the fourth generation Rafale fighter jets from France sooner than expected.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar dropped that hint during a rally here on Sunday. "As per the terms of the deal, it is 36 months, but it may come earlier slightly," Parrikar told the media on the sidelines of Swachhta rally.

India had inked a deal with France on September 23 to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets. The early arrival of the jets assumes significance as India is hoping to replace or retire a significant number of its old fighter jets.

India will spend 7.8 billion euros for the jets.

The deal was signed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Yves Le Drian after extensive negotiations between the two sides.

The development came after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave the green signal.

The Rafale jets will give a crucial boost to the Indian Air Force.

Parrikar had said that the number of the fighter jets were "on path of coming to conclusion".

Both sides had hoped to wrap up the order during French President Francois Hollande's visit to India during the Republic Day celebrations this year, but the bargaining over the price had stalled the process.

Why the French fighter jet is the best choice for a dogfight:

The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon is its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 km.

Here is a comparative study of the features between Rafale and the US-made F-16 in possession of Pakistan. (With inputs from quora.com)

Rafale:

- Rafale can fly up to 2,000 nautical miles at a stretch.

- The maximum cruise altitude is 50,000 feet.

- The rate of climb is 60,000 feet per minute.

- Cruise speed long range is 1,032 knots.

- Cruise speed normal range 750 knots.

- Max speed winner is Rafale 579 knots.

The Rafale reaches a maximum speed that is 410 knots faster than the F-16.

- Maximum thrust is 34,000 (lbf / pound-force)

Rafale produces 5,000 more pound-forces of thrust than the F-16.

- Take-off Weight for Rafale is 54,000 (lbs)

- Exterior Dimensions: Height 17.52 feet., wingspan 35.43 feet, total length 50.10 feet.

Rafale is 0.79 feet longer than the F-16.

Rafale has a 2.62 foot wider wingspan than the F-16.

Rafale is 0.82 feet taller than the F-16.

Avionics make & model: Thales RBE2-AA AESA radar Thales SPECTRA Electronic Warfare system. Thales/SAGEM-OSF Optronique Sec

Armament: Guns: 1 30 mm (1.18 in) GIAT 30/M791 autocannon with 125 rounds

Hardpoints: 14 for Air Force versions (Rafale B/C), 13 for Navy version (Rafale M) with a capacity of 9,500 kg (20,900 lb) external fuel and ordnance and provisions to carry combinations of:

Missiles:

Air-to-air:

MBDA MICA IR or EM or Magic II and

MBDA Meteor in the future

Air-to-ground:

MBDA Apache or

MBDA Storm Shadow-SCALP EG or

AASM-Hammer or

GBU-12 Paveway II, GBU-22 Paveway III or GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II

GBU-24 Paveway III

AS-30L

Air-to-surface:

MBDA AM 39-Exocet anti-ship missile

MBDA CVS401-Perseus in the future

Deterrence:

ASMP-A nuclear missile

Other:

Thales Damocles targeting pod

Thales AREOS (Airborne Recce Observation System) reconnaissance pod

Thales TALIOS multi-function targeting pod in the future (F3R Standard)[citation needed]

Up to 5 drop tanks

Buddy-buddy refuelling pod

Pakistan's F-16:

- US F-16 can fly 2,280 nautical miles.

- The maximum cruise altitude is 50,000 feet.

- The rate of climb is 60,000 feet per minute.

- Cruise speed long range is 1,303 knots.

- Cruise speed normal range is 330 knots.

- Maximum thrust is 29,000 (lbf / pound-force)

- Take-off Weight for F-16 is 54,000 (lbs)

- The F-16 weights 6,000 pounds less than the Rafale.

- Exterior Dimensions: Height 16.70 feet., wingspan 32.83 feet, total length 49.31 feet.

- Avionics make & model: Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems

Armament:

Guns: 1  20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel Gatling cannon, 511 rounds

Hardpoints: 2  wing-tip Air-to-air missile launch rails, 6  under-wing, and 3  under-fuselage pylon (2 of 3 for sensors) stations with a capacity of Up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of stores

Rockets:

4  LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19/7  Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively)

4  LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19  CRV7 70 mm rockets)

4  LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4  Zuni 127 mm rockets)

Missiles:

Air-to-air missiles:

2  AIM-7 Sparrow

6  AIM-9 Sidewinder

6  AIM-120 AMRAAM

6  IRIS-T

6  Python-4

Air-to-ground missiles:

6  AGM-65 Maverick

4  AGM-88 HARM

AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)

Anti-ship missiles:

2  AGM-84 Harpoon

4  AGM-119 Penguin

Bombs:

8  CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition

8  CBU-89 Gator mine

8  CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon

4  Mark 84 general-purpose bombs

8  Mark 83 GP bombs

12  Mark 82 GP bombs

8  GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)

4  GBU-10 Paveway II

6  GBU-12 Paveway II

4  GBU-24 Paveway III

4  GBU-27 Paveway III

4  Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) series

4  AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)

Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD)

B61 nuclear bomb

B83 nuclear bomb

Others:

SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or

AN/ALQ-131 & AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or

LANTIRN, Lockheed Martin Sniper XR & LITENING targeting pods or

Up to 3  300/330/370/600 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight/extended range/loitering time or

UTC Aerospace DB-110 long range EO/IR sensor pod on centerline
Porbandar: It's a big catch for India as a Pakistani boat has been caught!

Amid heightened vigil, a Pakistan boat was seized off Gujarat coast on Sunday.

Also, nine sailors have been caught by the authorities.

Indian Coast Guard ship 'Samudra Pavak' had apprehended the Pakistani boat off Gujarat coast.

Coast Guard officials apprehended the crew members travelling in the boat as soon as it entered in Indian waters around 10.15 AM.

"In the prevailing scenario, Coast Guard ship Samudra Pavak apprehended a Pakistani boat with nine crew members," an official statement said.

Further investigation is on and the apprehended Pakistanis will be quizzed at Porbandar.

Security agencies have been extra cautious in view of the prevailing security scenario following the surgical strike by Indian army on terror camps across the LoC.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Saturday called a special joint legislative session on Monday to discuss and decide on the Supreme Court's order to release Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu from October 1-6.

"We will take a call on releasing water after the joint session of the legislature on Monday. We are also filing a review petition on Monday seeking modification of the Supreme Court's Friday order to release 6,000 cusecs per day for six days," said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after a cabinet meeting here.

He also briefed his ministers on the views of other political parties expressed earlier at the all-party meeting, opposing release of water at any cost as per the September 23 unanimous resolution of the state legislature.

"As we are not in a position to release further water, the cabinet has decided to appeal to the apex court for modifying its September 30 order," said Siddaramaiah.

On the apex court's directive to the Union government for setting up the Cauvery Management Board, he said as the state's special review petition against constituting it was pending before the Supreme Court, the state government had requested the Union Water Resources Minister to rush an expert committee to assess the ground realities in both the states.

The chief minister, however, regretted that Uma Bharti could not decide on the state's request after Tamil Nadu vehemently opposed it.

Earlier in the evening, opposition parties urged the state government not to release water even if it meant disobeying the Supreme Court's fresh order.

"We have told the chief minister not to release water at any cost and abide by the state legislature's unanimous resolution to retain it only for drinking purpose," said former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, of the BJP, after the all-party meeting.

A division bench of the apex court on Friday directed the state to release 6,000 cusecs per day to Tamil Nadu for six days from October 1.

"There is no question of releasing water any more. We are with the government on this issue as unanimously decided by the state legislature last week (September 23) in the interests of the people," said former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, of the JD-S.

Asserting that the opposition parties were with the ruling Congress on upholding the resolution, JD-S lawmaker Y.S.V. Dutta told reporters later that the opposition leaders were even ready to go to jail with the chief minister.

Deficit monsoon rains in the catchment areas depleted the storage levels in the four reservoirs across the river basin to an all-time low of 27 tmc (thousand million cubic) feet, which is barely sufficient for supplying drinking water to the people in cities, towns and villages in the state's southern region.

The opposition parties also urged the state government to oppose the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board, as it would be detrimental to the state's interests.

"We have advised the government not to recommend any official's name to the centre as the state's member on the Board as we are against constituting it now," said Kumaraswamy.

The Bharatiya Janata Party also told the government to urge the central government not to set up the Board at this juncture as the state's petition challenging the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was pending before the Supreme Court.

"We will prevail upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to set up the Board, as the tribunal's various recommendations in its final award have been contested by the state in the apex court," Shettar told reporters.

The top court's Friday order to the Union government for setting up the Board by October 4 and its directive to the four riparian states, which also include Kerala and Puducherry, to send names of officials as their representatives were discussed at the all-party meeting here.
Etawah (Uttar Pradesh): A crocodile entered the Gangapura village in Etawah and created panic and commotion among the villagers recently. The villagers charged after it with sticks and lamps but the reptile was eventually rescued by the Forest Department officials.

The crocodile which entered the Gangapura was more than five feet long.

The villagers got scared and attacked the reptile. A villager informed the Society for Conservation of Nature on Friday.

The Environment specialists and Forest Department personnel rescued the crocodile and left it in the Chambal River.Crocodiles are on the prowl in the bordering areas of National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah district.

A couple of days ago, a huge-sized crocodile in Patharra village claimed lives of cattle, instilling fear among the villagers.

Last year, in the same season, crocodiles in the National Chambal Sanctuary area had killed around five people, including a minor boy and injured many.

Environmentalists attribute the rise in incidents of crocodile attack to poor rain which has further depleted the water level of Chambal River and caused shortage of natural feed in the form of fish and other aquatic animals on which these reptiles survive.
New Delhi: Lauding India's ratification of the Paris climate deal, green bodies today said it increases the pressure on rich nations, which have contributed the most to this problem, to reduce emissions and also shows that the country's leaders are standing with the global community in its efforts to tackle climate change.

Noting that the step gives out a clear indication that India both needs urgent action at home and globally, the bodies said that India must make sure that the next steps that will be negotiated really do reflect "fairness and equitable action" for all.

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that by ratification India has shown itself as a serious global player in the climate negotiations.

"By being in the club of early ratifiers, India has shown itself as a responsible and serious global player in the climate negotiations.

"But ratification is just the beginning of tough and difficult negotiations ahead. India will have to play an important role in making Paris Agreement effective and equitable," said Chandra Bhushan, CSE Deputy Director General.

CSE also noted the Paris Agreement is "weak and not enough" to keep the global average temperatures rise below 2.0 degrees Celsius as compared to the pre-industrial era and developed countries have pledged very low emissions cut targets.

"The Paris deal is weak and erases historical responsibility of the developed countries in addressing climate change. However, there is still enough scope for equity and ambition in the current framework of Paris Agreement. India should strive to bring Equity back into the climate agenda," said Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE.

India today ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a significant push for the deal to enter into force by the end of this year.

The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions have now ratified the accord.

Global research body, World Resources Institute (WRI) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made clear that his actions are driven by the necessity of blunting climate impacts today and for future generations but also the significant economic opportunities for a clean energy future.

"India's leaders are standing shoulder to shoulder with the global community on climate change, a common challenge that unites us all," Manish Bapna, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, WRI told PTI.
Gurdaspur: It seems Pakistan is yet to come out of shock after brave Indian Army soldiers decimated terror camps in Pakistan's territory.

Two balloons with a message, written in Urdu and purportedly addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were found at Ghesal village in Dinanagar. Noteworthy, Dinanagar had witnessed a terror attack last year.

The threat letter addressed to PM Narendra Modi, says we'll take revenge on India for surgical strikes.

What's that message written in Urdu?

Police got the message, written on a piece of paper and pasted on the yellow-coloured balloons, translated. It read: "Modiji, Ayubi ki talwaren abhi hamare paas hain. Islam zindabad." (Modiji, Ayyubis swords are still with us. Long live Islam)

Who first saw these balloons?

The balloons were first seen by a villager near his house on Friday and when he found the note written in Urdu, he handed them over to the police.

Notably, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was visiting the border districts of Gurdaspur and Pathankot on Saturday to monitor the arrangements made for the villagers who have been evacuated in the apprehension of retaliation from Pakistan to the Army's surgical strikes on terrorist launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) recently

In July, the police had recovered a balloon from Jhande Chak village near Dinanagar. It had a picture of the Pakistani flag painted, along with 'I love Pakistan' written on it

Three heavily-armed terrorists in army fatigues had stormed a police station at Dinanagar town in Gurdaspur district last year, killing seven persons, including a Superintendent of Police (SP), before they were gunned down in a day-long operation by the security forces.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a state-of-the-art complex dedicated to overseas Indians, PM Modi said, "We are inaugurating this Kendra on a significant day of 2nd October. Gandhi ji had left India but the call of the nation brought him back."

"Brain drain worries can be converted into brain gain if we see the Indian diaspora as a strength rather than counting them just as numbers," PM Modi said.

He said the world was more keen now than earlier 'to engage with India'.

"World's keenness to engage with India has grown. In such times fear of unknown can be an obstacle. Our diaspora can help overcome this. They just have to tell the world that we belong to India," he said.

The Prime Minister stressed on the need to connect with the diaspora and hailed his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee who 'coined idea of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and it has been continued since then'.

"Connecting with the diaspora is important. Atal ji coined idea of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and it has been continued since then," PM Modi said.

"In past two years, you have seen how government has rescued people from conflict regions, not only Indians but also foreigners," Modi said, adding further that "India has never coveted territory, never attacked another country yet thousands of Indians gave their lives in the 1st world war."

The centre is expected to develop into the hub of activities for sustainable, symbiotic and mutually rewarding economic, social and cultural engagement between India and its Diaspora.

Among other facilities, the complex has a library, research centre, flexible capacity meeting rooms, cultural centre, auditorium of 500 capacity, 24 guest rooms, business centres and restaurant.

The center will be dedicated for the welfare of Indian diaspora.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated in India in January 9 every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in Bombay on 9th January 1915.
Panaji: Subhash Velingkar, the RSS rebel and regional language crusader, on Sunday announced formation of a new political party - Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) - ahead of the state Assembly polls.

However, his name did not figure in the first list of office-bearers released today.

The Goa Suraksha Manch would be headed by Anand Shirodkar, a senior Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) leader.

Velingkar, who heads the BBSM, said the newly formed party has its presence across 35 (out of 40) constituencies of Goa and is determined to defeat BJP in the state polls due next year.

BBSM has been agitating against the state government while demanding mother tongue be made medium of instruction (MOI) and withdrawal of grants to English medium schools.

Notably, the first list of office-bearers, which was announced today, did not have Velingkar's name in it.

"We are in talks with parties like Shiv Sena and Goa Praja Party for alliance during Goa polls. Our proposal to MGP to join hands also stands. If MGP responds, we can discuss seat sharing with them. But with or without MGP, we are going to defeat BJP," Velingkar said.

He said the existence of BBSM will continue even after formation of GSM.

BBSM's political cell head Uday Bhembre told reporters that the party will also focus on various other issues like power and water in the state.

"Goa has to be self sustainable on water and power fronts. These issues will also be given priority along with the MOI, if the party comes to power," Bhembre said.

The BBSM has decided to be in the electoral fray to oppose the ruling BJP in Goa after the ruling party refused to withdraw grants to English medium schools.

The RSS had recently 'relieved' its Goa Vibhag Sangh Chalak Velingkar, who then formed a parallel outfit called RSS Goa Prant.

The BBSM has been agitating demanding regional languages as Medium of Instruction in the state's elementary education.
New Delhi: Switzerland's Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga will visit India next week to boost cooperation between the two countries on migration issues.

Before coming to India, she will visit Sri Lanka.

"A prime objective of the working visits is to intensify cooperation with the two countries on migration issues," the Swiss government said in a statement today.

In Sri Lanka, Sommaruga will also be seeking to obtain a clearer picture of the status of the national reconciliation process and of the human rights situation.

Terming India as a major partner country, the Swiss government said Intensification of cooperation on migration issues will be the subject of the second leg of the Federal Councillor's trip, a one-day visit to India.

"In terms of numbers, India is the most important third country for Switzerland, both with regard to the granting of permits to work in Switzerland and as concerns the issuance of visas. Among other things, Federal Councillor Sommaruga will be visiting the new Swiss visa application centre in New Delhi," the statement said.

The centre issues approximately 110,000 visas for Switzerland annually. This represents roughly one fifth of all visas issued for Switzerland each year and reflects the large number of tourists that visit Switzerland from India," it added.

On Sri Lanka, it said the government there has inaugurated a process for comprehensive democratic reforms.

"After decades of armed conflict, a new constitution has been adopted to help enable the country to come to terms with its recent past, to achieve reconciliation between all ethnic groups, and to strengthen the rule of law.

"Switzerland has been actively involved in Sri Lanka for many years now, providing humanitarian assistance and carrying out projects on human rights policy and in the fields of migration and development," it added.

Switzerland said it would like to further intensify its efforts in Sri Lanka in order to assist with the ongoing reform process.

In the wake of the armed conflict in that country, many displaced persons sought a safe haven in Switzerland and some 50,000 people from Sri Lanka live there, out of which about one half have in the intervening years been granted Swiss citizenship.

Because the security situation in Sri Lanka has improved and the infrastructure in the north of the country has been largely restored, the execution of repatriation orders to all parts of the country is considered today, in principle, to be a reasonable measure, Swiss government said.
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): A unique blend of communal and social harmony is being witnessed in the state capital, were a Muslim man named Irshaad Ali whose faith and devotion towards Goddess Durga is such that it astonishes many.

Ali who works with the Uttar Pradesh Police, offers prayers in the Kali Badi temple of Goddess Durga located at Muslim Bahulya Chowk every year during the auspicious occasion of Navratri.

"After these nine goddess is the mother who gave birth to us. This is my 14th fair. Every year I get duty in the fair organised on the occasion of Dussehra. Whenever I get time, I visit the temple," said Ali.

Not only Ali, number of Muslims offers prayers every year in this temple of Goddess Durga in the ancient temple of the city which indicate a true spirit of unity and integrity between the various community of the nation.
Srinagar: Terrorist on Sunday night attacked an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla.

As per media reports, grenades were lobbed by terrorists at the camp.

Firing is said to have begun at 10.30 pm tonight.

As per ANI, terrorists could not breached 46 RR camp. They tried to enter through a public park near the camp.

The camp is located on the outskirts of Baramulla city, 54 kms from Srinagar.

Personnel of the border guarding force BSF, which is under the operational command of the Army in this area, jointly stay in the camp with the soldiers, officials said, as per PTI.

Meanwhile, former J&K CM Omar Abdullah tweeted:

Colleagues in Baramulla town are phoning with reports of massive gunfire in their vicinity. Prayers for all in the area.  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) October 2, 2016

The attack comes barely a fortnight after the terror assault on the Army's brigade headquarters at Uri which left 20 soldiers dead.

The Indian Army carried out retaliatory surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads early Thursday in PoK.

(With Agency inputs)
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government today assured the residents living along the Indo-Pak border that necessary arrangements have been put in place for their safety in case of any exigency on the border.

"We want to assure the people of the border areas that all necessary arrangements have been put in place?at the camps setup for their safety in case of any exigency," Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said, while interacting with the border residents of Suchetgarh area.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Sunil Gupta and Sub-Divisional Magistrate, R S Pura, Vikas Kundal, while apprising the Deputy Chief Minister about the arrangements being made at the camps, said necessary instructions have been given to the officers concerned to shift the people of the villages falling within 10 kilometres from the International Border in case of any emergency.

Singh was informed that eight camps were functional with adequate arrangements and space for additional six camps have been identified in case of the requirement.

The Deputy Chief Minister directed the administration to maintain a close coordination with the people and to provide every possible help in case of any emergency.

He also asked them to provide 24X7 helpline numbers connected to the control rooms to the people.

Directing officials to put in place all basic facilities at the camps, Singh urged the camp officers to maintain their presence and ensure availability of ration, power supply, drinking water, security and sanitation.

He stressed on close coordination among all departments concerned to provide basic facilities to the people.

Singh directed the civil administration to strictly follow the Standard Operating Procedure while evacuating people from the border areas.

PHE Minister Sham Lal Choudhary, who represents the Suchetgarh constituency, also assured support of the government to the people of the border areas and appealed them to cooperate with the administration during "this tough time".

Later, Deputy Chief Minister visited the camps setup in R S Pura to take stock of the arrangements put in place.
Srinagar: A former Sarpanch (village headman) was shot dead by guerrillas in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Sunday, police said.

Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, who was from the National Conference, was shot and seriously injured and died on way to hospital.

"Militants barged into the house of Fayaz Ahmad Bhat in Kandizal village of Pulwama today (Sunday) afternoon and shot him from close range.

"He was shifted to hospital in a critical condition where doctors declared him dead," a senior police officer said here.

The term of the elected representatives of village Panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir ended in May this year.

Although the 2011 Panchayat elections were fought on a non-party basis, all mainstream political parties had fielded their candidates without any formal party mandates. But ever since the polls, the elected representatives of these grassroots level institutions have been targeted by the militants from time to time.
Srinagar: Authorities today stopped publication of a local English language newspaper, Kashmir Reader, accusing it of carrying content which tends to incite violence and disturbs public peace and tranquility.

The Editor-in-Chief and owner of Kashmir Reader, Haji Hayat Mohammad Bhat, said a two-page letter was delivered at his office by Police this evening asking him to stop publication of the newspaper.

It has been observed that the contents published in the above newspaper is of such nature that can easily cause incitement of acts of violence and disturbance of public tranquility in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Srinagar district in particular, the order issued by the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar said.

The order said it had become expedient in the interest of prevention of this anticipated breach of public tranquility to forthwith take necessary precautionary measures.

There are sufficient reasons to invoke the powers vested in me by Section 144 CrPC read with Section 3 of News Papers Incitement of offences Act, 1971 and Section 10 of Press and Publication Act, 1989 and proceed further in the matter by passing a conditional order of stopping the printing and publishing of News Paper namely Kashmir Reader through printing presses mentioned above, the order reads.
Jammu: An uneasy calm prevailed on Sunday on the International Border (IB) in Jammu districts as authorities said that there were no cross-border firing or shelling during the last 24 hours.

Although majority of border residents continued to live in their homes despite the heightened tension, over 12,000 people living in villages of Akhnoor and Khour have migrated to safer places.

District authorities in Kathua and Samba said residents of border villages also migrated.

Villagers in Pallanwalla area of Akhnoor said Pakistani troops were directly targeting civilians and agricultural fields laden with ripe crop through mortar shelling.

Many villagers abandoning their cattle and agricultural fields said if they were not able to reap vegetable and other crops during the next 10 days because of heightened tensions they would be losing an entire years earning.

Official sources said all educational institutions in border villages of Jammu, Samba and Kathua would remain closed till further orders.
Bengaluru: Karnataka's ruling Congress on Sunday issued whip to its lawmakers to attend the special joint session of the state legislature on Monday to decide on the Supreme Court order to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

"Chief whip Ashok Pattan has issued the whip directing our legislators in the assembly and council to be present in Vidhana Soudha on Monday and participate in the discussion on the apex court order," a party source told IANS.

The cabinet on Saturday decided to convene the day-long session after an all-party meeting urged the state government not to release the river water at any cost as it is required for drinking purpose in the region.

A division bench of the top court on Friday directed the state to release 6,000 cusecs per day for a week from October 1-6.

"As the resolution to utilise the scarce water in the four dams across the river basin for drinking purpose was unanimously passed in the council and the assembly at a special session on September 23, only the legislature has to decide on how best to use the resource," said the party official.

Deficit monsoon rains this year led to the lowest storage of water in the four reservoirs of Kabini, KRS, Harangi and Hemavathy across the river basin in the state's southern region.

"The reservoirs has collectively 27 tmc (thousand million cubic) feet of water, which is barely sufficient to meet the drinking needs of the people in cities, towns and villages in the region," said the source.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah meanwhile regretted that Karnataka was being portrayed as a "villain" for not releasing the water without ascertaining the ground realities in a distress situation.

"The Supreme Court is unable to understand the crisis we are facing due to deficit rains in the catchment areas of the reservoirs. When we are not able to release water for our farmers, how can we do for irrigation in the neighbouring state," he said at a Gandhi Jayanti function here.

Noting that his government was bound by the legislative resolution - not to draw water for any purpose other than drinking needs, the chief minister said it was unfortunate the apex court was repeatedly asking the state to release water despite explaining the distress situation.

"We can't obey an order which is not helpful to the people. We don't intend to disrespect the Supreme Court nor defy its order but we are in a precarious situation to conserve whatever water we have for drinking purpose only," he added.


Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested a 44-year-old man, suspected to be one of the conspirators of the 2002 terror attack on American Centre in Kolkata.

Following a tip-off, ATS officials nabbed Hasan Imam yesterday from his residence in Aurangabad in Bihar and brought him here today.

An ATS release said Imam was a member of the banned terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihadi-e-Islam (HuJI) as well as `Asif Raza Commando Force' formed by Aftab Ansari.

Ansari was involved in the kidnapping of two Rajkot-based jewellers in November 2000, wherein a ransom of Rs 1.5 crore was paid and the money was allegedly used to fund terror activities through a network of terror groups, said the ATS.

Ansari was arrested by CBI in February 2002 upon his deportation from Dubai. He was the key accused in the terror attack on American Centre in Kolkata.

Imam allegedly worked closely with Ansari and the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad to carry out the attack on the American Center in the wee hours of January 22, 2002. Four policemen were killed in the attack.

ATS said Imam was actively involved in the conspiracy. He arranged the motorcycle used by terrorists and also provided shelter to the other accused.

Later he changed his name to Arif and settled down in Aurangabad, said the release.
Imphal: An insurgent leader Panthoi aka Lakpa of Manipur, who was shot at and severely injured inside Myanmar territory on Sunday, later succumbed to bullet injuries in the Indian border town of Moreh, intelligence sources said.

No has so far claimed the attack.

The sources told IANS that some five unidentified persons accosted Panthoi, finance secretary of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party, at 1 p.m. in the Namphalong marketing complex parking lot across the international border in Myanmar and fired at him several time.

Panthoi was taken to Moreh town in India in a critical condition, where he died.

KCP is one of the oldest insurgent groups in Manipur and a member of the coordinating committee of six outlawed organisations in the state.


Attari: A flag meeting between BSF and Pakistani Rangers was held on Sunday after anti-India slogans were raised from Pakistan side during the evening retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border.

Following the belligerence, the BSF registered a protest with the Pak Rangers.

Officials said that some stones were also thrown from Pakistani side a few minutes before the beginning of the retreat ceremony.

Officials said BSF had a flag meeting with the Pakistani Rangers after the 50 minute ceremony ended.

"There was sloganeering and unruly conduct by the spectators from the Pakistani side. There were some reports about pelting of stones also ... We called a flag meeting with the Rangers and told them about the issue," a senior BSF official said, as per PTI.

The retreat ceremony is held every evening where both the sides lower their national flags and shut the gates in the presence of the public.

Tension is running high between the two countries following the terror attack on an Army camp in Uri and subsequent surgical strikes on terror launch pads by India in PoK.

20 soldiers were killed in the attack.

The Army neutralised four militants who attacked the base.

(With Agency inputs)
Mexico City: A total of 13 bodies have now been found in or around Lake Chapala in western Mexico, an official said.

The head prosecutor of Jalisco state, Eduardo Almaguer, told the Milenio television network yesterday that the dead apparently were members of a gang and came from nearby communities. He said they were killed by their former criminal allies in the neighboring state of Michoacan on or around Sept 21.

The bodies of the 12 men and one woman were then apparently tossed into a river that feeds into the lake. They were found at the opposite end of the lake from the town of Chapala, popular among tourists and American retirees.

Also, a soldier died in a shootout with criminals in the central state of Guanajuato, one day after five soldiers were killed in an ambush in the northern state of Sinaloa. The Guanajuato state prosecutor's office said police and soldiers were chasing a three-vehicle convoy of armed men in the township of Comonfort, Guanajuato, when the gunfight broke out and the soldiers was shot to death.

It appeared unrelated to Friday's attack on a military convoy in Sinaloa, which was likely launched to free a wounded drug suspect being transported in an ambulance guarded by the convoy.

In a speech Saturday, Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos used unusually harsh language to describe the attackers, who apparently used grenades to attack the army convoy.

"Our soldiers were ambushed by sick, insane criminal beasts," Cienfuegos said.
Bishoftu: Fifty-two people died on Sunday at a religious festival in Ethiopia to celebrate the end of the rainy season after police fired tear gas at protesters triggering a stampede.

Violence broke out at the gathering in the town of Bishoftu near the capital Addis Ababa due to the actions of "irresponsible forces", the regional government said in a statement, adding that "as a consequence, 52 people died in this crush."

Opposition groups had said they believed more than 100 people had been killed in the chaos after thousands of people gathered at a sacred lake for the Irreecha (thanksgiving) ceremony, in which the Oromo community marks the end of the wet weather.

Ethiopia is facing its biggest anti-government unrest in a decade and some festival participants had crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of protest by the Oromo community, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

"The annual Irreecha festival has been disrupted due to a violence created by some groups... Loss of lives has occurred due to a stampede," said a government statement published by state media earlier.

Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, told AFP there had been many fatalities.

"Bodies are being collected by the government. But what I hear from people on the ground is that the number of dead is more than one hundred," said Gudina.

Sunday`s event quickly degenerated into violence, with protesters throwing stones and bottles and security forces responding with baton charges and tear gas grenades, with some reports of gunfire.The police action sent people fleeing in panic with many falling on top of each other into a ditch.

Police demanded that AFP`s photographer leave the scene, where rubber bullets were seen strewn on the ground.

Oromo activists called for "five days of rage" to protest the deaths while a strong police presence was visible as the news of the day`s events spread.

"This government is a dictatorship, there is no equality or freedom of speech. There is only TPLF. That`s why we must protest today," said Mohamed Jafar, referring to the Tigrayan People`s Liberation Front.

In 1991 the TPLF, then a rebel group, overthrew Mengistu Haile Mariam`s dictatorship and now, as a political party stands accused of monopolising power.

Every year millions of people in the Oromo region mark the Irreecha festival on the shores of Lake Harsadi, which they consider sacred.

The anti-government protests started in the central and western Oromo region in 2015 and spread in recent months to the northern Amhara region.

"For the last 25 years the Oromo people have been marginalised in many things. Today we come together as one to chant for our freedom," said one of the people at the festival, Habte Bulcha.

Together, Oromos and Amharas make up 60 percent of the population of the Horn of Africa nation and have become increasingly vocal in rejecting what they see as the disproportionate power wielded by the northern Tigrean minority in government and the security forces.
Hoboken (US): Federal rail officials found dozens of violations during an audit focusing on New Jersey Transit's safety and operations, months before a commuter train crashed, killing a woman and injuring more than 100 others, a US official told The Associated Press.

The official, who was familiar with an audit by the Federal Railroad Administration, spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorised to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.

The railroad administration began an audit in June after noticing an uptick in rail incidents and found "dozens of safety violations" that needed to be fixed immediately, the official said. The commuter rail agency was fined as a result of the audit, the official said, adding that federal agencies are continuing to work with the railroad to ensure compliance with federal rail safety guidelines.

New Jersey Transit trains have been involved in more than 150 accidents that caused more than USD 4.8 million in damage to tracks or equipment since Jan 1, 2011, according to federal data. There were 25 such accidents in 2015 and 10 in the first seven months of 2016, but none caused injuries or death. Most of the incidents occurred at low speeds and more than half were in train yards.

On Thursday, a New Jersey Transit commuter train smashed through a steel-and-concrete bumper and hurtled into the station's waiting area, killing a woman on the platform and injuring more than 100 other people.

The train's engineer, Thomas Gallagher, who was among those injured in the crash, has been interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board, officials said, but the agency provided no further details about the interview in a news release yesterday.

The NTSB also retrieved an event recorder from the locomotive at the rear of the train and investigators are waiting to download speed and braking information it contains.

Investigators haven't been able to extract a second recorder from the forward-facing video camera in the train's mangled first car because it is under a collapsed section of the train station's roof.

The signals on the tracks leading to Hoboken Terminal appear to be working normally and officials completed a walking inspection of the track, finding nothing that would have affected the performance of the train, the NTSB said in an update yesterday. Investigators have obtained video from other trains that were inside the train station when the crash occurred.

Signs posted at a New Jersey Transit maintenance facility in Hoboken, dated February, said there had been 10 incidents involving trains in the prior two months, including five derailments. The sign said the "serious incidents reflect a dangerous trend" and that the main cause of the incidents appeared to be caused by human error.

A spokesman for New Jersey Transit didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cairo: At least four people were killed and two others wounded on Sunday during a blast in western Arish city of Egypt`s restive North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Citing MENA news agency, Xinhua reported that the blast targeted an electricity company`s vehicle which was on its way to do power maintenance.

"Three were killed on the scene, one with abdominal bleeding died upon arrival at Arish public hospital, and the two wounded had leg amputation," a security source said.

On Saturday, also in Arish city, five police conscripts were shot dead by unidentified gunmen.

The ministry`s statement said the five recruits were on their way back from vacation to their police central security department when the assailants stopped their vehicle and gunned them down.
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnia votes for new mayors on Sunday at a time of renewed tensions between communities in the fragile Balkan country, especially between Muslims and Bosnian Serbs.

Some 3.2 million voters will cast ballots in 140 municipalities and are largely expected to vote along ethnic lines.

The northwestern town of Velika Kladusa is likely to be led from Monday by war criminal Fikret Abdic, 77, who was convicted by a Croatian court in 2002.

During Bosnia`s 1990s inter-ethnic war, this Bosnian Muslim, a powerful local warlord, sided with the Serbs against Muslim forces loyal to Sarajevo and proclaimed an "Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia".

He was released in 2012 after serving two-thirds of a 15-year jail sentence.

In the eastern town of Srebrenica, known for the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces in 1995, a Serb is widely tipped to become mayor for the first time since 1999.

Today the town is a microcosm of Bosnia, with Muslims and Serbs living side by side but by no means together -- still distrustful more than two decades after the war that claimed 100,000 lives and displaced two million people.

The town`s elections will be a political confrontation between the two communities, although both candidates have vowed to work for the benefit of all citizens.

This year tensions in Bosnia are particularly strong, intensified by the decision of its Serbs at a referendum last weekend to continue celebrating their "national holiday" -- despite Sarajevo authorities ruling the holiday and the vote illegal.The Dayton peace accords that ended the war in 1995 split Bosnia into two semi-independent entities -- the Serb-run Republika Srpska (RS) and a Muslim-Croat federation -- linked by weak central institutions.

The political leaders on both sides, Milorad Dodik in the RS and Muslim Bakir Izetbegovic, have led aggressive campaigns ahead of Sunday`s vote using nationalist rhetoric.

In Banka Luka, capital of the RS, the mayoral candidate for Dodik`s SNSD party is threatened by a rival Serb. A defeat would weaken the SNSD, which has led the city for 19 years.

In a country where 50 percent of people are Muslims and almost all follow a moderate form of the religion, there is for the first time a candidate who wears the face-covering niqab veil, Indira Sinanovic.

Representing a small party, she is not expected to become a councillor in the central Bosnian town of Zavidovici.

Polling stations open at 0500 GMT and close at 1700 GMT. The first results are expected late Sunday.
Sao Paulo: Brazilians furious at recession and corruption are expected to punish the long dominant Workers` Party in municipal elections Sunday amid heightened security after a series of murders of candidates.

The main battles in the first round of the nationwide polls are in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil`s economic capital Sao Paulo, where the incumbent Workers` Party mayor, Fernando Haddad, risks being knocked out.

That beating for the left is expected to extend through much of the Latin American giant.

"The mayors` posts held by the Workers` Party will fall to less than half of those they won four years ago," political analyst David Fleischer at Brasilia University said, predicting "disaster for the party."

Brazilians want change as they struggle through a devastating recession and the fallout from a massive embezzlement and bribery scheme centered on prestigious state oil company Petrobras.

The polls also come just weeks after Dilma Rousseff of the Workers` Party was thrown out of the presidency in an impeachment vote over her illegal manipulation of public accounts.

She was replaced by her coalition partner and vice president Michel Temer from the center-right PMDB party, who is now pushing to steer Brazil away from 13 years of leftist economic policy.

Meanwhile, Rousseff`s predecessor, Workers` Party founder Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, faces charges in the Petrobras investigation. They could end the career of one of the most influential leftist leaders in recent Latin American history.The gunning down of a string of candidates has cast a shadow over the already toxic political atmosphere.

The latest victim was Jose Gomes da Rocha, running for mayor in Itumbiara in the state of Goias.

He was shot dead Wednesday, along with a police officer, while campaigning. The state`s deputy governor was wounded in the attack in which the gunman was killed by security guards.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Gilmar Mendes called the incident "shocking."

Worries about violence have prompted deployment during the election of tens of thousands of troops to more than 400 municipalities, the defense minister said Friday.

In the main hotspot, Rio de Janeiro, 15 candidates or politicians have been murdered over the last 10 months, police say. Police numbers are being doubled in the state for the election, with officers guarding the transport of ballot boxes and the voting stations.

"The police are prepared to secure the voting sites and to guarantee that everyone can exercise the right to vote," Colonel Luis Henrique Marinho Pires from police headquarters told the G1 news site.

Officials have given few details about investigations into the murders but suspicions in at least some of the cases are falling on so-called militias -- gangs formed by former or rogue police officers.

While their main activity has been battling drugs gangs and running protection rackets, the militias have also long tried to extend their influence into the political sphere.

O Globo newspaper reported that militias were even forcing candidates to pay an "election tax" to campaign in areas under their control, with fees running from 15,000 to 120,000 reais ($4,600 to $37,000).In another sign of changing times, conservative evangelist candidates are running strongly in Rio and Sao Paulo.

Pre-election polls put Joao Doria from the rightwing PSDB party leading the pack in Sao Paulo, but under the 50 percent needed to win outright and avoid a runoff at the end of the month.

New polls on Saturday showed a strong challenge for the second place from Celso Russomanno from the Brazilian Republican Party (PRB), considered the political wing of the wealthy evangelical Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

Ibope pollsters put Russomanno in a comfortable second place, with the Workers` Party incumbent Haddad at fourth. However, a rival Datafolha poll showed Haddad and Russomanno tied in second, while Doria had shot ahead from previous predictions to 44 percent.

Another PRB candidate, Marcelo Crivella, is in pole position in Rio. As well as being a senator, he`s a bishop in the Universal Church.

Datafolha`s eve of election poll showed him with 32 percent, with a surprisingly strong challenge in second place from the leftist PSOL candidate Marcelo Freixo (PSOL) with 16 percent.

Evangelists are riding a national rightward shift, already gaining a record number of seats in Congress during the 2014 elections that also saw a Pentecostal environmentalist, Marina Silva, came close to winning the country`s presidency.

"This is linked to the most conservative era the country has seen, along with a wave of rejection of traditional politics," Mauro Paulino, head of the polling institute Datafolha said.
Sao Paulo: Brazil`s long dominant Workers` Party looked close to losing control of the biggest city Sao Paulo, exit polls showed Sunday after nationwide municipal elections seen as marking a shift to the right.

An exit poll by Ibope showed Sao Paulo`s incumbent Workers` Party mayor, Fernando Haddad, trailing with 20 percent behind Joao Doria from the centrist PSDB, with 48 percent. Unless final results give Doria over 50 percent, the two will meet again in a second round runoff on October 30.

In Rio de Janeiro, the leader was Marcelo Crivella from the socially conservative Brazilian Republican Party (PRB), considered the political wing of the wealthy evangelical Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, an exit poll showed.

Crivella, whose billionaire uncle founded the Universal Church, won 30 percent of the vote and looked set to face off against Marcelo Freixo from the leftist PSOL, who won 20 percent, according to an Ibope poll.

The elections for mayors and city governments across 5,568 municipalities in Latin America`s biggest country were the first since Dilma Rousseff of the Workers` Party lost the presidency in a bruising impeachment battle in August.

They were also a litmus test ahead of presidential elections in 2018.

Among the earliest to cast a ballot in the financial powerhouse Sao Paulo was Rousseff`s replacement, President Michel Temer from the center-right PMDB party.

Temer, who is deeply unpopular and was booed at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics in August, abruptly changed his schedule to vote two hours earlier than previously announced, getting into the polling station before doors even opened to the public, an AFP reporter observed. According to Folha newspaper the change was to avoid protesters.

But despite widespread public mistrust of Temer, the PSDB and other parties friendly to the new president were forecast to reshape the landscape dominated by the Workers` Party for the last 13 years.

David Fleischer, a political analyst at Brasilia University, predicted the Workers` Party would end up with less than half the mayoral seats it won four years ago. "It will be a disaster for the party," he said.

Brazilians want change as they struggle through a devastating recession and the fallout from a massive embezzlement and bribery scheme centered on prestigious state oil company Petrobras.

"The elections are our chance to chance this scenario," said accounting student Wemerson Guimaraes, 21, as he voted in Rio.

In Sao Paulo, retiree Clara Nunes, 64, predicted "the Workers` Party will lose many votes in this election."

"I think next year, with new politicians coming in, the situation could get better," she said.The army reinforced security in nearly 500 towns and cities across the country following a string of candidate killings.

The latest fatality was Jose Gomes da Rocha, shot dead along with a police officer while campaigning in Itumbiara in the state of Goias on Wednesday.

G1 news site reported Sunday that seven polling stations have been attacked in the northeastern state of Maranhao, including an arson attack which damaged an electronic voting machine.

Shots were also fired at the mayor of Nova Erechim, in southern Brazil, who is not seeking reelection in Sunday`s polls, G1 reported.

In Rio de Janeiro, 15 candidates or politicians have been murdered over the last 10 months, police say. Police numbers are being doubled in the state for the election, with officers guarding the transport of ballot boxes and the voting stations.

Suspicions in at least some of the cases have fallen on so-called militias -- protection rackets formed by former or rogue police officers.

O Globo newspaper reported that militias were even forcing candidates to pay an "election tax" to campaign in areas under their control, with fees running from 15,000 to 120,000 reais ($4,600 to $37,000).
England: Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain would start the formal process for leaving the EU before April as her governing Conservative Party opened its annual conference on Sunday.

Though many Conservatives headed to the congress in Birmingham, central England still jubilant about Britain`s June referendum vote to leave the European Union, the centre-right government has come under increasing pressure to define what shape Brexit will take.

Before Sunday, May had only repeatedly insisted that Britain would not invoke Article 50 of the EU`s Lisbon Treaty -- starting a maximum two-year departure process -- before January.

"I`ve been saying that we wouldn`t trigger before the end of this year so that we get some preparation in place," she told BBC television.

"We will trigger before the end of March next year."

May said she hoped the announcement would lead to a "smoother process of negotiation" with Brussels.

However, European powers keen to dampen euroscepticism in their own backyards have been taking an increasingly hard line, warning that Britain cannot expect special treatment on trade and immigration.

Access to the European single market means allowing free movement of people, they say. But May says she wants to curb the yearly influx of hundreds of thousands of people from other parts of the EU.

She said the referendum was a clear message that Britain should have control over the movement of people coming from the bloc.

"We will deliver on that," she said.

Britain will be "able to decide who can come into, and set the rules for who can come into, the country.

"We will look at the various ways that we can bring in the control that the British people want."Some key Conservatives have said they want to sever all ties with the EU by leaving the single market and imposing work visa rules.

They argue that the European Union would only be harming itself if it began imposing tariffs on British goods and services because the EU exports more to Britain than Britain does to the rest of the bloc.

However, May herself backed staying in the EU, while other key ministers such as finance minister Philip Hammond reportedly want a softer landing, with carve-outs for Europe`s most important financial centre, the City of London.

"There is so little known about Brexit," said Tony Travers, a professor of government at the London School of Economics.

"It begs the question of whether the government does have a view about exactly what it`s going to do with the country or not."

May started addressing the concerns by announcing Sunday a Great Repeal Bill, ending the authority of EU law once Britain leaves the union.

It will overturn laws that make EU regulations supreme, enshrine all EU rules in domestic law and confirm the British parliament can amend them as it wants.

"This marks the first stage in the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country once again," May told The Sunday Times newspaper.

"It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country. It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end."On the face of it, May -- whose keynote closing speech comes on Wednesday -- goes to the convention in a strong position.

Opinion polls put the Conservatives well ahead of the deeply divided main opposition Labour Party under their veteran leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn.

But she has ruled out holding a general election before one is due in 2020, telling The Sunday Times it would "introduce a note of instability".

And when Article 50 is triggered, it is likely to be a painful process. This could worsen the decades-old arguments between eurosceptic and more pro-EU Conservatives, already inflamed by the referendum.

"The Brexit negotiations will take much longer and be far more complicated than many British politicians realise," said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.

Sunday is set to be the main day for debate on the EU, with addresses from May as well as Johnson and Brexit minister David Davis.

They will be expected "to put some kind of meat on the bones," said Victoria Honeyman, politics lecturer at Leeds University.
Bogota: Colombia`s FARC rebels said Saturday they would pay reparations to victims of the country`s long war as per a recent peace accord.

Until now, the guerrillas had said they did not have money to pay damages because everything went to their war effort.

And critics of the peace accord, signed Monday by the leftist rebels and the government after nearly four years of negotiations, have argued that the guerrillas would not pay damages even if they had funds to do so.

The Colombian people will vote on the accord Sunday in a referendum.

In a statement, the FARC said that in line with the terms of the peace agreement "we will pay material reparations to victims."

The FARC said they would report to the government "the monetary and non-monetary resources" that have funded their war effort.

Those assets will be reported during the 180 days the rebels have to disarm.

The accord will effectively end what is seen as the last major armed conflict in the Americas. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

It calls for the rebels to disarm after the plebiscite and convert into a political group.

The FARC launched its guerrilla war on the Colombian government in 1964, after an uprising by farmers demanding land was crushed by the army.

Over the decades, the ideological and territorial conflict drew in several leftist rebel groups, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs.

Colombian authorities estimate the conflict has left 260,000 people dead, 45,000 missing and nearly seven million displaced in a country of 47 million.
Bogota: Colombians voted Sunday on whether to put 52 years of bloody conflict behind them by ratifying a peace accord between the state and communist FARC rebels.

The accord will effectively end what is seen as the last major armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

"Peace is the way for our children and grandchildren to have a better country," President Juan Manuel Santos said as he voted.

"We Colombians must all play a role in this historic change."

His government says it has no Plan B if voters reject the accord, agreed after four years of negotiations in Havana, Cuba.

But polls indicate it will pass by a wide margin.

"Colombia is betting everything on this plebiscite, socially, economically and politically," said Jorge Restrepo, director of conflict analysis center CERAC.Colombians are sick of war, even though many resent making concessions to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has carried out killings, kidnappings and extortion.

"My parents were born into the conflict in a town where there were lots of kidnappings by the guerrillas... The houses were full of bullet holes," said one voter, Lina Romero, 25.

"I want the `Yes` vote to win so that if I have children one day, they will not have to live in war," she added.

Jose Gomez, a retiree of 70, said he had voted `No.`

"It is absurd to reward those criminals, drug-traffickers and killers who have made the country a disaster for the past 50 years," he said.

"If you reward crime, what moral authority do you have to tell a thief not to steal your mobile phone?"

Polls opened at 1300 GMT across the country and were due to close at 2100 GMT, with a result expected soon afterward.

Around 35 million of Colombia`s 48 million people were eligible to vote.

Opinion surveys by pollsters Datexco and Ipsos Napoleon Franco, published on October 26, indicated the `Yes" vote would win by a margin of around 20 percent.

Both polls indicated a `No` vote of about 35 percent.

"Peace is exciting, but the Havana accords are disappointing," said the leader of the `No` campaign, former president Alvaro Uribe.The deal signed on October 26 by Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, known as "Timochenko," calls for the 5,675 FARC rebels to disarm in six months and convert into a political group.

It is guaranteed to have at least 10 seats in Colombia`s Congress.

The accord covers justice and compensation and an end to the cocaine production that has fueled the conflict.

There is an amnesty for some FARC members but not for the worst crimes such as massacres, torture and rape.

The FARC promised in a statement on Saturday that it would provide "material compensation for victims."

The accord virtually ends the conflict, even though the government has so far failed to start peace talks with a smaller leftist rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), which it accuses of holding hostages.The FARC launched its guerrilla war on the government in 1964, after a peasant uprising that was crushed by the army.

The ideological and territorial conflict drew in several leftist rebel groups, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs.

Colombian authorities estimate the conflict has left 260,000 people dead, 45,000 missing and nearly seven million displaced.

The FARC have apologized to their victims and held emotional face-to-face reconciliations over recent days.

One such encounter took place on Friday in La Chinita, northwestern Colombia, where a FARC massacre at a fundraising party in 1994 left 35 dead.

"The best thing there can be is peace," said Maria Laureana Mosquera Palacios, 64. She was widowed with four children when her husband was among those killed.

"No more massacres. No more wickedness."
Tripoli: A Dutch journalist was killed today while covering a government-backed offensive against the Islamic State group in their Libyan stronghold city of Sirte, a doctor said.

Dr Akram Gliwan, spokesman for a hospital in Misrata where pro-government fighters are treated, told AFP that photographer Jeroen Oerlemans was "shot in the chest by an IS sniper while covering battles in Sirte" 450 kilometres east of Tripoli.

Gliwan said his body had been transferred to Misrata, 200 kilometres west of Sirte.

Oerlemans was working in Libya for a number of organisations, including the Belgian weekly Knack magazine, which confirmed his death.

A message on Knack's website said Oerlemans was shot on a reporting assignment and that the publication "wishes his family much strength".

Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord launched an assault against the jihadist bastion in May.

IS fighters holed up in Sirte, the birthplace of ousted Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, responded with suicide bombings and sniper fire, slowing the government-backed advance.

Fighting today killed at least 10 IS fighters and eight pro-government fighters around Sirte, the unity government in Tripoli said.
Beirut: The European Union proposed a new humanitarian plan in coordination with the United Nations for the besieged half of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, but said it required cooperation from all parties to the conflict.

The plan aims to deliver medical, water and food aid from EU stocks in government-held western Aleppo to up to 130,000 people in insurgent-controlled eastern Aleppo, and to evacuate urgent medical cases from the area.

East Aleppo was cut off in early July when Syrian government and allied forces took control of the main supply route in.

Subsequent attempts by Russia and the United States - which support opposing sides in the conflict - to implement successful ceasefires and get guarantees from all parties to ensure the safety of convoy staff have failed.

"The EU calls on all parties to urgently provide the necessary authorisations for aid delivery and for medical evacuations to proceed. It intends to work intensively in the next hours and days with the parties concerned to make this happen," said a statement from EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.

The EU said the operation must be neutral and carried out "under the sole responsibility of humanitarian organisations".

A significant difficulty in previous attempts to deliver United Nations aid to east Aleppo and other areas was trying to ensure that Syrian government forces did not interfere.

The U.N. has previously criticised the Syrian government for restricting the content of aid deliveries, blocking access to areas of high need and removing items from some consignments.

In September an aid convoy west of Aleppo was hit and destroyed, killing around 20 people.

The EU is also asking for medical evacuations to be allowed not only for eastern Aleppo, but for all areas under siege, including the rebel-besieged towns of Foua and Kefraya in Idlib and government-blockaded Madaya and Zabadani near the Lebanese border.

The EU statement also said it was mobilising a 25 million euro ($28 million) emergency aid package for its humanitarian partners in Aleppo and other priority areas of Syria.
French church where priest slain to reopen: Two months after its priest was murdered by teenage jihadists, parishioners of a Catholic church in northern France will gather Sunday for a solemn re-opening ceremony to seek solace and solidarity.

The Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray church, a focal point of a small town of some 27,000 near the city of Rouen, will hold a special penitential mass to mark the occasion and pay tribute to Father Jacques Hamel.

The 85-year-old priest had his throat slit at the foot of the altar on July 26 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

"He was a good priest. I always went to see him and he never refused to be of service," said 81-year-old Mafalda Pace, who lives just next door to the 16th-century church.

Pace said Saturday she would be among those following the penitential rite of cleansing and subsequent mass presided over by Archbishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun.

"The rite consists of `cleansing` the church through the sprinkling of holy water," said the archbishop, who also celebrated an August 2 funeral mass for the slain priest at Rouen Cathedral which was attended by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners on that occasion.

The killing came less than two weeks after the Bastille Day attack that claimed 86 lives when a Tunisian extremist rammed a truck into crowds on a popular promenade in the southern city of Nice.

The murder of Hamel and the Nice massacre some seven months after the November Paris attacks were the latest in a series of jihadist attacks to rock France over the past year and a half.

Sunday`s rite is designed to wipe away the profaning of the church at the hands of jihadists Adel Kermiche, a local man, and Abdel-Malik Petitjean, both of whom were shot dead by police following a siege.

Local clergy will join the archbishop for Sunday`s services, which will follow a mid-afternoon procession to the church with members of the local Muslim community pledging to join.

"It will be a day of brotherhood ... I hope that all local people will be there, believers or not," Mohamed Karabila, representing the local mosque, told AFP.
Mexico City: At least 13 people were killed on early Saturday after an 18-wheeler and a passenger bus crashed into each other in Mexico's Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, media reported.

Initial police reports said the crash occurred around 3:30 a.m. (0930 GMT) along the Mexico-Veracruz Highway, outside the town of Rancho Viejo.

The bus burst into flames upon impact with the double trailer semi truck, which was carrying railway sleepers, Xinhua quoted daily La Jornada as saying.

Only one person survived by exiting through a window, the daily said.

The bus had departed from Mexico City and was heading for Villahermosa, the capital of southeast Tabasco state.

Witnesses said the driver of the trailer truck fled the scene.

Authorities from the Veracruz prosecutor's office visited the site of the accident to begin an investigation.
North Carolina: Hillary Clinton denounced racism as she waded Sunday into one of the latest flashpoints of anger over fatal police shootings of blacks in America.

The Democratic presidential candidate`s gesture came at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina where protests erupted over the September 20 killing of Keith Lamont Scott by police trying to serve an arrest warrant on someone else.

Clinton noted that she is a grandmother of two and worries about the safety of those kids amid America`s epidemic of gun violence.

But she added, "my worries are not the same as black grandmothers`."

"Because my grandchildren are white, because they are the grandchildren of a former president and secretary of state, let`s be honest. They won`t face the kind of fear we heard from the young children testifying before the city council," Clinton said.

She was eluding to comments by a nine-year-old named Zianna Oliphant, who told local authorities last week that she felt she was treated differently than other people because she is black.

Clinton addressed the death of Scott, who was 43, in circumstances that are still not entirely clear. Police say he had a gun, but the Scott family denies this.

A curfew was imposed after three nights of violent protests over his death. Clinton had been due to visit Charlotte last Sunday but she postponed it at the request of the city`s mayor.

"It has been 12 days since Mr. Scott was shot and killed," Clinton said. "We don`t yet know all the details about the shooting, but we do know this community and this family is in pain."

Over the course of the campaign for the November 8 presidential election pitting her against Donald Trump, Clinton has frequently acknowledged the complaints of black Americans who accuse mainly white police departments of racism, brutality and disproportionate use of force.

Trump has tried to reach out to African Americans, but has also pressed his drive to depict himself as a tough law-and-order candidate, often paying tribute to police officers.

"We can acknowledge that implicit bias still exists," Clinton said, "without vilifying police officers."

Without naming Trump, Clinton criticized those "who want to exploit people`s fears, even if it means tearing our nation even further apart. They say that all of our problems would be solved simply with more law and order, as if the systemic racism plaguing our country doesn`t exist."
District of Columbia: Hillary Clinton said Saturday she raised a record $154 million in September in her race for the White House against Donald Trump.

In August, Clinton raised $143 million and Trump $90 million. It is common for campaign donations to increase as the election approaches. This year the voting is on November 8.

The money is in fact divided between Clinton`s campaign and the Democratic Party.

Individual Americans can donate up to $2,700 to a candidate in a general election. Anything beyond $2,700 has to go to committees other than that of the candidate.

Clinton and her Democratic allies begin the month of October with a war chest of $150 million to blitz TV, radio and the internet with ads.

More than 900,000 people made a donation in September and 2.6 million have done so since the beginning of the race, the Clinton campaign said.

The Trump campaign has not yet released a figure for September.

Clinton relies more than Trump on elite private fundraising events in which a single ticket can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Trump said in early September that he has contributed nearly $60 million of his own money to his campaign for the White House.

Small donations -- practically unheard of during the primary campaign -- shot up for Trump, totaling 2.1 million people from June to August.

In the 24 hours right after last week`s big debate with Clinton, Trump said he received $18 in donations.
North Carolina: Hillary Clinton said today that the spate of gun violence in the United States should call the nation to do more to protect "all of God's children."

Clinton addressed congregants at Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, fewer than two weeks after the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott touched off two nights of violent protests in the city's downtown.

"Protecting all of God's children is America's calling," the Democratic presidential nominee said.

Clinton said too many black families have been forced to deal with the same tragedy as Scott's family.

"Our entire country should take a moment to really look at what's going on here and across America, to imagine what we see on the news and what we hear about, imagine it through our children's eyes," she said.

Clinton had planned to visit the city last week but delayed the trip after city officials said their resources were stretched thin.

North Carolina is among the nation's top battleground states and Clinton's campaign has invested heavily in the state won by Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 election.

Clinton did not mention Republican Donald Trump by name but referenced her opponent's calls for "law-and-order" during the campaign.

"There are some out there who see this as a moment to fan the flames of resentment and division. Who want to exploit people's fears even though it means tearing our nation even further apart," Clinton said.

"They say that all of our problems would be solved simply by more law and order. As if the systemic racism plaguing our country doesn't exist."

The former secretary of state has made gun control and criminal justice reform a centerpiece of her campaign, speaking after high-profile shootings in Texas, Louisiana and South Carolina.

She pointed to the shootings of police officers in Dallas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Philadelphia; and said their families deserved prayers.

"It's been a hard year, hasn't it?" Clinton asked, as people in the congregation responded, "Yes."

"Think about how many times President Obama has had to console our nation about another senseless tragedy, another shattered family, another distressed community and our children are watching and they feel it too."

During the services, Clinton invited 9-year-old Zianna Oliphant to join her at the pulpit, recalling the black child's tearful address to the city council on race relations.

Zianna recently told city leaders that she couldn't "stand how we're treated," a speech that Clinton said moved her to tears.

Clinton acknowledged the gap in how white and black children are treated.
White Plains: In a leaked recording from a February fundraiser, Hillary Clinton expressed empathy for young voters who sided with her then-primary opponent, Bernie Sanders.

The hacked recording of Clinton speaking at the fundraiser six months ago in McLean, Virginia was published by the Washington Free Beacon this week. During the event, Clinton said that many young people are "children of the Great Recession. And they are living in their parents' basement.

They feel that they got their education and the jobs that are available to them are not at all what they envisioned for themselves."

Clinton added that for people who don't see any economic opportunities, the idea that "you could be part of a political revolution is pretty appealing."

Young voters have been a stumbling block for Clinton. Many preferred Sanders, a Vermont senator who promised free tuition at public colleges and nationalized health care. At the fundraiser, Clinton said she had spoken with frustrated young millennials and understood where they were coming from.

Clinton questioned the idea of a political revolution, calling it a "false promise," though she said that wasn't the right message for "idealistic young people." Clinton argued she was too was promising big ideas around health care, education and climate change.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump seized on a news report about Clinton's comments, tweeting that "Crooked H is nasty to Sanders supporters behind closed doors. Owned by Wall St and Politicians, HRC is not with you."

But Clinton spokesman Glen Caplin said that "as Hillary Clinton said in those remarks, she wants young people to be idealistic and set big goals."

Throughout the primary, which she eventually won, Clinton stressed that she was offering a more pragmatic, achievable agenda than Sanders. She has wooed his young backers for months, adapting some of her policies  like on college affordability  to better appeal to his supporters.

At another point in the fundraiser, Clinton spoke about the extremes on both sides of the political aisle, noting a "populist, nationalist, xenophobic, discriminatory kind of approach" from many in the Republican field and then said that for many Democrats, there is a yearning for "free college, free healthcare," and to "go as far as, you know, Scandinavia."
Kabul: Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has hit out at the "unprecedented" number of attacks on medical facilities in Syria and Yemen, a year after the deadly bombing of its hospital in Afghanistan killed 42 people.

Monday marks the first anniversary of the US strike on the trauma centre in Kunduz, which triggered global outrage and forced President Barack Obama to make a rare apology on behalf of the US military still deployed in war-torn Afghanistan.

"Over the past year, we recorded 77 attacks against medical facilities operated or supported by MSF in Syria and Yemen: this is unprecedented," Meinie Nicolai, MSF president, told reporters in Kabul.

"Hospitals are now part of the battlefield," she added.

MSF has said the raid on the hospital in Kunduz last October by a AC-130 gunship lasted nearly an hour and left patients burning in their beds with some victims decapitated and suffering traumatic amputations.

The organisation has branded it a war crime. However, an investigation by the US military earlier this year concluded that the troops targeted the facility by mistake and decided they would not face war crimes charges.

MSF had called repeatedly called for an independent international inquiry.

The charity spoke out as condemnation grew over the bombing of hospitals in the rebel-held east of the Syrian city of Aleppo, which has been under attack by the regime and its ally Russia.

"Health facilities and staff are targeted in Yemen and Syria ... most often in the name of war against terrorism," Nicolai said.

"In Syria, attacks against medical centres for civilians and against ambulances are systematic."

She added: "As of today, we are not back yet in Kunduz. We have left northern Yemen. We struggle to give support to the people in Syria."

Guilhem Molinie, MSF country representative in Afghanistan, said he had access to 700 of the 3,000 pages of the US report on Kunduz -- the rest were classified.

"The US forces, operating in Kunduz on that date, assumed that self-defence was allowing them to attack," he said.

"The entire city of Kunduz was judged as hostile. This is extremely shocking for us which means that everybody in the city on the date was assumed to be hostile."
Budapest: Hungarians looked set to reject the EU`s troubled refugee quota plan in a vote Sunday, boosting Prime Minister Viktor Orban`s self-styled campaign to defend Europe against the "threat of mass migration".

While there is little doubt that his `No` camp will comfortably win, the vote could still end in embarrassment for Orban if it fails to reach the required 50-percent turnout and is deemed invalid.

To avoid this, the right-wing government has led a fierce media offensive urging the eight-million-strong electorate to spurn the EU deal, which seeks to share migrants around the 28-member bloc via mandatory quotas.

Orban warned on Saturday that mass migration was a "threat... to Europe`s safe way of life" and that Hungarians had "a duty" to fight the failed "liberal methods" of the "Brussels elite".

"We can send a message to each European... telling them that it depends on us, European citizens, to bring the EU back to reason, with common effort, or let it disintegrate," he wrote in the Magyar Idok newspaper.

The EU proposal -- spearheaded by Germany and approved by most EU countries last year -- is aimed at easing pressure on Italy and Greece, the bloc`s main entry points for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war in Syria.

But implementation has been slow, as eastern and central European nations remain vehemently opposed to the plan.

Hungary has not accepted a single refugee allocated under the scheme and instead joined Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it.

The referendum threatens to further split the quarrelling bloc, already weakened by its worst migration crisis since 1945 and Britain`s decision in June to leave the union.

"If referendums are going to be organised on every decision of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, legal security is in danger," EU President Jean-Claude Juncker warned in late July.As anti-migrant parties surge in popularity across the continent, Orban has emerged as the populist standard-bearer of those opposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel`s "open-door" policy.

Sunday`s poll will ask voters: "Do you want the EU to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?"

Opposition parties and rights groups held protests ahead of the vote, accusing Orban of whipping up xenophobia despite the lack of asylum-seekers in the country.

"This referendum is an effort to mobilise fear and hatred," economist Tamas Bauer told AFP at a rally in Budapest on Friday.

According to a poll published by the Publicus Institute on Saturday, only 46 percent of 1,000 participants said they would vote, down from 54 percent last month.

However, the government has already downplayed the consequences of low participation, with Orban insisting the turnout had "no political significance".

"If there are more `No` than `Yes` votes, that means that Hungarians do not accept the rule that the EU bureaucrats want to impose on us," he said Friday.

Analysts say the referendum provides a testing ground for the scheduled 2018 general election, in which immigration will be a key issue.

"The referendum is about making sure that 2016 is also about migration in Hungarian politics," expert Andras Biro-Nagy told AFP.More than 400,000 refugees, mainly fleeing war in Syria, trekked through Hungary toward northern Europe in 2015 before Hungary sealed off the southern borders with razor wire in the autumn and brought in tough anti-migrant laws, reducing the flow to a trickle.

Other countries on the so-called Balkan migrant trail followed suit, shutting the route and leading to some 60,000 migrants currently stuck in Greece.

The EU said last week it hoped to relocate half of them by the end of next year.

A deal struck in March with Ankara to halt the influx also looks shaky in the wake of a coup attempt in Turkey in July.
Budapest: Hungarians on Sunday began voting on the EU`s troubled refugee quota plan, in a referendum aimed at boosting Prime Minister Viktor Orban`s self-styled campaign to defend Europe against the "threat of mass migration".

While there is little doubt that his `No` camp will comfortably win, the poll could still end in embarrassment for Orban if it fails to reach the required 50-percent turnout and is deemed invalid.

To avoid this, the right-wing government has led a fierce media offensive urging the eight-million-strong electorate to spurn the EU deal, which seeks to share migrants around the 28-member bloc via mandatory quotas without the consent of national parliaments.

Polling stations opened at 0400 GMT and will close at 1700 GMT, with results expected later in the evening.

Orban warned on Saturday that mass migration was a "threat... to Europe`s safe way of life" and that Hungarians had "a duty" to fight the failed "liberal methods" of the "Brussels elite".

"We can send a message to each European... telling them that it depends on us, European citizens, to bring the EU back to reason, with common effort, or let it disintegrate," he wrote in the Magyar Idok newspaper.

The EU proposal -- spearheaded by Germany and approved by most EU countries last year -- is aimed at easing pressure on Italy and Greece, the bloc`s main entry points for hundreds of thousands of people mainly fleeing war in Syria.

But implementation has been slow, as eastern and central European nations remain vehemently opposed to the plan.

Hungary has not accepted a single refugee allocated under the scheme and instead joined Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it.

The referendum threatens to further split the quarrelling bloc, already weakened by its worst migration crisis since 1945 and Britain`s decision in June to leave the union.

"If referendums are going to be organised on every decision of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, legal security is in danger," EU President Jean-Claude Juncker warned in late July.As anti-migrant parties surge in popularity across the continent, Orban has emerged as the populist standard-bearer of those opposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel`s "open-door" policy.

Sunday`s poll will ask voters: "Do you want the EU to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?"

Opposition parties and rights groups held protests ahead of the vote, accusing Orban of whipping up xenophobia despite the lack of asylum-seekers in the country.

"This referendum is an effort to mobilise fear and hatred," economist Tamas Bauer told AFP at a rally in Budapest on Friday.

According to a poll published by the Publicus Institute on Saturday, only 46 percent of 1,000 participants said they would vote, down from 54 percent last month.

However, the government has already downplayed the consequences of low participation, with Orban insisting the turnout had "no political significance".

"If there are more `No` than `Yes` votes, that means that Hungarians do not accept the rule that the EU bureaucrats want to impose on us," he said Friday.

Analysts say the referendum provides a testing ground for the scheduled 2018 general election, in which immigration will be a key issue.

"The referendum is about making sure that 2016 is also about migration in Hungarian politics," expert Andras Biro-Nagy told AFP.More than 400,000 refugees, mainly fleeing war in Syria, trekked through Hungary toward northern Europe in 2015 before Hungary sealed off the southern borders with razor wire in the autumn and brought in tough anti-migrant laws, reducing the flow to a trickle.

Other countries on the so-called Balkan migrant trail followed suit, shutting the route and leading to some 60,000 migrants currently stuck in Greece.

The EU said last week it hoped to relocate half of them by the end of next year.

A deal struck in March with Ankara to halt the influx looks shaky in the wake of a coup attempt in July.

Polling stations opened at 0400 GMT and will close at 1700 GMT, with results expected later in the evening.
Port-au-Prince: Hurricane Matthew powered toward densely populated Jamaica and Haiti on Sunday, unleashing winds that could fell homes and power lines, and torrential rain that may trigger potentially deadly landslides and floods, officials said.

The storm was 335 miles (535 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince at 1800 GMT, with lashing top wind speeds of 145 miles (230 kilometers) per hour.

Its movement edged up to five miles per hour (seven kilometers an hour) as it churned slowly up from the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said on Sunday.

Caribbean authorities were scrambling to put preparations in place.

In Cuba, President Raul Castro traveled to the southeastern city of Santiago to personally oversee emergency operations just hours before the hurricane was due to hit.

Matthew had the potential to become a storm for the ages, he warned residents.

"This is a hurricane it`s necessary to prepare for as if it were twice as powerful as Sandy," the Cuban leader said, referring to the megastorm that hit with massive destructive force in 2012.

Officials at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in that same area announced a mandatory evacuation for all non-essential personnel and family members.

The evacuation "happened early this morning and it`s still ongoing," an official at the base told AFP on Sunday.

Briefly a furious Category 5 hurricane late Friday, Matthew remains a still-dangerous Category 4, the strongest to hit the Caribbean since Hurricane Felix in 2007.

"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the NHC warned in its latest advisory.

On its current forecast track, Matthew`s center will glance past Jamaica on Monday, dumping heavy rain as it makes landfall on Haiti.

Thousands are still living in tents after a massive earthquake in Haiti, where erosion is an especially dangerous problem because of high mountains and lack of trees and brush in areas where they have been cut for cooking.

Matthew is then expected to continue north, tearing across southern and eastern Cuba between Monday and Tuesday as it heads toward the Bahamas.

Forecasts predict the hurricane will dump 15 to 25 inches (40-60 centimeters) of rain over southern Haiti "with possible isolated maximum amounts of 40 inches."

The storm is also expected to drop 10 to 20 inches of rain over eastern Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and eastern Cuba "with possible isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches."

"This rainfall will likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides," the NHC warned.Although some Jamaicans brushed off government warnings and weather predictions, many heeded the advisories. They waited in long lines at supermarkets, hardware stores and gas stations to stock up on essentials before the storm.

"This is not a joking matter," Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development, warned island residents.

"There is no room for any mischief to be made as we face one of the most severe natural disasters in quite a long while," he added.

Some Jamaicans complained that they had hunkered down with supplies in the past only to see storms pass by.

"I am tired of wasting my money buying food, gas, boarding up my house," said Michael Franklin, a taxi driver in Montego Bay.

"Then all we get is just a lot of rain and we can`t get back our money."

The authorities were placing some 2,000 homeless people in shelters, and the country`s garbage collectors were working around the clock to remove waste from streets and open areas, McKenzie said.

The army and reserves were called up to help limit the damage and hospitals throughout the island of almost three million people were standing ready, he added.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness toured areas of Montego Bay to check on preparations, and some Caribbean Airlines flights were cancelled. The Education Ministry cancelled classes for Monday.

The US Embassy in Jamaica said it would be closed Monday and Tuesday for consular services "due to the anticipated effects of Hurricane Matthew."

The US State Department also authorized non-essential personnel and diplomatic family members to leave Jamaica "due to the increasing strength" of the hurricane. It urged US citizens "to depart Jamaica if possible."

In Haiti, the authorities increased the alert level from orange to the maximum red late Saturday.

The poorest country in the Americas is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing.

The Haitian officials urged southern island residents to prepare, warning that they were "first at risk."

"We invite them to secure the area surrounding their homes and begin to stock up on water and food," said Edgar Celestin, a spokesman for the Haitian civil protection agency.

America`s Accuweather website warned meanwhile that Matthew could hit the US East Coast around midweek.

"How significant impacts are along the Atlantic Seaboard will depend on Matthew`s strength and proximity to the coast," it said.
Washington: A major of Americans, or 61 per cent, regard Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as the winner of the first presidential debate, found a new Gallup poll.

Only 27 per cent of Americans think that Republican candidate Donald Trump was the winner at the Monday`s debate held at the Hofstra University in New York state, found the poll taken up from September 27 to 28.

Clinton`s 34-point lead is on par with her husband and former President Bill Clinton, who won the debate over Republican rival Bob Dole in 1996, Xinhua reported.

Additionally, 59 per cent of independent voters think Clinton prevailed in the debate, the poll showed.

Along the partisan line, 92 per cent of Democrats think Clinton won the debate, while 53 per cent Republicans believe Trump was the winner.

In term of perceptions of the candidates` qualities exhibited at the first debate, 62 per cent said Clinton "had a good understanding of the issues," while 26 per cent said the same about Trump.

A majority, or 59 per cent, said Clinton "appeared presidential" while 27 per cent said so about Trump. Meanwhile, 55 per cent said Clinton was "more likable," while 36 per cent found this about Trump.

Clinton`s confidence in detailing one policy plan after another likely contributed to viewer perceptions that she had a good command of the issues and was more "presidential," Gallup said.

However, debate performances do not always line up with election outcomes and a poor showing in the debate does not mean a candidate can`t come back and win the next one, Gallup noted.

A best example was the first presidential debate held on October 3, 2012 between President Barack Obama, who sought re-election and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who was widely believed to win the debate but lost the election in the end.

In 2004, George W. Bush even won the presidency in 2004 after losing all three presidential debates against Democratic rival John Kerry.
Madrid: More than 70 people were injured, four seriously, in a gas cylinder explosion in the southern Spanish city of Malaga, officials said on Saturday.

The blast happened in a cafe in the town of Velez-Malaga during a local festival, BBC reported.

Pictures from the scene show severe damage to the La Bohemia cafe and debris strewn across a street.

Local newspaper La Opinion de Malaga said that the chef had raised the alarm moments before the blast.

Police cars helped ferry the injured to hospital because the local ambulance service was overwhelmed with casualties, the report said.
New Delhi: The current situation in Pakistan is not conducive to host the 19th SAARC Summit, Nepal's foreign office said on Sunday.

Nepal regrets that regional environment is not conducive to host 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad, it said in a statement.

Nepal said it strongly believes that "an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation".

The statement comes after thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army and the ISI in the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

As current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit, the statement said, adding, to achieve peace and stability, SAARC member states must ensure their territories aren't used for cross-border terrorism.

Nepal "unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism," it said, adding the country has always condemned all acts of terrorism in the region.

"Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian Army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers," it noted.

It further said that to achieve peace and stability in the region, "SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross-border terrorism".

Nepal "regrets that regional environment is not conducive" to host the next Summit, earlier scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad, it said, adding that host Pakistan has informed it about the postponement of the meet.

It said it will initiate "necessary consultation" for holding the next summit.

"As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states," the statement said.

Nepal, the current Chair of SAARC, had said on Saturday that it will hold talks with member countries to press for holding the postponed Summit.

Nepalese Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat had said SAARC member states must be sensitive towards holding the Summit by ensuring the participation of every member.

However, it has changed that position now.

The 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit was scheduled to be held in Islamabad from November 9-10.

But it was postponed after India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka pulled out, citing terrorism concerns in the region.

Mahat said that Pakistan as host should make a conducive environment for holding the summit.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India said last week that "in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad".

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the eight-member bloc, includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Florida: The mysterious explosion of a SpaceX rocket last month took an odd turn with a "cordial" encounter between staff of Elon Musk`s firm and fierce rival United Launch Alliance, The Washington Post reported.

No one was hurt in the September 1 blast, which came as the unmanned Falcon 9 rocket was being fueled ahead of a standard, pre-launch test in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Musk is rushing to revolutionize the launch industry by making rocket components reusable.

And the accident -- the second of its kind since SpaceX was founded in 2002 -- came just over a year after a Falcon 9 rocket failed after liftoff on June 28, 2015, destroying a Dragon cargo capsule bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

Before that, SpaceX had logged 18 successful launches of the Falcon 9 -- including six of 12 planned supply missions to the ISS carried out as part of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

During their investigation SpaceX officials found something suspicious they wanted to check out, the Post said, quoting three industry officials with knowledge of the episode.

SpaceX had still images from video that seemed to show a shadow, then a white spot on the roof of a nearby building belonging to ULA, the Post said.

ULA is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

So a SpaceX employee visited ULA facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida and asked for access to the roof at one ULA building that had a close line of sight to the SpaceX launch.

The visit was cordial, not accusatory. The ULA people denied access, but notified the Air Force, which inspected the roof and found nothing connected to the blast, the Post said.
Ottawa: Prince William and Kate, along with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, departed from Victoria Harbour seaplane terminal on Saturday after their week-long tour in Canada.

"Catherine and I are incredibly grateful to the people of Canada for the warmth and hospitality they have extended to our family over the last week," CBC News quoted a statement by Prince William as saying.

"We have loved our time in British Columbia and Yukon and will never forget the beautiful places we have seen and the many people who have been kind enough to come to welcome us in person," the Prince said.

The royal couple finished off the last day of their visit by meeting with social service agencies, which have featured prominently in their schedule since they arrived last Saturday.
Moscow: Russia has warned the US on Saturday against carrying out attacks on Syrian forces and said it would have repercussions across the country and the Middle East region.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that if the US launches a direct aggression against Damascus and the Syrian army, it will lead to terrible, tectonic shifts not only on the territory of this country but also in the region in general, Sputnik News reported on Saturday.

"A direct US aggression against the Damascus authorities and the Syrian army will lead to `tectonic shifts` and `power vacuum` in the entire Middle East region," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying.

"My task is to explain why it is so important to remain in line with agreements," Zakharova said during a talk show.

A regime change would lead to the power vacuum in Syria, which would be filled not with the so-called moderate opposition but rather with "terrorists of all sorts," she added.

The US was on Friday on the verge of ending its Syria discussions with Russia over continued bombings in Aleppo city, in which at least 400 persons were killed in the last eight days.

The US and Russia have been trying to negotiate a ceasefire in the war-torn nation, but Secretary of State John Kerry said "the bombing of Aleppo right now is inexcusable", NBC news reported.

"I think we are on the verge of suspending the discussion because it`s irrational in the context of the type of bombing taking place," Kerry said at an event in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

Kerry on September 9 announced that the US and Russia had reached a ceasefire agreement that could lead to joint military coordination between the two nations against terror groups like the Islamic State (IS) if the cease-fire held for seven days.

Under the agreement, Russia was to ensure the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad stuck to the ceasefire, Kerry said at the time. But the ceasefire had been repeatedly breached, and Syria`s military had launched a massive new offensive to take back control of rebel areas.

On Wednesday, two hospitals in rebel-held Aleppo were hit by airstrikes, killing at least two persons and had affected medical services in the area, medical officials said.

Kerry in a phone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that the US needed to see "immediate steps to end the assault on Aleppo" or the US would start "making preparations to suspend the US/Russia bilateral engagement on Syria", State Department spokesperson John Kirby said.

Lavrov said the US needed to fulfil its role under the deal of ensuring moderate opposition groups stick to the ceasefire, NBC reported.

Warring factions have been targeting targeting Syria`s depleted health care sector and have resulted in the deaths of at least 52 people, including nine health workers and eight children.

The WHO called upon those responsible to stop the violence, end attacks on health care, let the sick and wounded out, while allowing much-needed humanitarian aid to reach those in need.
District of Columbia: Donald Trump`s supporters rushed to defend him Sunday following reports that he may have avoided paying any taxes for the past 20 years.

Trump neither confirmed nor denied the reports.

The article in Sunday`s New York Times capped a disastrous week for the Republican presidential candidate, focusing renewed attention on his steadfast refusal to release his income tax returns.

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a key Trump surrogate on the campaign trail, called the reports proof of the New York tycoon`s "absolute genius."

"You have an obligation when you run a business to maximize the profits and if there is a tax law that says I can deduct this, you deduct it," Giuliani told ABC News, suggesting investors in Trump`s company probably would have sued him had he done otherwise.

Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton`s vanquished Democratic presidential primary foe who now supports her, took the opposite view.

"If everybody in this country was a `genius,`" the Vermont senator told ABC, "we would not have a country."While not admitting to paying little or nothing in taxes, Trump boasted on Twitter that what he called his deftness in fiscal and business dealings is one of his greatest strengths.

"I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them," he wrote after The Times story appeared.

The real estate mogul declared a loss of nearly $1 billion on his 1995 income tax return, enabling him to legally avoid paying taxes for almost two decades, according to documents obtained by the New York Times.

He has repeatedly refused to make his tax filings public, the first major party presidential contender to do so since Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

Trump has said he will release his tax returns only after the federal authorities complete an ongoing audit.

However, tax officials -- without confirming or denying that Trump`s tax filings are under review -- have said being under audit does not prevent their release.

A lawyer for Trump said publication of Trump`s tax returns is illegal because he did not authorize it, and threatened "appropriate legal action" against The Times, the paper reported.

During last week`s acrimonious first presidential debate, Clinton suggested that Trump is hiding "something terrible" by failing to produce his tax returns.

"Maybe he doesn`t want the American people, all of you watching tonight, to know that he`s paid nothing in federal taxes," she said during Monday night`s debate.

She prompted this Trump retort: "That makes me smart."

Numerous reports have suggested he has used high-pressure tactics to convince officials in New York and elsewhere to give him tax breaks and other hugely favorable conditions in his deals.

He is also reported to have taken massive, albeit legal, tax breaks on failing businesses, earning a fortune while shareholders and investors swallowed large losses and contractors went unpaid.

Democratic Senate minority leader Harry Reid called Trump a "billion-dollar loser" on Sunday, urging lawmakers to pass the Presidential Tax Transparency Act, which would require candidates to release their tax returns.

"Despite losing a billion dollars, Trump wants to reward himself with more tax breaks on inherited wealth while stiffing middle-class families who earn their paychecks with hard work," he said in a statement.

Reid added that Americans "deserve to know who has leverage over this man who wants to be president."Trump`s latest campaign trail bombshell follows an abysmal few days for the bombastic billionaire, Clinton`s campaign manager Robby Mook said on Sunday.

"Trump has had a really bad week: He failed in the debate," he said in an interview with barely suppressed glee.

"He has spun out of control subsequent to that. Insulting (Venezuela-born beauty queen Alicia) Machado. His 3 am tweet storm," he added, recounting other Trump controversies that dominated headlines last week.

"You know, his campaign is spinning out."

In the latest poll showing a boost for a newly energized Clinton this week, an ABC News/Washington Post survey released on Sunday said 53 percent of Americans saw Clinton as the winner, compared to 18 percent for Trump.

Nearly half of respondents said he got facts wrong during the debate and a third that he lied outright, while his unpopularity rating grew to 64 percent in the same poll, compared to 53 percent for Clinton.

Trump spent most of last week embroiled in controversy over his abusive comments about Machado, who won the Miss Universe pageant -- owned by Trump at the time -- in 1996.

He doubled down this week, including in his predawn Twitter rant Friday with more insults about Machado -- a tirade Clinton said proves he is "temperamentally unfit" for the presidency.

Trump went on the attack again on Saturday, mocking the former first lady for a recent bout with pneumonia and raising questions about her loyalty to her husband, former president Bill Clinton.

His running mate Mike Pence is set to debate his Democratic counterpart Tim Kaine on Tuesday. But Americans are expected to pay scant attention, with the focus firmly on Trump with little more than a month to go before the November 8 election.
Geneva: Civilians under bombardment in Syria's rebel-held east Aleppo are facing "a level of savagery that no human should have to endure," the UN aid chief said Sunday.

Stephen O`Brien, who heads the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA), issued a fresh plea to ease the suffering of some 250,000 people besieged by a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to retake the key city.

In a statement, O'Brien called for "urgent action to bring an end to their living hell."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is battling to reclaim Aleppo, once the country`s economic powerhouse. Diplomatic efforts to stem the bloodshed have failed.

"The healthcare system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated," O'Brien said, after the largest hospital in the rebel-controlled area was hit by barrel bombs on Saturday.

"Medical facilities are being hit one by one," he added.

O'Brien urged warring parties to at the very least allow medical evacuations for the hundreds of civilians in urgent need of care.

The UN has said that water and food supplies in eastern Aleppo are running low, while efforts to bring in aid convoys through the Turkish border have been stalled by the fighting.

The UN had hoped it could restock east Aleppo during a ceasefire negotiated last month by the United States and Russia, but security conditions to allow those deliveries were not met and the ceasefire quickly collapsed.

With many basic medications now unavailable most supplies are running short, patients are being turned away from health centres and the need for evacuations is likely "to rise dramatically in the coming days," O'Brien said.

The battle for Aleppo has sparked some of the most brutal violence since the beginning in March 2011 of Syria`s conflict, which has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced over half the population.
Washington: Donald Trump's decision to take a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax return showed his business acumen and "genius" at figuring out how to minimize his tax bill, two of the Republican presidential candidate`s advisers said on Sunday.

"This is a perfectly legal application of the tax code. And he would have been fool not to take advantage of it," said Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who is one of Trump`s advisers.

Speaking on the ABC program "This Week," Giuliani said that as a business owner, Trump has a "fiduciary duty" to the investors in his real estate company to maximize profits.

"He`s a genius at how to take advantage of legal remedies that can help your company survive and grow," Giuliani said.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that it had obtained Trump`s 1995 tax records and it quoted experts as saying that the $916 million loss he reported for that year may have allowed him to avoid paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years.

Susanne Craig, one of the Times reporters who was bylined on the story about Trump`s tax records, said the tax documents arrived in a manila envelope in her mailbox at the Times with a return address of the The Trump Organization.

"The envelope looked legitimate. I opened it, anxiously, and was astonished," Craig wrote in a first-person account of her reporting on the story.

She said the Trump campaign had threatened the newspaper with legal action if it decided to publish the documents.

The tax benefits outlined in the documents stemmed from financial deals Trump made that went bad in the early 1990s.

The Trump campaign, in a statement responding to the Times report on Saturday, said that the tax document was obtained illegally and accused the New York Times of operating as an extension of the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, Trump`s rival in the Nov. 8 election.

"I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them. #failing@nytimes," Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor and head of Trump`s presidential transition team, said that Trump`s records showed that the U.S. tax code was an "absolute mess" and that Trump was the best person to fix it.

"There`s no one who has shown more genius in their way to maneuver about the tax code as he rightfully used the laws to do that," Christie said on "Fox News Sunday."

But Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said the tax write-off declared by Trump "shows the colossal scale of his business failures" and also shows that the wealthy real estate developer operates under a different set of rules than those that apply to ordinary taxpayers.

Clinton has repeatedly called on Trump to release his tax returns, as is standard procedure for modern presidential candidates.

Trump has declined to release his tax records, saying he will not do so until an audit of his returns by the Internal Revenue Service is complete.

The IRS has said that an audit does not bar an individual from sharing their own tax information.
England: Britain`s governing Conservative Party meets for its annual conference from Sunday facing questions over how and when it will take the country out of the European Union following the Brexit vote.

Beginning a new era with Prime Minister Theresa May in charge, many in the centre-right party are still jubilant after Britain voted to become the first country ever to leave the EU in June`s referendum.

But there is trouble ahead, with the government under increasing pressure to define what shape Brexit will take and when May will trigger two years of departure negotiations with Brussels.

European powers keen to dampen euroscepticism in their own backyards have taken an increasingly hard line, warning that Britain cannot expect special treatment on trade and immigration.

Access to the single market means allowing free movement of people, they say. But May has said she wants to curb the yearly influx of hundreds of thousands of people from other parts of the EU.

Ending the free movement of people from the EU to Britain is a key demand from many of the 58 percent of Conservative voters who backed leaving the union.

Some key figures in May`s own party have said they want to sever all ties with the EU by leaving the single market and imposing work visa rules.

They argue that the European Union would only be harming itself if it began imposing tariffs on British goods and services because the EU exports more to Britain than Britain does to the rest of the bloc.

However, May herself campaigned to stay in the EU while other key ministers such as finance minister Philip Hammond reportedly want a softer landing, with carve-outs for Europe`s most important financial centre, the City of London.

"There is so little known about Brexit," said Tony Travers, a professor of government at the London School of Economics.

"It begs the question of whether the government does have a view about exactly what it`s going to do with the country or not."

May started addressing the concerns by announcing Sunday a Great Repeal Bill, ending the authority of EU law once Britain leaves the union.

It will overturn laws that make EU regulations supreme, enshrine all EU rules in domestic law and confirm the British parliament can amend them as it wants.

"This marks the first stage in the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country once again," May told The Sunday Times newspaper.

"It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country. It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end."On the face of it, May -- whose keynote closing speech comes on Wednesday -- goes to the convention in Birmingham, central England, in a strong position.

The Conservatives are well ahead of the deeply divided main opposition Labour Party under veteran leftist Jeremy Corbyn in opinion polls.

May is seen as the best prime minister by 67 percent of people, compared to just 25 percent for Corbyn, according to research published this month by Lord Michael Ashcroft, a former Conservative deputy chairman turned pollster.

But she has ruled out holding a general election before one is due in 2020, telling The Sunday Times it would "introduce a note of instability".

And with parliament set to get back to work on October 10, there is a sense that her honeymoon period is over and serious questions are looming unanswered on the horizon.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was slapped down by Downing Street in September after saying Article 50 exit negotiations would be triggered early next year -- a rare snippet after weeks of May saying only that "Brexit means Brexit".

When it is triggered, it is likely to be a painful process. This could worsen the decades-old arguments between eurosceptic and more pro-EU Conservatives, already inflamed by the referendum.

"The Brexit negotiations will take much longer and be far more complicated than many British politicians realise," said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.

Sunday is set to be the main day for debate on the EU, with addresses from May as well as Johnson and Brexit minister David Davis.

They will be expected "to put some kind of meat on the bones," said Victoria Honeyman, politics lecturer at Leeds University.
Budapest: Hungary`s populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban suffered a blow Sunday in his revolt against the European Union after low voter turnout voided his referendum aimed at rejecting a contested migrant quota plan.

Although a whopping 99.8 percent of voters backed his bid to reject the proposal, overall turnout fell well short of a 50-percent threshold.

Only 3.3 million of the eight-million-strong electorate cast a valid vote, and the National Election Committee declared the referendum void after counting the ballots on Sunday evening.

Opposition figures swiftly called on Orban to step down over the vote, after rights groups had accused him of whipping up anti-migrant fears despite there being only a few hundred asylum seekers in Hungary.

But the firebrand leader downplayed the significance of the low turnout and vowed there would be "legal consequences" regardless.

"Brussels or Budapest, that was the question, and the people said Budapest," he defiantly told supporters gathered in the capital on Sunday evening.

"I will propose to change the constitution (which) shall reflect the will of the people. We will make Brussels understand that it cannot ignore the will of Hungarian voters."

Orban did not reveal further details of the proposed amendment.

"It looks like (Orban) wants to continue his fight with the EU on its migration policy, and the constitutional amendment is his way of doing that as it might trigger legal fights" with Brussels, analyst Bulcsu Hunyadi told AFP.The firebrand leader has emerged as the standard-bearer of those opposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel`s "open-door" policy, in the wake of the bloc`s worst migration crisis since World War II.

The EU migrant quota proposal -- spearheaded by Merkel and approved by most governments in the bloc last year after antagonistic debates -- seeks to ease pressure on frontline countries Italy and Greece, the first port of arrival for most migrants.

But implementation has been slow. Eastern and central European nations vehemently oppose the plan aimed at relocating 160,000 people, many of who fled war in Syria.

Neighbouring Austria`s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Sunday the EU should stop clinging to its troubled plan.

"The target is totally unrealistic," he told the German daily Welt am Sonntag, warning that disagreements over the plan could threaten "the cohesion of the entire European Union."

Hungary has not accepted a single one of the 1,294 refugees allocated to it under the scheme and instead joined Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it.

Top EU officials had warned the referendum threatened to further split the quarrelling bloc, already weakened by Britain`s vote in June to leave the union -- a decision Orban has blamed on the EU`s handling of the migrant crisis.The referendum asked voters: "Do you want the EU to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?"

In an editorial, Orban warned on Saturday that Hungarians had "a duty" to fight the failed "liberal methods" of the "Brussels elite."

"It`s true that the campaign was exaggerated but no-one can tell me if these migrants really are refugees of war," Zoltan, a 38-year-old lawyer and `No` voter, told AFP earlier Sunday.

More than 400,000 refugees trekked through Hungary toward northern Europe in 2015 before Hungary sealed off its southern borders with razor wire in the autumn and brought in tough anti-migrant laws, reducing the flow to a trickle.

Other countries on the so-called Balkan migrant trail followed suit, leaving some 60,000 migrants stranded in Greece. Many of those migrants live in grim conditions in camps dotted around the Aegean islands and the mainland, desperate to continue their onward journey.

The EU said last week it hoped to relocate half of them by the end of 2017. A deal struck in March with Ankara to halt the influx looks shaky in the wake of a coup attempt in Turkey in July.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere meanwhile said Sunday that Berlin wants to reinstate an EU rule, suspended in 2011, to return asylum seekers who entered the bloc via Greece to be forced to return there.

"We will take up discussions on this in a meeting with (EU) interior ministers" later in October, he told the Greek daily Kathimerini.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
As far as I know, the review of a small suburban neighborhood restaurant by three critics around the same time is sheer coincidence. I was turned on to the year-old Afghan Bistro by a friend who lives in Springfield. The family-run restaurant has no public relations adviser, just a sage spokesman in the form of owner Omar Masroor.

READER TO THE RESCUE: Last week, a chatter inquired about where to eat in Honduras. After the discussion, a reader named "Grant" sent me the following:

I was stationed at the same unit her husband is now for 2.5 years. Unfortunately, as to be expected, dining just isn't that great in Honduras. But, there are a few places worth going to if you are going to try dining out. On the road to Comayagua from the base, is a restaurant called El Torito. It is a classic Honduran steak house, giant cuts of meat, and not much else going on. In Comayagua itself, there aren't a lot of great options. It is probably more worthwhile to head to the capital, Tegucigalpa, for the night. There I can recommend a few places: La Cumbre is a wonderful, romantic restaurant, with a view that cannot be beat that is great for a couple, I can't remember much about the food, but the atmosphere is magical; Angelo's, a great Italian place run by a husband and wife that offers impeccable service and delightful food, it is closer to the tourist hotels, finally El Patio for another classic Honduran meat joint, open air, lots of families, a true look at Honduras. I hope this helps the questioner, sorry I couldn't answer during your chat.

Good morning everyone. Finally, it feels like autumn! Tell me what's on your mind today. I'm all ears.


Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton fired another warning shot across the bow to the fast food industry this week: yes, I am coming for your fat profits.

"We also have to make the economy fairer. That starts with raising the national minimum wage," trumpeted Clinton to a packed house at Hofstra University on Monday during the first presidential debate. Clinton hasn't exactly hidden her displeasure with the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour while on the campaign trail. On her website, Clinton stresses that someone earning the minimum wage spread out over 40 hours -- which amounts to about $14,000 a year -- simply is unable to make ends meet given the higher cost of living. The former First Lady and Secretary of State proposes raising the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour, and supports efforts by cities and states to raise their own minimum wages even higher.

That much is for sure.

At an event in April, Clinton said she would sign a $15 minimum wage bill if a Democratic Congress were to place it on her desk as president.

"Well, of course I would," Clinton responded to a question on the wage topic. She added that she has "supported the Fight for $15" -- the union-backed campaign that has held rowdy protests dating back to 2012 demanding higher worker wages outside of fast food restaurants.

Should Clinton get elected and push through a $12 an hour minimum wage, and encourage states to hike wages to $15 an hour, it could have far-reaching effects on the fast-food industry.

McDonald's should be sad if Hillary Clinton gets elected.

One of the more obvious aftershocks is that profits for fast food heavyweights such as McDonald's (MCD) , Dunkin Brands Group (DNKN) , Burger King (a division of Restaurant Brands (QSR) ) and others get instantly crushed. "If a worker is now paid $8 an hour and the new minimum wage goes to $12 an hour, the increase in wage would mean the cost per full-time employee would increase about $9,000 per year. If the restaurant had 10 employees in this situation, the cost would increase by $90,000 per year," explained Stockton University Professor of Finance Michael Busler, who added that the higher costs may cause some operators to close their doors. After all, why run a chaotic business like a restaurant if the profit potential is virtually nonexistent.

The natural response to higher costs -- raise menu prices to compensate -- could be no magic elixir as it would likely cause lower-income diners to pull back on their visits. Points out Busler, "Many fast food restaurants currently have a $1 menu, making it affordable for many lower-income earners to eat at these restaurants. The $1 menu would increase to the $1.39 menu, putting pressure on consumers. Many lower-income earners would not be able to afford to eat there." A McDonald's franchisee TheStreet talked with flat out admitted that a $15 an hour minimum wage would be "catastrophic", as he would be unable to raises prices enough to offset the higher expenditure.

According to a study by Purdue University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 1.54 million people working in food preparation and serving related occupations make at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Raising their hourly wages to $15 -- a 107% increase -- would cause prices to rise an estimated 4.3%. That means a $3.99 Big Mac would cost around $4.16, and an average fast-food meal costing $7.00 would go up in price to $7.31.

If fast-food workers received $22 per hour (an epic 203% pay raise) -- which is the average wage for Americans in the private industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- restaurant prices would rise 25%.

For the fast-food space, a Clinton win in November would be the short-term climax of a tumultuous 18-month period on the wage debate front.

Last September, the state of New York approved a measure to increase the minimum wage for employees of fast-food chain restaurants to $15 an hour over the next few years. The law gradually raises the minimum wage to $15 in New York City by the end of 2018. On Long Island and in Westchester County, the wage would rise to $15 by the end of 2021. The minimum wage only would rise to $12.50 in the rest of the state by 2020, with further increases tied to inflation and other economic indicators.

Earlier this year, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law raising the state's minimum wage to $15 by 2022. The statewide minimum wage will increase from $10 an hour to $10.50 an hour on Jan. 1, 2017, then up to $11 an hour on Jan. 1, 2018. From there it will increase by $1 annually until reaching $15 an hour on Jan. 1, 2022.

Fast-food companies may not have much to smile about in a Clinton Administration.

To try to get out in front of the headwind, Dunkin' Donuts is working with franchisees on simplifying operations, finding supply-chain and energy-management cost savings and lowering capital investments for remodels.

Dunkin' has seen mixed traffic since the New York City law was announced as scared franchisees hiked prices in advance of the wage increases. It may be a dynamic that is playing out at Popeye's (PLKI) , too.

"It is true that the two levers are pricing and labor productivity, and we are seeing that in our franchise operations that selective pricing and selective reduction in labor is occurring, particularly in those markets feeling the pressures of labor increases that are too fast," Popeye's CEO Cheryl Bachelder said during a May 28 call.

In the end, dealing with rising costs has made life as a fast food franchisee no longer a surefire ticket to prosperity and happiness. "It's not just minimum wage that franchisees are concerned about, they are concerned about the amount of regulation -- life is getting complicated, that's what franchisees tell me," said Dunkin Brands Chairman and CEO Nigel Travis in an interview.
9 Essential Tips for Employee Management Using a POS System

Employee management is considered to be complex without knowledgeable staff and robust business tools. A Point-of-Sale (POS) system is an out-of-the-box solution for establishments that oversee the needs of numerous workers. Restaurants, food trucks and retail shops are examples of businesses that can benefit from POS employee management features.

More than anything, you want your new POS system to elevate your operation and the customer experience you provide. It will very likely have the opposite effect if the system doesnt satisfy all your needs or your employees arent on board, said Justin Guinn, Market Research Associate for Software Advice.

1. Streamline Time Clocks



Time clocks are tightly regulated using a POS. Employees are provided with a secure PIN, which is entered prior to clocking in or out. Workers could also monitor how many hours they have completed in the week by logging into their profile or viewing the public dashboard.

2. Ease Training Processes

Some POS platforms offer demo features that serve as functional training tools for new employees. A well-trained worker is less prone to making errors in live environments.

3. Scheduling

With automated tracking, a POS system with scheduling features will show you who should be at work on any given day. Making last-minute changes can be done by logging into the system and assigning workers to updated shifts.

4. Boost Accountability

In a POS, each transaction is assigned to the employee who completed the checkout. Knowing that store transactions are closely monitored could deter internal theft practices and mishandling.

5. Maintain Payroll

Overtime pay is difficult to track when there are several workers in the store. This is especially true for holiday seasons and peak periods. Running payroll reports could reduce discrepancies associated with erroneous payout amounts and delayed payments. Such data may also be accessible through a wide range of devices, such as tablets, smartphones and laptops.

6. Gain Floor Experience With Mobile POS

A mobile POS system lets employees walk around the sales floor and interact with buyers. This can help new staff gain firsthand experience with face-to-face selling.

7. Keep Your Financial Data Private

Keep your data private by limiting access to financial transactions based on an employees role within the store. For example, limiting employees to front office operations and only allowing managers to access data is an ideal way to keep this private information secure.

8. Transparent Tipping

If you run a restaurant, tipping of the key things to monitor. With a POS, tips are tracked within generated reports. As a result, employee disputes concerning tip allocation can be avoided.

9. Identify and Reward Top Performers

Through reporting, business owners can see who is generating large amounts of sales and who is lagging behind in meeting his or her monthly quota. With such information readily available, one could give out rewards and praises in a timely manner; as well as provide help for those who may be struggling with handling some of the products in the store.



Other Point of Sale news of interest:
Hungary's populist strongman Viktor Orban was banking on voters Sunday to defy the European Union and reject its troubled refugee quota plan, but low turnout threatened to taint his camp's expected referendum win. Surveys showed the referendum turnout might not reach the required 50-percent threshold and therefore be deemed invalid. But Orban has already downplayed the political significance of the eventual turnout and said there would be "legal consequences" regardless of the outcome. Orban's right-wing government has led an expensive media offensive urging the eight-million-strong electorate to spurn the EU's migrant quota deal, which wants to share migrants around the 28 member states via mandatory quotas without the consent of national parliaments. "A valid referendum is always better than an invalid one, but the legal consequences will be the same," he said on Sunday. "There is only one condition for this: that there are more 'No' votes than 'Yes' votes." The firebrand leader has emerged as the standard-bearer of those opposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" policy, in the wake of the bloc's worst migration crisis since 1945. Polling stations opened at 0400 GMT and close at 1700 GMT, with results expected later in the evening. By 5.30 pm (1530 GMT), turnout was just below 40 percent, according to the national election office. Opposition parties and rights groups had called on Hungarians to boycott the referendum or spoil their ballot. "I am European so I cast my vote but I spoilt it because I don't believe in this government. I want control of the migrant flow but not in this way," a hotel owner in Budapest told AFP. - 'Dangerous game' - The EU migrant quota proposal -- spearheaded by Germany and approved by most EU governments last year after antagonistic debates -- seeks to ease pressure on frontline countries Italy and Greece, where most migrants enter the EU. But implementation has been slow. Eastern and central European nations are vehemently opposed to the plan aimed at relocating 160,000 people, many having fled war in Syria. Even as Hungarians voted, neighbouring Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said the EU should stop clinging to its troubled plan. "The target is totally unrealistic," he told the German daily Welt am Sonntag, warning that disagreements over the plan could threaten "the cohesion of the entire European Union". Hungary has not accepted a single one of the 1,294 refugees allocated to it under the scheme and instead joined Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it. The referendum threatens to further split the quarrelling bloc, already weakened by Britain's decision in June to leave the union -- a decision Orban has blamed on the EU's handling of the migrant crisis. European Parliament president Martin Schulz warned Sunday that Hungary was playing "a dangerous game". To cement his power at home, Orban "plays with the EU's founding principle: he questions Europe's legal basis -- which Hungary was involved in creating," Schulz told German media. - 'Brussels elite' - The referendum asks voters: "Do you want the EU to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?" In an editorial, Orban warned on Saturday that Hungarians had "a duty" to fight the failed "liberal methods" of the "Brussels elite". "It's true that the campaign was exaggerated but no-one can tell me if these migrants really are refugees of war," Zoltan, a 38-year-old lawyer and 'No' voter, told AFP. More than 400,000 refugees trekked through Hungary toward northern Europe in 2015 before Hungary sealed off its southern borders with razor wire in the autumn and brought in tough anti-migrant laws, reducing the flow to a trickle. Other countries on the so-called Balkan migrant trail followed suit, leading to some 60,000 migrants now being stranded in Greece. The EU said last week it hoped to relocate half of them by the end of 2017. A deal struck in March with Ankara to halt the influx looks shaky in the wake of a coup attempt in Turkey in July. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere meanwhile said Sunday that Berlin wants to reinstate EU rules, suspended in 2011, which oblige asylum-seekers to be sent back to Greece as the first EU country they reached. "We will take up discussions on this in a meeting with (EU) interior ministers" later in October, he told the Greek daily Kathimerini.
President Joko Widodo of Indonesia passed a tax amnesty plan in June with an aim to repatriate Indonesian cash that were stowed away overseas. The tax evaders would be given a chance to come clean.



On the same point, its amazing how a tax amnesty plan from a neighbouring country can affect Singapores demand for luxury housing. Wealthy Indonesians have since begun shifting their cash investments into property investments here. 30 properties valued at a minimum of S$5 million or more were purchased between January to August 17 this year, which is 4 times the total number of purchases in 2015 (a mere 8 properties).





Source: OUE



Source: OUE



Indonesians topped the list of foreign buyers of the grand OUE Twin Peaks at Orchard Road in July. Ang Kok Leong, who works for SLP Realty Pte as a senior agent commented that the biggest concern among the Indonesian purchasers was Singapores move to share financial information with their home country.



Singapore, Indonesia and a number of other countries are moving towards global tax reporting requirements. This means that countries would share information pertaining to their respective nationals and the assets they hold overseas.



But why would this cause Indonesians to buy into Singapore property? The Indonesian property purchasers are hoping that the global tax reporting extends only to assets held in banks and not real estate information being disclosed.



Purchases from the Chinese and Malaysians declined during the second quarter of 2016, while property transactions from Indonesians increased by 19%.



The stability and transparency of the Singaporean property market were key factors for the affluent Indonesians to step in and buy properties here.





indonesia tax amnesty, indonesia, singapore, tax amnesty, ASEAN



(Photo=Thinkstock/Getty Images)



How does the Indonesian tax amnesty work?



We've already done an article on this earlier. But to recap, the amnesty requires an Indonesian to pay a tax rate of 4% for any declared funds or properties left overseas. The tax rate would increase steadily to 10% as it closes in on the end of the tax amnesty period in March 2017.



Individuals who opt to transfer their funds back home and maintain it in Indonesia for a minimum of 3 years will pay a tax rate of 2%. They would also be offered an extensive range of potential investments.



Tax evaders who do not declare their properties and are caught would be hit with a bill of 200% of the tax sum owed.



The current tax transparency standards agreed by both Singapore and Indonesia from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) does not include reports on real estate holdings.



Mechanisms on how the OECD agreement would work for automatic exchanges of information are still being ironed out and expected to be sorted out by 2018. In the interim, information transfers which include property ownership details are acted upon on a request basis by both tax authorities.



Indonesians view Singapore as a safe haven in many way. But the biggest driving factor is that Singapore is politically stable.



The Singapore government has made its stance very clear though  it has absolutely no tolerance for illicit funds. Sum Yee Loong, the accounting professor at Singapore Management University also added that it didnt make sense for Indonesians to mask their unreported income in Singapore through property purchases.



The tax amnesty is going to invoke some US$300 billion seeing either repatriation of the funds to Indonesia or in the form of taxes.



(By Annette Rowena)



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Its the Halloween season once again, and when the leaves change and the weather gets chilly, you know its time to turn up the frightsin real life and in the digital space. As they say, everyone is entitled to one good scare around All Hallows Eve, especially after the data breaches and security fails that some of the worlds top companies have gone through in 2022.

This year, maybe more than ever, weve seen that hacking groups have no scruples and are willing to disrupt any organizationno matter if they are a nonprofit or provide life-saving healthcare services. Lets take a look at some of the scariest hacking groups that security teams need to know this year.

Read the Article

Related: Uptime at Any Cost: Why Cyberactors Increasingly Targeted Manufacturing in 2021

Recommended: Employees: The First Line of Defense Against Cyberattacks
The real picture of Africa is much more complicated than the all-too-common media portrayal of war and poverty, Spanish journalist Gemma Parellada told Sputnik Mundo

Parelladan has lived in Africa for 11 years, and constantly travels around the continent seeking to draw attention to African news ignored by the mainstream media.

"Moving around, slowly, is the only way to draw attention to everything that is really happening; I can't tell the truth about a country in two or three days, because information is incorrect, or distorted, or insufficient," she told Sputnik Mundo.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)UK International Development Secretary Priti Patel has announced the United Kingdom's plans to allocate 750 million pounds ($ 973.3 million) towards humanitarian projects in Afghanistan between 2017 and 2020.

"The UKs presence in Afghanistan over the last decade has helped improve security and prevent it from once again becoming a base of operations for global terrorists that would threaten the streets of Britain. We have improved the lives of Afghans significantly  with millions more children in school, better healthcare, and greater prosperity. But huge challenges remain  not least the continuing threat from the Taliban," Patel said in an article she wrote in The Independent.

"That is why the UK will commit up to 750m, from the aid budget, to Afghanistan between 2017 and 2020 to help create a more stable country and improve peoples lives  particularly for women and girls," she added.
Simonov recalled the behavior of the oil price this year, which recovered to reach $50 per barrel in May, despite producers like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia all increasing output.

"US production fell, but less than expected. The Chinese economy is growing more slowly than last year, which forms oil demand. That is to say, all the negative factors remained, but oil prices rose 50 percent."

"Everybody explained that [in terms of] expectations of an agreement in Doha. But the Doha meeting was a failure and prices were supposed to collapse, but that didn't happen. Now the joke starts  they said prices are rising because of a strike in Kuwait. But the strike ended after a few days. After that, some really obvious fibs  fires in Alberta and so on. Yes, there were fires, but to say that there were two million barrels less on the market is just a joke. They finished a long time ago and prices are still floating at around $45-$50 per barrel."

"That's why the desire of producers on its own is no enough. The main thing is the position of speculators. The question is, what kind of game do they want to play  are they going to bet on a fall or a rise in prices," Simonov said.

While OPEC exerted a strong influence over oil prices in the 1970s, the volatility of markets has made the cartel irrelevant. In order to regain some lost influence, Simonov said that OPEC should dissolve and form a new organization, as some hoped would happen after the April Doha meeting of 18 oil-producing countries, including Russia.

"OPEC is living off former glory. It would be a great story if OPEC-2 had been formed in Doha. That story would be a good verbal intervention. We could easily stretch out a few years (of higher prices) on that PR. But they ruined that idea, and they have not been able to agree anything within the OPEC framework for a long time. And they will soon realize that themselves," Simonov said.

Amid a collapse in oil prices in November 2014, due to the flood of shale oil production capacity which was put in place in the US and other countries, OPEC made the historic decision to allow the market to balance oil supply and demand, in the hope of forcing shale oil producers in the US and elsewhere to stop operations due to lower profits.

However, according to a report by energy consultancy group Wood Mackenzie, US shale companies have been able to cut prices by as much as 40 percent since 2014, by driving harder bargains with equipment suppliers and oilfield service firms, and more efficient prospecting.
KYOTO (Sputnik)  Russia made an offer to Japan regarding nanotechnology cooperation, the CEO of the country's nanotechnology company Rusnano, Anatoly Chubais said Sunday.

"Today I had a meeting with minister Seko [Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko], in November he will likely visit Moscow, we introduced certain detailed offers, and hope to hear a feedback by November," Chubais told RIA Novosti in an interview.
Russia is dependent on oil and gas for about 40% of its budget revenues. The country's position is complicated by the fact that much of its output comes from companies having private shareholders. Thus, according to Amrita Sen, the chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, "Russia is unlikely to [join a freeze deal]."

As Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria's oil minister, said "even if we have a freeze, what difference does it make?" if the US raises its output when prices rise. "Someone will just move in and take over that market share. Whether at the end of the day the freeze itself will be sufficient to impact the market in a way that we expect is also still questionable," he added.
On Saturday, activists intended to march from the refugee camp that was dubbed the Jungle and has become a symbol of the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe to the center of the port city.

The rally was assembled by the International Coalition of Sans-Papiers Migrants and Refugees (CISPM) organization a day after authorities put a ban on public events associated with migrants.

LIVE NOW  Police use tear gas and water cannon in #Calais at pro migrant rally https://t.co/uVCdS7zng0 pic.twitter.com/by0DxwYrka  Ruptly (@Ruptly) 1  2016 .

As police tried to stop the meeting, the protest spiraled out of control and turned violent. Activists threw stones at law enforcement that used gas grenades and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine, such a bailout is unlikely from Berlin given the current political situation in both the EU and Germany. The allocation of a state aid package to Deutsche Bank would backfire on Germany, which has consistently pushed other EU nations to forgo assisting their struggling lenders, the newspaper wrote on Saturday.

"Of course Chancellor Merkel doesn't want to give Deutsche Bank any state aid," Frankfurter Allgemeines op-ed reads. "She cannot afford it from the point of view of foreign policy because Berlin is taking a hard line in the Italian bank rescue."

Allocating public money to a private bank would add up to Germans discontent with Angela Merkels policies tackle the refugee crisis, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported. In the run up to 2017 federal elections, the ais would become a major blow for Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, which has been losing supporters to anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. At the latest statewide election AfD has reached a threshold 16 percent of votes, for the first time ever.

"Domestic political considerations make it unlikely that Berlin would play this joker. Even more unlikely is that the European Commission would agree. The political risk would be simply too high," Sueddeutsche wrote.
"That could benefit German industry by offering it lower gas prices but could be exploited by Russia politically in the future," FT warned.

The British newspaper may be on to something as far as Ukraine is concerned. It would be difficult to find a sensible reason for Moscow to continue to support a government which has consciously chosen to cut every imaginable form of cooperation with Russia, even to the detriment of Ukraine's own economy and the state budget. For political reasons, Kiev has gone so far as halting the purchase of Gazprom gas, in favor of 'European gas' (which is also Russian gas, rerouted from Europe and sold back to Kiev at higher prices). In this respect, Kiev has been 'punishing' itself well enough; it doesn't need Russian help.

As for Vassilev's suggestion that Nord Stream II is being used to boost Russian-German ties, he's not wrong  except there's nothing sinister about it. Germany, and Western Europe as a whole for that matter, is looking for a reliable partner in the supply of energy, and Eastern Europe (including not just Ukraine, but also the Baltic States and Belarus) have shown again and again that they are ready to use their transit status as a weapon. In that respect, one would have to squint really hard to see the malice in a Russian effort to bypass these countries.

As for FT's concerns that Moscow might somehow 'exploit Germany politically' using Nord Stream II, the repeated gas disputes between Gazprom and Ukraine have shown time and again that when it comes to transit countries and energy hubs, the country supplying the gas is just as vulnerable to political manipulation as the country receiving it. The difference between Berlin and Kiev is that the former has a strict business interest, is willing to pay for the supplies it receives, and has no interest in playing politics with energy.
"As a result, Daesh barbarians, like other criminal regimes, have increased other forms of trafficking. This includes facilitating the local production of goods: cigarettes, food, cotton, and of course weapons and drugs."

Encel said that Daesh terrorists have earned millions of dollars from contraband, some of which has ended up on the French market.

"The authorities need to redouble their vigilance on our territory. This contraband from the Middle East and Libya is not only expensive for our economy, but also directly threatens the life of French people."

"After all, in one region of Seine-Saint-Denis revenues from smuggling (particularly of cigarettes) were 350 million euros. This is a great amount of lost profit for our companies."

"When I am talking about threats to the lives of French people, I mean the weakening of security with regard to 'small-time' contraband and trafficking in city streets. In the worst cases, these earnings on the black market are used to finance terrorists," Encel said.

Earlier this year it was reported that a series of airstrikes on oilfields controlled by Daesh had resulted in the terror group being forced to cut the salaries of fighters by half, leading to desertions.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Last summer, the European Union signed an agreement on refugees resettlement, which seek to diminish the pressure on external border states. The bloc's member states will share around 160,000 refugees.

"The goal is absolutely unrealistic," Kurz told Welt am Sonntag newspaper in an interview adding that "many refugees refuse to go to particular EU countries."

In 2015, Austria saw a threefold increase in the number of refugees coming to the country, with some 90,000 applications lodged for asylum. Vienna has put a cap of a maximum 37,500 asylum applications for 2016, with Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil warning that this limit would be reached by November. Austria had accepted as many as 26,000 applications by September.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The European Union needs strategy to lift the sanctions imposed against Russia as the situation became "critical," Austrian Agriculture Minister Andrae Rupprechter said.

"I think the situation is critical because the EU Council has imposed the [anti-Russia] sanctions two years ago without an exit strategy. Now we must get out of this situation. Chancellor [of Austria Christian Kern] must exert pressure on the European Union," Rupprechter told Oesterreich news outlet in an interview Saturday.
The majority of voters, some 95 percent, rejected the quota, Gulyas added, as quoted by Hungarian broadcaster MTVA.

The ballot asked if the Hungarians wanted the European Union to be able to resettle non-citizens into the country without consulting the national parliament.
Colombian voters killed a breakthrough peace agreement signed last week by President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez after nearly four years of negotiations by a razor thin margin in a nationwide referendum.

FARC rebels had agreed to lay down their weapons after nearly 52 years of conflict in order to join the political process, but the deal required approval by the voters with many international political analysts believing that a vote in favor of peace was all but certain.

The decision by voters came despite a ominous warning by President Santos that there was no "Plan B" for the agreement that between the militant group and the government to end the war that has killed over 260,000 people.
"In fact, they have announced their solidarity with al-Nusra which also does not recognize the international accords," the politician said.

"The US position here looks very strange. It virtually defends al-Nusra, the terrorists which it claims it is fighting against," he said.

Qadri Jamil read out the declaration of the People's Will opposition party which said that the US is torpedoing all the efforts to find a solution to the Syrian crisis in accordance with the international agreements and is doing everything to dissociate itself from the recent agreements between Moscow and Washington on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, disregarding the developments in Aleppo.

"Russia with all of its remarks on the issue is trying to correct the behavior of the West. By providing new facts of the violation of the international agreements by the West, it tries not to exclude it from the common efforts on setting peace in the region but, on the contrary, it tries to force it to join in," the politician said.

"Russia's efforts in Syria are logical and honest while the West constantly maneuvers, as a result, it often entraps itself," he added.
Commenting on the Russian operation in the country, the expert noted that it has saved President Assad. If upon its launch it seemed that Assad was losing, now it seems that he is winning, albeit experiencing some occasional heavy losses.

"However I think it will be hard to defeat Daesh," he told RIA Novosti.

"Russian Forces demonstrated that they have stabilized the situation: their allies are steadily advancing however the clashes will last for a long time, as it is very hard to reach a decisive victory," he said.

The expert noted that in any case, the relatively stabilized situation in the country paves the path to a stable future rather than to the chaos it experienced before.

Dr Grivas compared the ongoing Syrian conflict with the post-war situation in Libya. Syria, he said, will be able to find a certain solution thanks to Russia's military interference. While in Libya, there is a "chaos of lawlessness" and no opportunities to restore the country in the nearest future.

The Russian campaign is reaching its goals, the expert said, but there is a real need to stop the western support of the jihadists and form a broader anti-terrorist coalition. However, only Russia seems to be interested in creating such an alliance, he added.
ALEPPO (Sputnik)  The Syrian army and Kurdish self-defense forces carried out successful joint operation of liberation of Syrias Shkeif neighborhood in northwest Aleppo, a representative of the Kurdish militia told RIA Novosti Sunday.

"The Syrian army and Kurdish self-defense forces succeeded in breaking through the defense of terrorists and liberating the industrial zone of Shkeif in northwestern Aleppo, thereby pushing the enemy forces further away from Aleppos northern supply route," the representative said.
After the US Congress passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which overrides the principle of sovereign immunity to allow families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, an Iraqi group has requested parliament to prepare a lawsuit seeking compensation from the US for the invasion of Iraq.

The "Arab Project in Iraq" lobby group "sees their opportunity to ask for compensation from the United States over violations by the US forces following the US invasion that saw the toppling of late President Saddam Hussein in 2003," the Al-Arabiya news channel reported on Saturday.

"It urged for a full-fledged investigation over the killing of civilians targets, loss of properties and individuals who suffered torture and other mistreatment on the hand of US forces."


MOSCOW (Sputnik)German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday called for the ceasefire and end of bombings in Aleppo in the wake of attack on two Doctors Without Borders (MSF) backed hospitals were bombed and went out of service earlier this week.

"The bombing of Aleppo must finally stop! Those who want to combat terrorists, do not attack hospitals! We need a ceasefire for Aleppo as quickly as possible!" Steinmeier posted on his official Facebook account.

Fighting in Syria, particularly in eastern Aleppo, has intensified in recent days. The international community has frequently expressed outrage over civilian casualties resulting from the violence.
ALEPPO (Sputnik)  The Russian Aerospace Forces' operation in Syria proved Moscow's seriousness in the fight against terrorism and helped in preventing its spread in the region, local media reported citing a Syrian Foreign Ministry source.

The source told SANA news agency that the Russian operation in Syria has led to tightening the grip on the terrorist groups and contributed to preventing as much as possible the spread of terrorism into other countries.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with opposition factions and Islamist terrorist groups such as Daesh and the Nusra Front, now known as Jabhat Fateh al Sham, both outlawed in Russia, fighting the Syrian Army.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  Turkish police detained brother of self-exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara suspects of organizing the July 15 coup attempt, in the province of Izmir on terror charges, local media reported Sunday.

Kutbettin Gulen was detained in Gaziemir district of Turkeys western province on charges of being member of Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to Anadolu news agency.
It also results in the refugee influx and oil price fluctuations amongst other things.

"They say that competition is an engine for progress. If someone holds a monopoly on certain things, he immediately starts acting correspondingly, as if he owns the world. When there is competition, one has to think carefully before doing something," Jovan Kovacevic said.

He further noted that there is multipolar competition on the ground in Syria and it is of special importance to the whole world.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  Turkey and Greece have still not reached an agreement on a maritime border between the two countries in Aegean Sea yet as the dispute over several islands and cliffs remains unsettled, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Sunday.

Turkey and Greece have several issues over the Aegean Sea. In particular, a maritime border [between the two countries] has not been defined in the framework of the international agreement in terms of ownership of some islands and cliffs. These issues are being discussed through dialogue between Turkey and Greece. Currently there are no changes in status of these islands and cliffs, the ministerial statement said.
"The Saudis have always thought that the way to get the Russians to back off [in Syria is what worked in Afghanistan 30 years ago  negating their air power by giving MANPADS to the Mujahedeen," the source told Reuters. The Mujahedeen eventually became the enemy of the West as the precursor to al-Qaeda, to which groups like Ahrar al-Sham are inextricably linked adding another level to the comparison.

As has been evidenced by the introduction of BM-21 Grad missiles by Gulf States in the Gaza Strip, the weapon is notoriously inaccurate providing an enhanced threat to civilian structures and of massive non-combatant loss of life.

In Gaza, Grad missiles that were launched by untrained operators missed entire cities over 50% of the time such that the US-led coalition and its Saudi partners are effectively engaging in indiscriminate targeting of government-held positions without regard to civilians.
On September 30, 2015, the Federation Council (Russia's Senate) approved President Putin's request to use military forces abroad, and the Russian anti-terror operation in Syria began. Twelve months later, Russia's small but effective fighting group of about 50 jets and helicopters, based at Hmeymim Airbase in northwest Syria, helped the Syrian Army halt the spreading tumor of jihadist terrorism, and to launch a counteroffensive to free hundreds of settlements and surround militants in Aleppo, Syria's second city.

Military analyst Alexander Khrolenko has covered Russia's operation in Syria from the beginning. In his latest analysis, published by the RIA Novosti news agency, the expert emphasized that apart from fighting terrorism and assisting Syria's legitimate government, the Russian mission did something else: "it proved that Russia is capable of successfully using its armed forces in the remotest corners of the planet to effectively influence geopolitics."
The protective clothing, formally known as the 6B15 kit, began to be introduced in limited quantities in 2012. Since then, their use has become widespread. Last week, the Ministry of Defense announced that over 1,000 more 'Cowboy' kits have been delivered to units in the Southern Military District.

The kit, developed by TsNIITochMash industrial design bureau following an analysis of the experiences of the Second Chechen War, features a complex system of protection, including Class 1 body armor, fire-retardancy, and ballistics-resistant padding on the tanker's headset. The 6.5 kg suit is breathable.
Syria is seeing intensified fighting in the city of Aleppo, after the Syrian army declared an end to the week-long ceasefire on September 23, blaming militants for numerous violations that made the cessation of hostilities unreasonable.

Aleppo has been under siege by militant groups, including Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al Sham, formerly known as the al-Nusra Front. The city has seen intense fighting over the past few months, with the Syrian army and local militia forces managing to encircle large groups of militants in the eastern districts of the city.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition groups, as well as terrorist formations. As a result over 4.8 million citizens fled Syria, most of them to neighboring countries.
"I have no doubts, that one of the key elements [necessary] for successful implementation of the plan is also development of bilateral cooperation in the sphere of science, technology and innovations," Dvorkovich said at the international Science and Technology in Society forum.

In September, Far East Development Minister Alexander Galushka and Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko discussed 18 various infrastructure projects.
"In the framework of the plan, involving eight directions [of cooperation], we discussed the opportunity for preparing concrete projects that might serve as a basis for signing agreements," Dvorkovich told journalists.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presented the eight-point plan for bilateral economic cooperation during his visit to Russia's southern city of Sochi in May. The plan covers such areas as oil and gas development and the modernization of ports and airports in the Far East.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)During a previous phone call on Saturday, Lavrov and Kerry have already discussed the fighting in Aleppo.

"[Lavrov and Kerry] discussed possible joint steps to normalize the situation in Aleppo, as well as work in the UN Security Council on the North Korean issue, and certain aspects of bilateral relations," the statement read.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The United Kingdom will begin the procedure of leaving the European Union by the end of March 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday.

"We will trigger [Article 50] before the end of March next year," May told BBC broadcaster in an interview.
"As Moscow has finally grasped, there is no persuading the Americans to drop their obsession with advancing another coup in the [name] of great-power rivalry. From here on out, we can forget about this iteration of the Reagan era's 'freedom fighter' narrative. And we can dismiss the Obama administration's 'strategic ambiguity' as to its objectives in Syria as so much rubbish," Lawrence underscores.

Furthermore, the US author continues, the Pentagon officials did not hesitate to show their opposition to the Syrian agreement brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

As Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigan, commander of the United States Air Forces Central Command, put it: "I'm not saying yes or no. It would be premature to say that we're going to jump right into it."

In other words, Lawrence highlights, the Pentagon official openly announced that the Department of Defense (DOD) "may or may not follow an order issued by civilian authority."

Commenting on the issue, Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at Princeton University and New York University, stressed in the course of his interview on The John Batchelor Show that in a Constitutional democracy where the military is clearly subordinated to the civilian leadership, such a statement is extraordinary.

"We've come to a point in this craziness, in this New Cold War with Russia where the DoD is openly saying it may or may not obey President Obama. If the DoD will say that publicly, you can imagine the opposition in Washington to the Syrian deal [US Secretary of State John] Kerry brokered with Russian Foreign Minister [Sergei] Lavrov," Professor Cohen emphasized.
"In Soviet times, there was a clear division of interests, and a number of areas where our competition with the Americans was limited," Ermakov recalled. "Now, ideological delimitations no longer exist, and there are many areas where our interests [theoretically] intersect. Nevertheless, Moscow and Washington have continued to hold fundamentally different positions."

"For example, both Russia and the US pay lip service to fighting a war on international terrorism. But in practice, the two sides demonstrate diametrical approaches to the problem, and this is strikingly illustrated by the situation in Syria."

"Therefore," the analyst suggested, "the scenarios for proxy conflicts with the US can take severe and dramatic turns  that much was confirmed by Kirby's remarks. Washington did not allow itself to make such frank statements even during the Cold War. Factually, behind Kirby's words is a direct threat."

Ermakov stressed that "it's clear that Russia's response to this threat will consist of holding to our position in Syria, whatever the US may be willing to stoop to."

According to the expert, US efforts to undermine Russia may include using 'moderate opposition' forces to strike the Russian contingent, supplying militants with advanced weapons, coordinating their activities and sharing intelligence information. This scenario could result in Russian aircraft may be shot down.

"In fact, this was the same thing the US did in Afghanistan; really the subtext of Kirby's statement was exactly that  a threat to move the Afghan scenario to Syrian soil. In Afghanistan, we can recall, the Mujahedeen also transitioned from using ancient Enfield rifles to modern weapons, after the US revised its strategy."
"In other words," Ishchenko noted, "someone really seems to want to draw us into the endless and senseless war of all against all in the ruins of the once prosperous African state. For those who may have forgotten: in 2011, NATO's unsanctioned war against Libya, Operation Odyssey Dawn, resulted in a horrific political and economic decline for the country."

Today, the analyst added, Libya is a devastated warzone "where tribes whose loyalties are unclear slaughter one another, storming government buildings and burning international airports. Daesh militants hang out out in the open in government dachas of the Gaddafi government and prepare for new battles in Syria. A countless stream of refugees from all across Africa race endlessly to Europe, while Europeans argue in confusion about who is to blame for the crisis."

"And it's definitely not Russia," Ishchenko stressed. "But we are the ones being called to clean someone else's dirty military and political laundryIs it worth going to Libya? In my opinion there is not a single good reason to do so."

Syria, the analyst stressed, is more than enough for Moscow at the moment. Furthermore, that country actually has a unified, internationally recognized government that didn't come to power as a result of a foreign intervention.
The Republican may be estimating that by attacking Hillary Clinton for infidelities, whether or not there is proof, may undermine the strong base of female voter support who looked the other way for her husbands own well-documented indiscretions as something that she had no power over.

However, it seems that the statement will likely shift the presidential discussion back into the venue of reality television fantasy that has so much dominated this electoral cycle with Trump likely to come out on the losing end with the punditry seeing this as the latest misogynistic attack on feminist ideals.

Trump also imitated Hillary Clintons collapse at the 9/11 Memorial in a hysterical off-the-cuff comedy routine that suggests he has broken away from the advice of his advisors to be "more presidential."

"Heres a woman, shes supposed to fight all these different things and she cant make it 15 feet to her car, give me a break," said Trump.
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MOSCOW (Sputnik)As news of the shooting spread through the neighborhood, dozens of people, including relatives of the victim, gathered near the place of the incident, blocked by the police tape, crashing a police news conference, according to the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

"A police officer should not be the judge, the jury and the executioner," one of the local residents said, as quoted by the newspaper.

Earlier media reports emerged suggesting that police shot dead an 18-year-old man on Saturday in South Los Angeles outside his house after chasing him. Police were pursuing a car with paper plates, thinking that the vehicle may have been stolen. One of the car passengers was fatally shot when he jumped out of the vehicle and tried to run away on foot.
"I'm skeptical about all these polls. I think it is too early to talk about how the debates affected the candidates' position, not to mention the outcome of the elections. In this sense, I would not jump to conclusions even despite the fact that in America, pre-election survey-taking is a well-developed industry," Pakhomov said.

According to him, making any forecasts on the matter is pointless now, given that the pre-election fight "is neck-and-neck between Clinton and Trump."

"In the overwhelming majority of states, the result is already clear, which is why the outcome of the election will be decided in a dozen states, where people still sit on the fence. In some such states, Clinton manages to dominate, while in others, Trump is able to catch up," Pakhomov said.

According to him, the Trump headquarters plans to focus on campaigning in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, which are noted for having a large number of voters.

Also, one should consider any unexpected events that may affect the outcome of elections, Pakhomov recalled, referring to the situation in 2008, when Barack Obama only managed to get the better of John McCain during the election campaign after the economic crisis took place in the United States.

"After that, the number of the Republicans' supporters dropped dramatically, while the popularity of the Democrats and Obama increased," he concluded.

Meanwhile, PPP Director Tom Jensen said that Clinton has solid leads in Colorado, Pennsylvania and Virginia  states seen as important to her path to 270 electoral votes  and modest leads in Florida and North Carolina.
The Washington Examiner described the missing email as containing "an attachment memo about Greek bonds  a significant detail given the heavy investments Clintons son-in-law, Marc Mezvinsky, was making in the Greek economic recovery during the same period" that was released outside the chain of the State Department where it could potentially have been passed along to Chelsea Clintons husband.

The revelation resulted from a Freedom of Information Act request for a July 2012 email from the State Departments Jake Sullivan to Amitabh Desai, A Clinton Foundation employee, and Justin Cooper, an aide to Bill Clinton, titled Solidarity Bonds Greece Revised. When a lawyer requested that the State Department provide a copy of the attachment, federal attorneys said that the State Department does not have the original email.
KYOTO (Sputnik)  Russia believes that it is possible to start recognizing Japanese medical qualifications, so doctors from the country would be able to work in Russian medical centers, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said on Sunday.

"This problem [difference in medical standards] may be solved, and, certainly, we will find the opportunity [to deal with the issue]," Dvorkovich, heading the Russian delegation at the Science and Technology in Society forum in Kyoto, told journalists.

On Saturday, the Japanese newspaper Nikkei (The Nihon Keizai Shinbun) reported that Japanese companies planned to pitch into the development of Russia's social infrastructure, including health care and that a "significant contribution" to the improvement of the quality of life in Russia was expected on the part of Japanese business circles.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)The identities of those responsible for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in 2014 in southeastern Ukraine might be confirmed by the end of this year or beginning of the next year, Australias Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Sunday.

"I expect that by the end of the year, maybe early next year, the list of those that we believe should be held accountable will be confirmed and then there must be a prosecution," Bishop told Australian state broadcaster ABC in an interview.

Flight MH17 crashed on July 17, 2014, in eastern Ukraine while flying en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam. All 298 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft died in the incident.
In an interview with RIA Novosti , military expert Alexander Perendzhiyev underscored the necessity of the Russian Aerospace Forces creating a second airbase in Syria because Russia's anti-Daesh air campaign there is still underway.

Currently Russian warplanes are limited to staging out of Hmeymim Airbase at Bassel Al-Assad International Airport near Latakia, the principal port city of Syria.

The interview came as Friday marked the first anniversary of the beginning of Russia's anti-terrorist air campaign in Syria, which was launched at the behest of the Syrian government.


TOKYO (Sputnik)In September, the Japanese prime minister took part in the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, during which he held three-hour talks with the Russian president. One of the outcomes of the meeting was the announcement of Putin's visit to Japan on December 15, which has been postponed since 2014. Ahead of Putin's visit to Japan, the leaders will meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru in November.

"I hope that [the visit] will become a chance to achieve results in the broad fields of politics and economics and to push forward Sino-Russian relations in general," Abe said during his meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich at the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum in Kyoto, as quoted by Kyodo News Agency.

The international STS forum, which serves as a platform for open discussions on the opportunities arising from science and technology, is held in the Japanese city of Kyoto on the island of Honshu on October 2-4.
The report alleged that that the plane was downed by a 938 missile launched from a Buk system, which was brought from Russia and later returned there.

"The only allies that we have now in this so-called investigation by the JIT are the relatives of the victims. And I think we need to bring the right information to these people, namely, our side of the story based on common sense and the base of evidence, not special effects or animation movies. And I think we can do it already now', Kazakov said.

He lamented the fact that the JIT's investigation resembles an information war rather than a probe.

"JIT investigators actually use information war tactics by trying to be the first to point the finger of guilt and quickly broadcast these accusations through all media outlets," he said.

Kazakov praised Russia for conducting its own probe into the MH17 plane crash, describing the JIT's investigation as a politically motivated inquiry.

"There is an internal logic of the investigation, but there is also a public component which is politically motivated from A to Z. They have an order and they are trying to stick to it," he said, referring to the JIT's probe and JIT investigators' unwillingness to heed the results of Russia's investigation into the matter.

Flight MH17 crashed with 298 people on board on July 17, 2014 in eastern Ukraine, while en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, leaving no survivors.

In contrast with JIT allegations, Russia insists that the Buk missile was launched from an entirely different point, namely from the area near the village of Zaroshchenskoye, which was controlled by the Ukrainian armed forces at the time.
The Nobel Week will begin on Monday with the announcement of the winners in Physiology or Medicine. According to a Thomson Reuters forecast, the most likely candidates are the three teams of scientists who contributed to fighting cancer.

The first group includes James Allison, Jeffrey Bluestone and Craig Thompson, who may grab the prize "for explaining how CD28 and CTLA-4 are regulators of T-cell activation, modulating immune response'" These scientists' developments may make it possible to replace chemotherapy with immunotherapy in the future.

The second group consists of Gordon Freeman, Tasuku Honjo and Arlene Sharpe, who are expected to get the prize for "elucidating programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and its pathway, which has advanced cancer immunotherapy."

The third group, consisting of Michael Hall, David Sabatini and Stuart Schreiber managed to discover the growth regulator Target of Rapamycin (TOR) and the mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) which may can lead to prostate cancer.

As for the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics, most experts, including those from Thomson Reuters, are giving kudos to Ronald Drever, Kip Thorne and Rainer Weiss "for the development of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) that made possible the detection of gravitational waves," already touted as the physical discovery of the year.
Some analysts have speculated that Riyadh could retaliate by curbing trade with the US or restricting cooperation on security. Cutting such cooperation is among the options available to Riyadh, they say.

"Im afraid that this bill will have dire strategic implications for the United States," Salman al-Ansari, head of the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC), told AFP.

This partnership has helped provide US authorities with accurate intelligence information that helped prevent attacks, he said.

Riyadh and Washington have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil.

"Saudi has been stabbed in the back by this unthoughtful and unrealistic bill," Ansari said.

Meanwhile Russian politician Igor Morozov, member of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Council of the Federation, the Upper Chamber of the Russian parliament suggested that the cooling of relations between Saudi Arabia and the US could alter the balance of power in the Syrian conflict which, in turn, will result in serious political consequences for the whole Middle East region.

"A new turn in Saudi foreign policy will result in strengthening ties with players like Russia and China," the politician suggested in his interview with Russian online newspaper Gazeta.ru.
He added that the focus of Belarusian exports to China was Minsk-based MZKT, a manufacturer of heavy off-road vehicles, especially military trucks designed for transporting missile systems.

"In this regard, further bilateral cooperation prospects in this field are hazy, as well as the prospects for the MZKT itself, given that the plant has long received a large part of its income from the supply of chassis to the Russian military equipment," Kashin said.

He recalled that reluctance to see Russian investments in MZKT and the plant's "excessive activity" in collaboration with the Chinese partners finally led to a situation in 2010 when Russia decided to deal with the import substitution measures.

It certainly was a tricky task given that such heavy trucks were never produced in Russia, Kashin said, praising Russia's efforts to create a new family of the Platforma-O vehicles, including multi-axis 12x12 and 16x16 wheel chassis as well as heavy truck tractor.

"Most likely, the Russian market for military equipment will be lost for the MZKT in the next few years, something that exacerbates even further what is already a complicated situation at the plant," Kashin said.

Similar problems have also persisted in other sectors of Belarus's military and industrial complex, where military electronics have significant export potential.

"The loss of confidence and the suspicion that any information handed to the Belarusian side will quickly emerge abroad gradually leads to the weakening of contacts in the military-technical sphere, which in turn leads to the decline of the Belarusian defense industry," Kashin pointed out.
"The most important thing is to understand why the US-Russia brokered ceasefire collapsed, and why there will be no ongoing effort internationally to find a peaceful resolution to the Syrian crisis," he said in an interview the Iranian news network Press TV.

"The fact is that the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and the top uniformed officers in the Pentagon opposed the ceasefire. They openly opposed it. This is not simply speculation, they have openly opposed it in the US media," he said.

The expert explained that President Obama gave the go-ahead to John Kerry's effort to find a resolution with the Russians. However the Pentagon then announced their opposition to the deal. Not long after, the US Air Force bombed the Syrian Arab Army, he said.

Not al-Qaeda, not al-Nusra, not the Army of Congress, not Daesh, it was the US which bombed the Syrian Arab Army killing 62 people, he stressed.

"It was a deliberate effort to sabotage and cancel the ceasefire. They got what they wanted. They don't want a ceasefire," he stated.

'This is a War of Words'

Becker also commented on Washington's warmongering rhetoric.

Extremist groups will continue to exploit the vacuums that are there in Syria to expand their operations, which could include attacks against Russian interests, perhaps even Russian cities. Russia will continue to send troops home in body bags, and will continue to lose resources, perhaps even aircraft, John Kirby, the State Department's spokesperson, threatened on Wednesday during his press briefing.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The United Kingdom will not have to reapply for a membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) after it leaves the European Union, UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox said Sunday.

Fox, talking at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, expressed confidence that the Brexit would not have a negative impact on investment attractiveness of the United Kingdom.
Antoni Macierewicz, the Defense Minister of Poland, was set to be a headline speaker at the September 29 opening of the eighth annual Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) forum in Washington DC. He canceled his visit, ostensibly due to a government meeting in Warsaw, but was permitted to present his speech in the form of a letter read by a ministry aide.

According to the text of Macierewicz's letter, pro-democratic aspirations in Ukraine were met with "brutal intervention" in 2014 on the part of Russia, which the minister described as a "clash of civilizations."

Meanwhile, Polish politician and political analyst Mirosaw Orzechowski told Sputnik that perhaps Macierewicz didnt arrive at the forum simply to be able to, in a manner of speaking, say these words without having to look his audience in the eye.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The European Commission launches a humanitarian initiative for Syria's Aleppo aimed at allowing aid groups to do their work and civilians to be protected, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Christos Stylianides said in a joint statement on Sunday.

"We as the European Union are taking an urgent humanitarian initiative for Aleppo," the statement read. "First, it aims at facilitating the urgent delivery of basic life-saving assistance to civilians in East Aleppo covering medical, water and food needs Second, it aims at ensuring the medical evacuations of wounded and sick from Eastern Aleppo."
By Andrew MacAskill and Sinead Cruise LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland is to separate its retail operations from its higher-risk businesses in a major overhaul to meet new ring-fencing rules in Britain, which also means the RBS brand will only be used in Scotland. Ring-fencing aims to avoid a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, when banks' bad bets threatened ordinary depositors' cash, leading to big taxpayer-funded bailouts. The rules apply to all banks in Britain that have both retail and commercial or investment banking activities. State-backed RBS said on Friday NatWest would become its main retail brand in England, Wales and western Europe, while its historic Royal Bank of Scotland name, which dates back to 1727, will be for Scotland only. The shake-up reflects RBS's latest effort to rebuild its reputation after the bank's reckless lending and a takeover spree on the eve of the financial crisis threatened to topple the UK financial system."Our proposed future structure under the ring-fencing legislation and our brand strategy are key elements of the bank we are becoming," Chief Executive Ross McEwan said in a statement. "The future ring-fenced structure of the bank is not only designed to be in compliance with the new regulatory requirements and objectives but will better reflect who we are as a bank and what we stand for: a bank that is focused on its customers," he said. RBS's shares were down 1.8 percent at 173.9 pence at 0845 GMT amid a sell-off in banking shares across Europe. "NatWest has a better net promoter score - a measure of customer satisfaction - than RBS so it makes sense to use the brand with the better profile in England and Wales," Shore Capital analyst Gary Greenwood said. He said it would be harder to ditch the RBS name in Scotland where NatWest has never really been used. RBS, which is 73 percent owned by the British taxpayer, is the latest bank to announce how it plans to reform its business to comply with the ring-fencing changes, recommended by the Vickers Commission in 2011. HSBC has outlined similar plans including the relocation of its UK business to Birmingham last year, while Barclays has carved its business into two core divisions, including Barclays UK, to comply with the new rules. RBS said its new ring-fenced bank would be called NatWest Holdings, comprising its core NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Coutts & Co, Ulster Bank Limited and Ulster Bank Ireland DAC brands. The legal entity of its private bank, Adam & Company, will be renamed Royal Bank of Scotland Plc as part of the changes. Its Corporate and Institutional Banking business will be called NatWest Markets and will form the non ring-fenced bank, together with the bank's Channel Islands operations. The group holding company will remain Royal Bank of Scotland. Under the rules, banks' ring-fenced businesses, which will be funded and capitalised separately, must include UK retail banking and small business customers and most simple banking transactions. Big global corporate customers and most investment banking activities must be held in a separate entity. (Editing by Jane Merriman)
The IRS does not operate out of dollar-type stores, despite the story a set of scammers recently told Nick Pena, owner of Food Tour New Mexico.

The series of calls Pena got were a variation of the ubiquitous IRS scam, in which fake agents try to scare you into paying a supposed delinquent amount of taxes.

In this case, the amount was about $3,000 that Pena was told he owed. If he didnt pay immediately, the IRS would freeze his assets and a warrant would be issued for his arrest, the caller told him.

Pena was directed to what the caller said was a Federal 35 location, where he was to bring cash to pay off the debt. He was to keep the caller on an open line during this process, because hanging up would mean he was not complying and his arrest would be happening forthwith.

Pena played along.

You want me to drive home, take a shower and go to the (store), the whole time with the phone on?, he asked. The caller had a ready response: Dont you have a phone charger?

Pena learned that the two addresses he was given were Albuquerque dollar discount locations. And he learned, after double-checking with his accountant, that there was no IRS debt.

And still another warning about the fake IRS.

Do not click or open email attachments that are labeled as CP2000 notices. The supposed IRS emails claim the recipient underreported income in connection with Affordable Care Act coverage.

The fakes are dated for the 2015 tax year, and look like theyve been issued from Austin, Texas, according to the IRS.

Such forms are used when income reported from an employer doesnt match what the taxpayer reported.

They are sent through the mail and not as attachments on an email, so asking you to open one leaves you vulnerable to giving a crook access to your computer.

Also, the caller says you must make the payment by sending a check made out to IRS. This is another tip-off because federal tax bills that are paid by check should be made out to the United States Treasury.

The IRS asks that if you get one of these emails, forward to phishing@irs.gov and then delete.

Dont be fooled by a fake effort to save Social Security.

Good cause, bad scam.

The Better Business Bureau warns of seniors losing money to a bogus nonprofit advocacy group that is sending out letters saying it is working to save Social Security.

The letter claims Congress is trying to abolish the benefit, and the group is responding by mailing referendum ballots to every senior citizen in the country so they can vote to keep the program, the Better Business Bureau says.

To keep up its work, the group asks for $16.45 so it can mail an additional 36 referendums on Social Security to citizens across America who feel the same way as you and me.

Those are the basics, although there are variations. Sometimes, a different advocacy group is named and different language is used in the mailing.

Those who fill out the form for a credit card donation are at risk for ID theft and fraudulent charges beyond $16.45.

Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at emarks@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3842 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-866-627-3249.
AT ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY: Gene Luen Yang, National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature, Superman & Avatar will speak at 3 today.

Yang is the Childrens Book Councils and Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature. He began making comics and graphic novels over 15 years ago. In 2006, his book American Born Chinese was published by First Second Books. It became the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Associations Printz Award.

Albuquerque Academy is located at 6400 Wyoming Blvd. NE. Call Bookworks at 344-8139.

AT BOOKWORKS: Susan Weber of Susans Christmas Shop will sign Susans Christmas Shop at 3 p.m. today.

Susan has also written Christmas in Santa Fe and two books about nativities. The new book tells how she got started making Christmas ornaments in 1969 and why she created Susans Christmas Shop in 1978.

Poets Jenn Givhan and Barbara Duffey read from their new works at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Givhans Landscape with Headless Mama explores the experiences of becoming and being a mother through the lens of dark fairy tales. In Simple Machines, Duffey explores the overlapping realms of biology, mechanical genius and creativity.

Scott Brown will sign Active Peace at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5.

In Active Peace, he identifies the belief in separateness as the root cause of violence and skillfully weaves together the essentials needed to move beyond separateness into the lived experience of deep interrelatedness.

Jose Orduna will read from The Weight of Shadows: A Memoir of Immigration & Displacement at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6.

Orduna chronicles the process of becoming a North American citizen in a post-9/11 United States.

Melissa Savage and Enrique La Madrid will talk about Rio at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8.

Weaving together landscape and memory, this book presents historical photographs of the Rio Grande of the American Southwest.

Bookworks is located at 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW. Call 344-8139.
When I was teaching at Ohio State University, there was one semester that I included Wendy Wassersteins play An American Daughter on the syllabus of a course on contemporary American drama.

I taught this admittedly less than stellar play because it is packed with issues of significance to U.S. citizens and I knew it would spark interesting discussion.

I wanted my students to learn how the media often distorts the truth, evades real issues, and drives a national discourse focused on the trivial and inane.

But it is precisely because Wasserstein packs so much into her play that it fails as a work of drama. The play was written in 1997 when the then-First Lady Hillary Clinton was being harassed for saying shed rather pursue a career than stay at home and bake cookies.

Her husband was also under fire when it was learned that his appointment for attorney general had employed an undocumented immigrant to care for her children. Wasserstein uses both incidents as plot devices for her play.

Liberal icon Lyssa Dent Hughes seems to have it all: loving family, successful career, great friends, and now the president has nominated her for Surgeon General. The plot hinges on a TV interview conducted in Lyssa and her husbands home.

Unlikely as it might seem, the Hughess have assembled in their living room at the time of the interview their gay conservative friend Morrow, as well as Lyssas staunchly conservative father, a Republican senator for Indiana. A media firestorm ensues when Morrow casually announces before millions of television viewers that Lyssa once evaded jury duty.

Hillary Clinton is, of course, now running for president and, once again, the subject of intense media scrutiny for possible malfeasance (whether for her role in Benghazi, the email scandal or controversy surrounding the Clinton Foundation; take your pick).

In an obviously very well-timed production, An American Daughter is currently being performed at Vortex Theatre. Director Leslee Richards has done her best with a play that at times seems like it was pasted together with media zingers.

Unfortunately, the production is marred by a number of weak performances. Joel D. Miller is simply not able to convey the necessary charisma of a media personality hungry for high ratings; nor does Jesus Banuelos successfully characterize a professional spin doctor.

Not only that, almost every actor in the cast was ill prepared on opening night, stumbling over their lines from beginning to end. It was clear the show needed another week of rehearsal.

On the positive side, Angela Littleton  despite not being quite ready to open  gives a marvelous performance as Lyssas troubled, infertile best friend, the oncologist Judith B. Kaufman. Gene Dunne is persuasive as the kindly senator who nonetheless has, according to his own daughter, spent his career robbing from the poor to give to the rich.

Yolanda Luchetti Knight is effective as his somewhat dim, but kindhearted, wife. Maymie Mitchell is appropriately opportunistic as the new face of feminism, a rising media star shrewdly able to insert her book, Prisoner of Gender, in front of the TV camera at just the right moment. This production should get better as it continues.

Richards has staged the play in the round, which works well to convey the intense envelopment Lyssa endures. For media junkies who cant get enough politics and scandal, you may want to consider seeing this show.

Playing through Oct. 16. Visit vortexabq.org or call 247-8600 for reservations.
Hector Galan has devoted his life to telling stories.

This is why hes a filmmaker.

With his latest project, he wanted to educate about a man who doesnt get a lot of attention  Willie Velasquez.

Velasquez was a Mexican-American political activist who launched a grassroots movement that forever changed the nations political landscape.

With his rallying cry of su voto es su voz (your vote is your voice), Velasquez quickly rose through the ranks.

I got involved with the project because Im the only person who had footage of Willie, Galan says. I had interviewed him in 1983 at a gathering in San Antonio. Its been in the archives all this time. He was doing something great with his life.

Galans documentary, Willie Velasquez: Your Vote is Your Voice, premieres at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, on New Mexico PBS and then repeats at 9 p.m. on Oct. 9.

Through his nonpartisan Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project, Velasquez launched over 1,000 voter registration drives in 200 cities, creating a movement that has continued to grow in power each year.

Today, there are over 27 million eligible Latino voters, says Sandie Viquez Pedlow, executive producer and executive director of Latino Public Broadcasting. By encouraging Latinos to become invested in the democratic process by registering to vote, Willie Velasquez and SVREP paved the way for the continually increasing power of Latinos at the polls.

Throughout American history, Latinos were often kept from the ballot box through the use of poll taxes, gerrymandering and outright intimidation.

But drawing inspiration from the Civil Rights movement, Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers movement, and the protests against the war in Vietnam, Velasquezs Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project would change the face of American politics by harnessing the power of the Latino vote in unprecedented ways.

Velasquezs group also was at the forefront of several court actions that banned the gerrymandering of political districts, and at-large voting in cities and counties that prevented the election of minority candidates.

Following the projects successes in Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, Velasquezs organization was training its sights on California.

Willie and his group did everything by going door to door, Galan says. It was important to get Latinos to vote. Its still important to this day.

Velasquez was born in San Antonio, attended St. Marys University and spent two summers as a Congressional intern in Washington, D.C., working for San Antonios pioneering Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez.

Velasquez came to the realization that the only true path to empowerment would be to engage Latinos in the political process.

With the founding of SVREP in 1974, Velasquezs army of community organizers set out to register one million new voters.

Velasquez died at 44 in 1988.

Seeing what he was able to accomplish, one could only wonder if the White House was in his future, Galan says.
Kyla Thompson has never been one to shy away from a crisis or a cause she deems worthwhile, from 1960s-era protests to pioneering efforts to help military veterans.

For the latter, she has a stalwart ally in her husband of 36 years, Roger Thompson, an Army veteran who served 2 years in Vietnam. Together they have made provisions to help extend education benefits for veterans, raised money to establish a program to house homeless veterans and more recently secured financial backing to extend a pro-bono dental program to provide those services to women veterans.

She is a real go-getter. She puts her heart and soul into her projects, said long-term friend Dorothy Rainosek, co-owner of the Frontier and Golden Pride restaurants, who served with Thompson on the University of New Mexico Foundation board and worked with her to launch the Veterans Heading Home program.

Unlike many people who champion veterans causes, Thompson doesnt come from a military background. She was born and raised on a large sheep, cattle and horse ranch in the tiny Lea County community of Maljamar, between Artesia and Hobbs. She still has the southeastern New Mexico twang, and a ready laugh.

Found my voice

While at UNM during the 1960s she became, in her own words, a radicalized protester.

I tell people I had three posters in my closet, one on womens lib, one against Vietnam, the other was civil rights. Whatever was going that day, Id grab the poster and go out and protest, Thompson said. I kind of found my voice during an incredible time in our country. When you look back at it, it was like  wow!

She landed a job as public relations and marketing director for the Childrens Hospital Colorado in Denver. It was there, in 1978, that she had her first exposure to the world of crisis management.

James Todd, a pediatrician at the hospital, ventured that his department might have something newsworthy, a new disease they had named toxic shock syndrome. Thompson thought it was worth holding a press conference.

Well boom! It went worldwide, she said. I was overwhelmed. I had reporters all over.

Toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal illness, was first associated with young women using tampons, including Rely, a new super-absorbent tampon marketed by Proctor & Gamble.

Thompson said the crisis team Proctor & Gamble sent to Denver to work with her during the episode taught her a lot.

Tell the truth

She also credits her parents for her crisis management skills.

I was raised by very practical parents that never panicked, kept calm and had real logic and I kind of treated everything like that, she said.

When handling tough situations for clients, her motto has been, tell the truth, tell it quick and tell it yourself.

Thompson returned to New Mexico in 1999 to be closer to her elderly mother. Soon after, she was asked by families of those murdered and injured at Columbine High School to provide public relations counsel and represent them to the media.

She retired in 2012 and decided to just wait and see what fate brought next.

I would advise anyone to do that, Thompson said.

It didnt take long. She and her husband became concerned by the experience of veterans returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq suffering from PTSD.

The couple gave to national organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project and also adopted a young veteran, helping support him financially.

Make a difference

At a panel discussion arranged by the International Womens Forum, a professional womens organization, she heard retired Lt. Col. Patricia Gaston, president of Women Veterans, talk about veterans transportation and housing needs.

It really opened my eyes, she said.

Through Rainosek, she set up a meeting with Mayor Richard Berry, hoping he would champion the cause for homeless veterans. Berry agreed that housing veterans could be a component of the nonprofit Heading Home project the city initiated in 2011. He challenged them to raise $80,000 to start the program.

Thompson enlisted the help of Thelma Domenici, sister of former Sen. Pete Domenici, and gallery owner Mary Ann Weems. The latter dedicated the fall 2014 Weems Art Festival to veterans and gave a check for $28,200.

She (Thompson) is a great motivator. You never want to say no to Kyla, Weems said.

They met the mayors fundraising target and $20,000 contribution from Sandia National Laboratories brought the total raised to $100,000.

The program, Veterans Heading Home, has helped secure housing for dozens of veterans since it started in late 2014.

More recently, Thompson worked with Gaston and the New Mexico Dental Association Foundation to expand the organizations Donated Dental Services program to provide services to low-income women veterans. Thompson used her fundraising skills to get a commitment of $18,000 from New Mexico Beverage Association to cover the cost of case managers, lab fees and materials for those who receive care donated by dentists.

Another Thompson effort is her Purse Brigade, soliciting donations of purses filled with hygiene items that will be given to women veterans at a Stand Down event this fall where homeless veterans receive donations and services.

I really feel that people can just individually do things and make a difference and thats what my husband and I have proved, Thompson said.
Fourteen years ago Angela Thomasons mother was murdered.

Two years ago her brother met the same fate.

Shortly after that, Thomason, now 53, found her rock bottom. She had spent most of her adult life, 30 years, addicted to crack cocaine and mostly homeless. After her brothers death, she knew something had to change.

It was too much for me, she said. I got on my knees and asked God for strength. I said Please God. I dont want to die on the streets.

She turned away from the drug that was destroying her life, put herself on a Greyhound bus to South Carolina and started her road to recovery. She returned to Albuquerque, managed to stay clean but struggled to establish permanent housing for herself.

She stayed with her grown children for a while and decided it was time to find her own place. Her struggle with mental illness and previous felony convictions have made it difficult to hold down a job and find housing.

She reached out for help and found herself on the doorstep of the Barrett House, a longtime haven for Albuquerques homeless women and children. The emergency shelter is celebrating its 31st year.

Brother Mathias Barrett established the shelter in 1985 at a house near 13th Street and Mountain. Since then, the shelter has moved to a location near Eubank and Constitution and expanded the scope of its mission. It no longer serves just as a place for women and children to sleep.

Eilene Vaughn-Pickrell, director of development for the Barrett Foundation Inc., said the organization provides not only temporary shelter but helps women transition to permanent housing and connects them with resources. Women can stay up to 28 days or longer with approval if they have a plan in motion. The average length of stay last year was 41 days.

In April, the foundation started its respite program to provide shelter for homeless women who are being released from the hospital after a medical procedure but do not have a comfortable place to recover.

We help them overcome barriers to whatever is keeping them out of housing, she said. Maybe its an overdue utility. Or maybe its a felony conviction or a previous eviction. We help them work with that.

The 12-room shelter has a waiting list and women must call every day to keep their name active. The bedrooms vary in size.

Some have four twin beds for single women, others have two beds for women with one child and then there are family rooms that have their own private bathroom, a king-size bed and two sets of bunk beds. Women in the smaller rooms share a dorm-style bathroom with individual restroom stalls and a shower.

Theres a wellness center on site and medical personnel come to the shelter once a week to hold a clinic. Women get three meals a day in the shelters dining room.

Dinner is served buffet-style, allowing residents to choose what they would like to eat. Vaughn-Pickrell said its done this way to allow them more dignity.

Vaughn-Pickrell said the shelter is nondenominational and women are not required to attend any kind of church services to be residents there. There are rules though.

The women must be working on finding permanent housing and are required to leave from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day to work toward that goal. This could include a visit the motor vehicle department for an identification or the social security office.

There is a 9 p.m. curfew and anyone who will be late must call in and give a reason. Those who dont lose their bed.

The shelter also does not provide childcare and women are responsible for their children at all times.

Vaughn-Pickrell said women end up at the shelter for many reasons and are from different backgrounds.

Poverty is a big thing here, she said. Maybe they have a sick child and cant work. Maybe its bad decision theyve made or substance abuse or they lost their spouse or partner. We meet the women where they are in life and try not to be judgmental.

Women are not screened for drugs or alcohol when given a bed at the place but housing manager Shanae Eggert said the shelter has a zero tolerance policy for drugs.

Women suspected of being under the influence can be drug tested. Those found to be using on the premises are asked to leave.

When Thomason came to the shelter in early August, she was caring for her great-niece. The shelter helped connect her with legal aid so she could gain custody of the child, whose mother is struggling with a drug addiction.

She learned on Sept. 27 that she had been approved for her own place and will soon move there with her great-niece.

She said she cant remember the last time she had her own place. Before she got clean, most of her nights were spent sleeping outside or in a car.

Her mother raised her daughter and son, who are now in their 30s. She said she knows her problems are because of the choices she made in her life but shes determined to get back on track.

I never planned to raise a 4-year-old at my age, she said. But God is giving me a chance to do what I didnt do with my children. I have no desire to ever go back to that lifestyle.

Thomasons entire family has struggled with addiction, including her brothers and her parents. She said the staff at the Barrett House gave her the support, love and care she rarely received in her life.

I want people to know there is hope, she said. I would recommend this place to any women out there on the streets. They will help you but you have to want it.

For information, visit barrettfoundation.org.

By the numbers

325 women and children served every year at the shelter

43,800 meals served annually there

7,000 beds a night through the foundations various programs

1,000 hours spent on case management each year

41 days was the average length of stay at the shelter in 2015
An Albuquerque man was arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse after, police said, he was caught slapping and abusing a baby on a nanny cam.

Lydell Quam, 23, was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center Friday evening on the charge. He is being held there on a $10,000 cash-only bond, according to jail records.

The baby girls mother told police that her cousin, Quam, lived with the family at their home in the 1000 block of Pony Lane SW to care for the child, who was 11 months old at the time. The mother suspected Quam wasnt properly caring for the child, so she installed a camera in the childs play tent, according to the complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

She said she was watching the live feed on her cellphone on Sept. 8 and saw her daughter crying on the floor.

The video footage showed that Quam loudly said shhh! to the girl and then slapped the child in the face and picked her up and tossed her to the ground. He then backhanded the baby two more times, according to the complaint.

The baby continued screaming so Quam placed a hand over the childs mouth or neck and pressed his 230-pound body against the baby girl, according to the complaint.

The mother said she rushed home and kicked Quam out of the residence. The girls father said he later texted Quam video of the attack and he responded with a text message that contained Im sorry and :(, according to the complaint.

The child was taken to a hospital and later released.

Quam was never interviewed by police. Its not clear if he has yet obtained an attorney.

A judge issued a warrant for Quams arrest on Sept. 10, according to the court documents.
The stakes are high as decisions are made about where to develop oil and gas in our communities and on our sacred lands.

This summers massive oil storage tank fire  which burned for days south of Nageezi and forced families to leave their homes  reminds us that native communities must be part of the decision-making process. We must ensure that communities, families and our heritage are taken into account and protected as plans are made that will impact our future.

In the coming months, the Farmington field office of the Bureau of Land Management will complete an amendment to its resource management plan specifically to address oil and gas leasing in northwestern New Mexico. The decisions made and the vision laid out in this amendment will determine whether and how we balance oil and gas development with the protection of our communities and the preservation of our cultural traditions.

Let us be clear: We do not oppose energy development. Indeed, we welcome the economic benefits that oil and gas have brought to many of our communities.

But, with approximately 90 percent of the BLM-administered land in this region already leased for oil and gas development, the cultural and sacred significance of this landscape necessitates robust stakeholder engagement in the planning process to balance responsible development with conservation in the 10 percent of land that has not yet been leased.

As lawmakers representing diverse constituencies, we call on the BLM to use all the policy tools available when drafting the amendment to ensure a vision and plan that protects the culturally significant Greater Chaco landscape, its many sacred sites and dark night skies, and the clean air and water on which our communities depend.

A master leasing plan is one of the tools that the BLM could use to ensure that Navajo, Pueblo and all other communities are at the table to discuss how responsible energy development proceeds.

Other tools that the BLM could integrate into the resource management plan amendment process include the designation of a landscape-scale area of critical environmental concern or the placement of restrictions regarding land disturbance from oil and gas development activities.

We also ask that the BLM continue to work with all stakeholders in the community  including tribal leaders  as they finalize their plans.

One way the agency could achieve inclusiveness and transparency is to release the management options its considering as preliminary alternatives, allowing stakeholders and the public the opportunity to weigh in on issues prior to publication of the draft environmental impact statement.

The cultural implications of the decisions that will be made in the resource management plan amendment are enormous. Chaco Canyon and the lands surrounding it contain many ecologically, culturally, spiritually and economically important public lands. This region contains thousands of archaeological sites, some of which are more than 12,000 years old. This area was historically the center of Puebloan culture and economic life with great houses, astronomical observation sites and ceremonial kivas throughout the Four Corners region. These sacred sites continue to be places of prayer and pilgrimage.

Whats more, these lands continue to be home to families and communities that demand and deserve safe places to live.

We applaud the BLMs decision to postpone some oil and gas leases, which were scheduled for this fall near Chaco, while the resource management plan amendment process is finished. And we encourage the BLM to adhere to their own policies, which require that cultural protections and air, land and water conservation be part of the vision contained in the regional management plan for this landscape in the coming years.

The stakes are undeniably high. But, by involving all stakeholders and listening to all voices, the BLM can amend the regional management plan in the coming months to keep our communities and cultural heritage safe, while responsibly supporting the economic activities that allow these communities to continue to thrive.
SAN DIEGO  In an election already marred by racism and sexism, the first presidential debate brought to the surface another -ism: classism.

During the debate, Hillary Clinton rattled Donald Trump by mentioning Alicia Machado. The former Miss Universe says that Trump, who owned the rights to the pageant, body-shamed her for gaining weight after she won the crown. She says that he referred to her as eating machine and Miss Piggy. Trump hasnt denied that he made Machados weight an issue. Hes even suggested that he helped save her title by forcing her to lose weight.

But theres more. According to the Venezuelan beauty queen, Trump also called her Miss Housekeeping.

Gee, Donald, racist much? The real estate tycoon obviously likes to insult people he considers beneath him, and anyone who works with his or her hands, or waits on people, fits the bill.

But this tendency to look down on fellow Americans based on class isnt limited to the Republican nominee. It runs deep in our society.

Even among liberals, there is plenty of shame to go around.

Lets not forget that cringe-inducing story  recalled in the book, Game Change by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann  about Bill Clinton going to the late Sen. Edward Ted Kennedy for his endorsement in 2008, when Hillary Clinton was battling Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.

According to the authors, when discussing Obama, Bill Clinton told Kennedy: Ted, a few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee.

The authors said Clinton declined to comment on the claim.

And then, there is what happened after the debate when CNNs Anderson Cooper gathered the networks usual suspects  a diverse panel of eight analysts and commentators that included one Latina, two African-Americans and five whites.

The breakdown matters because these sessions have, during this election, often digressed into attacks on Trump for being racially insensitive. But media companies rarely look in the mirror and ask themselves if they reflect the racial and ethnic breakdown of America.

At one point, while discussing the birther issue, CNN contributor Jeffrey Lord brought up Reggie Love, an African-American and Obamas former special assistant and body man.

In a book that he wrote last year, Love indicated that, in 2008, Obama suspected that rumors suggesting that he was anything less than 100 percent American were coming from inside Hillary Clintons campaign.

Love detailed a confrontation between Obama and Clinton on the tarmac at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., where Obama challenged his opponent to control her aides and put a stop to the fear-mongering.

This isnt breaking news. The story has been out there for a while, and  while you dont often hear it repeated by the Clinton-friendly media  no one has ever challenged Loves memory, veracity or credibility.

Yet when Lord mentioned Love, another panelist  former Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod  smiled and said this, in a dismissive and condescending tone: He was [Obamas] body man. He was the guy who carried his bags and stuff. So lets not get carried away here 

According to Axelrod, who supports Clinton, Love was just the guy who carried [Obamas] bags and stuff. Given that Love is African-American, that comment was really inappropriate.

Heres what Axelrod was really saying: This isnt a credible source. This is a little person, an insignificant peon. Dont bother listening to him. Listen to me. I dont carry peoples bags. I shovel verbal manure on TV. Thats more honorable.

This may come as news to Axelrod, but Love graduated from Duke University with a degree in political science and public policy and then went on to get his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

I await the outcry from the diversity police, those overly sensitive, politically correct monitors of personal behavior who quickly label people racist when they step outside the line. Axelrod did just that.

Granted, the Democratic strategist is not running for president, and he doesnt have a documented history of racism.

But what he said, and how his fellow panelists just brushed it off, tells us a lot about why people have so much disgust for the media and the spin doctors that now pollute it.
It would appear the states Human Services Department still isnt getting the message from federal courts: Clean up your act and make sure the people who qualify for food and medical assistance get it. And ensure taxpayers their money is going where it should.

U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Gonzales on Tuesday held HSD Secretary Brent Earnest in contempt for failing to follow past court orders to improve how HSD administers the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, and Medicaid benefits.

The judges order upheld recommended findings that Earnest didnt try hard enough to comply with the court directives for handling Medicaid renewals, eligibility for immigrants, employee training and other requirements.

The case was first filed in 1988 by the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty and has spawned years of legal wrangling, court orders and a consent decree.

In June, the states entire congressional delegation called for the U.S. Department of Agricultures Office of Inspector General to investigate several allegations against the department. In August, Gonzales stopped short of placing the agency under an independent overseer, but did order a special master to work with the department to ensure the program is being run properly.

It is a good sign that the department also said it wanted the special master.

The department no doubt faces huge challenges, given the flood of new Medicaid recipients and the high numbers of benefit requests in a state where the economy is anemic at best. And its not as if the federal government is any better. Just look across at the VA Hospital system. Judge Gonzales could have a field day over there.

But still, this is not a comforting picture. These problems have been left uncorrected for nearly three decades under governors of both parties. Now, its past time for this agency to start following orders and start adequately serving the people it is tasked with helping  instead of making excuses.

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

Five years ago, Atrisco Heritage Academy High was a major pipeline to prison, not higher education.

The large, modern school on the southwestern edge of Albuquerque had the highest student arrest rate in New Mexico.

Antonio Gonzales, then a new principal, decided it was time to revamp the entire discipline process and try to get kids back on the right track.

He was inspired by the restorative justice movement  a shift in focus from punishment to rehabilitation that was having success in Florida schools.

We began, with our team, to turn certain institutional components of our school on their head, Gonzales said. We changed the philosophy.

At Atrisco Heritage, the In-School Suspension Room became the Student Success Center, an inviting space that connects kids to services like counseling or medical care.

The program, which launched in 2013, allows any adult to send a child to the center for a Teaching, Learning and Caring referral designed to address bad behavior before it becomes worse.

Severe offenses still call for out-of-school suspension or expulsion, but the main focus is offering support.

If you ask kids one or two questions, you get a window into who they are, Gonzales said. For some kids, it is a one-parent household and mom, God bless her, is trying to work three jobs to bring home food for the three or four kids in the household. So, therefore, they are acting out on campus.

The restorative justice approach has brought dramatic results: During the 2014-15 school year, 238 Atrisco students received an in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension or expulsion, down from 404 in 2013-14.

Albuquerque Public Schools administrators are impressed and hope to open more Student Success Centers across the district.

APS by the numbers

Katarina Sandoval, associate superintendent for equity and access, considers school discipline an important social justice issue, particularly because it disproportionately impacts minority groups.

Last winter, she worked on an analysis of 90,000 school records from 2010 to 2015, which showed that Hispanic kids accounted for 74 percent of all suspensions, though they only made up 67 percent of the enrollment. African-Americans were a very small population  2 percent of the district  but represented 4 percent of suspensions.

In contrast, Caucasians made up 21 percent of the student body and only 14 percent of suspensions.

Along with ethnic minorities, special education students were also prominent, suspended at twice the rate of their enrollment in the school population.

APS hopes to break out of these patterns with programs like the Student Success Center.

Getting tough on kids and excluding them doesnt give them an opportunity to learn, said Rose-Ann McKernan, executive director of the APS office of accountability and reporting, and Sandovals co-author on the suspension study.

Students who receive an out-of-school suspension are twice as likely to drop out all together, and the risk increases by 20 percent for each successive instance. Even if students stay enrolled, they often fall behind on their work and struggle to make it up.

Roughly 11 percent of APS students had at least one suspension during the past five years  about 83,000 students in all.

The numbers combine in-school suspensions (confinement to a specific area), out-of-school suspensions (ban from school for up to a semester) and expulsions (ban from school for over a semester).

Expulsions are a tiny percentage of the total. Generally, APS only expels a few dozen students each year.

Overall, the most common infraction is general disorderly conduct, such as disrespect or defiance of authority figures.

McKernan said APS suspension rate is roughly in the middle for large urban districts, though comparison can be difficult because some schools report more student discipline data than others.

Racial disparities

The U.S. Department of Education has reviewed data from across the country and also found racial disparities.

Nationwide, black students are almost four times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension and about twice as likely to be referred to law enforcement or arrested as white students.

Latino, Pacific Islander, Native American and multiracial boys represented 19 percent of out-of-school suspensions but only 15 percent of the student body.

Many large urban districts and states are realizing that the national movement around zero tolerance for behaviors has really not been effective, Sandoval said. We are going to start to see more and more districts move toward restorative justice practices, where there is accountability on the part of the students who break the rules to that community, and they are re-engaged and brought back into that community in a positive way,

Alternative programs like the Student Success Center offer a better approach, Sandoval said.

In July, more than 60 school principals and other school leaders attended a workshop on restorative justice practices, and a handful have visited Atrisco Heritage to experience the center firsthand.

Gonzales has since moved on to an administrative position at APS Central Office, but he still takes pride in Atriscos successes.

Its humbling to have people come and look at the program, he said.

Irene Cisneros, Atriscos interim principal, feels that the restorative justice philosophy makes sense because it is simply better for kids.

Thats our job  to think about the kids.
SANTA FE  A solvency proposal to delay a scheduled decrease in New Mexicos corporate income tax rate was tabled tonight in a House committee, likely signaling its demise for the ongoing special session.

The bill stalled in the House Ways and Means Committee on an 8-5 vote. Rep. Idalia Lechuga-Tena, D-Albuquerque, joined Republican members of the panel in voting to table the legislation, which passed the Senate a day earlier on a 21-20 vote.

The proposal to delay the corporate income tax cut was opposed by Gov. Susana Martinezs administration, as top-ranking administration officials testified it could send a negative message to businesses interested in relocating in New Mexico.

The governor signed the tax cut  which gradually reduces the corporate income tax rate from 7.6 to 5.9 percent  as part of a 2013 tax package.

Proponents of the legislation, Senate Bill 5, said halting the scheduled tax rate decrease would generate up to $13 million in savings for the current fiscal year.

We are simply asking the business community to partner in making the state a good place to live, said Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Mesilla Park.

The bill was one of 11 budget-balancing measures approved Friday by the Senate. Most of the other parts of the solvency package are still in limbo at the Roundhouse.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

WASHINGTON  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton holds a slight lead over Republican Donald Trump among likely New Mexico voters in a four-way race, while Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is pulling nearly a quarter of voter support in the state, according to a Journal poll.

The poll numbers appear to reflect the gloomy mood of voters regarding the presidential candidates and the state of the country.

Sixty-three percent said they believed the country was on the wrong track.

Clinton received 35 percent support and Trump 31 percent support. Twenty-four percent of New Mexicans favored Johnson, a former governor of the state, while 2 percent favored Green Party candidate Jill Stein, according to the poll conducted last week by Research & Polling Inc.

The election is close in New Mexico, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc. The bottom line is that New Mexico is more competitive than I expected.

Six percent of respondents in the Journals presidential poll said they remained undecided, or didnt know who they would cast a ballot for on Election Day. The poll was conducted from Sept. 27-29, beginning the day after the first presidential debate.

When the third-party candidates  Johnson and Stein  were removed from the Journal poll and voters were asked who they preferred in a head-to-head matchup between Trump and Clinton, Clintons lead increased from four points to 10 points.

Forty-four percent of likely New Mexico voters voiced a preference for Clinton compared to 34 percent who favored Trump when the polling question included only those two candidates.

But 11 percent of poll respondents said they wouldnt vote for either Clinton or Trump in a head-to-head matchup, while 3 percent mentioned an other candidate. Eight percent were undecided or didnt know whom they would vote for if the choices were only Clinton or Trump.

Sanderoff said Johnsons presence in the race is hurting Clinton more than Trump in New Mexico. He said the former two-term New Mexico governor garnered the support of 31 percent of New Mexico Hispanics, who traditionally tend to vote heavily Democratic in the state.

Johnson is picking up Hispanic support, and that is what is keeping Hillary Clinton down, he said.

Still, Clinton holds a solid lead over Trump among Hispanics in New Mexico, according to the poll. Forty percent of Hispanics said they would vote for Clinton while 18 percent said they would vote for Trump. Stein polled at zero percent support among Hispanics in New Mexico.

Sanderoff said Clinton needs more support among Hispanics to count on victory in New Mexico.

The Democratic candidate needs to be getting much more than 40 percent of the Hispanic vote to win New Mexico comfortably, he said.

Among female voters polled, 38 percent said they would vote for Clinton while 27 percent voiced their support for Trump. Johnson had the support of 24 percent of females polled. Three percent of New Mexico females said they preferred Stein.

One of the bright spots for Trump in the Journal poll came courtesy of male voters in the state. Thirty-five percent of New Mexico males said theyd vote for Trump while 31 percent said they favored Clinton. Johnson had the support of 25 percent of male voters in New Mexico, while Stein registered 2 percent support.

Clinton garnered the support of just 3 percent of Republicans polled while 9 percent of Democrats said they would vote for Trump. Twenty percent of Democrats said they would vote for Johnson while 23 percent of Republicans said they would support the former New Mexico governor.

Anti-Trump Republicans are moving to Johnson, not to Clinton, Sanderoff said

Among independent voters  or those who declined to state a party affiliation  Gary Johnson led all candidates in the four-way field. Among these voters, Johnson had 42 percent support, while Clinton polled at 26 percent, Trump at 14 percent and Stein at 6 percent.

Some of Gary Johnsons support is due to many voters disliking both major party candidates, Sanderoff said.

Those with the highest levels of education  a graduate degree or more  preferred Clinton over Trump by a more than two-to-one margin. Among these voters, 51 percent said they would vote for Clinton while just 22 percent said they would support Trump. Nineteen percent of voters with graduate degrees said they would vote for Gary Johnson and 3 percent voiced support for Stein.

Trump led Clinton by more than a two-to-one margin  52 percent to 20 percent  among New Mexico voters on the conservative eastern side of the state.

It is not surprising that Donald Trump would perform really well in this rural and conservative part of the state, Sanderoff said. Eastern New Mexico has long been a bastion of support for Republican candidates.

The poll surveyed 501 likely New Mexico voters and contained a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent. All of the poll respondents were questioned by live interviewers, with 52 percent of respondents reached by cellphone and 48 percent on land lines.
WASHINGTON  A strong majority of New Mexicans feel that the United States is on the wrong track, according to a Journal poll.

The telephone poll of 501 likely New Mexico voters asked: In general, do you feel that things in the country are headed in the right direction or do you feel things are off on the wrong track?

Sixty-three percent of New Mexico respondents said the country is off-track while 27 percent said it was headed in the right direction. Eight percent of those responding said they had mixed feelings about the countrys direction or that it depends. Two percent said they didnt know or wouldnt say.

The results of the Journal Poll in New Mexico closely mirrored national polling averages on the same question.

A Real Clear Politics aggregation of six national polls found that 64.9 percent of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track, while 28.6 thought it was headed in the right direction.

Responses to a question about whether the country is on the right track are often influenced by whether or not voters approve of the direction the president is taking the nation, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., which conducted the Journal poll.

The polls results show significant difference in responses based on the respondents party affiliation.

Among Republicans in the Journal poll, 89 percent said the country was on the wrong track, with just 5 percent saying it was headed in the right direction. Six percent of Republicans had mixed feelings.

Democrats were evenly split on their reaction to the poll, with 45 percent saying the country is headed in the right direction and 45 percent saying it is on the wrong track. Eight percent had mixed feelings or said it depends.

Fifty-seven percent of New Mexico Hispanics said the nation is off-track while 31 percent reported that it was headed in the right direction. Among Anglos in New Mexico, 68 percent said the country is off-track, while 24 percent said the country is moving in the right direction.

The poll, conducted by live interviewers, surveyed New Mexico voters by cellphone and land line and contained a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.
Federal Department of Justice and Police

Bern, 02.10.2016 - Federal Councillor Sommaruga is scheduled next week to conduct visits to Sri Lanka and India. A prime objective of the working visits is to intensify cooperation with the two countries on migration issues. In Sri Lanka, Federal Councillor Sommaruga will also be seeking to obtain a clearer picture of the status of the national reconciliation process and of the human rights situation.

The government of Sri Lanka has inaugurated a process for comprehensive democratic reforms. After decades of armed conflict, a new constitution is being drafted to help enable the country to come to terms with its recent past, to achieve reconciliation between all ethnic groups, and to strengthen the rule of law. Switzerland has been actively involved in Sri Lanka for many years now, providing humanitarian assistance and carrying out projects on human rights policy and in the fields of migration and development. It has also furnished the country with support for the reintegration of returnees and in the education sector. Switzerland would like to further intensify its efforts in Sri Lanka in order to assist with the ongoing reform process.

For Switzerland a matter of special importance

Sri Lanka has for many years played an especially important role in Switzerland's foreign policy on migration. In the wake of the armed conflict in that country, many displaced persons sought a safe haven in Switzerland. Today, some 50 000 people from Sri Lanka live in Switzerland; approximately one half have in the intervening years been granted Swiss citizenship. Switzerland is thus home to a relatively large diaspora as compared with the countries of the European Union. In 2015, Sri Lanka ranked fifth among the countries of origin for asylum seekers.

Because the security situation in Sri Lanka has improved and the infrastructure in the north of the country has been largely restored, the execution of repatriation orders to all parts of the country is considered today, in principle, to be a reasonable measure. In July 2016, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) consequently decided to adapt its practice on such orders accordingly. Federal Councillor Sommaruga hopes now to take advantage of the political talks in Colombo to intensify cooperation between Switzerland and Sri Lanka on migration issues. A bilateral agreement is expected to formalise in writing existing cooperation procedures for the repatriation of persons whose deportation has been ordered. The planned agreement is intended to define the terms of that cooperation and thus provide additional legal security. It does not, however, call for any changes in the decision-making process of the SEM: as before, the SEM will examine each application for asylum on a case-by-case basis and continue to take into account any existing deficits in the human rights situation.

Discussions with the civil society

On her working visit to Sri Lanka, Federal Councillor Sommaruga will also be holding discussions with representatives of the civil society and with local public authorities. Subjects to be dealt with include the reconciliation process, constitutional reform and human rights.

Ms Sommaruga will also be travelling to the former conflict region in the north of Sri Lanka. There she will also be meeting with returnees from Switzerland and will visit a project for vocational training and continuing education that receives funding from Switzerland and is also open to returnees from Switzerland.

India as the leading third country

Intensification of cooperation on migration issues will also be the subject of the second leg of the Federal Councillor's trip, a one-day visit to India. In terms of numbers, India is the most important third country for Switzerland, both with regard to the granting of permits to work in Switzerland and as concerns the issuance of visas. Among other things, Federal Councillor Sommaruga will be visiting the new Swiss visa application centre in New Delhi. The centre issues approximately 110 000 visas for Switzerland annually. This represents roughly one fifth of all visas issued for Switzerland each year and reflects the large number of tourists that visit Switzerland from India.

Address for enquiries

Information service of the FDJP General Secretariat, T +41 58 462 18 18

Publisher

Federal Department of Justice and Police

http://www.ejpd.admin.ch




Washington, DC - Sept. 9, 2016 - Certain antibiotic resistance genes are easily transferred from one bacterial species to another, and can move between farm animals and the human gut. A team led by Chinese researchers has characterized this "mobile resistome," which they say is largely to blame for the spread of antibiotic resistance. They found that many antibiotic resistance genes that are shared between the human and animal gut microbiome are also present in multiple human pathogens. These findings are published September 9 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

"This is an incredibly robust study," said Harold Drake, PhD, editor of the journal. "The so-called "transfer network" of antibiotic resistance genes described in the paper is very forward reaching and will have great impact not only on our understanding of this modern microbial dilemma but also on how human healthcare agencies and research institutes attempt to cope with it."

In China, the human and chicken gut microbiomes share 36 mobile resistance genes, said corresponding author Baoli Zhu, PhD, professor of pathogenomics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Medical School. The human gut microbiomes in China, Europe, and the US share more mobile resistance genes with the chicken gut microbiome than with any other livestock gut microbiomes.

Among 84 mobile antibiotic resistance genes shared between at least two gut databases, 41 had recently moved between human and animal guts, said Zhu. Collectively, genes from among these 41 are capable of disabling all of six major classes of antibiotics, including tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, and beta-lactams.

Transfer of resistance genes between bacterial species occurs chiefly among four of the 11 major bacterial phyla--Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria, said Zhu. The investigators found a total of 515 mobile resistance genes, which were distributed among 790 individual bacterial species.

The resistance gene sharing can be quite promiscuous. "We found a total of 11 species that each shared at least one mobile [resistance gene] with more than 200 other species," the investigators wrote. The species displaying the most sharing of resistance genes were E. coli, Bacteroides fragilis, and Staphylococcus aureus, all of which can be pathogenic. These species shared resistance genes with 302, 266, and 260 other species, respectively.

The network of horizontal gene transfer is shaped largely by phylogeny and ecological constraints, said Zhu. That is, resistance gene transfers from one species of bacteria to another are more common within the same phylum than between different phyla, and more common within a single microbiome than between microbiomes. On the latter point, the investigators wrote that successful gene transfer requires contact between donor and recipient.

The recent mobile resistance gene transfer that has taken place between livestock and human gut microbiomes is especially important for policy-makers. Much of the resistance in farm animals is generated by feeding them large quantities of antibiotics, which is done because it encourages the animals to grow faster.

"One consideration, from the worldwide ecological view, is that bacteria of animal origin may face more antibiotic selection pressure because more antibiotics (nearly 80 percent in the United states) are consumed by animals as growth-promotors, infection prevention, and clinical treatments," the investigators wrote. "The high exchange frequency of mobile [antibiotic resistance genes] between animals and humans or environmental bacteria is also noteworthy."

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The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 48,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.

ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications and educational opportunities. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences.
For decades, failures by the WHO to respond to global health crises have drawn criticism and calls for reform by policy experts, governments and independent financial donors from across the world that contribute three-quarters of its $4 billion annual budget.

Serious recent failures that have drawn fire include shortcomings in its response to the Ebola pandemic, health crises in Sri Lanka in 2009, Haiti in 2010, South Sudan in 2013 and its current response to drug-resistant Tuberculosis in Papua New Guinea.

"An outsourcing approach would allow WHO to maintain global leadership and oversight but would utilise external expertise more appropriately," say authors Associate Professor Joel Negin at the University of Sydney and Dr Ranu Dhillon from Harvard University.

"This would allow the WHO to be leaner and more focused, and would increase the contribution of other actors. We believe such reform is essential to the future of the WHO and of global health action."

Most current proposals to reform the WHO focus on ways it could be made more effective and attract more funding. But Negin and Dhillon say more financial muscle and incremental reforms will no longer meet the challenges of preventing, predicting and responding to today's globalising health crises.

"When the WHO was established, there were few global health actors," says Professor Negin, who heads the university's School of Public Health.

"Its unique positon meant it could bring the world's best minds and skills to bear on global health issues. Today, global health issues occur in a complex, multi-actor arena where rival multilateral organisations have taken control over much of the global health action and agenda.

"Given the emergence of new global stakeholders and the realisation that the WHO is struggling to meet its mandate, we need solutions that focuses not only on what the WHO should do to strengthen itself but one that leverages the expertise that exists in the sector."

Negin's co-author, Ranu Dhillon says the WHO should "outsource a number of its functions to other global agencies that are already leading the way. This would allow it to focus on a small number of core activities where it has comparative advantage and to coordinate or orchestrate the broader array of global health actors to take on other activities."

Negin and Dhillon say current WHO-functions that should be outsourced include technical matters such as research and surveillance, and on-the-ground responses to health issues and crises.

"The WHO never was and never intended to be an implementer of global health activities," says Negin.

"In fact, its Constitution emphasises that its principal functions are co-ordination, collaboration with specialised agencies, providing assistance, and promoting co-operation - all of which resonate with the idea of WHO providing leadership but outsourcing key activities.

"Re-positioning it as a regulator, orchestrator and clearing house of expertise would dovetail with its global reach and mandate but acknowledges its limitations."

Indeed, the WHO itself states on its website that subcontracting is a good model in complex environments: "In addition, as new independent or autonomous actors come on stage, it becomes less easy to rely on hierarchical authority. This compels health actors to reconsider their relations. It is increasingly common for such relations to be based on contractual arrangements, which formalize agreements between actors, who accept mutually-binding commitments."

Though evidence is limited, the authors say outsourcing has been shown to be a successful model in health systems that are in transition, especially in post-conflict or fragile states.

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GuidaBot, LLC, a joint venture between the University of Houston and Fannin Innovation Studio, has received a one-year, $225,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and commercialize a robotic manipulator designed to work within the powerful magnetic field of an MRI machine.

The small business technology transfer grant will be used to support ongoing research and testing of prototype systems based on GuidaBot's force transmission mechanism and proprietary software. The GuidaBot technology will enable doctors to perform biopsies while the patient remains within the MRI machine, allowing for faster and more precise procedures.

"The grant will help us maintain momentum in the lab to commercialize the device for medical use," said Michael J. Heffernan, GuidaBot director of research and development. "Continued support from the National Science Foundation further validates our work and positions us to actively and effectively pursue strategic partners and investors."

Financial support for the initial work was provided through a NSF grant, the University of Houston and Fannin Innovation Studio, which works with institutions in the Texas Medical Center to create and support life sciences businesses.

"The National Science Foundation supports small businesses with the most innovative, cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to become great commercial successes and make huge societal impacts," said Barry Johnson, director of the NSF's Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships. "We hope that this seed funding will spark solutions to some of the most important challenges of our time across all areas of science and technology."

The company's technology was developed with a $1.5 million NSF Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) award entitled 'Multimodal image-guided robot-assisted surgeries'.

"This award has resulted in a suite of robotic, magnetic resonance imaging and computational methods seamlessly integrating the robot, the MRI scanner, and the physician to streamline MRI-guided procedures and improve patient outcomes," said Nikolaos V. Tsekos, associate professor of computer science at UH, director of the Medical Robotics Laboratory and principle investigator of the original NSF award. "While similar robotic systems use complex piezoelectric, pneumatic or hydraulic motors, we're developing ours using solid-media transmission, a fundamentally new way of transmitting force."

Pilot studies have demonstrated the compatibility of the novel force transmission system with the MRI scanner, and the new grant will support further development of the prototype robot and proof-of-concept studies with MRI phantoms.

"The National Science Foundation grant is instrumental in continuing valuable research and development of the robotic manipulator," said Fannin executive chairman Leo Linbeck III. "This is one of many validations of Fannin's ability to commercialize technologies and its commitment to Houston's life sciences infrastructure."

Ramanan Krishnamoorti, interim vice president for research and technology transfer at UH, said the partnership with Fannin Innovation Studio has been pivotal. "Bringing innovative technology like that developed by Dr. Tsekos and GuidaBot to the marketplace requires a strong support network of services," he said. "Combining the intellectual and technical strengths of our faculty with those of our partners in the community can boost the benefits to society."

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has instructed the country's top university to regularly hold international academic symposiums and attract as many foreign students as possible to demonstrate its fame to the world, state-run media reported Friday.

Kim made the instruction in his Tuesday letter sent to the faculty and students of Kim Il Sung University on the occasion of its 70th anniversary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The university, set up in Pyongyang in 1946, was named after the North's founder and grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong-un.

"The university should receive a lot of foreign students so that they may study not only the Korean language but also get education in regular and doctoral courses in departments of various majors," Kim said.

He emphasized that the university regularly organizes international seminars and expands joint studies with authoritative colleges and research institutes in foreign nations.

He also stressed that the university write quality academic papers that can be presented at international symposiums and in international papers, and develop its Kim Ilsung University Gazette into a world-famous academic magazine.

"The field of natural science should make a positive contribution to solving urgent scientific and technological problems arising in developing the national economy and bolstering the defense capabilities," he added. (Yonhap)
By Yi Whan-woo





Mark Rutte

Visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Wednesday that Korea and the Netherlands can benefit from each other if they collaborate to spur creativeness and innovation in their respective economies.

Speaking to young Koreans in their 20s and 30s in central Seoul, Rutte said there was no authoritarianism and hierarchical culture in his country, and that such an atmosphere helped encourage the spirits of creativity, openness and challenge among the Dutch.

He claimed that having fewer rules and regulations also facilitates creativity in the business sector.

Rutte underscored entrepreneurship and small- and medium-sized enterprises as driving forces for job creation in the Netherlands.

The meeting took place to offer Koreans a chance to learn about policies, education and other efforts by the Dutch government to support its young job seekers.

The Presidential Committee on the Younger Generation organized the meeting at the Seoul Metropolitan Library. Some 60 college and graduate school students were invited to ask questions to Rutte.

The Dutch Prime Minister has been making a return visit to Korea since Monday following President Park Geun-hye's trip to the Netherlands in March 2014. He will wrap up his visit Thursday.

On Tuesday, he held a summit with Park at Cheong Wa Dae and discussed ways to promote cooperation among the two countries on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Topics on the agenda included commerce, investment, energy and creativity-based industries, and also possible ways to denuclearize North Korea.

Park has been underscoring a "creative economy" as a model to bolster the sluggish economy and create more jobs.

Meanwhile, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding, Tuesday, to launch a working holiday program aimed at giving their younger people a chance to work and also travel in each other's country for up to one year.

The program will start on Saturday. Up to 100 people aged between 18 and 30 will be able to register for the program every year.

Korea has working holiday agreements with 21 countries, and as of 2015, over 37,800 people have taken part in the program.
- Governor elect of Edo state Godwin Obaseki has said that member of PDP, APGA will be excluded from his cabinet

- Obaseki said he will not accept anyone from the opposition into his cabinet, so that there is no friction

- He said he has already started plans on how to make Edo a better place and as such a budget has been prepared

Anybody who worked against me would not be appointed into my cabinet when I take over power in November 12, says Edo state governor-elect, Godwin Obaseki.

Obaseki polled 319,483 to defeat his main rival, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who polled 253,173 in the just concluded governorship election in the state.

Speaking with newsmen in Benin City during the weekend, Obaseki, said, though he could explain the focus and vision of his administration to them, none of them would be appointed in his administration, Daily Post reports.

However, the outgoing Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, had at the inception of his administration in 2008, appointed three members of the Peoples Democratic Party into his cabinet.

READ ALSO: I warned Nigerians about recession when Jonathan was spending recklessly  Obasanjo

Obaseki said, I will not accept anybody from the opposition political parties as a commissioner in my cabinet.

The governor-elect said he would immediately form a team for the purpose of preparing the 2017 appropriation budget.

According to him, he has to prepare the budget in order to hit the ground running as he had only four weeks to present it before the House of Assembly embarks on a recess.

Obaseki, who noted that the opposition had capitalised on the protests by some pensioners prior to the governorship election, said only 700 pensioners, out of the 11,700 who retired from the state civil service, were yet to be paid.

He said, Some people took advantage of the electioneering and tried to get at us. People had hoped that with the anxiety to win election, we would have resolved the issues.

Meanwhile, some members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party , PDP, brought the Edo state capital, Benin City to standstill as they trooped out in large numbers to protest what they have tagged their "Stolen Mandate".

READ ALSO: Shocking: Cattle rustlers caught with sophisticated weapons (photo)

In the same vein, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recently concluded Edo state election has opened up after his loss.

Ize-Iyamu who spoke with Vanguard after his defeat by Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has now said he is committing his counterparts into the hands of God.

While thanking the people of the state for pouring out en masse to vote their choice candidate, the clergyman stated that the result of the election has brought gloom and sadness to the people of the state, but that he would not want any one to take laws into their hands.

Source: Legit.ng
- The sight of of a cross in a mosque premise sent Nasarawa residents into confusion

- Hundreds of people have trooped to the cross to ask for miracle

- The chief imam of the mosque confirmed the sighting and said it was a sign from God

In what might be considered a strange sighting, the sudden appearance of a cross a few metres away from a mosque in Nasarawa threw residents into confusion.

The Punch reports that residents of Assakio Development Area in Lafia were left awed by the strange sighting which has brought hundreds of people to the location to pray for forgiveness and blessing.

READ ALSO: Emir Muhammadu Sanusi of Kano meets Pope Francis

The cross which is the considered the symbol of Christianity was illuminated on the ground close to the mosque.

Hajara Hussaini confirmed that she was the first to see the light in the shape of a cross on Wednesday, September 28 when her mother sent her on errand.

Her mother, Matan Liman also confirmed the strange appearance and said her daughter was gripped in fear when she returned.

Muhammed Iliyasu who is the Chief Imam of Assakio Central Mosque said the sighting of the cross within the mosque premise confirmed that revelation was from God, affirming that Jesus is also a prophet of God.

READ ALSO: Strongest man in Ghana brutally assaults two Catholic priests

Very Rev. Micheal Dogo of the Evangelical Reform Church of Christ, Assakio described the sighting of the cross as a sign of reconciliation in the community.

Grace Eze who resides in the community said she was healed when she visited the mosque.

I underwent a surgery about two years ago after which I started to experience a movement in my body. But after praying before the cross, I got healed.

This development comes as Muslims celebrate the new 1438AH year.

Similarly, hundreds of people trooped to Saint Augustines Catholic Church which is located in the Nenger area of Makurdi in Benue following the appearance of an image of Jesus.

The church which is situated behind Government Model College became a hub for Catholic and non-Catholic worshipers after bright image fell on the crucifix of Jesus.

Source: Legit.ng
Ensemble Chaconne (Peter H. Bloom, renaissance flute; Carol Lewis, viola da gamba; Olav Chris Henriksen, renaissance lute) with Burcu Gulec mezzo-soprano, captivates audiences with vivid music from The Tempest, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, other plays.

Ensemble Chaconne (Peter H. Bloom, Carol Lewis, Chris Henriksen) and Burcu Gulec

Contact

Rebecca DeLamotte

Americas Musicworks

delamotte-amw@ comcast.net

6177768778 Rebecca DeLamotteAmericas Musicworks6177768778

End

-- The illustrious Ensemble Chaconne (Peter H. Bloom, renaissance flute; Carol Lewis, viola da gamba; Olav Chris Henriksen, renaissance lute) with Burcu Gulec, mezzo-soprano, performs music from Shakespeare plays as part of the worldwide celebration in 2016, marking the 400anniversary of Shakespeare's death. Ensemble Chaconne will offer its acclaimed concert,October 5, 2016 at 8:00 pm at Drew University in Madison NJ; and October 6, 2016 at 7:30 pm at LeMoyne College in Syracuse NY.Ensemble Chaconne'shas been called "the perfect Elizabethan evening"The concert offers a fascinating mix of love songs, comic antics, madness, and tragedy, with selections fromand other plays (music by Robert Johnson, Thomas Morley, William Corkine, and other composers of Shakespeare's times). Ensemble Chaconne concertizes internationally and has been hailed for "vitality and characterstyle and verve" ().The group's CD, Measure for Measure: The Music of Shakespeare's Plays (Americas Musicworks label) has been called "a must have" (Alabama Public Radio), "impressive"(Early Music, UK) and "a rich musical experience" (The Concord Monitor). Learn more at http://www.cdbaby.com/ cd/ensemblechaconne and now celebrating its 31st season, Ensemble Chaconne concertizes widely, with tours in England, Ontario and across the United States. The group has performed at the National Gallery in London, the Edison Theatre in St. Louis, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park Florida, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Royal Shakespeare Company's residency at Davidson College, Jordan Hall in Boston, the National Meeting of the Shakespeare Association of America, and other venues. Read more about Ensemble Chaconne here: http://www.americasmusicworks.com/ ensemble-chaconne.html are "The Willow Song" sung by Desdemona inIt Was a Lover and His Lasse" (); "O Mistress Mine" (); "Hark, Hark! The Lark" (); "Take O Take Those Lips Away" (); "Full Fathom Five" (), "Go from My Window" from Ophelia's mad scene in; and "Greensleeves,"the famous ballad tune (quoted in).Ensemble Chaconne is managed exclusively by Americas Musicworks, Rebecca DeLamotte, Managing Director, telephone: 617-776-8778. Email: delamotte-amw at comcast dot net or visit americasmusicworks dot com
You may now know that recently the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, which essentially 'beat our hearts practically' every day, has just had its functions delegated elsewhere. This is the most protected system in the world.

What would a hacked DNS look like?

Media Contact

Simon Smith (eVestigator)

forensic@evestigator.com.au

0410643121 Simon Smith (eVestigator)0410643121

End

-- Well one would think so, but this is essentially a record of records, the entire 'yellow pages' of the Internet. This is the most dangerous database available if it were to avail itself to an external hacker. As a certified ethical white hat hacker, I am concerned for two main reasons. I have read the material and the planning and must commend the parties as on the face of it, it appears systematic and structured.However I am finding something missing. An IP address marks a location of, say a bank, or the military. In a fact sheet published by the NTIA in September 2016 the NTIA published that, "The United States does not control the Internet. No one controls or owns the Internet". They then go on to state, "The Internet is not ours to give away".However, not far after they state, "By supporting multistakeholder Internet governance, we make certain the Internet becomes no other nations' to take". In a time where cyber-terrorism is very active, and the job of ICANN is already at large, fulfilled with the worldwide task of coordinating the Domain Name System (DNS), resolving the name allocation and its suboordinates - how can it be managed effectively against cybercrime when the NTIA on their own website state that the control of the Internet relies on cooperation "through the consensus of a wide array of stakeholders, predominantly from the private sector".The first rule of cybersecurity is and I'm sure my colleagues would agree is to "know your enemy" and "assume you will be breached". I have read the media announcements about the transition, but what scares me is that I have heard nothing at all about any proposed Risk Management Methodology, or Risk Management Process, according or anything similar to ISO Standard 13335.You would expect that at this level, where the whole worlds data is at stake of movement and changeover, the risk of infiltration is higher. I ask the Government of the various countries to address the world as to my question on, "How are they going to ensure that there is a Risk IT Framework in place to protect the possibility of a stolen internet?"This is not a fairy tale, it could happen. If frameworks such as the ISACA Risk IT framework or ISO 27005 are not followed we may find ourselves with a controlled, filtered and censored version of the internet, or maybe variants of such which would increase cybercrime because, "nobody owns the Internet".I urge all Governments' to set specific Risk Mitigation Standards to protect, monitor and mitigate against any cyber risks for the future and now in their own IP Allocation Range and that which they will need in the future.Otherwise, we may all end up with a slice of the Internet as we know it. It is very possible, yet nobody has spoken of this.I am open for discussion on this topic:Simon SmithAustralia+61410643121forensic@evestigator.com.au
Animals live in close association with microorganisms, carrying beneficial bacteria while coping with pathogenic infections. Now, in a study published this week in Plos Genetics, researchers from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC, Portugal) discovered that symbiotic bacteria play a direct role in the evolution of their host, shaping the way it adapts to pathogens.

More and more it becomes clear that bacteria living inside animals play important roles in the host's life. Symbiotic bacteria can influence host development, physiology, behaviour, and can also increase host resistance to pathogens. But how much the evolution of the symbiotic bacteria influence the adaptation of animals to pathogens had not been addressed yet. Elio Sucena and Luis Teixeira, group leaders at the IGC, joined their expertise to solve this problem.

The experimental set up involved fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and its symbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia, exposed to viral infection. "Our previous work had shown that Wolbachia can protect fruit flies against viruses, and that different strains of these bacteria confer different levels of protection. Therefore, by studying flies that carried different strains of Wolbachia we could investigate how evolution occurred both at the level of the bacteria and of the host," explain Vitor Faria and Nelson Martins, first co-authors of this work.

By comparing populations of flies that evolved in the presence of the virus with others that evolved in its absence, the researchers observed significant changes in their bacterial composition. Throughout evolution the Wolbachia strains that provided higher protection to viral infection were selected and remained in the population of flies exposed to virus, whereas the other strains disappeared. These results indicated that selection of Wolbachia strains was associated with the advantage they provided to the host: after infection, flies with these strains were able to survive better and reproduce more than the flies that carried less protective strains.

"Host and its symbiotic bacteria are acting as an unit in response to pathogen infection, with the evolution of both genomes contributing to host adaptation. We believe similar results will be observed with other bacteria and animals," says Elio Sucena.

"The role played by symbiotic bacteria in host evolution may have to be taken into consideration when addressing different host-pathogens interactions," adds Luis Teixeira.

In this study, the IGC team collaborated with Sara Magalhaes from Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (Ce3C) at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Portugal), and with Christian Schlotterer from Institut fur Populationsgenetik at Vetmeduni Vienna (Austria). This work was funded by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT; Portugal) and by the Austrian Science Funds.
Teenage girls feature in each of these new novels, some of which are aimed at kids, some at young adults.

Once in a Town Called Moth, Trilby Kent

Fourteen-year-old Anneli and her dad leave their Mennonite farming community in Bolivia and resettle in Torontos east end  without a TV, without a computer, without the essentials Canadian kids take for granted. Ana, as she now calls herself, must negotiate a far more complex environment than the insular one in which she was raised. Anas story unfolds in alternating chapters  one set in Toronto, the next in Colony Felicidad  as she and her father search for the wife and mother who left them a decade earlier. This is the Toronto writers third book for young readers.

The Good Sister, Chelsea Bolan

Fifteen-year-old Gabriela has been erased from her family  her father, Raul, has destroyed her belongings and cast her out after she brought shame upon her family, or so he believes. Determined to rescue her exiled sister, 19-year-old Lucy leaves their town in Baja California and heads for the streets of Mexico to find her. This debut novel won the HarperCollins/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction. Bolan, who lives in Seattle, has an MFA from the University of British Columbia. The Good Sister will appeal to mature teens and adults.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill

Each year, on the Day of Sacrifice, the superstitious people of the Protectorate leave their youngest child for the forest witch, Xan. Unbeknownst to them, Xan nourishes these infants with starlight and gives them to eager families in communities beyond the forest. But one year, she mistakenly feeds moonlight to a baby girl, filling her with magic and making her unsuitable for adoption. Luna grows up in the forest, where her special powers start to assert themselves as she approaches her 13th birthday. This magical book will enchant middle-grade readers from 8 to 12.

Girl in the Shadows, Gwenda Bond

Moira is determined to be a master magician. Her dad, the Mysterious Mitchell, a headline act at a big Las Vegas hotel, insists the world will never fully accept a female magic act. But when an opportunity to join the Cirque American presents itself, Moira (a.k.a. The Miraculous Moira) grabs the brass ring and heads for Sarasota, Fla. During her audition, the plot takes a big twist when she finds herself performing real magic. This is Bonds fourth YA novel and her second big top mystery, following Girl on a Wire.

Hannah Smart: In Over Her Head, Melody Fitzpatrick

Hannah Smart, the 14-year-old journalist, is back with her third adventure: Phillip, Hannahs boss at Channel 9, assigns her to do a treasure-hunting reality show. Problem 1: its going to be an underwater treasure and our heroine gets seasick just thinking about water. Problem 2: A.J., the guy Hannahs crushing on, will be on board with the super-accomplished Piper Steele (a.k.a. Piper the Viper), Hannahs nemesis and A.J.s ex. Melody Fitzpatrick is a Nova Scotia writer.

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A Canadian father is hoping a mountain hike will help ease his distress and draw attention to the insurmountable roadblocks countless parents like him face in trying to access their children in Japan after their marriages fall apart.

Tim Terstege is planning to climb Mount Fuji on Oct. 13, the day four years ago his wife disappeared with his then-four-year-old son.

Thats kind of a dark time for me; its a positive way of just dealing with it, Terstege said in an interview from Himeji, Japan.

When you go through this type of situation, you have to deal with a lot of pain. Its just really hard. Climbing Mount Fuji is for me just a way of breaking out of the sorrow.

Terstege, 42, formerly of Barrie, Ont., officially has 24 hours a year access to his son, Liefie, a dual Canadian-Japanese citizen. But he doesnt know exactly where his wife or child are and the courts have not been of help. Its the Japanese way, he said.

Whoever abducts the child first is going to get custody, he said.

The Canadian father is far from alone in trying to navigate a seemingly impenetrable and hostile Japanese system sometimes described as a black hole for children. Figures indicate dozens of Canadians  mostly fathers  are among thousands of foreigners faced with the gut-wrenching loss of their children in Japan. Some parents are reported to have killed themselves in despair. Others have ended up in jail after trying to snatch back their children.

The Japanese embassy in Ottawa said it was unable to express (its) viewpoints and referred questions to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, which had no immediate comment. Global Affairs Canada, which said it was currently dealing with 25 cases, offered only general observations about consular assistance.

However, in a letter to Terstege this past week, a senior official said the issue was important to the Canadian government, and embassy officials in Japan had, among other things, discussed his case with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

We recognize the need to continue to raise the issue of parental child abduction cases with Japanese authorities, the letter states.

In a briefing note last year, one Canadian consular official noted the reality of the Japanese system but said Canada was not pressing Tokyo for change, as former prime minister Stephen Harper did years ago.

In 2014, Japan finally signed on to the Hague Convention, which aims to provide legal recourse against international child abductions. However, enforcement is woefully inadequate and a parent can frustrate court orders to return a child simply by refusing to comply, experts say.

While the process of implementing the Hague Convention has brought some clarity to the theory and practice of enforcing returns, without sanctions for contempt  which Japanese judges lack in these cases  or other police-like powers to back them up, court orders can end up being meaningless pieces of paper, Colin Jones, a lawyer from Calgary, wrote in a recent article in The Japan Times.

Visitation restrictions, draconian by Canadian standards, can leave parents feeling like they have been treated like criminals, Jones said.

Kris Morness, of Vancouver, considers himself lucky in that he is usually able to Skype weekly with his son, Max, 5, believed to be in Tokyo.

Despite obtaining full custody and an American arrest warrant for his wife, who abducted Max three years ago from Seattle, Wash., where they were living, Morness said theres little point in trying to litigate in Japan.

Its really traumatizing when you lose a child like this, Morness, 43, said. All I can do is wait. It is the worst bureaucratic nightmare Ive ever experienced.

In an effort to effect change, Bruce Gherbetti co-founded the activist organization Kizuna Child-Parent Reunion after his own experience. In 2009, his wife accused him of domestic abuse and, while he was in pretrial custody in Vancouver, she took their three girls now aged 9, 11, and 13 and left for Japan.

Among other things, Kizuna aims to educate the Japanese about the potential harm to children deprived of access to one parent.

Your child is akin to a table or an automobile (in Japan), Gherbetti said from Australia where he now lives. If someone takes one of those from you, you have a better chance of obtaining its possession again than you do a child.

Terstege said hes given up on the Japanese court system. Even though he and his wife are still married, its highly unlikely he could ever regain custody, so his goal is to try to see his son for the 24 hours a year in the presence of a third party organization as per court order.

Im not going to give up, Terstege said. Climbing Mount Fuji is just another thing for me for motivation.

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Ontarios opposition parties want the public to have a say as the Liberal government overhauls the provinces water-taking permit program this fall.

The New Democrats said a public review of water takings must be part of a new provincial strategy to treat water as a public trust that puts drinking water, sanitation and agricultural uses ahead of commercial users.

Often its the grassroots communities that are out ahead of the policy-makers, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. Ontario needs to have a complete look at the water situation and come up with a holistic strategy.

Horwath met last week with Guelph residents who are fighting an application by multinational Nestle to renew its permit to take up to 3.6 million litres a day from its well in nearby Aberfoyle, and said they are concerned about their future drinking water supplies.

Simply charging bottling companies like Nestle more  it currently pays just $3.71 for every one million litres taken  wont protect the water, she said.

The highest bidder still gets the water, and were not taking on that stewardship role and ensuring that we have sustainable access to water that will support our growth plans over the next generations, said Horwath.

Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner said public input will help ensure community drinking water and farming needs come ahead of water-bottling and aggregate mining operations.

We need increased transparency and accountability in the permit to take water process, Schreiner wrote in an open letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne. Many high-risk uses of water receive little or no public scrutiny.

Environment Minister Glen Murrays office said he is open to public consultations, but offered nothing about how or when people could have input into the policy review.

The government has heard the communitys concerns about how Ontarios precious water resources are managed so it made the permit taking review a priority, said Murrays spokesman, David Mullock.

A key element of this review is balancing the needs of all Ontarians, including consumers and farmers, with requests from businesses, Mullock said in an email.

The Greens want the government to deny Nestles permit renewal in Aberfoyle and all permit taking applications for bottling purposes until the process is overhauled, something the NDP said the Liberals should consider.

They should take that very, very seriously and have a hard look at whether the best thing to do is put a pause on where things sit now so we that can actually get a handle on where we stand, said Horwath.

Progressive Conservative Ted Arnott, who represents neighbouring Wellington-Halton Hills  where Nestle purchased another well that Centre Wellington township had wanted for its drinking water  said theres a lot of anxiety in the fast-growing area about an hours drive west of Toronto.

Im concerned too, said Arnott. I have an obligation on behalf of my constituents to voice concerns about ensuring that our ground water is protected over the long term, and that it isnt depleted because of any large-volume user.

Arnott wants any increased fees for the permits shared with the municipalities where the water is taken, but said he fears the Liberals will view it as an opportunity for a cash grab.

Schreiner said the government has had repeated warnings from its own environmental commissioner about the need to charge more for water because current fees cover just 1.2 per cent of the provinces water quality management costs.

Horwath said the families and city councillors she met in Guelph who oppose renewing Nestles permit were insulted when Treasury Board President Liz Sandals  who represents Guelph in the legislature  claimed that much of the opposition to the water taking was based on misinformation.

It is quite astounding for this minister to have that approach to her constituents, she said.

Wynne said this month that its time to treat bottled water companies differently from others with permits to take water, such as the construction and mining sectors, and ordered Murray to review the permitting process and the fees.

Nestle can keep taking water from its well in Aberfoyle while the government reviews the application to renew its permit, which expired in July.

The company, which has 300 employees at its bottling plant in Aberfoyle, has said it is prepared to pay more if rates are increased, but only if every firm with a water-taking permit  not just bottling companies  face higher fees.

There are over 6,000 permits to take water in Ontario, which last up to 10 years. Companies pay a permit fee of $750 for low- or medium-risk water takings, or $3,000 for those considered a high risk to cause an adverse environmental impact, plus the $3.71 per million litres.

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TALLAHASSEE, FLA.Police have made a third arrest in the 2014 killing of a Canadian law professor in Florida, a woman with ties both to the family of the victims ex-wife and one of the alleged shooters.

The Tallahassee police said Sunday that Katherine Magbanua, 31 was arrested near Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and charged with murder Saturday in the July 2014 slaying of Daniel Markel, who was born in Toronto and was well known in national and international legal circles.

Markels parents and sister all live in Canada.

In documents released by police Sunday and previously obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat, detectives alleged that Magbanua had a romantic relationship with the brother of Wendi Adelson, Markels ex-wife. They also alleged she lived with Sigfredo Garcia, one of the alleged gunmen, and had two children with him.

Investigators say in the weeks leading up to the killing and immediately thereafter, there were hundreds of calls between Charles Adelson, Wendi Adelsons brother, and Magbanua and between Magbanua and Garcia, often moments apart.

It could not be determined Sunday if Magbanua has an attorney. David O. Markus, the Adelson family attorney, pointed out that Tallahassee State Attorney Willie Meggs recently rejected a police request to authorize the arrest of Charles Adelson, saying there was insufficient evidence.

Its sad that the police have arrested Katie when just last week the prosecution said there was no basis to proceed. They are trying to pressure a single mom who has no priors by threatening to make her little kids orphans. Thats not how our criminal justice system is supposed to work. It smacks of utter desperation, Markus said in an email Sunday to the Associated Press. He declined to answer specific questions about the case.

Charles Adelson is a dentist who runs a practice with his parents. Wendi Adelson is a lawyer working for a federal judge.

She and Markel divorced in 2013, but before it was finalized the two fought over Wendi Adelsons push to move her two small children from Tallahassee to South Florida to be closer to her family, court records show.

At the time of Markels death, the two were battling over money, with Adelson contending that Markel did not pay her as much as he was supposed to under their divorce agreement, according to the records. Markel also complained that his mother-in-law, Donna Adelson, was disparaging him and wanted the court to prohibit her from having unsupervised visits with his children, who were living with him.

The documents allege that shortly after the killing, Garcia bought two cars and a motorcycle and his alleged partner, Luis Rivera, bought a motorcycle.

The two were arrested last June after police say they connected a rented Toyota Prius to the pair. Detectives say toll booth and other evidence shows the Prius was driven to Tallahassee from South Florida and back right before and after the killing and that video from a Tallahassee ATM shows the pair sitting in such a Prius. They say video shows a Prius tailing Markel home from the gym just before he was shot and a neighbour saw one driving away immediately after the shooting.

The documents also say that the Adelsons dental practice paid Magbanua numerous $407.58 cheques between September 2014 and last January, though she allegedly never worked there. They also say that in the months leading up to the killing, she deposited $15,000 cash and then after the killing deposited more than $56,000. They say she also obtained a 2001 Lexus from the family and in a monitored phone call last April, police say she asked Daniel Adelson for his Ferrari or his boat and mentioned she wanted an Escalade.

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It was a little over a decade ago when Stephen Lewis daughter Ilana Landsberg-Lewis turned to him and said, Dad, theres something happening in Africa that no ones paying attention to.

She spoke to him about how so many African grandmothers were raising the 15 million children orphaned by the continents HIV-AIDS pandemic.

Those grandmothers had reached the stage in their lives when they expected to be cared for by their families.

Instead, they were burying their children and struggling to raise their grandchildren in abject poverty.

So many parts of Africa felt like a graveyard, Lewis said.

That father-daughter conversation was the genesis of a movement connecting grandmothers in Canada to grandmothers in more than a dozen countries Africa.

The Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend with a get-together at Centennial College.

Across Canada, there are now 10,000 volunteers in 240 chapters who are affiliated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which works with community-based organizations to combat the effects of HIV and AIDS in Africa.

They work for better services for AIDS orphans and have raised about $25 million for their African counterparts in a variety of ways, including pot luck dinners, art auctions, bike rides and quilting bees.

For the past two weeks, grandmothers Regina Dongo, 72, and Maude Nhau, 66, from Zimbabwe have been in Canada, thanking and connecting with the Canadian grandparents.

We were so excited, Dongo said. It was my first attempt to be on an airplane. I was thinking, Im going to fall from the airplane. 

The trip was worth the anxiety, she said.

People here, theyre wonderful, Dongo said. Theyve got great passion.

Dongo and Nhau are associated with the Mavambo Trust, which provides community services like home visits, raising funds for education advocating for rights for children.

Dongo and Nhau have done their volunteer work since 2003 while raising orphaned grandchildren of their own.

Nhau cares for 11 orphaned grandchildren while Dongo looks after 12.

Lewis said the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign really got rolling in August 2006 during the International AIDS conference in Toronto, when 100 African grandmothers from 12 countries met with more 200 Canadian grandmothers.

The African grannies ran it from beginning to end and we were on our way, Lewis said. What it has evolved into is a movement  a social movement.

Back when the movement began, resources were tough to attain and people didnt even want to talk about AIDS.

It was really a struggle for survival, Lewis said.

Ninety per cent of this money has gone directly to the grassroots, Lewis said.

The grandmothers have become a force to be reckoned with, advocating for pensions and education and medical care and fighting for land rights.

The struggle for survival has become an assertion of human rights, Lewis said.

He images that, in 10 years, there will be grandmothers holding elected senior positions in education and health care in various African countries.

These grassroots community organizations make all of the difference in the world, Lewis said. This is how change happens.

Lewis said there is a strong feminist engine to this movement.

Gender inequality drives it, Lewis said, noting that girls in African are often pushed into marriage at an early age.

Often, they dont have the power to decline sex or to make their partner wear a condom.

Theyre trapped by male sexual entitlement in the majority, he said. As a result of that, the virus was transmitted.

Dongo and Nhau said they look forward to a decade from now, when there will be lawyers and doctors and other educated professionals rising from the AIDS/HIV orphans raised by the grannies.

Asked what message she has for Canadians, Dongo said: To love each other. Like the grandmothers do.

Canadian grandmother Marg Wilson, 78, of Guelph, said she was moved to tears in 2006 when she heard Lewis speak about the African grandmothers.

Her involvement in the movement has taken her to Ethiopia, where a 5-year-old girl walked up to her and took her hand.

I thought, Where is she going to be in 10 years?,  Wilson said.

Toronto grandmother Sharon Polansky, 66, said shes impressed that the movement is driven from the bottom up, with grandmothers in Africa deciding what their needs are.

While theres much left to do, the four grandmothers and Lewis found it was nice to be able to reflect this weekend on the gains they have made in the past decade.

Weve come a long way in 10 years, Polansky said.

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They long to be included in the kaleidoscope of Canadian society.

It said so right in their kaleidoscopes, some 75 of which hung from a canopy of white Christmas lights Saturday night at Monsignor Fraser Colleges downtown campus.

The exhibit, from a second-chance school that has long been home to some of the citys most marginalized students, was part of Nuit Blanche, Torontos sunset-to-sunrise arts festival that began Saturday evening.

There are perceptions out there that the students who come here are misfits, said art teacher Donna Sistilli, who helped curate the work. In fact, the schools own agenda calls the facility a haven for marginalized students.

Called Who Are We? the exhibit gave the answer to its own, said English teacher Rita Sarra-Macchiusi, the exhibits other curator.

The exterior of each hanging kaleidoscope is different, each one painted by a participating student to reflect his or her own individual identities.

Theyre dynamic and diverse, like the students themselves, Sarra-Macchiusi said.

But look through the lens  at the centre of its swirls, each kaleidoscope had a boldfaced message staking the artists claim to social inclusion.

Law Abiding: I follow the rules, one read.

Powerful: I voted in the last election, read another.

They are countering the perceptions that they are misfits that are possibly out there, Sarra-Macchiusi said.

Monsignor Fraser College, part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, caters to students between 18 and 21 years of age. Many are resuming their education after dropping out.

They include students like Victoria Goffi, 19, who helped install the exhibit.

The project means that all students are unique and different in their own way, said Goffi, who dropped out of Grade 10 three years ago due to peer pressure and a lack of self- esteem.

But inside all of us there is a need for inclusion. I am ambitious and I do want to accomplish my goals.

The schools exhibit was one of about 90 projects by some 300 artists being presented around the city for the festivals 11th edition.

Four major exhibits produced by the city were spread throughout the downtown core.

These included the OBLIVION project at Nathan Phillips Square, which found its bleak theme in the death of the sun billions of years hence.

Artist Director X created a 14-metre globe that served as an enormous projection screen for his vision of the distant cataclysm.

The Facing the Sky exhibit along the waterfront also had a celestial theme and featured 10 projects devoted to various views and interpretations of the heavens, including an open-air planetarium at the ferry docks.

Views from Nuit Blanche

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Kathleen Dunphy is 90 but she still has a clear recollection of meeting Princess Elizabeth in the fall of 1951, when both women were only 25.

Dunphy was a reporter in the Stars social section. The princess and her husband, Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, were on their first big tour of Canada, filling in for her mother, Queen Elizabeth, and her father, King George VI. They had cancelled because of the kings health.

Everybody knew the king was dying, Dunphy says of Elizabeths father. And that she was being primed for the throne.

Her meeting revealed how painfully shy the princess was.

You know how some people, when theyre shy or embarrassed, their throats get all red? She was red right up to here, says Dunphy, gesturing to just under her own chin.

Pierre Berton would later write in his book about the couples 33-day tour that when Elizabeth was greeted by 15,000 people on her arrival in Montreal, the handbag on her arm trembled and only an iron self-control hid her overwhelming nervousness, according to a CBC story.

Dunphy was one of three female reporters whod been sent up by rival newspapers to greet the princess at Queens Park during an event hosted by Lt.-Gov. Ray Lawson and his wife, Helen.

The reporters had a 10-minute primer on how to curtsy and walk back three steps before turning away from the princess. And they had a chance to meet separately with Philip.

He put us all at ease right away and talked about their trip, she recalls.

Then the reporters went to another room to meet the princess, who was flanked on one side by Helen Lawson.

The Telegram went ahead of me. I didnt like that too much, but anyway, Dunphy recalls, sitting in her apartment in a Toronto retirement residence. Were the bigger paper  We should have gone first. But I couldnt elbow her out of my way.

It appears Dunphy wasnt the only one who thought the paper was big  or too big for its britches, anyway.

During her introduction, when Elizabeth noted the Star was the largest paper in Canada, the lieutenant-governors wife chimed in and said, Yes. Too large, we think.

I was just astounded, said Dunphy. I wouldnt expect that kind of thing for an introduction to the princess.

The slight almost overtook the story, but Dunphy says Star editors kept the focus on the princess.

Dunphy says the meeting gave her an appreciation for royalty that she never had growing up in New York state, after her parents moved from Montreal.

I really got an idea of everything that went on around it. The security, the pomp, she says. I liked it.

By the end of the tour the princess was a pro. Berton wrote that she returned to Britain a laughing, relaxed figure. Her father would die just months later, in February 1952.

Dunphy would leave the Star the same year. Newly pregnant with her oldest  Noreen  when she met Elizabeth, Dunphy kept working until she caught the notice of longtime editor Harry Hindmarsh Sr., who worried about her condition.

A memo from him, accidentally delivered to Dunphy, said she looks very pregnant and shes walking rapidly around the halls. Are we liable if she falls?

When she left the paper, her reference letter from managing editor J.V. Kingsbury said the reason for her departure was that she married and decided to take up housekeeping. But Dunphy says even though few women, married or not, were at the Star, there was no suggestion she couldnt have come back.

The paper offered her a job editing freelance stories for Star Weekly from home for the next year and Dunphy was grateful for the connection.

After that, she and her husband, William Dunphy, moved to Long Island, N.Y.

The couple came back to Canada 10 years later when William was offered a job teaching philosophy at the University of Toronto, the couples alma mater, where he later served as principal of St. Michaels College for 20 years.

Kathleen Dunphy went on to have nine children. At age 55, when her three youngest were teenagers, she left them at home with their father and moved into residence for a year to study nursing.

The two things I ever wanted to be were a journalist and a nurse, says Dunphy. She graduated and went on work at the former Queen Street Mental Health Centre and the former Clarke Institute of Psychiatry.

In the late 1980s, Dunphy became a founding nurse for Casey House, which cares for people with HIV/AIDS.

She retired at 70. But she says it was only because her employer had caught on to just how old she was.

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KINGSTON, JAMAICAOne of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history weakened a little on Saturday as it drenched coastal Colombia and roared across the Caribbean on a course that still puts Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba in the path of potentially devastating winds and rain.

Matthew briefly reached the top hurricane classification, Category 5, and was the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Felix in 2007.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Matthews winds had slipped from a peak of 260 km/h to a still-potentially devastating 220 km/h and it was expected to reach the eastern part of Jamaica on Monday.

The forecast track would carry it across Cuba and into the Bahamas, with an outside chance of a brush with Florida, though that would be several days away. Its too early to rule out what impacts, if any, would occur in the United States and Florida, said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman at the Hurricane Center.

As Matthew skimmed past the northern tip of South America there were reports of heavy flooding and at least one death, the second attributed to the storm.

Authorities said at least 18 houses were damaged along the La Guajira peninsula of Colombia, which has been suffering from a multi-year drought. They said a 67-year-old man was swept away to his death by a flash flood in an area where it hadnt rained for four years.

Local TV broadcast images of cars and tree trunks surging though flooded streets in coastal areas.

Colombian authorities closed access to beaches and urged residents living near the ocean to move inland in preparation for storm surges that they said would be most intense on Saturday.

There was also concern that heavy rain across much of the country could dampen turnout for Sundays nationwide referendum on a historic peace accord between the government and leftist rebels.

In Jamaica, high surf began pounding the coast and flooding temporarily closed the road linking the capital to its airport. Carl Ferguson, head of the marine police, said people were starting to heed calls to relocate from small islands and areas near rural waterways.

Many also began stocking up for the emergency.

I left work to pick up a few items, candles, tin stuff, bread, 41-year-old Angella Wage said at a crowded store in the Half Way Tree area of the capital, Kingston. We can never be too careful.

Feltgen said storm force winds and rain will arrive well before the centre of the storm. Jamaicans basically have daylight today, they have tonight and they have daylight tomorrow to take care of what needs to be done, he said.

Jamaicans are accustomed to intense storms, but Hurricane Matthew looked particularly threatening. At its peak, it was more powerful than Hurricane Gilbert, which made landfall on the island in September 1988 and was the most destructive storm in the countrys modern history.

The U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is also potentially in the path of the storm. A mandatory evacuation of non-essential personnel, including family members of military personnel was underway and everyone remaining behind was being told to take shelter, said Julie Ann Ripley, a spokeswoman. There are about 5,500 people living on the base, including 61 men held at the detention centre.

Forecasters said rainfall totals could reach 25 to 38 centimetres with isolated maximum amounts of 63 centimetres in Jamaica and southwestern Haiti.

In Haiti, civil protection officials broadcast warnings of a coming storm surge and big waves, saying the country would be highly threatened from the approaching system over the next 72 hours. They urged families to prepare emergency food and water kits.

Emergency management authorities banned boating starting Saturday, particularly along the impoverished countrys southern coastline, but numerous fishing skiffs could still be seen off the south coast.

As of 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), the storm was centred about 615 kilometres southeast of Kingston. It was meandering, moving south at 4 km/h, but expected to veer north soon.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 45 kilometres from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 335 kilometres.

Matthew caused at least one death when it entered the Caribbean on Wednesday. Officials in St. Vincent reported a 16-year-old boy was crushed by a boulder as he tried to clear a blocked drain.

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gave a speech in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Oct. 1. He also issued a statement in response to a bombshell New York Times story about his taxes. He said 12 false things:

1. Falsely said, We have the support of the Hispanics and the African-Americans. (Trump is losing by massive margins with Hispanics and African-Americans.)

2. Falsely said the New York Times illegally obtained his tax information. (A reporter simply opened her mail; the documents were sent to her.)

3. Falsely said, They say shes worth $200, $250 million. (Reports the Washington Post: In the Clintons 2015 personal financial disclosure form, they reported valued assets ranging from $11.3 million to $52.7 million. This number does not reflect homes that the Clintons own. In 2015, Forbes estimated their combined net worth at $45 million.)

4. Falsely said, She also wants to shut down production of shale energy. (Clinton has called for strict new restrictions, but not a shutdown. With strong safeguards in place, natural gas can play an important role in our transition to a clean energy economy, she has said.)

5. Falsely said, We dont make anything anymore. (Manufacturing represented 12 per cent of the American economy in 2015.)

6. Falsely said the U.S. has China trade deficits of $400, $500 billion a year. (The deficit was about $330 billion last year including services, $367 billion with goods alone. It may be lower this year.)

7. Falsely said: Its not like, Oh gee do you think shes guilty? Theyve actually admitted shes guilty. (No authority has admitted that Clinton is guilty of crimes related to her emails.)

8. Falsely said of Bill Clinton, He cant practise law. He cant be a lawyer. He was a lawyer. He cant be a lawyer. (Clinton was not disbarred over his sex scandals. His Arkansas law license was suspended for five years. While he cant currently work as a lawyer, he could do so within a week or so if he wanted to: Applications for reinstatement are routinely approved, a senior official of the Arkansas legal body said in 2006, when he became eligible for reinstatement.)

9. Falsely said, Like the European Union, she wants to erase our borders. (Clinton is not proposing to erase borders or create anything like the European Union.)

10. Falsely said of Clintons refugee policy: She wants people to pour into our country without knowing who they are. (Clinton is not proposing a loosening of the strict screening process for refugees.)

11. Falsely said, Heres a person whos only worked for government, essentially. (Clintons private-sector career was cut short by Bills political career, but she worked non-government jobs for several years as a young woman: Lawyer at the Childrens Defense Fund and later Rose Law Firm, and instructor at the University of Arkansas law school. She also served on corporate boards, including Walmarts.)

12. Falsely said, Favours and access were granted to those who wrote checks. She put the secretary of state up for sale. (There is no evidence Clinton sold favours or tried to.)

13. Misleadingly claimed endorsements from the Border Patrol, ICE. (Unions representing officers of these agencies have endorsed him, not the agencies themselves.)

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The San Diego Union-Tribune, long a bastion of conservatism in the West, broke a 148-year-long streak of endorsing Republicans for president and told its readers on Friday to vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.

Well, they can get in line. Conservative newspaper after conservative newspaper broke tradition in September by endorsing Clinton  or, perhaps more appropriately, by telling their readers why they shouldnt vote for Trump.

The Union-Tribune isnt even the first conservative newspaper to break ranks in the past week. On Wednesday, the Arizona Republic (formerly, the Arizona Republican), tweeted out a photo of Clinton gazing into the distance while announcing its endorsement.

The editorials read less like ringing endorsements for Clinton than a repudiation of Trump. Theyre less Im with her and more Im definitely not with him.

The Union-Tribunes editorial, for example, mentions Trump 11 times  and Clinton just three.

Upon inauguration on Jan. 20, he would be in charge of the executive branch of a global superpower and possess enormous authority, operating with no coherent world view besides I alone can fix it.

Later, the editorial tells readers: Imagine that. Imagine President Trump.

The Republics stance was similar. For 126 years, it had endorsed conservatives, but its editorial said Trump is not one.

This year is different, the editorial board wrote. The 2016 Republican candidate is not conservative and he is not qualified.

The latest endorsements echoed the scathing criticisms of Trump that appeared earlier in September.

The Dallas Morning News, whose editorial board had picked a Republican each time since before the Second World War, said Trump plays on fear  exploiting base instincts of xenophobia, racism and misogyny  to bring out the worst in all of us, rather than the best.

The Cincinnati Enquirer, which had endorsed Republicans for nearly a century, called Trump a clear and present danger to our country. ... Our reservations about Clinton pale in comparison to our fears about Trump.

The Houston Chronicles editorial board called Trump a danger to the Republic and said his convention-speech comment, I alone can fix it, should make every American shudder.

USA Today has never endorsed a candidate for president, but its editorial board laid out eight reasons that people shouldnt vote for him.

No. 7: He has coarsened the national dialogue. Did you ever imagine that a presidential candidate would discuss the size of his genitalia during a nationally televised Republican debate? Neither did we.

So far, Trump has racked up zero major newspaper endorsements. Thats six fewer than Gary Johnson, who couldnt name any foreign leader he admires in an interview last week and about whom CNN opined Why is Gary Johnson still in the race?

Trump, for his part, has responded to these conservative defections on Twitter, saying that the papers are wrong and that their readers are smart people who will stop reading them.

Some readers told the papers the same thing.

Phil Boas, who runs the Arizona Republics editorial board, told NBC-affiliate KPNX that countless newspaper readers have cancelled their subscriptions. Others have sent death threats.

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ALEXANDRIA, VA. She works full time and takes college classes on the side and has a life, and she had things to do on a late-summer Sunday afternoon that did not involve sitting in an office and cold-calling 51 people.

But Donald Trump was pulling close in the polls, and shes a Muslim. And so, for first the time in her life, Nagina Bhatti, 26, showed up in September at a political phone bank gathering.

It was run by Emerge USA, a group trying to make sure Muslims vote. At the end of the two hours calling Virginia Muslims from an airy room in a suburb of Washington, D.C., session leader Remaz Abdelgader, a composed young woman in a blue headscarf, had the volunteers write down why they had come.

I dont want Trump to win! Bhatti wrote.

Across the country, the openly Islamophobic message of a Republican presidential nominee who wants to ban foreign Muslims from entering the country appears to be propelling American Muslims to their highest-ever levels of political interest, involvement and registration.

Imams once reluctant to engage in politics have begun talking about the stakes and opening their doors to registration efforts. Leading Muslim groups have launched ambitious get-out-the-vote campaigns. And young U.S.-born or U.S.-raised Muslims, often more comfortable speaking out than their parents, have thrown themselves into activism at unseen rates.

At civics training classes that used to draw 10 or 15 people at Houston mosques, 60 or 65 were attending this year, local Emerge leader Nabila Mansoor said this summer.

Its the Trump factor, she said. A lot of people are realizing that maybe sitting on the sidelines is just not enough.

Aman Ali, a New York City storyteller who spends 200 days a year touring, said he has never heard so many Muslims talk about an election.

In the 1990s, he said, There were even people that had the idea of boycotting elections because this a non-Muslim system. Absurd, archaic thinking. And now its the complete opposite. Where if you say thats un-Islamic, thats the stupidest thing you could have ever said. Now its: We must vote.

And at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center mosque in Falls Church, Va., imam Johari Abdul-Maliks Friday sermons on the importance of voting have so enthused the 3,500 worshippers that he said he is now being forced to gently inform eager non-citizens that they are not yet eligible to cast ballots.

Trumps message, Abdul-Malik said, has had two unintended consequences.

For Muslims abroad, it helps radicalize them. And for Muslims at home, it encourages them to register to vote, he said. Malcolm X called it the ballot or the bullet. For people overseas, who are frustrated they cant vote , its the bullet. And for people here, its about the ballot.

The communitys mobilization comes despite its significant apprehension about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, whose staunch support for Israel and general hawkishness about the Middle East have raised widespread concern.

She is the lesser of two evils. Thats pretty much it for most people, Bhatti said.

Clinton has hired a director of Muslim outreach, cheering community leaders. But she has also irked them. Her website promises she will protect Israel but does not say the same about Palestinians. In Mondays debate, she criticized Trumps anti-Muslim stances only on the grounds that Muslims can provide information to us about terror threats.

I find it very troubling from Hillary. Again and again its repeated, said Ali, 31. I think its well-intended, I dont think shes saying anything discriminatory, but its been very frustrating. Its like: yo, you realize were more than terrorism-fighters?

Ali, though, is a firm Clinton supporter, as are most Muslims who find her highly imperfect. For them, this time, policy nuance has taken a back seat to the matter of basic respect.

When you look at the two candidates, somebodys pro-you and somebodys anti-you. So what are you going to do? said Keith Murphy, Emerges Pittsburgh leader.

Trumps extremism has solidified a massive shift that began after 9/11, when George W. Bush invaded Iraq and passed anti-terror laws that curtailed Muslims civil liberties. In 2000, more than two-thirds of Muslims voted for the Republican candidate. In 2012, one poll suggested, more than four-fifths voted for Democrat Barack Obama.

The community is complicated to target: it is still tiny in relative terms  about 3 million people, or 1 per cent of the U.S. population  and it is religiously, linguistically and ethnically diverse. (A fifth is black; a fifth is Asian.) And well over half of American Muslims were born elsewhere, many of them in undemocratic countries.

Even this year, community campaigners say they are sometimes confronted by religious and cultural barriers. Olivia Cantu, Emerges South Florida director, said women occasionally tell her, My husband already votes, so I dont have to sign up. Tammy Ayon, the Florida director, said she has pro-voting fatwas, or Islamic legal pronouncements, ready to show the people who still say elections are not part of my faith.

And Trumps bigotry can cause some Muslims to withdraw rather than act. For some Muslims from the Middle East and Africa, his accusatory fury calls to mind the leaders who would arrest them for trying to participate in public life.

And so I tell them not to be intimidated by this kind of speech, said Abdul-Malik. I tell people, were not going to allow the hostile political rhetoric to either make us intimidated or afraid. And I tell our people to be very confident. Truth stands out from falsehood. Thats what the Quran says.

Enough Muslims are taking action to potentially affect the outcome in swing states like Virginia and Florida. Most eager, by all accounts, are nervous Muslim millennials like Bhatti, who said Trump may end up inadvertently doing them a favour.

Its like a blessing in disguise, she said. Because its pushing people to be more involved in the process.

Then she reverted to fear.

Its pretty scary, she said.

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MILWAUKEE, WIS.Milwaukee residents were outraged when they learned, about three months after the fact, that a biracial man at a party had been severely beaten by several white off-duty police officers also in attendance. The man, Frank Jude, was left with a broken nose, bruises and severe bleeding in his ears, a result of having pens pushed into them.

The attack, which took place in October 2004 and came to light after an article in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, prompted protests. In the fallout, nine officers were fired by the Milwaukee Police Department; three were eventually convicted on federal charges of violating Judes civil rights.

It also, according to new research, led to a drop in 911 calls in Milwaukee notifying the police of crimes.

The lag between Judes beating and its becoming widely known created a particularly good natural experiment for a team of sociologists interested in learning whether mistrust of the police can play a role in a communitys reluctance to report crimes. The results may also influence debate over the effect that wider dissemination of instances of police violence, which can now be recorded on cellphone video and spread quickly via the internet, might have on fighting crime.

In a new paper in the American Sociology Review, sociologists Matthew Desmond of Harvard, Andrew V. Papachristos of Yale and David S. Kirk of Oxford have drawn a direct link between widely publicized acts of police violence and the number of 911 calls neighbourhoods make.

The time between when Jude was attacked and when it became widely known allowed the researchers to isolate the episodes effect on 911 calls. The researchers pored over 110,000 such calls in Milwaukee, one year before and one year after the beating. The researchers estimated that 17-per-cent (or 22,000) fewer calls were made than would have been likely if the attack had never happened. They found that the effect lasted roughly one year.

Desmond said the results kind of blew us away; we werent expecting to see such a big effect and an effect to last so long.

The effect broke along racial lines: the majority of the decline in calls took place in black neighbourhoods. It shows what a deep rift events like this cause in the social fabric, in predominately black communities, Desmond said.

Such events didnt need to be local to have an impact. The researchers also looked at how the volume of calls to 911 in Milwaukee changed after news accounts of police violence in other, distant cities. In one of the other two cases they studied, they found a significant impact on crime reporting.

The change in calls is unusual because the relationship between crime and calls to police is typically strong. If crime is going up in Milwaukee, calls should also be going up, Papachristos said.

Its not as if people are silent when a crime takes place. Quite the opposite: news spreads fast from house to house.

Residents are very willing to tell you about whats happening in their neighbourhood, said Adrian Spencer, who at one point lived in a predominately black neighbourhood in central Milwaukee across the street from a tavern that had become a magnet for fights, drag races and shootings. But its much more difficult to get them to talk directly to the police. Or come to a hearing.

To Spencers surprise, she and her mother seemed to be the only ones calling 911 to report crime connected with the tavern. When she asked other people in the neighbourhood, some of whom had lived there longer than she had, the usual response was: What were the police going to do?

She suspects this reluctance to call is rooted in skepticism that law enforcement can make much of a difference or be fair to the residents. Theres a huge fear of retaliation, she said. Its not happening on the level that theyre thinking that it is. And then you look on TV and you see whats happening on TV with the police, you definitely dont want to come in contact with the police if you dont have to.

The new study focuses only on data that is 12 years old and primarily focused on Milwaukee. But Desmond said that the effect may also be true elsewhere: I think it has implications for what were seeing in Cleveland, in Charlotte, in Baltimore, with very publicized cases of police violence. Milwaukee is similar to places like Baltimore and Cleveland in its level of segregation. I think that probably has a lot to do with the story.

Neighbourhood under-reporting offers another possible explanation. In an effort to explain rising homicide rates, some police chiefs have said that the publicity and backlash surrounding highly publicized episodes in places such as Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore have increased the brazenness of criminals. Others, such as James Comey, the FBI director, have suggested it stems from the reluctance of police officers to patrol as aggressively because they fear becoming the subject of the next viral video.

The new study may shed more light on whether the increase in crime last year was part of a deepening skepticism that the police can make a difference in already violent neighbourhoods.

Chief Edward A. Flynn of the Milwaukee police doesnt see the connection. He said calls for service are up in Milwaukee.

He said the researchers data were affected by a quirk in how Milwaukee handled its 911 calls. Until three years ago, 911 calls were initially received by the county and then passed along to the city. Flynn said many calls were dropped before they reached the city, but after the Police Department had sent an officer.

Too often, researchers are doing mass data dumps without field research, he said. Theyre taking metadata and extrapolating.

Desmond said that they were careful to incorporate administrative considerations that lead to under-reporting of calls and that they worked with a sergeant in the Milwaukee Police Departments open records section on those issues.

Also, Desmond said that none of the details Flynn mentioned would address the differences in crime reporting between black and white neighbourhoods.

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BEIRUTSyrian rebels and pro-government forces clashed Sunday on several fronts around Aleppo as the countrys military command called on militants to lay down their weapons and evacuate the contested city.

A day after pro-government forces captured the strategic al-Shuqeef hill north of the city, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported fierce fighting in areas near the hill and in the Bustan al-Basha neighbourhood.

The two sides also clashed in Aleppos southern Sheikh Saeed neighbourhood.

The governments attempt to penetrate Aleppos opposition-held eastern side has been accompanied by a relentless campaign of airstrikes by Russian and Syrian warplanes.

President Bashar Assads forces are depending on the Russia bombardment and Iran-backed militias for support.

A spokesman for the Nour el-Din el-Zinki rebel faction told The Associated Press that foreign fighters were actively participating in the governments ground campaign. He said rebels could identify Lebanese and Iraqi militias by their flags.

An airstrike, meanwhile, targeted a rebel headquarters near the central city of Hama, killing at least six militants, the Observatory said. It was a setback for the rebel campaign to advance on the government-controlled city.

The UNs humanitarian chief, Stephen OBrien, reported that eastern Aleppos health system has been all but obliterated by shelling and bombardment.

Medical facilities are being hit one by one, OBrien said in a statement that called for a 48-hour humanitarian pause to the fighting each week. The UN estimates 275,000 people are trapped by the government siege.

We are in a race against time to protect and save civilians in eastern Aleppo city. They need our urgent action to bring an end to their living hell, OBrien said.

One of Aleppos largest hospitals, located in the eastern Sakhour neighbourhood, was knocked out of service Saturday by the airstrikes, doctors and activists reported.

The Syrian military command said in a statement on state media that government forces would guarantee gunmen safe passage out of opposition-held neighbourhoods.

Russia announced a month ago that the Syrian government would give safe passage to civilians wanting to leave eastern Aleppo. Few have accepted the offer.

The UN says at least 320 civilians have been killed since the government announced its offensive Sept. 22.

The European Union offered to help evacuate patients in Aleppos hospitals and deliver food, water and medical aid to besieged eastern districts.

In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini urged international players to unite to make the aid effort work for the sake of humanity and the political future of Syria.

The EU is mobilizing $25 million ($33 million Cdn.) in emergency aid and offering to move patients to other medical facilities, including in Europe, if needed.

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DHAKA, BANGLADESH  A student from the University of Toronto who was being held in relation to terrorist attacks in Bangladesh has reportedly been freed on bail.

Bangladeshi media outlets are reporting Tahmid Hasib Khan was released Sunday.

Khan, 22, a permanent resident of Canada, was arrested without charges in August.

Five armed gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant on the night of July 1, killing 20 people and holding others hostage.

Security forces stormed the restaurant, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining 13 hostages.

Nine Italians, seven Japanese, three Bangladeshis and one Indian died.

Khans family and friends have said they hadnt heard from him between the time of the attack and his arrest.

Theyve said that Khan was a survivor of the attack, and is not responsible. They said he was with friends at the bakery when the gunmen attacked.

Another Canadian, who police in Bangladesh accused of masterminding the attack, was killed when officers raided a two story house near the capital Dkaha in August.

Police alleged Tamim Chowdhury was the driving force behind both the cafe attack and another attack outside Dhaka later in July.

Its believed Chowdhury once lived in Windsor, Ont.

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Like many watching The Donalds Monday meltdown, I was regularly bellowing at my television, Do your homework! As if I were a frustrated parent shouting at a recalcitrant adolescent  not at someone close to winning the presidency of the most powerful country in the world.

Each candidate had a clear overarching task in this crucial first debate: Hillarys was to appear likeable and authentic, Donalds was to remain on script and not become angry and incoherent. She did and he didnt.

Not only did Donald Trump clearly show up unprepared, he quickly reverted to his schoolyard bully persona, sneering, interrupting and telling tall tales. Hillary Clinton was not often emotionally compelling  her constant challenge  but she had memorized her homework, delivered it flawlessly, and smiled and looked like she was having fun.

As Malcolm Gladwell made famous, talent matters, but practice matters more. Thousands and thousands of hours are required to gain mastery of a difficult craft.

Politics is such a craft. It is the reason amateurs such as Michael Ignatieff, injected into a leadership role in politics, so often crash and burn. It is lesson from Donald Trumps performance last week. He has not practised, he has not done his homework.

More curiously, he missed huge opportunities for attack and rebuttal, he would usually have jumped on, probably because Hillary had so effectively enraged him. Her contrast between his start in life as a trust fund baby, and hers as the daughter of a silkscreen printer, clearly got into his head. She dragged him into incomprehensible irrelevancies over and over, as a result.

However, in this year of bizarre politics in the U.K., France, Germany and certainly the United States, many of the political class were left wondering, Yes, but will it matter? Less than it would have 10 or 20 years ago seems to be the right answer. Even his devastating performance seems unlikely to move the dial a great deal.

Mark Lilla, the Columbia political scientist, in his new book The Shipwrecked Mind offers a lens that helps make sense of a campaign where neither truth nor evidenced-based policy appear to be of much interest to a very large chunk of many democracies electorates.

He describes this period  post-globalization, post Great Recession  we are enduring as the classic reactionary backlash. He recalls those that followed the First World War and the Depression, as parallels. The autocratic dictators of the 1930s were not conservatives he points out, they appealed to a nostalgia for a golden era that never was, in contrast to the grim experience of postwar, Depression-era Europe.

But they were classic reactionaries, combining anticorporate prejudice with nostalgia, racism and religion. He adds that big technology change, and big movements of refugees and immigrants, have often also triggered reactionary politics in the recent past.

Most grimly he points out how little anchored in any observed reality this type of politics needs to be, to win great success with embittered, impoverished, and disempowered groups of voters. Making America Great Again, of course, implies that it has slid from greatness, a classic reactionary refrain. No proofs need to be offered for many of these voters.

What does this portend? For the next debate Trump will up his attack, and probably deliver it in a more disciplined and effective manner. Though if he does bring up Gennifer Flowers he will have instantly lost tens of thousands of white middle class millennial women and their mothers.

For the campaign itself it means Hillary Clinton needs to sell a message of hope and realistic change with more emotional punch than she has been able to, to date. In this she will be powerfully assisted by her husband, by President and Michelle Obama, and by a small army of surrogates. Also by a vastly richer, more powerful, more professional campaign apparatus than anything Trump could hope to command.

She also needs to impress on the disenchanted voter leaning to Trump how fateful a choice that could be for their family, their children and their country. Clinton made a good start on it in this first debate. She reminded voters that Trump was ready to go to war with Iran over a childish game of dodge em between the U.S. Navy and their Revolutionary Guard, only a few weeks earlier.

It used to be a favourite aphorism among political hacks to say, Voting for him would be like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders, for Petes sake!, about many Tumpian candidates. Tommy Douglas favourite parable was about mice constantly flipping between choosing to vote for black cats or white cats. His punchline  that the problem wasnt their colour, but that they were cats!  would always bring the house down.

But the gnawing question on the minds of observers all over the world now is simply, Is this the year that this most improbable anti-elite reactionary candidate can get people, many of whose lives he would destroy, to vote for him purely out of a blind rage over their diminished lives and the people they believe are responsible.

Stay tuned.

Robin V. Sears, a principal at Earnscliffe and a Broadbent Institute leadership fellow, was an NDP strategist for 20 years.

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Heres the thing that no one emphasizes when you enter politics  an adherence to rules will not be enough to steer you clear of moral minefields. Political parties are skilled when encouraging individuals to take the political plunge, but no one quite explains what happens when you find yourself drowning in deep ethical waters.

As the Trudeau government approaches its first anniversary in office, there is much to praise. New legislation has been introduced on the issue of medically assisted death. The census has been reinstated. Thousands of Syrian refugees have been settled in Canada. Consultations have been launched on a number of issues, including electoral reform. Gender equity, feminism and diversity have evolved into passwords of hope, rather than passwords of confrontation. Independent Senators have been appointed. The visa situation with Mexico has been resolved as has the canola dispute with China. Re-engagement with the UN is full on. State visits, whether in Canada or abroad, have been handled with first-class organization.

However, with tough decisions imminent, this government needs a clear focus and strong discipline. A nasty debate is brewing as advocates of regionalism and proponents of diversity argue about qualifications for a new Supreme Court appointment. A cabinet decision, or House of Commons debate, must be made about the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers.

In spite of this weeks announcement regarding the approval for a BC LNG pipeline (albeit with 190 conditions), more pipeline politics lie ahead. Also waiting in the queue are federal provincial talks on both carbon emissions and health matters.

No, this is definitely not a time for the government to be distracted. So it was a shock when a very unexpected ethical situation became a recent source of public discourse and controversy.

A year ago, policy issues were envisioned and anticipated. Transition teams worked hard to organize and plan. But plans can come unstuck.

No one could have foreseen the recent public apology by two of the most senior exempt staff of Prime Minister Trudeaus office, with an offer to repay portions of relocation expenses incurred when moving from Toronto to Ottawa. This revelation was quickly followed by the announcement that two other ministerial chiefs of staff, would make the same type of repayment. (Exempt staff are not public servants. They are instead, deemed to be public office holders.)

These declarations were met with disappointment and anger. Even though there was a cap on expenses, even though a third party was involved to brief the individuals and even though the process had been used by the previous government, a discretionary aspect of the expense claim, which entitled personalized cash payouts and incidentals, was seen to be excessive. In addition, because house prices vary in different markets, the payment of land transfer taxes, real estate commissions and legal fees were called into question. All the expenses became public as a result of a question tabled in the House of Commons.

When ethical behaviour and politics collide, it is not a pretty scene. The intersection is littered with headlines, partisan bickering, damaged reputations, confusion about rules, public outcry, furious editorials and questions about what a Prime Minister knew and approved. Canadians have seen this movie before and are understandably cynical about government expense uproars.

In fact, to counter that cynicism, Trudeaus own 2015 Open and Accountable Government Document clearly states that public office holders shall  uphold the highest ethical standards and will arrange their private affairs in a manner that will bear the closest public scrutiny, an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting with the laws. Finally, all decisions shall be made in the pubic interest.

Rules cannot be made for every situation, which is why discretion is often part of the mix. Discretion allows for choice, choice which must carefully be considered using ones own moral compass. When making that choice, any ethics 101 class encourages students to take the famous sniff test  ask whether you, yourself, can live with the decision; ask what family and friends would think; and tellingly, ask how your decision would look if headlined in the media.

In this case, an apology has been made. Monies are being repaid. Lessons have been learned. But these lessons must not be forgotten in the busy times ahead. Ethical decision making should be reviewed regularly. Dont be afraid to bring your moral compass to work.

Better is always possible.

Penny Collenette is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Ottawa and was a senior director of the Prime Ministers Office for Jean Chretien.

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Canada is deeply at odds with Russian policy in Syria and Ukraine, but the two countries can still share meaningful talks on other issues, especially the Arctic.

Together they dominate the high north and confront similar challenges. So its entirely fitting for Canada and Russia to engage in a joint conference on Arctic co-operation scheduled for late November.

The move represents a welcome step away from the frosty relations between Ottawa and Moscow evident under the Conservative government of former prime minister Stephen Harper.

Outrage over Russians shocking annexation of the Crimea in 2014 resulted in a Canadian policy of minimal contact between the two countries. More recently, Russias bullying of the Baltic States and itsmilitary support for the vile regime of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad have done nothing to improve ties.

Nonetheless, it is important to maintain and expand co-operation with Russia on a range of Arctic issues. Simply put, its in Canadas national interest to conduct talks.

To sever links with Russia, our neighbour, serves the interests of no one, Pam Goldsmith-Jones, parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, said this past week. While expressing profound disagreement with Russias unacceptable policies, she announced that the government will host a Canada-Russia Arctic conference in Ottawa next month.

Between us we control 75 per cent of the North, she said in a speech posted online on Thursday. Preventing scientists from these countries from talking is illogical.

Theres certainly no shortage of topics to address, starting with the immense impact of climate change  including an expected influx of global shipping as Arctic ice thins. Resource development issues need sorting out, especially the tapping of off-shore oil and gas deposits. The well-being of aboriginal people is a mutual concern, along with protection of national sovereignty. And preservation of delicate northern ecosystems could be greatly enhanced through shared cross-border commitments.

Goldsmith-Jones described Arctic co-operation as a priority of the Liberal government, and thats entirely as it should be. Conservative critics complaining that Ottawa is cozying up to Russian interests either fail to understand whats at stake or are attempting to curry favour with Ukrainian-Canadians who want the government to take a hard line against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While its understandable and, indeed, necessary to express Canadas opposition to Putins foreign policy excesses, it makes no sense to hold this countrys Arctic interests hostage to unrelated events half a world away.

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A phase of new lava dome growth has started at the volcano. While the new dome, first discovered in Feb this year, had been only very weakly active over most of the past month, its rate of growth has drastically increased during the past days. The dome itself has become visible from areas at the southern feet of the volcano since 27 Sep. ...

The activity has strongly increased over the past 48 hours: constant explosions generate a heavy steam and ash plume rising at least 2 km from the crater while the new lava dome continues to over-spill the southwestern crater rim and descends as a wide, viscous lava flow now half way down the steep cone.The activity also produces near-constant glowing avalanches over the SW and S flanks; some of them probably generate small pyroclastic flows reaching the base of the cone.

Background:

Colima volcano is one of the most active in North America and one of the potentially most dangerous ones. It has had more than 30 periods of eruptions since 1585, including several significant eruptions in the late 1990s. Scientific monitoring of the volcano began 20 years ago.The Colima volcanic complex is the most prominent volcanic center of the western Mexican Volcanic Belt. It consists of two southward-younging volcanoes, Nevado de Colima (the 4320 m high point of the complex) on the north and the 3850-m-high historically active Volcan de Colima at the south.A group of cinder cones of probable late-Pleistocene age is located on the floor of the Colima graben west and east of the Colima complex. Volcan de Colima (also known as Volcan Fuego) is a youthful stratovolcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera, breached to the south, that has been the source of large debris avalanches. Major slope failures have occurred repeatedly from both the Nevado and Colima cones, and have produced a thick apron of debris-avalanche deposits on three sides of the complex. Frequent historical eruptions date back to the 16th century. Occasional major explosive eruptions (most recently in 1913) have destroyed the summit and left a deep, steep-sided crater that was slowly refilled and then overtopped by lava dome growth.---


Virginia Dwan standing in the Language III installation (May 24-June 18, 1969). (Dwan Archives/National Gallery of Art)

The art galleries operated by Virginia Dwan from 1959 to 1971 were no ordinary white boxes selling decorative daubing to rich people. And the promise of some 250 works from Dwans personal collection to the National Gallery of Art is no ordinary gift. She played an instrumental role in the development of postwar American art, championing pop art, minimalism, language-based and conceptual work, and land art. She sponsored The Lightning Field by Walter De Maria and Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson and paid for the land on which Michael Heizer carved his monumental earth work Double Negative.

Fortunately, the exhibition surveying this gift is not the usual celebratory overview of a rich persons trophies, either. Los Angeles to New York: Dwan Gallery, 1959-1971 allows visitors to follow the intellectual path Dwan pursued during more than a decade of rapid change in American culture. In dialogue with the artists she championed, Dwan eventually talked herself out of the gallery business altogether, as the art she supported became in some cases less material, or so deeply rooted in specific places that it had little tangible connection to a physical gallery. Granted, Dwan ran her galleries (in New York and Los Angeles) at a loss throughout this period. She inherited independent means from the 3M fortune and was apparently more of a patron to her artists than an entrepreneur. But closing up in 1971 was not about abandoning a failing enterprise. Rather, Dwan was living the truth of the art she cared about, and that art was no longer something that could be contained in discrete architectural boxes.

[The National Gallerys East Building reopens, remade, with new spaces]

The list of artists included in the collection is impressive: Ad Reinhardt, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, Yves Klein, Jean Tinguely, Arman, Niki de Saint Phalle, Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, Robert Smithson, Carl Andre, Fred Sandback and Dan Flavin, among others. Even more enticing, many of these artists are represented in this exhibition not just by their most familiar or signature work but by material that gives a wider sense of their visual experimentation or that has an intimate connection to Dwan or especially to Los Angeles, where she started her first gallery. Kleins monochrome blue paintings of the early 1960s are present, but there are also saturated panels in other colors, and one piece, Leau et le Feu, in which he used fire and water to create a cloudlike abstraction that recalls Andy Warhols oxidation paintings (created using urine) from much later.



James Rosenquist. "Toaster," 1963 oil on vinyl, chromed barbed wire, metal saw blades, plastic, and wood, with dripped paint. (Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation/Copyright James Rosenquist/Licensed by VAGA)

Although James Rosenquists Toaster, from 1963, shares a similar palette with his slick, candy-color pop-art paintings, it is much more menacing in aspect, circled with barbed wire and with saw blades emerging from the slots where the toast should be. By contrast, the work of Saint Phalle includes a personal letter to Dwan, written on a paper rendering of a playful dinosaur, blurring the lines between art and missive.

The exhibition, assembled by James Meyer, who recently left the National Gallery to become chief curator of the Dia Art Foundation, is not limited simply to works in Dwans donation. Using art borrowed from other collections, and supplemented by a substantial essay in the catalogue, Meyer creates a lively sense of the ideas, and cultural forces, that drove art during this heady period. It was, he says, a period of great change in the basic mobility of America, with the emergence of the interstate highway system and affordable jet travel. That meant that the adventurous L.A. art world was connected to the more catholic milieu of New York and that artists from Paris could have a regular presence in the United States as well.



Niki de Saint Phalle. "Tyrannousaurus Rex etrangle par un cobra," c. 1963 colored markers, ballpoint pen, and graphite on paper. (Collection of Virginia Dwan/National Gallery of Art)

[Kennicott on Oldeburg and Wesselmann]

The car also joined Americans urban enclaves and its larger hinterlands, and it became emblematic of a culture that celebrated new forms of commerce and social license. One senses the car as a presence throughout this show, sometimes explicitly, as in a macabre installation by Edward Kienholz that uses part of a 1938 Dodge to re-create a disturbing sexual encounter, and more often as an invisible promise of escape, travel, exploration and reinvention.

Distance had not been eliminated, and shipping was still expensive, so some artists made work on-site, using material they found in Los Angeles or New York. There was also still some cachet, or cool, to be exploited in confrontations between the unique cultural flavors of both New York and Los Angeles, and Dwans galleries functioned as bicoastal entrepots for keeping these distinct worlds in communion.

The sense that the world was getting smaller, and that the Earth itself was now an object for philosophical contemplation, inspired some artists to think about a new sense place, and perspective, an everywhere to their art and lives that was not specifically rooted anywhere at all. In 1961, as a souvenir of Kleins visit to Los Angeles, Kienholz created a Traveling Art Show Kit, essentially a luggage case full of paint and other artistic necessaries that Klein might use. Key to its deeper meaning is the luggage tag, which reads: Name: Yves Klein; Address: The Universe.

Two particular trends seem to emerge from this explosion of any concrete sense of place or rootedness. First, there was the infinity of space suggested by art that was derived primarily from ideas, concepts or formula that transcended physical limits. Second, there was a fetish, disturbing in its monomania and environmental impact, for art on a gargantuan scale, art that may be read from an airplane or a satellite.



Edward Kienholz. "Back Seat Dodge '38," 1964. (Courtesy L.A. Louver/Copyright Edward Kienholz and Museum Associates/LACMA)

The former impulse led to art generated by geometrical prescriptions, including works by LeWitt, and eventually to an art of pure ideation, including works that used language to suggest scenes, acts or ideas that needed no particular material realization. One of the most intriguing rooms in the exhibition features Kienholzs Back Seat Dodge 38, from 1964, in which two mannequins (one a wire-mesh male figure, the other a limp female) boozily have sex in the back of an old car, surrounded by empty beer bottles and cigarette butts. On the wall nearby are two language-art concept tableaux, one by Kienholz, another jointly by Kienholz and Tinguely, in which the art is merely the idea of a scene, suggested verbally, with no material realization. Hollywood, with its vigorous trade in film plots, scripts, treatments and adaptations, is behind some of this, but a conviction that art was not about objects but rather the ideas we take from or project onto objects was making things themselves seem unnecessary, even vulgar.

[Kennicott on Warhol in the 1960s]

Its too simplistic to think of this history as a series of revolutions and counterrevolutions, but there was a powerful dialectical energy driving many artists to extremes. If some minimalists seemed slavishly enthralled to the perfectly manufactured physical thing, language artists banished the thing altogether. And artists not only returned to the thing, and its materiality, but also came with such ambition and fervor that their work became perilously aligned with the same forces of industry and natural degradation that are now destroying the planet.

This last turn of the dialectical wheel is the most fraught. Works by Heizer, who gouged huge cuts into a mesa in Nevada, have a savage energy; Smithsons Spiral Jetty is one of the man-made wonders of our time; Charles Rosss ongoing project Star Axis articulates a singular artistic vision on the scale of an ancient monolith. As Meyer notes, the car makes these works possible. Without the car, viewers cant go there, cant see them, cant connect them to the artistic culture from which they are terrifying outgrowths.

But viewing the world from a car leads to fundamental misapprehension. These artists seem to consider the desert an empty place, a blank canvas. But the desert is also fragile, and the sense that it is blank and empty is simply ignorance or anthropocentric arrogance. More than any landscape on the planet, the desert is aesthetically self-sufficient, independent of man, and it needs none of our improvement. The land artists working in the Southwest made beautiful things that could not be made anywhere else, but they should not be where they are at all.

So the show concludes on a note both awe-inspiring and bittersweet. Once again, man, tenaciously following an idea, is traduced by his own brilliance. It is the story of so many things that plague our planet, and alas, it is a sad part of this chapter, too.

Los Angeles to New York: The Dwan Gallery is on view at the East Building of the National Gallery of Art through Jan. 29. For more information, visit www.nga.gov.
Smoke and possible fire were reported in the auxiliary power unit of a jet airliner preparing to depart Saturday night from Baltimore-Washington International-Marshall Airport. Firefighters sprayed foam on the unit before the aircraft returned to the gate and was taken out of service, authorities said. No injuries were reported.

Southwest Airlines Flight 913 with 118 passengers on board was taxiing from the gate, preparing to take off from BWI shortly after 9 p.m. for a flight to Detroit when the problem was reported, according to airport and airline spokesmen.

The auxiliary power unit (APU) is used to provide power when the engines are not operating, and to help start the jet engines.

An airline spokesman said the plane experienced what is a suspected fire in the tail pipe  of the APU. He said the unit shut down and fire retardent chemical was released onto the area by the airplane captain. Airport firefighters went to the plane, and the they deployed foam onto the unit, said Jonathan Dean, a spokesman for BWI.

The plane returned safely to the gate for investigation by the airline, the Southwest spokesman said.

The airline spokesman said another aircraft was to be brought to take the passengers to Detroit.

The APU is generally located below the tail of a jetliner, with an exhaust pipe frequently placed at or near the back end of the fuselage.
Ralph Nader poses in front of a Chevrolet Corvair in the American Museum of Tort Law in Winsted, Conn., in 2015. Nader had a conference in Washington last week that delved into civics education. (Jessica Hill/AP)

Ralph Nader called me a few days ago. It was not a robo-call. Like any voting American, I get lots of those from celebrities. This was Nader live. I have not been that excited by a phone message since Arnold Schwarzenegger called me in 2001.

I called Nader back. He was promoting a big conference, Breaking Through Power, that delved into civics education. It sounded dull, but I promised to read the conference materials. They were interesting and inspired a contrarian thought.

Nader admires educational philosopher John Dewey. The Columbia University professor said students should learn civics by taking part in campaigns, social movements and other activities that reveal firsthand how a democratic society works.

Dewey knew what they would see would often be messy, disheartening, craven, dishonest, rude, scandalous and corrupt. Civics is not always civil. Isnt that what the presidential campaign of 2016 has been all about?

[Why I wanted to demote myself to education reporter]

We Americans have spent a great deal of time telling each other how awful this election season is. We assume that we have reached some new low, but thats not true. In the glory days of our nations first elections, people were chattering about Alexander Hamiltons adultery and Thomas Jeffersons impregnating a slave. If you are offended by Twitter insults, remember that Abraham Lincoln was called an idiot and a gorilla.

And that is just national politics. Whats said at school board and city council meetings, about how the mayor funded the new bridge or about what the police chief did when his son robbed a liquor store can be even more outrageous.

[These popular polling questions are dumb and deserve ridicule]

Advocates of civics education, such as Nader, want us and our children to learn such things. He recommended that I read The Kids Guide to Social Action by Barbara A. Lewis, which is full of stories of children confronting malpractice and lies. Students at Jackson Elementary School in Salt Lake City investigated an old barrel yard, deemed a hazardous waste site. Local health officials told them that nothing could be done about it. When the children kept pushing, the owner of the barrel yard had a heart attack, and they were blamed. Their teacher received anonymous calls threatening legal action if her kids persisted.

Our failure to remember what civics and history taught us in school is not new. A hundred years ago, a test given to high school and college students found that many did not know what happened in 1776. A 1943 test found that just a quarter of college students could name two contributions made by either Jefferson or Lincoln.

So we need exposure to the truths of civic engagement, even if we do not enjoy them. In that respect, we are lucky this year. Never has news of a presidential campaign spread as widely, with social media in full cry and TV debate ratings breaking all records.

Personal participation in politics of the sort Dewey recommended is also surging. More people voted in primary elections this year than at any time other than 2008. The get-out-the-vote ground game pioneered by President Obama, using thousands of paid and unpaid workers, has been adopted by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Republicans are employing some of the same techniques and will probably do more in 2020 if Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, not a ground-game fan, loses this election.

We may not like to encounter unpleasant truths about civics in America, but we need to remember them. For instance, the Breaking Through Power conference where Nader spoke last week celebrated the 50th anniversary of his landmark book Unsafe at Any Speed.

His dissection of the auto industry became a sensation and a great funding source when he sued General Motors for its efforts to smear him. This is a fact many Americans are too young to recall. Operatives followed Nader, tapped his phone and sent women to try to seduce him to discredit his work.

Such unsavory forms of civic activism  hello, hackers  have not disappeared. We should thank the current political campaign for teaching us so much about them.


Republican Amie Hoeber talks with voters outside the Ruritan Club in Maugansville, Md. (Bill Turque/The Washington Post)

The Maugansville Ruritan Club was packed for its all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast on a recent Saturday, as Amie Hoeber arrived to shake hands and chat.

It was the third visit to this Western Maryland town for Hoeber, the Republican challenging Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.). She had become a familiar face to some breakfasters, even though she, like Delaney, lives in wealthy Potomac, 66 miles to the southeast.

Hi, Amy! one woman greeted Hoeber, whose first name is pronounced AH-MEE (short for Amoretta). The candidate didnt mind.

If you vote for me, I dont care how you say it.

Hoeber and Delaney are both running hard in this odd duck of a district, gerrymandered by Democratic lawmakers in 2011 to grab a big swath of liberal Montgomery County before heading north and west through the states more conservative, and economically brittle, panhandle. The race has turned negative in the final weeks, with each side launching attack ads.

[Maryland Republicans still eyeing Delaneys seat]

Political professionals say Hoeber faces a steep climb against Delaney, a two-term House incumbent who wants a strong showing that will preserve his 2018 options, including a possible gubernatorial or Senate run. But Hoeber, a defense expert who has drawn some support from the national GOP, views Delaney as vulnerable, since he squeaked past Republican radio talker Dan Bongino by less than two percentage points in 2014.

In my view hes out for himself, not his district, Hoeber said. I dont think he pays attention to his constituents.



Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) mingles with people at the Frederick County Fair on Sept. 24. (Bill Turque/The Washington Post)

She and Delaney have more in common than their Zip code, located just outside the 6th Congressional District, which is an issue with some voters. Both scuffled early in life to establish themselves, and came to politics late. Both resisted family expectations that they would pursue medical careers.

3,000 men and me

The daughter of a college English professor, Hoeber, 74, studied political science and humanities at Stanford University. After graduation, she became a research assistant at the Stanford Research Institute, working on ballistic missiles at a time when there were few other women in the industry.

Three thousand men and me is how she likes to describe her first big professional conference.

The early years, part of them as a divorced single mother, were difficult. Hoeber said she was furious when she realized she made two-thirds of what her male colleagues earned. She had to essentially throw a few temper tantrums, she recalled, to force equitable treatment.

[Abortion roils 6th District Republican campaign forum]

But she was also mentored by leading cold warriors such as Paul Nitze and Albert Wohlstetter, the Rand Corp. nuclear theorist reputed to be one of the inspirations for the title character in the black comedy film Dr. Strangelove (1964).

By the 1980s, Hoeber was an expert in chemical and biological warfare and a member of the Committee on the Present Danger, an influential foreign policy group that advocated a strong defense posture against the Soviet Union. That led to the Pentagon, where she oversaw Army research and development, and destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles. After leaving office, she spoke in opposition to the 1990 and 1996 treaties to destroy chemical weapons, arguing that provisions for verification and sanctions against violators were weak.

Hoeber decries Obama-era defense cuts, calls the Iran nuclear deal  which Delaney supported  one of the major mistakes this administration has made, and vows to cut government regulations and protect Second Amendment gun rights. If asked, she said she would vote to defund Planned Parenthood.



Gov. Larry Hogan (R) endorses Amie Hoeber on Sept. 14 in her bid to unseat Delaney. Hoeber decries Obama-era defense cuts and vows to cut government regulations and protect Second Amendment gun rights. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

But Hoeber, who was endorsed last month by Gov. Larry Hogan (R), also lobbied for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, and serves on the board of the Maryland chapter of the House of Ruth, which supports victims of domestic violence.

Although Delaney tried to brand her in an ad as an extreme tea party partisan, she spoke openly at a tea party-sponsored debate in Allegany County last March about her opposition to government restrictions on abortion rights and her advocacy for women in the workplace.

When the moderator then asked the first-time candidate whether she believed in affirmative action, she said no. But she described her support as a form of sisterhood that tries to ease for other women the difficult professional path she encountered.

I have constantly, ever since then, mentored young women and offered them a hand up, she said.

Eternal optimist

Delaney, 53, is the son of a New Jersey electrician who attended Columbia University on a union scholarship before enrolling at Georgetown University Law Center. He founded two successful companies  one financed health-care businesses, the other lent to small- and medium-size firms  and still seems to frame much of the world in a business context.

Strolling through the Frederick County Fair last weekend, he stopped to chat with two employees of a home rehab company, asking how sales were going.

[Delaney: Hoeber illegally coordinating with super PAC funded by husband]

Nothing happens until somebody sells something, he said.

A devout Catholic, Delaney brings a steely optimism to his work laboring in the House minority. Describing how technology and globalization have dramatically raised living standards worldwide, he told a Gaithersburg audience, If thats not the hand of God at work, I dont know what is.

In reality, the world continues to get better, he said in an interview. That doesnt mean we dont have significant challenges. But you always have faith, I think, and I have faith, that the course of humankind and human existence is to improve.



Delaney makes calls at his Hagerstown office. The Democrat touts himself as a solution-seeking bipartisan, pointing to surveys that rank him near the top for across-the-aisle collaboration with Republicans. (Bill Turque/The Washington Post)

He touts himself as a solution-seeking bipartisan, pointing to surveys that rank him near the top for across-the-aisle collaboration with Republicans. He has been critical of the White House on Syria, and broke with Democrats to vote for a bill requiring more rigorous background checks on Syrian refugees.

Delaneys signature legislative proposal, which would allow corporations to repatriate a portion of their overseas earnings tax-free in exchange for buying bonds to fund infrastructure renewal, has 50 GOP co-sponsors. While still far from a floor vote, the infrastructure bill has had an impact, he said.

It all depends on how you measure outcomes, he said, munching on a slice of pizza at his Hagerstown headquarters. No one had thought about the idea until I got to Congress. Now on CNBC they probably talk about it once a day.

He pointed out district-level improvements, such as working with Comcast to get Baltimore TV news for Garrett County after years of Pittsburgh-only viewing. He put together workshops for constituents to talk with government officials and private-sector experts about debt, identity theft and veterans issues.





Money is not a concern for either candidate. Delaney spent $3.3 million of his fortune on his first two campaigns, and has raised about $1 million through June 30 for his current race, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Hoeber, who outspent seven primary opponents, has invested more than a half-million dollars in loans or personal funds as part of her $760,000 in contributions.

The biggest boost for Hoeber has been from her husband, former Qualcomm executive Mark Epstein, who gave more than $2 million to Maryland USA, a super PAC that has so far supported just one candidate  Hoeber.

Despite living under the same roof and traveling together to campaign events (Hes my driver, she said), Hoeber and Epstein insisted that they have abided by federal laws barring communication or coordination between super PACs and candidates.

Delaney disagreed, and he filed a complaint with the FEC last week.

Both Hoeber and Maryland USA have accused Delaney of profiting from predatory lending  a reference to CapitalSource, the firm founded by Delaney in 2000. In 2009, it lent $30 million to Aeon Financial, a company that bought tax liens placed on homes in the District and Maryland, then charged the owners huge fees to avoid foreclosure. Delaney said he was strictly a lender and had nothing to do with Aeons activities, which were the subject of a 2013 article in The Washington Post.

When Delaney joined this summers Democratic House sit-in, an attempt to force gun-control measures to the floor, Hoeber accused him of playing kindergarten games.

Delaney, in turn, has slammed Hoeber for supporting GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, a decision she called a matter of honor because she promised to back the partys nominee.

She acknowledges that Trumps crude and disparaging comments about women havent made it easy. Asked if she has made her peace with the top of the ballot, she said, As much peace as one can make.

She would need overwhelming support from the deep-red western portions of the district, and a better-than-expected performance in more moderate areas such as Potomac and Gaithersburg, to oust Delaney, who has accumulated his share of Republican supporters during his four years in office.

Katie Nash, a GOP activist from Frederick who was at the county fair, said she has been impressed with how seriously Delaney seems to take his job.

Its not just that hes bipartisan, she said. Every time I went to hear him speak, he came prepared with fact-based and solution-based ideas.
THE DISTRICT

Pedestrian is killed on Georgia Avenue

A pedestrian was killed when he was struck by a vehicle early Sunday in Northwest Washington, D.C. police said.

Police said the incident occurred about 3:05 a.m. in the 5300 block of Georgia Avenue NW, near the intersection with Ingraham Street.

The driver was traveling south when a man ran into the southbound lanes mid-block and was hit, police spokeswoman Aquita Brown said.

The man, who was identified by police as Jonathan A. Ramos Ayala, 23, of Northwest, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver had not been charged in connection with the fatal incident.

The incident is under investigation, police said.

 Faiz Siddiqui

VIRGINIA

Hundreds evacuated from condo complex

Authorities on Sunday evacuated hundreds of residents from an Alexandria condominium complex because of the buildings structural problems.

Some residents were allowed to return to their units overnight, but others living in the multiple-story building were barred from re-entry while Fairfax County officials assessed the structures safety.

Residents displaced overnight were sent to nearby Belle View Elementary School.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue did not return calls.

A local NBC affiliate reported that crews responding to a report of cracks in columns discovered additional cracks in walls on two floors as well as doors that were unable to shut.

The building is part of the 525-unit River Towers Condominium complex on 6631 Wakefield Dr. in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County.
THE DISTRICT

Suspect arrested in Hill East sex assaults

An armed attacker entered a house on Capitol Hill early Saturday and sexually assaulted a man inside, D.C. police said.

Police said officers arrested a suspect at the scene, on Independence Avenue SE in the area known as Hill East. They said the same suspect was also arrested in a similar offense that occurred nearby Aug. 28.

 Martin Weil

MARYLAND

Driver charged with impersonating officer

A Baltimore man allegedly impersonating a police officer was arrested after trying to pull over an actual police officer, authorities said.

About 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, a Montgomery County detective was in an unmarked vehicle on the Intercounty Connector near Georgia Avenue when he saw a Ford Crown Victoria that appeared to be an unmarked police vehicle traveling beside him, Montgomery police said.

Vincent Angelini, 51, the driver of the Crown Victoria, positioned his car behind the detectives vehicle and activated a siren, the police said, and the detective thought Angelini was attempting to pull him over.

After activating the siren, Angelini abruptly changed lanes and sped past the detective, according to police, leading the detective to pull over Angelini.

The detective noted antennas and red and blue grill lights on the exterior of Angelinis car, and the cars interior replicated a police car, with items including a radio microphone, emergency switches, a camera affixed to the windshield and flex cuffs, police said.

The detective determined that Angelini was not a police officer and arrested him, police said. He was charged with one count of impersonating a police officer and released on a $2,500 bond.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

VIRGINIA

Fairfax police followed by 100,000 on Twitter

In another confirmation of the significance of social media in modern law enforcement, the Fairfax County police announced a milestone last week.

The department now has 100,000 followers on @Fairfaxpolice, its Twitter account.

The department, employing an avian vocabulary suggestive of the connotations of Twitter, said we took our first flight in 2012.

The police department said it did not wish to forget its loyal Facebook friends, YouTube subscribers, neighbors on NextDoor.com and most recently, our Instagram entourage.

For context, the account for Montgomery County police claims 54,100 followers.

 Martin Weil
Is it rude to take the last chocolate? (iStock/iStock)

Should I take the last chocolate?

I didnt know it was the last chocolate when  feeling peckish on a recent afternoon  I rose from my desk and walked across the newsroom toward where my editor, Victoria, sits. She keeps on her desk a glass jar stocked with candy  typically those trapezoidal, foil-wrapped Dove chocolates  free for the taking.

Every office has one of these generous people. Their desk becomes an oasis, a destination that helps break up the monotony of the day and gives us a temporary sugar high.

The candy jar becomes a sort of commons, as in the tragedy of the commons, a shared resource in danger of depletion. Each of us who partakes of the free-candy jar must confront certain questions: How often should we visit? How much should we take? How long should we stay and chat with the keeper of the candy? Should we bring in a bag of fun-size candy bars to replenish the stock?

Should we take the last chocolate?

Obviously it would be wrong to take all the chocolates all at once. Or to take one every 15 minutes until they were all gone. Or to take the last one. Right?

Victoria wasnt at her desk. I saw a single chocolate at the bottom of the glass jar and felt the disappointment rising inside me. Ah, I said under my breath. Well, Im not going to take the last one.

Take it, said a voice to my right.

It was Josh. He sits next to Victoria, next to the jar of chocolates, and because of that he has become a student of the human-chocolate nexus.

Most people do not take the last chocolate, Josh said. They do as I was poised to do: mutter, then turn on their heels and shuffle away, chocolate-less. This has grown tiresome to Josh.

But, I said, isnt it rude to take the last chocolate? No, said Josh. Quite the contrary. By being polite  by not taking the last chocolate  I would just be forcing the uncomfortable decision on to the next person who came along. Surely it would be better to take the last chocolate and thus relieve the next person of having to wrestle with that thorny moral calculus.

In fact, Josh said he had grown tired of excessive politeness regarding food. Ever seen the remains of a communal, celebratory cake? Lest anyone be accused of taking the last piece, it is cut increasingly thinner  slice after slice until it is barely a micron thick, a wee, frosting-topped nanotube.

Who could defend such a practice?

I guarantee you research papers have been written about the last chocolate, Josh said.

I laughed, thinking of psychologist Stanley Milgrams infamous experiment, which explored conscience and authority by pretending to administer painful shocks to test subjects. I reached toward the jar, then hesitated.

Its not electrified, Josh said.

Victoria returned to her desk and I explained my quandary: It is easy to take a chocolate when the jar is full. It is hard to take a chocolate when there is only one left.

Take it, Victoria said. Her philosophy: If a person wants a chocolate, and there is a chocolate, a person should eat the chocolate.

Well, she is the boss.

As I stood looking at the chocolate  which shone like a priceless bauble in a museums vitrine  I felt myself coming around to Victoria and Joshs school of thought. If no one takes the last chocolate, it is almost as if it ceases to exist. It enters a quantum state, both there and not there.

One chocolate is the same as no chocolate. In fact, the only thing worse than no chocolate is one chocolate, for as long as there is one chocolate, there will be no more chocolate.

I took it. I took the chocolate. I took the last chocolate. And it was good.

Candy, man

Is there someone in your office who carefully tends a jar full of candy? Are you that person? What sort of etiquette is involved? How do you handle the last chocolate? Send your observations to me at john.kelly@washpost.com.

Twitter: @johnkelly

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
New Jersey Transit workers lay down pallets and boards for commuters to walk on in a flooded hallway near the site of last weeks train crash in Hoboken, N.J. (Julio Cortez/AP)

The New Jersey transit agency involved in a rail station crash that killed one person and injured more than 100 last week already was under scrutiny by federal authorities after dozens of safety violations were uncovered this summer.

The Federal Railroad Administration discovered the violations after conducting an extensive audit of New Jersey Transits commuter rail operations, said an individual who was familiar with the audit but who was not authorized to comment publicly.

The cause of Thursdays crash, in which a train barreled into the Hoboken, N.J., station, is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FRA. The train, which was being pushed by a locomotive, crashed over a barrier, killing a woman on the platform who was struck by debris.

[Federal investigators launch probe into fatal New Jersey train crash]

The FRA declined to comment on its earlier investigation into the transit agency. The scrutiny on the agency was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and then independently confirmed by The Washington Post.

The FRA, concerned about a leadership vacuum and an increase in safety violations, began to review New Jersey Transits commuter rail operations in June. Several FRA inspectors found dozens of safety violations, informing the transit agency of their findings.

The violations were described as operational, meaning they had to do with the way trains were operated rather than with physical problems such as infrastructure.

[Data from recorder in Hoboken train crash has proved difficult to access]

Before the Hoboken crash, the FRA was taking steps that would have forced compliance with safety regulations, the individual familiar with the audit said.

New Jersey Transit is the nations third-busiest commuter system, serving many of the people who live in northern New Jersey and work in New York City.

Like many transit agencies, New Jersey Transit has been financially squeezed and has had many veterans depart from leadership positions, including its executive director, Veronique Hakim, who resigned last year to join the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York.

The man selected to fill Hakims position turned down the job, leaving New Jersey Transit in the hands of an interim director.

The agency also is dealing with a $45 million budget gap.

[Train engineer in Hoboken crash identified as 29-year employee]

New Jersey Transit has also faced scrutiny over its bus operations. In August, two buses collided in Newark, resulting in the deaths of one driver and a passenger.

Last week, two New Jersey Transit buses bound for Manhattan collided in the Lincoln Tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey, injuring dozens of passengers.

[Safety tool Congress asked for 8 years ago might have prevented Hoboken train wreck, officials say]

Some federal officials said the Hoboken crash could have been prevented if the transit agency had installed a device known as positive train control. The system would have slowed the train before it entered the station where it crashed. Some witnesses said the train was traveling at a high speed when it entered the station.

According to the latest FRA accounting, New Jersey Transit has not installed the system in any of its 440 engines or put in place the 124 rail-side towers that would be needed to communicate with the trains.

NTSB officials said Sunday they are having trouble determining the speed of the train at the crash because the recovered event recorder was not working at the time. In addition, the engineer, Thomas Gallagher, 48, has no memory of the crash.

The recovered black box, which would have contained speed and braking information critical to the investigation, was an older model built in 1995, NTSB vice chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr said at a news conference Sunday. Engineers are hopeful they can recover the trains other event recorder  likely a newer model  which is still in the leading car. Investigators have been unable to access the car because it is buried in debris from the crash, and contractors are still working to remove it.

Faiz Siddiqui contributed to this report.
A homemade sign was placed near the road by a resident along Cathedral Avenue NW in Washington. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Tony Nuland just wanted to walk his dog.

Cradling Miki, his blind, 13-year-old Pekingese, the D.C. resident scanned crowded Cathedral Avenue NW for an opening. But a procession of cars racing down the hill in front of his home created an impasse.

The 72-year-old didnt want to risk scampering across two lanes of heavy traffic, so there he stood, helplessly trying to reach a grassy patch less than 50 feet from his front porch.

Lately, this game of chicken has turned into a daily morning routine  man vs. machine  as streams of sedans, SUVs and the occasional turbocharged sports car whiz past his three-story rowhouse, where he lives with his wife, Alexa Simmonds, and two other dogs.

Youve gotta pick your time and scurry across, said Nuland, a securities and banking lawyer. He successfully petitioned the city to install stop signs near his home in 1999, following several troubling incidents on the road.

Tony Nuland and Alexa Simmonds with their dog Miki along Cathedral Avenue NW in Washington. In advance of the Beach Drive closure, DDOT covered up two stop signs on Cathedral Avenue, but residents are worried about unsafe conditions that the removal of the stop signs has created. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

There have been numerous near-accidents as vehicles traveling on Cathedral have had to brake suddenly, he wrote then, citing near-blind curves at intersecting streets.

In the neighborhood, which edges up against the Smithsonian National Zoo, a rainbow palette of rowhouses dots stone sidewalks, and sharp curves on the sloping road obscure the view at two intersections, which flank the residences.

So, asked to calm the traffic 17 years ago, the city obliged.

But in advance of the Beach Drive closure in September, the District Department of Transportation covered up the stop signs Nuland and his neighbors fought so hard for  without consulting them. And it was only after a weeks-long fight involving letters, vocal complaints and two tense community meetings that the District partially reversed its decision in an announcement that elicited loud cheers at a community meeting last week attended by dozens.

[Beach Drive closure likely to cause abysmal traffic in Northwest D.C.]

The first of four phases of the rehabilitation of Beach Drive is expected to last six to eight months. But the residents recent showdown with city transportation officials showcased the pain that the massive three-year project will cause as one of the regions most heavily traveled thoroughfares is restored to a state of good repair.

It also typified the resilience of a tightknit Northwest Washington community, a neighborhood that banded together to fight the city and, effectively, won at least a partial victory.

Vehicles hurry along Cathedral Avenue NW in Washington. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

It all started in mid-September, a few days before the first Beach Drive closure was set to begin. The National Park Service taped fliers to residents doors. It said DDOT and traffic engineers had recommended removing the stop signs to help mitigate backups on this street.

Residents werent persuaded, but DDOTs traffic concerns were proved in the closures first week: Average daily traffic volume on Cathedral Avenue shot up 70 percent, from about 7,000 vehicles per day to nearly 12,000.

And residents on Cathedral Avenue were quick to notice.

They said the influx of commuter traffic, combined with the lack of traffic control, turned their street into a speedway and a hazard, particularly before and after rush hour. DDOT data showed that average speeds never exceeded the 25 mph speed limit during that time, but it was during off-peak times, when traffic control officers left, that residents were especially concerned.

I call it training for the Indy 500. These are the wannabes, said Barbara Ioanes, 74, who is vice president of the Woodley Park Community Association.

[Beach Drive rehabilitation will close busy commuter route]

Nuland said traffic that used to proceed at 35 or 40 mph down the slope in front of his home now approaches 50 mph.

Its just not designed to go that fast, he said. The bloody speed limits 25 miles per hour.

The absence of traffic-calming measures creates a hazard for both those living in the neighborhood and visitors: zoo patrons pushing strollers, pet owners, public servants and utility workers.

Even the mail carrier has been afraid to cross the street.

Its like a challenge, a very dangerous one, said U.S. Postal Service carrier Sabrina Battle, 42, as she juggled an armful of packages on a recent afternoon. Its something waiting to happen.

Judith Shapiro, 63, erected a hand-painted, wooden sign reading Slow Slow Stop in front of her home. We dont mind a nuisance, but we do mind the disregard for public safety, she said. The fact is that not only residents, but public servants, contractors, are afraid to come here.

Residents said cars peel down the hill off Connecticut Avenue and race all the way to an intersection near the entrance of Rock Creek Parkway, treating the road as an extension of the parkway.

Nuland emailed government officials, including Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo and Tara D. Morrison, the Park Service superintendent for Rock Creek Park, asking them to reconsider the decision to remove the stop signs.

Things came to a head at a community meeting last month when residents confronted Dormsjo. His response, in their recollection: Construction-related detours are not a voting matter. And residents were warned what was coming, officials said, eliciting boos. More than a dozen disgruntled residents walked out of the meeting. A recording of the meeting could not be obtained, but the chain of events was corroborated by multiple attendees.

[How not to drive around the Beach Drive closing]

Meanwhile, the stop signs remained bagged for weeks. And residents continued to fight. D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), who represents the area, was among those who took up their cause.

It was my suggestion that before they cover the stop signs or eliminate them that they consider (A) if its really needed, but (B) leave the stop signs there and put traffic controllers there so they can override the backups during rush hour, said Cheh, who also chairs the councils transportation committee. They can just wave people on come on, come on, come on, they can be there and ready to relieve any backups, but the stop signs would otherwise apply.

DDOT did not respond to initial requests for comment. After multiple emails, a department spokesman finally told a Post reporter that officials would be made available at a special meeting organized by the Woodley Park Community Association.

It was at that meeting Thursday night that neighborhood residents learned their efforts had paid off. DDOT pledged to restore stop signs at one of the two intersections  Woodley Road NW  and said it would monitor conditions at the other, Hawthorne Street. The room erupted in applause as DDOTs Sam Zimbabwe, acting chief project delivery officer, announced the change.

We think that there is good reason to reinstate the stop sign at Woodley Road, Zimbabwe said, eliciting cheers.

Work remains, but it was encouraging that DDOT was willing to work with the neighborhood, residents said.

What this is . . . its a good compromise, said Peter Brusoe, president of the Woodley Park Community Association.

Nuland hopes it will put an end to a bizarre two-week span in which traffic on Cathedral Avenue had even slowed the delivery of the mail. Battle, the mail carrier, said a colleague had recently timed her as she attempted to cross the street. It took six minutes.

Nuland was in a similar situation, holding Miki last week. It was only after a friendly driver stopped and waved him on that he was able to cross. Even then, drivers in the rear honked their horns.

Its just a pity, in my view, that we have to do this, Nuland said.
An Anderson County sheriff's deputy stands outside of Townville Elementary School after the Sept. 28 shooting. (Stringer/Reuters)

SOUTH CAROLINA

6-year-old wounded in school shooting dies

A 6-year-old boy died Saturday after being shot Wednesday while heading to the playground at his South Carolina elementary school by a teenager who is thought to have killed his own father.

Jacob Hall had been in critical condition and on life support since Wednesday, when he, another student and a teacher were wounded at Townville Elementary School, about 40 miles west of Greenville, S.C.

A bullet struck the boys leg as he burst through the school door for recess, striking his femoral artery. He was resuscitated twice and underwent surgery, but he bled so much from the wound that he suffered brain damage, authorities said.

Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore told the Associated Press that the boy died early Saturday afternoon.

Local authorities say the suspected shooter is a teenager who had just killed his father at home. After the shooting at his house, officials say, the teenager drove to the school, where he crashed and started firing into the crowd of young students heading outside to play.

Teachers were able to get most of the children inside to safety.

 Carol Morello

CALIFORNIA

Black man fatally shot by police remembered

Alfred Olango, the unarmed black man shot and killed by police in a suburb of San Diego, was remembered at a demonstration Saturday organized by clergy members and supporters of Olangos family.

Several hundred people gathered peacefully at a park in downtown El Cajon to hear speeches by religious leaders and then marched through the streets to police headquarters, where Olangos family members joined them.

Olangos father, Richard Olango Abuka, called for the resignation of the police chief and said his sons death is a turning point in a peaceful struggle to change police practices. Other speakers demanded changes in how police respond to calls about people in mental distress.

There was a modest police presence to direct traffic.

The event came a day after two videos of the shooting were released by authorities, something the family and community leaders had urged.

The videos show the officer fired four times at close range almost immediately after Olango, 38, suddenly raised both hands to chest level and took what was described as a shooting stance. In addition to the videos, police showed the 4-inch electronic cigarette device Olango had in his hands when he was shot.

The shots came less than a minute after police arrived at the scene in response to Olangos sister calling 911 and reporting he was acting erratically.

 Associated Press

Police kill man in Los Angeles: Police have shot and killed a man in south Los Angeles at the end of a car chase on Saturday. Officers tried to pull over a car with paper plates, believing the vehicle may have been stolen, around 1 p.m., authorities said. When the driver refused to stop, police began a pursuit, Sgt. Barry Montgomery said. He said the passenger got out of the car at some point and ran into the back of a house, where he was shot. The driver fled the scene and remained on the loose. Montgomery said a weapon was recovered at the scene, but he would not say what it was or what led to the shooting.

 Associated Press
When I was 18, my stepfathers brother had been on dialysis for just over a year. He was thin, he exercised regularly and he seemingly was in perfect health, but inexplicably his kidneys began to fail him. Although I was just about to leave for college, Id heard enough about the misery of dialysis to decide to get tested as a possible donor. In the back of my mind, I knew that the chances of our compatibility were incredibly low because we were not related by blood. Perhaps that made it easy for me to decide to get tested.

When we received the results, I was stunned to find out that he and I were a match. The transplant team gave me plenty of opportunities to back out of the donation, and it put me through countless evaluations, physical and psychological. Much of my family was steadfast against my becoming a donor. Looking back, who could blame them? Their son-grandson-nephew was going to undergo a major operation with no benefit to himself.

However, I continued to be confident in my choice. I relied on the one fact that would be repeated to me many times: The rate of kidney failure in kidney donors is the same as the general population. Why wouldnt everyone donate a kidney, I wondered.

[New approach to organ transport: Instead of ice, a little warmth]

My mother was the only one to  reluctantly  support my decision. She accompanied me to San Francisco, where the surgery took place, and we settled in for the weeks that I would spend recovering. On the day of the surgery, anesthesia flowed into my arm and the world swiftly slipped away. Then, just as quickly, it seemed, I awoke, nauseated and confused. So much preparation for such a short nap. The anxiety Id felt about the surgery was now gone  as was one of my kidneys.

Michael Poulson regrets giving that kidney away. (University Photo)

An uneventful recovery came and went. I returned to college and resumed a normal life. Likewise, my step-uncle did very well and is living a full and healthy life, as is my donated kidney.

Five years after the surgery, when I was 23 and getting ready to go to medical school, I began working in a research lab that was looking at kidney donors who had gone on to develop kidney failure. For that research, I talked to more than 100 such donors. In some cases, the remaining kidneys failed; in others, the organ became injured or developed cancer. The more I learned, the more nervous I became about the logic of my decision at age 18 to donate.

And then in 2014, a study looking at long-term risks for kidney donors found that they had a greater risk of developing end-stage renal disease. Another study that same year raised the possibility that they may face a heightened risk of dying of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality (although this point remains controversial).

Other studies and surveys, though, suggest that the risk, while greater, is still fairly small.

The truth is, it is hard to get good numbers about what happens to donors. Hospitals are required to follow them for only two years post-donation, which does not catch such long-term complications as chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular issues or psychiatric issues. There is no national registry for kidney donors or other large-scale means of tracking long-term outcomes.

[So many people are dying of drug overdoses that theyre easing the donated organ shortage]

The result is that we know neither the denominator (the total number of kidney transplants that have occurred over the decades) nor the numerator (the number of donors who have gone into kidney failure). And what we do know is incomplete. Yet the need for donors remains great, as the number of Americans needing a kidney transplant has steadily increased  to more than 120,000  while the number of transplants performed has remained relatively steady  at about 30,000 per year.

Donors are lauded for their altruism and bravery for what is promoted as a benign procedure with low long-term risk. We are told about neither the reality of donation risks nor the scarcity of data thats available.

As a medical student and soon-to-be physician, Ive come to better understand the imperfections in the idea of informed consent. We work with the data we have, and patients arent always told that it may not be that solid. At the time of my surgery, I thought the system was designed to protect me as a donor. Yet, now, more than eight years later, I am angry that I was never fully informed of the lack of research or the unknown long-term health implications for me.

Mostly Ive come to terms with the increased risks of being a kidney donor. But Id be lying if I said I dont get anxious about it. I feel vulnerable. Sometimes I can think of nothing but my remaining kidney. Ill feel pressure on my ribs, and I think, Is that my kidney acting up, or simply back tension? Or Ill wonder: Should I be feeling this lump? Am I going into kidney failure?

Being a kidney donor has become a part of my identity. Some people  particularly in medical school  have put me on a pedestal for my altruism and bravery. But often I find myself hiding the fact that I donated, which Id like to think of as an act of modesty. The sad and difficult truth is this: Knowing what I know now, I regret donating in the first place.

Read more:

Heres what would happen if Americans were paid to donate their kidneys

Popular heartburn medicine linked to chronic kidney disease

Kidney disease? I was only 33 years old, and I felt fine.

Researchers: Medical errors now third leading cause of death in United States
Joe Browder, environmental activist who helped lead efforts to preserve the Everglades in Florida. (Courtesy of Louise Dunlap ) (Courtesy of Louise Dunlap /Courtesy of Louise Dunlap )

Joe Browder, a onetime television reporter who became a crusading environmental activist in Florida, where he teamed with Marjory Stoneman Douglas and others to stop a large airport from being built in the Everglades, died Sept. 18 at his home in Fairhaven, Md. He was 78.

The cause was liver cancer, said his wife, Louise Dunlap, who ran a Washington-based consulting firm with her husband.

In the late 1960s, Mr. Browder gave up a budding career in TV news to become a full-time advocate for the fragile, often-misunderstood environment of South Florida.

One of his first successful fights was to preserve the waters of Biscayne Bay, within sight of downtown Miami, from development. He stood next to President Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1968 as the president signed a bill making the bay a national monument. (It is now a national park.)

Mr. Browder then turned his attention to a giant airport under construction in the Everglades, the vast swampy region covering hundreds of square miles in South Florida. Everglades National Park had been established in 1947, but not all of the land stretching across the southern Florida peninsula was protected.

In the late 1960s, commercial developers, with the support of many of Floridas political leaders, began work on the airport in the middle of the Big Cypress Swamp, about 50 miles west of Miami. It was six miles from the edge of Everglades National Park.

The proposed Everglades Jetport would have been the worlds largest airport, five times the size of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. By 1970, a 10,500-foot-long runway had been built.

Mr. Browder helped galvanize opposition, citing an environmental impact studys conclusion that the dredging and damming required for the airport would inexorably destroy the south Florida ecosystem and thus the Everglades National Park.

He also enlisted the support of Douglas, the venerable writer whose 1947 book, The Everglades: River of Grass, showed the region to be a delicate, complex ecological community rather than a watery wasteland.

Douglas did not consider herself an environmental activist until Mr. Browder persuaded her to take on a more visible role in 1969.

Before Browder came along, she had been content with the semiprivate life of a writer, University of Florida historian Jack E. Davis wrote in a 2009 biography of Douglas. She was not the one who turned the Everglades into a cause, and she did not seek to join that cause.

It was Mr. Browder who helped transform the dignified but feisty author into one of the countrys most renowned advocates of environmental preservation. Together, they founded Friends of the Everglades, which became an effective grass-roots lobbying organization.

Mr. Browder rallied an unlikely coalition to block the airport, including wildlife conservationists, Miccosukee and Seminole Indians and even swamp rats who relied on the Everglades for illegal poaching of alligators.

At public meetings, Mr. Browder confronted officeholders, business executives and aviation officials with scientific studies and a sharp tongue, outlining the devastation such a far-reaching project could have.

Advocates for property rights took up arms against him, distributing leaflets declaring him guilty of a crime that equals any ever committed against mankind. He received death threats. One elected official condemned Mr. Browder and another environmental activist, Nathaniel P. Reed, as white radicals.

He was a born battler, Reed told the Miami Herald, he was a bulldog, he could step on toes and did step on toes.

In the early 1970s, Mr. Browder testified at congressional hearings, and Reed became a top official in the Interior Department under President Richard M. Nixon. Ultimately, construction was halted on the Everglades Jetport after federal funding was withdrawn.

Mr. Browder drafted the bill that led to the establishment of the Big Cypress National Preserve in 1974, preventing the further development of hundreds of thousands of acres in South Florida.

More than 40 years later, the two-mile-long runway remains in place, a ghostly reminder of what might have been.

Joe Bartles Browder was born April 10, 1938, in Amarillo, Tex. During World War II, he moved with his family to Miami, where his father was stationed with the Army Air Forces.

He became fluent in Spanish, attended Cornell University and, by the early 1960s, was working as a reporter and producer with Miamis NBC-TV affiliate. After leaving his television job, he was an official with the National Audubon Society in Florida and a founder of the Everglades Coalition, an advocacy group.

Mr. Browder settled in Washington in 1970 to work as conservation director for Friends of the Earth. He later helped found an environmental lobbying group before working at the Interior Department from 1977 to 1981, coordinating energy and land management programs.

Beginning in 1981, he ran an environmental consulting firm, Dunlap & Browder, with his wife. He worked on preservation efforts around the globe and was an adviser to businesses and public interest groups on climate change.

In recent years, he sought to limit damage to the Everglades from Floridas sugar industry, and he was an advocate for the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, a federally protected region in central Florida established in 2012. He also negotiated a settlement that led in 2015 to the opening of Marylands Franklin Point State Park on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

His marriages to Joan Arrington Browder, an environmental scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Marion Edey, an environmental activist, ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Louise Dunlap of Fairhaven; two sons from his first marriage, Ronald Browder of Jacksonville, Fla., and Monte Browder of Davie, Fla.; and four grandchildren.

When Mr. Browder was waging his battle against the Everglades Jetport, he knew he needed someone to stand above the fray as a symbol of moral courage. He turned to Douglas, the writer who coined the phrase River of Grass to describe the Everglades.

He was 31 and she was 79 when they met for tea at her fairy-tale cottage in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. Their partnership resulted in one of the most remarkable chapters in the nations history of environmental preservation.
IRAN

Attack drone built based on U.S. model

Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps has built a new attack drone which is similar to a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle captured five years ago, Iranian media reported Saturday.

The semiofficial Tasnim News Agency says the Saegheh (Thunderbolt) drone is similar to the RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone. Irans state-run Press TV says the long-range drone can carry four precision-guided bombs. Neither report gave figures for the range.

Iran claimed to have shot down an RQ-170 drone used by the Central Intelligence Agency in December 2011 and broadcast footage of the recovered aircraft. It also claims to have captured three American ScanEagle drones. Iran said last year that it had successfully tested its replica of the RQ-170.

Also on Saturday, Tasnim published photos of what it said was a U.S.-made MQ-1C drone captured recently by the guard corps. It did not say when or how the drone was captured.

 Associated Press

GEORGIA

Orthodox dont show up for Pope Francis

Pope Francis on Saturday said Mass for an unusually small crowd of just a few thousand Catholics in Georgia, a celebration that was further dampened when a delegation from the Orthodox Church stayed away.

Ex-Soviet Georgia is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian, and less than 1 percent of the population is Catholic, according to government figures. Still, organizers had been hoping for a much bigger turnout than the 3,000 or so people who attended the Mass at a stadium in the capital that has a capacity of 25,000.

In addition, a delegation representing the patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, did not show up. The Georgian Orthodox Church is one of the more conservative in the worldwide Orthodox community and has an extreme right wing that is totally opposed to any dialogue aimed at reunion with the Vatican.

 Reuters

Taliban forces advance on capital of Helmand province: Taliban fighters have advanced closer to Lashkar Gah, capital of the strategic southern province of Helmand, pushing into a farming district on the other side of the river from the town, officials said on Saturday. Capturing the city would give the Taliban its first provincial capital since the northern city of Kunduz fell briefly a year ago and would reinforce the impression that government forces are losing momentum. The insurgents already control large sections of the opium-growing province.

Thousand in Warsaw protest proposed abortion ban: Thousands of Poles, many dressed in black, rallied Saturday in front of Parliament in Warsaw to protest a proposed bill that would impose a complete ban on abortion. Speakers at the Black Protest said a total ban on abortion, including for victims of rape or women whose lives are endangered by a pregnancy, would be barbaric. Poland already has one of Europes most restrictive abortion laws. Organizers chose black as a symbol of mourning for the loss of reproductive rights.

French police, migrants face off in Calais: French police fired tear gas and water cannons at migrants and protesters who gathered Saturday in defiance of a ban on the demonstration outside the shantytown near Calais known as the Jungle, local authorities said. About 200 migrants and 50 demonstrators assembled under a bridge to protest living conditions in the nearby camp, which President Francois Hollande has vowed to close by the end of the year. Police clashed with migrants as they pushed them back to the camp while activists threw stones at the security forces.

More than 100 inmates remain on the loose in Brazil: Officials say more than 100 inmates remain at large more than two days after a mass breakout at a prison in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. The state prison administration said Saturday that authorities have recaptured 343 of the 470 inmates who escaped Thursday from the Progressao Penitentiary in Jardinopolis. Prison officials said the inmates escaped amid a riot started during a routine search.

Bus crash and fire kills 13 in Mexico: A pre-dawn bus crash in Mexicos gulf coast state of Veracruz has left 13 people dead and two injured. The Veracruz state prosecutors office says the crash occurred early Saturday when a bus rear-ended a truck carrying prefabricated concrete structures. The impact caused a fire that burned the bus to bare metal. Most of those onboard died, including the driver. One passenger and a replacement driver survived and were taken to a hospital.

 From news services
THERE IS no subtlety about Rodrigo Duterte, the new president of the Philippines. He has waged a brutal extrajudicial campaign against supposed drug dealers and users, killing thousands without due process. On Friday, he compared himself to Hitler in describing his desire to exterminate dealers and addicts. Previously, he crudely insulted President Obama, leading to the cancelation of a meeting between the two, followed by his expression of regret and an informal conversation. He declared that he would cross the Rubicon in his ties with the United States  a longtime ally  and put out a trade and economic welcome mat for the other side of the ideological barrier, China and Russia.

On Sept. 26, Mr. Duterte said that during a recent summit of East Asian leaders in Laos, he had informed Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that he was about to cross the Rubicon with the United States. I would need your help in everything  trade, commerce  and I will open up, he said he told Mr. Medvedev. Asked by a reporter what he meant by cross the Rubicon, he said it was a point of no return.

What is going on? For starters, Mr. Duterte has a big mouth, and in his first months in office he has been unrestrained. He bristled at criticism of the drug war from the United States and Europe. The anti-drug campaign has been reprehensible, and the criticism deserved.

But at the same time, the relationship between the United States and the Philippines is key to the success of a U.S. pivot to Asia, and as an offset to Chinas increasingly aggressive expansionism in the South China Sea, building airstrips and bases on an archipelago also claimed by the Philippines and a half-dozen other nations. The United States and the Philippines have a defense treaty dating to 1951, and the Philippines was a major outpost for U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. Although there was a breakdown over the U.S. bases in 1992, joint exercises continued, and in 2014 the two countries signed a 10-year agreement envisioning a stronger U.S. defense presence in the Philippines. Over the past week, while on a visit to Vietnam, Mr. Duterte announced that this months joint military exercises with the United States would be the last while he is president.

Taken at face value, Mr. Dutertes statements suggest an alarming turn away from the United States. We notice that, after many of his outrageous comments  that the Philippines might leave the United Nations, that U.S. forces have to leave the southern island of Mindanao, that Mr. Obama was a son of a bitch, that the joint military exercises are ending  his associates and spokesmen have stepped in to say he didnt really mean quite what he said. We understand that Mr. Duterte has a firebrand style popular at home. But if he implements his threats to degrade the alliance with the United States, neither nation will benefit.
This June 7, 1995, photo shows Donald Trump above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange after taking his flagship Trump Plaza Casino public in New York City. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)

The only news here, Donald Trumps campaign declared in an unsigned statement emailed late Saturday night, is that the more than 20-year-old alleged tax document was illegally obtained, a further demonstration that The New York Times, like establishment media in general, is an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests.

No. The news  unrebutted by the Trump campaign as of this writing  is that Trump could have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years. Assuming that the claimed losses were legit, this would have been legal. The opportunity for tax avoidance, which could have shielded as much as $50 million a year in Trump income from any federal income tax liability whatsoever, is the result of rules that permitted him to carry forward net operating losses from his businesses 15 years into the future, and to use those losses to wipe out taxable income for three previous years as well.

It is one thing for us  that is, the rest of us tax-paying chumps  to know, thanks to disclosures required by casino regulators, that there were a few years in which Trump paid no taxes. It is one thing to suspect that there may have been additional no-tax years.

It is quite another to have documentation that strongly suggests Trumps tax holiday could have gone on for so long. Perhaps Trump had so much income that he used up his operating loss deductions in less than the allotted time. Or perhaps his businesses generated additional losses that permitted him to pay no federal income taxes for even longer.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said on Fox News Sunday that the report showed Trumps genius and was actually a very, very good story for Donald Trump. Uh-huh. If its such a good story, why hasnt Trump been eager to let us see his possibly zero-liability tax returns? Really, why not run a commercial boasting of his tax genius, as he did (That makes me smart) during the debate last Monday night?

A report in the New York Times says a $916 million loss in the '90s might have allowed Donald Trump to legally avoid paying any income taxes for almost two decades. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted that the story illustrates that I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them. Lets look at Trumps fixes. Whom would they help most? Donald J. Trump.

First, he would do away with the estate tax, shielding his purported billions from taxation (although the latest version of his plan would subject some assets to taxes on their appreciated value). Second, he would lower the top income tax rate  if he ever were to pay it  to 33 percent from the current 43-plus percent, including surcharges imposed by the Affordable Care Act, which Trump would also repeal. Third, Trump has suggested he would tax the income of businesses like his at rates as low as 15 percent. (Trump seemed to have dropped that provision from his latest plan, but he mentioned it during the debate.)

Consequently, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found, the greatest benefits of Trumps tax plan would flow to the wealthiest taxpayers. Trump 3.0 is probably somewhat less regressive than Trump 1.0, but it still is likely to provide outsized benefits to the highest income households, Howard Gleckman wrote last month on the Tax Policy Centers TaxVox blog.

And as to Trumps claim that because he understands the rigged tax system he alone can fix it  none of Trumps suggested fixes would affect his ability to avoid paying taxes. There are sound policy reasons to let businesses deduct operating losses, and to carry over those losses into other years; we want a tax system that does not discourage entrepreneurial risk-taking. But the real estate business, with its highly leveraged investments, huge interest deductions, opportunities for depreciation and tendency to realize most income as capital gains, can particularly benefit from  or manipulate, depending on your perspective  these provisions.

Trump in charge of the tax code would not be a case of Nixon goes to China. It would be a case of Trump, as always, doing whats best for Trump.
A report in the New York Times says a $916 million loss in the '90s might have allowed Donald Trump to legally avoid paying any income taxes for almost two decades. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

A report in the New York Times says a $916 million loss in the '90s might have allowed Donald Trump to legally avoid paying any income taxes for almost two decades. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Donald Trump declared a loss of $916 million on his income tax returns for 1995, and  because of tax rules that favor wealthy real estate investors  he could have used that loss to avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years, according to a report in the New York Times.

The Times report said that the enormous loss Trump reported in 1995  $916 million  seemed to be a holdover from the early 1990s, when his real estate and casino empire tottered and almost fell.

By 1995, Trumps businesses were actually in better shape. But he was able to use byzantine tax laws to use those prior losses to cancel out income taxes. By the Times calculations, Trump might have been able to earn $50 million a year for 18 years and still pay no federal income taxes  thanks to this one giant loss, and the resulting deductions.

[Trumps bad bet: How too much debt drove his biggest casino aground]

Howard Abrams, the director of tax programs at the University of San Diego School of Law, confirmed that tax law allows losses of this size to be applied to returns three years prior to the loss and then for next 15 years. As a result, Trump would have potentially paid no taxes for an 18-year period.

Following a New York Times report alleging that Donald Trump could have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Oct. 2 said Trumps handling of tax laws was genius. (The Washington Post)

Abrams said Trump could likely have claimed losses so massive by taking advantage of tax loopholes available only to those in the real estate industry.

The real estate industry has been very effective in lobbying Congress, he said. You can have a huge tax loss in a year when your actual loss is very little or nonexistent.

The documents obtained by the Times did not reveal his charitable giving for 1995. Other sources have indicated that Trump gave at least $260,000 to charities that year: $60,000 to the Donald J. Trump Foundation, and at least $200,000 to a Veterans Day parade in New York City. At the worst of his personal financial crisis, in 1991, he gave no money to the Trump Foundation.

After the Times report was published, the Trump campaign issued a statement that did not dispute the accuracy of the documents cited by the Times. In fact, it complained that the documents had been published without Trumps permission: The only news here is that the more than 20 year-old alleged tax document was illegally obtained, the statement said.

The Trump campaign statement went on to defend Trumps approach to taxes.

Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required. That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions, the statement said.

It went on to say, Mr. Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for President and he is the only one that knows how to fix it.

Speaking at a Des Moines rally Sept. 29, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton slammed opponent Donald Trump for what he has said about his tax payments. (The Washington Post)

The information comes from three pages that appeared to be from tax returns Trump filed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that the Times posted online.

The pages had been sent anonymously by mail to reporter Susanne Craig, the paper said. Trumps accountant from that time, Jack Mitnick, had seen the documents and believed them to be authentic, the newspaper said.

Trump is the only major-party nominee in 40 years who has not released his federal income-tax returns. His reasons for doing so have been varied, including assertions that the taxes are under audit. Internal Revenue Service officials have said there is no reason a taxpayer cannot choose to make their returns public, even if they are undergoing an audit.

Trump has also suggested that the tax returns would not provide that much insight into his dealings. His son, Donald J. Trump Jr., has seemed to argue the opposite, saying that Trumps tax returns would contain so much information that they would confuse the public and give rise to incorrect armchair analysis.

Trump has proposed reducing the number of federal tax brackets from seven to three, and setting rates at 12 percent, 25 percent and 33 percent, which would be a boost to wealthy Americans. The top tax rate is currently 39.6 percent.

The Republican nominee has often bragged about paying a low effective tax rate himself, saying that he is justified because the government misspends taxpayer dollars.

I fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible, Trump said in May on ABCs This Week.

Trump then responded curtly when George Stephanopoulos asked about his tax rate. Its none of your business. Youll see it when I release, he said.

Previously, the only best hard information available about Trumps federal income taxes had come from the late 1970s, because Trump had submitted his 1978 and 1979 returns to casino regulators in New Jersey, In May, The Washington Post reported that those returns showed that  at least in 1978 and 1979  Trump paid no federal income taxes, in part because of heavy reported losses. Trumps 1984 return also became public in a court case and showed he reported no income for the year.

During Mondays presidential debate, Democrat Hillary Clinton asserted that Trump may have, in fact, paid no federal income taxes at all in recent years.

That makes me smart, Trump retorted at one point.

After the debate, Trump claimed he had never said that.

No, I didnt say that. What she said is, Maybe you paid no taxes. I said, Well that would make me very smart,  Trump said on Fox News on Wednesday.

The GOP nominees failure to release his tax returns has provoked intense scrutiny, and the Clinton campaign has seized on the issue to accuse him of either concealing his wealth, hiding lackluster charitable giving or attempting to hide his effective tax rate. During the debate, Clinton also raised questions about Trumps business dealings and debts he owes to banks, both domestic and abroad.

So if hes paid zero, that means zero for troops, zero for vets, zero for schools or health, Clinton charged during the debate. And I think probably hes not all that enthusiastic about having the rest of our country see what the real reasons are, because it must be something really important, even terrible, that hes trying to hide.

Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist who worked for Mitt Romneys 2012 campaign, said that this is a campaign controversy on a magnitude of the 47 percent comment that we had to deal with four years ago. Its a very significant story that raises questions not only about Trumps taxes but how it leaked out in the first place.

Staff writers Jenna Johnson and Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.
By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Oct 2 (PTI) At least two persons including an elderly woman were killed and three others injured today when a landslide buried two buildings in Chinas northwest Gansu province, officials said.

The landslide destroyed two residential houses in Wudu district, Longnan city, the district government said.

More than 200 rescuers pulled out five people from the debris of one building as the search efforts ended this evening. No one was living in the other building.

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The two persons who died include a 75-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man. The injured persons including a minor boy were in hospital. Two of them are in serious condition, state- run Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier, thirteen people were killed and 29 others listed missing in heavy rain and landslides after typhoon Megi devastated parts of China in the last a few days.

Megi, the 17th typhoon this year, made landfall in Fujian on Wednesday, and brought heavy downpours and landslides in affected areas. The typhoon destroyed homes and crops and caused direct economic losses worth 5.53 billion yuan (USD 829 million), officials said. PTI KJV CPS

--- ENDS ---
A report in the New York Times says a $916 million loss in the 1990s may have allowed Donald Trump to legally avoid paying any income taxes for almost two decades. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

A report in the New York Times says a $916 million loss in the 1990s may have allowed Donald Trump to legally avoid paying any income taxes for almost two decades. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Donald Trumps campaign, reeling Sunday after a report that the business mogul may not have paid taxes for as many as 18 years after declaring a $916 million loss on his 1995 returns, mounted a vigorous defense by calling the revelation proof of the Republican presidential nominees genius.

A New York Times report late Saturday showed how Trump had used byzantine tax laws to cancel out income taxes after his real estate and casino empire nearly collapsed in the early 1990s, and the Times calculated that the resulting deductions may have allowed him to pay no federal income taxes for 18 years.

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Trumps leading surrogates, fanned out across the Sunday political talk shows to defend their candidate  but they did not dispute the Timess findings, nor has Trumps campaign.

Hes a genius  absolute genius, Giuliani said on ABCs This Week. This was a perfectly legal application of the tax code, and he wouldve been a fool not to take advantage of it.

The revelation about Trumps taxes capped perhaps the most difficult week of his general election campaign  from his shaky debate performance and drop in the polls to his feud with a former Latina beauty queen over her weight gain and erratic 3 a.m. tweets Friday, to his unfounded speculation in a rambling speech Saturday night that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton may have cheated on her husband.

Following a New York Times report alleging that Donald Trump could have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Oct. 2 said Trumps handling of tax laws was genius. (The Washington Post)

[As news of Trumps taxes breaks, he goes off script at a rally in Pennsylvania]

What were seeing is somebody whos blowing himself apart in real time, said Peter Wehner, a strategist and scholar who served in the administrations of the last three Republican presidents. Its a pretty extraordinary thing to see. Its a political death wish, as if at some deep level he doesnt want to be president.

Wehner added, Its gnawing on him that he could become what he has contempt for, and that is a loser.

Mo Elleithee, a Democratic strategist who runs Georgetown Universitys Institute of Politics and Public Service, said, Political operatives and strategists are going to study this week for generations as the textbook case of self-sabotage.

The Times, which obtained Trumps 1995 tax records, reported that Trump may have taken advantage of special rules for real estate investors that legally allowed him to use his $916 million loss to offset $50 million a year in future taxable income for as many as 18 years.

Trumps year-by-year returns would show how much he paid in federal income taxes, but he has refused to release them. For decades now, all presidential nominees have released years worth of tax returns, including Clinton.

The Clinton campaign and its supporters moved Sunday to exploit the tax discovery to underscore their central argument against Trump, which is that he is unqualified and temperamentally unfit to be president, and to argue that he took advantage of rules that ordinary workers cannot.

Donald Trump is seen above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 1995 after taking his flagship Trump Plaza Casino public. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)

Robby Mook, Clintons campaign manager, said Trump has spun out of control.

We see Donald Trump is having to defend the fact that he may not have paid taxes for 20 years, which is something most Americans dont have the option to do, Mook said on NBCs Meet the Press.

[As news of Trumps taxes breaks, he goes off script at a rally in Pennsylvania]

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who has sparred with Trump over his taxes and business record, issued a caustic statement on Sunday about the Republican nominee.

Trump is a billion-dollar loser who wont release his taxes because theyll expose him as a spoiled, rich brat who lost the millions he inherited from his father, Reid said. He went on to call Trump a racist, incompetent failure who managed to lose a billion dollars in a boom year.

Trumps surrogates offered a different assessment. Giuliani and Christie each used the word genius to describe Trumps management of his taxes.

Christie, who chairs Trumps presidential transition project, proclaimed on Fox News Sunday that this is actually a very, very good story for Donald Trump.

What it shows is what an absolute mess the federal tax code is, and thats why Donald Trump is the person best positioned to fix it, the governor said. Theres no one whos showed more genius in their way to move around the tax code.

Asked by Fox anchor Chris Wallace whether there were any apologies for Trumps apparent avoidance of paying taxes, as reported by the Times, Christie was unrepentant.

Oh, for gosh sakes, no apologies for complying with the law, and taking a bow for the fact that he has said well before this story came out that we should change the tax laws, Christie said.

Trumps tax plan  which would cut rates for high-income people like him and eliminate the carried interest loophole that benefits hedge fund managers, among other things  does not address the rule he may have taken advantage of. He and his campaign have not yet said whether Trump plans to eliminate or change it.

[The New York Times risked legal trouble to publish Donald Trumps tax return]

Giuliani had a fiery exchange with host Jake Tapper on CNNs State of the Union, in which the former mayor argued that Trump has a fiduciary responsibility to exploit every tax advantage available to him. The two men often shouted over each other, with Giuliani insisting that Trump could have been sued if he had not applied his 1995 loss to future tax returns.

There are not very many smart businessmen who dont take advantage of the tax  legal tax laws that are there, Giuliani said. And if they are, then theyre not very good businessmen, and no one wants to go into business with them and they dont have very good lawyers, and they dont have very good accountants.

Central to Trumps candidacy has been the idea of him as a successful businessman. Political analysts said the revelation that he declared a nearly $1 billion loss when his real estate company almost collapsed threatens to undercut his credibility in business.

People can look at this little bit of evidence and now question his business acumen, Elleithee said. Secondly, he said, it is an example of Trump benefitting personally from a system he has railed against. His whole argument is that there are too many people in the establishment that are using the system to screw the little guy.

Clintons supporters held up Trumps apparent manipulation of tax laws to avoid paying taxes as an example of inherent unfairness in the tax code, which allows billionaires to use loopholes that they said were unavailable to ordinary workers.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on CNN that this is exactly why so many millions of Americans are frustrated, theyre angry, theyre disgusted.

Youve got the middle-class people working longer hours for low wages  they pay their taxes, they support their schools, they support their infrastructure, they support the military, Sanders said. He added, Trump goes around and says: Hey, Im worth billions! Im a successful businessman! And I dont pay any taxes. But you  you make 15 bucks an hour  you pay the taxes, not me.

[What we know about Donald Trumps income tax history, by year]

While Giuliani and Christie were aggressive in their defense of Trump, some of his other supporters were at a loss for how best to help him, saying the Trump campaign had offered no guidance. We do get pretty regular emails and briefings on things when they are happening, but we have not, at least I have not, on the tax issue, said Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).

Kevin Madden, a GOP strategist who helped guide 2012 nominee Mitt Romney through his own political problems related to tax returns, said of Trump: The looming threat of the tax returns issue has always been that Trumps refusal to disclose makes it look like he has something to hide and that, ultimately, any disclosure could blow a hole in his appeal to the average taxpayer. Well, the threat has now become a reality.

Sean Sullivan and Robert Costa contributed to this report.

Read more:

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Does Donald Trump not pay taxes? He sure made it sound that way.
Dozens of people died Sunday at a festival after security forces fired tear gas into a crowd during a political protest and provoked a stampede.

Opposition leaders estimated at least 100 dead. Late Sunday, the regional government said 52 had been killed in the crush.

The Irreecha thanksgiving festival of Ethiopias Oromo people takes place in October every year, at the conclusion of the rainy season, at a sacred lake in the town of Bishoftu, about 25 miles southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa.

The Oromo, Ethiopias largest ethnic group, making up about a third of the population, have for the past year been protesting their marginalization and the confiscation of their land for factories.

[Oromo protests Ethiopias worst unrest in years]





Feyisa Lilesa, a silver medal winner at the Summer Games in August, is Oromo and called attention to his peoples struggles when he crossed his arms in an X as he ran across the finish line in Rio de Janeiro.

That same gesture was flashed by thousands of Oromos in Bishoftu during the festival, which participants this year said was more overtly political than usual.

Ive been coming to this for years. There was always some small chanting, but Ive never seen something like this. It was totally political, one witness said at the rally that turned into a stampede. He spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of arrest.

Estimates of the number of people flocking to the town for the festival have been as high as 2 million, but there were probably about 10,000 people in a field facing a podium where government-aligned tribal elders and party leaders were giving speeches.

Authorities had tolerated the chants calling for freedom and justice and condemning the government and its Oromo political party throughout Saturday, but that ended Sunday morning.

The crowd started moving toward the podium. I heard the sound of a tear-gas bomb, and I saw police throwing them at the crowd as well, the witness said.

He said he also heard a few warning shots fired by the Federal Police, whose members wear a distinctive blue-camouflage uniform.

People fled into the bushes behind the field, but they encountered a deep ravine, and it was here where many died, piling on top of each other in panic.

I saw people mourning in there, some trying to pull out the survivors, said the witness, who was among those at the ravine. I could see people saying: Help me out. There are a large number of people beneath me in the mud. 

The governments statement about the incident described it as planned violence during the peaceful celebration of a cultural festival.

Some forces were seen attempting to express the views of other political forces after controlling the podium and snatching the microphone, said the statement, promising to bring those responsible to justice.

Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, said that at least 100 had died and that the problems started because the government packed the podium with its own speakers, angering the crowd.

The government tried to control it, tried to take over the show, he said. This goes down as one of the darkest days in modern Oromo history where the government is shooting live bullets and tear gas, leading to such chaos.

Ethiopia is made up of several different ethnic groups, and since the overthrow of the Marxist regime in 1991, the government has adopted a federal system ostensibly giving each ethnic region a measure of self-rule.

Critics, though, say that what is actually a very centralized system is dominated by the Tigrayan minority that overthrew the previous regime and makes up just 6 percent of the population.

Over the summer, the Amhara ethnic group, the countrys second largest, began protesting, too. Typical complaints involve the corruption of local administrations and a lack of democratic recourse.

Government-allied parties won every seat in Parliament in the 2015 elections.

Thousands have been imprisoned over the past year, and Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 500 people have died when security forces opened fire on the various protests.

The United States has expressed concern over the protests and the use of violence in quashing them.

Another witness to the stampede expressed bafflement over the use of tear gas on a packed crowd.

If they had just tolerated and left them, it would have been fine. They were moving to go, but then suddenly they started to fire, and this thing happened, he said, also speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Read more:

Olympian Feyisa Lilesa: I will keep fighting Ethiopias oppression

A year after Obamas visit, Ethiopia is in turmoil

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Villagers in three areas along the de facto border between Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir said this past week that they had fled their homes in fear after intense shelling and firing from the Indian side but that they did not believe Indias claim Thursday that it had sent armed troops to conduct late-night surgical strikes on militant targets there.

In several dozen interviews, residents of the Bhimber, Chamb and Sahmani districts adjoining the Line of Control said they had been jarred from sleep by the barrage of firepower Wednesday. But none said they had seen or heard anything that supported Indias claim that it carried out cross-border strikes on several staging areas for militant groups that left double digits of militants dead.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly denied Indias claims, saying that Indian troops only fired small arms across the Line of Control, killing two Pakistani soldiers. Tensions between the rival nuclear powers are at the highest level in a decade.

Muhammad Bota, 40, a mason in this hillside village, said that his son woke him up shouting, India has attacked! and that the night was filled with noise.

We are used to routine shelling, but this was unending, with deafening sounds, he said. We believed it was the start of war, and I prayed for the safety of my family and recited all the Koran verses I could remember.

But Bota, like many other residents interviewed, said he did not see any signs of Indian troops attacking or crossing the fortified line less than a mile away.

All the villagers were up, and we didnt see any troops from the other side or helicopters, he said. India says it killed militants here, but the people who live here know each other for generations. If there were some militants somewhere around, they couldnt have gone undetected. This is all propaganda of India.

In Bhimber, a town several miles from the Line of Control, a store salesman named Mehran Younas Sheikh, 31, said that all schools and government offices had been shut down since the intensive firing started and that many people living close to the border had fled to the town.

Its a very beautiful area, Sheikh said of the regions forested ridges of pine and birch, but now one feels and witness the silence of death, apart from the crossfiring between the two armies during the night.

Hostilities between India and Pakistan, fanned by months of violent clashes between Indian troops and Kashmiri protesters, escalated sharply after Sept. 18, when 19 Indian soldiers died in what India said was an attack on their camp by militants who had infiltrated from Pakistan.

Under domestic pressure to retaliate, the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced it had conducted a five-hour overnight paramilitary attack on several suspected terrorist camps, killing scores. Pakistans military claimed that it killed eight Indian soldiers in retaliatory fire and that two of its men had died when India shelled a border post in Sahmani.

A cross-border strike by India would be the first major breach of the Line of Control it has publicly acknowledged in years of hostile but cautious relations with Pakistan. In the past it has avoided an overt provocation that could risk a wider conflict, while accusing Pakistan of harboring and supporting terrorist groups.

In several villages, residents described fleeing quickly from the heavy late-night gunfire, many leaving their livestock and crops. Bashir Papra, 55, said his family decided to leave their home in Chamb because the Indian shelling was so heavy we felt our whole village would come down.

Some residents said they were so exhausted by years of living with tension and fear that they would almost rather see the two countries fight it out. Muhammad Kurshid, 26, a Chamb resident, said he has faith in Pakistans military leaders to win in such a conflict.

You would think I am insane to want a war, he said. No, I am not, its just that we cant spend a normal daily life.

In Sahmani, a verdant district along the Line of Control with army posts every few hundred yards, residents said they had a close view of activities along the border and described seeing the sky light up with shelling above a mountain ridge where Pakistani troops are stationed.

If anyone is moving on the mountain, we can see them easily from here, said villager Faheem Ahmed, 48. There was no activity of enemy troops on the mountain, which is the only way they can come.

Constable reported from Kabul. Annie Gowen in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Read more

India claims surgical strikes against militants in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir

1999: India seizes strategic peak

Indias prime minister ran as a strong leader. He now faces his first big test.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
British Prime Minister Theresa May is interviewed Sunday on BBCs Marr Show during the annual Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Britain. (Reuters)

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday that her country would begin the process of withdrawing from the European Union by the end of March and suggested that she would seek a clean break that makes limits on immigration a priority.

The announcement eased the anxieties of Brexit backers, who had feared that May might delay the start of Britains withdrawal by a year or more and that she would seek only modest changes in her countrys relationship with the 27 remaining members of the bloc.

It disheartened Europhiles who had hoped that the countrys exit might somehow be avoided altogether.

Mays comments  first to the BBC in a Sunday morning interview and later in the opening speech of the Conservative Partys annual conference  were the most specific she has given to date on her plans for Britains post-E.U. future.

The country voted in June to leave the bloc, 52 percent to 48. Previously she had said only that the country would not trigger Article 50, the never-before-used mechanism for an E.U. exit, this year.

The early 2017 timetable is roughly in line with what European leaders who have met with May have said they expected.

But some British advocates for sticking with the E.U. had suggested that the process should be put on hold until after France and Germany  the two most important European voices in the negotiations to come  have held national elections slated for next year.

May on Sunday firmly rejected those calls, a decision that was praised by E.U. leaders, who are pressing Britain to get on with its departure. European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that Mays words had brought welcome clarity.

[After Brexit, some Brits want to ditch the metric system, too]

Even after Britain triggers Article 50, it will remain an E.U. member for some time. The rules call for a two-year negotiation on the withdrawal terms, although that time limit could be extended if all sides agree.

If Britain does leave two years after triggering Article 50, a departure in spring 2019 could allow May to claim victory on her oft-repeated pledge that Brexit means Brexit with a year to go before scheduled national elections.

May again refrained Sunday from saying exactly what she will ask for in her negotiations with Europe, insisting that she wont give a running commentary on British bargaining.

She also rejected the idea that Britain must choose between hard Brexit and soft Brexit, saying its a false dichotomy to suggest that Britain must decide between some form of continued E.U. membership and . . . a conscious decision to reject trade with Europe.

But European leaders have said that is exactly the choice Britain faces, with one after the next arguing that Britain will not be allowed to retain the trade benefits of E.U. membership without accepting the rights of E.U. citizens to move freely across national borders.

[How the E.U.s ruling on Apple explains why Brexit happened]

May left no doubt Sunday that she will not accept that free-movement principle, saying that voters had made clear that they want reduced immigration. She was far less resolute in defending Britains single-market membership, and she specifically ruled out a Norwegian-style arrangement that grants trade benefits in exchange for acceptance of the free movement of workers.

The process we are about to begin is not about negotiating all of our sovereignty away again, she said. It is not going to be about any of those matters over which the country has just voted to regain control. It is not, therefore, a negotiation to establish a relationship anything like the one we have had for the last 40 years or more.

Leading Brexit advocates cheered Mays announcements. Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, a longtime Brexit proponent, told Sky News that he hoped her stand would signal that Britain was moving quickly to the exit door and out.

But those who had backed remain in the referendum took the prime ministers words as further indication that Brexit is unavoidable and that it will bring a shock to the British economy.

Anna Soubry, a former Conservative minister, said triggering Article 50 by next spring is too soon. The timeline really concerns me, troubles me hugely, because we wont have had the French elections, we wont have had the German elections, and, Im sorry, it is going to take a lot of time and effort to disentangle ourselves and get the right deal, she told Britains ITV.

May herself backed the remain campaign in the referendum. But after Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, she quickly pivoted and ran to succeed him on a platform of implementing the voters will.

Read more:

In first meeting after Brexit vote, Merkel and May insist divorce can be amicable

British Parliament votes to renew nuclear weapons program for 3 more decades

Britains 850,000 Polish citizens face backlash after Brexit vote

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Colombian voters rejected a peace deal with FARC rebels Sunday in a surprise outcome that risks prolonging a 52-year-old war and plunges the country into uncertainty.

By a razor-thin margin of 50.21 to 49.78 percent, Colombians voted against the peace accord, in a Brexit-style backlash that defied pollsters predictions and left supporters of the deal in tears.

After nearly six years of negotiations, many handshakes and ceremonial signatures, Colombias half-century war that has killed 220,000 and displaced 7 million is not over.

I am the first to recognize the result, said President Juan Manuel Santos in a televised address, flanked by members of the government peace negotiating team, who looked stunned. Now we have to decide what path to take so that peace will be possible. . . . I wont give up.

Surveys had predicted an easy win for the yes vote by a margin of 2 to 1. Instead, the result was a crushing blow to Santos, who since 2011 has pursued the peace deal with single-minded determination, to the steady detriment of his popularity. He took a significant risk by insisting that the accord  the product of tedious, grinding negotiations with the FARC  would be valid only if Colombian voters gave their blessing.

An opponent to the peace deal signed between the Colombian government and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, reacts after she listened to the results of the referendum in Bogota, Colombia Oct. 2, 2016. (Ariana Cubillos/AP)

They didnt, and that failure has left Santos politically crippled. He told Colombians he would send his negotiating team back to Cuba on Monday morning to meet with FARC leaders. Santos also said he would meet with Colombias opposition, led by former president and senator Alvaro Uribe, a mortal enemy of the FARC who has gained powerful new leverage over any potential attempt to rewrite the peace deal.

Sundays outcome also amounts to a setback for the United States and the Obama administration, which had backed Santos and pledged to boost U.S. aid to Colombia by nearly 50 percent, to $450 million a year. The fate of that funding proposal is also now up in the air.

Bernard Aronson, the U.S. special envoy for the peace process, talked with Colombias ambassador in an emergency meeting Sunday night.

The United States supports Colombias democracy and recognizes results of the vote, Aronson said in an interview, speaking by phone from Washington.

We believe Colombians want peace, but clearly they are divided about terms of settlement, he said. We will continue to support Colombian authorities as they try to build a lasting peace with justice and security.

The vote was an extraordinary repudiation of the guerrilla commanders of the FARC, who in recent months have tried to engineer a makeover of the rebels public image in preparation for an eventual return to politics. The outcome reveals the depths of Colombian public animosity toward the rebels, accumulated by decades of kidnappings, bombing and land seizures in the name of Marxist-Leninist revolution.

Speaking in Havana, where the negotiations have taken place, FARC leader Rodrigo Londono (alias Timochenko) said he lamented the results of Sundays vote but told Colombians the group remained committed to ending the war.

We will continue to use words as our only weapons, he said. The Colombian people share our dream of peace. Peace will triumph.

Londono now faces a major leadership test. Reopening the negotiations will almost certainly mean harsher terms for FARC leaders who have rejected the possibility of prison time. But ordinary FARC soldiers have spent months preparing to lay down their weapons and go home to their families. They will presumably remain in their jungle hideouts, and Santos said a bilateral cease-fire between the rebels and the government will remain in effect.

[A FARC rebel on life in war-torn Colombia]

For many Colombians, Sundays referendum was about far more than a cease-fire with the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Many saw the countrys political and judicial integrity at stake, and they viewed the peace accord as a dubious giveaway to the rebels.

I want peace, but not if it means kneeling down to the guerrillas, said Bogota resident Piedad Ramos, 60. Santos has divided and deceived the country.

Gina Narvaez, 34, said she voted no because she wants the two sides to take another look at some of the points of the accord.

Her brother and her uncle were kidnapped by the FARC in the Huila department in the 1990s. They were freed only after a costly ransom payment.

They need to change the accord so that theres some kind of punishment for those who committed these crimes, she said.

Voter turnout was lower than 40 percent, and heavy rains along Colombias Caribbean coast, one of Santoss strongholds, appear to have sapped support for the accord.

Sundays big winner is Uribe, the popular former president who led the campaign against the peace deal. At a base level, Sundays contest was a clash between him and Santos, former allies who broke when the president opened peace talks with the guerrillas.

The son of a wealthy Bogota publishing family, Santos is a figure from Colombias urban, globalized business elite, for whom the war with the FARC has been a kind of anachronistic developmental constraint. They were hoping that the peace deal would bring a wave of foreign investment and increased trade.

Uribe, whose father, a cattle rancher, was killed by the guerrillas, is beloved by the traditional Colombian landowners who bore the brunt of the FARCs rural terrorism. And their land disputes with farmers were at the origin of the conflict itself.

In the end, many Colombian voters were skeptical of Santoss promises of sweeping transformations and appear to have sided with Uribes darker vision of the accord as a FARC Trojan horse to take power.

[Colombias peacemaker, and his country, on edge ahead of Sunday vote]

Voting got off to a slow start in the capital, where the accord seemed to be doing well.

I voted yes for the future of my children, so they wont have to live in a country at war, said Rocio Cano, 41, a schoolteacher. Fifty years of violence is enough.

But others who had suffered personally from the war said they were not ready to forgive the FARC  or at least not through an accord like this one.

We all want peace, and I respect those who vote yes, but I cant support this agreement, said Jakelin Rueda, 33. Theres no real justice in it.

Rueda said her father was killed by the FARC in 2002 in the small town of Caparrapi north of the capital, where she grew up. He was a farmer and community leader who opposed the guerrillas.

A lot of city-dwellers voted yes for idealistic reasons, Rueda said. But they have not been affected by the violence directly.

While FARC leaders did not formally campaign, the rebels made a major last-minute public relations push. For the first time, rebel commanders met with the families of victims at the sites of notorious FARC massacres, seeking forgiveness.

On Saturday, the guerrillas volunteered to get an early start on disarmament, detonating about 1,400 pounds of explosives and other military ordnance in the presence of observers from the United Nations. They apparently didnt expect to need the weapons again.

Read more:

These portraits reveal the anonymous phantoms of Colombias FARC

Do you know what its like to spend 20 years at war?

Plan Colombia: How Washington learned to love Latin American intervention again

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Another baby for Blake! Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are now the parents of two, Us Weekly can confirm.

The Gossip Girl alum, 29, and Reynolds, 39, welcomed their second child in New York City. A source tells Us that Livelys sister Robyn and pal Taylor Swift visited her at the hospital this week.

PHOTOS: Blake Livelys Second Pregnancy Style

Us Weekly broke the news in April that the couple were expecting their second child together. Lively debuted the first hint of baby bump while filming extra scenes for the thriller The Shallows on Lord Howe Island in Australia. (She later showed off her belly in a bikini at Taylor Swifts annual Fourth of July bash in Rhode Island.)



Lively and the Deadpool actors newest little one now joins big sister James, 20 months. Back in February, Reynolds defended James name during an appearance on Good Morning America. In the spectrum of weird celebrity baby names, I feel like were not really breaking any new ground here, he said. I mean, I didnt call her Summer Squash Meadowlark, or something.

PHOTOS: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Love Timeline

Lively, for her part, has said she always wanted a big family. Its something that Ive always wanted ever since I was a little girl, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star told Us in October 2014. I never knew what I wanted to do for a living but I knew I wanted to have a lot of kids  it was always important to me.

Lively doesnt just want two, though. Even while pregnant with her second child, she hinted that she wanted more. Im one of five kids. My husband is one of four, so were officially breeders, she said during the Today show in June. You can go on our website and we will give you some of our children.

PHOTOS: Gossip Girl: Then & Now

She added of James: Shes always doing something fun and exciting. Shes the most fun, funny human being Ive ever been around in my life.

As Us exclusively revealed, Lively and Reynolds wed in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, in September 2012. In June, Lively revealed why she wanted to marry him.

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I knew he would always be my best friend for my whole life, she said in Marie Claires July issue. That was the biggest thing for me. Id never known anything like the friendship that I had with him. I could like him as much as I loved him.

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The Daily Beast

Patrick Pleul/AFP via GettyJust days after he promised advertisers that Twitter would not become a free-for-all hellscape, Elon Musk used the platform he now owns to amplify a baseless conspiracy theory about the hammer attack on Nancy Pelosis husband by an intruder.There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye, Musk tweeted Sunday morning in reply to a tweet by Hillary Clinton blasting the Republican Party for creating a toxic environment that lays the gr
Fans at Fantastic Fest cheer for actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan's psychological thriller Aalavandhan, which was released in 2001.

By India Today Web Desk: Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan, which was recently screened at Fantastic Fest 2016, received outstanding response from the US fans.



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Based on the novel Dayam written by Kamal Haasan, Aalavandhan is a psychological thriller which tells the story of Vijay Kumar (Kamal Haasan), a Commando and his twin brother Nandu (also played by Haasan), who is a psychopath suffering from schizophrenia. Nandu develops a hatred towards women after a troubled childhood with stepmother. And this leads him to kill his to-be sister-in-law Tejaswini (Raveena Tandon).

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Like many of Haasan's films, Aalavandhan incurred heavy loss to the producer as a collateral damage to Haasan's intellectualism.

However, the film over the years, has earned a cult status among fans, thanks to Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino for openly acknowledging that the animation violence shown in Aalavandhan inspired the Manga scenes in his Kill Bill films.



Just saw Indian film AALAVANDHAN. So amazing, so cool, so wonderful. 3 hour movie and I could have watched more! Thanks, #FantasticFest ! Carol Campbell (@carolinaustx) September 27, 2016

Car jousting, evil twins, drug fueled animated sequences, musical numbers. AALAVANDHAN was a blast! Consider it flipped #FantasticFest Jonathan Killoran (@JonKilloran) September 27, 2016

All my @fantasticfest friends were right. AALAVANDHAN is 3 movies worth of entertainment!! So damn fun! #FantasticFest Tony Salvaggio (@Chojinlocke) September 27, 2016

Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan, who is recovering from the fracture, will resume the shoot of his upcoming trilingual comedy film Sabash Naidu, which will mark Haasan's fifth directorial venture. The film also stars Shruti Haasan, Ramya Krishnan, Saurabh Shukla and Brahmanandam in lead roles.

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Afghanistan's president will meet world powers at a major conference in Brussels next week in a bid to secure financial aid from the international community up to 2020 to rebuild the war-ravaged nation.

The meeting on October 4 and 5 will try to drum up support from an international community suffering from aid fatigue as it grapples with conflicts in Syria and Iraq plus the worst migration crisis since World War II.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among those who will join hosts Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and EU President Donald Tusk.

Financial support is "crucial" in order "to bring about a new strategic shift towards stabilisation and possibly peace" in Afghanistan, despite the country not having "been in the headlines for many years", officials said ahead of the conference.

"Nobody can afford for Afghanistan to destabilise again," a senior EU official added.

More than 70 countries and 25 international organisations will attend the event, which comes just before the 15th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.

Afghanistan is still struggling to negotiate peace with the Taliban and other militant groups who continue to wage a bloody insurgency.

- Tokyo, London, Brussels -

The Brussels conference follows up from a meeting in Tokyo in 2012 where the international community agreed to provide four billion euros a year in funding until the end of 2016.

It also comes two years after the London Conference on Afghanistan at which then newly-elected president Ashraf Ghani vowed to build a more self-reliant Afghanistan.

Ghani said last week in Kabul that "in Brussels, your government will represent all of you women, men, all of you. In Brussels the world is going to reiterate their economic commitments again".

He added: "We are taking Brussels very seriously. After we return from Brussels we have to work together, this is the importance of it."

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The international community will make pledges for the next four years but officials would not be drawn on the level of funding in comparison to the four billion euros a year agreed in Tokyo.

"The pledging exercise remains a difficult one and very fluid until the last moments," one EU official said. "The three billion mark is passed, but we don't know where well end up."

The EU itself will sign a state building contract of 200 million euros for 2017-2018 at the conference, honouring its commitment to an annual budget for that amount for Afghanistan.

But payouts will depend on whether Afghanistan meets its political and financial reform commitments, as well as political transparency.

- 'Speed of reforms' -

The conference comes after NATO countries agreed at a summit in Warsaw in July to maintain troop numbers in Afghanistan and uphold a pledge of $5 billion a year for local security forces for the next four years.

EU officials expressed some optimism about Afghanistan's human development. Under the country's new unity government, "the speed of reforms has significantly increased when compared to previous administrations", said an EU official.

"The Afghan government has by and large delivered on our expectations and exceeded them," he added.

A recent diplomatic success for the country was the signing of a peace accord on September 22 with the Islamic organisation Hezb-i-Islami, led by former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

The country has also made progress in areas of women's rights, anti-corruption measures and revenue collection.

EU officials denied that the pledges would have conditions attached, after the leak of an EU memo in March that suggested that financial pledges would be made in return for Afghanistan accepting 80,000 asylum-seekers deported from EU countries.
Alex Oliveira used his size advantage to manhandle Will Brooks at UFC Fight Night 96 on Saturday night in Portland, Ore., securing a TKO stoppage over the former Bellator lightweight champion.

There was no love lost between Brooks and Oliveira coming into the fight, especially after Oliveira blew the weigh-in. He stepped on the scale 5.5 pounds over the 156-pound limit for a lightweight non-title fight. Brooks, however, agreed to take the fight at a catchweight and received 20 percent of Oliveira's show money.

It was quickly obvious that the extra weight was a factor in the fight, as Oliveira was visibly much bigger than Brooks. He immediately began to use his size to his advantage. He stuffed a Brooks takedown attempt and pressed him up against the fence, firing knees to his thighs and body.

RELATED > UFC Portland: Lineker vs. Dodson Live Results and Fight Stats

It wasnt obvious during the round, but after the first round was over, Brooks mentioned to his corner that he felt a rib pop, likely from one of the knees from Oliveira.

Despite his injured ribs, Brooks managed his best moments of the fight in the second round. He quickly took Oliveira to the canvas, controlling the first couple minutes of the frame. Oliveira returned to his feet, but had Brooks clamped to his back, nearly sinking a rear-naked choke.

Oliveira, however, defended and returned to his strategy of putting Brooks up against the cage, wearing him down, and driving knees into his thighs and body.

By the final frame, Brooks was in obvious pain, grimacing at nearly every turn. He landed a few low leg kicks to start the round, but Oliveira quickly put him back on the fence. Brooks tried to clinch and take Oliveira down, but as they hit the canvas, Oliveira took control, landing on top in half mount.

Brooks got the fight briefly back to the feet, but that didnt last long. They hit the canvas again. This time Oliveira took full advantage of the situation, unloading on Brooks and finishing him with strikes.

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After the referee stopped the fight, Oliveira got up and threw a crotch chop gesture at Brooks, who didnt take kindly to it at all. He threw his mouth guard at the Brazilian, who had to be held back by his manager, Alex Davis.

Hes a ranked fighter. It was a great victory for me, Oliveira said amidst a chorus of boos after the fight, before adding, Im sorry, but he insulted me yesterday. He was referring to Brooks' refusal to face him at the weigh-in ceremony.

Following the victory over Brooks, Oliveira also announced that we would return to welterweight after his bungled weigh-in.

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Flatiron Health

After a year of working at Google, Nat Turner and Zach Weinberg were getting restless.

The duo  which came to Google in 2010 after it acquired their company, Invite Media  was ready to start thinking about their next venture, doing research on the side and angel investing in other startups to see what worked and what didn't. They had never intended to stay at Google long, something they had made clear from the beginning.

"It was no surprise we were going to leave, everyone knew that," Turner told Business Insider. "I think we told our boss three months after we got to Google that we were only going to be there until the two-year mark."

Before that two-year mark, Turner and Weinberg were approached by what at the time was called Google Ventures  now called simply GV. GV, which is Alphabet's early-stage venture arm, wanted to meet some of the young entrepreneurs who had sold their companies to Google and find out what they were doing next. By then, Turner and Weinberg had started to think about starting a healthcare company after Turner's cousin was diagnosed with leukemia.

About a month later, the pair traveled to Boston, where they met with Krishna Yeshwant, a practicing physician who also works as a general partner at GV. Turner said he pitched Yeshwant a few "very terrible" healthcare ideas, which spawned the beginning of what is now Flatiron Health: a software company that organizes the worlds oncology information and makes it accessible for doctors, patients, and researchers.

'The complexity was an advantage'

After the first meeting, Yeshwant began introducing Turner and Weinberg to everyone within his circles in the medical community.

"It wasnt just like, Hey, heres an email intro," Turner said. "He actually came to a lot of those meetings. We were still 24 and working at Google and had no healthcare background, so him being a physician added a lot of credibility to the room."

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Krishna Yeshwant

At the same time, Turner and Weinberg were traveling to cancer care centers around the country, shadowing doctors and finding out what it's really like to be both a patient and a physician in cancer care. Turner estimates that they traveled to more than 50 centers in cities like Greenville, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rutgers, New Jersey.

"A lot of time when people start companies, especially in oncology or clinical medicine, they spend time in the big academic centers and they forget that 80% to 90% of the care of patients is delivered in community oncology centers," Yeshwant told Business Insider. "Those are often places that would be considered flyover country  theyre not in the big cities. Nat and Zach went to those places and they realized the complexity. I think to them, to some degree, the complexity was an advantage."

Yeshwant says that the fact that neither founder had a background in healthcare was a selling point to him. Since he's a physician, a lot of the healthcare startups are sent in his direction, but most of the time, entrepreneurs get scared off by the complexity and the amount of capital it would take to start a company in that field.

Yeshwant ended up leading both Flatiron Health's Series A and Series B rounds  $8 million and $130 million respectively. The company remains GV's biggest investment ever, second only to Uber.

'A profoundly exciting area'

Yeshwant is confident that if Flatiron Health stays focused on oncology  an industry he says is "going through an amazing renaissance right now"  the company could become massively successful.

"Were developing and understanding the biology behind cancer thats letting us really develop treatments that are working  and potentially cures down the line," Yeshwant said. "If all Flatiron ever does is touch some part of oncology, it has the potential to be a tens of billions, or hundreds of billions-size company. Oncology alone is the size of the advertising industry, if not larger."

In January, the company raised a $175 million Series C round, led by Roche Pharmaceuticals. Flatiron's most recent valuation is around $1.2 billion (up from a previous reported valuation of $983 million.)

But Turner seems focused on something much simpler than becoming a billion-dollar company at the moment: "We just want science to move faster in cancer."

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While Amber Rose and few thousand of her supporters enjoyed the festivities at her annual SlutWalk, music producer and reality star Benzino took to social media Saturday (Oct. 1) to blast Roses initiative, and question where we are as a society.

Benzino took a screen grab of a headline that read Amber Rose Needs Models And Artists For Her 2016 SlutWalk, So Get Your a** to LA and wrote a lengthy caption in which he praised his own parenting, and bashed Rose and those who support her SlutWalk.

Thank God my 19-year-old daughter doesnt follow this garbage, Benzino wrote. Thank God she has parents to guide her from the B.S.

The How To Be A Bad B*tch author was too busy entertaining those who attended her SlutWalk, one of which is her pregnant bestie Blac Chyna, to engage in a back and forth with Benzino. However, when she did get word of his scathing comments, Muva kept her cool and explained the purpose behind the event.

Please educate yourself on what this movement is about before you speak so ignorantly, Rose said. Youre welcome to visit AmberRoseSlutWalk.com for more info.

In 2011, a Toronto police officer spoke to a crowd of women and advised if they dont want to be sexually assaulted they shouldnt dress like sluts. The comment outraged thousands and as a response, about 3,000 men and women marched through the streets for gender equality in what is now known as the SlutWalk. Roses event is also aimed at empowering women.

Despite the good intentions behind the walk, not everyone is a fan. Check out the entire discussion unfolded below.
The teaser of Simbu's much-hyped Madurai Michael look in the upcoming film Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangathavan will be release on October 8.

Simbu's Madurai Michael look to be out on October 8

By India Today Web Desk: Actor Simbu, who is currently shooting for his upcoming comedy film titled Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangathavan aka AAA, will unveil the first look teaser of his much-hyped Madurai Michael look.

Earlier to this, the makers unveiled Simbu's look as Ashwin Thatha, one of the characters he plays in the film.

ALSO READ: Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan at Fantastic Fest- After 15 years, the film gets much-needed attention

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Now, director Adhik Ravichandran took to Twitter and revealed that the teaser of will be out on October 8.



In another post, Simbu thanked the director and music director Yuvan Shankar Raja.



Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangathavan is touted to have Simbu in an aged father makeover and will also play his twin sons.

The plot of the film is centered around these characters and the challenges faced by each of them.

AAA is touted to be a romantic comedy, made on the lines of the director's earlier film Trisha Illana Nayanthara.

Bankrolled by Michael Rayappan under Global Infotainment, the film also stars Tamannaah Bhatia and Shriya Saran in pivotal roles.

The film has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja and expected to hit the screens next year.

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f35a

WASHINGTON  According to some reports, America's fifth-generation stealth aircraft doesn't excel at dogfighting.

But fortunately, the F-35 Lightning II is not built for dogfighting.

While some analysts have argued that the air-to-air-combat capabilities of the F-35A won't match some of its peer aircraft, pilots who spoke to Business Insider pointed out that the US's fifth-generation fighter is designed in such a way that dogfighting may be an afterthought.

"As a pilot, dogfighting is fun, but it doesn't get the job done," US Air Force Maj. Will "D-Rail" Andreotta, commander of the F-35A Lightning II Heritage Flight Team, told Business Insider.

"If I'm dogfighting I'm not bombing my target. I'm not getting my job done, and what I'm probably doing is wasting gas and wasting time."

Andreotta, a pilot in the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base who has flown both the F-16 and F-35, says the F-35A's unprecedented situational awareness and stealth gives him "the utmost confidence that this plane will operate perfectly" in a dogfight with fourth-generation aircraft.

F-35 and F-16

"I have stealth, so I've fought against F-16s and I've never gotten into a dogfight yet. You can't fight what you can't see, and if F-16s can't see me then I'm never going to get into a dogfight with them."

What's more, Andreotta says, the US Air Force's F-16s and F-35s work well together.

"The F-16s, F-35s, F-22s, no matter what the aircraft, they all bring something to the fight, they're all different and they all are great compliments to each other. We just all have different capabilities that we can use to get the job done."

"The F-16s and fourth generation are really benefitting from all the information we are able to pull in and send to them," Andreotta said. "I can take information that I'm getting from the F-35 and push it out to other aircraft that don't have the capabilities that I have. That's huge. I would have killed for that when I was flying an F-16."

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"I think if you talk to any fourth-generation pilot that has flown with the F-35 they'll rave about the information they're getting from us, and we're not even at the point where we are sending out all the information."

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SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Sunday the names of those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 might be confirmed by the end of the year. "By the end of the year, maybe early next year, the list of those that we believe should be held accountable will be confirmed and then there must be a prosecution," Bishop said in an interview with Australian state broadcaster ABC. International investigators said on Wednesday the passenger plane was downed by a Russian-made missile fired from a pro-Russian rebel village in eastern Ukraine. The findings counter Moscow's suggestion that the flight, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in July 2014, was brought down by Ukraine's military rather than the separatists. All 298 people on board, including 28 Australians, were killed. Bishop said the culprits could face an international tribunal, similar to the one used to prosecute those responsible for the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, Scotland. (Reporting by Harry Pearl; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) - Four months after he took over a coalition government stunned by the far-right Freedom Party's electoral success, Austria's new chancellor has taken a populist turn, adopting positions remarkably close to those of his anti-immigration rivals. But Christian Kern's new tactics, on Turkey joining the European Union and a trade deal with Canada, have yet to erode the Freedom Party's lead in opinion polls. And trying to beat the anti-immigration party at its own game could backfire. "He is trying to cast out the FPO demon by using Beelzebub, to put it biblically," said political scientist Anton Pelinka. "He is trying to defeat the FPO by taking over its policies." Austria has attracted worldwide attention over its botched presidential election, in which a Freedom Party (FPO) candidate narrowly lost the runoff in May only for a re-run to be ordered, and for the re-run to later be delayed until December. The FPO candidate could yet win and become the EU's first far-right head of state. But while that campaign drags on, Chancellor Kern is preparing for a more important election, for parliament, and reaching for the FPO playbook. As his centrist government returned to the sort of disputes that shredded its popularity under his predecessor and helped fuel the FPO's rise, Kern unexpectedly suggested in August that the EU should break off accession talks with Turkey. That proposal has fallen flat with other EU leaders, who would have to approve it, but it was a safe bet at home, where polls regularly show a large majority of voters oppose Turkey joining the EU, as does the Freedom Party. He followed that up by conducting a survey of his Social Democratic Party's (SPO) members on an EU trade deal with Canada, which was largely rejected by respondents and which he now opposes in its current form. FPO presidential candidate Norbert Hofer has long called for a referendum on any U.S. trade deal and now says the same about the Canadian pact. "These are two issues where the chancellor can be certain that the majority of public opinion is behind him," said political analyst Peter Filzmaier, adding that foreign policy was safer ground on which to take these stands. He said foreign policy questions were less risky because Kern could blame other countries for any setbacks while on domestic policy he had to take responsibility as chancellor. TWO BIRDS Another target of these forays appears to be Kern's foreign minister, 30-year-old Sebastian Kurz, who is widely expected to take over the People's Party (OVP), the junior coalition partner, before the next parliamentary election. When that election will come is not clear -- the government's term runs until 2018 but if the SPO and OVP cannot work together, a snap election will be held, and there has been much speculation about when that might happen. Kurz, the foreign minister, and Kern have at times seemed to be trying to outbid each other in their criticism of the EU's dealings with Turkey. Both are slick public speakers who are much more popular than their own parties. That popularity could go some way towards explaining recent moves by Kern, including meeting members of the public in a tram and having his picture taken while jogging in New York with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. The aim is to use his popularity "in the hope that he pulls the party up before the party pulls him down", Pelinka said. Polls show FPO support at more than 30 percent, followed by Kern's SPO in the mid-20s and the OVP on around 20 percent. While opting for a more personal style, conveyed through social media channels that the Freedom Party has long dominated, seems relatively safe, moving towards the FPO's policies is not without risk. Kern says he opposes the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada particularly because it could allow companies to sue governments. But the deal has been negotiated and is due to be signed this month. "If you go into an issue in a populist way, you also have to be prepared to take the last step," political analyst Thomas Hofer said, calling Kern's populist turn a "serious mistake". "The last step on this issue is not to sign (CETA). How he can solve that in October I don't know," Hofer said And populism is a game best played when not in government. "There is a level on which the FPO, as long as it is in opposition, will always be faster and more populist," he added. (Editing by Giles Elgood)
Dhaka (AFP) - A Bangladesh court Sunday granted bail to a student of Canada's University of Toronto after police dropped charges against him over alleged involvement in the country's deadliest terrorist attack, police and a lawyer said.

Tahmid Hasib Khan was picked up by security forces and later arrested after he was named as a suspect in the July carnage at Holey Artisan Bakery, Dhaka, where Islamist extremists killed at least 22 mostly foreign hostages.

Khan's family vehemently protested his innocence, saying the 22-year old was in the cafe as a customer and was not associated with the five gunmen who hacked and shot to death the hostages in an attack claimed by Islamic State group.

Police on Sunday said investigators had not found any evidence against Khan, prompting a court to grant his bail, two police officers told AFP.

"Police submitted a report on September 28, saying that he was not involved in the Holey Artisan attack," Khan's lawyer Motiur Rahman told AFP.

"The Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court today granted bail to him. We hope he will be released later today," Rahman said.

Police confirmed in August that Khan and British citizen Hasnat Karim, of Bangladeshi origin, had been arrested and were being held.

Karim and Khan were both inside the Bakery when gunmen raided the cafe on the night of July 1, taking a group of mainly Western diners hostage and then killing 20 of them, along with two policemen.

But neither have been seen in public since the end of the siege when commandos stormed the cafe in the capital's upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood on the morning of July 2.

The men's families have said they were being held by security forces even though there was no evidence to link them to the attackers.

Police had denied the men were in their custody before announcing the arrest on August 4.

Reports in local media said both men were being investigated for suspicious activity during the siege. They said Khan was seen holding a firearm and Hasnat Karim strolling with the attackers on the roof.

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The country's national police chief told reporters that the two had fallen under suspicion as a result of their "behaviour and actions" during the siege.

Khan, who is a Bangladeshi citizen, was back in his homeland while on leave from university.

Police also named a Canadian citizen, Tamim Chowdhury, as the attack's mastermind, saying his Bangladeshi group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh, not IS, carried out the attack.

Chowdhury was killed in a gunfight just outside the capital later in August.
Bernie Sanders says supporters of his presidential campaign who are considering Gary Johnson should look long and hard at the Libertarian nominees policies before thinking of voting for the third-party candidate.

Look at his point of view on issues like the environment, on climate change, on the economy, Sanders said on CNNs State of the Union Sunday. And I think, if any of the people who voted for me take a hard look what he stands for, I think  and understand where hes coming from  they will not be supporting him.

On climate change, Johnson admits it is probably happening and that humans are probably causing it  but believes the federal government should focus on regulations that protect us from real harm. (In 2011, he said, The sun is going to actually grow and encompass the Earth, right? So global warming is in our future.)

In July, the former New Mexico governor was asked on HBOs Real Time With Bill Maher whether he had a comprehensive plan to combat climate change.

No, Johnson replied.

Then in August, after signaling he would consider a carbon tax  something Sanders endorsed during the primary  Johnson told supporters at a rally in New Hampshire he had determined that, you know what, its a great theory, but I dont think it can work.

Bernie Sanders: If my supporters take a hard look at Gary Johnson's policies, "they will not be supporting him" https://t.co/hNpxWCaT7D  CNN (@CNN) October 2, 2016

Johnson also supports a number of things Sanders built his campaign political fighting against  like corporate donations in politics and the Trans-Pacific Partnership  and disagrees with Sanders plan to make public colleges and universities tuition free.

On foreign policy, the Libertarian hopeful has drawn attention in recent weeks for a pair of face-palm-inducing flubs: appearing to be unfamiliar with Aleppo, the war-torn Syrian city; and not being able to name a single foreign leader he admires.

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But Sanders wouldnt say such gaffes should disqualify Johnsons candidacy.

You know, that wasnt the most impressive interview I have ever heard, he said on CNN. But I think, more importantly than that, people make mistakes doing interviews.

The Vermont senator  who has endorsed his onetime Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, for president  also refused to criticize Clinton over comments she made about his supporters at a closed-door fundraiser in February.

Some are new to politics completely. They are children of the great recession, and they are living in their parents basement, Clinton said in a leaked audio tape published by the Washington Free Beacon. So if youre feeling that youre consigned to being a barista or, you know, some other job that doesnt pay a lot and doesnt have much of a ladder of opportunity attached to it, then the idea that maybe, just maybe, you could be part of a political revolution is pretty appealing.

What she was saying there is absolutely correct, Sanders said on ABCs This Week Sunday. And that is, youve got millions of young people, many of whom took out loans in order to go to college, hoping to go out and get decent-paying, good jobs. Theyre unable to do that. And yes, they do want a political revolution. They want to transform this society. They want to make sure that when they get out of school, they can get a job that pays them wages and salaries commensurate with the education they have. I think thats a very important point. And that is an issue that, as a nation, we have got to address.

And for those Sanders supporters who might find Clintons comments about them condescending, he has a message for them, too.

Take a hard look, not at Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, he said. Take a hard look at the needs of the American people. And issue by issue, whether it is climate change, whether it is Citizens United, the need to overturn that, whether it is pay equity for women, whether it is raising the minimum wage to a living wage, rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, a tax system that says to Trump and his friends they are going start paying their fair share of taxes, look at Clintons positions, look at Trumps positions, understand that one or the other of those two will be the next president of the United States. And after you take a hard look at those two candidates and their issues, I think the conclusion that the vast majority of people will reach is that Clinton is far and away the superior candidate.
We've continued to carefully collect the best new mixes streaming right now, to make sure you meet the coming cold months with some extra heat in your pocket.

This time around, it ranges from Kaytranada's killer 0.001% mix to Teki Latex's 100% Radio Hits throwback, with a 99.999% certainty you'll like something in-between. There's a new one from Nightmares on Wax, a cool collection of recordings from Ryan Hemsworth, as well as a sunrise set recently shared by Tycho.

There's plenty more below, so stop reading and start listening to the latest and greatest.

Kaytranada: 0.001% Mix

Kaytranada's 0.001% mixcomprised of "beats, loops, remixes and sounds made during the process of 99.9%"effectively puts anyone trying to copy his signature style in their place.

With half-a-million plays clocked up in a week (of which we can only account for a thousand or so), it provides an intimate insight into the mind of Kaytranada, aka Kevin Celestin, during the recording of his debut album 99.9%. We're just thankful it wasn't hoarded on a hard drive somewhere.

Happy days!

Ryan Hemsworth: 3AM O4W

Almost like a diary you can listen to, Ryan Hemsworth's 3AM O4W mix is proudly sponsored by "summer, recordings from Atlanta, Taqueria Del Sol, sample searching, insomnia cookies," and finally "falling asleep." Blissed out R&B blends, minimal piano trap, and the sort of hip-hop that'll make your eyelids heavy all feature.

Nightmares on Wax: The EXP Tapes 86-97  Volume 2

One of eight mixes now available to stream and download for free, the man known best as Nightmares on Wax recently shared a cache of delicious archival recordings made downstairs at his mum's place over 20 years ago.

The NOW Experience tapes are a collection of tapes ranging from 86-97 made in connection with me and my crew, the ICL posse from Leeds, which stands for Inner City Life. The members of that crew are Code Name Tee, Tozz 180, FST, Ten Ton and Thunder. We all used to practice making demos in my mums living room from around 87. We used a 4 track cassette and a sampler and these are some of these demo tapes. In between every session I would make these sample tapes which I called Experience...Through these tapes youll hear the seed, birth and ingredients of many N.O.W classics. I feel its time to share these with the world."

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Listen to Volume 2 below via the folks at THUMP, but be sure to listen to the other seven over here.

Teki Latex: 100% RADIO HITS

If you could plug earphones directly into an imaginary auxiliary port at the back of DJ/producer Teki Latex's head, you would hear this mix, apparently.

"100% Radio Hits is the sound of the radio station that plays 24/7 inside my brain. It's about pushing my fascination for blends and superimposition one step further, and finding parallels between the music of now and the music of yesterday. It's a love letter to the bootleg days, the Hollertronix days, the Radio Soulwax days, the DJ Spinbad days. It's the feeling of listening to Radio Nostalgie in an Uber at night combined with the feeling of listening to Rinse FM on a Sunday in 2010."

Chris Read: The Low End Theory 25th Anniversary Mixtape

Not the first time we've featured a classic throwback mix from Chris Read, and if he keeps on like he's been going we doubt it'll be the last! This time it was to mark the 25th anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest's sophomore LP The Low End Theory, and with a combination of album tracks, alternative versions, interview snippets and original samples, it's almost like listening to the album anew.

"Here we go yo, here we go yo.."

Svani: Truancy Volume 156

I made a mix that represents moving into the Norwegian fall, clinging onto the summer but realizing that the cold is here to stay," explained Svani about her rowdy mix for Truant's Truancy series. "This mix takes you up and down, and through different vibes and rhythmsjust like life itself."

JKriv: Mix003 for wewillalwaysbealovesong

Whether you're being cryogenically defrosted from 1987 or getting ready to go out in 2016, both situations could probably do with this mix by JKriv being played in earshot to help expedite things. There's disco, there's funk, and the kind of house that makes you want to hug someone.

S U R V I V E: FACT Mix #569

Any discussion about Netflix series Stranger Things lasting longer than ten seconds seems to draw on how the score was crucial in evoking a particularly compelling, yet haunting atmosphere on the show.

Thanks, then, is largely due to the dudes known as S U R V I V E for creating the show's synth-heavy sounds. In this instance however, it's their mix for FACT Magazine that's recently caught our attention; ideal for weeknight chilling or to soundtrack the first couple hours of every "Stranger Things Halloween" party inevitably taking place in the next few weeks.

Tycho: Burning Man Sunrise Set

Yes, yes, we know we can't truly know what it was like if we weren't there...but if listening to a live mix from Tycho from the convenience of your own home sounds more appealing than traveling to a festival in the desert to have heard it first hand, you are in luck.

"Thanks to everyone who made this morning so special. Thanks to Clarke and the Dusty Rhino crew for having me. Special thanks to my brother Dane for all the help."

DJ Food: Solid Steel Radio Show Mix

Solid Steel and Ninja Tune staple DJ Food forked over an hour of futuristic funk for the latest episode in the Solid Steel series. Little surprise to find a dizzying blend of breaks, robots, hip-hop, and acid all crammed into the hour slot.

Tasty.

Continue Reading On Complex
The Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhaag briefed Ajit Doval, India's national security advisor on the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and the alertness of Indian army.

By Manjeet Negi: Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhaag briefed National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and overall preparedness at a time when retaliatory action is expected from Pakistan.

Army chief marked his presence in the south block office for an entire day today.



Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will review the situation with three service chiefs tomorrow amid threat perception after the surgical operation .



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PoK RESIDENT APPREHENDED

Army along with Jammu and Kashmir police apprehended a PoK resident in Saujian sector yesterday. The person has been identified as Mohd Rashid Khan. Khan is a resident of Tehsil in a district of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The investigations on this case are under process.

Watch how India carried out military operation in PoK



STRONG VIGIL ACROSS BORDERS



Post surgical strike, India has been maintaining the highest vigil all along the western borders. Satellites, radar chains and NTRO facilities are monitoring the situation 24x7. Officers in military operation room are monitoring the inputs constantly.

Opinion: Indian Army's surgical strikes should make Pakistan think twice before trying another Uri

Also read: BRICS ministers condemn Uri attack, call for speeding up global pact against terrorism

--- ENDS ---
Srebrenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (AFP) - The Bosnian town of Srebrenica, known for the wartime massacre of 8,000 Muslims by Serb forces, looked set to get its first Serb mayor in 17 years after elections on Sunday.

A Muslim war criminal was also poised to become mayor in the northwestern town of Velika Kladusa following the poll, which came at a time of renewed tensions in the fragile country.

Based on a preliminary vote count in Srebrenica, 34-year-old Mladen Grujicic declared victory over his Muslim opponent and said people had shown "they want changes".

If confirmed, Grujicic's victory would make him the town's first Serb leader since 1999, although his rival and the incumbent mayor Camil Durakovic said it was too soon to declare with postal votes not yet counted.

Srebrenica today is a microcosm of Bosnia, with Muslims and Serbs living side by side but by no means together -- still distrustful more than two decades after Bosnia's 1992-1995 war, which claimed 100,000 lives and displaced two million people.

Grujicic assured that the town hall would continue to help commemorate July 11, 1995 -- the date of Europe's worst massacre since World War II.

In the mass slaughter -- deemed genocide by two international courts -- Bosnian Serb forces carried out the executions of thousands of Muslim men and boys, despite the enclave being under UN protection.

"I want us to turn the page in Srebrenica, to have a new life, to look ahead, to develop Srebrenica in all areas, to ensure that people stay here, regardless of their faith or ethnicity," said Grujicic.

In the northwestern town of Velika Kladusa, the position of mayor was expected to go to war criminal Fikret Abdic, 77, who was convicted by a Croatian court in 2002.

During Bosnia's war, the Muslim warlord sided with the Serbs against Muslim forces loyal to Sarajevo and proclaimed an "Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia".

He was released in 2012 after serving two-thirds of a 15-year jail sentence.

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- High tension -

This year tensions in Bosnia are particularly strong, intensified by the decision of its Serbs at a referendum last weekend to continue celebrating their "national holiday" -- despite Sarajevo authorities ruling the holiday and the plebiscite illegal.

The Dayton peace accords that ended the war in 1995 split Bosnia into two semi-independent entities -- the Serb-run Republika Srpska (RS) and a Muslim-Croat federation -- linked by weak central institutions.

The political leaders on both sides, Milorad Dodik in the RS and Muslim Bakir Izetbegovic, led aggressive campaigns ahead of Sunday's vote using nationalist rhetoric.

Dodik proclaimed the victory of his SNSD party late Sunday, saying it had won in 11 more municipalities than in previous elections.

The nationwide vote, which saw turnout of 53.8 percent among an estimated 3.2 million voters, was marked by a minor clash between Muslims and Croats in the country's south.

A fight broke out in the southern town of Stolac when a Muslim candidate, complaining of fraud, lashed out violently at an ethnic Croat who was overseeing the poll, said national electoral commission chief Ahmet Santic.

Three people were slightly injured and polling was cancelled in the town of 14,500 inhabitants, a mix of Croats and Bosnians.
By Anjuli Davies, Andrew MacAskill and Huw Jones

LONDON (Reuters) - Large banks in Britain have clashed with other parts of the financial sector about who should be leading efforts to lobby the government over Brexit.

Failing to present a united front could be damaging as the industry, Britain's largest export sector and biggest source of tax revenue, fights to retain access to Europe's single market.

There is growing speculation that the sector, which includes retail banks, asset managers, insurers and investment banks, will lose rights as the British government negotiates its exit from the European Union.

Ten of the biggest banks based in London told Reuters they are concerned that conflicting industry voices and a burgeoning of lobby groups will dilute government discussions.

"To the extent it looks disjointed, there is a degree of inevitability about that as different bodies want different things," said Gerald Walker, ING's UK CEO, and a board member of main industry group TheCityUK.

A separate high-level group of executives, headed by Shriti Vadera, chairman of the British arm of Spain's Banco Santander, was set up days after the Brexit vote to represent the views of banks, insurers, brokers and asset managers.

But last month it was subsumed into TheCityUK, after protests from trade bodies, investment banks and smaller firms. They felt they would be underrepresented if the government dealt separately with larger banks in the other group, officials said.

"It was a complete dog's breakfast. There were a lot of egos involved," said an employee of one international bank involved in the talks. "The groups weren't connected on content or policy. But it's now been reined in."

A spokesman for the Vadera group had no comment. TheCityUK had no immediate comment.

Several other new lobbying groups are being set up.

SQUABBLES AND IRRITATION

There has also been disagreement between financial firms about which organizations get to meet government ministers and what they should prioritise in talks.

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"People squabble when they don't know what to do," said one lawyer close to the banks. "Every bank seems to feel they are uniquely entitled to speak for the industry."

The head of one of Britain's largest banks told Reuters he was frustrated that Prime Minister Theresa May held a meeting with the heads of U.S. banks in New York, but had not found time so far to collectively meet with British banks.

Similarly, international banks with a large presence in London were irritated that they were not invited to a meeting with the Chancellor last month attended mainly by British financial institutions.

They then asked for their own meeting with top civil servants from the Treasury.

"We have made it clear we are not prepared to be intermediated," said one of the bankers involved in the meeting.

Bankers say they are frustrated that more than three months after the referendum result they still lack a clear idea of what Britain's divorce from the European Union means.

May provided some clarity on Sunday when she said Britain would trigger the divorce process by the end of March, starting two years of exit negotiations.

Bankers are talking to regulators in other European capitals about moving parts of their business although no firm decisions have been taken yet, executives and lawyers said.

"The government says 'we will not give a running commentary' but as banks without more information we can't plan," said a senior executive at a top British lender, who has held talks with government ministers.

Banks say the two-year exit time frame is too short.

CALL FOR COHERENCE

The febrile mood in the City over Brexit rose to the surface last month when Angela Knight, a former government minister who headed the British Bankers' Association during the financial crisis, called for a coherent voice to help the government in its negotiations with Brussels.

"If the different groups keep on going either to the government or to Europe saying 'do this' or 'do that', then all that will happen is government and Europe will say, 'well the Brits don't know what they want in financial services' and so you will get what you are given," said Knight.

Another new lobbying group will be launched this month in an attempt to embrace both those who backed and opposed leaving the EU and to give a voice to smaller, more domestically focussed firms whose priorities differ from the big banks.

"It's right the big banks should have a significant seat at the table. At the other end of the scale there are an awful lot of underrepresented institutions," said Anthony Belchambers, one of the leading members of the new Financial Services Negotiation Forum.

"We have to bridge that divide and make sure as far as possible the financial services sector speaks with one voice."

Property investor Richard Tice has started another group backed by prominent City figures, including Hargreaves Lansdown founder Peter Hargreaves, pushing the government for a "hard Brexit", or a clean break with the EU, the worst outcome for many big American and Japanese banks in particular.

Amongst the differences, the groups all appear to share the view that UK-based firms will not retain the passports that allow them to sell their services across the EU after Brexit.

Banks are now focussing on asking the government to negotiate a transitional period of up to five years between EU departure and the start of new trading terms, once they have been agreed, bankers said.

But lawyers said that such transitional arrangements have never been negotiated before and would raise complex issues, such as whether Britain is legally inside or outside the EU during that period.

Viswas Raghavan, JPMorgan's head of banking for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said last week that his bank wants a politically neutral body like the Bank of England or the European Central Bank to come up with a transitional agreement to avoid disruption to markets.

"So whatever is the new norm, we migrate to it in an orderly fashion. If that doesn't happen and you pull down the shutters you're going to have pandemonium," he said.

(Additional reporting by John O'Donnell in Frankfurt and Lawrence White in London; Editing by Rachel Armstrong and Anna Willard)
By Elizabeth Piper BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would trigger the process to leave the EU by the end of March, offering the first glimpse of a timetable for a divorce that will redefine Britain's ties with its biggest trading partner. Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union in June propelled May to power and the former interior minister has been under pressure to offer more details on her plan for departure, beyond an often-repeated catchphrase that "Brexit means Brexit". In a move to ease fears among her ruling Conservatives that she may delay the divorce, May told the party's annual conference in Birmingham, central England, that she was determined to move on with the process and win the "right deal". Using Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty will give Britain a two-year period to clinch one of the most complex deals in Europe since World War Two. "We will invoke Article 50 no later than the end of March next year," May told the conference to cheers from hundreds of members. "Parliament put the decision to leave or remain inside the EU in the hands of the people. And the people gave their answer with emphatic clarity," she added. "So now it is up to the government not to question, quibble or backslide on what we have been instructed to do, but to get on with the job," said May, keen to reassure members of parliament that she will deliver Brexit despite her earlier support, albeit quiet, for a "Remain" vote in the referendum. Her comments were welcomed by the EU, with Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, saying the statement had brought "welcome clarity" to the situation. But behind the scenes, there was frustration at the lack of detail. "It is beyond comprehension that the politicians who campaigned for Brexit for months have no idea what they want, they have no plan at all," a senior German official said. UNCERTAINTY Britain's decision to leave the EU on June 23 sparked turmoil in financial markets as investors tried to gauge its impact on both the world's fifth largest economy and the bloc. The country's allies fear that its exit from the EU could mark a turning point in post-Cold War international affairs that will weaken the West in relation to China and Russia, undermine efforts towards European integration and hurt global free trade. Sterling plunged to a 31-year low after the vote and is now trading around 40 U.S. cents -- or 25 percent -- lower than the six-year highs it reached in mid-2014. For some businesses, May's reluctance to offer what she describes as a "running commentary" on her strategy, has deepened fears that they could end up paying higher costs if operating from Britain. But May said she could not risk a good deal by putting her strategy under continual scrutiny. "Every stray word and every hyped-up media report is going to make it harder for us to get the right deal for Britain," she said. "So we have to stay patient. But when there are things to say -- as there are today -- we will keep the public informed and up to date." For many of her MPs, the announcement hit the mark. "The timing is just right," Conservative lawmaker Andrew Bridgen told Reuters, saying voters had understood that the new prime minister had needed some time to prepare her position. Others said they feared that triggering Article 50 so early could put pressure on Britain as elections in France and Germany in 2017 could change London's partners in the middle of talks. Unwilling to give too much away, May said her government must respond to the demands of voters, many of whom fear that hospitals and schools are being stretched by high levels of migration from the EU, but also had to listen to business. "I know some people ask about the 'trade-off' between controlling immigration and trading with Europe. But that is the wrong way of looking at things," she said. Underlining her point, close ally, trade minister Liam Fox -- one of three leading Brexit campaigners in her cabinet -- told an event at the conference: "What we want is the best exit for the United Kingdom, not the quickest." 'GREAT REPEAL ACT' But it was her move to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act next year, a law that took Britain into what is now the EU, and make Britain "a sovereign and independent country" that received the loudest cheers from her audience. Some members of her Conservative Party said that what May has billed as the 'Great Repeal Act' was little more than a technicality, but many others said it was the first step for Britain to reclaim power and dispense with some EU regulation. "I'm rather looking forward to being a sovereign parliament again ... to dealing with EU legislation and removing unnecessary laws and streamlining it," said Bridgen. Describing himself as an "ardent Brexiteer", Bridgen said by repealing the act, Britain could help businesses by dispensing with EU regulation "which puts them at a disadvantage". (Additional reporting by William James and Kylie MacLellan, Andreas Rinke and Noah Barkin in Berlin,; Editing by Catherine Evans)
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that she will trigger Article 50 -- formally beginning the Brexit negotiation process -- "no later than the end of March next year."

May made the declaration on the first day of the Conservative Party's annual conference in Birmingham, where she told delegates that post-Brexit the United Kingdom would be "a fully-independent, sovereign country" no longer governed by the "jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice."

UK Music Industry Pumps $5.4 Billion Into British Economy; Calls for Brexit Protection Increase

"Brexit means Brexit and we're going to make a success of it," stated the Prime Minister, who succeeded David Cameron in July -- less than a month after he announced his resignation following a divisive EU referendum that saw a 52 percent majority of the U.K. population vote to leave the European Union.

Under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the U.K. has two years to negotiate its withdrawal from the EU, although that process only begins once Article 50 has been triggered. The U.K. is the first country to leave the EU since its formation in 1993.

"There will be no unnecessary delays in invoking Article 50. We will invoke it when we are ready and we will be ready soon," said May of the historic decision, which she said would end "the authority of EU law in Britain."

The consequences of that decision for the music business are potentially huge, encompassing dramatic currency swings, new trade agreements and extra tariffs on imports and exports with EU member states -- such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden -- and the possibility of U.K. acts requiring separate working visas for each EU country they wish to visit, meaning extra administration and cost burdens, with smaller bands and tightly budgeted treks likely to be among those hardest hit.

There are also serious implications for copyright law, with the EU's eagerly-anticipated copyright reforms -- including its recent vow to make user-generated services like YouTube pay more to rights holders, as part of its Digital Single Market strategy -- only applicable to EU member states. If the U.K. is no longer part of the European Union, then British artists and rights holders are theoretically not bound by any legislation introduced by the European Parliament. Brexit does, however, mean that there is nothing to stop the British government from reforming its own copyright regulations, free from Brussels' red tape.

Story continues

Ringo Starr Explains Why He Voted for Brexit: 'Britain Should Be Out & Get Back on Its Own Feet'

The contentious issue of controlling immigration was a key part of the EU referendum campaign and is sure to figure heavily in any Brexit negotiations. Speaking at the Conservative conference, Brexit Secretary David Davis said that the government would "protect the rights of EU citizens here, so long as Britons in Europe are treated the same way" -- no doubt a welcome statement to the thousands of EU citizens working at music companies in the U.K., as well as the 1.3 million Brits estimated to be living and working in Europe.

The near-certain introduction of a limit to immigration numbers is still likely to impact on British music companies, though. Drew Hill, managing director of the U.K.'s largest independent distributor Proper Music, told Billboard earlier this year that of its 120 warehouse workforce, at least one third are European migrants due to a shortage of British applicants. "We would not be in the position that we're in today in terms of having a very buoyant business were it not for those migrant workers."

Another consequence could be an increase in CD and vinyl manufacturing costs for the majority of U.K. labels that press their records in European countries and, as members of the EU, don't currently have to pay import taxes. Any increase in taxation post-Brexit would likely have a knock-on effect for U.S. labels and cut into their profit margins on physical product sold in the U.K.

Despite those concerns, the message from Theresa May's government is that British businesses and their international trading partners need not fear the consequences of formally leaving the EU.

"History shows that the easier it is for us to do business together, the better it is for both Britain and Europe," said Brexit Secretary David Davis, speaking after May. He added that it "certainly won't be to anyone's benefit to see an increase in barriers to trade, in either direction."

He continued: "We want to maintain the freest possible trade between us, without betraying the instruction we have received from the British people to take back control of our own affairs."

"The referendum was not a vote to turn in ourselves, to cut ourselves off from the world," said May earlier in the day. "It was a vote for Britain to stand tall. To believe in ourselves. To forge an ambitious and optimistic new role in the world."
Victoria (Canada) (AFP) - Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate left British Columbia's capital to the cheers of a crowd as they headed home after weeklong visit.

The royal couple and their small children George and Charlotte on Saturday boarded a hydroplane -- the capital city Victoria is on an island in the Pacific -- to head to the mainland and take a Canadian government jet back to Britain.

The family has spent a week touring nature sites in British Columbia and the Yukon territory, meeting with everyday Canadians, some of them enduring hard times.

The government, criticized for hosting the costly visit -- the couple's previous visit in 2011 cost 1.2 million Canadian dollars (800,000 euros) -- gave the couple a going away gift.

It was a donation of 100,000 Canadian dollars that will go to two charities in Canada, benefiting indigenous people and immigrants.

"Canadians have a real affection for the royal family, which was once again very much on display during this tour," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau has scheduled an announcement on Monday, his office said on Sunday, without disclosing further details. Morneau, who is traveling the country for consultations on next year's budget, will make the announcement at 11:15 a.m. (1515 GMT) in Toronto, according to a department advisory. It will be followed by a background briefing for media. On Monday, Morneau said Canadian economic growth this year was less than the government initially expected, in a sign Ottawa could run budget deficits for longer than planned. (Writing by Amran Abocar; Editing by Peter Cooney)
This cat that snuck into a university class then immediately fell asleep is all of us

This cat that snuck into a university class then immediately fell asleep is all of us

Who among us hasnt fallen asleep in class at least once? Whether its that 8 a.m. organic chemistry lecture or the three-hour-long art history class right around lunchtimelets face it, most of us have probably inadvertently passed out in school at least once. But none of us have ever managed it with the confidence and style of this cat, who has recently achieved internet fame for his classroom snooze.

It all started when the cat first wandered into class at the International Islamic University in Malaysia. He decided to have a seat and check out what the students were learning that day.

Apparently not super impressed by the days lesson, he then took a super cool selfie with human student Nur Elynna Binti Mohammad Shaharul Hashri, who told Buzzfeed that she recognized the kitty as one who frequently hangs out on campus.

SQUAD GOALS.

Finally, done with the selfie and still bored by the lecture, the fatigued feline plopped down on the desk and took what appears to be the worlds most satisfying nap, judging by the smile on his face.

Hashri says that even the instructor allowed the cat to continue sleeping on the desk, something that we all know doesnt happen when humans fall asleep in class. (SO JEALOUS.)

And the midday catnap, as well as the candor with which the cat decided to catch some zzzs in school, has already led to a flurry of Twitter posts from students who can relate to the struggle.

One thing is clear: This cat is an ins-purr-ation.

The post This cat that snuck into a university class then immediately fell asleep is all of us appeared first on HelloGiggles.
While the fans await the release of SS Rajamouli's epic fantasy drama Baahubali: The Conclusion, an animated series titled Baahubali: The Lost Legends was unveiled yesterday (October 1).

By India Today Web Desk: SS Rajamouli's epic fantasy drama Baahubali: The Beginning, whose visuals made some of the Hollywood films pale in comparison, will now have an animated series titled Baahubali: The Lost Legends, which was released by Amazon.in.

ALSO READ: Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan at Fantastic Fest- After 15 years, the film gets much-needed attention

ALSO READ: Happy Birthday Sivaji Ganesan- Remembering the Marlon Brando of Indian cinema

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An elated director SS Rajamouli took to Twitter and shared the news.



. @ArkaMediaworks @GraphicIndia and @AmazonIN join hands to make an animation series on Baahubali.

Very excited that we are venturing into rajamouli ss (@ssrajamouli) October 1, 2016

According to reports, the plot of the animated series is set before the invasion of Kakeya army, Baahubali and Bhallaladeva are still both young princes of Mahishmati. The animated series will also feature the untold stories of the his characters like Prince Baahubali, Bhallaladeva, Kattappa and Sivagami.

The series will follow the relationship between the two cousins as they journey across the kingdom of Mahishmati, uncovering hidden mysteries, stopping ancient terrors and defending their people from danger.

Meanwhile, SS Rajamouli unveiled the official logo of Baahubali: The Conclusion on Friday (September 30).

It's also said that the first look poster of the much-awaited sequel will release on the eve before actor Prabhas' birthday on October 22.

Baahubali: The Conclusion, which stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah and Anushka Shetty is slated to release on April 28, 2017.

Here's the teaser:



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Charlotte (AFP) - Hillary Clinton denounced racism as she waded Sunday into one of the latest flashpoints of anger over fatal police shootings of blacks in America.

The Democratic presidential candidate's gesture came at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina where protests erupted over the September 20 killing of Keith Lamont Scott by police trying to serve an arrest warrant on someone else.

Clinton noted that she is a grandmother of two and worries about the safety of those kids amid America's epidemic of gun violence.

But she added, "my worries are not the same as black grandmothers'."

"Because my grandchildren are white, because they are the grandchildren of a former president and secretary of state, let's be honest. They won't face the kind of fear we heard from the young children testifying before the city council," Clinton said.

She was eluding to comments by a nine-year-old named Zianna Oliphant, who told local authorities last week that she felt she was treated differently than other people because she is black.

Clinton addressed the death of Scott, who was 43, in circumstances that are still not entirely clear. Police say he had a gun, but the Scott family denies this.

A curfew was imposed after three nights of violent protests over his death. Clinton had been due to visit Charlotte last Sunday but she postponed it at the request of the city's mayor.

"It has been 12 days since Mr. Scott was shot and killed," Clinton said. "We don't yet know all the details about the shooting, but we do know this community and this family is in pain."

Over the course of the campaign for the November 8 presidential election pitting her against Donald Trump, Clinton has frequently acknowledged the complaints of black Americans who accuse mainly white police departments of racism, brutality and disproportionate use of force.

Trump has tried to reach out to African Americans, but has also pressed his drive to depict himself as a tough law-and-order candidate, often paying tribute to police officers.

"We can acknowledge that implicit bias still exists," Clinton said, "without vilifying police officers."

Without naming Trump, Clinton criticized those "who want to exploit people's fears, even if it means tearing our nation even further apart. They say that all of our problems would be solved simply with more law and order, as if the systemic racism plaguing our country doesn't exist."
Washington (AFP) - Hillary Clinton said Saturday she raised a record $154 million in September in her race for the White House against Donald Trump.

In August, Clinton raised $143 million and Trump $90 million. It is common for campaign donations to increase as the election approaches. This year the voting is on November 8.

The money is in fact divided between Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party.

Individual Americans can donate up to $2,700 to a candidate in a general election. Anything beyond $2,700 has to go to committees other than that of the candidate.

Clinton and her Democratic allies begin the month of October with a war chest of $150 million to blitz TV, radio and the internet with ads.

More than 900,000 people made a donation in September and 2.6 million have done so since the beginning of the race, the Clinton campaign said.

The Trump campaign has not yet released a figure for September.

Clinton relies more than Trump on elite private fundraising events in which a single ticket can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Trump said in early September that he has contributed nearly $60 million of his own money to his campaign for the White House.

Small donations -- practically unheard of during the primary campaign -- shot up for Trump, totaling 2.1 million people from June to August.

In the 24 hours right after last week's big debate with Clinton, Trump said he received $18 in donations.
Bogota (Colombia) (AFP) - Colombian voters appeared to have shocked their government by blasting away its hopes for a historic peace deal with communist FARC rebels Sunday, near-complete referendum results showed.

Reversing the trend of earlier opinion polls, voters appeared to have narrowly defied the government's pleas to ratify its plan to put 52 years of bloody conflict behind them within months.

They voted 50.23 percent to 49.76 percent against the accord, with 99.6 percent of the votes counted, according to official results published online by electoral authorities.

Supporters of the accord had expected it to effectively end what is seen as the last major armed conflict in the Western hemisphere.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

But Sunday evening's results pointed to a crashing defeat for President Juan Manuel Santos and the accord that he signed on September 26 with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Santos's government had said it had no Plan B if voters rejected the accord, which stipulated that the agreement must be ratified by Colombians in a referendum in order to come into force.

Opinion surveys by pollsters Datexco and Ipsos Napoleon Franco, published on September 26, indicated the 'Yes" vote would win by a margin of around 20 percent.

Opponents of the deal, drawn up at peace talks in Havana, Cuba, resented the concessions made to the FARC, which has carried out killings, kidnappings and extortion.

"Peace is exciting, but the Havana accords are disappointing," said the leader of the 'No' campaign, former president Alvaro Uribe.

Sunday's result threw the country's future into uncertainty.

"Colombia is betting everything on this plebiscite, socially, economically and politically," said Jorge Restrepo, director of conflict analysis center CERAC, ahead of the results.

- 'No' to rewarding 'criminals' -

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Santos insisted as he voted on Sunday that "peace is the way for our children and grandchildren to have a better country. We Colombians must all play a role in this historic change."

Many voters said they were sick of war, but others said the accord was a reward to a group they see as terrorists.

"It is absurd to reward those criminals, drug-traffickers and killers who have made the country a disaster for the past 50 years," said Jose Gomez, a retiree of 70, who voted 'No.'

"If you reward crime, what moral authority do you have to tell a thief not to steal your mobile phone?"

The opinion polls had forecast a 'No' vote of only about 35 percent.

- Disarmament, politics -

The deal signed on October 26 by Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, known as "Timochenko," called for the 5,765 FARC rebels to disarm in six months and convert into a political group with seats in Colombia's Congress.

The accord covered justice and compensation and an end to the cocaine production that has fueled the conflict.

It offered an amnesty for some FARC members but not for the worst crimes such as massacres, torture and rape.

The FARC promised in a statement on Saturday that it would provide "material compensation for victims."

They have apologized to their victims and held emotional face-to-face reconciliations over recent days.

The accord was meant to virtually end the conflict, even though the government has so far failed to start peace talks with a smaller leftist rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), which it accuses of holding hostages.

- Ideological conflict -

The FARC launched its guerrilla war on the government in 1964, after a peasant uprising that was crushed by the army.

The ideological and territorial conflict drew in several leftist rebel groups, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs.

Colombian authorities estimate the conflict has left 260,000 people dead, 45,000 missing and nearly seven million displaced.
Bogota (AFP) - Colombia's FARC rebels said Saturday they would pay reparations to victims of the country's long war as per a recent peace accord.

Until now, the guerrillas had said they did not have money to pay damages because everything went to their war effort.

And critics of the peace accord, signed Monday by the leftist rebels and the government after nearly four years of negotiations, have argued that the guerrillas would not pay damages even if they had funds to do so.

The Colombian people will vote on the accord Sunday in a referendum.

In a statement, the FARC said that in line with the terms of the peace agreement "we will pay material reparations to victims."

The FARC said they would report to the government "the monetary and non-monetary resources" that have funded their war effort.

Those assets will be reported during the 180 days the rebels have to disarm.

The accord will effectively end what is seen as the last major armed conflict in the Americas. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

It calls for the rebels to disarm after the plebiscite and convert into a political group.

The FARC launched its guerrilla war on the Colombian government in 1964, after an uprising by farmers demanding land was crushed by the army.

Over the decades, the ideological and territorial conflict drew in several leftist rebel groups, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs.

Colombian authorities estimate the conflict has left 260,000 people dead, 45,000 missing and nearly seven million displaced in a country of 47 million.
Bogota (Colombia) (AFP) - Colombians voted Sunday on whether to put 52 years of bloody conflict behind them by ratifying a peace accord between the state and communist FARC rebels.

The accord will effectively end what is seen as the last major armed conflict in the Western hemisphere. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

"Peace is the way for our children and grandchildren to have a better country," President Juan Manuel Santos said as he voted.

"We Colombians must all play a role in this historic change."

His government says it has no Plan B if voters reject the accord, agreed after four years of negotiations in Havana, Cuba.

But opinion polls indicate it will pass by a wide margin.

"Colombia is betting everything on this plebiscite, socially, economically and politically," said Jorge Restrepo, director of conflict analysis center CERAC.

Voting closed at 2100 GMT, with a result expected soon afterward.

- 'No more war' -

Colombians are sick of war, even though many resent making concessions to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has carried out killings, kidnappings and extortion.

"My parents were born into the conflict in a town where there were lots of kidnappings by the guerrillas... The houses were full of bullet holes," said one voter, Lina Romero, 25.

"I want the 'Yes' vote to win so that if I have children one day, they will not have to live in war," she added.

Jose Gomez, a retiree of 70, said he had voted 'No.'

"It is absurd to reward those criminals, drug-traffickers and killers who have made the country a disaster for the past 50 years," he said.

"If you reward crime, what moral authority do you have to tell a thief not to steal your mobile phone?"

Around 35 million of Colombia's 48 million people were eligible to vote.

Opinion surveys by pollsters Datexco and Ipsos Napoleon Franco, published on October 26, indicated the 'Yes" vote would win by a margin of around 20 percent.

Story continues

Both polls indicated a 'No' vote of about 35 percent.

"Peace is exciting, but the Havana accords are disappointing," said the leader of the 'No' campaign, former president Alvaro Uribe.

- Disarmament, politics -

The deal signed on October 26 by Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, known as "Timochenko," calls for the 5,675 FARC rebels to disarm in six months and convert into a political group.

It is guaranteed to have at least 10 seats in Colombia's Congress.

The accord covers justice and compensation and an end to the cocaine production that has fueled the conflict.

There is an amnesty for some FARC members but not for the worst crimes such as massacres, torture and rape.

The FARC promised in a statement on Saturday that it would provide "material compensation for victims."

The accord virtually ends the conflict, even though the government has so far failed to start peace talks with a smaller leftist rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), which it accuses of holding hostages.

- Reconciliation -

The FARC launched its guerrilla war on the government in 1964, after a peasant uprising that was crushed by the army.

The ideological and territorial conflict drew in several leftist rebel groups, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs.

Colombian authorities estimate the conflict has left 260,000 people dead, 45,000 missing and nearly seven million displaced.

The FARC have apologized to their victims and held emotional face-to-face reconciliations over recent days.

One such encounter took place on Friday in La Chinita, northwestern Colombia, where a FARC massacre at a fundraising party in 1994 left 35 dead.

"The best thing there can be is peace," said Maria Laureana Mosquera Palacios, 64. She was widowed with four children when her husband was among those killed.

"No more massacres. No more wickedness."
By Helen Murphy and Julia Symmes Cobb BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombians narrowly rejected a peace deal with Marxist insurgents on Sunday, plunging the nation into uncertainty and handing a major defeat to President Juan Manuel Santos, who had staked his reputation on ending the 52-year war. Before the referendum, Santos, 53, said he had no Plan B and would return Colombia to war if the "no" vote won. Opinion polls had shown he would comfortably win and then be able to start implementing the deal painstakingly negotiated in Cuba over the past four years to end the longest-running conflict in the Americas. But Colombian voters confounded that forecast as the "no" camp won with a tiny margin of 50.23 percent to 49.76 as votes were counted from 99.59 percent of voting stations. Opponents of the pact believed it was too soft on the FARC rebels by allowing them to re-enter society, form a political party and escape traditional jail sentences. They want a renegotiation of the deal. "I voted no. I don't want to teach my children that everything can be forgiven," said Alejandro Jaramillo, 35, angered that the rebels would not serve jail time. Sunday's vote had asked for a simple "yes" or "no" on whether Colombians supported the accord signed last Monday by Santos and the rebel commander known as Timochenko. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, whose numbers were halved to about 7,000 in recent years because of a U.S.-backed military offensive, had agreed to turn in weapons and fight for power at the ballot box instead. Influential former President Alvaro Uribe led the "no" camp, arguing that rebels should pay for crimes in jail and never be given congressional seats. Under the accord, the FARC, which began as a peasant revolt in 1964, would have been able to compete in the 2018 presidential and legislative elections and have 10 unelected congressional seats guaranteed through 2026. It would also have given up its role in the lucrative illegal drug trade and taken part in reforming rural Colombia. But controversially, many rebel leaders who ordered killings, bombings and displacements would have had to appear before a special tribunal that could sentence them to alternative punishments like clearing landmines. For decades, the FARC bankrolled the longest-running conflict in the Americas through the illegal drug trade, kidnapping and extortion, spreading a sense of terror that left few Colombians unaffected. The conflict took more than 220,000 lives and displaced millions of people. The bloodshed, at its worst, saw the FARC positioned close to the capital and the state on the verge of collapse. Battles between the guerrillas, paramilitaries, drug gangs and the army raged in the countryside and there were atrocities committed on all sides. (Reporting by Helen Murphy and Julia Symmes Cobb; Additional reporting by Carlos Vargas and Monica Garcia; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Peter Cooney)
BRAZZAVILLE (Reuters) - Congo Republic plans to cut its budget by 24.3 percent in 2017 to 2.74 trillion CFA francs ($4.7 billion) as it reins in public spending following this year's presidential election, the government said late on Friday. Nevertheless, the government expects GDP growth to rise from 2.6 percent this year to 3.4 percent next year thanks to several new oil blocks which are expected to come online, government spokesman Thierry Moungalla said in a statement. Congo is on track to reverse a decline in production and leapfrog Equatorial Guinea to become sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest crude producer by next year. However, it is the most resource-dependent country in the world, according to the World Bank, with commodities accounting for nearly 60 percent of economic output and with about half the population in poverty. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has ruled Congo for 32 of the last 37 years, extended his time in office by winning re-election in March this year after changing the constitution to allow himself to stand for a third consecutive term. Sassou Nguesso had encouraged the government "to set an example by reducing the operating costs of the state," the statement said. (Reporting by Christian Elion in BRAZZAVILLE; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
By PTI: However, Mazdak put Kashmir in the same bracket with

However, Mazdak put Kashmir in the same bracket with Balochistan and Sindh while speaking about the aspiration for "freedom" of the people of these places.

"Baloch people are being tortured, executed...bodies are dropped from aircraft to create terror...the worst part is, they enjoy killing us," he said, claiming that the Baloch leadership had approached (independent Indias first Prime Minister) Jawaharlal Nehru, but did not get a "favourable response".

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Mazdak claimed that "99 per cent" of the Baloch Sardars were "siding with the Pakistani State" as they were "opportunists", adding that the movement was being led by the "common men and not one or two leaders".

IPF Director Rakesh Sinha hit out at Amnesty International, the Western powers and UNHCR for "making noises" on Kashmir, but "turning a blind eye" towards Balochistan. "They work with an agenda," he alleged.

A functionary of the foundation also took a dig at Pakistani actor Fawad Khan for "not criticising" the Uri attack. "Our soldiers are fighting at the borders. We need to isolate the apologists within the country," he said. PTI SBR RC ZMN RC

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Daniel Radcliffe opens up about the worst part of being a child star  and its not what we thought

Daniel Radcliffe opens up about the worst part of being a child star  and its not what we thought

ICYMI, Daniel Radcliffes been ~busy~ starring in a bunch of non-Harry Potter-esque movies.

Theres Imperium, for instance, where he plays an undercover cop posing as a neo-Nazi. And then theres Swiss Army Man, where he plays a corpse, Manny, that Hank (Paul Dano) pulled out of the sea to come live with him on an island.

Here he is as Manny.

Manny

Yep, these def dont sound (or look) like Harry Potter to us.

Now, Radcliffe opens up about the worst part of being a child star  and its not what we thought.

After all, Radcliffe was only 11 (11!) when he did his first film, reported The Independent. (So young!) Now, hes 27 and has learned a lot along the way.

The difficulty is trying to work out who you are while constantly coming up against a perception of yourself that everybody else already has, Radcliffe told The Mirror. I think its very important, especially when you become famous young, to work out who you are without fame and without that as part of your identity, because that will go. Fame does not last forever. For anyone.

you wish

So well-said, Radcliffe, and we cant wait to see what you do next, onscreen and off.

The post Daniel Radcliffe opens up about the worst part of being a child star  and its not what we thought appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Georgina Prodhan, Kathrin Jones and Lawrence Delevingne

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) is throwing its energies into reaching a settlement before next month's presidential election with U.S. authorities demanding a fine of up to $14 billion for mis-selling mortgage-backed securities.

The threat of such a large fine has pushed Deutsche shares to record lows, and a cut-price settlement is urgently needed to reverse the trend and help to restore confidence in Germany's largest lender.

A media report late on Friday that Deutsche and the U.S. Department of Justice were close to agreeing on a settlement of $5.4 billion lifted the stock 6 percent higher, but that report has not been confirmed.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the bank's talks with the DOJ were continuing. Details are in flux, with no deal yet presented to senior decision makers for approval on either side, the paper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

"Clearly, so long as a fine of this order of magnitude ($14 billion) is an even remote possibility, markets worry," UniCredit Chief Economist Erik F. Nielsen wrote in a note on Sunday.

Deutsche is much smaller than Wall Street rivals such as JPMorgan (JPM.N) and Citigroup (C.N).

But it has significant trading relationships with all of the world's largest finance houses and the International Monetary Fund this year identified it as a bigger potential risk to the wider financial system than any other global bank.

Deutsche Chief Executive John Cryan will be in Washington this week for the annual meeting of the IMF, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that other executives would join him to try to negotiate a settlement with the U.S. authorities.

Like fellow large European banks also under investigation for mis-selling mortgage-backed securities, Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) and Barclays (BARC.L), Deutsche will want to get a deal done with the current administration still in power.

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A new administration to be installed after the Nov. 8 election will bring unknown risks and likely delays.

At home, Deutsche Bank is fighting a rearguard action, seeking to shore up confidence among the public, politicians and regulators who say the bank brought many of its problems upon itself by overreaching itself and then reacting too slowly to the 2008 financial crisis.

It suffered a further blow to its image this weekend with a third IT outage in the space of a few months on Saturday that prevented some customers getting access to their money for a short time.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT

German business leaders from companies including BASF (BASFn.DE), Daimler (DAIGn.DE), E.ON (EONGn.DE), RWE (RWEG.DE) and Siemens (SIEGn.DE) lined up to defend the bank in a front-page article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

"German industry needs a Deutsche Bank to accompany us out into the world," BASF Chairman Juergen Hambrecht said.

A spokesman for a blue-chip company that did not feature in the article told Reuters he had been asked by Deutsche for an executive to provide a similar supportive comment.

Deutsche Bank and the government in Berlin have had to play a delicate balancing act, emphasizing the substance and importance of the bank without implying any need for state aid or willingness to supply it.

The bank has a market capitalization of only around 15.9 billion euros ($17.9 billion) and would almost certainly have to raise fresh cash to pay the full DOJ demand.

Both the bank and Berlin this week denied reports that the government was preparing a rescue plan.

The Bild am Sonntag newspaper wrote on Sunday that Deutsche's chairman had informed Berlin just before it disclosed the potential $14 billion fine but had not asked for help.

The same newspaper quoted the president of the Bavarian Finance Centre, Wolfgang Gerke, as saying the German government should step in and buy a 20 percent stake in the bank before its value fell any further. The group represents financial services companies in the southern German state.

"Fundamentally, I'm against state interventions," he told the newspaper, but added that in this case a government stake would be "a signal that could turn the whole market".

(Additional reporting by Harro ten Wolde; Writing by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Keith Weir and Lisa Von Ahn)
After Donald Trump suggested at the presidential debate last week that foreign countries value-added tax, or VAT, amounts to a tariff on American companies, the idea appeared, briefly, to gain steam.

When we sell into Mexico, theres a taxautomatic, 16 percent, approximately, Trump said Monday. When they sell to us, there is no tax.

The following day, Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Republican Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina reintroduced a bill, the Border Tax Equity Act, that would require the government to renegotiate the way that VATs are adjusted under World Trade Organization rules.

The problem is Trumps description of the VAT rebate is just plain wrong, according to most mainstream economists.

Heres why: A VAT is just a domestic tax on goods and services. It works like a retail sales tax, except instead of a consumer paying it all at once at the end, producers pay it incrementally, every time they add value to a commodity.

The U.S. does not have a VAT, but 160 countriesincluding most of the U.S.s biggest trading partnersdo. Mexico has one, for example. So does Canada, China, India and the European Union.

Under WTO rules, all of these countrys VATs are border adjustable. That means that producers operating inside of a country with a VATsay, Mexicopay those taxes when they sell their products in Mexico. But if they export their product abroad, they get a rebate on the VAT theyve paid. In turn, producers operating outside of Mexico pay the Mexico VAT upon importing their products to Mexico.

The whole point of making these border adjustments to VATs is to even the playing field for all companies, no matter where theyre from. A Mexican company and an American company both pay the exact same VAT on any of their products sold in Mexico. The same is true in the U.S.: A Mexican company and an American company both pay no VAT on any of their products sold in the U.S.

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Trumps description of this trade offthat U.S. companies pay an automatic, 16% tax in Mexico, but Mexican companies pay none hereis therefore technically correct. But it misses the entire point: due to WTO rules, Mexican companies and U.S. companies are subject to the exact same taxes.

This is not a new debate, says Gary Clyde Hufbauer, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former official at the U.S. Treasury, where he worked on these issues in the 1970s. But for decades, the question has been largely put to rest.

One way to think of it, he said, is to consider any other product tax. For example, in the U.S., we impose a spirits sales tax on Kentucky bourbon. When Jack Daniels or Makers Mark sells its bourbon here in the U.S., it pays that U.S. tax. But when those U.S. companies sell their bourbon abroad, they dont pay the U.S. tax; they pay whatever domestic tax is levied in the country where theyre selling their product.

The same is true on the export side. If a whiskey maker in Scotland wants to import its product to the U.S., it pays same tax that domestic, U.S. whiskey makers pay, Hufbauer explained.

These arent trade barriers by any means, said Eric Toder, a fellow at the Urban Institute and Brookings Institutions Tax Policy Center, who wrote a blog post on the subject this week. What would be considered a trade barrier, he said is if a country like the U.S. imposed taxes on imported goods and services, without subjecting domestic products to those same fees.

This isnt a controversial idea, Toder said. Its notits not really something we debate. I was almost embarrassed to write about it.
Donald Trumps nine-sentence statement about Hillary Clinton at a Saturday Pennsylvania rally ended up taking 25 minutes when the GOP presidential nominee careened from topic to topic.

His speech included doubts about Clintons marital fidelity, an impression of her being sick from pneumonia and opinions about the state of movies in America.

Hillary Clintons only loyalty is to her financial contributors and to herselfI dont even think shes loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth, Trump said. And really, folks, really, why should she be? Right? Why should she be?

Trump did not offer any context, evidence or reasoning for accusing Clinton of disloyalty in her personal life.

He also did an impromptu impression of the candidate suffering from pneumonia at the 9/11 memorial ceremony, pointing to her difficulty walking at the time as a reason for why she cannot make good deals or handle Russian President Vladimir Putin.

She cant make it fifteen feet to her car, Trump said. Give me a break, give me a break.

As he accused news outlets like the Washington Post and New York Times of protecting Clinton, the Times reported on a partial tax return for Trump from 1995 that indicated he may not have paid federal income taxes for more than 10 years.

Trump also offered an opinion on the state of cinema: Right now, you say to your wife: Lets go to a movie after Trump. But you wont do that because youll be so high and so excited that no movie is going to satisfy you. Okay? No movie. You know why? Honestly? Because they dont make movies like they used to  is that right?

[Washington Post]
By PTI: From Fakir Hassen

Johannesburg, Oct 2 (PTI) Mahatma Gandhis 147th birthday commemoration was marked today at South Africas highest judicial institution which is built on what was once a prison where he was jailed for opposing discriminator government policies in the country.

"Its very important for us to remember Gandhi, and its more important in South Africa, where it is more appropriate for us to be standing right here, because this is where our countrys struggle for democracy saw fruition in the development of the Constitution that is unparalleled anywhere in the world," said Kirti Menon, a granddaughter of Gandhi at a function held at the Constitution Hill.

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Constitution Hill is built on a prison where Gandhi was jailed for opposing discriminator government policies in the country.

"It is also the place where Gandhi the lawyer became Gandhi the prisoner; and in becoming the prisoner he found four very important messages for us ? truth; passive resistance and how to apply that to address social injustices in our society; non-violence and peace," Menon added.

"Just by seeing the (local) Sunday newspapers today, you will see that all four of those are more or less absent from our lives, so the journey and the quest still continues," Menon added.

Menon was referring to headlines about corruption and criminal activities in South African government and public institutions, as well as nationwide student protests that included burning down libraries and confrontation with police.

Menon called for all present to apply the four principles to fight the social ills in society.

"I trust that Gandhis message permeates into our lives in a responsible way, not just on October 2, but that on every day we take a lesson from that and apply it. The event took place beside a bust of Gandhi that was unveiled by then President Pratibha Patil a few years ago," Mennon said.

Next to the bust is a special exhibition on Gandhi and South African anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela that was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited the country in July this year.

"When Mahatma Gandhi stayed behind these prison walls, he wasnt a Mahatma yet. He was a lawyer whose conscience had spoken out to lead those in this country and he was destined to lead the people in his country (India) to freedom," said High Commissioner Ruchi Ghanashyam, who hosted the event.

"So this is an important place in the history of both our countries," Ghanashyam said.

A number of other celebrations of Gandhis birthday also took place across South Africa.

One of them was at Tolstoy Farm, the commune that Gandhi started outside Johannesburg during his tenure of 21 years in South Africa, where the Mahatma Gandhi Remembrance Organisation hosted a Peace Prayer. PTI FH UZM AKJ UZM

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Tripoli (AFP) - A Dutch journalist was killed by sniper fire Sunday while covering clashes in Libya's coastal city of Sirte, as unity government forces battled Islamic State group holdouts in the jihadist bastion.

Dr Akram Gliwan, spokesman for a hospital in Misrata where pro-government fighters are treated, told AFP that photographer Jeroen Oerlemans was "shot in the chest by an IS sniper while covering battles in Sirte" 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli.

Gliwan said his body had been transferred to Misrata, 200 kilometres west of Sirte.

Oerlemans was working in Libya for a number of organisations, including the Belgian weekly Knack magazine, which confirmed his death.

A message on Knack's website said Oerlemans was shot on a reporting assignment and that the publication "wishes his family much strength".

Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders also mourned his death.

"Oerlemans is a journalist who went where others would not go. He was driven to bring us the news through his pictures especially from the world's trouble spots," Koenders said in a statement.

"That he has now paid the highest price is incredibly sad. I wish his wife, children and family every strength at this great loss. A great photographer is gone."

Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord launched an assault against the jihadists in Sirte in May.

IS fighters holed up in the town, birthplace of ousted Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, responded with suicide bombings and sniper fire, slowing the government-backed advance.

Fighting on Sunday killed at least 10 IS fighters and eight pro-government fighters around the jihadist bastion, the unity government in Tripoli said.

Pro-government forces said they were "progressing" in Sirte, where they have surrounded IS militants, prompting some to try to escape.

They said loyalist fighters had recovered the bodies of at least 10 jihadists and were chasing another group that had fled Sirte.

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- Loyalist casualties -

Eight soldiers loyal to the GNA were killed, according to the Facebook page of a field hospital set up by their forces in Sirte.

Fifty-seven members of the pro-GNA forces were wounded and transferred to the main hospital in Misrata.

IS said on Twitter that it had killed or wounded 64 members of the pro-GNA forces.

On Saturday, GNA aircraft conducted six sorties in preparation for an advance on the jihadists' hideout in the city's east, said the GNA statement.

American aircraft have also carried out some 177 air strikes since early August in support of GNA forces, according to US Africa Command (AFRICOM).

The fighting has left more than 450 GNA fighters dead and 2,500 wounded. The IS death toll is not known.

An IS defeat in Sirte would be a serious blow to the group, which has faced major setbacks in Iraq and Syria in recent months.

Libya was plunged into chaos following the NATO-backed ouster of Kadhafi in 2011, and the control of the country -- as well as access to its vital oil wealth -- is divided between rival governments and militias.

The GNA was formed following a UN-backed deal in December 2015, but it has struggled to impose its power across a country.

Oerlemans was the second journalist to be killed in the Sirte offensive, after Libyan journalist Abdelqader Fsouk was killed there in July.

British war photographer Tim Hetherington was killed in April 2011 in a mortar attack in the western Libyan city of Misrata.

He died alongside Chris Hondros, a 41-year-old US photographer for Getty, as the pair covered intense fighting between Kadhafi's forces and rebels.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Simon Dawkins scored in the first half, Fatai Alashe had a goal in the second and the San Jose Earthquakes beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 on Saturday night to snap a seven-game winless stretch.

San Jose (8-10-13) moved into eighth place in the Western Conference, four points back of sixth-place Seattle. Real Salt Lake (12-11-9) is fourth, but had its winless streak extended to five games.

Dawkins opened the scoring in the 34th minute. He and Chris Wondolowski connected on a give-and-go with two back-heel passes and Dawkins struck it from distance. Real Salt Lake tied it 6 minutes later when Justen Glad flicked a loose ball off the crossbar and it bounced in.

Alashe scored on a well-placed header in the 72nd minute.

Real Sat Lake, which could've secured a playoff spot with a win, had a good scoring chance in the 60th but Joao Plata's open header was saved by David Bingham.
By Gerardo Arbaiza SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - A judge in El Salvador has reopened the case of a massacre allegedly carried out by soldiers in 1981 that is considered the worst atrocity committed during the country's brutal civil war, a lawyer involved in the matter said on Saturday. The massacre took place in the northeastern town of El Mozote, allegedly at the hands of an elite army unit, and resulted in the deaths of between 900 and 1,200 people, mostly women and children. The decision by Judge Jorge Alberto Guzman to reopen the matter marks the first time such a case has been allowed since an amnesty law was declared unconstitutional in July. The law sought to absolve militants on both sides of the conflict who took part in war crimes, and was often invoked by judges to explain why they could not hear such cases. "The reopening of the case is an open door to seek justice that has been denied for so many years to victims of crimes against humanity in El Salvador," lawyer Ovidio Gonzalez told Reuters. The reopening of the case follows formal complaints by local human rights groups and victims families seeking justice for those killed in El Mozote. Those pushing the case seek a truthful accounting of what happened and the facts surrounding who ordered the massacre, Gonzalez said. They are not seeking punishments such as jail terms, he added, but want those responsible to admit their roles and ask for forgiveness. Judge Guzman has ordered military records from the time of the massacre to be turned over, as well as additional records on 14 named ex-army and security officials. The first public hearing is not expected for several months. While victims' families pushed for a trial as early as 1990, the case has never been heard locally. In 2010, the human rights commission of the Organization of American States recommended that El Salvador repeal the amnesty law as a means for those responsible for the massacre to be held to account. El Salvador's civil war stretched from 1980 to 1992, taking around 75,000 lives and leaving another 8,000 people missing. A truth commission created by the United Nations in 1992 published a report that declared the El Mozote massacre the worst war crime perpetrated during the conflict. El Salvador's government denied for years having perpetrated the slaughter, but in 2012 the government of then-President Mauricio Funes acknowledged the state's role and apologized to the families of the victims. (This story corrects first name of judge, in the third paragraph) (Reporting by Gerardo Arbaiza; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Tom Brown)
NBC

NBC is deciding to leave Charlie Mansons TV adventures in the 60s. The Peacock Network has elected to cancel Aquarius after two seasons.

Set in 1967 Los Angeles, Aquarius featured David Duchovny as a detective that finds himself in the world of the Manson Family. The series had been one of the networks summer properties in both of its years on the air and had garnered controversy in season 2 for how the drama elected to handle the murder of Sharon Tate. Debra Tate, Sharons sister, called for viewers to boycott the show over it.

According to Variety, several of the actors were released from their contracts months ago. Even without that information, the end of Aquarius seemed like a distinct possibility based on their ratings history. Both seasons saw the number of viewers dwindle substantially between the premiere and finale. Mixed reviews from critics off the hop probably didnt do the show any favors.

If theres a big ol positive to be squeezed out of this for David Duchovny, its that his schedule is now a bit more X-Files friendly. Better yet, its also now Red Shoe Diaries reboot friendly too! Cmon Hollywood, make this dream come to true for America!

(Via Variety)
Paris (AFP) - Gabonese intelligence wiretapped EU election observers who voiced grave doubts over the outcome of hotly disputed August 27 polls in the oil-rich central African nation, a French weekly reported.

In what it dubbed Gabon's "Watergate", the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) did not say how it had obtained excerpts of around 20 recordings, but said one of the subjects had "formally identified his own voice".

It said the wiretaps of some members of the 73-strong EU observer team "reveal heavy suspicions that the results were rigged".

The announcement that incumbent Ali Bongo won the vote with a razor-thin margin sparked two days of rioting and looting that left three dead in the former French colony, according to the government.

The opposition said dozens died in the unrest, during which some 800 people were arrested.

On one recording quoted by JDD, an unidentified EU observer is heard to say: "They are trying to work out how to cheat in a way that's not too obvious."

He adds: "Ballot boxes are on their way to (the capital) Libreville and will make the difference."

An EU spokeswoman said in a statement the observer team "had no knowledge it was being listened to."

Gabonese Communications Minister Alain-Claude Bilie Ny Nze dismissed the report Sunday as "trickery aimed at covering up the involvement of some European Union observers in favour of the opposition".

The EU mission was "neither neutral nor impartial," Bilie By Nze told AFP.

The EU spokeswoman dismissed the claim that the mission had not been neutral.

The mission "diligently respected (its agreement with the government and the electoral commission) in the exercise of its mandate, as well as the principles of neutrality and non-interference," she said.

- 'Changes' on Wikipedia -

The JDD report said the man in charge of security for the EU mission, named as Pierre B., was the "main target" of the wiretaps.

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He is heard saying that there had been "changes to the numbers last night on Wikipedia", adding: "They increased the population of Haut-Ogooue. That's not encouraging."

The head of the EU mission, Bulgarian MEP Maryia Gabriel, told reporters on August 29 that the polls had been "managed in a way that lacked transparency".

The EU also said its election observers had had only limited access to witness the poll, in breach of the agreement the bloc signed with Gabon's government.

The next day, officials announced that Bongo had defeated challenger Jean Ping by fewer than 6,000 votes thanks to a 95 percent score in Haut-Ogooue, the southeastern fiefdom of the Bongo family.

They said turnout there was 99.93 percent.

"They did exactly what I hoped they wouldn't do," the deputy head of the EU observer mission is heard saying to Pierre B. in an exchange quoted by JDD.

Ping appealed the result to the Constitutional Court, which upheld Bongo's victory and put the winning margin higher at around 11,000 votes.

Bongo was officially sworn in to a second term last Tuesday, extending his family's rule in the country of 1.8 million people into a fifth decade.

A week ago, the EU mission said it "regretted" that the Constitutional Court "had been unable to satisfactorily rectify anomalies observed during the count".
By PTI: By Gitika Saxena

Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) It is not just love but also food that binds people blurring borders and it is no surprise that Indian chicken tikka masala is a big hit even in far off Sweden, say Nobel chefs from the European country.

The two chefs, who are in charge of the prestigious Nobel Dinner, the culinary showcase after the Nobel Prize ceremony held inside the Stockholm City Hall, were here recently to give India a taste of Sweden.

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"Swedes love Indian food...the most popular one is by far chicken tikka masala. Its the one Indian dish every Swede knows and loves, but people are definitely beginning to explore more and some Indian vegetarian restaurants have also become really popular," Swedish Chefs Mark Phoenix and Fredrik Forsell told PTI.

"Also, both India and Sweden have a very strong culinary heritage. Like Indians, we Swedes also use a lot of potato in our cooking. When it comes to differences, I think Indians love their spicy palate, but Swedes go a bit easy on that front and our food is a bit mild," Forsell said.

The Consulate General of Sweden recently hosted an exclusive tAte--tAte cum tasting at Palate Culinary Studio in Mumbai with chefs Phoenix and Forsell, aimed at creating awareness about the rich and diverse culinary heritage of Sweden.

"Swedens cuisine is based on a simple cooking style, often mild and not very spicy, salt and black pepper have been the everyday spices for many Swedes. This has of course changed with international trade facilitating imports of various spices, vegetables and fruit, but salt and pepper are still the basic spices in Swedish cuisine," Phoenix said.

"We drink milk and use dairy products in our cooking to a greater extent than Indians. We also use GrAddfil, which is made of regular cream with lactic acid. It has a similar taste to yoghurt, but it is not as sour. Swedes are also fond of using different kind of fish in their cooking like salmon, herring and cod," he said.

Giving an insight into the food of his country, Forsell said Swedes also eat plenty of root vegetables like red beetroot, yellow beetroot, carrot, celeriac, artichokes and cabbage.

Traditionally, Swedish cuisine had to adapt to a harsh climate with long and dark winters. To provide varying and nutritious food throughout the year, Swedes had to pickle and preserve meat, fish, vegetables and fruit. Even with new technology and increased trade this tradition has stayed with the Swedes.

"Swedish cuisine is therefore significantly saltier than for example the Mediterranean cuisine as they?ve had access to more fresh food," he said.(MORE) PTI GK NM ARS DV

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Brussels (AFP) - The European Union on Sunday announced an aid plan for tens of thousands of civilians trapped in Syria's war-ravaged city of Aleppo.

In a statement, the EU said it was unlocking 25 million euros ($28 million) of funding to help its humanitarian partners in Syria cover "urgent medical, water and sanitation, and food assistance in Aleppo and in other priority areas".

The bloc will work with the UN to deliver "basic life-saving assistance to civilians in (rebel-held) East Aleppo," EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and humanitarian commissioner Christos Stylianides said in the statement.

Aleppo, once Syria's vibrant commercial powerhouse, is now at the heart of a major military campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's fighters and his steadfast ally Moscow.

The offensive, announced on September 22, has seen dozens of civilians killed and residential buildings flattened in the east, where an estimated 250,000 people live under government siege.

The UN has said that water and food supplies in eastern Aleppo are running low, while efforts to bring in aid convoys through the Turkish border have been stalled by the fighting.

Citing a "humanitarian tragedy in Aleppo," the EU called on all sides in the fighting "to urgently provide the necessary authoritisations for aid delivery and for medical evacuations to proceed".

The EU and UN are planning to coordinate medical evacuations for those in urgent need, "with a focus on women, children and the elderly", the statement said.

The UN aid chief on Sunday said civilians under bombardment in rebel-held east Aleppo were facing "a level of savagery that no human should have to endure".

The battle for Aleppo has sparked some of the most savage violence in Syria's conflict since the beginning of March 2011.

The conflict has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced over half the population.
LONDON (Reuters) - Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said Britain's statement on the timing of EU exit talks brought "welcome clarity" to the situation. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that Britain would trigger the two-year process to the leave the European Union by the end of March. On his Twitter feed, Tusk said that the other 27 EU states would engage to safeguard their interests once Article 50 was formally triggered. (Editing by Keith Weir)
-- Warner Music Group has named new General Managers for Sweden and Finland. In addition to current marketing roles, Magnus Ribbeklint will take on his new role for WMG Sweden and Mark Fry will settle into his role with WMG Finland.

-- SB Projects, Scooter Braun's company that fuses music, film, television, technology, and social good, has hired James Shin as Vice President of Content Development. Shin joins SB Projects from TriStar pictures where he was a development executive.

-- Nashville Business Journal's Women In Music City Awards honored SESAC's Ellen Bligh Truley for the third consecutive year. Truley, SESAC's Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations, was celebrated as one of Nashville's business professionals who impact the music industry.

-- Lyric providers Genius welcome Steve Stoute to the company's board of directors. Stoute is CEO of Translation as well as a music industry veteran.

-- Red Bull Records has appointed Joe Calitri to General Manager. He joined the team in 2013 as the International General Manager, and prior to Red Bull Records he was General Manager of Fueled By Ramen.

-- Vevo's Chief Revenue Officer Nic Jones is leaving the company so that he can relocate to Australia and be closer to his family. He joined Vevo in 2011 and will stay on through the end of the year.

-- Downtown Music Publishing has hired Alan Goodstadt as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Downtown, Goodstadt was co-founder and Managing Partner of the investment company Amplified Capital Partners.

-- Nick Bartle will take on the new role of Chief Marketing Officer for Pandora. Prior to Pandora, Bartle was Vice President of Member Marketing and Communications at LinkedIn.

-- Viacom International Media Networks has shared a series of executive promotions across its Asia-Pacific branch. Paras Sharma has been promoted to senior VP & General Manager for Southeast Asia. Simon Bates has been appointed VP, head of MTV Asia Pacific, and Comedy Central and Spike for Australia and New Zealand. Finally, Kirsty Bloore, has been promoted to senior director, research for Asia Pacific.

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-- Brady Brock will take on the new role of Vice President of Publicity at New West Records.

-- Michele Fleischli has joined the artist management company Constant Artists. She has brought Mikal Cornin and Tenacious D -- along with his annual music comedy festival Festival Supreme -- along with her to the company.

-- PledgeMusic announced it has closed the deal to acquire Set.fm. As a result, Set.fm Founder and CEO Matt Peterson will transition to the new title and role of PledgeMusic GM, Austin.
Big pharmaceutical companies are waging courtroom patent battles against each other over biosimilars, as the line blurs between companies known for their innovative medicines and those that produce cheaper biotech knock-offs. Here are some of the high-profile cases: * Sanofi sued Merck in U.S. federal court over its biosimilar version of Lantus insulin with around $7 billion in annual sales. * Eli Lilly reached a royalties deal with Sanofi to end a similar Lantus-related lawsuit, but their pact means the biosimilar's launch was likely delayed. * Amgen's aggressive legal strategy delayed Novartis's efforts to introduce the first U.S. biosimilar, Zarxio, before the copy of Amgen's $1 billion drug Neupogen finally went on sale last year. * Pfizer and Korea's Celltrion in August beat back a court challenge from Johnson & Johnson over $10 billion autoimmune drug Remicade, though J&J's Janssen unit promised to appeal. * In a closely watched case, Novartis wants the U.S. Supreme Court to dump a six-month marketing delay for biosimilars, in what would be the first time the high court took up a biosimilar case. * Samsung Bioepis, along with partner and minority shareholder Biogen Inc, filed a lawsuit against AbbVie in Britain in March to stop the U.S. company from blocking the launch of yet another Humira biosimilar. (Reporting by John Miller; editing by Susan Thomas)
(Reuters) - A fatal police shooting of an 18-year-old black man in Los Angeles is under investigation, police said on Sunday, a day after the deadly use of force drew protesters to the scene.

Carnell Snell Jr. was killed in the latest officer-involved shooting to stoke concerns about racial bias in policing in the United States. His identity was confirmed on Sunday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's office.

The shooting occurred on Saturday afternoon after officers saw a vehicle with paper license plates and suspected it was stolen, police said at a news conference. The vehicle did not follow commands to stop and a chase ensued, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.

During the chase, a male passenger got out of the car and fled on foot, police said. Officers followed him to a residence, where he was shot and killed, police said.

No officers were injured. Police said a handgun was recovered at the scene but did not say to whom it belonged.

KTLA television reported Snell had been running away with his hands raised in the air when he was shot, citing witness accounts.

Dozens of people gathered in protest later in the day and into the evening, at times shouting at police, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Protesters also rallied outside the Los Angeles mayor's home, throwing eggs at the residence, reporters said on social media.

A Los Angeles police spokeswoman declined to provide more details on the shooting when reached by phone on Sunday.

(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Tampa, Fla.; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill Trott)
In 2014, Russian blogger Vladimir Luzgin posted an update on VKontakte, a social media network popular in Russia. The update included this seemingly benign paragraph:

The Communists and Germany jointly invaded Poland, sparking off World War II. That is, communism and Nazism closely collaborated.

One hardly has to be a history buff to know that Luzgins post was, essentially, factually correct. On Aug. 23, 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union entered into the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which divided a number of countries  including Poland  into German and Soviet spheres of influence. On Sept. 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland; sixteen days later, Soviet troops followed suit.

But although Luzgins update might have had its facts right, in the eyes of Russian authorities it represented an inconvenient truth, one that complicates the otherwise heroic story of the millions of Russians who fought and died against Adolf Hitler and fascism in the Great Patriotic War that Vladimir Putin likes to use for propaganda purposes today. And so, this June, Luzgin was convicted and fined 200,000 rubles under Russias recent law against Nazi rehabilitation, which prohibits the public denial of the Nuremberg trials and circulation of false information about the activities of the USSR during the years of World War II. On Sept. 1  the anniversary of the German invasion of Poland  Russias Supreme Court upheld the conviction.

The Russian law that was applied in this case was originally adopted in 2014 and has consistently been the subject of international criticism, especially from European media and institutions such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Yet Europes critics tend to skirt their own inconvenient truth: Such memory laws  laws that criminalize deviations from official historical accounts  were pioneered by European democracies and the EU. And they have provided impetus and legitimacy to the mushrooming of similar laws, applied to much more nefarious agendas, in places like Russia, Ukraine, Rwanda, and Bangladesh.

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It is, of course, the Holocaust that has been the driver of European memory laws. Most of the laws on the continent prohibit the denial, justification, or trivialization of the crimes committed by the Nazis during World War II, the mass murder of Jews chief among them. According to University of Amsterdam legal scholar Uladzislau Belavusau, the monumental legal prescription of historical truth has fulfilled a remarkable role in the project of Europes unification, with both [the EU and the Council of Europe] building their foundational discourse on the urge to avoid the misfortunes of World War II through European integration and acknowledgement of foundational atrocities.

France has had a ban on Holocaust denial in place since 1990. Austrias ban was adopted in 1992, and Belgiums is from 1995. Germany itself did not adopt an explicit ban until 1994, though it countered Holocaust denial before then through laws against defamation, incitement, and disparaging the memory of the dead. The European Union also took steps in this direction through a joint action adopted in 1996, which obliged member states to take steps toward criminalizing the public denial of the crimes that formed part of the Nuremberg trials. Holocaust denial laws were also approved in the 1990s by the European Court of Human Rights (under the Council of Europe), which stated that the negation or revision of clearly established historical facts  such as the Holocaust   would be removed from the protection of free speech under the European Convention on Human Rights. The joint action was given more bite in 2008 with the adoption of a much more detailed framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia.

Given its unprecedented scale, there are compelling reasons for affording the Holocaust a special place in European history, memory, and politics. Never again is a fitting raison detre for the institutions that underpin modern Europe. But it is not clear that never again should be accomplished through limiting freedom of expression. It is also clear that these memory laws have been fraught with unanticipated consequences, both in and outside the EU.

With the post-Cold War enlargement of the European Union, new member states joined for which the disaster of World War II was not followed by a new golden era of European integration and liberal democracy but rather by another disaster: communist rule. These states most recent experiences with totalitarianism were not genocidal Einsatzgruppen but the brutal and decades-long repression of communism, and some  Lithuania, Latvia, and Hungary, for instance  have adopted laws criminalizing the denial of not just the crimes of genocide or Nazism but also those of communism.

Perhaps this doesnt seem so bad on its face  both Nazism and communism were horrible regimes, and their atrocities ought to be remembered. But this is where the story becomes complicated. Despite pressure from former communist states, the EU has rejected including the denial of communisms crimes in its 2008 framework decision. And although the European Court of Human Rights excludes Holocaust denial from free speech protection, it decided in 2015 that Switzerland had violated freedom of expression by convicting a Turkish national for denying the Armenian genocide initiated by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Accordingly, Europe operates with differing legal standards when it comes to criminalizing the denial of historical crimes.

That is a morally and politically awkward position with severe consequences in the many places outside Europes established democracies that have drawn inspiration from the continents memory laws. As the Kremlin-funded media outlet RT noted about the Russian law used to convict Luzgin, the bills sponsors also refuted all criticism and said that  many foreign nations, such as Germany, Austria and France already had similar legislation protecting the historical truth as stated by the Nuremberg Tribunal. In 2015, post-Maidan Ukraine went even further and criminalized not only the denial of the criminal nature of the communist totalitarian regime of 1917-1991 in Ukraine, but also the denial of the legitimacy of the struggle for the independence of Ukraine in the twentieth century and publicly show[ing] contempt for those officially recognized as fighters for independence of Ukraine. That laws preamble refers to various human rights conventions and resolutions by the European Parliament and names as its purpose the protection of human rights and liberties and strengthening the independent, democratic, and constitutional state. Despite these ostensibly noble purposes, the law has been criticized by concerned international and Ukrainian historians, who worry that the law bans criticism or even factual historical accounts of some Ukrainian resistance groups that were involved in mass killings of Jews and Poles during World War II, sometimes in direct collaboration with the Nazis. Moreover, a nuanced discussion of the Soviet era distinguishing between the levels of repression during different periods might also be impeded.

Outside Europe, Rwanda and Bangladesh are examples of how European memory laws have migrated across continents and are being wielded as a weapon by undemocratic regimes. Following the Rwandan genocide in 1994, perhaps understandably, tough memory laws were passed in 2003 and 2008. Today, any person who has publicly shown, by his or her words, writings, images, or by any other means, that he or she has negated the genocide committed, rudely minimised it or attempted to justify or approve its grounds risks between 10 and 20 years imprisonment. Human rights lawyer Nani Jansen estimates that as of 2014 the Rwandan memorial laws had resulted in upwards of 2,000 cases being brought; she also notes that they have been used to restrict a free and open debate on matters of public interest in the country and especially the restrictive effect the laws have had on free speech in the media. Those convicted under the law include journalists and political opponents of President Paul Kagame. When human rights organizations criticized the broad and vague nature of the countrys law, Rwandas then-prosecutor-general shot back at Western critics: Their narrative is as if this is a draconian law meant to suppress political dissent and freedom of speech. What is not often told however is that the laws of similar nature actually have been in place in a number of European Countries for decades! He then went on to specifically highlight the EU framework decision, the Holocaust denial laws in European democracies, and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.

This year, the government of Bangladesh tabled a draft Liberation War Denial Crimes Act aimed at settling the historical account of that countrys bloody separation from Pakistan. The Bangladeshi draft law, too, is justified with a reference to European Holocaust denial laws. According to the draft law, undermining, misinterpreting, distorting, disrespecting, or running propaganda campaigns against the official historical account would be punishable with up to five years in prison. According to the governments official account, the liberation war resulted in the deaths of some 3 million people. However, a number of studies suggest alternative figures ranging as low as 200,000 to 300,000 deaths. Yet such historical accounts would no longer be permissible if the bill is passed. Apart from cementing a questionable historical account as unquestionable truth, Bangladesh-based journalist David Bergman also worries that if passed, the law would shore up the current government and be used as a weapon against its opponents.

European memory laws have spread and metamorphosed to the extent that they now serve as the model for criminalizing accurate but nationally inconvenient historical accounts, as well as entrenching deeply flawed alternative histories used as foundations for specific national ideologies and repressive political agendas. This was hardly what the EU and its member states had in mind in the 1990s. But, in hindsight, this development was almost unavoidable in a globalized world, where legal norms spread to countries with very different histories, values, and systems of government.

Given the role that memory laws have come to play in undermining both academic freedom and political speech, the EU should urgently reconsider its approach. The Holocaust can still serve as the low point of modern European history, and its lessons as a focal point for European institutions, without criminalizing its denial. In fact, decriminalizing the denial of genocide and international crimes will only serve to strengthen the very values that have allowed historians to demonstrate beyond doubt the occurrence and magnitude of the Holocaust. That has ultimately been the most effective means of marginalizing deniers of historical truth to the ranks of xenophobes, pseudo-historians, and conspiracy theorists.

Photo credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The first female creative director at Dior had some pretty empowering messages for the Paris show

The first female creative director at Dior had some pretty empowering messages for the Paris show

The Dior show took place on Friday at the Rodin Museum in Paris. The iconic French couture house is one of the most anticipated shows of Paris Fashion Week. So now its a few days post-show, and whats the fashion world buzzing about? Plot twist, its not a silhouette.

For the first time in 70 years, Dior has a female creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. Chiuri marked her debut collection with a very blatant feminist message. Literally, she sent a model down the runway wearing a t-shirt that said We should all be feminists.

Christian Dior : Runway - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017

In maintaining the feminist theme, the models walked to Beyonces Flawless and author and feminist icon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (who, according to The Guardian, originated the quote as the title of her TEDtalk) was an attendee.

Fencing inspiration, lace, streetwear references, techno materials, zodiac sign embroideries coming from Maria Chiuri Grazia's @Dior debut pic.twitter.com/xfYqHQYN6R  @Booth (@Booth) September 30, 2016

I strive to be attentive and open to the world and to create fashion that resembles the women of today,

Chiruri wrote in the shows notes.

Fashion that corresponds to their changing needs, freed from the stereotypical categories of masculine/feminine, young/not so young, reason/emotion, which nonetheless also happen to be complimentary aspectsThe female body adapts itself to an outfit which, in turn, seems to have been shaped to its curves.

Chiuris notes specifically cited fencing clothes as an influence, and indeed the show also had a fencing theme: fencing-esque jackets worn and white pants featured heavily. Chiuri also showed embroidered evening dresses, lace mini dresses, layered tulle skirts, flat boots and leather jackets.

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Chiuris feminist theme has been unanimously applauded by the fashion community. (Surprisingly, according to The Muse, only 20% of the Paris shows came from female-run design houses.) Although users on social media had some concerns about the message:

it doesn't really seem that feminist to use traditionally pretty white skinny modelshttps://t.co/Zj7DAaMYE8  Louise Matsakis (@lmatsakis) September 30, 2016

@Dior I'm dying for the new collection. All I want in life is the feminist t-shirt. You won't make them in my size..and that breaks my heart  Anastasia Garcia (@anastasiagphoto) September 30, 2016

But a step in the direction of feminist representation is still a good thing, even if incomplete. We look forward to the next one.

The post The first female creative director at Dior had some pretty empowering messages for the Paris show appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Following British Prime Minister Theresa May's announcement of a deadline for the country to start negotiations to leave the European Union, here are five key Brexit points from her Sunday speech.

-March 2017 deadline-

Speaking at the opening of her governing centre-right Conservative Party's annual conference in Birmingham, central England, May said her government would start the process to leave the EU within the next six months.

To kick-start negotiations Britain must invoke Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty -- which sets a maximum two-year clock ticking until a country's departure from the 28-member bloc.

"There will be no unnecessary delays in invoking Article 50. We will invoke it when we are ready. And we will be ready soon. We will invoke Article 50 no later than the end of March next year," May said.

-No vote in parliament-

The prime minister rejected the notion that Article 50 could be subject to a vote in parliament -- which would open the possibility of MPs trying to block Britain's divorce from Europe.

"It is up to the government to trigger Article 50 and the government alone," she said, accusing those calling for a wider vote of trying to subvert democracy.

"Theyare not trying to get Brexit right, theyare trying to kill it by delaying it. They are insulting the intelligence of the British people."

In the June 23 referendum on Britain's EU membership, 52 percent voted to leave.

-No opt-out from Brexit-

Within the kingdom, while England and Wales voted for the UK to leave, a majority in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted for the UK to stay. May said despite the division, the country will be united in leaving the EU.

"We voted in the referendum as one United Kingdom, we will negotiate as one UK, and we will leave the EU as one UK. There is no opt-out from Brexit," she said.

"And I will never allow divisive nationalists to undermine the precious union between the four nations of our United Kingdom."

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-Immigration control-

Immigration was a focal point of the leave campaign, with Brexit backers calling for an end to freedom of movement which allows citizens from EU member states to live elsewhere within the bloc.

In her speech the British prime minister said it would be up to the UK to decide how to manage immigration.

"We have voted to leave the European Union and become a fully-independent, sovereign country. We will do what independent, sovereign countries do.

"We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws," she said.

-Free trade-

EU leaders have insisted Britain will not be able to sweep aside the EU's freedom of movement principle while holding onto free trade with Europe.

But speaking on Sunday, May insisted Britain would push for access to the single market while also having autonomy over immigration laws.

"I want it to involve free trade, in goods and services. I want it to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market -- and let European businesses do the same here.

"But let me be clear. We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again," she said.
The Xiabuqu river has a mean discharge volume that is only 0.15 per cent of the Brahmaputra's average discharge when it enters India.

By Ananth Krishnan: India may not have reason to be overly concerned about China's plans to dam the Xiabuqu, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, for a major hydropower project, according to available hydrological data.



READ: China blocks Brahmaputra tributary for dam project

The Xiabuqu river has a mean discharge volume that is only 0.15 per cent of the Brahmaputra's average discharge when it enters India, according to available official data.

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So the impact of any dam - which will itself not entirely cut off flows as it will be used primarily for hydropower besides irrigation -is likely to be even less, and probably even negligible.

The river, which is 195 km long, flows from Bainang in Tibet northwards and joins the Yarlung Zangbo, as the Brahmaputra is known in China, near Shigatse.

The mean discharge of the river is 25.8 cubic metres per second (cumecs), according to official Chinese data.

This is less than 0.15 per cent of the Brahmaputra's mean discharge when it enters India, which is estimated at more than 19,000 cumecs in lean periods, and 40,000 cumecs in normal periods.

The actual contribution to the river may be even less than that and even negligible, when the run-off in Tibet, as well as the contribution of the catchment area in India, which is thought to account for more than half of the river's flows, is taken into consideration.

READ| Stronger India-China economic engagement can trump China-Pakistan security ties: Panagariya

STUDY COMMISSIONED

India is commissioning a study to ascertain how much the Yarlung Zangbo, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet, actually contributes to flows in India and how much comes from the catchment area in India itself, where the river's flows are consistently measured at much higher volumes than in Tibet. Many experts estimate the Tibet contribution at not more than 40 per cent.

China provides India with hydrological data from May 15 to October 15, which will allow India to closely monitor the river's flows. Both countries also discuss transborder rivers through a joint working group mechanism.

China on Saturday announced it began work on a dam on a tributary of the Brahmaputra, damming the river to construct its "most expensive hydropower project".

The Lalho project on the Xiabuqu river, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo as the Brahmaputra is known in China, costs $740 million dollars and construction began in June 2014, the official Xinhua news agency said.

It is scheduled to be completed in 2019, and is aimed at irrigation, flood control and power generation. The reservoir is "designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland", Xinhua reported, adding that the farming area, which usually suffers from severe drought, is a major crop production base in Xigaze.

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The report said project "will have two power stations with a combined generation capacity of 42 megawatts" and are "designed to generate 85 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year".



DAMS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

While this dam may not be a big source of concern, India has more to worry about the four dams being built on the main river itself.

China's first dam on the main upper reaches of the Brahmaputra at Zangmu in 2010 caused concerns in India because of possible impact on downstream flows.

The green light was given for three more dams in 2012, on which work is on-going.

Beijing has assured Delhi that the run-of-the-river dams will not affect downstream flows as they are for power generation only and will not store large volumes of water.

However, ecological experts have expressed concern on the impact on both the river and the Tibetan plateau, with four dams already in construction and more in the pipeline.

India and China in 2013 signed an agreement to extend the period for sharing of hydrological data and also to allow Indian experts to measure flows in Tibet.

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Also Read:

China says in touch with India, Pakistan; hopes for improvement in ties

China teases India, blocks a Brahmaputra tributary in Tibet to construct dam



--- ENDS ---
Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray (France) (AFP) - Some two months after jihadists murdered a French priest in cold blood while he was celebrating mass, the Normandy church he served for decades reopened its doors on Sunday.

Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of the nearby city of Rouen solemnly pushed open the great wooden doors of the old stone church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, letting in several hundred worshippers.

As the congregation chanted "Alleluia", Lebrun sprinkled holy water on the walls, the altar, the floor and the worshippers themselves in a ritual cleansing of the sanctuary profaned by the murder.

The priest, 85-year-old Jacques Hamel, died at the wooden altar while celebrating mass when two 19-year-old assailants slit his throat on July 26.

"They killed Father Hamel but they didn't kill the Catholic faith... they didn't kill love," Lebrun told reporters before the mass. "Love continues on its way."

Sister Danielle, who raised the alarm the day of the attack, read a prayer, while 87-year-old parishioner Guy Coponet, who survived several stab wounds at the hands of the jihadists, also performed a reading.

Coinciding with Sunday's observances, Vatican sources travelling with Pope Francis in Azerbaijan said the pontiff was prepared to waive the usual waiting period before launching a process of beatification for Hamel.

"We must gather eyewitness testimony and see whether all the factors are in place," the pontiff said as he headed back to Rome aboard the papal plane.

"It is very important because the testimonies are still fresh in the memory of people who lived through (the attack)," he added.

Normally the Vatican observes a five-year "cooling off" period after the death of a candidate for sainthood before launching the process for beatification, the first step on the way.

Worshippers broke out in applause when Lebrun announced the news during the mass.

Several representatives of the town's Muslim community were in the front pew.

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Mohamed Karabila, representing the local mosque, told AFP earlier that Sunday would be "a day of brotherhood" for Saint-Etienne, a working-class town of some 27,000 people.

The mosque's treasurer Aissa Habbani said: "We are against everything that happened. It affects us very much as well."

The jihadist attack, the first of its kind on a Christian church in Europe, stunned France's religious communities, sparking fears of tensions in a country with a population of some five million Muslims, the continent's largest.

- 'New stage of healing' -

The city's mayor, Hubert Wulfranc, told reporters before Sunday's mass: "It's a new stage in the healing, in the convalescence."

A week after the murder claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, Archbishop Lebrun presided over Hamel's funeral mass at the Rouen cathedral attended by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners on that occasion.

Hamel's killers, Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche, had pledged allegiance to IS.

Both were shot dead by police after a tense hostage drama in which Coponet survived after being left for dead. Three other hostages escaped unharmed.

Coponet, in a recent interview with the Christian weekly Famille Chretienne, said the worst part of the ordeal was being forced to film the gruesome killing.

"The two young killers... put a camera in my hands and said, 'Film, granddad.'... I can't get over it," Coponet said.

The murder of the frail octogenarian came less than two weeks after the July 14 attack that claimed 86 lives when a Tunisian extremist rammed a truck into crowds on a popular promenade in the southern city of Nice.

The priest's murder and the Nice rampage were the latest in a series of jihadist attacks to rock France since the January 2015 massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly.

In six weeks, France will mark a year since the November 13, 2015, gun and bombing attacks on Paris killed 130 people and wounded hundreds of others.

Two people have been charged over Hamel's murder, Petitjean's 30-year-old Farid K., and a 21-year-old man arrested near southwestern Toulouse.

Separately, 20-year-old Jean-Philippe J. was charged with trying to travel to Syria with Petitjean.
By Gernot Heller

TEHRAN (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel accused Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) on Sunday of blaming speculators for last week's plunge in its share price when the bank had itself made speculation its business.

"I did not know if I should laugh or cry that the bank that made speculation a business model is now saying it is a victim of speculators," Gabriel told reporters on a plane to Iran, which he is visiting with a business delegation.

Deutsche, which is Germany's largest bank and employs around 100,000 people, has been engulfed by a crisis of confidence after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) handed it a demand last month for it to pay up to $14 billion to settle claims that it missold U.S. mortgage-backed securities before the financial crisis.

The threat of such a large fine has pushed Deutsche shares to record lows and a deal at a much lower price is now urgently needed to reverse the shares sell-off and help to restore confidence in Germany's largest lender.

Chief Executive John Cryan on Friday tried to reassure staff of the bank's financial strengths in a letter which warned them that "new rumours" were causing the share price to fall and that there were "forces" that wanted to weaken confidence in the bank.

Gabriel, who is also leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), the junior partner in Angela Merkel's coalition government, said he was worried about those who were employed by the lender.

The problems of Deutsche Bank are awkward for Berlin, which has berated many euro zone peers for economic mismanagement and taken a hard line on other EU nations giving state aid to bail out their problem banks.

Last week the German finance ministry moved swiftly to dismiss a report that a government rescue plan was being prepared in case Deutsche Bank was unable to raise sufficient new capital to settle litigation which includes cases dating back to its expansion before the financial crisis.

With Germany facing elections next year, there is little political appetite for helping a group disliked by many Germans because of its investment bank's pursuit of business abroad that resulted in incurring billions of euros of penalties for wrongdoing.

(Reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Caroline Copley; Editing by Paul Carrel, Greg Mahlich)
By Caroline Copley BERLIN (Reuters) - A veteran ally of Angela Merkel urged Muslims in Germany on Sunday to develop a "German Islam" based on liberalism and tolerance, saying the influx of people seeking refuge, many of them Muslims, is a challenge for mainstream society. Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, stepping out of his usual finance remit, urged tolerance, saying the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants required a better understanding among Germans of what is important to them and how they want to live. Almost 1 million migrants from the Middle East and Africa, came to Germany last year, stoking social tensions and boosting support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has said Islam is not compatible with the constitution. The arrival of large numbers of refugees has strained communities and led to a rise in far-right violence and attacks on migrant shelters, particularly in eastern Germany. Schaeuble, a stalwart of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), said: "Without a doubt, the growing number of Muslims in our country today is a challenge for the open-mindedness of mainstream society." In a guest article for conservative paper Welt am Sonntag, he added: "The origin of the majority of refugees means that we will be increasingly dealing with people from quite different cultural circles than previously." Schaeuble, 74, is seen as possible CDU candidate for Chancellor should Merkel not seek re-election next year. He acknowledged that sexual attacks by migrants in Cologne and two attacks by migrants claimed by the Islamic State militant group over the summer had soured the mood. "We should not, in this more tense situation, allow an atmosphere to emerge in which well-integrated people in Germany feel alien," he said. Despite the rising number of xenophobic attacks in Germany, Schaeuble said he believed the majority of Germans would say: "Yes, we want you to belong to us." The migrant crisis and the integration of the large number of refugees has raised question marks over Merkel's re-election prospects. Her Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), have relentlessly blamed her open-door refugee policy for the CDU's poor showing in recent state elections and want to cap the number of migrants coming to Germany at 200,000 a year. Schaeuble emphasized at an annual conference on Islam last Tuesday that people of all faiths are part of Germany, repeating a view that Merkel voiced in 2015 at the height of the popularity of the anti-Islam PEGIDA grassroots movement. (Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Nominations for the Golden Horse Awards, announced Saturday evening in Taiwan, will pose plenty of problems for mainland Chinese censors and broadcasters. The contenders for the most prestigious prizes in Chinese-language cinema contain a large dose of banned actors and films whose liberal politics mean they cannot be mentioned in the Peoples Republic.

Topping the list with eight nominations including one for best film was Godspeed, a dark Taiwanese comedy about a drug smuggler who takes a ride with the wrong taxi driver. The driver is played by veteran Taiwanese actor Leon Dai, whose recent leading role had to be cut out of No Other Love in order to appease mainland nationalist sentiment.

Other contenders for the best film prize are: the Johnnie To-produced Trivisa; Feng Xiaogangs I Am Not Madame Bovary; The Road To Mandalay, by Midi Z; and The Summer Is Gone.

Best director nominees are: Godspeed director Chung Mong-hong; Johnnie To for Three; Feng Xiaogang; Hong Kongs Derek Tsang, director of Soul Mate; and Midi Z.

Soul Mate a mainland-set drama about early womanhood, scored seven nominations including one each for its two lead actresses Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichun.

Collecting six nominations each were Soul on a String, a mystical exploration of Tibetan culture by Chinas Zhang Yang, and Mandalay, a drama about two illegal Burmese immigrants in Thailand. The film stars Kai Ko, who won a Golden Horse award for his debut role in You Are The Apple of My Eye, but who has subsequently been banned in China, having been caught in the same drugs bust as Jaycee Chan.

Receiving five nominations each are Zhang Daleis The Summer is Gone; Detective Chinatown, the mainland Chinese smash hit comedy which is banned in Thailand where much of it was filmed, and Madame Bovary, which is highly critical of the Chinese justice system and recently had its release date pushed back in unexplained circumstances.

Making another item for Chinese censors to bleep out of their coverage is the best documentary nomination for Yellowing, a chronicle of the 2014 civic unrest in Hong Kong. The films politics have made it too sensitive for Hong Kong theaters to program, and producers have resorted to guerrilla tactics and screenings in non-commercial venues.

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With his name on City of Jade, another of the best documentary nominees, Midi Z will receive a special Golden Horse award as the outstanding Taiwanese filmmaker of the year. The director was born in Myanmar and arrived in Taiwan age 16. His four features (which include Return to Burma, and Poor Folk) and two documentaries have toured the festival circuits and won an impressive collection of prizes. His 2014 effort Ice Poison was selected by Taiwan as its nominee for the foreign-language Oscars.

The prizes will be announced at a ceremony in Taiwan on Nov. 26.

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'I Am Not Madame Bovary' Wins San Sebastian Festival: Complete List of Winners

Taiwan Takes Out 'Kids!' for Oscar Run

Feng Xiaogang's 'Madame Bovary' Release Delayed
DOHA (Reuters) - The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) demanded on Saturday that the U.N. intervene in Syria to stop aerial bombardments of the city of Aleppo that it said were killing hundreds of civilians. The Sunni Muslim dominated council - representing Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar - said a Syrian government offensive on the city was systematically destroying neighborhoods and a "flagrant aggression contrary to international laws." "The Secretary-General ... demands that the UN Security Council intervene immediately to stop the aggression on the city of Aleppo and end the suffering of the Syrian people," the GCC said in a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA. It called on the United Nations to "implement relevant council resolutions over the Syria crisis." For 10 days a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive has been underway to capture eastern Aleppo and crush the last urban stronghold of a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in 2011. The collapse of the latest Syria ceasefire has heightened the possibility that Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and Qatar might arm Syrian rebels with shoulder-fired missiles to defend themselves against Syrian and Russian warplanes, U.S. officials said on Monday. France's foreign minister said on Wednesday he was working to put forward a U.N. Security Council resolution for a ceasefire in Aleppo, and that any country that opposed it would be deemed complicit in war crimes. The United States continues to maintain that negotiations are the only way to end the carnage. But frustration with Washington has intensified, raising the possibility that Gulf allies - key backers of Syrian rebels - or Turkey will no longer continue to follow the U.S. lead or will turn a blind eye to wealthy individuals looking to supply man-portable air defence systems, or MANPADS, to opposition groups. (Reporting by Ahmed Tolba; Writing by Tom Finn; Editing by Tom Brown)
BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Britain will trigger the formal divorce process from the European Union by the end of March 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday. Following are key parts of May's speech to the Conservative Party Conference. ON BREXIT: "The referendum result was clear. It was legitimate. It was the biggest vote for change this country has ever known. Brexit means Brexit  and we're going to make a success of it." "Everything we do as we leave the EU will be consistent with the law and our treaty obligations, and we must give as much certainty as possible to employers and investors. That means there can be no sudden and unilateral withdrawal: we must leave in the way agreed in law by Britain and other member states, and that means invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. "Having voted to leave, I know that the public will soon expect to see, on the horizon, the point at which Britain does formally leave the European Union." ON ARTICLE 50 "We will invoke Article 50 no later than the end of March next year." It "is not up to the House of Commons to invoke Article 50, and it is not up to the House of Lords. It is up to the government to trigger Article 50 and the government alone." "Those people who argue that Article 50 can only be triggered after agreement in both Houses of Parliament are not standing up for democracy, they're trying to subvert it. They're not trying to get Brexit right, they're trying to kill it by delaying it." ON EU LAW: "We will soon put before parliament a Great Repeal Bill, which will remove from the statute book  once and for all  the European Communities Act. "This historic bill  which will be included in the next Queen's Speech  will mean that the 1972 Act, the legislation that gives direct effect to all EU law in Britain, will no longer apply from the date upon which we formally leave the European Union. And its effect will be clear. Our laws will be made not in Brussels but in Westminster. The judges interpreting those laws will sit not in Luxembourg but in courts in this country. The authority of EU law in Britain will end." "As we repeal the European Communities Act, we will convert the 'acquis'  that is, the body of existing EU law  into British law. When the Great Repeal Bill is given Royal Assent, parliament will be free  subject to international agreements and treaties with other countries and the EU on matters such as trade  to amend, repeal and improve any law it chooses. But by converting the acquis into British law, we will give businesses and workers maximum certainty as we leave the European Union. "The same rules and laws will apply to them after Brexit as they did before. Any changes in the law will have to be subject to full scrutiny and proper Parliamentary debate. And let me be absolutely clear: existing workers' legal rights will continue to be guaranteed in law  and they will be guaranteed as long as I am prime minister." ON HARD AND SOFT BREXIT: "There is no such thing as a choice between 'soft Brexit' and 'hard Brexit'. This line of argument  in which 'soft Brexit' amounts to some form of continued EU membership and 'hard Brexit' is a conscious decision to reject trade with Europe  is simply a false dichotomy. And it is one that is too often propagated by people who, I am afraid to say, have still not accepted the result of the referendum." ON BRITISH RELATIONS WITH EU: "It is not, therefore, a negotiation to establish a relationship anything like the one we have had for the last forty years or more. So it is not going to a 'Norway model'. Its not going to be a 'Switzerland model'. It is going to be an agreement between an independent, sovereign United Kingdom and the European Union." ON IMMIGRATION AND EU MARKETS: "I know some people ask about the 'trade-off' between controlling immigration and trading with Europe. But that is the wrong way of looking at things. We have voted to leave the European Union and become a fully-independent, sovereign country. We will do what independent, sovereign countries do. We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws." "I want that deal to reflect the kind of mature, cooperative relationship that close friends and allies enjoy. I want it to include cooperation on law enforcement and counter-terrorism work. I want it to involve free trade, in goods and services. I want it to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market  and let European businesses do the same here. But let me be clear. We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again. And we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice." ON GLOBAL TRADE: "It was a vote for Britain to stand tall, to believe in ourselves, to forge an ambitious and optimistic new role in the world. "Countries including Canada, China, India, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea have already told us they would welcome talks on future free trade agreements. And we have already agreed to start scoping discussions on trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand." (Reporting Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Three people were injured Sunday after Hong Kong police fired shots to stop a knife attack on a man, in a rare case of violent street crime in one of Asia's safest cities.

Police said those wounded were two assailants and the man being attacked, and that all three were of "South Asian" origin.

"Five to six...men, with some carrying knives, were attacking another man," police officer Ma Wai-hing told reporters at the scene of the incident in the city's commercial district of Yau Ma Tei.

No further details were given about the attack.

"After verbal warnings were ignored, four shots were fired. Two men were shot," he said. The pair were arrested and hospitalised with wounds to the forearm and waist. They, along with the knife attack victim, are in a stable condition, Ma said.

Footage uploaded to the website of Chinese language newspaper Apple Daily showed a uniformed officer pointing a gun at a group of men -- some of whom were wielding knives over a man on the ground -- before shots were fired. The officer can be heard yelling "put down your weapon" in Cantonese.

Police said four shots were fired as the first shot was "ineffective" in stopping the attack.

An AFP reporter at the scene said a road intersection was cordoned off around noon, with detectives gathering evidence and two fillet knives lying on the ground.
China said it was of the view that the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee needed more time to 'deliberate' on the listing.

By Ananth Krishnan: China said on Saturday that it would extend the technical hold it placed in March by another three months to prevent the imposition of sanctions on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.

In a move that would deal a blow to India's efforts to freeze the assets of Azhar and put pressure on Pakistan to rein him in, China said it was of the view that the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee needed more time to 'deliberate' on the listing.

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Read: In latest snub, China blocks India's move to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar at UN



ISSUE DELAYED UNTIL DECEMBER 31

China had on March 31 placed a technical hold -- the only one of the UNSC's 15 members to do so -- which effectively delayed the issue by six months.

That hold was to lapse on Monday, but Beijing said on Saturday it would further extend the hold.

Read: Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar among 3 Pakistanis India believes are behind the Uri attack

Under the committee's rules, a member "may request additional time to consider the proposal on the basis that extraordinary circumstances exist".

However, this can only be extended by three months following the first six month period, which means Beijing will have to take a final decision on December 31 whether or not to block the move. If it takes no action then, Masood Azhar will be listed.

"The technical hold on India's listing application submitted to the 1267 committee in March, 2016 has already been extended," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.

"China always maintains that on the matter of listing, the 1267 Committee should stick to the main principles of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism, base its judgments on solid evidence and decide upon consensus among the members of the Security Council," he said.



Read: China hints it will not change stance on Masood despite India's objections

MORE TIME SOUGHT

"There are still different views on India's listing application. The extended technical hold on it will allow more time for the Committee to deliberate on the matter and for relevant parties to have 'further consultations'."

India, however, has made it clear that only China, among the UNSC's 15 members, had a "different view". In fact, of the 5 permanent members, only China had not supported the move. This was widely seen as Beijing batting on behalf of Pakistan.

Also Read:



NDA govt compromised with security by releasing Masood Azhar: Digvijay Singh

Two men from PoK working for JeM arrested in Uri: Army



--- ENDS ---
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has hit out at the "unprecedented" number of attacks on medical facilities in Syria and Yemen, a year after the deadly bombing of its hospital in Afghanistan killed 42 people.

Monday marks the first anniversary of the US strike on the trauma centre in Kunduz, which triggered global outrage and forced President Barack Obama to make a rare apology on behalf of the US military still deployed in war-torn Afghanistan.

"Over the past year, we recorded 77 attacks against medical facilities operated or supported by MSF in Syria and Yemen: this is unprecedented," Meinie Nicolai, MSF president, told reporters in Kabul.

"Hospitals are now part of the battlefield," she added.

MSF has said the raid on the hospital in Kunduz last October by a AC-130 gunship lasted nearly an hour and left patients burning in their beds with some victims decapitated and suffering traumatic amputations.

The organisation has branded it a war crime. However, an investigation by the US military earlier this year concluded that the troops targeted the facility by mistake and decided they would not face war crimes charges.

MSF had called repeatedly called for an independent international inquiry.

The charity spoke out as condemnation grew over the bombing of hospitals in the rebel-held east of the Syrian city of Aleppo, which has been under attack by the regime and its ally Russia.

"Health facilities and staff are targeted in Yemen and Syria ... most often in the name of war against terrorism," Nicolai said.

"In Syria, attacks against medical centres for civilians and against ambulances are systematic."

She added: "As of today, we are not back yet in Kunduz. We have left northern Yemen. We struggle to give support to the people in Syria."

Guilhem Molinie, MSF country representative in Afghanistan, said he had access to 700 of the 3,000 pages of the US report on Kunduz -- the rest were classified.

"The US forces, operating in Kunduz on that date, assumed that self-defence was allowing them to attack," he said.

"The entire city of Kunduz was judged as hostile. This is extremely shocking for us which means that everybody in the city on the date was assumed to be hostile."
Budapest (AFP) - Hungary's populist strongman Viktor Orban was banking on voters Sunday to defy the European Union and reject its troubled refugee quota plan, but low turnout threatened to taint his camp's expected referendum win.

Surveys showed the referendum turnout might not reach the required 50-percent threshold and therefore be deemed invalid.

But Orban has already downplayed the political significance of the eventual turnout and said there would be "legal consequences" regardless of the outcome.

Orban's right-wing government has led an expensive media offensive urging the eight-million-strong electorate to spurn the EU's migrant quota deal, which wants to share migrants around the 28 member states via mandatory quotas without the consent of national parliaments.

"A valid referendum is always better than an invalid one, but the legal consequences will be the same," he said on Sunday.

"There is only one condition for this: that there are more 'No' votes than 'Yes' votes."

The firebrand leader has emerged as the standard-bearer of those opposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" policy, in the wake of the bloc's worst migration crisis since 1945.

Polling stations opened at 0400 GMT and close at 1700 GMT, with results expected later in the evening. By 5.30 pm (1530 GMT), turnout was just below 40 percent, according to the national election office.

Opposition parties and rights groups had called on Hungarians to boycott the referendum or spoil their ballot.

"I am European so I cast my vote but I spoilt it because I don't believe in this government. I want control of the migrant flow but not in this way," a hotel owner in Budapest told AFP.

- 'Dangerous game' -

The EU migrant quota proposal -- spearheaded by Germany and approved by most EU governments last year after antagonistic debates -- seeks to ease pressure on frontline countries Italy and Greece, where most migrants enter the EU.

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But implementation has been slow. Eastern and central European nations are vehemently opposed to the plan aimed at relocating 160,000 people, many having fled war in Syria.

Even as Hungarians voted, neighbouring Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said the EU should stop clinging to its troubled plan.

"The target is totally unrealistic," he told the German daily Welt am Sonntag, warning that disagreements over the plan could threaten "the cohesion of the entire European Union".

Hungary has not accepted a single one of the 1,294 refugees allocated to it under the scheme and instead joined Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against it.

The referendum threatens to further split the quarrelling bloc, already weakened by Britain's decision in June to leave the union -- a decision Orban has blamed on the EU's handling of the migrant crisis.

European Parliament president Martin Schulz warned Sunday that Hungary was playing "a dangerous game".

To cement his power at home, Orban "plays with the EU's founding principle: he questions Europe's legal basis -- which Hungary was involved in creating," Schulz told German media.

- 'Brussels elite' -

The referendum asks voters: "Do you want the EU to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?"

In an editorial, Orban warned on Saturday that Hungarians had "a duty" to fight the failed "liberal methods" of the "Brussels elite".

"It's true that the campaign was exaggerated but no-one can tell me if these migrants really are refugees of war," Zoltan, a 38-year-old lawyer and 'No' voter, told AFP.

More than 400,000 refugees trekked through Hungary toward northern Europe in 2015 before Hungary sealed off its southern borders with razor wire in the autumn and brought in tough anti-migrant laws, reducing the flow to a trickle.

Other countries on the so-called Balkan migrant trail followed suit, leading to some 60,000 migrants now being stranded in Greece.

The EU said last week it hoped to relocate half of them by the end of 2017.

A deal struck in March with Ankara to halt the influx looks shaky in the wake of a coup attempt in Turkey in July.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere meanwhile said Sunday that Berlin wants to reinstate EU rules, suspended in 2011, which oblige asylum-seekers to be sent back to Greece as the first EU country they reached.

"We will take up discussions on this in a meeting with (EU) interior ministers" later in October, he told the Greek daily Kathimerini.
The Paris climate change agreement to curb rising global temperatures moved closer to coming into force on Sunday, after India, the worlds fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, formally signed on to the pact.

India, which accounts for about 4.5% of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions, became the 62nd country to formally join the international accord that was agreed to by negotiators from almost 200 countries at a conference in the French capital in December.

To make it legally binding, at least 55 countries representing 55% of global emissions need to formally ratify the accord that aims to limit the rise in global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. With China and the U.S.the worlds two leading carbon emittershaving already completed the process, Indias move means that countries representing 51.89% of emissions have now ratified the historic agreement.

Today the government of India has demonstrated global leadership and vision by joining the Paris agreement on climate change, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said as India ratified the agreement on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian independence leader.

President Obama also welcomed New Delhis move:

Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy.  President Obama (@POTUS) October 2, 2016

The European Uniona 28-country bloc that accounts for about 12% of global emissionsis expected to follow suit and formally ratify the Paris agreement in the coming days.
India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter, is set to ratify the Paris agreement on climate change Sunday on the birthday of the country's famously ascetic independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.

India, with a population of 1.3 billion people, is the latest big polluter to formally sign onto the historic accord which now takes a major step towards becoming reality.

The accord, sealed last December in Paris, needs ratification from 55 countries that account for at least 55 percent of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

With India's move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 percent of emissions have now ratified the agreement to commit to take action to stem the planet's rising temperatures.

Indian officials are set to ceremoniously hand over signed documents at the United Nations in New York at about 1400 GMT on Sunday, the environment ministry's spokesman in New Delhi said.

"This was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a message...India is fast becoming a super power," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told reporters in New Delhi ahead of the move.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced last month that October 2, a national holiday, had been chosen as the ratification date because freedom fighter Gandhi had lived his life with a low-carbon footprint.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon and others have voiced confidence the accord will come into force by the end of the year, after a string of nations joined up, including the United States and China, the two largest emitters.

EU environment ministers also agreed last week to fast-track the ratification.

The accord requires all countries to devise plans to achieve the goal of keeping the rise of temperatures within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

- Dirty coal -

Environmentalists welcomed Sunday's move, but urged India to work to phase out heavily-polluting coal, which it relies on heavily for electricity.

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"India is one the very few large economies that has not made any promises of phasing out of coal," said Joydeep Gupta, director of "the third pole" website which focuses on environmental issues.

"This government is good on renewable energy, but not good on environmental issues. There is a lot of pushing back on air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution," he told AFP.

India, the world's fastest growing major economy, has long insisted that it needs to keep burning cheap and plentiful coal to cut crippling blackouts and bring electricity to millions of poor living without it.

India, which accounts for 4.1 percent of global emissions and is the third largest carbon-emitting country, has not agreed to cap or cut its emissions outright like some.

Instead it says it will hike up its use of green energy and reduce its emissions relative to its gross domestic product by up to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels -- meaning emissions will continue to grow but at a slower rate.

Modi has set an ambitious target of reaching 100,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022, up from about 20,000 at the moment.

Modi, and other leaders of developing nations, argued in Paris that rich countries must shoulder the lion's share of responsibility for tackling climate change as they have polluted most since the Industrial Revolution.
Paris (AFP) - International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said he was "very impressed and moved" by the unity of French athletes backing Paris's bid to host the 2024 Olympics.

Bach, on a 24-hour visit to the city having already made similar trips to fellow Games hopefuls Budapest and Los Angeles, said he had been delighted to be amongst athletes at the country's Institute of Sport and Performance (INSEP).

"Seeing you all explore new ideas for the Olympics, for me it is very touching, very encouraging for the nomination," said Bach.

"I thank the person who had the idea of inviting me here. I could not imagine a better start to my visit to Paris."

Over 200 young athletes attend the INSEP many of whom are potential participants at the 2024 Olympics.

"I love being with athletes. It is for them that we work every day. It is essential to discuss with them to see how the Olympic Games can be improved."

Bach was an Olympic fencing champion in 1976 with the German team.
Tehran (AFP) - Iran offered up to 13 years of tax holidays to hoteliers at an international tourism summit on Sunday as it seeks to boost visitor numbers and revamp its dilapidated hotels.

"All economic activities related to... tourism will enjoy 100 percent tax holidays between five to 13 years depending on the region," deputy economy minister Mohammad Khazaei told hoteliers from 18 countries who had gathered in Tehran, many from Europe.

Since the lifting of international sanctions under last year's nuclear deal, the moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani has made tourism a top priority for rebuilding Iran's struggling economy.

Visitor numbers have already boomed in recent years thanks to a partial thaw in the country's relations with the world, rising from 2.2 million annually in 2009 to 5.2 million in 2015.

By 2025, they are hoping to reach 20 million visitors a year.

The government hopes to see 300 new hotels over the next five years as it seeks radical improvements to its low-quality tourist accommodation.

It is hoped a rejuvenated tourism sector can create some 140,000 new jobs, with around half coming from Iran's handicrafts sector, said the minister for roads and urban development, Abbas Akhoundi.

Projects to build some 170 four- and five-star hotels are already under way, he added.

"We are working actively on 10 to 15 projects in Iran," Christophe Landais, chief operating officer for France's Accor Hotels in Iran, told AFP.

Accor was the first international company to open hotels after the historic nuclear deal -- an Ibis and Novotel outside Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport last September.

Landais said the group also hopes to tap the huge religious tourism market of Iran's second city, Mashhad, which hosts the mausoleum of a key figure in Shiite history, the Eighth Imam.

"Mashhad is the destination for pilgrims. Actually Mashhad receives more pilgrims than Mecca in Saudi Arabia -- about 25 million," he said.

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A hotel operator from the United Arab Emirates said he was also about to sign a contract in Mashhad.

"We've been invited by many, many investors, many developers" to join in partnerships there, Imad Elias, chief of the Dubai-based Roda Hotels and Resorts, told AFP.

"We had Iran as a potential spot for expansion even before the lifting of sanctions. Iran is a gold mine, a jewel that needs to be explored," he added.

Akhoundi said the government had also finalised plans for $10 billion worth of rail projects to help improve the country's connectivity.

Tourism made up 7.6 percent of Iran's GDP in 2015, "which we hope to increase to about nine percent in 2016", he added.
By PTI: Los Angeles, Oct 2 (PTI) Actor Daniel Craig is still the first choice of producers to play James Bond.

Callum McDougall, executive producer on the last four Bond films, said that Craig is the "first choice" of Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson,, who run Bonds production company Eon Prods, reported Us magazine.

Asked if the English actor, 48, is going to return in the 25th official 007 adventure as the eponymous secret service agent, McDougall said, "I wish I knew. We love Daniel. We would love Daniel to return as Bond. Without any question he is absolutely Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccolis first choice. I know they?re hoping for him to come back."

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Craig, who is the sixth actor to play Bond, started in the role with "Casino Royale" in 2006. That was followed by "Quantum of Solace" in 2008, "Skyfall" in 2012, and "Spectre" in 2015.

PTI SHD BSA

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MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali Islamist group al Shabaab bombed a restaurant frequented by members of the security forces in Mogadishu on Saturday, killing at least three people, officials and the group said. Police said a suicide car bomb rammed the Blue Sky restaurant in the capital, which is located near a detention center, known as Jilaow, where militants are often held in underground cells. Al Shabaab frequently launches attacks in Mogadishu in its bid to topple the Western-backed government. Abdifatah Omar, a spokesman for Mogadishu's local government, said at the scene that three people had been confirmed dead so far and four others were injured. "We targeted the security forces and officers of the underground Jilaow cell who were there," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaabs military operations spokesman, told Reuters, adding that at least 10 people were killed. He did not say whether a suicide car bomb was used in the attack, although the group often uses such tactics. Casualty figures given by al Shabaab and officials often differ. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh, Abdirahman Hussein and Feisal Omar; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Alexander Smith)
Rome (AFP) - Thirteen top officials from Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS), Deutsche Bank and Nomura are to go on trial in Milan for their alleged role in a long-running derivatives scandal, Italian newspapers reported Sunday.

The accused in the trial due to open December 15 include Giuseppe Mussari, former chairman of the BMPS Foundation, his former chief executive Antonio Vigni, six former employees of Germany's Deutsche Bank and two of Japan's Nomura bank.

The alleged crimes, committed between 2008 and 2012 and key to a scandal that has rocked BMPS since 2013, concern false accounting, share manipulation and obstructing regulators from Consob, Italy's stock exchange watchdog.

The investigation focuses on derivatives trades called Santorini and Alexandria, conducted with Deutsche Bank and Nomura respectively to hide losses equivalent to two billion euros ($2.2 billion).

The trial comes at a particularly tricky time for the oldest bank in the world -- BMPS was founded in 1472 -- as it is in the process of offloading 9.2 billion euros in non-performing assets and is urgently seeking new capital of up five billion euros.

Deemed a weak link in Italy's banking system, BMPS came last in EU bank stress tests in July.

Since the start of the year, the bank's share price has dropped some 76 percent.

On September 14 it named a new chief executive and announced the resignation of its chairman as part of a major management shake-up.

In 2014, Mussari and Vigni appealed against convictions and jail terms handed down in relation the derivatives affair.
A bantamweight fight between third-ranked John Lineker and tenth-ranked John Dodson headlined Fight Night Portland on Saturday and lived up to its expectations.

The two hard-hitting fighters went to war. After 25 minutes of back-and-forth action, Lineker came away with a razor-close split decision win over The Magician.

Dodson used his speed to constantly move while Lineker pressed forward, chasing Dodson an points during the bout. The opening round was close, but Dodson landed a clean head kick that stood out in the first stanza. Lineker took it and went on the attack.

In the second frame, Lineker started targeting Dodson's body with punches and kicks. He continued to push the pace but was unable to slow Dodson's lateral movement. Out of frustration, Lineker stopped in the center of the cage and motioned for Dodson to come forward. Dodson didn't and Lineker turned and acted like he was running. Referee Big John McCarthy warned the fighters.

RELATED > UFC Portland: Lineker vs. Dodson Live Results and Fight Stats

The third round saw spirited exchanges with both fighters landing big shots. Dodson looked to be the fresher fighter to start the fourth frame, but Lineker turned up the heat in the second half of the round, landing to the body and head.

In the final round, Dodson started picking Lineker apart. His left hand landed regularly. He staggered Lineker at one point, but was unable to put the Brazilian away. Linker threw more while Dodson landed at a nearly 70-percent ratio. The decision could have gone either way.

I came here to give a show for you all, said Linker following the fight.

When questioned whether he was confident that he had won when the scorecards were being read, Lineker didn't answer the question.

I trained very hard for this fight. I came here for five rounds. I go one round after the other. That's the way I like to fight, he said.

At the end of the day, Lineker did get the win and may have earned himself a title shot. He believes that he deserves one.

I'm a fighter. I'll fight anybody that they put in front of me, but I think I deserve Dominick Cruz, said Lineker. It's time for me. I have four consecutive wins. It's my time now.

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Credit: PA Images/Sipa USA

As Prince William and Kate Middleton enjoyed the last full day of their royal Canadian tour, the duo arrived at archipelago Haida Gwaii on the northern coast of British Columbia Friday by canoe, with the Duchess of Cambridge showing off her effortless style in another chic green look.

After they paddled their way to the Haida Heritage Center and Museum in Skidegate, the mom-of-two was all smiles as she walked along a dock in a hunter green Smythe jacket and matching skinny jeans. Middleton completed her ensemble with an off-white blouse complete with a bow and added an edge with brown cowboy boots.



Credit: PA Images/Sipa USA

Prince William was by her side in a blue sweater and gray pants as they met with Haida Nation members, enjoyed a dance performance from local children, and also took a peek at Haida totem poles in the Centre's Carving House in matching scarves.

The Duke and Duchess watch Haida cultural dances in the @HaidaHeritage Performing House #RoyalVisitCanada pic.twitter.com/9Az9Th0ZyI

-- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 30, 2016

TRH are shown Haida totem poles by carver Guujaaw in the @HaidaHeritage Carving House #RoyalVisitCanada pic.twitter.com/nUscBQb8ek

-- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 30, 2016

"Thank you for welcoming us and sharing your traditions with us," Prince William said as he addressed the crowd inside the center. "The historic link between the Crown & the First Nations people is strong, and is one that I hold dear to my heart."

RELATED: See Everywhere Kate Middleton and Prince William Went on Their Tour of Canada

HRH: "The historic link between the Crown & the First Nations people is strong, & is one that I hold dear to my heart." #RoyalVisitCanada pic.twitter.com/cOMWkPhh7S

-- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 30, 2016

While they were there, they also opened the new Haida Gwaii Hospital and Care Centre and talked to moms who told them "how the new hospital means they can stay on Haida Gwaii to give birth," according to the Kensington Palace's Twitter.

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TRH hear from new mums how the new hospital means they can stay on Haida Gwaii to give birth. pic.twitter.com/U8DHuInwiA

-- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 30, 2016

After William and Kate enjoy some fishing, they will head to Victoria to spend the last night of their tour.
The Duchess of Cambridge wearing a diamond leaf brooch with pearl earrings at a reception in Canada, (Photo: Sam Hussein/WireImage)



The Duchess of Cambridge may be married to the future King of England but she doesnt often take advantage of all the jewelry opportunities that position affords. She rarely dips into the queens treasures the way Princess Diana once did when she transformed the vintage jewels into stylish modern accessories at almost every formal occasion. To the contrary, Kate has become much more well known for wearing affordable fashions.

The Duchess of Cambridge in the maple leaf brooch and tanzanite and diamond earrings holds Princess Charlotte. (Photo: Pool/Sam Hussein/WireImage)

Well, during the royal couples visit to Canada the Duchess gave jewel lovers something to behold. On September 24, 2016, when she stepped off the plane with her family to greet the welcoming committee on the tarmac, the Duchess raised celebrity airport style to dazzling new heights. She pinned a large diamond maple leaf brooch to her beautiful blue fitted Jenny Packham dress. According to the Daily Mail the Maple Leaf jewel was given to the late Queen Mother by her husband King George IV to commemorate their 1939 trip to Canada. Round diamonds accent the leaves of the design and baguettes line up along the stem.

Related: The Prim and Provocative Side of the Pearl Necklace, Revealed

On September 26, for the historic ceremony of reconciliation with Canadian First Nations, Kate put on the maple leaf brooch again. pinning the jewel to the asymmetrical neckline of her eye-catching red Preen gown.

The Duchess of Cambridge wearing a diamond leaf brooch with pearl earrings at a reception in Canada. (Photo: Sam Hussein/WireImage)

Kate styled the jewel her way. She dressed it down a bit with pair of baroque pearl earrings by Soru set in 18K gold vermeil and sterling silver. The earrings, that were perfectly shown off because the Duchess had her hair back in a chic chignon, retail for around $100. Its no surprise, they are sold out at the moment on the Soru website. The brooch from the royal family collection, of course, is something money cant buy. All in all, it was a priceless jewelry moment.

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Related: The Stone Pantone Predicts Will Be Most Popular for Spring

The Duchess of Cambridge in Canada wearing her pearl and diamond drop earrings by Annoushka. (Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage)



Kate continued to dip into her own jewel boxas oppose to borrowing from the Queenfor the remainder of the royal Canadian tour. On September 28th for a trip to White Horse in North West Canadas Yukon region, she put on a pair of her favorite pearl earrings by Annoushka. Kate has worn these beautiful basics on countless occasions including the day she left the hospital with Princess Charlotte. The $1,620 jewels are composed of 18K gold, black rhodium and diamond hoops suspending baroque pearl drops.

Related: The Best Statement Earrings at the Emmys

Duchess of Cambridge wearing diamond earrings by and Princess Charlotte Kiki McDonough at a childrens party in Canada. (Photo: Chris Jackson  Getty Images)

On October 29th for the childrens military party at the Government House in Canada, Kate wore a charming creme colored See by Chole dress with Lauren Yellow Gold Pave Diamond Leaf Earrings from British designer Kiki McDonough. The delightful earrings, that were inspired by British ballerina Lauren Cuthbertson, have been spotted once on the Duchess before. Since they are the drop style she loves, you can be sure we will see them on her again and again in the future.

More from The Adventurine:

See Nancy Reagans Iconic Jewels Up for Auction

How Hitchcock Fits into the Grace Kelly Cartier Ring Story

Why the Taylor-Burton Diamond Is Also Known As The Cartier Diamond






Credit: TheImageDirect.com

Who needs a catwalk when you have the streets of N.Y.C.? Rather than walking the runways at Paris Fashion Week, models Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid are strutting their stuff in the Big Apple instead.

The stars coordinated in cozy monochrome sweats for a girls' night out at Nobu. Jenner topped an all-black ensemble, consisting of a turtleneck that reads "zero," and dark wide-leg bottoms, with a cozy gray wool topper. She paired the elevated basics with white Celine slip-ons and round black sunglasses.

Meanwhile, Hadid was angelic in an all-white look. The model paired a low-cut bra top with drawstring Olivia von Halle cashmere joggers ($1,148; oliviavonhalle.com), baring her washboard abs. She cozied up with a fur bomber, adding a '90s choker, white sunglasses, a studded bag, and blush-toned sneakers to complete the look.

After a hectic fashion month, it looks like these two are enjoying some well-deserved down time. Earlier in the day, Jenner visited JonBoy for some new ink: a lip tattoo that reads "meow."

meow @kendalljenner #jonboytattoo A photo posted by c/s jonboy p/v (@jonboytattoo) on Sep 29, 2016 at 9:11pm PDT

RELATED: Kendall Jenner Flashes Her Abs at MTV's Total Registration Live

Just when we thought these two couldn't get any more fierce.
Kim Kardashian at the Balenciaga show on Sunday. (Photo: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images)

Carrying forward the #nomakeup movement that seems to be popping up on celebrity timelines these days, Kim Kardashian showed up at the Balenciaga 2017 Spring show in Paris this weekend makeup-free.

First hinting at it on her social media accounts:

https://twitter.com/KimKardashian/status/782495814472044544

She then showed up at the fashion event sporting, according to Vogue magazine, no blush or meticulous bronzer, and a faint redness beneath her eyes betraying a hint of human fatigue.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLD408djiT4/

Kardashian is, of course, not the first beautiful celebrity to ditch the usual accoutrements of makeup at a public event. Just this past summer Alicia Keys earned headlines for showing up without makeup at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.

Alicia Keys at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. (Photo: Theo Wargo/MTV1617/Getty Images for MTV)

But there seemed to be as much criticism as praise for her makeup-free move. Weve yet to see similar discourse on Kardashians appearance.

Kim Kardashian at the Balenciaga show in Paris.

Kim Kardashian at the Balenciaga show. (Photo: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images)

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What better way to see Paris than through a supermodel's eyes?

Kim Kardashian did just that on Saturday, shopping with none other than her pal, Naomi Campbell.

WATCH: Kim and Kourtney Kardashian Rock Insane Cut-Out, Pantsless Looks at Paris Fashion Week

The mother of two left her famous family behind as she met up with Naomi at Hermes, where the two couldn't stop whipping their hair back and forth.

"My hair inspo! #Naomi," Kim captioned a pic of the two showing off their long tresses on Snapchat.

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Embraces 'Parisian Vibes' With Another Topless Photo

"#letsswingthathair@kimkardashian @hermes @tokyostylez," Naomi, 46, wrote alongside a snap of herself and the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star mid-hair flip.

#letsswingthathair @kimkardashian @hermes @tokyostylez A photo posted by Naomi Campbell (@iamnaomicampbell) on Oct 1, 2016 at 2:45pm PDT

And, of course, Kim had to share the whole video on Snapchat.

The 35-year-old reality star traded in her lacy lingerie and barely-there Balmain looks for the duo's shopping spree, hitting the shops in a velour tracksuit and lace-up boots for the trip.

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Talks 'Family Drama' Onstage After Rob Kardashian and Kylie Jenner's Baby Shower Beef

Later in the evening, Kim was all dressed up once again for a birthday dinner for her close friend, makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic. Her sisters, Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian, and mom Kris Jenner were also in attendance.

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Despite all that fun, she still had a post-meal case of FOMO. After getting a late night spray tan (because, why not?), the Selfish author sadly watched as Kendall and two of their friends left her behind.

WATCH: Kim Kardashian Attacked in Paris by Same Man Who Grabbed Gigi Hadid

Sometimes beauty means sacrifice!

It's been all about the fashion for Kim this week. Check out the glittering gold ensembles she and Kourtney wore to Balmain's aftershow party:

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The model shares her backstage beauty secrets (and sunny West Coast outlook).

Photography By GUY AROCH

Hair By JOHN RUGGIERO

Written By LAURA ANTONIA JORDAN

Nails By ASHLIE JOHNSON

Makeup By MAI QUYNH

Styled By WILLIAM GRAPER



Kenya Kinski-Jones LA lineage might be starrydad is music producer Quincy Jones, mom is actress Nastassja Kinski, and Rashida Jones is her half-sisterbut the model du jour has her feet firmly on the ground. A self-professed bookworm and an animal activist who graduated from Loyola Marymount with a degree in English last December, the 23-year-old is more likely to be found mucking out her horses stall in Topanga than club-hopping in West Hollywood. Kinski-Jones made her editorial debut in a Bruce Weber shoot for Vogue Espana in 2011, and recently landed coveted campaigns for Stella McCartney and Calvin Klein. Yet she handles the attention like a true Californian. Im taking it day by day, she smiles.



VIOLET INQUIRES

A conversation with model Kenya Kinski-Jones.



Social situation?

@KenyaKinskiJ | Instagram

@KenyaKJones | Twitter



Current neighborhood?

Century City with my boyfriend [actor Will Peltz].



Whats your LA fitness regimen?

I love hiking with my sisters. And I just started doing Pilates at Pilates Platinum, which my sister Sonja Kinski introduced me to. After my first class I couldnt move for two days.



Top beauty tip picked up on set?

Putting lip balm on the eyes to get that dewy, fresh look.



Earliest LA memory?

Driving on the PCH to Malibu with my mom, my brother, and my sister and listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.



Whats your LA hidden gem?

Im such a bookworm. Theres a place downtown called The Last Bookstore. Its really cool, really whimsical.



Whats the last thing you do at night?

Honestly, probably watch Gilmore Girls on NetflixI cant fall asleep in silence.



Beauty signature?

A rosy lip, a little bit of mascara, and good brows (I go to Anastasia for mine). I love the way French girls do their makeup, super minimal and natural.



Story continues

What makes you feel powerful?

My mind.



Whos your dream lunch date and where would you go?

Carl Sagan, and wed go to a cat cafe in Tokyo.



Whos your LA style icon?

Skater boys with sun-kissed hair from the 1970s.

First thing that comes to mind when you think of Hollywood?

Illusion. Is that bad?



Read about Kenya Kinski-Jones LA Routine & more at VIOLETGREY.COM






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By PTI: Surya S. Pillai

New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) The classic Urdu oral storytelling art form of Dastangoi intertwined with the defiant poetry of the early 20th century brought alive the journey of Gandhi from Mohandas to Mahatma in the capital.

39-year-old Fouzia Dastango, credited as the first female Dastagoi artiste, presented Dastan-e-Gandhi on the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi through the dying art form of Dastangoi here recently.

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"The aim of Dastaan-e-Gandhi is to revive the abiding interest in the inspiring story of Mahatma Gandhi using newer ways to involve various stakeholders, including intelligentsia, academia and voluntary organizations to spread Bapus Message," she told PTI.

"The young generation which is shaping todays India and who will create the countrys future should be told about his life and his mission, and this is what we are doing," she said.

Dastaan-e-Gandhi performed by Fouzia and Fazal Rashid touched upon Indias struggle for freedom and Gandhis tryst with Satyagraha and his fight against injustice and racism.

The event was organised by India International Center in collaboration with Sarvodaya International Trust.

Professor Danish Iqbal, who penned the script for the performance, said it was a "mounting challenge" to present the life of Mahatma in an hour format.

"There are many facets to Mahatmas life. It was very challenging to present his life in a Dastangoi format. But we focussed on the underlying the message of his life rather than talking about his milestones," he said. (MORE) SRY TRS BK TRS

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Donald Trump may have been able to pay no federal income tax for more than a decade, according to a leaked partial tax return obtained by the New York Times.

Sections of the 1995 tax returns sent anonymously through the mail and confirmed by Trumps personal accountant show that Trumps losses in Atlantic City casino projects, a Trump airline and the Plaza Hotel in New York were a staggering $916 million.

Under normal Internal Revenue Service rules, those losses can be used to offset any future amount owed, but because the amount of the loss was so high Trump may have continued to avoid any tax liabilities for years.

In a statement, the Trump campaign said the more than 20 year-old alleged tax document was illegally obtained but didnt deny the substance of the report.

Read More: Trump on His Tax Returns: I Think People Dont Care

It added that Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required.

The documents do not constitute proof that Trump has paid no federal tax over such a long stretch, but it lends fuel to questions about his refusal to release his tax returns. Trump has pointed to an ongoing IRS audit as reason for his delay in releasing the returns, something every major party nominee has done since 1980.

The IRS has made clear there is no prohibition on releasing taxes under audit.

Trumps refusal to release his tax returns became a central message during the GOP primary, as his rivals attacked his secrecy. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons campaign has expanded on that attack in the general election.

At Mondays first presidential debate, Trump responded to a remark from Clinton about him not paying taxes during at least one year in the 1980s by saying that makes me smart.

Read More: Transcript of the First Clinton-Trump Debate

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This bombshell report reveals the colossal nature of Donald Trumps past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal income taxes whatsoever, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement. In one year, Donald Trump lost nearly a billion dollars. A billion.

The failure of Trumps Atlantic City ventures impacted the livelihood of hundreds in the New Jersey city.

In August, Trumps son Eric told CNBC that it would be foolish for Trump to release his tax returns.

You would have a bunch of people who know nothing about taxes trying to look through and trying to come up with assumptions on things they know nothing about, he said. It would be foolish to do. Im actually the biggest proponent of not doing it.

Trump has long argued that his experience with complicated tax returns gives him a unique perspective on how to fix the tax code. In February, he tweeted an old photograph of himself signing a tax return that was stacked high on his desk.
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Prince George might only be 3 years old, but he broke plenty of hearts in Canada.

Around a week ago, he left Justin Trudeau hanging when the Canadian prime minister tried to give him a high-five. Then on Saturday in Victoria, he did the same thing to a 9-year-old boy in a hoodie.

SEE ALSO: 6 times Prince George gave absolutely zero f*cks

Sorry, Prince George fans. Whether you're a world leader or a child, you're not getting any of that royal palm.

Not that George  son of Prince William and Princess Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge  was cold.

Looking dapper in shorts and a sweater, he enthusiastically waved to adoring fans as the royal family exited a van and made their way to a sea plane on the final day of their Canadian tour.

He even busted out the rare double-wave.

He then shook some hands like a true statesman  although he didn't seem too thrilled about it.

Then he was off to another adventure! Next stop: London. It looks like Prince George might need to take a nap on the plane.

Are we there yet?

Image: Samir Hussein/Pool/WireImage/Getty

The family spent the last day of their eight-day trip touring the Cridge Centre for the Family, an institution that provides care for children and women who have experienced domestic abuse.

William, Kate, George and 17-month-old Princess Charlotte are headed back to London, where, hopefully, the little prince can get a break from international diplomacy and just play with some toys.
By Chris Michaud NEW YORK (Reuters) - Veteran actor and frequent host Alec Baldwin returned to "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday, debuting his new gig playing a scowling, blustering Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for U.S. president. The late night NBC comedy show, kicking off its 42nd season, opened with an extended sketch featuring Baldwin as Trump facing off with a calculating, cunning and smug Hillary Clinton, with Kate McKinnon reprising her turn as the Democratic nominee. Much of the routine was lifted from the opponents' Monday debate, including references to talk show host and Trump nemesis Rosie O'Donnell, and vocal Trump backer, Fox News' Sean Hannity. Baldwin began his Trump routine promising "I'm going to be so good tonight," before issuing a perfunctory response on jobs and economics. "End of story, I won the debate, I stayed calm just like I promised, and it, is, over. Goodnight," he proclaimed before walking away. Told by the moderator there were still 88 minutes left, "Trump" responded, "My microphone is broken," adding "She broke it. With Obama." Asked what she thought of Trump's rambling discourse, a smirking McKinnon-as-Clinton replied "I think I'm going to be president." The audience for the live show applauded wildly. After a few more minutes of Baldwin-as-Trump's increasingly bizarre remarks, a swaggering Clinton asks "Can America vote right now?" Later, fighting tears, she explained, "This is going so well. It's going exactly how I always dreamed." The show's writers made sure to take shots at the Democrat as well, including her referencing beauty queen Alicia Machado as "a political prop that I almost forgot to mention". In her closing statement, Clinton said "Listen America, I get it, you hate me." She then threatened that "If you don't elect me, I will continue to run for president until the day I die." Baldwin, who has hosted Saturday Night Live more than anyone in its storied history, will be back as Trump until the November election, likely providing a ratings spike for the show that has mined U.S. elections and politics for comic fodder since 1975. Trump himself appeared on the show as host in November 2015, when he was campaigning to win the Republican nomination. (Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
Rennes (France) (AFP) - The ad on the French finance ministry website is deadpan and succinct: "For sale: late 19th century prison in the centre of Grasse, 1,277.42 square metres (13,750 square feet). No garage or parking space. Needs renovating."

Prospective buyers of the site in southeast France are required to lodge a deposit of 50,000 euros ($56,000).

There are around 10 such notices for defunct prisons on the website, testament to a growing trend that has seen many urban jails turned into social housing or concert halls.

Since many are protected buildings they cannot be demolished. But this means those that find no buyer are left to rot.

Reprimanded at the European level for its overpopulated and dilapidated jails, over the past 15 years France has been busy modernising its prison stock.

This process has been given added urgency by growing fears about the spread of radical Islam among the prison population after a string of attacks in the last two years.

In early September, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France needed room for 10,000 more prisoners over the next 10 years.

"Generally, it's cheaper to build a new prison" than to renovate one, explained Laurent Vilbert, who is in charge of urban planning in the western city of Nantes.

The city recently bought the local downtown jail -- which fell short of European standards -- for 4.9 million euros ($5.5 million). By 2018, the complex will become social housing, complete with a creche and underground parking.

"Local authorities have the right of first refusal for property on their land. In such cases sales take place by mutual consent," according to the finance ministry's website.

A prison in the Parisian suburb of Coulommiers, a stone building built in 1851, was bought by the municipal government for 2.3 million euros ($2.6 million) and turned into a library. Its cells are now lined with books.

Guingamp, a commune in Brittany, bought its prison back in 1992 and this month began turning the building into a visual arts centre with its central courtyard transformed into a 160-seat performance space.

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France is not the only country to sell off its disused prisons: one in Slovenia has been turned into a youth hostel; another in Oxford is now a luxury hotel.

And not all French towns can afford to develop old sites. In such cases, the private sector sometimes steps in.

This happened in Fontainebleau, another Paris suburb, where a prison was sold at auction for 480,000 euros ($538,000) to a buyer who plans to turn it into housing.

"We are really watching the developer. A whole section of the building is protected," said Pierre Tsiakkaros, chief of staff to the Fontainebleau mayor.

The ministry was quick to point out that the law is strict when it comes to protected buildings, noting that buyers of old prisons have to promise to respect rules about national heritage sites.

- From nick to nightclub -

Although two 19th century prisons in the central city of Lyons have been converted and modernised into a vast university campus and housing, key features such as facades and a watchtower rotunda have been preserved.

Some prisons find no buyers at all, for reasons including contamination, low real estate prices and the sheer complexity renovation would entail.

One in the southeastern city of Avignon, covering 11,000 square metres (120,000 square feet) next to the medieval Palais des Papes and valued at 2.5 million euros ($2.8 million) for example, has been on the market since 2015.

The Marriott group once thought about building a luxury hotel there but abandoned the project when it realised how much work would be involved.

Avignon town hall, which owns the building, has put out a call for proposals with the idea of turning it into a space for artists, housing and shops.

Another Avignon prison, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is now a nightclub that is popular with students.
Los Angeles Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a black teenager by an officer following a foot chase on Saturday.

Police said they attempted to stop a vehicle that had paper license plates and they believed to be stolen Saturday afternoon, but the car took off. A subsequent chase continued on foot when the driver and passenger left the vehicle, and the officer following Carnell Snell Jr., 18, shot and killed him in a backyard, CNN reports.

The LAPD did not release the name of the officer, but said no police were injured and a gun was found at the scene. Residents questioned whether Snell was in possession of a gun, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Protests over the shooting death lasted into the night. Snells death follows a number of other fatal police shootings in California, Oklahoma and North Carolina.

The Departments Force Investigation Division will conduct the probe, and the District Attorneys office will review evidence about the shooting. The police chief, along with the LAPD board of commissioners, will determine whether the officer complied with department procedures.

Trenell Snell, 17, said she was outside with friends when she saw her brother running and being pursued by police. She ran, heard gunshots, and saw her brother handcuffed on the ground.

At the end of the day, the cops came and shot my brother, she told the L.A. Times. Killed my brother.

[CNN]
Each of the Marvel series on Netflix share a universe (its actually the same universe as the movies). This TVverse will eventually culminate when these heroes unite in The Defenders  but for now theyre mostly united by a few common elements and easter eggs.

Luke Cage does, of course, refer back to Lukes involvement in the events of Jessica Jones, but its pretty oblique for the most part. In the series premiere, Pop (one of the few who know about Lukes secret superpowers) mentions the time Jessica had to shoot Luke in the head with a shotgun.

Turk Bennett was a supporting character in Daredevil, until the Devil himself shut down Turks gun dealer operation. At which point Turk apparently fled to Harlem and started hanging out at Pops barbershop.

Claire herself is a unifying element amongst all the Marvel Netflix series thus far, as she has makes prominent appearances in Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.

We learn that part of Luke Cage takes place during the second season of Daredevil because when Claire Temple makes her first appearance ishe references the recent ninja attack on the hospital where she worked in Hells Kitchen as being the reason shes visiting her mom in Harlem.

In episode 6, we get to hear a part of an episode of Trish Talk in which Trish Walker, Jessica Jones adoptive sister, discusses the public emergence of Luke Cage Harlem.

Assistant district attorney Blake Tower played a major role in Daredevil season 2, and he pops up in the 11th episode of Luke Cage to help Inspector Ridley handle a hostage situation at Harlems Paradise.

In Jessica Jones, Luke and Jessica recover a USB stick that had belonged to Reva. In the ninth episode of Luke Cage, we discover it has lots of secret files about Luke from his time at Seagate Prison.

In the tenth episode, Mariah gives a speech about the troubles with New Yorks superpeople and mentions Jessica having to kill the mind-controlling villain Kilgrave.

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When federal agents come to take Luke back to prison in the finale, Claire Temple says she knows a good lawyer who will take his case to prove his innocence. Shes talking about Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil.

When Luke Cage and Diamondback face off in the United Palace Theater, Diamondback claims credit for all the misfortune thats befallen Luke, from his imprisonment to the death of his wife Reva. He then admits he was joking about Reva  which we knew because in Jessica Jones we saw that she was killed by Jessica when they were both under Kilgraves influence.

In the finale, Claire Temple grabs a phone number off a flyer for self-defense classes. The person giving the classes is none other than Colleen Wing is a skilled martial artist and swordswoman who will appear in the next Netflix Marvel series, Iron Fist, in 2018.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Netflix Outage Makes 'Luke Cage' Viewers Super Mad

'Luke Cage': What's Up With the Super-Powerful Judas Bullet?

'Luke Cage': The True Story Behind Luke's Hero, Crispus Attucks
By PTI: Kolkata, Oct 1 (PTI) The debate over aligning with Congress featured majorly at the ongoing CPI(M) two-day state plenum and party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury today said there is need to put up an united fight with all the secular and democratic forces including Congress to resist the terror by ruling TMC.

"We have already made our stand clear that in order to resist the fascist attack of TMC there has to be broadest possible unity of secular and democratic forces. We need to fight along with Congress against these terror tactics and undemocratic methods of forcibly taking over elected bodies," Yechury told reporters.

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The two-day state plenum began yesterday to assess the situation and find ways to strengthen the party organisation.

It was decided in the plenum that although the Bengal unit will not go into any kind of electoral alliance with CPI(M) but the Marxists will continue joint protest and agitation with Congress throughout the state.

"If we constantly keep doing agitation with Congress it will ensure that we are together through thick and thin and not just for electoral alliance," a senior party leader said.

Several leaders at the plenum have raised questions whether it was ethical for Bengal CPI(M) to align with Congress violating the CPI(M)s official political line adopted in last party Congress.

Pro-alliance CPI(M) leaders have countered it saying that had the CPI(M) not opted for the alliance with Congress, the assembly result would have been much worse and the party score would have come down to single digits. MORE PTI PNT KK SUS AJR

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(Spoiler alert. Some details from the season finale of Luke Cage are below.)

Like Phil Coulson with the Avengers, Claire Temple has been the thread that has woven all the Netflix Marvel series together en route to next years Defenders crossover. And it seems that her journey will continue with the martial arts master Iron Fist, if the final montage in Luke Cage is any indication.

In the final episode of the first season on Luke Cage, we see Claire wandering the streets of Harlem and coming across a flyer on a telephone pole for martial arts and self-defense classes. The class is run by Colleen Wing, one of Iron Fists closest allies.

Also Read: 'Luke Cage': Here Are All the Songs Performed on the New Marvel Show (Videos)

Colleen has no superpowers, but has become a master samurai thanks to the tutelage of her grandfather. Claire may have been inspired to take the class after her tough scuffle with Shades during the hostage situation at Harlems Paradise. After some lessons from Colleen, Claire may have more to offer the Defenders than just her medical expertise.

In Iron Fist, which will debut in 2017, Colleen Wing will be played by Jessica Henwick, who youll remember as one of the Dornish Sand Snakes on Game of Thrones.

Also Read: 'Luke Cage': 39 Characters Ranked Worst to Best (Photos)

It will also be interesting to see how Luke Cage and Iron Fist intertwine, considering how the two heroes became closely intertwined not long after they were introduced in the 70s. With sales for both comics flagging, Marvel paired Cage and Fist up together in hopes that their numbers would rebound.

Though the sales resurgence was short-lived, Luke Cage and Iron Fist would go on to have many adventures together over the ensuing decades. The link between the two series is also strengthened by the fact that in the comics, Colleen Wing becomes the partner of Harlem detective Misty Knight, who has become deeply involved in the world of superheroes following her encounters with Luke and Diamondback.

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Also Read: What Can Actually Kill Luke Cage?

Colleen Wing will be played by Jessica Henwick, who is most well known for playing one of the Sand Sisters on Game of Thrones. The series was shot in New York City this past April, and is expected to be released sometime next year.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Luke Cage': 11 References to Other Marvel Netflix Series

'Luke Cage': What's Up With the Super-Powerful Judas Bullet?

'Luke Cage': The True Story Behind Luke's Hero, Crispus Attucks
Two plastic bags having 20 packets each of counterfeited Indian coins with each packet containing 100 coins having a total value of 40000/- Indian Rupees, was found in the truck of a car.

By Tanseem Haider: During the surprise vehicle check point near Shree Balaji Mandir Dividing Road , Delhi one Swift Dezire car carrying registration number - HR19J4202 was checked by the Delhi police during anti auto theft picket checking and found two plastic bags having 20 packets each of counterfeited Indian coins each packets containing about 100 coins.

COINS DISCOVERED DURING CHECKING

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One person namely Naresh Kumar was arrested by Police and they later deduced that he has been involved in the counterfeited coins supply business since 2014.

Anti Auto theft drive was installed in this specific location for checking of the incoming vehicles travelling from Shahbad Dairy to the Rohini area.

During the checking, Naresh Kumar, the driver of the car introduced himself as an officer from the Punjab National Bank. When staff asked for his identity card but he refused to provide it. During the course of the checking, two plastic bags having 20 packets each of counterfeited Indian coins with each packet containing 100 coins having a total value of 40000/- Indian Rupees, was found in the truck of the said car.

On finding the counterfeit Indian currency coins, a case was registered and further investigations were taken up. During the course of investigation, accused Naresh Kumar was arrested and he disclosed that two persons namely Sonu and Raju are running a factory at Bawana Industrial area where counterfeited coins of Rupees 5 and 10 were being minted. Further, he divulged the name of Rajesh Kumar who was identified as the manager of that factory and he had information on the hideouts of all the three persons in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.

Click here to Enlarge Coin minting factory busted by Delhi Police.

Click here to Enlarge Coin minting factory busted by Delhi Police.

MODUS OPERANDI:

During interrogation, accused revealed that he started his car accessories shop at Charkhi Dadri after finishing his schooling. During the course of getting loose coins for the business, he came in contact with Sonu and Raju who used to deliver him required coins of denomination of Rs.5 and Rs.10 at his shop. After some time, both Raju and Sonu talked him into supplying counterfeit Indian currency coins on the commission basis.

He started supplying the fake counterfeit Indian currency coins provided by Raju and Sonu. After some time, Sonu and Raju decided to wind up their business and flee the area. Accused also disclosed that Sonu and Raju re-started their business of minting counterfeit coins at Delhi and asked him to join. He agreed and came to Delhi for the purpose of supply of counterfeit coins. He also confessed to identify the locations where the counterfeited coins were prepared, stored and distributed accordingly.

ALSO READ:

Hyderabad police busts fake currency racket, seizes notes worth Rs 11.95 lakh

Man impersonating CBI officer gets 10 years in jail





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On a chill and overcast day that signaled that fall has finally descended on New York City, the promised rain never arrived, leaving the first day of the inaugural Meadows Festival at the parking lot at Citi Field in Queens a thankfully dry affair.

And while The Weeknd announced late on Friday afternoon (Sept. 30) that he, in fact, would not be performing at the event -- after dropping out, then returning, only to drop out of Saturday's lineup again -- there was plenty more to take in on this first day of October.

Founders of New York's Meadows Music Fest, Debuting This Weekend, Talk Queens Culture, Getting Kanye Back

From opening sets by a handful of Queens-bred artists -- appropriate for the four-stage festival -- to a closing performance by J. Cole, a proud St. John's alum, here are some of the biggest highlights from day one at New York City's Meadows Festival.

1:30 p.m.: Day 1 was off to a somewhat slow and dreary start, though the threat of rain never became more than that as the dark and foggy skies didn't allow any drops to fall. As opening acts took to their respective stages, the largest crowd of all was already gathered by the Kanye merchandise tent -- yes, that's right, Kanye had his own tent, complete with five lines to help keep the large crowd of people moving along (somewhat) quickly in case they planned on actually seeing any acts.

2:00 p.m.: "The next song is for us because we party in the daytime," Lolawolf told the modestly-sized crowd of early arrivers before diving into "Every F---in Day" off her 2015 EP of the same name. She continued to impressively tackle the task of rousing up fans as she ran through favorite tracks with a smile on her face the whole time, despite the cold weather and somewhat early set time.

2:05 p.m.: "Where the honey buns at?" said Queens collective World's Fair, as the collection of a half-dozen MCs started to throw honey buns and blow pops -- hood snacks, as they called them -- into the crowd. Remy Banks stepped forward to perform some new material, prowling the stage purposefully, and the crew ended their set with the appropriate middle finger of "B.O.T.P." Irreverent party music at its finest.

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New York's Meadows Festival Under Fire Only 1 Day After It Was Announced

2:45 p.m.: Despite the fact that the rain held off, it had rained plenty the day before, and someone brought dozens of rubber duckies to the lot, floating them in the puddles that dotted the festival grounds. Another Queens MC, Dreamville's Bas, celebrated on stage with his remix of "We Made It."

3:00 p.m.: Frightened Rabbit were all too aware of the relief they provided from the otherwise electronic and hip-hop heavy lineup, as frontman Scott Hutchison welcomed the crowd to the "old man guitar portion of the festival." While those passing by were enticed by the indie rock radiating from the stage, Hutchinson's humor helped win them over. As for his best joke, he suggested all the other bands on the lineup split The Weeknd's booking fee: "We can all go out for ice cream after," he said with a laugh.

3:10 p.m.: Drinking a Bud Light and smoking a cigarette, Post Malone hits the main stage to the sounds of "White Iverson," much to the delight of the young crowd who had mobbed to see him. But he stopped short before the song really took off. "Rest in peace to ASAP Yams, Bankroll Fresh, David Bowie, Dale Earnhardt," he said, before launching into his similarly-atmospheric "Too Young." In a diverse set, he ran through his cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," his remix of 50 Cent's "Window Shopper" and one of his latest singles "Go Flex," showing that his catalog has grown much more diverse since breaking out onto the scene with his woozy ode to Allen Iverson, which inevitably brought the set to a close.

3:30 p.m.: Either a handful of attendees were soon to be disappointed or they were nothing more than loyal fans, but a whole bunch of XO merchandise -- The Weeknd-founded record label -- was spotted throughout the day. Even though The Weeknd had rescheduled and then canceled his set altogether after downgrading from his headlining slot to an earlier set time, some fans remained out of the loop or kind.

3:45 p.m.: Unlike Frightened Rabbit's set that included some comedic banter, Yeasayer didn't talk much in between their densely layered songs -- quite possibly because they were stuck in a world of their creation. The funky production and intricacy of their tracks, strengthened by their three-part harmonies, resulted in a set that didn't disappoint. Though they released a new album back in April, a handful of fan favorites -- such as set opener "Madder Red" and "Ambling Alp" -- found their way into the set list as well.

4:30 p.m.: Chromeo provided the festival just what it needed: a funkified midday dance party to shake off the more mellow morning. The duo's synth-heavy and techno-infused set proved to be infectious, as the crowd continued to grow up until the final few minutes. "We came out of the studio for this," David (Dave 1) Macklovitch said. "We have to get funky at least once a year."

5:30 p.m.: Following a lengthy instrumental introduction and a warm welcome as the son of the "legendary Bob Marley," Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley appeared on stage with his trusty Rastafarian flag waving companion. The theme of Rastafarian and Jamaican pride ran strong throughout the fiery set, as literal flames flickered on the screen behind Marley. He proceeded to tell a story of how he once told Bruno Mars to smoke some marijuana so that he could relax, and then dove into "War/No More Trouble" followed by "Could You Be Loved," a tribute to his late father.

6:30 p.m.: Empire of the Sun gave a timely, and highly theatrical, performance as they took to the stage just as dusk blanketed the festival. Their set can best be described as an elaborate spectacle complete with wild lighting, heavy fog, and a whole bunch of costume changes by the four dancers who helped bring each song to life. The glam/art alt-pop duo delivered a set made of up tracks off their upcoming album, Two Vines, as well as nostalgia-driven hits like "We Are The People" and "Walking On A Dream."

8:45 p.m.: "I'm not even supposed to be here," J. Cole acutely acknowledged. He told the large crowd he was a last minute addition, alerting anyone (all those XO merchandise-wearing fans) who were unaware that he was technically The Weeknd's last-minute replacement headliner. The majority of the crowd couldn't care less, however, as they hung onto his every rhyme and verse while he ran through a similar set list he has been toting around from festival to festival -- such as Lollapalooza and the Billboard Hot 100 Fest -- all summer long. As a unique twist to this set though, he brought out Queens rapper Bas, who performed earlier in the day and is a fellow Dreamville signee. Elsewhere in the set, Cole told the crowd that when he first released "Blow Up" and rapped the lyrics "Bitch I'm about to blow up," he wasn't really sure of it at the time. He then proceeded to say with a grin, "Now I am."
SAO PAULO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Millionaire businessman Joao Doria of the centrist Brazilian Social Democrat Party has won the race for mayor of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, in local elections on Sunday that were a major setback for the leftist Workers Party.

With 9.9 percent of votes left to count, Doria had won over 53 percent, enough to avoid a runoff, according to official results.

Based on the percentage of blank and nullified votes, along with voters who did not turn out, Reuters projects that Doria has won. His victory bolsters a likely presidential bid by the PSDB governor of Sao Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, in 2018.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Peter Cooney)
With its distinctive pirate-like flag flying from the mast, the sleek, high-speed concrete grey Ocean Warrior is the latest weapon in a bitter war between marine conservationists and Japan's whaling fleet.

"The one thing that we were missing in our fleet was a vessel with speed and endurance," said Alex Cornelissen, chief executive of Sea Shepherd Global.

"With the Ocean Warrior, we have a ship that can outmatch any poaching vessel on the high seas," said Cornelissen, also the captain, giving AFP a tour of the ship before its departure from the Netherlands this weekend bound for Australia.

"We are now able to follow them anywhere they go and even run away if they become too aggressive."

Bought at a cost of 8.3 million euros($9.3 million) funded by public lotteries in Britain, The Netherlands and Sweden, Sea Shepherd Global is counting on the vessel in its upcoming battle to save the whales in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean.

The new vessel, designed by a Dutch shipbuilder, took 18 months to build. Stretching some 54 metres (yards), it is a state-of-the-art ship, equipped with hybrid propulsion to extend its range, four powerful engines and a helicopter landing pad.

But it also has a secret weapon -- on the bridge a red cannon can eject a powerful plume of water to obstruct the views of the whalers, or block them from boarding.

For almost four decades, Sea Shepherd has fought to "defend, conserve and protect" marine life in the vast expanses of the planet's oceans.

- Masquerading as science -

And for 30 years they have been playing cat-and-mouse on the high seas with determined and at times ruthless whaling fleets.

"The minute you actually find them, you get very excited and the whole crew is excited because that's what you came down here for," said Cornelissen, sitting at the controls which resembles the helm of a spaceship.

"And then you just go into this high energy mode. You don't get tired anymore. You can stay up for 24 hours without interruption," he added.

Story continues

"All the sacrifices you made to be down in the Antarctic, you know, missing Christmas, missing your family, it's all become worth it when you find the whalers."

Despite a global moratorium imposed in 1986, Japan has continued to hunt whales using a loophole in the ban, but makes no secret the giant mammals end up on dinner plates.

Tokyo was forced to call off its 2014-15 hunt after the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, ruled its annual Antarctic foray was commercial, and only masquerading as science.

But the hunt resumed in late 2015, with the fleet returning to Japan in March this year after having killed some 333 Minke whales.

Tokyo has sought to close down the anti-whaling campaigns in court saying the activists ram their ships, snare propellers with ropes and harass crews with paint and stink bombs.

The conservationists in turn complain that the whalers have thrown stun grenades at them, and tried to sabotage their boats.

- Vengeance -

Sea Shepherd USA and its renowned founder Paul Watson are now prevented by a legal injunction from leading whale defence campaigns against the Japanese.

But Cornelissen and Sea Shepherd Global, based in Amsterdam, have taken up the battle. They estimate that in the past 10 years they have saved some 5,000 whales from Japanese harpoons.

"The international community has failed to enforce the ICJ's rulings in the Southern Ocean, so it's once again up to Sea Shepherd to take action," the group says.

With Ocean Warrior leaving Amsterdam on Sunday to head to Melbourne, Sea Shepherd is readying to launch in December its 11th campaign in the Southern Ocean, dubbed Operation Nemesis.

Named after the Greek goddess of vengeance and justice, the conservationists hope this year the tide could turn in their favour.

"We've had campaigns where we've been following illegal whaling ships and because they had a superior speed, they could simply outrun us ... and we would lose valuable weeks during which they could chase whales," said the captain.

Now this warrior of the oceans, with its four engines can reach speeds of 55 kilometres an hour, around 25 knots, compared to its ocean enemies which only reach up to 20 knots.

"We asked for the biggest engines they had," smiled Cornelissen, shouting above the noise of the motors.

"I'm hopeful, because we've seen the whalers go down and they'll continue to go down, because well continue to make their lives miserable down there."
A round up of the Beauty product launches that caught our eyes. Think there should be more on this list? Leave a comment below!

3ce Liquid Lip Color (Korea, KRW $17,000)

10 Brand new Matte colors that promise to deliver rich color payoff and lasts all day. Check out the smudge test video here! Did I mention the packaging is a sweet pastel pink?

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source: Stylenanda | click + in this link to ask travellers to help you buy!

APieu Roll on Perfume (Korea, KRW $4000)

While a roll-on perfume at Sephora could set you back by $20-30, this new release in 5 sweet & floral scents are pretty affordable at just $5 each. The mini tubes are also good for travel and mid-day reapplication. Take your pick from :Rose, Peony, Freesia, Jasmine or Violet.



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source: apieu_cosmetics | click + in this link to ask travellers to help you buy!

Becca Limited Edition Blushed With Light Palette (USD $34)

A limited-edition blush palette, featuring three universally flattering shades for the iconic, BECCA flushed glow. Including new exclusive Mineral Blush shade  Wisteria (a creamy mauve shade, cult favorite Mineral Blush  Songbird & best selling Luminous Blush  Snapdragon!

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source: beccacosmetics | click here to ask travellers to help you buy!

DHC x Disney Princess Lip Balm (Japan, 1080 tax inclusive)

Moisturising Lip Balm housed in Disney Princesses Ariel, Snowhite & Rapunzel casing. Makes a great gift to the little princess at home who wants to play pretend!

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source: DHC | click here to ask travellers to help you buy!

Etude House Shadow Cafe

Following the precious sold-out cabinet by Etude House, they have launched a special housing to store your eyeshadows. Its also big enough to store your blushers, cushions, and even barbies!

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source: etude_official, poshu_dollystar, lmh920418

click + in this link to ask travellers to help you buy!



Les Merveilleuses LADUREE Limited Edition Press Pot for Face Powder (Price unknown) & Mini Pressed Cheek Colour (Japan, 2500)

3 New illuminating shades for your face and a beautiful, exquisite new pot in Rose Gold. Whats not to love?

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source: lm_laduree | click + in this link to ask travellers to help you buy!

Jill Stuart Surprise Love Hand Cream (Japan, 1,400 each excluding tax)

On some days, we need to remind our loved ones that we appreciate them, or just simply to say thank you to our friends. Jill Stuarts new release on 7 Oct will help you do so, in the form of a personalised message on its hand cream. Choose from 5 Tubes & scent: Many thanks (fruity chamomile), Happy Wishes (floral orange), Mutual Love (pure rose), Hugs for Mom (floral jasmine) & My Best Hero (lime). Alternatively, get the mini kits of all 5 at 5,000 yen (excluding tax)

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source: jillstuartbeauty | click + in this link to ask travellers to help you buy!

Tony Moly x Pokemon

Round 2 of the K-Beauty collab with the worlds most popular characters of the moment, sees Pikachu and cutie pie Jigglypuff grace the cover of Tony Molys cushion compact. Instead of throwing the Poke ball, pat the Poke ball cushion puff on your face to get coverage! Find out more about this collection in our previous post.

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source: TonyMoly | click + in this link to ask travellers to help you buy!

Cant wait to try out these new beauty products? Post up a Request on the Airfrov App or website, our travellers who are overseas will offer to help you buy from overseas!

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The post October16 Edition: New Beauty Finds Around the World appeared first on Airfrov Blog.


Credit: INF

Olivia Munn stepped out in N.Y.C. on Thursday, proving once and for all that orange really is the new black.

The 36-year-old actress and model braved the rain in a long navy blue coat, underneath which she bared a ton of leg in an autumn-toned ensemble: a fiery orange top ($16; target.com) tucked into an apricot Mistress Rocks mini skirt--strangely reminiscent of a pumpkin spice latte, no? Munn complemented the rich hues of her outfit with a pair of beige ankle-strap platform pumps.

Munn matched an orangey-red lip to the pumpkin-colored look, wearing her long center-parted hair in loose waves by her shoulders. The former Daily Show correspondent added a tasteful touch of bling to her bright ensemble with a set of three bangles and a simple ring.

It's unclear precisely where Munn was headed in the well-matched look, but if the umbrella wielding man behind her bears any significance, it was important that the actress stay dry.

RELATED: Olivia Munn Shows Off Her Toned Legs in Cutoff Shorts and Over-the-Knee Boots

VIDEO: Olivia Munn Proactiv Sword Clip

Pumpkin pie, anyone?
Vietnam

A number of the worlds leading Asia macro strategists have turned markedly bullish on the regions prospects, with investment conditions and the economic outlook in the emerging markets seen as the best in 25 years.

It represents a significant opportunity for investors, at a time when global asset managers have been heavily underweight in the region for the past five years.

It also takes place as international attention is focused on the US political scene and a gloomy European banking sector.

The guys at Real Vision TV got their contact books out to assemble a veritable Whos Who of the most highly respected Asian strategists and economists to see whats driving this trend.

One of the consistent themes coming out of the interviews is that India, Indonesia, Vietnam and The Philippines present the best prospects for growth, based on demographics, infrastructure improvements and reformist governments.

'I've never seen this region look better'

I'm thinking that after 25 years in Asia, I've never seen this region look better in terms of its platform for growth going forward, said Dr Jim Walker, Founder and Chief Economist of Asianomics. Now that's a big statement from me because I'm not exactly the most bullish person in the world coming from where I come from.

Dr Walker is renowned for his forecasting ability, first flagging the Asian financial crisis in 1995 and correctly calling the 2007 US downturn. The fact is that the economics stack up really well through Southeast Asia. People seem to have missed the point that since 2011, Asian exports have gone nowhere. In 2015, they collapsed. And yet these countries are keeping on growing at 4%, 5%, 6% a year.

mekong_river

Get exposed to the Mekong Delta if you can

Walker identified India and Indonesia as the best buy and hold opportunities for the next couple of years. He pointed to the Mekong Delta as probably the fastest growing part of the global economy right now, while The Philippines have had the fastest four years of growth in the last 40. This is one of the best times to, I think, ever have been in Asia. And it's one of the times that people are least interested in being here, he said.

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Christopher Wood is another go-to Asian market expert, as the equity strategist at CLSA, and he told Real Vision TV that the old Asian export driven model is something of the past, particularly against the slowdown in the US and China. Today it is case of ascertaining the best domestic demand stories, which in the last few years has been The Philippines.

Best macro story in Asia of past 5 years

That's been the best macroeconomic story in Asia the last five years, Wood said. As of today, that's still the best macro story. It's got a private sector driven investment cycle. Philippines used to be the second richest country in Asia out of Japan in the 1950s. So there's a long way back.

Valuations have been a concern, with the big blue chips expensive at 20 times earnings, so Woods advice is to focus on the smaller caps with a buy and hold strategy in order to get reasonable valuations.

Radical improvements in infrastructure in Southeast Asia

Elsewhere in the continent, the focus is squarely on India, where the analysts are excited about the massive infrastructure improvements taking place under Modi, who is seen as the most pro-growth political leader in the world. The potential for profits in the banking sector is a topic that comes up repeatedly, as improvements in technology fire the jump to mobile payments. That means branches wont be needed in rural areas and benefits can be paid directly, eliminating corruption and galvanizing economic growth.

It's a multiple-year Capex cycle in a market which, of course, is far, far more investable for foreigners, both in equities and increasingly in the bonds, said Simon Ogus, head of independent research group DSGAsia. Ogus has been in the Asian markets for 30 years and his opinions are highly sought after by hedge funds and major macro investors.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

Massive take-up on biometric ID cards

Modi has taken the Congress policy (on Universal Identity Cards) and run with it, to the extent there's now 1.1 billion biometric cards in issuance out of a 1.3 billion population. And hes added 250 million new bank accounts directly linked to these biometric cards, Ogus told Real Vision.

Ogus was also extremely positive on Vietnam, where labor laws and infrastructure had encouraged industry to relocate from southern China. Vietnam is another place where he expects a multi-year cap-ex upswing and Ogus said the market is opening up to international investors with the state selling down stakes in some of the bigger companies and raising foreign ownership limits.

India for the long haul

Longer-term, if you said to me I've got to invest in one Asian stock market this year or like today, I can't sell it for the next five or 10 years, you know then definitely I would own India, Wood said, as he explained why he was in India for the long haul.

Since 2010, we've been in a capex downturn in India. Unlike China, credit growth has been running below or in line with nominal GDP for several years now. So we're basically well, well into a deleveraging cycle. The corporate sector capacity to utilization is still low, but they're turning free cash flow positive. So the longer they're in this deleveraging cycle, the more you can assume when the investment cycle comes back that it's going to run a long time.

5 seconds is all you need

And it's a growth-orientated equity market, he added. And the thing about India-- you only have to spend five seconds in India physically to understand that it's many years away before you have to worry about over-investment. The issue in India is not over-investment. The issue is, is there any investment. That's the key point.

Asia hedge fund expert Paul Krake reinforced the points on India, as well as setting out the case for growth in Indonesia, another favored destination for capital among the Real Vision experts. Krake managed money for some of Asias biggest hedge funds, including Moore Capital and Caxton Associates and worked for Goldman Sachs, before starting his own macro hedge fund. He now produces the elite research note View from the Peak.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo attends the opening ceremony of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang province, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Schiefelbein/Pool

It's Indonesia. It's India. Both the long-term stories are very clear, Krake said. Their demographic stories, their banking penetrations stories, their government starting from low bases and seeing reformist, in the guise of Modi and Joko.

The demographic arguments in themselves are very powerful, Krake added. Indonesia is always going to be a market that is more cyclical or more driven by the whims of global financial markets that are more insular markets like India. But, again, how do we not own Indian banks structurally when there's 3% to 5% credit card penetration rates, these sort of numbers. They're going one way. The profitability of Indian banks is very different if they get back to-- in terms of banking penetration, just some sort of emerging market median.

The penny Has dropped

The final word was left to Christopher Wood, who said that the combination of orthodox policies and yield pick up were the key reasons to be overweight in emerging market Asia. The penny has finally dropped-- frankly, should have dropped four years ago on the fixed income world, he said. You've got to be a complete moron if you're just a dedicated, global, fixed-income guy. You've got to be a moron not to be overweight emerging market debt.

Real Vision is the world's only video-on-demand channel for finance. It's where the world's best investors share their ideas. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

NOW WATCH: Donald Trump targets Hillary Clinton with ad featuring her asking why she isn't '50 points ahead'





More From Business Insider


BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Some 95 percent of Hungarians who voted in Sunday's referendum rejected the European Union's migrant quotas but turnout was below the 50 percent threshold for the vote to be valid, according to an opinion poll conducted by think-tank Nezopont. The poll, based on a representative survey of 1,000 Hungarians on Sunday, indicated that around 3.2 million voters rejected the quotas, while 168,000 voters voted "yes". Ruling party lawmaker Gergely Gulyas said that voter turnout will be around 45 percent based on exit poll data, and that around 95 percent will have rejected the quotas. (Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Catherine Evans)
"She should be in prison, let me tell you ", said Trump at a rally to thousands of his supporters on Saturday.

By Reuters: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump closed out a rough week for his campaign on Saturday by escalating personal attacks on Democrat Hillary Clinton, questioning her stamina and saying she should be in prison for her handling of classified emails.

After a week in which he drew wide criticism for a public feud with a former beauty queen, Trump sought to rebound with a highly negative attack on his opponent in the November 8 election, with a second presidential debate against her looming in a week.



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TAX RECORDS



At the same time, the New York Times reported it had obtained records showing Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a deduction so large that it may have allowed him to avoid paying any federal income taxes for years.

Trump has refused to release his tax records, saying he is under a federal audit.

QUESTIONS CLINTON'S ENERGY



At a rally in Manheim, Pennsylvania, Trump said he did not believe Clinton, who suffered a bout of pneumonia last month, was up to the task of being president. He tried to resurrect a tactic he employed against former Republican rival Jeb Bush, who Trump had derided as "low energy."

Clinton kept her pneumonia diagnosis private until she was seen nearly collapsing while getting into her vehicle at a ceremony marking the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York.

Ticking off a list of world problems, Trump said, "She's supposed to fight all of these things and she cant make it 15 feet to her car. Give me a break."

"Folks, we need stamina, we need energy, we need people who are going to turn deals around," Trump said.

CALLS FOR HER ARREST



Trump has often told crowds who chant "lock her up" over her use of a private email server as US secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 to instead help him defeat her.

But on Saturday, Trump told thousands of supporters that Clinton's handling of classified emails and destroying of 33,000 emails that she had deemed of a personal nature meant that "she should be in prison, let me tell you."

Trump did not stop there. He said he did not believe Clinton would be loyal to her supporters and chuckled, "I don't even think she's loyal to Bill, to tell you the truth. And why should she be, right? Why should she be?"

In 1998, Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, was caught up in a sex scandal involving former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Trump was widely seen as having lost his first presidential debate with Clinton last Monday although he cites online polls showing he won.

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In the days since the debate, Trump has been struggling to regain his footing, getting caught up in a back-and-forth with former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who Trump had criticized for gaining weight.

ALSO READ:

Trump's 1995 tax records suggest no federal taxes for years: New York Times

Presidential debate takeaways: How Hillary got under Trump's skin





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Oracle sales people, Oracle employees

On a beautiful day in the fall of 2015, Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison and CEO Mark Hurd flew to Austin, Texas. They were doing one of Ellison's favorite things: shopping for real estate.

"We literally walked the river looking for property," Hurd told Business Insider.

They were looking for a spot to build a new state-of-the-art campus to house employees that were part of Hurd's "Class Of" program, once an object of controversy inside the company.

Hurd had launched this program in 2013 to hire thousands of college graduates straight from school to become salespeople and help sell Oracle's cloud. It was the year he revamped the company's legendary hard-hitting sales force.

By the time Hurd and Ellison were in Austin, the Class Of program was proving to be a success. And Ellison had agreed with Hurd that they wanted to keep expanding it.

In Austin, they saw a site with an apartment complex under construction plus some vacant property. It looked out over Lady Bird Lake and was close to downtown.

"We had a real-estate agent with us, and I said him. 'How much does that cost?' And the guy looks at me and says, 'In dollars?'" Hurd tells us. He still rolls his eyes in disbelief that a salesperson could be so unprepared to reel in a deal while standing toe-to-toe with such big fish.

"I'm like, 'Yeah, in dollars. Ive got a checkbook. Im ready to buy,'" he recalls. "Here youve got Larry Ellison and Mark Hurd walking around. Were qualified buyers." He shakes his head.

Flustered realtor or not, the two still loved the piece of land and promptly bought it for an undisclosed price. In December, Oracle announced plans to build a 560,000-square-foot campus there, including the apartment complex.

"Our idea is, many of these kids, when they get out of school, their biggest issue for them is cash flow. Can we give them a housing advantage? They can come to work, have an apartment there. This facility will have fitness facilities. There will be restaurants nearby. It's going to be great," Hurd lights up while talking about it.

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Oracle isn't the only one thinking that way. Facebook is also building luxury apartments in Menlo Park, California.

A bumpy start

But back in 2013, when the Class Of program launched, a lot of people in Oracle's sales team were not happy about it.

"Not everybody thought this was the greatest idea. When we started there were some groups that said, 'I just dont want to do it," Hurd admits.

Oracle Mark Hurd with employees

But he was not going to be deterred.

The idea was inspired by a dinner he had with his daughter and her friends who had just graduated from college. They were working as salespeople at a startup and were rooming together in San Francisco.

"All they could talk about was that they partied and they sold. They would go to work, sell stuff, party, sleep some, sell stuff and party. This was life. They were so energized," he remembers.

He told Ellison about the dinner and the two of them wanted to bring back that startup feel to Oracle. He and Ellison decided, "Lets go back to the future, the way it used to be," Hurd recalls.

Hurd had changed up the sales team that year in other ways. He hired thousands more people and altered territories and quotas. A lot of experienced sales people were unhappy and bailed from the company, they told us at the time.

Sales managers worried their territories would be flooded with these lower-paid, inexperienced people, making it harder for everyone to make their quotas. And they thought they'd have to babysit them.

Oracle college grad employees

"Anytime you start something, its always extra work until it matures. Our view was once we get [the program] at scale and maturity, the benefits would be significant for us," Hurd told us.

But by the time he took that walk in Austin with Ellison, even the naysayers were starting to come around.

For instance, Hurd talks about a meeting in Austin a few months earlier.

"This manager said to me, 'You know, when you started this Class Of program I thought this was one of the worst ideas, I ever heard,'" Hurd said.

The manager continued: "'Now I have five of them from the first class, and theyve been with me for 18 months. This is the greatest thing ever happened. I didn't like the first year, but now that Ive got them productive, I want more.'"

Bumpy for the new hires too

As of 2016, Oracle has now hired thousands of folks straight from college. But for that first class, even Hurd admits it was all untried territory.

Oracle college grad salespeople

The first class got about five weeks of intensive training with brand-new curriculum, then they got a quota and were put to work cold calling.

"We got thrown into the fire," remembers Ryan Thomas, a graduate of that first class.

"Here are your accounts. Here are your mentors and your manager. It's time to sell. If you didn't realize this was a cold-calling job before, you realized it now. It was terrifying," he laughs today.

Thomas came to Oracle from USC, where he studied marketing and economics and ran for the school's acclaimed track team. He survived those early days at Oracle and is now a sales rep for the company's flagship database product.

He still remembers his very first sale that first year.

"The first time someone said yes, I was confused," he grins. The person wanted to upgrade his database and was happy to have Thomas help him.

Oracle has since changed the training program, in large part because Hurd hosts a graduation party for every graduating class at his house. He meets and talks with each graduate and asks for suggestions to improve the program. They all said they wanted more training and more practice.

Over time, Oracle learned that the whole training process can take up to 2.5 years, Hurd tells us. "We really didnt do it as a replacement for a field salesperson," he says.

Today, College Of participants get their five weeks of training. Then they become "Business Development Consultants" (BDC) for a good nine months, where they find leads through cold-calling. They still have quotas, but they turn over those leads to others to close sales.

Then they mirror a salesperson. The salesperson gets to share in the grad's spoils, which motivates them to train the new hire. And then they can become an independent salesperson (a field rep) or a manager training other BDCs, or they can opt out of sales and go into a different part of Oracle altogether, like marketing, customer support, or events.

Big pond, small fish

Newer graduates are excited by the possibilities at their big tech company.

"Oracle is a big pond, and were smaller fish," says Jacob Gerson, a Class Of graduate that joined Oracle just over a year ago.

"Were part of a team thats going 100 miles an hour, and we can make contributions. I personally mapped the state of Texas and developed strong relationships with field teams. When I can lock in a meeting for a higher rep, it is rewarding," he says.

Another way Oracle supports them is the idea of hubs. There's the hub in Austin, but also at Oracle's headquarters in Redwood City, California; in Santa Monica; and in Burlington, Massachusetts. Plus a smaller one for those working with government products in Reston, Virginia.

Groups of students from each Class Of class are placed in each hub together, so they start their jobs with a social group of people they know and who are their own age.

Oracle employees

"One of reasons I chose Oracle is the opportunity to grow within the company," says Camille French, a BDC that's been with Oracle for three months. She studied political science and economics at the University of California at Berkeley.

"With the Class Of, they are investing in me, so they are going to want me to succeed. And the company is so big, you can take so many paths."

The work is demanding and focused. They want everyone to make their quotas. But it can be fun too, such as the daily mass email that circulates in Burlington that says, "time to do push-ups," says Dan Elfman, a BDC that joined Oracle in February from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. "Oracle found me through my LinkedIn resume and said I should apply," he recalls.

And, because this is sales, all four of these Class Of grads said their favorite perk was the money.

Glassdoor says that Oracle BDCs make $68,000 on average, including cash bonuses and commission-sharing. But some of them have reported salaries to Glassdoor over well over $100,000.

"Why I took the job. Oracle offered me the most money," Thomas said. And now that he's become a full-fledged salesperson, "The paycheck is most times unbelievable."

High churn rate, no worries

That's not to say that all of the Class Of grads are happy or stay at the company. As the program heads into its fourth year, the churn rate is pretty high. Between 40% and 50% of graduates don't stick it out to become salespeople.

Hurd is fine with that.

Oracle co-CEO Mark Hurd

"If this churned over four years to where we lost 40% of the people, we might lose half of that to other things inside Oracle. That is just fine," he says.

And, he says, as Oracle improves its training of both the college kids and the supervisors who mentor them, the number of Class Of graduates that leave is declining.

Meanwhile, sales of Oracle's all important cloud products, which most of these kids sell, were up nearly 80% last quarter and are on track to become a $2 billion business this year, Hurd says.

"If at the other end, I get 50% or 40%, it doesnt matter. My entry-level costs to bring them is materially lower than what it would be to bring in a mercenary hire," he says, meaning poaching a top salesperson from another company.

"If I get people who are great and are productive, this is a home run for me," he says.

NOW WATCH: How Sara Blakely went from door-to-door saleswoman to billionaire philanthropist





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An Oregon gubernatorial candidate issued a lengthy apology over the weekend after suggesting educated women are not susceptible to sexual or domestic abuse.

At a debate in Portland on Friday night, Bud Pierce, a Republican who is challenging Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, the Democratic incumbent, said, A woman that has great education and training and a great job is not susceptible to this kind of abuse by men, women, or anyone.

Both candidates had been asked by an audience member to respond to a recent report that found more than half of the states women and girls have reported being the victim of some form of domestic or sexual violence.

Pierce, whose answer elicited boos from the crowd, tried to clarify his comments on stage.

OK, so powerful women have access to lawyers and courts and go at it, he said. But the women who are most vulnerable are poor women who dont have a place to turn, because they dont have shelter, they dont have family around them. So I would argue that in addition to strong laws and going after every sexual predator and every abuser, that the way we can make women have a better existence and be less susceptible to being harmed is to make them powerful in terms of their job and their opportunity.

Brown, who had revealed she is a survivor of domestic violence, was dumbfounded by Pierces answer.

Im honestly not sure where to start, she said. I grew up in a middle-class family. I went to law school. I know what it feels like to be paid less  substantially less  than the male lawyer in the office next to me. This is not just about power; its about making sure that people are not discriminated against because of their gender, because of their race and because of their sexual orientation.

Following the debate, Pierce released a statement apologizing for his comments.

As a physician who began medical school almost 40 years ago and has seen many patients including women of domestic violence, I know that any women, regardless of economic status, can be subject to domestic violence and sexual abuse, he said. Sexual and physical abuse is morally wrong, is against the law, and must be opposed with all efforts.

Story continues

Update: @BudPierce4Gov issued a written statement about his domestic violence comments and apologized to @KateBrownForOR pic.twitter.com/OUKHlWTmIy  John Tierney (@jtierney6) October 1, 2016

Pierce continued: Women living in severe poverty may be prevented from separating from their abuser because of economic dependency. What can be done? Continue to do everything possible to change our culture to one that respects all individuals and does not tolerate nor condone any abuse. Lift the fortunes of the poor so that they never feel compelled to remain in an abusive relationship for economic reasons. And more needs to be done to focus on the critical problem which is the unfortunate culture of a segment of men and women who resort to this despicable behavior.

According to one recent poll released in early September, Brown holds an 8-point lead over Pierce among likely Oregon voters. A survey taken in late July showed the race between Brown and Pierce in a virtual tie.
It was an event that felt more like a prizefight than a book promotion: Ovitz. Meyer. One night only at DGA headquarters with the central figures of James Andrew Millers new book, Powerhouse.

Thursdays Q&A with the men who came together to build CAA into a juggernaut, only to part bitterly, came laden with the kind of tension reunions dont always deliver.

Imagine if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were to sit on stage together decades from now to review the circumstances that preceded their split. Maybe that would be something like what it was like to see Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer appear together in public for the first time in 20 years detailing their own falling out, a conflict so traumatic to Ovitz that he characterized it as going through a divorce from my male wife.

Their reunion was so surreal it felt like another sequel to Night at the Museum, a film franchise that magically resurrected historic figures in all sorts of strange combinations.

And yet what may have been most striking about Ovitz and Meyer that night was how little they resembled the mighty, almost mythical creatures theyve been rendered in Millers book.

These marauders disrupted the sleepy status quo of Hollywoods talent agency business during the 1980s with a ferocity Ovitz seemed to liken to a pack of wild Dobermans. Once we were let loose, no one was safe, he told Miller.

But CAAs big dog wasnt barking too loudly Thursday. Now 69, Ovitz looked and sounded more frail than his age, walking on stage to his seat with a cane due to a back injury that had caused a postponement of the Q&As first scheduled date, his voice creakier than many remembered. For a man who was obsessed with crafting his own public image, it was odd to see him looking far more fragile than the fearsome figure of yesteryear.

But that vulnerability subtly cued wed be hearing from a very different kind of Ovitz than the Machiavellian master of media he used to be. The 2016 Ovitz was contrite and introspective, a far cry from the ruthless, blinkered titan of industry he repeatedly described himself to Miller to be on stage. Someone so consumed with furthering the incredible growth of his company that he was ignorant to the rift that had opened between himself and the man without whom he couldnt have willed CAA into existence.

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We were on such a roll in every aspect of the business that I was oblivious and insensitive to the people issues, Ovitz explained.

Sorry for my behavior, Ron. Success made me do it.

His was a rise and fall so steep, Ovitz would have us believe, that it thoroughly transformed a narcissistic monster to a deeply sensitive soul who can look back and self-diagnose the personal weaknesses that ultimately sabotaged himself. It was as if those in attendance at the DGA were hearing Icarus recount what sun blindness was like.

But as Ovitz flagellated himself over and over Thursday for the conduct that eventually alienated Meyer and diminished his own power, I found myself questioning his transformation. Is Ovitz truly the man he now says he is or is he telling us what we want to hear so we stop seeing him as some kind of monster?

Maybe hes just being as manipulative as weve always known him to be, sanding the edges off his sharp-elbowed persona to reshape his legacy.

But for all the proclamations of penitence he issued from the stage, there was something distinctly chilly about the tone of the joint interview. Like an actor who isnt quite right for the part, Ovitz may have read all his lines but he wasnt really emoting. He tossed off apology after apology to the audience but didnt really direct those apologies to Meyer himself.

Watching the two men interact, it was tempting to wonder what Miller didnt address in his questioning: Had Ovitz previously said anything like what he was saying directly to Meyer? What if anything is the nature of their actual relationship today? Is their broken bond beyond repair?

And then theres Meyer, still a titan in his own right thanks to a second triumphant career at Universal Pictures. Does Meyer believe Ovitzs version of what occurred, and does he forgive him, anyway?

If he did, Meyer didnt let on; he was as opaque as Ovitz was transparent Thursday. And maybe theres nothing wrong with that when the more you hear these men talk  a staged conversation that dug even deeper into the deterioration of their relationship than the the already exhaustive dissection Powerhouse provides  the more you could get the sense nothing could really entirely capture their shared truth in all its complexity. Such is life sometimes.

Meyers summation of their famous partnership may have been as truthful as anything Ovitz had to say.

Shit happens, he noted. Relationship sour and things go wrong. Thats what happened.

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Pakistani military officials point to an Indian army post high on a forested ridge along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, insisting any incursions are impossible, after skirmishes ignited dangerous tensions between the nuclear rivals.

The army took the rare step of flying international media to the de facto border to make its case in a battle of competing narratives, after India said its commandos penetrated up to three kilometres into Pakistan on anti-militant raids.

The presence of Indian forces so far across the Line of Control (LoC) would be a stinging blow to Pakistan, particularly after the 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden which took place on its territory without its consent.

The media visit came Saturday as India's army chief Dalbir Singh congratulated commandos involved in what New Delhi has described as "surgical strikes" to take out terrorist launchpads after a deadly attack on an Indian army base last month.

Pakistan has flatly denied the claim, saying two of its soldiers were killed but only in cross-border fire of the kind that commonly violates a 2003 ceasefire on the LoC.

The helicopter tour took journalists to sectors just two kilometres from the dividing line, and near the locations India said it targeted in assaults on four militant camps.

On hand were senior local commanders as well as army spokesman Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa -- an omnipresent media personality who has taken centre stage on Pakistani television since the tensions erupted.

In villages like Mandhole, daily life was going on largely as normal despite the tensions, with shops and businesses open and children in pressed white uniforms walking to school.

"You have seen the lay of the land," said Bajwa, speaking from a command post overlooking the lush green Bandala Valley, with Pakistani and Indian fortifications visible on the opposite hill.

"You can see the way the fortifications are built and the way Pakistan has layers of defence and they have layers of defence... the LoC cannot be violated," he said.

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"If they've caused that damage to us, we don't know any has been caused to us! You can go and meet the civilian population. Our side is open: to the UN mission, to the media, to the general public," he said.

- 'News spreads' -

It was not possible to verify the general's claims, though villagers who spoke with a second AFP reporter in the area independent of the military-guided trip were also incredulous.

Sardar Javed, a 37-year-old journalist for Kashmiri newspapers and a resident of Tatta Pani sector, which lies just west of India-controlled Poonch sector where one of the strikes was said to have been carried out, said he had seen no evidence of a raid.

"I'm not saying it's not true because that's the army line. It's because I'm from the LoC and I'm a local journalist. News spreads fast around here and people get to know whatever happens," he said.

Mountainous Kashmir is seen as one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints, where Indian and Pakistani soldiers watch one another across valleys divided by barbed wire and land mines.

The bitter neighbours agreed on the de facto border in 1972, but both claim the territory in full. Two of their three wars have been fought over the Himalayan region.

Areas close to the 720 kilometre (450 mile) LoC are normally off-bounds even for Pakistani nationals, and the past three years have seen a surge in cross-border shelling.

- Big lie? -

Tensions have been simmering for months over unrest on the Indian side, where more than 80 civilians have been killed, mostly in clashes with security forces, during protests linked to the killing of a charismatic young separatist in July.

Some Pakistani observers say the vaunted raids are an attempt to shift the focus and allow India to escape scrutiny over its actions in Kashmir.

Pakistan-backed militants were blamed for the attack on an Indian army base last month in which 19 soldiers were killed, prompting angry calls for action from the Indian public ahead of Thursday's action.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has offered to mediate in the dispute as the international community urged restraint.

Pakistan is eager to dispel to the world the notion it harbours terrorists; and to its own citizens vanish the idea it can be pushed around by its bigger neighbour, with whom it has long attempted to maintain a semblance of military parity.

India, for its part, seeks to diplomatically isolate Pakistan following a series of attacks that it blames on Islamist militants backed by its western neighbour.

Leaning on a walking stick in the pristine hillside village of Baghsar Saturday, 76-year-old local councillor Mirza Abdul Ghani told visiting journalists that the Indian claims were "a big lie".

"I myself am ready to fight if they dare -- I have my weapon in my house," he said.
Kristen Stewart is trying to get in contact with the other side in the new teaser for Personal Shopper.

"My twin brother died here," she explained. "We made this oath: whoever died first would send the other a sign."

The psychological thriller, set in Paris, sees Stewart playing a young American, high-fashion personal shopper who also half-believes she's in contact with her late twin brother.

The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and received a divided response. It reteams her with Olivier Assayas, who directed her in??Sils Maria, for which she became the first American to win France's prestigious Cesar Award.

Personal Shopper screens this month at the New York Film Festival before IFC releases the title in theaters March 10.

Read more: 'Personal Shopper': Cannes Review
The Bankhead community and the rest of hip hop lost a real one on Sept. 21, when rapper Shawty Lo tragically died after from a car accident. The ATLien may be gone, but fans are moving to have his legacy last forever, and not just through his music. Instead, a petition is floating around to rename the Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway after the late artist.

One Atlanta resident, Mercy Washington, conceived an online petition to change the parkway to Shawty Lo Parkway. The road is currently named after a civil rights attorney, who was known for his role in Martin Luther King Jr.s 1960 prison release, as well as winning the desegregation of the University of Georgia. But to Washington and others, Shawty Lo seems like a more appropriate leader to reflect the community and the times.

As for her reason, Washington claimed Shawty Lo, who was often referred to as the King of Bankhead, was a driving force in the community. He was overly active in his Bankhead community. So much so, that neighborhood locals honored him by giving him the nickname King of Bankhead abbreviated K.O.B, in which he utilized as much as he did his rap name Shawty Lo, Washingtons statement on the Change.org account read. What better way to honor this extraordinary man then to rename the street in which he grew up on and a community that he never left behind even after his success! Bankhead Hwy a.k.a. Donald Lee Hollowell is a thing of the past. Sign the petition as we welcome the new Atlanta street name Shawty Lo Pkwy.

First the Dey Know rappers hearse made a trip to the strip club after his wake; and now he may get a parkway named after him. It probably wouldnt be too far off to say that Shawty Lo is feeling the love even in his after life. Washington currently has 2,845 signatures and counting out of her sought after goal of 5,000. If youre down with the Shawty Lo Parkway movement, you can sign the petition here.
While Donald Trump is asking people to watch sex tape of former Miss America Alicia Machado, a Playboy video allegedly featuring Trump has surfaced.

Donald Trump is asking the people to watch a sex tape of former Miss America. Photo: Reuters

By AP: Donald Trump is encouraging voters to check out a "sex tape" featuring the former beauty queen with whom he's feuding. Hillary Clinton's campaign is suggesting that a better rental is the adult film in which Trump himself appears.

With the presidential campaign taking a sordid turn on Friday, even many of Trump's supporters shook their heads, worried that their candidate's latest outburst could further hurt him among female voters already skeptical but whose support he'll badly need to win in November.

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Also Read: Presidential debate takeaways: How Hillary got under Trump's skin

TRUMP'S LATEST TWITTER OUTBURST

The Republican nominee's a pre-dawn Twitter tirade tore into the 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, a Venezuela-born woman whose weight gain Trump has said created terrible problems for the pageant he owned at the time.

Clinton had cited Trump's treatment of Machado near the end of their first debate, and Trump has spent days revisiting his complaints about Machado.

"Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia Machado become a US citizen so she could use her in the debate?" read a tweet Trump posted at 5:30 a.m., one in a series of attacks on her.

The "sex tape" tweet apparently referred to footage from a Spanish reality show in 2005 in which Machado was a contestant and appeared on camera in bed with a male contestant. The images are grainy and do not include nudity, though Machado later acknowledged in the Hispanic media that she was having sex in the video.

Also Read: US professor who correctly predicted results of last 8 election says Donald Trump will win

AN EXPLICIT PLAYBOY VIDEO FEATURING TRUMP

Muddying the waters: an explicit 2000 Playboy video with a cameo by Trump.

In a short clip posted on the website BuzzFeed, Trump pours a bottle of champagne on a Playboy-branded limo on a New York street, surrounded by a gaggle of women.

"There's been a lot of talk about sex tapes today and in a strange turn of events only one adult film has emerged today, and its star is Donald Trump," said Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill, adding he hadn't seen the film.

Meanwhile, Trump's campaign accused the media and Clinton of colluding to set him up for fresh condemnation, to which Clinton retorted, "His latest twitter meltdown is unhinged, even for him."

Also Read: First US presidential debate 2016: All you need to know about the Clinton-Trump face-off

FORMER MISS UNIVERSE SPEAKS UP, SAYS TRUMP'S TWEETS PART OF 'DEMORALIZING WOMEN'

Machado herself took to Facebook to say Trump's tweets were part of a pattern of "demoralising women," calling them "cheap lies with bad intentions." Planned Parenthood said it showed that Trump's "misogyny knows no bounds."

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And Clinton said they showed anew why someone with Trump's temperament "should not be anywhere near the nuclear codes."

With less than 40 days left in the US Presidential elections, Trump's broadside threw his campaign into a fresh round of second-guessing the candidate's instincts and confusion about what to do next.

'WHAT KIND OF A MAN IS TRUMP,' ASKS CLINTON

To believers in traditional political norms, it seemed like the opposite of what was needed to win over females, Hispanics and young Americans whose support could well determine the election.

Shaming Machado over intimate details from her past could be particularly risky as Trump tries to win over more female voters, many of whom are turned away by such personal attacks. It also risks calling further attention to the thrice-married Trump's own history with women.

What kind of a man, Clinton asked, "stays up all night to smear a woman with lies and conspiracy theories?"

Even Trump's most vocal allies seemed at a loss for words.

'TRUMP'S JUST BEING TRUMP'

"He's being Trump. I don't have any comment beyond that," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a top supporter. Generally chatty and occasionally critical of Trump, Gingrich said tersely that Trump sometimes does "strange things," but that Clinton lies. "I'll let you decide which is worse for America."

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But Trump's inner circle followed his lead by refusing to concede any missteps. Trump did not mention the tweets Friday evening as he rallied supporters in Michigan. Instead, he returned to Twitter to invoke Clinton's famous ad from her 2008 campaign portraying her as the best candidate to pick up an urgent call at the White House at 3 a.m.

"For those few people knocking me for tweeting at three o'clock in the morning, at least you know I will be there, awake, to answer the call!" Trump wrote.

Also Read:

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Trump gets new ammo to attack Clinton in FBI email probe notes



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By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - More than 50 people were killed in a stampede in Ethiopia's Oromiya region that was triggered when police used teargas and shot in the air on Sunday to disperse anti-government protesters at a religious festival. The state broadcaster put the death toll at 52, citing regional officials. The opposition also said at least 50 people were killed at the annual festival where some people had chanted slogans against the government and waved a rebel group's flag. Sporadic protests have erupted in Oromiya in the last two years, initially sparked by a land row but increasingly turning more broadly against the government. Since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killed in clashes with police. The developments highlight tensions in the country where the government has delivered stellar economic growth rates but faced criticism from opponents and rights groups that it has reduced political freedoms. Thousands of people had gathered for the annual Irreecha festival of thanksgiving in the town of Bishoftu, about 40 km (25 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa. Crowds chanted "We need freedom" and "We need justice", preventing community elders, deemed close to the government, from delivering their speeches. Some protesters waved the red, green and yellow flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a rebel group branded a terrorist organization by the government, witnesses said. When police fired teargas and guns into the air, crowds fled and created a stampede, some of them plunging into a deep ditch. The witnesses said they saw people dragging out a dozen or more victims, showing no obvious sign of life. Half a dozen people, also motionless, were seen being taken by pick-up truck to a hospital, one witness said. "As a result of the chaos, lives were lost and several of the injured were taken to hospital," the government communications office said in a statement, without giving figures. "Those responsible will face justice." Merera Gudina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, told Reuters at least 50 people had died, based on details provided by families of the victims. He said the government tried to use the event to show Oromiya was calm. "But residents still protested," he said. The government blames rebel groups and dissidents abroad for stirring up the protests and provoking violence. It dismisses charges that it clamps down on free speech or on its opponents. Protesters had chanted slogans against the Oromo People's Democratic Organisation, one of the four regional parties that make up the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has ruled the country for quarter of a century. In a 2015 parliamentary election, opposition parties failed to win a single seat - down from just one in the previous parliament. Opponents accused the government of rigging the vote, a charge government officials dismissed. Protests in Oromiya province initially flared in 2014 over a development plan for the capital that would have expanded its boundaries, a move seen as threatening farmland. Scores have been killed since late in 2015 and this year as protests gathered pace, although the government shelved the boundary plan earlier this year. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Police in Ethiopia's Oromiya region fired teargas and warning shots on Sunday to disperse anti-government protesters at a religious festival, triggering a stampede that caused several casualties, witnesses said. Sporadic protests have erupted in Oromiya in the last two years, initially sparked by a land row and increasingly turning more broadly against the government. Since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killed in clashes with police. Thousands of people gathered for the annual Irreecha festival in the town of Bishoftu, around 40 km south of the capital Addis Ababa. Crowds chanted "we need freedom" and "we need justice", preventing community elders, deemed close to the government, from delivering their speeches at the festival. When police fired teargas and guns into the air, crowds fled and created a stampede, some of them falling into a deep ditch nearby in the rush of people. Witnesses said they saw several casualties. It was not immediately clear if they were dead. Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The protesters had chanted slogans against Oromo People's Democratic Organisation, one of the four regional parties that make up the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has ruled the nation for quarter of a century. In a 2015 parliamentary election, opposition parties failed to win a single seat - down from just one in the previous parliament. Opponents accuse the government of suppressing opposition voices, a charge it routinely dismisses. Small protests in Oromiya province initially flared in 2014 over a development plan for the capital that would have expanded its boundaries, a move seen as threatening the seizure of farmland. Scores have been killed since late in 2015 and this year as protests gathered pace, although the government shelved the boundary plan earlier this year. The government has blamed rebel groups and dissidents abroad for stirring up the protests and provoking violence. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
PARIS (Reuters) - Pope Francis has put a French priest knifed to death at his altar by Islamist militants in July on the fast track to possible sainthood, the Archbishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun said on Sunday. At a special mass designed to purify the church where 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel was killed, Archbishop Lebrun said Pope Francis had set aside the period normally imposed after someone's death before the process of beatification can start. "Pope Francis has waived the five-year delay before a sainthood process can begin," Lebrun told hundreds of people at the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen, in northwest France. Usually a miracle needs to have been declared for a candidate for sainthood to be beatified. But that requirement can be waived if there is evidence that the person died a martyr. Last month, during a mass in memory of the dead priest, Francis used the words martyr or martyrdom 10 times in his homily at the Vatican. In early July, two attackers stormed into the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, forced the elderly priest to his knees and slit his throat while they chanted in Arabic. The priest's murder by French citizens came just 12 days after a Tunisian who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State drove his truck through a crowd of Bastille Day revelers in Nice, killing 84. (Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
By Philip Pullella and Nailia Bagirova BAKU (Reuters) - Pope Francis visited a mosque in overwhelmingly Muslim Azerbaijan on Sunday and told leaders of all faiths that God should never be used to justify fundamentalism. "From this highly symbolic place, a heartfelt cry rises up once again: no more violence in the name of God! May his most holy name be adored, not profaned or bartered as a commodity through forms of hatred and human opposition," he said. "God cannot be used for personal interests and selfish ends; he cannot be used to justify any form of fundamentalism, imperialism or colonialism," the pope said in an address to Muslims, Christians, Jews and members of other faiths at the mosque, named after Azerbaijan's late president Heydar Aliyev. Francis has made similar appeals before and also has visited mosques on his world travels. But his visit to Azerbaijan, whose population of about 9 million people are mostly Shi'ite Muslims, was the first time he had made such an appeal from inside the main prayer hall of a mosque in the presence of representatives of other religions. The pontiff's first stop after he arrived in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, on Sunday morning was a modern church where he said a Mass for the miniscule Catholic community. The oil and gas-rich nation bordering on Russia, Iran and Turkey, has only about 700 Catholics. Many are foreigners, including staff from embassies and domestic workers and some in the oil and gas industries. In fact, Sunday's Mass, which was said mostly in English, had more of the feeling of a worship service in a multi-ethnic, well-to-do American suburb than a liturgy on the Caspian sea. "You are a little flock that is so precious in God's eyes," he told the congregation in the homily of the Mass in the modern church, which opened in 2007 and was built on the site of one demolished under Soviet rule in 1931. "FAITH IN ADVERSITY" "Courage. Go ahead without fear", said Francis, who arrived in Baku from neighboring Georgia and returns to Rome on Sunday night. "Here the faith, after the years of persecution, has accomplished wonders. I wish to recall the many courageous Christians who trusted in the Lord and were faithful in the face of adversity," he said. Before attending the inter-religious service in the mosque, Francis addressed President Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father as president in 2003. In his own speech, Aliyev brought up Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region within Azerbaijan's borders, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians who reject Azerbaijan's rule. With support from Armenia they fought a war in the early 1990s to establish de-facto control over the territory. "Our territory remains under occupation," Aliyev told the pope. In a reference to the many people displaced by the fighting, Francis expressed his "heartfelt closeness to those who have had to leave their land." (Additional reporting by Margarita Andtidze in Tbilisi; Editing by Christian Lowe)
By Philip Pullella ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that homosexuals and transsexuals should be treated with respect but that teaching gender theory is unacceptable "indoctrination" of young people. "When a person (who is gay) arrives before Jesus, Jesus certainly will not say, 'Go away because you are homosexual,'" Francis said. The pope made his comments in the latest wide-ranging and freewheeling conversation with reporters aboard the plane returning from a foreign trip. The pope, who made headlines on his first trip in 2013 when he uttered his now-famous phrase "Who am I to judge?" about homosexuals, spoke in answer to a question about a comment he made in Georgia about various threats to marriage. He said that as a priest, bishop and even now pope, he had ministered to people with homosexual tendencies as well as some who were not able to remain chaste, as the Church asks them to be. "I accompanied them, I brought them closer to the Lord," he said. "Some were not able (to obey Church teachings), but I accompanied them and I never abandoned one of them. That is a fact. People must be accompanied just like Jesus accompanies them." During his trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan, he told priests and nuns that teaching gender theory in schools was part of a "global war" against marriage. Gender theory is broadly the concept that while people may be biologically male or female, they have the right to identify themselves as male, female, both or neither. "What I was talking about was the nastiness that is present today in indoctrinating people in gender theory," he said when asked to elaborate on his earlier comments in Georgia. "IDEOLOGICAL COLONIZATION" He said gender theory being taught in schools "is against natural things." "It is one thing for a person to have this tendency, this option, and even change sex," he said. "But it is another thing to teach it, gender theory, in schools along these lines in order to change mentality. I call this ideological colonization." The pope has used the phrase "ideological colonization" in the past to denounce what he says are attempts by rich countries to link development aid to the acceptance of social policies such as allowing gay marriage and contraception. Francis told the story of a Spanish person he met who told him of how much he had suffered because he felt like a boy in a girl's body. The person later had a sex change operation and married a woman. The person told Francis in a letter how much the couple suffered when a local priest shouted to them: "You will go to hell." Francis invited them to the Vatican to talk, and the couple were pleased that they were treated with dignity. "Life is life, and things should be taken as they come," the pope said. "Sin is sin, but tendencies or hormonal imbalances ... can cause many problems and we have to be careful. "But each case must be welcomed, accompanied, studied, discerned and integrated. This is what Jesus would do today." He then joked: "Please don't write that the pope will sanctify transsexuals. I can see the front pages of papers now. But no, it is a moral question. It is a human question, and it must be resolved as best as possible, always with the mercy of God, the truth ... always with an open heart." (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Baku (AFP) - Pope Francis has agreed to speed up the path to sainthood for French Catholic priest Jacques Hamel, murdered by two teenaged jihadists in July, Vatican sources said Sunday.

Normally the Vatican observes a five-year "cooling off" period after the death of a candidate for sainthood before launching the process for beatification, the first step on the way.

However the pontiff, who was in Azerbaijan on Sunday during a Caucasus tour, has agreed to make an exception in Hamel's case, according to the sources.

Speaking at the Vatican last month, Pope Francis called Hamel "a martyr", describing him as a "good, gentle man".

The jihadists slit the throat of the 85-year-old priest on July 26 while he was presiding over an early morning mass for a handful of parishioners in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen in northern France.

Hamel's attackers, Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Petitjean, both 19, were shot dead by police. The Islamic State group subsequently claimed they had murdered the priest on its behalf.

The church reopened on Sunday, more than two months after the murder, with emotional observances led by Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun.

While praising Hamel in his comments last month, the pope said: "How good it would be if all religious confessions declared that killing in the name of God was satanic."

Only two other candidates for Catholic sainthood have been put on the "fast track".

Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, was made a saint in 2014, while Albanian nun Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, was canonised last month.

As Hamel is considered a "martyr", his beatification and sainthood dossiers will not require proof of miracles, as in the case of the other two who needed one "accepted" miracle for each dossier.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that a well established mechanism through the DGMO has been activated to bring back Army jawan in Pakistan custody.

By PTI: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said a well established mechanism through the DGMO has been activated to bring back Army jawan Chandu Babulal Chavan, who is in Pakistan's custody after inadvertently crossing over.

"He had crossed over which happens in border areas. There is a well established mechanism through DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) which has been activated," he said.

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Also read: After surgical strikes, wounded Pakistan likely to respond with terror attack on high-profile targets



On September 30, Chavan from 37 RR had inadvertently crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control following which Pakistan had been informed by the DGMO on the hotline.

"Such inadvertent crossing by Army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms," the army had said.

AAlso read: 36 hours after surgical strikes, Indias stance turns defensive



On Friday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had called up the family of the solider and assured them that efforts are being made to secure his release. Chavan's grandmother had passed away after hearing the news of his crossing over to Pakistan.

Parrikar also said that people should remain alert and report anything unusual to the police.

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Baku (AFP) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for a "stable peace" as he visited mainly Muslim Azerbaijan, several months after pushing for an end to a festering territorial feud while in arch-foe Armenia.

The pontiff met in private with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev -- who is accused by rights groups of ruthlessly stamping out dissent in the energy-rich country -- before addressing a gathering of government officials.

The Pope -- on the last leg of a Caucasus tour that also took him to Georgia -- reiterated calls for peace to he made three months ago in neighbouring Armenia, with the two country's locked in a long-simmering conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh.

"There is no alternative to patiently and assiduously searching for shared solutions by means of committed and sustained negotiations," he said in a carefully worded statement that did not mention the disputed territory explicitly, expressing sympathy "to the many people who suffer the effects of bloody conflicts."

Calling for "a new phase for stable peace in the region", the pope invited all players "to grasp every opportunity to reach a satisfactory solution."

Officially part of Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenian separatists since 1994 when a war between the two countries ended in a ceasefire but no formal peace accord.

Since then there have been sporadic outbursts of violence and a sharp spike in April saw several days of major clashes leave 110 people dead before a fragile Russian-brokered truce halted the fighting.

The conflict and bitterness unleashed after the collapse of the Soviet Union saw ethnic cleansing in both Azerbaijan and Armenian-controlled territory but the Pope praised the "benefits of multiculturalism" for the country.

"May harmony and peaceful coexistence be evermore a source of vitality to the public and civil life of the country," Pope Francis said.

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- Poor rights record -

The Argentinian Pope's meeting with Aliyev came just days after the strongman won a referendum on constitutional changes seen as consolidating his family's grip on power in the majority Shiite Muslim country.

Aliyev, 54, has led the ex-Soviet country since his father Heydar, a former Communist-era boss, died after a decade in power in 2003.

He won a landslide election victory in 2013 despite OSCE observers pointing to significant problems with the vote.

Activists have raised concerns over Azerbaijan's poor rights record, accusing Aliyevs government of cracking down on activists and critical journalists.

Earlier on Sunday, the pontiff held a mass for the country's tiny Catholic community in the capital Baku

"You are a little flock precious in God's eyes," the Pope said in his homily to the country's few hundred Catholics.

"The entire Church, which has for you a special sympathy, looks at you and encourages you."

Azerbaijan's Catholic community only counts some 570 faithful, according to the Vatican, with seven priests serving in the Caspian Sea country's sole Catholic parish.

Francis arrived in Baku from neighbouring Georgia, one of the world's oldest Christian nations, which fought a brief war with Russia in 2008 over two breakaway regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The Moscow-backed territories are under what Georgia insists is a de facto Russian occupation.

Francis spoke of the need for refugees to return to their homes and called for respect for national sovereignty, but he seemed to dodge potential Russian ire by avoiding the word "occupation".

The pontiff has been on a drive to reach out to Orthodox communities around the world and received a warm welcome from Georgia's pro-Western leaders and the head of the country's Orthodox Church.

But a centuries-old doctrinal dispute saw Georgian Orthodox officials skip an open-air mass by Francis in Tbilisi and only several thousand worshippers -- mainly from the small Catholic community -- attended.
Praia (Cape Verde) (AFP) - Cape Verde's President Jorge Carlos Fonseca has hailed his "historic" re-election at the helm of one of Africa's most stable democracies, with nearly complete results Monday showing him sweeping almost three quarters of the vote.

Without a strong challenger for the top post, Fonseca took a whopping 74 percent, according to the latest provisional results, which cover more than 90 percent of ballots cast in Sunday's election.

Independent candidates Albertino Graca and Joaquim Monteiro took 22.6 and 3.4 percent each.

Winning with such a large margin, Fonseca, 66, will embark on his second term in office without going through a runoff.

Fonseca swept the vote on all nine of Cape Verde's inhabited islands as well as an important diaspora contingent.

This made the result "an historic victory," Fonseca wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday night.

"I always thought I could win this election but I know that in a democracy there are no advance victories.

"I will continue to be a president for everyone no matter who they are," he added.

Fonseca's win was by no means a surprise, after his liberal Movement for Democracy (MFD) enjoyed a string of landslide victories earlier this year.

Fonseca had called on supporters to "say yes to freedom, justice and Cape Verde" and re-elect him for another five-year term, urging voters not to give in to fatigue caused by other electoral contests.

But in the event, abstentions soared in the Atlantic archipelago, reaching 64.1 percent.

The MFD's victories in a March general election and municipal polls in September dealt serious blows to the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), which consequently decided not to field a presidential candidate.

Fonseca's two rivals were veteran political campaigner Monteiro, 76, a key player in the country's fight for independence from Portugal, and university rector Graca, 57.

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In 2011, Fonseca beat PAICV's Manuel Inocencio Sousawon in a runoff with 54 percent of the vote.

- Exemplary transparency -

African Union electoral observer Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo, head of a team of 29 deployed for the vote, told AFP the former Portuguese colony was "an example as regards transparent elections".

Some 314,000 island residents and 47,000 citizens living abroad were registered to vote.

Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in July 1975, after an 11-year liberation war, and adopted a multi-party system in 1990.

Most executive power in Cape Verde resides with the prime minister, appointed by the president in consultation with parties represented in parliament and taking into account election results.

The president and members of parliament are elected every five years by universal suffrage.

About half the population of Cape Verde works in agriculture, which provides only 10 percent of the country's food needs, while tourism and remittances from the diaspora are also vital for the economy.

A lack of natural resources and infrastructure mean Cape Verde's economy is fragile, and the country runs a large trade deficit.
Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Around 1,500 demonstrators rallied outside the governing Conservative Party's annual conference on Sunday, calling for an end to austerity.

In a rally which brought together a broad range of grievances, protesters chanted "Tories out", erected banners saying "End Austerity Now" and waved placards reading "Cut war not welfare", "Defy Tory rule", "Refugees welcome here" and "No to Islamophobia. No to war".

The protest took place about a 10-minute walk from the conference venue. Demonstrators included trade unionists and members of other organisations.

Protests outside the annual Conservative conference are a regular occurrence.

At last year's event in Manchester, a section of demonstrators heckled attendees, calling party members and staff "scum" as they entered the venue. Some journalists complained of being spat at, and one delegate was hit by an egg.

Andy Jones, a trade unionist from Yorkshire, northern England, said: "It's like a pilgrimage to demonstrate at Tory party conferences."

Prime Minister Theresa May, the Conservative leader, has ruled out calling an early general election before the next one is due in 2020.

May became prime minister and the leader of the majority party in parliament after David Cameron stepped down in July following the referendum vote to leave the EU.

"She's there unelected, let's see who the people want in power because she's not got a mandate for the things she's doing such as grammar schools," said Jones.

May wants to end the ban on opening new academically selective state-funded schools in areas that want them.

Waldemar Olivera, originally from Brazil, came up from London to protest on Sunday.

"The Tories' attempt to reinstate segregation in education, it's a setback that we should fight back against," he said.

"If you take into account the amount of hate crime after Brexit, it's clear that Brexit triggered it and made racists feel more comfortable," he added.
It's a cheese maker's take on David and Goliath.

Camembert, the village that gave its name to France's most famous -- and imitated -- cheese, has only one remaining traditional "fromagerie" still making the speciality.

And it's holding its own against big industry.

As they tend cows and ladle curdled raw milk into low, wooden cylindrical moulds, the Durand family and their employees don't look like militants in a Gallic culinary battle against globalisation.

But they are on the front line in this Normandy locality, population 200, on a picturesque hillside where Camembert was first created during the French Revolution.

Dairy producers "are really in dire straits," said Nicolas Durand, 43, owner of the Heronniere farm in the northwestern French region where Europe's biggest dairy group Lactalis has bought out numerous farms like his.

For a small operation, the "only way to survive is through direct distribution," he said.

Durand's family acquired the farm in 1961 and has produced Camembert since 1987.

Today his seven employees turn 90 percent of the milk from his 90 cows into 700 to 800 cheeses a day, up from 600 in the year 2000.

Durand sells the minuscule remainder of his output to Agrial, one of France's top agricultural cooperatives and food processors.

- French way of life -

Dairy production is a hot-button issue in France. Only last month, the agriculture ministry had to step in to mediate between Lactalis and farmers angry over what they say are unsustainably low milk prices.

Lactalis today is France's biggest maker of Camembert, mass-producing it for sale in supermarkets at home and abroad under labels like the ubiquitous "President" brand.

But ask anyone at a Heronniere farm how a "Durand" differs from a factory-produced Camembert and they will laugh, saying even the question is an "insult".

Real Normandy Camembert -- a soft-cheese staple on France's post-dinner cheese plates -- finally won the coveted AOP, or Protected Designation of Origin, only 33 years ago.

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The label ensures that a product's origin and fabrication is within a strict geographical area and adheres to traditional methods and craftsmanship.

Local pride is such that a stone monument in honour of Marie Harel -- who invented the creamy cheese in 1791 with, as legend has it, the help of a priest -- stands in Vimoutiers, the nearby village where she died.

Camembert itself has a museum recounting the history of its speciality, a symbol of the "French way of life".

Yet half the museum is rented by Lactalis, whose industrial Camemberts tend to be made with pasteurised -- not raw -- milk.

And since it is not necessarily from Normandy and is ripened quickly, it cannot bear the "AOP Camembert de Normandie" label.

- Bloomy white rind -

Durand notes that his cheese is not only AOP it is also "fermier", or entirely made on one farm -- a mark of distinction in a France struggling to defend "terroir", an almost untranslatable notion evoking the goodness of a particular patch of countryside.

"It's made with milk from our cows and not from a mixture of milk from different farms. That is important for the taste," Durand says.

"Durand's flavour stays with you" and it has a stronger, richer scent, said one cheese seller from the Normandy port of Caen.

While an industrial version costs a couple of euros in the supermarket, a Durand Camembert is costlier, fetching 4.40 euros (about $5) on the farm and 5.60 euros (about $7) at the Caen merchant's store.

But the scene at Durand's farm looks like just like the cheese making portrayed in the ageing black and white celluloid film at the museum.

The milk preparation is set in moulds to drain for half a day in rooms heated to 32 degrees Celsius (89 Fahrenheit).

Because modern sanitary standards require farmers to sterilise the cows' teats -- removing both good and bad bacteria -- lactic acids must be added to aid coagulation.

The forms are then taken to the "haloirs" or drying rooms, and kept at between 12 and 17 degrees Celsius. Salt is added as well as penicillin, which helps to form Camembert's characteristic bloomy white rind.

This part takes two weeks, after which the cheese is left again to mature properly.

While Durand's supply is necessarily limited, demand is strong and the farm is already attracting some 10,000 visitors a year.

He is working with partners to develop his marketing strategy and to ramp up tourist interest even more.

The cheese maker says he brings in around 2,000 euros ($2,250) a month, of which he must pay off 500 euros in loans until 2018.

He also needs to replace his brother and sister-in-law, who left the farm to open a cheese store at Granville on the Normandy coast last July.

Numerous candidates have shown interest, including some from as far away as China and Russia. But Durand says one thing he'll not be doing is selling up, to Lactalis or anyone else.
Welcome to Remote Controlled, a podcast from Variety about the world of TV and talent behind the screen.

In this weeks episode Variety executive TV editor Debra Birnbaum and editor at large Michael Schneider talk to Greg Berlanti, the mastermind behind TVs biggest comic book shows including Supergirl, Arrow and The Flash.

Berlanti talks candidly about the process of moving Supergirl to a new network and new city. During Season 1 the show aired on CBS and was filmed in Los Angeles. For Season 2 the show moved to the CW and filmed in Vancouver. He also revealed plans for a crossover episode between the Supergirl, Flash and Arrow universes.

For more, listen to the full episode of Remote Controlled below.

It is kind of over four nights, Berlanti said of the three-show crossover. [Supergirl is] in a whole other universe so they have to go retrieve her.

He added, Its also Supergirls winter finale because the show is premiering a week later. So a bulk of the story in that episode is still paying off things thats happening in the fall, and then she kisses into the larger story and shes very much an active part of the crossovers across the three shows.

The producer and writer also talked about the process of juggling so many shows at once.

Theres always at least one or two episodes across any of the shows  and a never really know what its going to be  that Im more intimately involved with, Berlanti said. It helps me stay connected to the show and, no, Im not that way on every episode of every show. I just couldnt be. But it also allows me a different sort of vantage point.

He admitted that, as someone who stops by to lend his perspective, his influence has the potential to be treacherous.

Its really easy in this job to be destructive, he said. I try and be helpful, and still help them interpret what it is they want to do.

A new episode of Remote Controlled will be available every Friday.

Story continues

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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) Actress Soha Ali Khan says there is a lot of excitement in their house to welcome the first child of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Kareena tied the knot with Sohas brother Saif in 2012 and the couple are expecting their first child in December.

"There is lot of excitement at home. I am very fond of them (Kareena-Saif) as a couple. They are obviously in love and touchwood they have a solid relationship. It is a great phase for them and she is glowing," Soha told PTI.

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Meanwhile, at an event Kareena expressed her displeasure over lot being said and written about her impending pregnancy, when asked about it, Soha feels there has to be a line which shouldnt be jumped.

"I think there used to be a line before but now its not. How can you ask someone whether it is a boy or a girl... People are asking me whether I want a boy or girl? What do I have in this? There are some questions that we dont ask our friends and family. There has to be a line," she said.

On the work front, the actress is looking forward to the release of "31st October", a film based on the aftermath of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhis assassination.

Also starring Vir Das, the film is set to release on October 7. PTI KKP ARS SHD

--- ENDS ---
Two years after his death, Robin Williams widow is still fighting for answers.

Since the actors suicide on Aug. 11, 2014, his wife, Susan Schneider Williams, has been working to understand and spread awareness of the brain disease Williams didnt know he had  Lewy Body Disease (LBD)  recently writing an essay on her husbands struggles for the medical journal Neurology.

WATCH: Robin Williams Wife Breaks Silence About Actors Suicide: We Did Everything We Could

In her piece, titled The Terrorist Inside My Husbands Brain, Susan describes her husbands final months, which she says were filled with paranoia, anxiety, stress and depression.

This is a personal story, sadly tragic and heartbreaking, but by sharing this information with you I know that you can help make a difference in the lives of others, she writes, addressing the journals readers of neurologists, doctors and scientists. As you may know, my husband Robin Williams had the little-known but deadly Lewy body disease (LBD). He died from suicide in 2014 at the end of an intense, confusing, and relatively swift persecution at the hand of this diseases symptoms and pathology.

Susan then details Williams final months, which were filled by a variety of symptoms that didnt seem to fit with any one disease. Constipation, urinary difficulty, heartburn, sleeplessness and insomnia, and a poor sense of smell  and lots of stress, she says of his symptoms in the fall of 2013. By wintertime, problems with paranoia, delusions and looping, insomnia, memory, and high cortisol levels  just to name a few  were settling in hard. Psychotherapy and other medical help was becoming a constant in trying to manage and solve these seemingly disparate conditions.

WATCH: Zelda Williams Talks Coping With Dad Robin Williams Death: I Wrote 12 Scripts, Didnt See Daylight for a While

The next spring, while filming Night at the Museum 3, she says Williams suffered from a panic attack, and had trouble remembering even one line for his scenes  something that had never happened in his career. This loss of memory and inability to control his anxiety was devastating to him, she adds.

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Williams was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease that May, and while she says that her heart swelled with hope, she knew Robin was not buying it.

When we were in the neurologists office learning exactly what this meant, Robin had a chance to ask some burning questions. He asked, 'Do I have Alzheimers? Dementia? Am I schizophrenic? The answers were the best we could have gotten: No, no, and no. There were no indications of these other diseases, she recalls. It is apparent to me now that he was most likely keeping the depth of his symptoms to himself.

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE: Zelda Williams Isnt Ready to Watch Dad Robins Movies Yet: It Would Be Self-Destructive

The couple continued to work through Williams wide variety of symptoms, going through neurocognitive testing, physical therapy, therapy, mediation, and even self-hypnosis to try to manage his disease.

During his final month, however, Susan says she could tell her husband was growing weary.

The parkinsonian mask was ever present and his voice was weakened. His left hand tremor was continuous now and he had a slow, shuffling gait. He hated that he could not find the words he wanted in conversations. He would thrash at night and still had terrible insomnia, she writes. At times, he would find himself stuck in a frozen stance, unable to move, and frustrated when he came out of it. He was beginning to have trouble with visual and spatial abilities in the way of judging distance and depth. His loss of basic reasoning just added to his growing confusion.

She then recounts a final perfect day with the actor in which she thought he might be getting better.

RELATED: Sarah Michelle Gellar Remembers Robin Williams on Anniversary of His Death: 'With All the Angels

We did all the things we love on Saturday day and into the evening, it was perfect  like one long date. By the end of Sunday, I was feeling that he was getting better, she writes. When we retired for sleep, in our customary way, my husband said to me, 'Goodnight, my love, and waited for my familiar reply: 'Goodnight, my love.

His words still echo through my heart today, she continues. Monday, August 11, Robin was gone.

She concludes her essay with a call to action to the doctors and scientists she addressed in the beginning of her piece, thanking them for what you have done, and what you are about to do.

Hopefully from this sharing of our experience you will be inspired to turn Robins suffering into something meaningful through your work and wisdom, she shares. It is my belief that when healing comes out of Robins experience, he will not have battled and died in vain.

WATCH: Robin Williams Widow Opens Up in First TV Interview Since the Comedians Death

Related Articles
Moscow (Russia) (AFP) - Russia's interior ministry on Sunday said it had opened a criminal probe after an intruder shot a security guard at a Moscow synagogue with an air pistol.

Police said a 40-year-old man was arrested Saturday evening after the incident at the central Moscow synagogue, which left the guard needing hospital treatment.

State-run TASS news agency cited a law enforcement source as saying that the man had tried to force his way into the synagogue with a can of petrol.

A spokeswoman for the interior ministry told TASS that a criminal case was opened into potential hooliganism.

"Investigations are being carried out to discover all the circumstances of the attack," spokeswoman Irina Volk said.

The incident came on the eve of the Jewish New Year holiday Rosh Hashanah and Russia's Jewish community urged worshippers not to be put off attending services on Sunday evening.

Russia has a long history of anti-Semitism and racism is widespread in society.
The question that had many onlookers shaking their heads prior to the afternoon four-ball session was why U.S. captain Davis Love III put Phil Mickelson in while leaving Brandt Snedeker on the bench.

To this point, Mickelson had been shaky at best, going 1-1 including a 4&2 loss Saturday morning. Snedeker, meanwhile, had been perfect, winning both his matches easily (5&4 Friday afternoon, 3&2 Saturday morning).

And what did Phil do?

Poured in five birdies to Kuchars four in a 2&1 victory that was absolutely huge for the American side.

While the U.S. held a 1-point lead heading into the afternoon session, it certainly felt like it were behind, having surrendered an early 4-0 lead and losing ground in each of the last two sessions. With Rory McIlroy draining everything this side of Steph Curry and Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth struggling to put anything away, the Mickelson/Kuchar pairing emerged as a must-win for the Americans as the afternoon wore on.

Give Love credit for the call (or maybe Mickelson who along with Tiger Woods has been making quite a few decisions for this team). And give Mickelson (and Kuchar) credit for answering the call.

The U.S. wound up winning three of the four afternoon matches (see below). Heading to Sundays singles play, the U.S. holds a 9-6 lead. To win the Cup for the first time in eight years, the American squad needs 14 points.

Patrick Reed roared to a victory, carrying teammate Jordan Spieth. (Getty Images)

Match recaps:

Rory McIlroy/Thomas Pieters (EUR) def. Brooks Koepka/Dustin Johnson (USA) 3&1

Match note: It was Rory vs. the World out on the course, as McIlroy was taking it right to the partisan U.S. crowd. He didnt care. He and Pieters were draining birdie after birdie. Koepka and Johnson were 9-under (in 17 holes) as a crew and LOST.

J.B. Holmes/Ryan Moore (USA) def. Danny Willett/Lee Westwood (EUR) 1 UP

Match note: Lee Westwood missed a short putt on 17 to hand the U.S. a 1-up leading heading to 18, then stuck his approach on 18 to within three feet and  missed the putt to gift the match to the Americans.

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Phil Mickelson/Matt Kuchar (USA) def. Martin Kaymer/Sergio Garcia (EUR) 2&1

Match note: The Phil Curtsy. The Kuch Shimmy. (Watch at top) Words never before spoken (or considered) until the Ryder Cup got ahold of these Fred Astaires.

Patrick Reed/Jordan Spieth (USA) def. Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson (EUR) 2&1

Match note: Patrick Reed played like an absolute beast, carrying the former No. 1 player in the world to victory. He carded six birdies, an eagle and won all six holes the American duo claimed.

Golf clap goes to  Rory McIlroy

What do you do when a crowd of thousands gives you the business by singing a song referencing your ex-fiancee? If youre Rory McIlroy, you give it right back.

Fans serenade Rory with the chorus from Sweet Caroline. He yells back: GOOD TIMES NEVER SEEMED SO GOOD!  Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) October 1, 2016

Caroline is an obvious reference to Caroline Wozniacki, to whom McIlroy was once engaged.

Drop the mic, Rory, drop the mic.

Concern for Spieth

It was a struggle for Jordan Spieth Saturday afternoon. And that has to concern the U.S. squad heading into Sundays singles, when there will be no hiding.

Spieth carded one birdie and didnt contribute a single winning hole in four-ball play. He hit rock bottom on the par-3 17th when he plunked his drive in the water, leaving Reed to win it on his own  which he did.

Coming into this Ryder Cup, Spieth had to be considered the cornerstone of the American squad. Not so much anymore.

Fore!

This is what happens when they let everyone and their father inside the ropes, which they do at the Ryder Cup. Seriously, the landing spot of Brooks Koepkas drive on No. 5 was the back of Thomas Pieters father.

Check it out:

Whats next?

Singles. Mano a mano.

All 12 players from each side will square off in 12 singles matches, which begin at 12:04 p.m. ET.

Match 1 (12:04 p.m.): Patrick Reed (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy (EUR)

Match 2 (12:15): Jordan Spieth vs. Henrick Stenson

Match 3 (12:26): J.B. Holmes vs. Thomas Pieters

Match 4 (12:37): Rickie Fowler vs. Justin Rose

Match 5 (12:48): Jimmy Walker vs. Rafa Cabrera Bello

Match 6 (12:59): Phil Mickelson vs. Sergio Garcia

Match 7 (1:10): Ryan Moore vs. Lee Westwood

Match 8 (1:21): Brandt Snedeker vs. Andy Sullivan

Match 9 (1:32): Dustin Johnson vs. Chris Wood

Match 10 (1:43): Brookes Koepka vs. Danny Willett

Match 11 (1:54): Matt Kuchar vs. Martin Kaymer

Match 12 (2:05): Zach Johnson vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's company has sold the luxury Four Seasons hotel in Toronto for $170 million, it said on Sunday.

Kingdom Holding Company said it sold the hotel for 225 million Canadian dollars (152 million euros) to Shahid Khan, the Pakistani-American businessman who founded auto parts maker Flex-N-Gate and owns English Premier League club Fulham.

KHC said it had made a profit of 17 million Canadian dollars from the sale of the hotel, which it bought four years ago for 200 million Canadian dollars.

"This transaction marks yet another success for KHC's value realisation strategy from our high-quality hospitality investments," said Prince Alwaleed.

"We are particularly pleased to be passing ownership of this property to Mr. Shahid Khan who is known for his passion for the Four Seasons brand," he said in a statement.

"Kingdom continues to be a stakeholder in this asset through our interest in the management company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts which will continue to operate the hotel."

Prince Alwaleed owns 95 percent of KHC, a vast global investor with shares in the Euro Disney theme park, Apple, News Corporation and the US banking giant, Citigroup.

The company also owns a string of luxury hotels including the George V in Paris.
GettyImages 485952205

Dana Blanton, vice president of public-opinion research at Fox News, had laid out clearly to network producers that unscientific online polls do not meet our editorial standards and should not be used on air.

Sean Hannity, evidently, did not get the memo.

Hannity, taking a page out of Donald Trumps playbook over the past week, has cited those unscientific online polls as supposed evidence the Republican nominee bested Hillary Clinton in Mondays presidential debate, leading the charge of some of the network's hosts who had helped Trump push his post-debate message.

That was problematic because those types of web surveys, as Blanton noted, are grossly inaccurate  "nonsense." But time and time again, Hannity blatantly ignored her memo. Hours after it was distributed, he referenced the unscientific online polls on his television program.

Then he did so again on Wednesday. And yet again on Thursday. (On Friday, he finally stopped after a Fox News scientific poll showed Trump lost the debate to Clinton by a large margin.)

The sequence has served as yet another sign that Hannity does not play by the same rules as his colleagues at Fox News.

The Fox News host has seemed to be immune to the networks editorial standards  or, as Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple suggested, 100% beyond the reach of Fox News management.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that in its next annual report, 21st Century Fox will report that the Hannity show at some point in the 2016 cycle was spun off as an independent company separate from Fox News, Wemple told Business Insider. He's running his own fiefdom, his own shop, his own news network.

GettyImages 128368270

It wasnt just that Hannity misled viewers with inaccurate information. He took it a step further on his programs, characterizing those who did not embrace the results of online polling as out-of-touch elitists who comprise the punditry class.

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Hannity devoted an entire monologue to raking journalists over the coals for reporting that most viewers thought Clinton handily won the debate, a fact supported by actual scientific polling and focus groups (including Fox News' own survey).

And while network personalities, such as Brit Hume and Charles Krauthammer, pushed back against Trump boasting about winning those unscientific polls, Hannity undermined their message on his program, citing the very same information his colleagues had said hours before not to trust.

"I know that people hate when I cite online polling," Hannity acknowledged on his Thursday program. "But when you see The Hill and you see Slate and Time.com, these are not mainstream conservative polling or websites. And when they vote after a debate so overwhelmingly for Trump, it's telling me something."

Asked about Hannitys refusal to fall in line with network editorial standards, a Fox News spokesperson stressed to Business Insider that Hannity is an opinion host and, thus, not bound by the same rules as journalists with the networks news operation. The Fox News spokesperson also said Blanton's memo was intended for journalists inside the news division, not Hannity.

But the spokesperson could not say exactly what editorial standards do govern Hannitys show. The network has never formally reprimanded the host. It once barred him from speaking at a Tea Party event in 2010. More recently, it restricted him from appearing in official Trump ads.

Jay Rosen, a journalism professor at New York University, told Business Insider that to understand why the network would permit Hannity to undermine its own reporting, his show should be thought of as an island inside the Fox News world, operating virtually independently from the network.

Think of it this way. Trump is more like a rival media organization than a story Fox is covering, the professor explained. He's infiltrated Fox and replaced part of it with the Trump Show.

Hannity's program is the best example of that. Management has permitted it because it's valuable to have the Trump Show running on your network, Rosen continued. So from that point of view it makes perfect sense that an editorial directive sent out by Fox doesn't apply to the programming that another media company  Trump  is responsible for.

A Fox News host who spoke with Business Insider on the condition of anonymity seemed to agree with the sentiment, characterizing Hannitys show as an extension of the Trump apparatus.

I imagine that he is wanting to be helpful to Donald Trump as an extension of the campaign, the host said when asked about Hannitys refusal to stop citing the unscientific polls, but if Hillary Clinton had won any of those online polls, he probably would not have touted them.

Sean Hannity

Hannity does have defenders both in and outside of the organization. Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster and Fox News contributor, told Business Insider the conservative host was responsible in the way he cited the polling data.

The vast majority of the time, he makes it very clear that they are not scientific, Schoen said. I think his point is to suggest they reflect enthusiasm and commitment of supporters.

Joe Concha, a media reporter at The Hill, agreed with Schoens analysis, speculating Hannity was using the data to make a larger point about the race.

He seems to be cautioning that the polls are not scientific, Concha told Business Insider. Hes citing them now more I think to show that there is more enthusiasm behind Trump.

Indeed, as Hannity faced criticism for his citation of unscientific online polling, he modified his use of the numbers. Instead of saying they indicated a big Trump win, as he initially did, Hannity mostly argued later in the week that it reflected enthusiasm.

But other pollsters cast doubt on whether such polls could even indicate enthusiasm.

They are not indicative of anything, Tom Jensen, the director of Public Policy Polling, told Business Insider, calling unscientific web surveys completely meaningless.

Hannity shouldnt be talking about them at all, he added. Its irresponsible to be talking about them.

Jensen said that influential voices like Hannity giving credence to unscientific polling has confused a large part of the population about what the real data shows and is having a real impact on peoples understanding of polling.

People are calling and emailing us saying its unfair we had this poll and they didnt get to vote. Its blurring the line between real polling and fake polling, Jensen said. Weve never had this happen until this election cycle.

Its not just pollsters like Jensen who are upset with Hannitys use of the data. In conversations with Fox News employees within the networks news operation, sources expressed frustration with Hannity's reporting.

"It doesn't seem fair to me that we have to follow these legitimate and fair standards regarding polling and Hannity gets to flagrantly ignore it, a source said. Then it also reflects poorly on the rest of us.

Another source added that it does reflect poorly on the network, but only a little because most know Hannity is a commentator and not a journalist.

Nevertheless, Hannity holds one of the loudest microphones at the network and, more broadly, on cable news.

According to Nielsen Media Research, Hannity was the No. 1 cable-news show for the month of September in the key 25-54 age demo, averaging 2.4 million total viewers.

When reached for comment by Business Insider for this story, the Fox News host declined. He only wrote: Working [on] latest hit piece! Woo!!

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information from a Fox News spokesperson.

NOW WATCH: Watch Alec Baldwin mock Trump's mic issues on 'Saturday Night Live'





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ROME (Reuters) - Italy's economy minister has called a meeting with some of the country's top bankers on Monday to discuss stalled efforts to sell four small banks that were rescued from bankruptcy last year, sources said.

Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco was expected to join the gathering, which comes just days after sources said the European Union had agreed to extend a Sept. 30 deadline for the sale of the troubled lenders.

Il Messaggero newspaper reported at the weekend that the European Central Bank had rejected a plan put forward by UBI Banca to buy three of the four banks -- Banca Marche, Banca Etruria and CariChieti.

It said the ECB was demanding that UBI should raise 600 million euros in fresh capital if it wanted to pursue the deal. UBI was only prepared to raise a maximum 400 million euros, the paper added in its unsourced article.

The ECB declined to comment on the story.

"The meeting is planned for (Monday) afternoon. There is only one item on the agenda; how to find a solution for the (four) banks," said a source, who declined to be named.

"Frankfurt (the ECB) is putting up ever more hurdles. We have to find a solution now because we can't carry on with this uncertainty," the source said.

Another source said the meeting would be held in the morning.

Two other sources looked to play down the encounter, saying it was a routine gathering of senior bankers, like others already held in Rome earlier this year, with no major announcements expected.

Besides Visco, the head of banking oversight in Italy, Carmelo Barbagallo, was also expected to attend the meeting, along with managers from Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI) and Unicredit (CRDI.MI). Senior executives from UBI (UBI.MI) would probably also be present, a source said.

(Reporting by Stefano Bernabei and Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
Even Simon Cowell isn't immune to a wardrobe malfunction.

No, it wasn't that one of his famous tight white T-shirts finally ripped. During Saturday night's episode of The X Factor UK, Cowell was seen sitting on a couch alongside Spice Girls Mel B and Emma Bunton, and eagle-eyed viewers were fairly convinced that he had left his pants unzipped, revealing his privates to the world.

WATCH: 'America's Got Talent' Winner Grace VanderWaal Does an Adorable Simon Cowell Impression

But don't worry -- it was just Cowell's laid-back position on the couch that caused his toe to be mistaken for, well, a different body part. Naturally, the gaffe quickly became immortalized on Twitter.

Has @SimonCowell had a wardrobe malfunction or is he enjoying these auditions a bit too much ? #XFactor pic.twitter.com/TBpgWq9Jll  Matthew Avery (@matthewjavery) October 1, 2016

Makes you reconsider the power of sitting cross-legged, no?

Sadly, the 55-year-old TV judge has yet to comment on the situation. That may be because he and wife Lauren Silverman were out having a lovely evening at the Shooting Star Chase Ball in London, England, while the episode aired.

EXCLUSIVE: Simon Cowell Weighs In on Zayn Malik's One Direction-Inspired TV Show

The British entrepreneur looked quite dapper in a navy suit at the event, while Silverman stunned in a gorgeous purple gown. Thankfully, no wardrobe malfunctions occurred for either one of them in real-life.

REX/Shutterstock

Cowell also judges America's Got Talent, and earlier this month, he compared Grace VanderWaal's win on the show to Kelly Clarkson's victory during the first season of American Idol. Hear more in the video below.

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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which is trying to reboot its India story, has said its maiden locally produced model Jeep Compass will be rolled out in the first half of the next year from its plant at Ranjangaon, Pune.

Till last week, FCA India, which last month introduced its maiden two models of Jeep (Wrangler & Grand Cherokee), was calling this new SUV with a code name of C-SUV.

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With Compass, which according to sources is likely to be priced below Rs 25 lakh, FCA is planning to take on the price-sensitive mid-market SUV segment.

It will be pitted against the BMW X1, Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Audi Q3.

"We have named our first to-be-India-made SUV as Jeep Compass which will be locally manufactured from mid-2017. The Compass will be our first localised Jeep product in India and will roll out of our Ranjangaon facility near Pune," Fiat Chrysler Automobiles India president and managing director Kevin Flynn told PTI.

Flynn refused to comment on the price of Compass but had said that it would be priced competitive.

The USD 280-million Ranjangaon plant has an annual capacity of 1,60,000 units, which at present is being used by Fiat, he added.

The company unveiled Compass in Brazil last week and will be showcased at the forthcoming Los Angeles Auto show as well for the North American market.

On August 30, FCA had launched two models of its legendary Jeep models -- Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Grand Cherokee -- in the country.

Due to the heavy customs duty, which varies from 130 to 180 per cent, the legendary Jeep Wrangler is priced at Rs 71.59 lakh, while the 6.4 litre Jeep Grand Cherokee in petrol version is priced at Rs 93.64 lakh and going up to Rs 1.12 crore, while its 3-litre, 8-speed diesel engine version comes at Rs 93.64 lakh.

Flynn termed the customer response to the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler as tremendous.

"Both models have given us a great head start here, as we anticipated," he said, adding in the run-up to the Compass launch, the company will "open 10 dealerships in nine cities by the end of 2016 and will have more dealerships in next year as our business moves into the new phase of growth".

These dealerships will be under the brand name of Jeep Destination Store, he said, adding first stores came up in Ahmedabad and Delhi last month, the company said, adding the next will come in Chennai and Mumbai early October.

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Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kochi and Bangalore will have outlets before the end of December. MORE PTI BEN RSY MKJ JM

--- ENDS ---
Good evening America. I am going to be so good tonight, I am going to be so calm, and so presidential that all of you watching are going to cream your jeans, Alec Baldwin said, making his debut as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.

SNLs moderator Lester Holt, aka Michael Che, introduced the GOP candidate as the man to blame for the bottom half of all his kids faces, after instructing the Hofstra University audience, No cheering, no clapping and, to the Trump supporters: no shirt, no shoes, no service.

Baldwins unveiling as Trump was much anticipated, as political reporters and TV-industry navel lint gazers wondered whether the actor, and the NBC late-night show, would be able to out-comedy Trumps jaw-dropping performance at Mondays debate, watched by 84 million viewers. SNL had put off its season debut so as to follow the first debate between Trump and Dem candidate Hillary Clinton.

The show rose to the occasion, though it was a challenge.

In SNLs version, after Clinton, aka Kate McKinnon, explained her opponents Trumped Up Trickle Down economics, Baldwins Trump got to respond:

Hey Jazz Man, Trump began, addressing Che/Holt. Ive got a very presidential answer for this: Our jobs are fleeing this country. Theyre going to Mexico. Theyre going to Jina. I will stop that. If Hillary knew how, she would have done it already. Period. End of story. I won the debate. Stayed calm, just like I promised, and it is over. Good night, Hofstra.

Informed, to his surprise, that there remained 88 minutes to debate, Baldwin/Trump was momentarily speechless, then announced:

My microphone is broken. She broke it, with Obama. She and Obama stole my microphone, took it to Kenyaand now its broken Testing, Jina, Jina, Yuuuuge, Jina.

Holt asked Clinton what she thinks of what Trump just said.

Story continues

I think Im going to be president. I mean this man is clearly unfit to be commander in chief.

Wrong, Trump muttered.

Hes a bully, she added.

Shut up.

He started the birther movement.

You did.

He says climate change is a hoax invented by China.

Its pronounced Jina.

As had Actual Trump at the debate days earlier, Baldwin/Trump announced somewhat crazily during the debate that Clinton has a temperament problem and his is the better temperament of the two candidates. Driving home the joke, Baldwin added, Shes always screaming, constantly lying. Her hair is crazy, her face is orange except around the eyes where its white. And when she stops talking her mouth looks like a tiny little butthole.

Asked if she cared to respond, Clinton happily declined and gave her two minutes to Trump, who said, The thing about the blacks is that theyre killing each other, as Holt shook his head and Clintons jaw dropped.

All the blacks live on one street in Chicago. Its called Hell Street. And theyre all killing each other, just like I am killing this debate, Baldwins Trump boasted.

McKinnon mimed reeling in a big fish, then asked Che: Can America vote right now? Which is exactly what Clinton supporters wondered the night of the Actual Debate  just one of several thought-bubble moments in the SNL cold open.

Baldwins best Trump moment came when SNLs Clinton brought up the former Miss Universe winner (as had Actual Clinton toward the end of the debate) calling her a strong beautiful political prop who Trump had called Miss Piggy when she put on weight. Baldwin complained, Why are we talking about this woman? We should be talking about the important issues, like Rosie ODonnell, and how shes a fat loser and everyone agrees with me. And I just wanted to bring that up in a presidential debate, right at the end, by my own own volition, good idea. I did it!

Che wondered why McKinnons Clinton was crying.

Im sorry. This is going so well, she wept. Its going exactly how Id always dreamed.

McKinnons best moment came during Clintons closing statement:

Listen America, I get it. You hate me. You hate my voice and you hate my face. Heres a tip: if you never want to see my face again, elect me president and I will lock myself in the Oval Office and not come out for four years. But if you dont elect me I will continue to run until the day I die.

But Baldwin got the last laugh, Trump-icizing: I was going to say something extremely rough to Hillary but said to myself, I just cant do it. But, if I had said it, it would have been a nuclear bomb. He then revealed he has hired investigators to look into who was the very heavy Monica with whom Clintons husband, former POTUS Bill Clinton had an affair in the 90s.

I dont have her last name yet but, when I get it, Im going to set my alarm for 3:20 AM and go sit on my golden toilet bowl and tweet about it until completion.

Credit Tina Fey with the idea of casting Baldwin, her former 30 Rock star, and frequent SNL host, in the role.

Baldwin is a former NBC primetime star, as well as a former MSNBC how host. Trump is a former NBC primetime star and regular fixture on Fox News Channel. Baldwin currently is a reality-TV star, as host of ABCs Match Game reboot; Trump formerly starred on NBCs The Apprentice/Celebrity Apprentice. Baldwin has, in the past, expressed interest in a political career and several years ago announced he had decided not to run for NYC mayor so as to continue starring in NBCs 30 Rock. Trump stole the show at NBCs upfront presentation in May of 2011 when he announced he had decided not to run for POTUS so as to continue starring on Celebrity Apprentice.

Baldwin took Trump duty from Darrell Hammond, a onetime SNL cast member who returned to the show in 14 as its announcer and last season played The Donald.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nQGBZQrtT0&w=605&h=340]

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Madrid (AFP) - The drama within Spain's opposition Socialist Party which saw the resignation of Pedro Sanchez as leader could now finally unblock months of political paralysis, analysts predict.

Sanchez quit Saturday after high-ranking party members staged a rebellion against him for his staunch refusal to back a government under Popular Party head Mariano Rajoy.

Conservative Rajoy, who took office in 2011, has despite corruption allegations surrounding his party clung on at the head of a minority administration after two inconclusive elections in less than a year.

Sanchez has been unyielding in his refusal to have his Socialists (PSOE) back Rajoy -- but that stance has divided his own party.

The dam broke Saturday after Sanchez, who had insisted that "no means no" in his rejection of Rajoy, lost a vote on the contentious issue at a tense gathering of more than 250 members of the party's federal hierarchy in Madrid.

He announced the resignation of the PSOE's federal executive committee as well as his own and promptly left the stage.

An interim executive will now take over and could direct party lawmakers to abstain in a parliamentary vote of confidence on Rajoy staying as prime minister, rather than vote against as they did last month under Sanchez's guidance.

The weekend contretemps has spilt blood on the Socialist carpet -- yet now they face metaphorically having to roll out another for the PP in an attempt to end a nine-month impasse.

El Pais gave the Socialist bust-up front page treatment Sunday, depicting an exasperated, finger-wagging woman in angry exchanges with one party heavyweight.

"Pedro Sanchez resigns and leaves behind a more divided and defeated PSOE," read the El Pais headline.

"Broken" and "devastated" were other choice media adjectives for the state of the party.

December and June elections left the PP as the largest party but without a majority as two newcomers to the political scene, the radical leftist Podemos and the liberal Ciudadanos, gnawed away chunks of the traditional parties' votes.

Story continues

- 'Years of hegemony' -

With the PP garnering 137 seats out of 350 they require the 85-strong PSOE contingent to abstain in order to form a viable administration.

If the deadlock persists beyond October 31 there will have to be yet another election in December.

Sanchez had hoped to bring together sufficient support for a leftist-led government rather than bow to another term of PP rule characterised by austerity-led fiscal policy following the economic crisis which broke in 2008.

Opponents of Sanchez took the line that the PSOE risked being seen as holding up matters and also losing votes to Podemos, who have emerged as a serious threat to the party.

Given the evident deep split in the party, political analyst Pablo Simon of Madrid's Carlos III University believes those risks reduce still further any chance PSOE might have of forming an alternative to the PP.

"There remain only two choices -- abstain or else fresh elections," said Simon.

"And after the bloodletting we have seen I think the PSOE knows that to present itself once more at the polls would be suicidal.

"Therefore, the hypothesis of abstention has hugely gained ground."

Abstention across the PSOE the parliamentary caucus, would leave Rajoy's PP in a very strong position, not least as a substantial proportion of PSOE voters would likely abstain.

"The year started without a government and will finish with the renaissance of Senor Rajoy," predicts Ignacio Escolar, director of leftist online daily eldiario.es.

The split in PSOE ranks "will mean years of hegemony by the Right," one source close to Sanchez told AFP ahead of the weekend's cataclysmic events for his party.

To avoid another election the Socialists face having to back a tough budget after Brussels ordered more belt-tightening to reduce a soaring public sector deficit.

In the meantime, Javier Fernandez Fernandez, who favours abstention, will be the PSOE's interim leader with a meeting of the federal committee expected within days to decide on its position regarding the PP.
* Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez resigned on Saturday

* Socialists have to decide to back PM Rajoy or force new election

* Third election will be called after end of October deadline

* Spain's political deadlock has lasted for over nine months

By Angus Berwick

MADRID, Oct 2 (Reuters) - An end to Spain's nine-month political deadlock is in sight after the Socialists' leader resigned but the party will have to patch over deep divisions and strike a deal before the end of October for the country to avoid a third election.

Pedro Sanchez quit on Saturday after a majority of party members voted to oust him at a chaotic assembly meeting in which a rift within Spain's main opposition party over how to resolve the country's impasse spilled over into anger and bitterness.

It marked the most dramatic turn in Spanish politics since a national election last December ended four decades of two-party rule and forced parties to negotiate over a government.

Sanchez had led a stand-off with acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative People's Party (PP), which won the most votes in December and in a repeat election in June but fell short of a majority in parliament.

With all other possible party combinations exhausted or lacking the numbers, Rajoy can only govern with the consent of the Socialist PSOE, which ruled Spain from 2004 to 2011 and holds 85 out of the 350 seats in parliament's lower house.

Frustration within the Socialists' ranks at Sanchez's intransigence prompted half its leadership to step down this week. A former Socialist leader accused Sanchez of lying about his intentions and the Spanish press hounded him to resign to "save the party".

But even without Sanchez, seen as the biggest stumbling block to a new government, the Socialists' interim management has just three weeks to decide whether to allow a conservative minority government under Rajoy or force Spain's third general election in a year.

"The Socialists have no risk-free political option," Vincenzo Scarpetta an analyst at the Open Europe think tank in London said.

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Scarpetta cited Greece's long-established centre-left party PASOK as an example of what could happen to Spain's Socialists. In 2012 it joined a conservative-led government only to be subsequently wiped out by the rise to power of the far-left Syriza party.

NO RISK-FREE OPTION

Facing another election could be just as disastrous when the party is in such disarray, say analysts, as it could hasten the Socialists' steady slip in the polls behind the PP which Sanchez presided over. He notched their worst-ever national election result in June.

Podemos, an anti-austerity party which emerged during Spain's deep recession and is now its third largest, has declared its intention to replace the Socialists as the country's main left-wing force. Its members have jumped on Sanchez's resignation as an opportunity to stake this claim.

"In the PSOE those who support handing the government to the PP have won," Podemos's leader Pablo Iglesias wrote on Twitter after Sanchez's resignation. "Facing a corrupt government, we will continue with and for the people."

An abstention could also put the party's temporary leadership, whose members lean into the anti-Sanchez camp and will be in place until a party conference can appoint a new leader, at odds with its grassroots.

Polls this week showed a majority of ordinary members favoured Sanchez remaining as leader and several hundred rallied outside the Socialist headquarters on Saturday night to decry what they called a party coup.

"This is a conspiracy led by the right-wing," said Jose Luis Rodriguez, a 74-year-old retired doctor.

Politicians from the PP and Spain's fourth-largest party, centrist Ciudadanos said on Sunday there could be no more delays in forming a government, although they stopped short of calling for the Socialists to abstain.

Although Spain's economic recovery has weathered the political impasse so far, there are signs that further uncertainty could slow growth, hamper investment, and leave it increasingly adrift from its international partners.

Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera said on Twitter that what was needed now was dialogue and chastised the Socialists for prioritising internal party politics over the country. Ciudadanos have backed both the PP and the Socialists in confidence votes over the past nine months, but in neither case was that enough to reach a majority.

"Spaniards do not have any more time and neither do they deserve more deadlock," Rivera said.

(Editing by Julien Toyer and Catherine Evans)
Stampede kills dozens in Ethiopia In this image from video, tear gas envelops protesters in background as people march during an annual festival in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Oct.2, 2016, where witnesses report that several dozen people died in a stampede during the religious celebration. According to eyewitness reports, several people at the annual festival in Bishoftu Sunday were crushed to death after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters chanting anti-government slogans as they pushed toward a stage where leaders were speaking. (AP Photo/Elias Meseret)

Dozens of people were crushed to death Sunday in a stampede after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an anti-government protest that grew out of a massive religious festival, witnesses said. A body count at hospitals showed at least 52 dead, an opposition party member said. I almost died in that place today, said one shaken protester who gave his name only as Elias. Mud-covered and shoeless, he said he had been dragged out of a deep ditch that many people fell into as they tried to flee. The first to fall in had suffocated, he said. Many people have managed to get out alive, but Im sure many more others were down there, he said. It is really shocking. The stampede occurred in one of the East African countrys most politically sensitive regions, Oromia, which has seen months of sometimes deadly demonstrations demanding wider freedoms. (AP) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.
By Alana Wise WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Stop reading the news and take up yoga. That's what some therapists in the United States are telling patients stressed out by a nasty presidential campaign in which two unpopular candidates are in a tight race for the most powerful office in the world. While some patients are unhappy with the idea of a Hillary Clinton presidency, most are worried about Donald Trump, a blunt-spoken, insult-spewing New York businessman who has never held public office, according to interviews with seven therapists across six states and the District of Columbia. The therapists said their patients have complained of difficulty sleeping, irritability and heart palpitations. They said they were advising clients to limit exposure to the news and take up breathing exercises and yoga to calm down. "Ive never seen this level of stress and anxiety over an impending election in my 26 years (of practicing)," said Nancy Molitor, a clinical psychologist from just outside Chicago. Molitor said she had two elderly patients who were worried that their grandchildren would inherit an America in turmoil. Another, a World War Two veteran, sees similarities between Trump and the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, Molitor added. Clinton has accused Trump of racism and sexism, and her campaign frequently calls him "unhinged" and unfit for the presidency, saying he has a volatile temperament that could endanger U.S. national security. Trump, in turn, has said Clinton is a corrupt life-long politician who should be jailed for her use of a private email server without official approval while she was secretary of state. Philip Muskin, professor of psychology at Columbia University Medical Center, said the anxiety among his patients reminded him of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks, and the crashing to Earth of America's first space station, Skylab, in 1979, which had people around the world worried they could be hit by falling space debris. "Things where, for everybody, the sense of control is gone," Muskin said. Adding to the anxiety is the fact that the two candidates in the Nov. 8 election are the most unpopular in modern U.S. history. Some 57.5 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Trump, and nearly 54 percent have an unfavorable view of Clinton, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. There is no data available to quantify the election-related anxiety, but the therapists' anecdotes give some insight into the state of the national psyche. Elaine Ducharme, a clinical psychologist from Glastonbury, Connecticut, said the election was also on the minds of all of her patients. "I can't think of a person I've talked to (who) does not feel anxious about this," she said. Therapists, themselves, aren't immune to these anxieties. "I can't say to my patients, 'Oh my God, it's making me a wreck,' but I can sit and empathize," Ducharme said. (http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/USA-ELECTION/010020L91F6/index.html) TURN OFF, TUNE OUT Lynn Bufka, executive director for practice research and policy at the American Psychological Association, said one patient was concerned that much of the criticism of Clinton was just because she was a woman, and this had affected how the patient viewed herself. "What does this mean for her as a woman? Have things really changed that much for her in terms of what she can do?" Bufka recalled the patient wondering. Trump has said Clinton, who would be America's first female president, lacks a "presidential look" and has called other female critics "fat," "pig," or "bimbo." Bufka said Latino and Muslim patients are also anxious about Trump's proposals to build a wall along the Mexican border and to temporarily suspend immigration by Muslims. Her advice: "Turn off the news feed. Stop reading everything if it just gets you more stressed." (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Ross Colvin)
Donald Trump surrogates took to the Sunday morning talk shows to insist that the businessman possibly not paying federal income taxes for almost 20 years would have been both brilliant and responsible.

Less than 24 hours after the New York Times reported on Trumps partial tax return from 1995, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani both defended the Republican presidential nominees use of the tax code. The document showed Trump had claimed losses of $916 million from his casinos in Atlantic City, New Yorks Plaza Hotel and an airline  losses that could offset future taxes owed, under Internal Revenue Service guidelines, according to the Times.

Theres no one whos shown more genius in their way to maneuver around the tax code, Christie said on Fox News Sunday, reports Politico.

On CNNs State of the Union, Giuliani agreed with him: The headline should have been, Donald Trump takes advantage of legal provisions in tax code.

In fact, both blamed any of Trumps interactions with the tax code on the tax code itself. Christie went as far as to suggest that Trumps behavior illuminates the mess that the tax code is right now, and Trumps experience with that mess means he is the person best positioned to clean it up.

And if the billionaire did avoid giving the country money in the form of federal tax income that Americans with taxable income generally have to pay, Giuliani added that he did so out of duty.

This is a perfectly legal application of the tax code, Giuliani told This Week on ABC. And he wouldve been fool not to take advantage of it. Not only that, he wouldve probably breached his fiduciary duty to his investors, to his business.

[Politico]
New Delhi (AFP) - Suspected militants fired on an army camp in Indian Kashmir late Sunday killing one trooper, police said, two weeks after a similar deadly attack that spiked tensions between arch rivals India and Pakistan.

An unknown number of militants tried to break through the camp's perimeter in Baramulla town but were repelled by soldiers and paramilitares in heavy exchanges of fire, an army official said.

"One BSF man has been killed and another injured," senior police superintendent of Baramulla, Imtiyaz Hussain Mir, told AFP, referring to the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF).

The incident that lasted more than two hours had been brought under control and firing had now stopped, the army's northern command and police said.

The attack comes after India last week launched "surgical strikes" on militant posts across the de-facto border that divides the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, prompting a furious response from Islamabad.

Indian and Pakistani troops regularly exchange fire across the disputed border known as the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, but sending ground troops over the line is rare.

Islamabad has dismissed the talk of surgical strikes across the heavily militarised LoC as an "illusion" and said two of its soldiers had been killed in small arms fire.

The strikes followed the deadly attack on one of India's army bases in Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants, triggering a public outcry and demands for military action.

The raid on September 18 on the Uri army base by militants hurling grenades left 19 Indian soldiers dead in the worst such attack in more than a decade.

Early on Monday morning, soldiers were searching for the militants outside the Baramulla camp, located some 50 kilometres (34 miles) from Srinagar, and it was unknown if any had been killed or captured.

The militants were hurling grenades during the attack, according to the Press Trust of India, although this could not be confirmed. Residents told local media of loud gunfire coming from the camp.

Story continues

"Terrorists opened fire on an army camp in Baramulla town," army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia earlier told AFP.

Since last month's attack at Uri, India has been on a diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain seven decades ago, two of them over Kashmir. Both claim the region in full.

A number of armed separatist groups in the Indian-controlled part of the picturesque territory have for decades been fighting to break free from New Delhi.

Even before the Uri attack, tensions were high in the heavily militarised Kashmir region, with weeks of deadly protests in response to the killing of a young, popular militant leader.

The Kashiri separatist was killed during a gun battle with security forces in July.

More than 80 civilians have been killed, mostly in clashes with forces during protests against Indian rule, in the worst violence in the region since 2010.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused India of committing human rights abuses in the Muslim-majority state.
Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - Syrian regime forces advanced Sunday in Aleppo after Russia unleashed dozens of air strikes, as the UN's top aid official decried the "living hell" suffered by residents in the city's rebel-held east.

The devastating five-year war in Syria has ravaged second city Aleppo, once the country's economic hub but now torn apart by fighting between government troops and rebel forces.

The army of President Bashar al-Assad announced a major push on September 22 to capture Aleppo's opposition-held east and has gained ground in the city with the help of ally Moscow.

Dozens of air strikes pounded multiple battlefronts in the city throughout Sunday but lessened as evening fell, AFP's correspondent said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel groups and regime forces exchanged artillery fire in several neighbourhoods across Aleppo.

The Britain-based monitor said Russian raids "helped regime forces to advance in the north of the city," where they reached the outskirts of the opposition-held Al-Heluk district.

One person was killed in bombardment there, the Observatory said.

If loyalist fighters seize Al-Heluk, Bustan al-Basha and Sakhur -- all rebel-controlled neighbourhoods in Aleppo's north -- they will confine opposition factions to a small section of the city's southeast.

Assad's Russian-backed military campaign in Aleppo has sparked international outrage, particularly after two barrel bombs hit the largest hospital in the city's east on Saturday.

United Nations aid chief Stephen O'Brien fiercely criticised the attack on the M10 hospital, and called on Sunday for immediate action to end the "living hell" of civilians in Aleppo's east.

"The health care system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated. Medical facilities are being hit one by one," O'Brien wrote.

- 'Stop the carnage' -

O'Brien said the latest indiscriminate bombings subjected residents to "a level of savagery that no human should have to endure.

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"The clock is ticking. Stop the carnage now," he added.

At the bombed hospital Saturday, an AFP journalist saw bloodstained beds and dented equipment lying in disarray beneath blown-out windows.

M10 had already been hit on Wednesday along with the second-largest hospital in the area, M2.

That bombardment badly damaged the two facilities and left only six fully functional hospitals in east Aleppo, according to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which supports the facility.

On Saturday, European Parliament president Martin Schulz called the hospital bombing a "war crime", tweeting that the international community "must unite to prevent (the) city's annihilation".

The World Health Organization has called Syria the world's most dangerous place for health workers, and Aleppo in particular has seen much of its medical infrastructure destroyed or heavily damaged.

Syria's armed forces on Sunday called on rebel fighters in east Aleppo to abandon their positions "and let civilians live their normal lives."

"The Russian and Syrian armies will secure safe passage and aid" to any opposition fighters that defect, said the statement, distributed on Syrian state news agency SANA.

Damascus has made similar offers in the past, but activists and rebels say they are afraid of being detained or tortured if they leave opposition-held zones.

- Rebels advance on IS -

Syria's conflict broke out in March 2011 with anti-government protests but has since turned into a complex civil war drawing in world powers.

North of Aleppo city, Turkey-backed rebel factions pressed an offensive Sunday against the Islamic State group, edging closer to the jihadist-held town of Dabiq, the Observatory said.

Dabiq, which according to a Sunni Muslim prophecy will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims, has become a rallying cry for IS.

In central Hama province, Russian strikes killed six members of the Jaish al-Izzah rebel group, which has received US backing, according to the Observatory.

And at least four civilians were killed, including two siblings, in government shelling of the opposition-held town of Douma near Damascus.

Diplomatic efforts to put an end to Syria's war, which has killed more than 300,000 people, have all but collapsed.

Russia and the United States brokered a ceasefire deal in early September, hoping it could open a path to peace -- but the truce fell apart a week later.

Relations between the two world powers have since been strained, but their top diplomats have continued to seek a way forward.

Russia said its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to his American counterpart John Kerry on Saturday and they "examined the situation in Syria, including the possibility of normalising the situation around Aleppo."

They spoke again later that evening, the foreign ministry in Moscow said on Sunday, without providing additional details.
The fire broke out at godown 23 near Benapole port police station around 5.30 am and the firefighters managed to douse the fire at about 12.35 pm.

The fire broke out at godown 23 near Benapole land port. (Photo courtesy: dhakatribune.com)

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: A huge fire engulfed a warehouse at the Benapole land port in Jessore district on the India-Bangladesh border today.

The fire broke out at godown 23 near Benapole port police station around 5.30 am. However, the firefighters managed to douse the fire at about 12.35 pm.

Benapole Port Director Nitai Chondro Sen confirmed told the media that no one was injured in the blaze.

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He said: "The fire originated from an electric short circuit. Eight units of firefighters are trying to douse the blaze."

The director said the loss caused by the fire could be Tk50 crore and two probe body were formed to investigate the incident.

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Teen Mom 2 star Chelsea Houska is officially married!

The 25-year-old reality star married fiance, Cole DeBoer, in a romantic ceremony in South Dakota on Saturday.

NEWS: Teen Mom 2 Star Chelsea Houska Announces Her Second Pregnancy, Updates Fans On Her Wedding

Mr & Mrs DeBoer, Houska adorably announced alongside a polaroid snap of herself, DeBoer, and her daughter Aubree.

Mr & Mrs DeBoer A photo posted by Chelsea Houska (@chelseahouska) on Oct 1, 2016 at 4:46pm PDT

One day before tying the knot, the then-bride-to-be shared a snapshot with her older sister, who flew in from Florida for the wedding. The post followed the bride-to-bes sweet message to DeBoer thanking him for buying her favorite flowers.

I dont know what I did to deserve this man, but I am thankful every single day, Houska wrote along side a pic of the floral arrangements. @coledeboer beyond proud to be able to call you my husband soon!

I dont know what I did to deserve this man, but I am thankful every single day. @coledeboer beyond proud to be able to call you my husband soon! My favorite flowers, sunflowers and proteas A photo posted by Chelsea Houska (@chelseahouska) on Sep 29, 2016 at 8:23am PDT

NEWS: 'Teen Mom 2 Star Chelsea Houska Shares Never-Before-Seen Photos From Her Engagement

The couple got engaged last November after dating for nearly a year. I am unbelievably excited, and it feels good to finally have my family that I have always wanted, Houska told MTV News after DeBoer popped the question.

Besides exchanging vows, the newlyweds are awaiting the arrival of a new edition to the family. Houska is currently five months pregnant, and shes been chronicling her journey on Instagram.

Last week, Houska shared a photo of her growing baby bump with the hashtag #20weeks.

Half-way there, she wrote alongside heart emojis. Baby kicks are my favoriteand I swear my belly is growing by the minute!

#20weeks! Half way there baby kicks are my favoriteand I swear my belly is growing by the minute! A photo posted by Chelsea Houska (@chelseahouska) on Sep 23, 2016 at 7:31pm PDT

The bundle of joy will be the second child for Houska, who has a 7-year-old daughter, Aubree, from a previous relationship.

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From the looks of it, Aubree and her new stepdad are already getting along. DoBoer shared several photos of Aubree on Instagram, including a precious pic from her birthday party last week.

Had a 'super fabulous time with this princess at her 'super party!!, he captioned a photo of himself and Aubree wearing superhero capes.

Had a super fabulous time with this princess at her super party!! @chelseahouska A photo posted by Cole DeBoer (@coledeboer) on Sep 17, 2016 at 3:04pm PDT

Missin my buddy!!! @chelseahouska A photo posted by Cole DeBoer (@coledeboer) on Aug 14, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT

Grateful for this little girl. I am honored I was able to make sure she had a blast!! #fatherdaughterdance @chelseahouska A photo posted by Cole DeBoer (@coledeboer) on Feb 12, 2016 at 7:57pm PST

MORE: 'Teen Mom 2 Star Chelsea Houska and Boyfriend Cole DeBoer Are Engaged!

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Hanoi (AFP) - Thousands of Vietnamese protesters surrounded a Taiwanese steel plant Sunday, some scaling walls and holding signs demanding its closure, as anger flares against the firm for dumping toxic waste into the ocean killing tonnes of fish.

Huge crowds on motorbike and foot gathered at the Formosa plant in central Ha Tinh province, with some holding signs saying: "Authorities, please close Formosa plant for the future of the nation" as others chanted angrily.

Dead fish and other marine life began washing ashore in central Vietnam in April, the country's worst ecological disaster in decades that devastated livelihoods in coastal towns where fishing is the main source of income.

Taiwan's Formosa, which is building a multi-billion dollar steel plant in the area, was blamed for the disaster and fined $500 million.

The government said it would start paying affected fishermen in October and confirmed last week that payouts would range from $130 to $1,600 per person depending on losses calculated between April and September.

Sunday's demonstrators demanded additional compensation.

"The protestors, who were directly hit by the Formosa scandal, asked for compensation and required the plant to close," witness Hoang Sy Son told AFP.

Photos and video on social media showed protesters, led by a Catholic priest, surrounding the steel plant in Ky Anh township and chanting bible passages.

"A lot of security people and vehicles were deployed here, but no clashes were seen," Son added, speaking from the rally.

AFP could not reach authorities for comment Sunday.

The rallies came days after fishermen in the area filed more than 500 lawsuits demanding additional compensation from the government over the disaster.

Demonstrators have held rare protests in several cities across the authoritarian country after the mass fish deaths, with police breaking up some rallies and jailing scores.

Protesters blamed officials for dragging their feet on investigations into the scandal.

Formosa is no stranger to controversy in Vietnam. In 2014, three people were killed when anti-China riots took place at the same Ha Tinh steel plant, where a scaffolding collapse also killed 14 last year.

The conglomerate has paid millions of dollars in fines over environmental mishaps elsewhere.
spacex elon musk mars colonization

You may have missed it, but this was the most head-warping week in Elon Musk's life, for anyone who has been following the man's adventures for the past decade.

Early last week, at the 67th International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, Musk outlined his master plan to start colonizing Mars in less then 10 years, using his private space company, SpaceX, to realize his ambition to make humanity an interplanetary species.

Later in the week, he had to send an email around to Tesla employees reminding them not to engage in discounting on vehicles sales.

Life on Mars versus ... come on down!!!

The contrast was vivid. I think I'm safe in saying that no other captain of American industry has ever grappled with something so visionary and captivating on the one hand and so drearily mundane on the other. Henry Ford wasn't trying to go to the Moon at the same time he was building the Model T.

Too much success

Musk has become a victim of his own success. There hasn't been a viable new American car company created since the 1930s, but in just over a decade, Musk has forged not just a new automaker, but also a carmaker that has pushed electric vehicles forward for the first time since they lost out to internal-combustion engines over 100 years ago.

And although a mission to Mars has been much discussed since the late 1960s and the moon landings, the assumption has always been that NASA would undertake it. With SpaceX, Musk is striving to remake that notion. (NASA may still do it, but NASA lacks a charismatic leader to stand up and articulate the way it's going to happen.)

spacex elon musk mars colonization

As Tesla progresses toward being a mass-market automaker  leaving its high-tech, luxury, niche existence behind  Musk will have to deal with more head-warping. Manufacturing and selling cars isn't very space-age; rather, it's plug-and-chug. Supply-chain management rules the day, and sales are largely transacted one at a time, between a buyer and dealer.

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Tesla wants to cut the dealer out of the picture, selling directly to the consumer, so Musk doesn't even have that buffer. He himself has to lay down the law if he detects any slippage in his full-price-only business model.

He's certainly price conscious when it comes to the cost of space travel  he wants to make going to Mars as cheap as buying a Tesla Model S. But the ambition required to even bring that calculation into the picture is an order of magnitude greater than what Musk has achieved with Tesla. Rocket science is, after all, rocket science.

A hard choice

I don't personally want Musk to stop running Tesla day-to-day so that he can focus all his energies on SpaceX. But I also realize that even if Musk moves the needle just a bit on "backing up the biosphere," as he likes to put it, in case that wayward asteroid heads our way, then that's where his attention should be. There's no shortage of talented leadership in the auto industry, and Tesla could probably use a more experienced hand to guide it into its next phase.

elon musk

I don't think Musk wants to "retire" as CEO of Tesla, either. Ultimately, he sees electric cars and a mission to Mars as linked; the former gets us off fossil fuels and the latter provides us with an escape hatch.

But priorities are in order, and as much as Musk, a creature of Silicon Valley, has learned the lesson of Steve Jobs and Apple  companies that sacrifice their visionaries in favor of stewards do so at their peril  he doesn't appear to fully understand just how daunting his objective has become.

Jobs wanted to sell more computers, music players, and phones, with cool design values. He never said anything about leaving orbit and heading for a red world 34 million miles away.

Musk has his issues and his critics, and he isn't always the finest business leader in all the land. But there's really never been anyone else like him in American business life  or really science and technology life, either. You have to go back to Thomas Edison at least to find anyone even close.

Tesla is an important company, but for several years now, I've had the sense that SpaceX is more important. Space has always been something that nations do. But Musk is changing that (even though NASA is still his biggest client). The Mars plan he laid out is astonishing. And he should now allow it to take up all his time.

NOW WATCH: Elon Musk on going to Mars  The probability of death is quite high'





More From Business Insider


Today in ridiculous: a kid who took a free milk will face charges in court

Today in ridiculous: a kid who took a free milk will face charges in court

The US is currently embroiled in a major conversation about police brutality and entrenched racism in the justice system. While the major cases of police shootings dominate the news, its also important to remember that injustice begins at a much smaller level. For instance, a young man who took a free milk will face charges in court even though he was enrolled in a free lunch program.

This is obscene. How can anyone justify criminal charges against a child over $0.65 of milk that he was entitled to? https://t.co/9fcdv29Kw6  Kath Halloran (@KathHalloran) October 1, 2016

Seriously? Free lunch kid at VA middle school faces criminal charges for "stealing" 65 cent milk from lunch line https://t.co/TkSJXXilNP  Dana Woldow (@nestwife) September 30, 2016

Ryan Turk, 14, took milk from the free lunch line at Virginias Graham Park Middle School in May. He was part of the federal free lunch program that allowed low income students to get a good meal. And we all know how hard it is to work on an empty stomach.

According to Ryan, he forgot to get the milk on his first trip on the line so he went back and picked it up, but a school resource officer decided this wasnt acceptable. Ryan was taken to the principals office, and unfortunately, the teen was then charged with disorderly conduct and petit larceny over the 65 cent drink (which again, should have been free for him to take.)

And now he has a court date in late November.

giphy (5)

Ryans lawyer, Emmet Robinson, told The Washington Post, that he believes the situation escalated due to entrenched racism, even though the principal and resource officer involved are also black.

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Its not the players, its not the people who discriminate; its the whole system, Robinson said. The system is set up now so that school resource officers get to determine the impact on a persons life.

Robinson also shared that he thinks its a major flaw in the system when minor school incidents are treated like arrest-worthy crimes.

No one needs to be punished for stealing a 65-cent carton of milkThis officer treats kids like theyre criminals, and guess what happens  theyre going to become criminals.

Lets hope justice prevails at Ryans trial and his future is not impacted by what certainly seemed to be a very minor incident blown way out of proportion.

The post Today in ridiculous: a kid who took a free milk will face charges in court appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Idlib (Syria) (AFP) - The frail cries of four-month-old Wahida made the rescue worker who carried her out of the rubble in Syria's Idlib break down in sobs. The full story is one of tragedy.

"I was in the shop when the airplane began carrying out air strikes," recalls 32-year-old father Yehya Maatouq almost matter-of-factly.

He was speaking to AFP on the destroyed rooftop of his home in the northwest city of Idlib, clearing away cement and debris from Thursday's fateful raid.

"Right after the strike, I ran home and found our whole neighbourhood had been turned upside-down. I went into our house and didn't find anyone there."

Suddenly, Maatouq heard his wife's muffled voice from beneath the ruins of their second-storey home.

"I looked everywhere until I lifted up a rock and I found her face underneath. I began to dig around her -- thank God, she was awake and talking to me."

Along with the White Helmets rescue force, Maatouq then frantically went in search of his two daughters, four-month-old Wahida and three-year-old Sinar.

"I began digging in the bedroom and I found my daughter (Wahida)'s hand. When I reached her, she just grabbed my finger."

As the White Helmets pulled back the large pieces of cement that had buried Wahida, her exhausted father lifted her tiny body out.

"They took her to the hospital and thank God she was alive," Maatouq says.

Footage of the rescue posted by the White Helmets showed a volunteer holding up the tiny baby, her bright yellow outfit caked in dust, as he marches out of her destroyed home.

The unidentified volunteer cradles Wahida in his arms as he sits through a rocky ambulance ride, weeping over her as she coughs and grasps at his collar.

"We've been working for two hours to get her out from under the rubble and thank God, it turns out she is alive," he says through his tears.

But back at Wahida's home, her father was left grieving over her older sister, Sinar, and his own mother -- both killed in the raid.

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"My second daughter, the wall had fallen on top of her. She was dead. I wish I had lost everything else but not lost her," he tells AFP, his voice breaking.

Maatouq, his wife, and Wahida moved in with relatives on the edge of Idlib while they try to repair their home.

Wahida has scratches and bruises across her forehead, but she sits calmly in her father's arms, her dark eyes looking up towards the sky.

Asked what he hopes for his future, Maatouq sighs.

"It's up to God. We can't even handle what we've been through already," he says.
61-year-old former pilot, Anand Kumar, opened fire at his wife and daughter on Saturday evening after a verbal argument and then killed self.

Anand Kumar committed suicide after he opened fire on his wife and daughter who escaped the shots.

By Mail Today Bureau: A former pilot tried to kill his wife and daughter before killing himself in Mayur Vihar area on Saturday evening. According to the police, the deceased has been identified as 61-year-old Anand Kumar. Initial investigation has suggested that Anand opened fire at his wife and daughter after a verbal argument. The Delhi Police have registered a case.

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Around 5.30 pm on Friday, the police received a call informing that one person tried to kill his family and later, killed himself. When the police officers reached his residence at the Mavilla apartments, they found that he was lying on the floor of his bedroom.

Pilot Anand Kumar

"Immediately he was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him as dead. We also came to know that Anand's wife and daughter ran away from their house to save themselves from Anand. He has fired four rounds, and a pistol has been recovered from the spot," a senior police official from East Delhi said.

Also read: Hyderabad man kills Congolese wife, burns body parts; all this while 5-year-old daughter waited in car

Anand's wife, identified as 57-yearold Raj Laxmi, and his daughter Abhilasha have not suffered any injuries as such, the police claimed.

According to the police, Anand came back from Germany just a few days ago. He had gone to meet his second daughter who was with her husband in Germany.

"Abhilasha and Raj Laxmi told us that a verbal altercation started over his recent trip. The family was not happy with his Germany trip," sources said

Also read: Indian man kills wife inside Dunkin Donuts restaurant in US

Deceased Anand had a kidney transplant last year due to which he had to leave his job as well, police said.

According to initial investigation, the family told the police that Anand was upset due to his disease. He left for Germany without informing other family members.

When his family members tried to find him, they got to know that he was in Germany.

"When he came back from Germany, his family asked for an explanation of leaving the country without informing them. But Anand refused to reply.

This triggered a verbal argument and suddenly he fired at his daughter and wife.

Fortunately, both of them escaped the shots. Then, he went inside his bedroom and shot himself," sources added.

When police questioned the neighbours, they said the family never had any serious verbal fight as such. Anand used to talk with the neighbours, sources said.

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His wife had once told her neighbour that Anand was depressed ever since his kidney transplant took place last year, police said. Police have sent the body for postmortem. According to the police, Anand was a pilot with a private airline and left the job in 2015.

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Dinosaur aficionados looking for a new thrill can check out the Moab Giants park in Utah, which celebrated its official grand opening in September.

The 60-acre park features a half-mile-long outdoor dinosaur trail, where visitors can check out more than 100 life-sized dinosaur renderings.

Inside, there are also two 3D theaters, a dinosaur tracks museum, as well as a virtual reality experience in the paleoaquarium.

Moab Giants https://t.co/DAtNGBAuEx pic.twitter.com/m5AunZXjsD

 Jacob Barlow (@JacobBarlow) June 10, 2016



This place was awesome! Life size Dino's! My kids were so obsessed! #MoabGiants #Dinosaurs pic.twitter.com/asOq6j1b7W

 line peni (@lpeni04) March 21, 2016

Utah's dry and sandy climate has allowed paleontologists to more easily uncover the traces of long-extinct animals.

And the park isn't far from four other dinosaur museums in the region, for those looking to spend a day immersed in the Jurassic period.

We're right in the middle of the dinosaur diamond, Martin Lockley, paleontologist and one of the founders of the museum, told Travel + Leisure.

The striking landscapes of the eastern Utah rock formations highlight the grandeur of the dinosaurs that once roamed the land.

Without a doubt dinosaurs are perennially popular, and there is this sort of mystique about the Wild West frontier, Lockley said.

Tickets from the museum are $12-22.
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump declared a loss of nearly $1 billion on his 1995 income tax return, allowing him to legally avoid paying taxes for almost two decades, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The revelations come after the outspoken Republican presidential candidate repeatedly refused to make his tax filings public, the first candidate to do so since Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

The billionaire's tax records show "the extraordinary tax benefits" that Trump derived "from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan," The Times said in its Sunday edition.

While Trump's taxable income in the following years is unknown, "a $916 million loss in 1995 would have been large enough to wipe out more than $50 million a year in taxable income over 18 years," the report said.

The Times said it received the three pages of the tax returns via mail from an anonymous source, with a return address on the envelope as Trump Tower in New York, the real estate tycoon's headquarters.

The newspaper said it verified the authenticity of the documents and had them reviewed by a tax expert.

- 'Bombshell' -

Trump has never held political office, so the core of his campaign relies on his alleged acumen as a successful businessman.

The Trump campaign issued a statement that said nothing about the veracity of the report, and did not address the $916 million loss.

"Mr Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the statement said.

"That being said, Mr Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes," it added, giving no specifics.

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The campaign attacked The Times as "an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests."

"BOMBSHELL," wrote Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon on Twitter. "Trump's returns show just how lousy a businessman he is AND how long he may have avoided paying any taxes."

Soon after the news broke late Saturday, Trump appeared agitated and veered off message repeatedly at a rally in Manheim, Pennsylvania.

Trump showed up more than 1.5 hours late to the event, then repeatedly rambled off on tangents, talking about his now-canceled reality TV show "The Apprentice," "crazy" Bernie Sanders, the "dopes at CNN," "phony pundits," and how Clinton "could actually be crazy," The Washington Post reported.

On Sunday Trump responded to The Times on Twitter, saying: "I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them."

He then claimed to have created "tens of thousands of jobs," while "Hillary has only created jobs at the FBI and DOJ!" (Department of Justice).

- Donations flow to Clinton -

Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said Saturday she raised a record $154 million in September for her White House bid, up from $143 million raised in August.

Campaign donations usually increase as the November 8 election approaches, and the money raised is actually divided between Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party.

In August, Trump raised $90 million but his campaign has not yet released a figure for September.

Individual Americans can donate up to $2,700 to a candidate in a general election. Larger donations are distributed among the network of state parties.

Clinton and her Democratic allies begin the month of October with a war chest of $150 million to blitz TV, radio and the internet with ads.

Clinton relies more than Trump on elite private fundraising events in which one ticket can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Barbara Bush -- one of Republican former president George W. Bush's two daughters -- was the surprise guest at a Clinton fundraiser for expats in Paris, CNN and Politico reported.

Barbara Bush even posed for a selfie group photo with Clinton confidant and top aide Huma Abedin and others, including a prominent fashion industry insider.

The Bush family has shown no love towards Trump, and Barbara's 92 year-old grandfather, ex-president George H. W. Bush, reportedly said that he is voting for Clinton.

Clinton has seen her fortunes rebound after her strong September 26 presidential debate performance.

The latest average posted by RealClear Politics shows Clinton ahead of Trump by three percentage points, 43.8 percent to 40.9 percent.

The former secretary of state is expanding her lead after Trump's popularity rose to within margin of error territory in many polls, and had crept ahead in some surveys.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had another early morning on Twitter Sunday, but rather than raging against a former beauty queen, this time, he was responding to a New York Times story that broke Saturday night, which disclosed that he declared a $916 million loss on his personal income tax return in 1995.

The story, based on three pages of tax returns the paper received from an anonymous source, pointed out that with a loss of that magnitude, Trump would have been able to use the federal tax codes provisions for net operating losses to offset taxes on the same amount of income over the span of 18 years.

That means that Trump could have paid no federal income tax over those years, at least until he racked up another $916 million in income. (Notably, the Times had no information as to whether or not Trump did or did not pay federal income taxes in the years following 1995.)

Related: Trump Is Going Down Hard As Educated White Women Reject Him

You might have thought that publicizing his loss of nearly $1 billion in a single year would be what stung the prickly billionaire the most, but youd have been wrong. It was a former accountants description of him suggesting that the billionaire lacked a sophisticated understanding of the tax code, and rarely showed any interest in the details behind various tax strategies that really got under his skin.

I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and I'm the only one who can fix them, Trump tweeted at 7:22 a.m.

Shortly thereafter, Trumps surrogates appeared on the Sunday talk shows armed with talking points testifying to Trumps knowledge of tax code arcana.

They also, apparently, had instructions to refer to the GOP nominee as a genius as many times as they possibly could.

Related: Both Trump and Clinton Would Drive the Federal Budget off a Cliff

The mans a genius, said former New York mayor and close Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani. He knows how to operate our tax code for the benefit of the people hes serving.

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What it shows is what an absolute mess the federal tax code is and thats why Donald Trump is the person best positioned to fix it, said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is running Trumps presidential transition team. Theres no one whos shown more genius in their way to maneuver around the tax code, as he rightfully used the laws to do that.

Christie also insisted that the loss of $916 million is actually a very, very good story for Donald Trump because it shows that he was able to make a comeback after a major reversal.

Related: Whether Its Trump or Clinton, the Next President Will Be One of the Most Secretive in Modern History

However, the storyline that Giuliani kept repeating -- that Trump had to take the $916 million loss so that his investors wouldnt sue him -- is inconsistent with actual tax law, according to one prominent expert.

Giuliani, in appearances on NBCs Meet the Press and CNNs State of the Union, insisted that Trumps hands were tied.

If he didnt take advantage of it, he would have been sued, Giuliani said on Meet the Press. And thats why, maybe, somebody doesnt want to put out their tax returns because somebody will distort it that way. The reality is, hes a genius. What he did was he took advantage of something that could save his enterprise and he did something we admire in America: he came back.

On CNN, he said, He has an obligation, as the head of a business, to take advantage of and to use the lawful deductions and tax advantages that are available to you. I advise my clients to do that, because if they dont do it they get sued by their co-investors, by their investors, lose jobs for their employees...The reality is, this is part of our tax code. The mans a genius. He knows how to operate our tax code for the benefit of the people hes serving."

Related: In Lawsuit, More Young Women Accuse Trump of Being a Sexist Pig

Setting aside the fact that its hard to see how taking action to avoid a lawsuit translates into genius level manipulation of the tax code, Giuliani appears to be wrong on the facts.

According to Leonard Burman, director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, the idea that investors in Trumps companies could sue him over a claim made (or not made) on his personal income tax return is wrong.

It's not true, Burman said by email Sunday. Investors have no stake in what Trump reports on his personal income tax return.

However, with Trump engaged in an increasingly fact-free campaign -- his surrogates seemingly feel no obligation to speak the truth, either.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns and the large tax deduction may have allowed him to avoid paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The Trump campaign, in a statement responding to the Times report, said that the tax document was obtained illegally and that the New York Times is operating as an extension of the presidential campaign of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The Times said it had obtained Trump's 1995 tax records and that they showed he received the large tax benefits from financial deals that went bad in the early 1990s. The newspaper said that tax experts it hired to analyze Trump's records said tax rules which are especially advantageous to wealthy filers would have let Trump use his $916 million loss to cancel out an equivalent amount of taxable income over an 18-year period. The Times said that although Trump's taxable income in subsequent years is as yet unknown, a $916 million loss in 1995 would have been large enough to wipe out more than $50 million a year in taxable income over 18 years. Trump has declined to release his tax records, unlike previous presidential nominees in modern history, saying his taxes are under a federal audit. Experts say he could still release them publicly if he wished. "Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the Trump campaign statement said. "That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions," it said. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish police on Sunday detained a brother of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who is accused of masterminding the failed July coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first time one of his siblings has been apprehended.

Kutbettin Gulen was detained by police acting on a tip-off at the home of a relative in the Gaziemir district of the western Izmir province, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

He is accused of "membership of an armed terror group", Anadolu said, without giving further details.

Kutbettin Gulen was being questioned by anti-terror police and Anadolu said books belonging to Fethullah Gulen himself were confiscated in the police raid.

Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, is accused by Turkey of orchestrating the July 15 coup plot.

Gulen denies the claims and his supporters ridicule the description of his group by the Turkish authorities as the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), saying he merely runs a peaceful organisation called Hizmet (Service).

According to previous Turkish media reports, Gulen has three living brothers, Mesih, Salih and Kutbettin, as well as two who are dead, Seyfullah and Hasbi. He also has two sisters, Nurhayat and Fazilet. Their current whereabouts are not known.

In July, the authorities arrested Gulen's nephew Muhammet Sait Gulen in the eastern city of Erzurum, long seen as one of the hubs for his supporters.

Another nephew, Ahmet Ramiz Gulen, was arrested in August in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.

But this is believed to be the first time a brother has been detained following the coup bid.

- 'Uproot the traitors' -

Some 32,000 people have been arrested since the attempted putsch over their alleged links to Gulen, in a relentless crackdown that has caused international concern.

Those arrested include top former generals accused of organising the coup but also people from every sector of life ranging from sweet pastry magnates to journalists to former footballers.

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Speaking to a meeting of youth activists in Ankara, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed the crackdown would continue until Gulen's influence was eradicated from every aspect of life in Turkey.

"Now it's time to clear them out of all the structures. We will uproot these traitors from anywhere, from within the state, business, politics," he said.

"No-one should play the victim here," he said, vowing however to "act not with a feeling of revenge but with justice".

Turkish officials have scoffed at any suggestion there could be second coup bid but Yildirim warned there "can be no complacency and we will be ready for anything day or night".

In a televised speech to supporters in the town of Kazan outside Ankara, Erdogan vowed to apprehend the remaining alleged coup plotters still at large.

"'We are coming to your lairs!' we said and we came to their lairs. Now they are fleeing, looking for a hole to hide in," he said.

"Wherever they go, we will chase them, We will... bring them to account."

Turkey has asked the US authorities to extradite Gulen to face justice back home and expressed impatience with the slowness of the procedure.

But Washington has insisted the full judicial process should be observed.

It is still not clear when the first trials will start but Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has said they will take place across the country, with special court facilities needing to be set up in some places.
Miami (AFP) - The mysterious explosion of a SpaceX rocket last month took an odd turn with a "cordial" encounter between staff of Elon Musk's firm and fierce rival United Launch Alliance, The Washington Post reported.

No one was hurt in the September 1 blast, which came as the unmanned Falcon 9 rocket was being fueled ahead of a standard, pre-launch test in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Musk is rushing to revolutionize the launch industry by making rocket components reusable.

And the accident -- the second of its kind since SpaceX was founded in 2002 -- came just over a year after a Falcon 9 rocket failed after liftoff on June 28, 2015, destroying a Dragon cargo capsule bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

Before that, SpaceX had logged 18 successful launches of the Falcon 9 -- including six of 12 planned supply missions to the ISS carried out as part of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

During their investigation SpaceX officials found something suspicious they wanted to check out, the Post said, quoting three industry officials with knowledge of the episode.

SpaceX had still images from video that seemed to show a shadow, then a white spot on the roof of a nearby building belonging to ULA, the Post said.

ULA is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

So a SpaceX employee visited ULA facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida and asked for access to the roof at one ULA building that had a close line of sight to the SpaceX launch.

The visit was cordial, not accusatory. The ULA people denied access, but notified the Air Force, which inspected the roof and found nothing connected to the blast, the Post said.
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider this week a closely watched insider trading case that could limit the ability of prosecutors to pursue such charges against hedge fund managers and other traders.

The eight justices, who open their 2016-17 term on Monday, will hear arguments on Wednesday in the case of an Illinois man, Bassam Salman, who prosecutors said made nearly $1.2 million trading on inside information about mergers involving clients of Citigroup Inc , where his brother-in-law worked.

It is the first time in two decades that the Supreme Court has taken up a case involving insider trading, a crime that the U.S. Congress has never defined and has left the courts and the Securities and Exchange Commission to shape.

Salman was convicted of conspiracy and securities fraud charges arising from insider trading and sentenced in 2014 to three years in prison.

At issue in Salman's appeal is whether the government in insider trading cases must prove that an alleged source of corporate secrets like the brother-in-law received a tangible benefit like cash in exchange for any tips.

Lawyers and prosecutors say that requiring such proof would make it harder for authorities to pursue insider trading cases, potentially preventing prosecutions in which corporate executives tip friends or relatives without any tangible quid pro quo.

"This will be a court decision that could have significant ramifications on if tipping cases can continue to be brought with the fervor they have been brought in the last decade," said David Miller, a defense lawyer at the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

The appeal follows ramped-up efforts by U.S. authorities to crack down on insider trading, with the SEC announcing charges against more than 550 people in the past six years.

A wave of insider trading cases brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors, meanwhile, resulted in Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam's conviction in 2011 and a $1.8 billion settlement and plea deal in 2013 with hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors LP.

Story continues

But in December 2014, a federal appeals court in New York dealt prosecutors a major blow by overturning the conviction of two hedge fund managers, Todd Newman and Anthony Chiasson, and narrowing authorities' ability to pursue such cases.

The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that to be convicted, a trader must know that the source received a benefit in exchange, and that such a benefit was "at least a potential gain of a pecuniary or similarly valuable nature."

DROPPING CHARGES

The ruling forced prosecutors under Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara to drop charges against 12 other defendants, out of 107 people charged under his watch since 2009.

While the Supreme Court in October 2015 declined to review the case, the justices in January agreed to review a similar one, Salman's case, in which a federal appeals court in California had issued a potentially conflicting ruling.

Salman argued that his trading was not illegal as no proof existed that his brother-in-law, in tipping a family member who in turn tipped Salman, received anything beneficial in exchange.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument, saying that requiring a tangible benefit in such a circumstance would allow insiders to tip their relatives so long as they got nothing in exchange.

Prosecutors are hoping the Supreme Court adopts the 9th Circuit's view and rejects the 2nd Circuit's narrow interpretation, which authorities said could result in some people avoiding charges and could affect investigations.

For example, hedge fund investor Leon Cooperman, who the SEC sued last month for insider trading, has said that federal prosecutors in New Jersey have informed him that they are holding off on pursuing criminal charges until the Supreme Court rules.

Many defense lawyers say that what Wall Street is looking for is a ruling clearly defining what conduct violates the law.

"I do think clarity is particularly important in this context, and right now there is a lack of clarity," said Stephen Ascher, a lawyer at Jenner & Block who backs a broad definition. "The Supreme Court has the opportunity now to clean that up."

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
For the second time, Portland, Oregon played host to a UFC event with Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson at the Moda Center in Oregon's largest city.

The fight card's main event saw bantamweight contenders John Lineker and John Dodson go to war in front of 6,240 spectators generating $501,085 in gate receipts.

Lineker earned a split decision win over Dodson in a razor-close fight. Dodson landed at a high percentage, but Lineker had a higher output. In a fight that could have gone either way, Lineker got the nod and called for a title shot against champon Dominick Cruz.

RELATED > UFC Portland: Lineker vs. Dodson Live Results and Fight Stats

Charles Oliveira ended former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Will Brooks nine-fight win streak in the fight card's co-main event. Oliveira missed weight by 5.5 pounds on Friday. He used his size inside the clinch and to smother Brooks on the ground. Brooks suffered a rib injury during the fight and was overpowered. Oliveira finished Brooks with a series of punches on the ground. The two nearly had a post-fight altercation after Oliveira taunted Brooks. Brooks threw his mouthpiece at the Brazilian, but cooler heads prevailed.

Those in attendance also witnessed one of the bigger upsets in recent years when The Ultimate Fighter 24's Brandon Moreno submitted No. 9-ranked flyweight Louis Smolka to kick off the event's main card. Moreno accepted the fight on nine-days notice when Smolka's original opponent Sergio Pettis was forced out of the bout due to injury.

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BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Air strikes against hospitals in Syria are war crimes that make the resumption of peace talks in the country's civil war impossible, Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday, criticizing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia. "It is the continuing savagery of the Assad regime against the people of Aleppo and the complicity of the Russians in committing what are patently war crimes - bombing hospitals, when they know they are hospitals and nothing but hospitals that is making it impossible for peace negotiations to resume," he told the Conservative Party's annual conference. The Syrian military, supported by Iranian-backed militias and Russian air power, began a push to take the whole of the divided city of Aleppo after a ceasefire collapsed last month. The assault has nearly destroyed eastern Aleppo's healthcare system, the U.N said. (Reporting by William James, editing by Elizabeth Piper)
The security forces apprehended four pirates while four others escaped after a shootout.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Security forces in Somalia have freed an Indian ship hours after reports that it had been hijacked, officials said on Tuesday.

The security forces apprehended four pirates while four others escaped after a shootout, a local official said.

The ship, which had sailed from India, was carrying sugar and was headed for the port of Berbera in northwest Somalia, Liban Mohamed Yusuf, a local businessman, who owns much of the goods on board the ship, told reporters.

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No one was reported to be injured in the operation to free the hijacked ship.

The operation was the second of its kind in a week. Last week, security forces succeeded in freeing another ship, carrying merchandise for local businessmen.

Earlier on Tuesday, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program said the cargo-laden vessel was sailing from Asia to Somalia amid fears that it was hijacked by armed gunmen over the weekend.

The waters off the war-torn Horn of Africa nation are considered to be some of the world's most dangerous as pirates have hijacked nearly 30 ships this year and attacked many more.

Most attacks have been in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and north Somalia, a major shipping route leading to the Suez canal linking Europe and Asia.

--- ENDS ---
By Tanisha Heiberg JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The United Nations on Sunday called for the shutdown of all legal domestic ivory markets as it looks to combat poaching and put pressure on countries that continue to trade in elephant tusks. Member states of the U.N.'s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, known as CITES, agreed on a resolution that calls for legislative, regulatory and enforcement measures to be taken to close legal domestic ivory markets around the world. "Today saw a historic moment toward tackling the illegal ivory trade that is killing 20,000 to 30,000 African elephants each year," said WWF-UK chief advisor on species, Heather Sohl. Legal ivory markets, such as those in China and Japan, are often accused of fuelling elephant poaching because illegal ivory is sometimes sold through them. "When there are legal markets for ivory it creates an opportunity for laundering of ivory into the country," said Wildlife Conservation Society vice president of international policy and head of delegation, Sue Lieberman. Elephant numbers have continued to decline as poaching surges, with Africa's elephant population falling around 20 percent between 2006 and 2015, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said in a report. "There's a crisis right now - ivory poaching and trafficking are really out of control and something has to be done to crackdown on trafficking," Lieberman said. Despite applause during the announcement of the resolution, some have criticized the decision, saying that prohibiting the sale of legal ivory will not curb the illegal trade. "In the history of mankind there is not one record of any prohibition action being a success. Most certainly any attempt to impose prohibition on the sale of ivory and rhino horn will fail," said Ron Thomson of non-profit organization the True Green Alliance. The CITES resolution is not legally binding but can merely put pressure on countries to close their ivory trade because the convention only regulates international trade and not domestic trade. "It becomes an issue of political will and puts pressure on countries to take action on the domestic ivory market. It is significant that they have made this statement," said Lieberman. (Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
Washington (AFP) - Live from New York, it's ... Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump sniffing and spouting off words like "yuuge" and "Ji-na" in a parody of the US presidential candidate's debate.

Baldwin delivered in his new role as Trump as the popular "Saturday Night Live" comedy show began its new season.

Sporting wavy blonde hair, an orange spray-tan and a lip-puckering scowl, Baldwin skewered the Republican presidential candidate's debate performance at Monday at Hofstra University.

"Our jobs are fleeing this country. They're going to Mexico, they're going to Ji-na. I'd stop that. If Hillary knew how she would have done it already, end of story. I won the debate, I stayed calm just like I promised, and it is over. Good night, Hofstra," Baldwin's Trump said, as he attempts to leave.

Clinton -- portrayed by SNL regular Kate McKinnon -- walked onstage aided by a cane, a tweak at her recent bout with pneumonia.

McKinnon's Clinton said that Trump's tax plan is "not just trickle-down economics, it's -- I don't know, I guess if I had to call it something off the top of the old dome, with no prep whatsoever, I don't know, I guess I'd call it Trumped-up, trickle-down economics."

Clinton, who spent days preparing for the debate, has a reputation of being a stiff and scripted politician.

After claiming to have "the best judgment. And the best temperament," Baldwin's Trump blamed Clinton and President Barack Obama for tampering with his microphone.

The reaction? "I think I'm going to be president," McKinnon smiled.

Also mocked: Trump's repeated interruptions, his claim that climate change is a Chinese hoax and Clinton's use of 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado as "a strong, beautiful, political prop."

Machado claims that Trump -- who at the time owned the beauty pageant -- mocked her as "Miss Piggy" when she gained weight, and called her "Miss Housekeeper" because of her Latina heritage.

SNL has a history of mocking politicians going back to Gerald Ford in the 1970s, portrayed by Chevy Chase as a clumsy bumbler after the president once tripped and fell down an airplane staircase.

A notable recent impersonation was Tina Fey, who was merciless as she portrayed Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in 2008 as clueless and unprepared.
HANOI (Reuters) - Thousands of Vietnamese protested on Sunday at a steel plant run by a unit of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics to demand the unit leave the country and compensate more people after one of the country's biggest environmental disasters, witnesses said.

Protesters in Ha Tinh province vented their anger at Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, which has offered $500 million in damages and admitted that its $10.6 billion steel plant was responsible for massive fish deaths along a 200-km (124-mile) stretch of coastline in April.

The protest started early Sunday and finished around noon, with police in helmets and shields deployed to guard the compound. The police left as the number of protesters, estimated at about 10,000 people, outnumbered them, protestor Tran Viet Hoa said by phone.

Images posted by demonstrators on social media matched the description. There were no injuries or arrests reported.

Some demonstrators climbed a front gate reinforced from inside by fire trucks and other vehicles, but they were not able to get in, Hoa said. Others entered from a back gate and smashed some windows and cameras.

Formosa in Taiwan could not be reached for comment and an official responsible for external relations at its Ha Tinh unit said he was not aware of the situation and would respond later.

Police and the provincial authority, the Ha Tinh's People Committee, could not be reached for comments.

The Vietnamese government has offered favourable conditions to attract foreign investment, with companies such as Samsung Electronics and Intel key drivers of the economy and sources of jobs.

Formosa is one of its biggest investors and protests against the firm took place in Vietnam's biggest cities over several weekends since April. In some cases, police used excessive force to thwart them, rights groups say.

Another witness said people were angry because they encountered resistance from police while trying to peacefully assemble.

"People were irritated because they just want to meet Formosa directly and negotiate," said the witness, who declined to be named.

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Demonstrators were demanding Formosa close the steel plant and give more compensation and do a better environmental cleanup. They wanted the government to stop an alternative plan of discharging the waste into a local river instead of into the sea for better monitoring, the witness said.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry in a statement said its representatives in Vietnam had contacted the steel plant, which police had shut down temporarily.

"The representative office has asked Vietnamese authorities to send more police to protect the plant, its employees, and the lives and property of all Taiwanese businessmen in Ha Tinh province," it said.

(Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom and Faith Hung in TAIPEI; Editing by Martin Petty and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The Latest on Vin Scully's final broadcast for the Los Angeles Dodgers (all times local):

3:25 p.m.

Vin Scully has signed off for the last time, ending 67 years behind the mic for the Dodgers.

After pinch-hitter Rob Segedin flied out to left field to end a 7-1 loss to the Giants in San Francisco, Scully spotted the umpires bidding him farewell from the field.

Scully closed his broadcast by telling viewers, ''I have said enough for a lifetime and for the last time I wish you a very pleasant good afternoon.''

His work wasn't done just yet.

Scully narrated a video of his own career highlights before he returned to the screen with a message that was taped before the game.

He told viewers he'd ''miss our time together more than I can say.''

Then he closed again, reciting a familiar and favorite line among Dodgers fans: ''This is Vin Scully wishing you a very pleasant good afternoon wherever you may be.''

---

2:35 p.m.

Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow used the seventh-inning stretch to salute Vin Scully. He thanked Scully for ''67 incredible years that you've given baseball'' and for ending his career in San Francisco.

Krukow urged fans to sing along as he led ''Take Me Out to the Ball Game.''

Scully got on his feet in the booth next door and sang along. He laughingly shouted Dodgers instead of Giants during the portion of the song that says ''root, root, root for the (home team).''

---

Vin Scully is telling viewers his love affair with baseball began on Oct. 2, 1936, when he passed a Chinese laundry in New York and saw the linescore from Game 2 of the World Series that day. It read: Yankees 18, Giants 4.

When Scully saw the regular season schedule ended on Oct. 2, 80 years to the day he fell in love with the game, he knew he had to call his final game in San Francisco.

''It was as if it was ordained that I do that,'' he told viewers. ''I hope you're enjoying it and I hope I'm not interrupting it too much.''

Story continues

---

2 p.m.

Vin Scully is sharing the booth with members of his extended family.

He says having them around is quite a way to celebrate the last game of his 67-year career. Scully and wife Sandi have five children, 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

With the camera on him, Scully turned to his brood and told them it was time for him to go back to work.

''I love you, see you later,'' he said.

---

1:45 p.m.

Vin Scully was slightly late coming back on the air for the fourth inning of the Dodgers-Giants game.

Returning from commercial, viewers got to see Scully, with his arm around Willie Mays, reading aloud the words on a plaque honoring him outside the visiting booth at AT&T Park.

Scully says Mays is his favorite player. However, as a boy growing up in New York he idolized Mel Ott.

With Scully looking into the camera, he said the Giants gave him a ticket stub to the game in which Ott hit his 500th career home run.

He held up a blue cap worn by the Giants in the 1930s, noting they once wore the Dodgers' color.

In the middle of the fourth, Giants fans held up giveaway cards reading ''THANK YOU VIN'' and turned them toward Scully's booth as Frank Sinatra sang ''My Way.''

The Giants inserted 'TNX VIN' on the scoreboard.

Scully says he can root for the Giants now when they're in New York playing the Mets.

He scolded himself, saying, ''Now stop jabbering Scully and get back to the ballgame.''

---

1:15 p.m.

The Giants are turning the call of the third inning on their broadcast against the Dodgers over to Vin Scully.

Scully says the Dodgers' biggest rivals are ''allowing me a chance to get my feet wet.''

He says he wants to use the opportunity to salute San Francisco broadcasters Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, describing them as ''marvelous and close pals of mine.''

Scully says he always makes time to visit with them while in town and ''as my mother used to say, chew the fat.''

Scully confided to viewers that they are ''terrific guys, but don't tell them I said so.''

---

12:35 p.m.

Vin Scully is giving viewers some tidbits on the origin of the Giants-Dodgers rivalry.

He says it started in 1933 when the Giants won the World Series and the Brooklyn Dodgers finished 26 + games back.

The following year at spring training, Giants manager Bill Terry was asked about the Dodgers.

Terry says he hadn't heard anything from them and he wondered if they were still in the league.

Scully says the Dodgers were furious at Terry and the Giants, adding, ''The borough of churches was anything but.''

---

12:10 p.m.

Vin Scully has opened his final broadcast with the words: ''Hi everybody, and a very pleasant Sunday afternoon to you wherever you may be.''

In his initial comments to viewers, Scully made no mention of his impending retirement. He mentioned the Giants in the NL wild-card race and their starting pitcher Matt Moore, comparing him to ''the girl with the curl.''

As he says, ''When she was good she was very, very good and when she was bad she was horrid.''

Scully used the story as a way into explaining Moore's extreme performances, but quickly added that it was no slam on Moore.

The umpiring crew turned to face Scully's booth and saluted him before first pitch.

The Giants have been showing highlights of some of Scully's famous calls over his 67-year career.

---

11:35 a.m.

Vin Scully has attended Mass at AT&T Park in San Francisco before calling his final game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and their biggest rival, the Giants.

Scully has been riding in and out of the ballpark on Willie Mays' golf cart. He had some time to reminisce with the ''Say Hey Kid'' on Saturday.

Fans received a poster with a photo of Scully in an orange sport coat. On the back, it reads ''THANK YOU VIN.''

The Giants are naming the visiting broadcast booth in Scully's honor.

---

11:20 a.m.

After more than 9,000 games, 21 no-hitters and three perfect games, Vin Scully is preparing to call the final game of his 67-year career for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Giants in San Francisco on Sunday.

The 88-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster has reduced his travel in recent years, but he made an exception to call the team's last three games of the regular season in the Bay Area. The NL West champion Dodgers are headed to the postseason, but Scully won't be working those games.

Scully's call will be simulcast in its entirety on two Los Angeles TV stations and one radio station. The Giants plan to air his description of the third inning on their broadcast.

Last weekend, Scully was farewell-feted by Dodgers fans in Los Angeles, where he closed out his final home game with him singing a pre-recorded version of ''Wind Beneath My Wings.''
Vivica A. Fox is set to make cinematic history.

With her starring role in the forthcoming film, Crossbreed, the 52-year-old actress will become the first black woman to play POTUS on the silver screen.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the films plot involves a collective of retired military officials sent on a mission to retrieve an extraterrestrial being from an illegal Medical Facility using its DNA to manufacture weapons.

Director Brandon Slagle explained why Fox is perfect for the job. When my producers brought up the idea of Vivica in the role, he recalled. It was a lightning bolt. It was a fantastic idea. Someone who could light up a room but also has a commanding presence. Our President is positive and proactive, not the grim figure as is usually portrayed in these types of movies.

Fox shared her excitement on Instagram Thursday (Sept. 29). Im so excited n HONORED to share with you all the news that I will be playing THE President Of The United States in the upcoming film#CrossBreed, she wrote. Its the first time in a FILM an African American female has been selected to play POTUS!

Read her full post below.
The Hague (AFP) - As Aleppo reels from air strikes, UN chief Ban Ki-moon has warned the use of bunker bombs and other advanced munitions against Syria civilians may constitute a war crime.

Here are five facts about war crimes, and the long, arduous legal process to bring perpetrators to justice.

- Definition of a war crime -

Violations of the Geneva Conventions adopted in 1949 following World War II are commonly called "war crimes".

In broad terms, the conventions cover protection of civilians, treatment of prisoners and care for the wounded.

They form the basis of the 1998 Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the world's only permanent court for prosecuting war crimes -- the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Article 8 of the Rome Statute sets out more than 50 examples which could be considered a war crime.

They include wilful killing, torture, taking of hostages, unlawful deportations, intentionally directing attacks against civilians not taking part in hostilities, and deliberately attacking aid and peacekeeping missions.

Using poisonous gases, internationally-banned weapons which cause "superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering or which are inherently indiscriminate" -- such as cluster bombs or incendiary weapons -- or bullets "which expand and flatten easily in the human body" are also considered a war crime.

- Legal history -

International treaties on the laws of war first began being formulated in the mid-1800s. But most such as The Hague Conventions, adopted in 1899 and in 1907, dealt mainly with the treatment of combatants not civilians.

The first high-profile war crimes trials of the modern era were held in Nuremberg and Tokyo in tribunals set up by the Allies to try German and Japanese leaders.

In May 1993, at the height of the Balkans wars, the United Nations established the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) based in The Hague.

Since its inception, the ICTY has indicted 161 people, of whom 83 have been sentenced, including former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic.

Story continues

Following the genocide in Rwanda, the UN then set up the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1994 in Arusha to prosecute those behind the killings of at least 800,000 people.

Both courts highlighted the need for a permanent war crimes tribunal, which gave rise to the ICC.

- Prosecutions at the ICC -

The ICC began work in The Hague in 2003, a year after its statute came into force. To date, 124 countries have signed up to the statute, including 34 from Africa -- the biggest regional group -- and 28 from Latin America and the Caribbean.

A country that has signed up to the treaty or whose citizens have been the victims of crimes may refer cases to the ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, for investigation.

Cases may also be referred by the United Nations Security Council or the prosecutor can initiate her own investigations with permission from the judges providing member states are involved, or a non-member state can agree to accept the court's jurisdiction.

Any group or individual can report alleged crimes, but it is up to prosecutor to first see whether they fall under her jurisdiction.

So far 23 cases have been brought before the court, and four verdicts -- three guilty, one acquittal -- have been issued.

They include former Congolese militia leader Jean-Pierre Bemba sentenced to 18 years in jail on three counts of war crimes and two charges of crimes against humanity.

Preliminary inquiries or full investigations are also ongoing into situations in 19 countries or territories, with charges yet to be brought.

- The situation with Syria -

Syria is not a signatory to the ICC. Nor are the other major players in the complex conflict -- Russia, the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

As a result, the prosecutor would need a UN mandate to investigate any alleged crimes committed by the government or the rebels in the five-year war in the country -- including the use of chemical weapons.

Attempts to refer Syria to the ICC were vetoed at the UN Security Council in 2014 by Russia and China, to the dismay of human rights groups.

- Will alleged war crimes in Syria ever be tried? -

While the war continues, it is unlikely any prosecutions can be brought before the ICC.

Experts believe accountability will have to be tackled in any eventual peace process. Many argue the best scenario would be some kind of hybrid court based in Syria, but perhaps staffed by a mixture of local and international judges.

SOURCES: International Criminal Court, the Geneva Conventions, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Mark Salzberg Blue Apron 8875

The recipe and meal-kit-delivery service Blue Apron

has grown itself into a startup valuated at $2 billion by reinventing dinner.

It's been so successful, Amazon and Whole Foods are now chasing the same idea (as well as other startups) and Blue Apron is said to be thinking about an IPO.

But there's one set of people who seem to have some complaints about the company: Workers at one of Blue Apron's main warehouse fulfillment centers in Richmond, California, according to an investigative report by BuzzFeed's Caroline O'Donovan.

The BuzzFeed report alleges that the fast growth of Blue Apron led to a less-than-stringent hiring processes and a reliance on temp workers at its Richmond warehouse facility, resulting in some pretty rough working conditions.

For instance, in the 38 months since Blue Apron opened the Richmond facility, the Richmond Police responded to two complaints of weapons, three calls for bomb threats, and seven calls alleging assault, with at least four arrests made because of threats of violence, BuzzFeed reports.

Employees say the violence has included being punched, choked, groped, pushed, not to mention the bomb scares.

BuzzFeed reports that the scary conditions hit their peak in August 2015, and by October that year, the general manager of the facility hired a safety manager for the facility and advocated slower hiring and the safety record has improved since then.

The company told Business Insider that it does screen all of its full-time warehouse employees for drugs and criminal backgrounds, but a different process applies for the temp workers, and that's what led to problems in the past.

Nisha Devarajan, a Blue Apron spokesperson told us (emphasis ours):

"We require temporary staffing agencies to perform proper screening and background checks on their workers as well, however, Blue Apron does not receive those results since the staffing agency is the workers employer. In parts of 2014 and 2015, we experienced difficulty with several temporary staffing agencies in Richmond who did not meet our performance standards and sometimes provided workers who did not always abide by our policies and procedures or share our values. As a result, Blue Apron quickly ended its relationship with these agencies."

Story continues

Cold and stressful

Blue Apron employs over 4,000 people, total, and over 1,000 at the Richmond facility. All told, it delivers around 8 million meals a month, CEO Matt Salzberg told Fortune. It has raised nearly $194 million in venture funding, and was valued at $2 billion in 2015.

It prides itself on sourcing fresh, seasonal ingredients from artisan farmers, chopped and packed with all the spices and condiments needed to cook up an original recipe at $8 to $10 a serving.

blue apron

It also allows customers to change their orders on a fairly last-minute basis.

And that means those employees are doing the slicing, dicing, and measuring at wages starting at $12 an hour, Buzzfeed reports (as does Glassdoor.)

As Blue Apron grows more successful, the stress on the employees to fill those boxes increased, employees told Buzzfeed.

It was crazy. You felt like you were running all the time," one employee told BuzzFeed.

Even in the best of circumstances, this job could be tough for some people. That's because to meet food-health laws, employees are working in warehouses that are kept at a temperature below 40 degrees. They are issued a jacket, thermals, a hat, and a neck warmer.

Devarajan told Business Insider:

"As with any operation that handles perishable food, we maintain a range of temperature zones in our fulfillment centers to ensure that food is handled safely and in accordance with applicable law and industry best practice."

The Californias Division of Occupational Safety and Health has been overseeing the facility and has issued some fines for violations, some of which Blue Apron has contested, appealed, and had reduced, BuzzFeed reported.

Blue Apron

Richmond is known for some sketchy neighborhoods.

Devarajan told us that the company is "proud" that it brought so many jobs to the area and that "Blue Apron has proactively built a relationship with the Richmond Police Department and the local community."

She further said:

"Precisely because Blue Apron takes its employee safety so seriously and has a zero tolerance policy, our local management team will call the police to help investigate any incident big or small such as a verbal threat or physical altercation, or the loss of personal items like a cell phone. Dozens of calls may be logged related to collaboration on any given incident, and many calls could be related to no specific incident at all."

And she added:

"Blue Apron is committed to creating the best possible workplace experience for all of our employees and the safety of our employees and customers has always been our top priority. We have created thousands of jobs across the country and have always promptly addressed any issues we've encountered in any of our facilities. We are proud of the culture weve developed, and work diligently to ensure that all team members  from our corporate headquarters to our fulfillment centers  feel valued, respected and have opportunities for career growth."





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Marking two years of the launch of the 'Swachh Bharat Mission', all the 180 cities and towns in Gujarat, including Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, have been declared Open Defecation Free. In fact, apart from Gujarat, all 110 cities and towns of Andhra Pradesh have also been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), marking two years of the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

By India Today Web Desk:

While Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu declared all 110 cities and towns in the state ODF at a programme in Tirupati, all 180 cities and towns in Gujarat were declared ODF at a programme held in Porbandar on Sunday in the presence of Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Narendra Singh Tomar, and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

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Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday that Porbandar becoming one of the districts declared ODF on the occasion of the 147th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is an 'interim gift to Mahatma - Swachh Bharat as final gift in 2019'.

||Recently these Bihar schoolgirls also pledged to not buy cosmetics until they get toilets at home||



"As Mahatma Gandhi had said, for getting freedom we all need to be satyagrahi. Similarly our PM has said we all need to be swachhgrahi for clean India. So all Gujaratis become swachhgrahi," Venkaiah Naidu said in his address to people of Porbundar through video-conferencing.

PM Narendra Modi also tweeted.



Its a matter of joy that Porbandar Dist, where Bapu was born has become open defecation-free today. Kudos to all those who made this happen. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2016

"Gujarat is the torch bearer and has set an example for others in swachhta," Venkaiah Naidu said.



WHAT'S ON THE LIST

In total, 405 cities and towns have so far been claimed to have become ODF along with 20,000 of the 82,000 urban wards in the country.

Another 334 cities and towns would become Open Defecation Free by March next year, the Ministry of Urban Development claimed.

A Ministry spokesperson also said that Maharashtra, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and other North-Eastern states are on course to declare all urban areas as ODF soon.



STAMPED

A Postal Stamp on Swachha Bharat was also released on Sunday by Mr Naidu and Minister of Communications, Manoj Sinha, in New Delhi.

Manoj Sinha tweeted the release of commemorative postage stamp on 'Swachh Bharat'.



Release of Commemorative Postage Stamp on 'Swachh Bharat' with senior colleague Shri @MVenkaiahNaidu ji pic.twitter.com/h1fgiIxBEH Manoj Sinha (@manojsinhabjp) October 2, 2016

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Credit: Timothy Krause/Flickr

Theres no such thing as passive investing.

As Ben Graham defined it in his magnum opus, Security Analysis, An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative.

Because passive strategies entail zero analysis of either of these qualifications they are, by definition, speculative. And those adopting them are speculators, not investors.

Like jumbo shrimp, virtual reality, old news, or living dead, the term passive investing is thus an oxymoron.

Now most passive aficionados will respond to this fact by saying that over the long-term the risk assets they intend to buy and hold will prove themselves in terms of both safety of principal and adequate return. In other words, stocks have never been negative over any 20-year period. Thats the most popular refrain I hear in justifying buy [at any price] and hold as an investment strategy.

The problem with this is two-fold. First, how many investors truly have a 20-year time frame? By this, I mean how many investors are willing to sit through a 10-year drawdown and have total faith in the idea that they will gain it all back over the next? If history and human nature are any guide, I would say very, very few.

Second, most passive strategies eschew forecasts and this is simply another forecast. In fact, in embracing any passive approach you are necessarily making a forecast that future returns from risk assets will be better than that from the risk-free rate of return. But leaving that argument aside for the moment, this 20-year forecast is built upon nothing but extrapolation.

This is essentially saying the future will look just like the past without taking into consideration any of the changed conditions over that time. You might remember that so-called real estate investors made a similar extrapolation about that asset class during the height of the housing bubble: House prices have never declined year-over-year on a nationwide basis. Certainly, there were a great number of conditions back then that suggested the future could look very different from the past.

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My point is not that we are now going to see the first 20-year period of decline for the broad stock market but I dont dismiss this possibility out of hand, either. My point is that if you want to call yourself an investor you need to think a little more about the prices and fundamentals of risk assets rather than just buy and hold/hope.

I think Jesse Livermore said it best in Reminiscences of a Stock Operator:

The average American is from Missouri everywhere and at all times except when he goes to the brokers offices and looks at the tape, whether it is stocks or commodities. The one game of all games that really requires study before making a play is the one he goes into without his usual highly intelligent preliminary and precautionary doubts. He will risk half his fortune in the stock market with less reflection than he devotes to the selection of a medium-priced automobile.

Embracing passive investing is exactly this sort of cover your eyes and buy sort of attitude. Would you embrace the very same price-insensitive approach in buying a car? A house? Your groceries? Your clothes? Of course not. We are all very price-sensitive when it comes to these things. So why should investing be any different?

Read more from Jesse Felder here.
A teenager in South Los Angeles was shot and killed by police Saturday (Oct. 1), sparking protest in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred. Carnell Snell Jr., 18, died after police officers shot him in the back five times, while his hands were up.

LAPD officers suspected that Snell and two others were in a stolen vehicle because it had paper license plates. Authorities say they attempted to pull the car over, when the driver led them on a chase. Snell was the only one who didnt get away when he and the diver, and another passenger, reportedly jumped out of the car.

The officers gave chase, a foot pursuit, and went eastbound at some point on 107th Street to the rear of a residence, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Barry Montgomery. It was at that time that the officer-involved shooting occurred. The officers summoned paramedics who responded to scene, and unfortunately the suspect succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities cant confirm that the car was actually stolen.

According to witnesses, officers hit Snell with five times, while his hands were up. Cops claim he had a gun.

This is an 18-year-old boy, said Black Lives Matter activist Melina Abdullah. This is somebodys son, this is somebodys friend, this is somebodys brother and you killed him. I dont care what your story is. I believe what the community, I dont believe the lying police. 

The mother of an 18-year-old #CarnellSnell shot by #LAPD pleads with them to see her son at the scene in south LA pic.twitter.com/XhrViStDWr  Crystal Johnson (@Crystal1Johnson) October 2, 2016

Shell apparently lived on the very street where he was gunned down. His death marks the second police-involved death in Southern California sparking protest over the last few days. Police in nearby Pasadena, California tasered a mentally ill man to death, following a 911 call made by his sister. The cops asserted that 36-year-old Reginald Thomas had a weapon in his hand, which turned out to be an electronic cigarette.

Meanwhile, police chases are very popular in Southern California. Earlier in the week, a man led California Highway Patrol on a pursuit across four different freeways, before pulling over and attempting to jump over an embankment. Authorities successfully arrested him without firing their weapons.

Check the video below for more details on the Snell shooting.
By Amanda Becker CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton told a majority-black church in North Carolina on Sunday that she knows her grandchildren are growing up in a different world than many black youth in the U.S. who are concerned about policy shootings and gun violence in their communities. The Democratic presidential nominees remarks at the Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte were a frank acknowledgment of the impact of what she has called implicit bias in policing can have on black communities. Clinton cited the death of 43-year-old Keith Scott, a black man who was shot by police in front of a Charlotte apartment complex on Sept. 20. She also lamented the death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher, who was shot days before during a Tulsa traffic stop. Both shootings led to community protests. The Tulsa police officer has pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter charge. Im a grandmother, and like every grandmother, I worry about the safety and security of my grandchildren, but my worries are not the same as black grandmothers, who have different and deeper fears about the world that their grandchildren face, Clinton said. Clinton described testimony that Taje Gaddy, 10, and Zianna Oliphant, 9, gave last week before the Charlotte City Council about violence in their community. Clinton later summoned Oliphant to join her on the stage. I wouldnt be able to stand it if my grandchildren had to be scared and worried the way too many children across our country feel right now. But because my grandchildren are white, because they are the grandchildren of a former president and secretary of state, lets be honest here, they wont face the kind of fear that we heard from the children testifying before the city council, Clinton said. Clinton has made gun violence a focus of her presidential campaign. Mothers who have lost children in shootings have joined her on the campaign trail. Clinton has said police officers should be trained to recognize implicit bias and called for the official police video of the Charlotte shooting to be released. Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, said at a rally after Crutchers shooting that it looked like he had done everything he was supposed to do. On Twitter, he criticized Clintons trip to Charlotte, which was postponed one week at the behest of the citys mayor, as a chance to grandstand. (This version of the story corrects the spelling of Terence Crutcher in paragraph 3) (Reporting by Amanda Becker)
Riyadh (AFP) - Huthi rebels in Yemen are posing a threat to shipping in the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, the Saudi-led coalition supporting the government said Sunday after an attack on an Emirati vessel.

The coalition said Shiite Huthi militiamen had attacked the vessel "on its usual route to and from (the southern port city of) Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians".

"Coalition air and naval forces targeted Huthi militia boats involved in the attack" near the Bab al-Mandab, it said, while "coalition forces rescued civilian passengers following the attack" on Friday night.

"This incident demonstrates Huthi tactics of terrorist attacks against civilian international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab," the coalition said in a statement.

The strait is a major shipping lane between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden leading into the Indian Ocean.

The rebels, in a statement posted Saturday on their sabanews.net website, claimed the attack which it said targeted and "completely destroyed" an Emirati warship with rockets as it neared Mokha on the Red Sea coast.

The United Arab Emirates military acknowledged "an incident" involving a chartered vessel under its command in the Bab al-Mandab as it was returning from a "routine" journey to Aden, further south, but it reported no casualties.

On Sunday, the rebels reported on sabanews.net that five people were killed and six wounded in a coalition air strike targeting fishing boats off Wahjah, south of Mokha. The incident could not be independently confirmed.

The UAE is a key member of the coalition that has been battling the Iran-backed Huthis and their allies since March last year in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognised government.

Since March 2015, the coalition has pushed the rebels out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.
Sanaa (AFP) - Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen said Sunday they will establish their own government of "national salvation" to rival the internationally recognised administration of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in the south.

The move was decided by a "supreme political council" created in July by the Iran-backed rebels and forces allied to Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In early August, UN-backed peace talks in Kuwait between Yemen's warring parties were suspended.

On Sunday, Saleh al-Sammad, head of the supreme political council, appointed Abdel Aziz Ben Habtoor to form a government of national salvation, the rebels announced on their website sabanews.net.

Ben Habtoor is a former governor of the southern port city of Aden and a member of the political bureau of Saleh's General People's Congress.

The rebel announcement of a rival government is likely to further complicate the prospects of a political settlement in Yemen.

It coincided with the presence in the Saudi capital Riyadh of UN Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and the arrival in Sanaa of UN humanitarian operations chief Stephen O'Brien.

The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 6,600 people and displaced at least three million since a Saudi-led Arab coalition backing Hadi's government launched operations in March 2015.

Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa.

- Shipping threat -

On Sunday, the coalition said the rebels pose a threat to shipping in the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, after an attack on an Emirati vessel.

The coalition said Shiite Huthi militiamen had attacked the vessel "on its usual route to and from Aden to transfer relief and medical aid and evacuate wounded civilians".

"Coalition air and naval forces targeted Huthi militia boats involved in the attack" near the Bab al-Mandab, it said, while "coalition forces rescued civilian passengers following the attack" on Friday.

Story continues

"This incident demonstrates Huthi tactics of terrorist attacks against civilian international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab," the coalition said in a statement.

The strait is a major shipping lane between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden leading into the Indian Ocean.

The rebels, in a statement posted Saturday on their sabanews.net website, claimed the attack which it said targeted and "completely destroyed" an Emirati warship with rockets as it neared Mokha on the Red Sea coast.

The United Arab Emirates military acknowledged "an incident" involving a chartered vessel under its command in the Bab al-Mandab as it was returning from a "routine" journey to Aden, but reported no casualties.

On Sunday, the rebels reported on sabanews.net that five people were killed and six wounded in a coalition air strike targeting fishing boats off Wahjah, south of Mokha.

That incident could not be independently confirmed.

The UAE is a key member of the coalition battling the Huthis and their allies.

On Sunday, the secretary general of Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdullatif al-Zayani, "strongly condemned" the attack on the Emirati vessel.

"This terrorist act endangers world seaborne trade in the Bab al-Mandab, contravenes the regulations of international shipping and hinders efforts to send aid and relief to Yemen," Zayani said in a statement.
13th, the latest film from Ava DuVernay,??became the first documentary ever to open the New York Film Festival, kicking off its 54th edition at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on Friday night - and it received a standing ovation from most of the crowd, both when its credits began to roll and when DuVernay, who is best known for directing 2014's Selma, took the stage for a brief post-screening Q&A with festival director Kent Jones.

The film's title refers to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified in 1865 and declared: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." The film's central premise is that mass incarceration has replaced slavery as the way of keeping down black Americans.

"We didn't choose a documentary," Jones said of the NYFF selection committee's pick for the opener during his introduction of DuVernay. "We chose a film that happened to be a documentary." It is at least as significant that this film festival, which is widely regarded as the most elitist in America, chose a film for its opening night that is being distributed by Netflix, a company that barely gives its movies a theatrical release and poses a threat to the art house distributors that do.

Read more: Ava Duvernay on Donald Trump Scenes, Police Brutality Footage and Special Credits Sequence in Prison Doc '13th'

But if there's one area in which Netflix has displayed consistent excellence, it is in documentaries, and DuVernay, speaking before the film unspooled, gave major props to Lisa Nishimura, who oversees that division of the company. The filmmaker said that Nishimura had approached her after Selma and asked what she would want to do if she could do anything, and DuVernay described the film that became??13th, which has been quietly in the works for the past two years.

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The pic powerfully and movingly chronicles the sort of intolerance and cruelty to which blacks have been subjected throughout American history, weaving together carefully curated archival footage into sections demarcated by the titles of black anthems. For many who stumble upon it on Netflix, it will serve as a compelling primer about this country's fraught race relations, and an introduction to the argument that drugs should be decriminalized and non-violent offenders should be released from prisons.

But the notion that mass incarceration is a modern form of slavery is not a new one - indeed, it has been explored by Vice and others, while DuVernay herself, in her first major film, 2012's Middle of Nowhere, showed how the absence of imprisoned adult males can impact the family unit. And the doc has a tendency to avoid details that do not serve its narrative - for example, many instances of white police pursuing or killing blacks are absolutely indefensible, but some, grouped with the others in the film, are far less, well, black and white than suggested.

Read more: '13th': NYFF Review

It will be interesting to see how the Academy's documentary branch responds to this film. It is certainly well made and impactful, but DuVernay has made herself into a divisive figure within the Academy, having essentially suggested that the organization's old white members can't consider diverse Oscar contenders objectively - even though her own breakthrough film, Selma, received a best picture Oscar nomination and was awarded a best original song Oscar. Moreover, the doc branch is this year considering an even more ambitious and epic film about race in America, ESPN's O.J.: Made in America. Will there be room on the shortlist of 15 films for both of them?

13th??could make a mark beyond the documentary category, though: Common, who shared Selma's best original song Oscar with John Legend for "Glory," could be back in the mix. At Netflix's swanky afterparty at Tavern on the Green, he delighted the crowd by singing "Glory" and "A Letter to the Free," his original contribution to 13th, which might well land him a second nom in three years.
GettyImages 611670510

Donald Trump may have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years, according to tax records obtained by The New York Times and published on Saturday night.

The documents indicated that Trump declared a $916 million loss in 1995, providing him with a deduction so large it could have eliminated his obligation to legally pay annual federal taxes by up to $50 million for nearly two decades, tax experts told The Times.

Trump has refused calls to release his tax returns, a decades-old tradition every Republican nominee since Richard Nixon has followed.

At Monday nights presidential debate, Clinton suggested Trump was perhaps refusing to publicly disclose his tax documents because he had not paid federal taxes. That makes me smart, Trump replied, raising eyebrows across the political world.

The Times said it had obtained the documents from an anonymous source who mailed the documents to its offices. The return address on the envelope was Trump Tower in New York City.

A lawyer for Trump, Marc E. Kasowitz, threatened The Times with prompt initiation of appropriate legal action if it published the documents.

The documents were published by The Times as Trump told a Pennsylvania crowd to follow the money, his latest line of attack against Hillary Clinton, in reference to his allegations she was engaged in a pay-to-play scandal while secretary of state.

The Trump campaign responded to the report by slamming The Times and trying to deflect to Clinton.

"The only news here is that the more than 20-year-old alleged tax document was illegally obtained, a further demonstration that the New York Times, like establishment media in general, is an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests," a campaign statement said.

It added: "What is happening now with the FBI and DOJ on Hillary Clinton's emails and illegal server, including her many lies and her lies to Congress are worse than what took place in the administration of Richard Nixon - and far more illegal."

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Clinton's campaign pounced on the report. Campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement late Saturday that the "bombshell report" revealed the "colossal nature of Donald Trump's past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal income taxes whatsoever."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comment from the Trump and Clinton campaigns.

NOW WATCH: Report: Trump's charity may have avoided proper certification to prevent auditing





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By PTI: Gangtok, Oct 1 (PTI) In a honour, the Union Ministry of Tourism has conferred the ?Cleanest Tourist Destination? on Sikkim capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the award in Delhi yesterday, an official release said today.

The Sikkim delegation participated in a workshop organised by the Urban Development and Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation for implementing the flagship programme, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban & Gramin), at Vigyan Bhawan.

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The workshop was inaugurated by the Prime Minister and attended by Union Ministers of the concerned departments, Chief Ministers of many states and Ministers in-charge of Swachh Bharat Mission.

The Sikkim delegation was led by Minister, UD&HD, Shri N.K.Subba, Mayor GMC, PCE/Secretary ? UD&HD, Municipal Commissioner, State Mission Directors (Urban & Gramin) , Officials & Panchayats, ADCs-Development Namchi & Gyalshing. The delegates from Sikkim actively participated in the workshop, particularly in the technical session on Sanitation Technologies, Solid-Liquid Waste Management, inclusive Sanitation and Role of IT & Technology in SBM. A plenary session on Inter-Ministerial collaboration was also conducted. Gangtok city was also awarded the by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The award was received by Commissioner, GMC, from the Hon?ble Prime Minister. SUS

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Samsung (: 593'A-KR) acted with "arrogance" and "double standards" in the handling of its Galaxy Note 7 recall in China, state broadcaster CCTV wrote in a damning opinion piece on its website.

The South Korean electronics giant was forced to recall of 2.5 million of its Note 7 phablet this month after reports that the device was exploding and catching fire. Samsung acknowledged issues with the battery. But the company initially did not include China as part of the recall as Note 7s supplied in the country had a different battery maker.

But shortly after, reports of Note 7s exploding in China surfaced, forcing Samsung to issue a recall there too .







CCTV however accused Samsung in being discriminatory to its Chinese customers in the way it handled the recall. The broadcaster said that while Samsung issued a video apology to U.S. users, all Chinese consumers got was a 200 word statement.

"Samsung Electronics said they wanted to be an enterprise that's favored by the Chinese people, however it's not easy for China to like them. Samsung also wants to be the enterprise that contributed to Chinese society, but contribution requires sincerity instead of arrogance," CCTV wrote.

"Samsung made it look like they are fixing their mistakes, but in fact they are hold double standards on the recall of its products. With a less than 200 words statement, Samsung excluded China from the markets where Note 7 would be recalled and replaced. Samsung's discriminative policies have caused significant dissatisfaction among Chinese consumers."

CCTV's condemnation is likely to hinder Samsung as it looks to continue momentum in its smartphone division in China. Samsung, like Apple, is also trying to boost its presence in China, a market it once dominated but has now fallen behind local players such as Huawei and Oppo.

Earlier this week, Samsung said it had received around 60 percent of recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices in Europe with a similar figure returned in the U.S. and South Korea. In Europe, the company also said the Note 7 would go back on sale from October 28.

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- Additional reporting by CNBC's Haze Fan.





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From all the grumpiness over the EMV chip-card transition, youd think that the circuitry embedded in our new credit cards delivered a small electric shock every time you inserted one into a terminal at a check-out counter.

Customers say they dont like chip cards because you have to leave them in a reader for as long as half a minute instead of swiping a cards magnetic stripe with a single, satisfying flick of the wrist. Retailers complain that after costly hardware and software upgrades, they still cant take chip-card payments because their systems have yet to pass required certification tests.

And the core problem these new cards are supposed to solve  fraudulent card use  cant go away as long as thieves can use lost or stolen cards in stores or type in a cards digits at any online store.

And yet as we hit the first anniversary of the day that merchants began having to eat the costs of EMV chip-card fraud if they hadnt updated their payment systems for chip cards, I cant work up any real outrage over this transition.

Chip cards solve two real problems

EMV  an abbreviation for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, the three developers of the standard  stops the leading cause of fraud, the use of counterfeit cards. Instead of sending over a cards digits to the reader unencrypted, which is what happens when you swipe a mag stripe, the chip in an EMV card powers on when its placed in a card readers slot, then encrypts your information before sending it to the reader.

That leaves no way for a thief to clone your card and use it in an EMV reader. The result, as Visa (V) brags in an infographic: a 47% drop in counterfeit-card spending between last May and this May at merchants who have completed chip-card upgrades. MasterCard (MA), in turn, cites a 54% drop in counterfeit costs from April 2015 to April 2016.

And since counterfeiting was the top source of card fraud this year  a report from the research firms Aite and Iovation estimated this years losses due to counterfeit cards at $4.5 billion, versus $4 billion in losses from card-not-present fraud conducted online or over the phone  thats a notable achievement.

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Its true that chip cards that dont require you to confirm a purchase by punching in a PIN dont stop the fraudulent reuse of lost or stolen cards, but thats a smaller problem: Aite and Iovation estimated its costs at $800 million this year. Of course, if wed adopted chip-and-PIN cards as many other countries have, the people screaming over the wait to have an EMV transaction complete would be just as irate over also having to key in a four-digit code.

Meanwhile, theres this thing called the rest of the world  most of which moved to EMV cards long ago. With chip cards in your wallet, you dont have to feel like a chump when you pay with plastic in other countries. And you cant count on mag-stripe cards working at all in ticket-vending machines and other automated kiosks overseas.

Having a chip-and-signature EMV card used to pose a risk at ticket kiosks, but Ive had no issues using mine to pay for subway fares in London, Paris and Barcelona; the kiosks in Berlins U-Bahn, however, demanded a PIN during my visit there for Septembers IFA trade show.

The job isnt done

The biggest problem with the EMV transition in the US isnt the wait to have a transaction complete, but the wait for stores to support EMV cards at all. While some notable holdouts have switched on their EMV card readers, I still find myself conducting a large minority of my card transactions using the magnetic stripeand readers have told me much the same.

Many times stores will support EMV but wont have that option activated, forcing retailers to tape on signs with messages like Chip Reader Coming Soon! or the more excitable SWIPE YOUR CARD!!! NO CHIP!!!

Retailers say its not their fault. In a National Retail Federation survey, 57% of merchants said theyd put in new card readers but were still waiting for certification by the card industryand 60% of those held up said theyd been waiting for six months or more.

Restaurants and bars, meanwhile, remain much further behind.

When new card readers also tokenize card numbers, replacing their actual digits with one-time codes, they also stop them from being reused for online or phone transactions. But that effort is not nearly as far along as the EMV transition  something I learned firsthand when I had to get a new EMV card replaced after some crook tried to use it at some Ukrainian online store.

As for that chip-card holdup at the checkout counter, which can be prolonged if the reader doesnt sense your cards chip, that will improve as Visa and MasterCard roll out software updates that cut the chip-processing time down to a few seconds.

But  yes, youve read this before  this upgrade will take time. Visas Quick Chip, for instance, is only in use at a single chain of grocery stores in California and Oregon, although the company expects other merchants to deploy the update before the holiday season.

But eventually, it will get done. And we can go back to complaining about a far more notorious cause of checkout lag: The person in front of you who insists on paying with a check.

More from Rob:

Email Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com; follow him on Twitter at @robpegoraro.
Photo: NBC

Common wisdom holds that whoever is ridiculed most enthusiastically on Saturday Night Live can be damaged, that the show helps sway public opinion  or, at least, among whatever slice of the populace that still considers SNL our nations satirist-in-chief. Viewed in this way, Alec Baldwins Donald Trump impersonation, which was unveiled on Saturdays season opener, was impressive as a makeup job. And by that I mean both the way the makeup and the wig were applied to Baldwin, and how effectively it turned Trump into just another politician whose mannerisms were to be ridiculed.

Which, of course, hes not. Like Jimmy Fallon hosting Trump only to rumple his hair as if he were a big, lovable St. Bernard, the employees hired by Lorne Michaels continued to normalize Trump as a mildly rude windbag. Nothing Baldwin-Trump said on Saturday night was as vulgar or as vicious as what Real-Trump said as recently as  well, as recently as Saturday. Just hours before SNL aired, speaking in swing-state Pennsylvania, Real Trump brought up the stuff he said he wouldnt use in the debate SNL was satirizing: Bill Clintons history with women as a cudgel with which to beat Hillary Clinton. I dont think shes even loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth, Real-Trump said. Why should she be, right? Why should she be? In other words, Trump is now suggesting that (a) Hillary is unfaithful to Bill and (b) why not, since both arent humans worth treating with even minimal dignity in a campaign for the presidency?

Related: SNL Recap: Alec Baldwin Trumps Host Margot Robbie

By contrast, the SNL sketch could only allude to things such as Real-Trumps coded racism. Baldwin-Trump referred to the Lester Holt played by Michael Che as Jazz Man and Coltrane. Boy, if Real-Trump actually knows who John Coltrane is, and had cited him in a debate, Id be tempted to be impressed. But of course, thats not the way Real-Trump talks. Baldwin is a good actor, but in no way did he come close, in delivering SNLs scripted insults, to conveying the bottomless malice behind Real-Trumps interruptions and his Sean Hannity-themed dodges.

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The debate sketch featured Kate McKinnon doing a sharply funny Hillary Clinton that was much in the tradition of Tina Feys Sarah Palin, pinpointing and isolating Clintons physical and verbal tics: the flash-frozen smiles and smirks, her clumsily rehearsed spontaneity, her notorious shimmy of overexcited delight. McKinnon and the SNL writers had this side of the debate nailed. Hillarys foolish display of confidence that, upon viewers witnessing her opponents outlandish behavior, they will come over to her side: Yes, this indeed is a delusion that merited the vigorous dismay the Emmy-winning McKinnon brought to her performance.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. on NBC.
By PTI: Panaji, Oct 2 (PTI) Rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkar today floated a new party in Goa and vowed to defeat the BJP in the coming Assembly polls but an unfazed BJP claimed it would be helped electorally.

Announcing the formation of Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM), Velingkar, who was removed as Goa RSS chief on August 31 after his public tirade against the BJP leaders over the regional language issue, said they are in talks with parties like Shiv Sena and Goa Praja Party for alliance during Goa polls.

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However, Velingkars name did not figure in the first list of office-bearers released today.

The Goa Suraksha Manch would be headed by Anand Shirodkar, a senior leader of Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) headed by Velingkar who was angered by BJP governments refusal to withdraw grants to English medium schools.

The rebel RSS leader claimed the newly formed party has its presence across 35 (out of 40) constituencies of Goa and "is determined to defeat BJP in the state polls" due next year.

BBSM has been agitating against the state government while demanding that mother tongue be made medium of instruction (MOI) and withdrawal of grants to English medium schools.

Hours after Velingkars announcement, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, however, claimed that the new party will help BJP win the state Assembly polls due next year.

"I am in the ruling party. And it is natural that more the smaller parties, the better for the ruling party as it would help it win the election. I welcome all such new political parties," Parsekar told reporters.

Responding to a question, Parsekar said, "Goa is not my fathers land. Anyone can come here and contest the election. I cant stop anyone".

"This is democracy. The election results will show who is accepted by people and who are not," he said when asked about BBSMs statements against him and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar accusing them of "mishandling" the Medium of Instruction (MOI) issue.

The chief minister said the "dwindling" response to the public meetings called by BBSM is an answer to those leaders who have been criticising the BJP.

RSS had "relieved" Velingkar as Goa Vibhag Sangh Chalak Velingkar, who then formed a parallel outfit called RSS Goa Prant.

Asked about the poll stratgey, Velingkar said, "We are in talks with parties like Shiv Sena and Goa Praja Party for alliance during Goa polls. Our proposal to MGP to join hands also stands.

"If MGP responds, we can discuss seat sharing with them. But with or without MGP, we are going to defeat BJP."

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He said BBSM will continue even after formation of GSM.

BBSMs political cell head Uday Bhembre told reporters that the party will also focus on various other issues like power and water in the state. PTI RPS GK RT

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Former Indian badminton champion Pullela Gopichand's biopic will be directed by Praveen Sattaru in Telugu, Hindi and English, say reports.

By India Today Web Desk: National Award-winning director Praveen Sattaru's film on the former Indian badminton champion Pullela Gopichand will be made in Telugu, Hindi and English, reveals a source.



ALSO READ: SS Rajamouli's Baahubali gets an animated version



ALSO READ: Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan at Fantastic Fest- After 15 years, the film gets much-needed attention

Speaking about the project, a source close to the unit said, "The plan was always to make the yet-untitled film in three languages. Since Gopichand is widely popular, the makers have decided to make the film in Telugu, Hindi and English. The pre-production work has already started and the project will go on the floors next year."

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Actor Sudheer Babu, a former Badminton player who had trained under Gopichand, will play the role of his guru on the silver screen.

Sattaru will commence work on the biopic after he completes working on the yet-untitled Telugu project with actor Rajasekhar.

According to reports, the makers have already finalised locations across China, Japan, Ireland and Scotland.

Also, the biopic will be dubbed in Tamil.



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Patna, Oct 1 (PTI) Notwithstanding Patna High Court quashing the state governments notification prohibiting liquor, search operations continued and huge quantity of foreign brand alcohol were seized in Patna and Madhubani.

Acting on a tip off that suppliers illegally trading in alcohol from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh were providing bottles at Bikram bazar in rural Patna, forces from Bikram and Paliganj police stations team raided the place last midnight and seized 32 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor.

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Four persons including the mastermind of illegal liquor trade Chintu Kumar were arrested from the spot, a statement from the office of senior superintendent of police said, adding that three stolen motorcycles were also recovered from them.

On interrogation, the four said they supplied liquor from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh on demand and used to sell them at an exorbitant rate, the statement said.

In an another incident, Sahashtra Seema Bal personnel seized huge quantity of foreign brand liquor in Madhubani during the day.

A report from the district said the SSB personnel seized a total of 510 bottles of 250 ml IMFL packed in bags and carried in two motorcycles during frisking of vehicles near Pipron chowk.

The carriers of the liquor bottles, however, managed to flee and the seized liquor bottles were handed over to the police, Harlakhi police station officer in-charge Sanjay Kumar said.

Meanwhile, the control room here said 176.35 litres of IMFL was seized from different parts of Bihar yesterday.

Operation to enforce prohibition continued in Bihar notwithstanding the Patna High Court order quashing April 5 notification on prohibition.

A cabinet meeting has been called tomorrow to pave way for notification of a new liquor order in the state with an intent to continue prohibition in the state. PTI SNS KK AJR

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India today deposited its Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee at a special ceremony to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary at the United Nations.

Activists wearing masks depicting (left to right) top world leaders perform at a demonstration demanding cuts in global emissions. (Reuters file photo)

By Maha Siddiqui: India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, today ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a significant push for the deal to enter into force by the end of this year.

As promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ratify the climate deal on Gandhi Jayanti, India today deposited its Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee at a special ceremony to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary at the United Nations.

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"India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji's birth anniversary, we deposit the instrument of ratification of Paris Agreement on climate change," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

BAN KI-MOON LAUDS INDIA'S "CLIMATE LEADERSHIP"



UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded India's "climate leadership", saying, India's ratification of the Paris agreement moves the world an "important step closer" toward achieving its climate goal.

In his message for the International Day of Non-Violence, marked every year on Gandhi's birth anniversary, Ban said there is no better way to commemorate Gandhi and his legacy for people and the planet than with India ratifying the Paris deal.

"I warmly congratulate India for its climate leadership, and for building on the strong momentum we see from all corners of the globe for the agreement to enter into force as quickly as possible this year. India's ratification of the agreement moves the world an important step closer toward achieving that goal," Ban said in his message.

France has also welcomed India's ratification of the Paris Agreement by India "on this symbolic day commemorating Mahatma Gandhis birthday", the French government said in a statement.

Ambassador Richard R Verma's statement on India's decision to join Paris agreement

- In joining the Paris climate agreement today, India has taken a bold and decisive step in combating climate change.

- We commend Prime Minister Modi for his leadership and thank all those who have worked on the Agreement over many years.

- India's ratification provides indispensable political momentum to securing entry into force of the Paris Agreement this year, sending an enduring and irreversible market signal that low-carbon development is 21st century development, which will yield tremendous benefits not only for producers and consumers in India, but for those around the world.

- We look forward to continuing our close friendship with India and furthering our work together on climate change and clean energy, so that we may provide future generations a world to be proud of and treasure.



Communique issued by the Presidency of the French Republic French President Francois Hollande welcomed the ratification of the Paris Agreement by India, on this symbolic day commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. This decision, coming after the decision of the Environment Ministers of the European Union, brings us closer to the entry into force of the Paris agreement before the end of the year. Franois Hollande recalls that India played a key role in the adoption of this agreement in December 2015. India also launched, with France, the International Solar Alliance, which will contribute to the realisation of the objectives of the Paris agreement by facilitating access to solar energy.

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By PTI: United Nations, Oct 2 (PTI) India will ratify the landmark Paris climate deal today to bring into force the agreement expected to give momentum to implementation of measures at international level to control global warming.

Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin will hand over signed documents to the head of UN treaty division at the opening of the special event to mark the International Day of Non-Violence.

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The move comes after President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to a proposal approved earlier by the government to coincide with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on September 25 said: "There is one work left in the CoP21 (Conference of Parties). Ratification is yet to be done and India too is yet to do it."

Marking a moment in history, India had joined over 170 countries in signing the pact in April that brought together developing and developed nations for beginning work on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming.

The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming.

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told reporters in New Delhi yesterday that "this (decision) was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a messege... India is fast becoming a super power".

India, the worlds third biggest carbon emitter after the US and China which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.

Earlier this month, the US and China had formally joined the Paris agreement, which was adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change last December in Paris.

The pact will come into force after it has been ratified by at least 55 countries which account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. So far, 61 countries have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval, accounting for 47.8 per cent of global emissions.

With Indias move, a total of 62 countries accounting for almost 52 per cent of emissions will have ratified the accord. PTI SAI AKJ SAI

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The construction work on the project, started in 2009, has come to halt since the unrest began in the valley 13 weeks ago after the killing of Hizbul militant commander Burhan Muzaffer Wani.

By Naseer Ganai: Two cops of Jammu and Kashmir Police carrying INSAS rifles at the entrance of a tunnel constructed under Shamsbari mountain range is only life visible here at the construction site of 330 MW Kishanganga power project.

The project was scheduled to be commissioned in November this year. But here at the mountain locally called Mudur ball (Sweat Mountain), which is part of Shamsbari mountain range, stone crushing machines are idle, stores are closed, some local guards hired by the Hindustan Construction Company are inside makeshift tin sheds, only to get alarmed on seeing a visitor.

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STALLED PROJECTS

The construction work on the project, started in 2009, has come to halt since the unrest began in the valley 13 weeks ago after the killing of militant commander Burhan Muzaffer Wani.

A policeman said the workers had returned a few days ago but that triggered a protest by the locals.

According to officials, on the other side of the mountain range, across the Razdan Pass at 3300 meters, the work is on 37m high, concrete rock fill dam. The material is being stealthy carried there in the dead of night to keep the pace of work on.

The dam is located near river Kishanganga, a tributary of river Jehlum, in Gurez. The Kishanganga water will be diverted to the dam and then through 23.65 km long Headrace tunnel, the water will flow to a powerhouse inside the mountain and then to Bonar stream and finally to the Wullar lake.

The 8.9 km tunnel of 6 m diameter from the dam side was constructed using the conventional drill and blast method while as officials say 14.75 km tunnel under the mountain with a finished diameter of 5.2 m from the powerhouse side was constructed using Tunnel Boring Machine, first time successfully in the Himalayas.

The project is being developed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the work is executed by the HCC and the UK-based Halcrow Group.

Ghulam Hassan, a local resident of the area who had to migrate from village chak to Kralpora due to the construction of the project, knows centre government is reviewing Indus Water Treaty after the Uri attack but his main concern is that the NHPC has not paid adequate compensation to families of his village.



ADEQUATE COMPENSATION

"Indus Water Treaty is political issue and politicians can talk about it. I have nothing to do it. All I want is an adequate compensation. I was only paid Rs 2 lakh per kanal (one kanal=0.8 acres) and it is nothing," he said.

At the NHPC office adjacent to Kralpora village, top officials overseeing the project, say at this stage it would be difficult to redesign the project. "This project is near completion. I think early next year it will be commissioned. I don't think it can be revamped," a senior official, who is not authorized to talk to media, said. The officials say the project has followed guidelines set by Court of Arbitration.

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However, the NHPC officials are angry over the public perception that the NHPC is East India Company in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2013, the then Minister for Irrigation and Flood Control and senior Congress leader, Taj Mohideen, called it East India Company, the name has stuck as the State government officials have been alleging that company uses waters of J&K without returning anything to the state.

"We provide 12 per cent power free to state from each of our seven projects to the state. In past 23 years, we have provided free power of Rs 3314 Crores to the state. In Kishanganga project we provided Rs 253 crores for relief and rehabilitation for affected people. The state government only accepted Rs 152 crore saying such huge relief and rehabilitation package will set a precedent for other projects and still they call us East India Company," an angry official of NHPC said. However, officials say that the course of rivers cannot be changed. "We don't have storage facility to stop water for even six hours," he added.

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As water and the NHPC are the sensitive issues in Kashmir, at Batkote village, where shops were closed and youths had blocked the roads to stop the traffic movement, a retired government official, too said the government cannot stop water to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, a group of women and children marched on a road just two kilometres from Kralpora. They were carrying a black and white photograph of Burhan Muzaffer Wani shouting 'we shall overcome."

Chronology of development 2007: Development of the Kishanganga Hydro Electric Power Project began by NHPC. 2009: HCC in joint venture with Halcrow was awarded the contract to construct the project. 2010: Pakistan appealed to the Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration(CoA), complaining that the Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant violates the Indus River Treaty by increasing the catchment of the Jhelum River and depriving Pakistan of its water rights. Pakistan's main objections were: Inter-tributary diversions are barred as per the IWT and draw-down technology to flush sediments will help India to control the volume and timing of the water flow downstream. Pakistan with the help of Chinese consortium is constructing 969 MW Neelum-Jhelum hydro-electric project (NJHEP) in PoK. It said KGHP will reduce power capacity of NJHEP, which downstream on the Neelum river. 2011: In June 2011, the CoA visited both Kishanganga and Neelum-Jhelum Projects. In August 2011, the court ordered India to submit more technical data on the project. After Pakistan's application was first rejected, the court asked India in late September to stop constructing any permanent works that would inhibit restoration of the river. While India cannot construct the dam, they can continue on the tunnel and power plant in hopes that the court will allow the project. 2013: In February 2013, Hague ruled that India could divert a minimum of water for their project. In this partial award, the court upheld India's main contention that it has the right to divert waters of western rivers, in a non-consumptive manner, for optimal generation of power. On December 20 2013, the International Court of Arbitration gave its final word, wherein it allowed India to go ahead with the construction of the Kishanganga dam in Jammu and Kashmir over which Pakistan had raised objections. The final word specified that 9 cumecs of natural flow of water must be maintained in Kishanganga river at all times to maintain the environment downstream.

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ALSO READ:

Modi's dream of 'shining India' will never be fulfilled if India chooses war, says Imran Khan Shocker for Pakistan: Situation in FATA is worse than Kashmir, says JUI-F leader Fazlur Rehman

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, rights activist Irom Sharmila now wants to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi expecting "good advice" from him.

She had met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on September 26 seeking his advice on how to defeat "major political parties" in her state Manipur.

"Good advice should always be expected. Whether a person is an enemy or a friend, if he has some good views and wants to share it with me, I will take the advice," she told PTI.

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She was asked if she would also meet Modi to seek his advice as he was elected with a huge mandate in the general elections.

Sharmila on Friday had addressed Delhi University students at a function organised by the North East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) to commemorate the 120th birth anniversary of Hijam Irabot, a freedom fighter and social activist from Manipur.

Sharmila, who had in the past, expressed her desire to meet Modi to seek his help in the repeal of the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), reiterated her demand saying, "It is possible, I will meet because he is the authority concerned who can fulfill my demand."

The 44-year-old "Iron Lady" had an advice for students as she asked them to stop blaming the society and rather be the change they wish to see.

"Youths, which are the strength of society are the symbol of unity and inspiration. You remain protesting and blaming the society. Instead, you are responsible to help or unite to bring the change you wish to see in the society," she said.

On August 9, Sharmila broke her 16-year-old hunger strike demanding repeal of the AFSPA and announced that she would take her battle to the next level by floating her party as she wants to become the chief minister of Manipur to "press" for the demands. PTI CK ZMN SRY

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By PTI: Pune, Oct 2 (PTI) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said it will take "some days" to bring back Army jawan Chandu Babulal Chavan, who is in Pakistans custody after inadvertently crossing over, but a well established mechanism through the DGMO has been activated to secure his release.

"He had crossed over which happens in border areas. There is a well established mechanism through DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) which has been activated," he told reporters here.

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"Since the situation is tense right now, it will take some days to bring the soldier back," the Minister, who was here to inaugurate a cleanliness drive in a cantonment area, said.

The Defence Minister said there is no relation between the surgical strike carried out by the Army in PoK and the soldier crossing the border inadvertently.

On September 30, Chavan from 37 RR had inadvertently crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control following which Pakistan had been informed by the DGMO on the hotline.

"Such inadvertent crossing by Army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms," the army had said.

On Friday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had called up the family of the solider and assured them that efforts are being made to secure his release. Chavans grandmother had passed away after hearing the news of his crossing over to Pakistan.

Parrikar also said that people should remain alert and report anything unusual to the police. PTI SPK/PR DV

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Jammu and Kashmir government Sunday warned of punitive measures under various sections of different laws against anyone, who would print the newspaper.

By Naseer Ganai: Jammu and Kashmir government Sunday ordered printing presses to stop printing and publication of Kashmir Reader, one of the largest circulating English newspapers of the Valley. The government has warned of punitive measures under various sections of different laws against anyone, who would print the newspaper.

"Gentlemen, the government has asked us to stop publishing Kashmir Reader till further orders. The government order says "the content of this newspaper can incite violence and disturb peace," the editor of the paper wrote in his Facebook post.

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The district magistrate Srinagar has issued the order against the paper.

NEWSPAPER DISTURBS PUBLIC PEACE



The order reads, "On the basis of credible inputs it has been observed that the daily newspaper namely Kashmir Reader published within the jurisdiction of district Srinagar contains such material and content which tends to incite acts of violence and disturb public peace and tranquillity." "Therefore, it has become expedient in the interest of prevention of this anticipated breach of public tranquillity to forthwith take necessary precautionary measures," the order says. The Deputy Commissioner has directed printing presses to stop printing Kashmir Reader with immediate effect.

This is not the first government has gone against media in these months.

NO MOBILE AND INTERNET SERVICES



The government shut the mobile services including Internet of private telecom operators after massive protests broke out after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. The ban continues to remain in vogue.

In July Jammu and Kashmir Police in overnight raids in curfew hit Srinagar seized hundreds of printed copies of various newspapers including that of Kashmir Reader. The action led to protest from editors and journalists of the valley, who termed the police raids as an "attack on the freedom of press." Following the raids, all newspapers suspended publications for a week forcing the government to apologize.

Later, in August government snapped state-owned BSNL Broadband services leading to complete communication blockade. The move hit media organisations of the valley severely. Last month government restored the broadband services.

At least 90 civilian protesters have been killed and over 10,000 injured in pellet and bullet firing of government forces since July 8. According to police two policemen have been killed and 4000 government forces have been injured in the clashes with the protesters.

ALSO READ:

Terrorists attack Army camp in North Kashmir's Baramulla



--- ENDS ---
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is 'recovering well' and is running the government from Apollo Hospital in Chennai, AIADMK today said amid concerns about her health.

By India Today Web Desk: AIADMK today again asserted that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is healthy and "recovering well", putting an end to concerns and rumours.

A day after Tamil Nadu Governor met Jayalalithaa at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai, AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswati assured the people that the Chief Minister was recovering and also running the government from the hospital itself.

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"Amma is recovering well," AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswati said today.

Also Read: FIR filed against woman for spreading rumours about Jayalalithaa's health



GOVERNOR VIDYASAGAR RAO MET AMMA ON SATURDAY

On Saturday, Vidyasagar Rao, the state's Governor met Jayalalithaa at the Chennai hospital and issued a statement thereafter.

The statement from his office, said "The Governor was happy to note that the chief minister is recovering well and appreciated the doctors for providing the best medical care and treatment."

The AIADMK spokesperson said that Jayalalithaa was meeting ministers and state officials in the hospital to ensure the proper functioning of the government.



Also Read: TN Governor Vidyasagar Rao visits Jayalalithaa at Apollo Hospital in Chennai

'AMMA IS HEALTHY'

The party had issued a statement on Saturday as well asserting that Jayalalithaa is healthy even as a doctor from UK was flown to Chennai to check her.

"Amma (Jayalalithaa) is healthy. She needs rest as per doctors' advice and will return in good health," senior AIADMK leader and former Minister P Valaramathi told the media on Saturday.

"Some jealous people are carrying out a wrong campaign to confuse people by spreading rumours" about Jayalalithaa's health, she had said.

Also Read: 'Amma is healthy', asserts AIADMK putting an end to rumours around Jayalalithaa's health



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Bebo dressed her baby bump in black looks that will totally have your vote!

By Hemul Goel: Mommy-to-be Kareena Kapoor Khan is raising the style stakes for every pregnant woman out there and her recent appearances were no different.



Also read: Mommy-to-be Kareena Kapoor Khan is also the mother of these iconic trends

The stunner managed to dress her baby bump in two completely different looks, both of which will leave you asking for more pictures.



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For the press conference of the launch of Prathima Hospitals in Hyderabad--an event for which she was also accompanied by her husband, actor Saif Ali Khan--the actress chose to give the #girlboss vibe in a chic top and skirt pairing topped with a striped black long jacket. A gold arm party--we mean the stack of accessories adorning her wrist--seems to have become Bebo's go-to accessory fix these days.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@kareenakapoor.arabfc

Nude makeup, a braided 'do, jewels from Minerali and pointed toe heels added the perfect finishing touches to her look.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@kareenakapoorkhanbegum

Also read: Is Kareena's sexy pregnancy style inspired by Kim Kardashian?

Another event for Pristine Estate, had the actress sporting a gorgeous gold and black sharara from Sukriti and Akriti.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@poonamdamania

Finished with baubles from Satyani Fine Jewels, Bebo totally looked like the Chotti Begum that she is!

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@poonamdamania

Did you like one look more than the other? Let us know in the comments.

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At least two terrorists have been killed in the encounter. One BSF jawan was also martyred in the encounter while another was injured.

By India Today Web Desk: A fierce gunfight ended after a three-hour long siege between security forces and a group of terrorists in North Kashmir's Baramulla town.



Combing operation has been initiated outside the Army camp.

Baramulla attack: situation contained and under control, says Army, 2 BSF jawans injured (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/qNEPaRbl5M&; ANI (@ANI_news) October 2, 2016

Meanwhile, BSF DIG is taking a stock of the situation in Baramulla.



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The terrorists attempted to break into the 46 Rashtriya Rifles camp at around 10:40 pm on Sunday night.

Baramulla attack: Terrorists have not breached 46RR camp, tried to enter through a public park near camp. Heavy exchange of fire on&; ANI (@ANI_news) October 2, 2016

ONE BSF JAWAN MARTYRED



At least two terrorists have been killed in the encounter. One BSF jawan was also martyred in the encounter while another was injured.

Watch the video here:

This is the first attack on an Army camp in Kashmir since the Uri attack which led to a surgical strike inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir last week.

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED



More than four terrorists attacked the Army camp's gate while another group attempted to scale the camp's wall from another spot.

Initial reports suggested that a terrorist tried to breach the security cordon and tried to enter the camp but failed as they were engaged right outside the camp.

As per a resident of Baramulla, at least one terrorist might have managed to enter the camp, based on the sound of gunfight that came from inside the camp.

Since the Army and other forces have been on high alert since Uri, they took on the terrorists soon after one hurled grenades near the entry gate.

Soon after that, two or more terrorists tried to breach the wall at another spot believing the forces would rush to the gate where firing had begun.

The injured jawans have been shifted to a safer location.NSA DOVAL, RAJNATH SINGH BRIEFED

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Rajnath Singh have been briefed about the attack.

Watch the video

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Residents of the Valley say that the night-time raids by security forces have compelled the youth to go into hiding. They say that the police enter houses at night in civilian dress and are very rough with anyone who opposes them.

Security forces conduct night-raids in the Kashmir Valley, which have forced the youth into hiding. Photo: PTI

By Indo-Asian News Service: The Kashmir Valley is in the grip of an uneasy calm during day. But at night, the raids conducted by security forces looking for youths supporting the militant cause are causing widespread fear.

Even as the Valley remains shut for the 86th day, a semblance of normality has returned, barring some parts of south Kashmir, the epicentre of a seemingly unending unrest.

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More people and vehicles are seen during the day and no major incident of violence has been reported from south Kashmir for over a week.

The outward calm, however, seems to melt away after sunset.

Also Read: Kashmir unrest: Over 7,000 civilians, 2400 CRPF injured in stone pelting since July 8



NIGHT RAIDS FORCE YOUTH TO HIDE

Residents in Srinagar and in south Kashmir say that night-time raids by security forces have forced scores of youths to go into hiding.

The night raids are being conducted jointly by the police and paramilitary forces, almost daily, in the south, central and north Kashmir areas.

"Night-time raids do not take place in Kashmir alone. They take place across the country when police has to catch any criminal," Deputy Inspector General of Police Nitish Kumar told IANS.

He said, "We raid in the morning, afternoon, evening and similarly during night."

The forces are looking for youths involved in stone-pelting and other street protests since anti-India protests gripped the Kashmir Valley after the July 8 killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.

Also Read: Kashmir unrest: Work on Kishanganga stalled as India reviews Indus Waters Treaty

POLICE IN CIVILIAN DRESS COME AT NIGHT, ARE 'VERY ROUGH'

Police have reportedly arrested thousands from different parts of Kashmir, but no official figures were available.

Residents in south Kashmir's Achabal area said police personnel in civilian dress come to the town at night and enter houses. A resident said they are very rough with anyone who opposes them.

Kumar denied charges of police brutality. "The Jammu and Kashmir Police is a professional force. Such allegations are baseless."

Reports of the night-time raids have also come from Kupwara, Sopore, Budgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Srinagar.

A resident of Kulgam town told IANS that security forces raided his house looking for his son.

"My son was not at home. They roughed me up and tried to arrest me but the strong resistance put up by neighbours forced the police to retreat. I received four stitches on my foot," he said, asking not to be named.

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The fear of arrest has forced many youths of the town to spend nights away from their homes.

Another resident said when security forces come for raids announcements are made over loudspeakers asking people to defend themselves.

Also Read: Kashmir unrest: MHA steps in to rectify weak PAVA shells

'NIGHT RAIDS ARE UNLAWFUL, UNFORTUNATE'

Mohammad Abbas, President of the Anantnag Bar Association, said most of those caught have been charged with arson, rioting, instigating riots, conspiracy and attempt to murder. A few have been accused of anti-national activities.

Night-time raids, he said, "are unlawful and unfortunate".

Most arrests have taken place in south Kashmir (Anantnag, Pulwama, Awantipora, Kulgam and Shopian) followed by north Kashmir (Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Sopore, Handwara) and central Kashmir (Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal).

Official sources said that over 3,500 youths had been arrested in south Kashmir, about 1,500 in north Kashmir and around 1,000 in central Kashmir in recent weeks.

Also Read:

Scarred and blinded for life: Brutal repercussions of using metal pellets in Kashmir

Kashmir unrest: Curfew imposed in Kishtwar, tensions escalate



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Sep 30 (PTI) Kotak Mahindra Bank today announced it is acquiring Karnataka-focused BSS Microfinance for Rs 139.2 crore in an all cash deal, which would enable the private sector lender to enter the high-growth microlending segment.

"The only constraint for BSS was capital, which will not be a problem now. The systems, management team and low NPAs are positives. We will expand the business into newer geographies and products," KMBs President for commercial banking Narayan SA told reporters here.

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The acquisition follows its Rs 15,000 crore merger with ING Vysya Bank last year, and also a similar move by smaller rival IDFC Bank, which snapped up Grama Vidiyal Microfinance in July 2016.

It also comes months ahead of all the small finance banks going operational, which will heighten the competition in the micro loans segment, as a bulk of SFBs have their roots in micro-lending.

Narayan said KMB does not have a direct exposure to the microlending segment, which grew at 80 per cent last fiscal. It has indirect exposure in form of term loans to microfinance institution (MFI) players and securitisation deals, which would amount to Rs 1,500 crore of the Rs 1.7 trillion loan book.

BSS, which lends only to women under the joint lending group model, has an average loan size of Rs 22,000 and all the loans qualify under priority sector lending (PSL) guidelines, which would be of a help to the private sector bank.

The microlender had witnessed a 30 per cent growth in its loanbook which stood at Rs 483 crore as of March 2016, Narayan said, adding the non performing assets are also very low at 0.003 per cent overdue for a day or more.

The operations of BSS, which was started by Ramesh Bellamkonda over a decade ago, are predominantly spread in Karnataka, Narayan said.

It has also expanded into Maharashtra and has plans to enter Madhya Pradesh, he said.

The consideration paid is to buy out Bellamkondas 99.49 per cent stake in the company, and it does not include any money poured into the business, Narayan said, adding that KMB is committed to fund the business expansion.

An ex-employee has the remaining minority stake of about half a percentage point and talks are on with him to acquire it as well, he said.

KMB will retain the brand, entire management team including the CEO, COO, HR head and also over 730 employees of BSS, Narayan said. (More) PTI AA NRB BAL

--- ENDS ---
day after the Patna High Court scrapped the liquor law, Nitish asserted that the law has now changed the face of rural Bihar.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asserted that the prohibition law that was imposed in April this year has brought a massive social revolution in the state. Speaking at an event in Patna, a day after the Patna High Court scrapped the liquor law, Nitish asserted that the law has now changed the face of rural Bihar. He said that poor people now have greater amount of money as savings and not wasting it on consuming liquor.



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IMPLEMENT LAW ON GANDHI JAYANTI



Prohibition has brought a social change in Bihar. People are making fun of me but the fact is that rural Bihar has seen a social transformation. Women are no more being subjected to domestic violence now. A peaceful atmosphere has be created in Bihar now??, said Nitish Kumar.

Nitish announced that the new Bihar Prohibition & Excise Act, 2016 would be implemented in the state from 2md October on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Nitish said that he meticulously chose to implement the law on Gandhi Jayanti as Mahatma Gandhi was also in favor of prohibition.



On 2nd October the new law will be implemented. A notification will be issued on Sunday morning??, announced the Bihar CM.

PROHIBITION A SOCIAL MOVEMENT



Nitish also dispelled fear that the huge revenue loss to the tune of Rs. 5000 crore annually would create hurdle in the development of the state.



When people stop wasting money on liquor, there will more savings in their hands. Prohibition is a social movement??, said Nitish Kumar.



Nitish appealed to the women of the state to propagate prohibition and create greater awareness in the state for a better society.

Also Read: Unfazed Nitish Kumar to implement another liquor law on Gandhi Jayanti

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today launched the second and the final phase of the CCTV cameras project for Mumbai here.

After this, the entire megapolis will be covered by these cameras.

Applauding the efforts of the Home and Information Technology (IT) departments in this regard, Fadnavis said the move will help in better policing and traffic management.

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"In less than one-and-a-half years (after coming to power), we have succeeded in making Mumbai citys surveillance network go live. This will help in smarter, better policing and traffic management," he said.

"Mumbai police now gets a third eye which will never take a break or complain of being tired. It will be the Mumbai cops best friend," he added.

Explaining the technology, the chief minister said the system will generate alerts if it finds any stranded object at a public place or a person moving around suspiciously.

Also, the Automatic Number Plate Recognition System, integrated with the e-Chalan system for traffic violation, will help the chalan reach the offender even before he reaches home, Fadnavis said.

"It will also keep a record of habitual offenders to ensure that their driving licences are suspended and the menace is curbed," he added.

"The system is also equipped with a unique face recognition feature which will enable the police to catch wanted criminals, whose photos will be captured whenever they come under the lens," Fadnavis said, adding that the thermal cameras will monitor coastal security even at night and send smart alerts and live feed.

He said his government was committed to making Maharashtra the first "fully digital state" by creating digital villages which will bridge the gap with the cities.

"We wish to provide the best healthcare and educational facilities to all the villagers and the best market facilities to the farmers with the help of technology," he said.

"Only technology can ensure equality because it does not discriminate or work on the basis of gender, caste, creed etc.," he added.

The chief minister had launched the first phase of the project last year.

Larsen and Toubro (L&T) had bagged the Rs-959 crore contract of the Maharashtra government for securing Mumbai with a CCTV network. PTI MM NRB RC

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) In a crackdown on counterfeit currency, Delhi Police today arrested a 42-year-old man from Rohini in outer Delhi and seized fake coins of Rs 40,000 face value from him.

During surprise vehicle checking drive in Outer District, a car was stopped by the Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS). On checking, the car was found to be containing 20 packets each of counterfeit Indian coins and each packet contained about 100 coins.

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During questioning, Naresh Kumar (42), who was driving the car, confessed that after suffering losses in business he joined hands with Sonu and Raju to supply counterfeit coins in the market for easy money, a police officer claimed.

According to police, the accused disclosed that Sonu and Raju were running a factory at Bawana Industrial area here where counterfeit 5 and 10 coins were being minted which were supplied to different parts of the country.

Kumar had introduced himself to the AATS as an officer from the Punjab National Bank. When he was asked to present his identity card, he refused. Kumar was detained by police for further interrogation, the officer said.

Kumar confessed that he has been involved in the counterfeit coins supply business since 2014 after he incurred losses in business.

"He (Kumar) started his business of car accessories at Charkhi Dadri in Haryana. Due to losses in the business and huge loan on his head he joined hands with Sonu and Raju for easy money by supplying the counterfeit coins to innocent people," the police added. PTI SLB PKS RCJ

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Manisha Rege

Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) The silent marches taken out by Maratha Kranti Morcha around Maharashtra to highlight demands like reservation in jobs and education have created ripples in state politics, with major players adopting a "wait and watch" approach to see if the massive mobilisation will eventually assume electoral dimensions.

Observers say that all main parties -- BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP - are unnerved by the huge success of the rallies, highlighting demands like reservation in job and education, though the immediate trigger being the rape and murder of a girl from the community at Kopardi in Ahmednagar.

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They, however, feel it is too early to jump to the conclusion that the movement will lead to political changes.

According to Venkatesh Patil, journalist and author of "Maratha reservation- role and reality", the campaign is an opportunity for BJP to consolidate its Maratha vote base by bringing the community under the ambit of reservation.

"It is not to say Maratha leaders of congress or NCP have not done anything. The present ruling leadership cannot wash off its hands. The BJP is wasting the opportunity if it fails to turn the situation in its advantage," Patil told PTI.

"A Brahmin Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) addressing the grievances of the Maratha community is a good message in the long run. BJP should also groom a Maratha leader with a good mass base," he said.

Patil observes that the "silent and disciplined agitation" has given a new model for the state about how a non-violent morcha can be mobilised.

Instead of dismissing it as politically-motivated, the government should see the wider social issues raised by the movement, he said.

The issue will not be resolved until there is a constitutional amendment (to the quota regime) and Marathas are included as OBCs.

"Right now, political parties cannot touch SC/ST/OBC quota and the government is unlikely to consider the demand going by the constitutional provisions," Patil said.

As per the Supreme Court ruling, reservation cannot exceed 50 per cent and at present the state has 52 per cent reservation, he said.

Shiv Senas stand of economic reservation has incensed the Maratha Kranti Morcha, Patil said.

"There is a feeling that the Senas stand is to ensure Marathas do not get reservations. There is no constitutional provision for economic reservation and even if it is given it will not the legal scrutiny," he said, adding this approach can cost it politically. (MORE) PTI MR NM ARS DV JMF

--- ENDS ---
As the Bahujan Samaj Party heads into a make-or-break electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh, will the family crisis ripping apart the Samajwadi Party be the godsend for Mayawati to stage a comeback? Buffeted by the exodus of rebels, who quit the party in their scores and crossed over to an aggressive Bharatiya Janata Party, Mayawati is making a determined bid to make a coalition of Dalits and Muslims-who between them comprise 40 per cent of the state electorate-see her as their best hope.

All her rallies so far, in Azamgarh, Allahabad, Saharanpur, and the one in Agra on August 21 where she launched the BSP's election campaign, were thronged by hundreds of thousands of her supporters. In the past too, Mayawati has been a great crowd-puller, much more than other state leaders. What made these four rallies different is the number of Muslims that came and stood alongside the Dalits. And the passion of the young BSP supporter. On view was a new politics of assertion, in marked contrast to the image of the subdued, disciplined party worker who would trek miles to attend Behenji's rallies, listen star-struck to everything she said, and return without having said a word.

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Ever since Rohith Vemula committed suicide in the Central University of Hyderabad and four Dalit youth were mercilessly thrashed by gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) in Una in Gujarat, the younger Dalits have been livid. The atrocities committed by cow vigilantes of the Sangh parivar have alienated both the Dalits and the Muslims in equal measure. Led by radical organisations like the Ambedkar Students Union and BAPSA (Birsa-Ambedkar-Phule Students Association), alienated Dalit youth have joined the minorities in a bold new alliance that is bound to redefine UP politics.

Tapping into the frustration of the Dalit and Muslim youth, the combative Mayawati has begun targeting the BJP as her enemy No. 1. The SP is only criticised over its appalling law and order record and the Congress chided in the mildest terms. In Agra, Mayawati attacked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for saying Hindus should produce more children, asking if the NDA government would provide them food. In Azamgarh, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's constituency, the main target was again the BJP. In Allahabad, Mayawati mocked the recent attempts of BJP leaders to woo Dalits by paying lip-service to their icons and hollow gestures like sharing a meal with Dalit families.

Consider the Saharanpur rally: Mayawati lashed out at the BJP for using cow vigilantes to mount atrocities on Muslims and Dalits. Dadri and Una were two sides of the same coin, she fumed. While promoting Dalit-Muslim unity, she reminded her audience that the Constitution drafted by a Dalit, Babasaheb Ambedkar, had granted special rights for them that needed to be upheld. The NDA government has failed in its constitutional duty, said Mayawati.

Saharanpur, with a 42 per cent Muslim population, has long been BSP's bastion. Mayawati had represented Harora (now Saharanpur rural) in 1996 in the Parliament. The BSP won four of Saharanpur's seven assembly seats in the 2012 assembly elections. Saharanpur borders Muzaffarnagar to its south, the site of major communal clashes in 2013 in which 62 people were killed and thousands displaced. The Dalit-Muslim unity call is aimed at weaning away Muslims traditionally loyal to the Samajwadi Party but who have, post-Muzaffarnagar, turned away from it.

Potentially, the Dalit-Muslim combination in UP is a formidable coalition. Although the 19 percent Muslim vote is divided three ways among SP, Congress and BSP, the latter's penetration among Muslims has increased in each successive election. According to CSDS data, approximately 9.7 percent Muslims supported the BSP in the 2002 assembly elections, 17.6 percent in 2007 and 20.4 percent in 2012. By following a strategy of fielding the highest number of Muslim candidates compared to other political parties in constituencies with significant minority presence, Mayawati is aiming at attracting a higher percentage of Muslim voters in 2017.

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ELECTORAL COMPULSIONS

The focus on a Dalit-Muslim alliance is also dictated by electoral compulsions and a change in strategy. After losing power in the 2012 assembly elections and failing to win a single seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, a desperate Mayawati realised the futility of her earlier strategy of attempting to forge direct alliances with upper castes and OBC leaders. The overreach beyond her base vote worked in 2007 but boomeranged in 2012 and 2014. In 2012, she lost an estimated 15 percent of her Dalit votebase and failed to attract either the upper castes or the OBCs. On top of that, she was saddled with OBC and upper caste leaders who switch sides the moment the BSP denies tickets to them. Swami Prasad Maurya and several other rebels quit the BSP recently after attacking Mayawati for selling tickets to the highest bidder.

Will such resignations affect the BSP's electoral fortunes? Maurya says it will turn a sure victory into defeat. The evidence he puts out: "Before April this year, all the opinion polls were predicting the BSP as the frontrunner for the 2017 polls. Today, all of them are predicting the BSP as the third player. The only thing that changed between April and today is that I and several other BSP leaders have quit the party. She is finished without us."

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BSP spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria strongly disagrees on this. "In the 2007 elections, over 40 rebels switched sides when denied tickets, but the BSP still won hands down and formed the government. Mayawati is the only star attraction who can fetch votes in the BSP, no other leader really matters."



TOUGH ON CRIME

Apart from identity politics, what makes Mayawati popular with general voters today? Professor Sudha Pai, author of a book on the BSP, Dalit Assertion and the Unfinished Democratic Revolution, says, "She is known to be tough on crime. Between 2007-2012, she also built lots of roads, urban housing projects, a new sewage system for Lucknow and numerous Ambedkar parks."

With law and order touching a new low under the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government, Mayawati's tough stand on crime has attracted even sections of the middle class. She makes it a point in every rally to hammer the declining standards of law and order-the landgrabs, the Mathura incident, the increasing cases of crime against women, communal clashes such as Muzaffarnagar and others-under the SP government.

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On the issue of a pre-poll alliance with the Congress, most BSP leaders believe that it would ensure victory against the BJP and the SP. However, they argue that the BSP's past experience with pre-poll alliances shows that other parties are unable to transfer their vote to the BSP, while the BSP manages to transfer its base vote to the alliance partner. One BSP leader on condition of anonymity pointed out, "This time it'll be good if the Congress contests all 403 seats. Even if they don't win many, they will cut into the upper caste (mainly Brahmin votes) of the BJP."

The action of the cow vigilantes against poor Dalits has set back the BJP's community outreach programme. As one BSP leader pointed out, "The BJP failed in its attempt to hijack a section of the Dalit vote from the BSP. So it is now busy attempting to break the party by luring BSP rebels who were denied tickets. Wait till these leaders begin their rebellion in the BJP camp."

Maurya, meanwhile, points out that the BSP's support among non-Jatav Dalits and the most backward castes has significantly eroded in the past. The BJP has penetrated Dalit communities such as Valmikis, Pasis and others, especially in western UP.

According to CSDS data, the BSP's non-Jatav Dalit base first declined from 60.6 per cent in 1996 to 55 per cent in 2002 and 2007. However, it dropped further to 48 percent in 2012. The new attempt by Mayawati to consolidate all Dalits under one umbrella is with the slogan 'Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay (Gain for All, Welfare of All).

Mayawati turned 60 last January 15. In the past, her birthdays used to be lavish affairs, celebrated with pomp and pageantry. This year, it was unusually sober and yet managed to be a great exercise in political mobilisation. Her two political setbacks-2012 and 2014-have taught her tough lessons in politics. In this uphill battle for the 2017 elections, the forging of the Dalit- Muslim combination is essential but is still not sufficient to win the war. Her past achievements have also been soiled by allegations of venality. She needs to come up with a winning formula, a new agenda over and above Dalit-Muslim unity. A better and more effective use of social media will also help her reach a larger audience. She needs to restructure her party by delegating authority at all levels to prevent desertions. Building some kind of mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), like in Bihar, might prove to be the safest strategy for winning the war.

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Yesterday, China started damming the Xiabuqu, to take forward the construction of the most expensive hydropower project.

By Ananth Krishnan: China on Friday started damming a tributary of the Brahmaputra, the Xiabuqu river to take forward the construction of its "most expensive hydropower project", the work on which began in Tibet in June 2014.

The Xiabuqu is not a transborder river. It does not flow into India. So the dam is unlikely to have a major impact on downstream flows into India, officials said.

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India has been concerned by the four dams China is building on the main river's upper reaches. Both sides have been exchanging hydrological data and discussing the management of transborder rivers through a jointly working group mechanism.

The Lalho project on the Xiabuqu river, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo as the Brahmaputra is known in China, costs $740 million dollars and construction began in June 2014.

It is scheduled to be completed in 2019, and is aimed at irrigation, flood control and power generation.

Also read: In latest snub, China blocks India's move to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar at UN

The reservoir is "designed to store up to 295 million cubic meters of water and help irrigate 30,000 hectares of farmland", Xinhua reported, adding that the farming area, which usually suffers from severe drought, is a major crop production base in Xigaze.

The report said the project "will have two power stations with a combined generation capacity of 42 megawatts" and are "designed to generate 85 million kilowatthours of electricity each year".

China's first dam on the main upper reaches of the Brahmaputra at Zangmu in 2010 caused concerns in India because of possible impact on downstream flows.

The green light was given for three more dams in the 2011-15 five-year plan, the work on which is ongoing.

Also read: Stronger India-China economic engagement can trump China-Pakistan security ties: Panagariya

Beijing has assured Delhi that the runof-the-river dams will not affect downstream flows as they are for power generation only and will not store large volumes of water.

Ecological experts have expressed concern on the impact on both the river and the Tibetan plateau's sensitive ecosystem, with four dams already in construction and more in the pipeline.

India and China in 2013 signed an agreement to extend the period for sharing of hydrological data and also to allow Indian experts to measure flows in Tibet.

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A total of 4,717 CCTV cameras across 1510 locations, covering almost 80 percent of the city, were inaugurated today.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today launched Mumbai's city-wide CCTV surveillance network that is expected to make the surveillance system stronger.

A total of 4717 CCTV cameras across 1510 locations, covering almost 80 percent of the city, were inaugurated today. Apart from the fixed cameras, 5 mobile surveillance vans will also start patrolling the city.

"In less than one and a half years we've succeeded in making Mumbai City surveillance network go Live. It'll help in smarter surveillance, better policing & traffic management," said Fadnavis.

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"We're committed to make Maharashtra, the 1st fully Digital State and by creating digital villages we're bridging gap between cities & villages. We wish to provide best healthcare & educational facilities to all villagers & also best market facilities to farmers by use of technology. Only technology can ensure equality because it doesn't discriminate or work on the basis of gender, caste, creed or any other basis." Fadnavis added.

MAKING SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM STRONGER

As many as 4,717 out of the 6,000 cameras have become operational today. The remaining 1,200 cameras are expected to become functional by November.

The cameras used for the project are Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras (PTZ cameras), which are capable of taking high resolution images while allowing for remote directional change and zoom functionality.

The footage is saved for 30 days, but can be extended and saved for up to 180 days. Most of these cameras also support night vision and 360 degree coverage. To allow for better coverage along the coasts, where conventional monitoring is difficult, thermal-sensing cameras have been used.

Each camera will be linked to the main control room at police commissioner's office in South Mumbai and the emergency control room in Kalina.

The live feed will also be made available to traffic police's main control room, all police stations, DCP's offices and Regional Additional CP's offices. However, only the main control rooms at Crawford Market and Kalina will have the ability to operate the cameras.

The CCTV networks also has a face recognition system.

ALSO READ:

Supriya Sule compares CM Fadnavis with women who fight for water at public taps

Mumbai: Man who claimed harassment by gau rakshaks cooked up story, booked by police



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Ahmedabad, Oct 2 (PTI) City-based Navajivan Trust, an organisation founded by Mahatma Gandhi, has announced to take up the responsibility of publishing a quarterly magazine prepared entirely by inmates of Sabarmati Central Jail here, where Gandhiji was lodged during Independence struggle.

The trust, established in 1919 by Gandhi, has also announced to collaborate with jail authorities to sell various products prepared by inmates through a cafeteria and a khadi shop situated inside the trusts premises near Ashram road, the organisations trustee Vivek Desai said.

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"Navajivan Trust will take up the responsibility of printing and publishing quarterly magazine Saad, being prepared by the inmates of Sabarmati jail. It will have various articles, stories and poems written by inmates. The trust will also provide necessary guidance on the editorial front," Desai said at a press conference here today.

According to jail superintendent Sunil Joshi, the first issue of the magazine is on the verge of completion.

"Right from the writers to the editor, this magazine is solely prepared by our inmates. We are glad that Navajivan Trust has announced to publish this magazine for free. Apart from internal circulation, this magazine will also be made available to public," Joshi said.

The trust has also announced to sell products made in jail through their outlets.

"Inmates prepare various items inside the jail, such as garments, bakery products and furniture. We have planned to sell these items through Karm Cafe located in our premises. Various garments prepared by inmates will be put for sale at our "Swatva Khadi Store" in coming days" said Desai.

On Mahatma Gandhis 147th birth anniversary today, Navajivan Trust launched a 120-page graphical autobiography of Gandhiji, which will be available in Gujarati and English.

"This book is like a comic strip showcasing Gandhijis entire life and journey in the graphical format. Each frame is having some text to describe the picture," Desai said, adding that another book on Kasturba was also launched today by the trust. PTI PJT PD GK AYP JMF JMF

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Nepal would take necessary initiatives and hold discussions with member countries to press for holding the 19th SAARC Summit, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat said.

By Maha Siddiqui: SAARC Chair Nepal on Saturday said it would hold talks with member states to press for holding the grouping's summit, which has been postponed following a pull-out by five countries, including India.

The 19th SAARC Summit was scheduled to take place in the Pakistani capital Islamabad from November 9 to 10, but was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet.

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Statement by Nepal on postponement of the 19th SAARC summit Nepal regrets that regional environment is not conducive to host the 19th SAARC Summit scheduled for 9 and 10 November 2016 in Islamabad. Nepal strongly believes that an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation. Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism. Nepal has always condemned all acts of terrorism in our own region. Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, 2016, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers. Host country Pakistan has informed the Chair of SAARC of the postponement of the 19th SAARC Summit. As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th summit with the participation of all member states. Nepal thinks, to achieve peace and stability in the region, SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross border terrorism.

NEPAL BATS FOR HOLDING SUMMIT



Nepal would take necessary initiatives and hold discussions with member countries to press for holding the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat said.

The 19th SAARC Summit was scheduled to take place in Pakistani capital Islamabad from November 9 to 10, but the event was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by five countries -- India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

Also read: SAARC summit: Maldives joins India, 4 others in boycott; Pakistan's isolation complete



The SAARC member states must be sensitive towards holding the Summit by ensuring the participation of every member, Mahat said while talking to journalists upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. (Reuters file photo)

SAARC IMPORTANT FORUM: MAHAT



"SAARC is an important forum for advancing regional cooperation and development," the minister said after landing in Kathmandu after leading the Nepali delegation to the 71st United National General Assembly (UNGA).

Harmonious relations between the member states would enhance utilisation of the association and encourage regional development, he was quoted as saying by a daily.

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Also read: Nuclear attack on India will be suicidal, warns Pakistani analyst



Besides India, three other SAARC members -- Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan -- pulled out of the summit, indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment, which is not right for the successful holding of the meet.

SRI LANKA JOINED BOYCOTT LIST



Sri Lanka also pulled out of the SAARC Summit, becoming the fifth country to do so.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India had announced earlier this week that "in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India "was unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad."

SAARC member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

-With inputs from PTI



--- ENDS ---
Springdales School walked away with the honours to enter the final of the quiz show hosted by Rajdeep Sardesai on India Today Television.

By India Today Web Desk: In episode 11 of News Wiz -- the nation's first and the biggest news quiz -- three school teams competed to test their knowledge of current affairs and ability to handle pressure in the second semifinal.

The three participating teams were Kolkata's National Gem School, New Delhi's Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan and Sunbeam School, Lahatara from Varanasi.

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At the end of the day, Springdales School walked away with the honours to enter the final of the quiz show hosted by Rajdeep Sardesai on India Today Television.

Unlike the first semifinal, the schools were fiercely competitive from the very beginning. Each school scored a perfect 400 points at the end of the first round -- News Cluster-- with all of them securing 100 bonus points.

But, the second round took every one, including the special guest Babul Supriyo, by surprise. The other guest on the TV quiz show was noted TV anchor Padmaja Joshi.

Springdales School leapt ahead of others by securing 500 additional points, while National Gems could add just 100 points to the first round tally. Sunbeam remained where they were at the end of the first round.

At the end of the second round called Top Story, Springdales were leading with 900 points followed by National Gems at 500 points. Sunbeam Lahartara were at third position with 400 points.

Springdales School consolidated their lead further in the third round -- Match Time, which the other two contesting teams found tough to negotiate. Even the special guests could not help Sunbeam Lahartara improve their score by much as they could not get the answers right.

At the end of the third round, Springdales were at 1,100, National Gems at 850 and Sunbeam School were at 500 points.

In the final fourth round called News Buzz, Sunbeam Lahartara showed some signs of a comeback by scoring 200 points, but it was too late by then. They stood at third place with 700 points. National Gems added 100 points to their third round score to finish second with 950 points.

Springdales School set a record at the News Wiz by scoring 1300 points. They were the second of the final contestants. The third and the last semifinal of News Wiz will be telecast next Sunday.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE



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By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) Capping its month-long nationwide campaign to spread the message of communal harmony, a city-based NGO today said it will hold a conference here on Monday to "stop the politics of hate".

Popular Front of India (PFI) had started the drive on September 1 on the theme of Stop Politics of Hate and various programmes such as conferences, street corner meetings exhibitions were held.

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"We will hold a huge public gathering National Peoples Conference at Talkatora Stadium on October 3 to mark the conclusion," a PFI official said.

He said a delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to submit a memorandum after the programme.

"The conference will adopt a declaration asking all secular and democratic forces to unite and align with tribals, Dalits and minorities who are the prime victims of communal attacks," the PFI said. PTI KND PMS

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By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) The NIA today arrested six persons from Kerala for allegedly plotting terror attacks in the country during the agencys ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 21 people from the state who are believed to have joined the Islamic State (ISIS).

Those arrested have been identified as Manseed alias Omar Al Hindi, Abu Basheer alias Rashid, Swalih Mohammed T alias Yousuf, Safwan P, Jasim NK and Ramshad Nageelan Kandiyil alias Aaamu from two districts of Kerala. All the six would be presented before a Specal NIA court tomorrow at Ernakulam, sources in the anti-terror probe agency said.

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NIA was assisted by police personnel from Kerala, Delhi and Telangana during the operations.

An NIA spokesman said that acting on specific information, its teams along with police from Kerala, Delhi and Telangana tracked the movement of the accused.

During searches conducted today in Kozikhode and Kannur districts of Kerala these six people were arrested, the spokesman said. Five of them were arrested when they were allegedly conducting a meeting at Kanakamala hilltop in Kannur district.

During subsequent searches, another person was detained from Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode district and later arrested.

The NIA spokesman said that during the searches, incriminating material besides electronic devices were seized.

"Follow up searches are being conducted by NIA in Chennai, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Kannur, Kozikhode and Mallapuram in Kerala with support of Tamil Nadu and Kerala Police," the spokesman said.

The searches were conducted after credible information was received that some youth from Kerala and Tamil Nadu along with their accomplices have entered into a criminal conspiracy to commit terrorist acts by collecting explosives and other offensive material for targeting important persons and places of public importance in various parts of south lndia, sources said.

The NIA has already registered a case in connection with the 21 missing youths from Kerala who are believed to have joined ISIS terror group in Afghanistan and later moved to Syria and some other countries. PTI SKL SK SK

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After street lights were turned off in Reykjavik in Iceland, an astronomer captured a stunning time-lapse video of the Northern Lights.

A frame from the time-lapse video that captured the Northern Lights in Iceland. Photo: Screengrab from the video

By India Today Web Desk: Have you heard about the phenomenon of Aurora Borealis or what is also referred to as the Northern Lights?

It is a stunning light show that is caused when electrically charged particles released from the Sun enters the Earth's atmosphere and collide with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen. Aurora can be seen around the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres.

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This year, the Northern Lights were predicted to be seen last Wednesday and the city of Reykjavik in Iceland turned off all the street lights to let people witness the phenomenon better. The city council also encouraged people to turn the lights in their homes off so that everyone could watch the Aurora.

An astronomer, Helgi Bragason, made an incredible time-lapse video of the Northern Lights that appeared above the city of Reykjavik, and the video was posted on Facebook by one Hotel Ranga's Facebook page.

Watch the video here:





The video that was posted on September 28 has gone viral with over 11,0000 shares and has garnered over 5,73,000 views.

Social media users also posted photos and videos of the Northern Lights they could capture. Here are some:

A video posted by Kristjn ?rslsson (@kristjanfitness) on Sep 28, 2016 at 6:49pm PDT

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, Oct 2 (PTI) Terming Pakistan a "defeated force", Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said Islamabads protests over recent execution of a 1971 war crimes convict prompted Bangladesh to pull out of the SAARC Summit.

"Pakistan is a defeated force. We defeated them in our Liberation War (in 1971), as a defeated force they can tell many things which matters little to us... Pakistans view is nothing but the aspersion of a defeated party, which people of Bangladesh should consider in that manner," she said.

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Pakistans protests over recent executions of a 1971 war crimes convict prompted Bangladesh to take the decision not to join the 19th SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad, Hasina said at a press meet here, a day after returning from New York where she attended the UN General Assembly.

"The diplomatic ties will be there... we will face them (Pakistan) diplomatically," the Prime Minister said.

She asked Bangladeshis to think about the relationship of "cohorts and patrons" of perpetrators of 1971 war crimes against humanity who carried out genocides siding with Pakistani troops during the Liberation war, in an oblique reference to main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

"BNPs founder General Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated them (war criminals) after 1975... She (Zia) rewarded the (now executed) war criminals making them ministers in her cabinet.

"Before severing diplomatic relation with Pakistan, people of Bangladesh should consider cutting off links with their local cohorts and boycott them in the social and political arena," Hasina said.

Asked what is her governments stand on the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Hasina said the situation "concerns us".

"We do not want any tension, war-like situation... in that case we will also be affected and our development of the region will be disrupted. What we sincerely expect is the two countries will settle their issues through dialogue bilaterally," she said.

Ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan witnessed strain after Dhaka initiated the trial of Bangladeshi perpetrators of 1971 war crimes in 2010 in line with Hasinas electoral pledges, with Islamabad repeatedly condemning the trials.

In the latest such incident, Pakistan reacted to execution of a business tycoon and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali last month saying "the act of suppressing the opposition, through flawed trials, is completely against the spirit of democracy", angering Dhaka.

Bangladesh so far carried out judicial execution of six condemned war criminals, five being leaders of Jamaat which was opposed to the 1971 independence.

The 19th SAARC Summit was postponed after the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit which was scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad. PTI AR CPS AKJ CPS

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One of the videos shows how a nuclear attack is to be carried out in Connaught Place in Delhi.

By Shashank Shekhar: Several social media accounts active from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have come under scanner of central security agencies after the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan.

According to officers, many accounts were found actively involved in expanding the terror network through radicalisation, post the strike.

SECURITY AGENCIES ZEROING IN ON SUCH ACCOUNTS



Security agencies have zeroed in on several such accounts, which have uploaded hate and terror training videos from PoK. In these clips, they have also described how a nuclear attack is to be carried out in Connaught Place in Delhi.

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According to security agencies, such contents are being monitored round the clock and checks are being kept on those who are uploading such matter on the web and further accessing them.

"After Uri attack, we have come across many profiles that are being used to radicalise people in India. They are putting up old videos and motivating the youth to become part of their jihad. Such accounts are being monitored. All the IP addresses of those who are uploading such content and are watching them are being tracked," said a senior officer to Mail Today.

Agencies have also found an account under the name of Salman Chaudhary, which is uploading objectionable content, including videos that talk of Pakistan launching a nuclear attack on India. Chaudhary's account has been active since 2014 and his IP address has been found to be active from PoK area.

SPURT IN VIDEOS AND BLOGS CLAIMING INDIA'S SURGICAL STRIKES ARE FAKE



Cyber crime experts have also found a spurt in several videos and blogs, claiming India's surgical strikes to be fake.

"Pakistan-sponsored attacks have been on the rise lately. There are many fake videos, which are being uploaded and circulated challenging the Indian Army's surgical strikes in an attempt to discredit the force. But, all the links are from Pakistan and from other unverified sources. It is advisable to stay alert as rumourmongering is at its peak," Kislay Chaudhary, cyber crime expert said.

WAR OF THE HACKERS



Similarly, other experts claim that even the attack by hackers between the two countries have increased after the attack in Uri two weeks ago that left 20 soldiers dead.

"Our team has hacked several Pakistani websites to avenge the killing of our soldiers. We will avenge the attack on the virtual world. We have taken control of several establishments and awaiting command to launch attack, if need be," said a blackhat hacker to Mail Today.

Experts believe that intelligence gathering process have increased as hackers are not only defacing the sites but and silently spying into critical network.

"This is an ongoing process but after every such incident, intelligence gathering process increases when hackers from both the countries try to snoop and gather as much details," said Deep Shankar, a cyber crime expert.

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Also read: Facebook, WhatsApp honeytraps: Border villages, police cautioned on bogus Pakistan messages



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Mysuru's strict penalty programme to check littering, and the civic corporation's efforts at managing waste have yielded results.

By India Today Web Desk: Penalizing a crime is perhaps the best way to bring about a change. Mysuru, which won the Cleanest City Award, at the Safaigiri Awards 2016, is a fine example of this.

Be ready to pay a fine of Rs 100 for urinating in public or spitting. And if you are a repeat offender, the fine is as much as Rs 500. For littering by commercial organizations, the penalty is severe. A first-time offence carries a fine of Rs 500, while the amount is double if caught twice.

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The city, say many, has seen a change in people's attitude, and a lot of it is due to the penalty programme.

Picking up the award on behalf of Mysuru, M Raju, additional commissioner, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), said the city is also taking steps to deal with the problem of segregation of waste.

"We segregate at least 60-70 percent of the waste at the source level before sending it to the plant," Raju said.

Further, it doesn't let this waste go waste. This waste is then converted into manure and sold to farmers.

The city is also setting up waste management plants at its nine zonal divisions to make the waste management process more efficient.

And after reading this, if you plan to call the MCC to congratulate them, you are in for another surprise. All officials of the corporation have a caller tune on their phone that has a mother and a son taking about cleanliness.

"We are using every platform possible to spread the message," Raju said.

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By PTI: From Aditi Khanna

London, Oct 2 (PTI) A new petition filed on the official UK Parliament website calling on Britain to "strongly condemn" Pakistan for providing a safe haven for terrorists today crossed the threshold of 10,000 signatures, making it incumbent upon the UK government to respond to it.

The petition titled UK Govt to strongly condemn Pakistan or providing safe haven for terrorists has now crossed the number of signatures required to make it incumbent upon the UK government to respond to it.

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But the aim is to gather as many as 100,000 signatures by the March 29, 2017 deadline so that the issue has to be considered for a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons.

"Pakistan continues to double speak on issue of terrorism. It has aided & abetted enemies of the international coalition (of which Britain is a leading partner with the US) against terrorism. Osama Bin Ladens hideout was in Pakistan. Pakistan continues to harbour UN sanctioned terror networks," reads the petition, authored by an Indian-origin professional Naman Paropkari.

It goes on: "The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has often been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks across the world including the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, terrorism in Kashmir, Indian Parliament Attack and Mumbai terror attacks."

"It has been noted by many that several militant & criminal groups are backed by senior officers in the Pakistani army & the countrys ISI intelligence establishment. Daniel Byman says Pakistan is probably todays most active sponsor of terrorism," the petition said.

Byman is a professor at Georgetown Universitys Walsh School of Foreign Service in the Security Studies Programme and Department of Government.

Tensions between India and Pakistan are growing after militants stormed an Indian Army base in Uri on September 18, killing 19 soldiers.

The terror launch pads across the border were targeted by the Indian Army last week, inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. PTI AK UZM AKJ UZM

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According to an Army official, Mohd Rashid Khan, a resident of Tedabund of Haveli Tehsil in PoK, was apprehended in a joint operation by the security forces in Saujian sector yesterday.

By Ashwini Kumar: The Indian Army, along with Jammu and Kashmir Police, today apprehended a 41-year-old man from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) along the Line of Control (LoC) in Saujian sector in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

An Army official said Mohd Rashid Khan, a resident of Tedabund of Haveli Tehsil in PoK, was apprehended in a joint operation by the security forces in Saujian sector yesterday.

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The person is being interrogated and further investigation is on.

Similarly, in another incident, Pakistan army captured a Indian soldier during cross-border firing, after he inadvertently crossed over to other side of LoC on on September 29 afternoon.

Twenty-two-year-old Chandu Chavan from 37 RR strayed across the India-Pakistan border following which Pakistan had been informed by the DGMO on the hotline.

ALSO READ:

Army and BSF jawans arrest two Jaish guides in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri



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By PTI: Karachi, Sep 30 (PTI) One police official was today shot dead while another was critically injured when unidentified gunmen tried to free two alleged under-trial prisoners from a police van in Pakistans port city Karachi.

The gunmen opened fire on the police van carrying the prisoners in theBalochcolony area but couldnt free themafter retaliationfrom thepolicemen.

The prisoners,who were being taken back to the Central jail after attending a hearing at an anti-terrorism court have beenidentified as Mohammad Imtiaz and Abdul Malik who were arrested from Korangi, and were involved in the murder of a police constable.

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One of the two policemen who were shot at were rushed to a hospital where he sucummbed to his injuries.

Earlier thismonth, two police officials were shot dead in theDefenceHousing Authority (DHA) area of the city. PTI CORR KJ ASK KJ

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The ground staff of Air India confirmed that Flight 1854 bound for Delhi developed some problem and smoke started emitting from the engine.

By Press Trust of India: Two Air India flights from Pune to New Delhi were cancelled for two successive days due to unspecified technical issues following which passengers were shifted to another flight this evening.

The ground staff of Air India confirmed that Flight 1854 bound for Delhi developed some problem and smoke started emitting from the engine.

While Air India had to cancel AI 854 yesterday due to "technical glitches", the new aircraft sent to the Pune airport to ferry the passengers at 3 pm today could not take off again due to unspecified technical issues and hence the passengers were adjusted in another flight which took off at 7.30 pm.

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The airline did not offer any other explanation for the cancellations.

The flight had 25 passengers on board.

In a statement Air India said this evening that "Flight no AI854 from Pune to Delhi scheduled for October 1 at 3 pm was delayed due to technical reason. Flight AI850 with passengers on board is ready to depart today at 7.30 pm ".

Pune Airport Director Ajay Kumar said due to technical snag, they (airline) did not operate the flight yesterday but today the airline tried to operate the flight.

"However, after pilot again found a technical snag and while taking the flight back, smoke was seen, the passengers were immediately disembarked," he said.

Kumar said the incident happened at 3.40 PM after which the runway was blocked for one hour.

"Due to this, two flights - Goa-Pune and Kochi-Pune, both Spicejet flights were diverted to Mumbai," he said.

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By Utpal Kumar/Mail Today: Ramachandra Guha is an angry man today. An intellectual who wears many hats, the latest being that of a historian, he charges the Modi government of being "anti-intellectual", calls the Congress a party waiting to be decimated, and takes a dig at the social media for turning into a people-bashing hub.

His latest book, Democrats and Dissenters, is all about his anguish, dilemma and even suggestions. "The Modi government doesn't have any intellectual pretensions," says Guha as he suggests it may be due to the composition of the Cabinet. Recalling "fairly respectable intellectuals" in the Vajpayee government - from Arun Shourie and Jaswant Singh, to LK Advani, Yashwant Sinha and Vajpayee himself - the historian says, "One might have ideologically differed from them but they had their own gravitas. The Modi government has no such personalities, and it doesn't care. Look how it has handled FTII and JNU. And for how long Smriti Irani remained as the HRD minister, and Mahesh Sharma is still our culture minister!"

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Guha blames the RSS for the sorry state of affairs, citing how in the past the Right-wing had historians like RC Majumdar "with whom one could have a debate". This is half the story, though. The other half is the lack of space for Right-wing scholars to thrive in India. They were deliberately emasculated in a politico-academic milieu wherein the Left defined what was right, especially since Indira Gandhi's time.

Guha rightly says, "Democracy is all about debate, dialogue and dissent." But what he doesn't say is that for most of the post-Independence era, the Right was squeezed of any intellectual space. This, however, isn't just an Indian phenomenon. Nicholas Kristof, not very long ago, wrote in The New York Times how "we want women, blacks, Latinos, gays and Muslims at the table - er, so long as they are not Conservatives."

Similarly, according to a recent Pew Research Centre survey, liberals aren't quite liberal when dealing with conservatives, at least on social media. They, in contrast to conservatives, are more likely to block or unfriend someone with opposite views.

When this academic squeezing had political sanctions, the Right-wing had no option but to go the RSS way. This also explains why the Right in India is so obsessed with religion and culture, unlike in the West where it is mostly about economy.



Also read: This stunning bookshop is actually a 100-year-old theatre and cinema hall!

Guha, however, reserves his most scathing observation for the Congress. "Till 18 months ago I used to think that if the Congress gets rid of the dynasty it would survive. But now I believe even if they get rid of it they won't survive," says the author. He quotes an article by Suhas Palshikar, a political scientist, to show that the Congress fails to recover if it loses two consecutive elections in a state.

Guha also takes a dig at economist Amartya sen, for his venturing into history are "mis-informed" and "counterproductive". Through his tendency to profusely quote from classical texts to vindicate his stand on contemporary issues, Sen, the author charges, "is at one with the Hindutva camp, except that he differs in who or what to uphold from India's past. They revere the Vedas, whereas he (Sen) identifies with Lokayata and other atheistic trends in Hindu philosophy."

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Like his previous book, the author reserves a special condemnation for 'Internet Hindus'. "Even more than the book ban and physical attack on a writer, it's the vulgarity and crudeness of online debate that saddens me. Women suffer such abuses more. I have seen Romila Thapar facing more venomous abuses than most of us."

A lifelong Nehruvian, Guha believes the first PM has not just been a victim of "the rise of macho, masculine nationalism wherein the focus is not on building a society but defeating the enemy", but also he is being "judged for the acts of Indira, Rajiv, Sonia and Rahul". Guha believes Nehru erred not in giving special rights to J&K but by confining Sheikh Abdullah in prison.

"If Modi could meet Muivah who demanded Nagaland's independence, then why should he shy away from Hurriyat leaders? Only by strengthening Article 370 that India can win back the Valley's trust," says the author. "Here I must say that aazadi is not an option. The separatists should take a cue from LTTE which could have got a dignified autonomy but lost it all for independence." Guha is wrong in comparing Kashmiris with Tamils in Sri Lanka. For, while the Tamils in the island nation were consciously marginalised, the Kashmiris have been given rights to protect their local culture and land ownership.

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The book, despite such aberrations, is a welcome addition, especially at a challenging time like this.

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Sardar Rawail Singh, who lived in Jalalabad, was abducted from his house yesterday morning by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area.

By Press Trust of India: A Sikh man was abducted from his home and gunned down by suspected militants in Afghanistan's restive Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, a media report said today.

Sardar Rawail Singh, who lived in Jalalabad, was abducted from his house yesterday morning by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area.

ALSO READ: Racist posters against Sikhs seen in Canadian University campus, Indian students outraged



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The incident triggered a massive protest by the minority Sikh community who staged a demonstration by placing the body of Singh in front of the provincial governors house in Jalalabad and demanded the arrest of the killers.

NEGLIGENCE IN ARRESTING THE KILLERS

They accused security forces of negligence in arresting the killers and asked the government to bring to justice the killers as soon as possible.

Later, deputy governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal met the protesting Sikhs and pacified them. He said a case has been filed and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.

The insurgents abducted Singh from his home at about 7:20 AM (local time) yesterday and gunned him down at Khalis Famil area, provincial governors spokesman Attaullah Khogyani was quoted as saying by Pajhwok Afghan News.

Rawinder, one of the protesters, said Singh had a dispute with his neighbour on Friday.

Next morning, the neighbour came along with some gunmen and abducted Singh from his home before killing him, he said, adding that Singh had invited his friends for a party at his home when his neighbour objected.

Darbhajan, a friend of Singh, said the minority communitys "homes are being occupied, we are threatened and our friend was mercilessly killed but no one came to our help".

ALSO READ:

Sword-wielding Sikhs storm UK gurudwara to oppose inter-faith marriage, 55 arrested

Kashmiri traders, Sikh bodies boycott meet with parliamentarians





--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Peshawar, Oct 2 (PTI) A Sikh man was abducted from his home and gunned down by suspected militants in Afghanistans restive Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, a media report said today.

Sardar Rawail Singh, who lived in Jalalabad, was abducted from his house yesterday morning by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area.

The incident triggered a massive protest by the minority Sikh community who staged a demonstration by placing the body of Singh in front of the provincial governors house in Jalalabad and demanded the arrest of the killers.

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They accused security forces of negligence in arresting the killers and asked the government to bring to justice the killers as soon as possible.

Later, deputy governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal met the protesting Sikhs and pacified them. He said a case has been filed and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.

The insurgents abducted Singh from his home at about 7:20 AM (local time) yesterday and gunned him down at Khalis Famil area, provincial governors spokesman Attaullah Khogyani was quoted as saying by Pajhwok Afghan News.

Rawinder, one of the protesters, said Singh had a dispute with his neighbour on Friday.

Next morning, the neighbour came along with some gunmen and abducted Singh from his home before killing him, he said, adding that Singh had invited his friends for a party at his home when his neighbour objected.

Darbhajan, a friend of Singh, said the minority communitys "homes are being occupied, we are threatened and our friend was mercilessly killed but no one came to our help". PTI CPS AKJ CPS

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Pakistan is unlikely to let the Indian raid go unavenged, with a terrorist attack likely on a prominent target outside Jammu and Kashmir as government forces are on high alert in the border state.

By Rahul Kanwal: Pakistan is likely to respond with a terrorist attack deep inside India following this week's surgical strike across the Line of Control in PoK on jihadis preparing to infiltrate, according to a high-level assessment by the security establishment.

Tensions between the two neighbouring nations flared up after a deadly terror strike last month on an Army base in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector that killed 19 soldiers.

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Officials at the apex of India's security architecture told Mail Today that Pakistan is unlikely to let the Indian raid go unavenged, with a terrorist attack likely on a prominent target outside Jammu and Kashmir as government forces are on high alert in the border state.

"We expected that Pakistan would deny the Indian Army's surgical strike," a senior government official told Mail Today. "Accepting it would mean that they would have had to retaliate militarily. The denial gives the Pakistani Army an opportunity to plan a proxy strike at a time of their choosing."

Also Read: Another ceasefire violation: Pakistan opens fire near Phallanwallan

AFTERMATH

In the aftermath of the Special Forces surgical strike, the Indian security apparatus has war-gamed multiple retaliatory measures that the Pakistani Army can take to exact retribution.

The Indian government is not being lulled by the deep denials coming from Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Six broad options have been identified and contingency measures are being put in place to deal with each of the possible scenarios.

"The surgical strike comes weeks ahead of the retirement of General Raheel Sharif," the government official said. "His propaganda machine has been working overtime to build an image of Raheel as a superhero. He's now trapped by that image."

Pakistan has denied that India carried out any strikes and says two of its soldiers were killed in cross-border shelling.

Giving his assessment of "the Sharif who matters in Pakistan", the government official added, "Raheel Sharif is a professional solider with an acute sense of the military legacy of his family. He would not like to retire with a blot at the end of his distinguished career. He is likely to take a cold and calculated decision based on the kind of operation he feels can be pulled off."



Also Read: Shocker for Pakistan: Situation in FATA is worse than Kashmir, says JUI-F leader Fazlur Rehman



NEW CHAPTER



The Indian government feels that after the PoK raid on the night of September 28, a new chapter has started in the history of the Indian state.

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"So far, India and Pakistan were caught in a predictable cycle. The Pakistani deep state would hurt India. And India would make some angry noises but do nothing," said the official. "This surgical strike has induced an element of uncertainty in this matrix. The enemy now has to think about the consequences of his actions."

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar described Pakistan as an anaesthetised patient after a surgery and asserted that India loves peace and does not believe in unprovoked aggression but it won't take terror lying down.

"If you give us pain, then this country's forces, this country's people are capable of giving you the same pain)," he said to loud cheers from the crowd at an event in Uttarakhand. "The surgical strike gave our forces an idea of what they were capable of doing. Pakistan is bewildered following the strike, not quite knowing how to react."

Security officials believe that India's strike is not a one-off affair or the end of a story, but the beginning of a new journey. The government official said no one can be certain how this chapter will end but he was confident that the new strategy would suit India's long-term national interests.

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The strategy behind adopting this new course of action, he said, is to attach costs to Pakistani perfidy and to make it unaffordable in the long run for the rogue neighbour to continue its policy of bleeding India by a thousand cuts.



Also Read:

After surgical strikes, Pakistan moves forward on 26/11 probe; court panel to inspect terror boat

Opinion: Indian Army's surgical strikes should make Pakistan think twice before trying another Uri

Claims denied: How Pakistan media is treating India's surgical strike

Terrorists plotting 'spectacular strike' to avenge surgical strikes, fear intelligence agencies

How Ghatak platoons from units attacked in Uri helped commandos in surgical strike

Post surgical strike: India changes posture, continues operation



Nawaz Sharif calls for peace, then praises terrorist in UN speech





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By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said swacchta should become a social movement and awareness about cleanliness and sanitation should reach every village of the country.

After offering shramdaan at Safdarjung Hospital as part of Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Nadda also said his ministry has launched Kayakalp initiative to set protocols for hygiene and sanitation in government health facilities.

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"Swacchta should become a social movement and awareness about cleanliness and sanitation should reach every village of this country," he said.

The Kayakalp initiative for total swacchta in public health facilities is aimed at building the confidence of the users in these, provide quality service and encourage teamwork.

It will encourage every public health facility in the country to work towards attaining the standards of excellence and stay clean and hygienic.

"This does not apply only to physical cleanliness, but to develop and put in place systems and procedures for activities such as bio-waste disposal or protocols," Nadda said.

The Health Minister said Kayakalp awards were given to Central Government Hospitals and District Hospitals from 26 big states.

Under the central government hospital category, the first prize was given to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, while the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi got the second prize.

The third prize was given to North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong.

Nadda also planted a sapling to convey the message of a clean and green India and also took the Swacchta pledge along with the participants and volunteers.

Appreciating the contribution of sanitation staff, he said to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in huge hospitals is a very big challenge.

Cleanliness and sanitation should not be a one-time activity, but a part of our daily life, the Union Health Minister said, adding all hospitals and government health facilities should endeavour to maintain cleanliness and hygiene throughout the year. PTI TDS NSD NSD

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The Trichy Police was in total shock when they discovered that the suspect they were questioning for a missing person's case was a serial killer who chopped off his victim's head and legs.

By Pramod Madhav: A case of missing person in Trichy took a dramatic turn when the suspect started revealing the other brutal murders he had committed.

The Trichy Police was investigating the missing case of thirty five-year-old Thangathurai. They found evidence which led to Sappani, age 35, from Thiruverumbur, Tamil Nadu.

What they stumbled upon next completely shocked the Trichy police.

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SUSPECT DISCLOSES OTHER BRUTAL MURDERS HE COMMITTED

While they were inquiring about the whereabouts of Thangathurai from Sappani, he instead told them about the other murders he had committed in the last seven years.

Sappani began disclosing how he mutilated the bodies, cut them into pieces and buried them near lakes and river beds turning them his own personal graveyard.

The surprised Trichy Police immediately arrested him.

What followed was the recovery of numerous dead bodies by Trichy Police, based on Sappani's revelations.

Also Read: How a former Infosys techie turned into a psycho killer who inspired a Bollywood film

POLICE STARTS RECOVERY OF DEAD BODIES- ONE AFTER THE OTHER

The police first dug and found the body of Sathyanathan, age 50, from a canal nearby Krishnasamudram village in Tiruchirappalli district.

Sathyanathan was an electrician who had been missing since February. His daughter was petrified but identified the body.

Next, Sappani took the forensic team to a bund near Sekkuparai, two km away from the first site.

To police's shock, a headless body of Kumaresan, age 41 from Uppilipalayam was unearthed. The legs too were missing from the body.

His head was discovered later while digging near the site and his body was identified by his wife, Rajalakshmi, who too was traumatised beyond words.



Also Read: Beyond Raman Raghav: India's worst serial killers will send a chill down your spine

SAPPANI HAD KILLED HIS OWN FATHER TOO

The police was stunned at the third body they recovered- it was that as Sappani's own father, Thekkan.

The body of the 58-year-old was dug up from a mango farm near Ottankuruchi area and Sappani's mother, Karupayi confirmed the identity from a T-shirt worn by him a year back when he went missing.

It did't end here. There were more murders he had committed.

HE DIDN'T JUST KILL THE VICTIMS, HE CHOPPED OFF THEIR HEADS AND LEGS

Sappani led the team to Vadaku Vaasal, where the police dug up the remains of 27-year-old Vijay Victor from Keezha Kumaresapuram.

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Sappani said he had buried him there and had chopped off his legs and threw one of the legs into a pond and another near the National Institute of Technology near Thanjavur.

Victor had been missing for the past two years.

Next, Sappani took them near Sevanthikulam where the police recovered the body of 70 year-old Gokila. The body's torso was recovered first and the head and legs later.

The police had to stop the search for other bodies as it was night. They will, however, be continuing to recover bodies for the next two days.

WATCH: Psycho killer on the prowl in Mumbai



IS HE SUFFERING FROM SOME MENTAL DISORDER?

The Trichy Police initially claimed that Sappani had killed them all for material gain but the forensic department, which assisted the police in recovering the body, identified a pattern in how Sappani killed them.

The forensic officials said Sappani hadn't just killed them, but had also cut the head and legs of many of victims. They said that there needed to be a psychological evaluation to determine if he committed these murders for gain or if he was suffering from a mental disorder.

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The forensic department collected soft tissues from the dead bodies for further analysis and the information was shared to the shocked relatives of the victims.

Sappani's neighbour were in astounded to find out about him and said they couldn't digest the news of him committing so many murders as he seemed to be a very quiet and a calm person.

Also Read:

WATCH: Inside the IIT psycho killer's mind



Indian man arrested in US, charged with stabbing wife to death



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Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, will be the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi next year.

By India Today Web Desk: Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, will be the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi next year.

The invitation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leader can be seen as India's bid to strengthen ties with the Gulf region that is home to a large population of expatriates.

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"We hope 2 welcome a dear friend of India, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, as Republic Day 2017 Chief Guest," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted on Sunday evening.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mohamed bin Zayed expressed "thanks for the kind invitation to attend India's Republic Day celebrations".

"Our strong relations are deeply rooted in history. Our strategic cooperation has increased, driven by our mutual aspirations to develop it," the Crown Prince said.

This honour to the UAE, of which Abu Dhabi is the biggest constituent, and is home to around two million expatriate Indians comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to it in August last year. The Prime Minister addressed a huge diaspora rally at the Dubai Cricket Stadium during the visit.

After Act East, India has been following a policy of Think West encompassing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that are home to around seven million expatriate Indians, most of whom are blue collar workers involved in the infrastructure sector.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

This year, Modi visited Saudi Arabia where he was conferred with that Gulf nation's highest civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash, and then Iran soon thereafter.

The last time a leader from the Gulf region graced the Republic Day as chief guest was when then King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud visited India in 2006.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the UAE's seven emirates.

Republic Day guests

The Republic Day chief guest this year was French president Francois Hollande, whose presence saw the first ever foreign contingent to march alongside Indian soldiers on Rajpath.

Another highlight of the French president's visit was the laying of the foundation stone of the headquarter of the newly-launched International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the inauguration of its interim secretariat at Gurgaon.

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In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited US President Barack Obama for his first Republic Day event after assuming office in May, 2014. Obama's visit on January 26 had marked a new high point of India-US relations.

ALSO READ:

PM Modi wants a week-long Republic Day-like Independence Day



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By PTI: Chandigarh, Sep 30 (PTI) Notwithstanding rising tensions between India and Pakistan, trade through the Attari-Wagah land route remained unaffected with more than 180 goods trucks moving across for the second day today after Armys surgical strikes across the LoC.

Amritsar Customs Commissioner Captain Sanjay Gahlot told PTI today they have "not witnessed any reduction in number of trucks".

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"The trade (through Attari-Wagah route) continues to remain normal. There is no indication (of any adverse impact on trade)," he said.

Customs officials said 63 trucks with tomatoes crossed over to Pakistan through the land route while 123 with dry dates, gypsum, cement, aluminum ore, salt etc moved into the Indian territory.

"The number of trucks crossing over to India from Pakistan is likely to go up in the evening," another Customs official said.

Yesterday, 170 trucks from Pakistan brought goods to India while more than 50 went to the neighbouring country.

Pakistan imports vegetables including tomatoes, ginger, garlic and spices, cotton yarn etc while India imports cement, gypsum and dry fruits via the Attari-Wagah land route.

Meanwhile, Punjab traders dealing with imports and exports with Pakistan through the land route in Amritsar welcomed the Indian Armys surgical strikes across the Line of Control.

"The action taken by the Indian army was necessary to give befitting reply to Pakistan for the Uri terror attack," said President of Federation of Dry Fruit and Karyana Commercial Association, Anil Mehra.

"It is Pakistan which will be hit the most if trade ties between two nations are snapped. For us country comes first and then comes trade," said Mehra.

Pakistan allows import of 137 items from India through Attari-Wagah. PTI CHS VJ TIR RT TIR

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By PTI: Hyderabad, Oct 1 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council, Mohammed Ali Shabbir, today alleged that the TRS government has shown disrespect to the Legislature by postponing the monsoon session of Legislative Assembly and Council without informing the Opposition parties.

When the Assembly and Council met on August 30 to ratify the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Legislative Affairs Minister T Harish Rao assured the Business Advisory Committees (BACs) that the monsoon session would be convened from September 20, he said.

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"However, they conveniently forgot the assurance given in the BAC and prorogued the Assembly to facilitate passing of an ordinance on new districts," the Congress leader claimed.

"This is nothing but showing utter disrespect to the institution of Legislature, which is the first pillar of democracy," he said.

Shabbir Ali said the Congress Legislature Party would serve a notice on KCR and Harish Rao for breach of privilege.

The TRS Government was afraid of facing the opposition parties in Assembly and Council, he claimed.

"Districts reorganisation, irrigation pact with Maharashtra Govt, non-clearance of crop loan waiver dues, crop loss due to drought and then heavy rains and floods, 12 per cent Muslim and ST reservation in view of submission of reports of both Sudhir and Chellapa Commissions and other important issues need detailed discussion.

"However, the TRS Government is not in a position to face opposition parties on these issue," Shabbir Ali alleged. PTI SJR NP RCJ BAS

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Donald J. Trump declared a 916 million dollar loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a tax deduction so substantial it could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years, records obtained by The New York Times show.

By Reuters: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump declared a 916 million dollar loss on his 1995 income tax returns and the large tax deduction may have allowed him to avoid paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

US presidential debate: Hillary accuses Trump of 'hiding something' in taxes



The Trump campaign, in a statement responding to the Times report, said that the tax document was obtained illegally and that the New York Times is operating as an extension of the presidential campaign of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

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WHAT TIMES SAID :

The Times said it had obtained Trump's 1995 tax records and that they showed he received the large tax benefits from financial deals that went bad in the early 1990s.

The newspaper said that tax experts it hired to analyze Trump's records said tax rules which are especially advantageous to wealthy filers would have let Trump use his 916 million dollar loss to cancel out an equivalent amount of taxable income over an 18-year period.

Presidential debate takeaways: How Hillary got under Trump's skin

The Times said that although Trump's taxable income in subsequent years is as yet unknown, a 916 million dollar loss in 1995 would have been large enough to wipe out more than 50 million dollar a year in taxable income over 18 years.

Trump has declined to release his tax records, unlike previous presidential nominees in modern history, saying his taxes are under a federal audit. Experts say he could still release them publicly if he wished.

Trump gets new ammo to attack Clinton in FBI email probe notes



"Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the Trump campaign statement said.

"That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of million dollars of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions," it said.



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By PTI: SAARC members must ensure territory not used for terror: Nepal

From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Oct 2 (PTI) Regretting that the regional environment is "not conducive" to host the next SAARC Summit, current Chair of the grouping Nepal today said member states must ensure their territories are not used for cross-border terrorism.

Days after India and four other countries pulled out of the 19th SAARC Summit indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an atmosphere which was not right for successfully holding the event, Nepal said it strongly believes that "an environment of peace and stability is essential for a meaningful regional cooperation".

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Nepal "unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" and expresses its solidarity in the global fight against terrorism," Nepals Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement, adding the country has always condemned all acts of terrorism in the region.

"Most recently, Nepal has condemned the terrorist attack on Indian Army base in Uri, Kashmir on September 18, that resulted in the loss of life of Indian soldiers," it noted.

It further said that to achieve peace and stability in the region, "SAARC member states must, among others, ensure that their respective territories are not used by terrorists for cross border terrorism".

Nepal "regrets that regional environment is not conducive" to host the next Summit, earlier scheduled for November 9-10 in Islamabad, it said, adding that host Pakistan has informed it about the postponement of the meet.

It said it will initiate "necessary consultation" for holding the next summit.

"As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal underscores the need for creating a conducive regional environment for the SAARC Summit. Nepal will initiate necessary consultation on successfully holding the 19th Summit with the participation of all member states," the statement said.

Earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, who returned yesterday after leading the Nepali delegation to the 71st United National General Assembly (UNGA), told reporters here that Nepal will take "necessary steps and hold discussions with member states to press for holding the summit.

The Summit was postponed on Friday following the pull-out by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which was not right for the success of the meet. Later, Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.

Citing continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan, India said last week that "in the prevailing circumstances, the Government of India is unable to participate in the proposed Summit in Islamabad".

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the eight-member bloc, includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. PTI CPS ASK ABH AKJ SAI

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By PTI: Srinagar, Oct 1 (PTI) Army has removed the commander of Uri Brigade, which was the target of the deadly terror attack on September 18 that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers and left several others injured, defence sources said.

Brigadier K Somashanker has been shifted out of the sensitive brigade, the sources said.

They said an officer from the 28 Mountain Division of the army is scheduled to take over as the Uri Brigade commander.

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However, army sources in New Delhi insisted late tonight that no such orders have been issued by the army headquarters. PTI MIJ MPB SMN

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With camel farmers finding breeding of the animal unprofitable, and a large number of the beasts heading to slaughterhouses in the past few years, the BSF faces a 'camel shortage'

By Baishali Adak: With unrest at the Indo-Pak border growing, the Indian Army's best friend in the western frontier - the humble camel - is finally going to get a helping hand.

The Rajasthan government, under directions from Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, is all set to launch an innovative 'Ushtra Vikas Yojana' (Camel Development Plan). The scheme, to be undertaken by its animal husbandry department, will be inaugurated on the occasion of 'Gandhi Jayanti' (October 2), Sunday.

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Alarmed at its swiftly dwindling numbers, the government will now provide a Rs 10,000 cash incentive to camel farmers on the birth of each calf. The camel population has dropped from one million in the 1950s to just about two lakh as per a census conducted by NGO Lokhit Pashu Palak Santhan in 2014. Also, medical camps will be set up for camels suffering from 'Surra', a dangerous disease which infects its blood and often, proves fatal.

Also read: From The Magazine: Not over the hump



CAMEL THE STATE ANIMAL

The grand plan comes two years after the hardy animal, an icon of sandy Rajasthan, was declared its 'State Animal'. In April 2015, the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Bill was passed making its killing a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in jail.

Other than being the only 'traditional and reliable' means of transport in the deserts, the camel is indispensable to the Border Security Force (BSF) and in turn, national defence. At present, more than 500 camels are employed with the BSF to help it patrol 1,040 km of India's western extremes, along Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Camels, often called the 'Ship of the Desert', expertly manoeuvre both lofty sand dunes and marshes along creeks in the Rann of Kutch. They are critical not just in wars but during peace time as well when the BSF has to pursue criminals and arm smugglers.

With camel farmers finding breeding of camels unprofitable, and a large number heading to slaughterhouses in the past few years, the BSF has been facing a 'camel shortage'. The Rajasthan government says that its scheme will help arrest the dangerous trend.

Kunji Lal Meena, Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Government of Rajasthan, told Mail Today, "Camel farmers will be given Rs 10,000 on each calf birth - Rs 3,000 initially, Rs 3,000 after 9 months, and `4000 after 18 months."

To avail the benefits, a camel farmer has to register the female camel at a local veterinary hospital, besides having a bank account. "The largest camel training centre in Rajasthan is the Bikaner Camel Research Institute. However, we will open local training centres for herders to teach them how to handle the animals profitably. Research on the utility and benefits of camel products such as hair and milk is also on the anvil so that rearers are benefitted," Meena added. Rajasthan is home to 80% of the camel population in India.

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Also read: Rajasthan Government passes the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Bill



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The overwhelming support that Rahul Gandhi's roadshow got from every locality in Agra has given the Congress a glimmer of hope of revival ahead of 2017 UP elections.

By Siraj Qureshi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's roadshow in UP Congress President and former Agra MP Raj Babbar's home district in Agra presented an entirely different picture from what was being assumed about public support for the party in the district.

The roads which Rahul passed by during his roadshow were strewn with flower petals. People from every locality he visited in the city came out in huge numbers to welcome him. The success of this roadshow is mainly being attributed to the charisma of Raj Babbar, who holds a special place in the hearts of the locals, being an Agra native.

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Also read: Rahul Gandhi vs RSS: Congress leader appears before Guwahati court in defamation case



ROADSHOW ATTEMPT TO REVIVE CONGRESS



Senior citizen Rama Shanker Sharma told India Today that Rahul had started these roadshows to revive the Congress party in Agra, which has almost been politically irrelevant here, but that is not going to be an easy task. He said that in the first UP polls held in 1951, the Congress had unilaterally swept all assembly seats in the district, but 65 years later, Congress has been relegated to an embarrassing fourth position here.

PERFORMANCE IN 2012 ELECTIONS



The Samajwadi Party, BSP and BJP have pushed the Congress far behind, to the extent that in the 2012 assembly elections, Congress candidates didn't even seem to put up any semblence of a fight in the contest. The Congress contested these elections in alliance with the RLD. Out of 9 seats in the district, RLD won 4 while the Congress stood third or fourth on the remaining five seats. In 2007, when the Congress contested elections on its own, it fared even worse. Congress candidates ranked fifth in Bah, seventh in Fatehabad, fifth in Etmadpur, sixth in Dayalbagh, fourth in Cantonment, third in Agra East, fourth in Agra West, fifth in Kheragarh and sixth in Fatehpur Sikri.

Also read: Mulayam meets Akhilesh, Samajwadi Party crisis likely to be resolved



As Congress has lagged so far behind its opponents, it will not be easy for Rahul to revive the party in this region.

However, if the performance of the roadshow is any indication of the party's popularity in Agra, it could be said that Raj Babbar was successful in making Rahul feel welcomed in Agra. Even SP, BSP and BJP supporters could be seen welcoming Rahul at every road intersection.

AGRA WILL BE NO.1 TOURISM CITY



On this occasion, Rahul Gandhi and Raj Babbar addressed their supporters. Rahul criticised the Modi government for not making good the promises made to the people of Agra before the elections. He said, "The Congress always delivers on what it promises and if the party forms a government in UP after 2017 elections, Agra will be the number one tourism city on the world map as it has the unique Taj Mahal, a monument which the state govt has failed to sufficiently promote as a tourism hub."

Also read: Outreach: With eye on UP polls, BJP to hold panchayats in Haryana's Muslim-dominated areas



Rahul added, "The BJP has tried several times to spread communal fire in Agra, which is renowned the world over as the city where emperor Akbar propounded the concept of 'Sulh-e-Kul', a Persian phrase that means peace with all. But the Congress has not allowed these nefarious motives succeed and will continue to stall any untoward incident."

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SP, BSP LIKE BARSATI MENDHAK



The Congress Vice-President said that the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party were like 'Barsati Mendhak' who came out in the election season and whose existence was limited to Uttar Pradesh only, whereas the Congress and the work it had done in India was known all over the world. "The party has made up its mind to take over Uttar Pradesh's reins in its hands in 2017 polls", he added.

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Speaking on the surgical strike, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today said our security forces have given a befitting reply to Pakistan which is funding, aiding, abetting and training terrorists.

By India Today Web Desk: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today said a "swacch LoC" has been achieved after Indian security forces gave a befitting reply to our neighbour which is funding and abetting terror.

In retaliation for the September 18 Uri terror attack, security forces last week carried out surgical strikes that took out at least 50 terrorists across the Line of Control in Pakistan.

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ALSO READ | On surgical strikes, Adnan Sami to Pakistan: Because you couldn't do it, had to enter your house



Referring to the Indian Army's surgical strikes across LoC in Pak-occupied Kashmir, the Information and Broadcasting minister said, "The other day you have seen what is Modi. Our neighbour is funding, aiding, abetting, training terrorists. They have been given a befitting reply by our forces.... swachh man, swachh dhan, swachh tan and now swachh border, swachh LoC has been done. Now all have to come together to take forward Swachh Bharat".

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Naidu also asked people to respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a clean India and become 'swachhagrahis'.

ON PM NARENDRA MODI

Lauding the Prime Minister, Naidu said Modi stands for "Mood of Developing India".

He said Mahatama Gandhi had during the freedom movement given a call for satyagraha and those who participated became 'satyagrahis'.

ALSO READ | Mika's message to Pakistan: Behave or we will make you



"Now the time has come, all of us taking the call of the Prime Minister should become 'Swacchagrahi'. On the pious day of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday today, let us all become 'Swacchagrahi', Naidu, who also holds the Urban Development portfolio said.

ON SWACCH BHARAT MISSION

He said in the 21st century India had to be free from illiteracy and "Litterati" - a reference to those who throw litter in the open.

He said the Prime Minister always wanted 'Swacch Bharat' to become a people's movement. The aim of the nationwide cleanliness drive was to clean up the country by 2019, the year that marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gandhiji.

The senior minister was speaking at the award giving ceremony of a 'Swachh' film

competition, where Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present.

While lauding the creativity of those who participated in the short film competition, Naidu said eminent filmmakers - Madhur Bhandarkar, Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi, Prasoon Pandey, Ramesh Sippy and Shoojit Sircar will also produce films on Swachh Bharat.

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Naidu said efforts will be made to exhibit these films widely.

- With PTI inputs



ALSO READ:

Balloons with message in Urdu 'Pakistan will take revenge' fly into Punjab after surgical strikes



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By Anvita Singh: Last night's episode of Vogue BFFs was fun, and full of masala. And we have mommy-to-be Kareena Kapoor Khan and Bollywood's favourite designer Manish Malhotra to thank for it.

Vogue BFFs is all about friendship, fun, and of course getting to know your stars better. The second episode of the show managed to elevate the fun quotient, all thanks to the bond that Manish and Kareena share. But let us call a spade a spade; the episode was largely enjoyable because of Bebo.

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The stunning actress made quite a few revelations on the show. Read on to know what they are.

Picture courtesy:Twitter/@colors_infinity

#1 Kareena's latest crush

Kareena admitted on crushing a celebrity on the show, and no, her crush is not from the Hindi film industry. Hollywood star Angelina Jolie is Bebo's girl crush. The actress thinks that Angelina is perfect, and she even has a thing for Angelina's now former partner, Brad Pitt.

Also read: Vogue BFF: Pregnant Kareena wants to discuss Deepika and Priyanka's hot bodies



#2 When Bebo said NO to Saif

We know it is hard to believe, BUT, Kareena had rejected Saif Ali Khan's marriage proposal the first time he had confessed that he wanted her to be his wife. Yes! It did really happen! The talented actress revealed on the show that she didn't immediately respond to Saif's proposal, but only said yes a couple of days later.

Picture courtesy:Twitter/@colors_infinity Picture courtesy:Twitter/@colors_infinity

#3 Kareena Kapoor Khan's wedding dress

Remember what Bebo's wedding attire looked like? Yeah, that lovely red bridal dress. That was actually the dress the Begum of Bhopal was draped in on her wedding day, and guess what? Even mother-in-law Sharmila Tagore had been clothed in that same attire on her big day. WOW!



#4 Saif thinks Kareena has become lovelier after pregnancy

Yes, you read that right. Kareena said that Saif keeps telling her, "I love you more pregnant." The actress said that her actor-husband thinks pregnancy really suits her. Well, to be honest, he is right Kareena. Bebo is glowing like the sun these days, isn't she?



#5 Bebo is a foodie

Gorgeous Kareena loves her food, and these days, even more so; the actress confessed on the show. Bebo's favourite food is her special mom-cooked aloo-parantha. Also, Kareena is fond of ice-creams; all kinds. Not very picky when it comes to ice-creams, are we Kareena?

Picture courtesy:Twitter/@colors_infinity

No one knew about Bebo's pregnancy apart from her family for FOUR whole months! The actress had kept the news a secret from even her closest friends, including good friend and director Karan Johar. Now that is quite an achievement! We wonder how she managed to do that.



#7 The truth behind Kareena's name

Every name has a story behind it, and Kareena's is no exception. Ever wondered how the actress got her name? Wonder no more! Kareena disclosed on the show that her mother (former actress Babita) was reading the Tolstoy classic, Anna Karenina, when she was heavily pregnant with her. Of course Babita tweaked the titular character's name to name her own baby, as one would.

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Well, we just want to say 'Thank you for existing Kareena Kapoor Khan!' You make the world more beautiful.

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The petition needed 1,00,000 signatures in 30 days to get a response from the White House but it reached the benchmark in less than a week.

An initiative of the US President Barack Obama, "We the People" online petition at the White House website provides a window to American citizens to campaign before the administration on a particular issue. Photo: Reuters

By Press Trust of India: An online White House petition seeking to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism has gained a record half a million signatures, five times the number needed to get a response from the Obama Administration.

ALL ABOUT THE PETITION

The petition was created on September 21 by a person who identified himself by initials RG and the petition needed 1,00,000 signatures in 30 days to get a response from the White House.

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The benchmark was reached in less than a week, and in less than two weeks, the petition, which now appears to be popular on the White House website, has crossed half a million signatures. As per the petition the Obama Administration is expected to respond to the petition within 60 days.

Supporters of the "We the People ask the administration to declare Pakistan, state sponsor of terrorism" petition have set a goal of one million signatures. "We will not stop until we get 1000,000 signatures," wrote Anju Preet, a scientist at Georgetown University who is associated with the petition on her Facebook page.

Photo credit: Joseyown (MG Jacob) @joseyown

"It's time to act now...Let us all join hands in signing the petition with White House. Tag at least 10 of your friends and family if you feel your money should be used for welfare and not terrorism," she said.

WHITE HOUSE EXPECTED TO RESPOND

The petition comes after Congressman Ted Poe, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, along with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, introduced H R 6069, the Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act in the House of Representatives.

Given that the window to sign the petition is open till October 21, the goal could well be achieved. In the last 24 hours, more than 100,000 people signed on the petition.

"This petition is important to the people of United State of America, India and many other countries which are continuously affected by Pakistan sponsored terrorism," says the petition, created by RG.

An initiative of the US President Barack Obama, "We the People" online petition at the White House website provides a window to American citizens to campaign before the administration on a particular issue.



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Mary Campos, who was leaving California on a plane bound for Houston, said her ticket was given away by the airlines because 'She's a woman, and two men didn't want to sit next to a woman.'

By PTI: A woman passenger on board a United Airlines flight has complained of discrimination after her pre-booked seat had been changed for two "Pakistani monks" who did not want to sit next to a woman.

Mary Campos, who was leaving California on a plane bound for Houston, said her ticket was given away by the airlines because "She's a woman, and two men didn't want to sit next to a woman."

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"I don't know how to tell you this," a gate agent said while handing her a new boarding pass. He then explained that due to the two passengers "cultural beliefs", they could not sit next to or talk to a woman, CBS Local reported.

Campos was told the men were Pakistani monks who were wearing long orange shirts. She says the female flight crew were not allowed to serve the men.

"We cant discriminate against half the population," Campos said, "for a belief from another nation."

"I thought I lived in a culture where females were equal to men," she said, adding that she was "shocked", but had no choice but to take her new seat, the report said.

"What if I were handicapped or transgender? What if your entire crew were female? Any belief that prevents individuals from interacting with females should not travel on commercial aircraft," she wrote in a letter to United Airlines.

The airline responded to say they would look into the matter, the report said.

"We regret that Ms Campos was unhappy with the handling of the seat assignments on her flight. United holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and has zero tolerance for discrimination," the airlines said in a statement.

Campos said she did not want to sue the airline, but insisted that they apologise to every woman on the plane, including staff.

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[October 01, 2016] Zonar Ushers in a New Era of Fleet Management Technology with Zonar Connect

Zonar, the leader in smart fleet management technology, today announced Zonar ConnectTM, a next-generation tablet and software ecosystem that empowers commercial fleets to take greater control of their operations. Connect allows fleets to seamlessly enter the next era in fleet management technology using a smart fleet platform which is faster, more responsive, readily customizable and more user-friendly than current solutions in the commercial fleet marketplace. This ruggedized, high-performance, easy-to-use tablet delivers management tools for commercial vehicle operations including compliance, safety and efficiency monitoring. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161001005005/en/ Zonar Ushers in a New Era of Fleet Management Technology with Zonar Connect (Photo: Business Wire) "We are entering an age in connected commercial vehicles where the capabilities go beyond the individual vehicle and extend to fleet management and industry decisions regarding job bidding, safety, efficiency and compliance," said Ian McKerlich, President of Zonar. "Connect is designed to exceed industry needs with Electronic Logging Device (ELD) readiness, Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting (EVIR) and a growing number of apps built in a scalable environment to address needs further down the road. We believe that Connect is the path forward for designing and delivering th next generation of solutions for the smart fleet management era."



Connect is always connected whether it is docked or undocked, representing a significant milestone in smart fleet management. For example, a driver can submit a completed EVIR inspection back to dispatch without returning to the cab of the truck. The tablet-based platform further connects vehicles, driver/operators and fleet managers with critical information such as vehicle health, efficiency, driver hours of service, performance, data capture, compliance, safety and asset utilization. "Just as smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives, you soon won't be able to run your fleet operations efficiently without a smart fleet technology like Connect," said Brett Brinton, co-founder and CEO of Zonar. "Connect will help operators manage their fleets more effectively as technology changes with hardware that supports over-the-air updates to give them greater flexibility and scalability to grow."

Connect has the ease of use of everyday consumer devices with the power and ruggedization needed for commercial vehicles. With it, drivers and operators can streamline daily tasks, such as pre- and post-trip inspections; hours of service logging with Roadside ViewTM for compliance inspections; communicating with fleet management; documenting deliveries; navigating routes and - in the case of passenger services - verifying ridership. The tablet also equips drivers and operators with tools that ensure adherence to a broad range of safety and compliance regulations. Key features: Powered by a Quad-Core processor, 2GB of built-in memory and 32GB of storage for enhanced speed and responsiveness

Scalable Android (News - Alert) platform supports options for third-party and custom Zonar apps to increase driver productivity and fleet compliance

Compliant with Automatic On-Board Recording Device (AOBRD) and Hours of Service regulations

Ready for the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate with capability for over-the-air software update service

LTE (News - Alert), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity keeps drivers connected to fleet managers, dispatch and operations

Constructed with a ruggedized hardware design and a Corning (News - Alert) Gorilla Glass screen to endure harsh conditions

Seamlessly integrates with Zonar's Ground Traffic Control web portal and third-party programs including maintenance, payroll, navigation, workforce management software and more "Zonar Connect tablet and platform represent an extremely compelling offer for fleet managers across a variety of industry verticals," said Clem Driscoll, president of consulting and research firm C.J. Driscoll & Associates. "It's a very rugged, state-of-the-art piece of hardware connected to a software ecosystem that offers new flexibility for customers to add third-party apps and upgrade easily as technology advances. It's clear that Zonar listened to customers and upgraded an already-compelling product based on what they learned." For more information on Zonar Connect visit: www.zonarsystems.com/connect About Zonar Founded in 2001, Zonar has pioneered smart fleet management technology by providing innovative technology that has changed fleet operations in the vocational, pupil and commercial trucking industries. With a unique focus on this field, the Company offers a complete suite of solutions and specialized platforms for our customers in multiple markets. Our patented, award-winning technology keeps fleet owners and managers connected to their fleets and drivers to dispatchers. Headquartered in Seattle, Zonar also has a Technology Development Center in downtown Seattle, a regional office in Cincinnati, and a distribution center outside of Atlanta. For more information about Zonar Systems, go to www.zonarsystems.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161001005005/en/

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CHARLESTON -- Large crowds for court sessions, areas accessible to just about anyone and adapting to technology are some of the reasons why officials say they're revisiting space and security needs for the Coles County Courthouse.

Most people who visit the courthouse are there for marriage licenses, copies of birth certificates or other business not connected to the court system, noted Ron Carrell, the courthouse's security chief.

But there are court sessions every day and the higher volume ones can draw another 50 or more people at the time to the building, adding to congestion, noise and security risks, he said.

Criminal defendants in jail custody are brought to court and travel the same areas as the public, and general access to and monitoring of the courthouse could use improvement, he added.

"We've got a building designed in the 1800s and now we're trying to make it operational in 2016," Carrell said. "We're pushing it to the limits."

He and other county officials said it might be the right time to find another building for offices that don't deal with court-related matters, such as the County Clerk, County Treasurer and Supervisor of Assessments.

It's not a new idea, but one on which there hasn't really been any movement in 16 years.

In 2000, the county conducted a space needs study that concluded that a courthouse annex was the best way to address overcrowding and other issues.

"It hasn't changed, except for the worse," Circuit Judge Mitchell Shick said. "There's a greater need than there was 16 years ago."

Following the 2000 study, the Coles County Board voted to purchase a closed bank building at the northwest corner of Sixth Street and Monroe Avenue, roughly a block away from the courthouse.

The idea behind the $426,000 purchase was to have a location that could be used for a courthouse annex, but developments meant that's never happened.

Board members said budget problems that hit about the same time prevented any real work from taking place, though the condition of the building did lead to its demolition in 2005.

The city of Charleston then worked with the county to convert a section of the lot into a small park five years ago. The rest of the property is used for parking.

Now, it appears new work on a courthouse annex could take place fairly soon. Coles County Board Chairman Stan Metzger confirmed that the board has a location it's considering, though using the former bank building site isn't likely.

Metzger is also the chairman of the board's Finance Committee and said the committee recently met with judges to discuss the issue. He added that the county is nearly finished repaying a bond issue that could mean new bonds for a building purchase would be possible.

"The situation hasn't alleviated," he said of the need for an annex. "We would like to move forward."

But the former bank site would be "cost prohibitive" because of the price of constructing a new building at the location, Metzger added. Buying an existing building would cost far less, he said.

Metzger wouldn't provide any details about the property the board is considering. He said discussions about a possible purchase have taken place during closed sessions, which is allowed as an exemption under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Carrell said he thinks adding an annex for non-court offices would be better than trying to reconfigure the current courthouse. Some work such as adding video monitoring equipment has taken place but not much more work like that is possible, he said.

"With the historic nature of the building, you're limited in what you can do," Carrell said. "We're probably getting to the limit of our capacity."

Shick mentioned several examples of the current situation at the courthouse that he thinks would justify having an annex.

Courtrooms' current locations, mostly on the courthouse second floor, can lead to crowds that call for additional security, he said.

He also mentioned an incident in 2014 when a criminal suspect in jail custody jumped over a second-floor railing, and said there have been times when court personnel have been followed into their offices.

Security improvements could be combined with having courtrooms on the first floor, now where mostly non-court offices are located, Shick said.

There are limited places where attorneys can meet with clients in private, and the Circuit Clerk's Office's traffic division is located on a different floor than the main office, he also noted.

His list of examples also included larger court caseloads and more "hands-on" programs such as drug court and pretrial supervision that require more personnel, mainly in the courthouse probation office.

And, Shick continued, those are on top of future concerns, such as changes the Illinois Supreme Court will soon require.

Civil court cases will have to be filed electronically next year with criminal cases to follow, so the Circuit Clerk's Office will have to add computer monitors for public access and filing, Shick said.

Camera use in courtrooms is likely to expand, requiring a room for media and someone to coordinate it, he also said.

"The Supreme Court is saying it's time to modernize our court system," Shick said. "We've got to look at it long range so we don't keep going through this."
MATTOON -- Lake Land College alumnus Kristopher Van Sickle's career has taken him from serving with the U.S. Coast Guard to being an administrative officer with the U.S. Secret Service.

On Saturday, Van Sickle returned to Lake Land to take part in the college's inaugural Laker Homecoming. The Lake Land College Alumni Association inducted him and four other honorees into the Distinguished Alumni Society during a banquet held as part of the homecoming.

Van Sickle said he is honored to receive this recognition from the college. The Newman native said taking classes at Lake Land has helped serve as a foundation for the success that he and countless other students have seen over the years.

After graduating from Shiloh High School in 1996, Van Sickle studied accounting at Lake Land before enlisting in the Coast Guard in August 1997.

"I knew I was ready to get out of the small town and the Coast Guard was a good option," Van Sickle said. He added that he was drawn to this branch of the military because Coast Guard personnel get to put their training into action on an almost daily basis.

Van Sickle said he worked in small boat search and rescue, shipboard navigation and law enforcement with the Coast Guard. He said his service took him to stations in Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, Ohio along Lake Erie, and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea.

While in Puerto Rico, Van Sickle said he suffered an injury that blinded his right eye. Van Sickle said he was reassigned to a Coast Guard training position in Virginia and then took a medical retirement in 2007. He said this injury threw his career plans off course.

"My intention was to make the Coast Guard a 30-year career," Van Sickle said.

During his final years of service with the Coast Guard, Van Sickle said he earned bachelor's in business administration with a minor in human resources management and started a master's in business administration in accounting with an emphasis in public administration. He completed his MBA after his medical retirement.

Van Sickle said he began pursuing a new direction while returning home to spend time with his parents, Michael and Debra Van Sickle. He took classes at Lake Land during this time frame.

Determined to return to government service, Van Sickle said he began an application process for employment with the Secret Service that took a year and a half. He said he was hired in 2010 for the Atlanta field office.

In 2014, Van Sickle was promoted to serving as an administrative officer for the Secret Service's protective division for former President Jimmy Carter. He said he handles accounting, logistics and other support services for those who protect Carter.

Van Sickle said he is honored to work with the elite law enforcement agents of the Secret Service and works hard to support them.

"There is no margin for error. We have to be spot on with everything," Van Sickle said.

The Lake Land College Distinguished Alumni Society's other 2016 inductees are Matthew Cekander, Effingham; Renee Fonner, Hindsboro; Kerry J. (Lawson) Fearn, Charleston, formerly of Neoga; and Craig Greeson, Hanover Park, formerly of Neoga.
1. Comments must not be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted.

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4. Comments must not try to sneak in some free advertising for themselves (like spam).

I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published.
Nebraskas wide grasslands, fields of golden corn and gushing aquifers make the state a nearly perfect home for cows content to live a quiet life of chewing cud and being milked.

That was the sales pitch the past several years as Nebraska sought to woo dairy farms from states like Texas and California, where the Holsteins were being squeezed out by drought, development and environmental regulations.

Last year, it seemed to be working. After decades of decline, the number of registered dairies in Nebraska bumped from 181 in 2014 to 184 in 2015, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

But it turned out to be more of a blip than a renaissance. The state lost 20 registered dairies as of September, dropping the total to 164.

Its not because of a lack of interest in the state. Nebraska has a list of dairy farmers who have said in writing theyd be happy to move here, state Ag Director Greg Ibach said during a recent interview.

The problem is that they cant find anyone to buy their milk.

All of the sudden the plants that were begging for more milk, the cows caught up with the amount of processing capacity, said Rod Johnson, executive director of the Nebraska Dairy Association.

The pipeline is full.

Its an issue up and down the Interstate 29 corridor, the dairy belt of the Midwest, Johnson said.

Dairy Farmers of America, the main cooperative force in Southeast Nebraska, confirmed it doesn't need any more milk from the state.

Due to a number of factors, including the export market, supply is currently outpacing demand in the Nebraska area, spokeswoman Kim OBrien said in an email.

This summer, dairy farmers were losing on every gallon because of overproduction, although prices have rebounded slightly since. The National Milk Producers Federation recently reported prices in the region ranging from $14.20 to $15.70 per 100 pounds.

In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would buy 11 million pounds of cheese to help reduce a 30-year-high national surplus. The cheese is to be distributed to schools and food banks across the nation.

U.S. butter and cheese has been expensive on the world market for much of the past couple years compared with dairy from other places like Europe and Australia, causing U.S. suppliers to lose market share, although price disparities have narrowed in September, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

Which comes first, the cow or the processor?

Dairy is an economic development cash cow. A study done last year by the state Ag Department at the direction of the Legislature found a single cow has a $5,000 local economic impact.

Taken a step further, Nebraskas 55,000 dairy cows generate $275 million annually in local economic activity, the study said. That doesnt include the value added by Nebraskas 10 milk processing plants.

In two other studies, economists at Iowa State University and the University of Minnesota estimated a dairy cows statewide economic impact with in-state processing at $23,000 and $25,000, respectively.

Hoping to tap into the rich dairy bounty, a coalition of state commodity groups has been sinking time and effort into attracting new processors to Nebraska.

We call ourselves Grow Nebraska Dairy, said Johnson.

The issue, he said, is that processors want to know there are enough cows and milk to meet their needs, but to get those farmers, the state needs a processor.

Its kind of the chicken or the egg, which comes first? Our challenge is to bring everybody together at one time, Johnson said.

Half of the state's 10 processors, including Prairieland Dairy near Firth, process milk produced by their own cows.

What it means for the locals

Dwaine Junck gets up each morning at about 5 to check the cows and get his kids ready for school.

His family has run a dairy near Carroll since the 1940s.

For him, Nebraskas full milk pipeline means less competition and lower prices for his milk. And the declining number of dairies in the state means fewer local businesses catering to dairy's unique needs.

If we had more dairies in the area  there would be more support industries, the equipment dealers, the repair people, he said. Well, we cant get more dairies in the area if there is no place to sell the milk.

His milk went to a string cheese processing plant in Ravenna until Leprino Foods closed it in 2013 citing, among other reasons, difficulty in getting enough milk.

Now, like 60 percent of the milk produced in Nebraska, Junck ships his out of the state.

Nebraskas dairy herd peaked in 1934 with 820,000 cows producing 2.9 billion pounds of milk annually. Today, the number of cows is closer to 55,000, but each of them produces more milk.

In 1934, each cow produced an average of 3,500 pounds of milk; today, an individual cow produces an average of more than 21,000 pounds, thanks to improved nutrition and genetics.

Nebraskas dairy farms have also gone through consolidation. The state lost 553 dairy farms over the past 15 years, a 75 percent decrease. The average number of cows per dairy farm went from 98 in 1999 to 214 in 2010, according to USDA statistics.

Last year, 52 percent of the dairy cows in the state were housed on just 14 farms.

Still, the amount of milk produced in the state has remained relatively stable at just over 1.1 billion pounds a year, according to USDA statistics.

The vast majority of Nebraskas remaining dairy farms are in the eastern portion of the state, where they are closer to processors, highways and population bases like Lincoln and Omaha that have plenty of mouths to gobble up ice cream and cheese.
A Corrections special investigative committee spent all of Friday getting to the bottom of the causes and effects of crowding in the state's prisons.

The current bulge of inmates -- 161 percent over capacity at present  must fall to 140 percent or below by 2020.

If it doesnt, by law the governor must declare an emergency that could trigger unwanted solutions.

Crowding has edged down slightly since Director Scott Frakes came on board with Gov. Pete Ricketts in early 2015. From January through April of that year, it was at a high of 165 percent. In September, it was down to 161 percent, including the approximately 150 prisoners housed in county jails.

That's 77 fewer inmates than when Frakes came to Nebraska. Not enough, he said, but a positive trend.

The answers on causes of crowding seemed to boil down to:

* Much needed but illusive programming for inmates

* Reductions in violence and drug and alcohol abuse

* Teaching inmates how to get and keep jobs once they exit prison

Increased staffing is also a key, Frakes told the Department of Correctional Services Special Investigative Committee, which means raising wages and creating a safer environment in order to retain staff.

The department is working on expanding capacity in Lincoln for work release and low-level offenders. Changes to sentencing laws is also expected to bring fewer inmates into prison. The state's parole administration is also trying to increase the number of parolees in the next few years.

The administration and state workers union are in talks to possibly raise the wages of the prison workforce, especially corrections officers.

But programming is one of the important ingredients to inmates getting out early and then staying out. With inadequate access to programs, some inmates are foregoing or not qualifying for parole and opting for the longer stay and mandatory release without parole supervision, the committee heard from Frakes and Parole Board Chairwoman Rosalyn Cotton.

The Parole Board is gearing up to parole about 385 offenders a year. The average number of people on parole at any given time now is about 1,300, so that number could tick up. But those releases are contingent upon availability of programming. And Frakes isn't sure the prisons could be ready to send 385 inmates to parole next year.

In the morning session of the hearing, the committee and its appointed attorney, former Sen. Steve Lathrop, kept Corrections Deputy Director Diane Sabatka-Rine in the hot seat for two and a half hours. Among other topics, she answered questions about assaults on staff and specific incidents of violence at the prisons.

Lathrop called the increase in assaults on staff alarming. Even those can be tied back to an absence of programming, he said.

As of August, 141 staff assaults have occurred this year, 10 with serious injuries. The number of assaults include more minor incidents, such as inmates flinging body fluids on officers. In all of 2015, the department recorded 143 assaults, five with serious injuries. In 2014, the number was 78.

In an Aug. 24 yard incident at Lincoln Correctional Center -- Lathrop called it a "melee" -- 15 inmates joined an altercation between a single inmate and officer, and nine staff were injured as a result. A critical incident review has not been completed, Sabatka-Rine said, but is expected to be in the next seven to 10 days.

One lesson from the incident, she said, would be for staff to disengage with escalating inmates, when appropriate, until assistance is available to help control the situation.

"Nothing is worth being assaulted over," she said. "So if the situation is getting out of hand, my preference would be that staff would take a step back until someone there is available to assist them."

She agreed with Lathrop that most of those 15 inmates involved could have used programming, like violence reduction or anger management classes, that may not have been available to them.

Sabatka-Rine also is waiting for a review of an incident that took place on Aug. 2 at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in which a warning shot was fired when inmates refused to exit the yard. When the inmates converged on staff, a live round from a rifle was fired into the ground from a tower.

Eventually, all inmates returned to their cells.

Communication could have been an issue in that incident, she said. Lathrop said lack of communication seems to come up often in problems at the prisons, not only with inmates but with staff.

"One of the most common complaints we hear from staff is lack of communication," Sabatka-Rine told the committee.

But it's challenging to communicate with staff that work three different shifts in a 24-hour period, with not all having access to email or times when they are all gathered together. And it's difficult to communicate everything in writing to inmates.

"Certainly we're looking at ways to get better at that," she said.
Sue Holland Keller, January 28, 1929  September 24, 2016. Sue Keller was born in Lincoln to Lyle Clifton and Dorothy Brown Holland. She attended Lincoln public schools before entering her first year of college at Scripps in California. She transferred to the University of Nebraska and pledged as a Delta Gamma and served as president of her sorority. Sue received her BS degree in elementary education at UNL.

In 1980, Sue entered treatment for alcoholism at Valley Hope and maintained her sobriety until her death. She would celebrate 36 years sober on October 26.

In 1985, Sue married Bob Keller and they had several wonderful years celebrating recovery and family. In 2008, Sue lost her oldest grandson to a drug overdose. While heartbreaking, his death served to reinforce her commitment to recovery and service to those in the grips of alcoholism and addiction.

The start of Sue's career included volunteering at St. Monica's in Lincoln and later serving on the Board of Directors. She was also the president of the board for the Lincoln Council on Alcohol & Drugs and on the board for Cornhusker Detox. Sue retired from her counseling career at the Independence Center in 1994.

Sue Keller was an extraordinary woman; a woman of many talents and personas. Over the few weeks before she left this earth, Sue would marvel at the outpouring of love and affection she received, and frequently commented, "I never knew there was so much love." Sue asked that any memorials go to the Lincoln Central Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, 2748 "S" St., Suite AA, Lincoln, NE 68503 or the entity of your choice.

Sue Keller is survived by her children: Scott and Marcia Bloom of Stevensville, Mont.; Todd and Suki Bloom of Pearland, Texas; Dave and Shane Stutzman of Friend; step-daughters, Shannon Keller and Karen Schwarzkopf; ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; multiple nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert J. Keller; parents; sister, Lynn Holland (Scottsdale, Ariz.); grandson, Matthew Bloom; step-son, Robert (Tiger) Keller.

Memorial service: 2 p.m. Friday (10/7) First-Plymouth Church, 2000 'D' St. Condolences online at Roperandsons.com,
A Lincoln apartment building was evacuated when a fire in a dryer in one of the units filled much of the first floor with smoke.

Lincoln Fire & Rescue was called to the Northridge Heights Apartments near 29th and Fletcher streets just before 2 p.m. on Sunday.

The fire was out by the time crews arrived, but they worked to ventilate the unit and the hallway of the building with 20 to 24 apartments.

Battalion Chief Jeremy Gegg said residents would be able to return to their units.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, although in many cases a buildup of lint can spark a dryer fire, Gegg said.
Its an archaeological dig that has uncovered policy letters, bid documents and other artifacts kept by government offices, risk-sharing insurance pools and private companies between 1989 and 2009.

Cobbled together and analyzed, the evidence stretching back more than two decades paints a complicated, unprecedented picture addressing a question with major implications for taxpayers in Gage County and beyond.

Is the county protected by liability insurance from all or part of a $28.1 million federal judgment granted to six people wrongfully convicted of a 1985 murder?

Lincoln attorney Joel Nelson said the answer seems to be yes.

Its a complicated yes, however, buried under insurance policies shifting through various providers, changes in elected officeholders and institutional memory -- and with little in the way of legal guidance from the states highest courts.

Everything about the Beatrice 6 -- including the insurance coverage issues -- is new and different in Nebraska, said Nelson, an attorney with the Keating OGara Law Firm.

There just hasnt been, that we can find, any cases from our Nebraska Supreme Court or Nebraska Court of Appeals looking at insurance coverage for claims by people who were convicted of a crime and then later exonerated.

The six people were arrested during a cold-case investigation launched by Gage County Sheriff's Deputy Burt Searcey four years after Helen Wilson was raped and beaten to death in her downtown Beatrice apartment. One of them, Joseph White, fought from his prison cell for DNA testing on evidence from the crime scene.

White eventually was successful, and DNA test results pinned the crime on a seventh person. All charges against White were dropped, and the other five people were pardoned after spending more than 70 years in prison.

White's estate -- he died in a workplace accident in 2011, a couple of years after he was released from prison -- and the other five people convicted in Wilson's death sued, claiming their civil rights had been violated by the investigation. In July, after two trials in federal court, a jury found the county, Searcey and Reserve Deputy Sheriff Wayne Price liable for $28.1 million in damages.

With no guidance from Nebraska case law, Nelson and colleague Joel Bacon studied cases in Iowa, Illinois, Pennsylvania and elsewhere that bore some resemblance to the Beatrice case.

They got some help from the federal judges who presided over the civil rights trials and framed the case in a way that aligned with decisions rendered by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Add in what the two lawyers call insurance archeology, and Nelson believes Gage County has a strong case to make.

It all hinges on two liability insurance policies held by the county.

The first, with Employers Mutual Casualty Cos., was in effect from 1989 to 1990. All six defendants were arrested in 1989 and sentenced in 1990 for Wilson's murder.

In 1997, the county switched from another private insurance carrier to the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, which continues to insure it today.

Nelson said the investigation focused on three periods.

* When the county started with the risk-sharing pool in August 1997, it was offered retroactive coverage going back to August 1989.

* A period from 2008-09 when the six were released from prison and then exonerated.

* And 2009-10, when they filed the federal civil rights suit.

Those periods allowed Nelson and Bacon to focus on the two carriers and eliminate others from consideration, Nelson said. They spent more than 100 hours combing through available documentation, and on Wednesday, the Gage County Board of Supervisors gave them the go-ahead to send letters to both the risk-sharing pool and private carrier asking them to reconsider their coverage denials.

Neither the Risk Management Association nor Employers Mutual returned calls seeking comment for this story.

If they arent willing to come to the table, Nelson said, Gage County could ask a state district court judge for a declaratory judgment on the policy, a legal remedy commonly used by both insurance companies and policyholders to pin down coverage.

We dont know exactly how a judge would view these many issues, but we have enough confidence to ask NIRMA and EMC to reconsider, Nelson said. The county also has a very legitimate basis to say, 'We need a judge to answer these questions.'

The insurance question is but one of the issues through which county officials are sifting as the early-October deadline to appeal the federal jury's decision approaches.

Legally speaking, its the countys last stand.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the six twice before -- in 2012, when it overturned U.S. District Judge Richard G. Kopfs dismissal of the case, and in 2015 after he declared a mistrial when jurors could not reach a verdict.

If the court rules in their favor again -- and if insurance covers only part or none of the $28.1 million -- Gage County will have limited options.

It will operate on little more than $9.2 million next year, a 2.9 percent budget increase that didnt take the $28.1 million judgment into account.

County officials began scaling back in next years budget, including a $560,000 cut in equipment purchases scheduled to replace aging highway maintenance equipment, Highway Superintendent Galen Engel said. They also cut the budget for maintaining county roads and transferred money out of the general fund and into the inheritance fund.

They could increase revenue by raising property taxes, but they're limited by two factors. First, state law prohibits counties from increasing spending by more than 2.5 percent annually, or 3.5 percent with a vote of three-fourths of the County Board.

Second, counties have a property tax levy lid of 45 cents per $100 of valuation. Gage County set a property tax levy of 26.7 cents per $100 of valuation in 2015.

Even if the county were to raise its tax levy to pay the judgment, an increase of 10 cents per $100 on the levy would only net an additional $3 million annually, said County Assessor Patti Milligan.

Other revenue options are also limited.

On top of a 5.5 percent sales tax assessed by the state, the city of Beatrice collects 1.5 percent in sales tax on goods purchased locally to aid property tax relief, street improvements and economic development.

Larry Dix, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials, said Gage County could assess a sales tax, but it would be blocked from collecting revenue from its largest town.

In a county the size of Gage, the majority of your sales tax is collected inside Beatrice, he said. Youre not going to be able to collect very much in some of the smaller towns.

As it prepares for whats ahead, Gage County is also exploring filing Chapter 9 bankruptcy, which is reserved for municipalities. Last week, county officials met with several bankruptcy attorneys during a closed session.

Afterward, County Board Chairman Myron Dorn said they're trying to prepare for various outcomes, and if they choose to hire a bankruptcy attorney, they'll do so during an open session.

But much like the insurance issue, it's uncharted territory.

No Nebraska city or county has filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy relief, although some 45 Sanitation and Improvement Districts have used the option since the 1980s, Bloomberg News reported in 2012. Typically, the sanitation districts were created by residential subdivision developers who used property tax revenue to pay for street, sewer and other infrastructure improvements, and filing for bankruptcy to structure payments over time was allowed under Nebraska law.

Those same rules apply to counties and would theoretically allow Gage County to petition a federal judge to structure payments to the six people convicted of killing Wilson.
Sometimes the difference between thought and action is a moment, a shift in forward movement, a small barrier that could save a life.

Thats the reasoning behind the Lincoln-Lancaster County Suicide Prevention Coalitions latest effort: distributing 85 lock boxes to handgun owners to make it just a little harder for someone contemplating suicide to follow through.

Its a chance to pause, said Rose Hood Buss, co-chair of the coalition.

BigShots, a local gun range and firearms store, made the chance possible, selling the lock boxes to the coalition at cost. That's part of a collaboration that also includes posting prevention information at the BigShots range and plans to begin providing suicide prevention materials with all gun sales.

Teri Clark, co-owner of BigShots, said the coalition provided the suicide prevention signs for the range and cards for counters and bathrooms about a month ago. Before that, the business had used similar materials provided by veterans' groups.

Clark said suicide prevention has always been important to her and her husband, Jim, who co-owns the business, but the death of a 22-year-old man at the range last year prompted them to increase employee training to recognize signs in customers who might be at risk of killing themselves.

They also will offer employees training through the coalition.

Teri Clark became familiar with the coalition through her work with an association of local health directors, through which shes spearheading a veterans outreach program. The Clarks are both veterans.

Its socially responsible for us, and personally, it means a lot to us -- not just us but our entire team -- to make sure guns are used for the proper reasons, she said.

Clark said she hopes the efforts by BigShots can be a model for other businesses.

The store sells all guns with locks, she said, and educates buyers on how to use them and keep them away from kids and others who shouldnt have access. Lock boxes are another deterrent, she said.

The coalition will give some of the lock boxes away at an open house at BigShots, Oct. 7-9, and will work with city officials to find ways to distribute them, perhaps at a gun amnesty event, Hood Buss said.

Were not saying, 'Dont have guns,' she said. Just lock them up.

"That time between accessing the means and carrying it out is so important.

The coalition was created in 2014 after a spike in suicides among young people. In 2013 and 2014, 22 people 24 or younger died by suicide -- more than double the number in the previous four years.

The coalition also worked with city, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and hospital officials to post signs in parking garages. In the past two years, six people have jumped or fallen to their deaths from downtown parking garages.

The coalition has trained 2,000 people to recognize the signs -- and ask the right questions -- in people who may be thinking about suicide. It also has worked with school officials to expand efforts to include lessons about social and emotional skills: how to manage emotions, achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy and build positive relationships.

The coalition provided lessons about recognizing signs of suicide to public and private schools in Lincoln and identified sixth grade as a transition point where more focus on coping strategies was important.

Four schools in the Lincoln Public Schools district are also piloting a standard, four-question assessment used by juvenile probation and mental health workers to help identify students at risk.

And the coalition is working with others who are trying to find help for people in crisis for whom hospitalization isn't the right answer.

The latest awareness campaign will focus on finding those who have "clout" with young people -- outreach agencies such as The Bay, for instance -- to help them erase the stigma around suicide and encourage people to talk about it.

"The message of suicide prevention is centered around hope, Hood Buss said. There is hope.
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Mitt Romney sunk his 2012 campaign by speaking the truth: that 47 percent of Americans paid no federal income tax, were dependent on government programs and therefore unlikely to support his call for lower taxes.

This boilerplate statement of an obvious truth generated weeks of relentless coverage from Democratic operatives with bylines, who used it to otherize Romney as an un-American snob.

Four years later, Hillary Clinton smeared half of Donald Trumps supporters with false statements fueled by venomous ignorance. At a fundraiser (of course) she separated Trumps supporters into two baskets. On one side of her chilling ledger is the basket of deplorables. These American citizens are racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic  you name it. They are, she added, irredeemable.

Thats not very Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or even atheistic.

Let that sink in. Ponder what policies she might pursue toward them as president  or toward the large number of irredeemable Democrats who also hold deplorable views.

She didnt label the other basket but helpless losers captures her views of the lost souls who support Trump because they no longer want to see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroin, feel like theyre in a dead end.

Put aside the larger question of why so many Americans, not just Republicans, but African-Americans marching in the streets of Charlotte and other cities feel so hopeless after seven years of Obamas presidency. Put aside the question of how her continuation of his policies could possibly turn things around.

Consider instead what these comments say about how Clinton views the people she wants to lead.

Trump has been pilloried by the press for presenting a dark vision of America. In fact, he is simply sounding the call for change trumpeted by every challenger. And, simply as a matter of rhetoric, he holds out the promise  however questionable  that our problems can be fixed through new policies.

Clinton, by contrast, is not condemning the state of our laws, but our souls. And, if Trumps comments about some illegal immigrants and Syrian refugees were beyond the pale, how do we describe Clintons harsh dismissal of so many Americans? Has any other major candidate for the presidency shown such contempt?

Even more troubling  if thats possible  is that she is not an outlier. She is echoing, for example, the views of prominent religious leaders and academics in North Carolina who routinely describe Republicans as evil racists intent on reimposing Jim Crow.

Her views are echoed by journalists who blithely compare Gov. Pat McCrory to George Wallace and Trump to Hitler.

With shocking brazenness and profound cognitive dissonance, these same people  who slice and dice the electorate into ethnic and racial categories  then claim that Trump and the Republicans are divisive.

When I look around, I dont see Hillarys America. I do not see, as she now claims, a 50/50 race between love and hate.

I see a nation that has struggled to dismantle the barriers that have prevented every citizen from enjoying the blessings of liberty. We are not there yet. But, as President Barack Obama has repeatedly said, we have made tremendous strides during the last half century. To pretend otherwise is to spew poison for partisan advantage.

I see a nation of flawed human beings in a world ever riven by tribalism that has tried and succeeded better than most to create an inclusive society.

I see our largely peaceful debates about contentious issues as a sharp rebuke to the religious and ethnic violence and anger roiling Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

America is not defined by hate.

We have many pressing problems including a soaring national debt, an economy that has not adjusted to changes wrought by globalism and technology, and poor leadership at almost every level of government.

For all of our challenges, we remain an exceptional land of redemption. We remain the nation others dream of coming to for hope and acceptance. We do not greet them with jackbooted thugs. We offer them opportunity.

As we have been since our founding, Americans are an imperfect people in an imperfect world. We are a good people who hold fast to the idea that we are a shining city on a hill and humanitys best hope.
SAN DIEGO -- I recently asked a newly retired cop friend, who spent 25 years on the job, what's the one thing that policemen want people to know. He said: "That things go wrong sometimes."

Things went very wrong recently when 40-year-old Terence Crutcher -- an unarmed African-American and father of four -- was fatally shot by Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby. There were several other officers on the scene, and one of them attempted to subdue Crutcher with a Taser gun.

Crutcher's death is a tragedy that should never have happened. It appears that Officer Shelby lost her cool and made a terrible mistake.

Yet, it's hard to see what good, if any, will come from the decision by Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler to charge Shelby with first-degree manslaughter. If convicted, she would spend at least four years in prison -- which, for an ex-cop, could be a death sentence.

To be sure, rogue cops belong in prison -- i.e., those who plant evidence, use excessive force, take bribes, perjure themselves or use their power to hurt people. I'm just not sure Shelby fits into one of those categories. Apparently, her sin wasn't corruption or malice, but incompetence.

According to the arrest affidavit, Shelby "acted unreasonably by escalating the situation" and "became emotionally involved to the point that she overreacted."

No matter what happens, Shelby will not get off easy. Her career in law enforcement is finished. She'll lose her job, maybe her pension. She'll have to find a new line of work, leave town, relocate her family. She may even have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, since there are people out there who might want to exact street justice.

Certainly no one is above the law, and police officers have to be held accountable.

Still, think for a moment about the age in which we're living. It has never been harder to be a cop. It used to be that killing a police officer was as unthinkable as assassinating the president. Today, some criminals see it as another cost of doing business.

Naturally, police are skittish. And so those who we entrust with the thankless and increasingly impossible job of enforcing the law, and keeping us safe, must be given more latitude than average citizens as they go about protecting and serving.

As the first officer on the scene, Shelby claims that Crutcher initially ignored her commands to show his hands and that he walked away from her and toward his vehicle. It seems that he only raised his arms when the other officers arrived. And when Shelby fired, according to the affidavit, she couldn't see Crutcher's left hand.

That's part of the problem. Some people make encounters with police overly complicated. When a police officer tells you not to move or to show your hands, you do as you're told. You don't defy, resist, mouth off or move toward your car as if you're going to reach for something. That will likely worry the officer. Things will escalate. And you could get hurt.

Why was Crutcher moving back toward his vehicle? And what would have happened if Shelby's backup had never arrived, and she had to face off against a suspect with both a height and weight advantage? Would she have gone home that night after her shift, or wound up carried by six in a flag-draped coffin?

According to the affidavit, Shelby told investigators that, even after the other officers arrived, she had never been so scared and was "in fear for her life and thought Crutcher was going to kill her."

My friend, the ex-cop, thinks that the fact that Shelby was charged at all probably means that fellow officers at the scene threw her under the bus. In speaking with investigators, he suggested, they must have said something like: "Well, we weren't scared. We had the situation under control."

What if this isn't just about racism but also about sexism? The retired police officer thinks that the male cops may be trying to expel from the force a female colleague who admitted to being afraid on the job. After all, in most cases, male officers involved in shootings never get charged.

Besides, what did the affidavit say? That Shelby was "emotionally involved" at the scene? "Emotional" is a code word that men use to put down women. This smells fishy.

If you care about fairness and equal treatment and want to be politically correct, where do you come down then?
The Affordable Care Act delivered another shock to Nebraskans when Blue Cross Blue Shield announced that it no longer could afford to sell health insurance through the federal marketplace exchange.

The announcement is the third in a series of blows to the health care system in the state. Earlier this year UnitedHealth Group announced it would no longer sell individual exchange policies. Prior to that CoOpportunity Health, which operated in Nebraska, collapsed and its customers had to find coverage elsewhere.

When Blue Cross Blue Shield made its announcement, CEO Steve Martin stressed that the company is not anti-ACA. We believe the law can be fixed, Martin told the Journal Star, and he voiced hope that after the election Republicans and Democrats would work across the aisle in Congress to address its problems.

Its no secret that for this to happen Republicans would have to drastically revise their political strategy. Since the ACA was passed without a single Republican vote the GOP has focused single-mindedly on repeal. The House, for example, has gone through the charade of voting to repeal the law more than 60 times.

Republicans should stop beating their heads against the wall.

For one thing, they have never been able to achieve a consensus in their own ranks on what should replace the ACA. Mere repeal without a replacement would devastate health care in the United States.

For another thing, Republicans ought to recognize the political reality that they would need to overcome a filibuster by Democrats in order to actually repeal the ACA. Republicans may hold on to control of the Senate, but even under the most optimistic predictions they will be significantly short of the 60 votes need to overcome a filibuster.

Since the ACA was signed into law in 2010, Congress has done little to update and improve the nations health care system.

Although the problems in the insurance marketplaces have drawn most of the attention, problems have been growing in the rest of the health care system. One of the most concerning issues is that out-of-pocket health costs  primarily due to higher deductibles -- keep rising for Americans who have employer-sponsored health insurance, which is by far the largest part of the health insurance system. Its more important than the Affordable Care Act in terms of numbers of people, said Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Its been years since rationality has been in evidence on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile the nations health care system is unraveling. Every election renews hope that Republicans in Congress will be ready to accept reality and work toward bipartisan solutions. Maybe this will be the year.
I'm an avid Bible reader. I have a set of Abingdon-Cokesbury Interpreters Bibles written in 1957 by a collection of 150 different scholars. I am going to quote exactly what their commentary was of the historical situation in about 100 A.D.: "If the leaders of the world exist in a state of moral confusion, this situation can arise. When one of the leaders becomes supreme over the others, the possibility of a tyrant arising is most probable." In this case, it was Nero. He burned Rome down.

If we look at the world today, there is fighting all over. The negativity must be coming off this planet like a thick fog. Our minds are so fogged over with earthly secular problems, we can't hear God anymore. Are most of us so spoiled and entitled that if we can't have everything our hearts desire, we will vote in someone who promises us he can fix everything? That is usually someone who doesn't receive their authority from a divine source. This, of course, creates chaos.

Fortunately, we have never had a dictator before now. It seems to me that the chances of that happening is getting greater each day. Donald Trump being as mentally narcissistic as he is the perfect candidate to fill that job. He puts on a good fake show to apparently desperate people. He knows nothing about running the world from the White House. Our greatest danger is we will lose the respect from all allies over the world with this election.

Democrats, please get out and vote. This is imperative.

Anita Crouse, Lincoln
In 1932's "Brave New World" and 1958's "Brave New World Revisited," Aldous Huxley predicted "the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance" and spoke of "man's...infinite appetite for distraction." Nowhere is this more evident than in the 24-hour news outlets Pavlovian response to impresario Donald Trumps latest sideshow where he announced that President Obama was born in the United States. Only in a Trump-infested political campaign would this be considered breaking news.

Trumps Barnum-esque spasms of self-aggrandizement and the medias predictable and fawning coverage serve to acknowledge Huxleys prescient observations. There has been a torrent of coverage that has resulted in only a trickle of significant and trustworthy information. This has allowed Trump to play fast and loose with both sides of the truth. Therein lies a baffling and disconcerting irony.

Many of Trumps assertions have been proven false, such as the letter from the NFL, for example, or his unwavering opposition to the Iraq War. Also consider whether or not he is sincere about wanting to dismantle the NATO alliance, build the wall, deport thousands of people, ban Muslim immigrants, or to shoot down Russian planes for "lack of respect." Im not sure which is more troubling, that he is lying or that he may be telling the truth! At a minimum, Donald Trump needs some extreme vetting before being allowed to enter the White House!

Larry McClung, Lincoln
OMAHA  Authorities in Omaha say a teen accused of tossing a baby she had secretly delivered out of her second-story bedroom window has been charged as an adult with felony child abuse resulting in death.

Omaha police say the 16-year-old girl was booked Saturday. The Associated Press generally doesn't name juveniles charged with crimes.

Officers were called to the apartment shortly after 4 a.m. Friday, where they found a woman administering CPR to the infant. The baby and 16-year-old were taken to a hospital, where the baby was pronounced dead.

Investigators say the teen was alone in her bedroom when she went into labor and gave birth to the premature baby. Police say she then threw the infant out the window and told her mother.

Police expect autopsy results next week.
1876: Pioneer House, Lincoln's first hotel, burned to the ground.

Residential development had begun near 14th and P streets.

1886: A citizen's committee of C.O. Whedon, I.M. Raymond and J.H. Harley went to St. Louis to try to secure better railroad rates for Lincoln.

1896: A plan for endowing Nebraska Wesleyan University was being promoted in Lincoln.

Gold Democrats and Bryan Democrats were clashing over the right to use the party's name.

1906: New storefronts were being built on 10th Street opposite the post office. The Excise Board decreed that saloons must withdraw from that street to change the character of the area.

Prohibition Party presidential candidate J. Frank Hanly spoke in Lincoln.

1916: President Woodrow Wilson visited Omaha and said American business must be "unshackled" to meet world competition.

1926: The Kearney post office was robbed of $17,000 in money, bonds and stamps.

Musicians in Omaha theaters went back to work after a 24-hour strike.

1936: Republican Senate candidate Robert Simmons visited McCook, the hometown of his opponent, Sen. George Norris.

1946: 428 polio cases had been reported in Nebraska in 1946.

Although a bond issue for a new city park was defeated by Sutton voters, a few residents banded together and paid for it themselves.

1956: The Nebraska AFL and CIO labor organizations voted to merge in meetings held in Hastings.

1966: Vice President Hubert Humphrey spoke at the state corn-picking contest at Utica in support of Democratic political candidates.

Longtime Lincoln Ford dealer E.M. O'Shea died.

1976: Air Nebraska announced plans to begin round-trip flights from Kearney to Denver Nov. 15.

A Nebraska Army National Guard major was retired with cause because he generated publicity that incidents of sexual misconduct existed within the guard and said the Pentagon would be investigating. Spokesmen in Washington said no Pentagon investigation was anticipated.

1986: The Nebraska State Patrol stopped four buses chartered by Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln near Wahoo, and fraternity members, their dates and a photographer were ticketed for alleged liquor violations. The buses were headed to a lake party at Ginger Cove near Valley.

1996: Human remains were found in a field near 40th Street and Arbor Road. They were later identified as those of Anne True, a Lincoln homeless woman. Todd Baker was found guilty of the murder on Sept. 20, 2006.

Damion Johnson of Valparaiso and Henry Valdez of Lincoln were arrested shortly after an unsuccessful attempt at robbing Valparaiso's Oak Creek Valley Bank. Authorities made the arrest after shooting out the front tire of their getaway vehicle.

2006: A young male bull elk was spotted shortly before 8 a.m. in the 900 block of North Sixth Street in Lincoln. The animal continued north and east near 48th Street, crossing Superior Street at some point. LPS officers closed a portion of Superior Street for a brief time. The elk returned to the Salt Creek area.

Lowes unveiled plans for its first Lincoln store at 60th Street and Nebraska 2. The store is expected to open sometime in the spring of 2007.
RACINE  All the stage is the world for Racine native Rachel McPhee.

The daughter of legendary Racine Theatre Guild director Norm McPhee, Rachel made her stage debut under her fathers watchful eye at the tender age of 6 in a production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

After graduating from Park High School in 2001, she earned a degree in theater from the University of Wisconsin in 2005 and studied for a year at The Drama Studio in London.

In 2011, Rachel married Robert Benson of England at the Theatre Guild and held her reception on the stage. Family and friends offered tributes, songs and readings dedicated to the couple.

And for the last 10 years, McPhee has been in New York carving out a living as an actress. She has performed in a long list of plays, films, television shows, and has been featured in print advertisements and on Internet shows.

Her career hit a high note recently when The New York Times wrote an extensive article about a one-woman play she currently stars in, running at a small theater in New York City.

The show, written by her husband, is called Dead Shot Mary and is based on the true story of New Yorks first female detective, Mary Shanley.

Its a wonderful feeling and Im definitely enjoying the moment, said McPhee in a phone interview from New York. Everything in this business is fleeting and it all can go away so fast. You have to enjoy the good things when they happen.

Despite the peaks and valleys of the profession, McPhee never for a moment wanted to do anything else. I was surprised that everyone else in the world didnt want to be an actor, she said. I was constantly surrounded by it and I loved it.

I always said this is something I have to do. I have never thought about stopping, no matter how low things got, she said.

I encouraged her, her father said. I told her it would be tough. But she has always been ambitious. Shes not one to sit back and wait for something to come to her.

Her current play is a perfect example. McPhee and her husband footed the bill for the 63-minute production, which runs six times a week until Oct. 15 at the Bridge Theater on West 54th Street.

Benson discovered Mary Shanleys story while browsing online. He immediately recognized the detective would be a perfect role for his wife.

Rob says he wrote it with me in mind, that he heard my voice, McPhee said.

Benson told the New York Times that McPhee could portray the grit of a tough old broad married to the job, but also go under that veneer and find out who this person was, what was she like at home.

Apparently she inhabited the character a little too well. When she walked onto the stage, I hardly recognized my own daughter because she had captured Mary Shanley so perfectly, said McPhees mother, Marsha Nelson of Kenosha.

The theater is small  30 seats  which makes the role even more intimate, McPhee said. I can see everyone very clearly every night, she said. I really feed off the audience. Its always different. I like to have fun with the audience and be in the moment. That keeps every fresh for me.

Shanley, nicknamed Dead Shot Mary for her skill at pulling a pistol from her handbag, was credited with more than 1,000 arrests during her 26-year career with the New York Police Department, from 1931 to 1957. She was one of the earliest female first-grade detectives and considered a trailblazer. She died in 1989 at age 93.

The play raises so many questions about a woman being on the outside, and I think many women still struggle with that, even though we have a woman running for president, she said. Those themes are universal and they are at the heart of the show.

McPhee, who also works as a personal assistant to make ends meet, said the play could move to a bigger venue if it attracts the attention of a producer. Also, she and Benson have proposed a television series be made based on the story.

I would love to just be able to act and not have to do anything else, McPhee said. I think Im about halfway there. Im getting closer and closer.
RACINE COUNTY  Tom Binger has been a business litigator in Racine, and a lawyer for one of the biggest civil law firms in Milwaukee, but the work that has always appealed to him most, he says, is the work he has done as a district attorney putting serious criminal offenders behind bars.

The Caledonia resident has worked as an assistant district attorney with the Kenosha County District Attorneys Office for the past two years. Prior to that he spent nine years at DeMark, Kolbe & Brodek, S.C. in Racine. Before moving to the area he worked as a prosecutor in the Milwaukee County District Attorneys Office from 1999-2005.

His skill at prosecuting cases is just one of things that make him the right choice to be Racine Countys next district attorney, he said.

With current Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete not running for re-election, the Democrat will face Republican Deputy Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson for the post in the Nov. 8 election.

I think that Racine County needs to have a district attorney that is willing to go in to court and fight for justice and put away the most violent offenders, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native said. In the last two years as a prosecutor, I have won 13 jury trials. I have convicted murderers, rapists, child molesters, drug dealers, drunk drivers, home invading burglars and men who abuse women.

While he has enjoyed his work prosecuting cases in Kenosha County, Binger now wants to do that work in Racine County, the place he and his family call home.

But its not just his skills as a prosecutor that makes him the best fit for the job, he said. Its the ideas he says hell bring the table to make the Racine County District Attorneys Office more accountable, transparent and effective.

Binger hopes to introduce evidence-based practices to the DAs office, such as evaluating offenders on their backgrounds and potential risk to re-offend so courts can appropriately set bail.

It would ensure that we are only incarcerating those folks that are at a high risk to reoffend. We have a very crowded jail, he added.

The attorney also hopes to use academic researchers to gather data about how the system currently works in Racine County so that information can be studied and used to make improvements.

Right now we are just kind of doing things blindly in Racine County, Binger said.

Here is how Binger answered questions about how he would tackle some of the Racine County District Attorneys Offices challenges:

With the Racine County District Attorneys Office short-staffed, and felony cases expected to reach 2,000 this year, what can be done to more efficiently move these cases through the system without jeopardizing public safety?

A tremendous amount of inefficiency in the criminal justice system results from the extraordinarily high amount of prosecutor turnover that the District Attorneys Office has experienced under the current administration. It takes valuable time to constantly hire and train new attorneys.

Justice is delayed when a new prosecutor takes over a case and has to spend time getting up to speed. The only way to stop the hemorrhaging of attorneys from the District Attorneys Office is to bring in new leadership. I will mentor new attorneys and foster an environment of collegiality that will encourage them to remain in the office and make prosecution their career.

I will also expand the existing drug court and finally bring a long-overdue mental health court to Racine County. These programs divert non-violent offenders from the criminal justice system so that we can focus our limited resources on the most serious cases.

Heroin continues to increase its grip on Racine County. What would you do to address the issue as the countys chief prosecutor?

The District Attorneys Office is not doing enough to fight the heroin and opiate epidemic. I will work to reduce the supply of, and demand for, heroin and opiates in Racine County. On the demand side, I will implement the use of Vivitrol, a new drug approved by the FDA in 2010 that has been shown to drastically reduce the physical craving for opiates.

I will establish a program where nonviolent users will be given the opportunity to avoid criminal charges entirely if they comply with a treatment program that includes Vivitrol for a 12-month period. On the demand side, heroin comes up Interstate 94 into southeastern Wisconsin.

I have worked with the Milwaukee County and Kenosha County district attorneys' offices, and I will coordinate with them to target the suppliers bringing this poison into our community. This will maximize our effectiveness while reducing the burden on Racine County taxpayers.

Each week the dockets of juvenile and criminal court judges in Racine County are filled with the cases of teens accused of serious crimes. Do you think Racine County is effectively handling the issue of juvenile offenders? If so, explain. If not, is there a different approach you would advocate?

Racine County can do more regarding juvenile offenders. I want to protect the community from the cycle of violence that we often see with juvenile offenders, where they start committing minor crimes in their teens before graduating to more violent offenses in their 20s.

Those are crucial developmental stages for juveniles, and their environment plays a huge role in this cycle. For example, children who are exposed to domestic violence while growing up often believe that violence is the best way to resolve conflicts.

Racine County needs to provide wraparound services to families victimized by domestic violence to shield those children from the effects of that trauma. Our juvenile detention facility can also do a better job of giving juveniles an opportunity to learn, grow, exercise, visit with their family and practice their religion while they are housed there, so that these individuals are less likely to reoffend after release.

An initial version of this story made it appear that the law firm DeMark, Kolbe & Brodek, S.C. is located outside Racine. It is located here. Tom Binger has lived in Racine County for 10 years.
RACINE COUNTY  A native of Racine County, Tricia Hanson has worked for the Racine County District Attorneys Office for as long as she has been a lawyer.

While still a law student at Marquette University, the Wind Lake resident took an unpaid internship with the office in 1994, hoping to learn the ropes.

The day after her law school graduation in 1995, she stepped into a paid position with the office, filling in for an assistant district attorney who was on maternity leave.

Now after 21 years in the office  four of them as the deputy district attorney  Hanson has thrown her hat into the ring to become the countys top prosecutor.

With current Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete not running for re-election, the Republican will face Democrat Tom Binger, an assistant Kenosha County district attorney, for the post in the Nov. 8 election.

Asked what makes her a good fit for the position, Hanson said her experience  mainly her knowledge of Racine County and its residents.

I understand our community and the people its made up of, and I understand what the problems are that we are facing, she said. For example, a lack of employment among people between the ages of 17 and 25 is a critical deficit that we have here. I think there are ways we can address that through the criminal justice system with first-time offenders.

One of the ideas she hopes to pursue is referring first-time offenders in adult court to Workforce Solutions as an alternative to prosecution.

When it comes to tackling the heroin epidemic, Hanson said she believes her own personal experiences  she had a cousin overdose from the drug in 2013  make her committed to battling the opiates grip on Racine County.

In addition to referring addicts to the countys veterans and drug-treatment courts, Hanson said she will vigorously prosecute those who sell the highly addictive drug for a profit.

I think really deep down at the heart of it, I am a litigator, she added. I like being in the courtroom. I really like working with law enforcement. I like developing the cases. I like feeling as though I have made a difference for someone who has been a victim of crime.

Here, in response to questions from The Journal Times, is how Hanson said she would tackle some of the Racine County District Attorneys Offices challenges:

With the Racine County District Attorneys Office short-staffed, and felony cases expected to reach 2,000 this year, what can be done to more efficiently move these cases through the system, without jeopardizing public safety?

I have already begun a process to move cases more quickly by standardizing the way discovery is delivered to defense attorneys. The faster we can get this information delivered, the faster cases can be evaluated and decisions can be made on how to proceed. Electronic delivery of discovery will be available soon to make things that much faster.

Unlike other counties, most arrested individuals in Racine County have their first court appearance within 48 hours of their arrest. The State need only have a finding of probable cause made on these cases, not an initial appearance. We work hard every day to get cases issued and have bond hearings held to move cases forward.

The entire staff at my office continues to do the impossible every day, getting this work done accurately and efficiently. As deputy district attorney, I have successfully promoted a team-like atmosphere among my staff to make sure things run efficiently.

Heroin continues to increase its grip on Racine County. What would you do to address the issue as the countys chief prosecutor?

I have a three-part plan to curb this problem from within the criminal justice system. First, I have begun an early intervention program for first-time marijuana offenders. By providing education to first-time offenders, the goal is that they will make better decisions about future drug use.

Second, my office has been involved in the Drug Treatment Court and the Veterans Treatment Court since their inception. These courts rely on evidence-based treatment programs and provide the best available solutions we have in the criminal justice system for addicted people. The attorneys in the office now automatically refer every case where someone is in possession of opiates to the appropriate treatment court for evaluation.

Third, I will prosecute the predatory drug dealers who are selling heroin solely for profit, and recommend lengthy prison sentences for them.

Each week the dockets of juvenile and criminal court judges in Racine County are filled with the cases of teens accused of serious crimes. Do you think Racine County is effectively handling the issue of juvenile offenders? If so, explain. If not, is there a different approach you would advocate?

When teens are charged with serious crimes, we are past the point where we can intervene and hope for a different outcome. In the juvenile justice system, there are a wide range of services for juvenile offenders, but a more limited range of rehabilitative resources in the criminal justice system for teens who are 17 and older. I have a plan to refer young people who are first coming into the criminal justice system, on nonviolent offenses, to Racine County Workforce Solutions as a way to reduce or have their charges dismissed, depending on the case.

At Workforce Solutions, young people can undergo an assessment to determine what their strengths and weaknesses are, what education or training they need, and what career areas might be of interest to them. I am a strong believer that education and employment are the keys to success and staying out of the criminal justice system.
iStock/Thinkstock(BOGOTA, Colombia) -- Colombian voters have rejected a peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in a referendum vote Sunday.

With most of the vote in, the no vote was ahead by slightly more than 50 percent.

The deal was signed by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez almost a week ago, but it needed to be approved by voters before passing into law and ending the 52-year conflict.

Earlier polling indicated overwhelming support for the yes vote, and the referendum's result has shocked the country. Only 37 percent of registered voters went to the polls.

In an address to the nation, the Colombian president conceded defeat and assured the public that the bilateral cease-fire with the rebels would remain while trying to save the peace accord. Santos also said he had ordered government negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to consult with leaders of the FARC.

From Havana, Jimenez said he lamented the result and peace would prevail.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
19th SAARC Summit postponed

Pakistan has decided to postpone the 19th SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad on coming November 9-10.
Auto schemes galore

Automobile dealers have launched various promotional schemes to cash in on the festive spending spree as the countrys biggest and longest festival begins. They have rolled out schemes such as cash discounts, lucky draws, insurance schemes and tour packages to pull in the customers. The schemes last till the Chhath festival in November.
Crime and clarity

Pellet guns are not toys; they are real guns which use pellets
Dashain begins with Ghatasthapana

Hindus across the country sowed seeds for Jamara (sacred plants) at their homes and temples on Saturday, as the Dashain begins with Ghatasthapana.
Deal long way off even if talks held in short order

If what Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had promised is anything to go by, a constitution amendment bill should have been in Parliament now, for it was supposed to be tabled before his visit to India.
Eco safe roads

Poor road construction and climate change contribute to near record landslide mortality in 2016
Education consultancy owner held for duping student

An education consultancy owner has been arrested for duping an aspiring medical student with a promise of admission in Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences.
Int'l Hindu Conference to be held in Kathmandu

An international conference of the Hindus is going to be organized at Bankali in the capital city from coming October 22.
Landslide kills three of a family

Three of a family were buried to death in a landslide at Ramche VDC-7 in Sindhupalchok district on Saturday morning.
Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.
Nepal to reach out to all member countries

A day after Pakistan formally announced postponement of the 19th Saarc Summit that was to be held in Islamabad on November 9-10, senior Nepali officials have said they will make efforts to convene the regional jamboree at the earliest.
On mature reflection

What is clearly missing from community schools is incentives to the management system and teachers
On sixth day of fast, Dr KC in frail health

As the hunger strike of Dr Govinda KC entered the sixth day on Saturday and his health condition deteriorated further, the government is yet to exhibit urgency in addressing his demands.
Oppn help must for statute amendment: Rayamajhi

Former Deputy Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi has said that the constitution cannot be amended without the support of the opposition parties.
Outbound tourism

Travelling to foreign destinations during the festive season has lately become a popular trend among Nepalis. This year too, thousands of Nepali tourists are packing their bags for various international destinations for Dashain and Tihar holidays.
PM announces aid to landslide, flood victims

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has assured relief and resettlement aid to the flood and landslide displaced families in the mid- and far-western regions.
Toil and trouble

Labour Act deprives domestic workers of basic labour rights that all other workers enjoy, at least at policy level
Vox Pop

The biggest Hindu festival of Dashain officially started from Saturday. The 15-day festival is the longest and most-awaited festival of Nepal celebrated by around 80 percent of the countrys population. The Kathmandu Post caught up with some of the prominent business people to talk about their plans to celebrate Dashain.
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Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy with showers. High 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

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Showers in the evening, then cloudy overnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
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ANGOLA  The growth of landing specialists in the health care industry continued this week when Dr. Teresa King opened her practice at Cameron Memorial Community Hospital.

King is a board certified otolaryngologist  an ear, nose and throat specialist  focused on general care of the ears, nose and throat as well as allergies.

Cameron officials said it is somewhat rare for a community hospital to have a dedicated ENT surgeon. Most people needing this care locally have had to rely on clinics that visit the community, but beyond exams, care often took place elsewhere.

I am so pleased to be joining a team that recognizes the need for specialty care in their community, for their community. Im excited to begin my work at Cameron and partner with patients in the tri-state area to help them once again enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle, King said.

Kings moving to Angola was the result of a recruiting effort by Cameron officials, an activity thats ongoing to attract talented health care professionals to Steuben County. Her practice opened on Wednesday.

We are very fortunate to be able to recruit someone with Dr. Kings expertise to our community. The quality of ENT care that shell bring, allowing patients to be treated right here in Steuben County is very important, said Connie McCahill, Cameron president and CEO.

King completed her undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University and her medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. She completed her residency in otolaryngology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

King comes to Cameron from Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she served as the head of the ENT department for the past eight years.

So many patients are having to go out of town for very common disorders that can be treated right here at Cameron, said Laura Lutterbeck, Cameron community relations director. Now patients will be able to be treated for common ailments of the ear, nose and throat, such as tubes and tonsils for kids; hearing loss for adults and even allergy testing and treatment.
CHICAGO  The sudden rise of Angels Envy bourbon was a perfect storm, as co-founder Marc Bushala recalls.

The whiskey was crafted by a legendary Kentucky master distiller, the late Lincoln Henderson. The bottle, curvier and more feminine than most whiskeys, stood out on the shelf. And at around the same time of its 2010 launch, consumers started showing an increased desire to make old-school cocktails with newcomer bourbons named neither Jim nor Jack.

It suddenly became a thing. And the timing was just serendipitous, said Bushala, former CEO of Angels Envy.

By the time Bushala and his partners sold Angels Envy to Bacardi last year for about $150 million, it had become emblematic of new opportunity in a changing and increasingly fragmented spirits industry. The same trends that have shaken up food and beer companies are also stirring hard liquor. Consumers, particularly millennials, want more choices, more authentic stories, and theyre willing to pay more for them.

Small and independent distilleries are helping meet that demand. And increasingly, giants of the spirit industry  companies like Bacardi, Diageo Beam Suntory and Constellation Brands,  want in on the action, either through outright acquisitions, smaller strategic investments or offering new variations on familiar products. For thirsty shoppers, the result is a dizzying array of options on liquor store and supermarket shelves.

Our dads generation was, Im a Beam guy or I drink Jack, and Im not going try that other (stuff). If you talk to a self-professed whiskey drinker today, theyll tell you what their go-to is but theyll probably tell you 10 other ones theyd choose from as well, said Bushala, whose private equity firm, Liquid Asset Brands, launched last year.

Last year, there were 5,805 brands of spirits selling in the U.S., up from 5,149 in 2013, an increase of 13 percent, according to Dan Wandel, principal of beverage alcohol client insights for IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm.

That increase reflects the boom of craft distillers, as well as the surge of line extensions and flavored liquors launched by large spirits companies to appeal to millennial consumers, Wandel said. But the growth of craft spirit sales is hard to capture, primarily because theres no consistent agreed-upon definition for craft spirits, he said.

We know theres this big movement, but we dont have the numbers to quantify it in our data, Wandel said.

Looking at the growth through another measure, there were between 25 and 50 small and independent distillers in 2000, said Frank Coleman, spokesman for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade group representing the spirits industry.

Today, there are more than 2,000 of them, said Coleman, who called the growth stratospheric.

In contrast to the craft beer movement, these small liquor producers are not cutting drastically into Big Liquors market share, at least not yet. Collectively, they represent less than 3 percent of spirits sales, Coleman said. But the little guys are stirring up excitement that helps the large companies too.

In the past, (large spirit companies) had to spend millions of dollars to develop a new brand. Now they can just go out and buy one if they feel its good enough, Coleman said.

Strategies can vary, though. Beam Suntory has doubled down on its own whiskey-rich portfolio, investing heavily in fast-growing premium brands like Knob Creek, Basil Haydens, Toki, Hornitos, EFFEN, Laphroaig, Bowmore and Auchentoshan, said Steve Fechheimer, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Beam Suntory, in an email.

These are brands that are growing rapidly with legal-purchase-age millennial consumers, especially on-premise, Fechheimer said.

Earlier this month, Beam Suntory unveiled its new Jim Beam Double Oak, a twice-barreled whiskey that serves as an example of how Beam is rolling out more premium iterations of its familiar brands to capture the interest of consumers.

And while Fechheimer declined to discuss Beam Suntorys acquisition strategy in detail, he said the company is poised to evaluate and explore investments of many different kinds, including venture capital investments in smaller brands.

Some companies have taken the venture capital investments a step further as a way to take a minority stake in small but promising companies. Diageo, the largest spirits producer in the world, set up an independent venture fund called Distill Ventures in 2013 thats since invested in more than 10 companies, according to the funds website.

And Constellation Brands, a New York-based company with its beer business headquartered in Chicago, established its own in-house venture operation last year. So far, Constellation has taken minority stakes in two companies through the venture arm: Chicago-based Crafthouse Cocktails and Nelsons Green Brier Distillery, which is headquartered in Tennessee.

Since Charles Joly, an acclaimed bartender, launched Crafthouse in 2013 with his business partner Matt Lindner, the business has grown exponentially in Chicago and now sells in 11 states. The Crafthouse concept speaks directly to consumer trends: ready-to-pour cocktails mixed with high-quality ingredients. Beyond retail exposure throughout the Chicago area, Crafthouse also is served in mini-bottles aboard United Airlines flights.

But for Crafthouse to eventually go national in distribution, it will need a partner like Constellation, Joly said.

We know cocktails and understand what people are looking for when it comes to entertaining and having a great option outside of quality beer and wine. Constellation has experience on a much larger stage, Joly said.

For Constellation, a company best known for its Mexican imports and wine, making such smaller bets in the burgeoning market for craft spirits is a way to augment larger investments, such as the $1 billion acquisition of Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits last year. And it provides an inside track to eventually acquiring small brands with authentic stories, said Matt Rice, director of business development for Constellation Brands.

Eventually, the venture operation also will invest in wine, beer and technology.

What were seeing in craft spirits is very similar to craft beer 20 years ago, Rice said.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)
Jimmy Powell opened Oscars Full Belly Deli drive-thru last week in the former location of his Jimmys Gyro Hut, in front of LAXprint at 146 Rose St.

The revamped drive-thru sells soup and deli sandwiches.

Powell also owns Jimmys North Star at 1732 George St., which is known for gyro sandwiches. He had operated the Jimmys Gyro Hut drive-thru from 2009 to 2010, and again from November 2015 until July 1.

He said when he reopened the gyro drive-thru last November, he figured (correctly) that it would boost traffic to Jimmys North Star, and planned to switch to a new drive-thru concept within six to 12 months.

Freshness and quality are our focus at Oscars Full Belly Deli, Powell said. It offers five specialty sandwiches, such as The Oscar  which is made with ham, roast beef, bacon, salami, provolone cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato. The deli sandwiches are made with bolillo rolls that are baked fresh daily.

We also have all kinds of build-your-own options, as well as fresh soup and a kids menu, said Powell, who named the deli after his dog, Oscar.

The drive-thru (customers also can walk up) will be open year-round. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, the drive-thru plans to soon have a Facebook page.

Noelke Music opened its studio in August at 123 W. Hamilton St. in downtown West Salem.

I have been teaching (music) for many years, but made it a business in 2013 out of my home after I stopped teaching full time in schools where I was a middle school band director, owner Laurie Noelke said. I expanded it to a studio since there were requests for different kinds of lessons that I did not offer.

Noelke and other instructors offer private lessons at the studio in piano, flute, voice, guitar, brass instruments and drum set. We also offer childrens music classes and adult learning opportunities, Noelke said. Our first childrens class, called Music and Movement, will be Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. and is for 3- to 5-year-olds.

For more information, call (608)-612-0022 or visit www.noelkemusic.com or the studios Facebook page.

Journey Active fitness studio will open in late fall at 1245 Badger St., on the second floor of the new Aguilera building in La Crosse.

Kevin and Devan Weis own the new business. He received a business management degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, with an emphasis in sustainability and minor in economics and is a financial advisor in La Crosse. Devan has a degree in kinesiology-movement studies and nutrition and has five years of experience teaching classes and working with individuals in the fitness industry.

The new fitness studio will focus on group classes when it opens, Devan said, adding that there also will be open gym hours. We will also be phasing in small group training, personal training and online training, she said. We want to focus more on overall wellness rather than just fitness  so we will be having monthly seminars/educational sessions for all community members to attend and learn more about all aspects of wellness.

For more information, visit www.journeyactive.com or the studios Facebook page.

An Arbys restaurant is being built in front of the Walmart supercenter on Hwy. 54 in Black River Falls.

The restaurant is expected to open in late November and will have about 50 employees, said Abbey Ramsey, director of marketing for Arbys franchisee DRM Inc., based in Omaha, Neb.

Its a great location and we love opening in new communities, Ramsey said of DRMs decision to build an Arbys in Black River Falls.

DRM operates 71 Arbys locations in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin, and plans to add 25 more in those states over the next seven years. Sparta and Black River Falls will be numbers 72 and 73 when both open in late November, Ramsey said.
In the late 1960s, America came to a fork in the parenting road and took the road never traveled. My generation did what no generation in any culture at any time in history had ever done: We broke with the parenting traditions of our foremothers and forefathers. When the time came, we refused to take the well-worn parenting baton and carry it forward. And as poet Robert Frost foresaw, albeit upside-down, it has made all of the difference.

The new parenting paradigm was driven by an odd hybrid of humanistic, behavioral, and Freudian theories. I call it Postmodern Psychological Parenting (PPP). Like all postmodern stuff, it is relativistic (do your own thing) and progressive (full of new ideas). It is psychological because its all about feelings  the childs, that is. Its parenting because its an expert-driven quasi-technology. All told, it is 180 degrees removed from the day when common sense ruled child rearing and ones elders were the go-to advisors.

The new parenting experts implied, strongly, that good parenting was all about properly interpreting and responding to a childs feelings. (The canard being that pre-1960s parents did not allow their children to freely express their feelings  true, thus causing them untold psychic damage  false). That understanding caused the more emotionally-intuitive of the child-rearing pair to begin believing that she alone was capable of properly executing the new set of assignments and, therefore, broke the child-rearing unity of husband and wife. As a result, what was now mothering became what raising a child had never before been except in unusual circumstances: stressful, anxiety- and guilt-ridden, frustrating and exhausting. That is, hard.

One of the more destructive consequences of PPP is the tendency on the part of todays parents  especially moms  to assign legitimacy to their childrens emotional expressions. The typical mom of the 1950s  mine, for example  understood that children were drama factories and that children needed discipline concerning not only their behavior, but their feelings and thoughts as well. By contrast, todays parents tend to (a) only discipline behavior, thus teaching their children how to manipulate and (b) buy into their childrens dramas and unwittingly enable narcissistic emotional expressions.

In this context, it should surprise no one that many a young child comes to school with the emotional control of a toddler. Nor should it surprise anyone that many teens seem to believe that a life without drama is a life without meaning. In case the reader has failed to notice, social media is the stage upon which many of these teen soap operas are produced. Furthermore, the emotionally-abusive child (whose default victim is his or her increasingly-guilty mother) has become ubiquitous.

America is paying a terrible price for believing that capital letters after ones name means the individual in question knows what hes talking about, for believing that new ideas are better than old ideas, for believing that if we are willing to listen, children will tell us what they need.

The truth is that yesterdays grandparents gave much better advice than todays experts, there is nothing new under the sun, and children only know what they want.

How to raise an emotional tyrant: Feed the beast.
NAPA, Calif.  Tasting wine is fun and possibly educational. But tasting wine while gazing on a backdrop of vine-covered hills rippling toward a blue horizon? Thats a fairly unbeatable pairing.

Here are some California wineries with views that will have you pulling your nose out of that glass  the better to drink in the scenery.

Artesa

With its picturesque hilltop setting in the Carneros wine-growing region at the southern end of the Napa Valley, Artesa was one of the original wineries in the area, founded by the Spanish wine-making family Codorniu Raventos. Barcelona architect Domingo Triay designed the winery to blend into the highest hill of Artesas 350-acre estate. A protective covering of natural grasses conceals the winery rooftop, accented by fountains and contemporary sculpture. On a clear day, you can see not forever but as far as the San Francisco Bay. Reservations required for parties of eight or more; advance booking for tours and tastings in general is recommended. Tastings begin at $25.

CADE Estate Winery

Howell Mountain at the northern tip of the Napa Valley gives CADE its amazing vantage point. From the wide terrace, at an elevation of 1,800 feet (550 meters) that is well above the fog line, you can look out over acres of vineyards and tree-covered hills. The winery was founded in 2005 by John Conover, Gavin Newsom (currently Californias lieutenant governor) and billionaire Gordon Getty. It takes its name from Shakespeare, who used cade to refer to the wine casks used to ship wine from France to England in Elizabethan times. This is a good winery to visit when temperatures start to dip; the terrace includes comfy couches set around a large fire pit. Reservations required; tastings start at $40 per person.

Castello Di Amorosa

As the Napa Valleys only 13th-century Tuscan castle (yes, its a replica, but a very faithful one), the Castello offers sweeping views from the ramparts. But there are some indoor sights to take in as well, such as the armory, grand barrel room and a torture chamber (...though not currently in use). General admission starts at $25 and includes a tasting of five wines. Guided tours, which include tastings, start at $40. For $80, you can take a food-and-wine pairing that ends with a tasting in the elegantly decorated royal apartment. Reservations recommended for guided tours.

Cuvaison Estate

If rolling hills are what youre looking for, Cuvaisons got them. This winery in the Carneros region was completed in 2009 and features a wood-and-steel structure embedded into a hilltop with wraparound terraces. Native grass landscaping complements other sustainable practices including rainwater collection and solar energy. Reservations recommended. Tastings start at $20.

Domaine Carneros

If youve ever wanted to make like Cinderella, this is the winery to pick. Domaine Carneros features graceful flights of stone steps leading up to a terrace overlooking vine-covered hills where you can enjoy table service and order small plates to accompany your tasting. Wines may be tasted in flights or by the glass. Reservations are required for tastings and table service, and may be made up to 5 p.m. on the day of the visit, based on availability. Tours are available, but they must be booked in advance. Tastings start at $25.

Mumm Napa

The terrace at Mumm Napa is on a hillside off the Silverado Trail, the valleys lesser-traveled main thoroughfare, and has a commanding view of the Napa Valley. Open daily with three tasting experiences: outdoor patio, enclosed tasting salon or oak terrace. Tastings start at $20. Reservations required for terrace seating.

Silverado Vineyards

Theres something about drinking wine on a terrace. And the Napa Valleys generally good weather makes the experience all the more enjoyable. The terrace at Silverado Vineyards features 180-degree views of the renowned Stags Leap Wine district, the better to taste by. Film buffs may be interested to know the winery was founded by Lillian Disney, widow of Walt, her daughter Diane Disney Miller and son-in-law Ron Miller. Open by appointment only. Tastings start at $30.

Stags Leap Winery

The newly renovated, Victorian-era Manor House at Stags Leap Winery has a grand wraparound porch for tastings with an expansive view of the vineyards. By appointment only; tastings start at $65.

Sterling Vineyards

Theres a reason Sterling Vineyards tends to make a lot of best of lists. The view from this hilltop winery on the northern end of the Napa Valley is remarkable. The vineyard is set 300 feet (91 meters) above the town of Calistoga. An aerial tram takes you up to the winery, set in a white stucco building modeled after the architectural style of the Greek island of Mykonos. From the south terrace you look straight down the Napa Valley. Reservations not required, although a good idea at peak times such as weekends. General admission and tasting starts at $29.

Auberge du Soleil

Not a winery, but a resort, Auberge du Soleil has two dining options, both with breathtaking views. If youre feeling flush, you can eat at the Michelin-starred restaurant with its terrace overlooking a green and verdant valley. Or, you can stop by the more casual bistro which has a wraparound deck, more than 40 wines by the glass and is a great spot for sunset watching.
With a blend of faith, friends and fabric, Shannon Krautkramer has changed the lives of hundreds of Ugandan women, providing them with dignity, comfort and 180 days of school, all within the seams of a simple drawstring bag.

Krautkramer, a massage therapist, was attending a womens convention at First Free Church in Onalaska when she learned of Days for Girls, an international nonprofit organization formed in 2008. It composes and distributes reusable feminine hygiene kits to poor women in more than 100 countries, including Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. Krautkramer and fellow church goer Ruthie Mwebza, a Ugandan woman working as a nanny in the area, set out to make 10 kits for Mwebza to take back with her but quickly increased their goal when Mwebzas fiance, a teacher in Uganda, told them 25 girls were planning to drop out of school because of their periods.

I felt a nudging from the Lord to make 100 kits, said Krautkramer, who created a Facebook page and enlisted help from Mistys Dance Unlimited and her pastor to find volunteers.

Thirty-five women came to the first meeting to sew and assemble the multi-piece kits. Each consists of a drawstring bag, instruction sheet and cycle chart, Ziploc bag, soap, underwear, flannel liners in dark colored, culturally acceptable prints, a washcloth and moisture barrier shields made from PUL, a polyester blend.

The kits are reusable for up to 180 days, or three years of cycles and require a minimal amount of water for washing.

Many of the girls use gray water (water left over from other washing), Krautkramer said. The liners are shaped like washcloths so they arent taboo to dry on the line and the sun sanitizes them. People ask why we dont just bring (disposable) products there, but they dont have any way to control the waste, and if the women dont have underwear that wont work. We have to stay conscious that the resources we have here arent the same as other countries.

Krautkramers husband encouraged her to deliver the first 175 kits in person, and in August 2015 she took her first trip to Uganda, passing out kits at orphanages.

When we first called one, they said they were fine  they didnt need our products, Krautkramer said. They were giving them one pad for the entire week. The orphanages have so many other things they need to supply and pay for that feminine hygiene products go on the back burner.

The need was so overwhelming that 100 women were turned away when the kits ran out. Krautkramer asked how the women in line were chosen, and was told by one orphanage they had gone out into the village and picked the poorest of the poor.

The women were so incredibly grateful. It was really cool to see the reactions on their faces, Krautkramer said. One woman in the crowd kept yelling thank you over and over again.

Many were fascinated by the charts to track their cycles, something they didnt even realize they could do.

One woman asked, Where were you five years ago!? Krautkramer recalls. (The kits) really open up the whole hygiene and cycle conversation. Its a sensitive topic there.

Krautkramer stayed in Uganda for 10 days, spending time with the women as they worked in the art room at the Good Shepards Fold orphanage, where many spend their days making beads to sell.

Their pace of life is so much slower. They would sit and roll paper beads all day, and I would be thinking, What are we going to do next? Its a very American thing to move things along, Krautkramer said. A lot of their stories were they dropped out of school and had kids at a young age that they cant afford. They have no life skills, so they make jewelry out of magazines.

Krautkramer realized the women could grow their skills by sewing their own kits, and upon returning to Onalaska told her pastor, We could literally keep supplying these women for a lifetime and it wont do any good. We need to teach them how to make their own.

Krautkramer and five others will return to Uganda in November to train groups at the Days for Girls University and two micro businesses set up in orphanages.

One thing we dont want to do is just go in and say, Were here to teach, because then we will miss what we can learn from them. Ive really learned patience and compassion.

Krautkramer and her monthly sewing group of 45 women, who range in age from high school students to the elderly, hope to have 300 kits ready for the fall trip.

As long as the donations come in and God keeps guiding this mission, were going to keep going, Krautkramer said. Just to see how heartfelt and sincere these women are when they receive their kits ... Im excited to go back and see them.
The 1200 block of Caledonia Street is on the verge of a renewal as business and community leaders gather this week to develop a plan and brand for the area known as Old Towne North.

After raising $22,000 through a grassroots fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, North La Crosse Business Association president Nick Roush and city planning firm Urbanlocity will host the Uptowne Summit Wednesday through Friday at 1217 Caledonia St.

Roush and business partners Adrian Lipscombe and Andrew Londre of Urbanlocity are spearheading the effort to invite in a diverse group to plan the future of the former downtown North La Crosse.

Its a wonderful building block and stepping stool for people who want to do something for their community, Roush said.

The effort has gained support of everyone from business owners and neighbors to elected officials.

La Crosse Loggers owner Dan Kapanke said he not only donated, but he also plans to attend with his wife, Ruth.

We are part of that North Side, and we want to help shape that future in some way, Kapanke said. Theres just a lot of excitement in the air.

The business- and community-led effort will benefit the whole city as the revitalization takes hold, he added.

Were one area. Whats good for the South Side is good for the North Side and vice-versa, Kapanke said.

La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat said the city has chipped in $5,000 for the effort and is ready to working with Uptowne organizers.

Council member Ryan Cornett added that while the North Side of La Crosse still faces some prejudice, its not a bad neighborhood.

Were working to improve it. You have people invested in the community, the churches are really involved, and you have the businesses like The Sweet Shop that are iconic, Cornett said.

The event will feature several workshops at which people can discuss challenges and strategies to transform the area into a destination.

For more information, visit uptownelax.com.
MADISON  As winner of the first and only Cinderella of the World pageant in Madison 50 years ago, Cheryl Johnson Ludecke was lavished with gifts including an entire new wardrobe, hobnobbed with dignitaries for a week and was photographed countless times with prize-winning cows.

Ludeckes Cinderella of the World duties in September 1967 were to promote a new dairy industry show called the World Food Exposition, which sponsored the pageant. She traveled the state by DC-3 to drum up interest and popped out of a big box as Cinderella wearing her sparkling new evening gown just after another woman wearing ragged clothes walked into it.

Ludecke, now 71, returned home to Florida right after the show ended and, despite loving her time in Wisconsin, never came back or checked up on the show. Whatever happened to that show? she asked a reporter who called her recently.

As it turned out, the glass slipper fit the show, too. The ragged World Food Exposition that initially struggled to draw visitors became the World Dairy Expo, a world-class cattle and trade show that will celebrate its 50th anniversary when it opens Tuesday at the Alliant Energy Center.

With more than 75,000 visitors expected this year, the Expo is not only the biggest dairy show in the world but the 27th-largest trade show of any kind held in the United States. Its also a major economic engine for the Madison region, with a direct and indirect impact estimated at $50.2 million annually.

Its a great feeling to have seen it succeed, said Robert Walton, former president of American Breeders Service in DeForest who was one of the original members of the World Dairy Expo board when it incorporated in 1971. We had no idea way, way back then that it would become what it has become. A wonderful team of people started it  they were really far-sighted  and a lot of top people continue to make it work.

Keys to success

Walton, 85, believes the Expo has succeeded by keeping pace with the changes in the sometimes volatile dairy industry over the past 50 years while managing its finances to help Dane County, which owns the Alliant Energy Center, add new buildings and replace old ones to help the event grow.

It also has allowed the Expo to spend money for youth and educational programs like the popular virtual farm tours, according to Chuck Miller, a longtime Expo board member. All those things bring more people in, he said. One of the biggest challenges there is that there is too much to do. You cant see it all.

Others point to how it has maintained from its first show what Ludecke called its very warm and very homey atmosphere. It was such a pleasure to be there because everybody was so enthusiastic.

These days the show draws more than 2,000 foreign attendees from around 100 countries and Walton believes some of them come to meet their own people here. They find it easier to meet the leaders of their country here than in their home country, Walton said. It really is a gathering for the entire world.

It hasnt been a linear journey, said World Dairy Expo general manager Scott Bentley. There have been a few ups and downs, not only for the event but for the entire industry, he said. What we like is that theres a lot of energy, a lot of innovation and its not just a trade show or a cattle show, its people coming together, exchanging ideas, collaborating, fellowshipping. I think thats what makes World Dairy Expo unique.

Making room for change

The Expo has opened its doors to the technology and techniques that led the U.S. dairy industry to cut the number of cows it milks (13.4 million cows in 1967 to 9.3 million cows in 2015) while increasing production (about 14 billion gallons in 1967 to 24.3 billion gallons in 2015).

It welcomed all the changes in the cheese industry  including the rise of specialty producers, a key sector in Wisconsin and made room for innovation like organic dairy farmers, who continue to inch their way up the overall milk production ladder.

This year attendees can peruse more than 800 commercial exhibits from more than 20 countries, browsing technology like Fitbit-like devices that can count how many times a cow chews her cud, robotics that continue to rule milking parlors and genetics technology that helps develop higher-quality, more productive herds. Thats a far cry from 1967, when one of the most notable changes for the industry was the introduction of plastic milk containers.

The Expos large board and several committees that pay close attention to dairy trends help keep the event on the cutting edge, Miller said.

Were looking at where the industry is going, its all part of it, he said. If you have something to show the world and its related to the dairy industry, the place you take it to is Madison, Wisconsin. Thats where you go.

A struggle at the start

The World Food Exposition was born after the once-successful National Dairy Cattle Congress at Waterloo, Iowa  the countrys best cattle show and dairy industry meeting place for years  changed its focus in 1966, Walton said. Show founder Allen Hetts of Fort Atkinson worked with Gene Nelson of Union Grove, Gene Magnussen of Lake Mills, and Howard Voegeli of Monticello and others to drum up support for a new show at the Dane County Fairgrounds the following year.

The Alice in Dairyland-type pageant, forums on food and youth and other groups, and dignitaries like Lady Bird Johnson, the nations sitting first lady, created some interest, Walton said, but attendance was much lower than expected. The second show didnt do much better. It promised a Louis Armstrong concert at the new Dane County Coliseum, but he never showed up. Some of its sponsors, liked Planned Parenthood of Milwaukee, had nothing to do with dairy.

The first few years it was more like a county fair, said Barb Kayser, a cow exhibitor from Milton who has been connected with the show for all 50 years.

In 1969 the show was renamed the World Dairy Expo and Mid-America Festival of Food and Fun, and the cattle show was held in the Dane County Coliseum for the first time.

A year later the International Dairy Show in Chicago merged with the Expo, bringing to Madison many of the student conferences and judging contests that continue today. The following year, as the show teetered on the brink of financial ruin, business leaders from around the country met in Madison and formed World Dairy Expo Inc.

We believed in this thing and the structure of buying stock in it  $5,000 per share  and thats how we created an operating fund so we could move forward with some security, Walton said. It took them at least 10 years before it really got rolling. But once we had the cash flow it helped us get from one year to the next.

In the mid-1990s, the Expo pledged $1 million to a major remake of the Alliant Energy Center that included construction of Exhibition Hall and its tens of thousands of new square feet for commercial vendors. Three years ago, the Expo took the lead in the building of the state-of-the-art New Holland Pavilions that replaced the aging barns. The Expo contributed $3 million to the $24.9 million facility.

That kind of partnership bodes well for the Expos future, said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. They bring in a lot of dollars to the AEC campus, but not just during the week that World Dairy is here. They impact us year-round, he said. They have not only helped World Dairy but they helped us bring in new events. They continue to be incredible partners with Dane County and the AEC campus.
It has been four years since Deej Logan drove away from Byron High School on the first day of her senior year, composing a text as she left. Before she could send the message, though, she drove into the back of a school bus that had stopped to drop off children on Hwy. 5 near Oxbow Park.

Deej, 17, died later that day at a Rochester hospital.

Since that September day in 2012, her father, Matt Logan, has made it his mission to let others know the dangers of distracted driving.

The latest is a public service announcement produced by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety in which Logan tells the story of Deejs last text.

What I try to do is get to a lot of high schools and speak to the students, Logan said, but the DPS videos offer a broader base for the message.

He spoke at more than 30 schools during the 2015-16 school year because when it has to do with your kids, and when youre hoping to impact the world in a positive way, you take the time for it.

Its a calling, he agreed, but that doesnt mean its easy.

If it gets easier, Ill probably stop doing it, Logan said, because then youve removed how emotional it is. I guess its a double-edged sword for me: One edge is ripping the scar open every time, and youre reliving those moments. ... Then I get emails and social media messages and notes in the mail from teachers and students, and the impact its had on them, so the other edge is the reward that it helps.

His daughter was a very positive person, Logan said. She gave the best advice at such a young age. She made such a positive impact at her high school, so I guess thats the side of it that gives me the ability to go through it.

Hes learned the most powerful part of her story seems to be just being honest with them about what it means to use your phone while you drive. Im just honest with them about it, and how hard it is to talk about it.

We have the ability to make the choice whether we drive distracted or not, Logan said. We choose distractions. I tell them, she chose it, and thats hard for me to say.

Making the connection between Deej and the students he talks to now is important, he said.

She was an average teenager: She was a good kid, a good student, had good friends, Logan said. But when you attach that to the story ... I drove up to the scene (of the crash), not knowing that there was a scene to drive up to. When I got there, they were still trying to get her out of the vehicle, so that brings a very different dynamic to the reality of the situation.

Though he couldnt see the vehicle that had struck the bus, I knew she was driving that road, Logan said. Id talked to her on the phone 30 minutes before. A deputy who was directing traffic at the scene confirmed it was Deej.

Were grateful to Matt for his willingness to share his very painful story in hopes that others will pay attention behind the wheel, said Bruce Gordon, director of communication for the DPS. Twenty percent of fatalities involving teen drivers in Minnesota are distraction-related, and we wanted to draw attention to this issue as another school year gets underway, though it isnt just a teen problem.

What happened to Matts daughter is a tragedy thats being repeated far too often across Minnesota, Gordon said.

Distracted driving crosses age groups; fatalities related to distractions jumped 21 percent last year in Minnesota, according to the DPS.

Logans PSA has had more than 4,500 views, but in order for me to get to the place to continue to do this, I had to realize that first, I know Im not going to reach every student or every person who hears her story. Thats impossible.

Now the director of childrens ministry at Community Celebration Church in Kasson, Logan said he doesnt have a specific goal for his work with the DPS.

If it does reach one person, then ... its a ripple effect. If one person takes something from it  done. The job is complete.

Twenty percent of fatalities involving teen drivers in Minnesota are distraction-related, and we wanted to draw attention to this issue as another school year gets underway. Bruce Gordon, director of communication for the DPS
The exact boundaries of the area of La Crosse known as Old Towne North are fuzzy, with many people placing the divider halfway down the 1100 block of Caledonia Street at The Sweet Shop and running up to the opposite end of the 1200 block.

But those wandering a bit farther down the street will find themselves surrounded by plants at a store called Herbs All Around. On the other side, the street is capped by Savory Creations and Old Towne North Pets, but, half a block down, visitors can see a barber shop and an honest-to-goodness cobbler at Lennys Shoe Repair on Clinton Street.

The once-bustling downtown, which has been a commercial hub for more than 130 years, is quiet most days, broken up by flurries of activity as classes at the relatively new Root Down Yoga and Bebop & Bundle let out, releasing yogis of all ages and parents with their children into the street.

They mix with regular visitors to restaurants and businesses that have been there for decades, such as Carrier Insurance and The Sweet Shop, which sits halfway down the next block, embracing La Crosses North Sides blue-collar charm.

The minds behind the Uptowne Summit planned for Wednesday through Friday hope to harness that character and build it into a new brand, re-energizing Old Towne North with a grassroots revitalization effort.

North La Crosse Business Association president Nick Roush partnered with Adrian Lipscombe and Andrew Londre of Urbanlocity to create the three-day, free event, which hopes to rebrand the area as Uptowne to build on the citys growth and uncover the potential of the community.

Its a destination thats worth the trip, not just a way point, Roush said.

As someone who has worked there for years, Roush is passionate about the area, which he sees as an untapped resource with access to the river, parks, unique businesses and a great history.

North Side Pride

The North Side has its own feel, and it centers around the downtown of North La Crosse, as it was known before the separate municipality merged with La Crosse proper in 1871.

The municipalities were split between the bankers and the workers, with La Crosses South Side housing the banks and the North Side being the home of the sawmills and lumberyards.

La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat described the rivalry as something in our communitys DNA."

Thats one of the things that I think is neat and cool about La Crosses history is the fact that we did actually have these two communities, and obviously they came together, Kabat said.

While they came together, the rivalry remains among the older generation. Business leaders such as Sweet Shop operator Marty Dierson and Carrier Insurances Randy Eddy Sr. are quick to note the North Sides independent identity, with Eddy unable to resist the chance to get a playful dig in at the South Side.

We actually allowed South La Crosse to merge with us. Thats my story, and Im sticking to it, Eddy joked.

La Crosse Common Council member Ryan Cornett, whose district sits in the middle of the North Side, describes his constituents as welcoming but tough.

They have this tough exterior, and people dont like outsiders, Cornett said.

When he was campaigning, he realized pretty quickly that knocking on front doors wasnt going to work.

You ever try going to the front doors in the North Side? Nuh-uh, its the back door, Cornett said. They lock their front door, and they dont answer it.

Once he figured out he had to go to the back door, he learned that people on the North Side stick together.

Once you get past that, once they know you, there are people who will really respect you, and its a good area, Cornett said.

It doesnt take much to learn that people can be incredibly friendly once they give you a chance. Jerry Swim, co-chairman of the Lower North Side Depot Neighborhood Association, has lived there 27 years and loves it. His neighbors are great, he said.

There already, right now, is a really neat feel to the neighborhood, Swim said. Its a nice area of town.

Lipscombe, who is renovating 1217 Caledonia St. into a restaurant, has been amazed at how affable people have been.

I meet someone almost every day who stops by and welcomes me to the neighborhood, Lipscombe said.

Enduring stigma

However, there is a bit of a stigma to La Crosses North Side.

Rumor has it a hub of criminal activity, and the city has assigned two of the La Crosse Police Departments neighborhood resource officers to combat the perceived problem.

We have our issues on the North Side, Cornett said, citing some troubles with drugs and absentee landlords. You have that everywhere in every community.

They talk negative about it. I walk around my neighborhood at night, and I dont feel in danger, he added.

Even those who dont buy into its reputation for crime dont see it as a hub of community activity.

They say, Its a place that used to be alive but right now is asleep, Roush said.

Roush said he challenges that attitude, but he knows it persists. He and his wife Mandy got a lot of push-back in 2011, when they opened Root Down Yoga in the heart of Caledonia Street. But, having worked down there for years, I knew it was a safe block and had lots going on, he said.

'Old Towne North

The areas businesses have a long history of investing in their community. Eddy recalled how the name Old Towne North was born, back when he was president of the Caledonia Street Merchants Association.

Eddy and his civic-minded colleagues paid $1,800 per building for a historic impact study on the 1200 blocks 12 buildings in 1991.

We knew if we didnt do something, we were going to be in a bad way, Eddy said.

With some help from the city of La Crosse, the group of business owners built the identity of Old Towne North and embraced the block as a home for antiques and those with a love for history, despite the challenges in getting the word out.

There were people who didnt even know where Caledonia Street was, Eddy said.

The Antique Mall had more than 60 dealers working out of it and drew antiquing enthusiasts and other dealers from across the country. At the same time, they invested in street and sidewalk improvements, adding period-lighting, wooden benches engraved with the blocks name and a building directory off the parking lot.

We were very successful doing so, Eddy said. We developed a nest for people who were looking for that unique item.

However, as the market for antiques shifted online, the street saw a bit of an economic downturn. While the planters running the block have been taken care of, the building directory now consists of a stained corkboard with a pair of business cards pinned to it and the brick in front of it has been heaved by the tree roots on either side.

When Kabat worked in the citys planning department, city officials reached out the business leaders to include the area in the citys master plan, recognizing its potential as a hot spot, suggesting it be part of a mini-Main Street program, like the one that has proven successful downtown.

Caledonia Street is important, not only for the North Side, but in the larger region, Kabat said. Its definitely a center of business, and its got that great history of being kind of the North Sides downtown, if you will.

However, they werent able to get any momentum, despite support from the business owners.

Rebounding

Then, in 2011, a rebound started organically with the opening of La Crosses hot yoga spot, which started a bit of a stir.

We brought something to that neighborhood they hadnt seen before, Roush said.

The business affected everyone on the block, bringing in people of all ages and races to peruse the music stores, Sweet Shop and other businesses.

Among them is Anne Blaylock, who had never been to Caledonia Street before starting prenatal yoga last spring. A resident of La Crosses South Side, she was more prone to checking out downtown events than anything on the North Side.

I started doing yoga at Root Down last year, but I hadnt realized all the great stuff they have over here, Blaylock said.

Now shes a regular visitor, coming at least once a week to take her 4-year-old son Harper to Bebop & Bundles Music Together program down the road from Root Down.

Its made me come to other things over here, Blaylock said. Just last week we went to Pogrebas Restaurant for dinner.

She continues to be a regular downtown, particularly at The Pump House, but with the whole Coulee Region growing and changing, she likes the chance to check out different neighborhoods.

Its always nice to check out different areas of the city. Every area has a different feel to it, Blaylock said.

In the past five years, there have been a number of newcomers, not just Bebop & Bundles, which moved there last year after operating in The Pump House on King Street, but also businesses such as Savory Creations and Old Towne Strings, which opened in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Old Towne Strings owner Ty Striebel opened his instrument-repair business across the street from Root Down Yoga after being a resident of La Crosses North Side for 15 years, thinking the area could use some more business and itd be a convenient location for both him and his customers.

It kind of just fell into place. I didnt really know what I was doing. I needed someplace to do repairs that wasnt my basement, Striebel said.

Since then, he has watched the storefronts change.

There is only a spot or two open now, he said. It seems like everything is filling up.

Its not just Striebel noticing. La Crosse Loggers owner Dan Kapanke noted that the area is changing as new businesses come into the North Side, bringing in a wider mix of clientele.

Theres the perception that we have empty storefronts, Kapanke said. We have to overcome that. We have to overcome that there hasnt been a lot of activity there.

As a longtime employer on the North Side, he can say for sure that isnt true. Only three area storefronts are empty, with two of those having businesses planned to open soon, including Lipscombes farm-to-table cafe.

There are a lot of good things to say about North La Crosse, and the businesses will lead the charge as we redevelop, Kapanke said.

City investment

While the businesses are leading, the city is following suit, chipping in $5,000 to the grassroots rebranding fundraiser.

Its an area that is just ripe for a renaissance, Kabat said. It is a place where youve got some very strong destinations that people really want to visit and if you can build upon that, you can really grow whats going on there.

The city is putting money into floodplain relief, housing replacement and a new gateway to the city as part of the Interstate-90 Exit 3 area reconstruction. Caledonia Street is within the scope of the Hwy. 53 master planning process the city began this spring, and the city invested $375,000 in neighborhood-driven projects in 2016.

We dont want people to just bypass North La Crosse and go straight to downtown, said Cornett, who chairs the committee overseeing the Hwy. 53 plan. There is a bustling community on the north end where you really dont need to leave.

With urban shopping, a grocery store not too far away and quality housing, Cornett believes itll be a draw to millennials.

Uptowne

Roush, Lipscombe and Londre believe itll be a draw to people of all ages, not to mention businesses.

It was a great place to start, Roush said. When people invest in the center, it pulses out into the neighborhoods around it.

He added that the area is open to discovery and people just need a reason to show up.

Londre agreed, saying that, despite being a La Crosse resident since he was 9, the first time he visited was just a couple years ago. Now that he has, hes as passionate about Caledonia Street as the rest of La Crosse.

Most people dont know this fabulous place is here, Londre said.

Londre sees the Uptowne brand as a unifying effort.

Were all just a part of La Crosse, Londre said. This is not North Sides downtown. This is everybodys Uptowne.

In that spirit of inclusiveness, the summit is open to everyone  even people who live downtown or even Onalaska.

It allows them to have that ownership and inclusivity that comes with it and lets people drive their own bus, Roush said.

The area has embraced Roushs efforts, raising $22,000 on kickstarter to fund the summit.
EL CAJON, Calif.  Alfred Olango, the unarmed black man shot and killed by police in a suburb of San Diego, was remembered in a demonstration Saturday organized by clergy members and supporters of Olangos family.

Several hundred people gathered peacefully at a park in downtown El Cajon to hear speeches by religious leaders and then marched through the streets to police headquarters, where Olangos family members joined them.

Mourning is a public sharing of grief and his unnecessary killing has rent the fabric of our human community yet once again and we are feeling it deeply in our hearts, said Rev. Frank Placone-Willey of Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in nearby Santee, California.

Olangos father, Richard Olango Abuka, called for the resignation of the police chief and said his sons death is a turning point in a peaceful struggle to change police practices. Other speakers demanded changes in how police respond to calls about people in mental distress.

There was a modest police presence to direct traffic.

The event came a day after two videos of the shooting were released by authorities, something the family and community leaders had urged.

The videos show the officer fired four times at close range almost immediately after Olango, 38, suddenly raised both hands to chest level and took what was described as a shooting stance. In addition to the videos, police showed the 4-inch electronic cigarette device Olango had in his hands when he was shot.

The shots came less than a minute after police arrived at the scene in response to Olangos sister calling 911 and reporting he was acting erratically.

The videos were released after nights of unruly and, at times, violent protests in El Cajon. On Thursday night, an officer was struck in the head by a brick hurled by a protester.

Our only concern at this point was community safety, police Chief Jeff Davis said. We felt that the aggression of some  some  of the protesters was escalating to the point where it was necessary to release some information and truly, it was my hope to relieve some of that concern.

A fourth night of protests on Friday remained peaceful, with about 200 people blocking intersections and at one point attempting to walk on to a freeway before police stopped them.

The incident is the latest in a series of fatal shootings of black men that have roiled communities across the U.S. It came weeks after fatal shootings by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Olango, a Ugandan refugee who arrived in the U.S. as a boy, had a criminal record that included drug and weapon charges but no violence. His family described him as a loving father and a joyful, happy person.

His mother said he suffered a mental breakdown recently after the death of his best friend. On Tuesday, his sister called 911 and reported he was acting strangely and walking into traffic by a strip mall.

The longer of the two videos released by police came from a surveillance camera in the drive-thru of a restaurant. It is roughly a minute, has no sound and police blurred out the heads of everyone in it.

Olango is seen walking through the parking lot and then stopping suddenly as Gonsalves approached, his weapon drawn at his side.

Olango, his right hand in his pants pocket, moved side to side and backed up toward a white pickup truck.

As Gonsalves moved in from the front, a second officer got out of a cruiser and approached from the side.

In the second video, taken on a cellphone by a witness in the drive-thru, Olangos sister is seen approaching Gonsalves from behind and a woman can be heard screaming at Olango to put up his hands and telling police not to shoot.

Olango then bent over and assumed the shooting stance and Gonsalves quickly fired four shots at close-range.

That night, as an angry crowd protested outside police headquarters, Davis released a single image from the video showing Olango with his hands clasped in front and in the shooting stance. Police said he had ignored repeated orders to show his hands.

Davis defended the release and said it was intended to de-escalate tensions and correct what he felt was a false narrative that was developing. Some witnesses said Olango had his hands in the air and was begging not to be shot.
Boy, 6, dies days after school shooting: COLUMBIA, S.C.  A 6-year-old boy who was critically wounded in a school shooting died Saturday, days after a 14-year-old boy opened fire on a school playground, authorities said. Jacob Hall had been fighting for his life at a hospital after a bullet struck him in a main artery in his leg, causing him a major brain injury due to a catastrophic loss of blood. Authorities say Jacob, another student and a first-grade teacher at Townville Elementary were wounded by the teenager, who had just killed his father at their home.

NTSB probe of deadly crash focuses on engineer, black box: HOBOKEN, N.J.  The National Transportation Safety Board planned to release more information Saturday about what caused the train to barrel through a station and crash into a barrier. The agency is seeking information from the trains engineer, the black boxes that record train data and other crew members. Authorities would not estimate how fast the train was going before it hit a bumper at the end of its track. But the speed limit into the station is 10 mph.

Mormons gather for conference: SALT LAKE CITY  A Mormon leader urged members Saturday during a church conference not to be timid about defending church founder Joseph Smiths story and role as the faiths first prophet despite erroneous beliefs spread about him. Craig Christensens speech came during a twice-yearly conference in which leaders give speeches of spiritual guidance. More than 100,000 members of the faith are expected to attend five speeches Saturday and Sunday while thousands more will listen or watch in nearly 100 languages around the world on television, radio, satellite and internet broadcasts

Marijuana labs spawn lethal explosions: NEW YORK  An explosion that destroyed a New York City home and killed a firefighter has drawn attention to marijuana-making methods that are legal in many states  but can also be lethal. A New York fire battalion chief died responding to the blast Tuesday in a Bronx home that authorities say had been converted into an indoor marijuana farm. Theyre investigating whether the alleged growers tampered with gas lines and mishandled other materials in ways that caused the explosion. Indoor marijuana farmers can create potential fire hazards by using natural gas, propane or butane to power carbon dioxide generators that make the plants grow.

Park service making author McCullough honorary ranger: BOSTON  Acclaimed author David McCullough can add a quirky new title to his resume: honorary park ranger. The two-time Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner will become an honorary ranger in a ceremony Tuesday afternoon in Boston. Its the highest civilian honor awarded by the National Park Service, reserved for individuals who have made exceptional contributions. McCullough has been nicknamed a citizen chronicler and is known for 11 books about luminaries ranging from John Adams and Theodore Roosevelt to Harry Truman and the Wright Brothers.
There is a certain tragic irony in the fact that a crackdown on U.S. colleges with low graduation rates was announced during the very week when the Times Higher Education Supplement published its annual list of the worlds best universities. The coincidence provokes the thought that there is too much of this going on.

By this I mean the constant effort in higher education to sort the best from the not-best, and the best among the best from the best, and the best among the best among the best from the best among the best. (Try saying that twice quickly.) There are so many rankings now, using so many different methodologies. The Times Higher Education Supplement list  the THE list, as it is awkwardly known  emphasizes research done at the school. The U.S. News and World Report Rankings, which also came out this month, emphasize 15 factors, including alumni giving, graduation rate and admission selectivity. There are lists of the best party schools, the schools with the best teachers, the schools with the best dormitories.

Others have said it, and so will I. Such rankings are basically silly. They yield little useful information to would-be consumers of education. At the very top of the THE list, Oxford University has supplanted Cal Tech, which had a five-year run at the top. Does this mean that you should redirect your budding physicist to England?

Even when you think youre getting information, you may not be. U.S. News has created, among other things, a list of law schools ranked by the percentage of graduates who wind up earning a clerkship with a federal judge. But what good does this do? Even an applicant whose heart is already set on a clerkship would find such a list of small utility. If school A sends a higher proportion of its graduates into the clerkship ranks than does school B, can the applicant be sure that it will be easier to impress a judge if she attends school A? Not unless she has a lot of other facts, too  for example, the rate at which the students at each school apply for clerkships  facts U.S. News does not supply and has no easy way to discover.

The many lists, crude and opaque as they might be, have largely swamped the traditional idea of searching in a personalized way not for the best school but for the school that best fits each applicant. Moreover, the existence of the lists  and the fact that students and their parents pay so much attention to them  encourages gaming. Two years ago, the president of Northeastern University admitted making a systematic effort to improve his schools U.S. News ranking. He broke no rules. He simply chose to emphasize things that would move the school higher. This decision was driven not by an assessment of the needs of pedagogy, but by a recognition of market realities.

Other schools have been accused of outright lying  excuse me, fudging the numbers  to improve their rankings. Several law school graduates have sued the institutions that granted their degrees, claiming that they were deceived about employment opportunities. But judges have been unsympathetic. The New York Times referred to one recent lawsuit, won by the defendant school at trial, as the first  and perhaps last  such case to reach the courtroom. In short, the courts are unlikely to fix all of this for us.

Which brings us to the potential crackdown on schools at what we might call the other end of the list. According to the Wall Street Journal, the member organizations that comprise the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions have decided to take a closer look at schools that graduate under 25 percent of their students in four years. I understand the impulse, but the tool of measurement is crude.

Experts on higher education have been predicting for years that the traditional four-year model is going to die, except at a handful of highly selective institutions. Maybe so. But its not obvious that we can tell from the graduation rate which schools to euthanize, or even which ones deserve re-examination. A college might well have a low graduation rate because it serves a marginal population  young people for whom, to be blunt, going to college is a risk. If we punish schools with low graduation rates, we may send the message that these kids shouldnt be in higher education at all. (And if youre saying, Well, thats true, you might be right  but it would be better if we could debate the point openly.)

More important, graduation rate is too crude, and easily gamed. If the accreditors set the level for closer investigation at a given graduation rate, they will simply give colleges, even poor ones, an incentive to graduate more students. They might wind up passing almost everybody. As my Bloomberg View colleague Matt Levine recently noted, you get what you measure. He had banking in mind. But the notion holds just as true for colleges and universities struggling to move up the ratings list. We shouldnt be surprised when the same idea occurs to the schools at the bottom.
Colima volcano erupts, 3 hamlets evacuated: MEXICO CITY  Eruptions at the Colima volcano in western Mexico continued Saturday, forcing authorities to evacuate hundreds of people from three hamlets on the volcanos slopes. The civil defense office in Jalisco state said glowing-hot rock continued to flow down the volcanos southern and southeastern slopes, and vapor and ash emissions continued. Also known as the Volcano of Fire, the 12,533-foot volcano is 430 miles west of Mexico City.

Leader pledges to rid Nigeria of hunger, omits worst crisis: LAGOS, Nigeria  Nigerias president promised Saturday to drive hunger out of Africas most populous nation but made no mention of a conflict-driven famine threatening to kill tens of thousands of children in northeast Nigeria. The United Nations has warned that 75,000 children could die of starvation in a year if speedy action isnt taken in northeast Nigeria, where underfunded aid agencies say 4.4 million people need food and 65,000 are living in famine-like conditions amid an Islamic insurgency by Boko Haram extremists.

Police clash with protesters backing Calais migrants: CALAIS, France  French police have fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters defending migrants in the northern city of Calais as the government prepares to shut down the citys notorious migrant camp. The demonstrators  including activists from migrant support groups, a far-left presidential candidate and migrants themselves  defied a ban by authorities on Saturdays protest. The protesters say they are expressing solidarity with the migrants, who face imminent expulsion from the camp.

Republic of Congo police say 14 killed in train attack: BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo  Republic of Congo police say 14 people have been killed in an attack on a train in the countrys southeast. Police officials said Saturday that Fridays attack took place near the Mindouli train station in the Pool region, 124 miles south of Brazzaville, the capital. The army has been deployed in the region since April, after attacks by the militiamen killed 17 people. The government blames the militias former leader, Frederic Bitsangou, who became high commissioner for peace after a 2003 peace deal in the central African nation.

Pakistanis turn flag ceremony near Indian border into rally: WAGHA, Pakistan  A routine daily flag-lowering ceremony at an Indian-Pakistani border crossing became a show of strength and patriotism Saturday on the Pakistani side thanks to simmering tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Thousands of Pakistanis thronged the border town of Wagha to watch their soldiers lower the flag. Saturdays ceremony took on extra meaning because of an ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over the contested territory of Kashmir. Both countries claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety and are separated by the heavily guarded Line of Control.

13 bodies found in western Mexico: MEXICO CITY  A total of 13 bodies have now been found in or around Lake Chapala in western Mexico, an official said Saturday. The head prosecutor of Jalisco state, Eduardo Almaguer, told the Milenio television network that the dead apparently were members of a gang and came from nearby communities. He said they were killed by their former criminal allies in the neighboring state of Michoacan on or around Sept. 21.
College students might be surprised to learn they can take a class that only teaches about climbing trees.

That class is taught at Cornell University in the American state of New York. But it is not the most unusual subject taught by a college or university in the United States.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, offers a class on what it calls the mathematics of street-fighting. And Santa Clara University in California has a program called The Joy of Garbage.

However, classes like these might be one reason many employers feel recent college graduates are not ready for the working world.

Offering non-traditional classes might also be why some grads feel their college years failed to prepare them for a professional career.

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) reports on ways to improve higher education.

The group surveyed about 400 employers and 613 college students about how ready those students were to enter the professional world in 2015. The survey found large differences between the thinking of the students and the employers.

Many of the differences were related to skills both students and employers believe are necessary. For example, 65 percent of the students felt their writing skills were strong enough for the professional world. But only 27 percent of employers said college students were well-prepared with that skill.

Another example is the students ability to work with persons with whom they have little in common. The study showed 55 percent of students felt they were well prepared in this area. But only 18 percent of employers felt the same.

Debra Humphreys is the senior vice president for academic planning and public engagement at the Association of American Colleges and Universities. She says there are several reasons why these differences in opinion exist.

For one thing, she says, the beliefs of both employers and students are unrealistic. Employers are not valuing the skills students offer as much as they should, she says. Also, students may feel they are more prepared than they actually are.

Another reason is that the American economy has changed and employers are asking more of their employees than ever before, she says. Technology helps workers do more with less. The current generation of college students is highly skilled with technology. But there is a limit to what employers can expect from a young person with little professional experience, Humphreys says.

She adds that some college professors or other faculty have not given enough thought to how the classes they will teach will help students find jobs or be good employees.

"We have to do a much better job of talking to students much earlier about what employers are expecting, so that students themselves know earlier in their college careers that these are things they need to work on more than once and over time they need to hone these skills. And then I also think we dont do a very good job in higher education of really intentionally helping students prepare for and make that transition from college to career."

Many college students share Humphreys opinion.

The Adecco Group is the largest professional staffing company in the world. In May, it released the results of a survey of about 1,000 college students and recent graduates. All of those questioned were between 18 and 24 years of age.

The results showed 74 percent of those young people felt their schools failed to fully prepare them for the professional world.

Amy Glaser is a senior vice president with Adecco. She says it is true that students struggle with critical thinking, communication and other interpersonal skills. They use technology well, but overuse can cause their verbal or written communication skills to suffer. Also, they are not often given chances to develop their professional skills, she says.

Students in the survey listed the schools inability to teach them applicable skills as one of the main ways schools failed to help them. And 21 percent of students said there are not enough internship opportunities.

Internships provide on-the-job training. Employers accept people to work for them for usually a short period of time. Often interns work for the employers for no pay. Instead, the employers offer training in a specific field, or professional experience.

Some employers will offer interns a paying job at some point. But Glaser says the most important thing is that internships help create connections between young people and employers.

"It gives the student the opportunity to get a glimpse into what the real world looks like. It also benefits the employer because they get the added benefit of that new lens coming from the recent college student that may help provide some additional thought and frame of reference that their existing workforce may not have."

However, internships are often limited, and schools can only do so much to help students find them. Also, students are often unable to find time for a paying job if they are already studying and working an unpaid internship. This often affects lower-income students the most.

So, to help all their students be more prepared for the modern workforce, some schools are creating classes with important skills in mind.

Dedra Faine works at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. She teaches a class called Civility and Professionalism. George Mason offers the class as part of its degree program in hospitality. But any student can take the course.

Faine says she uses the class to provide students with the skills employers want, such as problem-solving. But she also tries to teach the importance of professional etiquette -- like being on time and taking responsibility for mistakes.

She adds that many ideas about the workplace have changed. But most employers still value traditional social skills and work ethic.

"The formality of the workplace has been taken away. But then they expect, even if you come in your sneakers and your jeans that you can sit at your computer and you can do great work."

The Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University requires students in its masters degree program to take similar courses.

Lisa Stephenson is the associate dean of academic affairs and student services at the Washington, DC-based school. She says George Washington started requiring professional-skills classes in 1998. The reason: because students were highly knowledgeable about their subject matter but struggled with skills like writing or public speaking.

However, Stephenson adds the current generation of college students -- often called Millennials -- do have a lot to offer employers.

"Every generation has something to learn from the other generation. And we all need to keep an open mind. The Millennials arent going anywhere. Theyre here. Theyre in our work environment. So how do we work together to make sure our organizations are successful?"

Im Pete Musto.

Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. What skills do you think young people entering the workforce need? How can colleges and universities help prepare students for the working world?

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

class  n. a series of meetings in which students are taught a particular subject or activity

garbage  n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown out

professional  adj. relating to a job that requires special education, training, or skill

survey(ed)  v. to ask many people a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

academic  adj. of or relating to schools and education

intentionally  adv. done in a way that is planned or intended

transition  n. a change from one state or condition to another

staffing  adj. supplying an organization or business with workers

interpersonal  adj. relating to or involving relations between people

verbal  adj. spoken rather than written

applicable  adj. able to be applied or used in a particular situation

internship  n. a program involving a student or recent graduate who works for a period of time at a job in order to get experience

glimpse  n. a brief or quick view or look

benefit(s)  v. to be useful or helpful to someone or something

income  n. money that is earned from work, investments or business

hospitality  n. the activity of providing food, drinks or other services for people who are the guests or customers of an organization

etiquette  n. the rules indicating the proper and polite way to behave

work ethic  n. a strong belief in the importance and value of work

formality  n. a formal quality

masters degree  n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional study following a bachelor's degree
A private group has recognized a California man who helps poor people and immigrant families.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced last month that Jose Quinonez is receiving one of its "genius grants. He was one of 23 people to get recognized.

Quinonez was born in Mexico, but moved to the United States as a boy.

Today he is a financial service innovator. Quinonez set up a not-for-profit organization called the Mission Asset Fund. Its job is to create a fair financial marketplace for hardworking families.

Borrowing money is a big step for people who want to start a business.

Quinonez says his goal is to make loans available to individuals who have limited finances. He said about seven percent of Americans do not have a bank account and do not show up on the credit rating system. Without a credit history, it is difficult for them to borrow money, get a job or start a business.

Quinonez is using money lending traditions from Latin America, Asia and Africa to help those in need. He organized "lending circles," where groups of neighbors and others combine their money to make small loans.

Each individual has to attend a final education class, and persuade others in the lending circle to repay the money.

Quinonez says more than 99 percent of the loans are repaid.

He and the Mission Asset Fund follow borrowing and repayment activity. They report results to major credit rating agencies. This information gives the individual a proven repayment history. A good credit history makes banks more willing to make loans to these clients in the future.

Jose Quinonez work with the fund and minorities in San Francisco helped him earn a MacArthur Fellowship.

A number of other organizations are now using Mission Asset Fund as a guide to setting up similar programs in other cities.

MacArthur Fellows are chosen for their creativity, past successes and potential. They get $625,000 over five years in an effort to give them the financial freedom to follow through on their projects.

The MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Its website says the group supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.

The foundation also honored a number of people for their work in other areas. This years class of MacArthur fellows include a human rights lawyer, an expert on languages, a microbiologist, computer scientists and a poet.

Im Lucija Millonig.

Jim Randle wrote this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted his report 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

genius  n. a very smart or gifted person

grant  n. an amount of money that is given by an organization or company to be used for a purpose

innovator  n. a person who does something in an new or unusual way

client  n. someone who pays a person or organization for services

potential  adj. having the ability to become real

institution - n. an established organization

verdant  adj. green, with growing plants
NATO commanders are calling on Western nations to expand efforts against the information war being spread by opponents of the West.

The commanders warn that countries like Russia are using the free press in democratic countries to spread disinformation.

The term hybrid warfare is often used to describe the deployment of disinformation and military power at the same time. An example is the Russian takeover of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Two years ago, gunmen launched raids on Ukrainian military bases in the area. At first, the Russian government denied the gunmen belonged to the Russian military. Yet similar unidentified armed groups appeared in eastern Ukraine a few weeks later. That conflict, between Russia-supported rebels and the Ukrainian military, is continuing.

Ukraines president, Petro Poroshenko, spoke recently to the United Nations General Assembly. He said hybrid warfare is being used against the whole Western world.

Political pressure, blatant propaganda, interference with the electoral process, economic coercion, secret subversive and military operations, cyber attacks, misuse of diplomatic measures.

Janis Sarts is the director of the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations STRATCOM Center of Excellence. She said the West is playing catch-up to the disinformation campaigns.

Representatives of Western countries recently met to discuss the growing influence of Russian state media, including its 24-hour Russia Today or RT. The television station is often accused of broadcasting propaganda for Russia.

Edward Lucas works for The Economist magazine. He says TV stations like RT should not be considered journalism. He says Russia lies about events. He says Western media prioritizes fairness over truth.

Lucas says the West must be more active on social media.

Theres a real problem with comment fields, and with fake social media accounts, particularly on Twitter. The Russians are putting lots and lots of money into creating tens of thousands of trolls.

NATO officials said Russia believes control of information is an important part of its conflict planning. They said Western nations use separate public relations teams to provide information during conflicts.

Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

Correspondent Henry Ridgwell reported this story from London for VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Special 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

hybrid warfare  n. a combination of conventional weapons, irregular tactics, disinformation, terrorism and criminal behavior used in the same time and battlespace to reach a groups military and political goals

blatant  adj. very obvious and offensive

coercion  n. the act of making someone do something by using force or threats

journalism  n. the activity or job of collecting, writing and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, radio or the internet

troll  n. a person who tries to cause problems on an Internet message board, in comments sections of websites or on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook by posting messages that cause other people to argue, become angry, etc.
Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence are running for vice president. They will compete in a televised debate Tuesday night.

Vice president is a position that has long been the object of jokes because many saw it as an unimportant job.

The vice presidency has grown in importance. Recent vice presidents have been asked to do much more than represent the United States at funerals.

But for many years, even those who held the office said they had little to do.

Most Insignificant Ever

John Adams was the first U.S. vice president, serving under George Washington. He said the vice presidency was the most insignificant office ever.

Thomas Marshall served as vice president from 1913 to 1921. He joked: Once there were two brothers. One ran away to sea; the other was elected vice president of the United States. And nothing was heard of either of them again."

Walter Mondale, who was Jimmy Carters vice president from 1977 to 1981, said that over most of Americas history, the vice president has been standby equipment. By standby, he meant that the vice president stands by, ready to become president if the president dies or gives up the office.

That has happened nine times -- eight because of the death of the president and once when the president gave up the office.

The last two vice presidents to take over the presidency were Lyndon Johnson and Gerald Ford. Johnson took the oath of office after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Ford replaced President Richard Nixon after he resigned in 1974 as Congress investigated a scandal known as Watergate.

Mourner in Chief

Joel Goldstein is a law professor at the University of St. Louis in the state of Missouri. He is considered one of the top experts on the vice presidency.

He said the vice presidency was long connected to representing the United States at funerals and casting the deciding vote in the Senate when a vote was tied.

But that changed, beginning with Richard Nixon, who served as vice president for Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s.

Eisenhower sent Nixon to meet with foreign leaders, Goldstein said. A Nixon visit to the Soviet Union led to a debate with Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev over which is better: capitalism or communism.

Nixon, a Republican, went on to run and lose the presidential election to Democrat John Kennedy in 1960.

Eight years later, Nixon won the presidency, defeating another vice president, Democrat Hubert Humphrey.

Office Grows under Mondale

Goldstein said Walter Mondale expanded the importance of the vice presidency. He acted as an important adviser to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.

Mondale, a Democrat, started a tradition that future administrations copied. He started weekly lunches between the president and vice president to discuss top issues, Goldstein said.

George H.W. Bush served as Ronald Reagans vice president. He helped move Reagans agenda through Congress, Goldstein said.

Bush also helped persuade Reagan to negotiate nuclear weapons reduction with Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. Bush, a Republican, won the presidency over Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988.

From 2001 to 2009, Dick Cheney served as vice president to President George W. Bush. George W. Bush is a Republican, like his father, George H.W. Bush.

Reuters said Cheney played a big part in the Bush administrations decision to invade Iraq. George H.W. Bush, in a book, said that Cheney pushed too hard for war.

Current Vice President Joe Biden has also been a top adviser to President Barack Obama. Biden said he attends almost every meeting with Obama, at his request. He has led White House efforts to pass gun control bills and to fight cancer.

One of the finest vice presidents in history is what Obama said of Biden on CBS Television.

Vice Presidential Candidates Are Part of a Ticket

People do not vote directly for the vice president. They vote for what is called a ticket.

On November 8, voters will choose between the Republican ticket of presidential candidate Donald Trump and Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence and the Democratic ticket of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.

At Tuesday nights debate, Pence and Kaine are likely to spend a good deal of the 90-minute debate talking about their partner on the ticket.

They will explain why their running mate would make a good president and why the other presidential candidate would not.

Goldstein, the University of St. Louis expert, said vice presidential debates generally get less attention than the three debates between the major presidential candidates.

But there was one big exception. The 2008 vice presidential debate between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin drew 70 million viewers. That is more than the number of people who watched the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain.

The most remembered moment in a vice presidential debate was in 1988, Goldstein said. That was the debate between Republican vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle and Democrat Lloyd Bentsen.

After Quayle compared his experience to that of former President John Kennedy, Bentsen responded this way:

Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.

Bentsens line was the most quoted in news reports of the debate. But the Republican ticket of George H.W. Bush and Quayle defeated the Democratic ticket of Michael Dukakis and Bentsen that year.

Im Bruce Alpert.

Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.

________________________________________________________

Words in this Story

insignificant adj. small or unimportant

standby adj. ready or available to take over when needed

scandal n. an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong

ticket n. candidates running together for elected office

agenda n. things to be done, legislation supported by a political party or leader
This is Whats Trending Today.

The American company Yahoo says someone or a group of people may have stolen information from at least 500 million of its users in 2014.

The company reported the security problem on Thursday. It said computer hackers took certain user account information, such as email addresses, telephone numbers, and dates of birth.

On Friday, people used social media to talk about the theft.

Computer experts say people who have a Yahoo account should change their passwords if they have not done so since 2014.

The company said its investigation shows that the attack came from what it believes is a state-sponsored actor based outside the United States. Yahoo said the person or persons who copied the information received help from a foreign government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it is investigating the theft.

One Twitter user commented on the news. She admitted she sometimes uses older equipment when sending information to others.

People laugh when I tell them I still have a fax machine, Susan Polakoff Shaw wrote. But you cant hack a fax.

A fax machine uses telephone lines to send printed pages from one connected machine to another.

Another person on social media wrote a message to the hackers, asking if they could help him find his Yahoo password.

If you find mine, can you tell me? Its been lost since I last cleared my cookies.

Michael Gartenberg writes about modern technology. He wondered if news of the hack may have been a clever way to get 500m users to log into their Yahoo! Mail accounts.

The comments point out that many people no longer consider Yahoo an important internet company.

In the late 1990s, so many people used Yahoos web search and email services that it was worth an estimated $125 billion. But its popularity has dropped. Earlier this year, Yahoo agreed to be sold to Verizon Communications for $4.8 billion.

And thats Whats Trending Today.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Have you updated your Yahoo password? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

password  n. a secret series of numbers or letters that allows you to use a computer system

hacker  n. a person who secretly gets access to a computer system in order to get information, cause damage, etc. : a person who hacks into a computer system

fax  n. a system for sending and receiving printed materials (such as documents and drawings) and photographs using telephone lines

cookies  n. a file that may be added to your computer when you visit a Web site and that contains information about you (such as an identification code or a record of the Web pages you have visited)
In June, operating revenue was $26 million, up from $22 million from last year. Total net position for June was at a positive $72,256. Financial ratios for August included: 110 acute patient days, 33 swing-bed days, 11 newborn days with an average daily census of 6.3. Eschenbrenner noted that revenue for the financial quarter from April to June showed significant growth, which is in line with the opening of the Outpatient Center. Although there was increases in both in and outpatient services for August based on last year, there was still a loss of $86,000 for the fiscal year, he said. The 2015 - 2016 fiscal year for LRHC ended on June 30. Nursing Service Report- Chief Nursing Officer Nicole Thorell said the nursing department is enjoying the new OB central monitoring system. The new system allows staff to view all patients from one area. A new online nurse scheduling software has been implemented, although some minor kinks still needed to be ironed out, Thorell said. The new scheduling system makes it easier for nurses to schedule their shifts, overtime and address shift questions in advance, she said. Service Excellence Report - Jim Hain, LRHC's chief operating officer, shared some obstetrics services, known as OB, patient stories titled, "OB stories and processes." Looking at patient perspectives, Hain said patients appreciated the friendly staff, quick responses, clean rooms and nurses that took charge. "One lady with four kids, who were born in Omaha, Kearney and Lexington; preferred (having a baby in) Lexington. She liked our family atmosphere, she felt part of a group, it is more private and people are more personal," Hain said about LRHC's distinguishing factors. Some notable processes OB staff uses to ensure quality care, as noted by Hain are: immediate care with constant communication between doctors and nursing staff, birthing plans, prenatal information and education to patients, having a support team and providing postnatal care. This not a comprehensive list. Quality Update - Hawley Lister, chief quality officer and infection control coordinator said a recent visit from a quality reviewer went well. Hawley is the lead on LRHCs annual Critical Access Hospital review. The new document management system is called HealthDox; this system will help LRHC ensure all policies are being reviewed and updated in a timely manner. "She (reviewer) was very happy we participate with the national and state initiatives. We are working with telemedicine and working with school trainers," Holly said. One goal for next year was getting a Somali Health worker, Holly said. Holly said she is working on a system that will help control documents, help have forms readily available. Board Member Rob Anderson said the new system would allow for consistency between different hospital departments due to a seamless flow of information. Provider Recruitment - LRHC Chief Executive Officer Leslie Marsh said she is started to look at medical students in their second year of medical school, before they have committed to a healthcare provider. She is also currently pursing two providers as well, she noted. Marsh also gave the construction report. She said only the final touches were being worked on in regard to renovation work inside the main building of LRHC. Windows needed to be replaced at the East and West exit due to leaks, she said. Compliance Update - Dana Steiner, executive director of patient services, said she is currently working on business associate agreements. Steiner said a business associate agreement is a contract between LRHC and a vendor or anyone that uses patient information and conforms to federal regulations. She also noted she is anticipating the arrival of an auditor with DMV any day. DMV is an international accreditation body. Virtuous Organization Update - Jill Denker, executive director of human resources and physician liaison, said this month's virtuous organization program topic was fulfillment. The program is conducted with the guidance of Lee Elliott, a human resources expert. Denker noted LRHC employees won't receive an on-site training session with Elliott until January. Colleagues of Denker pointed out that she would make an informal presentation to share information about Lee Elliott and LRHCs experience in working with him on becoming a virtuous organization with the human resources professionals at the Nebraska Hospital Association meeting. Marketing Update - Meredith O'Hanlon, director of marketing and public relations for LRHC, said the new web site for LRHC is now up and running. "We are constantly taking feedback on preferences, we are diligently working on it," O'Hanlon said. LRHC will host an Open House to celebrate its 40th Anniersary on Thursday, Oct. 27. More information will follow, O'Hanlon said. Strategic Planning - Marsh said LRHC Dr. Brady Beecham is working on a new individual performance model for employees and is busy collect data for that. She also noted that both Pat Samway and Kirsten Faessler, both LRHC department heads, were working on an assessment of community health needs.
This website is inclusive of tolerant people of all faiths, without exception. Neither anti-Semitism nor Islamophobia nor homophobia should ever be acceptable to anyone. We must all strive to live in peace and harmony with each other, regardless of religious affiliations, or none. Intolerance is the mother of strife and conflict.   Mark Alexander

We Britons are Europeans!Wir Briten sind Europaer! Nous, les Britanniques, sommes europeens !  Mark AlexanderEmail me at:markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com
Melissa Shahan cant wait to launch her precut veggies business. The full-time mom said she almost gave up on the idea because she couldnt find a commercial kitchen.

Your Pro Kitchen was founded in 2008 in Largo

Florida-based company will have 11 locations by the end of next year



Lakeland kitchen will open in mid-October



That is until this summer, when she learned Your Pro Kitchen was opening up near downtown Lakeland, and she decided signed up.

I cant do it without this space" said Shahan."There was another kitchen but the price was astronomical for what Im doing. I needed to try it out and see if its going to work. This is a great opportunity."

If the business takes off, she said shell use the extra cash to pay bills at home.

My child is going to a dyslexic school," explained Shahan. "It costs quite a bit, and this is a way to provide for my family."

Your Pro Kitchen plans to open mid-October. Its moving into the old Salvation Army building, located at 830 N Massachusetts Avenue, near downtown Lakeland.

Franchise owner Sandra Hamberg said the company rents the commercial kitchen to food entrepreneurs for less than $17 an hour. She said the minimum to start renting the space is around $145 per month.

It provides a legal way to start your food business, said Hamberg. By operating legally, you can advertise, you can really get your name and your product out there. We help you get your food permit with the state. We help you get all of the licenses necessary to operate.



Hamberg's location is where Cheeses & Crust also plans to prepare its classic grilled cheese sandwiches with bread made from scratch.

The opportunity that this space presents us with is kind of unfounded," said the new companys Chief Creative Officer, Jeremy Camp. "Cant really replicate this anywhere else."

Your Pro Kitchen in Lakeland is currently accepting applications from those interested in renting the space. The company first opened in 2008 in Largo. Its since grown to eight franchises, many across Florida. Three more franchises are scheduled to open in 2017.

For more information, call (407) 492-8807.
DHAKA A man who was dining in a Dhaka cafe when it was attacked by Islamist militants and who was later detained as a suspect has been acquitted of terrorism charges and released on bail, police said on Sunday.Tahmid Hasib Khan, 22, was at the Holey Artisan Bakery on the evening of July 1 when it was stormed by militants, beginning a 12-hour siege in which 20 hostages, mostly foreigners, two police officers and six suspected attackers died.In video footage filmed by witnesses and militants, Khan appeared holding a pistol and talking to the hostage-takers, but police said forensic analysis had shown the Toronto University student had been forced to do so. Based on these findings and there being no witnesses or other evidence of Khan's involvement in the attack, a court in Dhaka had acquitted him, Masudur Rahman, spokesman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police told Reuters.

Khan is the second person to be released without charge in an investigation that has led to only seven arrests, leading to criticism of the police by some newspapers and social media.The cafe attack was the worst in a recent escalation of violence by Islamist militants in Bangladesh that has included a rise in killings of liberals and religious minorities in the mostly Muslim nation of 160 million.

Although Al Qaeda and Islamic State have been making competing claims of responsibility, the government has dismissed suggestions that Islamic State has a presence in Bangladesh, even though 'selfies' of some of the attackers posing with an automatic rifle were posted on the jihadi group's propaganda outlets during the siege.Khan's case, and that of another man, Hasnat Karim, who has British and Bangladeshi dual citizenship, has also drawn criticism from human rights groups who say they were illegally detained and denied access to a lawyer.

Karim and Khan were among 32 survivors rescued by police and taken into custody for questioning. Karim, a 47-year-old engineer, was at the cafe with his family to celebrate his daughter's 13th birthday. (Reporting by Serajul Quadir; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
When international donors and the Afghan government convene in Brussels next week, the EU secretly plans to threaten

with a reduction in aid if the war-torn country does not accept at least 80,000 deported asylum seekers.

According to

(pdf), the EU will make some of its aid migration sensitive, even while acknowledging that security in Afghanistan is worsening.





Meanwhile, the Afghan government is also struggling with internal turmoil, and has failed to revive the economy or produce jobs for the young who

.

It would be challenging for Afghanistan to absorb 80,000 deportations. So far, in 2016, about 5,000 Afghans have returned voluntarily from Europe.





This is putting unreasonable pressure on the Afghan government, which is not able to respond to such numbers, said

, senior analyst for the International Crisis Group in

Afghanistan.





Afghans make up the second largest group of migrants arriving in Europe, with

(pdf) last year.





At the

, which begins on 4 October, international donors are expected to roughly match the $4bn (3bn) annually

over the next four years.





The pressure on Afghanistan is part of a broader EU strategy of making aid to poor countries conditional on them accepting deported migrants.





The best known example is the

in exchange for taking back asylum seekers and improving border controls. Other targeted countries include Niger, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Lebanon and Libya. The EU has also considered similar deals with Eritrea and Sudan, the governments of which are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes.





In Afghanistan, analysts warn that the EU is sending people back to danger and destitution.





Afghanistan is absolutely not safe, according to Sharan. The EUs rationale is that these people can just resettle in other parts of Afghanistan, [beyond where theyre from], he said. But the security situation is fluid. Places, cities and highways that were safe a month ago are not any more.





The EU said in the leaked memo that it is aware of the worsening security situation and threats to which people are exposed and that Afghanistan is suffering record levels of terrorist attacks and civilian casualties.





The memo added: Despite this, more than 80,000 persons could potentially need to be returned in the near future.





An EU official said in an email: We dont comment on leaked documents. He added that the EU and Afghanistan have a constructive dialogue on migration. - Read More, Guardian




Pune: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said a well-established mechanism through the DGMO has been activated to bring back Army jawan Chandu Babulal Chauhan, who is in Pakistan's custody after inadvertently crossing over.

"He had crossed over which happens in border areas. There is a well established mechanism through DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) which has been activated," he said.

On 30 September, Chauhan from 37 RR had inadvertently crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control following which Pakistan had been informed by the DGMO on the hotline.

"Such inadvertent crossing by Army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms," the army had said.

On Friday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had called up the family of the solider and assured them that efforts are being made to secure his releae. Chauhan's grandmother had passed away after hearing the news of his crossing over to Pakistan.

Parrikar also said that people should remain alert and report anything unsusal to the police.
New Delhi: A "swacch LoC" has been achieved after Indian security forces gave a befitting reply to our neighbour which is funding and abetting terror, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday.

"The other day you have seen what is Modi. Our neighbour is funding, aiding, abetting, training terrorists. They have been given a befitting reply by our forces.... swachh man, swachh dhan, swachh tan and now swachh border, swachh LoC has been done. Now all have to come together to take forward Swachh Bharat," the Information and Broadcasting minister said.

The senior minister was referring to the Army's surgical strikes across LoC in Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) where it destroyed terror launch pads.

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Naidu also asked people to respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a clean India and become 'swachhagrahis'.

Lauding the Prime Minister, Naidu said Modi stands for "Mood of Developing India".

He said Mahatama Gandhi had during the freedom movement given a call for satyagraha and those who participated became 'satyagrahis'.

"Now the time has come, all of us taking the call of the Prime Minister should become 'Swacchagrahi'. On the pious day of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday today, let us all become 'Swacchagrahi'," Naidu, who also holds the Urban Development portfolio said.

He said in the 21st century India had to be free from illiteracy and "Litterati" - a reference to those who throw litter in the open.

He said the Prime Minister always wanted 'Swacch Bharat' to become a people's movement. The aim of the nationwide cleanliness drive was to clean up the country by 2019, the year that marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of

Gandhiji.

The senior minister was speaking at the award giving ceremony of a 'Swachh' film competition, where Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present.

While lauding the creativity of those who participated in the short film competition, Naidu said eminent filmmakers  Madhur Bhandarkar, Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi, Prasoon Pandey, Ramesh Sippy and Shoojit Sircar will also produce films on Swachh Bharat.

Naidu said efforts will be made to exhibit these films widely.
New Delhi: India has never attacked any country, nor has it ever coveted anyone's territory but made supreme sacrifice fighting for others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

"India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for any territory. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 1.5 lakh Indian soldiers had laid down their lives fighting for others," the Prime Minister said at the inaugural ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a modern complex dedicated to overseas Indians.

His statement came days after the Indian army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control as also in the backdrop of Pakistan's constant clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international fora.

Modi lamented that despite the great price paid by Indians, India could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifice. He said whenever he went abroad, he made it a point to visit the memorials for the Indian soldiers.

The prime minister said the Indian diaspora did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power abroad, but on the other hand, they mingled with other communities.

Indians, the Prime Minister noted, lived abroad with the principle of "social well being. ... They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per the need," he said.

Observing that the Indian diaspora should not be looked at in terms of its numbers, but in terms of its strength, he said there were countries where the Indian community was more powerful than the Indian missions and could help removing the "fear of unknown" amongst the people there towards India.

While much has been spoken about brain drain, if the strength of the Indian diaspora was channelised, "we can convert it into 'brain gain'," Modi said.

Like dams channelise the energy of water to make electricity, a source is needed to utilise the energy of the 2.45 crore strong Indian diaspora to "light up India",he said.

He also commended the role of the Ministry of External Affairs in helping people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and evacuating Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.

Modi said India has made a place for itself and the world now accepts India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid and added that other nations now sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from trouble spots.
Washington/New Delhi: The US today welcomed India's ratification of the Paris climate agreement with President Barack Obama saying that by joining the pact Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian people have carried on Mahatma Gandhi's legacy.

"Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy," Obama tweeted.

Gandhiji believed in a world worthy of our children. In joining the Paris Agreement, @narendramodi & the Indian people carry on that legacy.  President Obama (@POTUS) October 2, 2016

Obama, whose presidential term comes to an end in January next year, wants to be remembered as the president who saved the world from climate change and he played a significant role in concluding the Paris climate deal last year.

Obama and Modi, on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos last month, had discussed climate change issues as an immediate priority of Indo-US ties.

Terming it as a "bold and decisive" step, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma in New Delhi also lauded India's ratification of the Paris climate agreement.

"In joining the Paris climate agreement today, India has taken a bold and decisive step in combating climate change," Verma said.

He also commended Prime Minister Modi for his leadership and thanked all those who have worked on the agreement over many years.

"India's ratification provides indispensable political momentum to securing entry into force of the Paris Agreement this year, sending an enduring and irreversible market signal that low-carbon development is 21st century development," Verma said.

"... (It) will yield tremendous benefits not only for producers and consumers in India, but for those around the world," he said.

India, the world's third largest carbon emitter, today ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a major boost to the deal which appeared tantalisingly close to enter into force by the end of this year.

Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the Head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 147th birth anniversary.

"We look forward to continuing our close friendship with India and furthering our work together on climate change and clean energy, so that we may provide future generations a world to be proud of and treasure," Verma said.

The ratification formalises pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards and try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter after China and the US which are responsible for around 40 per cent of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions.
Panaji: Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar would address a public gathering on 4 October in Goa where he would be felicitated by the Goa BJP for conducting surgical strike on Pakistan.

"Parrikar is expected to address more than 10,000 people at the historic Azad Maidan in Panaji on 4 October, where he would be congratulated and felicitated for the achievements over the surgical strike," BJP Goa unit president Vinay Tendulkar told PTI.

Tendulkar claimed this would be the first public speech by the Defence Minister post the surgical strike.

"We are proud of his achievements and hence we want to express our sentiments to him," he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Parrikar will arrive at the Dabolim airport from where he would be taken in a procession to Azad Maidan.

To a question, Tendulkar said the surgical strike will be one of the issues that would be highlighted during the Goa Assembly elections due next year.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that sacrifices in Uri attack would not go in vain and he has kept the word.

Only BJP and its government have the capability to take such stern action which is historic. We will be highlighting this achievement during the forthcoming poll campaign in Goa," Tendulkar said.

India had recently carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC with the Army saying that its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Defence sources said seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control(LoC) were destroyed by special forces of the Indian Army on the intervening night of 28 and 29 September in a nearly five-hour-long operation during which heliborne and ground forces were deployed.
Panaji: A regional languages front backed by rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkar announced the formation of a new political party on Sunday, with its spokesperson Uday Bhembre claiming the new outfit will take on the BJP government over its failure to deliver electoral promises and tackle corruption.

Speaking to the media after launching the Goa Suraksha Manch, Bhembre said academician Anand Shirodkar will head the new political party, which is expected to contest the upcoming polls in alliance with the Shiv Sena.

"Our objective is to defeat the BJP-led alliance government which has betrayed promises made to people on the regional languages issue. The tenure of this government has been marked with corruption, U-turns and inefficiency," Bhembre said.

Velingkar was sacked as the Goa vibhag pramukh of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh following his constant criticism of the BJP-led government in the state, especially Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, for what he claims is the betrayal of a promise made to stop government grants to English medium primary schools, most of which are run by a society operated by the influential Roman Catholic Church in Goa.

The now former RSS leader is the co-convenor of the regional language front, Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, which has been leading the attack against the BJP and Parrikar over the medium of instruction issue, which has been simmering for years now.
London: Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday said that Britain would start the formal process for leaving the European Union by the end of March 2017.

Before now May has only said that Britain would not trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty  which sets a maximum two-year clock ticking until a country's departure from the 28-member bloc  before the end of this year.

May said she would be giving further details during her speech Sunday to her governing centre-right Conservative Party's on the opening day of its annual conference in Birmingham, central England.

"I've been saying that we wouldn't trigger before the end of this year so that we get the preparation in place," she told BBC television.

"We will trigger before the end of March next year."

Earlier she announced a "Great Repeal Bill" to end the authority of EU law once Britain leaves the union.

The legislation will overturn laws that make EU regulations supreme, enshrine all EU rules in domestic law and confirm the British parliament can amend them as it wants.

"This marks the first stage in the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country once again," May told The Sunday Times newspaper.

"It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country. It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end."
Washington: Donald Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax return, allowing him to legally avoid paying taxes for decades, The New York Times reported late Saturday.

The sensitive issue is important because Trump has refused to release his tax records, as US presidential candidates customarily do in the interest of transparency.

Trump's previously undisclosed 1995 tax records show "the extraordinary tax benefits" that Trump "derived from the financial wreckage he left behind in the early 1990s through mismanagement of three Atlantic City casinos, his ill-fated foray into the airline business and his ill-timed purchase of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan," The Times reported.

While Trump's taxable income in the following years is unknown, "a $916 million loss in 1995 would have been large enough to wipe out more than $50 million a year in taxable income over 18 years," the report said.

The Trump campaign issued a statement that did not address the $916 million loss.

"Mr. Trump is a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required," the statement said.

"That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes," it added, giving no specifics.

The campaign attacked The Times as "an extension of the Clinton Campaign, the Democratic Party and their global special interests."
TWIN FALLS  The city turned out to Twin Falls City Park Saturday to help the hungry, and at the same time, grant the wish of a girl who has survived cancer.

Donated food was stacked high on the pavement next to the band shell  canned soups and vegetables, rice, sauces, bottled drinks, macaroni and cheese. Volunteers unloaded and organized it, many from Magic Valley Bible Church, where Emma Allred, the 13-year-old girl who is the reason for the food drive, attends. They wore shirts with a yellow smiley face and Keep Smiling, Emmas Day on the front and 1 Peter 5:10, her favorite Bible verse, on the back: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Allred was diagnosed with mixed germ cell cancer three years ago, and later got a wish from the Make-A-Wish foundation, the national nonprofit that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

She could have chosen anything, said Brenda Vogt, director of program services for Make-A-Wish Idaho.

What did she do?

She wished to give back, Vogt said. She kind of had the whole thing in her mind.

Allred wanted to help the homeless, so she used her wish to organize Saturdays food drive. The food will be delivered to the South Central Community Action Partnership, and they will divide it up between the Magic Valleys food banks.

Emma said she didnt expect as many people to come out as did. Her father, Wade Allred, said he was taken aback not only at how many businesses had donated, but the steady trickle of ordinary people who had been coming to the park and donating small amounts. It showed, he said, how much of a difference people can make if everyone does a little bit.

This is 10 times more than I could have hoped for, he said. Way above, way beyond, thats for sure.

Saturday morning, Make-A-Wish also held its first Walk for Wishes in Twin Falls, a walk along the canyon rim to raise money for the foundation. Vogt said the group hopes to hold a walk here every year.

About once a year, a teenager in Idaho decides to use their wish to help others like Emma, Vogt said. The last time, she said, was a high school senior in Firth who used his wish to get a new weight room for his high school.

Its one in a hundred, he said.
SPOKANE, Wash.  Northwest Farm Credit Services is proud to award Jerome County Fair Foundation in Jerome, a $500 Northwest FCS Rural Community Grant.

On behalf of the Jerome County Fairgrounds, I thank Northwest Credit Union for their contribution, said Annie Dovenmuehler, Jerome County Fair Foundation President. Their generous continued support makes it possible for the Fairgrounds to remain on course with our mission and to make the community a great place to live.

Northwest FCS is committed to helping rural communities succeed. During the first two rural grant cycles of 2016, more than $191,000 was awarded. Since the programs inception in 2007, the company has presented 587 rural grants totaling more than $1,138,050.

The next rural grant deadline is Oct. 1, 2016. If you think your rural project may be eligible for a grant, visit northwestfcs.com/Stewardship/Rural-Communities for more information and an application.

Northwest FCS is a $10.6 billion financial cooperative providing financing and related services to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, commercial fishermen, timber producers, rural homeowners and crop insurance customers in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. Northwest FCS is a member of the nationwide Farm Credit System that supports agriculture and rural communities with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. For more information, go to northwestfcs.com
TWIN FALLS  Public officials have long talked of better helping victims of domestic violence. Now, local police and women's shelters are taking action.

The Twin Falls Police Department will soon hire a victim-witness coordinator, a position thats especially critical when dealing with domestic violence cases, while the non-profit womens shelter Voices Against Violence is expanding its services to more victims after decoupling its administrative office and shelter.

And according to Twin Falls Police Chief Craig Kingsbury, the change couldnt come soon enough. Domestic violence cases are on the rise. That was one of the chiefs main arguments in late August when he lobbied the city council to allocate $64,000 in next years budget to hire a victim-witness coordinator.

When members of the Twin Falls Police Department investigate domestic and family violence situations, we do a really nice job of investigating and making an arrest if a crime was committed, Kingsbury said. But one area we fall down on is following up with the victims.

Kingsbury explained the rise in domestic violence cases to the City Council at it's Aug. 28 meeting. There were 177 in 2012 and 204 last year, he said. Kingsbury explained these include all calls dispatched as domestic disturbances, even ones that dont end up in arrests or that end up being charged in a non-domestic violence category, like attempted strangulation.

The new victim-witness coordinator will help envelope the victims with services, Kingsbury said, getting victims of all types of crimes, and especially domestic violence, help with children, legal aid, court paper work and more.

The person will be kind of on the periphery of law enforcement, the police chief said.

The City Council on Aug. 28 approved $64,000 in the new budget to fund the position. The department hopes to have it filled early next year. Kingsbury told the Council he envisions the victim-witness coordinator will not be a police officer but a person with a bachelors degree in counseling or criminal justice with an understanding of the court system.

The police chief said there are resources already in place in Twin Falls to help victims, but the new hires job will be ensuring victims have access to those resources in a timely manner. It will be a position similar to the one Lori Stewart holds with the Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office. Stewart is the countys victims assistance coordinator, a position shes held for eight years. Before that, she worked 10 years part time for the city police in a position like the one the department is hiring for now.

I act really just as a resource to help out anytime someone is in crisis, Stewart said. Think about law enforcement when they get on scene, their first thing is to secure safety, make sure everyone is safe, and do an investigation. At that point, they dont have time to care for peoples needs.

Thats where Stewart comes in, helping with whatever immediate needs arise for the victim at the scene of a crime. Sometimes, thats getting a victim transportation or housing, or simply helping her understand what will happen if the perpetrator of the crime is arrested. For victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault, that often means referring them to Voices Against Violence, the non-profit formerly known as the Crisis Center of Magic Valley, which serves mostly domestic violence and sexual assault victims.

Lori gives us referrals and our legal advocate helps Lori when she can, Voices Against Violence Executive Director Donna Graybill said. Were hoping whoever gets (the TFPD victim coordinator job) is willing to work closely with us and rely on us.

Voices Against Violence has expanded its focus recently, reaching out to victims of other crimes, too, like human trafficking and child abuse. Stewart also helps victims of all types of crimes.

Ive assisted with 145 protection order applications since Jan. 1, Stewart said. I meet with people daily that come in with problems such as domestic violence, stalking, harassing, problems with neighbors, child custody and landlord-tenant problems, and I give them resources.

Despite recent changes, or perhaps because of the changes, Voices Against Violence remains one of the most helpful resources available to Stewart and other victims advocates in the Magic Valley. The Mini-Cassia Shelter for Women and Children in Rupert also serves domestic violence victims on the east side of the Magic Valley.

Voices Against Violence

This year has seen changes, both internal and external, that have brought a big boost to the non-profit womens shelter. The organization promoted Graybill to executive director early in the year, then changed its name and logo to clarify what the organization does and match its new focus.

But the most important change happened in the spring when Voices Against Violence moved its administration offices out of the shelter. Now, Graybill and other staff members can focus on their work while the women and children in the shelter can have more privacy.

Its been an amazing benefit and change, because before, when our offices were at the shelter, those two concepts did not mix, and it was not conducive to helping people, Graybill said. Its nice for the women and children not to have an array of strangers parading through the shelter.

Because the location of the shelter is supposed to remain undisclosed, having an office separate from the shelter also allows Voices Against Violence to host visitors, volunteers and those looking to drop off donations.

Its changed the way we serve the community, Graybill said, adding that before, most of the victims the organization served lived in the shelter. Were more accessible now, and 80 percent of the victims we serve now are not sheltered.

Graybill and the Voices Against Violence board have also made strong hires, like legal adviser Marisol Towell. Shes not an attorney, but she helps victims navigate the legal system.

Shes a rock star, Graybill said. Marisol has redefined the role. She originally applied to be a case manager, but she had background in law enforcement and probation, and I needed her to be doing this role.

Katelyn Schwennen, a counselor with Voices Against Violence, said Towell has made inroads in counties across the Magic Valley and now sits with victims during protection cases and other hearings that are often closed to the public.

Meanwhile, Schwennen and other counselors are offering more group therapy classes than before, including a Tuesday night womens sexual assault and abuse class, and separate Thursday classes, one for women and one for children who are victims of domestic violence.

The womens domestic violence group weve been doing for a long time, but the others are new groups, Schwennen said, adding that child care is offered at group therapy sessions so victims can focus.

Schwennen also does individual counseling with women, children and men.

Voices Against Violence plans to be involved in several events during October to raise awareness for domestic violence victims, including a candlelight vigil planned for Oct. 20 at Twin Falls City Park. The vigil will be a chance to honor those killed in domestic crimes and a chance for victims and survivors to share their stories.

And what of the rising number of domestic violence cases cited by Kingsbury?

Graybill said she doesnt know if the number of cases are rising, and if they are, it would be hard to pinpoint the cause. What she does know is that the shelter has been mostly full for the past six months, something she doesnt see as negative.

We know that between one in four and one in three women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, Graybill said. So maybe the full shelter means there are the same number of victims, but were doing a better job of reaching them and engaging them.
This appeared in Saturdays Washington Post.

--

The presidential candidacy of Libertarian Gary Johnson raises many questions. None of the answers are flattering to him.

Did Johnson learn much from his two terms as governor of New Mexico, or from his previous national presidential campaign? Does he prepare for major interviewslet alone for being president? First, Johnson flubbed a question on the slaughter in Aleppo, SyriaWhat is Aleppo? he asked. An isolated moment of confusion might be understandable. But Johnson had what he called another Aleppo moment Wednesday. Asked to name his favorite world leader, Johnson flailed for nearly a minute. Though interviewer Chris Matthews tried to help him, he failed to produce a single name. The next day, Johnson attempted to brush off the incident with what his campaign called a joke, tweeting, Its been almost 24 hours . . . and I still cant come up with a foreign leader I look up to. No matter how you interpret this, it is not good. As New York Post columnist John Podhoretz asked, could he not come up with lifelong Burmese freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi? Did the name Angela Merkel ring no bells?

Which raises questions for Johnsons supporters: Do ideological libertarians really want this man to represent their movement? Does his loopy campaign bring credibility to their political philosophy?

To those who support him out of disgust with the systemor, perhaps, because of his stand favoring marijuana legalizationdo you know what else he stands for? He opposes strong federal action to address climate change. He supports the Supreme Courts Citizens United ruling, which stands at the core of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, criticism of the system. Johnson opposes the national minimum wage. He opposes federal aid for college students. He opposes government involvement ensuring universal health-care coverage. He opposes rudimentary gun regulations. His views do not, as some might suppose, represent a sensible, reality-based combination of fiscal reason and social tolerance; he favors less government even where government is badly needed.

Heres another question: Does Johnsons running mate, former Massachusetts governor William Weld, who is much sharper, really want to help Donald Trump winand be remembered as the Ralph Nader of 2016? Johnson takes more support from Hillary Clinton in three- and four-way polls than he does from Trump. He could swing Colorado or New Hampshire into the Trump column. How could Weld, who acknowledged the danger Trump poses in an interview with us in July, live with his complicity in electing the Republican nominee?

How, indeed, could anyone? This is not a case of having to choose head over heart, and vote strategically. Johnson is good-natured but wholly unpreparedand unwilling or unable to learn. In this case, head and heart should come to the same conclusion.
This appeared in Saturdays Washington Post.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump is the legitimization it has provided for extremist discourse. Rhetoric that properly has been taboo in this country for a generation  overt racism, sexism, anti-Semitism  has begun to seep back into politics, with Trump and his closest associates providing cover. A telling example appeared this week in the form of a personal attack on the website Breitbart, whose executive chairman is Stephen Bannon, Trumps campaign chairman. Its subject was Anne Applebaum, who is one of The Posts most distinguished opinion columnists, a Pulitzer Prize- winning historian and  as the item repeatedly and gratuitously pointed out  a woman of Jewish origin.

Nominally a response to Applebaums writings about populist movements in Europe and their resemblances to the Trump campaign, the piece was written by an obscure Polish American writer who has an agreement with the foreign ministry of Polands right-wing nationalist government to assist with communications. He described Applebaum as manipulating a shadowy global network of journalists and commentators (including this editorial page) in order to slander the current regime in Warsaw, which has been accused by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and President Barack Obamas administration of endangering democratic checks and balances.

Hell hath no fury like a Polish, Jewish, American elitist scorned, proclaimed the Breitbart article. Anyone who doubts the intention of the Polish foreign ministrys chosen propagandist in using those terms need only read the comments beneath the article, whichuncensored by Breitbart staffreek with anti-Semitic slurs.

We sought Bannons reaction to his websites publication of the article, and in particular to its identification of Applebaum as Jewish. The only response from an aide was that the Trump campaign chairman was on leave from the website. In other words, Bannon has no objection. Expect more openly anti-Semitic rants at his website  and, if Trump is elected, in the United States at large.
In late 2015, the Northern Idaho Crisis Center opened its doors in Coeur dAlene, providing hundreds of adults in Idahos ten northern counties immediate, effective help with behavioral health or substance abuse issues. In the first quarter of 2016, the center estimates that it has saved the region over $404,000 by keeping its clients out of hospitals or jails. Imagine that multiplied throughout the year and the state.

Although the savings matter, people are more important. Clients have learned about resources and have been met with help in every possible way. The League of Women Voters of Idaho believes this type of center is needed throughout the state. Our lawmakers need to provide funding for centers to help Idahoans and promote a safer, healthier state. The LWV is committed to not just educating and registering voters, but also to securing basic rights for the people including access to mental health care. Urge yo! ur representatives to support funding for these centers, and to take mental health care of their constituents seriously. For more information on the Northern Idaho Crisis Center, see their website at www.nicrisiscenter.org/services/. To get involved with your local LWV, please see our website at lwvid.org.
New associates

Wil Anderson has joined the Blackfoot management team as marketing manager.

Gibby Carlascio has joined the sales team at Karl Tyler Chevrolet and Cadillac.

United Way of Missoula County has hired Theresa Williams as coordinator of Reaching Home: Missoula's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Williams, a mental health provider for the Missoula County Detention Facility and Western Montana Mental Health Center, has coordinated the community's jail diversion program since 2014. She has an extensive background in mental health and homeless services. Williams, a licensed clinical social worker, received her bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Montana and her master's in social work from Portland State University. With financial support from the city and county of Missoula, and private donors, United Way administers the city-county plan to find appropriate housing and supportive services for Missoula's diverse homeless population.

Recognized

KettleHouse Brewing Co. of Missoula was recognized with the second annual National Beer Wholesalers Association's Brewer Partner Sales Execution Award. The award was presented the groups annual convention recently. The award recognizes the brewers who do the best job in the marketplace producing great beer; building strong partnerships; providing valuable education; and offering support to their distributor customers in order to bring their beers to market.

At Mountain-Pacific Quality Healths annual convention and trade show in Billings, the following area hospitals were recognized. Community Hospital of Anaconda and Cabinet Peaks Medical Center in Libby received a Quality Achievement Award, Mountain-Pacifics top award. St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula was honored with the Hospital Commitment to Quality Award and the Chasing Zero Award for sustained time periods with zero infections. The Chasing Zero Award through Antibiotic Stewardship was given to St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson.

Brandon Gebhardt with Junkermier, Clark, Campanella, Stevens has been awarded the Certified Management Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner credentials. The CMA is offered by the Institute of Management Accounts and represents a demonstrated mastery of the critical accounting and financial management skills needed in the job and is earned through work experience, a rigorous two-part exam and continuing education. The CFE, offered by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, denotes proven expertise in fraud prevention, detection and deterrence and is earned through work experience, four part exam and continuing education. Gebhardt graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and the University of Montana with a Master of Accountancy. He can be reached at 549-4148 or brandon.gebhardt@jccscpa.com.

The Montana Medical Association has announced Missoula physicians Kristin Anderson of Community Medical Center and Kenneth Brewington of Neurological Associates have been nominated for participation in the esteemed MMA Physician Leadership Effectiveness Program. Also nominated from western Montana was Jason Cohen of Whitefish. The Physician Leadership Effectiveness Program expands the leadership skills of Montana physicians within their practices and hospitals while attaining the knowledge and opportunities critical to influencing state health care policy. Physician leaders come together for seven sessions, located across the state over the course of nine months to learn how they can lead and inspire.

Kris Hawkins, broker/owner of Properties 2000, was the top producer for the month of September. Hawkins specializes in residential real estate and has been licensed since 2002.
Missoula's much-debated ordinance requiring background checks on private gun sales finally was approved last week, but debate continues as to whether it's legal or enforceable  or even workable.

Its gonna be a paperwork nightmare for us, said Bob Burton, manager at Grizzly Gold and Silver. Its not going to be very practical in a business sense.

That's because people conducting private gun sales within the city would have to go to a Federal Firearm License (FFL) holder  such as Grizzly Gold and Silver  for the background check now required by the ordinance.

Such sales would require Burton to enter a gun in his records, and then complete the background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), he said.

If the buyer fails the background check, Burton said he's required to then check the seller before giving the gun back. If the seller fails, Burton is left with a gun he didn't buy and can't sell.

According to private sale guidelines released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2013, FFL holders would only have to enter a gun into their records after the NICS check showed the purchaser passed.

If they failed, according to the guidelines, the seller could walk away with the gun and the FFL holder wouldn't enter the gun into their records at all.

Bob Ward's, Walmart and Axmen Firearms said they dont, and wouldnt start, offering checks on private transactions.

Just two shops contacted were open to the idea of doing background checks on private sales  1st Interstate Pawn and A Nickels Worth pawnshop.

Both said theyd probably charge a fee, and Tim Taunts from A Nickels Worth said that while he might be willing to run the check, he thought a city ordinance requiring they hold onto items for a minimum of 10 days would prevent any private sales from happening quickly, at least through a pawnshop.

Those background checks take anywhere from five to 15 minutes to complete, according to Sarah Brucker with Axmen. Its not the cost or time that makes Axmen unwilling to perform the checks, she said, its dealing with a gun that they have no stake in.

But Ward 1 City Council representative Bryan von Lossberg said he thought it was unlikely Missoulians would have no way to comply with the law. Missoula had 58 registered FFL holders as of December 2015, according to a list on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives website.

I dont think that hypothetical will arise, he said. It would be pretty sad that (FFL holders) would stop doing it.

Von Lossberg said that as he worked on the ordinance, he found more and more gun owners who already were in the habit of checking who they sold guns to, a practice he hoped would set an example for the community.

Ward 6 representative and co-sponsor of the ordinance Marilyn Marler similarly challenged those who opposed the ordinance to set an example as gun owners.

A recurring theme  is that passing expanded background checks is an unjustified encumbrance on gun owners, or an inconvenience to law-abiding citizens, or an affront to law-abiding citizens and to that I guess I would say to my fellow gun owners, lets raise the bar for ourselves. I mean, it took me an hour to open a checking account today, she said at last week's council meeting. I think that right now people dont know that private people can request a background check when theyre doing a private sale.

Tom Platt, who identified himself as a 40-year hunter and gun owner, spoke at Mondays meeting as well. Background checks are not complicated, he said, and are easily facilitated by any gun shop in town.

But, just to make sure the public has easy access to background checks following the ordinance, Platt said he applied for an FFL and planned to make himself available to run people through NICS.

Thats a service this community already provides, and Im willing to make sure its provided, he said.

***

During the long process of approving the ordinance, dissenters brought up the idea that it would be unenforceable, or that the Missoula Police Department wouldnt enforce it.

Mayor John Engen said at last weeks City Council meeting that Missoula Police Chief Mike Brady assured him the ordinance will be enforced.

The City Council, if it chooses to enact these ordinances, will enable the Missoula Police Department to enforce those ordinances under the law, Engen said Brady told him. Their job is not to judge, their job is to enforce.

About an hour after the City Council's meeting last week, Montana House Speaker Austin Knudsen (R-Culbertson) posted on his Facebook page that he'd ask Montana Attorney General Tim Fox to issue a legal opinion on the ordinance and the section of Montana Code Annotated that outlines what a local government can regulate regarding firearm sales.

City Attorney Jim Nugent said he wasnt exactly sure where that will lead.

Its a process I dont recall an attorney general ever engaging in, he said. He can issue opinions and his formal opinions have the force of law, he said of Fox, but the state Supreme Court can overturn that opinion.

Nugent wrote a legal opinion on the ordinance last October that state law did not prevent City Council from passing the ordinance.

After Nugents opinion was released, Fox replied in an informal statement, I believe that Missoulas proposed gun ordinance is prohibited by state law and likely violates our constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

If the ordinance was found to violate Montana law, it wouldnt be formally repealed or taken off the books, Nugent said. It simply wouldnt be enforced.

He said an ordinance that tried to ban radioactive materials from being shipped through the city on trains a few decades ago was declared unlawful in a court case, but is still in the Missoula Municipal Code (section 8.56).

Von Lossberg said he was well aware the attorney general would be asked to issue an opinion, but didnt let the possibility of litigation or a judge overturning the ordinance influence his vote.

He trusted Nugents legal opinion and aside from that, it was more important for him to pass a law he felt was right than be worried about what would happen in court after it passed.

Weighing that against, it might be illegal, because were being told its illegal by the opposition, von Lossberg said, thats an easy choice for me.

The ordinance can be read on the city's website. That version does not include the amendment passed Monday that changed language in section G-3 under "Exceptions from the Background Check Requirement," making it legal for those borrowing a firearm for hunting purposes to travel to and from their hunt without the gun's owner.
Matt Hamon spent 10 days in August as naked as the subjects of his photographs.

Nudity is a requirement at the community in Toronto, Canada, where he'd been accepted for an arts residency called Naked State. The program placed him at Bare Oaks Family Park, which identifies itself as naturist, a different philosophy than nudism. Its followers believe in the physical, spiritual and environmental benefits of life unclothed.

The residency required some adjustment for him. While some naturist groups are "clothing optional," Bare Oaks is not. When Hamon arrived, he had to shed all his garments and head to the co-ed dorm after arriving on a late-night flight. He woke the next day among people who dine, work and recreate uncovered.

While there, he took formally framed, and nude, portraits that contemplated the residency's themes: whether the naked body is always sexual, its role in art, its role in health and connection to the environment. His portraits, which he describes as quite innocent, were quickly banned on Facebook and Instagram, a necessity for artists both to promote their work and communicate with other artists.

But that happened after his return to Montana. While at the residency, he said, "I very quickly realized that the removal of clothing creates a degree of vulnerability immediately."

They are societal benefits as well. Clothing signifies status and creates a persona that we project and others interpret. Shedding it is an "equalizer," as he called it.

Communication and interactions were more authentic, he felt. Since he returned to Missoula, where he teaches at the University of Montana and lives in Potomac with his family, people have asked him questions, expecting stories about an "erotic ambience."

"I've had to repeatedly argue that until you have that experience, it would be hard to understand how comfortable and natural, how intimate and easy to connect to someone once you get over that concealing aspect of clothes," he said.

And, he ended up engaged in a different conversation that directly addresses the purpose of his residency.

In late August, either a bot or another user, Hamon doesnt know, began reporting his pictures and they were taken down.

Gone was a portrait of Stephane Deschenes, a board member of the International Naturist Federation, an owner of Bare Oaks, and a scholar on the history of nudity. He stands facing the camera, framed by trees and holding his bicycle in a photograph that's anything but sexualized.

Gone was a portrait of couple, paused in the middle of a house-painting project  the residents of Bare Oaks work, and even dine, in the nude.

Hamon fully acknowledges that Facebook is a private company that can set its own community standards.

"I defend their right to delete whatever they want to," he said.

The site's community standards page is clear about its reasons, which are similar to those of many publishers.

Facebook's page lays out their rules, and a company spokesperson confirmed that his posts broke them.

"People sometimes share content containing nudity for reasons like awareness campaigns or artistic projects," the standards pages says. "We restrict the display of nudity because some audiences within our global community may be sensitive to this type of content  particularly because of their cultural background or age."

It goes a little further, too, in explaining exactly which standards Hamon's pictures violated:

"We remove photographs of people displaying genitals or focusing in on fully exposed buttocks. We also restrict some images of female breasts if they include the nipple, but we always allow photos of women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring. We also allow photographs of paintings, sculptures, and other art that depicts nude figures."

After his photos were pulled from Facebook, Hamon began to engage in what he calls a "subtle protest" on the site. He blurred out the images and reposted them with links to the uncensored photos on Tumblr, which doesn't have as strict of standards.

They're innocent images, Hamon argues. Why should they be banned while harmful, misogynist content thrives? In his first post, he cited the lewd content posted by Cheech and Chong. Recently the stoner-comedians posted a link to a video called "Here's Why These Jiggling BOOBS Are Fascinating."

Really, anybody who's become Facebook friends with the wrong acquaintance likely has seen very offensive posts and photos that have slipped by without censorship.

Some of his friends argued that the blurred images had the same effect as clothing  they created curiosity about what they weren't seeing.

"My experience of that inspired my interest in pushing the boundaries there. That sort of editing and deleting and censorship continues to fetishize the body," he said.

Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, likewise deleted his pictures and sent him a note saying he'd violated its community standards.

While at Bare Oaks, Hamon also photographed a portrait of a 9-year-old girl posing in the nude with her pet bird. (He showed her mother pictures he'd taken of his own family, and told her his planned use for the photo. Like he will with his own daughter, he said he'll remove them if she asks.)

After a portrait of a 9-year-old girl from Bare Oaks posing in the nude with her pet bird was banned, he tried reposting it. This time, he "self-censored" with a strategically placed Instagram logo and note explaining that he'd been censored. It was flagged and deleted.

He then split the square-framed portrait into seven individual pictures. A few of them were flagged and deleted.

Again, Instagram has its own standards, which Hamon clearly violated:

"People like to share photos or videos of their children. For safety reasons, there are times when we may remove images that show nude or partially-nude children. Even when this content is shared with good intentions, it could be used by others in unanticipated ways."

The question of "unanticipated ways" has been brought up to Hamon before by friends and family.

He's photographed himself in the nude. He also photographs his wife and young daughter, the latter of whom often happens to be naked.

They've asked him whether he's concerned that pedophiles could find the pictures on his website, but he maintains that he's not responsible for any interpretation.

"I'll never know how it's being used. I've got lots of images that I'll never know how someone is responding to it in their head," he said.

Photographer Sally Mann drew criticism and controversy in the early 1990s for her portraits of her children, which she published in a book and displayed in a major exhibition. Writing about the experience last year in the New York Times magazine, she said she took her pictures to an FBI agent and asked whether they could be seen as sexual. (He replied that some people are aroused by shoes, too.)

H. Rafael Chacon, a professor of art history and criticism at the University of Montana, said Hamon's depiction of unidealized nudes is part of a long tradition.

"The nude is ubiquitous in art history, primarily as an object conveying beauty in the West. In contemporary art it has been used for multiple agendas which explore the human condition in all its facets," he wrote in an email.

Whether artists should consider undesirable uses of their work, Chacon wrote: "Censorship laws are based on community standards or common, generally-accepted values, but these are fluid; nude baby pictures have been around forever, but in a climate of fear of voyeurism and exploitation of children, our public values are likely to shift against these images. In America, we have seen swings from utter prudery to great permissiveness which speak to the shifting cultural values, not to the inherent value of these images as works of art."

Photographer Nick Ut's famous "Napalm Girl" picture, which captured a nude 10-year-old fleeing a napalm drop in the Vietnam war, was pulled from Facebook earlier this month, but restored after a public outcry over its historical importance. The banning of that picture gained worldwide notice because the site censored a post by the prime minister of Norway.

The entire controversy speaks to the inherent pull that photographs have, and Hamon thought it was curious that photographs of Michelangelo's David are allowed on Facebook while his nudes are banned.

"The qualities of photography that still are so psychologically powerful, for any human being that's come into contact with a photographic image or the apparatus, there's a sense that there's a connection a truth, right? That the light reflected off the object is the equivalent of looking at the object itself, and it's kind of absurd," Hamon said.

He said it's "particularly absurd in the age of digital manipulation" in which any part of an image can be altered or fabricated.

Chacon concurred regarding the perceived "truthfulness" of photography.

"Because everyone engages in photography, the medium seems to be more truthful, when, in fact, it is as manipulated and as subjective as a painting. That misapprehension has been around since the invention of the medium. The general public thinks it's visible truth and the artist knows it's an interpretation," Chacon said.

Hamon, meanwhile, plans to continue posting the blurred photographs, his "subtle protest" that seems to underscore the residency's point.

"My political or philosophical point of view is that the more open the presentation and dialogue and discussion of images of the body happen to be, the greater that will be for our collective consciousness and relationship to sexuality," he said.
At Wordens Market, the oldest grocery in Missoula, you can spend anywhere from $8 to $425 on a bottle of wine. It just depends on what youre looking for.

There to help you find it is wine steward Chris Niswanger, whos tasted almost every bottle on the shelves  though to be clear he says there's not reason to leave if he's not there.

Theres people here all the time that can help, he said.

Besides, helping people find the right wine often isnt rocket science.

As long as he stocks a broad selection from around the world at varying prices and makes sure to order certain wines at the right time of year (whites in the summer, reds in the fall, champagne around New Years, etc.), picking a wine usually comes down to what the customer wants it for.

If someone wants a couple of bottles for a get-together that night, Niswanger said, they probably dont want to be spending $50 or more per bottle. Same with people buying multiple bottles as gifts.

The featured wines rack is a good place to look, he said.

Either myself or somebody in the store is convinced (its) either a great wine or a great value or both, he said.

The $10-and-under section is the hardest spot to keep replenished, Niswanger said, both because of its popularity and his commitment to stocking it with quality wines, which are hard to find at that price.

Those customers at the opposite price point, either looking for a wine to put away for a few years or to give as a more upscale gift, dont usually find what they want on the floor.

Thats when Niswanger brings them down the steps behind the deli into the low-ceilinged concrete cellar.

Generally I have to see your bank statement before I bring you in here, Niswanger said with a laugh.

The cellar indeed had some very spendy bottles: a 2007 100-point wine from Napa was priced at $425 a bottle, though a few were under $50. Some were newer and there were a few more than 15 years old.

Some were wines Niswanger just liked a lot, and wanted to have a few cases of.

***

A cellar like Wordens is one of maybe a dozen in Montana, Niswanger estimated, saying a number of the customers he helps are from outside Missoula.

Most collectors and connoisseurs who buy from the cellar bring home more than one bottle of each type of wine they buy, so they can try one at six months, then decide to keep the other one for another six months, a year or more.

Keeping a bottle for up to 10 years is not an unreasonable amount of time for the right wine, Niswanger said.

The temperature- and humidity-controlled room, with wooden and cardboard boxes filling the shelves, promises to treat these wines properly, allowing them to evolve into a richer, more complex drink over the years, something Italian wines do especially well, he said.

Niswanger dabbled in wine as a hobby with college friends from California, visiting vineyards with them in wine country in the early 70s.

Sometimes you would taste in a backroom with barrels and the winemaker, he said. We kinda took it somewhat seriously.

He took his first job after earning his English literature degree from the University of Montana as a wine wholesaler in the early 80s  around the time when wine was made available outside liquor stores in Montana, opening an avenue for wine distributors to come into the region and do more business.

He learned quickly by meeting with distributors, who gave him a foundation to understand different regions, grape types and individual producers.

We had plenty of opportunity for people to show wines and basically educate me, he said. That kind of education process through the years, that just doesnt happen anymore.

Niswanger has become a bit of a jetsetter from his job as wine steward; distributors fly him to different wine regions around the world and he visits vineyards to taste and talk about their products  part of what he describes as piecing together the puzzle of where the wines are made, what ingredients go into them and who makes them.

I really feel fortunate, he said. Thats really whats afforded all my world travels since my early days.

Knowing geography is essential to understanding wine, which reflects the ground its grown in, he said.

Grapes from specific regions have distinct character and flavor, which can change from season to season.

I dont think I could have done this for 30 years if it wasnt constantly changing, Niswanger said, adding the reliability of certain producers is a helpful constant.

Hes traveled to Spain, France, Italy, Chile and South Africa to visit those producers, sometimes zipping from one to the next, though Niswanger said he cant do more than about six tastings in a day.

You get a little tired, he said. Even if youre spitting, you get palate fatigue.

Stateside, Niswanger visits California wineries, of course, and also attends distributor conferences, where around 40 to 50 producers share their wines.

Though the Frances pitch in ideas on which wines to bring to the market, sometimes attending the conferences as well, Niswanger has most of the say in what goes on the shelves, he said, largely because of his twice-weekly meetings with distributors and sales reps in Missoula.

Even though Im the primary buyer for the store, Im not the sole impetus for this, he said.

Niswanger urged customers to take advice from brewmeister Mark Thomsen, or other employees, many of whom have great palates and advice on wine.

Thomsen called Niswanger his work spouse for the last 23 years, saying they have good days and bad, just like a married couple, but working with each other is a lot of fun.

He often teases Niswanger about wines higher prestige, brought about from Roman culture where wine was a drink for only the richest citizens.

Oh sure, wine guy, he said rolling his eyes, I just sell beer.

***

Tom Beers, a Missoula attorney, has known Chris almost since his first days working at Wordens.

I never was somebody who was a wine drinker, particularly, Beers said.

After becoming friends with Chris and trying more wines, by the late 80s he had started collecting wines and reading books on the drink.

Beers thought it was Niswangers palate that really swayed him toward wine. He liked what Niswanger gave him and helped him gain an appreciation for details and subtleties in wine.

Plus, he would hand Beers bottles that werent as expensive or as highly rated as others, but according to Niswanger, they were just as good.

Once Chris had rated it, it was just as good, Beers said.

***

Close to retirement, Beers said hes trying to drink his collection, since having wines that need to sit for 25 years does him no good anymore.

Though its not as large as a friend from Great Falls who buys from Wordens as well, Beers said he has a pretty good collection and its all thanks to Niswanger.

When he told me a wine was good, I would try it and it was good, he said. I never go wrong with Chris.

Regardless of price point or breadth of knowledge, Niswager really just wants to introduce people, whether theyre connoisseurs or those who barely know red from white, to something new.

Learning customers palates and how they relate to his is part of the relationship in selling wine, Niswanger said, because they dont often line up together.

He enjoys the complexity of recommendations and learning who enjoys what, especially when they come back a few times and he gets to know their taste.

Otherwise its like selling roofing nails, he said. I like helping people find something they havent experienced in wine before and showing them that.
Missoula City Council

Agenda: Public hearing on the South Hills Spur open space acquisition, budget amendments, an update to the lighting ordinance, a discussion to amend Title 20 to better address tourist homes, and a conditional use request  214 E Kent Street (Accessory Dwelling Unit). The meeting also will include special presentations on China National Theatre visitors (Michael McGill of Missoula Community Theatre) and a proclamation of Montana Innocence Project Week.
Certain trappers consistently hide the truth and howl fallacious threats. The wolf population will not explode if trapping is limited to private lands the size of Wyoming. In fact, in the past two years, only 14 percent of the wolves killed were trapped on public lands  27 wolves each year. Not a significant impact on the population. Wolves stabilize their own populations without any killing, as Fish, Wildlife and Parks has stated.

Coyote populations have not changed in spite of unlimited shooting, poisoning, trapping over the past 150 years. Thats because coyotes fill the vacuum. They can have from one to 19 pups. The more killed, the more produced. Coyotes keep down the populations of rodents and skunks that carry disease. Trapping increases the spread of disease.

Montana Trap-Free Public Lands Initiative 177 will help, not hinder, hunting opportunities. Hunting dogs, deer, elk, moose, livestock all get caught in traps and snares.

I-177 will save money in several ways. If FWPs speculation that trappers on public lands wont trap on private lands is true, that means less administrative work for FWP, and far less time spent responding to complaints and investigating non-target trapping of dogs and endangered species. I-177 will save thousands of dollars Montanans spend on vet bills and leg amputations of their trapped pets.

I-177 is a common-sense compromise: Trappers can still trap, the public can enjoy public lands without threat of hidden steel devices, and endangered species will have a chance to recover. I-177 works for everyone.

Constance J. Poten,

Missoula
Well, it must be an election year, as all the Republicans are talking about jobs in their election campaigns. Their plan is usually two-pronged: tax cuts for businesses and folks in the top tax bracket, and deregulation of as many safeguards as they can. You all remember the trickle-down theory of economics.

Then, usually around the Wednesday after the election, they forget about jobs and start talking about their real agendas. Things like giving public tax dollars to private schools, healthcare repeal, state ownership of public lands, budget cuts to already strapped state agencies, etc.

District 7 Sen. Jennifer Fielder talked a lot about jobs when she ran last time. But when she got to Helena, she turned into a one-trick pony for the American Lands Council. Fielder introduced some 20 land transfer bills in the 2014 legislative session. The majority of Montana residents do not agree with her position and yet she forges ahead by becoming the president of the American Lands Council. She also defended the Bundy boys and their armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Range. I would prefer that my state senator not support armed radicals who also believe the states should take over land management from the federal government.

I am supporting Mark Sheets for Senate District 7, as I did last election. Sheets has a proven record of working for local government as a city council member and as mayor of Thompson Falls, and getting things done. I think Sheets will work for the voters in District 7 to create jobs by fixing Montanas crumbling infrastructure, standing up for education, protecting our hunting and fishing heritage, and wise use of our federal lands.

Mark Sheets does not have an agenda other the representing the voters of District 7.

Randy Roberts,

Thompson Falls
As a former U.S. Marine and combat veteran, I enthusiastically endorse the re-election of U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke. Zinke is a dedicated public servant for Montana and our nation. His honorable service as a Navy SEAL, senator in the Montana Legislature, and current service as Montanas representative in Congress has been conducted with integrity, competence and zeal.

As a Navy SEAL commander, Zinke demonstrated leadership in austere environments. As a senator in the Montana state legislature, Zinke led the charge in education by serving as the chair of the Senate Education Committee. Of his many accomplishments in the Senate, Zinke succeeded by advancing technology in Montana schools; advocated for Montanas rural communities and their access to educational opportunities; and championed control of local of schools by families and teachers instead of interference from the federal government in our childrens education.

As Montanas at-large representative in the House of Representatives, Zinke has and will continue to defend the Second Amendment. In the House Committee on Armed Services, Zinke leads his peers in championing an effective national and homeland security policy and strategy. In the House Committee on Natural Resources, Zinke has promoted sound economic development mechanisms to bring jobs back to Montana for Montanans while opposing the over-regulated and job killing agenda of Washington, D.C., elites.

As a father, I know Zinke cares about the future of Montanas children as demonstrated by his tireless work in promoting educational opportunities. As a Montanan, I know Zinke works daily to create economic opportunity and jobs for Montana. As a veteran, I know Zinke cares about our military, our veterans and the security of our country and our state. Combine all this with Zinke's honorable character and his values as a fifth-generation Montanan, the choice is clear  re-elect Ryan Zinke to the House of Representatives.

Thomas Livoti,

Missoula
CORVALLIS  The rock outcrop along Flathead Creek just outside of the tiny town of Wilsall had always been a special place for Sarah Anzicks family.

They owned 76 acres there. Its where they kept their horses and made their memories.

We used to go there every weekend, Anzick remembered. It was definitely one of the most picturesque locations in the Wilsall. Its where I caught my first fish.

Its also where her long and arduous journey that would eventually help unlock the secrets of the origin of Native Americans began.

The Corvallis womans story will be featured in a special two-hour PBS presentation of Novas Great Human Odyssey that is scheduled to premier at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

It began in the year that Anzick turned 2. Her father allowed a couple of local contractors to get some dirt from their familys property.

It was a decision that would change his daughters life forever.

In the midst of their excavation, one of the two men noticed a virtual treasure trove of artifacts falling onto the ground. Later that night, the two men returned with their wives to remove the 12,700-year-old stone and bone artifacts covered in red ochre.

The men had stumbled across the oldest known burial site in North America of the Clovis Culture. The child who was buried there was between 1 and 2 years old.

No one knew it then, but his DNA would eventually confirm the Asian roots of all of today's Native Americans and rule out a controversial theory that some ancestral populations might have crossed the Americas from Ice Age Europe.

But before that could happen, Sarah Anzick would have to grow up and become a molecular biologist with a keen interest in learning more about the child whose final resting place was so close to her own heart.

***

The artifacts found on her familys property were returned to her parents, while the skeletal fragments of the child were delivered to researchers at the Smithsonian Institute.

For many years, my parents kept the artifacts in a glass case under their bed, she said. We would pull them out sometimes and look at them.  They were part of my life growing up.

The artifacts are now available for viewing at the Montana Historical Society.

As an adult, Anzick began working with the Human Genome Project, where she realized that the opportunity to uncover the origins of Native Americans might lie with the DNA from the ancient child.

But she had no idea just how challenging that journey of discovery would be.

By this time, a Smithsonian forensic anthropologist had done a thorough analysis of the skeletal remains and agreed to give them to Anzick.

It wasnt an entire skeleton, she said. There were some cranial pieces, some ribs and a clavicle. That was all.

Those skeletal fragments were incredibly important. The Anzick site was the only known Clovis burial site.

The prehistoric Clovis culture first appears in North America about 13,500 years ago. It was named for the artifacts found near Clovis, New Mexico.

Anzick remembers the day that she received the remains. The Smithsonian researcher had been able to reconstruct the tiny cranium.

It took your breath away when you realized what it was that you were looking at, she said. It was beautiful to me and very precious.

At the time, she was working on the Human Genome Project and initially thought it would be possible to do the work as part of her federal job. Understanding the sensitivity involved, Anzick reached out to two Montana tribes.

One was supportive and the other was adamantly opposed.

After the meeting with the second tribe, she withdrew her request to do the work through her federal workplace and began looking for a private research facility.

In 2000, she attempted to gather DNA from elk bones that were found with other artifacts at the Anzick site. That attempt failed.

The technology wasnt there, she said. I put my idea aside and let it rest. I didnt know at that point what was going to happen.

Eventually technology improved and her path led to a Danish DNA expert named Eske Willerslev. She went to Denmark with a very small piece of the cranium, where an international team eventually sequenced the Clovis childs DNA.

In 2014, she was one of the authors of a paper in Nature that confirmed the Asian roots of all of todays Native Americans.

Remarkably, close to 80 percent of all Native North Americans carry the Anzick genome and the number rises to 90 percent in Central and South America, said the NOVA programs press release. So a once-tiny group of hunter-gatherers represented by this ancient Montana child became the ancestors of nearly all Native Americans, including those such as the Maya and the Inca, who created the great ancient civilizations of North and South America.

The PBS special, Great Human Odyssey, chronicles how the hunter-gatherers living a precarious existence in Africa would eventually reach every corner of the earth, including the place where Sarah Anzick would catch her first fish.

Its been a long journey for me, said Anzick, who now works at the National Institute of Healths Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton. I have always felt like I needed to do this.

But she never lost her sensitivity to the beliefs of the Native Americans she had met along the way. Anzick met with the Montana Burial Board after the genome was sequenced. The board is an organization that decides what should happen to uncovered ancient remains.

The boards general consensus was the child should be put back in the ground, she said.

In 2014, surrounded by members of seven different tribes, Anzick returned the remains for burial on her familys property.

It was a really beautiful reburial ceremony, she said. This whole process had aged me 20 years. I was always sensitive for the potential for conflict. When it came time, I knew we were doing the right thing.

There was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, Anzick said. For me it was about closure. It was very beautiful.

The reburial ceremony was taped for the documentary.

I think they did a very good job with the program, she said. I was very pleased with it.
GREAT FALLS  Montana citizens got together in 1972 to try to write a new constitution for the state.

It wasn't going to be easy.

Among them, from Great Falls, were automobile dealer Don Rebal; schoolteacher Bob Woodmansey; Arlyne Reichert, assistant director of the McLaughlin Research Institute; and the late Leo Graybill, an attorney who became president of the convention.

Reichert, Rebal and Woodmansey got together as the last surviving members of the Great Falls delegation. They recalled political wheeling and dealing, funny moments and actions they took that still make them proud, reported the Great Falls Tribune.

What they produced was a ground-breaking document that was barely passed by voters amid heated debate. And there were fears the new Montana Constitution might not pass at all.

It was close.

"I think without the gambling issue it would have never passed," Rebal said. But the new Constitution left open the possibility of expanding gambling in Montana, and that convinced some pro-gambling people to vote yes.

"Remember how Leo got elected?" Rebal asked his fellow delegates. "Well, all the Democrats got together. Leo went around and made deals with the guys from Butte, Anaconda and Kalispell."

And if such wheeling-and-dealing might have seemed unseemly to some, the selection of Graybill as president turned out to be fortuitous.

"He was such a good chairman," Reichert said. "He was never going to cut off debate, and he never did." That led to sessions running into the evening and a little grumbling, but everyone had their say.

"He couldn't have handled it any better," Woodmansey said. At the end, several people stood up with glowing praise of Graybill, including John Toole, a convention vice president.

Not that Graybill was a pushover. As Reichert recalled, "Leo didn't want to rush."

One late afternoon or early evening, delegates began pressuring Graybill to wrap up the day's session.

"I know why you're in a hurry," Graybill shot back. "(Delegate) Betty Babcock's throwing a big party."

Another amusing moment came when the legendary aviator, Charles Lindbergh, came to Helena to address the convention. At one point, Lindbergh poked his nose into a hearing room to offer his wisdom to the chairwoman of an environmental committee.

"She told him she was busy," Reichert recalled with a chuckle.

They also heard from the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, Jeannette Rankin, a former Montanan in her 90s then living in Georgia. The 19 female delegates went out to lunch with Rankin, best known for voting against both World War I and World War II as a member of Congress. In 1972, she was a strong opponent of the Vietnam War.

Reichert and Woodmansey attended a reunion in Helena recently of the ConCon delegates, but only seven were there, and only 19 of the original 100 people are still alive. Next year, they plan a big wing-ding in Helena to mark 45 years after their work was completed.

"I don't know if any of us will live to the 50th," said Reichert, who is 90. Rebal is 95, and Woodmansey is 80. Reichert and Rebal ran as Democrats; Woodmansey was elected as a Republican. A fourth delegate who did not attend the gathering but lives in Great Falls is Bob Vermillion, who attended from an outlying county but later moved to Great Falls.

Rebal said he's proudest of the document's environmental passages, protecting the right of Montanans to live in a clean and healthful environment. Woodmansey is proud of the Constitution's right-to-know provisions. Reichert said legislators at the time were notorious for acting in secret, but the new Constitution prohibited most secret meetings that plagued the state at the time.

No doubt it helped the convention that sitting legislators could not run to be delegates at the convention, the surviving Great Falls delegates said. Montana's Legislature was pretty backward in those days.

Montana's new constitution helped usher in one of the most progressive decades in Montana history. During the 1970s, under Democratic Gov. Tom Judge and a reform-minded Legislature, environmental laws were passed, and state prison, mental health and developmental disabilities inmates and patients benefited from a national trend toward treating people in communities, rather than warehousing them in large state institutions.

Montana took some big leaps forward into the modern era, even if the 1970s was tumultuous in Montana, with scandals and a sense of unease. Across the country and in Montana, hipsters wore bell-bottom pants and exhibited crazy hairstyles and regrettable sideburns. Montana has not seen such a reform-minded Legislature since then.

Writing the new Constitution proved to be a gargantuan effort that has paid dividends for years. These were people who worked hard and made history.

"You take a look at your life, I can say I was fortunate to be involved," Woodmansey said.
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Erb heads Dillon hospital foundation

Brooke Erb recently was named executive director of the Barrett Hospital Foundation in Dillon.

Previously she worked 14 years at Montana Western.

Erb began her career at Pioneer Medical Clinic and begins her new position with connections to the medical staff and medical community, as well as to the broader community of Dillon and southwest Montana. In addition to her previous experience in healthcare, Erb and her husband Cal are owners of E Bar Cattle.

Erbs history in Beaverhead County, her experience with nonprofit, political, business, agriculture, education and healthcare organizations, all combine to make her a great fit to head the foundation, according to a news release.

Barrett Hospital Foundation was formed in 1989 by Ruth Haugland to support the financial needs of Barrett Hospital & HealthCare. The foundation manages several funds, including funds to help support Home Health & Hospice, employee and medical student scholarships, hospital equipment, and the Southwestern Montana Mammography Program.

For details about Barrett Hospital Foundation, its programs, or its support of Barrett Hospital & HealthCare, call the foundation office at (406) 683-6737.

McIntyre advances within PayneWest

J.T. McIntyre continues his path within PayneWest Insurance by transitioning into the client coordinator role, according to a news release.

McIntyre will continue to work with the Downey team, building his sales and service skills, business acumen and technical knowledge on "a track towards a promising sales career, said Ryan Bramlette, business insurance sale director.

McIntyre started in this new role in July 2016. As a client coordinator, McIntyre will begin a three-year path that will consist of service training, sales training with mentor and developing new business.

McIntyre joined PayneWest Insurance in 2014 as a business insurance account specialist in Butte. He is a Montana native and undergraduate alumnus of Montana Tech. He received his masters in business administration at Gonzaga University.

PayneWest Insurance has over 650 colleagues in Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. To contact McIntyre: (406) 533-1006 or by email at JMcintyre@PayneWest.com.

Area hospitals receive awards

Community Hospital of Anaconda, Cabinet Peaks Medical Center in Libby and Sidney Health Center recently received Quality Achievement Awards from Mountain-Pacific Quality Health. It is the organizations top award.

Barrett Hospital and Healthcare in Dillon and Missoulas St. Patrick Hospital received the Hospital Commitment to Quality Award.

Hospitals applying for a quality award are required to meet certain criteria outlined by Mountain-Pacific. Quality awards are given to hospitals that demonstrate high performance in national focus areas including Healthcare-Associated Infections and Patient Experience of Care.

Also, the groups Chasing Zero award though Antibiotic Stewardship went to Barrett Hospital and Healthcare in Dillon and St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson.

Radio account executive honored

The Montana Broadcasters Association, a trade organization representing Montana radio and television stations, gave KAAR/KMBR/KXTL Radio account executive Tammy Shutey of Butte its prestigious Radio Salesperson of the Year Award at its annual sales luncheon recently in Bozeman.
For three years Sonia Zachow has been bringing the flavors of Tuscany to Anaconda in her modest, five-table restaurant on Commercial Avenue.

La Casa Toscana, as the name suggests, specializes in dishes from Italys Tuscany region.

Every Wednesday through Saturday patrons are greeted with appetizers some would consider off the beaten path for a town of 9,000  dishes like hibiscus flowers stuffed with goat cheese, imported prosciutto, salami and buffalo mozzarella, fresh focaccia bread with house-made pesto, and goat cheese topped with jalapeno, raspberry jam.

Meanwhile, salads are artisan style, and entrees include a three-cheese risotto with baby artichokes, peas and sweet corn and a shrimp scampi ravioli with pecorino alfredo sauce, to name a few

Also, theres wine.

Glasses run from $8 to $9 per glass and bottles $34 to $150, and if youre feeling adventurous you can get a glass of prosecco sparkling wine topped with a hibiscus flower for added sweetness and a tinge of purple color.

Everything we do is very different for the palate (from what) people are accustomed to here, said Zachow.

Although patrons may have tried dishes featured at La Casa Toscana before, about half of the restaurants ingredients are imported and can taste very different from their American counterparts, Zachow said.

Indeed, the experience at La Casa Toscana may be different from what some patrons are used to.

The meal consists of four courses, and unlike restaurants where customers make a selection from a menu, Zachow chooses several of the items in the meal.

If youve never been to Italy and you go to Italy, their hospitality is so gracious but theyre all about their food and their history. So if you wouldnt know what to order, they kind of dictate what you get, said Zachow.

The four-course meals range from $39.99 to $49.99 per person. But for those looking for lighter fare, the restaurant offers specials on Wednesday nights where patrons can get a two-course meal for $22.00.

La Casa Toscana has a 22-person capacity, but what the restaurant lacks in size it makes up for in hospitality and authenticity.

And Zachow should know something about the authentic.

The Anaconda resident lived in Italy for 25 years, where her mothers family ran several culinary schools in Florence.

Zachow moved to Italy when she was just three months old, but her mother and fathers history in the region goes back much further than that.

Zachows father  a member of the Thunderbirds, an elite squadron of the U.S. Air Force  was stationed in Florence before Zachow was born, while her mother, a native Italian, was working for a professor in an office above a local bar.

Apparently my dad tried to buy her some coffee, and she didnt understand English, so she kept blowing him off, said Zachow.

Eventually the two got together, married and moved to the United States where Zachow and her brother were born.

However, during the Vietnam War Zachows father was called to serve, so the family moved back to Italy.

Zachow describes her childhood as one steeped in the sounds, sights and smells of the kitchen.

My mom with her four other siblings were always in the kitchen, and all my cousins. So it was always like a family event, said Zachow, who has 22 cousins. Those are my best memories. Gossiping, who did what in town. You know, its just always been fun.

(And) your mouth was always tantalized with different flavors, she continued. And there was always singing in the kitchen. I remember the music, and learning and just having a great time with family.

Zachow said the concept of family is something thats very important to her, and is one that informs her business philosophy.

My mission is to get families in here, she continued. To have families at the table as well as your friendships at the table.

The Montana Standard asked whether she ever thought of expanding La Casa Toscana.

She said she had thought about it, but ultimately decided against it. She said she likes the intimacy of La Casa Toscana and that something would be lost if she switched to a larger location.

Since I am such a socialite, I love sitting at a table with my customers and having wine. I could not do that if I expanded. I think it would take it away because I think people come here not only for the food but to be entertained by us personnel as well, said Zachow.

Were very friendly with our customers and I certainly show them that I appreciate their business, big time. Because if it wasnt for them and my staff I wouldnt have anything.

And how did La Casa Toscana get started in the first place?

Zachow said she and her husband Dr. William Zachow moved to Anaconda in 2013 after he was offered a position at the Community Hospital of Anaconda.

Previously Zachow worked as a CFO in the medical industry, so after about a year in Anaconda she started to get bored without a fast-paced job to keep her busy.

Urged on by friends and family who knew Zachows cooking abilities, she decided to start selling lasagnas from home.

Within three months, Zachow said, she had 400 customers, so she knew the concept of an authentic Italian restaurant in Anaconda would work.

A month after that, she began work on the small storefront on Commercial Avenue. It took precisely 47 days to open La Casa Toscana, she said.

While Zachow doesnt have plans for expansion, she does plan to add a monthly social wine club that will feature wine parings with meats and cheeses starting in November. In October the restaurant will host cooking classes. Students will meet once a week over the course of four weeks.

As for Zachow, she said running a restaurant isnt about getting customers in and out the door.

Instead, she said, its about making them feel at home.
A fundraiser for a Twin Bridges girl who needs a heart transplant features the Dillon Junior Fiddlers "Tales and Tunes" concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, in the Sheridan High School gym in Sheridan.

Proceeds benefit Stella Witham, 6. Stellas big brother, August Witham, 9, is a member of the Dillon Junior Fiddlers.

Stella was born with multiple congenital heart defects and has already spent much of her young life in and out of the hospital, having had three open-heart surgeries, according to a news release from the fiddlers.

To be within flying distance of Seattle once a heart donor is found, Stella; her mother, Anna Marie; and her little brother, Haddon, 3, are living in Great Falls. Stellas father, Cleve, and August are commuting back and forth on weekends from the Ruby Valley to Great Falls.

Cleve has maintained his job with Ruby Valley Bank of Sheridan and Twin Bridges, and Anna Marie, Stella and Haddon stay with Stellas grandparents close to Great Falls. They will return to Seattle soon to avoid weather complications when a heart match is found. They will need to stay in Seattle for at least six months after Stellas transplant surgery. Concert proceeds will help with travel money, extra medical costs, living expenses, and airfare, the news release said.

Tickets will be on sale at Beacon Business Center, Frits Dream Bean Cafe (aka Serendipity), the 3 Rivers Qwik Stop in Twin Bridges, and at the door. Ticket are $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12, and a family ticket is $30 which includes three tickets to be entered in the door prize drawings.

Area merchants, friends, and the fiddlers are donating door prizes. Ticket-holders need not be present to win. To date, the prizes include two $100 gift cards to Walters IGA, an offering from Frits Dream Bean Cafe, an art piece from James Gang Art Works, and other items, some of which have been purchased through the generosity of the Ruby Valley Bank.

Tales and Tunes showcases the acting and singing talents of the fiddle players along with a liberal sample of their traditional music. When the "Big Book of Family Tales" is opened, the audience will be given a chance to meet a cast of characters, some real and some imaginary. The music will feature a variety of music styles and ethnic origins. Old and young alike will enjoy this show that celebrates connections that are made between generations through stories and music.

Details: 406-660-2304.
A county-appointed committee is considering an alternative, no-bid method of choosing a primary contractor to oversee construction of the planned $8.7-million Stodden Park pool, even though a top official said before a public vote on the project it would all be bid out.

Parks Director J.P. Gallagher told The Montana Standard last April, before voters cast ballots on June 7 for a $7.2-million bond issue to fund most of the project, that the timeline for the project if it passed was contingent on bids coming in.

It all depends on how quickly we can get the bids back and get them before council, he said in a story published in early May, about a month before the measure passed with 60 percent in favor. It will all be bid out.

County officials told the newspaper just after the vote about preliminary steps needed that included design and a "bidding process." In March, a cost estimate they used to justify their quoted overall cost of $8.7 million included services to "develop a bid package" and "bid."

Chief Executive Matt Vincent told the Standard last week he fully intended to have the project bid in the traditional process used for decades in Butte-Silver Bow. That involves competitive sealed bids, an up-front price quoted, and usually the lowest qualified bidder getting the project.

But now thats up in the air, and Vincent, though saying he still personally favors the traditional approach, is not saying now thats what will be done. An alternative method also is on the table  at least for now.

The product, not the delivery method, is the key, Vincent says, and he only has one objective.

We want this project to be the best project for this community, and primarily, to me, that means high quality and it is on time and on budget  if not under budget  if we do things properly here, he told the newspaper this week.

A technical review committee appointed by Gallagher to help guide the project is expected to vote Monday on what method should be used: the low-bid approach or one recently employed for the first time in Butte-Silver Bow to choose the primary contractor overseeing a $7.4-million Uptown parking garage.

Although commissioners ultimately OKd the choice of Sletten Construction to oversee that project, a small group including Vincent, a few of his department heads, and two members of the Urban Revitalization Agency board interviewed two companies and in a private meeting chose Sletten.

Gallagher says that method also involves bidding. Once a general contractor is selected, it often bids out parts of the project.

Regardless, he and Vincent say, the review committee is advisory only and the Council of Commissioners will have final say.

IRKED COMMISSIONERS

But some commissioners are surprised  and irked  that an alternative method is even on the table and say county taxpayers will be surprised, too.

The public was led to believe this would be a low-bid process, said Commissioner Jim Fisher, who voted against the parking garage because the main contractor was picked by a small group appointed by Vincent and not elected officials.

Fisher was invited to join the pool review committee after its first meeting and made that point to the panel this past week. He said afterward that going a different route would give some in the public the perception that county officials already know who they want overseeing the project.

Vincent says there is nobody in mind and theres nothing nefarious about considering the other option.

The review committee's members include Fisher; one engineer and one architect involved in the carousel project in Butte; the CEO of the YMCA; a state health official who inspects public pools; a former school budget official; and five of Vincents department heads.

One of them, Public Works Director Dave Schultz, cautioned the group on Wednesday about going the alternative route, saying every day county officials have to explain the difference between it and the traditional method is a day were losing ground.

He noted that the alternative process has only been used in the county for the parking garage  which is just now being built  and the planned new terminal for Bert Mooney Airport. The Airport Authority, which is mostly autonomous from the county, made the latter decision.

We dont pass a lot of bond issues in this town, Schultz said. We really have to protect the public trust.

HAVING TWO OPTIONS

Vincents bottom line, he says, is delivering a quality pool and lazy river to Butte that can open in 2018 within costs. Voters approved $7.2 million in bonding authority to pay for most of the construction, and another $1.5 million was raised with private money and county funds.

County officials, through a traditional process, chose Helena-based SMA Architects to design the project. That firm, in turn, is getting consulting help from St. Louis-based Counsilman-Hunsaker, which has designed and built pools across the country.

Vincent and Gallagher say the review committee was formed to provide input  in an advisory role  to the county, the architect, and ultimately the contractor building the water park.

The idea behind the TRC is that the more stakeholders and expertise that Butte-Silver Bow can bring to the process, from early on through completion, the better the outcome will be, Gallagher said in a memo to commissioners preceding their next meeting this Tuesday.

Vincent said it is only an ad hoc committee without any bylaws or guidelines spelling out its scope and authority, but similar panels of experts and stakeholders have been used for other county projects. The most recent, he and Gallagher say, was for the Butte Archives  another bonded project approved by voters.

I dont think anybody would argue that that was anything but a success, Vincent said.

Although the Archives project had a similar committee, it was bid out the traditional, low-bid way.

During its meeting last week, the pool committee discussed what design and operating options were available for the planned water park and its main building  what the slides and play features should entail, how the lobby in the main building might look, how many lockers will be needed, etc.

Then the discussion turned to how the project should be delivered  through the traditional way or one commonly called general contractor/construction manager, or GC/CM.

Jason Davis, president of SMA Architects, told the review group it was possible to get the water park built on time using either method. He also acknowledged it was possible, under the traditional approach, for the county to reject a low bid because a company was simply not qualified to do the work.

But he said the GC/CM method has advantages, and he spoke primarily of those.

Whoever is chosen to lead the project, for example, has to bid out various aspects of the work, Davis said.

You might have 35 bid packages instead of one, he said. That would make it possible for more people and companies in Butte-Silver Bow county to bid for part of the work, he said.

At some point, the overseeing contractor has to give the county a guaranteed maximum price. That, Davis said, gives the county a layer of security about the ultimate price tag. Fisher, however, noted that cost overruns are possible with both methods.

BIGGEST ADVANTAGES

Proponents say one of the biggest advantages of GC/CM is allowing designers and builders to collaborate on the project along the way to hold down costs.

Karen Byrnes, the countys community development director, said in August that the process already had shaved costs off the parking garage.

When Sletten officials discovered some foundation drilling and column-work costs would be really high, she said, they sat down with the projects designers  Pioneer Technical of Butte  and came up with a new plan that probably saved $450,000.

The federal government often uses the GC/CM process, the state of Montana has authorized its use, and commissioners here approved it as a possible project method last year.

Vincent said he still personally favors the traditional approach.

I think there is enough flexibility in the low-bid process to give us the project we need and guarantee, to the best of our ability, the schedule and the price on that, he said, adding that qualifications would still have to be demanded beforehand.

But Vincent also said he wants to hear what the review committee has to say since they have a lot more experience in delivering these projects.

When asked if he had conveyed his wishes for the traditional, low-bid method to his department heads, he said, We have had some discussions about it.

When asked why Schultz was the only one on the review committee to openly advocate the low-bid method, he said he welcomes other input and it was worth discussing both methods and figuring out what is best for the project.

Vincent acknowledges there are pros and cons with each process. But the county does have decades of experience with one method and little with the other. Construction on the parking garage, after all, just began and will be put on hold soon for the winter.

GOOD TRACK RECORD

And the county has a pretty good track record with the low-bid method, at least of late.

In 2007, voters approved $7.5 million in funding to build the Butte Archives, which was completed in June 2010. Vincent said the review committee wanted to use the alternative method of delivering the project, but that method was not authorized here yet.

Still, Vincent said the Archives project turned out high-quality, on time, and on budget.

Just this past Monday, Gov. Steve Bullock joined Vincent for a ceremony to mark completion of the $30-million upgrade to the countys wastewater treatment plant. That project was not only on time and within budget, but taxpayers also saved money, and the plant was built mostly by Montana workers, many from this area, Vincent and Bullock boasted.

Cindi Shaw, chairwoman of the Council of Commissioners, agrees that there are pros and cons with each process.

There could be merit to the non-bidding process, particularly if its a specialty structure like a parking garage, she said.

But thats not the point now, she said.

It was said in public this would be the standard  the traditional bid process  and I don't know why we would go a different route."

Commissioner Bill Andersen said he doesn't buy claims that, because later bidding is involved in the alternative process, the alternate method fits what the public was told.

I would say it is absolutely not the same thing, he said.

It was OK under the traditional process to get rid of some bids if you feel their qualifications are not there Andersen said and that using an entirely different method for the pool was a bad idea.

I think it does generate an awful lot of ill will, and if you look at what happened toward the parking garage, I think they are playing with fire, he said.
A spate of cheating at Montana Tech over the summer made headlines last week. It was certainly startling that some 46 students were reported for cheating, and that 15 were dismissed from the university. Even more startling were the methods used  earpieces, fake calculators, smuggled smart phones, smart watches, even mass bathroom breaks and a feigned fainting spell  and the belligerence of the students when confronted.

The students involved were apparently transfer students who attended neither the previous semester nor the current semester at Tech, but just came for the summer. And many were foreign students.

That last fact has produced predictable and depressing reactions of the knee-jerk variety.

Some context is needed.

While the scale of this event is concerning, we should not delude ourselves into thinking this is either an anomaly or the province of any one culture. Academic dishonesty is on the rise everywhere.

Surveys over the past few years have consistently shown that between 60 and 70 percent of college students admit cheating at least once. A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education pegs the number at 64 percent. Those transgressions range from peeking at the paper of the student at the next desk to plagiarism to paying princely sums for others to write papers and take exams.

Its not a new problem, but as is obvious from this most recent incident, technology keeps escalating the war between cheaters and those trying to foil them.

And at Tech, while such a flood of cheating cases stands out, that flood comes against a backdrop of drip, drip, drip. Chancellor Don Blackketter estimates academic dishonesty cases  and they involve students of various backgrounds  average at least one per week all year long.

As distressing as this incident is, its important that we do not leap to cultural conclusions, or apply stereotypical judgments.

Tech has a long and proud history of educating engineers from across the globe. Indeed, it has the highest percentage of international students in the state university system. That fact is absolutely to the universitys benefit, and to Buttes benefit.

As the world shrinks, and more students travel overseas in pursuit of knowledge and lifetime experiences, its important for us to treat our international visitors the way we would expect our children to be treated if they were studying abroad. And in Butte, a town with proud international roots, we need to redouble our efforts to make sure that visitors from elsewhere are welcomed, and not judged by their origins but by their individual character and behavior.

As for the professors and proctors at Tech who dealt with an onslaught of dishonesty and hostility this summer, they deserve our thanks for taking a stand to prevent Techs excellent reputation from being debased. And that insistence on integrity must be maintained as the Faculty Senate and the administration take steps to prevent a recurrence.
As a veteran who volunteered for the draft during the era of the Korean Conflict, and who had two older brothers who served with honor during World War II, its very appalling to me that a very wealthy gubernatorial candidate, Greg Gianforte, and his attorney, have threatened to sue several newspapers for running certain ads. The Billings Gazette did confirm Gianfortes tenure in New Jersey as well as his opposition to stream access along the Gallatin River. This approach by a candidate with unlimited funds obliterates our constitutional freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

These are freedoms that countless Montana veterans served their country and state to protect. In Montana, my most cherished freedoms were the freedom to roam out public lands and recreate on our public waters. Many of us didnt see any action, but our service overseas reinforced our desire to cherish our way of life here in the West.

As many of us entered civilian life, we didnt realize the fight to protect our freedoms was just beginning. It was surprising to me that veterans stood out as leaders during the fight for stream access in 1985 as well as gaining recreational use of school trust lands in the 1990s. The conflicts still continue to this day over transfer or sale of our public lands and the ultimate dismantling of stream access.

The GOP state platform has a plank mandating the sale or transfer of public lands, and even though Gianforte and other Republican candidates try to tell the public just the opposite, they are standing on their party platform plank.

Dark money from wealthy individuals, mostly non-residents, is promoting some of the very candidates that are trying to unravel our way of life in Montana. They will be successful if they take control of the Supreme Court and the land board.

Gov. Bullock as well as other land board members, Monica Lindeen, Denise Juneau and Linda McCulloch, have done an excellent job of protecting our public lands and waters. They are mandated by the land-banking statute to sell isolated parcels of school trust land and purchase high value accessible recreational land. They have done this.

One of the most critical races is the seat on the Supreme Court. In my opinion, Kristen Juras is not a qualified candidate because of her lack of experience as a judge as well as her relationship to her uncle, Jack Galt. Jack Galt took his opposition to the stream access law all the way to the Montana Supreme Court, but didnt win.

Time, sickness and age have thinned our ranks considerably, but new, like-minded young recruits are emerging here in Montana. They will carry on the fight to protect our freedoms.

None of us want to lose our freedoms in the state where we grew up.

 -- Tony Schoonen, Butte, is president of the Montana Coalition for Stream Access, director of the State Lands Coalition and director of the Public Lands/Water Access Association.
MUSCATINE  Robin Porter McNamara, 59, of Muscatine, passed from this earth Sept. 21, 2016, after a long and heroic battle with Multiple Myeloma cancer. She was born April 14, 1957, in Dallas, Texas, where she grew up, graduated from W.T. White High School and attended North Texas State University in Denton, Texas.

Robin began her early career as a professional freelance photographer and artist, transitioning to an accomplished original folk art painter for the past 30 years.

Robins greatest gifts to the world were the energy, care, love and devotion she bestowed on her family and friends and spontaneously to almost everyone she encountered. Her art is also precious tribute to her creativity and passion for beauty in everything, as reflected in one of her favorite quotes, Life is much more than ordinary, especially when ordinary objects of our everyday living are brought alive with color, creative art and love.

Robin McNamara will be irreplaceable. She is in Gods hands now and will be lovingly missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her husband, Joseph McNamara; and daughter, Kate McNamara of Muscatine; daughter, Megan McNamara of Wilmington, North Carolina; stepsons, Christopher McNamara, Benjamin McNamara and wife, Nicole, and Jeremy McNamara and wife, Renee, of Dallas, Texas. She is also survived by her sister, Lisa Smith and husband, Duane, of Malakoff, Texas; sister, April Neece and husband, Bill, of Dallas. Robin also leaves many loving lifelong friends, as well as her beloved nieces, nephews, in-law sisters and brother, and eight grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her stepson, Nicholas McNamara, and her mother, Genie Grant Zoller of Dallas.

A memorial service for Robin will be 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, in Dallas at the Plaza Theatre in Garland, Texas. Memorials may be directed to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
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